Al B Damned - For Old Times Stake (CD Review)

01.Good To Be Bad
02.Scream Come True
03.Drink The Blood
04.Home Is Where The Haunt Is
05.Look Who's Stalking
06.Exorsister
07.Modified
08.Never Sleep Again
09.Life In Space
10.End Of The Line
11.Creeping Beauty Part 2
12.You Are What We Eat
13.Mommy
14.Possessed (Acoustic)
15.Chopping Mall (Remake)

Joey Draper (Vocals/Bass/Guitars)
Pip Samson (Drums/Backing Vocals)

Guests:
James McIlroy (Guitar Solos: Good To Be Bad/Drink The Blood)
Doug Cartwright & Alexz "Face" Allen - Guitar (Look Who's Stalking)
Dan Evans (Guitar)

Having reviewed their new ep last month complete with the usual mini bio etc  (Look Whos Stalking Review) I shall get straight to the album.

A little symphonic music introduces us to 'Good To Be Bad', the haunting keyboard sound remains throughout the song, its so simple yet somehow it's understated appearence holds you in its own right.The song itself is slow, powerfull and the vocals have a raw growl to them.Then right at the end comes a killer solo to end of one helluva opener!

'Scream Come True' is a pretty straight forward rocker, reminiscent of "Raise Your Fist" era Alice Cooper.

Picking up the pace next with 'Drink The Blood', a hint of good old rock n roll lurks here, some really solid pedal work from Pip, great backing vocals and this one really drives along with its sing-a-long style.
Another instatntly recognisable solo is then perfectly executed but then the music drops out for a near tortured vocal full of emotion, finally the band join in to close.

Great bass playing kicks off 'Home Is Where The Haunt Is', this is another slower paced song, quite typical of the horror rock style, this one stalks the speakers with menace.

'Look Whos Stalking' and this one sure packs a punch, it's faster and heavier than previous songs, definatley like a jam session between the Misfits and Motorhead, add some riff loaded guitar work and a shout it out loud backing and this is one killer song.

Staying with the previous vibe comes 'Exorsister', not quite as furious, but has all the swagger and more of those infectious backing vocals.

Oh wow 'Modified' is really different, the vocal effect reminds me of Corey Taylor is his darker spoken moments, this is a dark and werid gothic monster, slow and anthemic treatment from the drums and guitar and some clever multi tracked vocal styles.

Some nice hints of Thrash Metal in 'Never Sleep Again', punchy riffs and some frantic drumming absolutley sledgehammer this one through my speakers.
Towards the end it gets weird, first with something that sounds like its from the soundtrack to clice barkers Candyman, then some strange vocal chants.

Some space related samples, awesome little synth pattern and near gothic guitar picking and 'Life In Space' presents itself as another dark, neo gothic downbeat song.
If the Peter Murphy vocal delivery wasn't enough to behold it gets the weird treatment with some f/x as well.

Relaxed and chilled as I was after that last song, my ears get blown up by 'End Of The Line' more of that upbeat horror rock delivered with real passion and understanding of the genre.

'Creeping Beauty Part 2' starts off dangerously like a ballad, fortunatley that doesn't last long and it picks up, but I have to say I do find it a tad average, it's mid paced but doesn't seem to go anywhere.What happend to Part One? Ahh just remembered it's an old TDQM song :-)

The fact that 'You Are What We Eat' includes a lyric that says "welcome to the jungle" seems to indicate a touch of Guns N Roses and you know the overall glam/metal/rock n roll feel of this song could fit in with the classic era of that band.

Bringing the mood right down next with 'Mommy', a melancolic and moody gothic tune, that candyman sound is back as well, another stand out song thats for sure.

'Possessed (Acoustic)' well not that acoustic as there is synth on it, the passionate and tortured vocal delivery is first class.

Finally 'Chopping Mall (Remake)' another old TDQM song given the ABD treatment, this one adds a little more agression with the guitar and is a nice way to end a brilliant and well executed album.

Rating 10/10
For fans of: Alice Cooper, Rob Zombie, Marilyn Manson, The Misfits, Generation Graveyard

Al B Damned - Look Who's Stalking EP (Review)

01.Look Who's Stalking
02.Hyde & Seek
03.Bats Of A Feather (Acoustic Live Studio)
04.Look Who's Stalking (Warhead Remix)


Joey Draper (Vocals/Bass/Guitars)
Pip Samson (Drums/Backing Vocals)

Guests:
Doug Cartwright & Alexz "Face" Allen - Guitar (Look Who's Stalking)
Dan Evans (Guitar)

Its been a while but the Bournemouth horror rock monsters are back, but this time it's a new set up and a new sound.
Essentially now operating as a duo of founder member and Texas Drag Queen Massacre mastermind Joey aka Al B Damned and "ABD" drummer Pip Samson, the pair have been friends for a long time and always worked and wrote together.
When the band split in 2013 it did look like the end, even though they left an ep as a farewell, so not quite the final nail in the coffin afterall.

However friends stay together and they decided to get back to what they do best and revamp the music and in February 2014 and "one off" song appeared having been based on what the fans wanted to hear.
Perhaps worth mentioning here, that when it comes to fan and band loyality and resepct you would be hard pushed to find a better example.

This inspired the ghoulish duo to create a kick starter project to fund an album that would feature many previous musicians from the various bands connected with them and perhaps be a new beginning for a darker and heavier sound.

And so it came to pass that the next step to get to the album would be let out of the pit under Al's house.

The pair were helped by former "TDQM" guitarist Alexz, "Beneath Dead Waves" guitarist Doug and Pips cohort in the "deathcorecomedymetal" noize merchants aAnd? Dan also helping with guitarwork.
Finally this online EP has a remix by Deefa D.De'Ville and also includes a little video of Joey and Pip hard at work.

This also serves as a taster for an album expected soon which also features some guitar playing from James McIlroy (Cradle Of Filth/Chaosanct), I am expecting great things.

Finally befre we get to some words on the music a quick mention that the package includes a short behind the scenes video clip for the promo video of 'Look Whos Stalking'.

So we kick off with 'Look Whos Stalking' and this one sure packs a punch, it's faster and heavier than previous songs, still unmistakably "Al" but as if fronting Motorhead circa 1979, add one screaming riff loaded guitar solo and you cant help but say that they are back with death on their mind, coz this songs kills!

Next song 'Hyde & Seek' has more of the old sound, classic horror rock guitar, but the pace is more horror punk as is part of the vocal delivery, it has a "Sneer" to it, then the chorus is sung in a more harmonic way and that dual style really adds to this.

A total change now for the recorded in the studio as a live take on an acoustic version of the old TDMQ song 'Bats Of A Feather', it's a much more downbeat version than the original with a near melancholic vocal, I like it, it gives a new perspective on the song.

Finally the 'warhead Remix' of the title track, very much one for the dance crowd, this industrial take is intresting, personally I would have used a different drum track, this one is a little too basic and robotic, would have worked well if it was more of a complex beat or at least a higher BPM count, the rest of the synth sounds and samples work okay.Not sure it fits the bands overall concept but I always like it when musicians go outside the (coffin) box.

Rating 9.5/10
For Fans Of: Generation Graveyard, Rob Zombie, Misfits, Snow Whites Poison Bite

FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/albdamned

BANDCAMP: https://albdamned.bandcamp.com/album/look-whos-stalking-single-bonus-content

Promo Video : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3wIcMlJuuSk

Lordi - Scare Force One (CD Review)

01.SCG7: Arm Your Doors And Cross Check
02.Scare Force One
03.How To Slice A Whore
04.Hell Sent In The Clowns
05.House Of Ghosts
06.Monster Is My Name
07.Cadaver Lover
08.Amen’s Lament To Ra II
09.Nailed By The Hammer Of Frankenstein
10.The United Rocking Dead
11.She’s A Demon
12.Hella’s Kitchen
13.Sir, Mr.Presideath, Sir!


Mr.Lordi (Vocals)
Amen (Guitars)
Ox (Bass)
Hella (Keyboards)
Mana (Drums)

According to Mr. Lordi the material on the new record is more experimental than before. It’s not a theme or concept record, per se, but there is a red thread that runs through the songs.

”The overall sound of the band is more modern, too, and we’ve tried out some new tricks here and there. The basic Lordi building blocks are still present, so there’s no shortage of melodic hooks in the songs"

Lordi’s last two albums were made in Nashville under the watchful eye of legendary producer Michael Wagener. This time the band wanted to do it differently and recorded the album with Finnish veteran producer Mikko Karmila.

So another album and another intro which goes straight into the first song, so why set it out as track 1 in the first place??

'Scare Force One' doesn't exactly blow the speakers, its fairly typical Lordi, melodic middle of the road rock.

While 'How To Slice A Whore' may pick up the pace, the rough vocals grate and the music remains average.

The rest of the album goes nowhere at all, so much for wanting to make a "Different" album, only the single 'Nailed By The Hammer Of Frankenstein' has any real merit with its take on Wednesday 13's horror rock.
This is not and will never be an album a brilliant as 'The Monster Show', strikes me that for all the talk they are doing what many bands do and just "do enough" to get by.
Scare Force One remains stuck on the runway with little chance of ever taking off.

Rating 7/10
For fans of: Wednesday 13, Alice Cooper, Kiss, GWAR