Return of Your Recent CD's/Music Purchases

[Attila Kiss]

JEFF BECK - Loud Hailer
Digipak CD + 9 Photos ℗ 2016
Guitar Oriented Rock
★★★★★★★☆☆

One of the most underrated guitarist whose style is not to stand out but to blend in with the music he performs. For this reason he is frequently playing solo parts for his peers. On Loud Hailer, I was expecting some of his good deeds to be repaid, mainly by Beth Hart. Unfortunately, that doesn't happen here, but we do get a big contribution from two rising stars of the British duo Bones and their producer Filippo Cimatti crafts a modern sounding CD for the Master. If you strip down all these songs to the basic, you'll find his Blues is intact. Jeff Beck is well known for passionate delivery and for that the highlight is on the beautiful ballad "Scared For The Children".

[Attila Kiss]

SYMPHONITY - King Of Persia +3
CD ℗ 2016
Melodic Power Metal
★★★★★★★☆☆

After 8 Years of laying low, the Czechs are back. I for one can appreciate the long hiatus if the material is good and in this case, it's better than just good. The faster tracks are the jewel of the album and they are plenty. The vocal duties are shared by Herbie Langhans and the powerhouse Olaf Hayer, occasionally on the same track. It's always a pleasure to hear a cover song outside the genre. Symphonity does NENA's pop success: "Anyplace, Anywhere, Anytime" quite well, as a bonus track on the Japanese Edition.

[Attila Kiss]

click on the CD cover to hear "Down The Road To Misery" / click on the EP-CD cover to hear "Forever Burns"

THEM - Sweet Hollow / THEM - Fear Them (Tour Edition)
Autographed Posters + CD + Logo Button ℗ 2016
Autographed Post Cards + Autographed Digipak EP-CD ℗ 2016
Horror Metal
★★★★★★★★☆☆

If you thought THEM is another King Diamond project you were wrong, but you're not far off the target. Troy Norr once part of the tribute band, decided to take it to the next level by creating King Diamond inspired music. The whole band is an exceptionally talented bunch, with recognizable names such as Mike LePond, Kevin Talley and Tobby Knapp's shredding compadre, Markus Johansson. Troy also does an excellent job in telling a chilling concept story via musical pastures and nailing the coffin with high pitched harmony dub's.

[Attila Kiss]

CROSSBONES - Rock The Cradle
CD ℗ 2016
Hard Rock
★★★★★★☆☆☆☆

[Attila Kiss]

MICHIYA HARUHATA - Play The Life
Slipcase Digipak CD + DVD + Postcard ℗ 2016
Rock Guitar Instrumentals
★★★★★★★☆☆☆

An extremely varied CD from the Tube guitarist. One vocal track among the instrumentals and two solo piano songs performed by the guitarist who favors melodies over technical display, is not where the diversity ends. The style of the music found on Play The Life is just as motley, ranging from Easy Listening to Pop to Rock to Hawaiian Music to Hard Rock to Shred and even Flamenco flavors thrown in for good measure. All in all, a very enjoyable listening.

[Attila Kiss]

VARIOUS ARTISTS - Guitarists On Demand III
Digipak CD ℗ 2016
Guitar Instrumentals
★★★★★★★☆☆☆

[Attila Kiss]

HEVIDENCE - Nobody's Fault
CD ℗ 2016
Hard Rock
★★★★★★☆☆☆☆

[Attila Kiss]

VARIOUS ARTISTS - G5 Project 2016
CD ℗ 2016
Guitar Instrumentals
★★★★★★★☆☆☆

[Attila Kiss]

CRYSTAL BALL - Déjà-Voodoo
ft./ Stefan Kaufmann
Digipak CD + Bottle Opener ℗ 2016
Melodic Metal
★★★★★★★★☆☆

Crystal Ball released Deja Voodoo hot on the trail of their last years success.
And it's Deja-Vu all over again. There is no doubt these boys from Switzerland have found the gold-bearing vein.

[Attila Kiss]

HANSEN & FRIENDS - XXX Three Decades In Metal
ft./ Ralf Scheepers/ Piet Sielck/ Dee Snider/ Michael Kiske/ Tobias Sammet/ Roland Grapow/ Michael Weikath
CD ℗ 2016
Guitar Oriented Melodic Metal
★★★★★★★★☆☆

What a breath of fresh air. A guitar centered album as it should be. Almost perfect. It bursts out with 6 great songs right from the beginning, but then it runs out of catchy tunes, letting "Left Behind" to vanguard a bouquet of clunkers that could have been easily... well, left behind. However, after few forgettable tunes, they find their winning formula once again to close the album with a great anthem.

[Attila Kiss]

POKOLGÉP - Metalbomb
CD ℗ 2016
Heavy Metal
★★★★★★★★☆☆

After 9 Years of hiatus, the first Hungarian Metal band is back with a new CD. Few things changed since then. The raspy voice of Joe Rudan is gone. Instead, we have a new singer providing high pitched clean vocals. The drummer also left to join the international act Armageddon. What didn't change is the great selection of memorable songs. This CD has no gimmicks. It's traditional Metal with couple of power ballads, as one might expect it from the band who gave us "Send Me A Sign" (also covered by Hammerfall on their CD "Infected") (click on the cover to hear the new ballad "Don't Pick On Me!")

[Deathstroke]

The last CD I picked up recently was the reissued edition of Survivor's Eye of the Tiger from Rock Candy Records.

[Attila Kiss]

LUÍS KALIL ‎– Sunset Daredevil
Autographed CD ℗ 2016
Shred Guitar Instrumentals
★★★★★★★★☆☆

The 16 years old Brazilian guitar prodigy's 2nd CD builds on his already impressive first release, with same great sense of song writing and technicality. This self released CD will put to shame numerous "big production" releases, not only for it's professional packaging but also with rich, crystal clear sound. Apparently, Brazil is not just a breeding ground for great football players, but guitar players as well.

[Attila Kiss]

LIAN ROSS - And The Beat Goes On
2CD ℗ 2016
Hi-NRG / Euro Disco
★★★★★★★☆☆☆

Back in the 80's when any of my pals would score a new Heavy Metal LP, we would go to our DJ friend's house to listen to it on his advanced stereo equipment. It was impressive how, although not a metalhead, he was quite knowledgeable about Metal, yet at the same time he would DJ at discotheques. To win me over, he made me a mixtape filled with nothing but Italo Disco and told me to listen to it on a Walkman (if you know what that is, you're old) and I did. The music was very melodic, catchy and Hi Energy, boasting all the qualities I look in a Metal music, yet it was soooo different. Like Heavy Metal has it's guitar solos, Euro disco has it's long breaks filled with bouncing sound effects and swirling synth solos. Listening to it, I learned to appreciate the arrangements more. Euro Disco was notorious for having a single producer/composer behind the scene writing/performing the music and an ever changing line of singers. Because of that, none of the names really stick. The average Disco Rat wouldn't even know the performer, perhaps the song title, but that was it. So if back then, anyone would have asked me where do I see Lian Ross 30+ years in time, my answer would have been, Not in the music business. But here we are. It's 2016 and she's still putting out new albums with new music. And The Beat Goes On.

[Attila Kiss]

HAMMERFALL - Built To Last
CD ℗ 2016
Melodic Epic Metal
★★★★★★★★☆

By now, you should know what to expect from Hammerfall... and they do deliver, exactly that.