Heavy Metal Resource Reviews-Halford and Rammstein

Halford-Resurrection

When I look back on what the 90's had to offer us, I often look at what it didn't offer us. Some of the Metal Gods that had dominated the 80's were quiet throughout the 90's. Rob Halford, former lead vocalist of Judas Priest was one of those. He was exactly absent, but that familiar metallic sound that made him famous was. Sure the Fight stuff was good and I won't discuss Two here, but we want our Judas Priest, right?? Wait no longer! He isn't back with Priest but has an explosive album in Resurrection that will bring you back to the good old days.

When I heard the intro to the title track and opener, my jaw hit the floor. Rob still has his range folks. You wanna break glass, this intro will do it. What follows is a balls out rocker that will bring a smile to every rocker craving what we have been missing. If you check out the lyrics, it's pretty obvious what point he is making. He's back and sewing his metal oats. 'Made in Hell' follows and is still very heavy and crunchy. 'Locked and Loaded' is next and is becoming one of my favorites. Has those huge choruses that have you singing along. 'Night Fall' continues the consistency followed by my favorite on the disc, 'Silent Screams'. The track is slow in tempo to start, but builds in to a fury. Makes the hair stand up on the back of your neck. You ready for another treat?? How about a duet of Bruce Dickinson and Rob on the next track 'The one you love to hate'?? This tune is heavy and the vocals are done very cool. How could you go wrong with 2 of the biggest metal icons screaming it out in the same tune. 'Cyberworld' in my opinion is probably the weak track. Doesn't sound like it fits the album. Don't get me wrong though. It is still cool and very heavy, but just sounds different than the rest. 'Slow Down' rocks in and brings you back to the sound of the album. Bob Halligan Jr. wrote the next title, 'Twist'. Kind of a trippy tune, but fits the disc quite well. 'Drive' and 'Saviour' finish the album with a bang.

This album kicks ass! What more can I say. I have waited a long time for the return of the Metal God and he has more than delivered on this little masterpiece. What the hell are you waiting for??? It comes very highly recommended.... get out there and buy it!!

Rammstein-Live aus Berlin

Okay everyone, I have decided to jump into a DVD review here. You might ask why Rammstein and why DVD?? Well, DVD rocks and so does Rammstein. When you are looking for something very heavy, but a bit different.... this is your band.

What jumped out at me on this disc is how good the sound was. It is decoded in Dolby Digital 5.1 sound which to the uninformed means 5 discreet speakers and the .1 means a booming low effects channel (Sub woofer). The video looks very clean and the menus are similar to the Cunning Stunts by Metallica. In sound quality, I think they are very close.

Lets talk about the performance. Everyone I have showed this DVD to has a similar reaction. Their jaw hits the floor. They have never seen a performance quite like this one. The band members have a dark aura to them and the stage set is huge. There is tons of pyro used in the performance. Its amazing these guys don't light themselves on fire. Maybe the silver stuff they have all over them is a fire retardent, who knows. My personal fav to watch is 'Du Hast'. The crowd is totally into it and it gets the adrenaline pumping. 'Weisses Fleisch' is another favorite. The whole lineup for the concert was pretty decent. Huge performance to say the least.

Anyone familiar with the band knows that they sing in their native tongue. Does it bother you?? Not really as far as I am concerned.. I have always wondered why so many other nationalities revert to English anyway. The European culture in places speak it and the American culture definitely does, but who wants to compete in the current candy-ass American scene anyway. Rammstein is a breath of fresh air to a very stagnant Rap/Rock and boy band scene.

If you are not familiar with DVD yet, you should really check it out. It is worth every penny for the quality, and DVD recorders are on the way soon. If you are into it, check this disc out, it's a blast to watch and will really test your surround system!!