The Notes
This man really needs no introduction. The mos effective frontman of Iron Maiden also painted himself quite a solo career. This release marks the best moments of those albums as well as a second disc with unreleased material. I believe this version of the album is limited with the one disc version being the standard. How limited?? Not sure, but I grabbed it quick as I am a huge fan of Bruce and Iron Maiden.
The Tracks
Lot's of familiarity on disc one as expected. There are also a couple of new tracks included. The first track 'Broken' is typical of what Bruce was doing on the last two releases. Very cool guitar work on this track. 'Silver Wings' is the second new tune and is kind of in between the Maiden material and his solo stuff. The tune is aggressive and sounds great. All of the solo albums are represented with a song or two including some live material. Looking towards disc two, there is some pretty interesting things going on. There is some very interesting vault material included. You get the original version of 'Bring your daughter... ...to the slaughter' later released on the 'No prayer for the dying' album. You also get some lighter material showcasing a bit different side to Dickinson. Most of the material on this disc is lighter in nature and really gives you a new appreciation for Bruce's Talent. There is also some very funny stuff like 'Ballad of Mutt' and 'I'm in a band with an Italian drummer' that are reminiscent of tracks like 'Black Bart Blues' from the B-Sides of Iron Maiden. Same type of humor anyway. One of the cooler moments on this disc is the explanation of the tracks from Bruce himself which is titled 'The voice of Crube'. There are some pretty cool tidbits that all of us Maiden/Dickinson junkies just have to have.
Overall
I won't have to tell many to buy this, because we are all educated in good music, right?? What I will say is that you need the two disc limited edition. This is an essential to any collection. The album is well put together and complete with informative liner notes in the booklet. One of the better 'Best of' compilations you are going to hear. Do check this one out!
The Notes
Some of you may be familiar with Hanover aka Hanover Fist. You know, the Canadian metal band from the mid 80's that released 'Hungry Eyes'. Vice Lords is the new home of former Hanover members Kim Hunt and David Aplin. Musically, this band is raw, loud and very much hard rock, but different than Hanover stylistically. This album was released in 1998 on an independent label.
The Tracks
There is a lot of cool stuff on this disc. 'Destination Nowhere' opens with a bit of a Four Horseman feel. Very good groove. 'Mona Lisa' has a good grind to it mixed with decent melody. 'Just another day' has a punkish feel to it. The band really traverses many styles on this disc. If you are looking at a classic metal sound, try out 'World' which is one of my favorites. One of the highlights of the album in my opinion is the very solid 'Jiggernaut'. The tune has a very smooth feel to it with very good vocal work. Totally different than the rest of the album. 'Deep down evil' is melodic yet nasty. 'Tijuana Taxi' is crunchy with a helluva cool groove. 'Reilly Parker Gang' is a cool tune with narrative style vocals. One thing is for sure. There is a lot on this disc to offer everyone. Some of the lyrical content s a bit dark, but matches the presentation of the music very well. As far as musicianship, these guys are really good. With the predictability of this albums direction thrown out the window, you get a very enjoyable listen.
Overall
I knew this album was gonna be good. I was a big fan of Hanover Fist, and even though these guys are really not the same thing except for the members, the great songwriting is still there. I'm not exactly sure if the album is distributed in the States, but to get a feel for a few tracks you can check out their MP3.com website for some downloads as well as information on how to pick this up. Definitely check these guys out as I think most will really dig them. Nice job guys!
