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Location:Wales Discography:The pictures within (2003),Approaching from an oblique angle (2004),Blacklight (2006) Bandmembers:Nick James - Guitar/Vocals,Matt Clarke - Bass,Donal Owen - Drums Influences:Rush,Marillion,Metallica,Korn Will appeal to fans of:Shiva,Fates Warning,Rush (early era) Album tracks Total length:22,45 1.Blacklight (19,21) 2.I?m not going back (3,28) Kaj?s final words:Listening to the South Wales trio 25 YS new cd feels like I have found lost demos with early Rush featuring first drummer John Rutsey and non-Geddy Lee vocals. There?s too much of a poor demo sound over the production but there?s no doubt these guys can play and write good progressive hard rock,we?re talking lots of potential here and I would?ve liked to hear these songs with a big budget production. Perhaps Lion Music would be the perfect home for these gents?! |
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I love this album! 2am´s "When every second counts" must be one of the best British hi-tech AOR releases. Almost every song here could be released as a single back then but the lack of promotion from the label forced the duo to split up a year later in 1988. The band consists of singer Dave Lloyd and guitarist Mark Thomas, to give you a historic lesson about Dave Lloyd - my first acquintance with him was in the band Nutz and their ultra cool NWOBHM track "Bootliggers" in 1981. The band changed name to Rage and released 2 albums in "Nice´N´Dirty" (1982) and "Run for the night" (1982) that featured the minor hit "Cry from the hill". And perhaps he did his best vocal performance on the 1987 album by 2am, this is super classy hi-tech AOR like a mix of FM, John Parr and What If. My personal favorite songs are "Too late", "Never gonna let you escape", "You´re the one" and "Somebody someday". You´re lucky if you have this in your collection! |
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3 is a cool band from Woodstock,NY with 4 albums in their back catalogue,this 5 piece is an exploring band that makes bold music that feels very entertaining to listen to. You can find traces of funk,progrock and metal in the sound of 3 - "Wake pig" is a musical adventure for the open minded and if you?re also a freak for technical stuff,there?s no discussion.......get this right away. Make a big soup of Faith no more,Primus,Red hot chilipeppers and Janes addiction - voila! you?ll get 3. |
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So here comes another top 20 album in the world of Kaj Roth, this Woodstock based prog/hardrock band does just about anything they feel like on their new album for Metal Blade records. Expect everything from 70´s pop to technical progrock and alternative metal to melodic hardrock on this extremely well performed album, fans of Slow Motion Reign, Coheed and Cambria and Fair to midland should pay attention because this is as close to a masterpiece an album can get. “Diamond in the crush” is one of my top 10 favorite songs right now, so intelligent music. They are touring with Porcupine Tree this fall, that sounds like an evening of progrock deluxe to me. Also recommendable, their 2005 album ”Wake pig”. |
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| "Revisions" is 3´s final album for Metal Blade records, this album contains songs written between 1998-2006 because the band felt these songs deserved a second chance. They have now signed with Roadrunner and are working on a new album to be released in 2010. "Revisions" is not a bad album but on the other hand, it´s their weakest album so far mostly because the previous albums have been awesome. King´s X did the same thing on their 2003 album "Black like sunday" and recorded old songs but there´s a reason why these songs never made it on the official albums in the first place. This album is less progressive and more songbased, I´m getting late night vibes while listening to this album and there are moments when I think of Barry Manilow jamming with Yes the Trevor Rabin era. "The Emerald undertow" bring thoughts to early Genesis and is one of the best tracks here along with "The better half of me". "Lexicon of extremism" is an extremely well played guitar piece like having Eddie Van Halen performing with Paco De Lucia. The latino flavored "Automobile" would in fact do justice on a Shakira record too. |
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Tough modern rockers 3 Colours Red from U.K do not hurry making records,their debut "Pure" was released in 97 and 2 years later the 2nd one "Revolt" came out......now after 5 more years finally their 3rd album "The union of souls" is out. Being a fan of this band sure do has it?s price but it?s worth the wait coz 3 Colours Red has a sound of their own,you can call it melancholic atmospheric metal or why not intelligent melodic punk.....what do I know?!,it?s really hard to put a finger on how they sound so you should decide for yourselves. The variation of their style is as big as the variation on the level of the songs too,some are truly great while others feels like album fillers plus add one or two downfalls. Up and down as you can see,the album opens with the title track which is one the best songs on the album,it?s an impressive work of orchestral pop and pompous arrangement like something Billy Corgan of Smashing Pumpkins could?ve written. 2nd out is the massive rocker "Repeat to fade" and it?s also a magnificent song with a colossive riff and how I love the nuance between the verse and the chorus-brilliant......bands like "A" and Hundred Reasons couldn?t have done it better. The 3rd track is the new single "The world is yours" that breathes both Suede and The Cooper Temple Clause,not the best choice of a single but it?s ok. Next one out is my favorite "Desensitize",this should be the new single instead coz those harmonies takes you to cloud no:9.......think Manic Street Preachers meeting Foo Fighters and you?re pretty close to how the song sounds. When we reach the last track "Counterfeit Jesus" of the first half of the album,we are in punkrock land coz this is a modern version of Sex Pistols,more fun than it?s good.......don?t know what to think of it. 6th track is "Ceasefire" and the first calm and acoustic song that could?ve been a collaboration between Noel Gallagher (Oasis) and Brett Anderson(Suede),however it feels like a filler and maybe there?s a reason for why it?s on the 2nd half of TUOS. Then they rock it up a bit on "Made in Indonesia" which is a punkier version of Suede,a song that grows indeed. The 8th track is "Land of Debris" and sounds like an experiment of a chaotic punk theme,neurotic is the right word.......however the melody isn?t far away coz on the uptempo rocker "FCKU" we get to singalong in a rather nice hookladen tune. Last song of this roller coaster ride is another punkish song called "Lullaby",yet another filler........well 3 Colours Red aren?t predictable-that?s for sure. |
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3 doors down scored a big success with this album debut from early 2000. With hit singles like "Kryptonite" and "Loser" they sold 5 millions copies and secured their future quite well?! Like the Matchbox 20 and Third eye blind albums this feels like one the real classic albums when I look back in the modern rock history. Mostly cause of the huge selling success cause musically this isnt a classic one. Ok, its a good record but we only got three or four really smashes like the acoustic based "Be like that" and "Loser". The monster tune "Duck and run" is a freaking cool one with some Iron Maiden guitars combined with acoustic ones. One of my favourite songs from 2000! But the rest of the songs are quite ordinary edgy modern rock without the extra. The better life should be interesting for everyone with interest between groups like Matchbox 20 and Fuel. The overall opinion is although good even it feels a little bit over hyped |
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| The 12 of November is the release date to the group who sold 5 millions of their debut album. If you asked if they would sell as much with this new effort I would answer both yeas and no. No because that 3 years has gone since their debut and they have a lot more bands to fight with and mostly because that this doesn?t sound that revolutionary as ?The Better life? did. I would answer yes because that I think that this is a better album with a better line-up of songs and a fresher production. The first single ?When I?m gone? is a typical 3 Doors down song with a softer verse and a chorus built up with powerful guitars. It?s a nice song that probably will make the fans satisfied and it should also give them plenty of air space. Other great tunes are the marvelous title track, which is more laidback history and got to be a single in the future. Third out ?The road I?m on? and ?Running out of days? are two other candidates for single tracks in the future and proofs that these guys are very trustful when it comes to good modern rock. I also have to mention the personal favorite ?Dangerous game? with a bloody good riff! Musically ?Away from the sun? is their best record so far, but since the business is tougher these days I think that it will be tough to get the same success as ?The better life? album. A good solid album that should be checked up if you?re into Nickelback, Fuel or Default. |
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Last year the strong second album ?Away from the sun? was released by 3 Doors Down, which in my opinion was one or two steps better than the multi selling debut ?The better life? from 1999. With the hit from 2002 in ?When I?m gone? ,they have established themselves among one of the strongest forces in the alternative rock in the US at the moment and will have a great future if they can maintain the same quality of their future albums.
Last month (Nov 11th, 2003) their new Ep called ?Another 700 Miles? was out in stores, which contains six songs that was recorded earlier this year in Chicago, Cincinnati and Cleveland. The title explains pretty good what the tour life is about with some hard work and a lot of travelling. But I?m pretty sure that most bands really enjoys the time on the road with meeting their enthusiastic fans that we hear on this CD.
Six live songs that ?Another 700 Miles? contains may feel a little poor, which I can agree with comparing to a full studio album. But this is a nice gift for their huge amount of fans out there that doesn?t have the chance to experience them live. The four first songs ?Duck and run?, ?When I?m gone?, ?Kryptonite? and ?Here without you? can all be heard on their studio albums, but the two last ones are nice goodies. ?It?s not me? that was written in New Orleans earlier this year is a new song and a real killer tune for sure. Holy Moses what a great chorus the song has! It would easily have fit on any of their previous recordings and hopefully we can see a studio version of it on the next album.
On the sixth and last song we got some pure rock n? roll in the Lynard Skynard?s ?That smell? ,which shows that 3 Doors Down has some good taste of music in their musical roots.
If the unreleased ?It?s not me? hadn?t been here I would have thought that this Ep was pretty useless, but since it?s a such a fantastic tune I must recommend all fans of 3 Doors Down to check this one out. |
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3 Doors Down has with their two big hits in "The Better Life" and "Away From The Sun" become one of the supergroups in the modern rock genre. I can?t say that I was to overwhelmed with their debut, sure it had some hits like "Duck & Run" and "Loser", but it didn?t grab me like the debuts from Tonic, Matchbox 20 and Fuel. Their follow up "Away From The Sun" then from 2002 was a real nice suprise to me with great songs from start to end and with hits than even reached to radio here in Stockholm. Ok, I?m pretty tired of "Here without you" now thanks to all the airplay here, but every hit in this genre is great since it will give the band a new deal and labels will stake on new ones. Even if had some excepatations on this one I also had some sense that it wouldn?t be as good as their last one. There?s very few band that can live up to great successes and even do a better album. And I must say that after five spins that I was really right. "Seventeen Days". is not as good as their 2002 record, mostly because it sounds pretty much the same, but with a little weaker songs. This doesn?t says that it?s not an album worth checking up, cause it is. Songs like the first single "Let me go" and "It?s not me", which also is availble on their live Ep "Another 700 Miles" are great songs and true modern rock athems. Another cool and quite unexpected one is "Landing In London" with Bob Seger as guest vocalist, hands up all you out that there that could have guessed that. The questions then is if this will be as successfull as their previous one? I don?t think that, but it will sure sell well since their previous success and by the fact that this a good album. Most fans will be pleased like myself, but very few will jump of their chairs when listening to "Seventeen Days". |
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13 million albums sold, that should be enough to put 3 Doors Down on the map of rocknroll for decades to come. Their southern influenced modern rock can never be wrong, they teamed up with producer Johnny K again on their 4th studio album which is self titled. Ex.Puddle of Mudd drummer Greg Upchurch replaced Daniel Adair who joined Nickelback in 2005. The new single "It´s not my time" is already a huge hit which is good because it´s a rocker and I hope radio in Sweden stops playing their 2002 hit "Here without you" once and for all and instead let all listeners know that there are other songs available with this band.
However, the band´s tribute to the national guard, "Citizen/soldier" was the first song to be released on the internet, it didn´t convince me at all at first but the song grows and now I like it a lot where my thoughts actually goes to Thin Lizzy and their Thunder and lightning album. Opening track "Train" must be the heaviest track so far from 3DD, what a lovely groove! The Best Buy version also contains the bonus tracks "Feel in the water" and "Who are you". This is a safe buy. |
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| 3 Doors Down from Escaptawa, Mississippi, was formedbackin 1996 and the band rose to national fame with their first single, "Kryptonite", which charted in the top three on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. The band then signed onto Republic Records and released their debut album, The Better Life, in 2000. The album was the 11th-best-selling album of the year and was certified 6x platinum in the United States. Their second album, Away from the Sun, (2002) continued the band's success; it debuted at #8 on the Billboard 200 chart and went multi-platinum in the United States like its predecessor. The band followed it up by extensive touring for two years before releasing their third album, Seventeen Days, in 2005. The album debuted at #1 on the Billboard 200 chart and was certified platinum within its first month of release. Their fourth, self-titled album, 3 Doors Down, also debuted at #1 on the Billboard 200 chart. And now the band's fifth studio album, Time of My Life sees the light of day.The trackrecords is impressing and the pressureand expectations are high from the audience, recordcompany and the band. The album is produced by the maestro Howard Benson who seldommakes people dissapointed. He's solid as a rock. And once again he proofs what a good producer he is. The album is really nice produced even if there aren't any "think outside thebox"-tendencies. It's what you can expect from the band. A safe album with a lot of good well written tunes that probably will be played a lot on the american rock radio. Brad Arnoldraspy voice isgood as usual and is perfect for this type of modern rock and the sound isslightly heavier on a part of the songs. Overall a safe buy if you enjoyed their previousalbumsand if you for some weird reason missed them I can tell you that if you have bands like Nickelback and Creed in your collection this is aband for you to check out. Not the best 3 Doors Down-album to date - it doesn't beat the superb "Away From The Sun" album from 2002. neither the debut, but it sits on the same high level as the two latest album and that means a really good modern rock album. |
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| Produced by the ex member of Evanescence Ben Moody, 3-Faced is a new up and coming modern rock act from Southern California. Their new Ep “Married to the Wreckage” is promising and has probably helped them to get a lot attention from the major labels. If they will signed is hard to tell, since the material is just “good” here. But they have a cool style like if Flyleaf would record with Garbage with both some alternative metal and pop influences. So check out if you’re into edgy female fronted modern rock, this band can go far with the right song/songs! |
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One of the most brutal bands from Canada today are 3 Mile Scream, with influences from old school thrash metal bands like Testament and Exodus - this Montreal based band mixes nitroglycerin with uranium and the result is this cascade of metal just as explosive as the atombomb. Their sound isn?t far from Trivium and Killswitch Engage plus guitar harmonies in the Iron Maiden vein, singer Matt McGachy goes from roaring anger to clean melodic vocals in most of the songs but there?s more of the growler Matt than the melodic side. The band is as tight as a super carrier in the Panama canal and "A Prelude to our demise" will surely please many thrash metal fans but there?s too much of that same wall of sound in every song of this album. I?m excited the first half but gets tired after 5 songs since the band becomes a machine that keeps spitting out the same product over and over again. Good in small doses! |
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| 3 Pill Morning is a promising rock/metal band from Minneapolis, they released 2 Ep´s in 2003 and 2004 and deliver their first full length with "The side effects of chronic ambition". Their sound bring thoughts to Papa Roach, Trapt and Taproot, there are traces of funk and metal in their modern rock-esque sound. They mostly sing but there are some rap parts like on the closing track "Disappear". The singalong rock/punk of "Let´s live for today" will stick to your head like superglue wether you want it or not, the opening track "Mindright" is not the best track to start the album because it´s one of the weakest tracks of the album but 2nd track "Nothing´s real" is great. The funky "Embrace the gray" is groovy and nice but my favorite is "Good run" that shouts out major label deal. The album would sound a lot better with a stronger mix, this one is ok but a little thin. |
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Did you know that?
Drummers Jerry Nolan & Peter Criss both grew up in Williamsburg, Bklyn. The childhood friends auditioned for the Dolls but Nolan got the job.
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latest reviews
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