Album Reviews
Movie Reviews
Concert Reviews

Top 10
Resources
Time Wasters
Contact Us

With guest stars (in order of appearance) Ez Gomer of Jet Circus, Sebastian Bach, Russell Arcara of Surgin/Prophet/Arcara, Jamie Rowe of Guardian, Dale & Troy Thompson of Bride, Oni Logan of Lynch Mob, Leif Garrett, Josh Kramer of Saint, Scott Wenzel of White Cross, Tony Harnell of TNT/Starbreaker, Mark Slaughter of Slaughter, Pete Loran of Trixter, Stephen Pearcy of Ratt, Joe Cerisano of Silver Condor/Trans-Siberian Orchestra, Ted Poley of Danger Danger, Phil Naro of Talas/Peter Criss Band, and Mike Lee of Barren Cross, I can assure you that by this point of the review you know if you want to buy this CD.

Yes, the disc is full of throwback, hair-rock anthems, rockers and ballads.  If you wish the '80’s music scene was still vibrant and creating new material, here is your dream come true.

The recording quality is solid, with songs that touch on all of the things you love from that era:  The guitar shredding, drums pounding, vocals full of screams & falsetto, and just the right flare from the keyboards to put the pop in pop-rock.

After an opening interlude (featuring Jack Black’s prayer from the movie “School of Rock”), the disc starts off with one of its best tracks, The Ez Gomer led “Kings of Hollywood.”  It has strong vocals, and a great pulsing, driving groove that pushes the song along with strength.  Other strong rockers include “Grenade” and “Killer Grin.” The disc does have a few songs that are clunkers, and another few that are good, but nothing special. One strong point of this project is that the band has dropped any hints of the late-90’s rap/rock, and focus on their singers’ strengths.

“If the World Could Be Mine,” sung by Joe Cerisano is a good piano-based ballad.  Jamie Rowe provides the vocals on an acoustic ballad, “Malice in Wonderland.”  It also features some more explicit Christian lyrics than several early tracks.  It does make me wonder how many of the secular vocalists knew they were appearing on a “Christian” album.  No matter, the lyrics are overall that which you would expect from Christian metal: a mixture of the direct, evangelistic approach with other lyrics that touch on spiritual themes in a more accessible, non-explicit way.

If '80’s metal is your thing, consider giving this a spin.  It is a step up from their previous efforts, with a more cohesive sound and better song quality.  All others may confidently give this a pass.

By Jonathan Nelson
4-27-06