Simon RushworthSunday comes around quicker than a new Guns N Roses record and as ever rushonrock nudges you towards the new working week with a round-up of Monday’s must-buy rock releases. But we’re still missing our copy of Nickelback’s new one so let us know what you think of the Canadians’ latest…
Edguy – Tinnitus Sanctus (Nuclear Blast)
rushonrock first became aware of these old skool metal heroes when 2006’s Rocket Ride blew us way with anthems like Wasted Time, Save Me and seven-minute epic The Asylum. Well Edguy are back and Tinnitus Sanctus takes up where the guys left off two years ago.
Full of soaring guitar solos, cracking choruses and a fair sprinkling of cheese the Teutonic masters play metal the way it was meant to be played – with plenty of power chords and a smile on their faces. And in frontman Tobi the energetic Edguy boast one of rock’s undiscovered gems. Or at least in the UK.
Quite why a band which has been making records this good for the best part of 18 years has yet to break the UK market is anyone’s guess but they’re a hell of a lot better than similar groups who have enjoyed recent commercial success.
Sex Fire Religion, Thorn Without A Rose (this is bound to cause a ruck with the Poison boys…) and Dead Or Rock are all as fantastic as they sound – and they sound simply magical. Without Edguy the world would be a more unhappy place but with these boys flying the metal flag there’s hope for us all!
rushonrock rated: 9/10 Cool [Ed]Guys
Sammy Hagar – Cosmic Universal Fashion (Loud & Proud)
For rushonrock Sammy Hagar will always be the bloke who made us glad Van Halen parted company with David Lee Roth. His unique voice, charismatic stage presence and ability to hold his own alongside one of the world’s finest guitarists demands respect. But this strange collection of oddments is unlikely to satisfy fans of any Hagar era.
There are elements of Montrose, snatches of VH and nods to The Wabos but this is about as diverse a record as the Red Rocker could have hoped to produce. It doesn’t really sit comfortably within any genre and yet ticks all the boxes for most fans of guitar-driven music.
this is one of those CDs where you’ll find your obvious favourites and discover some real duds depending on your usual taste. Covering the Beastie Boys’ classic Fight For Your Right To Party actually works but Loud, with too many star guests to mention, doesn’t.
At times this record sounds like Soundgarden, at times it sounds like Van Halen and every so often it sounds like nothing we’ve ever heard before. In fact there arev times when you feel Hagar has been hammering the Cabo Wabo (his own brand of Tequila) too often and for too long.
Cosmic Universal Fashion could be a grower. Or it could be a thrower.
rushonrock rated: 5/10 Hagar The Horrible?
Twisted Sister – Live At The Astoria (DVE)
This CD/DVD double pack is the latest in DVE’s Live And Loud series – Wednesday 13 kicked things off last week – and first off it’s pretty good value for any fan of over-the-top 80s hair metal.
If you can look beyond the fact that Dee Snider is surely too old to be singing We’re Not Gonna Take It and swears like a trooper then it’s impossible not to raise a smile at the basic rock on offer. Twisted were always a band who knew how to put on a show and this gig has gone down in history as one of their best.
But just a word of warning. If you’re expecting to purchase an up-to-date record of JJ French and his big-mouthed buddy then this isn’t it. The gig presented here is from the summer of 2004 and things have changed in the last four years. Snider is older, the songs sound more tired and Twisted seem more concerned about cashing in on Christmas than producing new records.
But if nostalgia is the name of your game then this is a pleasant enough trip down metal’s memory lane and may well serve as an inspiration to young upstarts such as label mates Dear Superstar. It may also persuade Snider that enough is enough.
rushonrock rated: 7/10 Sister’s Still Doing It For Themselves