Tuesday, December 31, 2013

The 10 best songs and albums of the year

Best songs of the year:

1. Cape Of Our Hero - Volbeat
2. What If - Degreed
3. Stay The Night - Imperial State Electric
4. Nothing Left But Tears - Buckcherry
5. Spectacular - The Answer
6. Chocolate -The 1975
7. Elevate - The Winery Dogs
8. By The Reins - Leogun
9. Paradise (What About Us) - Within Temptation
10. Woman Like That - Airbourne

Best albums of the year:

1. Outlaw Gentlemen and Shady Ladies - Volbeat
2. By The Reins - Leogun
3. We Don't Belong - Degreed
4. The 1975 - The 1975
5. Black Dog Barking - Airbourne
6. Confessions - Buckcherry
7. The Winery Dogs - The Winery Dogs
8. Reptile Brain Music - Imperial State Electric
9. Dregen - Dregen
10. Wrote A Song For Everyone - John Fogerty

Wednesday, December 18, 2013

Metallica live on Antarctica (say whaat?)

Metallica recently played on Antarctica (the south pole), becoming the first band in history to play there. Also the first band to play on all seven continents. And the first band to do all this in one single year. Haha, what the hell?!

The concert on Antarctica was played on some kind of polar base for a small crowd made up of scientists and winners in some competition. A rather small crowd and the band in a kind of metal igloo placed outside. Must have been cold! At least, it's very very cool (pun intended).

Concert starts at about  0:10:15

Setlist
1. Creeping Death
2. For Whom The Bell Tolls
3. Sad But True
4. Welcome Home (Sanitarium)
5. Master Of Puppets
6. One
7. Blackened
8. Nothing Else Matters
9. Enter Sandman
10. Seek And Destroy

Tuesday, December 17, 2013

Jay Smith - King Of Man (new album)

Jay Smith has released a new record, called King Of Man, the first under his own name since the debut in 2010. During the three year space Jay Smith worked with his band Von Benzo, that band is now on hold.

Jay Smith won the swedish Idol in 2010 and was probably the only real "sex, drugs & rocknroll" rocker I've ever seen win any competition like this. Could only in hardrock-crazy Sweden, I guess.

This new album is not exactly a 10/10, but it's the fact that Jay Smith is back that is the real event here. Even so, there are a couple of cool tracks: The Blues, Keeps Me Alive and Worries Won't Bring It Back is all great hard and bluesy songs. Keeps Me Alive even includes a Supertramp-esque saxophone solo!


1. The Blues
2. Women
3. Keeps Me Alive
4. King Of Man
5. Cowboys From Hell
6. Sanctuary
7. Keep Your Troubles At Bay
8. Ode To Death (Little Sister)
9. Tramp Of Love
10. Evil I Might Be
11. Worries Won't Bring It Back
12. Sanctuary Revisited

Thursday, December 12, 2013

The 10 best Led Zeppelin songs

Led Zeppelin was just made available on the music streamer Spotify. A short but effective announcement. Good news for both old fans and for other people that now get the chance to discover Zeppelin and their music. Enough said, here's the 10 best Led Zeppelin songs:

1. Rock And Roll
2. Immigrant Song
3. Stairway To Heaven
4. Whole Lotta Love
5. Communication Breakdown
6. Tangerine
7. Living Loving Maid
8. Heartbreaker
9. The Battle Of Evermore
10. Out On The Tiles

Sunday, December 8, 2013

The biggest rock bands in the world - a look at total album sales

I have always claimed that rock is the biggest, most important and persevering music genre in the world. This is also reflected in album sales from the industry, where the top lists is dominated by rock bands and pop artists. The difference is that the rock acts continue to draw crowds and make new fans over time, something that most pop artists can not manage. They are a product of popular culture with huge sales when they were sitting on the pop "throne" during a short period of their career whereby their albums sold ridiculously well. Rock bands are much more consistent and resilient to the ups and downs of popular culture. Out of the top 14 album artists of all time, we find seven rock bands on places 1-2-6-7-11-12-13.

250 million or more albums

1. The Beatles (UK)
2. Elvis Presley (US)
3. Michael Jackson (US)
4. Madonna (US)
5. Elton John (UK)
6. Led Zeppelin (UK)
7. Pink Floyd (UK)

200-249 million albums

8. Mariah Carey (US)
9. Celine Dion (CAN)
10. Whitney Houston (US)
11. AC/DC (AUS)
12. Queen (UK)
13. The Rolling Stones (UK)
14. ABBA (SWE)

Further down the list, in the interval 120 - 199 million albums, we find more rock bands. Out of 16 artists, 6 are rock bands:
  • The Eagles (US)
  • U2 (UK)
  • Aerosmith (US)
  • Genesis (UK)
  • Bruce Springsteen (US)
  • Dire Straits (UK)
In the interval 100 -119 million albums the amount of rock bands is virtually the same. Out of 30 artists there are 10 that I would consider to be rock bands:
  • KISS (US)
  • Metallica (US)
  • Rod Stewart (UK)
  • Bon Jovi (US)
  • Fleetwood Mac (UK)
  • Guns N' Roses (US)
  • Paul McCartney (UK)
  • Bryan Adams (CAN)
  • Def Leppard (UK)
  • The Who (UK)
Another interesting thing to notice is the amount of UK bands versus the amount of US bands. Out of the 23 rock bands listed here, 13 are from the UK and 8 are from the US. We also have AC/DC from Australia and Bryan Adams from Canada on the list! Out of the top seven rock bands there are five UK bands and only one US band! So one could say that the UK rock bands are the kings of album sales, and the biggest bands in the world.

Even so, the US have some of the more resilient rock bands with Aerosmith, Springsteen, Eagles, KISS, Metallica and Bon Jovi still touring and releasing new music to this day!

The UK bands tend to be more inactive, but they have a higher legendary status. Just think of The Beatles, Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, Queen, Genesis, Dire Straits and Fleetwood Mac that no longer are active as bands… (Yes, Queen is touring under that name but without Freddie Mercury and Deacon I count them as inactive as a band just to make a point)

But still, my favorite band is from America. They have not sold the most albums. But they have more gold records than any other American band (meaning different albums certified gold). That is the sign of one of the most resilient bands of all time. That, and the fact that they have toured and released albums non-stop for over 40 years now. They have never been inactive on any level. Their work ethics are impressive. That has earned them the most loyal fan base in the world. One that I am proud to be a part of.

That band is KISS.

Wednesday, December 4, 2013

The 1975 - album and videos

The 1975 is one of the coolest new rock groups right now. And as many other cool bands throughout history they are from the UK. I first saw them on Conan O'Brien's show on tbs where they performed a live version of their first single Chocolate.

I really liked the song, added it to my Spotify playlist and sort of forgot about it. But the other day I realized; what about the full album? So I looked it up and, let me tell you, it did not disappoint!
From the funky starting track Chocolate all the way through 15 other tracks it's an album filled with cool songs. The sound is very modern and unlike anything I've heard from any other new band - a mix between rock, pop, 80's sound and modern electronic music. And an unusual vocal style to top it off!

To really hear that uber-cool 80's twist I suggest the track Heart Out which is one of my favorites. Some other great songs are The City, Talk! and of course Chocolate. The full album is called 'The 1975' so check these guys out!

Chocolate (live on Conan)

The City

Sex

Girls

Tuesday, December 3, 2013

Degreed - We Don't Belong (new album)

Feel like I need to promote this band called Degreed because they are not nearly as famous as they should be, so here's a short introduction of the band. Degreed is a melodic hard rock band from Sweden, the music has keyboard elements and stylish classic rock vocals. The band was formed in 2005, debut album came out 2010 and the second album We Don't Belong was released earlier this year.

Their first album received a lot of good reviews, and songs like B.O.D, Arms of Misery and My Fall are melodic ear candy. And the second album is even better. The sound has evolved, it's a bit more modern. The vocals really impress me, and they should because the singer Robin Ericsson actually participated in the Swedish Idol program in 2008 and reached place 6.

Degreed continues the Swedish melodic hard rock tradition alongside bands like Europe, Treat and HEAT in outstanding fashion! Some  songs on the new album to prove my point? How about What If, Blind Hearted and Access Denied...

Track listing:
1. Black Cat
2. What If
3. In For The Ride
4. Inside Of Me
5. Follow Her Home
6. Blind Hearted
7. Here I Am
8. Access Denied
9. Coming Home
10. We Don't Belong

Music Video: What If

Monday, December 2, 2013

The Winery Dogs

The power-trio/supergroup The Winery Dogs released their self-titled debut album this year. The band is made up of Richie Kotzen (Mr Big) on vocals/guitar, Billy Sheehan (Mr Big) on bass and finally Mike Portnoy (Dream Theater) on drums.

I first heard of the band from Paul Stanley, who mentioned the group in his Twitter feed. I looked them up and found this brilliant album. It's filled with superb musicianship with all members being very high-quality on their respective instruments. Both Sheehan and Portnoy are considered very competent musicians in the industry.

The sound is like a fun, less depressive Soundgarden (maybe due to the similar vocal style) and with an addition of catchy choruses.  Heavy, funky sound in the verses and more toward a straight arena-rock sound in the choruses. It's a combination that really works!

Best track: Elevate (what a chorus!!)


Track listing:
1. Elevate
2. Desire
3. We Are One
4. I'm No Angel
5. The Other Side
6. You Saved Me
7. Not Hopeless
8. One More Time
9. Damaged
10. Six Feet Deeper
11. Time Machine
12. The Dying
13. Regret

Desire (official video)

Friday, November 29, 2013

Lady Gaga - "Gypsy" on the Howard Stern show

Lady Gaga performing her song Gypsy from her new album Artpop. Live on the Howard Stern show. It's frankly an amazing performance. It proofs that Lady Gaga is not all about the show, there is huge talent there as well. You may think what you want about her looks etc, but she is talented anyway you slice it.


Thursday, November 28, 2013

Music of the Week (48)

The Winery Dogs - Elevate

Papa Roach - Leader of the Broken Hearts

Shakra - Save You From Yourself

Edguy - I'll Cry For You

Of Monsters And Men - Mountain Sound

Queen + Paul Rodgers - All Right Now

Wednesday, November 27, 2013

Imperial State Electric - Reptile Brain Music (new album)

Imperial State Electric just released a new album called Reptile Brain Music. A fitting title since the album is packed with straight forward, simple, guitar driven rock & roll. It really is music for the reptile part of our brain, its relying heavily on basic instinct! Short, compact and energetic songs, 2-3 minutes long.
It's a great record with a lot of nice riffs and classic 70's guitar solos. Lovely analog drums and genuine imperfect vocals makes the album very charming in its simplicity. From the raunchy quickie Emptiness Into The Void, to the easy-going Nothing Like You Said It Would Be and over to the perfect Paul Stanley/Kiss tribute song Stay The Night.

Best track: Stay The Night
+ for the lovely analog sound
- for the lack of variation

Track listing:

1. Emptiness Into The Void
2. Underwhelmed
3. Faustian Bargains
4. Reptile Brain
5. More Than Enough Of Your Love
6. Dead Things
7. Apologize
8. Stay The Night
9. Eyes
10. Born Again
11. Nothing Like You Said It Would Be
12. Down In The Bunker

Monday, November 25, 2013

Within Temptation's new album will be called Hydra

Within Temptation has been working on a new album for a long time and now it is finally finished. The release date is set to be on January 31st, 2014.

"Hydra is a perfect title foe our new album, because like the monster itself, the record represents the many different sides of our music." - Robert Westerholt

Special guests on the album includes Tarja Turunen (Nightwish), Dave Pirner (Soul Asylum), Howard Jones (Killswitch Engage) and Xzibit.


Tracklist:
1. Let Us Burn
2. Dangerous
3. And We Run
4. Paradise (What About Us?)
5. Edge Of The World
6. Silver Moonlight
7. Covered By Roses
8. Dog Days
9. Tell Me Why
10. Whole World Is Watching

Bonus tracks:
11. Radioactive (by Imagine Dragons)
12. Summertime Sadness (by Lana del Ray)
13. Let Her Go (by Passenger)
14. Dirty Dancer (by Enrique Iglesias)
15. And We Run
16. Silver Moonlight
17. Covered By Roses
18. Tell Me Why

Bruce Springsteen New single and album

Bruce Springsteen has just released a new single from the upcoming album, scheduled for release on January 14th. The single is called High Hopes, which is also the title of the new album.
And the E Street Band is backing up the boss once again!

'

Sunday, November 24, 2013

New album from Dregen

Swedish guitarist Dregen (Backyard Babies, The Hellacopters) has gone solo and recently released his debut album as a solo artist. The album has 10 tracks, Dregen sings and plays on all of them.
A solid, classic rock album. Good variation in both songwriting and sound and Dregen is a better singer than I expected.
A couple of cool tracks to check out is Flat Tyre On A Muddy Road, Just Like That and 6:10 (feat. Danko Jones). The best song, however, is called Mojo's Gone

Dregen - Track listing:

Divisions of Me
Just Like That
Flat Tyre On A Muddy Road
Gig Pig
Pink Hearse
Bad Situation
One Man Army
6:10
Refuse
Mojo's Gone

Saturday, November 23, 2013

Real Music of the Week (47)

The 1975 - The City

Dregen - Just Like That

Jorn - Naked City

Leogun - Another Lost Soul

Avantasia - States of Matter

Volbeat - Still Counting

Wednesday, November 20, 2013

Queen - Top 20 Best Songs

The band needs no introduction, and neither does Freddie Mercury who, in my opinion, is probably the greatest rock vocalist that ever set foot on a stage. But let's not forget the guitar virtuoso Brian May. Here's their 20 best songs, since I decided that a top-ten list would not be enough…

20. You're My Best Friend
19. Innuendo
18. One Vision
17. Keep Yourself Alive
16. Headlong
15. Somebody To Love
14. Another One Bites The Dust
13. Killer Queen
12. Don't Stop Me Now
11. Breakthru
10. Tie Your Mother Down
9. Fat Bottomed Girls
8. We Will Rock You
7. Hammer To Fall
6. The Show Must Go On
5. I Want It All
4. Radio Ga Ga
3. We Are The Champions
2. I Want To Break Free
1. Bohemian Rhapsody

Tuesday, November 12, 2013

Leogun

Leogun is a young British band that has been touring with KISS as support on their latest Monster tour. They have gotten really good reviews and a great response from the crowds around the world with their energetic, bluesy, zeppelin-esque rock.
I saw them live on the Kiss Kruise and they did not disappoint. The trio did a strong set and already seem to have started to gain a following, even among Kiss fans. The frontman definitely have star-quality in both looks and stage presence. They have released one self-titled EP and an album called By The Reins. 

Listen to: Medicine, Piggy In The Middle, By The Reins, Let's Be Friends, You Better Love Me, Another Lost Soul.

Let's Be Friends

Piggy In The Middle

Medley: By The Reins, Medicine, Another Lost Soul, What's It Gonna Take

Saturday, November 9, 2013

KISS Kruise III - Highpoint of the year

I attended the KISS Kruise III this year, sailing from Miami to Key West and Great Stirrup Cay in Bahamas. Four days filled with KISS, rock&roll, beer, sun, beaches and pale people - on a huge cruise ship. What could be better?

Kicked of with an unplugged and unmasked show with KISS where they performed some rare songs, notably Comin' Home, Take Me, Hide Your Heart, All The Way and an unscheduled Creatures of the Night.

Second night was the full show in the ships theatre. Some great rare songs, mixed with some classics made it an awesome show. The band sounded really good and the intimate setting (1000 seats) was awesome. Most notable song was the never-before performed The Oath, taken from the notorious album The Elder, which generated a huge response from the crowd. Other great rare songs included Mainline, Anything For My Baby, Ladies In Waiting, Almost Human and Let Me Know.

Third night was the second show, which I saw on the big-screen in the atrium (only one full show per guest). This was pretty much the same show as the night before, including a second performance of The Oath due to the impressive response. Hide Your Heart and Love Her All I Can was also performed .

Fourth night was no gig but an entertaining and well-attended Q&A with the band in great spirit. Some fun anecdotes and some general talk on life. All four members are very good talkers and wordsmiths. It was a great experience.

Some other great experiences on the cruise was the stand-up comedian Craig Gass that did two shows, actually very funny guy. He did some spot-on Gene Simmons impersonations, truly hilarious.
Another was the British band Leogun who performed some strong sets, very talented guys. Other bands I liked was Vintage Trouble and Tyler Bryant & The Shakedown. Unfortunately I didn't see any full shows of these bands due to the tight schedule and many other activities. But as far as I can tell, rock is far from dead!

And oh yeah… I got to meet the band and got my picture taken with the guys. Amazing.

Monday, October 21, 2013

Matchbox 20 at VH1 Storytellers

MB20 performed at VH1 Storytellers in 2001 and the performance was recorded for a live DVD of stripped down versions of all their songs, and featuring stories and other stuff in a very intimate setting. It's quality material and you can experience how good and talented this band really is.

Bent

Black & White People

Push

If You're Gone

Rest Stop

3 AM

Tuesday, October 15, 2013

Real Music of the Week (42)

Amy MacDonald - Mr Rock & Roll

Magnum - Days Of No Trust

The Alternate Routes - All That I See

Paul McCartney - New

Talisman - I'll Be Waiting

Ryan Adams - So Alive

Saturday, October 5, 2013

20 best KISS songs you didn't know about...

1. Hide Your Heart - Some of the strongest lyrics in the KISS catalogue. A great song, and even a moderate hit in the early 90's. Deserves to be more famous. It has been covered multiple times, which would suggest it's a good song.

2. Magic Touch - A great Paul Stanley-penned obscure classic that comes out on the occasional acoustic set. A really strong tune. Look out for the superb falsetto part toward the end of the song.

3. A Million To One - A very good power ballad with very powerful lyrics and great singing. It truly deserves to be more famous. These top three songs was all performed during Paul Stanley's solo club tour in 2006 where they were performed the way they should be, perfect - so look it up!

4. Nowhere To Run - could be Paul Stanley's best vocal performances ever caught on a KISS album. Packed with power and emotion.

5. Thrills In The Night - a very underrated song that even Paul Stanley is said to hate. Oh, but he's wrong is all I can say. Great verses and a huge chorus and superb vocals. I love this song!

6. Mr Speed - a very fun song with a great riff and sexually loaded lyrics. A loved fan favorite!

7. Let Me Know - one of few songs from the self-titled debut album that didn't survive in the setlists over the years. A shame, because it's truly an early career gem!

8. Every Time I Look At You - an overlooked ballad that has all the qualities to be a hit song, which it should have been. Awesome stuff.

9. Rock And Roll Hell - a Gene Simmons-sung heavy song from the early 80's. Co-written by the Bryan Adams, sadly it has never been played live.

10. The Oath - from the hated album The Elder comes this gem. This is pre-heavymetal. Replace the falsetto singing with a growler and you'll have yourself a modern day metal song.

11. Exciter - first song of the band's unmasked period really sets the tone with this energetic hard rocker. Great guitar playing and strong vocals. One of the best from 80's KISS.

12. Silver Spoon - one of few self-portraying KISS songs about Paul Stanley's upbringing in New York is quality material with a strong set of lyrics.

13. I'll Fight Hell To Hold You - a vocal circus number, with a Paul Stanley at the top of his vocal game. During this period Paul was probably second only to Freddie Mercury himself.

14. Dreamin' - the most recent song on the list, from 1998's Psycho Circus. A very good song that is just impossible to dislike. Top notch vocals!

15. Dirty Livin' - a Peter Criss-penned and sung song about the frustration he experienced in the band at this time. Peter has a very raspy and cool voice that fits perfectly.

16. I Walk Alone - the only song Bruce Kulick ever got to sing. Great innovative guitar work, lyrics about self-empowerment and going your own way in life. From the obscure album Carnival Of Souls.

17. Naked City - a forgotten song by Gene Simmons that actually has good lyrics. Through covers of this song I have just recently discovered its greatness. (Listen to the cover by Jorn)

18. Thou Shalt Not - a song about telling idiot authorities to f*ck of. How about that? It's the most demon-like KISS song written during the non-makeup era.

19. Tomorrow - the version that ended up on the album Unmasked is very pop-oriented. The demo version that circulates is harder and better, but it's still a great little fun song.

20. Turn On The Night - a huuuge chorus on this keyboard-enhanced song. Great vocals that is sure to widen your smile and improve your mood! The perfect song to end this list with.

Friday, September 27, 2013

Within Temptation - Paradise (What About Us?)

Within Temptation released their single Paradise (What About Us?) from the forthcoming album Elements. The song features Tarja Turunen (famous from Nightwish) accompanying the lead singer Sharon den Adel in vocal duties. 

The song is surprisingly heavy, more so than WT's previous album, the Unforgiving. If the first single sets the tone for the rest of the album, it's going to be a great, heavy album!

Here's the music video. It seems to be set in a post-apocalyptic world… 


Tuesday, September 24, 2013

God Gave Rock & Roll To You

Now, I don't believe in God. But I do believe in KISS and rock n' roll. So here's a beautiful video of the song God Gave Rock & Roll To You, along with footage celebrating the bands' career up to this point.

Worth noting is that this clip is Eric Carr's final appearance with KISS before he died of tumors in his heart and lungs. I know that Eric Carr was going through chemo-therapy when this was shot and is wearing a wig. He was very weak at this point but he soldiered on to give his fans some more rock 'n roll. He didn't lose his spirit, even though he lost his life to cancer. Rock on and R.I.P. Eric Carr!

From Revenge (1991)

#fuckcancer

Friday, September 13, 2013

Friday Night Oldies

Thank God it's Friday!!

Here's a bunch of really old-school songs to get the mood going for tonights adventures!

The Hollies - I'm Alive
Sam & Dave - Hold On, I'm Coming
Mitch Ryder - Devil With A Blue Dress On
Creedence Clearwater Revival - Lookin' Out My Back Door
Bob Seger - Old Time Rock N' Roll
The Marcels - Blue Moon
The Temptations - Ain't Too Proud To Beg
The Ronettes - Be My Baby

Thursday, September 12, 2013

KISS - the bastard child of the recording industry

Reporter: KISS has always been the bastard child of the recording industry — able to sell out arenas and produce hit records on the strength of a sound and a look (black-and-white face paint, tongues fully extended as often as possible), but far from the sort of acclaim that its contemporaries enjoyed.
- - - - -
Paul Stanley: Our audience is young and vibrant; we retain our previous following; we are three generations into it. Unlike other bands that are very demographically specific, who they appeal to and who their fans are, we’re the antithesis of that.
- - - - -
Paul Stanley: Music critics are, for the most part, bitter people who are intent at dragging people down for being successful at what they want to do, which is probably music.
- - - - -
Reporter: What do you make of the contemporary music scene?
Gene Simmons: The only star in the past 20 years is Lady Gaga. Everyone else is a pop singer. Name 100 iconic, legendary stars from 1958 to 1983. There are so many. Now do the same from 1983 to today — you can’t name one.
- - - - -
Reporter: Given your yen for extending your tongue, what do you make of the sexualized critique of Miley Cyrus?
Gene Simmons: She’s being treated unfairly — Madonna, Rihanna and the single-named girls with the A’s in their names — uh, Shakira — if they can do the same stuff, why isn’t anyone picking on them? Justice for all. If the rest of the girls can kiss each other, why can’t she do what she wants?



(Quoted from Salon, reporter: Daniel D'Addario)
Read the article here

House of Lords

A very cool song from a band called House of Lords. It sounds like something out of Game of Thrones, but it's not. This is actually some real cool modern rock, with a touch of 80's hair metal. Come To My Kingdom is my favorite song! I'm playing it over and over again and have done so all week, and will continue to do so the rest of the week as well

House of Lords - Come To My Kingdom

Monday, September 9, 2013

Top 10 Buckcherry Songs

10. Never Say Never - a good rocker with some really cool verses with good vocals and a solid solo.

9. Our World - feels like an attempt at a single with its environmental theme. So the lyrics aren't what you'd call cool, but nevertheless this is a good song with a catchy chorus.

8. Everything - starts out with a very calm verse and then explodes into a great chorus. But it really is the short but effective verses that makes me dig this cut.

7. These Things - a classic rock ballad with soft verses and a powerful chorus. Very cool vibrato from the singer, Josh Todd, throughout the verses makes this one a gem.

6. Oh My Lord - a very fun and funky rock song, one of the best from the album All Night Long. Love the verses and the chorus. Sounds unlike many other songs, but stills feels very Buckcherried.

5. Don't Go Away - A tie with Sorry on being their best ballad. The chorus in this one is absolutely perfect, with some of Josh Todd's best vocals and classic vibrato. Not as famous as Sorry, but personally I think this one is probably the better one.

4. Sorry - probably Buckcherry's most famous song. It reached the mainstream media and did good. As a ballad, it's perfect. Good lyrics, nice verses, big chorus, emotional vocals - everything you want. And the theme is universal - apologizing and forgiving.

3. Nothing Left But Tears - single from the latest album Confessions and the best track on the record. The chorus is really cool. I love the playing from the bass/rhythm section in the verses and the heavy drums in the chorus. High quality rock song where you really notice the bands playing abilities.

2. Crazy Bitch - probably their second most famous song, probably because of its title. But again, this is a great hard rock song. It's clearly their most badass song, heavy playing, sex and plenty of 'fucks' in the lyrics. A good recipe for making a hard rocker popular! Song's f*cking bitchin'!

1. Child Called It - a gem that I found not too long ago. It has grown on me to become my favorite Buckcherry song. Great tempo, nice riff, cool bass, perfect chorus. And it really made me start listening to their lyrics more. And I  have now realized: Buckcherry writes good fucking songs!!

Buckcherry's debut album released in 1999

Tuesday, August 27, 2013

Real Music of the Week (35)

Edguy - Ministry of Saints

Y&T - I'm Coming Home

The Winery Dogs - Desire

Tramps & Thieves - The World Is Waiting

Eric Martin - Sucker For A Pretty Face

Pop Evil - Monster You Made

Alter Bridge - Ghost of Days Gone By

Sunday, August 25, 2013

Top 10 Sister Hazel songs

1. Your Winter - one of the best ballads/love songs I've heard. A song about regret. The intro gets me every time, it's just fantastic. Beautiful and emotional singing.

2. Swan Dive - a complete opposite of the previous song. It's a very happy song, a bit up-tempo with some really funky guitar-playing. The singing is great, fantastic melody and through the verses it's almost with a rap-like feel from the singer.

3. Come Around - a great song that works fantastic both acoustic and electric. Nice lyrics and a cool chorus. Great singing as usual. Electric version has a tasty guitar riff as well.

4. World Inside My Head - another great ballad. It's hard to explain this song, but the lyrics are really good and the chorus feels like sunshine. To be short, the song is self-explanatory inside my head. Pun intended.

5. Your Mistake - An up-tempo song that boosts the mood on any given day. Not because of what it's about, but because of the feeling that the song gives you. It's really a song of, and about, passion. Also, the chorus is addictive.

6. Meet Me In The Memory - another mood-booster that makes a somewhat sad thing (like a long distance relationship?) feel like a happy and hopeful song. The chorus is actually fun. Great lyrics and singing, the break before the last choruses is really cool.

7. Feel It - first, the live version is superior to the studio version. Second, on the album Before The Amplifiers it's introduced as the first Sister Hazel song that ever was. Well, I guess that's what you call a good start. A fun song that is hard to get tired of.

8. Stay Awhile - the most recent song on the list has a little bit more of a country thing going on. Nothing wrong because I really like this one, it's great.

9. Release - a great song with a very nice groove and tempo. Great singing of course. The chorus is sing-a-long friendly, it's just one of those feel good songs.

10. Where Do You Go - last song on the list is another ballad. The verses in this one is what makes it so great, they're fantastic and feels as if performed very emotionally. Nice song to finish off the list.

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And if you by now for some reason haven't gotten any from the girl you're playing this to, then try this album to seal the deal… Before The Amplifiers is their acoustic live album which is just a bunch of great songs made fantastic on stage. Here's three examples: Hold On / Shame / This Kind of Love

Friday, August 16, 2013

Top 10 Avantasia Songs

Avantasia is the brainchild and side project  of Edguy's frontman Tobias Sammet. Under the description metal opera Sammet gathers guest vocalists and musicians to record and tour with the core of the band that is Avantasia. This allows for a wide variety of material, from hard rock and heavy metal to ballads and epic 10-minute songs. With a bunch of great singers to assist Sammet there's a lot of great songs to choose from. SO, here's my pick of the greatest Avantasia songs!

1. The Wicked Symphony (w/ Jorn Lande, Russell Allen) - an epic hard-rocker with a lot of power, two world-class rock singers and a super chorus. Great fun and great talent, which is what this project is all about!

2. Down In The Dark (w/ Jorn Lande) - Jorn Lande is the star in this one with his powerful vocal abilities. Jorn's vocals on this track is actually freakishly amazing, as any hard rock fan could tell.

3. Your Love Is Evil - A track for Tobias Sammet alone, and the man does not disappoint. Great singing and just a very cool rock song, no epicness just simple, fun rock!

4. Forever Is A Long Time (w/ Jorn Lande) - Another outlandish vocal performance from Jorn Lande. This is pure power. The collaboration between Lande and Sammet works perfect on this one.

5. The Scarecrow (w/ Jorn Lande) - Another great epic song about being a little different. It's a perfect metal epic with great vocals. When the song climaxes after the (a bit too long) instrumental break, I have my own ear-climax. Metal!!

6. Shelter From The Rain (w/ Michael Kiske, Bob Catley) - Michael Kiske has a very special voice which fits this track perfectly. An up-tempo metal song with an insane chorus vibrato from Kiske. After the first chorus, you'll want to hear the next one immediately because it's bone-chilling!

7. Stargazers (w/ Jorn Lande, Russell Allen, Michael Kiske) - Another long great epic that has a lot of diversity thanks to the four(!) different singers. Russell Allen is back once again with his perfect rock voice and even though he doesn't have that many lines he really stands out.

8.  Twisted Mind (w/ Roy Khan) - A powerful hard-rocker with a very mean-spirited intro and a guitar riff that melts faces. It's a very 'evil' song and I love it! The only thing I don't really like is the break in the middle, before the guitar solo, which is a bit too long. Other than that, both devil horns up!

9. Alone I Remember (w/ Jorn Lande) - As always a great vocal performance from both Sammet and Lande in a classic hard rock song with a great chorus that gets stuck immediately. But what makes this song one to remember is Bruce Kulick's guitar brilliance in the beginning of the song.

10. Dying For An Angel (w/ Klaus Meine) - A German metal opera with the singer from the Scorpions? That ought to work. And it does because Klaus Meine really lifts this song with his instantly recognizable voice. Great rock song, so… Vorwärts Deutschland!

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Lost In Space - Tobias Sammets only obvious attempt at making a hit-single. Nothing wrong with that because I really like the song. It's not as hard as much of the other Avantasia material. But this is one of Tobi's best vocal performances ever in my opinion.

Angel of Babylon (w/ Jorn Lande) - A powerful title track that's just outside of the list because it's not Lande's best performance. He's relying solely on power here, with no real versatility.

Where Clock Hands Freeze (w/ Michael Kiske) - magical singing from Michael Kiske and the only song from the new album Mystery of Time. 

Thursday, August 15, 2013

The Answer - New Single: Spectacular

The Answer has released the first single from their upcoming album New Horizon. The music video for the song is great, but it was actually shut down by Youtube at first for containing nudity (which is obviously not cool!). The song itself is great, very good song. Catchy and nice guitar work, and to top it off singer Cormac Neeson has a really cool voice!

Original video of Spectacular.

This is the clean version, in case the other one gets shut down.

Thursday, August 8, 2013

Real music of the week (32)

Europe - Always The Pretenders

Slash feat. Myles Kennedy & The Conspirators - Standing In The Sun

Volbeat - My Body

Allman Brothers - Midnight Rider

Jackopierce - Promise of Summer

Simon & Garfunkel - Richard Cory

Stone Sour - Absolute Zero

The Mowgli's - San Francisco