The Lehigh Valley area of Pennsylvania has spawned great acts like
Richie Kotzen and Lynch Mob. This CD is a tribute to the bands of the Lehigh Valley area that didn't make it big, but kept the local scene sparkling. According to the record company releasing this CD "Many bands from around the country, that were far less talented than some of the Lehigh Valley talent, were thrown into the national spotlight while the musicians and bands of the area were often overlooked. "Give credit where credit is due" is what is often said, and with this CD, we do just that!"
Personally I support the idea and enthusiasm behind this extensive double CD release with 30 tracks. However, since I am not affiliated with the scene or grew up in the Lehigh Valley area this compilation fails to fully grab my attention and convince me that these bands were undiscovered talent and overlooked. The double CD is a blast from the past, but the relevance of today is gone. Since most are demo songs, the sound quality differs from each band. Almost all bands have disbanded so you can't even procure music from these bands.
I know I have to be careful, since people that experienced the scene in the period 1984-1994 probably feel strong about these bands.
All styles of hard rock and heavy metal are covered on the disc. Disc 1 is a lot stronger than Disc 2, since Disc 2 is dominated by metal bands.
The good:
Sweet Tequila is straight off the old
AC/DC gutter and sounds just as good as
Rhino Bucket etc.
Washed delivers my favorite track off this compilation. If I heard them back in the day I am sure I would have embraced them totally.
Guilty has a moody emotion, stunning guitar playing and cool
Dokken alike vocals.
Idle Threats´
Find A Way sounds very professional in both songwriting and performance. Idle Threats don't sound dated. The chorus is catchy, where the lead vocalist Randy Milhelm sounds a bit like
TNT vocalist Tony Harnell.
Kings Chamber
Whenever I'm Near is build around a great riff and melody line and the best track on disc 2
The average:
Lead vocalist Mike Myers from Destroyer has a voice similar to Steve Summers from
Pretty Boy Floyd and I cannot help compare Destroyer to
Pretty Boy Floyd based on this one song only.
Dirty Blond plays party heavy rock and
The Mob is a tight double-guitar based band with a sound close to Leatherwolf.
Leviathen´s contribution C
ry Wolf has
many parts and it's structured similar to old school
Metallica material with many musical parts compressed into one song. Music wise Leviathen is close to
Metallica as well.
Great riffs are the main foundation to the songs from Red October and Apathy
The bad
Shok Grafitti is total standard and the chorus for
Shove is monotone.
Personally I have never been into power metal and therefore don't enjoy
Vicious Barreka and certainly not Atom West, which was formed by members of
Vicious Barreka.
The ugly:
Omynus -
Don't Ever Say Goodbye is marked by a terrible keyboard sound and a sleepy chorus.
Vic Missy
Terror/Cartoon Lady blends several styles and the song is certainly not for the average listener. The music comes off disorganized and not structured at all. The lead vocals are almost horrible.
The bands Sapient, Chaser, Mizery, Jolly Roger and Fantazy all deliver songs that are uninspired and lifeless.
"Lehigh Valley Rocks" appeals to everyone related to the Lehigh Valley scene and everyone who went to shows in that area in 1984-1994. These bands worked the hard way by playing shows and releasing demos. They didn't go on TV reality shows and got a record deal immediately.
Written by
Michael Sunday, August 5, 2007
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