Having discovered the music of Stan Bush recently I got a natural urge to hunt down as many of his albums as possible. Imagine my glee as I discovered that LA Records were selling his whole back catalogue! A quick decision was made and all the 8 cd's I was missing were ordered. Woo! How lucky can one be? Not very it turned out... When the cd's arrived it was apparent that these were not the original cd's, just cheap looking CDR copies with printed out covers on a sheet of paper and no liner notes, lyrics or anything. Since it didn't say anything about this on the
LA Records website this was a rather big disappointment.
So anybody looking for older Stan Bush CD's, you have been warned!!!
Dogpound - III (Hard Rock)
A time consuming, but great third album from these Swedish rockers.
Other Way Around has one of my favourite choruses of the year. A full review is coming soon.
Helloween - Gambling with the devil (Power Metal)
Powerful and melodic this album has several winners. Better and more focused than the last double album.
Nightwish - Dark Passion Play (Symphonic Metal)
With Tarja, left the voice that made Nightwish instantly recognisable. Dark Passion Play shows a more generic band. The core, ie. the songwriting skill of Tuomas is still intact, resulting in an album that is varied, catchy, challenging and very enjoyable, but just not the total rebirth I had hoped for. Superb production too.
Iced Earth - Framing Armageddon (Heavy Metal / Power Metal)
I was very disappointed by the re-recorded trilogy, partly due to the thin production. Luckily this full album reclaims some of the glory that is Iced Earth. An album that demands attention and rewards it, but on the surface it doesn't sound like it can match their best. The louder this album is heard the better!
Lynyrd Skynyrd - (pronounced 'l?h-'nérd 'skin-'nérd) (Southern Rock)
I've wanted to hear this band for quite a while and finally got hold of their first two albums. Turned into a great retro trip.
Tuesday's Gone made a strong first impression with a wonderful flow to it... and
Free Bird... Ahhh!
Hanoi Rocks - Street Poetry (Hard Rock)
Good first impression. Especially
Highwired and
Worth your weight in gold have gotten me hooked.
Sieges Even - Paramount (Progressive Rock/Metal)
More listens are necessary to get properly into this album.
Manowar - Gods of War (Heavy Metal)
Pulled out this one again after a long rest and it turned out to be an interesting re-union. A hard listen due to the terrible narration by Joey DeMaio and constant intermissions but when the music is left to speak its own notes the result is breathtaking and overwhelming. Still a highlight of the year.
Read review
Stan Bush - In this life (Melodic Rock)
This moment has gotten a pretty special meaning lately but the whole album is simply superb and filled with recognisable feelings.
Stan Bush - Dial 828 888-8638 (Melodic Rock)
Solid album -
Read review.
Amaran's Plight - Voice in the light (Progressive Metal)
A nice progressive surprise -
Read review
Gaia Epicus - Victory (Power Metal)
Good power metal -
Read review.
Deadsoul Tribe - A lullaby for the devil (Progressive rock)
Another album that takes time to get into. Compared to the last one, this one is actually worth investing some hours in to see if it catches on. Still far from the glory days of Psychotic Waltz and even the first Deadsoul Tribe albums, yet oddly enticing.
The Gossamer Plan stands out with real beauty. A positive surprise so far.
Street Talk - V (Melodic Rock)
Wonderful album. That voice and those harmonies are spellbinding. V is one of those albums where I find myself singing along to the songs without even being aware of it.
Primal Fear - New religion (Heavy Metal)
Good album, but missing more killer tracks at the moment. Review is coming.
Sieges Even - A Sense of Change (Progressive Rock)
An acquired taste for sure. A challenging and rewarding album -
Read review
CD purchases of the month
Bruce Springsteen - Greatest
Dogpound - III
Fates Warning - No Exit (Re-release)
Green Carnation - The Quiet Offspring
Iced Earth - Framing Armageddon
Lynyrd Skynyrd - (pronounced 'l?h-'nérd 'skin-'nérd)
Lynyrd Skynyrd - Second Helping
Nightwish - Dark Passion Play
Pink Floyd - The Wall
Stan Bush & Barrage - Stan Bush & Barrage
Stan Bush - Call To Action
Stan Bush - Language Of The Heart
Stan Bush - Stan Bush
Stan Bush - Capture the Dream
Stan Bush - Every Beat Of My Heart
Stan Bush - The Child Within
Stan Bush And Barrage - Heaven
Tori Amos - American Doll Posse
