Reviews Written by The Metal Maniac
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July 23, 2007
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May 23, 2007
Heaven & Hell
Pros: \m/ Dio & Sabbath together (again) \m/
Cons: only 1 disc
As a metal-head, I am ashamed to admit I wasn't too familiar with Dio's tenure with Black Sabbath.
The man who invented the \m/ Heavy Metal \m/.
I was pleasantly surprised to have truly enjoyed this compilation.
Even though Dio was only with Sabbath for 3 studio albums and 1 live album, they put out some great Metal music.
There are 3 new tunes on here that absolutely rock.
Dio hasn't lost his voice, and Sabbath haven't lost their edge.
Although they have to call themselves Heaven & Hell.
Can't wait to see them on tour.
\m/ \m/ ... -
February 2, 2007
When A Man Loves A Woman
1 of 1 Yahoo! Users found this review helpfulPros: Almost perfect collection
Cons: Missing a few important songs
I have been a closet Michael Bolton fan for a long time.
He has a great voice, and a great delivery.
This double CD collection showcases most of his brightest moments.
There are at least 3 songs that should have been included here...The One Thing, Never Get Enough Of Your Love, and In The Arms Of Love.
Whether Michael is singing "his" songs, or covering songs by some of the greatest singer/songwriters, he truly gives his all.
If you like his music, this is a great addition to your collection.
If you are not familiar with his music, this is a great way to be introduced to it. ... -
Heavy Metal: The First 20 Years / Various
by Various Artists | MusicPrice: $12.39 to $18.98 Compare PricesNovember 3, 2006
\m/ \m/
Pros: Lots of great songs by great bands
Cons: Some essential artists/songs missing
This 18 track CD chronicles the first 20 years of Heavy Metal music, from The Kinks to The Scorpions.
All of the bands here deserve to be here; some of the tracks are expected, some are not as commonplace.
To leave out Steppenwolf "Born To Be Wild", and anything by Black Sabbath and Iron Maiden makes this an almost complete compilation.
Those three would have made this a perfect compilation; but what has been assembled here makes it a pretty good collection (for a once disc).
Worth getting. ... -
October 29, 2006
Old Habits Die Hard
Pros: a great Quiet Riot album
Cons: missing Chuck Wright and Alex Grossi
Quiet Riot returns with their new rocker album.
The first album since 2001 Guilty Pleasures, this album features Kevin DuBrow and Frankie Banali along with Tony Franklin and Neil Citron, not officially in Quiet Riot.
But they do a good job.
This is not a heavy metal album like Metal Health or Condition Critical, but more along the lines of Terrified or Down To The Bone; great rock albums for Quiet Riot.
This album is a great followup to 1995's Down To The Bone and explores more of Kevin and Frankie's abilities and potentials, instead of just plugging along the same metal path.
And they shine here.
The song writing duties were shared with many contributors including Glenn Hughes of Deep Purple fame.
All of the songs are really good and show the continuing growth of Quiet Riot as a group and as individuals.
The song "It Sucks To Be You", written solely by Kevin, is classic Quiet Riot.
Check out the album and check out the tour; you will not be disappointed. ... -
October 23, 2006
What a way to end a legacy
Pros: It's Twisted Sister
Cons: But you're Twisted Sister ?!?!?!
I love Twisted Sister !!! I've collected all their CD's and seen them live and they rock !!!
Why oh why did they decide to do this album ???
Jay Jay French has said in interviews that at the end of this year, Dee Snider is leaving the band, and that will be the END of Twisted Sister.
Why do they have to go out on such a low note ???
Traditional Christmas songs done in a metal style is a unique idea, and Twisted Sister do an interesting job recording the songs, but why ???
If you're a Twisted Sister fan, you may like this CD; I didn't but you might. ... -
October 21, 2006
Fernando would be proud
Pros: a classic Krokus album
Cons: 1st album without Fernando Von Arb
This is the first Krokus CD since 2003, and the first one without founding member Fernando Von Arb.
Marc Storace is the "classic" vocalist, from their heyday of the 1980's.
He soldiers on with Tony Castell, returning guitarist Mandy Meyer, and newcomers Stefan Schwarzmann and Dominique Favez.
They put together one hell of an album.
All of the songs here are great, but the 6 standouts are Hellraiser, Too Wired To Sleep, Spirit Of The Night, No Risk No Gain, Turnin' Inside Out, and Rocks Off.
With the talent represented here, this Krokus lineup should keep going for a while. ... -
Remo Williams: The Adventure Begins... (1985)
by Guy Hamilton | VideoPrice: $29.94 to $29.94 Compare PricesSeptember 5, 2006
Remo Williams The Adventure Begins...
Pros: Great mindless fun to watch
Cons: The adventure didn't continue
I remember this movie when it came out in 1985.
It really is a fun movie to watch, as long as you're not looking for something of the Shakespeare caliber.
The action is great, the actors are great, the story is great, and just a few story potholes here and there.
This was supposed to be a movie that launched a new series of movies, but the following just wasn't there sadly.
It is a cult hit movie; and recently the long-lost soundtrack was released.
I recommend it as a fun movie to watch. ... -
August 13, 2006
The battle finally begins
Pros: ALIENs vs PREDATORs
Cons: 20th Century Fox edited the R rating out of the movie
I waited for this movie since Predator was released in 1987.
Walking out of the theater, I remember saying "The Predator should hunt the Aliens, that would make a great movie."
And it did.
This movie tied all of the ALIENs and PREDATOR movies, all of the comics and graphic novels, and all of the books together perfectly.
The story stayed true to the legend and lore of both ALIENs and PREDATORs while expanding on them.
I can't wait for AVP 2 which is scheduled to release in 2007.
20th Century Fox wanted to make a bigger profit off of this movie, so they edited it down to a PG-13 rating, cutting out some of the blood and gore ALIEN and PREDATOR fans are used to seeing in those movies.
That aside, I recommend this movie to fans of those series, or any science fiction fans. ... -
June 29, 2006
Why ???
Pros: John Shirley
Cons: Where to begin ???
John Shirley is a terrific songwriter; one of the bands he cowrote songs with/for is Blue Oyster Cult, one of my favorites.
After getting only 80 pages through this 269 page book, I think he should stick to songwriting.
His take on the universe of the PREDATORs is unique, to say the least.
Bizarre is more likely.
The PREDATORs in this book behave differently than they do in the movies or other books; here they are sniveling and corporate lackeys kissing up to their superiors, they change sex from male to female whenever it's needed, they take humans as slave labor, they program humans to think they are PREDATORs to help hunt other humans; and it goes on from there.
The human characters are two dimensional, and the story is kinda weak and predictable.
I expected more and was disappointed. ...
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THE PUNISHER
Pros: Better version than in theaters
Cons: Animated beginning sequence
When I saw this movie in the theater, I thought it was great, but there were some plot holes.
This special edition fills in those plot holes with deleted scenes that help make the story better and more understandable.
I keep wishing that "the Russian" character would have been played by Dolph Lundgren (the original Punisher in the 1980s), but they can't dub him in.
The only thing I didn't like about this was the animated storyboard pre-movie scene where Frank Castle is in the first Gulf War.
Skip past that part, and you will not be disappointed by the movie in its entirety.
The over 2 hours moves very quickly. ...