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Hard Rock & Metal | |
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List Price: £16.99
Our Price: £6.48
Artist:
AC/DC
Such are the near-generational gaps between latter-day AC/DC albums that it's always tempting to hail the arrival of a new one as a return to form. Black Ice arrives a whopping eight years after the band's last offering, Stiff Upper Lip, but one chorus into "Rock N Roll Train", the wise man would conclude that any evolution here is as slow and incremental as, well, evolution. A punchy, straightforward opener that finds Angus Young in good riff and Brian Johnson preaching a familiar gospel of schoolgirls and schoolboys, fantasy and ecstasy, it's familiar in the best possible way. A little deeper into Black Ice, however, and there's evidence of a slightly altered approach. Producer Brendan O'Brien softens and fleshes out the stripped-down, electric blues sound AC/DC rediscovered on 1995's Ballbreaker, and in places the band follow suit--take "Anything Goes", a poppy stomp that recalls O'Brien's other recent charge, Bruce Springsteen. Elsewhere, "Stormy May Day" and "Money Made" find Young taking up the slide for a few Zeppelin-flavoured licks. A few new paths, then, but all in all, the destination is pretty much the same: another solid late-period AC/DC al...
 AC/DC ARE BACK IN ICE, 2009-01-03
I LIKE THIS ALBUM ITS GOT SOME GOOD RIFFS AND AS A WHOLE ALBUM RATES BETTER THAN MANY POST 1984 OFFERINGS ITS ONE OF THE BETTER ALBUMS WITH BRIAN ON VOCALS I AINT SAYING ITS GOT THE BEST TRACKS BUT ITS GOOD..... NOT JUST A COUPLE OF BRILLIANT SONGS I WOULD SAY THIS ALBUM IS A BIT MORE ROUNDED THAN MANY AND ITS WELL PRODUCED SO IF YOU HAVE THE FRONT END QUALITY AND SPEAKERS TO ROCK THIS IS WORTH BUYING ANYONE RECKONS ITS A BIT FLAT IS PROBABLY THEIR C--P SYSTEM NOT LETTING THE RHYTHMS FLOW
A FAR BETTER ALBUM THAN FLY ON THE WALL/BALL BREAKER ACTUALLY ITS ABOUT 5TH IN THE JOHNSON ERA BACK IN BLACK IS THE BIGGEST SELLING ALBUM IN THE WORLD BY A ROCK BAND BY THE WAY, AND ITS GOING TO BE NEAR IMPOSSIBLE TO BEAT THAT THIS ONE IS WORTH THE MONEY THAT'S FOR SURE
List Price: £17.99
Our Price: £8.71
Artist:
Metallica
As many of their early fans would agree, Danish-Californian quartet Metallica seemed to lose it around the mid 90s. Dropping the hard-nosed, blue-collar appeal they had cultivated with their initial slew of albums, the band began to pander to a more commercial audience with diluted outings such as Load, Re-Load, Garage Inc.--not to mention 2003's risible St Anger. Death Magnetic, Metallica's first album in five years, is hence much anticipated. Will it be a long-awaited return to form, or a failed attempt to rekindle their inaugural power? In truth, it's a bit of both. Helmed by veteran producer Rick Rubin, Death Magnetic reinstates many of Metallica's early motifs--searing riffs, shredding solos, pounding drums--and even updates them with a huge, 21st century sound. The album has a decent selection of heavyweight thrills and spills, from the haunting, evocative opener "That Was Your Life", the live jam groove of "The End of the Line" and the flesh-ripping "Broken, Beat & Scarred". While Death Magnetic doesn't come anywhere near the smouldering genius of Master of Puppets or other formative Metallica records, the band haven't ...
Awesome, 2009-01-05
This CD is awesome and I can't see why anyone thinks it is bad. Cyanide, All Nightmare Long and The Day That Never Comes are my favourites. It was Kerrang's album of the year as well so it must be good.
Rock on!!
List Price: £13.99
Our Price: £6.98
Artist:
AC/DC
The death of the lead singer would spell the end of most bands. But most bands aren't AC/DC. After Bon Scott's overindulgence in alcohol lead to his undignified end, lead guitarist Angus Young and Co. simply found a singer that sounded exactly the same and carried on. The result: Back In Black, the most successful album of their lengthy career. Like every other AC/DC album, it doesn't deviate from their trademark sounds: loud guitars, basic boogie and vocals that sound like they are being screamed out by a buzzsaw. But never before (or since) have they gotten the formula so consistently right: "You Shook Me All Night Long", "Rock 'N' Roll Ain't Noise Pollution", "Hell's Bells" and the title track are among the best hard rock songs ever. AC/DC never experiment and never innovate; they just rock. No other band even comes close. --Robert Burrow
Memories, 2008-12-17
I remember having long hair and loving AC/DC. Just listened to this after many years. It's only Rock 'N' Roll but it's so great. Relentless beat - so cool it freezes everything in sight!
List Price: £19.99
Our Price: £14.58
Artist:
Queen
What once seemed Queen's greatest liabilities--a preening flamboyance and pompous, overwrought theatricality--have ironically become their most enduring charms in a grey, postmodern pop-music landscape. While it eschews the glammy, pre-punk hard rock of live faves such as "Stone Cold Crazy" and "Tie Your Mother Down" for the band's more quirky club-beat string of latter-day hits , this 51-track triple-CD anthology goes a long way toward documenting the true dimensions of the band's music and fame. It even includes some solo work by Brian May and Freddie Mercury, whose duet on "Barcelona" with diva Montserrat Caballé transcends boundaries of both time and genre. A previously unreleased live performance of "The Show Must Go On" featuring Elton John on vocals is also included. --Jerry McCulley
Ageless music, 2008-07-14
I have just got the box set recently, and have been enjoying it greatly. Not just that, my three daughters aged 9, 6 and 2 are great fans, and want to listen to it all the time in the car. And the two-year-old even says 'Rock' once she hears the first few bars of 'We will rock you'. Just goes on to show that Queen truly made ageless music, which still scores far above most contemporary music.
List Price: £11.99
Our Price: £4.21
Artist:
Paramore
A Riot! of greatness, 2008-12-06
Woah Paramore have improved! and i didn't think that was possible. In my opinion this is one of the best albums ever. I've got loads of people into paramore with this album.
1. For A Pessimist I'm Pretty Optimistic - Smart title and the song is just pure greatness. A great opener for this album. Catchy lyrics and sound. - 10/10
2. Thats What You Get - I was hoping this one would be a single. One of the best on the album, very impressive. You will find yourself singing to this one in no time - 10/10
3. Hallelujah - Powerful lyrics make a powerful song and this is one of them great emotional anthems. - 9/10
4. Misery Business - Best choice for one of the singles. Its probably their most popular song but you can see why. Very catchy verses with an awesome guitar-lead chorus. - 10/10
5. When It Rains - Again, this is one of my favs. Absolutly beautiful song. Emotional and touching lyrics. The one that was put on repeat the most. - 10/10
6. Let The Flames Begin - This is also one of my favs. Didn't really like it that much at first but now i can't get enough. Amazing music and powerful lyrics. - 10/10
7. Miracle - Fun song to listen to. Catchy beat and up-tempo - 8/10
8. Crushcrushcrush - Great guitar from Josh here. Stand-out track - 10/10
9. We Are Broken - I can't seem to get my self into this one. Some days i love it but some days i don't. Love the begining though. Touching ballad. - 7/10
10. Fences - Definatly another stand-out track. Clever, catchy song. Absolute greatness at work here. - 10/10
11. Born For This - Another Fav. Great to sing with and the song that got most of my friends into paramore. One for everyone. - 10/10
heres my reviews for the bonus tracks if you got them:
12. Decoy - Really really amazing. Awesome guitar and vocals. Very relatible. - 10/10
13. Stop This Song (Lovesick Melody) - So catchy especially the bridge. Bit repetitive at the end though. - 10/10
14. Temporary - The worst bonus track and its still good. Again, relatable lyrics. - 8/10
15. Rewind - Great catchy verses. This is one that has been replayed over and over. - 10/10
List Price: £15.99
Our Price: £5.99
Artist:
Nickelback
continuing to rub their critics/haters noses in it, 2009-01-04
Dark Horse is balanced out well with lighter moments such as "Gotta Be Somebody", "If Today is your last day" whilst being hit for six by the adult theme's of "S.E.X" "Somthing in your Mouth" "Just To Get High" etc.
Its heavier in some parts to "All the right reasons" combined with some intense emotional balladry off "Silver Side Up" and "The Long Road" but when it comes to rocking out they are the true kings on the live circuit.
List Price: £14.99
Our Price: £5.96
Artist:
Guns N Roses
17 years in the making and beholden of a level of hyperbole verging on mythology--one that couldn't even be derailed by Axl Rose staffing his ever-changing troupe with people named Buckethead, Bumblefoot and Brain--Chinese Democracy would disappoint even if it arrived in a puff of smoke and nullified the impact of The Dark Side of the Moon, Revolver and Sabbath Bloody Sabbath (not to mention Appetite for Destruction). And it doesn't do that, obviously. In fact, straight off the block it's in danger of rear-ending the Guns N' Roses legend, with the title track offering little beyond big production and "Shackler's Revenge" and "Better" emulating Linkin Park's industrial block building with a guttural vocal that threatens to turn the whole thing into a parody. But a desire to progress the G N' R template finds its feet as "If The World" unfolds into an improbable eastern drum 'n' bass orchestral trip-hop odyssey with some coarse riffing and the attitude of old is run through Pro-Tools and made 21st Century-proof on "Scraped" and "Raid N' the Bedouins". But if this album is to be remembered for anything in particular it will be the sky-reaching ambiti...
Different but brilliant, 2008-12-31
Don't expect this to sound like Appetite for Destruction or the old line-up.
The first 4 tracks are really great and 'Madagascar' is very good too. In fact, there are no tracks which are terrible and as one of the other reviewers has pointed out, there is something catchy in all of them. There is the odd example where I think the guitar-work is overdone. You can listen to them again and again and get something new each time by focussing on different elements within each song because of the complexity. I also like the variety on the disc, which is a world apart from a standard band these days where every track is pretty much the same.
Listen first to 'Better', 'Madagascar' and 'Chinese Democracy'- if you like these then the album is worth getting.
List Price: £10.99
Our Price: £5.57
Artist:
Guns N' Roses
If time is the true test, then Guns N' Roses' Greatest Hits confirms that they really were one of the greatest rock & roll bands in the world. While, in retrospect, fellow graduates of the class of 1987 are about as cool as poodle perms and spandex, the LA bad boys still rock like gods. Listening to the sun-drenched chords of "Paradise City" and the ensuing stadium-sized swagger is enough to make wearing leather trousers and bandanas seem like a good idea. Of course, it helped that for them sex, drugs and rock & roll was a way of life, not a fashion statement. As Axl Rose wails "I wanna watch you bleed" on "Welcome to the Jungle", like a chain-smoking lunatic possessed, it's hard not to believe he meant it. Yet equally, it was his surprisingly poetic nature that made genuinely touching love songs of "Patience" and "Sweet Child of Mine". Though none of their subsequent albums matched the drug-crazed genius of Appetite for Destruction, they did, as the Greatest Hits reminds, have their moments. From the bloated Use Your Illusion I & II came ultimate rock ballads "Don't Cry" and "November Rain", along with the primal rage that was "You Could Be Mine". ...
Excellent Companion Set to the 1st Album, 2008-08-27
This is an excellent set collecting together in a convenient single disk the best of G'n'R. But if you want an introduction to the band you should purchase the 1st album no question as its one of the greatest rock albums of all time. What this Greatest Hits collection does is bring together all the best bits from the other 4 albums plus the odd single. There are only 3 'taster' tracks from the first album here so its no hardship to buy the 1st album and this one together (especially as the former is so inexpensive). That's why this is the perfect companion set to the first album. If you are still hungry after that then dive into the others. No serious fan of hard rock, or for that matter any fan of contemporary music, can afford not to have a healthy selection of G'n'R in their collection.
List Price: £17.99
Our Price: £8.48
Artist:
AC/DC
Such are the near-generational gaps between latter-day AC/DC albums that it's always tempting to hail the arrival of a new one as a return to form. Black Ice arrives a whopping eight years after the band's last offering, Stiff Upper Lip, but one chorus into "Rock N Roll Train", the wise man would conclude that any evolution here is as slow and incremental as, well, evolution. A punchy, straightforward opener that finds Angus Young in good riff and Brian Johnson preaching a familiar gospel of schoolgirls and schoolboys, fantasy and ecstasy, it's familiar in the best possible way. A little deeper into Black Ice, however, and there's evidence of a slightly altered approach. Producer Brendan O'Brien softens and fleshes out the stripped-down, electric blues sound AC/DC rediscovered on 1995's Ballbreaker, and in places the band follow suit--take "Anything Goes", a poppy stomp that recalls O'Brien's other recent charge, Bruce Springsteen. Elsewhere, "Stormy May Day" and "Money Made" find Young taking up the slide for a few Zeppelin-flavoured licks. A few new paths, then, but all in all, the destination is pretty much the same: another solid late-period AC/DC al...
ACDC in fine form, 2008-12-10
AC/DC bounce back with an album full of fun and inspiration. Featuring their most catchy songs since the early 80's, the band have gone for hooks and melodies aplenty, apparently encouraged by producer Brendan O'Brien, who has also coaxed a more soulful, rather less strained performance from a very impressive Brian Johnson. Johnson, aged 60 when Black Ice was recorded, rolls back the years with a voice which whilst weathered, sounds strong and of more texture than for many a year. He sounds powerful and shrill in the style of his 80's heyday on tunes like Big Jack and Spoilin' For A Fight, adds his traditional gritty edge to superb, bluesy lines on Decibel, and just sounds altogether fantastic on the anthemic Rock 'n' Roll Train and Money Made.
The production from O'Brien, and mix from Mike Fraser, are excellent. Big, round, full of warmth and crunch - a modern production but not over-polished, despite a couple of slightly ill-advised but harmless uses of samples on guitars and vocals here and there. Angus favours a chunky sound but without the high end of the 70's albums - this is more like their more recent albums in terms of guitar sound, with Mal's awesome rhythm particularly evident on the aforementioned Money Made.
Soloing from Angus is great in parts, largely too short for hardcore fans, and rarely does he let rip with the flowing, tumbling pentatonic and blues runs which addded so much to the songs pre-1995's Ballbreaker. However, there are flashes of his old magic in Decibel, the rousing Skies on Fire, and in the glorious double-stops and double-bends of the ultra-catchy Anything Goes. Of the latter, it is curious how such a commercial track is just slightly let down in the chorus, where the actual song title isn't used, and without any backing vocals as in something like 1990's Moneytalks. Still, the song is a cracker and basically, pure sing-along fun.
Lyrics are again handled by the Youngs, and in the most part are uninspired and meaningless, failing to conjure up much in the way of imagary or indeed anything at all. You only have to check the main website message boards and discussions to see how strongly the fans wanted Johnson writing again.
The other disappointment is in the short length of some songs. Perhaps due to there being 15 of them, and concerns over running time, some superb tracks are all over too soon. War Machine just about gets away with it, but its quality deserves more, and the majestic Stormy May Day abruptly ends after the 2nd chorus, without a solo in sight. A pity.
But overall this is a great collection of songs, and aside from a somewhat dull chorus to She Likes Rock n Roll, and the lack of lyrics (content and structure) in Smash n Grab's strange 1st verse, there's hardly anything which a real AC/DC fan wouldn't enjoy immensely. What we have here is a thoroughly enjoyable collection of songs which find the band in fine form, led by one of the most characterful voices in rock and backed up by a one-off rhythm section - plus those classic twin guitars.
Their best for 25 years - enjoy!
List Price: £14.99
Our Price: £3.97
Artist:
Nickelback
Nickleback haven't made it this far by throwing their audience difficult curveballs, and All The Right Reasons--the Canadian quartet's fourth full-length--continues their run of uncomplicated, testosterone-soaked hard-rock albums without a wobble. Frontman Chad Kroeger still approaches the act of songcraft like he's chopping wood, grunting and sweating under the weight of gritted-teeth rock-outs like "Fight For All The Wrong Reasons" and "Someone That You're With". Critics have it in for Nickleback for many of the same reasons they have it in for Stereophonics--these songs promise emotional weight and hard-won truths, but have a tendency to mistake joylessness for passion. However, you can spot the hits a mile off. "Side Of A Bullet" is dedicated to deceased ex-Pantera man Dimebag Darrell, and even features an overdubbed axe solo from said guitarist, while "Photograph" sees Kroeger getting misty-eyed--almost whimsical--over an old school photo. Ultimately, though, it's more of the same. Which should suit the Nickleback faithful just fine. --Louis Pattison
Absolutely Brilliant!, 2008-08-07
What a album!!! Ignore any bad reviews and believe what the majority of reviewers have said, this CD is truely a hard rock masterpiece and with every track a gem, you'll find yourself paying it over and over again.
"All the Right Reasons" is without a doubt one of Nickelback's best albums so far and worth a five star raiting for just "Rockstar" and "Photograph" alone. My other favourite songs here are "Next Contestant", "Side Of A Bullet", "If Everyone Cared" and "Far Away" but there isn't a track on here that I dislike, it's perfect!
Highly recommened!!
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