MIDNIGHT TO TWELVE
XII
JKH
Midnight to Twelve is a hard rock quintet armed with a streamlined sound which placed them on the melodrama One Tree Hill. The group's 12-track offering is a mixed bag of tricks switching between gnashing hard rock ("Burnin", "Contain It") and sappy Nickelback-esque wallowing ("Slam"). Finding a middle ground between the guitar rock of Saliva, Theory of a Deadman, and Buckcherry while marking an slight return to '80s hair metal excess thanks in part to a sharp display of keyboards , this squad succeeds in variating the modern radio rock sound without sacrificing the big hooks found on tracks like "Story", demonstrating their readiness for the hockey arena circuit. www.m212.com -Mike SOS
SKYLARK
DIVINE GATES PART III: THE LAST GATE
RENAISSANCE
Italian metal troupe Skylark play a rousing version of power metal with symphonic overtones emblazoned with solid female vocals leading the charge on DIVINE GATES PART III: THE LAST GATE. This unit's 10-track endeavor contains just what you'd expect from a band of their nature, as a bevy of galloping guitars, angelic vocals, and the type of pomp and circumstance necessary for this brand of metal reaches out and effectively tug at the heartstrings while allowing the headbanging to perpetuate. Chances are if you dig Doro or are into Nightwish, songs like "All is Wrong" and "The Scream" will appeal to your pristine metal sensibilities. www.myspace.com/renaissancerecordsusa -Mike SOS
CHINGALERA
DOSE
PACIFIC
Los Angeles trio Chingalera's latest disc suggests this unit definitely spent a lot of time with their Melvins and Tool discs with a smattering of Queens of the Stone Age and Fantomas on the side prior to stepping into Sylvia Massy's lair. The sprawling five-track, near hour long exhibition DOSE is the end result of such a keen study, an affair steeped in ambition and hellbent on providing lush soundscapes before hitting you over the head with post-hardcore spaciousness and heady stoner rock grooves. Effects-heavy avant garde interludes compel the urge to hit the skip button many times throughout (especially during the trying 16:23 "You Were Happy When You Came In Here"), but make no mistake: this band is deadset on constructing atmospheres before releasing rock mayhem and makes you earn you way to get to the infectious Helmet -esque chug and snare combo carried on "Eveler". www.chingalera.org -Mike SOS
REVOLTONS
UNDERWATER BELLS
SELF-RELEASED
A dose of rousing metal from Italy comes courtesy of Revoltons, a quintet whose Iced Earth by way of Hammerfall style melds virtuoso abilities with strong compositions on UNDERWATER BELLS. This 15-track release comfortably straddles the line between power metal's presence and progressive metal's prowess with the grace of bands such as Fates Warning shining on cuts like "Cybertale" and "London Fall". Packing an anthemic punch ("Berserker") while taking it down to a symphonic level with relative ease ("Scanning Horizons"), this well-versed outfit fits in nicely amongst your melodic metal albums. www.revoltons.com -Mike SOS
EQULIBRIUM
EQULIBRIUM
SAGAS
NUCLEAR BLAST
Once the horns blast in about a minute into "Prolog Auf Erden", you know what kind of experience you're headed for courtesy of Bavarian quintet Equilibrium and their authentic 13-track folk metal explosion SAGAS. Shades darker than their peers, this act bashes out with the same strep throat vocals and voluminous velocity of bands such as Cradle of Filth and Children of Bodom ("Unbesiegt") but doesn't leave its roots in the cold, going as far as singing all of their songs in their native tongue of German and implementing traditional instrumentation such as woodwinds into its blackened metallic assault. In a world where power chords and pan flutes collide, Equilibrium stands strong on top of the heap, adorned with the proper balance of shredding metal and folksy banter to persuade even the most hardened metal fan to take another gander at that Viking helmet and sword combination deal. www.nuclearblastusa.com -Mike SOS
HYDROGYN
DEADLY PASSIONS
DR2
Female fronted hard rock act Hydrogyn hammer home the notion that you can be sultry without sacrificing the heavy on their latest 10-track sojourn DEADLY PASSIONS. Liberally borrowing from the best end of '80s hair metal while adding in a slew of keen production tricks (the male background vocals are particularly stellar) and razor sharp riffs from modern day rock, tracks like the catchy "Seroquil", "Candles Light Your Face" and "On and On" pack the punch of Pat Benatar on steroids while album opener "Rejection" pounds out a relentless guitar and drum rhythmic pattern exhibiting the band's comfortability with bearing its teeth. Lead vocalist Julie truly illuminates the offering with her well-rounded powerful singing, properly fitting the mood across the duration of the disc's crests and waves, shining brightest on the Desmond Child-esque ballad "Shadow". Despite the lack of ingenuity in Hyrdrogyn's recipe for rock, this squad's potent blend collects the best from numerous different flavors of rock through the years to form a formidable contender for mainstream accolades worldwide. www.demolitionrecords.com -Mike SOS
SEVER YOUR TIES
SAFETY IN THE SEA
SOLID STATE
Christian rock clan Sever Your Ties incorporates the sound you'd expect from a band hailing from Southern California that calls itself hardcore yet prominently uses keyboards would on their 11-track debut SAFETY IN THE SEA. Injected with a smattering of Thrice and Senses Fail (especially in the vocal department), this sextet's chops are undeniably solid ("Things Are Better (Left Unsaid)"), their passion convincing ("To The Pacific", "Here I Am"), and their content surprisingly secular bordering on edgy for a God-fearing group, barring their listless cover of Blue Oyster Cult's "Don't Fear the Reaper". Yet if you follow this genre stringently, you've heard this all before, and in this group's case, even a few times over throughout this entire disc's span. A lack of variation aside, Sever Your Ties plays a competent brand of post-hardcore with hard rock melodics and hook-laden choruses at the forefront for all the kids to scream along to at next year's Warped Tour. www.solidstaterecords.com -Mike SOS
DEAR LIFE
FRAMEWORK
UPRISING
How five kids from the middle of California grew up with a NYHC-sized chip on their shoulders is inexplicable, yet Dear Life brings it with the gravel-throated conviction and oodles of beefy breakdowns you'd expect from an East Coast crew on FRAMEWORK. Imagine a tough guy version of Comeback Kid for an indication of what to expect from this adroit quintet whose searing aggression bursts through the speakers on cuts like "Prophets" and "The Architects". Produced by the same folks responsible for bands such as The Warriors and Death By Stereo, Dear Life's overall presentation may contain a few too many breakdowns for the ardent hardcore follower, but the sheer passion conveyed throughout this 10-track endeavor carries this band of new jacks over the rough patches just enough to warrant them repeated listens. www.uprisingrecords.com -Mike SOS
HAND TO HAND
BREAKING THE SURFACE
LIFEFORCE
Hand to Hand is listed by their record label as a hardcore emo rock group, which in fairness to all involved is a good description, fitting the bill for this collective from Orlando, FL. This versatile unit amps up My Chemical Romance-like melodic rock to Trivium-like levels of intense new school metal while taking post-hardcore turns along the style of Underoath and From First to Last. Confused? Luckily this band's scattershot delivery isn't, as they've dissected the meat and potatoes part of each of the aforementioned genres and have permutated them into the five-track EP titled BREAKING THE SURFACE. If you hate screamo and loathe anything with singing even to be considered hardcore, run away now. But if you can deal with some ambiance before blistering leads and don't mind shards of jagged tenderness creeping in and out of tracks like the Dredg-esque "Dufresne, Party of Six", then this outfit will pique your interest and keep you rocking through its genre-bending rollercoaster ride. www.lifeforceamerica.com -Mike SOS
HUNG
PROGENY
SELF-RELEASED
NYC progressive death metal squad Hung bring an experimental twist to the heavier end of the metal spectrum that instantly grabs your attention on their five-track collection PROGENY. With an evil vocal rasp leading the charge, the key ingredient which sets Hung apart is the frantic and foreboding violin (yes you read that right) of Lyris Hung, often played with nuances of lead guitar in mind, creating a pristine yet haunting sound that truly radiates something unique. It doesn't hurt that the rest of the group consistently showcases dextrous musical proficiency at every step (especially with the bass) while churning out weighty pieces of music shrouded in demonic bliss and brazen with technical ecstasy such as "Maria". This quintet juxtaposes black metal's iconic intolerance and progressive metal's mesmerizing musicianship into grandiose compositions laden in hellfire to create the closest thing NYC has ever come to their own version of pagan metal. If you dig the true metal underground at its most expansive, Hung will not disappoint. www.hungrocks.com -Mike SOS
KEEP OF KALESSIN
KOLOSSUS
NUCLEAR BLAST
Veteran Norwegian black metal troupe Keep of Kalessin return with their fourth endeavor, the nine-track KOLOSSUS. Emanating from the depths of traditional black metal, this unit opts to expand its musical horizons by incorporating a slew of other styles into their dark riff heavy mix, adding textures from the spectrum of metal to their template of furious metal for a listening experience that will confound purists and stimulate the open-minded. Tracks like "Ascendant" pounds out with a Killing Joke-like element, "Warmonger" takes a death 'n roll approach, and "The Rising Sun" features a lush classical music outro, yet a gritty black metal underbelly still remains prevalent, even during the quieter passages found on the tantalizing title track. Longtime fans will be taken aback by the unit's progressive nuances, yet those in tune with the later works of Opeth and Emperor will have no problem embracing Keep of Kalessin's amalgamation of raw power and radical atmosphere into the fold. www.nuclearblastusa.com -Mike SOS
ISM
URGENCY
STM
Modern rock quartet Ism provide an electronically-manipulated listening experience chock full of melancholy with URGENCY, the NYC troupe's latest 12-track offering. This disc juxtaposes the technological desolation of NIN with the scattershot edginess of latter-day U2, whipping up a somewhat forced array of shadowy tracks such as ""Postlude" and "Sacred Cow" that dubiously fall between a sound too tough for the lounge and too soft for the moshpit. Tracks such as "Graffiti" give Tom Morello a run for his money on the whammy bar while the forlorn feel given off from "Fly" takes a turn into '80s New Wave with a Brit-pop twist. If you dig Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, The Bravery, or Coldplay at their most haunting, then Ism is a band worth checking out. www.stmrecords.com\ -Mike SOS
CAPITOLLIUM
BLOODFALL OF FLESH
SWORN
Ukrainian symphonic black metal mavens Capitollium unleash a vehement display of hellfire and brimstone on their nine-track affair BLOODFALL OF FLESH. Incorporating everything from operatic female vocals and atmospheric keyboards to dastardly blast beats and demonic vocal deliveries, this quintet hurls volumes of venomous melodies with vitriolic shifts in velocity on cuts like 'Mensis of Mind" and "Ego Sum Lead". Versatile enough to take snippets of other genres without sacrificing their destructive tendencies on cuts like the technified closer "Open the Gates", this troupe's stellar songwriting and willingness to explore outside of the box assists this album in standing out over the lot of the black metal releases while the band's overall bleak outlook and chilling aura assists this album in providing a nice buffer between Cradle of Filth and Dimmu Borgir. www.swornrecords.com -Mike SOS
BLACKLIST UNION
BREAKIN' BREAD WITH THE DEVIL
BLU
Presenting a holdover sound straight from the danger-laden late-era Sunset Strip days with some modern day tweaking, Los Angeles outfit Blacklist Union portray the grit and recklessness associated with the excesses of rock 'n roll with conviction on BREAKIN' BREAD WITH THE DEVIL. This 10-track salvo to the bottomless glass contains the proper mixture of kick you in the head lyrics and simple yet effective riffs ("King of Fools") and isn't afraid to bare its soul to ease the pain from loss ("Sixty Five Steps Away"). Bridging the gap between Papa Roach and Motley Crue, Blacklist Union is far from unique yet definitively demonstrate the byproduct of the Hollywood rock machine revved at all cylinders. www.blacklistunion.com -Mike SOS
WHITEY MORGAN AND THE 78'S
HONKY TONKS AND CHEAP MOTELS
SMALL STONE
Whitey Morgan and the 78's steers clear of new country's gloss, instead taking to the far-removed backroads to deliver a slice of rocking outlaw country music on HONKY TONKS AND CHEAP MOTELS. This 12-track affair sticks to the most prolific themes by some of the genre's best while laying down an authentically composed collection of tunes complete with pedal steel pluckings and twangy melodies, driving home the down home appeal of Johnny Cash, Waylon Jennings, and Conway Twitty on cuts like the subtle "Cheatin' Again" and the poignant "Goodbye Dixie".Hailing from the downtrodden town of Flint, MI only helps Morgan and company's case to convincingly sing with the heavy heartache portrayed on "Love and Honor" and "Hold Her When She Cries" and rock out with the desolation attached to "Sinner". If you secretly stow a pair of cowboy boots and a ten gallon hat in the recesses of your closet, this album will provoke you to break out the duds and crack open a bottle of whiskey and contemplate. www.smallstone.com -Mike SOS
WILLIE BASSE
THE MONEY GRIND
NEW EMPIRE
Wheeling out a healthy dose of hard rock histrionics, Willie Basse returns from the shadows of session musicianship and studio ownership to release his new 14-track endeavor THE MONEY GRIND. Formerly fronting the Los Angeles mainstay Black Sheep (whose name he fortuitously sold to the rap band from the early '90s), there's no denying that Basse's crunchy songs and powerful vocals rip it up with all of the pomp the '80s dictated, sounding at times like a cross between Y&T and Bulletboys ("Unloveable", "Don't Waste My Time"). While it's a tough call to really tell if songs like the reggae-infused "Yesterdaze" will strike a chord with fans of his target audience, there's enough material found on this disc to satisfy those who crave the big sound songs like "It's Over" pump out. www.myspace.com/williebasse -Mike SOS
STRING FINGERS
STRUNG UP
INTERNET ERA
String Fingers is a tandem whose 10-track excursion STRUNG UP showcases this duo's deep-ceded roots rock and Americana foundation. Comprising their sound from an array of stringed instruments from banjo and fiddle to violin and guitar, this outfit's sound borrows from everything from James Taylor and Bob Dylan to bluegrass and Appalachian music on cuts like "Without a Doubt" and demonstrates their solid musicianship on folksy instrumentals such as "Creekside Ride" and the whimsical "Silicon Valley". Curiously this project goes all out on the closing track "The Deal", introducing a slew of guest musicians which includes live drums, female vocals and Stax-era horns with a dash of soul to end up on a rocking high note. Perfect for some quiet time or a scenic drive, this disc delivers a versatile collection of traditional American music whose influences come from both the hills and the backwoods and the college campus coffeehouse. www.interneterarecords.com -Mike SOS
SEEDS OF CHAOS
SEEDS OF CHOAS
SELF-RELEASED
New Jersey metal mavens Seeds of Chaos attack with a sludgy slam on their five-track presentation. Taking the thick mid-paced mauling from bands like Goatwhore and Soilent Green and combining a slaughtering death metal crunch a la Obituary, this quintet unapologetically thrash their way through head stomping rifftastic episodes of viscous metallic might. If you like it brutal and hit the bong, this act provides the perfect soundtrack to your unearthly escape. www.myspace.com/seedsofchaos -Mike SOS
HACKNEYED
DEATH PREVAILS
NUCLEAR BLAST
Neophytic German metal troupe Hackneyed play with the deathcore style sharply in focus on their nine-track disc DEATH PREVAILS. Undoubtedly heavy yet lacking development in spots, this act, whose median age is merely 16, have drawn from extreme metal's elite to compose a rough around the edges sonic battering on cuts like "Gut Candy" and "Axe Splatter". Liberal in their use of technical death metal elements and gore metal imagery, this band's debut is a remarkable effort when considering their age and experience and will definitely appeal to those into Suicide Silence and Job for a Cowboy as well as old schoolers who remember the warmongering of Bolt Thrower. www.nuclearblastusa.com -Mike SOS
TULAR
THE TRUTH BEHIND THE MASK
RENAISSANCE
Tular is an Italian act who blend Gothic and symphonic metal to comprise their sound. This female-fronted quintet's debut THE TRUTH BEHIND THE MASK bridges the gap between Evanescence, Nightwish, and Epica, as each of the album's 14 tracks contains a combination of big guitars and lush orchestrations to create a somber yet powerful array of textures on cuts like "Fallen Angel" and the haunting piano-led and darkly orchestrated"Dark White Flame". Fitting nicely between your Lacuna Coil and Within Temptation discs, Tular's debut has all of the nuances to satisfy fans of the fantasy side of the metal spectrum. www.renaissancerecordsus.com -Mike SOS
ARGHOSLENT
HORNETS OF THE POGROM
DRAKKAR
After a six-year hiatus, Virginia's Arghoslent return with HORNETS OF THE PORGROM, stirring the pot once again with their bastardized combination of controversial viewpoints and scolding death metal. This veteran unit's latest eight-track affair contains a bevy of the most well thought-out riffs and sheer brutality put to disc in the extreme genre, as tracks like "Oracle of the Malefic Rhizome" and "Swill of the Knaves" slay with barbaric might while undertones of undeniable melodic beauty echo beneath. This underground act may be better known for their offensive lyrical content and left of center school of thought, but the musical output displayed on this album is chock full of death metal magnificence and should be rendered as mandatory metal listening for the most unflappable. www.drakkar666.com -Mike SOS
TRIBE AFTER TRIBE
M.O.A.B.
RODEOSTAR
Robbi Robb has been fronting the South African band Tribe After Tribe for over two decades, raising awareness of global social issues with his potpourri of multicultural rock music as a soundtrack. The latest venture from this unit is the 15-track M.O.A.B., an album that boasts thirteen different musicians making the most of the vast arsenal of styles at their dispose. From the flannel-shirt stomp of "Holy City Warrior" and "Shock and Awe" to the native sounds emanating from "World Drum" and "Lament", this outspoken collective returns after a lengthy hiatus sounding like a cross between Peter Gabriel and Sepultura, adorned with a well-rounded smattering of hard edged world class rock that fans of the more adventurous sounds of the '90s are bound to embrace. www.myspace.com/tribeaftertribe -Mike SOS
BLACK FLAME
IMPERIVM
REGAIN
Italian black metal trio Black Flame unleash an eight-track affair steeped in calamity with IMPERIVM. Without deviating from the genre's basic elements , this foreboding troupe attack with the feral fury passed down through the left hand path . Tracks like "Ad Inferna" strike with a venomous bite, revealing a grim vocal rasp and a demonically-charged rhythmic pound, while chaotic guitars and a hellacious sense of evil await on cuts like "Apocalyptic Zero". Presenting this squad's meat and potato aural assault with little room for experimenting, if you are a stickler for underground purity, this record will serve you well. www.regainrecords.com -Mike SOS
CANDYGRAM FOR MONGO
CANDYGRAM FOR MONGO
CF MEDIA
Los Angeles pop punk squad Candygram for Mongo return with an eponymous 13-track offering chock full of infectious melodies containing more hooks than a tackle box. Cuts like "What Are We" and "Big Mary" portray the rambunctious feel of a spiked hair contingent with the usual imminent sense of danger replaced with the sharp songwriting skills you'd hear from the likes of Elvis Costello or Cheap Trick. Edgy yet accessible, tracks like "Meltdown" and "Fairfax Avenue" display a bounce that's perfect for the Warped Tour with a sing along chorus tailor-made for a drunken night with old friends while songs like "Rock To Live" showcase the Celtic-esque vibe employed by the likes of Flogging Molly and Against Me. With their freewheeling nature at the forefront of everything they do, Candygram for Mongo have made a prime candidate of a record to throw on to not only get the party started but to keep the good times rolling all night long. www.myspace.com/candygramformonoband -Mike SOS
OBJECT
BLACK SWAN
VELCRO KITTY
The dynamic NYC duo known as Object holds their ground and maintains their grunge-laden hard rock stance on the tandem's latest 12-track excursion BLACK SWAN. Built from a sturdy foundation of tasty riffs and thunderous drums and cymbals colliding into each other with the controlled recklessness of the early goings of a demolition derby, cuts like "Clones" demonstrates the stoner slacker movement championed by acts like Fu Manchu and "Always" comes off as a Queens of the Stone Age b-side while "The Feeling" displays a durable array of fuzzed-out fretwork that summons a totally tripped-out vibe. Channeling icons of '90s rock without disabling their own identity ("Ghostly", "Off the Record") yet still able to offer more than a retro sound thanks to the fiery and timeless hard rock chops showcased, Object combines the wares of The Toadies, Nirvana, Burning Brides, and Dinosaur Jr. for a rousing listening experience that those who come to rock shall not be disappointed by. www.objectband.com -Mike SOS
IDIOT
DEMO
SELF-RELEASED
Idiot is a Metro NY area trio whose eight-track endeavor showcases a band with a heavy sound made for the modern age. Changing over from fragile to frantic on the drop of a dime, this squad can flex its metallic muscle a la Deftones and Chevelle with the best of them ("Frankie Sharp", "6") yet can equally take to the heavens to bring down a dose of ethereal atmosphere a la Muse (4) while even delving into the electronic side of the spectrum to close out the affair (8). Unleashing a slew of slamming dynamic shifts with blistering guitars and booming bass fluctuating throughout while providing a well-balanced hybrid of pristine rock 'n roll finishings and knuckle-dragging aggression, Idiot has crafted a supple supply of forward thinking metal that fans of today's brand of brain-powered heavy will unquestionably adore. www.myspace.com/idiotbandpage -Mike SOS
LIGHT YOURSELF ON FIRE
INTIMACY
SEVENTH RULE
Hailing from the death metal stomping ground of Tampa, FL, scene veterans Light Yourself on Fire's furious sound takes ample cues (especially guitar-wise) from bands like Obituary and Deicide, yet is well-versed in the adventures of bands like Converge as well, resulting in the six-track, 17-minute sojourn titled INTIMACY. Ensconced in movie dialogue samples and chugging harder than a NFL offensive line at the last quarter-mile of their daily laps, this quartet doesn't shy away from showcasing its broad range of interests or displaying their intellect while crushing your puny existence with their punishing array of battleground rhythms or mid-tempo maulings heard on cuts like "New Baby Girl" or laying down thick slabs of Candiria-esque doomy death rock on "Haunts". Not for fans of attention spans, this disc jumps and bounces around like a hyperactive child after a Halloween night candy fix,revealing a monstrous hybrid that strikes hard and fast and leaves discernible marks for the left of center metal clan. www.seventhrule.com -Mike SOS
EL CUERVO DE POE
VOX CORVUS
RENIASSANCE
Mexican gothic folk troupe El Cuervo de Poe mesh a few distinct styles together to form the music heard on this septet's 11-track release VOX CORVUS. With two violinists in tow creating a multitude of sounds ranging from sullen to eerie and sung completely in Spanish in a baroque style by a alto female singer, the uniqueness of this group is unquestionable, as they intertwine orchestral compositions with a Lacuna Coil-esque twist on cuts like "Paredes Blancos" and "Claroscuro" while opting to take the piano ballad route with some traditional Mexican music strewn in on "Tormenta". If you are searching for some different elements in your Goth rock, El Cuervo De Poe is a band you should definitely get to know. www.renaissancerecordsus.com -Mike SOS
THE FIGHT BETWEEN FRAMES
BIRTH OF THE BULL AND THE LABYRINTH
TRAGIC HERO
Louisiana metalcore squad The Fight Between Frames comes out with fist flailing on their six-song EP BIRTH OF THE BULL AND THE LABYRINTH. Despite their geographic location and what their publicity propaganda suggests, the southern rock heard from cuts like "Red Rubber Jungle" and "Gambling Away Your Livelihood" shares a lot in common with Maylene and the Sons of Disaster. Add in heavy-handed breakdowns and spastic time changes just like the 150 other metalcore bands currently working the circuit, and you've got yet another sound-alike metalcore album. While this band does its part to combine Every Time I Die, Converge, and Bury Your Dead into a cohesive union, they still have a long way to go before they can stand out in such an oversaturated scene. www.tragicherorecords.com -Mike SOS
ICED EARTH
THE CRUCIBLE OF MAN
SPV
Iced Earth returns with THE CRUCIBLE OF MAN, the long-awaited follow-up to their 1998 landmark concept album SOMETHING WICKED. Replacing the departing Ripper Owens with former frontman Matt Barlow, this troupe sounds reinvigorated when maintaining their patented power metal maneuvers on cuts like "I Walk Alone" and the rousing "Divide and Devour", yet this disc ultimately lends itself to a darker side of the spectrum, leaving behind the nuances which made this band such an underground sensation. Lead guitarist and band leader Jon Schaffer alternates between writing crunchy guitar tunes and gripping ballads that ooze metal , though some may complain that there are many songs on this 15-track disc which not so discreetly draw from prior Iced Earth works. The band's sinister precision and ever-present soaring melodic flair appear in the mix but don't stick around for long, yielding for a more atmospheric feel on cuts like "Come What May" and "Crown of the Fallen". But with Barlow's raging baritone back in the fold, fitting like a glove, there's more classic Iced Earth moments to be had as opposed to the last few offerings, making this disc something longtime fans should check out even if usual aspects are deficient . www.spvmarketing.com -Mike SOS
