JUSTIN’S METAL REVIEWS W/C 31/3/08

 

DEGRADEAD / UNTIL DEATH DO US APART

 

Lets face it, if you read that a band is Swedish and they play Melodic Death Metal, then you know that you’re almost guaranteed its going to be damned good but when you read that the bands demo was produced by Jesper Stromblad of In Flames it’s a dead certainty.

 

The In Flames comparison is a valid one, (similar to Jester Race or Colony era) with tight, razor sharp riffs, coupled with a strong rhythm section and that patent Gothenburg Melodic sound that has enthralled many a Metal fan over the years but that doesn’t mean that the band don t have their own identify, because they do .  Songs such as “Pass Away”, “Genetic Waste”, “Take Control”, “Day Of The Dead” and “Burned” deserve to be heard by the Metal fraternity and scram out to be played on Rock shows around the world.

 

This is a very strong first release, I was drawn to band when I first saw the name Degradead and they didn’t let me down and you can be sure I will be playing them on my HFM show.

 

WEBSITE      http://www.dergadead.com/ & http://www.dockyard1.com/

 

TOTAL PLAYING TIME = 41 mins + 11 SCROCHING TRACKS

 

 

WHITESNAKE / GOOD TO BE BAD

 

Wow, this is a complete and utter surprise, not only do we have a new Whitesnake album but what makes this even better is that it’s the best they have done for over a decade.

 

Its been a long 11 years since “Restless Heart” came out and I have to say for me it was lacking, the band spent a long time out in the cold and have gone through many a struggle but they have come out on top,.  The big turning point for Whitesnake was 1987 but there were too many ballads on that album and I’m glad to say that this is not the case on this new one, the band have regained the balls that they use to have and there is much more Blues Rock on this album then they have had for a long time.  When you hear the opening riff of “Best Years” you know that the guys are back with a vengeance and they are hungrier than they have ever been and when David starts to sing, its just pure magic.  At times some of the songs sound a bit like Led Zeppelin, especially on the acoustic driven “Till The End Of Time” but hey, this is no bad thing, there are two Power Ballads on here “All I Want, All I Need“and “Summer Rain” both of which could easily have come off the mega successful 1987 but because there are only two of them they sound so welcoming and I know they will get played to death on the radio. 

 

The band pull out all the stops on this CD and when you hear “Lay Down Your Love” with David’s blues filled voice coming out of the speaker it takes me back to “Slide It In”, there is not one bad track on this CD and its really good to have Whitesnake back on the scene and I know they will be a force to be reckoned with and they’re British! Welcome to the 21^st Century guys, what kept you.

 

WEBSITE      http://www.whitesnake.com/ & http://www.spv.de/

 

TOTAL PLYAING TIEM = 59  mins + 11 BLUES FILLED TRACKS