Welcome back. More metal reviews for you headbangers out there. I'm going to start off with a couple of reviews for my new cd release, and then share the stage with the Japanese legends Loudness.

The New Breed - Evolution
(This review courtesy of West Side Dave's Metal site - http://www.angelfire.com/zine2/westsidedave/Reviews21.html )
Taking a brief respite from his solo career, the American Heartland`s very own Johnny Lokke has unleashed "Evolution", the second release from his other project, The New Breed. While Johnny`s solo work is more in the Priest/Primal Fear vein, The New Breed deals in raw 80's riffage and song-structures, with a bit of modern sheen thrown in for good measure. Is it ground-breaking? No. Original? Not quite? Does it kick holy ASS? You better BELIEVE it!! "On The Edge" kicks things off quite nicely, and features tremendous riffing, a pounding rhythm section and some sweet solo work from Mr. Lokke himself. The Doom-laden "Rest" is next, reminding one at times of Sabbath`s "Evil Eye". "Dr. Butcher" is one of the big winners here, and a definite favorite of your`s truly! Other choice cuts include "Blown Away", which swings close to Godsmack territory; maybe if Godsmack sounded THIS good, I might like `em! "Barebones" is a mid-paced cruncher featuring a memorable hook AND another rippin` solo by Johnny. Closing out the album is another Sabbath-like track, "Back to Black"; this bad boy could`ve been an outtake from "Eternal Idol", and is a highlight among highlights! The album is short, sweet and to-the-point, clocking in at just under 40 minutes. No wasted momentum here, "Evolution" gets the point across VERY loud and clear, and isn`t THAT what Heavy Metal is all about? Johnny Lokke knows what it`s all about, and when you buy this album, you will, too. Yes, I said "buy"! Just because you CAN get something for free doesn`t mean you SHOULD. Buy this album and support Johnny, as well as other great musicians of ALL genres who put their heart and soul into their craft. Remember; if as many as possible actually BUY the CDs`, we can ensure the careers of artists like Johnny and do AWAY with the likes of Jessica Simpson. Now THAT`S worth almost ANY price! One of the BEST of 2006!

This one courtesy of www.live4metal.com

Johnny Lokke is an individual that has been in the metal scene for quite some while, but I have never heard of him. He’s released several discs under his name and this album number two under The New Breed. If you like your music raw with an 80’s feel, then you have come to the right place. “On The Edge” actually shines quite nicely. The tempo is just perfect as it packs a punch, and if you listen closely it sort of has that Probot feeling. The rhythm section just pounds away and come solo time, Johnny can shred. Instantly, we go from high octane fuel to sludge. “Rest” is a song that’s dragged through the mud. The doom feeling is there obviously being influenced by Sabbath. It may be slow, but it has plenty of bite and muscle. “Dr. Butcher” gets back on track fast with another up beat jam that will infect your ears. More intense soloing is included for good measure. “Blown Away” provides a ton of grooves that rock and roll. Definitely reminds me of a Godsmack jam. The end result is that you end up with a disc that has a ton of potential. Johnny is not only a decent songwriter, but he’s a fine axe grinder to boot. Mr. Lokke also is capable of catering to the true metal heads and doomsters at the same time. Honestly, the only thing that suffers here is the production. I am not too sure if he was going for the garage sound or what, but if he just beefed up the overall product he would end up with a grand slam. There is nothing new going on here, but it’s definitely a fun listen.

Loudness – RockShocks (CRASH Music)
http://www.takasaki.net/
www.crashmusicinc.com
LOUDNESS was formed in May 1981, by Akira Takasaki (guitars) and Munetaka Higuchi (drums) who were in the Japanese pop band Lazy together. Wanting to explore a heavier style of music, they formed Loudness with Minoru Niihara (vocals) and Masayoshi Yamashita (bass) and quickly set Japan on fire. They became to Japan what Van Halen or Kiss became to kids growing up in the United States. The first albums were sung in Japanese, but still appealed to metalheads everywhere, thanks to Takasaki’s fiery fretwork, combining the speed of Malmsteen with the technical prowess of Van Halen (check out the ripping solo in "Crazy Doctor" for instance). Loudness really took off when they released 1985’s "Thunder in the East" worldwide, and for the first time showcased Niihara singing completely in English. Fueled by the single "Crazy Night" and a world tour with Stryper and TNT, Loudness continued to build their fanbase worldwide. Niihara would quit in 1988 and be replaced by Mike Vescera (ex-Obsession) for the next two releases, when Viscera would be replaced by Masaki Yamada from the Japanese band EZO. 1997 would see Yamashita and Higuchi depart as well. Yamada would continue with the group for until 2001, at which point Niihara, Yamashita and Higuchi would return to the fold and the band would come full circle. The change from Niihara and Vescera also marked a new sound for the group. They went from a sharply polished 80’s metal sound to a darker, raw, somewhat grunge-inspired sound, but it worked. When the original band members returned, they kept the same heaviness, but fused it with the bands original sound, resulting in some killer releases. The reunion eventually led to the recording of RockShocks, a collection of songs from their first 5 releases, re-recorded with all the original members. The band kept their newfound sound on these re-recordings, and the good news is that it gives songs like the aforementioned "Crazy Night", "Loudness" and "Rockshock" a power that the originals were missing a bit. The confidence of years of world domination comes through in the recording, and you can almost hear the smiles on the faces of the foursome as they beat the holy hell out of their instruments breathing new life in these tunes. Niihara’s vocals sound better today then they did 20 years ago, and Takasaki’s playing is simply indescribable and must be heard to be believed. The bad news is that the production on this cd is absolutely horrible. Remember in the old days when you would record an album to a cassette tape and sometimes the levels would be set too high and it sounded nasty and distorted? That’s how the whole cd is. It’s really frustrating because the performances are so intense and amazing but at the same time completely overshadowed with this distorted recorded-in-a-basement-on-a-jambox sound. If you can get by that you will really enjoy this cd. My version I received for review also included 3 bonus tracks, "Exultion", "Lunatic" and "R.I.P." of of 2004’s "Racing" release. These three songs have a much better sound, and if they would have been the benchmark for the whole cd, it would have been incredible.

Until next time, KEEP IT LOUD!!!!!

Welcome to my Heavy Metal Review page! I am a huge fan of heavy metal (not to mention a musician myself), so I decided to put together a page where you can check out some new and old releases that you may not find much on at the usual review sites. Now when I say heavy metal, I don’t mean the growling or rap nu-metal that is en vogue right now, I mean the old school style like your Iron Maidens, Judas Priests, and myself, the Johnny Lokkes of the world. Keep in mind that I call ‘em as I see ‘em, and what I hate you may love. When possible I try and give you a little comparison to other bands or cd’s that I like or don’t like so that you get a better idea of where I’m coming from and can judge a bit better on if we might agree. I also like to keep you informed of any exciting up and coming bands that you might like, so if you are (or know of) a hot new heavy metal band that is looking for some press, contact me through my site and I’ll let you know where to send your stuff. You can also check out some of my tunes there as well. Being a musician myself I don’t have a lot of time, but I’ll do what I can for you. And with that, it’s on with the show…

U.D.O. – Thunderball
For many years, the names Udo Dirkschneider and Accept were synonymous. Udo WAS Accept for many people. When Accept released their album "Eat the Heat" in 1989, fans were shocked and amazed (myself included) that the band would no longer contain the harsh, German singer, instead going with an unknown David Reece. While the album was not bad, it just wasn’t Accept. Likewise, Udo had set out on his own as well, releasing "Animal House" about the same time with similar results. How could one not compare either of these records with milestones like "Restless and Wild", "Balls to the Wall", and "Metal Heart"? Even the less well-received "Russian Roulette" was still strong enough to keep most fans happy. Accept reformed for a few years, releasing several more records, most being decent, but never reaching much past mediocre, and the band finally gave up in 1996. Udo had also continued to release music, but could never even reach the success of "Animal House", let alone the high standards met by his previous group. This leads me to his newest release "Thunderball". I have to admit, I was judging the cd before even hearing it. I have his previous cd’s, so I knew I would probably enjoy it, but figured it would be the standard U.D.O. release. When I received the cd and looked at it, I was immediately drawn to it’s cover…the metal earth smoking beneath Udo’s powerful looking logo was impressive. Maybe I was onto something here. I put the cd in, hit play and …OH MY GOD! THIS is truly the cd that Accept fans have been waiting for since "Russian Roulette"! Actually, it should have come before RR because it ranks right up there with Metal Heart"! The disc opens with the title track which has a 15 second opening (like the good old days) before launching into a "Fast as a Shark" meets "Restless and Wild" tune. All of the songs are winners, and even though they do borrow from a few Accept tunes here and there (such as the song "Pull the Trigger" which has a bit of "Monsterman" in it, and "Tough Luck" which has a "Balls to the Wall"-style opening), the sound is fresh (accordion on "Trainride in Russia???) and alive, which has been missing for quite some time. The production is outstanding, the playing is great (the band line-up has been the same since 1999 and I think it is paying off), Udo’s voice is better than ever and there are just really good songs, which is what it really boils down to. This cd is a must for any Accept fan, and is as close as you can get without the real thing. Maybe when Wolf hears this one, he’ll drop the camera and pick the guitar back up…hint, hint….

Cornerstone - Once Upon Our Yesterdays
Sometimes bands come along and make great music without a lot of hype or flash. Cornerstone is one of those bands. "Once Upon Our Yesterdays" is the third release from Cornerstone, and is full of catchy, hard-edged music. The band features Doogie White (ex-Rainbow, Yngwie Malmsteen) on vocals, and he truly is one of the best singers out there today. He has a voice that sits somewhere between bluesy Paul Rodgers and ballsy Ronnie James Dio, and just never falls short of great. On guitar is Kasper Damgaard (ex-Mike Tramp), whose melodic and emotional playing falls right into place with White’s vocals, as he is from the Blackmore/Schenker school, and does it very well. He can play everything from forceful power chords to light ballads and sound like he means business on both. Bass and Keyboard duties fall to Steen Morgensen (ex-Royal Hunt) who brings a Jon Lord/Deep Purple feel to the band which is great because it makes the keyboards a main instrument without competing with guitar or softening the music. Rounding out the group is drummer Allan Sorensen (ex-Royal Hunt). Sorensen also keeps the music from slipping into AOR territory (pronounced Steve Perry era Journey) by throwing down solid rhythm tracks with a very evident metal feel to them. Opening up the cd are a great pair of crunchy numbers, "Welcome to Forever" and "When the Hammer Falls" that really show off the talents of the individuals, while also showing how well each meshes with the other. Things keep right on rolling through the next several tracks, and don’t really slow down until track 5, the ballad "Man Without Reason". I was worried at first, as I’m not much a fan of the slow stuff, but this song is really only a ballad in the same way that Deep Purple’s "Child in Time" would be considered a ballad. It’s really just a chance for the boys to show off their bluesier side, and all get the chance to shine. Right back to business with one of the best songs on the cd, "21st Century Man". The live version of this song is also featured as a bonus track, along with the live version of "Wounded Land" (from a previous release), and I couldn’t believe that it sounds even better live (which doesn’t happen very often). The title track is next, and it reminds me of a Yngwie Malmsteen tune, with layered, ripping guitars and keyboards that have their own melody lines that carry the song to some really different places. The regular portion of the cd closes with "Scream" which is a cool song that goes from heavy to laid back and back to heavy again over six minutes, making for a memorable ending. This cd easily fits in with the Gary Barden/Graham Bonnett era Michael Schenker Group, Dio era Rainbow, and Ian Gillan/Ritchie Blackmore era Deep Purple with touches of Malmsteen and John Sykes thrown in for good measure. If you like these bands, you are going to be playing this cd over and over and over.

Until next time, peace.

Johnny Lokke
Metal from the Heartland
www.johnnylokke.com