Metal was a late attraction for me, having been lured in by the hair metal scene in the late 80's followed by a detour into grunge in the early 90's. Sure, I was aware of the usual list of heavy hitters like Metallica, Anthrax, Megadeth, and Slayer. I even knew of others like Testament, Exodus, King Diamond, and Metal Church. I know, that list is not obscure in the least, but when I first knew about them they were way to the fringe and way to "extreme" for my sensitive young tastes. Fortunately I grew out of that phase. Still, as I expanded my musical plate I never came across Laaz Rockit until I saw a press release announcing their new album. To get a peek, I went over to their MySpace page and checked out a couple of tunes. I liked what I heard, and hear we are.Laaz Rockit has had an interesting career. They emerged from the Bay Area scene in the early 1980's, traveling the same roads as those acts that were destined to explode onto the national scene. Despite the seemingly positive critical success they never followed in the footsteps of those other acts. I cannot see why they didn't, but for whatever reason they never took off. Still, between 1984 and 1992 they released five studio albums and one live one. They broke up then, only to reunite for a few dates over the past few years, resulting in a live DVD and a renewed desire to make new music. This brings us to Left for Dead and my first real experience with Laaz Rockit.
As soon as I pressed play, I was greeted with an old school thrash sound, not unlike what you would have found in the genre's glory years. Speedy guitars, driving drums, screamed vocals, and some decidedly groovy, fast metal greeted me on the first cut, called "Brain Wash." It is a strong cut that feels modern while still delivering that old school feel. The guitars dig themselves into your head, the solos wail out of the speakers and I finally know what it was like to be a metal fan in the 80's.Now, I can never claim to know what it was really like to grow up as a true metal head, just like I cannot claim this to be a great album. However, I can say that there is something youthful and timeless about the music on this disk. I can just picture some young 12 or 13 year old wanting to check out some metal music, popping this on and just being floored.
Left for Dead is a solid album from start to finish. These guys show no rust from their decade-plus layoff between releases. Granted, I cannot compare to those old releases, but they play so tight here that I can imagine what those earlier albums must be like. Perhaps I need to go back and do some investigating?
Without going into their back catalog, I can tell you that this is an album that you can put on, listen to from start to finish without becoming bored. The reality is that you will probably find yourself drawn into the catchy songs, rocking to the riffs, and not feel like it is one long song. The songwriting on display is quite good with plenty of variety.
So, when you play Left for Dead the songs you should pay most attention to are: "Delirium Void," "Ghost in the Mirror," "Turmoil," and the downright epic "Desolate Oasis."
Bottomline. Not bad for a band that once said they would not release any more new music. This is a strong collection of metal tunes. There is nothing revolutionary here, but it doesn't have to be. Not everything has to be completely knew, so long as it is competent and good. Laaz Rockit's latest effort is definitely compentent and absolutely is it good. You are not likely to be disappointed.
Recommended.
Over the past few years no other studio has treated their catalog of older films with more respect than Warner Brothers. To that end, they have turned a number of these decades old films into highly desirable box sets. Among those sets are ones based on the stars such as the Gary Cooper Signature Collection and the Errol Flynn Signature Collection; in addition to those, they also released themed sets such as Film Noir. This film is a part of the Gangsters Collection, Vol. 3. It follows the Tough Guys Collection, which has since been renamed to Gangsters Collection, Vol. 2 (why the need for the name change? Your guess is as good as mine).
The Mayor of Hell is a pre-Code (
Nearly two decades before Scary Movie took horror films into Airplane! and Naked Gun territory, years before Scream changed the direction of horror films (down a path that led to a years of bad horror films, and whose affect is still being felt today), there was another film that took at at the developing cliches of the burgeoning slasher genre. This film was clearly taking aim at the slasher film, which was gaining in popularity following the success of films like Halloween, and Friday the 13th. The movie is none other than Student Bodies, whose DVD boasts: "The world's first comedy horror movie!" Of course, this is not exactly true, as it is pre-dated by the likes of Young Frankenstein and the Abbott and Costello Meet X films, but it is the first to directly spoof the genre.
Welcome back! Well, to some of you, anyway. To the rest of you, glad you decided to stop by and I hope that this humble column helps you navigate the stacks of new releases each week. My goal is to point you toward titles of interest and warn you away from those films that seek to do nothing but leech away your time and give you nothing in return.
I was never a really big Judas Priest fan, of course you could blame that on my late entry into music fandom. This is a fact that has changed over the past decade, I still cannot be considered anywhere near a big fan, but I am a fan, recognizing their place amongst the top bands that have influenced so many bands of the years (up their with Black Sabbath and Iron Maiden). The album that gave me the first inkling that I could be a Priest fan was 1990's Painkiller, that is a great metal album, period. Two years after that Rob Halford announced that he was leaving the band, wanting to do something else in the music world. That "something else" turned out to be Fight, a band that was distinctly different from Priest, while still living up to the standards that Halford had set during his 19 years with his prior band. This box set collects all three Fight releases, remixed and remastered, along with a DVD featuring one of their early appearances.
The band's line-up consisted of Halford, Brian Tilse and Russ Parrish on guitars, Jay Jay on bass, and Scott Travis behind the drum kit. The music was heavy, riff driven, and considerably more raw than Priest material. The songs here have a stripped down to the bare essentials feel to them, with an almost punk-like aggression throughout. Halford seems to experiment more with his voice here, expanding his range from his traditional highs all the way down to a death metal like growl. He sounds phenomenal, and those riffs behind him? Wow, the first time I heard the band I fell in love.
Way back in 1965 a television series appeared on sets all across the nation that spoofed the spy film. Created by Mel Brooks and Buck Henry teamed up to bring the exploits of Agent 86, aka Maxwell Smart (perfectly portrayed by Don Adams), to the small screen. The show was a success and went on for five seasons. In the mid 1990's an attempt to bring the show back, again with Don Adams in the title role, was attempted but only lasted a few episodes before being cancelled. Now we have the big screen version, a film that has had a few fits and starts over the past decade before cameras finally rolled in 2007. Originally, the project was prepping in 1998 with Jim Carrey attached to play the lead. I am thankful that version never came to fruition, as I cannot see anyone but Steve Carell in the lead.
Back to those initial impressions, while I liked the original trailer, subsequent trailers felt weaker all around and did not help foster those hopeful feelings. I began to get the feeling that this was going to turn into another I, Spy, a movie that is an all right watch on cable, but as a theatrical film is considerably less so. I went in hoping, guardedly, for the best.
The story seems simple enough, makes you wonder what the appeal of the movie is. The answer is simple, it all goes back to Steve Carell and the central character of Maxwell Smart. You see, Get Smart is not about the plot, the story is secondary to the arc followed by Maxwell. This is a movie that is about a dream, it is about living the dream, of working hard for what you want, even if what you want is not an ideal fit for you. It is something like going to Fantasy Camp, you know those middle-aged men who go to Florida to play baseball with retired stars, have fun, and compete with the players you grew up watching. Maxwell Smart is that guy. He is clearly not cut out for field work, he is not incompetent, but he lacks the real world sensibilities to be successful despite all of his book smarts. There is also a little hero worship, evidenced by his interaction with the agency's star attraction, Agent 23 (Dwayne Johnson).
All through the film, we ride along with Maxwell Smart as he lives his dream. He is in the field, fighting the bad guys and saving the world. It is not that he is bad at the job or does not know what needs to be done; it is this fact that makes him an intriguing character. It could have been very easy to write the character as an incompetent bumbler who cannot do anything right. Fortunately, screenwriters Tom J. Astle and Matt Ember, who previously teamed for Failure to Launch, do not take the easy route and make Smart an interesting character, intelligent but not truly field ready.
I like Mike Myers, I really do, but this is not a good movie. I remember when I first saw the trailer for The Love Guru, my initial reaction was something along the lines of: "What was that? That looks absolutely terrible!" or some variation along those lines. Those thoughts were followed by: "Well, maybe the film will be better, I do like Myers." Now that I have seen the movie, my initial reaction to the trailer appears to be the most appropriate. The Love Guru is a sad film that offers little in the way of genuine comedy. There were a couple of minor chuckles, primarily involving supporting cast members, and one moment of out loud laughter, but that did not occur until the outtake in the credits. It is not a good sign when the trailers are funnier than the feature (they showed Pineapple Express and Tropic Thunder).
Anyway, despite his number two status, he operates a successful Ashram in Los Angeles where he greets everyone the same way: hands together, a slight bow, and the words "Marishka Hargitay." All is going well for him until he receives an offer from Jane Bullard (Jessica Alba), the owner of the Toronto Maple Leafs hockey team. You see, their star player, Darren Roanoke (Romany Malco), had a breakup with his wife and that is affecting his all-star play just as the team is making a run for the Stanley Cup. If that isn't enough, Roanoke's wife is now dating rival player Jacques "Le Coque" Grande (Justin Timberlake), so named for his legendary endowment.
Myers creation of Guru Pitka is not so much a new creation as it a retooling of his Austin Powers character. It is the same old schtick just dressed up in some new colors. Rather than riding the wave of an out of time swinging spy, we get a sexually repressed American peddling new-agey Hindu themes. It just isn't that funny. It does not help that whenever Myers tells a joke he turns and winks to the camera. Ugh. Not funny.
*The Side Effect of Being American.