Masters Of War
Big Rock Records
This is an interesting record to say the least. Mountain main-man, guitarist Leslie West, along with original drummer Corky Laing celebrate Mountain's 35-year anniversary with Masters Of War, a tribute to Bob Dylan featuring 12 covers of Dylan classics. Why on earth a classic hard-rock band like Mountain would want to celebrate their 35th anniversary (or any anniversary for that matter) covering Bob Dylan songs instead of writing their own tunes or even re-recording their own classics is your guess as good as mine. The band is joined by bassist Richie Scarlett and the CD also features guest musicians including Ozzy Osbourne who lends his vocals on the opening title-track "Masters Of War" and guitarist Warren Haynes who performs some excellent fret-work on "Serve Somebody With" and "The Times They Are A-changin.'" The CD also features contributions from session cats Brian Mitchell (Piano/Organ), Kenny Aronson (Bass), and Todd Wolfe (Rhythm Guitar). For those unfamiliar with the band, Mountain has quite a legacy. Formed in 1969, the band performed at the original Woodstock (which could have led to this Dylan tribute today) and Leslie West has remained active releasing live Mountain CDs, DVDs, and even solo blues albums. Leslie even contributed his production and songwriting skills on the hardcore metal outfit Clutch's recent release. But in regards to Masters Of War, I'm sure some Dylan fans may find this album offensive (you know how fickle those pompous Dylan fanatics can be) but long-time Mountain fans should enjoy this one. Musically the band sound as strong as ever and Leslie's performance in particular is very impressive. Churning out soulful Joe Cockerish growls and exceptionally tasteful guitar leads (it's apparent when listening to Mountain how Leslie played a huge influence on Michael Schenker's guitar tone) Leslie sounds just as youthful as he did back in the day. Definitely one for the classic-rock fans.
POVERTY'S NO CRIME
Save My Soul
SPV/ Inside Out Music
This is the sixth CD release from this powerful German prog-metal band. In recent years Insideout Music has actively become the crown cornerstone of European progressive rock and metal churning out innovative, hi-quality pomp-metal releases, and Poverty's No Crime is no exception. Although not terribly innovative when it comes to modern-day prog-rock, there's no question this band is proficient at their craft. Founded in 1991 by vocalist/guitarist Volker Walsemann, the group also includes Marco Ahrens (guitars), Heiko Spaamann (bass), Jorg Spingub (keyboards) and Andreas Tegeler (drums). Although the music gets a tad-bit sterile at times, the musicianship is superlative and the songwritng is solid, comprising of memorable hooks and melodies and extraordinary guitar-work from Ahrens and Walsemann. Notable tracks include; the title track, "In The Wait Loop," "The Torture," and the epic closer "Break The Spell."
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