AC/DC-Rock or Bust   ©2014 Columbia Records
​Simplistic as usual, but also just as infectious as the band has always been. There is nothing really new with this veteran band's latest effort, but what has always worked for the Aussie greats works very well here once again. I found this latest effort to have a familiar feel as one would expect, but at the same time the music feels well written and has a memorable nature to it. Not sure how far this band will go in terms of their career, but if the music that could lie ahead is up to this quality, I hope there is more gas in the tank. Good solid hard rock that sticks to the bands successful formula.
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Within Temptation-Let Us Burn   ©2014 Nuclear Blast Records 
I remember back when the band announced the 'Elements' tour how much I was hoping that it would be recorded. There are few bands that I get excited about when it comes to live releases. Within Temptation is one of those bands that I always hope for a live disc. This set has both the "Hydra' and 'Elements' tours on Blu-ray as well as CD. Quality is really good on the Blu-ray and only change I would have wanted is a DTS Master Audio sound track instead of Dolby Digital. Other than that, both shows are solid with 'Elements' being my favorite of the 2 due to overall approach and orchestration. Solid!
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Donnie Vie-The White Album  ©2014 Livewire/Cargo Records
​Former Enuff Z'nuff frontman Donnie Vie releases has latest platter of goodies with 'The White Album'. If you are familiar with Enuff Z'nuff or even some of Vie's solo work, it's a good bet you are already into checking this album out. There isn't much in terms of heavy as this is a much more rock oriented release which was expected. Some of my more favorite songs on the album are the lighter fare such as 'For Your Pleasure' or 'My Love'. There are also plenty of good rock songs such as 
​'Haunted'. A couple of covers are added in to round things out. A lot of bang for your buck with this album.
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Lynch Mob-Sun Red Sun   ©2014 Rat Pak Records
​I've always looked forward to Lynch Mob albums as I love the band's sound and it's George Lynch. You can't go wrong. What jumped out upon listening to this new record was exactly that, George Lynch and his shredding. Very good riffs and very good solos. The quality of each song is pretty good. I was a big fan of the first two albums by the band and feel this album fits best with those albums. One other thing that stood out was the overall tone of the album. It just sounds really good to me in terms of production and feel. Good to have another release by this band. Looking forward to more!
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Harem Scarem-Thirteen   ©2014 Frontiers Records
​Seems every time this band puts an album out, comparisons are drawn to the first two Harem Scarem albums. Well, easy enough to do I guess, but I like to judge each album on its own merits. This is a pretty solid melodic rock record with the usual great musicianship. The focus as usual with this band is writing great songs. Overall, this album is really good. I've seen mixed reviews in places, but for my own personal taste I like it. The rockers rock and the ballads are top notch as usual. Pretty happy with this album and find it easy to recommend to melodic rock fans. Very good release!
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