Maintaining the classic NYHC sound and a no frills DIY mindset from the days of yore, Olde York comes barreling down the lane with an authentic 12-track tour de force entitled EMPIRE STATE. Embodying the spirit of hardcore’s CBGB Sunday matinee glory days while skillfully blending the styles of acts such as Cro Mags, Warzone, Sick of It All, and Leeway (whose singer Eddie Sutton makes a cameo here) into one big gang chorus pile-on, this Big Apple quartet makes no bones about their roots or their allegiance to the underground by pumping out anthemic pit pleasers like “Five Year Plan” and “Still Believe.” Think hardcore died after CB’s shut its doors? Olde York will make you think twice. countdownrecords.com -Mike SOS

Olde York is Ted (Vocals), Blake (Guitar), Mike (Bass), & Dev (Drums).

Tommy Victor turned the original mixes from Prong’s latest disc Power of the Damager over to some of his technically-advanced musician friends to remix and POWER OF THE DAMN MIXXXER is the end result. This 13-track endeavor showcases the behind the boards prowess of metal peeps such as Jon Clayton (Pitchshifter) and Greg Puciato (Dillinger Escape Plan) whose cosmetic cleansings and synthesized twiddlings give tracks like “The Banishment” (a song covered by two different mixes here) a throbbing makeover that pulsates with a bastardized concoction of industrial metal heft and electronic bounce (”Changing Ending Troubling Times”). Providing a ton of opportunities to take the rage to the dance floor (”Looking for Them”) while laying a virtual perfect soundtrack down to a dark and futuristic action-adventure flick, Prong’s latest is not only is a show of respect from the artists who contributed their own spin to Prong’s genuine rawness but supplies a great deal of industrial strength metal to take the party into the morning light. www.prongmusic.com -Mike SOS

Track Listing:

1. “Worst Of It”
2. “Can’t Stop The Bleeding”
3. “The Banishment”
4. “Power Of The Damager”
5. “3rd Option”
6. “Pure Ether”
7. “Messages Inside Of Me”
8. “No Justice”
9. “Looking For Them”
10. “Spirit Guide”
11. “Changing Ending Troubling Times”
12. “The Banishment”
13. “Bad Fall”

GOR Recommendation: Dream Theater – Black Clouds & Silver Linings

Are you ready for another face pummeling courtesy of Megadeth? You damn well better be—the brand new track “Head Crusher” from the upcoming album Endgame is devastating. From the band’s opening assault, you immediately feel like you are hearing legitimate old school Mustaine and company that would make Vic Rattlehead proud. After all, the new album was recorded in the band’s new studio called Vic’s Garage. There is a great chugging riff at the break (2:01), which leads into diabolical arpeggios and exotic scale-play reminiscent of “Holy Wars…The Punishment Due.” Clocking in at 3:26, “Head Crusher” is a powerful thrash track that is straight to the point of classic brutality -Meds

Endgame is due out on Roadrunner Records Sept. 15, 2009. If you turn away from the Michael Jackson memorial service for a few minutes you can download “Head Crusher” here for free until tomorrow.

Megadeth is Dave Mustaine (Vocals/Guitar), Chris Broderick (Lead Guitar), James LoMenzo (Bass), & Shawn Drover (Drums).

GOR Recommendation: Megadeth – Rust in Peace

When I first heard of this Broadway show, I had very little interest in the concept; not because of the idea, but I felt it was done all wrong. How could you build a show with the Sunset Strip as the central setting, yet leave out Mötley Crüe and Guns n’ Roses? Van Halen and Ratt? The exclusions go on and on. Further more, given the title, where is the Def Leppard? Then again, Leppard has no business on the Strip, but either does Constantine Mouralis. The logic, or lack thereof,  just made no sense to me.

To be honest, it still doesn’t make sense to me, but you know what? I’ll take it. I’ll take any bit of rock that I can get from Broadway because aside from Spamalot and Tommy (and Rent…shhh, keep that one on the DL), Broadway shows are lame and unmanly.

What will you find on the Rock of Ages soundtrack? Two Twisted Sister tributes—sick! A slice of Joan Jett—one, Jett rules; two, need something for a female lead to sing on Broadway. And of course Journey to close the show—can’t get much more predictable than that.

Is this worth owning? If you are a female, love 80’s rock, and showtunes—yes—the cast sounds great and provides their own twists that are pleasant to the ear. Otherwise, I would skip the soundtrack, maybe buy a couple tickets to the show if you live in the NYC region and treat your lady to a nice date night.

Again, I must stress that I do applaud Broadway for incorporating some big 80’s rock, however, with a little care this could have been done much better -Meds

Track Listing:

1. “Just Like Paradise/Nothin’ But a Good Time”
2. “Sister Christian”
3. “We Built This City/Too Much Time on my Hands”
4. “I Wanna Rock”
5. We”re Not Gonna Take It”
6. “Heaven/More Than Words/To Be With You”
7. “Waiting For A Girl Like You”
8. “Wanted Dead Or Alive”
9. “I Want To Know What Love Is”
10. “Cum On Feel The Noize/We’re Not Gonna Take It”
11. “Harden My Heart/Shadows Of The Night”
12. “Here I Go Again”
13. “The Final Countdown”
14. “Anyway You Want It/I Wanna Rock”
15. “High Enough”
16. “I Hate Myself For Loving You/Heat Of The Moment”
17. “Hit Me With Your Best Shot”
18. “Can’t Fight This Feeling”
19. “Every Rose Has Its Thorn”
20. “Oh Sherrie”
21. “The Search Is Over”
22. “Don’t Stop Believin’”

GOR Recommendation: Twisted Sister – Stay Hungry 25th Anniversary Edition

Errata: Rock of Ages is officially Broadway now since moving location to Brooks Atkinson Theatre on West 46th, a venue with over 500 seats.

Spastic and noisy hardcore with underpinnings of melody best describe the racket exerted by Chicago quartet Millions, whose eight-track offering GATHER SCATTER goes from the gutter to outer space in approximately 27-minutes. Emblazoned in dissonance, songs like “Saddle Up and Ride” exhibit the rhythm section playing like a wrecking crew drunkenly demolishing a skyscraper, while “Pickpocket” channels QOTSA for a shot of fretwork freakouts and “Life is Satisfactory” reveals the might of Millions’ ever-shifting three-pronged vocal delivery with the sandpapered bark leading the neurotic charge. If you are partial to early post-hardcore and get misty-eyed for the noise rock days of yore, this crew has got the fix you need. www.seventhrule.com -Mike SOS

Millions is Corey Lyons (Guitar/Vocals), Mark Konwinski (Bass/Vocals), Scott Flaster (Guitar/Vocals), & Pat O’Shea (Drums).

Track Listing:

1. “Lest the Professor Catches Fire”
2. “View From a Sinking Ship”
3. “Saddle Up and Ride”
4. “Getting the Last Word”
5. “Pickpocket”
6. “Life is Satisfactory”
7. “Mile High Cake”
8. “We Make Poor Decisions”

GOR Recommendation: You may enjoy Wolves in the Throne Room more

Here is the most comprehensive track-by-track review that you will find anywhere in the entire world for the latest Dream Theater album, Black Clouds & Silver Linings.

Track 1: “A Nightmare To Remember”

What better way to begin a record with the words “Black Clouds” in the title than to include a disturbingly haunting intro on the first number — think stormy earth like the opening to “Black Sabbath” combined with the spooky keyboards of Jordan Rudess that would make the Crypt keeper grin. After 1:42 of the opening horror show, John Petrucci shifts gears with a heavy riff for James LaBrie’s vocal entrance. Mike Portnoy’s double bass drum playing during the first movement is as fast and devastating as ever.

The highlight of “A Nightmare To Remember” is the clean interlude at 4:56 which might as well be a different track altogether. At this point, you will be walking on the clouds in arpeggio heaven. The lyrical melody combined with the progressive groove in this section is purely exhilarating.

Petrucci’s solo (8:33) is infused with the blues before heading off to Shredsville USA with the keyboards. Towards the end of the instrumental break the dark side of the tune, the side heard in the intro, is brought back to life with an intense and demonized vocal performance that has been consistent with recent Dream Theater releases. This dark tone carries the song to its ending, cuing the creepy keyboards as the album transitions into the glorious intro of the second track and first single, “A Rite of Passage.”

Track 2: “A Rite of Passage”

The progressive metal gods released “A Rite of Passage,” the first single from Black Clouds about a month ago. The eight and a half minute epic-single opens with John Myung’s sinister bass riff that cements the foundation for the song, before unleashing the fierce guitars of John Petrucci and Mike Portnoy’s face pummeling drum accents. It becomes clear at this moment that “A Rite of Passage” is the most straight forward headbanger the band has offered their loyal followers since 2007’s “The Dark Eternal Night,” however this one’s better.

In addition to triumphant riffs, the tune is marked with haunting licks [4:33] and an early 80’s thrash influence [4:56]. Old school fans will rejoice the sections that contain the signature — and sometimes awkward because they are so advanced — rhythmic patterns and the duel solo section between Petrucci’s guitar and Jordan Rudess’ keyboards [5:23]. James Labrie’s vocals have consistently grown stronger with every album producing a more aggressive edge since the release of Images & Words in 1992. Pump your fist in the air, honor thy talent, and greet the ongoing brutality that Dream Theater has come to embrace as of late.

Track 3: “Wither”

The shortest track of the album, and most radio-friendly, begins with an acoustic riff on the same path of Sixx A.M.’s “Life is Beautiful” before shifting into a more technical piece. The vocal melody of the chorus combined with the backing vocal harmonies are the catchiest on the record thus far. “Wither” represents a detente of the album’s dark tension; you can feel that the silver lining is going to rear itself soon. Petrucci’s guitar solo is very brief but offers shades of Brian May (”Bohemian Rhapsody”). This is the best radio-ready ballad Dream Theater has offered since “The Silent Man.”

Track 4: “The Shattered Fortress”

“The Shattered Fortress” is the fifth and final track of the Twelve-Step Suite, which began with “The Glass Prison” from 2006’s Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence. Opening with aggressive riffs and fierce pounding, a thunderous groove laced with a Mid-Eastern tone is molded from thin air. A demonic and unnecessary vocal accent begins each line of the first verse and predictable lyrics fill the bridge (”look in the mirror, what is that you see, the shattered fortress…”).

Following a strong keyboard ditty by Rudess, the song transitions into a pretty mellow ballad until a strange narrative from a voice that sounds like an artificial Michael Clarke Duncan (The Green Mile) or Ving Rhames (Pulp Fiction); it gets in the way of LaBrie’s brilliant vocal performance.

There are many headbangable moments throughout the track especially during the intro, after the first chorus (3:30), after the second chorus (5:23), and pre-guitar/keyboard solo (9:20). Petrucci blazes through the guitar solo while demonstrating his tight control and action of the wah-wah pedal.

In the final minute of the song, the Twelve-Step Suite is brought to its end via the intro to “The Glass Prison” and fades into the tone of “The Root of all Evil.” “The Shattered Fortress” is a good compliment to the “Black Cloud” theme of the album despite its hokey moments; remove the “scary guy” voices and this is another excellent track

Track 5: “The Best of Times”

On “The Best of Times,” Rudess delivers the prettiest keyboard intro heard on any Dream Theater song to date. The acoustic accompaniment that Petrucci offers is a slower phrased version of the beginning lead to “Hollow Years” from 1997’s Falling Into Infinity; that is until an eruption of soul and a burst of speed, in the style of a classic Rush track, fades in towards the first verse.

“The Best of Times” takes on an uplifting spirit in orchestration and lyricical composition (”I’ll always remember, those are the best of times”) compared to the previous songs of the album. The glorious “Hollow Years” riff and theme can be heard once again in the instrumental mid section (6:12).

Labrie belts out many feel-good lines (”Thank you for the inspiration, thank you for the smiles”) while Myung’s bass and Portnoy’s thunder holds down the fort. The final guitar solo carries the song to its ending; it is safe to say that true fans will love every bar of it because it is reminicisient of Petrucci’s legendary “Hollow Years” solo from Live at the Budokan. Now that the song is over, I am going to go out and do something good for someone.

Track 6: “The Count of Tuscany”

The final track continues the silver lined journey that the second half of the album takes on. Petrucci opens with a beautiful acoustic intro with a soothing lead layered on top. Several bars before the full band enters, the guitar frolics with clean natural harmonics. Soon, Rudess keyboards and Petrucci’s leads [2:18] erupt off of each other in a magical yet mysterious manner.

At 3:20 the song begins the pounding and progressive heaviness that DT tends to display before the main verses enter. There is a fairly complex rhythm pattern that LaBrie lays his voice over. The scary guy voice returns with the pre-chorus lyric “let me introduce…” Honestly, I have not been a fan of this style throughout the record. The one place where the scary voice works well is during the choruses of this track, more specifically the beginning that contains the accented “I.” Additionally, the chorus contains one of the catchiest vocal melodies on Black Clouds.

There is an interesting Nintendo-type sound [7:07] produced by the guitar which you would expect to hear on a DragonForce song; it sounds like Mario is about to warp through a pipe on Level 1-2. As always, the second and third verses loosely follow the format of verse one, another DT trademark, before the pre-chorus scary guy bridge and chorus.

A powerful rhythm display [9:23] takes form before the main instrumental section. Petrucci then delivers a melodic solo about a minute later, before the song turns into the waiting line of Space Mountain in Disney World; the celestial space tones and volume swells are always a sure-fire way to extend a progressive rock song by several minutes, and more importantly a proper way to close a progressive album.

The final movement of the song and record begins with a Tuscan inspired acoustic strumming pattern while LaBrie questions the ending, in a format not too far from a late 90’s emo-punk tune. However, this band is far too talented for that thought to last more than four seconds. After nearly 20 minutes, the song comes to its close with catchy “woah-oh’s” and soft atmospheric sounds; a winning combo -Meds

Dream Theater is James LaBrie (Vocals), John Petrucci (Guitars/Vocals), John Myung (Bass), Jordan Rudess (Keyboards/Continuum), & Mike Portnoy (Drums/Percussion/Vocals).

http://new.music.yahoo.com/Twisted-Sister/videos/view/30–217250355

My only problem: No make-up during the performance of the song. The 25th anniversary of Stay Hungry is a reason to add more glam, not less. However, the archival footage is awesome as is the part when Dee Snider grabs the bone.

In order to celebrate the release of Dream Theater’s latest studio album, Black Clouds & Silver Linings, I have been offering detailed reviews of each of the six tracks since its release. Here is the final track:

Track 6: “The Count of Tuscany”

The final track continues the silver lined journey that the second half of the album takes on. Petrucci opens with a beautiful acoustic intro with a soothing lead layered on top. Several bars before the full band enters, the guitar frolics with clean natural harmonics. Soon, Rudess keyboards and Petrucci’s leads [2:18] erupt off of each other in a magical yet mysterious manner.

At 3:20 the song begins the pounding and progressive heaviness that DT tends to display before the main verses enter. There is a fairly complex rhythm pattern that LaBrie lays his voice over. The scary guy voice returns with the pre-chorus lyric “let me introduce…” Honestly, I have not been a fan of this style throughout the record. The one place where the scary voice works well is during the choruses of this track, more specifically the beginning that contains the accented “I.” Additionally, the chorus contains one of the catchiest vocal melodies on Black Clouds.

There is an interesting Nintendo-type sound [7:07] produced by the guitar which you would expect to hear on a DragonForce song; it sounds like Mario is about to warp through a pipe on Level 1-2. As always, the second and third verses loosely follow the format of verse one, another DT trademark, before the pre-chorus scary guy bridge and chorus.

A powerful rhythm display [9:23] takes form before the main instrumental section. Petrucci then delivers a melodic solo about a minute later, before the song turns into the waiting line of Space Mountain in Disney World; the celestial space tones and volume swells are always a sure-fire way to extend a progressive rock song by several minutes, and more importantly a proper way to close a progressive album.

The final movement of the song and record begins with a Tuscan inspired acoustic strumming pattern while LaBrie questions the ending, in a format not too far from a late 90’s emo-punk tune. However, this band is far too talented for that thought to last more than four seconds. After nearly 20 minutes, the song comes to its close with catchy “woah-oh’s” and soft atmospheric sounds; a winning combo -Meds

Track 6 of 6 — Length 19:16 — Roadrunner Records

Dream Theater is James LaBrie (Vocals), John Petrucci (Guitars/Vocals), John Myung (Bass), Jordan Rudess (Keyboards/Continuum), & Mike Portnoy (Drums/Percussion/Vocals).

Be sure to check out the reviews of track 1 (”A Nightmare To Remember”), track 2 (”A Rite of Passage”), track 3 (”Wither”), track 4 (”The Shattered Fortress”), and track 5 (”The Best of Times”) as well.

There’s not a shred of anything remotely AGAINST THE GRAIN about The Veer Union’s current three-song sampler that you don’t learn at Chad Kroeger 101, yet this fellow Canadian quartet’s advanced placement yields an angst-ridden vocal and action-movie hooky punch whose youthful exuberance and slick package demands attention, even if for a fleeting moment (”Seasons”) to check the screen and see if it’s Theory of A Deadman or Hinder pumping out the mediocre hard rock. www.universalmotown.com -Mike SOS

The Veer Union is Crispin Earl (Vocals), Eric Schraeder (Guitar/Backing Vocals), James Fiddler (Lead), Marc Roots (Bass), & Neil Beaton (Drums).

Track Listing:

1. “Seasons”
2. “Youth of Yesterday”
3. “Over Me”
4. “Darker Side of Me”
5. “I’m Sorry”
6. “Final Moment”
7. “Better Believe It”
8. “Into Your Garden”
9. “Your Love Kills Me”
10. “Breathing In”
11. “Where I Wanna Be”
12. “What Have We Done”

GOR Recommendation: Charm City Devils, Chickenfoot, and The Last Vegas.

West Coast punk veterans Eric Melvin, Greg Hetson, and friend’s pet project PUNK ROCK KARAOKE have released a slamming CD/DVD version of the clever live band karaoke shtick, aptly self-titled and bursting with punk rock fun. The CD portion contains 10-tracks of punk rock luminaries from Dicky Barret and Dave King to Mike Herrera and Matt Skiba belting out classic anarchistic anthems by the likes of Bad Religion, The Adolescents, and Black Flag, but it’s the DVD when it all comes together, craftily featuring the option to remove vocals from the mix so that you, yes YOU can be a punk rock rebel, right from comfy confines of your couch while making the Guitar Hero-like love come alive right before your eyes. Even though doing this on stage at a real club with a unsuspecting crowd is definitely the optimum way to experience this whole shebang, the collection does a fine job to give a little for those yearning to take the party home. www.punkrockkaraoke.com -Mike SOS

Featuring Dicky Barrett, Matt Skiba, Warren Fitzgerald, Jordan Pundik, Spike Slawson, Joey Cape, Mike Herrera, Sean Wheeler, & Dave King.

Track Listing:

1. “Suspect Device”
2. “Gimmie Gimmie Gimmie”
3. “What Do I Get?”
4. “Minor Threat”
5. “Back Against The Wall”
6. “Amoeba”
7. “Bikeage”
8. “Manny, Mo and Jack”
9. “California Uber Alles”
10. “Fuck  Armageddon…This Is Hell”