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The follow up to Brutal Planet, Dragontown offers more industrial sounding rock/metal from Alice. The concept of the album is that "Dragontown" is the worst city on the brutal planet. Overall Cooper's voice on the album sounds good on most songs despite the different vocal approach required. The guitar riffs are really good just like on Brutal Planet. Songs like Triggerman, Sex Death and Money and on the very heavy Fantasy Man. Drumming doesn't quite hit levels provided on Brutal Planet as the legendary Eric Singer went on to other projects. However, Kenny Aronoff does what he needs to.

Songs like Dragontown, Sex Death and Money and The Sentinel showcase Alice's great imagery of hell, all while harking back to Brutal Planet, mentioning the "Wicked Young Man, the family of bones etc.

Alice also throws in his typical humor in songs such as Discgraceland and It's Much to Late, having a commentary about Elvis Presley and John Lennon having a lifestyle that doesn't fit with the ideals of heaven.

Songs like Somewhere in the Jungle and The Sentinel also bring up issues going on in society at the time and somewhat to this day, continuing the theme of using real life things to scare people that Alice had been utilizing since the 1994 Last Temptation album.

Overall the other unmentioned songs on the album are great, such as Sister Sara, Deeper and the bonus track Clowns Will Eat Me (Can't Sleep). They each tackle unique issues, but fit well in the album with a good message and really drive home the heavy theme.

The album does contain some misses though, Every Woman has a Name is another attempt at recreating "Only Women Bleed". It does not work, the song is disjointed and the lyrics do not hit as hard. Not even as much as "Take it Like A Woman" from Brutal Planet, which did a much better job of a slow moving serious song. It's much too late seems a bit off for the album as well slowing things down too much and not providing the energy I get off of the rest of the album.

Overall Alice Cooper's Dragontown is a great listen and follow up to Brutal Planet. Although not quite matching the predecessor, this album is a must for Alice Fans and those who are fans of the industrial rock/metal musical style.

Set The World On Fire is the 3rd album from Annihilator. The first and only to feature Aaron Randall. This album went on to create live staples such as Knight Jumps Queen, Set The World On Fire and Brian Dance.

The opener Set the World on Fire, is hard driven and Water's guitar is on full display. An awesome riff coupled with some great solos. Other songs with strong guitar work are Knight Jumps Queen, Bats in the Belfry and Brain Dance.

Randall's vocals are truly wonderful, the way he can twist his voice from high to low and aggressive to soft is quite impressive and it feels like he switches between them very well on each song. He can really rock with aggressive songs like Bats In the Belfry and Brian Dance, singing hard and fast while providing the imagery that he's a bit insane. It all works great, meanwhile he still manages to kill it on the ballads. Sounds Good to Me and Phoenix Rising have really memorable lyrics and Randall's softer voice shines through, couple that with Waters classical sounding guitar work at times and the songs are truly beautiful.

The Alice and Wonderland themes are alive and well throughout the album, something I wish they never drifted away from. Brain Dance is the diamond of the album for me, perfect play all around and the imagery of insanity of the singer with Alice Wonderland references is my favorite to listen to.

The only downsides for me are Don't Bother Me and The Edge. Don't bother me is a bit uninspiring guitar wise and the vocals are just boring and it feels like the song drags. The Edge is pretty good instrumentally with Jeff Waters laying down a decent riff and excellent drumming from Mangini. However, the lyrics are disjointed and don't really fit the song or the album themes.

Overall, this is my favorite album from Annihilator, yes it's more commercial and it has the ballads, but I truly enjoy those and I think if you listen to the work Jeff Water's lays down on those tracks you can really see where his masterclass shows. When he slows it down he can play some incredible scales and chords. Aaron Randall's vocals are also a real hero here making everything a true joy to listen to. I just wish we got more albums from Randall and Annihilator.

Lovehunter is one of the more complete Whitesnake albums in my opinion. They have clearly taken steps forward from the previous release. The production is good, but not great, however the music fights through that. There are some good straight rock and roll songs mixed with some wonderful blues rock tunes that keep you listening.

Some standout songs for great guitar work and vocals are Outlaw, which Marsden adds his vocals to, Medicine Man and Lovehunter. Lovehunter in particular adds some clever although maybe a touche cliche, lyrics to the fold makes it one of the best on the album.

Walking in the Shadow of Blues, You 'N' Me are classic blues rockers. They have a perfect beat to move around to and David really shines on the vocals throughout the songs, bringing the energy and soulfulness we love.

Mean Business and Rock and Roll Women are songs that really showcase the legendary Jon Lord. His keyboards are the heart of these songs and drive it forward. Taking the front seat over the guitar, the drums and vocals follow behind and make them really enjoyable tracks.

Where the album falls off a bit is with Help Me Thro The Day. It's a cover that lacks energy and is quite boring in my opinion. It's very slow and I never find myself going back to this one over the original at all. We Wish You Well seems like a pointless throw in that's really not worth a listen. It should have been scrapped entirely from the record or worked into an entire song.

Overall, this is classic Whitesnake before the corporate MTV boom. Heavy blues rock influence with some soul that is an absolute joy to listen to. Not their best work before '87, but pretty darn good.

Trouble is an interesting album, but I think it shows a band that doesn't have its footing. Dabbling in some different styles with a blues backing. Coverdale is still growing as a singer and overall everyone minus Jon Lord doesn't do anything special. The dated production also doesn't help things. However, the things that would make Whitesnake great are here and can be fun to listen to. Some standouts for me are Nighthawk, Free Flight and Trouble.

This album is criminally underrated. Lot's of the negatives regarding this album is due to the "poor sounding production" and that Gillan's vocals don't fit with Sabbath. No, it's not Ozzy and no it's not Dio, but this evolution being a mixture of Sabbath and Deep Purple is perfect. The lyrics are based on real life experiences and Gillan's voice and ambiance really do give the eerie vibe and scare you, much better than anything from the Ozzy records in my opinion. There are some headbanging classics like Zero the Hero, Trashed and Digital Bitch. Great guitar work from Iommi and some pretty impressive soloing actually. Born Again is another creepy ballad, yes it's a ballad but listen to it again and tell me it's not one of the heaviest ballads you have ever listened too. Gillan's voice and lyrics are perfect for the mood of the song. An underrated gem of the album is Hot Line. It's the most Deep Purple esque on the album. It's fast and heavy and tell me you aren't screaming along to Gillan's "PUT ME ON THE HOT LINE YEEEAAAHHH!" this song just flat out rocks. Although Stonehenge and the Dark are somewhat annoying as interludes especially when listening on shuffle, if you are listening in order and imagine it as one song it serves it's purpose and odes it decently. The production may sound "poor", but truthfully that makes the songs sound coated in a cool heaviness that I really enjoy, although the downside is the drumming becomes lost in the shuffle often. Overall the album is an incredible dose of heavy metal featuring amazing vocals from Gillan and inspired play from Iommi. Please give it another listen.

The Deep Purple album Burn was released in 1974 and was the first album with lead singer David Coverdale and bassist/backing vocals Glenn Hughes. Coverdale's voice is very bluesy and Glen's Bass playing added some blues and funk into the mix. Blackmore pushed for a more blues type appeal for the MK3 lineup, however in this album it only dabbles in the blues with songs like Mistreated. At this point in time Deep Purple still kept that heavier more Classic Metal and Hard Rock appeal. Overall every song on the album is well done and provides incredible energy and creativity, except for maybe A200 as it give interlude vibes for a live show, but when in the right mood can be enjoyable. The album is overall still quite heavy before much of the funk took over and is great for fans of early metal and hard rock. Burn as a title track has one of the best riffs Blackmore has ever done and it is one of the pinnacles of Deep Purple.

A pound of flesh is one of the obscure heavy rock classics. They are not quite as innovate as some of the big acts at this time, but it provides a good look into heavy music in 1975. Production is surprisingly good considering the time and size of the band. Drums sound pretty good for a '75 recording and the guitar is up-front and a joy to listen to. Good strong screaming vocals are on this one, which can be hard to find from a lot of albums at this point. Lyrically the topics are interesting and pretty well done. My diamond of the album is the opener Queen of the Night. The song is the best produced and all the instruments sound the best. Vocals are clean, crisp and loud. It's hard driven and an obscure heavy rock classic song. Other good songs on here are Katy, South Side Queen and Heed the Call.
Songs like Badside and All My Life though are uninspiring and boring. Although the production is decent on those songs, but they still don't feel fully fleshed out.

If you are looking for 70's hard rock and classic heavy metal this one is a good listen, you might like the songs even more than myself.

This album from Mega Colossus is really good. It is short with only 6 songs, but they don't disappoint. They are self described as adventure metal, and who am I to disagree with that! Each of the songs takes you on a journey. The lyrics portray awesome stories and the vocals sound excellent. The Guitars on the album sound excellent and there is some epic soloing. Overall some of my favorite tracks are Fortune and Glory, Wicked Road and Outrun Infinity.
Outrun Infinity is the diamond of the album. The song is the best representation of the whole album and the best song on here.

This is Whitesnake at their absolute peak. They are still staying true to their blues based background and create a truly amazing blues rock album. The opener is "Young Blood" it's fast and heavy. Foot stomping energy all around and Ian Paice's drumming really shines. The song Rough and Ready follows it up perfectly with continued energy and great guitar play. A hard rocking song that is short and to the point, a fun listen.

Songs like Bloody Luxury, Love 'an' Affection and Dancing Girls have both fantastic keyboard play from Jon Lord and fun lyrics and great performances form David Coverdale. They are fun, full of energy and really let the keyboards and lyrics shine. A touch cheesy? Sure, but that is how Coverdale's lyrics are at times, but over all they are catchy and fun to sing a long with.

Excellent Guitar work from Bernie and Micky can be seen on Rock An' Roll Angels, Victim of Love and Saints An' Sinners. In particular Saint's and Sinners has a tremendous riff that his hard driving and chugging. Rock and Roll Angels has a unique riff as well and an even better solo to sink your teeth into.

Here I Go Again is here in it's original form and it is really good. Before it became commercialized this is the song in it's raw blues rock form. I prefer it to the '87 version because of this. David's performance is soulful and impactful. Jon's keyboards are much more in focus and the interplay with the guitar is easier to hear making it all the more enjoyable for me.

The Diamond of the album for me is Crying in the Rain. It is miles better than what we got in the '87 remake. The lyrics deal with love, depression and stress while David's performance is strong and you can really feel the emotion in his voice. It's a serious song with an amazing message and this version of the song doesn't drown that out. That's not to say the rest of band is slacking here though. The Guitars are loud and in your face with some amazing soloing. Jon's Keyboards get there time to shine and he doesn't disappoint. Ian's drums keep everything in line and make the entire song a joy to listen to. Truly a masterpiece of a song on a masterpiece of an album.

My biggest critique of this album is the production. It's not bad, but it does sound a bit dated. A remaster bringing the guitars more in focus and louder. As well as crisper drums would make this absolutely perfect.

This is one of those albums I'd recommend to almost everyone, if you like Whitesnake, Deep Purple, Rock, Blues etc. anything close to those categories give this one a listen you won't be disappointed.

The Michael Schenker Group gets Graham Bonnet on vocals for this one. Fresh off his stint with Rainbow and he does not disappoint. Schenker pulls out all the stops making this one heavier and more hard driven than previous releases and more so than most of the follow ups.

Graham still sounds great after the Rainbow days, he is quite aggressive on quite a few songs here such as "Rock You To The Ground" and "Broken Promises" and that is when Bonnet sounds the best in my opinion. Fast and Aggressive.

All the songs contain killer guitar work from Michael Schenker, but the instrumental "Ulcer" and the title track really lets him shine. Great soloing fast and slow, an all around a joy to listen to. Schenker also works his magic with some of the best riff work in his entire career.

Desert song is a unique one that really plays to Graham's talents as a singer. You can see his influence as it's a bit slower and more "commercial" but it's still a great rocker and fun to listen to.

For me the only downside on the album is "Dancer". I don't think the riff or Graham's vocals fit with the theme of the rest of the album. The lyrics are a bit cliche and overall the guitar play is rather uninspiring here.

Other than that the album is excellent. The songs are heavy, fast and well put together. Graham and Schenker seemed like a match made in heaven and I wish we could have gotten another album or two showcasing their creative ideas. However, we all know why that didn't happen and the disaster of the tour. Either way this is an incredible record that every hard rock and classic metal fan should listen to.