Old 'rche, Meet The New 'rche / Lordi Redux : The 39 Week 44.4 Round Up/Update [T39W44.4RU/U]
while I don't normally do CD reviews, with all the controversy surrounding this one, I felt I had to... particularly as a decades-long fan of "Queensrche!"
after hearing an onslaught of comparisons to the True "Guns N' Roses" vs "Axl Rose's Guns N' Roses" (a la Chinese Democracy), I was honestly worried - even if it didn't take Geoff Tate 15 years
[ and, yes, while I own Chinese Democracy, it's not something I'd play the entire CD in it's entirety but as a mix with other tunes - it just wasn't True "GN'R" to me... ]
so... the Big Question...
IS Frequency Unknown "Geoff Tate's Queensrche" vs the True "Queensrche?"
Is it just a big F.U. to his former compatriarts and the fans?
Is the album any good or just a waste of time and $$?
Would anyone even notice if I stuck an extra question mark at the end of this sentence??
1) Geoff Tate has still got the voice he's (re)known for (honestly, I just can't imagine a "Queensrche" without that voice)
2) a semi-decent offering with the (new) songs - including a couple of stand-out tracks, this should help lay claim to the legitimacy to the name
3) The 'bonus re-recordings' are... well... 'meh' and... well... unnecessary (sorry, Geoff! you sound more bored than anything, mate!)
with a bevy of guest heavyweights, the music is definitely harder and mostly different than what "the 'rche" is known for
...and maybe, just maybe, if Geoff keeps the "Queensrche" name after the battle subsides we'll get to see exactly what his new band can REALLY do?
now - do I dare pick up the "Queensrche-sans-Tate" once it's released in late June and do some head-to-head comparisons?
I'm admittedly unfamiliar with La Torre's voice, so - we'll see... we'll see...
on to another recent pick-up, "Lordi"'s To Beast Or Not To Beast...
following Otus' death and Awa's leaving, I wondered if "Lordi" would survive the shakedown
but with new entities Mana and Hella in the mix what we've got here is a heavier "Lordi," more metal than their prior incarnations
...and, demn!, it's an enjoyable change while still maintaining what made "Lordi" so much fun to listen to!
on a side note: the previous Lordi outings were more humour than horror that I'd let my spawnlings listen to most of the tracks
this time, however, they've gotten a little raunchier and I would NOT say this outing is "kid-friendly"
(though first track of "We're Not Bad For The Kids (We're Worse)" was probably the give-away *smirks*)
if you need me I'll be crankin' up the "Lordi" to distract myself from the 90 apartment - though it's still cooler than outside!
( no, they haven't figured out what's wrong with my A/C yet... but could be much worse - I'll take heat over cold any day! )
Today's Random Playlist ::
Queensrche - Frequency Unknown [entire album]
Lordi - To Beast Or Not To Beast [entire album]
The Wondergirls feat. Ashley Hamilton & Robbie Williams - Let's Go All The Way
- thom / Wolfox
while I don't normally do CD reviews, with all the controversy surrounding this one, I felt I had to... particularly as a decades-long fan of "Queensrche!"
after hearing an onslaught of comparisons to the True "Guns N' Roses" vs "Axl Rose's Guns N' Roses" (a la Chinese Democracy), I was honestly worried - even if it didn't take Geoff Tate 15 years
[ and, yes, while I own Chinese Democracy, it's not something I'd play the entire CD in it's entirety but as a mix with other tunes - it just wasn't True "GN'R" to me... ]
so... the Big Question...
IS Frequency Unknown "Geoff Tate's Queensrche" vs the True "Queensrche?"
Is it just a big F.U. to his former compatriarts and the fans?
Is the album any good or just a waste of time and $$?
Would anyone even notice if I stuck an extra question mark at the end of this sentence??
1) Geoff Tate has still got the voice he's (re)known for (honestly, I just can't imagine a "Queensrche" without that voice)
2) a semi-decent offering with the (new) songs - including a couple of stand-out tracks, this should help lay claim to the legitimacy to the name
3) The 'bonus re-recordings' are... well... 'meh' and... well... unnecessary (sorry, Geoff! you sound more bored than anything, mate!)
with a bevy of guest heavyweights, the music is definitely harder and mostly different than what "the 'rche" is known for
...and maybe, just maybe, if Geoff keeps the "Queensrche" name after the battle subsides we'll get to see exactly what his new band can REALLY do?
now - do I dare pick up the "Queensrche-sans-Tate" once it's released in late June and do some head-to-head comparisons?
I'm admittedly unfamiliar with La Torre's voice, so - we'll see... we'll see...
on to another recent pick-up, "Lordi"'s To Beast Or Not To Beast...
following Otus' death and Awa's leaving, I wondered if "Lordi" would survive the shakedown
but with new entities Mana and Hella in the mix what we've got here is a heavier "Lordi," more metal than their prior incarnations
...and, demn!, it's an enjoyable change while still maintaining what made "Lordi" so much fun to listen to!
on a side note: the previous Lordi outings were more humour than horror that I'd let my spawnlings listen to most of the tracks
this time, however, they've gotten a little raunchier and I would NOT say this outing is "kid-friendly"
(though first track of "We're Not Bad For The Kids (We're Worse)" was probably the give-away *smirks*)
if you need me I'll be crankin' up the "Lordi" to distract myself from the 90 apartment - though it's still cooler than outside!
( no, they haven't figured out what's wrong with my A/C yet... but could be much worse - I'll take heat over cold any day! )
Today's Random Playlist ::
Queensrche - Frequency Unknown [entire album]
Lordi - To Beast Or Not To Beast [entire album]
The Wondergirls feat. Ashley Hamilton & Robbie Williams - Let's Go All The Way
- thom / Wolfox