Stryper, 'The Covering' -- Album Review

I was pretty surprised to hear that Stryper were doing a covers album, called plainly enough, The Covering. As a Christian myself, I've noticed that their 'message' has been watered down or flat out obscured at times, but now that they can't make a play for mainstream success, I'd have thought they'd settle down to holding on to the fans they've got. Perhaps I've misjudged the situation and the majority of their fans do not share their beliefs.

Stryper have always been great musicians, and Michael has an amazing voice. The thing that's always let them down is the songwriting in general, and the fact they have too many ballads, specifically. I saw them at Rocklahoma, and while I got to see the song I most wanted ("Rock That Does Not Roll"), I knew they would do at least two of the three that are obvious standout tracks at the end, but I left rather than go through an hour of ballads first. So, a covers album makes some sense, you already look through the list and know the songs are killer. What I found interesting is that there were obviously lyrics that they couldn't bring themselves to sing. For example, the whole verse about "Nobodies gonna take my girl" is gone from "Highway Star"-- they do the verse about the car twice. But, he still sings "I've Got Speed Inside My Brain." In "Heaven and Hell," "You've got to bleed for the dancer" is replaced by "Look for the Answer" twice. I'm not sure if he didn't want to sing the one, or if he hoped to fill the other with hidden meaning. Yet, they sing "Breakin the law." I'm sure in interviews, they will explain how they caused these things to mean something spiritual to themselves. I hope they at least have the integrity to say "You knew these were covers, we did them because we like the music." But then, why change any words at all ?

Enough of that though, as I said, I am a Christian, and any reader of these pages knows I go to Zombie concerts and love all sorts of metal, so I think it's clear I am happy to enjoy music without thinking about the words too much. The songs on this CD are all really well done covers. Sometimes they stick to the originals, sometimes they change the arrangements, sometimes, as a guitarist, I can hear that Oz is playing a razzed up and embellished version of the original solo, but all of it equates to everything a covers album should be, versions of classic songs done by great musicians, and playing to 11. I don't think a covers album should be subtle, it should try to inject more energy to the original songs. There is one original on the CD, called "God," and I guess playing these covers had them in the right frame of mind, because it's the best Stryper song I've heard for a long time.

The tracklist shows one thing - Stryper have always been rooted in metal, and they know their stuff. I wish they could have done it a little different though as I'd have loved to hear them play "Miracle Man" or "Holy Smoke."

The packaging is cool, the front cover shows an angel who looks like he's been out drinking all night and lost a bar fight, only his black eye turned a goldy-green color. The inside looks like a comic book with some vague message about God. I know the Bible pretty well, and I read it five times and could not work out what they were trying to say. It looks like Stryper throw rocks at the angel and then God appears.

If you like the original songs covered here (and if you don't, I assume you were searching for the Justin Bieber homepage and somehow ended up here), you will love this CD. They cover some songs by pretty great singers: Ian Gillan, Dio, Bruce Dickenson, Robert Plant, but the covers always sound great, the playing is tight and respectful to the originals, and it's just a flat out enjoyable way to spend 53 minutes and 28 seconds of your day. For the record, the covers are:

Set Me Free (Sweet )
Blackout (Scorpions )
Heaven and Hell (Black Sabbath )
Lights Out (UFO)
Carry on Wayward Son (Kansas)
Highway Star (Deep Purple)
Shout It Out Loud (KISS)
Over The Mountain (Ozzy)
The Trooper (Iron Maiden)
Breaking the Law (Judas Priest)
On Fire (Van Halen)
Immigrant Song (Led Zeppelin)
God (Stryper)

Rob Zombie in Australia Live Review

On March 4, 2011, the Soundwave festival came to Melbourne. For an Australian festival, the line up was stellar -- better than some festivals I've attended in the US. So, we flew in the night before to make sure we got there early. At the last minute, I realised there was a Rob Zombie show that night. With nothing else planned, we headed on down. We missed Monster Magnet  I enjoyed them very much the next day though), and Dommin. The first band we saw was Murderdolls. They were good, I bought their CD the next day and they put on a high energy show. I was aware of them, and their lineage, but had not really heard them before. I played the CD once or twice and it went in the racks, a good band, but not a great one.

I've seen Rob Zombie once before, at Rock on the Range. We were in the stalls, freezing to death. From a distance, the songs all sounded very similar, it looked like there was lots of pyro, but we left early. This time I was in a hall that holds maybe 2000 people, and it's oddly shaped, the sides are further out than the back is. Of course, I went right down the middle and got as close as I could.

The first song of the night was "Jesus Frankenstein." It's a perfect opener, with it's slow build up. Zombie's stage setup is amazing. They didn't have a lot of their U.S. pyro, like the robot, but there were huge video screens everywhere, and Rob came on with his claw arm for the first song.

From there, he moved through "Superbeast," "Scum of the Earth," "Living Dead Girl," "Demon Speeding," "Pussy Liquor," "Sick Bubble Gum," "American Witch," "More Human Than Human," "Supercharger Heaven," "Never Gonna Stop (The Red Red Kroovy)," "Demonoid Phenomenon," Thunderkiss '65," "Werewolf Women of the SS" and "Dragula." This show really made me realize again that seeing a show from close and from the back, are two different things. The songs still sounded similar, but with everyone on stage dressed up and putting on a show, with the video screens bigger than the people on stage, it was one of the best shows I've ever seen. The crowd was very energetic as you'd expect and there was a lot of moshing near me. I was separate from my friend who got closer to the stage than me. I'd not put contacts in that day, and when I got too close, the moshing would hit me and I'd lose my glasses. I had no spares for the next day, so I stayed about eight rows back.

John 5 gets a lot of press in the guitar magazines nowadays, and has a line of solo albums. His guitar solo was outstanding, because he would alternate between standard sweep/tap/shred picking, and super fast country licks. I'm not a huge country fan, but after seeing him, I've been learning to play that way, because it just sounded so good, and so fresh. I am a guitar player and I rarely enjoy the free-form lead guitar solo in a concert, but John 5 made his very musical and a lot of fun. Of course, there was also a drum solo.

I often find that seeing a band live makes me appreciate their music more, but never before as much as Rob Zombie. I had some CDs I never listened to, and since the show, I've listened to Hellbilly Deluxe 2constantly. An off the cuff decision to fill an evening turned out to be, in some ways, better than the show itself the following day (for one, we got closer, and a show always has a better feel than a festival, for me). It was apparently 14 years since Rob had been to Australia, and I hope the reception he got made him realize he needs to come here more often.

Glam Is Back; Tracii Guns To Perform on 'The Price is Right'

Yes, you read that headline correctly: Tracii Guns, of our beloved L.A. Guns, will perform on The Price is Right. The game show airs Monday-Friday here in America.

Tracii wrote this on his Facebook page:

"Just found out I get to shred on The Price is Right next Tuesday and it airs May 9. I will be playing the Dean guitar that the contestants will be bidding on...I only get 10-20 seconds so, I gotta just shreddddddd!"

Yep, Tracii will be demonstrating a prize guitar, which I think is pretty cool. Now be sure to set your DVR!

Bon Jovi Nominated for 'Billboard' Awards

Bon Jovi snagged two nominations for the upcoming 'Billboard' awards. The New Jersey rockers are nominated as "Top Touring Artist" and "Top Duo/Group."

That's not too shabby.

In the "Top Touring Artist" category, Bon Jovi is up against Michael Buble, Lady Gaga, U2 and Roger Waters. In the "Top Duo/Group" category, Bon Jovi is up against the Black Eyed Peas, Lady Antebellum, Linkin Park and U2.

Also, if you're curious about the "Top Rock Album" category...well...here they are (and I'll keep my opinions to myself):

The Black Keys for Brothers
Jack Johnson for To The Sea
Kid Rock for Born Free
Linkin Park A Thousand Suns
Mumford & Sons for Sigh No More

Watch the awards live on ABC on May 22 at 8 p.m. ET.

Wildstreet/M3 Pre-Party Information and Ticketing

Wildstreet will play the night before the M3 Rock Festival on May 12 at Sonoma's Bar and Grill in Columbia, Maryland. If you'd like to go to the show, you need a ticket, right? Well, I have show information!

Tickets are just $6 in advance (plus $2 for shipping and handling  in the U.S. The S+H fee is per order, not per ticket. Tickets will be sent via certified mail).

Click to order your tickets!

You can buy tickets at the door the night of the show, but they will be very limited. In addition to Wildstreet, Sin 4 Sin and Baby Jayne will perform.

James Durbin Sings 'Heavy Metal' on 'American Idol,' Zakk Wylde Helps

Get ready American Idol haters and bitchers (is that a word?!) one in the same! James Durbin sang Sammy Hagar's "Heavy Metal" last night as part of "Songs from the Movies" week. The song "Heavy Metal" is from the movie of the same name.

I called James' song choice on Sunday on an American Idol forum. I was very pleased with myself that I was right! I didn't expect to see guitarist Zakk Wylde with James, but that was just added cool. I was instantly amused by all the haters on Facebook...and random message boards. James has Tourettes and Asperger's syndrome. The kid can sing. He wants to bring metal back ("Give metal a chance, America!" was the plea) -- so let's support him. Watch.

QUEENSRYCHE and LIVING COLOUR Added to Shiprocked 2011!

Queensryche and Living Colour are now part of the ShipRocked bill. The cruise sails November 14-19, 2011 and leaves out of Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. Along the way, visit Costa Maya and Cozumel, Mexico.

QUEENSRYCHE is celebrating their 30th Anniversary in rock this year with the release of their 12th studio album titled, Dedicated to Chaos, slated for release via Roadrunner Records/Loud & Proud in early summer, followed by a major support tour. Since the band's inception in 1981, they've sold over 20 million albums worldwide and have performed in over 22 countries. The band -- consisting of original members Geoff Tate (vocals), Michael Wilton (guitar/vocals), Eddie Jackson (bass/vocals) and Scott Rockenfield (drums) along with recent addition Parker Lundgren (guitar) -- remain world renowned for their innovative, trend-setting sound and continue to enjoy incredible success, performing for sold-out audiences worldwide.

LIVING COLOUR is an American funk metal band from New York City, formed in 1984. Stylistically, the band's music is a creative fusion influenced by free jazz, funk, hard rock and heavy metal. Their lyrics range from the personal to the political. The band were prominent members of the Black Rock Coalition during the late 1980s and early 1990s (a movement which also featured Fishbone and 24-7 Spyz). Living Colour rose to fame with their debut album Vivid in 1988. Although the band scored a number of hits, they are best remembered for their signature song "Cult of Personality", which won a Grammy Award for Best Hard Rock Performance in 1989, and their highest charting single "Type." They were also named Best New Artist at the 1989 MTV Video Music Awards.

ShipRocked will feature live performances by Buckcherry, Queensryche, Hinder, Hellyeah, Sevendust, Living Colour, In This Moment, Lynam, Broken Teeth and Rival Sons! ShipRocked sails on the MSC Poesia. Cabins are on-sale now at getshiprocked.com, or by calling 1-888-438-9509! Book yours today!