| Chris Laney Pure | Metal Heaven 00065 |
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Swedish hot-shot producer and songwriter Chris Laney has branched out to record his solo debut and is set to take the hard rock world by storm. This opus hits the mark from the opening riff and just gets better and better. This is one of the big surprises for 2009 so far for me. Laney channels the sleaze of Motley Crue (Dr. Feelgood era), the production might of Def Leppard and the guitar power of Metallica; mixing these elements with the classic Swedish glam of Zan Clan, Crashdiet and Crazy Lixx. Laney's vocals are brash and abrasive, always powerful and really suit the attitude of this record, although they may not be for all. As expected the production is absolutely massive and the mix perfectly balanced. The harmony soaked hard rocker Situation opens the album with a slamming groove, while I Dunno sees Def Leppard heavier and glammier than ever. The furious rocker Make You Cry is something Motley Crue wish they could still write and the slower and moodier rock ballad The Stranger In You is Kiss meets Def Leppard with those huge Leppard harmonies. Fire & Ice is even better – total groove in the verse turns to total anthem and angst in the chorus. I Hate Your Guts and Pissed At What Ya Missed are total in your face attitude filled aggressive rockers with that dark edge and passion that some of the best known bands of total just fail to bring to the party. Get You Down is another Def Leppard style mid-tempo hard rocker, albeit with more sleaze and growl than the band are known for. Elsewhere Last Man Standing is a total rock hit if I ever heard one – a big Kiss style chorus and commercial appeal in spades as has the powerful ballad Skin On Skin.
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19/12/09: Paul - pgborden@hotmail.com
18/11/09: Reebboy - wamk100@yahoo.com
25/08/09: Blais-sabbath - Boulot-vert@hotmail.com
21/08/09: Dave - ayotte2506@yahoo.ca
Rating: 82
wow! Wow!! WOW!!! This is one of those cds in which I put my full faith in Andrew, and am I ever glad I did. What a find. I'm in agreement with Reebboy, Chris' growling vocals are a necessity to make many of these songs work. Highlights for me are: PISSED AT WHAT YA MISSED, SKIN ON SKIN, PRIDE B4 THE FALL, and, of course, LAST MAN STANDING... a great Song of the Year candidate in my mind.
Rating: 95
I love this album. For some reason Shotgun Messiah popped into my head a few times when listening to this CD as well. Sure he is not a great singer but his voice is what makes these songs great. If he had a perfect voice, these songs would no be as edgy. This whole CD rocks but some of the best songs are fire&ice and pissed.
Rating: 90
Very good release! Great prod, amazing songs, really good musicians, but Laney is not a fantastic singer!! Respect for his work, but the album could have been better with an another vocal!
Rating: 90
Fantastic release!! Reminds me of Shotgun Messiah - Second Coming and not only because of the guest appearence from Zinny Zan (former Shotgun Messiah vocalist, although he wasn't in the band when Second Coming was released). The standout tracks are 'Situation', 'Pissed At What you Missed' and the absolute killer track 'Last Man Standing', which will surely be one of my top 10 tracks of 2009.
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