The Top 10 Album Covers of 2009

Dec 10

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Concert Of A Lifetime

Nov 16

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I am fulfilled.  I have seen Stryper in concert and they surpassed all my expectations!

I’ve been an enormous Stryper fan since 1988.  They played a crucial part in my coming to know Jesus Christ in a very real way.    I’ve memorized every note and lyric of every song of every album they have released.   I just had never seen a live show.

Until this past Saturday, November 14th that is.  And man, what a freakin’ eh awesome show it was.

Stryper at the soundcheck:

I had the privilege of getting a “meet ‘n greet” pass that enabled me an early entry into the concert, a chance to hear the sound check, and a chance to meet the band.

This didn’t go as well as I’d hope.  We were supposed to get in at 5pm but weren’t given entry until 6.  The band was on stage and as I walked into the club, it was like I was in a dream!  There was Michael Sweet, the Stryper frontman!  Right there, 5 feet away from me!  Tim Gaines, one of the best bass players in music, right there!  Mr Oz Fox, guitar player extraordinaire, right there!!!  Robert Sweet was behind his drum kit, so I didn’t get to see him so well.   I was a little overwhelmed!

The band ripped through 2 songs and it was magical!  The club stagehand was being a little pushy as they were an hour behind and sat the band down at a table and put everyone in a single file line to get an autograph.  At this I was more than a little bummed.

I don’t care about autographs.  I just wanted to tell these guys “Thank You” from the bottom of my heart.  They helped me get through those tough teen-age years with my sanity and faith intact.  We were rushed through the line and I did get to shake hands with all the guys except Michael.  I got to say thanks, but it wasn’t what I had hoped for.

All that activity took us to about 6:45pm.  I went straight to the front of the room where and got my place almost dead center.  There was just one problem: the concert didn’t start until 8:30pm.  Oh well….I just got my legs locked and waited almost 2 hours in one spot.

Finally the lights went down and on came 3 young guys from Canada (eh!) that made up the band Manic Drive.  I wasn’t expecting much, so I was taken aback as they came out and rocked the house!  They had a lot of energy and looked like they just loved to entertain.  I liked ‘em so much I bought both of their CDs at the merch table.

Manic Drive:

The next band to hit the stage was called Flight Patterns, featuring Michael Sweet Jr on guitar.  I had never heard their music, but was hoping to like ‘em.

That was just too much to hope for.  Flight Patterns just plain sucked.  They were off key and off pitch, and they sounded like a very bad wanna-be Relient K cover band.  The bass player was super annoying and played an open E string for every song.

Flight Patterns:

Eventually Flight Patterns got off the stage and it took about 45 minutes for the roadies to set up Stryper’s equipment.   My back was aching and my feet hurt for standing up for so long, but the moment of truth was near!!!

The lights went out…..long silence…….and then DUN DUN DUN DEDUN!  Stryper came on stage ripping through Soldier’s Under Command!!  Yellow and black leather (not spandex!), long hair, ah, everything I dreamed of!

It is all kind of a blur, but I remember they played through most of To Hell With The Devil and The Yellow and Black Attack.  They played probably 3 or 4 new songs from Murder By Pride and even covered Judas Priest’s Breaking The Law.  I will say this…every song they played they played with an intense fervor and energy.  Say what you want to about the yellow and black and the big hair and all that, but Stryper are some absolutely awesome musicians.

They played their encore to To Hell With The Devil.  It was one of the most bestest moments of my life (aside from my wedding and kids and such).

Now I can check off a life long goal to see and meet Stryper.  Thank you Jesus!

Stryper Pictures:

Stryper Live:

A preview of Mastedon’s new album, 3

Oct 05

metalman777audio, music, videos christian metal, hard rock, Kansas, Mastedon, melodic metal, music No Comments

see my review and hear clips from all songs at this blog post!

From Frontiers Records website:

John Elefante’s name came to prominence in 1981 when he became the new lead singer and keyboardist for Kansas. John sang the lead vocals and performed keyboards on three multi – Platinum albums with band, giving also a major songwriting contribution.

In 1984, together with his brother Dino, he started to become involved for the first time in producing the Christian act Sweet Comfort Band. Soon the couple became one of the most renowned producers in the genre, in particular their tenure with Petra brought multiple gold and platinum albums, 10 consecutive CCM Magazine Reader’s Choice Awards, induction into the Gospel Music Hall of Fame and Hard Rock Cafe, and the only artist to ever have 4 albums in the SoundScan top-100 Christian chart.

Elefante also felt the songwriting muse and formed a Metal band with his brother, Mastedon. The band’s name was a pachyderm-inspired reference to the brothers’ last name. Although John was an accomplished vocalist and performer, the Mastedon albums featured multiple lead singers and performances by other artists, creating an eclectic sound anchored by John’s songwriting. His brother Dino played a prominent role, contributing songwriting and handling most of the guitar work.

Mastedon’s first release was titled “It’s a Jungle Out There!” (1989). A year later, the band released “Lofcaudio”. The albums charted at #25 and #10, respectively in the Billboard Top Contemporary Christian chart. To this day, they are still considered classics in the genre.

In 1996 John started a solo career that brought him to release three successful albums more in the Adult Contemporary – Pop Rock vein. After a few years of hiatus, John Elefante decided to go back to his roots sound with a brand new Mastedon album that – contrary to the predecessors – would only feature his amazing lead vocals. Musically, the new album, simply entitled “3” harkens back to the best of Mastedon and to his work with Kansas and none other than main Kansas songwriter Kerry Livgren appears on lead guitar on the release. More famed musicians and such as Dave Amato (REO Speedwagon), Anthony Sallee (Whiteheart), Dan Needham (Michael McDonald, Neville Brothers, Amy Grant, Garth Brooks etc) and of course John’s brother Dino Elefante.

Rich melodic harmonies and melodies are the keys to a Mastedon record and “3” is clearly an instant winner in all its moments and will remain as an hallmark in John Elefante’s career for many years to come.

MASTEDON
John Elefante: all lead vocals; rhythm guitar, keyboards
Dave Amato, Kerry Livgren: Lead Guitars
Anthony Sallee: bass
Dan Needham: drums
Dino Elefante: Additional guitars, acoustic guitar, backing vocals
With:
Tim Smith: bass on Slay Your Demons
Jr McNeely: additional guitar on Questions

And, as an added bonus they also announced this:

As a companion to this new release, Frontiers managed to acquire the rights for the re-release of Mastedon’s legendary debut album, It’s A Jungle Out There!. Released originally in 1989, it charted at #25 in the Billboard Top Contemporary Christian chart. To this day, this album is still considered classics in the genre and has reached some amazing prices in the trades on eBay. Frontiers new reissue includes full lyrics and three bonus tracks ‘Wasn’t It Love’ (from the compilation California Metal) and live versions of ‘Islands In The Sky’ and ‘Right Hand’, recorded live at Cornerstone in 1991.

The tracklisting:

‘It’s A Jungle Out There’
‘Glory Bound’
‘This Is The Day’
‘Love Inhalation’
‘Islands In The Sky’
‘Get Up’
‘Love That Will Survive’
‘Innocent Girl’
‘Shine On’
‘Right Hand’
‘Wasn’t It Love’ *
‘Islands In The Sky’ (Live at Cornerstone ’91 )*
‘Right Hand’ (Live at Cornerstone ’91) *
(* bonus tracks)

The Supplemented Origin of Species

Sep 25

metalman777Christianity, theology, videos No Comments

The evolution versus creationism debate has been raging through the Christian community for a long time now.  Some Christians are literal 7 Day, the Earth is 10,000 years old creationists and some believe the earth could be billions of years old, and the God created everything through the mechanism of evolution.  Both sides can be dogmatic and overbearing.

One such group that isn’t shy about what the believe in is a ministry called The Way of The Master.  Fronted by Christian celebrity Kirk Cameron and quasi-apologist Ray Comfort, this ministry is finding new ways to sneak in the gospel to an unsuspecting audience.  (And yeah, these are the same guys who unsuccessfully tried to “prove” that God exists without using the Bible. See the video here)

Watch the video below to see what their new plan is.

I’ll be the very first to admit that I am not a fan of this ministry at all.  I think this is a propaganda piece with a lot of false information.  Our kids can’t pray in public?  Can’t open a Bible at school?  What planet are these guys living on?

A friend of mine posted the following rebuttal video on Facebook. There is some minor language, just to let you know.

I gotta say, I like this girl.  She is spunky and really feels passionate about what she is saying.  She has some bad arguments at the end, but more importantly, she has some very good facts to present at the front of the video.

My original intent in writing this blog post was to talk about differing views of creationism.  But after watching the videos again, I have a different problem with Way of the Master.

Why sneak in the Gospel?  Are they going to be telling everyone they give the book to that there is a Gospel track inside?  Are the life giving words of Jesus something to hide?

Leave some comments and tell me what you think.

A Broadway Musical I’d Like To See

Aug 07

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I’m not the most cultured guy in the world.  I like my steaks medium rare with fries on the side.

Broadway shows and musicals really aren’t my thing.  So I was kinda surprised to find myself buying Rock of Ages, the original Broadway Cast Recording.

Crap this is some good stuff.

Rock Of Ages is a Tony nominated smash hit musical comedy currently running on Broadway and starring American Idol’s Constantine Maroulis and Amy Spanger.  In 1987 on the Sunset Strip, a small town girl met a big city rocker and in LA’s most famous rock club, they fell in love to the greatest songs of the 80s. It’s ROCK OF AGES, an arena-rock love story told through the mind-blowing, face-melting hits of JOURNEY, NIGHT RANGER, STYX, REO SPEEDWAGON, PAT BENATAR, TWISTED SISTER, POISON, ASIA, WHITESNAKE and many more. Don’t miss this awesomely good time about dreaming big, playing loud and partying on!

Where can I buy tickets for this show?  The music is cheesy and fun, just like it was in the 80′s.

A Look at AT&T’s U-Verse Television

Aug 04

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Battlestar Galactica and Caprica Panel

Jul 29

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Just found this!  I didn’t think that BSG would have a panel at Comic-Con 2009, but surprise!  Here is the footage!!

In case you haven’t had a chance to see the Caprica spin-off pilot, it is awesome!  I can’t wait for the show to be in full production.

Lost at Comic-Con 2009

Jul 27

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Some big news for Lost fans:  The entire 2009 Comic-Con panel is online, along with two new Season 6 trailers!

Let’s start by looking at the new Season 6 trailers:

Obviously, the ramifications of these videos is phenomenal.  Hurley with incredible luck after winning the lottery?  Kate still on the run from authorities?  The time line has definitely been reset.

Another video played was this Memorial Video for all the characters that have died.  Are they just refreshing our memory for when we see these characters again?

Here are the videos from the actual Lost panel at Comic-Con:

Did you notice right at 7 minutes they said we’d see characters we hadn’t seen since Season 1?   Could the whispers we’ve been hearing actually be the Losties themselves as they observe the 2004 time line?

At a minute 34, they confirm that Farraday will be back.  Right at 5 minutes, Jorge Garcia (Hurley) asks a question that all of us are asking if the time line does get reset.  At 7 minutes, Michael Emerson (Ben) pops up and starts hecklin’ Garcia!  Great stuff!

One minute in, they confirm that we will hear the back story of the Black Rock and we will see a Richard Alpert flashback!   Two minutes in, they confirm that Juliet will be back in Season 6.  At 4 minutes, Michael Emerson almost confirms that the Man In Black is Esau.   At 5 minutes 25 seconds, Nestor Carbonell (Richard Alpert) makes a guest appearance.   Caution, he drops an F bomb!

Rhonda, just skip to 3:01, that’s when Josh Holloway (Sawyer) makes his entrance!  At 6 minutes, Michael Emerson reads the ending to Lost!  Again, another F bomb is dropped.

This panel did the trick for me.  I’m chompin’ at the bit for Season 6 (which we will be watching in HD!)  Booyah!

The Dharma Initiative Conspiracy

Jul 24

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Lost is gearing up for season 6 in a huge way!  Tomorrow’s panel at Comic-con should have some big reveals.  Until then, ABC is revealing some new Lost ARG facts.  LU, or Lost University was put online yesterday.

The following video was released today.  Is the Dharma Initiative that we know and love part of an underground conspiracy to rule the world? I absolutely can’t wait for Season 6!

New Skillet Album Forthcoming

Jun 13

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I just got an email from Skillet saying their new album will be out soon!  I have official word from Michael Wittig (aka Kalel, bassist from Pillar and now Stars Go Dim) via Twitter that the new Skillet album is dropping August 4, 2009.

Hey Panheads,

The official SKILLET pre-sale for the new album “AWAKE” will launch on Monday, June 15th!!!

Order links will be available on http://skillet.com and http://myspace.com/skilletmusic.

Thanks!
Skillet

Their last album of new material, Comatose, was released in 2006.  So it’s been a looooong wait!  Here’s the video for Rebirthing to tide you over until then.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y6obINPvZtg]