Tribute Discs
Despite the fact that most people claim to hate tribute discs, they obviously sell well or record companies wouldn't continue to put them out. Depending on how you look at it tributes are either cash cows put out by a greedy record company to make money off ill-recorded classic songs, or they are enjoyable tribute compilations that give newer bands the chance to pay homage to musicians that have influenced their sound. I tend to think it's a little of both, but I tend to like them.

A Tribute to ACCEPT - Vol. 1 (Nuclear Blast) 1999

1. Sinner - "Balls To The Wall" (5:39)
2. Hammerfall - "Head Over Hills" (4:35)
3. Tankard - "Son Of A Bitch" (3:52)
4. Steel Prophet - "Fast As A Shark" (3:58)
5. Sodom - "I'm A Rebel" (2:27)
6. Primal Fear - "Breaker" (3:29)
7. Atrocity - "Shake Your Heads" (3:11)
8. Axxis - "Flash Rockin Man" (4:22)
9. Grave Digger - "Starlight" (4:13)
10. Seven Witches - "Monsterman" (3:20)
11. Therion - "The King" (4:08)
12. Tarot - "Generation Clash" (5:37)
13. Metalium - "Burning" (5:29)
14. Pegazus - "Restless And Wild" (3:58)
15. Watchtower - "Run If You Can" (4:46)
16. Rykers - "London Leatherboys" (4:06)
17. New Eden - "China Lady" (3:38)
18. Sacred Steel - "Fight It Back" (2:55)
19. Dimmu Borgir - "Metal Heart" (4:35)

Another fantastic metal tribute. As with most of the Nuclear Blast tribute CDs, this label knows what the fans want. Fans of Accept want bands that were actually influenced by and truly respect traditional metal bands like Accept. Certainly that is the case here. Once again we have some of my favorite bands recording songs by one of my favorite bands. What could be wrong with that? Absolutely nothing! There are some bands that do a better job than othes, as with any compilation CD like this. Hammerfall's cover of "Head over Heals" with Udo Dirksneider sharing the mic is a huge standout cut here, as is Steel Prophet's superb cover of "Fast as a Shark" and Grave Digger's cover of "Starlight". Also, what better band to perform "Son of a Bitch" than Tankard? New Eden and Sacred Steel both tear up their respective covers. Actually, there really isn't a track on here I completely hate, with the exception of the downtuned, nu-crap that is Rykers. Any band that starts an Accept song off like they are a rapper and state "What's up?...payin' respect to the German old school" doesn't even deserve to be on this CD. This song makes the skip button a neccessity when playing this CD. One of the other weaker moments was Atrocity's techno-metal version of "Shake Your Heads" although this song doesn't neccessarily require the skip button or anything. Even Dimmu Borgir turned in a decent version of "Metal Heart". All in all, with the exception of one crap band, the rest of this CD is very enjoyable. Now get up, crank it up and bang yer head!

Thunderbolt - A Tribute to AC/DC (D-Rock) 1998

1. "Highway to Hell" -Quiet Riot (3:59)
2. "Little Lover" -w/ Sebastian Bach, Warren DeMartini, Billy Sherwood, Bobby Blotzer (4:36)
3. "Back in Black" -w/ Joe Lynn Turner, Phil Collen, Jeff Pilson, Simon Wright (4:30)
4. "Live Wire" -The Sensations Whiskiteer Band w/ Whitfield Crane (5:50)
5. "Sin City" -w/ Jack Russell, Mark Kendall, Sean McNabb, Bobby Blotzer, Bruce Gowdy (4:55)
6. "Ride On" - The Sensations Whiskiteer Band w/ Whitfield Crane (5:39)
7. "Shake a Leg" - John Corabi, Bob Kulick, Billy Sheehan, Pat Torpey (4:20)
8. "Whole Lot of Rosie" -w/ Stephan Pearcy, Tracii Guns, John Alderete, Jay Schellen, Bruce Gowdy (4:20)
9. "Night Prowler" -w/ Dave Meniketti, Tony Frankin, Simon Wright, James Morley (5:43)
10. "It's a Long Way to the Top" -w/ Lemmy Kilmister, Jake E. Lee, Simon Wright, James Morley (5:37)
11. "Walk All over You" -Anthrax w/ Dee Snider (4:53)
12. "TNT" - w/Sebastian Bach, Kelly Deal, Jimmy Flemion (3:42)

Sort of a generic sounding tribute although with the list of names above, you'd expect something outstanding. There are some decent numbers, especially "Walk All Over You," as song the features Anthrax performing with Dee Snider singing. However, the majority of this disc just sounds generic. I really think when the individual bands get to put their own unique style into the songs it does more for the sound, not unlike on the "Holy Dio" or "A Tribute to Judas Priest: Legends of Metal" cds. Just bringing a bunch of big name musicians into the studio to add their parts just doesn't work as well. Picked up this disc for $4.

Blues on Fire/Sweet Emotion: Songs of AEROSMITH (Heavy Hip Mama) 2001

1. "Cryin'" performed by Otis Clay (5:16)
2. "Pink" performed by Gerad McClendon (4:12)
3. "Walk This Way" performed by Pinetop Perkins /Rusty Zinn (4:49)
4. "Last Child" performed by Richardson, Cathy /Wayne Baker Brooks (4:04)
5. "Big Ten Inch Records" performed by Marshall Crenshaw / Sugar Blue (3:02)
6. "One Way Street" performed by Lou Ann Barton (4:30)
7. "Back in the Saddle" performed by Lou Gramm / Sugar Blue (4:23)
8. "Dream On" performed by Kim McFarland (4:58)
9. "Draw the Line" performed by Robinson (4:15)
10. "Rag Doll" performed by Joe Louis Walker (5:00)
11. "Sweet Emotion" performed by Donald Kinsey (4:16)
12. "Dude I Look Like a Lady" performed by Crystal Taliefero (4:12)
13. "Train Kept on Rollin'" performed by "Homeboy"David Edwards (2:43)

I can't imagine even a casual fan of Aerosmith or the blues not enjoying this disc. Thirteen Aerosmith songs rearranged and performed by real blues musicians, as opposed to rock stars pretending to be blues artists. Being a huge Aero fan myself, I couldn't resist this. Since I am also a casual fan of the blues, I was in total bliss in my car as I rocked this cd for close to an hour. Funny thing is, apparently this disc angered a bunch of blues purists, who felt that their favorite blues artists had sold out. OK, whatever. Even AMG gave this disc a bad review. Whatever! You freaking reviewers have no clue. This is an outstanding disc. "Sweet Emotion" is one of the best tribute discs to come out in a while. It offers some smokey, sultry, down home musical interpretations of all-time Aero favorites.

Not the Same Old Song & Dance-A Tribute to AEROSMITH (Deadline)
Produced by Bob Kulick

1. Back In The Saddle (w/ Mark Slaughter, Albert Lee, Rudy Sarzo, Frankie Banali) (4:28)
2. Rag Doll (w/ Ted Nugent) (4:50)
3. Chip Away At the Stone (w/ Vince Neil, Blues Saraceno) (4:19)
4. Last Child (w/ Mickey Thomas, Earl Slick, Nathan East, Stephen Ferrone) (3:57)
5. Sweet Emotion (w/ Jack Blades, Tommy Shaw, Randy Castillo) (4:13)
6. Dream On (w/Dio, Yngwie Malmsteen, Stu Hamm, Greg Bissonette) (4:28)
7. Walk This Way (w/Fee Waybill, Steve Lukateher. Tim Bogert, Tommy Aldrgidge) (3:48)
8. Draw the Line (w/ Jeff Keith, Tommy Skeoch, Tony Levin, Eric Singer) (4:02)
9. Same Old Song & Dance (w/ Jack Russel, Skunk Baxter, Jeff Pilson, Bobby Blotzer, Edgar Winter) (4:08)
10. No Surprise (w/ Jani Lane, Chris Holmes, Adrian Perry, Stephen Riley) (4:26)
11. Toys in the Attic (w/ Stephen Pearcy, Traci Gunns, Phil Soussan, Aynsley Dunbar) (3:27)

Of course I had to get this one! It's a tribute to AEROSMITH. If any band deserves a tribute it's Aerosmith, a band who has been churning out killer RnR for over three decades. The difference between this tribute and most others is that the variances between the songs are not as noticeable because this is not a bunch of different bands recording Aero-songs but rather a bunch of different artists coming into the studio to record their parts for Aero-songs. My two favorites are Ted Nugent's wango version of Rag Doll and Dio/Yngwie's smoking version "Dream On." Vince Neil does a pretty good job on "Chip Away the Stone," a somewhat obscure selection, but a good one none-the-less. Of course, none can even come close to the classic originals, but it is still fun to hear these different interpretations. Other performers include former members of Warrant, Tesla, Damn Yankees, Ratt, and Great White.

Janie's Got a Gun-A Tribute to AEROSMITH (Dressed to Kill)

1."Pink"- Tom McNally
2."Walk This Way" -The Butchers
3."Dream On" -Kitty Litter
4."Janie's Got A Gun" -Sonia Archer
5."Sweet Emotion" -The Butchers
6."Fine" -Sam Blue
7."Big Ten Inch Record"- Wolfie
8."Love In An Elevator" -The Darlicks
9."Toys In The Attic" -Wolfie
10."Angel" -Kristen De Beauvoir
11."Dude (Looks Like A Lady)" -Tom McNally
12."I Don't Want To Miss A Thing" -Sonia Archer

Imagine the local country garage band in your area learned a bunch of Aerosmith songs and performed them at the local pub on kerokee night. Now imagine that someone recorded this monstrosity. Perhaps if you had a few brews that night you might have enjoyed the evening of entertainment, but revisiting it on cd is nothing short of a painful, pointless exercise. Seriously, this Aerosmith tribute is that bad. Yet another in the row of Aerosmith tribute albums with artists that nobody has ever heard of. It was released by the UK label "Dressed To Kill Records" on January 30, 2001. Even the packaging is cheap. Besides the nicely designed cover, there is nothing printed on the inside of the cover. Obviously an attempt to cash in on Aerosmith fans. This disc was given to me by a generous trader who paid $3 and told me it wasn't worth that. Ouch! Being the Aero-collector, however, I will be holding onto this disc.

Hell Rules-A Tribute to BLACK SABBATH (Dwell)

1. Agent Steel "Sweet Leaf" (5:25)
2. Hostile Intent "Electric Funeral" (5:36)
3. Coffin Texts "Disturbing the Priest" (5:35)
4. Steel Prophet "Neon Knights" (3:56)
5. Society I "Who Are You?" (4:49)
6. Division "Heaven and Hell" (4:41)
7. Hate Theory "Sabbath Bloody Sabbath" (6:19)
8. Infamy "Cornucopia" (3:00)
9. Blood Coven "N.I.B." (4:53)
10. Rise "Into the Void" (5:50)
11. Debauchery "Paranoid" (2:35)
12. Tyrant "Children of the Grave" (7:01)

There are a ton of Black Sabbath tributes out. The thing about this one is that it actually contained some songs from the Ronni James Dio and Ian Gillan era of Sabbath. The bad thing about this one is once again, Dwell has put out a tribute with mostly crappy death metal bands destroying classic metal songs. Coffin Text totally destroys the Ian Gillan era "Disturbing the Priest." (Like anyone could improve on Ian Gillan!) Hate Theory's version of "Sabbath Bloody Sabbath" just sucks! Anthrax did a far superior version on their "I'm The Man" ep. Infamy's vocalist, with his "wish I were in Cannibal Corpse" vocals, makes "Cornacopia" unlistenable. (What is it with death metal bands, do they all share the same vocalist?) There are a few choice songs on this disc however. Agent Steel's version of "Sweet Leaf" is awesome. Steel Prophet does a decent version of "Neon Nights." (this same song also appears on Century Media's Dio tribute AND Dwell's Dio tribute AND Steel Prophet's "Genesis" disc.) Also, Tyrant does a good job on "Children of the Grave." Buy cheap or pass as there are only a few choice cuts on this disc. For those who care, Dwell released a Hell Rules 2 recently featuring more death metal band botching up Sabbath classics.

Nativity in Black-A Tribute to BLACK SABBATH (Columbia)

1. Biohazard "After Forever" (5:46)
2. White Zombie "Children of the Grave" (5:49)
3. Megadeth "Paranoid" (2:31)
4. 1000 Homo DJ's "Supernaut" (6:39)
5. Ozzy Osbourne w/ Therapy? "Iron Man" (5:25)
6. Corrosion of Conformity "Lord of this World" (6:25)
7. Sepultura "Symptom of the Universe" (4:15)
8. Bullring Brummies "The Wizard" (5:01)
9. Bruce Dickinson w/ Godspeed "Sabbath Bloody Sabbath" (5:36)
10. Ugly Kid Joe "N.I.B." (5:28)
11. Faith No More "War Pigs"-live (7:02)
12. Type O Negative "Black Sabbath" (7:45)

Columbia's tribute to Sabbath is only only slightly better than most of the Sabbath tributes I have heard. Bigger name artists pay tribute to Tony, Geezer, Bill, and Ozzy. (Bigger is not always better, especially in this case.) Missing is any trace of Dio or Gillan era Sabbath. Also missing on some of these tracks is any trace of talent. Faith No More's live version of "War Pigs" is a joke. It sounds at times like vocalist Mike Patton is mocking Sabbath, and at one point instead of singing the words he sings, "Blah, blah, blah." The song is just terrible! Biohazard shows how little talent their vocalist has by totally annihilating "After Forever." Perhaps they would have been able to "drop some respect to the almighty Black Sabbath" better by not appearing on this cd. (Want to hear a good version of "After Forever?" Check out Deliverance's version on "What A Joke!") Possibly the worst of all is the pathetic, goth version of "Black Sabbath" by Type O Crap, er I mean, Negative. I'm sorry but they just plain SUCK! Even the track that Ozzy himself sings on isn't very good. (What's up with that?) Megadeth, on the other hand, pulls off a tremendous version of "Paranoid." White Zombie hands in an eerie, yet fun interpretation of "Children of the Grave," and Seputura tears it up with "Symptom of the Universe." Bruce Dickinson, a man deserving of his own tribute, pulls off a very raw but respectable version of "Sabbath Bloody Sabbath." What is cool about this tribute is that the bands who are on it actually sound like fans who are thrilled to be able to pay homage to one of the greatest metal bands ever. This disc is worthy of repeated listens but make sure that the skip button is close by.

Nativity in Black II: A Tribute to Black Sabbath (Priority)

1. Godsmack "Sweet Leaf" (4:55)
2. Machine Head "Hole in the Sky" (3:31)
3. Static-X "Behind the Wall of Sleep" (3:31)
4. Megadeth "Never Say Die" (3:46)
5. System of a Down "Snowblind" (4:40)
6. Pantera "Electric Funeral" (5:54)
7. Primus w/Ozzy Osbourne "N.I.B." (5:57)
8. Slayer "Hand of Doom" (5:15)
9. Soulfly "Under the Sun" (5:45)
10. Hed(pe) "Sabbra Cadabra" (3:12)
11. Monster Magnet "Into the Void" (8:04)
12. Busta Rhymes "Iron Man (This Means War)" (4:36)

My main interest here was Megadeth covering "Never Say Die", which as I suspected is one of the better songs on this disc. Other than that I had no desire to hear Busta Rhymes destroying 'Iron Man' or a bunch of crappy nu-metal band annihilating Black Sabbath classics. Soulfly's "Under the Sun" is cool and Slayer's "Hand of Doom" is passable, although not as impressive as I would have thought. Primus with Ozzy doing "N.I.B." is also not bad, although with Ozzy on vocals it doesn't sound that much different than the original. For the most part, however, this cd sucks! Worst of the pile: Hed(pe)'s laughable cover of "Sabbra Cadabra", System of a Down's disappointingly wimpy, nu-metal version of "Snowblind" and Busta Rhymes ridiculous mockery of "Iron Man (This Means War)", which Ozzy actually adds his voice to. Argh! How disappointing.

In Memory of CELTIC FROST (Dwell)

1. Morgion "Innocence and Wrath/The Usurper" (4:12)
2. Enslaved "Procreation (of the Wicked)" (4:15)
3. Slaughter "Dethroned Emperor" (4:49)
4. Mayhem "Visual Aggression" (3:57)
5. Inner Thought "Morbid Tales" (3:39)
6. Sadistic Intent "Return to the Eve" (4:14)
7. Cianide "Dawn of Meggido" (5:30)
8. Divine Eve "Visions of Mortality" (4:58)
9. Grave "Mesmerized" (3:17)
10. Apollyon's Sun "Babylon Fell" (5:41)
11. Opeth "Circle of the Tyrants" (5:11)
12. Closedown "Danse Macabre" [instrumental] (9:58)
13. Emperor "Massacra" (2:55)
14.13 "Triumph of Death" (7:40)

A tribute to the legendary (and defunct) Celtic Frost, done by a bunch of death & black metal bands, most of whom I've never heard of. (Actually, the last two tracks are Hellhammer songs.) Well, to be honest, this cd is a good listen but I can't really pick out any stand out cuts. Overall the music is cool just because its Celtic Frost music, but nobody really made the songs any better than the originals in my opinion.

Huminary Stew- A Tribute to ALICE COOPER (Deadline)

1. "Under My Wheels" w/ Joe Elliot, Phil Collen, Bob Kulick, Chuck Wright, Pat Torpey, Clarence Clemens (3:20)
2. "Schools Out" w/Dave Mustaine, Marty Friedman, Bob Kulick, Eric Singer Bob Daisly (3:58)
3. "No More Mr. Nice Guy" w/ Roger Daltry, Slash, Bob Kulickm Mike Inez, Carmine Appice, David Glen Eisley (3:38)
4. "Welcome to My Nightmare" w/ Ronnie James Dio, Steve Lukather, Bob Kuliuck, Phil Soussan, Randy Castillo,
Paul Taylor (5:10)
5. "Cold Ethyl" w/ Vince Neil, Mick Mars, Bob Kulick, Billy Sheehan, Simon Phillips (4:02)
6. "Black Widow" w/ Bruce Dickinson, Adrian Smith, Bob Kulick, Tony Franklin, Tommy Aldridge, David Glen Eisley (4:46)
7. "Go To Hell" w/ Dee Snider, Zakk Wylde, Bob Kulick, Rudy Sarzo, Frankie Banali, Paul Taylor (3:56)
8. "Billion Dollar Babies" w/ Phil Lewis, George Lynch, Bob Kulick, Stu Hamm, Vinnie Colaiuta, Derek Sherinian, David Glen Eisley (3:56)
9. "Only Woman Bleed" w/ Glen Hughes, Paul Gilbert, Bob Kulick, Michael Porcara, Stephan Forrone, Paul Taylor, David Glen Eisley (5:42)
10. "Eighteen" w/ Don Dokken, Jon Norum, Bob Kulick, Tim Bogert,Gregg Bissonette, David Glen Isley (5:09))
11. "Elected" w/ Steve Jones, Duff McKagen, Bill Duffy, Matt Sorum (3:59)

This is the second Dead Line tribute that I have bought. As with the Aerosmith tribute, Bob Kulick produces the disc and plays on almost every song. Bob Kulick is a well known studio musician who played with Meatloaf and filled in for Ace Frehely on several Kiss albums. What I like about this tribute is the quality of the material. Hearing legends like Roger Daltrey (The Who) and Ronnie James Dio sing tribute to Alice Cooper is pretty cool. The other thing about these Deadline tributes is that all the songs are well produced and the sound quality doesn't waver from song to song. What I don't like about these tributes, as compared to the ones where each band gets to put their own spin on the song, is that the songs are a bit more generic. Still this is only a minor complaint. I mean after all, who could not love hearing Dio sing "Welcome to my nightmare, I hope I didn't scare you..." HA! Great stuff. Picked this one up for $5.99.

Holy Dio-A Tribute to the Voice of Metal-Ronnie James DIO (Century Media)

DISC ONE
1. Blind Guardian "Don't Talk to Strangers" (4:48)
2. Primal Fear "Kill the King" (4:33)
3. Doro "Egypt (The Chains Are On)" (6:11)
4. Jag Panzer "Children of the Sea" (5:16)
5. Fates Warning "Sign of the Southern Cross" (7:38)
6. Catch the Rainbow "Rainbow Eyes" (7:06)
7. Gamma Ray "Long Live Rock'n'Roll" (3:46)
8. Swan?/T?gtgren "Country Girl" (4:03)|
9. Yngwie Malmsteen "Gates of Babylon" (7:11)

DISC 2
1. Grave Digger "We Rock" (4:14)
2. Hammerfall "Man on the Silver Mountain" (3:25)
3. Holy Mother "Holy Diver" (4:07)
4. Stratovarius "Kill the King" (4:35)
5. Alex Rudi Pell "Still I'm Sad" (4:37)
6. Enola Gay "Heaven and Hell" (6:18)
7. Steel Prophet "Neon Knights" (3:54)
8. Solitude Aeturnus "Shame on the Night" (6:11)
9. Destiny's End "The Last in Line" (4:53)
10. Angel Dust "Temple of the King" (6:33)

There is one thing for sure; Century Media knows how to do a tribute cd right. They use bands that were actually influenced by the artist being honored and that will appeal to fans of the style of music. Seriously, how could I pass up a disc that has some of my favorite bands doing songs by one of my favorite singers? The material is a sampling of Dio's songs from Black Sabbath, Rainbow, as well as some of his earlier solo material. I sort of wish some of the later Dio solo stuff would have been covered. A few highlights are Fate's Warning's AWESOME version of "Sign of the Southern Cross." (If only their newer material were as good), Destiny's End-The Last in Line, Hammerfall's "Man on the Silver Mountain," Blind Guardian's "Don't Talk To Strangers." Ah, heck, the whole disc is good. I was wondering though, how the heck does Steel Prophet get on so many tribute cds? Geez, I've seen them on no less than ten tribute discs, most of them for Dwell.

Awaken the Demon-Tribute to Dio (Dwell)

1. Division "Rainbow in the Dark" (3:36)
2. Aurora Borealis "We Rock" (4:09)
3. Steel Prophet "Neon Nights" (3:56)
4. Enertia "Invisible" (5:40)
5. Ion Vein "Don't Talk to Strangers" (4:33)
6. Opposite Earth "Caught in the Middle" (4:23)
7. Black Earth "King of Rock and Roll" (3:48)
8. Imagika "Evil Eyes" (3:18)
9. Tyrant "Holy Diver" (4:22)
10. Division "Heaven & Hell" (4:40)
11. Psycho Scream "Last in Line" (5:40)
12. Dofka "Egypt (The Chains Are On)" (6:45)
13. Seven Witches "Shame on the Night" (6:27)

Hmm, after already owning the incredible double disc "Holy Dio" tribute, this one is kind of anti-climatic. Steel Prophet's cover of "Neon Nights" is the same version on that apprears on both the "Hell Rules" Black Sabbath tribute and the "Holy Dio" tribute, but is an excellent version and probably one of the best on this disc. Steel Prophet are also the only band on this disc that I am familiar with, although some of these bands have appeared on other Dwell tributes. I also like Division's version of "Rainbow in the Dark" which takes out the keyboards and replaces it with a slick guitar lead. I've only listened to song #2 once, and have pushed the skip button every time since then. Somehow, a death metal band, butchering a classic Dio song, just does not belong.

The Doors Stoned Immaculate (Elektra)

1. Stone Temple Pilots "Break On Through"
2. Creed "Riders On The Storm"
3. Train "Light My Fire"
4. Smash Mouth "Peace Frog"
5. Days Of The New "L.A. Woman"
6. Aerosmith"Love Me Two Times"
7. The Doors "Under Waterfall"
8. The Cult "Wild Child"
9. Jim Morrison "Roadhouse Rap"
10. John Lee Hooker & Jim Morrison "Roadhouse Blues"
11. William S. Burroughs "Is Everybody In?"
12. Oleander"Hello I Love You"
13. Ian Astbury Of The Cult "Touch Me"
14. Perry Farrell & Exene "Children Of The Night"
15. Bo Diddley "Love Her Madly"
16. The Doors "The Cosmic Movie"
17. Days Of The New "The End"

This disc rekindled my interest in the Doors. My main interest in picking it up was for the Aerosmith rendition of "Love Me Two Times." After checking out the whole disc, I began searching for Doors discs.

Supper's Ready - Another Serving of the Musical Box (Magna Carta) 1995
A Tribute to Genesis

1. "Watcher Of The Skies" performed By Robert Berry and Hush (6:50)
2. "Firth Of Fifth" performed By Over The Garden Wall (9:25)
3. "Undertow" performed By David Hentschel with Jay Tausig (4:42)
4. "Ripples" performed By Annie Haslam (4:48)
5. "Back In N.Y.C." performed By Kevin Gilbert (6:37)
6. "For Absent Friends" performed By Richard Sinclair (3:11)
7. "Mama" performed By Magellan (6:51)
8. "Man Of Our Times" performed By Enchant (5:37)
9. "Many Too Many" performed By Pete Bardens "Mirage" (2:58)
10. "Entangled" performed By Shadow Gallery (6:18)
11. "Squonk" performed By Cairo (6:28)
12. "I Know What I Like (In Your Wardrobe)" performed By Crack The Sky (4:04)
13. "Carpet Crawlers" performed By John Goodsall with Michael Zentner (5:24)

This review will be short and sweet. If you are a fan of Genesis or progressive rock in general, do yourself a favor and pick up this tribute CD. It is one of the few tributes that I can honestly say I enjoyed listening to from beginning to end. If Annie Haslam's cover of "Ripples" doesn't send chills down your spine, then you are probably not a Genesis fan to begin with. Kudos to Magna Carta for putting out such a splendid tribute.

The Keepers of Jericho-A Tribute to Helloween Part II (Arise) 2000

1. "Guardians" - Rhapsody (4:24)
2. "I Want Out" - Sonata Arctica (3:52)
3. "A Little Time" - Heavens Gate (3:06)
4. "Ride The Sky" - Metalium (5:44)
5. "I'm Alive" - Luca Turilli (3:42)
6. "Judas" - Morifade (4:49)
7. "Eagle Fly Free" - Vision Divine (5:49)
8. "Savage" - Brainstorm (3:24)
9. "Future World" - Labyrinth (4:01)
10. "Save Us" - Cydonia (5:19)
11. "Victim Of Fate" - Squealer (5:43)
12. "Halloween" - Dark Moor (13:23)
13. "How Many Tears" - Secret Sphere (7:03)

What a novel idea, a tribute to a metal band by bands who were actually influenced by that metal band. Who would have thought! Seriously though, tribute CDs can be hit or miss, and this one is actually more hit than miss. Without having to go into a track by track review here, the overall CD is pretty solid although there are some standout tracks. Italian metallers Rhapsody start things off, ripping through "Guardians". If not for a bit too much happy keyboards, this would have been one of the best covers on the album. Fabio Lione's voice is outstanding. Sonata Arctica do an admirable job with "I Want Out", although I think that Hammerfall's version from a year earlier might have been better. Squealer have that classic heavy metal sound that works well with "Victim of Fate". Their vocalist stands out on this disc as he has a raspier, classic metal sound as opposed to all the high, clean power metal vocalists on the majority of the songs. That's not to say he doesn't pull out the falsetto screams when needed. Probably my favorite cut here is Brainstorm's cover of "Savage". Man, is this song heavy! Killer cover by a killer band. Of course another highlight is the epic "Helloween". Dark Moor offer up an admirable version complete with female vocals. I actually thought I would hate this song with female vox, but I was actually impressed. Most of these bands are not that far off musically from Helloween, so I would expect them to do good covers. As such, "The Keepers of Jericho" is an enjoyable disc that actually rekindled my interest in Helloween again. After listening to this CD, I had to go back and start listening to all those old Helloween CDs again. (thanks Lleaf).

The Keepers of Jericho-A Tribute to Helloween Part II (Arise) 2002

1. "Phantoms of Death" - Iron Savior (6:35)
2. "Dr. Stein" - Steel Attack (5:19)
3. "Starlight" - Powergod (3:41)
4. "Chance" - Celesty (3:34)
5. "Tale That Wasn't Right" - Beto Vasquez's Infinity (5:13)
6. "Metal Invaders" - Paragon (4:04)
7. "March of Time" - Arwen (5:24)
8. "Murderer" - Freternity (4:32)
9. "Gorgar" Vhaldemar (4:11)
10. "Sole Survivor" -Dragonlord (4:12)
11. "Twilight of the Gods" - Axenstar (4:22)
12. "Power" - Highlord (3:28)
13. "Rise and Fall" - Red Wine (4:19)

...and the love affair with all things pumpkin continues with "The Keepers of Jericho Part II." More power metal bands paying tribute to one of the originators of the European power metal style. This one isn't quite as exciting as the first one, although champions of the metal covers, Powergod, turn in a great cover of starlight. (thanks Lleaf).

A Call To Irons- A Tribute to IRON MAIDEN (Dwell) 1. Steel Prophet - "Ides of March/Purgatory" (5:27) 2. Ancient Wisdom - "Powerslave" (5:54) 3. Vital Remains - "The Trooper" (4:05) 4. Angel Corpse - "Genghis Khan"[instrumental] (3:27) 5. Solitude Aeturnus - "Hallowed Be Thy Name" (7:34) 6. New Eden - "Phantom of the Opera" (6:34) 7. Opeth - "Remember Tomorrow" (5:01) 8. Morgion - "To Tame a Land" (10:06) 9. Evoken - "Strange World" (6:59) 10 .Opeth - "Rime of the Ancient Mariner" (13:03) 11. Absu - "Transylvania" [instrumental] (3:42)

A Call to Irons 2- A Tribute to IRON MAIDEN (Dwell) 1. Engrave - "Invaders" (3:15) 2. Steel Prophet - "Gangland" (3:52) 3. From the Depths - "Iron Maiden" (3:37) 4. Terror - "Total Eclipse" (4:18) 5. Acheron - "Wrathchild" (2:51) 6. Possession - "Revelations" (6:06) 7. Ion Vein - "Killers" (5:18) 8. Mystic Force - "Where Eagles Dare" (6:12) 9. Deceased - "2 Minutes to Midnight" (5:45) 10. October 31 - "Public Enema Number One" (3:51) 11. Prototype - "Sea of Madness" (5:52) 12. Diesel Machine - "Children of the Damned" (4:38) 13. Abattoir - "Sanctuary" (3:10)

Dwell is known for these underground tributes. Depending on how you look at it they are either crappy tributes put out by a greedy record company making money off ill-recorded classic songs by unknown bands, or they are enjoyable tributes that give some underground bands, who normally wouldnít be given the chance, to pay homage to some of their favorite bands. I look at it as the second choice as I enjoy most of these tributes. In my case, I tend to like the bands who are not of the death metal variety. On the Maiden tributes, bands like New Eden, Steel Prophet, Solitude Aeturnus, Mystic Force and Possession bring life to classic Maiden songs while death metal bands like Vital Remains, Engrave and From the Depths just ruin the songs. Acheron totally obliterates "Wrathchild." Death vocals and downtuning just don't go well with Iron Maiden tunes! I must say, however, that Morgion's version of "Tame a Land" was interesting enough to cause me to search out more of their music. Deceased, who are a death metal band as well, figured out that Maiden must not be messed with and tuned up their guitars and toned down the death growls to a more listenable shout. A Call to Irons is much more listenable than it's shovel to heard disc, A Call to Iron s 2. Too bad this wasn't broken down into a death metal tribute and a power metal tribute, then I could have just bought the one and spared myself from the death metal crap.

A Tribute to the Beast (IRON MAIDEN Tribute) (Nuclear Blast) 2002

1. Steel Prophet - "The Ides of March/Purgatory" (5:24)
2. Children of Bodom - "Aces High" (4:28)
3. Rage - "The Trooper" (3:58)
4. Cradle of Filth - "Hallowed Be They Name" (7:07)
5. Burden of Grief - "Prowler" (3:13)
6. Grave Digger - "Running Free" (3:55)
7. Sonata Arctica - "Die With Your Boots On" (4:24)
8. Therion - "Children of the Damned" (4:29)
9. Iced Earth - "Transylvania" [instrumental] (4:24)
10. Opeth - "Remember Tomorrow" (4:59)
11. Sinergy - "The Numbers of the Beast" (4:30)
12. Disbelief - "Stranger in a Strange Land" (5:59)
13. Tierra Santa - "Flight of Icarus" (3:58)
14. Dark Tranquillity - "22, Acacia Avenue" (6:03)
15. Six Feet Under - "Wrathchild" (2:52)
16. Darkane - "Powerslave" (6:52)

The third in a series of tributes from Nuclear Blast, that also includes tributes to Judas Priest and Thin Lizzy. As with those, much of the material has been released before on various projects by the included bands, but I still find this compilation to be pretty enjoyable. For some reason, this time 'round, the death metal bands just irritated the crap out of me. While Children of Bodom musically pull off "Aces High" rather nicely, the vocals just suck! Cradle of Filth's vocalist all but bludgeons "Hallowed Be Thy Name". Once again, the lousy vocal performance destroys an otherwise decent musical interpretation of the song. Don't even get me started on how bad the Disbelief and Dark Tranquility covers are. Death and black metal vocals just don't belong on Maiden songs. Of course having said that, I liked Six Feet Under's cover of "Wrathchild". Perhaps this song is just more suited for those low gutteral growls. Grave Digger pull of an excellent cover of "Running Free" with Chris Boltendahl doing his best Paul DiAnno. Steel Prophet, Rage, Iced Earth, Opeth and Sontata Arctica all pull off excellent versions of their chosen Maiden classics. Tierra Santa's cover of "Flight Of Icarus" was an interesting interpretation, starting off as a ballad then breaking into a speed metal song towards the middle. Unfortunately the vocals are a bit awkward because of the heavy latino accent. Darkane finishes off with a decent cover of "Powerslave", although there is no touching the original.

A Tribute to the Beast Vol. 2 (IRON MAIDEN Tribute) (Nuclear Blast) 2002

Part Two of Nuclear Blast's Iron Maiden tribute is actually a bit more enjoyable than part one, thanks to the fact that there are less black and death metal bands destroying classic Maiden songs. Of course there is the exception of black metal band Necrophobic who manage to at least hold my attention long enough with their version of "Moonchild" that I didn't hit the skip button. Graveworm likewise are of the more extreme black metal variety. Their take on "Fear of the Dark" is interesting as they start things off with a violin led opening before breaking out into a pure speed assault with flashes of brilliance, like the keyboard and bag pipes used in the middle section of the song. The vocals just plain suck and ruin anything good going on. Destruction actually leads the disc off on a positive note, thrashing through "Killers", which happens to be one of Iron Maiden's most shining moment, in my opinions. This song works well with the thrash metal approach that Destruction are known for. Perhaps one of my favorite tracks on here is the celtic version of "Strange World" by Mago De Oz. An awesome interpretation on this classic metal track. Primal Fear do justice to "2 Minutes to Midnight" but I must confess I found Scheepers vocals to be a bit at odds in this song. I guess after hearing the song thousands of times over the years, hearing anyone else other than Bruce Dickinson sing it just sounds odd to me. Mystic Force do a kickin' version of "Sanctuary" that stick pretty close to the original, even having those gritty DiAnno-like vocals. Apparently disc two of this compilation is a "bonus" disc and is a "Limited European Edition". Well since I haven't seen a copy that doesn't have the bonus disc I am not sure how limited it is.

A Tribute to Judas Priest: Legends of Metal" (Century Media) 1. Helloween "The Hellion/Electric Eye" (4:05) 2. Fates Warning "Saints in Hell" (5:06) 3. Gamma Ray "Victim of Changes" (7:20) 4. Devin Townsend "Sinner" (7:55) 5. Mercyful Fate "The Ripper" (2:51) 6. Rage "Jawbreaker" (3:26) 7. Radaka "Night Crawler" (5:51) 8. Doom Squad "Burnin' Up" (3:57) 9. Lions Share "A Touch of Evil" (5:39) 10.Testament "Rapid Fire" (3:42) 11.U.D.O. "Metal Gods" (4:09) 12.Saxon "You've Got Another Thing Comin'" (5:31)

A Tribute to Judas Priest: Legends of Metal Vol. II" (Century Media) 1. Iced Earth "The Ripper" (2:44) 2. Blind Guardian "Beyond the Realms of Death" (7:02) 3. Heavens Gate "The Sentinel" (5:00) 4. Nevermore "Love Bites" (5:21) 5. Gamma Ray featuring Ralf Sheepers "Exciter" (5:01) 6. Forbidden "Dissident Aggressor" (2:45) 7. Angra "Painkiller" (6:04) 8. Overkill "Tyrant" (4:00) 9. Kreator "Grinder" (3:57) 10. Skyclad "Dreamer Deceiver" (4:05) 11. Stratovarius "Bloodstone" (3:55) 12. Virgin Steele "Screaming for Vengeance" (5:11) 13. Leviathan "Night Comes Down" (4:19)

These two discs are AWESOME!!! Every Priest fan should have them. Most of these bands are legends themselves, especially bands like Saxon and Fates Warning. What more could anyone ask for but some of my favorite bands covering songs from one of my all time favorite bands. Did I mention these discs are AWESOME?

Hell Bent for Metal-Tribute to Judas Priest (Dwell) 1999

1. Angel Corpse - "Eat Me Alive" (3:36)
2. Sanctorum - "Hell Patrol" (3:52)
3. Winters Bane -"Steeler" (4:49)
4. Agent Steel - "Beyond the Realms of Death" (6:44)
5. Scary German Guy - "Electric Eye" (3:21)
6. Soulless - "Hell Bent for Leather" (2:38)
7. Equinox - "The Ripper" (2:59)
8. Aurora Boreallis - "Metal Meltdown" (4:13)
9. Steel Prophet "Dreamer Deceiver" (5:29)
10. Crematorium - "Breaking the Law" (2:07)
11. Prototype "The Sentinel" (4:51)
12. Division - "Desert Plains" (4:04)
13. Vital Remains - "You've Got Another Thing Coming" (4:45)

Agent Steel's "Beyond the Realms of Death" was the main reason I purchased this disc. There are a few other stellar tracks like Steel Prophet's "Dreamer Deceiver" and Winter Bane's "Steeler." (Steel Prophet's cover also appears on their 'Genesis' cd.) I found the Division cover of "Desert Plains" to be surprisingly well done as well, although it stays pretty close to the original version. Scary German Guy's version of "Hell Bent for Leather" is an amusing novelty, mostly because of the shrill vocal performance. Same is true of Aurora Boreallis, who employ a black metal style vocalist, although their guitar lead sucked. Angel Corpse pull off a decent death metal version of "Eat Me Alive." Prototype's cover of "The Sentinel" is also not bad. The rest of this cd sucks royally! It's mostly just a bunch of Cannibal Corpse wanna-bees butchering classic Priest songs. Equinox, who are not the Norwegian thrash band of the same name, pull off the WORST version of "The Ripper" I have ever heard. Absolutely terrible vocals. Vital Remains cover of "You've Got Another Thing Coming" gave me dry heaves. I think I'd rather hear Britney Spears and N'Sync botching up Aerosmith's 'Walk this Way' at the Super Bowl again than ever submit myself to this garbage. Well, what can I expect for $2.99? At least I finally have the Agent Steel track. That track alone was worth the three bucks. It's too bad that track wasn't on the Century Media Judas Priest tribute, then I would have saved myself $3.

A Tribute to The Priest (Nuclear Blast) 2002

1. Annihilator - "Hell Bent for Leather" (2:49)
2. Primal Fear - "Metal Gods" (3:37)
3. Skid Row w/ Rob Halford - "Delivering the Goods" [live] (4:50)
4. Witchery- "Riding On the Wind" (2:47)
5. Iced Earth - "Screaming for Vengeance" (4:36)
6. Siebenbugen - "Jawbreaker" (3:54)
7. Hammerfall - "Breaking the Law" (2:11)
8. Benediction - "Electic Eye" (4:17)
9. Death - "Painkiller" (6:01)
10. Silent Force - "All Guns Blazing" (3:24)
11. Steel Prophet - "Dreamer, Deceiver" (5:24)
12. Armored Saint - "Never Satisfied" (4:34)
13. Therion - "Green Manalishi" (3:21)
14. Thunderstone - "Diamonds & Rust" (3:25)

Yet another Judas Priest tribute. I think Priest are only second behind Black Sabbath or Aerosmith for the number of tribute CDs out. This one is a compilation of different Priest covers that were recorded on the various band's albums. There are a couple of tracks exclusive to this CD, but for the most part these songs have been released before. However, it is nice to have these tracks compiled onto one disc. There are only a couple of tracks on here that I don't care for, and even these aren't bad. For the most part each and every band does a more than acceptable job covering the mighty Priest. One of the more disappointing tracks is by one of my favorite bands. Hammerfall's version of "Breaking the Law", while musically impressive, has a poor vocal performance. I really wish they would have recorded this track with their regular vocalist, Joacim Cans, singing rather than guitarist Oscar Dronjak. While this is impressive when they switch in a live setting, in a recording situation it isn't as impressive. This track was originally released as a b-side on the "Always Will Be" single. Death's version of "Painkiller" is one of the highlights of this disc. Chuck really gives the vocal performance of his life on this track. This track is taken from their "Sound of Perseverance" CD. I think this is the third or fourth disc I own with Steel Prophet's "Dreamer Deceiver." Regardless, an excellent cover with a killer vocal performance. I was surprised to see Skid Row included on this disc, but their cover of "Delivering the Goods" is quite good. This track was originally released on the "B-Side Themselves" EP. The worst track is probably "Jawbreaker" by Siebenbugen. While the music is pretty similar to the original Priest version, the black metal vocals just sound out of place. Overall, however, "A Tribute to the Priest" is yet another stellar Priest tribute, that is a nice addition to the equally stellar Century Media tributes to Priest.

Kiss My Ass-classic KISS Regrooved (Mercury)

1.   Lenny Kravitz - "Deuce" (4:10)
2.   Garth Brooks - "Hard Luck Woman" (3:14)
3.   Anthrax - "She" (4:53)
4.   Gin Blossoms - "Christine Sixteen"(3:09)
5.   Toad The Wet Sprocket - "Rock and Roll All Night" (2:54)
6.   Shandi's Addiction - "Calling Dr. Love" (4:51)
7.   Dinosaur Jr - "Goin' Blind" (3:24)
8.   Extreme - "Strutter" (4:39)
9.   Lemonheads - "Plaster Caster" (3:02)
10.   The Mighty Mighty Bosstones - "Detroit Rock City" (4:21)
11.   Yoshiki - "Black Diamond" (7:07)

Leave it to Kiss to put out their own tribute cd. This is one of those tributes that is really hard to sit down and listen to all the way through due to the varied music styles. Rumor was that there were suppose to be more heavy bands on this project like the Galactic Cowboys, Ugly Kid Joe and Megadeth. Who knows what happened to those. The Cowboys did release "I Want You" on their own "Feel the Rage" ep and were thanked in the liner notes. Megadeth are mentioned in a recorded phone message from Gene Simmons in the opening to "Detroit Rock City." In any case, the highlights of this disc for me are "She" by Anthrax (the forth KISS song they have done), "Strutter" by Extreme and surprisingly "Detroit Rock City" by The Mighty Mighty Bosstones. The sax solo in place of the guitar solo is hilarious. I think the only song that did anything on the charts was ìHard Luck Womanî by Garth Brooks which was never actually released as a single. Kiss my Ass is a novelty collectorís item with a few choice jems, but a lot of stinkers. This cd is also known as Kiss My Asterick as some versions have astericks in place of the "ss" in "Kiss My A**." Bought mine for a mere $5.99.

A Tribute to the Creatures of the Night (Nuclear Blast) 2002

1. Hammerfall - "Detroit Rock City" (3:53)
2. Skid Row - "C'mon and Love Me" (3:23)
3. Helloween - "I Stole Your Love" (3:31)
4. Pretty Maids - "Hard Luck Woman" (3:25)
5. Anthrax - "Parasite" (3:15)
6. Galactic Cowboys - "I Want You" (4:08)
7. Six Feet Under - "War Machine" (4:27)
8. Hypocristy - "Strange Ways" (3:25)
9. Doro - "Only You" (4:21)
10. Maryslim - "Comin' Home" (2:40)
11. The Melvins - "Going Blind" (4:33)
12. Iced Earth - "Creatures of the Night" (4:01)
13. Overkill - "Deuce" (3:06)
14. Bathory - "Black Diamond" (6:11)

Ahhh, now this is a Kiss tribute! Nothing at all to complain about here! Many of these tracks were previously released, but it's still cool to have them all on one CD. At least there are no orchestras, disco wannabes, or country artists on this tribute. Couple of things to boast on, Hypocrisy manage to resurrect one of the forgotten gems of the Kiss catalgue, Ace's "Strange Ways". Freakin' killer song that Hypocrisy does justice to. The Melvins cut is also quite good. I had actually heard this cover before. A friend I work with is a fan of the whole punk-alternative-college rock stuff. Knowing I am a huge Kiss fan he brought this track in to play for me and I was impressed, but not impressed enough to actually own a Melvins CD. So, it's very cool to have this obscure cover included here. Another excellent and obscure choice to boot. The Galactic Cowboys tracks simply rules! Doro's take on "Only You" is actually an improvement over the original. I knew that a death metal band would eventually cover "War Machine". That songs just sounds like a death metal track, even when Kiss recorded it. It's just so stinkin' heavy. (See my Kiss page where I commented several years ago that a death metal band needs to cover this song.) Really there is not a song on here I don't think it excellent.

Spacewalk-A Tribute to Ace Frehley (Shrapnel)

1. "Duece" -Marty Friedman (3:47)
2. "Shock Me" -Gilby Clarke (3:23)
3. "Rip It Out" -Anthrax w/ Scott Ian & Gilby Clarke lead vox (3:47)
4. "Hard Luck Woman" -Ron Young & Jeff Watson (3:11)
5. "Snowblind" -Snake Sabo (4:01)
6. "Rock Bottom" -Sebastian Bach (3:07)
7. "Parasite" -Tracii Guns (3:16)
8. "Cold Gin" -John Norum (4:10)
9. "New York Groove" -Bruce Bouillet (4:52)
10. "Fractured Mirror" -Dimebag Darrel (6:35)

I like this tribute better than the "official" Kiss My Ass tribute that Gene Simmons put together. This tribute is more consistent and features less styles of music, which in my opinion, makes for a more liteneable album overall. One similarity is that Anthrax appears on both tributes, although doing different songs. Most of the drumwork throughout the album is done by Scott Travis (Judas Priest/Fight). Most surprising song to me was the pehnomenal "Fractured Mirror" with Dimebag shredding all over, even surpassing the original if that is possible. Most of the songs don't stray far from the originals, however, creative liscense was used here and there, especially on some of the solos. The once solo I wish wasn't messed with is in "Shock Me" as it is such an intregal part of the song. It's almost like changing the lyrics; it's just not the same. Overall, however, a killer tribute to a guitarist who definetely had his own style and charisma-Ace! ACE RULES!

Gods of Thunder - Norwegian Kiss Tribute (Voices of Wonder) 2005

1 "Intro" (:47)
2 "Detroit Rock City" - Ronni Le Tekro & Tony Harnell (3:47)
3 "I Was Made For Loving You" - Wig Wam & Bruce Kulick (4:04)
4 "Sure Know Something" - Espen Lind (4:15)
5 "Crazy Crazy Nights" - Kurt Nilsen (3:44)
6 "Getaway" -The Carburetors (2:32)
7 "I Just Wanna" - Kissettes (4:07)
8 "Beth" - Stage Dolls (2:56)
9 "Parasite" - Span (3:47)
10 "Uh! All Night" - Diabla (4:08)
11 "She" - Unmasked (4:59)
12 "Shout It Out Loud" - Surferosa (3:40)
13 "Mr. Blackwell" - Lost At Last (4:05)
14 "I Love It Loud - Kvikksolvguttene (3:20)
15 "God Of Thunder" - Shirleys Temple (3:24)
16 "Tomorrow" - The 3856 (3:08)
17 "Strange Ways" -Ulver (4:19)
18 "C'mon And Love Me" - Smalltown Rockets (2:49)
19 "The Magic Kiss Medley" - Satin (5:08)
20 "Rock 'n' Roll All Nite" - Steinjo Erlend (3:11)

Kick butt tribute album to the might American rock and roll machine! "Gods of Thunder" features a wide array of bands, styles and song choices from some of Norway's best known acts including Ulver ("Strange Ways"), Ronni Le Tekro & Tony Harnell ("Detroit Rock City"), Wig Wam ("I Was Made For Loving You") and a smokin' version "I Just Wanna" by all female tribute band Kissettes. Former Kiss guitarist Bruce Kulick (1984-1996) appears on Wig Wam's rendition of "I Was Made For Loving You" as well. The CD starts of strong with TNT's melodic metal version of "Detroit Rock City". An excellent cover for sure. Far better than Hammerfall's version from a couple years earlier. Ronni Le Tekro and Tony Harnell made the song their own. I was also pleasantly surprised by the rendition of "Crazy Crazy Nights" by Kurt Nilsen. Nilsen has managed to make the song into an acoustic ballad that actually works. The Carburetors pull off a fantastic hard rocking version of "Getaway". Surferosa managed to make a very recognizable Kiss anthem sound like something off a Devo record. Shirley's Temple conform "God of Thunder" into an upbeat modern rock song. Not a big fan of the style but there is not denying that the band made the song their own. I must confess I was really surprised by some of the obscure song choices here as well. Songs like "Mr. Blackwell", "Uh! All Night", "Sure Know Something", "Strange Ways", "Tomorrow" and "I Just Wanna" are songs I don't think I have seen covered by anyone before. Satin's medley of Kiss songs is interesting, but a bit annoying at the same time. There isn't enough of one song to be cohesive. I don't even want to spend the time to go through the list of 30-40 songs they crammed together in just over five minutes. There are a few other less than stellar tracks, such as the weak, alterna-metal version of "I Love It Loud" and the lame, stiff version of "Rock 'n' Roll All Nite" that ends this CD. However, overall, this is a very good tribute CD.

The Spirit of the Back Rose-A Tribute to Phillip Parris Lynott (Record Heaven) 2000

Now this is a tribute cd! Even the worst songs aren't bad, and the best songs are downright fabulous. Of course being a huge Thin Lizzy and Phil Lynott fan since I was a kid, I guess they couldn't really go wrong. Hmmm, perhaps I should not have said that as I have been a huge Aerosmith fan for that long too and look at the terrible "Janie's Got a Gun" cd. Anyhow, the song selection here is stupendous. Most of the songs are Thin Lizzy numbers, but there are a few from his solo albums and from Gary Moore's solo discs as well. Most notable is Roy Z's Tribe Of Gypsies doing "Parisienne Walkways." This song features the vocal talents of ex-Seventhsign singer Gregg Analla. Both discs start off with a spoken poem written by Phil. Disc one is Phil's mom reciting "Dublin." The packaging on this disc is also worth mentioning. The double disc features two booklets; one of each disc. The discs themselves are interesting as one is a gold cd while the other is silver. There are plenty of cool liner notes, many of which were written by the band's who are paying tribute. The bands themselves are from all around the globe, which is very cool, some being well known, international bands, others being Thin Lizzy tribute bands, and still others popular local acts. This one is well worth my hard earned cash. Picked it up directly through the Southern Rock Allstars' website.

Emerald - A Tribute To The Wild One (Phil Lynott/Thin Lizzy Tribute) (Nuclear Blast) 2003

1. Skyclad - "Emerald" (3:35)
2. John Norum - "Wild One" (4:20)
3. Primal Fear - "Out in the Fields" (3:58)
4. Anthrax - "Cowboy Song" (5:03)
5. Six Feet Under - "Jailbreak" (4:08)
6. Sinner - "The Sun Goes Down" (6:11)
7. Running Wild - "Genocide" (4:47)
8. Pretty Maids - "Please Don' Leave Me" (5:15)
9. Pegazus - "Warriors" (3:46)
10. Godgory - "This Is The One" (3:24)
11. Mordred - "Johnny the Fox" (3:14)
12. Gardenian - "Gotta Give It Up" (4:49)
13. Steel Prophet - "Massacre" (3:30)
14. Therion - "Southbound" (4:16)
15. Chinchilla - "The Boys Are Back In Town" (5:47)

AWESOME! I can't get enough Thin Lizzy, so having some of my favorite band's covering Thin Lizzy is just as cool. Many of these tracks I already own on various other albums, however, it's still very cool to have them on one compilation. Unfortunately a few were left off that I would have included, like Metallica's "Whiskey in a Jar," Iron Maiden's cover of "Massacre", Helloween's "Cold Swear", Gothic Slam's "Thunder & Lightning", 21 Gun's "King's Vengeance" and Gamma Ray's "Angel of Death". That minor complaint aside, what we are left with is fifteen tracks of pummelling heavy metal covers of some of Thin Lizzy's finest. Of course Anthrax's cover of "Cowboy Song" is a classic cover. One that surprised me was Six Feet Under's stellar recording of "Jailbreak." For some reason this song lends itself well to the gutteral growls of death metal. I was also very happy to see a new Steel Prophet cover. I had read that they were done contributing to these 'tribute' type CDs. Don't know why, they always do a stellar job, and this CD is no exception to the rule. Primal Fear's "Out in the Fields" is a bit out of place, due to the fact that it is not a Thin Lizzy song. This tracks was originally written and recorded by Gary Moore, Phil Lynott's close friend and musical companion. However, Phil did sing on the original recording of this song as well as record the bass parts, if I remember correctly. John Norum has long been a Thin Lizzy fan and has apparently recorded many Lizzy numbers. Certainly "Wild One" was a good choice. Overall, an excellent CD paying homage to Phil and the boys. This one will no doubt be a frequent player for me.

Under the Influence - A Jam Band Tribute to Lynyrd Skynyrd (Sanctuary) 2004

1. "Call Me The Breeze" - Lester Claypool (3:50)
2. "Saturday Night Special" - Galactic (3:59)
3. "Simple Man" - Gov't Mule (7:56)
4. "Whiskey Rock A Roller" - North Mississippi Allstars (4:34)
5. "The Ballad Of Curtis Loew" - Moe/John Hiatt (4:53)
6. "Free Bird" - Blues Traveler (5:38)
7. "Every Mother's Son" - Drive By Truckers (4:47)
8. "Sweet Home Alabama" - Big Head Todd & The Monsters (3:37)
9. "Gimme Three Steps" - Disco Biscuits (3:34)
10. "Four Walls Of Raiford" - Yonder Mountain String Band (4:05)
11. "Workin' For MCA" - Particle (7:12)

This is an interesting tribute CD. Whereas many of the tributes I have feature bands covering the featured band, this one contains bands interpreting songs by the feature band. Not even one of these songs really sticks closely to the originals, and that can either be a good or bad thing. In the case of "Call Me the Breeze" by Les Claypool, that is a good thing. I really dig his funky, bass driven take on the song. However, "Free Bird" doesn't quite work as well for me. Perhaps this song is just to big of a hit to interpret it any differently than it was originally played. To me this song just comes off as awkward. Overall, however, an enjoyable disc, albeit one that will most certainly require me to be in a the right mood for.

Overload-A Tribute to METALLICA (Dwell)

1. Crematorium "Whiplash" (4:04)
2. From the Depths "Creeping Death" (6:17)
3. Terror "Jump in the Fire" (4:27)
4. Habeas Corpus "Fight Fire With Fire" (4:54)
5. Diesel Machine "The Thing That Should Not Be" (6:37)
6. Steel Prophet "Fade to Black" (6:44)
7. Prototype "Trapped Under Ice" (4:03)
8. Sickness "The Eye of the Beholder" (6:22)
9. Fongus "Enter Sandman" (4:54)
10. Castle of Pain "King Nothing" (4:34)
11. Fist "Damage, Inc." (4:16)
12. Engrave "Metal Militia" (5:20)

Well at least Dwell picked metal bands to cover Metallica songs. That's about the best I can say about this tribute. Most of these covers are pretty poor. There are a couple of exceptions, "Whiplash" by Crematorium is very cool. Steel Prophet, the only band on here I am familiar with, do a respectable version of "Fade to Black." The cover art is pretty funny as well. Found this used for $8.99. Hmm, wasn't worth it.

Metallic Attack - The Ultimate Metallica Tribute Album (Big Deal Records) 2004

1. Motorhead - "Whiplash" (3:48)
2. Flotsam & Jetsam - "Damage, Inc" (4:15)
3. Tommy Victor, Nuno Bettencourt, Joey Vera, Scott Travis - "Enter Sandman" (5:36)
4. Death Angel "Trapped Under Ice" (3:57)
5. Joe Lynn Turner, Bruce Kulick, Bob Kulick, Gregg Bissonette, Tony Franklin - "Nothing Else Matters" (6:30)
6. Page Hamilton, Scott Ian, Balsko - "Motorbreath" (3:23)
7. Chuck Billy/Alex Skolnick - "Holier Than Thou" (3:48)
8. Whitfield Crane, Rocky George, Randy Castillo, Mike Inez - "Master Of Puppets" (8:39)
9. Life After Death - "Eye Of The Beholder" (6:16)
10. Dark Angel - "Creeping Death" (5:44)

Yet another in a long line of tribute albums put together by Bob Kulick. This time, rather than just a bunch of odd musicians thrown together in a studio, there are some real band inclusions here. What made this CD essential to me was Motorhead doing "Whiplash", Flotsam & Jetsam doing "Damage, Inc." and reunited bands Death Angel and Dark Angel doing "Trapped Under Ice" and "Creeping Death". Unfortunately for Dark Angel, this song and a couple of shows in California were as far as the reunion went. "Holier than Thou" featuring Alex Skolnick and Chuck Billy sounds exactly like what you would expect from Testament, even though it's not actually all the members of Testament recording this song. "Master of Puppet" is probably the most generic sounding song of the bunch. The music stick pretty close to the original, but the overall performance isn't as energetic as the original, nor did I like the clean breakdown as much. The song features Randy Castillo (R.I.P.) on drums. The rest of the songs are done well too making for and overall good listen.

Modification-A Tribute to Steve Rowe and Mortification (Rowe) 1998

1. Rosanna's Raiders "One Man" (4:07)
2. Petrol Money "Liquid Assets" (3:27)
3. Pots of Plastic "Lovesong" (4:25)
4. R.U.G. "Nocturnal" (3:28)
5. Cybergrind "Scrolls of the Megilloth" (4:20)
6. Roma "Your Life" (3:33)
7. Teramaze "Northern Storm" (3:38)
8. Wrench "Impulsation" (6:11)
9. Wise Guys "Noah Was A Knower" (5:47)
10. Mortification & Friends "Metal Missionary" (4:58)

This tribute was put out by friends of Steve Rowe in an effort to raise money for Steve's leukemia treatment. Many people did not expect Steve to live although thousands were praying for him and sending him donations. My own little church even took up an offering for Steve and sent it to him. Well, miraculosly, Steve pulled through and has NO SIGN of the cancer in his body! If ever there was a reason to say "Praise God," this would be it. In any case, I bought this disc to help Steve but I don't care for most of the covers on it. Mortification is a death/thrash band and some of the artists that covered Morty's songs are far removed from that style. Ther are a few exceptions like Teramaze's awesome version of "Northern Storm." R.U.G. actually make a HEAVIER version of "Nocturnal," if that is possible. Also like the Lightforce cover that the other members of Mortification did ("Metal Missionary"). Rosanna's Raiders original song dedicated to Steve is also cool. Biggest joke Roma "Your Life" and Wise Guys "Noah Was A Knower." Both of these covers should be illegal as they are just that bad.

Bulletproof Fever - Tribute to Ted Nugent (Dead Line) 2001

1. "Cat Scratch Fever" - John Corabi [Union] (3:45)
2. "Stanglehold" - Marq Torien [Bulletboys] (8:28)
3. "Hey Baby" - Taime Downe [Faster Pussycat] (4:02)
4. "Just What the Doctor Ordered" - Kory Clarke [Warrior Soul] (3:37)
5. "Journey to the Center of the Mind" -Phil Lewis [L.A. Guns] (3:40)
6. "Wango Tango" -Steve Rachelle [Tuff] (4:52)
7. "Motorcity Madhouse" -Kelly Hanson [Hurricane] (4:25)
8. "Wang, Dang Sweet Poontang" -Alex Mitchell [Circus of Power] (3:17)
9. "Free For All" -Jani Lane [Warrant] (3:13)
10. "Dog Eat Dog" -Jizzy Pearl [Love Hate/Ratt] (4:05)
11. "Need You Bad" -Spike [London Quireboyz] (4:17)

Ted Nugent is one of my all time favorite artists. I can never get enough of his gonzo craziness and guitar wankery. So, because of this I have always wanted to pick up a copy of this tribute, but for years it escaped me. Ebay buys with more money than brains always took the bidding up to high and I never ran across it in any stores. So it was with much anticipation I awaited a package from a friend in Chicago with this CD in it. Upon arrival I popped it into the CD player and cranked it up. Guitar duties here are split between Jake E Lee (Badlands/Ozzy) and Dj Ashba. Nugent's style and charisma is next to impossible to duplicate, however these two axe slingers did a decent job, although I don't think anyone quite captured that same Nugent charm. (Who could?) The same problem holds true for the vocalists, especially on songs like "Wango Tango". Steve Rachelle is a competent vocalist for sure, but he just doesn't have that some Motor City Madman attitude that makes this song work. Despite my complaints, however, "Bulletproof Fever" is an enjoyable listen from time to time. While no one will ever be able to match Uncle Ted, Jake E and his batch of ragtags cohorts (including Randy Castillo on drums) did a fine job of trying.

Never Say Dinosaur (A Tribute to Petra) (Star Song) 1996

1 "Taste and See" -Audio Adrenaline (3:35)
2 "Judas' Kiss" -Walter Eugenes (4:33)
3 "Not of This World" -Galactic Cowboys (5:29)
4 "Yahweh Love" -Sarah Jahn (5:12)
5 "I Can Be Friends With You" -MXPX (2:43)
6 "Rose Colored Stained Glass Windows" -Jars Of Clay (4:17)
7 "Louie's Solo" -Kevin Smith, Passafist (5:32)
8 "Road to Zion" -Sixpence None The Richer (5:42)
9 "Pied Piper" -Stand (3:28)
10 "Wake Up" -Grammatrain (3:44)
11 "The Coloring Song" -Caprill And My Sister's Garden (4:01)
12 "All the King's Horses" -Plankeye (5:47)

My initial interest in this CD was for the Galactic Cowboys cover of "Not of the World", which is a very fitting song for them. I do like Petra, and was curious about the other songs on here. Well, I finally acquired this CD and as I suspected, the only redeeming value is the Galactic Cowboys cut. Most of the rest of the songs are average to downright lame. The Grammatrain song was also decent.

Cozy Powell Forever (Electric Angel/Japan) 1998

1. "Overture 1812" [instrumental] (3:48)
2. "Stargazer" (8:29)
3. "Over The Top" [instrumental] (5:18)
4. "Lost In Hollywood" (4:50)
5. "The Score" [instrumental] (4:16)
6. "Kill the King" (4:37)
7. "Theme One" [instrumental] (4:00)
8. "Ice Cream Cakes" (5:42)
9. "All Night Long" (3:54)
10. "Since You Been Gone" (3:23)
11. "Slide It In" (3:26)
12. "Armed and Ready" (4:52)
13. "The Loner" [instrumental] (4:55)

A tribute to consumate drummer Cozy Powell, who has played in some of the most influencial bands in the history of rock. It's an interesting tribute in that most of the musicians are made up of Loudness or Sly members. With the exception of bassist Tony Franklin and drummer Carmine Appice, most of the musicians are Japanese as well. The musicianship on this album is awesome! I was impressed on the very first listen. I must confess, despite being a big fan of Minuro's (Loudness/Sly) vocal style, I found it odd hearing him sing such classics as "Stargazer" and "Kill the King". Sly drummer Munetaka Higuchi pulls off a nice drum solo at the end of "Over the Top." The guitar work througout the disc is striking as well. Both Shinichior (Sly) and Akira (Loudness) pull off some shredding guitar solos. The tracks being covered were originally recorded by an number of different artists including Emerson, Lake and Powell, Rainbow, Micheal Schenker Group, Jeff Beck and Whitesnake. (Thanks for the excellent disc James.)

Super Rock Summit-Cozy Powell Forever Tour in Tokyo (Ayers/Japan) 1999

1. "Kill the King" (5:21)
2. "War Pigs" (8:32)
3. "Mistreated" (10:04)
4. "Still I'm Sad" (3:41)
5. "Higuchi's Drum Solo '98" (8:40)
6. "Burn" (6:09)
7. "Long Live Rock 'n Roll" (4:55)
8. "Stargazer" (9:02)
9. "A Light in the Black" (9:40)
10. "All Night Long" (7:04)

This disc is hard to catagorize. I could have put it on the Loudness page or the Sly page since it is basically those two bands performing all these tracks live. I ended up putting it on the tribute page, but not all these songs really have anything to do with Cozy Powell. "War Pigs" is the classic Black Sabbath track and "Burn" is the Deep Purple classic, neither of which Cozy Powell had nothing to do with as far as I know. Regardless, I went with the name of the disc "Cozy Powell Forever Tour in Tokyo." So, what of the music? Well, as with the Cozy Powell studio tribute disc, I find the Japanese interpretations of these classic metal songs to be quite compelling. Unlike the studio versions, however, these live tracks are a bit more aggressive and heavier. Hearing Loudness' Minoro belt out "War Pigs" was amusing. However, the vocals are a bit weak on "Burn" compared to legendary Glenn Hughes. However, I still find it interesting hearing the high, thickly accented vocals on top of these classic tracks. As usual Loudness' Akira Takashi totally annihilates on the guitar and certainly steals the show. In case anyone is wondering, yes, track five is a nine minute drum solo by Munetaka Higuchi (Sly). Nice packaging and that cool little obi strip complete the package. Great disc. (Thanks James!)

Dragon Attack-a tribute to QUEEN (D-Rock)

1. "I Want It All" (w/ Robin McAuley, Chris Impellitteri, Bob Kulick, Edward Harris Roth, Joay Schellen)
2. "Sheer Heart Attack" (w/ James LaBrie, Marty Friedman, Tony Frankiln, Carmine Appice)
3. "Another One Bites the Dust" (w/ Adam, John Petrucci, Rudy Sarzo, Tommy Aldridge)
4. "Save Me" (w/ Jeff Scott Soto, Bruce & Bob Kulick, Michaels Sherwood, Ricky Phillips, Eric Singer)
5. "We Will Rock You" (w/ Paul Shortino, Bob Kulick, Jay Schellen, Matt Laurent)
6. "We Are the Champions" (w/ Paul Shortino, Robby Kreger, Bob Kulick, Michael Sherwood, Tony Franklin, Carmine Appice)
7. "Tie You Mother Down" (w/ Lemmy Kilmister, Ted Nugent, Bob Kulick, Rudy Sarzo, Tommy Aldridge)
8. "Get Down Make Love" (w/ Glenn Hughes, Jake E. Lee, Bob Kulick, Tony Franklin, Carmine Appice)
9. "Keep Yourself Alive" (w/ Marc Boals, Yngwie Malmsteen, Rudy Sarzo, Tommy Aldridge)
10. "One Vision" (w/ James LaBrie, Bruce Bouillet, Bob Kulick, Ricky Phillips, Jay Schellen, Mike Portnay)
11. "It's Late" (Anthrax w/ John Bush & Scott Ian)

I stumbled across this disc in a cut out bin for $2.50. I almost passed it up until I saw that Ted Nugent and Lemmy (Motorhead) were teamed up to do "Tie Your Mother Down." Now how could I resist a combination like that? On top of this members of such stellar bands as Dream Theatre, KISS, Armored Saint, Anthrax, Yngwie Malmsteen, MSG, are teamed up to pay tribute to one of rock's legendary bands . This is a good tribute with part of the proceeds going to benefit AIDS research.

Metal Crusade: Tribute to Saxon (Dwell) 2001

1. Steel Prophet - "The Eagle Has Landed" (6:56)
2. October 31 - "Power and the Glory" (5:45)
3. Diary - "20,000 Feet" (3:25)
4. Agent Steel - "Heavy Metal Thunder" (3:30)
5. Deceased - "Fire in the Sky" (3:28)
6. Black Earth - "Set Me Free" (2:50)
7. Premonition - "Dallas 1 P.M." (6:20)
8. Tyrant - "Strangers in the Night" (5:09)
9. Brazen - "This Town Rocks" (4:03)
10. Abattoir - "Motorcycle Man" (3:48)
11. Silent Shadows - "Rockin N' Roll Gypsy" (4:33)

Saxon are certainly a band deserving of a tribute. I was leary of this CD though, as Dwell tends to include a lot of black and death metal bands that usually totally botch up classic metal tracks. That is not hte case here though. Steel Prophet's cover of "The Eagle Has Landed" is worth the price of admission alone. Seriously, this is one of the best cover songs that Steel Prophet have done yet, and they have done quite a few. October 31 pull off an admirable cover of "Power and the Glory". King's voice works better on this track than on Deceased's cover of "Fire in the Sky." (Both bands are fronted by King Fowley.) Agent Steel's cover of "Heavy Metal Thunder" is excellent as well. Tyrant are a band I have like for a long time, but their inclusion here is terrible. The vocals are just aweful and totally ruin the song. Abattoir are a band I have herd of but am unfamiliar with. Their track here actually has peaked my interest in them, so I may have to look into some of their original material. Silent Shadows closes things off with a decent cover of "Rock n' Roll Gypsy." All together, on of Dwell Records better tribute discs. Not solid from beginning to end, but not a bad listen either. Unfortunately after Steel Prophet steals the show, the rest can't measure up.

Isaiah 53:3-A Tribute to STRYPER (1340 Records)

1. Disciple - "More than a Man" (3:53)
2. Blood n Fire - "Surrender" (4:28)
3. Free - "Lonely" (3:55)
4. Fringe - "The World of You & I" (4:21)
5. Augensristall - "The Abyss" (4:22)
6. Nailed - "To Hell With The Devil" (3:32)
7. Derron's Tuba - "Soldier's Under Command" (5:21)
8. One Bad Apple - "You Know What To Do"(4:50)
9. The World Inside - "Honestly" (4:46)
10. Honeymooner - "Calling On You" (4:49)
11. Aimee Clark - "I Believe in You" (3:20)
12. Estis P@RC - "It's Up To You" (3:56)
13. Antioch - "Free" (3:43)
14. Wonderboy Phd - "Makes Me Wanna Sing" (3:01)
15. Blood n Fire w/ Racing Elijah - "Loving You" (4:11)

Stryper were one of my favorite bands in the 80's. They were one of the few Christian bands that were ever successful in breaking into the mainstream market, so I think a tribute to them is justified. This is the second Stryper tribute I have bought. The first, Sweet Family Music-A Stryper Tribute, was more of a mockery than a tribute. Even the cover mocked the band with a bunch of bare foot nerds holding up Stryper records. What is it with these cheesy tributes? Techno bands and lame alternative bands do not belong on a heavy metal tribute? I got rid of that piece of trash. Well, "Isaiah 53:5" is not much better. Cuts 1 and 2 are passable. Nailed's heavy groove version of "To Hell With the Devil" is the best song on the cd. "Lonely" sounds like a sick cat is trying to sing; "The World of Your & I" just plain sucks; "The Abyss" wasn't even a song, it was just an album opener, so to do a cover version and call it a song is a joke. "Soldier's Under Command" is done by a band called Derron's Tuba, enough said? One Bad Apple presents a lame version of "You Know What to Do." "Honestly" as performed by The World Inside is so bad it's embarrassing. "It's Up To You" made me want to puke. Wonderboy Phd's version of "Wanna Sing" makes me wonder why these guys haven't been put out of their misery. The rest of the performances are not even worth mentioning. I'm so sick of these labels putting out BAD tributes just to cash in on a name. The music on this disc would not appeal to fans of Stryper, so I guess I wasted my hard earned cash. For a good example of a Stryper tribute see Guardian's "The Yellow & Black Attack is Back."

The Yellow & Black Attack is Back-Tribute to STRYPER (see Guardian page)

Jump in the Pit-A Tribute to TESTAMENT (Dwell)

1. Fury - "Dog Faced Gods" (3:52)
2. Wasteland - "Time Is Coming" (5:03)
3. Prototype - "Into the Pit" (2:49)
4. Scary German Guy - "Face in the Sky" (4:09)
5. Cold - "Perilous Nation" (5:14)
6. Ultimatum - "Sins of Omission" (4:43)
7. Horror of Horrors - "Return to Serenity" (4:25)
8. Catch 22 - "Trial by Fire" (4:38)
9. Blackend - "Practice What You Preach" (3:55)
10. Delusion - "Ride" (2:39)
11. Habeas Corpus - "Nightmare" (2:31)

This is one of the better Dwell Records tributes as even the death metal bands do justice to Testament's arsenal of songs. Favorites are Fury's charged up version of "Dog Faced Gods," Ultimatum's- "Sins of Omission," (of course!) Catch 22's-"Trial by Fire," and Blackend's- "Practice What You Preach." The only song I don't like is "Return to Serenity" as done by Horror of Horrors. Frankly I just don''t like the vocals. The other 10 songs are a good listen! Fury and Ultimatum have smokin' guitar lead work. "Nightmare" was engineered and mixed by ex-Testament guitarist James Murphy. (Big deal!) Actually one of the more listened to tribute discs in my collection.

Thrash or be Thrashed - An International Tribute to Thrash (Blackfish) 2003

1. Barcode - "Peace Sells" [Megadeth] (3:23)
2. I Defy - "Torch This Place [Razor] (2:50)
3. Descent - "Into the Pit" [Testament] (2:54)
4. Unite - "For Whom the Bell Tolls" [Metallica] (4:48)
5. D.B.N. - "Empty Tankard" [Tankard] (3:09)
6. Exit Wound - "Hook in Mouth [Megadeth] (4:47)
7. December - "Seemingly Endless Time [Death Angel] (3:29)
8. Carnun Rising - "South of Heaven" [Slayer] (4:36)
9. Assert - "Ace of Spades" [Motorhead] (2:17)
10. Phallice - "W.T.Y.D. [Annihilator] (4:06)
11. Ownfight - "Into the Crypt of Rays" [Celtic Frost] (3:25)
12. Ted Maul - "Thanx for Nothing" [Overkill] (3:56)
13. Ghoul - "Skull Beneath the Skin" [Megadeth] (3:51)
14. I Adapt - "New Song" [Nuclear Assault] (3:11)
15. Straight Hate - "Black Magic" [Slayer] (3:43)
16. Co-Exist - Overkill Medley [Overkill] (6:04)
17. Argento "Black Breath" [Repulsion] (2:30)
18. Inside Conflict - "The American Way" [Sacred Reich] (2:22)
19. Stampin' Ground - "Calling the Coroner" [Vio-lence] (4:16)

This is a cool idea for a compilation. Ninteen different underground bands from around the world paying tribute to some of the best classic thrash bands. According to the liner notes, all the money raised from this compilation was suppose to be donated to cancer research. Denmark's Barcode start things off with an a passable version of Megadeth's classic "Peace Sells". It almost sounds like Megadeth gone metalcore. GAK! This is followed by two songs that are well done but two European bands; Germany's I Defy covering Razor and England's Descent doing justice to Testament. This song would have sounded great on the "Jump in the Pit" tribute as well. England's Unite pull out a freaking killer, bombastic version of "For Whom the Bell Tolls". I assumed when I saw the rather obvious choice that this song would be mediocre, but it was easily one of the standout cuts on the CD for me. Exit Wound pull off a good cover of Megadeth's "Hook In Mouth", while December crank out an underground classic from Death Angel. What would a thrash tribute be without Slayer? Ireland's Carnun Rising basically destroy Slayer's "South of Heaven" with painfully out of synch dual guitars and crappy death vocals. Likewise Greece's Straight Hate try a black metal version of Slayer's "Black Magic" and basically butcher the song. As would be expected with an underground compilation like this, the production varies from song to song, but Straight Hate's vocals are just way, way too loud and abrasive. The skip button will become a necessity with repeated listens. Unfortunately Iceland 's I Adapt have production problems as well on their cover of "New Song" by Nuclear Assault, although the performance isn't bad at all. England's Assert crank out an excellent cover of "Ace of Spades". I have to admit, while Motorhead are one of my favorite bands, and certainly a forefather to thrash, "Ace of Spades" is not a thrash song. Still, a nice inclusion and a good cover. Phallicide offer up a heavy tribute to one of the most underrated thrash band, Annihilator. A decent recording and cover, marred only by the vocals that sound like a death metal troll with a bad cold. Despite the vocals, the band has a way with the song that is both brutal and melodic at the same time. Love the dual guitars, as well as the smokin' lead break. Spain's Ownfight give a punk rock treatment to Celtic Frost's "Into the Crypt of the Rays". The band that wins the award for dumbest band name goes to Ted Maul who pull out an incredibly crappy version of Overkill's "Thanx for Nothing". The original song is great, but this version is marred by poor vocals. Ghoul is up next with their version of Megadeth's "Skull Beneath the Skin", a great choice for a cover, although this is the third Megadeth cover offered up here. I Adapt offer up a great cover of Nuclear Assault's "New Song". Unfortunately the recording is a little thin, but isn't so band I can't enjoy the song. Scottlands' Co-Exist does a six-minute medley of Overkill tracks which is most certainly one of the coolest ideas presented here and pays homage to a band I always thought should have been as big as Megadeth, Slayer, Metallica and Anthrax. The song starts off with the haunting sounds of the song "Overkill" before bursting into a full throttle assault to the ears. Other tracks include "Wrecking Crew", "Powersurge" and "Elimination". Argento cover a band I am unfamiliar with, so I can't comment much on the song other than to say it sounds good to me. Inside Conflict (France) covers "The American Way" by Sacred Reich and gives it a far more brutal spin. Actually, if I didn't know that this was suppose to be "The American Way" I probably wouldn't have even recognized it. The CD finishes off with an amazing cover of "Calling in the Coroner" by Vio-lence! A great way to end the disc. Tony Scaglione (Whiplash), and Jim Durkin (Dark Angel) offer up some thoughts on thrash days gone by.

Somehow Blackfish managed to get Ed Repka, the king of thrash record covers, to do the art for this CD. The cover reminds me of Megadeth's amazing "Peace Sells". The booklet itself is jam packed with information; liner notes, photos, contact information from the bands, and even scans of old thrash metal concert flyers. My only real complaint about this CD is what was missing. While we have three Megadeth covers, two Slayer covers and two Overkill covers, where is the fourth band from the Big Four? Anthrax surely should have been represented here. I would have liked to have heard a thrashin' version of "Raise Hell" or "Metal Thrashing Mad". Perhaps that will be held for Vol. 2. Also, where is Exodus? Exodus were vital to the history of thrash metal. How about Dark Angel, Kreator, Sodom, Destruction, Hirax? Shoot, I would have gladly donated my own band's (