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Black Sabbath
www.blacksabbath.com
CD Reviews
13
Review by Mike Korn
Well, it seems like time to tackle this monumental release. Expectations and anticipation for 13 have been so high that a review is a daunting prospect.

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Black Sabbath
Review by Gary Hill
Released in 1969 in the last days of the hippie era, Black Sabbath`s debut had definite roots in what had come before, but was a major change in tone.
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Born Again - Deluxe Expanded Edition
Review by Larry Toering
Born Again gets the deluxe treatment, and a proper effort was made to improve it as a product.

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Cross Purposes
Review by Greg Olma
In 1994, Black Sabbath was at it again with another line-up and another album. 



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Dehumanizer
Review by Gary Hill
This album saw Dio return to the Black Sabbath fold after a decade away.
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Headless Cross
Review by Gary Hill
I like every version of Black Sabbath. Certainly the Tony Martin period is one that got less attention than a lot of the others.

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Heaven and Hell
Review by Gary Hill
I was a huge Black Sabbath fan when this disc came out. I suppose I should clarify that by admitting that I still am.
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Live at Hammersmith Odeon
Review by Rick Damigella
While the reformed Dio-era Black Sabbath (under the moniker Heaven & Hell) are touring to packed venues across the country right now, Rhino Handmade (the short-run, collector’s edition division of Rhino Records) has just released, and sold out of, Black Sabbath Live at Hammersmith Odeon to a rabid Sabbath following.
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Master of Reality
Review by Gary Hill
Black Sabbath’s third album is often overlooked. The first two were really defining a sound so they get more of the limelight.
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Never Say Die
Review by Gary Hill
Black Sabbath were arguably the creators of the heavy metal genre, but were never really happy to rest on their laurels for that accomplishment. They generally have pushed the envelope in many ways touching on musical styles which most metal bands consider out of their realm.
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Paranoid
Review by Gary Hill
The second album from Black Sabbath, this isn’t quite as revolutionary as their debut, but that’s probably because of how groundbreaking that one was and the fact that this builds on the music they created there.

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Past Lives
Review by Gary Hill
This set features live recordings of the original lineup of Black Sabbath. 

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Reunion
Review by Gary Hill
Reunion represents the first performance of all the original members of Black Sabbath as a unit since 1979. The album is a two-disc set that consists of concert recordings from December of 1987 teamed with two new studio cuts. The band is back in all its glory.
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Sabbath Bloody Sabbath
Review by Gary Hill
It has to be tough to invent a musical style like Black Sabbath did. There’s no one around to tell you what does and doesn’t constitute heavy metal.
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Sabotage
Review by Gary Hill
I know many regard this as kind of a throw away Black Sabbath album. Certainly the lackluster cover didn’t help.

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Seventh Star
Review by Greg Olma

This is a weird album in the Black Sabbath catalogue.  Initially meant as a solo record, the label and management “persuaded” Tony Iommi to release it under the banner of Black Sabbath featuring Tony Iommi.  


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Technical Ecstasy
Review by Gary Hill
A controversial album for Black Sabbath, this disc found them stretching into new and untried directions. The trademarked Sab metal is still present, but it is joined by other diverse sounds.
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The Eternal Idol
Review by Greg Olma

The Black Sabbath name was at a low ebb back in 1987. After the debacle of Seventh Star (which I thought was great) coming out as a Black Sabbath album instead of a Tony Iommi solo album, many fans jumped ship.


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The Rules of Hell
Review by Rick Damigella
Like the opening of an arcane tome of eldritch and forbidden knowledge, Black Sabbath’s The Rules of Hell have been put forth. After a seeming eternity of a wait, every album from the Ronnie James Dio-era of Black Sabbath have finally been given a proper re-mastering and re-release in this must have box set.
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Tyr
Review by Greg Olma
This disc was released in 1990, and by all accounts, Black Sabbath was at their lowest commercial point.  Tony Iommi was the only original member at this point and he had a revolving door of singers for many years.  

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Volume IV
Review by Gary Hill
I must have a thing for falling in love with over looked albums. Some of my favorite discs in artists' catalogs are the ones that seem to have fallen by the wayside.
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We Sold Our Soul for Rock 'N' Roll
Review by Gary Hill
There are a lot of Black Sabbath compilation discs out there these days. This was the original.

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DVD Reviews
Black Sabbath - Black Sabbath: Cross Purposes DVD
Review by Greg Olma
Black Sabbath have had many lineups, but the one era that seems to always get overlooked is the Tony Martin fronted era.  Martin sang on five studio releases, yet more people talk about the Ian Gillan version that only produced one record.

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Black Sabbath - Classic Albums: Paranoid DVD
Review by Gary Hill
If you think you know everything you could know about the Paranoid album by Black Sabbath, I challenge you to watch this and test it.

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Black Sabbath - Never Say Die DVD
Review by Greg Olma
There is not a lot of video footage from Ozzy Osbourne’s initial tenure with Black Sabbath. 

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Black Sabbath - The End BluRay/CD
Review by Gary Hill
I have to admit to being a huge Black Sabbath fan. I've seen them live quite a few times. They are one of my favorite bands.

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Black Sabbath - The Last Supper-DVD
Review by Gary Hill
As both a die-hard Black Sabbath fanatic and one who was fortunate enough to see the band several times on their reunion tour, I was really looking forward to this DVD. The quality of the performance, the videography and sound all lived up to my expectations, showing just how phenomenal of a tour this was.

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Concert Reviews
Black Sabbath - Live at Ozzfest, 2004, East Troy, WI
Review by Gary Hill
Ever since their original reunion with Ozzy I have made a point to see Black Sabbath whenever they came around. This time marks the 6th time I saw the lineup, and of all the shows, it was the weakest.
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Black Sabbath - Live in Chicago, IL, June 8th, 2001
Review by Gary Hill
Having seen Sabbath the last couple times around, I was expecting another similar show - a band of living legends performing as legends, going through the motions of repeating the performances from their glory days. Not that that would not have been enjoyable, I signed on for two days of Ozzfest just for that experience two more times
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Black Sabbath - Live in Chicago, January 19, 1999
Review by Gary Hill
Black Sabbath really invented the genre of heavy metal, and, to this day performs the genre in a way that many have copied but none have duplicated.
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Related Articles
Dio
Review by Mike Korn
Interview with Ronnie James Dio from 2000

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Glenn Hughes
Review by Rick Damigella
Interview with Glenn Hughes
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Black Country Communion
Review by Mark Johnson

Interview with Glenn Hughes of Black Country Communion from 2010


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The Bolland Project - (Darwin The Evolution)
Review by Larry Toering

This is a concept album based on Charles Darwin, composed by the brothers Bolland, and narrated by Ian Gillan.


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Deep Purple - + Orchestra Live At Montreux 2011 – BluRay
Review by Larry Toering

You have to respect Eagle for all they do concerning their artists’ current work and re-issues, as they have been on a serious roll lately in particular. 


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Glenn Hughes - Addiction: Remastered and Expanded
Review by Gary Hill
This is part of a series of new Glenn Hughes reissues. I have to say that this is one of my favorites.

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Black Country Communion - Afterglow
Review by Larry Toering

First of all, this has been a band I’ve supported heavily over the last three years or so.


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The Lizards - Against All Odds
Review by Gary Hill
I have to say it, I love The Lizards! These guys just keep getting better with each successive album. They also seem to stretch the envelope of what is Lizards music as they continue on.
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Deep Purple - Around the World Live DVD Set
Review by Gary Hill
This is an amazing set and well worth the price of admission. You get four DVD’s (three full concerts and a documentary) all encased in a classy box.
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Various Artists - Back Against the Wall
Review by Gary Hill
There are few people who haven't at least heard of Pink Floyd's The Wall. I would hazard to say that those who have never heard the album are in the minority as well.
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Ian Gillan - Band – Clear Air Turbulence
Review by Larry Toering

This record takes a few words to describe what’s really going on with it, and being a fan of Ian Gillan it’s appropriate to explain a few things in the process of reviewing this with as much of an unbiased approach as possible. 


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Ian Gillan - Band – Live at The Rainbow 1977 DVD
Review by Ron Fuchs
During Ian Gillan’s hiatus from the band Deep Purple, he did many things musically including his brief stint with Black Sabbath.
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Various Artists - Band Versus Brand DVD
Review by Gary Hill

This documentary is fascinating. More importantly, it's also entertaining.


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Various Artists - Bang Your Head 2007 DVD
Review by Gary Hill
I have to admit that sometimes I get put off by a lot of modern metal festivals. I’m not a big fan of growling death vocals (there are some I can deal with, but few) or other forms of extreme voice tactics.
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Glenn Tipton - Baptizm of Fire
Review by Gary Hill
This first solo album by Judas Priest guitarist Glenn Tipton is a fine piece of work. It takes the Priest sounds one expects to find here and updates them, bringing new angles and directions to them.

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Glenn Tipton - Baptizm of Fire Remaster
Review by Gary Hill
The debut solo album (first one released, not the first one recorded) by Glenn Tipton has just been reissued with two new tracks added on to the lineup. Since I reviewed the original release of the album, the majority of this review will be drawn and modified from that review.



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Jon Lord - Before I Forget
Review by G. W. Hill
This solo album from Jon Lord has been reissued with some bonus tracks. It's an intriguing album.

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Black Country Communion - Black Country Communion
Review by Mark Johnson

Kevin Shirley’s inspiration to bring together Glenn Hughes, vocals and bass, and Joe Bonamassa, lead guitar and vocals has provided one of the best rock/blues bands and albums of the year.


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Black Country Communion - Black Country Communion 2
Review by Larry Toering

After nine months, the modern day super group returns with its second release.


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Glenn Hughes - Building the Machine 2CD Edition
Review by Gary Hill

This is one in a series of new Glenn Hughes reissues. The first CD is a studio album (with one bonus track).


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Hollywood Monsters - Capture the Sun
Review by G. W. Hill
The main guy here is Stephen Honde. He is the main writer, singer, multi-instrumentalist and much more.

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Elf - Carolina County Ball
Review by G. W. Hill
Here we have a reissue of the 1974 release from Elf.

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Ian Gillan - Classic Rock Legends DVD
Review by Greg Olma
Ian Gillan is thought of as the voice of Deep Purple, but he has had quite an extensive career that consists of albums under his own name and the band Gillan. 

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Alice Cooper - Classiks
Review by Gary Hill
You could say that there are enough Alice Cooper compilations out there. Here’s the thing, though.

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Various Artists - Come On Feel The Noize: The Story Of How Rock Became Metal DVD
Review by Gary Hill
I want to start this review by framing it with the following statement: I really enjoyed watching this. I found it very entertaining and captivating. I recommend it pretty highly to fans of rock and metal.
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Ryo Okumoto - Coming Through
Review by Lorraine Kay
One of the most sought-after musicians in the prog-rock scene and then some, keyboardist Ryo Okumoto has earned a global reputation performing with some of the biggest names in music, including Kitaro, Natalie Cole, Phil Collins, Aretha Franklin, and Roberta Flack.
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Niacin - Deep
Review by Gary Hill
This album captures a nice retro and jazzy sort of prog texture. It does this, almost completely, without the addition of guitar and vocals.
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Ozzy Osbourne - Down To Earth
Review by Gary Hill
Quite a few critics have said that the strength of this album is the fact that it doesn't waver from Ozzy's tried and true style, and that fact establishes a musical reliability in a sea of changing music. Well, this reviewer for one thinks that they must not have really listened to this album.
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Dio - Dreamers Never Die - Deluxe Edition DVD/Blu-ray Set
Review by Gary Hill
I can't heap enough praise on this set. Everything about it is top-notch. 

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Carmine & Vinnie Appice - Drum Wars Live
Review by G. W. Hill

This live recording definitely lands under metal because most of the music fits.


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Tipton, Entwhistle & Powell - Edge of the World
Review by Gary Hill
When Glenn Tipton of Judas Priest first set out to record a solo album he worked predominantly with John Entwhistle (The Who) and Cozy Powell (Rainbow, Black Sabbath, Emerson Lake and Powell and seemingly a million other bands). Well, after the disc was done, the label nixed its release. 



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Elf - Elf
Review by G. W. Hill

Although he was credited under his birth name (Ronald Padavona), the lead singer on this album was Ronnie James Dio.


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Various Artists - Encores, Legends and Paradoxes
Review by Gary Hill
With a cast of players that reads like a prog "who`s who", this ELP tribute takes the classics and makes them fresh and new again. The result is an incredibly listenable piece of music that really entertains.

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Glenn Hughes - Feel (2 CD Edition)
Review by Gary Hill
This Glenn Hughes solo album from 1995 is getting a deluxe reissue in a two-CD form. The first disc is the original album with one bonus track.

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Dio - Finding the Sacred Heart: Live in Philly 1986 DVD
Review by G. W. Hill

I wasn’t really a big fan of Dio solo in the day.


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Deep Purple - From Here to inFinite BluRay
Review by Larry Toering
This is an upgrade to the movie that came with Deep Purple's latest album, for which they just released a Gold Edition.
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Iommi - Fused
Review by Gary Hill
Tony Iommi is probably best known as the lead guitarist of Black Sabbath. Arguably along with the other three members of that group Iommi invented heavy metal.
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Ian Gillan - Gillan’s Inn
Review by Rick Damigella
Setting convention and professionalism aside for one moment… I am a card carrying Ian Gillan fan. I have seen him live numerous times, have listened to countless hours of his singing from throughout his storied career, from the Javelins through multiple incarnations fronting Deep Purple to his stint as Jesus.
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Ozzy Osbourne - God Bless Ozzy Osbourne BluRay
Review by G. W. Hill

This documentary is quite good, but not without its flaws. I mean, the insights into the personal life of Ozzy are pretty interesting.


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Deep Purple - Graz 1975
Review by G. W. Hill

If you like this version of Deep Purple (guitarist Ritchie Blackmore, frontman David Coverdale, bassist/vocalist Glenn Hughes, keyboard player Jon Lord and drummer Ian Paice) you must own this.


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Heaven & Earth - Heaven & Earth - Featuring Stuart Smith
Review by Larry Toering

This is a review of the Japanese import version of Heaven & Earth which features a lot of musicians that Stuart Smith assembled for this great band.


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Alice Cooper - Hey Stoopid
Review by Gary Hill
This album showcases a metal perpective on the classic Cooper sound and also shows prog tendencies in several places. Alice is joined on this album by many musicians, including several very notables guests (Joe Satriani, Steve Vai, Ozzy Osbourne and others).


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Deep Purple - History, Hits and Highlights ’68-’76 DVD
Review by Gary Hill
So, you are a Deep Purple fan? Have you been looking for some quality DVD and wanting it all in one place?
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Dio - Holy Diver
Review by Greg Olma

This is where it all began for the band named after the mighty Ronnie James Dio.  


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Michael Lee Jackson - In A Heartbeat
Review by Larry Toering

Michael Lee Jackson's debut album has been out for some time, perhaps flying beneath your radar, but not mine. 


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Deep Purple - In Concert 1970 – 1972
Review by Larry Toering

One of several live and studio re-issues to come from Eagle this summer, is this two-disc set that was originally released in 1980, and a couple of times since.


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Deep Purple - In Concert With The London Symphony Orchestra DVD
Review by Gary Hill
The whole nearly clichéd concept of doing a concert with a symphony orchestra is, thankfully, starting to fall out of style. Just you don’t misunderstand, there are some instances where it works really well, but more often than not it comes across as a gimmicky concept that falls pretty flat.
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Deep Purple - Infinite
Review by Larry Toering
Deep Purple and producer Bob Ezrin return with what could be (and most believe will be) their swan song offering.

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Erik Norlander - Into the Sunset
Review by Gary Hill
This solo release from Rocket Scientist Erik Norlander is a very strong CD. He enlists the aid of quite a few of his friends to pull the disc together, and the result a very solid prog CD with some metallic elements.
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Iommi - Iommi
Review by Gary Hill
This solo release by Black Sabbath guitarist Tony Iommi has quite a bit in common with last year’s Supernatural release by Santana. In both cases you have a guitar legend, who is an almost undisputed originator of his musical genre.
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Glenn Hughes - Justified Man: Studio Albums 1995-2003
Review by Gary Hill

This is a brand-new six-CD box set that gathers up the studio releases from Glenn Hughes released between 1995 and 2003, but I bet you got that from the title, right?


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Girlschool - Legacy
Review by Gary Hill
In the last issue of Music Street Journal I reviewed the latest Bang Your Head DVD and it featured Girlschool. I saw the band years ago and their performance on that DVD was every bit as potent as they were in their early years.
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Various Artists - Legends Play The Beatles
Review by Gary Hill
This new album showcases a lot of cool Beatles covers from a number of artists. It's actually compiled of tracks previously released on a number of albums.

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Various Artists - Legends: Get it On (Limited Edition Hybrid SACD version)
Review by G. W. Hill

This album was originally released as a Time Life Series disc.


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Various Artists - Light My Fire - A Classic Rock Salute To the Doors
Review by G. W. Hill

I’ve always been a big fan of the Doors.


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Deep Purple - Live at Montreux 1996
Review by Gary Hill
Deep Purple has always had a special place in my heart. When I first started getting into hard rock a friend turned me onto the In Rock album and I was amazed.
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Deep Purple - Live at Montreux 1996 DVD
Review by Gary Hill
Sometimes it's all about the impression. I saw Deep Purple once quite a few years back, and frankly, I found them to be boring.
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Deep Purple - Live At Montreux 2011
Review by Larry Toering

As a major fan of Deep Purple, I am approaching this with a more informative angle, to not only shed any overly biased factors, but explain a few things from within the Purple frame of mind.


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Deep Purple - Live at NEC 1993
Review by G. W. Hill

Deep Purple has a lot of jam band built into the musical picture.


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Deep Purple - Live at the NEC DVD
Review by G. W. Hill
This comes from the 2002 tour. Jon Lord had announced his retirement from Deep Purple. Don Airey was the new keyboardist. 

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Heaven and Hell - Live at Tinley Park, IL, August, 2008
Review by Mike Korn
Many more pics from this show are available in our members area.
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Heaven and Hell - Live from Radio City Music Hall
Review by Rick Damigella
Next year may be the 40th anniversary of Black Sabbath, but 2007 will be forever known in the lore of heavy metal as the year of Heaven & Hell.
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Ian Gillan - Live in Anaheim
Review by Rick Damigella
Just two days shy of exactly two years to the day of this writing, I had sat down to write my twin reviews of Ian Gillan’s solo tour stops in Los Angeles and Anaheim, California.
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Ian Gillan - Live in Anaheim DVD
Review by Rick Damigella
If you were lucky enough to catch Ian Gillan on his solo Gillan’s Inn tour of 06, you would likely agree with me when I say that you were witness to a rocking good show.
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Dio - Live In Chicago, 2000
Review by Gary Hill
There was a time when Ronnie James Dio was one of the most well-known and respected vocalists in the heavy metal genre. His fame may have faded a bit, but several things have not.

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Rainbow - Live In Germany 1976
Review by G. W. Hill

I never got the chance to see Rainbow live. I really regret that fact.


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Heaven and Hell - Live in Hoffman Estates, IL, September, 2007
Review by Greg Olma
For those of you who don’t know who Heaven and Hell is, it is basically Black Sabbath Mk III. Although the original lineup is considered the best (not by this writer), this version definitely has a high regard among all heavy metal fans.
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Ian Gillan - Live in L. A., September 2006
Review by Rick Damigella
What does Ian Gillan do on a brief summer vacation from Deep Purple’s current world tour? Go on tour of course!
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Deep Purple - Live in Las Vegas, Nevada, August 2017
Review by Larry Toering
Maybe it was overkill, but I haven’t found any evidence in my recall of this concert to back that.

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Dio - Live In London Hammersmith Apollo 1993 DVD
Review by G. W. Hill

This is an awesome DVD capturing an awesome live show.


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Deep Purple - Live in Portland, Oregon, September 2019
Review by Larry Toering
Of all the Deep Purple tours of America in the past 15 years, this is only the second actual headlining tour I can think of, as I’ve attended all of them myself.
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Deep Purple - Live in Rockford, IL, 2005
Review by Mike Korn
Deep Purple don't play all that many dates in the U.S. anymore, preferring to concentrate on the more lucrative foreign markets, so it was quite a surprise to see they got a gig here in Rockford. This is a band that got its start the same year that Led Zeppelin did and they have been prolific since that long ago year of 1968.
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Deep Purple - Live in Stuttgart 1993
Review by G. W. Hill

I can’t recommend this live recording enough.


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Deep Purple - Live in Ventura, California, August, 2007
Review by Rick Damigella
Deep Purple stormed through Southern California in August as part of their current world tour, playing three shows from San Diego to Ventura over five days. I took in two of the gigs, the first being in Costa Mesa at the long underutilized Pacific Amphitheater and then the very next night at the Ventura Theater.
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Black Country Communion - Live Over Europe BluRay
Review by Larry Toering

Since Black Country Communion arrived on the scene, still less than a year ago, they have managed two studio CD releases, and to top it off they have produced what is an absolute state of the art video, and it's tailor made for the Blu-ray experience.


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Heaven and Hell - Live Radio City Music Hall 2007 BluRay
Review by Gary Hill

When this was originally released on DVD, Greg Olma reviewed it for Music Street Journal.


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Heaven and Hell - Live Radio City Music Hall 2007 DVD
Review by Greg Olma
This tour and now DVD has been a long time coming. I always felt that the Dio era of Black Sabbath was overshadowed by the original line-up.
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Dio - Lock Up the Wolves
Review by Gary Hill
I have to say that I was never a big fan of Dio's solo work when he was huge in the 1980s. I realize now that was a mistake, and have been playing catch up.

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Rainbow - Long Live Rock ‘N’ Roll
Review by Gary Hill
I remember this was the first disc I ever heard by Rainbow and it purely blew me away.
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Motörhead - March Ör Die
Review by G. W. Hill

This is a reissue of the 1992 album.


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Trapeze - Medusa (3 CD Edition)
Review by Gary Hill
This is a classy set. I used to own the Medusa album on vinyl many years ago. I don't remember being all that impressed with it.

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Trapeze - Midnight Flyers: Complete Recordings Volume Two 1974-1981
Review by Gary Hill
In the past I've always put Trapeze under progressive rock, in part because people generally land them there, and in part because the music often fit. 

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Glenn Hughes - Music For The Divine
Review by Gary Hill
I have to say that it seems any more that bonus tracks are becoming a bad idea. Had the last two bonus tracks been left off of this disc, it would have been a pretty perfect album.
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Various Artists - Nativity In Black
Review by Rick Damigella
  It is safe to say that while there were forces all happening simultaneously in music in the late 60’s, which would later be regarded as the elements from which heavy metal evolved. One band crawled forth, nay, stomped out of, the primordial ooze of the late sixties music scene to single handedly create an entirely new sound heretofore unheard coming from the speakers of stereos of the youth of the world.
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Heaven and Hell - Neon Nights: 30 Years of Heaven & Hell
Review by Gary Hill

With Ronnie James Dio’s passing, Heaven and Hell are done.


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Heaven and Hell - Neon Nights: 30 Years of Heaven & Hell DVD
Review by Gary Hill

Now that Ronnie James Dio has passed away, this is a reminder of the final tour of Heaven and Hell (the Dio led version of Black Sabbath).


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Nikolo Kotzev - Nostradamus
Review by Gary Hill
There was a time in the '70s when rock operas were all the rage. Since then they have been pretty scarce, and many times with good reason.
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Deep Purple - Now What?!
Review by G. W. Hill

I definitely would not put every Deep Purple album in progressive rock. This one, though, certainly qualifies.


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Deep Purple - Now What?! (Special Edition CD+DVD)
Review by Larry Toering

To make it back after seven years culminating into eight for a studio album at this stage in the Deep Purple legacy was a big risk, but one I find to be smaller than the last time the name went eight years in existence without an album, which was 1976 to 1984.


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AraPacis - Obsolete Continuum
Review by Larry Toering
AraPacis are from Canada, led by the husband and wife duo of Jerry Feilden and the amazing Shelle McPherson on vocals.
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GZR - Ohmwork
Review by Gary Hill
Ohmwork is the latest album by the outfit Black Sabbath bassist Geezer Butler belongs to as his side outlet. The group is not really a solo project, but more band, therefore it is little like Sabbath in terms of sound. Rather than finding that classic metal approach that Sab created one can expect something more along the lines of modern nu metal with some rap metal thrown in for good measure
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Quartz - On the Edge of No Tomorrow
Review by Gary Hill
This is a new album from a band that was a part of the NWOBHM movement, or more accurately was caught up in that movement despite pre-dating it.

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Ian Gillan - One Eye to Morocco
Review by Rick Damigella
One Eye to Morocco is Ian Gillan’s first new album of original solo material in a decade and, once again, The Voice has outdone himself.
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Queensrÿche - Operation Mindcrime II
Review by Gary Hill
History - in many ways this album (and this review) is all about history. For my money the first Operation Mindcrime album is a true masterpiece that is unmatched by any album by any artist in terms of power and execution.
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Deep Purple - Phoenix Rising Blu-Ray
Review by Gary Hill

One part concert film, one part documentary, Phoenix Rising looks at the Mark IV lineup of Deep Purple (David Coverdale, Glenn Hughes, Tommy Bolin, Ian Pace and Jon Lord).


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Glenn Hughes - Play Me Out - 2CD Edition
Review by Gary Hill
This new reissue finds Glenn Hughes well into his funk period on the first disc, and in disco-land on the second. Personally, I think the main album is more effective.

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Eli Cook - Primitive Son
Review by G. W. Hill

I know Eli Cook is considered in some ways a blues artist.


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Ozzy Osbourne - Prince of Darkness Box Set
Review by Patrick Hennen
I'm here today to let you know about the new 4-disc box set by Ozzy Osbourne, entitled, appropriately, "Prince Of Darkness".
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Deep Purple - Purpendicular (Reissue)
Review by G. W. Hill

This new reissue of Purpendicular includes two bonus tracks.


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Deep Purple - Rapture Of The Deep (Special Edition 2CD)
Review by Greg Olma
Deep Purple never seems to get the respect that they deserve. Everyone talks about Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath as the creators of the hard rock sound.
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Various Artists - Re-Machined: A Tribute to Deep Purple's Machine Head
Review by G. W. Hill

I’m a big fan of Deep Purple, particularly the classic stuff.


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Glenn Hughes - Return of Crystal Karma (2 CD Edition)
Review by Gary Hill

This is part of a series of reissues of Glenn Hughes solo albums. It's one of the stronger releases in the set, too.


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Rick Wakeman - Return To The Centre of The Earth
Review by Gary Hill
By going back to his past, Rick Wakeman has created an album that is nearly a masterpiece. A sequel to his Journey to the Centre of the Earth disc, Return to the Centre of the Earth is a very potent progressive rock concept album.
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Various Artists - Riding the Rock Machine - British Seventies Classic Rock
Review by Gary Hill
I have heard arguments that say that the 1970s were the decade with the best music. Like any decade, they had a lot of garbage music

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Roger Glover - Roger Glover and Friends - The Butterfly Ball and The Grasshopper's Feast
Review by Gary Hill

After Roger Glover had left Deep Purple, he was looking for a new project and came upon about titled "The Butterfly Ball." He decided to create an album based on the book.


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Dio - Sacred Heart
Review by Greg Olma
In 1985, Dio, the band and the singer, were riding a wave of popularity spurred on by the two great releases Holy Diver  and The Last In Line. 

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Deep Purple - Scandinavian Nights
Review by Larry Toering

Recorded live in Stockholm 1970, this Eagle re-issue is of a historic show that was bootlegged several times over before it was finally released in the late eighties.


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Deep Purple - Shades of Deep Purple
Review by Larry Toering

The Deep Purple mkI albums are as important as any other in the history of the band. 


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Various Artists - Sin-Atra
Review by Gary Hill

Featuring hard rocking adaptations of Frank Sinatra songs, this is kind of a mixed bag.


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Snakecharmer - Snakecharmer
Review by Larry Toering

Snakecharmer consists of former Whitesnake members Neil Murray and Micky Moody, along with others, namely Adam Wakeman on keyboards.


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Glenn Hughes - Songs in the Key of Rock 3 CD Edition
Review by Gary Hill
This is a new release in a series of Glenn Hughes reissues. The bulk of the discs in this series are two-CD editions. This one has three.


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Glenn Hughes - Soul Mover
Review by Gary Hill
Glenn Hughes should be a familiar name to fans of hard rock. He started out with the legendary band Trapeze and then worked with Deep Purple.
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Hawkestrel - SpaceXmas
Review by Gary Hill
This was released last year, but I got it too late to review it in our December issue. So, I've been holding it until this one.

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Ozzy Osbourne - Speak of the Devil DVD
Review by G. W. Hill

To have a concert film of this tour is a good thing. Randy Rhoads had just died and Ozzy was emotionally at a low point in his life, but career wise he was on fire.


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Various Artists - Stay Tuned – Bernhard Welz - All Stars Charity Album
Review by Larry Toering
Stay Tuned is the third album in a charity series by Bernhard Welz.

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Various Artists - Sweet Leaf - A Stoner Rock Salute To Black Sabbath
Review by G. W. Hill

I will make no excuses about it, I’m a big Black Sabbath fan.


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Iommi - The 1996 DEP Sessions
Review by Greg Olma
I can just picture it now. Tony Iommi and a friend are going through a studio to do some "Spring cleaning". They come across a tape labeled "With Glenn Hughes 1996 DEP Sessions".
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Deep Purple - The Book Of Taliesyn
Review by Larry Toering

Deep Purple's second album was often the least critically acclaimed of the first three, perhaps rightfully so, perhaps not.



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Gillan - The Glory Years DVD
Review by Gary Hill
For fans of Ian Gillan – or fans of hard rock in general, this is a “must have” DVD. Many fans consider the lineup of the band on this video to be the quintessential one and as such this solo concert from Ian Gillan is essential.
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Dio - The Last In Line
Review by Greg Olma

The Last In Line has always felt like “Son of Holy Diver” to me. It’s a great album from start to finish, and even a filler here or there does not distract from the overall record.


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The Lizards - The Lizards Rule
Review by Gary Hill
The second CD from the Lizards is entitled "The Lizards Rule". That title is quite appropriate because for fans of 1970's styled blues oriented hard rock, the Lizards do rule.
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Heaven & Earth - The Making Of Heaven & Earth DVD
Review by Larry Toering

Stuart Smith put together this band some time ago and made an album, then later put out this amazing DVD that showcases many of the proceedings in the studio while working on the project.


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Various Artists - The Merciless Book of Metal Lists written by Howie Abrams and Sacha Jenkins
Review by G. W. Hill

I suppose how you feel about this book has a lot to do with how seriously you take it.


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Glenn Hughes - The Official Bootleg Box Set Volume One
Review by Gary Hill

This new box set from Glenn Hughes compiles a number of bootleg live albums. There are seven CDs here from six different shows.


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Glenn Hughes - The Official Bootleg Box Set Volume Three 1995-2010
Review by Gary Hill

The latest in a series of bootleg box sets of Glenn Hughes music, this might be the best of the bunch.


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Glenn Hughes - The Official Bootleg Box: Volume Two 1993-2013
Review by Gary Hill

This massive CD box set gathers a batch of Glenn Hughes bootlegs. I'm guessing you could figure that out from the title, though, right?


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Girlschool - The School Report 1978-2008, 5CD Book Set
Review by Gary Hill
This retrospective box set from Girlschool really captures the various flavors of the band. I know I said, "box set," but it is called a book set because it comes in a cool book, rather than a gravitational box.

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Various Artists - The Strange Sound of Cthulhu: Music Inspired by the Writings of H.P. Lovecraft written by Gary Hill
Review by Lisa Palmeno
A bit of an editorial comment needs to be made here. Since the person you see as "ed." - that's "editor" not "Ed" - is the author of this book, this is a bit awkward in a way. I had considered not covering this book at MSJ, but that seems unfair as we do provide promotion in the form of reviews for other authors.
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Various Artists - The Suite Music World of Gary Hill: Collected Articles Originally Published at Suite101 written by Gary Hill
Review by Greg Olma
This book is not really new material but rather a collection of Gary Hill's articles for a website called “Suite 101."  Some might not like dated material, but I find these types of books enjoyable for a number of reasons. 
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Dario Mollo and Tony Martin - The Third Cage
Review by G. W. Hill

I really wanted to like this album more than I do.


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Dio - The Very Beast of Dio
Review by Mike Korn
Few musicians have had a longer or more storied career than Ronnie James Dio. The pixieish vocal powerhouse has lent his immense lungpower to bands like Elf, Rainbow and, of course, Black Sabbath.
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Glenn Hughes - The Way It Is (2 CD Edition)
Review by Gary Hill

This is one of the entries in the new series of Glenn Hughes reissues. Like the rest, they add a second CD, this time a concert from 2000.


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Deep Purple - They All Came Down To Montreux – Live at Montreux 2006 DVD
Review by Gary Hill
When it comes time to figure out a list of the best videos of the year, this one will be very close to the top. While I enjoyed the DVD of Purple’s earlier Montreux appearances, this one is heads above that one.
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Various Artists - To Cry You A Song: A Collection of Tull Tales
Review by Gary Hill
One of the first tribute albums ever done by Magna Carta, this one includes some intriguing arrangements of Jethro Tull songs. There are some definite winners here (witness Aqualung, To Cry You a Song, and Locomotive Breath) and no real losers.
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Deep Purple - Total Abandon: Australia '99
Review by G. W. Hill

This live album from Deep Purple finds the band in a killer performance.


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Trapeze - Trapeze (2 CD Expanded Edition)
Review by Gary Hill

This new release is a double CD version of the 1970 self-titled debut by the band Trapeze.


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Elf - Trying to Burn the Sun
Review by G. W. Hill
This new reissue is quite cool. Don't expect to hear the kind of stuff Dio did in his solo career.


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Deep Purple - Turning to Crime
Review by Gary Hill
This is a very unusual Deep Purple album, yet there is no mistaking it as Deep Purple. It's also a lot of fun.

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The Rods - Vengeance
Review by Mike Korn

In the opinion of many, The Rods should have been one of the biggest metal bands of the 1980s and beyond.


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Dio - We Rock DVD
Review by Greg Olma
Do you remember when metal was fun? Well if you need a reminder, pick up this DVD and be transported back in time to 1983-1984.
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Various Artists - We Wish You a Metal Christmas And a Headbanging New Year (2010 Edition)
Review by Gary Hill
This is a reissue of a CD I’ve already reviewed – with a few extra cuts.
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Various Artists - We Wish You a Metal Xmas...and a Headbanging New Year
Review by Gary Hill

So many times discs like this are really uneven. Well, that’s not the case here.


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Ian Gillan with Tony Iommi and Friends - Who Cares
Review by Larry Toering

This is the first time Ian Gillan and Tony Iommi have done any recording on the same project since 2006 when Iommi guested on Gillan's Inn, a career retrospective dual disc of re-recorded classics of Gillan's.  


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Ian Gillan with Tony Iommi and Friends - Who Cares
Review by G. W. Hill

An expanded set based on the concept and charity involved with the original single, this double disc set has some great stuff.


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Voodoo Hill - Wild Seed of Mother Earth
Review by Gary Hill
First, I have to state the obvious - outside of a handful of guys, Rob Halford and Geoff Tate come to mind, Glenn Hughes has the best voice in hard rock and metal - the man is incredible! So, anything Hughes sings on gets some points just for his appearance.
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Deep Purple - with Orchestra - Live in Verona
Review by G. W. Hill

I know there are those who disagree with me, but I wouldn’t necessarily consider Deep Purple to be a progressive rock band.


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Ian Gillan - with the Don Airey Band and Orchestra - Contractual Obligation BluRay
Review by Larry Toering
Ian Gillan with the Don Airey Band and Orchestra’s Contractual Obligation on BluRay is a special show to go with the three-disc album set which contains other shows.
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Various Artists - Words and Music: Excursions in the Art of Rock Fandom written by Michael Anthony
Review by Alison Henderson

Books written by music fans are very far and few between.


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Trapeze - You are the Music, We're Just the Band (Deluxe Edition)
Review by Gary Hill

I am putting this under progressive rock for a couple reasons. For one thing, this band often lands there.


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