Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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18 of 20 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A sophisticated Hard Rock Christmas Album, November 24, 2008
I have purchased quite a few Rock Christmas compilations, but none have been as well arranged, produced and recorded as this one. Those that say this is stupid must be turned off by the "Christ" part of the equation on this CD because it is stock full of great Hard Rock guitar solos and searing vocals. NOTHING on this CD is stupid musically. As a matter of fact, I don't know of any other compilation that I have heard that contains as much talent as this CD does (and it shows).
First off, however, I would like to point out that the track listing supply by Amazon's description was not accurate as the following is the track list for the copy they sent me:
1. We Wish You A Merry Xmas
Jeff Scott Soto / Bruce Kulick / Bob Kulick/ Chris Wyse / Ray Luzier
2. Run Rudolph Run
Lemmy / Billy F Gibbons / Dave Grohl
3. Santa Claus Is Coming To Town
Alice Cooper / John 5 / Billy Sheehan / Vinny Appice
4. God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen
Ronnie James Dio / Tony Iommi / Rudy Sarzo / Simon Wright
5. Silver Bells
Geoff Tate / Carlos Cavazo / James Lomenzo / Ray Luzier
6. Little Drummer Boy
Dug Pinnick / George Lynch / Billy Sheehan / Simon Phillips
7. Santa Claus Is Back In Town
Tim 'Ripper' Owens / Steve Morse / Juan Garcia / Marco Mendoza / Vinny Appice
8. Silent Night
Chuck Billy / Scott Ian / Jon Donais / Chris Wyse / John Tempesta
9. Deck the Halls
Oni Logan / Craig Goldy / Tony Franklin / John Tempesta
10. Grandma Got Ran Over By A reindeer
Stephen Pearcy / Tracii Guns / Bob Kulick / Billy Sheehan / GregBissonette
11. Rockin' Around the Xmas Tree
Joe Lynn Turner / Bruce Kulick / Bob Kulick / Rudy Sarzo / Simon Wright
12. Happy Xmas (War Is Over)
Tommy Shaw / Steve Lukather / Marco Mendoza / Kenny Aronoff
Song Reviews:
We Wish You a Merry Xmas - The guitars are awesome. Great solos. And the Drums are very prominent, giving the song a heavy feel.
Run Rudolph Run - Billy Gibbons tears up the guitars on this song and Limmy puts his Motorhead stamp on it his raw gravely vocals.
Santa Claus is Coming to Town - The song starts out with a creepy S-A-N-T-A C-L-A-W-S chant by Alice Cooper and then rocks it's way in the traditional lyrics with a sound only Alice Cooper could give it.
God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen - to me, this song stands out slightly over the rest of the album. Dio's vocals are in top form and the guitars are extremely heavy on this version. It sounds like it belongs on a Black Sabbath record.
Silver Bells - Although the guitars on this song are over the top, the vocals feel a little out of place on this one. Geoff Tate has the vocals to fill a stadium, but I'm not sure I like him singing a jingle like this.
Little Drummer Boy - Starts with a heavy drum beat and then Dug Pinnick adds his voice perfectly for this song. This is by far my favorite version of this song ever. George Lynch adds some great guitar licks to the song and you can hear Billy Sheehan laying down a nice rhythm on bass.
Santa Claus is Back in Town - Tim Owens sings like he normally does and it works well on this song. But the best part of the song is the guitars by Steve Morse.
Silent Night - This is the only song on the CD that I do not like. It's not because of the guitars because they are great. It's because of the vocals. I HATE the growling vocal trend that so many Death Metal bands use today. That is how the vocals are done on this song and it makes me feel as though he is straining on the toilet throughout the entire song. That's just my taste, I am sure some will like it. I will have to say that there is one of the best guitar solos on the record in the middle of this song.
Deck the Halls - Solid vocals round out a song full of (one again) great guitar work.
Grandma Got Ran Over By a Reindeer - I thought that there was no way this song could be made into a true rocker. I was wrong. The main guitar riff on this song is awesome.
Rockin' Around the Xmas Tree - Yet again, the guitars on this song kick you in the face. This song has a real blues feel .
Happy Xmas (War Is Over) - This is the only truly slow song on the CD. Tommy Shaw does a great job on vocals and ends the CD with a calm tune that brings you down slowly from the rush of the pure adrenaline of the previous 11 songs.
Anyone that says this CD is stupid has clearly not listened to it. It may not be for you if you don't celebrate Christmas, but don't skip out on this simply because you think it's not a Hard Rock record. I was very impressed. I also bought "We Wish You A Hairy Christmas" and although it has its moments, it does not even compare to this one. If you celebrate Christmas and like Hard Rock, you will LOVE this CD.
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3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
what a lot of fun!, November 24, 2008
Of course it's silly. And hilarious and creepy. And worth the download price. I do think there is a bit of milquetoast to slog through, and perhaps a couple selections and/or singers would've been better off substituted for others. (I won't give specifics -- one person's "milquetoast" might be another's "Holy-Wow!", etc., though I will say I think it would've been cool to hear Rob Halford or Peter Steele belt out an utterly blasphemous version of White Christmas or other revered musical icon of this ridiculous holiday.)
Alice Cooper lends his particular brand of funhouse creepiness to Santa Claws (sic) is Coming to Town, and although I've always thought that "demon growling," popular in certain sub-genres of metal, is laughably ridiculous virtually every time I've heard it, Testament's Chuck Billy growls a special poignancy to Silent Night. The team of Dio and Iommi seem to define "Darkness" with their rendition of God Bless Ye Merry Gentlemen. And of course, Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer is always a lot of fun, regardless of who does it, but the "metal" treatment here makes it even more of a toe-tapper.
Arguably, there are only two truly "heavy metal" tracks on this album: God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen and Silent Night. The rest might be better classified "hard rock," a few even "pop rock." However, there ARE a lot of excellent guitar jams throughout, and though the songs are readily recognizable when the vocals start, the musical interpretations of many selections make this a refreshing alternative to the same old inescapable pap-crap that permeates the airwaves, malls and other public places the first four weeks of December.
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5 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Not your father's Christmas songs!, November 13, 2008
I like this cd.The songs actually rock and the people on this cd are all great at what they do.I have been a metal fan forever and I can see where this not for everyone but the songs are well done.You get Christmas songs cranked up and metallized.I do not know what else you would expect out of this cd.I really enjoy this disc and with an open mind you probably will too.
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