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19 of 21 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
One of those lost gems..., July 23, 2004
This album is British hard rock at its best. Ray Gillen shines on vocals, with his wide range and his emotional and powerful voice that makes you wonder why he was never so known as Dio, David Coverdale and the likes. Shame that he's no longer among us! (R.I.P., Ray! -- "Rock In Peace, Ray", I meant ;-))
Jake E. Lee also does an amazing job in the rhythm and lead guitar here. The guy rocks hard with his dry tone and aggressive phrasing. He sounds very raw, hitting you straight on your face, ripping off everything around him when it's time to spit a flashy solo out, while heavily riffing almost all the remaining time. This is beautifully rough! But at the same time Jake is able to perform semi-acoustic parts in themes such as "Jade's Song" and "Winter's Call", in where he plays with extreme sensibility and tenderness too.
Overall, this is a mid-paced bluesy hard rock release, with evident influences from Led Zeppelin, early Whitesnake and some other British hard rock bands. These songs are also catchy and are played with a deep feeling and attitude -- although they are not breaking any ground, to be sincere.
In one sentence: a great album with amazing vocals and superb guitars. A lost gem that deserves at least four stars -- or even five stars for the fans of the genre! Highly recommended!
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7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
70s Metal With A 90s Twist, March 12, 2003
By A Customer
Badlands' music is 70s metal with a 90s twist. Drawing equally from English rock such as Zeppelin, Humble Pie, Free, and Bad Company; Southern boogie such as ZZ Top, Skynyrd, Molly Hatchet, the Outlaws, the Winter Brothers, and Blackfoot; and American metal like Mountain, Montrose, and Grand Funk Railroad, Badlands stands apart from the typical "hair metal" crowd and makes music their way. It's such a shame that they only made one more album before disbanding (Ray Gillen, R.I.P.), but it was great while it lasted.
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8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Led Zeppelin With Balls, October 29, 2006
I remember listening to this one until I had worn the cassette tape out back in the late '80's; it has since become out-of-print on unavailable, so I was ecstatic when I was finally able to round up a copy. Quite often when you listen to an album you used to love "back in the day", you end up somewhat disappointed; but I am happy to report that this album has certainly withstood the test of time. Badlands display a gritty, blues-rock style which obviously owes a lot to Led Zeppelin....the singer, Ray Gillen, in particular is very reminiscent of Robert Plant. Although his vocals are excellent, (some of the best hard-rock vocals ever, actually) what really gets me with this band is the guitar playing. Killer tone, jaw-dropping bluesy solos, and a heavy, modern edge. Former Ozzy Osbourne guitarist Jake E. Lee is the driving force behind this band, throwing down snaky, incendiary blues/hard rock licks and riffs that sound like Zeppelin, only with fewer folk elements and more balls. These guys should have been big-great singer, awesome guitar player, and excellent songwriting, but unfortunately grunge hit and killed this style of music. One of the best rock albums ever written, and worth looking up.
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