Most Helpful Customer Reviews
|
|
10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Still rocking, still shocking after all these years...., October 15, 2000
Eight years after splitting up (11 since the last studio effort), LA shock rocker Lizzy Borden returns-- bigger, badder, and bolder than ever with the new full length, 'Deal With The Devil' (Metal Blade, 2000). For those unfamiliar, imagine the shock of vintage Alice Cooper, combined with the big arena flair of KISS, and the polished, 2-guitar stylings of Iron Maiden. As a singer and live performer, few are as gifted and charismatic. As a writer, Lizzy Borden continues to push the boundaries, forever seeking new ways to cement his reputation as one of metal's most underrated (if not diabolical) talents. From the early Maiden-inspired classics 'Give 'Em The Axe' and 'Love You To Pieces', to the glam-era 'Visual Lies', and 1989's ambitious concept album, 'Master Of Disguise', complete with string sections, horns, and larger-than-life production, the only thing predictable with Lizzy and Co. is that anything goes in rock n' roll. All this in mind, it should come as no surprise that the latest studio offering combines elements of every Lizzy Borden LP to date, with new, modern touches to bring the band into the next decade--even if they did skip the last one. A good move, considering they have a little catching up to do with fans that probably figured they were gone for good. 'Deal With The Devil' boasts Lizzy's most formidable studio lineup to date, consisting of 5 guitarists, 3 bass players, and a host of other talented guest musicians, as well as the return of guitarist Alex Nelson, of early LB fame. The LP springs to life with opening tracks 'There Will Be Blood Tonight' and 'Hell Is For Heroes', throwbacks to the up-tempo barnburners of early Lizzy. 'We Only Come Out At Night' is arguably the most 'new' sounding track of the bunch, with a slight industrial edge to complement what may well be the most crushing riff on the disc. (Interesting note-- this track was featured in the band's early 90's live set, but was never available on record, having been written in the short space between the last studio effort and their 1992 breakup.) Also featured is the curious but appropriate Alice Cooper cover 'Generation Landslide'. All told, nearly 50 minutes of 'typical' Lizzy Borden-- well performed, well produced, edgy and unpredictable, combining all the best elements of 70's and 80's arena rockers with the intensity and energy of a band that's had several years to contemplate what could have been. Newcomers beware!
|
|
|
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Solid set, some great highlights, March 26, 2006
I was never a huge Lizzy fan until "Master of Disguise." What I had thought of as a "cheesy" Alice Cooper wannabe gained a lot of respect. I then went back and picked up a couple of the others and was pleasantly surprised and the quality of music, vocals, wit, etc.
Anyway, Lizzy's vocals haven't lost a note- he's still awesome and definitely in the top 5 metal vocalists around as far as style, range, and signature sound is concerned. I love "We Only Come Out At Night". It's a great techno/metal blend and very well done. Lot's of cool attitude. "There Will Be Blood Tonight" was a great opener and made me feel like a teenager again. "Hell Is For Heroes" has got a killer groove to it. Great metal sound.
This album is definitely worth listen. Good going guys! Only, next time PLEASE hire me, or find someone to do some quality CD layout work for you. As far as I'm concerned the worst thing about the CD is the packaging. Sorry to be so superficial, but if you don't sell more CD's, you probably won't make a whole lot more-- AND BELIEVE ME I WOULD LOVE YOU TO! The layout makes this solid work look "washed-up", and "has-been." Some great graphics would have really polished this thing. Sorry-- I'm into visuals. And Lizzy is supposed to be a visually-oriented artist. It's a cool drawing for comics, but not for a come-back album.
|
|
|
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
"a sacrificial lamb in white", July 14, 2005
Deal with Devil (2000) was the first Lizzy Borden studio release in a little over a decade following their brilliant Master of Disguise (1989). When I first listened to this CD, I was disappointed. There were only a couple songs that stood out and the rest just didn't seem to have the same edge as previous Lizzy albums. While most Lizzy albums hooked me right away, this one took several listens to appreciate. Now I consider Deal with the Devil a very good album, not as accessible as Love You to Pieces or as sophisticated as Master of Disguise, but a very good album in its own right with its own accessibility and sophistication as well as the characteristic Lizzy sound.
"There Will Be Blood Tonight" was one of the tracks that I liked right away. Lizzy usually saved some of their best rockers to start their albums and that is certainly the case here. This may be the most accessible track on Deal. It is very energetic and catchy with an excellent chorus. "Hell is For Heroes" is another energetic rocker with a very memorable chorus. The title track I have mixed feelings about. It really rocks and it has a great beat, but it teeters on a more good time rock `n roll style that I do not like as much. It never strays completely from the heavy metal side though, which is good, but the lyrics really break down at the end (rhyming "devil" with "on the level" and "shovel" is silly but at least the track begins to fade out at that point). "Zanzibar" was the other track that grabbed me right away. It is the most interesting and innovative number on the CD. It has a Middle Eastern influence and a mysterious mood. The overall sound and vocals are intoxicating at times. There is a lot of depth to it but it is still very catchy. It would have fit on Master of Disguise very well. "Lovin' You is Murder" brings things down again with a very accessible, catchy rocker. It offers menacing guitar and vocals at the beginning and then Lizzy opens it up to his usual vocal style and a sing-along chorus. It is another one of my favorites on this album.
"We Only Come Out at Night" is a very menacing track. It has an industrial sound. "Generation Landslide" is a straight-forward rocker but a bit annoying with the "lada da tadie" or whatever they chant (sounds like a wicked Jimmy Durante). "The World Is Mine" has a menacing opening but the chanting at the chorus is a little much. "State of Pain" is a nice, accessible rocker. I like the vocals on this track, especially at "so here we are..." I find myself singing along to this one. Next they offer a cover of Blue Oyster Cult's "(This Ain't) the Summer of Love." When I first heard it I thought, this sounds familiar and then, right before the chorus, I figured out where I heard it before (on the only BOC album I have). While Lizzy does their usual stellar work on it, it seemed out-of-place then and it still does. They play it straight and do not add their own style too much, although they add more energy to the track. The last track, "Believe" begins with a pleasant guitar riff and I thought for a moment it was a cover of "(Don't Fear) The Reaper." It is a slower track but is very powerful with a lot of depth and picks up the tempo at the chorus. The beautiful guitar work reminds me of Metal Church back in the day.
This album took awhile to pull me in but, now that it has, it spends a lot of time in my CD player. There is much variety here, from Lizzy's many vocal styles to the overall moods of the tracks. I definitely recommend Deal with the Devil to any fan of Lizzy or power metal in general from the 1980s. Fans of Lizzy should not hesitate to pick this CD up. It combines more accessible tracks with the more orchestrated numbers to form a solid album for the new Millennium. I hope Lizzy can release another album or two before the decade is out.
|
|
|
Most Recent Customer Reviews
|
Interact With Your Music: Discover, listen to, and buy new music, all from the pages of SPIN's digital edition, free to Amazon customers.
by Lizzy Borden 
