Lizzy Borden - Master of Disguise

To the layman, Lizzy Borden is the name of some murder that existed long ago, a name that holds nearly no real relevance at all. To most metal heads, Lizzy Borden holds the same reverence... only there was no actual murder.

To a select few, Lizzy Borden was a metal band that was formed in the 80's with a theme similar to W.A.S.P. and hair metal, but with a respect held for the likes of the Bulletboys and, dare I say it, Kix.

To you, they're basically the band that you need to check out.

In 1989, Lizzy Borden (both the band and the man) set out to release the greatest album of their careers, "Master of Disguise". A quasi-concept album, it takes a cue from the Phantom of the Oprah and throws in songs about love and lust. OK, not so much a departure, but more of an updated take. "Sins of the Flesh" and "Love is a Crime" take on both subjects, respectively, with a ton of verbose and fever.

But one of the most interesting aspects of this album isn't the hard-hitting tracks (which there are plenty of!), as it is the overall orchestration of the album and the arrangements. Lizzy Borden has always been able to write incredible hooks ("American Metal" from "Love you to Pieces" is a great example), and that ability mixed with moments of progressive and, I dare say, power metal, lends itself well to this album.

The only thing I've had qualms with in terms of Lizzy Borden is Lizzy himself. He has remarkable talent and ability, can crank out incredible songs... but the voice, from time to time, is just a little too much. It isn't too over-the-top, but it does seem to be a few notes off at times. Like singing a flat when a sharp would be better kind of stuff. Its the biggest thing that I think held them back in the 80's, and something that still hurts him to this day.

That being said, its rarely a problem on this album. Lizzy has a range that works well with the music here, and like I said, it is one of their best albums.

On a whole, I give it a 8 out of 10.

Halford - Resurrection

I have a working theory that Rob Halford needs Judas Priest less than Judas Priest needs Rob Halford.

In 2000, after nearly 3 years of work, Halford (the band) released their first album, "Resurrection". The result is an album that mixes classic heavy metal, hard rock, and outright speed and aggression in a way that bands like Shadows Fall and Lamb of God wouldn't get for another 5-7 years. the production on the album is simply top-notch, and lends incredibly well to the sound of this album.

All this, and it was only the year 2000.

Opening with the title track, "Resurrection" seems utmost fitting title. The song has some of the best lyrics ever:

Holy angel lift me from this burning hell
Resurrection make me whole
Son of Judas bring the saints to my revenge
Resurrection bring me home

Now THAT is awesome, especially in the context of the song. Everything you love about metal is here: Duel-guitar attacks, incredible solos, hard-hitting drums... the song is just perfect, the way it builds up and reaches a climax that actually leaves a long-standing impression on you. It's almost like Gothenberg-Metal in some ways.

"Made in Hell" is, by far, the best song ever written about heavy metal in general. Gone are chants of "metal never dies", replaced with the story of Rob Halford and, in fact, Black Sabbath's history. I mean, he describes working-class England like this: "Metal came from foundries where the midlands sound unfurled / The bullring was a lonely place of concrete towers and steel / The coal mines and the industries were all I had to fell."



Kick... Ass.

Now, for this review, I'm going off the track list off the remastered album, largely because one of the best songs on the album was only released in Japan at first and the new track listing is a little bit better.

There are a TON of thrashers on this album, and I could simply go on about each and every one of them. "Fetish" rips through the S&M scene rips with ease, and "Cyber World" explores the technical technology of today by taking the cue of a virus destroying the world at lightning speed. And "Hell's Last Savior" stars a demon screeching from Hell to try and save it from the Devil. These songs are truly epic and grandiose, and paint vivid landscapes.

The hard rock of "Locked and Loaded", "God Bringer of Death", and "Temptation" fit well with the album and are lyrically incredibly strong. It's a nice departure at times from the traditional metal assault, and the amount of intensity and strength behind each and every track is astounding!

One of the highlights on the album, and possibly one of the most important tracks, is "The One You Love to Hate", a duet between Rob Halford and Bruce Dickinson (no pun intended). It's an incredibly powerful song and its incredible listening to these two guys belt out a song at the same time.

For me, my favorite song, hands down, is "Hell's Last Savior". Seriously, this song just plain has it all!



In the end, there are some weak tracks on here, like "Twist", but they don't hurt the album as much as the length of the album. While "Fetish" is incredible, you start to look after our watch after that, and by the albums end you may be satisfied, but not as if they ended it a littler earlier.

That said, this is still one of the best metal albums of all time, and worth a listen!

I'm giving this a 8.5 out of 10. SO BUY THE DAMN THING!!!