On each of its albums, Die Krupps has tried to push the limits of its own creative envelope.

The cynics would say that's not much of an envelope, but I'd respond that at least the guys are trying. On this album the band really sounds like a band at times, trying to merge the railroad effect of that whole German industrial sound with the "artsy" qualities that have taken hold in the U.S.

Not entirely successful, as Die Krupps still works best when the drum machine is pumped up and that stereotypical guitar sound cranks on through the night. Any attempt to break away from that formula is a noble effort, but still sounds forced.

Still fun, especially if you're enamored of this sound (and it wears pretty well on me, personally). Look for some remixes to boost this stuff over the top. That's always the place to find the best Die Krupps, anyway.

One of the better things to see on an American Recordings disc is the name George Drakoulias. The guy who brought the Black Crowes and Jayhawks (among others) into the American fold. Obviously, there's a stylistic thing going on here.

And the Freewheelers continue that roots-rock idea, right down to the stolen Skynyrd riffs (not to mention a note-for-note theft of the piano riff from "Feelin' Alright" in "Mother Nature Lady") and Hammond C-3. Yeah, the sound is goddamned punchy (it simply plows its way out of the speakers, much like Shake Your Moneymaker), and that gets annoying after a bit. This is living in the seventies full-tilt, and the Freewheelers dare you to love them or hate them. No in-between.

Since I'm a critic, though, I get to split hairs. There isn't anything original going on here, but this is nice music to accompany a springtime Friday afternoon, beer in hand. Nothing difficult, nothing terrible. Just enough riffage to get you through 'till the sun goes down over the bay.

If you are unaware, Glazed Baby's Karmic Debt is about as vicious album as I've heard. A big slab of pounding rhythms and pure pain. So, of course, I've been looking forward to this disc for a hell of a long time.

And not unlike Kepone, who plays games with a lighter version of this stuff, the sophomore disc takes the edge off the sound, which can only mean we should now be focusing on what cool songs the guys can write.

And for some unknown reason, Glazed Baby has decided to slow things up at times. WHY?!? This stuff works only when it moves, and luckily for the album (and me), the dirge-like tempo of "Lucky 7" is not the most prevalent idea on the album. But it's still there too much for my taste.

Yeah, the guitar work is still pretty impressive, and at times the boys can create a really great sound. Even on one of the slow pieces like "St. Valentine's Day Massacre Blues". But often enough all that meticulous crafting gets lost in the generic sludginess of the sound.

A big disappoinment, for me. I didn't necessarily want , but I wanted more songs like "(Let Me Take You to) Chinatown", and less of the slow stuff. Glazed Baby had found a wonderful sound in the studio last time out, and for the most part that has been lost here. And the songs are just not up to the old standard.

For most bands, this would be an acceptable (if not really good) album, hence my rating. But it just doesn't show off Glazed Baby nearly as well as the debut.

Wrong place, wrong time. For now, anyway.

Liquid Hips is a fine purveyor of that slightly funky, definitely glam style of metal that lots of us kiddies (even if we weren't technically kiddies) bough up in the late 80s. What folks have taken to calling hair metal, though I don't like that term. That's just me.

Anyway, Liquid Hips could pass for post-Feelgood Crue or stuff like that. The boys have a decent enough feel for this sort of music, though the lyrics are really dull. And to make this work, you have to be rude, crude and socially unacceptable. Liquid Hips is socially aware. So this is kinda like Tool singing over a Poison sound. I'm usually in favor of trying new things and all, but this doesn't work.

The whole product is just that; it sounds overly crafted and produced, leaving the mess pretty dull. Not terrible, and the boys get points for trying to take this sort of music to an area of responsibility. But the music ain't leaving its shithole, and the lyrics aren't enough to carry this album.

Vinnie Moore is technically a Sony artist. Hard to tell, as his last album came out on Relativity (before the complete buyout), and this one has been licensed to Futurist. A weird way of doing business.

But if Vinnie wants to get treated better, he'd better start writing more than one song per album. And actually, everything here he's done before. You know, Vinnie's the AAA (Adult Alternative something--it stands for shit radio format, in any case) of guitar instrumentalists. Play nice, but not in a jazz style, because that's too hard.

So dull I could hear my laser losing focus on the disc. Vinnie tries to make everything pretty with a gauzy production, and it just makes the whole thing some sort of gruel. Bleah.

I've heard more stories concerning this release than I can process. I'll outline the extremes. One side is that American rejected these tapes, and then shrewdly accepted them after Dwayne Goettel died, so as to cash in on his death. The other is that the remaining members and the folks at Cleopatra made all that stuff up so that the Download release could be the one to cash in on Goettel's demise.

The truth is obviously somewhere in-between. My take is that American rejected the first version of this album (much like DGC rejected the first version of Nevermind) and asked the guys to remix it. That did happen last September, after Goettel died, so I'm sticking to my take. You can judge as you like.

All that crap doesn't change events. Skinny Puppy is no more, and the remnants are now performing as Download (you can check out the A&A archives for a review of that disc). And so I have this disc to review.

A big buttload more commercial than the Download set, though I can certainly hear many similarities. The Process is aimed at a mainstream audience, with accessible melodies and experimentalism kept to a minimum. And obviously, a song as simple and catchy as "The Candle" would not find its way into the Download concept. But it sounds pretty cool here. A good club track, for those who want to remix.

Sure, the rough edges have been smoothed over. Skinny Puppy historically has been all over the map as that sort of thing goes. No bitching from me. There's still plenty of interesting bits, and lots of cool industrial dance jams. A worthy postscript to a legendary collaboration.

Generic Britpop with metal guitars. From Wyoming, of course. Not too annoying, but not terribly interesting, either.

It's always a bad sign when the lead track is a cover, in this case Bob Geldof's "I Don't Like Mondays" (and I'm not enough of a fan of his to know whether that's from his solo work or with the Rats).

Some folks know how to write a wonderful pop song, and some don't. These guys have studied the masters and have copied copiously. Fine, but you'd better infuse it with a little of your own heart and give the stuff a spark. That is what's missing.

Sure, the average hack will bob along and smile, but no one will notice when the song is over and another tune comes on. Decent pop, but not good enough to break the veneer.

The main problem 24-7 Spyz has had is its music. I mean, white and black guys playing funk-metal for the new America? The perfect marketing tool. But for some reason, the kids have been smart enough to say, "Um, but why can't you play better music?"

Still a fair question, as the sound careens from pooly-executed samples to sludge riffs to a bit of that fonky stuff to mosh riffage. In the first song. What a mess. And the rest of the album doesn't fare much better.

When the guys can keep it together for most of a song, at least the stuff is listenable. But the playing is pretty sloppy, which negates anything the funk elements might want to accomplish. And the metal stylings are five years behind the times, and that doesn't mean they were good even back then.

Now, Doug Pinnick provides the vocals for the second and third tracks, which only further points out how lacking 24-7 Spyz is in the talent department. Tack on yet another (terrible) cover of Love's "7 and 7 Is" and one of the Association's "Along Comes Mary" (Oh, man, I just don't understand) and you get a perfect finish to a bad album.

The only reason this gets two As is Doug Pinnick. Otherwise, well, I'd just prefer not to say.

Disjointed, haunting pop tunes that really remind me of the Magnetic Fields. Oh, sure, there's the occasional punky rev-up, but mostly this album is about not being very happy.

Okay, I can dig. Simple music that still manages to evoke a depth that many excessively-produced bands cannot achieve. And it's that depth which really set V-3 apart from the pack.

A nice, well-rounded effort. The average fan will find this stuff quite sparse and possibly disturbing. Cool. Allow the music to weave its way into your concscious being (the subconscious is way overrated, anyway) and have its way. Mood modification, perhaps, but after a while you'll feel much better.

And I don't want to leave you with the idea that V-3 is as eclectic as, say, Roger Miller. Not by a long shot. The simple fact is that in order to really get this album, you must listen. That's all. Nothing more. It can't be too much to ask.

As it's been about 10 years since the last good Celtic Frost album (read the cool band history in the liners), a lot of folks are only aware of Celtic Frost in terms of legend. This compilation brings it all back.

Back when only Bathory and Mercyful Fate were the only other "evil" bands around. And it's not like you could find any of this stuff at the local Sam Goody. But most of the Celtic Frost catalog is available one way or another (okay, so the easiest to find is 1988's Cold Lake, aptly described within as "The worst glam record in history." Remember "Cherry Orchards"? Eee-yow! Anyway, no songs from that album are here.

The bands paying tribute include Inner Thought, Mayhem, Cianide, Grave, Emperor and Slaughter (the Canadian band, not the American one). Obviously, much heavier than the original Celtic Frost, but a realistic progression from that time. And you can't deny that Celtic Frost has been a big influence on death metal in general, and black metal in particular.

FYI, I understand the guys in My Dying Bride are pissed that they weren't asked to contribute. That would have been a unique sound, compared to what lies within now. A nice counterpoint, perhaps. But even without my favorite band contributing, this is exactly what a tribute should be: bands recognizing a somewhat obscure predecessor and interpreting the songs in their own style. And I must say, even the black metal bands got enough money to provide adequate production. The stuff sounds pretty good.

You know, Voivod would have been a pretty good choice for inclusion here, too. But why quibble? This is as well-executed a tribute as I've heard in some time. Lovingly crafted evil. How could you ask for more?

A Finnish label gets all sorts of folks to cover John Fogerty songs. Hey, I'll give it a shot.

Some folks try and do something different (like the first track, the Jolly Jumpers of Finland doing "Fly Away"), and others (mostly the American bands, really) are more respectful of the legend. Your average tribute effort. Some brilliance, more just run-throughs.

And Uncle Joe's Big Ol' Driver and the New Duncan Imperials both do "Hey Tonight". Both do it alright, both try and take on the song in a new way. Though I'm not sure the pop sludge-anthem version the Imperials try is so good, but it is different.

Good enough, but still suffering from the usual tribute album blues: Too many folks just didn't try hard enough. Or maybe they liked Creedence too much to really fuck with the music. Who knows?