Sebastian Bach - Angel Down (Get Off My Bach, EMI Records)
Seven years in the making and completely f#cking worth it, Angel Down flat out rules. Remember those feelings of shock and amazement you had the first time you popped in Slave To The Grind? Well, Angel Down has all the ingredients that made that album such an unprecedented shock of sandblasted wattage and more. Hell, even Axl Rose guests on three tracks, including a totally bitchin’ cover of Aerosmith’s “Back In The Saddle.” Simply put, Bach covers all the metal bases here, and pretty much stomps the shit out of everybody in the process. Especially “Negative Light,” on which Bach judiciously lays waste to nearly every thrash band on the planet. The song is easily the meatiest slab the man has ever sunk his teeth into. No doubt about it, Angel Down displays Bach at his predatory best.
(Dale Lammers)

Badenders - Driving, Self-Released
Who would’ve thought that sophisticated British indie-pop could come from Texas? These dudes prove that notion is a true one. Songs such as “Masquerade” will have you partying like its 1999 all over again, while “Drywater” and “Cold Feet” will fit nicely on a mixed CD designed for hot steamy action in the front seat of your Volkswagen Jetta.
Badenders is Daniel Hall, (guitar/vocals) Will Rakkar, (guitar/piano) Guyton Sanders (drums) and Chris Robinson (bass). If you only listen to one Brit-indie-pop band from Dallas this year, this is the one. (Shane Epting)

Paul McCartney DVD - The Space Within Us
This is a great DVD - a concert video recorded on the road during Paul’s last big tour. It uses over 25 HD cameras and includes a lot of backstage and behind-the-scenes action. At the American Airlines Center in Dallas during this tour, Paul started off the night with “Magical Mystery Tour” using the newest technology in live stage production. The entire stage and background seemed to be made of video panels, which were beautifully captured for this DVD. The tour was a sellout. I wondered how he could pull off a better tour than the last one, but with all those Beatles songs - he’d have been a sellout even if he showed up with just a piano.
The band played music from the Beatles, Wings, as well as McCartney’s new music - All excellent. He makes it look so easy - and is really that good live.
(WiL Wesch)

Aska - Absolute Power, Vanadium Records
That’s right folks, the long awaited album that’s been promised to fans for literally years has finally been released - just in time for Christmas! For those unfamiliar with this DFW mainstay, Aska has spent much of the past 20+ years cranking out intricate and progressive metal along the lines of Maiden, Priest and some modern “Euro metal” bands. To fully understand what this band sounds like, you’ve really got to hear it for yourself, and Aska’s fifth release Absolute Power is the perfect opportunity to catch a double-barreled dose of what these guys are all about.
AP represents the next logical step in the band’s growth and songwriting maturity following 1998’s Avenger. Listeners find themselves transported on an audio journey around the world from the Middle East (“Martyrer”) to a fictitious (so far) version of the United States (“Invasion”) and many blood-soaked battlefields that are so plentiful in the history of Western Civilization. The album also touches on the themes of love, betrayal and dementia. Aska clearly spent the time and effort to make this release absolutely perfect for their fans and the end result was worth the wait. (Jim Wright)

Rise To Addiction - combining metal, rock and grunge

Rise To Addiction - A New Shade Of Black For The Soul, Mausoleum Records
UK import, Rise To Addiction, combines metal, rock and grunge to create their latest release, A New Shade Of Black For The Soul. Leigh Oates has an incredible voice and can hit all ranges. John Slater and Steve Wray (guitars) are impressive with heavy riffs and stellar soloing as shown on “Cold Season” and “One Sweet Minute.” Joel Graham (bass) and Aynsley Dickenson (drums) round out the quintet and lay down a solid foundation. Rise To Addiction has released an impressive disc full of emotion, drive and great musicianship. Highlights include “Falling As One,” the slow groove of “The Hive” and the upbeat “This Ride.” If you like great vocals and killer guitar work, this is the disc for you.
(Travis Tutwiler)

Seven Witches - Deadly Sins, Locomotive Records
Jack Frost is a cool guy, but man, he needs to do something to warm up his guitar sound. This might be the main factor contributing to his undeserved lack of accolades. He’s a smart guy with tons of intelligent things to say and interesting ways to say them, and he definitely took a step in the right direction with the acquisition of former Hades / Non-Fiction singer Allan Tecchio.
However, the guitar tone seems so standoffish that it’s hard to warm up to. (Iced Earth suffers from this same affliction.) In a live situation, the band is phenomenal. Now if they could just capture that live energy and attitude in a studio situation, things would probably change considerably for Seven Witches. That’s not to say there aren’t any great riffs though - there are plenty. Just imagine if things could just warm up a tad and be a little more expressive…
(Dale Lammers)

Jimmy Eat World - Chase This Light, Interscope Records
If you enjoyed their previous releases, you might enjoy this one. When compared to preceding albums, though, this one falls distinctively short. It’s many steps beneath Monster of Rock: Volume II.
None of the tracks stick out as exceptionally noteworthy. The band still produces lighthearted, punk–flavored pop music, but not one song on Chase This Light will inspire you to chase anything. Jimmy seems to have lost his groove. Similarly to Stella, he must get his groove back for him to rock appropriately. KK (Shane Epting)

Lizzy Borden - Appointment With Death, Metal Blade Records
At the very least, Lizzy Borden has always been entertaining, and this writer has long been a supporter of the Lizzy brand, but with Appointment With Death, the band may have to change their name to Lizzy Boredom. While the playing is competent, the formula of death and doom (while a perfect theme for heavy metal), has been done to, um, death. No doubt about it, with all that corpse paint and the tired cover art, the band looks like idiots. Way to set yourselves apart from the pack, guys. Not even guest appearances from George Lynch, Y & T’s Dave Meniketti, Hate Eternal’s Erik Rutan and Trivium’s Cory Beaulieu can lift this from the abyss of dullness and mediocrity. Sure, people who remember these guys will glom onto Appointment With Death with excitement, but after the first listen, you can bet most of them will be asleep.
(Dale Lammers)