And now for the page that will satisfy some...and undoubtedly infuriate others..

The Diamonds And Duds Album Page!!



So..whadda say we take a look at a few and see what we have?

I was in Musiplex the other day and saw Marilyn Manson-Mechanical Animals on the shelf. I put the phones on and gave it a listen. And I'm still wondering just how the hell this guy made it big. Can someone please tell me how this guy sells millions of records? Sorry,Manson-ites..this one gets the Dud

Just recently I came into a band called Stratovarius. THese guys are from Finland. I thought- what the hell? Could be interesting. They're supposed to have some kick to them. After that Manson, boy did I need it. So I put in the tape of Destiny (special thanks to Matt for the tape) and pressed the Play button. If you've never heard Stratovariusbefore, then this is definitely a good album to help you get acquainted with them. Serious Diamond here.

And now we come to Sacred Steel-Wargods Of Metal. Musically, it might get a passing grade. But man, that singer...can you say fingernails on a blackboard,kids? Dud.

Now I figure I have to hit on some Metallica. They've been taking a lot of flak lately from their old fans- and hey-I'll admit..I'm no exception. I gave up after Load. But then I heard about Garage,Inc.- a double album of all the covers they've ever done. Now as soon as I heard that, my ears perked up. One word- "Breadfan"..my all time fave Metallicover. Then I hear about all these new covers they're doing. I took a look at the listing and nearly laughed-"Tuesday's Gone"? "Turn The Page"(????) Well, laugh if you will, but there's some good stuff on here. Their version of the Seger classic actually sounds pretty good Metalli-cized. But the Skynyrd- sorry,guys. Can't back you on that one. "Whiskey In The Jar"- somehow I knew that would make a single. I would have been pretty surprised if it hadn't. Not that I'm arguing- I like the song. Sounded OK to me.

Here's the deal...it's better than Load but doesn't begin to come close to Puppets. So take your pick. Diamond or dud? Personally, I wouldn't call this one a Dud. Even though they've done a whole lot better, I'll give them the benefit of the Diamond this time around.