Fame and fortune do not always equal happiness, hard as it is for the average working person to realize. For Cry Of Love, the rise from obscurity to chart topping success has not been the smoothest of rides. It might be tough to conjure up a real level of sympathy for those whole earn their living by playing music in front of thousands of screaming fans, traveling the world and having anything they desire at their fingertips, but as Audley Freed, songwriter and guitarist for the North Carolina based quartet, Cry Of Love points out, musicians are people first and are hardly impervious to pain. Fame does not insulate – in fact, it tends to decimate our lives and emotions, regardless of the consequences. Clearly a mixed blessing, Diamonds & Debris demonstrates that there are no exceptions to that rule.

Various Rock Formats Song Reviews - Boston, Rush, Slaughter, Pat Benatar, Glenn Tipton, Lynyrd Skynyrd

Various Rock Format Song Reviews - Mötley Crüe, Scorpions

Various Rock Format Song Reviews - Paul Rodgers, INXS, Sexpod

Various Rock Format Song Reviews - Queensrÿche

Various Rock Format Song Reviews - Sammy Hagar

Is there an archetypal locale in this great country of ours from which hardcore rock bands are formed? First responses might be Los Angeles, New York, Detroit or maybe even Washington D.C. But wherever this mecca of aggressive rock may lie, the humble and quaint surroundings of San Francisco, most probably don’t pop up very often in hard-edged comparisons. After all, the bay area is the home of the Grateful Dead, Jefferson Airplane and Journey to name a few. Although most of the members are involved in various side projects, a team sense of pride is deeply rooted within the band. It is a fierce energy that has bonded these men together for a career that has spanned fifteen years and seven albums to date. But this is not a happy band. The members of Faith No More feel they have not fully realized their potential nor have they received the attention they deserve.

Everyone has a different concept of what reality is. On the surface, it would seem, by definition, reality would be an absolute constant in any situation. As always, truth is never easy to come by. Everyone has his or her own interpretation of what is real and what is not. Those who share a similar outlook on what is reality we call our friends and comrades and those that don’t we tend to avoid. Such is the case of Sammy Hagar. Where the “Red Rocker” used to count his friends on one hand, he now counts them on the other.

From seemingly out of nowhere, Seattle, WA punk/popsters, The Presidents Of The United States Of America (now that’s more than a mouthful) seem poised to once again capture the imaginations of America’s youth. Although no bet is entirely safe, in this instance, the best way to endear one’s self to the mainstream is to completely cut across it; to turn one’s back to the establishment and create your own musical vein. That is exactly what The Presidents have done. Fresh from their 1995 Grammy nomination for “Best Alternative Music Performance,” and a certified double platinum debut release, the (other) boys from Seattle are ready for another term, with their sophomore release II; after all, this is an election year!

Over the years, critics have easily dismissed aggressive rock and heavy-metal music as trivial and unimportant. For the most part, the genre has often endured through charges of stupidity and shallowness. But when a particular artist has made such a substantial contribution to impact the whole hard rock music scene, non-believers are usually nowhere to be found.