Black Label Society 'Mafia'

Black Label Society's Mafia is a great album. I think it's a must have for any BLS fan. As is the video for "Fire it Up". The song's great but the video is also very well done. I mean, who doesn't love seeing the news delivered by two skeletons? The video is mixed with dark humor and the truth about how the world is turning into hell on Earth.

The album has great power tracks to a wonderful ballad dedicated to Dimebag Darrell to a fuckin' Lynyrd Skynyrd cover! Though, I must say that one of my favorites is "Electric Hellfire". Great song and the ending is hilarious....in my opinion that is. This is one of the few albums that I can just sit back, hit play and jam out to the whole damn thing. While having Zakk Wylde's signature guitar sound I think a few of the songs could've been better. For example the intro on "Fire it Up" gets old after you listen to it a few times. I think they could've easily found something better. But as I said, the album has mostly strong and very strong tracks.

I highly recommend that everyone get a copy of Mafia, I truely think you'll love it.

Mandy Lion

Take Rob Zombie's gutteral vocals, mix in a leather trenchcoat, turbo charged sexuality, a bitchin' motorcycle, long coal black hair, a Bret Michaels leather cowboy hat, and a slight German accent and what you get is one of metals best and most unsung lead singers, Mandy Lion. What can I say about Mandy Lion? Hmm....how about he's one of the best things to come out of Germany since Oktobefest. Not to mention he's a great guy. He LOVES; dogs, he's a dog breeder (see here for a picture of his own dog), martial arts, and metal. When he's not makin' great music, he spends his time tryin' to dispell false rumors about the statistics of dog attacks.

Lion has been in the American music scene since 1986 when he immigrated (legally) from Germany, after havin' a few successful bands there. He arrived here when glam metal and bands like Poison, Whitesnake, Van Halen, Mötley Crüe, and Warrant where toppin' the charts. Once settled in L.A., he began formin' a new band which wouldn't be the oh-so popular glam metal, but what was more himself, one of the first American gothic metal bands, named World War III (WWIII). While with WWIII Lion created a new vocal style, extreme power vocal, which others have mimmicked and made even more popular.

In his 22 years in the American music scene Lion has recorded four albums, three with bands, one solo, and appeared on the George Lynch album Sacred Groove. A look at the list of artists he's performed with reads like a who's who of metal music. Although his career has spanned three decades three stints of WWIII, one of Wicked Alliance, and even one as a solo artist and he's only released four albums, I would say that Lion is an artists that EVERY metal fan MUST listen too, and see perform live, though I never have just watch his video for his cover of the song "Kiss" (link provided below) and you'll know what I'm talkin' about. I give Mandy Lion 4 1/2 leather clad stars out of five.

Enjoy,
Crash Underride

Official YouTube channel
Mandy Lion and WWIII at MySpace
Wikipedia page
Cover of the Prince song "Kiss".