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On disc: Steelheart



Still Hard DVD - Claudia Ehrhardt - 8 stars
Good 2B Alive - Claudia Ehrhardt - 9 stars


www.steelheart.com







Good 2B Alive

Good 2B Alive
(Steelheart Records - 2008)


The American band Steelheart and singer Mike Matijevic were quite successful in the early 90's, then their rise was stopped abruptly when Matijevic was almost killed in an accident on stage - you can watch this at their DVD Still Hard which was originally released in 2006.
Now Steelheart is back! Actually it's mainman Mike Matijevic who gathered some musicians to run his show.
The opener is called Samurai and shows them with a heavy groove and sharp riffing. Matijevic is playing guitar, too. But the most obvious change is the vocals, Mike Matijevic can still add screams and high-pitched vocals, but this time he is singing deeper and that fits well to the new, more classic rock. A good opener which make you curious to hear more, sure this isn't Steelheart as we all know them from the early 90's, but the world changed - and Steelheart changed too. LOL sounds quite modern with it's distorted vocals and the heavy groove. The song reminds me of something, but I can't fathom it... A dark rocker is Buried Unkind which had me right from the start. Steelheart is no longer happy, sing along hard rock / melodic metal, but the songs rock and have more depth. They might need a few more spins, but that's okay. One of my highlights is Buried Unkind, just because it differs. I loved the old Steelheart and still listen to them, but with Good 2B Alive they are more mature and they rock. The dark and sometimes mysterious sound makes more interesting, in my opinion. At Twisted Future Mr. Matijevic adds symphonic sounds - real strings, no synthesizer stuff! - and the bombastic touch makes this one stick out. But the tune has much more to offer! Slowly with acoustic guitar and vocals kicks off I Breathe. The track is very balladesque in the opening, but then becomes a heavy rocker - and returns to the opening theme. Another song with a dark touch. Btw, at the CD Shine A Light For Me is listed before I Breathe, but on the CD the tracks are in the opposite order. After the ballad Underground they rock again with You Showed My How 2 LV - even if this tune has some balladesque passages. The song is enthralling and one more highlight on Good 2B Alive!
Its good they be alive! And fans of Tesla, Hardline, Gotthard, etc. should check them out! Everybody who had a problem with Matijevics high-pitched vocals, should give it a try! The vocals and the bands sound changed, so old fans also should listen first. Steelheart really surprised me and they changed for good. Give Mr. Matijevic a chance!


9 stars

Claudia Ehrhardt
 

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Still Hard DVD

Still Hard DVD
(SteelHeart Records - 2006)


Steelheart, the band of singer Mike Matijevic, was quite popular in the early 90's and they got a lot airplay in MTV, especially in the USA. The guys played a lot live and now there is a double DVD of them which shows a show from their Japanese tour in 1990, their video clips and some acoustic stuff at disk 1. At the 2nd DVD you get a show from 1991 titles Bootleg Concert: Toad's Place and the extras like TV appearances, alternate versions, interviews, etc.
The sound quality of the Japanese show is quite good, but for some reason you pretty often see Matijevic's back.... The image, well... Partly the pictures from Osaka are a bit too dark...But that's probably the 'old' recordings. Anyway, the film crew caught the live action very well, but sometimes seemed to have problems with capturing the moves. Songs like Gimme Gimme and I'll Never Let You Go - their smash hit - are still fun!
The video clips every fan of the band will know, but its nice to see them again and it revives the good ol' times. The acoustic show from Hong Kong is pretty cool. Stripped down to the basics the songs focus on Matijevic's vocals and which is only accompanied by piano or acoustic guitar.
The Bootleg Concert really is a bootleg, especially sound-wise, even if I heard worse. But it shows them authentic and pure.
The real Steelheart fans will enjoy the interviews and the Makin' Of stuff and for the one who haven't seen it they added the footage from the Denver accident which almost cost Matijevic's life! And so the DVDs end! It's value for money! More then 3 1/2 hours of Steelheart will satisfy their fans - until the new album will be out!

DVD 1:

Japan tour '90

Love Ain't Easy
Like Never Before
Gimme Gimme
Girl Gone Crazy
I'll Never Let You Go
Can't Stop Me Lovin' You
Drum / guitar solo
Rock'n'Roll (I Just Wanna)

Videos

I'll Never Let You Go
Can't Stop Me Movin' You
She's Gone
Everybody Loves Eileen
Sticky Side Up
Wait

Acoustic Show

She's Gone
Sheila
Mama Don't You Cry
Electric Chair
Shangrila


DVD 2:

Bootleg Concert: Toad's Place

Backstage
Live Never Before
Everybody Loves Eileen
Instrumental Jam
Sheila
I'll Never Let You Go
She's Gone
Down'n'Dirty

Extras

I'll Never Let You Go (TV appearance)
She's Gone (TV appearance)
The Makin' Of Everybody Loves Eileen
She's Gone (Alternate version)
Before Steelheart there was Red Alert
Photo Gallery
Interview in London '90
Interview in New Haven '91
Interview in Hollywood '92
The Makin' Of Tangled In Reins
Soundcheck
The Accident in Denver


8 stars

Claudia Ehrhardt
 

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           ©2008-2010 by Claudia Ehrhardt • E-Mail: contact@ice-vajal.com


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