589. Therapy? / A Brief Crack of Light. 2012. 3/5

It's probably not a good sign if your first reaction to hearing of a new release from one of your bands is "wow, are they doing another album!" with a slight touch of cynicism in your voice. Which is pretty much how I came into this album. Following on from their live release of 18 months ago which I had enjoyed, and their previous album Crooked Timber which had had its moments, I was still curious to see what the band could come up with in the new decade.

There doesn't seem like there are many more areas that Therapy? can strip back their sound. It's drums, it's guitars, and it's Andy Cairns' vocals and lyrics. And whereas in the recent past the waters have been muddied, it really does appear on this release that there has been a true effort to rediscover the real Therapy?, the one that came together in the early 1990's.

I couldn't tell you if it is a conscious effort on the band's past, but on a lot of the album it can be said to be successful. Everyone knows you cannot catch lightning in a bottle, so comparing albums over eras is just plain silly. But the overall sound of the album brings back memories of former days of triumph.

Songs such as "Living in the Shadow of the Terrible Thing" and "Before You, With You, After You" and "Get Your Dead Hand off My Shoulder" showcase the best that this band can offer. Others on the album seem far too over the top, as if they are trying too hard to prove a point. Still, the overall feel of the album is that there is a significant effort to get back to the basics of their craft.

For those fans that have fallen off the bandwagon over the past decade, this is worth getting back on the horse for. There is nothing new here, and almost zero experimentation. In a lot of ways, that is the best news most Therapy? fans could ask for.

588. Unisonic / Ignition (EP). 2012. 4/5

This single is the pre-cursor to the debut album from the new band Unisonic, and as a taster it succeeds in whetting the appetite.

What this brings to the table is what you are hoping - up tempo songs with that familiar European power-speed metal sound, powered up to 10 by the presence of Kai Hansen on guitar and song-writing duties, and driven by the still wonderful vocals of Michael Kiske.

Backing up the short and sharp single "Unisonic" is another song from the upcoming album, "My Sanctuary", and a fairly substantial demo version of "Souls Alive".

Then, just to prove these guys still pack a punch, there is a live version of the Helloween favourite "I Want Out", which showcases the band perfectly, and proves that they all still have what it takes.

All in all, this is an excellent EP to set up the debut album's release.

587. Van Halen / A Different Kind Of Truth. 2012. 3.5/5

It's a tough gig as a fan when you wait 14 years for a band to release a new album. Especially when the last album they DID release just didn't work, and the new album brings back a long-lost member of the family. And to be honest, Van Halen was really on a hiding to nothing. Bringing Diamond Dave back into the fold was probably their last resort, given the (somewhat unfair) backlash Gary Cherone received after Van Halen III crashed and burned. But could they make something together that not only was new and interesting that also wasn't so radical that it turned away their fan base?

It would appear that, in order to achieve this, much of the album contains material that was either written or originated in some form from their earliest incarnation from the late 1970's. Whether this was a deliberate ploy to ensure that they kept the feel of the original band intact in this new recording, or for some other reason, is not immediately obvious, but is not a bad ploy given the length of time between albums for the band (14 years) and with DLR (28 years).

I have found that the more I listened to the album initially, the more I enjoyed it. Even the lead song and single, "Tattoo", which I found boring and lacking in interest on its release, began to have me tapping along to it in subsequent spinning's of the CD. Not too much though, it is still a fairly average song. However, tracks such as "She's The Woman" and "China Town" and "Bullethead" and "As Is" compensate for the lacklustre tunes that surround them.

There's not a lot new about this album, but there are some refreshing moments. Roth is never really extended vocally here, but he still performs his job manfully, and his attitude still swanks through the album. What IS pleasing is that Eddie appears to have found his guitar again, and his characteristic licks at times explode out of the speakers like the days of yore. It's good to hear him back once again.

While none of the songs here will likely go on to become classics, it is probably enough that this album delivers no more or less than it promises. The fear was always that it could have been a massive disappointment after all the years of waiting. In the end, it's just nice to have the band back together, and producing an album that is more than listenable.