Power of Metal.dk Review

The Winery Dogs
Unleashed in Japan
Rating
Style: Hard Rock
Release date: 23 May, 2014
Playing time: 50:10 + 61:32
 


The magic super trio in The Winery Dogs release a live album with only one studio production in the discography. Smart, stupid, big business thinking, greed? However this album is already available to purchase and it's one live recording on this double-disc release. Disc two is the studio disc from 2013. A pretty good investment if you've missed that album in your collection I have to say. Mike Portnoy (Dream Theater, Adrenaline Mob), Richie Kotzen (Poison, Mr. Big) and the bass genius Billy Sheehan (Mr. Big, Steve Vai, David Lee Roth) is still one of the strongest new super acts in the rock n roll world. Their first album is one of the best debut discs I've heard last year.

Five out of the ten songs haven't been released by Winery Dogs earlier. There is "Shine", a Mr. Big track, "Stand", an acoustic ballad, actually comes from Kotzen's time with Poison and "You Can't Save Me" is taken from his solo record "Into the Black. The Elvin Bishop cover "Fooled Around and Fell in Love" is also one of the old songs in a new version.

The Winery Dogs make those songs to their own and interpret them in their own style. Their own songs is played in XL versions and my desire to go to a Winery Dogs gig is high on my list after my many listenings. Maybe that is the idea for this album. All we who haven't seen them yet want to go and all the fans who's been there will buy this disc to get the live emotions again. Anyhow this is one of the best live albums I've heard in a long time. Richie Kotzen was the weak name on the band list before, but my gosh!! He is a super strong vocalist/guitarist and the given front man in this super group! These dogs swing!!!

The Japanese audience is always perfect to have in a live recordings, no screams or loud shouts without that the band wishes for it...


Tracklist
Disc One
01. 
Elevate (Live)
02.
Criminal (Live)
03.
Time Machine (Live)
04.
I'm No Angel (Live)
05.
Not Hopeless (Live)
06.
Stand (Live)
07.
You Can't Save Me (Live)
08.
Shine (Live)
09.
Fooled Around and Fell in Love (Live)
10.
Desire (Live)

Disc Two

01. Elevate
02.
Desire
03.
We Are One
04.
I'm No Angel
05.
The Other Side
06.
You Saved Me
07.
Not Hopeless
08.
One More Time
09.
Damaged
10. Six Feet Deeper
11.
Time Machine
12.
The Dying
13. Regret
Label: Three Dog Music
Distribution: Playground Music (Denmark)
Artwork rating: 84/100
Reviewed by: Patrik J Skoglund
Date: 11 June, 2014
Website: www.thewinerydogs.com