Volume 2

A best of Mascot Records bands I guess. With Racer X, John Norum, Laberinto, Jake E. Lee, Everon, Eleven Pictures, Joe Lynn Turner or James Byrd's Atlantis, Mascot offers us some good rock 'n' roll pieces with this Extreme Rock 'N' Roll Series Vol.2. If you don't know the above artist, this is a good way to start. Racer X opens with Fire Of Rock (taken from Racer X's Technical Difficulties) and that's a very nice start. Unjust with their Come Feel invites me for a head-banging "thrashy" party (a discovery for me and I will definitely check their full work called TBA). The tempo changes oh next song, Blackspace, where John Norum, former Europe and Don Dokken guitarist, presents his new solo album Slipped into Tomorrow. I hope this is not the best song. Joe Lynn Turner is an internationally known recording artist (Rainbow, Oddesey, Malmsteen) and his song We're American Band can be described as a Quiet Riot song "à la" Credence Clearwater. Catchy, melodic, really good. James Byrd's Atlantis Rising, recently reformed, enters the arena with Metatron. Great melodic heavy metal song, with virtuoso guitar performances. Everon's Ghosts is excellent and both Master of Reality's Moriah & Transport League's Lost in the Desert of Habib are interesting discovery for me. Overall, this is a quite good "best of". Of course, we are passing from one metal style to another, but as Mascot Records has chosen the best one, this cd will please many fans out there.