Band: Lizzy Borden Album: Appointment With Death Label: Metal Blade Rating: 5/10 Website: http://www.lizzyborden.com BUY NOW!

Lizzy Borden is one of the last holdouts from the early years of Metal Blade. One would be hard pressed to find a band that has stayed on the label as long as Lizzy. The group has never betrayed their classic metal and hard rock roots, which remains true with their latest offering, "Appointment with Death." One of the main selling points of this album is the gathering of acclaimed metal musicians that guest appear through out the album. Dave Meniketti of Y & T, Erik Rutan of Hate Eternal, George Lynch and Cory Beaulieu all lend a helping hand. "Appointment with Death" is musically a solid album. Whether through shredding solos, rich harmonies, or heavy riff, Ira Black leads the charge with his guitar playing wizardry. "Bloody Tears" shows Black picking some of his fastest licks. The title track features chugging guitars supporting the finger-twisting-string-bend solos. Then there is the Maidenesque rhythm of "Tomorrow Never Comes," and the quick finger-tapping rhythm of "Perfect World (I don't wanna Live)." The drums hit hard and heavy, just check out the beginning double bass part on "Abnormal." Drummer Scott and Lizzy put their heads together in creating a stellar production, too. The guest musicians imprint their track with their own style and musical magic. "Abnormal" shows one of metal's great young talents, Cory Beaulieu bust out killer harmonies and ripping solos. Erik Rutan creates foreboding, dark melodic solos, further enhancing the creeping atmosphere of "Something's Crawlin." George Lynch hits a soaring high note when he takes the spotlight during "The Death of Love." Not all tracks feature a guitarist, though; Y& T member Dave Meniketti creates beautiful piano notes on the ballad, "The Darker Side." As stated before, the music on "Appointment with Death" is solid. The song writing and the vocals are where it falters. Lizzy still has a good voice, but his Sunset Strip styled vocals sound dated. He shows moments of brilliance, blending his voice in rich harmony during some of the choral lines, and even belts out an old-school Lizzy Borden scream during "The Darker Side," but I find his normal singing voice difficult to ingest, especially during the ballads. Listeners who subside on a steady diet of Ratt, Motley Crue, Dokken and other bands from the Los Angeles hair metal days won't have a problem with his voice. It's not just the vocals, the lyrics come across cheesy and cliché. For instance, he sings, "Kiss the girls and make them die," is just plain retarded. Bands always talk about how they needed to progress from their early, classic material. Lizzy Borden is a group that could benefit well if they returned to the powerful vocal style that typified such recordings as "Menace to Society." Darren Cowan Back to Reviews