Hail To The King - Hillsong London

Advantages: Excellent unconventional music, some beautiful songwriting
Disadvantages: Takes a while to grow on you.

...With their sixth studio album, Radiohead faced the unenviable task of sticking to their guns and producing an album which fitted in with their reputation of mutating musicians, while retaining the quality of their previous work. After all the fuss over the transition between OK Computer and Kid A, it would have been quite the let down for the boys to rest on their laurels and turn out a half-measured piece. Fortunately, laziness was never going to be a factor for the Oxford band. They remain one of the most intelligent group in the business when it comes to gauging their situation and taking the correct steps towards a successful new sound. Hail To The Thief received a great deal of press for its name alone. Many saw it as a jab at the American government, with Yorke particularly vocal in his dislike for the Bush administration... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful

Advantages: Simplistic and enjoyable classic heavy metal.
Disadvantages: Disappointing lack of progression after the previous album.

...New York's Manowar have always been quick to praise their European brothers of metal, the continent housing their largest fan-base and offering them headlining events at major metal festivals, compared to the lukewarm reception of their home country. Although later releases such as 'Kings of Metal' would attempt to balance out the praise for all European nations (it even name-checks Wales), their third album, or more specifically its titular song, is a celebration of the nation that created heavy metal and provided Manowar with the opportunity to hear the call. The country's name is... oh yes, it's in the title. 'Hail to England' is in some ways a disappointing follow-up to 'Into Glory Ride,' but this was perhaps inevitable, the band having all but exhausted their epic sound across its seven tracks. At a shorter thirty minutes... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful

Advantages: A much better step on in the Radiohead albums
Disadvantages: That Amnesiac was in between this and Kid A

...So the last month has seen Radiohead release there 6th full length album and after the disaster that was Amnesiac they really needed to pull something out the bag. To be honest Tom Yorke has almost managed it and Radiohead after a brief de-railment they have got back on track and are once again on track. Hail To The Thief in terms of gauge falls between Kid A and Ok Computer as an album, with bits of the Bends and Pablo Honey thrown in to make it sound even better. I shall warn you now for all those people who do not like long reviews that this shall be on and if you don’t like long op’s then maybe you should stop reading here. So without further a do lets get on with it. Radiohead are an Oxford based band made up of: Thom Yorke: Vocals, Guitar, Paino Jonny Greenwood: Guitar Colin Greenwood: Bass Ed O’Brien: Guitar Philip... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful