Doro
Artist: Doro
Community Score: 10.00
Forty Seasons: The Best of Skid Row
Artist: Skid Row
Community Score: 6.38

This after-the-fact compilation from one of the last hard rock bands to make any sort of impression before the alt-rock revolution made most of it meaningless does its job, limited as it is, fairly well. All the hit singles that Sebastian Bach and company cranked out during their brief run of superstardom are here; none particularly holds up out... Read More

Weed Out the Weak
Artist: Konkhra
Community Score: 4.00
British Steel/Point of Entry/Screaming for Vengeance
Artist: Judas Priest

In the summer of 1998, Sony repackaged and re-released three of Judas Priest's best albums from their peak period of the early '80s -- British Steel, Point of Entry, and Screaming for Vengeance -- as a slip-cased box set. It's not a bad way to acquire the albums if you don't already own them, but since there are no bonus tracks, new packaging,... Read More

Take It: Sessions '63-'68
Artist: Ritchie Blackmore

For Ritchie Blackmore fans, Take It! is indispensible; compiling two dozen early tracks, the collection paints a cohesive portrait of the guitarist at the outset of his career. Recorded during the Beat boom era of the mid-'60s, these rare cuts capture Blackmore working in a wide range of styles, moving from the sappy ballads of Jess Conrad to... Read More

Malpractise
Artist: Brain Surgeons

Malpractice is a compilation of tracks originally released on fan-club-only cassettes, mostly consisting of covers and a smattering of re-recordings of previous Brain Surgeons tunes. Predictably, many of the covers are songs Albert Bouchard co-wrote while with Blue Öyster Cult; also covered are Hawkwind and the Minutemen (Mike Watt's "Tour... Read More

Wishpool
Artist: Brother Cane
Community Score: 9.00

Seeds proved to be Brother Cane's breakout release, launching a string of hard-rock radio hits. For its sequel, Wishpool, the quartet wisely decided to replicate the sound of Seeds, turning out a set of heavy rockers that have the style of '70s AOR and the production of '90s post-grunge. While it lacks anything as flat-out catchy as "Got No... Read More

Inferno: Last in Live
Artist: Dio

Ronnie James Dio never sounded more inspired than he does on Inferno: Last in Live, an outstanding two-CD set recorded live on his band's world tour of 1996-1997. The goth metal singer was always known for going that extra mile on-stage, and he does exactly that with an excellent band that includes drummer Vinny Appice, guitarist Tracy G,... Read More

X-Factor: Out There & Back
Artist: UFO
Community Score: 10.00
BBC Sessions
Artist: Led Zeppelin
Community Score: 7.91

Led Zeppelin's BBC sessions were among the most popular bootleg items of the rock & roll era, appearing on a myriad of illegal records and CDs. They were all the more popular because of the lack of official Led Zeppelin live albums, especially since The Song Remains the Same failed to capture the essence of the band. For anyone who hadn't heard... Read More

Anthology
Artist: Manowar

Anthology culls the highlights from Manowar's '80s albums, offering a good distillation of the band's career. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide Read More

Overnight Sensation
Artist: Motörhead
Community Score: 5.40

Following the extremely thrashy Sacrifice, Motörhead returned to their typical three-chord rock & roll onslaught with 1996's Overnight Sensation. Also the band's most eclectic in years, its tracks range from pedal to the metal stompers like "Civil War" and "Eat the Gun" to mid-paced groovers like "Listen to Your Heart" (featuring acoustic... Read More