Standout numbers? All of 'em. "The Breeze", "Waitin" and "Golden Grease" are all burners. Most bands can't pull a double shot of slow downs like they present with "No Good" and "Aint' It Hard", but Banditos do so like seasoned professionals. "Preachin' To The Choir" has a wicked swamp blues vibe, talkin' 'bout drinkin and stuff, complete with the cry of slide steel guitar. Another reference to the firewater in copious quanities, "Still Sober After All These Beers" is a honky tonk standard. Even when they, heaven forbid, roll out the rag time with "Long Gone, Anyway", it has the correct classic feel. Like I said, some of these folks are trained in the standards. Yet the banditos are anything but standard. They are a cut above.

Watch you fade - good jump in the lick, the scat style singing gives it a different flavor. I kept expecting a big bold holding pattern for a chorus so when it didn't show up, that was a good thing. More than a couple of times the vocal delivery could have been more clear, definitely louder. I couldn't quite catch what was being said, even after a few listens. The song has classic rock chordings, which are hard to go wrong with; they're both familiar and catchy. The two songs I've got from this project show promise, be interesting to see when the numbers add up how many gems we actually get.

The music? Cool, dark and heavy. Tribal folk tales of virgins, demons and war carries Hotti. Things go psychedelic ambient garage with KHunkhahi. It mighta been something Yoko'd done of she'd been metal. The accordians mourn their sorrowful song on PAJH. Like being at ancient slovak graves out in the forrest. Kafiristan is like something Syd Barret'd done if he'd been Persian. Finally, at the end, you glimpse your master with YE. It's been a ride.

Gelal's Dark Cult - band overview
Traditional classic black metal originating out of La Serena, Chile. Their musicianship is top notch and they keep the abrupt time changes which trash out many a good black metal song to a minimum. When they do add these tastes, the arrangements fit together and do not sound like thrown together bullshit. Impressive.

Joe Northerner - Hell With Rebels
Decidedly anti-southern raps and rants masquerading as anti-racist, yet these type slogans and lyrics are about as racist as you can be. Canned beats and some casio type fills made me think initially this was a joke. Yet they've spent money to press up CD's, so somewhere in here there is a need. "White boys stink like horseshit when they sweat" is one of the better spits on the record. There are no pictures of the band and nothing on the website gives you any idea what these cats look like, but they sound black. Who cares, basically this stuff sucks.

Also Vinnie Moore more than ever has defining moments on these later records. His playing on cuts such as the ripping "Bad Boy Run" has never been hotter. The riff holding it's own and the lead tearing it up. Vinnie at this point is the electric guitar "sound" of UFO, though purists can never get past the Shenker recordings as definitive. To me personally each guitarist over the years has brought their own contributions and unique sound to the band. Vinnie Moore does a great job of not only holding each of their legacies reflective in some of his playing, he's carved his own identity. He is finally getting the respect he deserves and keeps bringing it home.

Phil Moog remains, no pun intended, rock steady. He hasn't had that raspy voice of youth in decades but geeze the man is 67 already! His smooth lower end has only gotten better, soon as the voice comes in, if not already, you know who the band playing is. He has rarely been imitated, because his voice is so unique. The phrasings have taken on a bit more of quip, yet we all should be so lucky to be able after 50 years of heavy use of the box, to sound this good. If you want a classic band that's still workin' hard, check out UFO.