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Crucified Barbara- "Losing The Game "

Joan Jett & The Blackhearts - "A.C.D.C."

Wolfmother - "Woman"

Breaking Benjamin - "Diary of Jane "

Eighteen Visions - "Tonightless"

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     Yet another new hard rock band from Scandinavia, Sweden’s Crucified Basrbara produce bone crunching classic metal with just bit of a playful edge. Front woman Mia Coldheart’s delivery here is in the same mold as femme-glam pioneer Cherie Curry, and in remarkably unaccented English. The core of the band’s sound, though, is the rhythm section of Nicky Wicked and Ida Evileye.
     Visually, “Losing The Game” is mainly a performance clip, which showcases the band’s high energy stage presence and glamorous wardrobe and makeup. Don’t make the mistake of thinking their just eye candy, though – these grrls can rock! It’s intercut with backstage “candid” footage, giving the piece an overall verite feel that suits the band’s straightforward approach. – Rick Brown

Watch it at: http://www.crucifiedbarbara.com/allframes.htm

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     I first heard Joan Jett way back in 1976 when she was a member of pioneer girl-glam band The Runaways. Thirty years later, she’s rocking as hard as ever with her new release Sinner, featuring the single/video “A.C.D.C.” It’s not a tribute to the Australian hard rockers, though of course Jett’s sound and theirs have much in common. It’s rather an expression of sexual confusion. Jett has never officially “come out”, although these lyrics are pretty close to it; and her frequent performances at Pride festivals have certainly fueled speculation.
    In the video, the camera follows Jett’s unfaithful paramour, played by Carmen Electra as she struts and flirts through her day. This is intercut with gritty black and white performance footage of Jett and the Blackhearts banging out the song on a soundstage. At 48, Jett hasn’t lost a step. This is her best work since the early 80s – Rick Brown

Watch it at: http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=2942708514022533402

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     Another classic proto-metal offering comes from Australian trio Wolfmother. If you close your eyes, you could mistake them for Black Sabbath ca. 1972. They make no pretense of originality, but what their sound amounts to is a musical time machine. Singer/guitarist Andrew Stockdale builds the song around one brisk fiff, and that’s really all he needs.
     Visually, the French team of Fougerole and Courtes have created a verry innovative effect. The transitions are all made with a “crumpled paper” special effect. It’s difficult to describe in words, but it’s quite unlike anything I’ve seen in a music video clip before. This is worth a look for that reason alone, but it’s a kickin’ song as well.– Rick Brown

Watch it at: http://music.yahoo.com/ar-12693428-videos--Wolfmother

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     Breaking Benjamin have been purveyors of grunge-flavored hard rock since they burst onto the scene in 2000. Despite some lineup changes their recent legal woes (ex-drummer Jeremy Hummel has filed a multi million dollar lawsuit, claiming he is still owed for work he did with the band.), the new album Phobia  and video “Diary of Jane” are among the ban’s best work to date.Ben Burnley’s voice has developed a repertoire of more subtle, expressive nuances over the band’s career, and he displays them to excellent effect on the verses of “Diary of Jane.”
     Director Smith shoots the band, and “Jane” in the framing sequences, in a palatial Victorian style home that looks to be a little bit run down. He makes excellent use of gauzy soft focus  to build the atmosphere of mystery that surrounds the character of Jane. His sense of pacing is excellent when juxtaposed with the grinding rhythm of the song. – Rick Brown

Watch it at: http://www.shallowbay.com/

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     Eighteen Visions are best know for a trademark metalcore sound, but as they reach their tenth anniversary, the California quintet has expanded ther musical horizon considerably. “Tonightless”, this video clip, is the closing song on their new, self-titled CD. Guitarist Ken Floyd, who wrote the song, describes it as a “psalm”; but it plays more like an anthem. After a surprisingly mellow intro, the band breaks into a huge, hook laden rocker.
     Visually, Chris Sims pulls off some great work. His panoramic shots of the band performing in what looks to be the lobby of a rail station are intercut with  images of a young couple taking a romantic walk through, of all places, a cemetery. It seems creepy at first, but it turns out to be crucial to the twist ending, when it’s revealed that the ostensibly happy young couple are in fact ghosts whose earthly remains are interred there.– Rick Brown

Watch it at: http://music.yahoo.com/ar-284266-videos--Eighteen-Visions  

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