Maximum Metal Rating Legend
5 Excellent - Masterpiece. A classic.
4.5-4 Great - Almost perfect records but there's probably a lacking.
3.5 Good - Most of the record is good, but there may be some filler.
3 Average - Some good songs, some bad ones at about a half/half ratio.
2.5-2 Fair - Worth a listen, but best obtained by collectors.
1.5-1 Bad - Major problems with music, lyrics, production, etc.
0 Terrible - Waste of your life and time.

Note: Reviews are graded from 0-5, anything higher or not showing is from our old style. Scores, however, do not reveal the important features. The written review that accompanies the ratings is the best source of information regarding the music on our site. Reviewing is opinionated, not a qualitative science, so scores are personal to the reviewer and could reflect anything from being technically brilliant to gloriously cheesy fun.

Demos and independent releases get some slack since the bands are often spent broke supporting themselves and trying to improve. Major releases usually have big financial backing, so they may be judged by a heavier hand. All scores can be eventually adjusted up or down by comparison of subsequent releases by the same band. We attempt to keep biases out of reviews and be advocates of the consumer without the undo influence of any band, label, management, promoter, etc.

The best way to determine how much you may like certain music is to listen to it yourself.
Band
Cannon
Title
The History
Type
LP/EP
Company
Point Music
YOR
2005
Style
Hard Rock
9/15/2005 - Review by: Eric Compton
Cannon - The History - 2004 - Point Music

Track Listing
1. Let's Start The Party
2. Heat of the Night
3. Welcome Back Home
4. Light In The Night Back:
5. White Heat
6. We Rock The City
7. Wasted Love
8. Cannonfire
9. Love And Pain
10. Metal Wars
11. Runnin'
12. Heat Of Emotions
13. Lies
14. Stand The Fight
15. Fireblade
16. Rockamania
17. Nuclear Light
18. Evil Shadow
19. Thunder & Lightning
20. Heaven's On Fools Side
21. Metal Forever
22. In Your Arms
23. Cat On The Hunt
24. Strangers In The Night
25. Racer
26. Sky Of Rock
27. Thunder & Lightning (Extended)
"Rockamania, does it never ever stop!"

Germany's Cannon laced up their high tops in '86, releasing their debut album in 1988 under the title of "Thunder & Lightning". It was an interesting choice of title as Cannon's material featured hard, thunderous chomps as well as the German speedy, lightning fast anthems made famous by restless and wild groups like Accept and Scorpions. The debut showed a great deal of promise and potential, and after releasing one mammoth of a good time they simply went away for a while. "Thunder & Lightning" is a fantastic release and a collector's vinyl that is sought after by many fine metal collectors. Still to this day I see bootleg versions of the vinyl transferred to disc and up until last year many folks were demanding the record to be reissued. Last year it was! Cannon's "The History" made its way to a two disc release chronicling the entire band's catalogue, even going as far as including unreleased tracks and an entire second record that never saw the light of day. Pops to Point Music for finally unleashing this awesome hard rock ride for the buying public.

Those of you who have read my reissue reviews before will understand that I won't talk much about the band's actual material. That can be found on our site under my Rusted Metal column for "Thunder & Lightning. Instead what I like to do is talk about the reissue package itself, explaining to many fans why the reissue is necessary. In this case this is absolutely mandatory for any fan's collection. For starters this material has never been available before on CD. "Thunder & Lightning" has been on vinyl for almost twenty years and now longtime fans can finally get a restored version on disc. The sound on this reissue is just extraordinary, crystal clear and cranked even louder for this special release. Along with the full "T&L" record comes six extra tracks that were recorded in or around the same time as the debut. Along with that we get an extended version of the title track.

Let's not forget that this is a 2CD set however. No, the goods don't stop with just that. Cannon and Point Music have teamed up to offer us an entire Cannon record never before released entitled "Timeriders". This album was supposed to be released after the "T&L" record but grunge pretty much killed those ambitions dead. That makes this compilation even more valuable with twelve more cuts added that we have yet to hear as fans. "Timeriders" is a worthy addition to the debut album and is jammed full of quality songs.

The whole packaging on this is just marvelous, with the album cover done to include the artwork for both releases. Along with that comes ten pages outlining the entire band's career including a brief bio, liner notes, and photos. From start to finish this is a collector's dream but beyond that this is the perfect way to pick up some quality hard rock music in a time when this type of music is no longer fashionable. It's a damn shame too!

--EC 09.01.05

  • 1 :REVIEW COUNT
    N/A :AVE RATING

ALL REVIEWS FOR: CANNON
TITLE
DOR
COMPANY
REVIEWER DATE MADE RATING
Back In Business
2005
Point Music
Eric Compton11/29/2005
-
The History
2005
Point Music
Eric Compton9/15/2005
-
Thunder & Lightning
1988
2XL Records
Eric Compton9/16/2005
-

ALL INTERVIEWS FOR: CANNON
INTERVIEW INTERVIEWER DATE TAGLINE
Mat Rein JaehnkeEric Compton12/29/2005


<< back >>