Diabolic

Too some, Al di Meola is best known for is shredding guitar work as part of Return to Forever, and also his early solo albums. But di Meola has always had an interest in flamenco styled acoustic playing ("Mediterranean Sundance" off of Elegant Gypsy, anyone?) – which is the six-string style that he fully embraces on his 2007 release, Diabolic Inventions and Seduction for Solo Guitar, Vol. 1: Music of Astor Piazzolla. Like its title says, the album is comprised solely of renditions of tunes by Argentine tango composer Astor Piazzolla, who is best known for trailblazing the nuevo tango style (which contained traces of both jazz and classical). And di Meola has no problem offering up a fine tribute, especially on such tracks as "Campero" and "Romantico."

Metal For The Masses has a collection of modern metal masterpieces. It's a great mix of Swedish/European bands as well as many great American bands. This album is definitely a must for metal newbies. It gives you a great selection of the various bands going on. Arch Enemy, Lacuna Coil, Strapping Young Lad, Soilwork, Shadows Fall… and many others. If you like metal, this is an excellent choice to add to your collection. Two disc set includes 20 tracks on disc 1 and 160 mp3 tracks on disc 2.

It's clear that a lot care goes into the Hives' seemingly immediate, fired-up sound: this is a band, after all, that has only released three full-length albums in its 11-year lifespan. While the 2002 collection Your New Favourite Band ended up winning the group many more fans thanks to its fortuitous timing with the garage rock revival craze (and also ended up being the band's most consistent release to date), it didn't do much to disguise the fact that the Hives hadn't released a new album since 2000's Veni Vidi Vicious. Two years later, Tyrannosaurus Hives arrives, and proves that the band isn't just a fossil from the days when everyone (or critics, at least) thought that the Hives and the other bands lumped in with the rock revival were going to change the face of pop music. It may have taken the Hives awhile to follow up Veni Vidi Vicious, but they didn't waste any time: Tyrannosaurus Hives is half an hour of highly compressed, high-contrast rock that is far and away the band's best album.