Sebastian Bach's Angel Down

Coming into this, I was very skeptical. Sebastian Bach has done a lot lately that has made me question my love for him.

The anticipation for VH1's Super Group was almost too much for me to take when it first aired. I had heard countless rumors about Sebastian being a jerk, a diva, and a douchebag, so I was depending on this show to prove all the nay sayers wrong. No one could possibly be a bigger jerk than Ted Nugent...could they? Unfortunately, Sebastian fulfilled every word of those rumors. I hope and pray that it was bad editing on VH1's part that made him look so ridiculous, but it was one of the most heartbreaking moments in my life. Sounds silly, I know, but Skid Row and Sebastian Bach are my idols and one of my all-time favorite bands. It sucks to find out that your idols aren't as cool as you thought they would be.

Then Sebastian went on to do MTV's Celebrity Rap Superstar. Why don't you just put another knife in my heart and twist it around? I couldn't even bring myself to watch that show, not one single episode. Although I did hear that Sebastian actually did pretty well, for some reason, that was no consolation to me. I understand that he probably did all this for money and to promote his new album (and I'm sure it worked), but it still sucks.

All of this was foreshadowed by his first solo album, Bring'em Bach Alive. I stole a copy of it from a local college radio station a few years ago. As much as I hate to say it, I'm glad I didn't waste any money on it. It was terrible. Not only were his new songs bad, but he shoved quite a few Skid Row songs on the album. If I wanted to hear Skid Row, I'd throw one of their CD's in, but I wanted to hear new, solo Sebastian Bach. That's not what I got at all. The quality of the photos on the CD were terrible as well; it looked like the band put on costumes, ran outside in Sebastian's back yard, and had someone snap a picture of them with a disposable camera.


So needless to say, I wasn't expecting much from Angel Down.


Luckily, I happened to catch Sebastian on my local radio station last week. I think he was doing a radio tour to help promote the album. Thankfully, he came off sounding like the old Sebastian that I had enshrined in my head: funny, thoughtful, and charismatic. I was relieved. Maybe his new album wouldn't be so bad? They played "Love Is A Bitch Slap" and...it was actually really fucking good. Whew!

Then I found this website: http://spinner.aol.com/artists/new-releases-full-cds?defaultTab=3 and was able to listen to Angel Down in its entirety. Wow...Sebastian redeemed himself for all his wrong doing with this album; he blew me away.


I've only listened to it once, but it's fantastic. The music is heavy and dirty. Slave To The Grind resonates throughout the album, but Sebastian does a great job of making it his own. After hearing him sing on Super Group, I was a little worried about how his voice would sound on this album. Not to worry. His voice sounds just as youthful and strong on Angel Down as it did on Skid Row's debut album. There is also a guest appearance by none other than Axl Rose who lends his voice to a couple of the songs on the album, which is a nice added touch.


Sebastian has shown a lot of growth and maturity with Angel Down. It just goes to prove that the less he focuses on Skid Row, the better he sounds. I'm thankful he took his time and worked hard to put out a quality album.

Moral of the story: Never doubt your idols.

Can I Have My Old Bon Jovi Back Please?

For as long as I can remember, I've been in love with Bon Jovi. When I was in middle school, I remember trading my Debbie Gibson tape for Slipper When Wet. I remember crying and throwing a tantrum when my parents wouldn't let me go see them in concert. I remember getting New Jersey on vinyl for my birthday. I remember going to Las Vegas a couple of years ago and freaking out when we found the Graceland Wedding Chapel where Jon Bon Jovi got married.

Luckily, I've seen Bon Jovi live three times. Unfortunately, the last time I saw them in 2001 was heartbreakingly disappointing. They didn't play one song off their first album...not one! Plus, I paid an assanine amount of money for my ticket and had the worst seats in the place, and I was surrounded by a bunch of 17 year old girls who had no idea Bon Jovi even existed prior to Crush. Since then, it's been a struggle to sustain my love for them.

The struggle isn't with old Bon Jovi...it's with new Bon Jovi. I will always and forever love and respect old Bon Jovi. There's no doubt about that. However, new Bon Jovi is really questionable for me. It feels like they're moving towards an adult contemporary feel, and I'm having a hard time dealing with that.

So last night, I watched the Bon Jovi A&E special hoping and praying that it wouldn't be as disappointing as their most recent MTV Unplugged performance. I sat down in front of the TV and tried to keep an open mind.

They opened up with Wanted Dead or Alive, and it was great. OK, so far so good. After that, it was nothing but new songs, nothing prior to 1999. What's up with that? I understand that they're pimping a new album, but they've got an hour time slot, so couldn't they throw me some Living On A Prayer or Bad Medicine?

And I'll admit, I haven't bought the new album, so I wasn't 100% positive what to expect. I heard some of it on MTV Unplugged, and didn't love it. I heard some of it last night and still didn't love it. It didn't suck, but I just didn't feel it; it wasn't for me. It's reminiscent of songs that are played on a light rock station that soccer moms listen to at work. And they've also got a slight pop country undertone these days, and if there is anything I can't fucking stand, it's pop country (except for you Keith Urban, I will always love you). So when Jon stood on that stage and blurted out that they had co-written a song with their country brothers Big & Rich, I gagged. We Got It Going On sounded like the first cousin of Gretchen Wilson's Here For The Party, and it sucked. At that moment, I was officially heartbroken. It felt like my lover had left me for someone uglier and fatter and not as cool as me.

I understand that they're older now and grown up, so they're musical tastes have probably changed and they want to try new things. Plus, most of the ladies who listened to them in the 80's are soccer moms now, so I'm sure Bon Jovi still wants to appeal to them. Unfortunately when I grew up, I grew up in a totally different direction than Bon Jovi, so we may have grown apart a little. It's a hard time in our relationship right now, and I'm not sure how to deal with it. Will I always love Bon Jovi no matter what? Yes, because they're older songs are amazing and no one can write a ballad like Bon Jovi, no one. Do I have to love what they're doing now? No. Absolutely not. Will I tolerate it like some of my boyfriend's bad habits? Yes, yes I will.