Xyz - Xyz (10 tracks) +Album Reviews

"I made it to the light to realize I'm too far gone"

mwreview | Northern California, USA | 12/12/2004

(4 out of 5 stars)

"XYZ is the eponymous debut of the Hollywood-based metal band that was formed in 1985. Don Dokken produced this album and, like the band Dokken, XYZ plays straight forward, radio friendly 1980s metal, although their music is heavier than Dokken's. Released in 1989, XYZ is similar to briefly popular metal bands of the late 1980s like Winger, Hurricane, etc. Although the album is not spectacular, there is not anything weak on it either. Standout tracks include the single "Maggy" and the addictive "Tied Up." XYZ released a couple more albums after this one, but never achieved much fame. Their first album was released a little too late to capitalize on the 1980s hair metal scene which is unfortunate because they were better than a lot of bands that hit it big (however briefly) during that time. Still, XYZ is decent and solid and anyone who likes the aforementioned bands will like this album."

1 of the best u never heard

Scott O. Bishop | Colorado USA | 10/24/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I bought this album to fill the empty x space in my alphabet of cd's. To my surprise, this was one of the best hair metal albums ever made. These guys are talented! Too bad nirvana killed the scene, or this band would have had several good albums. I own the 2nd one too (Stay Hungry), it's good, but not as good as this one. Great guitar works (bass and lead,) great singer, and a great drummer. When you see it used for over $20.00, you know it's gotta be somfin special."

Melodic metal at it's best

David J. Ambrozi | Pensahola Fl | 01/20/2006

(4 out of 5 stars)

"This disc is for anyone that wants their melodic rock and now! The first track maggy is really great grabs a hold of you. Inside out has some very catchy guitar, but what keeps me loving you, and follow the night are top notch power ballads, with great guitar on them. Only way I can describe the sound is dokken like, which makes sense since don produced it. Pick this up yesterday and p.s. the 2nd album hungry is just as lethal!!"

Great debut - remastered

Justin Gaines | Northern Virginia | 12/05/2007

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I've long since given up trying to figure out why some bands make it and others fail to do so, but you really have to wonder why XYZ never really reached the same level of success as bands like Steelheart or Firehouse. They had a great sound that should have gone over quite well in the late 80s, and yet I don't recall ever hearing their music or seeing any MTV videos back then, and I was a total junkie for this kind of music.

The band released their self-titled debut in 1989. The album was produced by Don Dokken, so you definitely catch bits of Dokken in XYZ's sound, though it is closer to the typical hair metal sound than Dokken was. The band stuck pretty close to the hair metal formula in terms of musical style and songwriting, but they managed not to sound overly clichéd or cheesy - no mean feat. What makes the album really stand out is Terry Ilous's powerful vocal performance. His voice is like a lower-pitched Mike Matijevic (see "Souvenirs", which could have been a Steelheart single), and gives the album a slightly bluesy feel that adds some depth to the songs. Check him out on the soulful ballad "What Keeps Me Loving You" for a great example of that.

I hate that so may people (myself included) overlooked XYZ when they were originally active, because they were one of the scene's better bands. Instead, while Slaughter and the Bulletboys were selling albums by the truckload, XYZ and its 1991 follow-up album Hungry went largely unnoticed and the band members went their separate ways.

If you're still into hair metal and 80's rock, you'd do well to add some XYZ albums to your collection.

Edition Notes: XYZ was reissued in 2001 by French reissue label Axe Killer. The reissue features digitally remastered sound, expanded liner notes, a slipcase and the b-side "On the Blue Side of the Night" as a bonus track. It's a bit more difficult to track down than the original version, but it's well worth the effort (and price)."

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