Motörhead. Kiss of Death. It’s time to dust off the cowboy boots and iron cross belt buckle and cut a rug to the 19th album by the UK’s original beer-drinkers and hell-raisers. Though markedly Motörhead, as per the abundance of ammunition adorning the cover to the plodding bass and bourbon-drenched vocals of front man Lemmy Kilmister, Kiss of Death is a pretty standard speed/thrash metal offering. Philip Campbell’s guitar playing is fierce, but quickly falls into a monotony characterized by repetitive and not-quite-catchy-enough riffs. The album’s best track, “God Was Never On Your Side,” featuring glam-rock darling C.C. DeVille, is a slow, power-ballady denunciation of religion in favour of reason. The track succeeds in shifting the tone of the album and giving a renewed energy to the next couple tracks – an energy that, once again, is derailed by its own speedy, steady sameness. Exceptional amidst the album’s latter half, however, is “Christine,” an ode to every bleached-denim heavy metal chick saintly enough to ever sleep with dudes as gnarly as the blokes from Motörhead. The song achieves that level of lyrical metal decadence that borders on transcendence-“She moves like a rattlesnake made out of razorblades/That girl can’t help it, just the way she’s made.” All in all, a mediocre outing from another antiquated metal institution. File this one somewhere between Iron Maiden’s Virtual XI and all that post-Ozzy Sabbath you never listen to.-John Semley

Lives Of Many. Until We Lay This To Rest. Five guys, deep stares, roses, black splotches and an intense haircut. This Manitoban group was formed three year ago and, after self-producing and releasing two demo Ep’s, Lives Of Many was named the winner of the Class of 2005 Platinum Award. Lives Of Many’s debut album Until We Lay This To Rest is a neutral mix of often repeated sounds and similar vocal variations. The first song on the album, “The Past Will Be Buried,” immediately prompts one to reconsider whether listening to the entire album in one sitting (or even several) is a good idea. Fortunately, this tepid emo-punk effort shows some improvement and eventually, the confusing, pointless lyrics marginally improve in quality as the last song rolls around. Noteworthy tunes are “Cordova Mines(PART IV)” and “My Stomach and Kidneys Rebelled.” Until We Lay This To Rest is a reasonable effort on the part of aspiring music writers and performers. However, solid lyrical content is seriously lacking and makes one wonder about a group’s staying power, especially one whose instrumental segments do nothing to distinguish themselves from most pop-punk and emo bands out there. All in all, this is a debutant’s album, the kind you find for sale at a concert where there are as many opening bands as there are spectators. As soon as the beer is gone, the fun is gone too, ’cause the music ain’t gonna hold it together. Good try fellows, see you next time…maybe.-Ben Lemieux

The Dunes. Socializing w/Life. After re-mastering and re-working Socializing w/Life, this Toronto based-band was finally up to sending their masterpiece into open waters. The Dunes’ debut album is a staggeringly original piece of work. While their sound can easily be compared to the Coldplay/Bends-era Radiohead compositional school, their debut album stretches beyond the confines of contemporary pop songwriting, boasting a lovely intermingling of jazz, blues, country and rock. Its soft ballads are surprisingly distinguished from one another and make a lasting impression on the listener. The lyrics are pretty abstract, but formulated in a way that leaves the songs up to the listener’s interpretation, enabling him or her to identify with each track. The Dunes seem at ease abandoning traditional structures, both in individual songs and in an entire album, and this works to their advantage. This record and group is as good as Calories chocolate cheesecake; it’s worth its weight in gold.-Pamela Fillion