WHEN I was given these albums, by two absolute monsters of rock, it was a tough choice to decide which to listen to first.

The more metallic Whitesnake won the day and proved a wise selection. Turning back the years, blonde-locked singer David Coverdale has constructed another beast of a band.

The two-pronged guitar attack, Doug Aldrich and Reb Beech, rip into a feast of tasty riffs from the opening number Best Years and sparks fly in Call On Me.

The sound is still unmistakably Whitesnake and, while this album does have a modern edge, I reckon fans of 70s and 80s metal will love it.

Meanwhile, fellow leviathans Rush have produced yet another super-slick live album. The point of Rush live albums has always escaped me a bit; the three-piece always pretty much reproduce what is on their studio albums.

However, due to the complexity of much of the material and the huge sound Rush emits that in itself is remarkable.

If anything, over the years bassist/singer Geddy Lee's voice - the reason Rush have remained somewhat of a cult band as the song-writing and playing is amazing - has become less harsh.

Almost 30 years after it was conceived, YYZ, a phenomenal instrumental, provides a huge ending to the show and continues to set the standard for bands who like to show off their chops.