100. Deep Purple / Bananas. 2003. 3.5/5.

The first ever Deep Purple album without Jon Lord – who would ever have thought that would happen? Don Airey is, of course, a great replacement.

Before I got this album, the word was that it was different, heading in a different direction as their most recent albums had gone. It concerned me a bit.

Of course, I then got the album, and all fears were washed away. This is another great effort from Purps, and continues their resurgence since the acquisition of Steve Morse as guitarist. The band continues to keep up with the times, almost 40 years after their formation. They do it by writing songs such that appear on Bananas – rocky, with a beat, and perfect assimilation between drums, bass, guitar and keyboards. No instrument stands out, but it would not be the same if one was taken away.

Rating : Still able to cut it in the 'modern' world. 3.5/5

99. Bruce Dickinson / Balls To Picasso. 1994. 3.5/5.

If you believe press, sometimes it will lead you up the garden path. When Bruce left Maiden to record this, Steve Harris was quoted somewhere as saying he had heard this, and that he had gone soft. This steered me clear of this album, until much later (explained below).

And so – we have a different album again from his first effort, Tattooed Millionaire. It is a mixture of average and brilliant, with Bruce appearing to be trying to move in a different direction from his Maiden days. Songs like Cyclops and Hell No, Laughing In The Hiding Bush and 1000 Points Of Light are still in the heavy direction, while the brilliant Tears Of The Dragon is probably the song that made his solo career.

I can admit that when I first got this, I was suitably unimpressed. Why? Well, now, I can't tell you. It was one of those albums that just didn't pass muster on the first round of listening (there have been a few like this that are in the top eschelon – Megadeth's Youthanasia was one, if you can believe it...). Perhaps, on maturing, I accepted it for what it is, rather than trying to judge it with the words of musicians I held almost complete respect for foremost in my thoughts.

Memories : Working at Shell Select Ryde, always listening to metal. One of my regulars spent six months trying to talk me into buying this album. “It's bloody brilliant! I can't believe you haven't got it yet!”. I finally relented, listened to it, didn't like it, and told him so. He now, of course, has the last laugh...

Rating : 8 years ago, probably 1 or 2. Today...3.5/5.

97. AC/DC / Ballbreaker. 1995. 3/5.

The years are beginning to lengthen between new albums for AC/DC, and no doubt there were a number of reasons why this began to occur. Importantly though, it was surely one of their main talking points to ensure that the material for a new album release was up to the standards they required to keep their fans happy, and their bank accounts increasing.

The 1980's had been a tumultuous time for the band, with varying degrees of success, and a rise and fall in popularity as a result. The good press for their previous album The Razors Edge would have heartened the band, and after an exhaustive touring schedule and well earned breaks they returned with Ballbreaker.
The songs here are generally strong. The opening track and first single "Hard as a Rock" gets the album underway in a solid way, exhibiting all of the elements that make the band what it is. That rhythm section is hammered into place, where it sits at the same tempo for the majority of the next 45 minutes, never straining itself and never losing a beat along the way."Cover You in Oil" may only be an average follow up, but I have always enjoyed "The Furor". "Boogie Man" is rooted very much in the blues. "The Honey Roll" is as basic as it gets for AC/DC, the backbeat  rumbles along for five and a half minutes, while Brian's vocals magnetise themselves over the top, except for the 45 seconds or so that Angus plays his basic and formula solo. You could feed the basic AC/DC components into a computer, and it would write this stuff for you. As has always been the case with this band, this could be seen as a positive or a negative. Truly, in this case, this song has no inspiration, and any kid with a guitar and a drum machine could have composed it.
Things improve a little with "Burnin' Alive", which is still simple, but with an improved tempo and a better melody line throughout it gets your feet tapping more enthusiastically. So does the next song, which was the second single from the album, "Hail Caesar". "Love Bomb" doesn't really excite me at all. "Caught With Your Pants Down" settles into formula music and lyrics again, just to show that it isn't something you can easily escape. "Whiskey on the Rocks" leads into the album-concluding title track "Ballbreaker", which at least gives off some energy before we wave goodbye.

Ballbreaker is a reasonable effort for a band in their third decade. I may well be proven wrong, but the final peak of this band's career may well have been their previous effort. I don't know what the future holds for them, but one can still find enough good stuff on an album like this to believe that they may have more left in the tank, if they can just push harder at the faster songs than they necessarily do here.

Rating:  Unpack my bags, and take a drag.  3/5

98. Gary Moore / Ballads & Blues, 1982-1994. 1995. 1/5.

OK, look...this is getting ridiculous. How many Blues bloody albums did this guy do? I don't know, and I've probably got all of them!!

This hits release seems to me like an excuse to re-introduce Parisienne Walkways to another generation.

No need to go any further with this. It's average. Some may like it. I am OVER it!!!

Rating : I may be poorly biased in this respect. 1/5.

96. Van Halen / Balance. 1995. 3/5.

This was the final album for the Sammy Hagar era, and the second-last of Van Halen, unless they miraculously revive themselves in the future.

Like a lot of the albums they made with Hagar at the helm, the songs have gone to more a candy rock type of sound, which they do well. The blistering Eddie Van Halen solos are a long way in the past though, and the keyboards continue to have their presence prevalent.

Still, they had some catchy songs here. Can't Stop Loving You did some time in the charts. The Seventh Seal, Strung Out and Aftershock are also good songs.

The great thing about Van Halen is that all of their albums (perhaps apart from their final one) are albums that you can put on at any time, and enjoy. The hallmark of a good band.

Rating : Still better than Van Halen III. 3/5.

95. Iron Maiden / When It's Time to Rock [Bootleg]. 1986. 4.5/5.

It’s always interesting when you come across a bootleg of a concert by a band you love that was recorded on your birthday. It makes you wish firstly that you had been there, and secondly wonder what it was that you were doing on that day when this was happening. Well given that this bootleg was recorded on my 17th birthday on the other side of the world from where I live, I guess therein lies the reason why I wasn’t there. As to what I was doing… well… unfortunately it was a day at high school followed by an afternoon and evening of listening to Somewhere in Time. Which is the album this tour was promoting.

The album had only been out for a week or so before this concert was played so it is interesting hear both the new songs off the album, as well as the reaction from the crowd to them. The set list is brilliant, combining the new with the old and the recent. The fact that the previous tour was the World Slavery Tour that was released as Live After Death turns some people off this bootleg because they say they have heard the majority of it before. But the chance to hear songs like “Caught Somewhere in Time” and “Sea of Madness” and "Stranger in a Strange Land" and "Heaven Can Wait" live is surely too good to miss. Add in "Rime of the Ancient Mariner", "Where Eagles Dare" and "Phantom of the Opera" and you have some major epic songs in the mix. Honestly, the set list is just brilliant!

The quality of the recording is not soundboard, so if you don’t like such bootlegs then you probably won’t enjoy this. But for those that can appreciate a true bootleg, and want to experience the band in all its glory on this tour, then this is the perfect place to start.

Rating: "Caught somewhere in time".   4.5/5

94. Brian May / Back To The Light. 1992. 4/5.

Following the untimely death of Freddie Mercury, the appearance of this album was a gold mine. I had heard that Brian May had had a number one single in the UK (Too Much Love Will Kill You), but had never heard it. Then, digging through the shelves at Redback Records one afternoon, I came across this beauty.

This, then, is Brian May on everything, bar most drums. Hearing him sing an entire album, not just the odd song as had been the case in Queen, was a great change. I love the whole album, but it is the first half that really sets the world afire. Back To The Light, Love Token, Resurrection, Too Much Love and Driven By You are the real gun songs on the album, driving it through to the second half, which reverts back to general rock.

When I bought this album, it didn't leave my stereo for weeks. It was immediately catchy, and while not metal, it carries some great tunes.
Brian May spent years cobbling this together. It was time well spent.

Memories : Whe I bought this, I had just got married, and was living in a one room flat in William Street in Kiama. I spent evenings just lying in the dark with this album on repeat. Great stuff.

Rating : A worthy first solo effort. 4/5.

93. Gary Moore / Back To The Blues. 2001. 2/5.

The reason I chose to listen to all of my ALBUMS in alphabetical order, and not in ARTIST alphabetical order, was to avoid listening to one artist for several albums in succession. As you can see, that hasn't stopped it happening here...

Another blues album from Gary. Generally it is the same as his other ones. And I like his blues music. It is well written and well played. But I don't like blues that much. Especially when comparing it to the previous two albums reviewed.

Rating : Blues is blues. 2/5.

92. Gary Moore / Back On The Streets : The Rock Collection. 2003. 4.5/5.

Unlike the album just reviewed, this is a best-of collection released a couple of years ago. It seems that it was to cash in on Gary's rock years, which he had left behind long, long ago. Or to remind his blues fans that he had a rock base.

I don't know what the whole reasoning behind it was, but it is an excellent album. The collection contains most of his best hits, and even gives you the better, live versions of Wishing Well and Back On The Streets, whihch was extremely well thought out.

So why, you may ask, does it only get four and a half? Well, they forgot Victims Of The Future and Hiroshima, to name two glaring omissions. There were probably a couple of others also, but those two especially.

Apart from that, as good a best-of collection as you could make to honour Gary Moore's best years.

Rating : Great music. 4.5/5.

90. Dokken / Back In The Streets. 1979. 3/5.

The first release for the Dokken boys, an EP recorded an eon ago.

There is nothing startling on this release. It is a band still trying to find their feet, and is of interest mainly from a historical perspective, and of what they became.

Rating : Just starting out. 3/5.

91. Gary Moore / Back On The Streets. 1978. 3/5.

This was released a long, long time ago, back when Gary was still (basically) thinking like a rock star, and not a blues star.

There's a lot to like about this release. For a start, it has Phil Lynott playing bass and helping out with vocals. Secondly, most of the songs are good. The title track is a typical Gary Moore rock song, and is helped along with other such songs on the album. Thirdly, he shows he is not afraid of playing instrumentals, of which there are a number on the album. And fourthly, there is his most famous ballad, Parisienne Walkways, which probably launched his career to a new level, and gave him the kick along he needed.

I like the raw production of the album (somewhat to be expected in the era and the cost), and looking back (listening back, I guess...), you can see all of the elements that made Gary the star he soon became.

Rating : Not bad at all. 3/5.

89. AC/DC / Back In Black. 1980. 5/5.

I was too young in 1980 to know or hear anything about AC/DC, their successes with original vocalist Bon Scott, or his sudden demise very early in that year. I don't recall anything about the band then recruiting a new vocalist named Brian Johnson, on the insistence of Bon family that they not disband and continue on, as he would have wanted. I only vaguely recall hearing a song about being shook all night long on the radio around that time. It wasn't until a couple of years later, as I reached my teenage year and my own search for music of my own to enjoy began that I came across the legacy of AC/DC, the story of that fateful year, and the album Back in Black.

Has there ever been a better known or more appropriate beginning to an album than the gong ringing off at the very start of the first track, "Hells Bells"? What a brilliantly atmospheric song to start off a new album, and a new era of the band. One can only imagine what the fans thought back when this was released when they first heard this coming out of their speakers. i know when I first heard it I was hooked from that moment. "Shoot to Thrill" has always been my favourite song off the album. I love the pace of it, how it starts off at that cracking pace, before the quieter more sedate guitar part in the middle of the song, before exploding into the conclusion. It's a great song. Then there is the high energy vocals from Brian in "What Do You Do for Money Honey". It is the perfect follow up to the first two tracks, keeping the drive of the album rushing along. Phil Rudd's drums crash here in earnest. The continuity of the album is exacerbated with "Given the Dog a Bone", with the rhythm section continuing to pump out that jaunty backbeat that is the staple of the album. Side One finishes with the slower impact of "Let Me Put My Love Into You".
Side Two begins with a bang, straight into "Back in Black" with its distinctive staccato style and Brian pulverising you with his words. Terrific stuff. This is followed by "You Shook Me All Night Long", one of their biggest and most popular singles, one that everyone sings along to even today whenever it comes on. "Have a Drink on Me" was always a favourite for those I socialised with whenever we went out somewhere, singing it in the pub to whomever's shout it was to get him up to the bar. This is then jacknifed by the hardest and fastest song on the album, "Shake a Leg". This comes screaming out of the speakers after an average paced start, really showcasing the old fashioned Aussie pub style fast rock that the band grew up on. Angus lets fly at the end of the song, you can almost see him jumping around the studio as he is playing that solo break. After this session of speed, the album ends more sedately with the anthemic "Rock and Roll Ain't Noise Pollution", which was often sung around school halls when teachers complained bitterly of music being played too loud.

Is this the perfect hard rock album? Arguably, it is. The lyrics of all of the songs deal with those things that young males of all generations relate to. The music, as always with AC/DC, is spectacular in its amazing rhythm section which doesn't miss a beat, and is solid and hard in its base, making it easy to keep time in whatever way suits you best - tapping your foot, playing air drums on the table, or just banging your head along with the beat. Angus Young's solo's are perfectly positioned in each song, enhancing each song without dominating them. The final piece of the puzzle comes to be Brian's vocals, which given how he came into the band could have been heavily scrutinised. However, he fits in perfectly, and his obvious love of blues rooted rock n roll is the same place the rest of the band came from too. The strongest songs that are most referenced here - "Hells Bells", "Shoot to Thrill", "Back in Black", "You Shook Me All Night Long" and "Rock and Roll Ain't Noise Pollution" - make the biggest mark, but it is the songs around them that help make it a top shelf album. They are still strong songs that help enhance what they fit around, maintaining the excellence without necessarily being as heavily recognised as those songs mentioned here. That's what makes this (probably) the finest moment of the AC/DC story.

Rating:  Shoot to thrill, play to kill, I got my gun at the ready, gonna fire at will.  5/5

88. Dokken / Back For The Attack. 1987. 4/5.

For the life of me, I will never know why I wasn't listening to Dokken in their heyday, the wonderful 1980's. I was in Year Twelve when this was released, the glory years of hair/glam metal were upon us, but I hadn't quite discovered that yet. And what a shame, cos this would have ROCKED those days!!

This is Dokken at their very best. The whole album reeks of their finest performances. This album had everything, from the hard rockers to the ballading slower tunes. This is also their finest line-up, the classic Dokken/Lynch/Pilson/Brown era.

If you hear nothing else from this band, at least give this album a try. It may not be everyone's cup of tea, but it is the best example of their music for the beginner.

Rating : Great era. 4/5.

87. Masterplan / Back For My Life [Single]. 2004. 4/5.

Singles are hard to rate – and I am only including them because to leave them out would make this process feel incomplete.

This contains two songs from the album Aeronautics, which are both great. It also includes two songs not on the album, one which is great, the other which is average.

Rating : Good for a single. 4/5.

86. Live / Awake : The Best Of Live. 2004. 3/5.

When Live first came along, I became a big fan, especially of the album Throwing Copper. It was new, different, and a style of its own.
With each subsequent release, I have found less to enjoy. I thought the following two releases were good, but since then it has been very opaque.

This collection contains what they claim to be their best, but is generally just a singles package. Not that that detracts from its release, just that many of their singles I wasn't beholden to, and some of their other songs I believe are a lot better.

Rating : About average. 3/5.

85. Dream Theater / Awake. 1994. 4/5.

There are examples everywhere of bands made up of wonderful musicians, but who can't wrire a song for shite. (Listing them here may be unfair, as a couple of them appear later on...). Dream Theater are not one of the aforementioned bands.

Awake is a brilliant mix of song and instrumental. Caught In A Web was one of the first songs from Dream Theater that caught my attention. It is, to me, a quintessential Dream Theater song.

As an album, it took me some time to appreciate its complexities. It wasn't an easy “sit down, listen twice & love” kind of album for me. However, over time, it grew on me, as did the band themselves. The rest is history, of one type or another.

Rating : How do these guys play this stuff?! 4/5.

84. Audioslave / Audioslave. 2002. 3.5/5

When Audioslave came together, there were quite a few people around who wondered if it would work. Could the two extremes - the voice of Soundgarden, in Chris Cornell, and the band formerly known as Rage Against The Machine – come together to form a partnership?

As it turned out, the answer was “Yes”.

This debut album is a good start for the new band. Everyone's tastes are catered for throughout, without any undue strain. There was even chart success, especially with Like A Stone.

As a first up effort, it is a good album. Word from the concert was that they were even better live, which one would expect.

Memories : The first time the clip for Cochise came on, I was at Kearo's watching Rage at an ungodly hour of the morning. The start of that song was what got me excited about getting this album.

Rating : Pretty good. 3.5/5

83. Yngwie J. Malmsteen's Rising Force / Attack!! 2002. 4/5

Another Yngwie album means more of the same thing. Great guitaring, including riffs and solos. A great vocalist, who suits the written songs to a T. A teriffic band around him, who are great musicians themselves.

Earlier in his career, Yngwie longed for commercial success, and began to write songs with verses and choruses. To a degree, and it is here in this effort, he has gone back to guitaring, and writing guitar pieces, and fitting in the vocals to the gaps. It still works, but sometimes the songs feel like instrumentals with lyrics thrown in to make it a 'song'.

This is another great album from Yngwie, who seems to have grown more comfortable with himself in recent years, and just keeps pumping out great material.

Rating : Excellent stuff. 4/5.

82. Anthrax / Attack Of The Killer B's. 1991. 3.5/5.

This was brought out following the highly successful Peresistence Of Time album and tour, and the success of Bring The Noise. This album, though not actually containing actual B side tracks, is full of that kind of material.

There is some good stuff on here. The update on S.O.D's Milk is better than the original. The update of their own I'm The Man is OK too. The live versions of Keep It In The Family and Belly Of The Beast are also good to hear.
The rest is all of novelty value, and worth a chuckle. Certainly, when I first purchased the album, I thought it was brilliant. Older age has brought a different version of events, and my earlier thoughts are now not as enthusiastic.

Still, it is above average in an age where there are an abundance of below average albums.

Memories : When this album came out, in our band days, we used to laugh ourselves silly at Starting Up A Posse and Dallabnikufesin. And though I can still see the humour, I don't laugh like that anymore when I listen to them. The advent of middle age...

Rating : Oddities and rareities. 3.5/5.

81. KISS / Asylum. 1985. 2.5/5.

Kiss of the 1980's is a very different beast to that which dominated the 1970's in a blaze of pyrotechnics, blood and makeup.
Their faces (the two originals remaining) had been opened up for public viewing, and the band was competing in a whole new market.

To a certain degree, it feels to me that the band are trying to find themselves in amongst the new changes. Some of the songs here are up with the usual Kiss quality stuff – King Of The Mountain, Anyway You Slice It and Tears Are Falling. But there is some 'filler' in there too, and it seems to me they were running out of ideas.

Rating : Not quite up there with some of their other stuff. 2.5/5

80. Michael Schenker Group / Assault Attack. 1982. 4/5.

Way back in 1986, this was the first album I heard of the Michael Schenker Group. And it was the start of a beautiful friendship.

MSG have had a number of vocalists, and one of my favourites is Graham Bonnet, who appears on this album.
Schenker's guitaring dominates, as it should, but Bonnet's vocals are just as characteristic of this MSG era as the leader's guitar licks.

There are a couple of songs I'm just not sure of, though. Dreamer is a real Whitesnake/Kiss sort of girl-number which is fine, but not really in the general mood of the rest of the album in my opinion. Assault Attack, Desert Song, Searching For A Reason and Samurai are the stand outs on the album.

Memories : My old, worn, cracked cassette copy of three songs off Assault Attack, which Kearo had taped for me on the backend of Dio's Holy Diver. I remember the first time I heard the start of Desert Song, and was immediately taken. Just brilliant.

Rating : A couple of songs bring it down. 4/5.

79. B L A Z E / As Live As It Gets. 2003. 4.5/5.

Though this was not my first taste of B LA Z E (I had a couple of songs off their debut album, Silicon Messiah), it was the first lengthy listen I had had of the band, and of most of their songs. And it is a worthy first listen.

This was recorded on the Tenth Dimension tour, and is a veritable best-of the band's two albums released to that point, as well as some Iron Maiden songs from Blaze Bayley's era, and a Wolfsbane song as well!

The band are excellent, and the live versions of all these songs are awesome. Blaze sings his stuff fantastically well. The whole double album is a tribute to a band that have found a niche in the metal market, and filled it admirably.

Rating : Great live album, that would also act as a great starting point for the unindoctrinated. 4.5/5.

78. Michael Schenker Group / Armed And Ready : The Best Of The Michael Schenker Group. 1994. 4/5.

Releasing this in 1994, the title of the album conveniently allows the releasers to avoid anything from the latter day McAuley Schenker group – which is a shame, as there was a lot of good music that came from that partnership.

As such, this album concentrates on the early years of the group, which is not such a bad thing anyway. It was strange to sit down and listen to this again. Sometimes, if you are only looking at a track list, you can think “I can think of a dozen better songs that should be on this!” - which, of course, is what i did. And, then, you listen to the album, singing along to every song, and saying “Yeah – this rocks!”

Still, there are a couple of songs I would have exchanged with others. Overall though, a good collection of MSG favourites. Attack Of The Mad Axeman, Assault Attack, Desert Song. These are just great songs, and hold a lot of memories.

Rating : A collection of 80's memorabilia. 4/5.

77. Anthrax / Armed And Dangerous (EP). 1985. 4/5.

This was released prior to Spreading The Disease coming out, I guess primarily to introduce Joey Belladonna to the masses as Anthrax's new lead singer.

It contains the single and another track that didn't end up making the album (Raise Hell), re-recordings of Metal Thrashing Mad and Panic, as well as God Save The Queen and a couple of B-sides from the very first Anthrax single.

Hey, for an EP, it's good. The two songs at the start are great, God Save The Queen is OK, the remakes of the songs off A Fistful Of Metal are great, and so are the original B-sides. Can't be faulted for quality!

Rating : A good lead-in to the Joey era. 4/5.

76. Fear Factory / Archetype. 2004. 4/5.

Though I had heard a little Fear Factory before this, Archetype was the first album I really sat down and listened to. And perhaps I like it because it was the first.

There is no denying the musicianship of the lads. How the drummer has any legs to stand on is a constant source of amazement to me, such speed does he expel behind that kit of his.
The songs are raw and aggressive, but with melody as well. Though, I must admit, I have tried to understand what was behind the recording of Ascension, and am still at a loss. It sounds like 7+ minutes of silence. Am I mistaken? What was behind this?

Fear Factory had had some dramas leading up to this album, but Archetype puts them right back at the top of their game.

Rating : A great return to form. 4/5.

75. Michael Schenker Group / Arachnophobiac. 2003. 4/5.

Yet another formation of the old MSG, with Schenker himself the only person to retain his position. On this occasion, it doesn't detract from the music.

On first listen, in fact, I swore it was Chris Cornell singing. Of course, I was mistaken (his name is Chris Logan), but the songs themselves are great. This is almost like it has been taken straight from the golden years of MSG, in the 1980's. The style of the album is straight from that era, which of course means it incorperates Schenker guitar style perfectly. Rather than trying to update and upbeat this album to the new millenium, the band has stuck to their strengths, and come up with an excellent album. So long as you like that style, of course!

I am impressed with it. The vocals are great, Schenker's guitaring is as good as ever, and the songs are good (for a change...). Overall – an impressive effort.

Rating : MSG back in force. 4/5.

74. Guns N' Roses / Appetite For Destruction. 1987. 5/5.

One of the real creepers of all time. Released in 1987 in a blaze of silence, it wasn't until the release of two singles – Sweet Child O' Mine, and especially Paradise City, that this suddenly became one of the biggest albums of 1988!

Once you buy the album, however, you realise how brilliant it all is. As a debut album, it must rank up there as one of the best of all time. Welcome To The Jungle, Nightrain, It's So Easy, My Michelle...yeah the list goes on. Probably only the final track, Rocket Queen, has any real weakness to it. Axl's uniqueness, and Slash's guitaring, are the real standouts for the first album from the band. The question raised after this was – could they maintain the rage?

Memories : The first time I saw this album in the racks was at The Rock Factory at Shellharbour Square. It had the big warning sticker on the front cover, warning of nasty language and the sort. That perked my interest in the first place. I don't think I actually bought it, however, for another six months or so, until it had been recommended fully to me.

Rating : A debut all bands would like to record. 5/5.

73. Anthrax / Anthrology : No Hit Wonders 1985-1991. 2005. 5/5

In line with the Big Reunion Tour of 2005, Anthrax brought out this double CD compilation of the best of their years together - basically, the albums Spreading The Disease, Among The Living, State Of Euphoria and Persistence Of Time.

The song selection is perfect (I mean, they condensed 4 albums into 2, and added a couple of extra tracks, so you should certainly have the best!), and the remastered editions have great sound quality.

There is little else really to say. Great songs, great performances. Of course, if you already have the albums, as most people will, it is money spent on items already procured.

Rating : You can't beat it. 5/5

72. Brian May / Another World. 1998. 2.5/5

Brian's second solo album is, in my opinion, not as solid as his first. Having moved on from Queen and its retirement, he has put together an album that seems to move away from the elements that made Brian May a great guitarist.

Don't get me wrong. It isn't a bad album. But it is different from anything he has released before, and it struggles to hold my enthusiasm for the entire album. It doesn't contain the same Brian May guitar pieces that I remember, and while his vocals are still good, the songs to me are not as strong as in the past.

Memories : Seeing Brian May in Sydney on this tour. Having never seen Queen (unlike some corkheads like Kearo...) it was brilliant to see him. Not only doing his own stuff, but Queen stuff as well. Terrific live performance.

Rating : Worth a listen, and to decide for yourself. 2.5/5

71. Motörhead / Another Perfect Day. 1983. 3/5

I’m sure that after the success that Motörhead had had with their first five albums that it was an unexpected occurrence when ‘Fast’ Eddie Clarke decided to move on just after the tour to support the Iron Fist album began. Given that the band seemed to find plenty of faults with that album almost immediately, perhaps it wasn’t unexpected. It did give drummer Phil Taylor the opportunity to coerce Lemmy into agreeing to hire former Thin Lizzy guitarist Brian Robertson as his replacement, who then went on to help write and record the follow up, Another Perfect Day.

The most obvious thing to say about this album is… it is different. For everyone who has heard the first five studio albums, the style is immediately different. But all of those five albums had a degree of change along the way, none of them were an exact match for the previous one, so if you take this album as just a natural progression and not focus too much on the different guitaring styles of the previous guitarist and the new guitarist, you are halfway there to being able to appreciate this album for what it is rather than just dismissing it offhand because of the change. I know that I initially went down this path, completely put off by the change in guitar style especially. But once I sat down and just listened to it as an album, and not an album that Clarke had had no part of, I found a lot to like. Indeed, having been a fan of sections of Thin Lizzy’s work over the years I admired most of what Robertson has to offer here. I don’t think it always works, and I don’t think it really settles into what you would call a Motörhead sound, but there’s no denying it is catchy. There is almost none of the typical Lemmy bass lines and even the drumming appears much less frantic and rebellious.
Was the world ready for piano on a Motörhead album? Robertson contributes this on the songs “Shine” and “Rock It”, and while it isn’t a big thing it is a noticeable thing. Opening track “Back at the Funny Farm” has that classic bass sound to start, as does the closing track “Die You Bastard!”, but apart from that there is little that makes it stand out. “Dancing on Your Grave” is probably the closest this album has to a song that fits in with the past.
The most irritating song on the album is “One Track Mind” which closes out the first side of the album. It feels like five and a half minutes of the track title being repeated over and over and over again, and it is so different to most of the other material on the album. It sticks out like a sore thumb. Both “Just Another Day” and “Marching Off to War” are dominated by long instrumental breaks, including long solo sections from Robertson. The length of these is another point of difference between earlier albums. While Clarke had solo breaks they didn’t dominate songs by their length. That is not the case here, Robertson seems to have plenty of time to ensure he is noticed. It’s not unlikeable at all, in fact for the most point they are enjoyable, except maybe they just sound a bit too similar to each other? Perhaps. “I Got Mine" follows on a similar vein, with plenty of upbeat tempo, while “Tales of Glory” is a short, sharp burst of what has come before.
By the end of the album, and in real comparison to the other albums that preceded it, what really pulls this back just a little bit ends up being those extended solo breaks from Robertson. It feels a bit formula-oriented, a bit too try-hard for what would make it a better or equal album to the first albums. They are not bad or Malmsteen-esque in the show-off department, but they do perhaps tend to over dominate which was not a trademark of the earlier material. Overall the songs are good. Lemmy’s vocals are as good here as they probably ever got, and Taylor’s drumming sounds good as well, though it feels as though it has lost its intensity and is more interested in just keep time in places. Robertson is excellent, but his style eventually holds firm that it is indeed a different era that the band has moved into. Given that it was the only album he played on, no doubt the other extenuating factors proved to be a problem as well.

I enjoy this album more now than I did when I first listened to Motörhead and that probably has more to do with my maturing years and willingness to accept change than I used to in my youth. This is a good album (barring one notable song), but you need to take it on trust to get the most out of it.

Rating: “Let me hear it 'til the end of time”. 3/5

70. Sevendust / Animosity. 2001. 3/5.

This again was a pleasant surprise when I first heard it. Having been pestered by young cricketers (21 year olds...) that I play cricket with of a Saturday that I should listen to this album, I finally got around to getting a copy of it.

What I heard was not what I had expected. Indeed, it was in fact an album that immediately showed the various strengths of this band, and their versatility in the music they produce.
The early songs are very raucous (along with some of the trademark screaming that bands used at the turn of the century). As the album moves along, the songs flatten out into a more melodic metal sound, that is pleasing to the ear (at least, more pleasing to the ears of those who came in to work tonight when I was playing it at 1000 decibels).

In some ways, they are an updated, perhaps heavier version of Faith No More. They share a lot of similar characteristics with them, which certainly come through to me in songs such as Redefine.

I was very impressed with both this album, and the band as a whole. Great stuff from a more modern metal band than this dinosaur is used to listening to.

Rating : One of the better recent arrivals. 3/5.

69. KISS / Animalize. 1984. 3/5.

This falls into the exact same category as album #68.

Kiss had by this time moved on without Ace Frehley and Peter Criss, and were delving into the part of the career where they decided make-up was no longer necessary.

This album is no frills. It has no standout songs. There is no new direction for the album, it is an a-typical Kiss album in every regard. Well, except perhaps that there is no song here that jumps out at you and says - “We Are Kiss!!!”

Again, this is not to say it isn't enjoyable. It is just that nothing makes in unusual from a billion other albums out there in the universe.

Rating : Average for the game. 3/5.

68. Scorpions / Animal Magnetism. 1980. 3/5.

Following up the brilliant Lovedrive was always going to be dodgy. Whether the boys meant to or not, they have moved direction a little here again, in order not to have the style compared to their previous release.

This is your good, everyday, type of album release. There are no surprises, no out-of-the-ordinary tracks. Just nine solid Scorpions songs, some better than others. The tempo is probably a bit slower than I would like, but a lot of Scorps stuff is like that.

I particularly like The Zoo, Make It Real and Animal Magnetism. They, for me, are the strongest songs on the album.

Rating : It sits right there in the middle. 3/5.

67. Dio / Angry Machines. 1996. 1.5/5.

Seriously – what the hell was Dio thinking when he released this album? It is, in general, one of the vilest pieces of junk it has ever been my misfortune to spend money on. I never imagined that I would ever say that about something that involved Ronnie, but Angry Machines has done it.

The direction of Dio's music had been heading towards slow and grunge for a while, but this took it too far. And it is a shame, as some of the songs could probably have been saved by a half decent producer with a love of Dio and the ability to deal with the man himself!

The lyrics are not the typical Dio, but the music is nothing like it was at this band's peak in the 80's. There are songs with some merit here, but not enough to save it. This is what I would consider to be the unfortunate black mark in Ronnie James Dio's stellar career.

Rating : It only got this much because of my undying respect for the man. 1.5/5

66. Judas Priest / Angel Of Retribution. 2005. 3.5/5

Much as had been the reaction in 1999 when Iron Maiden had announced the return of Bruce Dickinson and Adrian Smith to the band after a lengthy absence, when Judas Priest had announced the return of Rob Halford to the band in 2004 the masses went wild. The experiment with Ripper Owens had passed, and now that the band was back together again everyone could expect a massive new album and world tour. Not only that, Roy Z had come on board to produce the new album, and after what he had done for the solo releases of both Dickinson and Halford, you could only expect that the album was going to be outstanding. Well… no…

Hey, I can admit it. I got way too excited and was looking forward to this far too much. I hyped it up in my head so much that I didn’t see where problems could lie until they had already passed. And they were there, no doubt. Because so many people had problems with the two albums that were done without Halford, it was almost forgotten that they had been almost completely written by both Downing and Tipton, and they were again two-thirds of the writing team for this new album. OK, so Halford had returned to bring back the triumvirate that had composed so many legendary tracks in the past, but still, his recently released second album under the Halford banner Crucible was in my opinion very hit and miss. Mostly miss. So the recent history of song writing wasn’t in the most popular class.
Did I want something comparable to Painkiller? Yep, I’m not ashamed to admit it. That’s what I wanted. I wanted Roy Z to make sure this band produced another album exactly the same as that. They did not. Is it all bad? No, and far from it. It’s just that the best songs on the album in no way approach the great songs from previous albums.
“Judas Rising” is a good starting point, giving us a little bit of everything we were looking for – a Halford scream, fast drums, heavy guitar. “Deal With the Devil” comes back to the heart of the best Judas Priest songs with a great drum back beat, perfect bass line running underneath while Downing and Tipton riff over the top, and Halford gives a great vocal performance. It’s a hard rocking song that grabs your attention. “Revolution” sounds like it is trying to parallel the T-Rex song “Children of the Revolution”. It has a very 70’s sound to it and is not what you would call a typical Priest sound. To be honest I can’t say I love it, but it isn’t the worst available here. On the other hand, “Worth Fighting For” is very understated, and I love the mood that the music creates for the song, along with Halford’s moody vocals. It’s a real changer for Judas Priest, it doesn’t hit you with speed or heavy attitude or off the scale guitars, but it has a great heavy and brooding mood about it all the way through, and the solo break adds so much to the atmosphere. This is probably my favourite song on the album which is a surprise to me, but it works.
“Demonizer” comes with a rush, full of that great Scott Travis double kick and Rob Halford screaming vocals all overlaying the hard ripping riff and a super solo section from Tipton and Downing. Honestly, if the whole song had been like this it would have been a classic. As it stands it is one of the better songs through the back half of the album, even though I feel it could have been so much better if it started like it finished. “Wheels on Fire” doesn’t do anything fancy and doesn’t proclaim itself to be the fastest or heaviest track around. Indeed, it is a solid Judas Priest track that sticks to its own pace throughout while Rob discerns his vocals in a sedate but forthright manner. It seems pretty standard, but I think its simplicity is its strength. It’s a good song that can sometimes be glossed over. “Hellrider” leaves nothing in the bag, giving us more screams and energy in the vocals than “Demonizer” does which probably lifts it above that song for me.
“Angel”, “Eulogy” and “Lochness” are three of the final four songs on the album, and this is where I think there is a huge letdown. “Angel” is very much the power ballad of the album, and while it isn’t terrible I just think it doesn’t fit with what has come before it. But this doesn’t even compare when you talk about the closing tracks. “Eulogy” is the quiet contemplative song that feels so out of place. I know bands feel as though they have to do songs like this, but this is where other artists fall down, because they get trapped thinking this is a great move. This segues slowly and quietly into the final track, the ‘epic’ track “Lochness”. I have ‘epic’ in quotes, because to me this is a poor finish. The track is thirteen and a half minutes long, it meanders along like a slow moving stream, lazily trying to gain momentum without ever able to do it. This is not “Beyond the Realms of Death” or “Victim of Changes”. This is a somewhat painful way to end the album. It was probably a great idea in the studio, but for me it really does not work.

My opinion of Angel of Retribution has mellowed over the years. In 2005 I had great reservations about it and was probably overly harsh in my rating of it. I have played it twenty times over recent days in revisiting it and I find that the first half of the album is much better now that I probably thought it was a decade ago. My opinion of the close of the album hasn’t changed, but as an album overall this is above average. The plus marks are the rediscovering of the Judas Priest sound that wasn’t overly prevalent on the two Ripper-era albums. It won’t rank as one of their best ever but it still has plenty to offer to fans of the band.

Rating: “From what I knew before, some things are worth fighting for”. 3.5/5

65. Faith No More / Angel Dust. 1992. 4/5.

I guess after The Real Thing, Faith No More had to sit down and wonder, “Where do we go from here?”.
The answer is Angel Dust, an album that quickly sorted out who was a fan of the band, and who had just come on for the popularity of the previous release.

Full of great guitar riffs from Jim Martin, the 'maturing' vocals of Mike Patton and the pounding drum beats of Mike Bordin, this is as far away from The Real Thing as this band could muster. There was no doubting their intentions. They wanted to shake things up.

This is a real shock to the senses. From Land Of Sunshine, Midlife Crisis and Everything's Ruined, to Be Aggressive, Crack Hitler and Jizzlobber, this is an album that you literally either love, or abhore to the depths of hell.

Memories : In 1992, friends of mine were living in a house in Kiama Downs. I walked in one day to hear this insane album being played at a million decibels upstairs. It was my indoctrination to Angel Dust.

Rating : Madness. Absolute madness. 4/5.

64. John Petrucci & Jordan Rudess / An Evening With John Petrucci & Jordan Rudess. 2004. 1/5

Well, this certainly wasn't what I expected. I was hoping for some drilling solos and fast driving music. Instead, what you get here is mainly classical.
And don't get me wrong. What they play is brilliant. There is no doubt both are brilliant musicians, who are just unbelievable at what they do.

The problem here is – I was expecting something completely different when I acquired it.
And even now, listening to it again, and knowing what it was, I was unable to like it.

Rating : Ooooohhh...nasty. 1/5.

63. Anthrax / Among The Living 1986. 5/5.

One of the all-time greats.

Write a couple of songs based on Stephen King stories, throw in another one about a comic book 'hero', a couple of others about your love of metal music, and for good measure, some thought-provoking material to show you are not mindless idiots.

Throw it all together, and you have Among The Living, an album that is at the pinnacle of song writing. Not only that, it is fast, furious and heavy!
Each song flows into the other, driven along by Charlie's drumming and the chanting support vocals from Scott and Frankie. In fact, they seem to get the best lines in each song, the ones that the crowd would be singing if they were watching them live.

There simply isn't a weak song on the whole album, and it shows when so many of them have been used live over the years.

Memories : The first time I read The Stand (pretty much a 29 hour stretch when we owned the nursery in Kiama, with no sleep, and finishing it in one hit in 1992), and finally getting what Among The Living was going on about. Also, the 'waaaaaaaar daaaaaance' at the concert in Sydney in 1990 on the Persistence In Time tour. We were very raucous and enthusiastic!

Rating : Easy. 5/5.

62. The Offspring / Americana. 1998. 4/5.

Following on from the spectacular success of their previous two albums, The Offspring released Americana, which came with the outrageously popular single-made-popular-by-video (Pretty Fly For A White Guy), and the popular single used in humour by all walks of life (Why Don't You Get A Job).

However, apart from and including these two, the album again has a great feel and tempo. The songs just keep coming without respite, and the raucous Offspring beat keeps the mood swinging. Have You Ever, Staring At The Sun and The Kids Aren't Alright are the usual tip-top Offspring tunes, with the right amount of angst in the lyrics, without ever dragging the mood down.

The album continues the formula used in their previous efforts, and once again they have produced a great slab. The infectious groove is always easy to put on and infuse.

Rating : Great for all tastes. 4/5.

61. L.A. Guns / American Hardcore. 1996. 3.5/5.

When you first hear this album, it is quite amazing the change that L.A. Guns have made from their first two releases. If you didn't know their history, you would be hard pressed to be convinced that they began their lives in the heyday of L.A glam metal.

American Hardcore is the name of the album, and the direction they have taken their music. And some of these songs really rock. And yet, there is the classic 'metal' ballad (a slight contradiction in terms I know, but you know what I'm getting at) with Hey World, which, given my usual contempt of such songs, isn't bad.

What I've Become, Pissed and I Am Alive are great tracks, that are the norm on an album that is a significant release in the order of a band who came from an era of glam, and has transformed themselves into a band of higher standing on a different plane.

Rating : Still a pleasant surprise to be had. 3.5/5.

60. Fozzy / All That Remains. 2005. 4/5

After two albums that were generally laden with great metal covers, Fozzy got serious, and put out this album full of only originals.

The combined talents of wrestler Chris Jericho and former members of Stuck Mojo have put together a great 'debut' album. Special guests such as Marty Friedman and Zakk Wylde appear here also, but the songs the band has written and performed hold up well.

Nameless Faceless, Enemy, It's A Lie and Born Of Anger are just some of my favourires from the album. It's interesting to see that, despite what could have been made of the 'novelty factor' of a wrestler doing an album, that the success of this has nothing to do with that at all. The songs are good, Jericho's vocals are good, and the whole package comes together well.

Rating : We knew they could play, but they proved a whole lot more with this. 4/5.

59. KISS / Alive! 1975. 4/5.

This was probably the album that started it all for Kiss. The double live blast of the band live on stage caught the imagination of the world, along with the make-up and the pyrotechnics and the stageshow. But being captured in their element – the live music – was what transformed their popularity to skyrocketing proportions.

This contains the best of their material that they had released to that time, and most of them are classics that are still so to this day. Any KISS best-of would have Deuce, Strutter, C'mon And Love Me, Parasite, Cold Gin and Rock 'N' Roll All Nite on it.

I don't believe it holds up today as well as other live albums of the period, but for the time, it was something...

Memories : My older cousin David was a mad Kiss freak, back when I was just a kid. At one stage, he was living at our grandmother's when he first got work in Newcastle. I well remember his collection of Kiss records at Nan's house whenever we went up there for the holidays, and was exposed to them at a rather early age as a result.

Rating : Not too shabby. 4/5.

58. Bruce Dickinson / Alive In Studio A. 1998. 4/5.

This actually contains two live albums – the titled Alive In Studio A, which features Bruce and his band playing live in the studio, and Alive At The Marquee which, surprisingly, features Bruce and his band playing live at The Marquee – this time in front of an audience. Both albums contain the same songs, in a different order, and with a different vibe.

The Studio A live recordings sound great, and have no outside audience interference or noise. As such, it comes across as an excellent live sound, with the live interpretation of his early songs.
The Marquee live recordings are like most other live recordings. The audience is loud and grateful, Bruce interacts during and between songs, and you get that real grunt that you get when pumping out the music through amps and p.a's.

Both discs have their benefits, and are successful in showing the strengths of Bruce's live capabilities. How he can sing that well live is still beyond me. Songs like Tattooed Millionaire, Son Of A Gun and Tears Of The Dragon are just sensational in these two sets.

Rating : Good to hear Bruce's early songs given the justice they deserve live. 4/5.

57. Iced Earth / Alive In Athens. 1999. 4/5.

It must be unusual (it is within my knowledge of the subject) to release a live album over three discs. Not only is it a lot of work, you have to have played three hours worth of music live in order to do it!

This is just a great live album. It covers the entire span of Iced Earth's career to this point, and does it live. From this you learn that :

1. Iced Earth's back catalogue contains a truckload of great material.
2. It sounds better live
3. Iced Earth can play.

As an introduction to Iced Earth, if you haven't heard them before, this is your best bet. If you know their stuff, then this is just as necessary, to hear how much better the songs sound in a live environment. If you have it all, you already know what I'm talking about.

Memories : Standing in Utopia in 2001, looking through the Iced Earth section, trying to decide on the first album of theirs that I should buy, having never heard any of their music before. I pick up Alive In Athens, and remark to Kearo that, with three CDs, this should be value for money ($44.95 I believe it was). He agreed, and remarked that it would certainly give a good overview of the band. In the end, I baulked at the price, and went for the newly released Horror Show instead.

Rating : An excellent live 'history' of the band. 4/5.

56. Motörhead / Ace Of Spades. 1980. 5/5.

There would be a fair majority of people who have listened to Motörhead that would cite Ace of Spades as their introduction to the band. Not just the album but no doubt the title track. This is pretty much true for myself. My first taste was of the band playing this song of the “Bambi” episode of the irreverent British comedy “The Young Ones” back in the mid-1980’s. That raucous and amusing two and a half minutes eventually led to looking for more of the band and with it this album itself.

Like many bands there is a period where you need to become acquainted with the music that they produce, a timeframe to get used to the style and the nuances of the music. Motörhead are no different, and this album for me was one where I came in too amped up and initially left disappointed. I wanted everything to be a repeat of “Ace of Spades”, to be high octane and breathlessly easy to jump around to, and not everything here is like that. So I would listen to it for awhile and then put it away and forget about it. It wasn’t until I had left it for a couple of years and gravitated back that I came to realise just how good an album it really is. Because it’s not really a heavy metal album in the classic sense of either a Black Sabbath poise or an Iron Maiden machine gunning. It’s a rock album, but it is a heavier version of that without pushing itself into that easily defined category of ‘metal’. And for me that’s what really gives it the extra kick.
Away from the utter glory that still revolves around “Ace of Spades”, there is so much more here to catch your ear. “Love Me Like a Reptile” has a great groove and pace about it and is the perfect follow up song to the opening track. I love Eddie’s riff in this song, it comes across as guttural in places, and is followed by his perfect foil of a solo. “Shoot You in the Back” slots into a perfect tempo and rocks along jauntily. The pace and tempo jumps up enthusiastically with “Live to Win” which is one of my all-time favourite Motörhead songs with a great riff from Eddie and Lemmy’s vocals. “(We Are) The Road Crew” is a classic, a great tribute to the band’s roadies and to roadie’s everywhere. “Jailbait” is driven by a great drum fill from Phil and solid riffing from Eddie again. “The Chase is Better Than the Catch” slugs along on a constant momentum while Lemmy croons over the top, and the album ends with the fury of “The Hammer” that fires all the way to its conclusion.
The three members are at the top of their form. Lemmy’s rumbling bass and grating vocals never sounded better than they do here. Phil’s drumming is terrific, and even when he sounds like he is just playing along and keeping the band in time he is doing it with a style and a presence. Eddie guitaring is street core, mixing the great rhythm riffs with fast paced and high energy solos that cut through the middle of the songs. Such is the sound the band creates on this album it is hard at times to believe that it is just a three piece.

I’m not sure the band want people to cite this as their favourite Motörhead album. In many ways it changed people’s opinions of the albums that were to come throughout the rest of the decade, in that they were constantly compared to this one. It’s a tough call as this is a hard act to follow. It might seem like I climbed aboard the bandwagon myself when I say this is what I consider Motörhead’s finest album, but for overall strength of songs and their arrangement on the album, and the fantastic production which brings every element of the band out in front of the mix and not hiding in the background, this is the one where it all comes together the best.

Rating: “Read ‘em and weep, the Deadman’s hand again”. 5/5

55. Motörhead / 1916. 1991. 2.5/5

By this stage Motörhead had reached middle age as a heavy metal band. With so many classic albums behind them, coming up with albums that could stand up in comparison to them was always going to be a difficult thing.

1916 contains and mixes some different styles for the band, which can be either seen as a bold statement of intent, to show that the band can grow and is not afraid to show another side to it, or that the band had run out of ideas and had sold out in regards to the material it was writing. I admit I don't really know whether either of those ideas are correct, but I know that I have always had a problem trying to reconcile this with other releases by the band. There are still the songs which are unashamedly Motörhead, those like "No Voices in the Sky" and "I'm So Bad (Baby, I Don't Care). The cracking tribute to The Ramones, simply titled "R.A.M.O.N.E.S", is a ripper, which amusingly was eventually covered by The Ramones themselves.
Then there are the tracks where changes have come, and for me they just don't work. "Love Me Forever" is a ballad, but more than a ballad written and performed by the plethora or European power metal bands, this is sung by Lemmy, who - and let's face it, there is no getting around this - does not have the voice for such a song. Combined with the stereotypical ballad solo, it is so NOT Motörhead that it feels like a slap in the face. You can't begrudge the band from doing this kind of song, given the credits they have built up over the years, but it really is almost on the Metallica scale of debauchery and betrayal. No, no, no. "1916", which closes the album, also falls into this category, and while I admire a track such as this, being it is a tribute to the fallen in the war of the title, it is just not what you go looking for when you put a Motörhead album on.
As a result of some of this experimentation, this album is fairly tame compared to what had come before it. It was Motörhead's first studio album for four years, for various reasons. To be honest you would have hoped that the length of time between releases would have allowed a volume of work to have been collated and the best parts brought together to produce a ripping album. The time though appears to have gone into other ideas creeping in, and perhaps watering down the album's effectiveness.

For me, 1916 was a disappointment. Motörhead toured Australia on this album back in June 1991. Unfortunately, the night they played Sydney, I was about to fly out for Bali, and as such missed them. That was a disappointment as well. But moreover, the music just doesn't grab me on this album. It was a changing time in the metal world, and this album for me fell on the wrong side of the line.

Rating:   "Black leather, knee-hole pants, can't play no high school dance"   2.5/5.

54. KISS / Alive III. 1993. 3.5/5

From a fans point of view, it is great that Kiss decided to do a live album from the era when Kulick and Singer were in the band, as they contributed so much to the band that is sometimes not recognised.

As for the album, well it contains great songs and some average songs. The concentration of songs from the 'unmasked' era is good, but could perhaps have been better explored. Creatures Of The Night, Unholy, I Was Made For Loving You and Lick It Up are great live.
But seriously - God Gave Rock And Roll To You II? Ordinary song that was humungeously overplayed on Australian radio at the time. Maybe that's why I don't like it...

Still, this is a better effort than Alive II, and a good representation of the band in that era.

Rating : Good to hear Kiss live again. 3.5/5

53. KISS / Alive II. 1977. 3/5

Released a couple of years after their original Alive! album took the world by storm, this is an interesting mix.
When originally released as 2 albums, the fourth side contained new studio material (obviously the second half of the second CD here).
It was also recorded to ensure that none of the songs that appeared on Alive! would appear on here, thus not duplicating themselves.

The first CD is great. Detroit Rock City, Calling Dr Love, Love Gun and King Of The Night Time World are all great. The second CD is a real letdown. It doesn't keep up the same high standard as the first, and as a result, the whole package suffers. The studio material is pretty lame.

And this is what usually happens. When I ever put it on, it is only CD 1 that makes it to my stereo.

Rating : CD 1 - 4/5. CD 2 - 1/5. Overall 3/5.

52. Gamma Ray / Alive '95. 1995. 5/5.

Gamma Ray had been a growing entity within the metal world over the past five years since its inception, and had had its fair share of personnel changes along the way, including the major one before the release of Land of the Free, with lead vocalist Ralf Scheepers moving on. History records that after much decision making, band leader Kai Hansen took over the reigns of lead singer as well as guitarist, recorded that Land of the Free album, and the rest became history. Thankfully, this live album was recorded on that tour, which meant that a significant moment in the history of the band was recorded for future posterity.

This is a terrific live album, even more so because it is not bereft of any little errors. Hindsight also allows us to note that even though his singing on this album is fantastic, it also shows how much it has matured and probably even improved over the years since this was released. It was his first tour in a decade where he was expected to carry the full dual roles, and in many places he was still discovering how to sing these songs in a live environment, especially those that had previously been performed by Ralf. To be honest, it is a triumph.
The album covers most of the ages of the band, though the only disappointment for me is that there is nothing from the brilliant Sigh No More album. The songs from the Land of the Free album are superb, kicking off from the outset with "Land of the Free", then into "Man on a Mission" and "Rebellion in Dreamland". All three are tremendous live songs, with anthemic choruses and verses that allow the crowd to be fully involved from the beginning of the gig. This is also true of "The Saviour" which leads into "Abyss of the Void". Kai sets the crowd up nicely into "The Abyss", before crashing into the brilliant "Abyss of the Void", again with those anthemic chanting lyrics that make it such a gem in a live concert.
The songs from the Scheepers era are all done excellently by Kai on vocals too. "Space Eater" is a perfect live song, able to be played heavier and with greater enthusiasm. Given how wonderfully Ralf used to sing this song, Kai does an awesome job on this track. The same goes for "Tribute to the Past", in which Kai surpasses Ralf's vocals, and which the band here just tear it apart, leaving the studio version for dead. The other song from Insanity and Genius is "Heal Me", which Kai sang on anyway. "Heal Me" has never been one of my favourite Gamma Ray songs, it just has never had those qualities that endear me to it, though a always this version is adequate.
Into the back half of the album, and we have two favourite Helloween covers/tracks. My favourite Helloween song of all time is "Ride the Sky", and this version is perhaps the ultimate version ever. Kai revs up the crowd, and then the band crack into this at lightning speed and enthusiasm. And can Kai still hit those notes? My bloody oath he can!! Absolutely sensational. I still get goosebumps every single time I listen to it. This is followed by crowd favourite "Future World", complete with crowd participation section. Finally, to end the album the band does a cracking version of Holocaust's "Heavy Metal Mania" which top sit all off excellently.

This really is a brilliant live album, showcasing not only how good this band is, but how far it had come in such a short space of time. All the evidence is here as to why they have been, and remain, one of my favourite bands of all time.

Rating:  Give me wiiiiiiiiiiiiiings to fly!  5/5

51. Anthrax / Alive 2. 2005. 4/5.

One day, someone will come out with a definitive answer as to why John Bush and his other mates were given the flick so easily...

Anyway, here it is. The Reunion Tour, with Joey and Frank and Dan all back in the fold, and less than six months later, this live album appears. Which is fine. There is nothing wrong with the guys playing abilities, and Joey's voice still holds out as well as one can expect. The songs are great songs, and they still sound great.

It is interesting to hear Joey trying to sing the “new” version of Deathrider, as John sang it. It doesn't work. Very interesting. But when it comes to Time, Be All End All, Medusa and In My World, Joey is just the king (though, strangely, he doesn't receive the vocal support he used to get from Frankie...).

This is an excellent recording from the reunion tour. One does wonder, though, where Anthrax The Band will go to from here...

Rating : A blast from the past. 4/5.

50. Strapping Young Lad / Alien. 2005. 2/5

I do get the feeling this is a little too extreme for my tastes.
I was recommended this artist and album by Holzy, who insisted that “Devin Townsend is a freak!”. In that comment, he is completely correct. Though I have some extreme metal in my collection, it still didn't prepare me for this album.

This is the only album I have of Strapping Young Lad, and I have actually only had it for about six weeks. It has therefore had little listening to discern my actual taste for it.

On tonight's listening, I can say this. I can see merit in it. It may also not be to my taste. At present, I am 50/50 as to whether I like it or not.

Rating : As the above says, I'm not sure. 2/5.

49. Alice In Chains / Alice In Chains. 1995. 2/5.

Let's say this from the top. This album was a major disappointment for me. It was just one of those albums that I had built myself up so much for, and was then let down really badly.

When this was released, there was obviously trouble in the ranks, mainly to do with Layne's drug problems. That's not to say that this affected the album. To me, though, the balance of the album seems to have swayed away from what it was on the first two albums.

The songs on this album slowed down considerably, grunged even further, and don't seem to have the magic that earlier compositions do.

Is it just me? Am I just a negative nelly, who has failed to see the whole picture? Perhaps. But I really tried to like this album, and really couldn't do it.

Memories : Driving out to Hill End and Sofala, me in the back seat of the car with Helen and Jodie in the front, playing this album twice in a row to see if I could like it, and listen to it that frequently. It came off on the second time after three songs, and something of Helen's went on instead – which, dreadfully, I enjoyed more!

Rating : A shame after their previous efforts, and a shame to finish their recording careers together. 2/5.

48. Black Label Society / Alcohol Fueled Brewtality Live + 5. 2002. 4.5/5.

Oooohhh! This was the first taste I had of Black Label Society live, and it just enhances their reputation.
As if the albums themselves hadn't been enough. Once you hear Zakk and the boys playing them live, you can never listen to them the same way again. This is the way Black Label Society songs are supposed to be heard – live, loud and heavy.

I must admit that I would never have expected Zakk's vocals to sound so good live, but they are just perfect for his songs, and he doesn't miss a beat singing and playing. His guitaring, as always, is just brilliant.

Not to forget the “+5” here as well. Zakk's version of Snowblind is a classic in itself. Just bloody brilliant!

Rating : You gain an even greater appreciation for this band when you have heard them live. 4.5/5.

47. Yngwie J. Malmsteen / Alchemy. 1999. 3.5/5.

Here is another artist I abandoned after a particularly dreadful album (Eclipse), and did not rediscover until much later on.
Alchemy is another typical Yngwie album. There are lots of instrumentals, showing off his (and his band's) obvious talents. There are also some excellent songs here showcasing the vocals of Mark Boals.

The great thing about Yngwie is that you know it is him as soon as you hear the music start. His style is unique. So, chances are that if you like his music, you will like most things he does. Maybe even more so now that he has gotten that need to be commercially successful out of his system.

Rating : This is a pretty good example of what Yngwie can do. 3.5/5.

46. Faith No More / Album Of The Year. 1997. 2.5/5.

This is still up there with best album names of all time. It confused the hell out of people when it was first released (in Australia, at least). It probably could have lived up to its name, too, if it was not so overfilled with boring, boring songs.

This was the final album Faith No More recorded together, and by listening to it, there must have been problems while recording and writing it. It certainly is a mishmash, with not a lot of direction, or the vibrancy that is evident in their early releases. This seems to be coming from very old, disinterested men.

There are a couple of shining lights. The two singles, Last Cup Of Sorrow and Ashes To Ashes have a flicker of the old Faith No More. There are also some others that are tolerable. Overall, though, it is probably a good thing they disbanded not long after.

Memories : I saw Faith No More at the Hordern Pavilion on this tour in October 1997, which was filmed for an MTV special (still have it on video somewhere...). Apart from, I think, 4 songs, it was so totally boring that I was almost falling asleep (I had spent the previous four days at Bathurst at the top of the mountain, and had consumed a great deal of alcohol...).

Rating : Some good stuff, some not-so-good stuff. 2.5/5

45. Various Artists / Airheads : Original Motion Picture Soundtrack. 1994. 2.5/5.

I saw this movie in Sydney when it was released, and loved it from the first moment. For an obsessed, frustrated rock star like myself, it was one of those perfect movies for the time.

The music through the movie didn't outright grab me, except for the song over the opening credits (Born To Raise Hell), the 'original' song by the band, The Lone Rangers (Degenerated), and one they played on the radio, that I later discovered was actually a The Smith's song, London, covered by Anthrax. So buy the soundtrack I did. And surprise surprise – these were the best three songs on there.

The problem with a lot of soundtracks is that they will contain songs that never actually make the cut in the film. This appears to be the case here. A bit of filler. Overall, though, worth a listen.

Memories : Watching the film in the Hoyts Centre in Sydney with Helen and Joel. I laughed all the way through. Helen was less over the moon.

Rating : An average movie soundtrack. 2.5/5

44. Stryper / Against The Law. 1990. 1/5.

Well, I'm not sure what possessed them to go down this track. They had a successful following, both of Christian fans and metal fans. They had two excellent and two good albums behind them. Then they released this.

At the time of release, there had been murmurings that Stryper were going to head in a less-religious vein, in order (they hoped) to reap more commercial success. I'm still not sure if this is true or not, but I do know that the songs and song-writing certainly changed in this effort.

There is practically nothing on here that is catchy to the ear. All the things that make Stryper great – Michael Sweet's vocals, Oz Fox's riff's, Rob Sweet's drumming – all seem to be missing. The one possible exemption is Caught In The Middle, which is as close to a song that may fit on one of their great albums as they come. But it isn't enough to lift this above mediocre.

Rating : Is it any wonder they split after this? 1/5.

43. Gary Moore / After The War. 1989. 4/5.

This ended up being the final ‘rock’ album Gary released, and at least it was a good one to go out on. It has plenty of great songs on it, and proved he still had the knack from writing and recording such material.

After The War was actually written to use Phil Lynott as he had for an earlier hit, Out In The Fields. Lynott had died not long before this. The song Led Clones, which had Ozzy Osbourne on vocals, was written in protest against the number of bands coming out and writing songs with almost identical riffs to Led Zeppelin (Kingdom Come – you know he meant you!). So, the album has great songs, and also lyrics that touched on issues of the day.

It’s a great shame (to me) that Gary stopped doing rock after this album. In fact, he even went as far as to distance himself from it in future years. Still – he left us with some great tunes.

Rating : This album was a pearler, and contains the best of Gary Moore as singer, songwriter and guitarist. 4/5.

42. Gary Moore / After Hours. 1992. 3/5.

Who the hell would have thought? A ‘blues’ album that is worth a rating such as this?!!

Well, it must be said, Gary Moore does a great job on this one. The follow up to his Still Got The Blues release is a bit more of a return to his guitar roots, with good songs and good guitaring. And most of it is catchy stuff. Certainly the first half of the album has passed, and I was thinking, “Why don’t I remember it as being this good?”. Is it because I am older, and more appreciative of the art form? Or was I just ignoring it when it was released, because it wasn’t metal?

Whatever the reason, come the second half of the album, it does move back into the traditional blues stuff that doesn’t grab me as much. And perhaps this is what I remember of it.

Despite this, not a bad album at all. Cold Day In Hell would fit on any early Gary Moore album, despite its blues tendencies. That is a pretty good mark in itself.

Rating : This is an enjoyable listen, when in the right mood. 3/5.

41. Masterplan / Aeronatics. 2005. 5/5.

Trying to follow up a masterpiece, as Masterplan’s debut album is, has brought a million bands down. Not these boys. Despite producing one of the greatest debuts of all time, they come out here with their second album, and almost outdo themselves.

Aeronautics was a grower. With such high expectations, it was difficult not to allow myself to be ‘disappointed’ with this. However, on constant listening, I was able to break through that, and realise just how good this follow up is.
Crimson Rider is a great opener, catching the attention immediately, and is followed by a collection of great songs afterwards. Faves for me includes Headbanger’s Ballroom, Dark From The Dying and Black In The Burn.

This is one of the best examples of how European heavy metal is leading the world in the genre. Great songs, thoughtful lyrics, a passion for the music, and an uncompromising attitude to metal itself. This collection of terrific musicians, to me, have the metal world at their feet.

Rating : This is a must have. 5/5.

40. Tool / Aenima. 1996. 3/5.

It took me a damn long time to get my mind around Tool. Most of my early tastings of the band were snippets off 2JJJ radio, and pieces at certain pubs that I frequented while living and drinking in Sydney. It was difficult to get a handle on them.

By the time I was back in West Kiama, Kearo had become fascinated with them, and as such I was able to get hold of an album, and listen to it as a whole, and without distraction. That first album was Aenima. Even then, it took some time to come to appreciate it. It was different from what I had been enjoying of lat, and I needed to get through that.

So now? Well, yes, I can see what so many people (most of them kids these days) see in Tool. Aenima lumbers along, occasionally breaking out into a faster pace, but generally staying in what I would call an ‘industrial’ metal sound. I can now appreciate it for what it is.

Rating : Aemina is middle ground for me – not one I would immediately put on to listen to, but not one I would never listen to. 3/5.

39. Michael Schenker Group / Adventures Of The Imagination. 2000. 3/5

Michael Schenker's career has stretched from UFO and Scorpions, through to his own Michael Schenker Group, in the many manifestations it has morphed into. Unlike his other albums, this is a purely instrumental effort.
He has, of course, done instrumentals before (Into The Arena and Captain Nemo his best known). But an entire album of them – no.

And this one is quite good. Schenker has been one of the most highly regarded guitarists of the past 30 years. He has flirted with mainstream in the past, but is now apparently comfortable with his lot in life.
As I said, I enjoy most of the compositions on this album. There are two songs which both go for in excess of 13 minutes – and perhaps, without any lyrical content, this is just a tad too long to hold the interest of the listener. Overall, however, this is a good entry into the instrumental album school.

Rating : Better than I imagined it was going to be. Solid. 3/5

38. Def Leppard / Adrenalize. 1992. 3/5

This was Def Leppard's follow up to the almost unbelieveably huge Hysteria, and was always going to be a hard act to follow.
The album opens with the first single, Let's Get Rocked, which had some type of new technology used in creating the video, which instantly helped sales, and kept the song near the top of the charts for some time.

The album itself is a mixture. During the writing and early recording, Guitarist Steve Clark died from complications of his alcohol problem, which must have (again) messed up the band. However, they finally got it together, and recorded the album.
At the time it was released, I was very 50/50 on it. There were a couple of songs I really liked, but the rest was ordinary. On listening to it a few times over the past few days, I have realised that it, generally, is just a further sugar-coated Hysteria. Some people will like that, others will not.

If anything, I think I enjoy it more now than I did at the time, perhaps only because I am older, perhaps only because I have heard what they've released SINCE Adrenalize! They could really have made these songs heavier, and, for me, it would have worked. Of course, that is not what Def Leppard has evolved into.

Memories : I saw Def Leppard at the Sydney Entertainment Centre, in the round, on this tour. By this time, they had picked up my guitar god, Vivian Campbell, to replace Steve Clark. Concentrating mostly on songs from Adrenalize and Hysteria, it was mostly a disappointment. But seeing Vivian live was worth the price of admission alone.

Rating : As a hard rock candy album, this is better than most. 3/5.

37. Death Angel / Act III. 1990. 4.5/5

This was an absolute revelation back in the day. I don't even remember who originally lent it to me back in 1990 (it was either Holzy or Kearo), but it was an instant sensation.

This was not Death Angel's first album, but it was my first taste of their music. What gets me is that, the opening track, Seemingly Endless Time, grabbed me immediately, but it wasn't as though it was the only song I wanted to listen to on the album! Having listened to the whole thing, there was not a weak link amongst it.
So I listened to it again, and, unlike a lot of albums, where early on I will repeat a song that I instantly like, I let the whole thing go through again.

Today when I listened to it again, it had lost nothing. Although I may not always go to put it on these days when I'm looking for an album, it is not because it is not a brilliant album.
A Room With A View is a great example of their ability to change tempo without compromising their style.

Memories : At the time I first got this album, I had the bottom room underneath Mum & Dad's house, which was basically disconnected from the remainder of the house. I had bought myself a pretty bloody good stereo, and I could sit in my room and crank my music - which I certainly did for Act III.

Rating : This was truly something at the time, and it has lost nothing over the years. A gem. 4.5/5

36. Scorpions / Acoustica. 2003. 4/5.

Acoustic, or unplugged, albums, if done well, can be just brilliant. Nirvana and Alice In Chains are two that come to mind immediately. However, I must admit that, in general, I tend to shy away from these kind of releases.
When this first came out, I think I made a crass comment about “selling out”, and refused to even consider listening to it, for fear of how bad it would be.

Error.

This is just a fabulous album. Scorps have always written songs that would suit this treatment, and they are done magnificently well.With some female back-up singers to help out, and some strings as well to help fill out the sound, this is just a brilliantly done album.
All their best 'ballad' hits are here – Always Somewhere, Wind Of Change, Still Loving You. Then some rockers, like The Zoo and Rock You Like A Hurricane. And also some special covers, The Cars hit, Drive, Kansas' Dust In The Wind, and Queen's Love Of My Life.

Rating : This is yet another example of my prejudices robbing me of having had this album for years instead of months. Truly a great performance of these songs. 4/5.

35. Ace Frehley / Ace Frehley. 1978. 2/5

It was all a little before my time. Back in 1978, the four members of KISS each released a solo album on the same day. No doubt this was meant as an avenue for each individual to showcase their own style away from the band element that they all performed in. And yes the styles were very different. And the response to each album was also very different. Through the turmoil, this is Ace Frehley's moment.

Of all of the four albums, this is probably the one that is more universally loved. It's easy to see why. Ace is the Spaceman, the lead guitarist, the man that everyone looks up to to provide the spark in the songs. It also helps that he doesn't stray too far form the formula that the band has used successfully to this point of their career. What we have here are nine straight up rock songs that lean on the 'hard' side, with simple back beats and catchy riffs, and lyrics that tend to focus on the life of a rock star. Of course, if you are expecting anything that is brilliant and groundbreaking, then you are coming to the wrong place. Sure Ace had co-written some of the classic KISS songs before this - such as "Cold Gin" or "Parasite", but everything here is pretty straight forward. While some of the riffs are pure, there are no jump-out-at-you solos that you may associate with a lead guitarist who is writing his own material. Perhaps unusually, Ace's vocals are actually half decent here, and more than anything else help to set these songs apart from the usual KISS makeup (no pun intended).
"Rip It Out" and "Speedin' Back to My Baby" are both solid tunes to kick start the album off. For me "Snow Blind" and "Ozone" are bit to repetitive and... well... average... for my taste. "What's On Your Mind" picks things up a little. The only single lifted from the album was the Russ Ballard-penned "New York Groove", with a style that immediately comes across as completely different from the rest of the album. I think it was a strange choice, but I guess given Ballard's tendency to known as a bit of a hit writer, perhaps the powers that be felt they were on a sure thing. "I'm in Need of Love" only breaks out during the solo, before settling back into a mid-tempo mash of stuttering guitar/drum mix with vocals. "Wiped-Out" returns to a more rock oriented theme, before the wacky experimentalist like "Fractured Mirror" concludes the album.

There's no doubt that this is not a classic, but the same can also be said of the other three of the solo releases. What we do have here is a bit of individualist writing and recording from Ace, quite diverse from what he was used to performing in the band environment, and while not all of it may be fantastic, there is still enough here to enjoy in the right frame of mind.

Rating:  Rip it out, take my heart, you wanted it from the start.  2.5/5

34. Bruce Dickinson / Accident Of Birth. 1997. 5/5

I made a fatal error when I first heard pieces of Bruce's 2nd (Balls To Picasso) and 3rd (Skunkworks) solo albums. I decided that he was finished, and decided against wasting any more of my money on his work.
In 1999, I was lent a copy of The Chemical Wedding, and I soon realised what a dolt I had been.

Accident Of Birth, to me, is the beginning of Dickinson's resurgence to the top of metal. With partner Roy Z, and the acquisition of fellow Maiden drop-out Adrian Smith, this album is the type that Maiden probably should have been extending itself to by this stage of their career.
Bruce himself accolades Roy Z for much of the credit for their collaborations together. Whoever or whatever it is, this album was a giant leap forward from anything Dickinson had done out on his own before.

Freak. Darkside Of Aquarius. Road To Hell. Accident Of Birth. Just a selection of the songs that make it a brilliant listen. If only I had not waited four years to actually buy and listen to it!!!!

Rating : This is a great 'comeback' if you like, and better was yet to come. 5/5.

33. Various Artists / A Tribute To The Scorpions. 2000. 4.5/5

I only came across this little gem this year, and what a pearler it is! I know that every band and their agents all have tribute album out for them these days, but they aren't always good, and they aren't always a respectful tribute to the original.
This has some really great updates on the Scorpions originals. Coast To Coast is given a slight overhaul by Disbelief, Is There Anybody There is updated by Rough Silk, while the top of the pile is the brilliant fast, heavy version of Still Loving You by Sonata Arctica – I still can't get over what a magnificent job they did with that song!

The Scorpions were a real influence on European, and especially German, metal in the 1970's, and no doubt most of these bands grew up on them, and it tells in their efforts to put down the best versions of these songs that they can.

Rating : An excellent Tribute album that delves into the classic Scorpions music. 4.5/5.

32. Various Artists / A Tribute To The Beast. 2002. 2/5.

Can someone explain to me what people are thinking, if they believe they can cover an Iron Maiden song, and scream or growl the lyrics to it?
OK, very few people can sing like Bruce Dickinson, but surely you have to give it a go?
I know I am not an afficiendo of the 'growler' lyrical style. And to me, the songs on which bands with growlers have covered on this album bring the rest of the effort down to mediocre.

And there are some good versions on here. Steel Prophet opening up with The Ides Of March and Purgatory, Sonata Arctica with Die With Your Boots On, Therion's Children Of The Damned, and Tierra Santa's Flight Of Icarus are worth the listen.

But those that are bad are horrid.

Rating : There is more to turn me off this album than to make me listen to it, which is a shame. 2/5

31. Catch The Rainbow / A Tribute To Rainbow. 1999. 5/5.

It's hard to believe, though easy to comprehend, that a musician could be so dedicated to one of his favourite bands, that he would put together a project for the sole purpose of recording a tribute album dedicated to that band. But that is exactly what Uli Kusch, former Helloween and Gamma Ray drummer, and current Masterplan drummer, did way back in 1999.
Along with some mates, and some special guests, here is a tribute album that is truly worth listening to and owning.

It covers all three eras of Rainbow (before the shortlived comeback in 1995), of Ronnie James Dio, Graham Bonnet and Joe Lynn Turner. It has a selection of their greatest tracks, and each one of them is superbly done. Sure - I may have done some different songs, but I can't complain about the ones they chose, and they way they covered them. You can feel the love and respect in each track.
My faves are Kill The King (with Ralf Scheepers), Stargazer, Spotlight Kid and Eyes Of The World (which Uli himself sings).

Memories : “Rainbow are the only original band. Everyone since has just copied them”. Peter Orgill, 1986.

Rating : This is yet another example of how to do a Tribute album RIGHT! 5/5.

30. Iron Maiden / A Real Live One. 1993. 4/5

This was the first of three live albums Iron Maiden released in 1993, all from the Fear Of The Dark tour.

A Real Live One consisted of songs from the latest Iron Maiden offering, and all albums from Somewhere In Time onwards. This was the split album, along with A Real Dead One, that covered the whole tour.
Now – there are some great songs on here, especially to hear their new material live. Heaven Can Wait, Afraid To Shoot Strangers, and Bring Your Daughter...To The Slaughter are great live tracks. But seriously – what must rank right up there as one of the worst songs in Maiden history is on this disc, and that really annoys me. Wasting Love – wasting space, if you ask me...

Memories : The only time I saw, and probably ever will see Iron Maiden was on this tour in 1992 at Sydney's Hordern Pavilion. The sound was absolutely dreadful, Kearo didn't want to be there at all, as his first son Jordan had been born only days beforehand, and half of our usual group wouldn't stand with us, as we were harbouring one of our number whom they weren' t getting on with at the time. My God, we were young and useless...

Rating : It's a live album with not a lot exciting about it, apart from the fact that most of these songs we hadn't heard live. 4/5.