856. Death Angel / The Bay Calls For Blood - Live in San Francisco. 2015. 3.5/5

I saw Death Angel for the first time (and quite possibly for the only time) last year on their tour of Australia in promotion of their album The Dream Calls for Blood. It was a brilliant concert, allowing me to see them perform songs that I had been waiting most of my adult life to see. Every part of it was sensational, and you could barely have asked for a better setlist. So when I discovered that the band was releasing a new live album I was excited for what it would produce.

So lets face it. No matter what was placed on this album, you know it would sound good. And it does. The band is in brilliant form here, and they have been honestly captured on this album. Sensational songs such as "Left For Dead" which opens the album in style, "The Dream Callas For Blood", and "Detonate". Every track here is superb and at its peak performance.
There is a downside, that has nothing to do with the quality of the recording or the performance of the band. While I support the decision of the band or record company or whoever is in charge of the decision to choose the songs that go on such an album, surely it could have been prudent to have added a few songs that weren't from just the previous two albums? I mean, if I only wanted to listen to The Dream Calls for Blood then I would have put that album on! Seven of the ten songs here are from that album, and like I've said they sound great, but what about some of those greats? Is it just me? Or has a trick been missed here? No "Seemingly Endless Time"? No "Thrown to the Wolves"? No "A Room With a View"? No "Road Mutants"? And that's just a starter. The album is great, but it feels like short shrift to have a Death Angel live album without those songs being a part of it.

The fans will love this album for the material that is here. It is a terrific performance. However, as ranted above, to make a top notch live album you have to have the best of your recent material, mixed with the best of your other material. The job here is half done.

Rating:  You buried the hope but you can't kill the man.  4/5

855. Deep Purple / Locked in a Paper Cage [Bootleg]. 1987. 5/5

Way back in 1988, while wandering through record stores in the local area, I was perusing the massed basket of cheap cassettes at the front of one of these stores, and came across the live Deep Purple album Nobody's Perfect which had been recorded on The House of Blue Light tour the previous year. Brilliant! I didn't often buy cassettes, but I hadn't seen this anywhere on vinyl so I bought it. And it was brilliant, covering lots of great stuff from that album and Perfect Strangers that I hadn't heard live, as well as all the greats from the past.

After thousands of revolutions this copy died as all cassettes were wont to do, and I went searching for the album on CD. Unfortunately, the only version available at that time was one that had several songs removed in order to fit it on the one CD. While I still bought it, I had been disappointed and unfulfilled every time I listened to it, mourning the editing and lost tracks. Thankfully, in the early 00's, I came across this bootleg album. In all respects this is NOT a bootleg album. It is just a restoration of the original recordings as I remembered them, as well as adding other songs that were not a part of that original cassette I had bought, adding further great songs from that reformation era of the Mark II line up. So, in essence, it was an even better discovery than that original one back in the day!
Recorded live at Irvine Meadows in California on May 23, 1987, this album showcases everything that is great about Deep Purple in their live environment. You get the banter between songs between Ian Gillan and the audience, and Ian Gillan and his bandmates. You have Ritchie Blackmore play-acting throughout, throwing in his own flicks and flails whenever he feels in the mood. You have the places where he is allowed to express himself away from the basis of the song. You have Jon Lord doing a similar thing during his solo break. You have a great variety of songs from the two albums of the new era of Deep Purple, which all sound brilliant here. Songs such as "Perfect Strangers", "Nobody's Home", "Under the Gun" and "Knocking At Your Back Door" from the Perfect Strangers album are marvellous, and the selection from the touring album The House of Blue Light are just as terrific, with great versions of "The Unwritten Law", "Dead or Alive", "Hard Lovin' Woman" and "Bad Attitude". These are all mixed in with the living legends such as "Highway Star", "Strange Kind of Woman", "Child in Time", "Lazy", "Black Night", "Woman From Tokyo" and "Smoke on the Water". There's also the bonus that came on the original Nobody's Perfect album of the re-recorded version of "Hush" with Gillan on vocals, which I have always loved since its release.

As groundbreaking and timeless as Made in Japan is as a live album, I love this album just as much. It covers an era that is somewhat forgotten and bypassed in regards to Deep Purple. It was the reformation, and the band is on fire during this performance, covering both the first half and the second half of the great Mark II era. This records a significant moment in the history of the band. It was for all intents and purposes the end of this era, despite one final fling with The Battle Rages On... after Joe Lynn Turner's cameo for Slaves and Masters, and it is great to have this as a keepsake and memento of the greatness of this line up.

Rating:  Are you dead... or alive...  5/5

854. Serious Black / As Daylight Breaks. 2015. 3.5/5

The tendency to look for new music for me often comes down to either mates insisting that I must check out this band because they are awesome, or by following artists when they change bands or do a solo project, or, in this case, a side project away from their  major band of occupation. Most tend to be a one-off proposition, which of course hampers the chase for new music to the odd album. Whether or not that becomes the case for Serious Black is yet to be seen, but this debut effort does offer the possibility that it could lead to further releases.

I found Serious Black through guitarist/vocalist Roland Grapow. Roland had first joined Helloween to replace Kai Hansen, which was where I first encountered him. After several good album, of which he contributed to along the way, he moved on to co-found Masterplan, the band he is still the leader of to this day, and whose initial albums are still legendary. So when I read an article that he had become a piece of this so-called 'supergroup' I went out of my way to track it down.
The one thing I can say with certainty is that you won't find anything new here. That doesn't make it poor, it just means that all of those elements that make a typical power metal album are all here. In effect, if you enjoy power metal, you are more than likely going to enjoy this album. If you do not enjoy power metal, then nothing here will likely change your view on it.
As always, the faster paced, drum and guitar packed songs are the ones I enjoy most here. The opening tracks "I Seek No Other Life" and "High and Low" express the best of this kind of music. They are fast, significant drumming from veteran Thomen Stauch, the keyboards from Jan Vacik prominent but not overbearing, while the guitaring of Roland is just superb. "Sealing My Fate" doesn't quite live up to the opening expectations, before the instrumental "Temple of the Sun" returns to a better innovation within the album. "Akhenaton" features the best of Urban Breed's vocals (yep, that's his name...), they really soar here and showcase his great range and power. "My Mystic Mind" draws its roots from Roland's writing, as it sounds like it could be a Masterplan song. Once again, it's fast and powerful with amazing vocals. "Trail of Murder" follows a familiar path with the keyboards taking centre stage on this shift.
You can take it to the bank that the title track for me is a complete album killer. Power ballads, they are just the bane of my existence, and "As Daylight Breaks" fits right in that category of the massive mood killers. Everything has been going so well, fast paced power metal in the best sense, and then we throw this track into the mix. Well, there's no power here, just quietly spoken lyrics over keyboards, before progressing to the powderpuff heart of the song. Ugh ugh ugh.
"Setting Fire to the Earth" returns us back to middle ground, the pace reels itself back up a notch, though it is the synth and harmony vocals that dominate this song rather than the guitars of Dominik Sebastian and Roland and the drums of Thomen. "Listen to the Storm" sails a bit too close to going down that ballad track for me to be completely at ease with it, while the closing track "Older and Wiser" regains any lost ground, ending the album on a high note.

Overall, apart from any misgivings about the ballad styled tracks deposited here, this is an impressive debut for this gathering of musicians. As mentioned earlier, whether or not this becomes a group that produces multiple releases will be for the future to decide, but the debut effort gives every confidence that if they did, they could only improve on the base they have created here.

Rating:  When all the seasons come undone, I shall rise again.  3.5/5

853. Warrant / Cherry Pie. 1990. 3/5

Although Warrant was first formed back in 1984, and had success over the intervening years opening for backs such as Ted Nugent and Stryper, and then having success on the Los Angeles club scene, it wasn’t until 1988 that they signed their first recording contract, and the following year when they released their debut album “Dirty Rotten Filthy Stinking Rich”, helmed by producer Beau Hill who had had success with other bands of the same style and genre. On the back of the rising tide of glam and hair metal in the US, the album went to #10 on the album charts, with the help of the MTV generation with music videos that played up to their place in the music world. With this popularity, the band toured with Paul Stanley, Poison, Mötley Crüe, Queensrÿche, Cinderella and Kingdom Come, and garnered further notoriety as a result. The band returned to the studio the following year to write and record their follow up, with Beau Hill once again acting as producer.
One of the things that was rumoured over the years after the album’s release was that guitarists Erik Turner and Joey Allen did not perform on the album, and that all of the guitar work had been performed by session musician Mike Slamer, who had at one time been the guitarist in the band Streets. At the time there was no verification of this, and it wasn’t until Slamer’s wife came out in 1998 and confirmed that her husband had played on the album that there was any proof of the rumours. Eventually, in an interview in 2012, Beau Hill also confirmed Slamer had played on the album, and that everyone in the band had signed off on it, and everything was above board. Which, makes you wonder, WHY it hadn’t been brought up at the time. The album's liner notes refer to Turner's function as "G-string" and Allen's as "Bong Riffs", adding that "Erik & Joey would like to thank Mike Slamer & Tommy Girvin for their Wielding G string Inspirations". As it was, there were several other guest performers on the album who were also listed, so the secret rumours were perhaps never so secret. Jani Lane's brother Erik Oswald, guitarist C. C. DeVille from Poison, guitarist and bassist Bruno Ravel and drummer Steve West from Danger Danger, and singer Fiona all add their contributions to the album that eventually went by the name of “Cherry Pie”.

The album opens with the title track and first single from the album "Cherry Pie", which was the famously 'written to be a hit song in fifteen minutes' by Jani Lane, after the album was completed. Having heard what was on offer the record company wanted an 'anthem' added to the mix, which Lane then provided in the aforementioned 15 minutes. I'm not sure how you would feel about this song if you were Jani Lane - happy that you were able to write a hit song in fifteen minutes, or pissed off because of the time you spent on the other tracks of the album that then became far less well known than the one you did in a coffee shop on a break. The music video, and subsequent massive rotation on music video programs, certainly helped to raise its profile and popularity, and no doubt raised album sales. Perhaps interestingly from my own point of view in 1990, it turned me off buying the album until many years later, as I assumed that this single was a reflection on what the remainder of the album would sound like. This was followed by the song that was supposed to be the title track of the album, "Uncle Tom's Cabin". Unlike the obvious commercial bent of the opening track, this is a hard rock song that could have led Warrant into the harder section of the rock community had it been the focal point of the album. Indeed, it can be argued that the musical direction of the band’s following album actually takes its cues from this song. This has great guitars and solid vocals that make for an good hard rock song.
On the other hand, to complete the circle of musical genres stacking into the Warrant quiver is "I Saw Red", an atypical sugar coated piano/synth based ballad, complemented by the soaring vocals and standard soft rock guitar solo to top it off. Inspired by a true story of Lane finding his girlfriend in the sack with his best friend, like many albums of this genre, this is where the kicker is, the place where you divide fans loyalties immediately. A most regular listeners to this podcast will already have ascertained, the opening to the album is shot down in flames by the change of parity in the songs, which I believe destroys the momentum and makes a meal of the party vibes the opening tracks had produced. Others I’m sure adore it. Once again, it isn’t bad, but it should not have a place here. Except that it was released as the second single and went to #10 on the US singles charts, so what the hell would I know.
"Bed of Roses" is a standard hair-pop metal rock song. In fact, vocally it even begins to sound like Jon Bon Jovi singing, which is a bit scary because this really could be a Bon Jovi song... and no, not the one of the same name. This is better than that claptrap. Better is to come in "Sure Feels Good to Me" which has a more enjoyable, up-tempo style that shows off the faster heavier side of the band nicely, with guitar riffs and licks to match. "Love in Stereo" is of a similar vein, utilising a bit of boogie-woogie keyboard in an old rock-n-roll fashion with memories of Jerry Lee Lewis.
The segue trilogy comes up next, interpreting itself as almost the same song in three parts, in three different moods. "Blind Faith" reverts back to the stock standard acoustic guitar based ballad that plagued the airwaves around this time. There must be plenty of fans out there who love this style of formula driven ballad drivel, and on the few occasions in history when it has been done with an original bent then I guess you can enjoy it, but when it just comes across the same as every other song like that then you can only shake your head. "Song and Dance Man" segues straight out of this, and finds itself moving out of this bland ballad state to a place in soft metal purgatory, neither ballad nor rock. Finally the third piece of the trilogy is "You're the Only Hell Your Mother Ever Raised", which is a standard soft metal rock piece, moving a bit harder and faster, along with that rock soloing to help drag the song into a harder territory.
"Mr Rainmaker" is one of my favourite songs on the album, introduced with a great riff and harmony throughout, and Jani's vocals being the driving force while the imported outside help guitar solo section proves its worth here. This is the most melodically metal song on the album, and is worth checking out even if nothing else here tickles your fancy. "Train Train" is a cover of a song by a band called Blackfoot, which sounds like southern blues rock and sticks to that theme, while the album concludes with "Ode to Tipper Gore" which is just a bunch of swearing pieced together from a live gig is an amusing ditty, but overall perhaps not the ending to the album I would have been looking for. In fact, if you just stopped the album after “Mr Rainmaker” you will have a far better experience.

Despite my following of hair metal bands that are often lumped into the genre of hair metal, bands of the ilk of L.A. Guns, Ratt, Cinderella and Motley Crue to mention a few, as well as fleeting interest through my late teens with Poison and other such bands, I never really cottoned on to Warrant in their prime. My main musical interest was in a heavier direction, which those of you who have listened to recent episodes of this podcast will be well aware. So unless I had friends who were pushing bands onto me I didn't immediately chase down every new band that came our way. And as I mentioned earlier, the ballads that had been released off the bands first album along with the video and antics for the first single off this album had turned me away from having any desire to track down this album and give it a listen. From what I had heard with those instances, I just assumed that Warrant wasn’t for me.
So it wasn't until I read an article a few years later – quite a number of years later as it turns out - proclaiming that Warrant had a bad rap in the metal community and that people should dig deeper than the surface of their singles, that I decided to follow up on them after all. And the obvious first step was the album “Cherry Pie”. And what I found was interesting. Beyond the singles and the ballads, there is more to this album than I expected. There is a bit more to some of the tracks. The guitars sound great. The songs have that bent that is a definition of the genre they are a part of, but it is not on the sad and soppy side of that. The songs that have a real hard rock basis to them, such as “Sure Feels Good to Me” and “Mr Rainmaker” in particular, are actually very good songs. The tempo and mood of most of the tracks is great. And I found myself enjoying having the album on. Now, to be fair, this didn’t happen until late in the first decade of the new millennium, so I had grown out of my 30 year phase of turning my nose up at music that wasn’t what I usually listened to, and that I had begun to listen to more music that made me reminisce on a time when I was young and able to enjoy life without its harsh realities hanging over me. And so an album like this slotted into that stage of my life.
But here we are, in a week where I come to review it for this podcast, and I can’t remember having listened to this album since that time that I first discovered it. And I have listened to it half a dozen times over the past few days. And what have I discovered about this album now? In essence, “Cherry Pie” is an album that I imagine I can put on and listen to in most casual situations. My lack of interest in ballads does mean that some portions of the album aren’t massively enjoyable, but I can tolerate them. And I still think there are some diamonds within the framework, such as "Uncle Tom's Cabin", "Love in Stereo" and "Mr Rainmaker". No doubt those with more of a fetish for the soft metal ballad will have a field day with this album. For me it will always be a comfortable reminder of the early 1990's, with just enough harder stuff to make it at least somewhat enjoyable.
The band continued on – indeed still does despite the passing of Jani Lane some years ago – and it was their next album “Dog Eat Dog” that also created a stir at the time. But that is a tale for another episode.

852. The Michael Schenker Group / One Night at Budokan. 1982. 3/5

I love a live album. A good live album. One that emits energy and shines like a beacon amongst the music being played elsewhere. The kind that brings out the best in those songs that have been written and recorded in a studio, where they have been polished to a sheen and not allowed any rough edges to show. Where perhaps the performance is not perfect, but the enthusiasm of the band outweighs any imperfections. That's a good live album. Unfortunately for One Night at Budokan, most of that doesn't apply here.

I don't want to sound unfair here, because the little things have been done right. The song list contains a great selection from both albums to this time, The Michael Schenker Group and MSG. The band plays well, the songs are given reasonable justice. There's even the requisite UFO number thrown in, Schenker's almost-signature tune in "Doctor Doctor". So what is it that hurts this album? Well, the production isn't terrific. Levels of instruments just don't seem to work, and at different times the bass and keyboards and even drums get lost in the mix. I mean, how on earth could Cozy Powell's drums ever get lost in a mix? But it happens here. This results in the songs sounding tinny, without that real solid loud rhythm section which would provide a base for the live sound. Schenker's guitar is always there, but because the rhythm at times seems non-existent it can't make that full sound that is needed in a live concert. His guitaring is still great, but because he either has to take on the rhythm himself or play lead with nothing underneath it really does destroy the impact of some of the songs. And the limitations of Gary Barden's vocals has been discussed for 35 years. While he doesn't crack under the pressure of a live performance here, and does for the most part hit all the right notes, his vocals still come across reedy and wispy at times, without the power needed to make the performance his own. Again, the mix didn't help this.
There are some great songs here, but the versions just don't do justice to them. "Armed and Ready", "Attack of the Mad Axeman", "Into the Arena", "On and On" and "Are You Ready To Rock" are great songs that should smoke live, but they just don't hold it together on this album.

More than anything else, these limitation end up making the album overdrawn to the point of boring, and it really shouldn't be that way at all. Live albums down the track with better production brought many of these songs to life, but here, One Night at Budokan simply becomes an album with a great concept that sits gathering dust on a shelf due to a lack of foresight.

Rating:  On and on and on and on and on.  3/5

851. The Michael Schenker Group / The Michael Schenker Group. 1980. 4/5

Michael Schenker had had a busy and somewhat tumultuous two years leading up to the release of this album, and even for someone who had been known for his volatility throughout his career, the events over that particular two-year period were even extreme for someone of his characteristics. After six years as a part of the band UFO, which had included five studio albums which were not only very successful but that he had contributed to writing the majority of, it came to pass on October 29, 1978, that he quit the band. Many people have come forward over the years to suggest what the reasons for this were, and all seem to differ in one way or another. Schenker had gotten into the habit of walking off stage during live gigs if he was unhappy about something, or anything, and this was obviously causing the band great distress. Lead singer Phil Mogg was quoted as saying that the final straw for Schenker was that he was unhappy with the version of “Rock Bottom” that was chosen to be put on the band’s live album “Strangers in the Night” - though Schenker commented later “don’t believe everything you read”. From here, Schenker actually reappeared with his original band, Scorpions. They had just parted ways with Schenker’s own replacement in the band, Uli Jon Roth and brought in Matthias Jabs as his replacement. However, Schenker kept appearing at the studio as they were writing and recording their new album “Lovedrive”, and he was asked if he would like to contribute. He was a co-composer and also played lead guitar on three tracks - "Another Piece of Meat", "Coast to Coast" and "Lovedrive – although in more recent times Schenker has claimed that he contributed to the entire album. On the back of the album release, Schenker actually rejoined Scorpions as their lead guitarist as Jabs’s expense and toured with the band... lasting just a few weeks before he quit once again, on this occasion blaming the fact that he didn’t enjoy playing someone else’s songs. The band crawled back to Jabs to rejoin the band, and they have not been separated in the 45 years since. After this, Schenker auditioned for Aerosmith to replace Joe Perry who had left the band, but eventually he decided that he was going to form his own band instead, which would allow him to have to answer to no one but himself.
He moved to London, and within a few weeks of his arrival he met Gary Barden, who was then lead singer of another local band. They hit it off and decided they would start their own band, one that would take on Schenker’s name. The two of them began writing together, and soon had enough songs to form a demo. Bringing in bass guitarist Billy Sheehan and drummer Denny Carmassi, they recorded the demo towards the end of 1979. This led to a deal with Chrysalis Records, and allowed the band to go in and record their full formed first album. Sheehan and Carmassi were replaced by session musicians for the album recording, who were again replaced once it came time to tour the album. That album, the debut for the band produced by Roger Glover, was released in August of 1980 and titled eponymously as The Michael Schenker Group.

Many people would have initially come into this album looking for more of the same that Schenker had produced in his UFO days, or perhaps even on that Scorpions album. There is always an inherent danger in looking for comparisons to artists previous work when they create or join a new band. In this case, you can argue that it seems to come off pretty well.
There is a lot to like about this first album from the new band. The ready-made classic "Armed and Ready" opens up the album, setting off on the right foot. With the right mix of sing-along lyrics, guitar, drums and keyboard, this has the perfect beat to draw you into the album, while still allowing Schenker to show off his skills through the middle of the songs. This is still as terrific today as it was on its release. "Cry for the Nations" utilises the same visions, allowing Schenker's guitar to explore its way through the song while Barden warbles on over the top. The tinkling keyboard synth to open the track actually throws you off as to what is to come, with Schenker’s hard riffing guitar bursting out and kicking the song into gear. Barden’s smooth vocal croons over the top while the guitar riff injects the drive into the song. "Victim of Illusion" starts off with Schenker’s guitar pushing the energy from the beginning once again There is a bit of this era Judas Priest about this song in the rhythm guitar riff, it has a similarity about it that is comforting without stealing into the screaming vocals or dual guitar solos that band feasts on. This is a very good song that does at time feel as though it has left some fuel in the tank. Perhaps that is just the Priest vibes about it.
There are two instrumental tracks on the album, and both are born of different creatures. The first is "Bijou Pleasurette", played as a more classical guitar suite, combining a middle ages keyboard and guitar sound much like a harpsichord and a sitar, in a refined and quiet atmosphere. There are touches here of what Yngwie Malmsteen would use on his albums in the future, and no doubt Schenker was someone who he modelled himself on. The first side of the album is wrapped up with "Feels Like a Good Thing", that comes in with more purpose. Barden is more forceful vocally here from the outset, showcasing the best side of his abilities, the excellent mid range vocal and the scream that doesn’t betray his range, then followed by Schenker’s excellent guitar solo through the middle of the track, backed underneath by the falling rhythm guitar and bass line that holds the track together so well. This powers its way all the way to the end and closes out the first half of the album excellently
The second instrumental track of the album opens up the second side." Into the Arena" is much more hard rock track, with Schenker taking control from the outset and letting his guitar do the talking. The bassline underneath is suitably rumbling and is the perfect accompaniment to what Schenker is performing over the top, while allowing the keyboards to duel along the way, and then the drums to have their own place to shine into the second half of the song. This is one of those brilliant instrumental tracks, one that is one of Schenker’s best known and most requested songs.
"Looking Out from Nowhere" is the quintessential rock track from the late 70’s to early 80’s. It isn’t a cookie cutter type of song from that era but it does contain all of the traits of those songs that look for a commercial bent in their tunes. This one is done particularly well, retaining the harder rock version of itself. Barden’s vocals sit in that range that tempt you in, along with the backing ‘aaaaahs’ that fill out the chorus, while Schenker’s solo to close out the track is suitably superb as always. By the end of the song it has transformed from the almost soft rock tendencies of the opening minute to a much more satisfying hard rock conclusion. “Tales of Mystery" returns to the other side of the tracks, the style that Malmsteen must have grown up on, with the almost classical guitar and quieter tones of both guitar and vocals throughout. The mix of electric and acoustic guitar shows a different side of the band and Schenker and Barden themselves. The album then concludes with the seven minute plus of "Lost Horizons", which for the most part channels the 1970's method of songs that lengthen themselves beyond the norm with a freeform guitar extravaganza while the rest of the band plays on until it comes to a natural conclusion. In a similar way as he had done on UFO’s classic track “Love to Love”, here it allows Schenker again to do what he does best, which is play the guitar and make fascinating and brilliant tunes from it. It may well be a pointer to the past, a recognition of what he had done in UFO, but it also promises to continue in a stronger direction in the future. Barden’s vocal is also powerful and almost anthemic as we wind through mystical and slightly eastern style of guitar. It is an epic conclusion to what has been a wonderful first outing of a new project.

For those that have been keeping track, my first introduction to Michael Schenker had been through my heavy metal music dealer. On the occasion that I had offered him a cassette to tape a different album for me, if there was ever any room on the end of the cassette he would record three or four songs from another album onto the end, either something that he had just discovered or was just enjoying listening to. On this particular occasion, the end of the cassette had several songs from a live album called “Rock Will Never Die” by the Michael Schenker Group, the most memorable for me being “Into the Arena” and “Desert Song”. Later (when I found a spare cassette to cannibalise within my parents collection) I got him to record that whole album for me. A year later, while at university, and on a trip to my favourite second hand record store at the time Illawarra Books and Records, I found a double LP called The Michael Schenker Anthology that covered his career with UFO, Scorpions and his own band – to that point in time. And I played that to death. I was hooked, on Schenker, and UFO, and Scorpions.
Over time I collected those first six albums – four studio and two live – and played them again, to death. What I’ve always liked about this album in particular is that it is not a band so much at this point in time – though perhaps that remains true for Schenker’s whole career, that it is him and a revolving cast of artists. But on this first album, it is basically himself and vocalist Gary Barden. The sessions musicians played on the album, and they do their job really well here. The drums and bass are a big part of making these songs what they are, so the performances of Simon Phillips and Mo Foster are important, along with Don Airey on keyboards. But this is Schenker and Barden, guitar and voice, and they work well together, and write well together, which is more than half the battle.
I have had this album out again this week, at home in the Metal Cavern it has been the original vinyl pressing of the album that sounds so marvellous every time I put it on. And it is still all fantastic to listen to. The songs themselves are great, but it is Schenker’s guitar that I adore listening to. The things he can do on that instrument, the things that aren’t always obvious WHY it sounds so good unless you really listen, are what makes his music so special. And his days in UFO are still some of my favourite songs and albums, but what he does here and then over the next 5-10 years on his own project is also just brilliant.
This album is a great starting point for a band that Schenker has moved around in different shapes and forms over the past 45 years. An argument could be made that these songs would sound even better with a stronger vocalist, and indeed in a live setting that has probably proven to be the case. There is also a case that can be made that this has dated somewhat since its release. Again you can only take that on face value. In the main this is a fantastic album, one that takes a step away from Schenker's work in UFO and allows him to begin to put his own stamp on the hard rock and heavy metal scene in his own capacity.

850. Megadeth / Endgame. 2009. 4.5/5

Megadeth had been a bit wonky for awhile, with mixed reviews and feelings from their fans over their albums in the years from the late 1990's to the early 2000's. It was not all bad, but they were certainly uneven. In many ways, United Abominations started to set that right, and made the fans feel more comfortable about the direction the band was heading in once again. That job could almost be said to have been complete with the release of Endgame.

In the main, previous albums had spent an amount of time in experimentation, changing things up a bit and moving away from the formula that had been the band's hallmark for its first decade. It was far from awful, not like another band of its generation that could be mentioned, but it had alienated some of the fan base, and it was suggested that perhaps they had strayed too far from the template. Whatever may have been the misgivings, there can be little bad said about this album if you wanted something like a return to the band's glory days. of course, this is NOT a return to that, but it has its basis in that, and brings it forward to add a modern, polished sound to the music.
The album opening is a pointer to how the renewed direction of the band has come. "Dialectic Chaos" is a great instrumental, acting as the prelude into "This Day We Fight!", where the music comes at a speed that has been severely lacking in Megadeth's music for some time. It obviously has been a determined effort to infuse this through the majority of the album, because there is barely time to catch your breath at any point during the course of the 45 minutes it takes from start to finish. "44 Minutes" dials it back just a touch without losing the heavy attitude, before zeroing in to "1,320", where the double time and energy of the song is focused on the lyrical content of pace and energy, embellished by the brilliant soloing which is speed personified. "Bite the Hand" and "Bodies" both continue the flow of excellence, concentrating on the heavier aspect of the guitar riffs than the speed metal aspect of the earlier tracks. The title track "Endgame" is a ripper.
The only real compromise to the sound of the album comes on "The Hardest Part of Letting Go... Sealed With A Kiss", which necessitates the remorseful parts at the beginning and the conclusion of the song, punctuated in the middle by a much more atypical blazing guitar sound. This is obliterated by the unadulterated smashing of drums and guitars from the outset of "Headcrusher", the most refined speed/thrash metal song on the album. If not for the clarity in the sound it could be believed it had come from 1985 rather than 2009. "How the Story Ends" takes up from here with a more traditional metal feel, while the final track "The Right to Go Insane" chugs along in comfort.
Everything here is big, fast and loud. Shawn Drover has got his drum kit into gear on this album, as not only does it have a great booming precise sound to it, he has to move between the standard timing and speed to the overpaced radical technique required when the songs reach the peak of their speed. It may not be the most technical he has ever had to play, but he has to be precise which is what he does extremely well. James LoMenzo's bass work is as solid as ever, providing the perfect undertone to the songs which are dominated by the other instruments. Dave Mustaine and Chris Broderick on guitars put in an awesome performance. For a guy who was going to retire because he wasn't going to be able to play guitar anymore, Mustaine does some fabulous stuff on this album. He is matched by Broderick all the way through. Not only do their duelling guitars come across in perfect harmony, Broderick's solo's are blistering in places, fully justifying his elevation to the band on the previous tour.

As a fan you would have to say that Megadeth has earned redemption for any past wrongs with this album. While the first half of the album probably outweighs the majority of the second half, this really does get back to the band's roots by incorporating both heavy riffs and speed solos, all with the typical Mustaine lyrics commenting on a varied amounts of topics close to his heart. Anyone who has steered clear of the band following past inaccuracies will certainly find better material here should they wish to return to the fold, whereas those that have continued to stick by the band will be rewarded for their patience here.

Rating:  It doesn't get any better than this, it just feeds my need for speed  4.5/5

849. Psycho Motel / Welcome to the World. 1997. 2.5/5

Having dived in feet first when I first discovered Psycho Motel's first album State of Mind, I was slightly more cautious when it came to finding this second album, Welcome to the World. For a start I couldn't be sure which way the music direction would go after the varied account the first album gave of itself. There was also a change of lead vocalist, which could have led to problems in itself. So it was a much more solidified response I gave to this album on my introduction to it.

Andy Makin came aboard as the new lead vocalist, and his voice helps to shape this album into more of an easy listening rock album, not dissimilar to Riverdogs debut album or Shadow King's only release as well. One advantage is that his voice and Adrian Smith's suited each other nicely, so the back up and harmonies work well on this album. The grunge era aspect of the last album have been modified to the point where it now sounds more like Pearl Jam in places, while suitably low-key music make up the majority of the verses, allowing Makin to impose his vocal style over the songs. While this style most definitely tones down any heaviness becoming a part of this music, its mid-range progressive rock style will appeal to a greater variety of music listeners as a result. Whether or not they are satisfied by the result is another question entirely.
Some of the songs here rise to a ranking of... okay. "The Last Chain" opens up the album well enough, showing a bit of enthusiasm in the mix. "A Quarter to Heaven " can be placed in a similar bracket, but the final two minutes is filled with the same line being repeated over and over again, and unnecessarily. There is promise in the title track "Welcome to the World", but it then just drags out far longer than it should, and after the start it does peter out into an overblown artist trap. I always had hope for the song "With You Again", if only for the fact that it featured guitar by Dave Murray, but it doesn't lift it beyond the mediocre.
While I consider this to be a likeable album, I think it is tied down fast to the era it comes from. In the places where the band - and Adrian himself - are allowed to break out and make something more of what has been written it comes across with that bit of energy and inspiration that is needed to make it rise above the average. Unfortunately this is far too random an event to make this much more than it is. There is a real mellowness about this release that mocks at the kind of material we know Adrian is capable of playing. A song like "Innocence" is far too Pearl Jam for anyone's liking, there is no energy and it's melodramatic crawl through the landscape is almost cringe-worthy. Feel free to add "Hypocrisy" to that as well.

Taking the two Psycho Motel album's along with the A.S.a.P. album, it is interesting to see and hear the other side of the man who has written or co-written so many of the great songs from that other international metal band he is a part of. There is none of that here, in fact the guitar is such a small part of the writing process here you sometimes wonder if he was involved at all. I tried to like this album, but came away feeling uninspired and more than anything else, downright bored. The only bright side here really is that it was the end of the 1990's exploration for Adrian, who moved into Bruce Dickinson's band after this, and hasn't looked back since.

Rating:  And now my highs just bring me down, I try to scream but I can't make a sound.  2.5/5

848. Psycho Motel / State of Mind. 1996. 3/5

The disappearance of Adrian Smith from the music scene troubled me a lot during the first half of the 1990's. His abrupt (or so it seemed to me from this distance) relocation from Iron Maiden during 1989, along with the release of what proved to be a whole different concept in A.S.a.P's Silver and Gold album, was followed by almost total silence, which seemed like a complete waste of his talent. So it was with some relief, and not a little trepidation, that I did discover that Adrian was returning to the recording world in the form of a band he formed called Psycho Motel, and this debut effort entitled State of Mind.

One thing I had enjoyed of Adrian's previous project was that he sang lead vocals on the album. That was not to be the case in Psycho Motel, but on this album it certainly appears to be the right decision. Hans-Olav Solli puts in an excellent performance throughout this album, in a role that is varied throughout. Different songs require him to modify his performance along the way, something he does admirably.
So what about the album itself. Well, it is a mixture of interesting stuff and some dull, overblown stuff. The violin and cello in "Psycho Motel" and "Western Shore" can be said to be superfluous and perhaps a little cheesy. There is some good material in "State of Mind", "World's on Fire" and "Rage". The rhythm section of Gary Leideman on bass and Mike Sturgis on drums do a serviceable job with the material they have. "Time is a Hunter" is very progressive in nature, with those long winded, almost-whining vocals cast over Adrian's slowly serving guitar solo riff, in a style that many people would enjoy in that environment, but for me just ends up boring me to the point of skipping the song. "Money to Burn" has the slow chugging guitar riff over a solid drum beat that is fine for the circumstances, but doesn't come across as an exciting piece of music designed to draw in fans. "City of Light" is an improvement, and makes for a better comparison than some of the tracks presented here.
It's almost very designer hard rock, trying to utilise some characteristics of grunge without acknowledging that it is, and basing the rest around a non-threatening rock sound with some scope for hearing a little bit of that old Adrian Smith scripted guitar soloing, albeit without the energy and drive that highlighted his other band. The mixed feelings I get here about this album probably stem from the fact that there is such a mixture of styles. There's no doubt that some of these songs step out and make you notice them, and make you think, "Yes, there's something here in this". yet there are others that drag their feet, and make you feel that something has been left behind in the writing and recording.

The amount that you like or dislike this album is likely to be tied almost directly to how much you like Adrian Smith and his music. Adrian's fingers are all over the composing of this album, so it's not as if he is just a hired gun here. the music is most definitely of the hard rock variety, and while some of it is certainly credible there are places where it feels and sounds uninspired and tired. But this was the marketplace of the mid-1990's. It was a mishmash of styles, all trying to cope with the upsurge and then downturn in the grunge movement, and wondering what was going to be the direction from that point. While it may sound as if I'm denigrating this album, it is closer to the truth that I do enjoy most of what is produced here - it's just that I expect so much more from Adrian that what he has given here fails to completely satisfy me.

Rating:  I'm in a rage, I can't contain, someone free from the endless pain.  3/5.

847. Chickenfoot / Chickenfoot III. 2011. 2/5

Following on from the success of the first album, Chickenfoot came back together to record the follow up, titled for whatever reason you may like to come up with as Chickenfoot III. The initial album and subsequent tour had gone well, and that success and enjoyment of the four members together enticed them to see if the lightning could be captured in the bottle twice.

In the long run, this album is more of the same that was produced on the first album without a lot of change in the vibe or the style or the songs, but occasionally just enough to make you wonder just what was going on. I honestly thought the opening track "Last Temptation" was a Soundgarden song. Not only the music, but Sammy even sing the first few bars in a very Chris Cornell register. Not a bad song but just not what was expected. "Alright Alright" gets a little repetitive, while "Different Devil" settles comfortably in that soft rock genre, where you can almost be lulled into believing you are listening to a Van Halen song from Sammy and Michael's final days in the band.
The songs follow a simplified path, with a tendency to throw in a more bluesy feel in some places than was necessarily the case on the debut album. "Big Foot" and "Dubai Blues" show the biggest influence in that regards. "Something Going Wrong" is the token soft rock ballad of the album, tapping into that almost country rock feeling with harmony vocals over the top of the guitar. Heading very close to Bob Segar country, which is a little disturbing. If this was the closing number on the album it would be somewhat of a travesty. Fortunately, the 'Hidden Bonus Track' entitled "No Change" is the closer in most aspects, and its up tempo high energy collateral helps to wipe the bad taste from the mouth and end the album on a much better and deserved note.

While I enjoyed Chickenfoot for what it was without ever really developing a great love for it, I have found with Chickenfoot III that I am unable to find the same level of harmony. While the band obviously has the talent and the people to make some really top shelf albums, their style just hasn't grabbed me. It's funny that the final track on the album is the one I find the most love for, and it was supposed to be a hidden track. Those that enjoy this style of hard rock will find plenty here to like. Others like me who were looking for more would probably do best to give this a miss.

Rating: They lied, on high about YOU and ME, baby!  2/5

846. Chickenfoot / Chickenfoot. 2009. 3/5

Every so often a so-called "super group" will come along that sparks excitement and curiosity in the music world and everyday pundits alike. The relative interest in such groups will generally intensify up until that initial album release, and once it is out in the open they tend to fall back to the level of interest shown in just how good their material is. In recent times none was shown more interest than Chickenfoot, and this is the debut album from the star studded quartet.

Anyone who came in looking for similarities to the Hagar-era Van Halen or Satriani solo material or Chili Peppers funkiness can leave the room now, because that's not what this is about at all. Sure, the initial buzz you get from anticipating what a foursome that includes Sammy Hagar, Michael Anthony, Joe Satriani and Chad Smith is that this should be a sure thing, an album that ticks every box and produces a masterpiece in a fusion of all of their styles of music. Well, as you will have guessed, that is exactly what we didn't get. Instead, we have a solid hard rock album that combines a little from a lot of music styles, but I guess mostly centring around Hagar's more recent Cabo Wabo style. In essence we have an interesting album that doesn't produce anything groundbreaking or outstanding like you have hoped they would. Instead they have stayed within the parameters of comfort, not breaking new ground but not disturbing the old ground either. Certainly the more outlandish of the musicians here, Satriani and Smith, stay remarkably cool and don't break the constraints of the song structure. That's not to say they aren't given their moment in the sun throughout the course of the album, but they are much more restrained in their output compared to their other day jobs, which is probably where this sometimes feels a little too structured. Sure, Joe gets to break out on a solo around the place, and Chad even breaks out of that 2/4 rhythm every now and then to lay on a roll or two, but then they are reigned back in to follow the basic hard rock song formula. And that's merging of the two real styles of the two halves of the band. While Sammy and Michael have played together for a long time in Van Halen, they have made these kind of songs their own, and the style just rolls off their instruments with ease.
The more you listen to the album, the more natural it feels, and you can't help but be impressed by what they have achieved. It will appeal to hard rock fans more than the heavy metal brigade, if only because of songs such as "Learning to Fall" which draw from the soft rock ballads heart, a follow-the-numbers track that covers every required aspect of that type of song. Those that enjoy ballads will be satisfied. Those that do not will question their reasons for buying this album. There are plenty of good hard rock tracks here though where the real roots of the quartet come to the fore, such as "Sexy Little Thing" and "Runnin' Out" and "Get It Up". The musicianship is superb, and Sammy and Michael's vocals are as good as ever. Satch's trademark guitaring still breaks out enough in places to steal the show, such as in "Turnin' Left", while Chad's wonderful drum sound is still up there with the best in the business.

Chickenfoot might be a dreadful name for a band, and it mightn't be the first thing I reach for when I'm looking for a album to put on in most circumstances, but I can say with certainty that having listen to it again over the past few days in order to write this review, it's one that I won't put to the back of my mind in the future. It is an album that is better than it first appears once you get past the old "super group" analogy.

Rating:  Stand up or be degraded, some things are simply overrated.  3/5

845. Saxon / Saxon. 1979. 2.5/5

Another band that is seen as one of the early trailblazers of metal, but that I did not find until much later on, is Saxon. Though I was much later on this than I should have been, I have found the best of the band to be mighty impressive. This album, Saxon, is their debut, and like many debuts is a bit uneven in content and drive.

The opening tracks can immediately be placed in the era they were written and recorded, the sound and music being a dead giveaway. Much like Praying Mantis and Tygers of Pan Tang and Def Leppard of this era, this album sits somewhat unevenly in the realm between a hard rock or glam rock sound, and a true heavy metal sound. Over the course of their next couple of albums Saxon found their place and their sound, and as such their own place in the growing movement of the time. While this may cause some awkwardness, there is still enough to take away from this first album for the casual fan.
Looking back from this far in the future I can see how this appears to be the case. The opening of "Rainbow Theme" and "Frozen Rainbow" is an interesting start to the album, but perhaps just a bit too similar to what other bands were producing at the same time. A song like "Big Teaser" has more to do with the glam rock side of music than the emerging heavy metal side of the industry. In many ways it sounds like an early AC/DC song, and even Biff's vocals sound a bit like the Bon Scott of that era.
"Judgement Day" even moves off in an experimental way more in line with a Led Zeppelin song, not really gaining any momentum until not long before the conclusion of the song. There's a nice showcasing of the guitar virtuoso skills of Graham Oliver and Paul Quinn, but as to anything else there doesn't seem to have been much going on.
Perhaps the first semblance of Saxon as a harder proposition comes with the Side 2 opening track "Stallions of the Highway", and the band's first genuflecting towards motorcycles and those who ride them. As such, the track moves along at a faster pace emulating riding on one of the beasts, and provides an opportunity t see the real Saxon in action for the first time. This energy continues through with "Backs to the Wall", where the tempo is kept high, the rhythm section of Pete Gill on drums and Steve Dawson on bass keep tight and fast, while Biff Byford takes on the lead role with distinction, crying forth with his vocals in a way that now sounds like he means it, unlike what transpired on the first half of the album. "Still Fit to Boogie" reverts back to that early AC/DC sound in both music and vocals, which works fine enough but is slightly disappointing after the progress made in the previous two songs. The album finishes with "Militia Guard", which again comes closer to a more unified Saxon sound.
It would be unfair to disparage this album from such a different era, given what grew from the seed planted here. To have been able to cotton on to the band at the time this was released would no doubt have made this an album I feel much more strongly about. As it is, it is an average album which shows the signs of what was to come further down the line.

Rating:  Switchblade's gleamin', engine screamin', I'm laughin' at fate, I'm living to hate.  2.5/5

844. Symphony X / Underworld. 2015. 5/5

The past two Symphony X albums have somewhat divided the band's loyal fanbase, with many of the long term fans believing that they had moved away from their core sound of progressive metal, and had transgressed into a much heavier sound that did not suit their music. Others on the other hand believed that this transfer to a heavier sound in fact enhanced their music, and was a real step forward. Well, the fans from the first category can rejoice, as the new album Underworld makes a concerted effort to reincorporate the progressive side of Symphony X.

There is no doubt that the musical progression in Paradise Lost and Iconoclast was to a heavier sound than the band had done previous to this, and while that is still prevalent here on the new album, it does sound as though the band was conscious of allowing a bit more of their progressive nature to seep back into the songs here. And that's terrific. You can't argue with the music this band has made over the years, and by ensuring they are keeping their roots as a part of their music in the current day is a terrific thing. Everything you expect from the band is still here, if slightly modified from those two previous albums.
The band has once again composed another fantastic opening instrumental piece, starting the album off with rising anticipation. This immediately crashes into "Nevermore", which races along at an impressive speed from all involved. The chorus reminds me eerily of a Fear Factory chorus, though with significant differences in vocal technique, but the similarity is there all the same. From "Nevermore" the album moves into the title track "Underworld", which mixes moments of heaviness with moments such as Russell Allen singing a bridge across Michael Pinnella's keyboards that brings goosebumps, closely followed by Michael Romeo's scintillating guitar solo. Here is where the true coming together of the two halves occurs, progressive and pure metal in the same song, co-habitating in idyllic conditions. This is offset by the almost serene start to "Without You", one of the two power ballads which find their way into the mix of the album. The keyboards in the middle remind me of the start of UFO's "Love to Love", before it falls back into the chorus, ringing through in melody. Then, just to show there can be no real rhyme or reason to track listing sometimes, the heavy guitar, bass and drums thump back into gear with "Kiss of Fire", a song at the complete other end of the spectrum from "Without You". terrific song, but somewhat out of character with the previous song.
"Charon" kicks off with that awesome Michael Romeo guitar riffing followed by Russell's brilliant vocal work rising through the atmosphere... but then does it just lose its focus a little? Probably not, and certainly once you reach the solo break it switches back into gear, but for a moment it seems to sail along with gathering any momentum at all. "To Hell and Back" is the longest song on the album and one that doesn't scrimp on the solo work, and doesn't overly compromise on the song structure. Russell's vocals shine here in a situation where he can utilise his magnificent vocal range through the different phases of the song. Truly magnificent.
"In My Darkest Hour" is perhaps the most obvious heaviest song on the song, mixing hard nosed vocals with the speed and hard-hitting drums of Jason Rullo and the rumbling undercurrent of Michael Lepond's bass guitar.
"Run With the Devil" really has elements of Foreigner or Journey thrown into the mix - not as obviously as allowing the whole song to be dictated by them, but certainly through the chorus those similarities because much more obvious. Then of course it crashes back into the verse or the solo break and those similarities sink into the mire.
"Swansong" is the Symphony X version of a power ballad, and if you have to have a power ballad in your arsenal (and let's face it, you either love them or hate them) then it may as well be one like this. Michael Pinnella's keyboards come noticeably to the forefront in this song, the pace slows down, and the vocals begin to soar in harmony rather than with power and authority. It sounds great, but my stance on the power ballad hasn't changed. This then molds its way into the album closer "Legend", which completes the album in fine style.

Underworld is yet another fantastic album from a band that has a proven track record in regards to its album releases. This should be able to satisfy both halves of the Symphony X fan base, with the mix between pure heavy and progressive metal done so well that it fits together seamlessly. Now all that needs to happen is to have the damn band tour Australia!

Rating:  I was my own worst enemy, still hellish memories remain.  5/5

843. The Cross / Shove It. 1988. 3.5/5

I regret not knowing about nor being able to buy and hear this album when it was initially released. There's no guarantee that I would have liked it then I guess, despite my deep deference to Queen, but it would have been nice to have had the opportunity. Of course in that different age, not all information or releases about bands and musicians filtered down to my neck of the world in Australia, and so it wasn't until very recently that I was even aware of The Cross as a band, or the albums they released.

The leader and architect of The Cross is Queen drummer Roger Taylor, who was looking for a band with which to record and tour with. Following the tour promoting the A Kind of Magic album, Taylor recorded the majority of this on his own before other musicians had been recruited for the project, much as he had done for his previous solo albums. Several versions of the album exist, with two completely different track list orders for the UK release and the US release. The version I have is the US version, where "Love Lies Bleeding (She Was a Wicked, Wily Waitress)" is the first song on the album rather than the penultimate.
While pieces of this album drew me in at an early stage, it did take some time for this to catch on with me. Its style is similar but different from Roger's other albums. This combines a lot of the kind of improvisation and experimentalising that his previous solo work had done, as well as tricks and techniques drawn from his Queen recordings. he also utilised his band mates in places, more so than he had done in the past. Certainly, playing this material live would have been an interesting task, given the places where it almost appears as though sampling has been done. The title track itself would have been a task live at least.
So yes, there are some songs here that grew on me the more I listened to this album, some of them unexpectedly so. The title track "Shove It" was one of those. Interspersed with snatches of Freddie Mercury's "Yeah!" and Brian May-like guitar flicks and other sampled effects, and an unusual song structure throughout, this was a song that I felt I would never actually enjoy or get used to. Shows how much I know. It may have taken a while, but the song grew on me and I now enjoy its unorthodoxy. Another was "Stand Up For Love", which initially annoyed me for the over-repeated title throughout the song, almost to the point of carnage. It too won me over, much in the way some of Brian May's solo songs did. "Love on a Tightrope (Like an Animal)" I initially felt was just too basic, hardly changing its programmed feel throughout. Nope, it soon got me too, and probably when the undercurrent values raised their heads, allowing me to hear the multi-layered parts of the song as it flowed along.
Other songs were not so tough. It's easy when you already know one of them. "Heaven For Everyone" was re-recorded by Queen for their Made in Heaven album after Freddie's death. The vocals he provided here were used on Queen's version as well. as it turns out, there are two versions of this song for The Cross as well, one with Freddie providing lead vocals, and one with Roger providing lead vocals. Both provide interesting currents and flows. "Love Lies Bleeding (She Was a Wicked, Wily Waitress)" is a terrific number, featuring Brian May's lead guitar, but it allows Roger to establish the song through his vocals as a starting point.

It's interesting that this failed to chart on the UK albums charts at least. It was a time that was still dominated by pop, and the Stock, Aitken and Waterman stables was providing the path for the hits factory for several artists and saturating the airwaves. Even for someone as well known and respected as Roger Taylor, it was a tough market to crack. This album is quirky and off-centre, and hardly the easiest to promote in any market. But that's what I like about it most. It isn't a copy of material he has released before, and it isn't trying to glean off his more famous band. It is an album that doesn't grab you instantly, but grows on you gradually, such that you don't really know you like it until you HAVE for some time.

Rating: She was a rebel without a cause, she was a girl who needed applause.  3.5/5

842. Anvil / Metal on Metal. 1982. 3/5

After a rather lacklustre debut album, Anvil strike back harder here with their follow-up, Metal on Metal. For an album that has garnered historical significance over the years, there are still moments here that seem 'unworthy' of such praise, and yet there is enough here to make you wonder just what the fuss had been all about around the time of its release.

This is all pretty straight forward harder material, led by the eponymous title track "Metal on Metal", which opens the album with a headswinging stoush of drum beat and riff. At least on this album, the title appears to be more relevant than it did on the debut release. "Mothra" sets off at a much faster pace than the opening track, and a lengthier one at that. "Stop Me" tends to drag along, especially given the extended length of the song. Lips seems to be moaning most of the way through rather than singing, but perhaps that is because the track makes you feel that way inclined. "March of the Crabs" is a beauty, an instrumental that is untainted by vocals and travels at a speed that enhances the track. Especially prominent is Robb Reiner's drumming, it is great on this song. the speed is retained into "Jackhammer", which is possibly my favourite song on the album. These tracks are where it is easy to see Anvil gaining a heavy audience.
"Tag Team" soldiers along in its very structured mid range beat. Then comes the surprisingly catchy "Scenery", which channels Dio and Vivian Campbell in its simplistic yet enjoyable riff and melody chain. "Tease Me, Please Me" continues the reverting back a little to the lyrical chaste of the first album, before the bombardment of "666" concludes the album.
As always, it is a difficult thing to try and rate and review an album at a time subsequent to its initial release. I don't mind this album, but I have only heard and owned it in recent years. It will never be one that I love, and to be honest that could well have been the case if I had gotten this on its release, because despite the good tidings it receives from many influential bands since this, to me it is just an average plod through the park. The album begins without any major hooks or anything overly special in the riffs throughout the songs. Lips' vocals are good enough, but the background singers tend to detract from the overall effort rather than enhance it. As with all of Anvil's albums, I think Robb Reiner's drum work is terrific, and the middle section of the album is where its magic lies, with the songs moving along at a faster pace and the guitars and drums doing their best work.

Metal on Metal came along at a time when metal was beginning to find its place in the world market. While this album gives some indication as to why the band was well thought of at that time, it also tends to underline why they perhaps didn't go as far they could possibly have done so. There are moments here that shine, but just not bright enough to make up for those moments that are rather average.

Rating:  Nothin' to say but you said a lot, and in the end that's what you got.  3/5.

841. Roger Taylor / Fun in Space. 1981. 2.5/5

Up until the mid-1990's I was unaware that Roger Taylor had done his own solo albums away from his presence in Queen. It was only when his controversial song "Nazis 1994" made waves in the media during that time that I found out he was doing stuff since Queen's demise, but that he had also done stuff before that! Despite that knowledge it still wasn't until very recently that I was able to discover this music, via a box set containing all of his material. Fun in Space is the first of those albums.

This was released all the way back in 1981, and is as far removed from Queen's material as you can be given the contributions of all four members to that band. Here Roger not only takes on the lead vocals, he plays all of the instruments himself. A pretty fair way to showcase your ability.There is plenty of experimentation with the keyboards, and very little of the rock-infused music his other band is renown for. It's probably a bit too retro and funky and psychedelic and even rockabilly for my liking, but it is fun to hear this side of Roger's music uninhibited by outside influences. "No Violins" is a rock based opening. "Laugh or Cry", "Future Management" and "Let's Get Crazy" are fun enough pop rock songs in their own way. "My Country I & II" goes on too long in that kind of experimental freeform jam kind of way. "Good Times Are Now" settles back to some sort of normality, but is replaced by "Magic is Loose", which sounds like it is supposed to be a Broadway musical number on acid in space, like an early David Bowie song. "Interlude in Constantinople" continues in that vein with its keyboard dominated experimenting, before "Airheads' and "Fun in Space" complete the album.
What this does show is the amazing talent and versatility of Roger Taylor. His vocals here are terrific, and while he had done songs on his own in Queen here we are blessed with an album of Roger on lead vocals. as always, his drumming is terrific, but it is also great to hear him on those other instruments - the guitar, the bass, the piano. But then to not only play all of the instruments on the album, but to have written it all himself as well. It's quite extraordinary.

This album has helped me understand Queen's HOT SPACE album a lot more, because it came after this, and now I understand a little of how it came out the way it did. And just because you like Queen doesn't mean you will like this. In essence this isn't an album I would jump at to put on at a party or in a crowd of people. For me the main interest I had in it was to listen to what Roger can do in a solo place, and I enjoy it for its technical differences than perhaps the music itself. I wouldn't say that about many albums in a similar vein, but Roger Taylor is so obviously brilliantly multi-talented that just hearing him do his stuff is reward enough.

Rating:  Red light warning, break down coming.  2.5/5

840. Eagles / Eagles. 1972. 4/5

I enjoyed music from a young age, and remember it quite often from at home and especially in the car on long trips. My mother would often make mixed tapes from songs recorded off the radio onto cassettes, that would then be played over and over. I reckon I could still name a lot of those songs that she had on those tapes. There was also the tapes done by bands, and in particular greatest hits compilations, that also came into the mix. Despite my own musical tastes branching out into a different stratosphere from all of these early influences since then, most of that music stayed with me, to the point where some of those bands still became favourites for me. The Eagles is one of those bands. I eventually came around to owning all of their albums myself, and this was their debut release.

What becomes glaringly obvious on this first album is that this was when the band was truly a combination of musicians where everyone contributed to all parts of the recording. All four members contributed to writing the songs on the album, along with others from outside of the band such as Jackson Browne, Gene Clark and Jack Tempchin. All four members not only contribute harmony vocals in back up, they all take a turn as lead vocalist on separate songs. It is a true collective effort, and while sometimes that can be to the detriment of the end result, here it works really well. Certainly there is little doubt about where the strongest elements are, but as a whole this album works well within these confines.
The lesser known songs here, the ones that were not released as singles, all hold their own strength in the framework of the album. Glenn Frey's "Chug All Night" does just what the title indicates, and chugs along much like the opening track, with the country guitar taking prominence. "Most of Us Are Sad" was written by Glenn but sung by Randy Meisner. Like many of the songs Randy sings, the tempo is slowed down and he has the harmony vocal behind him, which always helps emphasise the emotion behind the tune. this then segues straight into "Nightingale", which was the song contributed by Jackson Browne, and was sung by Don Henley. The tempo picks up noticeably, and while the previous song was sweet and gentle due to Randy's vocals, here the song is immediately more in your face with Don's harder edged (for country rock) yet brilliant vocals.
"Train Leaves Here This Morning" was sung by Bernie Leadon, and co-written with Gene Clark, and also settles on the easy listening side of the Eagles catalogue, concentrating on the softly sung vocals and harmonising backing. "Take the Devil" was performed by Randy, whose vocals really come to the fore here over Glenn's country rock guitar. There's nothing gentle in the vocals here like in "Most of Us Are Sad", and while the song itself flows from calm to loud, Randy's vocals are the dominating influence. Te mood changes again, with bird tweeting and Bernie's banjo leading us into "Earlybird" which is a co-production from Bernie and Randy with Bernie taking on the lead vocal as well. There's a nice switching between the banjo and Glenn's guitar on this song, with the banjo giving the song an uplifting feel. "Tryin'" was the second song Randy wrote and sang, and is the closing song on the album. This is the rockiest song that Randy sings on this album. In fact, his three songs seem to span the entire range of the Eagles album. Don has a more rock beat to his drums, and the guitars are allowed to indulge themselves a little more than they have on other songs. A great way to finish the album.
The three singles are the best known songs off the album, and are dominant figures of the band's early recordings. "Take It Easy" is sung by Glenn and co-written with Jackson, and is still one of my favourite Eagles tracks. This is followed by "Witchy Woman", written by Don and Bernie, and sung by Don. Surprisingly it is the only song on the album that is credited to Don Henley. Those gravelly vocals still make this song a beauty. "Peaceful Easy Feeling" also flows on like it's title, sung by Glenn and written by frequent co-writer Jack Tempchin. The lyrics mirror the music here, as the whole song conjures up a peaceful easy feeling when you are listening to it. There is a real country twang both in the vocals and in the guitar, and Don's gentle drum beat.

This is still a terrific album, a much more country influenced album than they were to morph into as the albums progressed. It is very much an easy listening album, with few moments that really make you sit up and consider rocking out to. But that doesn't detract from the fact that the songs are strong and well written, and those vocal harmonies are still the star of the show.

Rating:  "Raven hair and ruby lips, sparks fly from her finger tips"  4/5

839. Helloween / Metal Jukebox. 1999. 4/5

At what point of your career do you think you would have to get to before you decided that recording and releasing an album fully devoted to cover songs is the right thing to do? Although this is basically a rhetorical question, it is perhaps one worth considering. Is it a point where you are so comfortable in your band’s success that you are sure that this decision could either be an excellent upselling move to create further record sales, such as the way Metallica’s “Garage Days Re-revisited" EP had done in 1987, and then “Garage Inc” had been the year prior to this album’s release. Or is it a point that it was the perfect time to rekindle a dwindling interest in the band as a whole, to draw back fans lost due to underperforming albums in recent times, such as perhaps Queensryche’s “Take Cover” compilation in 2007. Or is it a point where you’ve got nothing better to do and you just feel like doing some songs, more or less like Ozzy Osbourne’s “Under Cover” album in 2005. And there are many other examples, for which the reasons why they were done can only be asked of the artists themselves.
In the case of Helloween, their trajectory had been on a steady rise once again having bottomed out in the early 1990’s. On the back of some changes in the band and on two excellent albums in “Master of the Rings” and “The Time of the Oath”, Helloween had gotten back on their feet and were making headway again in the difficult musical times they found themselves in.
One of the interesting things about the recording of the album is that all of the music was recorded by each member separate from the others, in different studios around the world. I would think that was interesting because if it is a covers album, it must have been very difficult to organise how the band wanted each cover version to sound. I mean, you couldn’t just ask each member to go in and decide how they wanted to play each song, and then try and piece it all together! That would have been an impossible task. So there had to have been some conversation on the songs and the way they were going to do their ‘Helloween’ versions, in order to make it sound like they weren’t just playing a note for note version of each of the tracks, before they all went to their different locations and physically recorded each bit by themselves. I’d have thought that recording a covers album would have been a fun thing to do AS A BAND rather than singularly and apart.

The song selection by the band for this album covers the gamut of great hard rock and pop bands of the 1970’s, along with a couple of surprises along the way. And the great part about these versions of these songs is that they are faithful to the originals, in the way that if you know the song it is instantly recognisable, but they have also put a bit of Helloween into them to create a bigger adaption, either through instrumentation or tempo or vocal.
Covering a Beatles song is always fraught with danger, so I’m always of the belief that you should accept them with a grain of salt. And their version here of “All My Loving” with double kick and a faster speed does credit to bringing a different light to the song. On the other hand, the cover of Cream’s “White Room” draws out the heavier tones of the track while retaining the original beautiful groove and feeling of the song. Andi sings this particularly well and the band play it superbly. Another song they do excellently is “Hocus Pocus”, the Focus song that many people would know when they heard even if they didn’t know the title or the original band that played it. The original has been used in commercials and films for decades, and this version more than does it justice.
There were several songs here that I was unfamiliar with when I bought the album, and have since gone back to check out those versions to sit alongside these, and Helloween’s versions are comparable. The Sensational Alex Harvey Band’s “Faith Healer” is a faithful version here (no pun intended), and “Mexican” by Babe Ruth also is an interesting song. The other song I didn’t know was “Juggernaut” by Frank Marino, and this version is a beauty, played at a great clip that mirrors the title of the track.
That leaves the first five songs on the album, by recognisable artists that would seem to have been highly influential on the band’s sound. “Locomotive Breath” by Jethro Tull is a classic favourite of many metal bands of this era, and Helloween’s version is excellent. One of the interesting versions is their take on Faith No More's “From Out of Nowhere”, given the modern age of the band, which suggests this was chosen because it was a favourite of the band rather than an influence. Their aggressive take on Scorpions “He’s a Woman She’s a Man” is fantastic, as is their over-the-top cover of ABBA’s “Lay All Your Love on Me”, one that sears the veneer off the table. And the last track is David Bowie’s “Space Oddity”, a real fan’s closely held interpretation of Bowie’s classic.

Much like I have a saying for live albums – that you should really know by now if you have been listening to this podcast for a while – I have a saying about cover albums. And it is this – albums with cover songs have a shelf life. You will listen to them for a certain time, but eventually you are going to want to go back and listen to the original versions, because in most cases they will still be better or more interesting than the cover versions. And that is true here as well.
What I like about this collection is that there is a variety of artists, many of whom you will not have expected the band to choose, and that they weren’t afraid to go after some iconic classics to perform. The Beatles, ABBA, David Bowie... those three songs could have fallen completely flat if they hadn’t done a good job on them. Fortunately for all, they did.
I bought this on its release, more on a promise I made to myself after missing the original release dates of both “Master of the Rings” and “The Time of the Oath” because of the disappointment I had of “Chameleon”. And while I enjoyed it at the time, it wasn’t what I really wanted, which was a new album by Helloween. This was fine, and fun to listen to, but once it had served its purpose at the time it then went back on the CD shelves. Pretty much until the last couple of weeks. I’m sure I’ve listened t it since, but not in a memorable way.
What I discovered over this short time period since I have been reviewing it for this podcast, I have to say that I’ve found it more enjoyable than I remember. It may well be because I haven’t listened to it for some time, or that it is a novelty again, but it has been fun. The shorter time period availed to me at the moment, with so many episodes to produce, may also help in this matter. It IS a well compiled album, with great cover songs of terrific artists, and you can’t ask for more than that. But it won’t be like an album written by the band. You probably won’t listen to it multiple times, and you probably won’t take it out very often to listen to because of its content. But don’t confuse that with it being an average album. It certainly isn’t that. And for the marketplace in these kinds of albums being produced by bands, it ranks at the higher end of the scale.