1179. AC/DC / Live. 1992. 5/5

Live albums. They are an artform. Generally you wouldn’t think you could stuff them up, but when they are done well they are a pleasure to listen to. Prior to this album’s release, AC/DC’s only officially released live album was “If You Want Blood You’ve Got It” from back in 1978, with Bon Scott on vocals and recorded on the “Powerage” tour. It has an eclectic song selection that often annoys younger listeners even today, because it doesn’t contain what they necessarily believe are the ‘hits’ of the band from the time. That’s what actually makes it a really good live album. But I’m not here to talk about that album.
In the years since AC/DC had continued to write and record solid hard rock albums, coming up with occasional radio hits, but generally building their audience worldwide. When they finally toured Australia in 1988 after a long absence, they sold out shows throughout the country. Songs such as “Who Made Who” and “Heatseeker” had been popular hits, and on the back of “The Razor’s Edge” album, which had brought the big selling number one “Thunderstruck”, the band made the decision to record some shows around the world in order to release their second official live album. The double CD version of the album has songs recorded from eight different shows in six different venues, all put together from the setlist played over the length of that worldwide tour. And while some discussion can always be had over what was played and what was left off, what you can’t complain about is the quality of the performances of the songs they did perform.

When it comes to live albums, as I have said multiple times on other episodes of this podcast, you should get the best of the best, and therefore rate almost any live album full marks. You always have to play the ‘greatest hits’, which is difficult for a band with the longevity and success that AC/DC has enjoyed. There are often just too many to choose from. And you also have to play songs off the latest album, because after all that’s what you are touring to promote. So the balancing act is always a tenuous one.
Even all these years later, the set list is fun and still listenable. The songs from “The Razor’s Edge” are still worthy, with “Thunderstruck” starting off the album in excellent fashion, and is followed up throughout by plenty of other tracks from the album, “Are You Ready?”, “Fire Your Guns”, Money Talks” and the title track. Which is what you expect from a band on tour. Then you have the recent singles that had done well on the charts such that everyone knew the songs, such as the classic “Who Made Who” which really shot them back to the top after a period in the doldrums, and “Heatseeker” and “That’s the Way I Wanna Rock and Roll” from the “Blow up Your Video” album. So for the fan who had just come upon the band in those late 1980’s years, there is plenty here for them to enjoy.
Beyond that you delver back into the Bon Scott era with those legendary tracks, ones such as “Sin City”, “Jailbreak”, “The Jack” and “Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap”, before the second disc includes great songs like “High Voltage”, “Whole Lotta Rosie”, “Let There Be Rock”, “Highway to Hell” and “TNT”. It’s a gluttony of that great era of the band. And finally we have the early Brian Johnson era where the band was able to revitalise following Bon’s passing, with the songs “Shoot to Thrill”, “Back in Black”, “Hells Bells” and “You Shook Me All NIght Long” from the “Back in Black” album, and the concert and album closer, the legendary “For Those About to Rock, We Salute You”. As you can see, there’s a lot to fit in to two discs and over two hours of live music.

So you obviously can’t argue with that track list for a double live album, can you? And the performances are top notch. The whole band is at the top of their game. Chris Slade, who had arrived on drums on this album following Simon Wright moving on to Dio, is terrific, and added a new dimension to these songs with his presence. And what can you say about Malcolm Young, Cliff Williams, Brian Johnson and Angus Young that hasn’t bee said before? They were at about their peak at this point in time, riding high on renewed success and still of an age where Angus could get away with the schoolboy uniform.
Is there a bone to pick? Perhaps a small one. “Flick of the Switch” and “Fly on the Wall” don’t have a song representing those albums here, and perhaps finding space for just one off each would have given this a collection a complete feel. It’s a small thing, but one worth mentioning.
I got this album on the day of its release 30 years ago, and played it a damn lot at that time. I had also been fortunate enough to have seen this tour when it hit Sydney, from the second row of the gig, which as just amazing. Great times and great memories. And that’s what this album offers. Great memories of one of the great hard rock bands of all time, playing their all time greats at the peak of their powers. For a live album, it’s pretty hard to stuff that up. And I can guarantee you that that isn’t the case here. This is a top shelf live album experience.

1164. Blind Guardian / Somewhere Far Beyond. 1992. 4/5

Blind Guardian had spent several years making a gradual build from their earliest beginnings into a popular and well received band. Their initial albums had been heavily influenced by Helloween and other speed metal bands of the era, and their earliest recordings reflected that. Their third album, “Tales from the Twilight World” had begun to incorporate more melodic pieces in their songs, and coming off the success of that album the direction of their writing for their fourth album, “Somewhere Far Beyond”, actually looked to push that a little further again.
Given the time this was written and recorded, it provides a stark contrast as to the way heavy metal music was heading at the time. As has been noted on other episodes, 1992 really saw American music following the influence of the popularity of the grunge movement with many bands gravitating in that direction to hold on to their popularity and so-called relevance, whereas in Europe bands like Bind Guardian just kept pushing their boundaries in a different direction, as far away from that scene as was possible.
Once again, lyricist and lead singer Hansi Kursch delved deep into his literary material to come up with the lyrics for the songs. His love of fantasy and science fiction meant that he drew inspiration from the writings of Michael Moorcock and his ‘Eternal Champion’ which features in two songs on the album, as well as the writings of Philip K Dick and Stephen King and JRR Tolkien. For me it was one of the best part of early Blind Guardian, having these influences in the lyrics of these great songs.

This album starts off in a typical Blind Guardian fashion, with the speed metal hybrid of the opening track “Time What is Time”, which is written about the movie Blade Runner, but from the perspective of a replicant rather than a human, then careering into “Journey Through the Dark”. Both showcase where Blind Guardian had brought their fame, with fast double kick drums driving these songs with fast riffing guitars and vocals that are melodically just perfect for the songs as they are written. Why then, I always ask when listening to the album, is there the short momentum killer of “Black Chamber” placed here following these two opening tracks? It acts as a speed bump, something that doesn’t feel as though it was needed. No matter, the album is redeemed immediately with “Theatre of Pain” and “The Quest for Tanelorn”. As he had done on earlier albums, Kai Hansen makes a guest appearance here on “The Quest for Tanelorn”, offered a co-writing credit as well as playing the lead solo on the song. You don’t need to ask me twice to listen to anything Kai is involved in. “Ashes to Ashes” mixes in classic Blind Guardian with personal feelings for lyric composer Hansi Kursch, who wrote this song about the death of his father. I guess a lot of artists would be pulled in the direction of a ballad, or at the very least a power ballad if they were to write a song about their father’s death. Nothing could be farther from that here, another brilliantly fast and powerful song.
Perhaps the best known songs from the album come here in the middle of the album, “The Bard’s Song – In the Forest” and “The Bard’s Song – The Hobbit”. In fandom, the songs are generally now just known as “The Bard’s Song” and “The Hobbit” to eliminate having to say the full title of the songs when discussing them. “The Bards Song” is one of the most requested Blind Guardian tracks and they rarely play a gig without it being in the set list. The style of the song, with the acoustic guitar and harp and violin, brings visions of ‘Lord of the Rings” to the album, and indeed is something that was progressed a few years down the track. This is complemented by the return to a heavier version of this style with “The Hobbit”. It’s interesting that “The Bards Tale” is inspired by the computer game of the same name from the mid-1980's, and of course “The Hobbit” is based on the Tolkien novel, but the way the band creates both of these songs with similar bases but different takes is really quite ingenious.
For some reason, just like with “Black Chamber” earlier, we have the short interlude of “The Piper’s Calling”, a bagpipe track that breaks up the haunting piece of the two Bard’s, before the closing song of the album, the title track “Somewhere Far Beyond”, which relates to the first two books of Stephen King’s “The Dark Tower” series, “The Gunslinger” and “The Drawing of the Three”. It is another great song, and the perfect way to end the album, with a high-quality track that befits closing out a high-quality album.
The album then does contain some bonus cover songs, both great versions of the original songs. First is their version of Queen’s “Spread Your Wings” which is perfectly reproduced, along with “Trial by Fire” by NWoBHM alumni Satan.

I came into Blind Guardian far too late, another of those bands that I really should have discovered a lot earlier than I did. As a result of this, it wasn’t until the turn of the century that I finally began to track down the bands and its albums. This was then delayed slightly again as the first album I bought, “A Night at the Opera”, was one that did NOT enthuse me at the time at all. Eventually I found my way at the start of the Blind Guardian journey, discovered the speed metal base that they began with, and found the hook, progressing through the albums with joy. And it was really three albums that especially caught my attention, and Somewhere Far Beyond was definitely one of those. It was before they developed their absolute affinity to the folkish side of their music that they brought forth with their love of Tolkien’s written works, and before they infused a more power metal base into their music and the grandiose vision with orchestral arrangements and creating albums that sounded like they were operas. They dabbled with the folk ballad here with “In the Forest”, but in the main stuck with the tried and true that had gotten them to this point of their career. And that’s what lights this up for me, the power and speed of the twin guitars, the terrific drumming here to support that, and as always Hansi Kursch’s amazing vocals with their unique sound and brilliant range of emotion.
When it comes to European metal from the 1990’s and beyond, many of the bands in this category can sometimes sound a bit samey, that they follow the same template and go for the same overreaching vocal or keyboards to harness their strengths. But Blind Guardian have always been unique in that respect, and “Somewhere Far Beyond” again showed the terrific ability this band has to write and record an album that is their own. It has the powerful singalong choruses but it has those hard riffing head banging moments as well. 30 years on, and it has stood the test of time wonderfully well. Whether you are a long time fan or just a new person on the block, “Somewhere Far Beyond” has something here that will grab you and drag you in. And once you are in, there is no turning back.

1161. Kiss / Revenge. 1992. 3.5/5

Coming into the new decade, after an up and down time through the 1980’s, Kiss had managed to find another top ten hit, the god-awful ballad “Forever” from the “Hot in the Shade” album, and as a fan I know I had my doubts that the next album wasn’t going to jump on that and follow its lead. As it turned out, there was a lot more other stuff going on when it came to writing and recording the follow up to that final album of the 80’s decade. Firstly, the band was asked to record a version of the hit song by Argent from the early 1970’s “God Gave Rock and Roll to You” to be a part of the movie “Bill & Ted’s Bogus Journey”, the song that at the time I thought was the one that was supposed to unite the world. The third sequel proved that to be wrong. However, the success of that track, which had been produced by Bob Ezrin, whom the band had forsaken since they had worked together on “Music from The Elder”, led the band to decide to continue on with Ezrin in producing their next album. Along with this, long time drummer Eric Carr had been diagnosed with cancer, and though he had participated in the filming of the video for the “God Gave Rock and Roll To You II”, he was then told by the band to recuperate. Eric Singer was brought into the band to fill in as drummer until Carr was well enough to re-join the band, but sadly his condition deteriorated, and he died in November of 1991. Singer was then made a full time member of Kiss. Once the band returned to the studio to continue putting the album together, both Paul and Gene found themselves writing with some unusual partners. Paul wrote some material with both Dave Sabo from Skid Row and Jani Lane form Warrant, the latter as that band was putting together their biggest album “Cherry Pie”. Though the songs were completed they both missed out on inclusion on the album. One song that did make the cut was “Take it Off”, co-written with former Alice Cooper guitarist and composer Kane Roberts, and that song does have that vibe about it. Perhaps the most unusual was Gene getting together with former Kiss guitarist Vinnie Vincent. Vincent had left the band on very bad terms, but had now returned and wanted to patch up the relationship. Both Gene and Paul wrote songs with him during this time, but then as the album neared Vincent again reneged on a deal, then decided to sue, and lost. It was the final straw for Vinnie and Kiss, but as a result of the sessions Vincent gained three co-writing credits on “Revenge”.

The success of “God Gave Rock N Roll to You II” in the movie and the charts gave Kiss and “Revenge” the kind of boost they hadn’t had for quite some time. Coming in off the back of that, it just required the right attitude and sound for the album to be a success. And the band delivers on this from the outset. The Simmons/Vincent penned opener “Unholy” is a great track, and Gene’s dulcet tones actually make a great start to the album, the perfect hard rock beat along with chorus support vocals in the chorus. You can almost hear the explosion and fire being spurted on stage as you listen to Gene’s final scream. This moves into Paul and Kane Roberts “Take it Off”. Nothing outstanding about the lyrics (the only strip-club song), nothing technical in the song writing, but it is a typical straight forward Kiss hard rock track that sounds great with Paul singing and then a great lead from Bruce Kulick. And this sets the standard for the remainder of side A of the album. It won’t help you to love the songs as such if you study the lyrics and search for any meaning in the lyrics. Because that is not what Kiss is about, or has ever been about. The subject matter is... women, plain and simple, in several different...um... positions. And as we all get older, it becomes a little awkward at times, but mostly it’s just so ridiculous its funny, and mostly that is what Kiss has always been. But, do I like the songs? I do. I love Bruce’s guitar work on this album, and for the most part his solo breaks are the star of the album. And the songs are entertaining and fun... as long as you don’t think too much about what is being sung. “Tough Love”, “Spit”, “Domino”, they all have that fascination.
Not a lot changes on the second side of the album with “Heart of Chrome”, but from here we find the split in the album’s lyrical aspect at least, and for me it improves the style. Gone are the ‘let’s have sex” songs and in their place are a couple of different thoughts in the lyrical mix. Gene’s "Thou Shalt Not” changes things up nicely with an angry rant at street preachers, and it is one of my favourite songs on the album, with Gene spitting out his vocals in the fashion that he does on all of his best songs. Love it. “Every Time I Look at you” is the album’s power ballad, something that despite the band’s reputation Kiss have always done well. IF you like that kind of thing. Which, of course, I don’t. I’m sure it sells well where it is supposed to, but once it just stops the momentum of the album in its tracks. “Paralyzed” picks it up again with a more thought provoking style and great guitars from Bruce again. Clever entendres are at work in “I Just Wanna”, which is the best kind of Kiss song, with double meaning lyrics that are fun without the cringe, and hard rocking music that picks up the vibe along the way.
The album concludes with “Carr Jam 1981”, something Eric had played when he first joined the band, with Bruce playing guitar over the top. Originally neither this nor “God Gave Rock N Roll to You II” was supposed to be on the album, but were brought on once Eric had passed away as the band’s tribute to him.

The Kiss albums from the 1980’s, and more especially the ones where the make-up came off, get panned by a lot of Kiss fans, generally the older fans. But for me, I really enjoy all of them, and absolutely adore two or three of them. It helps to have grown up in that decade and had them there rather than judging them on the earlier material. I had been a bit cold however on “Hot in the Shade”, and probably wouldn’t have cottoned on to “Revenge” as quickly as I did if not for ‘Bill & Ted’s Bogus Journey’ and the accompanying soundtrack. But it quickly got swallowed up by the big gun releases from that same period which took up almost all of my music listening at the time – Iron Maiden’s ‘Fear of the Dark’, W.A.S.P.s ‘The Crimson Idol’ and Black Sabbath’s ‘Dehumanizer’ - and I really never gave it much of a listen on its release. It wasn’t until a number of years later, into the new millenium in fact, that I came back to this album, along with a number of other Kiss releases, and found my love for it. And it wasn’t because I didn’t like it at the time, it just got lost. But on rediscovering it, I had as much enjoyment for it as I did for a lot of the Kiss discography.
What attracts me to this album still is that Kiss hadn’t changed their formula to find a way to fit into 1992. This album is actually a harder album than the past couple of albums had been that had moved with the 80’s flow. “Stripped back” is a phrase that doesn’t work here, but it does get back to basics in the musical department, with great drum work from Singer and especially terrific guitar licks and solos from Kulick which give it the oomph it needs to set itself apart and to individualise it. Many people would have come into “Revenge” for the Bill & Ted single, but would have stayed for the solid hard rock material that surrounded it. This reached #5 on the Australian record charts, and 6 in the US and 10 in the UK. Those numbers suggest that the enjoyment of this Kiss album was worldwide as they entered their third decade of rocking and rolling all night.

1160. Testament / The Ritual. 1992. 3.5/5

By the end of the first third of 1991, Testament had concluded their tour behind their fourth album “Souls of Black”, and from all reports were physically and mentally exhausted. In the five years since they had gained their first recording contract, they had barely had a break. Each album was written and recorded in and around the tours that were occurring to promote the previous one, and once it had been recorded they were back on the road to promote it. The continued success of all four albums, “The Legacy”, which was reviewed on this blog just last month, “The New Order”, “Practice What You Preach” and “Souls of Black”, meant growing success on the road, and bigger tours in bigger venues. Though they were not included in the theoretical ‘big four’ of the thrash scene, their success had climbed to such a point that they were being thought of as being the number 5.
But the band needed a break, and the time to properly write and record their follow up. They did this, taking almost seven months in the writing process while on their down time, and then almost another two months record it. And while there had been rumours of some disenchantment while on the road, which had been put down to over work and the need for a rest, one wonders if that was all to do with that. The approach of the music on “The Ritual” continued the trend of the band to move away from out-and-out-thrash metal, which had been the staple on their debut album, and incorporate a slower tempo to their songs, and in the search for a groove rather than speed and wailing solo bursts. In some ways this was ahead of their time, as it was a style that nu-metal and alternative metal bands began to take just a few years down the track. But at this time, with metal bands being influenced by what was happening with grunge in the music world, it still sounded like an even more radical path for the band to take than they had done so with “Souls of Black”.

There is only one song on this album that clocks in at under five minutes, so from the get go there is a danger that things could have been stretched too long. That’s only an observation I have come up with over the last few weeks in reliving the album, as I search for ways to best describe what happens on “The Ritual”. The opening of Skolnick’s instrumental “Signs of Chaos” into “Electric Crown” is terrific, everything seems to be working well and the album gets under way in a positive fashion. “So Many Lies” kicks in with Louie Clemente’s drums and you think that we are about to click into high gear again (I still do to this day, every time I listen to this album), but the tempo halts and winds back into a different gear. It’s a good enough song, but it is very unlike the songs that came on that debut album just five years earlier. “Let Go of My World” is more enthusiastic about its work, led by a satisfying guitar riff and Chuck’s more hardcore vocals. The title track of the album, “The Ritual”, is the longest song on the album, and is very much at that below-walking speed, moving between the quiet clear guitar to a harder vocal and some distortion on the instruments. Skolnick’s solo in the middle still reigns supreme and lifts the song out of the doldrums, and the song is still effective for the style. But is it the style you come to a Testament album for? “Deadline” settles nicely into a more mid-tempo groove and allows Chuck’s newly utilised vocal melodies to float along throughout the track, raising in speed only for Alex and Eric’s trading guitar solo’s. “As the Season’s Grey” is one of the album’s best tracks, which Chuck getting serious in the explanation of the songs vocals, where we really feel him singing for the first time on the album. “Agony” follows, and the speed of the intro brings hope to the heart that we will finally get a real thrash song on this album. Alas it is not to be, and while once again the song grows on you over time, the change in tempo is... disappointing. “The Sermon” which follows – the song, not me carrying on, or Testament preaching what they practice – follows the playbook of the album, with a tempo wound back with mostly inactive drums and the riff running underneath throughout.
“Return to Serenity” to me has always been Testament’s version of Metallica’s “Nothing Else Matters”. But better. Slightly. It is everything that goes against the grain of what I felt a Testament song should be. It’s slowish, it’s moody, though again it gets saved by the brilliant guitar solo that threads through the middle of the song. Honestly, if this wasn’t a part of the track you’d be wondering just how this fits into the Testament discography. The closing track “Troubled Dreams” continues to tread water in the same way as many of the songs seem to do before it – the vocals from Chuck set in that whiny tone that seems out of character and place, and yet the song is saved with the introduction of the guitars in the middle doing their thing.

With my introduction to Testament having been “Practice What You Preach” and “Souls of Black”, I had come in at a middling phase of the band. Those albums weren’t as thrashy as their first two albums, they had a developed sound. But “The Ritual” had gone a step further, and I don’t know the full reasons why that was so. Certainly, as with all of these albums from 1992, the music landscape had shifted, and bands were either adapting to stay alive, or adapting because they felt they wanted to make that change. I can’t say for certain what was the case with Testament and this album, but change they did.
The change for me, when this album was released, was to feel as though perhaps the band was of the way out. It was a way I felt about many of the bands that did the same thing around the same time. In 1992 I thought “The Legacy” was an OK album, but it quickly found its way onto the shelves for a long stay, and it contributed to me not hearing the following three albums until well after their release. That was partly also due to my own turning to the European power metal scene.
Over the past three weeks I have listened to this over and over again, having just come off 2-3 weeks of listening to their debut album “The Legacy” for this same blog, and that has been an interesting experience. That debut is amazing, it is the epitome of thrash metal, and its contrast to “The Ritual” is somewhat astounding. My choice of album between these two is easy. But leaving that aside, and not comparing eras, there is still a lot to like on this album, as long as you are prepared to just let it be what it is and not try to project it to being something it is not.

Alex and Louie both left the band after this album and tour, Louie to a more stable job and life, and Alex to pursue music that was NOT thrash metal, which he did for a number of years with some success. His return to the band on their reformation album “The Formation of Damnation” in 2008 was part of the catalyst for the new great era of the band, one that continues today, just as his departure following this album closed off the first great era of the band.

1014. Killers / Murder One. 1992. 3.5/5

Having worked through a decade after his release from Iron Maiden, Paul Di’anno had produced a number of albums from a number of different projects. From the soft rock project under his own banner Di’anno, to an almost-superband experiment in Gogmagog, to several good reviews for his work with Battlezone, into a one-off tour with Praying Mantis, Paul had shown that he could still come up with material that was catchy and relevant, though mixed in with some less than exciting songs. His next port of call was in forming the band called Killers, and their debut release was this album, Murder One

Much like the other projects as mentioned above, and indeed of those that were to follow, there is enough good stuff here to suggest that Paul and his new comrades had a viable concern with their band. Opening track “Impaler” jumps straight out at you at a galloping speed with Paul’s vocals riding on a wave of hard hitting drums and pleasing riff variation. “The Beast Arises” doesn’t come as fast but is hard and heavy throughout, while Di’anno reaches for the screams of youth at different times of the song. The cover version of T-Rex’s “Children of the Revolution” had the potential to be a real stomping effort, full of power and individuality, and while this version is fine it didn’t really do anything that could have set it apart from other versions of the song. It’s not disappointing but it just isn’t fabulous either. “S&M” and “Takin’ No Prisoners” are reasonable variables of the previous songs, though the intensity is dialled back, and to be honest they drag on too long with not enough to keep them above the water line in regards to interest.
On the brighter side, “Marshall Lokjaw” is for me the best song Di’anno wrote in his post-Maiden collection of bands and projects. It has the high energy from both the band and vocalist that you would expect. This is where his vocals excel, the kind of song he has always been meant to sing. A rollicking backing track, setting the platform for Di’anno to give us the performance that he can, singing the storyline that the lyrics provide and allowing him to be centre stage for the entirety of the song, interspersed with the dual guitar solos in the middle. Terrific stuff. If only he could have based more of his music around this track.
“Protector” continues in the hard rock arena, with a simplistic riff line and drum set. “Dream Keeper” changes the tempo and style up completely, going for the mix between slower AOR 70’s sound and a Whitesnake or UFO like whining guitar. I can get the ideas of what they tried with this track, I just don’t think they quite got it. “Awakening” sticks to the standard tempo and 2/4 drum beat with Di’anno almost chanting his lyrics throughout.
Whether it was necessary to tack on the cover of “Remember Tomorrow” is open to question. The version is a good one, and Paul still sings it well, but surely by now it was time to take away the focus from the music that brought him his fame, and live or die by his own material. Or perhaps that is just it, he cannot sever himself from that period of his life. Looking back from 2017, that’s still accurate.

There is enough good material here to make you think this band could make a real go of it, and start producing some even better material. The album’s major problem was its conception date, smack bang in the middle of the grunge era, which for a short time was influencing everything in music. As such, albums like this were buried and forgotten. More is the pity. Five years earlier this may have made a mark. Perhaps even five years later. Instead, in retrospect it is a more than listenable album, and perhaps the closest Paul ever came being able to forge a band and career away from that other one he was in once.

Rating:  “Marshall Lokjaw, all guns blazing!”  3.5/5

825. Motörhead / March ör Die. 1992. 2.5/5

As we moved deeper into the decade of the 1990's, Motörhead continued to produce albums on a regular basis that either kept you happy if you were a huge fan, and bemused you if you were just a casual fan. Each new Motörhead album generally produced one or two songs at least that you could file away in the 'classic' category, ones that you are always happy to listen to. Arguably the last album did not have any of those songs to cling onto, and so it was with deference to the past that one went forth with March ör Die.

"Stand" is a peppy opening song to the album, easily bopped along to with catchy lyrics and guitar. It is of the up-tempo variety, which is then followed by the mid-tempo "Cat Scratch Fever" which plays along with the usual singular guitar riff and the title of the song repeated through several chorus breaks. In a similarly constructed song, with slightly different riff and a change in the lyrics chanted, "Bad Religion" follows a familiar path and tempo, which is not unusual nor off-putting in a normal sense, as this is the way Motörhead do things. but it does tend to make it hard to get into the album because of the sludgy pace and similar song patterns. "Jack the Ripper" tends to break out of this mould. It's the first song that you really feel Lemmy communicating with you through the speakers, that he is really trying to connect with you through the song. OK, so the riff again doesn't seem to change throughout, but then that does tend to happen a bit with Motörhead.
Then we have two songs that were co-written with Ozzy Osbourne. "I Ain't No Nice Guy" is the rock ballad, starting off with piano and acoustic guitar, and both singers having a verse each to sing, before breaking into the bridge where the guitar turns electric, lines are traded between the two rather than a verse, and then the ballad rock guitar solo, before returning to the piano. Wow. Are these guys the bad guys of heavy metal or two old guys on a bench reminiscing about their lives? It's not a bad song but it would have been more entertaining to hear them both at their full powers than this 'tearjerker'. This is followed by "Hellraiser" which the two also co-wrote, and the first version appeared on Ozzy's album No More Tears, which is just brilliant. This version is Motörhead's version with Lemmy on vocals, slightly changed lyrics, and appeared on the soundtrack and in the film of Hellraiser III: Hell on Earth - Movie Soundtrack. I really like this version. Ozzy's version is of course the pinnacle, the brilliant version with himself on vocals and Zakk Wylde on guitar, but this 'industrial' version of the song still works.
"Asylum Choir" is another typical Motörhead, enjoyable if not ground breaking. "Too Good to be True" starts off so similar to the previous song that you sometimes have to check to make sure it ISN'T the same song. Soon enough it does break into it's own style with (slightly rewritten) guitar riff, but its a close run thing. "You Better Run" is pretty much just a blues track that has a slightly heavier, chunkier guitar riff. There's no hiding this, it s pure unadulterated blues. That's fine, for all those lovers of the blues out there, and no doubt it was an influence on the band in their younger days and I can take a little of it every so often. But even so... wow. Does a Motörhead album have to have such a track? Perhaps I'm being petty and  non-conformist, and obviously the band can write whatever songs they lie, but I could have written this song as it just uses the atypical blues riff and tricks. "Name in Vain" returns to a more typical rhythm for the band, the style that just about anyone in the world could nail as a Motörhead song. Now, given my little rant about the previous song, I'm sure others would be hounded by similar themes with this track, because it as an atypical Motörhead song, that just about anyone could have written using the atypical Motörhead riff and tricks. Yep, point well taken, but this is Motörhead, not a blues band, so my quandary still exists. The album then ends with the title track "March or Die", which consists of Lemmy chanting over a very baneful and annoying noise for five and a half minutes. It's not actually a song at all, but a tome piece. You know, I guess that's a fair enough idea to end the album, but it's just far too long, and it grates rather than incites any enjoyment.

In the scheme of Motörhead things, this is only an average release. There are many better albums, both before this and after this was released. I can still put this on and wring enough enjoyment out of it, but I will look elsewhere if I'm really looking for something good to listen to.

Rating:  I'm living on an endless road, around the world for rock and roll.  2.5/5

739. McAuley Schenker Group / MSG [McAuley-Schenker Group]. 1992. 1.5/5

Having listened to this album a couple of times, you can't help but wonder whatever happened to the man who had been so impressive in bands like UFO, Scorpions and his own M.S.G. No, not this M.S.G, but the Michael Schenker Group, when the songs had some depth and brilliance, and Michael reigned supreme on the guitar. Now into the third release from the remonikered McAuley Schenker Group, and it all seems to be going a little pear shaped.

Even though I can hear and admit the limitations of the first release Perfect Timing, I still enjoy it. It's an album from that era which spoke to me at the time, thus nostalgia plays a part. The follow up Save Yourself had some good tracks, but also fell apart for the majority of the album. Here, MSG [McAuley-Schenker Group] sounds amazing musically, with Robin and Michael joined by former Dokken bassist Jeff Pilson and future Scorpions drummer James Kottak - but oh dear, whatever happened to song writing?
We are treated to some shocking songs here, such that you have to wonder at what market they were aiming this record. "When I'm Gone" and "Nightmare" are truly average slow ballads, surely purpose written to eventually have their day as acoustic numbers on a later release, as was the rage in the early 1990's (this of course did come to pass). I would call them gut-wrenching only to describe the way I feel sick to the stomach whenever I hear them. To this you can add "This Night Is Gonna Last Forever". Awful. Truly awful. Now I know the subject matter of this band is different from Schenker's earlier bands, and that the lyrical content is therefore of a different direction. But honestly this combined with the wimpy, limp and steel-less music on these songs is catastrophic. The songs that do attempt to elevate themselves to the status of a rock song (and that's being generous) have nothing of any value. There are no hooks, nothing that asks you to remember this song, to play along with it, to sing the nonsensical rubbish lyrics that are a part of them.
The irony probably is that Schenker's guitaring makes a return to something like front and centre on this album, whereas on the past couple of albums it has really taken a back seat to be a part of the background of the soft metal songs that have been written, rarely breaking out for more than a few seconds to poke it's nose out of the water. While the song structures here are generally the same, Michael does have solo spots where the real reason we buy his albums comes to the fore. It's just a shame that it all seems buried in average and uninteresting songs.

When this first came out, and I (unfortunately) paid for this album, and then put it securely in my shelves after the first half a dozen listens, I hoped that it would get better with time. That the next time I gave it a try, it would have gotten better, that it would have grown on me. I don't recall when that time was, but I'm pretty sure that listening to it now to review and re-rate it, it has been something close to 15 years since I last heard it. And "Crazy" is still a terrible song, and "Nightmare" is still a nightmare, and this still is one of those albums that I can never get my money back for.

Rating:  Bang bang, shoot 'em all down  1.5/5

536. Dream Theater / Images And Words. 1992. 4/5

Dream Theater was another of those bands that began in high school, and then progressed to a higher plane through sheer force of will after their school years. Their debut album was filled with songs that they had written in those years, and it is said that based on the glowing reports of their demo album, where most of those songs originated from, they had expected a similar reaction to their first album. This wasn’t the case, and along with the clashes with lead singer Charlie Dominici the band made some changes, with James LaBrie coming in on vocals to join John Petrucci on guitar, Mike Portnoy on drums, John Myung on bass and Kevin Moore on keyboards.
The progressiveness of the band’s material seemed to have been an obstruction to the success of their first album, which seemed a little strange given what was being produced in 1989. But here in 1992 they were up against greater odds, the influence and dominating factor of grunge. Their style wasn’t unique, but it did incorporate different styles from bands such as Rush and Yes through to Queensryche and Metallica, and on that debut album it hadn’t quite caught the imagination.
The band initially wanted to record “Images and Words” as a double album, but their new record company was against the idea, meaning that some of the songs recorded for the album missed out. One of those was “A Change of Seasons” that was eventually re-recorded and released as an EP.
When you first listen to this album, there is quite a lot to take in, and yet comparatively to their first album it feels a lot simpler and more engaging. The opening track is brilliant, still one of the band’s best. “Pull Me Under” really acts as a great introduction point to new fans, presenting everything that is so fantastic about the band. The moody opening of guitar bass and keys with the drums kicking in to provide the impetus, followed by the amazing vocals swimming in kicks the song and album off in perfect fashion. It is the song I play to anyone who wants to know what Dream Theater is like. It is also the band’s only top ten single on the US charts, albeit a shortened version, and became the joke of the band’s eventual greatest hits album in the title “Greatest Hit... and 21 Other Pretty Cool Songs)”.
The band’s ability to switch from heavy progressive to light progressive is highlighted on this album throughout, sometime within a song itself, and at other times between the tracks. “Another Day” is a more serene track compared to the opener, but though it dials back in intensity it doesn’t lose any of its flavour or joy as a result. Indeed, it fits the template of the album that a song like this doesn’t on heavier bands albums. Then we are back into the much harder tempo of “Take the Time” where LaBrie’s ability to infuse attitude into those high range vocals is perfectly positioned along with Portnoy’s ridiculous off timing drum fills and cymbal touches is still amazing.

“Surrounded” delves back to the quiet and reserved, dominated through the beginning of the song by Moore keys and LaBrie vocals before rising towards the end. It is complemented towards the end of the album with the short serve of “Wait For Sleep” which was the only song on the album written exclusively by one member, this one by Kevin Moore. Both of these songs showcase what the band does well in its lighter moments, and though they aren’t my cup of tea when it comes to music genres they both fit the way the album has been constructed in the best way.
“Metropolis - Part 1: “The Miracle and the Sleeper” has a natural build through the lengthy time span of the song, riding the wave once again of Moore’s keyboards through to the hardening of the drums and guitars, and concluding with LaBrie’s wonderful vocals delivering the final lines. It is a terrific track, one that must have led the listeners back in those days to wonder why it was Metropolis Part 1” and if that meant there was a Part 2 coming somewhere down the line. That of course came to fruition in an amazing way. “Under a Glass Moon” comes at you in the same way, dominated a bit more with Portnoy’s relentless drumming that never ceases to amaze. The closing track “Learning to Live” covers all of the equations of the Dream Theater repertoire, a smashing of heavy from Petrucci and Portnoy to the sallow of Myung and Moore, while LaBrie changes his inflection as the mood of the song comes and goes in waves. It’s 11 minutes plus runtime is a pretty usual thing for the band, and it acts as an excellent closer to the album.

Dream Theater was another band that I was slow to cottoning onto, so my first discovery of this album didn’t come until the turn of the century. And, perhaps like most who have found this band or this album, it is the opening stanza of the opening track that drags you in. That amazing strength of “Pull Me Under” is what got me, that sensation that you will get with the very best albums or tracks where you think “bloody hell, what the hell is THIS?!” And the album, like the majority of Dream Theater albums, has its share of the heavy and light, the sings where Portnoy and Petrucci dominate and star, and those where Moore and LaBrie take centre stage, and all the while Johnny Myung does his amazing stuff up and down his bass guitar, no matter what kind of song is being played. And while my preference of their material has always been the guitar heavy tracks that have the drive along with the bass and drums and the harder attitude in James LaBrie’s vocals, the complementing songs here are amenable to the track list.
What still amazes me about this album is that it was able to find a successful window in a year that had such a different space in regards to the music that was being released. To have successfully produced the music that the band loved, without amending their style to follow the path that music at the time was trending, is a credit to the band and their belief in what they were doing. Listening to it 30 years later since its release, and a tick over 20 years since I first heard it myself, those influences I mentioned earlier, from bands such as Yes and Rush and Queensryche and even contemporaries like Fates Warning are so solid in the music here. And for me, this album lay the platform for Dream Theater to construct from, to develop their own style further. Some of those future albums are better than others, but Images and Words still truly holds its own in the Dream Theater catalogue.

529. The Offspring / Ignition. 1992. 2/5

When I saw this in the local record store I got very excited and bought it immediately. It wasn’t until I was perusing the cover when I got home that I realised that it wasn’t the new album from The Offspring, it was in fact an earlier album that I wasn’t aware even existed. This was back in 1995, after I had devoured Smash to its limit, and was looking from more from the band.
OK, I thought, let’s give it a whirl. I put it on, played it a few times, and lost interest in it. To me, it wasn’t what I had come to love from the band, and I wasn’t taking to it. It went back into the CD cupboard, and fell into a dark recess.

Fast forward to 2008, and it makes its reappearance for this long winded review process. Ignoring the thoughts of thirteen years ago, I put it on with an open mind and an interest in the outcome.

Now there is no doubt who the band is. It is very much the musical and vocal style of The Offspring. However, even after half a dozen listens to the album, it still isn’t grabbing me. I can’t even really pin point what it is that doesn’t do it for me. Is it that there just isn’t enough ‘oomph’ in the songs, or is it just that because I came into the band (like so many others) on Smash that I can’t quite make the transition back to the earlier material? Really, I’m not sure. The one thing I do know is that I find this to be only average, and not the above-average stuff they did for the next three or four albums.

Rating: Still unable to like it much after all these years. 2/5.

483. Various Artists / Hellraiser III: Hell on Earth [Original Soundtrack]. 1992. 1.5/5

Soundtrack albums are always on a hiding to nothing. It’s very difficult to find the right balance of songs to please everyone in order to get the public to buy the album. As it is, I doubt I would have purchased this if I hadn’t received it as a birthday gift all those years ago.

Quite simply, this is full of average songs from unknown bands – apart from the two star attractions. Motorhead’s version of “Hellraiser” is here (as written with Ozzy Osbourne), along with Bruce Dickinson’s version of Alice Cooper’s “Elected”. Both songs are brilliant. The rest is just not inspiring at all, even when heard in the background throughout the movie.

Rating: Take out the two songs mentioned, and it would rate a 1. But you can’t live off two songs. 1.5/5.

409. Freddie Mercury / The Freddie Mercury Collection. 1992. 3/5

As one of the greatest singer/vocalists of all time, this compilation concentrates on the material he did apart from Queen.
It contains a mixture of styles and tempos, some of which are agreeable and others which are more painful. Some of the songs still sound good, others are inextricably tied to the era that they were recorded. Obviously, this can hamper your judgement – as it does here with me. To listen to “Love Kills” now is to hear the music that will forever be the mid-1980’s, and certainly most of that style of music still grates in my ears. But when this song was released, I simply could not get enough of it, and played it over and over again. Sometimes now I still listen to this song, and wonder how I loved it so much. I still like it, but more in a reminiscing kind of way.

Other favourites for me here include “Foolin’ Around” and “Mr Bad Guy”, while the diversity of his duet of “Barcelona” with Montserrat Cabelle shows off his versatility perfectly.

You wouldn’t say it was his greatest work, but it is worth listening to in order to see what he could do in a different environment.

Rating: If only for his voice… 3/5.

402. Exodus / Force of Habit. 1992. 2.5/5

Just like a pair of pants that are just a little tight, this album doesn’t quite feel right. It feels OK for awhile, but the longer it goes, the more uncomfortable you feel.
The reason for this? I don’t know for sure. I do know that I’ve had a similar feeling with albums before – Metallica’s Load would be a prime example. But the differences are obviously felt by many fans of the band.

So what is it that this Exodus album is missing that other have? To be honest I really can’t put my finger on it. There are songs that don’t live up to what they could be. For instance, take “Good Day To Die”, a reasonable idea for a song. But why is it really just dead average instead of being top shelf? I keep listening to it, and even now think it should go off in one direction and build to a crescendo, when it takes another route, and ends off diving off a cliff. I think the material is there somewhere, but was like a map that has been folded up wrong – it just doesn’t fit or look right.

“Thorn in my Side” is the opening song, and probably my favourite. After that… well… it’s more average fare.

Rating: You expect better from one of the major influences of thrash. 2.5/5

389. Iron Maiden / Fear of the Dark. 1992. 3.5/5

Iron Maiden’s 1990 album “No Prayer for the Dying” had been a change of course in writing and recording, with a more political and religious lyrical tone and a stripped back version of their music, along with a change in guitarist as Adrian Smith left the band and Jannick Gers came on board. The loss of Adrian’s song writing was noticeable, and Jannick had come along too late to be involved in that way on that album, but for “Fear of the Dark” he became intricately involved in the writing process.
There seemed to be a lot going on in the lead up to recording this album, and then immediately afterwards. The band had recorded their previous album in Steve Harris’s barn with the Rolling Stone Mobile Studio, and following this Steve had instead converted the barn into a studio – Barnyard Studio. Martin Birch returned, and this ended up being the final album he produced in his marvellous career.
Judging whether or not the style of this album is different simply because the band wanted to go in a newish direction, or whether it was influenced by the sound that was popularised in the early 1990’s, is not an easy question to answer. Jannick was a co-writer on five songs on the album, and in some circles was lumbered with the blame of the developing more intense feel of the songs. This always seemed a cop out, because nothing happens in Iron Maiden without Steve Harris’s tacit approval. Later on, with the departure of Bruce Dickinson confirmed, there were stories that it was his ambivalence with the album and writing that led to the way the album became seen. This also seems irrelevant, as those decisions came well after the album was written and recorded. Adrian had left the band because he felt the direction they were going, by stripping back the sound, was not in the band’s best interest, and perhaps he felt vindicated after both “No Prayer for the Dying” and this album’s release. It is all very difficult to nail down. What I do know as a fan of the band now and then is that both of the albums that came after the departure of Adrian from the band had an entirely different appeal than the ones he had participated on.

How then, does one go about judging the album “Fear of the Dark”. On my reaction at the time of its release? Or how I felt 6-12 months after its release? Or on how I feel about it now, 30 years later? Certainly a combination of all three would be a sensible option, but I must confess that my love of this album has stretched peaks and troughs over those 30 years.
When this album was first released, I was just excited to have a new Iron Maiden album out. All of those usual anticipations were there. I was interested to hear how Jannick Gers would contribute to the writing of the album. I was hoping for more of a “Seventh Son of a Seventh Son” vibe than a “No Prayer For The Dying” vibe. With changes going on in my life with both work and girlfriend becoming fiancé, I guess I wanted the security that another Maiden album could provide, that warm blanket that new Maiden music would bring.
Looking back now, even on first impressions, I was confused when I first got the album. Sure, the rollicking opening of “Be Quick or Be Dead” and “From Here to Eternity” grabbed me from the start, both terrific tracks made you feel that Maiden was back! Then there was the lull into the moody “Afraid To Shoot Strangers” which while different was also effective, and further enhanced the feeling that the album is on the right track.
However, it was always at this point that I began to wonder what direction we were heading in. “Fear Is The Key” has a very Deep Purple mood to it, and considering that Jannick used to play in Ian Gillan’s band I guess this is understandable. Whether it fits my idea of a Maiden album is another question. “Childhood’s End” has always had what I consider to be a strange musical format, unsure as to whether it wants to be an orchestral piece or a fast paced metal track. The solo section is terrific, by far the best part of the song, but the rest seems completely out of place. And then there is the power ballad – and dear god I never thought I’d have to use that terminology with an Iron Maiden song – “Wasting Love”. Now, I am incredibly biased on this issue, but here it is – this is AWFUL!! To me it denigrates the name of Iron Maiden. I’m sorry, this just can’t be true. It is trash, and is the low point of the album. And it is interesting to me that it is written by Bruce and Jannick, and apparently came from sessions of Bruce’s solo album “Tattooed Millionaire”, which as we know was not a metal album. However, as i said earlier, nothing happens in Iron Maiden without the Guv’nor being in favour of it, so the question of this becoming a recorded Iron Maiden song was the world’s biggest heavy metal mystery until Metallica recorded “Mama Said”.
The second half of the album just doesn’t seem to recover. These are, without putting too fine a point on it, half arsed, B-side material songs, not the quality that you associate with this band and these writers. I guess most of them aren’t really bad songs, but you expect so much more from a band like Iron Maiden. They are just average fare – “The Apparition”, “Chains of Misery”, “The Fugitive”, the rather ordinary “Weekend Warrior” – one has to wonder how they happened to become album-worthy. “Judas Be My Guide” rates slightly above this lot and avoids that list as a result, but it is listenable without being absorbing.
Even the title track, “Fear of the Dark” has been cruelled for me. As much as I loved it when this album first came out, the vast number of times it has now been in the band’s setlist, and therefore on every live release ever since, has dulled that love. I don’t hate it, but I can do without hearing it anymore.

How much did the fact that Bruce was on the verge of leaving the band affect this album? Who can tell. When it was released I still played it as much as any other new album at the time. I would go to my car at lunch from work and listen to it every day for weeks. I knew, and still know, all the words to every song. At that time, it was my most played album every week. How long did that go on for? I’d guess at least three months. It culminated in finally seeing the band live on that tour in October 1992, which had its own problems, including the sound being the worst of any concert I’ve ever been to, and Dave Murray playing while having his leg completely cast in plaster. It actually summed up for me the “Fear of the Dark” album and the resulting lingering doubts that I had about it. There is no doubt that at the time I was blinded by the fact that it WAS Iron Maiden, so it HAD to be great… didn’t it? Once those feelings all wore off, and the album went back on the shelf, I had time to reconsider the album as a whole, and those eventual thoughts came down to what I have already mentioned about the songs. There are some terrific tracks here (but to be honest, I think Blaze Bayley ended up singing “Afraid to Shoot Strangers” better than what Bruce did) and there are average tracks. In the years following this, fans seemed to abandon the band on the back of the two albums they released with Blaze as lead vocalist, and reclaimed the band as their own on the return of Bruce and Adrian in time for the “Brave New World” album. But it was obvious that in that five years, Bruce rediscovered passion and brilliance in music, and Adrian had also managed to find his way back. And for me, the two most troubled albums in the Iron Maiden discography are not those helmed by Blaze, but indeed were the final two albums helmed by Bruce before he moved on to his solo career. And for whatever reason that was, it has been proved since that the break of Maiden from their most decorated lead singer and writer turned out to be the best thing that could have happened for the band.

380. Yngwie Malmsteen / Fire & Ice. 1992. 2/5

As I have mentioned on previous occasions, following the release of Eclipse I had given up on Yngwie ever doing anything great again, and stopped buying his albums. It wasn’t until more than a decade later that I drifted back, to see what had actually occurred during those dark days of the 1990’s. Some of it had been quite good, and I found myself regretting my absence.
One listen to Fire & Ice, the album that directly followed Eclipse is enough to somewhat thank my lucky star that I stopped when I did, or I may never have come back.

This is an obvious continuation of Yngwie’s desire for commercial success. Vocalist Goran Edman is still on board (the man who had so repulsed me when I saw him live in 1990) and still spinning the lyrics that he and Yngwie have come up with to promote their commercial advances. It is quite disappointing to see the songs of this band degenerate into this kind of formulaic hair-metal “I-want-you-girl” stuff. “Teaser” is the perfect example, an attempt to write a commercial hit which backfires terribly by being awful (apart from Yngwie’s solo, which people whom the song is aimed at wouldn’t like anyway!).

OK, it’s not all bad. The opening instrumental “Perpetual” is great, and there are another two or three songs along the way that make you smile and remember the REAL Rising Force when that’s what they were doing. But overall, you just can’t enjoy the album. Yngwie’s guitaring is still fantastic, his breaks and licks bring you out of you slumber whenever they appear. But as a package, this is just terribly lame.

Rating: Closer to ‘Embers and Lukewarm Water’ than Fire & Ice. 2/5.

343. W.A.S.P. / The Crimson Idol. 1992. 5/5.

When it came to stable line-ups, W.A.S.P. had not really been able to work down that path. Most of that appears to be related to band leader Blackie Lawless and his iron grip over what the band did, and according to several former band mates, the way he held the purse strings. That of course has been the way of bands in music throughout the history of recorded music, but with W.A.S.P. and their level of success, coming from the early 1980’s hair metal to become a much heavier version of that genre of metal, and utilising their shock value on stage in much the way that Alice Cooper did in the early stages of their career, the changes between albums came a member at a time. In 1989 the band released “The Headless Children”, a more mature and thoughtful album in both music and lyrics than the band had produced before. The three singles highlighted this, with the ball tearing metal track “Mean Man”, the hard rocking cover of The Who’s “The Real Me”, and the hard rock ballad of “Forever Free” showcasing the range the band had in their songwriting. However, halfway through the tour founding guitarist Chris Holmes left the band, citing a need to have fun as his parting shot. In return Blackie accused him of being pulled on his apron strings by his new wife Lita Ford. It would be six years before they worked together again. The end result was that W.A.S.P. was disbanded. In its place, Blackie eventually began working on a solo album, one that he wrote from the heart, using pieces and passages of his life to create what would basically be a rock opera concept album. He created the character Jonathan Steel who would be the central role in this story, and his life story from being isolated from his parents, to running away from home to chase stardom as a musician, to his dodgy manager and discovering drugs and alcohol, to reaching the stardom that he had been striving for, to the inevitable fall.
The album took shape, but as Blackie composed this for his own release, the pressure from the record company came to have it released as a W.A.S.P. album, the monetary value of that name foremost in their minds. Eventually Blackie caved, and the W.A.S.P. name was attached to the release, though he was the only member of the band still remaining. He recorded guitars and bass himself, along with Bob Kulick on board to help, while drumming duties were shared between Frankie Banali and Stet Howland. And 30 years ago, it was released, to await the verdict of the listening public.

Just because an album is a concept album, it doesn’t mean you have to know the story or follow the story to enjoy the songs and music, and that very much fits here as well. This being a rock opera though, it does have spoken pieces between songs that flesh out the story, but they don’t detract from the album if you aren’t interested in them. Once again though, in a similar way to “The Headless Children”, the album contains a variety of style of tracks, in this case however to help tell the story rather than be something that changes up the album. The heavier and faster tracks dominate the first half of the album as Jonathan leaves his home, finds his way in the music world and the trappings that are a part of it. In the second half of the album, when he begins to reflect on his choices that road they have led him down we have the more melancholy of the tracks, reflecting the pain and anguish he is feeling as a result.
The opening and closing tracks have all the hallmarks of the rock opera, and each does its job in opening and closing the circle of the story. “The Titanic Overture” is exactly that, opening the show and setting the scene with the overture instrumental it is. This, along with the following three songs, are a brilliant opening to the album. “The Invisible Boy”, “Arena of Pleasure” and “Chainsaw Charlie (Murders in the New Morgue)” are fantastic tracks, combining everything that is so good about W.A.S.P. while fitting the timespace as it is needed. Bob Kulick’s guitaring is superb, really hitting every nuance, great soloing and still being able to express the emotion of the track as it fits the developing story. Great stuff. The drumming of Stet Howland in particular is impressive. His double kick rifling through these songs gives it an added dimension. And Blackie’s vocals are superb, instilling the harmony and chorus pieces where they are needed, and expressing the characters different feelings to piece together the players in the drama. When you add “Doctor Rockter” and “I Am One” to this, you have five exceptional fast paced heavy metal tracks that are a tribute to the band’s great legacy.
Then you have the slower paced, more melancholy tracks that tell that side of the tale, including “The Gypsy Meets the Boy”, “The Idol” and “Hold on to My Heart”. In any other setting on any other album these would be the kind of songs that I would most probably be bagging out, but here, as a part of the tapestry that is the story of “The Crimson Idol”, they are a necessary evil, and emotionally are as important to the story and album as those first four songs are. Singularly, on their own, do they hold up? My answer is yes, but I have listened to this album a LOT over the last thirty years, and as such have a lot of love ties up in the album, which makes it hard for me to be constructively critical of them. They all sound great. If I heard them away from the context of the album, having never heard them before, I may well find ways of deriding them, but not because they are poor or crap, but because... I don’t often like ballads. Anyway... the closing track that closed the circle and the story is the 10 minute conclusion of “The Great Misconceptions of Me”, where the final scene plays out. It builds terrifically from the reflective to the crescendo to follow the finale of the show and album, and it is a fitting way for the album to come to an end.
Like I said earlier, it isn’t necessary to have digested the story being told to enjoy the album, but because of the enjoyment of the album, the story reveals itself to you anyway as you listen to the album. Jonathan, his brother, his father, his manager Alex Rodman, the record executive ‘Chainsaw’ Charlie, the drug dealer Doctor Rockter... all of them become known to you through the fabric of the songs. So whether you care about the story or not, sooner or later you’ll know it anyway.

I don’t recall the day I bought this album, but it must have been pretty close to the day of its release, because I do recall six weeks later going to see Sepultura in concert and having this blaring in the car and singing it at the top of my voice on the way to the gig. It grabbed me from the start, in a way few albums in my life have. It was, perhaps not surprisingly, the same way I felt the first time I listened to Queensryche’s “Operation: Mindcrime”. I don’t know why. It isn’t as though the story for me is or was a hugely intricate piece of either album, at least not in the beginning. But those opening four tracks are just immense, almost mid blowing when you first put the album on your stereo and crank it up. I had doubts about the new album because Chris Holmes had gone, but I needn’t have been worried in that respect, as Bob Kulick is superb here, as he always was on whatever project he played on. This album became somewhat of an obsession for me, and it was still on my active playlist 18 months later. There was always the lingering hope that W.A.S.P. would tour Australia and gives us a taste of this an all of their albums, but that wasn't to be in those days where we were seen as a backwater too far to travel to. It wasn’t until 16 years later in 2008 that the band finally made it to Australia, on the 15th anniversary tour of this album, on which they played this in its entirety and then an encore of five other ‘classic’ tracks. I travelled to Sydney on my own to watch the spectacle, one that I drove home from in disappointment. OK, so it was not a concert as such, it was a half-arsed rock opera, with the movie they had filmed to be a part of the production going on behind the band as they played. But there was so much pre-recorded vocals and backing tracks that there were periods when you couldn’t tell whether it was the band playing or whether it was just the backing tracks. At times when Blackie was heard singing, he was facing the drummer. I admired the fact they tried to make it like the rock opera it was, but it seemed a cheapened version of it. I’d have preferred to just have the band play and nothing else. And that was the catch. To spend the big money on making it a true rock opera production, or to just perform as the band. They went somewhere in the middle and didn’t pull it off. In my opinion.

271. Hoodoo Gurus / Electric Soup: The Singles Collection. 1992. 4/5.

All metal fans have some sort of 'compromise' CDs in their collection, whether it be for their partner, parents, children, a combination, or just because they like them!
Australian rock is one of my 'weaknesses'

The Hoodoo Gurus were a great band that put out plenty of great singles, and this CD drags them altogether onto one compilation. You can't argue with the quality of the tracks here, unless you just aren't a fan.

Australian rock bands of the 80's generally grew out of the same swamp as those of the 70's, and all hold their place in music history. The Hoodoo's are one of the best of them, and this album showcases why.

Rating : A favourite from the 80's before metal took over. 4/5.

234. Alice In Chains / Dirt. 1992. 5/5.

Grunge. The death of thrash and glam metal? Or the great reformer of music to transform between the 1980’s at the 1990’s? Who the hell knows. One thing that is certain is that many bands that are labelled as being a part of the grunge movement are only there because of their geography rather than the music they produce. Alice in Chains was definitely one of those bands when they emerged on the scene from 1989 through to the new decade. Emerging from Seattle as what brought the grunge label, but the music rarely sits in that category. And indeed, their path following the release of their debut album “Facelift” was much more down the heavy metal path. Indeed the band went out as the opening act of the “Clash of the Titans” tour with Anthrax, Megadeth and Slayer, and landed a whole new audience as a result. Their demeanour smacked of metal, but it was a different mix of that sound, and as a result Alice in Chains became one of the leaders of the next form of genre, alternative metal.
After solid touring behind that debut, the band returned to the studio, but before diving into a new full album, they recorded and released the acoustic EP “Sap” (legend states drummer Sean Kinney had a dream that they recorded an EP called ‘Sap’, and so the band decided not to push fate). From here came the writing and recording of their full length follow up, titled “Dirt”. They already written the song “Would?”, which had appeared on the soundtrack for the film “Singles” which has been released in early 1992. There were several impediments to this process along the way. Their first day of recording for the album was also the day that the LA riots started over the acquittal of the four policemen involved in the bashing of Rodney King. As a result, the band along with Slayer vocalist Tom Araya, heading into the desert for six days until the riots had been calmed down. It was also during these recordings that lead vocalist Layne Staley checked out of rehab, and then quickly back in when he picked up his heroin habit once again. Also at this time both Sean Kinney and bass guitarist Mike Starr were dealing with alcohol problems, so it was a tough session to get through, and it is no surprise that many of the songs on the album can be linked to these issues that members of the band were dealing with.

The opening track “Them Bones” is a positive start, a song that lyrically discusses the fact that we will all die one day and that everyone should just enjoy their time while they have it. “Dam That River” just has a brilliant groove about it, the riff from both guitars and bass held together by the simple but perfect drum beat. No halting through the song, everything flows along beautifully, just like pouring honey from a jar. The dual vocals through the verse and Layne spitting out the chorus. There aren’t a lot of Alice in Chains songs that move like this one does, and perhaps its uniqueness is what is so enjoyable about it.
When it comes to emotional ties in the lyrics, the next two songs perfectly exemplify that. “Rain When I Die” is an angsty song about a girl, to a girl, the way love struck teenage boys feel when it came to trying to express their feelings... or was that just me? Oay, maybe let’s just move on from that then...
“Down in a Hole” is one of my favourite tracks by the band, and it is mostly from the vocals, the emotional impact between Layne and Jerry throughout the song but especially in the chorus, with the music suitably sombre and toned down to meet the needs of the song. It’s what this band does so well, the intensity of the song isn’t relying on fast pace or heavy guitars, and it doesn’t lose the presence of the band in the process.
The heroin trilogy comes through the middle of the album, first with “Sickman”, and followed by “Junkhead” and “Godsmack”. All three have lyrics focused on that drug use, which have met with some critical reaction against them. It is interesting to read interviews with both Layne and Jerry following the release of this album on those songs. Layne was as saying “I didn't want my fans to think that heroin was cool. But then I've had fans come up to me and give me the thumbs up, telling me they're high. That's exactly what I didn't want to happen." Jerry backed this up, saying "That darkness was always part of the band, but it wasn’t all about that. There was always an optimism, even in the darkest shit we wrote. With Dirt, it’s not like we were saying ‘Oh yeah, this is a good thing.’ It was more of a warning than anything else”.
Breaking up these three songs is the magnificent “Rooster”, which Jerry wrote about his father, and the title track “Dirt” where Layne more or less gives it to an unnamed associate who ticked him off enough to get this rise out of him. Both of these songs are important in not only competing and living up to the tracks around them, but also in helping to restore a less ‘drugs are good’ anthem that many fans mistook them for. They also help to retain the power of those tracks as well. The 30 second “Iron Gland” features Tom Araya coming in on guest vocal and nailing the audition.
Two solo Staley writing tracks follow, and both possess the exact kind of frustration and anger that you sometimes feel Layne must have possessed at time. “Hate to Feel” is another angst driven song lyrically and moodily in the music, while “Angry Chair” is just as you would imagine it, with a gutteral guitar riff, and those spitting lyrics that are then beautifully enhanced in the bridge and chorus by both Layne and Jerry to top off another uniquely Alice in Chains song.
The album then concludes with the previously mentioned “Would?”, a song that is dominated by the bass riff and drum fill throughout that gives it its own perfect style, and one that tops off an amazing music experience.

“Facelift” had been a bit of a bolt from the blue when it came to my music listening habits. In and around that time, the albums that had changed the way I thought about what I was listening to were Faith No More’s “The Real Thing”, Scatterbrain’s “Here Comes Trouble” and Alice in Chains’s “Facelift”, all before the explosion that came with Nirvana’s “Nevermind”. Those three albums showed that heavy music could be combined with a different style to create an album that was unique to the time.
“Dirt” came out a year after the “Nevermind” phenomenon that had gripped so many people I knew who kept telling me how great that album was (even though they were not really interested in any music I enjoyed), but it was the excitement of another Alice in Chains album that was the driving force for me. The anticipation of how this band would develop on their follow up to an album that was so starkly individualistic in its own right. Having heard how Faith No More had upped their game between “The Real Thing” and recent release “Angel Dust”, what would Alice in Chains offer?
The answer is they would give you an album that is almost without rival when it comes to the day and age. There is a rawness to the other albums I have mentioned here. There is none of that on “Dirt”. It is a flawless production where the songs are played immaculately, the instrumentation precision perfect. The drums and bass stuck solidly together to hold together the basis of each track, the guitars harmonise together in synch. The duelling vocals of Layne and Jerry pieced together perfectly, and melding into sweetness in their gentle moments, and then powerfully in their anger moments. There are moments where some critics feel the band has moved to becoming more commercial, but to me it is just a maturing of the band, able to write and perform songs that speak to generations.
I played this – a LOT – when I first got the album. I remember expecting something similar to that first album, the hardcore, loud, driven band. What I got was different, and I remember on those first listens I was... surprised... and amazed. Initially it was songs like “Down in a Hole”, and “Rooster” and “Angry Chair” that I just thought... wow, this is not what I expected... but it is amazing. And the more I listened to the album, the more I was amazed at what the band had produced.
30 years on, and Layne is gone and Mike is gone. But this album lives on, and is still as amazingly potent and relevant as it was on its release. No doubt many people will be out there getting their hands on the 30th anniversary releases that are flooding the market. If you don’t already own the album, then now would be the perfect time to get out there and buy it. It is still the high water mark of the era when it comes to the Seattle scene.

222. Black Sabbath / Dehumanizer. 1992. 5/5.

Heading into the new decade of the 1990’s, the various careers of the four members of Black Sabbath that had recorded the “Mob Rules” album a decade earlier were at different cross roads. Ronnie James Dio had fronted his own eponymous band for much of the time since that album, and after initial great success was now finding his stocks waning after the band’s album “Lock up the Wolves”. Geezer Butler had toured with Ozzy Osbourne on the “No Rest for the Wicked” tour. Vinny Appice had been a part of Dio’s band up until the that previous album, and had just come off a gig in Jeff Pilson’s band “Flesh and Blood”. And Tony Iommi had been the final flagbearer of the Black Sabbath name, continuing to release albums such as “The Eternal Idol”, “Headless Cross” and “Tyr”, on which Tony Martin had been vocalist and Cozy Powell had been drumming.
Initially the coming together was for a project not necessarily specified as a Black Sabbath album. Iommi, Butler and Dio came together along with Powell on drums. Tony Martin was doing a solo project at the time, and was aware that Dio had come in, but he was never actually fired from the band in a formal way. Indeed, he was often around the shows that the band played later on, though Dio apparently was unhappy with this. After initial demoing of material, Dio reportedly was also unhappy with Powell’s position in the band, even though they had been bandmates in Rainbow 15 years earlier. Dio had been pushing for his current drummer in his band, Simon Wright to come on board, though this was vetoed by both Iommi and Butler. Eventually, Cozy was sidelined by a hip injury and had to be replaced, at which point Dio again pushed Wright for his replacement. Still not willing to budge, eventually Appice was asked to come on board, and complete that line up that had been together for the “Mob Rules” album, something which provided a nice piece of synergy, if not total harmony within the group. Dio himself had signed only a 12 month limited time contract, no doubt to test the waters and see how well they all got on and how the material worked before committing himself long term, and there is little doubt that was the same for Iommi and Butler as well.
In interviews in the years following the album, Iommi and Butler in particular were quoted as saying that while the writing of the album went well, the tension between members was apparently quite difficult in the studio. The tensions over the way the band split in the first place ten years previously were said to be gone, but now at an older age and with the three main members of the group used to getting things their way when it came to writing and recording, it made for a tough time when they had to make decisions as a group together. And when that happens it can influence the album either adversely or to its betterment. That result is up to the individual to decide.

One of the most amazing things about “Dehumanizer” and the time it was recorded is that it is arguably one of the heaviest albums that any format of Black Sabbath the band every released. As everyone knows of the period in and around this album’s release, grunge was at its high point and many bands were beginning to change their music in order to try and fit that change. That was certainly not the case here with Black Sabbath, who came out with some of the heaviest songs of their career. It is fair to say that the tempo of the songs dialled back just slightly, in line with the way that Dio had been dragging back his music on his last album, and would do so further throughout the 1990’s decade. Tony and Geezer team up again to produce their amazingly unique combination that is the true sound of Black Sabbath, and Vinny’s ability to play what may appear simplistic drums but in fact perfectly suits the guitars that are written for it completes the wonderful combination that they are. Added to this, Ronnie’s vocals on this album are as aggressive as they had ever been without losing their ability to soar, but especially in songs such as “Computer God”, “TV Crimes”, “I” and “Buried Alive” he finds a new level for his vocals that he has never really done before this, and all pieced together it is quite a remarkable album for the world of music as it was.
The topics for discussion with the lyrics of the songs is also interesting and diverse. “TV Crimes” talks about the TV evangelists that are prevalent throughout the US in the same way that Ozzy Osbourne had done with “Miracle Man” a couple of years earlier. The song “Time Machine” had appeared in the hit movie “Wayne’s World” prior to this album’s release. “After All (the Dead)” deals with the possible existence or not of an afterlife, while songs such as “Buried Alive” and “Master of Insanity” and “Sind of the Father” and “Letters From Earth” all tend to deal with different points of religion and mental state.
“I” is an anthem, a shouting at the world, an individualistic anthem to shake the fist at everything around you. And then you have the opening track “Computer God”, which, if you read the lyrics and take them in a certain point of view, pretty much deals with the storyline of the movie The Matrix – except that this was written and recorded in 1992, and The Matrix did not come into being until 1999. Don’t believe me? Listen to the song, listen to the lyrics, and think about their meaning, and tell me they don’t correspond to the plot of that movie. Of course, they could correspond to ANY post-apocalyptic computer-driven hell... but you have to admit... there’s a bit to this conspiracy theory, that was discussed on message boards all over the world in the early 2000’s.

It was announced in late 1991 that this incarnation of Black Sabbath was getting back together, and I was excited from the outset. “Heaven and Hell” and “Mob Rules” had always been two of my favourite albums, and having these guys come back together seemed like a no brainer, especially after the lacklustre efforts of their projects in the previous couple of years. Then I heard the 10 seconds maximum of “Time Machine” when I went to see “Wayne’s World”, and I wanted more.
I got this album in the first week of its release, and just loved it from the start. That amazing heavy guitar and bass to start off “Computer God” was the hook from the very beginning, and every song played its part in the puzzle. Dio’s vocals were supreme, and like I mentioned earlier were on a different level from what he had performed before. This album, along with a few others of around this time, were played on rotation for months, and this one lasted longer than normal. And having heard it for so long, and hoping for a tour of Australia might follow it so I could finally see this foursome live and up close, I then began to imagine a future where this band continued to release brilliant albums for years to come.
Of course, that was not to be. Tension remained, and heightened at the point that Iommi agreed to have the band open for Ozzy Osbourne on the final two nights of his “No More Tours” trek, which at the time was going to be the end of his touring days (that didn’t happen). Dio felt that it was demeaning for Black Sabbath to open for their original vocalist, and as his contract ended two days before those dates, he decided not to re-sign, and instead left the band. Rob Halford filled in on vocals for those two dates, Tony and Geezer joined Ozzy and Bill Ward for an extended encore on the final night to signal the first reformation of the original foursome since Live Aid in 1985, Ronnie and Vinny went off to do the next Dio album, and Tony Martin and Bobby Rondinelli returned to do the next Sabbath album.

The question I have always wondered about the answer to is this: given that both Sabbath and Dio went down a more industrial metal route over their next two albums, what may have occurred if this Sabbath line-up had stayed together and done a follow up to “Dehumanizer”? Because if they had stayed the course and direction that the music was on this album, then a follow up of similar style and greatness could have changed the face of heavy metal through the mid- to late –1990's. Rather than devolving into the sound both those bands went, maybe another “Dehumanizer” would have made the 90’s decade a brighter and less hard core style of metal. And, if that HAD occurred, would it have been a major influence? I’d have loved to have found out.

206. Danzig / III : How the Gods Kill. 1992. 5/5.

Danzig the band came from the freshly curated ashes of the band Samhain, who pretty much closed out a gig and then moved onto this next phase of their existence. Producer Rick Rubin had been out and about at gigs around the country, looking for bands to sign to his record label. And while he had initially only been interested in signing Glenn Danzig, and putting him in as the singer of a band that Rubin would put together, Danzig had apparently refused to continue unless his Samhain bandmate Eerie Von was retained as bass guitarist. With the addition of John Christ on guitar and Chuck Biscuits on drums, Danzig the band was born.
Two albums had been released, and they had opened on such ridiculous tours as Slayer’s “South of Heaven” tour and Metallica’s “...And Justice For All” tour. They had gained some notoriety for the video for their first single “Mother”. And the sales of both albums had been good. Coming into the band’s third album with this success behind them no doubt gave them a greater affinity with what they wanted to achieve with the new album. From the reports at the time, Rubin had become ‘less interested’ in the band by this stage of its development and was becoming less hands on when it came to the production side of things, and thus Glenn ends up being credited as a co-producer for the album. Did this help the construction of the album, that the direction the band moved in here was helped by the fact that Danzig was more hands on than the historically more controlling Rubin? That’s not an answer I can answer, but I know that this is different again from those first two Danzig albums, and that the confidence to move in this direction seems to have been one the band had made of their own accord.

Danzig has always been a band beyond classifying into a genre, and fans from the assorted bands of their past sometimes have a difficult time reconciling those differences. In many ways I believe that “How the Gods Kill” is the culmination of all of those years, and creates a modern mature and electrifying album that retains the mystery and madness of the early years of the Misfits and Samhain while delving into songs where each of the four members showcase their best attributes in the best possible way.
It is interesting just what place the bluesy sound takes on parts of this album. That hard based blues beat in “Bodies” just works so well. I mean if the blues was played like this all the time I’d enjoy it a whole lot more. The same is true of “Heart of the Devil” which utilises the same sound, and indeed apparently blues legend Willie Dixon was going to guest on the track, but unfortunately died from heart failure before he could come in and lay down his part. Prior to this album being written and recorded the band had played an acoustic show on Halloween, where they played some originals but also some blues tracks by Willie Dixon and also Muddy Waters. There seems little doubt that this had an effect on the writing of songs for this album.
The mood and groove of this album is what sends tingles down the spine when listening though. I love those first two Danzig albums, don’t get me wrong, but there has always been something special about this one. The songs can stall into slow quiet pieces with clear guitar and quietly spoken vocals and then burst into something more powerful and heavy with the click of your fingers, and it doesn’t ever seem out of place. Take a song like the opening track “Godless”, that pounds out of the speakers at you from the start in the great tradition of heavy Danzig tracks, before coming to a stop in traffic, the song back to a crawl as Glenn comes in with his vocals. This momentum is retained for minutes, until the music winds up again for the next verse, and Johnny Christ’s solo takes over through to almost the track’s conclusion where it finds the traffic snarl again and pulls up for the finale. It’s a brilliant track, but it is a style that only Danzig could get away with. Brilliant. The title track “How the Gods Kill” has a similar concept, a very quiet contemplative beginning with Glenn’s vocal lines barely being heard, before busting into the heavy beat almost halfway through the track and the song speeds off again. There aren’t many artists who can design this type of track and actually make it work, and I mean really work. Danzig does, and it most definitely does here.
The remainder of the album is just as good, combining the mid-tempo range songs with those that gain in intensity throughout. “Anything” is probably still my favourite song here. The clear guitar and soft vocals to start the song, before exploding into the heart of the song. Glenn’s vocals here are at their peak. “Dirty Black Summer” sounds like a song that wants to be a single, perhaps the most simplified of the songs on this album, which doesn’t distract from it at all. Indeed it was retained in setlists well beyond the following tour. “Left Hand Black” ramps up the metal-ness, held together by Eerie’s terrific bassline and dominated by Johnny’s ripping riffs and Glenn’s hard core vocals. Just an awesome song as well. “Sistinas” allows Glenn to bring his Elvis styled vocals to the fore, indeed if it was outside of the album you could almost believe it was an Elvis cover... though of course most of Elvis’s songs were already cover songs. “Do You Wear the Mark” brings the hard core back after that interlude, an awesome hard riff running along throughout as Glenn hots those unique notes again. The album concludes with the second simplified song on the album, “When the Dying Calls”, another easy song to groove along to as the album plays itself out.

 
On a story I will likely bring to you again, I had this album on one side of a C90 cassette tape, with Megadeth’s “Countdown to Extinction”, which was released on the exact same day, on the other side, and I played this tape to death in the nursery my then fiancé and I owned in Kiama at the time. It went around and around for weeks and weeks, and I knew these albums as well as any that I owned at the time. I was also lucky enough to see Danzig live the following year at Selina’s on their Thrall-Demonsweat Tour, a gig that is still one of the most amazing I have ever seen, and getting to converse with Eerie Von before the gig started. Great memories of an interesting time of my life.
For 30 years, this album has been one of those that, when I’m scanning the CD shelves to find something to listen to, that I will often come across, and immediately grab it and put it on. It is one of those albums that I have an unbreakable love for, that I listened to so intensely when I first got it that it joined the ranks of the albums that immediately remind me of the time when it was released, with the flood of pictures of that time coming in every time I listen to it. Which is still often.