1071. Motörhead / Overnight Sensation. 1996. 3/5

For the first time since the early 1980’s, Motörhead reverted back to being a three piece with the departure of Würzel following the recording of Sacrifice. Along with this the band was still faced with being unfashionable in the current music climate, and the minor changes made to their sound over the past few albums either pleased fans or put them off side. In reference point the title of the album, Overnight Sensation perhaps says as much about the time as anything else.

For me this album splits itself into three compartments. There are the usual, ‘average’, ‘everyday’ Motorhead songs, the ones you know will be a part of every album the band records. Then there are the exceptional songs, the ones that have the right energy and drive that electrify the album. And there are also a couple that stretch the boundaries of the band, and as a result the listener.
“Crazy Like a Fox” is just the perfect Motörhead template, based around a great riff throughout and the underlying rhythm at that pace that makes great hard rock songs perfect for listening to. The title track “Overnight Sensation” fits into this category as well, just a perfect Motörhead hard rock sound. There’s nothing new, but when you hear them you know what band it is. “Murder Show” is one of my favourites, because it has the upbeat, jiving riffing, soloing and singing that make it a pleasure to put on an album and let it entertain you. Short, sharp and memorable.
“I Don’t Believe a Word” is as intriguing a song as it was on its release on this album. Can you call it a ballad? I guess it really is, and though Motörhead’s past examples of such songs are ones that I have never really taken to, this one still grabs me every time I listen to it. The bass line throughout, accompanied by the stagnated riff and the solid drum beat make for an interesting song – but it’s just too damn long! At over six minutes, it does wear thin after a while and it loses a lot of what it builds up through the first half of the song. Strangely enough “Shake the World” mixes things up too, with Mikkey Dee utilising the double kick most of the way through the song which is mirrored by the guitar riff which makes for an unusual and unique sounding song for a Motörhead album.

The rest of the album is pretty much what you would expect. “Civil War” is a good solid opening song. “Eat the Gun” and “Love Can’t Buy You Money” are also good tunes that perhaps just shade the others.
Along with the return to the three piece, Motorhead managed to retain or regain, depending on your viewpoint, the sound that had brought them their fanbase. As could be said about many of their albums, there is nothing overly new or experimental here apart from the two songs mentioned, meaning if you like the band you’ll find enough here to tickle your fancy.

Rating: “Something in humanity is real keen to know, these days everybody gets to go to the murder show”  3/5

958. Helloween / The Time of the Oath. 1996. 4/5

The return of Helloween as a happy band, along with the return to the sound that their fans knew and longed for, as well as an album in Master of the Rings that was at the top of their form, was a relief. Whatever the aberrations that had occurred early in the decade, it appeared that the quintet was back in vogue, and all that was required now was a follow up album that showed that it hadn't been a one-off, and that they could continue to produce the kind of music their hard core fans were looking for. The question was, could they do it?

For me, the first four songs on the album showcase everything that was good on the previous album, and that the news was good. The opening of "We Burn" comes in hard and fast, leaving nothing to the imagination. The drums and bass line tear along, while speed is of the essence in the solo break as well, while Andi's enthusiasm in his vocals is contagious. This dives straight into "Steel Tormentor", which is one of my favourite songs of this era of the band. The song truly charges along, and is a great audience song too, encouraging plenty of supporting vocals along the way. Uli's brilliant drumming throughout is a star attraction, perfectly matching the urgency that the song requires. Just brilliant. "Wake Up the Mountain" again features that superb drive underneath by the drums and bass with the harmony vocals producing another great sing-along rendition. This is followed by "Power" which features some great guitaring from both Roland and track writer Weiki.
For me, the other two-thirds of the album is a bit of a mish mash. The excellence that is apparent on those opening tracks doesn't quite flow through to the remainder of the album. That doesn't make them bad, just different, or even indifferent. They look for something closer to the reflective though not quite as bad as balladish, and also look to draw upon the epic proportions without quite being able to achieve it. "Forever and One (Neverland)" sits in that power ballad genre, slowing up the tempo of the song and letting Andi sing in his soaring harmonies while the keyboards tend to dominate the structure of the song. It isn't a terrible song, but it is noticeable because of the major tempo shift from the opening songs. This becomes exacerbated by "Before the War" which heads back into that fast paced rhythm of Uli Kusch's drums and Marcus Grosskopf's bass driving the song, before Weiki and Roland's solo section really ups the ante nicely. The solo section of this song is the closest these two have come to mirroring what Weiki and Kai were able to do on those early Helloween albums. It sounds terrific, and is the equal of those opening tracks in true metal style.
"A Million to One" is an interesting song, because it has some musical flavour from the Chameleon album, but is written by Andi and Uli, who are the two members who were not in the band at that time. The differing piece of the puzzle that raises it above that album's songs is the harder and heavier rhythm section, and Andi's driving vocals, rather than soft and soaring vocals that highlighted the disappointing songs on that album. "Anything My Mama Don't Like" is a much more straight forward hard rock track with plenty of tongue in cheek about it, an enthusiastic vocal from Andi and supporting players and a raucous band in good spirits. "Kings Will Be Kings" rocks along at a good clip as well, rarely pausing for breath.
The final three tracks are where some problems lie. "Mission Motherland" is a nine minute epic which mixes a whole heap of different styles and tempos within the song, such that I'm not sure works for me at all. Their epics in the past have done it well, but this song eventually comes to bore me, especially through the middle of the track. "If I Knew" goes one further, really slowing up the tempo to what probably isn't quite what you would categorise as a power ballad, but it has many of the characteristics of it. These two songs, along with "Forever and One (Neverland)" would be the ones on this album that are the less likely ones for me.
The album concludes with the title track "The Time of the Oath", a track that while it has its moments, certainly with the riff and Andi's vocals, just feels to be missing something for me. I think it needed to be faster for me to really get into the song, rather than it have this very heavy riff and slow grunging tempo throughout.. Again, it isn't a bad song but it just lacks something that lifts it for me into that higher category on the album.

Overall Helloween has done an excellent job of returning to its roots, and drawing its inspiration from the beginnings of the band's musical writings, while not trying to reproduce them note for note. This is another excellent album, one that shows further growth from their previous album, and continues to point towards a bright future.

Rating:  "Flashing from down under, flesh and blood and thunder".   4/5

893. Iron Maiden / Virus [Single]. 1996. 5/5

I understand why people had a natural aversion to Blaze Bayley and by association Iron Maiden when he replaced Bruce Dickinson as lead vocalist of the band in the 1990's. But really, if those same people had given the two albums that were released during this period the time of day, they would have discovered some pretty good material.

This single came out when Maiden released their first (but somewhat sadly not last) greatest hits package, Best of the Beast. The double disc version took two songs from each album released to that time, and a couple of other songs. As a sweetener, a new song was also produced, which led off the greatest hits package and was released as this single.
"Virus" would be one of the best Maiden songs ever, if only they had abandoned the first two minutes and twenty seconds of the song, and even the last 30 seconds. The "short" version of the song that can be found on certain versions is actually the best version of the song, as it does exactly that, removing the useless first part of the track. I love this song, and I love Blaze's vocals on it.
The other two songs are the original tracks that were found on the Metal for Muthas album from 1979. These versions of "Sanctuary" and "Wrathchild" both feature Tony Parsons on guitar, a treat for the die hard fans, but perhaps not so exciting for those that just want to listen to the band and not care about its history.

Rating: "Without a conscience they destroy, and that's thing that they enjoy". 5/5

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

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

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

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

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

792. Michael Kiske / Instant Clarity. 1996. 1/5

There was always going to be an element of ridicule in going into tracking down, purchasing and then listening to this album. It's like watching a movie and knowing how it is going to end, but you watch it anyway, because there is always that chance that you could be mistaken, and it could end a different way. Michael Kiske was a known quality. The brilliant lead singer who presided over arguably Helloween's two finest albums, Keeper of the Seven Keys Part I and Keeper of the Seven Keys Part II, and then was heavily involved in the writing and performing of arguably their two worst albums, Pink Bubbles Go Ape and Chameleon. It was following Chameleon that he was fired from Helloween, and he publicly divulged his abhorrence of heavy metal as a medium, and wanted to hide as far away from it as he possibly could. Thus is the double-edged sword of buying Instant Clarity - you want to hear work from this marvellous singer, but you just know that in all probability it is going to be absolute rubbish.
Guess what?! This is EXACTLY how you expect this album to be if you weighed up all of the factors above. This is Michael's first solo album, and the songs range in style from the boring and predictable to the astoundingly bizarre. Ballads and slow songs abound, causing writhing on the floor and gagging and the odd moment of 'Exorcist' vomiting whilst they assault your senses.

The opening track "Be True to Yourself" I guess is a metaphor for Michael's new-found desire to no longer be "metal". This track emphasises this to a point, being a very dull and boring soft rock sachet of his feelings. However, as if to counter this, we immediately clamber into "The Calling", which not only was co-written by (at the time formerly of ) Iron Maiden's Adrian Smith, it features him on guitar as well, and suddenly the whole tempo of the album is lifted. This is a much better song, with Michael's vocals soaring over a heavier guitar riff and drum beat, and enhanced by a great guitar solo in the middle. Great stuff! So unexpected, and so very appreciated! However, we come screaming back to earth with "Somebody Somewhere", with a dreadfully boring, completely awful, moaning and whining soft rock ballad type song that erases all merit within the first few bars, and does not lift above that again during the course of the song. Oh, but do you think that's bad? Well, take a listen to "Burned Out", which continues down that same path, and yet manages to even out do the previous song with awfulness. So this is what Michael's vision of music was, that which dragged Chameleon into one of the most disappointing albums I have ever bought? Wow. This really is just... unbelievable.
You wonder then how you can then come up with the next song, "New Horizons". Co-written again with Adrian Smith, but also here with former band mate Kai Hansen. After two songs that made me feel my life was seeping away from me, this clicks straight back into gear, and brings a close approximation of metal back to the album. It isn't as 'metal' as "The Calling", but the solo break is a dream, picking out both guitarists solo's is just so easy, and both are brilliant. It's like chalk and cheese between these two tracks and everything else on the album, and an indication of what we may have gotten a few years before this. What a shame.  "Hunted" seems to have a bit of this harder stuff seep into it just from being placed next to it on the album, and is much more listenable because of it.
"Always" is a dreadful piano based ballad, something that does not appeal to me in almost any form. It is written and dedicated to the memory of former Helloween drummer Ingo Schwichtenberg, who had committed suicide the previous year. For that, I am willing to forgive this song its liberties. "Thanx a Lot!" has Michael using effects on his vocals. Why does Michael Kiske need effects on his vocals?! Madness. "Time's Passing By" is very AOR oriented, utilising acoustic and clean guitar most of the way through, thus shunting any hint of power out of the song. There are so many styles being utilised here it's hard to keep track. I don't know what "So Sick" is. Is it a carnival song? Is it a way for the band to have one song that stands out from the pack in a slightly different, interesting manner? I'm not sure. It's different in a stylistic way, and Michael goes with the effects on his vocals again, but not in a way that would be regarded as memorable in a good way. Then, to close out this boredom-fest in style, we have the ten-and-a-half minute ballad "Do I Remember a Life?", which drags on interminably, never really sure when or if it wants to end. Great gosh almighty, it takes a certain amount of courage and will power to hang in for the entire song.

Like I said at the start, I knew what I was in for when I went in to this. It was only in the hope that I could find something out of the ordinary, something unexpected, that I made the effort to find this and listen to it. And to be honest, both "The Calling" and "New Horizons" were enough to say that it wasn't a complete waste of time to track it down. And it was nice to have a song that was dedicated to the memory of Ingo. But the rest really does belong in the crap bucket of easy listening soft rock or something of the sort. Without those two songs, this could well have been a zero.

Rating:  The further you get the more you use it up.  1/5

Listen to full album here

760. Sweet Savage / Killing Time. 1996. 4/5

Back in the 1980's I had a man-crush on Vivian Campbell. I loved his guitaring and song writing in Dio, and was crushed when he left that group before I could see them live in 1986. I followed his other bands leading up to his incarceration with Def Leppard. I had also heard that he had been in a band called Sweet Savage before he joined Dio, and tried to find any material I could of theirs. I was basically unsuccessful, with the only song I could find being one called "Eye of the Storm" which was on the Lars Ulrich-inspired NWoBHM '79 Revisited release. It has only been in later years, with the appearance of the internet and better research abilities that I have tracked down the few early Sweet Savage recordings by their original line-up, including Campbell, leader and bass guitarist/vocalist Ray Haller, guitarist Trev Fleming and drummer David Bates. They are all brilliant, and despite Vivian's defection to Dio you can't help but wonder how Sweet Savage did not manage to break through into mainstream metal ranks as well.

Fast forward to 1996, and Metallica has brought Sweet Savage back into the public eye by recording a cover version of "Killing Time" for their The Unforgiven / Killing Time single. Suddenly there are others like me searching out material that, for the most part, does not exist. So they put the band back together again, with the exception of the Leppard-ed Vivian Campbell, who was replaced by Simon McBride, and recorded this album, which became their debut album some 17 years after they first started playing together.
The material for the album consisted of songs from the very beginning of the band, re-recorded with the current lineup, as well as songs from their time that were reworked or completed renovated in the recording process. And you can easily split it up into three divisions or categories, just on listening alone.

Firstly, there are the songs that have been written by the current lineup for this release. "Welcome to the Real World", "Thunder", "Parody of Wisdom" and "Why" are those four songs, and whether it is the fact that they were written at this time for this album, or they had been previous ideas that were redone for this album, there is a noticeable difference between these songs and the others on the album. The second grouping are songs that were originally written in the period following Campbell's departure from the band, and Ian Wilson's arrival as his replacement. "D.U.D." and "Reach Out" are those two songs, and both have a faster pace than those first four songs mentioned, with a catchy snatch of lyrics and a punchy riff. Thirdly, there are the songs that came from the original line-up, and were the ones that caught the imagination of punters when they first came on the scene. Those songs, "Killing Time", "Vengeance", "Eye of the Storm", "Prospector of Greed", "The Raid" and "Ground Zero", are the groundbreakers here, the eye catching, ear-pricking, fast paced, head banging, guitar driven songs that are the source of Sweet Savage's power. The difference between the songs in this section and the first section is like chalk and cheese. Those first songs are fine, but of a slower pace generally, written with another guitarist in a different era, and that is truly noticeable. The speed of the songs, and the flying fingers in the solos, are the dead giveaways in the songs from that final section. While the original versions with Vivian playing are superior simply because of his guitar playing (compare the original versions of "Eye of the Storm" and "Killing Time" with the two on this album, and you will know exactly what I mean), these versions still shine through in an era where song writing is still an art form many cannot reproduce.

What a shame this album didn't eventuate in 1982 instead of 1996. Who knows what could have happened if it had. Perhaps Sweet Savage would still have gone the way of other NWoBHM bands, getting that initial release out but still fading into obscurity. This album is still terrific despite the time that had disappeared in between their emergence and their reappearance, and finally allowed fans of several generations to appreciate the music that they would otherwise have never had the ability to do so.

Rating:  The sound of gunfire echoes through the night.  4/5

Full album on YouTube

748. Various Artists / The Metallic-Era. 1996. 4/5

Back in the late 1970's and early 1980s, a whole stream of bands appeared which became loosely tied up in what was eventually titled the New Wave of British Heavy Metal. Some may have only been on the fringes of this movement, but all of them were around, playing gigs, trying to land record deals, and putting out singles in order to garner attention. All these bands were, in their own way, influencing the next generation of musicians, and some of those went on to bigger and better things than the bands that they admired were able to achieve. Those bands in turn never forgot their roots, and would eventually play cover versions of those songs that influenced them, passing them on to yet another generation of music lovers.
The band that has had the most influence for these initial bands has been Metallica. Throughout their career, Metallica has always paid homage to their influences, with some songs having remained in their own set lists for decades now. They have also been active in re-recording these songs that they loved, and putting them on the B side of singles, on EP's, and even special albums dedicated entirely to cover songs of the artists they loved. In many ways, their own huge popularity has helped those early bands regain or improve their own status.

And so we come to this album. The Metallic-Era contains 12 songs that Metallica has either performed or published cover versions of - or both - over their career. Gathered here though are the original versions of the songs as performed by the original bands. For those that have not heard them before, or do not own the albums they came off, it is a great collection in order to hear what these songs sounded like before Metallica came along and made them, for the most part, their own. Some of the originals still hold up in a modern setting, and can sit beside the Metallica versions on an even pedestal. Some perhaps do not contain or hold the power that Metallica has added to them in their own way.
When listening to and judging the original versions of these songs against the Metallica versions of the songs, perhaps the toughest part is accepting that on the whole Metallica improves each and every one of them. The majority of people who first hear this album will never have heard the original versions before, and will only know the Metallica versions. That can make it very difficult to appreciate the originals given that it is not the versions of the songs that you know. To really fully appreciate these songs, you need to put out of your mind what you know to be the cover version, and remember the time and place and the lack of technology these songs were recorded under. That perspective can help to hear what Lars and James in particular heard with their ears all those years ago.

The Diamond Head tracks in particular all hold up from the original recordings. "Am I Evil", "The Prince" and "Helpless" still sound great today from that amazing demo debut Lightning to the Nations. I am probably not one to judge "Sucking My Love", as I have never really enjoyed the song at all, and it has too much of a free-form-jazz attitude to it for me to like. Sweet Savage's "Killing Time" and Blitzkrieg's "Blitzkrieg" are also great songs. I probably enjoy these band's original versions more than I do Metallica's cover versions, as good as they are as well. Holocaust's "The Small Hours" is also brilliant. It must have been something to witness it in a live setting. I do enjoy the two Budgie songs, "Crash Course in Brain Surgery" and "Breadfan", but I think the extra metal and James' vocals tip the Metallica versions in front of these versions. Killing Joke's "The Wait" is just a great song, and I love both versions for what they are. Savage's "Let it Loose" and Anti-Nowhere League's "So What" are two very good examples of songs that Metallica has lifted and improved dramatically by their cover versions.

As an historical artifact this is a terrific album and a great listen. It's nice to hear what influenced one of the biggest bands of recent times, and also to know how they chose to use this material and transform it to their own. It also highlights the very good material that was being produced in those days, much of which lays in the mists of time and would be difficult to come across without the help of releases like this.

Rating:   Motives changing, day to day...  4/5

732. Iron Maiden / Lord of the Flies [Single]. 1996. 3.5/5

This was the second single released by Iron Maiden from The X Factor album, with Blaze Bayley having come into the fold to replace Bruce Dickinson on vocals. Written by Janick Gers and Steve Harris, the lyrics are based on the famous novel of the same name. I like the song, but it barely seems to get out of second gear all the way through. In a way, the whole of the album tends the same way.

Additional songs here are cover versions, The Who's "My Generation" and UFO's "Doctor Doctor". Both songs sound rather flat compared to the original versions by the original artists. This has been a sore point for me for a long time. The originals are energetic, full of life. And this is Iron Maiden, one of the finest bands... ever! Unfortunately, I really think they should have played these in a live atmosphere and really gone to town on them. Instead, we have a studio feeling, as though it is over produced. You can't over produced these two songs, they really needed to be let loose. While "My Generation" has an innate energy on this recording, it isn't anything spectacularly different, while I must admit I was hoping for a breakout version of "Doctor Doctor" that just doesn't arrive.
Overall, this single is satisfactory without sending shivers down the spine.

Rating:  Saints and sinners, something willing us...  3.5/5

686. Bruce Dickinson / Skunkworks. 1996. 3/5

By the time Skunkworks came into being, there was a lull going on in the music being released around the world. Grunge was beginning to wind down, metalcore was starting to reel in some influence, power and speed metal was ramping up throughout Europe, and traditional heavy metal was diverging, not the least with Metallica's complete about-face with albums such as Load and Reload. Bruce Dickinson, having moved on from Iron Maiden, and now having lost his previous backing band that helped produce Balls to Picasso, pulled together three new musicians and wrote this album. His original process was to call the band Skunkworks, but the record label was having none of it and insisted it be released under his solo name.
Perhaps the label hadn't listened to the album, because the music here is nothing like anything Bruce had ever recorded and released before, and perhaps by doing it under a band name rather than his own it would have been received more favourably. As it turns out, the significant style change realised here was a difficult thing for many fans to accept.
Why? Because this is not heavy metal, which is what Bruce is best known for. Most fans were able to accept Tattooed Millionaire because the album was rooted in the hard rock of Dickinson's influences of the 1970's bands he grew up listening to, and because it was a fun album to listen to, as well as having terrific guitar and drumming. It 'rocked' so it fit okay. Balls to Picasso probably wasn't so much fun, but with Roy Z and the Tribe of Gypsies it still worked.

But here, Bruce and his band have slipped into very alternative territory. Songs like "Dreamstate" and "I Will Not Accept the Truth" from the middle of the album seem to be going for an emotional response, but come off as boring and perhaps a little self-indulging. These songs go for the slow drum beat, the bass almost non-existent, and the clean quiet guitar. In other songs, we have many of the lines in the choruses which are stretched out interminably (for example, "Back From the Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeedge" and "Ineeeeerrrrtiaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa" and "Insiiiide the Machiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiine"). And it isn't as if Bruce is really stretching his range either. I mean, here is a guy with one of the finest singing voices in ALL of music, not just the metal side of the business, and he hasn't really gotten out of second gear in these songs. Everything has been toned back from his most famous releases - the softer alternative approach, the narrower vocal range and stripped back simpler sound.
The tempo of the album rarely changes. Certainly the first half a dozen songs on the album appear to be closer to a hard rock feel, with some semblance of what most would expect of a Bruce Dickinson release. "Space Race" and "Back From the Edge" and "Inertia" start the album off on an even keel, even if while listening to them you feel as though there is something that is not quite there. The second half of the album though becomes even less inspiring, with the songs slipping further into this musical exploration which has been approached. The closing song "Strange Death in Paradise" just doesn't really gell. It has all of this thrown into the mix, and for me just doesn't work.

For me, it is not as though I hate this album, or that I even dislike it. It's just that at no time during this album, no matter when or where or how many times I listen to it, do I ever get excited about any of it. There isn't a song that makes me stop what I'm doing and sing along, or air guitar or air drum to - not a riff or a fill or a lyric. It just seems so bland, right across the board. There's no doubt that "alternative" material can be a bit that way, unless there is a hook that drags you in. In assessing it's impact, I imagined taking away the vocals. What are you left with? Some fairly formulaic, straight forward drums, bass and guitar. There are no hooks, no tantalising riffs to drag you into the song. It has a mellow Soundgarden or Pearl Jam kind of feeling to it, but without their characteristic moments that define their music and make it a familiar and comfortable experience, a burst of energy and innovation that creates defining moments in the music and the album. Skunkworks fails to deliver any of that. I hesitate greatly and for a long period before saying this, before I can no longer ignore the fact that, for the most part, this album is just plain boring.
Bruce is a brilliant artist, a fantastic singer, who has been at the forefront of music for a long time. This album is a real change from just about anything he has produced in his career, and while he should be applauded for trying something different, I can only say that in my opinion it was a flawed effort.
One can only wonder what may have happened if Roy Z had not reappeared on the scene and helped him back from the abyss. The fact that he also brought in another Maiden alumni who had had his own crushing attempts at trying to make it on his own with similar results (Adrian Smith) for this album's follow-up probably suggests he is most responsible reigniting both of their careers. But that's another review.

676. Metallica / Load. 1996. 2/5

It had been a long wait for Metallica fans between the time 1991's Metallica had faded from newness in the minds, and the time that it was announced that their next album Load was going to be released. Five years between albums chronologically, and for me probably a three year wait from the time I was ready for the next installment and the time we got it. In this time we had had the chance to digest the subtle changes that occurred with the Black album, and now I was ready to take on another full assault of the Metallica cannon.
What came next was as big a shock as my metal senses had ever had to absorb.

Part of the major outrage at Load from the long time Metallica fans was the huge change in musical direction this album took. Even given the changes that are obvious between ... And Justice For All and Metallica, even that could not possibly prepare the listener for the changes between that album and this. It is enormous, and I would think almost unprecedented in music, certainly in the heavy metal genre. There is no semblance of thrash metal nor speed metal on this album, but a lot of that had been watered down before we got to this point in time anyway. What really jumbles the pot here is that this isn't really a metal album of any description. This could be considered a hard rock album, mixing in a grunge element that by this release was beginning to fade out of existence anyway, and then some other unfamiliar elements as well. Call it anything else but Metallica, and you could probably sell it to some of the older fans. But this isn't Metallica. Barely a scrap of the music on this album is what anyone before this release would call Metallica. It might have been written and performed by the four members of the Metallica band, but it just isn't Metallica.
The tempo of the whole album is wrong for a start. I mean, you could pretty much fall asleep listening to this such is the flow. It's like a slow moving creek in a summer field, not the fierceness of a flood ravaged river bursting its banks. Songs start and end in a lull. There are very few song-defining solos shredding through the speakers, banging that head that will not bang. James' vocals have completely transformed to the lower, brooding variety, which no doubt he had to do to stop his voice blowing out again, but has taken away his energy from previous albums.
The crowning glory here in regards to change is that, six years previous to this release, Lars was hailed as the finest and most brilliant drummer on the planet, and with good reason. He was the innovator, the standard bearer, the one everyone was following. All kids playing drums were practising their arses off to be able to play the drums to his time changes and double kick on ... And Justice For All. Now, here on Load, it was simplified, untroubled 2/4 timing that a child could play with their eyes closed. It is the biggest and most audible change to Metallica's music, and one that does it no justice.

From the very beginning, this album lacks the energy and drive that all of its predecessors exuded. "Ain't My Bitch" might be a reasonable rock song, one that could almost find itself onto commercial radio, but it isn't anything like what you expect as an opening to a Metallica album. This is followed by "2 X 4", another simplified rock beat with repetitive lyrics. Already the album has signified a big shift in style, which continues to be enhanced by "The House Jack Built". The dreary and sludgy pace feels like walking through quicksand, it just never really kicks into a higher gear, even when James tries to lift the listeners impact in the chorus. It feels like a poor copy of a Soundgarden song, missing the ingredients that made that band one of the leaders of the Seattle sound.
"Until It Sleeps" was the first single, and for most people their first inkling of what was to come on Load. I still don't mind the song, most likely because it was imprinted in my mind before the album was released, and also it is a failsafe fallback having gotten three songs into this album without any great joy, this song comes in. "King Nothing" was the final single from the album, and one many fans enjoy, but it does nothing much for me (no pun intended). This is followed by another of the singles, "Hero of the Day", which to me is a really weak song. The slow, quiet casual build up at the start of the song just destroys it for, and even when it seems to build for about thirty seconds in the middle of the song, it falls back to the same style soon afterwards. It never fails to disappoint me when I hear it. What is then even more disparaging is that, for all intents and purposes, the best part of this album has now passed.
"Bleeding Me" is a long winded, overblown and frankly boring song, starting slow and soft and ending slow and soft. Is it emotive, or emotional? I don't know, because all it does for me is to wonder when it will ever finish. "Cure" goes on the same way, as with a number of songs on this album, as though it is one long jam session, and the song doesn't end until someone finally gives up, while James sprouts words over the top at random. "Poor Twisted Me" has a musical sound with a southern U.S.A twang, one which makes me almost expect to see rattlesnakes and banjos and slide guitars and people sitting on rockers on the front porch. "Wasting My Hate" must have been written knowing how this album was progressing, given that I'm probably wasting my dislike for this album on anyone in the band, because they obviously wanted to head in this direction. By this stage of the album I am really finding it hard to come to terms with the song and musical direction this Metallica album has taken. And, then, "Mama Said" turns up.
In the history of Metallica, we have progressed from "Fade to Black", a classic song that loses none of Metallica's metal roots, to "Nothing Else Matters", which to me was weak, radio-friendly fodder, to "Mama Said", this country-styled, steel guitar driven, vomit inducing spewfest.
I don't have a problem with bands and their members experimenting with their style of music, or in trying something different (no matter how different), or indulging in their passions. This whole album is a change of musical direction. But surely - SURELY - if James had wanted to do this, to write and perform what is nothing more or less than a country & western song, he could have put it on the B side of one of the singles from the album. Rather than creating a song that is so far from Metallica's fan base that it can only really drive a huge wedge between them and the band and putting it on their album, they could have indulged themselves with this, but put it somewhere where the real fans will still access it, but not be completely put off by it, because, (after all), it's just a B side song. No doubt they would say to me that it is their decision, and that they felt this was the right thing to do. I respectfully disagree.
"Thorn Within" is probably my favourite song on the album, but I have no basis on which to explain why it is. A combination of the groove and the rougher vocals from James probably lends itself to me more than the other songs on the album. Or perhaps it was always just the shock of "Mama Said" that any song following it HAD to be better...
"Ronnie" soon shoots any welling of good tidings through the heart. A return to the country rock vibe here is again as mystifying as it has been for most of the album. I truly begin to wonder where this complete change of musical direction occurred in Metallica. The album concludes with another monster freeform jam, "The Outlaw Torn", a song that mournfully drags itself out to almost ten minutes with nothing more than basically Lars play a simplified drum beat for the first seven minutes, James moaning out some lyrics, and Kirk and Jason almost rendered superfluous, until they appear to get a run in the back end of the song, but without any structure or orders to stop, so they just keep going until someone finally decides to fade them all out.

For all of the people who came into Metallica around this time, and grew up with this album, I still can't totally understand how they would love it and have trouble with how many people cannot "get" Load. In some ways I guess I wish I could enjoy this album the way they do. But for those of us who grew up with a different Metallica, this is such a quantum leap from what we knew of the band that it becomes impossible to digest it. It wasn't the last time I was lulled into buying a Metallica album in the hope of something brilliant only to be crushed in disappointment, but it is my most vivid.

565. Yngwie Malmsteen / Inspiration. 1996. 4/5

So this album is supposed to represent the Inspiration of Yngwie Malmsteen’s career. No problems there, it’s actually a pretty good idea to base a covers album around. With eleven songs recorded, you’d think that it would have a pretty fair range of artists to showcase what it is that has made Yngwie the guitarist that he is today.

Error.

Two songs come from the influential Jimi Hendrix, and that’s fine. He probably deserves two. Other songs come from UK (whoever they are), Rush, Kansas (and really – “Carry On Wayward Son” does seem to get a fair hearing from a lot of artists in regards to being covered, or cited as an influence – but I just don’t see it myself. I think the song is dull and uninspiring) and Scorpions (and there are a hundred better songs to do than “The Sails of Charon”, but that’s just me).
That leaves five more songs, which end up being four Deep Purple songs and a Rainbow song – all of which the original version feature one Ritchie Blackmore on guitar. So it’s fairly probable that Ritchie was a pretty influential person on Yngwie’s career! The Rainbow song, “Gates of Babylon” also appeared on Holy Dio: A Tribute to the Voice of Metal: Ronnie James Dio, and on the sleeve notes all Yngwie talks about is his love of Ritchie Blackmore, and doesn’t mention the subject of the tribute album at all! I guess that’s Yngwie though in a nutshell. Apart fro that – all great Deep Purple songs as well, and these versions are great, if perhaps a little overburdened by the guitar side of things.
The songs feature three main lead vocalists – Jeff Scott Soto, Mark Boals and Joe Lynn Turner, and each does a good job of their renditions. There is no argument with the musicianship and the quality of Yngwie’s guitaring. Like most cover albums though, eventually you just want the original rather than the re-recorded.

Well worth a listen – but as good a guitarist as Yngwie is, what this proves is that a great guitarist in one era is still a great guitarist in another, and the original guitarists in the original songs have lost none of their lustre.

493. Helloween / High Live. 1996. 4/5

At a time when Helloween’s fortunes were back on the rise after the turmoil in the late 80’s and early 90’s, this was probably a good time to bring out a live album to showcase what the band had become. It is an interesting selection of songs, comprised mainly from the two albums which immediately precede it, Master of the Rings and The Time of the Oath.
The live environment will generally catch out lesser performers, and raise the profiles of those that can cut it. By concentrating on the material written and performed with vocalist Andi Deris, there is some safety here. That’s not a bad thing. When this was released, I was still deciding for myself how much I enjoyed the new Helloween material, and the chance to hear a lot of it live helped with forming a positive opinion on it.
Of the sparse material here that comes from the Hansen/Kiske era, it is difficult not to judge it harshly. Expecting Andi to sing songs like “Eagle Fly Free” and “Future World” like Michael Kiske is unreasonable, but it is nonetheless a regular occurrence. The versions here are fine, but not as spectacular.

As for the rest of this double album, it is good stuff. Some of the songs come up better live than they do in the studio (“The Time of the Oath” is a perfect example), others fall a little flat (“Soul Survivor” for me is in this category). The live versions here of “Perfect Gentleman” and “Steel Tormentor” are excellent, and also fully exhibit the benefits of the excellent backing vocals of everyone in the band, but especially Roland Grapow. The solo version of “In The Middle Of A Heartbeat” by Andi is also well done.

Overall this is a very good live album package. For the time it was released, and for what the band no doubt wanted to achieve – publicising their ‘new’ era and the songs associated with it – it is an excellent advertisement. In doing so, and effectively ignoring everything before the release of Master of the Rings they have left themselves open to some criticism. Despite that, in considering the product as released, you can’t argue that it works.

Rating: Good live album capturing the rebirth of a once great band. 4/5.

488. Metallica / Hero of the Day [Single]. 1996. 3/5

In my opinion, this song is a complete waste of space. Sorry about that, but “Hero of the Day” is a soft, weak arsed piece of crap.
So why buy the single? For the extras of course, for the same reason everyone has bought Metallica singles for the past 17 years!

Here we have Metallica covering two Motorhead songs at a live bash they did for Lemmy’s birthday – the songs here are “Overkill” and “Damage Case”, and they are both brilliant.
Then we have a remix of the single – “Outta B Sides Mix” – which is every bit as bad as the original.

Rating: 5/5 for the Motorhead covers, 1/5 for the actual Metallica song. Making 3/5.

403. Blind Guardian / The Forgotten Tales. 1996. 3/5

An interesting compilation of rearranged tracks from previous Blind Guardian releases, and some cover versions of some slightly left-field songs from other bands.

The rearranged and acoustic/orchestral versions of their songs come across surprisingly well. They come across as almost completely new songs, and sound great.
The cover versions range from the bizarre (“Mr Sandman”, “Surfing USA”), to the surprising (“The Wizard”, “Spread Your Wings”). “Surfing USA" has a ridiculously heavy guitar solo, which certainly ‘updates’ it from the Beach Boys original. “Spread Your Wings” is wonderfully well done without compromising Queen’s original version.

Rating: So, not a new album, and not a best of. But an interesting interlude nonetheless. 3/5.

338. MD.45 / The Craving. 1996. 3/5

When this was originally released way back when, it had Lee Ving on vocals, and to be quite honest it was this version of the album I was looking for when I was tracking it down. Unfortunately it has been extremely difficult to find. Thus, I have only the remastered version, which has Dave Mustaine redoing the vocals. In a way this was disappointing. It pretty much is now a Megadeth album, rather than a side project album as I was hoping to hear.
Anyway, enough of that.

What we have here is an album that is quite diverse from what Mustaine was doing with Megadeth, as you should expect being a side-project. Some of it is quite effective, while some of it falls rather flat. You can’t go into this looking for a Megadeth album or you will be sorely disappointed. In the end, you may be anyway. This is a different style of music, and perhaps works better with the original vocalist – one day I hope to find out.
As it is, this is an interesting experiment. In some ways you can see the beginnings of what became Megadeth’s Risk album here. Many will find that a chilling thought.

Best for me include “Day The Music Died”, “Designer Behaviour” and “The Creed”.

Rating: The original effort may have been more alluding. 3/5.

324. Midnight Oil / Breathe. 1996. 3/5.

Unlike the firey, politically driven hard Aussie rock songs of the previous decade, Midnight Oil have toned their music down over recent albums, and by the mid-1990’s had reached their own middle-age with this release, Breathe.
Unlike most of their best songs from the previous decade, this album is a lot softer, a lot slower, and a bit more reflective in music style. Whereas with their early albums you imagine the whole band jumping around and rocking out while playing, you can almost see the whole band sitting comfortably in their armchairs as they recorded this album. It’s a real change in style for the group, and though the album is not a bad one, it really does miss the vibrancy that previous releases are full of. Perhaps they were just going with their hearts – their ageing hearts – or perhaps this was the mood they were looking for. Overall, as a fan of the band, I am disappointed in the direction.

Sure, I can put the album on and listen to it. Actually, if I’ve got people over, it is the perfect background music, because it doesn’t take away the focus of the conversation. Probably not a good advertisement for the album itself, but it gives you an idea of its style and performance.

Rating: Not so bad, but not a screamer either. Elevator music, anyone? 3/5.

312. Arch Enemy / Black Earth. 1996. 4/5.

The debut release for Arch Enemy, and I can only say that I was pleasantly surprised when I first got it and put it on.
My initiation to the band was through later releases such as Anthems of Rebellion and Rise of the Tyrant, with Angela Gossage on vocals. While I don’t mind that stuff, Black Earth immediately appealed to me more than either of those two albums. In a way, I guess it is old school stuff, and their roots are where mine are as well.

All the songs are short and sweet, grab-bags of intensity. Johan Axelsson’s vocals are the perfect foil for the musical talents of the band, and to me blend so much better than modern day Arch Enemy - but of course that is just a personal opinion. The bonus at the end of the disc I have are covers of Iron Maiden’s “The Ides Of March” and “Aces High”, which are both excellent as well, and show where their hearts lie.

At a time when bands like Sepultura and Fear Factory were making this style popular, this first album for Arch Enemy is a pearler.

Favourites for me include “Cosmic Retribution”, “Bury Me An Angel” and “Transmigration Macabre”.

Rating: An excellent effort for a debut album. 4/5.

284. Vinnie Vincent / Euphoria [EP]. 1996. 1.5/5

From all reports, this was a belated attempt by Vinnie to get himself back in the recording scene, and have another crack at making it in the big time.
Realistically, he should have left well enough alone...

Rating: Mediocre. 1.5/5

283. Stratovarius / Episode. 1996. 3/5.

Stratovarius are quintissential power metal from the 1990's. In fact, 'cliched' is probably a fairer comparison. Here on Episode they have produced more of the same - not overly original, but that doesn't make it bad.

There are obvious comparisons with others in their genre throughout the album. There are, for instance, unmistakable riffs taken from Yngwie Malmsteen on some songs. Still, it's not as if they haven't produced some good material. The opener "Father Time" gets the album off to a good start. The instrumental "Episode" moves straight into the best song on the album "Speed Of Light", which showcases the best that this band can offer. "Uncertainty" and the moody epic-like "Season Of Change", into the second instrumental "Stratosphere" are all good tunes.

All in all, this is a good album for those who like their power metal. There are no real surprises, and a couple of moments that will make it all worthwhile.

Rating: Power metal for those that like it straight. 3/5.

247. Soundgarden / Down On The Upside. 1996. 3.5/5.

This was unfortunately the final album for Soundgarden, who split following this tour. Their break-up signalled the beginning of the end for the Seattle scene as it had been for the past six or seven years.

Their final album is a mixture of brilliant and average. I've always thought that the first seven songs of this album represent the band's greatest work, while most of their hardcore fans see it as too commercialised and a sell-out.
I think Pretty Noose, Blow Up The Outside World, Burden In My Hand and Ty Cobb are just great songs, and the equal of anything else they released.

Take that with the second half of the album, which fails to excite me at any point. They are average songs without any fire. Did they run out of inspiration? Maybe. Perhaps that's why they went their separate ways. It is as if they only had enough for seven songs, so they put those at the front of the album, and put all the filler in the back half.

No matter. Though we were not to know that it was their final opus, the door certainly closed on a great band.

Rating : 1st half of the album 4.5/5. 2nd half of the album 3/5. Total 3.5/5.