1075. Motörhead / Kiss of Death. 2006. 3.5/5

For as long as I can remember, the general public line about a new AC/DC album has been “oh well, it will just sound like the last one, they’re all the same”. And in many ways that will be true, because the band has their style and they stick to it, because they know they’re good at it, and they know that people will buy it. And that is the main point, they know what their fans like, and so they give it to them. Which is a roundabout way of me coming to review this Motörhead album, Kiss of Death, because if you’ve heard Motörhead before you already know what is on this album. But the best part is… you know you’ll like it.

Kiss of Death utilises the same producer from their previous album Inferno, Cameron Webb, who actively looked to make a more aggressive album. That has flowed on here to their follow up, with the energy that was prevalent on that release once again coming to the fore here. Everything that you hear on this album is quintessential Motörhead and that’s what makes it a good album still. There is something for everyone but more than that there is something for every fan of the band.
You can break the album up into four sections in order to get the best representation of what is gathered here. There are the fast paced and upbeat songs that draw you in, including the scorching opening track “Sucker”, the excellent “Trigger” and “Sword of Glory”, as well as the bonus track on the CD, the re-recorded tribute to The Ramones, simply entitled “R.A.M.O.N.E.S”. These are the four songs that rip along at that pleasing pace that helps makes Motörhead songs great. Then you have the high energy songs, some of which are faster paced and others that are just pushed out there. These include the head bouncing “One Night Stand”, “Devil I Know”, “Christine”, “Be My Baby” and “Going Down”. From here you are faced with the mid-tempo songs, the ones that are paced back in the rock ‘n’ roll section but are no les enjoyable as a result. Here you will find tracks such as “Under the Gun”, “Living in the Past” and “Kingdom of the Worm”.
Mixed in with all of these tracks is the ballad “God Was Never on Your Side”, another of Lemmy’s lyrical postulations on religion and those that lead and follow within the various forms that exist. It’s an interesting song, both musically as it challenges the band and Lemmy’s vocals and takes them to a position that has been tried before by this band but never really successfully, and lyrically as it highlights conventions that certainly can be questioned. As with previous songs of this genre on other Motörhead albums, I think it tends to pull back the momentum of the album at a crucial time, though on this occasion I do quite like the song itself.

Returning to theme of the opening, there is a lot here that will be familiar to fans and the public at large. Mikkey Dee’s hard banging drums are prevalent as always and are still the driving force behind each song. Phil Campbell’s licks and riffs are as potent as the ever have been, and his punctuating solos just as effective. Riding over the crest of the wave is Lemmy’s unique bass sound and vocals that both still give as much pleasure as they did 30 years previous. So come aboard and enjoy yet another terrific release from a terrific band who fought every conceivable change in music over their career and still found their place in the music world.

Rating: “Living in a nightmare, broken dreams, love turned mean, living in the past”. 3.5/5

1054. Bloodbound / Nosferatu. 2006. 4/5

In this wonderful modern age of music, the advent of digital music platforms has not only opened the doors of bands around the world to find a larger and wider fan base, it has made the discovery of those bands and albums so much easier for the music lover. And sometimes, when all of the algorithms work right and you get recommendations for album and bands that you might like that you've never heard, you find an album or band that lights up your life for a moment in time. And that is exactly what happened for me and Nosferatu.

There are albums that technically mightn’t be brilliant but that I love just for the music and especially the vocals. HammerFall’s Glory to the Brave is a leading example of that, in that it mightn't be instrumentally perfectly proficient but it has great tunes and superb vocals. This is another case in point and given that I discovered it in much the same way as I did that HammerFall album perhaps it isn't coincidental. The galloping beat of the double kick drums sets the tempo in every song, followed by those happy power metal guitars and brilliant double tracked vocals from Urban Breed create the perfect setting for anyone who enjoys this kind of metal. For me it is important that there are no power ballads here at all, no attempt to slow the whole album down by partaking in that style of metal that requires that kind of song to make it popular with the masses. No, not here on Bloodbound’s debut, all you get is upmarket speed with great guitars and soaring vocals throughout, with no respite. This gets bonus points for that alone. This has, for the most part, my favourite parts of this genre of metal without the crap. It might sound like it’s a formula as you listen, as the base of each song has a similar feel and sound because of the way the drums and bass come together. Some would say that this is exactly what all power metal is like. Personally, I don’t care how similar sounding the songs are as long as they are enjoyable and fun. And as it turns out, that’s what this album does for me. When I put it on, it lifts my mood immediately.
The opening track “Behind the Moon” is a beauty, immediately setting forth the solid base of what is to follow. “Into the Dark” is a great follow up, while the title track “Nosferatu” is another terrific song based around the double kick drum and excellent vocals. “Metal Monster” and “Crucified” continue the excellent material well into the middle of the album, each showcasing the best moments that the band has to offer. Then “Desdemonamelia” starts off at a furious pace before changing back and forth between a traditional heavy song and its power metal roots.
While many people have likened this album to a power metal version of Iron Maiden, I think the real influences can be heard in “Fallen from Grace” and “Scream in the Night”. “Fallen from Grace” has two verses that are sung very closely to the way the verses in Helloween’s “Eagle Fly Free” are sung and remind me heavily of it, while it is the guitar solo’s in “Scream in the Night” that have a heavily influenced Helloween sound about them. Great stuff. “For the King” continues in this direction, before “Midnight Sun” and “For the Battlefield” end the album on a great note.

Music is all about lifting your mood, enlightening your day and allowing your pain and anguish to drain away while you listen to it. For me at least, this album does this with relative ease. Put it on and give me four scotches and I’ll soar with the vocals for the length of the album. It won’t be to everyone’s taste, and I can even hear where people will have issues with the music. The love of music is subjective, and Bloodbound here have created the kind of album I can get on board with without a care in the world. Long live ballad-less power metal, and long live Nosferatu.

Rating: “With the light of day comes no sanctuary, as the shadows fade away”. 4/5

831. Iron Maiden / A Matter of Life and Death. 2006. 4/5

At one stage in their history - for quite a lot of it actually - Iron Maiden was a heavy metal band. They possessed two guitars for that extra guitar sound, which also offset twin guitar solos that pleased the ear, along with a galloping bass guitarist who redefined the way bass guitar was utilised in a band sense. They had a drummer who excelled in every way, and arguably the greatest vocalist on the planet at the helm. By the time we reached this album being produced there had been an number of ups and down, re-jigging of staff, and then reintegration. All the while, the style of music that the band produced was changing ever so slightly with every new album. With the release of A Matter of Life and Death Iron Maiden had moved to where the line is blurred between a melodic heavy metal and a progressive metal status, and while the integrity and excellence of the band is never in question, the material that was being written and recorded was now in such a different state that it made for some awkward and indifferent listening moments.

A Matter of Life and Death is not a concept album, but an album with a collection of songs with a common theme running through them. Only the opening track "Different World" runs under five minutes in length, and while this means nothing if the songs are relevant and don't get bogged down in a boring repeated riff movement or lyrical verse, that can't be said to be the case in every instance on this album. One of the major problems on this album is trying to find a song that you could consider to be a stand-alone, one you would be happy to individualise and put on a playlist of mixed songs and artists. Most Maiden albums are full of such songs, ones you can identify with away from the album they are apart of. In other words, once the world tour promoting this album was completed, how many songs here would find themselves on future set lists?
"Different World" is an upbeat, up-tempo song to kick off the album in the right frame of mind. Still, there is something about the track that just doesn't sit well with me. I don't know what it is, but perhaps I do. I don't like the way the chorus is sung. Yep, I know that sounds ridiculous, but it seems so... plain! So ordinary! I don't know how best to explain it, but it doesn't generate the kind of excitement and adrenaline that most opening track on an Iron Maiden album tend to do. The fifty seconds quiet instrumental break at the beginning of "These Colours Don't Run" jumps into a decent song highlighted by Bruce's vocals, which tend to paint over what is a quite boring (but no doubt necessary) instrumental break in the middle of the song, which is only punctuated by the guitar solos. This is complemented by a vocal crowd-inducing "whooooooa" section that has a very The X Factor sound to it, from "Sign of the Cross", before fading out into the same sort of instrumental we heard at the start of the song - and not for the last time on the album. Because yes, the next song also starts with a quiet section, with both Bruce and the instruments building up to when we break into the real start of the song after forty seconds. "Brighter Than a Thousand Suns" is probably one of the best moments on the album, but it too suffers from the length of the song and the similarities of the riffs through the song. It also has the detracting feature where the repeated line of "Out of the darkness, brighter than a thousand suns" just goes beyond the normal. In one section in the first half of the song, that phrase comes out a total of twelve times with nothing to break it up. This then happens again to finish the song, being repeated another eight times, before the instrumental at the start is again tagged onto the end of the song.
"The Pilgrim" has the instantly recognisable Janick Gers guitar riff on it, the one that can be most identified with his first albums with the band, No Prayer for the Dying and Fear of the Dark. The song "Fear is the Key" is what I am reminded of during parts of this song, where the guitar sounds like it has been ripped right from that song - not the whole song mind you, just snatches of music. "The Longest Day" starts off softly in both music and vocals, with both building through the first two minutes of the song to reach a crescendo when Bruce breaks out to his better known register. Like most of the album, there are passages in this song that can be described and enjoyed like the best moments of the band's history, but are mixed with other moments that just feel... unworthy. And guess what? It ends with a quiet clear piece as well! "Out of the Shadows" has an uncomfortable ring similar to that terrible travesty of an Iron Maiden song "Wasting Love". It is not the same theme nor the same genre, but like the previous song there are snatches of harmony that just hark back in similar fashion to that song. It may not surprise you to find that I'm therefore not a huge fan of this song either.
So what is it about the long, quiet, instrumental introduction to songs that has begun to creep into Maiden's music? Let's take a look at "The Reincarnation of Benjamin Breeg" as the example here. Apart from the fact that we have Bruce singing very malevolently, there just isn't anything happening at all. It isn't until bang on the two minute mark of the track that we have the song really break into existence. That's two minutes where as a fan and a listener of the album we wait around twiddling our thumbs before we can start investing in the song itself, with air guitar or singing along with the lyrics. But then, even when we reach this section, we have what is essentially the same underpinning guitar riff and drums being played for almost three minutes with Bruce speak-singing his lyrics over the top. Then we have a section for the guitar solos, which is OK without being extravagant, before we return to the same lyrical prose to finish the song, which actually concludes with twenty seconds of the same sort of stuff that sprouted from the beginning of the track. What beggars belief is that this song was also chosen as the first single from the album (albeit in an age where singles mean very little anymore). we have a similar start to the next song, "For the Greater Good of God". It's an instrumental beginning, before Bruce joins in again and sings quietly (and beautifully I might add) over the top, before finally ninety seconds in we break into the heavier music, and the passion in the vocals carries us along for the remainder of the song, and again we finish as we started. "Lord of Light" gives us the same sort of action, a quiet acoustically set beginning of one minute and forty seconds, breaking into the song, before concluding with the same beginning as before. "The Legacy" does the same thing again, but the start of this song stretches a somewhat interminable three minutes and ten seconds of acoustic guitar and some other tricks and bobs before the songs actually gets moving. And I find this the most disappointing aspect, because once it does start this is a really good song. But no, we need to have this epic kind of acoustic start to create an atmosphere into the "start" of the song, which is then also repeated in the final thirty seconds to conclude the song, and the album.
Do I understand it? No, I do not. Does this enhance the tracks, or improve it, or even be necessary? No it does not. Could the tracks have been improved by shortening or discarding those moments from each song? Yes, I really think so. I don't know how we have come to this point in the band's history where this is now the normal, not just an occasional dalliance. I really think it is too much. Surely the band, or at least the band's producer, would have notice that the majority of songs here start the same way as they finish? Couldn't there have been a way to avoid that? Of course, perhaps this is exactly what the band was looking for, which if this is the case, I find maybe even a little more difficult.

Reading through all of this, I guess you would believe that I really dislike this album. That is not the complete truth, but some elements can only ring true. I certainly judge Iron Maiden albums tougher than most of my music collection, because they have been so brilliant for so long, and they are the front runners of any comparison of other bands and their albums. The truth will always be that "an average Iron Maiden album is almost always better than a brilliant album from another artist", and this is the case here. As much as I don't really like the way the songs are written and structured here, when you hear Bruce Dickinson singing you can forgive just about anything.

Rating:  Somewhere there's someone dying, in a foreign land, Meanwhile the world is crying, stupidity of man.  4/5

804. Queensrÿche / Operation: Mindcrime II. 2006. 3/5

You could argue that by the time 2004 rolled around Queensrÿche, or the controlling interests of the band at least, had run dry on ideas. The glory days of the late 1980's and early 1990's had well and truly passed, and the band's sound had done a complete 180 from progressive metal superstars to grunge/alternative humdrum. Fans such as myself had pretty much given up on them ever being able to, or wanting to, regain those early days and produce something that we wanted to hear. Of course, my friends and I had been joking for a decade, "why don't they just do a Mindcrime 2?" and then laughing ourselves into a stupor as to the ridiculousness of that idea. So, when it came to pass that it was announced that Queensrÿche's next album would in fact be Operation: Mindcrime II, there was the thought that perhaps this was the final straw, the last gasp, of a once great band. But there is always that small part of you that hopes, in all sincerity, that maybe... just maybe... it would be the kick start to a reboot, the start of a new era... the return of greatness...

Hindsight of course is a marvellous thing. Sometime after this was released, it became clear that the majority of the band, that being drummer Scott Rockenfield, guitarist Michael Wilton and bass guitarist Eddie Jackson had had little to no involvement in either the writing or recording of the album. It had all been through the mind set of Geoff Tate, recent guitar addition Mike Stone, and producer Jason Slater. Even initially the 'band' had a different sound on this, and as a very average drummer, it was pretty obvious to me that this was not Rockenfield drumming on the album. It was a completely different style and sound (and as it turned out, programming). Without delving into the politics of the band as it was at that time (again, with the hindsight of the recent split and ugliness), can this be considered a Queensrÿche album if there was really only one member pulling all the strings?
In the tradition of a sequel, this has been structured so that there are enough little resemblances within the music to make you not only remember the original but to hopefully then bring some of your love for that album into this one. The opening instrumental "Freiheit Ouvertüre" into "I'm American" hopes to invoke "Anarchy X" into "Revolution Calling" no doubt. The major positive of this is that at least it has in "I'm American" dragged out of the writers the most energetic and frenetic song the band has played in 15 years! What a pleasure it is to finally have a fast tempo Queensrÿche song back on the menu! This continues for the most part through the early part of the album, with "One Foot in Hell", "Hostage" and "The Hands" all move along reasonably well and connect both musically and within the framework of the story. "Speed of Light" halts this progress somewhat, though "Signs Say Go" and "Re-Arrange You" kick along again with the kind of energy and drive that has been missing from the band's music for a long, long time. Did it really take going back to see what made Operation: Mindcrime work to realise this is the kind of direction the fans wanted to see the band head?
I can't say I am overly enamored by the story. Nikki goes through a rather clichéd line of leave jail - angry confused - caught again - no 'justice' - escapes - plans to kill Dr X - chases Dr X - kills Dr X - still not satisfied - am I going insane? - suicide will help - commit suicide - live happily ever after in afterlife with murdered prostitute-nun. Really? The only part of that storyline that would really interest anyone would be the eventual confrontation with Dr X, so there is a lot of filler story before and after that.
That confrontation, as portrayed in the album's best track, "The Chase", truly comes to life with the appearance of Ronnie James Dio as Dr X, and his presence immediately brings the story and album to life. His duel with Geoff Tate as Dr X and Nikki here is the absolute highlight of this album. The problem that follows this is that nothing else can match this, and to be honest the remainder of the album slides away from this point. The excitement of this song overshadows everything else, and because the story becomes more reflective and tragic once Dr X has been disposed of, the music and songs move in that direction as well, and away from the hope of mirroring anything as brilliant as was found on the first edition of this story. "A Murderer" works okay, but after this we have songs like "Circles" and "If I Could Change It All" that fall into the morose style that might fit the story but don't befit an album sequence. By the time we get to the closing track, "All The Promises", the album slides away with a whimper rather than an impact, emphasising the difference in the two versions of the Mindcrime albums.

There is little doubt that is was a bold move to go ahead with this concept. It had the potential to not only be bad, but also damage the enormous reputation that the original album had built. I don't think anyone had grandiose visions of this being as good as the original (except maybe the writers and composers, but that's another story), but there was at least one positive. In trying to be faithful to the original album, the writers had to produce heavier and faster songs than they had been in recent years, or else it would not have worked at all as a 'rock opera', which surely was what Tate was after. Thus, we had some reasonable songs come our way closer in style to what the fans of Queensrÿche would have expected. The result of this is that this is certainly a more listenable album than anything they have produced in years previous to its release. Though it does not come close to the original, it at least showed some positive signs, and that maybe all was not lost after all.

Rating:  Without me, you would have learned, nothing!  3/5

730. Paul Di'anno / The Living Dead. 2006. 2.5/5

As it turns out, I have never been able to locate a copy of Di'anno's album Nomad, which would appear to be unfortunate until I found this album, and it turns out it is exactly the same tracks, though apparently remastered and shuffled in order, with a few extra tracks tagged on. It could well be that I never get to hear the original album, but it would be nice to once, just to hear if there is any difference whatsoever. I'm guessing there is not. Given Paul's dalliance with the re-recording or playing material from his days in Iron Maiden, perhaps it is ironic that now he is re-recording/re-hashing his own material, from a brief six years in the past. Putting that aside, the songs here stack up reasonably well. Much of this would compare favourably with some of the best of his other post-Maiden career, from albums such as Fighting Back and Murder One.

The playing might be great, but Paul's vocals are literally all over the place. It just feels like he couldn't decide how he was going to sing on this album, so he decided to cover every base available. I mean, he sang some parts of songs in a similar register that he used in his younger, Iron Maiden days, and he sang some parts of songs in an almost falsetto high pitched voice that defies description, except to say that it doesn't sound anything like Paul Di'anno at all. Then he sang some parts of songs with a modern day growl, that again just doesn't suit him historically at all. Now, it may well just be me, but for someone like Paul, for whom the majority of his fan base is derived from his initial recordings with Iron Maiden and whose instrument is his voice, the surely it is his selling point, and he needs to make sure it is at the peak of its form. There doesn't seem much sense in putting out an album, no matter what the music is like, if his voice isn't in there driving the songs. I have no problem with him doing something different if that is what he is trying to achieve, but it is all so uneven here that the good work done instrumentally is actually being dragged down by the vocals, and that should never be the case when you are the big name behind the recording in the first place.
The songs themselves actually have quite a lot to offer. There's plenty of hard rocking, mostly heavy material, with belting drums and riffing and solo-work on the guitars. The opener "The Living Dead" is a great way to start the album, lulling you in but its understated melody. "Mad Man in the Attic" and "War Machine" follow this up with a real metal feel. "Nomad" and "S.A.T.A.N." are the best of the rest of the album, with the guitars being the stars of the show, overshadowing the title artist's vocals.
The cover version of Megadeth's "Symphony of Destruction" seems to have fans equally divided. Many feel it is better than the original and an excellent version. Personally I think it is the epitome of the problems this album has with the vocals. They are everywhere. There is no uniformity, and no effort to be so. They are obviously meant to go for high to low and woe. I find it far too distracting to enjoy. Also tacked onto the end are another two live cover versions of Iron Maiden songs form Paul's era, this time being "Wrathchild" and "Phantom of the Opera". Neither is any better or worse than the thousands of other versions Di'anno has put out over the last 30-odd years.

Rating:  I have no future but always to roam alone. 2.5/5

649. Def Leppard / Yeah! 2006. 2.5/5

There is a certain art to preparing and recording a covers album. Obviously, in the majority of cases, the songs that you cover are going to be ones that influenced you at sometime in your life, whether it was to get you started into playing a musical instrument, or as a band influenced the way you go about writing your own songs. Whether those songs actually relate to your listening audience, and then translate into sales of the said covers album, is another thing altogether.

Def Leppard come from a different  set of influences than many of their so-called contemporary bands. That is very well defined by the selection of songs they perform on this album. It is an eclectic bunch of mostly early1970's bands, and the songs themselves are most often from the experimental psychedelic form of music that was still prevalent during the early part of that decade, or the straight rock variety. No metal or early forms of that music here, and that isn't surprising given the band's constant statement that they don't consider themselves a metal band of any description.
Quite simply, if you are of the band's vintage, then you too would have grown up with these songs, and you probably know them all, and have a very good chance of liking them. If you are a bit younger, and grew up listening to Def Leppard rather than the other way around, then you may well have missed most of this class of music. That doesn't mean you won't or can't like them, but it may not be a familiar style of music for you.
Songs like T.Rex's "20th Century Boy", Blondie's "Hangin' on the Telephone" (which is apparently by a band called The Nerve, but to me it will always be Blondie), Sweet's "Hell Raiser", Roxy Music's "Street Life", Thin Lizzy's "Don't Believe a Word" and David Bowie's "Drive-In Saturday" are the songs here that I find the best, the ones with a bit of rock about them. Some of the songs Def Leppard had no say over, because I have always hated David Essex's "Rock On" and every version of "He's Gonna Step On You Again".

Those who like this 70's music and enjoy Def Leppard will get the most out of this album. Those that don't may find it is boring and boorish. My advice is to give it a chance. because there are some gems to be found here, perhaps most of all Phil Collen singing "Stay With Me" by Faces (Rod Stewart's group for those not in the know). It's a great version, and well worth listening to. This album took me a few listens before I began to get much out of it, but once I was in I found that not only did it give me a better perspective of Def Leppard the band, but also of the artists they had covered. Again, as with all cover albums, it is rare that I pull this out to listen to. Now, however, i don't have any qualms about it when I do.

606. Gamma Ray / 10-12-2006, Gaelic Club, Sydney, Australia [Bootleg]. 2006. 5/5

One of the best moments of the musical side of my life was when I finally got to see Gamma Ray live. To be honest, I never thought it would happen. It's a long way to come from the other side of the world. It was almost unheard of for European power metal bands to travel Down Under (Edguy being one exception), no doubt with the expense of doing so to bring all of their gear.
Then out of nowhere, they announced a fly-by stop over, and Sydney was one of only two gigs.

Flash forward six years, and out of nowhere, I discover a bootleg of the gig on my favourite bootleg site at Guitars101, and I am excited all over again. To hear the actual gig I went to once again!
This bootleg quality is amazing. Someone had some good equipment and a great position. It has it all. It has the minute mistakes, the minutest off keys, the crowd at its excited best. Just magnificent.
The band is truly on song, and Kai's vocals soar to the ceiling. The setlist is a wonderful combination of  songs from almost all of the Gamma Ray catalogue. It kicks off with the magnificent "Garden of the Sinner" before moving into a cacophony of newer tracks, "New World Order", "Man On A Mission", the brilliant "Fight", "Blood Religion" and the crowd pleaser "Heavy Metal Universe".
For the oldest fans, the Helloween trilogy follows. I almost wet my pants in excitement when they broke into "Ride the Sky", which was then followed by the staple sing along songs of "Future World" and "I Want Out".
"The Silence" is almost a rest period in this set list, but it is soon cranked back up to ridiculous levels with "Rebellion in Dreamland" and "Land of the Free", before they return with the encore of "Valley of the Kings", "Somewhere Out in Space" and "Send Me A Sign", which closes out the evening.

This is still very close to the best gig I have ever seen, and this bootleg is a magnificent testament to how good the band is in general, and how magnificent they were on this evening.

Now... when are you coming back again?!?

Guitars101 Forum - Gamma Ray, Sydney, 10-12-06

560. DragonForce / Inhuman Rampage. 2006. 2/5

When I first heard a song by this band (it happened to be “My Spirit Will Go On” off Sonic Firestorm) I was amazed at everything to do with it – the frenetic guitars, the amazing vocals, the precision drumming and the rhythmic keyboards. It all seemed to blend into a wonderful mesh of power metal glory.
Little was I to know that it appears that they just seem to reproduce the same song ten times over, record them and then call it an album. And repeat.

I can’t help but feeling I must be missing something, but all the facts are before me once again. The squeals and twiddles on the guitars are the same during each solo break. The breaks to allow the vocals to punctuate in the middle of the song are the same. The build-up to resumption at this point is the same. All the songs seem to be 7+ minutes of the same thing. The melodies are either all exactly the same or so similar it is impossible to tell the difference.
There is nothing wrong with having a standard set up with your sound and song format. However, by album number three I reckon you’d have at least SOME variety in song structure. But no, it appears we are going with the same tried and true formula, except that for me, it has worn too thin to hide. It obviously works for them. I meet lots of 18-25 year olds who think they are the greatest thing around. Perhaps these guys just aren’t aiming at me.

In the long run, there is enough here to like if you a) don’t look too far beneath the surface, and b) don’t mind a bit of repetition. I have since decided against following up on future releases.

504. Dio / Holy Diver Live. 2006. 5/5.

The new century has seen an interesting innovation come to light – firstly some bands (Dream Theater) began paying tribute to the albums that influenced their music by playing those entire albums live in concert. Secondly, bands realized this was a popular thing, and began dedicating parts of their own concerts to playing an entire album of their own!

Here then is Holy Diver Live which contains amongst other tunes the entire Holy Diver album.
The DVD of this concert has the gig in its running order. For the double disc version, they have wisely split in into two. The first disc contains Holy Diver in its entirety, including Simon Wright’s drum solo (which surely is becoming increasingly unnecessary in this day and age) and Doug Aldrich's guitar solo (less unnecessary, but still a time-filler). The second disc contains the remainder of the concert, including songs from the range of Dio’s career as a singer.

Anyone expecting Dio to sing this exactly as it was recorded 20+ years previously are expecting too much. Interesting to note is an interview with Doug Aldrich some time after this release, in which he states he was unhappy with his own performance, due to the lack of actual rehearsal leading up to the night. While his guitaring is actually pretty spot on to the original versions put down by Vivian Campbell (one of Aldrich’s finest assets), it does sound like Dio is unsure as to how to approach singing songs he hasn’t performed for two decades, or at all. If I was to be picky, I’d say that he could have done better – but how do you say that to the man with the greatest voice in metal? It is unrealistic to expect ‘studio’ vocals sung live, especially after so many years.

All in all this is a great live album. It is great to hear the entire album done live, with so many wonderful songs. The second disc is also just brilliant, combining such Rainbow classics as “Tarot Woman” and “Gates of Babylon” with “One Night in the City” and “We Rock”.
Originally, Craig Goldy was playing on this tour, but was injured not long before this was to be recorded, and Doug Aldrich came on board to help out. It is one of the redeeming features of this album.

Rating: Chock fun of greatness. 5/5

438. Ian Gillan / Gillan's Inn. 2006. 4.5/5

When this was released I was very excited to hear how his planned album would come out. To celebrate his 40 years in the music industry, Gillan had compiled a list of songs from every corner of his career, and instead of just slapping them together in a compilation, he re-recorded them all. Some of them he used the artists he originally performed the songs with, and with others he had some famous friends drop by to lend a hand. I though the concept rocked.

For the most part this works well. Songs like “Unchain Your Brain” with Joe Satriani and “Bluesy Blue Sea” with original guitarist Jannick Gers are excellently updated, with a modern feel to their original tempo. So too for “A Day Late and a Dollar Short”, where contributions from Uli Jon Roth and Ronnie James Dio are valuable. Satriani again appears on “Hang Me Out To Dry”. These songs are the ones for me which benefit greatly from this release, to be exposed to fans who may never have actually experienced them. Another great track is Black Sabbath’s “Trashed”, with Tony Iommi contributing guitars. This is a, shall we say, ‘mature’ version of the song, without the wonderful Gillan soaring vocals of the original, but still a great performance of the song.

I guess the trickiest stuff was what to do with the Deep Purple material, as most of the songs that are here are still played almost every night on tour by the band and man in question. I must say that two of the songs that I would consider to be his signature tunes with Deep Purple, “Child in Time” and “Highway Star”, are not included here. Could he not improve on the originals? That is probably a pertinent point.
“When A Blind Man Cries” with Jeff Healey does the song justice, as does Joe Satriani on the wonderful “Speed King”. “Smoke On The Water” was always going to be the most difficult to pull off, I believe. No matter how you approached it, you were going to have people suggesting it should have been different. For the record – how could you ever improve on the original? I think either getting Ritchie in to play it could have been the go, or use a live performance of the song in the current day, with Steve Morse really ripping on guitar in that atmosphere.

This is pretty close to top shelf stuff. There are a couple of the versions of songs on here that I may be a bit ambivalent about, but overall it is a great triumph in recording the wonderful career of one of the greatest voices in the industry.

Rating: As a compilation that features old songs in a new environment, this is just fantastic. 4.5/5.

395. Sonata Arctica / For The Sake Of Revenge. 2006. 3.5/5

When you aren’t overly familiar with a band, the Live Album can be a real test. The songs on the album could entrance you, which then will leave you a little hollow when you discover the studio versions of the same songs are not as spectacular. The songs may leave you unimpressed, if the vocalist doesn’t seem to be able to hit the correct notes, or the guitars sound a little off if they improvise a little in the live environment. In other words, the Live Album of a band you aren’t overly familiar with can Make It or Break It for you.

Here then is Sonata Arctica, a band I am still relatively new at listening to, and here is their live album, For The Sake Of Revenge.
So what’s the verdict?
The verdict is, I think this has a lot to offer. The vocals of singer Tony Kakko are very much at the front of the mix, and this isn’t really a bad thing, because he really can sing, and does it great live as well. As with the power metal genre, the keyboards are also heavily prevalent, while the guitars and drums are just great.

More to the point, most of the songs are terrific. Some are a bit slow and ‘almost’ of the ballad persuasion for my liking, but overall this is a great collection. Songs such as "Misplaced", "8th Commandment" and "Blinded No More" are perfect examples of what makes Sonata Arctica the band they are. They have an anthemic quality that really attracts me. "Broken" is also a song that I have always enjoyed.

I have given this a solid workout over the past few days, and I still find it easy to return for more. That can only be a good thing, can’t it?

Rating: An excellent live album from this band, who are one of the quiet achievers in European Metal. 3.5/5.

351. Iron Maiden / Den Bosch 27-11-2006 [Bootleg]. 2006. 4/5.

It had become habit forming in the first decade of the 2000’s to perform a concert that contained one of your own albums (or in Dream Theater’s case, someone else’s) in its entirety. Countless number of bands did it, and some did it with multiple albums over multiple tours. 

It was then no surprise when Iron Maiden announced that they would be performing their latest album, A Matter of Life and Death, in its entirety during their touring schedule of 2006. Perhaps the only surprise was that it was this album they chose to follow this path with. Sure, it meant that the band could actually play songs they had not worn out to death, and no doubt this came to them as a fresh idea that carried a lot of merit.
Of course, fans would no doubt have preferred to have heard Piece of Mind or Powerslave in their entirety. The slight downside with this choice was that, as an album, this can bit a bit slow and morbid in its subject matter and music. To be honest, if it had been me seeing this on tour, I would have felt a little bit ripped off, given there would be lots of other songs I’d have rather seen.

Still, getting back to the subject, this is a good quality audience bootleg from this show. From an interest perspective, it is an experience to hear an entire, newly released album played in its entirety. Generally you might get three, four, sometimes up to six new songs played at a gig, most of which will then never be played again on subsequent tours. Here, we have the entire album, and while the same result will be true for most of the songs, at least we have had the opportunity to hear them all live. 

Even if you weren’t entirely enamoured by the album, it is worth catching this to see the difference the songs take on in their live setting. And if you didn’t see the tour (we in Australia did not) then it is probably the only time you’ll ever hear them played live. 

Rating:  An interesting piece worth listening to at least once.  4/5.

346. Dream Theater / Dark Side Of The Moon [Live Covers Series]. 2006. 1.5/5

OK. I know what you are thinking. “Why did this guy get this album, when it is obvious from his previous review of Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon that he dislikes the album?”
Quite a reasonable question really.

Well, the answer is, I was interested to see what kind of treatment Dream Theater would give to it, and see what it would sound like live.
And to me, it sounds like the same old dribble that I didn’t like in the first place.
Don’t get me wrong. Dream Theater do a great job, and the sound is good. It is extremely well done. But it is not to my liking.
I also have the bonus disc, with more Pink Floyd material. I rate it the same.

Rating: Sorry. It doesn’t improve for me. 1.5/5.

341. Trivium / The Crusade. 2006. 3/5.

You wouldn’t know that this was the same band that released Ascendancy. The whole feel of the album is different, capped off of course by the vocals, which are now more clear than anything else. Looking for a different market? Or just attending the James Hetfield School Of Vocals? There is a definite Hetfield feel about some of the vocals, especially the first half of “Detonation”. Whether this was deliberate, or is just a part of the general morphing of the band as a whole I don’t know.

That’s not to say that some of the songs don’t still rock. “Entrance of the Conflagration” is easily the best song on the album, fueled by great drums and guitars. Funnily enough, if all the songs here were in the same vein, I think The Crusade would be being praised by a lot more people. As it stands, there are just too many songs that aren’t strong enough, and where the vocals especially are too weak to hold your attention through too many listens.

While it may not be their strongest effort, there is still a lot to like. I think there is still a lot for this band to achieve. In more ways than one, their next album may be the most telling release of all.

Faves for me include “Entrance of the Conflagration”, “Anthem (We Are The Fire)” and “The Crusade”

Rating: Not what I expected, but still listenable enough. 3/5.

332. Slayer / Christ Illusion. 2006. 4/5

It’s a little bit tough to beat the hype when you have a new album out, and it is promoted as “the new century’s Reign In Blood”. Combine this with the fact that it is returning drummer Dave Lombardo’s first recorded material with the band since Seasons In The Abyss and is the long-awaited follow up to God Hates Us All and you have a pretty big time bomb ready to go off in your face.

Fortunately on most levels Christ Illusion lives up to the hype.

While I could never accuse Slayer of conforming to standards, I didn’t feel a couple of their later albums were up to the same quality as they had regularly produced for most of their career. Here on Christ Illusion I once again think that they have nailed it for 80-90% of the album, and maybe just fallen down a little at the final hurdle. A personal opinion that others may take or leave a they choose.

The highlights as always are the faster, heavier songs, when Tommy Araya seems forever to be trying to catch the rest of the band with his vocals. Jeff and Kerry’s guitaring as always is just brutal, while the return of the drum god Dave Lombardo is the defining part of this album. His input again has improved Slayer tenfold.

Favourites for me include “Flesh Storm”, “Catalyst”, “Eyes Of The Insane”, “Jihad” and “Cult”

Rating: Not the promised hybrid of Reign In Blood and Seasons In The Abyss but good all the same. 4/5.

318. Mastodon / Blood Mountain. 2006. 2/5.

Following the plethora of amazing reviews Blood Mountain got on its release, and the number of reviewers in the metal world whose opinion I trust who rated this as the best album of 2006, I felt it was time I became acquainted with both this band and this album.
Well, it’s different from what I expected. Metal in the 2000’s is a different beast from what I grew up with. Here, the muddy, sludgy guitar work, the uninspiring vocals, and general lack of originality doesn’t grab me at all.

OK, this is not an opinion that hasn’t been well tested. I’ve given this album a series of at least three good, hard listens, three or four times over, to come to this conclusion. And on all occasions, I found I was unable to get into it at all. The songs were same-ish, and failed to ignite any passion in me.
Again, this is a personal opinion. I’ve a couple of mates who have seen these guys live and say they were fantastic. Perhaps that is true. This album, however, leaves me cold and headachy.

Rating: My outlook differs from most other popular views of this release. 2/5.

314. Beyond Fear / Beyond Fear. 2006. 2/5

I bought this album for the sheer fact that Tim Owens was singing on it. I was hoping it was going to be something awesome, and that we would see the full extent of Ripper’s potential.
Sadly, this is not the case. Perhaps I had built it up too much in my head, but this is actually a lot less interesting than I ever thought it could be.

As one of his (many, it seems) side projects, this came after Iced Earth’s The Glorious Burden and before Iced Earth’s Framing Armageddon. With the freedom to do something different, there was an opportunity to set himself up like, for instance, Bruce Dickinson, and have a successful solo career along with being involved in a major band at the same time.

Unfortunately, Beyond Fear is littered with average tracks with no real hook, and little interest. There is certainly nothing that drives you to pull it out of the rack and listen to it time and again. Which is a real shame, because since his emergence as the singer for Judas Priest in the 1990’s he has proven his ability to sing. Perhaps he just doesn’t write well.
Hopefully his talent can still be salvaged, despite his usurping from Iced Earth in recent times.

Rating: Average. 2/5.

298. Killswitch Engage / As Daylight Dies. 2006. 3.5/5

A funny thing happened when I went to see Anthrax in concert one day… there was this support band called Killswitch Engage… and they were mightily impressive! Which meant I eventually got around to getting this album to see what it was like.

I find myself surprised still that this appeals to me. It’s not in my usual genre of metal, but it’s catchy. Probably the thing that first drew me to it was that Howard’s clear vocals tricked me into thinking it was Mike Patton singing. To me, the similarity is uncanny. From there, it’s easy to take in the music itself – punchy, raw in places, melodic and heavy throughout.
In the modern world of heavy metal, Killswitch Engage are one of the leaders, because they stay true to the roots of metal while still modernizing the sound that is a natural progression of the genre.

Have they captured me completely? No – not quite in my field of metal. But this album is great, and needs to be played loud to gain the full effect.

Favourites me include “Daylight Dies”, “This Is Absolution” and “My Curse”

Rating: One for the new generation. 3.5/5

266. Tool / 10,000 Days. 2006. 1.5/5.

Gawd this is a frustrating album to listen to. I wish these guys could make up their mind what they wanted to do with their music!
I got this when it was their brand newie, hot off the presses, and though I am not a huge Tool fan I was quite interested to see what they had produced this time around. The lead-up on Blabbermouth and other such sites was very positive.

So the result? Well, for me as I said, it is frustrating. There is some really good rhythm to some of the songs, and even in the middle of some songs. "10,000 Days" and "The Pot", which was nominated for a Grammy for Best Hard Rock Performance, are two of the best examples of this. But the mood of many of the songs is just not my style. Sure, maybe the hardcore Tool fans love it, but as a bit of a Johnny-come-lately to their music, and just an average Joe in the fan stakes, I am not overawed at it. It is hardly what I would class as metal these days either. Perhaps they don't want to be labelled that way, and fair enough if that is the case.
This is very eclectic stuff. I can't fault the music itself, but can only express my disinterest in it on a personal level. If you are a fan of Tool, you should love this. I must admit to having trouble.