1079. Motörhead / The Wörld Is Ours - Vol 1: Everywhere Further Than Everyplace Else [Live]. 2011. 4/5

There are positives and negatives of releasing a live album. But when it comes to a regular litany of live releases the major problem you have is ensuring each has a uniqueness that enables it to be different from the previous live album or the future live album, so that you can maximise the sales. Because let’s face it, if you are only playing the same songs live all the time, then just how do you expect to sell live albums? This is just one of the questions that needs to be acted on when you are on the verge of releasing two live albums, almost back to back.

The Wörld Is Ours - Vol 1: Everywhere Further Than Everyplace Else was recorded over the first half of the tour that followed the release of the album The Wörld Is Yours. With the studio album, this album and the follow up live album it gave Motörhead three years with consecutive album releases, enough for even the most diehard fan to digest.
There are three parts to the two CD collection. It has the entire 17 song setlist from Santiago, Chile in April 2011, with the four final song taking up the first part of the second CD. It contains two songs off the new album (“Get Back in Line” and “I Know How to Die”), two from the previous album Motörizer (“Rock Out” and “The Thousand Names of God”) and one from Inferno (“In the Name of Tragedy”). The remainder are all from the distant past and are mostly classed as the fan favourites.
The remainder of the second CD is filled with songs from two other shows, one in New York and one in Manchester. While there are a few different songs here than were played in Chile, there are also a few double-ups, which seems a little strange for a release such as this. I don’t have a problem with the band filling space with different songs from places they have played on tour, but the same song? It doesn’t make a whole lot of sense.

Is this a good live album? Well yes, it is. It fulfills the brief by having new material the band is touring on and the great songs. The question could be asked though as to whether it could be better? Possibly, but that precludes the fact that there are plenty of songs from the band’s back catalogue that I would have liked to have heard. That’s not what this is about. It is a faithful recording of this tour – the first half anyway – and for that it is well worth the effort.

Rating: “You know me, you can't resist, Devil's grip, the iron fist”. 4/5

1048. Megadeth / Thirteen. 2011. 3.5/5

Following the excitement and joy of Endgame, Megadeth had found a way to climb back to the top of the tree of the old metal warhorses, and once again they had the metal world at their feet. They had recorded three successive albums that had along the way begun to rediscover the band’s true sound and engineering. Now all they had to do was to parlay that into their next release, which became the band’s 13th album entitled Th1rt3en.

Is this trying to be a knock off of Endgame? Because much of it sounds as though it wants to be, but at a different level. The return of Dave Ellefson to the fold also brought in new… well… old ideas, in the way that they took some older material that had never been fully realised. How well this worked on the album is open to opinion. While the idea of utilising the past to create a perfect future had its merit, for me it doesn’t really work here. ”Sudden Death” is the most recent of these recycled heroes, and it is a good start to the album, with a solo that sounds like pure Chris Poland. “New World Order” appeared on the Duke Nukem soundtrack and was re-recorded here in order to give it heavier sound, which I can take or leave. “Black Swan” came from the mid-2000’s and was unfinished before it was picked up for this album, while “Millennium of the Blind” was initially conceived back when Youthanasia was being recorded and has appeared on special editions of that album. While all these songs sound fine, the fact that they all came beyond the period of writing for Endgame does make it feel as though they are not of the same era.
As for the remainder of the songs it comes across as more of a clang than a bang. “Public Enemy No. 1” sounds a bit simple, as if the band are going for a ‘crowd’ song rather than a great Megadeth song. “Guns, Drugs and Money” is just so repetitive and quickly gets on your nerves rather than satisfy your love of the band. “We the People” gives off the same vibe. “Wrecker” and “Deadly Nightshade” are almost laughable in their definability, which makes it awkward when you just want a hard and heavy album without lyrical note taking being part of the problem.
Did the band rush in too quick? Is this an attempt to have a follow up to take an advantage of a good product that did well, as Endgame most certainly was? There had been an upward trend in recent albums, beginning from the bottom of the pile that was Risk and progressing since then. Each step along the way was an improvement, a return of some ideals and music veins from an earlier time. The return of Ellefson also pointed towards something good, but in the long run it misses the mark to a certain degree. While musically it sounds fine, with both Shawn Drover and Chris Broderick again proving the be excellent on their chosen instruments, I wonder if album producer Johnny K had too much influence on the writing and musical direction for someone who had not previously been involved with the band. Missing producer from recent albums Andy Sneap may also be a reason for the slight rectification of direction.

So this has a similar sound to Endgame but without whatever spark it had that really made it something special. Endgame was a massive surprise in the middle age of Megadeth. Th1rt3en is a good sounding album with similar-sounding songs, but without the uniqueness and real fire and power that came with it. The weaker songs bring this back to the pack. There is nothing inherently bad about the album, it’s just not as memorable as it could be.

Rating: “All your angels will ignore you, as your life flashes before you”. 3.5/5

942. Iron Savior / The Landing. 2011. 3.5/5

It's been a good trip, this Iron Savior thing. When I first discovered them with their first album closing in on 20 years ago, I really thought it was going to be a short lived side project for Piet Sielck and Kai Hansen, and then the music world would return to normal. Kai eventually couldn't find time to commit any longer, but the band has remained, and has continued to put out quality power metal albums that have been solidly excellent through that time. The latest in that production line is The Landing.

Changes are afoot, though they don't start with this album. It is still a quite noticeable shift in tempo with this album from earlier releases. In many ways it is happening across the board with bands of this ilk, that as they age and mature, the music just isn't as fast and frantic as it was in the beginning. What we have here there is less a power metal album than an old fashioned heavy metal album. Several of the songs have settled back into a mid paced groove, from which they don't get out of for the entire song. This is not meant to be criticism per se, but more an admission that even Iron Savior, whom I had believed were one of the torchbearers of the fast and furious power metal posse, were even beginning to re-evaluate their music. And again let me state that there is not a drop in quality, but only in speed intensity, thus requiring this album to be approached in a different way than just looking for the fast head banging style of yore.
The early judging of this change comes in the first two songs. The opening of "Descending" moves into "The Savior", a mid-tempo opening track that enforces a chanting chorus that is accompanied by a solid drum backing and rigid back track. For many other bands this would probably suffice, and suffice well. The change is significant as we plunge into "Starlight" which burst out of the speakers at high speed and volume, the double kick drums careering along with the dual guitar riffing, and Piet's vocals soaring over the top. This is the kind of song that Iron Savior has specialised in, and is pretty much what I am looking for when I put on an Iron Savior album. Great stuff. This is where the two entities collide, and the choice between the styles is most stark. "March of Doom" continues in this vein, a rollicking journey with great guitars and fabulous drum work. This is then followed by the anthemic "Heavy Metal Never Dies" which falls back into the simplified drums and guitars that were found in the opening track. Yes, this is more uniquely heavy metal, and is as enjoyable as any other song from this band. It's just a change from the band's usual modus operandi.
The middle of the album mixes these two styles in competing formats. While songs such as "Moment in Time" are in that historical Iron Savior format of speed and soaring, you have the more traditional heavy mid-tempo songs like "Hall of the Heroes" also within the framework. For the most part, they are ordered such that the transition between the two style of metal songs fit together in an enjoyable atmosphere. "R.U. Ready" acts as a history to metal, lyrically incorporating bands and album names within the lyrics for an enjoyable walk down memory lane, before "Faster Than All" keeps the ball rolling.
Some don't work for me at all. The melancholic and morbid wailings of "Before the Pain" are a long way from what I am looking for in an Iron Savior song. the ability to transcend genres, to push your music to the limits, to prove that you are not a one trick pony when it comes to your music - yeah, I can see why bands must play with the devil and give this kind of stuff a go. Some will enjoy songs like this, but for me, although I don't think this can be labelled a ballad of any description, all this does is kills the momentum of the album, and invites the use of the skip function. At the very least, the following song "No Guts No Glory" picks the flotsam off the floor and gives a stronger performance in which to close the album out, without the speed and double kick drums that one would like to hear to complete the disc, but still an attempt to give an anthemic conclusion to the album.

The positive of this album for me is that I can still put this on at any time, and listen to it without any reservations. It's different when you sit down and listen to an album to critically review it, as I have done here again over the past couple of days. That's when you must truly pull it apart and look for the way you really feel deep down about the structure of the album, and each track involved. Once that has been done, the real judging of an album comes down to whether or not you still like it whenever you happen to put it on. The answer here is still a categorical "yes".

Rating:  "1967, a thunder in the night, a blazing star played his guitar and metal did ignite"  3.5/5

936. Avantasia / The Flying Opera: Around the World in Twenty Days. 2011. 4/5

It is one thing to produce a rock opera - sorry, metal opera - concept, put it all together with artists and musicians, record it, and release it to the world, and be able to do a good job of it. And there is little job that Tobi Sammet did just that with his Avantasia project. However, it is then a different prospect altogether to decide to take that concept out to the people and perform it live. It again requires all of that determination and drive to do it well, and do it successfully. Thus we have this album, The Flying Opera: Around the World in Twenty Days.

By all accounts it was collaborator and guitarist Sascha Paeth who convinced Tobi that this was a feasible option, and that it was something that should be pursued. So it was that, following the release of The Scarecrow, Avantasia took on a short tour during the European festival season, and recordings from that tour make up this album. I guess my thoughts at the time were that if they were going to do it, they should perform all of The Metal Opera from start to finish, with the original band and vocalists. What a show that would have been. Instead, they put together a performing band and a number of vocalists, though not always the ones who were originally involved in the songs that were performed, and did songs ranging over the three albums that had been recorded to that point in time. No doubt this was a much easier way to bring together the concept live, but I admit I would still have loved to have heard my idea out there.
The band put together are all handy vocalists in their own right, which helped to fill the choir chorus through each song, especially guitarist Oliver Hartmann, who is a brilliant singer in his own right. They are helped by the excellent vocals throughout of Amanda Somerville and Cloudy Yang who help to keep that choir up to the required heights and standard. Along with Tobi, who is front and centre on every song throughout the set list, four other members of the Avantasia family are along for the ride, to lend their vocals in various songs along the way. these vocalists are Jorn Lande, who appeared on The Scarecrow album, Andre Matos and Bob Catley, who had both appeared on all three Avantasia albums, and Kai Hansen who was involved in the first two albums. All in all it is a pretty impressive line up of talent.
So how does it all come out? Overall it is as good as you would expect. Some of the songs here are improved markedly in the live environment, while others possibly lose a little bit without the operatic production behind them. The opening foray from the recent album, "Twisted Mind" and "The Scarecrow" soar here impressively, while "Another Angel Down" with Jorn and Tobi duelling on vocals is just brilliant. "Prelude" and "Reach Out For the Light" from the first album sounds amazing, but undoubtedly misses Michael Kiske's amazing vocals on this version. "Inside" becomes a crowd participation number, with Tobi encouraging their singing so they can hear themselves on the live recording. This is followed by "No Return" which kicks things back to a more impressive speed. "The Story Ain't Over" comes from the LOST IN SPACE EP, and mirrors the soft rock overtones of that track "Lost in Space", which follows the excellent "Shelter From the Rain".
The second half of the album showcases the side of Avantasia that is best. Oliver Hartmann shines on "I Don't Believe in Your Love", while the brilliance of songs such as "Avantasia", "Serpents in Paradise", "Promised Land" and "The Toy Master" sound just as terrific here as they did in their natural habitat. The final 'medley' of "Sign of the Cross" and "The Seven Angels" is somewhat cast back from the 18 minutes, as the first 12 minutes of the track are Tobi introducing all the band members, before there is six minutes worth of a medley of these two tracks. I'm all for the ensemble getting their moment of thanks from the audience, but surely that could have extended to a longer version of both of these great tracks? Oh well.

This live album does justice to the live performance of this project. As I mentioned earlier, I would have loved to have heard a production of both The Metal Opera and The Metal Opera Pt. II with the original performers, and who knows, maybe one day we will. As a live album, this still ticks the boxes.

Rating:  "Serpents on their way to paradise"   4/5

864. Def Leppard / Mirror Ball: Live & More. 2011. 4/5

It is perhaps a little unusual that it took this long for Def Leppard to release a live album. Most of us purchased the live VHS video of In the Round, in Your Face on its release back in 1989 which is still one of the standard bearers of live videos, with a cracking set list and the band at the top of its game, and featuring the sadly passed Steve Clark. It was not for another two decades that we had a repeat to be placed on CD for us all.

Mirror Ball: Live & More covers the majority of eras of the band, harping on the golden albums for the majority of the tracks, and for the most part delivering in all respects. From the top you can be assured that the band still sounds fantastic. Rick Savage's bass could probably be more prominent in the mix, but you get that sometimes. Both guitars of Phil Collen and Viv Campbell are brilliant, as are all of the back up vocalists, they really do a sterling job in the live environment in keeping the song balanced. Joe Elliott's vocals are remarkably good, and hold up exceptionally well especially on the older material. Where he really screamed it out in his youth, he now sings with composure. Best of all for me is the drumming of Rick Allen. I love how he has moved back to a semi-acoustic kit to get that real drum sound rather than a completely electric kit, and you can still marvel at the way he plays some of those rolls alternating between his arm and his feet. His kit sounds brilliant on this album.
You will always get an argument with me about the best set list, because it will always contain material from the years after 1992, from which point I find it hard to give an unbiased opinion of their music. And even some of the songs before that are too flowery or sugary for me to enjoy fully, such as "Love Bites", "Hysteria" and "Pour Some Sugar On Me" (which doesn't stop me singing all the words). So songs such as "C'mon C'mon", "Make Love Like a Man", "Two Steps Behind" and "Nine Lives" are ones that just slow the whole listening process down. I understand that there are plenty of people out there who love this songs, but I can't be numbered amongst them.
But check out the great stuff, starting off on the front foot with "Rock! Rock! (Till You Drop)", "Rocket" and "Animal", before later serving up "Too Late for Love", "Foolin'", "Rock of Ages" and "Let's Get Rocked". there is also the wonderful acoustically started and electrically finished "Bringin' On the Heartbreak", before my favourite part of the album when they continue on, as is done on High 'n' Dry, straight into "Switch 625". Awesome. Brilliant. I must also mention the great version of "Bad Actress" from the Songs From the Sparkle Lounge album, which is my favourite track from that album and comes up great here.
There are also the two cover songs that came from the Yeah! album, those being David Essex's "Rock On' and Sweet's "Action", neither of which fill me with any ecstasy. Also as a part of the 2 CD package there are three new songs, those being "Undefeated", "Kings of the World" and "It's All About Believin'", which are no better or worse than anything recently released by the band. Except "Kings of the World". It is pretty awful.

So there are no real arguments here. As a live album performance wise it is terrific. It showcases the band in its most favourable light and gives the fans something to listen to in that environment. As a collection of songs it has its moments and its lacklustre ones as well.

Rating:  And I want, and I need, and I lust.  4/5

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

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

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

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

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

784. Battle Beast / Steel. 2011. 3/5

Someone - whose name and identity has slipped my mind in the time since - recommended to me that I should check this band out, given that I have an affinity for European power metal bands. This album was forwarded to me to gauge my reaction. I'm still not sure what my reaction is.

Musically it has all of the elements that makes successful power metal bands. With two guitarists in the band, the keyboards do not dominate as much as other bands of the genre have, which initially helps to sell this album to me. As much as I can appreciate the keyboard being a heavy player in this style of metal, sometimes it can be overpowering and just take over a bit too much. For the most part here though, it is present and noticeable in the songs, but it is the twin guitars that enjoy the majority of riffing and soloing. Add to this the solid rhythm section of double kick drums along with the effective if simplified bass work and the basis of some great songs appears set.
So, what is it that stops me from fully embracing this album? In the main, it is the lead singing of Nitte Valo. The vocals are just too way over the top for my liking. We all know what power metal is supposed to be like and we know that the vocals have got to be high, and they need to be able to reach the limits of the human voice when it comes to hitting those high notes. Unfortunately, the vocals chords of Nitte come as close to a screech as is possible without actually breaking into one - or maybe they do, and it has been cleverly hidden. In the long run, they feel and sound uncomfortable. It just doesn't sound like singing, it sounds like wailing, and that just isn't the same. Even her normal level singing doesn't quite fit what I was expected or wished to hear. You can check out "Iron Hand" as an example. It's just too much vocally, which somewhat overshadows what otherwise could be a quite effective song. She does sometimes sound like she wants to be a female version of Accept's Udo Dirkschneider. Scary. However, having harped on this far too long, it comes across slightly hypocritical in that I listen to death metal bands whose vocals are uninterpretable because of their grunt gruff screaming, and accept it.

Putting this aside for the moment, this is an otherwise serviceable debut album. Opening with "Enter the Metal World" we get a solid based song that certainly imitates an Accept song, with some attempted Yngwie Malmsteen solos thrown in as well. "Cyberspace" has a very Gamma Ray-like sound to it, both musically and the harmony of the vocals. "Show Me How to Die" goes on far too much with this exclamation during the chorus, extending out beyond what is feasible or even vaguely interesting. "Savage and Saint" as a power ballad is neither enough of a ballad to satisfy those fans, nor enough of a melody to pull in those without a love of this kind of song.

As much as this tries to pull at the heart strings of a metal lover, for me this ends up being just an average release. There would certainly be an audience for this out there, but given everything else that is being recorded in the world at the moment this doesn't quite reach the necessary heights. Despite the criticism I have directed here, there is certainly a platform for launching off in the future.

Rating:  Enter the metal world.  3/5.

725. Steel Panther / Balls Out. 2011. 1.5/5

There is little doubt that this should be an album that you absolutely love and rave about, or an album that you hate and loathe. There is very little room for maneuvering in the middle ground. It is very much a matter of personal opinion.
If you listen to the music in each song, it is very cleverly done. The band sounds like a modern day Motley Crue or Poison rolled into one. Yes, I am aware that both of those bands are still sorta active, but it's an upbeat version of their 1980's persona's, if you will. The musicianship is terrific, the vocals are great, and each song plays up to its subject matter with the perfect tempo and displacement. If you are a fan of the hair metal genre and time period, you won't have any qualms about the music produced here.

Lyrically however...

Look, lyrically it is very cleverly put together, double entendres mixing with others that have no intention of being mistaken for their meaning. And to all of those fans out there who love the lyrics, get a laugh out of it every time you put it on, I think that's great. I'm no prude, but to be honest I don't need to hear this stuff in music that I'm listening to. If I was in love with this album I still couldn't play it around my family because it just isn't suitable - and yes, I know it wasn't written for them to listen to. It's just a shame that an album of music that I do enjoy is shoehorned into a category that I can play in limited places because of the lyrical content. The bigger problem continues to be that I can't listen to it much, because I can't stand the lyrical content myself!!

I don't know if you can categorise this as comedy or childish. They have narrowed their market remarkably by writing the songs they have, but perhaps in a shrinking market they are actually finding new fans because of this. I do believe they have polarised the fan base. As I said at the beginning, I think you will either love this or hate this. My own opinion is that a promising product doesn't quite live up to its potential.

Rating "It won't suck itself" I respectfully disagree. 1.5/5

639. Devin Townsend Project / Ghost. 2011. 0.5/5

About ten years ago my wife went out and bought a double CD called Open Space: The Classic Chillout Album, which was exactly as the title suggested. It contains about 40 songs that all sound exactly the same, in supposedly calming nature which is meant to be enjoyed in a relaxed, quiet atmosphere to help the listener to 'chill out'. Quite honestly, it is up there with some of the worst albums it has ever been my misfortune to have to listen to. It is possibly even more vile than those champions of crap, Echobrain and Lulu.

The reason I bring this up is because when I first put on Ghost I thought I had inadvertently put on Open Space: The Classic Chillout Album by mistake.

Ghost is an exercise by Devin Townsend to complete a four album stint which apparently showcases the four parts of his personality or some such crap. So do you describe this album as his soft and sensitive side, or his boring as shit, crap, lobotomised side? How harsh in judgement can you be? Quite clearly, this album is not to my taste in music, and despite the fact that it is a part of a quadrilogy of set styles, should I be bagging it? Well... yes, I can. Because if Iron Maiden came out and did this album, I would be roasting them. If Metallica came out and did this album, well, I guess we'd all shrug our shoulders and just expect it.

There is no question that the quality of the playing and production is top notch. That has never been in question in Devin's work. But I can't swallow this bile. Obviously there are any number of people who will enjoy this album, many of them who would have nothing to do with Devin's other work. If you are into new age or ambient music, this may in fact be your Abbey Road. But as a conclusion to his Project, it is even more disconcerting than what has come before it.

638. Devin Townsend Project / Deconstruction. 2011. 1.5/5

It was only at a friend's insistence that I “must listen to his new albums” that I decided to revisit Devin Townsend and his work. It has been some time since I had listened to Strapping Young Lad's Alien album, which had both intrigued and bored me at the same time. In short, his style of manic mayhem does not sit in my sphere of music listening enjoyment. However, having had the albums forced into my hands and told to report back with “how much you loved them”, I decided to delve into its mystique.

As with most of his stuff, this is really out there. It is the kind of music that I can imagine some parents listening to for about thirty seconds and then calling up for the priest to perform an exorcism. It truly is a wall of sound, punctuated by periods of morose acoustic musings. Some of these songs (“Juular” in particular, and half of “The Mighty Masturbator”) almost sound like he’s trying to write a carnival song - albeit an extreme type of carnival song. There’s a bit of everything here, and while that will no doubt please his followers, it really just confuses me.

I appreciate Devin’s undoubted talents, all the way back to his version of Judas Priest’s “Sinner” on A Tribute to Judas Priest: Legends of Metal tribute album. But his own music and style just doesn’t sit with me at all. Deconstruction to me is a little like sitting in the dentist’s chair – the soft mood music is the edginess before it all starts, and the frantic wave of noise is the dentist’s drill as it hacks into your molars. I can absolutely see why fans of Devin Townsend would love this, because it is much like his other material. To be honest, I will at some stage have to check out the first two albums in this four piece set just to satisfy my curiosity, but I no longer need to dwell on this album, nor its successor Ghost.

636. Sixx:A.M. / This Is Gonna Hurt. 2011. 2/5.

Another Nikki Sixx side project that shows potential without really ever getting into gear. I was intrigued with his previous effort, Brides of Destruction, and got well and truly burned by it. I wasn't sure what to expect on this occasion.

I honestly cannot put my finger on what it is that stops me from completely liking this release. Is it the fact that it is almost in the vein of commercial hard rock such as the abhorred Nickelback? Is it that James Michael's vocals are just a little too much like they are honey coated, and perhaps closing in to be similar to the vocals in the abhorred Nickelback and also to Myles Kennedy? Is it just that the style of music is not to my preferred heavy metal taste? Is it that this is yet another release that has prgrammed drum tracks rather than the real thing being played? You can take all of those answers and you still wouldn't be quite correct, but you'd be closer to the outcome.

The opener "This Is Gonna Hurt" is catchy, and it is the song that encouraged me to give the album a chance. The follow up songs "Lies of the Beautiful People" and "Are You With Me" also have their moments. "Live Forever" is where things start to head in the wrong direction. It has a very commercialised rock feel to the song both vocally and musically, and it does not sit right with me. Worse is to follow on "Sure Feels Right", the rock ballad that is directed at people who have musical taste a full 180 degrees apart from me. Cliched rubbish. "Deadlihood" is in much the same fashion as "Live Forever" as a very average type of hard rock song. "Smile" is the next ballad on the album (not even a power ballad or a rock ballad. It's just a ballad). Woeful.

Well, I guess you are starting to get the idea. It's not as if I thought i was going to get a superstar album, something that was going to blow me away with raw power and aggression. What we have is actually a fairly slickly written, recorded and produced hard rock album that is competently played and sung. And no doubt there is an audience out there that will lap it up. But the combination of standardised rock and ballad compositions really does little for me in the long run. It is missing a couple of vital ingredients that could make it someting worth talking about. In the end, apart from a couple of entries, it is rather run of the mill.

629. Scorpions / Comeblack. 2011. 3/5

With the news a couple of years ago that Scorpions were going to release their final album, and then follow that up with their final tour, there was expectation and weariness. Sting in the Tail came and went, another average release with that good ol' Scorpions sound. And then this arrives on the doorstep, and the initial thoughts are, 'mid-tour filler?' Well, the answer is, for the most part, yes.
Scorpions have had any number of greatest hits albums. I think I have five or six of them myself. How many generations of listeners do you have to try and lure in with yet another compilation, when in all likelihood you've dragged in all the fans you can muster?

The lure of Comeblack is the twofold set-up of the album. The first half contains several of the band's most popular hits, re-recorded in the current day and given a spit polish with a modern edge. And it is a veritable best of - "Rhythm of Love", "No One Like You", "The Zoo", "Rock You Like A Hurricane", "Blackout", "Wind of Change" and "Still Loving You". These are the songs that made Scorpions the band they are. They all sound great. But we've heard it all before. Could this not have been an opportunity, given that this is supposedly the swansong for the band, to drag up some rarities, some gems that aren't as well known, and up date them well and give them some exposure to fans who may well not know they even existed? Did it really need yet another shot at "Rock You Like A Hurricane" to get people to buy this album? It's great to listen to, but I think it was an opportunity lost.

The second half of the album are cover  versions of songs that the band enjoy or drew inspiration from. It is an eclectic mix. The Gloria Jones song (though made much more famous by Soft Cell's version in the early 80's) "Tainted Love" is given a funky do-over, and is probably the best version of the secondary part of the album. T.Rex's well known and well covered "Children of the Revolution" is another standout. The other artists to be honored here are The Beatles' with "Across the Universe", Small Faces' "Tin Soldier", The Kinks' "All Day and All of the Night" and The Rolling Stones' "Ruby Tuesday", and all of these versions have a bit of the Scorpions sound injected into them.

While the album is done well, performed well, and produced well, it's a novelty. The Scorpions songs will always be better in their original album environment, because that's what we remember them as. The cover songs are like all bands who do cover albums - these versions sound OK for a few listens, but if the songs are any good, you will always drift back to the original versions because of that. Worth a listen, but in the end it's a stocking filler.

625. Edguy / Age of the Joker. 2011. 1/5

With Tobias Sammet bouncing between engagements with Edguy, and with the success of the expansionistic episodes of Avantasia's The Wicked Symphony and  Angel of Babylon as well as the live tour and album that followed, it was always going to be interesting to see what he had left in the tank inspiration-wise for his number one act. Not only whether it could live up to what Edguy had done in the past, but whether it could pull itself out of the massive shadow that the multi-starred Avantasia was casting.

What they were thinking when they put "Robin Hood" as the lead-off song here though, I have no idea. This was also the single lifted from the album (albeit a radio friendly 4 minute version), but at over eight minutes in length it is about five minutes too long. It could have had the chaff sifted out and shortened significantly to make it a more appealing song. This song also enhances the opinion that the band has left behind the power metal of wonderful albums like Mandrake and Hellfire Club and progressed closer towards a rock direction.
"Nobody's Hero" is like a throwaway song, something written as a B-side of a single, not the second song of a major album. "Rock of Cashel" sounds like it is trying to be a Blind Guardian song, without the pace and power of a Blind Guardian song. It is quite bland and uninteresting while bringing in the mandolins to try and create an old medievil fair sound. Not good. 
More is to come. The steel guitars come out in "Pandora's Box", which, seriously, should never appear in a song by a power metal band. It just isn't right at all, and while experimentation is fine, surely not in this way. A power metal ballad featuring steel and slide guitars makes this a dreadfully awful track with no redeeming features.
"Breathe" tries to come back to something close to Edguy's classic speed and power metal roots, before the almost gagworthy soft rock ballad "Two Out of Seven" drags the album back into the sickly mire of mediocrity. Is this all Tobi has left? It is repulsive.
"Faces in the Darkness" tries hard to restore some semblance of order but is still too close to the previous song to really enjoy. Finally, "The Arcane Guild" comes, bringing a pacey guitar riff and vocals that more closely resemble the Edguy of old. This is the pick of the album by a country mile.
Of course, it was too good to last, and "Fire on the Downline", despite great vocals from Tobi, is just another power rock ballad with little substance or heart, as if the guitar section of the band had been completely forgotten about.
"Behind the Gates to Midnight World" isn't a completely lost cause, and it does have its moments, though it isn't able to hold onto its momentum all the way through. However, all this is offset by the lacklustre and weak effort of "Every Night Without You". The closing song on the album is a close fought tussle of worst ever Edguy song. This is pretty much like a really awful Bryan Adams ballad, except that the Bryan Adams ballad would be better than this piece of shite. Truly, truly awful uninspiring crap.

I was so looking forward to this album when it was released, and have rarely been as let down by an album as I was by Age of the Joker. As a power metal band from the continent, Edguy has been one of the leaders in the first half of the previous decade. In recent times they have slipped a little, and whether that can be attributed to the amount of time their leader has spent with his 'side project', and that his creative juices have been used more thoroughly on Avantasia than Edguy is perhaps up in the air. Whatever the reason, this isn't what I was looking for nor hoping for from a band who I have a lot of time and respect for.

624. Dream Theater / A Dramatic Turn of Events. 2011. 3/5

The lead-up to this album being written, recorded and released was overshadowed by the circumstances regarding drummer Mike Portnoy quitting the band he had helped to form. The months spent producing the album had stories passing back and forth over what had happened and why. In the long run, despite his obvious importance to most parts of the Dream Theater machine, it was going to be interesting to see what the band would produce given that his sway had now left the process.

I think every Dream Theater album is beginning to morph into each other, such is the similar nature of the song structure and sound of the songs on them all. The opening track "On the Backs of Angels" is a good song, but it's in the same element as most of their opening songs. James La Brie even seems to be singing in the same pitch location. What are they doing, just bringing out the same mold each time and casting the same elements? That's not quite accurate of course, but in many ways it's a lot closer to the truth. "Build Me Up, Break Me Down" and "Lost Not Forgotten" are also atypical Dream Theater movements, combining the melding of keyboards and guitar whilst the bass holds the song together underneath these elements.
From here on in though, it becomes really hard work. I know Dream Theater have made an art form of 10 minute plus compositions, but truly, unless you have enough in them to retain the interest, you begin to look for the 'skip' button. On past albums they have done it in magnificent fashion on any number of songs - "A Change of Seasons", "The Glass Prison" and pretty much the entire Train of Thought album - but here I confess it just seems like the songs drag on forever, and begin to blend from one to the next. "Bridges in the Sky", "Outcry" and "Breaking All Illusions" are only broken up by dis-interesting ballad "Far From Heaven", before finishing with the less than inspiring "Beneath the Surface".

I've no doubt that the hard core Dream Theater fans will again consider this album to be a triumph and praise its claims to the heavens. Personally I have struggled to be completely enthused about a Dream Theater album since in the imperial Train of Thought. While the musicianship continues to be of the highest class, the songs to me just aren't holding my interest throughout. Comparing this to fellow progressive metal outfit Symphony X's last two album's, Paradise Lost and Iconoclast they just aren't in the same street. I'm not proclaiming that the end is nigh for Dream Theater, but I know where my preferences have switched to in recent years, and I'm not sure whether they can be retrieved from that direction. This is not a bad album by any means, but it just isn't a super one that you expect from this band.

620. Lou Reed & Metallica / Lulu. 2011. 0.5/5

I cannot say that there was any moment - from the first rumours until its ultimate release and my initial listenings - that I thought that this was going to be very good, or that it was a good idea. However, the great thing about being hugely successful icons of the music industry (as both parties here undoubtedly are) and not necessarily having to do things for the money anymore, is that you can do practically anything you suddenly have a fetish for without any qualms or problems. To me, this fits in perfectly here for both Metallica and Lou Reed.
So you can't go in expecting it to be a Lou Reed album, and you can't go in expecting it to be a Metallica album. Well, what the hell can you expect?!

In the end, it is a motley of farcical spoken ranting, repetitive monotonous and grainy instrumental backing music that bores you almost to a coma in passages, and uncomfortable leaderless song compositions. It's hard to get enthused about something that is about as exciting as watching paint dry. The songs, in most cases, are just sooooooooo long for no reward. The song structures appear to just be make them as long as possible without actually doing anything interesting either musically or vocally. The final two songs alone stretch for almost 31 minutes. Are you kidding me? Why was it thought this was necessary? Was there no one in the studio who thought to say "hey guys... a little long here"? Honestly, two CDs totalling almost 90 minutes is just further proof that this was a love fest for both parties, doing what they felt like without a strong producer there to try and wind the egos back to reality. Maybe - MAYBE - if this had been edited down in to a CD album lasting maybe 50 minutes to an hour... no, even that wouldn't have saved it.

Start off with four minutes of James chanting "Small town giiiirrrll" while other endless words are spoken by Reed ("Brandenburg Gate"). Then there's the four minutes of the same riff while interchanging Reed's poetry and James half-arsed 'chorus' before a quick solo break ("The View"). Then there is seven and a half minutes of noise, UNPLEASANT squealing noise, broken up by a little bit of decent work from Lars, but generally just awful ("Pumping Blood").
"Mistress Dread" starts out promisingly, but then you realise that it is just the same guitar/drum riff for five freaking minutes, with Reed droning on over the top of it, then a slight change for the remaining two minutes of the song. Ditto "Iced Honey", a reasonable hard rock riff that doesn't change for four and a half minutes. "Cheat On Me", eleven and a half minutes of rubbish. "Frustration" (plenty of that by this time, I can assure you) has the closest thing to a decent riff so far on the album - it sounds incredibly like a Black Sabbath riff - but it is wasted here in this song and arrangement. "Little Dog" sounds like something grunge bands use as their "hidden track" at the end of a CD. In other words eight minutes of crap.
And yet, after all of that, it is not ALL bad. There are small pockets of time here when your ears prick up, and you think "wow... there's great riff" or "hey, I like that fill", mostly probably within the songs "Frustration" and "Dragon". It's just that they come so infrequently and are drowned out by so much average rubbish that they cannot lift the entire album from out of the mire of mediocrity. "Junior Dad" at almost twenty minutes is just an album killer - seriously, anyone who mades it this far is really going to have trouble getting through this monster shocker.

In the long run, Lou Reed and Metallica did this project for themselves, and no doubt enjoyed themselves doing it and creating it. I'm sure they would have preferred that it was universally loved rather than panned, but that hasn't - and can't be - the case. I can't speak for Lou Reed fans, but for Metallica fans, it is something best not spoken about.

619. Whitesnake / Live at Donington 1990. 2011. 4/5

The long-overdue release of this Donington headlining performance has always seemed a little strange to me, given that most of us (myself included) have possessed an A-quality bootleg of the concert for over a decade. Why then do you wait until just a couple of months after you have released a new solo album (the rank average Forevermore) to also throw this into the mix as well? Is it to remind the old fans that they are still around, and by the way we have a new album out as well? I don't know, but the marketing side of things seemed a little unusual.

So here in all of its glory is Whitesnake live in 1990 on the Slip of the Tongue tour, with David Coverdale surrounded by a fair armoury of Steve Vai, Adrian Vandenberg, Rudy Sarzo and Tommy Aldridge. Like many live performances of the age, it was a mixed bag. Coverdale's vocals in a live setting often seem to be a little out, whether it is just that he can't do live what he does in the studio (and he's not the only vocalist in that boat) or that it just doesn't come across great in the recording, but at times in some tracks he appears to be struggling. No big drama, that's live music. The song list is a mix of new and old, of fast and slow, and because of this the album runs hot and cold.
The album starts off with a bang, with "Slip of the Tongue" exploding out of the speakers, followed by "Slide It In" and the powerful "Judgement Day". No argument here, we're moving along well. "Slow An' Easy" slows the tempo down a little, before the gangbusters "Kittens Got Claws" raises the bar once again.

From here though, we move into the middle of the album, where everything gets a little awkward. When you are at a live show, watching the band perform and jumping around, there can be seen to be a little bit of sense in the 'solo break'. It gives the other band member s a break and, in my case at least, an opportunity for the crowd to grab a beer or a smoke before hostilities recommence. However, on a live album that you are listening to in the comfort of your home or in the car, solo breaks are unnecessary and above all else - boring!
So here it is that amongst some of Whitesnake's biggest songs - "Cheap An' Nasty", "Crying in the Rain" and "Fool For Your Loving" - we are subjected to Vandenberg's solo break, then Aldridge's solo break, and then Vai's solo break. Great for people at the show. Almost completely futile for those of us who just want to listen to the songs.
"Here I Go Again" and the super "Bad Boys" close out the bulk of the show, before the very average "Ain't No Love in the Heart of the City" and the overblown "Still of the Night" complete the album if not overwhelmingly, then perhaps less than excitedly.

This is an excellent recoding of a moment in history, when Whitesnake were at their theoretical peak in regards to commercial success. Despite the reticence I have displayed here, this is still worth grabbing and listening to, unless you have that bootleg of the gig tucked away somewhere. If you do, then its quality is just as good as this, so save your dollars.

603. Metallica / 2011-12-10: The Fillmore, San Francisco, CA, USA. 2011. 4.5/5

This is the fourth and final of four nights that Metallica played as their 30th Anniversary celebrations, bringing together old band mates and musician friends to have a rocking old time.
All four nights had a similar theme and arrangement, though with different songs and guests.

Each night started with an instrumental, and the fourth night was the turn of the brilliant "Orion" to be played in all its glory. What a magnificent song it is.
For the 'back catalogue collection' on this evening, there was more great songs. "Through the Never", "Ride the Lightning", "The God That Failed" and "Welcome Home (Sanitarium)".

Then came the "new song" of the night, one of the four songs that had come from the Death Magnetic sessions but not made the cut for the album. All four were later released on the Beyond Magnetic EP. Tonight's addition was "Rebel of Babylon", which to my ears would have been the closest to making the Death Magnetic album.

From here we move into the 'special guests' stage of the evening. First was Dennis and Annette Diaz, who had scored a YouTube hit with the performance of "Master of Puppets" at their wedding. Tonight they were on stage for "Blackened".
Bob Rock, who produced four Metallica albums, and replaced Jason Newsted when recording the St Anger album, came out to play two songs off that album, "Dirty Window" and "Frantic".

One of the highlights came next, with legendary bassist Geezer Butler joined the band on stage to play their medley of the Black Sabbath classics "Sabbra Cadabra" and "A National Acrobat". To top that off, Ozzy Osbourne himself then made his way on the stage to perform the stock standard "Iron Man" and "Paranoid". Just brilliant.

For the fourth and final time, Jason Newsted returned for another two song stint with his former band mates. One wonders how he felt at the end of playing "King Nothing" and "Whiplash", knowing it would probably be the final time he did so.

The end of the night, and the four nights, was left to the originals.
Hugh Tanner, who came on to play "Motorbreath" was in band's with Hetfield at school. 30-odd years later, to play with them on stage, must have been a moment.
This was followed by the moment that probably every Metallica fan around the world had been waiting for, the return of Dave Mustaine. After 30 years of ill words between the parties, they were all back on stage together. They belted out original Metallica classics "Phantom Lord", "Jump in the Fire" and "Metal Militia" to great applause.
To top this off, original Metallica bassist Ron McGoveny and another former guitarist in Lloyd Grant, who played on the original recording of "Hit the Lights", joined the mass on stage to play this song. It was a real trip down memory lane for everyone.

The evening finished with an all-star jam, everyone from the night coming together to play the party encore, "Seek & Destroy".

There was plenty of interesting pieces on this recording, and in most ways it was the perfect way to conclude the first 30 years of Metallica.

602. Metallica / 2011-12-09: The Fillmore, San Francisco, CA, USA. 2011. 4/5

This is the third of four nights that Metallica played as their 30th Anniversary celebrations, bringing together old band mates and musician friends to have a rocking old time.
All four nights had a similar theme and arrangement, though with different songs and guests.

Each night started with an instrumental, and the third night was only the second time ever that "Suicide & Redemption", was played live.
For the 'back catalogue collection' on this evening, well... what more could you ask for really. "Master of Puppets", "... And Justice For All", "Of Wolf and Man", "Fade to Black" and "The Thing That Should Not Be", all awesome songs. These were followed by "I Disappear" and "The Outlaw Torn"

Then came the "new song" of the night, one of the four songs that had come from the Death Magnetic sessions but not made the cut for the album. All four were later released on the Beyond Magnetic EP. Tonight's addition was "Hell and Back", which is listenable enough, if overdrawn.

From here we move into the 'special guests' stage of the evening. First was another member of Metallica's 'MetClub' fan club, Joseph Guariglia, who came up to play on "Blitzkrieg". This was followed by Jerry Cantrell from Alice In Chains coming out to help with two songs, "For Whom The Bell Tolls", and vocal harmonies on "Nothing Else Matters".
Animal from Anti-Nowhere League came out to sing his standard "So What" before Cantrell returned with Pepper Keenan from Down, big Jim Martin from Faith No More, and Gary Rossington from Lynard Skynard to do the Skynard song "Tuesday's Gone" which Metallica had covered on the Garage Inc. album.
Jason Newsted returned for his third night in succession, this time to belt out crowd favourites "Fuel" and "Fight Fire With Fire".

Tonight's main event was the arrival of Glenn Danzig to help perform Metallica's favourite Misfits covers, those of course being "Die, Die My Darling", "Last Caress" and "Green Hell". It's great to hear the great man with the band behind him.

Can you top that? Well, you go close when you bring out the Godfather, Judas Priest's Rob Halford, to perform "Rapid Fire". Brilliant stuff.

The evening finished with an all-star jam, everyone from the night coming together to play the party encore, "Seek & Destroy".

Once again, the night was an eclectic affair, with something for everyone. The recording shows it off well, as an historic moment in the band's career.

601. Metallica / 2011-12-07: The Fillmore, San Francisco, CA, USA. 2011. 4/5

This is the second of four nights that Metallica played as their 30th Anniversary celebrations, bringing together old band mates and musician friends to have a rocking old time.
All four nights had a similar theme and arrangement, though with different songs and guests.

Each night started with an instrumental, and the second night was the first time ever that "To Live Is to Die", was played live, the brilliant instrumental from ... And Justice For All which is the last recorded material with Cliff Burton's name on the writing credits. It was a wonderful way to start the gig, and perhaps left it far too much to live up to following it.
We are again then presented with an assortment of the back catalogue - the ever present crowd favourite "Enter Sandman", the great and under-utilised "Holier Than Thou", the awesome "Disposable Heroes", "Bleeding Me", "Wasting My Hate" and "My Apocalypse".

Then came the "new song" of the night, one of the four songs that had come from the Death Magnetic sessions but not made the cut for the album. All four were later released on the Beyond Magnetic EP. Tonight's addition was "Just A Bullet Away", which is okay, but shows why it didn't make the cut initially.

From here we move into the 'special guests' stage of the evening. First was another member of Metallica's 'MetClub' fan club, Andrew Dowis, who came up to play on "Breadfan". Again, how lucky is this bastard. This was followed by "The Memory Remains" with Marianne Faithfull, who provided supporting vocals on the song on the album Reload, followed by a great version of Sweet Savage's "Killing Time" featuring the band's lead vocalist and bass player Ray Haller.
Then band then rolled out "Turn the Page", a Bob Seger song that Metallica covered for Garage Inc. and then spent eleven weeks at #1 in the US. This was sung by Kid Rock, who has also covered the song, and sung it with Metallica in the past. After this, John Bush (whose band Armored Saint had played earlier as support) came out and crushed a version of "The Four Horsemen", bringing the house down.

The next set of songs brought Lou Reed onto stage, to perform three songs from the collabarative album that he and Metallica had released earlier in 2011, Lulu. It had been a controversial move, and the album that was the result of this was panned. Those that like the album will enjoy this. I do not, and really don't.

Jason Newsted came out for the second evening in a row, and helped to return the set to the heights it should be at with blistering versions of "Creeping Death" and "Battery".
The pinnacle of the night came with the original member of Mercyful Fate coming out to perform Metallica's tribute to the band released on Garage Inc., titled "Mercyful Fate", which contains the songs "Satan's Fall", "Curse of the Pharaohs", "A Corpse Without Soul", "Into the Coven" and "Evil". Just awesome.

The evening finished with an all-star jam, everyone from the night coming together to play the party encore, "Seek & Destroy".

Though not as terrific overall as the first night, this still has enough interesting moments to fill a couple of listens.

600. Metallica / 2011-12-05: The Fillmore, San Francisco, CA. 2011. 4/5

This is the first of four nights that Metallica played as their 30th Anniversary celebrations, bringing together old band mates and musician friends to have a rocking old time.
All four nights had a similar theme and arrangement, though with different songs and guests.

Each night started with an instrumental, and the first night was a wonderful version of "The Call of Ktulu", one of their best, just a brilliant song. This was followed by an eclectic selection of songs from their back catalogue that are rarely heard live - "No Remorse", "The Shortest Straw", the awesome "Leper Messiah", recent opener "The Day That Never Comes" and "Carpe Diem Baby" for the first time ever live.

Then came the "new song" of the night, one of the four songs that had come from the Death Magnetic sessions but not made the cut for the album. All four were later released on the Beyond Magnetic EP. Tonight's addition was "Hate Train", which is arguably the better of the four over these nights. This was followed by the Nazareth cover, "Please Don't Judas Me".

From here we move into the 'special guests' stage of the evening. First was a member of Metallica's 'MetClub' fan club, John Dent, who came up to play guitar on "Wherever I May Roam". You would probably be just a little bit stoked about being able to do that. Then Metal Church's guitarist John Marshall, who was also a guitar tech with the band, and has on occasions filled in for James Hetfield when he has been incapacitated, came up to play on "Sad But True", before Rob Trujillo did a bit of doodling with "(Anesthesia) Pulling Teeth".

Support act for the night, the Finnish cello group Apocalyptica, who started out their life as a Metallica cover band, came out to join Metallica on stage and help out on a great version of "No Leaf Clover" as well as adding their unique style to the first half of "One". Following this, former bass player Jason Newsted made his way out to perform "Harvester of Sorrow" and "Damage Inc." with his former band mates, taking obvious glee in providing backing vocals once again in both of these songs.

More cover songs followed this. Saxon's lead vocalist Biff Byford came out and sang on a rousing version of that band's (probable) most famous song, "Motorcycle Man". After this, arguably the two people most influential in Metallica's musical love and direction came out, the mighty Diamond Head's lead singer Sean Harris and lead guitar Brian Tatler. To the delight of fans and band alike, they performed four of their songs that have been made more famous by Metallica than they probably could ever have been - "The Prince", "It's Electric", "Helpless" and "Am I Evil?", all absolute classics. This is what makes this night special, this kind of coming together of a legendary band, and the band that THEY looked up to and was inspired by.

The evening finished withan all-star jam, everyone from the night coming together to play the party encore, "Seek & Destroy".

This is a great live album of a great event and it is well worth a couple of listens for posterity.