1097. The Unity / Rise. 2018. 3.5/5

With Gamma Ray still on hiatus as Kai Hansen participates in the juggernaut that is the Helloween reunion tour, The Unity continued on their way as a group uninterrupted and decided to follow up their debut album with another one in quick time, no doubt as they had been writing songs on the road but also to give them a better choice of material to perform live. Thus we have Rise.

I went in to this album expecting a lot more than I did of the first, mainly because they had now been on the road and come together as a band for twelve months, and now for their sophomore effort I wanted to hear the growth that would have come from that time together. There was always going to be the anticipation of something close to what Gamma Ray has always produced, but more than anything else I wanted something hard and fast and catchy. I got some of that, but maybe not as much as I was hoping for.
The opening tracks do come across as the best on the album, which sets it up to drag the listener in hard at the start. The opening instrumental “Revenge” leads in to the fast and flailing opening track “Last Betrayal”, full of great guitars and high pitched vocals that illuminate the best of the power metal sound. This cascades into the harder edge of “You Got Me Wrong”, full of excellent riffs and layered vocals that hit the right chords. “The Storm” follows this, but it is a fairly average hard rock song that doesn’t provide any real excitement beyond the standard lyrics/chorus/guitar signature. “Road to Nowhere” has a much better sound to it, with the harder edged drums and guitar riff thumping through the song.
The middle of the album keeps the album on an even keel, perhaps promising more than it delivers depending on your own point of view. I enjoy “Welcome Home” which is upbeat and vibrant, with a join-in-chanting chorus that just begs for a live audience to sing along. “All That Is Real” is a change up in style that actually works better than I would have expected. It utilises the emotional value of the spectrum without pulling it into the dark depths of a power ballad, and for me this track is perfectly executed, especially with the keys around the vocals. This is followed by “No Hero” which like “Welcome Home” is another sing-along song - though it probably feels more like that as they released a lyric video for it – and though it doesn’t procreate the genre it is still one of those songs that is catchy and gets in your head.
“The Willow Tree” slows down the pace again, bringing in the emotive vocals without completely digressing into the power ballad area. Though it sounds great, and Henjo’s guitar work is just terrific, the song is not one I can get on board with. “Above Everything” is designed as another crowd involvement number and again is performed well but sits a bit right of centre for me. For my taste these songs are missing something that would make them worth listening to time and again, and it is just the style more than anything else.
“Children of the Light” is much more in my musical frame with a much more enjoyable tempo led by the sterling double kick drumming from Michael Ehre and brilliant soloing from Henjo once again. “Better Day” and “L.I.F.E.” not the closing songs I was looking for, as again like a few songs in the middle they are missing that ingredient that appeals to my taste. Everything just seems a bit flat and lifeless compared to the better tracks on the album.

There can be no argument about the ability of the members of the band and their musicianship. Everything sounds great and is performed perfectly. The songs here cover a broad range of the genre, with the faster and more lively songs such as “Last Betrayal” for me being the star attractions, while the songs that settle in the middle range don’t quite have the kick necessary to drive any enthusiasm.
When I first heard the album I was immediately won over. After thirty or so listens I find that the good songs still resonate with me, but the ones that are not up to that high standard tend to pull the album back as a whole. Jan Manenti has a great set of vocal chords and gives another great performance here, showing similarities to Jorn Lande along the way. Henjo Richter is superb once again on guitar and is well supported by guitar partner Stefan Ellerhorst and Jogi Sweers on bass. Michael Ehre’s drumming is as solid as always.

This is a better-than-average album for those who enjoy this branch of the heavy metal tree. It doesn’t really bring anything new to the table, and it won’t be an outstanding addition to your collection. Despite this, there is more than enough here to enjoy, and in a year where there was not a great deal of outstanding albums released this is one that will be better than most.

Best songs: “Last Betrayal”, “You Got Me Wrong”, “Welcome Home”, “All That is Real”, “Children of the Light”

Rating: “You think you're strong, but I won't give up anymore”. 3.5/5

1095. Powerwolf / The Sacrament of Sin. 2018. 3.5/5

I have only come across Powerwolf over the last 18 months as Spotify continues to broaden my ability to take in new bands of genres that I enjoy, and given my penchant for European power metal bands this seems like a good fit. I had a choice to either go back to 2005 and check out the band from its beginning or instead take on their latest release and see what they have been producing in recent times. It is the latter path I have decided to tread, and thus I came to The Sacrament of Sin.

From the very beginning it has everything I like about this kind of music. Great vocals, fantastic double kick on the drums, terrific guitaring and soloing and the ever-present keyboards adding their support to the mix. It is the initial build up and then double-kick drumming of the opening track “Fire & Forgive” that lures me in, and it kicks off the album superbly with the anthemic vocals pushed along by the speed of the music underneath, encouraging you to sing along as well. “Demons Are a Girl’s Best Friend” has the first incantation of the “woah-oh-oah" that is inbuilt to have crowds singing along at the concerts, but is just as effective at home in the lounge room. “Killers with the Cross” drags the pace and beat back into a more traditional metal or hard rock frame, and it is the vocals again that make you feel like singing along, while the solo breaks are impressive as well. “Incense & Iron” follows a similar trajectory and is also good, allowing the chants and fist pumping vocals to drive their way throughout.
“Where the Wild Wolves Have Gone” is the power ballad of sorts, slower and resoundingly more introspective. As per usual when it comes to this type of song it is not in my sphere of entertainment, though I am well aware that it is (apparently) necessary to have at least of these songs on every power metal album. It’s done well, but it’s not my cup of tea. “Stossgebet” is a good song without being brilliant, perhaps trying too hard for that epic sound. “Nightside of Siberia” returns the album to the front foot with another song based on solid rhythm and chanting vocals. This is followed by the excellent title track “The Sacrament of Sin” where the fire and speed returns in full bloom. For me this is where the best aspects of the band come to the fore. When the double kick drives the guitars to full speed and the vocals are allowed to flow along in symphony the band sounds at its best. This is a great song, and is followed by “Venom of Venus” which continues the great thematic values of the album. The final two songs, “Nighttime Rebel” and “Fist by Fist (Sacralize or Strike)” finish off the album on a good note.

Five or six full rotation plays in and I have to say that Powerwolf have got me on board. It is all and well to utilise all of the aspects that comes with being a power metal band – using the word ‘power’ in your band name is a bit of a giveaway – but you still have to do it well to pull it off, because if it is less than great it will just be a turn off. Here on The Sacrament of Sin at least I think they have the mix right. The guitars dominate the keyboards which I am a fan of. I like the keyboard aspect in power metal but sometimes think it is overplayed. Here the guitars of Matthew and Charles Greywolf are the dominant feature which gives the songs more depth and strength. The drumming of Roel van Helden is terrific, and the vocals of Attila Dorn are pleasantly enjoyable.

While the start and end of the album outweighs what comes in the middle, this for me is a more than enjoyable first stop on the Powerwolf band wagon. There’s no doubt I will now have to work my way through the discography to see if they have been on this wavelength throughout their existence.

Best songs: “The Sacrament of Sin”, “Venom of Venus”, “Fire & Forgive” and “Killers with the Cross”.

Rating: “From their destiny they wake, bring hypocrisy and hate”. 3.5/5

1091. Alice Cooper / A Paranormal Evening with Alice Cooper at the Olympia Paris [Live]. 2018. 5/5

While Alice Cooper’s output of albums has been remarkably consistent given the length of his career as an artist, over the course of this time there have been less live albums released by his band than you may have expected. Given his legendary status as a live artist this may be construed as unusual, but the scarcity of them actually improves their output. Indeed, when this release was announced I found myself looking forward to it immensely to not only hear what he and his current band sound like live but what flavours we were likely to get from it.

Choosing any set list for any tour is a tough ask, trying to find the balance between the old and the new, the popular and the obscure, the songs you can’t possibly leave out and the ones that the fans really want to hear. There is nothing easy about it, and the longer an artist has been around the more difficult it is. Alice Cooper has 27 studio albums worth of material to choose from and only a finite time on stage in which to play, and given the amazing hits that have been produced over the years it must be a crazy decision to decide what to shoehorn in to that allowed time.
I have always loved A Fistful of Alice because it not only managed to put together a great set list comprising both the great hits from both the past and that present time, but it gave the whole show a modern sound without being detrimental to the source material. It is a great live album. The gratifying thing is that A Paranormal Evening with Alice Cooper at the Olympia Paris is exactly the same. It is a brilliant mix of all pieces of the Alice Cooper story, and every song sounds brilliant in its own way. The band and entourage sounds brilliant, a terrific ensemble of musicians and singers who do justice to every track.
From the very start this clicks into gear with a great selection of songs. Opening with the underrated “Brutal Planet”, you are then hit with three of Alice’s all time classics, the hard rocking trio of “No More Mr. Nice Guy”, the brilliant “Under My Wheels” and the timeless “Department of Youth”. It’s a nice touch having these legendary track opening the set, as well as having “I’m Eighteen” and “School’s Out” closing out the album in style. The way in which Alice mixes the lyrics from the other schoolkid rebellious song of that era, Pink Floyd’s “Another Brick in the Wall”, into the melody lines of “School’s Out” is a particularly effective way of closing out the show. Within the middle of the set we are also favoured with high energy versions of “Billion Dollar Babies”, “Cold Ethyl” and constant companion “Only Women Bleed”. All of these legendary tracks still hold their own after all of these years, and the versions played here are superb. Most fans know these songs off by heart and are crowd favourites from that era.
However, what makes this such a great live album is that there are plenty of surprises here from the first third of Alice’s career apart from those classic tracks, and each of them comes off superbly. “Pain” from Flush the Fashion, “Ballad of Dwight Fry” from Love It to Death , “Halo of Flies” from Killer and the duo of “Killer” the same album and “I Love the Dead” from Billion Dollar Babies are excellent reminders of the strength of much of the material from the 1970’s that doesn’t always get a look in when the best of Alice Cooper gets thrown around.
On the flipside the modern day material gets a fair showing. Along with the aforementioned “Brutal Planet” there are also excellent versions of “Woman of Mass Distraction” from Dirty Diamonds and “Paranoiac Personality” from his most recent release Paranormal. And as always the two big tracks from his modern day revival come in, with “Poison” and “Feed My Frankenstein”. However, for me the best track on this whole double album is the appearance of “The World Needs Guts” from the Constrictor album. I loved this album as a teenager, and hearing this song given the live treatment is a joy. It is a raucous version too which makes it even better. Thanks Alice just for this!

Do you need a new Alice Cooper live album? The answer is a resolute absolutely! At 70 years of age he shows no signs of slowing down, and this album reminds you of how huge his legacy is and how he has managed to continue to be relevant through so many decades of change in music. There is something here for everyone, for the old fans who have been around for the whole journey, and the young fans who have only cottoned on to the legend in recent times. This is a worthwhile addition to the catalogue.

Rating: “Hey you! Fighting for your life where you’ve never fought before!” 5/5

1039. Anthrax / Kings Among Scotland [Live]. 2018. 4/5

For a band that has been around for four decades, it is unusual that Anthrax has never really had a definitive live album. Iron Maiden, Slayer, Ozzy Osbourne… they all have live albums that are legendary and are caught as moments in time of the era they were recorded. Anthrax has the afterthought of their Island Records contract when it released Live: The Island Years, and then the John Bush-headed recording of Music of Mass Destruction, before the reunion with Joey Belladonna release of Alive 2 (2005). All three are good solid live albums, and Music of Mass Destructionespecially at least stands as a monument to the Bush-era songs, but for a quintessential live recording of the band there has been somewhat of a gap.

Does that make this release the live album we have been waiting for from this band? Well, to be fair to the band that moment when they could have released a live album that would stand the test of time has probably passed. Music of Mass Destruction is probably the closest they will come. And the songs have had to be naturally altered with some tuning and a slower pace in order to accommodate the changes in the techniques of the individuals in the band. Yes, tuning down in order to allow Joey to come close to singing some of the older songs that they have in this set list. For me a live recording on the Persistence of Time tour would have been the ultimate goal, but seeing as this was when I first saw them perhaps I am blinded by that.
So does this have a chance to be that definitive live album? It does have a chance, for two reasons. Disc One is a mix of the old and the new. Amongst songs taken from the album on which the band is touring, For All Kings we have a mix of classic Anthrax tunes. The new songs all sound good in this live environment, and given they had been toured for a while before this gig was recorded it shows. “Evil Twin”, “Blood Eagle Wings” and “Breathing Lightning” showcase the best of the latest studio album, and new crowd favourite “Fight ‘Em ‘Til You Can’t” from the Worship Music album still comes across well. Liberally splashing with the crowd pleasers such as “A.I.R.”, “Madhouse”, “Medusa” and “Be All End All”, there is something for everyone.
What will elevate this live album into a more accessible category is the second disc, which was the second act of the evening during the tour. It involves the playing live of the entire Among the Living album which is revered and generally accepted as Anthrax’s finest moment. It is not played here in correct running order, but that doesn’t matter in the slightest. Each of these nine amazing songs are played in full and with reverence. The crowd know all the words, and especially in the backing vocals of Scott Ian and Frankie Bello you can hear the crowd at full volume joining in. The album and gig then ends with a rousing rendition of “Antisocial”.
The band are older, and perhaps wiser. Joey Belladonna may not be quite the vocalist he was, but no one is at his age. He still does a great job throughout, and even where he has to make changes to accommodate it comes across well enough to keep the doubters at bay. Jon Donais on lead guitar does a sterling job, while Ian and Bello are as enthusiastic as always. Charlie Benante still amazes on the drums, and again while it may not be his heyday his drum sound is still one of the best in the business.

I’ll admit that after the first two or three times I listened to this I was wondering if this was just another album I would buy and within a couple of weeks would return to the collection to be hidden forever. That may still happen, given I am less likely to drag out a live album to listen to that a studio album. But I have softened my hard resolve against the tiny things I held against this release, and now I can happily continue to listen to it despite the fact I wish it had been released in 1988 and not 2018.

Rating:  “Evil witch casts her spell”.  4/5.

1038. Michael Schenker Fest / Resurrection. 2018. 4/5

Michael Schenker has been shredding his guitar for half a century now, and for much of it he has been doing it superbly. He has been in different bands with different musicians and band mates, and at times his work has been astounding. But how do you keep producing material that your fans are interested in without having it sound like the same stuff over and over again? Or is that exactly what you try and do?

With the formation of Michael Schenker Fest, what is being presented to us is a collection of songs that under any other circumstances may be seen as a fair result, though without the kind of excitement or intensity that would make it stand out from the crowd. Perhaps that is what it is anyway. But what does inspire here is the band that centres on Schenker himself also has Ted McKenna (drums) and Chris Glen (bass) from the original incarnation of the Michael Schenker Group from the early 1980’s, and they all bring that old feeling back to this album. It’s feels like a comfortable pair of shoes, you can slip into this album and feel like you are in your comfort zone.
As if that isn’t enough, just to sweeten the pot even more, we have not one, not two, not three but FOUR former vocalists who have collaborated and recorded with Schenker through the years, all here to not only perform on individual songs but to even come together and do some of the songs together. And THAT is more than enough to give this album a listen.
OK, so you have to know coming in that you are just not going to get those most memorable and brilliant guitar riffs and fireworks that you got from Schenker in his days with UFO and Scorpions and those early days of MSG. Don’t even try and kid yourself that that is going to happen. But if you come in with an open mind and you just allow the music to wash over you, I think you’ll find this is actually better than you first imagine. Because I came in wanting this to be a shred-fest and it isn’t, and it coloured my initial judgement. Once I got away from that and just listened to the album for the fun of it, I found it was terrifically enjoyable, and that Schenker’s guitar work may be toned down from his glory days but it is still excellent nonetheless. As a counterpoint, take the instrumental “Salvation” which comes at the rear of the album. THIS will straight away take you back to those MSG days, of the magic of “Into the Arena” and “Captain Nemo”. This is a great song and showcases Schenker’s best. Once you have heard this and enjoyed it, you can then focus on the rest of the album. Because there are some good moments here, and at times it sounds similar to some of those best songs we know from the band back in the 1980’s.
It’s interesting that the songs which Graham Bonnet sings on have a somewhat slower and stilted feel to them, more in the style that some of his other solo material has headed than his best MSG material. I was most looking forward to the songs he participated in. “Night Moods” fits this perfectly. “Everest” segues in from the previous song and is immediately a better fit for Bonnet’s vocals. Gary Barden has at times had problems in a live environment, but in the studio he still has the pipes to do the job. In many ways he is still the quintessential MSG vocalist and he still sounds that way in his songs here, and they sound most like the old MSG songs. “Messin’ Around” and “Livin’ a Life Worth Livin’” are his contributions here and they do exactly that. Robin McAuley may not have the same singing style as he did thirty years ago, but he still has the energy and drive in his vocals that lend themselves to the songs in a great way. His two songs are probably my favourite on the album, probably because they are the fastest and only songs with a double kick throughout. He has the opening track “Heart and Soul” which also features Metallica’s Kirk Hammett on guitar which adds to the great guitar sound it exudes, and Robin’s other track is “Time Knows When It’s Time” which also sounds great and utilises his vocal range to its utmost. In amongst all of this, current Temple of Rock vocalist Doogie White does his work well. Having worked with Schenker on that project in recent years he is obviously comfortable in his setting, and his songs, “Take Me to the Church”, “The Girl with the Stars in Her Eyes” and “Anchors Away” still have that touch of his previous band’s work in them. Then you have the complete collaboration songs, where all four vocalists combine to add their vocal chords to the same progression. The second song “Warrior” and the closing track “The Last Supper” both feature the entire ensemble, and it’s great to hear everyone together and enjoying themselves so much.

As is usually the case with some who is as revered as Schenker is in the metal music community, and who continues to record music beyond what could be considered his ‘golden years’, opinion on this album will come down to how much you allow sentiment to alter your perception. If you love Schenker’s music and also enjoy the vocalists who are on show here, then you will really enjoy what this album has to offer. As long as you aren’t expecting to hear anything ground-breaking and are happy to accept that, you will find this collaboration is worthy of your time, and an enjoyable experience.

Rating:  “We are all the same, no one is to blame, and we live on to tomorrow”  4/5

1036. Dokken / Return to the East Live [Live]. 2018. 2.5/5

The heyday of bands can stretch for any length of time, but once that heyday has been reached and passed there is no returning to it. Nostalgia can often carry a band to further heights at a later stage, and classic line up reunions can do the same. Dokken appears to have gone for most of those things combined with this live album release, and while there will be fans of the band out there who will lick this up, many others will rightly ask whether or not this release was necessary in any shape or form apart from being a money spinner.

The classic run for Dokken of Tooth and Nail, Under Lock and Key and Back for the Attack was completed by the release of the live album Beast From the East, which tied up the ends nicely before they disbanded for other projects apart from each other. Despite other albums coming and the band members changing once a reformation of sorts was accomplished seven years later, nothing has approached those four albums in the Dokken discography.
Once again though, the ‘classic’ line up reformed a couple of years ago, did a run of shows with their greatest hits through Japan again (where surely their main audience still resides), recorded a new tune and put this album together along with a live video of the shows and titled it Return to the East Live (2016). No doubt looking for the nostalgia buffs.
If you truly loved Dokken in the day, or discovered them later on, then there is no real need to invest in this package. To be honest, it is somewhat of an injustice to the memory of just how good this band was in the 1980’s where their greatest material was written and recorded. One of the first problems you run into on this recording is that there just doesn’t feel like there is any energy coming through. Dokken always thrived on stage, and on their studio albums you felt that energy pumping out of the speakers. Here however it is almost like they have produced an easy-listening version of their songs, and that they are playing in front of a crowd of grannies at an old folk’s home. It’s a soft comeback, and while I’m happy to attribute some of that to the advancing age of the participants on the stage, and perhaps even that this still wasn’t the happiest of reunions apart from being a grab for cash, it still doesn’t excuse the lounge act kind of atmosphere that most of this album seems to sound like.
One of the inescapable facts of the album is that Don’s voice just cannot do the things that it used to do in those more enlightened times. Every song has been tuned down and altered vocally so that Don can at least give a semblance of a performance of the lyrics, which is interesting because for the most part Jeff Pilson’s supporting vocals still sound the same as they ever did. So I guess for much of the time I spend listening to this album I keep hearing how the vocals SHOULD sound and in trying to marry that up with the way that Don HAS to sing them now, and it just doesn’t come together very well.

Is it a bad album? No it’s not, but it is different. This was all done better on the 1988 live album when the band was at its peak, and this is just a reunion show playing much the same material but 30 years later. The new single recorded for the release, “It’s Another Day”, does sound fine, mostly because it is recorded with the band’s current requirements being taken into account. There are also two acoustic track, “Heaven Sent” and “Will the Sun Rise”, which I can take or leave without too much trouble.
If you don’t know Dokken and want to see what they are all about, then the four albums listed above will give you the best chance to grow to love them. Unless you are a completely obsessive fan who is a die-hard lover of the band, you don’t need to hear this.

Rating:  Only for the mega-fan.  2.5/5

1035. Stryper / God Damn Evil. 2018. 3.5/5

Before I sat down to write this review of Stryper’s new album God Damn Evil, I took a look back at what I have said about their last four or five albums. Not to steal from them, but more to confirm that in essence how I feel about this album is exactly how I have felt about those albums. I didn’t want to head into writing what I guessed was essentially the same old feelings without knowing that was what I was going to do.

So yes, that’s pretty much what I’m going to do. Because here is yet another excellent sounding album by a band that rediscovered its mojo with their 2009 release Murder by Pride and has maintained that level of excellence since. And I can’t really say anything different this time around because all of the same things stand true here as they have on the previous three albums. Those being:

1. This is a Christian band, and these are Christian-themed lyrics in each song. If you are in to that kind of thing then you are in the right ballpark. If you aren’t, then you should ignore what might be being proclaimed in the lyrics and just enjoy the songs, because they still sound great.
2. The musicianship and production is fantastic. Robert Sweet’s drumming is still terrific, and drives each song perfectly. He has always seemed to get a great sound from his equipment on Stryper albums, which is not always the case on studio recordings. New bass guitarist Perry Richardson does his job admirably in support of the rhythm section.
3. The guitars of Oz Fox and Michael Sweet are just incredible. Not only the sound they get, but the brilliant riffs and soloing from the two of them has always been one of the major themes that draws me to this band. Whatever you might think of their themes, the actual guitaring is always magnificent and more than worth coming back to hear time and time again.
4. The vocal chords of Michael Sweet. I’m not sure if he has ever gotten due praise for his voice. It is one of the best in the business, in any genre of music. In harmony with Oz Fox, these two just nail every song and still hit notes that are surely impossible to sing.

I don’t always find particular songs to rave about on Stryper albums now, but I can put on this album and listen all the way through and then have a repeat dose. There are some things mixed in on this edition, the chorus high pitched screaming of “TAKE IT TO THE CROSS!” on the opening track of the same name is a change in habit, and then the drop back in intensity in “Sorry”. The hard core riff and beat of “God Damn Evil” is followed by the smooth and rumbling “You Don’t Even Know Me”. The closing track “The Devil Doesn’t Live Here” is another favourite.

In the long run, if you have enjoyed Stryper in the past you will enjoy this album as well, even though it probably isn’t quite as heavy or creative as the previous couple of albums. The groove is well maintained here, and the best parts of the band are highlighted and maintained. If you are not a fan of the band then you won’t find anything here to change your mind.

Rating:  “You better change your reflection and start a new crusade”.  3.5/5

1034. W.A.S.P. / ReIdolized (The Soundtrack to The Crimson Idol). 2018. 4/5

I guess there are any number of reasons you can come up with for wanting to re-record an album from your back catalogue, especially one that is as dear to the hearts of fans as The Crimson Idol is. I imagine in this case that the main reason for Blackie revisiting what some believe is his magnum opus is that he wanted to bring it closer to his original concept, to add in the things he left out the first time, and to change some things that he was no longer comfortable with. Whether it is a great or foolish idea will be in the eye of the beholder, if for no other reason that the original album was so popular, did it really require any touching up?

The original 1992 album is one of my favourite albums of all time. There is a real angst and anger delivered throughout the album and storyline, and the musicianship, especially in the drumming of both Frankie Banali and Stet Howland is incomparable and in Bob Kulick’s guitar riffs and licks. Almost every song is a winner in its own way and at that time of my life it spoke to me in a way that the grunge-soaked rock that was proliferating the music world then couldn’t do.
As to this re-recorded version, well… in many instances it doesn’t have the same effect as the original did. Don’t get me wrong, the great songs are still great. The opening from “The Titanic Overture” and “The Invisible Boy” to “Arena of Pleasure” and “Chainsaw Charlie” are still terrific, but they do not have the same anger and defiance and angst in the vocals and the music that the originals did. They aren’t stonewashed as such, but they are less powerful. The current line-up of Blackie, Doug Blair, Mike Duda and Mike Dupke do a good job of recreating each song, trying to get the same nuances and not messing about too much with the song structure, but it isn’t the same. Blackie tries to give us a few harmonies in the vocals which work for the most part. There are six ‘new’ tracks added to the album, which for actually mess up the whole feel of the story and disrupt the continuity of the music. I cannot get used to not flowing straight from “The Gypsy Meets the Boy” into “Doctor Rockter” which has always been a great pick up. Instead, we have the quiet reflective “Michael’s Song” and “Miss You” which was also added on the previous album Golgotha. Then, once we had the power ballads of “The Idol” and “Hold on to My Heart” we would crash into the epic closer “The Great Misconceptions of Me”. Here though we have four further additions. The clear guitar driven “Hey Mama” is followed by “The Lost Boy”, which very much sounds like a post-2001 era W.A.S.P. song, and for me feels out of place because it does come from a different time period of the band. “The Peace” just feels like it’s a repeat of “Hold on to My Heart” (of course with different lyrics telling a different part of the story) and “Show Time” another short addition. All of this for me stops the story and album in its tracks, and takes away some of the enjoyment. For those who are not familiar with the original this shouldn’t be an issue.
There is also the noticeable elimination of language from the album. The changing of words in the middle of “Chainsaw Charlie” makes it a little awkward to listen to on this album. It tends to detract from the power of the middle of the song, where the real charge of the album comes from. There is also the exchange between Jonathon and Alex Rodman pre-“The Idol” which has the harsher words changed for less demonstrative ones. This isn’t a big thing, and was no doubt an obvious move given Blackie’s changing belief system in recent years, but for me it takes away a part of the energy and drama of the album. On the positive side, I can at least allow my ten year old son to listen to this version of the story without fear of him listening to words he probably shouldn’t at his age (but given he is a fan of W.A.S.P. he has heard them all anyway).

Blackie had his reasons for taking on this project again, and for making the changes he did. That’s fine, and if it introduces new kids and new fans to this great album then it is more than worth it. Those that listen to this without the looming large shadow of the original hanging over it will be pleasantly surprised by a wonderful rock opera filled with awesome heavy metal tracks mixed with some slower ballad tracks that for the most part combine together well. Everything sounds great here and is in its right place. The Crimson Idol is still one of my favourite albums ever, and in being seen to judge this somewhat harshly it is only because I have such fondness for the original production.

Rating:  “But the dream became my nightmare, no one could hear me scream”.  4/5

 

1033. Judas Priest / Firepower. 2018. 4.5/5

In an world where the early leaders of the heavy metal art form are ageing and deteriorating such that not only do band members change but the music itself has evolved outwardly since their earliest incarnation, it makes sense that many people may question the arrival of new music from these bands. What do they have to offer in the current music environment, and how could it possibly be relevant to either long time followers or possible new recruits who may find it is obsolete? These are thoughts that it would not be unfair to have running through your head as you approach the 18th studio album released by metal stalwarts Judas Priest, and yet by the time you have listened to Firepower on a couple of occasions most will appreciate that there is still plenty of firepower left in the old war chest.

When the previous album Redeemer of Souls was released it was a positive feel. I was perhaps relieved rather than completely excited. From the get-go here though I was excited. The first taste of the album dropped a week or so before the album arrived, and it had everything that you could have hoped for in a Judas Priest song. And the when I first got the album, it was… well, not mind blowing as such, but it was somewhat unexpected as to how much I enjoyed it.
The best part for me is that I went in with no expectations, but got plenty in return. You won’t get supersonically fast songs, you won’t get heavier than heavy songs, you won’t get vocals and screams that raise the roof. What you do get are pacey songs with great riffs and solid thumping drum work with those great Halford mid-range vocals throughout. The songs are catchy, and the structure works terrifically. They are not as simplistic as “Breaking the Law” or “Living After Midnight”, and they are not as bombastic as “Painkiller” or “Leather Rebel”.
This album hasn’t left my rotation since its release almost two months ago. It gets me in right from the start with the great riffage of “Firepower”, “Lightning Strike” and “Evil Never Dies”. “Firepower” is a brilliant opening song, clattering along, and followed by “Lightning Strike” with great guitar work from Glen Tipton and Richie Faulkner and dual vocal work from Halford creating another great singalong song. Then we fall back into a more traditional heavy riff, complemented by super drumming from Scott Travis again, that keeps the brilliant vibe of the album going. These three songs make for a superb opening to the album. The rest of the album too is terrific, with songs such as “Rising From Ruins”, “Flame Thrower”, “Traitors Gate” and “Sea of Red” all of different tempo but no less enjoyable than the rest of the album.
Many of the older fans may be looking for the classic Judas Priest on this album, and younger fans may be looking for something completely different. For me I could not have asked for anything more from this album, from this band, at this stage of their career. All of the elements that make Judas Priest such a timeless band are here, even if they may be subtly different. Halford’s vocals continue to amaze, and they sound as powerful as ever. He doesn’t go for the heights anymore, which more than anything else makes it easier to sing along to the songs on this album. Tipton and Faulkner are still magnificent in the art of guitaring, with Faulkner in particular really coming to the fore on this album. Hill’s bass work can still be completely underrated but once again here his playing is compulsory in bringing the low end to the songs. Topping it off is Travis’s drumming which continues to be the benchmark for the band, perfectly timed and adding flourishes when there is a gap to fill.

Many may write this off as too tailored or too predictable or not relevant in the modern age of metal, but I would counter that this is the perfect release for this time. Whether or not it was inspired by the classic Judas Priest albums of the 1980’s, the sound has a tie to that era, but without trying to transplant or copy it. This is a modern album with relevance to the band’s past, and by doing so creates exactly what the fan wants. There can’t be another Defenders of the Faith or Painkiller, but for 2018 this will suffice nicely.

Rating:  “He pulls the strings inside you and plays upon your fears”.  4.5/5

 

1032. Blaze Bayley / The Redemption of William Black: Infinite Entanglement Part III. 2018. 3.5/5

This is the second ‘trilogy’ of albums I have finished listening to over the past two weeks. The first was Geoff Tate’s Operation: Mindcrime trilogy story, which for me ended much the way it had started. When it comes to Blaze Bayley’s concluding chapter in his Infinite Entanglement trilogy, entitled The Redemption of William Black: Infinite Entanglement Part III, I have a similar feeling, in that I don’t think any part of the three albums has changed my mind over the whole concept of the story and the albums it entails. Indeed for some time I was concerned that it had in fact fallen backwards.

At my advancing age in listening to music in general and to heavy metal at the forefront of that, I have become less frantic in trying to devour every aspect of an album. In my youthful days in the 1980’s I spent hours poring over record covers and devouring lyrics to ensure I knew every single aspect of a song or an album, and was able to decipher this for anyone that would listen to me. The occasional concept albums that came my way found me even more diligent in this aspect. But old age has found I don’t have the time or devotion to go down that path anymore, and as my collections have moved from vinyl to disc to digital I don’t even have to know what the cover artwork is anymore. This becomes even truer as to the nature of the storyline that Blaze has set out over these three albums. I honestly haven’t taking in the lyrics enough to actually be able to work out what the story is he is telling. All I’m listening to are the songs, and picking up snatches of what is being said, and just wondering if I like it or not. My Past Self would be quite annoyed with my Present Self in this regard, suggesting I needed to take more time to envelope in the story. Past Self had much more time available to him to do such things that Present Self currently doesn’t have. One day I do intend to sit down and discover this storyline, but as yet I have not.

As to the songs themselves, I admit that after the first half a dozen listens to The Redemption of William Black: Infinite Entanglement Part III I felt disappointed. I couldn’t find much here that I truly enjoyed, that was jumping out at me and grabbing me, and at that time I felt this had some major flaws. Just allowing it to play through in the background while I did other stuff it felt like every song was the same, and that there was little to define these songs or this album from a lot of Blaze’s recent stuff. To be honest I was ready to cast it aside, and perhaps come back to it at a later time. Over the next half a dozen listens though I began to find my way into the narrative as such, and found the rhythm of the album, and then it became less of a chore and more of a pleasure to listen to. In the long run, I had to find the Blaze Bayley definition again. He has his own style that has been developed over recent albums where he now has no Blaze Bayley band to collaborate with, and instead he writes through his own thoughts while bouncing them off others he is close to at the time. In many ways it has brought a similarity to his music which can be off putting, especially for those that don’t enjoy his style. And that is the crux of this album. If you like Blaze’s style and substance, you will enjoy this album. If you do not then you won’t find anything here to win you over.

I’m glad that I stuck with this, and gave it time to win me over. It is not his best work, and there are few songs here I would consider putting on a greatest hits playlist of his work. That can be the problem with concept albums, the songs have to fit the story, not just win you over as songs themselves. Compared to other albums I have had on rotation over the past couple of weeks, this sits somewhere in the middle.

Rating:  The conclusion fits mostly with the first two parts.  3.5/5