1280. Various Artists / The Keepers of Jericho: A Tribute to Helloween. 2000. 4/5

‘Another tribute album’ you may well be saying to yourself, or very loudly at your listening device. And that would be a fair comment. Surprisingly enough, it doesn’t end here either. But this was the era for such albums. Many of those artists from the 1980’s had had a rough time in the 1990’s, some losing their way and others just barely holding on. So this was an era where albums began to pop up with bands being able to express their thanks for those 80’s bands that had influenced THEM on their rise to prominence. And in doing so, in many cases, it gave them a lifeline and a way back into the metal music scene. Helloween probably didn’t need that by this time. They had managed to rekindle their fire and were riding the crest of a wave, still putting out albums that kept them at the top of the power metal movement that was still thriving throughout Europe. And in doing so, they had certainly been one of the biggest influencers of that movement. And from the mid-to-late 1990’s there was a plethora of bands of this genre that had begun to break through who all looked up to Helloween as the Godfathers of Power Metal. So no doubt, when this project was being put together, they had a flood of these artists who were ready and willing to participate, and give their own spin on some of Helloween’s classic songs. As it turns out, there were so many bands, and so many songs, that the success of this album actually then perpetuated into a second album. But to start with, let’s take a look at “The Keepers of Jericho – A Tribute to Helloween”.

The album opens with “Guardians” by Rhapsody. Rhapsody, or Rhapsody of Fire as they became known as after this album, are well versed in the power metal genre, and they give this highly underrated song a wonderful kick along both musically and vocally. The original is amazing but to be fair feels as though they are all tripping over themselves to go as fast as they can. Here, Rhapsody sticks perfectly to the tempo they set, and the lyrics are sung without flowing into each other, and they add those wonderful keys and synths to create a perfect rendition of this track. It opens the album in perfect momentum. “I Want Out” by Sonata Arctica follows. This is another great version of a great song. Being so well known, they have stuck to the basics here, unlike what they did on the Scorpions tribute album with their version of “Still Loving You”. This adds their own flavour to the track, but they change very little, and that works in this instance. “A Little Time” by Heavens Gate is another wonderful power metal take on one of the tracks that created the genre. Then we have “Ride the Sky” performed by Metalium. This is a key component of Helloween, one of their greatest, so you couldn’t stuff this up or your career is over. Metalium do not stuff this up. Again, it is a very faithful rendition of the original, with greater emphasis on the double kick and the vocals that hit all the right notes. It still sends shivers down the spine, even though it isn’t Helloween performing it.
“I’m Alive” gets a touch up from Luca Turilli, the guitarist from Rhapsody, but here he gets a crack on his own. I love how they add the power metal orchestral keyboards into the mix, giving this song a depth throughout that really highlights the great parts of this song. Then we have “Judas” by Morifade. This is the first of one of the greatest stand alone tracks ever. How this didn’t make an album is astounding. This version retains the original’s very heavy focus along with vocals that complement it all along. Another great version. Following this is “Eagle Fly Free” from Vision Divine. Now this is another song you can’t mess with too much because of its awesomeness, and they are faithful to this, by sticking true to the guitar/bass/drum heavy start, and throwing in the extra synth parts in through the middle, and with both vocalists contributing throughout it gives it a great character building on the original.
“Savage” by Brainstorm is the second of three amazing non-album tracks of the original version of the band. And this is amazing. The over-the-top tempo with brilliant double kick is just fantastic. They rip in and switch this up to an incredible speed and do so without losing the brilliance of the original. Just magnificent. The version of “Future World” by Labyrinth has similar requirements like “I Want Out”, you don’t want to stray too far from the original due to its popularity. And again, this is done really well. Sticking to the path of the original track and nailing the landing.
“Save Us” by Cydonia gives us the third of the three great non-album tracks, and this is again performed to a state of excellence, retaining all of the energy and pace of the original and emphasising the power metal virtues of the keys and synths to add a modern flavour to the track. A great job done here, even vocally by changing it up in the verses which makes a difference. Then “Victim of Fate” by Squealer offers another version of a song that evens out the speed of the track compared to the original, which gives it its point of difference from the original as well. I love what they do in the middle of the track, keeping more music in the song and more drum work than Helloween’s version. Another great performance.
Then comes “Halloween” by Dark Moor. What do you do when you are tasked with covering an absolute classic of the genre, a thirteen-minute monster that cannot be replicated in the brilliance that the original came with? Well, you turn it into a symphonic metal masterpiece, utilising your female lead vocalist to perfection, and those wonderful elements that make symphonic metal a joy to listen to. This is an amazing version of this already amazing song. You can’t beat the perfection of the original, but as a cover version, a TRIBUTE version of the song, this is just bloody fantastic.
“How Many Tears” by Secret Sphere then closes out the album. Like every other song on this album, in order to create a wonderful tribute, you can’t change too much about the structure and you have to perform the song perfectly. This is another that is almost impossible to recreate to the same standard as the original, and while this version is fine, is does fall short of the standard of the other bands on this tribute album. It just lacks the amazingness of that original track. Well, you can’t have a tribute album that is 100% brilliant can you. This is still a really good version, it really is, especially the middle section of the song. But it just misses the mark in the first third and the final third.

Tribute albums are often things that I have fallen across accidently rather than have been advised of their existence prior to their release and sit anxiously awaiting their arrival. That was certainly the case for this album. It was only after discovering one of the songs on a different platform that I realised that this album was created in the first place. This was back in the ‘file sharing’ days and was the only chance I had to both listen to this album and then own a copy of it.
And I enjoyed this album. Because there is so much passion put in by the bands who create their own vision of the songs it is fun to listen to and sing along with. They are, for the most part, played with a far more ‘power metal’ vibe than the original songs possess, but it emphasises how important Helloween’s early material was to the creation of what power metal became during the 1990’s decade. And all of the songs here come from the first three albums and the original EP, along with the three standalone tracks that accompanied them. So everything you get here is an awesome amazing 5/5 track. No filler, just all freaking killer!
I spent some time looking for a copy of this album on CD, mostly to no success. The odd copy I found was at such an exorbitant price that I refused to pay it. Finally, just four months ago, when looking through Andy Dowling’s Discogs store I found a copy at the far more enjoyable price of $12 and purchased it immediately. And it is this copy that I have been listening to in the Metal Cavern for this review. And it has been glorious. The album sounds amazing. And there are no barriers to me listening to it at any time.
With all tribute albums however, eventually you rediscover that it is the original versions you crave, to go back and listen to the ‘real’ band's albums and remind yourself of how good they still are. And that still rings true with Helloween. It is impossible to out-Helloween Helloween. But as a red-hot attempt at that goes, this is pretty damned good. Indeed, it is a top five of all time tribute album. There is not a bad version of a song on this album, and it comes across as like listening to a Helloween best of album, except the versions have been reviewed and updated. I have never tired of listening to this album, and now that I have my CD copy of it, I have been listening to it even more. I’ve enjoyed every second of listening to this while reviewing this album, and it will continue to get an airing in the Metal Cavern in the future.

1263. Various Artists / Nativity in Black: A Tribute to Black Sabbath. 1994. 5/5

Cover albums and tribute albums have been around for a while, and have been done in different ways, but when it comes to the true start of the GREAT tribute albums, then I think this release marks that occasion. Firstly, it’s Black Sabbath, and by the time 1994 rolled around, it had been 15 years since Ozzy Osbourne had left the band, and in many people’s eyes was the true demise of Black Sabbath the band, or at the very least the greatest era of the band. And that era was so influential to so many bands that had then gone on to bigger and better things over that 15 year period. It contains so many great guitar riffs, so many awesome bass lines, so many amazing drum fills and so many brilliant vocals. Secondly, those bands that had been influenced by Black Sabbath were coming into their own at this time, and so it was a good opportunity for them to be involved i this kind of project. And thirdly, given the time this album was released, and the constant drama that the then current lineup of Black Sabbath was going through, it was a great time to remind everyone of the great songs that the band had written and performed in their heyday.
The compilers of the album had a difficult task ahead of them with this project. Firstly, they had decided that the songs to be covered on this album would only come from that era of Sabbath from 1970-1978, the Butler-Iommi Osbourne-Ward era of the band. This was a canny move, ensuring there was no comparison across the board of that era of the band with the ones that followed with the various members and different vocalists in particular. Then they had to choose the bands who would participate in the project, and that could not have been an easy thing. A couple of the tracks that appear here had already been released by the bands who did them on their own albums, but most were brand spanking new versions of some excellent songs. And it is interesting to note, because often, cover versions cannot match the originals when it comes to their gloriousness. But there are several tracks here on this album that truly match the awesomeness of the originals...and perhaps... almost surpass them...

There are 12 tracks on this album, and for me they are all terrific. But there are some bands and artists that seem like a strange choice to be a part of this compilation. Some I think were brought in to make this album attractive to fans who didn’t really know some of the bands involved in the hope they would buy this album, and other choices also seem unusual.
For instance, the choice of Faith No More to perform “War Pigs” is a great move, given the studio version of this song that appears as a bonus CD track on their breakthrough album “The Real Thing” from 1989. It is a brilliant version of the song and very worthy of this album. But the version on here is the live version that came off their live album “Live at Brixton Academy”, and while it is good, Mike Patton’s vocals are not as terrific, mainly because he had an aversion to the song and did not enjoy performing the song live every night, and thus made a point of changing the lyrics when they did. So good but could have been far better. Then there is “Iron Man”, which is performed by the band Therapy? but with a guest vocalist... being... Ozzy Osbourne! Now, we know Ozzy hadn’t been in Black Sabbath for 15 years, but why invite back the original vocalist of the band that you are covering, to get him to cover his own song? It has always seemed like a strange decision, obviously made to get Ozzy fans in to buy the album. But what a shame not to have had Therapy? do the song and let Andy Cairns sing it! To me, that would have been just as good if not better. The version is excellent, but just sounds generic because Ozzy is singing it. Strange. And, in that same ballpark, comes the ‘supergroup’ that was brought together only for this project, the Bullring Brummies. Now for this group, Rob Halford is the vocalist, who had filled in a couple of times for the band in recent years, and his love of the songs is well known, so having him involved is great, and he sings “The Wizard” wonderfully well. But was there a need to bring in Geezer Butler and Bill Ward to play on this as well? Again, like Ozzy, brought in to cover their own work? It seems ludicrous, no matter how good it sounds, and again could only have been to draw people into buying the album. And while I understand that Ugly Kid Joe were popular at the time and on a roll, would there not have been better options out there to cover “N.I.B.”? It's a good version, but a bigger heavier version of this amazing heavy song may have worked better.
What else have we got? We have a really good version of “Paranoid” by Megadeth. Professional, clinical, everything that you would expect from this band at this time. They received a Grammy nomination for Best Metal Performance for this song. I would love to have heard them cover something that required a bit more technical playing than “Paranoid”. 1000 Homo DJs version of “Supernaut” was released by the band as a 12” single in 1990, and Al Jourgenson from Ministry really fires up this version of the track. White Zombie do a perfectly wonderful White Zombie version of “Children of the Grave”, which probably waters down the original's heaviness across the board but overall makes for an entertaining version of the song. And Peter Steele and Type O Negative perform an amazing version of the song “Black Sabbath”, that retains the doominess of the original track while adding their own stamp to this version. It is a truly original take on the song and well worth the 7 minutes plus of the length.
The album opener is one of the best versions on this album, with Biohazard absolutely crushing their version of the brilliant “After Forever”, adding a fire and brimstone to the track that has it sitting on a pedestal right next to the original for sheer brilliance. Corrosion of Conformity add their unique take to “Lord of This World”, and Godspeed’s excellent depiction of “Sabbath Bloody Sabbath” is helped along by the appearance of another guest vocalist in Bruce Dickinson, currently on hiatus from Iron Maiden and doing his own solo gig. And the final song here is the killer, the one most people keep coming back for because of the way the band melds itself to their version of this song, and take one of the heaviest riffs ever written, and channel that through the whole song. Sepultura’s version of “Symptom of the Universe” is something to behold.

In a period when buying music – or anything for that matter – was not an easy thing to do given my circumstances at the time, this album was still one I purchased on a whim on a visit to Utopia Records not long after its release. It had all the usual banners around it proclaiming all of the artists involved and that it just HAD to be good. So I took it home and put it on... and Utopia was right. It was amazing, right from the opening 30 seconds through to the final 30 seconds. And I got so much from it, because at the point in time that I bought the album, I still hadn’t heard bands such as Therapy? And Type O Negative, who within 12 months were to be enormous influences in my life. I hadn't heard any Biohazard. And then there were the artists I knew, whose songs here are so perfect. Bruce Dickinson, Faith No More, Megadeth, Sepultura.
Not only was it eye opening – or ear opening if you prefer – for hearing these bands, but the versions of some of these tracks are amazing. Honestly, “After Forever” and “Black Sabbath” and “Symptom of the Universe” are just sensational versions here, because the bands utilised their own music style in performing them, and that’s important when it comes to cover versions of songs. You can do a note for note retelling of the song, much like Megadeth do here, and it will sound great. But the versions that will grab your attention need to have a piece of the band attached to them to make it memorable. Not all will be great versions, of course. But these ones here certainly are.
I have spent the last three weeks listening to this album over and over again and enjoying it as much as I ever did. And like I mentioned at the top of the episode, to me this was the template that was set for future tribute albums. It showed the way to go, to make a successful album of this type. Great musicians and bands, creating great versions of songs of the artist or band you want to create a tribute to. And in the long run, with most tribute albums, you will eventually get tired of the new versions, and just want to go back to the original versions created by the band and listen to them again, because they will always be the best. And that is true here, except I have never gotten sick of listening to this album. It is a gem and sit on the top of the pile when it comes to tribute albums. Perhaps it is the reverence that Black Sabbath is held in that created this album, or that the songs were so perfectly crafted by this band that covering them becomes another work of art. No matter what the reason, this album is worth checking out, for any number of superb tracks.

947. Various Artists / Ronnie James Dio: This is Your Life. 2014. 5/5

Tribute albums are a tricky business, as I'm sure I have mentioned here sometime before. They are even trickier when it comes to someone who is quite outstanding on their instrument of choice, because to fall down in that area will then bring apart the whole concept of the album itself. When it comes to sending out a tribute to one of the greatest vocalists of all time, it could easily become a nightmare. Unless it is done by the very best in the business, and is held in the highest regards by those behind the project and the artists who become involved.

This album, to the lasting memory of Ronnie James Dio, shows all sides of this conundrum. The main one of course is that no one can sing like Ronnie, or could hope to reproduce his songs in the same style as he does. The best you can do is play with enthusiasm and sing within your realm of expertise, and don't try and oversell yourself. For the most part that has been done with this collection of songs and artists. The 'fan boys' and 'fan girls' are out in force here.
In one group, we have the bands who have set out to be completely faithful to the original songs, and have played their hearts out in doing so. Anthrax's version of "Neon Knights" that opens the album is perhaps the best example of that here. Joey's vocals are on song, and the band nails its version here. Terrific stuff. So too is Scorpions version of Rainbow's "Temple of the King", with Klaus Meine doing a great job on a difficult vocal. Adrenaline Mob's "The Mob Rules" ticks all the boxes, while Corey Taylor and his conglomerate of musicians also doing a fair job of "Rainbow in the Dark".
It's also great to hear two female vocalists given their reign. Doro's version of "Egypt (The Chains Are On) has been around for awhile, and appeared on other tribute albums, but it still sounds just as good as ever. Halestorm's "Straight Through the Heart" is a ripping version, and Lzzy Hale's vocal is a beauty.
The three generations of the Dio band are also to be found. The majority of the Dio Disciples group - Craig Goldy, Rudy Sarzo, Scott Warren and Simon Wright - join with legend Glenn Hughes to perform "Catch the Rainbow", the Dio Disciples vocalist Oni Logan is joined by Jimmy Bain, Rowan Robertson and Brian Tichy to perform a rousing version of Black Sabbath's "I", while Doug Aldrich, Vinny Appice, Jeff Pilson and Scott Warren are joined by another legend in Rob Halford for Rainbow's "Man on the Silver Mountain"
Glenn Hughes and Rob Halford's vocals are perhaps the best examples of why Ronnie is so hard to copy. Halford's vocals have always been superb, but age has tested his vocal chords, and in recent years he has had to modify how he sings Priest songs, let alone "Man on theSilver Mountain". Sure it still sounds fine, but it is a completely different register, and it is noticeably different and less energetic as a result. Glenn has always been The Voice of Rock, but even his version here of "Catch the Rainbow" just proves how magnificent Ronnie's voice was, and his original version of the song.
Motörhead, Kilswitch Engage, Tenacious D and Metallica lend their own uniqueness to their versions. Motörhead is joined by Saxon's Biff Byford for a pleasingly 70's hard rock carousel of "Starstruck". Kilswitch Engage's version of "Holy Diver" has also been around for awhile, but their uniquely played version is still always a hit. The D's rollicking version of "The Last in Line" won Best Metal Performance at the Grammy Awards in 2015, and not only has Jack Black's fantastically approving vocals, but a recorder solo in place of the original guitar solo that brings the house down wherever and whenever I play it. A true tribute. Metallica, no doubt mainly through Lars Ulrich's influence, put together a medley of his Rainbow songs that sounds terrific in their updated way, while James Hetfield ensures he isn't trying to compete with Dio's vocal chords. Combining four great songs, "A Light in the Black", "Tarot Woman", "Stargazer" and "Kill the King", this is a fitting way to add to their historic treatment of the bands that influenced their own career.
The final song is Dio's own "This Is Your Life", the name of this tribute album, and taken from Dio's somewhat disastrous 'Angry Machines' album. It is a quiet reflection on his own career from the time, and if nothing else again showcases his amazing vocal quality.

This is probably the best Dio tribute collection that has been released, if only for the fact that the majority of the vocals on this album do not denigrate Ronnie's own from the originals. They may not quite approach his brilliance, but no one expects them to. Every song here exudes the love of this great man, and while once again a tribute album only goes to proves just how brilliant the original versions of all of these songs are with the originals bands, it does a great service to the man who conjured them, and allows them to pay tribute to him. As a tribute album, it couldn't have been much better.

Rating:  "This is your life, this is your fate".  5/5

817. Various Artists / Maiden Heaven: A Tribute to Iron Maiden. 2008. 2.5/5

A tribute album, especially to a band that is so highly respected and loved through out the world, is a very touchy/feely subject to go into. It's a great thing that so many bands have been influenced over the years by another band. Especially bands from so wide a sphere of music. But when you have a band that is as huge as Iron Maiden is, and a band whose musicians are all thought of as some of the best in the world in what they do, can you honestly do a tribute album that will actually be worthy of the material that band has produced? And, to be honest, if you can't why would you do it?! OK sure, this was done by Kerrang! magazine, and they wanted to sell magazines, but there are at least a number of bands here who should have thought twice before accepting the invitation to contribute to this album.

Black Tide's cover of "Prowler", which starts the album, is fine. A good copy. Almost a perfect copy. Which somewhat defeats the purpose of doing it in the first place. But that would be unfair, given some of what follows. It may not be spectacular, but it doesn't do any damage to the legacy of the original. Metallica's cover of "Remember Tomorrow" is mixed with reverence to the original while still putting enough of Metallica into it to cast it away from the Maiden version. James sings this really well too, whilst the musicianship is top class. Quite probably the best version on this album. Avenged Sevenfold's version of "Flash of the Blade" is much like Black Tide's cover song. Musically it follows the original song almost perfectly. But in doing so, it doesn't have any individuality attached to it, and vocally it does come across a little flat. It's not a tragedy, but it is rather dull. Glamour of the Kill do their version of "2 Minutes to Midnight", which gives us a different mix with a psuedo-electronica undertone and singing in a different register as well. Kudos for changing up the song to make it a little individualistic, but again it comes across as a little dull. Coheed & Cambria took on the tough task to cover "The Trooper", and again, it follows the basic path of the original song, but just can't match it for intensity and excitement and drive.
DevilDriver's cover of "Wasted Years" is a travesty. Seriously, as much as everything is important in a song, "Wasted Years" is pretty much carried by Bruce Dickinson's vocals, and if you can't generate those kind of vocals, you shouldn't be attempting this song. Sorry to DevilDriver fans, but this doesn't work at all well. The version of "Run to the Hills" by Sign most certainly changes up the original, almost becoming a pop song than the charging metal leader it has always been. Again, personal taste will decide how much you enjoy it. Dream Theater's choice of covering the legendary "To Tame a Land" is to be applauded, but the fact that the keyboards replace one of the guitars throughout the song means that some of the power of the song is lost through the declining grunt the dual guitars give the song. The piano driven, softer and slower treatment of "Caught Somewhere in Time" by Medina Lake isn't really in my style of things, but I enjoyed the fact that they at least made an effort to impose their own imprint on the song. Gallows make a decent effort of turning "Wrathchild" into a punk song, which by definition isn't such a long bow to draw. Fightstar then drag out a fairly standard version of "Fear of the Dark" that fails to excite on any level (but that may also be because of my boredom with the song itself).
Machine Head take on the legendary "Hallowed Be Thy Name", and do not disappoint, and while they do not stray too far from the template they still bring the energy that the song emits and carry it throughout. Terrific. Trivium take on "Iron Maiden" with gusto. Year Long Disaster do a note-for-note translation of "Running Free" before Ghostlines do an interesting version of "Brave New World" to finish off the album.

So where does the real problem lie? Well, how do you improve on perfection? In most cases, if you can't make your guitars grunt and squeal, and you can't sing to a certain level, then you will never make these songs sound anywhere near as good as Maiden does. That's why "Remember Tomorrow" and "Hallowed Be Thy Name" are the best songs here, and the others are either just reasonable covers, or less than average covers. As with all covers/tribute albums, you will be able to get a few listens out of this albums, and some reasonable moments. In the long run though, all it will do is reinforce the fact that Iron Maiden can't be fought, and Iron Maiden can't be sought.

Rating:  Unchain the colours before my eyes.  2.5/5

582. Jorn / Dio. 2010. 4/5

Released scarily just a few short weeks after the sad loss of Ronnie James Dio to cancer, this album is well worth a listen whether you are a fan of either of those two gentlemen or not. Recorded as Jorn's own tribute to a man who is obviously a great influence on his own career, this is an interesting collection of songs.

It leads off with Jorn's own tribute, "Song for Ronnie James", an 8 minute composition that meshes in lyrics and song titles from Dio's career. Though I do think it is a bit long winded, it grew on me over time.
Following this is a selection of songs that intertwines Dio's career with Rainbow, Black Sabbath and his own band Dio. What impresses me most about them is that they are true to the originals musically and vocally, without being exact replicas of them. In essence they are a good updating of each song. Some stand out more than others - for me the best include an awesome version of "Lord of the Last Day", "Kill the King", "Push" and "Invisible" - but overall they are all wonderfully done.

Like all of Dio's music, nothing will ever compare to the originals along with the Master's voice. As one man's (and his band's) tribute to his music, however, this is an excellent album.

514. Various Artists / Humanary Stew: A Tribute to Alice Cooper. 1998. 4.5/5

Tribute albums can be done well, and be a fitting tribute to the person or band that is being honoured. This would rank as one of the finest I have heard, mainly for the fact that there are great musicians taking part, and all of them have an obvious affection for the man to whom they are paying tribute to – Alice Cooper.

While it is always good to hear your favourite artists doing cover versions of another of your favourite artists songs, the truth is that most of the time they don’t match up to the original. Here though there is a strong argument for a couple of these versions being the equal, if not better, than the originals! Bruce Dickinson and Adrian Smith’s version of “Black Widow” is terrific, and Ronnie James Dio just tears apart “Welcome To My Nightmare”. Dave Mustaine sounds like he’s enjoying himself on “School’s Out”, and even Vince Neil on “Cold Ethyl” is worthy of note here.
Sure, they could never replace the originals, but the versions here have an updated feel, and sound great. Glenn Hughes probably takes it a little far in “Only Women Bleed”, but not everyone has the kind of voice that he does!

This is a fitting album to pay homage to one of the innovators and great showmen of music. It’s so much more enjoyable because you can feel the enjoyment the artists involved are having in recording it, and it comes through in the music.

Rating: Worth a listen, whether you know any Alice Cooper material or not. 4.5/5

501. Various Artists / Holy Dio: A Tribute to the Voice of Metal: Ronnie James Dio. 1999. 4.5/5

Well, you would have to say that this is a great idea, in principle. Over his long and illustrious career, Dio has been involved in so many great songs, that a tribute to that is a terrific plan. However, the one major drawback is this – how many people can sing like the great man, and do justice to these songs? As it turns out, most of the versions here are worthy of the name ‘tribute’.

As with many tribute albums, this is a bit uneven, with the very good mixed with the rather ordinary. The version of “Country Girl” by Dan Swanö & Peter Tägtgren is surprisingly well executed and done with a difference that doesn’t detract from the original. On the other hand, the version of “We Rock” by Grave Digger is OK musically, but the vocals are just not what you want on an album like this (refer to my initial comments in this review).
Then there is the unusual – two versions of “Kill The King” by two different bands – a great version by Primal Fear, and a good version by Stratovarius. Also a magnificent version of “Gates of Babylon” by Yngwie Malmsteen with Jeff Scott Soto on vocals – but on the linear notes Yngwie spends his whole spiel talking up Ritchie Blackmore (his hero) and not mentioning Ronnie once.

As a double disc, this album does contain some great tracks, and nowhere near the full complement of great songs from the Dio era. The two things I got from this are as follows:
One, it was great to hear some terrific bands putting out these great versions of great songs.
Two, no one could ever do these songs better than the originals, if only for the fact that the originals have RJD on vocals.

Rating: A better than average effort to celebrate a great man. 4.5/5

103. Various Artists / Bat Head Soup : A Tribute To Ozzy / 2000. 4/5.

By the turn of the century, tribute albums had become a ‘thing’. With so many hard rock and heavy bands having risen through the ranks over the previous 25 years, almost all of them had heavy metal icons that had been an inspiration to their own music, and given that Ozzy Osbourne had been involved in the biggest band of them all of the genre, Black Sabbath, and then curated a solo career out of that, meant that he was without doubt one of those icons that all (or almost all) metal musicians felt an allegiance to.
The person who was instrumental in many of these tribute albums getting off the ground and being recorded is Bob Kulick. There are a number of tribute albums that came out during this period, of many different artists, and they all have Kulick as the instigator and organiser and producer behind them. He even plays on many of them. Prior to this album, Kulick had produced “Humanary Stew: A Tribute to Alice Cooper” and “Little Guitars: A Tribute to Van Halen”. So, he knew his way around the concept and knew what it needed in order to work. In regards to this particular album, this is a powerhouse tribute, with all of the artists involved well known for their own work during the 1980’s and 1990’s.
The most difficult part of organising a tribute on this scale for an artist such as Ozzy Osbourne is that, not only do you have to find lead vocalists who can do justice to Ozzy own unique singing style, but band members who can compete with the originals, and especially when it comes to the guitarist. For the songs chosen for this album, the original guitarists rank as some of the finest of all time in the heavy metal genre – Tony Iommi, Randy Rhoads, Jake E. Lee and Zakk Wylde. You don’t want to come in and do a half-arsed job, but neither do you want to just do a note-for-note repeat of what those guitarists played, you want to put your own signature on the song – just not so much that you destroy what is so good about the original. So, as you can see, not an easy task. But one that was taken on by Kulick and his fellow production members, and they ended up gathering a who’s who of the genre to produce this album, one that saw the light of day with the arrival of the new century in the year 2000.

The album has 11 tracks, with the majority coming from Ozzy’s career after leaving Black Sabbath. Indeed, it seems a little out of place that two of those 11 songs on the album are actually Black Sabbath songs, though I’m sure that the producers of the album would argue that they are two songs that Ozzy has continued to perform live through his whole career post-1978. And they are great songs. Everyone knows “Paranoid” and “Children of the Grave”, but surely there were so many other great songs that Ozzy has done since his split with Black Sabbath that it wasn’t necessary to revisit them?! “Children of the Grave” features band project mates Jeff Martin on vocals and Paul Gilbert on guitar, along with Scott Travis on drums, and Martin’s vocals are smooth and almost commercial in their performance of the song, while Guilbert and Travis emphasise their parts to create an enjoyable cover of this song. When it comes to “Paranoid”... I mean, what can you actually do to enhance the track? Stu Hamm and Gregg Bissonnette provide a solid rhythm for George Lynch to come in and blow his load all over the song to ensure everyone knows it is him playing guitar on it. Hey! It sounds great, so its no big deal, and Vince Neil’s vocals are not in any danger of having to break into any vocal acrobatics, so it all comes together nicely. But I’d love to have heard a couple of different songs covered.
“Suicide Solution” is covered by a band called The Flys who apparently had some traction around the time this album was conceived, and whose two brothers are a part of what is known as the First Family of Surfing... okay then... this is basically a remix of the original song, and in the long run is what I consider to be an irrelevant addition to the album. In some ways you can add the version of “Goodbye to Romance” here as well. Performed by the then-couple of Lisa Loeb and Dweezil Zappa, this acoustic ballad based cover of the... same styled ballad track... is that you would imagine it would be. Performed nicely, sung nicely... just... a nice track. Which to me misses the point of the album entirely. Yes, it proves that the song can be morphed into an acoustic guitar driven song that any market would enjoy. But amongst these other tracks and performances it seems out of place. Which, to be fair, is the same with the original song on its originally released album. But we’ll get to that down the track a little...
As to the remainder of the album, well it is fun to listen to. It opens up with “Mr Crowley”, and what an opening it is, with the perfectly played opening musical intro, and then the ominous pause, at which point Tim “Ripper” Owens comes in and SCREAMS that opening title to the song, which blows you backwards as it crashes out of the speakers. Enormous! Amazing! And then to top it off, Yngwie Malmsteen does an amazing job of reproducing the original riffing and especially solo sections of the song while still making it be a part of his own sound. It’s a great version of the original song, though Ripper does try to overperform a little when with a voice like his it isn’t necessary. This is followed by a wonderful version of “Over the Mountain”. Mark Slaughter’s vocals are spot on, retaining the energy and emotion of Ozzy’s vocals in a sterling performance, completely enhanced by Brad Gillis on guitar. Following Randy Rhoads’ tragic passing, Gillis completed the tour on the back of the “Diary of a Madman” album, so he would have played this a lot back at that time. His guitaring here is as awesome as always, backed by Eric Singer's precision drumming.
Then we have a terrific rendition of “Desire”, which is sung by one of the co-writers of the track, Lemmy Kilmister. Lemmy said before his death that he made more runs off the four songs he wrote for Ozzy’s “No More Tears” album than a dozen Motorhead albums. And Motorhead and Lemmy have done other cover versions of songs on other albums, but in the main it has been the band that has played on them, and so they manage to turn them into Motorhead songs, which is fantastic. Here however, Lemmy only sings, and the song itself is handled by other musicians. Competent musicians don’t get me wrong, with Richie Kotzen on guitar providing a very stylistic and personal rendition of lead guitar over the rhythm, which also sounds great. But Lemmy’s distinctive vocal style doesn’t quite match what is offered musically. It’s still a great version of the song, but one that could have been better either with Motorhead providing a Motorized version of the track or perhaps getting someone else to sing it. Whoever go the job of reprising “Crazy Train” was always on a hiding to nothing, but covered by the pounding drums from Jason Bonham, Dee Snider’s vocal is unique in itself, and does get better every time you listen to it. And Doug Aldrich, who was renown even at this time for being a guitarist who would always stay faithful to all guitarists original visions of the songs he plays on, puts in another great performance here to complete a great cover of this great song.
“Hellraiser” once again shows why it is one of Ozzy best ever songs, as this version melds the kings of AOR in Rainbow’s Joe Lynn Turner and Toto’s Steve Lukather and Mr Big’s Pat Torpey to provide another marvellous version of this song. Turner’s vocals are in top form here and Lukather’s guitaring is sublime. In the same way is the version here of “Shot in the Dark”, with Jeff Scott Soto’s vocals driving a smooth sound through the song, with Bruce Kulick providing a subdued performance on the guitar that understates Jake E. Lee’s original but still makes for an enjoyable interpretation. The album concludes with “I Don’t Know”, a surprisingly good version of this classic, with Jack Blades on vocals, Jeff Pilson on bass and Reb Beach riffing away on guitar. Another great combination to finish off an enjoyable release.

The plethora of tribute albums that had begun to be released in and around these years where not ones that I sought out at the time. In general, they would just... appear before me, often in searches on music downloading sites on the internet where they would pop up when searching for a particular artist. Many of them I have since purchased on CD. This album you can actually find on Bandcamp, on CD and vinyl!
So it was a little over 20 years ago that I first discovered it, and played it quite a bit. The most memorable time was on a boys trip off to visit some pubs in the Southern Highlands when I placed the CD in the stereo of the car... and the reaction from everyone in the car with that initial scream from Ripper Owens on the opening track of “Mr Crowley” Everyone jumped and said ‘holy crap! What the hell?!!’ That was a fun moment.
I do have a saying or a motto if you will when it comes to tribute albums or cover albums. And that is that these kinds of albums are fun for a while, but eventually you will want to go back to the original songs on the original albums and listen to the actual artist perform them. And that is true here once again. This is very much worth a listen, to hear how the songs are interpreted by all of those playing and singing. It is great. But you can’t beat the original versions and the original artists who created them and played on them. Ozzy is unique. So too his collection of guitarists and bass guitarists and drummers. All have their part to play. But as a true tribute to all of them, this is a worthy release.
I have spent the last couple of days reliving it once again for this podcast. I can’t say I’ve ever sat down and considered a list of my favourite tribute slash cover albums. This would rank highly if I did, I suspect. Maybe I should be doing that at the moment as well, just to pass the time...

33. Various Artists / A Tribute To The Scorpions. 2000. 4.5/5

Some of the best tribute albums were released at around this point of music history, the turn of the century when a whole new slew of bands were breaking through into the market, all of whom had some of the great bands of the past as influences on their music and burgeoning careers. So it was a perfect opportunity to create these tribute albums which worked twofold. Firstly, as a tribute to the original band, in this case the Scorpions, it gives that band a renewed exposure to the music world when their songs are lovingly covered and sometimes reimagined for a new audience. Secondly, it gives newer bands a chance to show their love for that band, but also gives them exposure to that original band’s loyal audience, and perhaps have them believeing that they should check out these newer bands on the basis of the cover versions of those songs they have performed.
In this instance, this album introduced me to a number of bands that I may never have listened to, purely on the basis of having heard them on this album playing awesome Scorpions songs. So for me, the lure and hook worked. And I’m sure I wasn’t the only one. What works best here in my opinion is that the songs chosen cover almost the whole career of Scorpions to the time it was recorded. They haven’t concentrated on just the 1980’s big hit albums, those from the 1970’s and 1990’s have also been given their chance to shine. In doing so, it also acts as a conduit for fans to perhaps discover the different eras of Scorpions and push them to look further than their comfort zone as fans. Once again, it is fair to say that this album did that exact same thing for me as well.

The album kicks off with Helloween’s brilliant version of “She’s a Woman, He’s a Man” that had appeared on their previous year’s release “Metal Jukebox”, itself a complete album of cover versions of songs from bands that they loved. This is a terrific version of this great song, crafted and performed with the love and care that you would expect of a band of Helloween’s standing. It gives the album the perfect start as well as a heavy hitter opening proceedings. Following this is Sinergy and their version of Scorpions best known song “Rock You Like a Hurricane”, a choice that was always going to be under heavy scrutiny form the fans who would have been looking for something special. Sinergy do the right thing, not doing too much different form the original, keeping the bones of the track intact and giving it a different skin, allowing the band’s style to flavour the track. It’s a very well-done cover of a song where the pressure would have been on to perform. Paradox and their version of “Dynamite” does the same thing, it doesn’t stary from the original too much, but the band add their own take on the track with a good pace and their great guitars matching the original versions for excitement and energy.
One of the tracks that stands out on this album is Sonata Arctica’s version of “Still Loving You”. The still-then fledgling band took one of Scorpions most recognisable and beloved power ballads, and turn it into an amazing fast paced heavy metal song that for all intents and purposes is AT LEAST as good as the original. It tears the house down in terms of energy and power, and for me ranks as one of the best cover versions of any song of all time. Surely, high praise indeed!
The heavyweight power metal band Stratovarius lend their credentials to their version of “Blackout” which again retains the structure and bones of the track and give their best performance of the track. Then comes Children of Bodom, a band that perhaps would not be thought of in a style that would complement a Scorpions song, but they come out and provide a stirring rendition of “Don’t Stop at the Top” from the “Savage Amusement” album. Musically it is flawless, and Alexi Laiho’s vocals and lead guitar are really quite terrific here. A great tribute from the masters of Finnish melodic death metal. Agent Steel’s take on “Dark Lady” from the “In Trance” album is excellent, with the vocals here arguably better here on the original which were provided by Uli Jon Roth. They also faithfully reproduce Uli’s unique guitaring style, completing an excellent cover of this song. This is followed by another truly awesome version of “Top of the Bill” from the same album by Steel Prophet, an American power metal band, who put this version of the song right alongside the original. Excellent, powerful guitars, and vocalist Rick Mythiasin top it all off. Just awesome. Prolopower then offer their version of “Steamrock Fever”, titled here and sung in the chorus as “Dampflockfuhrer”, utilising subtle changes in the lyrics but providing a unique version of the track as a result.
The second half of the album perhaps doesn’t live up to the first half, but of course that would be up to personal opinion. Tankard’s version of “Coming Home” does bring their own style into the song but loses the energy and passion of the original in the process. Disbelief offers a slower, perhaps darker version of the wonderful instrumental “Coast to Coast”, one that to me misinterprets the terrific vibes and energy of the original, though I may be biased as the band I was in during my 20’s played our own cover of this song, one which I think is far better than the one here. To/Die/For’s take on “Passion Rules the Game” comes across as a dreary mournful experience that’s sets itself apart from the original that has high energy and a positive vibe about the track. Breaker’s version of “Pictured Life” is a serviceable rendition of a track that is almost impossible to better. On the other hand, the version by Therion of “Crying Days” from Virgin Killer is a more interesting interpretation of the song, integrating the band’s style into their version of the track. Rough Silk present a varied and upbeat version of “Is There Anybody There” from “Lovedrive”, one that removes the reggae flavour the original track has and promotes it as a power metal version which suits the track well. Metalium and their take on the heavier equation of “Another Piece of Meat” is a solid version of a track that is almost impossible to either better or equal. Seven Witches journey of “Alien Nation” is a great version of the original from the “Face the Heat” album, played and sung with a passion the song needs to make it worthwhile. Then we have the joyous and brilliantly equalised version of “Send Me an Angel” by Custard. This is a song that appears to be incredibly difficult to reproduce to be anywhere near the Scorpions version, especially vocally. And yet, the band here excels. This is indeed a worthy tribute to a great band and song, and Custard probably lived off this for years. The album then concludes with the moving tribute of Stormtroopers of Death’s version of “Rock You Like a Hurricane”...... I am, of course, being slightly silly. Much like SOD themselves.

I have a saying about cover albums. Most of you will know it. And that saying is that no matter how good a cover album is, eventually you will put it back on the shelves, and head back to the original band and listen to those original songs, because in 99% of cases they will always be the best versions of those songs. Covers are fine, but it is the originals by the original band that are the real gems.
One of the things that had to be remembered coming into this album is that there is very little you could do to improve a Scorpions song. They are, for the most part, already perfect in style and substance and guitars and vocals, so to dive in and try and reinvent a classic was not something that could easily be achieved. In the most cases here, these bands didn’t try to do that, they just tried to deliver the track in the best way they could, while infusing a little of their selves into it. And that really wors well.
I had not heard of Sonata Arctica before I got this album, but I can tell you it didn’t take me long to get out there and search for them after I heard their version of “Still Loving You” on this album. It was exactly what I wanted to hear in a cover version. They took a wonderful track and made it their own. It led to me finding a band for whom I now own most of their albums and still listen to, all because of the way they performed this song.
I first got this album in 2001, on what had become my first real searching of the internet for bands and albums that I would have had very little chance of discovering without its rise to prominence. Throw in a search string, such as SCORPIONS and see what comes up. And then when an album turns up that says, “A Tribute to the Scorpions”, it's hard not to hit download and see what it sounds like. Which, is what I did.
On listening to this album again today, several times over, I was reminded of just how much I had loved this album when I first discovered it. It really is hard not to, with so many great Scorpions songs on it. And the bands it helped me to discover, important bands of the last 25 years of my music listening life. The already afore-mentioned Sonata Arctica, but also Stratovarius, Children of Bodom and Steel Prophet. I would probably have discovered most or all of them eventually but hearing them play their excellent versions of Scorpions songs that I already loved on this album brought that to the fore far quicker than it would have occurred. And – it was also a good reminder to me that this album is there, and that perhaps I should have listened to it more often in the years since it fell out of my heavy rotation. It’s great when an album does that.
On a previous episode for the Ozzy Osbourne tribute album, I suggested that I should have a ranking for these tribute and cover albums, much as I am introducing for all the band albums now. And, as yet, I have not done that. Suffice to say, if I did, this album would definitely make the top ten, and almost certainly top five. I really should get around to doing that...
Scorpions are a great band, still touring as I record this episode. As a tribute to their best material, by bands who have an obviously love for them that I do, this is well worth tracking down and listening to in full. I think you will be surprised just how good it is.

32. Various Artists / A Tribute To The Beast. 2002. 2/5.

Can someone explain to me what people are thinking, if they believe they can cover an Iron Maiden song, and scream or growl the lyrics to it?
OK, very few people can sing like Bruce Dickinson, but surely you have to give it a go?
I know I am not an afficiendo of the 'growler' lyrical style. And to me, the songs on which bands with growlers have covered on this album bring the rest of the effort down to mediocre.

And there are some good versions on here. Steel Prophet opening up with The Ides Of March and Purgatory, Sonata Arctica with Die With Your Boots On, Therion's Children Of The Damned, and Tierra Santa's Flight Of Icarus are worth the listen.

But those that are bad are horrid.

Rating : There is more to turn me off this album than to make me listen to it, which is a shame. 2/5

31. Catch The Rainbow / A Tribute To Rainbow. 1999. 5/5.

It's hard to believe, though easy to comprehend, that a musician could be so dedicated to one of his favourite bands, that he would put together a project for the sole purpose of recording a tribute album dedicated to that band. But that is exactly what Uli Kusch, former Helloween and Gamma Ray drummer, and current Masterplan drummer, did way back in 1999.
Along with some mates, and some special guests, here is a tribute album that is truly worth listening to and owning.

It covers all three eras of Rainbow (before the shortlived comeback in 1995), of Ronnie James Dio, Graham Bonnet and Joe Lynn Turner. It has a selection of their greatest tracks, and each one of them is superbly done. Sure - I may have done some different songs, but I can't complain about the ones they chose, and they way they covered them. You can feel the love and respect in each track.
My faves are Kill The King (with Ralf Scheepers), Stargazer, Spotlight Kid and Eyes Of The World (which Uli himself sings).

Memories : “Rainbow are the only original band. Everyone since has just copied them”. Peter Orgill, 1986.

Rating : This is yet another example of how to do a Tribute album RIGHT! 5/5.

20. Various Artists / A Call To Irons : A Tribute To Iron Maiden. 1998. 1/5.

When I originally saw this in Utopia, I was very excited. It was the first tribute album I had seen for Iron Maiden. I knew only a couple of the bands on it, and not very well, so I was looking forward to it.
Major disappointment.
This album really makes you appreciate how good the original band is, and how special Bruce Dickinson's vocals are. I realise this is a death/doom/gloom metal tribute, and I don't listen to much of these type of bands, but this was still desperately disappointing.
There are a couple of decent versions on the album. But mostly it is awful. $32 I will never get back.

Rating : Well, it was truly fortunate to get this much. 1/5