37. Death Angel / Act III. 1990. 4.5/5

Just how important is it for a band to be able to roll with the changes that confront them through their existence. Not only changes to their band regarding personnel but also in the maturing or differentiating of the music that the band produces, or even likes. And then, how do you react to the changes outside of you, of the likes and dislikes of the music listening public, and what it is that THEY are looking for? None of it comes easy, and none of it is a perfect science.
Death Angel had released their sophomore album, “Frolic Through the Park”, in 1988. It in itself had provided a change of sorts from the music they had produced on their debut album, an album that mirrored what they had been playing in those Bay Area clubs in their formative years. In more recent years since, the band itself has been critical of the “Frolic Through the Park” album, calling it their bastard album, and playing almost none of the songs from it in their live sets since their reformation back in 2001. On the back of that album, Death Angel had toured around the world (or at least parts of it) for the first time, supporting bands such as Motörhead, Testament, Flotsam and Jetsam, Overkill and others, and were particularly popular in Japan where they sold out two Japanese tours on their own.
In 1989, Geffen Records bought out Death Angel’s contract with Enigma Records, a deal that not only showed great confidence in the band’s marketability but offered the band access to better and more experienced people in the studio. The offset to this was the potential for the band’s sound to be watered down a tad in the chase for commercial success for their new employer, especially in an age where the tide was turning from thrash to hair metal, and then the soon to arrive grunge phenomenon. Death Angel had already shown a penchant for rearranging their sound and incorporating other styles in their music between their first and second albums, so the possibility of more change into their third album was always a possibility.
Producer Max Norman, renown for working with such high-profile acts as Ozzy Osbourne, Megadeth, Savatage and Fates Warning among others, was brought in to oversee the production of the new album, one that again extended the reach of the band into places darker and deeper than they had been before, with their third album appropriately named “Act III”.

Straight out of the gates, the opening track “Seemingly Endless Time” succeeds in its task of making this an album you want to listen to from the very moment it begins. The waves of the ocean breaking on shore leads straight into the crushing opening riff and drum salvo, the break with Rob Cavestany’s guitar awesome lead lick into the opening proper and Mark Osegueda’s vocals hitting the tarmac, on song from the very beginning. The melodic guitars throughout the song lose nothing of their original thrash roots about them, indeed creating a perfect combination to pull together this track as one of the band’s all time greats. That opening salvo from Osegueda of “Drifting on an endless sea, on our way to nowhere, oblivious to our destiny, slowly drifting on and on and on...” is just perfect in power and emotion. “Stop” then crashes into the same formula set in motion by the rhythm riff from Brothers GUs and Dennis Pepa along with drummer Andy Galeon. The song sticks to its momentum throughout its five minutes in length, and then highlighted by the guitar solo break through to the end of the song which brings it home in style. It’s another ripping song.
“Veil of Deception” changes the pace of the opening two tracks of the album, mixing it up with the acoustically based track that is conceptually unique. It sounds like a song being played unplugged but not having been written for electric guitars in the first place. For most of it 2.5 minutes in length you expect it to break back into the power guitars and drums at any moment... only to find that isn’t the case. This gives it a unique sound for a thrash-based metal band and yet it doesn’t allow any energy to seep away from the album in doing so. Then comes the aggression of “The Organisation” to crash back in and get this party started once again. Motoring along at that uprising tempo, peppered with guitar licks and solos and great singalong vocals like “Organised to control, the power compels your soul, organised to control, fall to your knees and crawl” this is another terrific song. “Discontinued” follows on from this, and has a lot of similarities about it to another band that I recently reviewed on this podcast, that being Scatterbrain. Like a lot of Scatterbrain’s material, there is quite a fusion of funk into this song, musically and by proxy vocally. The main riff is perfectly complemented by the drumming of Galeon and the funk bass from Dennis Pepa. It may be an unusual step for this thrash band, but it is done particularly well and is really enjoyable as a result.
Along the way, there are two other songs that would need to be classed out of the solar system that is the heavy thrash genre, and they are the two acoustic based ballad-like songs. The first of these was “Veil of Deception”, which certainly had no ballad like components to its structure, unlike the next song. “A Room with a View” is the second of these featuring both Mark and Rob on lead vocals, Rob slightly fragile vocal renditions melding perfectly with Mark’s slightly more powerful and assured singing. It sits in a strange place in the track list of the album, and stands as a point of difference that many thrash bands were beginning to believe they needed to showcase to be attractive to as many fans as possible. “Stagnant” follows this, and is recognisable for its multiple time changes throughout the song, harping on a riff chord before suddenly changing gears and direction in the same instant and moving on, and then doing it again. Both of these songs highlight differences in the band’s output on this album than what had come before it.
“Ex-TC” climbs back into the Death Angel driving seat and builds back to the band’s early strengths of great fast picking thrash riffs combined with the band backing vocals to help out in the chorus, before Rob again unleashes on the solo section of the song to lift it to an even greater height. This moves with style into the next track “Disturbing the Peace”, a song that incorporates time changes again that “Stagnant” started. It’s not an unusual concept but it is one that Death Angel were new to, and when first coming into the album it is something that times to reconcile, going from flowing riffs to a stop start guitar method that then changes up the tempo. It is disconcerting to begin with, but becomes more routine the more you listen to the album. And get ready for a little more of the same when you reach the album closer “Falling Asleep”, though this one is far more traditional Death Angel, especially when the tempo picks up and remains in its ideal faster pace. It is the longest song on the album, and is full of great riffing from Gus Pepa and soling from Cavestany, while Mark’s vocals are just fantastic here to finish off the album.
There is a surprisingly large amount of disillusionment for this album out there on the public album review sites like Encyclopedia Metallum and Rate Your Music. And that ranges from the fact that these people seem to want more thrash from the band such as their debut album, or simply a heavier sound like they produced on their albums following their reformation in 2001. Change can bring that about, and that is something that “Act III” does provide.

The conflict that comes in the aforementioned reviews on public sites about this album is something that I was oblivious to prior to the internet allowing such things to exist. And quite simply for me, that was because “Act III” was my introduction to the band. My future Vinyl Procurement Officer was the first one to offer me a glimpse of this album, suggesting at the time that ‘these guys are sick!!’, which I forgave him for because he was five years younger than my age of 20 at that particular time. And all it took was the first 30 seconds of the opening track “Seemingly Endless Time” to suck me in. So for me, my ‘in’ for Death Angel came with what in the future was seen as a dividing album. That is still something I don’t profess to understand. Of course, when I went back and finally got to listen to the band’s first two albums, I heard the differences in song composition that they hold, but it didn’t make me like them any more than this album, nor indeed love this album any less.
As I do, I have had this album on for the last week. At work it passes by as background noise a lot of the time, but at home on my stereo in the metal cavern, it has been as spectacular as it was when I first heard it 35 years ago. And just saying that length of time in regard to this album makes me feel a little uneasy. Surely I can’t be that old. Because when I put this on again, I was transported back to that first time I put Holzy’s borrowed CD copy on my first EVER stereo in my downstairs bedroom at Mum and Dad’s house in Kiama Downs, and heard this blast out of the speakers at me. It was like I was back there again, 20 years old and with my whole wretched wasted life still ahead of me. At least I don’t have to relive that, but I can relive this album, and I have done so many times in the past week.
So I tried to be picky, to find what people don’t like about this album. To be fair, if you are comparing it to the production and song ferociousness of the albums they have released SINCE this album, then that’s a different story, because it would be 14 years between this album and their next, “The Art of Dying”, and the metal world had changed a LOT between them. I get some blowback on “A Room with a View” because I have some reservations about it too, especially that it was obviously written to be a single and to try and draw in listeners to the album and make their new record company lots of free money. But no other song compares to it, so anyone who bought the album on the basis of that single is an idiot. And “Veil of Deception” is a great song, a heavy acoustic song without trying to be heavy. It showed the band could diversify, as did the funkiness of “Discontinued” and the tempo changes in “Stagnant”. There is no argument that this isn’t a pure thrash metal album, but come 1990, how many of those were there left from any of the great thrash metal bands?! Bands like Slayer, Megadeth and Anthrax released groundbreaking and awesomely brilliant albums in 1990, but none of them could truly be categorised as a pure thrash album. They were matured and mixed with styles that had them classed as a hybrid, but not a pure bred. So too, “Act III” should be classed in the same way.
This remains my favourite Death Angel album, my original and best. And that takes nothing away from all of their albums. This just motorises my memories every time I put it on.
What DID hurt was the dissolution of the band after this album, after the near fatal bus crash that put drummer Andy Galeon in a 12 month recovery and forced the band off the road and into other phases of their life. Wonderfully for fans, they did indeed eventually come back together, and six further albums have come as a result. And hopefully, with more to come.

36. Scorpions / Acoustica. 2003. 4/5.

Acoustic, or unplugged, albums, if done well, can be just brilliant. Nirvana and Alice In Chains are two that come to mind immediately. However, I must admit that, in general, I tend to shy away from these kind of releases.
When this first came out, I think I made a crass comment about “selling out”, and refused to even consider listening to it, for fear of how bad it would be.

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This is just a fabulous album. Scorps have always written songs that would suit this treatment, and they are done magnificently well.With some female back-up singers to help out, and some strings as well to help fill out the sound, this is just a brilliantly done album.
All their best 'ballad' hits are here – Always Somewhere, Wind Of Change, Still Loving You. Then some rockers, like The Zoo and Rock You Like A Hurricane. And also some special covers, The Cars hit, Drive, Kansas' Dust In The Wind, and Queen's Love Of My Life.

Rating : This is yet another example of my prejudices robbing me of having had this album for years instead of months. Truly a great performance of these songs. 4/5.

35. Ace Frehley / Ace Frehley. 1978. 3/5

In 1978, Kiss and their management, in their wisdom, decided that each member of the band would record and release a solo album, with all four to be released on the same day. It had been mandated in the band’s contract, but the recording and releasing all at once was apparently not specified. None of the members were to be involved in the other’s albums, this was a chance for each member to express themselves in their own way. The style of all four solo albums were completely different from each other, which could be seen to be either a good move to be that counterpoint to the main band’s normal sound, or one that maybe went too far.
For Ace Frehley, lead guitarist, backing vocalist and occasional song writer, this opportunity gave him the chance to show the fans – and perhaps even his band mates – what he was capable of producing. He recruited Anton Fig as his drummer, and Eddie Kramer to help him produce the album. Ace himself played all of the lead and rhythm guitars, along with some bass and synth. More importantly, he provided all of the lead vocals for the album, which was a big thing for him at the time. Ace had provided some lead vocals on Kiss songs but was generally a reluctant vocalist. On this album he would be stepping into new territory, which must have been a big step for him. He also wrote the majority of the tracks himself, with a couple being collaborations and one cover song. Of all of the four, it always felt as though it was Ace’s album that would have the most to show and the most to prove. In many ways this is how it panned out.

“Rip it Out” is a great opening track, with Ace getting out on the front foot and producing the kind of uptempo songs that his main band is renowned for. Driven by a great drum beat that becomes an important element of the whole album, Ace sings lustily and adds a great typical solo that tops off a great song. “Speedin’ back to My Baby” continues down this path, and again showcases Ace’s great guitaring but also his lead vocal work. His vocals here are just as good and is another great hard rock track to set the tone for the album early on. “Snow Blind” comes out at a slower tempo but based on the same principle of steady vocals and great solo through the middle to remind you just whose album this is. “Ozone” falls into the trap of finding a riff and repeating it over and over again, making the song a tad drab and predictable without a hook to grab on to. This is followed by “What’s on Your Mind?” which is the first song here that really has any pretence to sound like a song from Ace’s main band, with a similar structure and backing vocal singalong pieces, all of which actually works better than you might expect.
The opening song of the second side is a cover of a song by a band called Hello, an English glam rock band. The song is called “New York Groove” and was actually written by the grand old hitmaker himself, Russ Ballard, who has written dozens of hard rock anthems for bands all around the world. The style of the song is immediately different to those that come before it on the album as a result. This was chosen as the only song released as a single from the album, which to me was a strange choice considering the other songs here actually penned by Ace, but perhaps they decided that the Russ Ballard magic might rub off on it. And indeed they were right, as the songs reached #13 on the US singles charts.
“I’m in Need of Love” again mixes the slower, almost soul-like opening of the track with the burst of energy and power once Ace breaks into the solo slot in the middle of the song, which electrifies for a moment before dropping back to the opening tempo to round out the track. “Wiped-Out” has a contemporary rock them about it, while the album closes out with the longest song on the album, the instrumental “Fractured Mirror”. Now, to be honest, this is an interesting track, and one Ace can do because it is his album, and not a Kiss album. There’s a nice build and rise throughout the song and it is a satisfying way to end the album. But... I just wonder... is it the longest track because they need to fill up the time for the album? And was Ace sick f singing or coming up with lyrics, and this becomes the best way to achieve all of that? Unlikely, as the style of the track does not allow itself lyrical space. Whatever the reason, it does finish the album on a high note.

Despite my enjoyment of Kiss, I did not hear any of these four solo albums until about 20 years ago. I just felt no compunction to go and find them and listen to them. I didn’t know anyone who owned them, so it wasn’t until the years of downloading that I decided to get around to checking them out.
There’s no doubt that this was the one that caught my ear the most. What I like most about it is that it sticks to the ideals that Kiss had performed in their years since inception. The songs stick to that hard rock base, and Ace provides what he does best, his lead guitar work on this album is terrific and generally the best part of each song. The songs are catchy enough, and I think in a live environment would probably improve. Most of all, Ace’s vocals are listenable and stay within his range on all the tracks.
20 years ago I found this to be listenable without anything encouraging me to listen to it more than I did. Over the past few days revisiting this and the other three solo albums, this for me is the standout, which may not be saying much. But I have found myself singing along, enjoying when the songs break out into the guitar riffs, and not cringing against what Ace has produced. It may not be a ‘banger’, as the kids of today like to say, but as a solid hard rock album you could do worse than check it out.

34. Bruce Dickinson / Accident Of Birth. 1997. 5/5

Post his break up with Iron Maiden, Bruce Dickinson was looking for a road less travelled, one that did not follow the same path as the music of Iron Maiden had travelled. His diverging thoughts on the music he wanted to try had been obvious as far back as the writing for the “Somewhere in Time” album, and then into his first solo album “Tattooed Millionaire”. So it was always obvious that Bruce would be doing something different as he went forward. Just how different was not so obvious. “Balls to Picasso” had had its moments, most notably the brilliant “Tears of the Dragon”, but his next project “Skunkworks” was somewhat well titled, a very alternative metal come grunge album that in no way felt right for any of the participants. At the end of that tour Bruce was angry and no doubt bewildered. He felt as though he had put so much into that album, but in the main no one liked it, and the scaling down of the arenas he had played in, to much smaller clubs instead, was a fair amount to come to terms with.
Fortunately for music lovers everywhere, as well as the main players in this story, Roy Z, who had been his collaborator for the “Balls to Picasso” album, now appeared back on the scene, and told Bruce that he had been writing some material that was more metal and that he should take a listen. According to Bruce, at the time he had no desire to head back in that direction, but Roy insisted and played some of the stuff he had written down the phone to him. This piqued his interest, and so the collaboration began. Not long after this former band mate Adrian Smith was asked to come on to provide a guest role on the album, something that immediately developed into something more permanent. While Bruce and Roy wrote most of the album together, Bruce and Adrian also resumed a writing partnership that had proved so profitable in their previous band together, contributing three songs to the album. It may not have been a maiden reunion, but it was something that had more pressing rewards, which was more press coverage of the release of the album, and something that drew more fans to check out what this new album would be like, even those that had felt they had been burned by the previous release. Along with album artwork drawn by former Maiden cover artist Derek Riggs, the mini-Maiden reunion in retrospect almost seems deliberate... a ploy by Bruce’s manager Rod Smallwood?... surely not....

While “Accident of Birth” is a closer step back to the kind of music that the majority of us admired Bruce Dickinson for, it certainly couldn’t be called an out-and-out metal album. There are several songs here that would not fit on a maiden release, for instance. And, that was the kind of freedom Bruce was looking for when he made the break to being a solo artist. He wanted the freedom to be able to pursue the kind of music he was in the mood for at that time, and not be tied to what a band might want in that respect. “Taking the Queen” and “Man of Sorrows” are the prime examples here. Neither song is of that bastard category the power ballad, but both songs are the slower, softer, more reflective category of track that the band has to offer here. The momentum and mood swings from soft and quiet to more powerful in both vocal and musicianship throughout. They are the kind of songs Bruce is able to take a risk with in this environment, where fans come to hear Bruce sing rather than hear a metal classic. And both of these songs are so important not just in the balance of this album, and their ability to showcase the great allround song craft of the band, but in giving Bruce an outlet to expand his writing horizons alongside Roy and Adrian, in my opinion it enabled all three to become better songwriters down the track. Now while “Taking the Queen” still has those more powerful parts, “Man of Sorrows” is very much a Bruce Dickinson piece, the only song on the album where he is the sole writer, and it sounds as though he is making a point, that he can produce these kind of songs and not lose face with the fans. Apart from the guitar solo’s which are the hardest part of the track, Bruce’s vocal in this song is quite remarkable, something he could not have achieved in Maiden. These songs act as counterpoints of the album, the tracks that sit strategically between the faster and harder songs in order to showcase the amazing chameleonic abilities of all of the band in this manner. The same happens with “Omega” which in the same way as “Taking the Queen” rises from the quiet beginnings to the amazing highs of Bruce's awesome vocals, and riding the wave to the change to heavier track through the back end of the song. These kind of songs show terrific song writing and performing. “Arc of Space” is almost solely acoustic, and with this I still question if this was the best way to conclude the album. The use of cello and violin here as well adds to the tracks without being detrimental or cynical in their use, but unlike the earlier softer songs there is no faster heavier song to come after it. I still feel there could have been a better ending to the album, but then again, what would I know.
There are of course the heavier and faster songs, where the band really does come to life and showcasing those skills in their element. The opening of “Freak” is a great way to kickstart the album, fresh with Roy’s powerful guitar riff and Bruce’s vocals hitting the peaks. “Starchildren” is of the same ilk, with the duelling guitar solos of both Roy and Adrian being a star turn. “Darkside of Aquarius” is a fantastic track, combining the move between the slow build burn into the heart of the song and the amazing slight change in tones between Bruce’s vocals through the bridge and chorus of the song absolutely brilliant. Roy’s melodic riff through the heart of the song is a triumph, one of my favourite parts of any Bruce Dickinson song. Then you have the straight up rockers like “Road to Hell” and “The Magician” and “Welcome to the Pit” which are terrific songs too boot, and the title track “Accident of Birth” hammers home everything that is great about this album.

This album was the moment that a number of careers found their momentum again. Bruce himself was at one of his lowest ebbs before Roy Z reached out to him again. The resulting album, the sheer variety in songs that all still had the power of Bruce Dickinson’s vocals and talent behind them brought him back to the focus of world music, and was the beginning of his path back to Iron Maiden. The first ironic part of that was that this was also the same for Adrian Smith, whose contributions to writing here as well as his guitar also brought him back into focus, and also lead to his path back to Iron Maiden. And the second ironic thing about that is that the return of both Bruce and Adrian to Iron Maiden brought about that band’s resurgence in popularity because of it. So all of those three things began with “Accident of Birth” For Roy Z, it again showed his ability as both a song writer, composer, guitarist and producer, which not only allowed him to be involved in furthering Bruce’s solo career but also being important in resuscitating another vocalist on a solo hiatus, Rob Halford, and eventually helping him to also reunite with his band Judas Priest. All from this album.
I didn’t hear this album until about two years after its release. I had purchased “Balls to Picasso” on its release, and felt it was a bit ho-hum, and it disappeared onto my shelves pretty quickly. Then I hear about three songs from “Skunkworks” one day while browsing at Utopia Records, though “Ugh, that’s not good”, and didn’t buy that album nor bother looking any further as to when Bruce was going to release any more albums. It wasn’t until I ran into a mate on a trip home a couple of years later that he put on a CD in his car and said ‘try and guess who this is!’ The opening riff dissolved into the vocals, and I couldn’t believe that the owner of this heavy riffing track with the brilliant voice was Bruce Dickinson. The album was “The Chemical Wedding”, and having listened to that, and then purchasing it and listening to it a lot, I knew I needed to see if his previous album (of which I had had no idea existed) was just as good. That album of course was “Accident of Birth”, and in the same way that “The Chemical Wedding” blew me away, so did this album. The remarkable diversity grabbed me, but the heavier track in “Freak” and “Road to Hell” and “Accident of Birth” were immediate favourites. And probably still are all these years later. So I mightn’t have had the full 25 years listening to this album, but it is still as brilliant today is it was the first time I heard it. And as I have outlined just how influential it has been in furthering all those connected with it in the time since, it really does hold a special place in the annals of heavy metal history.

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.

30. Iron Maiden / A Real Live One. 1993. 4/5

The early years of the 1990’s were a difficult time for Iron Maiden. Having lost Adrian Smith prior to the recording of the “No Prayer for the Dying” album and the recruitment of Jannick Gers as his replacement, the band had released “Fear of the Dark” in 1992 – reviewed on this podcast in Season 2. Sales for the albums remained strong, but public perception on the strengths of individual tracks had started to become prevalent.
Once the tour to support the album started, the growing tension between lead singer Bruce Dickinson and the other members of the band, particularly Steve Harris, rose to unmanageable levels. Dickinson had grown weary of the constant touring and collaborative parts of being in a band, and following the initial success of his first solo album a few years before, “Tattooed Millionaire”, he had decided that that was the direction he wanted to head. Now, under normal circumstances, his resignation would have been announced by the band’s management, they would have gone their separate ways, and that would have been that. However, Maiden already had further dates booked throughout Europe to play, and Bruce agreed to stay on tour long enough to complete those shows so as not to cause any disruption. The problem now being was that Bruce’s resignation from the band had been announced, so everyone who went to those shows knew they were to be his last with the band. Years later, Bruce was quoted talking about that decision as follows:
"I thought it wouldn't be a problem to go out and do the shows at all ... but it wasn't a good vibe ... we walked out onstage and it was like a morgue. The Maiden fans knew I'd quit, they knew these were the last gigs, and I suddenly realised that, as the frontman, you're in an almost impossible situation. If you're like, 'Wow, this is really fucking cool tonight, man,' they're all gonna sit there going, 'What a wanker. He's leaving. How can it be cool?' Or do you go on and say, 'Look, I'm really sorry I'm leaving – not to put a damper on the evening, but I am quitting'? I mean, what do you do?"
The bad blood between Dickinson and Harris seeped out of this arrangement, with Harry later suggesting that Bruce only tried to sing well when there were corporate people watching who could help further his career, something that Bruce denied furiously, citing the previous quote as the reasons it may not have always sounded great.

The idea of this live album was that it was to be the first part of two live albums. This one was the “live” section, as in the tracks were all from the albums released since “Live After Death” in 1985. That meant a selection of tracks that had not been recorded and released as live versions, from “Somewhere in Time”, “Seventh Son of a Seventh Son”, “No Prayer for the Dying” and of course “Fear of the Dark”. As it turns out, the balance isn’t quite there. Only one song makes it from the “Somewhere in Time” album, that being the brilliant “Heaven Can Wait”, while five songs come from the latest album “Fear of the Dark”. In the long run you can’t blame the band for trying to promote their latest work, but I really must protest – indeed, have always protested – the inclusion of “Wasting Love”. I know it was released as a single, and as anyone who listened to my episode on the “Fear of the Dark” album would know, I have a morbid dislike for this song. And it takes up the room that any of a hundred other songs could have. Surely another track from “Somewhere in Time”. And, given that their headlining Donington gig from 1992 was eventually the third live album released of the band later in 1993, they certainly could have ditched it from this release.
There are some great songs here though, and some great live versions, though I am mostly picky with a lot of them. I think Bruce rushes the vocals too much in “Bring Your Daughter to the Slaughter”. I think he sings “Afraid to Shoot Strangers” too softly (in fact, I think Blaze Bayley sang it better). But, on the other hand, it is the best version of “Fear of the Dark” live on any of the 72 releases it has been on since this one. The tone and mood is perfect, just as they recorded it. And “Tailgunner” is great here, a great song live. The recordings come from nine different nights on that European tour, so there is a good reason here that it comes across differently from that brilliant “Live After Death” album – and it does show. The cohesion is missing between songs, not in a setlist order, just individual songs taken from different locations on different nights, which perhaps leaves it a tad unfinished.

I had seen Iron Maiden live for the first time a few months before this album was released, a concert that was one of the biggest let downs of my music watching life. The sound was awful, Dave had a broken leg, and several members of my friend group were ‘out of sorts’ for various reasons. And parts of the set list were... not what I was hoping for.
That probably all bled a bit into my feelings of this album on its release. I was no doubt over hyped, expecting another “Live After Death” experience, or at the very least a “Maiden England” experience, the video of the “Seventh Son of a Seventh Son” tour that had come out in 1989. And this definitely is neither of those things. Because the concept had been to break up the songs on this album and its follow up a few months later into newer songs and older songs, it meant that this was just a bunch of live songs recorded and then thrown together, with some form of a list between them. And, the lack of material from “Somewhere in Time” was definitely a part of that initial disappointment. So this album was played for its requisite time, and then it found its way back onto the CD shelves.
On having this back in the CD player for the last couple of weeks, I find that it is a good collection of songs, and a reasonable documentation of the band at that time. It isn’t great, it isn’t poor. As I have already noted, some versions of songs are great and others are better than average. So don’t get me wrong when I say this is an above average live album from a great band. But given it was the first of three live albums released by the band that year, and then the number of live albums they have released since, it is the plethora of the albums that harms this as much as the time itself did.

29. Iron Maiden / A Real Dead One. 1993. 4/5.

1993 was arguably the most difficult year Iron Maiden the band had lived through since their inception. There had been rising tension between several of the members of the band, and a disquieting realisation from lead singer Bruce Dickinson that he wanted to go out on his own and try something different from the band environment that he was then a part of. As a result, he had handed in his resignation, but had agreed to go out on tour on the dates the band had already announced it was performing. This of course was a difficult situation for all involved. As was related in the episode of Season 4 of this podcast relating to the sister album to this one, “A Real Live One”, the fans were all aware of Bruce’s imminent departure which brought a different vibe to the shows than the band would usually have received, and the ongoing tension between Bruce and band leader Steve Harris meant than none of it was a pleasant experience for the band.
The farewell tour had brought about a decision to not only release a final live album of the band with Bruce at the helm, but to also within some of these shows bring back some of the older songs that the band had not played in some time. This became a part of the eventual effort to release TWO live albums, one with the band’s recent material, and then a second album a few months later, which incorporated songs from the era prior to the release of their seminal and amazing live album, “Live After Death”. That first album, “A Real Live One”, came mostly at a time prior to Bruce’s announcement, and with songs that had not been heard live on an album before. The second album, this one, “A Real Dead One”, covered the era that had already been perfectly encapsulated by the “Live After Death” album, and as such was in a problematic predicament. If they performed songs on this album that had been captured perfectly before, would that make this less necessary to the fans? And if they only captured songs that did not appear on that album, would it also make this poor cousin anyway? Let’s face it, the concept on the drawing board was a good one. As it turned out, it feels as though it was poorly executed.

With so much available material that could be played for such a live album, there had to be many considerations taken as to what they wanted to play to be placed on this album, and then how they would go about it. Iron Maiden over the years have stuck rigidly to set lists on tours and rarely made many changes to what is played. So, given that the band was out promoting their latest album, “Fear of the Dark” at the time, if they were to incorporate some of their older material into the set list, they would have to be picky about it. They still had (and have) songs such as “The Trooper” and “The Number of the Beast” and “Run to the Hills” in their set list at the time, along with their usual “Iron Maiden” and “Hallowed Be Thy Name” which closed out the night. But, all of those songs had appeared on “Live After Death”, so did they need to be released on another live album?
I understand that the process would not have been easy, but even at the time this was released, what I wanted as a fan was a whole bunch of songs that I didn’t have live versions of on either of the previous two great live albums the band had released. And that’s not what we got. Instead, we got half an album of songs that we heard far better versions of on “Live After Death” - “The Number of the Beast”, “The Trooper”, “Running Free”, “Run to the Hills”, “2 Minutes to Midnight”, “Iron Maiden” and “Hallowed Be Thy Name”. OK, so we got to hear Jannick Gers interpretations of those songs live which was ok, and we got to hear Bruce sing them for what we believed would be the final time with the band, but to be honest, like every other Iron Maiden fan, if I wanted to hear these songs, I’d go straight to “Live After Death”. OK, so what about the other half of the album, the songs with live versions that we may only have heard on bootlegs of B-sides of live singles? Were they worth the wait? Well....
Honestly, whether it is or not, it sounds as though it was half-arsed and shoehorned into the schedule. It comes as a disappointment that songs like "Prowler" and "Where Eagles Dare" sound as though they may have been practiced once or twice at a soundcheck before being recorded. Bruce forgets words, and even half a verse at the end of "Where Eagles Dare". That’s fine if you are in the moment live, and I'm all for live recordings being left untampered, but was this the only time they played the songs on the tour? Or, if it was the best, then there are problems. Or did Steve Harris leave in on the disc as revenge? Apparently, by the end, they weren't getting on too well. Are the quality of the songs affected? No, not really, and they certainly differ from the original versions, which can often be the benefit of a live album. Apart from these two songs, the band also offers “Transylvania” into “Remember Tomorrow” which sounds terrific, as well as the old favourite “Sanctuary”, all of which combined still makes it a good listen all round.

The same old story should apply here, a live album should more or less always be a 5/5 rating because it’s the best songs in the best environment. This would be one of the exceptions. The album is fine. It sounds great, the band sound great, Bruce’s vocals are excellent. If you just accept it on face value, it is fine. But there are a couple of conditions on this.
Like the sister album “A Real Live One”, this is recorded at several different venues, over a period of a year, from late 1992 to late 1993. So, it isn’t a live album that showcases the whole setlist from go to woe, it is a patchwork of songs thrown together to make several live moments. For me, that sort of cruels it a bit, certainly in comparison to “Live After Death”. The live versions of these songs are great to a certain extent, but the lack of a flow through the album does hold it back.
Secondly, what a missed opportunity to play songs from that first five albums that either hadn’t been played live at all, or not for a number of years. “To Tame a Land” might have been a stretch to have to relearn to play live, but what a terrific opportunity it would have been. A song like “Sun and Steel” would have been awesome. How about “Invaders” or “Ganglands”? Or “Purgatory” or “Prodigal Son”. Or just go all out and do “Back in the Village” and “The Duellists”. If you really wanted to impress the fans and give them the final send off to Bruce that he deserved, drag some of those songs out to play!
Instead, we have a serviceable live album which is makes itself an addition to your Iron Maiden collection, without being the ‘must have’ superb album that you may have wished for.
Indeed, given that just a few weeks after this Iron Maiden dropped their third live album of the year on its fans, and you begin to wonder if it is quality or quantity that they were looking to deliver.
I did get this on its release, and enjoyed it when I listened to it at the time. It’s a good live album. But as I’ve explained over the course of this episode, it could have been so much better, and album that 30 years later would still be praised and spoken of if they had done things differently. Instead, with the over abundant choice of Iron Maiden live albums now in existence, the only reason to actually listen to it is to reminisce of the time when Bruce left Maiden... before he then came back of course...

28. L.A. Guns / A Nite On The Strip. 2000. 3.5/5

Having recorded their previous album Shrinking Violet and started touring, there was a change in tact not long after, and former members Phil Lewis, Mick Cripps and Kelly Nickels suddenly returned to the group to reunite the band's classic lineup. From here, the tour reignited, and striking while the iron was hot, the band recorded this live album at the Key Club.
The resulting album and live set contained none of the songs from the previous two albums, reverting to material recorded only by this line-up. The price you pay when you are doing 'reunion' gigs.

There is a good vibe about the whole album. It acts as a 'greatest hits live' package, kicking off with "Face Down", and then into some of their best known and greatest tracks, "Sex Action", "One More Reason", "Kiss My Love Goodbye" and "Bitch is Back".
"Over the Edge" sounds better here than it does on the studio version, while there are songs in the back half of the concert, especially "Never Enough", "Nothing Better To Do" and "Rip N Tear".

Sometimes it is difficult to imagine how songs will translate from the studio to the live stage. This is a good effort in capturing the excitement and vibrancy of this band in their natural environment. The song selection is terrific, and the band appear to be enjoying themselves. Always a bonus when it comes to recording a live album. Worth a listen.