753. Alcatrazz / No Parole From Rock 'n' Roll. 1983. 3/5

Graham Bonnet had had a long and varied career by the time this project arrived. Apart from various solo ventures and some time with the band The Marbles, he had had high profile terms as lead vocalist with Rainbow on their “Down to Earth” album and tour, followed by singing on the Michael Schenker Group album “Assault Attack”, both of which for various reasons lasted for only that single album for each term. This has always been unfortunate as both “Down to Earth” and “Assault Attack” are brilliant albums.
The band's initial line-up consisted of Bonnet, young Swedish up-and-coming guitarist Yngwie Malmsteen, who had recently left the American metal band Steeler, Gary Shea and Jimmy Waldo from New England and Clive Burr of Iron Maiden fame. Burr was reportedly only in the band for a week, and left upon discovering the band was going to be based in the United States, as opposed to his native England. Burr was soon replaced by former Iron Butterfly drummer Jan Uvena, who had just left Alice Cooper's backing band. Shea dubbed the group "Alcatrazz". For the first album, the bulk of the material was written by Bonnet and Malmsteen, with Waldo contributing to several tracks. The choice to recruit Malmsteen was one that was seen to be of enormous benefit to the new project. Having left Steeler in order to increase his own profile, he teamed up here with proven professionals who had been in the industry for over a decade.
In the long run, this probably should be a more widely known album. All the elements are here to produce a really strong and heavy album. What it does end up is stuck in the middle of where it wanted to be and where it should have been. It wanted to be a radio friendly hit album, but enough of the songs are too hard rock to deliver that, and certainly the electrifying guitar of Yngwie Malmsteen took it beyond that market. However, it also didn't go far enough into the harder side of the music to set it alongside other bands that were beginning to break at this time.

As already mentioned, “No Parole From Rock 'n' Roll” comes across as a radio-friendly written album, one where there is a commercial element within the sky high vocals and riffing guitar, though it was not to break for the band in that way. Nor did the video for the first single "Islands in the Sun" garner huge attention, though for a while it was played often on MTV and other music video related channels. The album tends to rely very heavily on the keyboard sound that was dominant in the 1980's hard rock, but in an unobtrusive way that perhaps required either more involvement or back to very little at all, mixed with the unique guitar sound Yngwie was bringing to the table. Yngwie's solo pieces are still brilliant to listen to today. Take any of those solos and riff breaks in any of the songs and you could place them on his “Rising Force” album, and it would not lose a beat.
Upon this was layered Bonnet's singing, for the most part set to the highest vocal register, which worked well on some songs and not so well on others. What does seem to be missing from the vocals is the hard full audience thumping power that is evident in the songs from the two albums mentioned above. Bonnet's vocals on, for instance, Rainbow's "Eyes of the World" and M.S.G's "Desert Song" really thump through the speakers into your chest. Here they tend to try to be reaching levels for which he cannot project that kind of power. Still great vocals, but different from the recent bands of his past. An interesting way to go about it.
"Kree Nakoori" is certainly not one of those. It is a great rumbling song, dominated by Bonnet's crooning vocals and Yngwie's brilliant guitar break that punctuates itself throughout the song. There is no pretence at playing it safe here, but the song probably extends longer than it needed to. To be honest it is only on occasions I notice this, so it can’t be too bad. This is then followed by the instrumental "Incubus" which again is dominated by Yngwie's guitar. Terrific stuff. "General Hospital" and "Hiroshima Mon Amour" are up there as some of the best songs on the album. "Too Young to Die, Too Drunk to Live" and "Jet to Jet" have a very Rainbow theme to them, with the keyboards heavily prevalent in a manner that is reminiscent of that band. Yngwie almost channels Ritchie Blackmore on guitar during both of these songs. “Jet to Jet” is where Yngwie’s ridiculous guitaring first makes its presence felt, the solo in the middle pure Malmsteen for anyone who has been a fan of his in his solo career.
"Big Foot" is a slower paced and less richter scaled vocally, with Yngwie again treating us to a terrific lead break. Stylistically it does change up the character of the album, which some will perhaps enjoy, rather than where I feel it changes the character in a brick wall kind of way. "Starcarr Lane" is memorable for the solo, but the vocals just seem a bit too out of character with the song, going from a normal register to a high level register between lines of lyrics. It is very much on the ‘let’s make a single’ variant of song much like “Islands in the Sun” is, and while it is inherently enjoyable there is the feeling that perhaps it could have been more than it is. Apart from the solo, because Yngwie against rips it to pieces in that regard. The closing song “Suffer Me” is written as the epic to close out the album, the one that makes it mark so that you come back again and again. It is not a power ballad as such but sits in that realm, and I know there are those out there who love them, but I am not. Yngwie’s solo channels the greatest parts of that during his solo which is fantastic, but the whole mood of the track doesn’t appeal to me. It is all a matter of taste in the long run, isn’t it.

I came across Alcatrazz at the end of the 1980’s, an obvious band to chase given the two main personnel that I had already enjoyed in other bands. And while it is fair to say that both of their contributions here are excellent, perhaps the album dated so quickly that it was something I didn’t pay enough attention to at that time. The elements for a terrific album are all here, but the songs just don’t have enough bite to be spectacular and break the mould. What you have instead is an album that is tied to the era it came from because of its production and writing, which will be enjoyable to those who listen to that style of music, but which will possibly turn off younger and older people than that era for exactly the same reasons. And it is to me in short doses, but I do eventually look for something with more energy and power coming out of the speakers.
Graham Bonnett’s vocals are absolutely amazing on this album. He had done some sterling work in the past, especially on those albums already mentioned earlier in this podcast episode, but they are amazing here. He hits notes that are reserved for some of the greats like Glenn Hughes on this album. His performance throughout the album is superb, and is right alongside the best of his career performances.
This album, and band, is really set up to be a showcase of the talents of Bonnet and Malmsteen, and the supporting cast don’t do a lot flashy, perhaps in order to not get in the way of the star attractions. The keyboards from Waldo are solid, and certainly nothing like what Malmsteen has on his solo work where he would often trade solos. What is played here is quite that quality, but it is likely that there was a purpose for that, especially given the egos involved. Because Yngwie as always is spectacular here, and it is his guitaring that pricks the ears up whenever I play this album. And so it should, because this album was his last port of call before he left the band and set up his own solo project, and then released the amazing “Rising Force” album that began his path to stardom and the amazing albums he has recorded since. Alcatrazz moved on, and had to put up with a less spectacular guitarist to take his place for their next album… Steve Vai. But that is a story for another episode.

752. Amon Amarth / Twilight of the Thunder God. 2008. 2.5/5

I came on to Amon Amarth later than most, though I originally heard this album upon its release, and pretty much rejected it out of hand almost instantly. It wasn't until a few years later that i had cause to revisit the band and thus this album as well. What I discovered was that it wasn't as bad a I originally imagined it to be, though perhaps my recollections were of parts of the album rather than the whole.

Much of the music on this album is terrific. It may not be super technical, but for the most part it is catchy as hell. Simple but effective drumming drives each song along at the required speed. It's a great example of how drumming doesn't have to be filled with huge time changes or distributing drumsticks along eleventy-two toms to be a distinctive component of the songs on show. Of course, there is then the threat that if it is all generally the same throughout the album (and that could well be argued to be the case here) that it takes away the individuality of each song and makes them of a similar ilk. There are some great riffs here too, once again nothing on the overly technical side, but again effective throughout. Some of the solo breaks too are excellent. Much like the drumming though, sometimes too much of a good thing can be at the cost of the album's evenness. What may work in some places may not work in others.
There are some standout songs here. The title track "Twilight of the Thunder God" is a ripper, emphasising the best that Amon Amarth can muster. It is the best song here, which can be disconcerting when it is the first track on the album. Next best for me is the second song, "Free Will Sacrifice". So too "Varyags of Miklagaard ". From here though, something is lost and not recaptured for the rest of the album.
This is highlighted by some songs that are on the middle ground, such as "Guardians of Asgaard", "Where is Your God?" and "Tattered Banners and Bloody Flags", where the simplicity of the music probably outstays its welcome, not making them poor songs but only average ones. Through to the album's conclusion, it feels as though the band has decided that the formula has worked, and by sticking to it they can keep the listeners interest. Well, no, not really. Those things that are impressive at the start - Johan's amazing deep throated vocals, catchy guitar riffs and accompanying drum kicks, just don't carry the same weight in the second half of the album.

In summing up the album, I think after a terrific start it does tend to drift into a similar pattern, which can make you feel you are hearing nothing different. And this is a real shame, because it opens up with such promise with energy and aggression, which just seems to seep away by the middle of the album into a normalcy that is difficult to sustain, especially in a death metal album. Perhaps it is just another of those "it's not you, it's me" moments, where big fans of the band will see this as absolute rubbish. I can accept that on this occasion, because no matter how many times I have had this album on, by the time I reach "Tattered Banners and Bloody Flags", my interest has waned to the point of looking for the next album to listen to.

Rating:  Ragnarök awaits.  2.5/5

751. Adrenaline Mob / Men of Honor. 2014. 2/5

I don't really know what happened between the time that the initial discussions into forming the band Adrenaline Mob took place, to the first album Omertá being recorded, until this second album being written and recorded occurred, but surely the musical direction that has been taken in that time is completely different from that which the fans expected things to go.
When this band first came together, I was excited for what they were going to produce. Surely Russell Allen and Mike Portnoy could put their heads together and produce some brilliant heavy metal songs. Two years later and Portnoy had moved on from another band again, and Twisted Sister's AJ Pero arrived. Unfortunately, the musical direction that the band has been taken in has moved from those initial hopes, and we find ourselves mired in a nu-metal sound that tends to prevail the airwaves of any radio station that deems a form of heavy metal is able to be played.

I am a fan of Russell Allen. I love his work around Symphony X and his other projects. But his vocals here are a real change from his usual style, and I think it is a step too far. He may well enjoy it, but here it feels as though he is trying make the songs sound heavier by his vocals alone, which shouldn't be the case. Take "Feel the Adrenaline" for instance, where he sings in his atypical register, before dropping down to a guttural almost-growl in the chorus that for me just doesn't suit him - or the song for that matter. It's not the only instance on the album that his vocals are out of character, and while there is nothing necessarily wrong with a change in direction, it isn't working here. There is further juggling of vocal registers in a song like "Men of Honour". It just doesn't gel well. Then there is the guitar solos, which apart from being stuttery and trying to be just a little too clever, are allowed to punctuate songs in the strangest places, completely out of character with a sensibly structured song. Many just appear to be a hodge-podge and mish-mash of drum fills and guitar riffs, which may appeal to some of those fans out there, but to me just make it extremely difficult to take it all in.
The similarity to other artists material is perhaps just a bit too close for comfort. For instance, "Judgement Day" and  "Mob is Back" could easily have been featured on a Five Finger Death Punch album, such is the similarity in the vocals and music. "Feel the Adrenaline" crosses the line a little too close to comfort with Hellyeah. And don't get me wrong, I like some of what bands like Hellyeah and Five Finger Death Punch are doing. But it feels as though this is a deliberate ploy to duplicate that sound entirely, and I really thought these guys were better than that. It doesn't make them bad songs, but is it plagiarism?
Worse yet, "Behind the Eyes" may as well be a Nickelback knockoff, and I couldn't possibly begin to tell you how much I despise Nickelback. Add to that the power ballad "Crystal Clear", which feels like a cop out. Why make hardcore songs on what appears to be a nu-metal hardcore album, and then throw in songs such as these two? Who on earth is going to enjoy both sides of these genres? Perhaps a better question is who is going to enjoy either side?

I really like a lot of their debut album, but as a follow up this is very disappointing. Perhaps I have been a little harsh, but the uncharacteristic vocals, the rather average guitaring that sounds as though it thinks it is better than it actually is, and the whole confusing direction of the music itself makes this a difficult album to recommend.

Rating:  I'm feeling like a bastard son - yeah.  2/5

750. Ace Frehley / Space Invader. 2014. 2.5/5

Following up his previous album Anomaly from five years ago, Ace Frehley has again written and performed the majority of this himself, which while it sounds great in theory does tend to narrow its ability to surprise. He might be a talented - and legendary - guitarist, but sometimes it helps to have a bit of input from other people in regards to the other parts of the process.

The first half of the album is listenable but suffers from the lack of a really good lead vocalist out front to make the most of what has been written. "Space Invader" is a good hard rock song, with a singable chorus and a great solo spot from Ace, but the change in timing between verses and the lead break is a little mystifying. "Gimme A Feelin'" is more characteristic of that other band Ace was once in, and pull the right strings in most departments. "Change", "Toys" and "What Every Girl Wants" all favour that simple hard rock theme of basic back beat and vocals, shove in a guitar solo, and move on to the next one. Some songs are less inspiring, such as "Immortal Pleasures" and "Inside the Vortex".

The thing that sets this apart from the KISS albums and various other solo projects is this - whereas Paul Stanley can write a great song, and sing them just as well. Ace does what he does well (ie play guitar), but he doesn't write songs as good as Paul's. Like the majority of work Ace has done in his years since KISS, this is hampered by some mediocre song writing, and lackluster vocals, because let's face it, Ace is not a lead singer. But what it does have is Ace's guitar, and while he may not be the best ever, his is a signature guitar sound, and his solos still hold enough to make you listen and say, "Yeah, Ace can still play". For the most part though, the songs are stereotypical harder rock songs that survive on a blues based drum and bass beat that sticks to a similar timing all through each song of the album. Added over the top of this are Ace's monotone vocals that barely raise any enthusiasm throughout, and certainly do not inspire any excitement or heart thumping. In between these comes Ace's guitar, which during the basis of the songs barely makes an impression, before breaking out for short sharp solo breaks that remind you, "Hey this is Ace Frehley!"
Seriously, "Reckless" could have been an eight second short piece that was then placed on a loop and repeated twenty times, because it doesn't seem to change a whole lot during that 4+ minutes. Then there is the cover of "The Joker". Really? Is this necessary? Is it an album filler? Or did Ace just want to do a cover of this song? It's real problem is that it doesn't bring anything new to the song at all, apart from Ace's interpretation of the solo break. the rest is just business as usual. Drab. "Starship" is the instrumental closer, which is more of an opportunity for Ace to express himself on his guitar, but again this seems to just drift into stratosphere without direction, and its length overplays itself, and almost feels as though it is just long for the sake of it, rather than because there is something to listen to or enjoy. It's not bad, it just isn't overly interesting.

There is enough here for fans of Ace to enjoy, and perhaps rate higher than I have. I find myself troubled by the flaws more than I am impressed by the good spots on the album, which dominates my enjoyment of the album overall. It's not a complete loss, but I just get the feeling it could have been a lot better by adding a couple of components and losing a couple of others at the same time.

Rating:  When I play with you there is a chemical reaction.  2.5/5

749. Accept / Accept. 1979. 2.5/5

Given the long and well credentialled career that the band has enjoyed over the years, it is interesting to note the less than auspicious start that Accept had on their start as a band and upon the release of their debut album. The beginnings of the band can be traced all the way back to 1968, but it wasn’t until 8 years later that the band were able to find a reasonably stable line-up and that they began to play gigs as a solid formation. This lineup of the band contained main band members Udo Dirkschneider on vocals, Wolf Hoffmann on lead guitar and Peter Baltes on bass guitar, along with Jorg Fischer on rhythm guitar and Frank Friedrich on drums.
The debut album is not recalled by any of the band members with any great fondness. As has been discussed with other albums on recent episodes, debut albums are always a learning process both for the band and the people they entrust to produce them. Both are trying to discover the sound they want, and the debut albums of most bands always seem to have troubles along the way. In this instance, Udo always expressed disappointment in the result, but also in the way the band recorded the album., He felt that while the production could have been better, he felt that the songs and the way the band chose to record them also lacked the professionalism they required. Wolf has been more circumspect, saying that the songs they recorded for this album were just ones they had gathered along the path on their way to that point in time, and lacking the focus that being written at the same time with the same ideas would produce on albums down the track. In any event, the album was recorded, and the self-titled album hit the shelves in January 1978… to a resounding thud.

For later fans of the band’s music, yes, you bet this first album is different, but that is often the case when a band first finds its feet. One thing that is for certain here is that you can hear where some of their influences may have come from. There is no doubt a heavy background in their music from Scorpions and UFO, whom Michael Schenker was with at that time. Songs such as "Lady Lou" and "Glad to be Alone" are perfect examples of that here. Also, the ballad "Seawinds" and the harder song "Sounds of War" both reference that Scorpions underscore in particular. Being a German band, the influence of Scorpions should be obvious, given the fact that they were very much on the rise at this time. Both “Seawinds” of “Sounds of War” have the lead vocals performed by bass guitarist Peter Baltes, no doubt because to ask Udo to perform these would have created completely different songs. Or did he just not want to sing on them? I don't know the answer. “Seawinds” in particular as the power ballad here is less than appealing to my ear and is lacking almost all of the elements that could make a great power metal ballad.
Then you have an even rarer beast. In fact, whether they had heard them or not, the song "That's Rock n Roll" has a very familiar Van Halen sound to it. Uncannily so. Even the lyrics could have come straight from David Lee Roth's mouth. It is very off-putting and a bit eerie actually. A German Van Halen cover band? Is that one of the band’s possible career paths? On listening to this… no.
Udo's vocals throughout the album are not what he would become known for. In fact, the only parts of the album where you hear from him anything like the gruff vocal style he became known for is during the middle of "Take Him in My Heart" and at the very end of the album in "Helldriver". For the remainder of the album, they have a more… commercial… bent about them. It’s a very interesting exercise listening to this album and hearing the different style of lead vocals on the songs. No two seem alike, and whether or not this was a direction that was planned for at this time, or whether or not the more recognisable vocal style came in as a result of this album not performing particularly well, I don’t have the answer. What I do know is that it must have been easier to accept (no pun intended) this style if you came across the band at this stage, rather than at a point a couple of years later and beyond.

For reasons that have hopefully been adequately put forward in this episode, there has been an aversion to Accept's earliest work, mostly from those that came in late to Accept's sound, and find it hard to come to terms with the early material. Many cite the early 1980's as the peak of their sound, with Udo screaming on vocals and the guitars finding that heavier duelling sound. The youngsters of the 21st century may well be coming into the band’s new material with Mark Tornillo on vocals and a modern metal edge to the music. Perhaps, having actually found the band in either of these eras, and then going back to listen to those first couple of albums, they find that it is so different that they are incapable of enjoying it.
As it turns out, I was a latecomer to Accept as well. Sure, I knew “Balls to the Wall” as every headbanger from the 1980's did, but I didn't really come to any other Accept music until much later on. More's the pity, but sometimes there is so much music out there you just can't have it all. As it turns out, I too found the historical past of Accept after I had come to enjoy their other more prominent periods, and also faced the difference that makes up their sound on this first album.
Suffice to say, this is an album that has its challenges, and one that doesn’t hold up as well as others from other bands of the era. The comments made by both Udo and Wolf from the first segment of this podcast do come across as accurate. It is an album where there is not a lot of cohesion in the track list, and a difference in the songs that appears difficult to overcome. Given I didn’t listen to the band much until 30 years after this album was released, it didn’t have the relationship with my youth that my favourite albums generally do. I have had it on several times over the past week, and in the background it has been listenable enough. Putting on today at home without any distractions to get my true feelings on it, I have found that the limitations that it has have been far more noticeable.
So certainly “Accept” the album shows a band in development, taking their first steps into the recorded music world. While it won't cater to all tastes, as an album written and recorded in the late 1970's it shows some of the characteristics of that period. While I don't categorise it as one of my favourite albums, and indeed is probably my least favourite of the band’s catalogue, it is one I can put on and listen to without hating it. It just doesn’t have too much to really attract you to choosing it to listen to and investing the 36 minutes it requires to go from start to finish.

748. Various Artists / The Metallic-Era. 1996. 4/5

Back in the late 1970's and early 1980s, a whole stream of bands appeared which became loosely tied up in what was eventually titled the New Wave of British Heavy Metal. Some may have only been on the fringes of this movement, but all of them were around, playing gigs, trying to land record deals, and putting out singles in order to garner attention. All these bands were, in their own way, influencing the next generation of musicians, and some of those went on to bigger and better things than the bands that they admired were able to achieve. Those bands in turn never forgot their roots, and would eventually play cover versions of those songs that influenced them, passing them on to yet another generation of music lovers.
The band that has had the most influence for these initial bands has been Metallica. Throughout their career, Metallica has always paid homage to their influences, with some songs having remained in their own set lists for decades now. They have also been active in re-recording these songs that they loved, and putting them on the B side of singles, on EP's, and even special albums dedicated entirely to cover songs of the artists they loved. In many ways, their own huge popularity has helped those early bands regain or improve their own status.

And so we come to this album. The Metallic-Era contains 12 songs that Metallica has either performed or published cover versions of - or both - over their career. Gathered here though are the original versions of the songs as performed by the original bands. For those that have not heard them before, or do not own the albums they came off, it is a great collection in order to hear what these songs sounded like before Metallica came along and made them, for the most part, their own. Some of the originals still hold up in a modern setting, and can sit beside the Metallica versions on an even pedestal. Some perhaps do not contain or hold the power that Metallica has added to them in their own way.
When listening to and judging the original versions of these songs against the Metallica versions of the songs, perhaps the toughest part is accepting that on the whole Metallica improves each and every one of them. The majority of people who first hear this album will never have heard the original versions before, and will only know the Metallica versions. That can make it very difficult to appreciate the originals given that it is not the versions of the songs that you know. To really fully appreciate these songs, you need to put out of your mind what you know to be the cover version, and remember the time and place and the lack of technology these songs were recorded under. That perspective can help to hear what Lars and James in particular heard with their ears all those years ago.

The Diamond Head tracks in particular all hold up from the original recordings. "Am I Evil", "The Prince" and "Helpless" still sound great today from that amazing demo debut Lightning to the Nations. I am probably not one to judge "Sucking My Love", as I have never really enjoyed the song at all, and it has too much of a free-form-jazz attitude to it for me to like. Sweet Savage's "Killing Time" and Blitzkrieg's "Blitzkrieg" are also great songs. I probably enjoy these band's original versions more than I do Metallica's cover versions, as good as they are as well. Holocaust's "The Small Hours" is also brilliant. It must have been something to witness it in a live setting. I do enjoy the two Budgie songs, "Crash Course in Brain Surgery" and "Breadfan", but I think the extra metal and James' vocals tip the Metallica versions in front of these versions. Killing Joke's "The Wait" is just a great song, and I love both versions for what they are. Savage's "Let it Loose" and Anti-Nowhere League's "So What" are two very good examples of songs that Metallica has lifted and improved dramatically by their cover versions.

As an historical artifact this is a terrific album and a great listen. It's nice to hear what influenced one of the biggest bands of recent times, and also to know how they chose to use this material and transform it to their own. It also highlights the very good material that was being produced in those days, much of which lays in the mists of time and would be difficult to come across without the help of releases like this.

Rating:   Motives changing, day to day...  4/5

747. Yngwie J. Malmsteen's Rising Force / Marching Out. 1985. 5/5

Those of you who are long time followers of this podcast will be aware that my original iteration of Music from a Lifetime was taken down for supposed transgressions in regards to the music I was using on those episodes. 3.5 years of hard work down the drain. After some thoughts of abandoning the concept, I decided to start again, and episode 3 of that resurrection dealt with Yngwie J. Malmsteen’s debut studio solo album titled “Rising Force”, which was released in December 1984. It had come on the back of journeying to the US and playing in the bands Keel and then Alcatrazz, and discovering that his ego didn’t always fit in with the egos of others in the bands he played in. It had been on the back of leaving Alcatrazz that he has decided to release his own solo album, and the response was enormous. What had originally been planned as an instrumental side project to his work with Alcatrazz had become his sole focus, and the addition of two songs with vocals from Jeff Scott Soto had given it the ability to transcend just the guitar geeks who wanted to fanboy about his guitaring skills. “Rising Force” went on to win Guitar Player's award for Best Rock Album and was nominated for a Grammy Award for 'Best Rock Instrumental', reaching no. 60 on the US Billboard album chart.
This success convinced Malmsteen that he was on the right path, but in order to gain to kind of commercial success that he was looking for, he knew that he would have to create songs that focused as much on the lyrics as they did the music. Having utilised Soto on his first release, he was retained for the follow up album as well. Jens Johanssen, who had played keyboards on the debut album also returned, as well as bringing along his brother Anders as the new drummer. The majority of the songs and lyrics were composed by Malmsteen himself with some input from Soto.
Riding on the crest of the wave following that critically acclaimed debut album, Yngwie decided to name the project Yngwie J. Malmsteen’s Rising Force, and with the more lyrics-focused songs combined with Soto’s wonderful vocals and Malmsteen’s shredding guitar, they ticked practically every box in the quest for the mainstream success that he craved, with the sophomore album titled “Marching Out”.

When this album was released, and probably even more so today given the way they somewhat date the album to its mid-1980's release, some fans and reviewers alike tend to be critical of the lyrics than have been written for this album. And that is all a matter of personal taste, but to be honest, are lyrics the be all and end all of a song? Not everyone can write lyrics that are meaningful on several levels in order to appease the majority of listeners, or want to make a statement with their songs, be it political or empirical. Some of these same fans and reviewers are critical of the structure of the songs, not focusing on the lyrics but on how the music is structured and arranged, focusing as it would on the guitar of Yngwie Malmsteen as the main product. These two views led to a swathe of music listeners not taking this release seriously, and yet in the same breath heaping praise on the glam metal genre rising out of the US at the time. I don’t have a problem with the second part in the slightest, but I do when it comes at the expense of this album.
The opening minute of “Prelude” creates the anticipation of the opening, perhaps seen as unnecessary when it comes to the album but still performing its duty as requested by its composer, which all comes to pass as the opening track “I’ll See the Light, Tonight” opens with the squeal of Malmsteen’s guitar and the prescient scream of Jeff Scott Soto to bring the album to life from the outset. Simple lyrics, enhanced by Soto’s wonderful vocals, give the song the additional ability to be sung along to at the top of your voice, and still perform the main act of the vehicle which is to showcase Yngwie’s guitar work, which is in top form here. It’s a great fast paced classic to open the album. This is followed by “Don’t Let It End”, with Yngwie’s clear guitar under Jeff’s beautiful vocal bursting into the passionate and energetic leap into the song proper, the hard hitting rhythm giving Yngwie his basis to riff over the top, into the pre-chorus where the melodic guitar and Jeff’s harmonic vocals combine to create that beautiful combination that these two create for the entire album. Yngwie’s solo captures the mood as well, and the song ends in a powerful conclusion that signs off in style. Another fantastic song to headline the beginning of the album.
The following two tracks are arguably the best on the album, showcasing Yngwie at his finest. His quiet guitar opening shows off his amazing ability on the six string in an almost classical opening slot, before bursting into the harder riffing quality he brings to this album, driving the energy that is then captured by Jeff which he powers into his vocal delivery. Singing about ritualistic dealings is off putting to many people, either as being satanic or childish, but the mood of the music perfectly captures the feeling of the lyrics and makes this another great track, driven by Anders Johanssen’s double kick drumming underneath Yngwie’s terrific soloing. This flows in the same way into “I Am a Viking”, great lyrics and the music suits them perfectly, taking you back to the days of the Vikings on the ocean, it draws that picture and has you rocking on the waves on one of those dragon boats as you listen. Yngwie’s guitaring and especially solo piece is a great match once again.
For those fans out there who are only interested as Malmsteen as a guitarist, the first of two instrumentals follows with “Overture 1383”, a song that combines both the faster pace and the subtle quiet guitar interlude that Yngwie does so well. Malmsteen combines his guitars here to create almost a symphony through the middle of the track, beautifully drawing in all of his prowess on the instrument to create the kind of track that only he can. This crashes back into the heart of the album with “Anguish and Fear”, backed by the solid rhythm set by the Johanssen brothers, giving Yngwie the ability to wander around with his guitar and add his pieces as he sees fit, and Jeff crooning his lyrics over the top. The solo section has a terrific playoff between Malmsteen's guitar and Johanssen’s keyboards in a fashion reminiscent of Deep Purple in their heyday which really adds to this track in particular. This is followed y another of the best songs here in “On the Run Again”. This is actually a remake of the song "Victim of the City” by Malmsteen’s former band Steeler. Jeff Scott Soto wrote new lyrics for this version and also the new title. It is a rollicking track and Jeff’s vocals excel on this song, going from sublime to high pitch scream, all while Yngwie unleashes his best. A terrific track. Then comes “Soldier Without Faith” that combines a beautifully heavy riff from Yngwie to introduce the song before he unloads into another great solo piece, and then a passionate performance from Soto again on vocals. Another great combination of performances here from all the players, showcasing their mixing of styles and abilities. That riff that comes in before the vocals, and is repeated after Yngwie’s solo into the next section of vocals, is superb.
Another of the fastest tracks of the album comes next in “Caught in the Middle”, great melodic riff followed up by Jeff’s incredible vocals again almost stealing the show, something he goes close to doing on most songs – until Yngwie starts soloing, and you remember what you came into the album for. However, I do particularly like Jeff’s vocals on this song. The album then concludes with the instrumental title-track “Marching Out”, another wonderful showcasing of the guitarist Yngwie is, a style that does not suit everyone’s taste but surely allows everyone to appreciate that he is some talent on the instrument.

My erstwhile high school heavy metal music dealer always seemed to find me the good stuff, and Yngwie Malmsteen was certainly one of those. My first experience with Yngwie was the songs “Black Star” and “As Above So Below” from his debut solo album, the aforementioned “Rising Force”, which were taped at the end of another cassette on which he had recorded albums for me. From here I had insisted on getting that entire album, which soon came my way. Once I have digested all of that, and discovered that Yngwie indeed had two more albums out at that time, I soon had yet another C90 cassette in his hands, in order to get both of those albums recorded for me. One of those albums was “Marching Out”. The other? “Trilogy”, his third solo album. And yes, you will get to hear all about that in about 12 months time.
From the superb opening of "I'll See the Light, Tonight", into "Don't Let it End" and the brilliant "Disciples of Hell", Yngwie and his band mates are right on song. Jeff Scott Soto stars on these opening tracks, his soaring vocals adding to the spectacle of each song. "I Am a Viking" sounds like you are on the ocean, rolling with the waves on one of those dragon boats, Yngwie's guitaring is superb here in its illustration. Yngwie still has his instrumental break with "Overture 1383", to remind his fans he can still do it all without vocals. "Anguish and Fear" and "On the Run Again" continue the high standard that has already been set. “Soldier Without Faith”, “Caught in the Middle”... I just love every single piece of this album. And look, If I was to critically assess this album and the material it contains, I don’t disagree that I could find parts of how it is written and recorded that might appear a little cheesy, that the rhythm might all sound a bit samey and that it really only acts in most cases as the platform for the guitarist and vocalist to showcase their own skills. That perhaps the lyrics are not terrifically exciting, that maybe the album sounds dated and anchored to the date of its release. But I don't want to do that, because I have been listening to this album pretty much since its release in 1985, and it is a part of the furniture of the album, and each piece makes up the brilliance of the whole. Personally, I love these songs, lyrics and all. The best part of them for me is that they are almost anthemic in their theme and performance. And when you are in your teenage years, sitting around listening to this album with a few beers, there is nothing better than singing, "I'll see the light tonight! Flashing through the sky!" and "Nobody knows who's the disciples of hell!" and "I am a Viking! I'm going off to war!". They are just great songs, which you sing at the top of your voice, before sitting back and listening to Yngwie and his guitar weave a spell through the midsection of the songs. I don’t know how Yngwie wrote these songs, whether by riff or bridge or lyrics. I know he always seems annoyed when people ask him about why his albums don't seem to be well planned. I would argue that it appears everything is planned, from opening riff to introductory vocals, then solo spot, where keyboards and guitars sometimes trade riffs, and sometimes harmonise together. They tend to be different from a normal song structure, but what is so wrong with that? Yngwie has always done things on his terms, and that applies here as well.
I have had this album on again for this review, and it has delighted me for days on end once again, as it always does. It is a mood lifter, it makes everything else tolerable for 45 minutes. For me this album has little or no weak points. Building on the strengths that came from the first album, and making it more accessible to the masses by having lyrics on the majority of songs here, this is a showcase of talent. Jeff Scott Soto soars on vocals, emoting in all of the right places to make songs such as "I'll See the Light, Tonight" and "I Am a Viking" such brilliant pieces. The brothers Jens Johansson on keyboards and Anders Johansson on drums are also perfect, combining together to help contribute to a wonderful album. And of course Yngwie, who just shreds on guitar in a way no one did before he came along. His rolling guitar riffs can both send a song careering along at a fearful pace or sedately move from intro to conclusion without missing a beat.
“Marching Out” represents to me one of the peaks of Yngwie J. Malmsteen's career, and always holds a place close to my heart from the era it came from. And the memories it evokes are just as important and enjoyable as the album itself.

746. Gamma Ray / Master of Confusion [EP]. 2013. 4.5/5

What do you do when you have promised your record company a new album, all to be completed by a specified time, and you aren't within cooee of having it completed? Well, you take two tracks you have completed, add a couple of cover songs that you have also done in the studio, tack on six live songs from the last tour as some fun filled, and you have a lengthy EP titled Master of Confusion to put out to keep both record company and fans at bay! See? Easy!

The two new songs, which eventually found themselves onto the next studio album Empire of the Undead, are both terrific. In fact, they are arguably the two best songs on the new album, but that is for another day. "Empire of the Undead" and "Master of Confusion" canter along at a cracking pace, showcasing the best of what makes Gamma Ray so great. "Master of Confusion" tends to tell the story of how this EP came into being, regarding the label waiting for the new album to be delivered, but it doesn't come. Great stuff, fun songs, and brilliantly performed.
The two cover songs are also done at the highest quality. The Holocaust cover "Death or Glory" is done to perfection. Though I know the original version only slightly from the dozen times I have heard it, the Rays have done an awesome job on their homage. This is followed by the cover of the Sweet song "Lost Angels", with added grunt and speed from the original version, it fits in superbly here.
The final six songs were all recorded live on the Skeletons & Majesties Tour, and all of these songs featured on the live album released the previous year, Skeletons & Majesties Live. They are a mixture, with "The Spirit", "Wings of Destiny", "Gamma Ray" and "Insurrection" being terrific. "Farewell", the ballad-like number from Land of the Free comes across well here in a live environment, but my lack of love for these kind of songs should tell you how I feel about it. Also, "Time to Break Free" from the same album includes vocalist Michael Kiske who sang lead vocals on the original song, but the fact that the song is slowed down, and he doesn't really extend himself on it, makes it a tad disappointing.
As a filler EP between releases, this is still a good album to have and listen to, even if some of it had been herd before, and some of it was to be heard again down the track.

Rating:  We're like an open fire, a raging thunderstorm, we are the masters of confusion  4.5/5

745. Sweet & Lynch / Only to Rise. 2015. 2.5/5

When word first came out about this collaboration, I admit I was intrigued, and almost excited, to see what it would produce. Anything that was going to combine the vocals of Michael Sweet, along with the guitar of George Lynch, had to be at least worth checking out. Also the direction that their song writing went in was always going to be of interest. With their backgrounds with several bands and genres of the metal scene, what they settled on performing was going to be a trick. They also did a great job on their support crew, bringing in James LoMenzo on bass and Brian Tichy on drums.

The style that the majority of the album sits in is an AOR hard rock setting, which for me is a tad disappointing. It isn't because the songs are poor, because musically they are flawlessly played and executed. They just tend to be a little boring and plain, when I was hoping for raucous and thumping, with some scintillating solo's from George thrown into the mix. I have found that I can put the album on, and carry on with what I'm doing, and don't find any point where a song stops me in my tracks because it so grabs my attention that I need to sing or air guitar.
Michael Sweet's vocals are as brilliant as always, but he really doesn't extend himself to his full range here like he does on Stryper's albums. There's nothing wrong with that, but it seems a little surprising that he didn't take the opportunity to do so. Of course, that would probably have meant writing a different style of album than they have done here. George Lynch's guitar is similarly muted from any outstanding activity. He tends to throw in his little blues-like riffs throughout the songs (such as "Dying Rose"), and does have his solo spots along the way, but there aren't any real breakout solo's that truly make you sit up and take notice. Again, they certainly sit comfortably in the songs that are written, and to play anything else would have required a different album to be written.
As you can see, my hopes for the direction that this project would go are somewhat poles apart from the direction in which they did go. For me, that's disappointing, but for those that like a little bit of easy listening AOR material, I think they will enjoy this immediately. Ballads like "Love Stays" and "Me Without You" could almost have been written and performed by Def Leppard in the second half of their career. "The Wish" and "Time Will Tell" play along like soft rock songs, likeable enough without really grabbing you.

In the long run, there just isn't enough here to help me enjoy this album as much as I would like to. It will appeal to its market, but I see it more as a lost opportunity to create a brilliant heavier album, and showcase the band member's talent's in that light rather than in the rather staid and drab mood that is prevalent here on Only to Rise.

Rating:  Is my life an empty shell? Time will tell.  2.5/5

744. Unisonic / Light of Day. 2014. 4/5

Light of Dawn is the second album for Unisonic, the group that marked the return of Michael Kiske to a band of a genre resembling power metal. The band is a gathering of friends from past collaborations, with a slightly different writing crew this time around, which means a slightly different album in the offering.

After the instrumental opening of "Venite 2.0", the opening track "Your Time Has Come" gallops along at a cracking pace in the best traditions of German power metal, with Kiske's voice invoking memories of his best from past ventures. This is followed by the self-describing "Exceptional", another terrific track where Kiske's vocals are... exceptional.
Guitarists Kai Hansen and Mandy Meyer trade riffs and solos like they have been doing it all their lives. "For the Kingdom" is a perfect example of this, with both playing off each other spectacularly and with speed. They are the highlight of this song. "Not Gonna Take Anymore" and "Night of the Long Knives" continue the excellent voyage of this album, both being mid-range tempo songs which are built on the solid rhythm section blasting along with Kiske riding in the high range of his vocals.
The drumming of Kosta Zafiriou drives along the best songs in brilliant fashion, especially on "Find Shelter", where an otherwise possibly ordinary song is brought to life by his drum work. "Find Shelter" actually combines both fast pace and a slower mid-section surprisingly well, while band leader Dennis Ward's bass lines tie everything together.
"Throne of the Dawn" is energised by Kiske's soaring vocals and the brilliant solo break from Hansen and Meyer again, while "Manhunter" feels like an old 70's rock song reheated and rehashed for the market in 2014, until the harmonic guitars suddenly burst into their individual solos, which busts this song apart for about 45 seconds.

Not everything can be roses and chocolates, and there are songs here that don't meet my complete approval. "Blood" is the kind of song I think Kiske started drifting towards during the mid-1990's, and while you can hear his enjoyment of the song in his vocals (it is also co-written by himself and Sandro Giampietro) it's not one of my favourites. The same can be said for the following track "When the Deed is Done". Both are too much in the power ballad style for my liking, with patented power ballad guitar solo attached. This is also true of the track that closes out the album, "You and I". For me these are the most average songs on the album, the ones that change the tide. As always, there are many people out there who love a good power ballad, and I'm sure they would think these are terrific. On an album that is not great, they just bring it down another notch. On an album I love I can tolerate them. 

Whereas Unisonic felt a little uneven and uncertain of itself, with different styles of songs and song writing trying to piece themselves together to make a cohesive album, Light of Dawn has been helmed almost entirely by Dennis Ward, who wrote the lyrics and music for every song apart from the two Kiske/Giampietro songs "Blood" and "Manhunter". On Unisonic, Kai Hansen was involved in writing about half of the album, and the two differing styles which both seem to be trying to appease their lead vocalist didn't gel in the way they would like them to. Here, with Ward shouldering the burden of the actual song writing, but allowing Hansen and Meyer to interpret their solos as they wish, it allows the song structure to flow without bumps, while still showcasing the great talents of these two guitarists. While I may well have enjoyed certain songs from the debut album more (not surprisingly, the one's that Kai wrote), I am positive that this album as a whole is much better than their first effort. As a band, they have produced a much better effort here. The hope from this is that they can continue to do so, because if they can reproduce this improvement again on a subsequent third release, they may well have the formula intact.

Rating:  You've made the world your stage, and you know your time has come.  4/5