979. Deep Purple / inFinite. 2017. 3.5/5

There is still a sense of awe and wonder every time it is announced that a new Deep Purple album is being released. Not simply because of the longevity of the band but because they can still come up with new material that is enjoyable to both old fans and new. And just like other bands of a similar longevity such as Black Sabbath, Judas Priest and Iron Maiden, as long as you aren't expecting an album that sounds like their halcyon period then you won't be disappointed.

"Time for Bedlam" leads off the album with hard hitting drums from Ian Paice leading the charge for the frenzy in the middle of the song of Don Airey's keyboards and Steve Morse's guitar to highlight the best parts of Deep Purple's legacy. There's more than a touch of the Perfect Strangers song "Under the Gun" in this song and I love the way it starts the album. This is followed by "Hip Boots" where Ian Gillan does a little bit of an Elvis Presley impersonation early in his vocals. The start of the song does throw me, even now after many listens, but once Morse's guitar envelopes the middle of the song everything is forgiven. There is a melding of the old and new on this song as well, but it is the new groove that dominates, with Gillan's vocals now settled in his middle age comfort zone, having dispensed with the high pitched notes and screams of his youth. "All I Got Is You" is led along by the beautiful sonding bass of Roger Glover, which effortlessly dominates the early half of the song underneath Gillan's vocals. It might be easy listening material, but it is quintessential Deep Purple even if it isn't the high energy hard rock of forty years ago. This song is the best example of it. There's nothing overtly hard rock about it musically, but it touches all of those same mood areas that this band always has for me.
"One Night in Vegas" continues with the same easy rhythm throughout. "Get Me Outta Here" does too, and it is perhaps these two songs that begin to bog the album down a bit. The middle here is just a bit too similar and simple tones, the 2/4 drumming and blues-like bass and guitar at an almost morbid pace drag out the middle section. "The Surprising" is a more mellowish played song that I would have expected. Is that why it is called The Surprising? "Johnny's Band" and "On Top of the World" again pull into the left lane and move along at just under the speed limit in type the previous few songs. There is however a magnificent mood throughout "Birds of Prey", led by Steve Morse's magnificent guitar work layered over the underlying rhythm of the organ, bass and drums. The finale of the song soars in a wonderful harmony that is a fitting send off for the album

Do you want me to be picky? OK, well as much as I admire Don Airey and his wonderful work with several bands throughout his career, his Hammond key work doesn't gel into the music as a seamless transition as Jon Lord's did. And yes, I know that's because Lord was a driving force in the band and no doubt Airey has to find his way even now after more than a decade. I just don't think it is as inspired as the organ normally sounds in Deep Purple. It's a small criticism, but one that still scratches my skin when I listen to the album.
It also has to do with the fact that this is a less raucous band now and the music is not as hard or heavy as it was in their youth, so the play off between guitar and organ that Blackmore and Lord had is not the same duel that Morse and Airey have in their music. They almost try to complement each other, whereas Blackmore and Lord pretty much tried to outdo each other.
Also, why the cover version of "Roadhouse Blues"? Is it just because they all love the song? Did they need to fill in time? Sure it sounds fine, but it is a very... tame... version of the song. There's just not a lot of energy coming from it, and for me it takes away from "Birds of Prey" as a closing number. It doesn't offer anything new, and it doesn't seem to serve any purpose.

After fifty years of music you can't help but admire this band and its members. Though they have ridden the wave of their own music, where at times they have been groundbreaking, the music they are writing now in the twilight of their career may not be the hard crashing amplifier thrashing stuff of their heyday, nor the mature hard rock of their middle age, but it is undeniably Deep Purple. And for those that have loved Deep Purple through their life, they will find enough familiar territory here to enjoy this for what it is. The musicianship is still absolutely outstanding, and Gillan's voice is still enough to make you smile in contentment. It's not going to break down barriers, but it will give you enjoyment nonetheless.

Rating:  "Bad news travels at the speed of flight, good news not at all".   3.5/5

978. Serious Black / Mirrorworld. 2016. 2/5

I came into the first Serious Black album on the coattails of Roland Grapow being involved, and at the end of that first album I hoped for a follow up to judge the progress that could be made from that. That has come to pass with Mirrorworld, but without the continuing presence of Grapow who has moved on back to his other projects. Despite this, I was happy to go forth and give this its chance to grab my attention.

The first mystifying piece of this album is the two minute opening instrumental "Breaking the Silence". If you don't have your stereo up loud enough, you would imagine you have forgotten to press play. It's just a waste. Eventually we come into "As Long As I'm Alive", the opening play of reasonable power metal, driven by guest muso Alex Holzwarth from Rhapsody on drums and Urban Breed's vocals leading the way. Following this solid start comes "Castor Skies" that again leads off with the drums and vocals pushing the song along, before the twin guitar harmonies come within the middle. It's a harmless addition to the catalogue that doesn't raise to any great heights but doesn't offend either. "Heartbroken Soul" cartwheels into power ballad territory, a sure sign that by song three on the album they are already running out of ideas. "Dying Hearts" is probably a dead giveaway in the title, and while it remains on that track it does have a bit more oomph to it that the previous song. "You're Not Alone" creates new hope in the heart however, with a fast paced opening containing true melodic guitars over the double-kick drums and Breed's layered vocals throughout. This is far and away the best song on the album, and one that to me shows the true potential this band has when they do the good things right.
The title track "Mirrorworld" is catchy enough but it is pure AOR without pretense and if you love that style then you should enjoy this song- but for a power metal band I would have been hoping for a bit more grunt behind it. It's a similar story in "State of My Despair", where the drums may be trying liven things up as best they can (thanks Alex Holzwarth) but the rest of the song just sounds... weak. The vocals are almost in the background and certainly not making their presence felt at all, while the rest of the band barely seems to be making an effort. Disappointing. The final track "The Unborn Never Die" moves along a similar track, never really defining itself from the motley of other songs here that just seem to be missing the engine room. And then, almost before you know it, the album is over. And to be honest, it comes as a relief to find there is nothing more to follow.

For those that like their power metal really watered down to the point of being like weak tea, then you will probably get the most out of this album. And I really wanted to like this, because I think both this album and its predecessor has some good things about them. But in the long run, it just can't get past the fact that the vocals are fine but have no power, and the band just doesn't seem inspired enough to put down something with enough individuality to make this stand out from the crowd.

Rating:  "Too many die alone, don't die without a fight". Much like this unfortunately.   2/5

977. The Unity / The Unity. 2017. 3.5/5

It’s a tough gig when the leader of the band you are in decides to go off and do one of his side projects, and thus leave your band in limbo for that length of time. In essence that is what happened to new Gamma Ray drummer Michael Ehré, who found himself at a loose end when the reformed and expanded Helloween tour project was announced late in 2016. So what do you do? Well, you give a nudge to Gamma Ray guitar god Henjo Richter, get him to follow you, and with your own band The Unity decided to record and release your own album. And this is where we are today.

It was always important to go into this album remembering that this isn’t Gamma Ray. Two excellent musicians from that band have joined four other excellent musicians from other projects to form this band that is not Gamma Ray. Now, once you accept that fact, and also listen to this like it is an exciting new band playing Euro styled metal in the traditions of those bands, then you will have a better chance of appreciating it from the outset.
For the most part this is a pretty solid release. The first two singles released prior to the album coming out lead off the list, and both "Rise and Fall" and "No More Lies" hit all the right places. It is very much in the traditions of European power metal, but both opening tracks edge the power to a higher setting, led by the rising vocals of Gianba Manenti who proves from the outset he has a fair set of pipes on him. "No More Lies" did have to grow on me, but I now find I'm drawn to sing and play along with it. "God of Temptation" goes for a slower and heavier back track which they actually pull off really well, factoring in the chorus of vocals over the top. "Firesign" is one of a number of sings that has more than just a touch of Avantasia about it, and vocally it reaches the two pinnacles with what seems like a minimum of effort.
"Always Just You" is a plodder after the opening tracks, without much inspiration and just the basic guitar and drum tracks. This is overturned by "Close to Crazy" which picks things up a bit and adds a bit of individuality to the guitars and vocals. "The Wishing Well" and "Edens Fall" are middle of the road tracks for this genre, not bad songs but without inspiring anything out of the ordinary for the listener. "Redeemer" acts as a vehicle especially for Gianba's vocals, showing off his crooning abilities. The short and sweet guitar riff of "Super Distortion" sweeps straight into "Killer Instinct", before the closing track "Never Forget" ties off what is a very acceptable debut release.
Gianba Manenti on vocals is powerful, has a great range, and does an excellent job on this album. He finds the mark immediately and doesn’t hold back. The rhythm section of Jogi Sweers on bass, Sascha Onnen on keyboards and Ehré on drums is fantastic. They hold the songs together in admirable fashion given the power of the vocals and guitars that take centre stage for the most part. Stefan Ellerhorst is excellent on guitar, and in the company of Henjo throughout creates an brilliant dual guitar attack that makes the most of the written material to create the atmosphere required for enjoyable listening.
I won't lie that the album doesn't contain a lot of some of the aspects I would loved to have heard, that being some real speed, and some scintillating solo bursts from the guitarists. For the most part this settles nicely into the tempo you would expect and doesn't compete with the heavyweights of the genre such as Gamma Ray, Helloween or Blind Guardian. And fair enough too, because both Henjo and Michael made it clear early on that this band was looking to record the kind of music that the two of them enjoy that is separate from Gamma Ray's material. So going in I knew this would be the case. Still, one can only dream of what they could produce in that direction should they want to.

Given this sextet has signed a multi-year deal with their record company, you can only hope that if this succeeds then there will be more albums to come. How that all ties in with the members’ other projects remains to be seen, but it augers well for what will hopefully be a long term band rather than a one-off project.

Rating:  A debut worth a listen.  3.5/5

976. Europe / The Final Countdown. 1986. 3.5/5

Imagine if you will that you grew up through the 1980’s, those magical teenage years and high school years taking up the middle of that decade. Consider the music that purveyed most of that time – New Romantic, Pop, Post Pop. The influx of the synthesizer, the infusion of the saxophone. The many forms that the genre of heavy metal took in this time, from NWOBHN to thrash to hair. Now imagine that at a time when Bon Jovi had made their massive breakthrough into every corner of music listeners with their release of Slippery When Wet there was also another band that released an album that at the time was just as big with singles that produced just as much fervour as those from Bon Jovi. And now come back to the present, thirty years on, where while Slippery When Wet is still held in the highest regard amongst those of the generation and even of those generations that have come since, The Final Countdown is more often ridiculed by all. I’m here to tell you that it deserves the same amount of respect that Slippery When Wet has.

There is no comparison to the two albums, and I don’t want to do that, because that is unfair to both. Europe’s third studio release may have ridden on the back of the major single release that came to promote it, but that doesn’t make it a one trick pony. I also don’t want to pretend that the empathy and love I have of this album is not directly related to the memories it brings back of my final high school years every time I put it on to listen to it. But that is one of the greatest properties of music, and in this respect it has a heavy influence. No doubt there are thousands – probably millions - of people out there who loved this album when it was released who either find it so sappy or cheesy now that they can’t listen to it, or just don’t want to admit that they still find it entertaining. There’s no doubt it is rooted to its era. But that doesn’t make it bad.
Europe was one of the precursors to the European hard rock and heavy metal sound. The heavy influence of the synth and keyboards on this album can be directly related to bands such as Stratovarius and Sonata Arctica through the 1990’s and into the next century. The brilliant guitar of John Norum – which so often gets overlooked because ‘he plays in Europe’ – finds the perfect time in each song to make its influence felt to the maximum degree. Joey Tempest’s vocals are as clear and precise as you could hope for. The rest of the band - John Levén on bass, Mic Michaeli on keyboards and Ian Haugland on drums – are also superb. And the hair, the hair of 1986 just makes it all the more joyous.
No, this is not a perfect album, but I never suggested it was. Even back in 1986 I was struggling to get through the power ballads that bands would release, and would then gain radio airplay over and over again, driving you insane at the idea that the better and heavier songs could never gain that kind of radio exposure. “Carrie” of course is the major example. It is sugar syrupy sweet, and while it is an occupational hazard when listening to European metal bands of this type that you must put up with this kind of track, I would so much like not to. I can bear it because it brings back 1986, but that is all. Those that tend to turn their back on this album cite the title track, the mega-hit “The Final Countdown” as ‘too 80’s’. Well yes, that’s kind of the idea. But even though they may deny liking it, all of my kids know the song and the words, so it must be catchy, mustn’t it? And who doesn’t still air guitar to John Norum’s solo? Ditto with “Rock the Night”, a great follow up and still as toe tapping as it was in the day. “Danger on the Track”, “Ninja” and “Cherokee” all still have that simple pleasure that Europe could deliver. “Time Has Come” and “Heart of Stone” are mid-range rock songs, while “On the Loose” picks things up again before the album closes out with “Love Chaser”.

I won’t even pretend that people who grew up in the decades following the release of this album will mostly turn up their nose and wonder how it could ever have been as popular as it was when it was recorded. It was a different era and music changed quickly during those years. But if you ever hear one of these songs being played, take a look around at the people in the vicinity and check out which ones are tapping their foot or bobbing their head. They are the ones from my generation, from the heady days of 1986, when the world was still a simple place and and everyone still had hair.

Rating:  “We’re heading for Venus (‘Venus!’), and still we stand tall”.  3.5/5

975. Blaze Bayley / Endure and Survive (Infinite Entanglement Part II). 2017. 3.5/5

Taking on the second album in his Infinite Entanglement concept trilogy, Blaze Bayley returns in his quest to continue his relevance in the heavy metal field with Endure and Survive (Infinite Entanglement Part II). There is little doubt that Blaze has been a little bit hit and miss over recent releases. For me it has come from not having a solid backing band and writing conglomerate, but I could be completely mistaken. With the setting for his concept piece already in place and the same co-writers in place, it should have made the writing here a bit more solid.

Starting off with the title track “Endure and Survive” Blaze sets sail on his conceptual journey on the right note, his vocals soaring above the fast paced chorus and dual melodic guitars plying their trade throughout. “Escape Velocity” continues along this path with pleasing effects. “Blood” too moves along driven by the double kick of the drums, but it is the almost ritual chanting of the lyrics that tends to hold up this song. It feels a bit staged rather than comfortably going along with the flow of the music, it comes across as stop start. As the middle of the song becomes the story telling part played by the characters involved, it just makes it hard to fully enjoy. However, it is the end of the song that proves to be the real mover, and shows where the direction should have been all along.
“Eating Lies” slows the album back to a lesser tempo, giving a different emphasis on the band and showing off Blaze’s vocals in different scenario. I still don’t know if I like this song or not. For the most part it doesn’t grab me, yet I do like Blaze coming through the quagmire into the emotive highs he can show, and once again the excellent guitaring by Chris Appleton is showcased in another solo spot that is worth rating the song on alone. “Destroyer” follows a similar path, in a way that is difficult to describe. There doesn’t seem to be much that is brilliant here, but a snatch of vocals and the majority of the guitar solos are terrific and make it worthwhile listening to. The best song on the album is “Dawn of the Dead Son”, one where all of the band are best utilised, and the music and vocalist come together in their best possible light. Its power metal guitar leanings give it the best sound of any song on the album, and Blaze also gives us the soar of his vocals that seem to be missing for the most part on this album. Great song.
The acoustic solitude of “Remember” is enjoyable enough, twinning together his frequent collaborators for another crack after their efforts on the preceding album. The song does have enough energy in the vocals to not make you completely lose your focus on what has come before it, but really it is only forgivable in the sense that it is a part of the story being told for the concept album itself. “Fight Back” brings the album back to life with its double kick and hard strumming rhythm, allowing Blaze to control the song with his vocals, and leave the open air for the excellent solo to chime in towards the end. “The World Is Turning the Wrong Way” chugs along more than gathering momentum, and while it is more than listenable it just feels like it is missing something. “Together We Can Move the Sun” is Blaze’s attempt at the epic closer, clocking in at over 8 minutes and combining the emphatic and soulful vocals mixed with the intrinsic guitar solo, before moving to the quiet and reflective take for the second half of the song. More’s the pity with the constant repeating of certain lyrics over and over, which just ends up becoming annoying rather than definitive. And of course, there is the spoken word element to close out the track, setting the story up for its conclusion to come in the third album of this concept trilogy.

As I have probably mentioned in the review for the preceding album, I am all for Blaze coming out with this concept idea and pursuing it in his own way and with his own style. As an artist it is great to see him still in the market place and making great music. But the trilogy idea is a difficult one to keep on track, especially if it tends to water down the style of music that you have garnered your fans with. Listening to this album for the past couple of weeks, I have found my enjoyment for it growing over that time. The problem is, when I have switched to another album to compare it with, such as Silicon Messiah or The Man Who Would Not Die there has been no comparison. They just metal up harder and faster, and it’s that style of Blaze’s music that I’ve always loved. It isn’t as prevalent now as it was. That will continue to be a stumbling block for me no matter how much I admire the man and his music.

Rating:  It's no The Empire Strikes Back.   3.5/5

974. Iron Maiden / No Prayer for the Dying. 1990. 3.5/5

When the Seventh Tour of a Seventh Tour ended on December 12, 1988, one wonders if Steve Harris and Iron Maiden thought to themselves of the quote from Hans Gruber in that year’s big movie hit “Die Hard” when he said “And when Alexander saw the breadth of his domain, he wept, for there were no more worlds to conquer”. For surely, that date is the pinnacle of Iron Maiden’s empire. By this time, they had released seven of the most amazing albums of all time, covering the decade of the 1980’s with their brilliance. They had conquered the span of the music world, selling out longer and larger tours with each passing album. There had been three personnel changes in that time, but each had appeared to solidify and grow the band into being stronger, and better. The songwriting improved and the musicianship did as well. By the completion of the quasi-concept album that was “Seventh Son of a Seventh Son”, they had the heavy music world in the palm of their hands. And the only question that was raised at that time was – what will they come up with for their next album, and how can they top what has come before it?
Before that though, the band agreed on a well deserved break, but it was this break that saw the seemingly non-existent cracks in the Iron Maiden wall make themselves noticeable for perhaps the first time. Adrian Smith went out and released what was for all intents and purposes a solo album under the name of Adrian Smith and Project, or ASaP for short. The album, “Silver and Gold”, was as big a departure from the style of music performed by Iron Maiden as you could imagine, and one that left fans in a state of ambivalence, and more importantly asking questions about just what this meant for the music of the main band. Bruce Dickinson was asked if he would like to write and perform a song for the soundtrack to the movie “A Nightmare on Elm Street 5: The Dream Child”. He asked his friend, former Gillan guitarist Jannick Gers to join him, and together they came up with “Bring Your Daughter to the Slaughter”, and its success afforded Dickinson the opportunity to then write and record a solo album of his own with Gers on guitar again. Titled “Tattooed Millionaire” it was released in May 1990 to overwhelmingly positive reactions, though again the style of the songs on the album had fans of the main band wondering if their differences would affect the direction the next Iron Maiden album would take. All of this was food for thought for fans as news came through that Iron Maiden was reconvening to begin working on their next album. And then the roof caved in.
During the pre-production stages, Adrian Smith left the band due to differences with Steve Harris regarding the direction the band should be taking. Maiden’s previous two album had shown more progressive elements as well as delving into synth and keyboards for the first time, something Smith was a fan of. It had been the major focus of his solo project the previous year, and on returning to the Maiden camp and finding the focus of the music was actually moving to a more stripped down style, Adrian found he was not only uncomfortable with the direction the music was taking, but that as a result he had little to offer in regards to the writing process. No doubt he had seen and felt the writing had been on the wall for some time, as he has suggested in several interviews over the years that this was the culmination of many tings building to this point. Smith’s departure from the band was a huge moment, a bombshell for the fan base, and a huge blow to the writing partnerships that the band had built their success on over the previous eight years, let alone the serene and gorgeous guitaring that Smith offered the band as the offset to Dave Murray. It was like losing a brother.
Smith’s replacement did seem obvious from the outset, with Jannick Gers slotting in fairly swiftly to fill the void in the band’s life. Others had been mentioned in passing as being possible candidates, including Vivian Campbell and Phil Collen, both of whom would have brought songwriting along with their unquestioned guitaring ability, but Jannick was a known quantity and a friend of the band, and so he came to join the party. Given that the songs had already been all but completed, Gers did not receive a writing credit on the album, but has heavily contributed in the years since.
After the soaring highs of “Seventh Son of a Seventh Son”, Maiden was about to take its first steps not only with a new band member, but into the swirling evolving music world that was being created in the back half of 1990. Just how the band coped with the upheaval that had come in their own world over the previous 12 months along with what was happening outside their doors was soon to be resolved with the release of their eighth studio album titled “No Prayer for the Dying”.

The popular euphemism is that this is ‘stripped back’ and certainly the majority of the synths and keyboards that were a more major part of both of the previous albums are not as prevalent here. The keyboards that are used are played by Michael Kenney, who had done the job for the band live on tour. The drawing back of the musical style from a progressive metal theme to a more hard and gritty ‘basic’ sound also induced a change in vocal pattern from Dickinson on this album, with his vocals taking on a raspier style, a more layman’s style of vocal than his higher operatic style from the previous albums. The ‘air raid siren’ had been put in cotton wool and the vocals became more workmanlike. (Just an aside note here to say that that is a terrible description of the change in Bruce’s singing on this album, and of course is not accurate over the course of the album, but that’s what I’m running with).
Having settled on themes of the mythical seventh son of a seventh son for their previous album, and the space and time and sci-fi history themes of the two albums prior to that, this one became a different focus lyrically as well as musically. The greater writing focus on Steve Harris and Bruce Dickinson without the third amigo in Adrian Smith brings a different lyrical aspect to these songs than those albums. The songwriting and songs as a whole have been pulled away from the centre by Adrian’s departure, an interesting development to look at from the outside, and one that would be pulled further away from that centre on the next album with the introduction of Jannick into that writing process.
A simplified version of a review of this album would be to say that the best tracks are great, as good as ever, while the differing mood of some tracks makes for an interesting experience. The opening salvo of “Tailgunner” comes at you with fire and speed, Bruce spitting his lyrics at you in a true historical sense, bringing back memories of “Aces High” in both its lyrical and even musical sense. Steve’s bassline is heavily involved from the outset and is the central force of the song – perhaps deliberately, to try and reclaim the focus of the album. Bruce’s vocals come to the fore instantly, with the extra emphasis on lines such as “In the black above by the cruel searchlight, men will die and men will fight, yeah! Who shot who and who fired first? Dripping death to whet the bloodthirst” bringing home the intensity of it all. Everything about the song is a winner, and it kick starts the album the way it should. Its follow up is “Holy Smoke”, and its humorous portrayal of serious events mirrors a number of other songs from the era that also gave their take on the evangelical sordidness that was occurring. Bruce hams it up nicely in his vocals, and the energy of the song continues the drive of the opening of the album.
The core of the album is where thoughts are raised about what is happening in the new decade of Iron Maiden. There are serious issues – political, worldly – being raised in the lyrics of the songs. This is not something that is completely foreign to the band, and still comes in the mix of those songs that the band usually writes, the ones based on movies or literature and the like. But there sounds like there is more serious tone about some of these songs, perhaps slightly more morbid than they usually are, and it’s the music that tends to drag it in that direction as well as the lyrical content. The title track “No Prayer for the Dying” I still sing along to today, but it did have the distinction of being the first ever Iron Maiden song that I would not automatically look at putting on a mixed tape if I was making one back in the day. Steve is putting himself out there in the short lyrical piece he has composed, and Bruce is drawing every emotional aspect out of them in his vocals. The music itself, until the solo break, also does this job as well, with the undertone keyboards offering the sealing of the deal. It is almost like two songs pressed into one here, the emotional beginning, to the almost speed metal middle and conclusion of the guitars. Beautiful and frantic in the same sentence. “Public Enema Number One” follows along in a similar aspect, with Bruce faux screaming about politicians and their individualistic greed, exhorting the everyday people to find a way to stand up and fight against the tyranny. Dave Murray offers his usual one co-write on this song and it is noticeable in the music and guitars, accentuating the points of the song that need it perfectly as he always seems to be able to do. Except that! Wait! Dave has ANOTHER co-write here on the album, on the very next song “Fates Warning”, and once again his contribution to the music especially here is wonderful. The guitars here are the essence and basis of the track, the terrific rise and fall through the song brings the heart and soul to the song. Lyrically it mirrors another Dave Murray track “Deja-Vu”, with “Fates Warning” discussing the relevance of determinism, whether the events in our lives are already pre-determined or if they are playing out as they occur, coincidence or not. Is it God, or fate? It’s a thinking person’s thesis, all sung beautifully by Bruce with the right amount of emphasis and rollicking soundtrack underneath.
Side Two starts with a harder, harsher journey both musically and vocally from Bruce. “The Assassin” juggles its momentum by sharp stops and starts and changes in pace throughout, which perhaps messes with its ability to be adoringly taken on board. Steve gives us a song here that begins to give us a peek into the future, with some of the techniques offered musically in this song developed further onto tracks of the Maiden albums that appeared in the 1990’s. The change in mood and timing throughout the song does also invoke a pattern mid-song that came from pieces on the previous album which in itself is worthy of study. “Run Silent Run Deep” for me is where the album rises to a higher plane. Certainly based on the 1958 war film of the same name starring Burt Lancaster and Clark Gable, Bruce feels like he’s back in the groove vocally, and the clear run of the music brings back that smooth transition that is required. On a side note, I wonder if Bruce felt like using some left-over lyrics from his song “Dive, Dive, Dive” from his “Tattooed Millionaire” solo album? Surely the temptation must have been there.
“Hooks in You” is a winner, and not just because it was Adrian’s sole contribution to the writing for the album before his departure. Another song to add to the Charlotte Saga, this is a fun song with double entendre and innuendo thrown around with Bruce obviously enjoying himself. Although there are many songs on this album that invoke strong opinions from Iron Maiden fans, this one seems to have more of those than any other. I’ve always loved this song from the first time I listened to the album, and on an album that is mostly drawn from more serious subject matter lyrically, this is a fun romp. Add to that the follow up, “Bring Your Daughter… to the Slaughter”, an anthem so strong it had to be banned, blocked and re-recorded to make it the hit it is. As mentioned earlier in this episode, Bruce had originally recorded it for the “A Nightmare on Elm Street 5: The Dream Child” soundtrack with Janick, and when Steve Harris heard it, he loved it so much that he had the original version suppressed so that Iron Maiden could re-record it and add it to this album. It’s loud, it’s fun and it has energy and drive. It may not be Maiden’s greatest song, but on this album it is the shining moment. The closing track “Mother Russia” is the epic finisher, drenched in the history of the changing face of politics through Europe. Written at a time when that political landscape was being rewritten, this offered the hope that the changing landscape could lead to prosperity and peace for all, invoking the wonderful history of the country and its own internal struggles as a nation. And as magnificent as this song is musically in capturing the mood and the majesty of the time - truly one of Steve Harris’s finest moments outside of the 1980’s albums - listening to it in today’s climate is as sad and tragic as it was hopeful and inspiring when it was released 35 years ago.

When this album was released, I bought it at the first available moment that I could. The Rock Factory at Shellharbour Square was my immediate destination to find this album, and then rush home to get it on my stereo as quickly as I possibly could. And I played it over and over and over. For months. I spent lunchtime at work sitting in my car listening to it. I drove home longer from places in order to fit it all in. I had it playing on my tape deck and my CD player. I taped it on both sides of a C90 cassette, so that I didn’t have to rewind it once I had listened to it, I could just turn it over and start again. It was Iron Maiden after all, and despite the changes to the music, I couldn’t get enough of it. Even then I knew it wasn’t the same as what had come before, but I literally didn’t care.
It probably wasn’t until the release of “Brave New World”, and the re-fusing of Adrian and Bruce back into the band, that I began to notice some flaws that this album has. On reflection over the years, it was the first Maiden album that I thought showed that no band can continue forever to produce albums of such spectacular material that you can rate it as nothing else but full marks. When this was written and recorded in 1990 music was changing, and even bands as huge and synonymous as Iron Maiden felt the need to adapt to what was happening. As I said on the podcast episode on “Brave New World” a couple of months ago – episode number 67 for those who are interested – to me “Brave New World” would have been the example of what the next progressive step for Iron Maiden should have been. But the 1990’s decade was to move all music in a different direction altogether, and as it turned out “No Prayer for the Dying” was probably a better interpretation of what was to come than anyone realised when it was released. But the release of “Brave New World” gave me pause on what I thought of “No Prayer for the Dying” ten years on, and that was that it was an okay album that I either over listened to or overrated at that time. My pure thought was that “Seventh Son of a Seventh Son” was the end of the line of great Iron Maiden albums, that “No Prayer for the Dying” was an album that is better than most, because of the band and the writers and performers in the band, but compared to what had come before there was a slight dip in quality.
Beyond those years, I have listened to it intermittently – always when a new Iron Maiden album was released, and on occasions when I felt like a bit of nostalgia. I generally enjoyed the album whenever I chose to play it, but it was a one-off until the next time that feeling or event came along.
I have now had this album out for a fortnight. It is another of those albums that I knew I needed to give it the reigns and let it run as it saw fit. I wanted to know how much it could grab me. If I was tired of it after a few listens then I would know where it stood with me in 2025. If I kept allowing it to repeat as I once had in the car park of Glen Fulton Holden every lunchtime, then I also knew how I felt about it. And the response? It’s a decisive points victory to the “No Prayer for the Dying” album. I’ve had this on at least once a day for that time, and 20 times all the way through. And through the memories of 1990 and 1991 that it brings back, I’ve remembered how I felt about this album when I was listening to it at that time, the door of the car open, me sitting in the drivers seat eating my ham and cheese sandwich, and air drumming along to this album. Yes, as I have said often on recent episodes, there were a lot of albums that came out during this 2 month period, all of which had their chance to get repeated plays at the time. And this certainly got that. And those memories over the last two weeks have been terrific. And through that I have reignited by appreciation of this album. It has some flaws, certainly. It has some differences, ones that if comparing the album to the first seven albums means it can't compete with their greatness. But as an album of the time, with what was floating around in the music ether, it has its grounding here for what was about to occur.

973. Elton John / Too Low For Zero. 1983. 3/5

Back in 1983, in the middle of those years where pop and synth were ruling the airwaves of Australian radio, Elton John released this album, and my mother went out and bought it. It was unusual, as Mum didn’t buy many albums, and possibly none since the abomination (my mother’s words) that was Yoko Ono’s contribution to the Double Fantasy album in 1980. It was my first initiation to an Elton John album, as before this it was only the songs that were played on the radio that I knew, and here again the only reason that I sought it out and played it of my own volition was on the strength of the first two singles released that found airplay. It was an education, one that in later life had me searching for all of his albums.

The opening track wasn’t part of that reason. Listening to it didn’t auger well for what was to follow if it was going to follow along these lines. "Cold as Christmas (In the Middle of the Year)" is a dreadfully deadpan, boring opening to an album, one that has the potential to push away would-be listeners immediately. The opening of an album has to be a grabber, one where your attention is diverted immediately to it and drawn into its spell. This opener does almost the exact opposite, and is a disservice to album overall.
“I’m Still Standing” is still the song that punctuates the 80’s decade for Elton. It’s the upbeat, grandiose song that shines with positivity and ecstasy, a bright and breezy proclamation for both Elton himself, and as an anthem for those who wish to push it. You can’t help but like this song, no matter what your mood, as it drags out the bad and replaces it with the good.
The title track “Too Low for Zero” reaches for those same emotions but in a different way, expressing from the depressed side of the spectrum and garnering a slow and melancholic drip feed as a result. I always liked this song as a teenager, perhaps allowing it to feed on my own angsts of the time when they arose. Without those feelings 30+ years later, it probably doesn’t impact me as much. “Religion” is one of those Elton John songs that doesn’t come along too often, one where the piano doesn’t dominate. It’s the guitar, bass and drums that make the most impact here, though in that same mid tempo that the majority of his songs sit in. This has never been a favourite of mine, perhaps because of the lack of piano which is his signature, but it’s a combination of all lots of factors that pushes me away.
The first side ends with what I consider to be a classic, “I Guess That’s Why They Call It the Blues”, a beautifully paced song led by Elton’s piano throughout and sung just perfectly. I can’t explain why I have always loved this song so much. It is completely outside the box of what I would consider my usual style of song, but it grabbed from the start and has never left me. It is one of my three go-to karaoke songs whenever that particular urge grabs me, and although it sounds like I’m strangling a cat when I sing it, I don’t care.
The second side opens with the hybrid craze-induced “Krystal”. Musically it is as far away from a typical Elton John song as you could imagine, but it works. The constant back beat and bass line keeps the momentum flowing throughout, allowing the instruments to fade in and out where necessary, and leaves Elton to sing over the top, telling the story as he does. It is strangely effective, and though I don’t think it works as a radio single as it does become repetitive, on the album it fits in nicely.
This is followed by “Kiss the Bride”, the partner to “I’m Still Standing” in regards to the upbeat up tempo vibe that it provides, a perfect party song to bring out the happy spirits and encourage a singalong as well. It provides the same brightening of the album as its partner does on the first half of the album. The segue into the two works perfectly. It’s a mood lifter. “Whipping Boy” doesn’t quite contain the same energy, but it does maintain the momentum that the album has picked up along the way. It just feels a bit samey all the way through. “Saint” and “One More Arrow” are for me as disappointing as the opening song. For me they are limp and lifeless, and are always a signal to either restart the album (preferably without the first track) or change albums to the next in line. It is a somewhat disappointing finish to the album.

This is probably Elton's best album from the 80’s, and while it was an excellent decision to have Bernie Taupin return as ‘full time’ lyricist here, the songs are still mixed in quality. The best songs here are excellent, ones that you can still sing along with today. The not so good are completely forgettable, and harm the album as a whole when trying to look at it objectively.

Rating:   “And it won’t be long, before you and me run, to that place in our hearts, where we hide”.   3/5

972. Elton John / Goodbye Yellow Brick Road. 1973. 4/5

The album that is spoken about more often than any other in the Elton John catalogue is Goodbye Yellow Brick Road. It is considered a classic, one of those albums that everyone must listen to during their lifetime. Does this necessarily make it a great album? One that can and will be listened to time and time again? Or does it just have a quirkiness about it which makes it a ‘necessary’ listen to appreciate its place in time, and then move on to the next album?

The danger with double albums, as this release was on vinyl, is that they risk being too long, too drawn out, and overstaying their welcome. Having songs that become timeless within the mix can help with that, and that is certainly the case here.
You can imagine that those that have this on double vinyl have probably worn out the first side of the first album, because that is where the gold is situated. The opening instrumental stride of “Funeral For a Friend”, which is then tagged with the brilliant “Love Lies Bleeding” as an 11 minute opening track is still one of my favourite moments from Elton John’s career. The quiet, almost haunting beginnings of the track slowly builds, with the growing musical overlay and addition of instruments along the way, to the crescendo that then halts as it moves into “Love Lies Bleeding” itself is magnificent, and one Elton starts singing as well, bringing with it the emotions of the lyrics, it is one of those songs that I will still get goosebumps from whenever it is played. For me it is a triumph.
“Candle in the Wind” is often referred to as one of Elton’s greatest tracks. Yes, I like it. I’m not sure it would rank in my first ten or so songs of his though. In many ways it was cursed for me when he re-worded it for “Candle in the Wind 1997” for the tribute to Diana Spencer and was then overplayed for months everywhere. That might be unfair, but just the way I feel. What can’t be argued is that it is a part of this album’s allure. "Bennie and the Jets" changes up the attitude of the album for the third song running, with Elton’s hammering piano and halting vocals the main styling of the song. These two songs became big selling singles which increased their influence in the world of Elton John. The opener is still my favourite.
Side two opens with another mega-hit, the title track “Goodbye Yellow Brick Road”, and still has the emotive impact and the change in vocal pitch that separates it from the run of the mill songs. Bernie Taupin’s lyrics here are as far as I am concerned the star attraction. It is still a song everyone can get on board with.
“This Song Has No Title” finds itself in no man’s land after this, the first song on the album that doesn’t come with its own reputation, and as a result it feels out of place. The following song “Grey Seal” is better, played at a better tempo and with more enthusiasm vocally as well. The reggae-influenced and less ordinary “Jamaica Jerk-Off” is followed by “I’ve Seen That Movie Too”, a song that sets itself with the John/Taupin template of easy listening vocals over the placating piano and synth. And it works wonderfully well. It’s the kind of song you listen to while sitting on the lounge relaxing rather than singing along to in a louder atmosphere, but it is still a good track.
The second album starts off in a similar vein with “Sweet Painted Lady”, once again with the tempo not getting out of second gear, just idling along gently like you would hear at a piano bar. You can’t help but like "The Ballad of Danny Bailey (1909–34)". Whether you take notice of the lyrics or note, this has a harder element on the piano and drums than in recent songs, and the jaunty aspect of Elton’s playing brings back that toe-tapping quality which is usually prevalent in his best songs. “Dirty Little Girl”, I think, sounds a bit too much like what came before it in “Benny and the Jets” – not precisely, but to me it always feel like it has the same formula, just with more guitar in holes. Still, this is followed by “All the Girls Love Alice” which is a ripper of a song, utilising all of the instruments to keep the song moving along perfectly in unison, once again picking up the pace and jive of the album, and Elton’s vocals telling the story in style. The only thing that halts this for me is the two parts where he stops to brood over the lyrics, but overall this is one of the better songs on the second album.
Elton channels the fifties on the second side of this second album, starting off with "Your Sister Can't Twist (But She Can Rock 'n Roll)", infusing the synth keyboard into a song that feels as though it should have Chuck Berry playing along with it in the first half, and then the Beach Boys in the second half. Somehow he manages to combine the two into the upbeat song it is.
"Saturday Night's Alright for Fighting" is the undoubted highlight of the second album, building on the previous song by going into all out hard rock, with hard hitting drums, rock n roll piano, heavy licking guitar, thumping bass line and fantastic lyrics and vocals. This is still the song by Elton that produces the most blood-pumping moments, showcasing the fact that he can write the ballads and the pop, but he can also write these hard and rocking songs with just as much aplomb. One of the greats.
“Roy Rogers” moves back to the comfortable mid-tempo piano bar range that this band does so well, though through Elton’s crooning I often think that no matter how much I like this song despite its country and western leanings, what I wouldn’t give to have heard more of the direction of the previous song. “Social Disease” is slightly more enthusiastic while not getting too excited with itself, while “Harmony” finalises the deal in a rising expectation of a wave of emotion that may work better for others than it does for me.

For me, and probably for many people, this would have been an even better album had they done some cutting and pasting, or tried to cull some songs from the release. Hindsight is a wonderful thing, and I wonder if Elton ever thinks about that. It would have been a task, and it would have changed the feel of the album, so given it is considered a classic it probably wouldn’t have worked. For me, the good (and great) far outweighs the less good, and it gives a varied selection of the writing techniques of both Elton as musician and Bernie Taupin as lyricist. In the end, I can only agree that everyone should listen to this album and experience it, for all of those reasons mentioned here. You may not agree with its status as ‘a great’. You may be like me, someone who appreciates the excellence within the music, while understanding that not all of it reaches that pinnacle.

Rating:  “You said sorry honey if I don’t change the pace, I can’t face another day”.   4/5.

971. Twisted Sister / Stay Hungry. 1984. 5/5

As one of the longest overnight sensations in the music industry, Twisted Sister had fought tooth and nail to get themselves a recording contract and then a distribution that would allow them to get their music out to the world. While their eventual debut album had finally found the light of day, it was the follow up, “You Can’t Stop Rock ‘n’ Roll” that really showed the kind of music the band could produce, and the talent that they band contained. Though they were still struggling to have an impact in their home country of the US, their success in the UK and Europe gave them the encouragement to find that next step.
The subsequent recording of the album became somewhat of a battleground. The band had brought in producer Tom Werman to head the album, on the basis of his success with bands such as Blue Oyster Cult and Motley Crue. During the writing and recording process, Werman apparently brought to the studio four songs by the band Saxon, and was pushing them on the band. This led to conflict with lead singer and songwriter Dee Snider, who took this as Werner wanting to replace one or several of his songs with Saxon cover songs. In an article by Jason Fisher on The Gauntlet website in 2009, guitarist Jay Jay French said, "We lost two songs on the album because of all this. We lost "Blastin' Fast and Loud" and "Never Say Never" as concessions to Tom so that he'd stop bugging us to do covers of Saxon songs. He wanted us to do 4 or 5 Saxon covers. Tom would deny he ever said that but he did. Dee was insulted as he was a song writer. That created problems and no one got along." In response in the same article, Werner was quoted saying. "I did bring them three or four songs from Saxon" stated Tom, "not wanting them to cover them, but just suggesting to them they listen to these songs because I loved them. That is my job. I didn't tell them that they were going to record them. Did they end up recording any, no. If I had the authority to pick songs as Dee has said I did, why didn't I force it on them?"

The title track “Stay Hungry” is, in my opinion, one of the greatest opening tracks on an album of all time. It grabs you from the start, the pounding drums and rhythm line, with Dee immediately grabbing you with his recruiting call, announcing the lines of the song in a demand that you sing along with gusto. It’s a fantastic song, an anthem in every sense of the word, and for me is still the outstanding song of Twisted Sister’s career. Whenever I made a mixed tape, or now whenever I make a playlist, this song is almost always a part of it. This is followed by the song that got everyone in, “We’re Not Gonna Take It”, that still evokes a chorus of singing whenever it gets played, especially in my house. I loved the video and song when it was released, and my kids still love it today, forty years later, so it shows how entertaining it is generationally. From here we move in to “Burn in Hell”, where the star of the show is the chorus, with the chanting between the main lines in the background taking centre stage, such as ‘HEAR no evil, don’t you SEE no evil, don’t you LAY no evil down on ME!” Still great after all these years.
The two parter song that makes up “Horror-Teria (The Beginning)” is terrific for completely different reasons. “Captain Howdy” is the slow, almost chanting track that reeks of doom, the forbidden and gleeful trappings of Captain Howdy himself, which then morphs into the faster paced and harder rock of “Street Justice”, for the vigilantes to take justice into their own hands. You will probably either love or hate this dual barrelled song. I think it’s great and follows up the hard core start to the album perfectly.
The second side of the album opens up with the second single, the hard core “I Wanna Rock”, which gets the adrenaline running to the right levels once again, another great anthem to sing along to. And while the following track “The Price” can be considered to be a power ballad, it has the right amount of grunt and emotion in it, perfectly sung by Dee, that it doesn’t feel like it is intruding upon the party. I enjoy the sing-along aspects of “Don’t Bring Me Down” as well, all played at a good pace and filled with the right paraphrases. “The Beast” slows itself down in much the same way as “Captain Howdy” does, which just possibly comes at the wrong time of the album for such a change in momentum. It’s a small thing, but by the time we reach this section of the road I am looking for a continuation of the speed, rather than what is effectively just putting the brakes on instead. This is rectified by the closing track “S.M.F.” which charges at you and is then finished abruptly, concluding what is still a terrific forty minutes of hard rock.
Perhaps this album is rooted in the 1980’s, but that is not to say it has overly dated. In fact, I really think for what is effectively a glam metal album it is as fresh now as it was when it was released. Let the kids laugh at the video clips, then expose them to songs such as “Stay Hungry”, “Burn in Hell”, and “S.M.F.” and I reckon you’ll have them hooked. If you are one of the doubters, or one of the haters, then that is fine. Everyone’s musical tastes and desires are flavoured differently. But much like Quiet Riot’s “Metal Health” album, which had a similar success to this album the previous year, is thrown into the same basket in the modern age, of an album that is pigeonholed in the times and is unrelatable in the modern age, "Stay Hungry” is far more than that.

Every single person who grew up in my generation of the 1980’s, those that spent those middle years in high school and witness the birth of MTV as a phenomenon along with the other music video shows, were exposed to the wonderful film clips for those two hard rock anthems, “We’re Not Gonna Take It” and “I Wanna Rock” by Twisted Sister. Some of the in-jokes of the videos may have passed over the head of those that didn’t also see the movie “National Lampoon’s Animal House”, but they were memorable all the same. Many of those people will have gone out and bought the album on the strength of those videos, and those that did will not doubt discover, just as I did, that there was much more to the band and the album “Stay Hungry” than just the outfits and humour that are the initial perspective.
As per the usual path, this album came to me by way of my heavy metal music dealer, courtesy of a cassette that also had Motley Crue’s “Shout at the Devil” on the other side. A fun way to spend 90 minutes. And while those two singles had drawn me in to wanting the album, and were generally the only two songs everyone else at school knew, it was the rest of the album that I enjoyed much more. “Burn in Hell” and “Horror Terria”, especially the fast pace and fist pumping second section “Street Justice” were favorites for me, along with “Don’t Let Me Down” and “S.M.F”. But, as already outlined, the title track to me was the piece de resistance.
I can still put this on at any time and enjoy it still. I’ve had it going over recent days and sung along with every song. And it is one of those albums that reminds of those days when it was released, for me my middle years in high school, and things my friends and I used to do. I listen to “The Price”, and I’m transported back to athletics carnivals and school camps and the such, all where this song was played at the time and now acts as that time machine.
For Twisted Sister, this album was the high water mark of their career. After all the hard work they had put in to get to this point, it seemed to fall away very quickly on the other side of the peak. That story will no doubt come up down the track on another episode. But for now, let’s bathe in the glory that is the best that the band had to offer.

970. Queen / Sheer Heart Attack. 1974. 4.5/5

Queen is the servant of all varieties of music. There is no one way to try and pigeonhole what genre of music they sit in, because each writer and performer has a different style, strength and love. The fact that they have been able to marry that all up over the years and make albums that don’t turn people off because of it is amazing. Here on “Sheer Heart Attack” this is true as it always is.
The lead up and progress of writing and recording the album was not short of problematic. On the band’s first tour of the US, as support to Mott the Hoople, guitarist Brian May was diagnosed with hepatitis, which required cancelling the remainder of the tour, returning home, and May being hospitalised as a result. The other three members of the band – lead singer Freddie Mercury, bass guitarist John Deacon and drummer Roger Taylor – returned to Trident Studios in June to begin the process of putting together material for their next album, with May unable to join them until a month later. They then spent a month recording the backing tracks to the majority of the songs in a studio in Wales, before returning to London for further recording. This was then halted again, as May was diagnosed with a duodenal ulcer which required surgery. Although he was allowed to recuperate at home, he was absent from the studio for another three weeks. During this time he wrote two songs while the rest of the band continued with overdubs on the tracks so far recorded. When May returned the final recording could be done, and then the time consuming task of mixing could commence.
To showcase the sound that Queen created, the 24-track facility at Trident Studios still meant that many of the songs had to be mixed down, with multiple tracks needing to be mixed onto a single track in order to have the songs completed to the vision of the band. With so many vocal harmonies and instrumental overdubs being created in order to have each song sound as big and grandiose as they do, it showed that while the songs themselves may be moving to a more compact and less extravagantly lengthy tome, that the care and precision that the band exacted from themselves to produce their amazing spectacle was no less than they had practiced on the first two albums of their career.

The overall style of this album does progress from both “Queen” and “Queen II” in that there is probably less of the real prog rock that categorised those early albums, and a more formularised approach to the individual songs. That’s not to say that the style of the songs doesn’t change, they most certainly do, depending on the writer of the song itself. It’s just that the songs themselves seem to be moving out of that early experimental atmosphere and into an entirely different arena, one that retains the inspiration of those early tracks and combines it with structure that is more reminiscent of the 3-to-4-minute track.
The opening half of the album showcases this merging perfectly. Brian May’s assault during “Brighton Rock” is spectacular, and he shows off all of his skills within the framework of the song perfectly. Topped off by Freddie’s marvellous vocals, changing as they do from falsetto to mainstream, and the rollicking rhythm section, halted only by Brian’s unaccompanied solo in the middle, makes this a superb opening track, and also the longest on the album. This is followed by the world renowned “Killer Queen”, the kind of radio friendly short sharp heightening of every great part of Queen that made them the band they are. The wonderful combining of Roger Taylor’s crisp drum work and John Deacon’s precision bass playing, Brian May’s scene stealing guitar riffs, combined with the easy tinkling on the piano, and topped off with Freddie’s wonderful vocals and lyrics, backed by the support vocals of the other three members. It seems such an easy task on paper, but the right combination of everything here makes a single that the whole world knows and loves.
The three songs in the heart of the first side almost form a medley, such is the way they segue into each other. Roger’s excellent “Tenement Funster” starts it off, with his lead vocals showcasing how well he sings, despite being the drummer and possibly third in line for vocals in this group. Brian’s layered guitar solo is killer here as well. This is succeeded by Freddie’s “Flick of the Wrist”, which lifts the pace while combining layered vocals of the four all over the top and the introduction of the piano as well. And finally, the third part of this triumvirate is “Lily of the Valley”, a quieter, slower Freddie song, concentrating on his vocals rather than the band as a whole, who are for the most part sedately in the background. Each song is terrific on its own, and even as a merged entity it works just as well.
The first side concludes with the brilliant, heavy “Now I’m Here”, dominated by May’s guitar and the layered vocals throughout, Freddie accentuating the power required through his singing on the song. This has been a favourite of mine since I first heard it, which was well after its initial release. It was one of the songs that drew me to Queen, quite simply because of the grunt it has with the guitars and drums and Freddie’s aggressive vocals. Quite simply a ripper.
The opening track of side two is “In the Lap of the Gods”, dominated by Roger’s amazing vocal, so high it is impossible to recreate, though it is Freddie who sings the basis of the song itself. It not only harks back a little to those early albums innovations but looks forward to where it took the band on following albums. Those vocal overdubs are amazing but take special attention to Roger’s part. Amazing. This moves straight into the second heavy song of the album, “Stone Cold Crazy”, which again is important in not only being a great song but in giving each member a chance to shine. Roger’s drumming throughout is a joy, John’s bass line perfectly awesome, Brian’s heavy guitar riff the star attraction and Freddie as always emoting throughout. It is no surprise a band such as Metallica covered this song, because it has elements for each member of the band to show their wares.
The versatility of the band is then proven in Brian’s “Dear Friends”, a quiet reserved short tale which shows that he doesn’t always write just the guitar heavy anthems. This is followed by John Deacon’s first solo composition recorded by the band, “Misfire”, a great song on which he plays most of the guitars. “Bring Back That Leroy Brown” follows a familiar take, with Freddie injecting his jangling piano into the song which highlights a separate style of song from most of those here on this album. It wasn’t the last time these changes were noticeable on a Queen album, which in essence highlighted the fact that their style couldn’t be nailed down.
If there is one song that doesn’t do it for me here it is probably "She Makes Me (Stormtrooper in Stilettos)". Perhaps it is too much change through the back half of the album for me, but it has never been a favourite of mine. The album concludes with the crowd anthem “In the Lap of the Gods… Reprise” which gives off a good vibe to complete the full set.

As someone who grew up through the 1980’s, and whose introduction to Queen was radio singles and then albums such as “The Works” and “A Kind of Magic”, the journey backwards through the plethora of albums the band released during the 1970’s was always an interesting one. Most of that happened after the passing of Freddie Mercury, when instead of just enjoying the albums I knew and the songs from the “Greatest Hits” album, I decided I really should own those other albums as well. And I did eventually discover them all, and each one autonomously from the other. And as with all instances like this, the first part of that was not only enjoying those songs on those albums that I already knew, but getting beyond that to know the other tracks on the album.
Here on “Sheer Heart Attack”, the songs I knew are some of the bands best. “Killer Queen” has always been a gem, “Now I’m Here” one of my favourites, “Stone Cold Crazy” another of their best, and “Brighton Rock” I had heard and loved from the “Live Killers” album. And so it was the variety and expanded experience of the rest of the album that surrounded these tracks that I had to get to love. And I did. Because it is Queen after all, so what is not to love? Even “Hot Space”!
I have no memory of when I first heard this album. It was certainly in the early 1990’s, and I don’t recall what my initial reaction to the album was. But I remember when I was going through the process of listening to the album that there was a period where the songs I didn’t know were the filler that was there until those hits came on. That of course melted away over time, and the album became a WHOLE experience for me, not just a few songs here and there. And, more than that, I remember thinking at the time how cool it was to have “NEW” songs from Queen to listen to and to get to now, even though they were never going to release any more music now that Freddie was gone (little did I know at that time...)
And as I have had “Sheer Heart Attack” back in the CD player in the Metal Cavern for the past couple of weeks, I have realised just how much I actually enjoy this album. Prior to this month I’m sure if I had been asked what I thought of the album I would have said, ‘yeah, it’s good!”. Whereas now, should you be wanting to ask, I would probably say “Yes! Sheer Heart Attack ROCKS!” And that’s how I think of it, a new-ish album all because I didn't actually discover it until 20 years after it had been released. 50 years on, and it is hard to believe it can be that long since it was released on the world. It still sounds amazing, and there is still so much on this album that is groundbreaking with the way the band wrote and recorded songs.