One middle-aged headbanger goes where no man has gone before. This is an attempt to listen to and review every album I own, from A to Z. This could take a lifetime...
Do you still get that tingle of excitement
when it is announced that Iron Maiden is releasing a new album? Do you
still wait with anticipation for the album to arrive in the mail from
your pre-order weeks in advance? Do you crash into your local record
store as soon as they open the front doors on the day the album is
released, and get it home as quickly as possible to hear it in all of
its glory? I confess that I still do, no matter what my thoughts on the
previous album has been. Iron Maiden is still the standard bearer, the
one band that all others will be judged against, and the release of new
material only whets that appetite to see what they can produce this time
around. You know full well that it won't be the next Powerslave,
but you know that with the character and quality of the band members,
all legends of their craft, that it will be worth the wait.
The
opening track is a cracker. "If Eternity Should Fail" does all the right
things, moving along at a pace that Maiden's music deserves with
Bruce's vocals hitting all the right places, and enough places within
the song for each member to showcase their wares. Bruce has mentioned in
interviews that this song was written with a view to putting it on a
solo album of his, and it does have the feel of a Bruce Dickinson solo
type song. It has an easy flow throughout the song, from the
almost-spoken beginning into the starting verses and through the solo
sections. Unlike other songs on the album, it doesn't feel as long as
its eight and a half minutes suggests. It's a great track to open the
album. "Speed of Light" follows, and was the first song released from
the album prior to it being released. It is one of two songs co-written
by Bruce and Adrian Smith on the album. It increases the tempo on the
album, playing on the words of the song title to speed along at a good
clip. "The Great Unknown" is perhaps too tied up in a similar sounding
riff and singing style through the first half of the song, where the
style gives off the impression of repetitiveness that isn't quite
accurate. This is redeemed by the solo section through the second half
of the song, where the musicianship again helps to paper over the small
cracks. Steve Harris'' "The Red and the Black" runs to over thirteen and
a half minutes, and as a result it would be easy to criticise it for
being overlong and perhaps losing its impact because of it. Here though
once you have taken the time to listen to the song a few times you can
take in the structure of the song, and not just hear the same repeating
rhythms of the core. It also has the in-built crowd anthem of Bruce
chanting "WHOA-OH-OH-WOAH-OH!" to raise the adrenaline. When I first got
the album I did have reservation about this song, but it has grown on
me through taking in all of the complexities within. "When the River
Runs Deep" has the typical characteristics of a Harris and Smith
co-production. It starts off in a mid-tempo range as the start of the
song is built, before exploding through the middle of the song in the
faster chorus and then the solo bridge that has Nicko McBrain
alternating the speed of the song brilliantly by switching from a slower
emphasised 4/4 time to the quick and blinding 2/4, allowing the guitars
to do their piece over the top in synchronicity. If there is a speed
hump on the album for me, it probably comes with the title track, "The
Book of Souls", and with the second song of the second disc in "Shadows
of the Valley". Both songs have their moments, where the music comes in
the right flavour, but for the majority I feel they are just average
songs without that kick to bring them up to a Maiden level. "The Book of
Souls" feels like many songs from Dance of Death with the keyboards holding out in the high ground such as "Dance of Death" and "Face in the Sand". Sandwiched
between them is one of my favourite songs on the album, the second
Smith/Dickinson composition "Death or Glory". In interviews, Adrian was
quoted as saying that they deliberately tried to write shorter, faster
songs, to replicate songs that they had previously written together such
as "Can I Play With Madness?" and "2 Minutes to Midnight". It's a
no-win situation, but the style of both of these new songs is certainly
noticeable from everything else on the album, and do channel some of the
energy of their previous work. "Tears of a Clown" was apparently
written about Robin Williams, and no doubt others like him, and his sad
suicide through depression. Bruce emotes beautifully throughout the
song, and perfectly highlights the lyrics as written. The start of "The
Man of Sorrows" probably doesn't do this song justice, because once you
get into the heart of it, it is a triumph, though again not in a
traditional Maiden way, but of the new era, with the keyboards enhancing
the atmosphere created by the guitars and Bruce's vocals soaring in
harmony. It sounds wonderful, and though it won't please everyone the
unique style of the song shows off the progressive side of Maiden's
evolving music perfectly. The closing track, apart from its length,
is one of the most un-Maiden songs to ever be released by the band. Of
course, this is a matured band now, as has already been mentioned, and
yes their musical style has become more progressive over recent years I
guess it would be easy to be scared off by the piano and the violin, to
suggest that this is just too much change to be able to accept as a pat
of the Maiden sound. Strangely enough, these same thoughts were floated
around when the band introduced guitar synths with the Somewhere in Time
album, and it appears to most that that album was a success. Sure, this
is another step in a far reaching direction, but given that it is done
well there should be no cause for alarm. "Empire of the Clouds" is
written about the maiden voyage of the R101 airship and its disastrous
demise. Written by Bruce Dickinson, he has already shown a penchant to
be able to write and perform songs such as this in his solo works, with
songs like "Tears of the Dragon" and "Navigate the Seas of the Sun".
This is much more ambitious, and at over eighteen minutes in length if
it didn't work it would be seen as indulgent and perhaps even Spinal
Tap-ish. But there is nothing to fear. This is an amazing song, a
musical in itself. The piano and violin only add to the drama and
subtlety of the song. The middle section, where the band really comes to
life, is incredible, and topped off by the dramatic and superlative
drumming from Nicko throughout, never taking centre stage but almost the
key element. It will not surprise to find a big minority can't get this
song, and will not enjoy it, and will not rate it. I personally think
that in the modern Maiden era it showcases everything you need to know
about the band and where it stands.
Probably not for the first
time in Maiden's latter career, the album for the majority is carried by
Bruce Dickinson's vocal chords. This is Maiden's fifth album of the
millennium, from when both Bruce and Adrian re-joined the band after an
absence of some years, and whenever there have been soft spots, holes or
even chasms during that time, when there are songs that juts don't seem
to be of the highest calibre that the band wrote in the first half of
their career, you can always rely on just listening to Bruce singing,
and enjoy every moment of that. Trust me, it works. As I've said on
numerous occasions over the course of many years, and in countless
reviews, you can forgive practically anything the second Bruce Dickinson
opens his lungs and vocal chords and begins to sing. It takes a special
talent to be able to claim that, and Bruce is one of the few I've ever
encountered who can do it in any situation.
If you are going to
try and compare this album with the work that this band did through the
1980's then you are never going to accept the wonderful things on offer
in The Book of Souls. It is a false facade in doing so. Try comparing Black Sabbath's 13 to Paranoid. Try comparing Scorpions Return to Forever with Love at First Sting. Try comparing Redeemer of Souls to Painkiller.
Try comparing anything Metallica release in the next couple of years to
anything from that same 1980's era. Any album not from a band's 'great
era' will rarely stand up against them, and that is the way it should
be, and always will be. These are different men from 30 years ago. They
are older, and they have seen and experienced the world since then. For
lack of a better word, the music on this album shows a maturity that
comes with age and a comfortableness in their lives and with themselves
as songwriters. For the most part, the ferociousness may not be as
prevalent in their music anymore, but their style and formula is still
there to hear. Perhaps you won't jump around and headbang as much to
this album as you do some others, but I'm 30 years older too, and I can
appreciate what the band has written and recorded here. I put this album
on, and I am still carried away by "If Eternity Should Fail", "Death or
Glory", "Tears of a Clown", "The Man of Sorrows" and "Empire of the
Clouds" - in a different way than early Maiden did to me, absolutely,
but carried away nonetheless. Just to hear the way Nicko puts together
his drumming, the little things he adds that create so much of a song
but can be overlooked. To listen to the majesty of the guitars of Dave
Murray, Adrian Smith and Janick Gers when they play in harmony, and then
split to create their own defining sound in their individual solo
pieces. To hear that rumbling bass from Steve Harris that is still the
lifeblood of the band. And of course, the magnificence that is Bruce
Dickinson, his vocals that still lift every song he is involved in, and
still sends shivers down my spine when I hear him soar in a way I can
only ever dream to repeat.
This is Iron Maiden. Rejoice in the past. Accept the present. It is more than worth it.
Rating:Waiting in line at the ending of time, if eternity should fail. 4/5
The resurgence of Stryper over the past
decade has been nothing if not remarkable. Not only have they stuck true
to their Christian values, they have continued to emphasise this
through their songs and lyrics. And yet, through the release of their
live album 7 Weeks: Live in America 2003, and the release of their covers album The Covering
where they channelled the bands that helped create their style, the
band has redefined their music, combining the catchiness of their
popular 1980's sound with a revitalised heavy sound that has brought
them into the new century with a purpose.
While the entire album
mightn't be out-and-out heavy metal, you can't help but be impressed
with the direction that Stryper has continued on with Fallen. As with their previous release No More Hell to Pay,
the metal has been injected into the songs. "Yahweh" starts off in a
flurry of drums, guitar and that ridiculous Michael Sweet high note.
Both "Fallen" and "Pride" follow in this same class. The heavy edge in
the music is noticeably infused, both through the hard hitting drumming
of Robert Sweet on each track, emphasising as it does the back beat and
tempo in tandem with the excellent riff work from both Michael Sweet and
Oz Fox. Their harmony guitars still sound as sweet as ever (no pun
intended) while their solo spots continue to be a highlight of every
song. "Big Screen Lies" can be added to this, while "Heaven" drops back a
peg without losing any of the wonderful musicianship of the earlier
tracks. "Love You Like I Do" is perhaps the best example of how
Stryper has evolved on the album. A song that for all intents and
purposes I shouldn't like, I can't help but enjoy. Listen to Michael's
lyrics dominate, soaring into the clouds in harmony and encouraging you
to sing along. Robert's drumming is so simple, but the hard hitting beat
is perfect for the song, while the guitar break between Oz and Michael
is worth the wait. This is a terrific moment. Funnily enough, it is
followed by perhaps the most despondent for me, as "All Over Again" is
the perfect replication of the hair metal ballad, with slow pace,
acoustic guitar, and back up mood harmony vocals. Stereotypical much?
Wow. Here's a song for the skip button. Just to complete the irony, this
is then followed by the band's cover version of Black Sabbath's awesome
"After Forever", a song that Stryper has done a magnificent job on.
This Stryperised version is just brilliant, and Michael lets his voice
cry to the heavens as he progresses through it. Awesome. "Till I Get
What I Need" then busts out of the speakers at a rollicking speed, with
Michael's vocals and Oz's guitar again dominating, reinvigorating the
tempo of the album and is supported by "Let There Be Light". What has
come before is perhaps let down a little by the final couple of tracks,
which don't match most of the rest of the album for the modern
excellence that has been achieved. Yeah, they are just a little annoying
in structure.
This is another excellent release from a band that
has made a resurgence in recent times, through staying true to their
beliefs, but also by staying true to the music they love, and improving
it to encompass the modern heavy metal sound. While not all of their
material will always appeal to all of the fans, there is again plenty
here to make even the casual fan prick their ears up in appreciation of
their work.
When it comes to musical output, you
certainly can't accuse Stratovarius of dragging the chains and not
putting the hard yards in. With Eternal they have clocked up their fifteenth studio album, which is quite an achievement over a 25 years period.
Stratovarius
has been one of the flag bearers of European power metal for a quarter
of a century. No matter what direction the bands around them may have
taken, no matter what bands are turning up and which bands are
disbanding, when you put on a Stratovarius album you know what you are
getting. Do you like power metal? Do you like keyboard and double
kick dominated songs? Do you enjoy piercing vocals? Do you also like
that bane of my existence, the power ballad? Then chances are you are
already listening to Stratovarius, and either have this album or would
love this album. The best parts of the band are all in the first
three songs. All of them chug along at a good clip, driven by the drums
and keyboards. The harmony vocals of Timo Kotipelto hit all the right
heights, the guitar of Matias Kupiainen and keyboards of Jens Johannson
blend and duel together as well as they always have, while the rhythm of
Rolf Pilve's drums and the bass of Lauri Porra provide the perfect
backing throughout. "My Eternal Dream" is a great start to the album in
this fashion, followed by "Shine in the Dark" and "Rise Above It". "Lost
Without a Trace" draws things back into both tempo and energy, drawing
from the other aspects of the power metal genre, while "Feeding the
Fire" does try to pick things up again. "In My Line of Work" is
arguably my favourite song on the album, perhaps not just because of the
upbeat tempo but the fact that the keyboards are downtoned throughout
the song, allowing the other instruments to give the strength to the
song. The power ballad still haunts me, always coming in and either
slowing down the tempo of the album to the point that it draws away from
the strength that has come before it, or literally sucking the life
from an album and killing its mood completely. "Few Are Those" becomes
that track on this album, and while it only comes in as a 4/10 on the
album killer ranking, it does grind my gears. The final track is an
epic, "The Lost Saga" coming in at a touch under twelve minutes. It
starts off slow, and initially you wonder if this is going to be how the
album concludes, on a slow strangled note. Eventually it kicks into
gear however, and the finishing flourish is much more pleasant and
appropriate that it appeared it was going to be.
Stratovarious
continue to be band that I struggle to rate, in the same way as Sonata
Arctica. The band sounds great, and they stay true to their art and the
musical genre. I would love to come out and give their albums - and this
one as well - a high rating, but while it sounds great and it well
written and the players are all excellent, the music continues to lose
me a fraction with the over-emphasis on the keyboards (sorry Jens), the
somewhat repetitive nature of the music, and the lack of a killer
element, such as guitar riffs that hold the song together in a slightly
heavier atmosphere. Like I said, that's not the style of what this band
does, and so we will (and have been) always be at opposite ends of that
spectrum.
Rating:Still the road goes on and on, we just have to play along. 3/5
It's been a long while between drinks for
metal legends Slayer, and a lot has happened in the interim. Since the
release of the at-times-brilliant, at-times-less-brilliant World Painted Blood,
Slayer has participated in a never-thought-seen Big 4 concert series
with fellow veterans Metallica, Megadeth and Anthrax, had guitarist Jeff
Hanneman diagnosed with his flesh eating virus contracted from a
spider, drafting in Exodus' Gary Holt to fill his spot on numerous
tours, the forgoing of drummer Dave Lombardo once again, before Jeff's
saddening death of cirrhosis some two and a half years ago. One wondered
if we were ever going to see another Slayer album following all of
this, and the time that had passed since their previous effort.
Fortunately,
the band is made of harder stuff. Perhaps the most difficult part was
not replacing Jeff on guitar. Gary Holt has been in the position now for
a number of years, and he has always seemed to fit in perfectly with
the band and their music. He may not be Jeff Hanneman, but he is a
brilliant player, and the fans have welcomed him as one of their own
some time ago. No, the most difficult part was always going to be
replacing Jeff as a writer, because it is here that his contribution to
Slayer has been so enormous, so pivotal, so ground breaking. Kerry King
writes some great songs, but Jeff tends to be the hand that wrote the
immortal ones. Perhaps this worried me more than most as well, as the
one album where Kerry contributed the most to the writing, Christ Illusion,
is still a Slayer album that I have trouble finding the balance. In
regards to this album, I don't know whether Gary wanted to contribute to
the writing process. I guess I understand Kerry's reluctance to let
someone from the outside become a part of the Slayer sound for fear that
it is... compromised. That he was able to contribute some guitar solos
is at least a frank showing that he is considered a part of the band. Don't
worry. This sounds like Slayer, right from the outset. The instrumental
opening "Delusions of Saviour" delivers straight into the aggressive
and raucous "Repentless", with Tom Araya immediately at the top of his
game vocally. In fact he spends most of the album in that top range and
at a pace that it virtually impossible to sing along with him. Paul
Bostaph returns to the band he served so well in the past, and flays
along in support, while the twin guitars of King and Holt do their
service to the music, providing the rhythm through the verses and their
string stretching wild ride during their solo pieces. Some of the songs,
such as "Repentless" and "Take Control" are obviously written with a
mind to remind you of the early days, to assure you that Slayer is still
Slayer, even with only half of the original staff still remaining.
Later songs such as "Implode" and "You Against You" are also the pick of
the tracks. It's also nice to have a song written by Jeff here, even if
in reality "Piano Wire" is the least spectacular of the songs on the
album. Like a lot of the bands around of this vintage, what you hear
on the album sounds a lot like the band who is playing it, but it is
different. In other reviews I've used the word 'matured', but I'm not
sure you can use that in regards to Slayer. They have done so well over
four decades to remain true to themselves and to continue to produce
great songs and great albums, but how long can you continue to produce
that kind of aggression and intensity on an album? This is still a good
album, but when you travel through the middle of the album, with songs
such as "Vices" and "Cast the First Stone" and "When the Stillness
Comes" that are good songs but perhaps begin to lack the absolute fury
in the music and vocals that comes with the best of their material. It's
not a criticism, but a fact. Screaming vocals and rolling double kick
drum patterns don't disguise the differences in the songs. They don't
hide the subtle changes that, to be fair, have been coming over time.
And material from a band like Slayer is much more difficult to paper
over those subtleties than from a band like, for instance, Iron Maiden.
Repentless
may not be a masterpiece, but it is still a solid latter-day outing for
one of the greats of the genre. Enjoyable as it is, it will likely hold
your attention in the interim, before becoming a second-choice music
selection in the future behind those albums you already know and love.
Rating:No looking back, no regrets, no apologies, what you get is what you see. 3.5/5
This could be the longest goodbye
retirement farewell in the history of music, but Scorpions are still out
there doing their thing, and doing it their way. So they may have
reneged on their retirement announcement, and they may have reneged on
their final album quote. They may well be around forever, constantly
touring the globe without ever coming to Australia so that we could see
them live like practically every other place in the world has. Certainly
they have come across a slightly new and ingenious way to write and
record this new album, and while only time will tell if this party is
going to continue, there is no denying the fact that this band keeps
producing listenable albums after almost 50 years.
From all
reports, when this album was first mooted, it was actually going to
contain only material from the archives, culled from the numerous songs
written and recorded for previous albums, but never used mainly due to
the space and time restraints on vinyl records.. The majority of these
songs were to be from the 1980's and through into the early 1990's, so
the era that they were being drawn from was arguably the band's
greatest. However, when the band had come to its decision not to finish
up, and there was some more writing being done by the band, it was
decided to make the album a hybrid, mixing both new material and these
older unused songs and demos, with a little bit of spit and polish to
bring them up to speed. Does it work? It's an individual's thing I
guess. The new songs written for the album have that Scorpions sound to
them. "Going Out With a Bang", "We Built This House" and "All For One"
all have that famous Scorpions hard rock sound and sing-along choruses,
and focus on the relationship of the band as a whole. "Rock My Car"
originates from the band's early days, and rocks along much like these
songs. "House of Cards" falls in that slower, quieter, ballad section
that Scorpions always have, and admittedly always do well. Obviously
there are some songs that stand out better than others of this variety
from the past, and these songs here wouldn't make that. "Gypsy Life"
also goes down this path, though as it was written originally for the Acoustica album this is understandable. Both of these songs are okay, but not high on my list of favourites from the album. "Rock 'n' Roll Band" and "Catch Your Luck and Play" are from the Savage Amusement
era, and both actually have the vibe of that album. Both are catchy and
pacier numbers that track along at a fast clip with prominent guitars
and again those choruses that are simple and as a result easy to sing
along with. "Eye of the Storm" finds itself somewhere in the middle of
all of this, a reasonable track that doesn't seem to be able to find its
niche within the album framework.
When Humanity - Hour I was released, it blew me away. It was an album that just enraptured me. Sting in the Tail was fine, but more back in an average type of Scorpions album. Return to Forever
ends up being in the same category. The idea of finding these songs
written in the past, in an era when they dominated the scene, and using
them now 30 years later isn't a bad one. There is good material here,
and the band sounds as good as ever, but perhaps in the long run this
does just sound a little too much like their standard songs without
having a real hook or a real thunderhead to grab your attention and hold
onto it. if you like the Scorpions, you will be able to put this on and
enjoy it for what it is. If you are looking for an album that will be
this year's balltearer, then you should be searching elsewhere.
Rating:We're going out with a bang. Well, we'll see about that... 3/5
As the twin release alongside From the Setting Sun... In Wacken, this album was recorded at the other end of the tour in Japan, and thus titled ...To the Rising Sun (In Tokyo).
Recorded some 18 months after the first concert, but of course released
at the same time as that album, it may be seen as an indulgence by a
band who is becoming renown for releasing live albums practically every
year, while the release of new material is becoming further and farther
between. For the enthusiast, it actually gives you the chance to compare
the difference in the band's performance at opposite ends of the tour.
Whether or not that is enough to retain your interest in this album is
probably open to question.
The setlist here is for the most part
the same as it was at the start of the tour, with a couple of minor
changes. The one biggie is the one that makes me shake my head the most.
"Apres Vous" from the latest album Now What?!
is the opening track, and I have no problem with that. The problem I
have is that it replaces "Highway Star", and it has in fact fallen all
the way off the setlist completely! Now, I find it impossible to believe
that Deep Purple can play a concert with "Highway Star". It just isn't
right. yes, it is my favourite Deep Purple song, but it is a main
attraction, a staple, a non-negotiable! This is just not on - at all. If
I ever went to a Deep Purple gig and they didn't play "Highway Star" I
would riot! Anyway... "Uncommon Man" from Now What?!
also makes an appearance here, another instrumental that is placed
between two others in "Contact Lost" and "The Well-Dressed Guitar",
which then lead into "The Mule" from Fireball,
in all its live glory with extended instrumental pieces including Ian
Paice's drumming spectacular. The remainder of the set remains as it did
on the earlier album release, because this was not at a festival like
Wacken the setlist goes longer than the first release.
As a
result, there is a slightly different feeling about the first half of
this release than there is on the first album. It isn't any less
spectacular, but for those who are more attracted to the older material
then this album probably isn't as enticing as the Wacken release. Apart
from my already-noted disbelief at the erasure of "Highway Star" this
album rates as highly as any other Deep Purple live album - at the top
of the tree.
As a band gets older and has been together
longer, and tours become more prevalent than releases of studio albums -
mainly, one assumes, because the audience still wants to hear the same
old songs rather than newer material at the concerts they go to - then
there has to be something that fills the gap created by less albums. The
solution is release live albums of archival concerts (something Deep
Purple has been very good at over the past two decades) and live albums
of recent gigs. Which is where we are here, with From the Setting Sun... In Wacken.
Recorded
at Deep Purple's appearance at the ever increasing popular music
festival held at Wacken Open Air in 2013, this double album covers the
band's entire set list, one that mixes the old and the new almost
seamlessly. And one should never under estimate how difficult it is for a
band like Deep Purple, with 19 studio albums over almost 50 years, to
find the right mix in the set list to ensure that they satisfy their fan
base, young and old. To have the hits, but also to showcase their newer
material so that it is not just a forgotten moment. I think they've
done an excellent job here on this release. The newer material from
the band all sounds terrific here in the live environment, and really
brings to life these songs that may not be as well known by most fans as
their classic hits. "Vincent Price" from Now What?!
sounds awesome, with Airey's keys combining beautifully with Glover's
bass line and Morse's guitar riff. I love the studio version, but the
live version really brings this song to life. "Contact Lost" from Bananas
is an instrumental focusing on Steve Morse's wonderful guitar playing,
and showcases his talent perfectly, as does the following "The Well
Dressed Guitar" from special versions of Rapture of the Deep,
where guitar and keyboards dominate in a brilliant flurry of
musicianship. "Hell to Pay" and "Above and Beyond" from NOW WHAT?! both
come across excellently live, and more than hold their own in this
brilliant setlist. Of the older classic material, it was a real pleasure to hear "Into the Fire" and "Hard Lovin' Man" from Deep Purple in Rock
starting off the album after the typifying brilliance of "Highway Star"
opens the show. Both of those songs are from the great Mark II era, and
aren't necessarily the songs you'd expect the band to play, so hearing
them again was just terrific. Ditto with "No One Came" from Fireball.
It's still great to hear songs from these albums. "Strange Kind of
Woman" and "Lazy" are always great staples, especially when the band
tends to freeform through "Lazy" in whatever mood they happen to be in.
"Perfect Strangers" is always a welcome addition, especially with that
Hammond organ at the start. Don Airey does a great job staying true and
trusted to Jon Lord's original keys, both here and throughout the album
and performance. "Space Truckin'" still sounds great after all these
years, and "Smoke on the Water" features a guest appearance by Uli Jon
Roth to help add to the most played song of all time. The encore is
kicked off by covers of Booker T and the M.G.'s "Green Onions" and then
"Hush", which is still a great song after all these years, and completed
by "Black Night", that old staple that still has people jumping 40-odd
years later.
As always the performance of the band is faultless.
They could probably do this in their sleep, but they sound as brilliant
as ever. The great mix of songs, and the ability of the band to still
play around with the tracks without changing them so much that people
won't enjoy them is fantastic. You may have heard similar on other
recent live releases, but they still never fail to amaze you with their
performance. It may not be an essential purchase, but you certainly
won't be disappointed if you do.
With the dust having settled on the split
in the Queensrÿche ranks, and with each party having released on album
in the interim, in a lot of ways the future direction of both bands was
going to come down to their next release, and what direction the music
went in and how it would be accepted by fans on either side and those
somewhere in the middle. As with the 2013 releases of Queensrÿche's
eponymous album and Geoff Tate's Frequency Unknown,
Tate got in early and had his album out first, no doubt a ploy to
ensure his name was well and truly in the headlines. What mattered more
was always going to be what the album sounded like. The so-called
Operation: Mindcrime's The Key I have recently given my opinion on. This one is most definitely different in many ways.
Queensrÿche's
members, Michael Wilton, Eddie Jackson, Scott Rockenfield, Parker
Lundgren and Todd La Torre, have consistently spoken of wanted to go
back to the sound the band had in its earliest days, to a time that the
majority of the fans remember them most fondly. It wasn't about
reproducing what they had done in that time, but finding their roots and
rediscovering their mojo, and using that to produce their new songs.
Given the recent history it was no mean feat and Queensrÿche
was a solid start to that path, showing enough promise is what was
written to have fans thinking they may just be able to do what they
promised. In essence, as a fan, I was looking for a tempo, I was looking
for an attitude and a direction, and I was looking for a commitment. To
me, there had to be a significant movement away from what the band had
produced in the last twenty years if they were going to regain my faith
in them. It was as simple as that. I have a shelf of Queensrÿche
releases rotting away because I could never bring myself to listen to
them again. Forking out hard earned cash for albums that were so far
away from what I wanted to hear that I may as well have just burned the
money instead was something I was not willing to sign up for any longer. What Queensrÿche has produced here with Condition Hüman is perhaps as close as they can ever come to reproducing the same vibe and aura that came with albums such as Rage for Order, Operation: Mindcrime and Empire.
Nothing they do can (likely) come close to what they released on those
albums. But what they have done is moved forward, and put together a
variety of material that bets serves to showcase Queensrÿche in 2015.
Indeed, unlike their erstwhile former lead singer, the music has crawled
out of the slow paced grunge-like material that had been prevalent and
infused some energy back into the mix. Most certainly, the vocals alone
can be pinpointed for this. La Torre's vocals may ring like Geoff Tate
from the 1980's, but his power behind them is what is driving this new
frontier. While the guitar harmonies have returned, and Rockenfield's
drumming is as precise and powerful as it has been, it is the vocals
that help drive these songs into your consciousness. None of the
songs here are particularly fast, if that is what you are looking for.
Over the course of this album and the previous album, it doesn't appear
that excess speed is a part of the band's writing process. The
progressive nature of the music however has returned, with plenty of
melody from the guitars and vocals. Songs such as "Arrow of Time" and
"Guardian" are the most upbeat of the selection here, and they start the
album off on the right foot. "Hellfire" sits back into a heavier riff,
mid-tempo song with Todd hitting those scream notes throughout to drive
it along. It has been a long time since I've heard a Queensrÿche riff
like this. "Eye9" is similar, with its unique guitar and bass chords
settling on a heavier scale, with those amazing guitar harmonies through
the middle of the song. Songs like "Selfish Lies" and "Bulletproof" and
"Just Us" are more of the real comfort nature, settled back in tempo
and sliding along without the big riffs or standout solo breaks - not
power ballads, but tending in that direction. The closing track
"Condition Hüman" has touches of Dream Theater to it, and moves through
many different acts in a similar way, almost like a four seasons song.
Like
a few other bands of their vintage, this is easy listening heavy metal,
very much more in the direction of progressive metal than anything on
the heavy scale. Queensrÿche was always of this inkling, but this
continues that direction. It is a massive step forward from just about
everything they have done this century previous to this, and while fans
of the band will no doubt breathe a sigh of relief that some order has
been restored in the House of Queensrÿche, you may still be left with
that nagging feeling that there is still something that would make it
better than it is. The time for that may well have passed. Nevertheless,
we can be thankful that we can again have an album that isn't just
taking up space on the shelves.
Rating:Do we take for granted what some may dream to have? 3.5/5
So yes, you are right. After the break up of Queensrÿche, and the release of Frequency Unknown
by Geoff Tate's side of the break up, and the extreme averageness of
the music written and performed on it, I did vow that I would not be
seeking out anything further along this path. It had been an epiphany,
that the recent spate of Queensrÿche albums had obviously been
engineered by Geoff, and that style was not for me. I would no longer
have to follow his releases. But I couldn't shake the curiousness. What
if, by some small miracle, Geoff and his new band actually produced
something that came back to the roots laid down over 30 years ago? What
If they did and I missed it? So despite my better instincts, I delved
into The Key to see if I could be transformed.
So
once again I've gone in with an open mind. I've got a pretty fair idea
of what I might find, and I have no preconceptions that this will be a
great album, or a piece of crap. I've played the entire album in my
general 'album listening' places, each one giving me a different
perception of what is on the album - at work at my desk, in the car
while driving, in my 'Metal Cavern' at home while writing, and in my
wingback chair in the lounge room. In doing so I gave the album every
chance to find its way into my psyche, to find its way into a vein that
would deliver it to the correct processing parts of my body, and be able
to take hold. I gave it every chance. Part of the process that was
distracting was Geoff's insistence that he was writing a three part
concept story. Really? Haven't you done this already? Oh well, I guess
Alice Cooper does it every couple of albums so let's just get past that
and listen to what has been afforded us. I guess I'm going to have to
get used to the tempo, which is slow to a maximum of mid-range. No
doubt I also have to get used to the bass guitar rumbling quietly along
the bottom of the album, and the keyboards floating along at the top.
Yep, I've heard this before, but probably not in the degree it will come
across here given the Geoff now has complete control of the direction
of the music. "Choices" acts as the entry point to the story, musically
in just this way. Once it segues into "Burn", the guitar joins the party
in that same grungy way that Tate has made synonymous with his music,
while the drums roll in with the time-keeping role. It's catchy enough,
but what's missing here? What's missing is any urgency in the music, we
just flow along like a slow moving river. No worries, "Re-Inventing the
Future" sounds a bit more like what you would like to hear... in fact...
it does sound like a poor man's version of something from... well...
maybe Operation: Mindcrime II?
Hmmm... yeah, I remember this feeling of slight disappointment before.
It starts off with the right moves but soon loses its mojo in the mix.
It's a shame, but perhaps there is still better to come? In "Ready to
Fly" my initial reaction was, "What's that keyboard? It sounds like Jeff
Wayne's "War of the Worlds!!" Perhaps I am to be mistaken about the
chance of better to come. The story-joining "Discussions in a Smoke
Filled Room" leads into "Life or Death?" which features a guest vocal
from Mark Daly. Despite the slight increase in an upbeat song, and
Daly's welcome cameo, the momentum of the album is barely able to lift
itself from the canvas. "The Stranger" isn't able to improve the mood. "Hearing
Voices" is perhaps the closest Tate comes to an old style song from his
previous band, with the harmony guitars through the middle of the song
certainly showing a significant similarity to the Queensrÿche sound.
"The Queue" puts a stop to this immediately, with the slow treacle-like
music stretching out to eternity, while Tate quietly manoeuvres his
vocals within, and the strange keys and that saxophone moving this song
into waters that are somewhat indefinable. It suddenly sounds like we
are in a 1940's detective show, with the star wandering the darkened
streets trying to find some clue as to where he is going. Yikes. "An
Ambush of Sadness" is a minute and 41 seconds of an inconclusive
instrumental, which is followed by "Kicking in the Door" Where it sounds
like they are bringing in the string instruments, but perhaps they are
just using the keyboards in a different way. Again though, we are just
creeping along, almost lulling the listener off to sleep such is the
slow pace and mostly uninteresting style of the music. Oh, but when the
saxophone comes out in "The Fall", it pretty much puts a big full stop
on all of this. If it wasn't too much of the big atmospheric keyboards
trying to dictate the flow of the song, once Geoff pulls out the sax it
all becomes a bit too overblown and cringe worthy for my taste.
Everyone
who goes to listen to this album should know what they are in for. The
equation is pretty simple. If you enjoy Geoff Tate's stuff, not only his
solo stuff but the last half a dozen Queensrÿche albums, then the odds
are in your favour that you will enjoy this. Any one who feels the polar
opposite of this will no doubt find more disappointment in store if
they venture into this first album of what will no doubt be countless
more with the same modus operandi.
Rating:This ain't nothing, this ain't even a chore. 1.5/5
During the course of every band's career,
given that the course has managed to stay on track for more than a
single album release, there comes a time when it is decreed that their
live shows should be recorded and have it released as a live album. The
live setting is a band's workplace, where the majority of the sweat and
tears are exerted, occasionally stopping in to a studio to record all of
their new ideas to release, before hitting the road once again. The
live setting is where a band is judged, where any flaws are bared naked
for all to see, and where greatness will shine. Eventually, this is
where the top bands showcase their wares.
It has been just over a
decade since Masterplan formed, and while there have been comings and
goings within the group, the music that comes forth continues to be
amazing. Though only Roland Grapow and Axel Mackenrott remain as
original members, the band sounds quite magnificent here. The quartet of
Martin Skaroupka on drums, Jari Kainulainen on bass, Mackenrott on
keyboard and Grapow on guitar sound magnificent in this performance.
Skaroupka's drumming is crisp and penetrating, with every roll as
precise as the studio recordings, which is quite an effort in
translating what Uli Kusch did on those first two albums. His double
kick work is superb throughout, driving each song perfectly. The
combination between both guitars and the keyboards also perfectly
illustrates the initial recordings of each song. The keyboards create a
wonderful atmosphere through each song, while also allowing the bass and
guitar to maximise the bottom end of the live sound. I admit openly
that I was surprised by how full and awesome the band sounds in a live
environment. I honestly thought that with only one guitar in the mix
that it could be missing something. Completely incorrect. The guitar,
bass and keys combine brilliantly and perfectly and boom out of the
speakers. Fantastic to listen to. I mentioned in my review of Masterplan's most recent studio album, Novum Initium,
how impressive new vocalist Rick Altzi was, and that his voice was
similar (if not quite as brilliant) as former lead singer Jorn Lande's
voice. Well, it shines here on this live recording. There are few times
when he has to change his key to avoid replicating the initial songs,
and those few times are completely understandable, and are brushed over
without a fuss. And the rest is just brilliant. It is a similar fit that
Queensrÿche has discovered in hiring Todd le Torre as their vocalist, a
man whose voice has very similar tendencies to former singer Geoff
Tate, but Todd hits all of those notes live and means he can sing their
whole back catalogue without missing a beat. The same works here for
Rick, who is so faithful to every song on those first four albums that
you can barely notice any difference. It's a great talent, and his
performance here cements him as a lead vocalist of massive talent. The
set list is superb, covering every era of the band, and giving the fans
exactly what they want. It starts off with the big hitters from the
debut album, "Enlighten Me" and "Spirit Never Dies", performed with
passion and desire. "Lost and Gone" sounds great, with Altzi crooning
away over the keyboard-dominant song. "Crystal Night" is as hauntingly
beautiful as ever, while "Betrayal" from the most recent album sounds
even better live than it does on Novum Initium. "Crimson
Rider" kicks the set back into high gear, blazing along with the power
and energy it always has, and is followed by the slow burner "Back For
My Life" and "Time to be King", in which Altzi possibly outdoes the
song's original vocalist Jorn Lande. The mid-tempo song trio is
completed by the live album's "title" track, "Keep Your Dream Alive". The
next quartet of songs showcase everything superb about this band and
their music. "Heroes" lifts the tempo again, with Roland filling in the
vocals performed by Michael Kiske on the studio version. This is
followed by the passionate rendition of the magnificent "Soulburn",
which has immense justice done to it in the live setting. I'd have ever
believed that this could be performed so well live. Back into high speed
again, the band clips into "Kind Hearted Light" before the riff
chugging "Crawling From Hell" brings the set to a close. To complete the
album, the encore of "Black Night of Magic" tops off what must have
been a brilliant gig to watch at the Masters of Rock.
Like I said
at the beginning, a live album gives you nowhere to hide - unless you
start dubbing in post-production as often seems to be the case these
days. What does that prove? Surely the fans what to hear the real band
playing, not one where any errors have been touched up later on to cover
them up. The best don't need that, and the best want their live
personas to be out there to show exactly what they can do. Masterplan
has succeeded magnificently with this release, and surely cement their
place in the higher echelons of the European power metal community. This
is a triumph, and all I can ask for now is for the band to tour
Australia so we can all experience the joy.
Rating:And the world is like a shiny diamond, the way it glitters if you polish it right. 5/5
Spirit on a Mission
is the third album released by Michael Schenker's Temple of Rock, a
stable group of old friends that have come together to record and tour
and generally enjoy each other's company (or so I assume). No doubt the
labelling of the group with Schenker's name attached is to ensure that
people who know and respect him and his previous work (i.e. people like
me) realise he is still out there doing his thing, and will therefore
seek it out. Well once again this method has worked, and another
Schenker-related project finds its way to my stereo.
You cannot
argue with the quality of the band itself. Former Scorpions members,
drummer Herman Rarebell and bass guitarist Francis Buchholz are known
quantities, having been plying their trade for 40 years all over the
world. Guitarist and keyboardist Wayne Findley has been in various
Schenker projects before, while lead singer Doogie White has not only
sung with Schenker, but with Blackmore and Malmsteen, so he knows a good
guitarist when he sees one. Michael Schenker himself needs no
introduction. The group of musicians is second to none. So why is there
little excitement in the music they produce here? Perhaps excitement
is the wrong word. There doesn't seem to be a lot of enthusiasm for the
task at hand, or any inspiration. That may seem unfair, given the
careers most of these gentlemen have had in the music industry, and
certainly given the score of brilliant songs and albums that Schenker
has co-written and played on. At some point you have to have run out of
ideas, and in recent times that waning has appeared to occur. It's
not a complete loss, but doesn't it sound to you like they are just
going through the motions on some tracks? "Live and Let Live" opens the
album harmlessly, "Communion" is very blues rock based, "Vigilante Man"
has good pieces but no range of emotion in either vocals or music. "Rock
City" is very tame, a song that in days or yore would have been a lot
more raucous and out there, and here is played like a nursery rhyme.
"Saviour Machine" sounds like a heavy riff machine, but one with the
silencer on to snuffle out that hard rock edge. "Something of the Night"
kicks in more like what you are looking for, with Schenker riffing hard
and continuing once Doogie comes in. Here's that passion and energy,
finally! Certainly the best song on the album by a long shot. While "All
Our Yesterdays" remains back in the pack, "Bulletproof" has some
promise, but really just becomes nagging, as Doogie's vocals seem to go
in a different direction from what the song demands. "Let the Devil
Scream" and "Good Times" both seem to me to be at the wrong tempo and
intensity, and while I have grown to take them as they are over multiple
listens, i can't help but feel with a tweak here and there they would
have been much better. The album concludes with "Restless Heart" and
"Wicked", which again have the best of intentions without providing that
vital ingredient that would have made them memorable rather than just
this side of average. There have been times in his career when you
assume Schenker has been looking to crack the radio market, because his
trademark guitar riffs and solos were pared back so much that you would
wonder whether he was playing on the album at all. In a away this album
is a bit like that. The riffs through the verse and chorus parts of each
song are generic, not flashy, and certainly not showing any real
Schenker trademarks. Sure, in the standard solo sections that come in
the middle of the songs, and the fade out at the ends, there comes a
little bit of the lead guitar work, but even it doesn't SOUND like
Michael Schenker, it pretty much comes across as an every day,
lead-guitar-by-numbers kind of stuff. It is completely unfair to judge
and compare, but you really want some of the power and originality that
came from those 1970's UFO days and the 1980's MSG days. The rhythm
section does its job but doesn't create much else. Doogie croons over
the top and sounds fine for the most part, but there's nothing
passionate about it, no Phil Mogg or Graham Bonnett energy.
This
is a very safe album, one that doesn't extend itself too much into
experimentation, and to be honest after 50 years in and around the music
business who can blame Schenker for that. The fact that he and his band
mates are still out there writing and recording new music every couple
of years, while a band like Metallica has released two albums of new
material in almost two decades, at least gives them plenty of brownie
points. If only this album made you feel like banging your head or
moving around more, rather than settling back in your comfy arm chair
and being lulled off to sleep, it would be more likely to entice me to
play it more often in the future.
Following 2010's amazing At the Edge of Time,
which completely revitalised my belief in Blind Guardian after some
years of despondency, it has taken five years for the band's next album
to come to fruition. The band's announcement that they were withdrawing
from touring for two years to concentrate on writing and recording an
'orchestral' album was both disappointing and intriguing. It felt like
an inordinate amount of time to have to wait around for new material and
new shows. Of course, as with most things, before you could blink the
album was here, ready to be played and enjoyed.
From the outset
this is an amazingly written, produced, thought-out and recorded album.
The construction and detail in being able to combine and incorporate
three different choirs from around the world, as well as two full
orchestras, into the framework of the songs on this album is staggering.
This, along with the layered vocals and other tricks and gadgets that
Blind Guardian has added into its repertoire in recent years make for a
full blown recording coming out of the speakers at you. Musically and
instrumentally, it is overblown extravagance, sometimes not allowing you
to know where to turn in trying to decipher what is hammering you.
Lyrically, you want t follow what is being sung, as this concept album
takes up the story first started in the wonderful Imaginations From the Other Side album, and the chase to find the Red Mirror and where it leads forms part of the mystique of this recording. Don't
be fooled by the talk of choirs and orchestras, the members of Blind
Guardian still punch through the exterior and are front and centre all
through the album. I still get shivers listening to Hansi Kursch when he
sings in those dominant passages, his vocals layered each and every
way. André Olbrich and Marcus Siepen's guitars crunch their way into
"The Ninth Wave" with authority while Frederik Ehmke on drums doesn't
miss a beat, holding the whole procession together like a good drummer
should. The songs are all lengthy, and come together in their own Acts
in the telling of the story. "Twilight of the Gods" was the single to be
released from the album, and is a more familiar Blind Guardian song
structure, replete with duelling harmony guitars and double kick drum.
"Prophecies" melds into the brilliant "At the Edge of Time" where the
focus comes in the orchestral backdrop. Any doubts on the band's ability
to produce the heavier side of their psyche are put to rest in "Ashes
of Eternity", where Hansi also utilises the full range of his vocals to
its potential. So too with "The Holy Grail", which rips along in classic
style, a modern version of anything that can be found on those early
albums. "The Throne" and "Sacred Mind" carry the album in the same
mindset. There is a change in tack with the slower and shorter "Miracle
Machine", and finally into the concluding narrative of "Grand Parade" to
finish the album. If I have any major qualms about this album it is
with these final two songs. To me the momentum of the album is hindered
here by "Miracle machine", and "Grand Parade" is unable to completely
recover from this.
As with many new albums in this day and age,
this took me awhile to get used to, and a time to get into it. I can
understand why some long time fans of the band are not as enamoured with
this as others. I can also understand how it would be difficult for
anyone not familiar with the band to try and take this in. There is a
lot there, and familiarities and differences alike can combine to throw
the average listener a curve ball. As with so many albums, if you can
take the time to sit down and listen to it uninterrupted, without
distractions, and be able to hear the different levels and planes of the
music, take in the orchestral movements that are woven within, and
allow the multitude of voices to blend themselves into the voice of one,
then I think many doubters will be able to hear what is special about
this album. There has been a lot made of the orchestra and choir pieces
on this album, but to be honest they don't form as much of the album as
you be led to believe. There is still so much of the Blind Guardian you
know and love here that if you are averse to the other introduced
pieces, you will barely even notice them. This is not a standard metal
album or even a progressive piece. It is Blind Guardian's creation of
rock-operatic proportions, something not to necessarily compare to their
previous work, but to take as a stand alone piece, and marvel at the
talent that it took to create it. If you can do that, then you will hear
an amazing album - one you can enjoy for what it is designed to be.
Rating:They'll wait and sleep, until a new dawn'll save us from the dark. 4/5.
There is always something faintly exciting
about firstly hearing about the possibility of a group of musicians that
you admire getting together to form a project as such, and then
awaiting the prospect of an album being produced by said collected
artists. The fact that the Metal Allegiance idea has been floating
around for a few years with the odd performance around the place means
that this is a fly-by-night operation. The fact that it has now reached
this stage, where an album has been released, is not only a good thing
but bodes well for future collaborative efforts. In theory.
As a
solid core of the band, it is pretty hard to go past the quality of the
three main recording members here. Mike Portnoy plays in his fifteenth
different group since his departure from Dream Theater, helming the
drums. Dave Ellefson of Megadeth fame takes on the bass guitar duties,
while the other guitars are left in the capable hands of Alex Skolnick
from Testament. What they have produced sounds fantastic here, with each
individual stamping their mark on the music. Portnoy's drumming is at
times electrifying though without the time changes his previous band was
renown for. Ellefson's bass guitaring rumbles underneath the surface
like a stalking shark. Skolnick's guitar work is precise and clean, and
technically as brilliant as always. Woven throughout this base are the
assorted guest vocalists on each track, and in places some accompanying
extra instrumentalisation from other guests. No doubt they were able to
apply some of their own style to each track, and in general this comes
across in the final product. Does it all work? As always that is in
the ear of the beholder, because many people will consider this to be a
triumph for the spirit of heavy metal, with so many great artists coming
together and producing an album that combines so many talents, while
others will listen and wonder just how this collection of songs is
anything more than just a compilation. If you aren't huge fans of the
artists involved, or certainly of the vocalists at the very least, then
you will likely not get much out of this at all. Of course, those that
have an abiding love affair with said artists may consider they have
reached nirvana. Lamb of God's Randy Blythe growls his way through
the crunching opener "Gift of Pain", bringing his unique power to the
song, which has the added highlight of a lead solo from Exodus' and now
Slayer's Gary Holt. "Let Darkness Fall" is helmed by Mastadon's Troy
Sanders, with the song started off with a bang before the slow and
quietened middle section showcasing Skolnick's acoustic classical
training, and then building to return to the heavy conclusion you would
expect of the song. "Dying Song" is classic Phil Anselmo, formerly of
Pantera and now of Down. The clean guitar opening that morphs into
Anselmo's deep vocals acts as a lull, drawing you in with its unexpected
slow mellow feel. As the song progresses Phil slowly adds more
intensity to his vocals, and the guitars slowly grow more prominent and
powerful, faster and heavier. It's a real creeper. Multiple listens
allows you to become used to its structure and appreciate it even more.
Impressive. "Can't Kill the Devil" may as well be a Testament song,
because I'm sure this is the way Skolnick wanted to write it, and with
his vocalist mate Chuck Billy on board it tops off the cast. Portnoy's
drumming here is spot on and superb, galloping along in perfect
synchronicity of a Testament song. In contrast, "Scars" combines the
vocal talents of Death Angel's Mark Osegueda and Lacuna Coil's Cristina
Scabbia in a duet of sorts. My favourite song on the album is
"Destination: Nowhere", with Trivium's Matt Heafy on vocals and also
providing a lead guitar break as well. It is not in any way a Trivium
song, and I think the change in style is what impresses me most, as the
combatants fly along on their instruments while Heafy contributes vocals
that are not out of character, but would be somewhat out of the comfort
zone of the songs he writes for his band. This is followed by "Wait
Until Tomorrow" which combines the interesting combination of
Hatebreed's Jamey Jasta and Kings X's Doug Pinnick. This didn't grab me
early on, and I felt that it was perhaps the only song here that didn't
work. Over time however this too has grown on me, and I find it now not
as boring or uninteresting as I did initially. "Triangulum" is an
instrumental, in a very Dream Theater-ish three movements entitled "I.
Creation", "II. Evolution" and "III. Destruction". There is plenty of
scope for additional lead guitar pieces, with six guests given their
chance to perform some free reign, including Matt Heafy, Bumblefoot and
even Anthrax's Charlie Benante, one of the instigators and driving
forces of the Metal Allegiance project from the beginning. "Pledge of
Allegiance" sees the return of Mark Osegueda, and more guitar work from
Benante, Holt and Sepultura's Andreas Kisser. The closing track on
the album is the bonus cover of Dio's classic "We Rock", with a plethora
of artists joining in to pay tribute to one of metal's greatest voices.
Lending their own vocals are artists such as Chris Jericho, Mark
Osegueda, Tim "Ripper" Owens, Alissa White-Gluz, Chuck Billy & Steve
“Zetro” Souza. There is also a bonus drawn out solo section to give
extra guitar solo sections for Andreas Kisser, Phil Demmel & Gary
Holt.
Despite the solid base of the band of Skolnick, Eleffson
and Portnoy, the variety in music here is larger than you would think.
It's not just the vocalists, but the style of each song that differs
accordingly, which means that this isn't what you would call a
completely cohesive album. But that doesn't really matter, as with an
album of this nature it isn't about finding a flow within the
songwriting and performing, it is about being indulgent, and enjoying
the performance rather than trying to balance it out through having a
solid flow on in the music. There is little doubt that if you aren't so
much into the artists that perform here you will struggle to enjoy what
has been put forward. But for anyone who has any notion of whom these
artists are, and what they stand for in the world and history of heavy
metal, then you will enjoy this for what it is - a bunch of mates coming
together to jam, and releasing it for all of us to hear.
Rating:You see the traces of the things they want to be, but only we can see. 4/5
I can freely admit I had no idea what I was
getting into when I came across, and then got, this album. The majority
of the people and musicians involved in the album I had never heard of
before, I literally had no idea who they were or what they did. There
was only one name I recognised, and it was on the reputation of Jorn
Lande alone that I went ahead and took a punt on this album.
And so we have Dracula: Swing of Death,
a rock opera concept album which is based around the story told in Bram
Stoker's Dracula. The project is a dual effort between Jorn Lande,
whose vocals talents have taken him through many projects over the past
two decades, and guitarist-songwriter Trond Holter, someone I knew
nothing about. A little research led me to find he was a member of a
band called Wig Wam, whose song "In My Dreams" was Norway's entrant in
the 2005 Eurovision Song Contest, and which Holter had written. None of
that really helped in looking for what direction this album would
progress. Rock opera's can go either way in terms of overall output.
Some can click together perfectly and work from the outset, conceptually
combining the story and the music in an enjoyable and entertaining way.
Others have good intentions but don't quite hold the interest in one
facet or the other. Tobi Sammet's Avantasia project is one that has
continued to work over the years, both through good writing and the
influx of guest musicians. Here we have the band of Holter, Bernt Jansen
on bass and Per Morten Bergseth on drums, with Jorn providing lead
vocals on half of the songs and Lena Fløitmoen Børresen doing her bit on
the other half. To the album itself, and while it does come across
conceptually well, any more than a few listens begins to sort out the
gems from the chaff, and rather than wanting to listen to the whole
album all the way through you begin to pick and choose those songs that
you enjoy and just want to listen to them at length. Jorn's vocals are
as impressive as ever, but when he does songs such as "Hands of Your
God" it just feels as though it is a waste of his talents, whereas a
song such as "Queen of the Dead", where he really delivers an
impassioned performance, is where his best qualities lie. "Queen of the
Dead" is where the band really breaks out as well, especially in the
final half of the song where they all get to showcase their talents in a
fast-paced heavy guitar oriented fashion, not just holding fort while
the story is told around them. Compare this to "Swing of Death", which
has a very 1970's pop movement about it, both musically and vocally.
Sure, it's a part of the story and this is how it has been interpreted,
and this is what you get in a rock opera, a variety of styles. If you
are listening to this just as an album, it does appear slightly off
kilter and out of place. Lena's vocals too swoon with delight, and her
starring roles in "Save Me", "River of Tears" and "Into the Dark" are
excellent performances. The instrumental "True Love Through Blood"
gives the band great scope to show what they can do, and it is perhaps
the best part of the album. The rhythm section sounds terrific, while
Holter unleashes on his guitaring fingers to provide a fast and
speed-laden track that probably stands out because it is vocal-less. The
final track "Under the Gun" returns us to a mid-tempo range with duet
vocals from the two lead singers, with a grand element of whimsy and
emotion as the musical looks for its grand conclusion. While the
performances are again great, just the melancholic and clichéd way the
song is written and performed doesn't do it for me.
It feels
wrong to not give this a higher rating, because there is no doubt that
the musicianship is terrific, and the vocal performances are wonderful.
Unfortunately, for me anyway, I was unable to get through more than half
a dozen listens before most of the songs bored me despite their
excellence. As a middle-aged headbanger from another era, perhaps I am
unable to compromise to accept what this is and enjoy it for that. The
end result just doesn't drag me back in for multiple listens, which is
as good a sign as you can get that it hasn't grabbed me at all.
Rating:I'll paint the world with the blood from the hands of your god. 2.5/5
The one main thing that Battle Beast has in
its favour is that they don't follow the usual power metal or Euro
speed metal path like many of their contemporaries do. they have their
own unique style, one where they mix different elements of both of these
genres along with a pop influence, and cobble together a sound that
both enthralls and frustrates you in the same instant. I like the fact
that the keyboards are here within the mix, but they do not dominate
like some other better known power metal bands. They enhance what is
there but don't overawe the drums and guitars and vocals, and I think
this works for the best. After the promise of the first two albums there
was some living up to do here.
Everything is in order early on,
with "Lionheart" bursting through the seams of the disc to open
proceedings with a bang. From here it flows into the title track "Unholy
Savior" which also lives up to that promise, utilising speed and heavy
emoting in the lyrics to get the best out of the material. When this
band is on song, they are simply terrific. "I Want the World... and
Everything Else" is a barnstorming stompfest, mixing together the high
ranging vocals with hard hitting drums and great guitar riffs. "Madness"
motors along thanks to the double kick driving the song at a decent
clip and a catchy chorus that has you singing along with gusto. The
downside is the slower, ballad-like, dreary songs that really fail to
bring anything to the table. Seriously, if you are going to harp on the
speed pop metal aspect of the music you are writing, then you should
stay in that form rather than then trying to go for the soft rock ballad
style. "Sea of Dreams" enter the album at about the halfway mark and
completely kills all of the momentum that had built up preceding it. The
fact that I abhor these kind of songs probably doesn't help it from the
start, but the crime of halting what had been a pretty good album to
this point is a mandatory sentence. It makes even less sense when it is
followed by the speed/power metal song "Speed and Danger" which again
blazes along with double kick and extreme pitched vocals combined with
the cartoonish keyboards and then outstanding guitar solo break. Why on
earth throw a slow ballad in to break up these songs? Then there is
the very 1980's ABBA-sounding pop revolution "Touch in the Night".
Honestly, it sounds like a love theme from a really bad 1980's teen
movie, something like Zapped! or Revenge of the Nerds. The ridiculous
part about it is that it is rather catchy when you listen to it, but
that doesn't change the fact that it is not in the character of the rest
of the better songs on the album. Ditto that with "Hero's Quest", the
instrumental that has those same kind of characteristics, which very
much brings back flashbacks of the 80's for me. And while "Far Far Away"
is a song that holds its own with the best from the first half of the
album, the closer "Angel Cry" harks back to similar territory as "Sea of
Dreams" and completely crushes the enthusiasm one holds because of it.
Again, I cannot understand the thought processes of finishing the album
with this type of song, after the style that had come in the first half
of the album. Desperately disappointing.
The majority of this
album is tremendously entertaining, regardless of the style of music you
prefer to listen to. What probably holds it back from being a better
album is the amount of experimentation that goes on with the songs on
the album. While a third of the album is excellent fast power metal
based music, and a third probably sits comfortably in that likeable pop
metal genre that makes you smile rather than headbang, the final third
drags its sorry arse in the realm of gagging ballads that doesn't mix
well with the other ingredients. In the long run there is enough here
for me that I enjoy the album whenever it has come up in my rotation,
but those few songs that don't agree with me drag its enjoyment levels
down from where they could have been.
Rating:No way I'm gonna let my dream slip through my hands. 3/5.
For
a band that has been around for over 30 years - even given the down
time that it had with John Bush plying his trade in Anthrax during the
1990's and into the early 2000's - it is quite an achievement to be able
to come up with material in the current time that can compare
favourably with that which the band released into its early years, and
with which most fans will identify the band. It's not unheard of, but it
is rare and no doubt difficult. But here is a case in point. Armored
Saint may not have released a lot of new material in recent years, but Win Hands Down makes up for that brilliantly, and contains some of the best work of their career.
The
one thing that the band has done here better than most of their
contemporaries is not forget where they came from. The music isn't the
same as what they produced in the past, but it has all of its roots
there. This is a modern upgrading of the heavy material the band has
always performed, with great production and performances as well as
great songs overall. The most impressive thing about the album is the
way it all fits together, not motoring along like a thrash metal album
but not pausing breath either. The title track "Win Hands Down" starts
the album off perfectly, before great songs such as "Mess", "An Exercise
in Debauchery" and the brilliant "Muscle Memory" crash you through the
first half of the album. "That Was Then, Way Back When" is highlighted
by Gonzo's 16/4 tom-driven drumming, sounding like a freight train,
while "With a Full Head of Steam" moves even faster. This is then
followed by the headbanging beauty of "In An Instant". "Dive" is the
slower and mellower song on the album, with a melancholic feel to the
song and driven by that style of guitar riff. While it generally isn't
my style of song, and on its own I would be rather ambivalent about it,
but it does seem to fit the structure of the album such that I don't
feel it has an overly negative effect on how I feel about it within the
album. The closer "Up Yours" comes back in your face to finish the album
on a positive note. It's a triumph. This is comfortably a heavy
metal album that doesn't go beyond the music the band has always
released. It doesn't pretend to be what it isn't. The energy levels of
all performers is top notch, each SOUNDS like they are having a ball and
as a result they are putting their best musical foot forward. The
drumming of Gonzo Sandoval is awe-inspiring. The sound he has got on
this album is perfect, and along with Joey Vera's bass provide the solid
foundation that keeps the bottom end sounding brutal. His drumming is
terrific, technically using each part of his drum kit without it ever
sounding like he is trying to dominate or overshadow the band. Along
with his bass guitar Joey Vera also rallies to the production table
everything he has learned through the years, and brings everything
together with a great vibe and magnificent sounding album,
instrumentally and vocally brilliant. Phil Sandoval and Jeff Duncan
trade licks and riffs throughout like the well-oiled machine they are.
This is all brought together by John Bush, who continues to impress on
vocals, sticking to his range and his abilities, and belting out each
song with gusto, but still able to sing a song such as "Dive" without
compromising his talents.
As much as I love Armored Saint's early
albums, this came as more than a pleasant surprise when I first got it.
The fact that it still sounds like the classic Armored Saint but with
that modern production makes it an instant classic. As a result it
should appeal to both old and new fans alike, and for me is one of the
best albums of 2015.
Rating:Seeking adventure every which way, knowing full well there may be hell to pay. 4/5
Though I missed this when it was released
back in 1984, mainly due to the fact that there was zero noise about it
in Australia, and at the time I was yet to discover any form of metal
music, I still felt the same excitement for this album and the band when
I was first introduced to them a couple of years later. The first time I
heard Stephen Pearcy's vocals I'm pretty sure I was hooked. And given
the great energy and musicianship on Out of the Cellar, there is little doubt that whenever I had first heard this album I would have fallen in love with it.
What
I think I love most about this album is that it surprises you with how
it lulls you in, every time. The opening track, "Wanted Man", is like
gentle waves rolling onto the beach. It doesn't come at you hard and
fast, loud or blazing. It is really subtle, starting with the riff and
drums, but then just quietly beckoning you in with the clear guitar and
Pearcy's opening vocals, then slowly building up over the opening three
minutes. Even Warren de Martini and Robbin Crosby's opening solo break
almost feels as though it is gently in the background, so as not to
frighten anyone off. The final minute is the payoff, the song coming to a
crashing conclusion with everyone turned up to ten. Juan Croucier's
bass and Bobby Blotzer's drums take the reigns to start the next song,
before everything comes together for "You're in Trouble" to showcase the
band building to its zenith. That comes quickly with "Round and Round",
the opening single from the album and arguably still the song that Ratt
is most renown for. And it has everything, a great drum track from
Blotzer, rumbling bass work from Croucier, exhilarating dual guitar
harmonies from de Martini and Crosby and great vocals from Pearcy. It's
still a treasure. "In Your Direction" might be just your average rock
song, but when you hear the brilliant lead break by both guitarists in
the middle anything that may be average is completely forgiven. Quite
superb. The faster and harder "She Wants Money" is another great example
of a standard Ratt song, that is only let down slightly by the
simplified chorus of repeated versions of the title of the song. "Lack
of Communication" is also highlighted by the marked guitar riff that
runs through the song while Pearcy bullies his way through the vocals
over the top. Tough sounding hair metal? Possibly an oxymoron. "Back
For More" could be paired up with "Round and Round" as a sister-song. It
is a re-recorded version of the same song that appeared on Ratt,
given more attitude than the original, and still sounds great all these
years later. Brilliant guitar solo breaks again dominate "The Morning
After" and create the focal point of that track. The final two songs
"I'm Insane" and "Scene of the Crime" were written by Robbin Crosby
before he joined Ratt, and both have a faster, more guitar oriented
sound to them, while also felling more carefree in style and substance.
The
fact that this holds up so well over thirty years after its release is a
testament to its freshness, as well as the musical ability of all those
in the band. To me the follow up to this album, Invasion of Your Privacy, has always been my favourite Ratt release, but there is little doubt that this stands alongside it as one of my favourotes.
Rating:The love will find a way, just give it time. 4/5
One can only wonder just how many bands may
have gone on to bigger and better things from the late 1970's and early
1980's if they had just managed to keep a stable line up together long
enough to crack it in the music business. Once you've 'made it' you can
pretty much change your line up as much as you like and still be able to
do well (see Megadeth and W.A.S.P. as examples here). However, there
are so many examples of bands from the NWOBHM era of music in the UK
that couldn't get their act together until their time had seemingly
passed.
Screamin' n' Bleedin' is Angel Witch's second album, the follow up to their wonderful eponymous debut Angel Witch
from five years previous. Despite the album being well received, the
band was unable to keep itself together, and the members all went their
separate ways. Eventually, band leader Kevin Heybourne decided on
revitalising his first success. He recruited Dave Tattum to sing lead
vocals, allowing himself to concentrate on guitar and backing vocals.
Peter Gordelier was recruited to play bass, while Dave Hogg returned on
drums from the first album. When I discovered that Heybourne would not
be singing on the album I was disappointed, I must admit. I had enjoyed
his vocals on the first album, and felt he gave that album a drive as a
result. Tattum is not a bad vocalist, and gives a good performance on
the material here, but for me it was less Angel Witch because of this. The
album itself isn't outstanding, but it is a collection of good heavy
songs it an era where the NWOBHM era had faded, and those bands were
being replaced by bands who had been inspired by that first Angel Witch
album. Oh the irony! Angel Witch now competing against bands who
themselves wanted to be Angel Witch. This album is structured around a
solid pairing of drums and bass guitar, providing the base for the album
to thrive on. It may not be spectacular or scintillating stuff from the
rhythm section, but it does the job required of the songs. This then
allows Heybourne's guitar to weave its way through each song, dictating
which way it would like them to progress. Again, there may not be a lot
of electrifying solo pieces or imaginative riffs that have you sitting
up in awe, but they are enough to provide plenty of enjoyment
throughout. Tattum's vocals then tell the story of each song, and for
the most part are effective in their way. Most of the tracks have the
basis of great songs, though without ever really living up to that
potential. "Who's to Blame" starts the album off well, and "Evil Games'
has some great touches to it, if only failing to push a menacing
undertone that would have suited it perfectly. The band is looking for
atmosphere in "Afraid of the Dark", in which it is almost effective in
pulling off perfectly. "Reawakening" starts off with the kind of guitar
and back beat that flicks a switch inside, and is backed up by solid
guitar riff and harder vocals from Tattum and Heybourne.
So where
is the problem? the answer is simple. It just lacks something, some
inspiration that is missing from this album but was there on the debut
album. The period of five years has allowed that spark to go missing, a
vital ingredient that could well have turned this album and its contents
into something more special. It's worth recalling that this is not a
bad album, just an album that doesn't live up to its predecessor. That's
not an easy task when your debut is regarded so highly, and there was
so much time between the albums. Anyone who enjoyed Angel Witch
will find enough here to enjoy, its just that you may well end up being
like me, and wonder what may have been produced if time had not been an
element.
Rating:The silence deafens him as moments pass like hours. 3/5
