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
My original copy of this album was one that
was taped on a dodgy overused cassette for me by one of my best mates.
In those days, quality was less of an issue than obtaining a quantity of
material, and that was certainly the case with this album. It got
played to death both at home and in the car, and eventually it died as
all cassette tapes did, being chewed up in one of those players. Though I
was never able to find a copy of this album again in the intervening
years, either on vinyl or CD or even cassette, I always remembered the
album fondly, despite the crappy quality of the copy I had owned.
Fast
forward to 2010, and while trawling the CD racks of my favourite music
store, I came across this album. And not only had I finally found it, it
was the fully remastered edition, and what's more had added six songs
back into the set that I had never experienced before! This was
exciting, and it made my purchases that day. Now all that had to happen
was to ensure that my great memories of the album were not just
nostalgia. Through my inability to find this album, I had some years ago
invested in the One Night at Budokan
album as an alternative, which while it is a reasonable album contains
only songs from the first two albums, whereas this one covers all four
albums in the initial foray of the Michael Schenker Group. As it urns
out, I'll never really remember what the quality of that original
release was like.
The original album was a really good collection of
the live material this band did. It contained all of the highlights of
the group's releases at that time, starting off with the brilliant
instrumental "Captain Nemo" before leading into the awesome tracklist of
"Rock My Nights Away", "Are You Ready to Rock", "Attack of the Mad
Axeman" and the second brilliant instrumental "Into the Arena". The
second side of the album started off with "Rock Will Never Die", the
legendary "Desert Song", and "I'm Gonna Make You Mine", before finishing
off with "Doctor Doctor" from Schenker's UFO days, which features his
brother Rudolf and Klaus Meine from Scorpions to help bring it home in
style. Just a brilliant set list and awesomely played. To be honest, it
is difficult to top that off. If you are going to have an album that
must fit within that 45 minute period, then this works perfectly. The
expanded edition is great, adding songs such as "Cry For the Nations",
"Rock You to the Ground", "Courvoisier Concerto", "Red Sky", "Looking
for Love" and "Armed and Ready", but it doesn't improve on the original
in any way. It's great to have those songs on there, don't get me wrong,
but it doesn't make the album better because the original track list
was so good in the first place.
What is evident is that it is better produced and probably even better played than what came on One Night at Budokan.
Ted McKenna on drums and Chris Glenn on bass are a solid rhythm
section, while the keyboards of Andy Nye, and the second guitar and
great backing vocals of Derek St. Holmes give this album a much fuller
sound and thus a more impressive sound. Gary Barden's vocals are well
versed to suit the arrangement of the songs, while the star and head man
Michael Schenker is just wonderful, showcasing his talent both within
the framework of the song and through his own solo breaks.
This
is an brilliant moment in time, capturing the very best that MSG did in
this short four year period before the band and their leader moved on to
other projects. The quality of the songs here is second to none, and is
a must for anyone who likes guitar-based hard rock and heavy metal with
all the trimmings.
Rating: Sneaking 'round the back streets, don't stay out too late. 5/5
I'm pretty sure that a two line review -
"It's Motörhead" - would pretty much be enough to let you know whether
or not you are going to like this album. Absolutely, there are different
levels of enjoyment and excellence in every Motörhead album, I'm not
trying to deny that. But you get the gist. This is the newest Motörhead
album, and those of you out there that like the band for who they are
know exactly what you are getting. Actually, those that don't like the
band know what they are getting too.
Lemmy has had some health scares since the release of Aftershock,
so whether that has had any impact on the recording of this album is
perhaps up in the air. I can't say I know. Does his voice sound more
raspy that it usually does? How on earth would you ever be able to
measure something like that?! Is it just my imagination that suggests
that his vocals are less powerful than the last album, that they seem to
be placed in the songs rather than sung. Probably.
The songs here
are still the short, sharp jabs coming at you in a constant flurry,
almost all lasting from just over two minutes in length to four minutes.
There's no progressive rock overlong monsters here, they come at you
hard and fast and leave you just as quickly, rocketing onto the next
track. As always, the best songs on the album are the ones that career
along without that handbrake on, without any pre-conceived ideas on
where the song is or where it is going to finish. My favourites in this
regard include "Victory or Die", "Teach Them How to Bleed", "Tell Me Who
to Kill" and "When the Sky Comes Looking For You".
The mid-tempo
songs work okay as well, with most of them enjoyable with their chugging
guitars and sing-along lyrics, but I've always found that in Motörhead
these almost seem as though they are the songs where the band needs a
break, and just want to go at a different speed to catch their breath.
"The Devil" even features Brian May in the guitar solo spot which is
quite a treat. "Electricity" may be simply structured but still has an
undeniable attraction to it. "Evil Eye" is much in the same category.
Now
as much as bands should be allowed to dictate their own choices (and
they do), "Till the End" is what I would consider a mistake. Sure, it is
the only songs that deviates from the template here on this album, and
I'm sure it is enjoyed by most because of this, but to me it just
doesn't fit, and curtails my enjoyment of the album. I recognise that I
could easily be in the small minority in this regard. Then to finish off
the album we have a cover of the Rolling Stones' classic "Sympathy for
the Devil", which is an unusual and comforting way to conclude
proceedings.
All in all yet another solid release from a band
that has rarely compromised and has stuck to what it knows and does best
now for 40 years. That in itself is a marvellous achievement, along
with the fact that they are all still alive and functioning.
Rating: Standing on stage the thrill never fades, the ultimate rage. 3.5/5
I guess I was always going to stumble
across Rhapsody sooner or later given my collection of albums from bands
from the power metal genre, and my endless search for another band to
equal the brilliance of Gamma Ray and Helloween. Obviously that is
highly unlikely ever to occur. The final piece of the puzzle into
searching out albums from Rhapsody was Alex Holzwarth's participation as
drummer on the first two Metal Opera albums by Avantasia. It pushed me
to listen to their music (even though he does not appear on this album
or the one following), and I chose to go right back to the beginning,
here with Legendary Tales.
The
start of the album is superb, combining the best of bands that came
before them and also those that obviously used them as inspiration in
the future, such as Stratovarius and Sonata Arctica. The instrumental
opening of "Ira Tenax" ("Tenacious Rage") crashes into the keyboards and
drum filled epic of "Warrior Of Ice", which rushes along at the speed
you expect from European power metal from this era. This is followed by
"Rage of the Winter", probably my favourite song on the album, which
comes closest to incorporating and re-imagining all of the best parts of
this style of music without any compromises.
Those compromises come
in "Forest of Unicorns", which I'm afraid is probably just a little bit
too much to take. I'm happy to listen to songs in a similar vein, such
as Blind Guardian's "The Bard Song" for instance, and while this
obviously fits into the band and album's scenario of the storyline, when
listening to the album it is so far removed from the style of music
that the majority of this album has that it just makes it almost
ridiculous. Actually, strike that. Not almost, but actually ridiculous.
Oh well, when you take the plunge into this style of music you are
always going to come across material that has you questioning what
direction you are moving in. "Virgin Skies" on the other hand is
receivable given it is just an instrumental interlude between songs
rather than an actual track.
"Flames of Revenge" gets the album
moving once again, eradicating the doldrums to return to the faster
paced music of the opening tracks. This is held up for the most part by
the remaining songs on the album, "Land of Immortals", "Echoes of
Tragedy", "Lord of the Thunder" and "Legendary Tales".
While the
start of the album really dragged me in on first listen, and for the
most part still does when I first put the album on, it does probably
tend to get a bit similar and repetitive as you work your way through
the album. While that doesn't degrade the album as such, it does stifle
the ability to completely immerse yourself in it on a regular basis.
Rating: Tears of winter falling on me freezing my dark side. 3/5
When all is said and done, despite
arguments to the contrary, while this may be Diamond Head's first album
with a major record label, it will always be regarded as their second
album, after the "this is a demo" "no it is not" release of Lightning to the Nations. As such, taking that album as the debut, and comparing it to this album, dutifully the follow up, makes it a tough task for Borrowed Time in regards to any review or rating.
I
cannot claim to know what the band or the label decided upon when it
came to releasing this album. Two songs have been 're-recorded' from the
'first' album and placed here. Around those two songs come five other
new tracks, all of which are lengthy and of a different style than the
first album took. In fact, there is quite a difference between the heavy
and fast pace of the debut album, to the toning back of the riffs and
more progressive nature of the songs on this album. it is a quite
dramatic change if you listen to the two albums back to back, and one
which is somewhat startling.
The album starts off with "In the Heat
of the Night", a song that takes a little time to get going, but
progresses through the basic drum beat and bass line to a reasonable
lyrical performance from Sean Harris and decent middle solo section from
Brian Tatler which stretches out to the end of the song. To be honest
it took me a while to warm to this song, as it was totally unexpected as
to its style, but once I moved past this and had a number of listens I
was able to enjoy it for what it was. This moves into "To Heaven From
Hell", which is held in check by the stagnant drum beat that tubs its
way through the first half of the song, without any change in the guitar
riff and the vocal range. When we get past the halfway mark the drums
break out to a different pounding, and the guitar solo break picks the
song up from the everyday hammering that had come before. The first half
of the song is most definitely missing the breeze of metal guitar and
freedom that the second half of the song shows off. It could have been a
much better song if it had changed that way. "Call Me" comes across as
wanting to be a commercial rock song, but without wanting to alienate
their core fans, which in the end probably means it does neither. The
crooning vocals and back up support don't go far enough if they really
wanted that commercial success, while the base of the song also doesn't
show anything like what would be needed. Yet by attempting this, they
seem to leave their original fans out in the cold, wondering how exactly
this song fits into their catalogue. "Lightning to the Nations"
completes side one of the album, and only confuses the issue as to the
sound this album is going for with an example of the sound from the
previous album.
Side two presents two seven-minute-plus plodding
tracks to start off with. something that again reveals the developing
style of the band. Both songs are progressive in nature, stretching out
beyond a typical length song, and incorporating the typical drawn out
middle sections where the vocalist will croon over the top of a sullied
rhythm section and a slow and stifled blues guitar riff. Certainly when
done well these kind of songs are good to listen to, but did Diamond
Head need to go in this direction? To me it seemed to go against
everything they had done in their initial song writing and recording. I
feel as though "Borrowed Time" is what the band is on listening through
it once again, while "Don't You Ever Leave Me" is somewhat the worse for
wear, slower and even more painful to sift through. The terrible lack
of energy or intensity or anything to do with this song is even further
exposed by the final track, the amazing "Am I Evil". Sure, it may be
unfair to compare a track that has its own place in heavy metal history,
but it shows up the stark difference between the inspiration of the
track that were first written and performed by the band on the
'previous' album to what they came up with for this album, and
especially the two songs which proceed it.
Brian Tatler's guitar
breaks are the highlight of the album. Even when the songs themselves
aren't able to draw much enthusiasm, his guitaring still elicits a smile
and some passion in their slots. Sean Harris' vocals are again
serviceable, but unfortunately have little to work with from the way
these songs are put together. Colin Kimberley on bass and Duncan Scott
on drums are similarly solid if uninspiring.
While this album
still often receives praise for its place in history, it really suffers
greatly from the raw energy and uncompromising attitude of the
collection of songs from the first album, something this album has none
of (apart from the two songs here that came from that era).
Rating: Through delirium of a tortured mind, her face gave me strength to this day. 2/5
There is an inherent danger in getting
over-excited about a band that you loved before they broke up, only to
re-emerge some years later and announce that they are producing a new
album. It's hard enough when you have a band you love still putting out
albums every couple of years that never match your expectations of the
two or three albums they produced 25 years ago that were 'legendary', so
how do you prepare yourself for what is to come in the previously
mentioned instance? With great trepidation is how.
Faith No More's final album before their break up 15 years ago, the brilliantly titled Album of the Year,
was average. It had maybe three songs on it that I enjoyed, and the
rest was just filler. It lacked all of the energy and passion of
previous releases, and in many ways came across as an old man's release.
their break up, while sad, to me came at the right time to avoid
continuing in the same direction. Their reformation and touring again
was to me a money spinner. When a new album was announced, I was
cautious, hopeful and pessimistic of the result. Because I knew it
wasn't going to be The Real Thing, or Angel Dust, or King for a Day... Fool for a Lifetime.
Thus,
having gone in with little expectation, I was not disappointed with the
result once I heard it. It goes without saying that I was also not
inspired and captivated either. The mellow opening of "Sol Invictus"
sets the tone for what I believed was going to be another easy listening
type of album, granted with that Faith No More styling. "Superhero"
mashes up everything the band can throw at you, with Mike Patton's
vocals transforming between his screaming best to chanting the same
vocal line over and over again in his normal register, all the while
having the keys and drums crashing on in no particular phrasing towards
the back half of the song. I am just old now, or is this just a meshing
together of noise in a vague semblance of a song? "Sunny Side Up" comes
back in a more typical arrangement, much like songs from the end of
their first marriage. "Separation Anxiety" Is the first song on the
album that I can relate to with the band, with solid drum work from Mike
Bordin, Mike Patton's vocals going from quiet to scream, and the
guitars and keyboards crashing in appropriately and now sounding like
the Faith No More of old. By far the best song on the album.
"Cone of
Shame" again does the start-slow-and-quiet-to-rise-to-loud song
structure, but without the hook and real drive of the previous song.
"Rise of the Fall" stays far too much on the mellow side of the centre
point to grab your attention. "Black Friday" delves into both halves of
the band's psyche, the light and the black. The single "Motherfucker"
tries to shock more in lyrical content than in musical direction.
"Matador" in the same way feels almost too structured, with the same
rhythm moving throughout the song, leaving Patton to sing in a form that
creates few surprises. "From the Dead" is one of those latter day Faith
No More songs, complete with backing melody vocals, that is a feel-good
song, harmless and showcasing the saner side of Patton's vocals and the
band as a whole. In other words - wow, where did this come from?! Yes,
it's from the Commodores "Easy" side of the band's facade, and while
many fans will enjoy it, it behoves me to say that I'm not one of them.
Anyone who has followed Patton's career, especially recently with
Tomahawk, know that he hasn't become any saner when it comes to song
writing, but would be still surprised by a song like this.
Trying
to describe how I feel about an album like this is difficult, because
while a song such as "Separation Anxiety" combines everything I love
about this band, the remaining songs seem to err too much on one side of
this wall or the other. They are unable to find that balance that
allows their crazy side to meet their sensible side in a way that,
certainly in the past, made this band what they were. The effort here is
admirable, but for me at least they don't come quite close enough to
pulling it off.
Rating: It's like when your mind has a mind of it's own. 3/5.
It is perhaps a little unusual that it took
this long for Def Leppard to release a live album. Most of us purchased
the live VHS video of In the Round, in Your Face
on its release back in 1989 which is still one of the standard
bearers of live videos, with a cracking set list and the band at the top
of its game, and featuring the sadly passed Steve Clark. It was not for
another two decades that we had a repeat to be placed on CD for us all.
Mirror Ball: Live & More
covers the majority of eras of the band, harping on the golden albums
for the majority of the tracks, and for the most part delivering in all
respects. From the top you can be assured that the band still sounds
fantastic. Rick Savage's bass could probably be more prominent in the
mix, but you get that sometimes. Both guitars of Phil Collen and Viv
Campbell are brilliant, as are all of the back up vocalists, they really
do a sterling job in the live environment in keeping the song balanced.
Joe Elliott's vocals are remarkably good, and hold up exceptionally
well especially on the older material. Where he really screamed it out
in his youth, he now sings with composure. Best of all for me is the
drumming of Rick Allen. I love how he has moved back to a semi-acoustic
kit to get that real drum sound rather than a completely electric kit,
and you can still marvel at the way he plays some of those rolls
alternating between his arm and his feet. His kit sounds brilliant on
this album.
You will always get an argument with me about the best
set list, because it will always contain material from the years after
1992, from which point I find it hard to give an unbiased opinion of
their music. And even some of the songs before that are too flowery or
sugary for me to enjoy fully, such as "Love Bites", "Hysteria" and "Pour
Some Sugar On Me" (which doesn't stop me singing all the words). So
songs such as "C'mon C'mon", "Make Love Like a Man", "Two Steps Behind"
and "Nine Lives" are ones that just slow the whole listening process
down. I understand that there are plenty of people out there who love
this songs, but I can't be numbered amongst them.
But check out the
great stuff, starting off on the front foot with "Rock! Rock! (Till You
Drop)", "Rocket" and "Animal", before later serving up "Too Late for
Love", "Foolin'", "Rock of Ages" and "Let's Get Rocked". there is also
the wonderful acoustically started and electrically finished "Bringin'
On the Heartbreak", before my favourite part of the album when they
continue on, as is done on High 'n' Dry, straight into "Switch 625". Awesome. Brilliant. I must also mention the great version of "Bad Actress" from the Songs From the Sparkle Lounge album, which is my favourite track from that album and comes up great here.
There are also the two cover songs that came from the Yeah!
album, those being David Essex's "Rock On' and Sweet's "Action",
neither of which fill me with any ecstasy. Also as a part of the 2 CD
package there are three new songs, those being "Undefeated", "Kings of
the World" and "It's All About Believin'", which are no better or worse
than anything recently released by the band. Except "Kings of the
World". It is pretty awful.
So there are no real arguments here.
As a live album performance wise it is terrific. It showcases the band
in its most favourable light and gives the fans something to listen to
in that environment. As a collection of songs it has its moments and its
lacklustre ones as well.
Rating: And I want, and I need, and I lust. 4/5
It had been ten years since the last incarnation of the band Battlezone, and eleven since the last album Children of Madness
had been released. In that time Paul Di'anno had formed and disbanded
yet another band (Killers), toured as lead singer with Praying Mantis,
collaborated with fellow former bandmate Dennis Stratton (The First Iron
Men), and generally moved around from project to project showing
glimpses of excellence and potential, and then relative obscurity again.
I'm
not sure of the reason to resurrect the Battlezone moniker, apart from
the fact one other member, guitarist John Wiggins, survives in this
adaption of the band. Certainly the majority of the music here has
absolutely no similarity to the music that was released on the first two
albums by this band. It's a decade later, and music has had some
dramatic changes in that time. And somewhat disappointingly, it appears
that all of those factors are attempted to be fused together on this
album in the hope of achieving success.
"Feel My Pain" immediately
shows off the differences between the previous formation of this band
and the current one. The riffs are in a heavier direction, there is now a
lot of double kick in the drums, and Di'anno has moved his vocals
around so that they are not as they once were. Though this is a heavy
start to the album, there is a 'modern' metal feel to it, requiring the
vocals to lower in register for the majority of the song n a nod to the
industrial metal sound that was beginning to become prevalent. "C.O.M
'98" is a remake of "Children of Madness" from the album of the same
name, but it really doesn't improve much. Though it is attempting to be
intensely heavier through both guitars and vocals, it actually doesn't
improve on the original. Di'anno tries to sing it in his new modern
vocal range, but if you are going to redo one of your own songs, surely
you would really try and make it separate from the original, rather than
just what they have done here by re-recording it with a slightly edgier
feel. Perhaps a wasted opportunity. "Victim" is the one song that
really hails back to the roots of the first two albums. It's fast pace
and guitars are ably suited to Di'anno's high register singing here.
This is where Di'anno - and his band - do their best work. The double
kick drumming and enjoyable riff and solo guitaring allow Di'anno to do
what he does best. this is direction the band should have continued on
for this album.
"The Forgotten Ones" is another attempt at the 'epic' song, much like "Metal Tears" was on Children of Madness.
To be honest, it works about as well. It's not terrible, but it doesn't
evoke the feelings in me that they were probably looking for when they
wrote it. "Push" is a standard heavier song, again using the same
template as most of the songs released by this band have been. The riff
works fine, the vocals are fine, trying to use a heavier edge by going
into a lower register, and the dual solos work fine, but it just isn't
hooking me, grabbing me and not letting go. It's an average kind of fare
that you don't hate but just don't love either.
"Snake Eyes" is a
slower plodder which slides between this and faster thrills, where
Di'anno moves from growls to screams with ease, using every extreme of
his vocal register all within moments of each other. it's almost like
taking two different songs, slicing it up and then throwing it back
together again. It works okay, but only by the end.
"Smack" is just
an blatant rip off of Alice in Chains. I mean, I can't even find it
amusing, because it is so obvious. Di'anno even tries to sing like Layne
and Jerry, and it really, REALLY doesn't work. This to me was the
biggest shock on the album. I guess you can do what you like when it
comes to song writing, but if you are going to do something so
dramatically away from what is your normal state of affairs you'd want
to make it spectacular. This is not. "The Black" plays a lot like "Snake
Eyes", while "Fear Part 1" closes out the album - and Battlezone - with
another standard riff-repeating, Di'anno growling, hard rock rendition
which has vague similarities to the same era Tim Owens-led Judas Priest.
On
the surface, you can see why this album and toured went so well in
South America, and why it bombed back home in the UK. This album's sound
is geared to the kind of metal that had been coming from that continent
for some years, while it was diversified away from what the UK produced
in their music. Again, you can make the case that this isn't a bad
album, but it is anchored to the time it was recorded in a clichéd way.
It's hard to say what could have made it more appealing, but there is
definitely something required here to have made it more appeasing to all
than it is.
Rating: You tear me up then kick me down, destroy me with your lies. 2.5/5
If you happened to grab a copy of Battlezone's first album Fighting Back,
you most probably are/were a fan of Iron Maiden, and wanted to hear
what their former lead singer Paul Di'anno was up to on his departure
from that band. If you were like me, you would have been sufficiently
impressed to search and discover this album, the band's follow up to
that release, entitled Children of Madness.
Though
this was released only a year after the first album, there have been
subtle changes to the songs and arrangement here, turning it more
towards a commercial sounding album than the first one.
It starts
off well with "Rip It Up", the song speeds along at a decent clip and
even has Di'anno screaming over the top of his own vocals in support. "I
Don't Wanna Know" is a typical Di'anno styled hard rock song with a
simplified riff and drum signature and Paul sticking to his mid range
vocals along the way, and a catchy lyric and chorus line. "Nuclear
Breakdown" follows a similar pattern, a mid-tempo song with mid range
vocals, over a standard riff and standard 2/4 drum beat. It's harmless
in an AC/DC way, but there is a lack of inspiration in the music. "Torch
of Hate" tries to up the tempo a little and inject some energy into the
album, but it is lacking in the sound, where the instruments feel like
they have been withdrawn to the rear of the mix, This sounds like a song
written and recorded at the very start of the 80's decade, not one
nearer to the end of it. "Whispered Rage" seems to combine elements of
that early 80's hard rock again, with backing vocals from the band that
reminds me of a cross between Gary Moore and Angel Witch.
The stand
out song of the album is the title track, "Children of Madness". Perhaps
this could be seen to be a contradiction given everything I have said
above, because "Children of Madness" is a plodder of a song, it rarely
changes out of the same riff pattern and its tempo is not anything above
mid range. But for some reason it works. Di'anno's vocal works, and the
solo fits perfectly in the middle. So though in many ways it is derived
from the earlier songs on the album, it really is the one that reaches
out and grabs you. Go figure.
"Metal Tears" wants to be the rock
opera, an epic that drags you in to its story and doesn't let you go
until it is concluded. This is what it wants to be. Whether it succeeds
would be up to the individual. It isn't a bad song, but I wonder if it
suits the band. It certainly sticks out from the crowd of everyday heavy
or hard songs on the album. "It's Love" goes full circle, and becomes
the hard rock poking-your-tongue at generic lyric about boy-meets-girl
in a very Van Halen-ish kind of way, without the playfulness that David
Lee Roth would portray in this situation. Following "Overloaded",
similar themes are explored in "The Promise", this time with overtones
of Skid Row (though again without that lead singer's playful vocals).
Whereas as on Fighting Back
the songs had a real energy to them, some speed, and certainly some
cracking solo breaks that really added to the flavour, this album has
been sterilised of most of that. The songs have dropped back a step in
pace, the guitars are less prevalent in a dual and duel capacity, while
the rhythm section gets locked in at the start and barely moves away
from it for the whole album. though the first album was still limited in
a way as to how it was written, it was still performed with gusto which
brought it to life. Unfortunately, Children of Madness
doesn't have the same enthusiasm about it, and because of this is
unable to bring the same energy and joy to the listener. Which is a
shame, because there was potential there that has not been realised
here.
Rating: Oh can't you see, you're killing me, this time can go on. 2.5/5
Following on from several attempts to
reboot his career after his parting with Iron Maiden, Paul Di'anno put
together another set of musicians and the new band Battlezone was
formed, though it became popularly known as Paul Di'anno's Battlezone,
no doubt by the record company to cash in on the lead singer's renown.
Given the changing route of the music he had produced in the previous
projects he had been involved in, there was little to go on as to what
direction this new project would take.
It stars off on the right
foot with "(Forever) Fighting Back" and "Welcome to the Battlezone",
both hard rocking anthems that place immediate focus on Di'anno's best
vocal characteristics, and some clean guitaring skills from John Hurley
and John Wiggins. Leading on after this is "Warchild", which amplifies
the faster tempo track that dominates the album, along with an anthemic
lyric that attempts to draw you in and sing along with the band. "Into
the Darkness" drops into a settled riff and tempo pushed song that while
it sounds simplified and repetitive is rendered unnoticeable by
Di'anno's vocals again, and another suitable solo break, both of which
again highlight the strengths of the band being able to overwrite any
perceived weaknesses. "The Land God Gave to Cain" is the closer of the
first side on the album, and suffers from being long-winded in length
and also of overusing the same riff for far too long to make this a
completely satisfying conclusion to proceedings.
The second side
opens with "Running Blind" which starts off with clear guitar and the
Di'anno soft vocals, before bursting out after the initial intro to a
hard rock beat similar to the opening track and again a solid solo
section by the dual guitars. "Too Much to Heart" takes some liberties
with the vibe of the album, making a hard rock 'ballad' that isn't
really compromising what has gone before. "Voice on the Radio" utilises
the backup vocals of the other members of the band more than the
majority of the songs on the album, while sticking with that hard rock
theme formula with a solo thrown in for good measure. "Welfare Warriors"
is a ripper track, again combining the dual guitars with Di'anno's
vocals at an up tempo click. "Feel the Rock" is a simplified hard rock
track to end the album, if not in a brilliant way then at least in a
somewhat fitting way.
Though in truth this is probably a very formula
driven album, almost 'rock by numbers', it is catchy enough to make you
sit up and enjoy it for what it is. The band is really quite good,
solid in all respects, and while the riffs tend to come from that same
school of 'how to write a hard rock song', there is enough to
distinguish this from the ordinary o make it worthy of listening to. The
guitar solos too add the flavour to the songs to help them rise above
the average. To top all of this off, Di'anno's vocals still sound great,
even if they do tend not to change tone too often, and probably still
show the lack of variation that was a contributing factor to his being
moved on from his pervious high profile band. Still his voice is
distinctive and enjoyable, and still is here.
As a mid-80's hard
rock album there is enough here to make it worth the while of the
average punter to have a listen, and see what Di'anno could do with a
different writing team around him.
Rating: Goodbye, guys we don't need you. 3.5/5
There is some deal of satisfaction about
delving back into British music in the late 1970's to the early 1980's,
and listen to what was forcing its way through onto people's turntables,
and the way it transformed through those short years in so many
different ways. Sure, there are bands who were more infamous for their
stage antics and rebelliousness than their music, and there are others
who mass produced albums at a rate of knots in a very short space of
time, almost knowing that they had to get their stuff out into the world
before their short burning flame died out. Many were ahead of their
time, and others missed their chance, and other timed it perfectly. And
perhaps the Buzzcocks personified each and every one of these things.
Another Music in a Different Kitchen
is their first album, the first of three albums released over eighteen
months. It flies in the face of the generic description of punk rock
bands, whom were popularly thought of as unkempt and musically inept,
unable to play their instruments well and vocally incompetent. In fact
the first thing that hits you about this album is how tight the band is,
with the rhythm section locked together perfectly. John Maher's
drumming is superb, with each drum roll and fill absolutely locked in
perfect synchronicity with Steve Garvey's bass guitar. They provide the
perfect platform through every song, never missing a beat, and its not
basic stuff either. This allows the lead guitar and vocalist Pete
Shelley and rhythm guitar and vocals Steve Diggle to throw their riffs
over the top and fit together like the final pieces of a puzzle.
On
this album the band mixes genuine punk rock with pop similes in places
to create what is a very listenable album no matter what your music
tastes are or have diverged to.
The album opens with the show
starting "Fast Cars", featuring those true punk vocals and guitars to
kick start on a fast footing. "No Reply" follows this in a similar
fashion utilising the dual vocals and repeating three chord riff from
guitar and bass. "You Tear Me Up" too enters this category.
"Get On
Your Own" is another good song that draws in some pop influences vocally
and a less aggressive guitar riff and solo, with back up 'wooos' and
lead vocals that start to try and be more in that fashion as well. "Love
Battery" is almost the high definition of what punk was in those early
days, and given that the Buzzcocks were at the forefront of the movement
with very few contemporaries to learn from, you could consider this
sound to be a part of their makeup.
"Sixteen" is one of the
anarchy-type formatted songs, with two minutes of the same riff and drum
fill, before a whole lot of freeform musicianship through the middle
before returning to that basic riff to finish the song. This is followed
by the single "I Don't Mind", where the change in style is stark and
complete. This has the very pop oriented punk rock style, both musically
and vocally, and you can hear the difference from what has come before,
and why it was chosen, or written, for radio airplay. "Fiction Romance"
is a different style again, featuring a very monotone vocal over a
steady and looping guitar riff which barely changes throughout the song.
"Autonomy"
is one of the most 'accessible' songs on the album without intending to
be so, with its very alternative sounding guitars rather than punk
rock, and harmony vocals throughout, and a singable chorus. Ahead of its
time, really. Fast paced punk returns with "I Need", with atypical punk
rock chords, and a great running bass line which steals the show in the
middle of the song. "Moving Away From the Pulsebeat" closes the album
in a most deranged way, with all instruments going off in their own
directions by the end of a very long 7+ minutes.
Overall I think the
album has the two halves of the album, with the songs that you would
consider to be of a classic punk sound and the others that show the
other influences of the band which they weave in. I think the start with
"Fast Cars", "No Reply" and "You Tear Me Up", along with the change up
of "Autonomy" are my favourite tracks on the album.
This is still
a joy to put on and listen to. Even after over 35 years this still
holds up well in the current music climate, and must be as influential
to young bands of this genre now as it has been in the past.
Rating: They may win you admirers, but they'll never earn you friends. 4/5
I don't know what excited me more about the release of My God-Given Right
- the fact that we were about to receive another new Helloween album,
or the fact that the band announced it would tour Australia once again
after seven years. It was probably equal amounts, because Helloween's
recent output has been excellent, not only holding up the flame for the
power metal genre that they pretty much invented, but not resting on
their laurels when it comes to making great albums.
Whereas 7 Sinners was more of a typical speed power metal utilising noticeable keyboards throughout, and Straight Out of Hell tended to have less of the keyboard element and wind back those ultimate power metal elements, My God-Given Right
winds everything back even more, and is much closer to pure heavy metal
album than those previous two. it is not completely devoid of those
elements, but there seems to be a real effort to get back to what made
Helloween great, which was those amazing happy guitars melodically
playing off each other, over the top of that amazing rhythm section of
bass and drums and with the sweet vocals rising above it all.
"Heroes"
is driven along by Daniel Löble's double kick throughout, and induces
an anthem-like chorus that has you joining in (especially when listening
to the album while driving along in your car). This segues straight
into "Battle's Won" which immediately increases the speed of the album,
and vocally and musically transcends the ages of Helloween. "My
God-Given Right is another great anthemic-like song, featuring the best
of Andi Deris' vocals and speed metal riffing, while "Stay Crazy" holds
itself into straight forward power metal, with solid drum and guitar
riffs enhanced by Andi's vocals and great solo licks.
"Lost in
America" channels that playful element of Helloween, both lyrically and
musically through the twin guitars. It reminds me a lot of another
playful song, Gamma Ray's "Master of Confusion" from last year's Empire of the Undead
album. Not only does it harp on a true incident where the band had no
idea where in South America they were after several delays and changed
plane trips, musically it reminds you of the best that this band can
produce. This is followed up by "Russian Roule" which tunes down into a
generally heavier song. "The Swing of a Fallen World" turns a corner
from all of this merriment, focusing on darker elements lyrically and
musically. There's no happy guitars in this song, it is set hard on a
grinding guitar riff that is the platform for the song with Andi's
vocals over the top, while even the solo sections settle into that
heavier rhythm. "Like Everybody Else" follows a similarly darker, deeper
path. "Creatures in Heaven" rifles along at a more Helloween-ish speed,
before the return of an old-fashioned-type Helloween song in "If God
Loves Rock 'n' Roll", almost cartoonish in both lyrics and music, with a
catchy chorus break and great solo's, along with a crowd-involvement
dubbed in for the masses.
"Living on the Edge" is Markus Grosskopf's
addition to the album, and as with most of his songs is has a lively
vibe and a great bass undertone "Claws" sets off back in an up-tempo
realm, and wends its way throughout in classic Michael Weikath tones and
tome. The closing song "You, Still of War" could be paired up with "The
Swing of a Fallen World", though its music is lighter than the earlier
track, and contains more noticeable keys, as well as having a more
'epic' feel to the song structure. The first couple of times I listened
to the album I wasn't overly enamoured by the song, but as my CD has
clicked over each time I have grown to appreciate it much more.
The
mood and path of the songs all follow the lyrical content. Those songs
with a darker element are all more of a slower, heavier riffed
atmosphere, such as " The Swing of a Fallen World" and "Like Everybody
Else". These songs in particular echo their subject matter in their
musical style. Those songs that are of a light-hearted nature are
further enhanced by those happy guitars, such as in "Lost in America"
and "If God Loves Rock 'n' Roll", where they are in their element.
From
all reports, over 30 songs were written and rehearsed for this album,
and the producer and other staff were given the job of picking the songs
that went on the final album. That's a massive amount of control for
the band to willingly give to others, but perhaps in the long run it
allowed them to do the best they could on the songs, and not be so
invested in their own contributions such that they fought over their own
inclusion.
All members apart from Daniel Löble contributed to the
writing process, and the varying array of topics covered by the songs is
just as extensive. The fact that many seem to be drawn from actual
experiences of the band members would make this a rather personal album
for them all. Indeed it comes across as rather urban in places because
of it. The music itself seems to come from several different eras of the
band, with similarities ranging from the Keepers era to the Dark Ride
era to more recent era. The influences as a result provide a colourful
conglomeration of songs.
The band itself is firing on all cylinders.
The vocals of Andi Deris continue to produce amazing highs and lows,
depending on what is required of the song. He can sit comfortably in
that middle range for his vocals, but can still hit those high and
faster notes when the occasion calls for it. Markus Grosskopf on bass is
just as brilliant as ever. Many may not even notice what he does on his
instrument underneath everyone else's involvement, but it is quite
amazing how much he contributes to the sound Helloween gets with that
big flat bottom sound rumbling along, holding each song together. Daniel
Löble's drumwork is as precise as ever, and along with Markus keeps the
bottom end grounded while the guitarists play their games over the top.
Both Sascha Gerstner and the timeless Michael Weikath are still
producing wonderful riffs as well as their own solo pieces.
If
you only listen to this a few times and take it only on face value, you
may well cast this aside as just another failed effort in combining the
past and the present by a band that may or may not still have what it
takes. But go a little deeper, listen to the album a few more times, and
actually listen to the songs and the way they are structured. I think
you'll find that there is more to this album than the surface. In fact,
the multi-layered part is that each song really is that combination of
past loyalty and present mindset. If you are yet to discover Helloween
the band this would not be your starting point. But it should definitely
be part of that journey if you are a fan of Helloween, or are to become
one. It may not be immediately brilliant as those classic and legendary
previous albums, but it has the qualities to at least make you believe
they can still do the job.
Rating: Others say that god's a little mad, secretly he'd wear the black, you know. 4/5
The news of a new release from Fear Factory
still breeds in me growing expectation, that perhaps this new album
will not only improve on all of the great things that were on the
previous album, but that it will finally fix or eradicate those things
that annoyed the hell out of me on that previous album. It is something
that I guess I have thought about for most of the band's albums of the
past fifteen years, and while there have been occasions where I have
been happy with the results, I can't say I have ever felt completely
comfortable with the resulting album when I first put in on the CD
player. As you may well already know, that hasn't changed with the
release of Genexus.
If
you don't like drums being at front and centre in your mix of your
music, then you are in the wrong place, because that's where they are.
As is now the main, the machine gun drumming of the double kick drum is
what takes prominence throughout, except when Burton's hardcore lyrics
are in the frame. As always, the vocals switch often between the hard
and loud variety which crash out of you speakers and smash into your
senses, while the clear variety settle into the background behind the
wall of sound coming at you. There is always a clear context between the
two, which works mostly on the level that the clear vocals for me are
still just too weedy when they come in. They aren't really sung with
gusto either, it still feels as though they are being forced and are
reaching for something they can't attain. Anyway, the same old
prejudices still exist from me in that respect.
The album starts off
rapid fire with "Autonomous Combat System", one of the best songs on the
album, perhaps the best. "Protomech" is better than average in this
respect as well, and I do like "Battle for Utopia". Then there is what
can be labelled as Generic Fear Factory, songs such as "Anodized", "Soul
Hacker", "Genexus", which barrel along with the same intensity and drum
beat (possibly programmed) and riff and vocal duality as most Fear
Factory songs have done for the past fifteen years. That's not a
criticism outright, it's just a general fact, and if you like Fear
Factory you will get no less enjoyment from these as you have from those
in the past.
I again have problems with the closing track on a Fear
Factory album. "Expiration Date" flops along barely raising a hand in
anger. Clear vocals dominate, there's no riff, and we fade out to a
couple of minutes of almost silence again. What the hell is this? The
Fear Factory version of a ballad?!? Obviously there are people out there
who are critical of the similarity of most of the band's music, but
this is just so far off course it feels like it comes from Bizarro Fear
Factory! How on earth am I supposed to cope with this kind of closing
song on an album. Sorry, this is like missing a kick from the penalty
spot.
It really has all been said before. The Fear Factory groove
has been set, and each album follows it to the letter. It's a world
away from albums such as Demanufacture and Obsolete,
and in so many ways it all feels so mechanised now (no pun intended)
that a machine could actually write and play it. There is still some
great stuff here, and overall the album is still enjoyable to listen to,
but there are also those couple of factors that for me just drag it
back towards the average. Modern day fans may well disagree, but the
time to introduce some solo work in the mix, and perhaps toughening up
those clear vocals, has surely arrived in order to give the band a
reboot.
Rating: I'm a revelation of your future and past. 3/5
Is it just me, or is there a lot more of
band hopping and project jumping going on now than has ever occurred
before? Seriously, there used to be bands that musicians would be a part
of... until they either quit or were sacked, and then they would move
on to something else. Nowadays, it appears that some musicians have two
or three bands that they spread their time between, recording and then
touring, and then doing the same with one or more of their 'other'
bands. I mean, I understand in this day and age that you need to tour to
make money, but how many bands can you have before they begin to
overlap and start causing problems? Tobias Sammet does it with Edguy and
Avantasia, Kai Hansen once did it with Gamma Ray and Iron Savior, and
now with Gamma Ray and Unisonic, but any more than that would be
ludicrous... wouldn't it?...
So here we have yet another 'supergroup' gathering, titled Level 10, and their debut effort Chapter One.
It features some serious talent, though how they find the time to write
and record is beyond me. It's core consists of bass guitarist Mat
Sinner, who not only plies his trade in Primal Fear but also his own
band Sinner, and vocalist Russell Allen, who has a dozen projects going
at once, including his main gig in Symphony X and another in Adrenaline
Mob. These two have also utilised the talents of Roland Grapow, who
apart from helming Masterplan was also a part of Serious Black and their
release earlier this year.
To the album itself, and while it is
enjoyable, it comes across as 'harmless' and doesn't inspire anything
new or out of the ordinary. The songs are generic in a way that that
doesn't cover you in boredom, but also doesn't often generate any true
excitement in the offering either. You can't help but like songs like
"Cry No More", which opens the album in a positive frame of mind, and
"When the Nighttime Comes", which mix great harmony vocals from Russell
with great riffs and soloing from Roland and Alex Beyrodt. "Blasphemy"
too falls into this group, while "In For the Kill" starts off on the
right foot in speed and riffage, ticking most of the boxes that a band
of this calibre should be able to. Unfortunately the averageness of the
other tracks tends to overshadow this good work by making it hard for
the album to retain momentum.
There has to be the power ballad, and
the one produced here, "All Hope is Gone", follows the same path as
almost very power ballad ever written. Yep, it's clichéd, it is slow and
monotonous, it whines, the guitar solo is supposed to empathise but
just embodies regurgitation. It follows all of the instructions in the
'power ballad' textbook. What gets me is that, also according to the
textbook, it is followed up by an immediately up-tempo song that
attempts to kick start the album again like a dying heart attack
patient. "Demonized" does a reasonable job of this, but why oh why can
albums and bands of this genre be so predictable? Just don't DO it!!
"The Soul is Eternal" is a solid track as well, while the album closes
with the excellent "Forevermore", which acts as a reminder of the talent
gathered in the band.
With all of the terrific people involved
in this band, I really wanted to like this more than I eventually did.
The material is just far too varied throughout, never really settling
into a groove that allows you to enjoy the album overall, rather than
just picking out selected tracks that do it for you. No doubt these
variances come from too many cooks in the writing broth. Perhaps just
letting the major influences in the band have their hand... well...
maybe that wouldn't work either. Surely a follow up to this will come
sometime in the future, and if it does, hopefully a discussion about
what worked and what didn't will make that release all the better for
it.
Rating: I'm pleading with the true believers, you're needed to expose the lies. 3.5/5
