922. Edguy / Tinnitus Sanctus. 2008. 2.5/5

It's an interesting state of affairs when you compare Edguy releases during the 2000's, and the strengths and weaknesses they gain against Tobi's other project, Avantasia, and the albums it releases. I was not as enamoured with Edguy's previous release Rocket Ride as I had been with their two seminal albums that preceded it, and I admit I was expecting something bigger from this album, especially as it coincided with a third album in the Avantasia series of albums, The Scarecrow. Comparisons between all of these releases in the long run just confuses the issue even more.

Early in the decade Edguy had discovered a power to their music that really forced the band to the forefront of the power metal genre on the continent. It was this power that had gained my attention, and while I felt that the two albums in question, Mandrake and Hellfire Club were not perfect, they had enough of the elements that suggested to me that things would get even better as we moved into the following albums. The truth of the matter is that it wasn't forthcoming on Rocket Ride, and for the most part has not occurred here either. Even scarier, it was almost not existent on the following release, Age of the Joker. In the meantime, The Scarecrow was a bigger success and a more exemplary showcase of that progression in power, which was then completed two years later with the dual release of the Avantasia albums Angel of Babylon and The Wicked Symphony.
So the question needs to be asked - is the direction Edguy have gone in this period of their careers the band members decision, or has Tobi just directed his harder material to his other band, and retained his lighter stuff for Edguy? Tobi wrote all of the songs here, which suggests the latter is closer to the truth.
I'm not suggesting that this album is a complete lemon. I still enjoy the album whenever I put it on. There are plenty of songs I like a lot, and find catchy. The opening track "Ministry of Saints" and "Wake Up Dreaming Black" are the two best examples of the Edguy sound that I would reside with. "Pride of Creation" is another that i can get on board with.
It's just that overall, it lacks the depth and the strength within the songs to hold its own against other releases, and not just those mentioned above. Is it a commercial bent that has crept into the songs? I guess one could look at it that way, though I'm not sure of what the official response to that is. For the most part the songs have been smoothed over, the speed has been dropped back to a very mid-tempo range, there are few squealing solos or tricks amongst the rhythm section. The lyrics are sung well but without that kind of reach and gusto that appeared on earlier albums. "Dragonfly" could be used as an example here, though I don't want to be seen as simply picking on this song. It just plods along, at the same slow tempo, without anything happening, for almost five minutes, dragging out the middle of the album interminably when it really needs a kick along. "Thorn Without a Rose" is perhaps even less admirable, the real ballad-like song which to me has even less qualities than its predecessor.

Perhaps Edguy feel as though this is their best well-rounded album, showcasing all of their skills in a number of genres within the songs they have written. The fact that they have not been able to stick to the script, and to my ears have jumped the tracks and decided to go across the fields instead the direction they had been heading. To me that is more the pity. Lovers of Edguy, and lovers of the hard rock that was made accessible by bands such as Bon Jovi and Europe, are likely to find plenty here to like and enjoy. Those who like me had been hoping for a bit more in the speed and heavy departments will no doubt share my disappointment.

Rating:   "Tonight a thousand angels fall, heaven's up against the wall"   2.5/5

921. Megadeth / That One Night: Live in Buenos Aires. 2007. 3.5/5

When it comes to live albums, for it to be a successful and worthwhile adventure, you need to have a set list that not only commends the work done on the album that you are promoting on that current tour, but has the best tracks available from your back catalogue. You also need to have a band that is tight, raucous and so damn energetic that you can feel that pumping through your speakers when you play it at home. On the first point, this album does a pretty fair effort on the collection of songs recorded. On the second point... well...

Dave's vocals are fine here, but his actual SINGING on some of these songs is almost diabolical. I know in some ways that's a tautology, because his singing has never been the main focus of what makes Megadeth great. But in some places he's just all up in the air, no focus, no attitude. Where the hell is the attitude in "Wake Up Dead"? The lyrics are just floated out there, and let's get on with the song. It really loses its drive because of it. This is a criticism only for the fact that it is the way he sings these songs that gives it the real anger that they were written with, and if they aren't sung 'correctly' the they lose a bit of their power. Judge that against the following song, "In My Darkest Hour", which really needs to be sung right, and it is. It doesn't need the attitude as much as the angst, which is delivered well enough. This is a small and perhaps petty outlook, but this is what Megadeth is, attitude and angst, and if the leader isn't giving off the right signals, then they cannot possibly come across in the right light. "Reckoning Day". What the hell was happening there?! And yet "Angry Again" is perfect! Come on Dave.
Glen Drover is just not very good. For a guy who is in a supremely high profile metal band, his technical ability is very low. And I know he has had to come in following a couple of pretty amazingly technically brilliant guitarists in Marty Friedman and Al Pitrelli, but if you are going to play someone else's material, you either have to play it the way they did and well, or make it your own and play it well. I have no real argument with the songs he has been involved with from The System Has Failed album (though he didn't write or record them), but in the main the older songs really are lacking in his guitaring. Absolutely I am biased, because I had the misfortune to see him completely fuck up the middle part of "Holy Wars" in Sydney in 2004, so much so that it was embarrassing. James McDonough on bass and Shawn Drover on drums are both solid without being anything outstanding. As much as Dave gives them grief, Pitrelli and Jimmy DeGrasso were (and are) far better on their instruments than the Drover brothers.
The set list here is well balanced between the songs that are from the current album they are touring on, and all eras of the band. The dragging feature for me is that the new songs, with the possible exception of "Die Dead Enough" just aren't very interesting, and in the main the other songs that were on the previous tour, and found themselves on Megadeth's first live album Rude Awakening, sounded much better on that release. And the older songs obviously sound more upbeat and aggressive, because they are and they were! Compare the drudgery of "I'll Be There' and then the excitement that bursts immediately following with "Tornado of Souls". It's no contest.

Thus we have an interesting comparison between band members and released music. This line up of Megadeth would be close to its least interesting, and some of the songs close to its least interesting. When the old songs come on the album lights up, and yet when the newer songs are on it is like a morgue. In the long run, as an overall package, there are better Megadeth live releases out there.

Rating:  "You feel my fingertips, you won't forget my lips".  3.5/5

920. Armored Saint / 2009 Australian Tour Compilation. 2009. 4/5

To mark the first tour to Australia by the mighty Armored Saint, this package was released for all of us Australian fans, according to Blabbermouth to offset the fact that most of the Saint's back catalogue was impossible to source in our corner of the world. In many ways this was true, though the internet had improved this remarkably in recent years.

The album was loosely described as a greatest hits contribution, taking some of the best known Armored Saint tracks and putting them together with some live tracks to flesh out the back end of the release and make it an attractive proposition. Which it undeniably is. Songs were sourced from every Armored Saint album to that point, with "March of the Saint", "Can U Deliver" (live) and "Madhouse" (live) from MARCH OF THE SAINT, "Long Before I Die" (live) and "Nervous Man" (live) from DELIRIOUS NOMAD, "Chemical Euphoria" (live) from RAISING FEAR, "Reign of Fire", "Last Train Home", "Tribal Dance", "Symbol Of Salvation" and "Hanging Judge" from SYMBOL OF SALVATION, and "The Pillar" and "After Me, The Flood" from REVELATION.

Fans could probably argue over the validity of the songs chosen here as being a best of, but to be honest any fan who was going to see the band when they toured would already have had all the albums anyway. For anyone who is a newcomer to the band, this gives a good overview of the band's career to that point in time. What annoyed me more about this release was that I discovered it after the tour took place - a tour I had no idea was occurring. D'OH!

Rating:  "It's the March of the Saint!"   4/5.

919. Judas Priest / Sad Wings of Destiny. 1976. 3.5/5

If you had happened to stop off on your journey to the past, and taken in Judas Priest's debut album Rocka Rolla, you could be forgiven wondering just what it was that allowed the band to eventually find their feet in the music world, and become the juggernaut that they became. Certainly, there is very little to get excited about there, and it probably wouldn't surprise you that the songs that were rejected for that album by the producer eventually found themselves onSad Wings of Destiny, which is a marked improvement, and a much better assessment of where the band was coming from at the time of its release.

At least three songs that appear on this album - the brilliant and timeless "Victim of Changes", the rocking "Tyrant" and equally foot tapping "Genocide" - had their formation before the recording of the first album, but were left off that vinyl. Hindsight would suggest that was an error, but the fact they appear here shows the strength of the songs that they could force their way onto the second album. "Victim of Changes" has been a part of Judas Priest folklore forever, a song that has some reflections of Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody", in that two songs were woven together to produce the one, where it ebbs and flows with harder and softer parts, with loud then quiet guitars, with Rob's vocals subtly moving between the sweet soft section through to the hard pumping screams which he is renown for. At almost eight minutes long it is the first Judas Priest classic, and contains everything you need to know about the band in one song. "Tyrant" is a more straight forward heavy track, driven along by a hard riffing chorus of the guitars, the compelling drum beat and Halford's vocals in a middle stream range that allows the layman to sing along without having to stretch themselves. "Genocide" follows a similar path, forming the basis of the standard Priest formula for the present and the future, with the great rhythm section holding together the song, allowing both Tipton and Downing their chance to shine on their solo pieces and Halford to control the song through his vocals.
Elsewhere on the album there is a mix within the songs. "Epitaph" is the piano based song with layered vocals that almost mimics a Queen song, which while Halford's vocals do suit in this instance is a strange direction to go in. This is followed by "Island of Domination", which along with its predecessor is an average song that is likable but not exceptional. "Dreamer Deceiver" is the other slow ballad-like track on the album which is dominated by the vocals of Halford again, starting in the quiet reflective fashion before reaching for the ceiling by the end of the song, which leads immediately into the heavier and faster "Deceiver" amalgamating the best parts of the Priest sound to complete the first side of the album with aplomb.
Arguably the best track on the album, even more importantly than "Victim of Changes", is "The Ripper", which has also stood the test of time since its release. This is the song that perhaps best showcases what Judas Priest brought to the table. The twin guitars of Tipton and Downing really fire here, in the short, sharp sub-three minutes that the song goes for, while Halford's amazing vocal chords get their full work out during the song. It is still as good today as it was on its release, and it is one of the songs all fans know.

Sad Wings of Destiny signals the true beginning for Judas Priest, with several memorable songs and the viable beginnings of the twin guitar and super vocals attack which would lead them to become one of the leading lights in the true beginnings of heavy metal music.

Rating:  "Underneath the gas lamp, where the air is cold and damp".  3.5/5

918. Russell Allen & Jorn Lande / The Revenge. 2007. 2.5/5

When I first discovered this project a few years ago, the attraction was the combination of two of the great modern day vocalists, literally battling it out on an album, trying to outdo the other on each song. Surely, if you are going to call an album The Battle, this is what is going to happen, right? OK, well it wasn't quite that, but the concept had enough momentum after that first release to see it repeated again two years later, which brought forth The Revenge.

As with the first album, the driving creative force is Magnus Karlsson, who created all of the music and lyrics, as well as playing the majority of the instruments. It's quite a construction, to practically have complete control over the whole project as though it were a solo album, and yet the end result is titled after the two lead vocalists, and it is their participation that draws in the fans rather than Magnus himself.
Once again, as with the first album of this project, there is a mixture of styles within the general euro metal genre that this sits. With one person in the main chair when it comes to writing and recording the songs, there is the danger that it can get a bit monotonous, or with a similar streak running through the backbone of the songs on the album. Formula-driven is probably the phrase I'm looking for, and this was countered on the earlier effort by the extraordinary voices of the two combatants, Russell Allen and Jorn Lande. To be honest, that hasn't changed too much this time around. Perhaps the main bone of contention I have with this album is that we heard most of this on the first album. Personally after that effort, and with a second album coming out, I was hoping for something more, a stretch from the usual to extend the talents of the two vocalists. I was looking for more of the 'battle', or for the combination of the two to push each other to new heights. While much of the material here is fine and listenable, none of it is remarkable. There was again a real chance to give these two guys a chance to 'bond' on tracks, but it doesn't really show. Perhaps not surprisingly, their combination works much better on their shared pieces in Tobias Sammet's Avantasia project than they do here.
That's not to say this is a lost cause. Completely. There are songs that have the right energy musically and duelling vocally that make them well worth listening to. Perhaps most telling is that, as both vocalists have so many other projects that they are involved in, that everything here gets judged against those, and it therefore makes it difficult case for these songs, given that they had no hand in writing any part of them, and that that job fell to one person. But their singing is magnificent again here, and they are at their best when they have some real energy in the track and they extend their range with emotion and desire. On the tracks that are slowed down and are looking for melancholy and reflection (ok, look, they're pretty much power ballads, but let's not get into that argument again) they still sound great, but the tracks don't work as well.

Overall, after the initial excitement wore off of the first album's partnership, you are left with the same kind of material here on the second album, but it just doesn't have the same impact this time around. Everything is performed with precision and it all sounds magnificent. In the long run, it's all just a little... boring.

Rating:  "Soon you will understand, soon you will see"  2.5/5

917. Stratovarius / Polaris. 2009. 3.5/5

I can honestly admit that I had probably come to the end of my tether with Stratovarius the band after the last few releases. I mean, despite continued expectations of grandeur, I was wondering whether or not they had outlasted their welcome, and if it was all becoming a bit too hard. When Polaris was released, it had been four years between releases, and inordinate amount of time in the world of Stratovarius, and I guess my feelings about those recent albums had dulled down enough that I wanted to check this out and see if something had been done.

What had been done was the moving on of two former members of the band, bass guitarist Jari Kainulainen earlier, and more significantly Timo Tolkki. With this in mind, would the writing of this album be affected, and how? Well, there is no doubt it has been affected, as new bass guitarist Lauri Porra has made a major contribution on this album, penning five of the eleven tracks.
The album opens with the blasting qualities of "Deep Unknown", which despite the over emphasising of the chorus vocals and the Dream Theater-ish keyboards is a good opening track. "Falling Star" which follows has the most atypical heavy metal sound to it, with a heavy influence of the bass guitar and lead guitar, with the keyboards almost (I say 'almost') taking a back seat for the majority of the song. There is a bit of grunt in the guitar riff, and it chugs along rather than blazes along. An interesting change-up, and not a disappointing one. Then comes "King of Nothing", which increases this shift down into a darker metal, with harder and heavier guitar and bass work, a slower, almost grungier pace, and vocals that emphasise this heavier sound. It is so unlike power metal - in fact, it really isn't - but it works here for the band, and is intriguingly interesting and empowering.
From here though we plough back into the mix with "Blind", a perfect Jens Johansson track, blending speed within the framework of the duelling guitar and keyboards and excelling vocals along the way. This is followed up by the change up of "Winter Skies", which combines similar feelings of good tidings from the preceding track, with a quiet, almost tranquil period in the middle of the song that stretches for about a minute of just quiet keys. It doesn't really work for me. In fact in quite annoys me. But those parts of the song that precede and follow this period of inactivity are enjoyable enough.
"Forever is Today" starts off with the perfect combination of solo guitar work and keyboards, before blazing away through the song in exquisite style. This is the kind of track that has always been my favourite from Stratovarius, and for me they just haven't come along enough. This is a beauty though, and the fact that it is written by newcomer Porra is a real pleasure. "Higher Ground" which follows this also comes across in a similar pleasing way, with speed and music that moves at a clip that the best Euro speed/power metal attacks at.
"Somehow Precious" is the first backwards step the album takes. It reverts to the slow drudgery of the power metal ballad, stripping all speed and most of the musical instruments out of the song to leave the mournful vocals to take centre stage, and drag the album back into the clichéd territory that other albums of this genre tend to do. It isn't a complete loss, but it really saps my enjoyment out from this point of the album.
What comes next are three songs all written exclusively by Porra, and they are somewhat bereft of the confidence I had showed in his material from earlier in the album. "Emancipation Suite Part I: Dusk" and "Emancipation Suite Part II: Dawn" are very much of the progressive rock nature of the 1970's, and if taken in that nature can be listened to and enjoyed on that level. What drives me to distraction is the difference in nature between these two songs and the rollicking fun of the tracks on the first half of the album. Still...
After all of the good work that is done on the early tracks of the album, the disappointing aspect for me is the way the closing track on the album comes across. "When Mountains Fall" is that stereotypical power ballad, the kind that makes my skin crawl, and the kind that for me destroys the mood of an album in an instant. Seriously, why would you want to finish an album on this depressing, soul destroying note? It continues to be beyond my comprehension, and here it really drags down the final analysis of the album for me.

So for me, Stratovarius continue on their quest to annoy the hell out of me with their music. There is no doubt that they enjoy the music they produce, and that it sits comfortably in the melodic range that they wish to be in. It's just that, for my music tastes, they continue to be just lacking a couple of elements that would take them to that higher level, and become an essential band in my collection. Again here they have produced some excellent songs and music, and their musicianship is unquestioned, but at the end of the day - despite the fact that this was their best release for some time when it came out - they are just not quite able to jump from good average to superior. However, apart from all of that, this is still worthy of a listen to those who may be wondering what it is that Stratovarius are about.

Rating:  "Your fate is what you make of it, so seize your day"   3.5/5.

916. Sonata Arctica / Pariah's Child. 2014. 2.5/5

If you have followed my reviews of albums over the past ten to fifteen years, you will be fully aware of my fascination and frustration with Sonata Arctica, as a band and of the music they play. When I first discovered them all those years ago, I was amazed at their talent, their ability on their instruments, and the excellence of their vocal ability. More than anything else, all of this is perfectly portrayed in the cover versions of songs such as Scorpions "Still Loving You" and Iron Maiden's "Die With Your Boots On", which are the reason I started following this band. The fact that they have never lived up to those expectations of mine is eternally annoying to me.

Here on Pariah's Child, I am met with the same old problems and prejudices that I have met on most of the previous albums Sonata Arctica has released. About half of the album works on a level that is good enough for me. And I don't pretend that isn't an unfair comment, just for the fact that I would like them to be a bit more traditionally heavy, and have less reliance on the keyboards. But that is the way I have felt about their music for some time. Songs such as "The Wolves Die Young" and "Running Lights" are very good songs, and both of these are an excellent way to open the album. But what I wouldn't give to hear just a bit more grunt in them. I guess the best way I can describe them is that they are 'harmless', good songs with great musicianship that are easy to listen to, without creating great spasms of brilliance within you.
The middle of the album employs some different musical techniques that will either stun you or lose your interest entirely. I'm not sure what the middle of "Take One Breath" was looking to achieve with it's lullaby keyboard sound, but it just messes up the song for mine. "Cloud Factory" and "Blood" are on a par with the opening two songs, creating the solid core of the Sonata Artica sound. "What Did You Do in the War, Dad" is a very melancholic style, and while not a unique sounding song is a mix of ranges and emotions within the song itself, and is the most difficult song on the album to categorise, and to determine whether I like it or dislike it. While it settles in the ballad like style, it has enough force and momentum behind it to bring it up a notch in its estimation.
"Half a Marathon Man" is my favourite song on the album, because it does all of the things I like most about the band in the best possible way - it's a fast paced song, the vocals have some grunt behind them, the guitar and keys flow together perfectly and showcase the best of their abilities, it doesn't take itself too seriously, and you can drum along with it and sing along with it without any bad convictions. More of this please!!
"X Marks the Spot" isn't a bad follow up, combining a lightened lyrical base ala Helloween and Gamma Ray but without the dominance in music that those two bands inject. "Love" is sterile. Not necessarily the emotion, but this song is. Truly, as I say in any review of this type, the power ballad is a blight on music, and this song is no exception. The closing song "Larger Than Life" extends to almost ten minutes, which probably outstays its welcome by some margin.

I've said it all before when it comes to Sonata Arctica. I keep coming back to them every new album because I still harbour hope that they can harness their obvious talent and produce that album that really takes my breath away, grabs me around the throat and knocks some sense into me. Once again, that hasn't happened here. Pariah's Child is another solid release from a very good power metal band, with some good material and some average material. The fans of this genre of music should find more than enough to satisfy them on this album, but there will be the others who, like me, will again leave this somewhat disappointed.

Rating:  "You look like a really nice guy, but can you keep up with me?"  2.5/5