988. Metallica / Reload. 1997. 2/5

I wrote a review for Metallica’s previous album Load about four years ago. You can find it both here on Rate Your Music and on my blog Music From a Lifetime. It was a lengthy piece, where in essence I decried the complete revamping of the band’s sound and standing in the metal world to put out such a disappointing load of old bollocks. You could save yourself some time here by either reading that and applying it also to Reload or by just ignoring both. Because there is no joy here from the rubble of that release.

The fact that this album came out fairly soon after Load, and was titled Reload was a concern. Was it all written together? Whether it was or wasn’t, a mere 16 months passed between the release of the two, whereas five years had passed between Load and Metallica, and there had been talk of releasing the two as a double album. The danger then was always that given they decided against that idea and released them as separate albums the band had chosen the best songs they had written at the time and placed them on the first release, leaving the second choice tunes to be collated here on the second album. If that is indeed the case, it doesn’t say much for the whole writing sessions.
“Fuel” is the one song – the only song – that could hold its place on a Metallica album from the previous decade. Even then, it isn’t as fast and furious here as it is when it is played live, but it opens the album on the right foot, and no doubt there were millions of fans all over the world like me who, when they first put this album on, thought that this was the return of the band they knew, that the previous album was perhaps just an aberration.
But from “The Memory Remains” onwards, there is a real constant groove, and by that I mean it isn’t fast and it isn’t overtly heavy, it is more a pattern where the drums and guitar find their groove and sit with it. Does it sound good? There’s no doubt it is catchy in places, and James’ current vocals suit the style. But is it heavy? My word no. Or is it anything like the kind of stuff that we grew up with? My word no. “Devil’s Dance” takes a similar approach, really focusing on the downward pitch of the vocals to implicate a slow and steady line throughout.
“The Unforgiven II” is most definitely unforgiven. It is an abomination. I don’t care how much they loved the first transition of this song on Metallica. It had already been a running joke in our circle of friends that Metallica would do a sequel to their other brain numbingly boring song “Nothing Else Matters”, and call it “Something Else Matters”. How close were we with the arrival of this song? And this is truly a whole pile of rubbish. There is nothing here that inspires the senses, it really does just make you run screaming for the skip button. “Better Than You” would probably be okay if it had and speed at all, forcing its way through the averageness to be a heavier faster song. Alas no such luck.
“Slither”. Is it a groove? Is it a crawl? I don’t know but it is just a borefest. “Carpe Diem Baby” honestly lulls you off to sleep, such is the lack of inspiration and the soothing flow of guitar and vocals. Yes, soothing flow. Doesn’t sound like a metal record does it? Sounds like an easy listening collection. “Bad Seed” is much like “Better Than You” in that with a burst of energy perhaps it would be better than it turns out to be. “Where the Wild Things Are” is most definitely NOT where the wild things are, because we have a really dull, boring and lifeless rhythm riff throughout the whole song with whatever vocal technique James wants to use here. And it goes on forever! It’s just not an aesthetically pleasing song in any way shape or form.
“Prince Charming” is pretty much the most upbeat song on the album. Not that that is saying much, but after the meandering snoozefest that has come before it, at least you start to wake up once this song comes on. However, “Low Man’s Lyric” fights hard with “The Unforgiven II” for worst song on the album. Honestly, is this what we’ve been reduced to, judging worst songs on a Metallica album instead of how do we choose a favourite? This is rubbish of the highest order. “Attitude” tries to convince us that the band still has it. ‘Born into attitude’ is what James sings to us, but who are they kidding? There’s no grunt here, no high paced drums or guitar, just lyrics over a mid-tempo song without any aggro or bent. Seriously, are they trying to have us buy into this? It’s a groove, not a thrash. It’s not even really heavy, it’s a standard hard rock song that AC/DC could do better. “Fixxxer” closes out this collection of songs in much the same way as the rest of the album. Too long, too slow, reflective not reactive.

This is unrecognisable as a Metallica album. Truly, play it back-to-back with any of their first four albums, and you could only make the assumption that this is two completely different bands. And the length of time between those two eras isn’t that damn long. This came out in 1997, just eleven years after Master of Puppets, and nine years after ...And Justice for All. It is a huge leap between genres in such a relatively short space of time. But this was the way metal was heading in America at the time. Thank goodness for Europe, which was embracing speed and power in their metal rather than head down the track of stripped back Southern influence bluesy groove alternative grunge music. It’s a far cry from the pantheon of metal to the depths that this album dives to. Perhaps even more tragically, the bottom for Metallica’s music (but certainly not popularity) had perhaps not even been reached yet.

Rating: "Give me fuel, give me fire, give me that which I desire"  Which isn't this. 2/5

987. Metallica / S&M. 1999. 3.5/5

Given that by this stage of their careers Metallica had done just about everything, it was probably only a matter of time before they decided they should play with an orchestra supporting them, and record it, and release it. And why not. They weren’t doing anything for money anymore, it was all about artistic freedom, or something like that. For Christ’s sake, they had probably reached the final straw with me earlier in the year, when I had seen them live and they had played “Motorbreath”… unplugged. UNPLUGGED FOR FUCK’S SAKE!!! So nothing was a surprise anymore, and I showed a lack of interest for this album and subsequent video for some time after its release.

Eventually I was convinced by those around me I should check it out, that it was brilliant, that I would love it. I admit I doubted it. I felt as though the band had sucked every last morsel out of me by now (how wrong I was) and I went in with eyes and ears reasonably open considering.
In the long run there are three sections to this album. The opening third of the double album is quite superb, which probably should have been obvious given the songs that were performed and the brilliance that Metallica brings to the live environment. The Michael Kamen conducted San Francisco Symphony are fantastic on Metallica’s traditional opening of “The Ecstasy of Gold”, before the band joins them on stage for the brilliant instrumental “The Call of Ktulu”. From here the hits keep coming, enhanced by the symphony orchestra behind the band but not overbearing the band itself. “Master of Puppets”, with the crowd singing enthusiastically, sounds brilliant, as does “Of Wolf and Man”, the wonderful “The Thing That Should Not Be” and “Fuel”. All are terrific. The biggest and best surprise was how good “The Memory Remains” sounds here, so much better than the studio version with a heavier and fuller sound live than it does on the album. The first of two new songs follows, and “No Leaf Clover” is not terrible.
Next comes what I would term the middle third of the double album, and here is where I get lost. It probably isn’t the fault of the musicians involved, more the fact that the songs involved rank very low on my interest scale than the ones that have come before them. “Hero of the Day” is as boring as the studio version, “Devil’s Dance” offers nothing any more inspirational and “Bleeding Me” is long and bloated, and these three songs close out the first disc of the album in mediocrity. Then just to keep everyone in hiatus, the second disc opens with “Nothing Else Matters”. Oh dear. The following songs, some of which are great and some of which are average, just don’t seem to work with the orchestra behind them. They either don’t need that kind of backing or the backing they get doesn’t quite gel.
The final third of the album rescues this middle section for the most part, but it would be difficult for them not to. “One” followed by “Enter Sandman” and then “Battery” is a trio of closing tracks that would take some beating by any band, orchestra or not. Overall though these three songs as well are quite sufficient under their own power without any backing.

Much like the concept itself, this album is worth a listen to hear what can be done to mostly great songs if they are combined with further musical backing, before then reverting to the original concept of four guys on stage blazing away under their own power.

Rating: The great songs are still great, and the average still average. 3.5/5

986. Metallica / St. Anger. 2003. 1.5/5

My fondest memory of this album was its release, when Utopia Records in Sydney had a midnight opening to be the first place in the world to sell the new album. My circle of friends travelled up, drank beer in a bar for 6 hours beforehand, then went in with a few hundred others, getting other material and then waiting in line to pay for those and collect a copy of the album, all the while listening to it over the store’s stereo. One of my mates enquired as to what was the rubbish they were playing, and when he was informed it was Metallica’s new album, the reason we were there, he used some language and decreed he would not be wasting his money on this abomination. As it turned out we were pretty much at the end of the line, such that when we reached the counter they had sold out of the album we had come for. Some of us were furious. I just laughed. An evening well spent, especially when I walked into K-Mart three days later and got the album for $13 less than I would have paid.

In the same way as we knew how the recording of the Metallica album went down because it was filmed and released, we have the same here with St. Anger because of the documentary “Some Kind of Monster”. So we know there was anguish when Jason left the band before writing and recording. We know there was anguish when James went into rehab. We know there was pain and anguish when he could only be in the studio for four hours a day as a part of his rehab. It’s a wonder they got anything coherent recorded at all. Certainly the process throughout was flawed. All I know is that it was better than Jason’s new band Echobrain’s album.
But how much better? The putrid taste of Load and Reload still hung in the mouth, and all we had was a hope that the band also realised they had been a mistake and that we would gain something that was a lot closer to the material we wanted. Well. We didn’t. We got something that was almost completely unexpected and unreconciled. We got an album that was what they called as ‘stripped down’. The problem was, it was stripped of everything. The band went from being produced to overkill to barely needing a producer at all. From all reports, they wanted the album to sound like it was recorded in a garage. Well, challenge completed, because that’s exactly what it sounds like. But why the amateur hour? It defies all logic. But looking at the album, logic seems to have gone out the window. For example, let’s look at the following:
1. Lars’ drum kit and drum sound. In the good old days, Lars had the greatest drum kit, and played it as the greatest drummer in the world. His drum sound was what drummers aspired for. Now, he has a three piece kit, and the sound of the kit is deplorable. Well to be accurate, the snare. The snare sound, apparently produced by turning off the mic to it during recording, is deplorable. And what is worse, it is there for the whole bloody album. No matter how I am feeling about the album, I just keep coming back to that bloody snare. It sounds AWFUL!! It detracts from every damn song on the album. Garage bands all over the world try to find any way possible to eradicate this snare sound from their dodgy four track recordings in order to have it sound like the Metallica drum sound on their albums from the 1980’s, and yet Lars goes out and embraces this amateurish sound. It is the single biggest problem with this album. Once you add to this that a seven year old could play the drums as written and recorded on this album and you have to wonder exactly what has happened to the man who was once idolised by every drummer in the world.
2. James vocals. Having crooned his way through the 1990’s having had to transform the way he sang due to blowing out his voice, he comes in here on St. Anger and seems to move into a scream and yell combination that might indicate he has had enough of that. The problem is, it comes across as forced. No one expects him to be able to sing like he did when he was 19 years old, but the middle ground between that and what he had been doing is not this. Thankfully he found it later, but for the most part his vocals on this album are again like a kid in a garage band, one who knows he can’t sing great but he will overcome it with attitude. Mind you, with that godawful drum sound to have to sing over perhaps this was the only way he could get heard over the din.
3. No Kirk solos. This was always a major, major problem for a band that has a lead guitarist in it, and one of the best at that. Just because the current mood of nu-metal when this was recorded had a directive that meant all the guitars had to mesh into one doesn’t mean you have to follow! All it did was forever tie this album to this time in metal history, one that will never be fondly remembered, and also completely waste one member of your band from not only expressing himself but from adding his own flavour to the songs and the album as a whole. Just really poor thought processes there.
4. Bob Rock on bass. He’s a competent player, and in general ever since Cliff Burton passed Metallica has tried to hide the bass on their albums anyway, but the individuality of a band bass player is basically also missing here.
On top of this, because of the way it is recorded with just Lars and James being relevant and heard and because of the length of the songs that never change throughout, this album feels like one long painful song. Yes, if you walked past a garage and heard a band jamming in there for an hour and a half straight, it would probably sound just like this. That is a long time for little variation, and to have to put up with listening to that fucking snare.

There are bits and pieces of songs that I like on this, but really no songs in total that I enjoy from start to finish. I tried to like it, if for no other reason than I thought the band was trying to make amends for their previous dive for the depths, but on reflection this actually washes up to be worse than those, for those reasons stated above. Again, there is every probability that if I was of a different generation I would have embraced this thoroughly because other generations grew up with nu metal and enjoyed it. That’s not me though, and though a couple of these songs do sound better in a live environment, overall this is a major disappointment.

Rating: “I’m madly in anger with you”. Yes, I’m talking to you Lars! 1.5/5

985. Metallica / Metallica. 1991. 4/5

The anticipation leading up to the release of Metallica back in 1991 was almost unbearable. In the three years leading up to it we had had ...And Justice for All blow us away, followed by our first sighting of the band in Australia on the Damaged Justice tour which was unbelievable. Then a few short weeks before its release the single “Enter Sandman” had been released, and again caused an outbreak of mayhem. It was a foregone conclusion that the new album was going to be amazing and none of us could wait to hear it. Perhaps we expected too much. For parts of it, we didn’t expect what we got.

No doubt the experience of this album was different for those that didn’t grow up in the 1980’s and grew up with the first four Metallica albums as the template you expected. Those that came in at this point probably have a greater love for what Metallica ended up producing through the 1990’s as a result, because Metallica set the new blueprint in place. Overall it is of a more even tempo, a less frantic and more mature sound, utilising more grooves than out-and-out duelling riffs and a much more simplified drum technique. All Metallica fans know about how the album came to be made, it was all filmed and released on the “A Year and a Half in the Life of Metallica” video. Bob Rock came in as producer, James blew his voice out, there was a feeling from within the band that they needed to continue to adapt. On its release and it having been digested by all over a matter of months, there were (and are) those who felt it was a sell out by the band, a deliberate softening of their sound in order to gain radio airplay and make more sales. Most of the evidence available at that time and since suggests this isn’t the case. In the first instance, you wouldn’t say that a song like “Sad But True” is a softened song simply because the tempo is reeled right back. In the second instance, this album becomes a bridge to the following two albums, where the style of songs that the band produced headed further in the direction this one had taken from its predecessor. It is just the start of the path, and if it was selling out for more money then surely the backlash that occurred during the decade from their core fan base was enough to show that it wasn’t going to work. Instead, the band went in the direction they wanted to for their own reasons, not the call of the dollar.
In 1991, my initial reaction to the album was positive. When you are 21, you seem to have more time to listen to the same album a hundred times in a week, and I’m pretty sure this is what I did with Metallica. The opening track I was already more than familiar with, as “Enter Sandman” had not only infiltrated all of the music video shows but had even creeped onto the radio in places. I loved the slow heated rage of “Sad But True” with the nuances and range that James uses to push his emotions through. The return to the fast paced “Holier Than Thou” spitting at you from out of the speakers always increase the heart rate. The majestic rising and falling of “Wherever I May Roam” has that atmosphere that drives your emotions faster than you would imagine the tempo of the song could. “Don’t Tread on Me” was harder to get into, its song structure always felt more offbeat than I was comfortable with. Then the drive into “Through the Never” erased any doubts and always brought back those glad tidings. “Of Wolf and Man” was another immediate favourite, one I would sing at the top of my lungs in my downstairs bedroom. “The God That Failed” I always cast in the same category as “Don’t Tread on Me” as one of those middle range songs. The mood created by Jason Newsted’s bass riff at the start of “My Friend of Misery” would send chills down my spine when it started, and the closing song “The Struggle Within” is probably the song that most closely relates to the thrash roots of the band, with the speed, complexities and heavy riff always finishing off the album on a great note. While it was the first Metallica album that I didn’t absolutely love all the way through from start to finish, I still played it for months and loved it as best I could.

As that happy and carefree 21 year old, I was never able to reconcile the two problem songs of the album, and as a happy and careworn 47 year old I still have the same problems today. “The Unforgiven” never ever sat easy with me. Can I tell you why? Not exactly, no. As many thought at the time, it felt like a ‘radio-friendly’ song, one that would appease those who listened to commercial radio. And “Nothing Else Matters” was and even firmer example. It broke the Metallica mould well and truly. Of course, the ballad was a well-known entity in the metal world, but for the most part it was a feared entity for my generation. We could take them from bands such as Scorpions and Motley Crüe because that was a part of their makeup, but it wasn’t a part of Metallica’s DNA, and that was scary.
I always came back to these types of Metallica songs by comparing them to “Fade to Black”, which isn’t a radio-friendly song but was the slower paced, clear guitar, soulful vocal song from the band’s past that you could judge these songs against. Because there is no selling out with “Fade to Black”, it is just an awesome piece of song writing and music. Listen to it, and then listen to “The Unforgiven” and “Nothing Else Matters”, and judge the difference between them. I’ve said this before, but maybe if I came across Metallica at the age of 14 in 1991 these songs would resonate with me as much as “Fade to Black” does with me in my own age bracket. Is it just a timing thing – that because I grew up with the early albums and can’t cotton onto these two songs because I expected more, then and now? That argument could be made and would make for a worthwhile discussion. The conclusion for me here is that these did sound like radio songs and that is what they became. Even listening to them today, and especially their performance at concerts I have attended, they just left me feeling flat.

With the groundwork set, the path for Metallica’s progression (or regression) in the 1990’s was laid down here. In 1991 I loved this album but with reservations. In the changing world of music at the time where grunge was exerting its influence no one knew how much heavy metal was going to be affected. This album still stands as a testament to Metallica’s ability to adapt to their own maturing loves, and while it has its detractors for one reason or another there is no denying that much of this is terrific material which is still a hell of a lot better than what most bands can produce.

Rating:  “What is it, what have you got to lose”.  4/5

984. Soundgarden / Superunknown. 1994. 4/5

Superunknown is a refinement to what the band had released in the past. For the most part the tendrils of heavy metal have been wiped clean. There are no songs here that come close to some of the material that was written and recorded on Badmotorfinger. There are some good hard rock songs, and some good alternative songs, and some songs that continue to fly the flag for the grunge scene, which was quickly moving away from its peak by the time this album was released. Perhaps it was a more commercial record, or perhaps in essence it is just that two of the singles here went gangbusters both on the music video shows as well as commercial radio.

“Let Me Drown” is a strong opening song in a classic hard rock way with hard drums and solid rhythm followed up with vocals that are forthright and at the forefront of the song. “My Wave” comes from the same production line, with Cameron’s hard hitting drums bursting out of the speakers at you followed by Cornell’s wonderful vocal lines. Songs like this, when Cornell is on song and being the driving force of the song are my favourites because everything works together and there is a force behind it, a driving desire. That still makes songs like the following track, “Fell on Black Days”, terrific in their own right, but it is a different style of song, for which there is more melancholy in both music and vocals. That this band is capable of writing and performing these two styles of songs without skipping a beat is one of their great strengths.
Whatever the process, this almost acts like Soundgarden’s vision of Sgt Peppers. It contain songs that have almost psychedelic connotations with songs such as “Mailman” and “Head Down” and “The Day I Tried to Live”, that really hold themselves back and spin out the drama. Sitting between these songs is the title track “Superunknown” which is the rock alternative to those tracks, while “Limo Wreck” is a real indulgence, a long dragged out affair that combined with “The Day I Tried to Live” combine the thoughtful slow smouldering rhythm within the tonal areas where each songs has its own break out point where the music and vocals both explode for a time. Mixed within the middle of this are the mega-singles, “Black Hole Sun” and “Spoonman”. “Black Hole Sun” disguises its intent within the clear guitar and smooth vocals before the heavier guitar comes into play, while “Spoonman” is the closest to metal this album comes in regards to drum beat and guitar, which along with that higher range vocal from Cornell initiates some blood pumping through the veins.
It will always be the upbeat songs such as “Spoonman” and “Kickstand” that I remember most fondly, because they are the ones that make a band for me. You can have your melancholy songs and your reflective tunes and those types of songs, because they have their place within the framework. But the faster upbeat songs are the ones that grab your attention and hold it for longer, because that is how they are designed. The back half of the album reigns in these songs to a degree, but that doesn’t make them any less entertaining, it perhaps just muddies up how the album finishes.

I often wonder why this album for me didn’t quite match up to the previous album, and indeed how that occurred again with the following album. More than anything else, the music was changing even if it was ever so slightly. That was necessary for the band to survive the end of the grunge era, but was perhaps at odds against themselves. On a personal level my own metal preferences were being to move towards the faster paced European bands, but in the end for me I felt as though the album tailed off, that its best work was done by two-thirds of the way through. Despite these thoughts, this is still a terrific album, one that I can still put on and enjoy thoroughly.

Rating:   “Whatsoever I've feared has come to life, whatsoever I've fought off became my life”.  4/5

983. Soundgarden / Badmotorfinger. 1991. 4.5/5

There are moments in life that can stand out amongst all other memories, that are the ones that are easily remembered when the right question is asked. When I am asked “When did you first hear Soundgarden’s Badmotorfinger album?” it is an easy answer. It was on the day it was released, which was also my 22nd birthday. A mate of mine bought it that day, and insisted I come over for a beer and to listen to it. I had heard snatches of Soundgarden’s earlier material at that stage, but not a lot. What I heard that day didn’t change my life, but it certainly enhanced it.

How do you describe such an album? I wasn’t sure at the time, but this was when grunge was just beginning to take hold, with albums such as Nirvana’s Nevermind, Pearl Jam’s Ten and Alice in Chains' Facelift also coming out, each with their own interpretation of the Seattle sound. Badmotorfinger wasn’t like those albums. It immediately had that traditional heavy metal element infused into the songs, such that I couldn’t possibly categorise the album as a grunge album. In fact, I couldn’t categorise them in any particular genre, because in many ways this album transcends that (as indeed do all of those albums mentioned). All I knew was that from the opening stanza this album was something special, and I had to get it.
For me, it is the first half of this album that does everything right. It appeals to my musical loves. I never owned this on vinyl, as by this time it was CD that had become the format for my collections, but if I had I reckon I would have worn out the first side of the album such was its pull over me. From the opening strains of “Rusty Cage” to that amazing sound the band squeezes out of “Outshined” as those vocals croon at the brilliant pitch, the two opening songs sound like studio jams with the foursome just hammering away on their instruments while someone records them in a corner. That guitar sound in “Outshined” is just fantastic.
For those that are of a mind to want to categorise this album, it’s not an easy one. Grunge had arrived and Soundgarden certainly infused that sound throughout their music, but this was mixed with the hard arsed metal guitar of Kim Thayil. “Slaves & Bulldozers” may be the perfect example of this. It has that slow tempo throughout that typified much of what grunge was, but listen to that guitar! Not only in the rhythm rumbling along the underlying song with Ben Shepherd’s cool as ice bass and Matt Cameron’s perpetual motion drumming, but also in the solo pieces he gets to add. And then Chris Cornell’s vocals, going from calm and low to the brilliant high energy scream. There is so much of Black Sabbath’s legacy within this song that surely it has to be metal! So, how do you categorise it? In the long run, if you are trying to describe the sound to a potential listener, you just have to say ‘put it on and find out for yourself’
For the metal lovers, “Jesus Christ Pose” and “Face Pollution” are the obvious winners on this album because they just hammer along and drag you into that headbanging action you know so well, and force you to try and sing along at the same pitch that Cornell does. Which is literally impossible, but you have to try, before eventually finding your own range of comfort. As “Slaves & Bulldozers” rolls almost literally into the brilliant “Jesus Christ Pose”, with that fabulous riff over Cameron’s amazing drum performance before Cornell’s vocals just take off, you can only wonder in awe at how this band puts together so many unique sounds in a collection of songs. “Jesus Christ Pose” is that song that every garage band in the world wants to play, but has four instrumental pieces combined here that are practically impossible for amateurs to play and make sound good. Bass, guitar, drums, vocals. No chance on all counts. “Face Pollution” then follows this up at speed with not so much low end guitar but plenty of flailing and energy.
I’m not going to say that this is the best section of any album ever, but while I can find others that may equal this, I cannot say that there is any better ‘first five songs on an album’ ever. So don’t get me wrong when I suggest that the second half of the album mightn’t quite stack up to the first half. I’m not saying is that it isn’t very good. That isn’t true, because the performances and songs on the second half of the album are still awesome. They are different though. They are of a slower tempo generally, and find their way into that alternative medium that is more similar to those other bands they came through the scene with.
“Somewhere” pulls back from the metal heights and finds the middle ground again in more of an alternative sound, clearer guitar. “Searching With My Good Eye Closed” is perhaps the less impactful song on the album for me after the assault of the opening songs. This is brought back into line by “Room a Thousand Years Wide” which has a great underlying riff throughout while Cornell takes control of the song with his driving vocals. “Mind Riot” and “Drawing Flies” both settle back into that comfortable mid-section of the album. The passion of Cornell’s vocals in “Holy Water” drags this from being a good song into being a terrific song. The closing track “New Damage” has that mid-range latter day Sabbath tempo with the band doing their thing while Cornell croons over the top. The sludgy, syrupy guitar, drum and vocals here is the closest indicator to the bands’ genre standing in the community.

25 years after its release, Badmotorfinger remains a hallmark of the period. It managed to draw in those punters who were beginning to take on the newly romanticised genre of grunge while also compelling those punters who were hanging on to 1980’s heavy metal to also love this, and yet it hasn’t dated. It holds true to what it was when it was recorded, and still old fans and new fans alike can put this on in this day and age and find stuff to love. Perhaps it is not for everyone, and future blockbuster albums were perhaps more accessible for the next generation, but this album is perhaps still the one that best holds true to Soundgarden’s roots.

Rating:  “Now I’m in the mirror, now it’s getting clear”  4.5/5

982. Operation: Mindcrime / Resurrection. 2016. 1.5/5

I guess we can be brutally honest about this. There must be someone, somewhere out there, that thinks that what Geoff Tate is doing in his current musical field with his band Operation: Mindcrime is the equal of or better than what is happening in the Queensrÿche camp. I don’t know any of them mind you, but there must be fans out there who are enjoying this stuff. And what it shows is that the split between the two should have happened a long time ago, and let Geoff do this without dictating to others what should work best for them.

You can’t argue with his work ethic though. Albums keep coming forth on a regular basis, and he tours as he feels it necessary. The fact that he celebrated the final parting with Queensrÿche by christening his new ‘band’ by the title of its most famous album, and then engaged in writing and releasing a concept album trilogy, of which this is the second chapter, makes it even more thought-provoking as to why he stuck with it for so long. No doubt the name of the band was making more money.
And so on to Resurrection, which is Part Two of this story that apparently details virtual currencies, internet banking and stock trading. Honestly I haven’t listened to the lyrical side of the songs hard enough to garner that information out of them, I just found it on Wikipedia and threw it in here. And was it not for the addition of Spotify into my life, I am quite sure I would never have heard this album because the utilising of virtual currencies, internet banking or stock trading to purchase this album was out of the question given the two albums that preceded this. So I had no illusions going in. I was probably going to hate this.
Is hate too strong a word? Having now listened to this album in full on a number of occasions, it probably is. But is there anything likeable about it? Very little as you can probably imagine, and that is simply because it is nothing like any kind of music that I do like. It’s like asking me to review anything by Justin Bieber – I don’t like his music, so any review or rating is going to be coloured by that. Resurrection more or less takes up from where The Key leaves off. It is dreary. It’s like listening to the rain at the end of Queensrÿche's “Della Brown” and expecting to hear “Another Rainy Night” but instead getting “The Queue” from the previous album. Honestly, this album goes for over an hour, but it feels like an afternoon. There is little to distinguish between the songs, they all roll into one another. Geoff’s vocals all remain monotonic for great passages, even when layered on each other. There’s more synth than guitar or drums. It almost redefines a progressive rock genre into something far less, almost into easy listening. Most of it will lull you off to sleep if you allow it. It’s not that it is all terrible, but there are parts that cannot bring out any other adjective apart from that. 

“Taking on the World” is the closest this album has to a hard rock song, and having brought on Tim “Ripper” Owens and Blaze Bayley to take part as guest vocalists for this one song should make it the centrepiece of the album. The fact that it is, even though it doesn’t allow Ripper to actually unleash his powerhouse vocal (perhaps for fear that it would overshadow Tate’s degenerating vocal abilities) is a shame. This is the one song on the album I can almost get on board with, and I would be lying if I said it was for any reason except for Ripper and Blaze’s appearance.

The fact that Tate has struggled gain the Operation: Mindcrime name seems absurd given that the albums are practically still a two man show, with himself and Kelly Gray doing the bulk of the instrumentation. Why not just stay as Geoff Tate or The Geoff Tate Band? Is it so necessary to market himself based on his past with his other band? Despite this, the music will still be what he is judged on, and so I come back to the way I started this review. There must be people out there who like what Tate has been writing, both here and in the last ten years of his time with Queensrÿche. I’m just not sure who they are. This album is probably a little more interesting that The Key. That’s about the best I can say about it.

Rating:  One long monotone.   1.5/5

981. Megadeth / Peace Sells... But Who's Buying? 1986. 5/5

My introduction to Megadeth’s sophomore album was inevitably through the magic of music video, and their appearance on music shows such as Rage on ABCTV late on Friday and Saturday nights. Both videos for “Peace Sells” and “Wake Up Dead” were excellent, and the songs even better. My problem living in Australia in 1986 was that it was almost impossible to find this album. It wasn’t until I finally discovered Utopia Records in Sydney that this became easier. As it was, it was a miracle when I finally found this on vinyl in a rack at Wilson’s Records in Wollongong in early 1988, and I finally was able to experience the album of Peace Sells... But Who's Buying? rather than just the two songs I knew so well by that time.

Is there a finer opening song to an album than “Wake Up Dead”? It would be far too difficult to nail down an exact answer to that, but I have always felt that while there would be many songs that could be rated as an equal, certainly none is better than this. The needle would hit the vinyl, and then BANG, we are straight into the album, with Dave explaining to us about his sneak entry into his own house that evening. The difference between the opening thirty seconds of this song and everything that appeared on their debut opus is startling. That album was raw thrash just thrown out there, a wall of noise coming at you at a rush of speed. “Wake Up Dead” is heavy – fucking heavy – but refined in a way those early songs were not. The band is tight, the music is hammered together and the production is a hundred times better without stripping back any of the anger and fury that is pouring out of the speakers. This is a classic, and Dave being able to come up with songs about particular relationships was something that he can still draw on. “The Conjuring” is the follow up, and continues in a similar vein. However, though it is fast and heavy it doesn’t come across as frantic as the band’s earlier material. It is full of great riffs and fast and heavy material, but it is not in a frenzy. It is a real triumph as to how quickly the band matured in writing and playing, and about how better production can tighten songs that are pliable due to their strength.
“Peace Sells” is a classic in its simplicity, beautifully held together by Dave Ellefson’s wonderful bass line rumbling along underneath the simple by effective drum and guitar riff, while Mustaine stands on his soap box and pontificates on his vision of the world as he sees it. It also comes with the perfect lines for crowds to cry back at the band during concerts, an easy form of hero worship through the lyrics. The music video exacerbated this through its clever depiction of world events, and it spoke to the teenage generation at their hearts. Combine politics and anger in a song. It’s a winner. This then crashes straight into “Devil’s Island”, with Ellefson again flying along on bass guitar throughout while Mustaine and Chris Poland have a ball in their selected category. It’s amazing how fast a five minute song can go when it goes at this pace. Great stuff.
The opening to the second side of the album is “Good Mourning / Black Friday”. Good Mourning is just that, a slower mournful opening with Dave’s spoken feelings, before we suddenly fall downhill into Good Friday, which holds the torch for speed metal high and proud on this album. This flays along at what Dark Helmet in Spaceballs would call Ludicrous Speed. It is almost impossible for the listener to keep up with the song, and I can’t imagine how on earth Mustaine and Poland managed to pick their guitar strings at this speed. This is just awesomely fantastic, and even though it will rick your neck completely you can’t help but thrash along in time. Brilliant stuff. “Bad Omen” starts off in a similar vein to Good Mourning, but maintains a more attainable speed once the song starts, before careering over the edge as well in the final third of the song.
If there is an issue to be had, then it is with “I Ain’t Superstitious”, a cover version of the song originally recorded by blues artist Howlin’ Wolf. This version is (of course) a lot different from the original, but it is still noticeable that it doesn’t completely fit the vibe of the rest of this album. It is listenable, yes. And it must be said, even perfect albums can have a slight flaw in them (yes I know that is basically a contradiction, but I don’t care). Everything is forgiven by the closing track “My Last Words” which again starts with a slower riff before bursting into the heart of the song at speed, and Mustaine taking the bull by the horns and letting it charge. This is a terrific closing track, leaving you just as high and blazing as you are by the opening of the album. Just scintillating.

Apart from any reservations raised by “I Ain’t Superstitious”, it is practically impossible to find any weaknesses in this album. While Gar Samuelson’s drumming is sometimes criticised, his work here is solid and builds the basis for the other three musicians to weave their spell. Dave Ellefson is tremendous, and his bass guides throughout are a major component of what makes these songs so heavy in the bottom end. Chris Poland and Mustaine himself once again show a wonderful combination in their guitaring, and it is a disappointment that Poland was dismissed following this album (along with Samuelson) for excessive drug use as their partnership is just fantastic here. On top of all of this, Mustaine’s vocals continued to suit his songs, and with a deepening political and social bent in his lyrics the album ticks all of the boxes. Even as a stepping stone to further great albums to come, this still holds its own and stands the test of time some 30 years on.

Rating:  “I want to watch the news….. this IS the news!”  5/5

980. The Raven Age / Darkness Will Rise. 2017. 3/5

Twelve months ago I had the pleasure of seeing Iron Maiden live in Sydney once again, and their support band on this leg was The Raven Age, a band that all I knew about was that Steve Harris' son George was one of the guitarists. They played, and it turned out that they weren't one of the worst support acts I've seen. So when they announced that their debut album was coming out I felt it prudent to seek it out and see what they had to offer.

From the very beginning, for a debut album, it is long. That's a risky thing, given you are trying to grab people's attention. You don't want to the album to feel as though it is dragging on too long or you are going to lose people. Not only that, the songs are long, the shortest being five minutes. It's the same principle surely, if you start to lose your fans interest, where do you go from there?
My problem with this album lies in the same areas as I have with other bands of a similar ilk. The vocals of lead singer Michael Burrough are of that type that sound the same in every single damn song. The range doesn't change, and they just seem to hammer across the melody of the guitars. That's not to say they are poor vocals, but I feel like I'm listening to the same song all the time because that's just how the singing sounds - different lyrics but the same pattern all the time. If it is done well enough this becomes less noticeable, and this is also true of the more you listen to and get used to an album. But you have to be able to work past that if you are going to get the most out of this album, and that's not an easy thing.
There is also a very formulaic feel about the song writing. Despite the twin guitars in the band, there is very little break out soloing that takes centre stage of the song. The solos are there, but they just don't stand out from the rest of the song. The musicianship is fine, like clockwork really, but it is just the fact that it doesn't break away from the metronome type of feeling that there is some issue in finding something to grab onto, something that makes this album click.
All of this probably makes it sound like I don't like the album, and that's not completely true. What I did find was that I liked SECTIONS of songs without necessarily enjoying all of the song. Half the time that is solved with time and repeated playings, as the songs become more familiar, and to a certain extent that has happened here. The opening salvo of "Promised Land", "Age of the Raven", "The Death March" and "Salem's Fate"all grew on me over time, even if they have never become good friends. Their characteristics are similar and if not ignored would become a burden, but time has improved their edges.
"The Merciful One" breaks out of the sludgy mold that many of the songs have been cast from, and driven by the excellent rhythm drum and bass of Jai Patel and Matt Cox this became one of my immediate favourites on the album - at least until the middle of the song, where inexplicably it goes quiet leading into a mournful section again. OK, so by this time I have to accept that this is the band's style and genre, and that I'm not going to hear what I might consider would be that ultimate break out moment. "Eye Among the Blind" also comes from their debut EP, and it is noticeable that there is some difference in the song writing between the releases, except for where we again seem to stop mid-song once again, go into quiet vocal mode, before bursting back to complete the song in mourning again. Really? It's the same format, one song after the other.
"Winds of Change" and "Trapped Within the Shadows" for me are the best on the album, showcasing the best of the undertow of the band and also allowing Harris and Dan Wright the room to show their skills on guitar. "My Revenge", "The Dying Embers of Life", "Angel in Disgrace" and "Behind the Mask" are all off that same conveyor belt of the start of the album, and without trying to repeat myself, will be songs you either learn to like or will dispose of forever.

As a summary, I can only convey that I enjoy the album. It goes in a different direction song-wise than I would have imagined, and both the length of the songs and the length of the album is probably too long. A tightening somewhere along the way would probably have improved its impact. Still, as an opening effort it is a good listen once you have sanded those dull edges.

Rating:   "Destroy all you've ever known and hide the lies of your purity".  3/5

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Rating:  A debut worth a listen.  3.5/5

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

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

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

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

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