229. Primal Fear / Devil's Ground. 2003. 4.5/5.

The next in the Primal Fear collection, and this takes an even greater leap into the upper echelons of modern metal greatness.
The stage is set as Ralf Scheepers screams out “METAL IS FOREVER!!” as the first thing you hear on the album, and from there it only gets better.

Though everything this band has done has been metal, this is another leap forward. This is really fast, and really heavy, in a heavy metal way. On this album, Primal Fear have taken all of the best aspects from power metal, heavy metal, thrash metal and speed metal, and fused them into an absolutely brilliant and exciting album.

So why is it that this band has almost no exposure outside of Europe? I still find it amazing. If this had been marketed and promoted in the right way, every fan of heavy metal in the world would have become a fan of this album and band, I am sure of it. The musicianship is just fantastic, and Ralf's vocals have lost nothing over the years. They are a terrific package.

Choosing my favourites here is like listing the entire contents of the album. If forced to do so, I would choose Metal Is Forever, Suicide And Mania, Visions Of Fate, The Healer, Soulchaser and Heart Of A Brave.

Rating : One of the very good surprises I received in 2003. Magnificent. 4.5/5

228. Ratt / Detonator. 1990. 3.5/5

Leading up to the new decade, the band Ratt had always pushed their barrow in their own direction. From the outset they had conjured up their own sound, their own version of the hard rock and metal that they had grown up around and performed within. Alongside the outstanding characteristics of Warren De Martini’s lead guitar and Stephen Pearcy’s unique vocals, the band had found its place in the industry, and then gone about rusting themselves on and putting out consistently excellent solid albums. They had their formula that they knew was a hit with their fans and was catchy enough to attract new fans, and this is what they stuck to.
Their fourth album, “Reach for the Sky”, had seen the band continuing to stick to their guns in this regard, and though they had a charting single in “Way Cool Jr”, the sales for the album were not as strong as they had been for their first three releases. Some music critics felt that the similarity in the songs had finally caught up with the band, that there was not enough growing in the music itself, and that this was what had affected the album’s performance. True or not, Ratt decided on a change of tactics.
For their follow up album, the band parted ways with long time producer Beau Hill, instead deciding to team up with the man who had become known as the ‘hit-maker’ in the music industry. That man was Desmond Child, whose partnership with bands like Kiss, Bon Jovi and Alice Cooper had produced multi million selling albums such as “Slippery When Wet” and “Trash”. Child came in with his personal sound engineer Arthur Payson who both produced the album, with Child having his fingers all over the writing of the majority of the songs on the album as well. "Reach for the Sky” had been the first time the band had utilised an outside writer on their tracks, which had been producer Beau Hill, but here they had a Bonafide five star collaborator with an amazing track record of producing hit singles. And coming off the success of Alice Cooper’s “Trash” album, where he had performed the same role, Ratt had to be confident that they could produce something that would win back the admiration of their fan base. All of this moved into the release of the band’s fifth album, released in one of the most interesting years in metal music history in 1990, and given the suitably inflammable title of “Detonator”.

The album opens with Warren De Martini’s one minute guitar noodling titled “Intro to Shame” before bursting into the true opening of “Shame Shame Shame”, replete with Bobby Blotzer’s excellent drumming and Stephen Pearcy’s de rigueur vocals. The guitaring throughout the song is terrific and it has Desmond Child’s vision all over it. It starts off the album on the right foot. De Martini’s solo burst on the guitar greets the beginning of “Lovin’ You’s a Dirty Job”, a more typical Ratt section, styled in a mid-tempo range that settles into it groove and allows Pearcy to take centre stage and explain to you his love quandary. Its main problem is that it sounds as though it was WRITTEN to be a single, which indeed it was, released as the first from the album. It’s a bit stereotypical. “Scratch That Itch” has a far more pleasing upbeat tempo, Blotzer’s drums driving the song in his hard hitting way. There’s a bit of Def Leppard about Robbin’s rhythm guitar in this song too, whether it is deliberate or not. De martini solos beautifully, all together making the marks of a great Ratt song.
“One Step Away” again channels those darlings of the hard rock scene, Def Leppard and AC/DC. A great rhythm throughout from Blotzer, Crosby and Juan Croucier’s bass guitar sets the tone, with harmony vocals through the bridge and chorus that give it that slightly softer feel, a more commercial feel perhaps. This would have been a far better fit for the band to release as a single than the two that they did. They may have missed a trick with that. Apart from the rather obvious comparison here it is another excellent song. Then comes “Hard Time” which focuses more like an historical Ratt track, with the harder guitar and the tougher vocal from Pearcy. These are the type of songs that work well for the band in this environment, no compromise with the music and Stephen being forthright in his delivery. Read the same description for “Head I Win, Tails You Lose” which follows, one that sounds like an old school De Martini/Pearcy collaboration. Croucier’s bass is prominent in the mix throughout for this song which gives it a slightly more booming quality.
“All or Nothing” bounces like a track off the first two albums, that head and body bobbing quality that gets you moving with the track. De Martini’s guitar solo is a highlight. This then explodes into “Can’t Wait on Love” that also channels those early Ratt albums, the energy from the outset is catchy as hell, Pearcy’s vocals sound like he means what he’s singing, getting his lungs behind them and hitting those great fun heights that he can, and which generally makes the best Ratt songs when he does. This is one of the best on the album. “Givin’ Yourself Away” is the one true power ballad on the album. There are some out there that claimed that Ratt has never done a power ballad before this album and this song. Well, you probably need to check your definition of a power ballad if that is the case. This one however is a Desmond Child special, you can hear his influence all over it. It is also co-written by Diane Warren, who wrote a number of hit singles for artists – all of which happened to be ballads or power ballads. So, the direction this song goes is no accident. Skip please.
The album then concludes with “Top Secret” which returns us to where the band is at its best and plays us out to a satisfying finish.

It wouldn’t be new information to say that I was less enamoured by the album “Reach for the Sky” when it came out. There was a big push of the single “Way Cool Jr” - a song that just never really resonated with me – and I always felt the album was weaker than I liked. In recent years I have come around to it more than I did, but those feelings still remain whenever I think of that album. On the other hand, perhaps I always held "Detonator” in higher regard simply because of the fact that Desmond Child was involved, and that I had enjoyed so much what he had done for Alice Cooper’s “Trash” album. I won’t deny that that wasn’t a factor, indeed a very big reason that I followed up and bought this album after my less than positive reaction to the previous album.
At the time when the album was released, I enjoyed it... but as we all know 1990 was a year of spectacular indulgence, a year when an incredible amount of amazing heavy albums were all released in a very short space of time. Within just five weeks of this album being released, for instance, we also saw the release of Alice in Chains’ “Facelift”, Anthrax’s “Persistence of Time”, Queensryche’s “Empire” and Judas Priest’s “Painkiller”. Ratt weren’t to know then, but how in the hell do you compete against a quartet like that?! I can tell you – it can’t. This album was really enjoyable for about two weeks after I got it, and then it just got swallowed up in the gigantic enormousness of those other albums, and amazingly some others that equally that within a couple of months. The back half of 1990 was somewhat ridiculous. And – for me at least – if this album had come out a couple of months earlier, it would have gotten a much fairer listening time than it did on its release.
It did however, find its way back into the listening cycle, like many bands did for me in the second half of the 1990’s where all the bands I followed were dead or changed, and I was ambivalent about much of the music being produced. It was when I went back to the albums of the 1980’s and of 1990, and Ratt came back into vogue. And this album for me stood out from the other four of their releases during that period – not because it was necessarily better, but it was different. It had its own sound, and though it was definitely Ratt it had a more modern feel than the other four albums.
Flash forward to this week, and I have had the album out again for about a week, though mostly at a lower level at work with a couple of other albums I have been reviewing at the same time. Because it was acting as background music for me, I wasn’t taking a lot in, it wasn’t making itself known to me. But over the past two days, when I have concentrated my senses on the album, listening not only at home but increasing the volume at work to allow it to envelop me, I have had a ball. I have truly enjoyed this album, listening to it again, and not exactly discovering it again but making my acquaintance with it again. Because it HAS been a while since I last indulged in “Detonator”, and it has definitely been too long. The album has a great up vibe feel about it, it is played at a great clip, and the tempo and energy are enjoyable throughout. In many ways, it set the band up for its push into the new decade and the way it felt at the time that the genres were beginning to head.
This of course was a false dawn, as the onset of grunge almost from the moment this album was released changed the course of almost every band in the business. For Ratt, their internal problems came to a head, with Robbin Crosby’s substance abuse seeing him ejected from the band while he checked into rehab, sadly his final moments with Ratt before his passing in 2002 from a heroin overdose. Stephen Pearcy soon left for another project, and Ratt as a band went on a hiatus that was to last for several years, and remove all of the headway they had created with this album. Their return would come, and there is more to be told of the tale, but that is all for another podcast episode down the road a ways.

227. KISS / Destroyer. 1976. 5/5.

Despite album sales that tended to tell a different story, Kiss appeared to be on an upward trend as they reached the year 1975. With three studio albums behind them, the growth in their fans base and at their live concerts was noticeably in the ascendancy. On the downside their albums had not been hits, and their record label Casablanca Records was on the verge of bankruptcy, something that could have had serious consequences for the band if they went under. In many ways, both the record label and the band needed to find a way to create an album that captured the imagination of their fans, new and old, in order to give the band a further boost to its popularity, and to help fill the coffers of the label to ensure they still had a recording contract into the future. That album came, with the idea to produce a live album that captured the band in their best state – on stage, loud and proud, an album that fully immersed the listener as to what it was like to attend a Kiss concert. That album, “Alive!” was released in September 1975, and became an instant hit and sold in the millions. For those that are interested in the story of that album, you can find it on Episode 120 of this podcast. The band then returned to the road to support the success, but in the process were already considering what was going to happen for their next release. They had resigned with Casablanca Records, in the main due to the fact that the label had supported them through the first part of their career, but it was only a two album deal, which meant the pressure was still on the band to follow up this initial success.
One of the main changes and biggest influences of how the band moved forward from this point was the appointment of Bob Ezrin as Producer for the new album. Ezrin was best known at this point in time for his skill in helping to turn around the Alice Cooper Band and bring a focus to their music and musicianship that had seen them become worldwide stars, and was now doing the same for the former Vincent Furnier in his solo gig under the Alice Cooper name. And he brought the same focus and work ethic to this album as well. In a similar way as he has done with the Alice Cooper Band, he brought a professionalism with him, and insisted that the band members work to get the best out of themselves and the best performances they could offer. He provided them lessons in music theory, as none of the band had ever been trained on their instruments. He insisted on discipline, using a whistle to pull the band back to work if they were drifting off. He ruled with an iron fist, pulling individuals into line if they weren’t going in the direction he wanted. He introduced sound effects, kids and people talking as intros to songs, strings and orchestral pieces, and even a boys choir, along with keys and piano that he played himself. All of this was new, and not always accepted with grace. Once the album had been released, and begun its own trajectory into the charts, Paul Stanley compared the experience to a musical boot camp, but that the group came out of the album better, while Gene Simmons was quoted as saying “It was exactly what we needed at the time”.
The result of all of this was an album that combined a number of different styles of music, drew out the best of all four members, and provided a platform for all that was to follow. And that album became “Destroyer”.

“Destroyer” is an album that is packed full of hits, or at the very least of so many songs that have resonated with fans over the years, been played live thousands of times, been played and sung at parties and get togethers around the world over the years. It also has songs that could stand to be discussed in a different environment, if one were to take a pointed less enthusiastic description of the album itself. In that regard, “Destroyer” is no different from any other Kiss album. In the main, there are songs that have become legendary over time, and there are others that can be escribed as weaker and less worthy of having been chosen to be recorded for an album. The point of view of the fan and casual listener will almost always tend to reside at opposite end of the spectrum.
“Detriot Rock City” quickly became a staple of live shows, and it is easy to see why. The single release and version that often appears on greatest hits compilations all cut out the opening preamble to the track, but I far prefer it in its original form as it appears on this album, with the story leading up to the start of the song being a part of it, the roar of the engine, the singing of the song in the kitchen and the car. I still love all of that to today. Taking it away leaves the song to lose some of its lustre. Beyond that, it is still a classic. The chorused chant, the wonderful bass line from Gene, the crisp drumming from Peter, and Paul’s bright, exciting vocal delivery. It remains one of the band’s most recognisable songs, and a terrific opening song in the live environment as well. Then, as with the start of the track, we have the story’s closing finale with the crashing of truck into car as prophesised within the lyrics of the track, something also lef of the single version. Such a waste. Bob Ezrin’s influence in this song with co-composer Paul Stanley is obvious from the outset. Even better, it immediately segues into the brilliant “King of the Night Time World”. The song was originally written by Kim Fowley and Mark Anthony for their band the Hollywood Stars, and Ezrin asked for permission to utilise it for Kiss. The lyrics were altered slightly to fit with the image of the band and used here. A great rolling drum beat from Peter introduces the song, with Paul again on vocals, pronouncing his (and the band’s) perceived role as the said King of the night time world. Criss’s drumming is the excellence of the track, maintaining the perpetuality of the song throughout, driving the momentum and helping to create the fabulous follow up song the album needed after the high energy opening.
“God of Thunder” is one of the band’s most iconic songs and one of Gene’s finest moments – and yet, it could have been oh so different. Paul Stanley wrote the track initially, where it was initially of a faster tempo and one that he had every intention of singing. It wasn’t until Bob Ezrin listened to the song, and suggested two things – that they slow the tempo down to emphasise the natural heaviness of the song, and also allow Gene to sing the lead vocal on the track, thus also making it a naturally heavier song. And with that, Gene produces one of his best performances, Kiss produce one of their best songs, and a Paul and Gene combination occurs that no one would have ever considered. The originally conceived version of the track could well also have been terrific (the demo version exists on a couple of later compilations), but it feels as though the right decision was made. Another tick for producer Ezrin on this point, who also introduced overdubbed audience chatter and explosions and screaming children onto the track to help create the special piece it became.
“Great Expectations”, which closes out the first side of the album, is one of those tracks that can be compared to a WTF moment on this album. Gene offers us a track here that is best explained by his love of Disney styled music, which came to light especially when he covered “When You Wish Upon a Star” on his 1978 solo album. This is a very conceptual piece, utilising some orchestration along with the Brooklyn Boys Choir to provide the supporting vocals. What still strikes me about this song all of these years later is that is has a very Alice Cooper vibe to it, it is the kind of backing and performance that Ezrin and Alice Cooper had produced in recent years at that time. So there seems little doubt that Bob Ezrin had a reasonable amount to do with th direction of the song.
“Flaming Youth” opens up the second side, a rare composition between Paul, Gene and Ace, only with Ezrin. With Paul on vocals, it is a song that offers up the difference in change between the previous album and this one. It contains similarities to the way songs were produced and played on “Dressed to Kill”, but here it seems tighter, more in sync with where the band is headed. It is an average song, it isn’t one that anyone is going to rave about. But musically it comes together with more purpose. The rhythm fits together nicely, Ace offers us a solidly performed solo, while Paul matches underneath, and certain licks come from guest Dick Wagner, another Alice Cooper ring in. Unlike the flaming youth of the song, this doesn’t set the world on fire, but it is an enjoyable romp that keeps the mood of the album ticking along. “Sweet Pain” follows, a reasonably typical Gene ditty based around the solid rhythm led by himself and Peter. The point of contention on the album (the original release at least) is that the guitar solo on the song is again provided by Dick Wagner rather than Ace. Ace did provide a solo for the track, one that was reinserted when they released the “Resurrected” version of this album in 2012, but for whatever reason Ezrin originally used Wagner’s version.
The back half of the second side goes with what have become the heavy hitters, though context is always required when discussing it with other fans of the band. The first is the Paul and Gene combination of “Shout it Out Loud”, which has become an institution and an anthem in the years since the album was released. It isn’t especially fast in regards to tempo, but it comes across that way in the way that Paul and Gene sing the lead vocals. And it works best because they both share the duties here again, for whatever reason this song needs both of their voices on it to make it as great as it is. It is the perfect Kiss track because it is anthemic with easy to remember and sing lyrics, it brings together everyone whether it be at a gig or in the lounge room or on the deck, combined in their belief of the lyrics. It needs to be played loud in the car or on the stereo. It is another of the perfect Kiss party tracks, and its longevity is due to this.
OK. We’ve arrived at “Beth”. The song that has been played at every single gig for the entirety of the 50 years since this album was released, sung by the drummer – whichever one was in attendance at the time – and beloved the world over. Should I just leave it at that? This is Peter Criss’s contribution to the album, and through Ezrin’s influence utilises the New York Philharmonic Orchestra in the recording and Ezrin’s piano. In the main, the Kiss Army female brigade adore this track. There was no way to avoid it when seeing the band live except to duck out for a toilet break. Let’s be honest – no I don’t adore it. I tolerate it, because it is part of Kiss lore, entrenched into the Kiss mantra. There are a few of these scattered through the Kiss history that are forced to be tolerated. Ezrin may also have brought a bit more Alice Cooper to the album with this track, though without the Alice angst (think “Only Women Bleed”). This is designed for nice guy Peter to have his moment, and thus he does, thanks to Beth.
The album concludes with another Kiss staple, “Do You Love Me?”, another Paul written track along with the aforementioned Kim Fowley, with Paul outlining his and his girl’s opposing loves before asking the question that he desperately wants to know the answer for. It’s a standard, sort of paint-by-numbers track overall – except for the bridge, which again has an Alice Cooper vibe about the music backing as Paul’s vocals go up an octave during it. It is just for four lines, but it still gets me every time.
I know I’ve probably over emphasised the Bob Ezrin and Alice Cooper vibes I get from this album during this description of the tracks, but to me it comes across as obvious. All of the tricks and differentials Ezrin has introduced to the Kiss sound on this album help to make this album step out from the band’s first three in their discography, and the fact that he was successful with this prior to this album with the other band he is instrumental in producing is something I think bears consideration to this album’s success.

 
I mean... surely by now you know my Kiss journey... its beginnings with my cousin living at my grandmothers and plastering his bedroom walls with their posters and playing all their music... to winning the 5th class end of year dance contest to “I Was Made For Loving You”... to having my heavy metal music dealer recording me “Crazy Nights” in my final high school years, an album that I adored and adore to this day. Yes? You all know this? Very good. There will be a test later on.
“Destroyer”, on the other hand, came a little bit later on, as I began my slow but steady accumulation of all of the Kiss studio albums. This one was a no brainer I guess, because my cousin David had owned it, and I knew it by cover and by certain songs that stuck in the memory.
I know I loved this pretty much from the first moment I got it. The opening side of the album is impossible to ignore. The second side has enough greatness to retain your interest right through to the end. I still live by the philosophy that if you love an album, you love it all, as all pieces of the songs make the album its whole. There is no dissing a track just because it may not live up to all of your expectations. Love the album, love it all. And I did. When I first got this album I absolutely loved it all. I played it over and over. There was no question as to how much I loved it. That is the great thing when you discover an album that does this to you, that makes you love it without any qualms. I probably have hundreds of albums like that. It is what makes the music I love so important to me.
I still bring this out often to revisit. It is one of my go to albums, certainly if I am thinking about listening to Kiss. So listening to the album over this last week again has been just as fabulous as it always is. And yes, I have taken the time to consider this review carefully, making any subtle judgements on each individual song and hopefully reporting it to you faithfully. As this episode will no doubt show, there are some tracks here that perhaps have some flaws that I am fully aware of, that may not live up to the high expectations of the album as I see it. I am aware of them, don’t get me wrong. But there is a difference to producing a playlist just with songs you want to hear, and listening to an album from start to finish. I use and appreciate playlists in my listening, but what I love most is sitting in the Metal Cavern, and taking a vinyl or CD album, placing it on my stereo, and listening to it from start to finish as the artist intended it should be, and enjoying the ride throughout. Perhaps there ARE songs here I enjoy less than others, but when I listen to “Destroyer”, I listen to it as its own entity, not a collection of songs. “Destroyer” is an ALBUM, and as an ALBUM, it is one of the best of all time. A classic. A ripper. A beauty. Nothing for me can ever change that.

226. Demons & Wizards / Demons & Wizards. 1999. 3.5/5.

This is the side project of Blind Guardian lead singer Hansi Kürsch and Iced Earth guitarist Jon Schaffer, and a bloody impressive effort it is too. Is it a crime to say that I like it more than I like Blind Guardian? Possibly. But I do believe it is true.

This is definitive power metal, and for a side project is very well done. The album flows nicely, each song complementing the next Those that are familiar with the two 'parent' bands work will know what to expect here, a nice blending of their styles. The generally fast pace of the songs is also well complemented by the quiet acoustic passages.

My favourites from the album include Heaven's Denied, Poor Man's Crusade, Blood On My Hands and Tear Down The Wall.

Rating : You will have to be a fan of the genre to enjoy this – it is not for all tastes that is for sure. 3.5/5.

225. Testament / Demonic. 1997. 3/5.

The boys went pretty hard on this release, looking to emulate what they had produced beforehand, and also looking for new horizons in front of them.

Does it really work though? I mean, I like the album, don't get me wrong, and there is some good stuff on here. But I wonder whether they really thought through the writing process. Most of the songs on here exhibit the same characteristics, and while that isn't always a bad thing, with Testament's sound, it can get a little repetitive.

Aside from that, Demonic is another solid album. Best for me include The Burning Times, Together As One, Hatreds Rise and Murky Waters.

Rating : More preaching from the Testament. 3/5.

224. Judas Priest / Demolition. 2001. 2.5/5.

What surprises me most about this album is that what appeared to be glaring mistakes that were made by the band on their previous album Jugulator, in that the band moved away from their roots and fan base and having employed a singer who could do justice to their old material then completely wasted that talent in the songs that were written, were not rectified on this release. The arguments for and against what was written and recorded for the Demolitionalbum can become quite heated if you can find enough fans of what was done here to argue against those that felt Judas Priest was a different band than this. There aren’t many out there. And before you come at me suggesting I am missing the point of the album, just hear me out, because Priest had a real opportunity here to make themselves a viable proposition into the new millennium with their adopted lead singer, and I think they missed a trick through pride and perhaps jealousy.

Halford’s Resurrection hit the shelves the previous year from this being released while Priest were on a World Tour with Ripper on vocals, and it was almost like the Priest album that should have followed Painkiller, It was fast, it was furious, it was powerful, it had heavy guitars, fast drums, and Halford’s trademark screaming vocals. It was exciting, it was heart-thumping, it was Judas Priest metal. Like he had done for Bruce Dickinson before, Roy Z had taken an icon and brought him back from the edge. By now Dickinson had returned to his band Iron Maiden, and many now started hoping for the same reunion for Halford and Priest.
On the back of this, Judas Priest could have easily come up with a back-to-the-roots album, revived the halcyon days of the band, allowed Ripper full range in his vocals to exploit what he could do, and they could have challenged the perception that without Halford they were nothing. Unfortunately, we didn’t get that. Whether it was simply because the writers were happy with the material they were writing, or whether they decided that they needed to remain on the track they were on so as not to be compared to what Halford had released, or whether out of stubborn pride or jealousy they insisted on sticking to their guns and staying in the industrial metal like atmosphere they had created rather than admit that perhaps what they needed to do was move back in the direction their former vocalist had taken – I don’t know. All I know is at the time that this was released I thought they had missed a trick. It didn’t stop me from listening to the album dozens of time in an effort to glean as much from it as I could, but nagging at the back of my mind was the memory of Halford’s scream to start his album, and the opening riff, and how that had grabbed me from the outset, while this didn’t have any of that.
“Machine Man” opens up the album well enough and with enough pace to drag in the faithful for a hopeful renaissance. “One on One” holds the interest because Ripper is able to give it enough attitude and pump to make what is a fairly standard sounding track a bit of bite in the vocals, even given the sometimes dire lyrics. “Devil Digger” is one of the better songs here, while “Bloodsuckers” is the one song that feels as though it has the spirit of the band at its heart. This is the one song where all parts of Ripper’s range are utilised and it is all the better for it. Just three or four more songs like this would have made all the difference in the long run. “Feed on Me”, “Subterfuge” and “Cyberface” all have their moments as well.
On the other hand there are songs such as “Hell is Home” which is a death march, slow sombre and downright dull musically and lyrically. “Close to You” is an abomination, an attempt at a power ballad of sorts but it really misses the mark badly. The rest is not terribly bad but it is also not terribly good either. It doesn’t grab you or excite you.
Still despite all that is said, it is not a completely bad album. I can still put it on and like a lot of it, especially those songs that I mentioned. At 70 minutes it is overlong and could really have been improved by being cut back to about 50 minutes and having four songs cut off completely. Perhaps the producer and the band just weren’t harsh enough on the material they had and thought that more equals better. That is not the case in this instance.

This was the conclusion of the short reign of Tim “Ripper” Owens in Judas Priest and while his live performances kept the band relevant, the material from the two albums he was a part of doesn’t really do him or the band justice. There are sparkles here and there in places on Demolition but this just doesn’t sound like Judas Priest musically which is what hurts it most of all.

Rating:  “I am your darkest hour, I am your fall from power”.   2.5/5

223. Fear Factory / Demanufacture. 1995. 3/5.

When Demanufacture was first released, there was a small uprising in the metal community in Sydney, where I was living at the time. Suddenly, in the music stores, in the pubs, in the music media, it was believed that Fear Factory were the biggest thing around, and were certain to be for some time.

Fear Factory were a band that I took a long time to warm to. When this album came out I was in a different area musically, and this didn't excite me. It was a new wave of metal, and at the time I think I was trying to fight that.

Now? Well, as I'm sure I have said before, I can appreciate it for what it is, and enjoy it for that. It's nice to be a bit older and not concerned about the elitism I used to put on what music was 'cool' and what was 'not'.

My favourites from Demanufacture include Self Bias Resistor, Piss Christ, Flashpoint and Zero Signal. I do NOT know what they were thinking with A Therapy For pain. That just seems painful.

Rating : Middle of the road. 3/5.

222. Black Sabbath / Dehumanizer. 1992. 5/5.

Heading into the new decade of the 1990’s, the various careers of the four members of Black Sabbath that had recorded the “Mob Rules” album a decade earlier were at different cross roads. Ronnie James Dio had fronted his own eponymous band for much of the time since that album, and after initial great success was now finding his stocks waning after the band’s album “Lock up the Wolves”. Geezer Butler had toured with Ozzy Osbourne on the “No Rest for the Wicked” tour. Vinny Appice had been a part of Dio’s band up until the that previous album, and had just come off a gig in Jeff Pilson’s band “Flesh and Blood”. And Tony Iommi had been the final flagbearer of the Black Sabbath name, continuing to release albums such as “The Eternal Idol”, “Headless Cross” and “Tyr”, on which Tony Martin had been vocalist and Cozy Powell had been drumming.
Initially the coming together was for a project not necessarily specified as a Black Sabbath album. Iommi, Butler and Dio came together along with Powell on drums. Tony Martin was doing a solo project at the time, and was aware that Dio had come in, but he was never actually fired from the band in a formal way. Indeed, he was often around the shows that the band played later on, though Dio apparently was unhappy with this. After initial demoing of material, Dio reportedly was also unhappy with Powell’s position in the band, even though they had been bandmates in Rainbow 15 years earlier. Dio had been pushing for his current drummer in his band, Simon Wright to come on board, though this was vetoed by both Iommi and Butler. Eventually, Cozy was sidelined by a hip injury and had to be replaced, at which point Dio again pushed Wright for his replacement. Still not willing to budge, eventually Appice was asked to come on board, and complete that line up that had been together for the “Mob Rules” album, something which provided a nice piece of synergy, if not total harmony within the group. Dio himself had signed only a 12 month limited time contract, no doubt to test the waters and see how well they all got on and how the material worked before committing himself long term, and there is little doubt that was the same for Iommi and Butler as well.
In interviews in the years following the album, Iommi and Butler in particular were quoted as saying that while the writing of the album went well, the tension between members was apparently quite difficult in the studio. The tensions over the way the band split in the first place ten years previously were said to be gone, but now at an older age and with the three main members of the group used to getting things their way when it came to writing and recording, it made for a tough time when they had to make decisions as a group together. And when that happens it can influence the album either adversely or to its betterment. That result is up to the individual to decide.

One of the most amazing things about “Dehumanizer” and the time it was recorded is that it is arguably one of the heaviest albums that any format of Black Sabbath the band every released. As everyone knows of the period in and around this album’s release, grunge was at its high point and many bands were beginning to change their music in order to try and fit that change. That was certainly not the case here with Black Sabbath, who came out with some of the heaviest songs of their career. It is fair to say that the tempo of the songs dialled back just slightly, in line with the way that Dio had been dragging back his music on his last album, and would do so further throughout the 1990’s decade. Tony and Geezer team up again to produce their amazingly unique combination that is the true sound of Black Sabbath, and Vinny’s ability to play what may appear simplistic drums but in fact perfectly suits the guitars that are written for it completes the wonderful combination that they are. Added to this, Ronnie’s vocals on this album are as aggressive as they had ever been without losing their ability to soar, but especially in songs such as “Computer God”, “TV Crimes”, “I” and “Buried Alive” he finds a new level for his vocals that he has never really done before this, and all pieced together it is quite a remarkable album for the world of music as it was.
The topics for discussion with the lyrics of the songs is also interesting and diverse. “TV Crimes” talks about the TV evangelists that are prevalent throughout the US in the same way that Ozzy Osbourne had done with “Miracle Man” a couple of years earlier. The song “Time Machine” had appeared in the hit movie “Wayne’s World” prior to this album’s release. “After All (the Dead)” deals with the possible existence or not of an afterlife, while songs such as “Buried Alive” and “Master of Insanity” and “Sind of the Father” and “Letters From Earth” all tend to deal with different points of religion and mental state.
“I” is an anthem, a shouting at the world, an individualistic anthem to shake the fist at everything around you. And then you have the opening track “Computer God”, which, if you read the lyrics and take them in a certain point of view, pretty much deals with the storyline of the movie The Matrix – except that this was written and recorded in 1992, and The Matrix did not come into being until 1999. Don’t believe me? Listen to the song, listen to the lyrics, and think about their meaning, and tell me they don’t correspond to the plot of that movie. Of course, they could correspond to ANY post-apocalyptic computer-driven hell... but you have to admit... there’s a bit to this conspiracy theory, that was discussed on message boards all over the world in the early 2000’s.

It was announced in late 1991 that this incarnation of Black Sabbath was getting back together, and I was excited from the outset. “Heaven and Hell” and “Mob Rules” had always been two of my favourite albums, and having these guys come back together seemed like a no brainer, especially after the lacklustre efforts of their projects in the previous couple of years. Then I heard the 10 seconds maximum of “Time Machine” when I went to see “Wayne’s World”, and I wanted more.
I got this album in the first week of its release, and just loved it from the start. That amazing heavy guitar and bass to start off “Computer God” was the hook from the very beginning, and every song played its part in the puzzle. Dio’s vocals were supreme, and like I mentioned earlier were on a different level from what he had performed before. This album, along with a few others of around this time, were played on rotation for months, and this one lasted longer than normal. And having heard it for so long, and hoping for a tour of Australia might follow it so I could finally see this foursome live and up close, I then began to imagine a future where this band continued to release brilliant albums for years to come.
Of course, that was not to be. Tension remained, and heightened at the point that Iommi agreed to have the band open for Ozzy Osbourne on the final two nights of his “No More Tours” trek, which at the time was going to be the end of his touring days (that didn’t happen). Dio felt that it was demeaning for Black Sabbath to open for their original vocalist, and as his contract ended two days before those dates, he decided not to re-sign, and instead left the band. Rob Halford filled in on vocals for those two dates, Tony and Geezer joined Ozzy and Bill Ward for an extended encore on the final night to signal the first reformation of the original foursome since Live Aid in 1985, Ronnie and Vinny went off to do the next Dio album, and Tony Martin and Bobby Rondinelli returned to do the next Sabbath album.

The question I have always wondered about the answer to is this: given that both Sabbath and Dio went down a more industrial metal route over their next two albums, what may have occurred if this Sabbath line-up had stayed together and done a follow up to “Dehumanizer”? Because if they had stayed the course and direction that the music was on this album, then a follow up of similar style and greatness could have changed the face of heavy metal through the mid- to late –1990's. Rather than devolving into the sound both those bands went, maybe another “Dehumanizer” would have made the 90’s decade a brighter and less hard core style of metal. And, if that HAD occurred, would it have been a major influence? I’d have loved to have found out.

221. Jerry Cantrell / Degradation Trip. 2002. 3/5.

This is Jerry's second solo album, released following the tragic death of Layne Staley effectively halted any plans for further Alice In Chains releases.

Jerry follows up his first release, Boggy Depot, with an album that is filled with songs with a bit more edge to them. One difference I noticed immediately with this was that Jerry doubles up on the vocals in most songs – to compensate for Layne's absence? I know that on Boggy Depot, this was what I missed most. Here, Jerry does a good job of utilising the harmony vocals that he and Layne shared so successfully by double-tracking them on himself.

OK, it doesn't grab me like the first two Alice In Chains albums did. That was a different era, and I guess I have moved on from that as well. But it is a good album, and Jerry is a great songwriter.

Favourites for me include Psychotic Break, Anger Rising, Angel Eyes and Hellbound.

Rating : Another solid release from Jerry. But has the Seattle sound finally left the building? 3/5.

220. Judas Priest / Defenders Of The Faith. 1984. 5/5.

Through the rise and fall of the Judas Priest musical catalogue by the time we had reached the mid-1980’s, one of the things that stuck out by the band was that they had a great ability to write memorable songs. Whether they were extended epics like “Beyond the Realms of Death”, fast and blistering songs such as “Exciter”, short and sharp singles like “The Ripper”, simple chant-inducing songs such as “Breaking the Law” or great cover versions like “Diamonds and Rust”, Priest had a knack of putting out albums with three or four memorable songs. Eventually you had to expect that they would put it all together and release an album that was all killer and no filler, one that showed off all parts of their amazing techniques. And while it is arguable that a couple of album prior to this album fulfilled this criteria, it is perhaps true that “Defenders of the Faith” was the first time they were able to do this.
Not everyone agrees with this assessment of course. Many prefer the excellence of “Screaming for Vengeance” for instance, the episode of which you can find in Season 3 of this podcast, and suggest that this album is just a continuation in the same direction that the previous album started. Others believe the pinnacle was the albums of the 1970’s. There is an argument that their best was yet to come, something with which I agree. And perhaps the most accurate assessment is that both this album and the predecessor can be seen to have been cast from the same mould. What does work for both albums is that all of the pieces fit together, and the album flows from one song to the next effortlessly and seamlessly. While there are the great songs that become the highlights of the album, the peaks are not so defined that they can be picked out easily.

The album opens with the brilliantly amazing “Freewheel Burning”, which has been one of my favourites since it was released. I spent an endless amount of time in those years in the mid-1980’s watching, dissecting and head banging along to the music video that was released for this song, fascinated by the studded armbands and belts, of Rob Halford’s amazing vocal range and of the dual guitars of K.K. Downing and Glenn Tipton blazing away. It was a teenagers dream, and the speed and ferocity of the track has never left me. The heavy start to the album continues into “Jawbreaker” which continues to dial in the guitars and Halford’s vocals hitting the high places again. Don’t for a second think that it is a coincidence that the energy of this album is defined by the way Rob brings in all the starring qualities of his voice. He drives these first two songs vocally, and as wonderful as the band is behind him he literally drags you into this album with his vocals. The slightly reduced tempo of “Rock Hard, Ride Free” does not bring this song down in any way. Utilising a typical hard rock tempo and rhythm this is a great follow up to the opening two tracks with a great chanting chorus that invites you to join in.
As brilliant and fantastic as I still believe “Freewheel Burning” to be, my absolute favourite song from the album is “The Sentinel” which is a hallmark of the greatest Judas Priest songs. It has everything that makes this band great. The speed and energy of the track is emphasised by the great rhythm section of Dave Holland’s drums and Ian Hill’s bassline running along in charging fashion. Paste onto this the undercurrent guitar riff and then solo pieces of Downing and Tipton who squeak and squeal in perfect transition, while Halford then pulverises the lyrics in perfect symphony, emoting every nuance from every word. It is a cacophony of excellence and still gives me shivers down my spine every time I hear it. A gem. It closes out one of the finest first halves of any album, ever.
While some believe the second half of the album lets down the first, I choose to consider that it is an almost impossible task to follow it, and as such the songs complement rather than detract from it. “Love Bites” is a slower tempo than what has come before it but still has some surprises to keep the listener interested. This is followed by “Eat Me Alive”, whose greatest claim to fame is that it became one of the songs that landed on the P.M.R.C’s “Filthy 15” song list that they believed should be banned for various reasons to do with sexual innuendo or violence. While the lyrics mightn’t be exceptional the songs itself is still entertaining. Following on from this is another Bob Halligan Jr. song, “Some Heads Are Gonna Roll”. This is a better song that the one Priest recorded for their previous album, and has a much more anthemic feel to it. “Night Comes Down” reverts to a much slower and moodier pace, allowing Rob to again dominate the track with his amazing vocals. The album concludes with the AC/DC like “Heavy Duty” which segues nicely into the title track of “Defenders of the Faith” to complete a terrific album.
While the band has always sounded great, they have everything in order on this album. The guitars riffing and switching between solo licks from guitarist to guitarist is as impressive here as it had been to that point, and as mentioned earlier Halford’s vocals are in peak form, moving between pitches with ease.

Judas Priest came to me via the afore mentioned video for “Freewheel Burning” in particular on the late night video program Rage, along with “Breaking the Law”. That was enough to whet my appetite, and get me to start looking for more Judas Priest to enjoy. That beginning was the “Unleashed in the East” live album, the “British Steel” album – and then this classic. So it is one that I have had for a very long time. Not the 40 years that it has been in existence, but not far off.
This is one of those albums that I can pick up anytime, put on, and enjoy every moment. It is one of those albums that, if I am in a particularly rotten mood, or have had a bad day for any reason, I can put this on, and by the end of the album all of that has disappeared. It is a good mood creator. It’s a feel good album. Rob’s vocals, KK and Glenn’s guitars, it all fits together beautifully. It is just incredibly hard to sing along with because of Halford’s amazing vocal chords, but terrible or not I still do it to every song. This was the age where the New Wave of British Heavy Metal was beginning to morph into something different, and Judas Priest would begin to look at themselves. But if ever the band was going to play an entire album live, surely this one would be up there.
I have spent the last few weeks with this back in my rotation, but to be honest it is never very long sitting on my shelves before it gets another listen. And every time it has lifted my mood immensely, from the opening guitar riff to the closing fade out. 1984 is one of those insane years for album releases, but this would still be one of the first I would name as my favourites of that year. This era of the band is perfectly represented on this album. The band had some albums where they pushed the envelope in regards to the sound they wanted, but when they just got into it, and wrote a heavy metal album, you got results like this.
“Defenders of the Faith” remains one of my favourite Judas Priest albums, and one of my favourite albums, period. It not only has the star attractions such as “Freewheel Burning” and “The Sentinel”, but the remaining tracks aren’t just filling up the cracks, they are players in themselves. Though one Judas Priest album tops them all, this is very close to the top of the tree.