1099. Skid Row / Slave to the Grind. 1991. 4.5/5

Back in the deep and distant past when I still had more vinyl than CD’s, I was a big fan of Skid Row’s debut album, and having then seen them on their subsequent world tour I had pondered what their next album would be like. We had been given a sneak preview at their 1990 Sydney gig with the playing of a new song “Get the Fuck Out” (only the second time they’d played it live), which augured well to my ears. When I then came across a pre-release copy of Slave to the Grind while in Bali in 1991 and first played it on my cassette Walkman that afternoon, I can honestly say that I never expected to hear what I heard.

How do you go from the happy-go-lucky feel of Skid Row to the crunching monster that is Slave to the Grind? There was attitude on the debut, but it was the attitude of teenagers taunting adults from a safe distance and then running away laughing. That’s not what is thrown at you on this album. The attitude here is from a confident adult who isn’t afraid to stand their ground and be seen for what they are saying. That attitude on the first album is increased tenfold here on the sophomore effort.
From the first time I put on the album I was transfixed. I had expected something similar to what the band had produced with Skid Row, but I was very much mistaken. The opening scream at the start of “Monkey Business” was just the beginning. But it is that guttural guitar riff and rolling drum beat opening on the title track “Slave to the Grind” that topped it all off and really gets you in. Fast and heavy, and that chunking guitar riff that blows the speakers apart. This was no hair metal band singing about the youth going wild or wanting to remember you, this was a bonafide heavy metal band exploding onto the scene with a presence and heaviness that could not have been predicted.
Some songs may have a similar structure and sound - “Psycho Love” and “Creepshow” I can still confuse before I start singing the lyrics and realise which song it actually is – but the mixture throughout is one of the strengths. The album doesn’t go hard for the duration, nor does it let you stop and wallow in the slower and more reflective moments for long enough to stop the album’s momentum. Every outstanding aspect of the band shines through in the songs and track list as it is set out.

The songs and music written for this album are just brilliant. Heavy riffs perfectly woven by Dave Sabo and Scotti Hill and driven by the hard hitting rhythm of Rob Affuso on drums and the added huge bottom end from Rachel Bolan on bass. Bolan and Sabo were again the main songwriters for the album and their growth over the previous two years is obvious in the songs they have collaborated on.
But the star attraction of the album is still the amazing vocals of Sebastian Bach. He is what makes this album so brilliant, because his versatility and range and ability to stretch from the heaviest vocal track to the highest rock ballad without compromising his harmony and pitch is pure gold. The vocal especially in “Living on a Chain Gang” is just superb. It drives that song to new heights, while the supporting vocals underneath perfectly offset Seb’s tangents. And then his performance in those angry tracks such as “Get the Fuck Out” and “Riot Act” shows great strength and purpose.
Even the hard rock ballads they produce are difficult to dislike, as Seb’s vocals roll like oozing honey out of the speakers at you. This is especially true of “Quicksand Jesus” and “In a Darkened Room”, two songs that I would usually have trouble enjoy but have no qualms about while listening to Seb singing them, while his vocal on the closing track “Wasted Time” is reminiscent of that on “I Remember You” from the first album, but with a greater authority and maturity than that song. Superb.

This should have been the springboard to a massive future for Skid Row as a band. Having come in with a hair metal confidence they had progressed to a real heavy metal attitude with this release, and set themselves up to become as big as they could possibly be. And then it went pear shaped. Whether it was the tension within the band or just the fact that music went through such an enormous upheaval with grunge and then hardcore changing the landscape, Skid Row never again produced anything like this album. For me it was one of the great tragedies of the 1990’s.

Best songs: “Slave to the Grind”, “Get the Fuck Out”, “Livin’ on a Chain Gang”, “Riot Act”.

Rating:  “A hungry politician is the wolf that's at the door.”  4.5/5

1098. Mötley Crüe / Mötley Crüe. 1994. 2.5/5

After the monster that Motley Crue’s 5th album “Dr. Feelgood” became upon its release in 1989, and the subsequently enormous world tour that followed to promote that album, the band appeared to have the music world at its feet. Following this they released a greatest hits package “Decade of Decadence 81–91” and toured again, raking in more dollars as they went. Once this had concluded, there seems little doubt that the four members of the band needed a break in order to recover from the long period on the road and away from home. Instead, either at the insistence of their record company or by individuals around the group, they began writing for a new album in early 1992 on the basis of working two weeks on, and then having two weeks off. Perhaps on paper this seemed like a good idea, but it soon proved to be the opposite.
Vince Neil's drinking according to some reports was affecting his ability to perform. At the time, the band blamed Neil's race car driving in the Indy Lights circuit as the reason, later releasing a statement that stated that they felt his racing had become his priority and that he didn’t share the band’s same desire and passion for the music any longer.
Even to this day there is no clear statement that would confirm or deny whether Neil was fired or quit the band. Bass player and band leader Nikki Sixx has long maintained that Neil quit, while Neil insists that he was fired. "Any band has its little spats," Neil observed in 2000, "and this one basically just stemmed from a bunch of 'fuck you’s' in a rehearsal studio. It went from 'I quit' to 'You're fired' ... It was handled idiotically. The management just let one of the biggest bands in the world break up”. Prior to his leaving of the group, Sixx says the band was open with Neil that they were considering a new lead vocalist, with Sixx telling him "We are down here working, and we want to be here. This isn't going to happen if you don't want to be here, and we have to force you out of bed every afternoon because you've been out all night drinking." Drummer Tommy Lee accused him of failing to contribute to the creative process and Neil stormed out, and his firing was announced to the public four days later.
At the same time, John Corabi was in his own band The Scream, and having heard Nikki Sixx had had good things to say about their album, wanted to get in contact with him, in order possibly have him collaborate on material for that band’s next album. When Sixx got back to him, he informed him that Neil had left Motley Crue, and asked Corabi if he would audition for the gig. A short time later and Corabi was inducted into the Motley Crue group, and a new chapter was about to be written, with an open ending that no one was sure which way it would go.

There was an obviously great deal of anticipation on the follow-up album to “Dr Feelgood” and how it would go in comparison. There was a lot to live up to, not just from that album but from the change in lead vocalist. It is fair to say that by the time “Mötley Crüe” the album finally hit the record shelves that it was not like anything that anyone expected it to be.
Apart from Vince Neil’s demise, five years had passed between albums, and the music world had completely changed from the one that Motley Crue had dominated. Glam metal was not extinct, but it had gone the way of the dinosaurs nonetheless, found only in the smallest of clubs with a shrinking audience. In its place had come grunge and the bands and sound that followed it, and it was nothing like the kind of music that Motley Crue had created over the previous decade and more. These occurrences were all things that they had to overcome when it came to how to approach this album.
What John Corabi brought to the band though was significant. He is a terrific lead singer in his own right, though different in style and substance from Vince Neil. He was also a guitarist, which brought with him the ability for two guitars on the album and allowing Mick Mars to be the lead guitarist in his own right while Corabi played rhythm, which did open up new possibilities with the songs. And finally, Corabi was a songwriter and a lyricist, which gave Nikki Sixx a real collaborator in this respect that he generally did not have, which gave the band the chance to write songs that they had never attempted before. All of this should have led to a more rounded writing and recording effort than the band had ever had before.
The sound on Mötley Crüe is tied very much to the times. Grunge had come and had eradicated the hair metal movement, or at least the sound that it had proliferated to the point between 1981 and 1991. Those hair metal bands that had not disappeared had for the most part tried to adapt to the new landscape. This is Motley Crue’s answer to that, a stripped back sound with a grungier outlook and a different vocal direction, though that is an obvious one given that it was a different vocalist on board.
Play this back-to-back with any of the previous Motley Crue albums and you would swear they are by different bands. It’s not just the vocals. The whole sound is completely different to what has come before. And that takes some getting used to. The best way to approach this album is to listen to it without knowing who the band is, so that you can give it the time it needs without the judgement of the band's past. Easier said than done when you buy the album for the name of the band emblazoned on the front of it. As a result, there is not so much joy and intensity and fun in the music here that had been such a part of their earlier albums.
After the opening tracks of “Power to the Music” and “Uncle Jack”, “Hooligan’s Holiday” starts off okay but drags on far too long without changing tune all the way through. “Misunderstood” too just goes on far too long. I mean, it’s not the kind of song that necessarily endears itself to you, and the fact that it drags that soft acoustic start out so long, and then does exactly the same thing at the end of the track, doesn’t help its cause. The attitude in the middle goes some way to offsetting that, but it still is a bit too close to country rock in places for my liking. And part of the problem with the feel of the album is its tempo, so different from past Motley Crue albums, that it does exacerbate the feeling of the songs going on too long. The comparative shortness of “Loveshine” at least compensates for its lack of excitement. “Poison Apples” is the first song on the album that sounds like it is trying to break the mould they have set for themselves and come closer to a true Motley Crue song, and with it a familiar sounding Mick Mars solo along the way. and “Hammered” at least allows Mick Mars to break out a decent solo to get the tracks moving. “Smoke the Sky” is probably my favourite track along with these two because of the better tempo.

For me, this is the equivalent of what Metallica did in the same era with the “Load” and “Reload” albums, a really definitive decision to slow the music down and incorporate the changing times of the popular alternative movement that had occurred. With the none-too-subtle change in the musical direction of both bands at this time, who should be in charge of twiddling the knobs of those two Metallica albums? Bob Rock. And who was also in charge on “Mötley Crüe”? Bob Rock. Coincidence? It doesn’t feel like it. The slower, crunch guitar rather than the fast paced, squealing guitar and solos is a feature of both of these bands' previous releases. While Metallica’s foursome had been retained though, at least Motley’s recruitment of Corabi gave some semblance of originality to the changes that came forth. Five years between albums, and the amount of change that had happened in the music scene during that time, certainly added some reasonability to it.
If you judge this album as an alternative or grunge album you will certainly find some positives within the songs. Perhaps it is heavier than an average alternative album but it is rooted in that genre. Which means that it is difficult to please either or any fans. The inclusion of acoustic guitars, sitar and mandolin, along with synth and even the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra in places on the album tops off all of the differences you could have when creating this album.
Did it work? Was there just too much baggage from fans who couldn’t handle the band without Vince Neil on vocals? It wouldn’t be the first nor last time that happened in the history of music. Think Iron Maiden and Blaze Bayley, think Van Halen and Gary Cherone. Both of those happened in this era also. This does not sound like a Motley Crue album, that is the simple truth. Three of the four members might be involved, but it doesn’t sound like the Crue. And that’s OK, unless you’ve come for a Motley Crue album. If you were to put this album on, without knowing who it is, you would never pick the band. But you know what? You might actually enjoy the album for what it is rather than trying to compare it to what has come before it. Motley Crue is not a mid tempo, slow drummed band, and that’s what this album is.
When I first listened to this album, I too dismissed it offhandedly. It didn’t sound like I wanted, so move on to the next band and album. There’s no doubt to me that that was a mistake, and mainly for the reason I mentioned before. Listen to the album but not who the band is. And this is a much better album than it is given credit for. I had made my peace with it a few years ago, so went into this episode with expectation rather than trepidation, and over the past month I have again discovered how much I enjoy this album in the modern day. It isn’t flawless by any means, but taking the album on face value and ignoring who it is credited to, I really enjoy this album.
Corabi has been touring in recent years playing this album in full, in order to give it a fresh audience or chance to see the light. He in fact came to Australia a couple of years ago to do just this. It went over really well. And as most people will know, this was the only album he made with the band. Following the tour to promote it, Corabi was out and Neil was back in. The band lost the extra guitarist and a damn fine singer and composer and got Vince instead. Keeping both surely could have been an option, one discussed further on the episode in Season 2 of this podcast that talks about the follow up album “Generation Swine”.
As a Motley Crue album such as the ones released in the past, it doesn’t rate well. As a stand-alone album of the era, there is a lot to like here. Personal taste will play its part as it always does, but don’t dismiss this just because it isn’t a Motley Crue album. Give it a chance because it isn’t.

1097. The Unity / Rise. 2018. 3.5/5

With Gamma Ray still on hiatus as Kai Hansen participates in the juggernaut that is the Helloween reunion tour, The Unity continued on their way as a group uninterrupted and decided to follow up their debut album with another one in quick time, no doubt as they had been writing songs on the road but also to give them a better choice of material to perform live. Thus we have Rise.

I went in to this album expecting a lot more than I did of the first, mainly because they had now been on the road and come together as a band for twelve months, and now for their sophomore effort I wanted to hear the growth that would have come from that time together. There was always going to be the anticipation of something close to what Gamma Ray has always produced, but more than anything else I wanted something hard and fast and catchy. I got some of that, but maybe not as much as I was hoping for.
The opening tracks do come across as the best on the album, which sets it up to drag the listener in hard at the start. The opening instrumental “Revenge” leads in to the fast and flailing opening track “Last Betrayal”, full of great guitars and high pitched vocals that illuminate the best of the power metal sound. This cascades into the harder edge of “You Got Me Wrong”, full of excellent riffs and layered vocals that hit the right chords. “The Storm” follows this, but it is a fairly average hard rock song that doesn’t provide any real excitement beyond the standard lyrics/chorus/guitar signature. “Road to Nowhere” has a much better sound to it, with the harder edged drums and guitar riff thumping through the song.
The middle of the album keeps the album on an even keel, perhaps promising more than it delivers depending on your own point of view. I enjoy “Welcome Home” which is upbeat and vibrant, with a join-in-chanting chorus that just begs for a live audience to sing along. “All That Is Real” is a change up in style that actually works better than I would have expected. It utilises the emotional value of the spectrum without pulling it into the dark depths of a power ballad, and for me this track is perfectly executed, especially with the keys around the vocals. This is followed by “No Hero” which like “Welcome Home” is another sing-along song - though it probably feels more like that as they released a lyric video for it – and though it doesn’t procreate the genre it is still one of those songs that is catchy and gets in your head.
“The Willow Tree” slows down the pace again, bringing in the emotive vocals without completely digressing into the power ballad area. Though it sounds great, and Henjo’s guitar work is just terrific, the song is not one I can get on board with. “Above Everything” is designed as another crowd involvement number and again is performed well but sits a bit right of centre for me. For my taste these songs are missing something that would make them worth listening to time and again, and it is just the style more than anything else.
“Children of the Light” is much more in my musical frame with a much more enjoyable tempo led by the sterling double kick drumming from Michael Ehre and brilliant soloing from Henjo once again. “Better Day” and “L.I.F.E.” not the closing songs I was looking for, as again like a few songs in the middle they are missing that ingredient that appeals to my taste. Everything just seems a bit flat and lifeless compared to the better tracks on the album.

There can be no argument about the ability of the members of the band and their musicianship. Everything sounds great and is performed perfectly. The songs here cover a broad range of the genre, with the faster and more lively songs such as “Last Betrayal” for me being the star attractions, while the songs that settle in the middle range don’t quite have the kick necessary to drive any enthusiasm.
When I first heard the album I was immediately won over. After thirty or so listens I find that the good songs still resonate with me, but the ones that are not up to that high standard tend to pull the album back as a whole. Jan Manenti has a great set of vocal chords and gives another great performance here, showing similarities to Jorn Lande along the way. Henjo Richter is superb once again on guitar and is well supported by guitar partner Stefan Ellerhorst and Jogi Sweers on bass. Michael Ehre’s drumming is as solid as always.

This is a better-than-average album for those who enjoy this branch of the heavy metal tree. It doesn’t really bring anything new to the table, and it won’t be an outstanding addition to your collection. Despite this, there is more than enough here to enjoy, and in a year where there was not a great deal of outstanding albums released this is one that will be better than most.

Best songs: “Last Betrayal”, “You Got Me Wrong”, “Welcome Home”, “All That is Real”, “Children of the Light”

Rating: “You think you're strong, but I won't give up anymore”. 3.5/5

1096. Lazy Bonez / Kiss of the Night. 2019. 3/5

Until I began searching through the Rate Your Music charts list last week, and came across the very early stages of the best metal albums released in 2019, I had never heard of the band Lazy Bonez nor heard any of their music. Probably not surprising given that they are from Finland which is half a universe away from Australia. However, early posts on the album had given it a few raps that encouraged me to search it out, and with the magic of Spotify in this wonderful digital age I was able to discover Kiss of the Night.

Their music is very non-confrontational. Based on a similar format of other power metal bands with a European heritage, the sound is much like contemporaries like Sonata Arctica, Stratovarius and various projects that Jorn Lande has been involved in. Whereas those bands have since developed their sound into something more unique, what I initially enjoyed about this album is that it doesn’t try to be something it is not, or to try and be overtly ambitious with their music. It is good basic power metal, almost on a hard rock scale as the songs have a good basis of the rhythm of drums and bass holding the song together while the guitars and keyboards play fluently and pleasantly together. On top of this is the excellent vocals of Tommi Salmela who does have an uncanny knack of singing in a similar vein to other vocalists of the genre. Together this package has put together a collection of songs that are very easy to listen to and enjoy.
The album flows wonderfully well from one song to the next. It has a rock emphasis that is different from other power metal albums, the biggest asset for me is the 'almost’ absence of the power ballad that bogs down albums on a major scale. Because every song here has its own solid continuity and doesn’t look to change things up too much throughout the album, it means that there are no dull moments that could slow up the momentum of the track list. I for one believe this is one of the great positives of the album. If you are looking for blistering solos or orchestral keyboards or seventeen time changes within a few bars, then you are in the wrong place. If on the other hand you enjoy your power metal in its simplest form without all of the improvisations and experimentation the you will get a kick out of this.
The opening three songs set the platform for the enjoyment to follow. Opening track “Everlasting” is a good introduction to the album, and is followed by the catchy “Run” which has you joining in singing the lyrics in quick time. The double kick and happy guitars come out on the title track “Kiss of the Night” to give the middle section the boost that power metal albums can give.
After an excellent opening the album settles down into the solid basis of the power rock that I spoke of. Some may feel that it is a bit humdrum given that it doesn’t offer anything outstanding to hang their hat on, and that is possibly a fair comment. Putting on the album to listen to as a background experience makes this very listenable, but to others who are looking to have their socks blown off it may come across as humdrum.
There does come eventually the moment all power metal bands must indulge in – the power balled. “Forever Young” is this album’s version of this horrific part of the genre, and though it is my least favourite part of this album it is tolerable in this instance.

If you have listened to any of the Allen/Lande project albums you will have a sense of deja-vu listening to this album, as there are touches of the format and the vocal style throughout this album – not a copy I rush to add, but just a similarity in song structure and singing pitch. Whether it is a deliberate thing or not I don’t know, but it kept me listening to this album long enough to enjoy it as its own entity rather than comparing its style to other bands. It may not be the best album released this year but it is one that you will be able to reflect on in later months and years and think it was worth finding in the first place.

Best songs: “Everlasting”, “Run”, “Kiss of the Night”, “Tears of Gold”

Rating: “There’s nothing in this world that I can’t do”. 3/5

1095. Powerwolf / The Sacrament of Sin. 2018. 3.5/5

I have only come across Powerwolf over the last 18 months as Spotify continues to broaden my ability to take in new bands of genres that I enjoy, and given my penchant for European power metal bands this seems like a good fit. I had a choice to either go back to 2005 and check out the band from its beginning or instead take on their latest release and see what they have been producing in recent times. It is the latter path I have decided to tread, and thus I came to The Sacrament of Sin.

From the very beginning it has everything I like about this kind of music. Great vocals, fantastic double kick on the drums, terrific guitaring and soloing and the ever-present keyboards adding their support to the mix. It is the initial build up and then double-kick drumming of the opening track “Fire & Forgive” that lures me in, and it kicks off the album superbly with the anthemic vocals pushed along by the speed of the music underneath, encouraging you to sing along as well. “Demons Are a Girl’s Best Friend” has the first incantation of the “woah-oh-oah" that is inbuilt to have crowds singing along at the concerts, but is just as effective at home in the lounge room. “Killers with the Cross” drags the pace and beat back into a more traditional metal or hard rock frame, and it is the vocals again that make you feel like singing along, while the solo breaks are impressive as well. “Incense & Iron” follows a similar trajectory and is also good, allowing the chants and fist pumping vocals to drive their way throughout.
“Where the Wild Wolves Have Gone” is the power ballad of sorts, slower and resoundingly more introspective. As per usual when it comes to this type of song it is not in my sphere of entertainment, though I am well aware that it is (apparently) necessary to have at least of these songs on every power metal album. It’s done well, but it’s not my cup of tea. “Stossgebet” is a good song without being brilliant, perhaps trying too hard for that epic sound. “Nightside of Siberia” returns the album to the front foot with another song based on solid rhythm and chanting vocals. This is followed by the excellent title track “The Sacrament of Sin” where the fire and speed returns in full bloom. For me this is where the best aspects of the band come to the fore. When the double kick drives the guitars to full speed and the vocals are allowed to flow along in symphony the band sounds at its best. This is a great song, and is followed by “Venom of Venus” which continues the great thematic values of the album. The final two songs, “Nighttime Rebel” and “Fist by Fist (Sacralize or Strike)” finish off the album on a good note.

Five or six full rotation plays in and I have to say that Powerwolf have got me on board. It is all and well to utilise all of the aspects that comes with being a power metal band – using the word ‘power’ in your band name is a bit of a giveaway – but you still have to do it well to pull it off, because if it is less than great it will just be a turn off. Here on The Sacrament of Sin at least I think they have the mix right. The guitars dominate the keyboards which I am a fan of. I like the keyboard aspect in power metal but sometimes think it is overplayed. Here the guitars of Matthew and Charles Greywolf are the dominant feature which gives the songs more depth and strength. The drumming of Roel van Helden is terrific, and the vocals of Attila Dorn are pleasantly enjoyable.

While the start and end of the album outweighs what comes in the middle, this for me is a more than enjoyable first stop on the Powerwolf band wagon. There’s no doubt I will now have to work my way through the discography to see if they have been on this wavelength throughout their existence.

Best songs: “The Sacrament of Sin”, “Venom of Venus”, “Fire & Forgive” and “Killers with the Cross”.

Rating: “From their destiny they wake, bring hypocrisy and hate”. 3.5/5

1094. Judas Priest / Live in London [Live]. 2003. 4/5

It’s probably a sure sign of desperation, given you have only released two live albums in the first 25 years of your existence as a band, and then you release two in a startlingly short space of time. Ostensibly it seems like an effort to keep the band in the public eye, and show their relevance despite a struggle to get fans to accept two albums without your big time lead singer. Whereas '98 Live Meltdown was an audio release only, Live in London was filmed and released as a video as well as this audio contribution. But if you have one, do you need the other? And if the first did the job of introducing your new vocalist in a positive fashion, do you need another to try and shore that support up?

To be honest, I really enjoyed '98 Live Meltdown as a live album. It had a couple of rough pieces, but overall it was a good set list performed by a great band who can still do the job. It introduced new material effectively, and the energy throughout is excellent. And that is where this release falls down for me. The set list has a few necessary changes, incorporating a couple of songs off of Demolition and some other older songs, but for the majority it is the same songs that were played on the previous world tour and as such off of the previous live album. And – for the most part – they don’t sound as good here as they did then.
The first problem that is encountered is that the old songs completely outshine the newer material. There is a massive gap in the vitality and speed and overall metal value of the old classics than there is of the material from the Ripper era. “Hell is Home”, “Feed on Me” and even “One on One” sound slow, clunky and devoid of life compared “Electric Eye”, “Living After Midnight” and “Metal Gods”. They get completely shown up here and exposed badly for their deficiencies. “Blood Stained” and “Burn in Hell” don’t fare any better. It’s a disappointment, and one feels that they could have done a better job in promoting these songs good sides.
The second problem is that this doesn’t seem as energetic and exciting as the previous live album. It’s nice to hear a little bit of variety with songs such as “Desert Plains” and “Running Wild”, but neither of these two songs sound as good as Halford sang them, and the choice of “United” doesn’t work either. And as I said, I think '98 Live Meltdownsounds better overall.

This is still a good live album, and you can’t argue with the amount of material that you get for your money. It also serves as the finale for Tim “Ripper” Owens and his time in Judas Priest. He is a fine front man and he did his job in keeping Judas Priest alive, and I can vouch that seeing the band live with him out front was a worthwhile experience. As an epitaph for his time in the band, this is a reasonable tribute.

Rating: “Judas! Priest! Is! Back!!!”… but only for a short time. 4/5

1093. Judas Priest / Jugulator. 1997. 2.5/5

Much has been made of the seven years that stretched between the release of the monster album Painkiller and of its follow-up Jugulator, which incorporated the leaving of Rob Halford from Judas Priest, and the eventual recruitment of the former singer of a Judas Priest cover band, Tim “Ripper” Owens. The lengthy period of time it took to get to this point has always been an interesting point of discussion. Many wondered if Judas Priest would ever record again in any form with Halford’s absence and no doubt this acted as an encouragement for the band to forge ahead. The danger given the length of time between albums was obviously inherent – would their music still be relevant in a world that had changed so much in that time?

I went into this album with a clear head and open mind. More than anything I wanted to like this album so I wasn’t going in with negative thoughts about it. The writing which forever had been composed by the trio of Tipton, Downing and Halford was now a writer short, and there was always going to be differences in the music because of it. Glenn wrote all of the lyrics while both he and Ken wrote the music, but if you take a third of your writing partnership away there is going to be a swing from the centre to one side or the other. And let’s face it, seven years is a long time between albums even if the band was settled, and the drastic swing between metal in 1990 and metal in 1997 created such a vast chasm that it was always going to be hard to overcome. Releasing “Painkiller II” would have been a disaster. Even so, the none-too-subtle change of musical direction between these two albums was a big gulf to accept.
One thing that wasn’t a problem was the vocals. “Ripper” came in with a great set of vocal chords and an uncanny ability to sound and sing like his predecessor, which for live performances was exceptionally handy as the live show barely missed a beat with the back catalogue of songs, something that is rarely the case when a band changes singers. What did have to be achieved was to find the right range for his vocals on the new songs being written, and given the slight change in this album’s direction that may not have been the easiest part to complete.
Despite all of this, what Judas Priest produced for their ‘comeback’ was like nothing they had ever recorded in their career, and that is where the major stumbling block was at the time, and remains to this day. The fact that they chose to record an industrial metal album at a time when industrial metal was at its prominence is not the issue. The issue is that it is so unlike a Judas Priest album that it becomes almost impossible to listen to. And even though as I said above that I went into this with an open mind, and that releasing “Painkiller II” would have been a disaster, you surely have to think that at least a few pieces of the past would make their way into the mix? But it is almost completely wiped away. This is a sound that has almost nothing to do with what Judas Priest had built their career on and it is somewhat shocking, even today. Honestly, to me it has the same mistakes that Dio made in writing and recording their Angry Machines album, in that there was no familiarity at all between that album and anything else they had released that it caused major fractions in the fan base. Much the same can be said about Jugulator.
And it comes from the very beginning. The opening track on a Judas Priest album is usually one of the highlights, the song that drags you willingly into the album. Think of “Freewheel Burning”, “Electric Eye”, “Sinner” and “Painkiller” as just a few examples. But, even though I like “Jugulator” as a song, it just doesn’t have that same drawing power. “Blood Stained” too has plenty of angst and drive to the song, and to be honest if you have made it through the two opening songs and not turned this off, and have also put completely out of your mind that this is a Priest album, you will be able to get more out of it. This album has more of a tame Fear Factory sound to it than any pretence of following the band’s previous doctrine, which is so very strange as it has more in common with the direction that Rob Halford took with two projects after leaving the band, Fight and Two. If both parties were heading down that path, then why part ways? Why remove the brilliant harmony guitars and great solos which act as the strength of the band to just side with the times? I don’t know the answers to these questions.

Anyone who saw the band live during this period knows full well that they were still just awesome, and that “Ripper” was great, but the new material just didn’t gel well with the old stuff. More than anything else that is what harms its overall appeal. There are still some terrific songs on this album, such as “Death Row”, “Burn in Hell” and “Bullet Train”, where when heard away from the rest of the album will garner a positive response. But the album as a whole just doesn’t work in a way that makes it a good Judas Priest album. It is so tied to the era because of the way the songs have been written and recorded that it doesn’t have a chance to stand on its own legs. That is a shame.

Rating: “Changing my course, blurred and scorched, breathing exhaust as we distort”. 2.5/5

1092. Judas Priest / The Complete Painkiller Tour [Live Bootleg]. 1991. 4/5

I didn’t become interested in tracking down bootleg concert recordings until the age of the internet, mainly because I had no way of finding a way into the network that went through such things in my pocketed little corner of Australia. Once the internet became an accessible thing it became something I was much more interested in, and especially from tours that we had not been fortunate enough to have seen here. Amid the reunited Judas Priest of the new millennium I began hunting for anything I could find from the tour promoting my favourite Priest album Painkiller, and that search eventually came up with this gem of a recording.
For the most part, what I was looking for was live recordings of the songs off the Painkiller album, and this doesn’t quite cover it, despite 

proclaiming to have every song from the tour.

As a matter of fact, both “Metal Meltdown” and “A Touch of Evil” were played but they don’t appear on either disc of this album. No big deal, but it still would have been good to have had them as a part of this collection.
Instead what we have here is two performances, one from the start of the tour and one from closer to the end. The first disc is compiled from radio broadcasts of the opening night of the tour in Los Angeles and as such is good quality. This includes the performance of “Better By You, Better By Me” that was at the centre of the court case that the band had spent much of the previous year fighting over the two kids who had claimed the song had backwards messages suggesting they commit suicide. It had delayed the release of the album and the start of the tour, and playing this song was no doubt a little stress reliever for them. Apart from this, the set list contains what you would expect, along with “Between the Hammer and the Anvil” and “Leather Rebel” from the Painkiller album. It’s a good listen.
The second disc is a great audience recording from their gig at Offenbach, Germany in February 1991. This is a true bootleg because the crowd are in the foreground and the band in the background, complete with the crowd nearby the recorder singing along in unison. This is what makes a great bootleg in my opinion, getting a great impression of how the crowd is enjoying the show, while still hearing the songs in there as well. The addition of “All Guns Blazing”, “Night Crawler” and “Painkiller” make this an excellent representation to what is a great disc.

This wasn’t exactly what I was looking for when I went searching for live performances of the songs of Painkiller, but it probably doesn’t exist anyway. What I found instead was an excellent bootleg of two complete gigs from the same tour, where Judas Priest are at the peak of their powers and showcasing their wares to the world. Those that enjoy bootlegs will get a lot from this double album. Those that prefer the crisp live recordings that comes from official releases will still be surprised just how good this sounds.

Rating: “Lightning in the dark!!” 4/5

1091. Alice Cooper / A Paranormal Evening with Alice Cooper at the Olympia Paris [Live]. 2018. 5/5

While Alice Cooper’s output of albums has been remarkably consistent given the length of his career as an artist, over the course of this time there have been less live albums released by his band than you may have expected. Given his legendary status as a live artist this may be construed as unusual, but the scarcity of them actually improves their output. Indeed, when this release was announced I found myself looking forward to it immensely to not only hear what he and his current band sound like live but what flavours we were likely to get from it.

Choosing any set list for any tour is a tough ask, trying to find the balance between the old and the new, the popular and the obscure, the songs you can’t possibly leave out and the ones that the fans really want to hear. There is nothing easy about it, and the longer an artist has been around the more difficult it is. Alice Cooper has 27 studio albums worth of material to choose from and only a finite time on stage in which to play, and given the amazing hits that have been produced over the years it must be a crazy decision to decide what to shoehorn in to that allowed time.
I have always loved A Fistful of Alice because it not only managed to put together a great set list comprising both the great hits from both the past and that present time, but it gave the whole show a modern sound without being detrimental to the source material. It is a great live album. The gratifying thing is that A Paranormal Evening with Alice Cooper at the Olympia Paris is exactly the same. It is a brilliant mix of all pieces of the Alice Cooper story, and every song sounds brilliant in its own way. The band and entourage sounds brilliant, a terrific ensemble of musicians and singers who do justice to every track.
From the very start this clicks into gear with a great selection of songs. Opening with the underrated “Brutal Planet”, you are then hit with three of Alice’s all time classics, the hard rocking trio of “No More Mr. Nice Guy”, the brilliant “Under My Wheels” and the timeless “Department of Youth”. It’s a nice touch having these legendary track opening the set, as well as having “I’m Eighteen” and “School’s Out” closing out the album in style. The way in which Alice mixes the lyrics from the other schoolkid rebellious song of that era, Pink Floyd’s “Another Brick in the Wall”, into the melody lines of “School’s Out” is a particularly effective way of closing out the show. Within the middle of the set we are also favoured with high energy versions of “Billion Dollar Babies”, “Cold Ethyl” and constant companion “Only Women Bleed”. All of these legendary tracks still hold their own after all of these years, and the versions played here are superb. Most fans know these songs off by heart and are crowd favourites from that era.
However, what makes this such a great live album is that there are plenty of surprises here from the first third of Alice’s career apart from those classic tracks, and each of them comes off superbly. “Pain” from Flush the Fashion, “Ballad of Dwight Fry” from Love It to Death , “Halo of Flies” from Killer and the duo of “Killer” the same album and “I Love the Dead” from Billion Dollar Babies are excellent reminders of the strength of much of the material from the 1970’s that doesn’t always get a look in when the best of Alice Cooper gets thrown around.
On the flipside the modern day material gets a fair showing. Along with the aforementioned “Brutal Planet” there are also excellent versions of “Woman of Mass Distraction” from Dirty Diamonds and “Paranoiac Personality” from his most recent release Paranormal. And as always the two big tracks from his modern day revival come in, with “Poison” and “Feed My Frankenstein”. However, for me the best track on this whole double album is the appearance of “The World Needs Guts” from the Constrictor album. I loved this album as a teenager, and hearing this song given the live treatment is a joy. It is a raucous version too which makes it even better. Thanks Alice just for this!

Do you need a new Alice Cooper live album? The answer is a resolute absolutely! At 70 years of age he shows no signs of slowing down, and this album reminds you of how huge his legacy is and how he has managed to continue to be relevant through so many decades of change in music. There is something here for everyone, for the old fans who have been around for the whole journey, and the young fans who have only cottoned on to the legend in recent times. This is a worthwhile addition to the catalogue.

Rating: “Hey you! Fighting for your life where you’ve never fought before!” 5/5

1090. Judas Priest / Painkiller. 1990. 5/5

The decade of the 1980’s had had its ups and downs when it came to the popularity of Judas Priest. But perhaps more importantly, it had included a degree of differing styles in what Priest had chosen to infuse into their music at different times of that decade. Over the course of four albums in just over four years - “British Steel”, “Point of Entry”, “Screaming for Vengeance” and “Defenders of the Faith” - the band had ridden high on the wave of heavy metal that they had helped to create, and saw their style of dual guitar metal mayhem rise to the top of the echelons they were aiming for. Their decision to move in a similar direction to some of their contemporaries to include a synth sound in their mix for their 1986 album “Turbo” was no doubt seen at the time as a canny if brave move, and while it produced success in some areas along with a hit single, retrospectively it has not been seen to have aged well. Their response to this was to do a hard right turn and try to recover lost support with the “Ram it Down” album in 1988, purported to be a return to their more traditional style of heavy metal. More than anything else on these two albums, it was a combination of differing musical style along with lyrical content that seem slightly more ludicrous than Spinal Tap that was a major stumbling block, combined with the rapid rise in popularity of thrash metal in the form of Metallica, Megadeth, Slayer and other bands that was drawing attention away from Judas Priest and what they were producing.
At what point can it be conceived that the band decided that they needed to make a hard decision, and perhaps accept they had made a slight error in their direction? Synths had come in for “Turbo”, but were for the most part pushed out on “Ram it Down”, which was proclaimed to be a return to what Judas Priest did best. Even for someone like me, who enjoys every Judas Priest album and almost every era of the band, I found that the messing about with the ingredients over the previous four years had caused a change in the final product. Having taken the decision to try and run with the synth metal direction, they now found themselves approaching the new decade down the wrong garden path, ending up in the field of poppies rather than the thrash heavy populus of the Emerald City. They were not the only band to have found this fate awaiting them due to similar choices. But this was Judas Priest! One of the bands on which heavy metal had been formed! So the hard and difficult decision began to be made.
Somewhere, somehow, following the tour to promote the “Ram it Down” album, long time drummer Dave Holland was moved on. In his place they brought in the powerhouse of Scott Travis, whose powerful double kick drumming with the band Racer X had always been a prominent part of their music. They also decided to go in a different direction with their producer, with long time partner Tom Allom being let go and Chris Tsangarides coming into the chair. Now, the writing process had to begin for their next album, and given the adjustment and then over correction of their previous two albums, the discussion between the band and the writers and new producer must have been fascinating. Just what did they want and need to produce with their music in order to regain their position as one of the front runners of the heavy metal industry? Given the ground they appeared to have lost to the up and coming thrash metal elite, it would not be an easy task. So what did they do? They produced the album “Painkiller”, and absolutely crushed the fucking music world.

Way back in 1990, there was an absolute plethora of albums coming out that have become folklore in the world of heavy metal music. People’s opinions vary somewhat on them, but as a twenty year old trawling the record store shelves it was an amazing year of releases for this genre. While it is hard to go past albums like Megadeth’s “Rust in Peace” and Slayer’s “Seasons in the Abyss” and Anthrax’s “Persistence of Time” as the stand out albums of this year, one album in particular for me was the one that shepherded heavy metal music into the new decade. It also brought life back to the band in question, hurtling them to the top once again with another album that was a star attraction. The band was Judas Priest, and the album of course was “Painkiller”.
I had pre-ordered this album at the local record store, and came home from work one day to find my mother had picked it up for me. Having done the usual post-work things I took it to my room and put it on and, as I am sure occurred to almost every person who has listened to this album, was completely blown away by the opening drum fill from new Priest drummer Scott Travis. Having ben well informed of this ‘new guy’s’ previous work with Racer X, and that he was a beast of the drums, it shouldn’t have been a surprise, but that opening drum extension was just mind blowing from the outset. It is still as brilliant today, and then that magnificent guitar scream comes in over the top, before the song descends into the opening riff chords. And we are away – but everything you need to know about the album “Painkiller” comes in the opening fifteen seconds of the opening title track. You only got one chance to hear this opening to the album for the first time, but each and every time I play this album, I feel as exhilarated as I did the first time I heard it. It is almost unmatched in heavy metal music history. From there the song just continues into brilliance, as Rob’s vocals join the party, and sit in that high extreme phase of his range for practically the entire song, making it practically impossible to actually sing along with him. It is an incredible vocal feat, one that allows this song to remain as amazing as it has been for the past 35 years. It is a new Halford here, taking charge from the outset, making it known that Judas Priest is here to play with the so called youth brigade, and they are in no mood to relinquish their crown. The dual guitar solos in the middle of the song just tear it apart, and that scream to end the track is outstanding. What a way to open a new album.
What brought about this ‘revival’ in the band and its music? Was it really a revival? There are plenty of fast and hard tracks on the previous album “Ram It Down” along with a toning down of the keyboard and synth side of the recordings, something that makes a return in bigger and more bold direction here. No doubt the addition of Scott Travis on drums rekindles something that Dave Holland did not. Holland’s drumming was always precision and timing perfect and certainly never detracted from the music. Probably the difference here, as is evident from the opening of the album, is that Travis adds to the music and songs and isn’t just a part of the furniture. HIs drumming doesn’t just hold the rhythm, it becomes a bigger part of the picture, and this alone does make a difference in the songs produced.
The other factor changed here is the re-emergence of Chris Tsangaridis as producer, replacing Tom Allom who had produced every Judas Priest album since “Killing Machine”. Was his presence alone enough to create the changes that came with this album? Probably not, but the fact that he gave a fresh air of advice along with his success in those recent times with many other bands and artists surely added to the changes that came with the writing and recording of “Painkiller”.
What we got here was a mashing and melding of all of the greatest parts of Judas Priest, and then amplified beyond the normal. There is aggression in the lyrics and the vocals, there is fire in the guitars and bass, and there is speed and double kick to an extreme in the drums. Rob Halford’s vocals, often dormant in regards to his higher range over some albums, are at their most damaging here, so much so that it makes it almost impossible to sing along with him throughout this album. When Rob is reaching for the ceiling you know every effort is going into the song and it brings the roof down. The added power of the drumming of Scott Travis gives these songs a greater punch, and a harder and faster tempo than they would without it. Ian Hill’s bass is at its best too, providing the big bottom end that highlights the riffs it is backing while exerting its own rumbling influence over them, especially in songs like “All Guns Blazing” and “A Touch of Evil”. Sometimes maligned by those who aren’t fans of the band, Hill’s basslines on this album are a massive part of what makes them so great. Through it all, the magic of the twin guitars of K.K. Downing and Glenn Tipton rule all. The melodic interludes that then get ripped apart by their blazing and blistering solos are the culmination of years of brilliant songs and writing. Yes they have been a part of so many amazing interludes over so many albums, but it truly feels as though it was all building to what they produced on this album.
Everything here is a triumph. Those faster and heavier songs such as “Painkiller”, the rifling of “All Guns Blazing”, the almost speed metal tendencies of “Leather Rebel” and pure heavy metal of “Between the Hammer and the Anvil” are complemented perfectly by the slightly less speed influenced but more heavy groove influenced tracks such as the doom riding of “Hell Patrol”, the heavy hitting tones of “Metal Meltdown”, the creepy horror film soundtrack vibes of “Night Crawler” and the charging fist pumping victory anthem of “One Shot at Glory”. On the outlier is the moody brilliance of “A Touch of Evil” which is still perhaps the show stealer it always threatened to be, the one slight change in appearance with the drenching synth that only enhances the concept of the song and the darkening mood that it portrays, a template that could well have been the benchmark of Judas Priest writing sessions had that future panned out differently. There is not a weak song here. Everything clips together perfectly, segueing from one brilliant track to the next, exhorting you to sing, chant or scream along in unison while frantically playing those air guitars to a standstill.

It is ludicrous that although this album was recorded early in 1990, and indeed was completed by the end of March, that it was not released until six months after that date. This was due to the much publicised trial over the supposed subliminal messages that finally began in June of 1990, a civil trial over the alleged backward messages on the Judas Priest song “Better By Me, Better Than You”, that it is alleged encouraged the suicide attempt of two teenagers in 1985. The case was eventually dismissed on 24 August 1990, which allowed the band to finally release their new album.
As I alluded to earlier, I had pre-ordered this album from The Rock Factory at Shellharbour Square, one of our nearby record stores, and arrived home from work one day to find my mother had gone and picked it up for me and left it on my bed. And so that afternoon I put it on, and had my brains metaphorically blown out. And it did the same things for months afterwards, alongside those other several albums I have mentioned here that came out around this same time - “Rust in Peace”, “Persistence of Time”, “Seasons in the Abyss” and “Empire”. It was an incredible time in music for a 20-year-old headbanger.
This album defined for me where I thought metal was heading back in 1990, into the next decade. Along with those other brilliant albums from the same year, it felt as though this was going to be the new direction that heavy metal was going to take, the morphing of heavy and thrash and speed metal into a monster that bands like Priest, Megadeth, Anthrax and Slayer could paint the decade of the 1990’s with, that they would make this the next wave, the next generation, of the heavy metal story. Of course it all became a ‘final shot at glory’, as Priest had almost predicted with their closing track.
This album is rarely away from my stereo for a long length of time. It always seems to find a reason to be played, to find its way off the shelves and back into my stereo. When my friends from over the years get together to have a few drinks and reminisce on old times, this album always seems to be a part of the soundtrack. Everything about it brings back this moment in time, as most of us turned 21 years of age within months of its release, and that period of our lives has this rusted onto it.
Last year I was fortunate enough to be asked to be a guest on the wonderful podcast hosted by Jay and Jeff that is called the Judas Priestcast, and on this episode, we were asked to come up with a movie idea that incorporated Judas Priest songs as the soundtrack to that movie. I basically took the entire “Painkiller” album and built my story idea around it, so that I could use the album as the soundtrack. Yes, that was slightly obsessive, but that is exactly how I feel about this album. Also, if you haven’t done so already, check out the Judas Priestcast podcast, it is one of the best out there.
So as you can probably imagine, I have had this album out for the last couple of weeks, and once again I have been playing it to death once again. Somewhere between 15 to 20 times as I first bathed in its awesomeness, and then studied its characteristics intensely. It is an album I could have spent another hour or so praising its magnificence, outlining its every great moment in intense detail. For the most part I have avoided that, simply for the fact that you all know this album as well as I do, and you either agree with me or you don’t, and no amount of fanboying about that will change your mind. Which is not what I am here to do. My role on this podcast is to present you with the albums of my life, the good and the average, and offer to you my opinion for what it is worth. I hope you’ll agree with me, but I understand that won’t always be the case. When it comes to this album, suffice to say that it is one of the most important building blocks in my love of music, and also myself as a person. If you delve below my surface, you will find the hell patrol, you will find all guns blazing, all taking that one shot at glory.
As I mentioned, I truly believed this album was pointing towards the future of heavy metal in 1990. Not for the first or last time in my life, I would be proven wrong. Grunge had taken seed, and Metallica would further commercialise the genre with the release of the black album the following year, and bands began to change their sound away from this magnificence to something… less magnificent. Judas Priest of course went on a lengthy sabbatical after this tour, with Rob Halford leaving the band for other ventures, and what should have been the album that provided the springboard to further greatness for the band instead became a lasting monument to their memory and legacy instead, and for a long time looked as though it would be their final chapter. All in all, it would not have been a bad way to bow out.