1154. Ozzy Osbourne / Tribute. 1987. 5/5

There is plenty of evidence out there in the music world that Ozzy Osbourne’s career after the conclusion of his years in Black Sabbath was saved by his collaboration with Bob Daisley and Randy Rhoads. If not for their involvement in what became the first two albums of his ‘solo’ career, then there must be questions asked as to whether or not he would ever have become the icon that he now is. Certainly those two albums rely heavily on the magnificence of Randy Rhoads’s guitar playing, and his sudden and tragic death is still mourned to this day. It wasn’t until five years after his death that a live album recorded during those days was released, as a tribute to his special skills. The double album, titled “Tribute” shone a light on just how amazing an artist Randy was.

It’s remarkable that this album came to light in the way it did. The recordings were done without any clear idea as to what they wanted to do with them, just how they were to be released, if at all. At the time Ozzy was still in a period of one-upmanship with his former band, trying to find a way to out manoeuvre them. In the weeks leading up to Randy’s death, Ozzy had wanted to do some shows that included only songs from his Black Sabbath days, to record and release in order to show that he was still more Black Sabbath than his former band. It was only when both Randy and drummer Tommy Aldridge refused to do so that it fell through. And then the accident occurred, Randy was gone, and this was what was left. So, it is truly very fortunate that these recordings were made. Imagine our music world since if we had not had this amazing album, showcasing just how brilliant Randy Rhoads the guitarist was in the live environment, playing on these brilliant songs that he helped to create?
And of course, it would be remiss not to mention the other parties involved. On the majority of the songs played on this album, the band consists of drummer Tommy Aldridge and bass guitarist Rudy Sarzo, and both deliver wonderful performances here. The day and age of live drum solo, in order to give the other band members a rest during proceedings, allows Tommy to show off his amazing skills on this album, and throughout his drum sound is top notch. Rudy’s performance is excellent here too, acting as the lineal standard whenever Randy’s guitar moves off into his own projections of the song. On the two songs at the end of the album, “Goodbye to Romance” and “No Bone Movies”, which are from a different gig a year earlier, original Blizzard of Ozz members, drummer Lee Kerslake and bassist Bob Daisley are playing. And then there is Ozzy himself. It’s interesting to hear him for the majority of this album. By the time this was recorded, he had recovered from the loss he felt of leaving Black Sabbath, his reputation had been restored by the albums “Blizzard of Ozz” and “Diary of a Madman” and the writing and performing efforts of Randy, Bob and Lee, and you can hear that confidence again flowing through him, that he is back on top of the world and his fans are there for him. For him, the world was once again his oyster. All of this never ceases to bring a tinge of sadness when listening to the album, knowing that it was the last we would hear of this band in its current lineup.

When you listen to all of these songs, I still wonder at how bands go about doing their set lists, and then decide what they are going to play and what they are not. Obviously for this release, more than five years after they were recorded, it came out to showcase the marvellous talents of the guitarist. And they all do. “I Don’t Know” is a great opening track, coming in as it does after the band’s intro music, ballsy and ballistic straight from the get-go. Followed by its sister track from the same album, and this version of “Crazy Train” is still probably the ultimate of all of the versions live and studio released over the years. Randy just smokes on guitar throughout, and it is the perfect tribute song for him. But then you have two just majestic songs that also not only showcase his guitar, but the awesome bass lines and improving melody lines of Ozzy’s vocals. “Believer” has such an amazing tone and atmosphere, but this live version just brings it to life more than the studio version does, and it has always been one of my favourites. And then this is followed by “Mr Crowley” which even after all these years perhaps highlights just how good Randy was, his guitar playing on this track is that segue from metal to classical that it feels like he was looking for. Both of these songs gell those pieces together, and are brilliantly done here.
I love that they also did “Revelation Mother Earth” and “Steal Away the Night” back to back like they did on the album, because they fit together so perfectly in that way, and both sound sensational here. “Steal Away the Night” is one of the most underrated songs in the Ozzy Osbourne discography, a song to me that would be a sensational opening to a gig. “Suicide Solution” is also terrific, and is where Randy’s guitar solo is inserted into, which works well in the fact that this is, of course, his tribute. We then have the three Sabbath songs to close out with, which sound terrific. This version of “Children of the Grave” is one of my favourites, and Randy does an outstanding job of playing his own version without trying to pinpoint copy Tony Iommi’s guitar but yet remaining faithful to the original. It is superb.
Getting back to my opening point about set lists, I guess my one regret here is the songs that the band didn’t play. “Over the Mountain”, “S.A.T.O”, “You Can’t Kill Rock n Roll”, “Diary of a Madman”… but that album didn’t come out for another six months after these live recordings were made and so the songs were not played. More is the pity… I just would have loved to have heard Randy play these live.

Randy Rhoads had come and gone before I knew about him, and before I had begun listening to metal music at all. That came a few short years later when, as you do, your group of mates at school all gravitate towards the same kind of music, and begin to share their loves into the conglomerate. About twelve months before this album was released, perhaps had been even thought about being released, one of my best friends – again, my metal music dealer that I have mentioned in past episodes – came back from an expedition to the second hand record stores in Sydney rather excited. He had come across an album that was enclosed in just a white cover, with the simple “Iron Maiden – LIVE!” printed across it. Without any clue as to what was actually on the album he made the purchase, brought it home, put it on… and thought ‘wow, that doesn’t sound like Iron Maiden….’
What he had actually found… was the recordings that ended becoming the basis of this album. Sure, the official release was cleaned up and mastered, but he had essentially found this album, and as a result those of us in our listening circle at Kiama High were listening to this album for pretty much 18 months before we actually got to buy this album. Which was cool before we knew this album was going to be released, but was soooo much cooler once it had been announced, and we heard it for the first time and thought ‘far out we’ve had this for ages!’ I wish I still had that cassette, but it died after being listened to a thousand times.
But I still had this album, and I still play it frequently, because how can you not? Not only because the songs are awesome and the versions are better, but once again because it reminds me of those simpler times back in my last couple of years of high school, when the world seemed a much simpler place.


It is 40 years to the day that Randy was killed while sleeping in a bus that a light plane then flew into, and it is 35 years to the day that this album was released as his Tribute. I don’t think there is a better way to remember his guitar playing by, than to take an hour and a half of your day, put this album on, and let Randy Rhoads amaze you all over again.

1153. Gary Moore / Wild Frontier. 1987. 4/5

In many ways it is somewhat surprising that an excellent Irish guitarist/vocalist that was not known for sticking around in the same situation for very long could forge a successful and lauded career, especially in the 1980’s where pop music reigned supreme for much of the decade and rarely allowed other artists to get much of a look in. But Gary Moore, guitar virtuoso and mostly leader of his own solo project for much of that decade, was one who found a way to slip through those gaps. And without doubt, regarding commercial success and the height of his performing profile, it was his sixth studio album that brought him to his peak, at least when it came to his hard rock music before the onset of his refurbished career in the blues.

Gary Moore’s career as an artist had been well over a decade old by the time we reached the mid-1980’s. Having played in the Irish blues band Skid Row where he first met Phil Lynott, he then had a couple of stints in Lynott’s next band Thin Lizzy. In and around all of this he forged a solo career, with several albums through the early 1980’s that all kept building upon each other, improving as they went. Each album saw a refinement in the songs, and perhaps just as much in Gary’s vocals.
Prior to the writing and recording of “Wild Frontier”, Gary had travelled back to his native Belfast in Northern Ireland, the first time in many years he had returned to his place of birth. There seems little doubt that this trip inspired the writing for this album. The lyrical content of many of the songs are about his home country, and the music itself has its roots in his celtic background.
For the album, Gary once again handles all of the lead vocals, and of course all of the guitars, lead, rhythm and acoustic. He is again joined by his right hand man Neil Carter, who contributes the keyboards along with backing vocals. Neil was very much an important part of Gary’s liv performances during this time, and especially on the tour that followed this album. Coming in on bass guitar for the album was the legendary Bob Daisley, who at this time was on one of several hiatuses from Ozzy Osbourne’s band. Daisley’s bass lines always seem to dominate the songs he plays, though he did not contribute to any of the writing of the album.
Perhaps the one part of this album that nags me is the fact that the drums are all programmed, one of those quirks of the 1980’s that has never sat well with me. Obviously once on tour a ‘real drummer’ was hired to play, who ended up being the excellent Eric Singer, but why would you use a drum machine for the album? Yes, it probably saved time and it probably saved money, but a couple of the songs, mostly notably for me the opening track, are the lesser for not having someone at the back giving the real skins a thorough thumping.

When it comes to opening tracks on albums, the necessity and desire is that you have a track that immediately grabs the attention of the listener and drags them in. And I love the opening of “Over the Hills and Far Away” for just that reason. A great drumrolling beginning before Gary recites the opening stanza, and then into the guitar riff. Not only a great start, but a terrific song, one of my absolute favourite Gary Moore songs. Daisley’s bass line throughout is great, and the moment towards the end when the music stops and the vocalists harmonise without it, is just perfect. A brilliant start.
This is followed up by the excellent title track “Wild Frontier” and typical Moore rock track “Take a Little Time”. “Wild Frontier” was the second single from the album, sitting in the middle ground tempo wise, and focusing lyrically on his homeland, the inspiration received from his trip back home. Another great track. “Take a Little Time” rushes a long at a much faster tempo, filled with a great mix of guitar riff and keyboard infusion, with Moore’s vocals in his higher register spitting out their venom. This is an overlooked song in Moore’s catalogue, one that I thing is a lot better than it is often given credit for.
“The Loner” is a song that was originally recorded by Cozy Powell on is solo album “Over the Top”, ironically an album where Gary played on a song – but not this one. Moore heavy improvised and changed the structure of this instrumental for this album, something that becomes very clear if you listen to the two versions. Here Gary plays like only Gary can, and he has absolutely made this his song.
The cover of the Easybeats’ “Friday on My Mind” was a real surprise when I first got the album, just so unexpected. And I thought it was great, and of course it became the anthem for our final year of high school. But I’ve always thought it just overused Carter’s synth and keyboard in this version. The song lends itself to a really heavy guitar and drum combo, but here Moore and his band have gone for a synth heavy version, perhaps in the main to get that elusive radio airplay in an era when synth heavy tracks were gaining that. “Strangers in the Darkness” dials back everything from what has come before it, moving closer towards the soft rock ballad that is particularly comfortable. This is then solved by the rollicking “Thunder Rising”, another song that lyrically is based on a take from his homeland, and better utilises Moore’s best guitar attributes. Closing out the album is “Johnny Boy”, which I’ve always felt is just Gary’s version of the old classic “Danny Boy”… but you know… I could be wrong…

In retrospect, this album has a lot of things going for it in regards to me loving it. It is another of those magical albums released in year of 1987, my final year of high school, where I have so many great memories of that time that are always brought to the forefront by the albums of that era.
This was the first new album the Moore released after I had discovered him and his music the previous year, so it struck a chord at the time because of that as well. And for me at the time it wasn’t only his marvellous guitaring that sucked me in, it was his vocals as well that I felt were so wonderful.
When this was released, the album stuck quite firmly and for a long time on my cassette player because of the strategic release of the singles. The video for “Over the Hills and Far Away” was on all the late night music video programs at the start of the year – Rage on ABC, MTV on 9 and NightShift on 10 – followed by “Wild Frontier” In April and May, and then “Friday on My Mind” midway through the year, which meant I was always going back to listen to the album because I heard these songs. I still vividly remember being at parties at friend’s houses late on Saturday nights, or at other friend’s houses watching movies until those music video shows came on, and watching these songs videos come on and singing them loud and proud.
So for me, even on reflection now, I think this is a top shelf album. The songs are still strong, both lyrically and musically. Not every song here is a favourite, but the strength of the album overall more than holds its own. I love those three singles I mentioned, and “Take a Little Time” and “Thunder Rising” are also very good songs.

It’s a different album from Moore’s other releases. They all have the style of the time they were written and recorded, and “Wild Frontier” definitely allows Neil Carter to push his synths a little louder into the mix as was the way of rock music at the time. And as a result, in some ways it may sound a little dated, especially to those who did not grow up in the era it was released. I certainly don’t try to hide from the accusation of bias in this regard, because it is an album of that time that is firmly embedded in my psyche. Despite that, and trying to put that aside, there is still plenty here for the casual fan of Gary Moore, some of his best work, and a couple of songs that survive beyond his own legend.

1152. Scorpions / Rock Believer. 2022. 4/5

One of the greatest German bands of all time, the Scorpions, have now been on the music scene for over fifty years, and the milestone of that first album release occurred just a few weeks ago. In that time the band has been remarkably stable in line up, and remarkably consistent in both album releases and the quality of those albums themselves. The band had even decided to ‘retire’ a few years ago, citing a final album and a final world tour. And yet, here we are, having gone through two years of a global pandemic, and the Scorpions are still at it, planning yet another tour, and having just completed and released another new album, titled “Rock Believer”. So what keeps the band going, how do they retain their fans undying faith in them, and what can you expect from a new album from a group that has so much history behind it? As it turns out, I can't answer all of those questions, but what I can do is offer you an insight into the best that the new album has to offer, as I give you MY review of Scorpions “Rock Believer”.

Scorpions have had a quite remarkable career, from local German legends to worldwide chart topper, from hard rock and metal fist pumping anthems to multi million selling power ballads. And all of it has been done without selling out their sound or integrity. Whether you prefer their metal balltearers or their crooning ballads, you can appreciate the other because they all have those grounded Scorpions basics about them, that they are all undeniably written and performed by the same band.
The longevity of the band has been one of its hallmarks, with founding members Klaus Meine and Rudolph Schenker still there at the age of 73, and with legendary 66 year old guitarist Matthias Jabs who has been with the band since 1978 they continue to form the core of the band’s success. Along with bass guitarist Pavel Macwoda and for the first time recording with the group former Motorhead drummer Mikkey Dee, the band had been toying with a new album as a follow up to “Return to Forever” for some time, and with the onset of the covid pandemic had an excuse to have to put their touring schedule on hold and use that time to get back into writing. All this after they had announced that they were going to retire from the music business following the tour to promote their 2010 album “Sting in the Tail”. So what changed after that?, Well, depending on who you listen to, the band just found that they were still enjoying the ride, and after the compilation “Comeblack” was released, they even had ideas for new songs, and so they continued onwards.
Ideas and initial writing for the album began in 2019, but with the onset of the covid19 pandemic the band found themselves with time to fill and the writing began in earnest. From all reports, the songs were written lyrics first which was unusual for the writing pairing of Meine and Schenker. And through 2021 there were videos posted by Mikkey Dee on his pages of the band in the studio, mysteriously recording new music but without any hint of what it was. So whether it was just a project that took a long time to form, or the fact that the band had time to spend in writing a new record, we came to a couple of weeks ago when the long awaited for new album, “Rock Believer” finally came to rest, and the fans responded in the only way they knew how. By celebrating.

So after fifty years of writing and recording some of the great songs of the era, there is no reinventing of the wheel here by the band. Their tried and true formula comes to the fore again, the same number of hard rock songs and the same number of slower more reflective tracks as they have done for so much of their career. It’s a formula that has worked well for generations, and perhaps it’s a little predictable in places. The opening track “Gas in the Tank” is a beauty, but both lyrically and musically it is of the same progression as other recent album opening tracks like “Going Out With a Bang”, “Raised on Rock”, “The Game of Life” and “New Generation”. They all are great tempo opening tracks, ones that get you in the mood immediately, and the lyrics are unashamedly about the place the band finds themselves at the time of their career. Here on “Rock Believer” the band has found they still have enough gas in their tank.
The days of unashamed ballads such as “Wind Of Change”, or pop-metal such as “Is There Anybody There?” or bold experiments such as “The Zoo” are long gone. Instead, barring two versions of the 'hold your lighters in the air’ styled “When You Know (Where You Come From”), (yes, one electric and one acoustic) they’ve stuck very much to the hard rock that they have built their career around, and done in such a way that it is hard to imagine they are at an age when most of us would prefer to be retired and in our armchairs.
The formula remains wonderfully intact: galloping guitars and deft choruses – or, as Meine encapsulates in less grammatical terms in “Gas In The Tank”: ‘let’s play it louder, play it hard’. Meine’s vocals, as powerful as they were when he’d rock you like a hurricane, have retained their emotional undertone, and incredibly appear to have deteriorated not a bit since those heady days of the 1980’s when he did actually blow out his vocal chords. He is a modern miracle, where he still seems to sing every song as he did when he first recorded them. Just as impressive is Matthias Jabs’s guitar playing, still which still stands out from the crowd, most heroically on the terrific “Shoot For Your Heart”, and that rhythm section is still just as powerful as it ever was. The great songs keep coming, with “Roots in My Boots” to “Knock em Dead” to “Rock Believer” dealing out the great vibes in the same way they always have.
The utilisation of the reggae guitar riff in “Shining of your Soul” further exemplifies that “past present future” sound, though to be honest it has never really excited me in the songs that the Scorpions use it in. On the other hand, songs such as the frantic and brilliant “When I Lay My Bones to Rest” and the single from the album “Peacemaker” are top shelf Scorpions tracks.
There are two CDs on the Deluxe edition, and I can’t understand why the first song of that second CD, “Shoot from the Heart”, is not on the main album. It is an absolute ripper, fast paced, Klaus really getting into the vocals and Matthias’ guitaring is just superb. It’s practically the best song on the album. This is followed up by the excellent “When Tomorrow Comes” where Klaus sings at us ‘Good morning, world. How do you feel? You look so tired’, and the unusual but interesting “Unleash the Beast”, all of which showcases a terrific band that continues to surprise as to just how good they are.

How good are the Scorpions? The first album I ever heard of the band was their “World Wide Live” live album from the mid-80's which was taped for me by my number one metal music dealer from high school, and I was hooked from the start. From there I went back and bought albums such as “Lovedrive” and “Love at First Sting” and “Blackout”, albums that I still today are their best. But really, are there any truly bad Scorpions albums? Sure, their first couple were of a different era, and they hadn’t really found their sound at that point, but from the time Matthias jabs joined the group, they have just been pumping out hit after hit, and it has been a joy to listen to. I thought especially “Humanity: Hour 1” 15 years ago was just an extraordinary album, one that showed they still had what it takes.
And in that spirit, I have thoroughly enjoyed “Rock Believer”. In many ways, the only ingredient that is missing here from those three monster albums of the 1980’s is a... ‘youthful exuberance’. And I guess what I mean in that way is that there is still such energy in these tracks on this album, but it isn’t a hyped up natural ‘we are mid-30's here we are’ kind of energy, it’s a ‘we are middle-aged but we can still rock’ kind of energy. And it is still the same things today that made Scorpions such a great band 40 years ago. Those Klaus Meine vocals that still defy belief – and that he still produces on stage too, as I can finally verify after waiting my whole life to see them. The raging guitars of Rudolph Schenker and Matthias Jabs, both still producing amazing riffs after all of these years. Schenker is still a marvel, still so tight in that rhythm, while the solos and over the top riffing from Matthias here still equals anything he has ever produced. It is a masterclass and still so satisfying and electric. And that rhythm section of Pavel’s bass and the legend of Mikkey Dee on drums is magnificent.

Judas Priest came out a couple of years ago, ironically another band who had whispered about a retirement album and tour about ten years ago, and released their album “Firepower” to worldwide acclaim, as having returned to their roots yet made a modern metal album which was loved by new fans and old alike. And for me, this is a similar album. The formula is tried and tested, there is nothing here that you will consider ground breaking. But it is that great old fashioned Scorpions sound, but in a modern way. The musicianship is second to none, it is recorded, mixed and produced to perfection. And the songs are all terrific. Is there another “Rock You Like a Hurricane” or “Blackout” or even “Wind of Change” here? No, because you don’t want another one of those. You want new songs that remind you how good this band is. And that’s what you get here on “Rock Believer”. Listen... and believe...

1151. Tony Martin / Thorns. 2022. 3.5/5

It is sometimes amazing to me that even those friends of mine who are massive Black Sabbath fans, as most of us are, only very few of them know Tony Martin’s part in the band’s legacy, or indeed know the albums he sang and co-wrote. And while it is not the only part of Martin’s long and storied musical career, it is the part that probably made him as a singer. And yet, ask anyone to name the albums he made with that band, and you’ll probably get a blank face. Now, some 25 years after that door was closed, Tony Martin has returned with another solo album, one that at the very least shows that he still has the ability to write and record some terrific songs.

It seems funny how Martin has almost stumbled into a doom metal career given the amazing range of his vocals. Often compared to Ronnie James Dio when it comes to vocalising, I’d always imagined that he would have succeeded more in a band where the music was in a more up-tempo style rather than the step-by-step slowed pace that permeates doom metal at its best. That’s just a personal opinion, because I guarantee you Tony’s vocals here match anything else he has done in his career.
Tony’s big moment of fame came when he scored the gig as vocalist of Black Sabbath in the mid-1980's when that ship was taking on water and looked to be heading for a big iceberg after several false starts following the Osbourne and Dio days. And yet he sang and contributed on five of the final seven Sabbath studio albums, with only “Dehumanizer” and “13” not featuring his vocals. And for the most part they are terrifically enjoyable albums. You should check them out if you haven’t already done so.
Since those days Martin has been prolific in the music business, appearing on many bands sings as a guest singer as well touring and recording both in his own band and other projects. Despite this, his music hasn’t always been easy to track down for fans, and on a personal level this has always been a disappointment. Tony Martin’s vocals were always superb, a great voice and a great range, and to have not seen him make his mark since those days of the late 1990’s is remarkable. So when it was announced that he had recorded a new solo album I was genuinely excited, because several artists in recent years have released albums that have harked back to their roots, to when they produced their best material, and have poured that into their new material. Judas Priest’s “Firepower” is the best example of this. So I hoped to hear a new album, a long overdue one, that provided us with the best that Tony Martin could offer, and while I didn’t expect his Sabbath-era material, there was always hope.

For anyone who is familiar with Tony’s work from the past, this album is a pleasantly surprising detour to something a little more aggressive both vocally and musically from what he has done before. That’s not to say it is as big a deviation as Black Sabbath’s “Forbidden” was from “Headless Cross”, but it is an interesting path. Anyone who knows Sunbomb’s “Evil and Divine” album from 2021 would know it is Tracii Guns and Michael Sweet’s foray into doom metal, and how well that worked, and this acts in the same way. Tony’s career with Sabbath would prepare you for this, but not completely, as it is a modern take on the classic doom metal sound, and does it really well. Martin combines with guitarist and co-writer Scott McClellan to create an excellent collection of differing tracks within the genre. With other excellent musicians in Venom drummer Danny Needham, and ex-HammerFall bass guitarist Magnus Rosen, the band is on song throughout.
Opening with the excellent “As the World Burns” that does sound eerily similar in its opening to the Sabbath song “When Death Calls”, it is probably the fastest and most intense song of the album, but that does not mean that it is all downhill form this point. Indeed the terrific mood created here is encapsulated as the album moves on. “Black Widow Angel” dials the tempo right back but still punches at you , before the atmospheric synths and drums through the first half of “Book of Shadows” perfectly offset Martin’s vocals where he shows how effortlessly he can sing and still retain perfect pitch throughout. “Crying Wolf” is perhaps a little out of place within that, as its more bluesy feel takes it out of the genre that has come so far. That’s not to say it isn’t enjoyable, it just sticks out like Adam Gilchrist’s ears amongst the other songs in its company.
The power of Martin’s vocals through “Damned by You” is just awesome, turning what could easily have been an above average song into one that becomes one of the best on the album. It is this vocal power that continues to keep Tony Martin so high in fans thoughts as a singer. “No Shame at All” is a mid-paced doom rocker that is enjoyable enough though without anything overtly brilliant to attract you to it, and “Nowhere to Fly” is the token sombre ballad that is one where you feel the urge to press the skip button if you are so inclined. All albums seem to have one don’t they, that ballad track that seems to be the one blight on society that covid hasn’t found yet.
The final four songs of the album follow the style of what has come before them “Passion Killer” is a standard mid-tempo doom song without any real surprises, no changes in riff stylings of drum pattern, and for the most part Martin singing in the same key throughout. “Run Like the Devil” changes things up, upping that tempo and with a faster running pattern that gives the band the chance to loosen the seatbelts and see where the road will lead them. “This is Your Damnation” drags things back again by driving the acoustically based track to its conclusion. Again, you all know my feelings on songs such as this. If you enjoy them, this is good. If you’d rather have more power and aggression, this is a sore point. The album the concludes with the title track “Thorns”, which mixes everything into the song to be what I guess the band is hoping will be an epic conclusion. I think it’s ironic that Pamela Moore, best known in metal circles for having played the role of Mary on Queensryche’s “Operation: Mindcrime” album, also has a role here on a song that sounds very like a late 90’s early 2000’s Queensryche song... which, if you are fan of Queensryche, you will know is a massive sledge on this song. If you switched Geoff Tate in to sing this, it would be a Queensryche song. Oh well, you can’t have everything I guess...

I can tell you that I am a great fan of the three albums Tony Martin sang on with Black Sabbath from the late 1980’s - “The Eternal Idol”, “Headless Cross” and “Tyr” - and as a result I think this album had a lot to live up to before I had even heard it. And one of the main things that I have taken away from this is that Tony’ vocals are a more mature version that from those albums. And given they are more than thirty years ago that shouldn’t be surprising. But along with the songs written, and the style of music they sit in, it is remarkable to listen to. The resulting contrast between the bottom-heavy instrumental sound and Martin’s largely clean and soaring vocals that have lost none of their power at the age of 62 is pretty stark, and yet these two opposing extremes work together effortlessly to create a highly unique and nuanced take on the modern heavy metal aesthetic.

In looking back at Tony Martin’s wonderful career, this stands as one of the most unique offerings to carry his name, and for me it is definitely one of his best. Not all of it may be brilliant. In some places it tends to get off track with a couple of bluesy acoustic numbers in “Crying Wolf” and “This Is Your Damnation”, which while they are performed adequately, they just seem out of place amongst the stronger tracks at the front of the album. The songwriting partnership between Martin and McClellan is almost as compelling as the former’s was with Tony Iommi, and hopefully if another installment of this duo is to come to light, it will manifest itself in a span of less than 17 years. Existing fans of this highly underrated master of the metal microphone will not be disappointed, and there is a far broader appeal to those in doom and groove metal circles than you would expect.

1150. The Saints / (I'm) Stranded. 1977. 4/5

The Saints was founded in Brisbane in 1973 as Kid Galahad and the Eternals, consisting of lead singer Chris Bailey, guitarist Ed Kuepper and drummer Ivor Hay. In their early days, like a lot of Australian pub rock that was beginning to break through they found their own style and with it a burgeoning audience. What they began employing was a sound that had fast tempo, raucous vocals and a guitar with lots of distortion which set them apart from other bands at the time. Indeed, by 1974 when they had renamed themselves The Saints their reputation was beginning to precede them. While the band themselves had been inspired by such acts as Little Richards and Elvis Presley, they had other inklings from bands like The Stooges and MC5. It was the style though, the faster more raucous style of their songs that was what started their influential days. Kuepper explained that when the band played live, they tended to get faster and faster through their nerves in front of audiences. Indeed, Ian McFarlane the Australian rock historian wrote that the band had developed their own distinctive sound, defined by Kuepper’s frenetic whirlwind guitar style and Bailey’s arrogant snarl.In June 1976, the Saints recorded two tracks, "(I'm) Stranded" and "No Time". Unable to find any interested label, they formed Fatal Records and independently released their debut single in September. They sent the single to radio stations and magazines in Australia with almost no interest, and United Kingdom where a small label issued the single. Sounds magazine's reviewer, John Ingham, declared it, "Single of this and every week". Following this, EMI head office in London contacted the Sydney branch and directed that they be signed to a three-album contract.
Over two days in December 1976, the group recorded their first LP, (I'm) Stranded, with Rod Coe producing. They supported AC/DC in late December 1976 and, early in 1977, relocated to Sydney, in the hope of eternal fame.

The Saints have been referred to as one of the first punk bands. They are contemporaries of The Ramones who began around the same time, and when (I'm) Stranded was released in the UK, it became one of the forerunners of the genre, pre-dating the albums of the UK punk scene by bands such as The Clash, the Damned and the Sex Pistols, and it was the lead single and opening track of the album, the eponymous “I’m Stranded” that pushed that, containing all of the elements that make the best punk rock songs. It’s not an easy thing for any band when the first song from their first album, which doubled as the band’s first single, is still the most renown and recognisable song that the band has produced. But while that is true in this situation, it doesn’t mean that it is the only great song on the album. And, that the classifying of it as a pure punk rock album would be premature.
Sure, there are those songs, of which "I’m Stranded" is one of the standouts. “One Way Street” backs it up superbly, rattling along in a way that even now you can visualise just how the moshpits at the front of the stage would have been a sea of bodies throwing themselves around while listening to it. The cover version of the Missing Links song “Wild About You” is terrific, a thrashy hard core version that exudes such violent energy it is contagious.

On the other side of the coin, there is a song like “Messin’ With the Kid”, one that for me doesn’t fit the profile, and yet is not the last time I heard such tones in a punk album or song. If you listen to this song, and then listen to some of the slower, changeup songs from bands such as The Clash and Stiff Little Fingers, you will find the roots of those songs in this song. It even brings me memories of songs by REM and Joy Division and the like. At almost six minutes it is also the longest song on the album, and feels longer because it is the same riff throughout, the antithesis of a real form punk song. In my opinion. And one I could skip every time it comes on. It really halts the momentum of the album, something made even more obvious once you crash back into “Erotic Neurotic”, with the pace picking up again, and the fact the one riff runs through the song not so important because of the energy and short lived song time. All of this continues on with great tracks like “No Time”, “Kissin’ Cousins”, “Demolition Girl” and the closer “Nights in Venice”. “Story of Love” breaks up these songs by once again dropping the tempo and trying to be something else. And in the long run perhaps it and “Messin’ With he Kids” were songs that allowed the band and the fans to catch their breath at gigs, but they both feel out of place on an album that sets itself up as something completely separate from what they offer.

It seems as though I have been aware of this album for most of my life, and certainly heard pieces of it in high school, but didn’t really listen to it all the way through myself until 20 odd years ago, and it wasn’t until then that I could hear just what it was that has been deemed as so influential to the genre. It’s interesting that The Saints ended up relocating to the UK after the luke warm response to their efforts to record. Once in the UK though, EMI had wanted to promote them as a typical punk band, with the old spiked hairstyle and ripped jeans and the link. But the band was not interested in that, and wanted to retain the style they had, the Australia pub band style of jeans and shirts.
Beyond that, the band didn’t stick to the style that had got them their break. Their next album was more of an R&B style, including a song using a brass section, trying to escape what they felt was the pigeon-holing effect of the punk style.
I first heard the album as a part of a mixed-tape that circulated amongst our school group in the mid-1980’s, which was one of my first exposures to a wider punk community. And even then, although the album has a sound that is punk-derived, is it really that? The fact that The Saints are Australian and were developing those songs and style away from the sound that The Ramones had already developed in the US, and what was just about to explode in the UK, the fact that its foundation are the Australian pub rock scene do tend to give it an extra bite that perhaps otherwise it would not have had. It wasn’t pushed by the kind of look that the UK punk scene thrived on in the years following its release, the band themselves retained the ‘look’ that they had grown up watching and then built up as a result.

I put on this album now, and, apart from those two songs which I’ve mentioned, the kind of songs that always turn my stomach no matter who the artist is or what genre they come from, this is still a great listen. It stands as a moment in time, one that is still so highly thought of that it was one of only 8 albums that had a retrospective made on it on the TV series Great Australian Albums.
How many of you have actually heard this album? Sat down and listened to it? If you have any enjoyment of this genre of music it is one worth searching out and experiencing.

1149. Live / Secret Samadhi. 1997. 3/5

Live is another band that started at school, this one all the way back in 1984, vocalist Ed Kowalcyzk joining the band after the original trio of lead guitarist Chad Taylor, bass guitarist Patrick Dahlheimer and drummer Chad Gracey lost a talent quest. And, like many of these same bands for whom ‘overnight success’ took a decade or more to develop, it was the hard work along the way that built the band up to what they became. And it was this that, from an outsiders perspective, kept them grounded enough to continue chasing that dream. They self released cassettes of demo songs, and eventually an EP as well, until they were eventually signed by Radioactive Records. Having played under the name of Public Affection it was now they changed their name to Live. Their debut album Mental Jewelry in 1991 contained the minor single hit "Operation Spirit (The Tyranny of Tradition)". But it wasn’t until 1994’s Throwing Copper that the band truly made their mark, and around the world. Several hit singles, long tours, and, after 52 weeks on the US charts, it finally went to number 1.After all of this success, as with all albums such as their previous release, trying to come up with an album that could equal or top it must have been a daunting task, and the desire to prove that they were not one hit wonders, and could produce something else that would surprise and delight the music listening world, would have been a huge one, I would imagine. Given the success of the previous album, they were afforded a bigger production budget and more time in which to write and record, something that can often cause more problems than not. And, whereas Throwing Copper had been produced by the renown producer Jerry Harrison, who had also been a member of Talking Heads, the band for this album decided to bring back Jay Healey as producer, who had been in charge of their first ever self-released cassette. Was this in an effort to ‘rediscover’ or return to their roots, or were they looking to make a statement that it was not the clean and sharp production that Harrison had performed for Throwing Copper that had made it so popular, and that they could reproduce that by utilising the tricks of their youth?

From the outset of the album, there is a difference from what Throwing Copper had produced. At the time, I had never heard their first album, and once I had had this album for a while I wondered if this was closer to that style. To be honest I still don’t have an answer to that. However, all fans of the band will know the opening of “Rattlesnake” and “Lakini’s Juice”, given the amount of airplay they received when they were released as singles from the album. There is a good energy from both.
From this point on, I get a little lost. “Graze” sits right back in tempo with the old alternative guitar distortion riff that runs through the whole song. “Century” and “Ghost” at times appear to be the same song, with the intertwined tempo and guitar riff similarly able to be confused between the two. And both “Unsheathed” and “Insomnia and the Hole in the Universe” don’t really get going until halfway through the song, it’s just a really strange way to go about it.
“Turn My Head” was released as a single and the format and arrangement of the song indicates why it was. The soft rock ballad, with accompanying string arrangements throughout, is a natural to pluck at the heartstrings of the masses, and hopefully pluck the dollars out of their wallets too. So for the fans of those songs out there, this one was for you. But for me, it just doesn’t grab me at all. Surprise surprise! long time listeners to this podcast will cry out! Instead, the next song, “Heropsychodreamer”, is 100% better when it comes to the best that the band can deliver. A brilliant bass line, well supported by a great guitar riff and hard hitting drums, and Ed’s vocals not crooning but belting out the lyrics. This is still the song that should have been the basis of this album for me. Short and sharp, but with power and drive. “Freaks” is another of the singles, and is also a mixed bag, starting off slow before building to a harder crescendo at its conclusion. And the final two songs of the album are really… easy listening tracks. If you want to have something on in the background while you are reading and/or drifting off to sleep, then the back half of this album, apart from the aforementioned “Heropsychodreamer”, is probably the ideal thing to throw on. And of course there is a market for this, and perhaps the fans of Live think these are the bees knees. But as someone who came into the band on the back of the energy and vitality of the previous album, it becomes a little disappointing as we reach the conclusion of this album.

I bought this album on that first week it was released, 25 years ago. Throwing Copper was one of a number of albums I bought back in 1995 when I was going through a rough period of my life, and it along with those other albums got me through it. And there is little doubt that I still hold it in such high regard because of that time and how the magic of music helped… save me. So Secret Samadhi had a lot to live up to in that regard alone, let alone just backing up a great album. And it was always on the back foot. The single “Lakini’s Juice” had come out just before this, and it wasn’t exactly what I had been looking for, and the music video was just whacked out, I still don’t have a clue what they were hoping to achieve with it.
I had a lot of trouble getting into this album, and I never actually succeeded in doing so. I gave it a fair run at the time of its release, but to be fair it was up against some other albums I had a lot more fascination with so it probably went on the backburner pretty quickly. And that was all a matter of musical taste. In comparison to The Offspring’s “Ixnay on the Hombre” for instance, it simply didn’t stand a chance. My major problem with the album was the lack of a real drive in the majority of the songs. It felt as though it was the wrong era for the album to have been written. Compare it to their next album, The Distance to Here, which ironically saw the return of Jerry Harrison as producer, and it highlights the weaknesses overall of this album. The songs for me just don’t have the same power or even arrangement as the albums that sandwich it. There are a few moments as I’ve mentioned, but the rest is a bit… blah. I pulled it out again some years later, probably over a decade ago now, just to see if time had mellowed my opinion or I had missed something at the time, or had my thoughts coloured by other music. And, in the end, I discovered I still felt the same way about it. This week, I have done that again, for the benefit of this podcast episode. And, 25 years later, as I sat here just listening to the album and not trying to judge it, but just allow myself to listen to it, I probably do find it more enjoyable now than I did then. And I do! The closing track, “Gas Hed Goes West” never ever attracted me, in fact I used to think it was a terrible way to end the album, but over the last week I have listened to that track more than a dozen times, and now in my advanced age I think it is a terrific song. But back then I was in my 20’s, and now I am in my 50’s. And to be fair I think that is where this album digresses. I’m pretty sure they weren’t aiming this album at 50 year olds all those years ago, but I feel it actually can be appreciated better by them. At least, by 50 year olds who are looking for a quiet album to nod off to rather than an album to jump around to.

1148. The Offspring / Ixnay on the Hombre. 1997. 4.5/5

When Smash had been released and that first single “Come Out and Play” had been released and was tsunamied on radio airplay, it encouraged me to go out and buy the album. And, I loved it. Played it to death. Knew all the words, which even by that time of my life was becoming a novelty time did not always allow. And I think it is significant that the band was not an overnight sensation. Sure, most people who got into the band did so on that Smash album and felt as though they had come out of nowhere, but they had already been together for ten years prior to it, and had also released albums before this, so the sound they came out with was one they had been curating for some time. It was a unique one, with high octane vocals, energetic guitars and drums, and that infusion of a modernised punk and alternative sound that provided a counter punch to the end days of grunge and the beginnings of industrial metal.When it came to the release of their follow up album, because of the success of Smash and having signed for a major label the band not only had a recording studio available to them for a stretch of time they had more time available in which to write and record. Probably the biggest question going into this album, certainly from my own perspective as a one-album fan, was in what direction the new songs would go. Because the music world was still fluxing, and sometimes the success of an album can influence the next one in ways that don’t always work. Given the commercial success would the band look to go further down that lie with their songs, or would they stick to their roots and perhaps further the songs in a modern punk style. It was a three year gap between albums, enough time during the 1990’s for the popular music style to have changed completely. Which it had. And yet the best bands were able to find a way to negotiate that and keep themselves relevant. Ixnay on the Hombre managed to do that.

The Offspring began a trend of theirs with monologues on their albums, and what better way to open an album that to have the legendary Jello Biafra of Dead Kennedy’s fame doing so to open their new album. “Disclaimer” perfectly sums up the attitude of band when it comes to the “Parental Advisory” stickers than some bands were forced to have on their CDs because of some of the language used or the subject matter of the lyrics of certain songs. A perfect riposte delivered by one of the best in the business.
The album then kicks off for real with the brilliant “The Meaning of Life”, setting the tone for the album to come. Now for me, what makes this album is the groove that comes from the track list. The songs come at you at different tempos and somewhat different styles, but it is the groove of the album that connects it all together. The faster tempo of the opening tracks “The Meaning of Life” and “Mota” still flow nicely and uninterrupted into the next level of “Me and My Old Lady” and “Cool to Hate” because of the terrific groove created by Ron Welty’s drums and Greg K’s brilliant bass lines, still for me the absolute highlights of the album. The bass guitar dominates every song, not only creating the base around which each song is constructed but then leading the song’s direction. Most of the attention comes from Dexter Holland’s unique vocal abilities along with Noodles great backing and harmony vocals, and their great partnership on guitars, but for me it is the bass that has been the best aspect of the majority of the songs here since its release. Then the terrific tempo change in the middle of “Cool to Hate”, still one of my favourite Offspring songs, and the lyrics throughout… I wish this song had been written when I was at school, it would have been my anthem. I’m sure it was for so many who were at school when this album was released.
Then you have the two main singles off the album, which although I still enjoy to this day are not really the best songs on the album, and to me that usually coincides with the ultimate strength of the album, the fact that the songs released for radio airplay to garner popularity of the masses are actually not even the best songs of the album itself. “Gone Away” and “All I Want” definitely sit in this bracket, songs that are good to listen to but if I’m gong to watch The Offspring there are probably five other songs on the album I’d rather hear first. And then there is the superb closing track, four and a half minutes long just to prove that they are capable of extending themselves, without losing their intensity and hard core fist pumping and fist shaking at the world.

I’ve mentioned a couple of times here, and probably will again when it comes to other albums released in this era, how music it was a changin’ around this time. The bands that I had grown up with had changed their own style, mostly not for the better, though I continued to listen to them and their albums. But I was also discovering other bands who were coming into their own and releasing albums that became iconic once they had had time to grow on their audience. And I firmly believe that Ixnay on the Hombre is one of those albums. Smash had broken the band worldwide, and future releases Americana and Conspiracy of One perpetuated their popularity and genre hopping ability. But here on Ixnay on the Hombre is where the band really proved that it could cross thread between an alternative styled post modern punk that drew from the fast paced short styled hard hitting lyrical songs with the commercial popularity that saw radio airplay dominated and album sales climb, all the while creating a fan base that crossed over into several different eras.
All of that is a mouthful, and perhaps over-exclaims or complicates just what this album is able to achieve. And, of course, there will be people who will disagree. But I find everything about this album to be top shelf. If you want thoughtful lyrics banging on about topics that were at the hearts of the bands target audience at the time of its release, you’ve got it. C’mon – the meaning of life, hating school, life and death, positive thoughts on being alive…. Its all there in the lyrical outtake. All of this pumped along by terrific music driven by the high velocity guitars and held together by that cranking rhythm of bass and drums, and vocals that encourage you to sing along at the top of your voice.

Everything about this album works. It gets you moving, it gets the blood pumping. You can listen to it at home in your armchair, you can crank it at a party to get it livened up. For me there were some other brilliant albums released in 1997. This one still remains near the top of the list of those releases. It’s the album that to me proved that The Offspring was not a one-hit wonder, it was a band that was here for the long term and had the skill, talent and ability to make it a long term contribution. History has proven that to be the case, and having revisited this album a lot over the past week to celebrate its 25th anniversary, I’m back again for the long haul.

1147. BLAZE / Tenth Dimension. 2002. 4.5/5

In many ways it is both strange that Blaze Bayley the artist has as low a profile as he does, both now and 20 years ago, and strange that he has such a high profile as he does. His first band Wolfsbane had had some minor success, but when Iron Maiden hired him as the replacement for Bruce Dickinson in 1994 over more high profile candidates such as ex-Helloween vocalist Michael Kiske there was a sense of ‘who is this guy?’ Those two Maiden albums with Blaze as vocalist still generate a mixed reaction from fans. And yet, on leaving the band with the return of Bruce Dickinson and Adrian Smith, and forming his own band, he was able to syphon off enough of his Maiden persona to get good support gigs, and by the by write and record a pretty damn excellent debut album Silicon Messiah. Following the success of that album and tour, Blaze and the band, guitarists Steve Wray and John Slater, bass guitarist Rob Naylor and drummer Jeff Singer, moved into writing and recording the follow up. Hooking up with acclaimed producer Andy Sneap, Blaze came up with the story idea for what became the concept album. He had done a lot of research into quantum physics and read a number of published articles about the subject, including a link between quantum physics and paranormal phenomena, and most of the ideas he read about related to superstring theory, the idea that inspired the story of the album. It tells the tale of Professor Christopher Blane and his journey to find the tenth dimension and discover its true meaning. It became Tenth Dimension.
So while it has been established that the album has a story and that it is all interconnected, when it comes to music, if the songs themselves don’t reflect the same emotion and energy then none of it matters. Fortunately, the band has produced not only some excellent songs here they have created an atmosphere that enhances. The opening instrumental of “Forgotten Future” crashes into the opening track of “Kill and Destroy”, a perfect meshing of great riffs from Wray and Slater and Blaze’s awesome vocals that kick the song off from the start and drives it to its conclusion. It has been, and remains, one of Blaze’s best songs. It is the perfect tempo and riffage. “End Dream” then comes in with a slower tempo but retains the energy, while the title track is a beauty, filled with great vocals and suitably excellent dual guitar solos. It’s a great start to the album, and continues with “Leap of Faith” which also bounds along in that same great bouncing tempo.
Even when the album slows down in the middle, such as with the growing ascendance from quiet acoustic to faster heavier tones in “Nothing Will Stop Me”, and with the short acoustic “The Truth Revealed” into “Meant to Be”, the band perform it terrifically well. Other bands of the era may have looked to turn “Meant to Be” into a power ballad, but as a part of the story it most definitely isn’t a ballad. This is where Blaze’s vocals shine through, living proof to the doubters that he can most definitely sing when he isn’t expected to be singing at the same pitch as Bruce Dickinson.
“Speed of Light” once again showcases just how good Blaze and the band are when they go for the uptempo heavy rocking track, because this is another ripper on this album. It flies along and is where the band sounds at their best. And when listening to the album, it is the standout of the back half of the album, and definitely because of its pace and fire, whereas songs such as “Land of the Blind” and “Stealing Time” are lesser in comparison. Also, somewhat, is the closing track “Stranger to the Light”, which is the longest song on the album, and is dialled right back into the slower, crunching song as the finale to the story. Now, while I like the song, and you can understand why it is designed the way it is, it gets found out because of the excellence of the previous track, and that does tend to hold back the last third of the album compared to what comes at the front end.

When Blaze was with Iron Maiden, he was always going to be judged against Bruce Dickinson and the work he had done in the band. That meant that the songs he performed on and co-wrote would be judged against the best era of Iron Maiden, and he was never going to be able to win that competition. Beyond that though, on both his debut album and this album, Blaze found a great band with terrific musicians who wrote songs that not only better suited Blaze’s excellent vocals, but music that better suited the generation. I love the two albums Blaze sang on for Maiden, but the music led by Steve Harris had already begun to creep towards the progressive sound, with ten minute tracks that also had instrumental start and finishes and whose tempo was dragged right back from the golden era of Iron Maiden. That wasn’t something that Blaze could change, and in many ways it was he that felt the brunt of blame for it.
But here on Tenth Dimension, you get a much better idea of Blaze’s own ideas for his brand of heavy metal. All of the songs here range from 4-6 minutes, there is an excellent mixture of the fast tempo, high energy, guitar driven heavy metal tracks along with thoughtfully vocalled, mid-tempo songs that don’t lose themselves into becoming power ballads that euro metal bands may do. Having put together a terrific range of musicians who not only play well, but contributed to the writing of the music and shared a similar ideology, you can hear on both this album and the previous album that they are a great fit. Jeff Singer on drums is terrific, and the bass lines of Rob Naylor purr along beautifully throughout. The guitar riffing from Steve Wray and John Slater is quite remarkable, and their contributions to the writing of the songs is exceptional. Indeed, everything about this version of the band is brilliant, and having heard both of the first two albums, it continues to be a regret that this was their final act together. As was to become common place in Blaze’s first decade, management and money problems meant that all four other members of the band moved on following the tour to promote Tenth Dimension, and Blaze had to recruit a whole new assembly for his next album.

And just one further comment. Blaze’s first album was released at the same time as Iron Maiden’s reunion album Brave New World in 2000, while their follow up Dance of Death” came out in 2003. And I love both of those albums, because how couldn’t you? It’s Iron Maiden, as you expect them to be. But, and many will say I am either mad or blinded to be saying this, I have always felt that both Silicon Messiah and Tenth Dimension hold their own against both of those Iron Maiden albums on their own merits, because Blaze had progressed down a path that he was able to lead, rather than be a hired member. And that for me is the best part of Tenth Dimension – that a band of little-known performers with their slightly better known lead singer were able to come out and produce an album that loses nothing in comparison to a band with a massively greater profile.

1146. Dream Theater / A View from the Top of the World. 2021. 4/5

Anyone who has heard of Dream Theater and has listened to them should know what to expect here. As far back as their first single, “Pull Me Under” off the Images and Words album from 1992, Dream Theater has provided a blueprint that they continue to stretch and weave. Mixing brilliant musicianship with soaring vocals, each album provides a stability yet varied environment musically.A View From the Top of the World is no different to that. In many ways, it all feels so effortless. To be fair, there is nothing ground breaking from what the band has been producing for 30 years here, it’s just that they continue to do what they do so well... so well!

Opening with the brilliant “The Alien” offers plenty of ingredient's fans crave – it’s fast-paced in spots, technically proficient and wonderfully melodic. It doesn’t offer any real surprises, but it certainly gets the job done. That’s a sentiment you could apply to much of the record, too – exceptionally well-played, with real attention to detail, albeit with precious little that diehards haven’t encountered before. Indeed it could be said of ‘Invisible Monster’, a reasonable mid-tempo cut with a key message about the effects of anxiety, that it is a touch... average... for their catalogue. Not poor, just bland in a brilliant musicianship kinda way. “Answering the Call” is a better song that still seems more simplified than most Dream Theater work, but not in a bad way. You then move into “Sleeping Giant” which resumes normality, filled with lots of guitar, drums and keyboard changes to really keep you guessing as to where the song is going. Petrucci in particular stars in this song. “Transcending Time” has been mentioned in dozens of reviews as being Dream Theater’s tribute to Rush. Apparently it was something the band wanted to attempt, a song with a major key structure without trying to sound too much like a pop song. I don’t know, I just read that in places. There are traces of 1980’s Rush if you listen hard, so maybe they succeeded on both fronts. “Awaken the Master” is another good song, while the closing title track feels like the Dream Theater of old, a 20 minute monster with three suites. Excellent stuff.

As always, all five members are awesome. James La Brie’s vocals continue to defy time, soaring in places as wonderful as he has ever done. Because of the pandemic he was unable to be with the band when they wrote the album, only able to tune in through Zoom calls, but his vocals on recording are still top shelf. Mike Mangini on drums continues to drive each song perfectly – does anyone think the band has missed Portnoy? Jordan Rudess on keys still defies the instrument at times with the effects and atmosphere he is able to create. John Myung still plays things on the bass guitar that defies any normal human from trying to replicate them, while John Petrucci remains at the top of the tree as a guitarist, even breaking out an eight string version on a couple of songs. I’d like to see him playing on that live, just once.

While I have been a fan of Dream Theater for quite some time now, I am the first to admit that when it comes to throwing on one of their albums for a casual listen... it doesn’t happen too often. As much as you can love their music and appreciate the amazing musicianship time and again, generally when I’m looking to grab something to listen to, I’m not just going to the D section and pulling out one of their 15 albums. Why? Because your mood dictates the music you want to listen to. And with Dream Theater, you need to be in the right mood to appreciate everything that is being thrown at you, because it is a (no pun intended) theatrical experience.
So for me, some Dream Theater albums miss the mark slightly, and while I still think they are great I just don’t ever think to drag them out for a listen. However, that wasn’t the case with their previous album Distance Over Time which I played for a lengthy period of time, and that also is not the case with A View From the Top of the World. I don’t deny I love the heavier periods of Dream Theater more than I do the progressive periods of the band. Most fans hail the awesomeness of Metropolis Pt. 2: Scenes From a Memory while I will always point towards Train of Thought as my favourite moment in their career. This new album doesn’t quite scale the same heights for me as that album did, but I have immensely enjoyed the past two efforts. Is there a reason behind this? Not one I can put my finger on, apart from the fact I think that despite the length of each song continues to be in the higher echelons as with most of their albums, the actual crafting of the songs feels right to me. Sometimes with Dream Theater it can feel as though they are just being too clever for themselves, and it is the song length rather than what is crafted that becomes the main artefact. Is it too much to say that sometimes that gets boring? Because in essence that is what it becomes. However, here on A View From the Top of the World I think they once again get that balance right, and that is what is important in getting into the album and being willing to get it back in the CD player and crank the stereo to get the most out of it.
Will you all enjoy it? Well no, because if you don’t enjoy long-winded progressive metal rock songs stretching out beyond the ten minute mark then this will probably become tired for you pretty quickly. On the other hand, those of you willing to give it a go and let the music flow around and through you, I think that you’ll find this is another excellent entry into the Dream Theater discography, and one that will find itself on rotation as it has done for me over the last couple of months.

1145. Ozzy Osbourne + Motorhead / Hellraiser [Single]. 2021. 5/5

“Hellraiser” was written for the Ozzy Osbourne album No More Tears which was released in 1991. It was one of several songs on that album that was co-written not only with guitarist Zakk Wylde, but with Motorhead bassist and frontman Lemmy Kilmister, a role Lemmy performed with several artists through the years. The lyrics are very much about the touring musician, the life on the road, and would have pulled vey much from the trio’s own experiences and feelings about their life and roles.
The version recorded for Ozzy Osbourne’s No More Tears album is typical Osbourne – the high range vocals filled with melodic choruses, rumbling bass and drums and superb soling and riffing from Wylde at his peak. It has always been considered one of the highlights of the album.
Whether it was the success of Ozzy’s song, or whether Lemmy just enjoyed the song itself as it was, but Lemmy was approached to have Motorhead record their own version of the song, which would then be used on the soundtrack of the film Hellraiser III: Hell on Earth - Movie Soundtrack. The Hellraiser films, conceived from the book of the same name by Clive Barker, were the epitome of horror films in the late 1980’s and early 1990’s, and so the addition of this version of the song (which appears over the closing credits) was a winning solution. At the same time, the song also appeared on Motorhead’s album March ör Die which was also released in 1992. It is the Motorhead version of the song, with some of the lyrics changed to suit their own metal style and with different solo riff and singing style.

With 2021 being the 30th anniversary of the song appearing on No More Tears, and with Lemmy now having left us some five years ago, to celebrate the moment a new version of the song has been released. Through the wonders of technology, the two versions of the song you have just heard have been spliced together, in order to create a duet between the two great metal vocalists along with the varied versions of the song itself. An animated music video has also been created which really is a joy to watch, and is worth checking out on YouTube if you have not yet seen it.

For me, each version proves just how good a song it is, that it is able to flex and stretch to each different way it has been put together, and to me that suggests just how strong the bones of the song are.