1036. Dokken / Return to the East Live [Live]. 2018. 2.5/5

The heyday of bands can stretch for any length of time, but once that heyday has been reached and passed there is no returning to it. Nostalgia can often carry a band to further heights at a later stage, and classic line up reunions can do the same. Dokken appears to have gone for most of those things combined with this live album release, and while there will be fans of the band out there who will lick this up, many others will rightly ask whether or not this release was necessary in any shape or form apart from being a money spinner.

The classic run for Dokken of Tooth and Nail, Under Lock and Key and Back for the Attack was completed by the release of the live album Beast From the East, which tied up the ends nicely before they disbanded for other projects apart from each other. Despite other albums coming and the band members changing once a reformation of sorts was accomplished seven years later, nothing has approached those four albums in the Dokken discography.
Once again though, the ‘classic’ line up reformed a couple of years ago, did a run of shows with their greatest hits through Japan again (where surely their main audience still resides), recorded a new tune and put this album together along with a live video of the shows and titled it Return to the East Live (2016). No doubt looking for the nostalgia buffs.
If you truly loved Dokken in the day, or discovered them later on, then there is no real need to invest in this package. To be honest, it is somewhat of an injustice to the memory of just how good this band was in the 1980’s where their greatest material was written and recorded. One of the first problems you run into on this recording is that there just doesn’t feel like there is any energy coming through. Dokken always thrived on stage, and on their studio albums you felt that energy pumping out of the speakers. Here however it is almost like they have produced an easy-listening version of their songs, and that they are playing in front of a crowd of grannies at an old folk’s home. It’s a soft comeback, and while I’m happy to attribute some of that to the advancing age of the participants on the stage, and perhaps even that this still wasn’t the happiest of reunions apart from being a grab for cash, it still doesn’t excuse the lounge act kind of atmosphere that most of this album seems to sound like.
One of the inescapable facts of the album is that Don’s voice just cannot do the things that it used to do in those more enlightened times. Every song has been tuned down and altered vocally so that Don can at least give a semblance of a performance of the lyrics, which is interesting because for the most part Jeff Pilson’s supporting vocals still sound the same as they ever did. So I guess for much of the time I spend listening to this album I keep hearing how the vocals SHOULD sound and in trying to marry that up with the way that Don HAS to sing them now, and it just doesn’t come together very well.

Is it a bad album? No it’s not, but it is different. This was all done better on the 1988 live album when the band was at its peak, and this is just a reunion show playing much the same material but 30 years later. The new single recorded for the release, “It’s Another Day”, does sound fine, mostly because it is recorded with the band’s current requirements being taken into account. There are also two acoustic track, “Heaven Sent” and “Will the Sun Rise”, which I can take or leave without too much trouble.
If you don’t know Dokken and want to see what they are all about, then the four albums listed above will give you the best chance to grow to love them. Unless you are a completely obsessive fan who is a die-hard lover of the band, you don’t need to hear this.

Rating:  Only for the mega-fan.  2.5/5

1035. Stryper / God Damn Evil. 2018. 3.5/5

Before I sat down to write this review of Stryper’s new album God Damn Evil, I took a look back at what I have said about their last four or five albums. Not to steal from them, but more to confirm that in essence how I feel about this album is exactly how I have felt about those albums. I didn’t want to head into writing what I guessed was essentially the same old feelings without knowing that was what I was going to do.

So yes, that’s pretty much what I’m going to do. Because here is yet another excellent sounding album by a band that rediscovered its mojo with their 2009 release Murder by Pride and has maintained that level of excellence since. And I can’t really say anything different this time around because all of the same things stand true here as they have on the previous three albums. Those being:

1. This is a Christian band, and these are Christian-themed lyrics in each song. If you are in to that kind of thing then you are in the right ballpark. If you aren’t, then you should ignore what might be being proclaimed in the lyrics and just enjoy the songs, because they still sound great.
2. The musicianship and production is fantastic. Robert Sweet’s drumming is still terrific, and drives each song perfectly. He has always seemed to get a great sound from his equipment on Stryper albums, which is not always the case on studio recordings. New bass guitarist Perry Richardson does his job admirably in support of the rhythm section.
3. The guitars of Oz Fox and Michael Sweet are just incredible. Not only the sound they get, but the brilliant riffs and soloing from the two of them has always been one of the major themes that draws me to this band. Whatever you might think of their themes, the actual guitaring is always magnificent and more than worth coming back to hear time and time again.
4. The vocal chords of Michael Sweet. I’m not sure if he has ever gotten due praise for his voice. It is one of the best in the business, in any genre of music. In harmony with Oz Fox, these two just nail every song and still hit notes that are surely impossible to sing.

I don’t always find particular songs to rave about on Stryper albums now, but I can put on this album and listen all the way through and then have a repeat dose. There are some things mixed in on this edition, the chorus high pitched screaming of “TAKE IT TO THE CROSS!” on the opening track of the same name is a change in habit, and then the drop back in intensity in “Sorry”. The hard core riff and beat of “God Damn Evil” is followed by the smooth and rumbling “You Don’t Even Know Me”. The closing track “The Devil Doesn’t Live Here” is another favourite.

In the long run, if you have enjoyed Stryper in the past you will enjoy this album as well, even though it probably isn’t quite as heavy or creative as the previous couple of albums. The groove is well maintained here, and the best parts of the band are highlighted and maintained. If you are not a fan of the band then you won’t find anything here to change your mind.

Rating:  “You better change your reflection and start a new crusade”.  3.5/5

1034. W.A.S.P. / ReIdolized (The Soundtrack to The Crimson Idol). 2018. 4/5

I guess there are any number of reasons you can come up with for wanting to re-record an album from your back catalogue, especially one that is as dear to the hearts of fans as The Crimson Idol is. I imagine in this case that the main reason for Blackie revisiting what some believe is his magnum opus is that he wanted to bring it closer to his original concept, to add in the things he left out the first time, and to change some things that he was no longer comfortable with. Whether it is a great or foolish idea will be in the eye of the beholder, if for no other reason that the original album was so popular, did it really require any touching up?

The original 1992 album is one of my favourite albums of all time. There is a real angst and anger delivered throughout the album and storyline, and the musicianship, especially in the drumming of both Frankie Banali and Stet Howland is incomparable and in Bob Kulick’s guitar riffs and licks. Almost every song is a winner in its own way and at that time of my life it spoke to me in a way that the grunge-soaked rock that was proliferating the music world then couldn’t do.
As to this re-recorded version, well… in many instances it doesn’t have the same effect as the original did. Don’t get me wrong, the great songs are still great. The opening from “The Titanic Overture” and “The Invisible Boy” to “Arena of Pleasure” and “Chainsaw Charlie” are still terrific, but they do not have the same anger and defiance and angst in the vocals and the music that the originals did. They aren’t stonewashed as such, but they are less powerful. The current line-up of Blackie, Doug Blair, Mike Duda and Mike Dupke do a good job of recreating each song, trying to get the same nuances and not messing about too much with the song structure, but it isn’t the same. Blackie tries to give us a few harmonies in the vocals which work for the most part. There are six ‘new’ tracks added to the album, which for actually mess up the whole feel of the story and disrupt the continuity of the music. I cannot get used to not flowing straight from “The Gypsy Meets the Boy” into “Doctor Rockter” which has always been a great pick up. Instead, we have the quiet reflective “Michael’s Song” and “Miss You” which was also added on the previous album Golgotha. Then, once we had the power ballads of “The Idol” and “Hold on to My Heart” we would crash into the epic closer “The Great Misconceptions of Me”. Here though we have four further additions. The clear guitar driven “Hey Mama” is followed by “The Lost Boy”, which very much sounds like a post-2001 era W.A.S.P. song, and for me feels out of place because it does come from a different time period of the band. “The Peace” just feels like it’s a repeat of “Hold on to My Heart” (of course with different lyrics telling a different part of the story) and “Show Time” another short addition. All of this for me stops the story and album in its tracks, and takes away some of the enjoyment. For those who are not familiar with the original this shouldn’t be an issue.
There is also the noticeable elimination of language from the album. The changing of words in the middle of “Chainsaw Charlie” makes it a little awkward to listen to on this album. It tends to detract from the power of the middle of the song, where the real charge of the album comes from. There is also the exchange between Jonathon and Alex Rodman pre-“The Idol” which has the harsher words changed for less demonstrative ones. This isn’t a big thing, and was no doubt an obvious move given Blackie’s changing belief system in recent years, but for me it takes away a part of the energy and drama of the album. On the positive side, I can at least allow my ten year old son to listen to this version of the story without fear of him listening to words he probably shouldn’t at his age (but given he is a fan of W.A.S.P. he has heard them all anyway).

Blackie had his reasons for taking on this project again, and for making the changes he did. That’s fine, and if it introduces new kids and new fans to this great album then it is more than worth it. Those that listen to this without the looming large shadow of the original hanging over it will be pleasantly surprised by a wonderful rock opera filled with awesome heavy metal tracks mixed with some slower ballad tracks that for the most part combine together well. Everything sounds great here and is in its right place. The Crimson Idol is still one of my favourite albums ever, and in being seen to judge this somewhat harshly it is only because I have such fondness for the original production.

Rating:  “But the dream became my nightmare, no one could hear me scream”.  4/5

 

1033. Judas Priest / Firepower. 2018. 4.5/5

In an world where the early leaders of the heavy metal art form are ageing and deteriorating such that not only do band members change but the music itself has evolved outwardly since their earliest incarnation, it makes sense that many people may question the arrival of new music from these bands. What do they have to offer in the current music environment, and how could it possibly be relevant to either long time followers or possible new recruits who may find it is obsolete? These are thoughts that it would not be unfair to have running through your head as you approach the 18th studio album released by metal stalwarts Judas Priest, and yet by the time you have listened to Firepower on a couple of occasions most will appreciate that there is still plenty of firepower left in the old war chest.

When the previous album Redeemer of Souls was released it was a positive feel. I was perhaps relieved rather than completely excited. From the get-go here though I was excited. The first taste of the album dropped a week or so before the album arrived, and it had everything that you could have hoped for in a Judas Priest song. And the when I first got the album, it was… well, not mind blowing as such, but it was somewhat unexpected as to how much I enjoyed it.
The best part for me is that I went in with no expectations, but got plenty in return. You won’t get supersonically fast songs, you won’t get heavier than heavy songs, you won’t get vocals and screams that raise the roof. What you do get are pacey songs with great riffs and solid thumping drum work with those great Halford mid-range vocals throughout. The songs are catchy, and the structure works terrifically. They are not as simplistic as “Breaking the Law” or “Living After Midnight”, and they are not as bombastic as “Painkiller” or “Leather Rebel”.
This album hasn’t left my rotation since its release almost two months ago. It gets me in right from the start with the great riffage of “Firepower”, “Lightning Strike” and “Evil Never Dies”. “Firepower” is a brilliant opening song, clattering along, and followed by “Lightning Strike” with great guitar work from Glen Tipton and Richie Faulkner and dual vocal work from Halford creating another great singalong song. Then we fall back into a more traditional heavy riff, complemented by super drumming from Scott Travis again, that keeps the brilliant vibe of the album going. These three songs make for a superb opening to the album. The rest of the album too is terrific, with songs such as “Rising From Ruins”, “Flame Thrower”, “Traitors Gate” and “Sea of Red” all of different tempo but no less enjoyable than the rest of the album.
Many of the older fans may be looking for the classic Judas Priest on this album, and younger fans may be looking for something completely different. For me I could not have asked for anything more from this album, from this band, at this stage of their career. All of the elements that make Judas Priest such a timeless band are here, even if they may be subtly different. Halford’s vocals continue to amaze, and they sound as powerful as ever. He doesn’t go for the heights anymore, which more than anything else makes it easier to sing along to the songs on this album. Tipton and Faulkner are still magnificent in the art of guitaring, with Faulkner in particular really coming to the fore on this album. Hill’s bass work can still be completely underrated but once again here his playing is compulsory in bringing the low end to the songs. Topping it off is Travis’s drumming which continues to be the benchmark for the band, perfectly timed and adding flourishes when there is a gap to fill.

Many may write this off as too tailored or too predictable or not relevant in the modern age of metal, but I would counter that this is the perfect release for this time. Whether or not it was inspired by the classic Judas Priest albums of the 1980’s, the sound has a tie to that era, but without trying to transplant or copy it. This is a modern album with relevance to the band’s past, and by doing so creates exactly what the fan wants. There can’t be another Defenders of the Faith or Painkiller, but for 2018 this will suffice nicely.

Rating:  “He pulls the strings inside you and plays upon your fears”.  4.5/5

 

1032. Blaze Bayley / The Redemption of William Black: Infinite Entanglement Part III. 2018. 3.5/5

This is the second ‘trilogy’ of albums I have finished listening to over the past two weeks. The first was Geoff Tate’s Operation: Mindcrime trilogy story, which for me ended much the way it had started. When it comes to Blaze Bayley’s concluding chapter in his Infinite Entanglement trilogy, entitled The Redemption of William Black: Infinite Entanglement Part III, I have a similar feeling, in that I don’t think any part of the three albums has changed my mind over the whole concept of the story and the albums it entails. Indeed for some time I was concerned that it had in fact fallen backwards.

At my advancing age in listening to music in general and to heavy metal at the forefront of that, I have become less frantic in trying to devour every aspect of an album. In my youthful days in the 1980’s I spent hours poring over record covers and devouring lyrics to ensure I knew every single aspect of a song or an album, and was able to decipher this for anyone that would listen to me. The occasional concept albums that came my way found me even more diligent in this aspect. But old age has found I don’t have the time or devotion to go down that path anymore, and as my collections have moved from vinyl to disc to digital I don’t even have to know what the cover artwork is anymore. This becomes even truer as to the nature of the storyline that Blaze has set out over these three albums. I honestly haven’t taking in the lyrics enough to actually be able to work out what the story is he is telling. All I’m listening to are the songs, and picking up snatches of what is being said, and just wondering if I like it or not. My Past Self would be quite annoyed with my Present Self in this regard, suggesting I needed to take more time to envelope in the story. Past Self had much more time available to him to do such things that Present Self currently doesn’t have. One day I do intend to sit down and discover this storyline, but as yet I have not.

As to the songs themselves, I admit that after the first half a dozen listens to The Redemption of William Black: Infinite Entanglement Part III I felt disappointed. I couldn’t find much here that I truly enjoyed, that was jumping out at me and grabbing me, and at that time I felt this had some major flaws. Just allowing it to play through in the background while I did other stuff it felt like every song was the same, and that there was little to define these songs or this album from a lot of Blaze’s recent stuff. To be honest I was ready to cast it aside, and perhaps come back to it at a later time. Over the next half a dozen listens though I began to find my way into the narrative as such, and found the rhythm of the album, and then it became less of a chore and more of a pleasure to listen to. In the long run, I had to find the Blaze Bayley definition again. He has his own style that has been developed over recent albums where he now has no Blaze Bayley band to collaborate with, and instead he writes through his own thoughts while bouncing them off others he is close to at the time. In many ways it has brought a similarity to his music which can be off putting, especially for those that don’t enjoy his style. And that is the crux of this album. If you like Blaze’s style and substance, you will enjoy this album. If you do not then you won’t find anything here to win you over.

I’m glad that I stuck with this, and gave it time to win me over. It is not his best work, and there are few songs here I would consider putting on a greatest hits playlist of his work. That can be the problem with concept albums, the songs have to fit the story, not just win you over as songs themselves. Compared to other albums I have had on rotation over the past couple of weeks, this sits somewhere in the middle.

Rating:  The conclusion fits mostly with the first two parts.  3.5/5

1031. Operation: Mindcrime / The New Reality. 2017. 1.5/5

I did promise I was going to steer clear of listening to future releases from Geoff Tate, a number of times actually. And I then also promised that I would stop reviewing those albums, mainly because it would give them an unfair skew giving that each time I listen to a new release it is poles apart from what I like. But here I am again, being sucked into the vortex, because there is always that chance that what I hear may again please me like Geoff’s original band pleased me back in the day.

The New Reality completes the trilogy concept plan that Geoff promised to deliver on the creation of his new band and name, which will apparently be mothballed once the tour behind this album is completed. Those that have listened to the first two albums – The Key and Resurrection – will therefore know what is coming on this album. I did too, but I still had to complete the journey just so I could say I gave it all a fair shake. So if you have listened to those two albums and you enjoy what has been offered then you can approach this album with open arms. If you found that the first albums were much of a muchness, and more tedious than experimental, then you can also steer clear of this album.
There are the odd moments when the Tate vocals come back into play, such as about halfway through “All For What?” where he sounds as though he means what he is singing and gives it some oomph. But for the majority of the album the songs crawl along in way that sounds like it should be 1970’s progressive rock, but without the rock part involved. The synthesizers dominate, and Tate’s saxophone becomes prominent in a number of songs, while Kelly Gray is back to offer some guitar and more producing of the album.
Yes, I assume there is more of the storyline that has been offered throughout, but as I’m sure I have suggested on reviews for the previous two outings, I just don’t have the inclination to find out exactly what it is about and what is happening. The story doesn’t matter a fig if the music drags you in, which is exactly what happened with the album that carries this project’s name. Unfortunately here, the music and songs do nothing to inspire me to search out what is happening within the lyrical content.

So I have satisfied my curiosity by wallowing through this release, and reached the end of what is the great Geoff Tate Trilogy following his exit from his previous band. Though none of it has tickled my fancy in the slightest, at least it is done. The next question will be, what is the next move by Tate, and will I feel as though I must continue to follow his music on the extraordinarily long off chance that he produces something that will rekindle his lacklustre appeal.

Rating:  There's light at the end of the tunnel.   1.5/5

1030. Ozzy Osbourne / The Ultimate Sin. 1986. 5/5

At the beginning of 1980, Black Sabbath had fired Ozzy Osbourne as their singer, had replaced him with Ronnie James Dio, and was about to release an album that restored their reputation and standing in the heavy metal world with “Heaven and Hell”. Meanwhile Ozzy was putting together a new band to restart his own career in the business, with doubts floating around as to whether or not he would be able to do that. Flash forward six years, and Black Sabbath was a shadow of its former self, having just released an album called “Seventh Star”, reviewed here on this podcast just recently on episode 184. Ozzy Osbourne however had moved to the top of the metal world on the back of his first three albums released under his own name. It was quite the turnaround, and one that was probably not lost on Tony Iommi at the time. The rise to the top however had not been smooth behind the scenes, with the ruthless nature of the music business making sure that Ozzy Osbourne was seen as the untouchable frontman for whom everything he touched turned to gold, while those who had as much to do with the success being garnered were finding the rug being pulled from under them.
Songwriting as much as performance was the reason Ozzy had managed to make this remarkable comeback, and yet those musicians involved were finding it difficult to get their dues. Bob Daisley has as much to do with his revival as any other person involved in his career, including wife and manager Sharon, and yet his reward had been to have to fight for his royalties from the first two albums and having been left off from live tours. His on again, off again, relationship with the Osbournes has been a struggle. So too had guitarist Jake E. Lee found his situation. For the “Bark at the Moon” album, Daisley had accepted a writers buyout of his royalties, deciding that getting a lump sum up front was better than having to fight for his money down the track. Jake also found this out the hard way. In an interview with Eddie Trunk in 2014, Lee was quoted:
“But they promise me, 'You'll get what's coming.' And I keep asking because I'm getting really close to finishing all my stuff on the record, and finally, once I lay down the final track of my guitar playing, they said, 'Ah! We have the contract for you.' And in it, it says, specifically, 'Ozzy Osbourne wrote all the songs. You had nothing to do with any of the writing, you have no claim to publishing, and you cannot say so publicly.' And I looked at it. I'm looking at Sharon, and I said, 'This is not what you told me before.' And she says, 'No, it isn't.' 'Why do you think I'm gonna sign it?' And she says, 'Because if you don't, we'll give you a plane ticket, you go back home and you stand in line and you sue us. In the meantime, we have all your tracks, we'll get another guitar player, he'll redo your tracks, and you'll have nothing.'"
“Bark at the Moon” remains a ludicrous situation where it claims that ‘All songs composed by Ozzy Osbourne’ even though it is completely untrue. All for the sake of money. Thus, when it came to producing the follow up album, Jake steadfastly refused to do anything until he had a contract that stipulated that he would receive full writing credit for everything he composed. It was a tough way to learn his lesson. And of course, it probably also ultimately cost him his job.
On the other hand, Ozzy had had a short stay at the Betty Ford clinic, going in for substance abuse. On his release, he met up with Jake and Bob in London to hear what had started coming together. Jake had composed the majority of the music while Bob had contributed the majority of the lyrics. In an interview for the Bob Daisley website, Bob was quoted:
“Ozzy (or someone other than me) came up with the titles for all the songs on this album, including the title track. I had co-written a lot of the music with Jake E. Lee in Palm Springs while Ozzy was in The Betty Ford Clinic there. All the vocal melodies were Ozzy's and most likely the song titles. I was dismissed after a little tiff between Ozzy and me and then called back to write the lyrics for the album a month or so later, so things developed while I was gone. Bass player Phil Soussan used some of my bass lines on the album. But yes, I wrote all the lyrics for that album except for 'Shot in the Dark'”.
Randy Castillo had been brought in to play drums for the album, while the bass players spot was a revolving door. When Daisley had been sent packing, a little-known bass player named Ralph Hood from Grand Prix was brought in – a fascinating story that you can hear in full on my Patreon channel if you are interested. When he was dismissed, Greg Chaisson was hired, and just as quickly let go. Finally, it was Phil Soussan, formerly of the band Wildlife, who played on the album.
Thus were the circumstances of the pulling together of resources to create “The Ultimate Sin”, Ozzy’s fourth album, and one that has been a source of contention ever since its release.

The album opens up with the thumping of drums from Randy Castillo, drawing in the fading in of guitar and into the opening riff supported by the bass guitar, before Ozzy joins and begin his diatribe for the start of the title track “The Ultimate Sin”. The mid-tempo acts as a conductor to have the drums driving the heavier tone at the opening. The lyrics sung by Ozzy here are interesting, and I’ve always wondered if Daisley was giving us another subtle crack at the Osbournes in regards to the writing credits from the previous album, and how on this one both he and Jake get their deserved credit.
“Anyway I look at it now, the doors are closed and cannot be opened, bury your anger and bury your dead, or you'll be left with nothing and no one. There's no point in screaming, cause you won't be heard, now the tables have turned, it was the ultimate sin”. Probably not, but I don’t think that interpretation was too far from his mind when he wrote them. It’s a great start and an underrated opening track, which is energised through the middle by Jake’s solo. This moves straight into the guitar riffing beginning of “Secret Loser”, one of my favourite Ozzy tracks. The faster pace pulls you along in its wake, joining in as Ozzy serenades you with “Loser, I’m a secret loser!” The Jake solo is followed by a great breakdown in the middle of the song where Randy plays along on his toms along with the bass, with barely a ripple from the guitar while Ozzy sings over the top, only to crash back into the chorus through the guitar and bass riffing back in hard and heavy. Great stuff.
“Never Know Why” settles in the same mid-range tempo that most of this album resides in, with the heavy 2/4 beat on the drums allowing Ozzy to follow the tempo vocally over the top of Jake’s riff structure. It sounds simple enough as a song structure, but it is effective in that it allows the guitar solo to be hero of the song, while the rhythm holds forth prominently throughout. Jake’s solo to play out the track is the shining light of the song and gives it its moment in the sun. The anti-war song “Thank God for the Bomb” follows, and uses a similar technique in the middle of the song with the tom roll followed by the guitar solo, and is just as enjoyable. Bob’s lyrics offer a reversal of the typical anti-war song, openly suggesting that perhaps it is the proliferation of all of these countries nuclear arsenal that is stopping nuclear war from occurring? Ozzy sings: “War is just another game, tailor made for the insane, but make a threat of their annihilation, and nobody wants to play. If that's the only thing that keeps the peace, then thank God for the bomb”. True enough indeed at a time that this event was still thought to be an inevitability. “Never” rounds out the first side of the album – and really, who was doing the titles of these songs? “Never Know Why” closely followed by “Never”? Isn’t that confusing? “Never” continues on with the war theme of impending doom, with Bob’s lyrics asking questions that he was always so good at composing: “If the Messiah is coming will he be too late, to reconcile our fears with our hate, and the memory of freedom that imprisons our heart, as we're greeted by the cold hand of fate”. All of this is perpetuated by the on-rolling rhythm and Jake’s great riffing, bringing side one of the album to a satisfactory end.
The second half of the album is where the real money shots reside. It starts off with the excellent “Lightning Strikes” which is prefaced by a great entry guitar riff from Jake before Ozzy gives it all on vocals. This is a quintessential Ozzy song from the era, and anyone who has seen the video for it, with Ozzy in all his glory, will know it with the hair and the outfit that he struts around in on it. The lyrics sum it all up as well, with Ozzy pontificating: “I'm not apologizing, I am what I am, there is no compromising, I don't give a damn” and that Jake solo in the middle of the track is iconic and legendary. This is followed by what is arguably the best song on the album, “Killer of Giants”. The opening guitar, bass and keys sequence, followed by Ozzy’s perfect vocal for the lyrics, before crashing into the harder edge of the song itself, is one of the best moments in all of Ozzy’s solo material. The second anti-war song on the album also brings to notice the tension that was in the air around the world at this point in the decade, opening with the lyrics: “If none of us believe in war, then can you tell me, what the weapons for? Listen to me everyone, if the button is pushed, there'll be nowhere to run”. Another terrific song.
“Fool Like You” and “Shot in the Dark” complete the album in style. “Fool Like You” is highlighted by the terrific drumming from Castillo. It may a simplified 2/4 beat that sounds like it is just holding the rhythm of the song in time, but it is the solid beat that he produces along the way, with the addition of the occasional flourish, that make this sound so great. It is a great track to drum along to as a result. Jake’s guitar riff opening is the part that drags out in, and then to the heart of the rhythm riff as Ozzy chimes in hammers down on... well... the fool like you! With Ozzy singing “You think you know it, you think you know it all, but you don’t even have a clue, and control is still in view for a fool like you, that’s true. Is there a reason for the way that you are, or does it just come naturally, to have an idiosyncrasy to be a fool like you. That’s true.” And the bridge leading into Jake’s solo, the change in key and Ozzy singing “He’s hiding, residing, deep within the crowd, a hand out, he’ll pull you, down..” is fabulous, and Jake’s solo leads us through to the final conclusion and he plays us out again with a continuation of his guitaring genius. Following on from the previous two tracks on Side B it continues the renaissance of the album. Which is then concluded by “Shot in the Dark”. This song actually came from Phil Soussan’s previous band Wildfire, and was reworked with different lyrics (apart from the title of the song) and a different musical structure. On the album it is credited solely to Ozzy and Phil, which seems a slight aberration to the rest of that band who worked on the original track. Still, this is the Osbourne’s, and we have seen just how this story goes. The opening riff from Jake is sensational. As wonderful as the melody of Ozzy’s vocals are on this track, it is Jake who provides the real impetus, the real highlights throughout, the guitar riffing outstanding and his solo’s again iconic. It is a great way to complete the album.
In the years since its release, "The Ultimate Sin” has been harshly regarded by many, including two of the principals of the album, Ozzy and Bob Daisley. Daisley has often called it his least favourite Ozzy Osbourne album, suggesting it is weak and uninspiring. Ozzy himself would often go around calling it “The Ultimate Din” and lamenting that was poorly recorded and of a far lesser standard than his previous and future releases. His blame lay at the feet of producer Ron Nevison. In an interview with Rolling Stone magazine in 2019 he was quoted: “Ron Nevison didn’t really do a great production job. The songs weren’t bad; they were just put down weird. Everything felt and sounded the fucking same. There was no imagination. If there was ever an album I’d like to remix and do better, it would be The Ultimate Sin”.

Ozzy Osbourne came into my music listening sphere quite early on in my heavy metal music awakening. Indeed, I knew and listened to Ozzy before I began listening to Black Sabbath. That tale can be found on an episode of my Patreon channel entitled “Let the Madness Begin” for anyone who is interested in further discussion and podcast listening. It is an interesting tale, but one too long to go over here once again.
This album was released at the very start of this metal awakening, which meant that it was front and centre of my listening at a time when I was devouring anything new. In essence, I had been binging Iron Maiden for about four months, so that when this album came into my peripheral vision, I climbed on pretty hard. It was pushed at the time by the music video for “Shot in the Dark”, and it was prevalent every weekend on the music video shows I watched, especially “Rage” late night on ABC TV. It was hard to miss, in the era it was recorded in, and Ozzy’s hair and fashion sense. He may or may not have been looking to draw in from the glam and hair metal scene, but some of those outfits he wore at the time sure LOOKED like he was aiming for it! So I pounded this album when I first got it, one of those first albums that my Heavy Metal Music Dealer recorded for me on a C90 cassette. And Ozzy’s vocals were the central defining point for me at that time, but Jake E. Lee’s guitaring was a close second. I loved everything he put out there on this album, and once we saw the video from this tour, released as ‘The Ultimate Ozzy’, watching him play live was enthralling.
So we flash forward to the modern day. My vinyl copy of this album was lost many years ago, and I have been patiently waiting for my pre-ordered copy of the new remastered vinyl release to be released and delivered to my door. Instead, I have been listening to my old and battered CD copy in the Metal Cavern, and as always, it has been great reliving an album I have loved for so long. And here is yet another album that I have reviewed for this podcast where my opinion does seem to differ from the mainstream fanbase, where it is regarded less highly than what I think of it. As mentioned earlier, both Ozzy and Bob both are less than excited with it. So I sat back and listened discerningly, looking for signs that I might normally wash over just because I have accepted this album for what it is and that I have that undying love for it. A couple of things do come to mind. I can perhaps hear why there might be concern over “Never Know Why” or “Secret Loser” or “Thank God for the Bomb”. Perhaps they aren’t as strong as the songs on Side B. Perhaps they are weaker. And perhaps fans coming into this album beyond the time it was recorded and released will judge it against the style and production of an album like “No More Tears”, which is a tough judgement to make. Would better production on this album – and it is noticeably unremarkable it must be said - bring through the great elements recorded here? The drums appear a bit muddy in places, along with the bass sound. I’m hoping this has been rectified on my new vinyl copy, so that is not something I can judge here now. All I can say is that, for me, from when I first got this album, I have enjoyed every part of it, so it may well be in a cocoon that cannot be penetrated when it comes to criticism.
But one of the main things I have noticed with this album compared to Ozzy’s first three albums, in the years since “The Ultimate Sin” was released and I grew to know Ozzy’s albums so well, is the bass lines on this album. Phil Soussan is a very good bass guitarist, and what he plays and what he chose to use within the framework of all of these songs sounds good. But he is not Bob Daisley, and it is the one album up to “No More Tears” that Bob Daisley does not play on. And so, it sounds to me like it is missing something, and for me that is what is the big missing piece of the album. It is like Black Sabbath albums without Geezer Butler. Bob was excellent on all of the albums he played on in adding his little runs, that add a bit to moments in the songs where they needed it, and gave the song a flavour that is obvious when it isn’t a part of the track. I believe, perhaps naively, that this album would have been better for having Bob Daisley play bass guitar on the tracks he helped to compose. Perhaps Ozzy picked up on this but has never wanted to admit it. We’ll never know now.
The question could well then be asked – why do I love this album so much when others will find its simplicity to be slightly boring and uninteresting? It’s a fair question, and the answer will reside in the fact that I grew up with the album from the time of its release. It was one that my friends and I lived off at the time, and it speaks as much about my youth as it does about whether the songs on the album are average or awesome. The simple answer I guess is, my personal taste is satisfied by what this album offers. I think it is a shame that Jake, Bob and Randy did not play together again, and Phil as well. Jake and Phil were moved on after the tour to promote this album, with the reasoning behind their dismissals never publicly made known. Jake’s refusal to write anything until he had a binding contract, and Phil’s refusal to sign over his rights to “Shot in the Dark”, most likely played a major part in that. Once again, money and the Osbournes seems to be a prickly pear at worst.
Music speaks to all of us in different ways. I still find this as enjoyable and entertaining as I did thirty five years ago. And as a snapshot of the era of heavy metal, it is still one that showcases much of the direction that existed in 1986. And it continues to bring back great memories for me of that time whenever I put it back on my stereo.

1029. Anthrax / Spreading the Disease. 1985. 5/5

The time period between the release of Anthrax’s debut album “Fistful of Metal” and the release of their second album was perhaps the busiest and most hectic time the band has ever endured. Despite the number of changes in band personnel that occurred prior to that debut album being recorded and released, there was just as much movement and tension in between the next album. Tensions between lead vocalist Neil Turbin and bass guitarist Dan Lilker eventually led to Turbin firing Lilker without even consulting the rest of the band. That’s a powerplay if ever you’ve heard of one, and as Pepper Brooks says in the movie Dodgeball, ‘it’s a bold strategy Cotton let’s see if it pays off for him’. The band then toured in support of the album, but it was becoming obvious that people’s opinion that the band respected was becoming a major player, and at the conclusion of the tour, it DIDN’T pay off for Turbin, who himself was also fired from the band. But not by himself, the band.
Anthrax had already hired, on drummer Charlie Benante and guitarist Scott Ian’s insistence, Charlie's nephew Frank Bello to replace Lilker on bass guitar, who had played with the band on that tour. Now however they had to go through the process of auditioning and hiring a new lead singer. Turbin was briefly replaced by singer Matt Fallon but this also didn’t work out, leaving the band in limbo.
During this time, the band was directed towards a singer by the name of Joey Belladonna, who taste in music did not align with the other members of the band, and yet his voice was compelling, and after playing a few gigs together towards the end of 1984 to assess how the combination would work, they found that it did indeed come together nicely, and Anthrax had their new lead singer. In order to introduce the new lineup to the fans, the band went into the studio and recorded an EP with a new song, called “Armed and Dangerous”, released in February of 1985, and the story on which you can find on Episode 20 of this podcast.
From here the band began to plan for their next album. Some material already existed from sessions with Turbin and Lilker, and more would be expanded as they entered the studio. In fact, those sessions went so well that at the conclusion of writing and recording the album, there was still spare days available that had been paid for at the studio. It was during this time that Benante, Ian and Lilker composed and recorded the album that became Stormtroopers of Death’s debut album “Speak English or Die”, which you can also check out on episode 114 of this podcast. So lots for you to go back and check out if you haven’t already done so! More importantly, the sessions had brought forth the sophomore album for Anthrax, one which would be a giant leap year step forward for the band with the release of the album titled “Spreading the Disease”.

Sometimes it is hard to believe that this album was only released in 1985, because it feels like it has been around for a lot longer than that. The tweaking to the band, with Joey Belladonna and Frankie Bello brought in to replace Neil Turbin and Danny Lilker respectively, acted to smooth out the rough edges of the thrash metal roots of the band and brought a whole dimension both musically and vocally to the group, without reneging on any of the aggression and power of the music. The result of this is blindingly obvious on this album, and that is even though Turbin and Lilker had a hand in the composition of a couple of the tracks prior to their departure. For some fans this is an obscure album, one that they know but without certainty. They know the tunes but not necessarily the song titles. It has its share of songs that have become classic Anthrax tracks through the years, but mostly contains songs that have not been played live since the heady days of the 1980’s and are known best by those that had the album on its release.
There are two songs on the album that were written by the original song writing team of the first album, that being Turbin, Lilker and Scott Ian, though they had minor upgrades from what was originally composed. They are “Armed and Dangerous” and “Gung-Ho”. Both are of the same intensity of the songs on “Fistful of Metal”, with the furiousness of the guitars and drums extending through the time pattern being kept. And both sound great on this album. The difference in the quality of the songs would come down to better production, but also the instrumentation being more studied and the vocals of Joey Belladonna rather than of Turbin, where Joey’s operatic-like range gives them a completely different sound to what they would have had with Turbin on vocals. “Armed and Dangerous” has the slower clear guitar beginning that works its way up in tempo and heavy feel, and while the instrumentation speeds up Joey’s vocals soar along to carry the song perfectly. In “Gung-Ho” we have a song that is not denying its roots, starting off on fire with guitar and drums, and simply not slowing down for anyone. In some ways it’s amazing that Joey can even keep up, because the pace that is set by Charlie, Frankie, Scott and Dan is exhilarating. It is a perfect counterpoint to the material of the previous album. This song has all of the same aspects, but is matured, better defined and supported by a great voice.
The base of the album is still rooted in the thrash metal elements that the band grew up with. From the start in “A.I.R.” the hard hitting drums drive the song along with Joey’s soaring vocals proving the defining improvement of the band from debut album to sophomore release. Scott Ian eventually wrote in his autobiography in 2014 that “A.I.R.” stood for “Adolescence in Red”, a byplay of George Gershwin’s “Rhapsody in Blue”. The faster pace back to the middle of the track is dictated by Charlie’s rhythmic drumming patterns, and the lift in tempo through the guitar solos to the end is fabulous. Then comes the amazing “Lone Justice”, one of the band’s most underrated tracks, kicking off with Frankie Bello’s brilliant bass riff opening with Charlie’s drum undercurrent, and then blazing into the song itself. With lyrics inspired by Stephen King’s “The Gunslinger”, the first book of his The Dark Tower series, Joey and the band take us on a monumental ride, and every part of it is fantastic. That great rhythm holds throughout the song, the guitars wail over the top and Joey delivers in spades, rising to the high pitched note to finish of the track in style. It’s a gem. One of the two best known songs of the album is the single “Madhouse”, which had a video filmed for the song but was largely ignored by most music video programs at the time. It remains one of the best known of Anthrax’s early catalogue, and is still a fun song to mosh around to. “S.S.C. / Stand or Fall” starts off with a very Dave Mustaine-ish Megadeth-like guitar riff before bursting out into a similar speed metal pace. The incorporation of Joey’s wonderful vocals alongside the support in the sing-along chorus from Scott and Frankie gives the song a great vibe. Dan Spitz on lead in this song is scintillating as the tempo reaches full crescendo by its conclusion. Another of the great underrated tracks on the album. “The Enemy” is at a more sedate pace for the most part of the song, a great mid-tempo that is dominated by the hard-hitting drums from Charlie, before the finale comes signalled by Joey’s scream. This a far more traditional heavy metal song, one that shows an ability of the band to reach into other areas of the metal realm and it still works a treat, and closes out the first side of the album with that perfect “Screams! In the night!” conclusion.
The second side of the album bursts to life with the track “Aftershock” that pummels away with the chanting back-ups from Scott and Frankie again, Charlie’s unrelenting drumming powering through the track and fierce guitar riffing throughout. Following the excellence that is still “Armed and Dangerous”, completely dominated by the vocal of Joey Belladonna, “Medusa” settles straight into the perfect rhythm from the start, and it too is brought to life by Joey’s amazing vocals throughout. Tat opening riff, and then Joey’s introductory burst, is still as amazing as it was on the day of the album’s release. Funnily enough, the highest note of the song, the word “Medusa!” in the chorus is taken on by Frankie Bello on backing vocals. “Medusa” remains as one of Anthrax’s best songs, producing the heavy emotional response that their best songs do. The album then concludes with “Gung-Ho!” and another wonderful vocal performance from Joey.
The most noticeable difference between this album and the following albums is that from this point there was a lot of forceful backing vocal chanting coming from Scott Ian and Frank Bello in future albums that isn’t as prevalent here at all. This is an album with songs that hold a typical pattern vocal wise. They appear here, but aren’t dominating the songs, they are supplementing the songs. This album focuses on Joey’s wonderful pipes, and why the hell wouldn’t it?

My introduction to Anthrax far later than it should have, which while it isn’t a lasting regret it is one that I occasionally think about when I am reminiscing on the past. Despite my introduction to the delights of the heavy metal genre through 1986 and 1987, Anthrax was one of those bands that did not come along until after that period of time. As it turned out, this was the album that acted as my entry point to the band, buying the cassette version of this album on a whim from Kiama Sight and Sound back in 1989, at a time that I had a few coins in my pocket and a desire to finally work out what this band Anthrax was all about after some years of seeing their albums but not having heard anything of them. The cover art was enough to have me curious as to what it may contain.
Those first few listens were enough to convince me that I had missed a trick by waiting this long. Everything about it was where I was happy to be, but it was the B side of the cassette, with “Aftershock”, “Armed and Dangerous”, “Gung-Ho” and the most majestic and amazing “Medusa” that dragged me in. I just couldn’t get enough of those four songs. The tempo, the moodiness, and the magnificence. It was just joyous. Though my memory isn’t perfect about those days, I do seem to remember listening to this side of the album, and then rewinding it to listen to it again a fair bit in the early days, before I finally gave in and allowed myself to also listen to the A side of the cassette, which of course I grew to love just as much in a very short space of time.
So lets fast forward to the present day, and once again the album returns to the stereo. The cassette version has long since died, and I own the CD, but in recent times I have picked up a 1985 pressing of the album on vinyl, and it is this that has graced the walls of the Metal Cavern with the volume turned up to somewhere near landing aeroplane levels. And I have loved every moment of it, which I know I say a bit on this podcast, but I really have. All the main players as outlined here still live up to the time when I first heard it. “Lone Justice” and “The Enemy” ride the waves, and the B side of the album still shines magnificently.
This is still an oft-forgotten gem amongst the Anthrax artillery. While the style of music that Anthrax produced continued to evolve over the coming albums, this is the one that perhaps best epitomises their thrash and speed metal roots while showcasing the great talent of all of the band members. Perhaps it isn’t considered in the same light as albums such as “Among the Living”, “State of Euphoria” and “Persistence of Time” but for me it is still a terrific album.

1028. Motörhead / Under Cöver. 2017. 4/5

With the demise of most of the band, and most importantly Lemmy himself, there was going to be few opportunities to cash in on the Motörhead name going forward. This collection of cover songs, collected from the past 25 years, is not something new. Most fans of the band will either already own these songs on other publications or will have heard them at some time. It is a chance to bring them all together in one album, though in this age of digital music and playlist most could have done it themselves if the mood had hit them. But enough of this negative stuff. It is a Motörhead album after all.

Even with this band, you would have to be hard pressed to believe that some of the songs that they perform here they could pull off in a manner that befits the original. Probably the best case in point is the first song on the disc, Judas Priest’s “Breaking the Law”. There is no way Lemmy is going to match Rob in the vocal range. But what the band does, as it so often does, is make this into a quite serviceable hard rock song, with a slower but perfectly formed tempo, and the vocals dominating over the top. It’s not reinventing the wheel, but you can believe it is a simplified song done simply and well. The same applies with the Sex Pistols’ “God Save the Queen”, where Mikkey Dee’s metronomic drumming takes centre stage, once again keeping a perfect tempo that Lemmy and Phil Campbell perfectly complement the song. It takes the furiously crazy original version and turns it into a perfectly good hard rock song with almost no effort whatsoever. Terrific. It’s a tougher gig taking on a David Bowie song, in a lot of ways but mostly vocally, but that doesn’t stop the trio taking on his “Heroes”. But the technique is used again, disposing of much of the 1970’s antiquity of the song and using the solid base of the Motörhead sound to recreate the song in their image. Okay, so maybe this doesn’t work as well as the first two songs, but this version does grow on you in time. That Lemmy and David passed away within two weeks of each other is perhaps the saddest part of all.
Rainbow’s “Starstruck” was recorded for the Ronnie James Dio tribute album Ronnie James Dio: This Is Your Life, and features Saxon’s Biff Byford on lead vocals. This is a rollicking version of the original track, with Lemmy providing the back-up vocals during the chorus. Neither is an RJD on vocals but it is a fun version all the same. Ted Nugent’s “Cat Scratch Fever” comes from the March ör Die album, and has never been a favourite of mine. I don’t particularly like the song which makes it hard to like this version at all. Then come two Rolling Stones favourites, “Jumpin’ Jack Flash” and “Sympathy For the Devil”. Both are done faithfully to the original versions though with that Motörhead twang.
“Hellraiser” has always been a fan favourite. Co-written by Lemmy with Zakk Wylde and Ozzy Osbourne, both did versions on their respective albums, March ör Die and No More Tears. Motörhead’s version is both different enough and original enough to hold its own against Ozzy’s version, and was also on the Hellraiser III: Hell on Earth - Movie Soundtrack. Both The Ramones cover of “Rockaway Beach” and the Twisted Sister cover “Shoot ‘Em Down” are serviceable without being anything but what they claim. The star attraction is the cover of Metallica’s “Whiplash”. What Motörhead did here with this cover was brilliant. They literally turned it into a Motörhead song, completed with Lemmy’s recognisable bass run and the changing of the lyrics in the final verse. It is a masterpiece and rivals the original version for magnificence. This is the one song every fan must hear if they haven’t because it truly defines who Motörhead is.

As with all albums that are full of cover versions of other bands’ songs, this is an interest piece, and your interest will wane over time. A week perhaps, or a month. Eventually you will want to go back to hearing the original versions of these songs, and this album will return to your collection and sit there for a very long time before it sees the light of day again. As a curiosity this is fine. As a long-term listener, it is not going to last in the end.

Rating:  “Never stop, never quit, we are Motörhead”.  4/5

1027. Lita Ford / Lita. 1988. 4/5

The 1980’s was where I grew up. It contained all of my teenage years and it was where I discovered heavy metal and the bands that became my lifeblood. It was a wonderful part of my growing up, enjoying finding new bands and new albums, and getting the most out of them. Of all of those bands and albums I discovered in that decade, it is difficult to pin down now, all those years later, what it was that attracted me to this album. There is every chance there were many factors, but surely only two are the real reasons. It was either the fact that Lita did a duet on this album with Ozzy Osbourne and I just had to hear what that was like… or more likely it was the music video for “Kiss Me Deadly” that drew in the hormones and sucked me into the abyss.

This was the first album I heard or owned of Lita Ford. I had vague knowledge of her time with The Runaways at the time, and that she had been mixed in with Joan Jett in those days. Everyone in the world knew Joan Jett from her “I Love Rock and Roll” hit a few years before, but Lita hadn’t had as much publicity in that time. Aside from the factors already mentioned, I had also read that Lita had collaborated in a failed project with Tony Iommi, so there were enough ties to the music I was listening to at the time to back up my purchasing of Lita. There was a fascination with hearing what a female guitar player and singer could produce, given that most of the music that I had been exposed to at that time was long haired male bands.
From the outset, the album settles into the genre that was making waves at the time, the hair metal sugar rock that was being proliferated by bands such as Bon Jovi, Poison, Ratt and others. It would probably border on soft metal, but Lita’s guitar and vocals keep it above that, showing off a flair that keeps the energy high and the momentum flowing. There is the usual proliferation of soft metal ballads of course, but for the most part they are done in a way that makes them enjoyable more than cringe worthy. This all comes as a matter of taste of course. If you come into this album thinking it is going to be highbrow lyrically and bombastic musically then you are in the wrong frame of mind. If you come into it openly realising that you are getting a genre that is forever going to be stuck in its era then you are a much better chance of enjoying it.
Most of the songs here are still able to swing their thing. The groove of “Back to the Cave” still drags you in from the outset, while the Lemmy Kilminster-penned “Can’t Catch Me” might be repetitive lyrically but it has the higher velocity tempo that picks up the pace of the album nicely. “Kiss Me Deadly” is the song that for me is synonymous with Lita’s career. It is upbeat, fun and allows Lita to show the best of her wares, singing at high volume and giving us a taste of her guitar skills over the top of the probably-too-prevalent keyboards in the mix. “Falling In and Out of Love” is surprisingly catchy given its obvious motivation. I still surprise myself when I find myself singing along to the song. The second side starts with the hard drumming and emotive “Fatal Passion” which again sets the right tone. “Broken Dreams” sets the template for the band Vixen that appeared at this time. It could have come straight from their debut album.
On the other side, “Blueberry” feels far too melodramatic both musically and vocally to get behind. I understand the motivation behind it and like the fact that it tries to get darker but overall I think it holds up the album. So too “Under the Gun”, which drops the tempo back a couple of notches and goes for the serious side of the music. Again both these songs are ok but not on the top shelf of the album.
The final song is the duet with Lita and Ozzy Osbourne. “Close My Eyes Forever” is no doubt the crossover song that encouraged many to at least give this album a try. It is very much a power ballad, and both Lita and Ozzy combine well within the song, topped off by a good solo from Lita as well. The video, along with the one for “Kiss Me Deadly”, got heavy rotation on music video programs at the time and no doubt drove the sales of the album. I wonder how many of those that bought the album on the back of this song actually listened to the album more than half a dozen times?

I have no problem in admitting that most of the reasons I still like this album is because I bought it upon its release, and it reminds me of those times and all the good things that happened then. And yes, I had the poster of Lita on the wall of my bedroom. Having had a couple of days of this album on constant rotation, I still find it so easy to listen to, and I find that I enjoy it now more than I really expected to. While Lita’s other albums of those days are ok without being great, this one still has the hooks that the commercially-friendly writing and recording afforded it. The Osbourne touch, both managerially and musically, is a helpful asset. I still enjoy this as much as any hair metal album of the era, which is the key. If you don’t enjoy that era of music, then this isn’t for you.

Rating:  “Late for my job and the traffic is bad, had to borrow ten bucks from my old man”.   4/5