2010 so far

A couple of weeks ago I commented about the year being off to a slow start and I still think that's true although I have gotten to hear a few more discs since then. The good news may be that I have not heard any really bad albums except for that Christopher Lee project, but that's not really metal. A few albums have been slightly disappointing including the new ones from Gamma Ray and the Scorpions. However some others have been surprisingly better than expected including the new ones from Treat, Heathen, Dirt Mall and Krokus. There are a few releases out that I have not heard yet including High on fire, Icarus Witch and others. However the top album so far this year is definitely Ufommaut's Eve. I don't want to go into too much detail now since I still have the review to write and I'll tell all then. I'll just say that it beat me over the head with a wall of sound. The second best album I have heard this year is another one I need to review and that's Stone Axe 2. They quickly followed up last year's debut with more classic rock/early metal and they are even tighter this time around. Another review I have to write yet is the new Armored Saint which I am still torn on. I like it, but it's not what I was expecting.
There are of course more albums to come this year. I am not great at looking ahead to what's coming out and don't always read a lot of metal news sites because they bore me so I am sure there are albums do out that I don't even know about yet. The year started slow, but it's picking up and I am sure there are plenty of good albums to come out.

Battle of the bands

Two bands who played classic style metal, but perhaps neither ever got the recognition that they deserved.


Armored Saint

vs.


Grim Reaper

***Which band do you prefer?

Krokus-Hoodoo

Sony
2010


This band seems to have been around forever. They are also probably high up on the list for all time total band members as they would likely give LA Guns a run for their money in that category. However what we have here is the return of the line-up that did "One vice at a time" back in 1982 which is Marc Storace, Fernando Von Arb, Mark Kohler, Chris Von Rohr and Freddy Steady. So no surprise the sound is similar to that album. Much more surprising is that this album flat out rocks. I am somewhat shocked to write that because I have often been lukewarm towards this band only being fairly excited about a few of their albums and most of those were from the 80's. Whether it's this particular line-up or what I don't know, but they are completely on here. Many of the songs have that AC/DC kind of groove. Realisticly Krokus do a better version of AC/DC here than the real AC/DC have done in years. Marc Storace sounds a little deeper than he did years ago, but that fits nicely with this straight ahead, rip roaring brand of hard rock. The music is tight and in your face. There are not a whole of surprises, but when hard rock is done this well it there doesn't have to be. Although the style is reminiscent of "One vice at a time" there is still enough of a sharp edge present that keeps "Hoodoo" from sounding dated. I gave this a second listen not quite believing my first impression, but I enjoyed it even more the second time around. There have been times in the past where I blew this band off and I had reason to as they have delivered some bland releases in the past, but this time they dug down and served up a hard rock album worth checking out.

Auras-New Generation

Frontiers
2010


Now this has to be one of the more misleading album titles I have heard in some time. There isn't much new at all to the sound presented here. Now the fact that it's on Frontiers records had me figuring that this was going to be 80's style AOR and it is. Auras sound a lot like early 80's Journey almost to the point that you could draw lines connecting what Journey songs influenced each of the songs on New Generation. I can hear somee Survivor, Treat and others too. The songs are a bit longer than your usual radio friendly AOR fare. Not that they do a whole lot extra in that time, but rather that they stretch them out another minute or so. This is pretty much what you would expect for this style. There are lots smooth as silk keyboards, strong vocals and catchy choruses. However a number of the melodies fall more on the music than on the vocals. Which makes this a little different although perhaps not as memorable in the long run. The greatest strength of this disc is that everything is familiar so easy to get into right away. On the other hand there isn't real of Auras own sound to really set this apart. I listen to it now and like it, but will I reach for this six months from now if I want to heard some AOR sounds? Likely not. So if they are content is just imitating their influences then mission accomplished, but if they want to be recognized for themselves then they have some more work to do.

Clash of the album covers

It is Super heroes today. We have...




AC/DC-Iron Man 2

vs.




Joe Satriani-Surfing with the alien

***Which cover do you prefer?

I originally intended to do this match-up some two years ago, but either I found bands that were worse or I grabbed bad CDs that were easier for me to get at. However the stars alligned, I found the CDs and I got my strength up to try and tackle these. So it is...


Slaughter-Stick it to ya

vs.


White Lion-Big Game

In the late 80's/early 90's for every good band like G-n-R, Skid Row and Faster Pussycat you had three or four bands like these. Now these two acts were better than some others, but they still checked their souls at the door and churned out some lifeless slop. Remember for a short period of time when Hit Parader was trying to tout Mike Tramp and Vito Bratta as the next Diamond Dave and Eddie Van Halen? That sure was a stretch. Slaughter seemed to come out of nowhere to all of a sudden being played regularly on the radio much to the dismay of unsuspecting ears. Since I have waited two years to get at these bands lets go ahead and have at them.


Vocals
Mark Slaughter is up for his band taking on White Lion frontman and major league hair farmer Mike Tramp. Mark Slaughter ranges between sounding like Brian Johnson with a sore throat and a screeching cat. He tries and does keep in pace with the music, but he doesn't much range at all. Mike Tramp has a better range, but he tends to be drippy and lacks any real emotion. I guess he was too busy swinging his hair around and trying to maintain a certain look. Neither is much good as individuals and they don't help their bands a lot, but Mark Slaughter's effort is more evident so...
Point to Slaughter

Guitars
Tim Kelly and Mark Slaughter are up for their band taking on White Lion's Vito Bratta. Tim Kelly and Mark Slaughter have an okay tone, but what they play is rather standard. The hit on a few moments, but never take many chances as all. Vito Bratta was frequently pushed by the fluffy magazines of the day as some kind of up and coming guitar hero. Now don't get me wrong he could hit some flash, but normally it was few and far between plus the rhythms only varied from fair to forgettable. He had some playing skills, but without good writing to back it up the sparkling solos don't mean much. Except in this case a few brief moments will be enough to earn his band a point.
Point to White Lion

Rhythm section
For Slaughter it is Dana Strum on bass and Blas Elias on drums vs. James Lomenzo on bass and Greg D'Angelo on drums. As with 98% of the hard rock bands of the time we really don't hear much of the bass so it's hard to judge those two guys. For drums both guys get some help from alright production. Overall both guys are all too happy to plunk, plunk, plunk along like a couple of mindless monkeys providing barely useful beats and they stay well in the background. Still one drummer shows a little more rhythm.
Point to White Lion

Originality/Production
By 89-90 the swarms of faceless, lackluster hard rock bands were taking over the airwaves with their sickening power ballads and warmed over, limp attempts at rockin. These two bands very much fit that mold as they just hoped to hold on make a few bucks. Originality doesn't come into for either album. The production is alright on both as everything is fairly loud, but somewhat too smooth on White Lion's disc. Depsite hearing Marc Slaughter's wretched voice too clearly the production still manages to add a slight sting overall to their band's album
Point to Slaughter.

Who rocks more?
Once again it's category where I have to dig down deep to find a winner. In this case effort goes a long ways and Slaughter were the one who seemed to be trying harder to at least briefly appear to be pretending to be some sort of rock band. White Lion had trouble even pulling off a whole song wihtout collapsing into some kind syrupy mess or just being painfully dull. Slaughter were predictable, but there was some genuine effort there although in small doses.
Point to Slaughter

Slaughter win a battle of two of the many bands who didn't deserve a major label deal. Still they showed enough sparks to pull it off even though as players them may have been the less talented band. Good thing album covers wasn't a category because White Lion would have really been slaughtered. Hahaha, get it? Slaughtered-Slaughter? Oh, never mind.

***I am going to go rest my ears up for the next one. Be back soon.

I really wanted to like it, but...

It's probably for different people, but some times it's hard not to approach an album without certain expectations. As a fan that's fine, we should expect something from artists particularly when we are paying money for their product. Now for this album I was thinking of albums I not only expected to be good, but I also I really wanted them to be good. Even if the first listen or two didn't take with me these were albums where I kept listening hoping to find something to grab on to or hoping it would be grower. That does and has happened, but for this post I chose releases I tried to get into, but couldn't.

Ozzy-Bark at the moon
This was the most recent Ozzy disc when I first got into him. Ozzy was dressed as a wolfman so it seemed to have some cool horror elements. The title track is cool and Rock and roll rebel works, but much of the rest of the album is either too sappy or held back by heavy use of keyboards. I have tried over the years to revisit it and hope that I can get past the keyboards and the throwaway songs, but it has never happened.

Motley Crue-Theater of pain
I was big on the Crue going into this one. This was the most anticipated hard rock album of 1985. So I was in shock to hear the singles were a lukewarm cover and a ballad. Much of the rest album is more rock than hard rock and there seems to be filler than anything. I gave up a few months later, but have come back to it over the years repeatedly. I have to come to think it's okay which is better than what I thought in 1985, but it's still lacking in many areas.

Metallica-...And justice for all
I got into Metallica several years before, saw them the summer of 1988 and was all ready for this one to run me over. What came out was a drawn out, under-produced, watered down shell of the band I was expecting. Others flocked to right away. I gave up after just a few plays and didn't even give it much a chance until maybe four years later. My feelings were the same. Every few years I have tried it hoping that it was just different and not just weak. I came around on a couple of songs, but for me the thin production and plodding pace still keep me from getting into the album as a whole.

**I could probably make the list longer, but that's good for starters. Do you have any cases like this?

What's coming up?

I had four meetings in three days at work which wasn't the most fun I have ever had. It also limited my breaks which limited my writing here. I have been trying to help my dad out and spend more time with him.

I hope to have a Lesser of two evils out yet this week. Possibly Slaughter vs. White Lion. That is a match-up I have been promising for like two years so maybe I can finally get to it.

For next week I hope to knock out 3-4 reviews likely including Krokus, Auras, Headhunter D.C. and one more. Clash of the album covers and battle of the bands will pop up as well. Hang there and enjoy the Spring.

New Wave of British Heavy Metal questions

The New Wave of British Heavy Metal scene or NWOBHM had a huge impact on the metal scene. Not all of the bands were quality acts, but plenty were and all of the new ideas that came forth influenced another generation. Iron Maiden, Def Leppard, Saxon, Venom, Raven, Tank and Witchfinder General were just a few of the more well known bands to emerge from from that secne. The energy and ideas that these bands brought is still being felt today. So here are a few questions dealing with that scene and feel free to add reasons for your choices.

The most underrated band of the NWOBHM was _______________.

The most overrated band of the NWOBHM was ________________.

The top band of the NWOBHM scene that I have never heard, but would like to is _________________.

Crazy Lixx-New Religion

Frontiers
2010

If you have been paying attention to the Swedish hard rock scene in recent years then you undoubtedly know there has been a whole slew of bands pouring out of that country. Many of them share one thing in common and that is a love of the kind of glam/hard rock that was so popular back in the 1980's/early 90's. Specific influences vary, but Motley seem to be a main source for many of these acts. Crazy Lixx are certainly at the forefront of this scene, but they take a slightly approach. It's very much the 80's but more AOR/hard rock infused with some sleaze style hooks. Post Pyromania Def Leppard and Danger Danger are the top bands that come to mind or a tighter version of Trixie might be a fair comparison for starters. Where Crazzy Lixx excel is in their smooth execution. They know how to piece together catchy choruses and their timing is sharp. Musician/producer extraordinaire Chris Laney handled the production duties on this one and he certainly gave it a professional touch. Fans of hard rock from twenty years ago are going to reach for this one. I have laid some praise on this band and they deserve it, but I have to flip the coin over and examine the other side. Which is they play it too safe to really impress me. There are no real surprises and they take no chances. It probably relies on taste, but for current glam bands I tend to prefer acts like Leaded Fuel and Panzer Princess who have a bit more of an edge to them. I was hoping to hear some of that from Crazy Lixx, but they rely more on a tight structure with plenty of polish. It's a good album, but not one that I am going to be reaching for all that often.

Clash of the album covers

Oh, look it's two covers with dragons in them and...

A-Ronnie James Dio is not in either band.
B-Neither band plays European power metal.

It is...


Deep Purple-The battle rages on

VS.


Thin Lizzy-China Town

***Which cover do you prefer?

Treat-Coup de grace

Frontiers
2010

Almost every review of this album is going to begin with some numbers. Mainly the fact that this is Treat's first new studio album in 18 years. So that signals comeback or reunion or whatever you want to call it. Treat played a blend of AOR and hard rock that's very fond of melodies and catchy choruses. That's what this kind of music should be and this band does that very well. After an overlong production they get into the thick of the material and they just run with it.
The vocals are great with plenty of range. The guitars are varied enough to be interesting and tight all the way around. The production is nothing short of fantastic as every all the sounds are brought to the surface. What really impressed and even surprised me about this album was that Treat took the sounds of 80's music and blended in a more modern take on it. It's subtle, but they will manage to please fans of 80's music without sounding totally dated. The other thing for this band is that they have gotten heavier and even more direct in their approach. That might broaden their appeal a little as well. So they have managed to keep doing what they did well years ago, but add in some new ideas as well. I went in expecting probably a good album very much embedded in an 80's sound, but Coup de grace went past those expectations on so many levels. I instantly took to this album and see it as a disc that's going to be getting a lot of spins from me in 2010.

Borknagar-Universal

The End
2010

Frequently I am reminded of just how much the world of metal has grown and expanded in the styles that exist nowadays. You still get plenty of bands that still play just one type of metal and that can work too. Still there are more and more bands pulling upon different types of metal. How they piece them together can be based on their own take on how to best apply the different sounds. Borknagar are one such band who pulls upon different sounds. To pin it down this disc contains symphonic metal black metal, folk elements and much of it mixed in with a progressive style at times. We all knew it's not the amount sounds that matters, but how they are pieced together. For these guys I'm afraid it's hit and miss, but certainly more on the positive side. The first time through I was overwhelmed by the amount of sounds pushed in. However many of the parts just didn't gel and repeated plays made that fact even more obvious. It's great to have the talent to play a wide variety of styles and it's shows ambition to take this on. However their sense of arrangements are lacking because the songs frequently seem cluttered. The last several songs just left me feeling very cold. They definitely hit on some occasions where they make it work and I was pulled in. The playing ability is obviously present so the potential is there they just need a lot of developing. This was definitely a case of more not necessarily being a better thing.

Quarter year coming

In several previous years I check in every three months and pick out what have some of the better albums of the year so far. So we are very close to finishing the first quarter of 2010. That does not seem possible, but it is. In recent years there has always been several good releases out in the first three months of the year. This year seems to be getting off to a slower start. Okay Heathen returned and it's good, but great? No. Gamma Ray put out a new album and it's a mixed bag although more on the good side. Helloween and Uriah Heep have put out albums of reworked songs which are fine, but hardly earth shattering. Crazy Lixx last album got some fine reviews. The new one is decent, but very predictable. Now things are starting to heat up a little more. I have not heard the new High on fire, but will likely break down and buy it soon. I have copies of the new ones from Armored Saint, Scorpions and Stone Axe coming soon. Ratt's new one is coming and some people have high hopes for that. I just heard Treat's first new studio effort in almost twenty years and quite honestly is a solid work of AOR that will probably continue to grow on me. Even better is the high powered doom noise of Ufomammut's new one. Finally the first great album of 2010. So maybe things are looking up 2010.

What do you think of 2010 so far?

Seamount-Light II truth

The Church Within
2010

While I normally love a lot of doom bands I do have to admit that it can be a fairly limited sound. That depends on the band of course, but many acts stick in the genre stick to a straight sludge by the numbers formula. That can be a good thing if done right too. Seamount are based in Germany, but have pulled in American vocalist Phil Swanson. This is their second release as it follows up a self-titled album. This band bravely pushes out the walls of their style to an extent and very early in the album establishes the fact that this is going to be epic doom. The deep tones and plodding pace still owe much to foundation laid out by the likes of Sabbath and Pentagram decades ago, but they build upon that with their own sometimes chaotic flurries of heaviness and noise. They swirl in some smooth grooves and even some more classic rock influences into their vast arsenal. They hold down the heavy end of the doom spectrum, but they never held back as they move forward. I admire how they attempt to explore more than the normal attributes of their field. However there is room for tightening up. A few of the songs drag and not all were memorable. Also the guitars could have come up in the mix a bit. What I think they have done is to take some chances and much of it works, but they now they need to build up the songwriting some. The musicianship and the creativity is there. They just need to get all the pieces lines up. When they do it will certainly be worth the wait.

www.myspace.com/seamountdoom

What's coming up?

I still owe reviews for the new ones from Seamount and Borknagar. Maybe have one up later today and one tomorrow. I am downloading the latest from Treat and Crazy Lixx so should have reviews of those out next week. Plus probably one or two other reviews, likely at least Ibex Moon band for sure since I have a few of those I need to do. I am supposed to have the new Scorps on the way to me soon so I am very much looking forward to that. I have not heard the new Armored Saint yet, but may have to break down and buy it. The tougher choice is the new Ratt. Should I buy into the hype? I have heard nothing but good about it in the few reviews I have read. However their last album from 11 years ago was poor. Most of the Stephen Pearcy stuff I heard in the last decade was poor too. So is it possible for these guys to still have a good album left in them? I don't know.
I'll also have another Clash of the album covers and maybe a Lesser of two evils if I start on it soon. I have one planned to do with a special guest. If my guest is ready to write it with me then it may happen next week.

***Take care and have a great week.

Genre exploration: Glam and hair metal

I talked briefly about genres and sub-genres in metal and hard rock a few weeks ago. All I did was just scratch the surface because in order to figure this out we have to dive in quite a bit deeper. If we think about when did heavy metal start most people will point to the early 1970's and bands like Sabbath, Deep Purple, Zeppelin, Uriah Heep and others. Bands like Iron Maiden and Judas Priest might very well be direct descendants of those pioneers, but what about bands like Motley Crue and Ratt? Okay, here's where the guy in the denim jacket with the Slayer backpatch jumps up and says "hey, those aren't metal bands". Alright, then what kind of music are they playing? You could play it safe and use the term that makes these bands seem like safer, less rebellious cousins of metal and call them "hard rock". I may not argue using that term, but it is kind of general. So what if you call them glam? Well, then the classic rock/70's fan shakes their finger and says "no way, glam is bands like the New York Dolls, Slade and the Sweet not the MTV generation 80's bands". So what if I switch gears and say okay then the 80's bands like the Crue, Dokken, Poison and the like are hair metal. Okay, so now the 40 year old guy wearing his 1988 KIX tour shirt his swinging his arms around and cursing me for me putting down his music. It wasn't called hair metal in the 80's so why is it called that now? Fair point maybe. So if we accept that 70's bands like the New York Dolls and the like are glam then are they the only ones who can use that label? Now someone like Hanoi Rocks really did have a heavy early 70's glam sound despite the fact that their prime was in the 80's. Members of Motley Crue, G-n-R and others claimed influences from the likes of Sweet and early Alice Cooper even if the influences were not that apparent. So can there be a 70's and 80's glam? Would adding the decade to the label be too confusing? I don't think so, but you still get the 70's fans who think the 80's stuff was too fluffy and the 80's fans who think their music wasn't strongly linked to an older sound. Now to further confuse things you get 70's acts like Aerosmith and KISS who were glam in appearance for sure and both bands were hot again popularity-wise in the 80's. So were those two bands always glam or were they one thing in the 70's and did they onto a slightly different fad in the 80's? Your decision might be based on how much you like those bands. Now I really don't mean to muddy the waters on this topic and provide more questions than answers. However I think this one of those genres that's a little harder to define. I think hard rock works fine in describing those 80's bands although I am not opposed to glam if it is defined as 80's glam because I think it is separate enough from 70's glam which is different. I am not big on the hair metal label and don't think it works as well as the above labels. A few years ago I was involved a big discussion on a blog when someone called Roth-era Van Halen hair metal so I think that label has some holes to it as well. Feel free to add your thoughts on the topic or tell me to quit rambling and get back to doing reviews.

Megadeth vs. Metallica

Remember the slight few "feud" between these two bands many years ago? The metal mags of the day were all too happy to print anything they thought might sell copies. Mustaine's time in Metallica has always connected these two acts despits the fact that hist ime in Metallica was relatively brief and a long time ago. Still today's battle is...



Megadeth

vs.



Metallica

Both have had ups and downs. They both contributed greatly to the early thrash scene, but both acts went for sounds that were much lighter by the 1990's. Megadeth have gone through numerous line-up changes and Metallica have gone through several changes in musical direction.

***Which do you choose and why?

Clash of the album covers

It is...


Black Sabbath-Dehumanizer

Vs.


White Wizzard-Over the top

***Which cover do you prefer?

Uriah Heep-Celebration

edel/earmusic
2010


Uriah Heep decided to honor their 40th anniversary with an album consisting of twelve re-recorded classics and two brand new tracks. This was released on the other side of the Atlantic in 2009, but it is just seeing it's North American release here in early 2010. This is a band that was very much one of the founders early heavy metal, but they have never got quite the notice and maybe even respect that they deserve on this continent. Back in 2008 they released "Wake the sleeper" which was their first studio outing in ten years and they generally outstanding reviews. So I guess they decided to follow it up fairly fast with another album. I would have preferred all new material, but the two new tracks "Only human" and "Corridors of madness" are both quite good. Both have the trademark sound of this band, but manage to be fresh enough to stand out.

I am not sure why the band decided to do an album of re-recordings as I could think of better ways to celebrate their anniversary. Vocalist Bernie Shaw has been with this band since 1986 and he has done these classics in concert many time and on several live albums this is the first time we get to hear him doing studio versions of these songs. He sounds superb as does the rest of the band as they go through some of their most memorable songs. Now I am sure if anyone besides steadfast fans are going to feel like this is must have. Still it's quite good for this kind of album as it makes me want to pull out their other albums hear the original versions too. If it does that the album is indeed helping fans to enjoy and celebrate Uriah Heep's music and contributions.

M.I.C.-Out 2 rock

Self-produced
2010


Vocalist/guitarist Yvon Sierre has been in the music business for almost 40 years. He spent almost the three decades in various outfits in his native Canada. He has played numerous shows in China for almost the last ten years and his current band is M.I.C. (made in China). The current line-up is rounded out Huang HongLiang on bass, Xhao Qian on drums and Angela Renzetti on guitars and backing vocals. The first thing that struck me about these songs is that they are raw. I mean that in reference to playing, writing and production. It's obvious that Yvon and his band like hard rock, but there are some elements garage rock stirred in. The problem is that it's all rather pedestrian. I hear this album and a I picture this band playing these songs in front of a hand full of people in a tiny club on a Tuesday night. Now that's not knock on bar bands ad much as it is about the fact that these songs sound underdone. The choruses are generally quite strong and easily the best thing about almost every track. In fact they are so good that they kept me from hitting the skip button on more than one occasion. Unfortunately the rest of the music isn't nearly as tight or as memorable. At best they sound like a mixture of Ace Frehley and Foreigner. At worst they sound like they failed to finish writing the song before recording it. The guitar solos are decent on occasion, but several times they have lost my attention by that point so it doesn't matter. I liked the story about Seree's history and was hoping to like this, but really there just isn't enough here to get into. It's bland and lacks any real direction.

Helloween-Unarmed: Best of 25th anniversary

2010


The trend of re-recording one's own songs has certainly grown over the years. It used to be a couple of them might be tacked onto the end of an album, but now we get more and more whole albums of a band re-recording their own tracks. Now my initial thinking on any album of this variety is that I really wish they had used their time to create new music rather than re-doing their own material. Maybe that's just me, but I feel if you are going to create then give us something to new. However I would probably rather a band do a re-recording album instead of the old greatest hits package. That way at least there is some possibility of some type of new ideas finding their way into the results. Helloween are one of the real creators of the whole European power metal sound. Being leaders I suppose it's not too surprising that is one of the better collections of re-recordings I have come across. They don't just re-record old songs because they actually do far more re-working than most bands who do this style of album. That's not to say that every track works because the styles are so varied that most people are not likely to be into every song. However it's obvious Helloween didn't do this album to please everyone. They did it because it's what they wanted to do in celebration of their quarter century anniversary. Die hard fans are likely the ones who are going to be most interesting in this release and even then everyone will find some songs they will listen to repeatedly and others they listen to once or twice and that's it. Sure, I would have prefered an album of originals, but not bad for what it is.

Birthday wishes

Happy 6th birthday to my daughter!

On a side note I should have three reviews out in the next day so stay tuned.

What's coming up?

It's been a rough week. My mom lost her battle with cancer on Sunday. It was tough, but not unexpected. I know she is in a better place now. I considered taking a break from my blog this week, but honestly continuing to write helped give me a purpose and kept me from getting too down.

I still hope to have a review of Uriah Heep's latest out today or tomorrow. I have listened to it a few times, I just have to find time to write it up. For next week I hope to have up reviews of the latest from Helloween, Seamount and Borknagar. Plus Clash of the album covers is likely. Maybe Battle of the bands and possibly something more on genres.

***Have a great week!

Mean dogs, nasty airplanes and Damien

Like many people my first exposure to Ohio's Damien was through Headbanger's Ball in the form of their video for the title track of their first album "Every dog has it's day". I bought that cassette not too long after seeing the video. It's classic style metal with a definite Judas Priest influence as well as some Maiden, Dio, Scorpions and others tossed into the mix. The twin guitar attack was tight, the vocals were strong and the rythm section was affective. It wasn't particularly new in any way, but it was done very well. It was 1987 and at that time I think was being pulled in different directions with the hair bands like Poison, Motley Crue and the like taking the radio play and much of the spotlight while thrash was dominating the underground and many fans of heavier metal weant in that direction. So bands like Damien who were in the middle had some trouble finding an audience. Two years later "Stop this war" was released. I bought it (yeah, on cassette again) and it was of similar style, but even better. The style was slightly more varied and direct. They got some play on Headbanger's Ball again, but still never got very far. A shame because they were a powerful band playing real metal. They came back with "Angel Juice" in the mid-90's but I have still never heard it. After that they broke up, but reformed a few years ago for some reunion shows. The first two albums were re-issued on CD on Power Play records a few years ago too. That was my re-introduction to them because I didn't play cassettes any more. Hearing them again on CD let me know just how much I liked this band. Nothing special perhaps, but still very enjoyable metal.




http://www.myspace.com/damienlives06
http://www.powerplayrecords.com/

Gamma Ray-To the metal!

earMusic/Edel
2010

When a band has been active for a long time there are different roads that they can head in. Some stay the course and do pretty much the same style while others may try reaching out or experimenting with different sounds. Now which one is better depends on the band and exactly what they do. Staying the course isn't anything new to metal because hey it works for Motorhead so it's not a bad option. So what does all this have to do with Gamma Ray and their new release? Quite a bit actually. To their credit this band has certainly been one of the pillars of power metal. Along with the like Helloween, Brainstorm and a few others they helped to develop
and define this whole sub-genre as well be a major influence on a number of up and coming bands. By this point in their career we know to expect the fast, melodic tracks as well as the medium paced outings and we know there is likely to be a layered ballad stuck in there somewhere. That's all fine with me because they have done this in the past and it has worked out. However there is a part of me that hopes that somewhere during the course of this disc that they push a little harder to do something more. I think the challenge that a number of veteran bands face is continuing to find a way to push ahead. For Kai Hansen and his band they excel with the speedy anthem "Shine Forever" and the bouncing yet punchy "Deadlands". They do these kind of songs as good as anyone else. Hell, they probably do it better than anyone going except for maybe Helloween. It's some of the other tracks here that have me using the dreaded "f word", that's right "f" as in filler. The title track sounds like a pale imitation Judas Priest music-wise with lyrics that sound like a pimply faced teen aged metal fan wrote them down on a napkin at Burger King back in 1986 because they thought they sounded like real heavy metal lyrics. "Mother Angel" has a bit more of a backbone behind it but it suffers from more lack of creativity. Ballads can work in power metal and there is no doubt that this band has the talent to do it, but "No need to cry" is mostly a dried out space taker. Now that doesn't mean this isn't an overall decent album because it is. Diehard fans might take to it completely. There are more hits than misses, but after a listen or two it definitely becomes an album where there are songs you want to listen to over and over but there are also tracks where you will be reaching for the skip button because one or two plays will have been more than enough.

Battle of the bands

It's two wacky German power metal bands who have both had Kai Hansen in their ranks. It is...



Gamma Ray

vs.



Helloween

***Which band do you prefer?

Clash of the album covers

Poor Uncle Sam. Here are two from the late 80's.


M.O.D.-U.S.A. for. M.O.D.

VS.


Uncle Slam-Say Uncle

***Which cover do you prefer?

Qantice-The Cosmocinesy

Brennus
2010

Normally signs of orchestration on a metal album are like warning signs to me. So when I saw that France's Qantice had a full-time violin player and the albums also included flute, oboe and other instruments I was skeptical. Not that I am against have a diverse sound, but to me having too orchestration can cut into the heaviness of the overall sound. In this instance my fears were quickly pushed away once I actually started the album. The band's Myspace page refers to their music as "movie metal" as they seem to love soundtrack music as well as metal. The overriding sound here is European style power metal that relies heavily on soaring melodies that dominate most of the songs. The quality of the musicianship is high and consistent. The sound does manage to add a degree of texture that other bands of this style don't always have. The orchestration is smooth and is designed to fit in with the spirit and style of the metal parts. There are a few occasions where it sounds like the metal parts are being swallowed by the other instruments. That's a production issue that could easily be fixed on the next go around. Lead singer Vince has a fair amount of range, but gets a little out of tune on some of the highest notes. Still that's just a minor complaint. All in all this was a fairly unique sound and a fine effort. I was half expecting a lot of flourish and little substance, but instead Qantice delivered an intriguing album.


http://www.myspace.com/qantice

Forcentury contest

Courtesy of Metal Revelation PR I have two autographed copies of Forcentury's Vanguard CD to give away. Just go to my contact link over there to the right above the mummy Eddie and send me a message with Forcentury Contest in the heading. Include an e-mail that I can reach you by. On March 7th I'll draw two winners and contact them by e-mail to get a mailing address. A link to my reivew of this disc is below. Good luck!

http://metalmark.blogspot.com/2010/01/forcentury-vanguard.html

Hansel-Never say die

Pussycat
2010

When I heard Hansel's Mission to rock EP last yeat I was convinced they had talent, but wanted to hear what they could on a full length effort. Now is my chance as they come back even stronger than expected. These guys dress like a joke band, but they punch out some meaty 80's style hard rock. The style is similar to the EP with Van Halen and Bon Jovi being major influences. It is instantly noticeable that they have tightened up around the edges as the quality of their music has definitely gotten better. Also the production has a richer quality that really helps to bring all that they are doing to the surface. Many of the songs have the kind of choruses that you instantly take to. That was true on the EP and it's one of the real strengths of this band so it comes as no surprise that they continue to use that skill. If I was forced to use one word to describe this band it would be smooth because that is how their delivery comes across. The only real complaint I have is that the band's slower songs are all pushed in towards the end kind of limits the momentum they had going on. Still this is a great effort and there is no doubt that this band is getting better.


http://metalmark.blogspot.com/2009/02/hansel-mission-to-rock.html

What's coming up?

Well, this winter has been kind of rough with more snow than I have ever seen, my mom has had some health problems and the kids have been sick. Despite all that 2010 has just gotten a lot more promising with the annoucement that Iron Maiden will be putting out a new studio album towards the end of summer. Never mind the fact that it's called "The Final Frontier" which unfortunately brings to mind images of Keel mand they are not a band I want to picture or hear. It also brings to mind Star Trek V: The Final Frontier which was far and away the worst of the Star Trek movies. Still after the last two Maiden albums being so spectacular I have to believe the upcoming album will follow along the same track. It was already promising to be a decent year with releases of High on fire, Scorpions, Armored Saint and others, but Maiden's announcement eclipses any other releases for sure.



For this week I hope to have out reviews of the latest from Gamma Ray, Uriah Heep, Hansel and maybe one other. Also I am sure that Clash of the album covers will pop up too. I may write some more on genres if time allows. If the kids feel up to it maybe I will start doing the first of a possible monthly segment where I have my kids (the Metalgirl and the Metalboy) give their thoughts on a classic metal album.

***Have a great week and remember only like 4-5 months until the new Maiden album comes out. Whoo-hoo!

Genre, sub-genres and labels, oh, my!

About twenty-five years ago if we were talking about music and you said it was metal then it was fairly easy to know what you meant. Bands like Priest, Maiden, Dio, Ozzy and others were all just metal. You may have had some people who chose to use the term hard rock for lighters bands like Def Leppard and Ratt. Then somewhere around that point and slightly toward the end of the decade you started off shoots of the sound and to describe those sounds we got more labels. Thrash and crossover popped up. The origins of death metal came from thrash in the likes of acts like Possessed and Death. Glam became an offshoot of hard rock, but that was 80's glam which wasn't the same animal as early 70's glam. Doom starts to develop a bands like Candlemass, Saint Vitus and Trouble took what Sabbath and Pentagram started and pushed the boundries even more. Skip forward into the 90's and the growing metal underground sees even more offshoots as power metal kind of pulls away from classic metal to become it's own category and black metal develops and grows. Since then even more categories have popped up. Perhaps it's convenient for labels and pr people to use to let people know what style a specific band plays. Reviewers use the labels to let their audience know what genre a band plays. However some times it seems more confusing than it needs to be. However it can be useful for occasion when someone says a band plays symphanic metal I know to avoid it. Anyways it's funny to think how much metal has expanded over the years. Not all bands or genres are to my liking, still the numerous genres do indicate that metal is alive and some, but not all bands are trying new styles and pushing the limits.

Battle of the bands

It's time for another round of battle of the bands. Two classic style metal bands are up in this contest. Both have made their contributions and both have had a few clunkers. It is...


Accept

vs.



Saxon


***Which band do you prefer and why?

Robin Brock-Monsters

Self-produced
2010

First off this is far lighter than I normally take to, but it sounded interesting so I gave it a shot. The music from Canadian vocalist/songwriter Robin Brock reminds me some of a cross between 1980's Heart and Pat Benatar. The styles range from classic rock to pop rock with some electronica mixed in. Although the styles are rarely mixed within a song. Instead it's more like one style per song. I am not sure if the lyrics are supposed to be tongue in cheek or not, but there are certainly poor. If it's supposed to be joke than I can look past them to some extent although many of the songs contain choruses that are far more repetitive than they need to be. The one consistant throughout "Monsters" are the vocals. Even when the lyrics struggles Brock's voice is stellar and shines through on tracks like "Masters and slaves" and "Warrior". She handles steady ballads, gritty rockers and bouncy pop rockers with the same amoung of power and force. The quality of her voice helps to elevate the song even when the cracks start to show in the writing. It took me a few plays to warm up to it and it still has some flaws, but it comes off as a refreshingly good effort.

Clash of the album covers

This time it is....


Malice-License to kill

vs.

Virgin Steele-s/t

***Which cover do you prefer?

Dirt Mall-Pacifuego

Self-produced
2010

It's been a little over two years since Dirt Mall's "Got the goat by the horns". This time around Dirt Mall have traded in some of the stoner fuzz for a bit more of late 70's hard rock groove. It sounds like they were raised on the likes of AC/DC, Black Sabbath and KISS, but then toss in some early 80's style punk rock fury and top it all off with a raw garage rock feel. This wasn't exactly the direction I thought they might head in after the previous album. In some ways they have latched to a sound that is just as basic. However they handle it with ease and they rip and tear with far more confidence this time around. This is certainly one of those albums that I can take to right away largely because the influences are so familiar to me. While I latched onto what is here I can't help but wish they would take a few more chances and even mix up the style a little more. All in all a decent outing from a band who has definitely tightened up over the last two years.