Top Of The Heap Double Dose

It's been some time since we did a Top Of The Heap so, since Metal Mark is incredibly busy these days, to make up for the long stretch between articles I've decided to do a Top Of The Heap "Double Dose" article! So, with that said, I have also decided to cover two different styles of metal to make it a little more interesting. We have an American hard rock/heavy metal act (Ratt) and German thrash (Destruction). I have choose my favorite albums by each group and why I think they are the best. Of course these are just my opinions and I'd love to hear what other people think.

Destruction-"Release from Agony" was the third full-length album by this thrash metal band. It was also the first album I ever heard from Destruction. Maybe it was because of that fact that the album has always been a favorite of mind. I first came across Destruction's tape in a small store a town or two over from us. It was a rather unique store (meaning it didn't last long sadly) that sold heavy metal/thrash metal tapes, concert shirts, magazines and rented videos. If memory serves me correct it also had merchandise for the skating crowd. How I loved this cool little store. I first found out about Destruction and the Cro-Mags from it. I remember that I bought this tape and really wanted to take home the shirt that went with this album. Somehow I knew there was no way my parents would go for a shirt like that so I just bought the tape. This full-length album, released in 1988, was the first Destruction release to feature four members. When I first heard Marcel 'Schmier' Schirmer on album opener "Beyond Eternity" I was hooked. Of the big German three Destruction were always my favorite. "Release from Agony" is probably my favorite song ever by the band, but I also dig "Unconscious Ruins". The whole album spoke to the inner rage, frustration, confusion and depression I felt as a teenager. While I ended up with plenty of other Destruction album's, both on tape and LP, this album ended up being the one I always came back to because it just hit all the right notes.

Ratt-We go from heavy German thrash to one of the top hard rock/heavy metal bands of the early eighties. Sure, technically the self-titled "Ratt" EP was the band's first release, but this album, released in 1984, was again the first Ratt album I ever heard/bought and the album that made Ratt huge. Start to finish, top to bottom, there is not one bad track on this album. "Wanted Man" and "Round and Round" are classics. I remember hearing these two numbers over and over again at Geauga Lake Amusement Park in Aurora, Ohio. As a teenager spending my summer's at the local amusement park meant everything. These guys were the soundtrack to many teenage adventures. Whether you call it hard rock, hair metal or regular heavy metal this album has hooks that kill. With it's sweet licks, pounding beats and lyrics that were almost entirely about woman (Man, it certainly wasn't deep subject matter, but it worked for them!) Ratt was the "it" band for me for sometime back in my youth. It is amazing (And sad now that we see him a shell of his former self) how well Stephen Pearcy took control of the mic. While he oozed sexual charm for the ladies it was his take-charge, be anything you want to be attitude that hit home with young guys. Leading Ratt as he did he was able to get your blood pumping and make you want to throw all your inhibitions out the widow. This album made me a Ratt fan and I'll tell you what, I wore out more copies of this on tape (as well as the follow-up!) then I can count! Even though it might have lost a little of it's charm with age (Those one time cool lyrics now seem rather one-dimensional to me as a 39 year old), it is still a great hard rock/heavy metal album. Killer cuts like "You're In Trouble", "Lack of Communication" and "Back for More" are what make bands like Ratt so appealing in the first place because they stayed in your head long after the songs ended. Most bands would kill to have an album like this. It's kind of funny, but even though they were considered part of that same scene that brought us bands like Mötley Crüe and Poison I always felt like their influences ran a little deeper than most. For example take the track "The Morning After". It is one of those numbers where you can hear the subtle influence bands like Judas Priest had on their sound. This is especially evident in the dual leads. Even cuts like "I'm Insane" and "Scene of the Crime" are classic heavy metal at their core. These numbers might have disguised as west coast sleaze, but they had a very distinctive heavy metal style about them. While their follow-up is another album I really like I do admit that they became more interested in hair metal as they went along. It didn't stop me from enjoying their other albums, but in many ways I wish they would have kept going with the sound and style of "Out Of The Cellar". It's just a great album from a great band.


What is your favorite album by Ratt and/or Destruction?

Best hair metal albums 10-6

The countdown rolls on.


10-Tigertailz-Bezerk-1990
Heaven is a horrible ballad, but the rest of the album  is impressive.


9-Cinderella-Long cold winter-1988
Their debut "Night songs" was run of the mill, but the three albums after that were very good.


8-Dokken-Tooth and nail-1984
They never came close to where they were for this album. Very solid effort.


7-WASP-s/t- 1984
Fantastic debut. I liked their later albums when they became more serious, but they were far more fun on the early albums.


6-Ratt-Out of the cellar-1984
All of Ratt's albums from 1983 to 1990 were good, but this is best one.

***The top five will be coming up soon.

Clash of the album covers

Here you go.



Lizzy Borden-Appointment with death

vs.



Ratt-out of the cellar

***Which cover do you prefer?

Heavy Metal Thunderdome

I still think that 1984 was absolutely the best year ever fro hard rock and metal. Think about the albums that came out that year from the likes of Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, Metallica, Van Halen, Dio, WASP, Dokken, Accept, Anthrax, Deep Purple and Whitesnake. That's just for starters. Not one to throw out easy match-ups I selected two albums from 1984 and remember with Heavy Metal Thunderdome judging which album you prefer based on the music. So let's get ready to rummmmmmble.

It's west coast vs east coast in this contest.

Hailing from LA on their first full length album it is those hard rockin' rodents.....


Ratt-Out of the cellar

and their opponents hail from the Big Apple, it is those ripped clothes wearing, painted face lunatics....


Twisted Sister-Stay Hungry


***So based on the music which album do you prefer?

Five things in metal that I am thankful for

This is the fifth year I have done this feature and it's always fun to think about the top bands, labels, services or whatever that I am most thankful for from this past year. So here you go in no particular order.

Metal Mind Productions- This record label has been so consistent that they have made this list every year I have done it. They always manage to put out some great re-issues and this year was no exception as we were treated to re-issues from Mad Max, Blind Illusion, Quartz, Fist and others. Many included lyric booklets, some with band biographies and several contained bonus tracks as well.

Ratt-Certainly not a band I thought would end up on this list. Their last album the 1999 s/t reunion album was wretched so my hopes for "Infestation" were not high. I was wrong and Ratt came back with not just a good album, but one of the best hard rock albums of the year and one of the best of their career. I am thankful to them for proving that a veteran act can still make a fine record.

Canvas Solaris-Progressive metal is not exactly my favorite sub-genre of metal. Many bands is this field tend to be self-indulgent and frequently turn into giant wank fests as they to squeeze as many notes and beats possible into their music with complete disregard for emotion or spirit. However Georgia based instrumental prog-rock/metal act Canvas Solaris no better and they have been proving it for several years. Only they have also gotten even better with each release. This is a skilled prog band that hasn't forgotten how to rock plus be able to inject feeling and grooves into their music.

Self-produced metal acts-This is a broad choice, but an important one. Twenty or twenty-five years ago getting signed by a label was perhaps more important for bands. If they couldn't get signed by a major or an indie major label then they had to go the self-produced route which frequently didn't lead anywhere because they could make the album, but distribution for a self-produced release often meant they could only hit a small area. Years ago is seemed that only major label metal bands could get greater production values on their albums. Nowadays if bands can't get signed they produce their own product. It's easier to get great production nowadays thanks to technology so self-produced albums can sound great too. Also outlets like Myspace and Facebook allow bands to promote their product to a broader range of people and MP3s and downloads can allow fans to hear their music right aways. So their are many factors that go into helping bands that produce their own music, but I still applaud these bands for going this route and showing that the music business is always all about the big record labels.

Downloadable music-Another broad choice, but an important one and it ties in with the above choice. There are benefits to the physical product like artwork, but on the other hand downloading music can be done right, it doesn't take up space on your shelf unless you choose to put it on disc. Also it allows bands to get their music out to people in a manner that doesn't require as much money. An up and coming band can record and put their songs on Myspace and not have to go through the process of packaging and distributing a demo. Also labels and PR people can save some money on postage and packaging by sending downloads rather than mailing out physical copies. In tight times like these saving money where you can helps a lot. So if that's what it takes to keep music alive and available then I am all for it.

Ratt mirror

Running behind with writing this week. Work has been busy as we switched to a new cataloging system. I thought I would just link to an old post today. This is one of the first posts I ever made. Enjoy. I may get time to write an album review later today.


http://metalmark.blogspot.com/2005/06/ratt-mirror-in-my-living-room.html

Clash of the album covers

Here you go.



Ozzy-Scream

vs.



Ratt-Infestation

***Which cover do you prefer?

Battle of the bands

East coast against West coast. It is


Ratt

vs.


Twisted Sister

***Which band do you prefer?

Thinking about Ratt

I was thinking about Ratt over the last day or two partly due to the new album coming out at some point and partly due to that post I wrote yesterday. My history with Ratt like many people starts in 1984 with "Out of the cellar". I immediately took to it and it is certainly the band's best album and still holds up pretty well today. I heard their 1983 self-titled EP the same year and that one also holds up too for what it is. Along with the likes of Motley Crue, Iron Maiden, Van Halen, Judas Priest, Twisted Sister and a few others they were one of the first "current" bands I got into. "Invasion of your privacy" followed with much more hype in 1985 and I bought it right away, but it's still an album that's just decent to me. I tend to play it maybe once a year in hope that it will click, but it's overall decent. I think my interest in Ratt began dropping after this in large part due to moving on to heavier bands like Metallica, Slayer, Anthrax, Exciter and others. I did hear "Dancing undercover" right around when it came out even though I did not buy it right away. It struck me as having a stronger groove to it than did Invasion so it was one of the few hard rock releases I was spinning in between a strong diet of thrash that I was consuming in the fall/winter of 1986. Time passed and I don't even think I knew about "Reach for the sky" coming out in 1988 until several months after it's release. Again I was deeper into the heavy stuff like thrash, early death metal, hardcore, crossover and whatever other noise was coming down the pike at the moment. I did hear it and thought it was on the level of Invasion with a few stand-outs and few alright songs. By 1990 I was turning back towards some more hard rock and "Detonator" just hit me at the right time because I played the crap out it for months. Looking back it doesn't stand out as well now in fact it's certainly dated even more so than some of the other discs. After that things faded fast for the band. They released a best of and then broke up. I got married and moved back to Maryland in 1999 so with all that going I wasn't listening to a lot of music at the time let alone a band I hadn't been into for almost a decade, but Ratt released their reunion of sorts in the form of another self-titled disc. Consistancy had certainly been their greatest attribute during their first run, but they could not carry that into this album because it's falls flat with a miserable thud. There is maybe one good song, two or three average ones and a bunch of clutter. It's barely worth the buck I paid for it from the bargain bin.
Since that point they have been a mainstay of touring during the summer and releasing nothing. Until now as the new disc is coming soon. So my expectations? Well, they have been touring regularly and Pearcy and DeMartini are in it so that helps plus they were once a very steady band. That's the positives. The downside includes the fact that the last album stunk like a truck full of rotten eggs on a hot day and Stephen Pearcy's voice has always been a question mark although that could compensated for in the production room. I am slightly interested in it, but not enough to pay money for it new and I may be a bit jaded, but I would be surprised if it is better than average.

Clash of the album covers

It is...


Black -n- Blue-s/t

vs.


Ratt-Dancing Undercover

***Which cover do you prefer?

Lesser of two evils

Putting bad albums to good use.

Sometimes they come back. Actually in the last decade or so many 80's bands have come back whether we wanted them to or not. Actually the bands in question today had some high points or a point back in the 1980's. Ratt were actually one of the more consistent hard rock bands of that decade. They were never truly great or groundbreaking, but every album from 1983-1990 was at least good or better. The band broke up in the early 90's after line-up changes, lack of albums sales and other factors finally took their toll on the band. King Kobra were a different story of sorts. They were founded by veteran drummer Carmine Appice (Cactus, Vanilla Fudge and many others) and originally featured guitarist Earl Slick. However some changes were made and the band did manage to land on a major label. They released a fine, but overlooked debut "Ready to strike" in 1985. Then followed it up the next year with "Thrill of a lifetime" which unfortunately saw the band heading in a more AOR direction. The band then fell on rough times as they got booted from their label and then several line-up changes ensued including basssist Johnny Rod going to WASP and other members left to form the Bullet Boys. The band came back with a very different line-up on the 1988 release King Kobra 3 which was a hit and miss affair at best. After that they decided to call it a day as band members went off to other projects.


Time passed, the stars lined up a certain way and these old geezers needed money so they came back. Ratt would return with three original members as they went to a single guitar approach and they brought in former Vince Neil bassist Robbie Crane to round out the line-up. King Kobra includes Appice, some limited playing by former member Mick Sweda and several new members plus some guests.

Here we go.

King Kobra-Hollywood Trash

vs.

Ratt-s/t

Vocalist

I actually had to skip this section and come back because I knew it would be tough. Kelly Keeling (Baton Rouge, Blue Murder) is up for King Kobra. He has always had a good voice as far he has range and can handle different styles, but he lacks distinction and the ability to really display emotion in his voice. He goes through the motions fine, but nothing stands out and he is only as good as the song he sings. Pearcy was known even in the 80's for not having the strongest voice in the world to say the least. If anything it's even a little thinner on this album. However, he has a distinct sound and that makes a difference. His voice is very much a part of who Ratt were. So a an off day for Pearcy is better than an on day for Keeling.

Point to Ratt

Guitarist

Warren DeMartini is up for Ratt taking on Kelly Keeling, Mick Sweda, Steve Fister and guest C.C. Deville. First up King Kobra deserve to be docked for bringing in Deville even though it's in a limited guest roll. I mean if you need his help then you really should not be making an album in the first place. Despite the fact that Sweda has been a competent guitarist in his other bands, most of the work for King Kobra is generic at best and underdone and dull at worst. They sound more like some run of the mill band noodling around in the basement or like the kind of poodle-haired bar band that probably existed back around 1989 in every little town. DeMartini was always Ratt's best player. He is none too spectacular this time around, but there are a few sharp hooks on occasion.

Point to Ratt


Rhythm section

For Ratt it's drummer Bobby Blotzer and bassist Robbie Crane going against Carmine Appice on drums and Kelly Keeling wearing his third hat as bass player. Bobby Blotzer has always been the definition of run of the mill as far as hard rock drummers go. What you can expect from a guy whose nickname is "the blotz"? He is however helped out by some decent production. Robbie Crane is probably just as good as former Ratt bassist Juan Crocier and I really can't hear that either guy made that much of a contribution. On the King Kobra side Kelly Keeling can be heard on occasion and not a bad tone from his bass either. Carmine Appice is no doubt an above average drummer. Yet on a few songs the drum sound is thin and clunky like he is playing down the hall from where the microphones were. Then for most of the album the sound is worked out and he does well enough. There are several parts he handles with ease that I am sure Blotzer could not play at all.

Point to King Kobra


Originality/production

The first thing I think about when I got to this column on originality was the fact that this is the second self-titled album for Ratt as their first EP was also self-titled. However that fact should not reflect on their music. Ratt could have picked up where they left off in the early 90's and it might have worked. Instead they tried to become more serious. They didn't have the writing ability for that to work. instead they lost the best aspect of Ratt which was that they were a fun band when they were on. This is just tedious. King Kobra is even worse though. This is bland, faceless hard rock with a few weak attempts to be slightly modern. The production for Ratt is okay, slightly light yet alright. The production on King Kobra varies like the songs were done at different times. Some are adequate and other times it's so thin that they sound more like rough demos.

Point to Ratt



Who rocks more?

Oh, it's time to take a deep breath and try to figure this out. This category is like figuring out the Rubik's cube. That is if the Rubik's cube involved piles of lame music that made me cringe when I heard it. Okay, maybe it's not that much like the Rubik's Cube except it is tough to figure out. Neither band really rocks, that's obvious. Both tried too hard to do something different than they did in their past and both failed. However Ratt stayed closer to their roots and they did have one really good song on this album which is one more than King Kobra had.

Point to Ratt




Despite putting out the worst album of their career Ratt still take this one 4-1. Reunion albums tend to fail more often than they succeed. Many bands seem to fall into the trap of "oh, we need to be hip to the current trends". So many times you get some old geezers trying to sound modern and they fall on their faces because it's not natural and it's probably not what long time fans want. In this case, despite struggling Ratt do sound a little like their old selves. However this isn't much about King Kobra that links this album to their previous releases. They could have called it "Carmine and the mustaches" or "Hasbeens and neverweres" or whatever and it meant as much as calling themselves King Kobra. Appice had the right to use the name, but it's really just the band in name only. To their credit the King Kobra disc does include two bonus tracks which are demos from the 80's and they are the best songs on the album, but I didn't feel it was fair to include bonus tracks in this contest since they were from a different time and with different band line-ups.


***Be back soon with another one of these.

Saints of the underground-Love the sin, hate the sinner

Warrior
2008

I’ll don’t like Warrant, I never have and I doubt that I ever will. Whew, I am glad to get that off my chest so I can start this review. Now I have liked Warrant and I always Jani Lane was a particularly bland vocalist. Yet I never knew if he himself was bland or if it was just the material. When I saw this “supergroup” of sorts coming out with a release I decided to give it a shot. Joining the Warrant frontman are Ratt members drummer Bobby Blotzer, bassist Robbie Crane and Keri Kelli (of Alice Cooper’s band and others). My thoughts before playing this were that Lane was either going to sink it with some lifeless vocals or he was going to rise to a level he had never previously achieved and carry this album with him. Actually it’s not 100% either of those choices, but most surprisingly this album leans towards that second category. Like a number of other 80’s hard rock singers (Joe LeSte, Jamie St. James) Jani Lane’s voice has gotten deeper with age. However unlike those other guys it seems to have helped Mr. Lane form some much needed grit in his vocal delivery instead of the syrupy approach he used far in the late 80's-early 90's. In addition to the tone of voice Jani also seems much more comfortable with the material than he did back he going on about cherry pies and wherever it was that the Down Boys were going to. The music is hard rock with some power pop and plain rock undertones and on several tracks they remind me of Cheap Trick. I think the fact that the two guys in the rhythm section have played together for about a decade is obvious in the sound and it’s a major plus. I also was greatly relieved that they avoided the overdone, sickeningly repetitive choruses that so much defined Warrant. Now the tracks aren’t anything new by any stretch of anyone’s imagination, but they are decent and everyone involved sounds comfortable. My initial guess on this project was that it would be a real dud like Contraband (anyone remember them?). However perhaps it’s experience or perhaps it’s the fact that they are doing songs they like instead of doing strictly to try and land a hit single, no matter what the motivation this is a decent album. There are two cover songs with as they deliver a solid version of Tom Petty's American Girl which is a fine fit for Jani's voice. They also cover the Stones' Moonlight Mile, but they seem a little more hesitant to put their own brand on it and it's just alright as a result. Some of the best tracks were "Exit", "Dead Man's Shoes" and the very Thin Lizzy-esque Jimmy. This album doesn't change the history of those involved, but unlike a number of other 80's hard rockers everyone involved here can claim to have been part of a pretty good album.

http://www.myspace.com/saintsoftheunderground

Clash of the album covers

This time it's...
Metallica-...And justice for all


vs.

Ratt-Reach for the sky


Both are kind of odd, both have pale figures, light colored logos and both came out around the same time in late 1988.

***So which cover do you prefer?