Fastway-"Leave The Light On" Single

Steamhammer/SPV
2011


For those of you might not know Fastway is a British hard rock/heavy metal band that was formed in 1982 by guitarist, "Fast" Eddie Clarke, formerly of Motörhead, and bassist, Pete Way, formerly of UFO. Both men had grown tired of their previous bands and were looking to start fresh with a new project. After recruiting former Humble Pie drummer Jerry Shirley and then unknown vocalist Dave King the band took the name Fastway (a combination of "Fast" Eddie's name and Pete Ways' name). Unfortunately Pete Way found out he could not get out of his recording contract with Chrysalis Records and after Ozzy Osbourne offered him a spot with his band Pete Way walked away from the project altogether. Session bassist Mick Feat was brought in for Fastway's self-titled debut album and the rest as they say is history. While Motörhead fans were let down by the new sounds coming from "Fast" Eddie Clarke new fans and critics caught on to the mixture of hard rock and blues. Despite the early success of Fastway guitarist Eddie Clarke couldn't keep the band together. Like many other good bands from the same time period he got caught up in the pop metal movement and Fastway never recovered. Here it is in 2011 and Eddie Clarke (always the driving force and one consistent member of the band) has recruited a new band and has a new album in store. According to the fine folks over at Sleaze Roxx (where you can also hear the new single) Fastway's new album, "Eat Dog Eat", is due for release on November 11th in Germany and November 14th in Europe. With Toby Jepson (former lead singer of Little Angels) on board things are looking good for Fastway. The new single, "Leave The Light On", is a solid rocker. While Dave King is truly missed Toby Jepson is able to hold his own weight and the new single has a classic rock vibe to it while still retaining that Fastway edge. From all accounts the new album features some of Eddie Clarke's best songwriting to date and a return to the tried and true sound of prime Fastway.

Fastway-Eat Dog, Eat

MVD Audio
2012



Even though the promo lists April of this year for a US release date the fact is "Eat, Dog Eat" has already been readily available for anyone who wished to pick up a copy. As a casual Fastway fan myself (really the first two albums) I checked out this album as soon as I could pick up a copy. Since then I have listened to the album quite a few times and already had a general impression of the album. When Mark suggested I tackle Fastway's new album then (since the promo material just showed up this week) I thought why not. I had already reviewed the group's "Leave The Light On" single (link below) and liked what I heard so my anticipation was high for Fastway's new album. Chances are if your here at Heavy Metal Time Machine then you should hopefully have a pretty good idea of who the band is and why "Fast" Eddie Clarke is the man. If not read my previous review for a brief history of this hard rock/traditional heavy metal band. As far as "Eat Dog, Eat" goes overall I have enjoyed it. Is it as good as the group's early material? For me the answer would have to be no however (and it is a big HOWEVER folks!) this is a superb piece of hard rock from Fast Eddie Clarke (ex-Motorhead) and Toby Jepson (ex-Little Angels). Joined on drums by Matt Eldridge (Toby's long-time drummer of choice) the pair worked out material that is full of passion, drive and dynamic rock riffs. The album is a throw-back affair recalling hard rock and heavy metal from another time. Really this has more in common with 70's hard rock and 80's metal than the modern metal we are hounded by daily. The music is built around the same sort of blues riffs that bands like AC/DC, Great White and Cinderella are known for only with Fastway it comes across more as whiskey-soaked, bar room hard rock. In other words old fashioned rock and roll metal fans would do well to invest some hard earned cash in "Eat Dog, Eat" while mall metal kids should save their allowance.

http://metalmark.blogspot.com/search?q=fastway

Metal News: Hellraiser announces new album "No Turning Back"!

It has been a long time coming, but I am stoked to report that Alton, Illinois' Hellraiser are finally releasing a follow-up to their 1995 debut-album "Cut Yer Teeth On This"! That's right ladies and gentlemen. The very same Hellraiser that appeared in my January 8th, 2012 Forgotten Gems article* has announced the long-overdue release of album number. Man alive I never thought I would see the day that this hard & heavy outfit would treat us to another round of down-home/shot-worthy metal so imagine my surprise when lead vocalist/songwriter J.W. Street contacted me out of the blue to ask if I would be interested in covering the group's new release! Of course the answer to that question was a rousing "Hell Yeah!"! And as much as I loved the band's last album, "Cut Yer Teeth On This", there is simply no comparison between the two recordings. "No Turning Back" is not just the band's sophomore release and it sure as hell is not just another hard rock/heavy metal platter. Instead, "No Turning Back" is (hand's down!!!!) the COMEBACK album of the year! All I can say is WOW! Band members Jeff Street, Robert Thornton (Lead Guitar, Rhythm Guitar & Backing Vocals), Brett Hall (Bass Guitar & Backing Vocals) and Craig Moss (Drums & Backing Vocals) have outdone themselves and then some! Obviously these heavy rockers spilled some serious blood over the making of this new album as it is one ass-kicking monster of a metal album from start to finish! October 25th is it's tentative due date and for fans of Hellraiser this album will be well-worth the long wait! So, what of the album then? Well, read on! The overture "Time (Stands Still For No One)" leads right into "No Turning Back" and my first thought was was "I am totally digging the mix of Motörhead, Judas Priest, Metallica and Motley Crüe!". Heavy as it gets and a hundred times more hot than their name suggests, Hellraiser makes quick work of the naysayers who still insist that rock and roll is a young man's game with "Stand Up" serving as their battle cry! "Devil Woman" is blistering AC/DC worship (as if there is anything wrong with that!) while "Locked And Loaded" is outlaw Kiss. I must confess that by this point in "No Turning Back" I did start to wonder if this was the same band that made "Cut Yer Teeth On This". Simply put the energy of this band is off the charts! Talk about getting better with age! It's as if the years off did nothing but rejuvenate this band. I mean "King Of The Road" sounds like Dio getting shitfaced with American hard rock/blue's band The Four Horsemen while "Go Away (Bitch)" is AC/DC and/or Krokus as envisioned by a dirty gang of riff-hungry garage metalheads! Love it! "Little Bit Of Action" is Hellraiser doing what they do best. By mixing up a lethal cocktail of rock, hard rock and heavy metal and then delivering it straight to the listeners eardrums it's nothing short of heaven! The regularly version of "No Turning Back" ends strong with "Nuthin 4 Nuthin....." and it's cuts like this (where the band perfectly blends together the likes of AC/DC, Guns 'N Roses and Motörhead" that leave you aching for more! I'll tell you what. I had to hit repeat several times just because I could not get enough of the new Hellraiser! This one is just track after track of hard rock gold! Now, while the regularly album ends there (incl. my "bootleg" copy which simply reads "Radio Promo Copy"!) the digital version of "No Turning Back" looks like it will include two bonus tracks! At least that is per the group's Facebook page. The two tracks in question are on "Heatstrokes" (Krokus) and "Trick or Treat" (Fastway). As I have not heard the two cover tracks I cannot in good conscience comment on the quality (or lack thereof) of these digital album exclusives. That said, both Krokus and Fastway are like-minded acts making the choice of covers a particularly inspiring event. The thing is no matter what version of Hellraiser's upcoming album you spring for we're still talking about the strength of the group's original compositions. That is the heart of "No Turning Back" and it's a heart that will hopefully keep on pumping this kind of killer music! Let's just hope that the wait between this one and album three isn't quite so long!

You can find the band online here: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Hellraiser/216918791685237

*http://metalmark.blogspot.com/2012/01/forgotten-gems-hellraiser-cut-yer-teeth.html

Forgotten Gems: Waysted-Vices

Chrysalis Records
1983



Waysted are a hard rock/heavy metal band that was formed by UFO bassist Pete Way after briefly playing with former Motorhead guitarist "Fast" Eddie Clarke in Fastway. After leaving UFO over creative differences Pete Way had hoped to play with Fastway but was unable to since he was still under contract with Chrysalis Records. After playing bass for Ozzy Osbourne's Bark at the Moon tour Pete decided to form Waysted with Scottish rocker Fin Muir. Recruiting former Def Leppard drummer Frank Noon and guitarists Ronnie Kayfield and Paul Raymond (who also handled keyboards) the band released Vices on Chrysalis Records in 1983. Waysted could best be described as being somewhere along the lines of a cross between UFO, AC/DC and Girl with some Springsteen,Seger,Thin Lizzy and John Cougar Mellencamp throw in for good measure. Lead by the swagger of Fin's razor blade vocals (imagine Bob Seger channeling Lemmy and you'll get the idea) Waysted rocked the line hard between sleaze and heavy metal. Vices is the sound of high-octane rock n' roll turned up to 11. This is the sort of hard rock you used to find in smoke filled bar rooms. Before glam metal threw makeup all over sleaze rock (in the process ruining it for everyone) you had Waysted laying down the law with Vices. It's dirty boys and girls. Swagger-filled dirty rock n' roll/hard rock with a heavy metal punch in the mouth. In other words its awesome. No need to thank me for saving you from corporate rock and mall metal. Just doing it for love folks. Doing it for love....

Band Names: Part three

When I wrote about band names back in the summer I wrote lists of ten I liked and ten that I didn't. Here are ten things I think about some specific band names.

10)I think Crimson Glory was a great name, it's just a shame they wore those silly masks.
9)I think Danger Danger should have spent more time picking out a name.
8)I think that Dream Theater is a simple, but effective name.
7)I think that Saigon Kick sounds like the name of a sauce you would use for a stir-fry.
6)I think Kix sounds silly at first, but grows on you after a while.
5)I think that Circus of power sounds like someone was trying to hard too seem cool.
4)I think that Fastway was a good way for "Fast" Eddie Clark to name the band after himself.
3)I think Waysted was a lousy way for Pete Way to name the band after himself (note: Pete Way was going to be in Fastway with Clark, but pulled out and Clark decided to keep the name as it was anyhow).
2)I think Prong is one of my favorite band names of all time.
1)I think that Dokken doesn't really rhyme with Rockin'.

Feel free to list any band names you like or don't like.

Sarasin A.D. - Daggers, Lust, Disgust

Self-produced
2008

Sarasin A.D. (known simply as Sarasin in North America are a hard rock band of veteran musicians. Vocalist Phil Naro has contributed writing for Coney Hatch, Peter Chriss, Lee Aaron and others. The opener "In America" comes on sounding like a cross between AC/DC and Fastway with a decent enough groove going. The second track "No sensation" sounded like an early Iron Maiden riff turned into a hard rock song, not as killer as Maiden of course yet a decent track. So right away they pull from different influences and that trend continues throughout the album. Unfortunately these were likely the two best songs on the entire album. Despite the different band influences, these guys pull from two general styles. One is hard rock from say around 1982-1986 and the other is some more modern heavy rock sounds. The modern sounds don't work very well for this guys because it's slightly toned down and they sound uncomfortable doing it like they feel they have to do it rather than doing it by choice. The hard rock tracks (other than the first two) are alright, but just rather lackluster and you likely heard a whole lot more talented bands playing the same thing with a lot more fire over twenty years ago. It's okay to be inspired by a sound from the past, but you have to either add something of your own or really be on fire. Even die hard fans of this era don't or shouldn't want to hear second rate material played in a lukewarm fashion. All in all we get a rather average album here that really doesn't do enough to trigger any really emotions good or bad.

Supergroups that never quite made it

Strange title, right? Yet there are a few examples of potential supergroups thta never quite happened.

-When Fast Eddie Clarke left Motorhead in 1982 he first joined up with former UFO bass player Pete Way. The two decided to call their band Fastway as a joining of their names. However, Way got an offer to go play bass for Ozzy so he jumped ship. Fast Eddie decided to keep the band name and the band essentially became his and went on for a decade.

-After leaving Slayer in the early '90's drummer Dave Lombardo first hooked up with former Overkill guitarist Bobby Gustafson. They formed a band called I4NI then the name Grip was tossed around. Apparently there were some control differences and a problem with the band members living far away from each other. So Gustafson pulled out and Lombardo went on to form Grip Inc.

-Former Dio guitarist Rowan Robertson and former Lynch Mob singer Oni Logan formed a band called Violets Demise around 91-92. I believe Wendy Dio was backing them at some point and they were signed to a label (Atlantic, I think). They recorded an album, but it was shelved because grunge was on the rise and the label was concerned the two key members were not big enough names for it to sell.

**So do you know of any would be Supergroups that never quite happened?

Clash of the album covers

It's soundtracks for two 1986 horror movies.



AC/DC-Who made who (Maximum Overdrive)

vs.



Fastway-Trick or treat soundtrack

***Which cover do you prefer?

Current Playlist

Another week and we are listening to more stuff. Here you go....

Andy-
Warrior-Fighting For The Earth
No Trouble-Looking For Trouble But Watch
Out!
Various Artists-Metal Minded
Angel Witch-As Above, So Below
Sabbat-History of a Time to Come
Japanese Voyeurs-Yolk
No Shame-Good Girls Don't
Mad Max-Rollin' Thunder
Fastway-Dog Eat Dog
Girl-Sheer Greed

Metal Mark-
Angel Witch-As Above, So Below
Wino and Conny Ochs-Heavy Kingdom
Megascavenger-Songs Of Flesh: Part I
Lord Mantis-Pervertor
Jeff Scott Soto-Damage Control
Ratt-Detonator
Cry of love-Brother
Cheap Trick-Greatest Hits
Motorhead-Another perfect day
White Sister-s/t


***What are you listening to?

Forgotten Gems-Metallic Storm compilation

 

 Hearing an older compilation for the first time can be a funny thing. Funny because sometimes you'll hear one and they'll a band on there who did go on to bigger things and there will be  bands that didn't make it as well. I wish the known band on this 1982 Ebony records compilation was at the end so I could go through the other acts and have a big unveiling of that act at the end. However that can't be done so easily since the known band opens this album. That band is Mercyful Fate and they contribute "Black Funeral". You know this song, it's early MF yet it has plenty of the tempo changes and odd tones that were so much apart of the sound of their first run. After that it's like a different world. MF were ahead of the game in metal and that can be seen as Tantrum pop on sounding very much like AC/DC. Still a decent song. Then we get Scimitar who sound a bit like late 70's Judas Priest mixed with Dianno-era Maiden. Tarot Sutra come in next playing a mix of metal with light progressive elements and they remind some of earlier Scorpions' material. Mean Machine come on sounding like a cross between late 70's hard rock and very early NWOBHM. It's solid though with a strong groove leading the way. Confesser come on with a thick riff then the keyboards kick in. They sound kind of like what I imagine Rainbow might have sounded like had they stayed a metal band after Dio left instead of going hard rock/AOR. Jury are on next and oh, my it's like mid-70's arena rock like Starz. It's good though. Wells Fargo (yeah, really) are on next with a simple yet catchy track. Kind of like a simpler version of UFO around say 1975. Mercinary (their spelling) come on with a smooth as silk track that's very good but hard to describe. It definitely has a late 70's metal sound. Wykkid Vicker are up next and they begin strong, but the song falters towards the middle being the first time in this album I became bored. However the track picks up at the end to finish well. Pentapus pick it up and sound something like a cross between Ted Nugent and early Fastway. Detroit contribute a big thumping track sounding a lot like a slightly stripped down version of early 80's Judas Priest mixed with maybe Twisted Sister plus they really end the song on a high note.  Moby Dick finish up the album with a fairly original sound. They give hints of Judas Priest and AC/DC, but never quite fully copy anyone instead they combine the ideas of others with their own. I like this compilation because we get bands that represent quite a few styles.

Top ten albums to listen to for Halloween

Once upon a time I used to listen to albums on Halloween and that was probably all I could do at the time. I remember being in college or high school being excited about setting aside time to just kick back and listen to a King Diamond or Maiden album in it's entirety around Halloween. Now that I have kids things have changed for my Halloween activities. However if my week was more open and I could pick ten albums to listen leading up to and during Halloween then I would choose these. They are listed in no real order.

Black Sabbath-s/t
Cirith Ungol-King of the dead
Alice Cooper-Love it to death
Iron Maiden-The number of the beast
Grim Reaper-Fear no evil
Halloween-Don't metal with evil
Trick or treat soundtrack (Fastway)
Ozzy-Diary of a madman
Misfits-Walk among us
King Diamond-Abigail

Maybe I will listen to some of these this year if I get time.

Midnight Chaser-Midnight Chaser

Heavy Artillery Records 2010

From the record label that brought Enforcer to the attention of the masses comes the debut s/t EP of Midnight Chaser. From San Francisco, California (by way of the rust belt of Pittsburgh) Midnight Chaser pay homage to 70's/80's hard rock and metal bands like Tank,Saxon and Motorhead. A limited edition release I had to check to make sure this wasn't a re-release of some long,lost 80's metal band. If it wasn't for the modern production job this could have been put out sometime in the late 70's or early 80s. It's funny the band choose to cover Turn Your Head Around by Tank. If I was to describe Midnight Chaser the band Tank would certainly come to mind. This is prime traditional metal. My only complaint was how short this sneak preview is. With a full length album scheduled for release in early 2011 Midnight Chaser has a chance to become another success story for Heavy Artillery Records. Aimed at fans of Tank and Saxon as well as bands like Judas Priest,Deep Purple and Fastway (per their bio) Midnight Chaser are metal for metal fans. No frills metal in fact. I look forward to hearing their full length release to see if the energy can carry over for these guys. I've got a feeling it can and Midnight Chaser can help us get the awful taste of the nu metal years out of our mouths. We need more bands like this not only embracing metal's glory days but reviving it.

Judge the album cover

Lightning stikes, not once...






not twice...

...but three times!






At the top is Great White's Shot in the dark from 1986. Next is Venom's Calm before the storm from 1987. Last is Fastway's Waiting for the roar from 1986.

However are any of the covers any good?

What do you think?

***If you like album covers then make sure to check out the other blog I write for which is Whole lotta album covers.

Craving Angel-Redemption

Minotauro Records
2017

Formed in 1984 (with only the lead singer remaining from the original line-up), Minnesota's Craving Angel was last heard from in 2014. Having interviewed Buddy "Bud" Hughes (vocals, percussion) in mid-March of that year (link), Craving Angel seemed poised to make a triumphant comeback thanks to it's heartfelt mixture of (gritty) hard rock and (real) heavy metal. Or at least they did to me. Due to one situation or another that didn't happen. It's unfortunate, but it isn't uncommon. Shit happens (as they say)...even to the best of them. When it comes to this 17-track album, BEST is a word that we could easily throw around (minus one or two missteps that we'll address below). That's especially true when it comes to the first couple of tracks on this forthcoming release. Powerful and moving to these old ears and heart of mine, "Hell's Waiting" (and the first three tracks that come before it) left me spinning about in an emotional daze! It's all so odd I realize, but here's the only way that I can describe the vibe of these few first numbers and a couple more that stand out here and there. With the help of some of Erick Wright (bass, keyboards, percussion, and back-up vocals) and Jimmy "Jim" Cassidy (guitars, drums, percussion and bass guitar)*, Buddy is a longtime veteran of the sport** that is playing a young man's game and he knows it. On the eve of being cut for fresh blood, Buddy pulls off a season for the ages(!), thus proving that experience oftentimes overshadows youthful energy. The question on everyone's mind now is "Can Buddy do it again or was this just one last hurray to prove the naysayers wrong?". "Should he be resigned or will he be cut (only to be scooped up by someone else who will then strike it rich with his skills)?" ponders management as they miss the big picture. You see, Buddy's true fans don't care if he can do it again. Young or old, Buddy's awesome all the same. All he has done is add to his great legacy. When it comes to Bud and the rest of Craving Angel, "Redemption" is a good collection of songs that are made great because of two reasons. First they great because of everything that has lead up to. The music on display here merely adds to the group's rich history. Sure, influence-wise the usual gang is all here. "Redemption", like its predecessor and companion piece "Dark Horse", is made with the understanding that there is no real difference between (old school) hard rock and heavy metal. For those of us who actually lived through the scene the first time around, Judas Priest, Alice Cooper, Mötley Crüe, (early) Ratt, Skid Row, G n' R, Faster Pussycat, Krokus, W.A.S.P., Fastway, Keel, Helix, L.A. Guns, solo Ozzy and (early) Accept are all good examples of that fine line between the two (metal and hard rock) that we simply ignored. That's the kind of music we are talking about when it comes to "Redemption" and it damn fine because of it! As for here and now? That's the second point. If you understand Motörhead then you will understand this next part. "Redemption", with it's aches and pains/warts and grey hairs, is great because it lives for the moment and makes no bones about the fact that it is older and wiser. And I think that is what ultimately moved me the most. In regards to "Redemption" you can feel the joy and heartache that comes with having lived a full life. Maybe our younger readers will understand this and maybe they won't, but sometimes the memories are both, joyous and heartbreaking. It's a double edged sword (and a sharp one at that), but I digress. Let's look at the track list below. As you will see, "Dirty Girls" starts off with little notes and a grade. These notes and/or grades will help you get a feel for each individual track, but be forewarned kiddos! These were just my personal notes as I listened to the album the first time around as a critic. On the second go around I listened to the album as a whole. That's the proper way to go about it when you are a fan. In case there are any questions, "fan first and critic second" is how I describe myself. As a whole, "Redemption" is one track after another and not a mashup of potential singles/hits and misses. Obviously I'm older than some of our readers, but we used to call these LPs. Not the format, but in regards to hearing the whole lot as a collection of songs with one singular narrative. Mind you, "Redemption" is not a concept album. It's simply a bunch of songs that work better together.

 PS: Not every track has a grade by it and (other than misspellings) rewriting history is not something that I am into.

1) "Dirty Girls"-Solid A opener that is (perfectly) Judas Priest meets Mötley Crüe.

2)"Crash and Burn"-Mötley Crüe and Judas Priest mix it up w/ solo Ozzy. There's some sick guitar parts. Other times it's like a dark G n' R/L.A. Guns.

3) "Chicaboom"-Gritty hard rock. Edgy as f**k. B+


4) "Hells Waiting" A+-Is there really redemption? Hard rock with a country and western swagger...even if you can't help the damnation that is to come.

5) "Roses Are Red"-Heartache and pain...wow

6) "Outta My Way"-I like the sentiment and the guitar playing, but it's not all that it ought to be given the fancy set of ingredients. C+


7) "Freak Show"-Almost sounds like something that Alice Cooper would have wrote. Better the second time around, but still a B-.

8) "Bad Voodoo"-Bluesy and sleazy. Buddy channels Steven Tyler like no other! Very cool.

9) "Everything I Do"-Hair metal/glam. Craving Angel is digging through the graves of many forgotten eighties bands (in the best way possible). Much better than it is has any right to be. A-

10) "Gonna Party"-Are the guys in Craving Angel auditioning as songwriters for new glam/hard rock bands? This could be a jam for a young band.

11) "Dirty Little Secret"-Oddly this reminds me of eighties metal as much as it does when Iggy Pop went mainstream.

12)"Dream Chaser"-Short and sweet hard rock/heavy metal. Nice.

13)"She's No Lady"-Dive bar metal meets garage metal. All I need is another glass of wine and this wound be golden!

14) "Gonna Getcha"-I like everything but the chorus. Punk-laden metal with sharp guitars licks. I give it a B.

15) "New Day"-Has bits and parts to kill for, but as a whole song? I don't know.

16) "Primadonna"-Solo Ozzy, Mötley Crüe, and Twisted Sister. A little bit of all three? It's weird, but I could easily see those last two (and maybe even Anthrax if not for it's punk vibe!) making this song into a huge hit! Then again, punk bands could do the same with it and maybe even do a better job than any of the groups listed! All the same, cool cut. B+ maybe? A- perhaps?

17) "Roses are Red (acoustic version)". I thought I liked the plugged in version, but this is more raw (emotionally) and it's more open & honest. A+ and it's not even close!

 And there you have it. Due out sometime this month, "Redemption" comes highly recommended. That's especially true for fans of "Dark Horse", but it also rings true for those people that are into the eighties and (early) nineties hard & heavy scene. 


*Pat Skeie (bass) and Dan Hanley (drums) play on "Roses Are Red" and "Everything I Do".


**Let's call it "football" since that resonates with both sides of the pond.

PSS: See track two, but there is a chunk of "Redemption" that seems almost dark (vibe wise). I can't put my finger on it, but it is there all the same. Interestingly enough I also jotted down this line in my notebook (and with a smile to boot!): "Faster Pussycat meets Motörhead, but with Alice Cooper". I can't remember why I wrote that line down on the top of my page, but somehow it all seems rather appropriate to share it.

Dagger-Mainline Riders 7"

High Roller Records
2013

Stockholm, Sweden's very own Dagger, which falls squarely in the category of side-projects that should be warmly welcomed with open arms and opened wallets, was formed in 2009 by some like-minded musicians. Ripped straight from their Facebook profile, which is where I found the bulk of information about Dagger anyway (as their promo profile section was as empty as my checking account) the group's influences include Rainbow, Thin Lizzy, Black Sabbath, Deep Purple, Whitesnake, Riot, Iron Maiden, MSG, Whishbone Ash, Dio, Scorpions, Accept, Judas Priest, Montrose, W.A.S.P., UFO, Blue Öyster Cult, ZZ Top and Saxon. Whew, that's more then enough influences to build your band around, but, for some reason, I walked away from this 2-track release thinking about The Rods and Fastway. Maybe it's just me though? Anyway, back to the band at hand and it's the day jobs of the musicians involved here that is really interesting. You've got Jani Kataja (Mangrove, Sideburn), David Blomqvist (Carnage, Dismember),  Tobias Cristiansson (Grave, Dismember) and Fred Estby (Necronaut, Dismember). With that said let's look at what everyone does in Dagger. Lead vocals are handled more then effectively by Jani Kataja while David Blomqvist takes his guitar and carefully crafts solos that are simple and yet more then satisfying as only a Swedish band knows how to! While the riffs are played with a restrained and subtle air of  passion without a solid rhythm section in place it could all easily fall apart. That's where David's former Dismember band mates Tobias Cristiansson (bass) and Fred Estby (drums) come in to play. The pair keeps everything  in check and together with lead vocalist Jani and guitarist David the four musicians plays fairly straight-forward, no-frills (but just enough thrills to leave you wanting more) hard rock/heavy metal. The fact that it comes packed with a very distinct old-school charm only adds to it's appeal so let's hope that Dagger releases more material then just these two songs by the time it's all said and done!

Find out more about Dagger here: https://www.facebook.com/daggerofficial

Order your own copy of "Mainline Riders" here: http://www.hrrshop.de/navi.php?suchausdruck=dagger+mainline&JTLSHOP=0jo33fdmtn00kpj5mfup0uaqc3

Heavy metal and hard rock comebacks in 2012

There are always band attempting comebacks every year. Some work out and some don't. SO here are one quarter of the way through 2012 and already there have been some comebacks and there are more on the horizon. Van Halen are probably the one that is the most high profile comeback. On top of that Fastway, Exumer and others have made comebacks as well. The best one to me so far this year is far and away Angel Witch with their album "As above so below". It's such an impressive effort that it would be hard to imagine it not being one of if not the best comeback albums of 2012 plus it may even be good enough to make some top ten lists for the year as well. Yes, that is very surprising. However the new Saint Vitus is only weeks away as well. That could be an impressive comeback as well.


***So what comeback or releases from veteran bands have you enjoyed in 2012 so far? Are there any coming out soon that you are looking forward to?

Number 12

Moving along is the last one that I will reveal today. It is...



"Fast" Eddie Clarke

Sorry to you two or three Fastway fans out there, but he is on this list strictly for his work with Motorhead. His playing on those early Motorhead albums had a huge impact on metal due to his tone and speed. Often overlooked, but Motorhead and thrash would not have been the same without his contributions.

Okay, that's probably it for a while. I'll have numbers 11-8 out around next Friday or Saturday.

Fictional metal bands in horror movies

Probably no one in the world cares about this junk except me but on occasion I take notice of fictional metal movies in horror films. I won't make a list and will just leave that for anyone who wants to add examples in the comments sections. The main ones I think about come from 1986 film Trick or Treat which of course had the soundtrack done by Fastway. I have reviewed it here years ago and if you grew up during a certain time and like metal then you have probably seen it. If you saw the film then you know much of the plot revolves around metal singer Sammi Curr (played by former Solid Gold dancer the late Tony Fields) who dies early in the film, but comes back throughout the rest of the movie trying to exert his demonic power. Curr comes over as a combination of Alice Cooper, Ozzy and Gene Simmons (and of course you know that those last two are in this movie). There is another musical act in this film that has far less screen time. That's right it's the Kickers! Yeah, pretend you don't know. The lame local band that have trouble with feedback as they get ready to play at the hgih school dance. Then Sammi shows up,sings and then starts blowing people up left and right. Nice trick that one. The lead guitarist of the Kickers was played by Kevin Yagher who is a special effects make-up artist who even at that point had already worked on Friday the 13th-the final chaper and Nightmare on Elm Street 2. He has since gone on to have a great career in that field working on tons of movies and shows mostly in the horror and action genres. Anyways I liked the inclusion of the Kickers and they probably do a good job of being the local inept hard rock band.


***So there are some mindless ramblings for you. Any other fake metal/hard rock acts from horror movies that have stuck in your mind?

Most improved band of 1986

Some of the bands I considered for this award were Slayer, Black -n- Blue and Fastway. However ultimately I settled on a band who showed a huge improvement over the course of just one year. So the most improved band of 1986 goes to..................

Dark Angel

In 1985 this LA band released their debut "We have arrived" on tiny Azra records. Honestly it had just a few sparks, but it was very rough in terms of playing writing and production. Then the band changed drummers as they brought in former Slayer roadie Gene Hoglan and they got a record deal with Combat records. The result was 1986's "Darkness Descends" which was a marked improvement. They now sounded like they had some direction and it still remains heavy today. I wouldn't have put "We have arrived" in a list of top 50 albums in 1985. However "Darkness descends' was on my long list of considerations for the top ten of 1986. It didn't make the top ten, but if I had extended the list I think it would have come in around number thirteen. So a huge improvement from those guys and they would actually continue to stay solid into the early 1990's.

Underrated hard rock/metal guitarists

I won't call this a "top ten underrated guitarists" because I know I have probably forgotten someone and I didn't rank them, I just listed ten that I consider to be underrated. Guys like Eddie Van Halen and Jimmy Page get a lot of credit. I think that eventually guys like Iommi, Blackmore and Iron Maiden's fantastic duo of Smith and Murray have also gotten their due. Yet what about the guys who have been tearing it up and never gotten their fair credit? Well here are some that I think are underrated.

Andy LaRocque(King Diamond)-Kind of like Yngwie Malmsteen only with more flare and less self indulgent.

Michael Schenker(UFO,Scorpions, MSG)- Stunning guitar parts and always seemed to be progressing as a player.

John Sykes(Tygers of Pan Tang, Thin Lizzy,Whitesnake and Blue Murder)-
Severely overlooked at times, but he was a great hard rock guitarist who could shred, but knew how to make it catchy. Also he could play some original tones as well.

Kai Hansen(Helloween, Gamma Ray)-How much does the genre of power metal owe to this guy? He founded perhaps the two most influential bands of the genre and always seemed to be moving forward with his playing.

Vito Bratta (White Lion)-Obviously influenced by Eddie Van Halen, but he grew as a player as was really coming into his own on the last White Lion album.

Tony Bourge(Budgie)-He was playing some heavy, unique riffs at the same time as Iommi and Blackmore, but got overlooked. Budgie was not the same after he left.

Ronnie LeTekro(TNT)-Sometimes passed off just another flashy player with little soul. I disagree, he could play the virtuoso role, but could really tie in with some solid chops and make it interesting as well.

Wolf Hoffman (Accept) -A real team player laying down some solid heavy riffs for his band. Far better and far more versatile then he got credit for.

Phil Campbell (Motorhead)-Still seems like the new guy in Motorhead, but he has been with them for 22 years now. Always seems to be trying to improve, never one to rest on what he did in the past.

Fast Eddie Clark (Motorhead,Fastway)-His work with Motorhead was way too brief, but he left his mark. Speed metal would not be the same without this guy. He took what had been done by bands like Sabbath and Priest, but took it a step further.