Slaughter ~ 10 Greatest Songs (hits comp) ... A mass slaughter of good songs!

Style: hard rock
Label: Capitol
Year: 2011
Home: Las Vegas, Nevada

Members: Mark Slaughter ~ vocals/guitar/keyboards
Tim Kelly ~ guitar/b. vocals
Dana Strum ~ bass/b. vocals
Blas Elias ~ drums/b. vocals

For those that do want to dip into the top 80's hair metal bands you're going to eventually come across Slaughter. They sold plenty out the door & made a few bubbles in the pool before the grunge & alt rock explosion landed on them. Though, their hits haven't necessarily ridden out the era well, as outside frontman Mark Slaughter's nasal shout there's really very little distinctive about them. Of course, fans of the band will criticize me for saying that they're not the greatest most special thing, but they really do sound like cliched 80's hair metal, particularly decades later. Tons of their peers did it better, & many who didn't have survived via reunions where they've actually finally churned out something interesting. The band still performs, but hasn't made an album since 1999, the year guitarist Tim Kelly died, so if they have put some personality into the music most of us aren't privy to it. Slaughter turns in some good old fashioned hair metal, end of story. If you want to check them out go not for their individual albums but this greatest hits package. It's a budget release, no question about it, but its a rarity for a budget release as it actually does present the best of the band. Mass Slaughter: The Best Of Slaughter has the complete career overview, but for an introduction this is all you're ever going to need. It is missing some certified chart-toppers, replaced by non-chart-toppers (i.e. "Shake This Place", "She Wants More", "Loaded Gun", "Eye To Eye"), which is strange considering all five of their albums between 1990 to 2000 actually spawned decent ranking chart hits ... not even David Lee Roth has that success rate. While there's nothing from their final release Back To Reality with Jeff Blando on guitar. But, there's also a second & more important reason to get this compilation over a studio album. Slaughter had two major hits their career became built on, "Up All Night", "Fly To The Angels", but the best song by a longshot is "Days Gone By" from the later days that one is liable to miss getting a studio album or two. Missing this song is missing out on Slaughter at their creative best, as its a nearly operatic power ballad & it makes everything else sound like the band was following record label commandments instead of trying to do something that has memorability. But, the question is are you going to listen to Slaughter a lot or want to pursue them further into the studio albums? At the time this music was all the rage, but now they just sound so dated and of the time that its hard to imagine that they sold as much as they did. Their music is as play by the numbers as perfect as you can get ... I mean, the next step is to actually just play Bon Jovi covers.

Leatherwolf ~ Street Ready (album review) ... Is it synthetic or real leather?

Style: heavy metal
Label: Island Records
Year: 1989
Home: California

Mike Olivieri ~ vocals/guitar
Geoff Gayer, Carey Howe ~ guitars
Paul Carman ~ bass
Dean Roberts ~ drums

A potential rising star is the description that was laced with Leatherwolf during the early 80's due to their "triple axe attack", which would come to be their official nickname. One would expect that three guitars - they're all lead not rhythm only & lead - would make Leatherwolf eternally known. Other than Iron Maiden there's not too many three axe onslaughts on the early 80's scene. Further, they don't clutter their sound with a wall of noise, but let a guitar fade into the mix or pull out so another can be heard. They also take advantage of split channels with a solo in one ear & rhythm in the other. While one may not be able to always pick out one guitarist over the other, they've worked hard to keep everything balanced & the experience of what three guitars sounds like constantly clear to listen to. Though, more often than not, two guitars are prominent, while the third seems to be hard to pinpoint. There's even an instrumental, "Black Knight", that often gets mentioned as a tour-de-force. Sadly, its the shortest track & another instrumental would be welcomed ... which leads to the problem with the album & Leatherwolf in general & why its potential before rising star. There's two problems - the vocals & the material. Guitarist/vocalist Mike Olivieri isn't a bad singer, but he doesn't necessarily stand out either, while the lyrics are run of the mill. I'm reminded of Talas, where you listen for Billy Sheehan but instead you get some guy singing. That's nice, but anyone can do a love song but not anyone has a triple axe attack. It doesn't help that the songs suffer from falling into cliched early 80's Judas Priest inspired heavy metal clichés a la Queensryche that was a watered down version of what they'd started out doing in 1982. If it was twenty years later & this was a prog-metal band not trying to stay in a template things might be better for Leatherwolf's legacy. This was the second album by Leatherwolf, they'd break up soon, though would return in 1999 & then again for a couple albums over the next decade. They continue to perform but rarely record. Of note, original bassist Matt Hurich would later join Stryper, while the first reunion vocalist was Wade Black of Seven Witches & Crimson glory. Morphing into a bluesy band they'd tour for awhile as Hail Mary.

Whitesnake ~ Live: In the Still of the Night (DVD review) ... Making love in the still of the night!

Style: hard rock, blues-rock
Label: Hip-O
Year: 2006
Home: n/a

Concert location: Hammersmith Apollo, London, England
Year Recorded: 2004
Length: under 2 hours
Bonus Features: behind the scenes documentary; photo gallery

Members: David Coverdale ~ vocals
Doug Aldrich, Reb Beach ~ guitars/b. vocals
Timothy Drury ~ keyboards
Marco Mendoza ~ bass
Tommy Aldridge ~ drums

I've loved David Coverdale ever since I can remember, or at least since my earliest MTV watching days. His voice always stood out for me from so many other bands. I even picked up his late career solo album & I think Coverdale/Page might be one of the best both of those guys have done. I've even gone back to his Deep Purple days, though I'm a Blackmore fan so that's a given. Yet, there's still some albums I haven't heard & the early bluesy post-Deep Purple Whitesnake isn't my cup of tea, but where the music lacks I always enjoy his voice. Whitesnake has gone through numerous line-ups over the years, even at one point including Steve Vai, with the current line-up continuing to hold the torch high. Two of the members have been around since 1989, but the rest are all new boys. Though, boys is the wrong word. Unlike Alice Cooper whose filled his band with extremely young bucks & now gals, Coverdale brings in some well-trained old hats whose combined resume includes Pat Travers, Ozzy Osbourne with Randy Rhoads, Thin Lizzy, the Michael Schenker Group, John Sykes, Winger, Alice Cooper & even Don Henley, amongst countless others. There's a bonus to not having a too young back-up group as it takes the focus away from the fact that the frontman has gotten old. This new band has also managed to put their stamp on the old classics, here including Deep Purple's "Burn" & a refrain from "Stormbringer", let alone reaching back to the bluesy roots of the band. It's interesting to note how many of Coverdale's hair metal peers have found a new footing doing basic blues-rock. Coverdale has gone from a big-hair girls-on-cars MTV sex idol to a British elder gentleman of rock, still sexy even if looking a bit wrinkled from the California sun ... & there's more than an occasional or accidental groin shot in the video to show he's not given up on that image of himself, let alone overly excessive microphone stand stroking. He also puts as much energy has he can into his live show as if he's not going to let his age stand in his way. But, watching him today there's something different. The music is great, he basically sounds good though its obvious his voice has changed, the classic 80's hits are as great as ever & shown their legacy is not unfounded, the current incarnation of Whitesnake Coverdale is not going to let go of soon if he can help it ... but, something is different & its in Coverdale himself that the change is obvious. Watching him do "Is This Love" & then stopping to watch the original video it all becomes obvious what the problem is - this Coverdale is an imposter. That's right. It's not him. It can't be. No ... not really, but the changes abound & its hard to reconcile the elder statesman on this stage with the once MTV icon. He's changed that much. Besides his new look & his aging face, though he's still in great physical condition as he goes around with his shirt open, his voice has changed quite a lot. Coverdale basically has two voices - a screaming Robert Plant-esque falsetto & a deep sexy baritone, here obvious in "Sweet Satisfaction" that demonstrates both with abandon. He used the baritone to absolute finesse with Coverdale/Page & that's the voice I like. That hasn't changed, though I wish he'd use it far more as its stronger & more distinctive. His falsetto has changed. It's shrunk down in its ranged & watching him singing it often feels like he's struggling to sing the notes or trying to sing them with clenched teeth. Its not until watching the old videos that it's obvious he's also singing some of the lower songs in his deep voice much more than they were originally recorded. I hate to say he's lost his voice, but he doesn't have the smoothness he used to have. I actually saw Whitesnake with this line-up in concert a couple years ago promoting their new Forevermore album. I was shocked just how much backing vocals were used, something he's been heavily criticized for, that would often drown out his voice. I hate to say that this, amongst some other things, made for the live experience less than I'd hoped for & I'd say stick to the DVD. As for the band, they again deserve mention ... as they're so good they very well mike pull the attention away from Coverdale. Lead guitarist Doug Aldrich has a fingering technique that should be on everyone's top ten list of best guitarists, let alone studied by every guitarist. His sans band guitar solo will make you sweat after only a minute due to its fury, leading into "Crying In The Rain" that is sadly disrupted by a drum solo ... but at least Coverdale lets everyone in the band have their moment to showoff, even if he has to take one of the hits that everyone knows to do it with. I also have to give kudos to his other guitarist Reb Beach, formerly of Winger, who seems to always get lost in discussions. In this DVD Aldrich takes most of the solos, but in the live show I saw the pair had a very prolonged guitar battle. I actually walked out being far more interested in Beach's interesting melodic choices & its only now that I get to see Aldrich. Also of note, live I was mesmerized by bassist Marco Mendoza. Killer playing. Sadly, Mendoza & drummer Tommy Aldridge have been with Whitesnake the longest, but I neither live nor watching this could I tell you a thing about Aldridge or keyboardist Timothy Drury. It's interesting how your ears catch certain things. I mentioned that my live experience, sans re-discovering Reb Beach, was less than stellar. Most of that has to do with Coverdale's desire to talk & talk & talk in this seemingly put-on cockney accent ... for a guy that's lived in America for half his career ... with a lot of bad jokes & sexual innuendos. The banter is chopped down to the minimal here, or maybe edited out. The audience groaned at my show as he flirted with women in the audience then pointed out his wife in the balcony. It's almost as if he's trying to create a character, while it leaves one wondering what he's really like. One may forget that during the 90's Whitesnake dropped off the charts & for awhile didn't exist & Coverdale struggled, even going back to his natural brown hair & cutting it short for his solo album. Coverdale/Page was a comeback in the full sense of the word, cut prematurely short when the Robert Plant comparisons came to the fore. The fact is that Coverdale doesn't need to be anything. Is is truly a survivor of the music industry. One can't help wonder if Coverdale isn't as confident as he puts it out there. Though, there is one great line between some early songs as he takes some flowers from the audience, from a woman whose obviously been his fan for decades: "More fucking flowers, does that mean I have to have my legs in the air all night? But I don't have a vase do I?" Reading note "'Thank you for your voice & your music.' Thank you very much. Thank you for your tits. Most inspiring I assure you. No, they are, they are." It's interesting to think that once upon a time Coverdale was considered a Robert Plant imitator. There's no comparison anymore. Actually, Whitesnake is doing the music that I expected Plant to do, particularly following his Calling All Nations, not the moody blues & folk that I've lost interest in. There's little that would not make this DVD a recommendation. It's also hard to begrudge the set-list, as its a broad swipe from his full career, not just focusing on the hits. He gives the Brits a touch of a lot, while for Americans we'll get the hits. As for the unfamiliar songs, its such a high octane concert one will never get bored. If there's any problem its with the cinematography. Too much bouncing around, cutting back & forth. It's hard to focus, but that's the way video work goes now. What's worse is that there's also an occasional bounce to a shot in black & white. It's not necessary, let alone distracting. Coverdale might have had gimmicky videos with girls - no girls in the live show interestingly enough - but the songs have withstood the test of time & don't need any gimmick. Coverdale could pull out acoustic renditions with lights on full & band sitting down & I think the show would still be great. Maybe he will someday, everyone else has. So, jumping around with black & white cuts to create a flashy experience is not necessary. Bonus features include a behind-the-scenes documentary & a photo gallery. The DVD was also released in a DVD/CD set, with an abridged concert of only an hour on the CD.

Asia ~ Aria (album review) ... This feels like love!

Style: pop rock, prog-rock
Label: Mayhem Recordings
Year: 1994
Home: England/America

Members: John Payne ~ vocals/guitar/bass
Geoff Downes ~ keyboards
Al Pitrelli ~ guitar
Michael Sturgis ~ drums

If you like any of the singles (i.e. "Anytime," "Feels Like Love," "Military Man" & "Desire") that you've heard from Aria you probably will like the whole album, as it doesn't meander too far from the ballady hard rock template these songs demonstrate. Though, really, one's opinion of Aria is essentially down to whether one prefers the early John Wetton led Asia or this the later John Payne led Asia. As bassists/singers & songwriters the two men are quite different in substance & style. It's like comparing Yngwie Malmsteen with Joe Satriani. Yeah, they both play fast with a classical tinge, but really they're very different six string beasts & to lump them too close does at least one of them an injustice. Which John is yours? It's a loaded question, as it might be the same name & for awhile include the same keyboardist in Geoff Downes, but they are really very different bands. While the current incarnations, including Asia Featuring John Payne & Asia the original line-up, have moved even further from their 80's roots, & even the sound of this 1994 Asia. While the previous release Aqua was the official beginning of the Payne era for Asia, its really here that things congeal musically for the rebooted band. Those who decried at the time, & there were plenty for either valid or questionable reasons, that this new Asia led by Payne & Downes - sadly with a rotation of guitarists & drummers, ironically including two guitarists from Billy Sheehan's Talas - was going in a hard rock direction were not far from the truth. Aqua hinted at the musical changeover from the band's pop roots, but here there is no doubt. Though, one might more accurately call this really an Asia for the 90’s, a time where the early pop of "Don't Cry" doesn't really work in the same way that it did a decade earlier. The lyrics take on a more serious feeling while Payne does his best operatic influenced singing. There was a deliberate choice to make the vocals a focus of this album, compared to Aqua, so Payne is front & center pouring his heart out, trying to not make the album more than just some throwaway screaming hard rock but actually a collection of passionately sung songs. On one hand, for those that enjoy his voice, its good, but on the other hand it also keeps the musical aspect of Asia in an odd transitional abyss. Asia was a supergroup of 70's prog luminaries that is often said to have turned into a pop band with those luminaries under-playing, or at least in comparison to their previous bands. The under-playing continues here. Gone are the weaving guitar lines of Yes's Steve Howe, to replaced by a more rock rhythm approach of power chords by future Savatage/Megadeth Al Pitrelli. Sadly, the songs are primarily driven melodically by the keyboards & thus Al is left as a big name under-utilized rhythm guitarist. Having little compositional input is a factor here in his contributions. There's a few solos thrown out, but they tend to be a bit uncanny sounding for him ... if they're even all him & not a bit of Payne. So, the result sounds like a Downes/Payne project with some guests, also including drummer Michael Sturgis formerly of A-Ha & a disbanded line-up of Asia. Ironically, this is what they were trying to get away from. Essentially, though, the problem is that this is the first album of material exclusively written for this line-up & Payne is still finding his footing & this Asia their sound. They're also trying to get new fans & keep the old, a hot debate that continues to the present. Ironically, when Downes left to join a reunion of the original line-up, Payne took the abandoned trio & reformed as GPS, which is a guitar heavy prog affair showing just how much influence Downes probably had in the composing & shaping the pop aspects of the sound. I hate to say Downes is not a good composer as that's not true. The songs move, groove & are great & incredibly memorable & this is a highlight of his songwriter, but the album feels held back instrumentally at time. Though, maybe they're just looking to stay within the Asia mold of old while aiming for a commercial MTV single? I'd be willing to bet my money on this hypothesis, particularly when looking at Downes later work once the commercial influence faded. But, if anything, the restrained music means that at times it doesn't give the same power that Payne is giving the project vocally. He's over-singing & the boys are under-playing or something like that at some various moment. Really, it needs more guitar, it needs less pop & more raw rock & some prog energy ... though that would come later as the band would grow, its just too early here. Though, one needs to give Al some overdue credit. He might be under-utilized, but he has a tremendous amount of restraint in not flooding the music, which a lot of guitarists lack. The album may need more guitar, but in places where the keyboards dominate. But, when Al is strumming out a chorus he nails what the song needs to be driven forward but not cluttered. I've always had this idea of Asia, the early Asia, as sounding cluttered. Though, that just might be my memory of the recording quality. For a band that was replacing Howe it's almost better than they didn't go with another big flashy guitarist. Today, one hears Payne do "Military Man," lyrics penned by Downes for a change according to an interview with Payne, & its a surprise to find out Payne didn't write it. He's so come to wrap these early hits around him & his voice that they've now become his in a way he couldn't do fresh out the door. He's grown into the songs or maybe they've grown into him. Either way, they still hold up all these years later as some of the best by Asia & this album is a highlight of the Payne era. Two interesting albums to check out are Archiva 1 & 2 that feature tracks that never made the final cut for Aqua, Aria & Arena, plus some stuff from Payne's earlier bands ELO Part II & The Passion, & stuff Downes wrote for another potential singer. It's an alternative history of Aqua & it's almost a shame that these missing tracks weren't released, such as "Reality" & the rocker intended for Aqua "Heart Of Gold" that has Al ripping more than ever. Certainly, these lost tracks prove Downes & Payne were willing to experiment musically & that they were probably looking for a cohesive blanket sound for the final product.

Enslaved ~ Vertebrae (album review) ... Landscape of the enslaved!

Style: black metal, prog-rock, Norwegian
Label: Nuclear Blast
Year: 2008
Home: Norway

Members: Ivar Bjørnson, Arve Isdal ~ guitars
Grutle Kjellson ~ bass/vocals
Herbrand Larsen ~ keyboards/vocals
Cato Bekkevold ~ drums.

 

First what I don't like about this album, to get that out of the way. The growling vocals do nothing for me, but anyone who reads this blog knows I'm no fan of them whatever the band, except for a few artistic usages. They are a distraction from the music for me, distracting my ear from what is interesting to what is annoying. They feel like they belong to another band & somehow found their way on to Enslaved's tapes. But, they are what keeps Enslaved firmly in the black metal camp. Without them one would be hard-pressed to call this a black metal band versus a prog-metal band. The band also employs some chorus vocals - think Pink Floyd or Edison's Children - which are more interesting, though less exciting & not in your face & are without doubt more of a backing vocal thing. Now, for what I like. It's not until the third song (i.e. "Ground") that a traditional guitar solo appears, not to reappear until the sixth song "Reflection", & then it comes out of nowhere as Enslaved is working towards being something different within the black metal landscape. Enslaved, at least in this part of their career, have a moody extreme metal sound that is three guitars & a bass literally forming a solid wall of sound. Sometimes I wonder if there is even any strumming going on as it often feels like static chords with no beginning or end or interruption. Drums keep the beat while keyboards bubble away underneath it all providing some texture, if not a momentary melody line for a verse or chorus. There's very much an industrial-esque drone metal feeling, as chords are often just held for a long time & the riffing is on the slower side, or at least feels like it. There's no rushing anywhere for this band. It's a slab of sound slowly moving. But, while Enslaved is interesting & moves black metal into a new direction there's also an anti-climactic sense. The songs are heavily repetitious, both within themselves & also blending into each other. The result is a late night atmospheric hypnotic landscape that floats in the background rather than comes at you or builds up to any internal climax, while no one songs sticks in your head. I'm very much reminded of Edison's Children for straight prog version of this feeling. Though, here is a problem for me - it doesn't go anywhere. But, I recognize & appreciate their attempt to create a black metal soundscape beyond screaming guitars, though if this is black metal anymore, outside the vocals, is hard to tell. Vertebrae really is a perfect title because they've pulled away everything but the skeletal structure of black metal, though for me that includes the anger, fierceness & energy of the genre. I'm still looking for Freddie Krueger but they're going in an Alfred Hitchcock direction. While it's not particularly my thing, as I still prefer something akin to Sadistik Exekution for my black & death metal, I would name Enslaved a good bridge for prog-minded folks that want an introduction to black metal but don't like all the traditional noisiness of it. I'd also call this a band in transition, looking for a new musical high but not quite there yet, but certainly on the way. It may not be my thing, but I can hear where they're going & what they are doing & that might be the most important thing.

Odd Zero ~ Odd Zero (aka debut) (album review) ... Join the libido suicide!

Style: punk, hard rock, heavy metal
Label: Odd Zero Records
Year: 2006
Home: New York City

Members: Mike Friedman ~ vocals
Tay Malloy ~ bass
Milton Hernandez ~ drums
Mike Fujii ~ guitars

I've previously reviewed OZ's albums Admire The Liar & Another Odd Zero To Dread. Its no secret I'm not a punk fan, whatever the form or era though I've tried, but I've also always enjoyed OZ because they've broken the mold. They have the energy without the sound. I described their second release Admire The Liar as "the album Duff McKagen wanted to make when he did Loaded. It's raw in your face punk-inspired rock ... the opposite of the million dollar commercially slick uninspired music McKagen created with his punk roots long forgotten." Now, hearing OZ's debut after some time since last listening to them I don't change my opinion. What's fascinating is that there's really not much difference between their three albums. The confidence might be higher on later work, but there's just as many memorable songs here & there's no sense of a band trying to find themselves with odd musical experiments. It's obvious they came out the door with something, it worked & they've never seen a need to travel too far from home. The key for me is that it's punk inspired but not imitative. OZ has a high energy sound that I hear in the New York Dolls (for example, "The Likes Of You" & "Where Are You") that is seeped in the rebel punk spirit, yet like the Dolls OZ never goes too far into that punk spirit that often aims for shock & rebellion over cohesive songs & actual playing/singing ability. Mike Friedman's melodic vocals, a bit reminiscent of Midnight Oil meets the Dolls, is big key to what makes OZ's sound distinct, let alone his flurried songwriting of fast rolling lines (for example "Automatic"). While OZ also features Mike Fujii who is a guitarist that was trained in the lessons of the 80's hard rock scene & can riff sloppily or turn in a technically challenging solo (i.e. "Down," "Hey Lover," "Bloodletting"). So many bands have culled from the punk tradition that decries playing ability. That's great, but it means my ears turn off. OZ cull from the other end of the tradition that's the same end that inspired Hanoi Rocks. Some of the songs are more punk (i.e. "Libido Suicide," "Automatic," "The Likes Of you," "Where Are You," "Karma Boomerang") but a la Joan Jett & the Dolls rather than the Sex Pistols, while others have a more hard rock flavor ("Hey Lover," "Sleep Deprived," "Down") & then there's the stripped down Tool-esque "Bloodletting" & "Peculiar Thing" where the rhythm sections lead the song. I'd be interested in hearing more of this later style. Memorable songs, high energy, a bit sloppy yet technically on-board, though not always the most musically diverse with only a few templates that get little development, but the result is enjoyable enough to make this a minor complaint. Anyways, it's their debut, too. Any of the three albums by OZ are worth checking out.

Gut Bucket ~ Gut Bucket (aka debut) (album review) ... Emptying the bucket of slut guts!

Style: death metal
Label: Murete Records
Year: 2012
Home: Providence, Rhode Island

Members: Rob "666" Cinami ~ drums/b. vocals
Kenny Ruhle ~ bass/lead vocals
Zack Parker ~ bass/b. vocals

 



Sometimes I think folks are involved in death metal bands just for the pure fun of singing the most obnoxious lyrics imaginable. I mean, when you have song titles like "Buckets Of Slut Guts", "Nightmares & Knife Blades", "The Sadist", "Hell Cocks" & "Faceless Stump" ... you don't seriously think any listener is going to look for some elaborate social criticism behind your music? Though, perhaps there is a great message of ethnic cleansing in "Buckets Of Slut Guts": "Rounding up the filthy sluts that refuse to obey/dump their guts into gut bucket for another day/fill the tub of guts of sluts so I can start to play". Certainly, Mother Theresa & Gandhi would ...? At least growling singer Kenny Ruhle is coherent in what he's saying - if that really matters - yet is at his most enjoyable when going at top speed like the Bare Naked Ladies in their "One Week" (i.e. "Buckets Of Slut Guts," "The Creature Walks Among Us"). Behind him is a regular yelling voice echoing incoherent things ... & brings flashbacks of the music performances on the Muppet Show. Though, when the songs are just fully incoherent they lose some of their interest (i.e. "Nightmares & Knife Blades"), while the repeating word of "masturbator" in "The Sadist" does get rather Muppets-esque after awhile once the shock wears off. & that's part of the oddity with bands like this - what's the point? Shock? It's not fun or creative like Alice Cooper. Great playing? With songs lasting less than two minutes there's no room for solos. Entertainment? Well, for some it's certainly entertaining, on a juvenile level. But, before I criticize GB too much I have to say they have one thing that is well worth hearing - the two bass guitar attack ... actually, the detuned duel bass guitar attack where the strings slap & growl. Formed in 2005 with their latest line-up coming this year I don't know if they've always been a bass heavy band or not, but its a magical rhythmic background that catches the ear immediately. It's sludgy, & Motorhead-like (i.e. "13") & they've truly hit on something that pulls them out of the normal death metal mix. More bands should want to experiment with this instrumentation.

Lynch/Pilson ~ Wicked Underground (album review) ... Come play in the underground without adult supervision!

Style: heavy metal, prog rock
Label: Spitfire Records
Year: 2003
Home: n/a

Members: George Lynch ~ guitars
Jeff Pilson ~ bass/vocals
Michael Frowein ~ drums

 

George Lynch, Don Dokken, Lynch Mob, Dokken ... these individuals & bands twist & weave between each other in ways most people have probably forgotten, even though they say controversy breeds attention. Dokken was one of the bigger bands of the 1980's with numerous hits, but have begun to fall into obscurity, while even leaders George Lynch & Don Dokken have a reputation with faithful followers but not recognition with a new generation. Briefly, Dokken was a hair metal band formed in 1976 with its first stable line-up featuring vocalist Don Dokken, guitarist Lynch, bassist Juan Croucier & drummer Mick Brown. In 1983, Croucier joined Ratt & Jeff Pilson came onboard, with their first chart hits following. In 1989, the band split with Lynch & Brown forming Lynch Mob, Dokken going solo & Pilson joining the McAuley Schenker Group for their debut & later Dio. The quartet reunited in 1989 to record an album, but Lynch left during the tour with Europe's John Norum replacing & later Winger/Whitesnake's Reb Beach briefly. Pilson left in 2000 & joined Lynch for the single album band L/P. For those that are expecting L/P to sound like Dokken, given its half the band, the result might be shocking. It was for me, which meant at first I didn't fully hear the album. This is why you have to listen multiple times to an album before judging it. Many might see Dokken has a bit of a throwaway L.A. hair metal band with wild guitars riffing away & tenor singing, whose few hits are particularly anything unique. The individual talents of the band lost under a trendy commercially oriented sound. L/P couldn't be more different. Actually, it has more in common with Lynch Mob, where Lynch demonstrated his love of experimental arrangements, different tunings, a heavier sound & more progressive influenced rock, none of it harbored in by the writing of Don Dokken. L/P keeps walking in the prog direction. There's not a whiff of hair metal here, neither in Lynch's playing, the arrangements nor Pilson's baritone that refrains from any of the cliched Sebastian Bach screams vocalists loved of the era. Actually, many songs have a lot of similarity in feel, particularly vocally & with the mood & arrangements, with Genesis's Calling All Stations featuring Ray Wilson (for example, "Breath & A Scream", "Goodbye Utopia"). Or, one might even bring up John Payne's GPS as comparison but without the keyboards that dominated that project. But, both GPS & Genesis are firmly prog, while this remains heavy metal on the attack through & through. & yes, it's not just me hearing a prog influence due to my own biased love of the genre. The only outside written song is "Awaken" by prog pioneers Yes ... though the end result is heavier than Yes has ever sounded & on first listen I didn't even realized they taken part of a song I'd heard countless times. Lynch is all over the map here, from slow to fast & always very melodic, even giving himself a thick powerful instrumental (i.e. "Cromaniac"). It's an amazing release, but more for the prog fan than the 80's rock fan. Yes, compared to Dokken, it sounds like Lynch is completely reinventing himself, but its such an extensive facelift that this music must have been in him all along but never given a chance to shine. I must confess that when I first heard this release it sounded like so much prog-metal nowadays, though holding up surprisingly very good years later, that I was a bit bored. But, then, when I realized how different it was from Dokken or anything that I was expecting, basically lots of show-off guitar solos going nowhere, I suddenly realized what a masterpiece this is. Plus, it goes from Genesis prog to Tool metal (i.e. "When You Bleed", "Awaken") to Dokken style hard rock (i.e. "Vaccine", "Zero The End") to even some acoustic ballad moments (i.e. "Ever Higher", "Inner View", "Closer To None"), yet always has far more of a personality than I was giving it credit for initially or even expecting. Basically, numerous listens later - great playing, singing & composing across the board with not a filler on the album or a weak track. I can't say that this is a good introduction to Lynch guitar playing on the whole as this might be too different from any other project ... though he's certainly on a creative high here. I will say, go back in time & approach Dokken cautiously after this. It doesn't help that some critics have called this one of the best Dokken related releases in years, even including those by the Dokken/Brown later Dokken. It's much like when Keith Richards & the X-Pensive Winos output was called the best Rolling Stones albums of the 80's.

Neil Young ~ Unplugged (live) (album review) ... Neil is the uncle everyone wishes they had!

Style: folk-rock
Label: Reprise
Year: 1993
Home: California

Members: Neil Young ~ guitar/harmonica/piano/pump organ/vocals
Nils Lofgren ~ guitar/autoharp/accordion/b. vocals
Ben Keith ~ dobro
Spooner Oldham ~ piano/pump organ
Tim Drummond ~ bass
Oscar Butterworth ~ drums
Astrid Young, Nicolette Larson ~ b. vocals

Additional: Larry Cragg ~ broom

NY's Unplugged live recording from the MTV show may not be an explicitly rock album, compared to some of NY's albums, recalling more his folksy-country side, but through an array of different styles over the decades NY has done his share of rocking out, let alone inspiring countless rock bands with the most prominent being Pearl Jam. This was the first NY album I ever bought, soon after it came out. I knew NY's greatest hits, a friend had played & explained to me the nuances of Tonight's The Night, but in terms of building up my own NY collection I didn't know where to start with him. He's gone through so many musical styles & backing groups, often in the same year, with some big hits & some big misses, & in the pre-internet age there was no allmusic.com to get advice from on what would make the perfect intro. I do remember when he was playing with Pearl Jam, but I was feeling more tuned into his acoustic folk side than the chaotic careening ragged electric guitar side. The glory of NY's appearance on MTV's Unplugged, showing the unplugged format at its magical best in my ears & the reason it became my first NY album, though I hadn't watched the episode, was that it collects many of the hits from his different musical faces & blends them together seemlessly with a new personality alongside some obscure tunes. It's not so much a greatest hits collection as a bit of a retrospective showing different sides of NY from his point of view. While NY might be known to many for his wild careless guitar playing, his real magic has always been for me his lyrics. I've also always liked his ragged folksy voice. That's the focus here, no doubt. It's not the guitar playing or the crazy endless solos he's known for taking. It's just the words & the emotion he puts behind them. Let me just say that I used to like learning to play & sing so many of the songs on this album on my acoustic guitar. I wanted to feel the words of "Pocahontas," "The Needle & The Damage Done" & even "Transformer Man", doing the backing vocals myself, roll over my tongue. For me, NY reaches the same heights as Dylan, Brian Wilson & Jim Steinman. "The Old Laughing Lady" & so many others might just show NY as one of the most depressing lyricists ever ... next to Lou Reed ... yet intensely personal at the same time. Oh, but how wonderful & rich those sad emotions are! The slimmed down instrumentation Unplugged also excited me, particularly the use of a broom as a percussion instrument in "Harvest Moon". It's moody & dark as much as any hard rock, yet less pretentious than I felt so much folk music suffered from in its quest to be seen as more pure. MTV's Unplugged might have been gimmicky & super trendy, the fad coming to shine a poor light on the original idea, while it had its shares of stumbles & some artists might have been unsuited for the format, but when it shone bright the glaring light was amazing. Of the over 100 episodes highlights worth watching over & over that come to mind include: Eric Clapton, Nirvana, Pearl Jam, 10,000 Maniacs, Kiss, Alice In Chains, Rod Stewart, The Eagles, Stone Temple Pilots, Page/Plant & obviously NY, who might have the most laidback relaxing output of all of them. Though, it's interesting to note that some critics have called it too relaxing & not ragged enough. But, if anything over his career NY is not predictable & he stays true to form here turning in something new. Yes, a couple songs were originally acoustically rendered & thus don't get a reinterpretation here, but that's what makes this enjoyable for me. You get some songs in their original format, even if it breaks the rule of thumb of what the show is supposed to be about, beside songs reinvented ... & they all sound like the come off the same album, blending into a new beast. Of note, Unplugged contains the previously unreleased song "Stringman" written in 1976, while four songs appear on the show but not on the album (i.e. "Dreamin' Man", "Sample & Hold", "War of Man", "Winterlong"). While, however powerful the result is, it's actually the second recording of the show. NY was not happy with the performances of anyone in the band & did the show over again. It would be interesting to hear the first take. Also, this review should get an award for mentioning "broom." That instrument isn't used enough!

Vixen ~ Tangerine (album review) ... Move over Lita Ford these vixens bite!

Style: hard rock
Label: CMC
Year: 1998
Home: Los Angeles

Members: Janet Gardner ~ vocals/rhythm guitar
Roxy Petrucci ~ clarinet/drums/b. vocals
Gina Stile ~ guitar/b. vocals

Additional: Mike Pisculli ~ bass

 

When I used to see Lita Ford on MTV I'd watch her slither her way around a guitar wearing skin tight super revealing clothing ... actually, I think we were all watching that. But, I always felt the music didn't match. She was sexy, but just screaming throw away songs, & today seeing her wobbly comeback I still agree. Her music didn't pull you in emotionally to match the physical allure. It shouted at you when it should have been soft. Vixen is the music Ford should have made. Vixen rock ... yet purr. They have heavy riffing guitars (i.e. "Tangerine", "Barely Breathin'", "Never Say Never") but also can pull it all in for something very intimate musically & lyrically (i.e. "Peace", "Bleed", "Stay", "Can't Control Myself", "Shut Up", "Air Balloon"); they get raw & dark (i.e. "Page") but also are always not far from their MTV glossy glam rock roots. Their arrangements are interesting & memorable, while vocalist Janet Gardner reminds me of a rock version of Melissa Ethridge at times via the intimate lyrics (i.e. "Page", "Bleed", "Can't Control Myself"). If hard rock can be sexy & sly, yet still kick ass, or maybe shake ass, Vixen nailed it here. They've not been a favorite with critics, but I'm not going to follow trends, as I've been listening to this album for a few days & continue to enjoy it more & more. Some have called Vixen the 'female Bon Jovi', which is what I was expecting, coming to them for the first time with Tangerine, their third release. I'm like many people, I know who they are but not their music. Maybe it's fact that this is a later recording with two new members, including a guy, but I don't hear the Bon Jovi comparison so much. Yes, there is certainly a commercial feeling to this hard rock versus some over the top metal which I was expecting & that's more akin to Bon Jovi, along with a lot of other bands, but they have a strong personality & are not an imitation. Albeit, also like Bon Jovi, they let the commercial mold work for them, not pull them down or sap their energy & creativity. They've crafted some great songs that are definite wannabe radio singles & shouldn't be criticized for doing that, particularly when the songs have not dumped emotional power for riffage power. Check out opener "Page" and "Peace" for starters, that includes the rock and the calm before the storm, let alone the more glossy title track. Actually, for some softer edged hard rock the whole album will be a pleasure. And, it will only be starters, as I'm ready to go listen to the rest of their catalog to see how it compares, though with Tangerine being the only album of this line-up I'm going back to square one on what I expect. Vixen came together in Los Angeles in 1981, working the scene until signing with EMI in 1987 with their self-titled debut coming out the next year. Sadly, they get caught under the dominating cloud of alt rock & grunge before they ever really had a chance to make up for where their second album lacked. Tangerine came much later & shows some of the newer musical influences, once a ghost at their door but now an asset creating great musical diversity with a new attitude (i.e. "Page", "Never Say Never", "Peace", "Machine", "Air Balloon"). Sadly, they'd split soon after, with a rebooted line-up with original guitarist Jan Kuehnemund created the following decade. This more stable line-up continues to perform periodically. For those that only know Vixen from their earliest albums, give them a second listen. You won't be disappointed. Modern, yet classic. Just the way many of us like our music.

The Soundtrack Of Our Lives ~ Gimme Five! (EP) (album review) ... Not the soundtrack of my life!

Style: alt rock
Label: Hidden Agenda Records
Year: 2000
Home: Sweden

Members: Matthias Barjed, Ian Person ~ guitar/b. vocals
Martin Hederos ~ keyboards/b. vocals
Ake Karl Kalle Gustafsson ~ bass/violin/b. vocals
Ebbot Lundberg ~ vocals/harmonica
Fredrik Sandsten ~ drums

 

Love's ups & downs, losses & gains via the metaphor of the stock exchange. I've never heard of this metaphor before, so I applaud the lyrical creativity of TSOOL's opening track "Dow Jones Syndrome" ... though in this day & age it might not actually be a love song! "Nobrainer" with its advertising board room verse "no brainer/money maker/this is what we'd all would like you'd to buy" follows a similar lyrical play on a theme, but with a much more hippie musical background. Sadly, the music drones on & on hypnotically & the lyrics repeat far too much, taking a good theme that could be developed out more for some lyrical comical twists & languishing in repetition that goes nowhere. The music is interesting with its amalgamation of 60's psychedelic rock styles relying a lot on dreamy guitar & harpsichord backgrounds, but other bands do something better. Other bands also get the body rolling with some interesting melodies & rhythms underneath the textures. Oasis & Bigelf come to mind in crafting something that sounds like the Rolling Stones or Beatles but taking it up a notch into some personal, while Kula Shaker took the Indian experience to a more personal level with a message. The three songs that follow aren't as lyrically interesting & much more straight ahead radio rock with little touches of country (i.e. "It Ain't Free (Livin' In A Bubble)"), while "James Last Experience", "Play Station Bordello" both wander in trippy esoterica, particularly the instrumental later with tambura strumming. It's an interesting ending song, but I've always felt instrumentals were wasted on EPs unless its a progressive band. Personally, I'd be interested in hearing the lyrics developed out more instead of heavy repetition, with the music have something more than a just denseness that's imitative without personality that doesn't go anywhere. TSOOL broke up this year so they've played their last soundtrack.

Rudy Schwartz Project ~ Moslem Beach Party (album review) ... Kill for god!

Style: experimental, instrumental
Label: DC-Jam Records
Year: 1985
Home: Texas/Canada

Members: Joe Newman ~ all instruments

Every so often I come across some very strange release. I mean, very strange in the full definition of the word, yet also very creative. It may not be the greatest musically, but the artist in me is intrigued as I'm witnessing a musician going crazy & clearly not giving a shit what outsiders think. For example, see my review from some years ago of Xerophonics that is true heavy metal - its the sound of Xerox machines looped! RSP is a cacophony of blasphemy, satire & toilet humor lyrics sung in an array of imitative Gilbert & Sullivan operetta styles - not so bad actually - mixed with tinkling "Casio-toned" keyboards & guitars, as one reviewer describes it, assorted percussion & strange noises covering pretty much every strange fringe musical style you can think of. That is, the Tom Waits type of fringe styles from rock to Islamic singing to polka, surf, ska, calypso. Though, Waits creatives cohesive music, this is purely out for having some fun. Think more a one man Cardiacs or the more obscure Howie Pyro's Freaks but without the acid or the trippiest raunchiest Frank Zappa. Is this a Moslem album as the title belays? Far from it. It's not even spiritual. Some might say its not even listenable. Actually - tongue-in-cheek - I fear for my life reviewing it, as while there is some Muslim drum rhythms & singing, there's only one truly Islamic song ... but what a song it is! "Kill For God" is a satire in my ears, but might blasphemy in theirs ... or maybe they'll actually like it. Actually, it's the one song truly worth hearing, as its lyrically so over the top it'll make your eyes pop out ... or for the more conservative minded not getting the joke it'll make you do something you don't normally do as it joyfully sings about joining a jihad, killing Jews & visiting Allah with all the virgins. As I said, Muslims will either hate or take it up as their new anthem. Now, I've heard white supremacist music, I've heard true Satanic music - two of the most extreme styles out there. I know the views of those songs are honest & heart felt. Whether right or wrong, the musicians truly believe in their message. But, "Kill For God" doesn't have the same feeling. Those musicians are serious where this isn't. Those bands carry their message though each song, Islam is just touched on briefly here & there & not much of an overall theme. It's just a eye-raising title. Even crazy folks like G.G. Allin took it more serious than RSP ... though this is better musically even if in a state of an over the top constant musical personality crisis. Part of the proof is in the music. It opens with the sound of a drum overlaid with a couple of talking voices discussing sex & god, before going into a Chet Aktins style guitar line with bluesy horns, before getting some big band-esque vocals & a bit of a Hawaiian flavor & turning into something that might be heard on an old 78 in the 1930's. One can imagine hearing this over the radio during the war & thinking in that context its quite an amazing listen. All the songs follow thing morphing style of changes, though "Kill For God" is a true highlight & flows the smoothest. But, if you want music to shock your friends with ... I think I found it! As for the rest of the album, it verges between instrumental cuts & less interesting lyrical songs. The music, on all the songs & usually within a single song, covers every musical & vocal style you can think of with abandon. It's like a lounge pianist trying to play everyone's favorite music, but only knowing how to imitate styles not actual songs & not actually having any lyrics to follow. "Polly Wolly Doodle (P.D.)" is the only instrumental worth hearing as its a guitar & washing board that sounds like the Spongebob Squarepants theme song but going for seven minutes instead of thirty seconds & with a lot of strange sound effects from cranks, chains, banging to grunting. It's Spongebob's Halloween special. Personally, I love the music on the show so this caught my ear immediately. The lyrical songs are nonsensical & largely toilet humor obscene, more for the sake of it than actually having a message ... or even making sense or staying focused to fully carry the joke to the end successfully like "Kill For God". "An Orange Is Nothing But A Juicy Pumpkin" covers everything from Ronald Reagan to grandma, while "Asparagus Makes Your Urine Smell Funny" is the Howie Pyro's Freaks or more properly Frank Zappa moment. "Christmas Times For Assholes" is directed to all the people you don't like, particularly your boss, & starts funny before becoming too obscene for its own good. "Raspberry I.U.D.", based on an obvious song by Prince, is about going after a 16 year old slut & is super pornographic, but hearing someone sing like Prince is actually kind funny. "Coathangerman" follows a similar path as its brief lyrics, against the most pop sounding melody, discuss condoms before going into the Jackson 5's "ABC". This is one of those albums high school kids play at parties when their parents aren't home to show how cool they are. Like watching The Rocky Horror Picture Show to see about the sex they may not be having yet. One of the most cracked versions of "I Put A Spell On You" helps bring the album to a close. It's an odd inclusion & actually sounds like an early Rolling Stones outtake but with no guitars & Mick tanked up on something. Now, I understand, some reading this may ask why review an album like this? Isn't this better for a blog of strange music? Yes! But, at the same time even with all the musical styles, it does have a rock foundation & coherent songs, or at least pieces of them stuck together. This isn't just strange sounds like some art piece. Actually drone metal is far less coherent on some level & more sound than music compared to this. Personally, I get a kick out of finding stuff like this. I don't look for it. I stumble upon it. I'm not Dr. Demento ... though I did once have my name dropped by him on the radio. This blog started originally with the goal of finding & sharing interesting music, versus everything out there, & this fits the bill ... probably more than most of the things on this blog where I use the term interesting in a very liberal way. Honestly, listening to something like this gives my ears a momentary break from the norm. Though, I sadly won't be going as far as Metal Hammer magazine did a few years ago with their review of Pope Benedict XVI's album Alma Matter Featuring The Voice Of Pope Benedict XVI, reviewed by Cradle Of Filth's Dani Filth no less. Really, they did. You can google it. How's that metal? Dude, it's the music of God ... you can't get anymore heavy! As for wanting to know more about this RSP, there's a lot of youtube videos, while the facebook page simply describes the project as "More Floyd. Less Aunt Bea." But, doing some digging the man behind the curtain is a fellow named Joe Newman, originally of Texas but who emigrated to Canada, whose an admirer of Frank Zappa & supposedly includes Jello Biafra as a fan. It's also primarily a studio project with only one live show known. While the music might be strange the story of it becomes quite intriguing after stumbling through it on Joe Newman's website. Moslem Beach Party has been called by some the "cheesiest" of RSP's output, but others love it with "Kill For God" becoming a fan favorite. On cassette only, but was reissued as part of a Remembering A Summertime Rash best of compilation CD.

Crawley ~ High & Low (album review) ... From low days to some great highs!

Style: hard rock
Label: Morbid Records
Year: 2011
Home: Kentucky

Members: Eric Crawley ~ lead vocals/guitar
Chuck Mingis ~ lead guitar
Bill Goins ~ bass/b. vocals
Mike Huettig ~ drums/b. vocals

 

 

  I've been listening to Crawley's debut High & Low over & over. It doesn't jump with wild guitar solos all over the place, it may not scream & shout in your face, it's not a moody romp, some of the songs do have a tendency to blend together fading into the background, but its a surprisingly solid release that holds up over numerous listened based on a single very simple trait - solid old fashioned songwriting with just enough edge & personal flavor. The acoustic foundation with some electric guitars throwing out power chords & a strong backbeat also helps. At one point I'm reminded of Stone Temple Pilots, yet, it could very well come out of the Springsteen camp. It's clearly hard rock, but its hard rock for the whole family. Crawley's background includes two members of Days Of The New that formed a trio called Freedom & Whiskey, recording six albums. Stand-up comic & former Sons Of The Bluegrass singer/guitarist Eric Crawley joined the trio & Crawley the band was born. The Americana roots now become obvious & those looking for some solid, very personal, unflashy rock, that culls from Springsteen & Mellencamp & is the same stuff Bret Michaels & Kid Rock are making music around. ... Crawley is a must to hear. 

Joe Lynn Turner ~ Rescue You (album review) ... Rescue me from what?

Style: hard rock, AOR
Label: Wounded Bird Records
Year: 1985
Home: New Jersey

Members: Joe Lynn Turner ~ vocals
Al Greenwood ~ keyboards
Bobby Messano ~ guitar/bass/b. vocals
Chuck Burgi ~ drums

 

JLT came out from Rainbow with his first stop his solo debut Rescue You. It had a modest MTV hit with "Endlessly", but not much critical response & wouldn't be given a follow-up until 1995. Though, by then, JLT's prolific work as a session musician would put thirty albums on his resume. By the time of his second solo album he'd built up lots of studio experience with an array of musical styles, had some new writings partners, let alone moved away from the shadow of Rainbow both musically & personally. On Rescue You most of the tracks were co-written by keyboardist Al Greenwood, formerly of Foreigner. The outcome echoes of Foreigner (i.e. "Losing You", "Endlessly") with embarrassing abandon. Part of it is the now dated sounding stabs of keyboards that take prominent ground over the guitars which are lost in the mix at times. It has a very 80's AOR sheen, though considering he'd just worked with guitar demon Ritchie Blackmore it's probably better that he stayed away from guitar heavy music for the moment. Sadly, the album doesn't have a kick. The material sounds too dated & too weak & definitely too repetitious in its feeling & style to ever truly rise. But, JLT shines above it with a great range of vocal nuances. Though, on first listen one is liable not to hear anything but JLT's voice falling into the generic music & not out from under it. Thus, on one hand, this is not the best JLT album to recommend as its not a strong album musically, later albums would often bring in multiple songwriters to their benefit, but his voice is rich & enjoyable once one gets past the 80's sheen. Actually, on the second half of the album it's incredibly nuanced & you can feel him putting his whole body into the notes riding it forward like a boxer. Let alone the man is pitch & tone perfect as always. There's a reason he's a prolific session backing vocalist & its not just due to self-promotion. In many ways I'm reminded of Michael Bolton's first few albums, when he was still a guitar playing rocker. He sings his heart out but the material just isn't there & too much time spend on radio friendly love ballads. JLT has the same problem. But, this isn't so bad of a first step out into the great solo unknown, though its obvious why it didn't have a bigger impact. JLT fans should pick up this first release if they're at all interested in his career & anyone else probably won't regret it too much. Anyways, it is Al Greenwood of ... Foreigner, not just any old keyboardist.

Yngwie Malmsteen ~ The Genesis (comp) (album review) ... On the 8th day God created shredding, or was it the devil in disguise?

Style: power metal, instrumental, heavy metal, progressive
Label: Pony Canyon
year: 2002
Home: Florida

Members: Yngwie J. Malmsteen ~ guitars/bass/vocals/keyboards/drum programming
Zepp Urgard ~ drums

 


While YM may have broken through to the American mainstream via Alcatrazz with former Rainbow frontman Graham Bonnet, only to be replaced by Steve Vai while going on to be even more successful with his own group Rising Force, he had already been in the recording studio long before Alcatrazz ... perhaps to the surprise of some who see his career starting there. In a way it did. YM came to America after his demo tapes were heard by future Keel frontman Ron Keel. They rocked together briefly as Steeler before YM went off to Alcatrazz. But, back in his native Sweden YM had been playing around with local bands, recording on his uncle's private set-up, & developing his trademark neo-classical super technical style to the chagrin of anything else going on in the life a typical teenager. But, YM would never be typical. The Genesis gathers together some of those early recordings, done around age 17, including two instrumentals & two pieces hitting the twelve minute mark, including Hendrix's "Voodoo Child (Slight Return)". With titles like "Birth Of The Sun, "Plague In Lucifer's Mind", "Dying Man", "Black Magic Suite Op 3", "Merlin's Castle" & "Voodoo Nights" the influence of Deep Purple & Rainbow is obvious, but its never been a secret Richie Blackmore was a musical mentor. But, YM moved away from Blackmore like Blackmore moved away from the electric guitar, making their connection today seem tedious. As for the music itself on this compilation, yes, there's a bit of Blackmore. "Birth Of The Sun" is a standout track with a rolling bass line & could indeed come from the Deep Purple catalog, though YM is no Ian Gillen & its good he's not pursued his singing. "Dying Man" & "Black Magic" follows suit. While some listeners may not hear much of a difference between this & later recordings outside of some lower production quality, programmed drums & the fact that YM plays all the instruments & sings. But, there is a difference, albeit subtle. The desire for speed & power metal was always in YM's view. One of the criticisms is he has no feeling or subtlety or lacking focus in anything but a desire to impress. Everything must be fast, furious & relentless ... the later being the name of one of his latest albums. This album shows both the relentless Yngwie looking to impress (i.e. "Plague In Lucifer's Mind", "Merlin's Castle", "Voodoo Nights"), but is balanced by moments of overcrowded melodic emotional playing. It's an interesting array of playing. As for the two overly lengthy pieces, they are not as tedious as some YM cynics may believe, but highlights. YM takes Hendrix in the direction Stevie Ray Vaughn took him, or what would happen if the drugs were removed. In essence, compilation albums like this are essentially for fans. I actually love them. I think these compilations are better then when a band just sticks demos at the end of an album as bonus tracks. I like the fact that we're getting a view in on the past uninterrupted with new music. Of note, some of these tracks reappeared in a reworked form later in YM's career. One may wonder, given YM's notoriety as a perfectionist, why he would want to reissue these early tracks. The answer is simple when one realizes parts of the album were originally issued by bassist Marcel Jacob as Birth Of The Sun. The Genesis was later reissued with YM recording over all of Jacob's bass parts. Jacob formed Rising Force with YM, later to join Europe. While John Leven left Europe to join Rising Force, only for the two to switch back years later. Years later he would later replace Levin in Last Autumn's Dream. Jacob also played co-formed Talisman & Human Clay with original Rising Force vocalist Jeff Scott Soto. Jacob guested with Soto's band W.E.T. just before his death.

Exciter ~ Death Machine (album review) ... Crank the machine up & let it growl!

Style: thrash
Label: Massacre Records
Year: 2010
Home: Ottawa, Canada

Members: Kenny Winter ~ vocals
John Ricci ~ guitars
Rick Charron ~ drums
Clammy ~ bass

 

 

   Coming out the door as one of the first thrash speed metal bands Canada's Exciter would remain very much in the unsuccessful shadow of their peers Slayer & Metallica. Their first few albums built up a fan following, only for it to crumble at seemingly every turn as they moved away from thrash into more melodic & slower territories & brought in a non-instrument playing vocalist. After a self-titled 1988 release debuting these changes went down in flames the band broke up for the first of many times. Two reunions would bring out a series of less than stellar albums that were more unanimously panned than any band deserves. It wasn't until 2004's New Testament that things began to look up. Though, this was really a trick as New Testament was actually re-recorded early fan favorites with some of the 90's team. Their most recent album, Death Machine, finds them with the first stable line-up in a long time & solidifying their return to form. With a cover of a nearly naked woman strung up & about to start a one-sided conversation with a chainsaw that looks like a scene out a movie & would make Tipper Gore return to court for this one album alone ... warning ... this is the music your parents said would rot your mind. It may not actually rot your mind, but with a album length theme being torture & sadism, music that is brutal & but one step away from death metal, all the puzzle pieces are here for mom & dad to at least be nervous. The music is one thick slab of fast & furious riffs & slower paced growled vocals that don't fall into the decipherable realm. If Exciter's problem was a move away from thrash this is certainly a few steps back. Though, the catch is if one measures thrash by where Metallica & Megadeth are, then Exciter yet again falls into the shadows as this is nothing like those bands are doing today. It neither is highly technical, polished or slick, nor does it deviate far beyond the template into more musical experimental realms. It's also far darker than a lot of modern thrash fans might be accustomed to. This is the "Enter Sandman" Metallica wants to play but doesn't dare for fear of losing their fans. This is the Megadeth of Chris Poland. The reason this album succeeds is because its so dark, furious & adrenaline runs through with abandon. The album thrives on its pure energy.