Metallica ~ Master Of Puppets (album review) ... Bow down to the master!

Style: heavy metal
Label: Elektra
 Year: 1986
Home: California

Members: James Hetfield ~ vocals/guitars
Kirk Hammett ~ lead guitar
Cliff Burton ~ bass/b. vocals
Lars Ulrich ~ drums

Today it seems like we either make fun of Metallica or dismiss them, or at least those of us older fans who remember when "Enter Sandman" could be heard playing on the radio nearly daily. We likely do both things, with a bit of sadness, as we remember when Metallica was a beast to behold & the greatest metal band on earth. We remember when their albums were the litmus test of true raging metal. We also remember when they didn't publicize their therapy sessions or shit on fans for downloading, or cut their hair short & put on make-up. At one point in time there were bands that were faster, louder, crazier, more proggy, better songwriters, better singers, but somehow Metallica put all the pieces together so it was just perfect. Even when they slipped, the fall was a short one. They made metal that slammed into your head as an ear worm every time you heard it, without fail, not to mention metal that even non-metal heads connected with. Everyone I knew growing up was a Metallica fan & I knew few metal fans at the time. Perhaps it was the era when hair metal Bon Jovi wannabes & angry young man grunge were dominating & folks desperately, & sometimes secretly, wanted an alternative. Perhaps Metallica just had a good promotion campaign with big label support. Perhaps they sold their souls to the devil to ensure the stars lined up in their favor. Its hard to precisely say, other than at one point in time Metallica were 5 gods (Cliff Burton RIP) whose position in the metal hierarchy was not up for debate. Love them or leave ... that is, you leave, not them. Their riffs & albums were were instant classics every metal fan needed to hear as a right of passage. I remember when "One" was on MTV. It was fierce & haunting to my young ears, almost frightening. It was something I wanted to hear, but not with my mother in the room. Yet, before that was Master Of Puppets, which  I didn't know until after hearing "One". On delivery this was enshrined as a classic. In the decades since it might have moved up or down the ladder, but it still gets on every list of classic metal albums. If you don't believe me, I'll tell you about the time I saw a Dragonforce concert in Manhattan, back when ZP was still singing with them. Maybe 1000 of us at the intimate standing only venue. It was before showtime & the obligatory background music was playing. "Master Of Puppets" came on. When it hit the chorus I realized this was a different version than I knew. Then I started looking around. I was standing not far from the stage. I suddenly realized this was the same version, but the audience of young men & women were actually singing along. Imagine a room of folks all in their own worlds, drinking, on their phones, talking to each other, lost in their own thoughts, but all on cue sing "Master, master of puppets...". I've never seen such happen in any other concert I've been to. That says something about the legacy of this song. If Master Of Puppets had been the finale album by Metallica I believe their legacy would be secure. Yet, listening again while writing this review, even having praised the album, does it hit my 40-something ears like it did my teenage ears, or my 30-something ears when I heard it sang in concert? Is it as good as I remember? I think it is. I might be a bit more critical now, but I still think its a must hear for every metal fan. What I loved & still love about this album is the distortion isn't so much you don't hear notes ring out. I really don't like the over-driven side of metal. The lyrics are fierce, but not growled & is some of James Hetfield's best & most raw singing. I wish he still sang like this, but we all fall into bad habits with time & put more focus into other aspects of our craft. The solos are technical moments up there with Eddie Van Halen, but don't dominate or take-over the song as the only thing the songs have going for them. While there's no real filler on this album. There's some obvious singles, but the other songs are great moody moments. While there's nothing slick in the sound, a problem with too many of their peers & would be a criticism of the entire hair metal movement. I'd actually forgotten how good a non-live version of "Welcome Home (Sanitarium)" is, let alone how different it is from the other songs. This is not a one note album. Master Of Puppets very well might be Metallica's greatest moment, even better the self-titled, Black Album, coming a few years later. Is it the greatest metal album? No, I don't think so. I don't know what is, but this is up there as one of the greatest alongside albums by Megadeth & Black Sabbath. It doesn't have to be the greatest, as is without doubt a classic.

The World's Greatest Metallica Tribute (album review) ... Compared to this Metallica's 'Lulu' is a thrash classic!

Style: hard rock, heavy metal, trash, industrial, surf, techno, tribute
Label: Tributized
Year: 2004
Home: n/a

Members: Jon Oliva, Eric A.K., Eric Bloom, Billy Milano ~ vocals
Scott Ian, Lemmy Kilmister, Mike Clark, Al Pitrelli ~ guitars
Rob Trujillo, Tony Franklin, Phil Soussan, Bob Balch ~ bass
Dave Lombardo, Aynsley Dunbar, Gregg Bissonette, Vinny Appice ~ drums

Bands include: Agent Orange

Apoptygma Berzerk

Sloppy Seconds

Dee Dee Ramone band

Funker Vogt

Vice Squad

Luciferion

Holocaust

If One Way Street: A Tribute To Aerosmith is producer/guitarist Bob Kulick helming a great tribute album, this is the opposite of the coin & anything but what it's title suggests. Here Kulick takes a couple approaches & none of them work any musical magic creating an album for collectors or diehard fans only. On One Way Street he placed together random rock musicians to do one off recordings. That again occurs here on four of the dozen tracks, while the other tracks are the traditional tribute band approach of bands submitting their cover songs. The success of these will all be dependent on if you like the bands or not. Though, this album is heavily split as the four one off groups have all star line-ups, while the submissions are lesser known bands. While the bands completely take to re-interpreting Metallica versus the one-off line-ups aim more for duplicating or finding a balance between imitation & discovery. This means right next to a heavy metal song is surf or techno synth making a jarring listen. One Way Street is so success because it doesn't do this as all the songs are kept in the same rock mood, all being produced by Kulick. The fact that there's not much of Metallica left in many of these experiments makes it an even more jarring listen. Metallica is a great band whose sound lies on powerful rhythms & a particular mood, but in the hands of others the songs fall apart quickly ... particularly when a band like Apoptygma Berzerk decide to do a dance techno version of "Fade To Black" that makes the song unrecognizable, throws the melody out the window & is pretty much one step away from Erasure but less camp, gay & entertaining. When doing a cover don't kill the recognizable melody line, while replacing a complicated recognizable riff, rhythm or line with something incredibly watered down also should be avoided. If you don't have the skills to at least get the basics of the song than don't fake it. Nor is this approach interesting, as Sloppy Seconds demonstrates with a straight punk take of "Hit The Lights" that dumps anything recognizable about the song. Luciferion also demonstrates with a boring by the book chugging nondescript guitar black/death metal version of "Fight Fire With Me". Agent Orange does a punk-surf version of "Seek & Destroy" which demonstrates that taking the cliched surf riff & putting on a song does not make for something creative or interesting outside of the idea that what would it sound like if Metallica was a surf band. Do surf bands ever get bored playing the same riff over & over again? It all sounds as much alike as Yngwie Malmsteen taking solo after solo. Things get really adventuresome with Funker Vogt who do a goth techno take on "Harvester Of Sorrow" but it's more techno than dark & this is a song that should be more dark than techno. At least it's not Erasure, though not quite Nine Inch Nails. Dee Dee Ramone does a bland "Jump In The Fire". Finally I've found someone who sings like Ronnie Wood of the Rolling Stones/Faces, but worse. Holocaust does an eight minute "Master Of Puppets" that at least ends the album on a good note, but twelve tracks too late. Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery & Holocaust prove that with this particular compilation. Well crafted, though too light weight a guitar solo. The best contribution & only one worth listening to is Vice Squad who turn in an upbeat "Enter Sandman" with an industrial edge, think Powerman 5000. The best part is the toy laser gun sounds during the solos. The only thing that makes this album worth getting is the non-submitted four one-off line-up tracks. Maybe it's the fact that these include some star musicians, but someone was smart enough in each line-up to realize what not to dump in the song & how experimental not to be. Though, none of these songs are great & just for the gimmick of hearing a certain musician. "Nothing Else Matters" is anti-climactic gutless ballad with Jon Oliva of Savatage/Jon Oliva's Pain in a lackluster vocal performance only interesting for how much it sounds like James Hetfield, while this is not a good song to show off Lemmy of Motorhead. Also in this is Fu Manchu guitarist Bob Balch & tour/session drummer Gregg Bissonette most famously of the David Lee Roth band. "Battery" is safe & tame, though its hard to ruin this song, with Metallica's third bassist Rob Trujillo playing alongside drummer Dave Lombardo of Slayer, guitarist Mike Clark of Suicidal Tendencies & vocalist Eric A.K. of Flotsam & Jetsam which would feature future Metallica bassist Jason Newsted. "Whiplash" demonstrates that while James Hetfield is an adequate singer he works for the music at hand, but when you hear someone with a harsher voice interpret the songs ... well, Hetfield suddenly sounds a lot better. Sorry Billy Milano of M.O.D.. While listening to the other musician one wonders is Metallica this monotonous with the guitars & this flat sounding? A poor showing from guitarist Scott Ian of Anthrax, bassist Phil Soussan of Ozzy Osbourne & Billy Idol & drummer Vinny Appice of Black Sabbath/Heaven & Hell. "For Whom The Bells Toll" features with Savatage/Trans-Siberian Orchestra guitarist Al Pitrelli in one of his more rare heavy metal moments as his career has been more hard-rock that doesn't always push him with the speed or intensity. A decent show, though you can hear Tony Franklin of the Firm trying to spice up the bass line & mold it to his recognizable fretless bass sound. Eric Bloom of Blue Oyster Cult, who Pitrelli toured with for a month, turns in an adequate vocal showing, while acclaimed 70's session drummer Aynsley Dunbar takes up the beats also in a rare metal moment. This album has also been released under the name Metallic Assault

Metallica ~ St. Anger (album review) ... St. Anger has gone to heaven, but we won't forget you or maybe we will!

 Style: thrash, heavy metal
Label: Elektra
Year: 2003
Home: San Francisco, California

Members: James Hetfield ~ guitar/vocals
Kirk Hammett ~ guitar/b. vocals
Lars Ulrich ~ drums

Additional: Bob Rock ~ bass

Opener "Frantic" with the chorus "keep on searching/this search goes on" might be an attempt at a conceptual prog-metal experiment of angst, but the fact that it opens with a false take & studio chatter should tell you how uninspired the result is going to be. It takes an amazing song or a lot of guts to open an album with a false start. This is not an amazing song, but the band has a lot of guts. Of the eleven songs every one of them either starts or ends with false starts or studio chatter as Metallica tells its listeners to expect a band in the raw just rocking out with no pretensions or fancy studio play. The problem is that raw here might be revealing but it's a painful reveal that's not a friendly one, nor a particularly enjoyable one. "Frantic" is alias a personality crisis that doesn't know if it's a stoned out Faith No More going through numerous moods in a single song or a garage metal band & certainly has no idea how to present a memorable melody, let alone a melody. Many listeners may stop here & never get to the rest of the album. That might be too bad if it wasn't for the fact that every song follows suite creating one long mess that goes in every direction but none long enough to give a clear mood or personality to any song. If anyone thought Lulu was an uninspired mess, one need only go back in time ... Metallica have been on the down low for awhile & paving the way basically since 1991's Black Album & it wouldn't change until 2008's Death Magnetic only to collapse again with Lulu. Load & ReLoad saw Metallica cleaning up their complex sound for some decent though not enthusiastically exciting heavy metal that collapses under its own wanna-be stomp, that is neither album ever really gets from a plod to a stomp. S&M saw a return to something complex with an orchestra accentuated live concert, but its bloated & any groove to the music is killed by the symphonic additions. St. Anger sounds like the band trying to reclaim their proggy roots of their early days, even calling this a comeback or return to form. The problem is that only they know what they are returning to. The listener certainly doesn't have a clue, if the listener can even figure out which song is which. The album is a mess, no groove, too many changes, & a bit of a chaotic punk edge that is aiming or raw but in context is just chaos lacking any groove or feeling. If there's intended to be a lyrical or musical nakedness here the band isn't giving that moment enough time to develop ... though some inspiration outside of just being angry would have helped, let alone a better producer who had a vision that was something more than just being a band in the raw. St. Anger became famous as the album that was featured in a movie whose most prominent character was the therapist the band hired to help them work through their problems. On one hand you can hear that St. Anger is a band laying it all out there & letting go of every emotion like never before. The problem is that this doesn't make good music. While their classic "The Unforgiven" had more intense emotions in its couple minutes than this entire album & more people enjoyed that. Just because it was overly polished doesn't mean it can't speak powerfully. It's key was one emotion developed out, instead of every emotion developed in every song with a lot of bad singing & unmemorable or sing-a-long lyrics. This is a tough album that gets kudos for what it is trying, not for being a great Metallica album. Freud might enjoy it. A lot of Metallica fans won't. It's raw. Maybe too raw for its own good. It lacks a lot & what it gives back - is it worth it? One can say it is Metallica raw, but for most of us the best Metallica is far from raw. Let alone for most of us we prefer a Metallica that has memorable songs not a memorable experiment.

Exodus ~ Shovel Headed Kill Machine (album review) ... Turn it on & let it go!

Style: thrash
Label: Nuclear Blast
Year: 2005
Home: San Francisco, California

Members: Rob Dukes ~ vocals
Gary Holt, Lee Altus ~ guitars
Jack Gibson ~ bass
Paul Bostaph ~ drums

Some bands are made to head bang to. They're not a good litmus test when it comes to picking apart music & lyrics or discussing musical progressions & exploration. They probably have something to say for the hardcore fan giving them more than a casual listen, but for most of us some bands are just great for turning out some classic 80's thrash metal made to clobber. Their job is to clobber & they do it well. The end. No more need to be said. Exodus is one of these bands. For those unfamiliar with them they're one of the early thrash bands & fathers of the San Francisco thrash metal scene. They should be much bigger than they are, but then came a band named Metallica & clobbered the clobberer. Metallica has since changed the sound of thrash & reached annoying heights of success, while Exodus have kept to the same fierce guitar onslaught as though nothing has changed & have suffered commercially continuously. Exodus was never really forgotten by fans & have inspired many thrash devotees ... but in the mainstream they're just a forgotten band on the timeline. The irony is that their original guitarist, pre-debut album, is future Metallica clobberer Kirk Hammett. Is this Hammett's Megadeth moment against his ex-bandmates? By the time their debut was released, delayed from business trouble, they may have been the father of the scene but Metallica was the untouchable king & that was the end of that. Exodus would go through many line-up changes, including bringing in Testament vocalist Steve Souza & Anthrax drum tech John Tempesta. But, bad production, weak songs, bad reviews, trouble with touring, lots of business problems & everything a band couldn't want meant that by the time of grunge Metallica continued to conquer the world providing a heavy metal alternative to Seattle, while Exodus called it a day in 1992. A decade later the debut album line-up reunited & continued until the founding frontman's death in 2002. The band now fell to one time Hammett dueling guitar partner Gary Holt's desires to keep the band going. He brought together some past members to record Exodus's sixth album. It was an honorable & respected return & one of the better albums of their career. This long overdue Exodus, reunion mach II, was finally putting out the music they should have put out two decades earlier. Exodus wouldn't vanish this time around, though they'd still be plagued by line-up troubles, but at least they could finally let the music speak for itself & their legacy. It's interesting to catch this band on this second coming, or more properly third coming. Their mach II reunion second album Shovel Headed Kill Machine features Holt with a bunch of new faces: new vocalist Rob Dukes, guitarist Lee Altus from thrashers Heathen & drummer Paul Bostaph of Slayer & Testament. This would actually be Bostaph's only album with Exodus. So many bands today have reunited & reinvented themselves with new faces. Many bands have largely improved. They don't sound anything like they once did & its hard to call them the same name, but the music is good. But, Exodus is an interesting odd duck. Here they are now well under way of a second reunion, mostly a new band though these new hats are brought in from the thrash history books so talent & creativity is no problem. But, nothing has changed musically. From the cover art to the sound, maybe the production values are better, but this is as straight forward 80's thrash as it gets. While on one hand this might seem boring, how far has the genre moved musically in the ensuing years, on the other hand the only groups still playing the class thrash sound are second & third generation bands. The original thrash kings have long changed their sound. Metallica doesn't even know what their roots look like, even when they try to look. This is a fascinating step back in time by folks who were there, never had much luck with changing styles so aren't doing it now, for those who want to head bang with abandon in the classic way. It's a good feeling. It's a good & fierce flashback. This album would also set the stage for many great albums to follow. Time travel is possible.

Metallica ~ S&M (live) (album review) ... I like to practice my S&M behind closed doors!

Style: thrash, heavy metal, symphonic, live
Label: Elektra
Year: 1999
Home: San Francisco

Members: James Hetfield ~ vocals/rhythm guitar
Kirk Hammett ~ lead guitar
Jason Newsted ~ bass/b. vocals
Lars Ulrich ~ drums

Guests: Michael Kamen ~ conductor
David Teie principal, Richard Andaya, Barara Bogatin, Jill Rachuy Brindel, David Goldblatt ~ cello
Jeremy Constant concertmaster, Daniel Banner, Enrique Bocedi, Paul Brancato, Catherine Down, Bruce Freifeld, Connie Gantsweg, Michael Gerling, Frances Jeffrey, Robert Zelnick, Yukiko Kamei, Naomi Kazama, Kum Mo Kim,Gurthanthaclops Yasuko Hattori, Melissa Kleinbart, Chumming Mo Kobialka, Daniel Kobialka, Rudolph Kremer, Kelly Leon-Pearce, Diane Nicholeris, Florin Parvulescu, Anne Pinsker, Victor Romasevich, Philip Santos, Peter Shelton ~ violins
Don Ehrlich, Gina Feinauer, David Gaudry, Christina King, Yun Jie Liu, Seth Mausner, Nanci Severance, Geraldine Walther ~ violas
Chris Bogios, Glenn Fischthal, Andrew McCandless, Craig Morris ~ trumpets
John Engelkes, Tom Hornig, Paul Welcomer, Jeff Budin ~ trombones
Stephen Paulson, Steven Dibner, Rob Weir, Steven Braunstein ~ bassoons
Julie Ann Giacobassi, Eugene Izotov, Pamela Smith ~ oboes
Eric Achen, Joshua Garrett, Douglas Hull, Jonathan Ring, Bruce Roberts, Robert Ward, James Smelser ~ French horns
Russ deLuna ~ English horn
Linda Lukas, Tim Day, Robin McKee ~ flutes
David Neuman, Carey Bell, Luis Beez, Ben Friemuth ~ clarinet
Catherine Payne ~ piccolo
Peter Wahrhaftig ~ tuba
Charles Chandler, Laurence Epstein, Chris Gilbert, William Ritchen, Stephen Tramontozzi, S. Mark Wright ~ double bass
Anthony J. Cirone, Ray Froelich, Thomas Hemphill, Artie Storch – percussion
David Herbert ~ timpani
Douglas Rioth ~ harp
Robin Sutherland ~ keyboards

I'm not a fan of revues on Broadway, that is shows that aren't truly Broadway shows in the traditional sense of the term. I mean, those shows where the music wasn't written for the stage but gathers songs from the career of a musician/band or a group of them & puts it together like a stew, changing their original meanings via a potentially weak story. Examples include Mama Mia for Abba, Movin' Out for Billy Joel & Rock Of Ages for the 80's. These pull audiences in to hear music you love done in a way you might not love once you suffer through two hours, with a story you don't care about & characters that are as flat as paper ... not even 20 lb paper. Or, that's been my experience of these farces called Broadway shows with tickets as expensive as the real thing. Though I might not like them I've had an idea for a revue that I think would be interesting & have real potential ... or certainly drum up controversy. I haven't a clue what the story would be about, as the songs tend to be a little bit too much groin oriented & that doesn't create too create much diversity to work with ... but then, the story doesn't really matter in these revues. That is Kiss. Yes, put Kiss on Broadway. I mean, they've done worse with all the merchandising. If it fails they embarrassed themselves decades ago so nobody will notice the difference. & it'll be one more opportunity for Gene Simmons to say something incredibly stupid. Of course, you'd have to work with the music fleshing it out, give it a stage feeling as rock music doesn't always work with a direct jump. Rock music, except for Genesis, isn't meant for sitting quietly & listening. What would the Kiss Broadway show sound like? In my mind it would sound exactly what Metallica created with S&M, the album where they played live with the San Francisco Symphony. It would open up not with an overture, something I think is out of fashion for the stage, but an instrumental opening such as Metallica's standard opening "The Ecstasy Of Gold" by Morricone followed by "The Call Of The Ktulu". The songs following would turn well-known melody lines into string & horn flourishes with lots of nuances not previously there. To say the result would have fleshed out songs is a bit of an understatement as the reworked songs would now be stuffed silly with notes ... maybe too stuffed at times, like when you fall asleep after Thanksgiving dinner. Though, the problem would be in replacing a twin guitar attack with a symphony of how many instruments? Two guitars can have a clean sound but two guitars plus a symphony can often verge on cacophonic & distracting. At the same time, the new symphonic approach would also temper some of the harshness & anger for a wider audience. The music would still be dark, but in a tamer more theatrical way. The Sunday matinee retiree set probably don't want to see an angry young man show. The songs would also be, on the whole, longer than their originals to allow lots of stage movement & big dance numbers. Though, after awhile the audience might stop paying attention to the music as it goes on a bit too long. There also comes another problem in that stronger singing is needed to combat the waterfall of music. The lone voice of Workshop actor James Hetfield gets lost in the now overflowing mountain of sound, so what was originally a focus of the song is now just another noisy moment. A strength has become a weakness sadly. Of course, one can imagine for this new revue, that some songs would be great for the stage. "The Thing That Should Never Be" is custom made for a chase scene, even leading into the bad guy's cackling spotlight moment ... even if actor Hetfield, is he Equity?, is a little stiff & the dialogue pushing it a bit trying to be overly dramatic when it was already. Then there's "Hero Of The Day" leading into "Devil's Dance" where our story's characters contemplate their state of affairs as we near intermission. There is a problem in Act I with the music & story seeming to drag. It doesn't feel like just the first half as the audience is so exhausted they think the show is done. The lack of emotional oomph for music flourish & lengthy songs doesn't help in the least the script. Act II also needs re-writing as it shouldn't open with a dragging "Nothing Else Matters" that goes on for a bit, at least to "Until It Sleeps". Things do pick up with the Metropolis-esque "Human". Where does this song come from? It's great! The emotional push of the second act needs some tightening up, but the flow of the songs is nearly perfect. A medley would have been cool versus a ten minute "Outlaw Torn". The ending needs to be, obviously, big. "Enter Sandman", "One" & closing on "Battery" is not big when you rip the soul from the most overheard songs of the band. The only climax is that the audience recognizes the songs. Though, sadly, for the Metallica revue, like every good revue - famous songs, bad versions. Check out "Fuel", "Human", "Sad But True", "One" & "The Memory Remains" for the heaviest moments. The last song before intermission "Bleeding Me" might be the most emotional & tender moment, along with "Hero Of The Day". It's interesting to note how many of the good moments come from the oft criticized Load & Reload. Time for a re-evaluation? As for how these revue versions compare to the originals. This is thrash for people who don't like thrash ... most of a typical Broadway audience, I bet. Basically, this is metal with a faux-heaviness, i.e. no guts but lots of flash to make you think it has guts. You won't be able to head bang, or even dance, to any of it. Don't expect to be singing this around the piano at a Christopher Street bar. I just want to know if the audiences for the Workshop performances of this future Broadway show were shocked or enthused or just confused? The New York Times is still silent on the matter.

Metallica ~ Metallica/The Black Album (aka self-titled) (album review) ... Blackness never sounded so good!

Style: thrash
Label: Elektra
Year: 1991
Home: California

Members: Kirk Hammett ~ guitar
James Hetfield ~ vocals/rhythm guitar
Jason Newsted ~ bass
Lars Ulrich ~ drums+

 

I hadn't listened to this album for years when I put it on for this review. I sometimes wonder if people still listen to it like they once did. When it first came out, I remember well, you couldn't get away from it. I even had my mother listening. But, so many years, tours, bandmates, controversies & albums later there's become so many shades of Metallica that one can't just randomly choose an album & feel as satisfied as ever. There's too many choices. Do you put on the Cliff Burton crunch era climaxing with Master Of Puppets that made the thrash mold forever? Do you turn to the Load or St. Anger albums of the sparse sounds of apocalypse era? Or, do you go for the current Death Magnetic stuff ... or even the poetic abomination Lulu? Or, do you go for the chart-topping breakthrough self-titled album, come to be known as The Black Album, that turned so many of us to the band initially ... including myself, though I'd seen "One" on MTV but didn't know the band beyond that single epic dirge from the previous album. It's the sign of a band that's continued to grow that an answer doesn't come quickly. The problem is, for many of us, there's no album quite like The Black Album in the Metallica catalog. The progressive metal that came before was successfully trimmed away, here the songs are just a bit shorter & a bit tighter, while after came some directions that don't rate too high generally with a majority of fans & critics. This album was a climactic moment, musically & career-wise, & could not be repeated. Thus, it leaves us in a lurch. There is no questioning why it was successful or remains a career highlight ... I mean, the echoing drums & sparse riffing of opener "Enter Sandman" still is as powerful as ever, while how can one not head bang & scream along to "Sad But True"? But, does it represent Metallica now in the long term? Did it then? It's an important stepping stone in their musical growth, but what does it say about the band? It's certainly the album I'll recommend to someone young who doesn't know Metallica & I feel may not be a big metal fan. Though, is it even the best Metallica album? I know I tend to go to Master Of Puppets & rarely hit the post Black Album outings, if at all. But, am I giving new fans the best introduction to the band? In many ways, absolutely. At its best the album is as strong as one could ask from a thrash band, as sparse, chunky, heavy, with pretty much any musical nuance & mood one might want. The songs are more straight forward than what Metallica was doing, but just a touch of experimenting remains (i.e. "Nothing Else Matters"). Bands have gone faster, more complicated, sparser, blacker, angrier certainly, but there is magic in this album. There's a few songs I'd remove on the later half that are a bit imitative, but its a minor qualm. Certainly, the album churns out more variety over a couple songs than many bands do over an entire release. Though, really, this might not be one of the best thrash albums. Some may say that its really not thrash. I know, I loved it but didn't consider myself a thrash fan until I got into Megadeth. But, I think one can say that this might be the best mainstream thrash album. The greater thrash albums by Megadeth, Testament, Pantera, Anthrax or whoever never had the commercial success upon release like this album, except maybe Megadeth's Countdown To Extinction but that wasn't as big as this Metallica moment. This point offers another question ... none of which really can be answered & I'm not trying. As Metallica has moved beyond the album into other territories, so have other bands. Maybe more than ever the Metallica versus Megadeth argument rages. Are Metallica really the top thrash band? Ignoring their live show which is certainly one of the best to answer that question. I tend to be a Megadeth fan, I'll confess. The lyrics, Dave's voice, the playing, the lyrics, everything gets me on a level Metallica doesn't. Megadeth's worst album invites me & hits me more than Metallica's worst, excluding Lulu. But, can one even compare these peers as they really are quite different. Metallica is controlled where Megadeth is raw, Megadeth is also far more angrier a lot more of the time, let alone seemingly more socially conscious. Plus, there's two guitarists versus one. I can clearly remember when this album landed & the uproar it caused. It was like a treasure everyone owned & yet it still remained valuable. Today, looking back, does a new fan still have the same view of the album who wasn't there, still sucking up the music with as much praise & enjoyment as my generation did? As someone once said to me, anyone can enjoy the Beatles, but if you weren't there you'll never really appreciate or know their music. Is that accurate? I've always been a Rolling Stones fan ... so what do I know?

Ozzy Osbourne ~ Blizzard Of Ozz (album review) ... Say goodbye to romance!

Style: heavy metal
Label: Jet Records
Year: 1981 (reissued/re-recorded 1992)
Home: England

Members: Band on 1980 recording: Ozzy Osbourne ~ vocals
Randy Rhoads ~ guitars
Bob Daisely ~ bass/gong/b. vocals
Lee Kerslake ~ drums/tubular bells

Additional: Don Airey ~ keyboards

Band on 1992 reissue: Ozzy Osbourne ~ vocals
Randy Rhoads ~ guitars
Robert Trujillo ~ bass
Mike Bordin ~ drums/gong

Additional: John Shanks, Mark Lennon ~ b. vocals

It's often forgotten today that Ozzy's last few albums with Black Sabbath were not the ground-breaking moments that Paranoid was, while without the saving voice of Ronnie James Dio Black Sabbath might have faded away as they largely did after Dio left. Ozzy too might have faded away or at least not become the Prince Of Darkness overnight if he hadn't blasted out into a solo career with such a stellar debut that not just gave him a new career but also influenced heavy metal as much as Paranoid a decade earlier. Blizzard Of Ozz could easily be renamed a blizzard of great guitar playing, great songs, great singing & great heavy metal. It's some of Ozzy's best song in years that decades later are still fan favorites. "Crazy Train", "Goodbye To Romance", "Suicide Solution", "Mr. Crowley" are the four singles that remain concert standards, out of a meager nine songs which is a good balance. The rest of the album (i.e. "I Don't Know", "No Bone Movies", "Revelation (Mother Earth)", "Steal Away (The Night)" & the fifty second Rhoads classically sounding acoustic instrumental "Dee" ) may not be so familiar to the casual fan but have only faded away because the chorus might not be as memorable. They burn with great riffs that may even eclipse the singles at times. The secret of success is really no secret as the album was as much under the creative control of guitarist Randy Rhoads as it was Ozzy ... some say the balance might even be tipped away from Ozzy. Ozzy came from Black Sabbath that featured ground-breaking guitar hero Tony Iommi. How do you follow that gig? You get a young kid, in this case a 23 year old guitar teacher & stand-in for a pre-MTV favorite Quiet Riot, who rips the house down with as much power but yet has a very different style & technique so the comparisons are a minimum. Considering Ozzy initially wasn't interested in hearing Rhoads' audition after a heavy day of drinking ... there's a little bit of luck thrown in. You really can't get two more different guitarists in style than Iommi versus Rhoads. Though, really, it's two different styles. Iommi was drawing from the 60's blues & prog-rock scene while Rhoads, in the same vein as Eddie Van Halen, was drawing on what was layed down in the 70's by such folks as Richie Blackmore & Iommi himself. & if one doesn't think that Rhoads is the key to the success of kicking Blizzard Of Ozz up an extra head-banging notch one only has to look at the legacy he left - every guitarist Ozzy has employed since has been under the shadow of Rhoads with comparisons happening regularly. Actually, many guitarists face comparisons with Rhoads, but few have come close to his magic. The only one I can think of the late Criss Oliva of Savatage but he's Rhoads in the raw ... vocalist brother Jon Olivia has more than a little Ozzy in him, too. No Ozzy solo album other than the 1981 follow-up also with Rhoads before his tragic death, Diary Of A Madman, has achieved such high accolades by both fans & critics & remained a favorite as Blizzard Of Ozz. There's been some good albums, such as the mid-career moment No More Tears, but none have had the impact of this initial debut. Note the remaster includes partial re-recordings of all the songs with only Ozzy & Rhoads remaining from the original recording due to original members Bob Daisley & Lee Kerslake suing Ozzy for non-payment of royalties. Linear notes don't say if Don Airey's keyboard parts have been retained, replaced or just ignored. For casual fans the difference may or may not mean anything or even be that important. For those who have picked up Ozzy's later greatest hits collections they will have already heard the re-recorded versions. It is it important, though. There is a difference in overall feeling & tone, though for some it'll be like the experience of hearing a remaster where a producer's attempted to turn an old mono recording into stereo or some other feat that makes big changes.

Die Krupps ~ A Tribute To Metallica (EP) ... Metallica should be jealous they didn't make this!

Style: industrial, electronic, hard rock, progressive, experimental, tribute
Label: Hollywood
Year: 1992
Home: Germany

Members: Jurgen Engler ~ guitar/synthesizer/vocal
Ralf Dorper ~ keyboards
Rudiger Esch ~ bass

Additional: Bjorn Lucker ~ drums

Die Krupps is an electric/industrial band that has swung the pendulum from the electronic coldness of Gary Numan to the industrial attack of Rammstein to find an interesting mix with their covers EP of Metallica. As might not be a surprise, it also verges on the ege of being a lot more interesting that than Metallica has been since they dawned black nail polish, loaded, reloaded & took the gun apart to clean it. A Tribute To Metallica includes the classics "Enter Sandman", "Nothing Else Matters", "The Unforgiven", "Blackened", "Battery", "For Whom The Bells Toll" & "One". Now, 'interesting' is the keyword because Metallica fans are greatly mixed on whether this is better or worse. If you don't like Gary Numan or similar techno artists you probably will find this as awkward as if Britney Spears played heavy metal. If, on the other hand, you understand that dark music is defined differently when played by Metallica versus Charlie Mingus you might find this an enjoyable experiment. One of the problems is that with slashing guitars replaced by keyboards/electronic drums it loses the intensity & speed of Metallica along with putting a heavier focus on the vocals, plus nothing can quite replace the full sound of two slashing guitars & bass. But, those who follow Die Krupps know they can be just as heavy but here have chosen to give Metallica a complete workout by reigning in their industrial leanings. What's the point of just playing Metallica but just with electronic drums? Metallica have probably already thought of doing that themselves. Certainly, it wouldn't have been above Megadeth at one point in their goal to be more commercially viable. James Hetfield is the better singer & the slower pace does affect weaken some songs (ie "Enter Sandman", "One"). But, that being said, "Nothing Else Matters", already a ballad, is highlight not to be missed that is a haunting walk through the song. While "Blackened" & "For Whom The Bells Toll" are probably the most distinct interpretations from their originals, particularly with the synthesized vocals of "For Whom The Bells Toll".

Ozzy Osbourne ~ The Ozzman Cometh (hits comp) (album review) ... Open the door & let the Prince of Darkness in!

Style: compilation, greatest hits, heavy metal
Label: Epic
Year: 1997
Home: England

Musicians: Ozzy Osbourne ~ vocals
Randy Rhoads, Zakk Wylde, Brad Gillis, Jake E. Lee ~ guitar
Rudy Sarzo, Bob Daisley, Phil Soussan, Mike Inez, Geezer Butler, Robert Trujillo ~ bass
Lee Kerslake, Tommy Aldridge, Randy Castillo, Deen Castronovo, Mike Bordin ~ drums
Johnny Cook, Don Airey, Mike Moran, John Sinclair, Kevin Jones, Rick Wakeman ~ keyboards

The demos of "Black Sabbath" & "War Pigs," followed by: "Goodbye To Romance," "Crazy Train," "Mr. Crowley," "Over The Mountain," a live version of "Paranoid," "Bark At The Moon," "Shot In The Dark," "Crazy Babies," "No More Tears," "Mama, I'm Coming Home," a live version of "I Don't Want To Change The World," "I Just Want You" & "Back On Earth" with a bonus disc that includes an artist interview & basement tape recordings of "Fairies Wear Boots" & "Behind The Wall Of Sleep." Need I say more? If you know these songs you know how good this greatest hits album is. If you don't know the songs then you're obviously not a metalhead & here's the CD to start your metal path on. & if you only know Ozzy from his clown role on tv then you don't know Ozzy. These are the songs that have made him the Prince of Darkness. There's a few hits that aren't on this compilation, such as "Flying High Again," "Close Your Eyes Forever" with Lita Ford & "Miracle Man," but that would almost be splitting hairs & just complaining for the sake of it because what here is the best of the best for the casual fan wanting a taste of a musical god not a hard-core collector. If you don't like Ozzy after listening to this ... give up now cause you're never going to like him. Further, you're not worthy to be called a metalhead. Ozzy has more certifiable hits, dare I say metal classics even, than most of his solo musician contemporaries who have been around just as long & that's excluding his Black Sabbath catalog. I dare anyone to challenge this assertion. What's more amazing is that this package starts with his solo debut Blizzard Of Ozz from 1980 & ends in 1995 with Ozzmosis, thus excluding the great albums he's made since is chock full of more amazing metal. Most musicians would die just to have half of this collection to their name. Actually, the fact that this album includes 4 Black Sabbath songs, probably the idea of the sales department knowing that many of us would already have all these songs on their original releases, are sprinkle on an already perfect tasting cake & I'm saying this as a Black Sabbath fan too whose eyes pop out at the words demo version. Actually, honestly, the demo tracks with their poor production actually hurt the album as they are not reflective either of the other songs or Ozzy's solo career, particularly since they open it & take nearly 18 minutes to get through. But, But, what I particularly like about this collection is that it goes in chronological order so you clearly hear the progression of the Ozzy sound which is interesting in itself. Though, note, this album was reissued in 2002 as a single disc with "Shot In The Dark" replaced by "Miracle Man" & the 1980-81 songs have their rhythm section re-recorded by Ozzy's 2002 line-up due to unpaid royalties legal action. A sad footnote. But, anyways, I'm looking forward to Vol. II in another 20 years. Ozzy forever!

Glenn Tipton ~ Baptizm Of Fire (album review) ... Rising in flames!

  Style: heavy metal, speed metal
Label: Warner Music
Year: 1997
Home: England

Members: Glenn Tipton ~ lead vocals/guitar/bass

Guests: Rob Trujillo, C.J. de Villar, Neil Murray, Billy Sheehan, John Entwistle ~ bass
Rick Tipton, Brooks Wackerman, Shannon Larkin, Cozy Powell ~ drums
Don Airey ~ keyboards
Whitfield Crane ~ backing vocals 

  Perhaps it’s ironic that singer Rob Halford’s solo effort Halford rocked with greater venom than much of his coveted Judas Priest output … but what does it mean when the same thing can be said for Priest guitarist Tipton’s first solo outing? This album is what I consider to be a lost-in-the-shuffle could-be-classic, particularly when a decade later hasn't diminished the joy of this music. Recorded between 1994 & 1996 Tipton is not a prolific solo. But, when he records he aims high & brings in the best. His guest roster includes members of The Who, Metallica, Mr. Big, Ozzy's band, Bad Religion, Godsmack, Whitesnake & even Ugly Kid Joe. Tipton has friends in the business, calls them in & gives them something to chew on & spit out. Not content just with some outstanding songwriting & guitar flinging, Tipton also sings with a shockingly great voice that might vaguely be compared to Zack Wylde & might might have landed him an alternative main instrument if history had been different. This album has quite a range of musical diversity, reflective of the timespan it was written & recorded, so there's something in here whatever your tastes, yet always settling in the metal camp Tipton is known for. A must addition to any collection.

(originally written for the Roman Midnight Music newsletter Issue 1, Summer 2009, expanded for blog)