Ohhhhh YEAH! Bassist/vocalist Glenn Hughes [Deep Purple, Trapeze, Black Sabbath, Gary Moore and on and on..] has returned to more of a 70's Blues rock with "Songs In The Key Of Rock", leaving behind the more funky stylings of previous solo outings. Now, this is REAL Blues Rock, not the beer commercial blues currently being played by blonde suburban Stevie Ray-wannabes barely old enough to shave! Not unlike Gary Moore`s "Scars", this album marks a return to the sound that Glenn and his peers helped invent. Thick, raunchy guitar riffs, as well as that great Hammond organ, capture the whole "70's vibe", and while it may seem "retro" at times, so what? It`s Glenn doing what he does best; in a word: ROCK!! From the opener "In My Blood" and "Standing on the Rock," to the straight-out rocker "Lost in the Zone" and the 60's psychedelia of"Courageous", THIS is TRUE "Classic Rock", unlike the wimped out yuppie crap the radio feeds us! Strong, memorable choruses and killer hooks abound, and Glenn, as always, surrounds himself with top notch musicians. His rich, soulful vocals have only improved with time, and that direct from God bass sound is TO DIE FOR! No matter WHAT key it`s in, this album ROCKS like a mutha, and so will you, I guarantee it!!
The ultimate Heartland Headbanger is BACK! Kansas` very own Johnny Lokke returns with "Wrecking Ball", the killer follow-up to last years excellent "Early Warning". As with that album, vocals, bass AND guitar are once again supplied by Mr. Lokke, and drums courtesy of Scott Goacher. And like before, much care went into ensuring that each of the 12 blistering tracks differed from one another, a downfall of many newer Metal albums these days. Things kick off with the monstrous title track, and things only get better from there! Of special note are cuts like "See You Around", "Take The World","Fuel" [w/ background vocals provided by Johnny`s wife and son, Ladonna and Aron], and the AWESOME "Eyes Of The Gods", which is my personal favorite track!. As an extra-special treat, Primal Fear`s axeman Stefan Leibing provides lead work on ""Human Race" and "Down To London" [the latter dealing with Jack The Ripper]! A minor item: check out the "Special Thanks" portion of the CD booklet and you`ll notice Johnny mentions some guy named West Side something-or-other!;) Hard to believe Johnny topped his last release, but with "Wrecking Ball" he`s done just that! So quit starin` at the screen, go to Johnny`s website and climb on the "Wrecking Ball"! You`ll be SO glad you did! [Many, many thanks to Johnny for giving me my first "album credit" and for signing my copy! Definitely a collectors item....]
Upstate New York`s Richard IV is one of those rare musical individuals who quite literally can do it all! Having spent nearly all his life making music [He produced his first album at age fourteen!], Richard is someone who knows exactly what he wants, AND how to get it. In addition to teaching vocal lessons and producing various projects at his studio in Upstate NY, Richard has extensive stage experience, such as solo performances as the title role in both Jesus Christ Superstar AND Phantom of the Opera, among others. So this guy KNOWS what he`s doing! This is more than obvious on his most recent album, "Whisper Of Sin", which runs the gamut of various Rock stlyes, from modern heavy Rock ["Scapegoat"] to the grandoise ["Becky"], as well as more mellow, groove-laden tracks like "The Dream You Can`t Escape" and the Metallic "Apathy". Richard`s willingness to experiment with and expand on his sonic pallette are also on display, as can be heard on the majestic "Ivory" and the DEFINITELY experimental "Minkavare" which means "Vampyre". This is mostly written and performed in a language called "Trasoleik"; Richard has developed the 200 + word (and growing) language from scratch to explore new vocal textures in his lyrics. [Following this review there is a link to the page which displays the original script, then the phonetic translation, and then the literal english translation.] This is probably my favorite cut; a nearly 10 minute Prog Rockers delight, believe me! The most striking thing about "Whisper....." is that, no matter how varied and [at times] "out there" it gets, the album is accessable to the casual listener, never limiting itself to a "select" audience. Richard makes music for PEOPLE, not musicians. His vocals are, without a doubt, some of the finest to be heard, sounding at times like Geoff Tate, as well as Chris Cornell [more in terms of emotional delivery than anything else]. It should also be mentioned that Richard wrote all lyrics and music, as well as producing and providing acoustic guitar, keyboards, orchestral arrangements, piano and even helping to mix and engineer! But wearing so many hats hasn`t caused Richard to lose sight of the music itself, a unique quality very few possess! And credit must also go to the talented musicians he has chosen to work with, who are given equal opportunity to shine here. To sum it all up, Richard IV is an artist of great vision and ability, and we will no doubt hear more great things from him! [From one Upstate New Yorker to another, thanks Richard for sending me the disc! Looking forward to your next opus!]
This latest studio album is something of a rebirth for the legendary Russian metal band Aria, as many changes have taken place since their last studio effort "Chimera". Gone are longtime vocalist Valery Kipelov , guitarist Sergey Terentyev and drummer Alexander Manyakin. Remaining members Vladimir Holstinin (guitars) and Vitaly Dubinin (bass] wasted little time in finding suitable replacements and recruited Artur Berkut, a well known vocalist in the Russian music scene; new drummer Maxim Udalov, and guitarist Sergei Popov. And while thee line-up changes haven`t radically altered the band`s Maiden-esque style, there ARE some minor differences. "Baptism By Fire" is a much rawer, stripped down affair than their recent, more polished albums, while retaining their signature sound. Berkut`s air raid scream at the start of "The Patriot" shows that the band haven`t exactly mellowed with age! The tune kicks the album off in grand style, a sign of great things to come. Next is the killer title track, and then "Coliseum", the band`s single from last winter [the disc also has the video for this song] which introduced the new members. "The Hangman" is one of the more complex songs Aria have ever done, featuring an entire orchestra to give the track that "epic" feel. The ballad "There Highly" is a showcase for Artur`s vocals, proving that the right choice was made in filling the vocal slot! My favorite cut is the crunchy "Fight", with it`s ominous lead in and straight ahead power riffing. Both this song and "Ball of the Prince of Darkness" are the winners here; this last song is the most varied on the album, and while hints of Maiden abound, Aria CLEARLY have their own sound, which they`ve been perfecting for 20 years, so it`s safe to say they know what they`re doing! And if, as the album`s title suggests, the past couple of years have indeed been Aria`s own "Baptism Of Fire", they passed it with flying colors! Here`s to the NEXT 20 years!! And for a nostalgic look back at the "Chimera" line-up, check out Aria`s latest live album "In Search Of A New Victim". This double disc set was recorded live in Luzhniki, December 1st, 2001, and broadcast via television all over Russia! This album clearly shows this incarnation of the band at their peak, and covers their entire career, from the early days right up to "Chimera". I won`t bother with a track by track comment; rather, I`ll just list each track and it`s Russian translation. But no matter WHAT language, this baby ROCKS! There`ve been some great live Metal albums released in 2003, including Blaze`s "As Live As It Gets" and Sodom`s "One Night In Bangkok", and "In Search Of A New Victim ranks right up there with` em! Disc 1 1. Intro 2. Chimera / Khimera 3. Heaven Will Find You / Nebo Tebya Naidet 4. Slave Of Fear / Rab Strakha 5. Burning Arrow / Goryaschyaya Strela 6. Vampire / Vampir 7. Eremite / Otshelnik 8. Hero Of Asphalt / Geroy Asphalta 9. Calm / Shtil' 10. Run For The Sun / Begi Za Solntsem 11. Sunset / Zakat 12. Easy Angel / Bespechnyi Angel Disc 2 1. Night is Shorter Than Day / Noch Koroche Dnya 2. Deceit / Obman 3. Splinter Of Ice / Oskolok Lda 4. Torero / Torrero 5. Angels' Dust / Angelskaya Pyl' 6. Follow Me! / Sledui Za Monoi 7. Ballad About Ancient Russian Warrior / Ballada O Drevnerusskom Voine 8. Stand Up, Subdue Your Fear / Vstan', Strakh Preodolei 9. Street Of Roses / Ulitsa Roz 10. Metal Is Being Made Here / Zdes Kuiut Metall 12. Will And Reason / Volya I Razum
If you`re a regular visitor to this site [and who isn`t?], you`ve probably that my Metallic tastes lean towards the more traditional side of the spectrum, heavy AND melodic for the most part. You may have also noticed my undisguised contempt for 99 percent of the Nu Metal dreck currently being sered by the corporate rapists in charge of radio programming in the US nowadays! But that doesn`t mean I despise ALL of it; on the contrary, there ARE a few of these bands who do it "right". One of those bands is Central New York`s very own Dogs On Mars. These Dogs have been slugging it out in the CNY scene since their inception 3 years ago, and have acheived much in their short existence. The band is Gerry Shad on vocals, former Belladonna guitarist Darin Scott, Alain Snyder on bass, and dyed-in-the-wool Randy Rhoads aficianado "Monster" Mike Merrifield on drums. Their self titled debut features 11 tracks of bone-crushing Modern Metal in the vein of Alice In Chains and Biohazard, straight up, no frills! And like many of their musical peers, anger and aggression are the lyrical mainstays here. Unlike most of their musical peers however, these guys MEAN what they say; they`re pissed off, they`ve got something to say, and you better listen, dammit! No poseurs HERE! The individual musicianship here is top notch, [YIKES! A Nu Metal band that can actually PLAY!?] as one listen to any of the tracks will prove. Choice cuts include "Freak", "Bite The Bullet" [wicked riff on that one!], "Let Me Die" [their first video, btw], "Low", featuring some great lead work by Scott, and my personal favorite "Go". Schad sings/snarls every word like it`s his last, and the Snyder/Monster Mike rhythm section runs like the well oiled machine it truly is; hey, Mike sez his biggest influence is Randy Rhoads, so you should expect nothing LESS! A band THIS good won`t stay unnoticed for long. Want the safe, record company assembled slop currently being passed off as "Metal"? Go listen to Godsmack or Creed! Want the REAL deal? Look no further; unleash THESE Dogs!! For more information, go to the band`s website, as well Monster Mike`s personal site, listed below. Highest possible recommendation! [Many, MANY thanks to Monster Mike for sending me the disc!! Randy Rhoads FOREVER, brother!]
The Teutonic Terrors have unleashed their 3rd [!] live album in 15 years! "One Night In Bangkok" was recorded during Sodom`s 2002 Asian tour, and the boys took no prisoners! Featuring the most stable line-up in their career [Bobby on drums, Bernemann on guitar, and the legendary Tom Angelripper on bass and voice], this album [helmed by longtime producer Harris Johns] is 24 tracks of absolute gut-wrenching POWER, as only Sodom can deliver. Why this band is always seen as second best to the likes of Kreator and Destruction is beyond me; Destruction`s musical train was derailed YEARS ago, and Kreator haven`t put out anything decent since 1990! Anyway, for a band with a for sloppiness, Sodom tear through a fast paced set like the fine tuned death machine they are! Sure, there`s a few bum notes here and there, but it IS live, so what do you expect? Go listen to Dream Theater if you want technical perfection; this is Sodom, kids, and they play loud, hard, heavy and fast! The double disc set runs the gamut of the band`s illustrious career, from the early daze ["Witching Metal"] right up to a brand new killer live track called "The Enemy Inside". All tunes are delivered with equal ferocity, shattering the senses of the enthusiastic Asian crowd, who happily BEG for more! Sure, the critics have always hated Sodom, but who care? With this band, you either love `em or hate `em; there is no middle ground. Sodom plays one type of music for one type of audience, no apologies! If you`re new to the band, this album is a good place to start; if you`re a bonified Sodomaniac [like me!], "On Night in Bangkok" is YET another reason why we love this band! And it SHOULD hold you over, at least until the boys release their next deadly opus upon the world! Highly, highly recommended!!!
