After a 4 year layoff and a slight name change, Rhapsody Of Fire have gotten their house in order and released "The Frozen Tears of Angels". On this album, the band has taken a more aggressive approach to their high-speed, high-tech symphonic Metal sound, making it bit more palatable for the masses. The CD is the third chapter in the "Dark Secret" storyline, though "The Frozen Tears of Angels" seems more scaled back than previous entries. Not to say that the instrumental indulgences ROF is [in] famous for aren`t present; some of the solos performed here are so mind-blowingly supernatural, the band would have been burned at the stake 400 years ago. But more emphasis on composition and restraint permeates the disc, a refreshing development for sure. Thematically, the fantasy elements [what some critics have tagged as the "cheese factor"] still prevail, but hey, the music is good so what`s the problem? Why so serious? Memorable riffs and vocal melodies weave throughout the instrumental wizardry, as can be heard on "Sea of Fate", "Reign of Terror", "The Frozen Tears of Angels", "Raging Starfire", "On The Way to Ainor", among others. This is a step in the right direction for Rhapsody Of Fire, and will doubtless ope new doors and win new fans. A winner!
"The Crest" is studio album Number 14 [not counting the zillion or so compilations, live CD/DVD releases] for Axel Rudi Pell, who has been a solo act since 1989, the follow up to 2007`s "Tales Of The Crown". Now while I personally LOVED that disc, a lot of people felt just the opposite, including Axel Rudi Pell himself! So maybe I have bad ears, but I like it anyway, dammit! Onwards. This latest CD by the prolific Mr. Pell & co. holds few surprises for the faithful followers of all things Pell;melodic Heavy Rock featuring strong hooks and flashy-yet-restrained axe work, along with a ballad or two. A framework was established long ago with this band, and they`ve pretty much stuck to it, trying to find new ways to say basically the same thing, and they`ve generally been sucessful in this approach. Class, quality and consistency have been the hallmarks of an Axel Rudi Pell album, and "The Crest" continues the legacy. A rather spooky intro leads into "Too Late" and then "Devil Zone", a couple of back-to-back anthems that are showcases for the always engaging vocals of Johnny Gioeli. “Prisoner Of Love” is the "made for mainstream radio" track [and a good one, too!] while “Dreaming Dead” is a bit darker yet very powerful, as is my personal favorite, "Dark Waves Of The Sea", and "Burning Rain". The ballad [standard on an Axel Rudi Pell CD] "Glory Night" is another highpoint of the album, though I don`t think it`s QUITE as good as "Northern Lights". And oersonally, I think the instrumental “Noblesse Oblige” could have been left on the cutting room floor, but it`s inclusion doesn`t lessen the impact of "The Crest"; this is another solid effort from an artist who has no interest in the latest trends, and gives his fans exactly what they want. Again, no real surprises but as long as the music is good, I`m sure there`ll be no objections from the fan-base; certainly none on MY part!!
The Older Guard of Rock can be divided into several categories: there are those bands/artists who gave up on coming up with new ideas YEARS ago, opting instead to release lifeless albums rife with the latest trends that they hope will catapult them back into the limelight. [Def Leppard, anyone?] Then we have those bands who haven`t released anything in years and continue touring on the strength of albums 25-30 years [or more] old. [Ozzy and Twisted Sister come to mind, as do KISS, who are currently in the midst of their "Farewell Tour", now in its` 15th year.] An off-shoot of the previously mentioned category would be those bands who, due to various legal issues, can`t write/record anything new under their current name yet tour endlessy, playing the same old songs night after night, rather like a `50s` nostalgia act. And then we have those bands who are still releasing new material regularly and sucessfully touring in support of it, proving themselves a viable creative entity; Deep Purple, Uriah Heep, Magnum, UFO, Saxon, Motorhead among many other come to mind. Scorpions also fall into the latter, but with the release of their latest CD, Sting in the Tail”, the German stalwarts have announced the after the 3 year tour [!] for the album, they are retiring. Buzz for the album [originating more from various groups of fans than the band itself, I think] has given the impression that this would be on par with "Blackout", "Love At First Sting"; I liken it more to "Crazy World", though not quite on the same level as that one. Put it this way; it`s a good, solid Scorpions, no more, no less. Klause and crew obviously put in a lot of effort to ensure that their final curtain call was all it could be, and while it won`t rank amongst Scorpions very best, it IS a fine effort, nonetheless. What I like about "Sting in the Tail” is that the band didn`t go overboard to show that this was their FAREWELL ALBUM, nor did they bring in a ton of guest stars [though Tarja Turunen, still working to get her Metal credentials back, supplies backing vocals on "The Good Die Young”] or include updated versions of classic Scorps tracks. It was business as usual for the boys and a wise move. Among the choice cuts would be “Raised on Rock”, “Let`s Rock” [detect a pattern here?], the ballad “Lorelei” [Scorpions are one of the select few Heavy Rockers that KNOW how to write a good ballad], “The Best Is Yet to Come” and the aforementioned "The Good Die Young". The band sounds as great as they`ve ALWAYS done, and the ageless vocals of Klaus Meine shine on every track. As I said, for the Scorpions, this album was business as usual, and business is VERY good; a 40 year career is ample proof of that! Thus a chapter in Rock history comes to a close, and Scorpions leave a legacy that will endure as long as kids pick up Flying Vs` and plug `em into Marshall stacks, and as long as there are fans who love quality Hard Rock. Yes, Scorpions musical legacy will live on LONG after talent-free hacks like NeverShoutNever have been forgotten. Scorpions, I salute you!
The 4-man strike force known as Ten Man Push return with "Playin` In The Dirt". Lonnie Park [lead vocals, guitar, keyboards], Nate Horton [Drums] and John West [lead guitar, vocals] have crafted another solid set of Modern Hard Rock tracks that are sure to plese fans of Nickleback, Shinedown and Seether; and if they don`t, who CARES? As long as they please TMP fans, that`s all that matters! As with their previous release, the band exhibit more of a Blues Rock feel which sets them apart from their peers. It also helps that you have multi-talented players like these guys, making for a "can`t miss" combination. "Mother Father Watch This", the opener, pretty much sets the tone for the album; HUGE guitars, Lonnie`s rough & raw vocals [John takes over on "Absolution". ], and some fine lead work from John. The rest of the CD lives up to the high standards TMP has always lived by, as heard on "Big", "House Is On Fire", "In The Dirt" and "Our House". Several major tours across the US have only honed the razor sharp skills of the band, and "Playin` In The Dirt" shows that Ten Man Push is definitely NOT "playin`"; they mean business, and I suspect the mainstreme music-buyers will soon be made aware of. Great job, guys! Thumbs up from The West Side!
"The Complete Radio Free Antarctica Tapes" is the fourth and final entry in The Owl Watches catalog; bassist/guitarist/mastermind/Owl-in-Chief Phil McKenna decided to concentrate his many other musical endeavors, mainly the promising Burgess Penguin. Thus, the musical journey that took flight with "Tales From The Inflatable Forest", soared along with "Ghost Of A Train" and careened quirkily through out "Guaranteed To Be 100% Free Of Hit Singles" comes back to nest for a fond farewell. For those not in the know, The Owl Watches music can best be described as a blend of Avant Garde, experimental and early `70s` Prog, Not that these styles always blend together seamlessly; in fact, they don`t really get along much of the time, but Phil manages to referee these unruly musical misfits into behaving themselves long enough to capture `em on CD. And of course Phil`s sense of humor is present through out, which is what sets The Owl Watches apart from the rest of the tinkering noise-makers. One often hears nothing but gloom & doom from the "Come share my pain" contingent of particular genre, while others tend to think "Gee, if I make enough weeeeeird noises, I`ll be considered UH AR-TIST!". As the late Sonny Sharrock once said: "Fool+Noise=Bullshit". On this new disc, Phil had a bit of help; Jeremy DeRamus on Drums, Jeff McGahren on Trumpet [NOBODY played Baritone Sax] and Dane E. Gross-Whistling. Der Philmeister went all out here, as heard on the 11 minutes plus "An Idiot Razed The Village", or other goodies like "Our Audience Is Mostly Penguins and Scientists" [my favorite at the moment], as well as "The Plausible Deniability Machine". One would do better to go into this music with an open EAR rather than an open MIND; you`ll get in less trouble that way!;) Please do go to Phil`s website and plunk down yer hard earned sheckels for "The Complete Radio Free Antarctica Tapes"; in fact, why not grab the other 3 discs, as well? The Owl may have flown off to nests unknown, but Phil and other independent artists like him need our support! [A special thanks to Phil McKenna for the latest review copy, and for sharing his music, past and future!]
