Metal-Mixtape

Ratt's Infestation CD review (2010)

2010-04-21T11:50:00.019-04:00

Ratt are back and sounding better than ever with Infestation (Loud & Proud/Roadrunner), their first album of new music in 11 years.

With three-fifths of the band's classic lineup -- singer Stephen Pearcy, guitarist Warren DeMartini and drummer Bobby Blotzer -- still intact and some new blood injected into the band, it's no wonder the Los Angeles veterans are in particularly rare form on this latter-day hair metal classic.

Robbin Crosby is, of course, RIP, while original bassist Juan Croucier has long been MIA and has since been replaced by four-stringer Robbie Crane. Joining the fold to give the band a dual-guitar attack is Quiet Riot guitarist Carlos Cavazo.

Having two legendary six-stringers like DeMartini and Cavazo in the studio must have presented at least some temptation to producer Michael Baskette (Limp Bizkit, Chevelle, Incubus) to push the guitars way up in the mix at the expense of the rhythm section. But that's not the case.

Sure, the guitars and vocals jump out at you, but Crane and Blotzer also stand out with a clean, clear rhythm presence. This is one record that you can actually hear the bass on! In fact, Baskette's studio style recalls the crisp production work on 1986's Dancing Undercover -- the last truly stellar Ratt record.

Below is a track-by-track review of Infestation.

1. Eat Me Up Alive

Infestation opens with an irrepressible blast of a song that almost borders on '80s power metal in the vein of Judas Priest. Pearcy's threatening opening lyrics -- "Tell me all your secrets now / as I lay you on the bed" -- recall Priest's "Eat Me Alive."

There's even a breakdown at 2:15 that's reminiscent of the one in Priest's "The Sentinel." Pearcy engages in some brief Halford-ian wordplay during the breakdown and then DeMartini and Cavazo use the solo to trade barbed-wire licks like they're Glenn Tipton and K.K. Downing.

Who would've thought Ratt had a Defenders of the Faith moment in them?!

2. Best of Me (Metal Mixtape favorite!)

After the Birmingham, England-like metal blight of "Eat Me Up Alive," we go straight to sunny California's Sunset Strip for this stellar single.

From the moment the chunky, melodic riffing of the song's intro kicks in with a sublime DeMartini lead over top, you know you're in for something memorable. It's the kind of music that can appeal to longtime fans without sounding like a retrospective rehash. It's amazing that this storied L.A. act can sound this good after all these years.

3. A Little Too Much

Another energetic number that contains some of the most dense guitar shredding of the record. This is a tough trash-talking rocker. Love that tolling of the bell around 3:10, too! It's just a moment, but it's a nod to the history of the genre's roots that calls to mind AC/DC's "Hell's Bells."

4. Look Out Below

An almost "Way Cool Jr." style jam with some bounce and shuffle, and touches of wah-wah on the guitar during the hook. The band hits double-time to end this track on a high note.

5. Last Call (Metal Mixtape favorite!)

This is an almost AC/DC-like call to debauchery, with a riff that recalls the Antipodeans' "Riff Raff" filtered through the Sunset Strip. Things get loose as a goose when the bridge comes along and there's a blues shuffle à la Tora Tora before kicking into the driving hook.

The solo opens with another Priest-ish moment, as DeMartini and Cavazo hit some tandem ascending runs that conjure up Tipton and Downing all over again.

6. Lost Weekend (Metal Mixtape favorite!)

Here it is, another Holy Grail moment for the hair metal faithful. Opening with an accentuated rhythm borrowed from early Mötley Crüe, "Lost Weekend" is the real deal with big chunky slabs of melodic riffing and party-hearty lyrics that show us all how to let our hair down.

It makes Pearcy's opening question on this track -- "Are you ready for big fun?" -- a needlessly rhetorical inquiry. Ah, Stephen, we were born ready. Where were you through much of the '90s when we needed you, while most rock fans were turning into depressed coffee-drinking losers?! Welcome back, boys!

7. As Good As It Gets

Slow, sleazy grooves dominate this mid-tempo number as Pearcy pays tribute to making love to his wife. Is it just me or does Stephen's voice have an almost Lemmy-like hoarseness on this track? In fact, this song feels kind of like a slow, heavy blues that Motörhead might pull off.

8. Garden of Eden

Here the record, in my opinion, begins to hit a lull. "Garden of Eden" just doesn't seem catchy, despite the Sabbath-y stomp of the verse with its stops and starts à la "War Pigs." It's almost like Ratt trying their hand at stoner rock.

Checking in at a very short three minutes, "Garden of Eden" feels like it's missing something. What's missing, though, I can't say. But this song feels to me like it was an afterthought that would have been better as a B-side.

9. Take a Big Bite

Another raunchy rocker with some nice harmony runs from DeMartini and Cavazo in the solo. Viva la double-guitar attack of classic metal! "Take a Big Bite" reverses the dull trend that started with "Garden of Eden."

10. Take Me Home

This is as close as we get to a power ballad on Infestation. "Take Me Home" has a dreamy sound, with guitars that mimic violins during the verses (think Boston's Tom Scholz on Third Stage) and nice orchestration courtesy of producer Michael Baskette to heighten the sense of drama.

Sure, it's a little left field for Ratt, but it plays nicely into the sensitive side of the bad boy stereotype that Pearcy and the band cultivate. And that's a big part of what makes the hair-metal genre so appealing to men and women alike.

11. Don't Let Go (Metal Mixtape favorite!)

At last, the final send off to a great album. "Don't Let Go" was co-written with John Corabi (Union, Mötley Crüe) and has that daring, driving guitar sound that feels big, edgy and dynamic like vintage Van Halen.

Pearcy's opening line is "I'm gonna get me some leg tonight for sure / and I don't care who I'm with." Um, when was the last time you heard anyone say that since David Lee Roth did it in "Unchained"?! That was 1981, for chrissake!

Bravo, Stephen! A heartfelt "thank you" to Ratt for making us remember the good times and creating brand-new music for us to make memories with in the future.

Whitesnake, Slip of the Tongue CD review

2010-04-14T09:15:00.016-04:00

David Coverdale must not have been a happy camper in 1989. With ace guitarist Adrian Vandenberg injured and Vivian Campbell out of the fold, the British frontman was getting mounting pressure from Geffen Records to follow up on the multiplatinum breakthrough success of Whitesnake's self-titled 1987 effort.

No wonder then that Coverdale tapped musical chameleon Steve Vai to handle all guitar duties on 1989's Slip of the Tongue. After all, Vai was the "go to" guy of choice for everyone in the hard rock world long before collaborations and guest appearances on other people's record became the norm in popular music.

Vai had filled Yngwie Malmsteen's sizable shoes after the Swede's departure from Alcatrazz, and David Lee Roth knew he was the only man who could play his foil after the blond-maned rocker's years with Eddie Van Halen & Co.

Below is a track-by-track take on this quintessential arena metal platter.

"Slip of the Tongue"

A heraldic keyboard intro and quick doses of Vai's harmonic flash open the record with a sense of drama and pizazz. The hook is relentless and rocking. Lusty lyrics conjure images of Coverdale cavorting with then-wife Tawny Kitaen on MTV in a million homes. Welcome back, boys.

"Cheap an' Nasty"

Coverdale gets the record's most awkward moment out of the way early. Maybe he was just playing to Vai's recent resume, but spoken Roth-isms like "Just to the left, love" and "Don't talk with your mouth full" during the song's breakdown sound very un-rock & roll when it's the Queen's English coming out of your mouth.

Even a guest appearance by an ad hoc singing mob called "The Delberts from Hell Chorus" -- featuring Coverdale's former Deep Purple cohort Glenn Hughes -- can't rescue this song from sounding trite and tired.

"Fool for Your Lovin'"

In order to score his first and only No. 1 pop hit, Coverdale dug deep into Whitesnake's history to reprise "Here We Go Again" -- a song that first appeared on the band's 1982 album Saints & Sinners.

So it was only natural that Coverdale would look back to 1980's Ready an' Willing to try to capture the gold again. However, it's the bluesy edges of this track that prevent it from being pop-metal paradise.

"Now You're Gone"

The first of two power ballad-ish moments aimed at the "Here We Go Again"/"Is This Love?" audience.

This mid-tempo number has all the hallmarks of what could be a classic: the keyboard heaven intro with a searing, melodic lead; a few plaintive lyrics about lost love to open the song over a bed of lush keys; a quick cut to a metallized bridge; and the payoff of an arena-rock-sized hook meant for singing along to.

But it all feels a bit "by the numbers" and like it's been piece together from disparate parts, more a product of studio stitchery than anything else.

While we're on the topic of studio work, it never ceases to amaze me that you can still hear unintentional noise bleeding through during the quiet parts on some of these big-budget major label releases.

Pop on a pair of headphones and listen at exactly :21 seconds during the intro to hear a muffled voice in the right channel. Later, at :26 seconds, you can hear an even fainter sound of what seems to be someone in studio laughing as Coverdale trails off from the song's opening lyric.

Perhaps studio whizs Mike Clink and Keith Olsen were too busy producing the Sea Hags' self-titled debut and the Lean on Me soundtrack (!) in 1989 to notice in the final mix!

"Kittens Got Claws"

Was Steve Vai the right fit for Whitesnake? Well, he certainly brings a sense of humor to heard-it-all-before material like "Kittens Got Claws" when he makes his guitar meow and purr during the intro and outro. His vibrato work on this one has that quintessential Vai sound -- as plastic and flexible as a melting watch in Salvador Dali painting.

"Wings of the Storm"

After the rockin' comic relief Of "Kittens," things gets deadly serious again with the driving metallic riffing of "Wings of the Storm." Anyone notice the musical similarity between this number and "Bark at the Moon"? No surprise really, considering that bassist Rudy Sarzo and drummer Tommy Aldridge both laid rhythm for that mid-1980s Ozzy Osbourne classic.

Of course, Vai makes "Wings of the Storm" his own during the solo. Check out the extended descending fretboard run at 3:17 for proof.

"The Deeper the Love"

While "Now You're Gone" may have been the heir apparent to "Here We Go Again," "The Deeper the Love" is my pick as the stronger of the two power-ballad singles.

Coverdale layers his airy vocals like cotton candy over dreamy keyboards. The guitar work rocks you gently with Vai getting extra texture out of what sounds like a bit of finger-plucking at the end of the melody line. And that simple, insistent drum beat is the bedrock for what might have been a wildly popular hit single.

It all comes together in a more organic way than "Now You're Gone," which has just enough moving parts to feel unfortunately forced. "The Deeper the Love", by comparison, just flows seamlessly. To paraphrase Marlon Brando, this one shoulda been more of a contender.

"Judgment Day"

Coverdale has often been accused of being a Robert Plant rip-off and "Judgment Day" does little to counter that belief. A vaguely exotic stampede of percussive chords and subtle sitar work call to mind Led Zeppelin's "Kashmir."

"Slow Poke Music"

This song has an interesting, stuttering rhythm during the chorus. But otherwise it's not too memorable, despite nice playing from Vai that almost recalls his gritty guitar work on "Tobacco Road" with David Lee Roth.

"Sailing Ships"

Opening with minstrel-like acoustic work reminiscent of Ritchie Blackmore, "Sailing Ships" is the perfect end to Slip of the Tongue.

Toward the end, an extended electrified coda erupts in a flurry of Led Zeppelin-esque sonic stomping. Sublime, soul-searching lyrics like "You'll find that you're the only one / can sail your ship across the sky" leave you with a sense of wonderment and awe at the possibilities of life.

In the last moments of the song, Coverdale hits a dramatic high note that rivals the one in "Still of the Night," while Vai's guitar echoes off into eternity.

Could this be Whitesnake's "Stairway to Heaven," with its meld of unique styles into an epic songwriting structure? Perhaps. This much is certain, though: Like a class act, Whitesnake leave you wanting more with "Sailing Ships."

Steelhouse Lane, Slaves of the New World CD review

2010-03-30T15:43:00.013-04:00

Here are just a few highlights from this stellar disc:

"Give It All Me"

A heavy blues-rock opener that's fairly predictable until the 2:30 minute mark. That's when you get a little taste of the band's unconventional flare for the dramatic with singer Keith Slack's wordless syllables echoing while guitarist Mike Slamer coaxes interesting tones out of his axe. It's just for a moment, but it's a preview of more of the band's experimental side to come later on this record.

"Find What We're Lookin' For"

Instantly the most catchy track on the entire album. The combo of Slack's voice and Slamer's fretwork call to mind Don Dokken and George Lynch, with the song sounding at moments like Dokken's "Burning Like a Flame."

A dramatic pre-chorus about a soul-searcher sung over piercing razor-sharp arpeggios and some cool keyboards resolves with a feel-good refrain with choir-like layered vocals.

When Slack pleads "We've come too far / We ride too long / One love, one heart / Deep inside / we'll find what we've been / looking for," well, Steelhouse Lane will make you a believer. This is music that will make you hopeful again.

Simply put, a masterpiece.

"Son of a Loaded Gun"

A bit too imitative of the "Wanted Dead or Alive"/Blaze of Glory vibe and about a decade too late at that. But this does help fulfill the minimum requirement that every good AOR album have at least one acoustic-based track.

"Turn Around"

Opens with unique echo-laden guitar work that has a mysterious air to it. Later, Slamer's singular fretwork has flashes of inspiration that meld the finger tapping and harmonics of Eddie Van Halen with the fusion sensibility of Allan Holdsworth. Best of all, it all gives way to a radio-friendly hook that perfectly showcases the band's knack for combining woodshed musicianship
with commercial instincts.

"Slaves of the New World"

Heavily percussive guitar percolations ushers in a wild romp à la the abandon of Van Halen's "Tora Tora." Definitely the most unique on the album and a cool focal point as the disc's title track. We also get a hint of social consciousness with lyrics that survey the last several hundred years of history. Slack begins by decrying the loss of the plight of native American Indians and then likens their enslavement to that of the modern person at the hands of technology...unless I'm reading too deeply into this song!

And who's that making a cameo at the 3:00 minute mark? Why, it's that familiar opening voice from the Scorpions' Humanity Hour 1!

"All I Believe In"

This is Slamer's moment to shine, with an extended solo intro against a lush backdrop of heaven-drenched keyboards that lasts for more than a minute. His playing his a beautiful yet mournful tone that I can only liken to "Rain" -- Jason Becker's amazing solo guitar piece.

What follows after the intro is a true ballad for the romantics among you with a strong sense of melody and an even stronger vocal presence.

"In Too Deep"

A fun rocker with a chunky mid-tempo riff that recalls Loudness' "Let It Go." A nice companion piece to the go-for-the-throat melodic energy of "Find What We're Lookin' For," albeit a little more sedate than that gem.

Spiders & Snakes' Arachnomania CD review

2010-03-08T12:41:00.005-05:00

This 1991 dark glam release from the Los Angeles-based Spiders & Snakes was perhaps a day late and a dollar short for its time, but it's still a fun listen regardless. Below is a track-by-track review of this five-song disc.

"California Slide"

Starts out with a strong opening riff that has hints of Ratt's "You're In Love" with several whammy bar workouts in under a minute. The hook, however, is extremely obnoxious with singer-guitarist Lizzie Grey's incessant shrieking -- Ya sliddddeee...sliddddeee! Strong musicianship, but the vocals are a definite acquired taste. Fortunately, Grey's vocals are never quite this annoying again on Arachnomania.

Lyrically, you have the typical tales of gutter and glam: "It's getting so that nobody can think anymore / and everybody likes it that way / How you gonna run away leave your small town behind / when you're born in L.A."

"Captain Tripps"

Taking a cue from Operation:Mindcrime, this track opens with a news snippet about the threat of Mexican prostitutes spreading AIDS to American men. Nice to see a burgeoning social conscience!

This track builds from power ballad arpeggios with touches of layered lead guitar during the verses to a chorus that's all NWOBHM double-paced hooks.

The Captain Tripps of the title is a menacing Twister Sister-like protagonist ("Captain Howdy," anyone?) and there's probably some connection between his misdeeds and the Mexican prostitutes, but it's eluding me at this point.

"The End of Marylou"

Lest Spiders & Snakes be branded a bunch of misogynists, the next track bounces back with a very sensitive story of a woman who wants out of a neglectful marriage. She dreams of going to school, and the lyrics show a deep empathy that lets belies the band's party hardy facade. It's the kind of populist songwriting you might hear from Bruce Springsteen or John Mellencamp.

The music is propulsive with possible hints of keyboard seemingly buried deep in the mix. It's almost Dio-esque in its momentum, in the way "We Rock" is a full-steam ahead chugger.

"Little Willie"

It's good to hear somebody picking up on this Sweet classic, joining the likes of Krokus with their classic cover of Sweet's "Ballroom Blitz."

Too often it seems like hair metal bands were only fixated on the equally talented Slade when it came to their choice of covers. Recall Quiet Riot with "Cum on Feel the Noize" and "Mama Weer All Crazee Now" and Britny Fox with "Gudbuy T'Jane."

Unfortunately, Grey's delivery sounds like he's Ric Ocasek of the Cars.

"Billion Dollar Babies"

Grey does a great Alice Cooper, mimicking every vocal nuance of Alice Cooper, right down to the double-tracked vocals of talking and singing during the verses.

Overkill's Ironbound CD review

2010-03-04T12:28:00.006-05:00

In tribute to their native New Jersey, Overkill have unleashed their 16th studio album, Ironbound, which takes its name from an industrial neighborhood in the city of Newark.

Ironbound has been called a "thrash metal masterpiece" in promotional materials. But that's probably more hyperbole than anything -- in the end, what you have is really just another solid, if occasionally above average, album from the Garden State metal veterans.

With Ironbound, frontman Bobby "Blitz" Ellsworth & Co. have delivered a record steeped in thrash history -- both the history of the band itself and the history of the genre as a whole.

Need proof?

• "Killing for a Living" opens with a D.D. Verni bass line that has shades of the late Cliff Burton's haunting, impressionistic "Damage, Inc." intro.

• The disc's first single, "Bring Me the Night," is built on a riff that clearly borrows from Diamond Head's "Helpless."

• The blood-pumping build up of "The Green and Black" around 2:35 is actually a case of Overkill plagiarizing themselves. Listen to the ascending riff madness of "Charlie Get Your Gun" off 2007's Immortalis from about 1:55 as a comparison and see if you don't agree.

This is not to say that Overkill -- rounded out by relative newbies drummer Ron Lipnicki and guitarists Derek Tailer and Dave Linsk -- sound tired or unimaginative on Ironbound. In fact, the core songwriting team of Blitz and Verni sounds more invigorated than most guys in their early 50s could ever hope to be.

But it's important to note the historical context for their latest music, especially as Overkill gain younger fans who may not be aware of the legacy this band has.

"Give a Little" is one of the most interesting tracks on Ironbound, and it offers a hodge-podge of a few different elements from the band's 1989 classic The Years of Decay. Its bitter lyrical tone calls to mind "Elimination", while the slow build-up section nicks the breakdown riff from "E.vil N.ever D.ies." But the track's truly standout moment comes during the pin-drop quiet breakdown at 3:40 when you can hear unique, almost bluesy timbres in Blitz's throat.

If you think you know the entire spectrum of this legendary screamer's voice, well, think again.

"Bring Me the Night," Ironbound's first single, is absolutely riveting and relentless go-for-the-throat thrash. One of its main riffs also happens to be a near carbon copy of the aforementioned Diamond Head track. Listen to Metallica's cover of "Helpless" to hear for yourself.

This, ultimately, is all a testament to Overkill's continuing tradition of fine metal craftsmanship. Any good album should hit on some familiar sonic touchstones and use them as a departure point to explore new horizons. And that's exactly what Ironbound does.

Blackeyed Susan's Electric Rattlebone CD review

2010-03-01T12:19:00.009-05:00

After parting company with Britny Fox, frontman Dean Davidson launched his solo career with this 1991 effort. Electric Rattlebone was an homage to the Americana roots of rock & roll that aimed for a Black Crowes/vintage Rolling Stones kind of appeal. Below are just a few highlights of this unique album.

"Satisfaction"

After the juke joint jam of the album's self-titled intro, the first proper song we get is an E Street Band-like jubilee with horns, parlor piano and plenty of backbeat attitude.

Gone are the throat-straining vocals of the Britny Fox days. Davidson shows off a more realistic vocal style that doesn't sound like he's trying to achieve any sound other than his own natural timbre.

"None of It Matters"

This is by far the most unique track on Electric Rattlebone with Indian influences like that opening sitar riff, the guru chants peppered throughout and some orchestral overtones on the outro.

Fortunately, Davidson never loses sight of catchy pop hooks. Think of it as the Sgt. Pepper's moment of Electric Rattlebone. Also notable is a brief return of Davidson's over-driven Britny-style vocals at around 3:25 and elsewhere in the track.

"Ride With Me"

Here's a song that was, in a sense, ahead of its time. Pedal steel guitar mixed into the power ballad format predates the hair metal-country crossover by what, 10 years at least? "Ride With Me" is the most beautiful ballad on the album, and it wouldn't be out of place on commercial country radio in 2010.

"Best of Friends"

Almost like a companion piece to "Ride With Me," "Best of Friends" opens with a familiar sounding arpeggio that has definite shades of Cinderella. Beautifully moving piano lines, strong backing gospel-style vocals and a dedication to late founding Britny Fox drummer Tony "Stix" Destra makes this the most poignant track on the record.

"Heart of the City"

Davidson's tribute to his beloved Philadelphia. Heavily electrified slide guitar, clinking cowbell and an instantaneous groove that could make the most leaden footed among us move. Again, a touch of the rough-and-tough Britny-sounding vocals are punctuated throughout for added emphasis. A perfect end to an often overlooked album.

Bruce Kulick's B3 CD review

2010-02-25T11:14:00.006-05:00

Highlights of former Kiss guitarist Bruce Kulick's latest solo effort:

"Fate"

Post-modern rock with somewhat nonsensical lyrics delivered in that fast pitter-patter way reminiscent of Bob Dylan's "Subterranean Homesick Blues." Kulick's vocals are heavily processed to give it them that machine-line tinge. Just one song out of the gate and we already get a couple of lyrical nods to Kiss, as Kulick drops line that name-check "War Machine" and "Shout It Out Loud" -- ironically both songs that pre-dated his joining the band.

"Ain't Gonna Die"

The Kiss love continues with Gene Simmons co-writing and singing this track. As usual, fame and immortality are on Simmons' mind and the songwriting moves through twist and turns and some experimental orchestration at the end. Recommended for fans of the Demon's 1978 solo album.

"I'll Survive"

Pink Floyd-like strumming dominates this track that addresses Kulick's experience getting shot by a stray bullet a few years back. Sample lyric: "The warm, smoking gun couldn't take me away / My life was spared, I was blessed that day."

"Dirty Girl"

Ah, now we're finally getting to the heart of the album with this cut and the next. "Dirty Girl" is pure pop-rock paradise in the vein of Enuff Z'Nuff or some of Paul Gilbert's King of Clubs album. There's a strong, melodic footprint and perhaps the best, sweetest-sounding vocals of the entire album, courtesy of the Knack's Doug Fieger (of "My Sharona" fame).

"Final Mile"

A heart-achingly beautiful song that has harmonic shades of "God Gave Rock N' Roll to You." If you loved the vague classical feel and dual-guitar harmonies of Kiss' cover of the Argent song, you're sure to love "Final Mile" too.

Visit Kulick.net for more information.

American Angel's Vanity CD review

2010-02-18T22:50:00.008-05:00

American Angel may be a name that's new to many, but this New Jersey-based band has a history that dates back to the 1980s.

Italian-American frontman Rocco Fury is the only remaining member from the group's original lineup, but he's teamed up with paesan Mike Bisulca and several other talented Garden State musicians to resurrect this one-time dominant force in the North Jersey club scene. Fury's unique voice remains the driving force behind Vanity -- American Angel's first new studio album in 15 years.

The revamped lineup makes it clear that this ain't no nostalgic '80s love fest from the album's start. "Fixed in a stare and you're standing there / Never getting back to 1984," Fury sings to the naysayers during "Pantomind," a balls-out rocker that features electrifying stabs of bottleneck guitar and propulsive drumming. In fact, the only track that smacks of retro is "Don't Wait Up," with its Ratt-like swagger and lyrical machismo.

The bulk of Vanity is thoughtful, melodic hard rock, and there are also acoustic-based rockers and ballads like "Warm Inside" and "Another Day" to showcase the band's softer side. The disc's momentum only derails during an extended retread of Lynyrd Skynyrd's "On the Hunt."

The album's second half opens a more experimental vein. "End of the Night" surprises listeners with a guerrilla Latin percussion breakdown, while the guitar work in "Permanent Pause" has a sense of musical whimsy that would make Queen's Brian May proud.

Visit MySpace for more about this resurrected Italian-American band.

Ratt's Infestation: "Best of Me" CD single review

2010-02-15T15:37:00.010-05:00

Ratt are back and sounding better than ever on this single from their forthcoming Loud & Proud/Roadrunner effort Infestation (due April 20).

Former Quiet Riot guitarist Carlos Cavazo takes credit for the music here and his style meshes seamlessly with guitarist Warren Demartini. From the moment the chunky, melodic riffing of the song's intro kicks in with a sublime DeMartini lead over top, you know you're in for something memorable. It's the kind of music that can appeal to longtime fans without sounding like a retrospective rehash. It's amazing that this veteran Los Angeles act can sound this good after all these years.

Stephen Pearcy's vocals sound timeless as if his voice hasn't aged a bit. He imparts every line with a bit of sly double entendre wit.

And the band's choice of producer Michael Bakette (Limp Bizkit, Chevelle, Incubus) seems a bit counter-intuitive but actually works. This is crisp, clean hair metal with an emphasis on amazing guitar and strong songwriting. Here's hoping the whole album bears out this assessment.

Trans-Siberian Orchestra's Paul O'Neill opens up about new Night Castle album

2009-11-17T11:29:00.006-05:00

Somewhere between the worlds of arena rock and Broadway musicals lies Trans-Siberian Orchestra. The New York-based symphonic rock collective has become a holiday institution with its treatments of Christmas standards and well-known classical pieces as a part of a rock opera trilogy.

TSO first introduced itself to fans with 1996's now classic Christmas Eve and Other Stories, which has sold more than two million copies. 1998's The Christmas Attic and 2004's The Lost Christmas Eve continued the yuletide spirit.

In concert, every TSO performance includes a Pink Floyd-on-steroids laser show, towering bursts of pyrotechnic flames and imitation snowflakes drifting down on the audience as up to 24 tuxedo-and-evening gown clad rock musicians perform with an orchestral octet.

The band's spectacular success has led to two touring companies criss-crossing the country every winter. Composer/lyricist Paul O'Neill typically splits his time touring with both the East Coast and West Coast ensembles.

He often can be seen taking the stage in sunglasses and a leather jacket during intermission to thank the audience for their continued support.

"If it weren't for [the fans], I'd have to get a real job and I'd be in trouble," O'Neill quips during a phone call from New York. The hirsute visionary has also been known to strap on a guitar to perform TSO's enduring hit single "Christmas Eve (Sarajevo/1224)" in concert.

Now a new tale from O'Neill's pen entitled Night Castle has emerged —- and it's not exactly holly or jolly.

The double-disc Night Castle collection tells of a chance encounter between a young girl and an old soldier with a magical tale. It is only the group's second non-holiday album, following 2000's Beethoven's Last Night —- a Faustian fictionalization of the legendary composer's demise.

At the crux of Night Castle are the redemptive actions of a Khmer Rouge general who breaks rank with his murderous ideology to help a dying American soldier.

"I think it was [philosopher Edmund] Burke who said, 'Evil triumphs when good men do nothing.' If you see a mugging across the street, would you go over and help that person? You would certainly want them to help you." O'Neill says in explaining the moral questions pondered on Night Castle. "Civilization is not an accident. It takes eternal vigilance and it's at its most dangerous when it has been [safe] for a while…Evil is unbelievably patient."

Night Castle was originally due in July 2005, but the album only arrived late last month. Back in 2005, TSO composer/lyricist Paul O'Neill and his main collaborators, pianist Robert Kinkel and songwriter Jon Oliva, envisioned Night Castle as a straightforward rock album sans weighty themes.

But Night Castle's intricate storyline came to O'Neill in a flash of inspiration, much like all of Trans-Siberian's other narrative-rich material.

"Originally it was going to be just 10 songs, a regular record, but then Jon said, 'Now Paul, Trans-Siberian fans expect the stories,' and I knew [he] was right," O'Neill recalls, "so it went from being a 10-song regular album to a 26-song double album." A 68-page CD booklet that accompanies Night Castle features illustrations by famed artist Greg Hildebrandt.

The album's familiar blend of rocked-out classical music and hard-driving originals will certainly appeal to longtime fans.

"Tocatta - Carpimus Noctem" is a reprise of Bach's famous Toccata and Fugue in D minor, conjuring up images of Halloween with doom-laden organ and heavy metal riffs. "Moonlight & Madness" opens with the frenzied final movement of Beethoven's "Moonlight Sonata" before morphing into a fiery instrumental display of six-string fretwork and pounding percussion.

"Sparks" and "Dreams We Conceive," meanwhile, advance Night Castle's narrative with passionate vocals that owe as much to the theatrical bombast of Broadway as to the uplifting anthems of arena rock.

The collection's first single, "Nutrocker," is a nod to the group's holiday heritage. It features a guest appearance by bassist Greg Lake of Emerson, Lake & Palmer, who first introduced the Tchaikovsky-inspired instrumental into their repertoire in 1970.

O'Neill says Lake's involvement in re-recording the track came after the latter joined TSO onstage one night during their 2007 holiday tour. The two men bonded over a mutual love of progressive rock.

"With any other form of music, when you go into jazz and you do some kind of [different] music, it's no longer jazz. With blues, you go a certain direction, it's no longer blues. Reggae you do something [else,] it's no longer reggae," O'Neill recalls being told by Lake. "But progressive rock has no limits. It's always trying to push the envelope and try something different. You can do classical, you can do a waltz, you can do reggae, you do anything and that kind of artistic freedom is just great."

Queensrÿche frontman discusses American Soldier

2009-11-03T14:20:00.001-05:00

When Queensrÿche undertook the recording of their latest album, American Soldier, it was an unprecedented move even for a band with such a richly experimental history in the studio.

American Soldier uses a wealth of sound clips—collected from dozens of audio and video interviews that singer Geoff Tate conducted with soldiers over the course of two years—to tell the universal story of U.S. military personnel.

"This was really a record that everybody in the band seemed to get into quite a bit," Tate reveals. "We liked the cinematic aspect of writing to the tapes, watching those and getting a feel for what the tone and the mood was like."

The result is an album bristling with powerful lyrics and equally powerful music that explores the nuances of a soldier's experience—from boot camp to battle, from separation anxiety while serving overseas to the challenges of returning to civilian life.

In all, Tate spoke to those who served during every American conflict from World War II to the present. What struck him most were the unifying themes that spanned generations and bridged experiences.

"I thought [with] all the different generations of [military personnel] I talked to they would be very different, but what I found was the soldiers' experiences were really rather similar," he says. "They're concerned about managing their fear, the loss of colleagues and friends and being separated from their families. These kinds of subjects were predominant in the conversations."

"Sliver," the disc's first track, opens with the barking of a drill sergeant and serves as an aural boot camp to indoctrinate the listener into military life. "Man Down!" employs breakneck-paced guitars and bludgeoning drums to explore post-traumatic stress disorder. "Home Again," by contrast, moves along at a gentle acoustic shuffle, with lyrics that create a narrative inspired by the letters of a deployed soldier and his young daughter at home.

"At 30,000 Ft," meanwhile, is one of the most gripping tracks. It details a pilot's emotional detachment from the act of bombing a city far below.

The band manages to distill the moral dilemma about inflicting so much damage while being separate from the experience with lyrics such as "I'll send the 'Pigs' away / the tortured painful cries / will never fall upon my ears / and never stain my elder years / my heartbeat is all I'll feel." The song alternates between a melancholy minor key melody to suggest the pilot's anguished mind and blitzkrieg power chords to recreate the chaotic sounds of an aerial strike.

It is this kind of attention to realistic emotional detail that makes American Soldier such a riveting listen and one of the band's most exciting albums in recent years.

Formed in 1981, Queensrÿche developed a signature sound by blending the aggression of New Wave of British Heavy Metal acts like Iron Maiden and Judas Priest with the artistic prowess of progressive rock acts such as Pink Floyd and King Crimson.

It was Operation: Mindcrime that first introduced Queensrÿche's fascination with themed concept albums. The 1988 opus told a complete narrative with a set cast of characters rather than being a collection of unrelated songs. The storyline was revisited for 2006's Operation: Mindcrime II.

1990's Empire further solidified the group's reputation as the thinking man's heavy metal band, selling more than three million copies and yielding their highest-charting single, "Silent Lucidity."

The band -- also featuring original members guitarist Michael Wilton, bassist Ed Jackson and drummer Scott Rockenfield, plus newly added second guitarist Parker Lundgren -- will play suites of music from American Soldier, Empire and 1986's Rage for Order during their current tour.

Also joining Queensrÿche on the road will be Lita Ford. The '80s metal songstress will use Tate & Co. as her backing band and together they will reprise her hits including "Close My Eyes Forever."

"We thought it would be fun instead of having a standard opening act kind of thing to have her come on stage with us and play some songs," Tate says.

Paris Keeling's End of Ride Revisited CD review

2009-10-26T12:47:00.005-04:00

Paris Keeling
End of Ride Revisited (Surgeland)

Paris Keeling's End of Ride was one recording that really flew under the radar in 2006. Now fans of melodic rock have a chance to rediscover this modern classic with a new reissue that features bonus tracks and remixes. End of Ride Revisited is a study in contrasts -- from the rock star riffs of "Tears of Heaven" and "Head Straight" to introspective acoustic cuts such as "Life" and "She Was." It's precisely when the band dials down the decibels that faithful professions like the gently orchestrated "Free" and the reverential "Morning Song" shine.

This review originally appeared in the December 2009 issue of Christian Music Today.

Living Colour's Corey Glover discusses new album

2009-08-30T07:22:00.013-04:00

Living Colour seemed destined for recognition from the moment they first caught the eye of Mick Jagger in 1986 while performing at New York's legendary CBGB. The Rolling Stones frontman produced an early demo that helped the fledgling rockers land a record deal.

Singer Corey Glover, guitarist Vernon Reid, drummer Will Calhoun and original bassist Muzz Skillings released their 1988 Vivid debut to immediate success and eventual double-platinum sales. Their unique sound took a heavy metal framework and injected it with elements of art rock and avant-garde jazz that belied their bohemian New York roots.

If Michael Jackson broke the color barrier on MTV, it was Living Colour that fully integrated African-Americans into the white-dominated heavy metal scene. Groundbreaking videos for "Cult of Personality," "Glamour Boys" and other Vivid hits helped the band connect with a multicultural hard rock audience in a way few black rockers have since Jimi Hendrix.

Time's Up, 1990's sophomore effort, was critically praised though less commercially successful. A third effort, 1993's Stain, found bassist Doug Wimbish replacing Skillings. However, the album got lost in the wave of grunge rock and the band soon parted ways.

A comeback album titled Collideoscope arrived in 2003, but was followed by another down period as each member pursued different creative directions. Glover's path included a two-year stint from 2006-2008 as Judas in a touring production of the musical Jesus Christ Superstar.

"I loved doing Superstar. It was one of the best times I've had in a very long time," the singer admits. "It actually sort of spurred me on to want to make another Living Colour record because I enjoyed being on the road so much…[and] it made me really enjoy singing again."

Now the band's studio silence has been broken again with a new album, The Chair in the Doorway. According to Glover, it was Wimbish who played a key role in culling songwriting ideas from rehearsal tapes, soundboard recordings and the occasional studio session. His efforts helped lay the groundwork for the Chair recording sessions at Sono Studios in the Czech Republic.

"[Living Colour] had been on the road in Europe for a month and a half and we had a two-week break in between," Glover recalls. "And we said, 'OK, let's go into the studio and put down all these grooves [that Wimbish collected.]' A bunch of songs came out of it. That's how we knew we were ready to make an album."

Chair spans the gamut of sounds from heavy rockers like "Burned Bridges" and "DecaDance" to the slide blues-meets-modern rock vibe of "Bless Those."

"Behind the Sun," the CD's first single, opens with a fleet-fingered riff that ranks as one of Reid's most impassioned displays of fretboard wizardry in the entire Living Colour catalog. The song also suggests a sonic progression to U2 territory with spacious Brian Eno-like production work.

The single's lyrics—-a statement about human resilience after 2005's Hurricane Katrina—-were precipitated by Glover's travels to New Orleans with an activist group called NY2NO. The student-led organization arranges for groups of New York City teens to volunteer in the Crescent City.

"It's been four years since Katrina and people are still not home. There are still abandoned buildings, there are still [empty] lots," he says. "Despite whatever you want to say about how tragic it was and what missteps were made, people were still living. Life still went on."

Of course, Living Colour are no strangers to making thought-provoking music. Their 1989 hit "Cult of Personality" offered a pointed statement about media manipulation set to a head-banging soundtrack, and it earned the band their first Grammy for Best Hard Rock performance. In 2007, the group re-recorded this signature tune for Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock.

The challenge that now lies ahead of Living Colour is striking a balance between old favorites and new material during their current North American tour.

"We're primarily a live band," Glover says. "A recording is just a moment in time. If you want to see how it evolved and where it went and where it is going, come see us live. Then go home, listen to the record and hear how it's changed. And know that we're going to come back and it's going to change from there."

The Sword's Gods of the Earth CD review

2008-04-09T14:30:00.002-04:00

When the Sword emerged in 2006, no one quite knew how to take the Austin-based quartet. Four guys in their mid-20s who sang about wizards and warlocks like they were the little cousins of Ronnie James Dio?!

Now the Sword are back with their second album, Gods of the Earth, and it's something of a retro-metal manifesto. Black Sabbath may be the obvious influence here, but the Sword's style is equally indebted to mid-'80s thrash metal. "The Sundering" and "The White Sea" are built around the kind of staccato, palm-muted riffing popularized by Metallica, Megadeth and others.

Singer/guitarist John D. Cronise and guitarist Kyle Shutt make a formidable axe-wielding duo. Both musicians bring some of the virtuosity that defined the venerable guitar tag-teams of Judas Priest and Iron Maiden into the netherworld of doom metal. Drummer Trivett Wingo, meanwhile, makes it a trifecta. His commanding, punked-out performance recalls monolithic '70s kingpin John Bonham (symphonic gongs, anyone?), while bassist Bryan Richie stays buried in the mix.

If you're looking for a literary equivalent, Gods of the Earth could be the soundtrack for the fearsome black riders in The Lord of the Rings—all galloping thrash-metal riffs accompanied by strangulated, off-key vocals. To the believers, this album will be hailed as the second coming of NWOBHM-inspired thrash/doom. The nay-sayers, meanwhile, will look at titles like "How Heavy This Axe" or "Fire Lances of the Ancient Hyperzephyrians" and know this band may be teetering on the edge of Spinal Tap territory. To each his own…

Lehigh Valley Rocks! The Best of 1984-1994 CD review

2008-02-28T10:30:00.008-05:00

If famed musicologist Alan Lomax were reincarnated as an '80s metal aficciando, he might compile a release of field recordings like Lehigh Valley Rocks! The Best of 1984-1994. This two-disc compilation captures in loving detail the sounds of 27 bands from an almost forgotten frontier of the spandex nation.

Is it really any surprise that Pennsylvania's Lehigh Valley -- a blue-collar region long synonymous with steel production -- birthed a raucous cast of independent heavy metal and hard rock groups throughout the '80s and early '90s? While nearby Philadelphia spawned gold and platinum acts like Britny Fox and Cinderella, this neglected corner of the Keystone State gave rise to "could've beens" such as Shok Graffiti, Sweet Tequila and Vicious Barreka.

Disc one offers a parade of bands that might have easily enjoyed airplay and MTV support in their era. From the saccharine strains of Omynus' "Don't Ever Say Goodbye" to the lusty bravado of Teeze's "Party Hardy," Lehigh Valley Rocks! shows that unsigned hair metal is just as good as the corporate stuff. Elsewhere, Sweet Tequila take a salty romp through Black Crowes-inspired territory on "I Won't Be Crying" and Idle Threats ' "Find a Way" blends a galloping sound reminiscent of early Queensrÿche with pop-friendly hooks. Washed's epic and nuanced "Guilty," meanwhile, treads experimental territory and proves that you don't have to be Ravi Shankar to rock a sitar.

Disc two digs even deeper into the underground to spotlight the Lehigh Valley scene's heavier side. Groups like Vicious Barreka and Leviathen unleash the primitive ferocity of thrash metal, while Atom West is a crossover act in the vein of D.R.I. or early Corrosion of Conformity. A welcome moment of demented comic relief comes in the form of Vic Missy's "Terror/Cartoon Lady." The tune's disjointed song structure and menacing soundscapes evoke the creepiness of Mike Patton's Mr. Bungle project.

The compilation's carefully researched liner notes -- featuring brief band bios/lineups, songwriting/publishing credits and the bands' current websites or MySpace pages -- also deserve kudos. Lomax would be proud.

Mystery Bloom, Lifetime in the Heart CD review

2008-02-13T11:48:00.007-05:00

New Jersey has proven time and again that it's always been a fertile ground for local talent. The now-defunct Mystery Bloom is the latest band of Garden State rockers to come to my attention. MB arose out of the ashes of N.J. club band Sinnocence and features three members from that long-gone outfit—guitarist Danny Roselle, bassist Nick Clemente and drummer Dave Garcia. Singer Ray Morales and guitarist Bob Gilmartin round out the MB lineup on Lifetime in the Heart, a reissue of the group's Frame of Mind debut.

The disc opens with the prog-metal stylings of "Frame of Mind," with strong Kansas-like group vocals and a vaguely Middle Eastern sounding guitar/keyboard riff. Vocals are, in fact, a big key to the MB sound. While Morales' voice has shades of late Badlands singer Ray Gillen, the entire group's dulcet throats drive songs such as "Life" and "Soulmate Serenade." The guys even hit a 4-part a capella harmony on "Paperback Writer," a cover of the Beatles' tune! In this respect, MB can be understood as a hard-rock band with real '60s and '70s pop roots; there's such an emphasis on harmony backing vocals in both the arrangement and execution of songs that you can almost hear echoes of legendary Motown vocal groups. Of course, the rock is never sacrificed on any of the tracks.

If MB has any fault, it's that their tunes make it almost too easy to pin down the musical reference points. "Adore" opens with an acoustic chord progression copped from Alice Cooper's "Only Women Bleed" before moving into a chorus that's reminiscent of Tesla's "Love Song." Meanwhile, "Life" sounds like it could have been an Enuff Z'Nuff outtake, with its Fab Four-like harmonies and gentle lyrical disposition. The disc only really falters on the Latin funk-rock jam "Pray Another Day," which at nearly 6 minutes is the longest track here. All in all, this is a solid effort with appreciable musicianship and a great knack for marrying prog-rock aspirations with pop tendencies.

Overkill's Immortalis CD review

2008-02-01T16:44:00.004-05:00

Overkill has long been considered one of the second-tier talents of '80s thrash metal. While Metallica, Megadeth, Slayer and Anthrax got the lion's share of praise, Overkill typically flew under the radar. Yet the veteran band proves itself stronger and stronger with each new release; their 15th album, Immortalis, is no exception.

Opening with the one-two punch of "What It Takes" and "Devils in the Mist," Immortalis immediately roots itself with familiar sonic elements like the vicious snarl of frontman Bobby "Blitz" Ellsworth and the sonically destructive bass rumblings of D.D. Verni. "Hell Is" shifts gears between slow, sludgy Black Sabbath-like passages and frenetic thrashing that has all the fury of an epileptic seizure. "Charlie Get Your Gun," meanwhile, is the disc's pinnacle of frenzy; guitarists Derek Tailer and Dave Linsk shred so dynamically that drummer Ron Lipnicki can barely keep up with their percussive, atonal attack. It's this kind of organized chaos that's at the heart of Overkill's sound.

The sole moment of mainstream concession comes during "Walk Through Fire," which features a driving AC/DC-like rhythm and sleek, streamlined production reminiscent of Metallica's Black Album. The sound puts this cut more in the hard rock category than the metal one. But after 50 minutes of skull-rattling din, you need a diversion like this!

Younger fans of metal will appreciate Lamb of God singer Randy Blythe's guest appearance on "Skull & Bones." Yes, Blythe's presence validates Overkill in the eyes of a new audience. But with the strength of Immortalis, Blitz & Co.'s talents are never even in question. Overkill's music never goes out of style because it was never in style…and that's just the way their fans like it.

One from the Archives

2008-01-18T20:12:00.000-05:00

Editor's note: This interview I conducted with Joey Vera ran circa 2000 in a now-defunct music magazine called Smug.

Armored Saint saw it all in the '80s: Club gigs with bands like Metallica and W.A.S.P.; a slew of indie and major-label releases; and the death of guitarist Dave Prichard. In 1992 the band broke up, and alumni went on to Anthrax, Fates Warning, and DC 4. Now the Saint is back after an almost decade-long hiatus to resurrect metal with Revelation (Metal Blade). Bassist Joey Vera talks about the new album, Saint's cult status, and his penchant for African music.

With the recent glut of reunions in the heavy-metal world, what distinguishes yours?
This one is special because there's been this weird, underground mystique about the band since it broke up. What really helped the reunion along was that during the time that John [Bush, vocals] was touring with Anthrax, and myself with Fates Warning even, we were going to places we'd never been and meeting people we'd never met and there were a lot of questions about Armored Saint. A lot of people wanted the band to get back together. That played a big part in it. There was a lot of anticipation about it on an underground level.

Characterize the mood of the band these days.
The character of the band is really kind of simple: we missed being around each other and making this sort of music together. Our intention was to make a really brutal record with high-energy songs. We want to go out, play these songs live, and do what we did ten or 15 years ago. We're not overly concerned with selling records, it's more for the love of the music and the love of being in the band, almost like when we first started when we were 19.

You produced the album and also helped with engineering. What sort of production values were you going for?
Again, we were going with the simplicity aspect. I really wanted to make an old-school record. I wanted it very raw and very dry, without a lot of effects. It had to be dangerous sounding and had to have a lot of guitars. It just had to really tear your face off.

Your bass playing with AS had always been pretty traditional. On Revelation it's a little more funky. Has playing in FW changed your style much?
That contributed some, along with the past eight years. After Saint, I got involved with a lot of different things during the '90s. I played in several L.A. R&B and funk cover groups. I was also in an African band playing traditional African music, which included some reggae. That band was called Mixed Heritage and was a multi-ethnic eleven-piece. Pretty big band!

Explain ''No Me Digas," Revelation's limited-edition Spanish language bonus track.
The title literally means "Don't Tell Me," and lyrically it's really an abstract bunch of imagery. It's kind of about this part of your brain that conjures up evil, forbidden thoughts. The "Don't Tell Me" is the denial that you have in the logical side of your brain. It's about the push and pull of your psyche.

2007-01-13T20:12:00.000-05:00

ATLANTIC CITY BY WAY OF THE NORTH POLE:
A TRANS-SIBERIAN ORCHESTRA LIVE REVIEW

America's Playground in the East was painted red and green Dec. 28 when the Trans-Siberian Orchestra decked the halls in Atlantic City. Though the symphonic-rock collective has been touring annually every holiday season since 1999, the Boardwalk Hall concert marked TSO's debut A.C. engagement.

Featuring a group of tuxedo-clad rock musicians backed by an eight-piece orchestra, TSO wowed the crowd with their rearrangements of holiday standards and well-known classical pieces, plus original seasonal compositions and a laser-light show. Originals like "An Angel Came Down" and "This Christmas Day" boasted a distinct Broadway feel with booming, dramatic vocals buoyed by crunchy and melodic arena-rock riffs. Think the Great White Way meets the Sunset Strip in the North Pole and you're there.

TSO dedicated nearly two hours to a track-by-track enactment of their multiplatinum 1996 debut, Christmas Eve & Other Stories, using a baritone-voiced narrator between songs to detail the album's tale of an angel seeking the true meaning of the holiday spirit on Earth.

One of the set's many highlights was "Christmas Eve Sarajevo 12/24," a hit single that's nearly ubiquitous on radio at this time of year. The tune blended holiday favorites like "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen" and "Carol of the Bells" with blazing fretwork courtesy of guitarists Chris Caffery and Alex Skolnick -- themselves members of '80s metal bands like Savatage and Testament, respectively.

After a short intermission, the group returned to the stage and cut loose for another hour of jamming that combined edgy rock guitar playing with the classical flair of composers like Beethoven and Mozart.

By the end of the evening, however, exactly what constituted yuletide music was open to debate; a rendition of Carl Orff's brooding "O Fortuna" from the band's forthcoming Night Castle album was neither holly nor jolly. But the concert's final selection -- a full-cast reprise of "Christmas Eve Sarajevo 12/24" that was laden with pyrotechnic blasts -- brought TSO right back into the holiday spirit. In the end, the far-reaching blend of classical and rock music ensured that concertgoers would find something for everyone on their Christmas "Liszt."

Hair Apparent: Vain

2006-11-30T17:13:00.000-05:00

(Editor's note: This is the latest installment in a series about albums that don't quite qualify in the Lost Classics category, yet still warrant a closer look.)

Vain, No Respect (Island, 1989)

The Big Idea: Glam rock gets mean, down and dirty

Choice Cuts: "Secrets," "Beat the Bullet," "No Respect" and "Without You"

Sonic Brethren: Spread Eagle, Skid Row and Guns N' Roses

Fun Fact: Davy Vain is the cousin of metal songstress Lana Lane

Like many bands from the era, San Francisco's Vain should have been more popular than they were. Charismatic frontman Davy Vain got his start as a producer on Death Angel's first album. But his eponymous outfit had nothing to do stylistically with the Bay area thrash sound. Instead, Vain offered a tough yet accessible mainstream sound that focused on hooks, while visually going for a dark glam image.

No Respect rips out of the gates like a winner with the first cut, "Secrets." As a brutal and jagged rhythm guitar riff erupts out of the right speaker, Vain himself starts cooing before abruptly erupting into a scream ("Nah-nah-nah-no secrets") as the rest of the band's syncopated slamming begins. This is raw, energetic rock from a band that sounds like it's been in the gutter for ages.

How do you follow-up an opening salvo like that? With "Beat the Bullet," the disc's first single. "Bullet" opens with a rumble of bass and slashes of wah-wah guitar, the interplay of guitarists Danny West and James Scott recalling that of Guns N' Roses axemen Slash and Izzy Stradlin.

By the time you get to the seventh cut -- the title track -- Vain are really hitting their stride and stretching out to encompass more sonic textures. "No Respect" opens with an element of mystery as chiming harmonics and somber acoustic fretwork obscures cryptic whispering. But the unplugged intro is just subterfuge; the song locks into a blasting guitar-and-drums groove soon enough and Vain's vocal delivery goes from hushed to dark and urgent. This is one vocalist who has a great command of dynamics.

Another nuanced vocal (and band) performance comes in "Without You." The only bona fide ballad on the album, "Without You" is also the longest cut on No Respect. Vain milks his voice for emotion, while the band adds a touch of orchestration for dramatic effect. But what it takes nearly six minutes for the act to say a better group could probably pull off in little more than half the time. The lyrics (see below) might be a little forced too, but they're very right for the time period.

"Like a candle in the wind / I'm easy to put out / Like the picture through your window / You see right through my heart"

Any momentum that might be lost on "Without You" is regained on the disc's final track, "Ready." At two minutes, 59 seconds, "Ready" is a punk-fueled romp through the "Johnny B. Goode" riff. It's a crucial cut that extols the virtues of partying and rock & roll at 140 beats per minute. This track would have made a great set closer in concert, with guitarists West and Scott trading off wild, reckless licks as the rhythm section kicks the tune into double time for a breathless finish. A perfect end to an almost perfect album.

Vintage Ozzfest Picture

2006-11-21T12:22:00.000-05:00

I snapped this one in 2000 in Holmdel, N.J. Pantera's Phil Anselmo was a wild man and put on a great performance.

Europe's Secret Society CD review

2006-11-01T17:49:00.005-05:00

Here's a track-by-track review of Europe's forthcoming Secret Society album. The disc hits stores Nov. 7 via Sanctuary Records.

"Secret Society"

The first words out of Joey Tempest's mouth on this album (literally) are "Runnin' against the line / against the time" delivered in a sing-songy a capella refrain before the tune kicks in. Indeed, those lyrics are something of a metaphor for this album as a whole. Secret Society finds the band bucking the trend of '80s bands reuniting to rehash the musical past; instead Europe go all guns blazing into uncharted sonic territory on this new album.

"Secret Society" is marked by an Eastern flavor, with Tempest using his voice as an instrument to deliver melodic wails like a mystic communing with God. The track is anchored by the Audioslave-like riffing of John Norum. The guitarist spices things up with some very trippy leads in the vein of Steve Vai or Joe Satriani. Dynamics are the key to this cut, with the music making sudden stops and starts that allow Tempest's vocals to feel very expansive.

"Always the Pretenders"

This tune is the disc's first single, but doesn't expect some light fluff. "Always the Pretenders" would be at home on the airwaves of any rock radio station that values chunky guitars, memorable hooks and meaningful songwriting. The tune is angsty and edgy, while not losing sight of the melody. Norum rips into a tense solo that just heightens the drama. Best of all, this song has what I like to call iceberg lyrics -- those words that hint at just enough for you to create a narrative, but never fully reveal what lies beneath. Here's a sample of what I mean, culled from the refrain:

"All I can remember / All I can recall is you / Telling me there's been an accident / Always the pretenders / Always thought that love would do / Everyday I miss your innocence"

It all adds up to a very cinematic listening experience. It's been said that talking about music is like dancing about architecture. Well, I'll one-up that and say that if "Always the Pretenders" were a movie, it would be a nail-biter like Memento.

"Love Is Not the Enemy"

This is one for the real riff freaks among you, with its overtones of the Gothenburg sound. Of course, we're not really talking melodic death metal here; instead this is just a finely crafted pop tune with a riff that could almost pass for one from In Flames.

"Wish I Could Believe"

Now we arrive at the first mid-tempo song of the bunch. It's like a power ballad with keyboardist Mic Michaeli gently caressing his ivories and providing some synthesized orchestration. If I'm not mistaken, Norum also plays slide on this tune making it a little reminiscent of something off Queensrÿche's Hear in the Now Frontier. Lyrically, Tempest details what sounds like either a crisis of faith or a failed relationship: "Wish I could believe in God / So I can move ahead." Definitely one of the most existential tracks on the album.

"Let the Children Play"

This song really encapsulates a lot of what makes this album so unique. First off, the riffs: they're rhythmic, angular, choppy and very modern. They do just about everything to distance themselves from the standard '80s sound that is possible. But they work because they lead into hooks that are built on familiar chord changes. Secondly, Europe aren't afraid to take a chance when songwriting. On this cut, that means including a children's choir to startling effect. Is this the best tune on the album? No way, but it really helped me gauge the kind of adventurous songwriting the band is practicing these days.

"Human After All"

Don't be fooled by the classical orchestration that fades in at the start of this track. This is one of the grittier numbers on Secret Society, both in terms of lyrics and overall sound. Tempest's vocals have a bluesy, tight feeling as if he's almost choking back some of the lyrics for dramatic effect. This is a rhythmically driven, bass-heavy cut that's highlighted by the orchestral strains of Michaeli's keyboard.

"Getaway Plan"

The riff here with its disjointed phrasing conveys a lot of tension and excitement. Couple that with the lyrical description of a man on a mission and "Getaway Plan" feels like it belongs in a James Bond movie. At first I thought this tune might be the nadir of the album because it feels a little too sonically similar to "Human After All" and comes right on the back of that song. But now I'll say that this is just another rocker that lays down a thick groove and should appeal to fans of Norum's meaty and mighty six-string attack.

"A Mother's Son"

After the frenzy of "Getaway Plan," the band kicks it down a notch with this song. It's very ballady, very dark and very morose. This is a particularly downbeat moment before the tempo picks up again for a trio of tunes that ends the album.

"Forever Travelling"

This song seems to be Europe's tribute to San Francisco. We're not talking sonically -- this ain't no thrash metal monster -- but rather lyrically. Tempest sings "Somewhere in my mind I'm under the Golden Gate / Somewhere in my heart I'm in the city by the bay / Sometimes I can feel the wheel in [the] sky, it's still turning" right before the solo. Perhaps the last line is a reference to "Wheel in the Sky" by Bay area band Journey?

"Brave and Beautiful Soul"

A lot of people say it's hard to take rock artists seriously these days. I think the opposite is true. Whether it's Tom Morello, Serj Tankian or Bono, everyone seems to have a political or humanitarian cause they support. They all want to be taken too seriously.

Well, count Europe among those who also seek to move hearts and minds with their music. But Tempest & Co. aren't self-righteous about their beliefs. It's hard to say exactly what cause or injustice "B & B Soul" addresses, if any. I could speculate that the song is about third world debt, Darfur or AIDS in Africa. After all, the lyrics are printed on top of artist Dan Abbott's sketch of the continent featuring a woman's face near South Africa.

But really "B & B Soul" is a song is about letting yourself care about others, and seems to be one of the more personal songs on Secret Society. Opening with a very crushing and modern riff, Norum's guitar work again has something of the Gothenburg sound here.

Meanwhile, Tempest isn't afraid of critics who think rockers should just shut up and sing. In fact, he has a pointed message for them: "Well here's to you all cynical / Here's the ammunition that you need / Here's another song about empathy / Please yourselves think what you will." Later he gives us a real chestnut of wisdom from the heart: "An emotional response [is] sometimes better than an intellectual one." Sing on, Joey.

"Devil Sings the Blues"

At last, the final countdown is over and here we are at the end of the album. "Devil Sings the Blues" opens with an arpeggio that sounds almost drop-tuned in the vein of grunge rock or Black Sabbath.

The opening line -- "Today I'm the dirt beneath your feet / at your beck and call" -- has shades of Walt Whitman's Leaves of Grass. Actually, Tempest's lyrical persona bears a lot of similarity to that of the Good Gray Poet himself. The singer is on a quest for unity with all things. And judging by the lyrics -- "And my heart is open / and my eyes are open / today I give my life to you / and my arms are open / and my faith is open / today the devil sings the blues" -- it sounds like he's found it.

This track is the longest on the album, checking in at five minutes, 24 seconds. It's the closest thing to an epic we get on Secret Society. Norum's axe is the last sound we hear as he rips a guitar hero worthy solo that goes for nearly two minutes before the tune fades off into the sunset. A great finish to a great album.

Whatdya Mean I Don't Support Your System

2006-11-01T10:24:00.000-05:00

. . . I Go To Court When I Have To!

After spending Monday and Tuesday serving jury duty, I now hope to return to semi-regular posting. Look for that Europe review shortly.

Final Countdown to Europe's New Album

2006-10-27T11:53:00.000-04:00

I'm listening to an advance of the new Europe CD, Secret Society, and have to say it might be my favorite album of 2006. This is a truly modern effort -- this ain't your father's Europe -- but it has a really strong emphasis on good hooks. The subject matter is mature and the songwriting memorable and emotional throughout. A full track-by-track review will be posted in the coming days. The disc hits stores Nov. 7 via Sanctuary.

Metal God Readying New Solo Material

2006-10-26T10:45:00.000-04:00

While work on the new Judas Priest album continues, Rob Halford is readying new material from his solo band. A new Halford track titled "Forgotten Generation" will hit iTunes on Nov. 21.

According to a press release, writing sessions for a new solo album titled Halford IV currently are underway. In addition to "Forgotten Generation," those sessions have so far yielded another new tune called "Drop Out." Both "Forgotten Generation" and "Drop Out" will be available on the forthcoming compilation Halford - Metal God Essentials - Volume 1. No word yet on a release date for the MGE platter.

In other news, Halford has tapped two new members for his solo group: guitarist Roy Z. and bassist Mike Davis.

Anthrax Guitarist To Open Nightclub

2006-10-24T15:04:00.000-04:00

Bringing the Noise to the New York Nightlife Scene

The New York Post is reporting that Scott Ian plans to open a nightclub in New York's Chelsea district on Halloween. The Anthrax guitarist reportedly has christened the club Retox with business partner Mike Diamond, who has launched several other successful nightspots in the Big Apple.

Rap group Cypress Hill is slated to perform during the Oct. 31 opening, while Ian himself will take the stage with Five for Fighting sometime next month. How's that for an odd juxtaposition?

Skid Row's Revolutions Per Minute CD review

2006-10-20T11:54:00.004-04:00

Here's a track-by-track review of Skid Row's forthcoming Revolutions Per Minute album. The disc hits stores Oct. 24 via the SPV label.

"Disease"

Opening with some discordant riffing and the first of many screams courtesy of frontman Johnny Solinger, there's no doubt that this record is an aggressive affair. But will it have the melody to make it memorable? Only repeated listens will yield that answer. For now I can say the guitar solo here is sludgy and heavy on the wah-wah in a Jerry Cantrell kind of way. In fact, think Alice in Chains and you'll have an idea of what's going on in this opening cut.

"Another Dick in the System"

This track is likely to be a cool one in concert. It's a no-nonsense hard rocker that ends with a "Hey . . . hey . . . hey" chant that should get audiences pumped to sing along. Guitarists Dave "Snake" Sabo and Scotti Hill trade some unique licks with a Nashville twang/rockabilly feel in the solo.

"Pulling My Heart Out From Under Me"

Here is really the first time we get a taste of the slightly gothic vocal style Solinger is rocking on this album. His deep baritone complements this dark tale of love lost. Just as you tire of his voice creeping along like a convalescent, he rips into some throaty screams. His nuanced vocal performance is the highlight of this cut.

"When God Can't Wait"

An absolute raucous two minute, 13 second blast of melodic punk energy and one of the best tracks on the disc. It sounds like a cross between vintage Misfits and an Irish pub rock act such as the Pogues. This cut will be remembered as a latter-day Skid Row classic.

"Shut Up Baby, I Love You"

The punk rudeness continues on yet another tale of scorned love. I'd have to say this tune bears the most similarity to some of the harder-edged Skid Row material of the Sebastian Bach days. Perhaps it's the riotous gangs vocals, which scream the title during the chorus, or the bass-heavy groove, but "Shut Up Baby, I Love You" should definitely appeal to fans of old-school tunes like "Piece of Me" or "Slave to the Grind."

"Strength"

This cover of the Alarm classic is a bit left field, but one of the more memorable tunes on the album. "Strength" boasts an anthemic and uplifting message of survival and is the longest cut on the disc at just over five minutes. Hill and Sabo get into some great slurred harmonics on the verses. I believe "slurred harmonics" is the correct name for the guitar technique. But if not, think about the trickling guitar sound on the title track of Iron Maiden's Killers once that tune kicks in and you'll know what I'm talking about.

"White Trash"

The lyrics to this tune have the kind of tongue-in-cheek irony that a lot of early Black Flag had. As such, it picks up on the punk rock thread that runs through RPM. Musically, this is short and concise, with Solinger delivering most of his lines in a kind of talking blues format. This song even features a mean harmonica solo to boot! Yet because the lyrics are (intentionally) silly, I'll have to say this is my least favorite cut on the album.

"You Lie"

Here's where Solinger -- a Texas native -- really lets his Lone Star roots hang out. "You Lie" is outlaw country music through and through. Solinger hurls curses and other invectives at an unfaithful woman, while the band twangs away with a four-on-the-floor pattern. Just when you think there's nary a distortion pedal to be heard, the song takes a metalized turn -- right after a very vintage rockabilly-style guitar solo. From country to metal in under three minutes, that's quite a journey!

An alternate country-fried mix of "You Lie" -- replete with added harmonica and pedal steel guitar -- is offered as a bonus track on the version of RPM that I have.

"Nothing"

The search for a bona fide '80s anthem stops here! "Nothing" has all the harmony and hooks of a Bach-era outtake -- and that's a good thing. And that guitar solo: short but absolutely blazing with all the melody that characterized the band's most memorable leads. Put this one on repeat.

"Love Is Dead"

Just in time for Halloween, the Skids get into a little Type O Negative/Bronx Casket Company groove. The riffing takes lurching stop and starts, while Solinger's voice delves into the deeper registers again for this spooky tune. Right around the two-minute mark, the group works in a breakdown that sounds quite similar to the one in the title track from Ozzy Osbourne's No More Tears. "Love Is Dead" would fit well on the soundtrack of a B-movie horror flick.

"Let It Ride"

Solinger & Co. end the album on a hard and heavy note. "Let It Ride" seems to be an ode to life in a rock & roll band. It boasts another ripping guitar solo, but otherwise this track is mediocre. Thankfully, it's in and out in under three minutes.

"You Lie" (Bonus Track)

See comments above in the "You Lie" entry.

Early Thoughts on New Skid Row Album

2006-10-19T12:44:00.000-04:00

I have been quite busy this week, but I wanted to post some preliminary thoughts about the new Skid Row album, Revolutions Per Minute, due Tuesday via SPV Records. I have an advanced review copy and have listened to it once, so my commentary is likely to change when I post a full track-by-track album review shortly.

First off, this is a much different band than the one that recorded Skid Row or even Slave to the Grind. It's not simply that Sebastian Bach is gone and has been replaced by Johnny Solinger. The band no longer seems to want to focus on incorporating melodic riffs into their songwriting. Instead much of the album is garden variety '90s nü-metal aggression. More often than not Solinger is screaming instead of trying to get an '80s-like sheen to his voice. It's a matter of taste really, but my initial impression is that it doesn't work for me.

One of the great things about 2003's Thickskin was the sheer number of melodic, sing along moments. There's not one to be found on RPM, unless you count "You Lie," which is a very country-music inspired ditty. A few of the better moments on RPM include "When God Can't Wait," which sounds like a rowdy, Irish punk bar anthem and "Love Is Dead" (if I remember correctly) which sounds a little gothic, almost in the vein of Type O Negative. Full report to come . . .

Hair Apparent: Two-Bit Thief

2006-10-11T15:22:00.000-04:00

(Editor's note: This is the fourth installment in a series about old albums that don't quite qualify in the Lost Classics category, yet still warrant a closer look.)

Two-Bit Thief, Another Sad Story . . . In the Big City (Combat, 1990)

The Big Idea: Former crossover act tries to re-invent itself as edgy hard-rock band

Choice Cuts: "Desperado," "Folsom Prison Blues," "Broken Hearts" and "Hard Times"

Sonic Brethren: Circus of Power, Junkyard, Manitoba's Wild Kingdom

San Francisco is best remembered for its thrash-metal scene, but the city also yielded some great bands in other genres. Two-Bit Thief was among the non-thrash acts that called the Bay area home. The group's debut disc, Another Sad Story . . . In the Big City, showed a lot of promise, but never amounted to much for the band.

Much like Junkyard or Manitoba's Wild Kingdom, TBT featured musicians who came up in the punk rock scene and wanted to explore a more commercial hard rock sound. Indeed, vocalist Andy 'Airborne' Andersen, guitarist Chris Scaparro, bassist Rick Strahl and drummer Eric Brecht all recorded with the crossover act Attitude Adjustment. The only "new" member in TBT was guitarist Ron Shipes.

Despite the group's roots, the only remnant of hardcore music is the shouted gang vocals that adorn several of Another Sad Story's 12 tracks. Otherwise, this is (mostly) straight-up gritty hard rock from the gutter, with an occasional thrash riff worked in for good measure. Bouts of slide guitar give the record a rootsy feel in a few places, while Brecht conjures up the specter of Guns N' Roses' Steven Adler through the liberal use of his cowbell.

The self-righteous social consciousness of thrash seeps into the lyrics of "Industry" and "Crime," but otherwise Another Sad Story is an unrepentant 42-minute joyride that revels in the vices of urban decay. Standout tracks include "Desperado" and "Folsom Prison Blues." The former is a tale of gambling that provided the likely inspiration for the album's cover shoot. Meanwhile, the latter is an ingenious re-working of the Johnny Cash classic that draws equally from punk rock, metal and rockabilly all in the space of two minutes and 40 seconds. It's nice to see a band cover someone other than the usual suspects. Not quite as inspired is the album's closer, a cover of Rose Tattoo's "Remedy."

Another Sad Story ultimately didn't have the commercial muscle the band had hoped. Regardless, this is a strong effort and a pleasant departure from the standard Bay area sound.

Happy Birthday to David Lee Roth

2006-10-10T12:36:00.000-04:00

Editor's note: In honor of the ex-Van Halen singer's 53rd birthday today, Metal-Mixtape revisits his least appreciated album.

David Lee Roth didn't stand a chance when he released Your Filthy Little Mouth in 1994. The real problem wasn't that the shredding licks of ailing ace guitarist Jason Becker were gone. It wasn't that the epicenter of the music industry had shifted from Los Angeles to Seattle, nor that he tapped longtime friend/Chic guitarist Nile Rodgers to help him go pop. It wasn't even that Roth's trademark mane had been toned down in favor of a sedate shoulder-length coif for the album.

The true dilemma was a severe crisis in the songwriting department. Your Filthy Little Mouth suffers from the lack of focus that arises when artists try to borrow from too many musical styles. Tunes like "Cheatin' Heart Cafe" (featuring country star Travis Tritt) and "Hey, You Never Know" are nods to Nashville-fried honky tonk, while "No Big 'Ting" features Jamaican rapper Mitchielous in a lame attempt to tap into the world music market. Then there's "You're Breathin' It," a funk-heavy tall tale about urban living that mixes its metaphors by featuring some very rural harmonica playing. To make matters worse, the song gets the "Urban NYC Mix" treatment at the end of the album. When was the last time you bought a David Lee Roth record to hear a remix?

While dross dominates, there are some redeeming moments. "Big Train" is perhaps one of Tyrannosaurus Roth's finest latter day compositions and hits with the visceral impact of an early Van Halen boogie. Meanwhile, Diamond Dave's cover of "Night Life" by Willie Nelson has all the slow and gritty grace of a Motown soul ballad. But in the end, Your Filthy Little Mouth became Roth's swan song. It was the last platter he recorded for a major label. Worse still, it marked the end of a 16-year partnership with the Warner Bros. Records family that dated back to the first VH album. What started as a valiant attempt to expand his audience resulted in Roth dropping the ball altogether.

Twisted Sister: Yule Hear It First

2006-10-06T17:31:00.000-04:00

Frontman Dee Snider & Co. Ready Christmas Album

Twisted Sister plan to celebrate the holidays with the October 17 release of A Twisted Christmas through Razor & Tie Records. The seasonal platter will feature 10 tracks that marry Christmas songs with stylistic nods to specific heavy metal bands. "I think I made the comment that we should do a Christmas record," guitarist Jay Jay French tells Billboard. "And [frontman] Dee [Snider] said, 'You know, "Come All Ye Faithful" is actually "We're Not Gonna Take It." I think I subliminally stole the melody.' So we recorded 'We're Not Gonna Take It' and put 'Come All Ye Faithful' in, and it worked with some changes."

The six-stringer also notes that the Twisted version of "Come All Ye Faithful" will feature "a Black Sabbath version of 'Hava Nagilah' at the end of the song." In addition, Lita Ford will join the band on a version of "I'll Be Home for Christmas."

Log on to Twisted Sister's official website to hear clips from the upcoming album and check out the full track list.

Kiss of Death Latin Lingo Revealed!

2006-10-05T10:26:00.000-04:00

No, It Doesn't Say 'Dr. Rock Is Going To Shoot You Full of Rock N Roll!'

I recently posted the Latin inscription that graces Motörhead's Kiss of Death CD booklet on a Latin forum. One kind soul responded to my query about its meaning. Below is the translation I received.

"Born as conquered, all will die
Believe in no-one (This should be nemini), go freely
to walk through the ocean of very many souls, he barely wets his feet (I think there is a mistake in the Latin here)
Whatever you are doing, we have done first and better"

Once again, here's the original Latin inscription from the CD booklet:

"NATI VT VICTI, OMNES MORITVRI
NEMIMI CREDE, AGE SOLVTE
AMBVLARE PER PLVRIMARVM ANIMARVM OCEANVM PEDES VIX MADEFACIT
QVODCVMQVE FACIS, NOS PRIMI, ET MELIVS, FECIMVS"

Skid Row Line Up Gratis Gig

2006-10-04T16:53:00.000-04:00

Event To Celebrate Release of Upcoming Album

Skid Row have announced an October 29 record-release party at New York's Hard Rock Cafe. Frontman Johnny Solinger & Co. will take the stage to perform selections from their upcoming album, Revolutions Per Minute, along with greatest hits from the band's glory days. The event will also double as radio DJ Eddie Trunk's annual Halloween bash. Admission is free.

Revolutions Per Minute is due out October 24 on SPV/Steamhammer. Meanwhile, a full-fledged tour in support of the disc will kick off October 31 at a venue still to be announced.

Slash Shills Cars and Guitars

2006-10-03T11:44:00.000-04:00

Live and Let Ride

Former Guns N' Roses guitarist Slash (pictured right) is among the rockers set to appear in upcoming ads for a new partnership between guitar maker First Act and auto manufacturer Volkswagen. Drives who buy or lease one of six Volkswagen cars will receive a First Act GarageMaster electric guitar customized to match the color of their new ride. The axe also will be co-branded with the VW logo. Spinal Tap character Nigel Tufnel (aka actor Christopher Guest) is among the other personalities also slated to appear in the forthcoming sales campaign.

Meanwhile, Slash and Cheap Trick guitarist Rick Nielsen will join Los Angeles all-star jam band Camp Freddy when the group performs Thursday on NBC's Tonight Show With Jay Leno. Slash & Co. will play a version of Cheap Trick's "Surrender."

Should Great White Make a Comeback?

2006-10-02T17:38:00.000-04:00

Great White recently announced they're preparing to cut a new album and return to the road. Guitarist Mark Kendall tells the Associated Press he believes there's a lot of popular support for the band to resume normal activities after the 2003 fire in a Rhode Island nightclub that killed 100 people. "These people [in the club] were like friends to us, not just rock fans," he reveals. "There's a fellowship with the surviving victims. ... We all get together, we hug, we cry. For the majority of the people, they all want to hear the band play."

Do you think Great White should return to doing what they do best after the tragedy?

1) Yes, Great White made some amazing hard rock music and it's time to put the Rhode Island tragedy behind them.
2) No, the band should show their remorse by hanging up their instruments -- permanently.
3) Write in here with your own response.

Vintage Anthrax Picture

2006-09-29T10:10:00.000-04:00

Keep It in the Family

While attending a recent wedding on my wife's side of the family, I had the pleasure to chat with her older cousin Anthony S. Fiore, Jr. It turns out cousin Tony is a lifelong photographer and metalhead, so he and I had a great time talking about '80s metal. He told me he had some old-school pics from a record signing Anthrax did at the now-defunct Rock N' Roll Heaven record shop in Clark, New Jersey. The store was owned by John and Marsha Zazula of Megaforce Records fame and apparently counted ex-Overkill guitartist Bobby Gustafson among its employees.

I recently stumbled across the picture he was talking about on Anthrax's website. Cousin Tony is flanked by Charlie Benante, Joey Belladonna and Scott Ian. His brother, cousin David, is seen on the righthand side of the image throwing up the horns and nearly cuckolding Ian in the process! Cousin Tony also shot the band at a 2005 fan-only event in Sayreville, New Jersey. Some of his other music-related pics can be found here. I hope to be able to post other vintage metal pics from the Fiore archives in the future.

Randy Rhoads Vs. Randi Rhodes

2006-09-27T17:03:00.000-04:00

What's in a Name?

Have you ever wanted to rename yourself after a dead rock star? That's exactly what Randi Rhodes (pictured right) did. Born Randi Bueten, the talk show personality hosts her own program on Air America Radio.

She rechristened herself in honor of the late guitarist Randy Rhoads (pictured left) of her own volition, not because of some dubious decision thrust on her by management. "I named myself after Ozzy Osbourne's guitar player," Rhodes recalled last year in a C-SPAN transcript. "And people think they're making some joke when they say, 'Oh, your named after' -- I did it on purpose . . . I thought of Randy Rhoads, who was a consummate professional. He had long blonde hair like me . . . He always practiced. I mean, he practiced eight hours a day. He lived to be the best. So I just loved his legend and I loved his professionalism and I loved Ozzy and I loved everything about that band. So I named myself Randi Rhodes."

In other bizarre metal moniker news, there's apparently a man impersonating Bruce Dickinson from his pre-Iron Maiden days. He goes by the name Bruce Bruce -- just as Dickinson did during his Samson years -- and was last seen perfecting a stand-up routine at comedy clubs across the country!

Europe Start Their Own Secret Society

2006-09-27T09:49:00.000-04:00

Joey Tempest & Co. Ready New Release

Europe have announced their new album, Secret Society, will hit stores Nov. 7 through Sanctuary Records. Secret Society features the band's original lineup -- singer Joey Tempest, guitarist John Norum, bassist John Leven, keyboardist Mic Michaeli and drummer Ian Haugland. The album's cover art was created by legendary graphic artist Storm Thorgerson, the man behind famous Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin, Helloween and Bruce Dicksinson covers.

Do you think this Europe cover ranks among Thorgerson's classics?

1) Yes, it has all the elements that make his art so arresting.
2) No, he really dropped the ball on this one.
3) I could care less. I never thought Europe had cool covers anyway.
4) Write in with your own response!

Hair Apparent: Great White

2006-09-26T10:05:00.001-04:00

(Editor's note: This is the third installment in a series about old albums that don't quite qualify in the Lost Classics category, yet still warrant a closer look.)

Great White, Hooked (Capitol, 1991)

The Big Idea: Blues-rockers make a (mista) "bone"-afide grab for arena-rock stardom

Choice Cuts: "Call It Rock N' Roll," "The Original Queen of Sheba," "Desert Moon" and "Afterglow"

Sonic Brethren: Kix, Cinderella, Tesla and AC/DC

It's nearly impossible to talk about Great White these days without mentioning the 2003 fire in a Rhode Island nightclub that killed 100 people. Yet while the focus understandably remains on the tragedy, people have nearly forgotten about the great blues-based hard rock once made by the Los Angeles quintet.

Hooked was frontman Jack Russell & Co.'s fifth full-length studio album and aimed to recapture the success of the band's double-platinum breakthrough effort, 1989's . . . Twice Shy. While it never matched it predecessor in sales, Hooked remains one of Great White's better efforts.

The platter kicks off with the four-on-the-floor stomp of "Call It Rock N' Roll," the disc's first single. Russell addresses the censorship of parent groups like the PMRC with the lyric "There's trouble all around/Trouble with the PTA/Tell me whatcha gonn do?/Takin' all our highs away" while guitarist Mark Kendall cuts loose with some tasty licks in the vein of Chuck Berry. The next track, "The Original Queen of Sheba" is built on a hook with a lot of down-home twang -- so much that it even bears a strong resemblance to "Gyspy Road" by Cinderella!

But Great White are capable of more than just straight-up rock. "Lovin' Kind" is a piano ballad that anticipates the unplugged direction the band would take on their rootsy 1994 effort, Sail Away. While never released as a single, "Lovin' Kind" would have been a good candidate to capture some of the market dominated by keyboard-laden tunes toward the end of the hair metal movement.

The remainder of the album displays a variety of styles from the hardest-rocking cut "Desert Moon" to the expansive swamp boogie "Congo Square," the latter checking in just shy of seven minutes in length. Laidback acoustic guitars dominate cuts like the lazy, back-porch jam "South Bay Cities" and an album-closing cover of the Small Faces' "Afterglow."

They couldn't have known it at the time, but Great White's interpretation of "Afterglow" ends the album on a somewhat prophetic note. Though Hooked would hit the gold mark shortly after its release, none of the band's subsequent albums would ever go gold or platinum again. Hooked's sales of 500,000 copies was like a brief coda to the two million-deep sales of . . . Twice Shy. Afterglow, indeed.

Queensrÿche Show Review

2006-09-22T13:41:00.000-04:00

Handguns and heroin. Anarchy, religion and prostitution. Revolution, revenge and redemption. These are just a few of the elements that figure into Queensrÿche's Operation: Mindcrime and Operation: Mindcrime II. Lead singer Geoff Tate & Co. rolled into New York's Nokia Theatre in the heart of Times Square last night to perform both albums back-to-back -- a mammoth task that few bands could tackle. For anyone who missed last night's show, the group will be playing again tonight.

Half of the fun of last night's performance was seeing live actors up onstage fleshing out the storyline. The original Sister Mary -- singer Pamela Moore -- reprised her role and brought her usual thespian touch to the character. Tate, meanwhile, variously portrayed both Dr. X and Nikki at different points in the storyline. I'm not sure of the name of the fellow who also portrayed Nikki during other parts in the production, though I'm fairly certain the same actor also handled those duties in the Mindcrime tour of a few years ago.

As for the musicians, they were extremely tight and came very close to recreating the studio sheen heard on the Mindcrime albums. My only criticism would be of guitarist Mike Stone. While I've really come to appreciate Stone over the last couple of years, I can't help but think he's always a little off with his renditions of Chris De Garmo's guitar lines from the first Mindcrime album, but that's a minor quibble at best.

Following the performance of the original Mindcrime, Queensrÿche took a 20-minute intermission before returning to begin the sequel. The high point of the Mindcrime II set undoubtedly came during "Murderer?" as Tate wrestled with the agonies of a man torn between revenge and forgiveness. It is at this point that he must decide whether or not to slay the blindfolded and beaten Dr. X.

I won't ruin the surprise for those of you who have yet to see the show. However, if you listen to the track on the album there's a subtle audio clue as to the outcome of action at approximately 4:04 or 4:05. I had the good fortune to interview Tate about the album some months ago and he revealed that tidbit to me. At the time, it didn't make much sense. But having now seen the show, it seems almost obvious in retrospect.

Hearing both albums in their entirety was a real treat, but Tate & Co. also played a two-song encore featuring "Walk in the Shadows" and "Jet City Woman." How many bands half the age of Queensrÿche could deliver a 34-song set with such ease? And right about now they're getting ready to do it all over again tonight!

Check out some exclusive pictures from the gig below.

Queensrÿche at New York's Nokia Theatre 09.21.06

2006-09-22T10:08:00.000-04:00

KingoftheHill: The Disregard of Timekeeping?

2006-09-19T14:38:00.000-04:00

Punching the Clock . . . Into a Bloody Pulp

I recently found a used copy of KingoftheHill's 1991 self-titled debut (yes, apparently the band's name is written as one continuous word). The St. Louis quartet -- led by blonde frontman Frankie Muriel -- was signed to SBK Records, the label home of Vanilla Ice, Selena and others.

"I Do U," one of the disc's singles, has a funky, horn-drenched sound that earned Muriel & Co. a reputation as a poor man's Extreme. Meanwhile, another single called "If I Say" is an acoustic-based ballad that's similar to likeminded material from Poison or Firehouse.

I find it difficult to recommend this album; it's a bit too faceless and anonymous with little to distinguish it. In fact, one of the most remarkable things about the platter is a shameless marketing ploy used in the liner notes. "If I Say" is listed as being three minutes and 72 seconds long. I mean, come on, as if a radio or video programmer isn't going to notice the blatant attempt to come in around the three minute mark -- even though the real length is four minutes and 13 seconds! Likewise, "Place in My Heart" checks in at three minutes and 85 seconds in the track listing. That's four minutes and 27 seconds for those of you who don't speak metric.

I guess you can't fault a band for trying anything to get their songs played, but I've never seen this particular ploy before. Do a radio edit, for crying out loud! Putting out mediocre hair metal is one thing. But to add insult to injury by also violating standard rules of time calculation is just unacceptable.

(Editor's note: Incidentally, "Place in My Heart" is in a similar vein to "If I Say" and is the best tune on the album, in my estimation)

Lost Classics: Nelson

2006-09-14T13:37:00.000-04:00

The Timotei Twins Strike Again!

Nelson, After the Rain (Geffen, 1990)

The Big Idea: The spawn of a late teen pop star churn out fluffy pop metal

Choice Cuts: "(Can't Live Without Your) Love and Affection," "After the Rain" and "Tracy's Song/Only Time Will Tell"

Sonic Brethren: Winger, Bon Jovi, Slaughter

First off, let me say that I know this is a much maligned album. However, I believe it's one of the stronger efforts in the commercial metal genre. If you like your metal with pop hooks, Nelson are a sure bet. Consider the band's pedigree for a moment. As the twin sons of '50s teen star Ricky Nelson, singer/bassist Matthew and singer/guitarist Gunnar had ample opportunity to study up on pop songwriting from their father's catalog of hits, which included "Travelin' Man," "Poor Little Fool," "Garden Party" and more.

But while their old man's connections may have helped them secure a record deal, Matthew and Gunnar's music succeeded on much more than nepotism alone. The material on their After the Rain debut married a strong Top 40 vocal presence with pop-metal production values and blazing guitar solos courtesy of Bret Garsed. And let's not forget the role their image played in their initial success -- those boyish faces framed by straight blonde hair earned them the nickname the Timotei Twins in the European press (after a popular Swedish shampoo that featured a female look-alike in its commercials).

The band's first single, "(Can't Live Without Your) Love and Affection," builds from a beautiful acoustic guitar pattern topped by the brothers' mellifluous vocals into a pop confection with sugary hooks. I'd say 'saccharine hooks,' but the connotation is disingenuous. Call me a fool, but I find Nelson believable when they perform their songs. This tune, which topped the Billboard Hot 100 chart in 1990, is said to have been developed from a riff Matthew came up with while looking at a photo of Cindy Crawford in Vogue magazine.

Meanwhile, the disc's title track benefits from sparkling keyboard flourishes courtesy of piano man Paul Mirkovich, additional vocal and instrumental expertise from six-stringer Joey Cathcart and a rock steady groove laid down by ex-Vinnie Vincent Invasion drummer Bobby Rock. While "After the Rain" is a mid-tempo rocker, "Only Time Will Tell" is a true power ballad in every way: Mirkovich dominates with a piano-based arrangement; the hook kicks in with a swooning string section; and the tune is even preceded by a classical guitar intro titled "Tracy's Song" in honor of Matthew and Gunnar's sister Tracy. Need a quick primer on every glib power ballad cliché in the book? Look no further than "Only Time Will Tell." But that's precisely why we love the Timotei Twins -- they give their fans what they want.

I believe Nelson fans suffer from the same affliction that strikes Spice Girls or New Kids on the Block lovers: Though these are all multiplatinum acts, you can't find a single person who'll fess up to having bought a copy. Well, I'm proudly announcing myself as a Nelson fan and consumer, albeit 16 years too late. (Though I would never pay full price. I found After the Rain used for $1 at a local record shop!)

Hair Apparent: Kik Tracee

2006-09-12T16:47:00.000-04:00

(Editor's note: This is the second installment in a series about albums that don't quite qualify in the Lost Classics category, yet still warrant a closer look.)

Kik Tracee, No Rules (RCA, 1991)

The Big Idea: Dana Strum protégés deliver nuanced, ballad-heavy hair metal

Choice Cuts: "You're So Strange," "Big Western Sky," "Lost" and "Fade Dunaway"

Sonic Brethren: Slaughter, the Cult and Guns N' Roses

1991 will long be remembered by '80s metal aficionados as the year Nirvana arrived to sound the death knell for hair metal bands. It also happens to be the year that Los Angeles quintet Kik Tracee released its debut disc, No Rules. At the time, Kik Tracee and No Rules had a lot in their favor: big hooks, great songwriting, management courtesy of Sharon Osbourne and a celebrity metal supporter in Slaughter bassist Dana Strum, who produced the disc.

The album's two singles -- the rambunctious, forced bravado of "No Rules" and the slower, dreamier "You're So Strange" -- are a study in contrast. It's as if frontman Stephen Shareaux & Co. didn't know whether they wanted to rock or croon ballads. The latter tune manages a bit of both: it opens with a beautiful reverie of an arpeggio that dominates the tune's verses, while the chorus delivers a radio friendly hook that rocks within moderation. In a metamusical moment, Kik Tracee use the same arpeggio to end the album in "Fade Dunaway." The brief tribute to movie queen Faye Dunaway leaves you with a tantalizing taste of golden Hollywood as its fades off into the sunset in just 41 seconds.

Some of the best material on No Rules is the lighter, more balladic fare. While "You're So Strange" was the most commercial of the disc's dramatic ballads, "Big Western Sky" and "Lost" also benefit from slower tempos, acoustic fretsmanship and introspective lyrics.

It's on the hard-edged material where Strum's production really takes the spotlight. The rocker-cum-producer sets the tone for Kik Tracee's unique take on Simon & Garfunkel's "Mrs. Robinson" with nearly a minute of atmospheric air raid sirens ("War Pigs," anyone?) and machine gun fire sound effects as the tune builds up. Likewise, "Trash City" uses touches of helicopter and police siren sound effects to set a narrative mood. As a tale of urban decay, "Trash City" is a fitting companion piece to, say, Guns N' Roses' "Welcome to the Jungle" or Babylon A.D.'s "The Kid Goes Wild."

Much has been written comparing Kik Tracee to GN'R. I believe the comparison -- which probably stems largely from Shareaux's penchant for nasally vocals à la Axl Rose -- isn't wholly accurate. In fact, the darker edge of the band is more in line with goth-inspired rockers the Cult. Witness "Velvet Crush" as Shareaux does some distinctly Ian Astbury-like wailing.

There's no debating that Kik Tracee wears its influences on the sleeve. After No Rules, they completely revamped their sound for their final recording, the 1992 Field Trip EP. Would Shareaux & Co. have continued their sonic explorations and developed a sound all their own on subsequent releases? We will never know.

Video of the Week: Bullet Boys

2006-09-08T10:50:00.000-04:00

Marq Torien and the Boys Prove They're Regular Eisensteins

It's not often that highbrow art and lowbrow schlock combine, but I'm happy to say I've belatedly discovered the Bullet Boys managed to pull it off back in 1991. Thanks to YouTube, I've been able to watch uncut '80s videos that I had long forgotten about or never saw in the first place. One of my recent discoveries has been the Bullet Boys' video for "THC Groove," a cut off their sophomore album, Freakshow. Frontman Marq Torien & Co. open the video with a tribute to the famed 1925 silent film The Battleship Potemkin by Russian auteur Sergei Eisenstein (shown above).

The most famous sequence from Eisenstein's film depicts an advancing army marching down a flight of steps and exterminating civilians. In the midst of the onslaught, the camera follows a runaway baby carriage down the stairs.

The Bullet Boys -- in their infinite knowledge of Russian silent cinema -- begin the "THC Groove" clip with grainy, black & white footage of a carriage tumbling down a set of stairs -- an obvious tribute to The Battleship Potemkin scene. When the carriage comes crashing down at the bottom, there's a sense of drama and breathless anticipation -- you simply must know if the baby survived the perilous descent. But instead of seeing a baby, the camera zooms in on Torien as he pops his head out of the carriage and announces "Teatime!" as the tune's nasty groove kicks in. What a moment! The band is then seen (now in living color) performing the song on the steps. Of course the Eisenstein homage was likely the idea of the clip's director, but kudos nonetheless to the Bullet Boys for this clever video.

Click here to watch now.

Male Objectification in Heavy Metal?

2006-09-06T17:37:00.000-04:00

While recently listening to Kik Tracee's No Rules to determine if it fits into the 'lost classic' category, I was struck by a song called "Tangerine Man." Below is an excerpt of the lyrics:

"Burn the eternal flame, but you'll never catch my name/
You're burnin' out, I ain't your fireman of fantasy/
Blue oyster boy don't stop until he's hard as rock/
He's comin' on, raging bull won't ever stop

I'm going a la carte, blue oyster missed his mark/
Couldn't read the signs, exit only/
Listen to serenades, selling his lemonade/
Turn around and take it to another place"

Plenty of metal songs have been written as a come-on to some lusty lady of the night, but this one bears the distinction of being deliberately written to ward off a homosexual advance. In the '80s, metal was bashed for its portrayal of women, but I argue that male objectification is even more rampant in the genre -- from Judas Priest singer Rob Halford's gay biker look to Vinnie Vincent Invasion/Nelson drummer Bobby Rock's Chelsea boy physique (seen here) to the infamous codpieces of WASP's Blackie Lawless or Kiss' Gene Simmons.

And what of female homosexuality in metal -- are there any sapphic six-stringers out there? It's difficult to deny that there's a strange kind of homoeroticism in metal, perhaps more so than in other segments of the culture. As to why this is, well that's for the sociologists to ponder, but feel free to write in with your thoughts.

Axl Rose Makes a Quiet Riot at VMAs

2006-09-01T10:32:00.000-04:00

I Wanna Hear You Scream!

The Guns N' Roses frontman introduced a performance by modern rockers the Killers last night at the 2006 MTV Video Music Awards. Meanwhile, Rose revealed to MTV's John Norris that Chinese Democracy is still scheduled to drop this year (yeah, right!) and the band will kick off a U.S. tour in late October. Click here to watch the backstage interview.

Pick Your Poison (Frontman)

2006-08-31T17:40:00.000-04:00

Who Will the Cat Drag In Next?

Recent reports suggest that the members of Poison are looking for a new lead singer to replace Bret Michaels. Skid Row frontman Johnny Solinger (himself a replacement for Sebastian Bach!) is rumored to be the frontrunner. With that in mind, we'd like to ask who you'd like to seeing fronting Poison.

1) Tuff's Steve Rachelle
2) Great White's Jack Russell
3) Nelson's Gunnar or Matthew Nelson
4) Slaughter's Mark Slaughter
5) Skid Row's Johnny Solinger
6) Write in with your own favorite not listed here!

Metal Goes Political -- Again

2006-08-30T16:42:00.000-04:00

Left, Right or Center?

Heavy metal music is often accused of being apolitical. Yet many of the genre's biggest names have released albums that owed a heavy lyrical debt to political themes. With Megadeth prepping the overtly political United Abominations for a February 7 release, the venom and vitriol is set to fly again. So we'd like to ask you the following question:

Which politically minded album is your favorite?

1) Warrior Soul's Last Decade Dead Century
2) Metallica's . . . And Justice For All
3) Queensrÿche's Operation: Mindcrime
4) Guns N' Roses' Chinese Democracy
5) Megadeth's Rust in Peace
6) Write in with your own selection not mentioned here!

Hair Apparent: Frank Gambale

2006-08-29T15:47:00.000-04:00

(Editor's note: This will be the first in a series of posts about albums that don't quite qualify in the Lost Classics category, yet still warrant a closer look. It's dedicated to those efforts that aspired to greatness, but only barely grazed it -- the "hair apparents" of the metal world.)

Frank Gambale, The Great Explorers (JVC, 1993)

The Big Idea: Jazz-fusion meets the lighter side of '80s metal

Choice Cuts: "The Great Explorers," "Duet Tuet" and "She Knows Me Well"

Sonic Brethren: Joe Satriani, Steve Vai, Gary Hoey, Van Halen

Frank Gambale is perhaps best known for playing with jazz fusion piano master Chick Corea, but his melodic shredding has a lot of '80 metal crossover appeal. Gambale's The Great Explorers is one of the most rocking platters in his discography. In keeping with the album title, he is pictured on the cover looking like an intrepid adventurer, posed with his choice tool of conquest -- an Ibanez guitar. He covers a lot of sonic territory with that celebrated instrument -- both on the album as a whole and on the microcosm of the three featured tracks -- so let's begin.

The disc's title track opens with a deceptive cadence: a few bars of clean, jazzy guitar work anchored by unorthodox drum patterns. The song's true character doesn't even emerge until a little shy of the minute mark. It's then that we first hear a cascading synthesizer riff that sounds like the lost keyboard work of Eddie Van Halen buttressed by blasts of distorted guitar and tom-tom rolls on the drums. The abrupt change leads into the song's main theme, with Gambale delivering an ultra-melodic melody that's repeated throughout the song.

The Van Halen influence continues through the next track, "Duet Tuet." Clocking in at a mere 43 seconds, this number is more like an unofficial intro to "She Knows Me Well" rather than a full-fledged song in its own right. The short tune allows Gambale and drummer Jonathan Mover to do some tandem shredding in the vein of the Eddie and Alex Van Halen's intro to "Hot for Teacher."

After the frantic fret and skins bashing of "Duet Tuet," "She Knows Me Well" offers a lush, romantic melody that meanders along at a reflective and dreamy pace. Guitarist Gary Hoey shares a co-writing credit on this tune, but it's Gambale's playing that takes it to another level. He caresses his guitar so tenderly that it's hard to imagine "She Knows Me Well" was inspired by anything other than the bittersweet experience of first love. Think about the soaring, emotional fretwork of Steve Stevens in the "Top Gun Anthem" and you can begin to understand the vibe of this tune.

While the remainder of The Great Explorers may be a bit too jazz fusion to appeal to most metalheads, these three tracks are worth a listen. I don't know if they're available on iTunes, but they'd definitely be worth the $2.97 if so.

More Motörhead Madness!

2006-08-25T16:28:00.000-04:00

Lemmy and the Boys Go Latin!

The Kiss of Death CD booklet features the following Latin phrase splashed across several of its pages:

"NATI VT VICTI, OMNES MORITVRI
NEMIMI CREDE, AGE SOLVTE
AMBVLARE PER PLVRIMARVM ANIMARVM OCEANVM PEDES VIX MADEFACIT
QVODCVMQVE FACIS, NOS PRIMI, ET MELIVS, FECIMVS"

Are they any Latinists out there who can translate? While I can recognize some of the individual words, I can't piece it all together into anything coherent.

Let the Butchering Begin

2006-08-24T12:17:00.000-04:00

Beatlemania Meets Metalmania!

Members of Motörhead, Queensrÿche, Dio, Whitesnake and more will lend their hard-rocking talents to the upcoming tribute album Butchering the Beatles, according to a recent press release. In honor of the news, I thought it would be fun to take a look back at some of famous Beatles covers done by metal artists. Which one is your favorite?

1) "Helter Skelter" by Mötley Crüe
2) Medley of "Day Tripper," "If I Needed Someone" and "I Want You (She's So Heavy)" by Type O Negative
3) "Eleanor Rigby" by Realm
4) "Come Together" by Aerosmith
5) Write in with your own selection not mentioned here!

CD Review: Motörhead's Kiss of Death

2006-08-21T16:53:00.001-04:00

Here's a track-by-track review of Motörhead's forthcoming Kiss of Death album (Sanctuary Records). The disc hits stores Aug. 29.

“Sucker”

Fading in with a few seconds of feedback, the band launches into a relentless power-metal gallop that doesn’t let up for nearly three minutes. Very much in the vein of “Ace of Spades” and “We Are Motörhead,” “Sucker” proves that you don’t have to get slower as you get older.

“One Night Stand”

The album’s first metallic boogie track, “One Night Stand” is a hard-hitting cut that celebrates the decadence of the rock & roll lifestyle and the art of the pickup. Singer-bassist Lemmy Kilmister sounds as hungry as ever while drummer Mikkey Dee beats the skins and guitarist Phil Campbell flails the strings.

“Devil I Know”

To every yin, there must be a yang. So it is with “Devil I Know,” which details what ensues the morning after a “One Night Stand”. Lemmy sings, “Ain’t gonna change a thing/Ain’t gonna change my ways/I don’t care where you been/I don’t care where you go/Going back to the devil I know.” Goodbye to romance, for sure . . . Of special note is the solo, which opens with some very deep tones from Lemmy for a few bars before Campbell doubles the harmony a few octaves higher. Nice touch.

“Trigger”

This is the album’s most NWOBHM moment. It sounds like Campbell doubled his leads in the studio to give it some of that two-guitar attack so prominent in the music of Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, et al.

“Under the Gun”

Lemmy once famously sang that “The Chase Is Better Than the Catch.” Well, “Under the Gun” allows Lemmy to have both. And he’s obviously a happy man for it - he implores his beloved, “We all live under the sun/But we don’t have to live under the gun.” Alice in Chains fans will be pleased to note that bassist Mike Inez lends his low-end skills to this track.

“God Was Never on Your Side”

The first (and only) bona fide attempt at a ballad on the album, “God” is a very dire and serious track that nearly feels like an epic but doesn’t quite make it. It both opens and closes with acoustic guitar before the full-on electric barrage commences. This lyrically hard-hitting track highlights Lemmy’s deistic beliefs with lines like, “Let the sword of reason shine/Let us be free of prayer and shrine/God’s face is hidden, turned away/He never has a word to say.” Features some ripping lead work from Poison guitarist C.C. Deville of all people!

“Living in the Past”

With one of the most powerful grooves on the record, “Living in the Past” is an extremely tight number. It also boasts the “youngest” vibe on the album (think “The Game,”) and would probably appeal to the wrestling-fanatic fanbase the band has cultivated over the last several years. Props to Campbell for his fantastic street lethal guitar solo.

“Christine”

One of the most immediately catchy tracks on the disc, “Christine” is another metallic blues boogie written about Lemmy’s pursuit of the opposite sex. Thematically it calls to mind Kiss’ “Christine Sixteen.” Seems like this would have been a more logical choice for C.C. Deville to guest on, but I like the band’s counterintuitive logic in sticking him where they did.

“Sword of Glory”

This is a very timely track considering all the fighting in our world. The tune boasts a catchy refrain (“Soldier, soldier”) that has the potential to turn into a cool call-and-response thing in concert. A great song with an even better message that lyrically is very much in sync with Black Sabbath’s “War Pigs” or “Wicked World.” My favorite solo of the album comes on this track. Witness as Campbell morphs himself into Iron Maiden’s Adrian Smith at his prime.

“Be My Baby”

A very puzzling song – it wants to boogie, but it’s just too sinister to cut a rug. The lyrics seem to address the perils of the Internet and youth culture in general. Again, it sounds like Campbell is double-tracking his solos to give them a fuller, richer tone reminiscent of the NWOBHM movement.

“Kingdom of the Worm”

This is perhaps the most intense track on Kiss of Death. It takes quite a few listens to really understand what’s going on. Along with “God,” this is the other number that attempts some big, adventurous songwriting. Lemmy’s vocals almost sound incantatory during several parts, like a chant. Kudos to producer Cameron Webb (Monster Magnet, Social Distortion) for adding that element of mystery to this unique track.

“Going Down”

The last proper track on the album, “Going Down” aims to end Kiss of Death on a buoyant high note. It’s a simple ode to the pleasures of rock & roll, and it features a refrains that opens with “You can’t mess with Dr. Rock/So don’t you even try.” The song’s main riff – which is used in the intro, chorus and outro – is really early ‘80s inspired. “Going Down” is a pleasant, if overly simplistic, way to end the album.

“R.A.M.O.N.E.S.”

At one minute and nineteen seconds, this is the shortest, punkiest cut on the album and it’s listed as a bonus track. Of course, it’s a reprise of a tune that originally appeared on the band’s celebrated 1991 album, 1916. A bit late for Ramones nostalgia perhaps, but Motörhead always mosh to the beat of their own drum.

One From the Archives: Hear 'n Aid

2006-08-21T10:24:00.000-04:00

No contest today, just curious how many of these '80s rockers can you identify? Anyone recall what memorable event convened such a crowd?

Lost Classics: Britny Fox

2006-08-17T13:32:00.000-04:00

Good Old Boys Revisited

When Britny Fox burst onto the scene in 1988 with their self-titled debut, they immediately garnered a lot of attention for their decadent Victorian glam look and back-to-basics AC/DC-inspired songwriting. Britny Fox nearly hit the platinum mark thanks to singles like “Girlschool,” “Long Way to Love” and “Save the Weak.” The early Britny sound was defined by leather-throated singer/guitarist “Dizzy” Dean Davidson leading the way over the tuneful riffs of onetime Cinderella guitarist Michael Kelly Smith.

Britny Fox was, of course, shear genius. Yet the Philadelphia hair-metal act wasn’t able to sustain the initial success. The Fox’s 1989 sophomore effort, Boys in Heat, boasted a tougher, more balanced approach to songwriting, but it never translated into commercial success. All of which definitely qualifies Boys as a lost classic.

The sound of a revving motorcycle screeching off into the distance opens “In Motion,” the disc’s first cut. It’s a track designed to really entice you in as a listener, with drummer Johnny Dee’s double-time chops and Davidson’s triple-time motor-mouth delivery evoking the hectic pace of the rock & roll lifestyle. Surer, steadier grooves follow in “Standing in the Shadows” and “Hair of the Dog” - thanks to the rock-steady playing of bassist Billy Childs. The latter song is, of course, a brilliant cover of the Nazareth classic. It continues in the footsteps of Britny’s version of Slade’s “Gudby T’Jane” on Britny Fox. Power-balladry dominates on “Dream On,” while tracks like “Long Way From Home,” “Shine On” and “Angel in My Heart” offer just the right combination of gritty mess and radio-friendly finesse.

In an interesting coincidence, Boys also found Britny shedding their signature sartorial look in favor of a denim-and-leather wardrobe. Perhaps because clothes were so closely associated with the band, they lost a sizable portion of their fan base when they took the haute couture leap. What a pity. Their sophomore effort is a quality one.

Lost Classics: YLD

2006-08-15T16:06:00.000-04:00

Just Like Fools Paradise

Of all the great acts the ‘80s gave us, I have a particular soft spot in my heart for those that never really made it. Everybody has a favorite "wannabe" band, whether they want to admit it or not - you know, those third-tier talents that put out ragged little releases that were wholly ignored. Yet the heart and soul those maligned acts poured into their music lives on long after their chances at commercial success have died. Many bands fit this bill, but one of my personal favorites is YLD (pronounced “wild,” their name is written with a line over the “Y”).

In 1989, the quartet released its debut (and only?) album, Window Shopping in Fools Paradise, on the Absolute Records imprint. If you look closely at the cover, you’ll see that at least two of the band’s members are clearly wearing bolo ties – could it be that they hail from the Southwestern United States? We may never know. Here’s another brainteaser: While bands like Motörhead, Mötley Crüe, Queensrÿche and others used the umlaut to signify a menacing, Germanic quality, what are we to make of YLD’s diacritical mark of choice? Is it intended as a sort of Anglicized tilda to give the band’s name a vaguely Hispanic feel while still remaining firmly Anglo?

Enough about the album cover – let’s get down to YLD’s unique brand of bolo boogie. “Wild Girls” starts the album off in raucous style with frontman Kevin Mier Mellenbruch turning in a love-it-or-leave-it vocal performance that falls somewhere between Accept’s Udo Dirkschneider and Britny Fox’s “Dizzy” Dean Davidson. The band’s lumbering yet oddly invigorating stab at Led Zeppelin’s “Good Times Bad Times” follows, but Window Shopping doesn’t really get cooking until “The Distance.” This track is marked by vocal-driven, pop-indebted songwriting and guitarist James Bengston’s eager soloing, which conjures up shades of early Vito Bratta.

The album’s centerpiece is an uplifting cut called “Music Music” that pays tribute to the hardships and victories of life in a struggling band. Opening with a Bengston lead that sounds like an outtake from a lost ‘80s teenage flick, “Music Music” is saturated with tasty six-string escapades and heart-on-the-sleeve lyrics. When Mellenbruch sings, “On a skeleton crew, doing the graveyard shift/I was going nowhere/I took my MDR/of rock and roll/My radio blast/Guitar in hand/I lose control,” you just know he’s lived those lyrics. Call it cheesy if you must, but you can’t take the man’s honesty away from him.

Could YLD ever have made it big under different circumstances? Probably not. But I maintain that it's the C-list talents who really make the ‘80s metal world go round. After all, where would the megastars be without all the wannabes clamoring at their feet?

Autographed Bruce Dickinson Pic Contest Winner!

2006-08-14T12:58:00.000-04:00

This photo of a mystery '80s rocker was a real stumper. It is a picture of bassist Irene Kuhl from a New Jersey band called Xenon. Though no one guessed correctly, I promised to “give the prize to the person who comes closest to the correct answer.” So I’ve selected Bruce @ Mindcrimes as the winner, because he was the only person to write in with the name of a U.S.-based female rocker (all other entries named U.K.-bred female rockers). Bruce, please get in touch with your mailing address!

A little background on the mystery photo: I received it back in 1989 from my cousin. The picture is optimistically signed, “Theo, See ya at Madison Square in ’90! Irene.” I don’t think Xenon ever got to play at MSG, even as a support act. While Irene was dreaming of the Garden, grunge rock was getting ready to take over the airwaves. This photo has a bit of that bittersweet, end-of-an-era kind of nostalgia.

Once again, congratulations to the winner. And in the words of David Lee Roth during his short-lived radio show stint: If you like us tell a friend. If you don't, tell an enemy!

One From the Archives: Slayer

2006-08-14T10:01:00.000-04:00

Lord Have Mercy

With the recent release of Slayer's new album, I thought it would be fun to take a look back at an early press release (dated January 4, 1984) for their first album. Love that early Metal Blade logo!

Lost Classics: Spread Eagle

2006-08-08T17:05:00.000-04:00

Though rap and hip-hop are today synonymous with urban music, New York-based Spread Eagle were one of a handful of heavy metal acts who accurately depicted the grime and crime of city living more than a decade ago. The seedy songwriting and melodic metal riffs of their 1990 self-titled disc did a lot to raise their profile as the Big Apple’s answer to early Guns N’ Roses.

While Spread Eagle wasn’t an unabashed success in its day, it’s since been labeled a ‘classic’ by headbangers everywhere. However, the band’s follow-up, 1993's Open to the Public, is often criminally overlooked. With the recent news of the group’s upcoming reunion tour, it’s a good time to take a look back at Spread Eagle's underrated sophomore effort.

The songwriting on Public is less gritty and perhaps less focused than on its predecessor, yet it’s more expansive. Guitarist Paul DiBartolo ditches excess distortion in favor of clean electric tones on several songs, including “Fade Away” and “High Horses.” Meanwhile, frontman Ray West—noted for his usually bleak, nihilistic tales—gets an attitude adjustment on tracks like “Shine” and “Faith,” which find him exploring relationships and the lighter side of life. The latter track, in fact, is the real standout here with its warm Hammond B3 organ tones and gospel-inspired vocals. It's a perfect way to end the album.
One caveat about “Faith”: Despite the title, it is not a religious song. Instead it’s an upbeat paean to the dreamers of the world who transcend ugly reality. The refrain includes the lyrics, “Faith is gonna set me free/Faith is gonna let me be/When everything is falling down on me now/Well I sit here and dream, well I set myself free.” West & Co. craft the song with an uncommon attention to melody and detail, giving it all the emotion and beauty of a Motown ballad. It’s a fitting final statement from these gritty Big Apple rockers with even bigger hearts.

Note: See below to enter to win an autographed photo of Iron Maiden frontman Bruce Dickinson!

Who Am I? Part 2

2006-08-07T11:16:00.000-04:00

Win an autographed photo of Iron Maiden frontman Bruce Dickinson!

The first person to post the correct name of this female metal musician right here on Metal-Mixtape or e-mail it to union.enterprises@yahoo.com will win an autographed promo picture of Iron Maiden frontman Bruce Dickinson. Contest is only open to residents of the continental United States and ends August 14, 2006, at 10 a.m. ET. The winner will be announced that same day.

I believe this Who Am I? contest is much harder than the last one. But don't worry if you're stumped -- if there's no defintive winner, I'll give the prize to the person who comes closest to the correct answer, in which case my decision will be final. So guess early and often!

Bon Jovi Vs. The Black Crowes

2006-08-04T15:09:00.000-04:00

New Jersey Rockers Shake Things Up On "Wildflower"

After seeing a recent Bon Jovi concert with my wife, I decided to pick up the band's latest effort, Have a Nice Day. I am now listening to it for the first time and can't help but note a lyric that's almost "borrowed" directly from the Black Crowes.

Bon Jovi’s “Wildflower” features the line, “Well, she’ll tell you she’s an only child until you meet her brothers.” The lyric seemed strangely familiar to me the moment my brain processed it. After searching my mind for a few seconds, I realized I’d heard the line before in the Crowes’ “She Talks to Angels,” off their 1990 debut, Shake Your Money Maker. In the Crowes song, frontman Chris Robinson sings, “Yes, she’ll tell you she’s an orphan after you meet her family.” In the first verse, no less. Now, I'm not trying to disparage the Bon Jovi record. In fact, I'm greatly enjoying it. Just couldn't help pointing out the obvious lyrical similarity!

Lost Classics: House of Lords

2006-08-02T16:46:00.000-04:00

The first review in a series dedicated to forgotten classics of the genre

House of Lords were the first act signed to Gene Simmons’ Simmons Records imprint and released their self-titled debut in 1988. The Kiss singer-bassist’s relationship with HOL keyboardist Gregg Giuffria dates back to the ‘70s when the latter was a member of Angel. Simmons discovered Giuffria's proto-hair metal act and got them signed to Casablanca Records. The shared history between the two men made for a great working relationship on House of Lords; the album is a fine, albeit forgotten platter from the heady days of the hair-metal revolution. Simmons serves as executive producer on the disc.

“Pleasure Palace” kicks the album off in a regal style befitting the House of Lords name. An extended keyboard intro announces the major role Giuffria plays in this quintet, while guitarist Lanny Cordola vies with him for primacy by squeezing nasty pinch harmonics out of his axe during the tune’s catchy refrain. The most overtly commercial moment on House of Lords follows with “I Wanna Be Loved.” A natural choice for a single, this song boasts a huge, vocally driven “woah, woah, woah-a-woah” chorus and verses in the Whitesnake vein, with frontman James Christian at his sultry best.

House of Lords is dominated by two types of songs: mid-tempo keyboard-driven numbers that show off the band’s dramatic instincts and go-for-the-throat shred fests that spotlight Cordola’s inspired fretsmanship. In the former category we have slower, deeply thespian numbers like “Edge of Your Life,” “Love Don’t Lie” and “Jealous Hearts.” Falling into the latter group are relentless riffers such as “Slip of the Tongue” (Whitesnake anyone?!) and “Lookin’ for Strange,” which features a boozy, barroom piano intro that can’t obscure the fact that it’s the hardest-rocking track on the disc.

Other album highlights include two amazingly anthemic tunes: “Under Blues Skies” and “Call My Name.” In both theme and sound, “Under Blue Skies” loosely fits with Van Halen’s “Dreams” and Steve Stevens’ “Top Gun Anthem” in a sort of triumvirate of ‘80s rockers written about the joys of flight and other uplifting experiences.

Autographed Judas Priest DVD Contest Winner!

2006-07-31T10:25:00.000-04:00

The photo of the mystery '80s rocker is indeed that of Hiro Homma (EZO, Loudness, Anthem). Steve @ Heavy Metal Addiction was the first person to e-mail the correct name as I requested, while Fred Charles was the first one to post the correct answer on my blog several hours later. I truly appreciate the efforts of both gentlemen (and everyone else who either e-mailed or posted a response), so I've decided to reward them both.

Steve will receive the autographed DVD as promised, while I'd like to send Fred a runner-up prize -- an autographed Halford "Resurrection" CD single signed by the Metal God himself. I'll be in touch with both winners for their mailing addresses.

A little background on the mystery photo: I received it back in the '80s from my cousin (see my June 3 post). If you look closely at the picture, you can see Homma signed his name on it over his torso and drums. If you look even closer, you'll see he addressed it "To Cheo," which is very funny because Homma must have heard my name as "Cheo" instead of "Theo" when my cousin asked him to sign it. Or perhaps there isn't really a "Th" sound in the Japanese language, so Homma simply understood my name as Cheo!

Since running this contest gave me the most response to my blog yet, I'm going to be doing more giveaways in the future. Check back later this week for another contest. And in the words of David Lee Roth during his short-lived radio show stint: If you like us tell a friend. If you don't, tell an enemy!

Get High on a New Thing

2006-07-28T13:11:00.001-04:00

From Debut to Death . . .

Around 2004, I began to lose touch with a lot of the great '80s music I love so much. When I finally got back into the swing of things in 2005, I was deeply saddened to discover that Enuff Z' Nuff guitarist Derek Frigo had died in '04 of an alleged drug overdose. When Enuff Z'Nuff hit MTV in 1989, I immediately dug the band's psychedelic glam shtick.

I don't know if it's too widely known, but Derek Frigo's father, Johnny, is a legendary jazz musician who spent most of his career playing bass but is equally adept at violin. I recently came across the elder Frigo's 1994 album, Debut of a Legend. The disc has some touching liner notes in it, including this message from father to son:
"Special thanks to . . . my young rock guitar whiz son, Derek, for putting my mind at ease with his (at last) remarkable, positive maturation."

Obviously very poignant and ironic words in light of the events of 2004.

While I wouldn't go so far as to say that Debut of a Legend deserves a place in any Enuff Z'Nuff fan's collection, I will say the stringwork on this disc is stellar. You can see why Derek emerged as such a formidable fretman after hearing his father play.

Note: Check back August 1 for the announcement about the winner(s) of the contest!

Who Am I?

2006-07-10T22:57:00.000-04:00

The first person to e-mail the correct name of this drummer to union.enterprises@yahoo.com will win a copy of Judas Priest's Rising in the East DVD autographed by guitarist Glenn Tipton. Only one entry per contestant please; multiple entries will be disregarded. Contest is only open to residents of the continental United States and ends July 31, 2006, at 11 p.m. ET. The winner will be announced August 1.

Gimme Some Lip

2006-07-09T21:14:00.000-04:00

I'm going to be posting some blurbs about my favorite albums of this decade. All selections will be by '80s metal artists.

AC/DC
Stiff Upper Lip (2000)

Few bands with AC/DC's vintage still sounded this good in the new millennium. Stiff Upper Lip was the veteran rockers' first studio disc in five years, yet it was actually the sonic brethren to their 1978 classic, Powerage. Singer Brian Johnson's throaty, McGruff the Crime Dog-style vocals and the dual-axe attack of the brothers Young led the charge.

World Premiere

2006-07-09T21:06:00.000-04:00

Iron Maiden
Brave New World (2000)

Maiden's 12th studio disc marked the return of vocalist Bruce Dickinson and guitarist Adrian Smith to the the fold. With seven of Brave New World's 10 tracks clocking in at more than six minutes each, the material also heralded Maiden's return to the epic masterpieces they perfected in the '80s. Up the Irons!

The Resurrection Won't Be Televised

2006-07-09T20:52:00.001-04:00

Halford
Resurrection (2000)

2000 was the year Rob Halford reclaimed his metal god status. Resurrection is an aural revelry of meaty metal riffs, ear-shattering screams and dual-guitar mayhem. The disc allayed fears that Two, the short-lived late '90s industrial band the singer formed after leaving Judas Priest, has rusted the esteemed frontman's metal heart.

Queen of the Reinvention

2006-07-06T21:23:00.001-04:00

Geoff Tate, Geoff Tate (2002)

Fans know Geoff Tate as the brooding frontman of Queensÿrche who boasts a multi-octave voice and a penchant for ponytails. But on his self-titled solo debut, Tate rarely lifts his throat to operatic heights, choosing instead to focus on clean, midrange vocals. Geoff Tate is an adventurous romp featuring tracks laden with keyboards and acoustic guitars that showcases a rarely seen side of this metal veteran.

Got Hammered?

2006-07-06T21:19:00.001-04:00

Motörhead, Hammered (2002)

When was the last time you got Hammered? For Motörhead, it's a daily occurrence. Iconic frontman Lemmy Kilmister & Co. have survived the vagaries of the music business for more than three decades now, and continue to level their incomparable sonic assault on the eardrums of their faithful followers. Hammered's raw, thrashy rhythms and metallic boogies are a testimony to the group's staying power--for better or hoarse.

My Heavy Metal Enabler

2006-06-03T20:28:00.000-04:00

A Tribute to The Man Who Rocked Me

I've often wondered how young people get into heavy metal music. After some thought, I've come up with an idea. I call it the enabler theory. In the jargon of counseling, an "enabler" is sometimes defined as one who allows others to progress in their unproductive patterns of behavior. If the heavy metal lifestyle isn't an unproductive pattern of behavior, I don't know what is!

My enabler was my cousin Vinnie Policastro. He's the fellow on the right in the picture below. That's Winger guitarist Reb Beach on the left.

In the late '80s and early '90s, Vinnie had a business called Ground Zero Custom Guitars. He had specially built the axe in the above photo for Reb Beach and gave it to him in the hopes of getting the guitarist to sign on as an endorsee. No such deal ever came of it.

Vinnie gave me my first guitar--a very cheap, nameless thing--and was really instrumental in aiding and abetting my heavy metal habit. He showed me how to play Black Sabbath's "Iron Man," the finger-tapping passage from Eddie Van Halen's "Eruption" guitar solo, some Yngwie Malmsteen stuff and more.

Though he was some 10-15 years older than me, he never minded me hanging out around him. I would frequently spend hours just absorbing the rock vibe in his bedroom in the basement of my grandfather's home in the working class town of Union, New Jersey. Vinnie was always very kind to me and for that I remember him fondly to this day.

Trews To Crack U.S. Market?

2006-05-26T19:28:00.000-04:00

Legendary Aerosmith producer gives 'em a leg up

The Trews are a young Canadian band who've had a lot of success in the Great White North and are now hoping to crack the U.S. market. Their stateside debut album, Den of Thieves, is produced by Jack Douglas--the man behind the board for many of Aerosmith's classic albums. Incidentially, the band takes its name from traditional Scottish pants!

Your Mama Don't Dance . . .

2006-05-18T19:34:00.000-04:00

A number of hard-rock and metal acts have covered tunes from the '60s and '70s -- the era of music that's usually referred to as oldies. Below is a partial list of some instances of this. I've tried to avoid the more obvious ones like Poison's rendition of Loggins & Messina's "Your Mama Don't Dance" and Tesla's version of the Five Man Electrical Band's "Signs."

Megadeth's "These Boots" (originally recorded by Nancy Sinatra under the title "These Boots Are Made for Walkin'")
House of Lord's "Can't Find My Way Home" (originally recorded by Blind Faith)
Sanctuary's "White Rabbit" (originally recorded by Jefferson Airplane)

Sin After Sin . . .

2006-05-15T16:00:00.000-04:00

Judas Priest's 1976 album, Sad Wings of Destiny, moves me in almost spiritual ways. Singer Rob Halford aptly captures the spirit of surrender in the hard-hitting cut "Genocide." His solemn intonation in the middle of the song -- "Sin after sin/ I have endured/ Yet the wounds I bear/ Are the wounds of love" -- evokes both Old Testament psalms and Shakespearean sonnet. I've often thought Gianlorenzo Bernini's sculpture The Ecstasy of St. Teresa pairs up nicely with the breakdown in "Genocide" and can really help to visualize the meaning of that particular lyric.

If you look closely at the work, you'll see the angel ready to pierce St. Teresa's heart as she writhes in ecstasy. Of course, there's a lot of erotic and sexual overtones to the image -- the same sort that can be imagined in Halford's vocals.

Headbangers (Christmas) Ball: Give the Gift of Metal

2006-05-13T19:54:00.000-04:00

While metal isn't typically associated with the holidays, some of your favorite rockers have recorded tunes with the yuletide in mind. Below is a partial list:

American Angel, "Best Part of Christmas" (from their EP '92 release)
King Diamond, "No Presents for Christmas" (from the No Presents for Christmas single)
Enuff Z'Nuff, "Happy Holiday" (from the Peach Fuzz CD)

2006-05-10T16:30:00.000-04:00

The Ultimate Metal Mix . . .
Coming Soon