Black Sabbath, Headless Cross

Black Sabbath, Headless Cross (IRS-1989)

As a big fan of this band I as all fans love the Ozzy stuff and for a great reason. But all those albums done very well and sold quite rightfully in their million is America and beyond.

Next singer was again a favorite in Ronnie James Dio. But again that was a very successful era in the band. After the second 'Dio' album many fans seem to slowly move on. Some may have felt the constant lineup changes making that once fantastic band seem a little corporate and well stale. But by the time the band got to the late 80s the band was very different. New deal with IRS was signed and a real idea for a change in direction.

A great help for me in this album is Cozy Powell, what a fantastic drummer, he played on many other bands but notable for me Rainbow and on the 'Rising' album. He as ever plays a blinder on this album. And thanks to him a new singer was recruited in Tony Martin. The plan by Tony Iommi was to bring back Dio but Cozy suggested Tony Martin. The idea was to have him on rehearsals and well it all went so well this album was made with the three of them and like the old days all writing credits between the band.

There is an air of AOR on this album but it for me it is in that 80s feel, little bit of a hair metal sort of vibe. But those are all quickly trampled on with guitar from Toni Iommi, easily one of the geniuses of music. Great playing and some nice solos here. Not so much a big riff album but an all round classic rock structure.

The classic inro track really shows what this is all about, Occult and Satanic lyrics and references all over the album. There is also a nice mix of all out metal songs and the classic doom style the band invented in ‘Kill in the Spirit World'. one of the first things I heard about this album was the track ‘When Death Calls’ and I never knew the solo was by Brian May, again amazing stuff and it really expands on everything the band used to be but moving it forward to 1988. As I say the bands at the time were hair metal and slowly there was the grunge thing in the early 90s so it is a nice album in the middle of all that. There are some nice touches of keyboards that give the album that occult vibe from Geoff Nicholls and I think his best work with the band.

Produced by Powell and Iommi it shows how much creativity they had and I am glad that there was no others in the studio as the sound may well have been watered down for that 88 sound.
For me the best Sabbath albums are the first six then this one then the Dio stuff so there really is some great quality here. Well receved at the time by critics but on IRS it really never sold bundles or even got people buzzing at the band. If you are a fan of Sabbath or like many a big fans of the Ozzy/Dio era and and have not heard this it really is a cracking album and fully deserves to be in your collection.

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Dragonforce, Inhuman Rampage

Dragonforce, Inhuman Rampage (Roadrunner-2006)

Who likes power metal?

Hey no sniggering at the back! I am serious I like some power metal now and then. It reminds me of the American Wrestling with all the theater and show, add in a story and the big production it can be very entertaining. Then I have seen UK wrestling, nothing like America put it like that.

Like wrestling the UK was very bad at making power metal bands and even metal music for some time. Enter this band who had a few album out before this amazing piece of work. Guitarist Herman Li got this band going as he could not find a band who wanted to play his style (very fast solo like power metal) so he made one himself. Fast forward a few great album and the band had a change in sound a little. The change was to add in more solos and more guitars (no joke).

"Through The Fire And Flames" kicks it off in one hell of a style. The song has a great name and I think they can walk through fire and flame. The drums are none stop but still play in time to the melody. The songs here are very melodic and also very much a track for the metal clubs. The opratic vocals add that theme that I talked about, nice and clean vocals with words you can hear and sing along to. Hey it works for Abba.

"Revolution Deathsquad" is like a tribute to all metal bands and solos ever. There is even some riff tributes included but not done in a cheesy way at all. Solo after solo after solo...  I joke not, it is guitars and melodic riffs to the max the singer has time for a part-time job here. But so bloody good. Any guitar player has to hear this and I do not mean in a Eddie Van Halen way as he did something unique. This has been done before in over say five albums.

Sitting back and listening you do feel it is all production and studio work much like Hulk Hogan was in his 50s and could never do what he does without the gimmicks and set up. I have seen the band live and they are like this! They have gimmicks just as good with a Keytar and trampolines to jump off from and throw shapes.

"Operation Ground And Pound" has a real classic power metal sound with the keyboards being used as the intro but all is over soon and guitars kick in. Each song really does have a nice meladic vocal section and for people who sing in the shower you can do it here as well. But just don't expect to get round of applause at the next karaoke.

 Last track is the radio friendly ballad. "Trail Of Broken Hearts" is one for the people who enjoy a few drinks and like a slower number. Throw out the Bon Jovi and have this track.

Amazing thing about this album is it was a big hit in the UK. Selling over 100,000 copies it went gold here and gave roadrunner a very rare Gold album. Much deserved and I think I have this hear for the fans outside the UK.

Hey if you don't like it do as Hulk says "say your prayers, take your vitamins ..."

If you do get it get me a foam finger as a reward.

Easily available all over the world via Roadrunner.

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Type O Negative, October Rust

Type O Negative, October Rust (Roadrunner-1996)

I really think this band are so overlooked. I know so as I did the same. I did buy this in the late 90s but never really liked it as much as I do now. Could be my age but I don't know why it took so long to love this band so much.

The album before was a big hit going platinum in America and cementing the band into the gothic style. But they really are just a rock band. As always all music has to be put into a sub genre. Call it metal if you like but it is still just rock n roll.

The dry humor here is what I love starting with a joke track then onto the music. "Love You to Death" is such a catchy song, nice keyboards and sample added with Peter Steele's utterly unique voice opens the album up well. Same goes for his bass playing and "Be My Druidess" shows how to make a sound with a bass guitar in a way that you have to have a go. The down tuned style is at times so un inspiring for many people but there are so many positives here as the songs are very catchy, you will be sing along at times and again it is listed in the metal section.

The big song "My Girlfriend's Girlfriend" will guarantee smiles and it is such a great song, it should have been number one, could have been in the 80s but would they take it a seriously back then? The album is so well made that I was shocked to read that all drums were programed and you really can barley notice. I think they have made such a nice little sound unique to themselves you really do not notice much of the technical side of the music.

This album was not received as well as the other albums they done and a reason was for it being more ballad like music. But it is done so well and with such a great song writer in Steele they even cover a Neil Young song (Cinnamon Girl) and do it so well in there own style of music. It may seem to be a serious album and it is as the album deals with loneliness and death but the humor is so important here as it is so hard to write funny music. Here we have a funny, serious, heavy metal pop album. Has anyone ever done that ever since?

The album is easily available but the box set is great value as all the other albums are really good.

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Nevermore, This Godless Endeavor

Nevermore, This Godless Endeavor (Century Media-2005)

Looking over past albums I have chosen you can see I like heavy metal. But much of the metal world to most people can sound and also, be quite boring. If you can't get into say Slayer and Metallica you may think you don't like that style of music. It may sound to old for you as they have been about for years. Or you just want a more modern sound, something big where you can hear the hard work in the music...

Why not give it one more go. Nevermore are an American band who have been about from the mid 90s. They have done some great albums but this is a real stand out album. Not so much as a good set of tunes but good everything. Production, sound, engineering, musicianship and of course some great riffs. The band have always done a kind of old school thrash sound that has modernized with the black metal sound.

Best way to get an idea is to listen and first track "Born" is all you have to listen to for an idea on the sound here. At times metal does sound better when underproduction helps to give that raw edge. But this band seem to be on another planet here and every single thing that they play you can hear as crystal clear as possible.

DRUMS! man I wish I could hit one drum that sounded as good as this album. Pure utter gold, amazing playing from Van Williams, you think he is just hitting everything all the time but as the album progresses "My Acid Words" shows this man knows exactly what he is doing. Slowing down and barley playing to the music and evolving the album sound from one genre to another in a few drum fills. Amazing.

"Sentient 6" is the first time this album take a ballad feel and even then it is done so well, some nice keyboards and the normal slow timing to make the song feel more emotional but the riffs are here don't worry.

And in the middle a nice instrumental "The Holocaust Of Thought" it is more of a solo lasting 90 seconds, bit odd but if there was no track list you really would not have noticed. Again this album feels so right and it all fits well. "Sell My Heart For Stones" returns to the piano and acoustic sound of before but with some real emotional lyrics. The harmonies help build up what the song is about.

The band up to this point had quite a few albums out and I think they may have got an idea it was the time to make it bigger and "The Psalm Of Lydia" shows just what they can do. Dissecting the song there are 1000 ideas here. You need to listen so close and thankfully the next track is more like a classic metal song, solos and great mountains of noise.

Last track "This Godless Endeavour" titles the album and I see why. Again including many fantastic acoustic passages and that great voice. The bass and drums work so well here and at the start supply a great riff between them. The song is a little like a reprise of the whole album, brave thing to do as I have heard this done many times before and it never really works. But it does here. It could also be a teaser for the next album.

The band and the producer Andy Sneap could not have done anything else to make this better, no tweaks to any dial could have made a single riff or snare drum sound any better. All the planets were in alignment for this one. The press did not miss this one as well, I did see 10/10 in one and all were full of praise. Tours supporting the big bands must have been on the cards.

But the band had some back luck, illness in the band made the tours impossible. No record company can promote a band who can't tour. As they want to build up to the next album. So this album fell under the radar in a way. Well not now, give it a go. This album is my tester album to any new electrical equipment I get. Richer Sounds should give this away with all new amplifiers.

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Isis, Celestial

Isis, Celestial (Hydra Head-2000)

I still think this is a new sound as there has been so few albums to do this so well. At the time it was called Sludge metal, doom, post metal and many others but it really is just loud rock music at the end of the day.

So ok it is not quite Little Richard but still it is just drums, bass and guitar. In 2000 the music world was being blasted by the likes of Limp Bizkit and Korn and others on the fringes of the metal world we all trying to copy that down tuned bass tone.

Isis were not easily led and with a fairly minimal idea for an album made one the the best metal albums in the 00s. The start of the first track gives and idea what is going on here. Sounds of someone typing on a computer keyboard. Sounds like someone hacking into something, could it be in the future or...

Well track one quickly leads into "Celestial (The Tower)" and the guitar noise begins. more like really big riffs that span the whole spectrum of sound. Like a machine digging away at the earth throwing up chunks or rock and dirt. Scratchy guitar parts add into the atmosphere. Singer Aaron Turner appears with screaming vocals that can barely be made out over the sound of the band. He says the album deals with the erosion of privacy as technology advances.

As track two "Glisten" thunders in you can feel as if the album is being made to hurry up a little, that feeling as if the connection will go. Leading back to what the album is about very well. The band work well together in delivering the big riff like noises. "Swarm Reigns (Down)" feeds off the rest of the album well. Now you feel a sense of desperation in the music. The dynamics on this album are fantastic, you really do feel something on each track. Something you just didn't get back in 2000 with other metal bands.

"De constructing Towers" yet again changes scope in the music, more of a jazz feel to it, guitars and drums are frantic. They keep on rolling as if no purpose, like covering up something. Ending with a single acoustic guitar. The music is so good you feel as if it really must have been done before but not to these ears.

With the end near "Collapse and Crush" sounds like its title, big slow doom guitars and strong guttural vocals accompanying the band. All the time still having the chugging guitar sound. This track goes into a nice clean guitar sound and at the right time too. You welcome it with open arms. The track does build slightly heavier but nothing like before. As I say the feel of this album is just amazing. "Gentle Time" closes the album with guitars and riffs that if sped up I feel would still sound the same.

Back in 2000 I was lucky to see some great metal bands like Pantera, Slayer and Metallica. But I was more exited about seeing this band in 2001. They don't sound that much different live as well. But the power and the simplicity is remarkable. With the world turning to baggy jeans and chains it would have been easy to miss this album. Not now as here it is, thanks to this blog a chance to hear an album that will never age or be cool.

Celestial is easily available but if you get the chance get the double album with the add on EP as this was to be a double album when recorded. One year later the second part was released "SGNL>05" is just as epic and essential. I may even review it later on.

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Classic Album Review, Strapping Young Lad, City

Strapping Young Lad, City (Century Media-1997)

Now and then a metal album comes along and just makes you wonder why bother. I still remember my first listen of this amazing album. March 1997 just back from Music Mania (Old Glasgow shop) and the owner said to me good luck as I left the shop.

I see why for 1997 it is such a crazy album. For 2012 it is still a crazy album. In 2050 it WILL still be a crazy album. But it is a good thing. Devin Townsend hits such highs on this album that it will always be a benchmark for the nosier side of things. The band was started as more of a joke band. Much like Spinal Tap.  Devin was playing guitar with Stevie Vai for a while and was a well respected musician. But he had to break away from being in someone else's band and start his own. And well job done.

I say a joke album not so much as in ha ha look at the haircuts but the music is just so over the top. It was not trying to push boundaries but show how full of shit the boundaries are. We all have seen the Cannibal Corpse album covers and heard the guttural vocals of death metal. At times it is good but much of it is a load of crap. First song 'All Hail the New Flesh' follows on from an epic intro track to really take metal to you.

There is so much going on here on this album I really don't want to review this album with words like"heavy", "Loud" and "Skullcrushing". Saying this album is heavy over and over is again the joke. But Devin is so good at making music. Not just a great writer and guitar player he has crafted this album into more than a white noise album. You can feel some real music in this, it may be layered over and over in the tracking in the album. But you do get a real sense of another listen and each time it gets better.

Songs like 'Detox' that may have a meaning to us all are delivered with such attitude it feels as if it is perfectly normal to play like this. Big riffs and a great drum sound are all here each track builds nicely and shows the listener that at times heavy music can create just as much character as a comedy actor.

Devin deemed himself a musical whore due to being forced to play with other artists that I think this album was his therapy and also the reason to move on. 'Oh my Fucking God' is as it says on the tin. Again mocking the play faster to be fastest band attitude. During the song it slows down with the lyrics just repeating the song name. Point made and at times he is so right.

'AAA' is the song that changes style a little, slower and more industrial feeling. Cleaner guitars are here but still made to sound big by Devin. You could call this a slow song in a way but well the rule book has been binned for this album.

This album really got noticed in the press and only in the metal press. I think it does deserve to be listened by more people who may hate metal music. Remember metal is not just Metallica and Slayer, give this a try and if only to have an album to get one back on the noisy crap music that is played by the neighbors till 4am on a Sunday morning.

The album was on a metal label but that really should not have stopped it selling more. It was also Devin's first full on band album (His first SYL was more him and a drum machine). It really shows what he could do and his fantastic studio skills. This album set him up for all his solo work, a body of work that is more varied than most of the 70s put together. People who say they like classic rock music may mock this album but I say this is never going to sound classic. Now that is worth a listen.

Classic Album Review, Bruce Dickinson, The Chemical Wedding

Bruce Dickinson, The Chemical Wedding (Air Raid-1998)

Ahh yes old Brucie is back. And the follow up to 1997s great 'Accident of Birth'. That album was a great come back to the metal world for Bruce as he was toying with the classic rock area for a while. Again produced by Roy Z it is crystal clear and having at the time a former Iron Maiden guitarist in Adrian Smith you know it will be good.

But it was way better than that, so much so this album really did put Bruce back into the eyes of the music press all around the world. When released it didn't have as much press at the previous album but I think that was for a reason, to make the press listen.

The cover is The Ghost of a Flea by William Blake. The Painting was done on a small hardwood panel but musically this album is not small at all. First track 'King in Crimson' reminds me of classic Dio mixed with a more extreme death metal style. Big drums and guitars. The bass kicks in and takes your head off. Then Bruce starts his classic singing style, he needs good lungs for this one as to get over the band he needs them.

Bruce said every track was written like the artwork, a small frame depicting an emotion. The first was about fear (so that's why it is so loud) second track 'Chemical Wedding' is about tragedy and you do feel it with Bruce's voice dipping and almost just talking to you. The music is simple and mixes some loud guitar parts with some nice harmonies that are used to help depict tragedy.

Track three 'The Tower' brings in that guitar player, Adrian Smith is considered the backbone of Maidens sound. More so as when he left the band really went on a downward spiral (He went in 1988) and Maiden albums never sounded the same till his return. Here is the track that proves what has been missing. Theme here is union and what a union of Bruce, Adrian and Roy Z. An idea was made to have bass strings on the guitars, and they did. This song just blasts the speakers out the house, big loud and heavy. Again all very simple with nice little lead guitar parts that flow between the vocals. Telling a story and keeping the great Blake theme going. The song goes into a fantastic solo that shows what we have all missed. the solo is more than a solo, not showing off just the guitar player but the drummer, bass, producers and the studio engineer. It is stunning and up there with the best.

'Killing Floor' starts off and nails the bass guitar sounding riffs so well you could let it go on. And it does. With Bruce shouting "Satan, has left his killing floor" the song feels bluesy and builds up all the time, riffing and interluding to a fantastic end.

'Book of Thel' opens up with some nice clean bass and the album really changes here. The clean bass builds into a nice big full band assault and Bruce again nails it. This song is so spooky and the lyrics just grab you by the throat. Verse two is worth the album alone! It grabs you and will not let you away. This is what metal is and what sabbath wanted scary doom maiden music. The band play so well here knowing when to slow down and/or speed up as if you are in a horror movie. The piano and spoken word narration at the end is so eerie you may just as well check over your shoulder.

'Gates of Urizen' takes back to a classic rock style, no that is unfair as it is more of an operatic feel. It is very melodic and would easily sound great with just an acoustic guitar. but musicians as good as this they make it better.

'Jerusalem' has that classic folk sound to it. I think Bruce and the band have a great sense of humor and all traces of Stonehenge disappear from your thoughts quickly. Building up with mainly vocals and some nice melodic guitar.

'Trumpets of Jericho' and 'Machine Men' offer up the great sounding big hitting guitar from earlier. Still catchy and still kicking you about the room. More nice melodic parts here and great guitar work. You can really feel the guitar sound more in later tracks and it is very addictive.

Final track 'The Alchemist' takes you on a journey of the whole album. Ending as the first started in fear. But uses a more  disorientated feel to confuse and scare you. The vocals change from singing to melodic harmonies to shouting just adding to the fear and feel.

Black Sabbath started this in 69 and it is rare an album can scare you or at least make you feel the eeriness. You listen to this and you feel like you are back in the 1800s and watching William Blake working on a poem or piece of art. What is weird is Blake's work for the best part when he was alive was ignored. Or more so was considered crazy and blasphemous. Even after he died some of his work was destroyed due to it being considered politically radical. Much like Blake's work this album has slipped by the mainstream for too long. And with that Iron Maiden fans who have never heard it. They are the last people that should hear this as they have had there chance.

This is more than just a music album, it is a history lesson, a lesson in story telling and above all a lesson in metal.

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Classic album review. Flotsam and Jetsam, Doomsday for the Deceiver

Flotsam and Jetsam, Doomsday for the Deceiver (Metal Blade-1986)

Thrash metal was still pretty much new in 1986, for the old school metal fan it was just too fast and too loud. Hair metal seemed to be popular at this point and it was time for a new sound. Metallica, Slayer and Megadeth all made albums that made thrash metal sell many albums but one missed out.

Underground music back then was not able to have MP3s available on I Tunes or have a website to spread the bands name and sound. All you could do is turn up and play wherever you could. That is what they done and luckily got a deal with Metal Blade.

Notably the band included a Jason Newsted who would later join Metallica. But in this band he was the main songwriter. And he was regarded as being the band member who lead them all.
The music is heavily influenced by his bass playing. More in a style of Steve Harris from Iron Maiden, a fast train like ramble that forces the drummer to play fast as well. Constant drum and bass fills in songs with some solos taking a step back.

Some of the album is a kind of cross of punk and metal, along the lines of Discharge with a rock singer and faster riffs. But the album does contain acoustic parts arpeggiated for the classic music sound that then drills into the full on band playing faster and giving Slayer a run for there money.

Something they have really different is that singer Eric A.K. seems to think he is the Ronnie James Dio, but he does pull it off and at times the album sounds better for his high singing. Most thrash bands had singers who would hide the vocals away under the music to save blushes when trying to impress the listener.

Something I like in this album is how each track seems to have its own unique start. 
For some reason the metal buying public missed this one out. When Metallica and co do the Big Four tour it really should have been a Big Five. One thing that this album did do was give the band a major label deal for the next record with Elektra Records.

Later albums seem to have slipped by as well but this being the debut and while the band was still learning and to think they were all so young at the time. It has the whole attitude of the underground 80s music feel to it and the songs are still so good.

This album is why the likes of Metallica and Pantera had to move on and change there sound. 

If you want the nostalgic 80s feel you can get this on 2x12" reissue and CD