Judas Priest: The 70's

Post #206
It is clear that heavy metal music has its roots in the late-60's and early-70's. However, it is truly the 70's where the course of metal music as a genre found its footing and began to branch down different paths of development. One of the most crucial bands in establishing metal's stronghold is Judas Priest. They had two very talented guitarists in KK Downing and Glen Tipton, but even more significant was their one-of-a-kind vocalist- Rob Halford. Halford had a vocal range of about 4 octaves, which is among the widest vocal ranges in metal music. Very early in their career, Judas Priest began making the most of these coveted talents, and helped launch a new era for the heavy metal genre which is still going strong today.

Priest released their debut album, Rocka Rolla, in 1974. Compared to most of the rest of their albums, this one is a little rough around the edges. Perhaps a bit before Priest would truly find their signature sound, this is still an interesting recording. Here you'll find a band existing somewhere between psychedelic rock and the heavy-blues rock from which metal would soon sprout.

My top picks from Rocka Rolla:
-One for the Road
-Rocka Rolla
-Cheater (on the compact disc this is part of medley also featuring- Winter, Deep Freeze, and Winter Retreat)
-Diamonds and Rust (an early version of their Joan Baez cover that would also appear on the Sin After Sin album a few years later, this song was added as a bonus track after remastering in the 80's)

With their second album in '76, Priest delivered a true classic. Sad Wings of Destiny still stands the test of time as a crucial album in the early landscape of heavy metal. No less than 4 tracks from this album have become concert set-list favorites over the years: 'Victim of Changes', 'The Ripper', 'Tyrant' and 'Genocide'. This is the album where Judas Priest really began to find their signature sound.

Sad Wings of Destiny is more than a keystone album for Judas Priest, it has been a major influence to the entire heavy metal genre since its release. Many of today's prominent metal bands still refer to Sad Wings when recounting the days when they discovered a love for heavy music. Particularly thrash metal owes a great deal to this album, for it's where many of the key elements of thrash were first revealed.

My picks from Sad Wings...
-Victim of Changes
-The Ripper
-Deceiver
-Tyrant
-Genocide
-Island of Domination

1977's Sin After Sin was Priest's first album for CBS Records (which would morph into Columbia Records in due time). With support from the record company Judas Priest by now were able to tour in the US, broadening their audience significantly. More importantly, they were carving their own niche as songwriters and had truly begun to pave a significant road for Heavy Metal music. One fact that illustrates this album's significance might be that thrash titan Slayer chose to cover the song 'Dissident Aggressor' from this album. It remains a concert favorite for both bands.

My Picks from Sin After Sin:
-Sinner
-Diamonds and Rust (The famous Joan Baez cover)
-Starbreaker
-Last Rose of Summer (This song shows the softer side of Judas Priest as well as any song they've ever written. Clean, melodic ballad showcases Halford's true vocal talent as well. Perhaps the last song by Priest that really sounds more psychedelic rock than metal.)
-Dissident Aggressor

BONUS TRACKS:
-Race With the Devil
-Jawbreaker (Live)

Stained Class was released in 1978, and this is the album I have come to call my favorite among Judas Priest's work from the 70's. I rank it among my top-5 favorite albums from Priest overall. This album again features many songs that get repeated inclusion in concert set lists and compilation albums. 'Exciter' and 'Stained Class' being the heavier offerings on this album, but to my ears, the most memorable song here is 'Beyond the Realms of Death'.

'Beyond the Realms of Death' was the most unique song Priest had recorded by this point in their career. Primarily driven by melodic guitar phrases, and a somber minor-key tone, the chorus kicks into a heavy riff, and Halford's voice converts from soft vocal melodies to more aggressive screams. This song has even been referenced by Metallica as being a key to their pursuit of the clean/heavy/clean song structures they developed in the mid-80's.

Other notes of significance on Stained Class: It is the first album to feature Les Binks on drums. Binks also is credited as co-writing the aforementioned 'Beyond the Realms of Death' with Halford. It is also the first album to feature the now-classic Judas Priest logo. The album artwork (by Roslav Szaybo), seems to depict the famous head-injury suffered by Phineas Gage in 1848, although the angle of the rod-through-the-head is a little bit off.

My top picks from Stained Class:
-Exciter
-Stained Class
-Saints in Hell
-Beyond the Realms of Death (DO NOT MISS THIS ONE!)
-Heroes End

BONUS TRACKS:
-Fire Burns Below
-Better By You, Better Than Me (Live)

1979 brought Hell Bent for Leather to the metal masses. Judas Priest were growing in popularity with each release at this point. This album is a great example of the band maintaining their grip with accessible, radio-friendly heavy rock, as it contains a few songs that are best described as anthems, while still pushing the edge of heavy metal. 'Rock Forever' and 'Take on the World' are those anthem type of songs. Conversely they still had several songs on the cutting edge of heavy metal, like 'Hell Bent for Leather' and 'Running Wild'. Keep in mind, however, that this was the 1970's, and the only way to achieve success was through radio air-play, so music couldn't get as aggressive as it can today and still survive.

Overall, the direction of this album would be right on par with much of the material Priest would write throughout the 80's, making Hell Bent for Leather a true classic of heavy metal.



My favorite tracks from Hell Bent for Leather:
-Delivering the Goods
-Rock Forever
-Hell Bent for Leather
-The Green Manalishi (With the Two-Pronged Crown) (A cover of a Fleetwood Mac song, and Priest make this one their own as well as they did on 'Diamonds and Rust')
-Running Wild
-Before the Dawn (Again, I recommend the softest track on the album. I can't help enjoying a band that maintains their versatility through the years.)

BONUS TRACKS:
-Fight For Your Life
-Riding on the Wind (Live)

By 1979, Judas Priest had been touring the world with growing success for well over 2 years. They chose to close the decade with a live album documenting their well earned status as one of the best new heavy metal bands in the world. Unleashed in the East was that album, and it remains one of the best live albums by any metal band in the 70's.

When the Judas Priest albums were remastered in 2001, 4 bonus tracks were adding to this release. Also recorded live from the same tour, these extra tracks make this album and even greater masterpiece.

My top picks from Unleashed in the East:
-Exciter
-Sinner
-The Ripper
-The Green Manalishi (With the Two-Pronged Crown)
-Genocide

BONUS TRACKS:
-Rock Forever
-Delivering the Goods
-Hell Bent for Leather
-Starbreaker

Remembering Jon Lord (1941-2012)

Post # 205

Today, the world of Heavy Metal music, Rock N' Roll, and music in general, lost an iconic musician. Jon Lord, keyboardist for Deep Purple, passed away. He was 71 years old. His career in Heavy Metal spanned nearly 5 decades. The music he created or helped create is beyond measure. The bands he played in, or worked with, all feel this loss today. Rest In Peace Jon Lord. Fans of your music everywhere are thinking of you today!


Here's one of my favorite songs featuring Jon Lord on keyboards:


Who Cares-Out Of My Mind

Heavy Metal Madness-Second Round Summary: Part 1

Post #204
With the second round of Heavy Metal Madness, the choices got tougher, the votes got closer, and all-in-all the excitement multiplied as more bands were ultimately eliminated from this competition. As the polls closed, 8 more bands got one step closer to the championship of heavy metal.

Here's how the first half of the 'Sweet Sixteen' was decided...
In the Thrash/Classic Metal bracket:
METALLICA beat ANTHRAX 39-7
and IRON MAIDEN beat PANTERA 30-15
This sets up next month's match between Maiden and Metallica, one that I think might just determine the eventual champion, but the only way to know for sure is to keep voting...

In the Alternative/Grunge bracket:
FOO FIGHTERS beat RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE 23-18
and SOUNDGARDEN upset PEARL JAM 23-20
...Two very tight matches right up to the end!

In the Classic Rock bracket:
BLACK SABBATH dominated RUSH 35-9
and KISS (#5 seed) beat MOTLEY CRUE (#4 seed) 30-12, a close match in seeding, but an upset nonetheless.

And finally, in the Hardcore/ Death Metal bracket:
DISTURBED beat NIGHTWISH 26-12
and AVENGED SEVENFOLD beat KILLSWITCH ENGAGE 25-13


The second half of this round is underway now! Keep the votes coming, and check back later to see who has advanced.
The first half of the Sweet Sixteen round begins on July 20th!

My suggested songs for those bands eliminated this past month:
Anthrax-I'm Alive
Pantera-Mouth For War
Rage Against The Machine-Bulls on Parade
Pearl Jam-Spin the Black Circle
Rush-Working Man
Motley Crue-Dr. Feelgood
Nightwish-Nemo
Killswitch Engage-The End Of Heartache

Happy Headbanging...

Rock Bottom Remainders at ALA 2012 (6-23-12)

"It's Past Our Bedtime Tour" -Anaheim, CA
Post #203
On June 23rd, 2012, at the ALA (American Library Association) Annual Convention, history was made as a unique band gave their final performance together. The band was called The Rock Bottom Remainders. Their legacy: the greatest rock band ever comprised of best-selling authors. (Perhaps it's more accurate to call them the greatest writers ever to form a rock band?) You heard me right: award-winning, best-selling, chart-topping novelists, writers, authors who at one point in the early 90's were drawn together and asked if they would play in a rock band together. The idea was proposed by publishing consultant/author Kathi Kamen Goldmark, and embraced with enthusiasm by the various writers whom thence became a part-time rock band. They have played together over the years, raising money for charity. Tonight was no exception, benefiting the ProQuest Scholarship, though this night was to be their final performance together.

The evening began to unfold as hundreds of librarians and convention-goers proceeded to the top floor of the convention center. We gathered in the main ballroom, where the stage was set to capture a farewell performance unlike any other in the history of Rock n' Roll music. I count myself as VERY lucky to have been among this crowd, another of a long list of benefits of being married to a wonderful librarian. My legs may have been tired from hours of walking the convention floor and gathering books, but I still chose the standing-room-only portion of the floor for this one-of-a-kind concert. Dozens of other librarians were packing the open space right up to the front of the stage. Whatever stereotypes you may have in your mind about librarians, forget 'em. This crowd was buzzing with energy, and you could feel the anticipation building up by the second. This crowd knew the significance of the rock show that was about to unfold.

The first band member/author to come onto the stage was Roy Blount, Jr. He then introduced the rest of the band, one by one. Over a dozen well-known authors and 2 professional musicians (Josh Kelly on drums and Erasmo Paolo on saxophone) filled the stage and prepared to rock the joint. In no particular order, the authors in the band were (to the best of my recollection) as follows: Stephen King, Mitch Albom, Greg Iles, Ridley Pearson, Dave Barry, Sam Barry, James McBride, Amy Tan, Matt Groening, Mary Karr, and Scott Turow. Other guest singers and musicians included Janine Sabino, Kathleen Enright, and Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame inductee and original member of The Byrds- Roger McGuinn. (There may have been a couple other Remainders or Remainderettes whose names I can't recall, and if so, I apologize. By all means feel free to notify me of any other names I should mention. This blog is not beyond the power of revision ;-) )

Josh Kelly clicked his drum sticks in the air to set the tempo, and the next thing we knew the House was A-Rockin' (literally and figuratively, as they opened with Stevie Ray Vaughan's '89 classic, 'The House Is Rockin'). The crowd got into it immediately, jumping up and down in time with the music. The opening song was an all-out jam. Everybody on-stage was singing the lyrics and/or playing their instruments and giving their all. Next they hit us with an appropriate, literary-themed song- 'Paperback Writer' by The Beatles. Again this song was vocals-by-committee, as various authors took turns singing the verses, while numerous background singers filled in all of The Beatles' catchy, 4-part harmonies right on cue.

The Rock Bottom Remainders carried on with their set, giving us a healthy dose of rock n' roll classics from the 50's and 60's. They had a great sense of showmanship as well. Every member of the band had a unique personality, and a charisma they brought to the stage. Many times they incorporated a skit to act out some of the lyrical themes. Scott Turow was introduced while wearing a hot-pink wig. Roy Blount Jr. was sporting a Blues Brothers-esque black hat and shades. Stephen King was wearing a Boston Red Sox t-shirt ('Of course!' I thought to myself.), but a closed look revealed it to be a Gilead Gunslingers shirt, in the style of the Red Sox logo. Also, where the baseball team's logo has a pair of red socks, in their place were two revolvers (with sandalwood grips I'm willing to bet). Matt Groening periodically put on rubber Halloween masks of various Simpson's characters. But perhaps the most flamboyant stage presence was owned by Amy Tan.

Amy was The Rock Bottom Remainders' answer for Lady Gaga. She wore a blond wig, leopard-print blouse, tight leather pants, leather boots, and a pair of shades. She had been limited to background and harmony vocals for the first several songs, but when her turn came for lead vocals, she took her stage presence to a whole new level. She went back-stage for a second, and then returned with a leather whip and tight leopard print pants. Then the descending bass-line of a familiar song began to play... Next thing we knew, Amy Tan was playing the roll of a dominatrix while she sang lead vocals on the Nancy Sinatra hit 'These Boots Are Made for Walkin''. This was far from what one might expect from the author of The Joy Luck Club, but it just goes to show there is often more to a writer than meets the eye! My favorite part was when she turned to the crowd and said, "You've heard of '50 Shades of Grey'? This is 100 shades of TAN!", and then proceeded to whip the back-sides of all the guys in the band.

A few songs later the concert shifted gears again, as Roger McGuinn of The Byrds came onto the stage and joined the band for a portion of the show. They played several classic Byrds hits back-to-back, and it almost felt like we were at a real Byrds concert for a while. Eventually Roger did step back from the spotlight and the revolving door for lead vocalist resumed. He left the stage for quite a while, but would return later in the evening, helping out on rhythm or lead guitar as needed.

Another highlight of the evening was when Mitch Albom got out from behind his keyboard to play the role of front man. What's more is that he chose to do so in a memorable fashion. He had gone back stage and returned after a wardrobe change. He reemerged as 'The King'. That's right, he did his best Elvis Presley impersonation, complete with the Elvis wig and sunglasses! They played a couple Elvis tunes, 'Teddy Bear' and 'Jailhouse Rock'. Mitch hammed it up for all he was worth, and the crowd loved it. His wife, Janine Sabino, one of the Remainderettes, even joined him for a couple duets.

Scott Turow took the lead vocals on the Del Shannon hit 'Runaway'. On this performance Turow proved to be perhaps the best singer among this group of writers, hitting the high notes with surprising accuracy. This was followed by a 'comic relief' segment of the show, as Greg Iles played his original song 'I'm a Big Best-Seller, Baby'- a classic blues song with a tongue-in-cheek criticism of some fads and trends in the industry. The '50 Shades of Gray vs 100 shades of Tan' joke was reiterated here. After that, Amy Tan again took the lead on the song 'Leader of the Pack'. Her husband, Lou DeMattei, even came onto the stage, dressed like a biker, to play the role opposite Tan as 'The Leader of the Pack'. Dave Barry followed this up with his original, humorous song 'Proofreading Woman', which again featured many jokes and witty lyrics about the publishing industry.

The band was really having a great fun-loving time upon the stage, giving this final performance their best effort. They were living it up to the fullest. However the mood was about to turn to a more serious subject...

I previously mentioned that the whole idea for the Rock Bottom Remainders came from Kathi Kamen Goldmark. She was a participating member of the band as well. However, Kathi died of breast cancer on May 24, 2012, a mere month before this performance. It was a devastating blow to everyone in the band. It was a more significant tragedy for Sam Barry, her husband, and Dave Barry, her brother-in-law. Kathi herself was really looking forward to this show. She wanted it to happen. To honor her, and pay tribute to her and her vision, The Remainders pulled together and saw this event through to the end.

At this point of the show, Dave explained this situation to the audience. He got choked up toward the end of his speech, and we in the audience could see the tears welling up in his eyes. I thought back to some close friends and family members of my own who have had breast cancer recently. Some have beaten the disease, and others lost their battle with it. I tried to imagine what it must be like to perform live music in front of an audience, so close on the heels of a personal tragedy so close to the heart. I couldn't do it. I can't imagine how Sam and Dave managed to pull it off. I looked up at both of them and felt an intense mix of respect, sympathy, and admiration for them both. The entire show was dedicated to her memory. They even brought out Kathi's guitar and propped it up on the front of the stage, so a part of her was up there with them.

Roger McGuinn stepped to the mic, and they proceeded to play 'Turn! Turn! Turn!', a song whose lyrics speak for themselves. They played a couple other songs that were more serious and a bit somber at times. You could feel the emotion throughout the room as writers, librarians, readers, musicians, fans and friends all turned their minds towards a truly wonderful and inspiring woman with the remarkable vision to pull this band together. Sam Barry and Dave Barry put so much heart into their playing on harmonica and guitar, respectively, that they would fit in perfectly with another Sam and Dave of more musical significance. This was a performance of a lifetime. A crowning achievement, and a fitting farewell to a most unique collection of talent.

To remember the kind of humor that Kathi had, Kathy Enright performed a song that they had written together, 'Older Than Him (The Slut Song)'. This was a truly funny, slow-tempo, country-rock number about an older woman in a bar lusting over an attractive younger man. It roused plenty of laughter from the audience, and you could feel the mood lightening once again.

Then, to really get things back on track, Stephen King led the way on vocals for the up-beat 'Bird's the Word'. It was a surreal experience to look up at the master of horror, the writer of some of my favorite books, stuttering out the lyrics, "Papa-oom-mow-mow, oom mow mow..." A little out of context maybe, but it put smiles back on everyone's faces. After that song they took a bow and strolled off the stage...

...But true to form, just like real rock stars, they came back out for an encore a few minutes later. They gave us 3 more songs to rock out to: 'Wild Thing', 'Louie, Louie', and 'GLORIA'. I'll never forget how full of energy the room was. The crowd was possessed with a hybrid of Rock N' Roll Pneumonia and Boogie-Woogie-Blues. The floor was vibrating with the rhythm of several hundred librarians hopping up and down to the music. I let loose myself and did a bit of headbanging (go figure, huh?)

When the final song came to a close, they gave the audience a final farewell. Guitar picks, drum sticks, frisbees and kazoos were tossed into the crowd. Then it was time. It was, after all, 'Past Their Bedtime'. The Rock Bottom Remainders walked off the stage for the last time. 'Just a cover band?' you may ask. Not like this. Never before. And perhaps never again... Writers; sharing a love of music, sharing in friendship among themselves, sharing a love for reading, all in the name of Rock and Roll.

On behalf of the attendees of ALA 2012, we thank you all!

The Band:

Mitch Albom-Keyboards/Vocals

Dave Barry-Lead Guitar/Vocals

Sam Barry-Harmonica/Vocals

Roy Blount, Jr.-MC/Backing Vocals

Lou DeMattei-'Leader of the Pack'

Kathleen Enright-Vocals

Matt Groening-Cowbell/Backing Vocals

Greg Iles-Lead Guitar/Vocals
Mary Karr-Backing Vocals

Josh Kelly-Drums/Vocals

Stephen King-Rhythm Guitar/Vocals

James McBride-Sax/Vocals

Roger McGuinn-Guitar/Vocals

Erasmo Paolo-Sax/Vocals

Ridley Pearson-Bass/Vocals

Janine Sabino-Tambourine/Vocals

Amy Tan-Whip/Vocals

Scott Turow-Vocals

The Setlist (Lead vocalist indicated where appropriate):
(You'll find a couple of the songs below are linked to youtube videos that have been uploaded since the show. These will give you a glimpse of this historic performance. The event sponsors did have cameras filming the show, so perhaps there will be an official DVD coming soon...?  We can hope!)

-The House is Rockin'

-Paperback Writer

-634-5789 (Janine Sabino)

-Midnight Hour

-Hey Little Girl (King)

-Believer (Albom/Sabino)

-These Boots Are Made for Walkin' (Tan)

-Hey Baby (I Wanna Know If You'll Be My Girl) (Turow)

-Suzie Q (King)

-Mr. Tambourine Man (McGuinn)

-I'll Feel a Whole Lot Better (McGuinn)

-My Back Pages (McGuinn)

-You Ain't Going Nowhere (Pearson/McGuinn)

-Rock This Town (Paolo)

-Nobody's Fault But Mine (S. Barry)

-(Let Me Be Your) Teddy Bear (Albom-as Elvis)

-Jailhouse Rock (Albom-as Elvis)

-Da Doo Ron Ron (Sabino)

-Runaway (Turow)

-I'm a Big Best-Seller, Baby (Iles)

-Leader of the Pack (Tan)

-Proofreading Woman (D. Barry)

-Muskrat Sally (Kelly)

-Turn! Turn! Turn! (McGuinn)

-May The Road Rise (McGuinn)

-Older Than Him (The Slut Song) (Kathi and Kathy's song-Kathleen Enright)

-Keep Me In Your Heart (Pearson)

-Bird's the Word (Sufrin' Bird) (King)

-------

(encore)

-Wild Thing (Turow)

-Louie, Louie

-Gloria (D. Barry)

Recommended Reading:

Mitch Albom-The Five People You Meet in Heaven, Tuesdays with Morrie

Dave Barry-Dave Barry Turns 50, Peter and the Starcatchers (w/ Ridley Pearson)

Sam Barry-How to Play the Harmonica: and Other Life Lessons

Roy Blount, Jr.-Roy Blount's Book of Southern Humor

Matt Groening-The Huge Book of Hell

Greg Iles-The Devil's Punchbowl
Mary Karr-The Liars' Club

Stephen King-The Dark Tower Series, The Stand, Needful Things

James McBride-The Color of Water

Ridley Pearson-The Art of Deception, Peter and the Starcatchers (w/ Dave Barry)

Amy Tan-The Joy Luck Club, Saving Fish from Drowning

Scott Turow-Presumed Innocent, The Burden of Proof

I collected many photos throughout the show, and there were too many good ones to post them all within the review above. So here's a special treat: a slide-show of all the extra pics! Check out all the different shots of The Rock Bottom Remainders!

A Dream Theater Mix-Tape: A Blast from the Past...

Post #202
The year was 1997. At that time Dream Theater's newest album was Falling Into Infinity. I had only discovered Dream Theater a year and a half before, but I already considered myself a die-hard fan. I had collected all their albums on CD, and felt it was a good time to make my own 'Best of Dream Theater' mix-tape. (Yes 1997 was still in the era of mix-tapes; any music fan had tons of these.) I just couldn't wait for them to release a Greatest Hits album...

Nowadays we call them playlists on our handy, portable electronic music-playing devices that hold thousands of songs. Back in '97 though, what people did was record their favorite songs from their CD collection onto a blank cassette tape (or perhaps burn songs on to a CDR, but if you couldn't afford a newer model computer- or any computer- you were stuck with what your dual-cassette CD boom box could do.) Everybody's car had cassette players back then, at least if you were a college kid on a working-class campus. So a mix-tape was a handy, portable, personalized collection of you favorite songs.

For Dream Theater, who are famous for writing very long songs, often exceeding 10 minutes, I needed the 'top-of-the-line' from what blank cassettes had to offer: a 120 minute, TDK, Heavy-Bass Performance, CD BASS cassette. Note that this IS a longer playing time than you can get out of a CDR in music format (80 minutes).

So here is my first 'Best of Dream Theater' music mix, featuring songs from their first 4 full-length albums (When Dream And Day Unite, Images And Words, Awake, Falling Into Infinity), and their EP- A Change of Seasons:

(Side A)
-A Change of Seasons
-A Fortune in Lies
-Lie
-Surrounded
-You Not Me
-Space-Dye Vest
-Hollow Years

(Side B)
-Burning My Soul
-Pull Me Under
-6:00
-Metropolis-Part I
-Lifting Shadows Off a Dream
-New Millennium
-Caught in a Web
-Take Away My Pain
-Another Day

Avariel-The Dawn (2010)

Post #201
Although they have disbanded recently, under amicable terms, to pursue other ventures in life and music, Avariel were an impressive symphonic-metal band while they lasted. I even had the pleasure to see this Boston-based quintet live when they made their way to Chicago for Dame-Nation 2011. You may remember from my review of the show where they were the closing act. They even featured a top-notch cover of Metallica's 'No Leaf Clover'.

I've always thought the best metal music is that which combines harsh and brutal elements with melodic and beautiful ones. Avariel fit that criteria perfectly. Their guitar parts are often thrash-inspired, sometimes progressive-metal, sometimes melodic. They bring keyboards into the mix, making 'symphonic metal' perhaps the best label for their sound. Singer Shannon Kelly's vocal style is on par with several iconic female metal singers, like Evanescence's Amy Lee, Lacuna Coil's Cristina Scabia, or Epica's Simone Simons. 

Their self-produced album, The Dawn, is a solid collection of symphonic metal music. If you like bands like Symphony X, Nightwish, Epica, or Savatage, then you should enjoy Avariel as well. Let me walk you through their album and then see if you agree...

The Dawn's opening song, 'Bleed', begins with a killer-heavy riff. Then Shannon adds her operatic voice to the mix and reveals Avariel's dynamic sound. A touch of blast-beat drumming in moderation makes this song a perfect opener for what proves to be a great album. 'Tunnel's Light' is quite different; a softer, slower song with the verses being driven almost exclusively by the rhythm section. Guitars and keys come in at the choruses to provide a fuller sound. The third track, 'Emotionless' is a dark ballad, and features a good keyboard solo.

'Victim', the album's fourth track, is perhaps where Avariel reveal their dark side. This is a fast-paced, aggressive song. Vocally, Avariel add a new element here as well, as guitarist Scott McDonald provides death-metal style singing, contrasting Shannon's pretty voice.

The next two songs, 'Still' and 'Especially Alone', revert back to a softer feel again. 'Still' is a somber sounding gothic ballad, while 'Especially Alone' is more of a traditional ballad, primarily featuring piano to carry the song. Lyrically it includes the line "...Waiting for the Dawn", making it almost like the unofficial title-track for this album. Of all the songs on this CD, 'Especially Alone' is the one I can compare most directly to Evanescence. If you're a fan of theirs, then you should check out this song in particular.

'In Heaven' is one of my favorites. I am tempted to call it the best song on The Dawn. Stylistically it may be a bit of a departure from the other songs on the album, but it's built upon a heavy guitar riff that strikes me as such a classic, I'm again transported back to the glory days of thrash metal. Avariel simply make this song rock!

'Dark Harbor' has a keyboard intro that sets a scary tone, it sounds like it came straight out of a horror movie, and the rest of the song is top-notch gothic metal.

The final track: 'Phoenix'. Here's Avariel's most ambitious song yet. An epic, progressive, symphonic metal masterpeice. Nearly 12 minutes long, this is melancholic, symphonic heavy metal at its best. From a melodic piano melody at the beginning, it goes through a few key changes where the band expands upon a few different song segments and progressions. A few minutes of instrumental jams tie the different phases of this song together, and by the end you find it has come full circle. A perfect climax of a well-written independent debut!

My top recommended songs from The Dawn:
-Bleed
-Victim (Metalheads, try this one first!)
-Especially Alone
-In Heaven (My personal favorite by Avariel)
-Phoenix

Although Avariel disbanded in early 2012, you can still find their music at the following sites:
http://www.facebook.com/AvarielBostonUSA
http://www.myspace.com/avarielmusic

Wishdoom-Helepolis (2011)

Post #200
European power metal is a growing genre at the moment. There are dozens of bands out there to be discovered if you like the style of metal that includes DragonForce, Savatage, Iced Earth, Blind Guardian, etc... In the last several years, one particular indie-label out of Italy has been signing bands that follow the influences of some of those artists: Metal On Metal Records. One band from this label that has caught my ear is Wishdoom. Wishdoom are a band from Greece, delivering their style of power/doom metal with a passion. Today I'll look at their debut release from last year, Helepolis.

Helepolis is a solid power metal effort by Whisdoom. The primary formula for their songs is heavy, mid-tempo guitar riffs, clean and wailing vocals, a somber or melancholic tone, omnipresent keyboards backing most of the songs, and melodic electric guitar solos. If I were to compare their sound to other bands I'm familiar with, I might use names like Queensryche, Fates Warning, or even Dream Theater. Wishdoom do show elements of progressive metal, but they primarily focus on traditional song-structures featuring themes of fantasy, medieval battles and mythology.

From my perspective of classic and thrash-oriented metal, I really enjoyed listening to Helepolis. I hope you take a minute to listen to them as well. You can buy their CD or download this album through Metal-On-Metal Records' website, Century Media, or CDBaby.

My recommended tracks from Helepolis:
-Helepolis
-Crystal World (On parts of this one, I can really hear some influence from traditional thrash almost like early Metallica)
-My Wish Your Doom
-Guardians of Steel (On this track in particular, Wishdoom experiment a little with a couple different guitar tones. They blend together well, and help give a new dimension to their sound.)
-Screaming Blade
-Wishdoom (This is an instrumental track. It features a piano intro which sets a somber tone with it's minor key tone, then the guitars come in and you're treated to a 5-minute jam of quality, traditional heavy metal!)

Van Halen- A Different Kind Of Truth (2012)

Post #199
Earlier this year the legendary Van Halen released their first full-length album since 1998. This looong awaited album also sees the return of original vocalist David Lee Roth, and the debut of Wolfgang Van Halen (Eddie's son) on bass guitar. I noticed that it had arrived in my local library's AV section, so I checked it out to hear for myself what Van Halen had been working on for 14 years...

A Different Kind Of Truth has been so long in the making, that I almost think of it as another 'Chinese Democracy', as in how can it possibly live up to the growing expectations that have built up over the years? Weather you consider VH's last album with Roth (1984), Hagar (Balance), or even their '98 album with Gary Cherone (3), they all leave a high standard to live up to. (OK, maybe I'm the only one who thinks highly of the '3' album, but still...)

So, how did my expectations hold up? Actually, not too bad! This album may not be the best ever from VH, but it was not the terrible let-down I had feared. Honestly, I owe most of those fears to the first single, 'Tattoo'. That song did nothing for me- I found it to be the pinnacle of mediocrity. However, the rest of the album picks up quite a bit as you let it play...

The 2nd track, 'She's the Woman', is a bit better, but where Van Halen really grabbed me was on the 3rd track, 'You and Your Blues'. This song finally displayed one of those intricate riff-structures, and crisp tonality that I could believe came from Eddie Van Halen. This is also one of several tracks that almost seem surreal to me as I listen to it, for the guitar tone sounds like Hagar-era material, but with Dave on vocals it almost catches me off-guard. This subtle, new combination of previous elements is a big reason I find A Different Kind of Truth to be such a redeeming listening experience.

There are times when the vibe on this album can't help but be compared to the 'classic' Roth-era material, and rightly so! Sometimes it really does feel like the good-ole days of Van Halen again. However, it's not usually a good thing for any band to stagnate in their own past for too long, and there are enough instances of new and modern sounding passages on this album for me to finally have faith in Van Halen once again. I just hope their next album will not take another 14 years to make.

And now I'll leave you with my recommended tracks:
-You and Your Blues (This is the song that I think is the best example of Van Halen living in the now.)
-China Town (One of the faster-tempo numbers on this album...)
-Blood and Fire (There's some part of this song that I think sounds like White Lion's 'Going Home Tonight', but check it out and decide for yourself...)
-As Is (Drum intro for this one, followed by heavy guitars, which quickly give way to some much faster fretwork that is evidence of Eddie Van Halen living up to his name...)
-Outta Space
-Stay Frosty (This one seems at times like it's trying to imitate the vibe from 'Ice Cream Man', and it comes pretty close. A type of song we've not heard from Van Halen for a long time...)

Heavy Metal Madness First Round Summary: Part Four

Post # 198

On May 19th, the last segment of the first round of Heavy Metal Madness came to a close, and once again there were some unexpected upsets, and tight races for these bands to make it to the next round.

For the Metalcore Block:

Tool beat Death by a comfortable margin of 39-11,

Bullet For My Valentine upset Opeth 26-19,

System of a Down narrowly escaped being upset by Amon Amarth, as they clung to a 31-25 lead at the end of voting.

...and Korn had the most convincing upset of the month knocking off the #4 seed, Shadows Fall 34-13.

In the Classic Rock Block:

Queen upset Guns N' Roses 31-18,

AC/DC topped the Scorpions 35-14,

Ozzy bested Van Halen 37-9,

and Led Zeppelin overcame Jimi Hendrix 34-14.

As the early pattern of voting has unfolded, it seems that the magic number for a 'safe' amount of votes to push a band into the next round is 30. In the closest races, the most votes collected by a losing band was 29 (Godsmack). Will this rule-of-thumb hold true for the rest of this tournament? Only time will tell...

With the first round now concluded, the matches are only going to get tougher. Fans will have a harder time deciding who to vote for. Those who's first choice of a Champion is now eliminated have the freedom to vote for another band in their place. At this point, many of your predictions can be thrown out the window. I know several of mine have been defenestrated.

So, now is the time to follow more closely than ever! Already, the second round is underway, and more upsets are brewing, while other favorites dominate. Inevitably, more face-offs will come down to a close decision. Help those bands whom you prefer by sharing this blog with your friends, and call for more fans of heavy metal music to cast their votes, and make their opinion count!

Now, as I have done before, I leave you with some of my favorite suggested tracks from those bands now eliminated from Heavy Metal Madness:
Death-Open Casket
Opeth-The Drapery Falls
Amon Amarth-Fate of Norns
Shadows Fall-Forevermore
Guns N' Roses-Welcome to the Jungle
Scorpions-Alien Nation
Van Halen-Source of Infection
Jimi Hendrix-Manic Depression

MAYHEM FEST 2011!!! (8-5-11)

Post #197
In the summer of 2011 I attended Mayhem Fest for the second time. This time around it featured...
On the rotating Jegermeister and Rock Star Energy Drink stages: Kingdom of Sorrow, Suicide Silence, Unearth, Athiarchists, and Hatebreed.
And on the MAIN STAGE: Machine Head, Megadeth, Godsmack, and Disturbed

This year, I was lucky enough to receive a fan package as a birthday gift: 4 lawn tix, a T-shirt, bottle opener and arm-band! Totally hyped for this great line-up of bands, I called on some close friends to join me for some Mayhem...

We got there in good enough time, perhaps missing the first couple opening bands on the 2nd and 3rd stages, but still as early as I've ever arrived for an all-day metal fest. The first band we truly got to see on this day was Suicide Silence. They were intense; filling the air with shredding riffs, and screech/scream vocals. Essentially delivering on their hardcore/death metal sound.

Next up was Unearth. These guys were considerably less death-metal, more hard-core. Personally I liked them much better than Suicide Silence. The main thing was that the 4 of us were having a good time, and enjoying some metal music. Unearth were more of a straigh-forward, hardcore/metalcore band. Not too much shrieking, not very 'deathy' vocals, just hard-core power-screams, and of course, plenty of up-tempo heavy riffs! Before their set finished, a couple of their guitarists got on top of the tour bus and shredded some headbanging riffs up there.

Flip back to the other stage, and another band had began to warm up... or were they playing already? It didn't appear so, as there were only 2 guys on stage (maybe three if you count the roadie hauling some equipment around). We edged closer to see better what they were doing... On-stage were two scruffy looking dudes, jamming the hell away on guitar and drums. A banner with their name 'The AtheiArchists' hung in the background, and as the guitarist began singing some hardcore vocals, we assumed they had already begun their set. We didn't quite know what to think of them... We're they trying to be a super-fast, and super-heavy version of The White Stripes? During one numbed they started insulting and teasing each other, rousing some laughs from the crowd. Without a doubt, by the end of their set we gave them an 'A' for effort! They even closed with a cover of Slayer's 'Raining Blood'. If you look them up online you may find videos of them playing death-metal to rush-hour traffic out the side of their U-Haul-converted-to-stage vehicle.

Before I forget to mention it, during the entire afternoon of 2nd stage performers, there was a troop of stunt-motorcycle riders doing fancy jumps in the parking lot for entertainment. I believe they were called the Metal Mullitia. Pretty cool stuff!

Last act for the 2nd stage was Hatebreed. These guys were true to form: straight up, hardcore metal! They delivered plenty of killer riffs and hard-edged screaming vocals. I did catch a title for one of their brand-new songs, '  ', but beyond that, I am still not very familiar with Hatebreed's back-catalog. My group of friends and I decided after a song or two, to begin heading toward the lawn to get a good view of the main-stage. We were all much more hyped up for all the big-name acts!

This was my first time ever seeing Machine Head, but one of my buddies had seen them once before. We were both anxious to hear some of their new stuff from their Unto The Locust album. They came out and got the crowd going with a couple of their classic songs. Then they spoke to the crowd a bit to see who had been to a Machine Head show before, and who was seeing them for the first time. Only one of our group had been to a Machine Head show before, so the rest of us were being initiated. Then they mentioned their new album was just out, and gave us their performance of the title-track 'Locust'. It was a killer track, and featured a breakdown section with an eerie sounding guitar solo. Perhaps meant to imitate the sound of a plague of insects munching through that summer's crops...

That song was pretty long, and they only had time for 2 more songs before their set time was up. Then we prepared for the next course... Megadeth!

Megadeth had some t-shirt for sale at this show proclaiming it the 25th anniversary of Peace Sells... But Who's Buying? So I wondered if perhaps they were going to try to play the whole album. But on a huge fest like this, all the bands have shorter set-times, except perhaps the headliner, so they didn't play the complete Peace Sells.. They did feature the two most memorable songs from that album, 'Wake Up Dead' and 'Peace Sells' in their set. Otherwise they delivered a good mix of new and old tracks, plus they unveiled a new track from their new album Th1rt3en (which was released a couple months later), 'Public Enemy Number One'.

Next came Godsmack. By comparison to many of the other bands, they were perhaps not as heavy, but they came to win us over with music. Their lead singer, Sully Erna, walked onto the stage and said as much, saying they left out the pyro and fancy effects in favor of delivering a great rock n' roll show.

True to their word, Godsmack had the crowd rockin' with some of the best selections from their music catalog. The best part of their set had to be the drum solo/dual where drummer Shannon Larkin kept us entertained while a 2nd drum set was wheeled onto the stage, and Sully himself put down his guitar to do some drumming of his own! Toward the end of the drum battle, the rest of the band came back to the stage and commenced to jam on some classic rock and metal riffs, part of which included Black Sabbath's 'War Pigs', where the crowd sang the lyrics as the band played.

Last up was Disturbed, and they had a tough act to follow! Their stage included a huge video back-drop. During the intro, 'Remnants', the video played an interesting short-film, where David Draiman was catatonic. head-trippy images flashed intermittently between scenes of Draiman on a stretcher. At one point, on the film, David regained consciousness, just in time to run onto the stage to begin singing 'Asylum'. Disturbed had opened their set, and hit the ground running.

While the video screen kept playing different imagery during the show, the band pretty much kept jamming out their songs. They delivered on top-notch performances of the songs, but were a bit limited in their showmanship, largely due to their stage set. It was quite different from Godsmack's approach, but the metal was still enjoyable. Mayhem had been thoroughly enjoyed!

Now, as usual, I leave you with the set lists from my favorite acts from this show...

Sets for Main Stage:
MACHINE HEAD
-Imperium
-Beautiful Mourning
-Locust
-Asthetics of Hate
-Halo

MEGADETH
-Trust
-Hangar 18
-Wake Up Dead
-Sweating Bullets
-Head Crusher
-Public Enemy Number One
-Symphony of Destruction
-Peace Sells
-Holy Wars...

GODSMACK
-Cryin' Like a Bitch
-The Enemy
-Forever Shamed
-Straight Out of Line
-Awake
-Speak
-Love-Hate-Sex-Pain
-Voodoo
-Drum Dual
-Whatever
-I Stand Alone

DISTURBED
-Remnants
-Asylum
-The Game
-Prayer
-Liberate
-The Animal
-Inside the Fire
-Warrior
-(Sickness Medley) Fear/Meaning of Life/Numb/Voices
-Another Way to Die
-Stupefy
-10,000 Fists
-Indestructible
-Down With the Sickness

MONTROSE- A Debut of Legends

Post #196

With the recent passing of rock guitar legend Ronnie Montrose in April 2012 the world of rock music lost a talented musician who was very influential to hard rock and heavy metal, particularly in the late 70's and early 80's. As a way of paying tribute to Ronnie, I am finally reviewing his debut album, Montrose.

The debut album from Ronnie Montrose's namesake band Montrose, also happened to be the first recording of another legendary figure in heavy metal: Sammy Hagar. These two future icons were not collaborators for very long, but the music they wrote together in these early years speaks for itself. Ronnie would go on to pursue a jazz-rock fusion style of music, while Sammy Hagar went on to a successful solo career that is still thriving today, not to mention he would spend many years as the lead singer of Van Halen after the initial departure of David Lee Roth.

With Montrose's eponymous debut in '73 the band gave the hard rock genre an album to be reckoned with. The influence from this recording is apparent in many cases where other prominent rock and metal bands have covered the tunes. In a previous post I mentioned how Dave Mustaine of Megadeth once covered the Montrose song 'Bad Motor Scooter' in his early band Panic. In the early 90's, BulletBoys did a cover of 'Rock Candy', and Contraband (an early 90's supergroup of hair metal veterans) covered 'Good Rockin' Tonight'.

The album's first track is a great example of a band making a mission statement apparent with their song title: 'Rock the Nation'. A great hard rock tune, and somewhat prophetic, for these guys would go on to rock the nation for many more years, even if they would do so after parting ways.

I know that some of these songs have appeared on some of Sammy Hagar's hits collections over the years, but there are many others here worth checking out. Here are my favorites from this legendary debut album:
-Rock the Nation
-Bad Motor Scooter
-Space Station #5 (Intro sounds like it could be a Pink Floyd song, then they kick into full-swing and make this song rock!)
-Good Rockin' Tonight
-Rock Candy
-Make It Last  (Again, here is a song with almost prophetic lyrical themes, as Sammy sings about the way he was at earlier stages of his life, and what he hopes to be at future ages... this is a kind of 'slice-of-life' song, with a slow and steady beat...)

Eliminator-The One They Were Waiting For (2010)

Post #195
Eliminator were one of the independent bands I featured recently in a reader's poll. Although they did not win the 'Independent Band of the Year' title, I did discover a lot of their music during that competition. I was so impressed, and often times caught off guard, by their uncanny ability to meld the most diverse of rock and metal elements in their music that I must revisit their sounds for another review...

The One They Were Waiting For was truly the one I was waiting for...
The first track, 'Atish', does closely resemble their work from Breaking The Wheel, but the similarities quickly dwindle from there as the album plays on...

A spoken word interlude breaks the spell of the 18 minute black/thrash fest that is 'Atish' before the next song; a cover of Robert Johnson's 'Me and The Devil Blues'. Here is where Warchild and company depart from their evident path of finely fused black metal and thrash to deliver a remarkably honest rendition of this blues classic from the late '30's. The original song-structure is preserved for the most part, although the guitars and drums are still heavy and fully electric, while the vocal delivery maintains the demonic black-metal edge the band has established previously. There is an extended melodic breakdown where Eliminator add their own spin to this song, but after a couple minutes, they return to the classic blues progression to close the song. A truely memorable cover that will not easily be forgotten!

Another highlight of originality on this album is 'Honey Sacrifice' (which combined with 'Atish' accounts for over two-thirds of the album's total running time, as it clocks in at over 19 and a half minutes!). A heavy, rhythmic riff, with a throw-back rock n' roll feel, sets the early tone for this epic track. Throughout the song the music builds to the intensity of speed-black metal once again, then shifts gears with an extended clean and melodic segment near the end. A song absolutely similar to nothing I've head before.

Emilinator make it clear that when inspiration strikes, they roll with it, and let the music do the talking. There is more behind their direction than any genre, or trend, or fad, or scene, or anything you can think of... or perhaps it's just everything you can think of? Is it everything they can think of? Just wait and see. I doubt anybody can predict what this band will do next. Just wait for my review of thier 3rd release, And the Brokenhearted Balladeers...

For now check out these tracks from The One They Were Waiting For. Even if at first you might be left scratching your head, you may also be surprised how much some of these song can grow on you...
-Atish
-Me and the Devil Blues
-The Man in the Picture... to Become What One Is
-Honey Sacrifice

And don't forget to check out their websites, many of which have songs available to stream online:
http://eliminator.bandcamp.com/
http://www.myspace.com/eliminatorus
http://www.facebook.com/eliminatorus

Droids Attack! - 002 Fatal/Error

Post #194
Hailing from Madison, WI, Droids Attack! are an intriguing independent band blending metal, punk and progressive rock in a manner that results in truly infectious grooves! They set a tone with their music focusing on a heavy low-end distortion, reflecting their self-proclaimed influences of early Black Sabbath, Soundgarden, Motorhead and Clutch. I originally discovered them in '09 while searching for independent bands to include in my 1st annual reader's poll of independent bands. Here's an in-depth look at their 2nd full-length release, Fatal/Error, from 2006.

The first track, 'The Lord', starts slowly, and instantly hits you with their low-end heavy guitar tones. Then the song's energy builds up, lead guitar adds a layer to the formula, then the tempo kicks up a bit and you can't help but bang your head. The opening track is one of a couple on this release that also have elements of heavy, progressive rock in the song structure. At the end of this track, as the last chord fades out, the next riff assaults your ears. The chord progressions are so similar on the second track, 'Steven Seagal', that if you're listening casually, you may think it's still the first track. You can feel this band is in a zone, and just jamming out these tunes with all they got!

With hardcore punk-style vocals, Droids Attack give you a great means for venting some emotion. Blended with this emotion are humor, wit, and some social commentary. In the end it's all for a good time, and their heavy, prog-rock/stoner rock vibe is liable to get you hooked before the last tune, 'Scythe in the Fire' has finished blaring out your speakers.

I've been very pleased with the listening experience I get with Fatal/Error, and fully intend to add their other releases to my collection soon. FYI, in 2010 they released the follow up to this album, Must Destroy. Give them a listen! They just might be the droids you've been looking for ;-)

My favorite tracks from Fatal/Error:
-The Lord
-Steven Seagal
-Dope Smuggler
-Blood of the Earth
-Scythe in the Fire

And don't forget to follow them on their various websites:
http://droidsattack.com/
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Droids-Attack/103439449688310
http://www.myspace.com/droidsattack