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Scorpions - Humanity Hour 1
(Sony/BMG) Review by Steve Green |
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The Scorpions are one of my favourite bands of all time.
But can you honestly say that they've released a classic
studio album in the last 20 years? It's a toughie. They've
released a couple of stinkers and a couple of good albums, but
I'd say the last true classic that they released was 1984's
Love At First Sting. Although I have to say that Savage
Amusement wasn't that bad a follow up. My point is, how
relevant is a new Scorpions album in 2007?
I nearly bought this album countless times during the summer.
Especially after their amazing performance at the Rock and
Blues Festival a couple of months back. But there was always
an old classic that took my eye instead, such as the whole of
the Gillan back
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catalogue, a couple of Saxon albums and Cheap Trick's Live At
The Budokan - oh yes, I had a very nostalgic
summer. Well, after hooking up with a new PR firm, they very
kindly sent me this cd and I have to say, it's not far off
being a classic.
Live, the band are still firing on all cylinders, but I
understand they'll never match their 70s and 80s heydays,
which is why they've probably brought in outside help. Namely
Desmond Child and James Michael. The result, a very slick
album, which most definitely has its moments and an album that
I've thoroughly enjoyed blasting out the last couple of days.
After seeing them live this summer, I was already aware of
three of the new tracks, namely: Hour 1, Humanity and the
catchy as fuck, 321, which I've been singing in my head all
week long. I can see why they were included in the latest live
set as they are the most immediate tracks on the album.
The Desmond Child influence, is I'm sure, in the catchiness of
the songs. The Scorpions could always pen a catchy tune, but
this is the closest they've sounded to their best in aeons.
The Game Of Life reminds me of Big City Nights, unfortunately
without the big chorus, but it's still a good song. Same goes
for You're Loving Me To Death. Great song with a typical
Scorpions chorus. There are a couple of strong ballads,
particularly The Future Never Dies, which despite being a tad
over melodramatic, still tugs at the old heart strings, as
does Love Will Keep Us Alive. Again they're not as good as say
Still Loving You or No One Like You, but I don't know any
Metal band that can portray the amount of emotion that Klaus
Meine and Co produce. And yes, I know I shouldn't compare this
version of the band with the one of 25 years ago. But old
habits are hard to break. But deep down, I know this album is
so close to being a classic.
Overall, this is by far the best Scorpions album since Love At
First Sting and if you've not picked it up yet, do it at once.
You won't be disappointed.
www.the-scorpions.com |
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Seventh Calling - Monuments (Melissa Records) Review By Marco Gaminara |
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They've listed Metal Church as an influence, but I must admit
that I'm hearing a bit more of Heathen in there than MC, but
then with their dual thrash guitar sound, do I really care?
Well to be honest there are so many good bands that could be
listed as influences and the fact that they manage to still
throw in their own flavour and sounds makes it worthwhile
giving these guys a serious listen. Both Steve Handel and
Lance Lange's vocals are melodic and the harmonies they use
complements the other far more than scream/clean or
death/scream or even death/clean, can do with them both being
clean in slightly different tones. Their guitars work
similarly too, with solid riffing by both, punctuated by one
or the |
other throwing in a bend or harmonic squeal as an accent.
Opening track "Dark Angel" sets the mood instantly and lets
you know that this is going to contain intricate riffs with
plenty of changes and timing signatures, rather than an all
out pedal to the metal thrash attack throughout. A slightly
headier riff for "Silent Screams" goes well with the slightly
alto pitched vocal melody on the chorus, which is very 80's
thrash, kinda a bit like Deathrow actually, but it also
slows down nicely to give the lead solo plenty of breathing
room to grow majestically. "Faces of Deception" takes things
slowly, but has the lead undercurrent flowing through the
whole song and Jamie Strobach lays waste to his cymbals as the
song builds up for the lead break. Going completely acoustic
with the spoken word intro 'til the almost "Eye of the Tiger-ish"
cymbal bashing on "Fight for your Life" works a treat, as the
song itself is pretty fast with hints of a near death vocal,
which is never becomes a growl, but is used with great effect.
A very Sabbathesque opening riff for "Dead Mind’s Eye" flows
into plenty of changing riffs and lead breaks keeping things
very diverse. Michael Poplees is never really given much
chance to shine, but since his bass is never obtrusive and
ne'er a note is out of place, his presence can more be felt
than heard a lot of the time. "Invasion" and "Mercyless" wrap
up the first segment of the album with the latter being the
far more powerful track of the two.
The rest of the album is
thematic and starts with "The Process", where there are even a
couple background synth samples to give it extra depth and a
bit more of an operatic feel in a way. The dual vocals work
off each other perfectly here. The label website lists this
track as "Chaos" but the CD sleeve lists it as "Awakening",
either way it's a 37s interlude in "The Damnation Creation"
trilogy, in five parts (how very Douglas Adams) if you count
the two interludes. Carrying on with a similar style riff, but
far more orchestral sounding accompaniment "Insanity" has some
awesome double bass work for that extra kick in the chest. The
piano and lead medley works surprisingly well and I can't
think of a better way to build up everything back to full
speed. "Immortality" is the second symphonic interlude which
takes us into "My Blood…Your Veins" to conclude the concept
and entire album. The opening lead seems to have a life of its
own and no real need to stop, but sadly it does so that the
rest of the song can go forth and whet our ears with its aural
load. Considering I've been listening to this album pretty
much non-stop for the past 2 weeks and never grown weary of
it, it's a pretty good indicator of the musicianship and
diversity of song structure that helps it never grow dull or
repetitive.
www.MelissaRecords.com |
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Sickening Horror - When Landscapes Bled Backwards
(Neurotic Records) By: Dave Schalek |
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Sure, I like jazz-infused, highly technical death metal just
like everyone else. My playlist periodically sees bands such
as Necrophagist, Martyr, and so on make appearances now and
again and I, also like everyone else, wait for Suicmez to get
up off his ass and release the follow up to “Epitaph”. Until
that happens, however, you find yourself looking around for a
new band to step into place.
Enter the wonderfully named Sickening Horror, a Greek band
featuring none other than drummer extraordinaire George
Kollias of Nile fame with their 2007 debut full-length,
entitled “When Landscapes Bled Backwards”, on a label aptly
named Neurotic Records. |
Recorded with Kollias (no longer with the band), “When
Landscapes Bled Backwards” is a jarring, all over the map
experience that’s fairly well-removed from Nile, and will
quickly dispel any comparisons that you may feel necessary to
make. Bolstered by a powerful production courtesy of Neil
Kernon, “When Landscapes Bled Backwards” is brimming with all
of the elements of technical death metal. Lightning fast
riffing and double-bass driven drumming are combined with tons
of stop-on-a-dime tempo changes, gigantic bass lines very
reminiscent of DiGiorgio and Langlois with liberal moments of
jazz-like meanderings spread throughout, a few arpeggios, and
even a classical piano interlude near the end of the 12-track
album. Certainly, if you’re into this jazz-infused version of
death metal, you’ll eat this up with gusto. However, be
forewarned that this album is much more jarring and less
reliant upon straightforward, meat-and-potatoes death metal
than, say, Cryptopsy, or even Necrophagist. In short, you may
find yourself reaching for your prescription of Ritalin more
than once as you listen to “When Landscapes Bled Backwards”.
Will Sickening Horror rise to the top of the technical death
metal heap? Well, time will certainly tell, but the loss of
Kollias is huge and he will be difficult to adequately replace
(apparently, Sickening Horror has found a new drummer).
Nevertheless, “When Landscapes Bled Backwards” is an excellent
entry for the genre.
www.sickeninghorror.net
| www.neurotic-records.com |
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Space Eater – Merciful Angel (I Hate
Records)
Review by Strawb |
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This could be my shortest review ever – “brilliant, buy it”
would cover it. But you don’t check this website out for just
that, so here we go for a few hundred words. Space Eater is a
band formed in Belgrade, so there is a chance that the five
members might have experience of some of the subject matter
contained in this album. The ten tracks can be divided into
one instrumental, an eight-track themed story and a
stand-alone opus. Some of the members were recruited from an
Iron Maiden covers band, and the album reflects the early
Maiden attributes of power, rawness and telling of a tale.
Space Eater have previously released two demo CDs and this,
remarkably is their debut album. It is well mixed and has |
great production.
The opener, MCMXCIX is the wordless track, so the album opens
with sirens, a military drum beat and then the guitars arrive.
It is very cleverly put together and a scene setter for what
is to follow. Bombs Away is obviously a band favourite as it
has featured on both of the demos previously released. It is a
high paced song with even higher paced vocals. The next track
is Overkill. Now in my mind, to use this title is to invite
derision unless it is very, very good. And this is. Not a
cover version but it continues the theme and has even more
pace than Bombs Away and a last verse that really sticks in
the mind. Deceitful Eyes is the love song but makes no
concessions to that particular genre because it is fast
throughout. It has a distinctive and catchy beat. The One has
a fast pace until about two minutes in when it suddenly begins
a slow instrumental worthy of the best metal masters before
returning to the pace and a very sudden ending. Afterlife is
the track on which RNA demonstrates his vocal talents, this
rendition having pace and pitch changes a plenty and great
sustain on Meeeeeee. There is an instrumental within this
track, but it is this reviewers opinion that while in no way
bad - it distracts from the vocals and the emphasis should be
left with them. Death From Below covers the curse that is the
landmine and has an excellent instrumental contribution to
carry it along. Slightly off from the theme, the next track is
Operaphobia, and boys, you express my sentiments about that
genre perfectly. The title track is next and it is worthy of
that honour. It finishes the themed part of the album and does
so with aplomb. There is a slower, almost acoustic section in
there, but fear not true believers, the pace and metal soon
return to the closure. Finally we have the track Space Eater,
where we find that the name refers to a black hole (logical
really). The longest track on here at over five minutes, and I
cannot argue with the bands choice to let it bear their name.
Space Eater are a fine signing for I Hate Records, and someone
there deserves a bonus because this a very, very good first
album. And as the band are all aged in their early- to mid-20s
there is potential for improvement of the prodigious talent
displayed here. With RNA currently conscripted to six months
Army service there may be a gap until promotion and touring
can begin, but this should be a temporary glitch towards a
rise to outshine Sirius.
On the internet at
www.space-eater.com
and
www.myspace.com/spaceeaterthrash |
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The Flower Kings - The Sum of No Evil (Inside Out) Review by
Metal Mark |
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The Flower Kings ply a rather 1970’s influenced style of
progressive rock. You can easily hear traces of Kansas, Styx
and ELP mixed throughout this album. One look at the track
listing and times let me know that four of the six songs were
over ten minutes a piece. One of those even clocks in several
minutes past the twenty-minute mark. Yet they actually do a
decent job of keeping it interesting for that amount time and
that’s admirable. As I said, The Flower Kings are largely
entrenched in a style of prog rock that was defined three
decades ago, but they venture out of those constraints as
well. The basic song structure and the vocals are nothing new,
but the music oftentimes has a bouncy almost joyful feel to
it. That’s |
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a good thing because one of my biggest problems with
progressive rock is that it has a tendency to take itself far
too seriously. When trying to figure out who the lighter parts
reminded me of, I first thought of Frank Zappa although I
think Steve Vai’s earlier solo work might be a more accurate
comparison. The parts here are not as involved as Vai’s music,
but the tones are similar to, say some of the work on his
“Flex-able” album. One of the keys to this brand of music is
keeping things going and keeping it interesting. The Flower
Kings have a definite control over the pacing and largely the
songs are brisk yet they stay on track. I found myself being
more intrigued, than bogged down so they were certainly taking
the right course. Although I can’t say that I was enthralled
or pulled in by the music. So I guess that makes this good rather
than great as a whole. I also would have liked for the vocals
to be more varied, but that’s not a huge concern. Altogether
“The Sum of No Evil” is a rather likeable album that gets a
little more comfortable with each listen.
www.insideout.de
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Voodooshock - Marie’s Sister’s Garden
(Exile On Mainstream Records) By: Dave Schalek |
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Essentially, start with the usual influences: early to
mid-period Ozzy-era Black Sabbath, St. Vitus, Pentagram, add a
few dashes of various Wino projects, throw in a laid back
approach, and that pretty much sums up Voodooshock from
Germany. I wasn’t familiar with the band prior to the release
of their second full-length, entitled “Marie’s Sister’s
Garden” on Exile On Mainstream Records from Germany.
Judging from what I’ve heard from Voodooshock on this album,
though, I haven’t really missed anything since I’ve heard all
of this before, stretching all the way back to “Volume |
4” or so, or even earlier. Every cliché of the early 70s doom
sound is present on “Marie’s Sister’s Garden”, even down to an
absolutely dead-on impersonation, or evocation to be kind, of Ozzy’s vocal delivery at the time. Slow, melodic, doom-laden
riffs hitting all of the signatures of the slower work of the
triumvirate of Black Sabbath/ St. Vitus/ Pentagram are
combined with slow drums, the aforementioned vocals, and even
an album cover hinting at the original “Black Sabbath” are all
present. However, this obvious homage is pulled off with
plenty of good musicianship and songwriting, enough to
overlook the fact that you’ve heard this before, particularly
if you’re in your late 30s like me.
The competition out there these days playing this type of
sound is quite fierce. Orange Goblin, Sheavy, various Wino
projects (sort of), Camarosmith, you name it, are all out
there trying to cash in on some nostalgia. Voodooshock is
worthy of your attention, if you’re into this niche as I
periodically find myself, because “Marie’s Sister’s Garden” is
so enthusiastically well done.
www.mainstreamrecords.de
| www.voodooshock.de |
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Wishbone Ash – Argus Deluxe Remastered Edition
(Universal)
review by Sam Thomas |
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Remastered. That’s one of those words that immediately makes
you think: why? There are several possible answers to this:
forgotten lost classic, well worth dusting off; ageing band
trying to capitalise on a new market; cynical attempt by
record label to do the same; etc. The problem with that kind
of thinking is that it is so negative. A better way of looking
at it would be: opportunity to package together some
absolutely blinding material and produce a superb quality
release which should be of interest to many different groups
of people.
Now at this point I should come clean and explain where I
stand with Wishbone Ash and with “Argus” in particular. At one
point this album constituted approximately one-tenth of |
my entire music collection. On vinyl. I bought it again about
two years ago on CD, and it was one of very few purchases that
made me think it really was worth going back and replacing my
lost vinyl. Scarily, I am still word-perfect on all the lyrics
– why is it that all the formulae that I struggled to learn
for maths at the same period have completely vanished?
This deluxe edition consists of two CDs, the first being
basically a remastered version of the original album plus
three bonus tracks “No Easy Road”, “The Pilgrim” and,
inevitably “Phoenix”. The quality of the recording is
exceptional – even at first listen it was so much better than
my previous CD. I’m not always a huge fan of remastered stuff,
but in this case, you can tell that some serious work has gone
into this production. Disc two is a recording of the 1972 BBC
Radio One “In Concert” session, which is perhaps most
interesting for having introductions by Whispering Bob
himself. There are also two bonus mono tracks which,
bizarrely, give you the opportunity to listen to “Blowin’
Free” and “Throw Down the Sword” three times on two CDs. Maybe
that’s just for the complete anoraks amongst us…
On its original release, “Argus” was voted “Best Rock Album of
the Year” by the readers of Sounds magazine (Remember
Sounds?). It became the definitive Wishbone Ash album. That’s
two good reasons to own it. And here’s a third: this edition
is absolutely beautiful, it contains everything you need to
know about Wishbone Ash, a much neglected British band. The
songs are so well written and performed that they stand up
perfectly to the test of time. The band’s style, borrowing
elements from folk and blues to produce what we all at the
time called “progressive” rock (not yet “prog”) has not dated
at all. “Throw Down the Sword” still has the power, thirty-two
years after I first heard it, to make the hairs on the back of
my neck stand on end.
Nothing more needs to be said. Just go out, buy the album, and
settle back for over two hours of sheer perfection. “Argus”
was a great album originally, and this production has enhanced
it to the point of brilliance.
www.wishboneash.com |
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