Review - "On A Mission. Live in Madrid" Michael Schenker's Temple of Rock (inakustik 2016)

Recorded at Joy Eslava in Madrid Spain on Nov 19th, 2015 On A Mission is a great musical document of an amazing band pulling out all the stops. And what a band. Of course you have the mighty Michael Schenker doing what he does best plus the soaring vocals of Doogie White. Add to that the extremely well oiled rhythm section of Herman Rarebell and Francis Bucholz and you have the making for a night of great music. However they go one step further with the added musical chops from Wayne Findlay. Besides being able to bask in the glory of Michael's superb playing one great thing about this video is that we can really see what Wayne brings to the band on both eight string guitar and keyboards. When I had talked to Michael a few years back he was singing the praises of Wayne's talents but this video really brings it into sharp perspective.

The setlist is pretty much flawless with track from Temple of Rock, UFO, and the Scorpions. 22 tracks in all and all of them are delivered with high intensity. We are talking over two hours of Schenker here and that's not a bad thing. And I gotta say the audio quality is spot on. The mix on this thing is perfect.



This killer set is available in several formats including DVD, Blu-ray, and CD. There's also a Limited Deluxe Edition with 2 Blu-ray discs and 2 CDS. This gets you more bonus content including some sweet insight into Michael's guitars. It is of course also available as a digital download.

All in all there's nothing bad I can say about this release except maybe it just leaves us waiting anxiously for the next Temple of Rock release. I hear you. Is it really that good? Well let me put it this way. I watched the whole thing and then I immediately watched it again and I was still just as mesmerized as I was on the first play.

Go get yourself a copy of On A Mission Live in Madrid it's well worth your metal dollar.

http://www.michaelschenkerhimself.com/
https://www.facebook.com/MichaelSchenkerRocks

Night Demon, Great Scott bar, Allston, MA on 4/28/2016

 
Last years Curse Of The Damned album surprised the hell out of me. Here was a new band doing an old school metal album and actually pulling it off without it sounding modern or contrived. It really did feel like it was recorded in the U.K in 1980. I couldn't wait to hear some of it live and it did not disappoint.

   Coming on stage just before midnight the band played the whole album in reverse order. It sounded amazing. Great old school no frills metal, perfect for the venue. New guitarist Armand John Anthony fits right in. Being so close to the stage you can tell that even though it's their livelihood the band love the music, drummer Dusty Squires often singing along to the songs, singer and bass player Jarvis Leatherby constantly on the move. Highlights and there were many included Heavy Metal Heat, Satan and the album's title track.

   A well deserved encore of The Chalice from their earlier ep featured an appearance from their Mascot Rocky, think early Eddie with Maiden. Earlier I had spoken to Jarvis about what the future held for the band, he told me the new album is done and they have a 5 year plan. After seeing this I'm all in. Go see them.

Richie.

http://www.nightdemon.net/

Review - "Battle Cry" Judas Priest (Epic 2016)

This one was actually on my list of metal DVDs to purchase and it was even on my Amazon wish list so it was nice when the DVD version of this showed up in the post courtesy of a very cool PR guy.
Having seen this tour live when they passed through town I was very much looking forward to revisiting a great concert experience albeit on a much larger scale. I was not disappointed.

First off the sound mixes on this are awesome. The 5:1 mix is truly ball rattling and the Dolby surround mix ups the ante even more. The one dig I'll give on the mix is that Rob's vocals are a bit buried. I mean you can hear them but damn it's the metal god those pipes should be front and center.
What was front and center was Richie Faulkner. This DVD really shows off how well this guy has fit in with the band and also the energy he brings live. This is exactly what we experienced when we saw them live as well. Richie is just having a blast and it's obvious that Glenn is more than happy to hang back a bit and let him shine.

The tracklist on this is flawless. The Priest always make sure to feature new stuff live and this tour didn't let up on that. The show recorded live at Wacken in August of 2015 features five tracks off of Redeemer of Souls. Add to that all the classics (ok not all of them this is Priest) and you have a killer ninety plus minutes of pure metal. They also throw in three bonus tracks from a show in Poland. So a total of twenty most excellent Priest performances.

There's a spot towards the end of the show where there's a teenage fan right at the rail and he's just bawling his eyes out. This kid is just overwhelmed with the emotions of seeing Priest live. That about sums up this DVD. We are really in a great time for metal DVDs and this is another great one. Just crank this up and be overwhelmed by the majesty that is Judas Priest. Considering that most of those guys are getting up there in years its amazing to watch BLAZE through Painkiller and still come back and finish with Living After Midnight.

Do yourself and your metal ear and eye holes a favor and get yourself a copy of "Battle Cry".

Review - WOLFPAKK "Rise of The Animal" (2014 AFM Records)

Mark Sweeney and Michael Voss will release their latest Wolfpakk album "Rise of The Animal" on April 15th via AFM and this time it's obvious that they wanted to inject a bit more heavy into their melodic style of metal and they have done it very well. Not only that but they have assembled an all star array of guests to appear on this one as well.

I've been lucky enough to have an advance copy of  the actual CD to listen to for about a week now and it's been a good week. Track one "Rider of The Storm" starts right off with a damn catchy riff courtesy of Jeff Watson. Andi Deris from Helloween does the guest vocals on this one while Mark Sweeney adds his signature vocal style on top. All together a great way to open the album and it really sets the tone for the rest of it.

Up next is "Sock it to me" with a guest vocal spot from Marc Storace but amazingly they just use him on the chorus. In a masterstroke they place him on the second and third chore but not the first. This adds a bit more power as the song goes on. Did I mntion that they have very nicely broken out who does what in the CD booklet? This should get two horns up just for that.

"Monkey on Your Back" is a nicely done song dealing with addiction. Danger Danger man Ted Poley lends his pipes to this one and Ryan Roxie from Alice Cooper's band provides the axe work. Very catchy hooks in this one and a very singable chorus. Would have been very cool to have Nita Strauss on this one too.

Okay I'll admit that track four is a well written tune but I was a wee bit confused about a German melodic metal band doing a song called "Highland" complete with a highland breakdown by Bernie Torme. Totally enjoyed the vocal contributions from Joe Lynn Turner on this one. Of all the songs on the album this one has the chorus that will stick with you for days. Did I mention the bagpipes?

"Black Wolf" has a nice heavy groove. Lyrics might be a little off but the heft and groove of this one makes up for it.After this comes "Somewhere Beyond" which is a classic power metal song complete with some very Accept like vocal from David Reece. The guitar work from John Norum is also well done but as with his gig with Europe his guitar works is overshadowed by orchestration.

Track seven is "Running Out Of Time". Another fast paced tune with great vocals by Michael Voss.. Lots of changes in this one and the most dramatic is the turn into the chorus where you are suddenly in "Shadowlife" land and conveniently the vocal is provided by Don Dokken. The mighty Doug Aldrich provides the guitar on this one and he lays down one of the prime solos on the album.

Track eight "Grizzly Man" doesn't do a damn thing for me. It kills me to say that because these guys put out some great music but that track just leaves me cold.Track nine though "High Roller" is very nice. Kudos for the cool panning in the beginning. If you listen on a quality system it seems like the the coin drop goes around you. Nice comeback from the prior track. I should mention that current AC/DC drummer Chris Slade provides the beat on this one.

Amazingly the title track is the last track on the regular release. Lots of vocal tradeoffs here between Mark, Michael and Michael Kiske. They also include a triple play solo with Axel Rudi Pell, a keyboard solo from Chris Ivo (Jaded Heart) and Martin Rauber rounding it out back on guitar

If you get the deluxe edition (I did, thank you AFM) you get an extra track "Universe" as well as a video of "Sock It To Me". The real kicker in the final track is the vocal from Michaela Schober. Holy crap can that girl sing. It's the only female voice on the disc and you can't miss it. Reminded me a lot of Elize from Amaranthe. This track is probably the closest to a classic melodic/symphonic metal track and it was probably a wise choice making it a bonus track. The rest of the album is clearly not this.

So yes I would have bought this one anyways. Wolfpakk as an ongoing project always seems to deliver. However it was very nice to have it drop on my lap. If you liked the last Wolfpakk release then you will most likely be very much into this one as well. Even if you were take away the metal cavalcade of guests there are still some great songs on here. The extra muscle is just icing on the cake.

http://www.wolfpakk.net

http://www.afm-records.de/

Review - As Above So Below, The Unauthorized Yngwie Biography (Ander Tengner, Bokfabriken Worldwide)

Our reviewer in residence Wayne Simmons has once again pummelled out another great review. This time he turns his critical eye towards the publishing world and let loose the fury.

 I’ve a soft spot for Yngwie Malmsteen. For the uninitiated, he’s one of the pioneers of neo-classical metal – or shredding, as many like to call it – the very stuff Guitar Hero was founded upon. But Yngwie means much more to me than that: 1989’s Live in Leningrad, an album many believe to be his finest moment, was the first metal album that I owned. I bought it on cassette because the front cover featured Yngwie burning his guitar on stage, and to fifteen year old me that was just the most badass thing ever.

So began a brief but intense love affair with all things Malmsteen. I searched out previous albums, Odyssey and Trilogy, plus the VHS of the Leningrad show, and played them all to death. 1990 saw Yngwie’s fourth studio album, Eclipse, released and I grabbed it too, sharing my stash around school, telling anyone who would listen about this awesome guitar shredder I’d discovered. In fact, it was Yngwie that first inspired me to pick up a guitar myself, before putting it quickly down again: I mean, when someone plays this well, I thought, why bother?

Then grunge came along and we were all swept up in a wave of floppy hair and plaid shirts; guitar shredding became uncool and my metal collection was sold onto someone at school who still gave a damn. Yngwie was forgotten by me and many like me but he still kept playing and producing albums. If anything, his infamy grew, burning guitars onstage quite pedestrian to what was reported to be going on behind closed doors…

As Above, So Below: The Unauthorized Yngwie Biography tells a defiantly warts-and-all story of Malmsteen’s life. Its writer, fellow Swede Anders Tengner, is an acquaintance of Yngwie’s but don’t let that fool you: this is the most shocking and revealing rock bio I’ve read since Motley Crue’s The Dirt. Yngwie’s well known for being a little on the difficult side to work with, but Tengner takes it to a new level, drawing upon sources including former bandmates, roadies, managers and label people as well as Yngwie’s girlfriends and ex-wives, to paint the picture of a very troubled, albeit gifted, individual. 

In many ways, Yngwie’s portrayed as the clichéd rockstar: sex, drugs and rock n’ roll feature heavily in this book. But an obsessive and defiantly individualistic approach to his craft makes him something much more intriguing than that. Yngwie has always kicked against the mainstream, his style remaining very flamboyant even throughout the 90s when many of his peers were adapting to survive, going with a more stripped back grunge sound. In sharp contrast, Yngwie claims to have no interest in rock or metal trends at all, listening solely to classical. 1998’s  Concerto Suite for Electric Guitar and Orchestra hammered that point home, an orchestral piece Yngwie wrote and then performed along with the Czech Philharmonic. It’s reported as being Yngwie’s own personal highlight throughout a career spanning over three decades to date, and still going.

Tengner’s biography charts the highs and lows of Yngwie’s life and career in a candid and clutter-free writing style. It’s clear from the outset that this is a bio written by a fan as opposed to just some tabloid hack, and that, along with an introduction by one Joe Lynn Turner, makes this a credible read well worth any metalhead’s time. 

Reviewed by Wayne Simmons

Check out more from Wayne at:

www.waynesimmons.org

He also writes for Power Play Magazine which can be found at powerplaymagazine.co.uk/

Review - Judas Priest "Defenders of The Faith 30th Anniversary Edition" (Columbia/Legacy)

It's hard to believe that Judas Priest's classic "Defenders of The Faith" is thirty years old. It's amazing, thirty years since the Metallian became a part of the metal landscape. Not only that but a lot of the tracks from that album continue to be favorites of the faithful and fixtures of Priest's live set. With "Screaming for Vengeance" being such an insanely strong album these guys had a huge mountain to climb in regards to the followup for that album and Defenders delivered. To celebrate this thirty year milestone on March 10th Columbia/Legacy will be releasing a three CD expanded version including the original disc completely remastered by Tom Allom.

Although the release isn't out until March 10th Columbia/Legacy kindly allowed Focus on Metal to have a preview of the upcoming release and here's the lowdown. Thankfully Tom didn't do anything in the remaster that bows down at the altar of modern recording. There's no massive increase in Ian's bass and the drums have not been kicked up to Slayer levels. The focus remains exactly where the focus on the original mix was set. Tom was the original producer of Defenders and he clearly knows he got it right the first time. I do hear small tweaks though. Rob's vocals now have a bit more reverb/chorusing on them. I'm not sure the average person would realize it and that's the beauty of what Tom has done here. Of course when you are reviewing a release you tend to really listen to everything so you do pick up the small stuff. There's also a lot more mid presence on the remaster. Priest has always been a metal band that not afraid to embrace the middle of the EQ curve and what Tom has done here in that regard makes it all sound fresh and powerful. As far as the remaster is concerned I'll give it a solid 10 out of 10. Definitely feels like putting on a comfortable guitar and discovering it still has some great riffs in it.

1.   Freewheel Burning

2.   Jawbreaker

3.   Rock Hard Ride Free

4.   The Sentinel

5.   Love Bites

6.   Eat Me Alive

7.   Some Heads Are Gonna Roll

8.   Night Comes Down

9.   Heavy Duty

10. Defenders of the Faith

Discs two and three are a live recording from the Long Beach Arena, May 5th 1984. This date was very far into the tour for Defenders which kicked off in Demnmark on January 20th (following a mini tour of the UK in December). Priest played two nights in Long Beach and this show is from the second night. For metal heads that have come up in the last ten years the most amazing thing tho point out about this live set is that Priest played eight of the ten tracks from the new disc. With the exception of Maiden that's almost unheard of  from a veteran band. In fact the only track they didn't play on the tour at all was Eat Me Alive. These guys could go out and play this set as is today and I'm sure most Priest fans would come away extremely happy. I've long had a bootleg version of this show and i have to say that the quality on this release is far above what I've heard previously. This may become THE Priest live album. I think they could easily just release this on its own andPriest fans would buy it.

CD2 Live at Long Beach Arena, California 5^th May 1984 

1.   Love Bites

2.   Jawbreaker

3.   Grinder

4.   Metal Gods

5.   Breaking the Law

6.   Sinner

7.   Desert Plains

8.   Some Heads Are Gonna Roll

9.   The Sentinel 

10. Rock Hard Ride Free

CD3 Live at Long Beach Arena, California 5^th May 1984 

1.   Night Comes Down

2.  The Hellion

3.   Electric Eye

4.   Heavy Duty

5.   Defenders of the Faith

6.   Freewheel Burning 

7.   Victim of Changes

8.   The Green Manalishi (With the Two-Pronged Crown)

9.   Living After Midnight

10. Hell Bent For Leather

11. You’ve Got Another Thing Coming

So audio wise this thing is a steal for the price they are charging. Having recently spent thirty dollars for a remaster/special edition of an album who's first word is Love and second word is Gun I feel pretty good about saying that this is far and above the real value for your metal dollar. Twenty bucks for three incredible discs of classic Priest audio. I should also mention that I have only been able to listen to the digital version of this so far.I'm quite sure that when my pre-ordered physical copy rolls in I'm going to be an even happier camper.

Since I've only had access to the digital copy I haven't been able to see all the packaging but I will say that the cover treatment looks great as you can see above. I expect the rest of the package will also be damn cool.

So clearly what are you waiting for? Order up your own copy of the deluxe expanded version of Defenders of The Faith and bask in the audio glory that is classic Priest.

Who can forget the immortal words inscribed on the back of the original release, "Rising from darkness where Hell hath no mercy and the screams for vengeance echo on forever. Only those who keep the faith shall escape the wrath of the Metallian... Master of all metal."

This package easily gets two horns up and a total 10 out of 10. Priest remain as always, Master of all metal.

http://judaspriest.com/

https://twitter.com/judaspriest

https://www.facebook.com/OfficialJudasPriest

Review - Job For A Cowboy "Sun Eater" (Metal Blade 2014)

Job For a Cowboy is a band known for their itchy feet. Originally a deathcore outfit, these good ol’ boys from Arizona had dropped the ‘core’ by the release of their debut album, Genesis, in 2007, going for straight out death. And with fourth album, SUN EATER, just out this November 2014 from Metal Blade, the boys are on the move again. 

Opening track, Eating the Visions of God, sets the tone well, a plaintive, mid-paced number with brooding guitar and witchy vocals. It’s a dark sound, almost doomy in places, and dangerously bordering on prog with a lengthy 6 minutes running time. Second track, Sun of Nihility, is more of the same, almost a continuation of the opener, while on third track, The Stone Cross, we get our first taste of blast beats. The pace remains frenetic with The Synthetic Sea, Nick Schendzielos’ bass, pounding through the mix from the outset of this album, reaching something of a crescendo here. The guitar here feels Norwegian; a ferocious wall of sound mirroring Davy’s ravenous vocals. This blackened tone seeps through to sixth track, The Celestial Antidote, while Buried Monuments brings something of a NWOBHM flavour in with some melodic lead playing. Closing track, Worming Nightfall, compliments the doomy, mid-paced vibe of the album’s opener to bring us full circle.

It’s plain to see that JFAC have taken a leaf out of Opeth’s book here. Sure, they may not have gone just as far as Mikael & co, ditching the death metal roots altogether, but SUN EATER is definitely a melting pot. This is a band groping around for a new sound; reluctant to settle on anything in particular but seemingly more than happy to have their audience along for the ride while they experiment. And while still death metal at heart, there is certainly more evidence here of a growing trend within contemporary extreme metal to seek out fresh musical pastures.   

Reviewed by Wayne Simmons

www.waynesimmons.org

Review - Stryper- Live At The Whiskey (Frontiers Records)

   Boy are this band busy these days. In the last couple of years they have released a covers album, a selection of re-records from their earlier catalogue, a back to basics belter of old school new stuff in No More Hell To Pay at the tail end of last year and now this, a live recording from their show at the Whiskey A Go Go in Los Angeles supporting that album. Oh and let's not forget Michael also released his excellent autobiography Honestly and solo album I'm Not Your Suicide.

   In my opinion this release has three strikes against it before I even pop it in the cd player. Strike one is live albums are pretty much redundant today what with You Tube and the like. Seriously when is the last time you salivated over the release of a live album from your favorite band. Now there's tons of live footage out there and often some professionally shot. For free too. Strike two is the importance of music these days, if U2 can slog for years in the studio and give away their album to sell a bloody new phone what does that say about people's investment in music. What is it now, an app? Finally strike three is the fact that some people can't get past Stryper's lyrics. They just won't go there.

   So I'm just going to bash this thing, right? WRONG. I've seen this band live in the last couple of years and they still sound fantastic and you can't emphasize enough the importance of having the four original members on stage. To me it's always been music first, if that doesn't grab me them I'm out of there. I love Stryper, I love Slayer and that's because of the tunes.

   This band has an abundance of good songs. Their last album is well represented with a very healthy four cuts and second song Marching Into Battle is probably the heaviest they have ever done. Michael still sounds great and the backing vocals are top notch. There's no ballads either, not even Honestly from To Hell With The Devil which is their biggest hit from the past. I would like to think this was left off on purpose to highlight that this was and is a hard rocking band. It's a seriously heavy live sounding record. Not everything works though, Always There For You highlights how weak a record In God We Trust was and there's nothing from the more recent Reborn or Murder By Pride. The inclusion of All For One from Against The Law is a nice surprise but the set ends predictably with Soldiers Under Command that is their Paranoid or Take Hold of The Flame.

   So a worthy inclusion to the Stryper catalogue. If you are a fan you will love this, for someone sitting on the fence this might surprise you with its heaviness. The band still sounds great, now how many 80's bands can you say that about?

Richie.

http://www.stryper.com/

http://www.frontiers.it/

Review - Horrendous "ECDYSIS" (Dark Descent Records)

Hailing from the East Coast of America, Horrendous are a death metal band that make records like they used to make them. In fact, sophomore album, Ecdysis, would have you swear you were listening to something from 1994 as opposed to 2014. With lowbrow production values, organic drumming and treble-heavy guitar sound, this is a disc that wears its influences on its sleeve: so old-school, you’ll be scribbling on your jotter as you spin it.

Opening track, The Stranger, is a beast of a thing setting the tone perfectly for the rest of the album. The guitars are down-tuned, distortion-heavy; an almost black metal-esque wall of noise were it not for those sweeping leads washing over the top. And then you’ve got Damien Herring’s vocals piercing through the mix; not so much a growl as a beer-soaked drawl. Blackie Lawless eat your heart out.   

The Weeping Relic picks up the pace even more, pounding drums and speed riffing driving us hard. 

Things are taken back a notch with 5^th track, The Vermillion, an acoustic instrumental with more than a little Spanish Castle Magic (to quote the great Yngwie). Ninth track, Pavor Nocturnus, brings those black nuances back, even throwing in a little doom, with its minor-keyed guitar and reverbed vocal. But it’s on tenth track, Titan, where this album peaks; an emotionally charged crescendo with sweeping guitar and painfully melancholic vocals. You’ll be knocked off your feet.

Ecdysis is an album built for the metal fan whose denim jacket is littered with Entombed and Carnage (and maybe even WASP) patches; the kind of metaller who shakes their fist at death metal with monikers such as ‘technical’ or ‘melodic’ and reaches for the off switch at the first sign of triggered drumming. Dig in.

Horrendous website: https://www.facebook.com/HorrendousDeathMetal

Label: Dark Descent (http://www.darkdescentrecords.com)

Release date: October 14 2014

Reviewer: Wayne Simmons (www.waynesimmons.org)

Review - A Sound of Thunder "The Lesser Key of Solomon" (Neptune)

When ya write a review of an album that first sentence is always a bitch. More so when the album has soundly kicked your ass for the last 48 hours. That's the case with "The Lesser Key of Solomon", A Sound of Thunder's fourth release.

As always in the interest of full disclosure I am a longtime supporter of this band but I feel that I can still maintain a fair outlook on their musical output and I believe that the album will speak for itself.

The album drops on September 9th but I have been given a rare PHYSICAL advance copy. That has allowed me to listen to this not only with headphones but also cranked on my car system. And I will tell you I have taken maximum advantage of this situation. Each way of listening yields a different experience and it's nice to be able to have at both ways. With some nice headphones on (not those crappy ear buds) you can really hear all the nuances in the tracks while on the car system you get to revel in the sheer power of the tunes.

So the cast of characters hasn't changed since "Time's Arrow". Chris Haren on drums, Jesse Keen and Josh Schwartz doing guitars and keys and of course the amazing vocals of Nina Osegueda. I should also note that once again Kevin Gutierrez has the production reigns. This is like old school metal with a band sticking with a producer for album after album only in this case they don't get complacent they just get better.

As a Kickstarter supporter for this album I have gotten small glimpses of the work in progress but those snippets clearly did not represent what these guys have rolled out on this one. First off sonically it's incredible. The bass sound is superb. It's the tone that I think bass players aspire to. The drums are equally clear and present and those two elements just anchor everything else so solidly. And there's plenty to anchor. One thing that struck me was the increased use of keyboards but they never sound forced or out of place. I would characterize the B3 parts as the best use of that sound since Deep Purple. As usual the guitar parts are set in that nice midrange that allows them room to breathe and compliment the vocals. And the vocals, well I've never made any bones about the fact that Nina is one of my favorite vocalists out there and the performance here does nothing to diminish that.

With all that out of the way let's dig in.

The album kicks off with "Nexus of Realities" more an intro than an actual track it does set the mood nicely. Now the ensuing "Udoroth" is another thing entirely. This is classic ASOT. Fast and in your face with unrelenting vocals and their trademarks spiraling guitar lines. This track cannot and should not be ignored. Clearly this could easily be the single off the disc and a killer opening track for a live set. That one transitions to "Fortuneteller" a mid tempo track featuring some nicely woven guitars over a straightforward keyboard pad. Later in the track they make use of the B3 for a very cool breakdown. This track reminds me  what it would sound like if you combined DIo era Sabbath with Deep Purple MK2.

Next up is "The Boy Who Could Fly". This one is probably the most commercial sounding track I have ever heard Nina sing. This could easily sit well on terrestrial radio (I'm still working out if that's good or bad). Clearly though there's a depth and a story behind the lyrics and that in my opinion is what sets this one apart from the normal commercial song. I did i mention that Josh throws down one of the tastiest solos I have ever heard from him on this too.

Track 5 "Elijah" is a near ten minute epic clocking in at 9:30. Talk about deep themes this really hits it out of the park. Cleverly Nina never lays it out fully and leaves just enough to your imagination to come up with your own interpretation about what is really going on in this one. It definitely ups the eerie factor. This is also one of those tracks where Nina takes you on a journey by essentially speaking in each characters voice which creates almost a mini rock opera. Instrumentation on this is also excellent with a metric shit ton of stuff going on.

After three "lighter" tracks ASOT turns back to the heavy with "Master of Pain". A soon as I saw the title I knew this was going to go places and I'm pretty damn sure that Nina had a blast writing this one. If this one doesn't create a legion of S&M devotees I don't know what will. Nina has clearly mined the thin line between ecstasy and agony and put it to words in an undeniably effective way. If you don't listen to the lyrics on this one you are denying yourself a very cool experience. The lyrics on this will blow the mind of any of those sheltered housewives out there that are so enamored by "Fifty Shades of Grey". This one also contains another killer wah inflected Josh solo on it. One of the best tracks on the disc in my opinion.

From this point on Nina goes full on Mercyful Fate/King Diamond and that's a good thing. First up is "Blood From The Mummy's Tomb" a way cool tune about revenge from the grave. The double bass wok on this one is so freaking tight but it doesn't hit you in the face because they didn't go for that booming cannon bass sound it just sits there nicely in the mix. If you ever wanted to hear Josh do some Floyd-like soling this is where he does it. Nice B3 riffing on this one too. And I gotta say that some bands would have probably gone overboard on the Egyptian thing and made a campy mess not so with these guys. ASOT has made a horror classic with this one.

"Black Secrets" is pure classic hard rock riffing. What to not like about that? Solid hooky riffs. B3 in the breakdown. Even a tiny drum solo in there. Great mid tempo track with a classic 70's vibe. 

Track 9 "One Empty Grave" starts out with some very stripped down backing and it lets Nina's vocals and the subject matter shine. The absence of stuff really lends to the ghostly nature of the subject. One thing that drives me nuts on this one is the backing vocals. There's another voice in there and I have no idea who it is. Perhaps it's Veronica Freeman but there's nothing on the advance copy about it. Why does it matter? Cuz the voices sound so greasing good together that it'll make the hairs on your arms go up. Update: Josh gave me a shout out and assured me that Nina is the only female voice on the album.  Once again proving how versatile Nina is. So it's a more down tempo tune but the mood created is so inescapable that you just have to listen.

The disc wraps up with "House of Bones" clocking in at 8:39 it initially seems like a long tune however the first 1:15 is an intro piece. It almost a reprise of some of the themes heard in track one. That transition to a cool almost proggy bass line. There's a real jazz fusion element n this one between the bass and the guitar. Reminded me a bit of Jaco meets Blow by Blow era Jeff Beck for a good chunk of it however they bring the metal about three minutes in along with a nice bluesy vocal line from Nina.

ASOT has taken ten tracks of heavy and supernatural themed songs and created another killer release with "The Lesser Key of Solomon" Listening to all of it just enforces the notion that this band is still growing and that they haven't become complacent or predictable. If this is your first ASOT experience I would urge you to go back and explore the prior release too. Each one has a unique tone and experience.

So what's the FoM score on this one? With ten tracks and a max score of 1 point per track I'm going with 9.5 out of 10. "The Boy Who Could Fly" leaned a little too commercial for my tastes but the solo and the lyrical depth gave it a half point. This one's another release that I think is well worth your wharf earned cash from an independent band that continues to do things on their own terms. The fact that the fans continue to heavily support everything they do should be a clear indication that these guys are the real deal.

Find out more about ASOT and order up the release at:

www.asoundofthunderband.com

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Review - Tesla with American Dog, Hampton Beach Casino, NH on 8/12/14

   I was really looking forward to seeing American Dog and I wasn't alone as a sizable chunk of the crowd had already filled the venue when the band took the stage. They are an old school shit kicking twin guitar rock and roll band. With attitude. Their latest release Neanderthal is great and they played half of it. The band went down a storm and we had a great chat with all the guys after their set. Go see them if they play anywhere near you. Best opening band I've seen in a while.

   I've always had a problem with Tesla and felt at times that their albums were more perspiration then inspiration. Mechanical Resonance is one of my favourite debut albums ever and Psychotic Supper is a classic but being honest I don't reach for their stuff on a regular basis, their earlier albums suffer like most from that era of being too damn long and their newer stuff is just a little one paced for my liking. As for Jeff Keith live, well I'll just say he is hit and miss.

   This was the third time I had seen them in as many years and they started strong with a newie MP3 from Simplicity followed by the fantastic Edison's Medicine and I Wanna Live from Forevermore. Up tempo rocking stuff. Then the band kinda lose me with a string of mid-paced fare like Hang Tough, Mama's Fool and The Way It Is. Solid songs but samey. I'll hand it to the band because they did plug the new cd with 4 songs from it but the foot was tapping instead of the head banging. Three from Mechanical Resonance ended the set and only highlighted for me how better those songs are live. Modern Day Cowboy is still great.

   Next time they need to vary the pace of the set but they suffer like a lot of bands from that era because they have to play ballads like What You Give and Signs. Unfortunately that leaves no room for Cumin Atcha Live and Don't De Rock Me, tunes with some serious twin guitar interplay. The band weren't crap and by and large the crowd loved them. The musicianship is still there but overall the stage presence is not except for chatty Frank Hannon, Jeff Keith still looks like he needs a good meal.

Richie.

Review - Kiss/ Def Leppard/ Kobra And The Lotus- Xfinity Center, Mansfield, MA 8/1/14

   I had heard good things about Kobra and the Lotus and decided unlike most people to get there for the 7pm kick-off. They are a straight up no frills heavy metal band fronted by the excellent vocals of Kobra Paige. It did cross my mind that they were an odd pick as opener until I discovered that Gene Simmons had been helping them earlier in their career. Their performance deserved a larger crowd and the addition of Heart's Barracuda to the set went down well. They impressed me.

   It was odd seeing Def Leppard being the next to last band on the bill, I had seen them six or seven times since the Adrenalize tour and they had always been the last band on stage. With Leppard now and to a greater extent Kiss it's all about the vocals. The expert playing, hit songs and overall stage show are a given for bands too old in the tooth to really screw things up. Well I'm glad to report that Joe Elliot was in fine voice on this his 55th birthday. Opening with Let It Go was a nice surprise for me as in all my years I had never seen them perform this live. Then it was hit after multi-platinum hit. You name me a band that can afford to put a song as huge as Animal after the opener and still have the crowd knowing every note of the remainder of the set. Finishing with a one two punch of Rock of Ages and Photograph left Kiss with a hard act to follow. Def Leppard on this night were superb.

   Nearing ten p.m and the predictable "You wanted the best...." led into the surprising Psycho Circus as opener. I figured something from Monster would open the show as numerous ads were on all screens promoting an album "containing all killer, no ballads and no filler". Add no songs from it in the set. There's no point talking about the stage show because it's Kiss and it was fantastic. It's Paul Stanley I want to talk about. Can the guy change his between song banter at all. People on the left let me hear you, people on the right let me hear you. It's funny the first couple of times you hear him do it but now it's just old. Same with Gene and his oh yeahs before God Of Thunder. It's really the only thing the band can somewhat control because the stage set up coupled with the choice of songs limits where and when they have to be at a particular point in time. Yet it's the same old same old with only the city name a changing. Seems odd too that Paul also brings up that Kiss are now in the Rock and Roll Hall Of Fame when he has done everything recently in the press to belittle the organization for not recognizing the band for many years.

   Paul's vocals were sketchy at best especially on Hide Your Heart and it seemed he had a problem with every non-make up song because of the high register. The guy might be a tremendous front man but he just can't sing like he used to. Tommy Thayer and especially Eric Singer really do prop up Paul's vocal shortcomings especially when you hear how good a singer Eric is on Black Diamond. So no Strutter, Shock Me etc. but they kept the mighty War Machine in the set. Finishing with Detroit Rock City and Rock and Roll All Nite ended a really enjoyable night on a high. Def Leppard shading it on the night.

Richie.

Review - Varga "Return of The Metal" (Vargantuan)

Back in 2013 Varga put out their first new release since 1995's Oxygen. It was clear listening to that release and talking with drummer Dan Fila that "Enter The Metal" represented a bunch of friends coming back together and jam. The results of those jams was pretty damn impressive. In fact I still have that release on my desk, that sucker has never been put away.

Here we are a year later and here come's the aptly titled "Return Of The Metal". Here's the short version of my review…"Hole-E-Fuck!!".

If that doesn't fill the need I'll expand on that. Once again Varga has produced six monolithic tracks of metal. Six? Yeah six, but we are talking the shortest track is 5:37 most run 6 to 8 minutes. Also once again Varga proudly displays their influences in the tracks and on the liner notes. This was very apparent right from track one "Three Section Staff" where Joe Varga goes from his regular register into soaring King Diamond punctuations. Aaaahh it's good to be a metalhead.

So let's break it down. Track one the aforementioned  "Three Section Staff" is almost nine minutes of twists and turns set to lyrics about martial arts. There's some great guitar work in here as well as some type of instrumentation I can't figure out (and it's pissing me off). Hopefully I'll be talking to one of the guys soon so I can find out how they did what they did.

Next up is "After Life Comes" a song which questions about what happens when ya take the dirt nap. Are we worm food or what? This has all the thrash elements that we love. It kicks off with a bass riff that would do Ellefson proud. Many parts and tempo changes and it's just plain HEAVY.

"Disfigured Gargoyles" reminds me (and I don't know why) of Zetro era (the first time) Exodus or even some Hatriot. So many it's the vocals. This ones a bit more uptempo and once again killer guitar work come solo time. Perhaps the fact that for most of the tune the guitar is restrained to chord stabs makes the solo that much more intense.

"Evil Drifters" will be the track of the week of Focus on Metal 191. This is one of those horror tunes you expect from Varga. On the last release I think "Shark Attack" was the one that sent you mind to horrorville. On this one it's "Evil Drifters" Kudos for the dizzying circus like intro part.

Last time around the social commentary song was "No More Clean Air" this time it's track five "Money Talks". Don't confuse it with the tune of the same name by the brothers Young. That was a fun time tune this one ain't. The best way to describe Varga's take is, think of Mustaine talking about the evil that money can bring. In fact the song reminds me quite a bit of Peace era Megadeth. Some of the best guitar work on the album is on this one. There's a very Metallica like roller-coaster break that is total ear candy for metal fans.

Sadly our trip ends at track 6 "Far East Super Slaughter". That should have been an album title for Tokyo Blade or Loudness. It is a cool track but I'm glad it's at the end. It would have broken the groove if had been placed anywhere else. This one is one of Varga's classic narrative story songs. It's almost like hearing an entire movie in 6:29. Not my favorite track but still 100% metal.

So where does all this lead us? With "Return of The Metal" Varga is clearly back in action. These songs sound more cohesive than their 2013 effort and they have also upped the overall heaviness factor as well. If you like classic metal/thrash I think this will fit the bill nicely. I'm thinking that like the prior release this one might still be out on my desk in 12 months.

I'm giving it a solid 9.5 out of 10. Well worth your metal dollar and c'mon ya gotta support independent guys like this that actually put out great stuff.

Pick up a copy at vargahq.com or anywhere you usually get your metal. If you go to their website maybe pick up some other cool Varga merch for yourself too.

Review - Judas Priest "Redeemer Of Souls" (Epic Records)

So finally here it is. An album most fans thought would never arrive or for others it couldn't arrive quick enough after the poorly received Nostradamus. Expectations were high on this because the fans wanted a belter of an album with a back to basics approach. More six string then orchestral. So does it deliver? Well yes and no.

  The songs for the most part are fine and it is a heavy metal album with all the stereotypes. The title track chugs along and is great, opener Dragonaught will probably open the new live show and Beginning Of The End shows the softer side of the band to great effect. It suffers from too many tracks and Down In Flames is average at best. Metalizer is metal by numbers with dumb lyrics. The five bonus tracks are ok too.

   So here's my problem, the thing SOUNDS terrible. To my ears the production and mix are horrible. The whole thing sounds really dry and there's no pop to the stuff at all. I feel really sorry for Scott Travis because you have an incredible drummer who sounds like he is beating on wooden blocks and tin cans. Want proof then put on the introduction to Sword Of Damocles and then put on Painkiller and that was recorded over 20 years ago. Ian Hill's bass is in and out and Rob's vocals for the most part are in his lower register save for Halls Of Valhalla.

   To put out an album with these production values in the modern age baffles me. Say what you want about Priest's peers Maiden and Sabbath at least they had the foresight to hire the top guys Kevin Shirley and Rick Rubin respectively. I'm sure Mike Exeter is a capable studio hand and a nice guy but can you name another album he has had a hand in. Someone like Roy Z who has worked with the band in the past would have made this sound much better. I would love to hear a remixed version of this because then we would be talking. I knew Priest would have to come up with something special to top Primal Fear's Delivering The Black. They couldn't do it.

Richie.