Lazarus A.D. “Thou Shall Not Fear” Video by Metal Blade Records – MySpace Video
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Happy Birthday Bun E. Carlos of Cheap Trick!
Posted in 1970's hard rock, 1970's Rock, 1980's rock music, 1980's hard rock, classic rock, current hard rock albums, Drums, essential hard rock albums, essential rock albums, Hard Rock, hard rock drummers, hard rock guitarists, hard rock songs, live rock albums, Music, new hard rock album, Rock, rock & roll, rock and roll, rock celebrity birthdays, rock music, vintage hard rock albums, vintage rock albums with tags 1970's hard rock music, 1980's hard rock music, bun e carlos birthday, bun e. carlos drummer, cheap trick, cheap trick album covers, cheap trick albums, cheap trick at budokan album, cheap trick dream police album, cheap trick hard rock band, cheap trick recording achievements, cheap trick rock band, cheap trick the latest album, classic hard rock, classic rock, Hard Rock, hard rock music, hard rock music today, Music, rick nielsen guitarist, robin zander vocalist, rock music, tom petersson bass guitarist on June 13, 2009 by Metal Odyssey
Bun E. Carlos, drummer of Hard Rock legends, Cheap Trick, turned 58 Rockin’ years young today, (June 12, 2009). Metal Odyssey extends a huge Happy Birthday to Bun E. Carlos! I am not holding back when I say, I have been a fan of Cheap Trick since I was in 6th grade… (back in the late 1970’s)… when owning 8-track tapes of Cheap Trick was the norm and collecting Kiss trading cards was cool. I still get a cool kick from listening to Bun E. Carlos’s classic drum intro, to the live track of “Ain’t That A Shame” off of the “at Budokan” album. Listening to Bun. E. Carlos over the years, I have never lost sight of the fact, that this drummer is as capable and talented as any other in Hard Rock history. Just give the album “Dream Police” a listen, especially the title track, you will hear Bun E. Carlos solidifying the song with precision. Bun E. Carlos has proven to me, it is not the glitz and glam that make a real Hard Rock drummer, it is the playing, the integrity in the musicianship that really matters. Many Hard Rock drummers have the look, yet they do not have half the talent with the drumsticks, like Mr. Carlos bestows. Bun E. Carlos is not an overnight sensation, this is a drummer that along with the entire Cheap Trick band… have paid their Hard Rock dues spanning three decades.
Cheap Trick, as stated on the official Cheap Trick website, have achieved 40 gold and platinum recording awards, have more than 5,000 performances, 29 movie soundtracks and 20 million records sold. If I am not mistaken, this appears to be Hard Rock success and excellence, personified.
I am Metal smitten that Robin Zander, Rick Nielsen, Tom Petersson and of course, Bun E. Carlos are still Rocking heavy and steady to this very day! Cheap Trick will be releasing yet another new album, adding more credence to an already storied and legendary career. As reported on the official Cheap Trick website, “The Latest” will be the new Cheap Trick album, with it’s release date set for June 23, 2009. Amazon.com will have exclusive rights in selling “The Latest” for one month. The official Cheap Trick website also states that limited editions of this album will be available on LP and 8-track tapes… that is correct… 8 -track tapes!! (Now that is what I call vintage). Thank you Bun E. Carlos and Cheap Trick for your incredible contributions to Rock and Hard Rock history… thank you for being a mainstay in my music listening life.
Paul Dianno “The Living Dead” is very much alive with Metal Music
Posted in 1980's heavy metal music, 1980's metal music, Album Review, cool album covers, essential heavy metal albums, Extreme Metal, heavy metal album covers, heavy metal album review, heavy metal albums, heavy metal music, Heavy Metal Reviews, heavy metal solo albums, heavy metal solo artists, heavy metal solo vocalists, heavy metal this decade, heavy metal vocalists, Metal, metal music, metal music today, Metal Reviews, Music, recent heavy metal albums, spooky metal album covers, Vocals with tags 1980's heavy metal music, 1980's metal music, Album Review, bruce dickinson vocalist, Heavy Metal, heavy metal album review, heavy metal music, heavy metal today, Iron Maiden, iron maiden 1980's heavy metal albums, iron maiden first album, iron maiden heavy metal band, killers album, max cavalera vocalist, megadeth heavy metal band, Metal, metal albums, metal music, Music, paul dianno 2006, paul dianno heavy metal vocalist, paul dianno interview, paul dianno iron maiden vocalist, paul dianno the living dead album, paul dianno vocalist, sepultura, soulfly, spooky metal album covers on June 12, 2009 by Metal Odyssey
Paul Dianno “The Living Dead” was released on May 16, 2006. Why I lead with this, is due to my impatience for waiting on this album… I counted the days leading up to it’s release. It was like I was eight years old again, waiting for Christmas morning to come. For the few who may not know, Paul Dianno was the original lead singer for Iron Maiden. Paul Dianno was lead vocalist on the debut “Iron Maiden” album and the “Killers” album. Of course you can count bootlegs and the “Maiden Japan” EP as well, with having Dianno as lead vocalist. If it wasn’t for Bruce Dickinson taking over as lead vocalist for Iron Maiden, starting with the “666 The Number of the Beast” album, I would say that Paul Dianno could never be replaced as lead vocalist. However, It is my Metal opinion that comparing Paul Dianno to Bruce Dickinson is apples to oranges. Why compare? They are both completely different vocalists, both in style and range. The Paul Dianno fronted version of Iron Maiden, with the first two studio albums, (mentioned above), are undisputed Metal classics, that are revered and influential to countless Metal fans and/or Metal musicians. I feel Paul Dianno shares the same equal glory among the other original members of Iron Maiden for these albums being so iconic. (Phew, I got that off my chest, now I can blab about the actual album – “The Living Dead”).
The opening track “The Living Dead” is sung with power and emotion from Dianno – yeah, you can have emotion in Metal music. Lyrically, this song tackles loneliness, hunger and human despair. (Nope, this song is not about the cult horror film classic). This tune is a heavy – very heavy ballad if you will. For every song I mention on “The Living Dead”, bear in Metal mind, that this is a very, very heavy album. Dianno sounds more hungrier, angrier and confident than ever. (That is what my Metal ears are telling me anyways). “Mad Man In The Attic” has Dianno doing a little exploring, into the world of Death Metal vocals. These growling vocals are not constant throughout, Dianno apparently was looking for some vocal horror texture and he succeeds here, in my Metal opinion. I find Dianno to be a touch reminiscent of the legendary Alice Cooper on this song. “War Machine” is a tune built on speed and dark heaviness. “Brothers Of The Tomb” has Dianno hitting the extreme high notes vocally, with some angry gang vocals added into the mix as well. “P.O.V. 2005” is a down right Thrash Metal tune… excellent riffs and a very cool solo as well.
Dianno does a cover of the Megadeth classic “Symphony Of Destruction” – it is structured and arranged differently than the original version. The biggest difference is the vocals, plus this version is not nearly as fast overall, as to what Megadeth delivers. I like this cover for it’s diverse Metal approach though, the Megadeth original will always be the best. Two legendary Paul Dianno era – Iron Maiden tracks are included as live bonus tracks: “Wrathchild” and “Phantom Of The Opera”, the liner notes do not suggest that these live recordings were done with Iron Maiden, rather with Paul Dianno’s band. Dianno is all over these two tunes… the quality, musicianship and vocals of Dianno make these bonus tracks a worthwhile addition to “The Living Dead”.
The copy of “The Living Dead” I picked up back in 2006, has a bonus DVD that includes the video for the song “The Living Dead” and an interview with Paul Dianno. The video is dark, almost haunting with it’s imagery. Paul Dianno is shown alone, singing against the backdrop of images of strife, humanity and despair. The interview with Paul Dianno is very interesting, with really no details as to why he and Iron Maiden split ways decades ago. One neat bit of info that Dianno shared is that he feels Max Cavalera (of Sepultura & Soulfly fame) is currently the best lead vocalist in Metal today. Hey, I really like everything that Max Cavalera has done with Sepultura and Soulfly myself. I definitely recommend “The Living Dead” to any fan of Metal, especially Iron Maiden fans who want to hear some recent Paul Dianno, he did a fabulous Metal job with this album.
The Metal musicians behind Paul Dianno on “The Living Dead” are: Paulo Turin, Chico Dehira, Javier Cuevas and Claudio Duliba on guitars * Felipe Andreoli & Marcelo Bracalente on bass * Aquiles Prieser & German Rodriguez on drums.
IRON MAIDEN “FLIGHT 666” is now boarding Metalheads!
Posted in 1980's heavy metal albums, 1980's heavy metal music, 1980's metal music, Album Review, classic metal, concerts, cool album covers, current heavy metal albums, current heavy metal music, current live heavy metal albums, current metal albums, current prog metal albums, current prog metal music, current progressive metal albums, essential heavy metal albums, Heavy Metal, heavy metal album review, heavy metal albums, heavy metal albums 2009, heavy metal guitarists, heavy metal music, heavy metal music 2009, Heavy Metal Reviews, heavy metal this decade, heavy metal vocalists, Iron Maiden, Metal, metal music, metal music today, Metal Reviews, Music, new heavy metal album, old school heavy metal, prog metal albums, prog metal music, progressive metal, progressive metal albums, progressive metal music, progressive metal today, recent heavy metal albums with tags 1980's heavy metal, 1980's heavy metal music, 1980's progressive metal music, 1990's heavy metal music, adrian smith guitarist, Album Review, bruce dickinson vocalist, classic metal, current live metal albums, dave murray guitarist, flight 666 live metal album, fye, heavy metal album review, heavy metal music, Iron Maiden, iron maiden 2009, iron maiden albums, iron maiden flight 666 album, iron maiden heavy metal band, iron maiden live, iron maiden metal band, iron maiden piece of mind album, iron maiden progressive metal band, iron maiden today, janick gers guitarist, metal music, Music, new wave of british heavy metal, nicko mcbrain drummer, old school heavy metal, powerslave album, progressive metal music, Reviews, seventh son of a seventh son album, steve harris bass guitarist, walmart on June 11, 2009 by Metal Odyssey
You bet your Metal memory I picked up the new and live double CD “Flight 666” from Iron Maiden, (released June 9, 2009). How could I possibly pass it up? This is Iron Maiden we are talking about… Metal icons… Metal elite. I first saw this new Iron Maiden CD, yesterday, at f.y.e., they were asking $16.99… I knew I could do better than that. So, I went to good ol’ Super Walmart to pick up necessities, like… food, then my body was on automatic pilot and went straight to the CD aisles. Iron Maiden is a necessity in my Metal life, therefore, I purchased “Flight 666” along with various food items from Walmart. I embarked for my car, with my daughters by my side and I am one happy dude. The Walmart price? I paid $13.88 for “Flight 666”, if I continued to search for a cheaper price than that, I would be wasting gas in my tank. Plus, I was able to save $3.23… sounds like chump change, yet it adds up throughout the years when you shop around a tad. I am going to put the DVD version of “Flight 666” on my want list for now… I listen to Metal light years more often than I watch Metal.
Now, for the Metal music on “Flight 666″… again, this is Iron Maiden! What in the Metal world could I possibly find fault with here? This live double CD is juiced up with many prime Metal tunes from the expansive Iron Maiden catalog of albums. Quality, quality and more quality. That is what you hear from the production, sound and of course, the Metal from this Iron Maiden live CD. No Iron Maiden and/or Metal fan could possibly expect any less from this band. When I listen to “Flight 666”, I truly realize how I have never grown weary of any Iron Maiden tunes. If anything, listening to this CD makes me appreciate this band all the more, Iron Maiden is still cranking out Metal across the world… and doing so with their trademark, brilliant musicianship. These guys have not missed a step going on three decades. “Flight 666” is proof of this. The Progressive Metal exuberance of Iron Maiden, with their multi-layered triple guitar attack are in a Metal class all their own. Being a live CD, the nuances and ambiance of the musicianship and the thousands of screaming Iron Maiden fans make for an exciting listen. Not everyone is into live albums… I never fell in love with every live Metal album I have listened to either – “Flight 666” is a live Metal album that I will boast about forever.
There are six tracks on “Flight 666” that are post “Powerslave” era Iron Maiden. “Wasted Years” and “Heaven Can Wait” are from the “Somewhere In Time” album. “Heaven Can Wait” is my favorite post “Powerslave” Iron Maiden tune, it is played live in incredible Metal fashion here. “Fear Of The Dark” is from, of course, the “Fear Of The Dark” album. “The Clairvoyant”, “Moonchild” and “Can I Play With Madness” are off of the “Seventh Son of a Seventh Son” album. The remaining eleven tracks are just killer, vintage and monumental Iron Maiden from the debut “Iron Maiden” album up to and including, the “Powerslave” album. The opening live trademark of “Churchill’s Speech” gets the Metal juices flowing for what is about to come… “Aces High”… pure Iron Maiden, pure Metal intensified! “2 Minutes To Midnight” and “The Number Of The Beast” roar with Iron Maiden – Metal history. I am glad to see that “Rime Of The Ancient Mariner”, from the “Powerslave” album, is added to this amazing set of Iron Maiden classics… at almost 14 minutes long, Iron Maiden makes an epic story turn to epic Metal greatness. My favorite Iron Maiden tune ever is found on “Flight 666” as well and I am ecstatic… “Revelations” from the “Piece Of Mind” album.
I guess you may have figured out by now, that I am a life long fan of Iron Maiden. I am obviously not alone with my Metal allegiance towards this band. I could go on forever about how much I dig this band and “Flight 666”, however, all great Metal posts must come to an end. If you are already an Iron Maiden fan, you know you will own this album, (if you not already have it). For new fans of Metal or Iron Maiden, it is time to get on board for “Flight 666”!!
Iron Maiden are: Bruce Dickinson on lead vocals, Dave Murray on lead & rhythm guitars, Adrian Smith on lead & rhythm guitars, Janick Gers on lead & rhythm guitars, Steve Harris on bass and Nicko Mcbrain on drums. If these guys are not legitimate Rock & Roll Hall of Famers, then nobody is. Iron Maiden is in my Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and they epitomize what the word Metal means.
ISIS – “Holy Tears” EP is Prog Metal worth checking out
Posted in Album Review, avant-garde metal albums, avant-garde metal music, cool album covers, current metal albums, current prog metal albums, current prog metal music, current progressive metal albums, current progressive metal eps, current progressive metal music, Metal, metal music, metal music today, Metal Reviews, Music, prog metal albums, prog metal music, progressive metal, progressive metal albums, progressive metal music, progressive metal today, progressive rock with tags Album Review, current isis metal albums, isis, isis avant-garde metal band, isis holy tears 2008, isis holy tears ep, isis holy tears ep review, isis metal band, isis progressive metal band, metal music, Music, progressive metal 2009, progressive metal album reviews, progressive metal albums, progressive metal ep, progressive metal music, progressive metal today on June 10, 2009 by Metal OdysseyI have read many an article and interview recently in regards to Isis. In my Metal opinion, Isis is a Progressive Metal band. Now, I have read professionally paid critics label Isis as an… Art Metal Band??? I have absolutely, positively, no clue as to what an Art Metal Band is supposed to look like or sound like. Maybe there is an Art Metal Band out there somewhere… and this band draws and paints on stage while they play Metal music. I dunno. The only thing I find artsy about Isis is the CD cover artwork. Despite the mislabeling that goes on every day in Metal music… rest assured… Isis is Progressive Metal. This is a darn right decent band too – they have all the Metal tools to create some elaborate and layered Metal tunes. (In other words, Progressive Metal tunes). I like the Death Metal growls, the vocal placement that Isis gives for them on their songs works out rather well for me. The combination of normal vocals with Death Metal vocals is not new, yet set within the Metal – musical framework of Isis, it sounds rather cutting edge.
Isis is different, they stand out, that is cool. They show their musical influences, yet they are rather original when it comes to Progressive Metal, that is my Metal take anyway. Yeah, the Pink Floyd influence is evident with the Metal of Isis, yet that is what you can expect from Progressive Metal. Now, maybe the members of Isis would say they do not hear any Pink Floyd influence in their Metal… that is fine, it is just my Metal ears telling my Metal brain what they hear. Many Progressive Metal bands have proved to me, that you can space-out to this genre of Metal, Isis is no exception. That is why I like Progressive Metal in the first place, this type of Metal affects me a whole bunch differently than say, Manowar. (It would be next to impossible to space-out to the legendary and explosive Heavy Metal of Manowar).
If you are thinking of diving into some Isis Progressive Metal, my recommendation would be to get a copy of the “Holy Tears” EP, (released February 5, 2008), it is not as costly as a regular CD and it is a cool barometer of just what Isis has to offer with their music. The three tracks on this EP are: “Holy Tears”, “Not Rivers, But In Drops” and a live version of “Holy Tears”. A video (CD-rom) for “Holy Tears” also comes on this EP as well. I have no Metal reservations about recommending Isis to fans of Progressive Metal at all. Metal fans of other genres may want to diversify a bit and give Isis a listen too. I know I did, I have no Metal regrets.
RANCID – “let the dominoes fall” is Punk Rock to devour
Posted in 1990's punk rock music, Album Review, current punk rock music, essential punk rock albums, extreme music today, punk rock album reviews, punk rock albums, punk rock music, punk rock music 2009, punk rock music today, punk rock songs, recent punk rock albums with tags 1990's punk rock music, branden steineckert drummer, current punk rock albums, essential punk rock albums, extreme music, lars frederiksen guitarist, matt freeman bass guitarist, punk rock album review, punk rock albums, punk rock music, punk rock music 2009, punk rock music today, punk rock songs, rancid, rancid albums, rancid let the dominoes fall album, rancid punk rock, rancid punk rock 2009, rancid punk rock band, recent punk rock albums, target stores, tim armstrong guitarist on June 9, 2009 by Metal Odyssey
Rancid – “let the dominoes fall” took me by surprise as I walked the CD aisles at Target today. Why is this? Well, for one, it was actually there, in stock. Secondly, the humane price of $7.98 was screaming out at me to – buy now! $7.98… that is cheaper than buying two happy meals for my daughters. Talk about value… there are also 19 songs on the new Rancid CD as well. It is a cool treat to finally not get ripped off by the retail CD prices… when I find a great deal, I tell people. The liner notes in this Rancid CD are a bonus – it is a very large Rancid poster (depicting the CD cover of band and logo). This poster is so large, it is suitable for hanging on your wall of choice. (Sorry, I did not take an actual measurement of this poster, take my word for it, it is large). On the backside of the poster you will find all the lyrics to the songs.
As for the songs – excellent stuff, this Rancid Punk Rock is. What I like most about Rancid, is there are no hidden agendas – just Punk Rock comin’ at ya’ the way it should be… with plenty of Old School Punk Rock sound and feel to rejoice over. I always found the Ramones and Misfits to be an instant cure to the doldrums and stagnant complacency, that an ordinary day may bring. Rancid fits this bill for me as well. I need Punk Rock as much as any of my Metal Music genres I revere. To make my point about curing the doldrums… my first listen to the tune “LA river” and I was stoked. “LA river” now and forever will get me moving, this songs beat and lyrics are instantly memorable and very addicting. In my opinion, Rancid does a convincing and yet, modest job at airing out some social commentary… “this place” tackles the subject matter of monster corporations causing the demise of Lake Shore foundries. “civilian ways” is for me, lyrically, a commendable Punk Rock statement. This song touches on the life of a U.S. soldier returning home from war… only this soldier now finds civilian ways to be foreign. Rancid does not overstate themselves while staying true to their music, the lyrics of “i ain’t worried” is a proud rallying cry for the Punk Rock genre.
Overall, “let the dominoes fall” has proven to be an excellent Punk Rock CD for me, Rancid has 19 tunes here for a reason… they’re all credible. Truth be told, I listened to this CD four times today alone… not counting the number of times I listened to “LA river”, which was many times more. I highly recommend Rancid “let the dominoes fall” to all Punk Rock fans and all Extreme Music fans across the globe. Rancid are: Tim Armstrong on guitar & vocals, Lars frederiksen on guitar & vocals, Matt Freeman on bass & vocals and Branden Steineckert on drums. Rancid “let the dominoes fall” was released on June 2, 2009, on Hellcat Records/Epitaph Records.
Great White “Rising” rises to the top with A+ Hard Rock
Posted in 1980's hard rock, 1980's heavy metal music, 1980's metal music, 1990's heavy metal music, Album Review, cool album covers, current hard rock albums, current hard rock songs, current heavy metal albums, current heavy metal music, essential hard rock albums, Great White, great white 2009, Hair Metal, hair metal music, Hard Rock, hard rock album review, hard rock albums 2009, hard rock guitarists, hard rock songs, Heavy Metal, heavy metal album covers, heavy metal album review, heavy metal albums, heavy metal albums 2009, heavy metal guitarists, heavy metal music, heavy metal music 2009, Heavy Metal Reviews, heavy metal this decade, heavy metal vocalists, independent record labels, Metal, Music, Rock, rock music, Vocals with tags 1980's heavy metal, 1980's heavy metal music, Album Review, audie desbrow drummer, current hard rock albums, current heavy metal albums, Great White, great white 2009, great white hard rock band, great white heavy metal band, great white rising album, great white today, hard rock album review, hard rock music, heavy metal album review, heavy metal music, jack russell vocalist, mark kendall guitarist, michael lardie guitarist, Music, Reviews, scott snyder bass guitarist, shrapnel records on June 8, 2009 by Metal OdysseyGreat White “Rising” for me, is a retrospective listen, and it is not Heavy Metal. This is some inspiring, well written and high quality – Hard Rock. I can even go as far to say that “Rising” can be defined as a Rock album. You are not going to hear the 1980’s flamboyant, grandiose, guitar riff – infused Heavy Metal tunes here. No insanely – Metal driven solos either, some tastefully crafted solo’s do appear however, (“Danger Zone”), so do not despair. What I do hear on “Rising”, is a band that has clearly found themselves creating music straight from the heart. I am not trying to sound sappy here, sappy is not allowed on Metal Odyssey. What I am trying to convey is that Great White has proven to us Metalheads years ago, that they can play heavy and light up an Arena or two. I am convinced, after listening to “Rising”, that Great White is just as enthusiastic and talented as ever. Great White are real musicians… they do not need to carbon copy their past albums onto a 2009 release. “Rising” has some really addicting Old School Hard Rock flavor throughout.
Jack Russell on lead and background vocals has close to no resemblance of the Hair Metal heyday of his 1980’s voice. Forget the comparisons anymore to the legendary Robert Plant! (It started to get very old, even though Great White is what I consider the greatest Led Zeppelin cover band in the world). It is refreshing to hear Jack Russell not sound like a 1980’s retread. His vocals are absolutely superb on this album. “Danger Zone” and “Down On The Level” are two of the more hardest rockers on “Rising”, giving way to some of Jack Russell’s vocal past. “My Sanctuary” exemplifies what the Hard Rock ballads sound like on this album… free flowing with plenty of catchy grooves. “Situation” and “Shine” are songs that are similar, being heavy enough that they are very far removed from being mellow meltdowns. “All Or Nothin” is laden with enough grooves, hooks and foot stomping moments to make this my favorite track. “Loveless” is a real retrospective visit to late ’70’s early ’80’s Hard Rock sound- only it is a really good visit at that. Great White in my Metal opinion, has found the perfect balance of melody and harmonious vocals with just enough heavy guitar and rhythm section to make “Rising” a legitimate Hard Rock keeper.
I cannot possibly compare Great White of the ’80’s to Great White of 2009. I dig the music from both Great White eras. I find it cool when a band, especially one that is renowned for Heavy Metal, digs a little deeper into their musical souls and delivers a knock out of an album, filled with tunes you were not really expecting. Great White “Rising” should appeal to a very vast audience of genres… Hard Rock, Rock and Heavy/Hair Metal fans should find what they like on this album, I know I have. With all of my mentioning of retrospective on this review of “Rising”, I am steadfast against the labeling of music as being dated. Just because music brings back memories of other decades or sounds like music from the past, does not make it uncool. Look at how many CD’s and albums that the immortal Elvis and legendary Beatles sell on a weekly basis… if dated music does exist, then I guess dated music is in. Great White of 2009 is happening for me. I have spoken my Metal point.
“Rising” was released on April 21, 2009, on Shrapnel Records. And now, a Metal Odyssey roll call of the members of Great White, as they appear on “Rising”: Jack Russell – lead and background vocals, Mark Kendall – guitar and background vocals, Audie Desbrow – drums, Michael Lardie – guitar, keyboards, mandolin, sitar, harmonica, percussion and background vocals, Scott Snyder – bass and background vocals.
DISTURBED – Indestructible Metal
Posted in Album Review, cool album covers, cover songs, current heavy metal albums, current heavy metal music, current metal albums, essential heavy metal albums, Heavy Metal, heavy metal album covers, heavy metal album review, heavy metal albums, heavy metal guitarists, heavy metal music, heavy metal music 2009, Heavy Metal Reviews, heavy metal this decade, heavy metal vocalists, Metal, metal concerts, metal music, metal music today, Metal Reviews, Music, new heavy metal album, recent heavy metal albums, Vocals with tags Album Review, cool album covers, current heavy metal albums, current heavy metal music, current metal music, dan donegan guitarist, david draiman vocalist, Disturbed, disturbed heavy metal band, disturbed indestructible album, disturbed metal band, disturbed ten thousand fists album, disturbed the sickness album, genesis progressive rock band, heavy metal album covers, heavy metal album review, heavy metal albums, heavy metal music, john moyer bass guitarist, Metal, metal albums, metal music, mike wengren drummer, Music, recent heavy metal albums, Reviews, tears for fears on June 7, 2009 by Metal Odyssey
My wife is a loyal fan of Heavy Metal. (Thank goodness). Well, I knew this over 20 years ago before we ever married. This turned out to be quite the Metal bonus, having my wife being a fellow Metalhead. I get cool Metal gifts for my birthday and Christmas from her and she encourages and nurtures the love I have for Metal music. I am a very fortunate Metalhead to have a wife like her. Her favorite Heavy Metal band of all-time has always been Def Leppard… until I introduced her to Disturbed. (I still believe both these bands are tied for my wife’s favorite). So, as I write away with Metal Odyssey, she keeps looking over my shoulder… waiting to see when Disturbed makes it to this blog. I without further Metal ado… will give my Metal opinion on Disturbed. I feel Disturbed is an excellent Metal band. Sure, Disturbed came around during the Nu-Metal phenomenon, yet I still never would classify them as such. No matter how much I try to dissect it… Disturbed holds up as being Metal.
The debut album from Disturbed, “The Sickness”, (released in 2000), has it’s Nu-Metal appeal… regardless, I am not buying into this label. “The Sickness” for me, is a fabulous album that brought about a Metal sound that I never heard before. This sound I am talking about is truly derived from the vocals of David Draiman, I honestly have never heard anyone else sing like him. The sound effects that David Draiman belts out vocally are to me, unique. This guy can sing, I am not going to ever dispute this. The deep rooted emotion and anger has always been a believable staple with David’s vocals, in my Metal opinion. Usually a band has to do a knock out, killer job of covering a tune from years past to impress me… Disturbed blows away the original version of “Shout” from Tears for Fears. There is no comparison. Man, this song gets me Metal pumped, that is how it affects me, so shall it be. The “Ten Thousand Fists” album (released in 2005), cuts the Metal mustard for me as well. Hey, I always thought Genesis was a cool Progressive Rock band… I would give this band a listen from time to time. Then, when I first heard the cover version of “Land of Confusion” done by Disturbed – again, blown away. The Genesis original version of this song I always found to be intriguing, it is Disturbed that made it a Metal treat for my ears.
Last Summer of 2008, when Disturbed released “Indestructible”, I fell Metal victim again… the entire album was exactly what I was hoping for – the heaviest Disturbed yet. I will will say this much, without any hesitation, that “Indestructible” was one of the finest Metal albums released in 2008. Every song on this album is heavy duty and powerful, I could not endorse this album any louder than that. Dan Donegan on lead guitar is tremendously good… I cannot ignore this fact. John Moyer on bass and Mike Wengren on drums smack it down with the rhythm section, they are tremendous players as well. David Draiman sings to maximum Metal capacity too, always has. As a Metal side note, I feel it is extremely cool, that Disturbed has played for our U.S. troops overseas. To wrap this Disturbed post up, yup, I am a fan. I am not trying to sound like a fart head when I say – what is there not to like? Disturbed has released four very cool Metal albums in a row, that is quite the Metal task. Yes, music is always a personal preference, my personal belief is that Disturbed is as their newest album suggests… indestructible.
BLACK FLAG “LIVE ’84” – extreme, real and essential Punk Rock
Posted in 1980's live punk rock albums, 1980's punk rock albums, 1980's punk rock music, Album Review, black flag albums, essential punk rock albums, Extreme, legends of punk rock, live punk rock music, Punk rock, punk rock album review, punk rock albums, punk rock music with tags 1980's punk rock music, bill stevenson drummer, black flag, black flag albums, black flag live, black flag punk rock band, essential punk rock albums, extreme music, greg ginn guitarist, henry rollins vocalist, kira bass guitarist, live '84 punk rock album, live punk rock music, Music, Punk rock, punk rock album review, punk rock music on June 6, 2009 by Metal OdysseyBlack Flag “Live ’84” is a listening lesson of the early days of Extreme Music. There is no denying… Black Flag is Punk Rock. In my Metal opinion, when I think of the Punk Rock bands that laid out the blueprint for Hardcore and Extreme Music, Sex Pistols, Ramones, Misfits and Black Flag come to mind instantly. Each of these bands are so instrumental in the development of the Punk Rock, Extreme and Hardcore movements. Listening to “Live ’84” and I cannot help myself by becoming absorbed by the distortion, feedback, speed, heaviness and pissed off sound and attitude that engulfs me. Nothing beats listening to a vintage, live, Punk Rock album like this. The raw solos and low production only add to the real Punk spirit of this live Black Flag album. Henry Rollins as with each member of Black Flag, bestowed the take it or piss off approach to their music, I personally hear and feel it on “Live ’84”. For me, I am taking it… every Black Flag second of it.
I know this sounds like a cliche here… they just don’t make Punk Rock like this anymore. Heck, they don’t make bands at all like this anymore – bands that aren’t encapsulated and sheltered by their respective genre and packaged up for a massive marketing campaign for the masses. To review the songs on this Black Flag album would be a waste of my Metal time. Take my Metal word for it… this is an essential, live, Punk Rock album from Black Flag. The sum of all the musical parts here, make for an unquestionable exposure to what Punk Rock was supposed to sound like in 1984. Grit, angry, blue collar, loud, very, very fast, non-synchronized (in parts) and maddeningly abrupt musically. There is my music review for “Live ’84”. I will say that “Rats Eyes” is my favorite track, it is extremely heavy and maniacal – just Punk perfect. Take it or leave it, Black Flag is as essential to the history of Heavy Music as is the blast beat. Henry Rollins, made for as formidable a front man, as there ever existed in Punk Rock or any Heavy Music genre for that matter. Listen to this album and you might just agree with me on this.
19 songs are on “Live ’84”, only 3 tracks clock in under 2 minutes each. There are 9 songs that clock in at over 4 minutes each – with the opener “The Process of Weeding Out” coming in at 8:37. Black Flag were not your stereotypical Punk Rock band when it came to the playing times of tunes. If a martian came down to Earth, asked me for a prime example of Punk Rock and/or Extreme Music from the 1980’s, well, I would definitely hand this alien a copy of Black Flag “Live ’84”. To give proper credit where it is due, I would also hand over to this smelly space creature… a copy of the Misifts “Earth A.D.”, which was released in 1983. I think what makes me gravitate towards Black Flag “Live ’84” is hearing the brutal Punk Rock belief, in the music these guys were playing, throwing heavy caution to the wind, while not giving a crap what the commercial music world and sappy pop critics thought or said.
A Metal Odyssey roll call of the members of Black Flag, as they appear on “Live ’84”: Henry Rollins on lead vocals, Greg Ginn on guitar, Kira on bass, Bill Stevenson on drums and Tom Troccoli and various audience members on backing vocals.
Heavy Metal cassettes are still useful to me
Posted in 1980's hard rock, 1980's heavy metal music, 1980's metal music, 1980's thrash metal, 1990's heavy metal music, classic metal, classic rock, collecting music, everyday experiences, everyday social experiences, glam metal music, Hair Metal, hair metal music, Hard Rock, Heavy Metal, Metal, metal music, Music, music collections, old school heavy metal, progressive rock, Punk rock, rock music, shopping for music, southern rock, thrash metal music with tags cassette tapes, collecting heavy metal, hard rock music, heavy metal cassette tapes, heavy metal cassettes, heavy metal liner notes, heavy metal music, heavy metal nostalgia, metal music, thrift store finds, thrift stores, yard sale finds, yard sales on June 5, 2009 by Metal Odyssey
You know something… I am sick and tired of the throw away mentality that surfaces about, in regards to the media in which we listen to music. Turntables are still being sold and so are cassette tape decks. I can understand if younger generations are not at all interested in vinyl records, cassette tapes or (gulp) – 8-track tapes. The younger dudes did not have record or tape collections to replace with CD’s… a very costly endeavor at that, which can take a lifetime to rebuild with CD’s, depending on how large your music collection was. However, in the last three years alone, I have purchased two “brand new” combination stereo systems for my daughters and guess what? Both of these combination stereos have built-in cassette decks!! Both stereos were purchased at Target, a major upscale department store that is supposedly in the know – on the cutting edge of having the latest home electronics technology! So, if cassette tapes are supposed to be so archaic, so outdated and symbolic of poor taste in music listening enjoyment, then why are they still being manufactured? To pacify us older dudes who have still hung on to our cassette collections? Out of sympathy for us nostalgic Metalheads?
My number one music genre, is of course, Heavy Metal and all related Heavy and Extreme Music genres. With that appreciation I have for my music, I still covet the Heavy Metal cassettes that I, to this very day… hunt down and find at thrift stores and yard sales. Hey, I have the means to still play them! As a bonus for me… my model year 2000 Ford Tauras has a built-in… you guessed it… cassette deck! Therefore, I am not wasting my loot when I purchase these Heavy Metal cassettes from yesteryear. No matter what thrift store I frequent, the standard price for each cassette tape is only fifty cents. Fifty cents!! C’mon, let’s be real, that is nothing compared to the sticker prices for the newly released, Heavy Metal CD’s you find today. My recent CD purchases, of the newest releases of Metal bands, have ranged in price from $9.99 upwards to $17.99… and we are not talking about any one of them being a double CD either! These CD prices will never thwart my addiction to Heavy Metal and frequent purchasing. The point I am making is simple… for fifty cents, I am still getting the same enjoyment from the music I listen to, albeit the sound quality of a CD versus the cassette tape equates to the CD wins. (I will not argue about the sound quality)
There are dozens of Heavy Metal cassettes that I find that are currently not available on CD. The cassettes I buy must have the original liner notes intact, in near mint to mint condition. Take my word for it, these liner notes are a piece of Heavy Metal nostalgia for the respective band on the cassette… I still get a kick out of reading the cool liner notes that have full lyrics and interesting credits. You would be surprised at what one may learn from reading the liner notes of these old cassettes… especially the ones that are currently not available on CD. I have posted in the past, the last laugh the turntable and record albums are currently having on the music marketplace… it is the Heavy Metal cassette tape that is silently having the last laugh as well.
Cheap Trick “Silver” – Classic Rock greats captured live!
Posted in 1970's hard rock, 1970's Rock, 1980's rock music, 1980's hard rock, Album Review, classic rock, concerts, cover songs, essential hard rock albums, essential rock albums, Hard Rock, hard rock album review, hard rock guitarists, hard rock songs, live classic rock albums, live hard rock music, live rock albums, live rock music, Music, Rock, rock & roll, rock and roll, rock music, vintage live hard rock albums with tags 1970's classic rock, 1980's classic rock, billy corgan guitarist, bun e. carlos drummer, cheap trick, cheap trick live albums, cheap trick rock band, cheap trick silver album, classic live rock albums, classic rock, classic rock albums, guns n' roses, hard rock album review, hard rock music, john lennon cover songs, live rock, rick nielsen guitarist, robin zander vocalist, Rock, rock music, silver live album, slash, slash guitarist, smashing pumpkins, the beatles cover songs, tom petersson bass guitarist, vintage cheap trick on June 5, 2009 by Metal Odyssey
Cheap Trick is without question, in my top ten of all time favorite bands. That includes all genres of Rock, Hard Rock and Metal too. This is the one band I so desperately need to see live. I honestly cannot believe I never saw Cheap Trick in concert… after all these years. I feel semi-embarrassed in admitting this. Then again, I would have to be a full time concert goer to actually see every band I dig, there are that many… I am confidently certain I am not alone with that thought. Therefore, what makes for the consolation prize instead of seeing Cheap Trick live, is listening to their double CD “Silver”. (Released June 29, 2004). This double live, Cheap Trick bounty of hits commemorates their 25 plus years as a Rock & Roll original. (Yes, “at Budokan” is a legendary live album from Cheap Trick… I have covered that milestone of an album in an earlier post). “Silver” covers a vast array of Cheap Trick hits, from their deep catalog of albums. This live concert captures Cheap Trick in their Rockin’ spontaneous glory… no over dubbing that I can detect.
The legendary Slash (of Gun’s N’ Roses, Velvet Revolver fame, of course), is a guest star guitarist for the tune “You’re All Talk”. Slash is so recognizable with his guitar sound, it is a Rockin’ treat to hear him jam with Cheap Trick. Robin Zander announces after the song ends, that Slash broke a guitar string while playing the first few notes… you will hear bits and pieces of Robin Zander talking to the concert crowd throughout “Silver”. This is what makes a live album really come to life, when the lead singer has the charisma and charm to acknowledge his surroundings, just as Robin Zander does here. Billy Corgan of the Smashing Pumpkins is a guest star guitarist on the tune “Just Got Back”… you can definitely hear the style of Billy Corgan come through on this Rocker of a song. That is two really cool guest guitarists to appear on “Silver”, it is like an added bonus for Hard Rock fans.
Cheap Trick does an unreal cover of the late/great John Lennon classic – “I’m Losin’ You”. Cheap Trick brings this song to Rock & Roll life, Robin Zander’s vocals were tailor made for this Lennon hit. The Beatles “Day Tripper” is yet another Rock & Roll classic that is covered with true Rock reverence by Cheap Trick, in my opinion, a flawless cover. “The Flame”, “Dream Police”, “Surrender”, “Stop This Game”, “That 70’s Song” and “Voices” are all here on “Silver”… never sounding better, a vintage cornucopia of Rock from Cheap Trick. A total of 31 songs are to be enjoyed here on “Silver”, 31 live, Cheap Trick classics! Bun E. Carlos on drums, Robin Zander on lead vocals, Rick Nielsen on guitars and Tom Petersson on bass are at the top of their Rock game during this live concert. I know that Cheap Trick is on tour again this Summer of 2009, from June 23rd through September 6th… with Def Leppard and Poison. (That is a really cool triple bill). Now, I have seen Def Leppard and Poison live in concert over the years… I just need to see Cheap Trick!!!
LAZARUS A.D. “The Onslaught” – a real intense Thrash Metal invasion
Posted in Album Review, current heavy metal albums, current heavy metal music, current thrash metal albums, current thrash metal music, Drums, Extreme Metal, Heavy Metal, heavy metal album covers, heavy metal album review, heavy metal albums, heavy metal guitarists, heavy metal music, heavy metal music 2009, Heavy Metal Reviews, heavy metal vocalists, james hetfield, Metal, metal blade, metal blade records, metal music, metal music today, Metal Reviews, Music, new heavy metal album, new thrash metal albums, recent heavy metal albums, Thrash Metal, thrash metal 2009, thrash metal album review, thrash metal music, thrash metal music reviews with tags alex lackner guitarist, current thrash metal music, dan gapen guitarist, Heavy Metal, heavy metal album review, heavy metal music, james hetfield guitarist, james hetfield vocalist, jeff paulick bass guitarist, jeff paulick vocalist, lazarus a.d., lazarus a.d. thrash metal band, Metal, metal albums, metal blade records, metal music, Music, Reviews, ryan shutle drummer, testament thrash metal band, the onslaught album, Thrash Metal, thrash metal 2009, thrash metal album review, thrash metal albums 2009, thrash metal music, thrash metal music review, unearth thrash metal band on June 4, 2009 by Metal Odyssey
I am blown away by this new Thrash Metal band that call themselves – Lazarus A.D. – really blown away. This is not cookie cutter Thrash, nor is this band a bunch of Thrash wannabes either. Lazarus A.D. is for real. These dudes can play Thrash… with no cutting corners, just plain great – in your face – Thrash Metal. I read all of the articles and reviews I could get my Metal hands on regarding this band. Now, I have my hands on their debut release “The Onslaught”, (released March 3, 2009), the contents of this CD is ten tracks of unrelenting, intense and fired up Thrash. I am extremely Metal happy that a young Thrash band like Lazarus A.D. sounds and plays this good. I always say… we veteran Metalheads can never have enough younger bands to carry on the Metal tradition – the more new Heavy and/or Extreme bands, the better! I liken this band to being a throwback, to the days when Thrash Metal was felt, not just heard.
“Damnation For The Weak” stands out for me, with the gang vocals making quite the Metal impression. The lyrics are cool, this very well may become the trademark tune for Lazarus A.D., (just my Metal opinion). This album is riff infested, with enough solos to satisfy my Thrash appetite. The songs are not outrageously long, with only one tune over five minutes long, “Revolution”, clocking in at 5:05. With the opening track of “Last Breath”, it really defines the Thrash attack Lazaraus A.D. will take you on… you will need every last breath one time through this album. (I tend to do quite a bit of air drumming, therefore I did feel a tad exhausted after my first listen). No, I am not embarrassed to tell anyone that I air drum to Metal. It seems just about everyone does the air guitar gig, so I chose air drums a very long time ago. Ryan Shutle on drums does a punishing number on the skins, I can only imagine how much more insane he will play as this band grows. Jeff Paulick on lead vocals and bass is a sliver reminiscent vocally, of the legendary James Hetfield (of Metallica fame, for those who have been living on Saturn the last three decades), (man, I guess I am really dishing out the compliments to these guys).
Overall, I find all ten tracks to be solid, current, with a nod to Old School, Thrash Metal. I took a Metal gamble by buying this CD without hearing more than one tune first… the Metal gamble has paid off. Last year, (2008), I was giving off a big Metal grin for the young dudes of Black Tide… I like that band for sure… Lazarus A.D. however, is a noticeable notch heavier with the Thrash assault. Lazarus A.D. is currently touring with/opening for Unearth and the invincible Thrash Metal titans… Testament, through June 2009. Not too shabby to have this gig, huh? It also seems fitting that Lazarus A.D. is on Metal Blade Records, this legendary record label knows it’s Thrash Metal. Metal Blade Records was instrumental in defining Thrash Metal decades ago… they still are. By now, you probably realize that I highly recommend Lazarus A.D. “The Onslaught” to the entire Metal community. This is an album that will be on my hot list for a very long time.
Here is a Metal roll call of the entire Lazarus A.D. band: Jeff Paulick on lead vocals and bass, Dan Gapen on lead guitar and backing vocals, Alex Lackner on guitar and Ryan Shutle on drums.
Enslaved “Vertebrae” – Progressive, Black Metal raises the bar
Posted in Album Review, Black Metal, black metal 2008, black metal 2009, black metal from norway, cool album covers, current heavy metal albums, current heavy metal music, current progressive metal albums, essential heavy metal albums, Extreme Metal, Heavy Metal, heavy metal album covers, heavy metal album review, heavy metal albums, heavy metal guitarists, heavy metal music, heavy metal music 2009, Heavy Metal Reviews, heavy metal vocalists, Metal, metal music, metal music today, Metal Reviews, Music, new heavy metal album, norwegian black metal, progressive metal, progressive metal albums, progressive metal music, recent heavy metal albums with tags Album Review, Black Metal, black metal album review, black metal albums, black metal music, black metal music 2008, black metal music 2009, black metal review, black metal today, cato bekkevold drummer, enslaved, enslaved 2008, enslaved 2009, enslaved black metal band, enslaved progressive black metal band, enslaved vertebrae album, grutle kjellson bass guitarist, Heavy Metal, heavy metal today, herbrand larsen keyboardist, ice dale guitarist, ivar bjornson guitarist, Metal, metal music, metal music 2009, norway black metal, norwegian black metal, nuclear blast records, progressive black metal music, progressive metal, vertebrae black metal album on June 3, 2009 by Metal Odyssey
Enslaved, from Norway, has created quite the exquisite Black Metal album with “Vertebrae”. Why do I use the adjective exquisite to describe this album? Well, I revere the Progressive Metal of Mastodon and Dream Theater, the legendary Progressive Rock of Pink Floyd and the groove infested Black Metal of Satyricon. Enslaved encompasses the most Metal and progressively delicious elements from these favorite bands of mine, while incorporating them into their very own startlingly, mind popping sound. What Enslaved has done here, is taken Rock and Metal influences to a new level, creating an album that embraces everything that is brilliant about Heavy and Progressive music. (I am not saying Enslaved actually looked to these bands for inspiration, this is just my musical and Metal interpretation and/or opinion). Enslaved has their roots in Black Metal, a musical track record that overflows with Metal bragging rights… “Vertebrae” by no means exemplifies this band as not being original. This album is as original as it gets… I cannot truly count how many Metal bands there are, that dare to experiment with music so valiantly.
Black Metal has gone through a bit of a metamorphosis over the years… so have the other Metal genres. There will always be the blue collar – true to the roots style of Black Metal, it deserves it’s rightful place in the Metal universe. Enslaved, like their counterparts Satyricon, have taken the Black Metal stylings and tweaked them, in this case, Enslaved progressively tweaked. As with anything in life, change is a natural necessity that either is accepted or rejected. Change in the musical circles of Metal can often times be equated to selling out or mellowing down, every fan of Metal has their own right to personally object or accept what they want from their music. My point I am trying to make here is, Enslaved has not deceived me or let me down with their brand of Progressive, Black Metal on “Vertebrae”. Vintage Venom and Mercyful Fate will forever and always be at my Metal reach, Enslaved “Vertebrae” is an extension of what happens when musical and Metal barriers are broken down.
In an all encompassing summary of the seven songs on “Vertebrae”, I hear the nod to the forefathers of Black Metal, with especially the lead vocals and the dark, macabre and searingly moody ambiance, coming from the musical background elements. The keyboards and organ can create Black Metal which pays homage to the original sound of this band and genre, it can also create the progressive path in which “Vertebrae” aims for as well. Herbrand Larsen is simply unreal on the keys, organ and vocals. The same can be said for each member of Enslaved… as a cohesive unit they have connected not only with each other with their Metal skills and prowess, they have also raised the bar musically, in a Metal world that is rapidly interconnecting with each others genres. I cannot resist myself by recommending highly “Vertebrae”, Enslaved has created an album that will be at the top of my Metal list for decades to come.
The members of Enslaved are: Ivar Bjornson on guitars, Grutle Kjellson on vocals & bass, Herbrand Larsen on keyboards, organ & vocals, Cato Bekkevold on drums and Ice Dale on guitars. Enslaved has given the Metal world seven brilliant new songs with “Vertebrae”, thus inspiring me to delve and journey even further into the vast genres and sub-genres of Metal music.
Ronny Munroe “The Fire Within” – Metal Church vocalist roars on solo debut
Posted in Album Review, Century Media, century media records, classic metal, cover songs, current heavy metal albums, current heavy metal music, dio, essential heavy metal albums, Guitar, guitar solos, Heavy Metal, heavy metal album covers, heavy metal album review, heavy metal albums, heavy metal guitarists, heavy metal music, heavy metal music 2009, Heavy Metal Reviews, heavy metal solo albums, heavy metal solo artists, heavy metal vocalists, Metal, Metal Church, metal music, metal music today, Metal Reviews, Music, new heavy metal album, old school heavy metal, rainbow heavy metal band, ronnie james dio, Vocals with tags Album Review, century media records, classic heavy metal, cm distro, david van zandt drummer, dio, Heavy Metal, heavy metal 2009, heavy metal album review, heavy metal albums, heavy metal music, izzy rehaume bass guitarist, johnny ringo drummer, Metal, Metal Church, metal church heavy metal band, metal music, michael wilton guitarist, queensryche, rainbow heavy metal band, randy cooper guitarist, ratpak records, recent heavy metal albums, Reviews, rick van zandt guitarist, ronnie james dio, ronny munroe, ronny munroe metal church vocalist, ronny munroe solo album, the fire within album on June 2, 2009 by Metal Odyssey
First of all, I am a fan of Ronny Munroe, the current lead vocalist for Metal Church. I just happen to gravitate towards the Old School Metal sound, both vocally and musically. Ronny Munroe in my Metal opinion, has the unmistakable Old School Heavy Metal vocals… and in no way do I subscribe to the opinion that this sound is dated. This brand of Old School Heavy Metal has been proven successful for decades now. For me, it is another Metal genre that lives on. With that said, I have obtained a copy of the new Ronny Munroe debut CD… “The Fire Within“, (released 2009), I am impressed by the total package of music here. This is Heavy Metal made the old school way, no frills, bells or whistles get in the way of the straight ahead approach that Ronny Munroe has taken on with “The Fire Within”. Honestly, Ronny Munroe comes with his Metal Church – front man credentials… he delivers a mightily solid twelve tunes alongside some talented friends. Rick Van Zandt of Metal Church, plays lead and rhythm guitars superbly throughout, with Michael Wilton of Queensryche delivering a solo on two tracks I will mention.
“Across The Sea Of Souls” is the song I feel Ronny Munroe is at his finest, his vocals sound sharp, as if he has been singing this song his entire life. The Michael Wilton solo on this song is cool, I cannot ignore or resist his guitar talent. “Ivory Towers” and “Evil Genius” are tracks that showcase moments of the higher extreme of Ronny’s vocal range, (yes, think of Rob Halford), these songs are groove laden with images of 1980’s Arena Metal concerts in my mind! “Ride Me” is a Metal-macho tune that rocks heavy, the lyrics are tailor made for a Hair Metal band… Ronny makes this song work, Randy Cooper kicks in with a lean & mean solo, a Heavy Metal tune with plenty of swagger. “What You Choose To Call Hell (I Call Home)” comes across to me, as the signature track for Ronny on this album. It is dark, heavy, moody and effectively bridges the gap between Metal Church and Ronny Munroe’s solo career. Michael Wilton appears again here, providing another memorable solo.
After listening to “The Fire Within”, it is my Metal opinion, that Ronny Munroe places Old School Heavy Metal high on a pedestal. I hear while listening to this album, the influences of Judas Priest, Dio and Dio era Rainbow. My opinion could not be better solidified, after listening to “Man On The Silver Mountain” (a vintage Rainbow song), covered by Ronny Munroe. This being the last track, it fittingly closes out a fine Heavy Metal album of creative tunes. Ronny does a terrific cover of this song, I really enjoy this version a whole bunch. This cover version found here, is a fine tribute to an everlasting, Heavy Metal classic of a song. Ronny’s vocals at times, do have comparisons to the legendary Ronnie James Dio, especially on this classic Rainbow cover. I will say, my favorite will always be the original “Man On The Silver Mountain” as sung by Dio himself. In summary, “The Fire Within” will be an album that I will tune in to on a regular basis, it is what I like. I was looking forward to this solo album from Ronny, I have not been disappointed. I recommend Ronny Munroe’s debut solo effort to any fan of Old School Heavy Metal, 1980’s Heavy Metal, Rainbow and of course, Metal Church. New fans should just dive in… this brand of Metal needs to be passed on!
Upon searching for “The Fire Within”, I did locate this CD on the worlds greatest online record store… Century Media Records… aka… CM Distro.com. (I highly recommend CM Distro.com). “The Fire Within” is on an independent record label called Ratpak Records. *Not to leave out the cool musicianship of the following on this album: Izzy Rehaume on bass guitar, Rick Pierce on rhythm guitar, Johnny Ringo and David Van Zandt on drums.
STYX – “The Grand Illusion” 1977 album revisited
Posted in 1970's styx music, 1970's hard rock, 1970's Rock, Album Review, classic rock, cool album covers, essential hard rock albums, essential rock albums, Hard Rock, hard rock album review, hard rock guitarists, hard rock songs, Rock, rock & roll, rock and roll, rock keyboard musicians, rock music, rock music vocals, vintage hard rock albums, vintage rock albums with tags 1970's classic rock, 1970's hard rock music, 1970's rock music, Album Review, chuck panozzo bass guitarist, classic rock, classic rock albums, dennis deyoung styx vocalist, essential rock albums, Hard Rock, hard rock music, james young guitarist, john panozzo drummer, Music, Rock, rock music, styx, styx 1977, styx hard rock band, styx rock band, styx the grand illusion album, tommy shaw guitarist, vintage rock albums on June 1, 2009 by Metal OdysseyIf there was ever a Hard Rock album that I honestly wore out from excessive playing on a turntable, well, it would be “The Grand Illusion” by STYX. This album, (released on July 7, 1977), along with its fabulous music, also bestows incredible lyrics as well. I would escape the doldrums, trials and tribulations of being a teenager by kicking back and slapping down this Classic Rock gem. The funny thing is, the lyrics of these songs on “The Grand Illusion” are just as relevant for me today as they were twenty nine years ago. In hindsight, this album actually gave me tremendous solace, insight and inspiration, at a time in my life when I probably needed it most. There are certain Hard Rock albums that I have embraced and bonded with, where the music and lyrics just seem to connect to my very own personal experiences. “The Grand Illusion” is without a doubt, one of these Hard Rock albums I have connected with.
Just the lyrics alone from the song “The Grand Illusion” are inspiring me for a lifetime… “Don’t be fooled by the radio, the t.v. or the magazines… they show you photographs, of how your life should be…” – my interpretation of these lyrics are that the mass media constantly tells us how to eat, what to wear, who to vote for, how much you should weigh, what to buy and own and of course, how to look. Sorry, I do not need the plastic news anchors and million dollar television hosts telling me how to live my life! STYX was right on with the song “The Grand Illusion” – it is commons sense lyrics that I live by. My sister, (who is now in Rock N’ Roll Heaven), was the first to introduce me to STYX… “Come Sail Away” was her favorite STYX song ever, I know this for she played the 45 rpm at least 20 times a day one Summer, back in the day. “Miss America” is as cool as it gets with keyboards in Hard Rock, the intro to this tune is a definite high point. “Fooling Yourself (The Angry Young Man)” is a great tune to get psyched up to… “get up, get back on your feet… your the one they can’t beat and you know it”… man, if those cool lyrics are not enough to inspire you, then you are better off listening to vintage Boxcar Willie.
I am by no means telling anyone what they should listen to on Metal Odyssey, rather, I only try to acknowledge the Hard Rock bands and their albums that in my Metal opinion, are a great listen and buy. “The Grand Illusion” by STYX is for me, so justifiable of a legendary Hard Rock album. If I was to get just one visitor to my post to obtain a copy of this CD/album, well, I did someone a great favor. Veteran STYX fans should understand what I mean! The members of STYX, on “The Grand Illusion” were: Dennis DeYoung on keyboards, synthesizer & vocals, Tommy Shaw on acoustic and electric guitars & vocals, Chuck Panozzo on bass & vocals, John Panozzo on drums, percussion & vocals, and James Young on guitars, keyboards & vocals. What a band… what an album.
Gorgeous Frankenstein – spooky grooves and Heavy Metal too
Posted in Metal on May 31, 2009 by Metal OdysseyThis release from October 16, 2007, the self titled “Gorgeous Frankenstein” from former Misfits lead guitarist, Doyle Wolfgang Von Frankenstein is a MUST for Misfits, Horror Metal and… I just dig all Metal fans. The music has a spooky, groovy, Metal boogie feel throughout. Rob Zombie fans will get a nice thrill out of Gorgeous Frankenstein due to the horror packaged theme, from the artwork on the digipak to the music itself. I give out a huge Metal bravo to artist Simon Bisley for creating the CD cover paintings. I feel that as a sum, this is Metal, not the Punk Rock of legend that the Misfits were known for creating. Glenn Danzig produces, and the entire mood and feel of the music is a tad raw and unpolished, just the way I like it. You are not getting pristine produced, elegantly arranged musical masterpieces here. For heaven sake, anyone who knows Misfits, Danzig or Osaka Popstar music knows what they are getting, a former Misfits legend who just wants to have a great time making cool music. Serious Classical and Symphony Orchestra listeners should shy away from this one. Gorgeous Frankenstein gets more enjoyable for me with every listen.
“Reverse Of God” is my favorite track, it just has everything come together for me, haunting beats, a killer bass groove happening, plus the dark lyrics give credence to this album being Horror Metal. “Hell Angel” is reminiscent of the heavy music Danzig has created in the past… I like this tune for it’s Metal meets Punk tenacity. “Made In Hell” is a track that does not wane on it’s Punk Rock momentum, both vocally and musically. To hear Gorgeous Frankenstein give a nod to some Punk Rock vibe is a cool thing. I highly recommend giving http://www.myspace.com/officialgorgeousfrankenstein a visit… it gives you a whole bunch of cool info about this band – well worth the trip. This site has interesting details behind Gorgeous Frankenstein, it states that “the first few songs” were initially written for Doyle’s wife Stephanie Bellars aka “Gorgeous George” (celebrity wrestler), to dance to. The name Gorgeous Frankenstein was decided upon to combine both Doyle and his wifes celebrity stage names into one conceptual theme. Landon Blood is the vocalist on the album, “Gorgeous Frankenstein”. Without a doubt, Gorgeous Frankenstein has set out to make some heavy, Heavy Metal here, In my Metal opinion, it has been achieved.
Saxon continues to Rock with Old School Heavy Metal
Posted in 1970's heavy metal, 1980's heavy metal music, 1980's metal music, 1990's heavy metal music, Album Review, classic metal, cool album covers, current heavy metal albums, current heavy metal music, essential heavy metal albums, Heavy Metal, heavy metal album covers, heavy metal album review, heavy metal albums, heavy metal guitarists, heavy metal music, heavy metal music 2009, Heavy Metal Reviews, heavy metal vocalists, Metal, metal music, metal music today, Metal Reviews, Music, new heavy metal album, old school heavy metal, Power Metal with tags 1980's metal music, Album Review, biff byford vocalist, classic heavy metal, current heavy metal albums, doug scarratt guitarist, Heavy Metal, heavy metal album review, heavy metal albums, heavy metal guitarists, heavy metal music, into the labyrinth album, Metal, metal music, Music, new wave of british heavy metal, nibbs carter bass guitarist, nigel glockler drummer, old school heavy metal, paul quinn guitarist, recent heavy metal albums, Reviews, saxon, saxon 2009, saxon heavy metal band, saxon into the labyrinth album on May 30, 2009 by Metal Odyssey
Saxon – the words durable, old school, enduring and still excellent at their Metal craft, come to my mind. Let’s be honest, this is not the same Saxon from their “Denim and Leather” days, yet they are Saxon 2009 – that is Metal-good enough for me. Saxon was an essential part of “the new wave of British Heavy Metal”, going back to the late 1970’s into the early 1980’s. When I first heard Saxon back then, I felt like I found a band no one else knew about… I had a cool Metal secret. Well, the secret was already out, as I later found. Saxon was justifiable a favorite of legions of Metalheads, therefore I was not alone with my new found Heavy Metal band after all.
“into the Labyrinth” is the newest album from Saxon, released on January 13, 2009. “Battalions Of Steel” and “Valley Of The Kings” have an almost majestic Power Metal sound, complete with keyboards and what sounds to me like an enlightened choir. For me, Saxon pulls it off extremely well when they go the Power Metal route. “Live To Rock” is the single being pushed off of this album, it is bona fide Old School Heavy Metal with a cool, vintage, anthemic delivery to it. This is the fist raising – head banging tune that will stir up plenty of 80’s Heavy Metal memories for many. “Slow Lane Blues” is another fine example of how Saxon holds onto the Classic Metal approach, a fun tune that tells the complete story of a dude being pulled over by a cop for speeding. “Crime Of Passion” is heavy, heavy, Metal. Nigel Glockler punishes the drum kit on this song, again, head banging can and may occur when listening to this song too. If there is to be a song on this album that is considered a ballad, well, “Voice” is it. However, this is a heavy ballad – staunch Metalheads need not worry – Saxon does not get sappy here at all. “Hellcat” is my favorite track on this album, it is fast, furious and heavy. The three key Metal music ingredients I always embrace! “Come Rock Of Ages (The Circle Is Complete)” is a Heavy Metal exclamation point for Saxon on this album, man this song is good. “Coming Home (Bottleneck Version)” is a back woods – lets stomp in the swamp – foot stomping tune. It is a cool way to come down after the previous 12 tracks of fired up Heavy Metal.
Biff Byford on lead vocals sounds fabulous throughout “into the Labyrinth”, he is what I consider truly underrated, as a Heavy Metal front man. Biff Byford is like the silent elder Metal statesman – compared to the press the other more popular lead vocalists of Old School Heavy Metal receive. Doug Scarratt and Paul Quinn are a cool and talented guitar duo to listen to, I have sincere Metal admiration for both. Nibbs Carter on bass hooks up with Nigel Glockler on drums to provide a top tier rhythm section of crushing Heavy Metal. Overall, long time Saxon fans should gobble up this new album, new fans should be easily recruited. When you have 13 songs this good, with tunes that Rock this heavy, I feel you have a Metal winner.
Cannibal Corpse – Domestic and International Tour Dates you should know for 2009
Posted in Bullet For My Valentine, cannibal corpse, cannibal corpse concert tour dates, current heavy metal music, Death Metal, death metal concerts, death metal festivals, death metal guitarists, death metal vocals, Extreme Metal, Heavy Metal, heavy metal festivals, heavy metal music, horror metal, Metal, metal concerts, metal music, metal music today, Music, old school heavy metal, speed metal, Thrash Metal with tags 2009 rockstar energy drink mayhem festival, all that remains metal band, behemoth metal band, bullet for my valentine metal band, cannibal corpse, cannibal corpse concert dates 2009, cannibal corpse death metal band, Death Metal, death metal concert dates 2009, death metal concerts, death metal music, god forbid metal band, job for a cowboy metal band, marilyn manson, mayhem festival, metal blade records, Slayer, slayer thrash metal band, the black dahlia murder metal band, trivium metal band, whitechapel metal band on May 29, 2009 by Metal Odyssey
Here are the 2009 United States (domestic) and International tour dates for Cannibal Corpse. I researched and found these dates on the “Metal Blade” newsletter. As any seasoned Metalhead concert goer knows, tour dates are always subject to change. This does make for a cool guide in tracking down where these guys are playing and when… possibly in your neck of the woods or continent. Man, is that Mayhem Festival a potent lineup of intense bands or what! Take a look…
CANNIBAL CORPSE
ROCKSTAR ENERGY DRINK MAYHEM FESTIVAL
Tour w/ SLAYER, Marilyn Manson, Bullet For My Valentine, Trivium, All That Remains, God Forbid, Behemoth, Job For A Cowboy, The Black Dahlia Murder, Whitechapel
07/10 Sacramento, CA Sleep Train Amphitheatre
07/11 San Francisco, CA Shoreline Amphitheatre
07/12 San Bernardino, CA Glen Helen Pavilion
07/14 Seattle, WA White River Amphitheater
07/17 Phoenix, AZ Cricket Pavilion
07/18 Albuquerque, NM Journal Pavilion
07/19 Denver, CO Fiddler’s Green Amphitheater
07/21 Kansas City, KS Sandstone Amphitheater
07/22 St. Louis, MO Verizon Wireless Amphitheater
07/24 Atlanta, GA Lakewood Amphitheater
07/25 Indianapolis, IN Verizon Wireless Music Centre
07/26 Chicago, IL First Midwest Bank Amphitheatre
07/28 Toronto, ON Molson Amphitheater
07/29 Scranton, PA Toyota Pavilion
07/31 Cleveland, OH Blossom Music Center
08/01 Pittsburgh, PA Post Gazette Pavilion
08/02 Detroit, MI DTE Energy Music Theatre
08/04 Boston, MA Tweeter Center for the Perf. Arts
08/06 Virginia Beach, VA Virginia Beach Amphitheater
08/07 Camden, NJ Susquehanna Bank Center
08/08 Hartford, CT New England Dodge Music Center
08/09 Washington, DC Nissan Pavilion
08/11 Tampa, FL Ford Amphitheatre
08/12 West Palm Beach, FL Cruzan Amphitheater
08/14 San Antonio, TX Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre
08/15 Dallas, TX Superpages.com Center
Australian Tour Dates:
CANNIBAL CORPSE
09/07 Auckland, NZ Transmission Room
09/08 Christchurch, NZ The Bedford
09/10 Perth, AU Capitol
09/11 Adelaide, AU Fowlers Live
09/12 Sydney, AU The Roundhouse
09/13 Brisbane, AU The HiFi
09/15 Melbourne, AU Billboard The Venue
Japan Tour Dates:
CANNIBAL CORPSE
06/08 Tokyo, JP Shibuya Club Quattro
06/09 Osaka, JP Shinsaibashi Club Quattro
06/11 Nagoya, JP Club Quattro
CANNIBAL CORPSE – European Tour Dates:
Tour w/ Dying Fetus, Evocation, Obscura
10/02 Oberhausen, DE Death Feast Ultimate
10/03 Lichtenfels, DE Way Of Darkness Festival
10/04 Pratteln, CH Z7
10/05 Saarbrücken, DE Garage
10/06 Vosselaar, BE Biebob
10/07 Paris, FR La Locomotive
10/09 Barcelona, ES Razzmatazz 2
10/10 Madrid, ES Heineken
10/11 Bilbao, ES Rock Star
10/12 Lyon, FR Transbordeur
10/13 Milan, IT Alcatraz
10/14 Rome, IT Alpheus
10/16 Athens, GR Gagarin 205
10/17 Thessaloniki, GR Principal Club Theatre
10/18 Belgrade, RS SKC
10/19 Bratislava, SK DK Dubravka
10/20 Cracow, PL Studio
10/21 Berlin, DE Columbia Club
10/23 München, DE Backstage
10/24 Linz, AT Posthof
10/25 Ludwigsburg, DE Rockfabrik
10/26 Dordrecht, NL Bibelot
10/27 Zwolle, NL Hedon
Tour w/ Dying Fetus, Trigger The Bloodshed, Annotations Of An Autopsy
10/28 Colchester, UK Arts Centre
10/29 London, UK Koko
10/30 Sheffield, UK Corporation
10/31 Glasgow, UK ABC
11/01 Leamington Spa, UK Assembly
Heavy Metal 101: 10 (or more) most underrated Metal albums you need to know
Posted in 1980's heavy metal albums, 1980's heavy metal music, 1980's metal music, 1980's thrash metal, 1990's heavy metal music, Album Review, Black Metal, Black Sabbath, classic metal, cool album covers, essential heavy metal albums, Heavy Metal, heavy metal album covers, heavy metal album review, heavy metal albums, heavy metal music, Heavy Metal Reviews, horror metal, king diamond, Metal, metal music, Metal Reviews, Motorhead, Music, old school heavy metal, Over Kill, Power Metal, speed metal, Thrash Metal, thrash metal album review, thrash metal music, thrash metal music reviews, tony iommi heavy metal guitarist, vintage heavy metal albums with tags 1980's heavy metal albums, 1980's heavy metal music, 1980's metal music, Album Review, Black Metal, Black Sabbath, black sabbath heavy metal band, classic metal albums, dee snider, essential heavy metal albums, exodus, exodus fabulous disaster album, exodus thrash metal band, gary holt guitarist, grim reaper, grim reaper heavy metal band, heavy metal album review, heavy metal music, king diamond, krokus, krokus headhunter album, krokus heavy metal band, manowar, manowar hail to england album, manowar heavy metal band, manowar metal band, mercyful fate black metal band, mercyful fate melissa album, metal music, Motorhead, motorhead another perfect day album, motorhead heavy metal band, Music, over kill albums, over kill heavy metal band, over kill thrash metal band, overkill albums, overkill heavy metal band, Power Metal, twisted sister, twisted sister you cant stop rock n roll album, underrated heavy metal albums, vinnie moore guitarist, vinnie moore minds eye album, W.A.S.P., w.a.s.p. heavy metal band, w.a.s.p. k.f.d. album on May 28, 2009 by Metal Odyssey
If you are a veteran Metalhead, these ten (or more) Metal albums that I consider underrated may not surprise you. Heck, you may already have owned them for several years or even decades. In the Metal event you are a new recruit to the dynamic world of Heavy Metal, welcome aboard and go out and BUY THESE METAL ALBUMS for they will serve you right! Oh, what do I mean by underrated? Well, for starters, these are Classic/Vintage Metal albums that do not seem to get enough attention these days – as I surf around the world wide web, these are the albums that tend to go unnoticed for some oddball reason or another. It is my goal to surround the readers of Metal Odyssey with the knowledge necessary, to make prudent Metal album buying decisions too. These ten Metal albums, in my Metal opinion, have most definitively stood the test of Metal time. Enjoy and absorb this list, please note that these Metal albums are not in any specific order. (These Metal albums are my own personal choices for most underrated, I am sure many knowledgeable Metalheads out there will have differing opinions).
MERCYFUL FATE – “MELISSA” – King Diamond, plus, absolutely NO radio friendly tunes found here. This band laid down a whole bunch of Black Metal groundwork for others to learn from.
TWISTED SISTER – “YOU CAN’T STOP ROCK ‘N’ ROLL” – Just before Dee Snider & the boys became really famous. I find this album to be just as inspiring today as it was in 1983. My favorite Twisted Sister album.
BLACK SABBATH – “BORN AGAIN” – Ian Gillian on vocals, ’nuff said. O.K., this is one tough album or CD to find. “Trashed” is very heavy stuff, a very fast Black Sabbath tune. This version of Black Sabbath is incredibly good. Bev Bevan of Electric Light Orchestra fame actually was the drummer on the “Born Again” Tour during 1984/85. That is correct. You did read this right. Now that is cool, having an ELO and Black Sabbath connection.
MOTORHEAD – “ANOTHER PERFECT DAY” – Of all the Motorhead albums, this one deserves more respect. The tune “One Track Mind” is reason alone to own this vintage Motorhead release, plus the album cover artwork and liner notes are extremely diabolical and cool.
GRIM REAPER – “See You In Hell” – The album title says it all… the title track “See You In Hell” is for me, a Heavy Metal anthem that brings back memories to my Metal heart. This was one heavy duty band for me… worth every Metal second of listening enjoyment. Overall, great band, great album, I wish they could have done twenty albums.
EXODUS – “FABULOUS DISASTER” – Gary Holt is such an important guitar player in Thrash Metal history. Exodus is always grouped in with the Thrash Metal originators. In my Metal opinion, each original Bay Area Thrash Band is just as important as the next… I am giving Exodus their just due here and “Fabulous Disaster” is just that, fabulous Thrash Metal.
VINNIE MOORE – “MINDS EYE” – Hey, this guy can play guitar. Heavy Metal guitar too. An all Metal instrumental album could never hurt no one, especially a Metalhead. Listening to Vinnie Moore in college helped me get unreal grades in fine arts, I am not kidding. I drew some of my best stuff listening to Vinnie Moore – thanks Vinnie.
MANOWAR – “HAIL TO ENGLAND” – Very loud and Old School Metal. This album has all the Metal attitude and heavy music you could ever ask for, plus, as a bonus, these guys are quality Metal musicians too! There are those times, when I need a cool Power Metal band that is Old School, that I can sing along to. They very well might be… “The Kings of Metal” as they advertise… heck, I would never think of telling them they are not.
OVER KILL – Every album they have ever made. Yeah, this sounds crazy, yet these guys are that great at playing Thrash Metal. Over Kill always seems to have been the hardest working Thrash band on the planet, with no star status or star treatment from the wide world of professionally paid critics. Different lineups throughout the years has not affected my loyalty… as long as there is Bobby “Blitz” Ellsworth and D.D. Verni leading this potent Thrash attack, I am Metal happy.
W.A.S.P. – “K.F.D.” – This is one heavy, monster of a W.A.S.P. album. Extremely heavy W.A.S.P. – Blackie Lawless was not fooling around with this album… I listen to “K.F.D.” when I have both good and bad days, the end affect is still just like opening up a can of Metal whoop ass and getting straightened out – Blackie Lawless style. Thanks Blackie Lawless.
KROKUS – “HEADHUNTER” – O.K., sure, there is some commercial appeal here with the tune “Screaming In The Night”, yet it is a far cry from any of the heavy ballads that blitzed us all in the 1980’s. Factor in the raging track “Headhunter” and the Metal grooviness of “Stayed Awake All Night” and you have served up yourself some decent party tunes.
Danzig – debut album from 1988 is all Metal muscle
Posted in 1980's heavy metal albums, 1980's hard rock, 1980's heavy metal music, 1980's metal music, Album Review, classic metal, cool album covers, Danzig, essential hard rock albums, essential heavy metal albums, Hard Rock, Heavy Metal, heavy metal album covers, heavy metal album review, heavy metal albums, heavy metal guitarists, heavy metal music, Heavy Metal Reviews, heavy metal vocalists, horror metal, Metal, metal music, Metal Reviews, Misfits, Music, old school heavy metal, rock music, vintage heavy metal albums, Vocals with tags 1980's danzig, 1980's heavy metal music, 1980's metal music, 1988 danzig album, Album Review, boston red sox, chuck biscuits drummer, classic metal, classic metal albums, Danzig, danzig debut album, danzig first album, danzig heavy metal band, eerie von bass guitarist, fenway park, glenn danzig, Heavy Metal, heavy metal album review, heavy metal music, heavy metal review, john christ guitarist, keith foulke boston red sox pitcher, Metal, metal music, Misfits, mother danzig song, Music, pesky pole, samhain band, the misfits, the misfits punk rock band, vintage metal, vintage metal albums on May 27, 2009 by Metal Odyssey
Listening to the debut album from Danzig, (titled “Danzig”), is always a refresher course in what smash mouth Metal is about. Released in 1988, this album in my Metal opinion, has all the ingredients necessary to be looked upon as a muscular Metal Classic. I will admit, that this is one of my favorite Metal albums ever and Danzig does hold high rank in my Metal universe. Before Glenn Danzig went the all Metal route with his music, well, was there anyone else in Metal that sounded like him? My answer is nope. I liken Danzig’s vocals to be of profound Metal uniqueness, where he will clearly deliver the spoken word, then sing and/or belt out vocally with real conviction. Sure, I even agree that Danzig’s vocals sound a tad like Jim Morrison at times… not a bad dude to be compared to for vocals. The ten tracks on “Danzig” are laced with the lyrical darkness that are open for interpretation. Musically, Glenn Danzig is a Metal mastermind at combining the straight up and anti-commercial approach to these songs, while not over complicating any of the songs structure. “Mother” is the closest you will get to ever seeing a Danzig tune dabble with mainstream popularity.
I can recall how the great Danzig song “Mother” gave me an unexpected surprise that actually made my day. My best buddy in the Galaxy, well, he is a steadfast and loyal Boston Red Sox fan, (I am not). He took me along to Fenway Park a couple of times, (paid for my tickets too) and we both took in two fine games. I will always appreciate his generosity. Well, at one of these Red Sox games, the relief pitcher – closer was called in to the game, his name was Keith Foulke. I did not realize that this pitchers theme song and/or warm-up song to get pumped up to – was none other than Danzig’s “Mother”. Here I am, innocently sitting in the historical Fenway Park, by the historical “Pesky Pole”, within a sea of Red Sox fans and I am taken by Metal surprise to the electrifying and heavy loudness of Danzig’s “Mother” coming over the stadium speakers! I felt so proud to be a Danzig fan at that moment. Let me tell you, that song lit up the thousands of Red Sox fans at Fenway Park that day.
Now, back to this Danzig album, my favorite four tunes, (not in any specific order), are: “Twist Of Cain” – which has the sandpaper tough, do not mess with me attitude oozing from the lyrics and music, “She Rides” – a track that has that slowly driven, heavy beat that gives me an instant, devious, Metal grin, “End Of Time” – which is melancholy and spooky lyrically and rocks heavy with thick Metal grooves, leads & riffs, then of course, “Mother”. I will say that in my Metal opinion, all ten songs on “Danzig” are fully loaded for maximum heavy musical enjoyment. The Danzig lineup for this debut album was: Glenn Danzig on vocals, Eerie Von on bass, John Christ on lead guitar and Chuck Biscuits on drums. Not that Glenn Danzig needed any introduction to the Rock universe back in 1988, he did arrive with storied and musically historical careers with the Misfits and Samhain behind him. However, I firmly believe that this debut album was built to last, succeeding in launching the Metal legacy that Danzig has so brilliantly created.
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