I have owned the vinyl album of No Mean City by Nazareth since 1983. No, I could never part with this album at all over the years, never. For years I could never find No Mean City on CD, it most likely had been out of print for some time. To this day, No Mean City does not seem to be that readily available anywhere, on CD and especially on vinyl. Who knows, maybe there is an independent record store somewhere that has dozens of copies in their inventory… I just never come across this Nazareth classic myself. With the brilliant, Old School, Classic Hard Rock heard on this album, combined with the album cover artwork, makes for a keeper. I actually bought this album as a cut-out, back when Strawberries Records & Tapes was around. Back in the early 1980’s, cut-out bins found in any record store was Rock and Roll Heaven! You could always find cool albums in these cut-out bins at real discounted prices, many times there were hidden heavy gems in them. My copy of No Mean City has a cut in the top right corner of the album jacket – this never bothered me one bit. The enjoyment this album’s music has given me all these years more than makes up for any cosmetic defect on it’s exterior.
Remembering the actual price I paid for No Mean City back in 1983 is a tad gray now… it probably set me back three or four bucks at the most. This is one of those albums that I would hold and stare at the front cover artwork, while my turntable played the tunes. The artwork for No Mean City screams Heavy Metal, still this is a true Hard Rock album from Nazareth. Getting nostalgic about Rock and Roll is something I cannot shake loose, Nazareth is one of those bands that epitomizes Classic Rock and gets my nostalgia adrenaline going. No Mean City takes me back to when I had nothing to worry about other than graduating High School. Whenever I listen to this album, everything feels cool around me, uh, that is real cool.
All eight songs on this great album are terrific, there are a few standout favorites of mine, beginning with Simple Solution Part 1 & 2. This song is loaded with strong grooves, carrying it’s melodic Hard Rock weight due in part to Dan McCafferty on lead vocals, Pete Agnew on bass and backing vocals and Manny Charlton on guitar. Star is a Hard Rock ballad that maintains it’s heaviness through Dan McCafferty’s raspy, sandpapered vocals. To this very day, I still cannot believe that Star was not a huge hit from this album. The lyrics and music of Star are just as great as the Nazareth cover song Love Hurts from their Hair Of The Dog album, in my Metal opinion. May The Sunshine is a Folk Rock meets Hard Rock song. This song is just a great sing along, upbeat in it’s lyrics and melody, a song I never expected to hear upon my very first listen to No Mean City. Since my first introduction to this album all those years ago, I could not see my music collection being the same without it. If you are into Classic Rock and/or Hard Rock, especially from the late ’70’s, Nazareth and No Mean City is a must listen – Hard Rock treasure.
* The late Darrell Sweet was the drummer and Zal Cleminson was also a guitarist for Nazareth on No Mean City. Both of these musicians were just as important to making this album sound so great to me.
* No Mean City was released on A&M Records, in January of 1979.
* No Mean City was the tenth studio album from Nazareth.
* Nazareth is still Rocking to this day… with original members Dan McCafferty on lead vocals and Pete Agnew on bass. Pete Agnew’s son, Lee Agnew, plays drums and Jimmy Murrison plays guitar. This Nazareth lineup released a new studio album – The Newz, in 2008… and it is damn cool and good. I will leave The Newz album for another post in the future.
ANVIL. Blue collar Heavy Metal personified. No pretentious attitude or pompousness with this band, just a working man’s ethic and never say die mantra that has led them up to 2009, with VH1 Classic Records picking up and reissuing their self funded album This Is Thirteen. (Good Metal move there, VH1 Classic Records). Unless you have been living underneath the remnants of a crashed UFO for the last six months, Anvil is back. Well, they never really went away for any real measurable length of time. Unlike a throng of prima donna Heavy Metal Bands out there who have taken the sabbatical and returned, expecting rose petals to be thrown everywhere they walk, Anvil is just doing what they always have done… play damn good Heavy Metal Music for anyone who will listen. I am listening, I listened to Anvil in the early ’80’s, their Metal has never left my collection since. Hell, I still have Anvil’s first three – Hard N’ Heavy, Metal On Metal and Forged In Fire on cassette – I could never bring myself to part with them. Anvil has stayed true to themselves and cool Metal things come to those Metal bands who wait. Without getting too deep into this bands history… the best way for anyone unfamiliar with Anvil is to watch or buy their newly released DVD – ANVIL – The Story of ANVIL.
It’s always great to vent. Vent I did in my last post – where I needed over 1,100 words to express my disappointment in not being able to purchase the new KISS CD – Sonic Boom at my local Super Walmart on October 6, 2009, (the release date for it). Just as I hoped for and predicted, at 4:00 p.m. EST, I entered the Trexlertown, Pennsylvania, Super Walmart and took hold of my very own copy of Sonic Boom. (Phew). I can now say I bought this new KISS CD on it’s release date… yes, it means something to me. I have my core Heavy Metal and Hard Rock Bands that I have followed for decades, when they release a new album I try my very best to buy it on the release day. Metal case closed. I went to this Super Walmart twice during the morning of October 6, (the release date), my last visit was at 9;30 a.m. EST, as I left empty handed. I will say this much… the packaging for this Sonic Boom CD is INCREDIBLE! Once I get to crank up Sonic Boom for a couple of listens, I will post my Metal jubilation. Here are some quick tidbits about my Sonic Boom shopping experience at Super Walmart, plus other related notes:
Way to go Super Walmart. With all of the hoopla leading up to the new KISS album in well over a decade, throw in an “Only at Walmart” exclusive for this KISS album, then… do NOT HAVE Sonic Boom out on the shelves for sale at 8:00 a.m. EST, on it’s release date of October 6, 2009!! I went to the Super Walmart located in Trexlertown, Pennsylvania, first thing at 8:00 a.m. EST this morning… with my twin daughters who were very excited about getting the new KISS CD with their daddy. The disappointment was even greater for them, for they love KISS and wanted to hear a few new songs before they went to school. To make matters even more somber, Sonic Boom was playing extremely loud in the CD/electronics department at this Super Walmart too… obviously a Super Walmart employee had a copy of it – forget about the customers!! I thought for certain, my daughters as well, that by hearing the new KISS being played, that there would have been the great KISS KORNER awaiting us – no such luck. Why advertise a release date and then not honor it? Why advertise a KISS KORNER and then not have one? Oh, Super Walmart with their trillions of dollars in profits could care in the least.
At the end of the day, I thank my lucky Metal stars that Krokus has existed – and still exists as a Heavy Metal Band. I have listened to Krokus since the early ’80’s, with Headhunter
Phew, now that this Krokus introduction is out of my Metal system, I can get excited now about telling the world about their 2003 album – Rock The Block 
The Heavy Metal genre and all of it’s mind bending sub genres can be quite the vast musical Universe to explore. There are countless bands that make these Heavy Music genres quake and explode with excitement at every turn. For me to say I have listened to every band out there would be an outright Metal lie… I have stated this before. Come forward please, Loudness and their 1986 album Shadows of War. Whoa. Whoa again. Why on Metal Earth, did it take me 23 years to finally listen to Loudness and Shadows of War? (See previous explanation within this paragraph for the Metal answer). Man, the outright powerful, Heavy Metal thunder of Loudness, is overwhelmingly great on Shadows of War. This album is the Japanese version with a different album/CD cover of it’s twin – American release Lightning Strikes. The only differences between Shadows of War and Lightning Strikes are: the order of the track listing, slight differences in the vocal melodies and Ashes In The Sky (from Lightning Strikes) and Shadows of War (from Shadows of War) are the same song. Buying one version over the other is basically an identical listen of Loudness Heavy Metal here. In this Metal situation, recommending either version is the way to go.
Yes Virginia, there is a Metal Santa Claus and his name is my best buddy Scott. You see, Scott gets quite giddy about sending CD’s of Metal through the mail to me… especially CD’s of Metal Bands that I have never delved into with unrestrained Metal abandon. Loudness Shadows of War came in the mail last week, courtesy of my buddy. This album is so damn cool, the songs on Shadows of War is yet another reminder to me, that 1986 was an incredible year, from an amazing decade for Heavy Metal album releases. Loudness could have easily named this album – psyche you out of your Heavy Metal mind – for all nine songs encompass a continuous and momentous listen in electrifying Heavy Metal power. Believe me, the last thing I want to come across as doing here is being rah, rah, rah, about Loudness and this album. I could never be more Metal serious by stating… Loudness and their 1986 album, Shadows of War, is one fine Heavy Metal blast from the past.
This is the Shadows of War cover! (Japanese version)
As a life long Metalhead, whenever you see a Heavy Metal Band crack the Billboard Top 200 Album Chart it is cause for Metal celebration. With that said, whenever I witness an Extreme Metal Band crack this same album chart, well, the world suddenly becomes a better place indeed. Step in The Black Dahlia Murder… please. Their newest album – Deflorate, (Metal Blade Records), debuted at #43 on the Billboard Top 200 Album Chart the week of September 15, 2009. (12,000 units were sold in the first week of this albums release). YEAH! In the midst of dozens of bubble gum – Pop Music new releases, there arises… The Black Dahlia Murder. Let this debut week showing of this incredible band and album, be a Metal reminder to the commercial Pop/Elevator Music world, that Extreme Music lurks around every corner, back road, corn field, city street and CD aisle. Earlier this year, Cannibal Corpse cracked this same Billboard Top 200 Album Chart as well, I see an Extreme Metal pattern of awareness starting to develop here in 2009. Metal Odyssey is Extreme Metal proud of The Black Dahlia Murder, (and still damn Metal proud of Cannibal Corpse too). Real music… Metal Music. All of us Metalheads and the Metal Bands we follow are not going away anytime soon… METAL RULES.
Edguy F***ing With Fire Live is entertaining as Metal hell. Released on July 28, 2009, on Nuclear Blast Records, this is the second album released by Edguy this year, (Tinnitus Sanctus was released on January 27, 2009). A huge Metal kudos to Edguy for releasing two albums within the same year, they are not the only band out there to do so, still it is cool for fans like me. In a Metal day and age where there are those select few prima donna – let’s take everything serious Metal Bands out there, Edguy seems to grasp hold of the positive and accentuates the (gasp) fun in Heavy Metal Music. The title of this live album alone, gives me the impression that Edguy has thrown caution to the Metal wind and could care less about those who don’t get it. In my Metal opinion, Tobias Sammet and his band Edguy have snickered at their antagonists since the late 90’s… and Edguy gets the last laugh every time. From my Metal research, it seems that Europe and Brazil really gets into Edguy big time, uh, I am just like Europe and Brazil with my Metal tastes then. It seems so obvious to me, by listening to Edguy’s catalog of albums, that they really dug the power and enthusiasm of 1980’s Heavy Metal Music. Thus they now turn around and record a live album that has that all encompassing, 1980’s Arena Heavy Metal thrill. By no means am I labeling Edguy as having a dated 1980’s sound about them, no way in Metal hell. I only want to point out that Edguy evokes a feel good emotion inside of me, rekindling some of the 1980’s Heavy Metal spirit that I so embraced. Tobias Sammet seems to write songs that are hook filled and melodically oozing from every crevice. F***ing With Fire Live is an Edguy album that I do give a F*** about.
My favorite Edguy song of all-time, Tears Of A Mandrake takes the Metal prize on this album, as well as Superheroes, Lavatory Love Machine and King Of Fools. The live versions of these Edguy songs only adds fuel to the intense Power Metal energy that they bestow. Tobias Sammet gets Avantasia into this set of songs as well, (from his side project Avantasia), it fits right into the Metal mix of this Edguy set list. The main theme I stress with F***ing With Fire Live is the consistent energy and emotion that Tobias Sammet seems to summon up within himself and his band. I don’t think you need to be an Edguy fan to actually hear and feel the excitement on this live album, then again, this Edguy album will have it’s detractors… so F***ing Metal be it. Tobias Sammet does become quite the talker during this concert. He takes his Metal time to introduce each band member, requests the crowd of Edguy fans to turn on their cell phone’s (and not their lighters), during the Power Metal ballad Save Me and thanks/compliments the fans of Sao Paulo, Brazil quite eloquently. Hey, this is a recorded – live concert for Metal sakes, these type of moments do occur during Heavy Metal shows, so F***ing Metal be it. At the end of the Metal day, I cannot listen to F***ing With Fire Live as a once through, nope, instead, each time I slap this double CD on I need to hear it a second time through too… so F***ing Metal be it.
Ace Frehley has waited a long time to create and produce a new album, Anomaly is so incredibly worth the wait. I finally bought Anomaly today, (September 23, ’09, yeah, I am a week late from it’s release date), what an album of 12 songs. An unreal good album, a can’t miss for any fan of any Rock genre. I cannot stop listening to this new Ace Frehley album, oh darn. Anomaly for me, is one of those albums that I get contagious about and addicted to… oh darn. Before buying this album, I had not a clue as to what any of the songs sounded like. Man, what an incredible surprise to hear these songs for the first time… this album leans more towards Ace Frehley’s 1978 KISS solo album – not towards the sound of his Frehley’s Comet band from the late 1980’s. The Metal kicker is this… Anomaly rocks harder and heavier than the Ace Frehley 1978 KISS solo album, my ears cannot tell a lie. Where Anomaly gives a nod to 1978 is this: Old School Hard Rock and Heavy Metal. With that being said, Anomaly definitely embodies the grooves and heaviness of today’s Heavy Metal sound, while veering away from any resemblance of late 1980’s commercial heavy sound that was so popular in it’s day.
As I listen to Ace Frehley play guitar throughout Anomaly, all I can say to those who want to listen is this – Ace Frehley is back!! Ace Frehley shall remind the Rock and Roll world with all of it’s genres that yes, he can play guitar very well… and sing too. Ace Frehley’s vocals do not sound like a man who has been out of the recording studio for so many years, instead, it is my Metal opinion that Ace Frehley’s vocals are damn good and cool. Just listening to Anomaly takes me back to the days when quality songs were an important staple to Hard Rock and Heavy Metal bands. A sense of urgency to be real, is what I hear through the entirety of Anomaly, Ace Frehley has fused his very own Hard Rock and Heavy Metal sound with a nod to yesteryear, making Anomaly an album that far extends any relevance factor. From the song writing to the band backing up Ace Frehley here, this is a total album package. Ace Frehley has plenty of cool and damn good solo’s throughout this entire album, one of the many quality points of Anomaly.
Back in October of 1991, Ugly Kid Joe released their debut EP – As Ugly As They Wanna Be. 1991 was a year smack in the middle of the Grunge Music invasion… Ugly Kid Joe didn’t seem to care in the least. The mix of Hard Rock, Funk Metal and Heavy Metal had me more than interested in Ugly Kid Joe, I bought As Ugly As They Wanna Be and it served me right – back in 1991. Parodies aside, I could care less about what the titles of Ugly Kid Joe’s albums were making fun of… it was the funky heavy grooves of their songs that mattered most to me. Everything About You was a song that sounded unlike anything I was into back then, (Thrash, Death, Speed and mainstream Heavy Metal was what I was used to). When I first heard Everything About You, the first bands that came to mind that I was familiar with, in the Funk Metal genre, was Living Colour and Anthrax when they did I‘m The Man. White Zombie for certain had some Funk happening in their Metal back then too, yet this Ugly Kid Joe was not the dark side of heavy Funk either. This band was not as flamboyant as Faith No More, there seemed to be more of a street level accessibility to Ugly Kid Joe back in 1991-92.
Obviously the freshness of Ugly Kid Joe caught on with MTV and FM radio, it had to. Ugly As They Wanna Be and America’s Least Wanted 
Twisted Sister – Love Is For Suckers was released on August 13, 1987, on Atlantic Records. Back then, as a Metal fan, I was totally engulfed with Thrash and Speed Metal. To make a Metal confession, I never bought this Twisted Sister album, after owning their first four albums. I was not overly impressed with Come Out And Play, (released in 1985), I guess the first three Twisted Sister albums really spoiled me. So, I took in whatever songs MTV or the FM stations were playing from Love Is For Suckers. Seeing the video for Hot Love and hearing it played on FM radio very frequently, back in 1987-1988 was, I thought, the coolest extent of this album. I always liked Hot Love, this song reminds me of some cool times back in 1987-88… and there isn’t anything wrong with that. Hot Love is upbeat and (gasp), commercially catchy in it’s unique Heavy Metal way. A few years ago, I bought Twisted Sister’s Big Hits and Nasty Cuts: The Best of Twisted Sister, it contains several cool live bonus tracks that enticed me… unreal great songs at that. The Metal kicker here, is that there are no songs from Love is for Suckers on this Best of album… I smell controversy. Therefore, my continuation of never hearing more than Hot Love from Love is for Suckers continued… Fast forward to September 18, 2009… Twisted Sister – Love is for Suckers has for all Metal intents and purposes, made a sucker out of me.
My favorite Saxon song ever created is Denim And Leather, found on their 1981 album Denim And Leather. The riff that repeats throughout this entire song is so addicting and memorable for me. I swear that this song could never lose it’s Metal appeal, ever. Each time I listen to Denim And Leather, this song just resonates with Old School Heavy Metal swagger, pride and power. The power is in the Heavy Metal music, the pride is in the lyrics and the swagger is Biff Byford on lead vocals. Denim And Leather is probably one of the very first in a long line of Heavy Metal anthems. (I would not want to take on the task of actually researching which song was the very first Heavy Metal anthem … it does sound like a cool thing to do if I have the spare time in the future though). If I ever make a list of my top 25 favorite Heavy Metal songs of all time, man, Denim And Leather would be right up there. If someone who has never listened to Saxon before, asked me to play them a song from Saxon, Denim And Leather would be choice #1. When this song gets cranked up really loud, it makes for the Metal maximum enjoyable listen.
I really, really, really like In This Moment… especially the vocal talent of Maria Brink. I bought The Dream last September of 2008, man, what an album. Collectively speaking, In This Moment put out one incredibly melodic Heavy Metal album of songs, with The Dream. Sure, In This Moment took on a more mainstream Heavy Metal sound, yet it hooked me line and Metal sinker. On June 30, 2009, In This Moment released The Ultra Violet Edition of The Dream
On July 7th, 1984, Helix released Walkin’ the Razor’s Edge
KISS. I have the fever… it is the addiction to this enormous American Heavy Metal juggernaut that hooked me back in grammar school… the (gulp), 1970’s that is. Over this past Summer of 2009, (actually it goes back to last Winter too), I have ultra consistently listened to the KISS album “Unmasked”… after each listen I am a better Metalhead for it. Unmasked was released back on May 20, 1980, right before I embarked on my High School years. By now, for anyone who reads my stuff regularly, may be tired of my mentioning that I owned 8 track tapes… still, I need to tell the world that I owned Unmasked on 8 track, thank you all for understanding. The memories that get stirred up inside my Metal mind, each time I listen to Unmasked are good ones… the Summer of 1980… going to the UCONN Basketball Camp, collecting odd and evil looking spiders in my backyard and having no worries in the world other than entering a new teenage chapter in my life.
Megadeth. Just the name alone sounds like true Metal. Thrash Metal. The name Megadeth alone, reaches out and stuns the uninformed as to the fact, that this band is seriously heavy about all things Metal. One of the kings of Thrash Metal. Dave Mustaine… a founding father of Thrash Metal and unreal good guitarist, a Metal legend. (Gee, did I leave out any other important accolades here?). Really, any Metal fan has to agree that Dave Mustaine has the Megadeth Metal machine running full tilt… for quite a long time too. I am Metal giddy that “Endgame” is coming out on September 15th… the month of September looks better already, for me. If you do not count today, (September 2nd), there are just 13 days left until the Megadeth Thrash Metal onslaught of new material becomes heard in it’s entirety. That is less than two weeks away. I am Metal psyched. I was fortunate enough to see back in the late 80’s, a Metal triple bill of Savatage, Megadeth and DIO. The New Haven Coliseum was never the same after that show… that structure no longer exists. What a night of Metal it was… Megadeth blew me away, Dave Mustaine earned a fan for life. Dave Mustaine… Thrash Metal Champion. Megadeth shall return… Endgame.
Man, is it just me or does the world, national and even local news stink? Not just lately but for quite awhile now too. I was foolish in watching more news than usual on the television last night… ugh. Ugh again. The norm for me in obtaining any type of news has been to grab a sound bite or headline and be done with it. This is my own filtering process… it works for me. Certainly I will read many a news article, it is just that the messenger(s) of these news articles need to know the meaning of redundant. There is plenty of cool and inspiring news out there to be reported, however, feel good news stories don’t sell. What a shame. So, I have picked a Heavy Metal Song of the Day, for September 1, 2009! This Heavy Metal song is as righteous a statement, regarding the nature of the news as any song I have ever heard. “Somebody Save Me” by the Heavy Metal band – Cinderella. This cool and heavy song is found on the Cinderella album “Night Songs”. The “NIght Songs” album was released in June of 1986. “Somebody Save Me” was released on February 10, 1987… peaking at #66 on the Billboard Hot 100 Chart. (The “Night Songs” album peaked at #3 back in 1986… not too shabby). Not only does this song ROCK, the lyrics are right on the Metal money when it comes to the bull crap/hot air that is thrown at us from every direction, courtesy of the mainstream television news networks and/or outlets.
Metal Odyssey > Heavy Metal Music Blog 
You must be logged in to post a comment.