New Videos - October 2023!

Happy Halloween!  Once again, I've got another handful of new videos for you to rock out while you celebrate the spooky season.  Well, okay, not all of these are really Halloween-themed, but they're all pretty good songs, which are never out of season!  Check these out!

While this is a band I keep meaning to catch back up on, but it seems they're plowing ahead with a new single, which hopefully will lead to a new album!  As expected, it's a solid anthemic rocker with a good chorus, as it seems the band hasn't lost a step in all these years!  I'm definitely looking forward to what they do after this.

After they blew me away a few years ago, Sorcerer is back to bring another slab of epic doom metal, with the emphasis on "epic!"  Back are the thick guitars, intense noodly solos, and Anders Engberg's soaring vocals, channeling a bit of Rainbow-era Dio a little.  The hard tempo shift for the solo also got my attention, as this song is more than just another plodding doom rocker!  I need to get into more of this band!

Trying to find a vein of hope in the midst of all the negativity, Firewind sticks with their heavy/power metal sound, which is still pretty solid.  Herbie Langhans gives the song the energy it needs with his charismatic gritty vocals and Gus G provides his pyrotechnic fretwork, making for a crunchy-but-anthemic piece of uplifting music.

While I admit I haven't kept up with Sonata Arctica lately, a number of folks are calling this a return to form of their old school power metal days, and I hear it!  The uptempo harpsichord synths channel the likes of Ecliptica and Winterheart's Guild in a way I haven't heard from them in a while!

I can't believe it's been five years since Firepower.  That was a good album, and with a bit of a synthy start, these legends are intent on carrying on their classic metal assault with another album due next year.  While there are no surprises here, the band is still executing their sound at a high level.

Anniversary Series - 1988!

The middle of the month means it's time for another Anniversary Article!  1988 is an interesting year, as we start to see the rock and metal scene shift and expand, resulting in quite the mix of genres.  While I sure I'm missing some stuff (let me know what you think of down in the comments below), here's a rundown of the big albums and songs that rocked folks 35 years ago!

The year starts off with a rather controversial group, Kingdom Come.  While at first they tried to deny it a little, but it's pretty clear they were intent on doing a glamified approach to the classic sound of Led Zeppelin, and to be honest, they were pretty good at it.  And it's not like they were the first to do so, as both Rush's first album and and some of Whitesnake's material come to mind.  In any case, one could see Kingdom Come as the beginning of the retro-clone style of bands that we see so much today, so maybe they're influential at least in that aspect.

Of course, the pop metal scene in general had plenty of albums going around, continuing to dominate the airwaves.  Scorpions came back after a four year album break with Savage Amusement, Europe went Out of This World, Winger was "Headed for a Heartbreak," Cinderella told us that we "Don't Know What You Got (Till It's Gone)," and Poison really blew up with Open Up and Say... Ahh!, featuring several big hits like "Nothin' But a Good Time," "Fallen Angel," and "Every Rose Has Its Thorn."

Metal's various sub-genres also saw some decent representation this year.  Manowar and Candlemass brought the epicness with Kings of Metal and Ancient Dreams, respectively.  Helloween continued to establish the foundation of power metal with Keeper of the Seven Keys Part 2.  Queensrÿche shifted into progressive metal with their concept album Operation: Mindcrime, and Iron Maiden pushed their proggy tendencies further with Seventh Son of a Seventh Son.  

However, the big winner of the year was thrash metal.  While all the big thrash bands put out albums this year (with Testament's probably being my personal favorite), it can't be denied that Metallica really put a spotlight on thrash with ...And Justice For All.  Despite the production problems, the album benefited from the music video for "One" getting plenty of airplay on MTV and the now-infamous snub at the Grammy's.  While some would argue that thrash's best year was 1986, the subgenre clearly started to break into the mainstream in 1988, and Metallica was leading the way.

So that's another year wrapped up.  Be sure to check out the playlist below for more great songs.  Until then, rock on! \m/

Last Played - October 2021!

We're starting off a little different this month, as I've got a Last Player right here for you already to go!  After the power metal fest that was last month's article, I've decided to focus on more classic-rock-styled bands for this one.  Still, I got to hear some really great music on these.  Here's what I've been checking out lately.

Europe - Start from the Dark

So after Prisoners in Paradise was swallowed up in the grunge wave of the early 90s, Europe decided to call it a day.  However, after a few reunion shows in 2000, they decided to really give it another go in 2004 with this album. Bringing back John Norum who hadn't worked with the band since The Final Countdown, you'd think it would be a return of the 80s pop metal sound, but they decided to go in a darker direction.

Right up front, they've got a heavier, grittier guitar tone, likely something borrowed from the post-grunge sound of the time, and the song structures do feel like something out of the 2000s alt-rock playbook.  But then Joey Tempest comes in singing, and John Norum brings out some very classic guitar solos, and this odd mix of 80s pop metal and 2000s alt-rock sort of comes together.  Looking at some of the history, I get the impression the band felt like they were starting over again, so they wanted to prove to newer audiences they could still rock.

It's an odd combination, but it almost works at times.  Most of the tracks have some solid riffing, and Norum's solos are really nice.  However, the keyboards are pretty limited, often put pretty far back in the mix, letting the guitars do all the work.  I did like the title track, and "Wake Up Call" has a solid post-grunge vibe that I liked.  Unfortunately, the second half of the album kinda lags, and feels uninspired at times.  The fact that this isn't even on Spotify seems to indicate that it's a bit of a black sheep in the band's discography.  It's an interesting comeback, showing a darker, grittier side of the band.  However, I don't think this sound is where they really excel.

Vega - Grit Your Teeth

After enjoying Only Human a lot, I don't know why I didn't prioritize the follow-up last year.  Maybe there was just a lot to cover or I was distracted with something else.  With their new album Anarchy and Unity out already, I figured I should try to catch up real quick before I gave that a listen, and I'm glad I did.

Unsurprisingly, Vega brings more solid, 80s-inspired hard rock.  However, the first thing I noticed is the production, which feels a little looser and allows the band to have a few different tones and vibes.  Only Human had a solid sound, going for a thick, tight, anthemic style, but Grit Your Teeth feels more fun.  Everyone is on point, with great riffs, solid layers from the keyboards, and Nick Workman's vocals dominating center stage.  His voice is perfect for this kind of stuff.

As for stand out tracks, the first three are great!  "Blind," "(I Don't Need) Perfection"), and "Grit Your Teeth" come out swinging and set the expectations for the album very well.  "Save Me From Myself" and "How We Live" are some solid anthemic rockers, and I also quite liked "Consequence of Having a Heart," as it had a more mysterious vibe, making me think of the atmosphere in "Enjoy the Silence" by Depeche Mode, of all things!  To be honest, looking back over my top 5 for 2020, I think this might have squeezed out Primal Fear.  I honestly wished I had taken the time for this album last year, as it's a very solid set of melodic hard rock tracks!

Creed - Creed

I'm sure this is going to need some explanation.  This is not the well-known post-grunge band of the late 90s, but rather a completely different group from the late 70s, and they play some really solid southern-fried rock.  I admit I don't know a whole lot about this band, other than they're from Memphis, and they made this one album in 1978, but I'm honestly surprised they didn't go on, as they have a good sound.

What's interesting is that, while they're certainly in the same ballpark as bands like Molly Hatchet and Lynyrd Skynyrd, they have a simpler blues-rock sound, augmented with some interesting keyboards and synths, making them sound rather unique.  At first, they start with some solid rock tunes with "Keep On Rockin'" and "Tied Down," but then with tracks like "Firecracker" or "Just Can't Stop," they have these lush keyboards and synthesizers, like the kind you'd hear on a Styx or Kansas album from the same time period.  The rest of the album does pretty much keeps up the rock and roll, with lots of trading guitar riffs and some fun synths thrown in for good measure.  The final track "Time and Time Again" even dabbles in some space rock before kicking it into gear and shredding those frets.

Honestly, this feels like a weird mishmash of 70s rock ideas, but it's all in this fun southern-fried rock framework that ensures the things keep rockin'.  And I cannot stress enough how good the guitar work is here.  Lots of tasty licks, solid riffs, and electric solos!  This really is a solid, neat album that's worth listening to from top to bottom.  Fortunately, this album isn't completely buried, being available on sites like Spotify and Amazon, so you don't have any excuse.  Check this out!!

Yes - The Quest

The big one!  When your favorite band puts out a new album, you definitely pay attention to it.  After their last album Heaven & Earth was an underwhelming pile of slightly proggy soft rock, I was hoping they would follow up with something more driven.  As such, I've been cautiously anticipating this one ever since I was aware of it, and when "The Ice Bridge" (once the credit kerfuffle was sorted out) turned out to be a solid single with some great energy, my hopes rose a little.  Now, for their first album of new material in 7 years (not counting the From a Page tracks that Oliver pulled out for us), where does Yes stand now?  Unfortuntely, not much better.

Right off, I do think this is an improvement, and a lot of it has to do with the production and layering.  Much of this album reminded me of parts of Tales of Topographic Oceans or "Awaken," as they have a stronger sense of the mysterious.  However, the pace of these songs really do drag for me, as most tracks seem to start with a solo instrument before building up to a mid-tempo, soft rock atmosphere.  I'd still consider it prog, as the tracks do have some interesting shifts and movements, but the rock part is debatable.  Another problem I had is the vocals.  While Davison is a good singer, he doesn't seem to give anything a memorable quality.  It's more like his vocal lines are laid on top of the song at times.

That being said, there are parts I do like.  "The Ice Bridge" is a great opener and definitely the best track on the album, with some solid riffs, a great bassline, and nice solo/jam section at the end.  I can see that one doing well live, letting the band members rock out for a bit.  "Leave Well Alone" has some interesting segments as they shift from a funky groove to a more pastoral vibe with mandolins.  "Future Memories" has an interesting minimal approach, but I wish it went somewhere instead of just languishing in the mood it creates.  "Mystery Tour" is an amusing tribute the Beatles, but really isn't much more than a novelty.  Unfortunately, the rest of the album just passes in one ear and out the other.

Overall, I feel disappointed.  What happened to the drive from songs like "Yours Is No Disgrace" or "Roundabout"?  Even some of the later albums when Howe returned has some upbeat stuff, like "Lightning Strikes," "Finally," and "Spirit of Survival."  I know some of the main members aren't getting any younger, but I feel like there are bands just as old as they are and they're still cranking out some energized material.  Maybe as the years go by, I'll appreciate this album more, as the production makes this pretty listenable, but for now, this lineup of Yes only seems to show some slight improvements.  

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Well, that was an interesting mix of things.  Some of it was great, some of it kinda lackluster.  Still, I think it's worthwhile to go over all kinds of albums, as they broaden my perspective as to all the different ways people approach the concept of rock and what they want it to be.  In any case, I've still got plenty to listen to in these last few months of 2021.  Not only do I want to review things for the upcoming anniversary articles, but there are some major releases I need to pick up.  It's gonna be a busy fall!  At least there's a lot to look forward to.  Until then, rock on!  \m/

Anniversary Series - 1991!

Sorry for the lack of content lately.  At least I was able to put this one together in advance.  It's also fortunate that 1991 is such a big deal in rock music history, providing plenty of material for this anniversary article.  1991 was definitely the end of some eras and the beginnings of others.  It would be hard to think of a year that would come to represent such massive shifts in the rock scene more than this one.  Still, with such change, great music gets made.

Speaking of the end of eras, Queen would experience a pretty major shift.  Releasing Innuendo in February, it would end up being the last record they would record alongside their singer Freddie Mercury before he would pass away later in this year.  Other bands facing the ends of an era would also include Skid Row, as Slave to the Grind would be their last with singer Sebastian Bach, and Europe, whose Strangers in Paradise would be their last album for more than 10 years.

Other bands were coming to a close as well.  Genesis released We Can't Dance, which would end up being their last with Phil Collins (though currently there is talk of another reunion tour, so who knows).  Dire Straits also put out their last album On Every Street, one that I think is very underrated in their catalog.  Rush would also bring a close to their synthesizer-heavy 80s with Roll the Bones, bringing things back to a more streamlined rock sound.

Of course, it was not all doom-and-gloom for rock and metal bands.  Van Halen was still rocking with Sammy Hagar, releasing For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge, and Mr. Big would kickstart their popularity in Japan with the single "To Be With You."  Guns 'n' Roses would finally release their double album Use Your Illusion, Ozzy proved he wasn't slowing down with No More Tears, and Metallica would release their self-titled album, which is still their most popular one to this day.

However, the big change came from the Seattle bands.  While they wouldn't get their big explosion next year, 1991 featured some of their biggest releases.  Not only do you have Pearl Jam's Ten, Temple of the Dog's only album, and Soundgarden's Badmotorfinger, but also Nirvana's Nevermind, which would introduce the sound to the rest of nation and turn it into an international phenomenon.  Almost instantly, record labels were dropping anything with an 80s rock sound in favor of this grittier, thicker style.  I don't know if there has ever been such a hard pivot in the rock music  industry before or since.

And that's 1991!  Certainly a year of changes, and the music shows.  A lot of pop metal and melodic rock would fade from popularity, making way for the new alternative rock sound, but good music, nevertheless.  I have a bunch more in the playlist below, and as always, let me know if there's something I've missed!  Until then, rock on!  \m/

Anniversary Series - 1986!

Yup, time for another anniversary article.  1986 is definitely a peculiar year, as rock and metal were evolving in a lot of directions by now.  Still, plenty of great songs and albums came out, so let's take a look.

Starting off, we have Ozzy himself, carrying on his solo career with The Ultimate Sin.  Featuring the big hit "Shot in the Dark" (not to be confused with the Great White album of the same name that also came out this year), it would also be the last Ozzy album to feature the fretwork of Jake E. Lee.  Another big name featuring some lineup changes was Van Halen, giving us 5150 and new singer Sammy Hagar, dividing the fans for many years to come.

However, the big metal shift came with the advent of thrash metal.  After kicking around for a few years, bands starting coming out with monster records that would expand the fanbase as well as metal's diversity of sound.  While I generally don't cover a lot of thrash on this blog, I can't deny the melodic chops of Metallica's Master of Puppets and Megedeth's Peace Sells...But Who's Buying.  These two albums would become thrash classics for the genre, and it's easy to see why.  Proggy elements mixed with fierce riffing and shredding, and some iconic vocal hooks, ensured that these bands meant business.

Of course, pop metal was only getting bigger.  Europe would finally crack the US with their third album The Final Countdown, Poison's debut Look What the Cat Dragged In also did well with the singles "I Want Action" and "Talk Dirty to Me," Ratt followed up their second album Dancing Undercover, Cinderella gave us Night Songs, and Bon Jovi's Slippery When Wet would go to #1 thanks to their three massive singles.  Even Judas Priest started to glam it up with Turbo, putting a little color in their classic black leather look.

Metal certainly dominated things by this point of the 80s, but rock was still going strong, in it's own way.  AC/DC found success with the single "Who Made Who," Journey was able to work with Steve Perry's health to release Raised on Radio, Genesis continued their pop success with Invisible Touch, and Queen mixed up their sound even more with A Kind of Magic.  Even Boston was finally able to work out their legal troubles and released Third Stage, featuring the big track "Amanda."

Rock was certainly in a lot of different places by 1986, leading to greater diversification later on, and you can find more of that in the playlist I've provided below.  As always, let me know if I've missed something.  Until then, rock on!  \m/

Last Played - January 2019

I know I've been putting out a lot of articles about new music, I'm still working my way through the backlog of great rock and metal of the past.  Let's turn it up for the January edition of Last Played!

Van Halen - 1984

Can you believe this classic is 35 years old now?  It’s kind of crazy to think what a huge impact this album had back in the day, mostly through some huge hits like “Panama” and the MTV favorite “Hot For Teacher,” as well as Eddie Van Halen’s increased use of synthesizers, most noticeably on “Jump” and “I’ll Wait.”

As for the rest of the album, it’s pretty standard Van Halen: good riffs and good times.  They really had the right combination of heavy guitars and incredible accessibility, and shows what good songwriters they were.  As it would turn out, it was also the last album with David Lee Roth for quite some time, as he decided to go solo.

Caravan - If I Could Do It All Over Again, I'd Do It All Over You

So one Sunday, I had a pretty big headache and decided I was in the mood for something kind of mellow.  I wanted to give a shot to one of the Canterbury scene prog rock bands, known for their chill brand of jazz-fusion rock.  I ended up choosing this one, and it turned out to be a pretty solid chunk of music.

While I don’t know if there was any particular stand-out to this album (though the “For Richard/Warlock” section was a pretty neat jam), the whole album occupies this groove-laden level of quality all the way through, making it a rather pleasant listen.  There’s also this element of quiet hope, as the band can feel they’re on the edge of a breakthrough in their career.  A pretty neat, jazzy, uplifting little album.

Pink Floyd - Wish You Were Here

A definitely classic, I mostly relistened to this to help me get in the mood for The Big Three Article I wrote earlier.  I personally think this is Pink Floyd’s best album, as it has all the members firing on all cylinders.  The lyrics are thoughtful, the synths grand and textured, and Gilmour’s solos remain powerful and emotive, even all these years later.

The main reason I like this over Dark Side of the Moon, is that while Dark Side is a great album to listen through as a whole, the individual songs are a little more mixed.  Wish You Were Here does both: works as a full album and as individual songs, even with “Shine On You Crazy Diamond” split up.  A beautiful masterpiece of mood and melody.

Kamelot - Siége Perilous

Named after the infamous empty seat at the round table of King Arthur’s court, we have Kamelot’s first album featuring the epic voice of Roy Kahn, and the difference is quite noticeable.  However, many of the progressive elements from the band’s previous albums are still hanging around, making this one an album of transition into the power metal sound they would become known for.

As such, it’s a clunky album.  “Millennium” stands out with its high-speed energy and riffing, while “Rhydin” and “Irea” provide good, epic numbers that foreshadow the band’s output in the 2000s.  Everything else is just okay, but slightly better than the previous two albums.

Europe - Prisoners in Paradise

Still riding the wave from their success from The Final Countdown, we have Europe’s final album before they went on hiatus for the 90s, and just in time, as it would seem.  Released at the dawn of the grunge wave, this album is a last stand of shiny, glossy, anthemic 80s style pop metal right before the style was abandoned by record labels across the world.

So what do we have here?  Mostly, it’s an album of arena-ready rockers, with a bit of a blues-y vibe, wearing their Whitesnake influence on their sleeves for this one.  Not much of it really stands out, but it’s decent while it’s on, with “Seventh Sign” and “Girl From Lebanon” being the closest they come to their classic mid-80s style, and the opener “All or Nothing” kicking things off well.  While they’ve always had a radio-friendly sound, this one feels particularly thin compared to their better known albums.

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Well, that's it for the moment.  Looking ahead to February, I'm seeing a lot of new albums I want to listen to, ranging from the epicness of Dream Theater and Avantasia, to the Herman Frank album I won't shut up about!  I don't know I'll give each one their own article or if I'll end up grouping them together, but I'm pretty excited for what's coming!