Anniversary Series - 1994!

This year is certainly a tough one to write about.  While there was plenty going on in rock and metal, it was mostly in genres I generally don't cover on this blog (like pop punk or death metal).  That being said, I think I've got enough to scrape a few paragraphs together to try and cover the year without resorting to a handful of reviews.

Naturally, grunge was still big.  Alice in Chains, Pearl Jam, and Soundgarden put out some reelases to their diehard fans, with Soundgarden in particular having a massive hit with "Black Hole Sun."  However, this year would also serve the biggest blow with the death of Kurt Cobain.  Almost acting like a turning point for the genre, more radio friendly bands like Bush and Our Lady Peace would move the genre into the post-grunge era.

Prog would end up having an interesting year as well.  Classic bands like Yes and ELP (among others) would put out albums, showing they still have what it takes, while Pink Floyd released Division Bell, marking the end of an era (as it was the last album for them for many years).  Progressive metal was picking up, however, with Dream Theater leading the charge with Awake, their celebrated follow-up to Images and Words.  With newcomers like Vanden Plas and Symphony X following in their wake, prog metal was clearly on the way up.

Meanwhile, power metal was starting to come together.  Stratovarius would be in a state of transition with Dreamspace, but the big story was the comeback of Helloween.  Picking up new singer Andi Deris, the band returned to their speedy, melodic roots with Master of the Rings, one of my favorite albums of theirs.  Finally getting past their experimental phase, they laid out epic tracks like "Sole Survivor" and "Where the Rain Grows," anticipating the explosion of power metal that would soon follow.

So it's not much, but it's something, and there's certainly more in the playlist below, so check that out.  If I've missed something, let me know in the comments below.  Meanwhile, I'll keep carrying on, putting out articles as often as time permits.  Until then, rock on!  \m/

Anniversary Series - 1997!

I'm going to be honest, this year's article is going to be mostly about power metal, as 1997 was the year HammerFall exploded, bringing with it a massive wave of new bands.  I'll try to include a few others, and if there's anything you think I missed, don't hesitate to let me know.  Now, let's get this anniversary article started!

Let's just start with HammerFall and go from there.  The idea of a band that embraced the clichés of the 80s, added a heavy layer of fantasy and historical themes, and charged with some neo-classical energy was considered pretty novel when their debut album landed.  While I think their next few albums were better, they were off to a great start.  With epic tracks like "The Dragon Lies Bleeding," "Unchained," and "Steel Meets Steel," they established a foundation they and many other bands would build on.

Other power metal highlights from the year include Edguy's second album Kingdome of Madness, Kamelot's second Dominion, the debuts of symphonic titans Nightwish and Rhapsody of Fire, and earlier in the month, I covered Kai Hansen's one-two punch of Iron Savior's debut and Gamma Ray's Somewhere Out in Space.  Finally, there's Visions by Stratovarius, including blazing tracks like "Black Diamond," "Forever Free," and "Legions."  This album would cement the band as one of my favorites from this era!

Progressive metal also had a strong showing.  Not only did Dream Theater give us Falling into Infinity, with the iconic "Peruvian Skies," but Symphony X released The Divine Wings of Tragedy, with the 20-minute epic title-track that builds on John Milton and Gustav Holst, and Vanden Plas provided their own style of prog metal with The God Thing, featuring great songs like "Rainmaker" and "Crown of Thorns."

Of course, it wasn't all metal.  Post-grunge was starting to pick up again, particularly with The Colour and the Shape by the Foo Fighters.  Songs like "Monkey Wrench," "Everlong," and "My Hero would become rock radio staples.  And then there was the iconic debut of Creed with My Own Prison, the first of three great albums that I jammed repeatedly when I was in high school.  At least, when I wasn't listening to the new Yes album Open Your Eyes.  It's no innovator or prog rock triumph by any means, but one I have a lot of nostalgia for as well.

So that's 1997 in a nutshell!  Definitely some great music, and I have more selections below in the Spotify playlist.  Perhaps it's not the robust selection, but it will get better as I explore more music.  Until then, rock on! \m/

Last Played - May 2021!

It's been a minute since I've done one of these!  Mostly catching up on some older albums from some favorite bands, this one is full of melodic metal!  Here's what I've been banging my head to lately.

Symphony X - Twilight in Olympus

As I was listening to different bands, I was suddenly in the mood for something more shreddy, and I knew Symphony X was a band I wanted to get into more, so I threw on their 1998 album.  I definitely got what I wanted, as the band has a very distinct mix of neo-classical shredding, epic soundscapes, and technical proficiency.

Right off, you get some pretty good songs.  "Smoke and Mirrors" sets the stage by opening with a lightning fast guitar run before getting into some powerprog pyrotechnics.  Russell Allen sounds good, as always, though there are a few moments where I think he's maybe forcing the drama a little.  Still, it's a minor gripe about an incredible voice.

From there, the rest of the album lurches around, with some tracks working better than others.  "Church of the Machine" and "The Relic" have strong Dream Theater vibes, as well as the epic of the album "Through the Looking Glass."  It's not bad, but does feel clunky, as if the technical side took over the songwriting, resulting in a song that doesn't quite have its pieces together.  "In the Dragon's Den" was a pretty solid piece of powerprog, featuring a dual solo with guitars and synths that made me think of classic Stratovarius!  Overall, I enjoyed it, but then the band has always been pretty reliable, at least on the few albums I've heard, so it met my expectations pretty well.

Beast in Black - From Hell With Love

When I reviewed their first album, I said I was kinda down on the songs in the second half, but as I've listened to them more, they've grown on me.  That first album was quite solid, in the end.  In 2019, they followed up with this one, and while I enjoyed the singles from it, I didn't get around to the album until now.  I probably should have listened to it sooner, as it has some great stuff on here.

First of all, this really is more of the same: power metal mixed with 80s synth pop and even touches of Italo Disco.  The thing is, they aren't the only ones doing this anymore, as a number of bands have jumped on the 80s nostalgia train and added synth riffs and arrangements to their metal songs, and I admit it doesn't always work.  However, Beast in Black seem to have it down, as I found myself enjoying this album as much as the last one.  Yannis Papadopoulos remains a great singer, using both is lighter and heavier vocal styles to expand the range of emotions on these songs.  The riffs remain catchy and the synths ease their way in and out of the songs, never feeling forced or overdone, in my opinion.

Stand out tracks are the awesome opener "Cry Out for a Hero," the title track, the anthemic "True Beleiver," and "No Surrender," which sounds a bit more Judas Priest than some of the other stuff on here.  "Oceandeep," is an interesting ballad, going for more of a symphonic, Nightwish flavor.  The other songs didn't seem as strong, but they could grow on me like the first album did.  Still, a great follow up to what was a great album, and I look forward to more of their unique brand of energetic metal in the future.

Sabaton - Carolus Rex

Despite enjoy most of Sabaton, there are a few albums I still haven't gotten to.  This one is a little unique in that the subject matter focuses on a much older war than the band usually covers, that of the Thirty Years War and the Great Northern War of the 17th and 18th centuries, particularly from the Swedish perspective under the rule of King Charles XII, and his crack unit, the Caroleans.  It's a neat bit of history that few outside of Europe would know much about, which makes it pretty novel.

From there, the album proceeds to follow the standard Sabaton progression: epic power metal, sometimes fast and triumphant as they talk about the battles, sometimes anthemic and mournful for the heroes that fall and lives that are lost.  As for songs that stand out, I liked "The Lion from the North" and "Poltava," as they were the more energized tracks.  And their cover of Amon Amarth's "Twilight of the Thunder God" is a lot of fun!

As always, one knows what to expect when listening to a Sabaton album, for better or worse.  While I do enjoy their anthemic style, it does feel like there's some leaning on a formula here.  Still, it's a decent album, and it gets to show that the band has more interests than just World War II.

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It's been kind of an up-and-down year for me so far.  I'm actually rather thankful that I get to listen to music while I work, as it's helped me cope with a lot of things.  (Nothing serious, just the tedium and tension of working at home during lockdown.)  Fortunately, I have no shortage of stuff to listen to!  I'll try to get back on the new releases soon, but until then, rock on! \m/

Anniversary Series - 1995!

Well, I'm making some serious progress on these, now that we're in July!  As we move further in time, rock music really begins to separate out into its genres and communities, making it difficult to really say anything conclusive about the time period as a whole.  As such, these articles are going to focus more on what I've listened to, and therefore be less comprehensive and historical in nature.  Still, there's plenty to talk about for the year of 1995!

Let's start things off with some power metal, as the genre was really starting to come alive by now.  Blind Guardian released Imaginations from the Other Side, Gamma Ray finally got things together for Land of the Free (which I reviewed here), and Stratovarius would find their voice in Timo Kotipelto and give us Fourth Dimension, the first in a long string of great albums.

1995 would be a big year for prog rock.  Pink Floyd's big final tour would result in the Pulse live album, with the iconic blinking light on the spine.  King Crimson continued their unique complexity with Thrak, and Roine Stolt, after the success of The Flower King, would bring together the band The Flower Kings and produce their debut album, which I reviewed earlier this year.

Prog metal would be no slouch either, with Ayreon releasing their debut, Symphony X following up on their debut by introducing the great Russell Allen to the world with The Damnation Game, and Dream Theater expanding their songwriting with the epic "A Change of Seasons," released as an EP.  However, the big surprise was Savatage suddenly coming back with Dead Winter Dead and the hit single "Sarajevo 12/24," the song that inspired the Trans-Siberian Orchestra project.

Of course, atlernative rock was still a big deal at this time, but grunge was making its shift into post-grunge.  Dave Grohl would bounce back with the debut of the Foo Fighters, Candlebox released Lucy, and Alice in Chains had their self-titled third album.

Just to round things out, Van Halen would carry on with Sammy Hagar with the successful Balance, Iron Maiden had The X Factor with their new singer Blaze Bayley, and AC/DC released Ballbreaker, proving that the older styles of rock and metal hadn't gone anywhere.

So that's 1995.  As usual, there's a playlist below, and I'm sure I've missed some good stuff, so don't hesitate to give me recommendations!  Until then, rock on! \m/