Retro Reviews - July 2026 Part One!!

I have to concede that summer is the hardest time for me.  I was supposed to be through the year of 1986 at the end of May, but here we are, still reviewing stuff.  This time, I'm mainly wrapping up what I wanted to listen to for 1986 and moving on, as I do want to get through all these Top 5 lists I have planned!  It's a bit of a hodgepodge, mostly of glam metal, but it's what I've been listening to lately.

Ratt - Dancing Undercover

While their debut album Out of the Cellar was an excellent set of pop metal, and Invasion of Your Privacy was a solid follow up, the band decided to toughen up their image a little, dropping the attractive girl on the cover to black-and-white images of themselves.  However, the music is pretty much more of the same solid rockin' that they've rocked before.

There might be a few tweaks here and there in the production, but honestly, the differences are minimal at best.  This album is just straight-ahead 80s hard rock with that glam metal flair for the sensual.  Everyone performs their parts well, and there really isn't a weak track.  They also shake things up a little with a bluesy groove on a few songs, mostly on "7th Avenue" and "Take a Chance," but otherwise, this is peak MTV material.

There are a few standouts, like the singles "Dance" and "Body Talk," the latter of which had some interesting chord progressions in the chorus.  I also liked "One Good Lover" and "Looking for Love," mostly for being a little faster than the others.  I'm discovering that I really like this band, largely because they're so consistent, at least across their first three albums.  I read some reviews saying that this album was darker and heavier, like getting into thrash metal territory, but I don't really hear it.  I'll probably end up listening to all their albums eventually, so we'll see if they can stay strong as the years go on.

Cinderella - Nightsongs

Coming from Philadelphia, Cinderella was another glam metal band that was able to catch a quick road to success thanks to the 80s being the best time for this kind of music.  While they weren't the biggest of the decade, they were able to find decent success with this debut album, thanks to some strong singles.

While this is certainly a solid chunk of hard rock, I admit I was only familiar with the big songs.  Now that I'm digging into them, I'm hearing some interesting things.  First of all, singer Tom Keifer sounds a lot like AC/DC's Brian Johnson, and many of the songs feature bluesy riffs similar to the Australian band.  Combined with the glam metal, it gives the band this strong foundation to build on, making for some very catchy songs.  Another surprise was the little touches of Dio that I heard.  They would often show up in the chorus or in ways that Keifer would sing a line, and some of the lyrics had some 80s Dio attitude as well.  Overall, it's an interesting blend that takes the standard pop metal sound and elevates it a little.  The only real problem I had was that many of the songs' endings were very similar, often repeating the chorus into a fade-out.  It's not awful, but it did make some of the songs feel a little too formulaic at times.

As is typical for this era, the singles are the best songs.  "Nobody's Fool" is this slow-burning power ballad that put the band on the spot, "Somebody Save Me" gets a bit dramatic, and "Shake Me" has that AC/DC charm.  I also liked "Hell on Wheels" for its uptempo boogie style.  I understand it was hard for rock bands to stand out at this time, as glam metal and MTV were big business affairs, but I do think this debut showed a band that had a little more than just fashionable clothes to their name.

Victory - Don't Get Mad...Get Even

While I've enjoyed some of their later releases, I decided to dig back into their history and check out their earlier material.  Their debut album (which I didn't review) was a decent collection of 80s rock songs that featured some solid production but little originality.  However, the following year, they picked up Herman Frank on guitars.  He had left Accept and worked with a few other German bands, but in 1986, he joined Victory and stuck around for quite some time.

So to say that they sound a bit more like Accept is mostly true, however, they retain their pop metal sensibilities, especially with some very clean production.  Frank has brought some more metal-like chugging riffs, and his solos certainly add to his robust collection of excellent fret work.  The album starts with "The Check's in the Mail," featuring a rather AC/DC-like sardonic bite, and "Not Me" has this interesting, slower groove riff that tries to sound tough.  I don't think it quite succeeds, but it's a catchy song nonetheless.  "Arsonist of the Heart" is a very curious ballad, not really going for an anthemic height but something more subdued, "Hit and Run" picks up the double-kicking drums for a shred fest, "She's Back" is more more of a cinematic, AOR-style song, and the closer "Running Wild," while not a Judas Priest cover, definitely features a lot of their rockin' energy.  The album never feels like it's stuck in one idea without it feeling jarring or schizophrenic as it jams through its setlist.  

I do think this is quite the improvement over their first album, mostly with the songwriting having more meat to it.  However at the same time, I don't know if it really stands out from the rest of the year in terms of catchy, melodic metal.  This really won't blow anyone away, but at the same time, there really aren't any weaknesses, either.  Just solid, well-executed (and very shiny) heavy metal.

Ozzy Osbourne - No Rest for the Wicked

After the slump that was The Ulimate Sin, a duet with Lita Ford, and two years, it was time for another lineup change.  While bassist Bob Daisley rejoins as drummer Randy Castillo returns from the last album, this album would be the debut of Zakk Wylde.  He had gotten an audition tape to Ozzy who wasn't sure at first, but was later convinced to take him on board.  Helping to write every song, Wylde gave the band quite a strong shot in the arm, as this album has some very good energy.

Once again, Ozzy straddles the line between glam and traditional metal.  While the riffs and subject matter are often gritty, there are still plenty of poppy choruses and vocal harmonies to fit in with MTV and mainstream rock radio.  The production is a massive improvement over the last album, especially with Castillo's drumming which is powerful without being overwhelming.  Naturally, Wylde gets his moments to shine, playing some very electric solos (and his iconic pinch bends), and his riffs really push these songs forward.  John Sinclair's keyboards also provide some extra cinematic layers on the songs in a way that isn't  messy.  The album is not perfect, of course.  "Crazy Babies," which was one of the singles, has some strange riffs and this talk-style chorus, and "Fire in the Sky" is trying to be this somber ballad, but goes on for way too long.

Still, this is quite the improvement over The Ultimate Sin, largely because of how energized it feels.  They kick off with "Miracle Man" and "Devil's Daughter," starting the album with a lot of impact.  "Bloodbath in Paradise" is classic spooky Ozzy, talking about the Manson Family murders like they're a slasher film, and despite the subject matter, I can't deny that "Demon Alcohol" is a fun song.  Overall, I was surprised by how much of this I enjoyed.  Zakk Wylde's introduction to the world makes for a pretty entertaining Ozzy album!

New Releases 2026 Part One!

Well this certainly took much longer than I wanted it to.  There are plenty of albums coming out this year that have me intrigued, but I'm just not getting to them (so far; still plenty of year left).  I mean, my first one here was the talk of the internet at the beginning of the year, and I'm just now publishing my thoughts on it.  (I've never been particularly great at being timely!).  Eventually I pulled together enough reviews to fill out an article, but I have to warn you, none of these are impressing me much.  Here's what I've been checking out lately.

Megadeth - Megadeth

Of all the most anticipated albums to kick off the year, this was pretty much unavoidable.  Not only was it going to be the band's last album, but it featured a Metallica cover (one of the few Mustaine helped write).  However, I'm not really a big Megadeth fan.  I've listened to their first five, as well as Dystopia and The Sick, The Dying... and The Dead!, but overall, they're kind of hit-and-miss for me.  I also know I'm way behind on reviewing this, as it's been out for months now, but I figured I'd give their swan song a listen, as I was pretty curious.

My first thought is that the songwriting is even more stripped down than Dystopia was, perhaps as much as Countdown to Extinction.  Most Megadeth fans will find very little that's new or surprising, and perhaps might get frustrated with how familiar it is.   While there are a few fun thrashy blast-fests, much of the album plods along as Mustaine sings about his observations and frustrations.  The opener "Tipping Point" and "Let There Be Shred" are highlights for being some energetic thrash tracks, and "Made to Kill" feels like it could have been on Rust in Peace, with its meter changes and dynamics.  "The Last Note" also has some decent energy as he reflects upon his career before ending the album.  And then there's the Metallica cover.  It's alright.  It's a bit of a weird choice, too, as I understand the song changed after Dave was kicked out of the band, so playing this final version is strange.  While the performance is fine (and has Megadeth's typical tightness), the main problem is Dave's voice.

And this is where I address the elephant in the room.  I get that getting older isn't for wimps, and throat cancer is no joke, surely affecting his voice, but it feels really weak and rough on this album.  Much of his snarling charisma is gone, and while it's not bad on every song, it is something that gets a little hard to ignore.  And with "Ride the Lighting," compared to James Hetfield's roaring bark, Mustaine's voice feels so weak and kinda drags the song down.  If he had covered it just 10 or even 5 years earlier, it would have sounded better.  I don't mean to be a jerk about this, as I've heard that his voice has been failing for a while, and I hope he's able to keep it working through the farewell tours he wants to do.  But when Mustaine's singing was such an iconic part of this band's sound, it's a little depressing to hear it struggle so much.

There is something to be said about going out on your own terms, though, and for Megadeth, this farewell is about as Megadeth as it gets, for better or worse.  I'm sure the guitar nerds will enjoy picking these solos and riffs apart as they always do, but otherwise, it's honestly more of the same.  I don't think it's a bad album, overall, but it does feel like a simplified version of the band's sound, which makes for perhaps a bit of an underwhelming last album.

Lovebites - Outstanding Power

Well, I asked for another full album and here it is!  Their last one was quite a blast, and it made it into my Top 5 for that year, and since then, they released an EP that was also pretty solid.  Keeping the same lineup as before, the band seems to be trying to expand their sound beyond power metal, but I don't know if it's really working for them.

Things start off well enough with "The Castaway," but then they go right into thrash metal mode with "Silence the Void" and later on again with "Reaper's Lullaby."  They proved they could do this well on Lovebites II with "Where's Identity," so I'm pleased to hear them do this again.  However, they also try some symphonic metal ideas with "Forbidden Thirst" and "Dream of King," but feel like they might be stretching a little too far from their base with these, especially the syncopated riffing in the latter song.  Other experiments include the AOR-like "Wheels of Fire," a classic metal approach for "Out of Control," and some uptempo rock for "Blazing Halo."  Then they go all-in on the extremely sentimental power ballad "Eternally," which really didn't need to be seven minutes long.  These tracks had some good moments, but it does make the album feel uneven and inconsistent (and your mileage may vary with these genre shifts).  Fortunately, they do bring back the power metal on "Phoenix Rises Again," and the closer "One Will Remain."

I kinda hate to say it, but this is a bit of a disappointment.  After the incredible Electric Pentagram and the worthy follow-up Judgement Day, I was ready to sail with them into the power metal seas.  However, after listening to all this variation, I'm wondering if the band is having a bit of an identity crisis.  While I do like some of the ideas, especially the faster, thrashier songs (I think "Silence the Void" is the best track here), this album doesn't feel as strong as what they've done before and leaves me worried about what they might try next.  

Yes - Aurora

Once again my favorite band has put out another album.  I admit it has been tough to get into their recent material.  The Quest had a decent start but eventually settled into a soft rock pace that I found lack luster.  This was followed up with Mirror to the Sky, which I thought was an improvement, but still struggled in the rock department.  After that one, I had a bit of hope that it was at least an upward trend as they explored this new era of their sound.  When this album was teased at the end of last year, I tried to keep my expectations low, but as the singles were released, I felt underwhelmed.  Now, after listening to it a few times these past few weeks, I think it's about time I gave up on this version of the band recovering the legacy of their rock prowess.

To be clear, this is by no means a bad album, just kind of inoffensive.  It meanders a long from song to song, providing some decent atmosphere, and the increase in symphonic sections shows their theatrical pretensions.  They do have a few interesting shake-ups, with "Outside the Box" messing around with synths and vocal harmonies, "Countermovement" was a decent epic song with some curious twists and references, "Jambustin" is a playful, quirky song that almost works, and "All Hands on Deck" sounds like they're channeling Deep Purple, of all things.  The opening title track is probably the best at embracing the band's current positive mood, which resonates throughout the album.  Overall, it's nice to listen to.

Unfortunately, it's just not very memorable.  Even with their experimentation, there is this intention of a slower, easier pace without really having any impact on me as a listener.  At least The Quest and Mirror to the Sky had tracks that felt like complete ideas or had some energy, but here, they are content to stick to this laidback version of their style, perfect for their Cruise to the Edge events.  It was after I listened to this album the second time I finally had to come to terms that this current lineup just has no desire to bring back the rock music side of their sound, something that Jon Anderson did very well with the Band Geeks.  I understand this album has its fans, but I am not one of them.  It's such a shame, too, because I know these musicians are very talented, but they don't seem to interested in putting their mastery into what I'm interested in.  Maybe in the future, they'll remember to be a rock band, but for now, this is just another disappointment.

Retro Reviews - June 2026 Part One!

Yes, I'm still working my way through 1986, this time with some more obscure metal bands.  While I've reviewed many of them before, it is interesting to see them change and evolve through the decade.  It's very clear that metal was definitely expanding as the decade went on, as different bands had unique ideas of where to take the genre.  In any case, here's a handful of interesting albums from the middle of the 80s!

Cirith Ungol - One Foot in Hell

After the relatively successful King of the Dead (which I thought was decent, and an improvement over their debut), the band marched on with another slab of heavy/doom epicness and more Michael Whelan artwork on the cover.  While the lineup was the same, this third album definitely shows some interesting changes.

Right off, this is a much shorter album.  While King of the Dead surpassed 50 minutes, this one barely gets past the 35-minute mark.  The production is also a little cleaner on this one, and the songs do have a bit more energy, leaning more into epic metal with the occasional doomy moment.  Tim Baker's iconic voice wails as usual, which I've come to really enjoy, as it fits the story-telling of their lyrics.  The guitar solos have some interesting variety, not just doing typical 80s shreddy, but often mixing things up with melodic sections, or even having two guitars wailing over each other, which works weirdly well.  However, this shift into traditional metal territory does mean their songs aren't quite as impactful.  They're not bad at it, but when most of the choruses are just repeating the title over and over, it leaves me to wonder if some of these songs weren't given enough time to really develop, especially since many of them are shorter than what they've done before.

Overall, it's another decent album, but there have been some trade-offs.  While I do like the uptick in energy and the cleaner production, they do take a hit to their doomy atmosphere, which King of the Dead had in spades.  I liked the opener "Blood Iron" and the very Sabbathy "Doomed Planet," but "The Fire" and "100 MPH" don't feel as inspired.  The closer "One Foot in Hell" is classic Cirith Ungol, though.  It's a solid listen, as the band expands their sound, but those looking for classic doom metal might be a little disappointed.

Helstar - Remnants of War

Despite feeling their debut album was pretty lackluster (but not terrible), I decided to give their follow-up a shot as well.  Losing nearly everyone but singer James Rivera and guitarist Larry Barragan, this is quite the shake-up.  Nevertheless, they charge on ahead, this time picking up some thrash and US power metal elements.

The biggest change is in the song-writing, as conventional structures are mostly abandoned and many of these songs don't even have choruses.  Instead, they've chosen to focus a lot on tempo changes and shifting moods, even messing with the time signature from time to time.  The riffing is also more complex and the guitar solos shred all over the place.  Barragan and newcomer Robert Trevino play some pretty solid stuff all across this album.  The rest of the band play with energy, and the wails of Rivera work here, as they push into more dramatic territory, singing about wars and betrayal, nightmares and evil (and even have moments that sound like Cirith Ungol).

While this is certainly an improvement over the debut, as this is more interesting, it also tends to occupy the same space across the album.  There are more thrashy elements, and the change ups do help, but at the same time, the songs do feel interchangeable after a while.  The title track adds a nice touch of doom metal, and I liked the more melodic chorus of "Dark Queen," but otherwise, these tracks are a little too jumbled to really get into it right away.  Maybe if I give this a few more listens, it will click, but for now, it's some pretty typical US power metal, with plenty of noodles for guitar fans to enjoy.

Saint Vitus - Born Too Late

After trying to expand their sound with their sophomore effort, only to result in a mixed bag, their singer Scott Reagers decided to leave the band, so they picked up Scott "Wino" Weinrich.  As for the music, they go back the fuzz-heavy doom they had for their debut, but with a slight psychedelic haze over everything.

Yes, we're back into the plodding riffs and atmospheric tones of doom metal, and I think the band is better for it.  However, they keep the decent production around, as the band sound pretty good this time around.  Wino brings a great sense of drama and angst to the songs, especially since the lyrics have more grounded subject matter, like social isolation, mental illness, and drug addiction.  Dave Chandler's guitar riffs bring back a lot of classic Sabbath vibes, but with a lot more effects to warp the sound quite a bit, giving the songs a bit more of a jammy feel, especially when his solos sound as much like noise as they do music, which is not a bad thing here.

I admit it took me a minute to get back into the right headspace for this, but once I did, I was grooving along quite well.  The title track that opens the album definitely captures the feel of the whole thing, as all the songs have a strong 70s style to it.  "Dying Inside" and "The War Starter" both express their Sabbath-inspirations very well.  While I don't think it's as good as Epicus Doomicus Metalicus by Candlemass (as I do love their epic sensibilities), but Born to Late shows a band really maturing as songwriters, creating a pretty solid stoner doom album.

Fates Warning - Awaken the Guardian

After stepping up their proggy chops with The Spectre Within, the band carried on, replacing guitarist Victor Arduini with Frank Aresti.  While they maintain their blend of prog and US power metal, they really push the technical chops of their playing on this one.

The first two tracks make it quite clear that this band has a concrete vision of what they want to be.  Noodly riffs, weird rhythms, mixed meter sections, atonal harmonies, and an atmospheric sense of being at the mercy of some mythological power.  The lyrics for the album definitely drift into myth and fantasy of a few different kinds, supporting this atmosphere.  Despite this, I think there is something wrong with the production.  While it's not muddy, it doesn't seem to gel together as well as I'd like.  The guitars are thick, providing a decent wall of sound, but the drums are rather dry in comparison, like they're playing in a different room.  And poor John Arch sounds like he's shouting from the end of a tunnel, often buried by the other instruments.  It's a shame because these are some decent (if highly complex) performances, and Arch's wails are quite solid this time around.  I just kinda wish the band wasn't so focused on trying to sound so technical at the expense of songwriting.

Still, there are parts that I liked.  "Fata Morgana" is probably the most conventional song, and I liked how it switched from verse to chorus with a different tone.  "Giant's Lore" had some interesting riffs, and the closer "Exodus," despite being a slower song, built up a decent amount of epicness.  I also get the idea that I will need to listen to this one a few more times to really wrap my head around what they're doing.  I don't know if I like this one more than The Spectre Within, but this album certainly shows a band willing to expand and explore their progressive elements.

Flotsam and Jetsam - Doomsday for the Deceiver

Despite being best known for where Metallica found Jason Newstead to replace Cliff Burton, this band had its own quiet run through the 80s as a thrash metal band kicking around the west coast.  While the band had a bit of a rocky start, they were able to stabilize in the mid 80s to record some demos, which led to being picked up by Metal Blade for their debut album (the only one Newstead played on for them) that's been considered an underground thrash classic.

Sonically, this is very much a fusion of what was going on in thrash metal in the 80s: the speed of Slayer, the sing-song vocals of Anthrax, the dark epicness of Metal Church and Metallica, the technical chops of Megadeth, and some Maiden-inspired guitar work for good measure.  Pretty much US power/thrash metal stone soup.  Unfortunately, there is a bit of sloppiness in the songwriting, as there are times where the lyrics are mushed together, and many of the riffs and transitions feel like the band is trying too hard to sound edgy and weird.  The performances are pretty tightly played, but almost too tight, like every note is played with tension as they want to get it right, making for a bit of an anxious listen.  The lyrical topics are all over the place as well, drifting from raunchy lyrics to drug abuse, and from infamous historical figures to Satan starting the nuclear apocalypse only to be beaten by a monster named "Flotzilla" (which explains what the cover art is about).  However, they also like their long intros, often blending acoustic and electric guitars in interesting ways.

For what it's worth, there is some good energy here, as the band is clearly playing with their heart on their sleeves.  I ended up liking their two long songs in the middle, being the title track and "Metalshock," as I felt they showed their proggy Maiden influences the most on those.  The rest of the songs play at a furious, near-unrelenting speed, to the point that it's almost too much.  Still, it wasn't a boring listen, and I'm certainly interested in where the band develops from here, as I'm loosely aware that they shift into more of a US power metal sound later on.