Well, it's time for another one of these! Once again, these are just gonna be mini-reviews for what I've been listening to lately. Now that we're getting into December, the holidays are starting to creep into my playlists, but that doesn't mean we can't still rock out!
Kamelot - Dominion
Ahhhh, pre-Khan Kamelot. Their first two albums are a pair of peculiar albums, straddling the line between progressive metal and early power metal. While not bad material on its own (I quite like “We Are Not Separate”), and vocalist Mark Vanderbilt gives a passionate performance, it's hard not to see this as merely foreshadowing to the material Kamelot would produce later when Khan joined them. Again, only recommendable to Kamelot completionists.
Savatage - Fight For the Rock
Before orchestral arrangements and internationally successful Christmas albums, Savatage was another metal band just trying to break out. While they had gotten a bit of a following with their first few albums, this is the one that saw them really trying to get that MTV attention, mostly at the direction of their record label. As such, most members of the band don't have anything good to say about it.
Which is a shame because I think this stuff still has some decent tunes. Chris Oliva always had a slick riff and his brother Jon's voice remains powerful and dramatic. While the songs might be shallow, they're played well, proving that talent can shine through, even when they might not be giving 100%.
Judas Priest - Sin After Sin
Early Judas Priest is always a peculiar listen. With their third album, we get more of their transition away from progressive blues rock into the heavy metal sound that would make them famous. It’s still a little rough and loose, but there are a few gems here. While their cover of “Diamonds and Rust” remains an old classic, I was particularly impressed with “Sinner” and “Call For The Priest” this time around.
However, there are a couple of ballads that feel kinda tepid and bring the album down for me, and while “Dissident Aggressor” is an inspiration for the thrashers to come later, I think I prefer Slayer’s version more. Still, it’s not a bad album, and you really get to hear most (if not all) of Rob Halford’s range as a singer.
Disturbed has turned into an interesting band. After riding on the nu metal bandwagon, they morphed themselves into something more of a groove-laden alternative metal. While some critics argue that they haven’t changed much since Ten Thousand Fists, but there’s something to be said for sticking to a style that works, and I’m not ashamed to admit that they’ve turned into a pretty good rock band.
However, with this, their latest release, it does feel like more of the same (despite what the title may imply). There are some solid Disturbed-style rockers with “Are You Ready” and “The Best Ones Lie,” but the real surprise is three acoustic ballads. Perhaps they’re trying to expand on the softer side they showed with their last album’s sleeper hit cover of “Sound of Silence,” but it does feel weird to have things slow down so often on a Disturbed record. I’ll probably need to spin them a few more times to really decide how I feel about them.
Twisted Sister - A Twisted Christmas
I don’t care what anyone says, this is a Christmas classic! I can’t believe this album is over 10 years old now! I remember heard about it, I couldn’t quite believe what they had done. Now that it’s been so long, I can’t imagine a Christmas without it! I love the tongue-in-cheek humor about it, while still providing solid rock music! (Of course, it helps that they lifted some pretty good riffs!)
My favorites from this album are “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas,” mostly because of the fake intro, and “Silver Bells,” which has a really great bass solo! While Trans-Siberian Orchestra’s material is also a staple for this time of year, it’s Twisted Sister’s album that really lights me up and makes the season feel fun again!
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