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.

---

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!

New Videos - January 2019 Part 3!

That's right!  January gets three parts!  But when there's just so much great music out there, I gotta keep sharing it!!  Anyways, let's see what I've come across this time!

Beast in Black certainly know how to lay it on thick!  Powered by huge 80s synths, epic guitars, and Yannis's vocals, this is cheese I can get behind!

More power and fury from Rhapsody of Fire!  What we get this time is an incredible thrust of speed, energy, and technical wizardry.  While it may be nothing new from these Italians, that isn't a bad thing here!

Well, this is a change of pace!  Here we have a very jazzy piece from Soen, stepping away from their Tool-esque chops for something a little more Pink Floyd (it's the keyboards, really).  Moody, mellow, and played with sincerity.

Uriah Heep is another band I know little about, unfortunately, but I like how this one rocks.  Very much a 70s metal vibe, with crunchy riffs and raging hammonds, it's proof that old rockers don't need new tricks to keep rocking!

Evergrey have another album coming out, and while I've listened to some of the other early singles, this is the first one I've liked.  Nice and moody, with some decent crunchy riffs.

Oh, look!  Another Herman Frank video!  I don't know if I like this one as much as the other two, but it's pretty solid.  This is probably the album I'm looking forward to the most at the moment!

The Big Three - Pink Floyd

Good heavens, it's been a while since I've done something other than videos!  Let's fix that by diving into the second of my Big Three.

As I've mentioned before, I grew up on my father's music, and his favorite bands became mine.  Last time, I talked about Yes, so let's move on to the next of the trio: Pink Floyd.

Pink Floyd is a band that really needs no introduction to the rock world.  Their sound is iconic, their records best-sellers, and their history well-documented.  I don't know if I have any specific memories of listening to them as a child, but I do know it was one of the first bands I learned to recognize, even before Yes.  I do remember asking my father to copy some of the band's stuff to a cassette tape so I could listen to it in my room (as I didn't have a CD player yet).  He did so, giving me Dark Side of the Moon.  There was no going back.

As it turned out, my father never listened to the early, psychedelic stuff.  He pretty much started with Meddle and moved forward from there, mostly playing Dark Side, Wish You Were Here, and The Wall, generally preferring the bluesy, melancholic side of their sound.

As Pink Floyd moved into the 80s and 90s, led by Gilmour, I remember my dad picking up Momentary Lapse of Reason and Division Bell.  I also remember thinking how cool it was that the Pulse live album had a blinking light that would just keep going (provided you kept fresh batteries in it).

Later in life, I would go back and listen to the early Pink Floyd, and its definitely different. Some of those songs make me think of what Beatles records would sound like if played backwards!  While I do think they have their moments, I'm pretty much with my father in thinking the 70s stuff is where they really "shine" (pun intended).  There's just something so nostalgic and comforting about the combination Gilmour's emotional solos and Wright's textured synths that simply cannot be compared or beaten.

If, somehow, you haven't given Pink Floyd a chance, Dark Side of the Moon is probably the best starting point.  From there, it depends on what you prefer.  If you like the mellow, moody parts, then go with Wish You Were Here and Meddle.  However, if you prefer the social criticism and theatricality, then Animals and The Wall should be your next steps.

Anyways, that's another one of the Big Three down.  I'm not sure if I'll write more about Pink Floyd in the future, as I doubt I have much more to say that hasn't already been said.  Still, their music has a large place in my soul, and, like many others, I will listening to them for many years to come.

New Videos - January 2019 Part 2!

Hey, it's that time again.  Here's some more great rock music I've found floating around on YouTube!

First up is some really atmospheric prog rock/metal.  With some nice harmonies, ambient synths, and washed out guitars, this one gets my head banging the whole song, all while taking me on a unique journey.

Here's another one from the Neal Morse Band's upcoming album.  Here, we get to see Mike Portnoy do some lead vocals.  It's also a little heavier than the others, but it has the crew's expected melodic grooves and uplifting chorus.

Delain is a name I've seen around for a while, but never got to.  However, if this song is indicative of what they are, I've clearly been missing out!  Epic symphonic metal done very well!

More Dream Theater!  It definitely sounds like they're really bringing back the heaviness for this one, with some speedy licks, mood changes, and a nice, Hammond-y keyboard solo!  This is already sounding better than The Astonishing!

I know I've brought up Vega before on this blog, but their album can't be recommended enough!  Great 80s anthemic rock!

Let's wrap this up with some folk metal!  Granted, Tyr has always had a more progressive metal vibe to their epicness, but that doesn't make it any less awesome!!

New Videos - January 2019

Happy New Year!  Here's to another year of great rock and metal music!  Let's start off with some more videos, because there's a lot coming up and we don't want to miss it!

I admit I'm not real savvy to Neal Morse's material, but this just shines with both technical chops and an uplifting tone!  Lot's of proggy keyboard runs and crunchy guitars, backed up by Mike Portnoy's solid drumming.

Candlemass can always lay out the lead.  They've been pounding out their brand of epic doom metal for decades, and it never gets old!  The touches of choir on the chorus really push this piece just that little bit higher.

So, apparently, this Japanese band has been rocking since the 80s alongside Loudness, and are finally getting some proper Western support and attention, and their experience shows!  Nice epic heavy/power metal with some decent crunchy melodic lines.

It looks like Rhapsody of Fire isn't the only Italian Power Metal band stepping up in in 2019.  Here is Ancient Bards continuing their saga, with all sorts of bombast, neo-classical riffing, and epicness to spare!

Oh, look!  More Italian Power Metal!  Vision Divine has been playing their style of prog/power metal for a while, and it sounds like they haven't lost a step!  New singer sounds good as well!