It's time for another installment of "Last Played" and once again, I'm hitting albums from all decades! Here's what I've been headbanging to for the last few weeks.
Dragonland - Starfall
Yup, on to the next Dragonland album. With this one, they set aside their epic storytelling for a more standard set of songs, and I think this one is their strongest yet. While the lyrics remain melodramatic and the tone sweeping and epic, the songwriting feels stronger than their previous efforts.
Still, the band is still telling stories, such as the mini epic of “The Shores of Our Land,” the Charles Manson inspired “Calling My Name”, and the ambitious, mostly instrumental three-parter “The Book of Shadows.” However, the songs that stand out to me are the title track “Starfall” and “The Returning,” maybe because they’re more straight-forward power metal songs. Oh, and the Helloween cover is solid as well.
What sets this album apart from their previous efforts, though, is how they push into progressive metal territory. While they’ve had dashes of it in the past, mostly with their full album stories, here the songwriting on this album shifts better from mood to mood, augmenting their power metal chops. Definitely an improvement!
Pearl Jam - Vs.
While I’m going forward with the Dragonland albums, I’m going backward with Pearl Jam! Once again, I’m diving into the classic grunge, and that’s definitely what this album has to offer. I do think this one is a little more raw and confrontational than either Ten or Vitalogy, but I suppose with a title like Vs., that should be expected.
To be honest, there wasn’t much that stood out to me. It was mostly a solid chunk of thick guitars with some nice riffs, and Eddie Vedder’s iconic vocals drenching everything with his moods, be it somber or angry. Again, if this is your thing, you probably have this already.
Queen - Queen
While I’ve heard Queen’s big hits on classic rock stations all my life, I haven’t spent much time with their studio albums, so on a whim, I decided to dig deep into the history of rock and listen to Queen’s first album.
Right off the bat, there is no mistaking the band. Between Mercury’s dynamic vocals and May’s iconic guitar harmonies, it seems Queen already had the elements of their iconic sound from the beginning. If there is anything unexpected, it’s that the songs have more of a progressive rock style to them, with complex arrangements and guitar riffs. Overall, the album is fairly eclectic, but that would only serve as a precursor for what would come.
However, the album does have its flaws. Some of the songs end rather anticlimactically, and the energy seems to fade in the second half. The songs are not necessarily bad, but they don’t have the same level of drive and dynamics as the first half’s material. Still, a fun album for taking a peek into the early sounds of an iconic band.
Nightwish - Dark Passion Play
I remember when this album came out, as it was the first after Tarja Turunen’s controversial dismissal. We all wondered what kind of album Nightwish was going to make with this new singer, and when it landed, it did pretty well, but I remember having a few qualms. I recently relistened to it to see if time has helped make this album stand on its own.
And honestly, my opinion hasn’t really improved. This album has the band really shifting away from their classic power metal sound into something more versatile, with more progressive and folk metal elements. As a consequence, the songs don’t seem quite as powerful, though they remain just as dramatic as ever, with the epic symphonic scores behind the guitars.
That being said, there are still some good tracks here, mostly notably “Bye Bye Beautiful,” “Amaranthe,” and “Last of the Wilds.” And while she may not have the same sonic presence as Turunen, Azette Olzen is still an adequate singer with her own take on this style of music. Perhaps not the band at their best, in my opinion, but definitely one in transition, as they move into new genres and territories.
Well, that's the latest from me. I know I was kind of getting into a groove there, only to have it fall apart again. I think that's just how things are going to be for now. I know it's not great to have posts be so sporadic, but I think it's the best I can do for now. However, I am enjoying this, and that helps a lot. So here's to more rock!
