New Videos - December 2020 Part Two

Well, I barely made it!  I wanted to get this one up before the end of the year.  I've got another interesting mix of bands, all of which seem to show that 2021 will be a promising year for rock and metal.  Check'em out!

Not sure where these guys were hiding, but they have this neat, bluesy hard rock with lots gritty vibes.  I'll have to check out more of their stuff if it's going to have these kinds of riffs and grooves.  Just real straight-forward, crunchy stuff.

Evergrey already has another album on the way, continuing their emotional and crunchy prog metal sound.  I admit I still haven't listened to much of these guys, despite liking their sound.  Maybe I can change that in the upcoming year, and them putting out another album doesn't leave me much room for excuse!

Despite this album's delays, I'm still looking forward to this sci-fi epic from Orden Ogan.  Crunchy riffs, soaring vocals (with neat little glitch effects), and a slick, polished atmosphere in their production.  It's not as strong as their last single, but pretty solid, nonetheless.  

I'm mostly familiar with Glass Hammer through their first two albums with Jon Davison, as I was curious about him when he joined Yes as their new singer.  This song is a rerecording of a track they wrote in the 90s for a special release on their website.  As expected, it has a lot of the qualities of 70s prog rock, notably Yes and ELP.  I know folks have given them a hard time for their kind of derivative sound, but I honestly don't think it's bad thing, and it sounds good here.

Let's finish with something that's clearly aiming for a classic sound.  Pounder is pretty straight-forward metal, calling to mind the likes of late 80s Iron Maiden or Metal Church.  What caught me off-guard was the nice vocal harmonies on the chorus, add an extra touch to some solid riffing.

Last Played - December 2020 Part Two!

Finally, I feel like I'm catching up on things I wanted to listen to, actually getting to some albums that released this same month!  While there are too many releases in a year to really listen to everything I want to, I feel like I've done well for 2020.  Here's what I've played this time!

Kansas - The Absence of Presence

After enjoying many of the singles, I figured I had better squeeze in Kansas's latest effort before the end of the year.  While I did enjoy their last album, The Prelude Implicit, I did feel if the members weren't feeling their age, as the album was a touch on the sluggish side.  Here, they double-down the progressive side of their sound, now with Tom Brislin (Yes, Anderson/Stolt, The Sea Within) on the keyboards.

The result is an interesting album, featuring plenty of lush layers and noodly guitar and violin leads, and plenty of going back and forth between the instruments.  The riffs felt particularly crunchy, and I do think they recaptured more of the classic sound this time around, though I also felt like there was a strong dose of Neal Morse in here as well with the very polished, uplifting prog rock style he's known for.

I liked most of it, with highlights being the title track and "Throwing Mountains," both of which show the band really going big and epic.  "Propulsion 1" felt driven for a short instrumental, and "Animals on the Roof" is rather quirky.  However, the proggiest track is the last one, "The Song the River Sang," as it starts off with this dramatic energy that builds up pretty well, before hitting a quieter section full of pokey notes that just loop in their own way.  Very strange.  Still, a fascinating album from a band with a long history of straddling the line between prog rock and hard rock.

Majestica - A Christmas Carol

If my previous remarks about how I enjoy both Trans-Siberian Orchestra and Twisted Sister's Christmas album, then it should be no surprise that I was pretty excited for this one.  I mean, power metal telling a classic Christmas story?  I couldn't wait!

And that's pretty much what they're going for: telling Dicken's A Christmas Carol with tons of double-kicking drums, symphonic theatrics, and high-speed riffing.  Everything here has that extra layer of cheese that makes power metal so decisive.  The extra twist they've done, though, is that they've worked in the melodies of several classic Christmas songs (or carols, if you will), ranging from "Deck the Halls," to "Joy to the World," making the album a bit more a delight than I expected.

For example, I did like the shifts in mood on "Ghost of Marley," and the interesting shift during "Ghost of Christmas to Come" from a kind of polka sound to an epic 6/8 section based on "Carol of the Bells" (one of my personal favorite carols).  The story-telling does take center stage though, as is the nature of such a concept album, and as a consequence, I don't know if the songs really hold up as individual tracks.  It may take a few more spins this season to really decide how I feel about it, but I'm glad this band took the time to do something that's pretty fun to listen to.

Iron Savior - Skycrest

I can't believe they have another album out already.  I was still digging the songs from their last one!  Still, I'm not one to turn up my nose at more epic power metal, and Iron Savior seems to be a pretty consistent band at it.

If there are any differences from the last one, there's a bit more variety, as well as a few more symphonic touches, in my opinion.  I wasn't sure if I heard them as much on Kill or Be Killed.  Also, I don't think this on is as much of a concept album as their earlier ones, as they have all sorts of themes, from end of the world stuff, to werewolves, to a power ballad, to a song that's more fantasy (I guess even Iron Savior gets tired of military sci-fi!).

However, this doesn't mean there's any real deviation in style.  It's still gritty, German-styled power metal, full of fist-pumping choruses, crunchy riffs, and Piet Sielck's iconic voice plowing through it all.  I don't think this one is as strong as Kill or Be Killed overall, but there were a few standouts, such as "Skycrest" and "Hellbrearker" going epic in 6/8, the metal anthem "Raise the Flag," and the closer "Ode to the Brave."  Despite only being familiar with their more recent stuff, I'm getting the impression that this band is a sure thing each time they come around.

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This year's Top 5 is going to be very interesting, I must admit.  I don't know if there's a real standout winner this time, like there was with Monkey3 in 2019.  Still, 2020 was no slouch, and it will take some serious consideration to decide what was the best.

As for the rest of this year, I think I'll try to get in at least one more videos article before the end of the year.  However, I'm already prepping for next year and the articles I have planned, which should be fun.  Until then, rock on! \m/

New Videos - December 2020!

I'm still trying to wrap up videos for this year, and I've got quite the variety here for you.  We're starting to see some previews of what next year will be like, and it seems as promising as ever, with plenty of rock and metal to look forward to.  

I clearly need to get on this album, as I think I've liked every video they've put out for it.  This is definitely the band on their proggier side, with shifts in tempo and mood throughout, with shades of their classic 70s sound.  Kansas has really turned into an interesting and curious band, recently.

W.E.T. is another one of those supergroups that Frontiers Records like to put together, this one being from multiple AOR groups.  I've featured them before, but now that they've got a new album coming, I'll have to check them out more fully.  This is an interesting track, with heavy riffs and a lighter chorus, but solid enough all around for my tastes.

As always, I'm a sucker for epic power metal, and this band has caught my attention.  Sitting somewhere between Gamma Ray's lighting speed riffing and Stratovarius' symphonic keyboards, this some excellent metal right here.  Another band to add to my ever-growing list of music to catch up on.

I'm not quite sure what to make of this, actually.  Technical melodic progressive metal with two lead vocalists and an aesthetic borrowing from 80s gritty sci-fi films.  Epic, yet visceral, with lots of jarring time-signature changes.  At the very least, they're on my radar now, and I'll have to check out more!

So here's a project centering around Joel Hoekstra, who has been a guitarist for Whitesnake and TSO (among others).  While the song is decent hard rock, it has quite the lineup, with Russell Allen on vocals, Vinny Appice on drums, Derek Sherinian on keys, and Tony Franklin on bass.  I'm definitely curious to see what else these guys have for 2021.

So they did another silly music video of them playing in their car.  I like their little flag.  As for the song, it's another one of those metal anthems, along the lines of Judas Priest or Saxon.  Still, Piet Sielck sings it with authority, and the riffs are solid, so I can't deny that it works.  Raise the flag, indeed!

Last Played - December 2020!

December already!  As winter settles in, I thought I'd listen to some classic stuff before I got back into current releases.  This article certainly has an odd mix, as it features the last of a legendary band, a significant transition for another renowned band, and the debut of a power metal band that might not be as famous, but certainly holds a reputation of its own.  Here's I've listened to lately!

Led Zeppelin - Coda

After John Bonham passed away, the band decided to call it a day and move on, as the idea of going forward as Led Zeppelin without him didn't make sense to them.  However, they did see that bootleg copies of their concerts were still being bought and sold, so Page decided to give the fans one last collection of songs by pulling together various live and outtake tracks from across their career into a compilation that would work as a bookend to their legacy.

The result is quite the hodgepodge of material.  The first half is definitely the bluesier of the two, feature two covers from classic blues artists.  "We're Gonna Groove" has some pretty funky and jazzy riffs, while "I Can't Quit You Baby" has some great solos and playing from Bonham and Page.  The second half is mostly outtakes from the band's last album In Through the Out Door, along with a drum solo.  The three outtakes are okay, not much different than the quality of stuff on ITtOD, with "Wearing and Tearing" being a reaction to punk rock, as the band tries to prove they still have chops.

Unfortunately, much of the album is marred by an odd mix that seems to make Plant sound like he's in a tunnel.  Perhaps Page was just throwing on what they had around, so they didn't get much polish, but I don't know if proper production would have improved things much.  At least Bonham gets one last good performance on "Bonzo's Montreux," featuring solid playing and some interesting drum effects.  Honestly, the best track is "Walter's Walk," as the band sound the most alive.  It has an interesting groove and a lot of energy, definitely reminiscent of the band's heights in the early 70s.  Otherwise, there's not much to recommend, and was likely made for the diehard Led Zeppelin collectors anyway.

Genesis - A Trick of the Tail

I'm still working my way through some classic prog, this time going with the first Genesis album after Peter Gabriel's departure.  When I reviewed The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway two years ago, I mentioned that I struggled with the Gabriel-era stuff.  I think it's just a tad too weird for me.  I was kind of hoping that this one would be a little easier to get into, and to some extant, it was.

Right off, Phil Collins is definitely a more accessible singer.  While Gabriel was good for the outlandish stuff, this definitely has a closer-to-earth vibe in the lyrics and presentation.  Of course, the rest of the band hasn't changed much, as they pile on the layers for mood and effect, but we do get the first few inklings of a more streamlined sound, with "Squonk" and the title track feature a more poppy vibe.

While I do think I enjoyed this more than Lamb, there's still some quirky stuff in here.  Lots of dreamy vibes, occasionally broken up by a more aggressive section in the middle of the song.  I think a lot of it has to do with a greater emphasis on Banks' keyboards this time around.  I think the songs I liked best were "Entangled," with its interesting build up towards the end, and "Los Endos" being a nice mix of themes and ideas from the album.  Definitely still proggy, and proof the band had a future post-Gabriel.  I could see this one growing on me, maybe.

Freedom Call - Stairway to Fairyland

After listening to some classic rock and some classic prog, I was ready for some classic power metal, and decided to give this German band's debut album a listen.  I had a good idea of what to expect, and certainly got it: tons of uplifting choruses and melodic leads, with a flair for the fantastic.

While the band does develop their own style eventually, this early effort shows more of their influences, with large helpings of Gamma Ray and Trans-Siberian Orchestra, of all things.  The result is a kind of back-and-forth between full-on high speed tracks and more dramatic songs with symphonic flourishes.  They also do the sudden a cappella style on a later chorus that DragonForce would later incorporate into their style.  Stand outs for me were the opener "Over the Rainbow," and "Tears Falling, as well as the more dramatic closing tracks of "Holy Knight" and "Another Day."  

Like TSO, there's also a story being told, working as the concept that holds the album together.  A people of a fallen empire wander the lands, plagued by their sins and regrets, when they meet a group of guardians who tell them of a promised land maintained by a child-like holy one who was born under a holy star.  This chance at hope inspires this forsaken people to go on a quest to find the titular stairway and relief from their suffering.  It's no great tale, but is a decent enough framework for the songs, much like Gamma Ray's Land of the Free or Metallium's State of Triumph.

I don't know if I'd say that Freedom Call's debut is great album, but there is certainly solid stuff on here, and they do break it up with slower, more dramatic songs in-between all the double-kicking power metal.  It's certainly ambitious for a debut, and to their credit, they mostly pull it off.

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As always, I hope everyone is staying warm and safe.  I plan on finishing this year strong, with a few more articles on the way.  I intend to get at least one more "Last Played," featuring Majestica and Iron Savior, and maybe a few more New Video based ones.   We'll see what I eventually get around to.  Until then, rock on! \m/