New Videos - April 2021 Part Two!

Sorry for the delay!!  The second half of April got very busy for me, so I ended not having much to share.  Still, I was able to find some new stuff worth rocking out to.  Let's get into it!

Kicking off with Sabaton might be cheating, but I can't deny their charm and grandeur.  This time, digging into Swedish military history again, and borrowing a melody from a classic Christian hymn, they provide another epic number about bravery and glory.  Not exactly new territory for the band, but when it's this good, it doesn't matter.

Now here's a new group!  Building off the template of bands like Judas Priest, Saxon, and Accept, Coronary have a very no-nonsense, classic metal sound.  This one is energetic, with a great rock 'n' roll attitude, and a vocalist that sounds like Rick Altzi from Herman Frank's band.  Solid stuff!

Well, this is some high energy, double-kicking power metal!  I admit I'm not very familiar with Vexillium, but I like the folky elements they've weaved into their sound.  The layered vocals on the chorus is a nice epic touch, and the solos are solid as well. 

An interesting (and long) piece from a band I had heard a few times before.  This prog metal group from Lebanon is going for a lighter, dreamier tone.  Instead of technical playing, it's more on the emotional side of the genre, much like early Dream Theater or even Evergrey.  Worth a listen, if you have the time.

Yup, these guys again.  This one is a little more mellow, coming across as a kind of mid-tempo rock anthem that makes me think of bands like Lynyrd Skynyrd or Aerosmith.  It's rather uplifting compared to some of their earlier singles, but they still have the crunch when they need it.

Sonic Haven is a new heavy/power metal group from Germany, they certainly aren't new to the genre.  Herbie Langhans is fresh off of his Firewind debut from last year, and sounds great here, backed by a band full of experience.  Just off this track alone, I expect a lot of high energy riffing and double-kicking drive.

Anniversary Series - 1981!

Honestly, it can be difficult to adequately provide a recap for these anniversary articles, as sometimes there is just so much good stuff that comes out in a year.  Suffice it to say that 1981 is another stellar year with great music.  

Things kick off with April Wine's "Sign of the Gypsy Queen," a great rock song that's really grown on me, recently.  At the same time, we have Styx releasing Paradise Theater, featuring massive songs like "Rockin' the Paradise," "The Best of Times," and "Too Much Time On My Hands."  .38 Special would have their big hit "Hold On Loosely" come out this year, and Billy Squier had "The Stroke."

Heavy metal would also have some big releases this year.  Iron Maiden would pick up of their popular debut record with Killers, expanding on their noodly style of metal.  Judas Priest had at tougher time, following up British Steel with Point of Entry, often regarded as a weaker entry, but I still enjoy "Heading Out to the Highway" as solid Priest song.  Ozzy Accept would come into their own with Breaker, which I reviewed earlier this month.

Prog rock may not have been much of a force by this point, but there still some significant albums, though Rush's Moving Pictures certainly stands out, with big hits like "Tom Sawyer" and "Limelight," as well as the fan favorite "YYZ."  Genesis would continue their pop-transition with Abacab, and King Crimson would suddenly reform for Discipline, ensuring that at least someone was exploring the boundaries of rock music.  

As the year goes on, we get even more great rockers.  Blue Öyster Cult recorded Fire of Unknown Origin, with the big hit "Burnin' For You," Journey provided "Don't Stop Believin'" and the epic ballad "Open Arms" from Escape, The Rolling Stones asked to "Start Me Up," and Def Leppard's High 'n' Dry gave us "Let It Go" and "Bringin' On the Heartbreak."  However, the big record for the summer was Foreigner's 4.  With massive tracks like "Waiting For a Girl Like You," "Jukebox Hero," and "Urgent," they showed they were the rock band to beat that year.

Even at the end of the year, it doesn't stop. The Police released Ghosts in the Machine, Loverboy sang out "Working For the Weekend," J.Geils Band had "Freeze-Frame," and The Cars used combined '50s kitsch with new wave sensibilities to Shake It Up.  Metal titans Black Sabbath would follow up their comeback record of Heaven and Hell with the equally solid Mob Rules, Ozzy also had a sequel record in Diary of a Madman with "Over the Mountain," and Saxon provided the NWOBHM anthem with "Denim and Leather."  The year would conclude with AC/DC's follow up to Back in Black with For Those About to Rock We Salute You.  Perhaps not as strong overall as their first with Brian Johnson, but that title track still gives me chills.

So there it is: 1981 in a nutshell.  I know I skipped over a ton of good stuff, and I tried to include them in the Spotify playlist below, but be sure to let me know if I've missed anything.  

Last Played - April 2021!

I'm finally listening to some new stuff again!  Well, almost.  I did throw in a classic album from a classic band, but it's all good stuff this time around.  Here's what I've been listening to lately!

W.E.T.  - Retransmission

I'm realizing that reviewing AOR albums is actually pretty challenging because these bands have a pretty specific goal in mind.  And since it's a classic sound, all the tricks and techniques for recording it well are well known and practiced.  So to state that such albums are predictable or samey are really compliments, as that's kinda the point.  It's all about having some crunch in the guitars, melodic hooks, and lyrics that go down easy.  As such, pretty much every AOR album is solid, and this one from W.E.T. really isn't any different.

If there is something that helps W.E.T. stand out from the crowd, it's that their songs are definitely riffier.  Sometimes with AOR, the riffs can be kinda basic to help the vocal melodies stand out more, but W.E.T. seem to be able to make the most of both.  Of course, we're not in full-on metal territory, but this is definitely closer to Night Ranger than, say, Journey or Survivor.  Honestly, great work from the guitarists Mårtensson and Henriksson.  The vocals from Jeff Scott Soto are solid as well, with a lot of tight haromnies to spice things up.  There's also some decent variety, with hard rockers like "The Moment of Truth," "How Far to Babylon" to softer tracks like "Got to Be About Love" and "What Are You Waiting For."  Standard stuff, really.

Of course, another problem with reviewing this genre is identifying stand out tracks, as the experience is usually pretty seamless from beginning to end.  Fortunetly, this one does have a few, namely the big, anthemic single "Big Boys Don't Cry," the solid, driving rocker "Beautiful Game," "How Far to Babylon," which gave me Def Leppard vibes ala "Rocket," and the crunchy closer "One Final Kiss."  While I don't know if this "best of the year" material yet, it has the right pieces in the right places for a pretty enjoyable album.

Accept - Breaker

Going from the newest sounds to something classic again, this time I'm pulling out Accept's third record, and this time, it's straight ahead metal, much like Judas Priest and the NWOBHM bands that really exploded at this same time.  Gone are the AC/DC style, pop-friendly vibes (mostly), and in come the chugging rhythms, the noodly solos, and Udo fleshing out his defiant, gritty vocals.

Most of the album really is heads-down, full-on heavy metal, but there are a few ballads to mix things up, and "Midnight Highway" sounds very AOR, like Graham Bonnet Rainbow.  However, the stand out tracks for me are "Breaker," with it's uptempo chugging and some very noodly solos, giving me proto-Helloween vibes actually, and "Burning," which I enjoyed before as a cover song by Metalium, so it was nice to dig into the original.  However, the rest is pretty average stuff, but I could see this standing out at the time.  A pretty fun listen, and certainly a historic shift for a historic band.

Warrior Path - The Mad King

After hearing a song from this album and how epic it sounded, I had to hear the rest, and it definitely follows through with that.  These guys fall into the power metal company of early HammerFall and Dream Evil, but it also has some proggy elements, as it shifts tempos and throws in an acoustic guitar here and there, giving me vibes of Judicator or Blind Guardian.  The one thing I'd say these guys do differently is that they don't go overboard with things, often sticking to mid-tempo riffing, and a lot of melodic guitar leads and solos.  Nothing really feels excessive.

Well, except for Daniel Heiman vocals.  Don't get me wrong, he's a great singer, obviously building off the styles of Rob Halford and Bruce Dickenson, and the vocal harmonies are top notch.  However, he likes to throw in epic wails, which are arguably par for the course, but when you have four or five on every song, it does get a little tedious.  Another issue I have is that the songs kinda blend together.  While it's fun to listen to, it's hard to really feel like any particular song stands out.  They do try to mix it up with acoustic sections and tempo changes, but again, when it happens on nearly every song, it just because a muddy mush in the memory.

Still, it's a pretty solid album, with lots of great guitar work from Bob Katsionis and Andreas Sinanoglou.  Tons of chuggy riffs and great solos, as well as lots of harmonized guitar melodies that are fun without being too noodly, much like Iron Maiden or early HammerFall.  Definitely worth a listen for those who like their metal epic and story-driven.

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Just three this time, and nothing really mind-blowing, but solid stuff all around.  I admit I've been busy with work lately, but I still find time to listen to an album or two.  Still, plenty more to cover out there, so until then, rock on! \m/

New Videos - April 2021!

I'm starting to catch up on newer releases again, and it's definitely thanks in part to these video articles.  I love finding out new bands or classic bands putting out new material.  This one is a little heavy on the power metal, but I found some great stuff and had to share it!

Let's start with something nice and crunchy!!  Warrior Path straddle the line between traditional heavy metal and power metal, making for something that's epic, but still very grounded.  This song also features a lot of catchy little riffs, kinda making me think of early HammerFall or Dream Evil.

I'll admit my feelings about Greta Van Fleet are complicated (in fact, I'm working on an article dedicated to my thoughts on their music), but I want to wait to the new album first before publish that.  In the meantime, while other singles have left me lukewarm, this one builds quite nicely, actually.  Here's hoping their new album has more solid material like this.

More epic power metal, again like old Dream Evil or Edguy.  However, the fact that all their songs are based on the D&D setting of Dragonlance is what stood out to me, as I remember enjoying those books when I was in high school.  Melodic and crunchy, with great vocals from Nick "The Metalizer" Protonotarios.

Another single from this upcoming Robin McAuley solo album.  This one is more at ease, going for a middling tempo, but still has a decent crunch on top of the acoustic guitars.  It's pretty standard AOR, but Robin's vocals really kick it up a notch, I think.

This just kinda popped up on my YouTube subscriptions, and I didn't know what to expect at first.  However, as I put it on, I was surprised to hear power metal in the vein of classic HammerFall.  Chunky, with a foot in traditional metal, and gang vocals on the chorus, this is some epic stuff!  Hammerschlag indeed!

After touring with their 3 vocalists/3 guitarists lineup for a few years, we finally get to hear some of the new stuff they've been cooking up, and it's pretty classic Helloween.  A bit odd to have a 7 minute "single edit" of a 12 minute epic, but it's fun and a bit proggy, with the calmer, "Space Oddity" moments between all the blast beats.  I'm definitely excited for this album, and this song only makes the wait harder!