New Videos - May 2021 Part Two!

I admit I'm not a fan of summer, and as the weather starts to warm up, I'm dreading the inevitable heat.  Perhaps some rock and metal will distract me from it!  Here, we have a good mix of genres as well as classic bands and some new ones I've never heard of.  Turn it up!

It's always nice to see good bands still going, and Night Ranger is one of them.  There's nothing particularly new here, as it's classic, 80s-style pop metal with synths to add some extra layers, but it's energetic and well done, with the modern production adding some nice heft to the guitars.

I'm definitely excited for Helloween's next album, and this video really amplifies that.  Nice use of dynamics, between the acoustic guitars, the noodly solos, the double-kicking bass drums, and the great harmonies on the chorus, this is some charged-up power metal from the band that invented the genre!

I guess these guys have been kicking around Norway for a while, but this is the first I've heard of them.  New singer Jørgen Bergersen has got some good vocals, augmented by some solid, mid-tempo rocking.  This has an interesting mix of pop metal with some prog-style layering, making them sound like Winger or Europe.

Yup, some more from Robin.  This one is a little heavier and crunchier, but with the dramatic keyboards and McAuley's vocals, it makes for an anthemic rocker.  I think I've shared every single from this album now.  I should probably give the rest of the album a listen!

It amazes me how many new power metal bands are starting up.  Vandor is a new one for me from Sweden, and they seem to have a good mix of Gamma Ray and Sonata Arctica.  Uptempo stuff that doesn't just rely on guitars, but keeps things rich with keys and other layering.  I will definitely be keeping an eye on this one!

I actually like thrash metal quite a bit, but most of it is outside the scope of this blog.  As for this band, I've known about them, but haven't listened to much.  Here, though, we have a great piece of melodic thrash.  The vocals are huge and the riffs are catchy, making this feel more like traditional metal, and it really works well!

Last Played - May 2021!

It's been a minute since I've done one of these!  Mostly catching up on some older albums from some favorite bands, this one is full of melodic metal!  Here's what I've been banging my head to lately.

Symphony X - Twilight in Olympus

As I was listening to different bands, I was suddenly in the mood for something more shreddy, and I knew Symphony X was a band I wanted to get into more, so I threw on their 1998 album.  I definitely got what I wanted, as the band has a very distinct mix of neo-classical shredding, epic soundscapes, and technical proficiency.

Right off, you get some pretty good songs.  "Smoke and Mirrors" sets the stage by opening with a lightning fast guitar run before getting into some powerprog pyrotechnics.  Russell Allen sounds good, as always, though there are a few moments where I think he's maybe forcing the drama a little.  Still, it's a minor gripe about an incredible voice.

From there, the rest of the album lurches around, with some tracks working better than others.  "Church of the Machine" and "The Relic" have strong Dream Theater vibes, as well as the epic of the album "Through the Looking Glass."  It's not bad, but does feel clunky, as if the technical side took over the songwriting, resulting in a song that doesn't quite have its pieces together.  "In the Dragon's Den" was a pretty solid piece of powerprog, featuring a dual solo with guitars and synths that made me think of classic Stratovarius!  Overall, I enjoyed it, but then the band has always been pretty reliable, at least on the few albums I've heard, so it met my expectations pretty well.

Beast in Black - From Hell With Love

When I reviewed their first album, I said I was kinda down on the songs in the second half, but as I've listened to them more, they've grown on me.  That first album was quite solid, in the end.  In 2019, they followed up with this one, and while I enjoyed the singles from it, I didn't get around to the album until now.  I probably should have listened to it sooner, as it has some great stuff on here.

First of all, this really is more of the same: power metal mixed with 80s synth pop and even touches of Italo Disco.  The thing is, they aren't the only ones doing this anymore, as a number of bands have jumped on the 80s nostalgia train and added synth riffs and arrangements to their metal songs, and I admit it doesn't always work.  However, Beast in Black seem to have it down, as I found myself enjoying this album as much as the last one.  Yannis Papadopoulos remains a great singer, using both is lighter and heavier vocal styles to expand the range of emotions on these songs.  The riffs remain catchy and the synths ease their way in and out of the songs, never feeling forced or overdone, in my opinion.

Stand out tracks are the awesome opener "Cry Out for a Hero," the title track, the anthemic "True Beleiver," and "No Surrender," which sounds a bit more Judas Priest than some of the other stuff on here.  "Oceandeep," is an interesting ballad, going for more of a symphonic, Nightwish flavor.  The other songs didn't seem as strong, but they could grow on me like the first album did.  Still, a great follow up to what was a great album, and I look forward to more of their unique brand of energetic metal in the future.

Sabaton - Carolus Rex

Despite enjoy most of Sabaton, there are a few albums I still haven't gotten to.  This one is a little unique in that the subject matter focuses on a much older war than the band usually covers, that of the Thirty Years War and the Great Northern War of the 17th and 18th centuries, particularly from the Swedish perspective under the rule of King Charles XII, and his crack unit, the Caroleans.  It's a neat bit of history that few outside of Europe would know much about, which makes it pretty novel.

From there, the album proceeds to follow the standard Sabaton progression: epic power metal, sometimes fast and triumphant as they talk about the battles, sometimes anthemic and mournful for the heroes that fall and lives that are lost.  As for songs that stand out, I liked "The Lion from the North" and "Poltava," as they were the more energized tracks.  And their cover of Amon Amarth's "Twilight of the Thunder God" is a lot of fun!

As always, one knows what to expect when listening to a Sabaton album, for better or worse.  While I do enjoy their anthemic style, it does feel like there's some leaning on a formula here.  Still, it's a decent album, and it gets to show that the band has more interests than just World War II.

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It's been kind of an up-and-down year for me so far.  I'm actually rather thankful that I get to listen to music while I work, as it's helped me cope with a lot of things.  (Nothing serious, just the tedium and tension of working at home during lockdown.)  Fortunately, I have no shortage of stuff to listen to!  I'll try to get back on the new releases soon, but until then, rock on! \m/

Anniversary Series - 1986!

Yup, time for another anniversary article.  1986 is definitely a peculiar year, as rock and metal were evolving in a lot of directions by now.  Still, plenty of great songs and albums came out, so let's take a look.

Starting off, we have Ozzy himself, carrying on his solo career with The Ultimate Sin.  Featuring the big hit "Shot in the Dark" (not to be confused with the Great White album of the same name that also came out this year), it would also be the last Ozzy album to feature the fretwork of Jake E. Lee.  Another big name featuring some lineup changes was Van Halen, giving us 5150 and new singer Sammy Hagar, dividing the fans for many years to come.

However, the big metal shift came with the advent of thrash metal.  After kicking around for a few years, bands starting coming out with monster records that would expand the fanbase as well as metal's diversity of sound.  While I generally don't cover a lot of thrash on this blog, I can't deny the melodic chops of Metallica's Master of Puppets and Megedeth's Peace Sells...But Who's Buying.  These two albums would become thrash classics for the genre, and it's easy to see why.  Proggy elements mixed with fierce riffing and shredding, and some iconic vocal hooks, ensured that these bands meant business.

Of course, pop metal was only getting bigger.  Europe would finally crack the US with their third album The Final Countdown, Poison's debut Look What the Cat Dragged In also did well with the singles "I Want Action" and "Talk Dirty to Me," Ratt followed up their second album Dancing Undercover, Cinderella gave us Night Songs, and Bon Jovi's Slippery When Wet would go to #1 thanks to their three massive singles.  Even Judas Priest started to glam it up with Turbo, putting a little color in their classic black leather look.

Metal certainly dominated things by this point of the 80s, but rock was still going strong, in it's own way.  AC/DC found success with the single "Who Made Who," Journey was able to work with Steve Perry's health to release Raised on Radio, Genesis continued their pop success with Invisible Touch, and Queen mixed up their sound even more with A Kind of Magic.  Even Boston was finally able to work out their legal troubles and released Third Stage, featuring the big track "Amanda."

Rock was certainly in a lot of different places by 1986, leading to greater diversification later on, and you can find more of that in the playlist I've provided below.  As always, let me know if I've missed something.  Until then, rock on!  \m/

New Videos - May 2021!

There are times where I begin to wonder if I will ever see the bottom of my "to listen to later" pile of stuff.  Classic bands and artists keep right on going, while new ones crop up all the time!  And a lot of it is really good!  A good problem to have I suppose, but I should stop complaining and let you check out what I've found lately, as it's quite a mix of things.

Yes, more Sabaton!  This time, it's actually an English cover of a song originally in Russian by a band they've worked with before named Radio Topek.  Still, it has Sabaton's iconic, stompy style of power metal, so they've definitely given it their own spin, whatever the original may have sounded like.

Now here's a bolt out of the blue.  Tommy Clufetos has been drumming for various classic rock bands (most notably the end of Black Sabbath's last reunion), but now has his own outfit.  The song feels like a high-energy mishmash of all kinds of 70s rock and metal.  I feel like I'm hearing Sabbath, Motorhead, and Molly Hatchet all at once!  A lot of fun!

Back to the power metal!  Actually, this one is different the last Sonic Haven track, as it's more of a mid-tempo track with some symphonic touches to up the epicness.  Pretty catchy, with a nice melodic solo.

This is definitely on the softer side of things, but I can't deny that Robin's vocals really make this work.  I think I've posted every single from this album, so I guess I better find time to listen to the whole thing.  Nice, anthemic soft rock that still has some good energy to it.

Another throwback to the 70s, this band, coming from Sweden, sounds like a southern-fried Fleetwood Mac, with a dash of Thin Lizzy.  It's not intense, but more easy-going, but still has a lot of groove and melody.  Rather unique, I think.

A new single from Styx!!  This is the title track for their upcoming album, and despite being under 4 minutes, it really goes all over the place!  Hammond solos, layered vocals, shifts in tone.  The last section gives me big Queen vibes, actually.  Makes me curious about the rest of this album, so I suppose the single did its job!