This is the first of a handful of Last Played articles, as I have a number of albums to try and catch up on. There's just so much I want to listen to and talk about! Of course, this is just gonna make my Top 5 harder to decide. (I'm wondering if I should expand it to a Top 10!) In any case, here's the latest handful I've listened to.
Big City - Testify XHailing from Norway, Big City was advertised as a pop metal or glam metal group, and based on the singles (which I quite enjoyed), that seemed to be the case. Sure, there were a few noodly parts, and the synths added some layers, but it mainly made me think of bands like Winger or Europe. Now that I've listened through this album, there's a lot more going on than I expected.
First of all, the production is very lush. While there's generally a warmness associated with most 80s-styled rock and metal bands, Big City seems to be reaching for more. I think they've double-tracked or even triple-tracked their guitars, and with the synths adding more atmosphere, giving me massive Asia vibes, if they were more metal. As for the music itself, it's pretty solid. Daniel Olaisen and Frank Ørland provide some great guitarwork, getting in plenty of good riffs and leads. The solos are also pretty dynamic, with some going for intense noodley fretwork and others settling for some very nice melodies. Jørgen Bergersen does well with the vocals, soaring over the wall of sound they have created. I do think he tends to be a little static with his energy, though, as it feels like he's hitting the notes the same way song after song.
However, the big twist is how the song-writing shifts as the album progresses. At first, it starts very much in late-80s pop metal territory, with maybe a few extra details to give the songs character (like the Winger comparison I've been making). "Dark Rider" really stands out as a solid, anthemic rocker early on. Then, as we get further on, the songwriting gets a little more complicated, with the last three tracks "Heart's Like a Lion," "Graveyard Love," and "How Dark Does It Get" suddenly shifting into more prog metal territory, making me think of bands like Vanden Plas and DGM. The riffs get a little more technical, the rhythms get shaken up, and the tempos even kick it up a notch. I admit I wasn't quite anticipating that, expecting this album to be solid 80s mid-tempo arena fillers all the way.
I admit I haven't heard their first two albums, so I don't know if this is standard for them, or if this album shows a shift towards more complex songwriting for them. I know I liked a lot of it, but I think this one is gonna need a few more spins before I really wrap my head around everything I heard. Still, great production, tight player, and plenty of solid guitarwork make this an interesting gem, and worth checking out, regardless of what genre it is.
FireForce - Rage of WarSo this was a band I was aware of earlier in the year, and I checked out a few of their singles. I thought they were alright, but not worth really adding to my video articles. However, they released a video for the title track of this album recently, reminding me of them, and I decided to finally check them out. What we have here is a band that really straddles the line between thrash and power metal!
Right off, the album starts with a double-kicking fury that rarely lets up across the entire album. The guitars riff and shred with sheer aggression, but often have very melodic solos and leads, sometimes even having some harmonies. As for their vocalist, this is their first album with Matt Asselberghs, but he fits in so comfortably, I would have guessed he had been with the band for several years. Honestly, this very tight execution and production, with solid metal front-to-back. Though this also ends up being a bit of a problem. Because it maintains a certain level of intensity all the way through, the songs tend to feel a little samey after a while. Even when they slow it down for "Forever in Time," it maintains the tension by sounding more doomy than being any kind of ballad.
However, I can't deny I enjoyed a lot of this. The execution is top-notch, feeling like a mix of Sabaton's anthemic lyrics with Primal Fear's sense of melody, and the melodic thrash of bands like Annihilator, Flotsam & Jetsam, and Megadeth. Mystic Prophecy comes to mind as well, naturally. I liked the title track, "March or Die," "Firepanzer," "From Scout to Liberator," and "Tale of the Desert King." This is definitely recommendable to those who like their power metal gritty or their thrash more melodic. I think this one might grow on me!
Wolfmother - Rock OutI remember when Wolfmother arrived in 2009 with "Woman" and "Joker and the Thief," being a peculiar throwback to the likes of Black Sabbath, Deep Purple, and Steppenwolf. (It's kind of funny to think of how many other bands have since picked up on the retro rock trend.) I liked what I had heard, but I ended up never really following up with them ever since. So when they suddenly dropped an album last month, I figured it was a good time to get caught back up, and in all honesty, not much has changed.
Despite the 80s-tastic cover art, this is very much a 70s rock sound. I will say there is a shift from the psychedelic, hammond-heavy style of their early stuff to more of a straight-forward blues rock, almost like a stoned-out Kiss. The riffs on "Rock Out" and "Upload" definitely have that "Detroit Rock City" vibe. However, the Sabbath and Purple has definitely stuck around, with "Humble" having quite a heavy riff that would have fit right on Master of Reality, and "Only Way" has a lot of noodley leads and solos, making me think of Blackmore's work.
It's a short album, clocking in at just over 30 minutes, but I suppose 60 minutes of this might get a little much, as the songs don't vary a whole lot, with most of them sticking to the 2-3 minute range. I understand the band is pretty much Andrew Stockdale's show, and he seems content in sticking to this classic rock style. I can't blame him as he seems pretty good at it. Overall, it's a nice burst of chunky, retro stuff, full of tasty licks and solid grooves.
Sonic Haven - VagabondThis is another album I was pretty excited about earlier in the year. Featuring recent Firewind recruit Herbie Langhans on vocals, this seemed like it would be a nice, bright collection of power metal by some talented folks. However, after a year of some excellent power metal releases, this one ends up being just okay in comparison.
Anyone familiar with German power metal will find a lot of similarities here. Gamma Ray was one comparison I kept making, as the guitars have a lot of tricky technical riffs and solid melodic leads, often with neat harmonies. The songs generally don't shift much in tempo outside of a mid-to-upbeat range, though. Langhans sounds pretty solid, his mix of Udo's grit and Jorn's charm give these songs a decent bit of heft. While they used two different keyboardists here, they don't add much other than some symphonic elements and AOR-style synths.
One track that stands out, though, is "The Darker Side." It starts with some clean guitar notes before hitting with a heavy, slow riff out of the doom metal playbook. It reminded me of Sorcerer, actually. As for the rest, I liked "Vagabond" as a decent opener, "I Believe" with it's big Gamma Ray energy, and "Striking Back" as a solid, symphonic closer. The rest of the album is decent as well, but it's not particularly strong material, resulting in a rather average listen. Perhaps in another year, I would have appreciated it more, but compared to the tracks I've heard from Helloween, NorthTale, and Brainstorm, it just feels a little weak.
I must say, that was some pretty interesting stuff, and a good bit of a variety. That will probably be the case with the next few articles as well. Speaking of which, I need to get working on those! Until then, rock on! \m/
