New Videos - April 2022!

I've finally started getting caught up on some of these new songs and videos.  There's been some pretty interesting stuff from bands both old and new.  Turn up the volume and check these out!

Starting off with some pretty solid symphonic metal.  While it's not earth-shaking by any means, it's well-played and well-balanced, finding the line between bombastic and catchy.  This is a new band, too, so I'll have to keep an eye out for more from them.

So I guess Jani is doing a solo album this time, with a bunch of singers (including his former Sonata Arctica bandmate Tony Kakko).  However, this single is with Timo Kotipelto, the singer from Stratovarius and Jani's own Cain's Offering, so this track is right up my alley, as I love both those bands.  Nice, bombastic symphonic power metal.

I admit I haven't kept up at all with Def Leppard's recent releases, but after checking this single, I'm kind of impressed!  I don't know if the rest of their new album sounds like this, but this has a rather dark swagger to it without really getting away from the arena-friendly rock sound the band is known for.  

Another classic 80s band whose modern material I've completely overlooked.  I knew they were working on the album, and I've heard a few singles, but this one really stands out.  Obviously, it reminds of "The Zoo," with its stompy, mid-tempo groove, but it has more of a spacy vibe that gives it a different feel.  Not bad for some old rockers!

Speaking of classic bands, here's a prog rock band from Sweden that's been around since the 70s, but I had never heard of them before.  This new track certainly has a lot of the trademarks of third-wave prog: laidback vibe with plenty of jazz-fusion groove.  I guess they have singers, but this one is instrumental.  Not a bad bit of noodling, really.

Despite all these older bands, there's always new ones to check out as well.  Fallen Sanctuary seems to be going for a classic power metal sound, making me think of early Sonata Arctica.  High speed riffing and soaring vocals are always an easy pick for me, but these guys seem to have some promise, I think.

Let's finish with one more piece of power metal from another new band.  This one is interesting, as it has some very symphonic flourishes, but the songwriting feels more like Helloween or Gamma Ray.  Still, it's some pretty epic, melodic stuff, with a great gruff singer in Ilkka Koski. 

Last Played - April 2022!

I'm finally getting around to listening to some new stuff!  Well, new to me anyway.  Lots of catching up on classic bands this time, but there's a lot of good stuff to go over.  Here's what I've been listening to lately!!

Anvil - Metal On Metal

Last year, I decided to check out Anvil's debut album, only to find it pretty underwhelming and immature.  There were a few decent parts, but otherwise, I was not impressed.  So I was glad to hear how much of an improvement their next album was, as they push further into heavy metal territory.

Right off the bat, with the opening title track, you can tell they've picked up a lot of heft.  While they did have a bit of the NWOBHM rockin' before, on this album there's much stronger Judas Priest and Accept vibes.  The riffs are chunkier, and the leads are quite noodly, as they find little gaps to fill in here and there.  "Mothra" and "Scenary" continue the heavy metal assault, with Lips sounding a lot like Rob Halford.  "March of the Crabs" stands out as well, as it's a noodly instrumental reminiscent of early Iron Maiden, and there are some more Maiden-y riffs on "Tease Me, Please Me."  Things even get a bit thrashy on the tracks "Jackhammer" and "666."  Everyone just sounds like they really stepped up their game for this album.

Unfortunately, the sleazy lyrics make return on a handful of songs.  However, they aren't quite as amateur as they were on the last album, as they wouldn't be out of place on some glam metal albums that would dominate the decade, so maybe they were ahead of their time.  Still, this album is a major improvement after Hard 'n' Heavy, with the metal riffing and bigger attitude across the board.

Rush - Hold Your Fire

As I said in my review of Power Windows over two years ago, Rush is a band that I think I like, but I haven't really spent a lot of time with them, especially their later material.  Picking this up where I left off, Hold Your Fire shows Rush at their most 80s, for better and worse.

This is definitely an album that dates itself.  The production definitely sounds like 1987 (making me think of Yes's Big Generator from the same year, actually).  However, once you get past this, the music remains some pretty solid, synth-heavy melodic rock.  Geddy Lee gets a lot of layers of lushness out of his keyboards, givng the songs an expansive feel to match their big ideas.  He doesn't overuse any particular sound, often shifting from big symphonic synth pads to small, noddly little pieces.

Of course, we also get Lee's melodic basslines, Lifeson's unique (if jangly) guitar work, and Peart's iconic drum fills.  I don't know if any of the tracks really stand out, as they are all generally pretty solid, though I do feel like the band has definitely taken a deeper step into AOR territory.  However, the occasional proggy bit and Peart's lyrics really help to elevate this album from getting too fluffy and shallow.

I like this album more than Power Windows, as this one feels more optimistic and uplifting, over all.  Once again, I think this album could grow on me if I listened to it more.  It really is impressive how these guys seem to sound so iconic even deep within the 80s rock scene.  While it certainly is a product of its time, Rush remain consistent as ever.

Black Sabbath - Dehumanizer

So after doing Heaven and Hell and The Mob Rules, I wasn't sure if I wanted to do the rest of the 80s for Sabbath.  I had heard that it gets pretty messy and mediocre.  So I thought I'd just jump right ahead to 1992 and the return of the Dio lineup.  While it was a short-lived reunion, the result is some pretty decent heavy metal.

It's interesting comparing this one to the two previous ones, as I feel like the decade difference in time has allowed for some subtle changes.  Not only is the production even shinier, I could start to hear the influences of the last decade seeping in a little as well.  Of course, Dio brings his stamp onto things, with songs sounding like much of the output from his solo career, especially "TV Crims" and "Master of Insanity."  But when they do the darker songs like "Computer God, "After All (The Dead)," and "Buried Alive," it sounds like one of those slower thrash metal songs, like the opening of "South of Heaven" by Slayer.  However, there are a few poppy songs as well, with "Sins of the Father" and "I" making me think of Ozzy's solo stuff, of all things.

Despite all these interesting influences, I can't shake the feeling that it's a bit of a safe album.  While it's certainly not bad, as I did quite like "After All (The Dead), "TV Crimes", and "I," I don't know if it really has any surprises, or any thing that the other two Dio Sabbath albums didn't do better.  It's a solid album, as everyone performs well and Iommi does some decent solos, though, Certainly a big comeback for the band and their fans, but I do wonder if it was a little too focused on trying to recapture some old magic.

Hammer King - Kingdom of the Hammer King

After enjoying their self-titled album last year, I thought I would dig into their back catalog and check out Hammer King's debut album.  While I expected more of their heavy/power metal sound, this album definitely shows a band that hasn't quite matured, but still establishes a decent foundation for them to build on.

The main thing that stands out is just how generic it all is.  This is about as meat-and-potatoes as a heavy/power metal album can be!  The lyrics in particular are quite short and simple, leaning heavily into their inspirations of Manowar and HammerFall.  However, they end up turning the simplicity into a strength, helping the songs feel more catchy and fun to sing along with.  The songwriting is also pretty straight-forward and formulaic, but there is something to be said for focusing on execution, resulting plenty of mid-tempo chugging, and some very nice melodic solos.

However, it really is the same tone and vibe all the way through.  While "Blood Angels" does get a little darker and heavier, this is some pretty cookie-cutter heavy/power metal.  There isn't much to criticize, though, as it's all done pretty well.  I particularly enjoyed the call-and-response elements on "Aderlass," "We Are the Hammer" kicks it up a notch, and "Figure in the Black" is a curious ode to James Bond, of all things.  While it's not as good as their self-titled album, I can see this album as a good starting point for what they will become.

Anniversary Series - 1982!

While I do apologize for the lack of posts lately, but I am certainly not going to miss out on doing another Anniversary Series article.  This time: 1982, which is a pretty solid year.  Following up on 1977 would be hard, but this year has plenty of rock and metal to celebrate.

Right off, the year starts with three pretty big albums.  First is Asia's debut, a solid pack of AOR melodic rock, and one of my favorites of all time.  And given that it was the best selling album of the year, I don't think I'm alone in that.  The next big one was Iron Maiden's The Number of the Beast, kickstarting Bruce Dickinson's rise to the top of heavy metal vocalists, and catapulting the band to the heights of metal history.  This was followed by Scorpions' Blackout, with the big hit "No One Like You," helping to grow their international appeal.

As spring turns to summer, we see a landslide of melodic rock.  Toto released their massive IV album, with "Rosanna" and "Africa" become radio staples for many years to come.  Meanwhile, Magnum found themselves with Chase the Dragon, Rainbow continued their push into FM radio with Straight Between the Eyes, .38 Special gave us "Caught Up In You," Survivor told us about the "Eye of the Tiger," and the Steve Miller Band cast their spell with "Abracadabra." On top of all that, the Alan Parsons Project shift into melodic rock as well with Eye in the Sky, not only getting a big hit with the title track, but ensuring that the Chicago Bulls would have great intro music for their games for years to come.

Heavy metal was also heating up, with Anvil establishing their Metal on Metal sound, Manowar releasing their debut Battle Hymns, Twisted Sister put out their debut Under the Blade, and Judas Priest coming back from their lukewarm last album with the acclaimed Screaming with Vengeance, with the big hit "You've Got Another Thing," and the fan favorite "Electric Eye."  Accept would soon follow afterward with Restless and Wild, helping to push metal into going "Fast as a Shark," while telling us about the "Princess of the Dawn."

The rest of the year would give us a few solid rock albums.  Rush would push further into synthesizer territory with Signals, Dire Straits would warn us of the dangers of "Industrial Disease" on Love Over Gold, and Led Zeppelin would release their last, posthumous album Coda, putting a definitive capstone on their illustrious music productivity.  Closing out the year, Night Ranger would debut with Dawn Patrol, providing the big hit "Don't Tell Me You Love Me," and showing the future of rock in the 80s with their pop metal sound.

1982 sees more transitions, as AOR reaches its peak with metal coming up behind them, making it a fascinating year with a lot of variety.  As always, I've got the playlist below, and if you think I've missed something, let me know!  Until then, rock on! \m/