Good grief, this July has started out unbearably hot! I suppose it just gives me another reason to stay inside and listen to music! For the past few weeks, I've been preparing for my upcoming article for 1997, so I've been checking out some major albums by some well-known melodic metal bands. Here's what I've been listening to lately!
After enjoying their two latest albums so much, I figured it was time to start taking this band more seriously, and go back to the beginning. Of course, this album is notable for being more of a power metal supergroup, featuring not only Kai Hansen of Helloween and Gamma Ray fame, but also Thomen Stauch, who was the drummer for Blind Guardian at the time. Even Hansi Kürsch makes a guest appearance. Starting off as a sci-fi power metal side-project, it's an album with a lot of energy, despite being a little rough around the edges.
Reading up on the album, the concept seems to revolve around a starship built by an ancient Atlantean civilization that was supposed to protect Earth. However, when it came under attack, Atlantis decided to send the ship deep into space, in hopes that the world will be unified when it comes back. When it does, it determines that Atlantis has been destroyed, and tries to start a war with Earth. Working with those themes, the title track, "Watcher in the Sky," and "Protect the Law" seem to be interesting spins on the Judas Priest classic "Electric Eye," at least thematically, as the Iron Savior watches all and punishes equally. However, not all the songs seem to stick to the theme, as "Break It Up" seems to be an anti-drug song. I'm also not certain if "Brave New World" is connected, or is simply based on the classic novel.
As for the music, it's all pretty solid, if rather stereotypical of the genre at its time. The ballad is a little weak, but "Brave New World" and "For the World" have some pretty epic moments. Piet's voice remains huge and iconic as ever, Kai Hansen provides his iconic noodles, and everything else is a straight-ahead heavy/power metal assault. However, I do think the songwriting is a little sloppy, much like a new band hasn't quite worked out the kinks yet. Still, there's plenty to recommend for fans of the genre, and serves as a solid start for Piet and company.
Kai Hansen was certainly busy in 1997. After working on Iron Savior, he got his own band into the studio to work out their fifth album. I have to say, though, compared to their last one, this is another significant improvement!
At first, it certainly shares a lot of elements with Iron Savior's debut. Plenty of songs about space travel and ancient aliens being seen as gods by humans. However, the songwriting is definitely more in Kai's wheelhouse. There are plenty of noodly riffs and solos, and they even get a little bit neo-classical, especially on "The Guardians of Mankind." The production has also gotten a bit meatier, but I think the biggest improvement is actually Kai Hansen's vocals! On Land of the Free, they weren't amazing, but they worked. However, here on this album, Kai is belting it out as well as any other power metal vocalist! There are also some great vocal harmonies and choirs to back things up, and they all boost the album considerably.
There are a few quibbles, though. The short tracks do feel a little unnecessary, the ballad "Pray" is pretty weak, and the album is maybe a little bit long, as it's a lot of the same ideas all the way through. Still, I enjoyed quite a bit of this album. Stand outs include the high-speed opener "Beyond the Black Hole," the title track with it's odd back-and-forth on the tempo, "Lost in the Future" which is a grittier number, with a strange inclusion of the melody from "Oh! Susanna" of all things, and the closer "Shine On," which has a lot of Queen-like elements so as to end on what feels like a big number. Also, "Watcher in the Sky" from the Iron Savior album I just reviewed shows up, and while it's crunchier then the rest of these songs, it doesn't feel out of place. Overall, this is a pretty solid album with only a few bumps along the way.
I think I've mentioned elsewhere that my knowledge of this iconic band is a little strange, as I've only heard the first three and the last three, leaving a pretty large gap in the middle. With an upcoming article for 1997, I thought I'd start to fill in that gap by giving this a listen. There are some conflicting stories about the making of this album, but it seems the record label was pushing for more accessibility, which the band seemed to struggle with. Now that I've listened to it, I think it has some interesting things, but it is kinda front-loaded.
Of course, the performances are on point as usual. These guys have always known how to get what they want out of their instruments. "New Millennium," "Hell's Kitchen," "Lines in the Sand," and "Trial of Tears" provide plenty of bizarre rhythms, time-signature shifts, and extended songwriting. Guitar fans will find Petrucci very on point, shifting between emotional melodic leads and shredfests whenever the songs call for it, and Portnoy finds all kinds of pockets to fill between the grooves. New member Derek Sherinian brings his organs, providing a classic touch to many songs.
As for the production and songwriting, though, I can kind of see that there is a bit of a leaning toward a more 90s alt-rock vibe. "Hollow Years" in particular feels like a ballad that could have been written by the Goo Goo Dolls (this isn't meant to be any kind of derogatory remark against the latter band, just that I found similarities). Still, I found I liked a good chunk of the album, especially the first half. Stand outs include the very King Crimson-y "New Millenium," the chunky "Burning My Soul," and of course the second half of "Peruvian Skies" is iconic. However, after "Hell's Kitchen," I do feel like the album doesn't hold my attention as well. So in the end, it's an uneven album, but certainly not without merit nor is it any kind of failure on the band's part, I think. Just a middle-of-the-road album by a band that now has a lot of them.
I know I've been mainly focusing on older stuff, but I promise I'll get back around to reviewing newer releases. There certainly are plenty of potentially great albums on my radar and I need to take the time to check them out. Still, I'm happy to be filling in these gaps, as I do have a lot of those. Again, this month will probably continue with another anniversary article and finish with a new videos collection, but we'll see if I can squeeze in another Last Played before the month ends. I certainly don't have any reason to go outside! Until then, rock on! \m/
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