Does anyone else get bad allergies this time of year? I feel like they've been rocking my sinuses this spring, more so than usual. Still, I've been able to power through and get some new albums listened and reviewed. Between the rock and metal, both fast and slow, here's what I've been listening to lately!
Journey is another one of their bands where I've loved the radio singles but haven't done much with their albums. I have listened to their early jazz-fusion stuff, and I reviewed Evolution a few years ago, but otherwise I haven't checked out any of their 80s albums, even for the anniversary articles. However, after doing so much metal last month, I was in the mood for some classic melodic rock, and figured reviewing this would be a nice change of pace. Right off, we have "Any Way You Want It" as the opener, and this is classic arena rock. Starting from that iconic beginning with the vocal harmonies, the song goes straight into huge melodies and chords, and has ingrained itself in the minds of rock fans for decades since.
However, the album starts to go a bit sideways from there. "Walks Like a Lady" is this strange, chilled blues song that never gets beyond setting a little groove for Neal Schon to solo over. Then it goes into some very curious songs that get a little proggy. I actually thought of 80s Rush when I heard them, but I wonder if that has more to do with the production than the songwriting. Still, they're very curious pieces, with "Precious Time" being the strongest, as it has some interesting dynamics, ultimately ending on a decent little jam. After that, the album becomes rather inconsistent. "Where Were You" and "Line of Fire" are cute little rockers, but between them is a few ballads that don't feel very complete. "Good Morning Girl" and "Stay Awhile" in particular feel like halves of songs missing more development. Then the album ends with a very Led Zeppelin inspired rocker, with a decent riff and some solid grooves.
So, despite such a promising start, the album is a bit of a wash. It's a shame, too, as there are some good performances. While Steve Perry's lower register can be a bit of a mixed bag, when he needs to hit the high notes, he's great. Neal Schon also puts in some solid soloing, and finds plenty of gaps to throw in a lick or two. And while this would be the last studio album with keyboardist Gregg Rolie, his keys and hammonds do give the band a massive sound (along with some orchestrations). Unfortunately, it's the songwriting that really holds this album back from being as great as it could be, leaving most of the songs (outside the big hit) as a novelty at best.
Going from one rock legend to another, Robin McAuley and Frontiers Records have put together another solo album full of 80s-style rockers. While I enjoyed the first album quite a bit, this one does make a shift into darker, grittier territory, but the shift makes Alive feel pretty tedious, overall.
Don't get me wrong; it's still a solid collection of anthemic rock songs. As is the case with AOR these days, the production is spot on, the guitar leads and solos are melodic, and Robin sounds good. However, I do think the guitars got some extra crunch to them, and the riffs get a little chuggier here. While on its own, that's not really a bad thing, somehow, it makes this album feel a little monotonous. It's nice while it's on, but most of this stuff just passes in one ear and out the other. The only real standouts are the title track, which is a decent anthemic opener, and "The Endless Mile," which has some nice noodling on the chorus. Maybe I'm just nit-picking, but the first album stood on its own better, and felt more majestic, while this one settles into some pretty average melodic rock that isn't as alive as its title would imply.
It might seem weird going from anthemic rock to epic doom, but I really don't give doom metal enough time on this blog, as I really do like it, and Candlemass is one of the best at it. This time, I've checked out their third album Ancient Dreams, which carries over most of the same lineup from Nightfall, which I reviewed three years ago. Once again, they've provided a thick, heavy album full of grimness and despair.
The album starts of well with "Mirror Mirror," featuring some double-kicking bass drums, noodly doom riffing, and Messiah Marcolin soaring over everything. The epicness is at max level, and it carries through the next few songs. "A Cry from the Crypt" has a nice 6/8 gallop, "Darkness in Paradise" features a solid chorus and very interesting shift into a chuggy section in the second half, and "Incarnation of Evil" just has great atmosphere. Unfortunately, the second half isn't as strong. Sure, the doom carries on, but the songwriting gets a little underwhelming. The lyrics on "Bearer of Pain" are a little clunky, the title track just drones on this melody and doesn't seem to go anywhere, and "The Bells of Acheron" is an interesting idea, but the groovy riff doesn't feel like Candlemass. Their cover of Carl Michael Bellman's "Epistle 81" is also rather drab. Maybe it's meaningful to these Swedes, but it doesn't do much for me. At least the album ends with a decent medley of Black Sabbath classics.
Still, as I'm going through these early albums, I can hear them getting closer and closer to the amazing sound that's on Tales of Creation. I don't know if I'll review that one for the blog, as I've heard it many times, but it's pretty much the pinnacle of classic epic doom metal. As for Ancient Dreams, there's some solid stuff here, and I'm sure I'll come back to those first four songs, but your mileage may vary on the rest.
Finally! After catching up on all the Karevik albums, we reach the latest opus that Kamelto has to provide. Once again, the mainstays have returned, but with new drummer, Alex Landenburg, they seem to have brought back even more of the classic power metal sound that I've been missing. If I thought The Shadow Theory was a comeback, this one is even more so!
Once again, they seem to be channeling sound that mixes The Black Halo and Ghost Opera. After the symphonic intro track, the band just jumps right in with "The Great Divide"! Full of epicness and double-kicking bass drum energy, it's a solid start to a solid album. Much of this power metal energy comes back for "Opus of the Night" (a sequel to the track "Ghost Opera"), "Bloodmoon," "Nightsky," and "The Looking Glass." Even the chunky, symphonic tracks keep the energy high, as "One More Flag in the Ground" and "My Pantheon" are pretty epic. Of course, there's a few ballad's for Tommy to croon through, but the lush orchestrations give them a great theatrical feel. It really does feel like they've successfully blended their classic power metal style with the newer symphonic metal style they've had for the past handful of albums.
However, it's not quite perfect. "Eventide" is a little underwhelming, "Nightsky" and "Looking Glass" sound a little too similar, and "New Babylon" tries to go for this Rhapsody of Fire level of bombast, but the song structure is a little disorganized, despite the epic choir singing. Also, while they are nice, the symphonic intro and outro do feel a little pointless. Still, these are not major flaws for what is probably the best album of the Karevik era. I was hoping this would be an excellent album of symphonic power metal, and I'm glad to say my anticipation has been rewarded here. Between this, Twilight Force and Lovebites, figuring out my Top 5 for this year is going to be difficult!
While I'm glad to have finally caught up with Kamelot (and discovered they still had some chops), looking ahead, I feel like things are going to get very busy for me! There's already quite a stack of new releases I need to check out, and I'm also learning that my Anniversary Articles might be leaner than I was expecting! Plus, there's another surprise that I've been slowly working on. I had hoped that I'd get it out sooner, but it hasn't come together quite yet. In any case, there's a lot to look forward to, if I can just get to it all! Until then, rock on! \m/
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