I know I'm not posting these Anniversary Articles very consistently this year, but there were some pretty interesting albums I wanted to go over with this one, so it took some time to pull these together. As always, there's more in the playlist below, so check that out, but for now, reviews!
I feel like the story behind this album is better known than the album itself. The Dio-era lineup of Black Sabbath came back together in the mid-2000s for a compilation record that included three new songs (which are decent). After touring together afterwards, they decided to release a new album of songs under the name Heaven & Hell, after the first Dio-led album. I had heard it was to avoid complications with Sharon Osbourne, but other sources make it seem like Iommi's decision to avoid brand confusion. In any case, this is, essentially, the fourth Dio Sabbath album, and it's darker and doomier than the other three.
Once again, there's significant a boost in production, making the songs feel thicker than their last album. The song-writing is also a bit more adventurous, as the band focuses more on a classic sense of darkness from the early Ozzy years (perhaps feeling more relevant with the reunions of the classic lineup before all this). They're definitely trying some things, but sometimes, it feels like the songs are slow for their own sake or seem to be not as well organized. Of course, the lineup's performance remains as consistent as before, though Dio does sound a little weaker (understandable, given the circumstances) but he still sings his heart ou,t and Iommi's riffs are as crunchy and heavy as ever. It's the band you know, but with more experience and heft.
It's a solid album, but not all of the songs work for me. "Bible Black" is certainly a highlight, making me think of the classic Dio era, and both "Follow the Tears" and "Breaking Into Heaven" are great slabs of doom. But then you have songs like "Fear," where the chorus is just weird, "Double the Pain," which doesn't quite come together, or "Rock and Roll Angel" which just drags along. I don't think it's as good as their classic 80s albums, but it serves as a fine conclusion to this part of Sabbath's legacy.
Well, after enjoying Birth's debut album so much that it ended up in my Top 5 for that year, I figured it would be worth my time to dig into what some of these guys were doing before and listen to Astra's debut for this article. Going with a very retro sound that it nearly hurts, they blend elements of psychedelic and progressive rock in ways that feel appropriate and adventurous without feeling derivative.
If I could describe their sound, I'd say they're close to the mellow side of King Crimson and Caravan, but with the occasional Black Sabbath riff thrown in, and more layers of keyboards. The performances are solid, as they focus more on exploratory melodies than technical musicianship, but there is so much reverb on everything, I wondered if I wasn't listening to some third-generation re-recording of a radio broadcast. However, the band is much more interested in creating a lot of atmosphere than focusing on any sense of orchestral arrangement like most other prog bands, so the reverb doesn't really ruin the experience, featuring plenty of nice melodies all over the album. The wall of Mellotrons might be a bit much at times, but those who like that classic sound will find plenty to love here. As a whole, it feels like it was made in mind for those looking for an album to just vibe with while doing something (or nothing) else.
The other issue is that the album is very long, nearly 80 minutes, with a lot of repetitive sections. If this kind of mood-driven space rock is not your thing, your time is better spent elsewhere. However, I was able to groove with the songs pretty well, sinking into their sound by the end. I ended up liking the title track with its space jams, "Ouroboros," which made me think of Tales of Topographic Oceans at times, and the closer "Beyond to Slight the Maze" which felt more Pink Floyd. While I wish the reverb wasn't quite so strong so that I could better hear the performances, I found this album to be a pretty satisfying experience.
Despite being a mainstay in German metal since the 80s, Herman Frank's first solo album didn't come out until 2009. I came across him a few years ago, being blown away by his fourth album, but feeling that his fifth (and latest) was a little lackluster. Now this article gives me the chance to go back and see how things started for his solo efforts. Unsurprisingly, it's another chunk of traditional metal, but not without issues.
The first major difference is Jioti Parcharidis on vocals, who I assume Herman Frank brought over from Victory. He has a rougher voice than Rick Altzi (who takes over after this album), but he's still a good choice for this style of metal. However, the production is a problem. I'm not quite sure what's wrong, but Jioti feels buried at times, and the guitars don't feel as punchy as they should, sometimes sounding thin or muddy. The song lyrics are a bit strange as well. A few songs are about epic battles while others are fun-times 80s rockin'. "Hero" feels like some kind of political statement for which I don't have the context, and "Father Buries Son" is weirdly upbeat for its somber topic. While the music is pretty consistent, the lyrics don't quite match the songs the way you'd think.
Otherwise, it's Herman doing what he does best: providing plenty of chunky riffs and tight solos, with the rhythm section giving him a solid platform to work from. The album starts well enough with "Moon II" and "7 Stars" being good energetic heavy/power metal songs, and "Down to the Valley" has a bit of an Iron Maiden feel. However, the production and the weird lyrics bring this down for me. Despite the experience on board for the songs, this album feels rough and under-cooked, but if you don't mind that, there's plenty of 80s-style metal to enjoy.
Well, I suppose that will do for 2009. As always, let me know what you think in the comments. In the meantime, I should get to work on the next one if I want time to cover all that I want to! Until then, rock on! \m/
No comments:
Post a Comment