Retro Reviews - March 2026 Part Two!!

As I'm working through 1976 and checking albums out, I decided to split my reviews into two articles.  Last time, I focused on more hard rock bands, while this one has more proggy or weird rock bands.  Of course, prog was pretty much phasing out at this point, with many bands streamlining their sound to be more like the melodic rock of the times, so maybe these differences are just my own hair splitting.  In any case, here's what I've been listening to lately!

Druid - Fluid Druid

After checking out their debut album last year, and finding it to be rather pleasant, it's time to check out their second and final album.  Of course, being a prog rock band in 1976 was not easy, and so they mixed in a variety of ideas to spice things up while retaining many of their Yes-like qualities that they had before.

I think the best way to describe this album is that they're trying to be too quirky.  There are times where the proggy sections feel jarring and forced, like they were put in out of obligation.  While the first album focused on a united sound and atmosphere, here the songs are much more singular, like the instrumental "FM 145" being very bouncy, "Nothing But Morning" going for this dramatic Queen-like song, and "Barnaby" getting into a reggae groove.  "Crusade" certainly has some curious transitions, but it's so disjointed to really follow.  "Kestrel" is also a mess, despite being much shorter, and the closer "The Fisherman's Friend" feels like a joke song that doesn't really land.

Despite my criticisms, there are some decent pieces here.  The album starts off well enough with "Razor Truth" and "Painters Clouds."  They both have the more Yes-like style, like the material from Toward the Sun, and "Left to Find" starts off with a mysterious low synth before building up the instruments in a pretty satisfying way.  Dane in particular feels more confident, as he's not straining his voice quite so much, and his guitar work is pretty decent.  Neil Brewer retains his Squire-like basslines, and the rest of them play well, despite the awkward songwriting.

However, these good bits are just part of the junk drawer that this album assembled itself from, making this the weaker of their two albums.  From here, the band would break up, and its members would work on various other projects and groups over the years.  It's a bit of a shame as I do think they had some good ideas.  If they could have taken a break to refresh their minds and worked on another album, I think it could have been solid.  However, like I said, prog was in a weird place, and if you already didn't have a decent sized fanbase by this point, it would have been a struggle to continue.

Genesis - Wind and Wuthering

It's been quite some time since I last reviewed a Genesis album!  As I mentioned on those articles, I struggle with the Gabriel-era material, but now that I'm into the beginning of the Collins-era, I'm hoping I might find more to like (other than the usual handful I hear on classic rock radio).  While it does have some decent ideas, this is one mellow album!

Much of what they started on Trick of the Tail is here, as there is only one song over 10 minutes, and many shorter ones.  However, there certainly is an increase in synths, as Tony Banks gets rather orchestral in arranging all the different tones and pads he uses, along with the organs and pianos.  This gives the album a very cinematic feel, and the lyrics often carry that tone.  The album starts with the energetic "Eleventh Earl of Mar," based on a book about the Jacobite Rebellion in Scotland, "One for the Vine" is about someone ending up as a chosen one without wanting to be, and the pair of instrumentals that make up "Unquiet Slumbers for the Sleepers...In that Quiet Earth" are based on a line from Wuthering Heights.  They even tell a unique story with "All in a Mouse's Night," with the rodent waking up the humans and running into a dangerous cat!

Unfortunately, much of this album sticks to a slower, more somber vibe, and I found myself struggling to stay interested.  Banks keys do kinda overwhelm the album at times as well.  I liked "Eleventh Earl of Mar" and "...In That Quiet Earth" for being more upbeat, but otherwise, this is soft rock as much as prog, and while that's not necessarily a bad thing, I found it hard to really connect to sometimes.  As it would turn out, this album is the last they did with guitarist Steve Hackett, as he felt his contributions were being set aside in favor of Tony Banks' pieces, eventually compelling him to leave.  After hearing the album, it sounds like it was a pretty valid criticism.  I didn't hate the album, but it was on the wrong side of lackluster.  Maybe it will improve with more listening, but for now, this hasn't turned me into a Genesis fan.

Blue Öyster Cult - Agents of Fortune

To be honest, I've listened to this album before, but since I have been going through their discography lately, I figured I should squeeze this one in before I moved on to the rest of their albums.  I'm a big fan of "(Don't Fear) The Reaper," and I was kinda hoping the rest of the album would be just as dramatic and mysterious, so I was a little bummed to discover that it was mostly some pretty straight-ahead rock 'n' roll.  However, now that I'm giving it a second chance (and with the wider context of their previous albums), I can see this is very much a transition album for them, streamlining their songwriting to something much more punchy and conventional.

As usual, they do like to shift their style around from song to song.  Things start off with a pretty standard rock 'n' roll pair of songs, but they have some grooves later on, and even get sentimental at times.  Otherwise, "Buck" Dharma is still noodling along, his guitar solos really being solid across the tracks, and the song writing definitely settles into some familiar forms, letting the lyrics do most of the weirdness.  (I had totally forgotten that Patti Smith was on "The Revenge of Vera Gemini"!)  As for stand outs, "This Ain't the Summer of Love" has some decent chugging energy, and while "E.T.I. (Extra Terrestrial Intelligence)" starts with a weird riff, it quickly settles into a neat song that feels like it came out of a tabloid.  The spooky vibes continue with "Sinful Love" and "Tattoo Vampire," but then it gets rather serious for the end of the album.  "Morning Final" is about a random murder in the streets, and "Debbie Denise" is about a struggling, one-sided relationship.  This album is certainly all over the map.

And then there's "(Don't Fear) The Reaper."  This is pretty much the song that made me want to listen to more of the band.  Starting off with that iconic riff before settling into a thoughtful, dark tone, contemplating death and coming to terms with it.  Then the bridge outright explodes into a great guitar solo by "Buck," letting the feedback linger into the next verse.  An absolutely brilliant song.  Sadly, the rest of the album doesn't hold up to that level of quality, but I can see that it is a decent rock album that sees the band changing without losing their identity.

Triumph - In the Beginning

When we think of 70s hard rock trios from Canada, we generally think of Rush, but Triumph soon followed after and had quite a respectable career north of the US border.  I was only ever loosely aware of them, so I'm taking my next Top 5 article as an opportunity to check out their debut.  (It was originally just self-titled and had a different cover, but I like this re-release version better.)

The comparison to Rush is a little unfair, as this album has much more in common with fellow country-men Bachman-Turner Overdrive with some Led Zeppelin for good measure.  The result is some hard rockin' music with decent variety, with Rik Emmett's excellent shredding all over the place.  They mess around with a talk box on "Be My Lover," "Don't Take My Life" has some neat dynamics, switching between electric and acoustic guitars, "Easy Life" has a bluesy groove, and the "Street Fighter" pair a songs going from heavy metal in the first part to a somber, cinematic vibe in the "Reprise."  Even the opener "24 Hours a Day" starts off with this ballad-like style before going into some straight party rock.  The other songs are a little more generic, but are played with good energy, and the closer is where they tap into some prog, as "Blinding Light Show" goes from an aggressive noodly riff to a somber anthem before dropping to the classical guitar of "Moonchild."

I feel like the Y&T album I reviewed last time feels similar to this, but Triumph definitely has better songwriting.  I know I often say that debut albums show promise, but this is some very good rock music right from the start!  I liked the more dynamic songs like "Don't Take My Life" and "Street Fighter," and "What's Another Day of Rock 'n' Roll" made me think of "Black Betty" by Ram Jam with that scratchy riff.  The epic closer is solid as well, probably the most Rush-like song on the album, and I was overall satisfied with what I heard!  I'm definitely looking forward to their next one, whenever I get around to it!

Retro Reviews - March 2026 Part One!!

I know I haven't been as consistent with my posts lately, but I've been dealing with a lot of stuff, including making some very long articles.  There was just a lot to cover, including some debut albums, and I had a lot to say about the others as well.  We're focusing on more straight-ahead rock with this one, while the next one will be more proggy.  For now, here's what I've been checking out lately!

Uriah Heep - High and Mighty

Last time I checked out this band, they had picked up John Wetton and carried on their way with more hard rock full of organs and tight vocal harmonies.  With this album, nearly all of the progressive rock and fantastical lyrics have been streamlined out.  However, this makes them rather in line with many of their contemporaries.

All the comparisons I've been making to Deep Purple and Vanilla Fudge hardly apply anymore, as they've shifted into something like a blend of Styx, Foreigner, Boston, and Queen (though not as theatrical).  Of course, there are a few twists here and there, like with the shifting dynamics of "Misty Eyes", the genre-switching in "Woman of the World," and "Can't Stop Singing," which sounds like it came from a funky musical.  Ken Hensley's organs and synths don't seem as prominent on this album, either, despite being the main songwriter.  John Wetton actually contributes to the songs as well, but it's hard to know what exactly he's responsible for.

Still, there were a few tracks I liked.  "Weep In Silence" is actually a decent ballad, with some solid solos from Mick Box, "Misty Eyes" had some great energy making me think of Styx in particular, and "Can't Keep a Good Band Down" was pretty fun.  Unfortunately, this would also be their last album with their iconic singer David Byron.  It turns out he was drinking a lot and it affected his performance, so the band had him sacked.  John Wetton left as well, never really feeling like he fit in with the band, and the band understood.  After listening to all these Uriah Heep albums over the last few years, it really is an end of an era.  As I carry on through their discography, it will be interesting to see how they transition from here. 

Queen - Day at the Races

Speaking of Queen, after the breakout success that was A Night at the Opera, and the following four-month tour, the band pretty much went right back into the studio the next year and hammered out this one.  Meant to be something of a companion to the previous album, the band really explores the dynamics of their sound, perhaps even pushing a little too far, sometimes, with not enough to show for it.

Ranging from hard rock to gospel and from piano waltzes to folk pop, it's definitely a demanding listen.  Queen have never been shy about pushing a song in a weird direction, so this is largely nothing new.  However, I wonder if they weren't a little rushed in the studio, as some of these songs don't feel quite as developed as the ones on their previous album.  The opener "Tie Your Mother Down" is a pretty bog-standard blues rock song, like if AC/DC was being lazy.  "Long Away" takes a few cues from the folky parts of the Beatles and the Byrds but hardly feels like Queen.  "Good Old-Fashioned Lover Boy" is pretty campy with it's bouncy, music hall style, leaning into their iconic theatrics, but not really working as a song.  "Drowse" goes for this trance-y vibe on a slide-guitar riff, but it never clicked with me, as it felt weirdly anxious the while time.  Overall, these tracks feel a little odd, and unfortunately, not very memorable, at least compared to the hits I know so well.

Speaking of hits, though, "Somebody to Love" really stands out with its epic gospel choir (even though it's just the band redubbing themselves several times over).  "The Millionare Waltz" at least has some curious dynamics, "White Man" has this heavy, twangy riff that matches the angsty, brooding song quite well, and "Teo Torriatte (Let Us Cling Together)" is a decent enough power ballad to end the album on.  Naturally, all of this is performed very tightly, as they comfortably reuse a lot of their iconic beats, like tight vocal harmonies and Brian May's melodic guitar work.  It's not a bad album, but it does feel like a bit of a let down after A Night at the Opera, and I can't help but wonder if maybe it just needed a bit more time in the studio to help bring it together as more of a whole.

Y&T - Yesterday & Today

Here's another one of those bands where I've heard of them, but never really listened to them (though I imagine I've heard "Mean Streak" on classic rock radio at some point).  Touring with the likes of Journey and Queen under the name Yesterday and Today (after an American Beatles release), they got picked up by a British Label and released their debut album.  While they may have had some metallic styles later, they start with a pretty decent set of blue-collar blues rock.

The main takeaway I had when listening to this is that they seem to have the straight-ahead simplicity of Bad Company, but with heavier riffs from Sabbath or Zeppelin.  While some of it can get a little bland, even the weaker tracks are elevated by Dave Meniketti's shredding solos!  He has an American 70s style, dedicated to playing a lot of notes quickly, often sounding random, but it really works for the sound they have.  "Come On Over" is a perfect example of this blend they have.  However, I think the main stand outs are "Earthshaker" and "Fast Ladies (Very Slow Gin)" for have a lot more energy than the rest of the album (though "Fast Ladies" does have some strange mixed meter playfulness).  "Game Playing Woman" is their most proggy, starting with a funky riff, but in the middle they drop it down to some very moody jazz.  From there, they build back up to the funky riff, and the transition is really quite smooth.

The only real problem I had was that the production was a little muddy.  Phil Kennemore's bass was big in the mix, but some of his notes don't land well, and Leonard Haze's drums feel more like thuds and impactful whacks.  It's a shame because they're playing good stuff.  While I know I've said this before on other debuts, but I can see a lot of promise with this one.  If they can gets some decent production and maybe give their songwriting a boost, I'd find a lot to like!  I plan on jump into their next album pretty quickly, so I'll find out soon!

Scorpions - Virgin Killer

With the band slowly embracing their hard rock destiny with the last album, they maintained their lineup for the follow up the next year.  While there was some proggy noodling before, here the songs are aggressively streamlined, with most of them being under four minutes!  

At this point, their sound is very much in line with what rock music was doing, with plenty of energy and dual guitar harmonies.  "Pictured Life" and "Catch Your Train" start the album well with some good energy.  The title track is also decent, with Klaus Meine providing some pretty aggressive vocals.  Of course Uli Jon Roth gets plenty of opportunities to shred, and he brings his vocals to "Hell Cat" and "Polar Night," which are some pretty weird songs.  I wasn't sure if they really fit well with the others.  "In Your Park" is a pretty average ballad, and the closer "Yellow Raven" is a slightly better one, especially with that big riff at the end.

Overall, I think this is an improvement, but I do wonder if perhaps this isn't an over-correction.  Most of these songs are so short and clean, it's hard to really appreciate them.  They do expand out a little towards the end, but otherwise, this album shows a clear shift to focusing more on no-filler hard rock.  At just under 35 minutes, it's a burst of good energy with some catchy tracks, but not much more.

David Gilmour, The Ferrymen, and Styx Retrospectives!

Just wanted to post a quick article for the new David Gilmour Retrospective Article I put over in my Article Retrospectives section.  Again, I've just pulled the reviews I've written over the years together into a single article, with a few tweaks.  (I have also since included my Catching Up with The Ferrymen and Styx Retrospective articles in there as well.)  That's all for now, but I'm sure to put together more of these sooner rather than later.  Until then, rock on! \m/

Top 5 of 1971!!

Yup, we're starting this over again!  Back when I did my Anniversary Article, I focused on who both prog rock and hard rock were evolving, and this Top 5 reflects that!  While Black Sabbath, with their detuned guitars, and Deep Purple, who cemented their Mark II sound, were considered, they couldn't quite make it in as those albums also have some lackluster tracks.  Remember: a few great songs do not a great album make.  As always, I couldn't listen to everything, and this is super subjective, but these are my Top 5 albums of 1971!

5. Jethro Tull - Aqualung

This band has always been on the weird side, even among their prog rock contemporaries.  Featuring curious folk melodies and quirky lyrics, this album squeezes into the Top 5 primarily because the songs feel very well thought out.  For all their fanciful strangeness, these songs are exactly what they need to be, and the title track is a classic for these same reasons.

4. Uriah Heep - Look At Yourself

When I first listened to this, I thought it was alright, but upon revisiting both of their 1971 albums, this one stood out as the stronger of the two, mainly because it had a more focused rock approach.  The title track is a great start and "July Morning" really builds well, and the rest of the album just has the right touches to help put this one in the Top 5.

3. Led Zeppelin - IV

I've been relistening to a lot of Zeppelin lately, and as cliche as it may be, I do think this is their best album.  Not only featuring some of their most iconic tracks like "Black Dog" and "Stairway to Heaven," I was more recently blown away with the droning blues song "When the Levee Breaks."  I know I had heard it before, but this last time, it stayed in my mind much longer than I expected!

2. Pink Floyd - Meddle

It took them more than a few albums, but Pink Floyd finally pull themselves together and make some great music. While there are a few goofy tracks here and there, they arrive at excellence with the dark and brooding "One of These Days" and the epic underwater journey "Echoes."  Absolutely beautiful stuff.

1. Yes - The Yes Album & Fragile

I know this is cheating again, like I did with my Top 5 of 1985, but when my favorite band brings out two incredible albums in a year, this is just gonna happen!  Seriously, though, this is some of their best material.  Getting Steve Howe and Rick Wakeman on board expanded their sound considerably.  While I do think The Yes Album is probably better as a whole, Fragile does have my favorite Yes song "Heart of the Sunrise," so it's a close match.  In any case, Yes is certainly the best of the year, and I'm not ashamed to say it!

Retro Reviews - February 2026 Part Two!!

So here's the follow up from the last article, featuring three returning bands, and this time, all four are from 1971 to help me work out my Top 5.  Unfortunately, I don't think any of these will be making it as they are a clunky group of albums.  I know I may be tipping my hand early here, but nothing here was particularly mind-blowing, despite their various efforts.  Still, they're interesting albums and worth giving a listen, if only to show how each band has changed and will change.

Caravan - In The Land Of Grey And Pink

After checking out their debut and enjoying the follow up, it's finally time to check out their critically acclaimed third album.  At this point, the band was eager to get some attention outside their fanbase, and keyboardist Richard Sinclair brought some stronger pop music vibes to the songwriting.  While it's a decent collection of songs, I feel like something got lost in the shuffle as a consequence.

First off, the production is a major step up, sounding rather quite clean compared to their muddier previous albums.  However, the songs themselves are much more straight forward.  The album opens with "Golf Girl," which is about how the bassist met his girlfriend and honestly sounds bland, even with a trombone playing the lead melody.  "Winter Wine" is an improvement, letting the band jam around quite a bit, but then they get strange with the 7/8 "Love to Love You (and Tonight Pigs Will Fly)."  It's like they tried to blend prog with pop, and I don't know if it really works.  The title trick is alright, full of folky nostalgia for the band's hometown.  The album then closes with a 22 minute epic titled "Nine Feet Underground."  While it certainly has some interesting sections, I don't know if the flow is quite perfect as they journey through them.  It makes me think of Procol Harum's "In Held Twas In I" at times, but much more instrumental.  It's not bad, and probably the closest the band gets to the weirdness of If I Could Do It Again... that I liked.

While it's not a bad collection of songs, the spontaneity of the previous album is missing.  Perhaps the band wasn't as interested in psychedelic spaces this time around, shifting into their idea of a pop rock sound with some very safe song structures.  I liked "Winter Wine" and "Nine Feet Underground" the most, as they took me on more of a sonic journey than the others.  Maybe I need to listen to it more, but this is a let down compared to what I heard.

Wishbone Ash - Pilgrimage

While the band did well with their first album, they were pretty rushed to put out a second and relied on some older material they had written before but couldn't fit into the first.  I enjoyed their debut as a decent set of jammy blues rock, the band takes a much bigger dive into jazz-fusion.

Jazz was certainly a part of their sound before this, but this is stepping away from the likes of Cream in favor of something like King Crimson or Colosseum.  This is made very clear with the first two tracks "Vas Dis" and "The Pilgrim" being some very interesting journeys, and featuring some very technical playing.  Steve Upton in particular gives his drum kit quite the pounding.  It is also worth noting that these two songs don't have any lyrics, but instead feature some interesting vocals anyway.  "Vas Dis" goes for this rambling scat melodies, while "The Pilgrim" has some Yes-like ahs that fit the moodier tone.  There are two other instrumentals, but they're short and don't add much.  "Alone" was part of a longer song, but they decided to just include a section of it that's a meditative jam, and "Lullaby" has some appropriate sentimentality with the guitar harmonies.  "Valediction" is also in the soft rock style, though the lyrics are on the forlorn side.  Of course, the blues rock hasn't been completely abandoned, as "Jail Bait" is very straight-ahead with its structure (until the sudden reggae section at the end), and the album ends with "Where Were You Tomorrow," a live blues jam that goes over ten minutes.

I don't know if this is better or worse than their first, as it is kind of a different animal.  The one before was more of a blues-rock album and had some pretty good stuff, but here, I think the jazzy songs are the better ones, as the blues rock feels a little bland in comparison.  In any case, the band remains solid, featuring their slick guitar licks and harmonies and backed by a very driven rhythm section.  I understand their next album Argus is the one everyone praises, but I'll have to wait until next year to get to that!

Hawkwind - X In Search of Space

After getting through their first album, which was quite the unusual trip, I was feeling a bit hesitant about their follow up.  Fortunately, this one ended up being much more music focused, letting their synthy noise-makers be the spice to their spacey jams.

Things kick off with the 15-minute uptempo epic "You Shouldn't Do That."  It takes a minute to get into the music, but once it does, the chugging rhythms do a solid job of setting the tone and letting the band just mess around creatively for most of the runtime.  While the lyrics are more angst driven, they have this overlapping style that flows well with the song.  However, the album kind of descends from there.  While there are more decent space rock jams, they don't feel quite as ambitious, though. "Masters of the Universe" feels the most organized of the songs.  "We Took the Wrong Step Years Ago" shakes things up by being more of a folky jam on acoustic guitars, but the rest pretty much stick to more mid-tempo songs that roll along.

This is a definite improvement, as the band is clearly focusing on creating a musical space rather than a noisy, ambient one.  I admit it's hard to know how much of this is intentional and how much is just improvised playing that's loosely organized, but I suppose that's space rock for you.  At the very least, this is much closer to what I was expecting with the band.  I don't know if I've heard anything great yet, but I can see this band growing on me the more I listen to them.

Electric Light Orchestra - The Electric Light Orchestra

Before becoming pop rock legends, the Electric Light Orchestra started as more of a chamber pop group, inspired by some of the symphonic songs of the Beatles.  Largely focused around Jeff Lynne, Roy Wood, and Bev Bevan, their debut is a very confusing album, as they haven't quite worked out how to make their blend of ideas work smoothly yet.

The opening track "10538 Overture" is a decent start, featuring a solid riff and backed by the orchestrations well.  You can definitely hear their later sound in this one, as well as on "Nillie Takes Her Bow" and "Mr. Radio."  However, the album is uneven with its shifting styles.  The Beatles' influence is strongly felt on "Look At Me Now" and "Queen of the Hours," and they have some instrumentals that feel like movie soundtrack pieces, full of drama and noise, but they don't hold my interest very well.  The production isn't really helping them.  Maybe having different instruments panned far left and right might have sounded impressive at the time, but it just feels jarring now, and there are spots where things get muddy.

The one thing that holds the album together is this strong sense of melodrama.  You can tell the artists were dedicated to an idea, but hadn't quite figured out how to make it work.  Blending orchestral arrangements with typical pop and rock structures weren't necessarily new, but I don't think anyone quite embraced them as much as ELO was trying to here.  I did like "10538 Overture" and "1st Movement (Jumping Biz)," even if that second track was derivative of "Classical Gas" by Mason Williams.  Overall, this album is a mixed bag, but I'm determined to dig through their discography as I'm confident there will be some great tracks soon enough.

Retro Reviews - February 2026 Part One!

Now that 2025 is finally out of the way, I can focus on a new set of Top 5 lists for this year.  However, in order to check out some stuff for my 1971 list, I figured I should squeeze in a handful of debut albums in advance.  The first three bands all have albums in 1971, but I'll get to those next time.  Here's what I've been checking out for the start of the new year!

Caravan - Caravan

Formed by remaining members of The Wilde Flowers, and borrowing equipment from their country mates Soft Machine, Caravan had their humble start with this debut album in 1969.  While I definitely enjoyed their follow up from 1970, going back to this one shows them still forming their sound and clearly hoping for some pop success.

The songs are much more conventional here, with many of them featuring standard verse and chorus structures.  While they aren't bad songs, they do just kinda carry on in a bit of a lazy, laid back.  The opener "Place of My Own," "Love Song with Flute," and the nine-minute closer "Where But For Caravan Would I" all sound the most like their jazz fusion-y second album, so they stand out the most to me, but there were a few other good moments.  "Ride" gets some decent, meditative sections and "Magic Man" is a good little ballad.  However, other tracks like get a little too weird.  "Policeman" feels like their attempt at a quirky Beetles-like song, and "Cecil Rons" has some jarring repetitive chords and aggressive growling vocals, of all things!

So over all, it's a decent set of songs with more than a few clunky moments, though this is expected of a band who is on the cusp of something greater.  Sometimes it just takes some experience before a band really coalesces into themselves.  I don't know what I was expecting necessarily when I started listening to this, but it served as a decent foundation for them to build on for future releases.

Wishbone Ash - Wishbone Ash

This is a band I've heard about, but had never really gotten around to until now.  They are best known for having two guitarists, a style that would be very influential on later metal bands like Judas Priest and Iron Maiden.  Opening for Deep Purple helped them get attention from MCA Records, and by the end of 1970, they released this debut album.  Clearly built on the British blues rock scene, this some decent rock with a very jam-friendly vibe.

While bands like Cream, The Yardbirds, and perhaps even Black Sabbath's first album come to mind, but the double-guitar work really sets them apart from those bands.  Another stand-out element is the very clean production, allowing you to hear those crisp guitar harmonies that really are the highlight of the album.  Even bassist Martin Turner joins Andy Powell and Ted Turner on some of the melodies, creating a powerful sense of unity.  Meanwhile Steve Upton gets plenty of work out of his drums, find all kinds of gaps to get in a fill.  Overall, there's a solid, upbeat vibe to their songs, at least for the first half, with "Blind Eye" and "Lady Whiskey" bringing a lot of boogie.

The second half has the band really pushing into psychedelic rock, featuring only two tracks that are both over ten minutes long.  "Handy" starts with an extended bass solo before settling into a blues rock groove that felt like a genuine ancestor to Seven Planets before reaching a rather jazzy ending.  "Phoenix" was much the same, starting with some laid back jamming before turning up the energy with a swing step.  I definitely like the second half more, as I think it had more identity and featured the players at their best as they jammed away.  Overall, it was a pretty fun album, banging my head through it all.  For a debut album, there's quite a bit going on, and I look forward to where the band goes from here.

Hawkwind - Hawkwind

Another debut album!  Hawkwind is another band I had heard about, but never listened to until now.  I mostly knew them as a band that leaned in "space rock" long after the 60s (and had Lemmy on bass for a bit before they kicked him out, which caused him to start Motorhead).  But I'm getting ahead of myself here.  Their first album is considered an early space rock landmark, but honestly, I don't think it's aged that well.

I get that the point of psychedelic rock is the vibes and atmosphere instead of having thought-out orchestrations, but there are times where this album seems to revel in musical noise that occasionally has some rock jams in between.  A great example is "Seeing It as You Really Are," where there are so many sound effects and strange noises going on that it overwhelms what might have been a decent track.  Another example is "The Reason Is," which turns out to be just a few minutes of jarring ambiance.  Fortunately, there are a few songs to enjoy here.  The opener "Hurry on Sundown" has a folky twang coming from a 12-string guitar, making for a very acoustic-heavy rock jam.  "Be Yourself" has some rather King Crimson rhythms at the start before settling into a decent groove.  The closer "Mirror of Illusion" is probably the best track, as Dave Brock's voice really carries the song through a pretty solid jam, featuring plenty of solos.  I guess this song is what I was expecting the whole album to be like.

After listening to the whole thing, I get the feeling that the band were more interested in freaking out the listener than focusing on the music.  The descending warp in "Paranoia Part 1" in particular seems designed to make the listener to panic, thinking there is something wrong with their player.  Perhaps innovative and bizarre for its time, but listening to this retroactively on a computer, it feels just tacky.  Even though there are a few decent sections, this feels like one of those "you had to be there" kind of albums.

Deep Purple - Fireball

Finally, something that isn't a debut album!  I've been slowly working my way through Deep Purple's catalog, and I can see why Mark II is so important to the band's history, as I'm finding quite a bit to like.  This one has another decent bunch of songs, but listening to this retroactively, it's hard not to feel like this is just preparation for something greater.

I think a good way to describe this album is to say that the band is coming to terms with their new sound.  While In Rock was a massive burst of power, here they are grappling and controlling that power into something more organized.  They also wander into elements of space rock here and there, exploring the dynamics of their sound.  "No No No" and "Fools" have some stark transitions between hard riffs and mellower sections, but none of it feels jarring as they make these switches with a confident ease.  "The Mule" also has this droning quality that pushes the listener into a very strange space (though I do think the version on Made In Japan is better, naturally).  Still, there's plenty of rockin', with the opening title track not wasting anyone's time with its double-kicking bass drum energy, and "No One Came" has this pulsing drive from Roger Glover that keeps things moving.  "Anyone's Daughter" is a curious attempt at a joke song, but it's hard to know how much of the band was into the idea.

This is an improvement over In Rock, as the band is a little more confident in what they're doing, not really having to prove themselves as much.  However, like I said, with Machine Head coming after this one, it's hard not to feel like this one falls short of that excellent album.  Perhaps it's unfair to do that.  In any case, they are really becoming a strong unit with some solid (if quickly written) songs, proving that the switch to Mark II was worth it for both the band and the listener.

Top 5 of 2025!!

Once again, I'm later than everyone else as I wanted to give everything I could a shot to get into this list.  I admit it's been a crazy year for me, as I wasn't as consistent at reviewing new releases as I wanted to be, while getting in over my head with the retrospective Top 5s!  Still, I think I was able to check out a solid chunk of what last year had to offer, allowing me to share my Top 5 of 2025 with some confidence!  As usual, power metal dominates the year with some very solid releases, but there are a few honorable mentions to throw in.  The Ferryman had an outside chance with Iron Will, and Helloween's Giants and Monsters ended up not quite making it, despite some very good songs.  With those out of the way, let's get into this thing!

5. Sabaton - Legends

Sabaton have really cemented themselves as a band that does their own thing, and usually does it well.  While the World War I themes were starting to wear a little thin on that last album, the band decided to not bother with a big concept album, and I think it has helped them regain some energy and squeeze themselves into this list.  It may be churlish of me to put this over the veterans Helloween, but I will take an album that's consistent all the way through than one full of highs and lows.

4. Crazy Lixx - Thrill of the Bite

The odd one out in this list, but this album made me smile all the way through!  While they aren't doing anything new or innovative, they definitely know how to make their style of throwback glam metal just dominate your speakers.  Sometimes, you just want a good, fun rock 'n' roll album, and Crazy Lixx has that in spades!

3. Primal Fear - Dominiation

Another incredibly consistent band that had a bit of a drop of lately, but seems to be returning with strength in 2025.  Perhaps their new rhythm section helped improve their execution, but Scheepers, Karlsson, and Sinner really pulled together a pretty good album this time.  Not as good as Rulebreaker, but solid enough to get onto this list.

2. Dragonknight - Legion

Certainly the sleeper of the year, I really can't find much fault with this album.  There's certainly plenty of symphonic power metal to compare this debut album to, but these guys have pulled off a well-executed album, being bombastic enough to be fun, but not losing themselves in overly complex or melodramatic songwriting.  It's just the right mix that helps it stand out over the others.

1. Majestica - Power Train

It might be silly, but I can't deny that what Tommy and his buddies have done is write probably the greatest love letter to power metal I've ever heard, not only respecting their elders but also finding a decent amount of variety in these tracks to mitigate any repetitive elements.  I think it also helps that they clearly just love doing this kind of music, and that passion is what pushes this album above the rest for 2025.

2025 Wrap Up Part Two!

I admit I'm really cutting this one close, but I wanted to make sure that my review of the year wasn't just all metal!  I've got some prog rock as well as some AOR for this one, which might be a little contradictory, but these albums are all worth checking out.  Here's what I've finally gotten around to!

exo-X-xeno - Luminous Voyage

So this is a bit of a weird one.  A few years ago, I had heard that a man named Craig Maher had put together a prog rock project that featured Billy Sherwood and Jay Schellen of Yes, and Patrick Moraz, who was Yes's keyboard player for Relayer.  I admit I was moderately intrigued by that, but then I heard nothing for quite some time.  Recently, while picking through some of my spam emails, I discovered that I had signed up for their newsletter and saw that they had finally released their album last June!  So figured I had better check it out before I was finished with the year!

Listening to this is a bit of an odd experience.  The best way I'd describe the music that it's like that era of late 70s Genesis where Phil Collins has just taken over on vocals, but they haven't gone full pop yet, but then pushed through Yes's 90125 to make it more lush.  Craig Maher is not a bad singer, but I do think there are a few weak spots.  His guitar playing is quite good, though, as it's more in the melodic school of Ian Bairnson.  Billy Sherwood seems to be channeling Drama-era Chris Squire, as he has some very energetic basslines, and Schellen is right there with him on the drums.  However, Patrick Moraz feels like the weak link.  He has some good keyboard runs, but some of his synth choices are odd, and sometimes sound cheap.  "At Water's Edge" is a good example of this.  However, I think the biggest problem is the production.  While it's not bad, it does feel a little uneven.  Billy's bass might be a little too loud, and it feels like everything needs some more polish to help it feel like the instruments are working together, though I'm not smart enough to know what's missing.  I just know that it's off somehow.

The songwriting is decent enough, though.  "Vitrivian Man" is probably the best song, as it feels like they really put a lot of thought in putting that one together, "Reaching for Beyond" has some nice ideas, and "Live Life" has good energy as the closer.  I don't know if this album really makes the most of its promise, but I could see this being a decent starting point for a new prog project.  If they do more, I will certainly be curious.

Spock's Beard - The Archaeoptimist

So going from their first album to their latest is certainly quite the leap, especially since only Alan Morse and Dave Meros are the only two members who have remained.  (Though Ryo Okumoto joined shortly after the first album, making him the third longest member of the band.)  This time, the band worked with someone named Michael Whiteman, resulting in some pretty solid prog rock.

Sonically, this seems to be between Marillion and Haken, with the melodic sensibilities of the former with the creative transitions of the latter.  Despite the fact that it's all I've listened to, comparing this to their first album would be pretty unfair as they have clearly matured since then.  In fact, maturity might be the key word for this whole thing.  Nothing feels particularly excessive (for prog anyway), letting sections drift a little, but not too far.  "Invisible" is a good starter for what to expect, but I think "Electric Monk" is a little stronger as a song.  The title track is the album's 20-minute epic, telling a story about a post-apocalyptic future about a father who teaches her about the past, inspiring her to become a good leader in the future.  The closer "Next Step" is another rather optimistic number that sings about leaving the past behind, featuring some neat transitions and dynamics.

Overall, I liked a lot of it.  I don't know if I have much to say about the performances other than they're pretty solid.  Okumoto definitely plays around his synth tool box, drawing on influences ranging from Keith Emerson to Isao Tomita, but otherwise, this is some pretty good third-wave prog from a band who clearly has the experience to do it well.  I know that this is a pretty huge gap in my prog knowledge, but this album gives me hope that it will be one worth filling.

Crazy Lixx - Thrill of the Bite

Making a hard switch from prog rock to glam metal, this band has been pretty reliable lately in providing some solid, 80s-inspired hard rock, and their latest is more of the same, in the best way possible!

While there has always been a small cinematic quality in their sound, I do think this album they lean much harder into the schlocky movies of the 80s (if the album art wasn't a clue).  Nearly all the songs are about darker, edgier subjects while keeping that decade's iconic glam metal sound, feeling like a blend of Def Leppard with Ozzy's or Mötley Crüe's shock rock approach.  Of course, this is a subtle thing, as they are still rocking hard like the MTV hits that inspired them, and they rock it well.  The album kicks off with the very upbeat "Highway Hurricane," and blasts its way through to the end, with no ballads to bog things down at all!

I think the main difference that makes this band stand out compared to others in the same style is that Crazy Lixx has the right energy.  They know they're being kinda cheesy and campy, but they also love this stuff and embrace it like fans, which allows them to find the fun in what they're doing.  The production is spot on, and the band plays with so much precision and gusto, I can't help but smile through most of this album.  While I could make some nitpicks, this is definitely Crazy Lixx at their most pure, and I don't think I'd want it any other way!

W.E.T. - Apex

I can't believe it's been nearly five years since I'd heard anything from this band.  I enjoyed their last album enough that it got a spot in that year's Top 5 article.  While I'm sure these guys were busy with other bands over the years, they've come back together for another round of AOR, and once again, it's a solid set of songs.

Night Ranger comes to mind again for this band, finding that sweet spot between Journey and glam metal.  Whitesnake comes to mind as well when the band gets a little bluesy.  Henriksson provides more crunchy riffs and melodic solos, and vocalist Jeff Scott Soto is joined by Eclipse's Erik Mårtensson on a few songs, making this album feel more like an Eclipse album than the last one did.  However, these are minor details as the band rocks together quite well as usual.

The album starts well with "Believer" and "This House Is On Fire," both being good uptempo rockers, "Nowhere to Run" has a nice groove, "Day By Day" is a crunchy closer with good energy, and the rest of the album carries on its melodic rock path much like the last one did.  Again, what could have been some standard AOR is bolstered by the band's passion for this kind of music, making it quite the cut above the rest.  I don't know if it will make my Top 5 for the year, but it's definitely a highlight of the previous year that I should have gotten to sooner.

Styx Retrospective!!

I believe I've mentioned that my music listening history started with my father's classic rock collection.  While the big three have remained pretty constant in my life, if there was a fourth, it would be Styx.  I remember getting into them in the mid-90s, enjoying the purple A&M compilation album my dad had.  They really were the first "hard rock" band I got into, and they've stayed with me over the years, as I've never grown tired of their unique blend of distorted guitars and theatrical ballads.  Perhaps not unique for the 70s, but still iconic in all the right ways.  This time, I decided to focus just on their studio albums, largely because I had been working on this for a few years, and I was hoping to get it out before the end of the year with their latest album.  I didn't quite succeed, as you can tell, but it's been a fun ride regardless.

2025 Wrap Up Part One!

I have to admit that I've been pretty negligent with my New Releases articles, as my Top 5 lists took up a lot more of my time than I anticipated.  However, I did want to at least go over some new albums, so I've got this handful plus one more group before I figure out my Top 5 list for 2025.  This is much more metal focused (I'll get to rock in the next one), so for now, here's what I've been headbanging to lately!

Sabaton - Legends

After completing a pair of albums based on World War I, the band decided to break away from album-long themes in favor of just writing a bunch of songs about various heroes and moments in military history, ranging from ancient Egypt to Napoleonic France, with a few trips to East Asia for good measure.  While I did find their last album to be a little lackluster, I think these topics have revived the band a little, as there are quite a few good songs here.

As for their style, it's Sabaton doing what they've been doing for nearly two decades now: bombastic heavy/power metal, though this time I did notice an increase in synthesizers (and not just orchestrations), which was interesting.  They rarely take center stage, but do feature on most of the songs, which is a little unusual for them (or maybe I hadn't noticed them before).  However, all the sounds you expect are here.  Joakim Brodén's baritone voice dominates the album, giving the lyrics plenty of gravitas, and the rest of the band stays tight to the song, as they do little beyond their  solid songwriting formula.

This time around, I really enjoyed the faster songs, like "Hordes of Khan," "Maid of Steel," and "The Duelist," though they still have some solid mid-tempo stompers with tracks "A Tiger Among Dragons" and "Crossing the Rubicon."  The rest of the tracks are decent as well, if pretty standard fare for the band.  In the end, though, it's Sabaton doing what they do best, with a bit of extra flair that I think makes it stronger than some of their other albums.

Cristiano Filippini's Flames of Heaven - Symphony of the Universe

I checked out their debut album a few years ago and found it to be pleasant, but not an amazing listen.  However, their line-up stayed together, and now they've released another bombastic batch of symphonic power metal.  Not much has changed in five years, as they still have their blend of shreddy guitars, soaring vocals, and layered keys, providing both orchestrations and 80s synths.  Once again, I thought of Rhapsody of Fire, Beast in Black, and Sonata Arctica (especially their excellent first album), and they do a good job of blending those styles together.  The lyrics remain as melodramatic as before, being both fantastical and sentimental, and there are a number of longer songs on this one, with four of them going over six minutes in length.  However, I do think the songs lean more into AOR territory than they did on the first album, but considering their sound, that isn't much of a stretch, really.

Naturally, I was drawn to the faster songs, like the opener "On the Wings of the Phoenix" and "The Power Stars," though they often had some interesting shifts for the bridge, providing a touch of prog.  From the mid-tempo songs, I think "A Flame from the Sky" is the best one, as it has some anthemic qualities.  The rest of the songs were fine, largely held together by the consistent, lush production, and the album does a better job than their debut at maintaining its energy to the end.  Not amazing, but pleasant.

The Rods - Wild Dogs Unchained

When I checked their album for 2024, it was really the first time I had given them a shot, finding it to be a solid collection of straight-ahead, no-frills metal.  However, their discography seemed to show some pretty large breaks between albums, so I was surprised to see that they'd cranked out another one so quickly!  Apparently inspired by one of their albums from the 80s, this one is just business as usual for the old veterans.

Once again, this is cruise control metal, as things mostly stay in the mid-tempo range and rock along without too much to shake things up.  There is a few more synths than just the Purple-style organs, especially on the dynamic "Tears of the Innocent," but otherwise, this just plods along, providing decent riffs and hooks to headbang along to.  The energy does pick up a little with the title track, "Time to Rock," and "Make Me a Believer," where the band comes alive, at least for a little while.  I do enjoy this band, but compared to the likes of Judas Priest, Saxon, and Accept, who are still dominating the traditional metal space these days, this band really struggles to compete.  There's nothing wrong with "rocking it old school," but aside from their retro charm and confidence, The Rods aren't really doing a whole lot that helps them stand out.

Majestica - Power Train

After Tommy Johansson left Sabaton, he turned his attention back to his own band Majestica.  Once known as ReinXeed, this band his been Tommy's personal band since the early 2000s.  Five years ago, he orchestrated a rather clever concept album, telling the story of A Christmas Carol with Christmas carols.  This time there is no concept, just a set of very fun power metal songs!

While there are obvious comparisons to recent power metal, such as Sabaton, Twilight Force, and Beast in Black, I think what makes this album work is that it draws upon the uplifting attitude and whimsy of Helloween.  Things kick off with the title track, which is such a refreshing, high-speed blast of joy.  Sure, it's a little cheesy, but the cheerful attitude is pretty infectious, and I found I was smiling through a lot of it, and that feeling carried through the rest of the album.  Some of the songs are more story-based, but they never drop the ball, carrying the same energy as the other tracks.  All of this is performed with gusto, as Tommy and his buddies are tight and majestic as ever.

I actually feel pretty bad for sleeping on this album for so long, as it came out back in February!  This feels like a love letter to power metal in general, with "Megatrue" being full of HammerFall references as the most obvious in that tone.  "No Pain, No Gain" is probably the most empowering song I've heard in a while, and "Thunder Power" is a nice blast to the face.  However, the closer "Alliance Anthem" had such strong classic-era Stratovarius vibe that I nearly jumped out of my chair listening to it!  This is going to give both Helloween and Primal Fear some serious competition when I consider my Top 5 for 2025!

Top 5 of 2020 (Revised)!!

Here we are!  Granted a little later than I wanted, as I was hoping to get through all of these Top 5's before the end of the year, but I didn't manage my time well enough.  Still, this has been an interesting Top 5 to consider, or rather, re-consider, as I put one together five years ago for this blog.  However, after relistening to everything I reviewed before and catching a bunch more for good measure, I've ended up with the same five albums (albeit in a different order)!  Apparently good albums stay good.  

Last time, I brought up Let There Be Nothing by Judicator as an honorable mention.  It's still decent, but a few others need to be mentioned, namely PWR/UP by AC/DC (which really is quite solid as an album of hard rock) and Firewind's self-titled album.  Their style of heavy/power metal seems to have grown on me a lot in the last five years.  Nevertheless, let's get into this Top 5, and talk about how these albums have faired these five years later.

5. DGM - Tragic Separation

Let's be clear: this is still a very good album.  It's in the Top 5, after all!  And it's not like I've lost any love for what the band does here.  It really came down to how the other four albums have just grown on me over time.  Admittedly, it also doesn't help that I think Endless was a better album, as they really pushed themselves on that one.  However, I still enjoy much of this album, with all of its technical riffing and melodic choruses.

4. Primal Fear - Metal Commando

Listening to this a few more times, I think I was a little unfair to this album when I first reviewed it, as there really is some pretty strong material here.  While it doesn't dethrone Rulebreaker as my favorite of theirs, this band is very consistent in quality and this album serves as another testament to their upbeat, heavy/power metal style, bolstered by Ralf's iconic, soaring vocals.

3. Iron Savior - Skycrest

I admit my thoughts on this album have not changed that much.  Iron Savior remains one of my recent favorites, and while this album isn't as good as Firestar or Kill or Get Killed, it's solid enough to maintain it's place from five years ago.  I will say that the song "Hellbreaker" has become one of my favorite songs, now, which certainly helps.

2. Lovebites - Electric Pentagram

I've mentioned it before, but I do think this is still their best album, with so many awesome, high energy power metal songs!  The album isn't perfect, as there are a few songs that I think are not as strong, but I wouldn't call them filler, either.  As I've gotten more into this band in the last five years, they really are a gem, especially in a time where I feel like power metal has been drifting into this farcical territory that I'm not fond of.  These women keep the fire for great power metal burning!

1. Sorcerer - Lamenting of the Innocent

This album.  I was blown away when I first heard it, and it has only gotten better.  Practically a musical steamroller, the album just flattens listeners with it's incredible atmosphere, bolstered by excellent riff after excellent riff.  Not since Paragon's Controlled Demolition has an album grown on me so much!  Now that I've listened to all of Sorcerer's albums, I'm confident that this is their best, and I look forward to whatever they do next, as I really do like their style of doom metal.  These guys definitely had the best album of 2020.