After enjoy the more melodic side of 1981, it's now time to get into the heavier stuff. I've got a pair of pairs in here this time, as I'm still catching up with some of these bands. Still, there is some solid stuff here, even it isn't the greatest overall. However, let's get started with an NWOBHM highlight!
After enjoying their pair from the previous year, it's time to take on this classic. Retaining their lineup for one more album, they end up blending their hard rock and heavy metal ideas better on this one, making for a staple of the NWOBHM scene.
Honestly, this is just more of the high energy metal that they had established, now being refined with more experience. Once again, elements of Motorhead and AC/DC can be heard, but the band has really identified their sound now, one they would carry into the future. Things kick off well with "Princess of the Night" and "Never Surrender," as they have a lot of uptempo energy, which comes back with "Fire in the Sky." Otherwise, they stay in a solid mid-tempo groove for most of these songs. "Rough and Ready" pushes some tough guy attitude while "And the Bands Played On" reminisces about the Monsters of Rock Festival from 1980. The title track closes the album, celebrating the scene that turned up around the band. Naturally, it's become NWOBHM's anthem.
While it maybe easy to say that it's more of the same, I do think this is their best album of the first four, just slightly. The playing and songwriting feel tighter, and things sound just a touch bigger. The inclusion of more vocal harmonies certain helps, but honestly, I think the band just finally worked out what they wanted, and brought it to the people. While I don't know if it will make it into my Top 5, it certainly has a fighting chance.
While their first album was a decent chunk of hard rock, it didn't get much traction for them right away, so they dug in their heels and cracked out another two years later. While this one wasn't a big winner either (largely because their label dropped them), they do show some maturity in their songwriting and musicality.
The album is also quite short, clocking under 30 minutes with only 8 songs, so there really is no filler here. They also mix things up decently as well, with the opening title track going for this slow, sludgy track that's rather heavy, while "Pleasure in My Heart" has more of a funky groove, and "Road" is more uptempo with some metal chugging. "Dreams of Egypt" in particular sounds like their attempt at a Rush-style track, with all the noodly riffs and atmosphere. "I'm Lost" is faster rocker, feeling like Dio-era Rainbow ("Kill the King", for example.) The closing track "Stargazer (Round and Round)" is also peculiar, switching between a reflective ballad before switching to some very active hard rock.
However, there are a few problems. The production, while going for a big arena sound, does get a little muddy, especially with the drummer's bass drum. The lyrics continue to be simplistic, but Dave Meniketti sings them well. This album is an improvement over their self-titled debut, played with plenty of energy and featuring some good guitar work, but I don't think they've quite nailed their sound yet. Fortunately, I'm going to dive right into their transition into the 80s next!
With a new record label and a shortened name, the band entered a new decade ready to party! Sonically, they've streamlined their sound and really honed in on being a hard rocking band with no frills. Unfortunately, this made them feel like many other bands of the time.
While it may not seem like there's much of a change at first, as this is some well-played hard rock, but the harmonies are gone in favor of more driven, chugging energy. However, I wonder if they didn't take more than few cues from their contemporaries like Motley Crue, Van Halen, and AC/DC, even featuring a seven minute power ballad to close the album. I know 1981 was still pretty early for the glam metal scene, but it would be hard to see this one stand out from other bands at the time. It's not that these are bad songs necessarily, but they do feel kind of "by the numbers" for an 80s hard rock album. I can at least give them credit for anticipating what would work in the near future.
As for what I did like, "Rescue Me" had some good dynamics, blending in that acoustic guitar along with the electrics that made me think of Styx, actually. "Hurricane" has some good guitar work along with its metal chugging, and "Knock You Out" has some good swagger. The rest isn't bad, just kind of basic, and fun, forgettable way. I know they get more successful as the decade goes on, so I'll have to carry on through their discography to find out how that goes.
After enjoying their more recent releases, I figured I'd dig into the history of this classic band, going back to their debut album. Well, sorta. They recorded Rock Hard in 1980 with a small label named Primal before they got picked up by Arista. However, instead of recording a new album or just re-releasing Rock Hard, they took a bunch of tracks from the first album, added two new ones, and released it as a self-titled album. It's a bit confusing, but I figured it made sense to review them together, due to their small differences.
It turns out the self-titled album largely replaced the two covers with two different cover songs, but "Nothing Going On in the City" is the only one worth listening to of the four. In the end, the album doesn't blow my mind, but it does set the tone that (I imagine) The Rods intended to have going forward, so it succeeds in its goals, I think. They may not have been stars, but for those who like some old school rock fused with the coming 80s metal, this debut is not bad.
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