Last Played - February 2023!

Once again, anniversary articles are dictating my listening habits as I continue to expand my classic rock knowledge base.  While I was kind of planning on getting this out before the 1973 article, things didn't quite work out, but I suppose it's not that big of a deal to have these reviews come out afterwards, as I didn't really talk about the two 1973 albums I review here.  Ovreall, it's a bunch of classic stuff, as I've definitely been in the mood for it lately.  Here's what I've been spinning for the past while!

Blue Öyster Cult - Tyranny and Mutation

After doing this iconic band's debut album last year, I knew I needed to follow up with their sophomore effort this year.  Once again, the album is quite the mix of sounds, though I do think there is a stronger blues-rock core to it all, making me think of the Rolling Stones or Steppenwolf at times.

I think there's a little more energy on this album, overall.  The opener "The Red and the Black" definitely sets the tone for some solid rock-and-roll style jamming, which carries on with "Hot Rails to Hell," and "Teen Archer."  Even the more chilled tracks like "Wings Wetted Down" and "Mistress of the Salmon Salt" still retain some doomy power.  In the middle is "7 Screaming Diz-Busters" where they mix it together into a jazz-fusion-styled jam that has them going back and forth between a bluesy groove and and a more uptempo chorus.  And through it all, Buck Dharma is noodling his excellent guitar work from beginning to end.

While the songs are another hodge podge of ideas, and the lyrics are still very strange and esoteric, I do think this one is a bit better in the songwriting, even if they have a tendency to let the songs jam on a little too long at the end.  However, I can imagine them being quite entertaining it see played live, as they have all kinds of spaces for the musicians to add extra touches and licks.  Again, I don't know if I've really wrapped my head around this band yet, but I haven't given up.

Uriah Heep - Sweet Freedom

Yup, I'm carrying on this journey as well.  After binging their earlier albums last year, I'm starting to get a feel for how this band is.  Compared to the last one, I think the band was eager to get back to their comfort zone of big hammond organs and tight vocal harmonies will retaining their streamlined songwriting.

At this point, the band is sounding very 70s.  I don't know if it's a deliberate thing or just a consequence of the production, but this one really did feel like they were picking on some poppier ideas from the time.  While the staples of the band are still here, Sweet Freedom doesn't really have much that the band hasn't done before, really.  The vibes of Deep Purple, Vanilla Fudge, and early Styx come to mind again.  "Circus" goes for a more chilled acoustic vibe, but otherwise, the album maintains a kind of mid-tempo groove, letting Ken Hensley get a lot of work out of his organs and David Byron sail over everything with his vocals.  Some of the lyrics were rather weak, often repeating themselves, and the whole alphabet thing at the end of "Seven Stars" is very baffling.

It's not a bad album, per se, as the performances are good, but it's very standard for them.  I did like parts of "Dreamer" and "Sweet Freedom," as they had some good energy.  "Pilgrim" is a decent closer, with some epic moments and a nice jammy section in the middle, but the ending is a little tedious.  Overall, they have some pretty good dynamics, building things up as they go, but I don't know if the payoffs are particularly strong, resulting in a very average album compared to what they've done before.

AC/DC - Powerage

At this point, my listening of AC/DC is just filling in the gaps that I haven't gotten to yet.  Of course, this one is another solid slab of blues rock that the band put out like clockwork, but I do think it shows a bit of a transition in their sound from the bluesier side into the anthemic hard rockers they're known as the world over.

The album does start a little slow, as the first few songs have some decent grooves, but not much more.  However, once we get into "Riff Raff," "Sin City," and "What's Next to the Moon," the energy picks up and mostly carries through to the end of the album.  Another thing is that they seem to have a better sense of dynamics on these songs than with their earlier albums, often starting with a low, brooding vibe before building up to some big riffs and choruses, clearly foreshadowing the huge hits that would show up on Highway to Hell and Back in Black.  However, I don't know if think this album is quite up to that level of quality.  It's a sign that their clearly building towards something, though perhaps it's more noticeable through the benefit of hindsight.  Still, what we have is decent, as there is plenty of opportunities for Bon Scott to croon over some solid riffs, the new bassist Cliff Williams does a solid job keeping the rhythm down with Malcom and Phil, and Angus Young jams out his solos with his usual reckless abandon.  As ever, it's a hard rock album that goes down easy, just like the rest of their catalog.

Anvil - Forged in Fire

Yup, it's time for the next Anvil album.  Once again, this is quite the step up from the last one, as it feels like they're embracing the 80s metal sound more and more.  While they carry over their Judas Priest and Iron Maiden influences, I'm hearing a bit of Dio-era Black Sabbath in there as well, as well as maybe some of the early glam metal sound.

Right off, everyone is performing much better.  The guitars are fierce and full of energetic solos, the drumming is pounding while still taking time for some solid fills, and Lips is really turning up his voice, channeling Halford many times across the album.  The lyrics also pick up more of the classic metal tropes, including fantasy combat, freedom, and even some social commentary.  Sure, there's still a few raunchy songs, but even those are driven by some interesting riffs.  Two tracks definitely stood out the most: the title track, which has a nice doomy feel, and "Free as the Wind," which has a great metal gallop to boost its anthemic power.

However, I can tell that the band is maybe at a bit of a crossroads.  Part of the songs do have a touch of the early pop metal sound, while still trying to retain the aggression of the NWOBHM style.  1983 was a unique year, not only featuring the success of bands like Quiet Riot and Def Leppard, but also kickstarting the extreme metal with the debuts of Metallica and Slayer.  Anvil seems like it's kind of trying to stand on the cusp of the two styles, as if hedging their bets as to where things are going to in the future.  Still, this album is definitely the best I've heard from them so far.  They haven't quite reached the level of the likes of Judas Priest or Accept in terms of classic traditional metal, but they're getting quite close.

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So that's a nice chunk of classic rock and metal.  I know there are several new releases that have come out, but I haven't gotten to them yet, as this older stuff has been my focus lately.  Still, I don't intend to be completely left behind, as I know some big names have made some big announcements.  I don't know when I'll get around to them, but I assure you it's become quite the list already.  Here's hoping I don't get too far behind!  Until then, rock on! \m/

Last Played - April 2022!

I'm finally getting around to listening to some new stuff!  Well, new to me anyway.  Lots of catching up on classic bands this time, but there's a lot of good stuff to go over.  Here's what I've been listening to lately!!

Anvil - Metal On Metal

Last year, I decided to check out Anvil's debut album, only to find it pretty underwhelming and immature.  There were a few decent parts, but otherwise, I was not impressed.  So I was glad to hear how much of an improvement their next album was, as they push further into heavy metal territory.

Right off the bat, with the opening title track, you can tell they've picked up a lot of heft.  While they did have a bit of the NWOBHM rockin' before, on this album there's much stronger Judas Priest and Accept vibes.  The riffs are chunkier, and the leads are quite noodly, as they find little gaps to fill in here and there.  "Mothra" and "Scenary" continue the heavy metal assault, with Lips sounding a lot like Rob Halford.  "March of the Crabs" stands out as well, as it's a noodly instrumental reminiscent of early Iron Maiden, and there are some more Maiden-y riffs on "Tease Me, Please Me."  Things even get a bit thrashy on the tracks "Jackhammer" and "666."  Everyone just sounds like they really stepped up their game for this album.

Unfortunately, the sleazy lyrics make return on a handful of songs.  However, they aren't quite as amateur as they were on the last album, as they wouldn't be out of place on some glam metal albums that would dominate the decade, so maybe they were ahead of their time.  Still, this album is a major improvement after Hard 'n' Heavy, with the metal riffing and bigger attitude across the board.

Rush - Hold Your Fire

As I said in my review of Power Windows over two years ago, Rush is a band that I think I like, but I haven't really spent a lot of time with them, especially their later material.  Picking this up where I left off, Hold Your Fire shows Rush at their most 80s, for better and worse.

This is definitely an album that dates itself.  The production definitely sounds like 1987 (making me think of Yes's Big Generator from the same year, actually).  However, once you get past this, the music remains some pretty solid, synth-heavy melodic rock.  Geddy Lee gets a lot of layers of lushness out of his keyboards, givng the songs an expansive feel to match their big ideas.  He doesn't overuse any particular sound, often shifting from big symphonic synth pads to small, noddly little pieces.

Of course, we also get Lee's melodic basslines, Lifeson's unique (if jangly) guitar work, and Peart's iconic drum fills.  I don't know if any of the tracks really stand out, as they are all generally pretty solid, though I do feel like the band has definitely taken a deeper step into AOR territory.  However, the occasional proggy bit and Peart's lyrics really help to elevate this album from getting too fluffy and shallow.

I like this album more than Power Windows, as this one feels more optimistic and uplifting, over all.  Once again, I think this album could grow on me if I listened to it more.  It really is impressive how these guys seem to sound so iconic even deep within the 80s rock scene.  While it certainly is a product of its time, Rush remain consistent as ever.

Black Sabbath - Dehumanizer

So after doing Heaven and Hell and The Mob Rules, I wasn't sure if I wanted to do the rest of the 80s for Sabbath.  I had heard that it gets pretty messy and mediocre.  So I thought I'd just jump right ahead to 1992 and the return of the Dio lineup.  While it was a short-lived reunion, the result is some pretty decent heavy metal.

It's interesting comparing this one to the two previous ones, as I feel like the decade difference in time has allowed for some subtle changes.  Not only is the production even shinier, I could start to hear the influences of the last decade seeping in a little as well.  Of course, Dio brings his stamp onto things, with songs sounding like much of the output from his solo career, especially "TV Crims" and "Master of Insanity."  But when they do the darker songs like "Computer God, "After All (The Dead)," and "Buried Alive," it sounds like one of those slower thrash metal songs, like the opening of "South of Heaven" by Slayer.  However, there are a few poppy songs as well, with "Sins of the Father" and "I" making me think of Ozzy's solo stuff, of all things.

Despite all these interesting influences, I can't shake the feeling that it's a bit of a safe album.  While it's certainly not bad, as I did quite like "After All (The Dead), "TV Crimes", and "I," I don't know if it really has any surprises, or any thing that the other two Dio Sabbath albums didn't do better.  It's a solid album, as everyone performs well and Iommi does some decent solos, though, Certainly a big comeback for the band and their fans, but I do wonder if it was a little too focused on trying to recapture some old magic.

Hammer King - Kingdom of the Hammer King

After enjoying their self-titled album last year, I thought I would dig into their back catalog and check out Hammer King's debut album.  While I expected more of their heavy/power metal sound, this album definitely shows a band that hasn't quite matured, but still establishes a decent foundation for them to build on.

The main thing that stands out is just how generic it all is.  This is about as meat-and-potatoes as a heavy/power metal album can be!  The lyrics in particular are quite short and simple, leaning heavily into their inspirations of Manowar and HammerFall.  However, they end up turning the simplicity into a strength, helping the songs feel more catchy and fun to sing along with.  The songwriting is also pretty straight-forward and formulaic, but there is something to be said for focusing on execution, resulting plenty of mid-tempo chugging, and some very nice melodic solos.

However, it really is the same tone and vibe all the way through.  While "Blood Angels" does get a little darker and heavier, this is some pretty cookie-cutter heavy/power metal.  There isn't much to criticize, though, as it's all done pretty well.  I particularly enjoyed the call-and-response elements on "Aderlass," "We Are the Hammer" kicks it up a notch, and "Figure in the Black" is a curious ode to James Bond, of all things.  While it's not as good as their self-titled album, I can see this album as a good starting point for what they will become.

Last Played - November 2020 Part Two!

Now that we're coming down to the end of the year, I'm listening to all kinds of stuff.  This article is gonna keep it classic, for the most part, featuring some old school riffing and attitude.  Let's get into it!

Anvil - Hard 'n' Heavy

Anvil is another name I had seen around, but never really gotten to.  I know they sometimes get name-checked as a major influence on better known bands, like Metallica.  I also haven't seen that documentary that got made about their history, though I do know that kinda put them back on the map, in a way.  So I've started with their first album (originally released under the band name Lips before switching to Anvil and rereleasing it later), and I have to say, it's not quite what I expected.

First, I will say that I did expect the sound to be sort of between hard rock and heavy metal, and that's definitely the case here.  Listening to it made my think of those early glam and pop metal records from the likes of Motley Crue or Def Leppard.  When they decide to up the tempo, there's also a dash of Motorhead in there as well.  Sort of a Canadian NWOBHM band, if that makes.  And they sound pretty good, clean riffs, not exactly consistent with the tempo sometimes, but confident in how they want to sound.

However, the main problem is the lyrics and their delivery.  They tried to go for a bawdy, suggestive tone, as if trying to out-do AC/DC or Van Halen, but they don't have much charm or thought to them, often just talking about picking up girls and sleeping with them.  The result, along with Steve "Lips" Kudlow's cheesy delivery, is something a horny high school boy would think is boundary pushing for the early 80s, but just comes across as shallow, and honestly kinda ruins the music for me.

Still, there's some neat bits here and there.  "School Love," and "Oooh Baby" have some nice riffs, and "Bedroom Game" is an interesting attempt at a kind of speed metal.  However, the rest is kinda forgettable. Even the Rolling Stones cover really doesn't add much but some metal chugging to the iconic original.  Maybe there next albums provide a clearer picture of their influence, but for now, this just seems like a mere footnote in the history of rock and metal.

Sorcerer - Lamenting of the Innocent

I'm always down for some epic doom metal, and this was another band who's name I'd seen floating around that genre.  Then when I learned that they're fellow countrymen of Candlemass, I figured I had better sit down and give these guys a shot by listening to their latest album.  However, I was pretty thrown by what I'd heard.

You know when a power metal or prog metal band will record a really slow but heavy song to try and shake things up?  (Like "Eternity" by Stratovarius or "Paralyzed" by Dream Theater.)  Basically, that's Sorcerer's whole sound.  You might think that sounding slow and mean would be classic doom, but that's usually with an intentionally thick production and fuzzy guitar tones, like Candlemass or Saint Vitus.  However, here, we have a very polished production, and very clean tones.  Also, most doom vocalists have a kind of haunted and tormented delivery, but again, with this album, Anders Engberg is as clear as a bell, and throws in some vibrato like Roy Khan, or has a more emotional tone like Mark Basile of DGM or Tom Englund of Evergrey.  Basically, I went in expecting doom and got slow, melodic prog instead.  It's weird!  With me being new to the band, it could be that this is just how they sound, but it still threw me for a loop.

That being said, it is by no means bad.  Engberg is a great singer, bellowing out classic doom lyrics with ease (songs about hope and despair, God and Satan, good and evil, fire and brimstone, etc.).  And guitarists Kristian Niemann and Peter Hallgren have plenty of great, chunky riffs, but also have tons of melodic solos and guitar harmonies, like Helloween or Iron Maiden.  The songs often hit seven or eight minutes, but they never felt long.  I think I liked what I heard, but I'm probably going to have to listen to it some more in order to reconcile how I really feel about it.  It's the most un-doom I've heard a doom metal album sound!

AC/DC - PWR/UP

Well, this ended up being one of the surprises of the year.  AC/DC was in rough shape the past few years, with Brian Johnson losing his hearing, Phil Rudd getting in trouble with the law, and the death of Malcolm Young.  So when rumors started leaking about the band getting back together with a new album halfway through 2020, it was pretty sudden.  Featuring more riffs from Malcolm before he had passed on, the album was made in tribute to him.

As for the music, well, you get what you expect with AC/DC: blues rock so old school, it has tenure.  What I noticed on this one was the backing vocals doing some different things other than just singing along with the chorus.  There are Wooo's and Oh Yeah's and the interesting shift in the chorus on "Systems Down" that has the guys singing a different rhythm than Johnson.  I'd have to go back and listen to some of their other albums to hear if they've done this before or not.  It's not a game-changer by any means, but it does liven things up a little here and there.

Overall, this album is very much like Rock or Bust: straight-forward rock that's good while it's on.  While there are some stand out tracks like "Shot in the Dark" and "Demon Fire," the rest is pretty standard stuff from these guys.  I still think they have yet to top Black Ice, when considering their recent output, but certainly not a bad effort.  

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Well, this one came out a little quicker than I expected, but I kinda threw that Sorcerer album in on a whim.  Still plenty to listen to before the end of the year, though.  I hope everyone is staying safe and staying warm, and have a happy Thanksgiving, if you're in the states.  Until then, rock on! \m/