Top 5 of 1985!!

Well, this took a lot longer than it should have!  Turns out that there's a lot of rock and metal for this year, most of which was decent, but not amazing, so it took quite a few listens to figure out where to rank things.  While I do have an obvious winner (or two; I'll explain), the rest of the list was not easy, but eventually I decided I couldn't listen to everything and had to cut things off and choose.  I'm not as confident in this list as I am about the previous ones, but I have to move on.  So, for now anyway, here is my Top 5 for this quirky year.

5. Dio - Sacred Heart

It was tough to decide fifth place, as I was considering everything from Ratt and Accept, to Rush, but Dio's grandiosity won out.  It's not as strong as his first two solo efforts, as the band was starting to fall apart at this time, but you wouldn't really know it from the music.  Perhaps cheesy at times, but still a good amount of fun.

4. Asia - Astra

Once again, it's a drop off compared to this band's first two, as the inclusion of Mandy Mayer of Krokus pushed the band in more of an AOR style, but I think they make it work.  It's not as rich or proggy as the earlier albums, but there's enough of the classic Asia sound for me to put it up here.

3. Helloween - Walls of Jericho

As far as I'm concerned, European power metal started here.  Yes, it's a very rough album, mainly in classic speed metal territory, but careful listening shows the first steps of epicness, between the neo-classical riffing and Kai Hansen's wailing vocals.  While the band would definitely do better from here, picking up Michael Kiske, but I still find plenty of this iconic band's charm on their debut.

2. Dire Straits - Brothers in Arms

If there was an album that really defined 1985, it's this one.  Pushing their roots rock sound toward more commerciality, only to land on MTV's most sarcastic hit with "Money for Nothing," the band was thrown to the forefront of music listeners around the world.  Fortunately, the rest of the album is solid as well, with the somber title track, the easy-going "So Far Away," and my favorite from the album, the nostalgic "Walk of Life."  While the band had succeeded before, this album made them superstars.

1. The Alan Parsons Project - Vulture Culture/Stereotomy

Okay, so maybe I'm cheating here, putting two albums at number 1, but when they're both by one of my favorite bands, I was left with a hard choice?  Do let them take up two slots on a top 5?  Do I drop one in favor of the other?  Or maybe I just insist that it's my list and so I can make my own rules!  Seriously, though, this is some solid songwriting from a talented core of people.  The first carries on the formula of the previous two albums while the second sees them experimenting again a little.  While I do think Vulture Culture is the better of the two, Stereotomy is no slouch and has plenty of catchy melodic rock to enjoy.  Again, nostalgia plays a major role in putting these two albums at number 1, as I grew up on this band, but I can't think of any other album that can overtake either of these two for 1985!

Retro Reviews - July 2024!

I know I've complained about the heat of summer in years past on the blog, but this summer seems to be especially brutal.  Fortunately, I've been staying in doors and listening to music.  Once again, I've got some Anniversary Article inspired reviews.  After this month, though, I want to get back to listening to some new stuff.  In the meantime, here's what I've been listening to lately!

Asia - Aria

Continuing my journey through Asia's discography, this album is full-on AOR.  While they've always had it as a part of their sound, it had been increasing since Astra, and has reached full transition for Aria.  I'm not surprised, really, but it does mean I need to shift my analysis and comparisons.  As it is, it's a nice album of soft rock with lush layering, but doesn't really aspire to be much more that.

Most of what was good about their last album, Aqua, carries over to here, mainly the nice melodic phrasing and broad production.  The biggest shift is the lyrical focus on relationships and emotions, making them feel more like a typical melodic rock band.  While the production is very 90s, the songwriting and synths definitely reach back to the 80s.  As for the performances, they're fine.  John Payne is a solid singer for this kind of material, Michael Sturgis holds down the rhythm well enough, and Al Pitrelli gives some nice melodic solos (though he would leave after this album to join Savatage and Trans-Siberian Orchestra).  Honestly, if it weren't for Geoff Downes' banks of synthesizers (which sound great, by the way), it wouldn't feel like Asia at all.

There are a few interesting flourishes.  "Don't Cut the Wire (Brother)" has a decent shift from cinematic storytelling to anthemic rocking, and "Feels Like Love" also has a mid-song transition to a bigger cinematic sound.  In fact the whole album feels like songs that wouldn't feel out of place in some 80s movie.  As for the more standard rock songs, "Are You Big Enough" has a catchy chorus with tons of reverb on the vocals and "Military Man" probably has the strongest classic Asia sound.  In the end, it's not a bad album, but certainly a far cry from their first two in terms of songwriting and scale (though that may just be my nostalgia talking).

Dream Theater - Metropolis Pt. 2: Scenes from a Memory

I can't believe it's been two years since I last reviewed a Dream Theater album.  While they've ever really blown me away, they certainly are a fascinating band, eager to push into prog metal when both prog and metal had fallen out of the mainstream for good.  This album brings in Jordan Rudess on the keys, and it's their first concept album, picking up from where Part 1 left off from Images and Words.

The story is kind of convoluted, focusing on a man named Nicholas who has been haunted by past.  Trying to make sense of them, he goes to a therapist who uses hypnotism to figure out what happened, only to learn that, in a past life, he was a woman named Victoria caught up in a tragic love triangle between two brothers.  However, once Nicholas thinks he's got it figured out, the album introduces some new twists that makes things worse than initially thought.  All of this is told pretty well, as the band switches tones, tempos, and even sometimes genres, exploring all these themes.  While I don't think it's their best album, it is certainly a peak of creativity for them, and I can see why this is celebrated among prog and metal communities.

(Funny story: I actually listened to this album once back in high school.  I borrowed the CD from a friend and while I don't remember much of the music, I do remember feeling pretty unnerved by it all.  I wasn't really into metal yet, and as certainly not prepared for the complex song-writing or psychodrama they were going for.  Listening to it again brought nothing back, which is interesting, but now that I'm more familiar with the band, and metal as a whole, I can now appreciate it for what it is.)

All the Dream Theater staples are here: weird rhythms, call backs to older prog ideas, dramatic shifts in tone and tempo, and plenty of technical wizardry from all the playing members.  I'm not necessarily a big fan of the story, but it allows them to push their songwriting and technical chops, matching the blending of narrative elements with musical ones.  One thing I will say is that this album flows very well from song to song, making this an album that easy to lose time to as it moves from part to part.  Highlights for me were "Strange Deja Vu," "Fatal Tragedy," of course the impressive instrumental "Dance of Eternity."  If nothing else, this album proves why Dream Theater are at the top of the list for progressive metal.

Gamma Ray - Power Plant

Speaking of being two years since the last review, it's time for another pair from Kai Hansen.  I decided to do Gamma Ray first, even though it came out two months after the Iron Savior album.  While I enjoyed their previous album well enough, Power Plant is a serious step in my opinion.

Gamma Ray have never been too shy about their influences, but this album seems quite transparent with many of their songs.  Things start off with a deliberate Iron Maiden reference with "Anywhere in the Galaxy."  Then later on, "Short As Hell" sounds like it could come from Metallica's Black Album, "Heavy Metal Universe" is their take on Manowar's style, and they dip into Queen again for the epic closer "Armageddon."  I felt like I heard some influences from their contemporaries like Blind Guardian and HammerFall as well, and they even have two covers, one of Rainbow and one of the Pet Shop Boys, of all things.  The covers are kind of basic, but the original songs are so good that they work as Gamma Ray songs anyway.  However, I think the biggest sound I heard was Kai Hansen's own classic Helloween chops coming back.  I really do think this album is the most Helloween they've ever sounded.  (Not that I'm complaining, of course!)

But how is it as an album?  Quite good, honestly!  This is probably my favorite album of theirs now, as I feel like every track works.  Even the weaker ones are solid enough.  Stand out songs include the opener "Anywhere in the Galaxy," the very catchy "Send Me a Sign," the grittier "Strangers in the Night," and the energetic riffing on "Wings of Destiny."  I've always loved the original "It's a Sin" from the Pet Shop Boys, but Gamma Ray's cover is pretty fun.  Overall, a very satisfying album, full of power metal staples, but using them well to create some very interesting songs.  I hope Kai Hansen can get some things together soon, as I've love to hear what a modern Gamma Ray album would sound like!

Iron Savior - Unification

And here's the other one.  Following up from their sorta concept album from two years prior (which I thought was decent if a bit clunky), Kai Hansen and company carried their sci-fi storytelling forward for another solid slab of power metal.

The concept picks up from the last album: Atlanteans who escaped destruction travel the stars, only to come back home to see that their Iron Savior (who was supposed to protect them) has taken over earth.  So they have to unify with the remaining people of earth, revive a long-sleeping Atlantean, and work together to take on this rogue AI that seems to be developing ideas of its own.  Perhaps typical for this band, but it has inspired some very good power metal that drifts between speedy and heavy in a very satisfying way.  Whatever problems the songwriting had last time seem to have been smoothed over, as Kai and Piet work great together, not only on the vocals, but their guitar leads are very on point and downright satisfying. (The covers at the end are fun, and there's an extra track by another band called Excelsis that won a contest. Their song is an okay piece of fantasy-based heavy/power metal, though the vocalist is quite gritty.)

The album starts off well with the one-two punch of "Coming Home" and "Starborn," and carries the high energy narrative through "Forces of Rage," "Prisoner of the Void" and "Unchained," and the rest of the album is consistent in it's heavy/power storytelling.  If it weren't for the slightly dated production, this would sound just like their recent albums that I've been loving so much lately.  This band is quickly becoming a new favorite for me, as their style of power metal is exactly what I seem to want right now.

Anniversary Series - 2008!

Sorry for the lack of articles lately; things have gotten a little hectic for me lately.  Nothing serious, just real life being less convenient than usual.  However, it does mean I don't have the time or energy to look at new albums or doing reviews, so despite planning on reviewing more albums, this Anniversary Article is going to be a normal rundown.  Fortunately, there is some really good stuff this year.

While power metal had since peaked, at least in its popularity, the style carried on with artists old and new.  DragonForce followed up their Inhuman Rampage with an Ultra Beatdown.  While it was largely more of the same, it was still a pretty solid set of shredfests.  Sabaton solidified their themes and sounds with The Art of War, featuring titanic anthems like "40:1" and the title track, and Edguy would shift themselves into more of an 80s hard rock style with Tinnitus Sanctus.

However, in my opinion the big power metal release from this year is Amberian Dawn's debut album River of Tuoni.  Finding a curious space between symphonic theatrics and Stratovarius style riffing, and drawing upon their native Finnish heritage, the album is full of tight, epic tracks with just the right amount of grace provided by Heidi Parviainen's vocals.  

Another album I want to draw attention to is PowerWorld's self-titled debut.  Sometimes called melodic metal, they feel like a mix of Queensrÿche and later HammerFall, but they have some pretty solid songwriting, and a decent cover of "(I Just) Died in Your Arms."  Speaking of covers, Northern Kings returned with another slab of symphonic takes on 80s pop songs.  It's a shame they never did more, though.  Other highlights of the year include Disturbed's Indestructible carrying on their melodic groove metal style, and Metallica's brief return to thrash with Death Magentic, which I praised highly in my Metallica Retrospective earlier this year.

As for rock music, I'm sure there are a number of albums out there, but there are two I want to talk about.  First is the Asia reunion album Phoenix, which features the original lineup working together again, bringing back their proggy AOR sound with tracks like "Never Again." And finally there's AC/DC's Black Ice, which saw the band really channel their classic 80s style with a very good album of anthemic stompers, like "Rock 'n' Roll Train" and "Decibel."

Well, that covers the year pretty well, I think.  I know there are a bunch of other albums I didn't get to, so be sure to check out the playlist below and recommend others in the comments.  In the meantime, I'll work on getting myself back on track!  Until then, rock on! \m/

Anniversary Series - 1982!

While I do apologize for the lack of posts lately, but I am certainly not going to miss out on doing another Anniversary Series article.  This time: 1982, which is a pretty solid year.  Following up on 1977 would be hard, but this year has plenty of rock and metal to celebrate.

Right off, the year starts with three pretty big albums.  First is Asia's debut, a solid pack of AOR melodic rock, and one of my favorites of all time.  And given that it was the best selling album of the year, I don't think I'm alone in that.  The next big one was Iron Maiden's The Number of the Beast, kickstarting Bruce Dickinson's rise to the top of heavy metal vocalists, and catapulting the band to the heights of metal history.  This was followed by Scorpions' Blackout, with the big hit "No One Like You," helping to grow their international appeal.

As spring turns to summer, we see a landslide of melodic rock.  Toto released their massive IV album, with "Rosanna" and "Africa" become radio staples for many years to come.  Meanwhile, Magnum found themselves with Chase the Dragon, Rainbow continued their push into FM radio with Straight Between the Eyes, .38 Special gave us "Caught Up In You," Survivor told us about the "Eye of the Tiger," and the Steve Miller Band cast their spell with "Abracadabra." On top of all that, the Alan Parsons Project shift into melodic rock as well with Eye in the Sky, not only getting a big hit with the title track, but ensuring that the Chicago Bulls would have great intro music for their games for years to come.

Heavy metal was also heating up, with Anvil establishing their Metal on Metal sound, Manowar releasing their debut Battle Hymns, Twisted Sister put out their debut Under the Blade, and Judas Priest coming back from their lukewarm last album with the acclaimed Screaming with Vengeance, with the big hit "You've Got Another Thing," and the fan favorite "Electric Eye."  Accept would soon follow afterward with Restless and Wild, helping to push metal into going "Fast as a Shark," while telling us about the "Princess of the Dawn."

The rest of the year would give us a few solid rock albums.  Rush would push further into synthesizer territory with Signals, Dire Straits would warn us of the dangers of "Industrial Disease" on Love Over Gold, and Led Zeppelin would release their last, posthumous album Coda, putting a definitive capstone on their illustrious music productivity.  Closing out the year, Night Ranger would debut with Dawn Patrol, providing the big hit "Don't Tell Me You Love Me," and showing the future of rock in the 80s with their pop metal sound.

1982 sees more transitions, as AOR reaches its peak with metal coming up behind them, making it a fascinating year with a lot of variety.  As always, I've got the playlist below, and if you think I've missed something, let me know!  Until then, rock on! \m/

Last Played - February 2022 Part Two!

Now that I've got 1972 out of the way, I spent some time focusing on some other classic albums.  Of course, these all match up with future anniversary articles, but they were largely on my radar anyway.  Here's what I've been checking out lately!

Meat Loaf - Bat Out of Hell

So, despite being a massive fan of classic rock, I never really got around to Meat Loaf.  When he passed away earlier this year, I figured I should at least give a listen to his most iconic album.  While I was vaguely aware that Meat Loaf has a pretty melodramatic style, I certainly wasn't expecting the wall-to-wall Broadway cheese that dominates the album.  However, I can tell it's that very bombastic tone that has helped this album become the cultural touchstone of its era.

Trying to find comparisons leaves me with a very peculiar mix.  My first thought was that this felt like an American Queen, with a dash of Bruce Springsteen and 50s rock 'n' roll, writing nothing but epic power ballads.  While the Broadway-style approach to these songs makes sense given the songs' origins and the creators' backgrounds, it's this blend of rock and symphonic styles that really makes this album feel strangely unique.  The song structure seems to meander about, but it's hard to not get caught up in the high emotion of it all.  This is certainly not a subtle album!

The title track is probably the best one, as it has a solid chorus and great energy.  The rest of the album still holds up, though, as long as you adjust your mindset to the sheer romanticism.  Meat Loaf certainly gives his all, and the rest of the instruments back him up all the way.  You certainly couldn't make an album like this with any half-baked effort.  I don't know if this is something I'll come back to often, but I do think it's a fun album that aims high and largely succeeds.

Accept - Restless and Wild

Just like the previous two years, it's time to put on some more Accept.  At this point, the band really has their straight-ahead metal sound worked out, easily comparable to contemporaries like Judas Priest and Saxon.  However, this is definitely an improvement over Breaker, as I think the tracks are meaner and heavier.

Right out of the gate, we get "Fast as a Shark."  After a jaunty folk tune, it turns into high-speed heavy metal fury.  It's likely one of the fastest tracks for its time, and it's easy to hear a kind of proto-power metal vibe in it, especially with the neo-classical solo.  As for the rest of the album, it mainly stays in a mid-tempo metal range, but at least there aren't any ballads this time.  "Get Ready" goes for a bit of "Living After Midnight" rocking, and "Flash Rockin' Man" feels like a sequel to "Burning," though, without the iconic crowd chant.  "Demon's Night" is probably the darkest track they've done up to this point.  However, the other big shift is some longer songs.  "Neon Nights" has this ominous, cinematic tone with some great solos, and "Princess of the Dawn" goes for epicness with a kind of marching riff that carries through its six-minute runtime full of fantasy motifs and more solos.

While Udo brings his trademark wails and croons, I really feel like Wolf Hoffmann is the real stand out on this album.  Doing all of the guitars, we get from him plenty of crunchy riffs and solid solos, both of the shredding and melodic variety.  Overall, it's a pretty solid album, and the best one I've heard so far from the classic era.  I suppose we'll see how it compares to their next one when I review it next year!

Magnum - Chase the Dragon

So Magnum is another band that've heard little about, largely due to them being more successful outside of the US.  Though I've heard a few of their recent singles, and Catley's cameos on Avantasia albums, this is my first time really listening to the band.  I had read that this might be a good album to start with, as they finally establish their sound here, and it's a pretty unique one, blending the AOR of Styx and Asia with pretty crunchy, Saxon-like riffs.

The synthesizers are very up front, but they really match the NWOBHM riffing pretty well, with the fusion giving the songs an epic touch without feeling too floaty. Kicking off with some ambience, the album establishes this fused tone with the opener "Soldier on the Line," and carries it on with songs like "On the Edge of the World," "Sacred Hour," and "We All Play the Game."  They also have some proggy elements, as they aren't afraid to have a small section here and there to shake things up.  "Sacred Hour" does this really well, giving me Queen vibes.  Meanwhile, "Walking the Straight Line" definitely feels like a Foreigner track, though it isn't bad.

I admit I liked quite a bit of this, as it definitely has an interesting variety of sounds, between the hard rock guitar work and early 80s keyboards.  Vocalist Bob Catley definitely stands out, as his voice soars over everything, but it's full-throat, gritty kind of voice that really gives these songs a meaty and rich feel.  I can easily imagine their songs filling stadiums.  After such a solid first impression, I'll have to check out more from this band!

Asia - Aqua

Speaking of Asia, after doing their weird Then and Now album, I checked out their next one, which is the first in a long line of albums with John Payne as the vocalist and bassist.  While Steve Howe and Carl Palmer show up here and there on the album,  it's Al Pitrelli (later of Savatage, TSO, and Megadeth) who picks up a lot of the slack, resulting an album that has an interesting, stadium-friendly, soft rock style.

That's not to say that we've wandered far from the classic Asia formula.  Geoff Downes still brings is array of synthesizers to bear, and there are touches here and there of the old sound.  However, Pitrelli's chugging and occasionally shreddy solo feel like a continuation of Astra's push into AOR territory.  John Payne definitely as a more straight-forward rock voice compared to Wetton's, but I found it quite solid for what they're going for, as he sings with confidence.  The songs reminded me of some of the later Alan Parsons Project albums, or even Parsons's first solo album Try Anything Once quite a bit, as they also have that synth-heavy, AOR-plus kind of style.

The thing is, I actually quite liked it.  I felt the synths added a lot of atmosphere to the tracks, and more than once, the song would just ease into a middle section where the band just kinda go.  Not a jam or a solo, but just letting the atmosphere sink in.  The stand outs for me were "Lay Down Your Arms," "Heaven on Earth," "A Far Cry," and "Love Under Fire", but it's all relatively solid.  Even the two title tracks make for some interesting instrumental book-ends.  I admit I wasn't sure what to expect with a poppier form of Asia, but I'm pleasantly surprised by what I heard.

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Well, that wraps up another one of these.  I promise I'll focus on some current stuff again soon, as I've got a New Videos article lined up for the end of the month.  Until then, rock on! \m/

Last Played - January 2022!

While I may be busy working out my Top 5 for last year, I figure I would break things up with some classic album reviews.  I will admit part of this is in anticipation for my Anniversary Series articles, featuring material from the early 70s, but it also works as a good break from all last year's stuff I'm revisiting.  And we're going to start off with the two albums Uriah Heep released in 1971!

Uriah Heep - Salisbury

So early last year, I checked out these guys' first record, and found it to be interesting, though not mind blowing.  However, they were clearly on a roll, releasing four albums over the next two years.  Right off, there is definitely an evolution here from the first album.  While they may have started in Vanilla Fudge territory, they've definitely picked up a few concepts from Deep Purple by now.

Probably the tracks with the strongest Purple influence are "Bird of Prey," "Time to Live," and the 16-minute epic title track.  While that epic does try to go for some interesting arrangements with its orchestrations, it really does feel like a groovier, jazzier version of "Child in Time" to me.  As for the other tracks, "The Park" had an interesting, folky vibe, and "Lady in Black" had a really nice, haunting atmosphere.  "High Priestess" was just okay, but it did make me think of very early Styx, though.  However, the music generally flows well, and I enjoyed most of what I heard.

Their maturity is definitely growing here, especially with some better song-writing and jazz-fusion chops, showing a stronger sense of diversity.  Byron's voice is great as before, but I can't help but hear some Ian Gillain in it at times.  The organist Ken Hensley really stepped up for the songwriting, and it shows.  While the organ never takes center stage, it definitely forms the backbone of these songs, and he even sings the lead vocal on a few of the tracks.  Overall, I'll say that Salisbury definitely better than their first, and it will be interesting to see where they go from here.  Fortunately, you won't have to wait long for my thoughts on their next album!

Uriah Heep - Look At Yourself

Peculiar, meta-styled cover art aside, this album mainly continues their Vanilla-Fudge-and-Deep-Purple inspired sound.  It's a solid sound, but I wonder if this album isn't maybe a little less diverse than Salisbury.

Don't get me wrong.  It's still pretty solid classic rock.  The organs really take center-stage with their aggressive crunch, but the guitars are no slouch either.  The vocal harmonies are also very tight, adding layers to the songs.  Basically, they're maintaining their quality from the last album.  The title track and "July Morning" are staples of their lives sets, and for good reason, as they would make for some great live jamming.  However, "Shadows of Grief" is the one that stood out to me as being pretty different, as it seems to be leaning more into ELP's more aggressive style, with that middle section making me think of "Set the Controls for the Heart of the Sun" from early Pink Floyd.  There are even more Pink Floyd vibes for the beginning of "What Should Be Done."

While I do think Salisbury was a step up, Look At Yourself generally occupies the same level.  Of course, that's not a bad thing, as I got to listen to two pretty solid rock albums.  However, I don't know if I'm really picking up on what makes Uriah Heep unique so much as hearing their influences mesh together in interesting ways.  I suppose that's how all music evolves, though.

Asia - Then & Now

So this is a bit of a weird one.  Half a compilation, half new material, this feels a release to just tide things over while Asia work out their lineup troubles.  I don't know if it was really necessary, but it's not a bad little collection of songs.

The classic tracks remain classic.  I still consider Asia's debut and Alpha albums to be some of the best AOR ever made, so the first half of the album, which consists of five tracks from those two albums, goes down pretty easy.  The second half is when the new stuff comes in, and for the guitars, they pick up a few different guys, including Steve Lukather of Toto fame for the first new track, "Days Like These."  It's a decent rock track, but definitely leans more into the 80s pop/rock of Brian Adams or Huey Lewis than Asia.  The second new track "Prayin' 4 a Miracle" is decent, definitely closer to Astra territory, despite the terrible spelling.  "Am I in Love" is a ballad, which are always a hard sell for me, but Wetton's voice carries the song pretty well.  The last new track, "Summer (Can't Last Too Long," brings the energy back up, and I found it be pretty solid, honestly.  It has that thick, layered, Asia sound, but with more optimism than usual, making it the best of the four by far.  The album then ends with "Voice of America" from Astra, which is an odd choice.  I think I would have chosen "Go" instead, as it has better anthemic power, in my opinion.

Overall, I suppose it's a harmless release, sort of like an EP that has some classics to go with it.  However, this would end up being the last album with John Wetton until their classic lineup reunion in 2006.  It's a curious snapshot of the band in the midst of realignment, before Downes would find John Payne and carry on with him for the next 15-ish years.  Outside of "Summer," though, I wouldn't really recommend this to anyone but Asia completionists.

HammerFall - Built to Last

Let me start by saying that HammerFall is one of my favorite bands.  I first got into metal by listening to their classic albums like Legacy of Kings, Renegade, and Crimson Thunder.  However, when their later albums felt a little underwhelming, I ended up not listening to their latest ones.  It's not like their sound has changed all that much (though it did get a bit darker there for a bit), but I did feel like something had been lost.  Now that they have a new one coming out this early this year, I figured I would try to catch up on their last few albums.  I remember checking out (r)Evolution and thinking it was a decent attempt to capture their former glory, but very little stood out as really great.  Built to Last carries on this classic power metal approach and I think does a bit of a better job of it than (r)Evolution did.

Of course, all the HammerFall staples are here.  Plenty of chugging riffs and noodly solos, with Joacim Cans vocals soaring over it all, and plenty of double-kicking drum work pushing the songs forward.  The band has always found a spot between power and traditional metal that makes the best of both, in some ways. "Bring It!" starts with some good energy, but the songs that really stood out where "The Sacred Vow," "Dethrone and Defy," "Stormbreaker," and "New Breed," as I felt they had that classic power metal vibe, with some interesting ideas and great solos.  I even didn't mind the ballad "Twilight Princess," as it has an epic vibe I hadn't heard from them in a good while.

Honestly, this album is pretty consistent, with some good variation in tone and tempo to keep things interesting.  "Stormbearker" and "Second to None" shake it up with some mixed meter and shifts in tone, but it never feels out of place at all.  I'm probably going to have to listen to this a few more times to really decide how I feel it compares to the classics I cut my teeth on, but Built to Last is definitely an improvement compared to the ones that came right before it.

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I'm still working on my Top 5, and I have a pretty good idea of what's going to be my number, but the other four are proving to be difficult.  There were more than a handful of generally solid albums that came out last year, and it's hard to rank them.  I also catching up on some of the 2021 videos I missed out on, so there maybe one more New Videos article between now and the end of the month, but no guarantees.  Until then, rock on! \m/

Last Played - February 2020!

Good heavens, it's been a while since I've done one of these!  Part of it is that I relistening to the 2019 albums for my top 5, so I didn't start spinning anything new until this month.  Still, I've got some interesting albums to talk about, so let's get started.

Asia - Astra

Despite listing Asia as one of my favorites there on the right, I really haven't listened to much beyond their self-titled, Alpha, and their first reunion album Phoenix.  That being said, I've always wanted to get deeper into their catalog, and I figured now is better then never.

So Astra.  With Howe leaving, this album definitely doesn't carry as much of a prog vibe as the first two (though Alpha was already showing signs of streamlining).  With Krokus guitarist Mandy Meyer filling in, the band is now fully embracing an arena rock sound, leaving behind the flourishes that made their debut so vibrant.  The result is some pretty stereotypical 80s AOR.

That's not to say the album is bad.  "Too Late" and "After the War" are the two closest in style to the earlier albums, "Go" is a great rocker, and "Rock and Roll Dream" shows some interesting dynamics with the help of a symphony orchestra.  Geoff Downes' keyboards really take up a lot of space on the album, providing the songs his trademark richness in the tones and textures.  It's also curious to hear a cameo of THX's Deep Note at the beginning of "Countdown to Zero."

Reading up on some of the background on the recording, it's clear that they were going for more pop radio success, and it shows.  Songs are cleaner, bigger, but not necessarily stronger.  I'm sure if I give it more time, I'll find more to like about it, but for now, it's just kinda okay.

Gamma Ray - Insanity and Genius

After reviewing Sigh No More more than a year ago, I've finally come back to this band and their discography.  Their first two albums were okay, definitely a part of the early transition out of 80s speed metal, but very few songs really stood out.  Here, we see Gamma Ray starting to break out and try some things, on their way to their iconic power metal sound.

Still, there are a few quirks to shake out.  A few songs, namely "No Return" and "18 Years" still have a strong Helloween sound, though I suppose that's just Kai Hansen at this point.  "The Cave Principle" and " Heal Me" have strong progressive metal elements, with that latter song even showcasing a small mellow moment a la Pink Floyd, and a bit of theatrical touches towards the end.  "Gamma Ray," despite being a cover, fits their sound to a T, with a very catchy chorus.  "Last Before the Storm," however, is very much a glimpse into the future for this band and for power metal as a whole!  It's easy to hear in this song the rest of German power metal that would be created in the decades to come.

As it would turn out, this is the last album with Ralf Scheepers, and it's obvious that he's really grown as a singer.  We start to hear many of his iconic style that would become an integral part of his later band Primal Fear.  His performance on "The Cave Principle" really showcases this.  Otherwise, it's just okay as an album.  Like I said, they seem to be in transition, shaking out the last of the 80s cliches and trying to identify what they should be in the 90s by exploring a few different ideas.  I understand Land of the Free is when the band really takes off, and when I get around to it, I'll let you know!

Alter Bridge - Walk the Sky

Here's yet another band whose discography I have yet to really get into.  I remember getting their first album, mostly from the momentum of wanting to follow up with the Creed guys after they broke up in 2004, and while I thought it was pretty good, very little of it stuck with me.  However, after spending a large part of last year being blown away by their singles for this album, I finally decided to put it on and hear where Tremonti, Kennedy, Marshall, and Phillips are up to these days.

First of all, this album sounds just plain huge!  Of course, the big riffs and crunchy guitars were not a surprise, but it's the subtle symphonic or synthy touches that really kick this one into a higher gear.  And in between it all, there are little, intricate guitar parts that help the songs sound very rich and varied.  Sometimes they turn up the crunch and sometimes they break out the acoustic guitar for something softer.  However, it never feels inconsistent, mostly because the melodies and vocal lines tie everything together so well.  In contrast, the lyrics are simple and very straight-forward, though they certainly aren't cliched.  Miles Kennedy, however, sings them with such sincerity that it makes them so much more than just their word count.  He really puts on a great performance here.

Of course, with this many songs, it would be difficult for everything to be at the same level of quality, and I do feel like the songs start to blend together after "Pay No Mind."  Also, "Indoctrination" is a bit of a weirder one as it tries to go for something darker and more dramatic, but I don't know if it works all the way through.  Nothing horrible, but a few road bumps in the album's flow.

Still, there was plenty to like, that's for sure, with the standout tracks being "In the Deep," "Take the Crown," "The Bitter End," and "Pay No Mind."  Honestly, I feel a bit ashamed that I didn't get to this one sooner (though it certainly would have made my Top 5 of 2019 much harder!).  It's great to hear the band still providing triumphant epics in a genre that often doesn't have them.  Really solid stuff.

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As you can see, my article output has really stayed consistent so far this year, and I admit I'm pretty pleased!  Things may change in the future, but for now, I'd like to keep at this pace for as long as I can.  There certainly isn't a shortage of great material to cover, that's for sure!

Until then, rock on! \m/