Anniversary Series - 1992!

While I am dedicated to getting these anniversary articles done, I have to admit I don't really have a lot to say about 1992.  Of course, there were certainly big things happening this year, but most of it is outside of the scope of this blog, with the expansion of genres such as groove metal, extreme metal, and punk rock.  Still, there are a few things I can bring up as being important releases for the year.

Naturally, the year also saw a continuation of the grunge explosion, but most of that first wave happened last year, as Nevermind, Ten, and Badmotorfinger continued to sell copies.  This didn't leave much new for the genre, but we did get two big releases.  Alice in Chain's Dirt had success with tracks like "Would?", "Them Bones," and "Rooster."  Meanwhile, Stone Temple Pilots exploded with their debut Core.

Of course, heavy metal hadn't quite been completely erased by the alt rock movement.  Iron Maiden told us of their Fear of the Dark, being the last album with iconic singer Bruce Dickensen for 8 years.  Black Sabbath would suddenly reunite with Heaven and Hell lineup (albeit temporarily) for Dehumanizer.  Manowar gave us The Triumph of Steel, featuring a 28 minute epic about the story of Achilles.  Blind Guardian would push further into their fantasy themes with Somewhere Far Beyond.  Megadeth would follow their rivals Metallica with the mainstream success of Countdown to Extinction, featuring the massive "Symphony of Destruction" and the quirky "Sweating Bullets."

In terms of classic, melodic rock, there are a few gems.  Asia would reform around John Payne and release Aqua, Neal Schon worked with the Gioeli brothers for the first Hardline album Double Eclipse, and Def Leppard would find some left over pop metal appeal with Adrenalize.  AC/DC would also release a widely celebrated live release, simply titled AC/DC Live.

However, in terms of melodic rock and metal, what most likely might be the most important release is Images and Words from the prog metal giant Dream Theater.  While the fusion of prog rock and metal had been kicking around in the 80s, it wasn't until this second album of theirs that the genre really took off, as many bands have since tried to emulate what Dream Theater established here.  Not only featuring their only hit, "Pull Me Under," but also other favorites like "Learning to Live" and the renowned "Metropolis Part 1."  Melodic metal would never be the same after that album.

I'm sure there are plenty I missed from this year, so if you think of any, let me know in the comments below.  Still, a pretty big year for a few reasons.  As always, check out the playlist below for more.  Until then, rock on! \m/

Last Played - June 2022!

Sorry for the lack of content.  Been busy with other things lately, so I haven't been as focused on listening to new stuff.  However, I did squeeze in these three, which are a solid trio of albums.  Here's what I've been checking out lately!

Hardline - Double Eclipse

While I've enjoyed a few of Hardline's more recent songs, I've heard that their debut album is a classic hard rock gem that came out at a time when that style was getting pushed to the curb.  Featuring Neal Schon of Journey (while they were on hiatus), and Dean Castronovo, who would later join Journey and be on plenty of modern AOR bands, this certainly has the credentials, and songs are exactly what I expected.

Right off, the first thing I noticed was the massive production.  This is stadium-ready rock right out of the gate.  The guitars are massive and crunchy, and Johnny Gioeli's vocals soar over everything with gusto.  The songs seem to drift back and forth between Whitesnake-style pop metal and the AOR style the band would become better known for these days.  It also finds a decent balance between hard rockers and epic ballads.  The lyrics are a little cheesy, but it fits right in with contemporaries like Steelheart and Slaughter.

However, Hardline got dropped by their label after this and wouldn't come back together for ten years with nearly a new lineup, but I know the 90s were pretty hard on bands like this.  It's also interesting to hear Neal Schon do something heavier than what I'm used to hearing from him.  The songs that stood out to me the most were "Rhythm from a Red Car," "Everything," and the Japanese exclusive track "Love Leads the Way," which is probably my favorite.  With big, rocking tracks like these, I can see why this album would have been a gem for those trying to find melodic rock in the grunge era.

Cristiano Filippini's Flames of Heaven - The Force Within

Back in November of 2020, I checked out two songs from this group and thought they were some decent symphonic power metal.  The name stuck with me, though, and this month I thought I'd finally go back and give their entire album a chance.  Feeling like a sonic mix of Rhapsody of Fire, Beast in Black, and Sonata Arctica, the album starts with a lot of energy, but seems to lose a lot of that drive towards the end.

The production really stands out here, going for this lush, layered, wall-of-sound style that really goes as epic as it can, making it easily comparable to Rhapsody of Fire.  Songs like "We Fight for Eternity" and "Far Away" are solid examples of the symphonic side of the band.  The lyrics are also reminiscent of their fellow Italians, as it's full of fantasy themes and personal stakes.  However, in the midst of all the orchestrations, there seems to be an emphasis on 80s synths, a la Beast in Black, including some solos!  Tracks "Against the Hellfire," "Dying for Love," and "Moonlight Phantom" are good examples of this sound.  Finally, vocalist Marco Pastorino seems to be an Italian Tony Kakko, giving these cheesy lyrics a strong sense of authority with his performative style.  The album's ballads "Always With You," "Finding Yourself," and "Missing You" show some strong Sonata Arctica influences as well.  And where is the titular Cristiano Filippini?  While I think most of his work is in the orchestrations, there are some nice melodic guitar solos throughout the album.  I get the impression that he probably a quite capable shredder, but instead he goes for more of an emotional, melodic approach most of the time, which I thought fit the songs quite well.

Describing all of this may seem like the album is rather all over the place, and it certainly has a lot of dynamics over its runtime.  However, the production keeps things pretty consistent in tone, so nothing felt out of place.  My favorite track has to be "Lightning in the Night," because I feel like it's the one that blends the different styles together for a great power metal epic.  Unfortunately, it's sandwiched by a pair of ballads, and the rest of the album doesn't have quite that same energy towards the end.  Still, I think this was a pretty solid listen, overall, and I would certainly want to check out any more from this project, if they decide to make a follow up to this.

Seven Planets - Seven Planets

After enjoying their debut album last year, I thought I'd take some time and listen to the second album Seven Planets had to offer.  Once again, we're back into that classic instrumental jazzy blues-rock, where there is plenty of licks and drum fills.  However, this album certainly sees an increase in the psychedelic side of things.

Probably the biggest difference is the amount of effects on the guitars to really let them drift in and out of the song.  While the fun licks are still here, the guitars are much more atmospheric than before.  Nowhere is that more prevalent than on the 10 minute epic "Objects in Space."  This one really takes the listener on a journey, with some nice builds and breakdowns that flow well.  In fact, flow is probably the highlight of the entire album, as the songs just kinda drift through the mind with ease.

Not to say that the album is forgettable by any means; there are plenty of solid riffs and melodies to be found here.  Stand out tracks for me were the epic "Objects in Space," "Lamont Starfield" with it's harder rock riffing, and "9th Time," which starts kinda mellow, but builds up pretty well, ending with a lot of good energy.  The whole album is just so jammy, though, that it feels like it washes over the mind, like a soothing bath.  I do think this is an improvement over the first album, though, as the guitar effects help to establish a solid, spacey atmosphere that I enjoyed quite a bit.

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I think, for the forseeable future, I'm going to shift my schedule slightly.  My goal now is to try and do three articles a month: a Last Played, an Anniversary Series, and a New Videos.  I don't mean to make excuses, but right now, I've got some other concerns that are taking priority.  Still, I don't plan to quit by any means; I still have plenty of things I'm looking forward to talking about!  So things might slow down a bit, but I'm still marching forward.  Next will be the Anniversary Series article for 1992, so look forward to that!  Until then, rock ! \m/

New Videos - June 2019!

Well, after such a busy April and May, I seemed to have slumped a little.  Don't worry, I have plenty of content coming down the pipeline, but first, let's cover some new videos.  Turn it up!

I know it might seem strange to start with a ballad, but this one does have quite a bit of heart behind it, even if it is broken!  Soaring vocals from Herry Hess along with a symphonic vibe really help this one soar.  Get out the lighters

Crazy Lixx is at it again, with another anthemic 80s-styled rocker!  With that epic, glossy Def Leppard vibe, these guys bring the fun for their brand of glam metal, and it just sounds amazing!  Having a few fighter jets flying around blowing things up doesn't hurt either.

What's this?  More AOR?  Why not!  Here we have Hardline again rocking like it's still 1982, and that's a good thing!  This has all the drive and adrenaline a good rock song like this needs!

Have I mentioned how impressed I've been with Italian Prog Metal lately?  Here's another great epic, though it's a little closer to traditional metal, but full of melodic leads and epic synths.  Still, great stuff!

And now for something a little different.  Monkey3 is known for their modern take on psychedelic rock and just like the last song I featured, this is full of atmosphere and intensity.  The fact that this is live doesn't affect the sonic weight and power of what they have going here.

Man, these guys can play!  I know I've posted them here before, but I can't help it!  So intense while still being melodic and catchy!  Once again, big Megadeth vibes, without feeling derivative, this is just another dose of great metal!!

New Videos - February 2019 Part 2!

The world of rock doesn't sleep cuz I've got more videos for ya!  Time for another mix of what's coming out!

Let's start off this list with some nice and crunchy AOR.  Hardline has been around the block for some time, so they know how to make some melodic hooks.  You might want to "Take a Chance" on this one.  (Sorry, I couldn't resist.)

We got another video from TÝR full of epic folk metal.  Can I say that I really like Gunnar's vocals?  He really brings the epicness to the music in a way no other band does!  Oh, and playing in cave is pretty cool, too.

Talk about 80s AOR!  This doesn't even sound new, and I mean that in a good way!  I guess this is a comeback of some kind for this band, but I get massive Journey and Asia vibes.  This sounds amazing!

Oh, look who's back!  Here we get some more solid epic space opera power metal that Iron Savior is known for.  With a fist-pumping chorus and some great riffing, it might be more of the same, but that's not a bad thing at all!

Visigoth keep things old-school.  Like brothers-in-arms Manowar, Omen, and Manilla Road, we have here some classic traditional metal full of fantasy and bluster.  Singer Jake Rogers really has a great voice for this kind of stuff!

Let's close this one out with another video from Beast in Black.  They really have forged their own sound, sitting somewhere between power metal and synthwave!  In any case, here's one more dose of that 80s cheese turned up to 11!