Anniversary Series - 2001!

The middle of the month means another anniversary article!  Once again, I'll mostly be relying one what I've listened to instead of being a comprehensive look at the year.  Fortunately, I have a lot for 2001, so let's get into it!

Once again, power metal comes up big, with some great albums from bands that would go on to do big things.  Let's start with Kamelot and their album Karma, which is a great follow up to their previous album, pushing the band to even bigger heights with songs like "Forever," "Wings of Despair," and the title track.  They even start to push their concept-based songwriting with a three part epic called "Elizabeth."

Speaking of storytelling, 2001 would give us the debut of Tobias Sammet's Avantasia with The Metal Opera.  While only having the first part of the story, it would kick start a run of albums telling all kinds of stories over the years, and their first is an excellent one, featuring tracks like "Breaking Away" and "The Glory of Rome."  We'd also get great power metal from Edguy's Mandrake (highlights include "Tears of the Mandrake," "Golden Dawn" and "Nailed to the Wheel) and from Sonata Arctica's Silence (which has "Weballergy" and "Wolf & Raven").  Just a great year for power metal.

The other big genre would be post-grunge, with two of its biggest acts releasing big albums.  Creed provided Weathered, and album that I think brings their gritting side with their radio-friendly side together very well, something I covered in that retrospective I wrote earlier this year.  The other big release came from Nickelback, with their breakout album Silver Side Up, which provided big hits like "How You Remind Me" and "Too Bad," though I think their deeper cut "Money Bought" is just as good.  Another kind of big album was the debut of Andrew W.K., I Get Wet, ensuring that Parties would always be Hard from then on.

Finally, I just want to bring up Yes's Magnification.  It's an interesting album because instead of having a keyboardist (as is standard for the band), they went with a full-on orchestra.  The songs have some fascinating variety, and it's probably the closest they have come to recapturing the majesty of their 70s material.

So that's 2001.  Kind of dedicated to some specific genres, but it's what I'm familiar with from this year, and definitely worth checking out.  As always, if there's something I've missed let me know.  Until then, rock on! \m/

Anniversary Series - 1996!

Time for another anniversary article, this time for 1996!  Once again, as we get closer to the present, it becomes harder to focus on the year as a whole.  Looking over it, I'm realizing that I actually haven't listened to much from this year that my blog covers.  Still, some really great stuff came out this year.

First of all, there's a lot of solid power metal that came out this year.  Stratovarius finally gets their iconic lineup together and release an iconic album, Episode.  Featuring speedfests like "Speed of Light," "Will the Sun Rise," and "Father Time," as well as epic tracks like "Eternity" and "Babylon," it's an album with plenty of great tracks, full of Tolkki's solid riffing and iconic solos.  Definitely a power metal classic.

Of course, these Finns weren't the only ones providing some epic power metal.  Germans Helloween followed up The Master of the Rings with Time of the Oath, with "Steel Tormentor" and "Power" as standouts.  They would also release a live album this same year called High Live.  Brazilian Angra would also give us Holy Land, a power-prog concept album I reviewed two years ago!  Trans-Siberian Orchestra would round things out with their debut, Christmas Eve and Other Stories, ensuring that the holiday would never sound the same again.  This year also features Apocalyptica's debut, made up of fascinating covers of Metallica songs on nothing but cellos.  While they would go on to write interesting stuff themselves, their debut is still an interesting listen to this day.  

Other records of note include the Flower Kings Retropolis and Nickelback's Curb, both of which I reviewed here on the blog last month.  The first is a solid representation of third-wave prog, while the second is an early step of what would become a giant in the post-grunge scene.

To cap things off, I'll talk about two of my big three (well, sorta).  Alan Parsons solo group released On Air, bringing back the concept album motif, this time focusing on flight for its theme.  Meanwhile, Yes reformed a classic lineup from the 70s and released Keys to Ascension, a strange combination of some solid live material, and a few new studio tracks that have never really stuck with me.

As always, I've got a playlist for they year, featuring all of the above plus a few extras.  However, I make lists to help me with these articles, and I know I've missed a lot of stuff.  Maybe I'll get to more of it in the future.  Until then, rock on! \m/

Last Played - June 2021!

Well, the heat only seems to have gotten worse.  I feel like this will be a long summer.  A good time to be indoors and listening to some new rock and metal.  Here's what I've been checking out lately!

Nickelback - Curb

I know I’ve mentioned this before, but I do think Nickelback have become over-hated.  They’ve always had a pretty solid, crunchy hard rock sound, in my opinion, and I decided to give their very first album a listen.  While it’s not bad, it’s very much a product of its 1996 release date.

Some things are pretty familiar, such as the thick guitar tones and Chad Kroeger yarling through it all (which I've never minded), but their sound and songwriting haven’t quite developed into their own style yet, certainly leaning into the now-classic Seattle Sound.  Pearl Jam is probably the largest influence, though there are a few moments that make me think of early Foo Fighters as well, and a few tracks lean more into punk rock.  It’s certainly a blend of alternative rock styles from the mid-90s.

There are some good riffs and interesting moments here and there, but not much really stood out.  Some of it is dark and moody, other times it’s more jumpy and energetic, so it's a bit of a messy album, but at least it’s not the same ideas over and over.  It's was fun to hear how the band started early on, with their influences shining through, but as an album, it’s just kinda okay.

Robin McAuley - Standing on the Edge

Robin McAuley is one of those journeymen who wandered through many bands in the 80s, making a name for himself, but never really settling with a single band, and he’s continued that pattern in recent years.  After reconnecting with Michael Schenker for a few albums, then joining Black Swan, he has followed up with his first solo album in more than 20 years.

Unsurprisingly, it’s largely mid-tempo rock songs reminiscent of his time as part of the McAuley-Schenker group in the late 80s.  The riffs are actually pretty chunky, and the synths and organs add some nice layers, all of which work to provide the ideal backdrop for McAuley’s vocals.  Honestly, he sounds great here, his voice giving authority to what might be some pretty standard lyrics.  None of it is awful, just kinda pedestrian, but when they’re sung by someone this good, it’s hard to complain.  It’s almost like he hasn’t aged at all!

The album is pretty by-the-numbers, but that’s to be expected with something like this.  The tracks that stood out to me were the ones I’ve featured before on the New Vidoes articles on this blog: “Thy Will Be Done” (which is a solid opener), “Standing on the Edge,” “Say Goodbye,” and “Wanna Take a Ride” remain good rockers, with “Chosen Few” being rather punchy, kinda like AC/DC, and "Running Out of Time" being a nice, uptempo closer.  A little heavier than most AOR, but as an album, it flows pretty well, and proves that Robin still has it, making for a pretty good listen.

Paladine - Finding Solace

When I came across this band earlier in the year, I figured, as they only have two albums, I'd start with their first one.  It's a bit of a rough listen, as the production has some quirks, but otherwise, it's a solid, if clunky, collection of power metal.

These guys really like their DragonLance lore, as all their songs are drawn from that D&D universe.  I'm only a bit familiar with it, having read the Chronicles trilogy when I was in high school, but it works as a sufficient core to build epic songs around, even if the lyrics don't don't always gel.  Sonically, they sound very much in the heavy/power realm, much like early Dream Evil, Metalium, or Warrior Path, with a dash of Iron Maiden for good measure.  However, it does have some first album drawbacks.  The songs are probably too long for what they are, and the drums sound a bit too forward in the mix and very clicky.

Still, these are minor problems.  Nick Protonotarios is a good vocalist, mostly going for a gritty epicness, not unlike Herbie Langhans or Henning Basse, and there is plenty of solid guitar work and solos.  They also have a folky acoustic ballad or two to mix things up a little.  However, the only tracks that stood out were "Master of Present & Past," and "Metalizer," which has a strong Firepower-era Judas Priest vibe.  Still, they show plenty of promise, and I'll be sure to listen to their second album later this year!

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I don't really have much to add this time around.  I pretty much intend to just keep going, doing my semi-regular articles, listening to more music, and not let the heat of summer get the best of me.  Until then, rock on!  \m/

Anniversary Series - 2005!

I have to say, writing these Anniversary articles has been fun.  I get to go over stuff I love as well as dig into things I haven't heard before.  This month: 2005.  I admit that my knowledge of what the rock world in general was doing at this time is pretty sparse, but I know what I like, and this year has plenty of melodic rock and metal worth celebrating.

Speaking of which, let's start again with power metal.  A lot of really good albums came out this year for the genre, including the debut of Allen/Lande, a team-up to two very dynamic singers who really lay it on thick.  The album is full of fist-pumping anthems that are blast to hear.  HammerFall would continue their crusades, providing another set of stomping huge songs in Chapter V, namely "Blood Bound," "Fury of the Wild," and "Born to Rule."  And while Stratovarius' history would be pretty bumpy at this point, their self-title release is something of a dark horse in their collection, having some of their best material, in my opinion.

Kamelot would carry on their quality streak with The Black Halo, the second half of a concept album pair based on Faustian legends, and features tons of epic material.  Sabaton would kickstart their military history flavored metal with Primo Victoria, camo pants and all.  And of course, a discussion of power metal in 2005 wouldn't be complete with DragonForce's Inhuman Rampage, featuring the Guitar Hero favorite "Through the Fire and the Flames," and cementing the band as the poster child for the genre.  Admit it, when most people think about power metal now, it's usually DragonForce they think of.

Of course, there was more to 2005 than power metal.  Post-grunge continued to stick around, with 3 Doors Down's opener "Right Where I Belong" from Seventeen Days, and Nickelback showing us that "Photograph" everyone keeps making fun of them for.  Other highlights include Wolfmother's debut, full of Sabbath-y riffs and Deep Purple-y organs, as well as Disturbed finally turning the corner into their now iconic groove metal with Ten Thousand Fists.

To cap off, I want to end with band that may have flown under the radar.  One called Presto Ballet.  Formed by Metal Church guitarist Kurdt Vanderhoof, he set out to put together an album that paid homage to classic rock bands of the 70s, taking Yes and Kansas into strongest consideration.  Along with a dedication to more analog recording techniques, their debut album is a very bright and vibrant album that straddles the line between crunchy and prog the way bands like Kansas and Styx did back in their heyday.

So that's another anniversary article in the books.  As usual, the playlist with even more good stuff is posted below, and if I've missed something, shout it out!  Until then, rock on! \m/