Last Played - August 2023!

I'm not sure if it's just me getting older, but I felt this summer has been busier than others, taking up a lot of my time.  Nevertheless, I was able to squeeze in a few listens here and there.  It's a bit of an eclectic trio of albums, but there's pretty solid stuff to talk about.  Here's what I've been listening to lately!

Primal Fear - Primal Fear

(So this is a bit awkward.  I had originally written this to be part of the 1998 Anniversary Article.  However, when I took a closer look, I realized this album came out at the end of 1997!  So I've decided to move it to this article instead.)

In the mid 90s, singer Ralf Scheepers left Gamma Ray in hopes of being auditioned for vocalist position in Judas Priest after hearing that his name got onto a short list of potential candidates.  However, when Ralf heard nothing, and then saw that Tim "Ripper" Owens got the job, he was approached by Mat Sinner to start a new project, which turned into Primal Fear.  Since then, Ralf and company have been tearing up the power metal scene with their Painkiller inspired sound.  While I have enjoyed many of their recent releases, I recently decided to check out their debut, and unsurprisingly it's another slab of solid heavy/power metal.

If there is a difference between this and the newer albums, it's that this is much more typical power metal, which makes sense, as the scene was really growing at the time.  The band really did go right at the start for the nexus between Judas Priest and Helloween or Gamma Ray (and they even get Kai Hansen to come play on a few songs!).  While they do mix it up with the occasional anthemic stomper or power ballad, they really lean on the uptempo chugging and bass drum double-kicking for most of these tracks, not that I'm complaining.  There are a few moments where there could have been a bit more polish, either on the lyrics or the transitions, but otherwise, it's pretty standard, satisfying stuff.

Ralf Scheepers makes his presence known all over this album (which makes sense, as he was the main reason the band was made in the first place); he really soars here.  The rest of the band is tight as well, with Tom Naumann's guitars putting out riff after riff, with some great solos.  "Chainbreaker" is an excellent opening track, "Promised Land" has some interesting 6/8 riffing, and both "Battalions of Hate" and "Running in the Dust" have a lot of old-school charm.  While it's not a mind-blowing debut, it's pretty clear these guys had something special from the beginning and they've made it their core going forward, resulting in a lot of excellent music.

Rick Wakeman - A Gallery of the Imagination

I had been aware of keyboard legend Rick Wakeman had worked on and released a new album early in the year, but when the first few singles were lackluster, I didn't really pay attention to the album when it came out.  However, now that Yes themselves have put out a new album, I felt the need to give Rick his due.  I really did enjoy his last album with the English Rock Ensemble, so I hoped that this would be a decent follow-up.  While there are some interesting ideas across a diverse set of songs, the album doesn't feel quite as strong or cohesive as The Red Planet did.

Probably the first big difference is the inclusion of Hayley Sanderson as a vocalist.  She's not bad, but maybe a little high and light, and the mix makes her seem slightly shrill once in a while.  The lyrics mostly stay in figurative and flowery territory to help evoke the imagery that Rick and his band are trying to create.  However, the main problem, and it's kind of a big one, is that the album focuses on a kind of proggy sophisticated pop rather than any kind of rock.  Not that I can't enjoy other genres outside of the rock sphere, but when I think of Rick Wakeman, I don't think of chilled, pop-oriented, art pieces (though I suppose that better fits the cover art).  I wouldn't have been surprised if he had covered "Smooth Operator" by Sade.

For what it's worth, what it lacks in way of rock or adventurous spirit it makes up for with some decent variety, shifting between soft layers of synths to solo piano to latin jazz grooves, with the occasional synth or guitar solo here and there.  "Hidden Depths" brings in a bit of rock, "The Man in the Moon" made me think of the Alan Parsons Project, and "The Moonlight Dream" has some interesting, dreamy synth layers and solos that trade between guitar and keys.  He also has just some straight up solo piano pieces that are nice and atmospheric, but overall, there really isn't much to recommend outside of the occasional decent synthesizer solo.  Perhaps it's just a consequence of having bad expectations, but after his last effort was such a solid proggy tribute to the red planet, this is quite the let down.

Monkey3 - Monkey3

After having enjoyed their last album so much that it was my album of the year in 2019 (good heavens, has it really been 4 years?), I knew I needed to dig into the backlog of this band and hear more of what they've done.  With 2003 being the next target for my Anniversary Article series, I figured I could sneak their debut in here on this article.  It's a bit of a shift from what I heard on Sphere, but they remain excellent at maintaining a spacey, rockin' atmosphere.

The first thing I noticed was a lack of the Pink Floyd sense of emotion, instead leaning in harder towards a riff-filled stoner rock with massive riffs that dominate the space.  However, they remain experts at dynamics, letting their songs drift between high intense sections and softer, brooding moments, without ever feeling jarring or strange.  The songs just ease themselves between the sections with jammy rhythms all the way through.  I felt like they were aiming for a space between Tool and Seven Planets with maybe a dash of Pearl Jam: solid grooves and big riffs bound together with good atmosphere.  Sometimes, a section will feel repetitive without much going on, but for psychedelic rock, this is minor gripe, as setting an immersive tone is the priority, and sometimes that requires a bit of repetition for the trance-y vibes to settle in.

Because the songs have such good flow, it's hard to identify which tracks are the best, especially when they often transition seamlessly from one to the next.  "Last Gamuzao" is a solid opener, setting the tone for the album and having excellent moments on its own.  "Bimbo" gave me Blade Runner vibes, and "Darkman's Nose" has some nice heavy riffing.  Overall, it was a solid listen, though not as mind-blowing a Sphere was when I first heard it.  Still, it's a good start for the band, and it's easy to see how they could build on this.

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While things remain busy, I still plan on trucking along, with the next Anniversary Article coming up next.  I know there's a lot of new releases I've been neglecting, but I intend to get to them soon.  As always, it's overwhelming to see just how many new releases come out each year, but I'll get to as many as I can, eventually.  Until then, rock on! \m/

Anniversary Series - 1971!

Yup, we're back with these again!  I just want to say up front that 1971 is an incredible year for rock music.  Lots of great stuff came out this year, and now we get to celebrate the 50th anniversary of these iconic and excellent albums!

The year starts off with a lot of solid progressive rock.  Yes brings in Steve Howe for The Yes Album, writing the first of many epics in the form of tracks like "Yours Is No Disgrace" and "Starship Trooper," while "Your Move" (the first half of "I've Seen All Good People") found success on the radio.  Jethro Tull would follow up with Aqualung, the title track of which having one of the best opening riffs in all of classic rock.  Emerson Lake and Palmer released Tarkus, and the middle of the year would see albums from Caravan, The Strawbs (then featuring future Yes member Rick Wakeman), and Gentle Giant.

Of course, bands from the 60s were still rocking into the new decade.  The Doors released LA Woman, with big hits like the title track and the epic "Riders on the Storm."  The Rolling Stones were right there with them with Sticky Fingers and "Brown Sugar."  Then The Who released Who's Next, with the massive tracks "Baba O'Riley" and "Wont' Get Fooled Again."  

Hard rock and metal would be busy this year as well.  Alice Cooper released "I'm Eighteen," T. Rex would encourage us to "Get It On," Deep Purple sent out their Fireball, Uriah Heep produced two albums in Salisbury and Look at Yourself, and Black Sabbath would get even heavier with their third album Master of Reality, featuring great riffs with "Children of the Grave" and "Into the Void," and setting the template for many metal bands to follow in the future.

At the end of the year, prog would take over again, as Pink Floyd finally put their melancholy stamp on the genre with Meddle, Genesis told us us a Nursery Cryme, King Crimson had Islands, Emerson Lake and Palmer finally got to release their live interpretation of Pictures at an Exhibition, and Yes would also release a second this year, this one being the renowned Fragile, not only featuring their big hit "Roundabout," but also my favorite Yes track "Heart of the Sunrise."  I absolutely love how it shifts from chaos to peaceful moments, along with Chris Squire's iconic bass solo.  A masterpiece from the band that has been a staple of their live shows for many years to come.

Of course, any discussion of this year wouldn't be complete without Led Zeppelin's epic and mysteriously title fourth album.  Massive tracks like "Black Dog," "Rock & Roll," and "Stairway to Heaven" would become staples of classic rock stations to this very day, and the bane of guitar stores across the country.  Often considered of the one greatest rock albums every recorded, and it's hard to argue against it.

I think that wraps up 1971 pretty well, and I've put them all (along with a few extras) in the playlist below.  If I've missed any, be sure to let me know.  Certainly a great year, and full of albums that I go back to regularly.  Until then, rock on! \m/

Last Played - August 2020!

Hey, it's one of these again.  It's been longer than I was anticipating, to be honest.  I thought I would be able to really dig into some new albums over the summer, but it hasn't really happened.  However, I've finally turned on enough stuff to put together another one of these articles, and this time, it's all progressive rock!  Here's what I've been checking out lately.

Transatlantic - SMPT:e

So members of Spock's Beard, The Flower Kings, Dream Theater, and Marillion got together at the turn of the millennium and made the proggiest of prog rock albums.  It's an interesting assortment, but one that certainly has plenty of potential.  20 years later, I'm giving it a spin.

The first thing I noticed was just how much jazz-fusion it had.  The band is much more interested in jazzy grooves and jams more than anything else.  The album opens with a 31 minute epic called "All of the Above" that exemplifies this, going through some interesting moodshifts and throwing in a few nods to other prog greats of the past.  However, it does go on for a bit too long, especially at the end.  The shorter songs show different sides of the band, with "We All Need Some Light" being a anthemic and uplifting acoustic ballad while "Mystery Train" is a very quirky and weird piece.  As for the other original epic, "My New World" draws more from Sgt. Peppers-era Beatles before eventually falling back into a jazz fusion groove.  The album ends with a cover of Procol Harum's "In Held 'Twas In I" (often regarded as the first prog rock epic), and it's a curious arrangement.  They sing the spoken part of "Held", and skip "Twas" entirely, instead adding in more jamming and even a free jazz section.  Needless to say, it's a bit all over the place.

Overall, it's some pretty decent stuff, but it does lack a little in energy, mostly content to sit back and soak in it's jazz/rock tone that rolls back and forth, but never really rocks.  Fans of Stolt and Morse will find plenty of familiar sounds, and the production is very clear, but it really doesn't do anything that I would call great.

Pattern-Seeking Animals - Pattern-Seeking Animals

Finally, I decided to give this a listen through, after liking pieces of it last year.  It's kind of an interesting follow up from that Transatlantic album, given that PSA is made up of different Spock's Beard members, current and former.  The tone of the album is also pretty similar: proggy, but rather laid back, content to just kinda wallow around its moody atmosphere.

The album starts off with the solid "No Burden Left to Carry," with some nice mood shifts, some solid guitar work.  The follow up of "The Same Mistakes Again," is a nice, softer piece.  However, the album just kinda meanders around those same moods.  It doesn't even try to spice things up with jazz-fusion, going for a more straight-forward, somewhat plodding songwriting.  A little quirky, sometimes light, sometimes dark, but never straying too far from their soft, prog rock style.  Despite not really knowing these artists' heritage, I'm sure fans of Spock's Beard will find plenty to like.

So in the end, it's album that's nice while it's on, and is clearly well-played, but none of it really sticks with me, unfortunately.  It rocks a little here, does a soft-jam there, has plenty of layers of keyboards and synths, but like Transatlantic's debut, never really seems to push it to that next level at any time.

Rick Wakeman & The English Rock Ensemble - The Red Planet

Now this is prog rock!

Okay, I admit that I'm not being fair, here.  I'm a diehard Yes fan, so I've been anticipating Wakeman's new solo album for a while now.  He's gone full-on Six Wives mode here, with a band backing him up, and tons of layers and ideas all blending together.

The song titles are thematically appropriate, all based on various landmarks of Mars.  Otherwise, each song is a little prog epic that stands on its own, featuring a variety of moods and tempos.  Songs like "Pavonis Mons" and "Ascraeus Mons" are upbeat and driving, while "Tharsis Tholus" and "South Pole" offer more mellow sounds, with the former going for a dark, jazz-fusion vibe, and the latter being more chill and well-paced, with some soft piano in the middle section.  Then there are songs like "Arsia Mons" and "The North Plain" that shift around quite a bit, with "The North Plain" drifting from thick rock organs to ambient soundscapes.  It also features a great guitar solo from Dave Colquhoun at the end.

Overall, compared to the other two in this article, this just has more energy.  A lot of that simply might have to do with Wakeman's electric synth runs, his fingers not having aged a day since the 70s.  The band almost makes Mars itself seem varied and magical in comparison to the rust-colored and largely empty planet that it is.  Solid work from top to bottom, this album is proof that Wakeman is still the wizard at the keys and as imaginative as ever.

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Well, I'm still plugging away around here.  Getting out more articles than I would have thought.  I'm not sure what the rest of the year will be like, but I'll continue doing what I can.  I should probably get into more current year releases.  I'm running out of time to include them in a best-of article!!

Until then, rock on! \m/

Anniversary Series - 1975!

Hey, it's time for another one of these!  My goal is to do an anniversary article once a month for the rest of the year. That should provide some decent variety, especially as I get closer to the present!  This month, 1975!  To be honest, this year is very much a time of transition.  Prog was wearing out its welcome, arena rock was really picking up, and punk was still a few years off.  Still, a lot of great stuff came out this year, so let's get into it!

Early in the year, Rush introduces the world to Neil Peart with Fly by Night.  While they still retain much of their Zeppelin-like debut, the song-writing definitely went up a notch or two when they got their new drummer.  Of course, Zeppelin themselves would show their chops that same month with Physical Graffiti, a titanic double-album with epics like "Kashmir" and "Ten Years Gone."  

Also expanding the arena rock style is Alice Cooper and Kiss, with their style and flashy flair.  Alice introduced us all to his nightmares, while Kiss were Dressed to Kill, though their success wouldn't come around until they release Alive! later on this year.  Inspired by UK's glam rockers, these bands gave shows few attendees would forget, letting us rock 'n' roll all night!

As winter turns to spring, we get Aerosmith's Toys in the Attic.  With massive tracks like "Walk This Way" and "Sweet Emotion," its no wonder they still get airplay on classic rock radio.  At the same time, fellow blues-rockers Bad Company released Straight Shooter, giving us "Feel Like Makin' Love" and "Shooting Star."  The Eagles followed with One of These Nights, a massive album featuring not only the title track, but "Lyin' Eyes" and "Take It To The Limit" as well!

Despite this trend of more streamlined rock, the prog-masters were still putting out material.  Rick Wakeman would continue his solo career by dabbling with King Arthur and his Knights, Camel released The Snow Goose, Hawkwind had Warrior on the Edge of Time, and Uriah Heep was making a Return to Fantasy.  Rush would be highly productive and release Caress of Steel, expanding their prog rock style with "Bastille Day" and the side-long epic "The Fountain of Lamneth."

Of course, the big prog rock record would be Pink Floyd's Wish You Were Here.  Featuring incredible and innovate moods and melodies, the band really came together and made a masterpiece (in my opinion, anyway).  Unfortunately, it would also be the last time they would be so well-balanced and in-sync with each other.

Heavy metal also saw a few excellent releases, with Black Sabbath releasing Sabotage, a rather underrated album with classics like "Hole in the Sky" and "Symptom of the Universe."  Meanwhile, Rickie Blackmore would finally break from Deep Purple and introduce the world to Ronnie James Dio with his Rainbow Debut.  "Man on the Silver Mountain" remains one of the most epic tracks ever recorded!

Wrapping things up, Fleetwood Mac would introduce the world to Stevie Nicks on their second self-titled album, providing singles in the second-half of '75 and deep into '76.  Styx finally gets their major record label debut with Equinox, full of great songs like "Lorelei," "Lonely Child," and "Suite Madame Blue."

And finally, a discussion of rock from 1975 would not be complete without Queen's A Night At The Opera, released at the end of November.  Between the poppy "You're My Best Friend," the epic "The Prophet's Song," and of course the headbang-worthy "Bohemian Rhapsody," it was a release few rockers could afford to miss.

Hard to beat a conclusion like that!  Hopefully, you're all enjoying this style of article.  I know I'm having fun digging through all this stuff, and I know I've missed some great tracks, so I've got another playlist below.  If I'm missing anything, let me know.  Until then, rock on! \m/