Taster Session #7

VIDEO GAME EDITION!
That's right, this time I'll be looking at five pieces of music from upcoming video games and discussing initial impressions along with whether I'm looking forward to the soundtrack (and, by extension, the game too). These games might be new releases or they might by HD remakes but the one unifying trend is that they all have brand new music recorded for the game. One thing to keep in mind here is that the quality of the music here will vary. Normally I can link you to a high quality music video on Youtube but this time, most of the tunes will be trailer rips or Soundcloud pages until the games come out themselves and someone can get proper OST versions.
Right then, time to tuck in!

"Trailer Theme" - Manaka Kataoka         (listen here)
From the game Legend Of Zelda: Breath Of The Wild (03/03/17)

I'll admit that I wasn't impressed with the footage from this game shown off at E3 but after that story trailer was released, I was completely sold. I've already ordered a Switch and this game primarily based on this trailer alone (and my love of console Zelda games) but it's fair to say that the music is what makes the most impact. It starts off with what sounds like the score to an open world RPG game (anyone else hear a bit of Geralt Of Rivia from The Witcher 3 once the percussion comes in?) but slowly becomes much more dynamic and...fuck it, I'll say it; epic. When paired with the footage, the trailer could well be one of the best a video game has had to offer but thankfully it's still amazing on its own.
Zelda music has always (and I mean ALWAYS) been excellent so I can't see how this game will fail to meet expectations when everything else seems to be up to scratch. I am hyped to hear each piece of music even though it's not Koji Kondo at the helm (although I think he's still supervising) and eagerly await to get stuck into what could well be the best Zelda game yet, even if it's not your typical Zelda game.


"Tribalstack Tropics" - Grant Kirkhope         (listen here)
From the game Yooka-Laylee (11/04/17)

After something epic, we need to take a breather which means it's time to enjoy the Yooka-Laylee music again! I'm also a huge fan of Banjo Kazooie and other classic Rare platformers so I'm definitely stoked for this game when it drops in April. From what I've heard of Grant Kirkhope's compositions, it definitely sounds like they're going for a similar feel to the old Banjo tunes but this time with a full orchestra (thanks to Kickstarter backers!). This tune was one of the first pieces released and whilst it's probably going to be improved for the final game, it's a good taster for what the game's music will be like.
Whilst it's not as impressive as the Zelda trailer music, it sets the tone perfectly with that upbeat marimba and change in styles, presumably as you enter different areas in the level. I'm looking forward to playing Yooka-Laylee more than anything else about it but the fact that the music fits the game perfectly is a solid sign that the rest of the soundtrack will be strong too. Special shout out to these guys for actually releasing a CD/digital/vinyl soundtrack of the game with its release, proving that some developers/publishers know that players actually do listen to video game music outside of playing the game.


"Lady Layton's Theme" - Tomohito Nishiura         (listen here)
From the game Lady Layton: The Millionaire Ariadone's Conspiracy (??/??/17)

I'm pretty sure they'll shorten that name down when it's released outside of Japan but Lady Layton: The Millionaire Ariadone's Conspiracy is something I'd forgotten about until researching upcoming games this year. I'm a big fan of the Professor Layton series and love listening to music from the game (particularly Miracle Mask, even if I wasn't a fan of the plot). Whilst I wasn't thrilled to see Hershel and Luke absent from this entry into the Layton series, the gameplay (and music) appears to be similar to older games. There's a quaint feel to the theme and once again, subtle references to older Layton titles in the music.
Whilst I need to know more about this game for me to be as excited about it as I am with others on this list, I'll definitely be getting Lady Layton when it hopefully comes out this year and I look forward to hearing new pieces of music to solve puzzles to. Here's hoping the Professor and Luke will at least make an appearance somewhere, although I imagine it will be towards the end so as not to overshadow this new character in her debut adventure.


"Reveal Trailer Theme" - David Garcia         (listen here)
From the game Rime (??/05/17)

This game looks wonderful, let's just say this right now. I can talk about how it looks like Journey, Okami and Wind Waker but the trailer I linked up above speaks for itself so go ahead and check it out if you haven't already. As for the music, it's not as imposing as some of the other tracks on this list. I've a feeling it was picked to accompany the footage and not stand up on its own feet, which is fine. I like the music but it doesn't grab me in the same way the others did. The gameplay, however, does.
I'm excited more for the game than the actual soundtrack but I can imagine a title like this surprising me and giving me at least a couple of tunes I enjoy listening to whilst solving puzzles or just chilling out on my laptop. Hopefully it'll be engaging from start to finish and won't have long periods of tediously milling about on glorified scavenger hunts like Wind Waker.


"N. Sanity Beach" - ??????         (listen here)
From the game Crash Bandicoot: N. Sane Trilogy (30/06/17)

Obviously I've saved one of the best for last! I am so fucking hyped for this, it's unbelievable. I don't think a day has gone by where I haven't thought about how awesome this is going to be since the first trailer was released, partly down to the soundtrack. I think I've said before that Crash Bandicoot 2: Cortex Strikes Back was what got me into video game music and it's fair to say that Crash Bandicoot: Warped also helped strengthen my love of the genre. When I found out the original music from the trilogy would be rerecorded in proper 2017 quality, I knew I had to own this.
So far we've only got a couple of pieces of music to sample but they're pretty damn faithful to the originals whilst sounding even better. The N. Sanity Beach theme sounds just as comical and wacky as the Mutato Muzika version so my expectations are pretty high. Between Breath Of The Wild and the N. Sane Trilogy, the gaming part of my brain is pretty fucking excited and it's heavily down to the soundtrack teases of both games. I just wish I knew who the composer was so I could give them credit but oh well, I'll find out closer to June.


Obviously there are other games coming out this year that will likely have stellar soundtracks (I would've included Final Fantasy VII Remake if they'd released new music for it) but for now, we've got a strong set of tasters right here.
Next week, normal Rock/Metal music shall be returning.

Rip It Up - Thunder

Did you guys know Thunder released a new album this month? Yeah, me neither which is odd considering I listen to a radio station where the lead vocalist is one of the DJs (yes, THAT Danny Bowes!!!!). I only found out about it after looking into album releases this year and after listening to it from start to finish, I realised why nobody's been promoting it.
Welcome to the review!

No, don't be fooled by the cover. This isn't a Testament or Alter Bridge album; it's by Thunder. You know, Thunder; the band that gave us "Love Walked In" and a pretty mediocre cover of "Gimme Some Lovin'"? They're a fairly obscure outfit that have existed since the late 80s primarily due to their sound being too bland to really make a splash anywhere other than specialist Rock radio. Don't get me wrong, I do like this band to an extent. Laughing On Judgement Day is a great album but I wouldn't recommend it to anyone who strives for variety in their music and on the subject of variety (or rather "lack of"), let's talk about Rip It Up.
You might expect me to say something like "I was expecting something really heavy due to the album cover and song titles", as I have done on quite a few reviews and yes, whilst the album artwork does suggest something a bit more fierce than Backstreet Symphony or Wonder Days, I'm not going to get my hopes up when it comes to a band like Thunder that are most comfortable trotting out generic Rock. Between the tepid album opener "No One Gets Out Alive" that sounds like the band wanted to try something with a bit of energy but couldn't follow through and bland Blues Rock title track "Rip It Up" that felt more like a group of old friends casually jamming than attempting to produce a decent lead single, my low standards were just about met.
One positive thing I will say is that these two songs set the tone for the rest of the album perfectly. It's safe and boring, just like The Rolling Stones and Creed. You can hear good riffs and talented musicianship but none of it really rocks, it just sounds like incidental public domain Rock music you hear on adverts or TV shows. Some hack critics may refer to this music as "Dad Rock" but I strongly disagree; to call this "Dad Rock" is an insult to bands like Deep Purple and Motorhead that generally populate Father's Day compilation albums. If anything, this is Tosspot Pubgoer Rock; the sort of music that's enjoyed by that one tit at your local who always bangs on about how great Joe Bonamassa and Bruce Springsteen are*.

There are other tracks that sound like failed attempts to write Hard Rock such as "Shakedown" with heavier guitar/bass but are held back by the tame vocals from Danny Bowes (yes, THAT Danny Bowes!!!!) and drumming from Gary James, more on him in a bit. There's also "She Likes The Cocaine", no prizes for guessing what the lyrics are about. Usually songs about wild women and drugs have some kind of backbone but the music completely undermines the lyrical themes cancelling out anything this song could've had going for it and leaving you feeling absolutely neutral whilst listening to it. Some songs manage to get the correct balance and sound alright ("Heartbreak Hurricane", "The Chosen One") but only when you've been exposed to the tracks before it. Take them out of the album, compare them to any other modern Rock song by contemporary or ageing artists and chances are they'll fall flat.
When it comes to Rock, the bar has been set relatively high now and Thunder simply aren't able to reach it. However, when it comes to Blues Rock, Thunder can happily coast along in the passable territory of the genre with tracks like "In Another Life" and "Tumbling Down". The main reason for this is due to the limited talents of their drummer, Gary James. Whilst he may have been decent in the band's early days (and let's face it, he was no Chad Smith), Gary James lacks the ability or maybe just the stamina to take the band further with faster music and more complex rhythms. He's adept at playing basic beats so that's what the band are stuck with and even then, he can fuck it up.
"The Enemy Inside" could've been a belter, especially with the guitar riffs and vocals heavily inspired by The Who ("The Seeker" and "Relay" respectively) but the tempo needed to be double time instead of the usual slog of a speed. Then there's the album closer, "There's Always A Loser", a track that gets progressively heavier across the board with electric guitars being introduced over halfway through...at least it should get heavier if Gary James didn't start off with a John Bonham "Kashmir"/"When The Levee Breaks" rhythm that remains constant throughout the entire track. He should've started off simple, THEN pounded out those heavier beats to give the song more velocity as each band member gets into it.

Unlike most Rock albums, the second half of Rip It Up is actually stronger than the first and despite all the shit I've been giving it, the album doesn't contain many real fuck ups outside of weak percussion and vocals (YES, THAT DANNY BOWES!!!!!!). If Thunder were younger, they probably would've injected more passion into it but it's clear that they can't play heavy music anymore, begging the question as to why they'd bother trying in the first place. Ultimately the whole album is a weak entry into the Hard Rock genre, especially with bands like Black Star Riders and Rival Sons putting out high quality material on a fairly frequent basis.
I give this album a 3/10 and wouldn't really recommend it to fans of proper Rock music. Blues Rock enthusiasts/boring bastards might enjoy some tracks but I think it's time for Thunder to either adapt with the aid of a producer capable of pushing musicians to their creative and/or technical limits or bow out gracefully on their own terms. I say this based entirely on their studio efforts, not live performances. Maybe the band kick ass on stage when fuelled by thousands of cheering fans but if they can't bring at least a sizable fraction of that energy into the studio with them, they may as well not bother.


* "Bruce plays on stage for up to three hours at gigs!" Yeah, three hours of Bruce Springsteen songs. That's probably equivalent to one hour of Meat Loaf now shut the fuck up and get back to draining your fourth pint.

Rapid Fire: The Cult

I need to review more albums, as we're over a month into the year and so far I've only listened to Heavy Fire - Black Star Riders (review here). I could also do with writing more Rapid Fire posts covering three different albums with less analysis per record so let's start with three albums from the same band; The Cult.
I was tempted to pick a band like Deep Purple or Queen for this post due to their relatively diverse range of styles across the entire career but in the end, I opted to write about three consecutive albums by The Cult which arguably contain their best material. This was due to me not really dedicating a post to the band (whereas I have done with other big name Rock bands) and wanting to give these three albums some love on the blog.
Kicking the list off is their second album, Love.

1. Love - The Cult

Released in 1985, Love marks the beginning of The Cult's transition from Goth Rock to Hard Rock to a sort of amalgamation of the two that took four years and three albums. Most people would probably recognise this album's (and this band's) signature hit, "She Sells Sanctuary" as it's a fairly catchy tune that contains your typical hallmarks of The Cult. Standard 4/4 beat? Check. Clean guitar riffs? Check. Rolling bassline? Check. Ian Astbury's hauntingly raw vocals? Check CHECK!
It's probably the most "Cult" song in existence but don't think that this album doesn't try to create a couple more in the form of album opener "Nirvana", underrated filler track "Hollow Man" and additional single "Rain". There are also a few more gothic sounding tracks with some eerie guitarwork such as "Black Angel", "Phoenix" (a slightly heavier song possessed with the ghost of The Stooges) and title track "Love", a tune that owes a fair bit to "Lunatic Fringe" - Red Rider which came out about four years before.
As far as Goth to Hard Rock transition albums go, Love is pretty great. It's got a solid variety between both subgenres and it's a decent follow up to the band's debut, Dreamtime, that still echoes some of the spiritual vibes they were big fans of when they started out. I recommend it if you've ever heard a song by The Cult and enjoyed it, which is a phrase I imagine I'll be rewriting and regurgitating throughout this post.

1. Nirvana

2. Big Neon Glitter

3. Love

4. Brother Wolf; Sister Moon

5. Rain

6. Phoenix

7. Hollow Man

8. Revolution

9. She Sells Sanctuary

10. Black Angel

ALBUM RATING - 7/10

2. Electric - The Cult

Two years later, The Cult returned with this categorically Hard Rock album. You can tell from the album opener, "Wild Flower", that the band weren't pissing about and were ready to cash in on the genre (even if they were about a decade too late). Billy Duffy's guitar is less mysterious and more crunchy, Jamie Stewart's bass is still present but has been buried under the mix, Les Warner's drumming is giving the cymbals a bit more voice and Ian Astbury's vocals...well, they're still amazing but then you don't fix what isn't broken, otherwise you end up with [INSERT "EXPERIMENTATION" ALBUM HERE].

This album also gave birth to two Cult classics, so to speak: "Love Removal Machine" and "Lil' Devil", both carrying the aforementioned qualities of a typical Cult song but with a few alterations to the guitar. Firstly, it's no longer as clean and secondly, the use of soloing is permitted. In fact, "Love Removal Machine" has two beastly solos and a double time section that the end that makes you wonder why this band didn't start out rocking the fucking house years earlier.

The album is full of guitar-heavy tunes but slightly less variety than Love. Sure, there are a few standout tracks that deviate from the band's cookie cutter material ("Bad Fun", "Memphis Hip Shake") and there is a cover of Steppenwolf's "Born To Be Wild" which is easily one of the shittiest covers ever to ruin a classic hit in all of Rock music but aside from those niggles, Electric is brilliant. Definitely an album for Hard Rock lovers, even if it feels a little more corporate than the early AC/DC records.

1. Wild Flower

2. Peace Dog

3. Lil' Devil

4. Aphrodisiac Jacket

5. Electric Ocean

6. Bad Fun

7. King Contrary Man

8. Love Removal Machine

9. Born To Be Wild

10. Outlaw

11. Memphis Hip Shake

ALBUM RATING - 8/10

3. Sonic Temple - The Cult

The last of the unofficial trilogy, released in 1989 and containing the band's best album cover even if the guitarist is annoyingly off-centre. To paraphrase the opening line of album opener "Sun King", this is where The Cult's rise to power all ends. It might be because the band regressed slightly and went back to their mystical themes in both music and lyrics, it might be because the band decided to break into the Hard Rock genre about five years after the golden age of the genre had ended; all I know is this album still contains some killer tracks.

You've got epic stringed ballads ("Edie (Ciao Baby)"), remnants of Rock from a better album ("New York City") and of course, Cult classics ("Fire Woman"). It's an album perfect for fans of the last two but potentially a bit off-putting for purists belonging to either Goth or Hard Rock, not both. Fortunately, I love both genres so I can confirm that it's a damn good listen!

Sonic Temple could've been even better if the band decided to continue down the path they were headed with Electric but something tells me it wouldn't have been as unique. It would've been more of the same and could've spelled the end for the band so even if I didn't quite enjoy this album as much as the previous one, it's still an important part of the band's career, hence its inclusion in this Rapid Fire post. Much like Love and Electric, I recommend this album for lovers of Rock and The Cult as that's exactly what you get from start to finish.

1. Sun King

2. Fire Woman

3. American Horse

4. Edie (Ciao Baby)

5. Sweet Soul Sister

6. Soul Asylum

7. New York City

8. Automatic Blues

9. Soldier Blue

10. Wake Up Time For Freedom

11. Medicine Train

ALBUM RATING - 7/10

If you haven't heard them already, do yourself a favour and give each of these albums a listen. As for me, I'm going to go and do something Ian Astbury has never done; celebrate the fact that I made it the entire way through without referring to "shooting from the hip".

Heavy Fire - Black Star Riders

Our first review of 2017 and hopefully not our last!

Black Star Riders have a pretty solid back catalogue almost bordering on Metal so when I heard their single "When The Night Comes In" and saw the album was called Heavy Fire, I immediately expected something excellent for true fans of Hard Rock. In the end, I got something that's good and would recommend this to fans of both classic and contemporary Hard Rock.
There we go, review's done. Onto the next blog post!



Ah fuck it, I've got time to kill. Let's look at this in a bit more detail.
Heavy Fire is a good album, it's not exceptional or an "instant classic" but it has a fair balance between strong material and average Rock. Kicking off with album opener and title track "Heavy Fire" is a good way to go, as this song bursts in with sweet Heavy Metal riffs and a driving rhythm. Unfortunately, the band decided to get cute about one and a half minutes into the track and shoehorn a fairly mediocre melody in that they likely couldn't flesh out into a full song but at the same time didn't want to scrap. In a way, this acts as the best possible album opener and title track as it perfectly combines the positives and negatives of the entire album into a single four and a half minute package.
This might just be my opinion but proper Rock bands like Black Star Riders are at their best when they fucking rock. Naturally some bands often from the Alternative Rock genre are better suited for softer songs and a few Hair Metal artists are capable of nailing the Power Ballad but Black Star Riders aren't either of those genres; they're Rock. Hard Rock, to be precise. Their strengths lie in powerful riffs, crashing cymbals, vocals you want to belt out at the top of your lungs yourself and a tight song length between three and four minutes, four and a half at a push. Those tracks are easily the highlights of this album ("When The Night Comes In", "Who Rides The Tiger", "Letting Go Of Me").
However, I appreciate that the entire album can't be pumped full of energy and you need moments of down time to further emphasise the bigger tracks the band have more confidence in. This is all well and good if those filler tracks are well written and special in their own way; maybe if the tempo's slower, you can still give it an epic riff and a backbone (see "Fight From The Inside" - Queen) or if everything's sounding a little formulaic, you take the elements you're adept at and amplify them (see "The Duellists" - Iron Maiden). Instead, Black Star Riders just plod along and produce decent but easily forgettable and, arguably worse, "safe" Rock songs ("Testify Or Say Goodbye", "True Blue Kid").

There are some examples of songs that were almost awesome but fell at the last hurdle. "Thinking About You Could Get Me Killed" has a nice rumbling bassline but the chorus lacks the passion needed to carry the song through to greatness; in fact, it reminded me a lot of "I Was Wrong" - Social Distortion both vocally and musically. There's also "Ticket To Rise", a Bluesy song built around a serviceable riff but ultimately let down by a string of much better tracks preceding it on the album. The final insult is the album's closing track, "Fade". Gee, I wonder how this one's going to end!
Aside from having an intro way too close to "Something In The Air" - Thunderclap Newman (one of the worst Rock/Wood songs in existence), this is not how you end a Hard Rock album let alone one called Heavy Fire. This track would've been alright if it came earlier on in the album, as it's not a bad vehicle for demonstrating the band's musical maturity, but the last track on the album needed to pack a punch. Even if this had a tempo increase and faded out on faster rhythm after the band had rocked out one last time, I would've finished this album in a better mood. Instead, they fade out on a frenzied solo and leave me with shit in my ears.
If you're somewhat of a Black Star Riders fan and are hoping this album still sounds like them, you won't be disappointed. It does seem a little heavier than tracks I've been overexposed to on the radio but their music still treads the thin line between Hard Rock and Soft Metal, making it easily accessible to a variety of tastes on the Rock spectrum. I feel like I've said this before with other bands like Airbourne but whilst they haven't reached the need to innovate and *shudders* "experiment" with their sound yet, I would've rather they turned it up a notch, especially with the album title and cover alluding to a heavier collection of music. Unlike Breakin' Outta Hell however, I'm relatively happy with what I got here.

Heavy Fire is more or less solid from start to finish and whilst it could've done with one or two more powerful tracks instead of tunes like "Cold War Love", I would still recommend this album to listen to but not purchase for yourself. This is an album you'd give as a gift to someone who loves Rock or might treat yourself to once it drops in price a bit but this isn't something I'd rush out to the shops to buy. Instead, you're better off buying a few tracks off iTunes to show your support.
I rate the album 7/10 only because I'm rounding up from 6.5 and despite my criticisms, there aren't many glaring faults. The songs are suitably written if not a little generic at times and the ones that grab you by the short and curlies really do leave a good impression, despite the fact that they just metaphorically gripped a fistful of your pubes. I'm inclined to give previous Black Star Riders albums a listen after this, as they clearly know how to write great material outside of their singles and even if their previous hits are half as good as the best songs on this album, I'm still in for a hell of a ride.