Rapid Fire: Metallica, Judas Priest, Black Tide

Hastily typed up Rapid Fire post time!
This time, it's all about the Metal. Three Metal albums by three Metal bands, plain and simple. I've gone for a mix of iconic "masterpiece", fan favourite and hidden gem in my selection but overall, I'd recommend all of these albums to different people for varying reasons. Objectively speaking, there isn't really a dud in the bunch although this first album is easily the worst. You'll know that's a controversial statement if you've already taken a peek at the album in question but I stand by my reasons, which you can read about below.


1. Master Of Puppets - Metallica

A lot of metalheads claim this is Metallica's best album (or their last great album, depending on how much of a dick they are). Whilst it does have several top notch tracks, I was pretty disappointed the first time I listened to this. I'd just come off Ride The Lightning (their ACTUAL best album) and had high hopes for the album that was supposedly a superior follow-up but there were several irritating little niggles I had. For starters, the tracks were needlessly long.
I accept that this is kind of Metallica's thing, longer Metal songs with a sensitive intro and a shitload of riffs, but this album goes overboard. The shortest song on Master Of Puppets is album opener, "Battery" and even that song could've trimmed some of the fat from the outro. The riffs and solos come hard and heavy but the song's so busy being angry that it forgets to be enjoyable, in my eyes. Then there's the title track, "Master Of Puppets", a song with much better riffs and a sensitive section in the middle, slowing the entire song down before a solo that blows its load too early yet simultaneously goes on too long before bringing it back around to the intro riff.
The rest of the album can be divided into three sections: short yet forgettable Thrash Metal ("Leper Messiah" "Damage, Inc."), well crafted but dull Heavy Metal ("The Thing That Should Not Be", "Welcome Home (Sanitarium)") and great but long standouts ("Disposable Heroes", "Orion"). The album is full of emotional contradictions and lacks a single solid punch compared to the previous two albums; I'm not saying Kill Em All and Ride The Lightning are perfect but they do have perfect tracks, unlike Master Of Puppets which is full of nice tries.

1. Battery

2. Master Of Puppets

3. The Thing That Should Not Be

4. Welcome Home (Sanitarium)

5. Disposable Heroes

6. Leper Messiah

7.Orion

8. Damage, Inc.

ALBUM RATING - 5/10

If you're still reading after I just pissed on a critically acclaimed album, time for a record from the band who are responsible for the name of these specific blog posts.

2. Screaming For Vengeance - Judas Priest

I was torn between discussing this, British Steel or Painkiller but in the end, I chose my personal favourite. From the epic cover to the final track, there isn't a single bad song or misstep on Screaming For Vengeance. Album overture "The Hellion" works as an introduction for the true album opener, "Electric Eye". Great driving rhythm, awesome lyrics, a sweet solo and excellent riffs throughout. The bar is set high by this track but unlike other releases by the band (looking at you, Redeemer Of Souls), it's a record that's constantly broken over the course of the album.

The album's big hit was "You've Got Another Thing Comin'" and as good as the song is if you're after radio friendly material, it's dwarfed by proper Heavy Metal B-sides. Whether you like your Metal fast and furious ("Screaming For Vengeance") or slow and melodic ("Devil's Child"), the variety presented across the album is enough for any fan of the genre. There are a few tracks that almost stray into Hard Rock material ("Fever", "Pain And Pleasure") but fortunately the band are able to claw it back.

Whilst British Steel might be preferable to those who like their Metal to contain a certain raw quality and Painkiller is easily the superior album if you're after pure aggression in music form, Screaming For Vengeance is a perfect example of how to spruce up and polish a product without ruining it by making it sound bloated and unnecessarily extravagant. The Metal is still pure and even though Judas Priest made some questionable decisions throughout the course of their career, at least they gave us this.

1. The Hellion

2. Electric Eye

3. Riding On The Wind

4. Bloodstone

5. (Take These) Chains

6. Pain And Pleasure

7. Screaming For Vengeance

8. You've Got Another Thing Comin'

9. Fever

10. Devil's Child

ALBUM RATING - 9/10

Finally, rounding off our Metal trilogy is a band who gave us an incredible debut followed by utter, utter shite.

3. Light From Above - Black Tide

Black Tide started off in their teens before being picked up by a major record label, usually a sign that the band are shit but malleable to the point that their music means nothing. However, unlike similar artists who absolutely fucking suck (like The Warning), Black Tide were at least able to give us one excellent album before changing their material to a more edgy teen-friendly sound. Light From Above can probably be considered part of the NWOTHM subgenre as it has all the hallmarks of an album from the 80s, only with better audio quality.

Album opener "Shockwave" starts things off with a bang (hurr hurr), giving us blistering riffs and solos with catchy vocals from start to finish and they don't stop there. The album contains high quality Heavy Metal without resorting to sensitive ballads or Metal operas like most American or modern Metal outfits, making it a rare treat for fans of heavy music and purists who have become disillusioned by the decline in the genre alike.

Of course, since it is just pure Metal, you're less likely to get as much out of it as you are with more progressive music containing various sections and a wider variety of riffs but that doesn't mean there aren't tracks where the band push themselves to come up with something more than your average Metal anthem ("Warriors Of Time", "Light From Above"). Plus, they do a damn good cover of Metallica's "Hit The Lights" so the band deserve some credit. It's a shame they turned into a bunch of whiny Metalcore pussies after this album but at least Light From Above still exists as a testament to why you shouldn't let record labels shit on you just because they're the ones with the money. Be more like Iron Maiden, less like Black Tide.

1. Shockwave

2. Shout

3. Warriors Of Time

4. Give Me A Chance

5. Let Me

6. Show Me The Way

7. Enterprise

8. Live Fast Die Young

9. Hit The Lights

10. Black Abyss

11. Light From Above

ALBUM RATING - 8/10

That's it for July! Hopefully August will have a few more album reviews/discussions and less video game music, as I kind of went too far with that this month.

Tenology: Dynamic Drummers In Rock/Metal

Just under two months ago, I wrote a blog post about ten excellent guitarists in the world of Rock and Metal with the promise of writing similar blog posts about skilled musicians with different instrumental talents. Whilst my initial choice was to write about bassists, I've instead decided to focus on drums as it can be argued that they are the most important instrument in any self-respecting Rock band.
As usual, Tenology posts are the work of opinion and whilst I'll be listing 10 drummers whom I admire, this isn't the same as a Top 10 post. There's no particular rank or hierarchy of skill here, I'm just listing 10 awesome drummers and why I think they kick ass.


1. Nicko McBrain

I couldn't find a good pic of him drumming with Sooty on the front of his kit

Did you guys know I like Iron Maiden? Yeah? Cool, just checking so you're not irritated when I get round to the bassist and vocalist blog posts. Anyway, Nicko McBrain is the band's current drummer and has been with them since Clive Burr had to drop out in the early 80s due to health issues. Whilst Clive was great and will be missed, Nicko was a worthy replacement and has kept the band's Metal strong since 1983 with his epic kit and great personality. However, he's not on this list just because he's got a percussion cage and a funny way with words; he's a hugely talented drummer who's able to play all of the band's material without the use of double bass pedals. Speaking of double bass...


2. Scott Travis

For some reason, I always thought this guy was bald

From no double bass to ultimate double bass, Scott Travis is (in my eyes) single-handedly responsible for making Judas Priest awesome again. Around the late 80s, the band were running out of steam and even resorting to Hair Metal singles. However, in 1990, the band released Painkiller with Scott on drums and gave the band the shock to the balls they needed to become proper Metal again. From the drum intro/outro of "Painkiller" to the live recordings of from the British Steel anniversary gigs, Scott's drumming is as furious as the Metal monsters Judas Priest writes about in most of their albums.


3. Tommy Lee

I always thought this was just the Drum Rollercoaster but apparently it's called the Cruecifly

Motley Crue might not be known for technical or complex rhythms but there's something Tommy Lee does in live shows that only a talented drummer would be able to pull off. His drumkit is attached to a mechanical harness that lifts it up over the audience and rotates it around with him still strapped down, drumming along to a variety of tunes as if he was still on the ground. When I saw Motley Crue on their farewell tour, Tommy was able to pull this off and continue drumming for the rest of the gig without any audible signs of fatigue so if you've got a problem with him in this list, go see him do this live...oh wait, you can't anymore. Well, in that case, you'll have to take my word for it.


4. Keith Moon

When the film about Keith is made, tell Sacha Baron Cohen he's got the part

I'm trying to mix iconic drummers with less obvious choices but if you're going to write about great drummers, Keith Moon better be there. He was a fucking beast behind the drums and you only have to listen to "Young Man Blues" from the Live At Leeds album to hear him going absolutely apeshit without the percussion sounding messy or amateurish. On the studio side, tracks like "Won't Get Fooled Again" are well known for great drum fills as well as the riffs and screams. I won't get into the party lifestyle this guy led but one story that stuck in my mind is the tale of how Keith put dynamite in his drums to set off at the end of the show, nearly killed/deafening his bandmates.


5. Dave Grohl

One of these pictures is not like the other

Dave Grohl is mostly known for Foo Fighters now but he isn't actually the drummer for that band. Dave's an OK vocalist and a decent guitarist but his skills as a drummer dwarf both of those combined. Dave's drummed for many bands (notably Nirvana) but I think my personal favourite example of his work comes from Tenacious D. He laid down the percussion for their studio albums and occasionally played with them live, bringing the thunder in typical Dave Grohl style. He knows how to crank up the power and just when you think he's blown his load, he pulls out another burst of energy from fuck knows where. It's just a shame he insists on being the frontman for the Foo Fighters, as he's definitely strongest at the back.


6. Rick Allen

No, this isn't photoshopped

Def Leppard's drummer only has one arm. That's all I really need to say to explain his inclusion here. Any drummer who can play well enough for their band to keep up with other great Rock acts despite having such a significant handicap gets a shout out on my list. Hell, the fact that he can play along to classic Def Leppard material and put some drummers with two hands to shame (fuck you, Meg White) means he deserves a place here. Granted that the band simplified their music to power ballads and slow tempo stadium anthems after his accident but songs like "Rocket" prove the band could still rock out...no pun intended.


7. Clive Bunker

Amazing how he managed to keep drumming with that dumb copyright mark floating in front of him!

Something about the name Clive that produces great drummers, huh. Anyway, Clive was the drummer for Jethro Tull for a few years, laying down percussion for the Aqualung album and a couple before it too. He's on this list because I revisited several tracks from Aqualung recently and found myself thinking about how great the drumming was, particularly on the title track. The tempo changes and small little fills throughout show that this guy knew how to drum with the best of 'em, plus I defy you to listen to the double-time section and guitar solo without tapping your feet. Need more proof? How about the fucking outro where he breaks into mini drum solos that are neither self-indulgent or painfully long? Clive might not top anyone's list but he was a vital component in making Jethro Tull's music great.


8. Joey Jordison

I'm not a huge Slipknot fan but damn, this guy's good

My girlfriend once had the pleasure of seeing Metallica live and on that fateful gig, Lars Ulrich was unable to drum so Joey Jordison filled in. According to her, he was able to play all of Metallica's material without any issues much better than Lars ever could. I'm aware that this is supposed to be my list but can you honestly tell me Joey doesn't deserve a spot here? His drumming's tighter than a roadie's grip and similar to Tommy Lee, Joey had a special trick for Slipknot gigs where he and his kit would be turned upside down whilst he kept drumming. If any member of Slipknot was responsible for getting me into the band, it'd probably be Joey (although Corey Taylor would be a close second).


9. Ian Paice

I'm ashamed to say I nearly forgot about this guy

If you're after great Hard Rock drummers who can still keep it up after almost half a century, look no further than Deep Purple's drummer, Ian Paice. The man has laid down percussion for such great Rock anthems as "Smoke On The Water", "Highway Star" and "Black Night" whilst also showing off his technical talents in songs such as "Fireball", "Speed King" and, my all-time favourite song, "Burn". Unlike some of the drummers on this list, Paice is capable of performing at a variety of different settings instead of going all-in balls out for every track and when I saw him live a few years ago, he earned his place on the list...well, he probably earned it decades before that during the Deep Purple Mk II sessions but you know what I mean!


10. Neil Peart

Predictable final choice? Yes. Awesome drummer? Fuck yes!

You can't have a list of great drummers without AT LEAST MENTIONING Neil Peart or Rush. Sporting a 360 degree kit and a powerful arsenal of percussive tools, Neil is regarded as one of the best (if not THE best) drummer in Rock boasting not just physical skill but also creative songwriting talents (although I acknowledge he's not the only one on this list you can say that about). Moving Pictures might not be my favourite Rush album but if I had to pick a collection of excellent songs for drummers, that'd be the first place I'd look. I mean, "Tom Sawyer", "Red Barchetta", freaking "YYZ", and that's only one album! His Prog Rock timekeeping and utilisation of practically anything inanimate that makes a specific noise when you hit it have helped put Rush on the map, although the other two band members aren't slouches either.


Before I finish this post, I feel I should list a couple of honourable mentions as I doubt I'll be writing another blog post on great drummers. The guys I've talked about up above earned their place for resonating with me personally a little bit more than these guys, although if I had to expand my list to include more than 10, these are the drummers who'd be next on the post:
Mike Portnoy
John Bonham
Mitch Mitchell
Chad Smith
Ringo Starr (what? I like him, screw you!)

However, just because I didn't include other Rock/Metal drummers doesn't mean I don't think they're awesome. It just means they didn't leap into my thoughts straight away when I asked myself "who's fucking great at drumming?". Who would you include in your list? Let me know in the comments or via Twitter.
Next time...I dunno, maybe an album review or Rapid Fire post.

Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy, part three

The final part of this look at the music in the Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy (assuming they don't release Crash Team Racing as DLC, although I have a feeling they might) will be about Crash Bandicoot Warped, the third game in the Naughty Dog series. Apologies for the delay.

Whilst Crash Bandicoot 2: Cortex Strikes Back will be the favourite for most fans, there's a special place in my heart for Crash Bandicoot Warped due to it being the first game I was excited about before the game's release. It was my first taste of waiting for a sequel/new game to come out; playing demos, reading about news in game magazines and actually feeling excitement at the thought of going to school the next day if only to share opinions in the playground on certain snippets from trailers (this still brings me pleasure 20 or so years later). The game is a worthy sequel to Crash 2 and the original soundtrack is equal (if not greater in quality) to the second game too.
However, even though the level design in the N. Sane Trilogy is great, the soundtrack is probably the weakest of all three but that's not to say it's a bad soundtrack so let's look at the positives first. Classic tunes that you hear more often than others have been recreated faithfully whilst sounding a lot clearer due to the use of modern instruments, e.g. the Time Twister hub music and Toad Village. These are some of the first tracks you hear and, similar to the previous two games, the earlier tracks are the closest to the originals, presumably because Vicarious Visions wanted to make it easier for fans to be thrown back into the series they grew up with.
There are also some great improvements to tracks that had plain or easily forgettable music, such as the music from Under Pressure and Bone Yard (as well as bonus/gem routes). Added percussion and better audio quality brings the tracks to life and even if they aren't your favourite tunes, they're enjoyable to listen to as you play the levels. Finally, there are a few tunes that have been improved, usually with subtle tweaks as opposed to big changes. The Oriental Express music sounds more fitting for the level whilst still retaining the sound effects used to make the original so catchy and the N. Tropy boss theme tightens up the use of synth, glockenspiel and other mechanical sound effects to create a more dynamic tune to fight to.

These are the strongest aspects and the negative ones will likely fall into the category of "personal opinion" so let's look at a couple of areas that could be argued for both sides. A handful of tunes have been tarted up a bit so they sound less cartoonish and more realistic (Hang 'Em High and Tiny's boss theme), which might be great if you're new to the series and want a more polished soundtrack but for fans of the original, the music might sound a little out of place when combined with the visuals and memories from childhood. Fortunately, the rerecordings for these tracks are still great, although sadly the Tiny theme borrows the synth from Crash 2's battle so it still sounds off.
Death/secret routes for certain levels (Tomb Time, Hang 'Em High) also sound less exciting due the use of synth in the wrong places, although new listeners will probably enjoy those tracks. However, there are some tracks that sound undeniably tacky and low quality compared to the originals. Dingodile's boss theme may have the classic organ riff but some of the clavinet sections sound like they were recreated on a MIDI mixer. I wish I could say Dingodile was the only boss to have a theme ruined by clavinet instead of heavy guitars but sadly N Gin's battle music contains an overdose of synth and poor choices with the dynamics in the mix.
BUT both of these tracks are incredible compared to the worst track across all three games: Rings Of Power. This fun little tune from the original is one of the most catchy and it sounds terrible in the N. Sane Trilogy due to the terrible choice of instruments. Way too much synth, not enough of the organ/guitar combo. A shame as the level's only as good as the music in this case. As I said earlier, the soundtrack isn't bad but when you take into account that Warped is the only game with bad recreations of classic tracks compared to previous games only having weaker versions, that makes it the least impressive in my books.

If I had to rate both soundtracks (and I don't but I like to anyway), I'd give the original Warped music a 7/10 and the N. Sane Trilogy a 6/10. It could've been a lot better if they didn't fuck about with synth again and got the dynamics right for each track but as it stands, it's still good. Anyway, that's all for Crash Bandicoot posts on this blog for a bit. I might try and focus on more conventional Rock/Metal for the next few weeks just to restore balance after this video game heavy month (aside from the occasional Guitar Hero/Rock Band post that deals with real songs) but if you have any recommendations of albums to listen to or things to write about, let me know.

Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy, part two

Last week, I wrote about the music in Crash Bandicoot and the remaster in the N. Sane Trilogy with the promise of writing about the music in Crash Bandicoot 2: Cortex Strikes Back, Crash Bandicoot: Warped and both remasters so if you're reading this, I hope you like the music in Crash 2...or at least like the idea of reading about it!

Crash Bandicoot 2: Cortex Strikes Back is one of the main reasons I'm into video game music. It was one of the first games I played as a child (although not THE first) and its soundtrack made playing the game all the more enjoyable. It was catchy, engaging and appropriate for each level with some excellent mixes for a game released in the 20th century, even if there are some tunes now and then that sound a little dated compared to modern orchestral soundtracks. The point I'm moving towards is that with a soundtrack as amazing as this, recreating it in a way that both captures the essence of the original whilst attempting to make technical improvements without pissing on people's nostalgia was a pretty hard task to undertake. Vicarious Visions did a damn good job but ultimately made a few significant errors.
For starters, there's what I call the Wumpa Bass. One of the main reasons the soundtrack sticks with you is the use of bass/bass effects on guitar; it's thick and awesome throughout the majority of the tracks, giving the game an iconic sound that the first Crash was unable to master; a sound that heavily inspired the tunes in the GameBoy Advance Crash titles (also developed by Vicarious Visions). Music from Hang Eight, Road To Ruin, Diggin' It, the N. Gin and N. Cortex boss battles and a bunch of other levels are built around heavy basslines (or at least have notable bass sections) and even if the main melodies from those levels are the tunes that you whistle when you think about the music, the bass is what makes it that little bit better.
Whilst bass is still used in the N. Sane Trilogy rerecords, it just isn't as thick or memorable. Don't get me wrong, the level music is still great and the melodies sound as good but this is very much a decision to appease new players rather than returning ones. If you listen to the bass in the tracks I mentioned earlier, there are subtle differences between each tone that removes part of the original charm. Some tracks outright replace the bass tone on the guitar with a crunchy overdrive one, making it sound more aggressive and less cartoonish.

Another issue is the overuse of synth where inappropriate. Some levels have excellent synth usage, such as Piston It Away and its death route but other tracks go overboard or simply replace much better instruments with tacky sounding synth. I've said before on the blog that the music for the Tiny boss battle is what got me into boss battles and game music and there's a specific part of the theme that gives me shivers when I listen to it. Unfortunately, even if the intro is still great, several key moments in this track just sound naff and less imposing when they sound like they were played through computer software.
Bear It is another good example where the original hit every note perfectly. It had the jolly, bouncing rhythm and uses instruments from previous snow levels to fit in with the arctic theme, not to mention good use of synth that sounds like the bear's barks. The rerecord is heavily reliant on a variety of synths ranging from a theramin-like noise to replace the polar synth to comical squawking noises now and then. One positive is the use of dynamics in the mix of this track but it's tragically for nothing when the whole tune sounds weak, and that's not even taking the worse gameplay on the bear levels into account.
Considering how developers said they wanted to give the game the same Looney Tunes feel that Naughty Dog went for when creating the games, the overabundant use of synth seems like an odd choice but fortunately, those two flaws are the only biggies and the positives are aplenty. As with the first Crash Bandicoot, the better sound and instrument quality improves music that hasn't been majorly messed with such as Rock It, the Ripper Roo boss music and the Diggin' It death route. However, as was the case with the first Crash Bandicoot, fans of the originals will almost certainly prefer them.

There are also subtle points such as the continued use of Australian sounds/instruments. It's easy to forget that the Crash franchise is based in the Australian region so you'd expect more didgeridoos and clean guitar (similar to the Ty The Tasmanian Tiger music) but thankfully, you're not bombarded with those sounds. Instead, they just crop up here and there, notably in the Turtle Woods music, so clearly Vicarious Visions did some research. Then there are tracks that have major changes but sound a lot better.
Obviously this comes down to personal taste but there are some tunes that work brilliantly with new instruments such as the Komodo Brothers boss music, the N. Cortex boss music and (my personal favourite) the Snow Go secret route. It's a shame some of my favourite tunes from the original Crash 2 didn't get the same improvements but at least there are some levels with improved music and, as I did say at the start, Vicarious Visions deserves some credit for not completely fucking up the soundtrack.
Overall, the Crash Bandicoot 2: Cortex Strikes Back soundtrack gives me a lot of pleasure for (mostly) nostalgic reasons but I'm glad Vicarious Visions gave me a good reason to get into it again with a collection of mostly hits in a hit and miss attempt at reinventing one of my personal favourite game soundtracks. I rate the original soundtrack 8/10 and the N. Sane Trilogy version 7/10. If they didn't fuck about with too much synth, it may just have surpassed the original.