Rapid Fire: Uriah Heep, Joe Satriani, Powerwolf

Haven't done one of these for a while but the last Rapid Fire post of the year will be looking at three albums from 2018 that I didn't get a chance to review or shine a spotlight on...until now, that is!
First up, we have an album that I've been putting off ever since discovering that Slash released an album with exactly the same name.

1. Living The Dream - Uriah Heep

One of the main reasons I didn't want to review this album after listening to it is because I felt like it wouldn't make for a very entertaining read. After all, there was nothing wrong with the album when I listened to it but at the same time, there was very little exciting about it either; it was a competent Hard Prog record by a band that still have life in them yet. Revisiting it many months later and I have to say, my opinion is more or less the exact same. It's still a decent album with some good tunes and easily forgettable filler tracks.
Album opener and lead single "Grazed By Heaven" is one of the album highlights along with guitar-driven "Take Away My Soul" but many songs go on a little bit too long and feel closer to Prog than Hard Rock, which will probably delight Uriah Heep's original fans. However, there are still plenty of great riffs on guitar and organ (occasionally simultaneously, giving it a great 70s Rock sound) and the percussion contains enough variety to prevent this from sounding like a Thunder album with the same rhythm on every song.
All in all, I'd recommend Living The Dream to fans of 70s and contemporary Hard Prog. It's a good album rooted in Rock with great Hard Prog variety although this is probably a better record for fans of longer, less energetic music that they can enjoy mid-activity or drive. That being said, there are shorter, punchier tunes for those enthusiasts so there should be something for plenty of Rock fans here.

1. Grazed By Heaven

2. Living The Dream

3. Take Away My Soul

4. Knocking At My Door

5. Rocks In The Road

6. Waters Flowin'

7. It's All Been Said

8. Goodbye To Innocence

9. Falling Under Your Spell

10. Dreams Of Yesteryear

ALBUM RATING - 7/10

Next up, we have an album by guitar virtuoso Joe Satriani!


2. What Happens Next - Joe Satriani

When it comes to awesome instrumental Rock songs, Joe Satriani generally knows what he's doing. Surfing With The Alien is a top notch record and I was excited to listen to another Joe Satriani album again, especially one with modern recording technology and no need to worry about declining vocal or technical guitar playing skill (since it's clear Joe still has it!). Album opener "Energy" kicks things off with a fast tempo and fun riffs before slowing things down with funky, bass-driven "Catbot", all with unique guitar solos and tones.
That's probably the main selling point of Joe Satriani's music; it's not just the technically proficient playing, it's the strange sounds he's able to make the guitar come out with. The use of different tones and styles separates it from sounding like a load of plain guitar soloing over 12 songs. Granted he's not the only virtuoso player to realise this is the key to being a successful artist but he's arguably one of the more distinct ones (along with Buckethead). Whilst guitarists like Eric Johnson cultivate and develop their playing into a signature sound synonymous with their name, Joe Satriani typically brings you a plentiful feast of action-packed Rock muzak to get stuck into.
This album is largely the same; there's soft Funk ("Cherry Blossoms", "Righteous"), there's fast Blues Rock ("Headrush") and music in between ("Invisible") although there's a little more emphasis on the slower, more atmospheric tunes such as the album's title track "What Happens Next". Fans of those kind of songs will probably love this album but those who preferred material like "Crushing Day", "Summer Song" and "Crystal Planet" may find themselves a little bored. Sadly, I'm one of those people although I can still appreciate the talent that went into each song.

1. Energy

2. Catbot

3. Thunder High On The Mountain

4. Cherry Blossoms

5. Righteous

6. Smooth Soul

7. Headrush

8. Looper

9. What Happens Next

10. Super Funky Badass

11. Invisible

12. Forever And Ever

ALBUM RATING - 5/10

Finally, we have an album by a Metal band that I've only just discovered due to playing their music in Clone Hero!

3. The Sacrament Of Sin - Powerwolf

Having listened to a couple of Powerwolf songs before checking this album out, I had high hopes for The Sacrament Of Sin. The songs I'd heard were decent Heavy Metal tunes, albeit a bit lacking in technical skill, and I'd heard positive things about the album too. Turns out those positive things were to be trusted as I liked this album quite a lot, although not enough to rave about it. I mean, it's great but it's no Prequelle (although there are similarities in the gothic Metal with a touch of 80s Pop tone). Album opener "Fire & Forgive" is a good heavy song to get things started although after the first few songs, the album takes a pretty lengthy rest break with multiple slower tracks ("Where The Wild Wolves Have Gone", "Stossgebet").
However, this isn't necessarily a bad thing. This is definitely an album to listen to in one sitting rather than picking and choosing random tracks out of order. Sure, you can listen to your favourites out of order and still get joy out of them but the transition between each track sounds carefully planned and the consecutive slower songs don't bring the overall pace of the album down as awkwardly as other albums that shoehorn slow tunes in between fast ones because they didn't know where else to put them. It also means that unlike other contemporary albums that go through the second half slump due to putting all the better tracks at the start, we still get some bangers towards the end of the record ("Venom Of Venus", "Fist By Fist (Sacralize Or Strike)").
I would recommend this album to Heavy Metal fans who like their music grand and awesome. The album's a well crafted product and provides a damn fine if not slightly repetitive listening experience if you let it, although fans of classic Heavy Metal (or even newer Metal bands) may find the music a little underwhelming when it comes to furious solos and complex riffs...in that there aren't really any. There are heavy rapid strumming riffs but no face-melters, just melodic ones with some mild sweeping ("Nighttime Rebel"). Luckily, songs don't need insane solos to be good so if you can listen past that, you'll be in for a treat.

1. Fire & Forgive

2. Demons Are A Girl's Best Friend

3. Killers With The Cross

4. Incense & Iron

5. Where The Wild Wolves Have Gone

6. Stossgebet

7. Nightside Of Siberia

8. The Sacrament Of Sin

9. Venom Of Venus

10. Nighttime Rebel

11. Fist By Fist (Sacralize Or Strike)

ALBUM RATING - 9/10

COMING SOON: More news and a look at my ten favourite songs from 2018!

Anthem Of The Peaceful Army - Greta Van Fleet

Hey, you know that band that sound exactly like Led Zeppelin! They wrote an album...no, not Black Smoke Rising...no, not From The Fires either. Those weren't albums. This is their first album.

When I first listened to From The Fires, I did the obvious thing of comparing them to Led Zeppelin due to the vocals and guitarwork of the Brothers Kiszka. I was excited to hear them follow the original band's progression, developing their Classic Rock grooves into mystical Folk epics and thunderous Hard Rock bangers whilst retaining what made them pure. I also claimed that their debut EP didn't sound like "a hacky tribute album" and that they added their own flair to each track. I'm reminding you of this because anyone who's listened to this album will now start to understand just how disappointed I was after listening to Anthem Of The Peaceful Army.
From start to finish, the album felt like Greta Van Fleet were writing more of a Led Zeppelin parody akin to Beatallica than a Classic Rock revival like Robert Pehrsson's Humbucker or a Rock album clearly inspired by Led Zeppelin's distinct sound like Rush's 1974 debut. It's as if the band got together, played disc one of Mothership and said "Right, I think we've got the gist of this" before writing a load of generic Bluesy lyrics and Jimmy Page riffs over the course of a single afternoon. It's not a bad album (definitely not 1.6/10) but it reeks of cynicism from either the band or an overbearing record label trying to cash in on romanticised nostalgia.
Album opener "Age Of Man" should not have kicked the record off. If anything, it should've been the closer with its slower tempo, heavier riff, longer length and dynamic build-up throughout. A Rock band's debut should proudly announce "We're here and we rock!" and whilst the band partially did that with lead single "When The Curtain Falls", a riff driven belter clearly written for radio play and general public consumption, they needed something shorter and punchier for their introduction. Luckily, we got those tracks later on in the form of "The Cold Wind" and "Lover, Leaver" but there's something missing from them.

A great song isn't just an awesome riff or memorable lyrics; it's a perfect blend of multiple contributing factors, hence why bands like Led Zeppelin and Queen are iconic. Sure, they had incredibly gifted vocalists and knew how to lay down epic riffs but the drummers and bassists played an integral part on and off the stage too. Greta Van Fleet have put all their eggs in the superficial basket of sounding like Led Zeppelin after a casual listen but when you actually focus on each aspect of the songs on the album, it feels like they were inspired by specific songs rather than the band's music as a whole.
Take Joshua Kiszka's vocals; yes, he can wail like Robert Plant and this comes in very handy now and then...but that's not all that Robert Plant did. Plant knew when to show restraint, when to actually sing. Kiszka seems limited to just shouting, even when it's completely inappropriate. "The New Day" is a great track musically but it's ruined by the shrill, abrasive vocals. Similarly, Bluesy number "Brave New World" contains some decent riffs and percussion all crafted into a cracking Hard Rock song, only for it to be spoilt by unnecessarily loud shouting in the chorus. Even the verses sound needlessly aggressive for the music, something that only becomes more obvious the more you listen to each track.
It's a shame that one of the best attributes of the band's previous work is easily the weakest here although thankfully the guitarwork is still decent. A little uninspired here and there ("Watching Over") but great when it counts and serviceable throughout. Bass and drums do their job of making the band sound like a Led Zeppelin clone, only without the creativity and spark that Jones and Bonham effortlessly channelled into their music. However, there's only so much I can criticise the band's involvement in making the album before I start to question whether this disappointment truly lies at their feet or the record label's.

Anthem Of The Peaceful Army feels like the product of executive interference more than the band running out of creative steam after only a couple of years (like Royal Blood). There's no way a Rock band gets this level of promotion and attention in the media for a debut album without record labels pulling strings and even then, they'll only do that if they think there's something to gain from it. Right now, nostalgia is in so clueless, corporate executives are obviously going to try and cash in on that before the tide turns. I wouldn't be surprised if Greta's next release sounds wildly different in response to negative reactions to the album sounding like a poor attempt at recreating Led Zeppelin II because record executives only operate on extreme ends of the spectrum.
I rate the album 5/10 for being adequate but ultimately a missed opportunity for a truly great album. When writing reviews, I try to avoid directly comparing new bands/albums with a specific band/album from the past but in this case, I think it's fair to go into similarities and differences between Greta and Led Zeppelin seeing as how their striking musical (and attempts at visual) likeness to the 70s Rock pioneers is their central gimmick and it IS a gimmick. You can compare modern bands like Wolfmother and Muse to older Classic Rock acts but at least they developed their own sound and musical style, forging their own way into the Hall Of Rock
Normally I would give bands four or five albums to establish their sound, release their "best" album and find new ways to innovate their material as they start to head into a new decade. For Greta Van Fleet, I'm actually hoping they mix things up straight away. Whilst I'd still love to hear their take on some of Led Zeppelin's more ambitious music (as the band do have a natural talent for sounding like Led Zepp that would be absolutely wasted if not utilised in one way or another), I think Album 2 needs a couple of tracks that deviate from the generic; maybe some Hard Prog or synth-based Arena Rock making up 20% and the remaining 80% being more of the same, albeit with toned down vocals and better lyrics.
All in all though, the good thing about music is you can still enjoy it with repeat listens so if you really just want good old fashioned Classic Rock with great riffs and amazing vocals, all of the original Led Zeppelin albums are readily available online and they still stand the test of time. Or to put it another way, when you want good Rock, think of Led Zeppelin, not Greta.

Attention Attention - Shinedown

Ho hum, another month of delayed posts, by the looks of it.
Anyway, let's start things off with a review I forgot to do in May!

If I hadn't listened to Shinedown's back catalogue before listening to this album, I probably wouldn't have been so keen to give this album a try based on the first few tracks I heard. They're not bad songs but despite being heavier than singles released from their last album like "Cut The Cord" and "Black Cadillac", the amount of actual Rock songs on Attention Attention is a bit too slim. Album opener "The Entrance" is a pointless atmospheric introduction (yay concept albums!) to the true album opener "Devil", a solid lead single with heavier percussion, a great guitar riff and some catchy backing vocals in the chorus. This song's a good example of Shinedown's ability to write good Rock songs built around a single musical hook and multiple vocal melodies; it's just a shame it's not the best representative for the album to come.
As someone who liked The Sound Of Madness and Amaryllis more than Threat To Survival, it's good to hear tracks with more power translated through each instrument into proper Rock. Songs like "Pyro" and "Evolve" are energetic and contain some more aggressive vocals and riffs to kick down your ear-doors whilst title track "Attention Attention" is a good song for fans of previous material due to the slower, punchier rhythm and lack of needless experimentation. However, these Rock songs are the smoked ham and mustard between damp, mushy slices of Pop bread in this disappointment sandwich.
"Get Up" and "Special", a pair of straight-up Pop songs built around piano melodies and featuring string/synth accompaniments instead of guitar riffs and pounding percussion, might have the passion as far as songwriting goes but they'd be more at home on a Take That album, blasted out by some floppy haired twat on one of those vapid talent shows about hard-done by twenty year olds who just really want to make music for an audience of about 70 million paying customers. I'm aware that Shinedown are no strangers to the softer, more emotional material but something about these tracks felt more hollow; more commercial. That's my biggest issue with the album.

The bulk of the music would easily fall into the Pop Rock bargain bucket, right next to Fall Out Boy ("Kill Your Conscience") and Goo Goo Dolls ("Creatures"), even if the band have put their own unique twist on these tracks. "Black Soul" does a good job of compensating for the introduction with a heavy chorus but what we needed was more tracks like "Monsters" or "Darkside"; songs that are slower, still vocally driven but contain those great guitar melodies and the energy of a Rock song, even if they also feature those Pop aspects here and there.
Thankfully, the band limit their curiosity to experiment to one track at the end of the album: "The Human Radio". The bizarre mix of Electronic and Rock could've been a great song with a few more Rock elements but otherwise, it's not bad. The use of vocoders and more prominent synth melodies reminded me of Muse without the pretentiousness and it's a good song to listen to before "Brilliant", the uplifting outro and strong finish to a mediocre record...up until the last minute of noise, but you can ignore that. Despite my general panning of the more commercial aspects of the album, the band do a great job of arranging the musical variety without compromising the narrative about overcoming mental issues related to low self-esteem and negativity.
The Rock tracks have been strategically placed between Pop (Rock) numbers to avoid a monotonous sound and to give fans old and new something to get stuck into if they want to pick and choose tracks instead of enjoying it all in one sitting as intended. Plus, due to the commercial nature of the album, the mix and production values are on the upper-middle end of the Rock scale. This album definitely could've been a lot worse and whilst I wasn't hyped going into it based on Threat To Survival and what I'd heard of it so far, I don't feel like I've been insulted in the way albums with too many Pop elements like Concrete And Gold - Foo Fighters left me feeling.

From the perspective of someone who likes Rock/Metal music, Attention Attention is either an awesome Pop album or a weak Rock one. I personally would've preferred maybe one or two more (Hard) Rock tracks instead of Pop Rock or Pop songs but at least it didn't suffer from the second half slump that modern Rock/Metal albums tend to do. I rate it 5/10 and would recommend it to people who don't lean too heavily towards being a Rock or Pop fan, as it rides the line for casual listeners but won't win any prizes for either genre. However, bands like Metallica could learn a thing or two from the tracklist and musical variety; it's refreshing to hear an album that doesn't feature all the stronger material in the first 50% followed by complete and utter shite until the final track in order to trick listeners into thinking they've heard a great album.

Rapid Fire: Greta Van Fleet, Dream Troll, Wayward Sons

Usually with Rapid Fire posts, I look at three older albums by more established bands. This time, I'm mixing it up! I recently wrote a blog post about the best/worst music of 2017 and, in true Riffs And Raffs fashion, discovered two new bands/albums that were pretty decent from last year. So after seeking out a third album to write about, I decided to dedicate a Rapid Fire post to looking at three bands/albums I could've and probably should've written about in the RARRAMAMSPAs, starting with the band that deserves way more attention in the Classic Rock community.


1. From The Fires - Greta Van Fleet

There's a lot of talk now about deceased Rock stars being brought back to life on stage through the magic of holograms. I'm not sure if this is something Led Zeppelin will ever consider when one or more additional members of the band bite the dust and they're no longer capable of touring but after listening to this album, I came to the conclusion that we'd be far better off with Page & Plant signing over the rights to their back catalogue to Greta Van Fleet, the new Led Zeppelin. It's almost scary how close to Page and Plant guitarist Jacob Kiszka and vocalist Joshua Kiszka sound in the album opener "Safari Song", one of the finest Rock album openers I've heard in a while.
Luckily, whilst it's easily the highlight of the album, From The Fires maintains the quality of a Led Zepp record, from the use of Psychedelic organ in "Flower Power" to the Bluesy numbers like their cover of "Meet On The Ledge", without sounding like a hacky tribute album. The band are able to add their own flair to each track, giving us songs like "Highway Tune" dripping with sweet Southern Rock riffs or "Talk On The Street", a modern take on a song that sounds like it's straight out of the 60s. It's clear Greta Van Fleet know how to capture the best aspects of Classic Rock whilst enhancing them with modern recording technology.
Whilst "Safari Song" may have set the bar unreasonably high for the band to reach again, Greta Van Fleet have proven their ability to Rock with the best of 'em...literally, the best. If you can write a Led Zeppelin song better than some of the most popular Led Zeppelin songs out there, you've already passed the test. I recommend this album to fans of Classic Rock or just Rock music in general and I cannot wait to hear Greta Van Fleet's own "Immigrant Song" or "Stairway To Heaven", assuming they follow in Led Zepp's footsteps and become even heavier over the next few years.

1. Safari Song

2. Edge Of Darkness

3. Flower Power

4. A Change Is Gonna Come

5. Highway Tune

6. Meet On The Ledge

7. Talk On The Street

8. Black Smoke Rising

ALBUM RATING - 8/10

Next is a NWOTHM album from UK Indie Metal outfit Dream Troll, complete with an umloud in their name.

2. The Knight Of Rebellion - Dream Troll

It's fashionable for a lot of modern Metal bands to ape off Iron Maiden (usually just Iron Maiden) with some kind of shitty contemporary element but Dream Troll mix it up slightly. It's clear that they're fans of 80s Metal but rather than the traditional classics like Megadeth, Judas Priest and Black Sabbath, these guys seem to favour the mythical Prog-Metal variety such as Queensryche, Dio and Dream Theater. Atmospheric album opener "Time For Vengeance" starts off on a surprisingly grand scale for a band that self produced their record. There are synth/piano accompaniments, multi-layered guitars and vocal effects you wouldn't expect to find on a debut.

Most of the songs are over seven minutes long (or just below) but if you like your Metal short and energetic, Dream Troll have got you covered in the form of "Velvet Drawbridge" and "A Fairy's Tale", my two favourites from the album. However, whilst I'd normally say that an album with long and short songs is versatile enough for fans of both types of songwriting, The Knight Of Rebellion is definitely better suited for those who like their Metal long and grand. Songs such as "Mons Ominosus" and "Unwanted By The Gods" start off with heavier riffs and faster rhythms but suffer when it gets to the inevitable "slow bit" about 2/3s of the way through, which is fine if you want to take the music in and go on a Proggy journey but not if you want Heavy Metal at its most pure.

I can't fault the musicianship of the album and the production is surprisingly great for this Leeds based band (although having seen footage of them playing live, I'm not sure if the vocalist should be too reliant on studio magic). The question is where are the band going to go from here, as they've proven that they don't need a record label to enhance the production values of their music and the Prog-Metal nature of their music means they're already ahead of the need to experiment. Regressing to Speed or Thrash Metal at this point might be great for someone like me but I can't speak for their fans, meaning Dream Troll might be resigned to releasing the same album for a while. However, at least it's a decent album and I'll be there to check out the second one...so long as it's not all eight minute epics.

1. Time For Vengeance

2. Velvet Drawbridge

3. Mons Ominosus

4. Lost In The Pages

5. A Fairy's Tale

6. Unwanted By The Gods

7. (The) Earthbound Betrayal

ALBUM RATING - 7/10

Finally, we're back to Rock with a band who may have listened to Kansas at some point.

3. Ghosts Of Yet To Come - Wayward Sons

I'm still not sure if this is the best album I could've picked for this list, as it's taken me days to get through it and I'm still hugely indifferent to it. Ghosts Of Yet To Come is a pretty standard Rock album in a similar vein to Foo Fighters or a less heavy Black Star Riders. Unfortunately, compared to bands like The Treatment or Inglorious, Wayward Sons lack that one great high octane Rock song needed to elevate the rest of the album. Album opener "Alive" should've come after lead single "Until The End" as it's a pretty dull intro to an album that promises something with more excitement in the cover art alone. It's slow and easily forgettable, completely the wrong way to kick the album off if you're an up and coming band.
Luckily, "Until The End" has a bit more to it. It's got some good little riffs and great vocal melodies but the whole album suffers from being a little too plain and musically safe. It's not that it lacks energy or talent, as the band clearly have both. This isn't some cynical going-through-the-motions attempt at staying relevant or topping up the bank account like most of the bigger albums from last year so at least it has that going for it. Unfortunately, that's all it really has. Effort. Mediocre background music by a band that would probably put on a solid warm-up show for a much better act but couldn't lead their own gig with this material alone.
As much as I've essentially shit on Ghosts Of Yet To Come, it certainly wasn't the worst thing released in 2017. The worst thing about the album is there's a lot of dull filler but there are a couple of decent songs if your experience with Rock music is fairly slim. Whilst there are hints of AC/DC and other classic bands throughout the album, the record seems to be mostly inspired by modern Rock bands so if that's your jam, you'll probably get more out of this than I did. However, if you prefer Rock from the 70s and/or 80s, you're better off listening to the Greta Van Fleet one.

1. Alive

2. Until The End

3. Ghost

4. Don't Wanna Go

5. Give It Away

6. Killing Time

7. Crush

8. Be Still

9. Small Talk

10. Something Wrong

ALBUM RATING - 5/10

There are many other albums from 2017 that are probably worth discussing but I hope you enjoyed reading about these three! If there are any 2017 albums you recommend, let me know via Twitter or the comment section.

Thunderbolt - Saxon

Good news! We're back to doing album reviews for a bit, starting with the latest offering from Saxon!

If you're an avid reader of my blog, you'll know my thoughts on Saxon already; they're one of the few Rock/Metal bands in existence that have improved with age. Whilst that may ring true for rerecordings of their classics, can the same be said for their new studio albums? In this case, sadly not. Thunderbolt is a let down to someone who's heard the band's greatest hits and smashing deep cuts but as far as Heavy Metal goes, it's not bad; it's just a bit "meh" from the band that gave us Sacrifice just five years ago.
The album starts off with the moody, atmospheric "Olympus Rising", a short instrumental that wouldn't be out of place during the introduction of a powerful boss battle in a game or film. It would've been cool if it was fleshed out into a full track but instead, we get "Thunderbolt" afterwards, a half hearted follow up. As far as true album openers, lead singles and title tracks go, "Thunderbolt" isn't bad. It sounds like your typical Saxon song but with a slightly weaker chorus that slows the song's Heavy Metal momentum down. When I first listened to this song, I was worried that Saxon's new album would be a little too one-note and that they'd become the new Motorhead. Fortunately, the band must've been aware of this risk and decided to take steps to avoid that.
The album features several tracks that sound like Saxon's attempt at a musical subgenre taster platter. There's an epic Power Metal blini complete with orchestral elements and a high speed guitar solo ("Nosferatu (The Vampire's Waltz)"), a Speed Metal slider containing lyrical and musical references to Motorhead in tribute to Lemmy ("They Played Rock And Roll") and a Death Metal quiche, featuring guest vocalist Johan Hegg from Amon Amarth ("Predator"). Whilst I applaud Saxon for their attempt to separate this album from others through conscious stylistic changes, none of the previous songs work strongly as either a Power/Speed/Death Metal track or a Saxon one. They're all heavily produced but utterly mediocre, the closest thing to an exception being the raw version of "Nosferatu (The Vampire's Waltz)" included at the end of the album.

However, Saxon didn't go full-experimental and included new tracks for fans of their classic and contemporary material. "The Secret Of Flight" contains a distinctly modern sounding riff but a similar vocal melody to "Power And The Glory", released a good thirty years or so ago, and "A Wizard's Tale" successfully blends a galloping Metal rhythm with lyrical themes that wouldn't be out of place in a Dio record. This is where the album either excels or falters depending on what you want out of it, as it's an understandably mediocre release for a band that have put out 22 studio albums so far.
The album is well recorded and the songs are passable, meaning you'll probably love it if you just want bog standard Heavy Metal with lyrics about mythology and feats of engineering to stick on in the background whilst driving to work or doing the washing up. However, if you want something a bit more memorable, something to revisit frequently and mentally take apart with each listen, you may be disappointed. There are a few songs with decent riffs and driving rhythms to enjoy ("Sniper", "Speed Merchants") but nothing with the same immediately apparent passion and energy as other modern Saxon songs like "Hammer Of The Gods", a far more exciting song about Norse mythology than "Sons Of Odin".
Then there's the matter of the lyrical themes. Saxon have had their embarrassing moments in the past (such as literally writing a song about standing in a queue called, you guessed it, "Standing In A Queue") but much like some of the solos and riffs, this album feels a little uninspired when it comes to subject matters. "Roadies' Song" would've been a great concept if Tenacious D hadn't beat them to the punch half a decade ago and the general repetition of melodies and riffs from previous Saxon material means that things start to sound a little stale. As I said, these are fine if you haven't already been exposed to them en masse but if you've seen and heard it all before, there's nothing particularly special about their use here.

Thunderbolt is OK. That's the short version of this review; it's an average Metal album by a band that have been capable of much better in recent years. The band still have life in them so I'll refrain from mourning the loss of one of my favourite Metal bands until it's evident that Saxon are physically and creatively tapped but hopefully their next album (because there probably will be another album) will come when the band are ready to blow our socks off, not when they need the money for a loft extension.
I rate Thunderbolt 5/10, mostly for effort. The songs that aren't straightforward Heavy Metal may not belong on the album but it's commendable that the band are gingerly stepping out of their comfort zone when remaining firmly in the Heavy Metal category has served them well so far. It's just a shame that the Heavy Metal songs included are all a bit run-of-the-mill this time round. At least Saxon still know how to put on a top notch live show and can really bring out the better aspects of their material live on stage, which is more than some Heavy Metal bands going through the motions can say.
COMING SOON: a review of the new Judas Priest album!

Rapid Fire: Motorhead, David Bowie, Tom Petty

We're back! We might be back a week late BUT WE'RE BACK and we're celebrating with a Rapid Fire post all about DEEAAAATTHH!!! Yes, the first post of 2018 is looking at three albums by famous Rock/Metal musicians who sadly passed away in 2015, 2016 and 2017 respectively. I should probably open up with a less sombre blog post but fuck it, everything's going to shit anyway.
The first album I'll be briefly discussing is the most recent, coming out four months before the death of legendary Metal bassist and vocalist Lemmy Kilmister. However, before I start that, I should mention that whilst writing this blog post, original guitarist Fast Eddie Clarke passed away too. He may not have been involved with this album but he did record the classic riffs and solos for Motorhead's classic albums such as Overkill, Iron Fist and Ace Of Spades.
R.I.P. Fast Eddie Clarke.


1. Bad Magic - Motorhead

I'd been meaning to check out Motorhead's final album ever since the news of Lemmy's passing broke but, without meaning to sound disrespectful, part of the reason I'd been avoiding it was I'd already listened to a Motorhead album. In fact, before listening to Bad Magic, I'd listened to three separate records and a covers album. If there's one thing I can tell you from each of these albums all released in different decades, it's that Motorhead never changed what wasn't broken and the few times they did tinker with things slightly always reset back to its original condition like a JD and tobacco stained memory foam mattress. Bad Magic does absolutely nothing to mix up the formula, making it as much a Motorhead album as anything else in their back catalogue.
Album opener "Victory Or Die" pulls no punches and does a good job of pointing out what's on the tin so you can expect to get exactly what the rest of the album says, if you'll pardon the muddled metaphor. However, there's something missing from Bad Magic that prevents it from being a top notch Motorhead album; a truly great guitarist. Don't get me wrong, Phil Campbell is top notch at playing the thing, I'm just not convinced he's got the musical talent to keep creating excellent riffs for an extended period of time. When you're literally recycling the exact same riff from "Smiling Like A Killer" for "Electricity"or recording generic, interchangeable solos for each track, it's going to let the album down.
Fortunately, Lemmy's bass still rolls out hard and heavy and even though his vocals were beginning to sound noticeably more like those of later years Johnny Cash than early years Lemmy Motherfucking Kilmister due to his health problems at the time, they hadn't completely gone to shit like many Hard Rock outfits that have gone on just a bit too long (looking at you, Deep Purple). Plus, it means we get songs like "Till The End" where we have the pleasure of actually listening to Lemmy sing as well as a banging cover of "Sympathy For The Devil", a highlight of this and their recent covers album. As far as swan songs go, Bad Magic is arguably not the guns blazing celebration of pure Rock & Roll that you may have expected from Motorhead but it's far from a tepid whimper too.

1. Victory Or Die

2. Thunder & Lightning

3. Fire Storm Hotel

4. Shoot Out All Of Your Lights

5. The Devil

6. Electricity

7. Evil Eye

8. Teach Them How To Bleed

9. Till The End

10. Tell Me Who To Kill

11. Choking On Your Screams

12. When The Sky Comes Looking For You

13. Sympathy For The Devil

ALBUM RATING - 5/10

Next up is the oldest album of the three and almost certainly the most influential too from Glam Rock fashion icon David Bowie.


2. The Rise And Fall Of Ziggy Stardust And The Spiders From Mars - David Bowie

Much like the previous album, this is a record I'd been convincing myself to listen to for years before this blog post...and that's pretty much where the similarities end. The Rise And Fall Of Ziggy Stardust And The Overly Pretentious Album Title is the story of a bisexual Jesus-like Rock star who learns of the Earth's impending doom from aliens but becomes one with them on stage because of the spiritual journey he's undertaken throughout the album. Oh, and this Rock star is represented by David Bowie because he was humble like that. Everybody loves this album but to me, it's a competent collection of things I personally hate about Rock that prevent me from getting the most out of it.

For starters, album opener "Five Years" is more of a symphonic grandiose overture than a Glam Rock track to set the tone for what is ultimately a Glam Rock album. It reeks of self-importance without keeping me engaged enough to ignore that facet of Bowie's musical persona. Allmusic called it one of the greatest album openers ever recorded, meaning they've clearly never listened to any Megadeth or they'd realise how fucking wrong they are. Secondly, Bowie's writing style is painfully present in many of these songs and it just doesn't fly with me. For those unaware, Bowie used the cut-up technique where he'd take sentences (or just words), jumble them up and rearrange them into poetic sounding lyrics. When you listen to tracks like "Moonage Daydream" and "Ziggy Stardust", they'll either sound like genius ahead of its time or sporadically assembled nonsense and, unfortunately, it's the latter category for me.

Finally, there's the knowledge that some of these songs probably could've been amazing if written for other bands. Most of us probably know that David Bowie wrote the hit song "All The Young Dudes" for Mott The Hoople around the time of this album (the lyrics actually refer to events in this album because a bit of cross promotion never hurt anyone) but many of those may be unaware that he actually recorded versions of the song himself. They all fucking suck. I can imagine songs like "Star" being incredible by similar 70s Glam or Classic Rock artists that weren't trying to intentionally be art but at least some tracks work with the Bowie touch like "Suffragette City".

Ultimately, my opinion of this album may change over time but my initial reaction to The Rise And Fall Of Ziggy Stardust And The Fawning Music Critics (besides one of childish mockery) is that it's not bad. It's a tidy collection of meticulously assembled material that you can blast through in a relatively short amount of time and get some joy out of. It hasn't given me any insight on any of the touched upon themes, nor will it be a record that I feel I must own or even revisit in a year's time. I like a few songs on it and would recommend listening to the second half as if it's a plain old 70s Rock album...unless you're the kind of wanker that says "bravo" without sarcasm, then you'll probably adore it and will want to see copies of it in museums and on space probes and carved into cliff edges so the wind will play melodies from it for all eternity. That's probably what you think, you ponce.

1. Five Years

2. Soul Love

3. Moonage Daydream

4. Starman

5. It Ain't Easy

6. Lady Stardust

7. Star

8. Hang On To Yourself

9. Ziggy Stardust

10. Suffragette City

11. Rock 'N' Roll Suicide

ALBUM RATING - 7/10

Finally, we have the middle child released in 1989. Even though this musician had already released plenty of studio albums with The Heartbreakers, this was Tom Petty's first solo record and it's pretty damn great!

3. Full Moon Fever - Tom Petty

Tom Petty might have been guilty of frequently committing one of Rock's worst sins (fading out on a guitar solo) but damn, did he know how to make a great solo record. It's a well built collection of Heartland Rock; nothing aggressive, just a feel-good collection of gentle Rock with a couple of standout rockers. Album opener "Free Fallin'" sets the easy tone perfectly with a slow tempo, pleasant melody and cracking yet simplistic chorus; in other words, the thing iconic Soft Rock songs are made from.
One of the main differences between his solo material and a standard Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers record probably comes down to the production. Even though we had Tom Petty and Mike Campbell involved as usual, Jeff Lynne (ELO, Traveling Wilburys) also did his fair share of producing and songwriting so many tracks contain elements of those bands as well as Tom Petty's signature style ("Love Is A Long Road", "Depending On You", "Zombie Zoo"). However, there are also tracks where Tom lets loose and busts out the proper Rock riffs ("Runnin' Down A Dream", "A Mind With A Heart Of Its Own").
There's something for fans of all types of Classic American Rock here and whilst it's unlikely that every track will land with you on the same level, Full Moon Fever knows what its doing and is easily one of the most cohesive, well crafted Rock albums in existence. Whilst it might not be on my personal favourites list due to the softer nature of most tracks and the lack of complex or technical music work to enjoy, I can appreciate the talent that went into making it and would recommend it to pretty much anyone, even those who aren't really into Rock but don't dislike it.

1. Free Fallin'

2. I Won't Back Down

3. Love Is A Long Road

4. A Face In The Crowd

5. Runnin' Down A Dream

6. Feel A Whole Lot Better

7. Yer So Bad

8. Depending On You

9. The Apartment Song

10. Alright For Now

11. A Mind With A Heart Of It's Own

12. Zombie Zoo

ALBUM RATING - 8/10

There you have it. Three decent albums by three great artists/bands who are no longer with us. What a way to start the year!

Rapid Fire: Tearaway Unfolded, Yooka-Laylee, Super Mario Odyssey

Another Rapid Fire post but this time, it's....
VIDEO GAME EDITION!
Similar to previous Rapid Fire posts, I'll be looking at three albums (or in this case, soundtracks) and briefly discussing them before giving them a rating and highlighting tracks that I thought stood out.
The three video game soundtracks I'll be looking at do share certain aspects. For starters, they're all from 3D platformers and they're all relatively recent releases (two came out this year). However, the musical style for each soundtrack is unique enough to warrant their choices for this post, in my opinion. Apologies if you're not into video game music but you might get some joy out of these soundtracks, if you can find them.


1. Tearaway Unfolded - Brian D'Oliveira and Kenneth Young

Tearaway Unfolded is probably one of my favourite platformers ever and if it weren't for A Hat In Time, it'd be my favourite platformer of the last decade (even if it is technically an adaptation/remake). It contains some amazing platforming segments unlike any other in video game history and brings out the creativity through innovative ways. Thankfully, the soundtrack is equally unique for a video game and doesn't fall into the trap of being too much like Mario, nor does it try to be grand like Skyrim. It's whimsical and at times a bit clunky but it works perfectly in the game.
There's a clear difference between the tracks composed by Kenneth Young and the ones by Brian D'Oliveira. Young tends to be responsible for the tunes that are more jovial and quaint, such as the first tune "The Hole In The Sky" or "Cutting Mat" and its variants whereas D'Oliveira is best at the harsher sounding, more dissonant pieces such as "The Barn" and "Scraps" (again, along with its variants). However, occasionally the two work together to give us some of the game's iconic tracks such as "Gibbet Hill Pilgrimage" or individually choose to blend styles to give us excellent pieces like "The Orchards" or techno-Folk track "Between The Pages, Page Two".
It's hard to accurately describe without getting stuck into the soundtrack (and game) yourself but the great thing about the soundtrack is the bizarre yet soothing nature to it. It's the musical equivalent of a claymation cottage with a roaring fire in a Tim Burtonesque forest landscape; quaint but with a hint of kookiness. It also doesn't fall into the trap of trying so hard to be weird that it forgets to be good. Many tracks are catchy and cute, just like the game itself, but overall the soundtrack for Tearaway Unfolded is delightful. It's not your typical sweeping Disney-lite score or epic World Of Warcraft feast, it's something eclectic and special for fans of the genre.

1. The Hole In The Sky
2. Scraps

3. Cutting Mat #1

4. Green Man Groove

5. The Orchards

6. The Squirrel Village

7. Renaissance Hop (Record Scratching Tune)

8. Pig Riding

9. St. Swithin's Moor

10. St. Swithin's Moor, Corvus Hexus

11. St. Swithin's Moor, Scraps

12. St. Swithin's Moor, The Big Tree

13. Enter The Barn

14. Rollin'

15. The Barn

16. Shouty Orange Head

17. Cutting Mat #2

18. Gibbet Hill Intro, Lament & Hornpipe

19. Gibbet Hill Pilgrimage

20. Gibbet Hill Scraps

21. Gibbet Hill Processional

22. Sogport Scraps

23. The Baby Wendigo

24. Squirrels & Scraps

25. Cutting Mat #3

26. Beach Bum

27. Heartless Reel

28. The Tavern

29. Wendigo Fissure

30. Elevate This

31. Gopher It

32. The Gopher

33. The Lab

34. The Lab Tick Tock

35. The Lab Scraps

36. The Caverns Scraps

37. The Caverns Scraps Chase

38. Scraps Crazy

39. Cutting Mat #4, Scraps

40. Scraps Reformed

41. Between The Pages, Page One

42. Between The Pages, Page Two

43. Desert Of The Mind

44. Desert Pig Ride

45. Desert Plane Ride

46. The Mislaid Message

47. The Tear

48. The You

49. Is This Goodbye

50. The Message

ALBUM RATING - 7/10

Next up is a platformer that everyone's saying was a disappointment even though people loved it when it came out.

2. Yooka-Laylee - Steve Burke, Grant Kirkhope and David Wise

Similar to the previous soundtrack, the duty of composing the music wasn't just given to one artist. Composers from a collection of classic Nintendo platformers were brought in to give the game that classic N64 feel; Grant Kirkhope provided music for levels, Steve Burke for multiplayer games and David Wise for minecart levels with each of them trying their hand at boss battle themes too. Whilst each artist brings their own specific flair to appropriate tracks, this can work against the illusion of creating a nostalgia fest.
Older games usually stuck with one main composer so the classic N64 or PS1 games often had their own signature sound. The problem with a modern game designed to evoke memories and feelings experienced when playing those classics BUT with multiple composers is that you're never really going to become fully immersed in the memory. One moment, you'll be back in your old living room running around in Banjo Kazooie as you listen to Kirkhope's marimba filled Tribalstack Tropics (or "World 1 Theme" as it's called on the soundtrack to avoid spoilers), the next you'll be riding a minecart listening to one of David Wise's minecart themes that sounds noticeably different, as if it's from a completely different game...because it is! It's from Donkey Kong Country.
As far as the soundtrack goes, it needed to be more consistent to truly achieve its goal. I appreciate that they tried to achieve this by giving different composers different responsibilities and I don't want to give you the wrong idea about the quality of the music; it's well crafted and aside from a few annoying multiplayer game themes, every song is catchy enough to keep you entertained as you play. However, as bad as this sounds, I almost feel like the soundtrack needed less variety. If you wanted a soundtrack that combines elements of the past with modern platforming innovations, this would've been the way to go. Unfortunately, the gameplay doesn't quite go that far so in the end, it doesn't quite work as well as I wished it had.

1. Main Theme

2. Shipwreck Creek

3. Hivory Towers

4. World 1 Theme

5. World 2 Theme

6. World 3 Theme

7. World 4 Theme

8. World 5 Theme

9. Uphill Battle

10. Frosty Fray

11. Armed And Dangerous

12. Track Attack

13. Skiffy Skirmish

14. Final Beeting

15. Kartos Karting

16. Bee Bop

17. Hurdle Hijinx

18. Up 'N' Nova

19. Jobstacle Course

20. Glaciators

21. Blag The Flag

22. Gun-tlet Run

23. Minecart Theme (World 1)

24. Minecart Theme (World 2)

25. Minecart Theme (World 3)

26. Minecart Theme (World 4)

27. Minecart Theme (World 5)

28. Tropic Trials

29. World 1 Variant #1

30. World 1 Variant #2

31. World 2 Variant #1

32. World 2 Variant #2

33. World 3 Variant #1

34. World 3 Variant #2

35. World 4 Variant #1

36. World 4 Variant #2

37. World 5 Variant #1

38. World 5 Variant #2

ALBUM RATING - 6/10

Finally, we have a soundtrack from a game released to critical acclaim just a couple of months ago. It also contains a specially written song as its main theme and I hate it.

3. Super Mario Odyssey - Naoto Kubo, Shiho Fuji and Koji Kondo

Super Mario Odyssey is probably the most ambitious Mario platformer since Sunshine but sadly contains the least ambitious soundtrack since the DS game that basically ripped off "Gusty Garden Galaxy" for one of their levels. It's a collection of generic orchestra music that sounds decent in the levels but holds up poorly outside of the game, something that can't be said for the previous two albums I've looked at in this post...or indeed any video game soundtrack I've written about in length on the blog before. It has the basics covered (each level has its distinct theme, the first proper level has a grand feel to convey exploration, yada yada yada) but to me, it makes one crucial mistake.

When I think of Mario platformers of the past, I can always think of at least one specific tune that stands out and acts as a kind of representative of the game. More often than not it's the game's main theme or hub world music but occasionally it's from a level. Super Mario 64 has "Bob-Omb Battlefield", Super Mario Sunshine has "Delfino Plaza" and Super Mario Galaxy has the aforementioned "Gusty Garden Galaxy". Super Mario Odyssey doesn't have that instantly iconic level theme. The closest it has is the "Steam Gardens" music but even that doesn't grab you in the same way previous tunes do; if anything, it's notable for sounding like music from a series other than Mario. That's about it.

However, what the game DOES have is its own song with lyrics and everything. "Jump Up, Super Star!" or, as it's called on the soundtrack, "NDC Festival". This is the song that's used in the game's opening menu and in all the fucking promotional material for the game, emphasis on "promotion". I hate this song because I don't hear a colourful piece of video game music; I hear manufactured, soulless advertising in the guise of a song. The music's alright but when lyrics contain lines like "It's freedom like you never knew" and "I'm flipping the switch" that sound like they're trying to push a product instead of entertain gamers, the catchy tune doesn't mean shit.

There are a couple of decent tracks in this game but everything else just kind of blends into the scenery. Even 8-bit remixes of each level fall flat because...well, it's fucking 8-bit. It sounds like crap compared to a fully orchestrated score (although the concept is still neat). Iconic music has been replaced by undeniable corporate box-ticking, although the game is great so I guess it must have worked on me in some level. That doesn't stop me from pointing out how weak the soundtrack is compared to the last couple of proper 3D Mario platformers that also used an orchestra but had the benefit of being led by Koji Kondo, a much superior composer to Naoto Kubo.

1. Bonneton

2. Fossil Falls

3. Fossil Falls (8-Bit)

4. Fossil Falls: Dinosaur

5. Tostarena: Ruins

6. Tosatarena: Ruins (8-Bit)

7. Tostarena: Night

8. Tostarena: Night (8-Bit)

9. Tostarena: Town

10. Tostarena: Jaxi

11. Steam Gardens

12. Steam Gardens (8-Bit)

13. Steam Gardens: Sherm

14. Lake Lamode 1

15. Lake Lamode 1 (8-Bit)

16. Lake Lamode 2

17. Lake Lamode: Underwater Passage

18. Forgotten Isle 1

19. Forgotten Isle 2

20. Forgotten Isle 2 (8-Bit)

21. New Donk City: Night 1

22. New Donk City: Night 2

23. New Donk City: Daytime

24. New Donk City: Cafe

25. New Donk City (Band Performance)

26. NDC Festival

27. NDC Festival (Japanese)

28. NDC Festival (8-Bit)

29. Bubblaine

30. Bubblaine: Underwater

31. Bubblaine (8-Bit)

32. Shiveria: Town

33. Shiveria: Race Course Entrance

34. Mount Volbono

35. Mount Volbono (8-Bit)

36. Mount Volbono: Town

37. Bowser's Castle 1

38. Bowser's Castle 1 (8-Bit)

39. Bowser's Castle 2

40. Honeylune Ridge

41. Honeylune Ridge (8-Bit)

42. Honeylune Ridge: Caves

43. Honeylune Ridge: Wedding Hall

44. Honeylune Ridge: Collapse

45. Honeylune Ridge: Collapse (8-Bit)

46. Honeylune Ridge: Escape

47. Honeylune Ridge: Escape (Japanese)

48. Honeylune Ridge: Escape (8-Bit)

49. Peach's Castle

50. Broodals Battle

51. Madame Broode Battle

52. Knucklotec Battle

53. Torkdrift Battle

54. Mechawiggler Battle

55. Mollusque-Lanceur Battle

56. Mollusque-Lanceur Battle (8-Bit)

57. Cookatiel Battle

58. Ruined Dragon Battle

59. RoboBrood Battle

60. Bowser Battle 1

61. Bowser Battle 2

62. Run, Jump, Throw! 1

63. Run, Jump, Throw! 2

64. Run, Jump, Throw! 2 (8-Bit)

65. Subterranean 1

66. Subterranean 1 (8-Bit)

67. Subterranean 2

68. Caves

69. Ice

70. Another World

71. Ruins

72. Ruins (8-Bit)

73. Projection Room (Above Ground)

74. Projection Room (Underground)

75. Above The Clouds

76. Toad Brigade Member

77. To The Next Kingdom

78. Shop

79. Race

80. RC Car

81. Spinning Slots

82. Climactic Duel!

83. Staff Roll

ALBUM RATING - 5/10

Jesus, that was a pain to type out. The next blog post won't be so long or arduous on the scroll bar!

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.

Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy, part one

The day's finally here. The Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy has been released on PS4 and all three PS1 Crash Bandicoot games have been gloriously remastered/remade in 4K. As a result, the game's soundtrack has also been given a polish so all the original tunes we grew up and fell in love with sound brand spanking new.
Since I'm a HUUUUUUUGE Crash Bandicoot and moderate video game music fan, this is a pretty big deal for me. Consequently, I'm dedicating three blog posts to looking at the retooled soundtracks for the Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy, starting with the rerecorded soundtrack for Crash Bandicoot. Since I'll be looking at each game's soundtrack in depth, I'm counting each of these as reviews and both the remakes and the originals will be getting scores, although I'll probably be discussing the N. Sane Trilogy music more.

Crash Bandicoot was a great little platformer with some catchy tunes but overall, it was a bit patchy. The gameplay was challenging through poor mechanics and the music was forgettable due to the simplicity of it. However, there were a couple of tunes that stood out and one of those was the game's main theme; N. Sanity Beach. The catchy xylophone rhythm, the tribal percussion that kicks into a full drumbeat, the "BWAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRR" that's become a staple of the franchise, it's all perfect and the N. Sane Trilogy does a fantastic job of recreating it.
They knew not to fuck around with the game's iconic theme and I respect that. However, it's a shame they weren't so cautious with the game's other main theme; the theme from the Great Hall. The original theme has comic elegance aided by a perfect mix. Whilst the rerecord is good, it just sounds  a little too farcical and I blame the overuse of brass for that. In fact, a few level soundtracks in this game use a bit too much brass (Hog Wild/Whole Hog, Temple Ruins/Jaws Of Darkness, Pinstripe Potoroo), giving it more of a Jazz feel and perhaps making some of the creepier levels a little less imposing.
However, if you're a fan of added percussion, you've got some treats lined up. Levels with subdued music still play just as well but now with improved music in the background. Slippery Climb is a well known level in the franchise for being so fucking difficult but now it's got another highlight; a funky song in the background. Sure, it might not make the level seem as scary when it sounds like you're listening to a mash-up between a Horror cartoon and a Salsa party but if you're going to listen to a tune over and over again due to dying on a challenging level, I'd rather listen to something enjoyable.

There's still a great variety of music across the game too, aided by the improved musical quality. Whilst there was always a clear difference between music in the jungle and music in the castle, the PS4 remakes amplify them. Take N. Brio's Theme or The Lab; the use of modern Rick & Morty-esque synth and enhanced stringed instruments really brings them to life whereas I recall the originals always being present but never really exciting. However, there are some examples where the enhanced music is a downside.
Part of the charm in the original Crash Bandicoot is the wacky, cartoon-like elements of the music but with a fresh soundtrack, these have been partially removed. The music in the Tawna Bonus Rounds used to have a fun melody but the N. Sane Trilogy version has replaced it with electric guitar, making it sound cleaner but also less memorable. The game could've benefited from keeping a few of the original instruments the same but I suppose it's a roll of the dice in terms of which ones work with most fans and which ones don't.
On the plus side, some of the music sounds spot on if you're after faithful recreations. The music in the Upstream/Up The Creek levels is damn near identical to the original and each of the boss themes (with the exception of Pinstripe) has been rerecorded perfectly, especially the Ripper Roo and Koala Kong themes. It's also interesting to hear the Papu Papu theme in full, since I usually only heard the first 20 seconds of it on account of him being such an easy boss.

Overall, the original music for Crash Bandicoot is appropriate (and much better than the Urban Chaos idea suggested in the planning stages for the game) but the N. Sane Trilogy really kicks it up a couple of gears. Themes from the original game that you heard but never really listened to due to their simplicity are now a bit more fleshed out and whilst the originals will probably always reign superior if there was a specific tune you loved, the dull tracks will be far more enjoyable to your ears now...which is what I predicted/hoped for months ago, so that's great!
In terms of ratings, I rate the original soundtrack 5/10 and the N. Sane Trilogy soundtrack 6/10. I haven't played the other two Crash remasters yet but if this is anything to go by, I've got a lot to look forward to. Then again, if the Halestorm cover EPs were anything to go by, it's that the first entry in the musical trilogy is usually the best. Ah well, guess I'll have to just play the games to find out!

How Did We Get So Dark? - Royal Blood

PREVIOUSLY ON RIFFSANDRAFFS.BLOGSPOT.COM

"A promising start from a band clearly destined for follow-up material and a taste of their talents as Rock musicians".

"I begrudgingly accept that this band have wings".

"At the risk of possibly contradicting myself somewhere, I believe music should be judged on the music and not the circumstances which brought it to my ears".

- IaSg14, Royal Blood - Royal Blood review

After listening to the debut, I was excited to hear the band's next effort. Generally, when a band explodes onto the Rock scene with a good debut, the follow up is almost certainly better due to the band finding their feet and getting a bit more confident in the studio. However, there are rare occasions where the debut is so good that the follow up can't possibly meet the same standard or the hype surrounding the debut has led to overconfidence and arrogance in either the studio executives overseeing the album or the band themselves, leading to a decline in quality due to the poor decisions consequently being made.
Royal Blood's follow up to their eponymous debut probably wouldn't have made quite the same impact if it was released as the first album instead but that's not to say it's a bad album. It's got some decent songs and if you liked the original, there's plenty for you to get stuck into. However, it doesn't start off with the strongest step. "How Did We Become So Dark?" is a pretty poor album and title track. There's nothing particularly memorable about it compared to some of their other tunes and whilst it doesn't have to rock my socks off, a good album opener for a band's second album should at least announce their return in some impressive way or form.
At least the band knew which songs on the album made the best singles. "Lights Out" kicks things off with a great intro and crunchy riff-based Rock that fans of Royal Blood's debut should enjoy. "Where Are You Now?" also showcases some of the subtle improvements the band have made to their own sound, tightening up some of the technical drumming and basswork. I've said in the past that bands don't need to innovate with every album (especially if they've only released about three or four) but it's still good to hear the band getting better at their craft and that deserves some respect.

Some tracks go a step further with the bass riffs and even introduce new tones/instruments ("Hook, Line & Sinker", "Hole In Your Heart") although at its core, this album is basically just Royal Blood (album) but with a different cover. The majority of songs sound like your basic modern Hard Rock tracks with elements still borrowed from Queens Of The Stone Age and Rival Sons. Sadly, unlike the first album, How Did We Become So Dark? fails to capture the best elements of those bands and end up sounding like terrible tributes or covers ("She's Creeping", "Look Like You Know").
One strength the album boasts is containing a great variety of tracks to say it's still just Mike Kerr and Ben Thatcher pumping out the Rock. It might sound like typical modern Hard Rock but the different structures, rhythms, tempos and everything in between make this something a bit more than your standard cash-in from 80s groups still clinging onto the Rock charts like a lizard on a breezy cliff. Unfortunately, for fans of Hard Rock with a bit more to it than percussion and a few fuzzy riffs, there's still nothing to entice new fans.
Royal Blood's music is still the same as it was when they first became the next big thing so if you want falsetto vocal screeching, double bass drum solos or even just a guitar, you're going to have to wait another couple of albums. Alternatively, you could find another band (as I don't see any of those things happening as long as Royal Blood are still mainstream artists) but if you were hoping for something more after their debut, you're going to be disappointed after you finish with album closer "Sleep", and not just because that song is boring as fuck.

How Did We Become So Dark? is good but not for Rock fans still unconvinced by Royal Blood's material or those hopin the band would release a full-on masterpiece after a strong debut. It's an OK follow-up with some small improvements here & there but nothing that reaches out through the headphones and throttles your brain's pleasure centres until you're left slumped in drooling bliss, although I can forgive that as long as the promise is still there.
Royal Blood are still babies on the Rock scene so it's a little unfair to judge them on their ability to release smashing album after smashing album (unless you want another Oasis on your hands). However, I find myself struggling to recall any of the songs on this album a day after listening to them repeatedly for this review so by all means, judge them on their current inability to write more than one album's worth of great music. I rate this album 5/10 for the effort but if it had just one song that stuck in my mind in a positive way, it could've made a 6.

Showdown: Halestorm ReAniMate covers, part two

In part one of these posts, I looked at the collection of Halestorm EPs featuring a variety of Rock, Metal and Pop covers. Part one contained the entirety of ReAniMate: The Covers EP and the first half of ReAniMate 2.0: The Covers EP. Part two will contain the second half of ReAniMate 2.0: The Covers EP and, you guessed it, ReAniMate 3.0: The Covers EP.

EDIT: Forgot to add this Spotify playlist containing almost all of the songs (most originals, all covers). Feel free to listen to it as you read my write-ups, although you might have to skip down a few tracks!


ROUND TEN: Hell Is For Children
Pat Benatar - One of Pat Benatar's better songs, even though everyone always uses "Hit Me With Your Best Shot" as their go-to Benatar track..."Love Is A Battlefield" is pretty awesome too, although this is the superior Rock song in her collection. Decent intro but when the song kicks it up a notch and bursts into an awesome guitar solo, Pat rocks out with her cock out. A damn fine Hard Rock track.
Halestorm - If you read my previous post, you'll know that I've been impressed with Halestorm's covers (and Lizzy Hale's vocals) so far. However, ReAniMate 2.0 has suffered from a significant step down in quality and this song is no different. The opening guitar riffs sound terrible and the verses/choruses are worse than the original. As for the awesome outro solo, it doesn't sound organic. It feels more like it was taped on because the original song had one that worked. It's not bad but it's pretty artificial.
VERDICT - It's a firm win for Pat Benatar, but Halestorm always had a tough job nailing a song this good on their own terms.

ROUND ELEVEN: Gold Dust Woman
Fleetwood Mac - This song's grown on me significantly over time. It's a gritty Classic Rock number about sex and drugs and even though it isn't my favourite Fleetwood Mac song, it's top 10. Sure, it may go on a little bit too long but the slide guitar and vocals make this song amazing. Definitely gonna be tricky to top this version of the song.
Halestorm - Fuuuuuck, well played Halestorm! This cover is as fine as gold dust (sorry) and I'm so glad the band didn't decide to make it heavy. The mix of acoustic and electric is perfect and the song doesn't last too long, unlike the original. Lizzy Hale crushes the vocals and even if Halestorm still haven't demonstrated high ambitions yet, it's good to hear a cover being knocked out of the park on this EP.
VERDICT - Did you not read the last paragraph? Halestorm win, although Fleetwood Mac deserve a shout out too.

ROUND TWELVE: 1996
Marilyn Manson - This guy's music sucks. This song didn't suck as much as some of his other material but it still sucked pretty hard. If you like screaming vocals, Industrial guitar and noise, you'll probably like this and might be mentally inferior to a child.
Halestorm - Well goddamn, Halestorm have done it again! They've taken all the best aspects of the original, removed the terrible element and thus improved the song tenfold. It sounds like a proper Rock song instead of a weird guy jerking off to a bunch of weirder teenagers. The only thing it's lacking is a bit of a punch, as the mix is kinda flat, but it's still a great cover.
VERDICT - It would've taken a fuck of a strong effort for Marilyn Manson to win this. He would've had to sing better vocals, get a better guitar player, completely change his sound and not be a terrible musician aimed at school "outcasts and lone wolves". Since that didn't happen, Halestorm win this.

SCORES (ReAniMate 2.0: The CoVeRs eP)
Originals - 3
Halestorm - 3

ReAniMate 2.0: The CoVeRs eP rating: 5/10

ROUND THIRTEEN: Still Of The Night
Whitesnake - The third and final EP (in this blog post) starts off with a hell of a track. This song has everything a top quality Hard Rock song needs: epic riff, rapid solo, catchy vocals and a decent outro. It's a shame the outro fades out and the slower section in the middle goes on a bit too long but otherwise, it's a killer track.
Halestorm - Clearly after the previous two EPs, the band realised that Lizzy Hale was the star of the show and as a result, this cover starts off with her vocals instead of the power chord slide on guitar. The rest of the song follows suit with an epic riff, a soft section in the middle and powerful percussion. Thankfully, the softer section has been cut down so it sounds more like a Hard Rock song.
VERDICT - Both versions are awesome and whilst I'll always love the original, I think I've got to give the win to Halestorm.

ROUND FOURTEEN: Damn I Wish I Was Your Lover
Sophie B. Hawkins - Is Lesbian Rock a genre? If it is, I imagine this song firmly belongs in it. Anyway, it's a decent song. Solid drumbeat, great vocals, some 90s Hip Hop elements because why the fuck not. Not much else to it other than that. Just flat out Lesbian Rock.
Halestorm - After removing the synth and amping up the guitars a little, Halestorm have turned Lesbian Rock into boring Hard Rock. It's not the best transition but it's a valid effort. However, there are dozens of better songs from the decade to cover that don't sound boring as fuck. It's even boring writing about it and I bet it's boring reading about it.
VERDICT - Both songs are boring but if you want 90s Pop Rock and 10s Hard Rock, Sophie B. Hawkins wrote the better song for the genre so she deserves the win.

ROUND FIFTEEN: I Hate Myself For Loving You
Joan Jett And The Blackhearts - Halestorm clearly picked the best songs for the first EP, huh. It's not a bad tune but it's as bland as Hard Rock with Punk and Blues elements gets. However, it was good enough for U2 to rip off with "When Love Comes To Town" so it must have some merit. Unfortunately, it has no merit for me.
Halestorm - As far as covers go, this one's pretty faithful. The guitar and vocals are all there, just plodding along to get to the end of the song. It sounds more like a tribute than the band attempting to take a song and make it their own but fans of the song should be pleasantly surprised.
VERDICT - I guess the Halestorm version's pretty good. I don't have anything against the original but there's only so excited I can get about bland music, regardless of how well it's covered.

ROUND SIXTEEN: Heathens
Twenty One Pilots - I'm starting to think Halestorm have a semi-shitty taste in music. Modern Pop with heavy guitars now and then is still modern Pop and even if the vocals and mix are decent, this song still sounds like something designed to be enjoyed by primarily assholes. However, it's a well known Pop song so I can understand why Halestorm would want to cover it.
Halestorm - This sounds more like a song suited for the film Suicide Squad, although I guess the Twenty One Pilots version makes sense seeing as how it sucks. The Halestorm version firmly plants it in the Hard Rock genre, even if it is shitty Rock. That seems to be one of the trends from these EPs, along with Lizzy Hale's awesome vocals. I'm starting to think Halestorm aren't as awesome as I've heard.
VERDICT - Even though Halestorm wins this round hands down, it's been a disappointing selection of covers so far. No matter, they still kick ass now and then.

ROUND SEVENTEEN: Fell On Black Days
Soundgarden - The best part of this song is probably the opening guitar riff, followed shortly by Chris Cornell's vocals in the chorus before he gets all shouty. The structure and mix have been well crafted too but it's the guitar that steals the show. It might be a well known Soundgarden song although it isn't one of my favourites. However, I can imagine it being a good Halestorm cover.
Halestorm - Lizzy Hale's vocals work surprisingly well in this song. The guitar is decent too with some neat effects used in the solo and there are many moments throughout the song where, if you didn't know any better, you could assume it was an alternate Soundgarden take. It's one of the closest things to an ambitious cover Halestorm have recorded for these EPs and even then, it's still not a big deal.
VERDICT - There's no other version of this song that does the material justice in the same way as the Soundgarden original so I have to award them the win. Props to Halestorm for still writing a good cover though.

ROUND EIGHTEEN: Ride The Lightning
Metallica - OK, I can forgive some of the song choices now. Most people would call Master Of Puppets the superior album and title track combo but I'd choose Ride The Lightning over that any day. This song contains awesome riffs, a badass solo and some of James Hetfield's angriest vocals recorded on a good Metallica track. A top quality Metallica tune to end the covers EP.
Halestorm - Oh God, that opening guitar sounds terrible. At least the verse riffing sounds better and Lizzy Hale rocks the fuck out of the vocals, although still doesn't come close to Hetfield in the chorus; she pretty much just shouts them. However, unlike most of the previous covers, the solo is a very faithful recreation of the original. Well played both literally and figuratively.
VERDICT - Hmmmmm, tough decision. Halestorm did a smashing job of covering this song but I have to give the win to the one, the only Metallica.

SCORES (ReAniMate 3.0: The CoVeRs eP):
Originals - 3
Halestorm - 3

ReAniMate 3.0: The CoVeRs eP rating: 4/10


FINAL SCORES:
Originals - 7
Halestorm - 11


Looks like Halestorm crushed the competition, although that's mostly down to their first EP. The other two were meh. If they record a fourth covers EP in another couple of years, hopefully they'll choose more 80s Pop songs and less modern shite to recreate.