It's not been that long since I did a Tenology post but it's been an entire year since I did one of these specific posts! 2016 was a shitshow and let's face it, 2017 wasn't that much better. It may have been an amazing year for video games (the best since 2009, in my opinion) but it's been a bit weak for Rock/Metal albums. Most of the albums I've reviewed from this year have been average or weak with only a few standout strong entries but fortunately, there have been several brilliant album tracks and singles to list here.
As I've done in the past, this post isn't a reflection of the Top 10 songs of the year ranked according to sales, fan reception or even my personal opinion. Yes, I've chosen these songs based on my opinion and taste but I'm not listing them in any particular order. They're just ten songs I liked more than anything else I heard this year. If I've missed anything that you think I'd like or should at least draw attention to in the Honourable Mentions section later on, feel free to leave a comment or message me via Twitter.
But now it's time to find out which songs I enjoyed this year in between playing video games and being depressed!
1. "La Dee Da" - Foo Fighters
One of the big album releases this year was Concrete And Gold - Foo Fighters. If you didn't read my review of it, all you really need to know is it's terrible. It's a tepid affair full of bland, easily forgettable material...except the one track that stands out. "La Dee Da" is a fast paced proper Rock song that blows all the cobwebs of boredom formed by the gloomy Alternative dirge away. Granted it comes in the middle of the album so those cobwebs form again pretty quickly but it's still the highlight of the record and, in a year where great music was somewhat lacking, it's enough to make this list.
2. "She's $$$" - Kenny Wayne Shepherd
I feel like each year has to have at least one really good Blues Rock number and 2017 is no exception. Kenny Wayne Shepherd provided us with a track that took the rhythmic foundations of "Call Me The Breeze" - J.J. Cale and added some fancy instrumental sections, heavier percussion and new lyrics before presenting us with a catchy tune to tap your feet to. I'll even excuse the seemingly pointless use of "$$$" in the title when "She's Money" would've looked much better!
3. "Nowhere" - Cheap Trick
No, this isn't a track off Cheap Trick's mediocre Christmas album. It's off another album they released this year entitled We're All Alright that I neglected to review or even listen to. There may be better songs off the album but this one's not half bad. It's a punchy number that harks back to their early days as a rough-edged Rock outfit before they turned up the charm and churned out Dream Police. It's only a short tune but it's still an enjoyable one!
4. "Heavy Fire" - Black Star Riders
Whilst my favourite song off the latest Black Star Riders album came out last year, "Heavy Fire" is a close second which makes it number one for this year. It opens up with a thunderous riff before the rest of the band explode onto the scene and it only gets better from there. This is the kind of song that opens live shows with all guns blazing and I don't just mean shows promoting this album; this could be one of the band's most badass songs! It's just a shame they had to slow things down with an awkward middle section before bringing it back around with a heavy reprise but hey, at least they got 2/3 of the song spot on!
5. "Who's The (Bat) Man" - Patrick Stump
I'm not sure whether this technically counts (as it was a track on the soundtrack for The Lego Batman Movie) but since it functions as a song, I'm including it. Plus it's arguably heavier/more awesome than the majority of tracks in this post! If you haven't seen The Lego Batman Movie, it opens with an action scene involving Batman fighting all of his villains whilst rocking out to his Let's Go Nuts mix, featuring this song that he sings and apparently plays the guitar solo for too. It amplifies everything great about the scene in a way that's not only hilarious but also pretty damn epic, if you'll pardon the term. But here's the biggest surprise: the song is credited to Patrick Stump, lead vocalist/guitarist for Fall Out Boy. Yeah, the frontman for Fall Out Boy had this material up his fucking sleeve but instead resorts to whiny Emo shite for fake tattoo-sleeve wearing twelve year olds.
6. "The Last Song For My Resting Place" - Black Country Communion
I've heard a few decent Black Country Communion tracks but I'm making the active decision to not get into them on account of my personal hatred for Glenn Hughes. From what I hear, it's not just me who has a problem with him as Black Country Communion previously called it quits after a dispute between Glenn and guitarist, Joe Bonamassa. However, since then, they've decided to patch things up and record another album which speaks volumes about Joe's ability to forgive as there's no reason he needs to pause his solo career just to appease an egotistical tosser who's desperately trying to prove he's as talented as he thinks he is. Anyway, I listened to the album recently and it's passable at best. There are a couple of solid tracks including "The Crow", a song that shamelessly rips off "Bulls On Parade" - Rage Against The Machine but gets a pass from me purely because they made that RATM track better. However, "The Last Song For My Resting Place" is easily the highlight. It's an eight-minute emotional powerhouse that puts Glenn exactly where he needs to be; right at the back propping up a much more talented vocalist/musician (Joe Bonamassa) with bass and backing vocals.
7. "The Way You Used To Do" - Queens Of The Stone Age
The Foos weren't the only big American Rock band to release a new album this year! Queens Of The Stone Age delivered a new record with heavy Pop influences but still firmly in the Rock genre (review here). This song was the lead single and is probably the most enjoyable track out of the bunch, even if there are other tracks that are decent too. Josh Homme's guitarwork is relatively simplistic but when paired with the catchy rhythm, it's enough to carry the song from start to finish. I was torn between this track and "The Evil Has Landed", as that's another strong tune from Villains, but I went with this purely because I've found myself wanting to listen to it more than anything else off the album this year.
8. "(She Don't) Gimme No Lovin'" - King King
OK, this song would never top conventional Best Rock Songs Of 2017 lists on account of it being a little uninspired compared to some of the singles released this year but that's part of what makes it enjoyable. It's a good old fashioned Hard Rock track that sounds like it's cherry picked elements of Rock's biggest artists from the 70s and 80s, much like the song from School Of Rock that combined elements from AC/DC tracks to make an all-round crowd pleaser for kids and adults alike. This song feels like that without becoming tame so here it is!
9. "Taking The Blame" - Inglorious
From a paint-by-numbers "Rock" song to this hellraiser, Inglorious have good track record with fast paced, high octane Hard Rock so I wasn't surprised to hear another belter from them this year. I should really check their two albums out but for now, we're all presumably in the same boat of not really knowing an awful lot about them. Fans of my blog will know I'm a sucker for Riff-Based-Rock that doesn't take prisoners so "Taking The Blame" well and truly belongs on my list, although I'd like to give a special shout out to Phil Beaver for some cracking percussion in this song.
10. "Buccaneers Of Hispaniola" - The Darkness
Well shit, I've done it again. I've left my favourite song until last even though I said I wasn't going to do any kind of ranking. Pinewood Smile was easily my favourite album of the year and out of all the songs I loved on it (believe me, there were several I was tempted to include), "Buccaneers Of Hispaniola" is the one I played most of all. Opinions on falsetto singing and comical lyrics aside, The Darkness have proven in the last couple of years that they know how to record a bitchin' tune when they want to and that's exactly what this song is. It's loaded with heavy riffs, sweet solos and awesome vocals. It's the kind of song that wouldn't sound out of place blasted from the heavens as you stormed into the most epic of battles and even though I would probably prefer it a little more if I could slightly tweak the outro vocals (where Justin sings "BUUUH, BUUUH, BUH-BUH, BUH, BUH BUUUUUCCANEERS!"), I doubt I will ever get tired of listening to this, the shining jewel of 2017's contribution to Rock/Metal.
So that's it for 2017...OR IS IT? Of course it fucking isn't! There are still Honourable Mentions to plough through! Here are five songs I almost included before they fell at the last hurdle...or in this immediate case, the first:
"Friends Are Family" - Oh, Hush feat. Will Arnett & Jeff Lewis
Another song off the soundtrack for The Lego Batman Movie. This is played during the closing credits and whilst you could argue that it may fall into the Pop Rock category, I decided to omit it from the main list because I felt like it was a little too close to Pop. However, I still love it to bits. It pisses all over "Everything Is Awesome" from The Lego Movie and actually does a solid job of echoing one of the film's main themes through a catchy chorus and a neat solo played by Alfred the butler...what, it is. Go watch the film and see!
"Head Like A Haunted House" - Queens Of The Stone Age
Yeah, I know I said I was torn between the dancey one and "The Evil Has Landed" but remember, these are Honourable Mentions, not an extension of my ten choices. I've already mentioned that song so now I'm mentioning this one! Villains had an eclectic mix of styles but this song stood out as one with a bit more character than the rest. It's wacky, sure, but it reminds me of 70s Punk what with the amplified bass and kooky sound effects. It's also a fun title, which is somewhat of an anomaly on a QOTSA album. I didn't include this in the main list for the same reason I didn't include "The Evil Has Landed"; I preferred "The Way You Used To Do". Plain and simple.
"Heartland" - Tyler Bryant & The Shakedown
This one's a bit of a late entry but it just made it in at the last minute. Unfortunately, it wasn't quite good enough for me to make the main list but it's still got some strong attributes such as the heavy fuzz and talented Mr Bryant. I don't know if I like the vocals during the chorus to say whether this song will make a stronger impression on me than some of the other songs I've heard this year but at the current time of writing this post, I like the track.
"Southern Trains" - The Darkness
As I said earlier, there were several tracks from Pinewood Smile that could've made this list but only one that I felt deserved an Honourable Mention. For those of you reading this in the UK who have ever been burdened by delayed trains, wasted hours in shitawful stations, disgusting toilets and cramped conditions due to annoying passengers you'd rather stab repeatedly than stand up for, this is the song for you. It's a celebration of everything terrible about the Southern train service in this country packaged as a fast paced Hard Rock/Heavy Metal number in vintage Darkness fashion. Enjoy!
"Thunder Child" - The Bad Flowers
Lastly, we have what I would describe as a solid filler track out of all 15 songs included here. It's got a good riff and a fun rhythm but it just doesn't land as well as the others for me. Maybe that's because I haven't given it as much of a chance as the others on this list although you could argue that songs like "Buccaneers Of Hispaniola" and "Heavy Fire" did more to grab me by the short and curlies straight away, therefore having my full attention for the rest of the track. It's not a bad song and it might even be one of your favourites if you like standard Rock but for now, it's only worthy of an Honourable Mention from me.
And THAT is it for this blog in 2017. We've had some fun moments now and then (ABCs of Producers was a personal highlight) but the next time you'll be reading anything new on here will be 2018...unless you're spending your New Year's Eve going back over some of my older posts that you haven't read yet. If that is the case, I can't say I blame you; NYE is fucking shit and my blog's pretty underrated so it's only natural that you'd rather spend your last day of 2017 reading my unchained opinions on Rock/Metal instead of spending it partying with friends and family.
See you all on the other side!
Showing posts with label Black Star Riders. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Black Star Riders. Show all posts
Sunday, 31 December 2017
Friday, 10 February 2017
Heavy Fire - Black Star Riders
Our first review of 2017 and hopefully not our last!
Black Star Riders have a pretty solid back catalogue almost bordering on Metal so when I heard their single "When The Night Comes In" and saw the album was called Heavy Fire, I immediately expected something excellent for true fans of Hard Rock. In the end, I got something that's good and would recommend this to fans of both classic and contemporary Hard Rock.
There we go, review's done. Onto the next blog post!
Ah fuck it, I've got time to kill. Let's look at this in a bit more detail.
Heavy Fire is a good album, it's not exceptional or an "instant classic" but it has a fair balance between strong material and average Rock. Kicking off with album opener and title track "Heavy Fire" is a good way to go, as this song bursts in with sweet Heavy Metal riffs and a driving rhythm. Unfortunately, the band decided to get cute about one and a half minutes into the track and shoehorn a fairly mediocre melody in that they likely couldn't flesh out into a full song but at the same time didn't want to scrap. In a way, this acts as the best possible album opener and title track as it perfectly combines the positives and negatives of the entire album into a single four and a half minute package.
This might just be my opinion but proper Rock bands like Black Star Riders are at their best when they fucking rock. Naturally some bands often from the Alternative Rock genre are better suited for softer songs and a few Hair Metal artists are capable of nailing the Power Ballad but Black Star Riders aren't either of those genres; they're Rock. Hard Rock, to be precise. Their strengths lie in powerful riffs, crashing cymbals, vocals you want to belt out at the top of your lungs yourself and a tight song length between three and four minutes, four and a half at a push. Those tracks are easily the highlights of this album ("When The Night Comes In", "Who Rides The Tiger", "Letting Go Of Me").
However, I appreciate that the entire album can't be pumped full of energy and you need moments of down time to further emphasise the bigger tracks the band have more confidence in. This is all well and good if those filler tracks are well written and special in their own way; maybe if the tempo's slower, you can still give it an epic riff and a backbone (see "Fight From The Inside" - Queen) or if everything's sounding a little formulaic, you take the elements you're adept at and amplify them (see "The Duellists" - Iron Maiden). Instead, Black Star Riders just plod along and produce decent but easily forgettable and, arguably worse, "safe" Rock songs ("Testify Or Say Goodbye", "True Blue Kid").
There are some examples of songs that were almost awesome but fell at the last hurdle. "Thinking About You Could Get Me Killed" has a nice rumbling bassline but the chorus lacks the passion needed to carry the song through to greatness; in fact, it reminded me a lot of "I Was Wrong" - Social Distortion both vocally and musically. There's also "Ticket To Rise", a Bluesy song built around a serviceable riff but ultimately let down by a string of much better tracks preceding it on the album. The final insult is the album's closing track, "Fade". Gee, I wonder how this one's going to end!
Aside from having an intro way too close to "Something In The Air" - Thunderclap Newman (one of the worst Rock/Wood songs in existence), this is not how you end a Hard Rock album let alone one called Heavy Fire. This track would've been alright if it came earlier on in the album, as it's not a bad vehicle for demonstrating the band's musical maturity, but the last track on the album needed to pack a punch. Even if this had a tempo increase and faded out on faster rhythm after the band had rocked out one last time, I would've finished this album in a better mood. Instead, they fade out on a frenzied solo and leave me with shit in my ears.
If you're somewhat of a Black Star Riders fan and are hoping this album still sounds like them, you won't be disappointed. It does seem a little heavier than tracks I've been overexposed to on the radio but their music still treads the thin line between Hard Rock and Soft Metal, making it easily accessible to a variety of tastes on the Rock spectrum. I feel like I've said this before with other bands like Airbourne but whilst they haven't reached the need to innovate and *shudders* "experiment" with their sound yet, I would've rather they turned it up a notch, especially with the album title and cover alluding to a heavier collection of music. Unlike Breakin' Outta Hell however, I'm relatively happy with what I got here.
Heavy Fire is more or less solid from start to finish and whilst it could've done with one or two more powerful tracks instead of tunes like "Cold War Love", I would still recommend this album to listen to but not purchase for yourself. This is an album you'd give as a gift to someone who loves Rock or might treat yourself to once it drops in price a bit but this isn't something I'd rush out to the shops to buy. Instead, you're better off buying a few tracks off iTunes to show your support.
I rate the album 7/10 only because I'm rounding up from 6.5 and despite my criticisms, there aren't many glaring faults. The songs are suitably written if not a little generic at times and the ones that grab you by the short and curlies really do leave a good impression, despite the fact that they just metaphorically gripped a fistful of your pubes. I'm inclined to give previous Black Star Riders albums a listen after this, as they clearly know how to write great material outside of their singles and even if their previous hits are half as good as the best songs on this album, I'm still in for a hell of a ride.
Black Star Riders have a pretty solid back catalogue almost bordering on Metal so when I heard their single "When The Night Comes In" and saw the album was called Heavy Fire, I immediately expected something excellent for true fans of Hard Rock. In the end, I got something that's good and would recommend this to fans of both classic and contemporary Hard Rock.
There we go, review's done. Onto the next blog post!
Ah fuck it, I've got time to kill. Let's look at this in a bit more detail.
Heavy Fire is a good album, it's not exceptional or an "instant classic" but it has a fair balance between strong material and average Rock. Kicking off with album opener and title track "Heavy Fire" is a good way to go, as this song bursts in with sweet Heavy Metal riffs and a driving rhythm. Unfortunately, the band decided to get cute about one and a half minutes into the track and shoehorn a fairly mediocre melody in that they likely couldn't flesh out into a full song but at the same time didn't want to scrap. In a way, this acts as the best possible album opener and title track as it perfectly combines the positives and negatives of the entire album into a single four and a half minute package.
This might just be my opinion but proper Rock bands like Black Star Riders are at their best when they fucking rock. Naturally some bands often from the Alternative Rock genre are better suited for softer songs and a few Hair Metal artists are capable of nailing the Power Ballad but Black Star Riders aren't either of those genres; they're Rock. Hard Rock, to be precise. Their strengths lie in powerful riffs, crashing cymbals, vocals you want to belt out at the top of your lungs yourself and a tight song length between three and four minutes, four and a half at a push. Those tracks are easily the highlights of this album ("When The Night Comes In", "Who Rides The Tiger", "Letting Go Of Me").
However, I appreciate that the entire album can't be pumped full of energy and you need moments of down time to further emphasise the bigger tracks the band have more confidence in. This is all well and good if those filler tracks are well written and special in their own way; maybe if the tempo's slower, you can still give it an epic riff and a backbone (see "Fight From The Inside" - Queen) or if everything's sounding a little formulaic, you take the elements you're adept at and amplify them (see "The Duellists" - Iron Maiden). Instead, Black Star Riders just plod along and produce decent but easily forgettable and, arguably worse, "safe" Rock songs ("Testify Or Say Goodbye", "True Blue Kid").
There are some examples of songs that were almost awesome but fell at the last hurdle. "Thinking About You Could Get Me Killed" has a nice rumbling bassline but the chorus lacks the passion needed to carry the song through to greatness; in fact, it reminded me a lot of "I Was Wrong" - Social Distortion both vocally and musically. There's also "Ticket To Rise", a Bluesy song built around a serviceable riff but ultimately let down by a string of much better tracks preceding it on the album. The final insult is the album's closing track, "Fade". Gee, I wonder how this one's going to end!
Aside from having an intro way too close to "Something In The Air" - Thunderclap Newman (one of the worst Rock/Wood songs in existence), this is not how you end a Hard Rock album let alone one called Heavy Fire. This track would've been alright if it came earlier on in the album, as it's not a bad vehicle for demonstrating the band's musical maturity, but the last track on the album needed to pack a punch. Even if this had a tempo increase and faded out on faster rhythm after the band had rocked out one last time, I would've finished this album in a better mood. Instead, they fade out on a frenzied solo and leave me with shit in my ears.
If you're somewhat of a Black Star Riders fan and are hoping this album still sounds like them, you won't be disappointed. It does seem a little heavier than tracks I've been overexposed to on the radio but their music still treads the thin line between Hard Rock and Soft Metal, making it easily accessible to a variety of tastes on the Rock spectrum. I feel like I've said this before with other bands like Airbourne but whilst they haven't reached the need to innovate and *shudders* "experiment" with their sound yet, I would've rather they turned it up a notch, especially with the album title and cover alluding to a heavier collection of music. Unlike Breakin' Outta Hell however, I'm relatively happy with what I got here.
Heavy Fire is more or less solid from start to finish and whilst it could've done with one or two more powerful tracks instead of tunes like "Cold War Love", I would still recommend this album to listen to but not purchase for yourself. This is an album you'd give as a gift to someone who loves Rock or might treat yourself to once it drops in price a bit but this isn't something I'd rush out to the shops to buy. Instead, you're better off buying a few tracks off iTunes to show your support.
I rate the album 7/10 only because I'm rounding up from 6.5 and despite my criticisms, there aren't many glaring faults. The songs are suitably written if not a little generic at times and the ones that grab you by the short and curlies really do leave a good impression, despite the fact that they just metaphorically gripped a fistful of your pubes. I'm inclined to give previous Black Star Riders albums a listen after this, as they clearly know how to write great material outside of their singles and even if their previous hits are half as good as the best songs on this album, I'm still in for a hell of a ride.
Saturday, 31 December 2016
Tenology: My Ten Favourite Rock/Metal Songs Of 2016
Finally, we're here. The end of 2016 and about fucking time too. From celebrity deaths to celebrity presidents, it's been an absolute shitshow that all seemed to start with Lemmy's death at the end of last year.
However, despite the overwhelming negatives about 2016, there have been some positives to take away such as a collection of decent Rock/Metal songs that I intend to list here. On previous Tenology posts celebrating the year's music, I don't categorise songs in order of greatness; instead, I just list ten of my personal favourite songs from the year in random order. Since there's no reason to change the formula, that's exactly what I'll be doing this year too!
It's also worth noting that these songs have been chosen based entirely on my opinion, not how well they charted or fared among Rock/Metal fans. If I wanted to write about the "best" songs of the year, I'd spend the whole post wanking off about how amazing Beyonce and Radiohead are. But fuck that, right? Here are 10 songs I liked!
1. "The Getaway" - Red Hot Chili Peppers
If you cast your mind back to July (or click this link and spend a couple of minutes reading the post), you may recall me reviewing The Getaway - Red Hot Chili Peppers and talking about how much I loved this album. It's probably joint-first for my album of the year along with Dystopia - Megadeth and this album opener/title track is a solid reason why. It sounds like classic RHCP but at the same time doesn't feel like the band going through the motions, partly due to Josh Klinghoffer picking up the strings from John Frusciante. Great tune!
2. "Breathing Lightning" - Anthrax
If your mind hasn't returned from July yet (or you got curious and followed this link), you may ALSO recall me briefly writing about the new Anthrax album, For All Kings. Despite not really enjoying it, I did love this song and would recommend it if you like Heavy Metal over the usual Thrash stuff Anthrax is known for. Thankfully, there are some single edits of the song that don't have the shitty instrumental reprise at the end so if you want to buy the track, search for that version instead of the six minute one.
3. "Let It Begin" - The Treatment
Aha, a new track! I've mentioned The Treatment before on a previous Tenology post celebrating 2014's music but this song is stronger than "The Outlaw". It's still another uncompromising Hard Rock track with epic riffs and a catchy chorus by a band who seem to be happy in the ass-kicking-Rock sector of the industry so what's not to like? In a year literally plagued with death and despair, sometimes you need a good Hard Rock track to blast out loud and this song fits the bill nicely.
4. "Moth Into Flame" - Metallica
Back to old tracks again. I liked Metallica's new album and there were definitely some solid contenders on there for this post. However, there was only one track that I knew deserved to be on the main list without a doubt; "Moth Into Flame". Unlike "Hardwired" and "Atlas, Rise!", it contains all the hallmarks of a top quality Metallica song without sounding repetitive or losing too much energy throughout the track. It should've been the lead single from the album as it triumphantly declares "We're fucken back!" much more heroically than the album's title track.
5. "At War With The World" - Primal Fear
I haven't actually discussed Rulebreaker - Primal Fear on the blog yet but if you haven't listened to it, it's a pretty awesome Metal album. Granted there's not much variety on it but if you want pure Heavy Metal, you get exactly that. There were several songs I could've picked for this list but my personal favourite is probably this one due to the steady rhythm and epic chorus. Seriously though, if you like Heavy Metal, seek out Rulebreaker - Primal Fear.
6. "Breakin' Outta Hell" - Airbourne
A track so good, I've discussed it twice; once in an album review, once in a taster session. Basically, similar to "Let It Begin", it's a heavy Hard Rock song by a band that are masters of awesome singles but getting progressively weaker at awesome albums. Despite this, I still love listening to this song and hope that Airbourne will keep churning 'em out every couple of years or so.
7. "The Emperor" - Megadeth
Come on, I couldn't leave out a track from Dystopia from this post. I'll admit that if "The Threat Is Real" wasn't released as a single at the end of 2015, I would've chosen that instead but "The Emperor" is probably my second favourite track off the album. Lyrically and musically, it's fucking great; a song flipping the middle finger off at incompetent leaders with brilliant riffs throughout and a hell of a sweet solo with echoes of "Holy Wars... The Punishment Due".
8. "When The Night Comes In" - Black Star Riders
If you're unfamiliar with Black Star Riders, they're basically a heavier version of Thin Lizzy made up of Thin Lizzy band members who didn't want to record new material for that band without Phil Lynott. I've heard quite a few of their songs and definitely like some more than others ("Valley Of The Stones" over "Bound For Glory", any day) but this is my favourite so far and it just so happens to be a single released this year. If you like Thin Lizzy and heavier music, I'd recommend them unless you're a die-hard Phil Lynott fan, as the vocalist sounds like a poorer version of him and it'd probably just piss you off.
9. "Eye Of The Beholder" - Wolfmother
Another song from an album I've already reviewed. Similar to Dystopia, this might not be my favourite song off the album but it IS my favourite off the songs released this year. It's got your standard trippy apocalypse sound that Wolfmother have cultivated through the use of organ and fuzzy guitars but when you get to the halfway point, the track picks up a bit and shifts gear into full-on Rock. It's a shame they couldn't add a guitar solo to that section but it's still great.
10. "Goodbye Angels" - Red Hot Chili Peppers
What's this? ANOTHER Red Hot Chili Peppers song? Technically, I never said I couldn't include multiple songs by the same band on this post and if I'm being totally honest, I would rate this higher than most of the songs in this list and upcoming honourable mentions. It's not a balls-out riff-heavy Rock anthem but it is pure RHCP at their finest, which is saying something without Frusciante involved. I may have been hasty in the past when I claimed the song would be better without Flea's little bass solo before the outro but having given it some thought, I think it works better that way after all. My personal favourite song off The Getaway and maybe, JUST MAYBE, my favourite song of 2016.
Those were my ten favourite songs from 2016 (that I heard and will probably change over time) but that's not to say everything else was rubbish. Here are five tracks that could've made the list if not for the strength of the ten above:
"Bullets & Tears" - Primal Fear
As I said when writing about "At War With The World", I could've chosen from a few songs for the list and if not for that track, this would've made it instead. I can imagine this track being fucking amazing live when that chorus comes around and for that reason, I love listening to it. However, even though I included two RHCP tracks on the list, I couldn't remove one of my top ten for another Primal Fear song.
"Medication For The Melancholy" - Rob Zombie
Yeah, Rob Zombie released an album this year. I should probably listen to it if only to seek out tracks like this. He doesn't do them often but when Rob speeds up the tempo, he fucking rocks. I didn't include this track because it sounds like just another Rob Zombie track off one of his previous albums and I've already got enough of them in my list. I went with Airbourne instead because I can honestly say I prefer "Breakin' Outta Hell" to this, although it's still a great Heavy Metal tune.
"See You Rise" - Diamond Head
Considering how much I said I enjoyed Diamond Head - Diamond Head in my review this year, some of you might be confused as to why I didn't include any tracks in the main list. I do still love the album and "See You Rise" is still my favourite track off it but it just couldn't beat the others on the list. If it didn't have the slower section in the middle, it may have done.
"This Train" - Joe Bonamassa
I don't think I'll ever quite understand why everyone seems to rave about Joe Bonamassa so much when most of the songs I've heard him involved in are just alright but I have to say, this track is pretty solid. It's a fun Blues number, which makes a change from just about every other popular modern Blues track in existence. It's not strong enough to take on any of the main ten but it deserves a mention here.
"Thundering Voices" - Rival Sons
A late entry, as I only heard this track a couple of days ago. I'm sure I've talked about Rival Sons before and how they're a decent Rock band who probably deserve more attention than I'm currently giving them but the reason I didn't include this on the main list is simple; the other tracks have had some time to get old (except the Black Star Riders one, but I know I'll still like that months from now) and I still enjoy listening to them. I can't say the same about this song yet but who knows, maybe I'll still like it in February next year when we're all absolutely shitting ourselves over what the world has become.
That's all from me this year. I hope you enjoyed my 52 posts and your 2017 is better than 2016...unless you're partly to majorly responsible for how shit 2016 turned out, in which case I sincerely hope your next 365 days are utter wank.
However, despite the overwhelming negatives about 2016, there have been some positives to take away such as a collection of decent Rock/Metal songs that I intend to list here. On previous Tenology posts celebrating the year's music, I don't categorise songs in order of greatness; instead, I just list ten of my personal favourite songs from the year in random order. Since there's no reason to change the formula, that's exactly what I'll be doing this year too!
It's also worth noting that these songs have been chosen based entirely on my opinion, not how well they charted or fared among Rock/Metal fans. If I wanted to write about the "best" songs of the year, I'd spend the whole post wanking off about how amazing Beyonce and Radiohead are. But fuck that, right? Here are 10 songs I liked!
1. "The Getaway" - Red Hot Chili Peppers
If you cast your mind back to July (or click this link and spend a couple of minutes reading the post), you may recall me reviewing The Getaway - Red Hot Chili Peppers and talking about how much I loved this album. It's probably joint-first for my album of the year along with Dystopia - Megadeth and this album opener/title track is a solid reason why. It sounds like classic RHCP but at the same time doesn't feel like the band going through the motions, partly due to Josh Klinghoffer picking up the strings from John Frusciante. Great tune!
2. "Breathing Lightning" - Anthrax
If your mind hasn't returned from July yet (or you got curious and followed this link), you may ALSO recall me briefly writing about the new Anthrax album, For All Kings. Despite not really enjoying it, I did love this song and would recommend it if you like Heavy Metal over the usual Thrash stuff Anthrax is known for. Thankfully, there are some single edits of the song that don't have the shitty instrumental reprise at the end so if you want to buy the track, search for that version instead of the six minute one.
3. "Let It Begin" - The Treatment
Aha, a new track! I've mentioned The Treatment before on a previous Tenology post celebrating 2014's music but this song is stronger than "The Outlaw". It's still another uncompromising Hard Rock track with epic riffs and a catchy chorus by a band who seem to be happy in the ass-kicking-Rock sector of the industry so what's not to like? In a year literally plagued with death and despair, sometimes you need a good Hard Rock track to blast out loud and this song fits the bill nicely.
4. "Moth Into Flame" - Metallica
Back to old tracks again. I liked Metallica's new album and there were definitely some solid contenders on there for this post. However, there was only one track that I knew deserved to be on the main list without a doubt; "Moth Into Flame". Unlike "Hardwired" and "Atlas, Rise!", it contains all the hallmarks of a top quality Metallica song without sounding repetitive or losing too much energy throughout the track. It should've been the lead single from the album as it triumphantly declares "We're fucken back!" much more heroically than the album's title track.
5. "At War With The World" - Primal Fear
I haven't actually discussed Rulebreaker - Primal Fear on the blog yet but if you haven't listened to it, it's a pretty awesome Metal album. Granted there's not much variety on it but if you want pure Heavy Metal, you get exactly that. There were several songs I could've picked for this list but my personal favourite is probably this one due to the steady rhythm and epic chorus. Seriously though, if you like Heavy Metal, seek out Rulebreaker - Primal Fear.
6. "Breakin' Outta Hell" - Airbourne
A track so good, I've discussed it twice; once in an album review, once in a taster session. Basically, similar to "Let It Begin", it's a heavy Hard Rock song by a band that are masters of awesome singles but getting progressively weaker at awesome albums. Despite this, I still love listening to this song and hope that Airbourne will keep churning 'em out every couple of years or so.
7. "The Emperor" - Megadeth
Come on, I couldn't leave out a track from Dystopia from this post. I'll admit that if "The Threat Is Real" wasn't released as a single at the end of 2015, I would've chosen that instead but "The Emperor" is probably my second favourite track off the album. Lyrically and musically, it's fucking great; a song flipping the middle finger off at incompetent leaders with brilliant riffs throughout and a hell of a sweet solo with echoes of "Holy Wars... The Punishment Due".
8. "When The Night Comes In" - Black Star Riders
If you're unfamiliar with Black Star Riders, they're basically a heavier version of Thin Lizzy made up of Thin Lizzy band members who didn't want to record new material for that band without Phil Lynott. I've heard quite a few of their songs and definitely like some more than others ("Valley Of The Stones" over "Bound For Glory", any day) but this is my favourite so far and it just so happens to be a single released this year. If you like Thin Lizzy and heavier music, I'd recommend them unless you're a die-hard Phil Lynott fan, as the vocalist sounds like a poorer version of him and it'd probably just piss you off.
9. "Eye Of The Beholder" - Wolfmother
Another song from an album I've already reviewed. Similar to Dystopia, this might not be my favourite song off the album but it IS my favourite off the songs released this year. It's got your standard trippy apocalypse sound that Wolfmother have cultivated through the use of organ and fuzzy guitars but when you get to the halfway point, the track picks up a bit and shifts gear into full-on Rock. It's a shame they couldn't add a guitar solo to that section but it's still great.
10. "Goodbye Angels" - Red Hot Chili Peppers
What's this? ANOTHER Red Hot Chili Peppers song? Technically, I never said I couldn't include multiple songs by the same band on this post and if I'm being totally honest, I would rate this higher than most of the songs in this list and upcoming honourable mentions. It's not a balls-out riff-heavy Rock anthem but it is pure RHCP at their finest, which is saying something without Frusciante involved. I may have been hasty in the past when I claimed the song would be better without Flea's little bass solo before the outro but having given it some thought, I think it works better that way after all. My personal favourite song off The Getaway and maybe, JUST MAYBE, my favourite song of 2016.
Those were my ten favourite songs from 2016 (that I heard and will probably change over time) but that's not to say everything else was rubbish. Here are five tracks that could've made the list if not for the strength of the ten above:
"Bullets & Tears" - Primal Fear
As I said when writing about "At War With The World", I could've chosen from a few songs for the list and if not for that track, this would've made it instead. I can imagine this track being fucking amazing live when that chorus comes around and for that reason, I love listening to it. However, even though I included two RHCP tracks on the list, I couldn't remove one of my top ten for another Primal Fear song.
"Medication For The Melancholy" - Rob Zombie
Yeah, Rob Zombie released an album this year. I should probably listen to it if only to seek out tracks like this. He doesn't do them often but when Rob speeds up the tempo, he fucking rocks. I didn't include this track because it sounds like just another Rob Zombie track off one of his previous albums and I've already got enough of them in my list. I went with Airbourne instead because I can honestly say I prefer "Breakin' Outta Hell" to this, although it's still a great Heavy Metal tune.
"See You Rise" - Diamond Head
Considering how much I said I enjoyed Diamond Head - Diamond Head in my review this year, some of you might be confused as to why I didn't include any tracks in the main list. I do still love the album and "See You Rise" is still my favourite track off it but it just couldn't beat the others on the list. If it didn't have the slower section in the middle, it may have done.
"This Train" - Joe Bonamassa
I don't think I'll ever quite understand why everyone seems to rave about Joe Bonamassa so much when most of the songs I've heard him involved in are just alright but I have to say, this track is pretty solid. It's a fun Blues number, which makes a change from just about every other popular modern Blues track in existence. It's not strong enough to take on any of the main ten but it deserves a mention here.
"Thundering Voices" - Rival Sons
A late entry, as I only heard this track a couple of days ago. I'm sure I've talked about Rival Sons before and how they're a decent Rock band who probably deserve more attention than I'm currently giving them but the reason I didn't include this on the main list is simple; the other tracks have had some time to get old (except the Black Star Riders one, but I know I'll still like that months from now) and I still enjoy listening to them. I can't say the same about this song yet but who knows, maybe I'll still like it in February next year when we're all absolutely shitting ourselves over what the world has become.
That's all from me this year. I hope you enjoyed my 52 posts and your 2017 is better than 2016...unless you're partly to majorly responsible for how shit 2016 turned out, in which case I sincerely hope your next 365 days are utter wank.
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