Showdown: Homages/Rip Offs 6 - Video Game edition Level 2

Is the title confusing enough for you?
Basically, two years ago I wrote a blog post looking at similarities between 10 Rock/Metal songs and 10 video game tunes whilst offering my opinion on whether the latter piece of music was a knowing wink to the original, a surreptitious copy of an existing track or a pure coincidence. Well, I'm doing another one! I'll also be giving my verdict on which song I believe is better based on personal taste, which came first and which tune sounds more appropriate for its medium.
Listed in each round will be the band and video game franchise, followed by the specific song and level or piece of music from aforementioned video game. I'll try to mention the game and (if I can find the information online) composer for said piece of music. There won't be a Spotify playlist for this as most of the video game tunes won't be available but I will include links to the video game music for you to listen to, if you want to compare as you read.
Time for another brawl!

ROUND ONE: Mega Man vs. Ghost
Dr. Wily's Castle - The theme from the final level of Mega Man 2 (released 1988) was composed by Takashi Tateishi and is considered one of gaming's most iconic themes. It's been remixed countless times by YouTubers and professional video game composers and is a pretty damn awesome piece of a music from a game full of great tunes. The galloping rhythm and melody played throughout is the focus here. Remember how it sounds, although anyone who's heard this tune probably doesn't need to try too hard to recall the melody.
Miasma - This is easily my favourite song off the most recent Ghost album, Prequelle. It's an instrumental featuring heavy riffs, synth melodies and a saxophone solo. However, after the percussion kicks in, we get treated to a guitar solo followed by the synth one. After the synth solo, we get a second guitar solo that contains a galloping riff incredibly similar to the main melody from Dr. Wily's Castle. There are subtle differences but the overwhelming similarities are undeniable. However, it's still an incredible song from what will almost certainly be the best album of the year.
VERDICT - Considering it's one small part of a great song and Ghost don't strike me as a band wanting to cater to old school gamers, I don't think they intentionally copied the theme from Mega Man 2 or intended it as a homage. It's almost certainly coincidence so the question now is which tune do I think is better? It's a hard choice but I'm gonna give the win to Ghost due to the quality of the instrumentation. Full band will always beat 8-bit and that's a fact.

ROUND TWO: Black Sabbath vs. Spider-Man
The Mob Rules - There were two Black Sabbath songs I could've chosen for this blog post but in the end, I went with this one. It's the title track off the band's second album with Ronnie James Dio as the vocalist, notable for its great guitar riff played throughout the song. However, unlike previous entries, we're not just focusing on specific part of the original track here. We're focusing on the riff, the percussion, the pre-chorus melody and the guitar solo.
Boss Theme 3 - This is the third Boss Theme from Spider-Man and Venom: Maximum Carnage for the SNES, released in 1994. Composers Chris Jojo and Tony Williams must've been big fans of 80s Heavy Metal as the comparisons to this tune and the Black Sabbath one stack up more than quite possibly any other example in these video game posts. Quite possibly most shocking of all is that the game doesn't even credit Black Sabbath for pinching their song, although I suppose it's a lot easier to deny plagiarism if you don't own up to it.
VERDICT - Absolutely a rip-off. Not just a rip-off but one done as a shitty MIDI file. The win goes to Black Sabbath for creating the song, making it sound awesome and for not getting due credit...although if it were a fist fight, Spider-Man would definitely win.

ROUND THREE: Surfaris vs. Spongebob Squarepants
Wipe Out - A classic Surf Rock tune with an iconic guitar riff and 12-bar Blues structure. It's also notable for the rolling drumbeat in between the riffs...and the vocal introduction of manic laughter followed by the words "wipe out", although we don't need to worry about that here. If the name of the song or band wasn't a dead giveaway, the sound should immediately make you think of surfing and having fun on the beach. It's a summer hit and the fact that it's mostly instrumental means it's easy to rework for video games.
Goo Lagoon - The beach level from Spongebob Squarepants: Battle For Bikini Bottom, a 3D platformer with music composed by Jimmy Levine. As I mentioned before, it's easy to be inspired by instrumental Surf Rock when writing video game music set on a beach where people surf (and presumably rock) so it's no real surprise that there are elements of "Wipe Out" here. Whilst it's not the most overt homage, the signs are definitely there.
VERDICT - I mean, I've already told you, haven't I? It's clearly a homage as none of the main riffs are directly lifted and the Blues chord progression is so damn common that it would be ridiculous to accuse Jimmy Levine of stealing the idea from "Wipe Out". That being said, I'm giving the win to Surfaris. I'd rather listen to "Wipe Out" than the Goo Lagoon level music, although I don't dislike it. The game actually has a colourful collection of fun tunes to listen to.

ROUND FOUR: Duran Duran vs. Double Dragon
Girls On Film - One of Duran Duran's biggest hits with a catchy chorus and, more importantly, intro riff. The guitar chords and their progression are key here, as that's what we'll be comparing. It's not a favourite of mine, even as far as 80s Pop Rock goes, but I don't hate the song. It's passable but it's no "Hungry Like The Wolf" or "Rio", that's for damn sure.
Intro Theme - The intro to Battletoads & Double Dragon for the SNES contains a similar sounding guitar riff despite being released in 1992, about 11 years after the Duran Duran single. Composer David Wise has acknowledged similarities to other 80s Pop Rock in his compositions (such as using the same equipment as "In The Air Tonight" - Phil Collins during a level from Donkey Kong Country 2, I believe) so this riff might be a little more than coincidence.
VERDICT - I think there may have been a cheeky bit of intentional or unintentional riff pinching going on, as this game seems to have very little to do with "Girls On Film" - Duran Duran so I can't see it being a homage or pure coincidence. Whilst the original song did come up with the riff over a decade before the game, I'm giving the win to Double Dragon as I prefer the heavier sound to it. If it was rerecorded with modern instruments, it'd definitely be the better tune.

ROUND FIVE: Alice In Chains vs. Doom
Them Bones - I've never been a big fan of Alice In Chains and the few songs of theirs that I generally enjoy listening to tend to need some form of modification (e.g. speeding up "Man In The Box" 25%) but I still know and admire aspects of this song. The guitar riff is heavy and evil, slowly ascending before plummeting back down again. It's the main riff and chorus that we're paying attention to for this comparison.
Bye Bye American Pie - Despite having spookier accompanying instruments and a less polished sound than the full band sound of Alice In Chains, the chords are seemingly identical in this piece of music from Doom 2 released just two years after "Them Bones". Composer Robert Prince didn't even credit Alice In Chains for this song either, another reason why I believe this is less of a homage and more of the other one.
VERDICT - This is another song that I reckon was a bit of a rip-off considering how similar it is without even crediting the original songwriters. However, if I had to choose which one I think fits its chosen medium better (90s Grunge vs. spooky song in FPS), I prefer the quality of the video game song. It sounds grittier and doesn't contain annoying vocals so the win goes to Doom.

ROUND SIX: Tina Turner vs. Super Smash Bros
Nutbush City Limits (The 90s Version) - Most people probably know the punchier version of this song from the 70s but in 1991, Tina Turner rerecorded this track with a slower tempo and a heavier emphasis on piano. The opening piano chords followed by the Dance Pop synthetic percussion and musical effects might sound familiar to Nintendo fans, as we'll discuss in a moment, but they also turn this song firmly into a Pop track. I debated including it here due to it not being a Rock song but hey, when you hear what I'm comparing it to, you'll understand why it needed talking about.
Targets! - Yep, the Target Smash song from Super Smash Bros. Melee sounds JUST like the 90s version of "Nutbush City Limits", what with the identical piano chords and synth accompaniments. Granted this tune is a little faster and has more guitar in it but it's pretty damn similar all the same. As the tracks progress, more differences emerge but the opening does all the damage necessary in my eyes.
VERDICT - I doubt composer Hirokazu Ando listened to Tina Turner before whacking out this tune so I'm chalking it up to coincidence rather than homage or rip-off. As for which song is better, I'm giving the win to Super Smash Bros simply because I have fond memories of Target Smash (and the Home Run Contest) thanks to this tune. Since it's a coincidence, I have no need to award Tina Turner the win for coming up with the song first and since it's a Dance Pop song instead of a Rock one, I'm not overly fond of the track itself. An easy decision.

ROUND SEVEN: Glenn Frey vs. P.O.W. - Prisoners Of War
The Heat Is On - The classic 80s Pop Rock tune with the saxophone riff and the awesome chorus, notable for its use in Beverly Hills Cop. However, since then it's earned the right to stand up on its own feet via radio play and use in other media. It might not be the most badass 80s Pop Rock song in existence but it doesn't need to be. It's fast, it's catchy and it's got a consistent rhythm that's perfect for car chases and whatever kind of antics you're bound to get into listening to this song.
Boss Battle 2 - Let's face it; not many readers here will know the game P.O.W. - Prisoners Of War on the NES from 1988 (a popular year in this blog post) but some gamers online have made the connection between the Glenn Frey single and a particular melody from the second boss battle theme in this game. It might not be the main focus of the tune but when it crops up, you know damn well that it was lifted from "The Heat Is On". I'm not sure which composer out of Kazuhiro Nishida, Toshikazu Tanaka and Yoko Osaka decided to borrow this melody but the deed has been done.
VERDICT - Definitely Glenn Frey. Whilst the tune in P.O.W. - Prisoners Of War is cute, it doesn't hold a candle to the 80s classic.

ROUND EIGHT: Pink Floyd vs. Rayman
Shine On You Crazy Diamond - This is a long-ass song that has multiple different musical sections but this Prog Rock epic by overrated Prog Rock outfit Pink Floyd contains a slow, four note guitar riff around the four minute mark. It also contains plenty of moody, atmospheric background noise that you usually hear during ambient sections in video games...but it's mostly the four guitar notes we're interested in.
The Bayou - Along with being one of the best 3D platformers in existence, Rayman 2: The Great Escape also contains a level with a long piece of music featuring moody, atmospheric background noise and four guitar notes played in a similar fashion. Composer Eric Chevalier has supposedly been inspired by other bands in his work before but I wouldn't be surprised if Pink Floyd was on that list too.
VERDICT - I don't think this was a rip-off or a homage, as the two pieces of music stand apart more than they stand together. However, I do think it's likely that Eric Chevalier was unintentionally inspired by Pink Floyd and composed a piece of music containing a similar riff. I'm giving the win to Rayman for creating a) the better assortment of creepy music and b) the shorter song.

ROUND NINE: Crash Bandicoot vs. Rob Zombie
The Eel Deal (Hidden) - In Crash Bandicoot 2: Cortex Strikes Back, there are hidden sections in the sewer levels (The Eel Deal, Sewer Or Later and Hangin' Out) that have a thick, heavy bass riffing and percussion effects that sound a little like a clanging piano, not to mention the Techno sound of musical accompaniments. The comparison I'm going to make with the Industrial sound of this tune composed by Mutato Muzika might be a little bit forced but try to stick with me.
Never Gonna Stop (The Red Red Kroovy) - Rob Zombie is known for heavy Industrial music but the section that plays when Rob starts singing reminded me of the music from Crash Bandicoot, particularly the piano melody. As I said before, it's not quite as clear-cut as previous comparisons I've made and whilst there isn't a specific riff or melody that's been copied, it's more about the general sound of the song in comparison to the music from Crash Bandicoot.
VERDICT - Neither a homage or rip-off, absolutely a coincidence. Rob Zombie might be aware of Crash Bandicoot in some way or another but his song sounds closer to his own style of music than a hidden tune from a 90s video game. I'm gonna give the win to Rob Zombie for this one as I prefer his song to this specific tune from Crash Bandicoot 2: Cortex Strikes Back, although on the whole I definitely prefer the music in Crash to the music on a Rob Zombie album.

ROUND TEN: Friendship vs. Mario
Let's Not Talk About It - This little known track from 1979 contains a piano riff that fans of gaming (or just anyone who's been alive within the last 20 years) will almost certainly recognise straight away. There's nothing else you need to know, just that this contains a series of notes played in a curiously specific way that sounds exactly like...
Underground Theme - ...the Underground Theme from Super Mario Bros! Video game legend Koji Kondo composed the classic melody which has stuck with the Mario series ever since it was first released in 1985. However, even though it contains a different string of notes after the initial six, the tune is identical and it's enough for me to raise an eyebrow at the very least.
VERDICT - There's no way Nintendo intended the Underground Theme to be a homage to a 70s band nobody heard of and whilst most people would consider it a coincidence, I also think there's a small possibility that Koji could've heard "Let's Not Talk About It" in passing and figured it was the perfect match for the game he was working on. That being said, I'm awarding the win to Mario as the Underground Theme has become one of Nintendo's iconic tunes and even if it was pinched from a lesser known Rock song, Nintendo certainly used the track in the better way.


COMING SOON (as in, within a month or so): A series of posts about the music from Spyro The Dragon and the Spyro: Reignited Trilogy, similar to ones I wrote about the Crash Bandicoot: N. Sane Trilogy last year.

Tenology: More Weak Guitar Solos In Rock/Metal

I know it hasn't been long since the last blog post about weak solos but in typical Riffs And Raffs tradition, I recalled about eight songs with weak solos right after finishing the first post. Similar to the last post, these aren't necessarily "bad" guitar solos; they're ones that sound underwhelming or poor in comparison to what the band is capable of. Also similar to the last post, I'll try not to dwell too much on solos I've criticised in previous blog posts but I might slip a couple in just to justify my personal (and this post is largely personal) thoughts on why it's weak.
If you want to listen to each of these songs and their respective solos, scroll to the bottom of the page for an embedded Spotify playlist with each track. I've also included the time the solo starts next to each song title and artist in the list headings in case you just want to listen to the solo whilst reading the post.

1. "(Don't Fear) The Reaper" - Blue Oyster Cult (2:43)

So this is one of the guitar solos I've often criticised on the blog, hence me getting it out of the way first. I love the song and I've talked about how much I love Buck Dharma's guitar playing when it comes to both riffs and solos but I've always thought this song stopped being awesome right after the second chorus. The song's built around an awesome riff and chord progression but once it's time for the solo, the track takes a sharp and awkward turn into a completely different song. It sounds like something they couldn't fit onto another track and chose to tape onto this one...or maybe it was chosen to be a darker twist in the song's melody to signify the song's story about vampires and their victims, although that doesn't excuse it for sounding like dogshit.
Aside from the opening series of notes, there's nothing hugely memorable about the solo and the way it ties into the rest of the track. It doesn't show off technical talent or contain catchy hooks like the song's main riff, it just sounds like Buck's winging it after an imagination drought. It probably could've been improved with more melodic riffs and less dull sustains but it's hard to say, as I feel like I'm conditioned to hate it as soon as the bridge before the solo starts.

2. "Holiday" - Green Day (2:00)

Green Day aren't your typical screeching solo Rock band so I didn't feel like they were an appropriate band for the last blog post. However, since writing the last post, I've realised that Green Day have actually given us a couple of solid solos such as the one from "American Idiot" and "Jesus Of Suburbia". Sure, they're not great in comparison to Zeppelin and Iron Maiden tunes but they work in the songs and showcase some decent guitar playing. "Holiday" has a solo that sounds forced and uninspired, even for Green Day.
It's not quite as bad as simply reciting the vocal melody (we'll get onto that later) but it is far too short and far too simplistic to be considered a good solo, even for the song. It sounds like something that should play under the vocals during the last chorus, not the instrumental break that 90% of Rock songs use to release the energy they've built up throughout the course of the song. But hey, at least the rest of the song's OK, I guess.

3. "Woman From Tokyo" - Deep Purple (4:40)

I was tempted to pick "Smoke On The Water" for this list, as I've always found the solo to be a bit underwhelming in an already dull track. However, upon revisiting it, I realised that it's not actually that "weak" in comparison to the rest of the song. In comparison to other Deep Purple guitar solos, hell yeah it's weak...but then, so's this solo and my God, this solo makes "Smoke On The Water" sound like "Burn". As far as Deep Purple songs go, this one's pretty white bread. Basic riff, bland vocal melody but a good structure. The song plods along until the last minute, where the pianos pick up a bit and a guitar solo's set up...and it sucks.
It's a non-solo, a bit of fluff that sounds like the first part of an actual solo but as it stands, it's just terrible. The obvious improvement to it would be to make it longer but the song's already getting on towards the fifth minute and as I previously said, it's not really anything special. Extending a filler track with no life or character to six minutes is a surefire way to create a forgettable and unnecessary song (just look at some of the band's other tracks for proof). Or just don't include a solo! Not every song needs one and I'd rather it was a tighter package without one than forcing some hollow shit into a passable track.

4. "Californication" - Red Hot Chili Peppers (3:29)

I've said before that Red Hot Chili Peppers are a band that are strongest with softer songs in the Alternative Rock genre rather than heavier Funk based ones. This song is no exception and contains your typical RHCP sound at its finest right up until the solo. It sounds disjointed and out of place, enough to take you right out of the song with its awkward note bends and clashing harmonics. It sounds like a beginner's first attempt at writing a "deep" solo which, for John Frusciante, is the definition of weak.
A solo does work in this song but it needs to have a bit more meat to it than this. It doesn't have to be "Suck My Kiss" but it would benefit from some more melodic work; think the solo from "Cirice" - Ghost, it's competent and feels like the culmination of what the song's been building up to. It doesn't sound like a poor fit or that it's a waste of talent like "Californication" does.

5. "Armageddon It" - Def Leppard (3:12)

One of the lesser known singles off the band's biggest album and with good reason. It's a bog standard tune for Def Leppard from the album that had "Rocket" and "Pour Some Sugar On Me" but it didn't do the band a lot of favours with fans of traditional British Rock as opposed to overproduced American Arena Rock, especially when it came to the guitar solo. The solo itself isn't all that bad; it's a little plain and could easily be longer but musically, it works for the song. The biggest problem with it is the tone.
The solo is played with guitar synthesiser and it sounds fucking naff. This is a good example of when overproducing something can make it worse, as a typical guitar sound instead of synthetic nonsense would've helped steer it away from this blog post. There's also a small guitar solo that fades out with vocals in the outro of this song but again, it's nothing worth getting excited about.

6. "Smells Like Teen Spirit" - Nirvana (2:52)

I've briefly touched upon this solo being pissweak in the past but now I get to retread that ground with the rest of the song to back me up in an embedded Spotify playlist! I get that Nirvana aren't about guitar solos but this song was as commercial as they came and with that means they needed a solo in their song, since they were clearly going for a popular sounding Rock song (presumably one of the subconscious reasons the main riff sounds like a twisted version of the chorus riff from "More Than A Feeling" - Boston). It obviously wasn't going to be a solo full of noise and furious strumming but it does lack any kind of imagination.
I've said it multiple times before and I'll say it again, solos that simply play the vocal melody or chord sequence of the main riff are not good solos. This song literally just plays Cobain's vocals in the verse before giving us another verse! If it was the vocal melody BEFORE a great solo, I would've let it slide for giving us something. Unfortunately, it gets the solo completely wrong but hey, it's one of the most iconic Rock songs in the last half century so I doubt anyone involved in the songwriting process (who's still alive) is crying themselves to sleep over missed opportunities.

7. "All You Need Is Love" - The Beatles (1:18)

This song will always remind me of the final episode of The Prisoner. It had a great use but I never really got into the song due to its overproduction and weak melodies, another fine example of polishing something insubstantial in the hopes it'll become amazing. However, the worst part of the song has to be the pathetic excuse for a guitar solo. If you haven't heard the song in a while and don't recall it sounding offensively bad, I recommend never listening to this song and the solo again as your false memories of a passable solo are better than the original will ever be.
It sounds like a shitty covers band attempting to play the actual solo but messing up all the way through, complete with rough note bends and the guitarist eventually just fucking giving up in the middle of it. These are all signs of a bad solo before you get onto the fact that it's just repeating the opening vocal melody. George Harrison has given us some cracking solos in the past but this takes the absolute piss.

8. "Everybody Wants Some!!" - Van Halen (2:34)

Ah yes, the song that "Panama" made redundant. I think I prefer the guitar riff and chorus for this over "Panama" but God, David Lee Roth didn't make this song pleasantly memorable with his weird sexual improv during the breaks and the delivery of some of his lines in the verses ("I seek a poopoo ladder lookin' for a moopee" is the best I can make out at 1:55). However, if Lee Roth fails, you can always rely on EVH to make a song great, right? Right...just not in this case. Eddie phoned it in when it came to writing a solo and chose to just play a descending note pattern without his trademark tapping or imaginative shredding.
The closest he comes to showcasing some great guitarwork is when he rapidly strums the same notes but even then, it's not much for a man of his talents. I can appreciate that he only has so many guitar solos that are iconic or awesome before the inevitable drought or unintentional recycling of ideas comes in but it's not like this song came out well into the band's career. This song came out before Fair Warning and 1984, albums with fine solos (although "Unchained" is a bit dodgy). Ah well, at least we've always got Lee Roth's one-sided conversation about stockings to enjoy.

9. "Suffocated" - Orianthi (2:23)

I talked about this song in my write-up of the Guitar Hero: Warriors Of Rock soundtrack and whilst my opinion on Orianthi as a musician has changed since I first played that game, my opinion of the song has not. It's generic Pop Rock garbage with utterly soulless shredding crammed in on more than one occasion. In this case, the "solo" is the brief section in between the middle eight and the final chorus where Orianthi showcases her talents as a guitarist but not as a songwriter. I could've picked the "According To You" solo for basically the same reasons except that solo has its place in the song, even though it's the audio equivalent of Orianthi loudly shouting "LOOK AT ME! LOOK AT ME!" (although you could probably say that for most guitar solos in Rock).
No, I went with "Suffocated" because the bland shredding, whining vocals and Pop structure don't blend together at all. If you're one of those teenagers who thinks great guitarists are ones who can fit as many notes into a short space of time as possible without considering the quality of the sound, melody and dynamics, you'll probably think this song's the shit. If you want a solo that tells a story, that feels like it belongs in a piece of music and isn't just taped on for the sake of it, you're better off listening to something else.

10. "Cinnamon Girl" - Neil Young with Crazy Horse (2:06)

I remember seeing this song on a list of amazing guitar solos or something along those lines and to this day, I have no fucking idea why. At least overrated solos like "Comfortably Numb" and "Stairway To Heaven" have some musical creativity and skill behind them. This solo's just the same fucking note over and over again! The rhythm guitar is more active than the lead, for crying out loud. It's lazier than repeating the vocal melody on guitar and it sounds like toss, the only downside to a great Classic Rock track.
I could forgive the terrible solo if the outro went somewhere, as it sounds like the song's going to kick things into the next gear similar to the guitar solo in "Heartbreaker" - Led Zeppelin but nope. That's not the Neil Young way! Instead, it just ends on a strong note shortly after a pissweak one. I don't even need to talk about how the solo could be improved, it just needed more than a couple of notes. Still, the song's still good and the crap solo was enough to inspire a Tenacious D skit on their first album. That's right, this song made them think of "Hard Fucking" because the solo fucks the listener hard in the ears.


I didn't expect that I'd be writing another one of these posts so soon after the first so for all we know, I'll be cracking another one of these out in a week. That or a video game post so you've got that to look forward to.
Until then, here's the Spotify playlist with all the songs listed above.

The ABCs of Producers

I've been meaning to write a blog post on music producers for a while but it wasn't until I reviewed Villains - Queens Of The Stone Age and thought about Mark Ronson's involvement in the album that I decided to actually crack on with it. However, I faced a significant issue; I didn't know much about music producers.
I'd heard a few names on the grapevine and occasionally noted the name of a producer when listening to new albums but I didn't really have more knowledge than that on the subject. So, after many hours researching and listening to music from certain producers, I felt like I was ready to take on the task of writing about them from a somewhat informed perspective. Only problem then was what exactly to write about. Should I write a thinkpiece on the influence of music producers that someone with more knowledge and talent has already covered? How about a funny post comparing them to flavours of ice cream or animals or something?
As you can tell, I scrapped both ideas in favour of a list designed to educate other Rock/Metal fans like me who weren't fully up to date with their producer knowledge. I also decided to compile it in an A-Z arrangement, although I've had to take a few creative liberties to get away with a few tricky letters. As well as listing a few of the producers' greatest hits, I'll also be sharing my opinions on their work and why I feel they're worthy of this list (apologies in advance if I miss any amazing producers).

So without further ado, here are the ABCs of Rock/Metal producers with a bit of Pop and other genres thrown in too.


A is for Steve Albini
Kicking this list off is the recording engineer most known for his work on Surfer Rosa - Pixies and In Utero - Nirvana. Despite having an impressive back catalogue (and a cooking blog), Steve's also notable for being an outspoken man with strong opinions about analogue over digital; he also believes that record producers shouldn't accept royalties for their work on songs and has completely waved all licensing fees producers would normally receive for any track he's worked on (including "Where Is My Mind???" - Pixies and "Heart Shaped Box" - Nirvana).
Music produced by Steve is usually quite straight forward without the need for special effects as he's a firm believer in the "live" sound rather than having band members record their instruments individually. Steve has described his preferred methods for analysing and mixing music involving minor distractions such as reading dull books or playing Scrabble on his phone; activities that don't absorb too much of his concentration but allow him to notice mistakes and imperfections should they appear. All in all, he's a pretty good start to this list; he knows his shit and he's not afraid to speak his clearly well developed mind.

B is for Bob Rock
Bob Rock is arguably one of the biggest names on this list and, in my personal opinion, one of the most overrated. His best known work includes Sonic Temple - The Cult, Dr. Feelgood - Motley Crue, Keep The Faith - Bon Jovi and Metallica - Metallica. However, he's also responsible for subsequent albums by these bands such as Hidden City - The Cult, Motley Crue - Motley Crue and St. Anger - Metallica, not to mention more recent albums by The Offspring and Michael Buble that are on the more commercial side. In other words, he's great at joining a band's career and getting a couple of great albums out of them when they're already successful but his involvement usually signals a decline in the band's quality of music.
Music produced by Bob is usually quite powerful and perfect for stadium gigs. The man knows how to make Rock (which he bloody well should do if it's in his name) but he's quite limited in his creativity. If you want an explosive but unimaginative Rock record that'll probably make a shitload of money to add to your pre-existing shitload of money, Bob's the way to go but if you want something a bit deeper, you're better off finding someone else.

C is for Mike Clink
He may not have a name that's as instantly recognisable as some of the producers on this list but Mike Clink has produced for bands more iconic than anyone on this list. He's worked with Guns N' Roses for five of their albums, he co-produced Megadeth's magnum opus Rust In Peace with Dave Mustaine and nearly produced Metallica's ...And Justice For All until the band decided to use their previous producer, Flemming Rasmussen. He's also worked with Motley Crue, Whitesnake, Heart, UFO and Triumph.
Clink's decision to record using classic equipment typical of albums from the 60s and 70s is what helped make Appetite For Destruction such a massive release, not to mention his technical skills and patience of a saint when rerecording and delicately splicing takes together. He worked closely with Slash when recording guitar riffs as catchy as Axl's vocal melodies and after working long days and longer nights to produce a hit record, the results speak for themselves.

D is for Danger Mouse
Notable Pop producer and the better half of Gnarls Barkley if Cee Lo Green's career is anything to go by, Danger Mouse (real name Brian Joseph Burton) has waded into the waters of Rock recently to produce some damn fine records such as El Camino - Black Keys and The Getaway - Red Hot Chili Peppers. His work seems to focus more on the drums and bass of a record making a more Pop friendly sound that's easier to dance to.
Going off the Rock track for a bit, I love his work on Gnarls Barkley albums and would listen to a third album of theirs in a heartbeat. Until then, I'm happy with him continuing to work with modern Alternative bands to create chart topping singles and great bass heavy Rock tracks with minimal guitar.

E is for Brian Eno
Brian Eno isn't just a musician who's played with Roxy Music, Talking Heads and David Bowie (as well as having his own solo career); he's also a music producer who's worked with U2, Elvis Costello, Coldplay and some of the bands he's recorded with. He's also composed music for Windows '95 and Nokia phones and expressed firm political beliefs without going full Mustaine, but he's on this list for his role as a producer/non-musician/sonic landscaper/other wanky term.
His work seems to emphasise various guitar effects and synthesisers, not to mention blending world music with contemporary Rock/Pop and popularising the use of sampling that would later be used to carry Hip Hop artists across the majority of their career. Whilst his importance in the world of music is undeniable, he seems to have a reputation for associating with artists who are (musically speaking) a bit pretentious and he's not the best producer if you want music with an edge to it. However, as far as Art Rock goes, you're not going to find much more influential than Brian Eno.

F is for Bruce Fairbairn
I nearly wrote this entry about Swedish producer of melodic Death Metal, Fredrik Nordstrom (a great producer and musician, if you were wondering), but then I found out about Bruce Fairbairn, producer of such albums as Get Lucky - Loverboy, Permanent Vacation - Aerosmith, The Razor's Edge - AC/DC, Flesh & Blood - Poison and Slippery When Wet - Bon Jovi. Bruce was the polar opposite of producers who prefer a stripped-back approach, instead opting to go all-in with production in order to create some of the greatest and most explosive Arena Rock and Rock Radio anthems of the 80s.
Despite this keen ear for popular Hard Rock and Hair Metal, Bruce was an avid Jazz fan and played trumpet with the band Sunshyne before they reinvented themselves as 70s Rock group Prism and he reinvented himself as a record producer. His love of brass and horns helped turn Aerosmith's "Dude (Looks Like A Lady)" from a mediocre filler track entitled "Cruisin' For The Ladies" into the comeback hit they needed at that point in their career, all thanks to Bruce's ability to separate the wheat from the chaff. Unfortunately, Bruce passed away in 1999 but his legacy as a hit record producer will live on.

G is for George Martin
No, not the Game Of Thrones guy. This is George Martin responsible for producing all but one of The Beatles' albums. Many people have been given the title "the fifth Beatle" and whilst George has rejected it in favour of their manager Brian Epstein, he easily earned it with his vast musical knowledge and ability to refine the band's sound into something more than your average 60s Garage Rock outfit. As well as working with The Beatles, Geroge also produced for Elton John, Cheap Trick, America and Celine Deon as well as being credited with helping to create the music for the early James Bond films.
Before working with The Beatles, George made a name for himself as a producer for various comedy acts including Bill Oddie, Bernard Cribbins and Peter Sellers but even if his CV consisted of just The Beatles, he'd deserve a space here for his ability to pinpoint exactly what each Beatles single needed (even if John Lennon thought George was overrated in his role as a producer). Oh, and he also contributed piano and organ on a few tracks like "Lovely Rita" and "Being For The Benefit Of Mr. Kite!" respectively.

H is for Isaac Hayes
I could tell you that Isaac Hayes is in this list for his involvement as a Soul producer and that his musical talents expand beyond singing songs about prostitutes and making love on South Park. I could tell you that he was involved as a producer for Booker T. & The M.G's (the band that gave us "Green Onions"...you'll know it when you hear it) and that's why here's here but honestly, he's here because his surname begins with H and it was pretty difficult finding a producer with an H at the start of their name. That being said, this guy knew his music and if anyone with more knowledge about the man's production talents wants to educate me, feel free to do so in the comment section.

I is for Ian Kilmister
Similarly, I had a bit of difficulty finding a producer with I at the start of their forename or surname so this slot is filled with Lemmy, seeing as how Motorhead were occasionally responsible for producing some of their albums (although Jimmy Miller and Speedy Keen were usually the main producers). I don't know exactly how much of the production stage Lemmy was involved with but since he was the key musician involved with the band, I imagine he had a few good ideas thrown about now and then.

J is for Jeff Lynne
Not only is Jeff Lynne the frontman and musical genius behind the Electric Light Orchestra but he's also responsible for producing albums by members of his supergroup The Traveling Wilburys as well as ELO ones too. Considering the man can play every instrument under the sun (and probably a few beyond it, if he had access to them...which he might), it's no surprise that he's adept at producing music too seeing as how he must know exactly how to get the best sound out of each instrument through his years of playing them.
Jeff's received some flack over the years for the quality of the drums in songs he produces but to me, they're not meant to sound dynamic and imposing. Drums seem to be there for the sole purpose of keeping time whilst the bass, strings and vocals are all placed to the front of the mix. However, you can probably attribute that to Jeff's style of songwriting too. As for my opinion on their sound, I think Jeff's music probably speaks louder than his production skills but it's still admirable that he can do both as well as other professionals.

K is for Johnny K
Not a well known name on this list but that doesn't mean he's here just because of the letter K. John Karkazis is an engineer and music producer who's worked with bands like Finger Eleven, Drowning Pool and Machine Head as well as on such albums as "The Sickness" - Disturbed and "Th1rt3en" - Megadeth. However, the main reason he's on this list is because he produced one of my favourite albums; Light From Above - Black Tide. Whilst the band may be the ones who wrote the majority of the tracks, Johnny K helped write one of the tracks ("Enterprise") and likely helped the band with many technical issues too.
Similar to previous Metal producers here, he tends to bring out a cleaner, sharper sound in guitar tones (although that could be attributed to modern recording technology). However, as well as producing Metal records, he's also tried his hand at Alternative and Pop too. As a result, some of his Metal albums sound a bit more commercial such as "Super Collider" - Megadeth. Either way, he knows his onions.

L is for Mutt Lange
Robert John "Mutt" Lange is another well known name on this list. He's produced many albums in his career but some of his bigger hits include "Back In Black" - AC/DC, "Hysteria" - Def Leppard, "4" - Foreigner and recently "Drones" - Muse. He's also produced single tracks for artists such as Heart, Lady Gaga, Huey Lewis & The News, Loverboy and Backstreet Boys, clearly showing a preference for Rock but able to work with more Pop based material too. There's no doubt that Mutt Lange knows how to turn average groups into proper Rock bands with well received albums that are both awesome in their own right and capable of shitting money.
Mutt's style seems to be about high production values and a well polished sound to make a product that's commercially successful, although there have been stories about him being somewhat of a control freak, butting heads with members of Foreigner and Def Leppard over how the album should sound. However, other theories seem to be that Def Leppard arguably owe all their success to the man as he was responsible for High 'N' Dry, Pyromania and Hysteria, their golden trilogy (even if On Through The Night is an underrated classic and Mutt had nothing to do with that). After Mutt left, their popularity started to decline and people believed Mutt was the magic ingredient in making the band great. Regardless of how things went down, we can all agree that Mutt's place on this list goes beyond a simple alphabetic necessity.

M is for Martin Birch
From critically acclaimed producer to a lesser known heavyweight, Martin "Star-Fish" Birch has a great collection of bands under his belt. He started off as an engineer with Fleetwood Mac and Deep Purple, mixing and occasionally producing some of their albums such as "Penguin" and "Stormbringer" respectively. He settled into the role of producer with confidence during his stretch with Rainbow, producing all three albums with Dio on vocals before working with Whitesnake for six years whilst simultaneously producing albums for Black Sabbath and Blue Oyster Cult in 1980 and 1981. However, his main achievement comes in the form of producing eight studio records and one live album for Iron Maiden between 1981 and 1992.
His sound is arguably categorised more by the difference between albums with and without his involvement. Compare the sound of Iron Maiden's debut to Killers or Blue Oyster Cult's Spectres to Fire Of Unknown Origin. Each instrument is a lot clearer in the mix and even though some bands have presented their fair share of challenges in their "creative" decisions (e.g. Iron Maiden choosing to record No Prayer For The Dying in a barn), Martin's ability to get the best out of each band he worked with earns him a place at the halfway point in this list.
Unfortunately, Martin retired after Fear Of The Dark at the age of 42 and whilst it would be good to hear his influence with more modern Hard Rock/Metal bands, I feel like Martin left at the top of his game and his discography will forever be one for the Rock producer hall of fame. All we need now is a Rock producer hall of fame.

N is for Gil Norton
Gil Norton is best known for his work with Indie/Alternative bands, ranging from more experimental groups with 80s influences such as Maximo Park and Echo & The Bunnymen to more popular American Rock bands such as Jimmy Eat World and Counting Crows. However, just because these are some of the bigger names he's worked with doesn't mean he hasn't produced albums for a wide variety of artists, although his biggest achievement is probably working on The Colour And The Shape and Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace by Foo Fighters (two of their most popular albums).
Gil's style of producing is very personal; he likes to meet or chat with the band beforehand, listening to demos and getting a good idea of where the band wants to take their music. To him, the pre-production stage is the most important part of the job and the musician's passion over technical skill should come through in the material. He's also a firm believer in the importance of personality and that getting on with the people you work with is one of the key factors in making a great album.

O is for Brendan O'Brien
Whilst Gil Norton may have been a key player with Alternative bands in the 80s & 00s, Brendan O'Brien took responsibility for working with heavier Rock bands from the early 90s to recent releases. Some of his work includes Core - Stone Temple Pilots, Vs. - Pearl Jam, The Battle Of Los Angeles - Rage Against The Machine, Black Ice - AC/DC and Victorious - Wolfmother, not to mention mixing and engineering on hit albums such as Blood Sugar Sex Magik - Red Hot Chili Peppers with Rick Rubin (more on him later).
As you can tell by this collection, Brendan's preferred style involves loud guitars, darker tones and dynamic percussion. Some of the lighter albums he's worked on such as Light Grenades - Incubus have benefited from the occasional burst of energy despite lacking screaming guitars and your typical Rock tropes. Compared to other producers in this list, Brendan's style is very hands-on; he isn't afraid to get involved in laying down guitar and bass tracks, pooling ideas together and effectively acting as a member of the band, even if he isn't necessarily part of the songwriting process.

P is for Phil Spector
Even though George Martin is considered the iconic Beatles producer, Phil Spector is the man who's responsible for producing subsequent Beatles compilations and studio album, Let It Be. He produced many other albums before his work with the fab four but his success with their final album is half of what earned him a place on this list. The other half comes from his development of the Wall Of Sound production technique, not the way he murdered his wife in 2003.
The Wall Of Sound isn't the same as the bombardment of hard-hitting music effects such as distortion and high volume, rather it's a dense series of layers comprised of a variety of different instruments that would all combine into one unique noise rather than a series of instruments that you could pick out and enjoy, similar to how mixing a series of varying hues would create a different colour. For example, by mixing different key-based instruments (piano, harpsichord, etc), you can create one solid sound that cannot be achieved by any one of those instruments alone. This has been developed over time to simply compressing certain instruments in the mix (something that modern music fans tend to despise) but the technique still has its place in music history, all thanks to Phil.

Q is for Quincy Jones
One of the biggest producers in the history of music, Quincy Jones (also known as Q) has arguably earned the most fame in the world of Pop/Rock for his work on Michael Jackson's Thriller album. However, many people may also know him as the composer of catchy instrumental "Soul Bossa Nova" (the Austin Powers theme) and the founder of Quincy Jones Productions/Entertainment, the company partly responsible for The Fresh Prince Of Bel-Air and, subsequently, Will Smith's music career.
However, he's here as a music producer and his strength lies mainly with getting the best out of the vocalists he works with. He encourages them to sing with their full soul and has been quoted as saying "You can never be a better musician than you are a person", proving that he's never met Ted Nugent or Gene Simmons before. All in all, Quincy seems like one of the nicest guys in the business and even though he's no Rock/Metal producer, his name carries more weight than any of the other producers on this list...although this next entry gives Q a run for his money.

R is for Rick Rubin
Rick Motherfucking Rubin; Rock's most famous (or infamous) producer who's also pretty skilled at Metal, Pop and Hip-Hop too. Rick helped to launch Hip Hop into the list of mainstream genres due to his work with Run-DMC and the Beastie Boys but since then has gone on to work with a myriad of bands who have produced some of their best or at least better received albums with Rick behind them such as The Cult (Electric), Red Hot Chili Peppers (Blood Sugar Sex Magik), Slayer (Reign In Blood), System Of A Down (Toxicity), Audioslave (Audioslave), Adele (21), Metallica (Death Magnetic) and Mr. Hankey Poo (Mr. Hankey The Christmas Poo).
He's also responsible for introducing Johnny Cash to "Hurt" - Nine Inch Nails and founded Def Jam Records as a teenager, even going as far as to hold a genuine funeral with a casket and approximately 500 guests for the word "def" after it was dropped from his record label. However, despite being a heavy player, not everyone is happy with his style. He's been criticised for his involvement in the Loudness War (making albums progressively louder over a period of time by compressing and clipping the music) and has been called out by several musicians including Corey Taylor of Slipknot and Matt Bellamy of Muse, the latter stating "We'd like to thank Rick Rubin for teaching us how not to produce" on stage at the 2010 MPG awards to cheers from the audience.
Despite this, many musicians value Rick's work and regard him as one of the best in the business due to his ability to identify talent in its natural form. His Rock/Metal albums usually contain very little in the way of frills and high production values, favouring a more raw sound as opposed to technical effects. He's also been known to push bands to play music outside of their conventions, challenging Hip Hop artists to cover Rock and Rock bands to cover Pop. Rick Rubin has to be the most divisive producer on this list but regardless of your opinion on the man and his craft, you have to admit that he isn't where he is by accident.

S is for Tom Scholz
If you're into Classic Rock, this name will probably be familiar to you. Tom Scholz is better known as the guitarist for the band Boston and is one of the main reasons (if not THE main reason) their 1976 self-titled debut is one of the greatest albums ever recorded. Unlike previous debuts where bands tend to stick to one studio to write and record their material, Boston recorded their debut across a variety of studios although most of the tracks were produced in Tom's basement due to his preference to his own equipment. The band pretended to record the material at a professional studio but in the end, only produced one song ("Let Me Take You Home Tonight") the way the record label wanted them to as a way of throwing them off the scent.
Even though John Boylan is regarded as the producer for the album, Scholz is the reason the album sounds the way it does due to his painstaking perfectionism. Tom went to great lengths to ensure he produced an album he was proud of and in the end, the sound quality sounds way ahead of its time due to his technical knowledge and experience. In fact, when he eventually met the professional sound engineers, he felt they were amateurs in comparison. This might sound like arrogance but when you produce an album as strong as Boston's debut on the sly, you're allowed a bit of an ego. Incidentally, the story behind the recording of Boston's debut is a fascinating read if you like the album and a good underdog story.

T is for Terry Date
Terry Date may have a name that sounds like a term for a rough night out but his work as a producer for such Metal albums as Metal Church - Metal Church, Badmotorfinger - Soundgarden, Astro-Creep: 2000 - Songs Of Love, Destruction And Other Synthetic Delusions Of The Electric Head - White Zombie and Cowboys From Hell - Pantera have earned him a place on this list. Despite being adept at producing hard and heavy material, usually leaning towards the darker sound of Metal, Terry's not afraid to have fun with the bands he works with.
As is often the case with Rock/Metal producers, Terry's told more than a few tales and amusing experiences of working with bands like Pantera (e.g. the story of the vocal feedback at the end of "Fucking Hostile") but always seems to remain positive about his work, even if it means dealing with certain notable characters. Terry might not top the list here if it were arranged into "best" or "most significant" producers but he's definitely not at the bottom.

U is for Todd Rundgren
Come on, I was doing well with finding producers to fit the alphabetical pattern until now. I was going to write about U2 and their involvement with some of their own albums but rather than force out a paragraph with little substance, I'm bending the rules to feature an important artist/producer with a hard U in their name. As well as producing his own solo material, Todd Rundgren has worked with Grand Funk Railroad, Hall & Oates, New York Dolls, Patti Smith and Meat Loaf, even playing lead guitar on Bat Out Of Hell and apparently being responsible for most of the arrangements on it too.
But that's not all; Todd's proven himself to be quite the whizz with video and recording technology. Whenever there's a new movement with the potential to pick up speed, Todd's usually one of the first to adopt it. He was there when MTV started, he was there when Video Toaster launched and he attempted to start an online company built around offering fans exclusive unreleased music for a subscription fee without the need for record labels to take a wedge of the profit back in the 90s, 20 years before the popularity of websites like Patreon took off. Todd's ability to spot a golden idea is matched by his experimental producing style and talents as a musician, earning him a place over U2.
However, if there is a producer with a U at the start of their surname or first name who's worthy of this list, feel free to let me know.

V is for Butch Vig
So far, we've seen some of Rock's most iconic albums and their producers in this list but there's one album we've yet to look at; Nevermind - Nirvana. For that, you can thank Butch Vig. Butch started off producing for bands such as Killdozer and The Other Kids in the 80s before taking on his first big job in 1990 producing Nirvana's second album, although some of you may feel he should've stuck to producing lesser bands. Nevermind showed a more commercial side to the Grunge outfit partly due to Vig's decision to use double-tracking and overdubs, something Kurt Cobain objected to at the time but grew to appreciate. The success of the album led to Vig taking on bigger jobs and better albums such as Siamese Dream - Smashing Pumpkins, Dirty - Sonic Youth, 21st Century Breakdown - Green Day and Sonic Highways - Foo Fighters.
As well as producing, Vig also formed and drummed for the band Garbage, expressing a desire to record music that incorporated other styles and genres as opposed to the homogenised sound of mainstream Rock at the time. Vig clearly has a talent for knowing how to utilise a band's existing talents whilst introducing new ideas that may seem unconventional at the time but ultimately work in their favour. He's also not afraid to take the longer, more difficult route to achieve a single goal, as proven by his work on Wasting Light - Foo Fighters using analogue equipment in Dave Grohl's garage.

W is for Butch Walker
From one Butch to another, Butch Walker has produced more Pop or Pop Rock albums than most entries on this list. Some of the bands/artists he's worked with include Weezer, Avril Lavigne, Katy Perry, Fall Out Boy, Taylor Swift and Pink so needless to say he's not one of my personal favourites although he's still pretty highly regarded in the world of music. The albums he's worked on have been well received and he's shown talents as a guest musician and songwriter too.
As a modern producer, Butch has the benefit of decades worth of material from previous producers to work with as influences and inspirations. However, his abilities as a producer come from his talents as a musician. Whilst he might not be in the same league as Jeff Lynne, Butch has a modest but impressive list of instruments he can play covering most bases on the albums he produces.

X is for Max Martin
I'm not entirely sure how this guy took the name Max Martin as his real name is Karl Martin Sandberg but regardless of whatever name he goes by, he's arguably one of the most successful producers and songwriters on this list. He's produced the second highest amount of number one hits (after George Martin) and some of his produced tracks include "Everybody (Backstreet's Back)" - Backstreet Boys, "...Baby One More Time" - Britney Spears, "It's My Life" - Bon Jovi, "So What" - Pink, "California Girls" - Katy Perry and "Shake It Off" - Taylor Swift.
Since Max is predominantly a Pop producer, most of the albums he works on have co-producers whom he has to work with. Fortunately, most of them cite Max is being the main man in control and called his work highly influential. He believes the most important factor in a hit Pop song is that you need to "feel" the music as well as just hear it; that the song makes you want to listen to it repeatedly and the vocals are the key to unlocking this. Max also thinks a fluid chorus with energy that changes throughout the song is important, even if the melody is exactly the same. Even if you don't care for modern Pop, Max clearly knows how to produce a tune that sells like hot cakes.

Y is for Neil Young
Whilst David Briggs is generally considered to be the main producer on the majority of Neil Young's albums, Neil himself took on the task of producing his music too. However, Neil's here for one main reason; his passionate hatred of digital media. Neil's gone on record as blasting .mp3s and services like Spotify for offering poor sound quality compared to the original studio sessions, even going as far as removing all of his music from Spotify until they improved their sound quality until he realised that was stupid and put it all back again. He even started up a company called Pono dedicated to delivering better quality digital music on a subscription system.
Unfortunately, his argument for Pono's superiority compared to iTunes media was that there was a clear difference between Pono's files and low quality files, although iTunes doesn't release low quality ones. The difference in sound between Pono files and iTunes ones is too microscopic to warrant the less efficient Pono device and excessive price compared to most digital distribution sites. So basically, Neil's got a solid argument but has yet to actually do anything useful about it. However, it's worth noting his good intentions should be mirrored by producers regardless of the genre they're working on; it's artists/producers like Neil Young who keep complacent producers in check who don't give a fuck about the sound quality as long as they think the song itself will make money.

Z is for Jon Zazula
Finally, here we are. The end of the list and the final producer...or is it? I may have one more producer to write about but first, let's look at Mr Zazula. Johnny Z is probably better known for starting Megaforce records, the label that gave us Testament, Anthrax and Metallica as well as other popular Thrash Metal bands. However, despite managing and producing great albums by these incredible bands, there is one common trait that links albums like The Legacy - Testament, The Years Of Decay - Overkill and Spreading The Disease - Anthrax; they sound like shit. Absolute shit. Compare the sound quality of these records to other Metal albums released throughout the 80s and it's a shocking difference. It's debatable how much of this is down to Jon Zazula's input but even if he was one of the best engineers involved, I still believe there's a much better producer who deserves a spot over Johnny Z...


Z should be for Bob Ezrin
Bob's worked on albums such as Welcome To My Nightmare - Alice Cooper, Berlin - Lou Reed, Destroyer - KISS and The Wall - Pink Floyd, as well as other successful albums by these bands and others (except Lou Reed). Alice Cooper has called Bob Ezrin the George Martin of their band and if it wasn't for his work with KISS, they probably wouldn't be the household names in Rock we're all indifferent to now. His style seems to involve giving albums a grand or heavy sound, whether it's by using children's voices to give music a more theatrical feel or encouraging musicians to rework tracks by combining separate great but unfinished ideas (e.g. an Alice Cooper song called "Reflected" that would go on to become "Elected").
Recently, he's earned some popularity/flack for daring to criticise the Lord of Hip Hop, the immortal voice of a generation, Kanye West. He accused Kanye of being uninspired and that his music doesn't do anything new compared to other Hip Hop artists like NWA or Grandmaster Flash; Bob also claimed Kanye's fame and popularity comes from his ego and outlandish behaviour rather than genuine skill at his craft. Kanye, of course, resorted to a Twitter rant where he claimed Bob (and presumably every other middle-aged white record producer) shouldn't talk about "rap" and brought Bob's kids into the argument.
I have no idea if Kanye has since attempted to fire back at Bob with a song of some kind (you know, the things he's supposed to be famous for making) but if his reaction proved anything, it's that Bob Ezrin not only knows about what makes a great Rock record but also a shitty Hip Hop one.


Do you agree with my list? Have I included a fair variety of producers to cover each style, genre and skill? Let me know via Twitter or the comment section.
COMING SOON: Album reviews for Foo Fighters, UFO and The Darkness.

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.

Showdown: Halestorm ReAniMate covers, part one

Most of my Showdown posts have been focusing on a variety of artists but let's not forget that my very first Showdown post was looking at covers by one band and one band only. In this two part blog post, I'll be looking at three EPs by the band Halestorm covering a selection of Rock, Metal and occasionally Pop tunes in their awesome style before weighing up pros and cons of the originals against the covers and ultimately deciding which version of each track is superior.

Since there are 18 songs across all three EPs, I'm splitting this blog post into two parts containing nine songs each. That means part one (the post you're reading now) contains all of the songs on the first EP and three of the songs off the second one. I'll deliver an overall verdict for each EP and a final verdict for all 18 songs in part two.
Right, all clear? Thank fuck, let's get listening!

EDIT: Forgot to add this Spotify playlist of each song (original and cover, minus one original song). Feel free to listen to it as you read my write-ups!


ROUND ONE: Slave To The Grind
Skid Row - Not my favourite Skid Row track but a good Metal tune with heavy riffing and a catchy chorus. The solo's a little dull but I guess that's one of the drawbacks of moving from Hair Metal to Heavy Metal. Either way, it's got a punch to it and it's a good opening song to cover if the intention is to announce "Hey, we're fuckin' here!".
Halestorm - The difference in key hits you straight away but if I'm honest, I kinda like it. It makes the chorus sound a hell of a lot better and the main thing is the energy is still there. I expect I'm probably going to say this a lot but Lizzy Hale's vocals fucking rock and definitely keep up with the original. The guitar solo sounds a little beefed up as well so all in all, a great cover!
VERDICT - A very strong entry from Halestorm right out of the gate earns them a win here. They picked the right song to kick things off and whilst the Skid Row original is good, the Halestorm cover is fucking great!

ROUND TWO: Bad Romance
Lady Gaga - I don't mind Lady Gaga as a person; she seems pretty cool and the fact that she's a fan of Heavy Metal means that her music isn't your typical Pop shite. However, at the end of the day, it is still modern Pop and even though I like some of her tunes ("Applause" being the only one at the time of typing this), "Bad Romance" isn't a song I like listening to. The vocal melody she sings throughout reminds me too much of the intro to "Self Esteem" - The Offspring (a much better song!) and the music is just generic beats and synth. It's a vocally driven song, so I have high hopes for the cover!
Halestorm - See, this is what Lady Gaga could've released if she didn't sell out her musical taste for the easier opportunity for fame. Not only does this song sound fucking sweet now but Lizzy Hale pisses all over Lady Gaga's vocals. In fact, the entire band deserve a shout out here. They've taken generic Pop music and done the best they possibly could've done with the source material. It might not sound like an amazing Metal song but it's a hell of a good cover that treats the original with respect whilst also injecting new life into it.
VERDICT - Halestorm all the way. No doubt in my mind. Hopefully Lady Gaga has listened/will listen to their version and think "maybe I should write more tunes like this" before ultimately deciding she'd rather make a fuckton of cash selling more Pop singles.

ROUND THREE: Hunger Strike
Temple Of The Dog - I didn't want to write about this song/band/album in my recent Chris Cornell post because honestly, I fucking hate it. It's slow, it's depressing and the vocal duet does nothing for me. It might have some fine Grunge riffs but the soft guitar melodies mixed with the pained screeches of Chris Cornell are off putting. It's also a song in which nothing happens. It ends as it starts and by the time it's finished, you'll want your time back...or at least I did.
Halestorm - This song sounds like something you'd hear during the credits of a Michael Bay film. By that, I mean it sucks. It's a good effort and if you like the original, you'll probably enjoy aspects of it but Grunge fans likely won't. It's a bit too upbeat and whilst each band member is on top form (yes, including Lizzy Hale), it's nothing to write home about.
VERDICT - Tough call. I'm not a fan of either track but if I have to choose based on a mix of which track I'd rather listen to again and which track I personally believe is the stronger recording, I feel like awarding the win to both bands. However, since I'm trying to avoid this, I'm going with Halestorm due to personal taste. The Temple Of The Dog original is a better Alternative/Grunge track but at least the Halestorm cover doesn't fill me with the urgent need to switch the song off.

ROUND FOUR: Out Ta Get Me
Guns N' Roses - I didn't even remember this song off Appetite For Destruction and chances are I still won't remember it a week from now but if you want typical GNR, you get it here. Solid Slash work, Axl doing his thang, Steven Adler keeping the song together on drums and the rest of the band enjoying the ride. Personal opinions on Axl Rose aside, this is an OK Hard Rock filler track. Not "You Could Be Mine" or "Anything Goes" level but it's passable.
Halestorm - Musically, this sounds about as close as you can get to classic GNR. Vocally, it shits all over Axl; then again, the automated voice narration on laptops would give that washed up tosser a run for his money BUT AXL OPINIONS ASIDE, this is a great cover. Unfortunately, it's also a relatively easy cover. I'm not sure why the band picked this track as it's possibly one of the safest GNR songs to cover if you were worried about not doing the band justice; it would've been neat to hear them cover a bigger song, especially with the band's track record so far.
VERDICT - Definitely Halestorm. Guns N' Roses did a decent job of writing a middle-of-the-road Rock song but Halestorm kicked it up a notch.

ROUND FIVE: All I Wanna Do Is Make Love To You
Heart - We've had mediocre modern Pop, now it's time for mediocre 90s Pop! The weird thing is, this Heart song isn't even an original Heart track. It's based off a song from the 70s called "All I Want To Do Is Make Love To You" but with different lyrics. It's as radio friendly as an advert for PPI and it's as lame as Christian Hip Hop so why Halestorm would want to cover it is beyond me.
Halestorm - Yup, it's still rubbish. Of all the awesome Heart songs they could've picked, Halestorm went for one from their dull Pop phase. It might have heavier music and vocals but it still sounds like mid 2000s dirge from the likes of Paramore and other crap tween bands masquerading as Rock.
VERDICT - There wasn't a single aspect of either song I liked so I'm giving the win to Heart. Both songs are dull but at least Heart's version is closer to a good Pop song than Halestorm's cover is to a good Rock song, if that makes sense.

ROUND SIX: I Want You (She's So Heavy)
The Beatles - I've talked about this track before on my post on The Beatles: Rock Band but the summary is I hate it. It goes on for FUUUUCKING AGES at the end and the rest of the song, regardless of how good the bass is, fails to redeem it. Once again, I find myself asking why Halestorm chose this song to cover out of all the great Beatles tracks that would've transitioned into incredible Metal versions but I reckon the answer may have something to do with the fact that it costs an arm, a leg and a gallon of leprechaun blood to license The Beatles so this could've been one of the cheaper tunes.
Halestorm - Hats off to Halestorm, this cover actually has its moments during the shittier slow bits. It sounds like good Ozzy Osbourne and unlike the original, there's actually more happening. Lizzy's belting out vocals and the instrumental mix changes. However, the verses are weak. They don't sound right on a Metal song.
VERDICT - Halestorm took a terrible song and made it a bit weak. Even if it's still ultimately a loss, they did the best they could and therefore Halestorm have earned a win. They can pin it to their fridge, seeing as how much better wins are occupying their metaphorical mantle.

SCORES (ReAniMate: The CoVeRs eP):
Originals - 1
Halestorm - 5

ReAniMate: The CoVeRs eP rating: 8/10

ROUND SEVEN: Dissident Aggressor
Judas Priest - We're onto the second covers EP now and once again, Halestorm have picked a solid song to start things off. It's not as powerful as some of their later songs but it's got a good driving rhythm and some classic 70s Metal riffing. Halford's vocals in the chorus are good, though. A nice little back and forth with himself, which is also a good way to figuratively describe his attitude to performing "Breaking The Law" live nowadays...he jerks off, basically.
Halestorm - The music sounds heavy and the guitarwork is impressive although for once, Lizzy Hale's vocals don't quite do it for me. Her back and forth in the chorus sounds poorly mixed but otherwise, she kicks ass. However, compared to previous covers, it's a bit of a step down and I think Slayer's cover of this song is better overall.
VERDICT - I've got to give it to Judas Priest here. They wrote and performed a good song and whilst the Halestorm cover isn't bad, it doesn't bring anything new and exciting to the table like they did with other covers.

ROUND EIGHT: Get Lucky
Daft Punk - This song is catchy, I'm not denying that. However, it's also a bit...bland. It sounds like the kind of song written to be used in the background of a thirty second advert for Bet365, not something for millions of fans to purchase and listen to for four-six minutes (depending on which version you buy). However, if you like Funk, you'll probably get a kick out of this.
Halestorm - Not a bad cover! I love what the band have done with the guitar, giving it a "Dr. Feelgood" vibe with some little melodies in the verse and chorus (not to mention the small but tidy solo). As a joke cover (think some of the Children Of Bodom covers), this song rocks. As an attempt at a Metal version of a Pop song, it's meh with some strong elements.
VERDICT - It's obvious, isn't it? Halestorm gave us a fun Metal cover and a passable Metal song if you don't know much Metal.

ROUND NINE: Shoot To Thrill
AC/DC - The Iron Man 2 song in all its glory. Some good riffs and a catchy chorus, although the song does go on a little bit too long. However, the best parts of the song are probably the intro riffs and the outro solo...in other words, the bits used in Iron Man 2. Considering this song was on the first album released after Bon Scott's death, it's a pretty good tune to give fans confidence that the band could still Rock.
Halestorm - Of all the AC/DC songs to cover, this one's a good choice. Well known and easy to faithfully recreate. The main difference lies in the vocals (what a shocker!) and whilst I'm not the biggest fan of Brian Johnson, Lizzy Hale's voice sounds a bit tame here. I was expecting something a bit heftier from her but she must've recorded this cover on an off day. Shame.
VERDICT - The problem with covering AC/DC is that no matter how heavy your instruments or different your vocals, it will always sound like an AC/DC song due to Angus' ability to create iconic and signature riffs. Your only option is to try and match AC/DC's quality without changing too much, which is sadly what Lizzy Hale tried to do on vocals, hence AC/DC winning this round.


That's part one! Part two will be with you soon!

Rapid Fire: Soundgarden, Audioslave, Chris Cornell

By now, the news of Chris Cornell's tragic passing has probably had time to sink in and whilst he wasn't in my personal list of amazing vocalists, I can't deny that he was one. With an instantly recognisable voice and pipes that could deliver the exact amount of passion and emotion the song required, it's a shame that it took his death for me to finally get around to writing a blog post dedicated entirely to him.
As you'd probably guessed by the list of bands in the post title, this Rapid Fire is dealing with three different albums across three different decades belonging to three different genres that feature notable work by the same man. However, this isn't going to be some nostalgic, dick-sucking celebration of self-importance masquerading as a tribute. I'm going to discuss each album as if Chris was still with us, flaws and all, starting with Soundgarden's biggest album.


1. Superunknown - Soundgarden

Some artists question the label Grunge when applied to Soundgarden, as they feel that the true scale of the band's songwriting and musicianship get lost in the categorisation. Personally, I think it's half right. There are definitely Grunge elements in Superunknown, notably in the sludgy album opener, "Let Me Drown", one of the more forgettable "good" tracks, and the biggest single, "Black Hole Sun", a tiresome dirge that is enough to turn any casual listener away from this band. However, the stronger material takes Grunge elements but improves them with Hard Rock. This is where songs like "Fresh Tendrils" and "Fell On Black Days" come in; songs built around a strong riff, heavy bass and moody vocals.
Then you've got flat out Hard Rock tracks, definitely the best ones on the album. "Spoonman" has everything required of an iconic Rock song from epic riffs on both guitar and bass to vocals perfect for belting out with a stadium full of like-minded fans (not to mention a drum solo that doesn't leave you fatigued, an impressive feat in its own right). There are also lesser known tracks like "Kickstand", a punchy interlude that could've done with another minute and a half to make it a proper song, and title track "Superunknown", another testament to the band's strength as one cohesive unit as opposed to a shining star surrounded by permanent stand-ins.
If I did have to single out specific performances, Matt Cameron on drums comes to mind. Similar to vocalists having a recognisably awesome voice, Matt's drumming has a distinct sound in this album (something I reckon Lars Ulrich tried to copy with St. Anger but totally fucked up) and doesn't just fall into the category of generic Rock drums, which we'll be listening to in the next album. Overall, Superunknown showcased the band at their best. There are a few dull moments here and there but it's still a proper Rock album with lyrical and musical depth, something not many bands can pull off.

1. Let Me Drown

2. My Wave

3. Fell On Black Days

4. Mailman

5. Superunknown

6. Head Down

7. Black Hole Sun

8. Spoonman

9. Limo Wreck

10. The Day I Tried To Live

11. Kickstand

12. Fresh Tendrils

13. 4th Of July

14. Half

15. Like Suicide

ALBUM RATING - 7/10

Next up, we have the debut album from supergroup Audioslave consisting of Chris Cornell and 3/4s of Rage Against The Machine.

2. Audioslave - Audioslave

It's always telling when one member of a band is replaced and the quality of the music vastly changes. In this case, Chris Cornell replacing Zack De La Rocha transformed a one-note Rap Metal act into a solid Hard Rock band with some decent tunes to shout about. However, unlike Superunknown, Audioslave's eponymous debut is not amplified by the group effort of the band; it's very much down to Chris Cornell and Tom Morello on vocals and guitar respectively here. It's fair to say that whilst Brad Wilk gave it everything he had, bassist Tim Commerford was basically tagging along for the ride.

The pairing of Cornell and Morello has to be one of the most perfect combinations in Rock music. Whilst Morello's the one who hooks people in with his innovative playing style and epic riffs, it's Cornell who keeps listeners entranced with his raw vocals ("Cochise", "Gasoline", "Set It Off"). The band definitely knew how to deliver a powerful Rock song and, yes, this was partly down to Brad Wilk's drumming. If you've read my review of 13 - Black Sabbath, you'll known I'm not a fan of his work but if there's one thing the man can do (and I believe there is just one thing the man can do), it's powerful drumming. There are a few moments here and there where Cornell must've pumped some cocaine into his morning cuppa ("Show Me How To Live") but it's mostly just slow rhythms from start to finish.

It's a good album with some great tunes but it could've done with a bit more musical variety. Audioslave seem to have two settings: Powerhouse and Sensitive. Both settings have their strengths ("Exploder" and "Like A Stone" spring to mind) but they're the result of two musicians who are masters at those styles and little else. A third talented artist could've helped guide the band into a third great style...or they could've been the cook that spoiled the broth. Either way, what we got was a collection of passable Rock songs with a few gems fronted by half of the band.

1. Cochise

2. Show Me How To Live

3. Gasoline

4. What You Are

5. Like A Stone

6. Set It Off

7. Shadow On The Sun

8. I Am The Highway

9. Exploder

10. Hypnotize

11. Bring Em Back Alive

12. Light My Way

13. Getaway Car

14. The Last Remaining Light

ALBUM RATING - 6/10

Finally, instead of forcing myself through Temple Of The Dog, we have Chris Cornell's last solo album, released a couple of years ago.

3. Higher Truth - Chris Cornell

If you were expecting an extension of Soundgarden and Audioslave's material, boy did you come to the wrong place. This isn't the kind of album I'd usually talk about on this blog, as it really stretches the definition of Rock, but that doesn't mean I didn't like it. It's a bittersweet collection of music that trades heavy percussion for soulful guitar melodies and piano/keys. In fact, album opener and lead single "Nearly Forgot My Broken Heart" is probably as heavy as the percussion gets and even then, the remaining instruments are far from your typical Rock sound. If anything, they sound like Indie Pop, only not as breathy and shite. You can thank Chris Cornell's vocals for that.

Sure, there are a few tracks with a bit more energy ("Our Time In The Universe") but the album is firmly built around delicate music aided by hearty vocals. Even when songs are slow and melodic, Chris keep them from devolving into your typical moaning vehicles of self-pity that modern Alternative Rock bands can't stop trotting out. He sings with purpose and passion ("Worried Moon", "Murderer Of Blue Skies") and I'm sure some twat's already proof reading their reflective piece about how this album should've told us Chris was suicidal but to me, there's still hope in the lyrics. It's just a shame that about halfway through, the sensitive tracks all sort of blend into the same material ("Through The Window", "Josephine") so you're left with little options if you're not invested in it.

Much like my opinion of Chris Cornell's talents as a vocalist, Higher Truth isn't an album that I would rank highly on my own personal scale but I can recognise well written music of the genre and this is it. I'd recommend it to fans of modern Alternative who want something better than the shit they're used to but if you like your riffs heavy, your drums pounding and your Rock rocking, this isn't the album for you. Whether or not his previous solo albums deliver in that sense, I couldn't tell you but even if they didn't, they don't need to. He's done Rock already and he's done it bloody well.

1. Nearly Forgot My Broken Heart

2. Dead Wishes

3. Worried Moon

4. Before We Disappear

5. Through The Window

6. Josephine

7. Murderer Of Blue Skies

8. Higher Truth

9. Let Your Eyes Wander

10. Only These Words

11. Circling

12. Our Time In The Universe

ALBUM RATING - 6/10

RIP Chris Cornell.