Tenology: My Ten Favourite Rock/Metal Songs Of 2018

Well, here we are again. End of the year which means it's time to look back at all the new albums and singles I've enjoyed throughout 2018 and present them in a list of no particular order. That's right, this is NOT a "Top 10" post where the first or last song in the entry is the greatest song of the year, nor is it a ranking list of my favourite songs after listening to every Rock/Metal album released. There will be omissions and there will be no real reason for putting the ten songs I've picked in the specific order listed below, other than "because I wanted to do it this way".
Fortunately, I'll probably cover those omissions in a 2020 blog post in a similar manner to the one I'm planning for early 2019 where I'll be looking at songs from 2017 that I really enjoyed yet didn't listen to until some time in 2018. Got that? No? Too bad. One last thing before I start: I've included a Spotify playlist at the bottom of this post so you can listen to all the songs I've rated (honourable mentions and all!) whilst reading about why I liked them. It's also an opportunity for you to hear songs I really liked and would recommend in case you missed them. Right, let's do this!


1. "When The Curtain Falls" - Greta Van Fleet

When I reviewed Anthem Of The Peaceful Army a couple of months ago, I was largely indifferent to the majority of the songs due to how disappointing it was in comparison to the band's EP From The Fires. However, there were some songs I really liked and my favourite had to be lead single, "When The Curtain Falls". Great riff, shrill vocals and catchy melodies throughout, not to mention a decent solo to play us out. If you liked From The Fires but haven't listened to Anthem Of The Peaceful Army yet, you're probably better off listening to this song and maybe a handful of others instead of the whole album. Personal taste will depend on the other songs I'd recommend but regardless of what you're into, I'll always recommend this one.


2. "Firepower" - Judas Priest

Another song from an album I reviewed on the blog; don't worry, there'll be some tracks I haven't discussed before here too. The latest Judas Priest album was essentially a love letter to fans of the band's earlier material, combining good aspects of Painkiller, Screaming For Vengeance and British Steel with a modern twist. "Firepower" is a great title track and album opener with awesome riffs and fantastic vocals, exactly what was needed to remind fans that the band could still kick ass. There were other belters on the album too and who knows, maybe you'll see a few more in this post...


3. "Venom Of Venus" - Powerwolf

I only just finished writing about The Sacrament Of Sin, a great Power Metal album that contains a load of great tunes with heavy riffing and mild solos. However, for an album that's strength lies in its melodic nature, "Venom Of Venus" was the track that got me invested more than any other. The vocals steal the show, although the rest of the band bring the thunder too. However, I was also tempted to include "Fire & Forgive", "The Sacrament Of Sin" or "Fist By Fist (Sacralize Or Strike)" on this list too, although I feel like this song will stick with me longer than those.


4. "Fuchsia Machu Picchu" - Joachim Cooder

...who? Yeah, I heard this song on the radio one day and loved it. Great thumping rhythm, nice vocals, funky riffs and mystical accompaniments. I guess this is more of a Rock song than Pop, although it's probably the closest thing to Pop on this list. I haven't listened to any other songs by Joachim Cooder but if I hear something else by him/them (?) that I like, I'll be sure to check more tunes out. Until then, at least we've got this strange little number that I bet none of you ever expected to see on this list.


5. "Miasma" - Ghost

I'm mixing the formula up a bit by putting my number one favourite song of the year (from my number one favourite album of the year, as reviewed here) at the midway point of the post, rather than at the end like the last two from 2016/2017. This instrumental is fucking great and just goes from strength to strength as the song progresses. By the three minute mark, the song's taken off and before you know it, there are solos played on not just guitar and synth but also a fucking saxophone. This Metal instrumental finds a way of making a saxophone solo sound badass and for that reason alone, it deserves a spot on this list.


6. "Necromancer" - Judas Priest

Hey, look at that, Judas Priest showed up again! Revisiting some of my favourite songs from 2018 (a list that previously had about 30 different tracks in it), I tried to give songs by a wider variety of artists a chance but at the end of the day, I found myself enjoying multiple Judas Priest tracks over ones by Shinedown and Saxon. Whilst "Firepower" is probably my number one favourite off the album, "Necromancer" is a very close second. The faster tempo in the verse to give the song a driving rhythm is great and come on, if there's one thing Judas Priest knows how to do it's write awesome themes for their own mythological characters.


7. "Firewalker" - King Zebra

This was another song recommended to me that I ended up loving. Granted it might be a little similar to some of the others on this list (you can tell I definitely have a specific taste!) but when a band I've never heard of gets my attention as fast as King Zebra did with this song, I know they're worth mentioning. Fortunately for them, their song was great enough to earn a place on the full list and not just the honourable mentions so if you like NWOTHM, check this song out!


8. "Sugar Cane" - Slash, feat. Myles Kennedy & The Conspirators

This song nearly didn't make it in the list! I completely forgot about this album until I started writing the post and after revisiting a few tracks that I remembered enjoying, I found myself wanting to come back to this song over all the others. Awesome Slash riffs, fantastic Myles Kennedy vocals in the chorus and a vibe that makes it sound like the perfect song to fucking jam to in a live gig. There are some other decent tracks on the Slash album too (that I mention in my review found here) but "Sugar Cane" is probably my favourite from it.


9. "Whatever" - Thundermother

Another new song that I heard on the radio once and forgot about for a while until revisiting all of the year's best tunes. Imagine if Halestorm were just a little bit better musically and you've got "Whatever" - Thundermother. You get the same raw vocal talent but with the added benefit of better solos, percussion and general song structure. It's a shame that Thundermother seem to be going through somewhat of a tempestuous period with changing lineups and whatnot but fingers crossed the lineup from this album sticks around for some time!


10. "Rats" - Ghost

I mean, you should've seen this one coming. Even if "Miasma" is my favourite song of the year, "Rats" is a very strong second best from Prequelle. I've talked about the track before but in short, it's got everything needed to make a perfect anthematic Rock song. If you read this blog, you must've heard the song by now. You must know that I fucking love this song and album so it's no surprise that it's on this list.

What MIGHT be a surprise are some of these honourable mentions (in alphabetical order):


"Book Of Thoth" - The Sword

I thought the latest album by The Sword was OK (review here) and had several tracks I was considering for the coveted spot of an honourable mention here. However, in the end, I went with "Book Of Thoth" for containing the heavy riffs I associate with The Sword and some interesting guitar playing too. It's a more memorable song than some of my other favourites from Used Future but it's not quite as good as the tracks listed above. At least not to me, anyway.


"Dance Macabre" - Ghost

Got to fit Ghost in one last time (go fucking listen to Prequelle). Whilst "Miasma" and "Rats" are worthy of a place in the main list, I felt like I couldn't justify three Ghost songs when there were other tracks that needed a place too. Sadly for "Dance Macabre", that meant one song had to be an honourable mention and this ABBA-esque Hard Rock tune drew the short straw. Don't get me wrong though, I still love the track and would recommend it without a moment's hesitation.


"Flame Thrower" - Judas Priest

Yup, same situation with Judas Priest. I liked Firepower and multiple songs on the album grabbed me in an incredibly pleasurable way but I couldn't put three songs off it in the list, hence "Flame Thrower" ending up here instead. I think it was easier moving this song here because I'm not really into the intro that much but once the percussion comes in, everything gets much better.


"Grazed By Heaven" - Uriah Heep

Definitely my favourite song from Living The Dream and probably the most accessible track to casual fans of the band, since it has the Hard Prog sound of guitar/organ harmonies. However, it also boasts some great lengthy solos too so if you only listen to one song from the album, make sure it's this one...which will probably happen anyway, since it's the album opener and lead single.


"The New Day" - Greta Van Fleet

The last song in the post and it's another repeat band! I may have been a bit frosty to their recent album but damn, I love this song's main riff. It's like a glorious blend of early Rush and peak Led Zeppelin...and then the vocals come in. They're so fucking bad in this song, they remind me of Steve Smith from American Dad (played by Scott Grimes) when he does a pained, high pitched scream. Those vocals can work in Hard Rock tracks but when you've got a more Folksy, acoustic-guitar driven melody and softer percussion, you need more delicate vocals. If I could travel across the multiverse and find a version of this song with identical music but someone more tactful than Josh Kiszka behind the mic, this song easily would've made the main ten.

That's it for 2018! I hope you've enjoyed what I've offered on the blog and will (hopefully) continue to offer throughout 2019 too!
Happy New Year to everyone who gives a shit about that sort of thing and see you all in January!

Living The Dream - Uriah Heep

That's right, it's a review of the brand new Slash album entitled Living The Dream, released September 21st!

...wait, what?

...

Oh. It's not the Slash album entitled Living The Dream. It's the Uriah Heep album entitled Living The Dream released exactly one week before the Slash album Living The Dream.

Uriah Heep might not be the most popular band releasing an album this month but they certainly know how to write decent music. Their latest album, Living The Dream, contains a variety of Hard Prog songs that tend to sway more towards the Prog side.
The songs are...

I mean...


Fuck it, I can't do this.
Change of plan guys, we're flipping the script!




Living The Dream - Slash featuring Myles Kennedy & The Conspirators

Today, we'll be looking at the new album from guitarist Slash, vocalist Myles Kennedy and the backing band The Conspirators. I was going to review the new album from Uriah Heep, also entitled Living The Dream, but I'm not sure I can make an entertaining review out of an album I was largely indifferent to. If you want to know my in-depth thoughts about that album, don't worry. I'll probably write about it in an upcoming Rapid Fire post.

If there's one thing that Slash has proven by now, it's that he's an incredibly competent guitar player and knows how to write a tasty riff. If there are two things he's proven, it's that he has some fuck-ugly album artwork ideas that nobody warns him about before it's too late. I mean, fucking look at it. It's like something you'd find in the candy section of a supermarket or inside a drug dealer's jacket pocket. The strange thing is, the album is apparently meant to be a sarcastic assessment of life in 2018 at the moment. We're all "living the dream" as far as world politics goes, which would've made for a pretty cool album cover if the artist hadn't snorted a load of Refreshers before coming up with this design.
Fortunately, the material contained within doesn't represent the cover and the music is still very much Slash's unique brand of guitar-driven Hard Rock with a few tweaks here and there. Album opener "The Call Of The Wild" starts off with a Southern twist but the guitarwork and exciting build up throughout sounds right at home on a Slash record, presumably to show off that Slash is still killing it on guitar but also that he's willing to try new styles out without going full Muse and abandoning the thing he's good at in favour of self-serving wank. If you read my review of the last Slash album, you'll see that I claimed Slash was beginning to try new forms of Hard Rock that weren't as guitar driven, something that remains in this album only with a few extra genres thrown into the mix for good measure too.
It's admirable that Slash found a way to innovate without straying too far from what he's good at and what people want when they pick up a Slash record. I said it before and I'll say it again; when you listen to a Slash album, you want Rock music with great guitar. Nothing more, nothing less. The worst things he can do are stray from that formula with dull piano ballads or pump out generic riffs that we've heard a million times before. Whilst he doesn't tickle the ivories just yet (I'm dreading the day that he does), there are a couple of songs sporting riffs that sound a little uninspired.

You can usually tell the songs that crew members felt were generic due to the addition of unique guitar tones to mask the fact that the riff isn't anything special ("My Antidote", "Read Between The Lines") but at least the solos are always great and you can't fault the band for at least trying to spice things up a bit with some guitar effects. In fact, out of the last three Slash albums, this one's probably the most varied as far as musical sound goes due to the addition of several Rock subgenre techniques and what the band toyed with in World On Fire.
Songs like "The One You Loved Is Gone" is more of an emotional power ballad, starting off similar to what I imagine an acoustic set by the band Poison would contain. Slash shows restraint, even during the guitar solo, and allows the band a chance to shine for a brief moment. Then there's slow Bluesy number "The Great Pretender", a song Slash probably wrote after listening to someone's monophonic ringtone of "Still Got The Blues" - Gary Moore going off. Thankfully, these slower songs don't appear that often and they're not the only examples of Slash trying out different genres.
"Driving Rain" was a great choice for the album's lead single, confidently boasting a funky rhythm, heavy guitar riff and powerful chorus that could easily belong on Apocalyptic Love or World On Fire. This is the kind of innovation that Slash should aim for, not the slower material (unless he can pull off some fine guitar work in the process). However, this album isn't all innovation; there's plenty for fans of previous material, specifically songs like "Slow Grind" that opens with some sweet bass before breaking into pure Hard Rock, "Sugar Cane" containing an action packed fast paced riff and footstomping rhythm and "Boulevard Of Broken Hearts", album closer with a touch of "Eye Of The Tiger" in the intro before bringing it home with a chorus perfect for being blasted out at a stadium gig.

Overall, Living The Dream starts to suffer in the middle but successfully turns things around in the third act. Guitar lovers have plenty to dig into and those wanting something more from Slash are given a taste at what he's capable of. Whilst I believe that Slash doesn't necessarily need to record his attempt at a Funk or Southern Rock album just yet, I'd like to hear him tackle some more musical styles blended with his signature style of Hard Rock. I would also recommend maybe cutting down the tracklist, as I feel like Slash and the band were stretched pretty thin coming up with 12 different songs when 10 would've been plenty.
If I had to pick out the weakest aspect of the album, I think I'd have to say Myles Kennedy. I've been a big champion of Myles ever since he proved he could do Axl's job better than he ever could but there were quite a few tracks here that felt like he was phoning it in a little. I'm not saying Myles has gone the way of Ian Gillan, just that he didn't bring anywhere near the same level of passion and fire that he channelled in Apocalyptic Love or World On Fire throughout the entire album. The backing band did their jobs admirably though and I know it's easy to gloss over their effort when you've got Slash and Myles at the top of the billing.
I rate the album 7/10 as it's got a lot of great stuff going for it but weaker vocals and some uninspired riffs take the score down a little, even if mixing genres and keeping stronger aspects of older songs boosts what would've been a mediocre score. I recommend the album to fans of Slash's previous work although I'd probably recommend those albums to fans of Hard Rock and maybe just a handful of songs off Living The Dream to those wanting new tunes to check out. I just hope Slash's next album has tighter Riff-Based-Rock, some more treks into different musical territories and album artwork that doesn't make me ashamed to fucking look at it.

Tenology: Terrible Album Artwork

As requested by @ataeaf on Twitter, the latest Tenology post is taking a look at album artwork from Rock/Metal albums that doesn't quite do the music any favours.
Before I start, it should be noted that this post is largely going to be the work of opinion (as always). Art is subjective and what may be absolutely awful to me might be the greatest image in the world to someone else. However, along with each album cover I'll be compiling, I'll be discussing why I strongly dislike the artwork and possibly even what could've been done to improve it, even offering some comparisons to similar but superior artwork to show that I'm not completely talking out of my arse.


1. ...Very 'Eavy ...Very 'Umble - Uriah Heep

The debut album from 70s Hard Prog outfit, Uriah Heep (expect a review of their new album coming soon!). Compared to some of their later albums with fantastic, magical imagery to compliment their Sword & Sorcery themed music, this album cover just looks off-putting. I don't know about you but when I pick up an album, I like to do it without feeling that I immediately need to scrub my hands clean afterwards. Thankfully I've never touched this album physically but just looking at the cobweb covered face of what may be a corpse within the narrative of the cover doesn't entice me to listen to the material contained within. You can also compare this album cover to the similar close-up of a horrified face on In The Court Of The Crimson King by King Crimson. The art style of that album cover and the lack of any additional gross aspects (like sticky cobwebs) makes it striking and intriguing rather than murky and gross.


2. World On Fire - Slash featuring Myles Kennedy and The Conspirators

I know what you're thinking; why am I featuring this album in a list of terrible album artwork instead of Slash's new album, Living The Dream? Don't worry, I'll get onto the terrible album artwork of that one once I review the album on the blog. For now, let's look at this piece of shit. When the single "World On Fire" dropped, the artwork contained a smiley face with a skull inside it (pictured as a tiny, easily missable pic in the top left corner of the album here) and it looked pretty neat! I was expecting a similar treatment of the rest of the band, smiley faces with skeletal influences for all the band members, similar to Deep Purple albums In Rock and Burn or even the Guns N' Roses debut Appetite For Destruction. Instead, we get a load of random junk that's inexplicably themed around The Simpsons. It's ugly and tacky, although I think the ugliness comes from most of the junk being melted. I'm giving the album the benefit of the doubt and guessing the melted crap is because the World is On Fire...get it? Yeah, still a lame cover.


3. Power Metal - Pantera

This is Pantera's fourth studio album. Their fourth. They recorded and released three studio albums before this and this is what the thought was good enough to sell their fourth record. I know most people immediately leap to Metal Magic as the example of terrible album artwork and don't get me wrong, the artwork DOES suck for that one too. However, by the fourth album, you should be trying a bit harder than a black background and a photo of the band doing their best Blue Steels inside a red explosion frame straight outta Microsoft Word. Thankfully, the band did a complete U-turn on their image and music for their next album, Cowboys From Hell. That doesn't mean they get a free pass for what has to be the most embarrassing start for a Metal band in all the history of a genre. Never forget that before they released mediocre Groove Metal amplified by a talented guitarist, they released three Hair Metal albums and one Heavy Metal (not Power Metal) one. Utter shambles.


4. Blind Faith - Blind Faith

I was hesitant about including the actual album artwork on this blog as this is a picture of a naked 11 year old girl (similar to original album artwork for Virgin Killer - Scorpions, featuring a naked 12 year old girl) in front of what appears to be the Windows XP background about 30 years before the picture was even taken. I'm not entirely sure why these Rock bands want naked pubescent girls as the face of their records, as I wouldn't normally associate Blind Faith or Scorpions with wanting an audience of pedos, but the fact that there is no alternate artwork for this album does it no favours. The artwork should've been...I mean, literally anything else. Literally any other picture that has nothing to do with naked schoolgirls, it's fucking obvious. Anyway, since I had to search for this album cover and ended up finding multiple versions that were all unusable, I'm probably on some kind of register now. Bye guys, it was nice writing for you all!


5. Pinewood Smile - The Darkness

Man, I loved this album but fucking hated the artwork. Where do we start? First off, we've got a smile that looks seedy and kinda gross with the facial hair up-close. Then we've got the weird photoshopping of the band onto the smile in ways that don't quite belong. Finally, there's the complete shift in style from previous artwork such as Last Of Our Kind which featured a great drawing of a fighter pilot similar to Ed Repka's drawings of Vic Rattlehead. I will always prefer a beautifully drawn image over a weird, unsettling and poorly shopped image that may or may not have relevance to the album title. Seriously, if the smile was drawn in an exaggerated, caricatured fashion, this artwork would be a lot better. You know I'm right.


6. Lita - Lita Ford

Whilst it's not quite as disgusting or off-putting as previous album covers listed, I've always had a problem with the album artwork for Lita simply because it's the least sexy cover that's trying to be sexy I can honestly think of. Before you start accusing me of all sorts, I have no problem with Lita Ford's general appearance (she looks pretty damn hot in other album artwork, especially the art for the "Kiss Me Deadly" single). However, the photographer and producer who ended up signing off on this picture being the choice for the album needed a stern talking to. The attractive Lita Ford looks miserable and awkward in this pose, completely the opposite of what they should've been going for. I'm not sure if this is Lita attempting to riff on objectifying and borderline misogynistic uses of women on album covers from the past but it doesn't quite go far enough to drive the point home for me. Instead, it looks like a desperate cougar mom's photoshoot currently mid-midlife crisis.


7. Volcanic Rock - Buffalo

Yup, that's a rock penis being held up by the muscled person with the pubes. That's not all, the volcano pictured represents a menstruating woman as shown by the rear side of the album. It's been heavily criticised in the past for being misogynistic (a word that frequently comes up when discussing terrible Rock album artwork) but much like the band themselves, those complaints faded away and died a death of obscurity...until I went ahead and reminded people that this band and album still exist! Offensive depictions of sexuality aside, the album artwork isn't all that bad. The colour scheme is great and the title Volcanic Rock is a good name for the record; it's just a shame they had to ruing everything by representing the album's title with a stone cock and pussuvius.


8. Lick It Up - KISS

This is just one of the laziest, dullest ideas for an album cover from a band as flamboyant and excessive as KISS. All four band members posing in front of the camera with only one visible tongue on an album called Lick It Up. This is a somewhat iconic album in the KISS collection due to it being the first time they've gone without their signature makeup since taking off. Here's the kicker though; about three years before this album came out, KISS released an album called Unmasked. If EVER there was a time to show the band without makeup, it would've been for that album cover. For Lick It Up, there should've been some stylised drawing featuring tongues and, maybe, a bit of "sexiness" or something other than this last minute attempt at album art. Hell, they could've pulled a Motley Crue and parodied The Rolling Stones with a KISS coloured giant tongue in a grinning mouth. That would've been pretty neat, albeit legally questionable.


9. Mosquito - Yeah Yeah Yeahs

I only found out about this album cover fairly recently and I hate it. However, I can acknowledge that there are some positives about it. For starters, the CGI imagery is pretty crisp and the perspective makes for an interesting angle. However, none of that is enough to redeem the fact that Yeah Yeah Yeahs signed off on an album cover featuring a gigantic mosquito sucking the blood out of a crying child's rectum mid-feed of what looks like radioactive baby food. There's a difference between unsettling album artwork like Americana - The Offspring and this, as one is bizarre yet eye-catching whilst the other's just...well, this. Also, are they ever-so-slightly piggybacking on the iconic album artwork of Nevermind - Nirvana? Maybe I'm reading too much into it, although the whole anus-sucking thing still applies. This is the kind of artwork I'd expect to see on a Shock Rock nobody's record, not some Indie twinks' fourth LP.


10. I Get Wet - Andrew W.K.

Just have a good look at this prick. With his greasy wet hair and his ruby red lips, how can anyone not want to smack him one? Maybe that's why his nose is bleeding all down his face and fucking neck, someone had enough of this guy constantly banging on about partying and lamped him. Seriously, if you've ever looked at Andrew W.K.'s Twitter account, it's all shit about partying. All the fucking time, it's some bollocks about "party rules" or "never stop partying" and all sorts of crap like he's still desperately clinging to the one song that people know him for. Remember his appearance at E3 when he played that song for the shooter? Can you remember either the name of his song OR the shooter? Guess what, it had thudding percussion and piano in it, almost exactly like his other song. Where was I? Oh yeah, this album cover sucks. Even if my theory about it being a reference to Andrew's punchability is true, it's still off putting to look at and the fact that he looks like  90s Dave Grohl doesn't sit well with me. This should've been an inside sleeve and the outside should've had him looking perfectly fine.


I may do another one of these blog posts in the future if I can find enough examples of terrible album artwork to fill second list WITHOUT resorting to using one from Cannibal Corpse. I'll feature indecent pictures of young girls over one of their fucking covers, Jesus.

Tenology: My Ten Favourite Rock/Metal Songs Of 2014

If you're like me when it comes to opinions about music journalism then chances are you find posts on blogs/websites along the lines of "Ten Best Songs Of [A YEAR/DECADE]" to be all the same. A bunch of Indie songs, some generic pop and usually Kanye Fucking West.

NOT THIS ONE!

Rather than pretend to be some sophisticated tosser who is all about how deep and lyrically influential music is, I plan on writing about my 10 favourite songs of the year that fall strictly within the Rock/Metal parameter...though chances are I'll still sound like a snob at times. There's a strong possibility that none of them will be on any official Top Songs Of 2014 lists as the spaces on those lists are reserved for paragraphs overly praising how great David Bowie is for releasing an album over 30 years after he stopped making good music or how innovative and talented the Foo Fighters are for capturing the pure, raw sound of Dave Grohl stroking his dick across eight songs.
Anyway, here are the songs that came out within the last 12 months that I would recommend to people above all other upcoming bands/artists. Once again, I remind you that these are in no order of greatness as I think they're all awesome:


1. "30 Years To Life" - Slash

One of the singles off World On Fire (I'll just leave this little review here for anyone who may have missed it) and probably my favourite song from the album. Granted it starts off a little shaky but luckily it soon finds its feet after the intro. The reason I preferred this song to others on the album probably comes down to the reprise at the end. The song's continual build-up manages to turn the worst part of the track into the best, leaving you with good memories of the tune you just heard...at least it did for me, anyway.


2. "1000hp" - Godsmack

Time for a bit of Metal! I don't know much about the music of Godsmack but I do know this song has about as much power as you can possibly want for modern Metal. My favourite aspect of this song is easily the way each drum beat in the intro and verse sounds like a hefty punch. In fact, the drumming throughout the whole song is as tight as a banker's pocket but when you listen to the track, you'll know what I mean. Some may argue that it sounds stiff but I'd rather that than it sounding sloppy and overly reliant on cymbal crashes.
Oh yeah, and the other band members are great too.


3. "Crash Landing" - Toseland

Whilst all the pictures of the guy make him look like a self-obsessed cunt too big-headed even for TOWIE, his music definitely earns its place here. Unlike other entries in this list where one or two instruments clearly dominate the others, this song is a perfect example of how each member of the band contributes an even share towards making a great tune. Yes, the guitar and vocals tend to stand out more but once you listen to the drums and bass all the way through, you'll realise they're pulling their weight just as much as Mr Essex himself.


4. "Deceived" - Red Dragon Cartel

More Metal! From the opening riff, you know you're gonna be in for a treat and luckily, the rest of the song delivers! If anything, it sounds like some modern Ozzy Osbourne but with about 30% more balls (you can thank the work of ex-Ozzy guitarist Jake E. Lee for those balls!). The only thing I would say is that the song kind of ends on a low note, despite building up so much energy. If it had the outro it deserved, I'd definitely recommend it above most other tracks on this list.


5. "Dragonaut" - Judas Priest

The only notable song on the entire fucking album. However, it's a hell of a song! You've got everything you could want from Judas Priest on it (aside from a bit more Halford falsetto but at least the band knew it wouldn't suit this song before they said "Fuck it, do it anyway" for the title track). I was tempted to leave it off this list until I realised that I've been listening to it regularly since I first purchased it in July. That makes it a top song, in my books.


6. "Heaven Knows" - The Pretty Reckless

The first song on this list that isn't all about speed and action but that doesn't mean it's not powerful. With plenty of explosive and arguably "epic" moments, this memorable track will get your feet stomping and if you don't end up humming along, chances are the chorus will stick around in your head later on that day. I'm surprised this song hasn't been used in more ads for TV shows or films, if I'm honest.


7. "Looking At You" - Uriah Heep

I was tempted to review Uriah Heep's latest album, Outsider, on this blog but decided against it in the end. If you want a shortened version, all you need to know is that there are three songs that stand out (and two of those were singles). "One Minute", "Can't Take That Away" and this one. All the others generally sound like Whitesnake knock-offs whereas "Looking At You" boasts some fine work from all instruments, particularly bass and keys.


8. "Midnight Meditation" - The Vintage Caravan

Above all else, it's the main guitar riff and drum combo that I enjoy more than the wailing vocals and fuzzy bass. Sadly, the rest of the album this came from isn't worth discussing but at least this shining jewel could be found in the grey slop that was Voyage. What I would say about the song is that it seems to go on a little bit too long. The bridge in the middle with the guitar solo is cool but perhaps the final verse could've been trimmed or adapted into an outro.


9. "Remember Me" - Black Stone Cherry

Gun to head, if I was forced to pick my favourite song of the year then this would probably be it. It's comparable to a lot of modern Hard Rock songs that rely on heavy chords and shouting but unlike those, the chords are accompanied by individual guitarwork and the shouting is fuelled by emotion rather than the need to sing about something. The only major downside to this song is that the album version contains about one minute and twenty seconds of atmospheric and unnecessary feedback at the end. It completely ruins the otherwise fantastic tune, but not enough for it to be omitted from this list.


10. "Too Many Clowns" - Magnum

I can't say I'm too fond of Magnum as their older songs are a little bit too synthy for my tastes. This song, however, has next to none of that. It's just good ol' Rock! If anything, this song sounds like ZZ Top or even Status Quo if they were fucking awesome as opposed to just awesome*. Raspy vocals perfect for Hard Rock and heavy riffing make up for the weak solo and I knew once this album came out, I had to have the song.

So those are my 10 favourite tracks released in 2014 BUT I've picked five others that deserve a mention and a listen from you if you've agreed with at least 7/10 of my choices so far:


"A Shot At Redemption" - H.E.A.T
Quite similar to "Heaven Knows" but not as grand or imposing. Instead, it beefs up the fretwork and increases the tempo to footstomping speed. If I'd ordered this list in terms of greatness, I reckon this would've made #11.


"Calling Out" - Electric River
If I'm ever involved in a dynamic motorbike chase across a near-futuristic motorway then I'd probably want this song to be playing. This song is probably more appropriate than some of the others on my list as it sounds more like Modern Rock compared to, say, Uriah Heep.


"Electric Man" - Rival Sons
I should really thank radio station Planet Rock for playing many of these songs as they're my primary source for discovering new music. The reason I bring them up now is because they've caught onto Rival Sons and have played many of their tunes from previous albums, as well as this great one. Whilst this isn't my favourite song by the band in general, it's definitely my favourite they've released this year that I've heard.


"The Outlaw" - The Treatment
A song presumably written with the sole intent of kicking ass, "The Outlaw" would've fought it out with "Deceived" on my list. I think the line "I'm the Outlaw, don'tcha know" in the chorus stopped this song from making the list. Other than that lyric, it's a great track.


"Two Doves On A Lake" - Archie Bronson Outfit
Quite kooky and definitely Wolfmotherish, this song was just a little bit too off-the-wall for my list. Not that that's a bad thing, of course. I like songs that are a bit different as much as ones that stick to conventions but in this case, I preferred the aforementioned tracks to this one. However, I would say fans of Stoner Metal and Hard Prog check this song out. Who knows, maybe other material by the Archie Bronson Outfit are worth a listen in general!

So that's my brief musical summary of 2014. We had highs and lows but what about 2015?
Well, we've got new albums from Metallica, Def Leppard, Queen featuring some other guy, possibly Iron Maiden, Saxon and other bands too, not to mention all the new acts who'll release their debuts this year and quite possibly a few other surprises along the way too.
Here's to another year of monthly blog posts! Hooraaaaaay!


*on occasion

World On Fire - Slash featuring Myles Kennedy & The Conspirators

Before I talk about the latest album from Slash and Myles Kennedy, I'd first like to tell you about the latest tour from Slash and Myles Kennedy...or at least one of the shows from the tour.

Without going into too much detail about the dire warm-up performance from California Breed (although mostly Glenn Hughes) as you can read my condensed rant on Twitter, Slash played with his band for damn nearly two hours last night. For most bands, that would've been a real slog to sit through and, if I'm honest, it's probably my only small complaint. However, Slash and crew kept the majority of the audience* enthralled from start to finish, playing a variety of hits from past solo albums with a few select fan favourites from his days in Guns N' Roses.

The band were easily capable of recreating tunes from solo albums to a near pitch-perfect quality and even the GNR covers sounded close to identical to the originals from 1987. In fact, I would say that seeing Slash play live now is as close to the perfect Guns N' Roses gig we'll ever get. Myles was more than capable of covering Axl Rose, hitting all the correct notes without all the unnecessary, irritating shit Axl does. It's no surprise Slash chose Myles to become his permanent vocalist, since he's basically what Axl would sound like if he wasn't the aural equivalent of scraping a knuckle on a cheese grater.
Of course the rest of the band nailed their respective parts too but it was easily a combination of powerful vocals and furious fretting that made the night spectacular. That and the fantastic decade-spanning setlist. So with that in mind, what did I think of their latest album?

Before you read this review, I need to make one thing even clearer than I've already made it.

I don't like Axl Rose.
Not in the slightest.
I think he's fucking terrible.

He may be technically skilled but that means sod-all if the finished product sounds like a rooster. That's like commending someone for being a technically proficient arsonist or BNP spokesperson.
No, this isn't because of the whole Activision lawsuit thing. I actually agreed with him on that one. I don't like him because he's the single driving force behind my ambivalence towards Guns N' Roses. I know for a fact that I would enjoy them a lot more if he had no influence or purpose in the band, although sadly I can't prove it. All I can do is base my theories on the last five years of Slash's musical career.
I had a theory a while ago that Axl Rose ruined Hard Rock but I've since adapted that into a hypothesis that Axl Rose only tainted Hard Rock, merely ruining Guns N' Roses and his reputation. Some of their songs have awesome riffs but hearing Axl rasp "motherfucker" pisses them down. Thankfully, Slash's solo work is slowly trying to make up for it, almost like a spoilt child's dad apologising to the other parents at a birthday party for spawning such a little cunt.
I came close to forgiving and forgetting after hearing Apocalyptic Love for the first time last year. It's full of Hard Rock, pure and simple. The slower songs still pack a punch and manage to sound softer without going into handbag sporting Aerosmith territory. So with that in mind, I was looking forward to Slash's follow up to see if he would continue with more of the same or develop his sound into something new.
Interestingly enough, he's managed to do both.

World On Fire starts off with an aptly named explosive bang, doing what every great album opener does by setting the bar high. Fortunately, the band manage to maintain that high (unlike Judas Priest did with their latest offering) with a strong collection of face melters and headbangers. If there's one thing you can learn from Slash's music (and let's face it, you're unlikely to learn more than one or two things), it's that he's the Ronseal of Hard Rock. He does exactly what it says on the tin...uhh, album.
The songs don't contain metaphors concealed within another metaphor mirroring art under the pretence of bollocks and if that's what you strive for in music then go cream yourself over David fucking Bowie like all the other tossers out there who say things like "Bravo" without sarcasm. Slash's music is straight forward, down to Earth and fucking awesome. It doesn't need to be analysed, it just needs to be heard and that's something that remains constant throughout all three of his solo albums.
Whilst the debut had a series of guest musicians, making it easily comparable to previous album which introduced Myles Kennedy & The Conspirators as 'the band', the main difference between this and Apocalyptic Love is the number of songs that feel slightly less guitar-oriented. Whilst it's clear Slash's signature is scrawled across the record, it certainly feels like the band have had more input with the creation of this material. You've got your slower, more ensemble based songs like "Battleground", "The Unholy" and "Dirty Girl" along with ones crying to be played on a six-string such as "Bent To Fly", "Avalon" and "Withered Delilah".

It's a healthy mix of weight distribution among the band and a winning formula that's kept Slash in fresh leather pants and drug abuse for over 20 years. Personally, I preferred Apocalyptic Love and would recommend that album to anyone who likes Riff-Based Rock. It's an hour of Guitar Hero music and there will always be room in my iTunes library for that. However, World On Fire is a must-listen to anyone who likes Hard Rock as there's something for most preferences, whether you favour vocally driven belters or heavy drumming tracks. The biggest downside is that there isn't as much repeat value but that may be down to personal taste.
I rate it 8/10 for having many enjoyable tracks that don't disappoint or feel like carbon copies at first listen. I'm mostly just relieved that Slash didn't feel the need to include shite covers and 8 minute piano ballads, as I'm almost certain Axl pricking Rose pushed for during the GNR days. It honestly wouldn't surprise me to learn that Axl was responsible for all of GNR's cruddiest tracks but I'm too apathetic about the band to want to research my claims so I'll just remain in blissfully ignorant hate until someone puts me straight.
Are you gonna be that someone? Have anything else to add to the Axl debate? Feel free to voice opinions in the comments...unless you're a fanboy. If you are an Axl Rose fanboy and/or GNR purist, feel free to run far away-ay-ay-ay-ay.


* Except for a boy in front of me who was using his mum's shoulder as a pillow throughout the second half, poor little bunny.