How To Get Into Metal

[DISCLAIMER]
THE FOLLOWING BLOG POST IS MEANT TO BE LIGHT-HEARTED AND FUN IN LOOKING AT METAL. IF YOU TAKE THIS BLOG POST COMPLETELY SERIOUSLY AND ARE OFFENDED OR ANNOYED BY THE CONTENT, TAKE IT SOMEWHERE ELSE BECAUSE I COULD NOT GIVE A TOSS.


Hey, casual music fan!
Did you hear a Metal song on the radio and thought it was pretty good?
Did someone you know play some Metal and you enjoyed it?
Did it whet your appetite for the genre and you want to hear more?
Then you're in a place that might not be the best source of music advice but sod it, you're here now, I might as well have a crack at it!

Unless you're listening to a specific Rock/Metal station, chances are there are only a few bands you heard on the radio. Two that immediately spring to mind are Iron Maiden and Metallica, although it's possible that you could've heard some Judas Priest, Saxon, Motley Crue, the list goes on. The aim of this blog post is to give you some recommendations and guide you as you get into more and more Metal bands. Obviously, I don't know what you're into and I can only really guide you based on what I assume is correct mixed with my own taste so I apologise if I'm wrong.
However, if you disagree with the content of this post and still want some decent Metal, I recommend going on Spotify and getting the Last.FM app. You can play the song(s) you like and then get it to make a playlist of similar songs that you can check out. It's kind of like the Genius function on iTunes only it isn't completely unreliable and crap. Anyway, let's get started!
Whilst I could talk for ages about different Iron Maiden songs and their best albums (for top quality Heavy Metal, check out "Powerslave" and "Number Of The Beast"), I'm gonna write about The Big Four. The Big Four are four Thrash Metal bands who are generally considered important in the world of Metal. What's more, they can be arranged into four tiers that get steadily more aggressive and "Heavy". At tier #1, it's Metallica.

Yep, there is a picture above. Might be worth clicking on it or something.
"Metallica" (or "The Black Album") has divided Metal fans for years. Some say it's good and has quite a few solid Metal tracks whilst most say it's shit and Lars Ulrich should burn at the stake. My opinion? It's not bad. It's different to their earlier material and I would say it's nowhere near as good but it has a couple of cool songs on it. The big hit from this album was Enter Sandman, although if you heard a Metallica song on the radio then it could've been that or (more likely) Nothing Else Matters.
Now, if you liked either or both of those, it sounds like you're not repelled by songs being quite heavy. I would recommend giving the rest of the album a try. If you enjoyed it, the next album I would recommend is my personal favourite from Metallica: "Ride The Lightning".

Whilst it's full of aggressive Thrash tracks such as Fight Fire With Fire and Trapped Under Ice, you can also find varying strengths of Metal on this album. If you liked softer tracks such as The Unforgiven, you might like Fade To Black. If you liked relatively heavy songs such as Sad But True, check out For Whom The Bell Tolls. If you liked faster songs such as The Struggle Within, you might find Creeping Death to your liking. After listening to those songs, your next best bet is probably the following album, "Master Of Puppets".

People tend to cite this as the best Metallica album. Personally, I think it's overrated. However, it still has some great songs like Orion, Welcome Home (Sanitarium) and the title track. Now, if you've enjoyed what you've heard so far, that's a good sign. Of course if you've heard some of the heavier tracks like Battery and you they're not to your taste, that's fine. You might grow to like them at a later stage, which means moving onto the next tier of Metal.
The next logical leap from Metallica is Megadeth, a band with similar riff based Rock but with more of a political stance in the lyrics and more fury in the guitar work. Small note: I haven't listened to every album by The Big Four, so I could miss some tunes that you'll enjoy more than others. However, I have listened to their most well known albums, along with a few that might not be as popular. At the end of the day, your best bet is to do a bit of independent research into these bands and their music.
Saying that, if you can't be arsed to trawl through entire back catalogues for the sake of finding a few decent tunes, carry on reading. Onto Megadeth and a passable album that's easily accessible if you're into Hard Rock.

Released last year, "Super Collider" received mostly negative reviews from critics for being less of a Thrash album and more of a generic Hard Rock one. However, for a first time listener, you're gonna find songs that may appeal to you such as the title track or The Blackest Crow. I also recommend the album opener, Kingmaker. This song is more typical of Megadeth's older sound from the 90's and if you enjoyed it, I've got another great album for you: "Countdown To Extinction".

A great follow up to a better album that contains quite a few of the band's classics, such as Symphony Of Destruction and Sweating Bullets. I also recommend the title track and, if you like your Metal a bit heavier, Skin O' My Teeth. You may have noticed that some of Megadeth's riffs are a bit darker (for lack of a better term) than Metallica's. You've got more songs in minor key and the riffs sound like they've got more power behind them.
However, Megadeth also have a fair amount of faster, aggressive tracks too. The two iconic Metal albums that contain several of these are 1986's "Peace Sells... But Who's Buying?" and 1990's "Rust In Peace". We're gonna look at the one I prefer.

Maybe I just prefer blue to red but I personally think this album tops "Peace Sells... But Who's Buying?", even if critics and Metalheads think that album is superior. Don't get me wrong, that album has a few awesome songs like Peace Sells, Wake Up Dead and Devils Island but I believe this album is better to listen to overall.
From the blistering rage of the opening track, Holy Wars... The Punishment Due, to the exceptional soloing in Tornado Of Souls, this album demonstrates the band at their best. If you like fast songs, Take No Prisoners might catch your interest. If you like slow ones with catchy riffs, Lucretia is one for you.
By now, if you've spaced out the listens to each album, you should be into Thrash a little bit more now. I would recommend revisiting Metallica's debut album, "Kill Em All" before making the leap to the next tier of The Big Four, or maybe their fourth album "...And Justice For All", which contains a fair helping of fast Thrash.
So you've listened to Metallica and you've dabbled in Megadeth. These guys are the easier bands to get into but what's that? You want more? You want to keep journeying further and further into The Big Four's music? Alrighty then, time to bring out the next band: Anthrax.
Anthrax have a sort of Punk sound to some of their well known songs but that doesn't mean they go any easier on the riffs and soloing. It simply means you can expect some fantastic bass and drums from them. Whilst it may not be their biggest album, I would say this next one is their best. Not only in terms of the music on it but also as a way to move from one tier to another.

Boasting quite a striking cover, "Spreading The Disease" is one of those great albums that keeps you engaged start to finish. Tracks like the album opener, A.I.R, go full throttle with every instrument whereas more familiar songs such as Madhouse act as great bridges between Megadeth and tunes from this band's following album. However, before moving onto the next album, you may want to spend a bit more time on this one.
Tracks like Medusa and Lone Justice are ideal for those who still want steady Heavy Metal but you've also got songs such as Armed And Dangerous, starting off slow and gradually gaining power. If you like that song, now might be a time to revisit Metallica tracks such as Battery and The Four Horsemen.
Anyway, as I mentioned before, Anthrax incorporated some Punk elements into their music (particularly in the vocals and drums) for their next album, "Among The Living".

This album contains two of their signature songs, Caught In A Mosh and Indians. Dealing with rapid tempo changes, this music might not be to your taste but if there is a part of the song you like (for example, the main riff in Indians) then it's worth sticking with them over a couple of listens. As with a lot of songs, you find that the more you listen to them, the more you grow to like them. However, this album also has a few that you might instantly enjoy. For me, that track was One World which sounds like it could've easily fit onto "Spreading The Disease".
Now by this point, I reckon you've heard enough Metal to dip your toe into the water with the final band. Some are able to listen to this band and instantly like what they hear, although others might need some warming up first. However, if you find the right material, you should grow to like them. The last band in The Big Four is Slayer.
If I were to compare these bands to drugs, I'd say Metallica is the gateway narcotic. It's relatively harmless although still frowned upon by society. After that, you've got Megadeth. A bit heavier and probably something you should avoid in large doses unless you're happy to take on the side effects. Next is Anthrax, dangerous territory. However, not as dangerous as Slayer who, in the drug world, would be the equivalent of needles and blow jobs for cash. Luckily, there's a positive to this! As is the case with quite a few 80's bands, their first album is awesome.

At this point in their career, the band hadn't quite found their groove yet. You can tell in tracks like Black Magic and Die By The Sword that the blueprints are all there but they haven't quite settled on the lightning fast guitar strumming and hellish vocal growling yet. As a result, you've got songs such as Crionics and Tormentor that might be best to start on. As an added bonus, this music is incredibly similar to the NWOBHM subgenre (New Wave Of British Heavy Metal) so if you liked those songs, check out early Iron Maiden, Saxon and Venom, the band that were undoubtedly a strong influence for Slayer.
Despite containing fan favourites, Slayer's biggest song comes from their third album, "Reign In Blood". That song is appropriately titled Raining Blood and if you like that song, chances are the rest of Slayer's 80's and early 90's music will appeal to you too. However, before you check out that album, there is one more that you may consider listening to first.

Ahhh, another freaky album cover. Excellent!
Anyway, "Seasons In The Abyss" certainly contains songs that bear the Slayer rhythm, such as War Ensemble, but the band have other tracks that blend the rhythm with slower riffs, such as Spirit In Black. If you're still reading and, months down the line, you've been periodically improving your resistance to Heavy Metal, congratulations!
So, what next? You've sampled from four plates and now it's time to get out there and do some more feeding! But where to begin?
Well, there's that Spotify/Last.FM thing I mentioned near the start of this post. You could also do research into the bands that influenced The Big Four such as Diamond Head and Judas Priest. As for modern Metal...well, there are good bands who keep the Heavy Metal feel alive (see my last review), bad bands who are just emo pussies writing angsty music about suicide for tweens and bands who divide opinion and deserve a listen first before you believe comments online like "DragonForce suck! They just speed up their music in the studio and can't play it live!" (They can. I've seen them. You have no idea what you're talking about).
But if there's a message to take away from this post, I'd say it was that you'll never know what's right for you until you listen to it. You could discover your new favourite band tomorrow after just one play and if you're willing to put in the time and effort, you may find a song by a band you hate that doesn't suck as much as the rest of their material. Bottom line is you shouldn't stop at hearing one decent song. If you really liked what you heard, check out some of their other tunes.

Of course, you might be unlucky and only find one good song on the entire album, despite the band being popular and well loved. I call this The Meat Loaf Paradox.

Chasing The Dream - Skull Fist

I think it's fair to say a lot of people would love to be able to travel back in time. Some of us would want to correct mistakes, others would want to relive certain memories. However, I'm pretty sure that if the members of Skull Fist were given a time machine, they'd want to travel back to 1984 to release this album, "Chasing The Dream".

What? You've never heard of Skull Fist? What, do you live under a rock or something? Well I might as well write some info for YOUR benefit then!
Skull Fist are a Canadian Metal band that have released a total of two albums (at the time of typing this). Their first album borrowed a few tracks from their 2010 five track LP "Heavier Than Metal" which, in my personal opinion, is a great listen if you're into 80's Metal. From the guitar harmonies to the screeching vocals, this band certainly knew how to crank out the old school sound.
But the question is: does their latest effort maintain the same passion and love for Heavy Metal or have they pulled a Black Tide and turned into whiny Metalcore dweebs?
Fortunately, the answer is the former.

Track one, Hour To Live, not only bursts in with a furious set of riffs but also allows the new drummer, Chris Steve, to try and make an impact and try he certainly does. There's plenty of energy in his work, employing double-bass and what I call the "Speed Metal beat" but since the band have still kept their toned-down sound akin to 80's Metal acts like Keel and Crimson Glory, it lacks the necessary power that an opening track with such speed and enthusiasm deserves.
Next up is Bad For Good, another good indication that the fire hasn't died with these lads. Their music still sounds like it's from a mysterious new album uncovered after 30 years, mostly due to the riff and solo-work from Jackie Slaughter and Jonny Nesta respectively. However, even though this track is rather average, it's the next one that finally grabs you.
Track three is the title track, Chasing The Dream, and it also sounds a lot more like their 2010 material. Same rhythm, same high pitched vocal work (also from Jackie Slaughter) and overall, the kind of song that should belong on many a Modern Metal compilation (maybe if songs like this did, those compilations wouldn't be bloody awful). If I was a betting man, I'd say this is the one the band had the most confidence in after recording the album.

Following on is Call Of The Wild, a track with an all-too familiar gallop and some decent bass licks from Casey Slade too. It also proves that one of the advantages of writing contemporary music that clearly belongs in the past is that you have a wider range of influences. The dual guitar and bass in this song during the chorus clearly borrow elements from the Paul Di'Anno era of Iron Maiden, whilst the steady gallop is mostly typical of the Bruce Dickinson period.
Fans of "Heavier Than Metal" will know track five as it's a rerecord of their LP opener, Sign Of The Warrior, albeit slightly beefed up with guitar harmonies, fancier fretwork and more prominent back-up vocal work to give it a more polished sound. However, for the most part, it's the same song that you'll still enjoy if you liked the original. Kicking off track six with a riff to make air guitarists moist, You're Gonna Pay is probably my favourite on the entire album.
Sure, it's more of the same but I would argue it has slightly more strength than the other songs, even with the tempo change in the middle. It's the first song where I haven't felt heavier drums or guitars would benefit the sound. Track seven, Don't Stop The Fight, resurrects the "Speed Metal beat" and gets your foot rapidly pumping again. I feel like I could write an entire essay about all the different factors that make this band perfect for denim-clad fans of 80's Metal. In fact, I reckon I pretty much have done with this review. I mean, come on, even the names of the tracks sound like they were lifted from an unwritten Saxon album.

Shred's Not Dead is the penultimate track, but it also happens to be an instrumental. However, considering the title's implication, you'd think the band would save their best soloing for this track. Unfortunately, it tends to blend into the sound of the rhythm guitar and drums. Luckily, there's also some notable bass at the end of the song so it's not a complete loss.
Finally, there's Mean Street Rider, another track that could easily slip into their earlier work undetected and still provide an awesome and coherent listening experience. Coming in at just over five minutes long, this song also has a section where both drums and guitars take turn soloing. As a result, it kind of steals some of the previous track's thunder. However, all in all, it's still faithful to the Skull Fist sound so you don't need to worry about the band stumbling on the dismount.
The 2010's are proving to be the Decade Of The Comebacks and not just in regards to bands from the 70's/80's releasing new material. Newer bands are still recording albums that go against the mainstream sound, falling into the New Wave Of Traditional Heavy Metal subgenre and providing fans of old Metal with something to sink their teeth into that doesn't have soft melodic piano sections or a vocalist screaming like a constipated pig.

As a band, Skull Fist are perfect if you like groups such as Helloween, Gamma Ray and Running Wild. In fact, if you like Skull Fist, do yourself a favour and check out other NWOTHM bands like White Wizzard and Enforcer. As an album, "Chasing The Dream" is spot-on if you want to play it in your car whilst speeding around pretending you're in Brutal Legend.
Select tracks might appeal to you more than others although overall, this is an album to enjoy as a whole. All the instruments range in their speed and (in the case of vocals) pitch so it's not a case of the exact same track copied and pasted start to finish, although due to the lack of differentiation towards the end of the album, I would give this a 7/10.
Apologies for the shorter review but I've been feeling a bit bleh recently and if I'm being honest, an album like this doesn't need a huge write-up. You could listen to about three random tracks and get an accurate representation of the whole thing. Besides, February is a shorter month so why not a shorter review? Anyway, come back towards the end of March for another blog post that may or may not be on "Aftershock" - Motorhead.

Unplugged And Strung Up - Saxon

Before you ask, no this isn't the album review I was originally planning to do months ago. If I'm being honest, the album review I had planned for this month was "Aftershock" - Motorhead and I do still plan on reviewing it (I get the feeling that's gonna become a catchphrase on this blog) but it's looking like February is going to be a better month for me to listen that.
So what's happening in January? Well, I still wanted to do a review but, at the same time, I didn't want to listen to brand new material just yet. I've been hearing quite a bit of "new" music recently and I didn't want to dismiss anything that could be pretty awesome purely because it didn't live up to the same quality as the other songs I've been checking out. So where does that leave me?

In short: An album of live/acoustic/rerecorded tunes that I already know from one of my favourite Metal bands, Saxon.
In long: ...well, this following review, I suppose.

Saxon may not be as big as other UK Metal acts such as Iron Maiden or Judas Priest but that doesn't mean they're any less influential. You can hear elements of Saxon's music from their early NWOBHM material in American Thrash Metal. In fact, you can hear chord sequences and riffs from songs in certain tracks on Metallica's "Kill Em All". Not just the obvious Princess Of The Night chorus use in Seek And Destroy but I'm almost certain the band had Heavy Metal Thunder in the back of their mind when they were writing parts of The Four Horsemen.
Despite only really being known by the average Rock/Metal fan for one song involving wheels made of a certain metal (which is probably one of their worst "good" songs, when you've heard their other material), these ageing rockers still know how to deliver top notch Metal and pack a hell of a punch at live gigs. It's for that reason I was excited when I noticed new material from Saxon on Spotify that wasn't just their 2013 album "Sacrifice".
If their 2002 album of rerecords, "Heavy Metal Thunder", taught me anything it's that these guys haven't lost it. In fact, with developments in recording technology, some songs actually sound better than the originals on that album (see Power And The Glory, for starters). What I'm basically trying to say is that if ever there were a band who could get me hyped for old rope, it's these chaps.

Unlike "Heavy Metal Thunder", this isn't simply another Greatest Hits catalogue. Most of the songs are either quite obscure or from albums that didn't receive high amounts of praise and attention but that doesn't mean the compilation is lacking in energy or catchy tunes. The first track, a rerecording/remix of Stallions Of The Highway from their debut in 1979, has exchanged some of the speed for power, enhanced by drums and bass from Nigel Glockler and Nibbs Carter respectively. As a result, fans of the original may find themselves enjoying the same song for different reasons.
Following the strong opener is an orchestrated rerecording of Crusader, one of the many tracks included on this collection that is also available on certain special editions of "Sacrifice". As well as giving the song more of an epic feel, they've also opted to remove some of the vocals to focus on the new & improved sound rather than the old lyrics. Next up is Battle Cry, a lesser known track from "Rock The Nations". One immediately noticeable difference is the song being in a lower key, presumably to accommodate Bill Byford's vocal range dropping slightly. However, I personally think it improves the song.
Songs that evoke imagery of soldiers preparing for a battle before the final charge should be fierce and masculine. They should lay it on heavily with the galloping rhythm and the riffs should have the same strength and dynamics as the sound of a thousand men clashing swords in war-driven fury. It's that reason that I personally prefer the version of Iron Maiden's The Trooper with Lemmy on vocals but that's an opinion we don't need to dwell on. More to the point, this rerecording of Battle Cry has extra power and if I had a choice of which version of the track I'd prefer to listen to whilst riding into the mouth of hell, I'd pick this in a heartbeat.

Continuing with the grand orchestrated songs, a rerecording of The Eagle Has Landed comes next. Out with the synth, in with the strings! Whilst still maintaining a solemn heart, this track perhaps isn't quite as emotive as the original if only due to Byford's vocals sounding less soulful with age and more rough with time. Next up is Red Star Falling, a song originally from the 2007 album "The Inner Sanctum". Personally, I'm not sure why this song really needed rerecording when only six years passed since it was originally released. Plus, the original already has added strings in the background.
Don't get me wrong, it's still got an awesome solo and it's not a bad song, just a bit of a wasted opportunity for a better track to get the beefed-up treatment. Of course, anyone could sit and say "This one should've been on it, not that one!" and they'd have about as strong an argument as the next person to disagree with the song choice. However, I would assume Saxon fans are more likely going to appreciate a rerecorded song from Wheels Of Steel or Denim And Leather and, at the end of the day, most of the people who'll be purchasing this album are Saxon fans.
But maybe this one wasn't for the fans. I admire a band that can say "No, we're not going to turn into mindless crowd pleasers releasing the same compilation with various versions of Don't Stop Believing on over and over when we get low on royalty money" (that's not to say I don't like Journey, I just hate that fucking song). These guys are rerecording songs that they are proud of and perhaps think more of their newer fans should be aware of, hence why tracks like Broken Heroes aren't significantly different from the original save for a fancier string intro and a more impressive sound.

Perhaps that's also why modern tracks such as Call To Arms have been included. The songs that have been rerecorded with an orchestra are all slower and touch down into power ballad territory, which is probably the best kind of song to record with an orchestra. The band picked their slower songs that they thought worked best with strings on top and gave us an alternate version of songs that perhaps lacked the power they felt they deserved. Anyway, following this track is a rerecording of Militia Guard, another song from the debut. Stripped of its original raw sound and replaced with heavier guitars from veteran Paul Quinn and newbie Doug Scarratt, this tune gets the feet tapping and the heads banging again.
Following this is Forever Free, another rerecord without orchestra. Even though I love this song, I personally feel the rerecording brings little new to the table and if you've heard one version, you won't gain much from hearing the other. The same could be said for Just Let Me Rock although the rerecording manages to take an already slow, plodding rhythm and makes it even heavier. Fans of the song may consider this an improvement.
The last batch on the collection are acoustic, starting with one off the debut again. Frozen Rainbow combines Rainbow Theme and the original Frozen Rainbow into one acoustic track. Iron Wheels is a live recording but fortunately helps back up my argument about Saxon being an incredible live band who are able to play either as good as or better than their studio efforts, rarely ever worse. Requiem starts to wind the album down, preparing the listener for the final track. However, as a song, it's an equally soulful version aided by Byford's vocal work. The final track is an acoustic cover of Big Twin Rolling (Coming Home) from "Dogs Of War", shortened to Coming Home.

Whilst the other acoustic renditions have mostly stayed faithful to the original track, this song differs wildly and changes a fast-paced Blues track into an atmospheric Bluegrass style song with sliding guitars and a slow tempo. A perfect end to the album and a damn fine re-imagining of a good song that gives fans something new to listen to. Some versions of this compilation include the aforementioned "Heavy Metal Thunder" but this review is strictly "Unplugged And Strung Up" material, although if you decide you want this album then I recommend getting the expanded edition.
Other than the last track, there isn't really anything on here for fans to consider "new". Chances are stores like HMV would charge a tenner for it but in all honesty, it's probably best you stick to listening to it on Spotify if you're not majorly struck by most of the original tracks. However, it's definitely a brilliant addition to a Saxon fan's collection and if you like the songs they've chosen to re-release, I would spend some time giving it a listen. As for a personal rating, I would say 7/10. The quality of the music is strong, the band are as tight as a nun's nipsy and whilst a few of the song choices are questionable, I wouldn't call any of their efforts "bad".
Anyway, that's my January post sorted. See you again at the end of February for either a review or something "different".

Shout Out: Deep Cuts Volumes 1-3 - Queen

Apologies for the lack of activity on here. I know I said I was going to do an album review in November (and I do still plan on doing that!) but since I wanted to do at least one more post before 2013 is over, here's something that will possibly become a regular thing along with reviews and opinion posts on certain soundtracks/setlists.
Rather than just review things that have come out and everyone likes, I figure it's a good idea to draw some attention to albums I enjoyed that perhaps aren't as popular as they should be. Kicking us off are three different compilations from arguably the strongest Classic Rock band in the world: Queen.

I don't think it's an over-exaggeration to say that everyone knows who Queen are. You could fly to the furthest corners of the planet, find the ancient crusader from the third Indiana Jones film, ask him about Queen and chances are he'd at least be able to stomp & clap the beat to 'We Will Rock You'. They're a band who are universally adored for their catchy radio friendly tunes whilst still retaining the badass image of a Rock band due to the fact that everyone in the band was great at what they did.
Granted Freddie Mercury (or rather, his pipes of platinum) was the key member who stood out, you can't deny that Roger Taylor (drums), John Deacon (bass) and of course Brian May (guitar) played their part in immortalising Queen in the records of Rock. However, their ability to write not just one but a string of iconic songs as easily as you or I would write a shopping list came at a price.
You see, if you asked the average person to name a Queen song, they'd probably have no hesitations before coming out with "Don't Stop Me Now" or "Bohemian Rhapsody". However, if you asked them to name the album it came from, they might have some problems. Chances are they'd have even bigger problems naming any other song that came from the same album, and that's the only trouble with Queen. They're so talented that any song of theirs that isn't on a Greatest Hits album is doomed to obscurity, despite many of them being superior to some of their popular hits.

Fortunately, in the modern age where just about any piece of information you require is no more than a few clicks away, it's easy to listen to entire Queen albums in all their underrated glory. Unfortunately, the modern age has a fatal flaw: laziness. Most people can't be arsed to watch a Youtube video longer than 60 seconds, let alone listen to a band's entire back catalogue, just to find songs they may or may not enjoy...and that's where the Deep Cuts collection gloriously swaggers in.

22 years of "filler tracks" split across three volumes, all handpicked by members of Queen and the Foo Fighters drummer (?). These compilations span Queen's career up until Freddie's departure, so there's none of that Paul Rodgers material from 2008 but I doubt anyone will lose any sleep over that. Anyway, the first volume contains tracks from albums released between 1973 and 1976.
Opening up the album, "Ogre Battle" gets to work in showing you that Queen aren't just a radio band and could write great songs that weren't destined to be played on mainstream stations. The heavy chugging of May's guitar and soulful power of Mercury's vocals drench the first two tracks ("Stone Cold Crazy") with the classic Queen sound, whilst Taylor's drumming and Mercury's ivory tinkling take over on track number three ("My Fairy King").
From start to finish, this volume deals with Queen's earlier fantasy-inspired material. Songs of mystical lands and tales of space exploration that still manage to sound more masculine than your average Metalcore band. If you like songs such as "Seven Seas Of Rhye" and "Killer Queen", I would recommend giving this one a listen. Below is the tracklist and underlined are the songs that are my personal favourites.

1. Ogre Battle

2. Stone Cold Crazy

3. My Fairy King

4. I'm In Love With My Car

5. Keep Yourself Alive

6. Long Away

7. The Millionaire Waltz

8. '39

9. Tenement Funster

10. Flick Of The Wrist

11. Lily Of The Valley

12. Good Company

13. The March Of The Black Queen

14. In The Lap Of The Gods... Revisited

And so we find ourselves on the next volume (and my personal favourite), Deep Cuts 2, 1977-1982

Continuing the sound of the first volume, this one opens with "Mustapha", a funny little tune covering the section of Queen's material that show they didn't need to take themselves seriously to be an awesome band, followed by a song that showcases their ability to sing and play with aggression ("Sheer Heart Attack"). Whilst the first compilation featured the band in their early years, the music on this volume sounds more refined and perfected.

However, this album also contains music from Queen's 80s albums, so we get a few tracks like "Staying Power" which experiment with Funk and synth or "Battle Theme" from the Flash Gordon soundtrack. Overall, I would say this volume has the most musical variety whilst still sounding like a collection of excellent Queen songs.

This is the album to check out if you like "Under Pressure", "Fat Bottomed Girls", "Another One Bites The Dust" and songs like that. Same as before, here's the tracklist with my faves underlined.

1. Mustapha

2. Sheer Heart Attack

3. Spread Your Wings

4. Sleeping On The Sidewalk

5. It's Late

6. Rock It (Prime Jive)

7. Dead On Time

8. Sail Away Sweet Sister

9. Dragon Attack

10. Action This Day

11. Put Out The Fire

12. Staying Power

13. Jealousy

14. Battle Theme

Finally, the heaviest one of the three. Deep Cuts 3, 1984-1995

Since the music on this compilation comes from Queen's career after they'd rocked the planet and established themselves as Rock Gods, the songs have a more epic feel. The slow but strong opener "Made In Heaven" comes from Queen's last album so there's a solemn tone behind it, but that doesn't mean the album is all doom & gloom. "Machines (Or Back To Humans)" picks up the pace a little bit with some synth & vocoder action whilst other tracks on the album provide a good guitar & drum combo to dance to ("Khashoggi's Ship").

Despite the fact that most of the tracks on this album are rather slow, there's certainly a noticeable range in how heavy the songs are. Whilst a few are rather soft and feature mostly piano or strings ("A Winter's Tale"), there are a couple of songs that fully cross the line into Metal territory with dynamic riffs, plodding drums and hard-edged vocals ("The Hitman").

These songs are probably to your taste if you enjoy singles such as "I Want It All" and "The Show Must Go On". Here's the last tracklist with highlighted favourites for you.

1. Made In Heaven

2. Machines (Or Back To Humans)

3. Don't Try So Hard

4. Tear It Up

5. I Was Born To Love You

6. A Winter's Tale

7. Ride The Wild Wind

8. Bijou

9. Was It All Worth It

10. One Year Of Love

11. Khashoggi's Ship

12. Is This The World We Created...?

13. The Hitman

14. It's A Beautiful Day (Reprise)

15. Mother Love

Deep Cuts Volumes 1-3 are perfect for someone who likes Queen, Classic/Hard Rock and enjoys listening to music. However, I wouldn't say they're the perfect collection of Queen "deep cuts" (no "Brighton Rock" or "Fight From The Inside") but that's more than likely down to personal taste. Similarly, my recommendations could be completely wrong.

You may love the songs I mentioned but hate the tracks I enjoyed. The only way you'll know for certain is by listening to them yourself and to be honest, if you like the majority of Queen's popular songs, you may as well check these compilations out. All three of them are on Spotify and every individual song is bound to be on Youtube or Grooveshark or whatever. I guess if I had to rate each volume based on my own taste, I'd say:
Volume 1 = 6/10
Volume 2 = 8/10
Volume 3 = 4/10

I doubt I'll get a review or other blog post done before the end of the year but I hope you've enjoyed reading this one. I also hope you have a Merry Christmas, Happy New Year and minimal stomach upsets from undercooked turkey. Be seeing you!

HMV: Sinking Ships & their Idiot Captains

Hello there ladies & gentlemen! An album has come out recently that I plan on reviewing soon but, until I get my arse in gear, here's something I wrote over a year ago about HMV. It's, uhhhhh...rather critical. Enjoy!


Not too long ago, it was announced that many HMV stores around the UK would be shutting down. For those unaware of HMV, they're kind of like media department stores depending on their size in the area they're located. Bigger HMVs will have multiple floors, selling clothing as well as their usual stock but most HMVs will be average sized and have CDs, DVDs, video games and other random pieces of entertainment ranging from iPod accessories to books. For years, I've continuously supported my local HMV despite feeling as though the employees know about as much as music as I do about the employees of the HMV.
I've stated before that the people in my area have barely any fucking knowledge about Rock music and though they may be wise beyond their years in the field of Clubbing Anthems and Wank Pop, less than 2% probably know the difference between Hard Rock and Metal, hence the reason why bands such as Queens Of The Stone Age & AFI are under the Metal section in my HMV. There's one bloke who works there that actually seems to know his stuff. I've had great conversations with him about recommended Metal and he's actually informed me about top quality Classic Rock bands...everyone else seems to know total jack about Rock, and that applies to Woking as a whole too.
But I'm not here to have a pop at the employees of my local...fuck it, Woking HMV. I'm not here to criticise how their recommendation sections for 60s Rock have had 70s CDs and how they've recommended live albums by bands who aren't really popular for being amazing live and therefore just picked any album by an old group. I'm here to fully slag off HMV's business model and talk about why they deserve to fully go under as a business. For the record, I hope they don't. They're the only music shop in Woking and if they go, I don't believe I have a reason to go into Woking town centre any more...and I need the exercise that the walk into town does me. I just think they deserve to fail as a result of the following.

Firstly, there's the matter of having employees who don't strike me as experts in their occupation, which is straight away the sign of amateur companies. Hiring people who did D of E Gold over people who can recite entire back catalogues of multiple bands spanning several different genres and decades. I admit that HMV aren't just a music shop and I imagine that the other employees at the Woking branch and other branches probably know their film and video game trivia but I've never walked into an HMV and felt the same level of respect for employees as I do when I enter...I don't know, an Apple store. They're paid to know their shit. HMV pay people to do general work that a moron can and more than likely is doing whilst you're reading this rather harsh hate letter.
Secondly, there's the service. Allow me to tell you about how I tried to order 3 different albums from the HMV Woking store. The albums in question were "Another Perfect Day" - Motorhead, "Rust In Peace" - Megadeth and "The Ritual" - Testament. Hardly piss-weak obscure albums by nobody bands and yet they weren't stocked. I believe the only one that was was "Rust In Peace". One album that came with a bonus live disc but cost a bit extra. Not wanting to pay the extra for content I wasn't arsed about, I decided to order a standard copy.
I placed an order for the Motorhead and Megadeth albums, also learning that the Megadeth album will come with their album "Countdown To Extinction" for the same price. I was happy to pay that because I was actually interested in listening to the other album of different material. They claimed they'd text me when the albums arrive in less than a week. One week later, I've received no text. I pay the guys a visit and learn that one of my albums has arrived, the Motorhead one. Thanks for the text, lads. For the next month, I pop in every now and then to ask about my Megadeth album. I get the same reply. "It's not arrived yet".

They told me it's down to the company delivering the album, which I can respect, but it doesn't make HMV look very professional when they can't deliver a basic service that any other shop and (most importantly) the Internet can. Eventually it arrived and, feeling generous, I ordered another album, the Testament one. Same deal, we'll text you when it gets here. A week later, I pop in and it's arrived. No text again. They did text me about the Megadeth album but since I was literally standing inside the store when I received it, I'm not awarding them any brownie points for that.
As a result, I have no interest in ever ordering anything from HMV ever again. I know I could order it online from their website for a speedy delivery but frankly, why order it from HMV when I could order it from Amazon or eBay or a trusted company? So that's my stance there. They fucked up repeatedly and now I'll only be buying things they have in store. Anything else I may have been tempted to order can wait. Hardly a major victory for myself but take into account the number of people who have already made the transition to buying music online and I'd imagine they need all the customers they can get, so there's no reason for shoddy service.
Thirdly, aside from having pretty lacklustre stock and employees who have no specialist skill set that would make them useful to have in a modern record shop, the people running the show seem to be completely oblivious to modern progressions in music purchasing too. Damn near everyone has iTunes and if they're not pirating tracks, they're paying to download them online. CDs are a dying format and soon record shops will be extinct. What HMV need to do is find a way of integrating the ability to download MP3s into their shop. Imagine if HMV had some kind of bay or plug-in mini-computer system where your iPod would fit and you could browse their entire catalogue to pick and choose songs you wanted.

OH WAIT! They already do! They're just total fuckwits.

In the interest of fairness, I visited HMV Brighton whilst I was in Brighton (best place to be if you want to visit HMV Brighton). Same lyrics, different song. Pretty lame stock selection, mediocre recommendations but what's this? They had little screens on the walls where you could pop on headphones, scan their in-store items and according to the writing on the front of it "Download MP3s"...or at least you could if they fucking worked. I found 2 of these touch-screen mirrors sitting idle and after touching both screens to no result, I decided to leave. I can forgive Woking for not having this technology. I bet it's expensive and if shops are already falling, they can't afford to spend cash on something that people may not even buy into. But HMV Brighton? You guys fucking suck.
You have something that could work! You have something that, with a bit of adjustment, could give people a reason to go into your shops to buy single songs! Plug in your iPod, pay 50p to keep it charged, sign into your iTunes account, browse the library, pay for songs you want, download them straight into your iPod, have playlists based on what's actually playing in the store because the dumbass employees have no pissing clue, offer extra points or whatever it is you do, offer discounts for album purchases, charge their iTunes account and let them get on their way without having to waste time at the front desk.
Hell, you could even order CDs from those touch screen systems! Type in personal details and have it fucking delivered, I don't care just have something! All they have is the equivalent of a half painted bedroom and a sleeping dad lying next to a barely assembled crib. You were nearly there and then you fucked up and couldn't be arsed to carry on. Lazy bastards. Whilst I'm angrily ranting, how about this for a way of making buying CDs from HMV less annoying? Ever seen those CDs with "2 for £10" on them? Ever noticed how the CDs picked for those offers usually make no cocking sense? Here's an idea, how about we sort that out?!

Instead of making Greatest Hits albums with 2 discs and up to 30 tracks "2 for £10" and simultaneously ignoring other albums that have 8 songs and are priced £15, how about a system where you can pick two albums and request a price? Maybe one of those touch screen computer systems could calculate how popular they are, how many tracks they have, how long they've been out and how many more albums they have in stock and get you a reasonable offer? If fucking pizza companies can have a "Find me a great deal" option on their website, how is it that a music and media shop can't? Oh yes, that's why, because they're apparently a bunch of Fucking Amateurs.
So that's my piece. I apologise to HMV employees who may find themselves reading this but you've kind of brought it on yourself. As for people in charge of HMV, I offer no apologies. You're clueless, idiotic fucking clowns who deserve to lose your jobs to someone who actually has a fragment of business sense in their head. Luckily HMV have DVDs and games to fall back on but, by the sounds of it, hard copies of those titles will soon be gone in less than a decade...as I imagine HMV will.


Aaaaaaaaand that's it! Expect a review coming within the next month and (hopefully) it'll be more positive than the last three things I've posted here. Be seeing you!

New Horizon - The Answer

Apologies for the months of silence on here but I've been busy with a few matters regarding my personal life. Nothing serious, just been a bit of a busy period. Right, time for a new post! In order to bring us back into the swing of things, most writers would probably give their readers a treat. A fun review of a popular album, perhaps? Maybe a write-up about some kind of setlist? Naaahhhh, here's a post about an album & band you've probably never heard of.

Before I begin, I should start off by saying that I really like this band. They'd released three top notch albums before this and are easily one of my favourite modern rock bands who were recommended to me by a good friend. Their first album, "Rise", was released in 2006 and had a collection of strong Blues Rock tracks that were heavy enough to match Foo Fighters material, featuring some damn fine guitarwork on tracks such as Never Too Late and Come Follow Me.
Their next album, "Everyday Demons", was released three years later and swayed towards more of a Hard Rock sound. As far as awesome album openers go, Demon Eyes is up there with Aces High and Holy Wars...The Punishment Due, and the album also produced the catchy but kickass single On And On. Finally, The Answer gave us "Revival" in 2011 which should be commended alone for containing One More Revival, a hard rockin' should-be classic that any band would be lucky to release as the last track on a final album.
However, it wasn't their final album...although if "New Horizon" bombs in sales, perhaps it should've been. Despite what the album title and cover (a sort of Prog Rock parody you'd find on a Pink Floyd or Dream Theater case) suggest, this isn't so much a new horizon for the band but rather a collection of mediocre tracks that have been stripped of the fire & energy that these Irish rockers had successfully harnessed for their last three efforts.

The title track, New Horizon, starts off nicely and definitely feels like you're in for another heavy installment from the boys. Credit where due, it does have a foot-stompingly good rhythm from James Heatley on drums, a solid solo from Paul Mahon and raw vocals as strong as the band at their best from Cormac Neeson. So far, so good...but that's all it is. Good. There's nothing that wows me just yet, although we're only on track one and it's not exactly a crime to be less than excellent right off the bat.
Leave With Nothin' gives us a smooth flow from Hard Rock to Hard Funk with a guitar riff reminiscent of toned down Rage Against The Machine filler tracks and a bassline that allows Micky Waters to shine in the spotlight for a bit. Once again, the song is good and I'm sure it'll appease fans of heavy Blues who haven't heard the band's previous albums but I can't say I'd want to listen to it again. Mind you, at the same time, I wouldn't complain if someone played it on a pub jukebox...especially if it replaced the usual contemporary dance crap that inexplicably plagues pub jukeboxes.
Track three is Spectacular. No, that's the name of the song, it's called Spectacular. In reality, it's pretty ordinary. Initial reaction is it sounds like a lost track from the 90's Britpop period re-recorded in the 00's with Joe Perry on guitar having quantum leaped from the late 70's. So basically, it's a mishmash of styles from different decades culminating in this song. Usually taking inspiration from lots of sources is a good thing that creates a work of art as close as possible to something original in this day & age but instead, it appears to have created a song that might be good to listen to when it's on but has little repeat value.

Previous records have produced at least one strong track by this point in the album but so far, I've found the songs to be little more than filler. The next one, Speak Now, continues this trend. It's a nice break from the fast rhythm but borders on the line of dreary with an opening similar to songs by The Cure that time and society forgot with good reason. I get the feeling that all of these songs would be a shitton better if witnessed live at a small gig full of Rock fans, provided there was some kind of Wanker Magnet at the door to stop tossers getting in, although that'd rule out Shepherd's Bush Empire as a venue since the staff wouldn't be allowed entrance.
Somebody Else does a swift job of bringing back the foot-stomping beat and rather than write a more melodic song with precise riffs, the band opted to create a track with more of a Garage Rock edge, similar to tracks by bands such as The Hives. Sadly, whilst it's not a dull track, it certainly doesn't have the same spark other ones have had. All in all, I reckon I could give you a condensed review of this album by saying that the majority of songs, whilst not bad by any means, are certainly nothing more than run-of-the-mill Rock songs but sod it, let's truck on anyway. Who knows, maybe this album will pull a Desolation Boulevard and find its feet halfway through.
Concrete is another heavy rocker that plods along until a nifty change in pace around the two & a half minute mark, reminding me of Velvet Revolver's Slither...in a good way! Perhaps I'm not struck by this album because I feel like most of the material has been done before, only a lot better by other bands. Seven tracks in and Call Yourself A Friend gives us our first atypical track. One that isn't particularly heavy or Bluesy. It starts off as the kind of song that fell off the tracklist for an average Snow Patrol album but halfway through, Cormac starts to unleash his inner Steven Tyler with some more powerful vocals. I'd recommend sticking with this track if only for the upbeat change in tempo at the end.

Despite what the title insinuates, Baby Kill Me isn't The Answer getting all moody whilst channeling Morrissey into their music. It's a standard heavy Blues song that could've easily been written for "Rise". I could imagine this song being played during end credits for a 00's action film that got an average of about 55% on Rotten Tomatoes. As uninteresting as this album may come across, I must admit it'd make a decent driving CD due to the faster paced tracks, each with a serrated edge.
Burn You Down gives us more of the same in the form of foot-stomping meets heavy riffing, ultimately leading up to a tidy solo and a neat ending. Your "good" modern Rock song in all its unfiltered and unaltered glory. The last track on the album isn't any different. No really, it's not. It sounds almost exactly the same. Scream A Louder Love doesn't send the album off with a bang or a sensitive whimper. It just says "Fuck it, and AGAIN!" before giving us a spiritual repeat of the last song. However, since I'm reviewing this album from Spotify, I find myself with three more bonus tracks.
Road Less Travelled rumbles in with another Bluesy rhythm and acts as a great opener for the bonus tracks. Probably the second best of the three, since Feel The Fear sounds like a revised version of Concrete that once again fails to take off. Those ascending triplets are good in small doses boys and, even then, you have to really fuckin' nail the tempo! Finally, Real As It Gets is ironically about as good as the album gets, although it's a decent track for the album to end on if only for the lyrical tease of "and it's not over yet" throughout the chorus.

So time to recap "New Horizon". Let's be honest, it's not their best material. This is their Don't Look Back or Afterburner. If these guys suddenly become huge within the next decade, I doubt it'll be because of this album and even then, it's unlikely many tracks from this collection will still be on the live set by the time the band are reaching the end of their career. Lyrically, this album covers the basics of past efforts. Friendship, romance, travelling, the usual Bluesy topics. However, this album seems to have lost the "Last Of The Old Rockers" vibe that this band had carried around with them for each recording.
You might like some of the tracks so I'd recommend it if you're into modern Hard Rock with a Blues edge (or Heavy Blues with a Hard Rock edge, if you want) but maybe lower your expectations if you're already into The Answer and their music. Not to say they're giving a substandard performance, oh no! They're all on top-form and I definitely don't feel like they've peaked creatively.
Despite what I said at the start of this review, I do have confidence that this band will return with another awesome record but sadly, this one is worth no more than a 5/10 for me. The songs are OK but I think I'll be returning to Under The Sky and other belters before revisiting any of these again.

Right, thanks for reading! Hopefully I'll try to get another post out before the end of the year. Maybe I should set myself a target of 1 post every fortnight or something like that, depending on how much time I get for writing these. If you have any feedback, leave it in the comment section and if you enjoyed reading this, please share. Be seeing you!

13 - Black Sabbath

For my first "review", I thought it'd be a good idea to revisit an album I really enjoyed so I can bring that same enthusiasm for the music to my critique. But then I had another idea and decided to do the opposite of that, going against something I'd previously told myself and write about an album I strongly disliked. And in keeping with the theme of going back on my word like a prick, what better album to kick us off than 13 - Black Sabbath.

First, a bit of context.
Black Sabbath are widely believed to be the inventors of Metal. They started off very heavy in the 70's (in comparison to what was on the radio at the time), gradually speeding up and developing their sound as more bands altered the genre with their own efforts. Ten years later, when Dio took over from Ozzy as the vocalist, they were a lot faster and more appropriate for the angrier Metal that the 80's gave birth to. However, this album is the first album to have the complete original lineup since the 70's...at least it would be if not for one person.
Bill Ward.
Bill fuckin' Ward. The drummer.
Apparently, something pissed him off and the sand in his vagina resulted in him throwing a paddy, deciding that he didn't want to go to the birthday party after all...so to speak. In reality, he didn't agree with the contract he was signing so stayed out of the affair. I've been quite harsh about him here but I guess his actions were understandable. Considering the band members used to fucking set him on fire (yeah, you read that right), I'd be one to hold a grudge as well and wouldn't want to see them again unless they already had their lips puckered for an hour of passionate ass-kissing. If he felt they were gonna dick him about again, maybe he was well in his right to tell them to jog on.
So why did the band announce that everyone was getting together?
Did Bill agree at first and then change his mind like a wanker?
Or did someone jump the gun and promise something that they couldn't deliver?
Either way, this album isn't the original line-up. It's the original line-up minus Bill Ward but plus the guy from Rage Against The Machine & Audioslave, Brad Wilk.

The album kicks off with an 8 minute song entitled End Of The Beginning. Immediately, it strikes you as a return to form. Sabbath have resurrected and they're still heavier than Shrek's ballsack. If you love songs that sound like they're being dragged through mud and tar, you'll enjoy this one. However, it's all a bit dull if you ask me. Album openers are supposed to grab you by the short & curlies, screaming "Listen to this until the end or else!", giving you a glimpse of what's gonna come through the next hour. Granted this track nails the latter of those two but it certainly doesn't fill me with hope for the rest of the album.
Luckily, close to the 3 minute mark, the song picks up a little. Tony Iommi gives us a funky riff and Wilk changes up the tempo to more of a foot-tapping beat. Unfortunately, it's still very bland and uninteresting. To be perfectly honest, the song could've been a lot shorter. An 8 minute album opener is very ambitious and unless you're bringing a hell of a good tune to the table, it's unlikely you're gonna leave a long lasting impression.
Meanwhile, Iommi is giving us some damn fine guitar work with his solos akin to Dio era shredding and Ozzy is reintroducing us to the sound of his voice paired with sludgy Metal. Since a good 40 years has passed since Ozzy was originally belting out lyrics about war and religion, he's lost some of the raw edge he originally had and now his voice sounds a bit more artificial, possibly enhanced by studio effects to give him more of a powerful sound.

Next up is their single, entitled God Is Dead? with a question mark, yeah? So it's, like, all deep and stuff. As soon as the song starts, you can be forgiven for assuming it's just a continuation of the last track, since the riff is equally as dark, evil, mysterious and dreary. Have to say though, this song has a good balance between softer sections and harder moments where Wilk puts the hammer down along with the rest of the band. And yes, there is another tempo change where the plodding music is replaced by a funkier section that is almost identical to the last song...again.
Not only in the style of drumming but also in that it feels very flat and soulless in comparison to some of their other songs with tempo changes. If you listen to this song again, try and keep an ear out for Geezer Butler's bass work during the faster part of the song. The album is mixed in a way that bass is well hidden but when you can make it out, it's pretty sweet. Track 3 is Loner and thankfully it's not a dull plodder. In fact, it sounds like an attempt at revisiting some of their more pleasant riff-making, reminiscent of songs like N.I.B.
By this point, it should be clear that the band are still fresh after being out of the packet for nearly half a century and can still deliver decent Metal. It might not be to everyone's tastes (particularly those who have grown accustomed to faster, more aggressive Thrash Metal) but you can't deny the solid quality of the finished product.

More creepy riffs, more chilling vocals and more mysterious melodies come with Zeitgeist, although the heavy drumming takes a rest on this one. Butler's bass is a bit more prominent and Iommi's acoustic playing sounds a hell of a lot more soothing than his hard riffing. So far, this album feels like it would make better background music than the sort of one you can go out of your way to listen to. It's not bad but it's not really accessible unless you like music that plods along like a lumbering giant such as the next track, Age Of Reason.
If you bought this album expecting more modern versions of Paranoid or Children Of The Grave, you're most likely going to be disappointed. This album definitely fits in with the heavier Metal they were creating for their first album than the songs that your average casual listener may know them for. But at least they're trying to pump a bit of life into a few of their songs, even if tempo changes sound as awkward and sloppy as the one in this track.
By track 6, listening to the album is starting to feel like work. Live Forever makes me wish for the exact opposite, even when yet another funky rhythm starts. I have to say, Wilk's drumming comes across as overused and dull through the majority of this album. He might mix up his style throughout a single song but as an entire album effort, it sounds like he's just putting different riffs and vocals to exactly the same beats. Ah well, at least this song isn't too boring although it should've been bumped up the track list to the 2nd or 3rd song.

Back to the near 8 minute songs with Damaged Soul and we're "treated" to yet another sludgy riff with a lot of weight and subdued bass. Nothing on this album is making me want to play any tracks again so far. I'm sure there are some wankers out there who'd argue "Oh but the good thing about this album is that it grows on you over time!" Why the fuck is that a good thing? If I like something and then it gets better, that's great. If I dislike something and I need to expose myself to it repeatedly until I learn to tolerate just how crap it is, that's not good at all. That's fucking Stockholm Syndrome!
I'd much rather hear a song I like, then start to get tired of it only to leave it a while before I hear it again when it sounds fresh after so long. Anyway, back to the review. The last track on the basic album is Dear Father. Are they gonna go out on a bang or are they gonna churn out the same song I've been trying to enjoy for the last 50 minutes? Oh, they're going with the same heavy riff and plodding rhythm again. Thankfully the funky tempo change has been altered into a gallop around the 4-minute mark.
Doesn't change the way over half the album sounds like a Black Sabbath tribute-band trying to create an originally inspired composition as good as their old material and failing miserably. Rather than leaving listeners with something halfway decent, the song ends on a long drawn out thunderstorm that fades out in a puff of self-indulgence. Now come the 3 bonus tracks that you might find on Spotify or iTunes! Oh goody, more sludge! How refreshing! Hold on...this isn't sludge. What the fuck is this? Something that I want to listen to again?!

The 3 bonus tracks are as confusing as they are catchy. Methademic may start off like your typical song on this album but soon kicks it up a few gears and is the first song on the entire album that has energy. Peace Of Mind pulls a similar trick and starts off slow only to improve towards the end in a way that isn't generic funk or overly heavy blues. Finally, Pariah closes the special addition with more of a modern Hard Rock/Metal sound, relying on a decent riff and more American sound...after another slow & solemn intro.
These tracks are all less than 6 minutes long and they would've been far better on the album than half the shit that made the final cut. So that's where the confusion comes from. What the fucking fuck happened? Instead of opting for a hint of diversity and variety on the album, the band and producer clearly decided that the same track over and over again would've been more appropriate for an album people have been waiting for for decades. But either way, that's the album. I won't talk about the live song, Dirty Woman, but now it's time to look at the album overall.

13 is definitely not disappointing if you expected Black Sabbath. It still has the same soul of their past efforts but sadly the body it's been transferred into lacks what made the band so awesome in the first place. It never really peaks and every song remains at exactly the same level with a series of interchangeable melodies and lyrics. Many songs go on longer than ads at the cinema and sell me the finished product half as effectively, dragging along at a frustratingly tedious rate. In short, these songs have a lot of power but no fucking energy.
Now for the band. Brad Wilk is mediocre at best. His drumming works for a couple of songs but when you start hearing exactly the same beat over and over again, you've got to wonder exactly what he brought to the table when they were writing these songs (although drummers aren't exactly known for their out-of-this-world songwriting ability). As I said earlier, Butler's bass is quite hard to isolate unless you really try but when you do hear it, it's decent stuff. That's all about him really.
Iommi's guitar is the highlight of the album for me. His riffs may not completely satisfy my taste but they certainly give the songs power needed to carry the whole album. Decent riffs from Ozzy's era but fantastic solos from Dio's era; the best of both worlds. Finally, Ozzy. The lyrics still ooze out of his mouth like they did 40 years ago and the actual sound of his voice still sounds preferable to the words he's singing. All in all, this album isn't their best. I imagine it's probably better to sample individual tracks rather than listen to it start to finish but nevertheless, it's a hell of a slog to suffer through the entire thing if you aren't struck by the sound of heavy sludge.

If I had to rate it....I dunno, I'd say 4/10, if only because I'm rounding up 3.5.
Normally, I'd recommend songs that you might enjoy if you liked this album but since I didn't like it, I can't give an accurate example of songs that are just as good. Maybe some 90's Grunge/Hard Rock like Alice In Chains? They're about as dreary as this album.
So, there it is. My first review. A right barrel o'laughs, huh. Next time I'll try to talk about something I liked more than 4/10 but I can't promise anything. If you have any thoughts about this album, go ahead and share them in the comments. Be seeing you!

IaSg14

Rather than get straight into blog posts about music, I'm gonna do a little one about myself and my musical tastes so you have a rough idea of the sort of albums I'll be listening to and writing about. If you can't be arsed to read this, it's Rock and Metal. If you want to know the different subgenres of Rock/Metal I favour, carry on good sir/mam/Mumford & Sons fan.
But first, a little about me in general.

Some of you might be wondering what IaSg stands for, although I imagine most of you don't give a shit.
It's a name I thought up years ago when I was still in school. I took the first letters of four words and added 14 at the end because I liked that number (don't ask). The four words were a sort of in-joke between me and my best friend.
I Am So Great.
It's not so much an arrogant boast but more a self-esteem boost. For a while, on different sites like Last.FM, I went by names like IASG14 or I-A-S-G but I remember having to sign up to one particular site that had both of those taken. In the end, the first combination that I was allowed to use was IaSg14. It just sort of stuck with all other websites so yeah, that's what IaSg14 is all about. And now that that boring fucking anecdote is over, I can talk more about music!

Like most kids in the UK, I grew up surrounded by shit on the radio. By the time I was old enough to remember songs by their name and band, it was getting on towards the late 90's. Grunge had pulled a Nancy Kerrigan on Metal and Britpop was a thing we all just accepted as a tolerable irritation in our lives, like mosquitoes or Confused.com adverts. Luckily for me, my Dad was a fan of 60's Rock bands. He played me songs by The Beatles, The Hollies, The Kinks, etc and I loved them.
However, when I was in Junior school, I was introduced to contemporary Pop. Granted there were some songs I liked and, every now and then, I still find myself listening to Mambo No. 5 - Lou Bega all the way through but I never really found myself a "fan" of anything. I would just listen to it and not feel unhappy. That's about as far as my taste went when I was 8 and I regret to say it carried on until I was about 16. I used to be one of the "like a bit of everything" tossers although I don't remember ever using those words to describe my tastes.
When I was in high school, I discovered the Guitar Hero series and it opened my world to a genre I'd previously disregarded like a Vince Vaughn film. The sort of music that I knew existed but wouldn't go out of my way to experience. Rock music. The game in question was Guitar Hero 3: Legends Of Rock, featuring a soundtrack with tracks such as The Seeker - The Who, Ruby - Kaiser Chiefs and Welcome To The Jungle - Guns N Roses. Those were the 3 tracks that I remember listening to before I decided that I wanted the game.

Within a year, I was playing on Expert difficulty and had bought myself a starter kit of Rock and Metal to listen to on iTunes. Scorpions, Living Colour, Blue Oyster Cult, the list goes on. It was from there that I started to listen to Rock music a lot more, buying Guitar Hero games as they came out and opening my taste to the various genres within Rock. However, it was my decision to make my own Guitar Hero setlist that really got me not just into the sound of Rock but the history of it too.
I looked into how Psychedelic Rock would go onto inspire Prog Rock and even Metal, or the decades and their most popular genres along with bands and songs that defined an era. I loved it, and I still do it just because I enjoy it so much. Years later and I'm sat at home on Spotify brushing up on the catalogues of different bands whilst other teens are out clubbing or getting STDs. I started several music related projects (which I'll probably go into another day on here) and the latest of which has been this blog. Hopefully it'll be just as decent as my others.
So what bands was/am I into? It's all well and good saying Rock over and over again but that's like saying your favourite food is Meat. The Rock I'm into is Rock from the 70's-80's, BUT I also like bands from the other decades. I tend to go off the original 50's Rock & Roll just because I dislike the Blues pattern that most of the songs tend to follow. However, 00's or 10's Rock songs can be found on my iPod, although the majority are probably from the 70's and 80's.

Whenever people ask who my favourite band is, I usually reply with several simply because I have favourite bands from different genres rather than one all-round #1 band. My favourite Metal band is Iron Maiden, my favourite Rock band is Lynyrd Skynyrd and my favourite Pop/Rock band is ELO. However, I also like Deep Purple, Saxon, Tenacious D, Judas Priest, Maximo Park, The Cult, Metallica, Rush and Motorhead, among others. So that's a snapshot of the crop of bands you can expect to see on here. Saying that, not all of my posts will be on old albums. Sure, I'll look into 80's albums every now and then but fortunately for me, the 10's seems to be the decade for revival.
We've had new albums from Black Sabbath, Rush, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Whitesnake, David Bowie, Def Leppard, Saxon, Deep Purple, Megadeth and others with more on the way so I've got plenty to discuss here and you've got plenty to read! If you have any other questions about my taste in music OR a request for me to listen to and review, feel free to leave your comment and I'll look at it as soon as possible. In fact, I should get some kind of gadget for this blog where you can type the name of a band and album for me to check out if I don't find the request fucking despicable (e.g. asking me to review Noah And The Whale's latest dreary puddle of cat piss).

And with that, be seeing you!