The Playlist of Life --- Trollheart's resurrected Journal

Trollheart · 12-10-2012, 12:57 PM

Nothing to fear: these guys ain't breaking any time soon!
Unbreakable --- Primal Fear --- 2012 (Frontiers)

With all the power metal bands emerging out of Germany in recent years, it's nice to listen to a proper heavy metal band like Primal Fear, who do what they do very well and with consummate ease. I've listened to most of their output over the last year or two and they've consistently impressed me, so I hold this album, their latest, to quite high standards, which I'm sure they'll reach. It's their ninth in a career spanning almost fourteen years now, and just their second since longtime guitarist Stefan Leibing left to spend more time with his family, and was replaced by Magnus Karlsson.

It opens with a short, orchestral-style instrumental, the title track in fact, but only part one (part two will come later), and there's more of the progressive metal about this opener than heavy metal, with some fine keyboard work from Karlsson and rolling, cinematic drums as well as choral vocals, but when "Strike" kicks in like a lumphammer to the head everything takes off on twin guitars and trundling drums, with the well-known and recognised powerful vocals of band founder Ralf Scheepers bellowing out the lyric. The basic melody seems to borrow a little from Maiden's "Two minutes to midnight", and it rockets along with bucketloads of energy and purpose. Great guitar solo as you'd expect of course, very melodic, almost Malmsteenesque in places, then we're into "Give 'em Hell", which of course is a soft ballad --- not. More powerful screaming guitars and thundering drums, with Scheepers' voice a little rawer on a Dio-style track which will no doubt have the iron-studded leather fists punching the air in agreement when this is played live.

Big military style drumroll to start off "Bad guys wear black", then it heads into a boogie metal groove which again is fairly reminscent of Maiden, thumping along nicely and with a very infectious melody. Metalheads will be happy to hear the joyously shouted lyric Bang your head/ Until you reach the end/ Bang your head and don't look back!" After that things ramp up considerably for the pounding, galloping fretfest that is "And there was silence", which seems to envisage World War Three, driven on the furious drumming of Randy Black. There is of course also blistering guitar work from Karlsson and second axeman Alex Beyrodt. A lot of Primal Fear's material centres around nuclear war and the fear of it, and this certainly has an apocalyptic feel to it. Slower and more of a grinder is "Metal nation", which for some reason reminds me of some of Gary Moore's music, particularly "End of the world" and "Nuclear attack". It has a great hook and some powerful guitars, with Scheepers on top form.

Primal Fear have never been a band who are big on experimentation or I guess what you'd call progression. They know what they're good at, and they stick to that, playing to their strengths, so you usually know what you're going to get with one of their albums. This is no exception, and while some people might call that predictable I prefer to see it as reliable. Some fine basswork from Mat Sinner and another great guitar solo and we're into the longest track on the album by some way. Opening on a soft acoustic guitar from Beyrodt, backed up and pretty much blown away then by electric from Karlsson, "Where angels die" is an eight-minute metal monster, with a relatively soft opening vocal from Ralf, growled and again I have to say in places similar to Dickinson and a very catchy chorus. Some really nice use of atmospheric keyboards here, again courtesy of Magnus Karlsson.

Off rockin' and rollin' again with "Unbreakable (Part 2)", which I must say I see bearing no resemblance to the instrumental that opened the album, but it's a good headbanger, as is "Marching again". That haunting, dramatic keyboard is back, with a sudden explosion of growling screeching guitars taking us into the second minute, then the somewhat sedate opening pace is kicked right up the arse and everything fires off like bombs going off and we're heads-down, take-no-prisoners as the song pounds along at breakneck speed. A band Primal Fear closely mirror is Axxis, also another favourite of mine, with close-harmony vocals not that often seen in metal, and killer guitar attacks. Somehow their music always seems that little bit more commercial than other metal bands I could mention. They also do ballads, which I know a lot of metal bands do, but Primal Fear do them very well indeed.

Case in point is "Born again", which has some powerful dramatic backing vocals and almost strings-like keyboard passages, very emotional and almost Steinman-worthy in its production. Karlsson knows just when to break in and add the fire of his guitarwork to the music, and when to hold back and allow his keys to paint the soundscape. Like quite a lot of the band's material, this song concentrates on the possibility of life after death, as Ralf cries "Is there a god?/ Will we be born again?/ Will I ever see your smile again?" Contender for standout on the album, certainly. Lovely lonely little chiming guitar outro, then all sentiment is forgotten and set aside as we power into "Blaze of glory" on the back of some pretty angry guitar from Karlsson and Beyrodt, a thumping drumbeat from Randy Black and a killer bass line from Mat Sinner.

The final track, "Conviction" is, to be fair, nothing terribly great, nothing to write home about, and I would have preferred to have closed on either of the last two tracks, or even on the full title track, which would have bookended the album well. As it is, "Conviction" is not a bad track at all, but compared to what has preceded it it sort of comes across to me as something of an afterthought, like a track tacked on at the last minute. I'm sure it wasn't, but that's how it seems to me. Not the worst closer I've ever heard by a long shot, but definitely not among the best.

TRACKLISTING

1. Unbreakable (Part 1)
2. Strike
3. Give 'em Hell
4. Bad guys wear black
5. And there was silence
6. Metal nation
7. Where angels die
8. Unbreakable (Part 2)
9. Marching again
10. Born again
11. Blaze of glory
12. Conviction

Look, I'm not going to pretend this album is going to change your life. It's not even likely to make you a fan of Primal Fear, if you're not already one. But it delivers what you expect: fast, loud, heavy metal with a lot of melody and some pretty deep lyrics. The guys have been going for almost fourteen years now and they've obviously discovered a formula that works, so why change it now? May not be the most progressive of albums, but hey, like they say, it does what it says on the tin.

Trollheart · 12-10-2012, 02:42 PM

Merry Christmas --- Mariah Carey --- 2008 (Columbia)

If I had to pick one female singer I despised above all others, I think it would be Mariah Carey. It was she, after all, who started this whole trend of dragging a note out to the nth degree, as if doing that is going to make you sound better, and now they're all doing it. I also tend to call her the "ghost singer" (among other names!) as she makes a sound when singing reminiscent of a spirit haunting some lonely hallway: "Whooo--whooaa---ooohhhhh--woh-woah," You know the sort of thing. Hey look, I never said these reviews would be unbiased! In fact, if anything, they're totally biased.

Unlike Lionel, she can't resist the temptation of putting on some original songs here, so in addition to the expected (dreaded, in my case) "All I want for Christmas is you", we get two more self-penned ditties, in "Miss you most (at Christmas time)" and "Jesus born on this day." Other than that, it's the usual mix of "Joy to the world", "Silent night", "God rest ye" and so on. Pretty generic really, but given that added annoyance of having to listen to Carey's voice drone on and on throughout the album. Fair put me off me Christmas dinner, it would!

TRACKLISTING

1. Silent Night
2. All I Want For Christmas Is You
3. O Holy Night
4. Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)
5. Miss You Most (At Christmas Time)
6. Joy To The World
7. Jesus Born On This Day
8. Santa Claus Is Comin' To Town
9. Hark! The Herald Angels Sing/Gloria (In Excelsis Deo)
10. Jesus Oh What A Wonderful Child
11. God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen

Trollheart · 12-11-2012, 11:21 AM

The orchestra from hell is back! Abandon all hope...

Pandora's piñata --- Diablo Swing Orchestra --- 2012 (Candlelight)

A band I stumbled across quite by accident, and only checked out due to their incredibly weird name, Diablo Swing Orchestra combine the best elements of showmanship and vaudeville with art-rock, avant-garde and heavy metal, but that's not the be-all and end-all of them. Quite frankly, and quite truthfully, you really don't know what you're going to get with DSO: one minute you could be listening to gothic female vocals singing an operatic aria, next you're nodding to a tarantella, and it's followed by a blistering guitar solo which segues into a trio of cellos. And that can be in the same song, never mind the same album! So what's on offer here I can't tell you; let's explore this mysterious rabbit hole together and see where we end up, what do you say?

Well, we're thrown right into the fray with hard metal guitars and hammering drums alongside Mardi Gras-style trumpets and the vocal is indeed female, high and lilting, joined by a deeper male voice, as Daniel Hakansson joins Annlouice Loegdlund, and the whole thing staggers along like some glorious mid-thirties Chicago street festival or a Broadway musical with some very dark elements. Nice bit of strong violin coming in then, before the trumpets and trombones take the lead, courtesy of Martin Isaksson and Daniel Hedin respectively. "Voodoo mon amour" then is typical --- if anything about this band can be described in that way! --- of the sort of music melange you can expect from Diablo Swing Orchestra. "Guerilla laments" opens with a big bongo drum intro then some really mariachi trumpets before Annlouice comes in with the vocal, very salsa feel to it, almost like watching a parade during the Day of the Dead festival.

She does really well with the vocal here, unsupported by Hakansson, let loose solo, and the sense of fun and carnival this track unleashes really has to be heard to be believed. Some really mournful cello somehow doesn't dampen the mood, then Hakansson does indeed contribute to the song (well, he does anyway: in addition to singing he plays guitar on the album) but his vocal is distant, echoey and Annlouice is quickly back taking over. There's great energy and oomph about the song, then proceedings slow down considerably for "Kevlar sweethearts", with Annlouice exercising the softer side of her vocal talents, the music mostly built on violin and brass, a hard metal style guitar from Daniel Hakansson underpinning everything. A soft, atmospheric instrumental driven on violin and synth follows, lasting less than a minute before we're into the total insanity that is "Black box messiah", everything jumping back up in tempo and the initial vocal sounding like kids or chipmunks or something: totally trippy! Great bass line from Anders Johnasson keeps everything together as the track rocks along on Hakansson's churning, boogie guitar. Don't ask me what it's about! I haven't a clue, and most of DSO's songs are so out there you really don't even attempt to try to decipher the lyrics.

"Exit strategy of a wrecking ball" goes into overdrive on the metal guitar and hammering drums from Petter Karlsson, with for the first time Hakansson taking the lead vocal, almost more moaning than singing really. The big heavy guitar is quickly replaced by sonorous organ and a thrumming bass as Daniel croons the lines over the new musical soundscape, then it changes again as violins briefly intrude before the drums kick back in and the guitar screeches back into life. Great trumpet and trombone section then, synth blasting away as the track heads towards its end. Chiming bells and music-box style keys introduce "Aurora", sparse violin backing Annlouice in full operatic mode again, pizzicato strings keeping the beat behind her as cinematic synth swells in the background, fuller violins and cellos joining the musical backdrop with rolling, dramatic drums. It's Annlouice Leogdlund's finest hour, I believe, as she gives it all she has, really belting out those notes, and the power and emotion that comes from her singing is a thing to behold.

After so dramatic a performance, the song kind of peters out towards the end, fading on strings and cello with violin and bringing in strummed guitar and sitar on "Mass rapture", with a very eastern feel to the music, some more great basswork from Johansson and a double-violin attack, also a double vocal as Hakansson and Loegdlund combine once more with devastating effect. The song has something of the idea of those sort of belly-dances about it, where the music gets faster and more intense as it goes along, and you can imagine some girl jerking her body to the rhythm, getting into a higher frenzy as the music increases in tempo and intensity. It just doesn't let up really at all, and you feel quite exhausted by the time it hammers to a halt.

"Honey trap aftermath" gets boogeying again with a great blast of brass and a catchy chorus, Daneil taking the vocal amid trumpets and trombones with again a real carnival atmosphere, some fine solo trumpet by Isaksson matched by some just as effective 'bone from Hedin. Great acapella ending, like a Welsh male voice choir, then we're into the pounding "Of Kali ma calibre", quite medieval sounding and with again Annlouice back in opera diva mode. Great male backing vocals supporting her, a mid-paced sort of song --- no it's not, my mistake. Just shows you can never take anything for granted with DSO: don't you even read your own intros, Trollheart? It just leapt into a fast rocker, then back again, then up again, leaving me to reflect that it's quite hard to even review a DSO album properly. Now it's dropped to gorgeous cello and violin, slowed right down in a stately waltz almost, and here come the trumpets and we're off again with the tempo ratcheting back up. Man, I'm tired!

The closer is also the longest track, eight and a half minutes long, so if the above was only half that, and went through that many changes, god only knows how much this is going to evolve! "Justice for Saint Mary" opens on a slow, violin and brass-led passage, with Daniel Hakansson on lead vocals; I'd say a ballad but we all know this going to change, and probably soon. Lovely bit of interplay between violin and cello, then acoustic guitar comes in, backed by violin, a lovely trombone line holding while Isaksson plays a mournful trumpet above it. Very little in the way of percussion really, just a few shimmering cymbals and timpani, and I'll take a chance and say that the basic melody is going to remain the same now, as we're almost three-quarters of the way through the song. Strong violin now and the drums are finally kicking in bringing with them a heavy metal guitar that smashes all in its way, the tension in the track kicking up several notches as it fades then sort of breaks into disjointed sounds, almost like samples, or as if the track is corrupt, but knowing DSO I expect this is actually intentional, and ends the album in the weirdest way possible.

TRACKLISTING

1. Voodoo mon amour
2. Guerilla laments
3. Kevlar sweethearts
4. How to organise a lynch mob
5. Black box messiah
6. Exit strategy for a wrecking ball
7. Aurora
8. Mass rapture
9. Honey trap aftermath
10. Of Kali ma calibre
11. Justice for Saint Mary

Don't worry if you come away from this album saying to yourself "Wtf was that?" because this is most people's reaction to Diablo Swing Orchestra. It's impossible to prepare anyone for what they'll experience, listening to one of DSO's albums, and the best if hackneyed advice is to expect the unexpected. But even then, you can't predict what weird and wonderful ideas the guys will come up with, what styles they'll mesh and what genre boundaries they'll gleefully cross over, with no respect at all to rules or conventions. It doesn't matter if it's acid jazz, punk fusion, progressive rock, salsa or blues, if it fits in a song these guys will use it. Opera, classical, gothic, metal, folk, country --- to Diablo Swing Orchestra there are no barriers, no rules and nothing they won't try.

Which I guess must surely make them contender for one of the most progressive bands of this century.

If the Devil has an ipod, he must be grooving along to this!

Trollheart · 12-11-2012, 01:52 PM

The Christmas Album --- Jackson 5 --- 1970 (Motown)

Proving that even back in the seventies, pop artists were putting out Christmas albums, this was in fact --- perhaps surprisingly given their appeal and fame --- the only Christmas album put out by Micheal Jackson and family, though it was reissued twice, once in 2003 and again in 2009, with slight changes. NOT surprisingly, it features Michael's vocals heavily, as he was already being groomed for solo stardom and would in fact release his first solo album two years later, setting him on a path to superstar status and indeed controversy,

The album? Well it's fairly standard, by today's yardstick of course, but back then it was probably considered innovative and different. The album eventually went on to sell over three million copies, and yielded the Jackson 5 a hit single with their version of "Santa Claus is coming to town." It also features an original song, written by The Corporation, Motown's big-gun songwriters, among whom were Berry Gordy, founder and supremo of Motown Records, as well as a cover of Stevie Wonder's "Someday at Christmas", and one of the oldest Christmas songs known to exist, the nineteenth-century "Up on the housetop", perhaps the first song to propose the idea of Santa landing his sleigh on the roof of a house.

TRACKLISTING

1. Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas
2. Santa Claus Is Coming to Town
3. The Christmas Song
4. Up on the Housetop
5. Frosty the Snowman
6. The Little Drummer Boy
7. Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer
8. Christmas Won't Be the Same This Year
9. Give Love on Christmas Day
10. Someday at Christmas
11. I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus

Trollheart · 12-12-2012, 05:41 AM

A very Ally Christmas --- Vonda Shepard/Cast --- 2000 (Epic)

Ever get into a show on TV and suddenly end up realising you hate it after all? I thought Ally McBeal was really quite cute until about halfway through I think the second season, when I realised just what a whiny little biyatch she was, and how annoying just about everyone around her was. That was the end of my association with Flockhart and her bunch, though I must admit I did like Vonda Shepard's theme tune to the series. No surprise, then, that when the Christmas CD from the show came out in 2000 it would be mostly Shepard's baby.

There is involvement (sadly) from the cast though, (egos like those are never left at the door) and so we have Callista "Ally" Flockhart painfully trying to sound sexy on "Santa baby" (and failing miserably), Lisa Nicole Cannon's really weird "Santa got stuck up my chimney" (please keep your sexual proclivities to yourself, young lady!) and even Jane Krakowski singing TWO songs, "Run Rudolph run" and "I saw mommy kissing Santa Claus", the latter of which, given the character and actress's age is just creepy and wrong.

There's an attempt to rescue things by the great Robert Downey Jnr and his rendition of Joni Mitchell's "River" shines through this like a jewel in a pigsty, but it's not enough and the rest of the album is so-so Christmas fare like you'd expect, with "Let it snow", "White Christmas" and my favourite, "Silver bells", plus Macy Grey getting unnecessarily involved in "Winter wonderland". Gaah!

TRACKLISTING

1. This Christmas
2. The Man With the Bag
3. Please Come Home for Christmas
4. Silver Bells
5. Let It Snow, Let It Snow, Let It Snow
6. Winter Wonderland - Macy Gray
7. Run, Rudolph, Run - Jane Krakowski
8. Santa Claus Got Stuck in My Chimney - Lisa Nicole Carson
9. I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus - Jane Krakowski
10. Santa Baby - Calista Flockhart
11. Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas
12. River - Robert Downey Jr.
13. White Christmas
14. What Are You Doing New Year's Eve

Trollheart · 12-12-2012, 10:33 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by charles7328

gotye somebody that i used to know

this is my favourite video ever lyrics too good awesome.

Guys, can this spam comment be deleted (and the other one)? No idea how they got approved but they have no place here in my journal. Thx

**Janszoon** · 12-12-2012, 11:47 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Trollheart

Guys, can this spam comment be deleted (and the other one)? No idea how they got approved but they have no place here in my journal. Thx

Done.

Also, though I hate Mariah Carey as much as you do, I have to admit to liking both the song "All I Want for Christmas" and the way she looks in that skintight Santa outfit.

Trollheart · 12-12-2012, 02:22 PM

Thanks man. Appreciate it.

As for Carey, have to admit that if I awoke to find her on the edge of my bed I'd close my eyes and dive under the sheets, hoping it was a nightmare and when I awoke she'd be gone. Can't stand the woman, on any level.

Merrrryy Christmas!

Trollheart · 12-13-2012, 02:15 PM

Ultimate Christmas --- The Beach Boys --- 1998 (Capitol)

Whether you see it as the title above or the later-released "Christmas with The Beach Boys" --- essentially exactly the same album, released six years later and with one track removed --- there can't be anyone you would tend to associate Christmas with less. The Beach Boys have an image of, and sing about, sun, surfing, babes, beaches, all that sort of stuff that takes place under the hot bright California sunshine. So to hear them singing Chritmas songs, song about snow and winter and mulled wine and what have you --- well, it just seems weird.

It's a damn huge album too, containing a total of nineteen tracks, twenty-six if you include all the remixes, alternate versions and Christmas messages. It's pretty much a collection of every Christmas song the Beach Boys ever recorded, and I guess to their credit there's very little on the album that's not one of their own original compositions. If you're a fan you'll know the likes of "Little Saint Nick", "The man with all the toys" and "Merry Christmas baby". I'm not a fan --- can't stand them personally, and this record does nothing for me. To rub salt into the wounds they include a cover from another of my least favourite artistes, Elvis, whose "Blue Christmas" they do a passable version of.

I guess it's fun, but really, it all comes across as a little silly and hard to take seriously. Songs about winter fires and snow falling, snowmen and cold nights are all just a little out of place when you know the guys went surfing after recording these songs. Baby it's cold outside? Not for these guys, I'll wager.

TRACKLISTING

1. Little Saint Nick
2. The Man with All the Toys
3. Santa's Beard
4. Merry Christmas, Baby
5. Christmas Day
6. Frosty the Snowman
7. We Three Kings of Orient Are
8. Blue Christmas
9. Santa Claus Is Coming to Town
10. White Christmas
11. I'll Be Home for Christmas
12. Auld Lang Syne
13. Little Saint Nick
14. Auld Lang Syne
15. Little Saint Nick
16. Child of Winter (Christmas Song)
17. Santa's Got An Airplane
18. Christmas Time Is Here Again
19.Winter Symphony
20. (I Saw Santa) Rockin' Around The Christmas Tree
21. Melekalikimaka (aka "Kona Christmas")
22. Bells of Christmas
23. Morning Christmas
24. Toy Drive Public Service Announcement
25. Dennis Wilson Christmas Message
26. Brian Wilson Christmas Interview

Unknown Soldier · 12-13-2012, 03:37 PM

Upto Page 140:

Iron Maiden- Nice background and also hearing something about your family when you bought this album. Those albums especially of our teenage years always seem to have a special place that a lot of future albums might not have. Hence my love for numerous AOR albums that I was listening to in my teenage years.

As for the album, it's such a monolith in the history of metal and may well be the first album that anybody getting into metal for the first time should listen to.

Def Leppard- I've always had a soft spot for this album and it's a classic of its time. Along with British Steel this may be the best pop metal album ever written.

Despite the fact that we tend to like a lot of the same bands, we also tend to disagree with what their best albums and songs are. But have to say "Die Hard the Hunter" might well be the stand out track on the album.

Mutt Lange was probably the most revered producer around at the time and he was notorious for putting band's through their paces to get that perfect cut. I remember reading how the Cars complained about his ideas of perfection on Heartbeat City.

12-10-2012, 12:57 PM	#1631 (permalink)
Trollheart Born to be mild Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: 404 Not Found Posts: 26,992	Nothing to fear: these guys ain't breaking any time soon! Unbreakable --- Primal Fear --- 2012 (Frontiers) With all the power metal bands emerging out of Germany in recent years, it's nice to listen to a proper heavy metal band like Primal Fear, who do what they do very well and with consummate ease. I've listened to most of their output over the last year or two and they've consistently impressed me, so I hold this album, their latest, to quite high standards, which I'm sure they'll reach. It's their ninth in a career spanning almost fourteen years now, and just their second since longtime guitarist Stefan Leibing left to spend more time with his family, and was replaced by Magnus Karlsson. It opens with a short, orchestral-style instrumental, the title track in fact, but only part one (part two will come later), and there's more of the progressive metal about this opener than heavy metal, with some fine keyboard work from Karlsson and rolling, cinematic drums as well as choral vocals, but when "Strike" kicks in like a lumphammer to the head everything takes off on twin guitars and trundling drums, with the well-known and recognised powerful vocals of band founder Ralf Scheepers bellowing out the lyric. The basic melody seems to borrow a little from Maiden's "Two minutes to midnight", and it rockets along with bucketloads of energy and purpose. Great guitar solo as you'd expect of course, very melodic, almost Malmsteenesque in places, then we're into "Give 'em Hell", which of course is a soft ballad --- not. More powerful screaming guitars and thundering drums, with Scheepers' voice a little rawer on a Dio-style track which will no doubt have the iron-studded leather fists punching the air in agreement when this is played live. Big military style drumroll to start off "Bad guys wear black", then it heads into a boogie metal groove which again is fairly reminscent of Maiden, thumping along nicely and with a very infectious melody. Metalheads will be happy to hear the joyously shouted lyric Bang your head/ Until you reach the end/ Bang your head and don't look back!" After that things ramp up considerably for the pounding, galloping fretfest that is "And there was silence", which seems to envisage World War Three, driven on the furious drumming of Randy Black. There is of course also blistering guitar work from Karlsson and second axeman Alex Beyrodt. A lot of Primal Fear's material centres around nuclear war and the fear of it, and this certainly has an apocalyptic feel to it. Slower and more of a grinder is "Metal nation", which for some reason reminds me of some of Gary Moore's music, particularly "End of the world" and "Nuclear attack". It has a great hook and some powerful guitars, with Scheepers on top form. Primal Fear have never been a band who are big on experimentation or I guess what you'd call progression. They know what they're good at, and they stick to that, playing to their strengths, so you usually know what you're going to get with one of their albums. This is no exception, and while some people might call that predictable I prefer to see it as reliable. Some fine basswork from Mat Sinner and another great guitar solo and we're into the longest track on the album by some way. Opening on a soft acoustic guitar from Beyrodt, backed up and pretty much blown away then by electric from Karlsson, "Where angels die" is an eight-minute metal monster, with a relatively soft opening vocal from Ralf, growled and again I have to say in places similar to Dickinson and a very catchy chorus. Some really nice use of atmospheric keyboards here, again courtesy of Magnus Karlsson. Off rockin' and rollin' again with "Unbreakable (Part 2)", which I must say I see bearing no resemblance to the instrumental that opened the album, but it's a good headbanger, as is "Marching again". That haunting, dramatic keyboard is back, with a sudden explosion of growling screeching guitars taking us into the second minute, then the somewhat sedate opening pace is kicked right up the arse and everything fires off like bombs going off and we're heads-down, take-no-prisoners as the song pounds along at breakneck speed. A band Primal Fear closely mirror is Axxis, also another favourite of mine, with close-harmony vocals not that often seen in metal, and killer guitar attacks. Somehow their music always seems that little bit more commercial than other metal bands I could mention. They also do ballads, which I know a lot of metal bands do, but Primal Fear do them very well indeed. Case in point is "Born again", which has some powerful dramatic backing vocals and almost strings-like keyboard passages, very emotional and almost Steinman-worthy in its production. Karlsson knows just when to break in and add the fire of his guitarwork to the music, and when to hold back and allow his keys to paint the soundscape. Like quite a lot of the band's material, this song concentrates on the possibility of life after death, as Ralf cries "Is there a god?/ Will we be born again?/ Will I ever see your smile again?" Contender for standout on the album, certainly. Lovely lonely little chiming guitar outro, then all sentiment is forgotten and set aside as we power into "Blaze of glory" on the back of some pretty angry guitar from Karlsson and Beyrodt, a thumping drumbeat from Randy Black and a killer bass line from Mat Sinner. The final track, "Conviction" is, to be fair, nothing terribly great, nothing to write home about, and I would have preferred to have closed on either of the last two tracks, or even on the full title track, which would have bookended the album well. As it is, "Conviction" is not a bad track at all, but compared to what has preceded it it sort of comes across to me as something of an afterthought, like a track tacked on at the last minute. I'm sure it wasn't, but that's how it seems to me. Not the worst closer I've ever heard by a long shot, but definitely not among the best. TRACKLISTING 1. Unbreakable (Part 1) 2. Strike 3. Give 'em Hell 4. Bad guys wear black 5. And there was silence 6. Metal nation 7. Where angels die 8. Unbreakable (Part 2) 9. Marching again 10. Born again 11. Blaze of glory 12. Conviction Look, I'm not going to pretend this album is going to change your life. It's not even likely to make you a fan of Primal Fear, if you're not already one. But it delivers what you expect: fast, loud, heavy metal with a lot of melody and some pretty deep lyrics. The guys have been going for almost fourteen years now and they've obviously discovered a formula that works, so why change it now? May not be the most progressive of albums, but hey, like they say, it does what it says on the tin. __________________ Trollheart: Signature-free since April 2018

12-10-2012, 02:42 PM	#1632 (permalink)
Trollheart Born to be mild Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: 404 Not Found Posts: 26,992	Merry Christmas --- Mariah Carey --- 2008 (Columbia) If I had to pick one female singer I despised above all others, I think it would be Mariah Carey. It was she, after all, who started this whole trend of dragging a note out to the nth degree, as if doing that is going to make you sound better, and now they're all doing it. I also tend to call her the "ghost singer" (among other names!) as she makes a sound when singing reminiscent of a spirit haunting some lonely hallway: "Whooo--whooaa---ooohhhhh--woh-woah," You know the sort of thing. Hey look, I never said these reviews would be unbiased! In fact, if anything, they're totally biased. Unlike Lionel, she can't resist the temptation of putting on some original songs here, so in addition to the expected (dreaded, in my case) "All I want for Christmas is you", we get two more self-penned ditties, in "Miss you most (at Christmas time)" and "Jesus born on this day." Other than that, it's the usual mix of "Joy to the world", "Silent night", "God rest ye" and so on. Pretty generic really, but given that added annoyance of having to listen to Carey's voice drone on and on throughout the album. Fair put me off me Christmas dinner, it would! TRACKLISTING 1. Silent Night 2. All I Want For Christmas Is You 3. O Holy Night 4. Christmas (Baby Please Come Home) 5. Miss You Most (At Christmas Time) 6. Joy To The World 7. Jesus Born On This Day 8. Santa Claus Is Comin' To Town 9. Hark! The Herald Angels Sing/Gloria (In Excelsis Deo) 10. Jesus Oh What A Wonderful Child 11. God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen __________________ Trollheart: Signature-free since April 2018 Last edited by Trollheart; 12-23-2012 at 06:33 AM.

12-11-2012, 11:21 AM	#1633 (permalink)
Trollheart Born to be mild Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: 404 Not Found Posts: 26,992	The orchestra from hell is back! Abandon all hope... Pandora's piñata --- Diablo Swing Orchestra --- 2012 (Candlelight) A band I stumbled across quite by accident, and only checked out due to their incredibly weird name, Diablo Swing Orchestra combine the best elements of showmanship and vaudeville with art-rock, avant-garde and heavy metal, but that's not the be-all and end-all of them. Quite frankly, and quite truthfully, you really don't know what you're going to get with DSO: one minute you could be listening to gothic female vocals singing an operatic aria, next you're nodding to a tarantella, and it's followed by a blistering guitar solo which segues into a trio of cellos. And that can be in the same song, never mind the same album! So what's on offer here I can't tell you; let's explore this mysterious rabbit hole together and see where we end up, what do you say? Well, we're thrown right into the fray with hard metal guitars and hammering drums alongside Mardi Gras-style trumpets and the vocal is indeed female, high and lilting, joined by a deeper male voice, as Daniel Hakansson joins Annlouice Loegdlund, and the whole thing staggers along like some glorious mid-thirties Chicago street festival or a Broadway musical with some very dark elements. Nice bit of strong violin coming in then, before the trumpets and trombones take the lead, courtesy of Martin Isaksson and Daniel Hedin respectively. "Voodoo mon amour" then is typical --- if anything about this band can be described in that way! --- of the sort of music melange you can expect from Diablo Swing Orchestra. "Guerilla laments" opens with a big bongo drum intro then some really mariachi trumpets before Annlouice comes in with the vocal, very salsa feel to it, almost like watching a parade during the Day of the Dead festival. She does really well with the vocal here, unsupported by Hakansson, let loose solo, and the sense of fun and carnival this track unleashes really has to be heard to be believed. Some really mournful cello somehow doesn't dampen the mood, then Hakansson does indeed contribute to the song (well, he does anyway: in addition to singing he plays guitar on the album) but his vocal is distant, echoey and Annlouice is quickly back taking over. There's great energy and oomph about the song, then proceedings slow down considerably for "Kevlar sweethearts", with Annlouice exercising the softer side of her vocal talents, the music mostly built on violin and brass, a hard metal style guitar from Daniel Hakansson underpinning everything. A soft, atmospheric instrumental driven on violin and synth follows, lasting less than a minute before we're into the total insanity that is "Black box messiah", everything jumping back up in tempo and the initial vocal sounding like kids or chipmunks or something: totally trippy! Great bass line from Anders Johnasson keeps everything together as the track rocks along on Hakansson's churning, boogie guitar. Don't ask me what it's about! I haven't a clue, and most of DSO's songs are so out there you really don't even attempt to try to decipher the lyrics. "Exit strategy of a wrecking ball" goes into overdrive on the metal guitar and hammering drums from Petter Karlsson, with for the first time Hakansson taking the lead vocal, almost more moaning than singing really. The big heavy guitar is quickly replaced by sonorous organ and a thrumming bass as Daniel croons the lines over the new musical soundscape, then it changes again as violins briefly intrude before the drums kick back in and the guitar screeches back into life. Great trumpet and trombone section then, synth blasting away as the track heads towards its end. Chiming bells and music-box style keys introduce "Aurora", sparse violin backing Annlouice in full operatic mode again, pizzicato strings keeping the beat behind her as cinematic synth swells in the background, fuller violins and cellos joining the musical backdrop with rolling, dramatic drums. It's Annlouice Leogdlund's finest hour, I believe, as she gives it all she has, really belting out those notes, and the power and emotion that comes from her singing is a thing to behold. After so dramatic a performance, the song kind of peters out towards the end, fading on strings and cello with violin and bringing in strummed guitar and sitar on "Mass rapture", with a very eastern feel to the music, some more great basswork from Johansson and a double-violin attack, also a double vocal as Hakansson and Loegdlund combine once more with devastating effect. The song has something of the idea of those sort of belly-dances about it, where the music gets faster and more intense as it goes along, and you can imagine some girl jerking her body to the rhythm, getting into a higher frenzy as the music increases in tempo and intensity. It just doesn't let up really at all, and you feel quite exhausted by the time it hammers to a halt. "Honey trap aftermath" gets boogeying again with a great blast of brass and a catchy chorus, Daneil taking the vocal amid trumpets and trombones with again a real carnival atmosphere, some fine solo trumpet by Isaksson matched by some just as effective 'bone from Hedin. Great acapella ending, like a Welsh male voice choir, then we're into the pounding "Of Kali ma calibre", quite medieval sounding and with again Annlouice back in opera diva mode. Great male backing vocals supporting her, a mid-paced sort of song --- no it's not, my mistake. Just shows you can never take anything for granted with DSO: don't you even read your own intros, Trollheart? It just leapt into a fast rocker, then back again, then up again, leaving me to reflect that it's quite hard to even review a DSO album properly. Now it's dropped to gorgeous cello and violin, slowed right down in a stately waltz almost, and here come the trumpets and we're off again with the tempo ratcheting back up. Man, I'm tired! The closer is also the longest track, eight and a half minutes long, so if the above was only half that, and went through that many changes, god only knows how much this is going to evolve! "Justice for Saint Mary" opens on a slow, violin and brass-led passage, with Daniel Hakansson on lead vocals; I'd say a ballad but we all know this going to change, and probably soon. Lovely bit of interplay between violin and cello, then acoustic guitar comes in, backed by violin, a lovely trombone line holding while Isaksson plays a mournful trumpet above it. Very little in the way of percussion really, just a few shimmering cymbals and timpani, and I'll take a chance and say that the basic melody is going to remain the same now, as we're almost three-quarters of the way through the song. Strong violin now and the drums are finally kicking in bringing with them a heavy metal guitar that smashes all in its way, the tension in the track kicking up several notches as it fades then sort of breaks into disjointed sounds, almost like samples, or as if the track is corrupt, but knowing DSO I expect this is actually intentional, and ends the album in the weirdest way possible. TRACKLISTING 1. Voodoo mon amour 2. Guerilla laments 3. Kevlar sweethearts 4. How to organise a lynch mob 5. Black box messiah 6. Exit strategy for a wrecking ball 7. Aurora 8. Mass rapture 9. Honey trap aftermath 10. Of Kali ma calibre 11. Justice for Saint Mary Don't worry if you come away from this album saying to yourself "Wtf was that?" because this is most people's reaction to Diablo Swing Orchestra. It's impossible to prepare anyone for what they'll experience, listening to one of DSO's albums, and the best if hackneyed advice is to expect the unexpected. But even then, you can't predict what weird and wonderful ideas the guys will come up with, what styles they'll mesh and what genre boundaries they'll gleefully cross over, with no respect at all to rules or conventions. It doesn't matter if it's acid jazz, punk fusion, progressive rock, salsa or blues, if it fits in a song these guys will use it. Opera, classical, gothic, metal, folk, country --- to Diablo Swing Orchestra there are no barriers, no rules and nothing they won't try. Which I guess must surely make them contender for one of the most progressive bands of this century. If the Devil has an ipod, he must be grooving along to this! __________________ Trollheart: Signature-free since April 2018

12-11-2012, 01:52 PM	#1634 (permalink)
Trollheart Born to be mild Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: 404 Not Found Posts: 26,992	The Christmas Album --- Jackson 5 --- 1970 (Motown) Proving that even back in the seventies, pop artists were putting out Christmas albums, this was in fact --- perhaps surprisingly given their appeal and fame --- the only Christmas album put out by Micheal Jackson and family, though it was reissued twice, once in 2003 and again in 2009, with slight changes. NOT surprisingly, it features Michael's vocals heavily, as he was already being groomed for solo stardom and would in fact release his first solo album two years later, setting him on a path to superstar status and indeed controversy, The album? Well it's fairly standard, by today's yardstick of course, but back then it was probably considered innovative and different. The album eventually went on to sell over three million copies, and yielded the Jackson 5 a hit single with their version of "Santa Claus is coming to town." It also features an original song, written by The Corporation, Motown's big-gun songwriters, among whom were Berry Gordy, founder and supremo of Motown Records, as well as a cover of Stevie Wonder's "Someday at Christmas", and one of the oldest Christmas songs known to exist, the nineteenth-century "Up on the housetop", perhaps the first song to propose the idea of Santa landing his sleigh on the roof of a house. TRACKLISTING 1. Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas 2. Santa Claus Is Coming to Town 3. The Christmas Song 4. Up on the Housetop 5. Frosty the Snowman 6. The Little Drummer Boy 7. Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer 8. Christmas Won't Be the Same This Year 9. Give Love on Christmas Day 10. Someday at Christmas 11. I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus __________________ Trollheart: Signature-free since April 2018 Last edited by Trollheart; 12-23-2012 at 12:45 PM.

12-12-2012, 05:41 AM	#1635 (permalink)
Trollheart Born to be mild Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: 404 Not Found Posts: 26,992	A very Ally Christmas --- Vonda Shepard/Cast --- 2000 (Epic) Ever get into a show on TV and suddenly end up realising you hate it after all? I thought Ally McBeal was really quite cute until about halfway through I think the second season, when I realised just what a whiny little biyatch she was, and how annoying just about everyone around her was. That was the end of my association with Flockhart and her bunch, though I must admit I did like Vonda Shepard's theme tune to the series. No surprise, then, that when the Christmas CD from the show came out in 2000 it would be mostly Shepard's baby. There is involvement (sadly) from the cast though, (egos like those are never left at the door) and so we have Callista "Ally" Flockhart painfully trying to sound sexy on "Santa baby" (and failing miserably), Lisa Nicole Cannon's really weird "Santa got stuck up my chimney" (please keep your sexual proclivities to yourself, young lady!) and even Jane Krakowski singing TWO songs, "Run Rudolph run" and "I saw mommy kissing Santa Claus", the latter of which, given the character and actress's age is just creepy and wrong. There's an attempt to rescue things by the great Robert Downey Jnr and his rendition of Joni Mitchell's "River" shines through this like a jewel in a pigsty, but it's not enough and the rest of the album is so-so Christmas fare like you'd expect, with "Let it snow", "White Christmas" and my favourite, "Silver bells", plus Macy Grey getting unnecessarily involved in "Winter wonderland". Gaah! TRACKLISTING 1. This Christmas 2. The Man With the Bag 3. Please Come Home for Christmas 4. Silver Bells 5. Let It Snow, Let It Snow, Let It Snow 6. Winter Wonderland - Macy Gray 7. Run, Rudolph, Run - Jane Krakowski 8. Santa Claus Got Stuck in My Chimney - Lisa Nicole Carson 9. I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus - Jane Krakowski 10. Santa Baby - Calista Flockhart 11. Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas 12. River - Robert Downey Jr. 13. White Christmas 14. What Are You Doing New Year's Eve __________________ Trollheart: Signature-free since April 2018 Last edited by Trollheart; 12-23-2012 at 12:46 PM.

12-12-2012, 02:22 PM	#1638 (permalink)
Trollheart Born to be mild Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: 404 Not Found Posts: 26,992	Thanks man. Appreciate it. As for Carey, have to admit that if I awoke to find her on the edge of my bed I'd close my eyes and dive under the sheets, hoping it was a nightmare and when I awoke she'd be gone. Can't stand the woman, on any level. Merrrryy Christmas! __________________ Trollheart: Signature-free since April 2018

12-13-2012, 02:15 PM	#1639 (permalink)
Trollheart Born to be mild Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: 404 Not Found Posts: 26,992	Ultimate Christmas --- The Beach Boys --- 1998 (Capitol) Whether you see it as the title above or the later-released "Christmas with The Beach Boys" --- essentially exactly the same album, released six years later and with one track removed --- there can't be anyone you would tend to associate Christmas with less. The Beach Boys have an image of, and sing about, sun, surfing, babes, beaches, all that sort of stuff that takes place under the hot bright California sunshine. So to hear them singing Chritmas songs, song about snow and winter and mulled wine and what have you --- well, it just seems weird. It's a damn huge album too, containing a total of nineteen tracks, twenty-six if you include all the remixes, alternate versions and Christmas messages. It's pretty much a collection of every Christmas song the Beach Boys ever recorded, and I guess to their credit there's very little on the album that's not one of their own original compositions. If you're a fan you'll know the likes of "Little Saint Nick", "The man with all the toys" and "Merry Christmas baby". I'm not a fan --- can't stand them personally, and this record does nothing for me. To rub salt into the wounds they include a cover from another of my least favourite artistes, Elvis, whose "Blue Christmas" they do a passable version of. I guess it's fun, but really, it all comes across as a little silly and hard to take seriously. Songs about winter fires and snow falling, snowmen and cold nights are all just a little out of place when you know the guys went surfing after recording these songs. Baby it's cold outside? Not for these guys, I'll wager. TRACKLISTING 1. Little Saint Nick 2. The Man with All the Toys 3. Santa's Beard 4. Merry Christmas, Baby 5. Christmas Day 6. Frosty the Snowman 7. We Three Kings of Orient Are 8. Blue Christmas 9. Santa Claus Is Coming to Town 10. White Christmas 11. I'll Be Home for Christmas 12. Auld Lang Syne 13. Little Saint Nick 14. Auld Lang Syne 15. Little Saint Nick 16. Child of Winter (Christmas Song) 17. Santa's Got An Airplane 18. Christmas Time Is Here Again 19.Winter Symphony 20. (I Saw Santa) Rockin' Around The Christmas Tree 21. Melekalikimaka (aka "Kona Christmas") 22. Bells of Christmas 23. Morning Christmas 24. Toy Drive Public Service Announcement 25. Dennis Wilson Christmas Message 26. Brian Wilson Christmas Interview __________________ Trollheart: Signature-free since April 2018 Last edited by Trollheart; 12-23-2012 at 12:47 PM.