Trollheart

Mournin’ --- Night sun --- 1972 (Zebra)
Recommended by Unknown Soldier

So Marillion weren’t the first ones to use that morning/mourning idea? Interesting. Ten years before “Script for a jester’s tear” took the world of progressive rock by storm, this band from Germany was already making that pun. Seems this was their one and only album, recorded a year before they split forever, and for a supposedly prog record it doesn’t have much in the way of long epic tracks, the longest just over seven minutes. That’s barely getting started in prog terms!

We open with stop/start guitar in that particularly proggy way I hate as “Plastic shotgun” is the first salvo Night Sun decide to send across our bows, but it’s definitely of its time, with Robert Plant “wildman” vocals and a very Purple/Zep vibe to the music, plus a rather stupid “dark scary voice” to end the short opener, as lush keyboards from Knut Rossler add a touch of class to “Crazy woman”, but then Bruno Schabb comes in with the vocal and it goes pretty much the same way as the first track. There is some very good guitar from Walter Kirchgassner which really livens up the track, and I take back what I said a sentence ago; this is a whole lot better. Even so, it plays like a bad copy of early Zep, with a mixture of hard rock and blues; can’t really see this as being Metal of any sort, even Proto-metal.

Schaab really does nothing for me, in fact he’s the thing I like least about this album. With a different singer this could be quite good, but he’s determined to “Plant” (!) his own identity all over it, and it doesn’t work. Spacey, weird intro to “Got a bone of my own” with some rising organ (yes ooer I know!) similar to that on the first Supertramp album, very swirly and eerie. The song is the longest on the album, just over seven minutes, so I guess a long intro is in order. Still, we’re three minutes in now as a dirty guitar riff begins and still no vocals. The heavy organ presence has now faded away, stripping the song back and revealing real teeth behind the originally prog-heavy instrumental. Into the fourth minute now and still no sign of Schaab; could this be an instrumental?

No, here he comes. Five minutes in and he makes his appearance, immediately in my opinion dragging down the track. Some nice echoey organ presages a tempo shift to a mid-paced blues boogie, which really is the making of the song as Kirchgassner and Rossler trade licks, then we’re back to the original harder rock riffs as vocals come back into the mix. We are however nearly at the end of the song, and it exits on a powerful guitar riff, taking us into “Slush pan man”, which certainly opens on a much more Metal-oriented guitar. Kirchgassner lets himself go here, channeling Tony Iommi in a dark, grinding riff that almost, but not quite, adds a touch of Doom to proceedings.

Interesting and accomplished drum solo (and that’s saying something) from Ulrich Staudt gives “Living with the dying” more weight than it probably deserves, while Rossler runs off an organ solo to rival Ray Manzarek from The Doors. Well maybe not, but it’s pretty damn fine. That organ is again employed to open “Come down”, where everything seems to slow down in a nice bluesy ballad, which for once softens even Schaab’s annoying voice, making him sound like a cheaper Jon Anderson, and the song itself certainly betrays its progressive rock roots before Kirchgassner kicks it up the arse and takes it in a harder direction. Of course our Bruno can’t keep his voice as it has been for the last two minutes and is back aping the Led Zep frontman, but I’m getting used to that.

Very evocative guitar solo to finish the song off, then “Blind” trips along on a nice boogie rhythm, Rossler’s organ painting the flourishes under his bandmate’s swaggering guitar, while “Nightmare” is probably the closest this band get to true metal, with a rapid-fire vocal delivery and guitars that are fast, but somehow come across as more like a faster Deep Purple, but without the raw talent. It’s actually quite funny. In an annoying way. Closer "Don’t start flying" starts out with a sax break that really sounds like the opening to “Baker Street” by Gerry Rafferty, although this would not be penned for another six years. It is however too jazzy for me and in my opinion closes the album terribly.

TRACKLISTING

1. Plastic shotgun
2. Crazy woman
3. Got a bone of my own
4. Slush pan man
5. Living with the dying
6. Come down
7. Blind
8. Nightmares
9. Don’t start flying

I have to be brutally honest: I pretty much really hated this album. When a rec comes from such a valued source as Unknown Soldier I'm always eager to give it a chance, but I can’t see how this can be rated as any sort of metal, and even allowing for its age it has really dated. The vocals set my teeth on edge, and though there were one or two good tracks to take away from this experience, it is not one I would wish to repeat. I think I’d rather listen to Grindcore. Well maybe not, but you get the idea.

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Trollheart

The second of this trilogy of various artists albums I want to look at again concerns many of the bands who rose --- and many who fell --- during the NWOBHM. There are names on it who went on to become semi-famous --- Diamond Head, Raven --- but like the other album the larger percentage of the contributors to it faded away or just failed to get the big break they would have needed. Two of the bands featured on “Metal for Muthas Vol II” are here too, so it’s not such a catalogue of the dichotomy that existed between the bands who made it and those who didn’t, but it’s still an interesting look at the differences between the various bands who jumped onto the NWOBHM train, all hoping to hitch a ride to success and stardom.


Brute Force --- Various Artists --- 1980 (MCA)

It’s not a very imaginative sleeve, and even the title could be said to be overstating the case, as some of these bands would not be what you would consider to be on the heavier side of things, but the album did at least showcase some real talent, and provides us in some cases with a rare opportunity to hear bands who were never heard from again. One of these is of course not Diamond Head, who open up the compilation.

Track one: “It’s electric” by Diamond Head

All you need to know (and much more) about Diamond Head you can find out by going back through my journal and reading the latest instalment in “Witches, Bitches, Maidens and Monsters --- the Bands of the NWOBHM”, a six-part series I am running on the subject. Suffice to say, Diamond Head were moderately successful, but never quite broke into the big time the way the likes of Maiden and Leppard did. With confusion over the direction in which they wanted to head, tensions built between the band and their fans got bored after a too-long hiatus, losing interest. This was rekindled in the 90s when thrash gods Metallica covered their “Am I evil?” giving them another brief shot at fame, but at that point they had been away from the scene for so long that really, nobody remembered them and the young ‘uns getting into Metallica thought the song was theirs, so that when DH played it they all thought the boys were doing a Metallica cover! Oh, the irony of fate!

The track is a typical DH song from their early period. Hard, dirty rock and roll with little or no finesse and the idea of a real crowdpleaser on stage. Even here though you can tell that Sean Harris had a special voice, and these guys really should have got it together and made it as they deserved to. Stop/start riffs and romping drumwork carry the song, and it’s a decent rocker with a lot of potential that would crop up on their debut album, “Lightning to the nations”.

So where are they now?

Unfazed by their lack of commercial success, and perhaps buoyed by the Metallica seal of approval, Diamond Head are still going. They released their sixth album in 2007, though Sean Harris had by then departed after the old “creative differences” chestnut.

Track two: “Brain damage” by Fist. Possibly an appropriate title, given the general air of concern at the time that teenagers were putting themselves in danger by headbanging.

Like Diamond Head, Fist were feted but through a combination of factors never hit the bright lights. They recorded three albums but were dropped by their label, the somewhat infamous MCA, after the first alum failed to perform, while Neat followed suit in 1982 after their second album did as poorly. They broke up then but reformed in 2001 and in 2005 they released their final album, no doubt thinkign “third time’s the charm.” It wasn’t.

With an almost industrial opening, the song marches along nicely on the back of hard guitar, a sort of dark, ominous feel to it, and their vocalist is a little high-pitched in a manner which reminds me of Halford, though nowhere near as good. If “It’s electric” was the clean track, “Brain damage” has dirt all over it, and revels in its muckiness. It falls apart in the middle, when the guys try to emulate a madman being released from the nut hatch, but it just sounds like they’ve gone out of tune. Good solo though.

So where are they now?

After the release of their third album, “Storm”, on their third label, nothing more has been heard of Fist, and even that album was recorded by a totally different lineup, with only the original founder remaining. Having managed to struggle to survive into the twenty-first century --- more than many NWOBHM bands could do --- we must assume they are now broken up.

Track three: “Let it rip” by Raven.

Again, you’ll find a full profile of them in that series in my journal, but Raven were considered one of the stayers of the movement, and augmented their success by heading Stateside, unlike Praying Mantis (also featured) who used their trip across the ocean to disassociate themselves from their fanbase and never really recovered. Raven were one of the harder bands, playing loud and fast, almost edging into speed metal territory, though they apparently described their style as “athletic rock”.

The track flies along with snarling guitars, vocalist John Gallagher coming close to the sort of vocals Lemmy and even James Hetfield employed. Again there’s nothing clever or groundbreaking about the song, even in its lyrical content. But it is a lot of fun, and it rocks like a good thing!

So where are they now?

As I said, Raven were one of the few to make it out of the slew of bands all fighting for success in the early eighties, and released twelve albums, the most recent of which hit the shelves in 2009. With gigs lined up including a cruise from Miami to Mexico, they’re definitely still relevant today and one of the small number of survivors from the NWOBHM.

Track four: “Gotta get back to you” by Prowler

Very little information available on these lads, not helped by the fact that there were in fact two bands in the UK called Prowler, both of whom operated during the era of the NWOBHM and both of whom played the same style of music. The only details I can dig up about this Prowler is that they only ever recorded one track (this one, presumably) and then changed their name to Samurai (with stunning and almost pigheaded irony, taking the name already used by a band in Wales!), but this didn’t work out either and they are split up now.

The track’s a fast, uptempo kind of song, sort of a Memphis blues feel to it, decent singer but at the moment I don’t hear anything special that lifts it above the rest of the pile, and nothing to justify some comments that it was better than average. I’m assuming --- though I could be wrong --- that the band’s name was taken from the Iron Maiden song on their debut. Whether the other Prowler did the same or not I can’t say. Pretty sweet guitar solo, to be fair. Oh wait! This is nice! The guitarist is riffing off a Russian jig! Now that’s different, if somewhat out of place.

So where are they now?

As mentioned, after having taken the same name as another band working in the same field Prowler changed their name to Samurai, perhaps unaware that they were again taking the same name as another band working in the same field. Yep, there was already a band in Wales using that name. Research, guys! Research! Then they appear to just have faded away.

Track five: “Fantasia” by Sledgehammer

Another, it has to be said, fairly average band, their profile probably not helped by the fact they came from Slough, in Berkshire. I mean, do you know of any big bands who originated there? Again though they appear to have been badly managed and despite releasing an album (more than Prowler did!) they just never made it big. Oddly enough, this doesn’t seem to appear on their only album, “Blood on their hands”, nor the, ah, compilation released in 1984. Strange little track with a good beat and a slight sense of Lizzy in the guitars. Interesting and funny lyric in ”She blew my mind/ And that ain’t all!” Cheeky, boys! Cheeky! A good stomper, good fun, but ultimately a little throwaway I feel.

So where are they now?

Little is known of what happened to them, and after a three-year hiatus in 1980, somewhat a la Diamond Head, they lost whatever momentum they were gaining through their purportedly excellent live shows, people moved on and forgot them. By the time they returned in 1983 with their album, nobody really cared and Sledgehammer became yet another burned-out shell of a car on the busy motorway of the NWOBHM.

Track six: “Breakdown” by Colin Towns.

Colin Towns was best known for his work with Ian Gillan in the ex-Purple man’s solo band, though he later broke out from the Metal genre and composed soundtracks for many films and TV series. He is principally a pianist/keyboard player.

Well, unfortunately here is where I have to make a confession. I don’t have the album. It was never mine. My brother owned it and I listened to it, but that was three decades ago and whether he even has it now is doubtful, but if he does it doesn’t help me as a) we don’t talk and b) it was on vinyl and I have no turntable anymore. Deep searches on the net have all come up blank, mostly due to this I guess being an obscure song in the now-impressive catalogue of a successful composer, so I can’t tell you what the song is like, though I have a feeling it was quite progressive. But I don’t recall being overly impressed by it. Oh well.

So where are they now?

As related above, Towns parted company with Gillan and became a very successful and in demand composer of soundtracks. He also released some solo albums. He’s still going strong today.

Track eight: “Earthquake at the Savoy” by Mick Underwood

Another ex-Gillan alumnus, Underwood had been around a long time before he joined that band, and became a respected drummer for many bands.

Sadly, the track is another one that has the internet stymied and has not survived. I know it was an instrumental, and given that Underwood is a drummer, well you can guess the picture. Bernie Torme, ex of Gillan and later Whitesnake, also guests on it.

So where are they now?

Having been in so many bands prior to Gillan, Underwood is still going strong and has his own band, Mick Underwood’s Glory Road.

Track eight: “Back to the grind” by White Spirit

We met White Spirit on "Metal for Muthas II", and again we find a song pretty much out of its subgenre really, being led in on thick organ and mostly keyboard-based. This track does at least have a goodly amount of guitar, but there’s no way it’s anything approaching Metal. It might slide in as Pomp Rock but I think it’s very close to Progressive Rock, and there is no room anywhere in its style for Metal. Like “High upon high” on the previous album it is in fact a really great track, just totally out of place here.

So where are they now?

Again, see the other review.

Track nine: “Can’t say no to you” by Quartz

Quartz came out of the mean streets of Birmingham around the mid-seventies, and at that time there was one man anyone in a band was bound to bump into. Yes, that pop rocker hated of so many metallers, Jeff Lynne. Guitarist Mick Hopkins worked with Lynne in The Idle Race, before the man who would later mastermind ELO moved on to, um, The Move. Quartz released three albums, and are still together.

A fist-pumping anthem, this is taken from their second album, “Stand up and fight”, but though it’s hard enough the vocals are totally wimpy, more on the side of Rod Stewart or maybe David Coverdale than Ronnie James Dio. Good track though, edges into AOR territory more than once.

So where are they now?

Quartz reformed in 2011 after twenty-eight years apart to play a reunion gig. No new material was forthcoming, and so far their 1983 album “Against all odds” remains their last release.

Track nine: “Hold on” by Xero

Another band we introduced in the previous review. This is much more like it! After an almost doomy, grindy opening it kicks into a Maiden-style high tempo rocker with some exquisite guitar and some fine bass lines. Very commercial in its way, quite catchy but still heavy and rocky. One of the better tracks on the album. Yeah, even including Diamond Head. Unfortunately. as this was the B-side of that “dodgy” single featuring Bruce Dickinson which I mentioned in the review of their track on “Metal for Muthas Vol II” it’s very hard to get your hands on. Should have been a classic.

So where are they now?

See previous review.

Track eleven: “Day to day” by Cryer

Okay, well other than that they were also from Birmingham I can find no information about this band. Seems this was their only single, and track. Speaking of which:

Yeah. Thought I had it, till that annoying message came up: “This video does not exist.” Seems there’s no trace left of them, even their music.

So where are they now?

Your guess is as good as mine. Even the internet doesn’t know!

Track twelve: “Black queen” by May West

Oh this will be fun! No doubt Google will constantly ask me “did you mean Mae West?” No I bloody didn’t! Oh, and it’s a round dessert cake with cream filling, apparently! Ah, I give up! Can I find the track?

Yes, that’s what I said. The track. Is there an echo in here? Did someone bring their pet parrot in? Do we --- Forget it. I can’t find it either. What a crock!

So where are they now?

Will you stop asking me that? I told you, I don’t know!!!

Sorry about that. The unavailability of many of these last few tracks, coupled with a total dearth of information about them, shows I suppose the lack of impact their music had on the Metal scene in general, and on the NWOBHM in particular. However it isn’t all doom and gloom; as we saw, some of these bands went on to do quite well, and some are still around today. In contrast to the bulk of those heard on “MFM2” I think the odds swung a lot more in favour of the vast majority of these bands, whereas those on the previous one largely disappeared into obscurity.

TRACKLISTING

1. It's electric (Diamond Head)
2. Brain damage (Fist)
3. Let it rip (Raven)
4. Gotta get back to you (Prowler)
5. Fantasia (Sledgehammer)
6. Breakdown (Colin Towns)
7. Earthquake at the Savoy (Mick Underwood)
8. Back to the grind (White Spirit)
9. Can't say no to you (Quartz)
10. Hold on (Xero)
11. Day to day (Cryer)
12. Black Queen (May West)

So perhaps “Brute force” was the way to go in the end huh? Other than for Cryer, Xero, Quartz, Sledgehammer, May West…

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Unknown Soldier

Business as usual eh not liking one of my pics Anyway I’ve got crocodile skin (you need that when you’re a Styx fan) so no problem.

Personally I can’t believe that you can’t see the metal link (even if you class it as a hard rock album) here from 1972. The band play like Deep Purple and Uriah Heep, and sound like the Flower Travellin’ Band meaning that they sound off their rockers. It’s fairly normal for any German band at this time to have Krautrock tendencies and the jazz is a nice touch.

To say that Night Sun should have no link to say 1980s metal, is to to say that both Deep Purple and Uriah Heep shouldn’t either, as all are bands that share the same principal characteristics of using the same type of guitar and organ sound. Night Sun display real speed on several songs and combine them with mid-paced pounders, I’ve reviewed numerous albums with that same combination recorded quite a few years after this album and the combination of speed and medium pace is a staple for many metal bands, you even mentioned the Tony Iommi inspired doom on one track as well.

Bands like Night Sun are cult bands amongst metal enthusiasts and without these bands I doubt metal in the 80s would have been as interesting.

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Metal Wars

Power Metal

Pounding Decibels- A Hard and Heavy History

Wpnfire

These are random comments for stuff from like two pages ago:

• First of all, Trollheart--as you happened to notice earlier--I have never been in this thread before and I would just like to say I am very impressed with the variety of reviews here--and by that I mean all the different sub-genre reviews and theme reviews. Also some of them go beyond informative, they're hilarious too. Well done.
  
• I would just like to say that Seasons in the Abyss is not 1/10th the album that Reign is.
  
• So I've never listened to Limp Bizkit. Also yeah I agree with Trollheart, WTF kind of name for a band is limp bizkit? I thought nickelback was an awful name for a band...
  
• Also...God Hates Us All was released on September 11, 2001?? That...can't be. Where's Data when you need him?? What are the odds of that happening?

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Trollheart

Blind rage --- Accept --- 2014 (Nuclear Blast)


Say it loud, say it proud: I have always been a fan of Accept. I mean never. Never been a fan of Accept. To be fair, I've heard little from them, other than their supposedly seminal album “Balls to the wall”, which I heard at the height of a particularly nasty houseparty next door as I was trying to sleep, so as you can imagine that album did not exactly leave a great impression upon me. But Accept are accepted (sorry) as one of the premier German heavy metal bands and although I initially had intended to include this as part of the German section of “The International Language of Metal”, I made a decision not to feature any current albums there. However I had already reviewed this before I made that decision, so no sense in all that work going to waste, is there?

It opens on “Stampede”, with an almost operatic, dramatic intro before the twin guitars of Herman Frank and Wolf Hoffman blast in. This is the third outing for new vocalist Mark Tornillo, and though I didn't particularly like Udo Dirkschneider (what I heard of him), his voice was a little easier to accept (sorry, again) than this new guy. Tornillo seems to come from the school of Death Metal, and he growls and spits out the lyrics without, to me, as much emotion or passion as old Udo. It's a decent opening, powerful and striking though perhaps a little slower than I might have expected with a title like that, and the axework of Hoffman and Frank can't be understated. Still, so far at least they've failed to win me over, but this is after all only track one, and there are ten more to go.

“Dying breed” is up next, and it's more a chugalong rocker, with elements of Sabbath and Maiden at their best; even Tornillo's voice is a little easier to (no, I'm not going to say it again) take this time out, and with some very goth metal style backing vocals it's a decent song, far better than “Stampede”. Again the boys shine on guitar, while Stefan Schwarzmann hammers out the beat and his partner-in-rhythm, Peter Baltes, keeps pace. Yeah, this is much better, but will it be maintained throughout the album I wonder? In terms of value for money “Blind rage” is not bad, with eleven tracks in all, none of which dip below the four minute mark and one or two that edge over six minutes. I don't think there are any instrumentals: I get the feeling Accept don't do instrumentals.

“Dark side of my heart” is in fact one of the shorter ones, just about making it past the four and a half minute mark, and has a certain element of AOR about it, with a great beat and again fine backing vocals. It's kind of mid-paced, rocking but not thrashing and though some people will no doubt headbang to it, I expect there are faster, more headbangworthy songs on this album. A grinder, a cruncher, call it what you will, the next one up is much slower and pounding, kind of reminds me in ways of Sabbath's “Heaven and Hell” or Dio's “Egypt (The chains are on)”. This one comes in on the longer side of things, throwing in some sort of Viking/Goth influences over its almost six-minute run, and “Fall of the empire” has a really great little hook in its chorus. I must say, after what I considered to be a lacklustre opening this album is really shaping up. No bad tracks yet, that one excepted. I said “excepted”!

Nice political/topical lyric in ”Will the mountains crumble to the ground?/Will the Earth stand still?/Will we rise into a mushroom cloud?/Will the mountains crumble?” (Okay, perhaps not the most imaginative of lines, but it surely beats singing about beer, women and fighting?) which does at least show that Accept are thinking about world issues, and I would venture to predict that “Trail of tears” looks at the plight of the North American Indian? Well, it kicks the tempo right back up, that's for sure, as Schwarzmann unleashes his powerful drumbeats, and yes, it's Accept's “Run to the hills”, though perhaps that's not fair: I'm sure many metal bands have written about the disenfranchisement of the Native Americans. But that's the song that comes to mind when I think of the near-eradication of the red man from America. It's a good song, with some fine soloing from Herr Frank and Herr Hoffman, taking us into “Wanna be free”, with a nice little acoustic guitar intro raising the possibility that this may be a ballad.

It picks up in power fairly quickly but generally stays slow, and seems to reference the global cancer of white slavery --- well it does obviously, as the chorus has Tornillo roar ”No more human trafficking!” So that's that sorted then. Fair play to them: a great cause to champion, and it's a really good song too, with again another killer hook. I can just see the audience pumping studded fists in the air as they all yell ”We all wanna be free!” Well, don't we? Seems Accept have tapped into something of a zeitgeist here. Although in fairness it's only the first verse that talks of white slavery, as they they go on to focus on other wrongs such as poverty and homelessness and addiction. And yes, I'm getting more used to Tornillo's voice now, kind of a harsher Axl Rose. Sort of. At least he doesn't scream like Udo did. Well, not yet anyway. Though he does just then go back to that growl he had at the beginning for “200 years”; it's not so bad now. Rocks along nicely, this track with a cool line ”Welcome to the Stone Age/ 200 years after Mankind!” clearly referring back to the lyrical content of “Fall of the empire”. Well, it seems the empire has fallen, and with the passing of Man (”Population zero!”) and all his technology the Earth has reverted to an earlier, more natural state.

I hear echoes of Bowie in here, and Queen, and Balance of Power too. “Bloodbath mastermind” has a really sweet, echoey guitar to open it then a rolling beat from Schwarzmann kicks it all up to ten as the riffs start churning out and Tornillo lets out a few screams, but I don't mind. This is good stuff, though to be honest after the other tracks this is a little below par for me. Not saying it's a bad track, just not as good as any of the six that have preceded it. Tornillo goes into a very Axl/Brett growl for “From the ashes we rise”, another mid-paced rocker with some almost Kansas-style vocal harmonies. One thing this band seems to excel at is writing songs with catchy hooks, which is where the previous one fell down: there wasn't one. Here there is, and it adds an extra layer to an already pretty tasty song. The backing vocals are, again, very effective.

The longest track on the album at just a second short of six and a half minutes, “The curse” starts slowly, with some nice chimy guitar and a sort of tribal drumbeat, almost shades of Peter Gabriel's “Biko” in the guitar riff, then it's another philosophical track with lines like ”Who's the thief, who's the traitor?/ Who's the one who saved the day?/Who will stand in the spotlight/ While the good ones fade away?” Mid-paced again, a grinder and again with elements of AOR or certainly melodic metal in it, this is another winner on an album that has very few bad tracks at all. A really fine solo from one or the other of the guys --- don't ask me which --- and again that killer hook is in evidence, something that's not always the case with metal bands, especially German ones, where often how fast or hard you play seems to be more important than how you craft a song. We storm out in fine style then with “Final journey”, and on the strength of this album I think that's definitely not a prediction, or a threat. Accept prove they have culture too as the guitar solo rewrites Grieg's classical masterpiece “Morning” from “Peer Gynt.” Way to confuse the young 'uns, guys!

TRACKLISTING

1. Stampede
2. Dying breed
3. Dark side of my heart
4. Fall of the empire
5. Trail of tears
6. Wanna be free
7. 200 years
8. Bloodbath mastermind
9. From the ashes we rise
10. The curse
11. Final journey

So has this album made an Accept fan out of me? Well, I think it's difficult to make such a determination on the basis of one album, but one thing I can say about this is that I originally listened to it only for the purposes of review, but I've enjoyed it so much that I think I will be revisiting it purely for pleasure in the future. And that's not a bad start, is it?

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Trollheart

Time to slow things down again and relax with some nice metal ballads, before we charge on into the final stretch...
Kick off with a band called Iron Savior --- could be they're Christian Metal, could be they're not --- they're not --- and a track taken from their second album, “Unification”. This is “Forevermore”.


Iced Earth aren't the kind of band you usually associate with ballads, but as we've learned with this section everyone likes the odd break from the headbanging and the shredding. From the album “The dark saga” here's “I died for you”.


And anything Metallica can do, Megadeth can too! Here's “Blood of heroes”, from “Youthanasia”.


Band I've never heard before, called Twilight Guardians, from one of the countries that is fast becoming my favourite both for metal and prog, Finland. This is from their debut album, released in 2000 and titled “Tales of the brave”. Nice little song called “Snowfall”.


And we end with Ratt (remember them?) with “Giving yourself away” from the album “Detonator”.

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The Batlord

Not really helping with your whole fuddy-duddy image there, Trollheart.

And albums are put in italics. Songs are put in quotation marks. How is it that when it comes to music your grammar just goes right out the window?

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Isbjørn

This. Oh, and Trollheart, I'm throwing Restless and Wild by Accept at you.

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Trollheart

In direct contrast to the first two albums I reviewed in this trilogy of various artists compilations (shoulda gone “Triple Box Set” on this puppy! Oh well …) the final album features almost exclusively established bands who are still working, many of whom are well known or even famous. Almost all of them come from the US or Canada, and hardly any of them have anything to do with the NWOBHM. That notwithstanding, this was for me the first time I heard of many of them. In some cases it led me to check further into their music. In others, not so much.


Killer Watts --- Various Artists --- 1980 (Epic)

Considering that this was released at the height of the NWOBHM, it shows quite clearly that, until the new bands in the UK began making themselves heard, and some of them such as Maiden Leppard and Raven extended their fanbase across the water, US metal ruled. Although really some of these artistes could scarcely be called Metal. Journey? REO? Gimme a break! Still, the fact is that many of the bands and singers featured here could pack out a stadium while even Maiden at this point could just about fill the likes of the Marquee, though that of course would change. But for now, British Metal was mostly seen as the newcomer, the little annoying brother who kept wanting to come on trips with his older, more experienced and world-weary sibling, but who could not be easily shaken off.

American Metal --- even if you prefer to call it Hard Rock, or in the case of Journey and REO, soft rock --- was well established by 1980 and though the tectonic shift taking place across the ocean would change the musical landscape globally forever and have far-reaching consequences for the older guard as bands like Metallica and Anthrax and Slayer rose up, right now they were in the ascendancy, unaware that their reign was soon to be challenged. A new breed of metalheads, hungry, raw and champing at the bit to be let loose, were about to descend upon the shores of America and do for US Metal what the Irish did for the Chicago Police Department.

But all that was in the (near) future, and complacent in their superiority, these were the bands who ruled America from coast to coast, some of the heaviest bands striding the Land of the Free and showing the youngsters who dreamed of being as huge as they were how it was done. As these bands are all well known I won’t be running the “Where are they now” section: everybody knows where REO, Aerosmith and Priest are now, and as for short bios? I doubt anyone will need them for a large percentage of the bands here. But those who are perhaps lesser known may be afforded a line or two.

Track one: “The World Anthem” by Frank Marino and Mahogany Rush

The only artiste to have two tracks on this compilation, it’s a little strange that Epic decided to put them one after the other, which kind of dulls the impact of the second one, but however. Frank is one of the Canadians of which I spoke, and in fact as I double-check the track listing I see there are two European bands here, one from England, but the rest are all from ‘cross the water. One of the most underrated guitarists of the age, Frank Marino recorded seven albums with his band, Mahogany Rush, later albums appending his name to the band, but they split in the late seventies and Frank continued on his own, solo under his own name. My only real other experience of his music is the 1981 album “Juggernaut”, which is ok but contains one of the most powerful anti-war songs I have ever heard.

This first track is from his fifth album with Mahogany Rush, released in 1977, and it is in fact the title track of that album. It’s a typically bombastic track with a big keyboard and guitar intro, which may or may not be “O Canada” (some Canadians might help me out here?) and is an instrumental that runs for over three minutes. If you were to have an introduction to this album then this is a great one, and it really highlights Frank’s Hendrix-like skills on the axe. In fact, if, as has been said, he is emulating the Great One, an accusation he wishes to distance himself from, and if this is the Canadian national anthem, then he’s not helping himself by repeating what Jimi did with “The Star-Spangled Banner”.

Track two: “Rock ‘n’ Roll Hall of Fame” by Frank Marino and Mahogany Rush

Like I said, for some reason the label saw fit to put two Marino tracks one after the other, so if you hate him it’s not a great start. Still, who could hate Frank? It’s a faster, rockier track which allows Marino to exercise his vocal cords as well as his guitar arm, and though he has that sort of gravelly voice you associate with the likes of Joe Cocker it’s certainly distinctive and powerful. Real rock and roll, man! Plus his guitar skills cannot be ignored.

Track three: “USA” by Ray Gomez.

Although I had never heard of him and can find no big bands he was in, it’s odd because apparently Ray rubbed shoulders with everyone from Lennon to Anderson, and Bruford to Emerson, as well as working with some jazz giants. “USA” is from his first solo album called “Volume”. It’s generally a kind of AOR/soft rock song with a kind of West Coast feel about it, reminds me of the likes of REO and maybe Foreigner. Definitely not what I’d call Metal, though to be fair the album never claims to be a Metal compilation. Very catchy in a sort of Jackson Brown/John Cougar Mellencamp way. Powerful guitar, which is only what you would expect of the man once dubbed “a guitarist’s guitarist”.

Track four: “Flesh and blood” by Ted Nugent.

Ah, who doesn’t know the wildman of Metal? Whether you’re revelling in his screaming guitar solos or shaking your head at his ideas on gun control and hunting, you can’t ignore this force of nature. This track is taken from his sixth album, “Scream dream”, and while I’ve never been a fan and don’t know much of the man --- got halfway through the track then could take no more of his screaming --- it probably needs to be accepted that this is the first of the real Metal tracks on the album. After all, if Ted Nugent isn’t Heavy Metal, who is?

Track five: “Knock ‘em dead kid” by Trooper.

Apparently well known in their native land, this is the second Canadian artiste featured on the album, and comes from their third album of the same name. Oddly, though they had hits from the album --- presumably only in Canada --- this was not one of them. It’s a pretty good track, with a sort of marching, swinging boogie rhythm and some very decent vocals. One of the first on the album that really made me sit up and take notice.

Track six: “Rapid fire” by Judas Priest.

Sounding as out of place within this mixture of American rock giants and minnows as a nun at a Slayer concert, Priest are the only English band on the album. I’ve never been a fan, and what I heard at the time of this song did nothing to change that. Listening to it now, I like it a whole lot better than I did then. It comes from their seminal classic “British steel” and I guess gave American audiences a preview of what was soon to hit their shores. It’s a fast-paced track with something of the rhythm of Motorhead in it, but then, it’s off “British steel” so let’s assume you all know it backwards.

Track seven: “Godzilla” by Blue Oyster Cult.

Even the least Metal-savvy poseur has heard “Don’t fear the Reaper”, so BOC can happily say there is unlikely to be anyone in the world who does not know of them, if not actually know their music. This is from their album “Spectres”, and was a hit for them. Again, BOC kind of straddle the line between Hard Rock and Heavy Metal, though I would tend to say they fall more on the side of the former. The track is down and dirty, with grindy guitar and some hilarious lyrics, but then what would you expect from a song written about a monster Japanese lizard? ”Oh no! They say he’s gotta go/ Oh no Godzilla!/ Oh no! There goes Tokyo!/ Oh no Godzilla!” Class.

Track eight: “Need a little girl (Just like you)” by Rick Derringer.

A man who has played with everyone from Zep to the Stones, and Alice Cooper to Steely Dan, Derringer was, and remains, someone I personally know little about, though his band had a huge hit in the sixties. Derringer is not his real name of course. Cool bass intro with some wild guitar, but the vocal doesn’t do anything for me.

Track nine: “Back on the road again” by REO Speedwagon.

One of the biggest rock groups in the USA during the 80s, REO of course became famous for the ballads “Can’t fight this feeling” and “Keep on loving you”, but they could rock as well, as this song demonstrates. Taken from their “Nine lives” album, it’s interestingly the only one on the album written by their bassist, Bruce Hall. Wonder if it reflects real-life experience by him? You can read all about it in the latest “Two sides of the same coin” feature a few pages back. I must admit, one of the better tracks on the album. My favourite overall.

Track ten: “Line of fire” by Journey.

Although I’m a big Journey fan this is from one of their albums I really hate, “Departure” --- odd in a way, as my favourite of theirs is “Arrival” --- but it does showcase the harder side of a band renowned and often reviled for soft-rock ballads. “Line of fire” proves Journey have some teeth, but I never liked it. Sort of a fast boogie feel to it but it’s way too wimpy to be on this album. A broken circuit in this high-energy fretfest. Someone put the plug back in!

Track eleven: “Solid as a rock” by Shakin’ Street.

Ah, that’s better! We’re back on track. Another of my favourites, Shakin’ Street were a pretty well known band in France, and among others featured a man who was to make his mark in no uncertain terms later, one Ross the Boss, who of course went on to help form Manowar. The song has his trademark guitar sound, and a real sense of melody to it, and singer Fabienne Shine certainly has a powerful voice. The song is of course driven by a powerful, stomping guitar riff and has an almost punk sensibility about it.

Track twelve: “L’elite” by Trust.

Following on from a French band we have another, the mighty Trust who, although virtually unknown beyond their home shores, have continued to churn out excellent albums over a career spanning more than thirty years. This is from their second, “Trust I (L’elite”)” before they began singing in English. Unless you know French you have no idea what’s being sung but that doesn’t matter as it’s a rocking, speeding track that gives you everything you want in a Metal song: power, pace, passion and (I sound like Alan Hansen!) energy. Vive la France!

Track thirteen: “Too wild to tame” by The Boyzz.

Wow. They really took their time coming up with a snappy name for their band, didn’t they? Living up to their “too wild to tame” claim though they were a biker band whose vocalist performed athletic feats on stage. However they may have been too wild to tame but they were not too good to drop, and Epic did just that when their first self-titled album failed to sell well. Good song though and kind of reminds me a little of a heavier Quireboys. Interesting use of brass in the track.

Track fourteen: “Let the music do the talking” by The Joe Perry Project.

Guitarist with American icons Aerosmith, Joe Perry formed this solo outfit after a nasty argument with Steven Tyler which resulted in his quitting the band. Possibly much of the material that formed the debut album “Let the music do the talking” could be said to be technically Aerosmith property as it was recorded while Perry was with them, and he took it with him when he left. However there seems to have been no fight over ownership, and Perry released three solo albums before returning to the fold in 1984. It’s a good fast rocker, as you would expect from Aerosmith’s lead axeman.

Track fifteen: “No surprise” by Aerosmith.

And to follow the wayward guitarist we have his parent band. This is actually taken from the album on which Perry walked out halfway through, and so between the two tracks we capture a moment in the history of the band, a moment when Aerosmith had to go on without Perry as he sulked and created his own music. I’m not a huge fan of Aerosmith, which is to say I know little of their music beyond the hits. But even this sounds a little weak compared to what I have heard. Were they missing Perry that much?

Track sixteen: “Checkin’ it out (Baby don’t you cry)” by Ozz.

Hard to find any information about these guys without running into Ozzy, so I can’t tell you anything other than that they were a mixed-race duo. And as far as I know, from America not Australia, as you might have thought. Not a bad track but a little lacking in power and energy. Was never one of my favourite tracks on the album, but it leads into one.

Track seventeen: “Boogie no more” by Molly Hatchet.

Oh yeah! I love some Southern Boogie, and the Hatchet do it better than most. This is a great track that starts with a slow, grindy guitar accompanied by a growling, raw vocal from Danny Joe Brown that soon ramps up into a real Southern Boogie guitarfest that almost --- almost --- rivals that on “Freebird”. What a closer!

TRACKLISTING

1. The World Anthem (Frank Marino and Mahogany Rush)
2. Rock and roll hall of fame (Frank Marino and Mahogany Rush)
3. USA (Ray Gomez)
4. Flesh and blood (Ted Nugent)
5. Knock 'em dead kid (Trooper)
6. Rapid fire (Judas Priest)
7. Godzilla (Blue Oyster Cult)
8. Need a little girl (just like you) (Rick Derringer)
9. Back on the road again (REO Speedwagon)
10. Line of fire (Journey)
11. Solid as a rock (Shakin' Street)
12. L'elite (Trust)
13. Too wild to tame (The Boyzz)
14. Let the music do the talking (The Joe Perry Project)
15. No surprise (Aerosmith)
16. Checkin' it out (Baby don't you cry) (Ozz)
17. Boogie no more (Molly Hatchet)

Although this can be seen as a flawed collection --- I mean, really! Come on! Journey? REO? Did anyone ever, in the history of everything, ever once link those two bands with the term “killer watts”? Credit us with some intelligence and taste, Epic! --- its release was either timely or a great coincidence, as being on the market the same year as the other two albums --- albeit three thousand miles away --- gives us both sides of the spectrum of rock music at the beginning of the 1980s. On the US side of things you have established acts like Aerosmith, BOC and Molly Hatchet, plying their trade as they have always done, secure in the knowledge that they are big bands and are always assured of sell out concerts.

On the other side of the Atlantic, quietly plotting the overthrow of the old order (okay not quietly but without too much initial fanfare), bands nobody had heard of were staking their claim, gearing up for the revolution to come and more than ready to show the old guard how it was done in the new decade. Some of these bands would of course come to nothing, and fade away with barely a whisper, but others would not only conquer America but influence a whole new movement there that would bring Heavy Metal out from behind the skirts of Hard Rock, and make it faster, harder and more aggressive, even progressive, than its older cousin could ever have hoped to be.

It’s interesting, though hardly surprising, too, to note how different the two compilations are from each other, if you take “Brute force” and “Metal for Muthas” as one product. In the UK, with the NWOBHM in full swing, record labels were showcasing the new talent, unknown bands who (they hoped) would rise to become stars and lead a new revolution in music. Apart from Iron Maiden --- who were even at the point of the release of these two albums a long way short of proper commercial success --- there isn’t one band on either of the two UK albums that was known in any real sense at the time. The US album is stuffed full of bands everyone knew, who had been the mainstay of American rock for at least a decade and who, honestly, probably never foresaw any challenge to their dominance. Yes, there were other, lesser known artistes there, and even a few European ones, but in general “Killer watts” is a US release and proudly shows off the superior firepower of American rock music, somewhat smug and complacent.

But there was a storm brewing, a change coming. It hadn't broken over America yet, but over on the shores of old Blighty, thunder was rolling and lighting was crackling, and heavy clouds were moving across the sky. In the approaching tsunami which was making its way from Britain to the USA, those who held musical power in the States would soon find themselves being carried along, learning to swim with it or risk drowning and being cast aside as the new order established itself.

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Now, the real question is, can I find the last album (so far) in order to review it? Well it proved tricky, but I did eventually track it down (without having to buy it) and I'm rather glad I did, as I note with some sadness what all Slayer fans will have known for some time, that it was the last album to feature Jeff Hanneman before his untimely death in 2013. There is a new album due out next year, but this has got to mark the end of an era for Slayer, losing one of their founder members, principal songwriters and Kerry's guitar partner. Must have been tough.


World painted blood --- Slayer --- 2009

Before he fell ill though, there was a chance to hear Hanneman play with his bandmates and dazzle us all one more time, as Slayer released their tenth album. He wrote the music for half the songs, and wrote or contributed to the lyrics on half as well, the rest written by Kerry King with some small input from Tom Araya. I'm sorry to say though that the usual done to death subjects are again in evidence: serial killers, war, religion and madness, but then, what at this point did you expect from a new Slayer release?

No doubt The Batlord, and others, will be saying at this point “Shit man! What are you thinking of? Deeper meaning in Slayer albums? Lyrics? Concepts? That's not what Slayer are about! It's about the power, the aggression, the speed!” And yes guys, I know that, I get it: you don't speak the words Slayer and subtlety in the same sentence, nor the word original. I understand that's how they roll. But it doesn't help me reviewing the albums if that's the only criteria I have to use.
“This album's fast and brutal.”
“This album's brutal.”
“This album's brutal, but not as brutal as the last. Oh, and it's aggressive.”
Wouldn't make for very good reviews, would it?

So I have to search a little deeper, even if there is no depth to be found. And to be fair, some of these lyrics are damn good. And well written. These guys aren't braindead. I just wish they could get away from the three or four main subjects they always seem to write about, and try something new.

The title track comes in slowly and sort of in an understated manner, with sound effects in a Sabbath groove before it explodes into the usual Slayer fare, rocketing along a Mach II, but with a darker, deeper tone than in most of the other albums to date. The song itself seems to be a carryover from the final, and bonus, track of the previous album, “Final six”, detailing the Apocalypse in lurid, gory detail in which Slayer seem to revel, almost as if they're looking forward to the end of days. King is in fine form and Hanneman, in his last contribution to the band makes a real impression, almost as if he knows he will not be around for much longer. The two guitarists seem to spar and war with each other as the returned Dave Lombardo stomps along the drumbeat like a drill sergeant watching his charges with a flinty gleam in his eye.

“Unit 731” revisits the themes of “Angel of death” from “Reign in blood”, this time focussing on the atrocities practiced not by a Nazi doctor but by a Japanese one. Pounding along at full tilt, there is to be honest nothing in this that's not in the earlier song, and why they bothered is beyond me. Surely all that can be said has been said about this subject? What's next? What the Russians did in World War II? Gulags? Guantanamo? Sigh. Originality, thy name is not Slayer. Decent song but seems a little pointless. At least “Snuff” treads somewhat newer ground, detailing how the internet has become a breeding ground and marketplace for every kind of filth and deviance you could want, not that that's news to anyone. Good use of irony in the lyric: ”Action! Torture, misery, endless suffering.” and ”The internet's an open door/ Everyone can see/ Dyng brutally/ The audience begs for more.” Sick but true. Great screaming solo to start the song off and it sets the pace for a track that in true Slayer fashion seems not to even understand the concept of slowing down. Pretty, as they say, brootal stuff.

I like the idea behind “Beauty in order”, as they finally step a little outside their frankly constricting box to try something a little new, tellign the story of Countess Bathory, said to have bathed in virgins' blood. Good dark vibe to this with some cartoonish screams made by Kerry on the frets, but they work well within the framework of the song. Tom sings it very well too; maybe a pity they didn't engage a guest female singer to give it that extra feeling of realism and connect the singer to the character, but are there any women who would work with Slayer I wonder? “Worldwide hate” has nothing new to offer in terms of lyrical content, though it's a powerful, driving song and a lot of fun on one level, while it's perhaps odd to see, after “Jihad”, the guys tackling the practice of law in arab countries, such as cutting off the hands as a punishment for theft. Hard to work out whether or not they agree with it or are protesting about it --- though, given their views on the liberalism of US justice, I'd be inclined to go for the former --- but “Public display of dismemberment” (surely to become known as PDD) rocks along with the sort of fire and anger and almost blind hatred set to music we've come to know (and love?) Slayer for.

And speaking of things we've come to know these four guys for, gimme an “A”! Gimme a “P”! Gimme an “O”! Gimme a “C”! Yeah, it's another song about the end of the world, this time mankind is wiped out by a genetic disease, and I must say musically “The human strain” is probably one of the best constucted of their songs I've heard in a long time, with Hanneman and King making the guitars somehow sound ominous as well as threatening, and when Araya dips into his more “normal” low voice he can be quite effective, kind of narrating rather than singing. They surprise me with a great rant against Big Oil in “Americon” as Tom screams ”It's all about the/ Motherfucking oil/ Regardless of the flag/ Upon its soil!” Spot on, guys. Spot on. The song has a great boogie beat too, and runs at a decent pace with some super solos from the guys. Another great track. They should do more stuff like this.

And we're back to another favourite subject, serial killers, with “Psychopathy red”, as the tempo hits up again, burning up the road with some excellent guitar interplay between Jeff and Kerry and, it must be noted, some really smooth bass licks from Tom. I'd like to say the return of Dave Lombardo is a revelation, but I can't: you all know my basic apathy towards drummers. One seems very much the same as the other and especially in Slayer's music I couldn't even tell personally that they had changed drummers if I hadn't read it. Sorry, Dave! “Playing with dolls” takes us back into the mind of the murderer, but with something of a twist, as this time it's seen through the eyes of a child who is witnessing --- but we assume not surviving --- the slaughter of their family. It even starts off differently to a standard Slayer song, with smooth guitar and a very ominous, threatening rhythm, slow and grinding, Tom bellowing his heart out but putting so much passion into his voice. Yeah, I have to say I really like this too.

And rather quickly it would seem, we're heading into the closing track, as “Not of this god” takes us out on a galloping guitarfest, with even a sort of drums solo from Lombardo in the middle, very hypnotic as the beat turns into a sort of blues/boogie like ZZ gone psycho. Mad guitar riffs scream all about Tom as he thunders on, like psychotic acolytes that suddenly jump to life as the two boys belt towards the song, and album's conclusion.

There is one bonus track to go though, so let's go searching for that ... There we go! “Atrocity vendor” appears also on the B-side of the single released of the title track, and it's fast and powerful as you would probably expect at this point, but to be completely fair to it, nothing special and probably only deserves to be a bonus track. If the album had ended on this I think it would have been a mistake. As it is it ends perfectly, a fusilade of hate and anger and power to keep fans going till next year when the new album hits the shelves.

TRACKLISTING

1. World painted blood
2. Unit 731
3. Snuff
4. Beauty through order
5. Hate worldwide
6. Public display of dismemberment
7. Human strain
8. Americon
9. Psychopathy red
10. Playing with dolls
11. Not of this god
12. Atrocity vendor

Well I must say that Slayer are beginning to show promise here. After nine albums they have finally really impressed me and some of the songs on this aren't just good, they're great. A few deviations from their usual lyrical fare are definitely welcome, and even their music has improved to a degree. Tom's singing seems to get better as he ages, but it's sad to say that it's the last we'll hear of founder member Jeff Hanneman. I would say rest in peace, but they don't believe in god do they? So I'll just say wherever you are now Jeff, I hope it's what you expected and that it's one bitchin' party.

And so we come at last to the end of my sojourn through Slayer's discography, my first Featured Artiste on Metal Month. Have I learned anything from it? Hell yeah! I've learned not to take a band like this for granted; if you look into their lyrics there's a lot more there than just angry shouting and cursing and wishes that various people were dead. There's quite some thought put into some of the songs --- many of the songs --- and though Batty, Jansz and others may think I'm misinterpreting certain songs or being overly analytical of what is in the end just a "Fuck-you" sentiment, I prefer to think that when any band writes a song they have some idea in mind, and hope to get across some message.

Slayer are still not a band I would listen to for pleasure, but I found to my surprise over the last month that reviewing their albums was not always the chore I had envisaged it to be. I would admit though that I don't see any huge development in the band from about the fourth album on; they seem to be sort of marking time, going through the motions --- always angrily of course --- and as I've remarked before, they really do need new subjects to write about. They've done war, Christ and serial killers to death (pun intended) at this point, so hopefully when they release their new one next year we'll see something different. Well, we can hope.

But it's certainly been an interesting time; loud, angry, vicious, fast, brutal, powerful: all of these adjectives can apply and do apply to Slayer, but one certainly does not: boring.

Thanks for listening to my ramblings over the last month and next year I'll be checking out the albums of Cannibal Corpse --- hey! Watch it Satan! You nearly skated right into me! Cold, innit?

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