Trollheart

Copperhead Road --- Steve Earle --- 1988 (MCA)
Sometimes you just take a chance. I've occasionally bought books whose cover just drew me in, so much so that I never bothered flipping them over to read the synopsis. Sometimes that's worked, sometimes not. There haven't been too many occasions though where I bought an album without knowing anything at all about the artiste, but that was exactly what happened the day I walked into Tower Records in Dublin and set my eyes on the sleeve of Steve Earle's “Copperhead Road” album.

Steve who, you say? Never heard of him! Me neither. Not then anyway. I had absolutely zero idea who he was, what sort of music he played, even if he was a he, and not some sort of euphemism for a band name! But that sleeve! You just couldn't help but be drawn to it. Hell, for all I knew, the guy (if he was a guy!) could have played grunge or disco or even classical, but the message on the album cover did not bespeak that. A snarling, grinning skull-and-crossbones stared out of what looked like a patch on a US Special Forces jacket, with Steve's name emblazoned above in yellow on red, and the album name in a sort of scroll undeneath, done in that sort of “Old Western” type. I flipped it over and looked at the back, One MEAN mofo looked out at me: a rough, tough sonofabitch with arms like tree-trunks covered in tattoos, long wild hair, wearing sunglasses and looking like he chewed beer-bottles for breakfast, standing in the midst of what was either an explosion or a dusty Texas road. Hell, you had to know this guy was tough, and his music would be raw, powerful and in-your-face.

I had to have the album!

And so I nervously slipped the disc out of its sleeve and onto the turntable, and the first sounds I heard were what sounded like bagpipes to me, but on checking now I think maybe violin? Anyway, not the thunderous reassurance I had expected or hoped for, Mister Earle! What are you DOING to me?

But then the first few bars went by, and the violin cut off, to be pounded into submission by stomping drums, and a banjo, bass, and then that growl which I learned to love and respect, the kind of voice you can only get from twenty or thirty years' hard drinkin' and smokin'. The kind of gravelly, raspy but attention-getting rasp that can only be found in the bottom of many bottles of Jack Daniels, chain-smokin' your way to Hell astride a Harley and laughin' in the face of the Devil hisself! The voice of Steve Earle, snarling “My name's John Lee Pettimore/Same as my daddy and his daddy before”.

Disco this was not!


Even at that though, the title track (for such it was) lopes along at a relatively sedate pace, sort of like an army marching, but you just sort of know that it's building to something, and when Steve growls “You could smell the whiskey burnin' down Copperhead Road!” the song just takes off, with the drums hammering out and laying down covering fire while Steve charges into battle with his band, and the song powers to its breathelss conclusion. As Cartman would say, sweet!

The song is, as I would find out later, like most of Steve's songs, quite politically-charged. I'm not entirely sure where Steve's political loyalties lie, if anywhere, but I have learned that he vehemently opposes the death penalty, and is very much against war in general, particularly the current “war for profit” of the Bush administration, and one would have to say, the following Obama one too, so far. “Copperhead Road” tells the story of a Vietnam vet who comes back from the war and sets up a drug-still where his grandfather used to make moonshine: “I take the seeds from Columbia and Mexico/ I just plant 'em in the holler down Copperhead Road.” Indeed, the song ends with a warning to the DEA, as Steve snarls “I learned a thing or two from Charlie, don't ya know/ You better stay away from Copperhead Road!” I'd heed his advice!

No sooner have you got your breath back than he's off again, this time again fooling with a honky-tonk piano line that then quickly morphs into heavy gee-tar and thumping drums, as “Snake oil” assails the ears, the tale of those conmen of old (and not so old) who would sell the unsuspecting --- and the downright stupid! --- a cure for anything they needed, as long as they had the cash. “Snake oil” gets into the political vibe too, with Steve quipping “Ain't your president good to you? / Knocked 'em dead in Libya. Grenada too/ Now he's taking his show a little further down the line/ Between me and him, people/ You're gonna get along just fine!” The honky-tonk piano keeps a great jangling beat right through the song, and it ends on a flourish on the piano, with Steve remarking in approval at the end “I knew there was a first-taker on this album somewhere!”


The heavy vibe keeps going for “Back to the wall”, a tough-talking, no-nonsense tale of being on your uppers: “Keep yourself to yourself/ Keep your bedroll dry / Boy you never can tell/ What the shadows hide/ Keep one eye on the ground/ Pick up whatever your find/ Cos you got no place to fall/ When your back's to the wall.” It's angry stuff, and you can tell Steve knows what he's talking about here. He ain't just singing about it, he's lived it. He's had his back to the wall, he knows what it's like.

I'm not even now certain of Steve's stance on gun law. He has been known to introduce “The Devils' Right Hand” with the following warning: “This ain't a song about gun control. It's already too late in America for that!” It's a great little tune, sort of a country/bluegrass feel to it, about how a kid thinks having a gun is so cool, but his mother tells him “The pistol is the Devils' right hand.” Not heeding this warning, the kid buys one when he is old enough and pays the inevitable consequence. “They asked me how I pleaded/ Not guilty I said/ Not guilty I said, ya got the wrong man/ Nothin' touched the trigger but the Devils' right hand!” Whether this is autobiographical or not I don't know --- Steve has had trouble with arms dealing in the past, so maybe, or maybe it's just his attempt to de-glamourise the idea of owning a gun. Either way, it's an impressive effort from a Texan!

The anger, somewhat diluted for the previous track, returns with a vengeance for the next track, “Johnny come lately”, which features, believe it or not, the Pogues, and is almost a jig or reel (never could tell the difference), but with what has now become Steve's signature heavy rhythm. The song recounts the difference between the way the homecoming heroes from World War II were treated as opposed to those returning from the 'Nam. “I'm standin' on a corner in San Diego/ Coupla Purple Hearts so I move a little slow/ Nobody here, maybe nobody knows/ Bout a place called Vietnam.”

When “Copperhead Road” was first released we hadn't too many CDs, and I bought it on vinyl, so I think I'm justified in saying that brings to a close side one of the album, and reviews of it mostly agreed that it is, like many a football match, a game of two halves. Side one is powerful, gritty, gutsy and daring, whereas, in general, side two contains more formulaic love songs, but still good stuff.Threre's nothing wrong with a Steve Earle ballad: many appear on his other albums --- but there are far better than what's on offer here. For examples, try “Poison lovers” or the excellent “Christmas in Washington” from 1997's “El Corazon”, “I don't wanna lose you yet” or the superlative “Over yonder” from 2000's “Transcendental blues”, or even back to his second release, 1987's “Exit 0”, for “It's all up to you”. By comparison, the likes of “Even when I'm blue”, which kicks off the second side of the album, is ordinary fare. It's good, it's reasonably heavy, but after the power of the previous five tracks it tends to less than satisfy, sort of like watching a great movie to the point where you can't wait to see how it ends, and it ends badly.

“You belong to me” gets a little rockier, carried on a sold rhythm section, but it's a little sparse: even the theme is somewhat hackneyed. “Waiting on you” is better: I just like the tune, I like the keyboard/organ outro, it just sounds better to me. It's also one of the only tracks on the album not written exclusively by Steve: on this one he collaborates with Richard Bennet, longtime contributor to Neil Diamond, wouldya believe, and lead guitarist on the famous hit by the Bellamy Brothers, “Let your love flow”. On the penultimate track, the fairly sub-standard “Once you love”, Steve teams up with Larry Crane, about whom I admit I know very little, other than he's a sound engineer and once ran his own studio.

The album comes to a close on a track most reviewers called “cheesy” (well, the polite ones did!) and “Christmassy”, but while it does have a very commercial feel about it, and sounds like it was actually written for the Yuletide Season, I like “Nothing but a child”. It's very acoustic and understated, and to me, more a song of hope and forgiveness that closes an album that opened with such venom and anger, and I believe says a lot about the artiste, and the journey he has undertaken to arrive where he is now. I think the closing lines of the song (and therefore the album) say it best:

“Nothing but a child/ Can wash those tears away/ And guide a weary world/ Into the light of day/ And nothing but a child/ Can help erase those miles/ So once again we all / Can be children for a while.”

Or maybe you prefer “You better stay away from Copperhead Road”? Either way, if you know nothing of Steve Earle, you could do a lot worse than check out this offering from a true country/rock soul poet, a Man For Our Times, or, to quote him from a later album, “Just a regular guy.”

Tracklisting
1. Copperhead Road
2. Snake oil
3. Back to the wall
4. The Devil's right hand
5. Johnny come lately
6. Even when I'm blue
7. You belong to me
8. Waiting on you
9. Once you love
10. Nothing but a child



Suggested further listening: "The hard way", "El corazon", "Transcendental blues", "I feel alright"

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Trollheart

Happiness is the road --- Marillion --- 2008 (Racket Records)

Before I get to the review of this album, I have to award Marillion the prize for the most innovative development in music marketing so far. You probably know the story, but for anyone who doesn't here's how it goes:
When Marillion released their new album "Happiness is the road", they put it up for free download on a certain site, and linked those files to upload them on all the major P2P networks (Limewire, Kazaa, Filepipe etc). Anyone who wants to can download each track off the full album with NO DRM or restrictions, with two conditions: 1, that they do NOT upload the files to a filesharing network and 2, that they have to watch a small video, made by the band, in which they explain their vision and look for the downloader's email address. This is not to spam them, or report them, but to add to their database and I guess mailing list, in the hope that the downloader will buy some other merchandise, other albums, come to a gig, or whatever, but give back something in return. For those who WANT to upload the files, Marillion have even provided DRM-restricted WMA files, so everyone can follow their own conscience.
It's a bold move, and a very positive one. I downloaded the tracks, and will be getting the album, whether it's good or bad, because I feel that if the band trusted me, then I should repay that trust, and hopefully this could be the shape of things to come.

So, on to the album itself. What's it like? Well, those who know me, or know of me will know that I'm a huge fan of Marillion, having been into them from the first album and have never heard a bad album from them. I've only seen them twice (Fugazi tour in the Hammersmith Odeon in '84 and Misplaced Childhood at home in Dublin in 1985), but they were brilliant each time. I have all their albums, and up until the release of last year's "Somewhere else" I had always loved their output, bought the albums without hesitation or fear, knowing, just knowing that they would be worth it. Admittedly, "Marbles" was a slow-burner, and I took some time to get into it, but now I love it. Not so with "Somewhere else" which, despite repeated listens has failed to grow on me. I had hoped this would not start a trend, that Marillion were not becoming a band I could no longer listen to and love, that this was not the beginning of the end.

So, is it?

Well, the jury's still out on that. I must admit, from the opening of the first track, "Dreamy Street", I was impressed. Lovely tinkling piano, understated vocals, slow and relaxing, a good intro to the album. But then, it only lasts a minute or so and the track is over. So my worry then was, 20 tracks but are they all, or are most, going to be short 1 or 2-minute affairs, so that the album is not actually as long as I had thought it would be? "Marbles" had 4 short intermezzos, as it were, all called Marbles, ie Marble I, II, III and IV, but there was also a 17-minute track on the album called "Ocean cloud", so that made up for the smaller tracks. I didn't see any "epic" tracks on "Happiness is the road", so yes, I was worried.



The thing about HITR is that it's a double album, split into two parts (those who are old enough will understand when I say that this would have been two sides on an album), the first called "Essence", the second "The hard shoulder". Now, it's not really important, but I sort of don't understand the thinking behind that. I can understand the second part, as it's named after part of a road (Happiness is the road, see?) but "Essence"? If they'd called part 1 something like "Fast Lane" or "Layby" then I think I might have understood it better. However, names aside, that's how the album is split, and it seems to me that, by coincidence or design, the "slower" songs are on part 1 and the more rockier tunes (though the album seldom DOES get rocky) are on part 2. Again, I would have thought the reverse would work better: rock out on part 1 then slow it down on part 2...

All that notwithstanding, there are some lovely tracks on this album. On "Essence" there is "Wrapped up in time", "Essence" itself and the quietly beautiful instrumental (a first for Marillion? I certainly can't recall another) "Liquidity", but it's in the title track that the album really shines. "Happiness is the road" starts off as a slow, balladish song but then sort of stops halfway and morphs into a bluesy, mid-paced rocker, replete with optimism and the teachings of a band who have been together (most of them) for over a quarter of a century. The central theme of this title track, and the theme running through the whole album, is that happiness is not at the end of the road, happiness IS the road, and that once you've found happiness you no longer need to travel. Basically, I think, what they're saying is that you don't need to travel to find happiness, because it's around you every day. Cheering words, and a welcome sentiment in these dark days of wars without end, credit crunches and global uncertainty.

Steve Hogarth's voice ("H", as he prefers to be known, and no, NOT the guy from Steps!) is on top form, crooning, pleading, cajoling and dispensing wisdom like a golden-tongued sensei, exorting us to, in the immortal words of Bill and Ted, be excellent to each other. Steve Rothery can still make a guitar do ANYTHING he wants it do, and wring the most incredible emotion out of solos and even just simple plucking motions on his six-stringed companion. Mark Kelly can blast arpeggios like a lunatic Rick Wakeman or tease out the most sensitive ivory teardrops with consummate ease, and as ever, Pete Trewavas' bass keeps a deep counterpoint and balance to every song, and often has much to say itself. I find it hard generally to enthuse or even have much to say about drummers --- and I hope no-one takes offence at that, as none is certainly intended: there are good ones and bad ones, but perhaps my musical ear is not sufficiently sensitive enough to pick out one from the other. To me, a drummer drums, and though he or she is an absolutely integral part of any band --- imagine “In the air tonight” without percussion, for instance --- it's hard to be critical, either constructively or negatively about them. So all I can say is that Ian Mosley does a fine job behind the skins, and hope that's not seen as dismissive, as it's not in any way meant to be.

In short, Marillion are a tight-knit group, a well-oiled machine and a band who are still at the top of their game, 26 years on, and 22 years after losing what could have been their biggest asset as Fish left to fly solo. They've output consistently brilliant albums, and I do think that in the end, for me at least, "Somewhere else" will either become an unfortunate blip on an otherwise flawless repertoire, or will end up taking its place, belatedly, on my record shelf somewhere between "Script", "Brave" and "Marillion.com". It's probably just a matter of time.

Anyway, on to the second half, or "side" of the album, "The hard shoulder". As mentioned before, this seems to be where the rockier and uptempo tracks live, and so is more louder and generally faster than its sister side. This is not to say it has NO slow tracks --- "Older than me" and “Throw me out” are very acceptable ballads, and in that regard would not be out of place on “side one”. But it's more tracks like "Whatever is wrong with you" (released as a downloadable YouTube before the album came out, and which by all accounts had thousands of viewings very quickly), "Especially true" and “thunder fly” that make up the majority of “The Hard Shoulder”, and they do keep up the old Marillion traditions, but the standout tracks so far for me are "Asylum Sateliite 1" and the closer "Real tears for sale". To my ears, so far, this side complements the other side quite well.

My fear is, and this may not be the case, that Marillion are turning more and more not into just a pop band, but almost a lounge band. There are very few tracks on this album that I could honestly see myself rocking out to, or even dancing to, and it all seems to me a little laid back, perhaps too much so. Okay, in fairness, Marillion were never a band you'd put on at the disco (can you imagine trying to dance to “Script” or “Emerald lies”?), but where they really gelled was as a serious progressive rock band, and to my ears they have definitey begun to stray from this model. Certainly, "Happiness is the road" seems to bear little resemblance to opuses like "Marillion.com", "Brave" or "Afraid of sunlight", and you would definitely be hard pressed to believe this was the band who produced "Script for a jester's tear", "Fugazi" and "Misplaced childhood".

That said, the change in direction could very well open up new avenues for the band, gain them new fans, but I hope not at the expense of old and faithful ones (very old, in my case!), who just may not "get" this new Marillion.

Whatever happens, you have to give them kudos for if nothing else trying to change the way bands and the music industry do business, how they treat their fans and how they protect their intellectual property without locking it behind huge DRM gates. I just hope that, in their zeal to push back the frontiers of music marketing, they haven't forgotten the simple and important truth that, money and advertising campaigns and record labels aside, in the end, it should be all about the music.



So, in the end, the question is, is happiness the road? Or are they on a road to nowhere? Have a listen and perhaps you can decide for yourself.

TRACKLISTING
Volume I: Essence
1. Dreamy Street
2. This train is my life
3. Essence
4. Wrapped up in time
5. Liquidity (instrumental)
6. Nothing fills the hole
7. Woke up
8. Trap the spark
9. A state of mind
10. Happiness is the road
11. Half-full jam (hidden/bonus track)

Volume II: The Hard Shoulder
1. Thunder fly
2. The man from planet Marzipan
3. Asylum Satellite #1
4. Older than me
5. Throw me out
6. Half the world
7. Whatever is wrong with you
8. Especially true
9. Real tears for sale



Suggested further listening: (Fish era) "Script for a jester's tear", "Fugazi", "Misplaced childhood" (Hogarth era) "Marillion.com, "Marbles", "Afraid of sunlight", "This strange engine", "Radiation"

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Trollheart

Night owl --- Gerry Rafferty --- 1979 (United Artists)

Note: this review was originally written for my first journal back in 2008, and was therefore of course penned prior to the tragic death of Gerry Rafferty. It goes without saying that the man will be sorely missed, and that his music will live on. I'd like to think that perhaps in some small way this review would contribute to the continuation of that legend.

I’ve loved Gerry Rafferty’s music since hearing him on “Baker Street”, way, way back in my youth, and I think this is perhaps one of his best albums. There are hit singles on it, but that’s really incidental: the great music is that which is not heard everyday on the radio, and though everyone can say they know “Baker Street”, or know of it, how many can say the same of “Wise as a serpent” or “The royal mile”?

Gerry has a great way of painting scenes with music: listen to the title track and you’ll see what I mean, as he sings about nightclubs and bars, strangers and friends, sunsets and sunrises, with the haunting music floating over and through the soundscape like some sort of friendly ghost. The opener, “Days gone down”, is one of several pieces that recall Gerry’s youth; reminiscences and memories, some good, some bad, all viewed through the eyes of maturity. It’s driven by a nice saxophone line throughout, and is really bright and breezy, as is most of Gerry’s music --- “You’ve still got that light in your eyes / And our day is coming by and by / I’m travellin’ this long road / Here with you / Still got a long way to go”.

Both “Night owl” and “Get it right next time” were hits for Gerry, and they’re great songs: the latter espouses a really optimistic attitude towards life, which is refreshing if somewhat simplistic if taken at face value, but it’s the tracks that never made it as singles that really shine on this album. “Family tree” is another great chance to look back on a man’s history and life, and a bow to the ties that bind, while “The tourist” is a wry look at Gerry himself, jetting from place to place, gig to gig, where he considers himself a gawping onlooker in most cities he goes to, shaking his head and admitting “Come a long long way from Baker Street!”

“Why won’t you talk to me” reflects a situation familiar to most if not all of us guys, when we’re in the doghouse but can’t figure out why --- “It feels like a bad dream / It feels like a game / I swear this is one time / That I’m not to blame!” Oh yeah --- been there, done that!

All in all, this is never an album that’s gonna set the world on fire, but it’s one I love to trot out occasionally and give a spin --- reminds me of why I love Gerry’s music so much!

Here’s the title track: have you ever felt like this?

TRACKLISTING
1. Days gone down
2 Night owl
3. The way that you do it
4. Why won’t you talk to me
5. Get it right next time
6.Take the money and run
7. Family tree
8. Already gone
9. The tourist
10. It’s gonna be a long night


Suggested further listening: "City to city", "Snakes and ladders", "Sleepwalking", "North and south"

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Trollheart

Brave new world --- Iron Maiden --- 2000 (EMI)

Maiden were the first metal band I ever got into, and they remain my favourite by a long way, even today. This is one of their very best releases, certainly in recent times, with 9 killer tracks, and one somewhat limp one, the only cut which lets the overall excellence of the album down, in my opinion.

For me, Maiden began to flag when Bruce D1ckinson left, and the albums following on from his departure were some of the weakest in their catalogue --- “The X Factor” and “Virtual XI” remain albums I can never get into --- but all is well now, the Man is back!

Kicking off with classic Maiden riffs, you know you’re back on familiar ground when “The wicker man” blasts out at you, and how good it is to hear that raw, powerful, air-raid-siren voice again! The songs on BNW are longer than classic Maiden, betraying a leaning towards what might perhaps be more properly described as prog-metal, the themes a little deeper than some of the older songs, the songs a bit more elaborately structured, more epic. But let us not forget that Maiden already ventured into this area on 1984’s “Powerslave” when they recorded the 14-minute masterpiece “Rime of the Ancient Mariner”, so it’s not exactly a new direction for them.

The songs are still heavy --- ballads usually have no place on an Iron Maiden album! --- and ripe with imagery and metaphor: the thinking man or woman’s heavy metal? Songs like “Dream of mirrors”, with its many different parts, as well as “Blood brothers” (a metal waltz?), and the menacing, steel-edged “The Nomad” stake this album’s claim, and it’s just a pity “The Mercenary” lets it down so badly: Maiden have done this song before, called both “The fugitive” and “The assassin” (yes, they’re not quite the same song, but I find them disturbingly familiar), and I really don’t think it needs a third outing. Beside songs like the abovenamed, and the excellent “Out of the silent planet”, it just sounds mundane and uninteresting.

But that one track aside, this is one killer album, and if you’re a Maiden fan, you will definitely not be disappointed: if you’re not, there’s a brave new world for you to discover, just waiting behind the album sleeve!

This track is “Blood brothers”, recorded live and sung by a Bruce with short hair!!!!

TRACKLISTING

The wicker man
Ghost of the navigator
Brave new world
Blood brothers
The Mercenary
Dream of mirrors
The fallen angel
The Nomad
Out of the silent planet
The thin line between love and hate



Suggested further listening: "The number of the Beast", "Piece of mind", "Powerslave", "Fear of the dark", "Seventh son of a seventh son" and "No prayer for the dying"

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Powerstars

As for the Album Name Quiz thing...

Bon Jovi - Bounce (2002)

The Who - Who's Next (1970?)

So obvious that I'm not gonna say it.


In any case, I really enjoy the reviews you got going here. Keep it up, my friend.

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Trollheart

Thanks man, I enjoy your journal too. You've really got something there.

Oh, and thanks for taking the time to check out my quiz: if any stumped you and you need to know, PM me.

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Powerstars

k thanks, man!

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Trollheart

Face the music --- Electric Light Orchestra --- 1975 (Jet)


Some time ago I featured the cover of this album in my section "The Secret Life of the Album Cover", but now I'd like to delve into the music behind that cover. I was always a huge ELO fan, even long before I got my first record player (turntable to you, sonny!) and naturally once I did purchase that coveted item --- even if it was powered by valves and got so hot it had to be switched off after every record, allowed cool down before being used again! --- the albums of ELO were the first I bought. "Discovery", "A new world record" and of course "Out of the blue" were the first ones I got, then for my birthday I was presented with a three-album box set which was comprised of "El Dorado", "On the third day" and this one, three albums in chronological order. While I loved "El Dorado" (and still do) and was pretty meh about "On the third day", this album initially scared me, believe it or not, from the title track. What an idiot! But to hear more and understand why it had that effect on me, read on.

This was the first album to gain substantial sales for the band, giving them their first platinum album, though it failed to chart. It did however yield a future classic in the single "Evil woman", and was the first of their albums to feature new boys Kelly Groucutt on bass and Melvyn Gale on cello; they would remain with ELO up to 1983 in Groucutt's case and 1979 in Gale's. This album was also one of the only ones to feature a different lead vocal to that of Jeff Lynne, on "Poker", where Groucutt took the mike. "Face the music" would pave the way for future chart successes "A new world record", "Discovery" and "Out of the blue", which throughout the later part of the seventies would give them their biggest hit singles and their first number one album.

So why was I so scared of it? Well, not scared really but uneasy. I've always been averse to horror movies, the more psychological the horror the worse it affects me, and the opener on this album, "Fire on high", is created with that idea in mind; essentially I believe it's meant to conjure up images of Hell. It starts with wailing voices, spooky piano and then ghostly violin, with a backward-masked track saying what I thought at the time was "Damn you! Damn you!" What it actually says is "Music is reversible. Time is not. Turn back. Turn back." But with the moaning and the weird sound of a backwards voice it comes across as pretty frightening. Well, it did to me. The whole thing then sounds like the soundtrack to a horror movie, with wails, screams, the sound of echoing footsteps, whips, an angelic choir ... sensory overload for me. Add to this the devilish violins and cellos and it just all sounds like something out of Dante. Until that is the guitar comes in alongside soft strings and Ben Bevan's pounding drums, and a melody of sorts finally gets going, the "scary sounds" fading out in the background.

A Spanish guitar then gets going as the thing takes off in a sort of flamenco style, the melody clearly established now, and the second half of the piece, all instrumental, is much more recognisable as music. Celestial strings merge with soaring electric guitar and thumping percussion and it slows down on the back of gentle falling guitar with choral voices raised, then it all ends in a big finish on that Spanish guitar and violins. After such an ambitious piece --- and quite brave to start the album off with that --- "Waterfall" is much more accessible. A slow, soft ballad with lovely guitar and strong strings section whereafter we first hear the voice of Jeff Lynne backed by Richard Tandy's solo piano, until the heavy percussion cuts in and the song takes off, one of ELO's many lovely ballads. It showcases the undeniable vocal talents of Lynne, who would of course go on to be identified as the voice of ELO on such hits as "Mister Blue Sky", "Don't bring me down" and "Last train to London". It also highlights his spectacular songwriting ability --- every song here is written and composed by him, and to write two tracks as poles apart as "Fire on high" and "Waterfall" is no mean feat.

Eight tracks may seem like very poor value for money, but as I explained before, this was the age of vinyl, and most artistes would only be able to fit four tracks per side onto their albums; if more were required you'd be looking at a double, as in the case of the later "Out of the blue". The big hit is up next, and "Evil woman" is a real mid-paced rocker with some great piano, and in fact was ELO's first hit on both sides of the Atlantic, hitting the top ten on both the US and the UK. As a song, it tends to rely more on guitar and piano than later songs which would utilise the whole string section of the orchestra, as it were, though the violins and cellos are in there. It's also the first song on the album to feature female backing vocals, perhaps odd given the title? "Nightrider" starts off with a solo violin piece and Lynne singing the vocal, a little bass then Bev Bevan's drums thunder in and the rest of the band comes in on the back of that for the chorus. It's a powerful, driving song, with some lovely orchestral passages and great drumming from Bevan.

As I mentioned, the only song on the album to feature vocals other than those of Jeff Lynne is "Poker", a song about, well, poker, with a great snarling guitar intro and it's the closest to hard rock on the album, almost recalling the later Meat Loaf's "Dead ringer for love" in places. With a fast-flowing keyboard from Tandy and indeed a rapid-fire vocal delivery from Kelly Groucutt it's a little different to the ELO I had come to know and love, and took a little getting used to but now it's a favourite of mine. A slow piece in the middle only accentuates and throws into sharp relief the returning almost-metal guitar that takes the song to its conclusion. Hey! ELO could rock, ya know? A big orchestral intro then, in contrast, to "Strange magic", but it fades out and is replaced by a high-pitched guitar, the song another ballad, with Lynne back on vocals, and this time Richard Tandy on guitar.

For me, the low point of the album, if it has one, comes with "Down home town", which is basically a country jamboree with a weird vocal opening and then violins and heavy drumming with folky guitar taking the melody almost like a banjo. They even throw in a Dixieland line! It's interesting I guess but it was always a track I skipped when playing the album, and moved on to the closer, the beautiful, lazy "One summer dream", with its soft cello opening and wistful vocal from Lynne, then joined by chingling guitar and measured drumming with a kind of echoing effect running through it. It's another fine example of just how excellent a ballad Lynne could write, and it just sort of slides along like a river winding its way down a mountain, or a gentle breeze sailing over the land (both of which descriptions are I think in the lyric, so don't bother telling me). A soft backing vocal merges with some gentle violin and the last three minutes or so of the song are pretty much instrumental, with the exception of the singing of the title mostly, in a kind of fading echo as it winds towards its conclusion. Superb ending to an album which, while not at the top of my ELO list, is certainly one of their better ones.

TRACKLISTING

1. Fire on high
2. Waterfall
3. Evil woman
4. Nightrider
5. Poker
6. Strange magic
7. Down home town
8. One summer dream

If you put a gun to my head and threatened me to come up with my top three ELO albums they would almost certainly be "Out of the blue", "El Dorado" and one other, though I don't know which. "Time"? "Secret messages"? "A new world record"? Okay, okay! I'm thinking! It's not easy to concentrate with that thing in my face! Point is, I easily know my two favourite album from this band but the rest are generally all pretty much as good as one another, with the exception perhaps of "On the third day" and "Balance of power". But "Face the music", though it wouldn't come as I say high in that list, would be in the top ten certainly. An album with maybe one weak track is not to be sniffed at , and we are talking mid seventies here. At any rate, it was the one that more or less broke ELO, or led to them breaking commercially. The next one, "A new world record", would start a sequence of albums that would all hit the top ten on both sides of the water, and establish the Electric Light Orchestra as a household name and a constant presence in the charts.

I'm just glad I can finally listen to "Fire on high" without getting the heebie-jeebies any more!

__________________
Trollheart: Signature-free since April 2018

Trollheart

Evenin' all. For those of you wot 'ave been wonderin' where we 'ave been for the last eighteen months, and who 'ave perhaps been thinkin' that we were on some sort of long 'oliday, paid for at the taxpayers' expense, I can now hexclusively reveal that nothin' could be further from the truth. Since early March 2012 we 'ave been hengaged in a long and patient 'unt for one of the most 'einous, dangerous criminals ever to set foot in the recording studio. It 'as not been easy and many good men 'ave tried and failed, but the Law is a tireless pursuer, as many of our hadversaries have come to realise, and like blood'ounds we kept up the chase, followed our leads and spoke to many hinformants over the course of the last year, (for which I would like to thank the generous outpouring of hassistance from the public) and finally, in the early hours of a cold Friday last May, actin' on a tip-off from a member of the public we ran 'im to ground.


Our trail 'ad finally borne fruit and we surrounded a disused ware'ouse from which the truly terrible strains of his teenybop music could be 'eard waftin' across the 'arbour and chokin' the cold crisp night air. Bird did not sing, the very wind did not blow and it seemed to us as we closed in on 'im that even the stars themselves hid from this awful cacophony. My colleagues and I --- twelve in all --- were relatively safe though. We 'ad earlier been happroached by a fine hupstanding member of the public who 'as 'elped us out before, known only to us as the Batlord, and 'e 'ad agreed that this one would be tough. "A poseur is just a poseur", spake he wisely, "but a poseur of this magnitude, with his back to the wall: you just don't know what he might do." And so we took, with the Batlord's 'elp, certain precautions.

Supplied each with an hipod crammed full of the most brutal, savage and loud death metal we hadvanced, and it seemed to work. On sight of us, Bieber turned towards the soundbooth, jammin' on 'is pink fluffy 'eadphones and turnin' the volume on the studio's PA system up full. We reeled at the 'orrible noise, the awful generic tones, the soft syllables, the crooning voice, the sugar-sweet harmonies -- ooh, it were awful! I tell you, I've been subjected to many 'orrible things in my thirty years on the Force, but this whinin' noise very nearly broke me! Luckily we 'ad the deadening sounds o' 'eavy metal to fall back upon so we were protected from the worst of it.

Oh, an' 'ere I must fulfil a promise I made to the Batlord, in return for 'is 'elp: Excuse me.

'EAVY METAL RULES! GLORY TO THE BRAVE! TRUE METAL WILL NEVER DIE! DEATH TO POSEURS! MORBID ANGEL FOOKING ROOOOOLLLLLLLL!!!!!!

Sorry about that: obviously we here at the Met do not wish death to any poseurs. If they wants to listen to crap music, that is their privilege. But as I said, that was the deal we struck with 'is Batship. And now, let me return to the story.

We moved in for the kill. 'e seemed amazed that 'is singin' was 'avin' little or no heffect on us, though truth be told me own ears was bleedin'. Whether that were from 'im or the 'eavy metal I'm not sure, but I know they were ringin'. We cut off 'is escape but to our surprise 'e began to scale the walls o' the studio via various 'and'olds --- like a bleedin' monkey 'e were, pardon my French, and as we tried our best to shut out the sickly strains of digital piano and autotune comin' from the studio at full belt 'e shook 'is fist in defiance at us an' screamed in an 'igh-pitched voice "Ye'll never take me alive coppers, eh?"

Then Sergeant Quaver 'ad a brainwave. 'e rushed into the now-empty studio, fearlessly bravin' the 'orrible pop music wot rushed at 'im like a tidal wave. I saw 'im stop for a moment as if pushed back, but an instant later 'e gathered 'is resolve an' fought 'is way through until 'e was at the mixin' desk, where he used 'is trusty truncheon to smash the machinery, thus silencin' the backin' track forever. We all breathed a sigh o' relief, while Bieber raged and screamed like a much smaller, skinner version of that there King Kong in the old movie, beatin' wot 'e laughingly calls 'is chest and squealin' like a stuck pig at the destruction o' his music. But Quaver was not finished. 'e ripped off the hipod from his neck, located the audio jack from the studio's PA and jammed it into the line-in on his player. A second later the thunderous strains o' High on Fire I believe it was, crashed across the studio like an hasteroid hittin' the earth. Windows blew out immediately, spraying the harea like confetti. The walls shook. Machinery exploded in a tangle of metal. The ground rumbled and began to split beneath our feet as 'eavy metal really did rock the 'ouse!

Already 'avin' been haccustomed to such levels of decibelery, we were relatively safe but Bieber, who had never heard anythin' louder than the screams o' his girly fans onstage fairly shook with the noise. He stood, stock-still for a moment, then clapped 'is 'ands to 'is ears, but it were already too late. Small cracks began to appear all over 'is face, an' continued on down 'is body. In a moment they 'ad widened an' spread so that in less than a minute 'is 'ole body were covered in tiny lines which were gettin' bigger as we watched in 'orror. Then, with a roar and a scream such as I wish never to 'ave to 'ear again in my life 'is entire body split right down the middle, but rather than blood an' brains an' the usual stuff you hexpect to see come out from a body, thick green goo began to leak out, running down the sides of the shattered body an' collectin' on the floor at our feet. As we watched in amazement this growing pile suddenly coalesced, gathered together an' rose up, shakin' a green fist at us! An 'orrible, alien voice croaked

"You fools! You think there is only one Justin Bieber? My people and I have travelled across four galaxies to make this planet ours! You think we will let the likes of you stand in our way? You can kill me, but know this: for every stupid teenage girl who buys the latest boyband records there is one of my kind, and you will never be able to defeat us all! Never!" Some'ow, it seemed to lean in closer as it whispered in a voice like a thousand venomous snakes

"I will let you into a little secret, humans. Do you know what Justin Bieber's next album is to be?" It paused for a moment, as if to savour the next words.

"Justin Bieber pays tribute to ... Justin Bieber! AH HA HA HA HAH HAHHH!"

Its laughter were truly terrible, though the news just as bad. Could such a thing really 'appen? Would the idiotic fanbase fall for it? Would they buy it? Like a snake eatin' its own tail, was this 'einous felon about to create the worst possible album in the 'istory of 'umanity?

Perhaps there were more of this creature, many more, but I were determined this one would not leave this studio alive. I gave a curt, meaningful nod to Quaver and he spun the selector wheel on the hipod. As the warehouse shook even 'arder, and the walls began to collapse, he ran for 'is life as the strains of Morbid Angel punched across the air and it seemed indeed to be burnin'. With a final, despairin' wail, a scream of pure 'atred an' anger, the thing wot 'ad been Justin Bieber shook like jelly and we all ran for the exits. We were barely clear of them, flingin' ourselves to the ground when it hexploded, and the whole thing went up like a green mushroom cloud.

When we finally raised our 'eads there was nothin' left but a 'uge smokin' crater where the disgustin' thing's evil studio 'ad been. We are now faced with the prospect that this is only the tip o' the iceberg, and the 'unt may only 'ave begun. O' course, the huge slimy green monster may 'ave been lyin', an' maybe 'e was all there was. An' yet, there was somethin' of the ring of truth in its words. I know it'll be a while before I sleep soundly, anyway. But I would ask you all now to be extra-vigilant. If you see anyone resemblin' or soundin' even like the late Justin Bieber, do NOT happroach the creature! We 'ave already hascertained that 'e is dangerous an' unpredictable. Contact us on 1800-USQUEAL or 1800-SCAM, or else let your local law henforcement hoffice know an' they will get in touch with us.

You may rest easy, citizens, for no matter 'ow many Justin Biebers there are in this world, they can't havoid justice forever, and one way or anhother we will get them. One by one, we will scour this menace from our green and pleasant land till the streets are safe to walk for law habidin' citizens like yourselves.

Remember: vigilance is the watchword. Together we're stronger, and together we will prevail.
Night all.

__________________
Trollheart: Signature-free since April 2018

Trollheart

In a conversation with the mighty Batlord (TM) recently, I realised that I had not finished this series, and way back last year gave a tantalising idea of the bands I would focus on in part four of my look at the New Wave of British Heavy Metal. I did say not to expect an update any time soon, but hey, that was back in July of last year! So here we are, almost a year later, and I'm finally getting around to it. Well, better late than never!

As I mentioned at the end of part three, one of the bands I'll be concentrating on in this episode is a band most or many of you may not even have heard of, a small band who nevertheless gave the world a serious guitar superstar, a little outfit from Northern Ireland who, over the course of over thirty years, have split up twice and released the grand total of three albums. But even at that, they are seen as being one of the big influences on and movers in the NWOBHM. They're called


Formed in Belfast in 1979, Sweet Savage was founded by Ray Haller on bass and vocals, Trev Fleming on guitar, David Bates on drums and Vivian Campbell on guitar. Yeah, that one. A rising star in the world of heavy metal, it wasn't long before Campbell's talents were noticed and he outgrew the band, leaving to join Dio where his signature guitar sound would become one of the trademarks of Ronnie's new outfit. Later of course he would join Def Leppard and Whitesnake, but he left Sweet Savage before they had managed to release their first album, so although he was a pivotal figure in all the bands he later played in, his contribution to his mother band was really two singles, though the B-side of one of those singles would later catapult Sweet Savage back into the limelight when Metallica covered it.

Disappointed with their failure to break through into the big time like bands such as Saxon and Maiden and Motorhead, despite playing the huge Slane Festival alongside Thin Lizzy and U2 in 1981, Sweet Savage disbanded in 1982 and a few months later Campbell headed off to make his own future in heavy metal. In 1984 the guys tried again, resurrecting the band but with a mostly new lineup. Campbell was gone of course and so was Trev Fleming, and they brought in a dedicated vocalist, Robert Casserly, while the twin guitar attack was streamlined to one, Ian Wilson being given the tough job of stepping into not only Vivian Campbell's shoes, but those of Fleming as well.

The guys released two more singles, neither again gaining much in the way of commercial interest, and stuck together until 1989, when again disillusioned they split. However in 1991, two years after their second breakup, metal giants Metallica recorded a cover of "Killing time", which had been the B-side of their first single. Such exposure led to an awakening of interest in the Belfast lads, and Sweet Savage reformed again in 1996, this time to record a proper album, the first of three. Fleming returned on guitar and was joined by Simon McBride. Under this lineup they released their first album, with Haller back on vocals as well as taking bass duties.

Killing time --- Sweet Savage -- 1996 (Neat)

Perhaps referencing the amount of wasted time between their formation in 1979 and this, or maybe namechecking the track that had brought renewed interest in them as a band, this album contains many of the songs released on single and various EPs, though oddly not their first two singles, at least not the A-sides: it does obviously include the B-side of "Take no prisoners", their debut single, and the track that essentially brought them back from the dead.

There's a wild, crazy guitar and drums that sound like someone hitting tin cans in a gymnasium to get us under way with the title track, and to be honest the vocal is very muddy and the production is terrible. The guitar work here doesn't seem as good as Vivian Campbell's on the original, but then, you wouldn't expect it to be would you? There's a fresh sense of youth though about the song, and you can easily see these guys recording it and dreaming of the big time; decent start. A hard slower grinder then for "Vengeance", one of the two longest tracks on the album at just under four and a half minutes. Vocals still hard to make out though. Good guitar work from Fleming and McBride; kind of a faster Sabbath feel about this. "Welcome to the real world" rocks along with real energy and passion, the tempo going up several notches, although it fades out a little suddenly, bringing in the other track that ties for the position of longest, and "Thunder" is another big, heavy, marching grinder with a sense of doom and also a little progressive metal about it.

We're off an headbanging again then with "Eye of the storm", one of the songs that appeared on their 1980 session on Tommy Vance's radio show, and later as a single put out in 2005. "Parody of wisdom" slows it all down again with another grinder, and some slick bass work with a nice hook in the chorus of the song, while the oddly-named "D.U.D" kicks the tempo back up again and then everything fires off at ten for "Prospector of greed", another track from that Tommy Vance session. Now, this could very well be the ballad, as it starts off quite laidback and relaxed, and indeed "Why?" seems to show the other side of Sweet Savage (more of the sweet and less of the savage? Okay! Okay!) and it's a nice change from the heads-down metal and grinders, good though they are. Sort of acoustic feel to the guitars here, and though I feel that some keyboards or piano might have added to the sound of the song, it's a nice ballad, and probably the first time you can really get to hear the vocalist properly. Again though the song fades out really unexpectedly; is this bad production or bad writing?

Anyway, a big boogie rocker is up next with "The raid", a song originally recorded in 1981, with "Reach out" keeping the tempo high and we close on "Ground zero", a good fast rocker to bring the album to a powerful and energetic finish.

TRACKLISTING

1. Killing time
2. Vengeance
3. Welcome to the real world
4. Thunder
5. Eye of the storm
6. Parody of wisdom
7. D.U.D
8. Prospector of greed
9. Why?
10. The raid
11. Reach out
12. Ground Zero

Two years later and Fleming was gone, and Sweet Savage released their second album, which again failed to do much. This was the late nineties after all, and metal was not enjoying the exposure and popularity it had a decade earlier. Also other, new forms of metal were springing up, with the likes of viking and doom metal as well as the tail-end of the grunge phenomenon leaving these three guys from Belfast looking --- and, it has to be said, sounding --- like something of a relic from the past. Whereas bands like Maiden, Saxon and Dio changed with the mood of the time, Sweet Savage, something like Mama's Boys and a few other bands from the NWOBHM who never quite made it or faded away quickly after the initial burst of enthusiasm in the early eighties, seemed unable to adapt. This made their second album sound rather like their first, and that was not a good thing.

Rune --- Sweet Savage --- 1998 (Neat)

Perhaps they were confusing their audience with the title of the album. While bands like Rainbow, Dio, Maiden and Hawkwind all flirted with the essentially prog rock idea of fantasy, sword-and-sorcery and mythology, Sweet Savage used a fantasy-sounding title for their album but there's little evidence of any fantasy lyrics or themes within the music. The opening track starts with some feedback and then rocks out in something of a similar style to Dio's "Stand up and shout", but again the vocals are very muddy and the production is, well, dire. It would be cruel to say that "Ditch" was a presentiment of where the album, and the band at the time, were headed, but the snarled "All I wanna say/ Is fuck you!" certainly doesn't help if the fans think it's being aimed at them, which I don't think it is. There's also something missing in the guitar work now that Simon McBride is shouldering the entire responsibility himself. That's not to say he's not a great guitarist, and he unleashes some great solos here. But think of Maiden or Scorpions with only one guitarist: there'd definitely be something missing.

Second track, "Life's a game", has a very lively bassline driving it, almost like a fast synth at times, but I can't stop wondering if Ray Haller is just that bad a singer, or if the production really is that bad, as it's really hard to make out not quite his voice, but any real personality or emotion in his singing. "Trust" has a nice sliding boogie guitar groove, and the interestingly-titled "I am nothing (you are less)" at least sounds like it has a nice idea going, but there's something derivative about the main melody: at least Haller puts some dark emotion into the vocal, growling out the title like a depressed punk rocker. "Who am I?" has again a cool bassline, and it rocks along nicely, but I have to say that in general this album has all the professional feel of a bad demo tape. There's little consideration given to how the songs end, meld together, or fade, and it's all just a little, well, cack-handed. That said, McBride hands out the guitar licks and delivers many a fine solo, but there's just nothing that terribly special here, and in a genre like heavy metal you need to be able to stand out if you want to survive.

The only song really that might possibly reflect the fantasy theme of the title of the album, "Shangri-La" is a rather disappointingly generic rock song with it has to be said some pretty awful lyrics. There's some bluesy touches to "Survive" and that influence continues on into "Communication", mixing in some "Master of reality" era Black Sabbath riffs. Nice rolling drum intro with attendant screaming guitar takes us into "Why me?" which makes up in energy what it lacks in subtlety, ends suddenly as most of the tracks here do, and ushers in the closing track. "Walk on by" is not a cover of the old Dionne Warwick song, surprise surprise, and it confirms that there are no ballads, indeed no slow songs at all on this album. As a closer it's okay but rather like the rest of the album, sorry to say, nothing special, nothing that stands out and nothing I'm likely to remember or want to play again once this review is finished.

TRACKLISTING

1. Ditch
2. Life's a game
3. Trust
4. I am nothing (you are less)
5. Who am I?
6. Shangri-La
7. Survive
8. Communication
9. Why me?
10. Walk on by

It's no terrible shock that after this very sub-standard album Sweet Savage again failed to garner any interest in their music and again split up. When they eventually reformed ten years later, David Bates had left and been replaced on the drumstool by Jules Watson. The band then played festivals in Germany to almost incredible acclaim, given how little of their recorded output had been available. Galvanised by this, the band toured with Metallica, Saxon and Iron Maiden, the last being a replacement support for Heaven and Hell, who had to pull out due to the tragic death of Ronnie James Dio. Sweet Savage would suffer their own tragedy though, as in 2010 Trev Fleming, who had returned to play with the band, passed away. No details are available as to the cause of his death, though it is said to have been related to a condition he was already suffering from.

With, again, renewed interest in the band they were joined by new drummer Steve McCloskey and released their third album in 2011. Originally expected to be titled "Warbird", this is in fact the opening track but the album name was changed, perhaps to reflect the second rebirth of the band, perhaps to honour their fallen comrade. Speaking of former members, founder member Vivian Campbell guests on their cover of Lizzy's famous "Whiskey in the jar" on the album. Also included are older songs that appeared on singles or EPs prior to this.

Regeneration --- Sweet Savage --- 2011 (Grind That Axe)


The first thing I notice --- and it would have to be, over ten years later! --- is a quantum leap in production and holy mother of divine! I can hear Ray Haller singing! So were the two other albums down to bad production then? Either that, or in the intervening decade he's learned how to sing. "Warbird", which kicks off the album and was originally supposed to be its title track (yes, you said already...) , is a good hard rocker with a sort of mid-paced tempo, but picks up near the end and goes head-down into the breakneck "Powder monkey", with a truly stupendous guitar intro, somewhat reminsicent of Survivor's big hit, "Eye of the tiger", and staccato, machine-gun drumming. Good to hear most of the original band back together. Not so sure about Trev Fleming: he's given credit here on guitar but the album was released a year after his untimely death. Perhaps he recorded some/all of the tracks prior to his death, though Wiki says he hadn't been with the band since 2010. Then again, given that this album was supposed to have been released in 2009, I guess you'd have to assume it had been ready since then, so maybe he was involved.

At any rate, the other guitarist is the returning Ian Wilson, and with new drummer Marty McCloskey the band certainly sound energised, revitalised and, indeed, regenerated. There's no title track, per se, but the next one up is "Regenerator", and that's as close as you're likely to get really. It opens with a sort of echoing shout like a chant or call to arms, then slowly the music comes up and it has a very eighties metal sound about it with a touch of grunge in there too, a great guitar solo from one or other of the guys and a real crowd-participation "Hai! Hai! Hai!" in the chorus. "No guts no glory" reminds me of nothing more than mid-eighties Tank, hammering along with a real sense of purpose, while "Saviour (I am not)" has a hard bitter edge to it and rocks the house. "Do or die" is like a mixture of Maiden and Metallica, a big mid-paced grinder with real menace in the guitar attack.

"Money" is not a cover of Floyd's classic, but another tough headbanger with a real snarled vocal from Haller --- now that I can hear him, he's a decent singer. I wouldn't give him any awards and he'll never stand toe-to-toe with the greats, but he's more than adequate to the task here. Nice soft guitar intro to "Razor's edge", but it doesn't last and we're into a riproarin' boogie rocker that just makes you want to bob your head and tap your feet. Nice sort of restrained guitar allows Haller his head, and I'd certainly class it as the best track so far. The well-signposted return of Vivian Campbell is up next, as he guests on guitar as the boys tackle Lizzy's standard "Whiskey in the jar", and you can definitely hear the difference. Decent version, but no-one's ever going to come close to Phil and the lads for me; even the original traditional song is pale and lifeless by comparison.

Of the four tracks left on the album, three are old songs that were either released as singles or on EPs. I'm not sure how I feel about this. For a band who have had, basically, ten years to record new material (well okay, three: they only officially got back together in 2008) I feel they could have had more new tracks on the album. If you count three old ones plus the cover, all you get here is nine new tracks. I suppose that's no major deal, I just would have liked to have seen more new stuff, given we hadn't heard from them since 1998. That said, "Eye of the storm" is a great rocker and "Queen's vengeance" a harder, tougher grinder almost in the Dio mould, with a great Maidenesque guitar outro, then "Achilles", the only one of the closing quartet not to be an already recorded song, has over a minute of fast instrumental intro before the vocal comes in. It rattles along really nicely, again a sense of Metallica in it, and the album closes on "The raid", with a nice boogie rhythm and a bassline that puts me in mind of Simple Minds' "Waterfront". Oddly enough, this was not only on their debut album but was also the closer on that album.

TRACKLISTING

1. Warbird
2. Powder monkey
3. No guts, no glory
4. Saviour (I am not)
5. Do or die
6. Money
7. Razor's edge
8. Whiskey in the jar
9. Eye of the storm
10. Queen's vengeance
11. Achilles
12. The raid

"Regeneration" is a massive improvement on the previous two albums, not only the material but also the production and the direction, but even so you would have to wonder if Sweet Savage have left it too long to try to make a final bid for the top? You can only get so far on the back of Metallica's recommedations, and though they've had a lot of exposure recently due to big support slots, I would question whether they will ever be the headlining act, or are they condemned, assuming they stay together, to always be the bridesmaid and never the bride, so to speak?

Either way, they are regarded as an important part of the overall phenomenon that was the NWOBHM, and if they can make their mark thirty years after that wave has flattened out and receded away, then fair play to them. I just personally think there are bands out there who are a lot better and have more going for them, but I do wish Sweet Savage all the best, and hopefully they'll make the luck of the Irish work for them.

__________________
Trollheart: Signature-free since April 2018