Trollheart

Artiste: Black Sabbath
Nationality: British
Album: Cross Purposes
Year: 1994
Label: IRS
Genre: Heavy Metal
Tracks:
I witness
Cross of thorns
Psychophobia
Virtual death
Immaculate deception
Dying for love
Back to Eden
The hand that rocks the cradle
Cardinal sin
Evil eye
Chronological position: Seventeenth album
Rank: Adept
Comments: Oh I like the little cheeky riff from “Black Sabbath” tossed in at the end of the opener! But I'm amazed that's not Dio on vocals; sounds just like him on “Cross of thorns”. Next one is terrible, almost more punk than metal, but then we're back on track with “Virtual death” and that big crushing guitar of Iommi. Vocal harmonies are very good too. “Immaculate deception” sounds like a song title more suited to Slayer, but in fact it turns out to be a little too proggy for its own good. Having said that, Wiki shows the genre here as Power Metal, and I'm finding it hard to argue with that. It's kind of not the Sabbath I know and love, though it is in some places. Odd.

I listened to this in the hope of filling in some of the gaps in my Sabbath knowledge, and while it's not a bad album there's something definitely missing. Maybe it's that Ronnie and Vinnie had left, and Geezer was making plans too, or maybe it's that it's the first I've heard with Tony Martin on vocals (who does a really good job by the way) but it feels like the fun isn't there anymore. Sense of a wake rather than a band? As Monty Burns once said, where's the love? I don't feel it.
Intention: Unlikely to be returning to this any time soon.

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Trollheart

Artiste: Tears For Fears
Nationality: British
Album: Elemental
Year: 1993
Label: RCA
Genre: Pop
Tracks:
Elemental
Cold
Break it down again
Mr. Pessimist
Dog's a best friend's dog
Fish out of water
Gas giants
Brian Wilson said
Goodnight song
Chronological position: Fourth album
Rank: Apprentice
Comments: Well it's good; I hear nothing I hate but nothing that piques my interest that much either. Instrumental “Gas giants” is good – oh wait, it's not an instrumental: that's what I get for not listening to it all the way through before commenting. “Fish out of water” is good too. The album ends well with two strong tracks in “Brian Wilson said” followed by “Goodnight song”.
Intention: I'll probably finish off their discography at some point, though I wouldn't be in any mad rush to do so.

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The Batlord

Yeah Tony Martin is definitely a Dio soundalike. You should check out The Headless Cross. It's probably their best with him. I'm not a huge fan of Martin-era Sabbath but that album is definitely notable.

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Trollheart

I'll put it on the list. The long, long list...

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Trollheart

Artiste: Soul Asylum
Nationality: American
Album: Candy From a Stranger
Year: 1998
Label: Columbia
Genre: Alt-Rock
Tracks:
Creatures of habit
I will still be laughing
Close
See you later
No time for waiting
Blood into wine
Lies of hate
Draggin' the lake
New York blackout
The game
Cradle chain
Chronological position: Eighth album
Rank: Novice
Comments: Not a lot to say. Very solid album, not a lot that makes me really look up and stop and write something effusive, but in no way a waste of my time.
Intention: I'll probably check out more of their stuff at some point.

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Trollheart

Artiste: Antimatter
Nationality: British
Album: Saviour
Year: 2001
Label: Prophecy
Genre: Rock
Tracks:
Saviour
Holocaust
Over your shoulder
Psalms
God is coming
Angelic
Flowers
The last laugh
Going nowhere
Chronological position: Debut album
Rank: Master Adept
Comments: I don't believe either Mick Moss or Duncan Patterson are religious, but this being their debut album there's a lot of references to religion, especially Christianity. Other than the title, there's “Psalms”, “God is coming”, “Angelic”... As it goes, “God is coming” is a great piece of I don't know what to call it: ambient industrial? A very dark little instrumental anyway. As they would do throughout their career, Antimatter employ the services of guest female vocalists here, splitting duties between Hayley Windsor and Michelle Richfield, (both on “Angelic”) which leaves little chance to experience the vocals of Mick, which are considerable, as I found on the other albums.

“Flowers” is typical of the kind of stark, morose beauty you get with Antimatter, with not a little Wall-era Floyd thrown into the mix, while closer “Going nowhere” is as haunting as I've ever heard this band, which is saying something. I do have to say though, this album doesn't hit me right between my two hearts as the likes of Planetary Confinement or The Judas Table did, but it's a solid effort nonetheless. Given it was theri debut I guess I can allow for that.
Intention: I'm a real fan of Antimatter so I just need to hear one or two more albums of theirs and I'll have heard them all. Then it's just the long wait for whenever they release a new one.

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Trollheart

Artiste: Evergrey
Nationality: Swedish
Album: Recreation Day
Year: 2003
Label: Inside Out Music
Genre: Progressive Metal
Tracks:
The Great Deceiver
End of your days
As I lie here bleeding
Recreation Day
Visions
I'm sorry
Blinded
Fragments
Madness caught another victim
Your darkest hour
Unforgivable
Trilogy of the damned
Chronological position:Fourth album
Rank: Novice
Comments: It's a decent album as it turns out, but kind of doesn't really catch my attention until “I'm sorry”, a cover of the song by Swedish singer Dilba, a really nice ballad. After that it sort of catches fire and it's solid to the end. The bonus track at the end is killer.
Intention: I'll probably give them another go.

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Trollheart

Artiste: Gazpacho
Nationality: Norwegian
Album: Firebird
Year: 2005
Label: Racket Records
Genre: Progressive Rock
Tracks:
Vulture
Symbols
Swallow
Orion I
Orion II
Prisoner
Jezebel
Black widow
Firebird
Do you know what you are saying?
Once in a lifetime
Chronological position: Third album
Rank: Appremtice
Comments: One of the albums made before Gazpacho signed to a major label, this has the often dour tone of their records, though it is more uptempo than say Missa Atropos. It's the old problem though: I can never remember any of these songs. I'm pretty sure I liked the album – wasn't anything on it I didn't like, anyway – but I would be hard-pressed to point to one specific track and say what I liked about it, and later on I won't even remember the album. I could play it again right now and it would all sound new. It's almost like nothing is going in, and it's not me, because I've reviewed god knows how many albums now here, and though some do occasionally pass me by, there is always that one track that stands out. But here: nothing. Weird, as I do like these guys, but I could not hum or sing or even remember one single track from any of the, now four, albums of theirs I have listened to. This has led to me being unable to assign the album a rating or rate any of the tracks. Yeah: a few days after I had written this review I came across one of the tracks in a shuffled playlist; I hit NEXT. That's not good, is it?
Intention: I'll keep plugging away, trying to get into their music. It ain't easy though.

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Trollheart

Artiste: Gerry Rafferty
Nationality: British
Album: On a Wing and a Prayer
Year: 1992
Label: Epic
Genre: Pop
Tracks:
Time's caught up on you
I see red
It's easy to talk
I could be wrong
Don't speak of my heart
Get out of my life woman
Don't give up on me
Hang on
Love and affection
Does he know what he's taken on
The light of love
Life goes on
Chronological position: Seventh album
Rank: High Priest
Comments: It's quite amazing to watch the progression of a breakup through the track listing, as this album came about while Raffery was in the throes of divorce from his wife of twenty years. Tracks like the opener, “Time's caught up on you”, which sounds reflective, move on to “I see red”, which is self-explanatory, though it is something of a ballad with some really nice brass, then the somewhat accusatory “It's easy to talk” and on to bitter songs like “Don't speak of my heart” (although again a ballad, and a beautiful one into the bargain) and the angry “Get out of my life woman.” This is immediately followed by what sounds like second thoughts or fears in “Don't give up on me” with a great latin beat and some fine mandolin and “Hang on”, a snide dig at the ex-wife and her new lover in “Does he know what he's taken on” and ending on the philosophical acceptance of “Life goes on.” Beautiful orchestration in “The light of love”. Superb album.
Intention: There are still some of his I need to listen to.

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Trollheart

Artiste: House of Lords
Nationality: American
Album: The Power and the Myth
Year: 2004
Label: Frontiers
Genre: Prog rock
Tracks:
Today
All is gone
Am I the only one
Living in silence
The power and the myth
The Rapture
The man who I am
Bitter sweet euphoria
Mind trip
Child of rage
Havana
Chronological position: Fourth album
Rank: Novice
Comments: I tried to get into this album a long while back, but it didn't impress me. Let's give it another go. Yeah, not as bad as I remember but really I have a hard time remembering any of these tracks and very little stands out. The ending on “Mind trip” is nice and bluesy, and I like “Am I the only one”. The opener's good too, but nothing that's really making me sit up and take much notice. Okay, “Child of rage”, the closer, is amazing. But it's too little, too late. Don't see myself coming back to this for a third try.
Intention: I really enjoyed their latest, so who knows? Maybe this is just a bad example of the band.

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