Trollheart's Theme Park

**Frownland** · 11-25-2016, 08:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by The Batlord

Find me another pop star who sounds like Ke$ha and I'll suck your dick.

The Batlord · 11-25-2016, 08:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Frownland

Yeah aside from the autotune that sounds absolutely nothing like Ke$ha. No cheesy white girl rapping, no fun party vibe, way too much ****ty dubstep.

Trollheart · 11-25-2016, 08:38 PM

Title: “Silent rain”
Format: Album track
Written by: Gary Hughes
Performed by: Ten
Genre: Melodic Rock/AOR
Taken from: Babylon
Year: 2000
Acclaim: n/a

Nobody likes, or even knows about Ten, but that's ok, you can all suck it. They happen to be one of my favourite bands, ever since I discovered them about ten (hah!) years ago, and I've yet to hear a bad album from them. This is from their concept album Babylon, one of three great ballads on the album, and if there's one thing Gary Hughes does well, it's write a cracking ballad. There's an even better one as the closer to the album, but at the moment we're not concerned with that.

The great Don Airey does a fine job on the piano here, and Gary is as ever in great voice. Vinny Burns' guitars power through just at the right time, and Gary's ever-perfect songwriting is heavily in evidence – ”Like a lost ship of dreams that failed to sail” – and the song really ramps up for the chorus. Great orchestral style keys by Don near the end too, the track building to a strong crescendo dripping with emotion and passion and fading away to a few lonely piano notes.

Things I like about this :

1. Gary's vocal
2. The lyric
3. Great keys from Don Airey
4. Guitar solo
5. Piano ending

Things I don't like about this:

Nothing

Rating:

**Frownland** · 11-25-2016, 08:46 PM

That album cover is incredible.

The Batlord · 11-25-2016, 08:48 PM

It looks like a rejected cover to Bladerunner.

Trollheart · 11-25-2016, 08:58 PM

Title: “Out of the silent planet”
Format: Single
Written by: Janick Gers, Bruce Dickinson and Steve Harris
Performed by: Iron Maiden
Genre: Heavy Metal
Taken from: Brave New World
Year: 2000
Acclaim: Top twenty single in the UK

Very early on in my journal I enthused about the return of Bruce Dickinson after a ten-year absence from Iron Maiden with the album Brave New World. I stand by every word in that review, and like many people consider this the turning point for Maiden's fortunes, when they had started to fizzle out with the previous two albums. The return to the fold of longtime guitarist Adrian Smith also added to this effect, and the end result was a triumphant comeback album, shooting down all the naysayers and reinvigorating the band while vindicating the fans' longstanding faith in them.

This is the penultimate track, and like most of the material on the album it's long and quite intricate, though it had to be shortened from its original six-and-a-half minute run to four-and-a-half for the single release.

It starts off as you would expect, with a long guitar intro but then goes dark and slow, with Bruce's vocal bringing the song up bit by bit, drawing the guitars with him, till there's a machine-gun burst of frets and we're off properly. The hook is, like most Maiden songs, the kind of thing other bands would kill for, and the lyric purportedly based on the twin influences of CS Lewis and the cult sci-fi movie Forbidden Planet. If you want a more detailed entry on the song, check out my review of the album in my main journal, plug plug!

Things I like about this :

1. Just about everything

Things I don't like about this:

1. Nothing

Rating:

Trollheart · 11-25-2016, 08:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Frownland

That album cover is incredible.

I'm just going to assume that was not meant to be a compliment...

Trollheart · 11-26-2016, 10:25 AM

Title: “Silent running (On dangerous ground)”
Format: Single
Written by: Mike Rutherford and B.A. Robertson
Performed by: Mike + the Mechanics
Genre: Rock
Taken from: Mike + the Mechanics
Year: 1985
Acclaim: First single from, and therefore first the world ever heard of, Mike Rutherford's solo band, who went on to become quite successful for a few years. Fell just outside of the top twenty in the UK but top ten in the US. Was also used in the soundtrack to the movie On Dangerous Ground.

The first time I heard this song I liked it, though of course I had no idea it was Mike Rutherford from Genesis who was involved. That's not so surprising, given that Rutherford does not sing on it, and you'd have to be a guitarist to discern his style, if indeed you could. But this was the lead single from the debut self-titled album, which in general is one of their best. In fact, somewhat like Dio, in my opinion, Mike + the Mechanics had two great first albums and then their work sort of slid into semi-mediocrity, ditching any progressive rock influences and becoming just another pop band. This song was written with, of all people, B.A. Robertson, known mostly for hit singles like “Bang bang” and “Knocked it off”.

Named as a nod back to the cult sci-fi movie starring Bruce Dern as the only human left in an orbiting floating forest which is supposed to preserve the last of Earth's trees, the song is quite spacey in its feel, with an atmospheric, synthy opening as little keyboard flurries slowly build behind it until it explodes and the main riff takes the song. The vocal is by Paul Carrack (I used of course to think it was Rutherford) and the lyric concerns a man who is out in space, trying to communicate back to his family the dangers of a future he has seen take place. It's very dramatic and epic, with a real sense of foreboding and danger, and indeed the namby-pamby BBC even banned it during the Gulf War! Idiots.

Things I like about this :

1. Spacey synthy opening
2. That keyboard riff
3. The sense of urgency and panic in it
4. The vocal

Things I don't like about this:

Nothing

Rating:

Trollheart · 11-26-2016, 10:38 AM

Title: “Suffer in silence”
Format: Album track
Written by: Alan Frew and Sam Reid
Performed by: Glass Tiger
Genre: Rock
Taken from: Diamond Sun
Year: 1999
Acclaim: n/a

If anyone remembers Glass Tiger at all, it's probably for the mildly successful single from their first album, “Don't forget me (when I'm gone)” penned with Jim Vallance, but this is from their second album, which I find far superior to the debut, but which of course bombed. Glass Tiger are possibly one of Canada's best-kept secrets when it comes to AOR and melodic rock, having released a quadruple platinum album for their debut, double-platinum for this and even the follow-up went platinum too. But that's only in Canada. Although “Don't forget me” got into the US top ten, shortly after that brief burst of glory the glass ones vanished forever from commercial sight, which is a pity, as they had a lot to give.

This is by no means the best song on Diamond Sun, in fact it's probably one of the weaker tracks, but even this relatively poor effort could give many bigger bands a run for their money. It's a song of disappointment – ”These years of being alone/ Disconnected telephone/ Pictures of friends I never see” – as you would expect with a title like that. Good sax work in the middle too, courtesy of Earl Seymour.

Things I like about this :

1. Very low-key, muted opening
2. Good vocal
3. Good hook in the chorus
4. Good piano work
5. That sax break

Things I don't like about this:

1. The lyric is a little stilted I feel
2. Not crazy about the ending

Rating:

Trollheart · 11-26-2016, 10:54 AM

And as we began the previous section with a suggestion from Batty, and since he was the only one to even make a suggestion (well, Frownland, but, you know...) we're closing the section on silence with another of his suggestions.

Title: “Silent lucidity”
Format: Single
Written by: Chris deGarmo
Performed by: Queensryche
Genre: Progressive Metal
Taken from: Empire
Year: 1990
Acclaim: Top ten hit in the US, biggest success for Queensryche. Nominated for (but failed to win) Grammy for Best Rock Song of 1992.

I'll begin this by admitting I'm not a big Queensryche fan. I probably never will be, as I listened to what is apparently their greatest and most-loved album, Operation Mindcrime and while I certainly didn't hate it, I fail to see all the fuss. A distinct meh for me. Maybe I need to listen to it again. Yeah, that'll happen!

So with that caveat, and given that I have never heard this song before, let's get to it, shall we, before that lynch party comes looking for me, with Batty at their head.

Nice soft acoustic style opening with a very low and gentle vocal, almost muttering then a full orchestra joins in as the percussion gets going, and the melody is very much filled out. This is exceptionally nice, I must say. Great guitar solo now, clear and strong but not ruining the song, and joined by the orchestra, with spoken parts beneath it. Just excellent all round. I certainly need to check this album out now.

Things I like about this :

1. Nice gentle start. Like the acoustic guitar
2. The vocal
3. Always love some orchestral participation and this is superb

Things I don't like about this:

Nothing

Rating:

11-25-2016, 08:38 PM	#63 (permalink)
Trollheart Born to be mild Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: 404 Not Found Posts: 26,992	Title: “Silent rain” Format: Album track Written by: Gary Hughes Performed by: Ten Genre: Melodic Rock/AOR Taken from: Babylon Year: 2000 Acclaim: n/a Nobody likes, or even knows about Ten, but that's ok, you can all suck it. They happen to be one of my favourite bands, ever since I discovered them about ten (hah!) years ago, and I've yet to hear a bad album from them. This is from their concept album Babylon, one of three great ballads on the album, and if there's one thing Gary Hughes does well, it's write a cracking ballad. There's an even better one as the closer to the album, but at the moment we're not concerned with that. The great Don Airey does a fine job on the piano here, and Gary is as ever in great voice. Vinny Burns' guitars power through just at the right time, and Gary's ever-perfect songwriting is heavily in evidence – ”Like a lost ship of dreams that failed to sail” – and the song really ramps up for the chorus. Great orchestral style keys by Don near the end too, the track building to a strong crescendo dripping with emotion and passion and fading away to a few lonely piano notes. Things I like about this : 1. Gary's vocal 2. The lyric 3. Great keys from Don Airey 4. Guitar solo 5. Piano ending Things I don't like about this: Nothing Rating: __________________ Trollheart: Signature-free since April 2018

11-25-2016, 08:46 PM	#64 (permalink)
Frownland SOPHIE FOREVER Join Date: Aug 2011 Location: East of the Southern North American West Posts: 35,541	That album cover is incredible. __________________ Studies show that when a given norm is changed in the face of the unchanging, the remaining contradictions will parallel the truth. d e a f b o x

11-25-2016, 08:58 PM	#66 (permalink)
Trollheart Born to be mild Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: 404 Not Found Posts: 26,992	Title: “Out of the silent planet” Format: Single Written by: Janick Gers, Bruce Dickinson and Steve Harris Performed by: Iron Maiden Genre: Heavy Metal Taken from: Brave New World Year: 2000 Acclaim: Top twenty single in the UK Very early on in my journal I enthused about the return of Bruce Dickinson after a ten-year absence from Iron Maiden with the album Brave New World. I stand by every word in that review, and like many people consider this the turning point for Maiden's fortunes, when they had started to fizzle out with the previous two albums. The return to the fold of longtime guitarist Adrian Smith also added to this effect, and the end result was a triumphant comeback album, shooting down all the naysayers and reinvigorating the band while vindicating the fans' longstanding faith in them. This is the penultimate track, and like most of the material on the album it's long and quite intricate, though it had to be shortened from its original six-and-a-half minute run to four-and-a-half for the single release. It starts off as you would expect, with a long guitar intro but then goes dark and slow, with Bruce's vocal bringing the song up bit by bit, drawing the guitars with him, till there's a machine-gun burst of frets and we're off properly. The hook is, like most Maiden songs, the kind of thing other bands would kill for, and the lyric purportedly based on the twin influences of CS Lewis and the cult sci-fi movie Forbidden Planet. If you want a more detailed entry on the song, check out my review of the album in my main journal, plug plug! Things I like about this : 1. Just about everything Things I don't like about this: 1. Nothing Rating: __________________ Trollheart: Signature-free since April 2018

11-26-2016, 10:25 AM	#68 (permalink)
Trollheart Born to be mild Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: 404 Not Found Posts: 26,992	Title: “Silent running (On dangerous ground)” Format: Single Written by: Mike Rutherford and B.A. Robertson Performed by: Mike + the Mechanics Genre: Rock Taken from: Mike + the Mechanics Year: 1985 Acclaim: First single from, and therefore first the world ever heard of, Mike Rutherford's solo band, who went on to become quite successful for a few years. Fell just outside of the top twenty in the UK but top ten in the US. Was also used in the soundtrack to the movie On Dangerous Ground. The first time I heard this song I liked it, though of course I had no idea it was Mike Rutherford from Genesis who was involved. That's not so surprising, given that Rutherford does not sing on it, and you'd have to be a guitarist to discern his style, if indeed you could. But this was the lead single from the debut self-titled album, which in general is one of their best. In fact, somewhat like Dio, in my opinion, Mike + the Mechanics had two great first albums and then their work sort of slid into semi-mediocrity, ditching any progressive rock influences and becoming just another pop band. This song was written with, of all people, B.A. Robertson, known mostly for hit singles like “Bang bang” and “Knocked it off”. Named as a nod back to the cult sci-fi movie starring Bruce Dern as the only human left in an orbiting floating forest which is supposed to preserve the last of Earth's trees, the song is quite spacey in its feel, with an atmospheric, synthy opening as little keyboard flurries slowly build behind it until it explodes and the main riff takes the song. The vocal is by Paul Carrack (I used of course to think it was Rutherford) and the lyric concerns a man who is out in space, trying to communicate back to his family the dangers of a future he has seen take place. It's very dramatic and epic, with a real sense of foreboding and danger, and indeed the namby-pamby BBC even banned it during the Gulf War! Idiots. Things I like about this : 1. Spacey synthy opening 2. That keyboard riff 3. The sense of urgency and panic in it 4. The vocal Things I don't like about this: Nothing Rating: __________________ Trollheart: Signature-free since April 2018

11-26-2016, 10:38 AM	#69 (permalink)
Trollheart Born to be mild Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: 404 Not Found Posts: 26,992	Title: “Suffer in silence” Format: Album track Written by: Alan Frew and Sam Reid Performed by: Glass Tiger Genre: Rock Taken from: Diamond Sun Year: 1999 Acclaim: n/a If anyone remembers Glass Tiger at all, it's probably for the mildly successful single from their first album, “Don't forget me (when I'm gone)” penned with Jim Vallance, but this is from their second album, which I find far superior to the debut, but which of course bombed. Glass Tiger are possibly one of Canada's best-kept secrets when it comes to AOR and melodic rock, having released a quadruple platinum album for their debut, double-platinum for this and even the follow-up went platinum too. But that's only in Canada. Although “Don't forget me” got into the US top ten, shortly after that brief burst of glory the glass ones vanished forever from commercial sight, which is a pity, as they had a lot to give. This is by no means the best song on Diamond Sun, in fact it's probably one of the weaker tracks, but even this relatively poor effort could give many bigger bands a run for their money. It's a song of disappointment – ”These years of being alone/ Disconnected telephone/ Pictures of friends I never see” – as you would expect with a title like that. Good sax work in the middle too, courtesy of Earl Seymour. Things I like about this : 1. Very low-key, muted opening 2. Good vocal 3. Good hook in the chorus 4. Good piano work 5. That sax break Things I don't like about this: 1. The lyric is a little stilted I feel 2. Not crazy about the ending Rating: __________________ Trollheart: Signature-free since April 2018

11-26-2016, 10:54 AM	#70 (permalink)
Trollheart Born to be mild Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: 404 Not Found Posts: 26,992	And as we began the previous section with a suggestion from Batty, and since he was the only one to even make a suggestion (well, Frownland, but, you know...) we're closing the section on silence with another of his suggestions. Title: “Silent lucidity” Format: Single Written by: Chris deGarmo Performed by: Queensryche Genre: Progressive Metal Taken from: Empire Year: 1990 Acclaim: Top ten hit in the US, biggest success for Queensryche. Nominated for (but failed to win) Grammy for Best Rock Song of 1992. I'll begin this by admitting I'm not a big Queensryche fan. I probably never will be, as I listened to what is apparently their greatest and most-loved album, Operation Mindcrime and while I certainly didn't hate it, I fail to see all the fuss. A distinct meh for me. Maybe I need to listen to it again. Yeah, that'll happen! So with that caveat, and given that I have never heard this song before, let's get to it, shall we, before that lynch party comes looking for me, with Batty at their head. Nice soft acoustic style opening with a very low and gentle vocal, almost muttering then a full orchestra joins in as the percussion gets going, and the melody is very much filled out. This is exceptionally nice, I must say. Great guitar solo now, clear and strong but not ruining the song, and joined by the orchestra, with spoken parts beneath it. Just excellent all round. I certainly need to check this album out now. Things I like about this : 1. Nice gentle start. Like the acoustic guitar 2. The vocal 3. Always love some orchestral participation and this is superb Things I don't like about this: Nothing Rating: __________________ Trollheart: Signature-free since April 2018