Remember when David Carusso left his role on NYPD, one of the biggest shows on TV, to star in movies? He made Kiss Of Death, with a stellar cast that included Samuel Jackson, Helen Hunt, Nic Cage, and Michael Rappoport. The movie tanked and he became a punchline. After listening to Omerta, Adrenaline Mob is Mike Portnoy’s Kiss Of Death. Mike was best known for being a founding member and drummer of Dream Theater. He was fired from his own group and Adrenaline Mob is his first new offering. Formed along with such well known musician as vocalist Russell Allen from Symphony X and Rich Ward of Stuck Mojo.
What is surprising about Omerta is how pedestrian it is. I don’t think anyone expected this band to rival his previous one but I think we all expected that they be competent. What you get here is a well produced local band. Omerta opens with “Undaunted” a song that sounds like it was a C-side from Godsmack. Actually a Godsmack tribute band.
Please God do not let there be a Godsmack tribute band.
All the songs that follow use the same pseudo-tough guy lyric accompanied by bad hard rock. Russell Allen seems way out of his element here. His style may work with his other bands progressive material but here it just doesn’t jibe. Listening to “Feelin’ Me” is almost a comical experience. The juvenile lyrics with its over use of the F word are chuckle worthy. Only thing worse are the power ballads on here.
The “topper” is the cover of Duran Duran’s “Come Undone”. While the song does get a nice makeover the decision to have Lizzy Hale of Halestorm sing backgrounds are shocking.
Shockingly bad.
All of the early press for this band referred to them as a supergroup. A group they are, super they are not. Maybe if Mike will concentrate on just one project at a time instead of the 30 he is doing right now, the next release will be better. I just don’t know if there will be an audience that wants to find out.
If you’re like me, you have a vague remembrance of Beggars & Thieves. They were the band that bassist Phil Soussan joined after leaving Ozzy. The glut of comparable acts along with a horrible cover sent Beggars & Thieves to the delete bin. The band never called it quits and have been making albums since. Their latest, We Are The Brokenhearted shows that maybe we missed out the first time around.
The avenue that helped lead Beggars & Thieves to re-recognition was a post on Blabbermouth featuring the video for “We Come Undone”. It was noteworthy because the video featured the reclusive guitarist Jake E. Lee. While curiosity may have caused people to push play, the song is what kept people til the end. It is a very catchy AOR track that is tailor made for a soundtrack. Ironically it has an uplifting lyrical theme which seems in contrast with the rest of the album.
The remainder of Brokenhearted maintains its’ AOR roots but has a dark/melancholy feel to it. Not that it is goth or alternative, it just has the different feel to it. It’s immediately noticeable on track #2 “Oil & Water”. Normally it would be a paint by number power ballad but here it contains so much more emotion. Having a near 6-minute running time also helps distinguish it.
The rest of the album is as strong as the opening two offerings. From rockers like “Beautiful Losers” and “Seven Seconds” to softer fare of “Stranded”.
You have to give credit to singer Louie Merlino and guitarist Ronnie Mancuso for trudging along and never quitting. Their hard work is evident with this terrific album so hopefully it pays off for them.
Black ‘N Blue is an interesting band. Interesting in that what they are best known for has nothing to do with their music. What they are best known for their connections to KISS. Black ‘N Blue was the first band signed by Gene Simmons and was his pet project. Sadly, the hype wore off and did not result in any memorable songs. When the band faded away, their legacy was now being known as the training ground for future Ace Frehley imitator/replacement guitarist Tommy Thayer. My big recollection of them was that their CD’s were never available in the States but had been in Japan. I remember seeing them available on eBay for $150 for the 3 of them.
You have to love collectors.
Like many of their peers, Black ‘N Blue reformed and have released several new albums including their latest offering Hell Yeah. Now I would like to say that Black ‘N Blue have followed RATT and Warrant in releasing a good album. However, my Mom always told me that it is not nice to lie. Hell Yeah is 15 songs of hard rock banality that proves why Black ‘N Blue are not known for their music.
The album starts out alright with “Monkey” a fine hard rocker and is soon followed by “Hail Hail”. A nice enough ode to rock n roll, a theme that is sorely lacking in today’s songs. Unfortunately, that is about it. The rest of the album is just filler, lots and lots of filler with nothing standing out. The musicianship is decent but nothing notable. Singer Jamie St. James has no real presence in the songs nor does his voice make up for that. It is a little of a misnomer to say that there are actually 15 songs when three of the tracks are jokes. One is about singer Jamie having beer and that shows you the level we are dealing with.
It’s rather fitting that the last song on the album is called “ I Smell a Rat” because this album stinks like a dead rat you would find in the basement. Hell Yeah is the perfect tombstone for a band that should have died the first time around. Fans would best served by saving their money and spending it on lost gem CD’s that were overlooked when the first came out.
Arch Enemy has had an interesting career. The death metal band was formed out of the ashes of the legendary Carcass. Arch Enemy quickly found success. Then after 3 well received albums they changed singers. Not only did they switch singers, they hired an unknown female singer to do the unthinkable. Angela Gassow was to sing in the guttural style that had not been done by a woman. She did and the band achieved a new level of success. However, many original fans thought the band sold out original singer Johan Liva and that Gassow was nothing more than a gimmick to appeal to the, then burgeoning, Hot Topic crowd. Arch Enemy did not help themselves any when the next couple of albums were very blah. They lost the aggression and power that were their hallmarks and replaced them with songs that seem more focused on “anthems”. Songs became streamlined and lost their appeal once the were heard the first time.
Khaos Legions is a good step towards reclaiming the laurels of the past. Legions is much more aggressive than more recent releases. It is helped by the improvement of Angela’s vocals. While she did have a nice growl on previous albums, on Legions she has a lot more power and a sinister vibe to them. There is more of a “shredded throat” sound. They should help shed some of the “sellout” feelings that many of her detractors may have had.
The first single from the album “Yesterday Is Dead and Gone” serves as the perfect entree on Khaos Legions. While not that original it is very inviting and seeps into the listener and allows the rest of the album to follow. Plus its features one of the crazier guitar sounds out there. Michael Amott gets his guitar to sound like a computerized baby bird gargling. Arch Enemy has one of the better guitar duos in metal. The Amott brothers do not disappoint this time out. Lots of nice riffs and some real tasty dual harmonies especially on “Vengeance Is Mine”. The band also has 4 instrumentals on here. While they may be short they do give a different feel to the album. The last one “Snow Bound” is an acoustic track that closes Khaos Legions out. However one of the albums highlights comes right before it. Arch Enemy is not afraid to do a cover, and this time they chose a doozy, the classic Scorpions song “The Zoo”. This legendary song is given an animalistic treatment and is faster, rawer, and more brutal than the original but still retaining the identity of the original track.
The whipping boy of any good metal album has always been religion and Khaos Legions is no exception. There seems to be more of a concertinaed effort with 5 songs having that theme. While some might think it is pandering it seems to fit with Angela’s new style.
You have to give Arch Enemy some credit. It must be tough for a band to change that far in the game. While this is not along the levels of what Celtic Frost did, Arch Enemy seems to have tweaked their sound and released in Khaos Legions an album that puts them back on the map.
There is one question you need to ask yourself before you listen to Rockaholic, the new album from Warrant. How much does one member make?
The one member missing is lead singer/songwriter Jani Lane. He has been replaced by Robert Mason, who some may remember from his stint in Lynch Mob. Bands have changed singers all the time and still succeed in releasing quality material. In fact, many of Warrant’s contemporaries have shuffled singers so many times it looks like a fantasy baseball league. To the band’s credit, all the other members are from the original line-up.
So personnel matters aside, how does it sound? Pretty good actually. There are a staggering 14 tracks and not a stinker in the bunch. Some of the highlights are the opener “Sex Ain’t Love” a perfect hard rockin’ calling card that acknowledges the bands sleaze past without sounding dated. “Dusty’s Revenge”, a great slinky rocker that has the requisite western theme to it. Seriously, what is the deal with hard rock bands and their affinity for westerns?
While there is no talk of horses or sunsets, “Life’s A Song” is a fabulously catchy song that is so good, you can see the video that should accompany it in your head as it plays. The one curious part of the song us that they lyrics seem to have an Alanis influence. Warrant’s use of metaphors seem to have a distinctive “Ironic” feel to them.
For me the highlight of the album is “What Love Can Do”. It is quite possibly the poppiest song the band has ever recorded Definitely more AOR than it is Hard Rock, but it is so damn tasty that it doesn’t matter. It’s the kind of song that automatically brings a smile to the listeners face.
A previously mentioned, Rockaholic does have 14 songs. The band must me commended for laying the tracks out in an order that assures the album has a real nice flow to it.
Now back to the original question. Does Warrant really miss Jani Lane? After listening to Rockaholic, I think the answer is no. While it would have been nice to have Lane’s very underrated songwriting in the fold. The band seems to have done a respectable job of picking up the slack and Robert Mason helps to give the band a new identity. Rockaholic is a nice first page in the bands 2nd chapter.
I have never been a huge fan of power metal. The whole concept of knights and armor and dragons and wizards, have seemed a little goofy to me. However, looking through my CD collection I see lots of Dio and Iron Maiden and they, among others, mined the same lyrical content so I figure whey be the typical music snob. I lowered my nose and popped in the new one from Battlelore, Doombound.
It would be a mistake to lump these guys in with all the other D&D, viking, storming the castle, bands. Battlelore has different kind of sound. While they do have a clean female vocalist like the others; and the male voice does the harsh stuff. What sets them apart, is thier music is a lot slower and thicker. There is almost a stoner/doom vibe to it at times. You will find all throughout Doombound that the music is a lot more restrained than their counterparts. While some purists of the genre may flinch I think this is good as it gives an easier access to those that have not listened to this style before. I think the fact that this is a concept album, it facilitates the stylistic changes. The theme of the album is the story of Túrin Turambar, the tragic hero from Tolkein’s the Children of Hurin. “K¿rmessurma“
is the standout track, with its’ foreign vocals that take a pedestrian track and adds a level of intensity that is not found elsewhere. The album closer “Keilo”, is an instrumental and really shows off the bands chops. The track has a slower feel to it and is a fitting end to the tale of the inspiration for the album.
Doombound should be appeal to two types of fans. The hardcore Power/Epic Metal fans, as it has all elements they crave. And the traditional metalhead will find many things that appeal to them as well.
The music world got some sad news on Sunday. Legendary guitar player Gary Moore had passed away. From his time in Thin Lizzy to his solo rock work and lastly his blues phase, he is without a doubt one of the greatest guitarist of all-time. When you look back, it is kind of funny how he was never considered on of the top gunslingers at the time. He was not as flashy or fast as the shredders of the 70′s and 80′s. Many purist did not consider him a real blues man, even when they heard the undeniable proof with their own ears.
He is probably best known for his stints in Thin Lizzy. While he was in and out on several occasions, he did record one of their best albums Black Rose:A Rock Legend. Even when he was not in the band, his connection and friendship with Phil Lynott was always there. From Lizzy reworking one of his songs to Phil showing up on Gary’s “Out In The Fields” song and video. For many of us that was the last time we saw Phil and seeing them together was somewhat poetic. Gary’s biggest solo success was with the hit “Parisienne Walkways”. Ironically, a touching ballad but any avid fan would tell you of Gary’s love and propensity for making touching ballads.
The one track that was my gateway to Gary Moore was “End of the World” off of Corridors of Power. I was a teenager in the 80′s and this song came on the radio in the middle of the night. It was playing on the clock radio and the power and uniqueness of this song woke me up. I shot straight up and any slumber I had was gone as I drank in note after note. You have to remember at the time shredders were a dime a dozen and it was tough to really impress a young headbanger, especially one that was ordering stuff by the truckload from Shrapnel Records. But impress me it did and the next day I drove to Sound Warehouse and bought said cassette and immediately cued up side 2 so I could hear “End of the World” again to make sure it was not some dream. It was real and was just as great as I remembered. The funny thing about that story is I have heard similar ones from other people. By buddy Dave heard it in the middle of the night while he was driving and had to pull over to the side of the road just so he could concentrate on it.
Gary released several more rock records. The aforementioned “Out In The Fields”, was from Run For Cover, a terrific album whose lyrical content reflected his anti-war mentality. Another gem on the same album was “Empty Rooms” a lovely ballad of regret. And in true Irishmen form “All Messed Up” a hard rockin; song about hard partyin’. Wild Frontier came out after that and showcased his Irish roots. His last rock record was After The War, while not his strongest release it had the awesome “Led Clones” a not so subtle shot at bands like Kingdom Come that were blatantly ripping off Zeppelin.
It was then that Gary left rock behind. He started releasing well received blues records and immersed himself in that scene. The only time he did some rock stuff was a tribute to Phil and the album Scars. This was a very interesting album he did with members of the band Skunk Anansie and Primal Scream. It was back to the blues and in 2008 he came out with Close As You Get. I thought this was his best non-rock album. The blues stuff had a more rocking tough and it also had “Evenin”. An instrumental ballad that told a beautiful sorrowful story without the need for words.
Besides his overflowing catalog of great music, he is also known for a job he did not get. Gary was the original pick for guitarist on Ozzy’s solo debut. Unfortunately an accident happened and Gary could not make a go of it and the rest is history. It was probably for the best as having Gary and Ozzy on tour together would have shortened their careers. The human liver can only take so much. One other non-musical fact about Gary is the huge scar on his face. He got that after being stabbed in the face with a knife It also gave us the greatest line from Ozzy. He remarked that Gary Moore had a face like a welders bench.
Thankfully Gary’s hands were fine and we were able to receive his greatest gift through all those years.
Even though he maybe gone his music will be with us. Even though he may have been unheralded, those of us that heard him, knew he was the best.
If you’re like me, you have a vague remembrance of Beggars & Thieves
