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08/25/2011
08/03/2011
Album Review: Kill All Control
Album: Kill All Control
Release: 2011
Artist: George Lynch
Label: Rocket Science
Track Listing: 1) Kill All Control 2) Done 3) Fly on the Wall 4) Brand New Day 5) Wicked Witch 6) Voices in My Head 7) Resurrect Your Soul 8) Rattlesnake 9) Sun 10) Man On Fire 11) My Own Enemy 12) Son of Scary 13) Go It Alone
George Lynch has significantly moved on musically since his eighties heyday with Dokken and this latest release is another example of his ability to morph sonically to suit current trends. With all hopes of an original Dokken line-up reunion dead in the water, fans will have to make do with another Lynch solo record.
Like his first solo effort Sacred Groove, Kill All Control boasts an assortment of special guests. This time around we are treated to contributions from the likes of Keith St. John (Montrose, Burning Rain), Will Martin (Earshot), Marq Torien (Bulletboys) and Fred Coury (Cinderella). With a fine cast in place, Lynch stands in the shadows (no pun intended) for the majority of the album, keeping his shred chops at bay in favour of allowing the songs space to breathe. This works to an extent with tracks such as Fly on the Wall and Brand New Day being strong enough to stand up on their own merits. However the lack of solo embellishment on the opening two numbers results in short songs that feel lacking in substance and in much need of a spark from a glistening solo. Thankfully Lynch finds space to express himself during the likes of Wicked Witch and Resurrect Your Soul, delivering his signature style in a restrained and tasteful manner within well-crafted compositions.
A lot of people will predictably dip into this album to hear Lynch shred like it’s 1987, but here he has found a place in the true band format similar to the way Joe Satriani has with Chickenfoot. Gone are the hyperbolic solos and the clichéd hair metal lyrics and in their place lie collection of contemporary rock songs.
Son of Scary sees Lynch step fully into the spotlight, paying homage to Mr Scary to the point of using the original riffs and melodies. See it as Mr Scary – part 2. The instrumental is a highlight and is easily the best track on the second half which plods on with some mediocre tunes lacking fire such as My Own Enemy and Go It Alone.
Kill All Control contains a healthy selection of solid hard-rock anthems with elements of blues and even grunge with Voices in My Head sounding like a typical Alice in Chains number. Lynch has done well in developing his modern sound and his ability to use his technical talent only where needed shows his professionalism and maturity as a guitarist. Fans of Dokken and Lynch Mob shouldn’t hesitate to give this a spin, but if you’re a newcomer looking to check out Lynch’s chops you’d be better off starting with his eighties Dokken material.
Rating: [7]
TTT:
1) Wicked Witch
2) Son of Scary
3) Resurrect Your Soul
Reviewed by: Daniel Aston, 03/08/2011
08/02/2011
Album Review: Tactical
Album: Tactical
Release: 2011
Artist: World Under Blood
Label: Nuclear Blast
Track Listing: 1) A God Among The Waste 2) Into the Arms of Cruelty 3) Pyro-Compulsive 4) Dead and Still in Pain 5) Purgatory Dormitory 6) Under the Autumn Low 7) I Can’t Stand His Name 8) Revere’s Tears 9) Wake Up Dead (Megadeth cover)
Tactical is the long awaited debut album from melodic death metal band World Under Blood. Formed by CKY frontman, Deron Miller and Divine Heresy drummer, Tim Yeung, the band have been releasing tracks since 2006, gradually building up attention via their MySpace page. As the group’s founders made space from their other projects, World Under Blood eventually signed to Nuclear Blast Records in 2009 and were ready to complete their first album.
Their debut opens with the impressive A God Among The Waste. A calculated blend of death metal, rhythmic variation and melodic hooks is executed well and is elevated by supreme musicianship and a tight production. The album looks set to be a cracker. Unfortunately, the well-crafted song writing doesn’t follow through with Into the Arms of Cruelty and Pyro-Compulsive being predictable blast-beat infected affairs. To their credit, the former track is comparable to mid-nineties Death material, although it fails to be anywhere near as memorable.
Dead and Still in Pain conjures up some of the magic displayed in the opener and the blast beats feel more appropriate, contributing to the light and shade of the song. The track builds up momentum before breaking into an excellent mellow outro section which ends far too prematurely, a second guitar solo would have been much appreciated. Purgatory Dormitory sounds like a filler and is a return to the uninspired formula fuelled by generic riffage and general noise. Under the Autumn Low and I Can’t Stand His Name both have their moments but the album doesn’t pick up again until Revere’s Tears. The track in question is another journey through a landscape of soft and harsh textures and builds itself up as being something of an epic before ending rather abruptly. Further development on numbers such as this and Dead and Still in Pain would have strengthened the album to a higher level. The record closes with an enjoyable cover of Megadeth’s thrash classic Wake Up Dead, although this particular rendition doesn’t offer much variation over the original to make it particularly worthwhile.
All in all, Tactical is a mixed bag that contains some brief glimmers of quality and potential amongst a collection of missed opportunity. The band should see this as a stepping stone upon which to build their identity with future releases.
Rating: [5]
TTT:
1) A God Among The Waste
2) Revere’s Tears
3) Dead and Still in Pain
Reviewed by: Daniel Aston, 02/08/2011
Album Review: Juggernaut of Justice
Album: Juggernaut of Justice
Release: 2011
Artist: Anvil
Label: The End Record
Track Listing: 1) Juggernaut of Justice 2) When Hell Breaks Loose 3) New Orleans Voodoo 4) On Fire 5) FuckenEh! 6) Turn it Up 7) This Ride 8) Not Afraid 9) Conspiracy 10) Running 11) Paranormal 12) Swing Thing
Upon hearing the name ‘Anvil’ some will either snigger at images of frontman, Lips, playing his guitar with a dildo before a festival audience in the eighties, or warm to the band that won so many hearts with their 2008 documentary Anvil: The Story of Anvil. The documentary in question was an unprecedented career revamp for a band that had been pretty much invisible for over twenty years. It showed the true dedication of a group that has struggled to be taken seriously, and revealed their die-hard passion and love for the music they create and the dream of being rock stars. However, all that hard work and relentless touring needs quality to back it up, and now more than ever the band need a solid album to prove their worth. With the first album since their award-winning film and the fourteenth record in their career, can Juggernaut of Justice make an impression upon today’s metalheads?
The record opens up strongly with the title track, When Hell Breaks Loose and New Orleans Voodoo all containing powerful riffs, flashy guitar solos and strong vocal performances. Anvil’s old-school thrash riffs sound particularly poignant thanks to the album’s great production, something that a lot of their later self-released records lacked. On Fire and FuckenEh! are respectable metal numbers, the latter a real live anthem (as the title suggests). The album dips significantly during the half-way point with Turn it Up and This Ride sounding like fillers, but Not Afraid, Conspiracy and Running succeed in reviving the tempo and maintaining the same quality as the opening numbers.
Paranormal almost threatens to outstay its welcome at over seven minutes long. It’s a slice of doom metal that sees the band tread back into the realms of unintentional parody with Lips’ vocal lines sounding like something out of a cheesy horror b-movie. Things at this point needed to be uplifted by another thrash gem; unfortunately the band had other ideas. Instrumental album closer Swing Thing feels completely out of place with brass sections playing a surprisingly heavy role. Despite the randomness of the finale, it only adds to the charm of the record which contains all of what’s great about Anvil: full on metal and passionate musicianship held together with an admirable sense of humour.
For fans of the band, Juggernaut of Justice most certainly won’t disappoint. As for newcomers, this album is well worth checking out. It’s the solid effort that the band needed and although nothing on the album particularly stands out as being a classic, it still delivers a level of consistency that makes it an enjoyable listen. With the majority of Anvil’s back catalogue being reissued apart from their sole classic Metal on Metal, this is a good place to start your collection.
It’s hard to say whether Anvil will be seen as a credible force in today’s metal scene, but with the Big Four touring together and revamping thrash metal around the globe, this is the best time for them to step back into the spotlight. Forget everything you previously associated with the band: the dildos, the laughable stage gear and the comedic song titles, and approach Juggernaut of Justice with an open mind. If you do that, chances are you’ll be pleasantly surprised by what is a commendable album.
Rating: [7]
TTT:
1) Juggernaut of Justice
2) When Hell Breaks Loose
3) Not Afraid
Reviewed by: Daniel Aston, 01/08/2011
Album Review: Dedicated to Chaos
Album: Dedicated to Chaos
Release: 2011
Artist: Queensrÿche
Label: Loud and Proud/Roadrunner
Track Listing: 1) Get Started 2) Hot Spot Junkie 3) Got It Bad 4) Around the World 5) Higher 6) Retail Therapy 7) At The Edge 8) Broken 9) Hard Times 10) Drive 11) I Believe 12) Luvnu 13) Wot We Do 14) I Take You 15) The Lie 16) Big Noize
Dedicated to Chaos is the latest instalment in a prolific run of releases for Queensrÿche, and unsurprisingly it demonstrates yet another change in musical direction for the band. However, with this release comes their most controversial record to date. Combining elements of electronica, pop, hard rock and hip-hop, this album has the potential to alienate even hard-core fans. Enter Parker Lundgren, a new addition to Queensrÿche. Having previously worked with Geoff Tate during his solo period, some fans already sighted the possibility that Dedicated to Chaos may end up sounding like another Tate solo project. The result is exactly that, with a few essences of the old ‘rÿche sound here and there.
The album kicks open with a duo of hard hitting rock numbers. Get Started and Hot Spot Junkie sound like Q2K and Tribe era tunes with a bit more bite, the latter being one of the band’s heaviest songs to date. There are equally heavy moments elsewhere with Retail Therapy, I Take You and the epic At the Edge. Proof enough that Queensrÿche still rock, here are to be found some of their heaviest riffs. At the Edge is the clear album stand-out, combining ambient atmospherics with bone crunching riffage to dynamic perfection. Just as the record looks set on becoming a hard rock affair, things take a dramatic turn.
Broken and Hard Times provide a pair of prog-tinted ballads rich in layers of thick orchestration. This allows Tate to display the more soulful side of his voice and it is at this point that the music sounds most reminiscent of his solo material.
Musical diversity is explored in a pop direction with Got It Bad, Higher, Around the World and Wot We Do. Around the World is the most radio-friendly track here. With a strong infectious chorus that reeks of stadium rock and essences of U2 it works rather well. Alternatively, Wot We Do sounds like a remnant of the band’s recent cabaret show and lacks the same power and lasting appeal. Got It Bad is much harder to listen to. The lyrics ‘you got those sunglasses on’ are not only sickly but are also repeated too often than is bearable. Musically the song carries a monotonous structure and along with Drive and I Believe is a low-point in the album.
Fans longing for a return to the Empire sound will warm to tracks such as Luvnu and The Lie which tentatively touch upon the golden formula of the ‘rÿche’s early 90s sound. Why the band have decided to use bizarre spellings in some of the track titles is perplexing, perhaps they were foolishly going for a more ‘down with the kids’ approach. Whatever the reason don’t prejudge the material here without giving it a chance. Album closer Big Noize is prime example of this. Epic in its execution, it acts as a platform for Tate to exercise his vocal range to great effect, being very similar in style to Q2K closer The Right Side of My Mind. A killer track with a flippant name.
The album production shines significantly upon first listen and is glorious when played through a good stereo system or headphones. Kelly Gray has worked wonders in the studio and the ‘true headphones record’ that the band promised proves to be one of the most powerful sounding rock records in recent years.
Musically, Dedicated to Chaos is the most diverse album in Queensrÿche’s catalogue and is all the better for it. If approached without albums such as Empire or Operation: Mindcrime in mind, it stands on its own as a strong and intriguing album full of twists and turns with plenty of replay value.
Those who have only just become accustomed to the sound of their previous record, American Soldier, will have to prepare for yet another surprising musical direction. While Queensrÿche’s bravery for taking a risk with an album like this is commendable, it is by no means a perfect product. Lyrically it is weaker than their previous effort with references to Youtube and the ‘Wi-Fi way’ sounding a little cheesy and dated. It’s not as consistent as its predecessor either and is guilty of some mediocre-at-best filler tracks. However, there is quality amongst chaos on show here. Be sure to listen with an open mind and give it a few spins before casting judgement, this might just grow on you.
Rating: [8]
TTT:
1) At The Edge
2) Big Noize
3) Around The World
Reviewed by: Daniel Aston, 01/08/2011
07/26/2011
Live Review: Judas Priest, Queensrÿche and Rival Sons
Headline Act: Judas Priest
Support: Queensrÿche, Rival Sons
Venue: Bournemouth BIC
Date: 24/07/2011
Fans gathered feverishly early on a cool Sunday evening in anticipation of Judas Priest’s final UK date on their farewell Epitaph tour. Opening the night was Rival Sons. The American four-piece are building up a reputation as one of the most promising new rock acts and their placement on the Epitaph tour has allowed them to play some of the UK’s larger venues. A decent audience turned up to watch them deliver a convincing half-hour set where they displayed their 70s classic rock roots with essences of Led Zeppelin, Free and the Black Crowes. Amongst the cliché vintage blues-rock is a band with a true identity, and despite frontman Jay Buchanan’s stage presence being a carbon copy of Robert Plant, he thankfully doesn’t try to sound like a tribute act.
Next on the bill was Seattle’s Queensrÿche. Once pioneers of progressive metal, the band has significantly moved on over the years and has recently released their most controversial album to date with Dedicated to Chaos. An album that saw them yet again reinvent their sound has received a great deal of largely unfair frustrated criticism from fans and critics alike. Get Started from that very album opens things up, with Geoff Tate jumping around in a trilby and waistcoat failing to engage Priest’s loyal ‘metal maniacs’. Thankfully the band then strayed away from the current release to perform some of their classic material. Anthems such as I Don’t Believe in Love, Empire and Eyes of a Stranger manage to get the audience singing along, with Empire being a particular standout. Despite Tate’s recent statement that Queensrÿche are definitely not to be seen as a prog band, there is space in the set for the experimental pairing of NM 156 and Screaming in Digital. The sci-fi themed songs work excellently together both musically and lyrically, with the tales of futuristic machine dominance over mankind being expertly executed by the band with Tate’s operatic vocals on top form.
It took around twenty-minutes for Judas Priest’s monolithic stage to be created and as soon as the veil was dropped the crowd was greeted with a display of pyrotechnics, lasers and smoke plumes. Priest ploughed effortlessly through heavy renditions of classics such as Metal Gods, Heading Out to the Highway and Victim of Changes, the latter turning out to be arguably the best performance of the night. Rob Halford’s vocal performance was sublime, and for a man in his sixties his ability to reach all the highs from the record is astonishing. The audience warmed instantly to KK Downing’s replacement Richie Faulkner who does his best to imitate his predecessor's every move. Perhaps unsurprisingly, Faulkner was also handed the majority of the guitar solos, allowing him the exposure to best display his technical ability and prove himself a worthy replacement. Halford handed over full vocal duties to the crowd for Breaking the Law before giving them the right to mosh during the metal powerhouse that is Painkiller. A blistering rendition of their heaviest song created a wall of colossal heavy metal and an atmosphere that few bands manage to achieve.
To round off the night the crowd was treated to three encores before Priest finally brought an end to their stunning performance. If this indeed turns out to be their final major world tour then they are ending on a glorious high. However, with a new guitarist and Halford’s vocals sounding as powerful as ever, one would suspect that there’s at least another album lurking somewhere on the horizon.
Reviewed by Daniel Aston 26/07/2011
Photography by Daniel Aston
06/16/2011
06/08/2011
12/02/2010
11/18/2010
Album Review: Jupiter
Album: JUPITER
Release: 2010
Artist: Atheist
Label: Season of Mist
Track Listing: 1) Second to Sun 2) Fictitious Glide 3) Fraudulent Cloth 4) Live and Live Again 5) Faux King Christ 6) Tortoise the Titan 7) When the Beast 8) Third Person
The last three years have been exiting times for fans of the early nineties tech-death scene with bands such as Cynic, Pestilence and Believer reforming and churning out long-awaited studio albums. The results thus far have been rather disappointing with Pestilence abandoning their jazz infused evolution that produced Spheres (1993) and Cynic producing a mixed bag of an album in Traced in Air (2006). Perhaps Atheist, then, could be the first to revamp their glory days.
Unfortunately, Jupiter fails to match up to the early classics. It’s been seventeen years since the band’s previous release, Elements (1993), and clearly the genius pool has long since dried up. The classic Atheist sound of death metal and jazz fused together hasn’t deteriorated one bit and if anything has become clearer thanks to a good production job. A great deal of the early nineties underground albums suffered from cheap production quality but thankfully with modern technology, things have improved tenfold.
The constant shuffling of rhythm patterns and the juggling of time signatures is spellbinding, but only if executed in a tasteful fashion. Opener Second to None is a promising start with a flurry of complex riffage succeeding in being both well-structured and energetic. Fictitious Glide is a similar story although it’s lacking melodic passages to latch on to and sacrifices quality for raw speed and aggression. Fraudulent Cloth follows relatively the same formula and doesn’t leave a lasting impression. At this point in the album you can pretty much guess where things are going. Each track resembles its predecessor with the same ideas, the same approach and ultimately the same mediocre outcome.
Live and Live Again is a breath of fresh air in some respects. The eerie string opening bursts suitably into a dark and heavy speed-metal riff. The chorus is actually singable and memorable and the bleaker vibe gives way to a guitar solo that doesn’t sound like a carbon copy of the previous shred-fests, albeit a bit short. It’s the only track that truly grasps light and shade and develops an interesting song with a balance that’s musically and technically impressive.
After the album’s peak, the second half of the album doesn’t provide anything exciting. Faux King Christ is dynamically boring and is a dramatic drop in quality after Live and Live Again. Tortoise the Titan maintains the drivel before Wake the Beast and Third Person save the album from falling into complete dire straits.
Kelly Shaefer’s vocals lack the power of earlier recordings, reduced now to a snarl rather than a growl. The riffs have also become unimaginative and searching the record for solid memorable riffage is a difficult task. Atheist have always been guilty of releasing short albums and you’d think that after all this time they would give fans more than just under thirty-three minutes of new music. The fact that it’s under thirty-three minutes of relatively monotonous music makes it even worse.
The short running time and the lack of consistency brings Jupiter’s overall score down despite its occasional delights. The technical virtuosity is still jaw-dropping although the creative spark isn’t what it used to be. With a mass of new talent thriving within the tech-death style, Atheist have failed to come back and show anyone how it should be done.
For fans this will be a disappointment and if you want to check out the wonders of ‘jazz-death’ for the first time, this certainly isn’t the place to start.
Rating: [4]
TTT:
1) Live and Live Again
2) Second to Sun
3) Fictitious Glide
Reviewed by: Daniel Aston, 18/11/2010
Dan Aston
Music journalist, musician and photographer. All album reviews are rated out of 10.
