Ressurrection Kings - Vulture - Melting Eyes - Agent Steel

 Some more CD tips for summer's end.

Ressurrection Kings - Skygazer

Five years after their self-titled debut album Ressurrection Kings are back with Skygazer. I have their debut, liked it and recently when playing all Dio rediscovered how Craig Goldy helped creating some of the best albums of their Dio era. So checking out a clip on Youtube was enough to make me pick up this album as well. Ressurrection Kings plays melodic hardrock/metal. With Craig Goldy and Vinnie Appice there is a link to Dio, but Chas West is not trying to copy that voice. Several bands might come to mind when listening to the album. Their aim was not winning the price for originality just write good music. And they managed to do so, with Angry Demons as possible highlight. If Craig Goldy returns to Europe one day with a Dio hologram I shall pass. However if Ressurrection Kings make it over, I'll be there.

Vulture - Dealin' Death

This German Vulture is an example of how magazines still work. Reading a positive review and interview made me check them out. I liked being catapulted back to the eighties with their speed metal sound and got Dealin' Death. The screams are there, even if not as high as some in this genre. The guitar attack is there as well and the songs scream for you to headbang along.  When this band mentioned in the interview playing Scum in the past I am sorry I missed out. Sounds to me like party guaranteed when live on stage. Every year I pick up some bands that bring me back to eighties (speed)metal. In recent years I think of Ranger, Riot City or Eternal Champion. This year's recommendation so far is Vulture

Melting Eyes - My Final Resting Place

Melting Eyes play ear ripping old school deathmetal as they say on their FB page. Well no lie told here. What I like most about them is that they are not about one speed only but vary the slow and very heavy with the uptempo riffing when more speed is needed. Six songs in half an hour present well what they stand for. Two guitars setting the speed and a grunt that seems to be coming from as low as a final resting place indeed. This album should raise the interest of some labels as they so far remain independent. Now this is the debut EP by Melting Eyes, but as they are from The Hague I did see them playing before. While at Westland Metal Meeting I was just entering the area during their dying tones I saw them opening for Gruesome in Musicon. Live to me Death Metal always works even better and the good news is that soon we can enjoy their album presentation in Musicon. Together with Rages of Sin who gave us one of Holland's best extreme metal albums of 2020 that promises to become a party, Now we only have to hope that our government after letting 100.000 men watch spoiled kids driving in circles early September also will let 100 people walk around Musicon 1 October. 

Agent Steel - No Other Godz Before Me

Agent Steel means Skeptics Apocalypse and Unstoppable Force two albums of the mid eighties that made the band possibly the best speed metal band around. Their mix of wildly fast guitars, crazy fast solos and the highest pitched screams of John Cyriis made those two albums classics everyone of my generation knows. Unfortunately I never saw them playing live at the time. Unfortunately also the band fell apart with John Cyriis leaving in 88. His voice was a very dominant part of the overall sound. During following decades the band would return without John and release several albums I don't know. Now John is back, but the band is new. He gathered a strong international line-up around him and basically we continue where we left of after Unstoppable Force. Only problem to me is that it all does not sound in your face really. The songs themselves are good and tell us again how we are not the centre of the universe. For a Brazilian like me it is interesting to read the opening of Sonata Cósmica in Portuguese and the Incident being fully in Portuguese and telling the story of my visits to Minas Gerais looking for Iron Ore (thanks to Brazilian guitarist Vinicius Carvalho). Now the question remains will we be able to see these new songs live on stage one day. Reputations might scare some off, but hopefully we get the chance as this new album screams for a live show. Think I am going to play me some Untoppabe Force now.

Vokonis - Vola - Dordeduh - Terra Odium

Four different forms of progmetal all highly recommended

Vokonis - Odyssey

With cover artwork like this I had to start with Vokonis as the cover appears when posted on FB. During last May's Progfiles show this band was played and the talks were mostly about this same cover. Pity the T-shirts are not printed on a yellow background. And the music? well this progmetal is mostly in the vein of Mastodon. Actually this trio reminds me of last year's album by Red//Shift, which made it to my top 20. I say trio but they get some help on keyboards from Per Wiberg (Spiritual Beggars, Opeth). Six songs of which the last two are the long ones. While those are the more epic prog songs I especially like their shorter songs with a bite. Strange enough this is already their 4th full lenght since 2016 and I never heard of them before. Lots to discover therefore and who knows they even tour now that seems possible again. 

Vola - Witness

Vola slowly seem to be marching on towards headliner status of major summer festivals. I was early at their party when in 2015 Progmetalzone tipped them on one of their lists. After buying their album I could see them perform it live opening PPE 2015. That was no disappointment. Their next full lenght Applause From a Distant Crowd I did not buy upon release in 2018, but only after seeing them giving a very strong show in Patronaat. And now Witness comes to us with nine songs all having chorusses of the extremely catchy side and overall a grandioso sound. This music should please many, if only they can get the deserved exposure. One attempt to reach that is inviting a rapper Shahmen. I hate rap and songs which hold Feat. in the band name, so it remains the low on this album even if the rap is over fast and the chorus wonderful. Knowing how good they are live I can see them headlining summer festivals in 2023, when everyone had the chance to discover them. Then in Holland I am talking about Pinkpop or Lowlands, since their djenty poppy progmetal might not be heavy enough for metal festivals.  

Dordeduh - Har

February 2017 and metal came to town. I did a very Dutch thing that night cycling through the snow. This for bands I did not know yet, but what I checked on the internet in advance sounded promising. Dordeduh from Roumania and three quarter same mebers Transceatla in a more prog death metal outfit. Dordeduh was one interesting experience with long wooden horns blazing and a wooden guillotine as percussion instrument. The music was atmospheric and moody. And than it went quiet for them to come back with a new album this spring. Har seems to be even more cohesive than debut album Dardeduh. Yes complicating names and titles as they sing in Roumanian. In this case it suits their music  perfectly. Maybe Dordeduh is not for every summer evening, but when you feel like having some moody background music for your darker nights this might be the perfect soundtrack.

Terra Odium - Ne Plus Ultra

Saving best for last, the debut album of Terra Odium. Maybe a new band, but no new musicians. Members having a past in bands like Manitou and Scariot and probably most interesting Spiral Architect. Those who remember their one and only album A Sceptic's Universe know we are in for some top class progressive metal. Maybe not as adventurous the album mentioned above, Ne Plus Ultra gives the fan of old school progmetal everything we love. This starting with Oyvind Haegeland one of the best voices in metal. This also since he reminds us of Devon Graves. Actually the band still reminds me of Psychotic Waltz as well. Asgeir Mickelson on drums is the other man with a past in Spiral Architect and Scariot. On guitars an ex Manitou man Bollie Fredriksen is here and spare keyboards are played by John Phipps. Finally there is Steve DiGiorgio on bass, but he doesn't count as he played with every metal band on the planet.  The album holds seven songs lasting 52:24 If you like any of the bands mentioned above you can buy the album in the blind.  Heavier varied progmetal songs with doomyundertones, an epic, a dark ballad and overall just good music I can't recommend Ne Plus Ultra highly enough. 

Frost* - Smith / Kotzen - Stormtrooper - Robin McAuley

Some CD tips for you. This time not groundbreaking renewing bands, but just some very comfortable good music.

Frost* - Day and Age

Frost* is the exception on the above rule, as you never know exactly what you get with them. This time they took the decision to refrain from guitar solos, which is interesting if you consider that John Mitchell is playing guitars. He also sings as does other founder Jem Godfrey. Nathan King on bass is the last other fixed bandmember, with drums divided over three people. The lack of guitarsolos strangely enough does not disturb me. Another surprise the spoken word song The Boy Who Stood Still is one of the highlights. So far only Tinyfish managed to make me like spoken word parts (band of brother of Jem). Hard to pick a favorite on this album really, but maybe Kill the Orchestra would be it for me. I saw Frost* live after they released debut album Milliontown. Their poppy open appraoch to prog is refreshing indeed. More important and not that common with prog rock bands, they laugh and have fun while playing. Result another uplifting album that you should check out.

Smith / Kotzen - Smith / Kotzen

A collaboration of two famous guitarists might not shock the world with their music, but it all sound so damn comfortable. Biggest surprise to me is that Adrian Smith also has a great voice suiting this bluesy hardrock. I saw Ritchie Kotzen a few years ago in het Paard and his voice is impressive too. The combination of both works wonderfully well and we get an album that oozes classic bluesy hardrock which might have filled stadiums in earlier decades. It would be nice if the two can work on a tour. Same as when I saw mr Kotzen solo, not knowing the songs does not hinder when it all sounds just like good music. All over a strong album highlights? maybe Scars or I Wanna Stay.

Stormtrooper - Every Now and Then

The title reflects to the reality of the album, some newly written songs and some revisted early eighties songs. Together they reult in a mix of the more NWOBHM inclined older songs and accesible new work. Stormtrooper never were the most famous NWOBHM band. They released only a single in 1980 Pride Before a Fall. Then in 2016 they came with the full album Pride Before a Fall (the lost album). Well that was one surprise and one of the best NWOBHM releases of last decade with epics Battle of the Eve and After Battle next to some catchy short heavy songs. I was pleased to see them performing live in Bristol one legendary evening. Every Now and Then is not of the same level really, but it hints towards that album more than once during the old songs. Overall it mainly is a pleasant album not made to shock the world, but just showing that bands you never heard of can make good music as well. 

Robin McAuley - Standing on the Edge

Robin McAuley brings the McAuley / Schenker Group to mind for older fans. Recently I saw him perform twice with Michael Schenker Fest and his voice survived best if comparing with Gary Barden and Graham Bonnett (maybe Doogie White came close only) Not for nothing that he was asked to sing the UFO-era songs. And now he released a solo album which brings me back to those hairmetal days of the late eighties. The surpise is not only in his voice, but the songs are all good rockers as well. This is a Frontiers release, so Allessandro Del Vecchio is involved. Well if you want new music, that does not sound all that new, but is pretty awesome to kill some missing them old days feelings. The cover is very nice, but the pictures with Robin standing against poles, posts, walls and tables not so necessary at our age (his and mine). 

Pain of Salvation Ranking the albums

 A good trip down Remedy Lane this was and to my positive surprise the albums that I thougt least of even had their good moments. So ranking PoS was not that hard, with still at some points choices to be made. My ranking is as follows:

10. Road Salt One

Originally a big disappointment, later on I realized it had some good songs on it too and for certain days it works well for me.

9. BE

Even holding some good songs overall an album I will not return to on CD anyday soon, maybe I play the DVD again one day.

8. Road Salt Two

Same story as number one, but with better songs on it for me and also not unimportant some metal songs again.

7. Panther

I think seeing them play this album live will help my appreciation of the songs further. Now an OK album but not top of the list material.

6. Scarsick

The wildest mix within one album. Some very strong songs here, but also America and that song unfortunately.

5. Entropia

A very good debut album, even if I picked it up some years later. Lasting over 70 minutes not consistent in high quality overall to me. Paving the way for the classics that would follow.

4. In the Passing Light of Day

The album the re-won them many fans from the early days. An emotional concept piece filled with heavy songs and wonderful melodies. Title track among their three best songs ever.

3. The Perfect Element I

Probably a favorite to many, for me just a notch below my top two. Filled with classic PoS songs that all are welcome during a live show. Used opens extremely strong.

2. Remedy Lane

On some days my number one. This is PoS how I love it. Wide variation in songs, without experiments outside my comfort zone. Best when played from start to finish for me.

1. One Hour By The Concrete Lake

My first PoS album, their heaviest and overall best set of songs. Pity that during live shows they hardly play songs from it. 11 songs all killer no filler (unless you consider an instrumental opener of 43 seconds no song). From Inside to Inside Out a great ride through PoS at their best, played by their best line-up.

So what's next? Panther's follow up? The Perfect Element II? Scarsick 2 or a dance album? With Daniel Gildenlöw we never know and I think that is one of the beauties of this band (or solo project nowadys). Unpredictable by all means. Sometimes the surprises are not so nice, but you can't discuss quality with this band.

Dream Theater Ranking the albums

 

Always the best part ranking the albums, or the impossible task depending on your point of view. I have been going through all their albums over the past four days and even took the courage to listen to the full Astonishing again. Before starting my countdown a small explanation on the fanboy in me. I was totally into the band during their early years. Later on this moved to just a good band I kept on following. Further apart from number 15 all albums have their charms and might please others more. So here's my list

15: The Astonishing The album that noone understood. Played it today probably for the last time in my life.

14: Scenes From A Memory Let the controversy begin. This album started of well with me, now bores me (to reincarnated death?). Also this is the first album where the band started to forget about the songs at times in favor of instrumental wankery.

13: A Dramatic Turn Of Events The first album without Portnoy sounds all smooth and well. Still no outstanding songs and several songs being extended far too long.

12: Black Clouds & Silver Linings Portnoy deserved to say farewell with a better album. The absolute highlight of this album is his AA recovery track The Shattered Fortress, which should make my favorite song top something. The bonus instrumental version of the full album never left it's cover.

11: Distance Over Time A pretty decent album, pretty to the point and pretty nice. But where are the absolute highlights of the album? It starts on decent level and finsihes at same level before you realize that was all.

10: Systematic Chaos It are the short songs that make this a better album. And of course The Ministry Of Lost Souls, which is a haunting beauty.

9: A Change Of Seasons Killer song, but not a full album. So it would only therefore be strange if making my top five. Now I use it as a breaking point. The albums that came before I do not really recommend as must hears. My top 8 following now are all necessary albums in progmetal (where 4 to 8 could vary a bit on other days)

8: Falling Into Infinity The commercial album that worked out well. Lots of great songs and the Desmond Child cooperation You Not Me might as well have been a hit. My best live memories are around this album as well, which always helps.

7: Dream Theater The self titled album is in total for me by far their best CD of the past 15 years. Only good songs, no wankery and a decent closing epic. Brilliant return to old form.

6: Octavarium This varied album has something to please everyone. Apparently not all fans thought that positive. Also the last album on Elektra and looking at my list it is fair to say that Elektra had more luck with the releases than Roadrunner had.

5: Train Of Thought Dream Theater going metal fitted them perfectly well. How nice to hear an album where you can bang on by DT. For me if you go this heavy it could have been shorter. But definitely one that kept the metalheads in their fanbase on board.

4: Six Degrees Of Inner Turbulence A double album and still not holding one weak song. Disc two with the title track is sensational. Disc one has this nice balance of going all over the place from very heavy to a ballad. The best of the rest for me.

3: When Dream And Day Unite Definitely the album that had the biggest impact on me. Maybe the album that had the best songs on it. This debut album came out of the blue and was so good that it catapuulted the band straight among my favorites bands of the time. And yes Dominici was a strong vocalist too.

2: Images And Words Their Classic album that defined a genre and is an all time favorite for many. Pull Me Under actually scoring a hit is already sensational if you hear how heavy it pulls you under. My favorite line-up and the best concert I ever saw by them touring this album.

1: Awake And still I&W did not make it to my number one as this album is similar, but a bit darker and heavier, which in music often means better. Only killer songs and The Mirror/Lie being an all time high in their career. Their only album that lasts over 70 minutes and does keep you on the edge of your seat throughout. Finally when going through Youtube I found this clip of a show commemorating 15 years of WDADU. James LaBrie struggling at times, but what an album that is also with a later lineup. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PW_877BdaL4 So now I am done for a while playing Dream Theater. The biggest surprise to me was how much I liked the selftitled album. All others ended more or less where I woudl have placed them in advance before hearing all again. Now tonight maybe some old school speed metal to cure my prog overdose. Please feel free to disagree with my choices, as long as it is done respectfully like Andy suggested with their metal album.

Michael Schenker Ranking the albums

 

Over the past Corona year I have been completing several of my collections of heroes from my youth. For unknown reasons I did not do so for Michael Schenker. This weekend made me realize that I need to look out for several of his missing albums on future metal markets or just the internet. The albums I will have to get are from several of his era's: McAuley Schenker - M.S.G., MSG - Written in the Sand, Temple of Rock - Bridge the Gap, Fest - Revelation. Anyway I still have 13 albums to rank which I do have and played over the past days. So my favorites for these are ranked as follows:

13. Adventures of the Imagination

Somehow for an instrumental album I expected more from the man who gave me the best instrumentals ever written during his early MSG years. Even Resurrection held in Salvation an instrumental topping all on this album. Not questioning quality here, just songs.

12. In the Midst of Beauty

The most disappointing album, especially if you look at the line-up. All those eighties names, could not make the eighties return. The songs lacked class of the old times and I was very sick missing live shows, to help getting them more alive.

11. Gipsy Lady

Acoustic albums can never compete with full band performances . The biggest plus here was that the songs fitted Gary Barden's voice much better. Still acoustic, therefore not for every moment

10. Immortal

For now I kept this album low, as I did not play it enough yet. Some very promising songs on it, but why change to three new singers again?

9. Tales of Rock 'n' Roll

19 songs in 57 minutes sounds like a rush. If this album would have twelve songs and several of them extended and ended properly this might have been higher up. Several ideas are very good and the seven vocalists all add something to the party.

8. Save Yourself

The second McAuley Scheker album had some lesser songs on it. I liked this hair-metal era of the band, but also no touring this time made it not his best. Band pictures on the cover remain hilarious, I mean Schenker in a white social shirt and hair fohned is funny, Flying V in hand or not.

7. Spirit on a Mission

Doogie White's great voice gives this album an extra. Strong band and good songs, make this one that comes closer to the golden years. Good live shows during those days too, even if too much Scorpions played.

6. Resurrection

Surprisingly strong album, based upon the very good songs. I would not expect all vocalists to sing that well. Live it seemed they were having such a good time on stage and ego's were put aside. Salvation an instrumental of the top class as well.

5. Perfect Timing

The first album with McAuley. The style changed, but not as much as the hair did. Great songs make up this album and McAuley can sing. Following fashion of the day maybe, but with a great result.

4. Built to Destroy

This album received way too much critics at the time of release. For me only just below the top three. It did help that my first ever MSG live show came after this album. Some of the songs should be in a best of set any day.

Now before going to the top three I have to state that it must have been the hardest choice so far. I struggled ranking top three albums for Fates Warning, Savatage, Whitesnake, Dream Theater or Angel's top two. In this case, they really all three are equally good and have their own charm. I therefore can only rank based upon re-playing this weekend.

3. Michael Schenker Group

This LP is among the best debut albums ever. Only classics. I put it on three since it holds most songs we heard over and over during live shows, so hardly any o yeah that one experience. Into the Arena and Lost Horizons are among his best songs ever.

2. Assault Attack

Same classic status, different vocalist. I only did not put this on one, as I consider Gary Barden the voice of the golden years. Graham Bonnett maybe delivering the best performance of his career, helped by eight killer songs (well seven one is instrumental) Everythig is right about this album.

1. MSG

The second LP, was the first one I got and is also classic from start to finish. For some reason songs like Let Sleeping Dogs Lie, On and On and But I Want More, hardly appear in live sets nowadays. This album has the best line-up ever for MSG with Glen, Raymond, Powell, Barden and Schenker. Somehow I feel it does not get the same credit as my number two and three do, so I put it on one. Schenker could even afford to not put an instrumental classic on this one.

Well that was a great ride along 40 years of MSG in it's several formats. Anyone new to the band should look for the box The Chrysalis Years. It holds my top four, plus two live albums and some unreleased live at the Manchester Apollo songs. Schenker rulez indeed.

Angel ranking the albums

 

So after one weekend of many old albums it's time to rank them in order of favorites. Replaying them all did not really change my opinion from what I expected in advance, but sometimes I will explain a position. Going through these albums does make you wonder, why Angel never became as big in record sales as bands like Cheap Trick, Styx, REO Speedwagon or even Queen and the likes. Not to mention Kiss a band they often were compaerd with being the white version of black dressed Kiss. I never had anything with Kiss and even Angel in poppy mood outshines Kiss for me any day. The fact the Gregg Giuffria left the band is a pity as I personally believe that both Giuffria and thereafter House of Lords released albums, that were better classy follow ups with some Angel influences still blended in. I do not include any of those in the ranking, but kept the solo albums I mentioned this weekend in the ranking. So counting down 9 albums.

9. Sinful

If I would have been a fan in the seventies the disappointment probably would have been even bigger. Now just their most poppy album to me, with less memorable songs.

8. Punky Meadows - Fallen Angel

This solo album was not bad, but missed the vocals and was a bit softer than I hoped for. A long album too, which does have its effect on attention spans.

7. Dimino - Old Habits Die Hard

The voice of Angel going solo. This was one hell of a positive surprise to me. Ranking it number three in my end of year list 2015 and only number seven here shows how big Angel are to me. Great album.

6. In the Beginning

Musically this album deserves maybe to up some places, but I put it here as it is far from the traditioal Angel sound. If I would rank the Led Zeppelin albums it would end up higher. Still a very good album to play every now and then and I never understood the critics it received.

5. Risen

A worthy comeback indeed, but missing the nostalgy factor my top four has. Even if discovering them in the eighties, playing all their albums Over and Over (pun) did add to my appreciation levels years later. Very diverse respecting all sides of Angel

4. On Earth As It Is In Heaven

Album number three where they decided to leave the proggy path. Still this one had several great songs on it like Can You Feel It and On The Rocks. What if they would have decided at the time to go more proggy and metal instead? probably the next Rush, but we shall never know

3. White Hot

Their fourth album continuing the route of their pre-decessor. This one to me has a few more must hear Angel classics on it like Don't Leave Me Lonely, Got Love If You Want It and Hold Me, Squeeze Me. All songs much more rocking than their titles would make you expect.

2. Helluva Band

This one is maybe as good as my number one. Friday a few people mentioned to play Angel again. I am sure they meant the first two albums. It was the best era of Angel really, even if not sales-wise. Pressure Point shows how heavy they could go these early days and The Fortune should have been an all time classic.

1. Angel

The self titled debut album holds eight songs all having their charm. The Tower is their band defining song, but Long Time, Broken Dreams or Sunday Morning are hidden gems as well. How is it possible that this brilliant debut did not catapult them straight to super stardom? One of the wonders in pop music for always.

So I end with a small clip form The Fortune, which I found on Youtube. It is shot at the Golden Age Rock festival which I attended.

If it shows anything it is, that Angel are live still a band to travel long distance for, even if the sound here is messy. Angel the band that makes you think what could and should have been.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1tQ08BtblvM

Finally it became clear to me that Angel must be close to the weather Gods. This weekend for the first time in two years The Netherlands turned all white covered in snow. Call it coincidence if you like. Luckily just a bit and all left already, so time for a jog on a Sunday Morning now.