Random album reviews

[The Dissident]

Human :ll: Nature - Nightwish
Format: CD/Digital

Nightwish unleashed their 9th studio album near the beginning of our lovely pandemic, a consistent album, with a little bit of fluctuation in quality. I will only be reviewing disc 1 as I view disc 2 as a small EP attached to the album, and frankly I got through the first two tracks and decided to leave the rest for another time. Human :ll: Nature is an odd album in some aspects, the pacing of the album starts off a little weird and unlike other albums it isn't over an hour. In actuality the proper album component of it is the shortest since Century Child back in 2002!

Music has a long drawn out introduction, this addition could be used quite nicely as a concert introduction but then it becomes clear the song itself isn't meant to be an opener, it is slow for a while before it picks up for the last 3 minutes, I think this song suffers from its length, it has good ideas and kicking the album off with one of the two weakest tracks for me personally doesn't bode well for the album. Procession is the other weaker track of the album, it is a pleasent track but it just engage me very much. I think this album is a little too mellow overall, and some of the tracks just feel like they are bloated with excess orchestral parts.

Marko sings lead on only 1 track the closer Endlessness which I believe will be the grower of the album for me, it was a good choice of closer and him and Floor singing back and forth works quite well. Troy's lead vocal track Harvest is among my favourites for the album, it has so much potential to be worked nicely into the setlist with its half acoustic half electric format, it would be an excellent transition song between an acoustic set before launching into an electric song. Tribal has a wicked instrumental, I wish more songs were heavier like this on the album. Floor sings phenomenally throughout the album, which sometimes gets burried in the orchestration like in Pan.

The other two stellar tracks are Noise and Shoemaker both tracks are early on and show off the bands strengths, Noise is a nice punchy rocker which should have been the albums opening track. Shoemaker has a stellar performance, a bit of the celtic elements, with a beautiful opera ending to it, which the band has said they won't be doing live, which makes sense as the song really is two parts, the first 3 minutes until just before the Shakespeare quote is strong and feels like an upbeat ballad of sorts. I would love to see them do the first part live just like how they split Song Of Myself when they performed it live.

3 Stars​

 

[Diesel 11]

HVMAN. :||: NATVRE. to me is like if the band decided to write a greatest hits record incorporating almost everything iconic about them. There’s the catchy single in “Noise”, the fantastical “Pan”, the ballad (but not quite) “How’s the Heart?”, the pipe dominated “Harvest”, the Marko moment in “Endlessness”, the epic side in “Music” and “Shoemaker”, the skull-crushing in “Tribal”, the innovative in “Procession”, and the final “All the Works of Nature Which Adorn the World” to allow Tuomas to indulge himself. It may not be their best album, but it incorporates the best of them in one two part unit. Great stuff.

 

[The Dissident]

HVMAN. :||: NATVRE. to me is like if the band decided to write a greatest hits record incorporating almost everything iconic about them. There’s the catchy single in “Noise”, the fantastical “Pan”, the ballad (but not quite) “How’s the Heart?”, the pipe dominated “Harvest”, the Marko moment in “Endlessness”, the epic side in “Music” and “Shoemaker”, the skull-crushing in “Tribal”, the innovative in “Procession”, and the final “All the Works of Nature Which Adorn the World” to allow Tuomas to indulge himself. It may not be their best album, but it incorporates the best of them in one two part unit. Great stuff.

I do agree there is a ton of variety on this album, I find the variety helps make the album go by quickly, it just is almost too diverse, and I found it as a whole on the slower side, but it was enjoyable throughout and pretty close to passing the threshold to 4 stars.

 

[The Dissident]

Aldo Nova - Aldo Nova
Format: Vinyl

Going through my Dad's vinyl I found this a while back and put it on the pile to listen to at some point but in no rush. Aldo Nova is a pop rocker, this album came out in 1982 and it screams 1980s rock and is a pretty decent album as a whole. The sounds are dated in spots especially on Fantasy the albums only charting single which earned Aldo the title of One Hit Wonder. He has some well crafted pop rock songs on here like Foolin Yourself and Heart To Heart both of which are excellent examples of how to perform a pop rock track effectively. While the music isn't heavy by any means Aldo clearly is quite talented performing vocals, guitar and bass on the album in addition to some other instruments as well. Under The Gun is easily the heaviest track of the album and it works quite well. Aldo's vocals remind me of Don Dokken although I think Don did the vocals better as a whole. The album has a few ballads none of which are amazing, and in many cases they are the weakest part of the album. A decent Canadian album.

2 Stars​

 

[The Dissident]

Hot Space - Queen
Format: Vinyl

Queen's tenth album, follows up their previous sound track album and doesn't fare much better for my taste, although it is an album full of actual music. Hot Space is Queen trying to be a dance/pop band, and it just doesn't work for me, the entire first half of the album is just lacking in oomph, which does show off the band members talent lacks the greatness that makes Queen such a strong band, based on how the band has treated it since it is pretty clear most of them weren't fans of it much either. Put Out The Fire was the first song which sounds like it should have been on a Queen album. The song for John Lennon is half decent. The only truely notable song on this album is the closing track Under Pressure featuring the legendary David Bowie we all know the song, it is a classic Queen song but honestly the band should have saved that and scrapped basically everything else and just skip this album as a whole. Thankfully it is followed up by The Works.

2 Stars

Only because it has Under Pressure​

 

[MindRuler]

Under Pressure might be their best song ever.

 

[The Dissident]

Asylum - Kiss
Format: CD/Digital

Kiss releases their 13th album in the early fall of 1985, Asylum is their third album in the unmasked era, and it dives right into the hard rock trends of the times writing short commerical tracks, which for me personally for the most part are highly effective and well done. It has a nice balance of Gene and Paul tracks, and the two tracks which should have been left off the album are lumped together at the end so one can skip them if they really want to. Bruce and Eric are excellent additions to the band, the energy of this album is high and despite the songs being commerical they rock pretty hard. King Of The Mountain kicks it all off and wow what a cruising track this is, Paul sings amazing on this and that remains true throughout the whole album, Eric gets two tracks where he can perform a little drum solo introduction and this is one of them. Gene's tracks aren't quite as high quality as Paul's however Love's A Deadly Game is on par with the opener and my personal favourite Kiss track Tears Are Falling securing its spot in the highlights of the album. This album has two weaker tracks Uh! All Night and Radar For Love both of which are Paul track and could have been left off, seeing as the album would have still been longer than Dressed To Kill without them... I do appreicate the consistency in the first 8 tracks of this album and it is one of Kiss' stronger albums.

4 Stars​

 

[Kalata]

Asylum - Kiss
Format: CD/Digital

Kiss releases their 13th album in the early fall of 1985, Asylum is their third album in the unmasked era, and it dives right into the hard rock trends of the times writing short commerical tracks, which for me personally for the most part are highly effective and well done. It has a nice balance of Gene and Paul tracks, and the two tracks which should have been left off the album are lumped together at the end so one can skip them if they really want to. Bruce and Eric are excellent additions to the band, the energy of this album is high and despite the songs being commerical they rock pretty hard. King Of The Mountain kicks it all off and wow what a cruising track this is, Paul sings amazing on this and that remains true throughout the whole album, Eric gets two tracks where he can perform a little drum solo introduction and this is one of them. Gene's tracks aren't quite as high quality as Paul's however Love's A Deadly Game is on par with the opener and my personal favourite Kiss track Tears Are Falling securing its spot in the highlights of the album. This album has two weaker tracks Uh! All Night and Radar For Love both of which are Paul track and could have been left off, seeing as the album would have still been longer than Dressed To Kill without them... I do appreicate the consistency in the first 8 tracks of this album and it is one of Kiss' stronger albums.

4 Stars​

One of my favorite albums from KISS. It's quite underrated. ''Tears Are Falling'' is my favorite song too.

 

[The Dissident]

Holy Ground - The Dead Daises
Format: CD/Digital

The Dead Daises kick off 2021 with the first studio outting with their newest singer, the legendary Glenn Hughes of Deep Purple, Trapeze and Black Sabbath. Closing in on 70 years of age Glenn sings incredibly for his age, and he also handles the bass on the album, Dean Castronova handles the drumming and back up vocals, sadly he left the band the day after this was released. Doug Aldrich and David Lowy handle the remaining two slots in the band on guitars. The album is a nice compact 48 minute album, which doesn't have much filler.

Holy Ground (Shake The Memory) kicks off the album in style, a midtempo rocker with a brilliant and smooth vocal delivery from Hughes, Aldrich lays down a nice solo and the album immediately highlights the chemistry of the four band members. My Fate is another great heavy rocker of the album, featuring a lot more vocals from Dean than on other songs from the album. Closer Far Away is an excellent ballad which has a somewhat similar format to Fade To Black in that it begins softer and explodes closer to the end with soloing and some excellent wails from Glenn it is the sole ballad of the album and it is a brilliant choice in closer.

The album does have a bit of a dip in the back end quality wise prior to Far Away. These tracks are solid but for me could have been left off the album, these 3 tracks are Saving Grace, Unspoken and Humble Pie Cover 30 Days In The Hole all 3 tracks are enjoyable but don't really add much to the album as a whole for me. Removing them would have made one hell of a compact 35 minute album.

Some of the other stronger tracks include Chosen And Justified, and Righteous Days which ironically flank the 3 tracks I would have removed. This album has a nice old school rock feel to it and tracks like Bustle And Flow have that 70s feel down pat.

4 Stars​

 

[The Dissident]

The Michael Schenker Group - Michael Schenker Group
Format: Vinyl

The year is 1980, Michael Schenker has officially left UFO and following a brief fling with the Scorpions he has decided to put together his own band the Michael Schenker Group which would have several line up changes as the guitarist sees fit. Frankly this album is solid, but not great. It has moments of well written compositions namely, Victim Of Illusion, Feels Like A Good Thing and Lost Horizons. While the rest are pretty generic late 70s early 80s rock tracks. The album reminds me a lot of a lighter version of Hell Bent For Leather by Judas Priest which works well and is a nice listen. I honestly expected a heavier album from Michael and it shows moments on tracks like Lost Horizons or on the melodic instrumental Into The Arena. Gary Barden hammers down on the Judas Priest comparrisions by sounding like a watered down version of Rob Halford when he sings in a higher register. Good ideas, needing a bit more oomph to them to be a truely good or great album.

3 Stars​

 

[The Dissident]

Yessongs - Yes
Format: Vinyl

Yes had a very productive year in 1972, having released two monstrous albums in Fragile and Close To The Edge the band toured both albums and then they selected tracks from the tours to release as their first live album, having five albums out at the time the band opted to only include songs from their latest 3 albums plus two instrumentals from outside of their catalog, one as an introduction and the other a medley of Rick Wakeman's solo material. This is the first release of this line up as Bill Bruford left the band being replaced by Alan White at the start of the Close To The Edge Tour however he is still featured on the album even getting a drum solo incorperated into a track.

The album opens up with an instrumental played over the PA, the crowd gets into it and the band kicks off the show with Siberian Khatru an excellent track from their latest album at the time. Then the real magic begins, the next 30 minutes of music are pure perfection, Heart Of The Sunrise, Perpetual Change and, And You And I back to back shows off the bands talent to no end, Heart Of The Sunrise is absolutely brilliant, speedy rock with the band sticking to its studio version which is amazing, next up the opener from their third album Perpetual Change is extended with screaming solos by Steve Howe and a classy drum solo by Bill Bruford culminating in the incredible ballad And You And I. That is worth the price of the vinyl right there. The momentum slows a little with two back to back instrumentals Mood For A Day and Excerpts From "The Six Wives Of Henry VII" both instrumentals have their moments with Mood For A Day being far better for me personally mainly due to the shortened length and actually being a song from the band, whereas the other is well a medley of instrumental music from an album of instrumentals... regardless the band gets back on track with Roundabout which has a commanding bass line, and returns the band to the high quality that we have seen earlier.

The next little bit has a few bumps, I've Seen All Good People's "Your Move" component is pretty great whereas the last half of it is bogged down by only being a chorus repeated endlessly. They still manage to make it exciting with some brilliant soloing. The next medley enters dazed and confused territory in some spots. Then comes the final 3 monstrous tracks, Close To The Edge is pretty close to the original so I will leave it at that. Yours Is No Disgrace is a monster, amazing guitar work from Steve Howe in my notes I refered to it as a bit of a shred fest in spots, which was a very welcomed surprise, amazing rendition only to be topped by his ending solo in the bands final track Starship Trooper what a closer.

5 Stars​

 

[The_7th_one]

The Michael Schenker Group - Michael Schenker Group
Format: Vinyl

The year is 1980, Michael Schenker has officially left UFO and following a brief fling with the Scorpions he has decided to put together his own band the Michael Schenker Group which would have several line up changes as the guitarist sees fit. Frankly this album is solid, but not great. It has moments of well written compositions namely, Victim Of Illusion, Feels Like A Good Thing and Lost Horizons. While the rest are pretty generic late 70s early 80s rock tracks. The album reminds me a lot of a lighter version of Hell Bent For Leather by Judas Priest which works well and is a nice listen. I honestly expected a heavier album from Michael and it shows moments on tracks like Lost Horizons or on the melodic instrumental Into The Arena. Gary Barden hammers down on the Judas Priest comparrisions by sounding like a watered down version of Rob Halford when he sings in a higher register. Good ideas, needing a bit more oomph to them to be a truely good or great album.

3 Stars​

Armed and Ready, Into the Arena and Bijou Pleasurette are awesome and classic stuff

 

[The Dissident]

Armed and Ready, Into the Arena and Bijou Pleasurette are awesome and classic stuff

I enjoyed the first 2 of those, the third didn’t click for me.

 

[The Dissident]

Something Wicked This Way Comes - Iced Earth
Format: Digital

Iced Earth's fifth album, and the album in which Alive In Athens was spawned from. This track is a bit of a mix of the best parts of the bands previous two albums, clean and accessible tracks offset by some incredibly hard hitting thrash songs. The album to my ears is a little uneven in spots but the highs outweigh the lows in a massive way. This album has 13 tracks although it really should only be 11 seeing as the final 3 tracks are truly a trilogy similarily to the final 3 on the previous record Dark Saga that being said I do like having the individual parts since one can make them into a single track if they so choose.

The first two thirds of the album has an interesting running order, it seems like the order is designed Heavy Song, Lighter Song, Heavy Song up to and including the instrumental track 1776 this system works but it does hold back from getting a real head banging session going for longer than a few minutes. That being said, the band wrote some absolutely incredible slower tracks on this album. Watching Over Me and Melencholy are absolutely incredible and have become live staples for Iced Earth for good reason, the former being written about Jon Schaffer's childhood friend and the bands show closer, while Melencholy remains a popular track for the main set. These two tracks plus the grand finale of The Something Wicked Trilogy closes out the album with a 20 minute masterpiece in which The Coming Curse closes out the album as its greatest highlight except maybe for Watching Over Me.

The album does have a few weaker spots for me, opener Burning Times is a solid track but doesn't really live up to the rest of the albums incredible thrash tracks like Disciples Of The Lie. 1776 is an okay instrumental which goes on too long, it has cool harmonies and a wicked riff but it is too repetative, it would be better used as a shortened introduction to another track. My Saviour also didn't really grab me.

Some other highlights include Blessed Are You, Consequences, Disciples Of The Lie and Stand Alone. Two of which are brilliant rockers the other two are slower tracks which show off Matt Barlow's amazing vocals. Matt is truly the star of this album. It is a great album from start to finish. Some minor misteps along the way but nothing major.

4 Stars​

 

[Diesel 11]

A really great album, only Horror Show is better IMO.

Burning Times - Probably still my favorite Iced Earth song. The opening riff wastes absolutely no time to get right down to business, and instantly you're hit with a guitar sound that beefy and crisp. Love it. And Matt really sings his soul out. So much power, and those final high notes... goddamn. The Alive in Athens version is fantastic too, and the way Barlow lifts those high notes even HIGHER blows my fucking mind. Truly, truly an awesome song.

Melancholy (Holy Martyr) - One of Iced Earth's most definitive, memorable, and best ballads. Stylistically it's little more than a retread of "I Died for You", yet somehow the band makes it work as its own entity as well, and honestly betters the formula. Barlow's singing is so passionate and the guitar weaves its way through splendidly. It all really comes together to make for a fantastic interpretation of Christ's night in Gethsemane.

Disciples of the Lie - Oh but just in case you thought that Schaffer was getting a bit too chummy with religion, here's an anti-Catholic rant to remind you that this is the guy who wrote Night of the Stormrider. And goddamn, this is probably one of the most intense songs they've ever written. I could see people label it as a "Violate" retread but it's so much better IMO. The riff is crunchy as hell, Barlow sounds demonic, and they get right to the point, adding no more and no less. Also that organ interlude really takes things to the next level. It's such a zany thing to include, but it really lifts the atmosphere. Great song.

Watching Over Me - This ballad really shouldn't be nearly as great as it is. Schaffer isn't really a master lyricist, so a personal testament to a friend who died in a motorcycle crash doesn't really sound like something he'd execute very well. And yet, the whole of this song is heart and passion and that's what makes it more than just a cheesy ballad. Also, having the most passionate of singers, Matthew Barlow, on vocals really helps. Powerful stuff.

Stand Alone - The previous four songs are pretty much perfect, and so the album takes a little bit of a step back with this short rocker. It's not nearly up there with those we just had, but it's fun, it's pumping, and it's really enjoyable. What more would you want from it?

Consequences - One of the weak links on the album. It's not bad, but there's nothing all that interesting happening in it. I like it, but don't love it. Also a foreshadowing of the patriot shit they'd do later, and the calls for freedom ring hollow post Capitol incident.

My Own Savior - Now we're pulling out the big guns again! A really fiery rocker about someone dealing with mental health issues that lead to suicide (or worse...?). It fires on all cylinders and really dominates the listener. Also a great concert opener for some shows on the Something Wicked Tour.

Reaping Stone - The second weaker link of the album. Also the first time that a rocker wasn't followed by a ballad on here. It's fine, but there's nothing really interesting happening. There's a switch-up for the bridge which would be interesting if they actually took it somewhere, but it just appears randomly and is gone again. Definitely some wasted potential with this one, but it doesn't hurt the experience.

1776 - Great instrumental. Great riff, great leads, great FLUTE SECTION CUZ GUYS THIS IS FOR REAL ABOUT THE REVOLUTIONARY WAR, it's just a really cool little breather at just the right spot necessary on the album.

Blessed Are You - A big and passionate ballad with some darker atmospheres, directed to the bands loyal fanbase. It's not as good as "Melancholy" or "Watching Over Me", but I do like it quite a bit. Some nice "Dracula" foreshadowings with the "children of the night" line. And a good way to wrap up the main album before the Something Wicked Trilogy.

~ The Something Wicked Trilogy ~
In contrast to you, I actually like that they're three separate songs, because they don't really segue together as one unit like "The Gettysburg Trilogy" does (although the clock and piano interludes do work really well). But as one plotline it's a really terrific set that never should have been turned into two bloated hour long discs. The narrative works so much better like this.

Prophecy - The transition from "Blessed Are You" to "Prophecy" is quite interesting, since the one is a ballad and the other has ballad-like tendencies. The story starts with the Setian elders foreseeing the human race's genocide of their species, but staying strong in the knowledge that they will one day have the power to defeat this enemy. In the meantime, they'll survive as they can and assimilate themselves into mankind in order to undermine them from within. Barlow plays this for everything it's worth. His voice instantly makes you feel compassion for these characters that don't exist (or do they??). That break into heavier territory is well placed and helps give this song further dimensions.

Birth of the Wicked - Fast forward a few thousand years and mankind's memory of their extermination of the Setians has been clouded. The time is right for the birth of Set Abominae, the savior of his race (and the mascot of Iced Earth). The Elders will guide his path and he will lead them to tremendous victory over man. This one is an Iced Earth rocker but works brilliantly as part of the story. Barlow's singing sounds like it's rising out of the eastern sands just as Set does. Brilliant.

The Coming Curse - Iced Earth really like to throw in some piano outros and interludes into their work, and this is the best of them all. It's so dark and foreboding and when it reaches the end and the riff kicks in, fuck yeah man. Our epic finale is built around Schaffer's iconic palm-muting riff style, and it's really one of his best. Just rocking along and Barlow brings to life the wrath of Set Abominae, who walks alongside man, ready to pounce on them when the time is right. The interlude sections adds a lot of textures to the narratives and allows Barlow further range to cement himself as a master of his craft. It all keeps circling back to different things introduced in the songs - from a final reprise of the verses and that BAD ASS CHORUS, to the choral outro. If I have one complaint, it's that the sudden cut-off at the end is a bit weird, but otherwise this song rocks and is a perfect closer for the album.

-----------------------------

As a whole, it's a terrific album. The rocker / ballad set-up works way better than one might expect, and allows the band to show their strengths in a variety of ways. Barlow is the star of the show and puts on some of his best performances. Ratings-wise it would probably be something like:

Burning Times - 10/10
Melancholy (Holy Martyr) - 10/10
Disciples of the Lie - 10/10
Watching Over Me - 10/10
Stand Alone - 9/10
Consequences - 7/10
My Own Savior - 10/10
Reaping Stone - 7/10
1776 - 10/10
Blessed Are You - 9/10
Prophecy - 10/10
Birth of the Wicked - 10/10
The Coming Curse - 10/10
Total: 94%

Really good album.

 

[The Dissident]

The Ultimate Sin - Ozzy Osbourne
Format: CD/Digital

Ozzy unleashed his fourth solo album in the winter of 1986, this was his first album without Bob Daisley and it would be the last with Jake E. Lee the album has good ideas on it but it was a time of turmoil for the band during this time. The album's two singles open and close the album, the closer Shot In The Dark was an excellent choice of single and quite a good song overall whereas opener and title track The Ultimate Sin feels rather uninspired. Actually most of the album feels like Ozzy is releasing music for the sake of releasing music. Secret Loser has potential and should have been a single, Never Know Why is decent but the chorus needs plenty of work. Frankly the original title track Killer Of Giants would have been a better title track and to me it is the best song on the album, an anti-war track with Ozzy sounding like he actually cares about the song and what is being sung. The album has probably 4 tracks in the realm of good, with Shot In The Dark and Killer Of Giants being on the quite good end of said spectrum with the other two in the lower end and the remaining 5 tracks feeling forced.

2 Stars​

 

[The Dissident]

~ The Something Wicked Trilogy ~
In contrast to you, I actually like that they're three separate songs, because they don't really segue together as one unit like "The Gettysburg Trilogy" does (although the clock and piano interludes do work really well). But as one plotline it's a really terrific set that never should have been turned into two bloated hour long discs. The narrative works so much better like this.

I'm fine with it being 3 separate tracks, since you can make them one in itunes. But I think it would be cool for bands to provide a compact 1 track rendition in addition to the 3 separate tracks. I just find it interesting how some bands will release songs in a single unit and others will have them separate.

 

[The Dissident]

Album #500

Made In Heaven - Queen
Format: Vinyl

The final Queen album, Made In Heaven is an interesting album, created using tracks vocally recorded by Freddie prior to the music being written for some, others recreations of Solo material by the band members and some leftover tracks from other albums which were finished for the albums release. There is a very clear mark of sadness left on this album as the band mourns Freddie's death. It truly was Made In Heaven and on borrowed time.

Before I dive into the album as a whole, there are many different areas where Freddie has pre recorded his vocals many years in advance, some of these are noticeable in terms of the strength in his voice. However in others his weaker performances are not from the most recent sessions. It was interesting trying to pick out which songs were done earlier and which weren't. First lets dive into the solo tracks, Made In Heaven is the weakest of the 3 which made the album, a very fitting title for the album and a solid track throughout it feels like an attempt at a mini epic. I Was Born To Love You is exactly what the band needed for this album, from the pespective of the album it could be viewed as final goodbye but also a tribute to the fans, this is my favourite song from the album. Heaven For Everyone was written by Roger and performed on his solo albums, it is another well selected and performed track.

Next there are the older tracks, It's A Beautiful Day, Let Me Live, My Life Has Been Saved, Too Much Love Will Kill You and the reprise of It's A Beautiful Day. These tracks being leftovers from other albums make up some of the weakest material of the album but they have their moments, Too Much Love Will Kill You should have made its original album as should have Let Me Live, with the reprise being a solid track as well.

Then comes the final 3 songs which were performed by Freddie in the May prior to his death. Winter's Tale is a nice little Christmas song, it is the final song fully written by Freddie prior to his death, I don't like Christmas music as a whole but this is a pleasent track. You Don't Fool Me is an okay track, Freddie shows his weaker abilities at this point, which makes complete sense given well he is as stated earlier on borrowed time. Finally we have the most emotional song of the album Mother Love a track unfinished by Freddie at the time of his passing, leaving Brian to sing the final verse, it is a chilling song and is incredibly somber. It ends with every Queen song being sampled while we hear the sounds of Wembley Arena cheering for the rock god.

3 Stars​

 

[MindRuler]

EVERGREY - Escape Of The Phoenix
AFM Records (2021)

Wow! Didn't see this one coming! I follow Evergrey since their debut in 1998 and they never made a bad album but with this 12th one I feel like a child on Christmas morning. After several listens I can say I´d rank this in the upper half of their discography with a big chance of climbing higher.
Forever Outsider is the perfect album opener with a strong solid chorus.
The melancholic ballad Stories shows a vulnerable yet powerful Tom S. Englund. What an amazing singer he is, he even gets better after each album.
A Dandelion Cipher (love that title) begins soft but turns heavier towards what can be considered a typical Evergrey chorus.
The Beholder is another highlight with special guest appearance of Dream Theater vocalist James LaBrie. I have to admit their voices fit perfectly together.
In The Absence Of Sun has a nice soft intro with choir parts that reminds me of their very early albums! Great bass and drum fills on this one.
Eternal Nocturnal starts with chuggy guitar riffs and has the catchiest chorus of the album. Warning! The chorus will get stuck in your head! The lyrics have the same theme as Your Darkest Hour from the Recreation Day album.
The dark, atmospheric title track creeps under your skin and has a bittersweet bridge.
The second ballad You From You with doomy elements and a weeping guitar solo brings us to the final last two songs.
Djenty guitars introduce Leaden Saints, a typical dark Evergrey track which has again elements of their earlier period. The powerful Run closes the album in style. A phoenix returns from its ashes, with this album Evergrey proves once more they´re the masters of dark progressive metal. If you allready like Evergrey, you´ll definitely love this one. For anyone unfamiliar with their earlier work, I´d highly recommend Escape Of The Phoenix as an introduction to this Swedish band.

☆☆☆☆

 

[The Dissident]

The Discography Of Cream - Cream
Format: CD/Digital

Cream one of the many short lived 60s bands whom causesmassive waves in the Hard Rock scene of the time and influenced many musicians to come. In the span of about two and a half years, they recorded and released 4 albums, toured the world and split up. Largely considered the first Rock Supergroup the three member of this power trio are all held in high esteem for their talents to this day. Although two have passed on their work remains fresh and powerful.

Fresh Cream came onto the scene in late 1966, it is far more bluesy than their following albums, N.S.U is an excellent indicator of where the band would be going in the future and it shows off the excellent Clapton guitar work. Spoonful a Willie Dixon cover is another example of this, a bluesy jam filled track which the band would expand to monstrous 20 minute lengths in the live scene. Clearly the blues are an influence. Cat's Squirrel is a fairly fun instrumental track which does have some vocals mixed in here and there more as backing and emphasis. Clapton only sings lead on a single song here, a Robert Johnson cover. Rollin' And Tumblin' is full of fun and excitement.

Disraeli Gears appeared at the end of the fall of 1967, widely considered one of the greatest rock albums of all time the album is a short and compact bluesy psychedelic rock album, opening with the Clapton sung Strange Brew signalling a major change from the previous album which was almost entirely sung by Bruce this album has the axemen sharinge lead vocals throughout the album. Sunshine Of Your Love is a classic rock staple and the b-sides to the great 1-2 punch SWLBAR and The Tales Of Brave Ulysses are excellent psychedlic tracks, Ginger takes a lead vocal on this album, I'm personally not a fan of his voice here but it is nice to see him giving it a go. Clapton sings on 5 of the albums 11 tracks while Bruce sings on 7, the trio deliver a well done album, I can only imagine how heavy this was for the day.

Wheels Of Fire, the bands double album, half studio and half live, which is a format they would continue with on their next album. White Room is my personal favourite Cream song and it opens up this album nicely, Politician is another highlight of the album brought into an exciting live track on their follow up album. Sitting On Top Of The World gets the same treatment, the comparrison between the studio and the live versions show the boost each song recieved by performing live. Crossroads is features on the live component, a song which the band never recorded a studio version for, at least to my knowledge.

Goodbye was released after the band had already split up, going into the studio to record 3 new tracks throw them in with some live performances and boom you've got yourself a 30 minute album. Badge is another classic track by the band, a nice shorter track sung by Clapton which features George Harrion on it. The other two studio tracks are solid as well. The highlight of the album is the opening live track I'm So Glad a blazing rocker with an incredible extended jam session from the band, brilliant.

Cream may not always be my type of music that I seek out but I cannot deny what an influence they were on other bands that I do actively listen to, a great string of albums in such a short time, well worth checking out.​