I saw Helloween a few years ago at the Kentish Town forum a little bit further away in north London and significantly smaller. Since the release of their last album My God Given Right there has been speculation about a return of original members, mostly it never really fades though. They said the same thing about many other bands that have reunited.
It was a very enjoyable event that was very much exactly the atmosphere that me and all the fans gathered were hoping for. The only thing that let the concert down overall was too much time in my opinion spent on the animations between the songs. Doc and Seth episodes, they were called.. It didn’t really add much to me. But still, that being said they gave us an almost 3 hour set so they’ve got to have breaks in between. It was nice to see more modern songs like “Are you metal?” go down as much of a storm as the well deserved classics like “Keeper of the Seven Keys” and “Dr Stein”. The animation of which was really good actually. I found it quite strange that they played something like keeper of the seven keys so far towards the end of such a long set because it is, let’s face it a mammoth of a song. There’s a really nice tribute in the middle to Ingo. It’s several videos of him doing various drum solos together with live performances from Daniel on stage. So well choreographed to mixed together brilliantly. It’s very well received.
Michael Kiske doesn’t appear to have much of a stage presence at first he just kind of walks around and interacts a little bit with the crowd but he soon gets warmed up.
One of the strangest things, although not a criticism, was the introduction music being Robbie Williams’ “Let Me Entertain You”. I didn’t see that coming and I know elitist but I didn’t imagine 2000 metalheads singing along to it either, and yet they did.
Kai taking the reins on vocals halfway through the set for “Heavy Metal (is the law)” and also for a medley of “Ride The Sky”, “Starlight” and “Judas” was also a nice touch well placed and perfectly time- limited so as not to go too heavy on his singing but give the people what they wanted.
As expected the finale was their most famous song “I Want Out”. Where did particularly well on the sharing of vocals on this one and inflatable pumpkins falling down a being smacked around all the crowd was quite funny as well.
It was definitely worth the wait and I hope it’s indicative of them proceeding to do things together in this way, but I don’t know about that. The rumor is that after this tour, which continues on in to next year – that’s it for the reunion. If you can go, you definitely should.
]]>The album was recorded in six days – no, that isn’t a typo. When you think of waiting eight/ten plus years for household name, stadium and major festival headlining bands to get their act together and make something new instead of living on their past, Mr. Big really put things in to perspective with their third high quality offering in the last seven years.
I’m going to start with the ballad of all Mr. Big Ballads. No, not their number one hit ‘To Be With You’, not ‘Just Take My Heart’ or 2010’s ‘All The Way Up’ or any other. In my humble opinion they have surpassed these. I refer to ‘Forever and Back’. A man regretful of past words and actions such as gambling and drinking, now begging for forgiveness having apparently recognized his mistakes. Recently single blokes would be crippled by the intensity of this ballad, which I am not presuming is or isn’t intentional. I don’t care if you’re the Night King from Game Of Thrones, you’ll melt. The backing vocals in the chorus compliment Eric Martins lead vocal performance so well by being so very subtle. A simple, meticulously well-placed “ah-ah-ah” can be magic if used in the right places. Don’t take my word for it, listen to the official audio channel here instead.
‘1992’ is something of an enigma to me. At first it sounds a lot like it could be on a Paul Gilbert solo album. It develops in to something you wouldn’t see coming. The different sections in this song could all be expanded in to different songs in their own right. Such is the diversity. If you heard snippets of each part I’m not sure you’d be able to see how it goes together. It’s really great how it all does. The title is reference to the year they had their biggest hit, and speaks of the events leading up to and following that time.
The title track is fun to listen to, but my suggestion would also be to most definitely watch the accompanying music video as well. I’m not sure if others would agree the song has a ‘flying through space’ feel. Most people who know of Paul Gilbert also know of his space suit, maybe that’s influencing me. The duality of vocals and guitar on the same melody at the end of the verses is beautiful, but so is the swap from lead vocals to lead guitar during the verses.
The opening bluesy ‘Open Your Eyes’ has a nice little homage to their eponymous debut album from 1989 that I won’t spoil. The riff is quite catchy and Paul has one of his well placed but, crucially, never over-used shred master moments.
The last track ‘Be Kind’ is also a blues ballad with some nice that has in my opinion the best backing vocals. Personally it is a favorite, and it’s nice to have that message of respect in a classic soft rock blues style. A nice surprise at the end too but I don’t know how to describe it so I wont try.
Overall Defying Gravity is much more bluesy than it’s more hard-rock predecessor but that’s no criticism. It’s enjoyable and definitely worth having. Don’t take the brief insight from one guys review though. Have a listen, have a look, hopefully pick up a copy.
Mr. Big finished a North America tour before the release of this album and are now on tour in South America, heading to Asia and then on to Europe. You can get details on their official website which also includes VIP packages. I have mine for their London show which I look forward to with great anticipation.
]]>Hello Dave and thanks for taking the time to answer a few questions for Power Of Metal. You’re on tour at the moment, what’s the reception been like so far?
Dave: The tour is fantastic, we’ve been going down a storm each day. Our set time is different each day (they announce our set time each morning) so it keeps us on or toes. There’s also no other bands that sound like us on this tour, it’s a very mixed bill tour.
Is it difficult deciding what to include from the new album in the tour set list?
Dave: Not really, we’re playing 3 new ones on this run. We’re playing to a whole new audience this time, so there’s a good amount of people that haven’t seen us yet which let’s us play a lot of staple set list.
Any personal favorites from Slime and Punishment? If so, what makes it/them your favorite(s)?
Dave: I love ‘Shrednecks’ cause it’s full throttle the whole way. ‘Parole Violators’ is also a fun one for me, it’s for a pretty different dynamic happening than the rest of the album and one of the best breakdowns on the album. ‘Amateur Sketch‘ probably has my favorite riff on it. I love them all.
What did you enjoy most about making this album?
Dave: I love how we did it ourselves. It was relaxed and comfortable.
How would you set Slime and Punishment apart from the bands other albums?
Dave: Well first off, we’re a five piece now. We’ve never had two guitar players and it makes a huge difference. I think it’s more focused, aggressive and heavier.
With the current leg of the world tour finishing in August, any indication of when we can next see you all in Europe?
Dave: We’re working on that right now. You’ll see us this year. Bloodstock is already on the books in UK and the follow up full tour will be a few months later. Keep your eyes and ears peeled for an announcement.
]]>This is the longest stint between albums the band have had in their career. Definitely worth the wait and I can imagine the circle pits already.
My particular favorite is ‘Death Proof’, no doubt inspired by the Kurt Russell character in Quentin Tarantino’s film of the same name, ‘Stuntman Mike’. Speaking of which, the more I listen to this album, the more I am convinced that driving while doing so could get me arrested for a DUI offence rather than reckless driving.
‘Parole Violators’ I can only describe as a fun soundtrack to a comic book prison escape. The addition of the dialog between the over-zealous and immensely satisfied cop and apparently reformed criminal is a good touch. Another highlight for me personally is the single ‘Amateur Sketch’, which the band have released prior to the album release. A very harsh, angry attack at a person who is, evidently, by no means up to the task of stand-up comedic entertainment and is instead himself getting ridiculed.
A 14 track album is over all too soon. It’s barely half an hour because the songs are mind-blastingly fast, and at the same time a lot of fun. It’s not exactly an untried formula to hit hard, fast, and heavy, and that’s what this is from start to finish.
However, it’s also a brilliant laugh, and the production is spot on, keeping things raw and aggressive. I have no doubt it will be very well received by punk and metal fans alike, not that the two are mutually exclusive.
Municipal Waste are starting a world tour tonight, beginning in the US with more shows to be added. Details of the tour as well as more information about the band can be found on their website.
Get out there and see one of the pioneers of the thrash metal revival!
]]>I have to give them credit. You wouldn’t have thought they’d only formed over the last couple of years. You certainly wouldn’t have guessed the drummer decided to learn drums because after forming they couldn’t get a drummer they thought was right for the job. Initially the bass player, Andre Sawade has very impressively taken on this role. You’d have thought he’d been doing it his whole life. Commendable skills and dedication to the band.
There’s a distinctive sound with a lot of German thrash that I suppose is the European equivalent of the American bay area thrash scene. This is everything you want from a thrash band. Ok, some of the songs are cliched in their themes. ‘Deathbringer’, ‘Human Sacrifice’ and ‘The Walking Dead’ are hardly original titles or themes but they don’t have to be because they’re hard hitting and fun to listen to. I could see a lot of people losing it at a Ravager gig. It’s not hard to guess where they have been influenced – I’m gonna guess Slayer and Kreator had a lot to do with it. It’s not particularly new. The formula is a tried and tested one over decades, and it works. In that respect, it isn’t the most creative of debuts, but they’re hitting the right places for what the majority of thrash fans will greatly enjoy.
The signature piece for the album has got to be ‘Alarm Clock Terror’ in my opinion. I mean, for a start alarm clocks literally can just fuck off. A very small but noticeable Slayer riff recycling for a few seconds two and a half minutes in can be forgiven for a thrash song about a guy being genuinely mortified by his alarm clock.
The album is released in February and I’m told a tour follows. Definitely worth checking out for thrash fans. Metal fans who aren’t in to thrash might be less enthused because there isn’t much we haven’t heard before, but I’d still encourage people to give it a shot. It’s their debut too, they’ve got time to grow and I would really like to see that. A decent effort that leaves a good first impression.
Track list:
1. Burn the cross
2. Deathbringer
3. Human sacrifice
4. War without end
5. The walking dead
6. Superior forces
7. Unknown dreams
8. Trapped inside
9. Dr. Mad
10. Alarm clock terror
Playing time: 40:31
Relase date: 17/2/17
Label: Iron Shield Records
Website: www.facebook.de/ravagerthrash
]]>The Answer are not unknown to the metal and heavy rock community, primarily because of appearances supporting AC/DC and also at big summer festivals such as Wacken Open Air, known to be predominantly a metal festival. In that respect they’re very much like Rival Sons and Blues Pills, though musically there is not much similarity. I’ve cherry-picked my highlights but there are quite a lot of cherries.
Opening the album with the title track, ‘Solas’, the feel is immediately dark. Ironic, then, to think that ‘Solas’ is the Gaelic word for ‘light’. However, the lyrics speak about the prominence of dark and the desperate attempt to escape from it. I don’t know whether they had the Zeppelin classic ‘Kashmir’ in mind when they wrote it, but the guitar tones and monotonous, eerie drumming were perfectly placed to suit the dark tones of the song, which follows on in to ‘Beautiful World’. Certainly the heaviest and most vocally impressive track on the entire album.
The album has a lot of fluctuation from track to track. Deep, seedy, dark and bluesy feel of ‘Being Begotten’, and the alternative very angst-style ‘Untrue Colour’. They could not be more apart from each other. Imagine Curtis Stigers in the former and Smashing Pumpkins in the latter. Both are fantastic and I feel sure will be fan favorites.
‘Thief Of Light’ has a beautiful Irish folk feel that wouldn’t be out of place with Luke Kelly on vocals. It’s quite captivating. I was thinking that ‘Battle Cry’ might have a heavy feel but that’s because I’m a power metal fan and I forgot that this isn’t a metal band for a second. Great vocals in the big hitting chorus which has a distinctive Irish feel, largely because of the use of Gaelic of course, but also very much instrumentally. Great acoustic work.
‘Left Me Standing’ is a change of pace and a feel more akin to some of the new wave of punk -no, not that crap that came over from the states in the 90s – better than that. Much more thought went in to this. It’s more agitated but not like the original ‘screaming in your face’ punk style.
This is a most impressive album which The Answer will be touring in support of next month around the UK.
We rate our albums with devil heads out of ten. Since you guys aren’t metal, I hope that’s ok. I didn’t have any harps.
Track List:
1: Solas
2: Beautiful World
3: Battle Cry
4: Untrue Colour
5: In This Land
6: Thief Of Light
7: Being Begotten
8: Left Me Standing
9: Demon Driven Man
10: Real Life Dreamers
Playing Time: 49:12
Release date: 28/10/16
Label: Napalm Records
Website: https://www.facebook.com/theanswerrock/
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So, this is almost pointless unless Antagonist are planning a comeback. There’s no suggestion that they are. The promo doesn’t include the interview with original guitarist and founding member Todd Tousey, which would’ve been helpful.
Apart from the BLATANT rip off of the main riff from Megadeth’s “Wake Up Dead” on the track “Live in Fear”, I would not fault it. But that’s a BIG fault.
Anyway, with technical mastery of their instruments and a production that has a perfect balance of the raw thrash sound with just enough polished, it is a wonder what ever happened to them. Maybe they were just a bit too late, especially for thrash metal. I speak of course, of the bullshit 90s. I cannot fault this production. This is a perfect example of ‘raw’ meaning just that and making it work exceptionally well, and not as an excuse for poor production in the guise of wanting to sound ‘raw’. However, the production is the only thing that is new. As I said the music is 22 years old. Not re-mastered or re-issues, because as we are told in the promo it was never mixed or released.
So, bottom line, should you give it a try?
Well, how can you answer that when the band isn’t going anymore? If they were I would encourage every thrash fan to get this remarkable piece of work (barring the aforementioned ‘rip off’ riff) and check them out live. In this release there are some bonus live tracks that are recorded well enough to prove that they were not a studio band that couldn’t get it right on the stage. They were tight. But that was 1994 so who knows if they are now? We don’t even know if they’re still around.
I’d definitely give it a shot but just don’t pay $150. Of course you’ll also have to find it, because we were not given any contact information either.
Tracklist:
1. Black Sands Of Time
2. Dead Priest
3. Lies After Death
4. Good Day To Die
5. Live In Fear
6. Cracking Skulls
BONUS TRACKS
7. Dead Priest (Live)
8. Mad As Hell (Live)
9. Lies After Death (Live)
10. Good Day To Die (Live)
11. Live In Fear (Live)
12. Hell Awaits (Live)
13. Balls To The Wall (Live)
14. Leather Rebel (Live at Soundcheck)
15. Black Sands Of Time (Demo)
16. Dead Priest (Demo)
Playing time: 70:10
Release date: 14/10/16
Label: Divebomb Records
No website available
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Skreamer returned to their native London last weekend. Their reputation hasn’t wavered in their absence. Quite the contrary. Expectations are high for the band recently hailed by Metal Hammer as possibly ‘the new voice for the voiceless’ after premiering their title track for the forthcoming album ‘King Of Crows’ late last year
People are often quick to want to categorize bands in to genres and it is often deemed cliché (or as it turns out just plain false) when a band says something like ‘we don’t really have one’, but the fact is they really don’t. The reason is because they present their music in the way they decide fits their message best. Sometimes that means thrash, core or even hip hop on one occasion as demonstrated this evening.
Most of the set showcases the new material and the raw, heavy aggression and power of the music is very closely matched by how they invoke the feelings most people associate with what the songs are about. For example lack of equality. I listen to ‘Welcome To Paradise’ in full recognition of their message, which is that it is still often the case that our ethnic background can play an unnecessary and so often monumentally unfair role in the opportunities we have compared to others of a different background. Pisses me off, and the band are looking passionately pissed off in the delivery of that message. A message which at the end of each verse is met by cheers and applause because the crowd appreciate people calling bullshit for what it is.
They’ve concentrated on their sound to deliver the heaviest performance of theirs I have seen. Frontman Samuel Morter explains “We’ve been putting a lot of thought in to how to deliver a much heavier live experience than previously”. This was perhaps best evidenced in their performance of ‘Flesh and Blood’ from their self-released debut album ‘Blackened Earth’. Sure, some of it’s down to the gear but it’d be unfair to give an effects rack credit. They’ve matured well to know how to go for maximum effect in what they want to do, and it’s starting to bring bigger numbers and a lot of new fans. “It’s great to come back and see familiar faces but I’ve seen so many new ones” says bassist Serg Ronchetti. Two of these new fans were actually invited backstage after the band were told it was their first metal gig. Sam casually jokes to two young lads “You guys are gonna go to a proper metal gig now and say ‘why the hell did we see Skreamer first?’”.
Indeed, their fan base has grown so much recently that they’ve even been accused of paying for facebook likes. Sam acknowledges the need for determination in regard to wanting to get things to the next level when I asked about future touring and festival opportunities. Of the Bloodstock festival he simply says “We apply but are unable to get in”. Though they look forward to playing venues around Europe and the rest of the UK in the next month, they are clearly hungry for more.
Hungry is good if the reaction is not to let the thought become frustration, or even bitterness. Many a promising band then stops, unfortunately not before having allowed it to effect performance. Well, you don’t move your entire band from London to North Wales if you’re just going to wait and wonder. They have far too much respect for what they are doing and for the fans they are continuing to gain. An insatiable appetite is no problem when there’s no chance of running out of food. They’re nowhere close to risking that. They just need a little help getting a larger plate.
Skreamer: L-R Steve Walker, Adam Kniveton, Serg Ronchetti, Samuel Morter (right) with young fans Danny and Mikey backstage after enjoying their introduction to live metal.
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