• Metallica - Garage Inc. (1998)

    Metallica's "Garage Inc." is only interesting for collectors and die-hard fans as it's a rather odd mixture of newly recorded cover songs and cover songs recorded over more than one decade prior to this release. Even though these are cover songs, they are witnesses of the general controversial development of the band. 

    The most interesting tracks on here are actually the first recordings with Jason Newsted, released eleven years earlier as "The $5.98 EP - Garage Days Re-Revisited". These five songs are clearly the best on the release. James Hetfield's vocals are mean without overtly employing the strange pronunciation he would later use. The bass guitar is actually audible on here and Jason Newsted proves that he has a lot of technical talent but that he can also play with unchained energy. The guitar riffs are raw and the soli don't overuse the wah-wah pedal yet. Even the drum play is precise and tight. I really wish Metallica had recorded some original material with this raw production and energizing performance as this could have potentially become the best Metallica release ever. These five songs are simply fun to listen to.

    The other songs on the second disc go downhill as the timeline passes by. There are a few highlights such as the famous Diamond Head covers "Am I Evil?" and "The Prince" or the angry Anti-Nowhere League worship on "So What" but the rest is rather generic. It would have been alright to cover one or two Motörhead songs but to put four covers of this band at the end of a record wasn't a brilliant idea. Motörhead is not exactly known for its diversity and originality. This is a general problem of this record as some artists are covered several times. Metallica missed the chance to introduce us to a few more obscure bands that influenced the band's early years. In addition to this, the sound of the more recent tracks is by far not as energizing and mean as the tracks recorded in the eighties.

    The first disc includes only new recordings and they are pretty much hit and miss, just like the "Load" and "ReLoad" records that both moments of sheer experimental brilliance and headless redundancy. Some more courageous covers are actually grabbing my attention on here. The dark and plodding "Loverman" by Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds is hard to sit through at first contact but has that special gothic atmosphere which I like a lot. The live rendition of the southern rock classic "Tuesday's Gone" by Lynyrd Skynyrd with banjo and harmonica is a nice experiment even though this kind of music is usually not really my cup of tea and also far too long with a running time above nine minutes. The cover of the old Irish folk song "Whiskey in the Jar" is probably the catchiest tune on here and the obvious single choice. Metallica really managed to make this song sound like one of their own. It would have fit and been a highlight on any of the two previous releases. The only slightly annoying thing is that the old-fashioned chorus coincidentally includes a mildly amusing pronunciation that suits James Hetfield's style of singing since the nineties. As a child, I always imagined James Hetfield singing that he doesn't want to listen to "Tabaluga tivi on a stereo" in the chorus. But back then, I also thought that that land mines had taken James' herring and not hearing on "One".

    Anyway, several of the new cover songs are quite uninspired and boring like the repetitive Discharge's "Free Speech for the Dumb" or Misfits' "Die, Die My Darling" that sound like hastily recorded jam sessions where Metallica didn't put anything unique into the adaptions. I don't mind faster, simpler and straighter songs at all but these songs don't have the passion and unique twist that similar songs on the second disc have. Metallica sounds like a more or less talented punk cover band on here and it doesn't suit them at all. Some negative examples also tend towards the other extreme. As much as I respect Mercyful Fate, a medley consisting of five songs and a running time of over eleven minutes is just an overkill to me. Half of it would have been more than enough for me. I've never been a fan of medleys which are something that might be used in discotheques where people don't really listen to the music anyway but not on a metal record. While the shorter songs are too simple to leave any deeper impression, the longer songs really drag on for far too long.

    All in all, this album is a lot of hit and miss to me but I must admit that there are more misses than hits. Ultimately, this release is saved by the inclusion of the legendary "The $5.98 EP - Garage Days Re-Revisited" songs. If you can grab the original, you should completely ignore this release. Otherwise, I only suggest you to grab this record if you see it for a very low price. This album is not as bad as the overlong "Lulu" or the extremely overrated "Metallica" but it's not far away from the latter either. I dusted this release off my shelf to give it a few spins after ten years or so and I completely understand why I haven't listened to this record for such a long time. It's a really unspectacular and unnecessary filler compilation with a few hidden gems. This record was ordinary back in the days and it definitely didn't age well either. It would be best for most metal fans to just ignore that this ever happened. This is for truly dedicated fans only.

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  • Allen-Lande - The Great Divide (2014)

    Many fans were worried when they got to know that the project involving Symphony X and Adrenaline Mob singer Russell Allen as well as vocalist Jorn Lande from Avantasia and Masterplan fame among others would see an important line-up change four years after the third and last release. Previous song writer, bassist, guitarist and keyboardist Magnus Karlsson who is also known for his work in Primal Fear was in fact replaced by Timo Tolkki, one of the most iconic but also most inconsistent musicians of the European power metal scene who is known for his works with Stratovarius and Timo Tolkki’s Avalon among others. Since Timo Tolkki had left Stratovarius, he had released a whole lot of controversially discussed and mostly negatively received releases under his own solo banner, during the Revolution Renaissance era, within the short-lived Symfonia project, as mastermind of the metal opera project Timo Tolkki’s Avalon and recently as bassist in the progressive all-star band Ring of Fire. I have always followed Timo Tolkki’s career with much interest because he wrote not only some of the worst disasterpieces of its genre (“Angels of the Apocalypse” and “Elements, Part I”) but some of the very best European power metal albums ever recorded (“Dreamspace” and “Visions”). I’m relieved to tell you that the new Allen/Lande release “The Great Divide” is one of Timo Tolkki’s very best releases. It even beats the solid “The Land of New Hope” as well as “In Paradisum” and may be Timo Tolkki’s best album since Stratovarius’ “Infinite”. In addition to this, this release is also a career highlight for both vocalists and especially Jorn Lande who had released exchangeable quantity instead of convincing quality material over the past few years.

    “The Great Divide” is a surprisingly calm album and almost all tracks on here are mid-tempo songs at best. Another surprise is that Timo Tolkki’s didn’t include any of his fast-paced signature guitar soli that always remember me of gobbling turkeys. His soloing is slower and therefore more epic and progressive. The overall atmosphere of the album is rather epic, intellectual and progressive. The instrumental section plays in a soft but precise way and is really helpful to the overall atmosphere. The guitar work varies from simple melodic riffs to beautiful melodic mid-tempo soli. The keyboard is probably the most outstanding instrument on the album. It’s always present and still not overused. The record always comes around with dreamy classical and modern orchestrations or melancholic piano melodies at the right moments. Massive background vocals and powerful choruses in almost all songs make both singers stand out. Sometimes it’s still hard to decipher the two singers for me but their performances are generally more distinctive than in the past and they perform very well apart of this.

    The catchiest power metal songs on here are first of all definitely the melodic and powerful opener “Come and Dream With Me” that comes around with amazing guitar melodies that will be stuck on your mind for a very long time from first contact on. “Dream About Tomorrow” is the only up-tempo track with heavier riffs and an incredible vocal performance by Jorn Lande that sends shivers down my spine. The song is completed with sophisticated organ sounds and a liberating guitar solo. Every fan of European power metal should worship this song. It’s definitely among the very best genre tracks released this year and pretty much tied with HammerFall’s “Hector’s Hymn”, Edguy’s “Sabre & Torch” and Lord Symphony’s “Mirror”.

    Many songs on the album like “Hymn to the Fallen” and “Reaching for the Stars” have a melodic AOR touch. They really breathe the spirit of laid-back hard rock music of the eighties from bands like Dokken, Journey or Whitesnake. Even the infamous “Stronger Than Ever” release by Digger which I happened to like a lot comes to my mind when I listen to this album.

    One of the best songs on here is the atmospheric and epic title track “The Great Divide”. Despite being the slowest song on an already rather slow-paced release, this track fascinates with the mixture of soothing vocals from both singers and inspired dreamy guitar melodies. It’s probably the most courageous and progressive song ever released by the project but this is still music with force and soul.

    Fans of Russell Allen, Jorn Lande or Timo Tolkki can’t get around this release. Those who love melodic progressive power metal should also give this album a few spins and let it grow before judging it too quickly. If you like AOR or epic melodic rock from the eighties you might even like this release more. In a weird way, this album features several trademarks from the former bands of the involved musicians and still sounds different from any other genre release this year due to its positively sophisticated and intellectual approach. In the end, it all comes down to personal tastes and if you prefer calm, epic and progressive sounds as on this record over more traditional European power metal as on the three predecessors. For me, the combination Allen, Lande and Tolkki works extremely well and I don’t miss Magnus Karlsson’s input at all but it may be a very different thing for somebody else. Make up your mind about this record, give it several spins and purchase it if you like it enough.

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  • Therion - Theli (1996)

    Therion’s Theli may be the most essential symphonic metal album ever released. It’s the kind of work that is necessary to listen to at least once in a lifetime of fandom. It’s an album worth exploring thoroughly for Therion fans, as it exists in many different versions and formats including bonus tracks and even additional live cuts. I’m aware of the fact that many bands experimented with heavy metal music and symphonic elements. Let’s cite Lizzy Borden’s Master Of Disguise or Savatage’s Gutter Ballet - which were both released in 1989, and followed by others. What makes Theli stand out among these other ambitious releases is the consequent will to fuse operatic and symphonic elements with doom, gothic, and even power metal in equal parts to invent something extremely courageous and completely unrivaled in originality. It’s something new from an intellectual point of view, but also from an atmospheric and technical approach. This album features sophisticated tracks including dark and raw vocals, full choirs, gripping riffing, vivid rhythm work, and the crowning keyboard orchestrations. Classical music and heavy metal have rarely come into such close contact as on this release. At a time when the metal scene seemed to be waning in power, bands like Amorphis, Moonspell, and Therion kept an entire scene alive with their determined approach to inventing and reinventing themselves with each new release.

    I first listened to Therion’s In Mega Therion around ten years ago when it was included on a double DVD collection as part of Nuclear Blast’s highly recommendable “Monsters Of Metal“ series. There are a very few precious moments in your life when you listen to a song and realize that it will change your perception of music. Listening to this song was one of those moments. The longer I listened, the more I sat in speechless surprise. The beauty and the beast mixture of heavy riffs and powerful raw male vocals with male and female choirs was special enough. When the incredible solo with dueling guitar and keyboard came up, followed by a section of sacred-sounding choirs, I got heavy goosebumps and a racing heartbeat. The conclusion kicked in, with enchanting piano and trumpet, and I had tears in my eyes. Choirs, pianos, violins, and even trumpets in a metal song? This was something completely new to me, and it shook up my fifteen year-old world. Thanks to Therion, I started to listen to and to appreciate classical music at that young age. These long-haired death metal musicians had just reinvented a whole genre with a song.

    It’s hard to believe it, but the most amazing thing about Theli is that the rest of the album is just as amazing as the opening “Preludium“ and “To Mega Therion“. The relaxing bass and the mysterious keyboard tones of “Cults Of The Shadow“ immediately grab my intention, and the song becomes a catchy, yet diversified symphonic metal anthem with two different gloomy male vocalists in addition to the grandiose choirs. This song is very easy to approach and catchy from the beginning onward. The following “In The Desert Of Set“ comes around with an obvious Egyptian feel. From the intro on, guitars take control and lead into passages where gracious female and male choirs interchange with both clean and harsh male vocals. The song surprises with its impressive structure that includes a short bass guitar interlude, recurring folk elements, majestic grand piano, and faster orchestral parts. Therion put more ideas into this single impressive song than most others put into entire albums or discographies. “Nightside Of Eden“ continues to convince with more progressive, almost space rock-infused sounds a passionate ending with guitar solos of the highest quality. “Invocation Of Naamah“ is the only faster track on the record that goes musically back to the band’s early days. The fast melodic death metal verses meet the band’s typical orchestral elements and operatic vocals for most of the rest of the song, and the final result sounds refreshingly balanced. “The Siren Of The Woods“ is by far the longest track on the record, and it’s a very appeasing and elegic song that delivers more mysterious keyboard sounds, sacral chants, and an epic atmosphere. It is mostly instrumental, and features almost no metal instrumentation whatsoever. The soothing female vocals make me think of new age music, but they also have a tender Asian folk-like touch to them. The calm male singing that complements the female performer could have come straight from an Italian opera. Among many very impressive songs, this one is definitely Therion’s most courageous and radical, as it nearly breaks with any expectations held by critics and fans, as well as Therion’s own doom and death metal ridden past. It’s very symbolic to choose exactly this title as a single. It shows the world that with Therion, you can only expect the unexpected. Despite its length, this floating lullaby definitely has its very own charm. It’s a perfect track to peacefully fall asleep to.

    There is no questioning in my mind, Theli is a revolutionary record. The only tough decision when purchasing is to choose the perfect version of this milestone. The digipack offered by Scarecrow Records from 2003 features live versions of “To Mega Therion“ and “Black Sun“, while the 2007 version from NEMS Enterprises comes along with the tracks from The Siren Of The Woods single, which includes edited versions of the title track and “Cults Of The Shadows“, as well as the rare track “Babylon“, which is solid but not really impressive. The most recent 2014 versions from Scarecrow Records and Nuclear Blast include a remastered version of the original album in addition to three bonus tracks. These are “In Remembrance“, which is a darker but rather generic track apart from its catchy chorus; the more vivid “Black Fairy“, which includes some punky shouts in the chorus; and finally, a rather average cover version of Scorpions’ “Fly To The Rainbow“. These three songs are also included on the 1997 release A’Arab Zaraq – Lucid Dreaming, which is a weird compilation that is considered to be regular full length release by the band. The current editions of Theli also include an extra DVD that features a live performance of the entire regular album recorded in 2007. These live cuts are a part of a bigger concert which was released in the highly recommendable 3-DVD set Adulruna Rediviva And Beyond. No matter which version you choose, have fun with this mindblowing masterpiece!

    Originally written for Black Wind Metal

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  • Iron Maiden - Fear of the Dark (1992)

    “Fear of the Dark” is Iron Maiden’s second best selling record of all times, had quite high chart positions and includes one of the band’s most famous songs ever with the title track which has also become an almost irreplaceable live anthem. Still, this release is often criticized by fans of the band and generally seen as one of the weaker releases. Both positions are partially right.

    Let’s start with the negative facts first. Usually, I really like the fact when you get value for money but in this case, the quantity of twelve songs may be more elevated than ever in the band’s career but several tracks also lack quality. Especially the middle section of this album is really weak. “Chains of Misery” is the most exchangeable song the band has ever written in my opinion. It has a boring topic, a generic length and above all a lifeless chorus. “The Apparition” is already more original because it doesn’t have a chorus and is a straighter song. It kicks off promisingly but soon the same pattern is repeated over four minutes. The pale and hectically performed instrumental section even adds to the negative development. Bad song writing leads down an initially interesting idea. “Judas Be My Guide” is better than the other two songs and often pointed out as a hidden gem but only a few melodies have a certain atmosphere while the song structure itself is once again less exciting and build around a chorus that tries too hard to be catchy and retro rock inspired but fails because of its too commercial and generic tone. If this album had been cut down to eight great songs or separated as two short releases, it would have been a strong comeback after the unbalanced back to the roots effort that was “No Prayer for the Dying” but as it is, “Fear of the Dark” is only a slight improvement from there.

    This improvement is largely due to two songs that really stand out among the others. The atmospheric, majestic and passionate title track is one of the very best heavy metal songs in history in my opinion. I’m still getting goose bumps each time I hear the menacing melodies of the epic introduction and I still can’t stand still as soon as the track gets faster and leads to a powerful chorus and an incredible bridge with strong soli and vivid sing along parts. I think I don’t need to mention that the track’s majesty works even better on stage. This song is definitely a masterpiece. In my opinion, “Afraid to Shoot Strangers” comes really close to the title track. I know that both songs have very similar song structures but they are still different enough from each other to be both considered as excellent heavy metal songs. The third song on this release starts in a more melodic and plodding way than the title track and the dark and almost narrative introduction is a strong hint at what would be very present on “The X-Factor”. The guitar melodies are simply out of this world and mange to touch me each time I listen to them. On the other side, the track gets progressively faster and meaner than the title song and includes fast riffs battling with melodic soli in the outstanding middle part before it goes back to a more harmonious tone to close the circle. This epic track has been my first contact with Iron Maiden and I’m still deeply in love with this tune more than one decade later.

    In between these two stand-out tracks and three of the worst songs ever written by the band, there still is a lot of hit and miss. The guiding line of an effort that would have otherwise sounded like a loose compilation effort as its predecessor is the melodic tone and melancholic atmosphere of several songs. The two stand-out efforts share their atmosphere with the melancholic “Childhood’s End”, the touching half-ballad “Wasting Love” which is among the best calmer and more commercial tracks the band has ever written and the majestic “The Fugitive” which is often ignored but manages to fusion faster and meaner riffs with hopeful melodies and powerful vocals. These three tracks are more than just decent, they are highlights on the record and the reason why this album is not among the weakest of the band in my opinion.

    Iron Maiden was open for experimentation on the record. From the surprisingly fast, hectic and almost slightly thrash metal ridden opener “Be Quick or Be Dead” to the unusual psychedelic elements and sudden changes of tone and style in “Fear is the Key” that took many years to grow on me, Iron Maiden really offers several courageous song writing ideas. The problem is that these songs don’t really fit together on the album and create a very odd flow. This album requests a lot of attention and patience as well as an open-minded attitude towards different forms of rock and metal music to be fully appreciated. Many fans of the band expected the band to return to shorter and more consistent conceptual releases from the past, didn’t give this album a real chance and left it dusting on a shelf over the years. I think these fans should give the record a new chance and re-evaluate it more than twenty-two years later and they might realize that this release is still among the better efforts of the last twenty-five years. 

    Iron Maiden had a lot of interesting and also original song writing ideas and also a few great lyrical inspirations on this release. Maybe the world wasn’t ready for a visionary heavy metal band singing about the deadly consequences of AIDS, childhood poverty in war-ridden territories and a critical analysis of football hooliganism. In my opinion, this lyrical diversity adds a lot to the intellectual charm of the record and shows a band that has matured and didn’t want to repeat itself. 

    After all, I really adore this album despite a few flaws and three weaker tracks in here. The best songs on the album are among the best the band has ever written and several other tracks have either touching melodies, intellectually challenging lyrics or both which makes this record sound mature and fresh at the same time. Despite some hit and miss efforts, this album never gets boring and I regularly listen to it as it includes pretty much everything Iron Maiden stands for from melodic twin guitar solos over extremely atmospheric live anthems and from short crunching heavy metal tracks to more progressive epics. The band has lost this balance of shorter and longer tracks on more recent records which means a significant decrease in quality for me. This album reveals to have a lot more qualities than one might think of. Some fans should re-evaluate this release that ultimately deserved its commercial success and is much more appealing than its reputation.

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  • Exodus - Blood In Blood Out (2014)

    Over the past few years, I’ve really grown into the thrash metal scene and adore several records by the Big 4 Anthrax, Megadeth, Metallica and Slayer, the Teutonic three with Destruction, Kreator and Tankard and other honorable mentions such as New Jersey legends Overkill, Bay Area legends Death Angel, the more progressive Quebeckers from Voivod and their modern incarnations called Vektor and even more obscure bands like the Japanese Gargoyle and Sex Machineguns for example. I even got to like some hardcore influenced thrash metal from Stormtroopers of Death up to Ação Libertária. Exodus is not only one of the latest bands I’ve discovered in that genre but overall one of those few thrash metal bands I didn’t get into yet even though some fans keep on saying that “Bonded by Blood” is one of, if not the best thrash metal release ever and that this band should have made it into the Big 4 instead of Anthrax.

    From my point of view, Exodus features exchangeable, fast and brutal riffs, an unstable bass guitar work that has some shining moments while it’s completely inaudible in other tracks and a technically decent drumming. All these elements sound close to some early Overkill and maybe Kreator tracks without reaching the quality of these two bands. The worst thing about this new record is the vocals. It sounds like an odd mixture of an angry Donald Duck and Overkill’s Bobby “Blitz” Ellsworth but Steve “Zetro” Souza’s bickered and monotonous barking has no recognition value whatsoever to me.

    The record starts with an overlong and plodding intro and evolves into a completely exchangeable ten-minute long thrash metal song with an average rhythm section, worn-out riffs and monotonous lead vocals supported by occasional gang shouts and a guest singer nobody has ever heard about and who feels like he wasn’t even there at all… oh, wait, it’s not a ten-minute long track, these are actually two songs! Well, they sound so alike and unspectacular that I didn’t realize that they were actually separated at some point in the first place. By the way, this element is somehow the guiding line of the record because it won’t get any better.

    “Salt the Wounds” got some attention prior to the release of this album because it features a guest appearance of Metallica guitarist and ex-Exodus member Kirk Hammett. Nobody openly admits to care about or even like Metallica anymore but people obviously secretly do. That’s a clever strategy to push this release a little bit as the last few Exodus releases didn’t sell quite well and got underwhelming reviews. It’s no surprise though that this song can’t fulfill its expectations and is even among the weaker tracks on here. The somewhat tinny drum sound and the boring riffs that don’t fit at all to the vocal performance are a big letdown. Kirk Hammett’s predictable wah-wah-solo makes me wonder if he can still play any solo without using that pedal over and over again. The lyrics feel like a laughable Cannibal Corpse rip-off and don’t make things any better. Instead of being one of the few highlights, that is even one of the weakest songs on here.

    “Body Harvest” actually has a simple yet energizing chorus and a brutal lead riff that shakes things up but instead of delivering three minutes of energizing punk-driven thrash metal, Exodus stretches the song to six minutes and a half and includes a completely unspectacular instrumental section that ruins an otherwise tolerable song. It seems to be a laughable current trend for grown-old thrash metal bands to stretch their songs to unbearable lengths without any reason. One can find several similar examples on Blood In Blood Out as well.

    Exodus invited a third guest singer in form of Testament’s Chuck Billy to get even more recognition. Testament surely is slightly more interesting than Exodus but the vocals simply don’t differ enough to build up an intriguing contrast to the main singer on this unimpressive seven-minute long piece of boredom. By the way, another song about “BTK” is far from being original. Please listen to Church of Misery’s atmospheric and gripping instrumental song of the same name instead.

    Is there actually any at least bearable track on this coaster or frisbee, depending on which version you prefer? Well, there is. “My Last Nerve” has a few interesting guitar melodies leading to a chorus that differs from the others. The song manages to develop a certain atmosphere and is also technically stunning. There is a short break dominated by the vivid use of the bass guitar which is a welcome change of style where Jack Gibson can finally show off his talent.

    One decent song out of eleven or twelve is definitely not enough. Exodus released not only another weak record but even one of the most uninspired genre albums I have ever listened to. It was a true pain to sit through the entire record. Do yourself a favour and ignore the clever marketing strategy based around the guest appearances by Kirk Hammett and Chuck Billy. Let Exodus be that overlooked underground band that only a few grown old genre maniacs appreciate for nostalgic reasons. There are way better old and new American thrash metal bands around that are worth your attention.

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