Album Reviews

[binnie]

Tokyo Dragons - Hot Nuts (2007)

People often bemoan the absence of contemporary feel good rock bands. Well, here is one. This is a lot of fun. Punchy riffs, belting solos, 4/4 rythms and big choruses. A real retro record, even the production borrows from 1973. 'On Your Marks' sounds like a more masculine Kiss, whilst 'Keeping the Wolf from the Door' has a NWOBHM vibe about it. Thin Lizzy melodies abound, as do AC/DC riffs. The songs here are about hard times and the hard women who caused them, and the ethos is to party your troubles away - in short, it's all BIG DUMB FUN. This type of music is deceptively easy to do badly. Sure, there's not much in the way of variety, nor much finesse, and the Tokyo Dragons are a long, long way from emulating their idols. But you can't over analyze music like this: it is what it is. Come summer time, this disc would be one of your stereo's best friends.

[binnie]

From the vaults: Firebird - Firebird (2000)

This record hearks back to primitive times. A time before metal, a time when even Zeppelin were baby legends. The vibe here is easy and tripped out, a peaceful and sombre laid back rock album which bleeds the late '60s. Hell, they even cover Steve Winwood's 'Stranger To Himself.' Hammond organs and blues riffs abound, musical experimentation and jamming are celebrated, and the whole thing sounds effortless. It is a surprise, then, to learn that this was a band fronted by former Napalm Death and Carcass man Bill Steer. His soulful vocals and rich, melodic guitar ooze over this record - this is a guy who can really play, and the understated nature of his style on this album is a long way from the more showy and loud displays typical of his Death Metal heyday. Yet this was no middle aged spread. The funk of 'One Trick Pony' and 'Torn Down' are infectious in its crisp vibrancy; and the sunburnt rock of 'Raise a Smile' is joyful in its cool. Is it perfect? No - your attention will wander due to the lack of variety. But if you're the sort of person who thought that music died when the hard rock of the '70s gave way to the indolent bombast of the '80s, then this will be right up your street. Toke up, kick back and float way.

[binnie]

Nevermore - The Obsidian Conspiracy

More ultra-complex power metal. Reveling in classic metal dressed in modern trimmings, fans of the band will be pleased to know that they once again deliver the goods: tight precision riffing, incredible drumming and Jeff Loomis remarkable shredding are all in evidence as expected. A couple of things separate this record from Nevermore's back catalogue, however. Firstly, Andy Sneap's mix makes their sound more crisp and powerful than in the past. Secondly, and more significantly, the band is prepared to explore its melodic side, injecting darker atmospherics into their traditional sound. The result is a little more variety than in the past, with Priest-like power ballad 'Shes Comes In Colours' injecting a surprising burst of emotion into theit ususal gun-metal grey. That's not to say they've gone soft. 'The Termination Proclamation' is rivetted with precise bludgeon, whilst 'Your Poison Throne' and 'Without Morals' wouldn't have been out place of the more recent Megadeth records. It's all powerful, heavy stuff, utterly compelling at times - on 'And the Maiden Spoke' the band show the new wave of thrash bands how speed is really done. The problem - and its one common to Nevermore records - is that it's all a little overthought. Not contrived by any means, but you never get the impression that this is a band wholly in the movement or prepared to lose themselves in expression. Warrel Dane's vocals, for example, err on the side of melodrama when he is aiming for sincere, a trait which mars otherwise inventive moments like 'The Blue Marble and the New Soul.' Like Annihilater - surely Nevermore's closest musical brethren - this is a band which, for all their grasping, will never quite attain the level of the top tier. They come close here, though, really, really close.

[binnie]

From the vaults: Anthrax - Sound of the White Noise (1993)

The Joey Belladonna era of Anthrax may have spawned the albums regarded as 'classics', but to these ears the band always packed more of punch with John Bush at the mic. His rasping layrnx and lower range was less complicated, sitting better with the bands hulking, muscular riffage than Belladonna's siren wail. And on Bush's first record, Anthrax hit their creative peak, absorbing their influences into a whole that was utterly vibrant in its potency. An album that still stands up today, there was a real sense of purpose about the band. Progressing from 1990's 'Persistence of Time', which had seen the band eschewing their comic book schidc in favour of darker hues, producer Dave Jerden (Alice In Chains) opened the band up to darker tones. This record is a sonic treat: incredibly well produced, it nevertheless continued to capture the live feel of the band as a living, feeding beast, a feat due largely to the sheer incessantness of Charlie Benante's drumming. But it's the songwriting which really endures. Tunes like 'This Is Not An Exit' and '1000 Points of Hate' were thrash, but not as we had known it. Opener 'Potter's Field' builds around double bass-drum patterns, getting faster ans faster in a wave of torrents which crescendo; whilst the Hetfield-esque crunch of 'Only' and 'Packaged Rebellion' showed that band could write hooks as big as their riffs; and ballad 'Black Lodge' saw the band embracing a more emotive side. An album can could stand and trade with anything produced by the 'Big Four', this should have been hailed as a classic, a real landmark in metal. But history is often cruel. It was all downhill after this for Anthrax - lead guitar player Dan Spitz bailed, leaving the band to limp on incomplete; record company difficulties saw next album 'Stomp....' largely un-promoted, and crowds dwindle. It seemed that the bands career took a turn as dark as their sound.

[binnie]

From the vaults: Slash's Snakepit - Ain't Life Grand (2000)

To call the first Slash's Snakepit album - It's Five O'Clock Somewhere - patchy would be charitable. The product of boredom rather than inspiration, it was a stop-gap project for the rest of Guns'N'Roses whilst Axl wrestled with his neurosis. Whilst certainly not as high profile, 2000's 'Ain't Life Grand' was a much more efforfescent record. The Guns bandmates and close friends were gone, and Slash had replaced them with a bunch of rock 'n' roll desparados. Much more than a bone-headed rock record, this was the work of a band: tight, ambitious and passionately delivered. Rod Jackson's crooned vocals, deeper than you'd expect from a rock singer, added tone and texture to the tunes, and Jack Douglas' production allowed the songs to crackle and fire. The harmonies and rhythms permitted the songs to pulsate with sublties, allowing the band's screaching blues licks and bittersweat songs caked in the dirt of hedonism to feel alive. Aided by the talents of Johny Griparic, this was Slash's best collection of songs since 'Appetite For Destruction', and arguably the best collection of solos he's ever laid down. Unlike most 'guitar player goes solo' records, however, he never allows the solos to overwhelm, and the songs are never excuses for fret workouts. Nor is this purely an exercise in Aerosmith-retroism. 'Shine' and 'Truth' are classic rock for the 21st century, whilst 'Life's Sweet Drug' and 'Been There Lately' are nitro blues with villainous intent. Riff smashes into riff, aggression pours into bombast, and abandon rules. It's not all testerone, however. The broken waltz of 'Back to the Moment' is a ballad of the finest order, and the big band of the title track only serves to underline that this was an album with serious intent, and one deserving of greater fan-fare than it achieved upon release. Loud, rude, dirty and mean.

[binnie]

Bigelf - Cheat The Gallows

Weird and wonderful cinematic soundscapes from the masters of pomp rock. Imagine late '60s Brit rock, full of quirky melodrama for the sake of it, or White Zombie if they'd been obsessed with glam rather than horror. This is rock 'n' roll augmented and animated by orchestras, horns, samples and all sorts of weirdness, but welded together by huge riffs and poisonous melodies. It's all delicately balanced. The sort of pomp that T-Rex did with aplomb only more colourful in its idiosyncracies, with 'The Evils of Rock ' n' Roll' and 'The Game' sounding like Tim Burton humping Les Paul. From the rock 'n' roll circus of opener 'Greatest Show On Earth', through the Pete Townsend eerieness of 'No Parachute' this is a joyous ghost-ride of a record, and unlike anything you'll hear again. There's not a dull or wasted moment, and for all its contrived oddness this feels so beautfiully authentic.

[binnie]

From the vaults: Guns 'N' Roses - Use Your Illusions I & II (1991)

Twenty years? Twenty fucking years! Has it really been that long since 'The Most Dangerous Band In the World' released two of the most diverse and baffling albums in rock history. In many ways, these albums marked the point at which the baddest band in rock 'n' roll became the most bloated. These records were a long, long way from the sleeze-ridden, animalistic rock 'n' roll apocalypse that was 'Appetite For Destruction' - an album which was infectious in its debauchery. If the muse of 'Appetite...' was Johnny Thunders, then on '...Illusions' it proved to be Elton John, Freddie Mercury and The Stones who were vying for inspirational control, with the band striving to be bigger if not necessarily badder.

At times, it's utterly compelling. Opener 'Right Next Door To Hell' displayed the brand of schizo punk that GNR did so perfectly: tortured blues riffs, booming drums and screaching vocals, this was the band at its angriest and most in your face. Matched by the punk/metal/Aerosmith hybrid of 'Garden of Eden' and the venom of 'Perfect Crime' this material marked a band that was sleazy, certainly, but this was a band much darker than their sunset strip peers. When coupled with the pitbull misogony of 'You Could Be Mine' (on '....II'), part of the listener feels that had the band made a single disc of material as viscious as this GNR would not only have had a much stronger legacy to their name, but might have proven that their was plenty of life left in rock 'n' roll to all of those kids who were waiting for the Seatle sound.

Sadly, however, such gems were coupled with moments of decided mediocrity. The tuneless 'Don't Damn Me' lacks charisma. Their pompous cover of Dylan's 'Knockin' On Heaven's Door' only suceeds in making a shit song shitter. 'Back Off Bitch' is void of the tongue-in-cheek misogony that made much of the strip's sexism palatable, whilst 'Bad Apples' has 'B-Side' written all over it. Worst of all was 'Get In the Ring', a puerille profanity filled 'call out' to the journalists who had mis-represented the band which backfired massively: not only leaving the band looking like they were having a hissy-fit, it also features some of the most embarassing tough-guy talk you'll ever hear. The less said about the techno-wankery of 'My World', the better.

It's odd then that band could produce moments of such sophistication. 'Estranged' may be the finest composition they ever recorded. A moving and haunting lament for a relationship gone awry, it was a power-ballad without the cheese and the sign of a band more than capable of maturing into something powerfully adult. It is also, in the opinion of this reviewer, Slash's finest playing. Equally dazzling is 'Coma', 10 minutes of melodrama utterly captivating in its scope. A huge rock 'n' roll circus of a song structured around Slash's hulking riff, this is almost an opera tracing Axl's floating in and out of consciousness, and one which culminates in an adrenalin filled, scuzzy, rage-driven implosion. This was a band pushing the template of hard rock. That innovation was captured in Axl's maturation as a lyricist, tackling theme's and concepts far beyond the 'sex, drugs and rock 'n' roll' template.

It wasn't all a departure from the past, however. 'Bad Obsession' pre-dated 'Appetite...' and it's drugged-out debachery would have fitted perfectly on the older record. Similarly, the cold menace of 'Double Talkin' Jive' - beautifully offset by Slash's closing classical guitar solo - was the mark of a band who really didn't give a fuck, and was wholly in their element. 'Pretty Tied Up' was equally in the same vein as their 'Appetite....' era, but marked a band much more comfortable in expanding its musical pallette; and on the rolling riff of 'Locomotive', the band captured a groove that was truly nasty.

Ultimately, 'Use Your Illusions' proved to be a mis-mass. On the one hand, they are drenched in the band's potential, and contain some of their finest moments. On the other, these records were so broad in their sound-scape, so unfocussed in their direction, that they held a mirror up to the reality of the situation - the egos here were tearing the band in too many directions. 'November Rain' is everything that 'Appetite' wasn't - tepid, soft, over-cooked and pompous and in many ways it encapsulated the feel of a band who's vision result in an album so expansive that it tumbled down on its own edifice. Izzy, in particualr, sounds like he's performing on a different record. Perhaps, however, it's him that sums up the moment best: 'Once there was this rock 'n' roll band rolling down the street/ Time went by and it became a joke.'

[Terry]

Had both albums been pared down and condensed into one record, it would have been one killer follow-up to Appetite.

It really wouldn't have been too hard to do, as both releases contained a significant amount of tunes that , if not quite filler, were half-realized song ideas that were stylistically different solely for the sake of being different. These tunes would have perhaps been best served being left off the release and worked on a bit more.

I suppose considering the runaway success of Appetite the fact that their next proper studio release (am putting Lies to one side as more of a time-marking venture) ended up being so bloated and confused wasn't all that shocking. GnR as a band basically behaved like most poor people do when they win the lottery, in that they went off the deep end.

There's good stuff to be found on both releases. However, neither of them have the start-to-finish excellence that Appetite did. The Illusions albums are only excellent in spots, and much of that I put down to the band just overindulging while simultaneously disintegrating into the Axl Rose Show, coupled with a record company that wasn't gonna say no to anything [ GnR ] wanted to do.

[chefcraig]

Had both albums been pared down and condensed into one record, it would have been one killer follow-up to Appetite.

It really wouldn't have been too hard to do...

Apparently, someone at the record company agreed, so in 1998 this condensed, single CD version of the album was released.



1. "Live and Let Die" (Paul McCartney, Linda McCartney) – 3:04
2. "Don't Cry" (original) (Axl Rose, Izzy Stradlin) – 4:44
3. "You Ain't the First" (Izzy Stradlin) – 2:36
4. "November Rain" (Rose) – 8:57
5. "The Garden" (Rose, West Arkeen, Del James) – 5:22
* Featuring Alice Cooper
6. "Dead Horse" (Rose) – 4:17
7. "Civil War" (Rose, Slash, Duff McKagan, Izzy Stradlin) – 7:42
8. "14 Years" (Axl Rose, Izzy Stradlin) – 4:21
9. "Yesterdays" (Axl Rose, Arkeen, James, Billy McCloud) – 3:16
10. "Knockin' on Heaven's Door" (Bob Dylan) – 5:20
11. "Estranged" (Axl Rose) – 9:23
12. "Don't Cry" (alternate lyrics) (Axl Rose, Izzy Stradlin) – 4:43

[Little Texan]

'Estranged' may be the finest composition they ever recorded. A moving and haunting lament for a relationship gone awry, it was a power-ballad without the cheese and the sign of a band more than capable of maturing into something powerfully adult. It is also, in the opinion of this reviewer, Slash's finest playing.

Estranged is Guns n Roses's Stairway To Heaven, IMO...a very underrated song.

[binnie]

The Defiled - Grave Times

Scuzzy guitars, industrial noise and double bass drums are all part of the make up of this band's heavily processed sound. Cosmetically, it's schlock rock of the Alice Cooper ilk; in reality theses goths play metal with a hint of nu - think Rob Zombie with no sense of humour. The problem is that the band think that they're being novel, when in reality their eccentricities are contrived. Strip away the production trappings and what you have here is a meat and potatos screamo band: the songs are structured around growled verses and melodic choruses. That in itself is no bad thing, but you can't help thinking they'd have made a much more satisfying record if they'd just followed their instincts - as they do on the rather excellent 'Black Death' and 'The Ill Disposed' - rather than shoe-horning in all the extras. Indeed, there is a lot going on in these songs and they feel busy, a factor which makes them hard to absorb and harder to remember. But you can't fault their delivery: this band is heavy but with a real warmth and charisma. They are also a lot more fun than they're contemporaries, and realize that you don't have to be over earnest to be really good. Simplfying things next time round might see them deliver the goods.

[Terry]

Apparently, someone at the record company agreed, so in 1998 this condensed, single CD version of the album was released.



1. "Live and Let Die" (Paul McCartney, Linda McCartney) – 3:04
2. "Don't Cry" (original) (Axl Rose, Izzy Stradlin) – 4:44
3. "You Ain't the First" (Izzy Stradlin) – 2:36
4. "November Rain" (Rose) – 8:57
5. "The Garden" (Rose, West Arkeen, Del James) – 5:22
* Featuring Alice Cooper
6. "Dead Horse" (Rose) – 4:17
7. "Civil War" (Rose, Slash, Duff McKagan, Izzy Stradlin) – 7:42
8. "14 Years" (Axl Rose, Izzy Stradlin) – 4:21
9. "Yesterdays" (Axl Rose, Arkeen, James, Billy McCloud) – 3:16
10. "Knockin' on Heaven's Door" (Bob Dylan) – 5:20
11. "Estranged" (Axl Rose) – 9:23
12. "Don't Cry" (alternate lyrics) (Axl Rose, Izzy Stradlin) – 4:43

Not the tracks I would have picked, but the idea is a good one.

[binnie]

From the vaults: Thin Lizzy - Thin Lizzy (1971)

This album must have sounded odd in 1971: an irish, part funk, part folk, part rock, part hippie band. It sounds even weirder 40 years on, largely because we now know the snarling, anthemic, riff-fueled rock'n'roll monster that Thin Lizzy evolved into. In truth, its that late seventies legacy that has often left Lizzy's earlier work overlooked. But the pre- Gorham and Robertson era had its merits. No duel guitar melodies or shred fests, certainly, but plenty of the other things that made Lizzy special - melody, harmony and soul. Much of the time, those qualities are exercised on tunes which are barely heavy rock: 'Diddy Levine' is half acoustic, half funky rock, its expansive, almost meandering passages anouncing that even on their debut Lizzy would march only to their own time. The ballad 'Eire' twinkles into life, whilst the lyrical 'Honesty is No Excuse' is restrained - almost easy - in its vibe. On songs like these and opener 'The Friendly Ranger at Clontarf Castle' it is Lynott's vocal that stands out. Effortlessly mature at a young age, it is a rich, creamy voice spiced with bourbon and tenderness, a mile away from the histrionics of most rock'n'wailers. If there was anything that pointed toward the future, its 'Look What the Wind Blew In', the most hard-rockking piece here built round a chopping riff, solid groove and a Lynott vocal peppered with a roar and witticisms.

Lizzy made many mistakes here: there are too many ideas, something which lessens the whole. Brian Downey - later one of rock's most astute drummers - over fills hopelessly much of the time, and the jammed, instinctual style so typical of the era did not suit the Lizzy boys well. But you have to admire the ambition, if this was the sound of a band reaching but not quite taking hold. But the embers on genius on display here are worthy of being cherished. This is certainly not one of the records that Lizzy will be remembered for - but that is not to say that is not worth remembering.

[binnie]

Saint Jude - Diary of a Soul Fiend

They say that the Black Crowes are shuttin' up shop - welcome to your new favourite store. This is rhythm and blues with bounce, groove and soul, a fluid and bittersweet blues which could warm to cockles on any day. The sound of a band on the run, a band who have earned everything they have - you can almost smell every toilet they've played and feel the pain of playing to half filled bars. The vibe is crusty, the songs warn in and charismatic, perfectly crafted but delivered without polish. Singer Lynne Jackaman is part Janis, part Stevie and part Ann, and these songs pulsate around her voice, a voice which is filled with the longing that keeps us alive. 'Down and Out' is an acoustic lament oozing with emotion, whilst 'Parallel Life' and 'Southern Belles' are rock tunes which really celebrate the joy of being here and in the now. Great music is something we feel as much as hear - and here is a band that will make you shake your ass, drown your sorrows and cry your eyes out in the space on an album.

[Seshmeister]

Had both albums been pared down and condensed into one record, it would have been one killer follow-up to Appetite.

It really wouldn't have been too hard to do, as both releases contained a significant amount of tunes that , if not quite filler, were half-realized song ideas that were stylistically different solely for the sake of being different. These tunes would have perhaps been best served being left off the release and worked on a bit more.

I suppose considering the runaway success of Appetite the fact that their next proper studio release (am putting Lies to one side as more of a time-marking venture) ended up being so bloated and confused wasn't all that shocking. GnR as a band basically behaved like most poor people do when they win the lottery, in that they went off the deep end.

There's good stuff to be found on both releases. However, neither of them have the start-to-finish excellence that Appetite did. The Illusions albums are only excellent in spots, and much of that I put down to the band just overindulging while simultaneously disintegrating into the Axl Rose Show, coupled with a record company that wasn't gonna say no to anything [ GnR ] wanted to do.

I agree but in hindsight they did the right thing for themselves.

I don't know the figures involved but most bands make little from their first album and even one that sold in the numbers that Appetite did probably wouldn't set you up for life especially if you have some expensive bad habits. The band was never going to last more than a few years so it did make sense to throw as much out there as quick as possible before it all fell to bits. If they had held back most of those songs they would either never have been recorded or they would be all over the internet at this point anyway effectively royalty free.

That said there is a fair amount of shit on those albums, enough to stop me listening to them more than a dozen or so times. I thought You Could be Mine was pretty average too as the first single; arguably not good enough to even make a filler on Appetite. Back then though I was going through a less settled lifestyle so I only had them on cassette tape which didn't work so well having to fuck around fast forwarding through utter garbage like Get In the Ring. Nowadays you would just delete out the shit. Actually now I think about it I may go back and have a listen...