Album Reviews

[Mr Walker]

BTW... The Shovell is a very kick ass, raw, sloppy 70s throwback band.

I've also been listening to Kadavar a lot as well.

[Von Halen]

BTW... The Shovell is a very kick ass, raw, sloppy 70s throwback band.

I've also been listening to Kadavar a lot as well.

Mr. Wanker, can you kindly link me to some samples of these bands, so I can preview before I purchase?

[Terry]

Aerosmith – Music From Another Dimension (2012)

It would be unrealistic to expect Aerosmith to recapture their heyday. Not only have they proven incapable of doing so despite promising it with every album since the mid-‘90s, are now both incredibly old and rich (when was the last time they sounded hungry?), but the conscious change in sound which accompanied their ‘clean-up, come back’ rejuvenation in the late ‘80s rendered them a very different beast. Indeed, anyone hoping that ‘Music….’ would be aiming for the stars should adjust their sites from ‘Rocks’ to ‘Pump’ – and in a sense, there’s nothing wrong with that, for ‘Pump’ was a glitzy, hook-filled corporate rock record of the finest proportions which presented a slicker, more cartoonish version of Aerosmith still doused in a little magic. The truth is that ‘Music….’ falls (very, very) short of the mark: losing your hunger is fine if you can fall back on an abundance of decently written tunes, but it is clear that Aerosmith no longer can. If this is indeed from another dimension, it is one where Aerosmith are rocking retirement homes rather than suburbs.

Several things stand out from the get-go. 1) at 15 songs and 68 minutes, this is way, way too long – Aerosmith should be like alley sex, short, sweet and nasty, but MFAD is more like endless foreplay where no-one cums. 2) despite repeated incandescence from fans that they no longer write decent hard rock tunes, the reason is made all too abundantly clear here: they no longer can. The two that Joe Perry mails in (and sings) ‘Something’ and ‘Freedom Fighter’ would be laughed at by most A&R men, whilst ‘Street Jesus’ (a colossal 6 minutes of ‘blues’) is sautéed in wrong sauce. Elsewhere the problems that have plagued Aerosmith records since the ‘90s persist: the lack of editing, the absence of any pace to inject the record with life, and the presence of the ‘hit writers’ Marti Freidriksen, Desmond Childs and Jim Valance. You want it to kick you in the ass, but it just keeps falling short. The eastern-tinged blues of opener ‘Luv XXX’ skiffles things to life at easy pace, ‘Oh Yeah’ serves up some inoffensive B-rate ‘60s British Invasion blues, whilst sappy ballad ‘We All Fall Down’ is more Broadway than skid row. Tyler may still have a voice so captivating that it could read the phone book and be appealing, but producer Jack Douglass has worked overtime here polishing some serious cracks out of the material before him with an array of studio magic, background vocal melodies and horns acting as filler.

It would be churlish not to admit that there is some glisten amidst the dust. ‘Out Go The lights’ shows enough r’n’b to make even the hardened cynic smile (even if, at 7 minutes, it’s more of a jam than a song). But it’s the ballads – yes, them again – which are the strongest moments here (which speaks volumes). ‘What Could Have Been Love’ has the sort of hook you’re expecting (annoyingly irresistible), and features all of the glitter and candy required to ooze its country-tinged rock into a million car speakers. But the real standout (to these ears, at least) is closer ‘Another Last Goodbye’, which pulls back on the schmaltz to produce something more heartfelt and tender.

In a sense, Aerosmith are captives of their own success: memories of the glory daze of America’s greatest hard rock band both perpetuate the group’s career long past the last chances they’ve blown several times before; and raise expectations of what an Aerosmith record ‘should’ be beyond the point that they could ever deliver (who can compete with their younger self?) But a couple of passable tunes in over a dozen is beyond the bottom of the barrel. ‘Tell Me’ opens with the line ‘I think it’s time to realise it’s done…..’: on ‘Music From Another Dimension’ life is certainly imitating art.

In all honesty, it wasn't surprising to listen to Music From Another Dimension and hear what I did: a few decent ideas and some decent jams, but not a single decent song to be found. Were I to see the band live now, nothing off this album would keep me in my seat. Quite the opposite - time to take a piss, grab a beer and a smoke then shuffle back hoping they'd serve up an oldie. The overall effect of this album is in no way to be unexpected when taking into consideration everything the band have put out since Nine Lives. In fact, the end result is depressingly consistent (and even using the Nine Lives album as a demarcation point between the last decent Aerosmith album is being generous - truth be told the last good album was Pump, but at least Nine Lives was more-or-less listenable).
I think you have it right in that Aerosmith, at least in terms of creative output, are finally out of gas after having run on fumes for at least a decade and a half. To be frank, Music From Another Dimension almost makes one nostalgic for the early-to-mid 1990s Aerosmith. As overproduced, schmaltzy and pop-oriented as those years were, there were at least some listenable song ideas to be found (even if the bulk of them were from outside writers).
It wouldn't, as you say, be realistic to expect the band to recapture the greatness of their 1970s output. In many respects, Aerosmith has come across (to me at any rate) more as a business than a band for quite some time now. And there's nothing wrong with that if a band is in the business of creating an album full of good rock tunes. Pump had plenty of outside assistance from songwriters and record exec input up the ying-yang, and (perhaps in spite of all this) was a good rock album. The problem now is that, on record at least, I no longer care for the product the Aerosmith company is selling. They're well past starting to reek of the same stench a lot of older rock bands find themselves surrounded by: the odor of a group that has hung around too long.

[Seshmeister]

It's funny but I just lost interest in Aerosmith completely one day and never looked back.

They are like an ex but without even any feeling of nostalgia. Every so often you are aware of them because of some schmaltzy ballad in a film or something but they are the ex girlfriend you don't even look up on Facebook. I think the problem is outside writers, once you go down that route a band seems to lose it's soul. I think it's the same as stand up comedy in that regard, unlike in theater or cinema you need the connection between the writing and the performer.

We need a new word for something that has now been shit for more years than it was good, the obvious example is Ozzy who achieved it some time ago.

If you are very generous and give them until Get A Grip then even then 73-93 93-2013 means this year marks their Shittyversary.

[ashstralia]

Pump is a great album, though. They probably should have hung it up at that.

[Mr Walker]

It's funny but I just lost interest in Aerosmith completely one day and never looked back.

I did the same thing with the Scorpions


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[Mr Walker]

Mr. Wanker, can you kindly link me to some samples of these bands, so I can preview before I purchase?

You wouldn't like them.

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[Von Halen]

You wouldn't like them.

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You don't know what I'll like, or not like. Just give me some fucking samples, so I can decide for myself.

[binnie]

The Answer – New Horizon (2013)

The Answer have been rock’s nearly men for almost a decade now. Following the joyous reception of their first record – ‘Rise’ (2006) – the band were feted by critics, greeted with support slots on some of rock ‘n’ roll’s biggest tours, and were hyped beyond belief. And, in truth, they’ve never really matched that weight of expectation. In one sense, that’s to be expected – even the second coming of Zeppelin wouldn’t have been good enough to fulfill the praises being hyped on them around the time of their second record, ‘Everyday Demons’ (2009). But in another sense, it’s inexplicable – they’ve certainly got tunes, and ambition, and they are palatable enough to his the mainstream. But it wasn’t to be. You can’t help but feeling that The Answer are a bit sour about the fact that they’re not a headline band. They needn’t be. What ‘New Horizon’ proves is that if this band may never be truly great, being very good is much more than good enough.

Last time out – ‘Revival’ (2011) – the band sounded a little bloated, and were clearly taking themselves a little too seriously. ‘New Horizon’, however, is straight-out nitro charged, blues-based hard rock that kicks like a stallion. The title-track announces the band’s intentions – as raw and ready as the band have sounded since their debut, the songs rustles with the warmth of old leather and kicks like ageing whisky. The band are loose, and full of piss ‘n’ vinegar. ‘Live With Nothin’ has enough bounce to fill a stadium, whilst ‘Spectacular’ has the sort of hook most bands never write – this is a song which takes the component parts of hard rock’s 1970’s ‘Golden Age’ and re-conditions them for the 21st century. ‘Speak Now’ takes the tempo down Bad Co. style; ‘Burn You Down’ is a bittersweat take on life with a heavy dose of FUN injected into it, and by the time you get to ‘Concrete’ and ‘Somebody Else’ you realise that this is what rock ‘n’ roll should sound like.

In the hands of producer Toby Jepson, The Answer’s bombastic blues rock assault has become rawer and more to the point. Cormac Neeson puts in the vocal performance of his life, his wailing and impassioned croon which making the band richer and more distinctive. The result is something waaaaay more impressive, and anthemic, than more successful ‘Nu Classic Rock’ bands like Blackstone Cherry, Buckcherry and Joe Bonamassa could ever hope to achieve. ‘New Horizon’ is fire-up-yer-ass rock ‘n’ roll to take on the world with.

[binnie]

We need a new word for something that has now been shit for more years than it was good, the obvious example is Ozzy who achieved it some time ago.

.

I actually think that 'Scream' was a really good record, and I listen to it a lot. Before that, 'No Rest For The Wicked' has it's moments, but most of the 90's and 00's music is aimless. After the first two songs, I struggle to get through 'Ozzmosis'........

[binnie]

Heaven’s Basement – Filthy Empire (2013)

You have to admire their determination. Previous called Hurricane Party, and Roadstar before that, the (non)history of this band has been one of false starts, confusion and endlessly treading water is a sea of bad luck. The rock/metal press hailed every incarnation as a return to the ‘good ‘ol days’ of ‘70s/’80s rock, but you sense that the crowds never bought it. The problem? Well, it’s all a bit……..nice. They certainly sound like the best parts of your record collection rolled into one – a bit of Aerosmith here, Zeppelin there, a douse of ‘DC and a sprinkle of G’N’R – but the feel of the record is one of striving to be badass, without actually having the stones to do it. Putting ‘motherfucker’ into songs does not a gang of tough-guys make – indeed, here it only serves to throw up that Heaven’s Basement, whilst undoubtedly a fine bunch of musicians, are a very polite bunch of rock ‘n’ rollers. In that sense, they remind you of another perennial British band of nearly men: Thunder. Good, very good, even, but not captivating. Not on the edge of razor, amoral, incendiary rock ‘n’ roll.

Still, ‘Filthy Empire’ is rather brilliant in places. Opener ‘Welcome Home’ crashes and smashes into life in a truly anthemic manner, and bounces and spits with ambition. ‘Nothing Left To Lose’ is classic rock in contemporary clothing, and features a beautifully crafted chorus. There MUST be a market for this, and you wonder why this sort of music is not more mainstream – is the gulf between this and current arena-fillers like The Killers really that vast? On the likes of ‘Can’t Let Go’ and the fan-fucking-tastic ‘Heartbreaking Son Of A Bitch’ Heaven’s Basement toy with the hallamarks of rock ‘n’ roll as they ooze swagger, pinche and…..cool. This is the band they should be.

And then you are confronted by the dim MOR territory of ‘Lights Go Out In London’. Or the fact that several of the songs here are little more than a chorus with side dressing – making the most of Aaron Buchanan’s smokey voice is one thing, but a song needs more than a hook. Hell, when you’ve got a guy who can lay down tasty blues chops like Sid Glover, give him the space to inject the tunes with energy.

‘Filthy Empire’, then, is a patchy affair. But there has to be a place for this band – closer ‘Executioner’s Day’ sends things off like a glorious, straddling middle-finger to the doubters. Loud, rude, dirty, mean and FUN.

[binnie]

Newsted – Heavy Metal Music (2013)

Jason Newsted was in Metallica. Right, that’s that out of the way – and, in truth, it’s the least interesting things about this record. The title says it all: this is heavy, and it’s certainly metal. What it isn’t, however, is thrash – anyone expecting a return to Newsted’s roots will be (pleasantly) surprised. Owing more to the bluesy, groovy tones of stoner and doom, this is an album crafted on simple ideas and powerful melodies. The songs are based more on feel than a desire to showcase any chops, and guitar-players Jesse Farnsworth and Mike Mushok inject tasteful melodic touches into crunching doom-laden riffs. The whole thing, of course, is propelled by Newsted’s tar-thick bass. That thing could level whole city blocks. 55 minutes of glorious metallic BOOM, BOOM, BOOM, BOOM.

‘Heroic Dose’ kicks things off with a groove-laden mid-paced chug and a glorious riff. ‘Soldierhead’ is sunburnt thrash/punk which rips out of the speakers, whilst the Voivod tinged ‘King Of The Underdogs’ and ‘…..As the Crow Flies’ feature some serious weight and killer groove. What surprises most is the restraint: these are songs written with poise and an uncomplicated approach to sophistication. ‘Above All’ is a fuzzed-out attack – possessing a killer chorus, it has a haunting alt. rock feel to it. Perhaps most impressively of all, ‘Nocturnus’ is a tripped-out acid doom which shows considerable ambition. It’s impressive, dazzling stuff. You might object that Newsted is not much of a lyricist (or, indeed, a singer) but what he does sits perfectly with the abrasive, metallic heaviness which assaults you throughout this record.

What comes off above all else, however, is his passion. Jason Newsted doesn’t need to make this record – hell, he’s so wealthy he probably sends care packages to Bill Gates. Given that circumstance, this could have been a flabby, self-indulgent exercise in twaddle. That it actually comes from love for heavy music means that what it actually is is a killing machine. ‘Heavy Metal Music’ is balls out, no frills, no bullshit metal which doesn’t give a shit about nostalgia – and in judging it, nor should you. With albums this good, Jason Newsted doesn’t need to be patronised.

[binnie]

Asking Alexandria – From Death To Destiny (2013)

To say that Asking Alexandria divide metalheads is a gross understatement. Few bands in recent years have been more loathed than these British second-generation metalcore stallwarts – style over substance, needlessly arrogant, contrived…..you name it, they’ve been accused of it. It’s certainly true that they’re not breaking any new ground – ‘From Death To Destiny’ essentially continues AA’s career path of welding together all of the hallmarks of metalcore (breakdowns, soft/heavy dynamics, angst-ridden lyrics) with none of the genre’s initial inventiveness. But it’s unfair to critique a band for something they’re not trying to achieve – the team that made the Tomb Raider movies were not trying to make Citizen Kane, but that doesn’t mean they made rubbish movies. Similarly, Asking Alexandria have no desire to be Opeth, or to really challenge their listeners in any way. What they make is amped up, shinny 21st century rock records, the aural equivalent of a film to munch popcorn to – entertaining whilst it lasts, but largely forgetable.

And they’re very good at it. The lavish production and studio magic makes this record sound HUGE, slab after slab of power blasting from the speakers. Opener ‘Don’t Pray For Me’ is dirtied up metalcore with a groovy riff and killer chorus, ‘Break Down Walls’ is an anthem (sorry critics) which will make teenagers the globe over bounce of the celing, and say what you like, but ‘Killing You’ and ‘Death of Me’ are flat out slammin’ rock songs packed with hooks a-plenty. There’s plenty of filler – ‘Run Free’ is do devoid of ideas and wrapped up with lavish ribbons of cliches – and it’s fair to say that the heavier the band gets, the less convincing the results feel. That being said, AA do not pop it up as much as their detractors claim – the programming and electronic soundscapes which sit behind each song are not as distracting as you might think, and often papers over the cracks (‘Creature’).

Every generation has a host of ‘entry level’ metal bands, bands who a melodic and hook centered enough to bring in the hordes of young-uns who’ve been raised on anodyne pop. In that sense, Asking Alexandria are not dissimilar from Linkin Park or Twisted Sister, a band loathed by the bearded hardcore but loved by the be-whiskered nu breed. ‘From Death To Destiny’ has to be understood in that light – it’s easily the band’s best record, and if you don’t take it too seriously, it’s also a lot of fun.

[Terry]

It's funny but I just lost interest in Aerosmith completely one day and never looked back.

They are like an ex but without even any feeling of nostalgia. Every so often you are aware of them because of some schmaltzy ballad in a film or something but they are the ex girlfriend you don't even look up on Facebook. I think the problem is outside writers, once you go down that route a band seems to lose it's soul. I think it's the same as stand up comedy in that regard, unlike in theater or cinema you need the connection between the writing and the performer.

We need a new word for something that has now been shit for more years than it was good, the obvious example is Ozzy who achieved it some time ago.

If you are very generous and give them until Get A Grip then even then 73-93 93-2013 means this year marks their Shittyversary.

Quite enjoyed the observation of the need for a descriptive phrase for something that has been shit for more years than it has been good.

From a business standpoint, Aerosmith have been smart enough to engage in things that have extended their commercial viability. The funny part of that is, when the band started really embracing that stuff - right around the time they paired up with Run DMC - is when my own interest in what they were doing began to wane. The common criticial consensus is that Night In The Ruts, Rock In A Hard Place and Done With Mirrors were the nadir of the band, but I'd much rather listen to any of those albums than anything released post-Done With Mirrors (with the possible exception of Pump).

When there was a bunch of hub-bub a few years back about Tyler possibly quitting the group, I was more confused than anything else as to why so many people seemed to even care.

[Seshmeister]

You wouldn't like them.

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A Xmas avatar in October, do you work for Hallmark or something?