Archive for August, 2020

Album of the Week 35-2020: Aerosmith – Get Your Wings


When I was a kid just getting into Aerosmith, their sophomore album ‘Get Your Wings’ just did not click with me, despite having a strong preference for the band’s rawer seventies material. About twenty-five years later, it has become one of my favorite Aerosmith records. While the self-titled debut includes some of my favorite songs, there is a dark, gritty undertone to ‘Get Your Wings’ that makes it both more consistent and quite unique within Aerosmith’s discography. More visceral than most of the Stones-inspired hard rock that was out there at the time, ‘Get Your Wings’ is a masterpiece of seventies rock.

On the album, Aerosmith drifted away from the blues and boogie-inspired riff work of their earliest work into something more riff-driven. Just about every song on ‘Get Your Wings’ has a guitar riff that is instantly recognizable and becomes just as much of a hook as the chorus. This is what would define Aerosmith for the rest of the seventies, in my opinion, and what laid the groundwork for the likes of ‘Walk This Way’ and ‘Draw The Line’ later on. That might be a result of other band members than singer Steven Tyler slowly starting to increase their compositional input here.

Back in my pre-teen days, the duo of ‘Spaced’ and ‘Woman Of The World’ was a bit too much of a lull so close to the beginning of the album. And while I still consider the latter to be the weakest song of the album by a long shot, I have come to appreciate ‘Spaced’ through the years. It lacks the power of the album’s highlights, but it has an odd melancholic atmosphere that really suits the song. Ballads also weren’t my thing as a kid, but these days I love ‘Seasons Of Wither’. Easily a top three Aerosmith ballad due to its unconventional structure and its excellent interaction of electric and acoustic guitars.

‘Same Old Song And Dance’ and the borderline heavy metal of ‘S.O.S. (Too Bad)’ are the highlights of the album for those who like their hard rock riff-heavy, as is Aerosmith’s interpretation of Tiny Bradshaw’s ‘Train Kept A Rollin”. Largely based on the Yardbirds version, but made significantly heavier, it overshadowed any earlier version. Not unlike Motörhead’s ‘Overkill’ five years later, it stops and starts again twice and I love how the time feel doubles after the first stop. A real grower for me was ‘Lord Of The Thighs’. It’s got a nice dirty groove, builds towards its surprisingly open choruses brilliantly and even has an overwhelming semi-psychedelic feel during its guitar solos.

‘Get Your Wings’ turned out to be a bit of a transitional record for Aerosmith. Guitarist Joe Perry claimed that the band was better than the album showed, but I do think this is an album the band needed to make before they could even attempt ‘Toys In The Attic’ and ‘Rocks’. In the process, they created some songs with a feel they never truly managed to recreate, ‘Lord Of The Thighs’ and ‘Seasons Of Wither’ most prominently. Combined with some of the other classics on here, ‘Get Your Wings’ is more than just an oddity as most transitional records tend to be. This is essential listening for any classic rock fan.

Recommended tracks: ‘Lord Of The Thighs’, ‘Seasons Of Wither’, ‘Same Old Song And Dance’

2020
08/30
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Album of the Week 34-2020: Mekong Delta – Tales Of A Future Past


While I liked ‘In A Mirror Darkly’ and Martin LeMar is my favorite Mekong Delta singer thus far, something had to change compositionally, simply because of the risk that bassist and composer Ralf Hubert could end up repeating himself. That change certainly happened on ‘Tales Of A Future Past’. The music is still easily recognizable as Mekong Delta, but there have been some changes that really make ‘Tales Of A Future Past’ stand out among Mekong Delta’s discography. The return of Theory In Practice guitarist Peter Lake may have had some effect on this, but Mekong Delta sounds more proggy than ever here.

Mekong Delta is generally classified as a progressive thrash metal band and while that is not too far off, it sort of sells them short. In terms of structure and arrangements Hubert’s compositions are heavily inspired by classical music, that of Russian Romantic composers such as Modest Mussorgsky and Dmitry Shostakovich in particular. And though those influences are still very much present on ‘Tales Of A Future Past’, it is also the closest Mekong Delta has ever sounded to traditional progressive metal. In addition, the album includes the most prominent use of synthesizers since 1994’s ‘Visions Fugitives’.

Fans of Mekong Delta’s core sound should not be worried, however. The synthesizers are far better used than on ‘Visions Fugitives’ and are mainly limited to the first two of the awesome instrumental ‘Landscape’ movements, of which there are four. There are still plenty of riffs that would not sound out of place on a relatively adventurous thrash metal album – the one-two punch of ‘Mindeater’ and ‘The Hollow Men’ are particularly forceful – and there are loads of speedy runs with Hubert’s bass and Lake’s guitar playing in unison. The adventurous compositions are just a little more dynamic this time around and there are notably more early Rush-isms.

As with any Mekong Delta album, the music is best experienced when listened to as a whole, but there are definitely some stand-out tracks. The aforementioned two tracks are powerful bursts of energy around the half-way mark, though ‘The Hollow Men’ also features some of the densest, most oddly-timed work on the record. ‘Mental Entropy’ is a very powerful opener, though surprisingly subdued in terms of tempo. LeMar really shines on the track. The following ‘A Colony Of Liar Men’ is a dark, brooding masterpiece of a track with an extremely strong build-up, possibly my personal highlight of the album.

In the end, my only minor complaint is that the album closes relatively weakly. It probably makes sense conceptually, but while ‘When All Hope Is Lost’ is a nice cinematic track, it kind of overstays its welcome. The acoustic ballad ‘A Farewell To Eternity’ would have worked better dynamically if it was placed earlier on the album and ‘Landscape 4 – Pleasant Ground’ is a great Isaac Albéniz composition that doesn’t quite work in a metal context. But apart from that, ‘Tales Of A Future Past’ is another excellent Mekong Delta album that fans of the band are sure to enjoy. It’s hard enough to come across such a listenable complex work played by virtuoso musicians exclusively these days.

Recommended tracks: ‘A Colony Of Liar Men’, ‘Mindeater’, ‘Landscape 3 – Inherent’, ‘The Hollow Men’

2020
08/23
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Album of the Week 33-2020: Pentagram – Trail Blazer


Before they found their sound in largely mid-tempo heavy metal with strong influences from the Turkish music they grew up with, Pentagram was a thrash metal band. And while their self-titled debut album is quite primitive, ‘Trail Blazer’ shows immense progress. It is still a bit rough around the edges, mostly due to the flat production and Ogün Sanlısoy’s underdeveloped vocals – he has come a long way since 1992. But in terms of songwriting, ‘Trail Blazer’ is leaps and bounds ahead of the first album. ‘Trail Blazer’ may have been a thrash classic if it came out elsewhere and earlier.

It is truly remarkable that only two years had passed between ‘Pentagram’ and ‘Trail Blazer’. Where the former took obvious inspiration from Slayer, ‘Trail Blazer’ takes thrash metal in a more sophisticated direction. My first reference was Artillery. Both ‘Trail Blazer’ and Artillery’s ‘By Inheritance’ inject a lot more melody and intricacy into thrash metal without immediately sounding like progressive thrash and perhaps more notably, both albums extensively feature distinct Middle-Eastern influences in the riff work without becoming too ham-fisted about it. Pentagram was still searching for their sound on ‘Trail Blazer’, but they definitely are getting closer than on the debut.

The band obviously still appreciates some of the stuff on here, as ‘Vita Es Morte’ and ‘No One Wins The Fight’ are still live staples to this day. Both are highly dynamic thrashers with a nearly ominous feel in their effective tension build-up and the gang shouts in the choruses are guaranteed sing-along success. With the release of their recent unplugged album ‘Akustik’, ‘Fly Forever’ has been played frequently again as well. And while the ‘Akustik’ version is superior, mostly due to Sanlısoy’s improved vocals, this moving tribute to their former guitarist Ümit Yılbar, who was killed while serving in the army, is one of the album’s highlights, Demir Demirkan’s mind-blowing guitar solo in particular.

However, ‘Trail Blazer’ has a couple of tracks that are deserving of more praise than they actually get. ‘Livin’ On Lies’ might just be my favorite song from Pentagram’s thrash metal era, since it has a fantastic main riff, while Cenk Ünnü’s drum parts do a great job keeping the tempo feel surprising. Another track with some of the greatest riffing on the record is ‘Time Bomb’, which starts with a whirling, almost Chuck Schuldiner-ish lead guitar riff and develops into a song that sounds like it could have been written during the transitional period between NWOBHM and thrash metal. ‘Over The Line’ sounds like it could have been on any Testament album, while ‘Secret Missile’ kicks the album into gear very powerfully.

Pentagram would certainly get better after ‘Trail Blazer’, but the album is the first step towards proving the band is truly something special beyond being one of the first bands attempting this style of music in Turkey. It is the first album that shows the band as good, occasionally great songwriters and it also doesn’t wear its influences on its sleeve quite as much as the debut. Again, if this album came out five years earlier and in the Northwest of Europe, it would probably have been considered a bit of a forgotten classic. It would never be too late to remember though.

Recommended tracks: ‘Livin’ On Lies’, ‘No One Wins The Fight’, ‘Time Bomb’, ‘Fly Forever’

2020
08/16
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Album of the Week 32-2020: Persuader – The Fiction Maze


Having a great singer is beneficial to any band, unless that singer to no fault of his own sounds a lot like another popular singer. For years, Persuader has often been written off as a poor man’s Blind Guardian due to Jens Carlsson’s uncanny vocal resemblance to Hansi Kürsch. Personally, I would say this is the wrong way to approach the music of the Swedish band. Despite all the resemblances, the Swedes do have a sound of their own, which especially comes across during the heavier and more aggressive moments. These seem to be quite plentiful on their fourth album ‘The Fiction Maze’.

While I cannot truthfully say that Persuader sounds nothing like Blind Guardian, they have always had a sound that was a little more modern and aggressive. It is remarkable how swiftly Persuader often shifts from Blind Guardian soundalikes in their higly melodic choruses to a relatively bombastic modern metal band with a singer who sounds like Hansi Kürsch in the verses. To their credit, Persuader has been trying to move away from that contemporary power metal sound by incorporating melodeath elements on ‘When Eden Burns’ and almost Nevermore-ish riffing on ‘The Fiction Maze’, though I have no idea how deliberate this is.

Upon release ‘The Fiction Maze’ kind of misled me, because opening track ‘One Lifetime’ is a bit too tame for its own good. It’s a decent, catchy track, but the album does not start proper for me until the melancholic, yet aggressive tones of ‘War’ start, one of the best tracks on the album. For the next forty-odd minutes, the band makes its way through a dynamic mix of uptempo aggressive tracks and darker, somewhat more atmospheric midtempo tracks. Downtuned guitars are more prominent than usual on a power metal record, but Persuader is more creative and varied with them than average.

The faster tracks are the ones with the most immediate impact. ‘InSect’ and ‘Sent To The Grave’ are some of the band’s thrashiest post-‘Evolution Purgatory’ moments, while the title track may just have the best riff work on the album outside of ‘War’. The particularly aggressive, yet melodic ‘Falling Faster’ is a great closer. On the darker side of the spectrum, ‘Heathen’ is probably the most surprising track. While Persuader’s arrangements are generally busy, their compositions are hardly as complex and multi-faceted as that track. ‘Son Of Sodom’ is another excellent mid-tempo track with a semi-symphonic arrangement, though it would work equally well without the subtle synths.

My advice would be to approach any Persuader album with an open mind. Sure, their choruses and Carlsson’s voice will occasionally bring to mind Blind Guardian, but at the same time, Persuader is far more aggressive overall than Blind Guardian ever was. And unlike on many albums of the latter, you don’t have to be afraid of the bombastic elements drowning out Emil Norberg’s and Daniel Sundbom’s guitars. Persuader is first and foremost a metal band. And a really good one too. Highly recommended to those who like the aggression of thrash metal, but also the melodic touches of power metal.

Recommended tracks: ‘War’, ‘The Fiction Maze’, ‘Sent To The Grave’

2020
08/09
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Album of the Week 31-2020: Richie Sambora – Stranger In This Town


It would be tempting to think that Richie Sambora’s first solo endeavor outside of Bon Jovi would be a guitar-heavy rock affair. However, thinking so would overlook two of Sambora’s best qualities. First of all, he is a guitarist who always plays in service of the song and secondly, he is objectively a far better singer than Jon Bon Jovi. Sambora’s voice and guitar are front and center on ‘Stranger In This Town’, but not in the usual “guitar hero who grabs the chance to do his own thing” way. Instead, it is a romantic-sounding rock record with lots of bluesy guitar playing.

Anyone hoping for a record highlighting the rawer qualities of half of Bon Jovi’s songwriting duo will likely be disappointed. ‘Stranger In This Town’ is frontloaded with softer tracks and the production is quite glossy, though nowhere near as drowning in reverb as Bon Jovi’s eighties hit records. There are some genuinely rocking moments on the album – most notably ‘Rosie’, which was intended for inclusion on Bon Jovi’s 1988 ‘New Jersey’ album – but the emphasis on ‘Stranger In This Town’ is on bright-sounding clean guitars, subtle orchestrations (real or from David Bryan’s keyboards) and a particularly heartfelt vocal delivery by Sambora himself.

What sold me on ‘Stranger In This Town’ was the opening ten minutes. The album starts with an almost four minute long intro called ‘Rest In Peace’, in which Sambora’s vocals and abstract washes of guitar fade in and out of the track. After this track has set the mood, ‘Church Of Desire’ does a great job introducing the general style of the album. Despite being built on clean electric guitars and punchy lead guitar fills, it’s not exactly blues, too atmospheric to be hardrock, but too driven and rhythmically forward to be considered a ballad as well. A flawless song with a perfect production to match.

That does not mean there aren’t any full-on ballads on ‘Stranger In This Town’. The bluesy soul of the title track fits the cover art perfectly and is enhanced by its stingy, almost Clapton-esque guitar playing. Clapton himself guests on the dreamy ‘Mr. Bluesman’, while the relatively experimental ‘One Light Burning’ and the particularly heartfelt, epic ‘Father Time’ sound like they have Sambora begging on his knees. ‘Ballad Of Youth’, ironically, is one of the harder rocking songs on the album, alongside the Badlands-esque ‘River Of Love’ and the aforementioned ‘Rosie’.

Despite some songs being a decent fit for the Bon Jovi albums released around the same time, not in the last place because David Bryan and Tico Torres are playing on the material, it’s a good thing that Sambora went ahead and released this album under his own name. His voice is perfect for the romantic rock sound on the record and the album really shows that he has songwriting skills beyond what he could show in his main band. It’s still difficult to categorize this amalgamation of eighties hardrock, blues and AOR-ish touches, but that may just be the main reason why ‘Stranger In This Town’ is so unbelievably compelling.

Recommended tracks: ‘Church Of Desire’, ‘Father Time’, ‘Ballad Of Youth’

2020
08/02
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