Dana Fuchs is not just one of my favorite singers, she is also part of a fantastic songwriting duo that stubbornly refuses to release the same type of album twice in a row with her guitarist Jon Diamond. And so, after successfully tackling southern soul on the fantastic ‘Love Lives On’ four years ago, Fuchs and her band go full southern rock on ‘Borrowed Time’. Fortunately, the rootsy foundation of the genre provides a perfect vehicle for Fuchs’ gritty alto. ‘Borrowed Time’ has a somewhat looser jam feel than Fuchs’ earlier albums, but also features some of the hardest rocking moments of her career.
Southern rock comes in several flavors. With its greasy grooves, potent rock riffs and memorable melodies, the closest comparison for ‘Borrowed Time’ would be The Black Crowes, albeit with more focused songwriting, fewer country leanings and far better vocals. The initial singles were good, but left me afraid that memorable hooks had been sacrificed in order to facilitate the band’s interaction. Fortunately, ‘Borrowed Time’ has a good balance of songwriting and musicianship. Quite an interesting balance of styles as well. Maybe the album cover carrying the name of its singer served as a reminder that ‘Borrowed Time’ should be about the songs first and foremost.
‘Double Down On Wrong’ is a banger of an opening track. Easily the best opener of 2022 thus far. After a few fairly subtle bars, the best riff of the album erupts. It’s a heavy, yet playful seventies rock riff that segues into a perfectly structured song, which is elevated to a higher level by the subdued anger in Fuchs’ amazing voice. ‘Curtain Close’ is another track that rocks surprisingly hard, though not without its traces of subtlety. Hints of southern soul remain, most notably on the cool Otis Redding-esque groove of ‘Save Me’, but since the styles share influences, it does not sound out of place in the least.
Most of the other tracks alternate between cool rockers with Stonesy grooves (‘Hard Road’, ‘Not Another Second On You’) and rootsy ballads (‘Call My Name’, ‘Lonely Lie’), which Fuchs is equally capable at. ‘Last To Know’ has a particularly pronounced rock groove that feels like Thunder’s ‘Backstreet Symphony’ squeezed through an American filter. It also has a lengthy, wild guitar solo with expert use of wah, not unlike the one closing track ‘Star’ culminates in. Another stand-out song is ‘Blue Ridge Road’, which builds from a swampy southern blues opening to a monumental, Led Zeppelin-esque climax.
‘Borrowed Time’ is another fantastic Dana Fuchs album. Ultimately, I do prefer the tighter songwriting of ‘Love Lives On’ and ‘Bliss Avenue’, but only just. The album’s highlights are among Fuchs’ best recorded material and all the other songs flow together so nicely that the album is over before you know it. The music on ‘Borrowed Time’ has a feel that suggests it would have happened regardless of whether it was recorded or not. That makes the album sound lively and inspired. No one knows what Dana Fuchs’ next step will be, but judging from everything she did in recent years, it will no doubt sound great.
Recommended tracks: ‘Double Down On Wrong’, ‘Curtain Close’, ‘Save Me’
Heavy metal has such clearly defined stylistic features that bands all over the world share many elements. And yet, listening to bands that are not from Northwestern Europe or North America often reveals a unique flavor. Not necessarily through traditional folk elements, but certainly through melodic sensibilites and the implementation of rhythms. Chinese metal pioneers Tang Dynasty, for instance, have the riffs to please multiple generations of metalheads internationally, but the melancholy present in the melodies is quite uniquely Chinese. ‘Epic’ is an exciting, unpredictable album that, to me at least, still stands as the band’s masterpiece.
Stylistically, the music on ‘Epic’ lies somewhere between traditional heavy metal, the harder-edged, guitar-driven side of the progressive rock spectrum and pre-Dream Theater progressive metal with distinct touches of folk. Unlike a significant number of prog bands, however, there is very little place for displays of virtuosity on ‘Epic’. Everyone’s playing is there to benefit the melodies and the overall atmosphere. In terms of lead guitar, this means that the parts are generally strong melodic themes rather than traditional guitar solos that are crammed full of notes. This gives ‘Epic’ a ridiculously pleasant flow that can make several minutes go by unnoticed.
One of the things that stands out is the use of clean electric guitars on ‘Epic’. This is really where the creativity of Kaiser Kuo and frontman Ding Wu shines through. There are multiple moments when the guitars appear to be approximating the sound of traditional Chinese instruments like the guzheng, which also appears on the massive title track that opens the album. On the other hand, there is the fantastic Andy Summers meets Steve Rothery meets Chinese folk clean riff on which the verses of ‘Ashes To Ashes’ are built and the beautiful arpeggiated chords of ‘Roads And Bridges’. ‘Your Vision’ even features some excellent interaction between acoustic guitars and Gu Zhong’s bass.
The guitars don’t need to be clean to impress though. How the propulsive guitars and Zhao Nian’s subdued rhythms create an atmosphere of relaxed mysticism on ‘Time At My Heels’ is simply brilliant, while ‘The Visitor’ and the instrumental ‘Childhood’ are highly reminiscent of Rush circa ‘Hemispheres’ and ‘Permanent Waves’, making them the perfect places to start for western listeners. Easily the most aggressive song on ‘Epic’ is ‘Black Humor’, which is slightly faster than the others and features Ding Wu in all of his high-pitched insanity. ‘Epic’ itself is so full of powerful riffs, impressive guitar melodies and clever songwriting twists that it needs to be heard to be believed.
Many of the band’s earliest fans will probably point to Tang Dynasty’s debut album as their best work. Despite having multiple good albums under their belt, I personally feel like the band has never been better than on ‘Epic’. Unlike some of the later Tang Dynasty albums, ‘Epic’ is very certain of what it wants to be and appears to achieve its goal to an impressive degree. It is an album that needs to be absorbed and it stays impressive even after the initial surprise wears off. Sure, it’s been mastered at a ridiculously low volume, but there’s a simple solution to that: turn up the volume and enjoy ‘Epic’.
Recommended tracks: ‘Epic’, ‘Ashes To Ashes’, ‘The Visitor’, ‘Time At My Heels’
For ages now, Slash has been wanting to record an album live in the studio, something which apparently didn’t even happen during the earliest days of Guns ‘n’ Roses. Nashville-based producer Dave Cobb, who mainly produces country music, took him up on the offer. The lack of polish benefits ‘4’. Some moments on the fourth album by Slash, Myles Kennedy and the Conspirators feel like they go back to the earliest days of Slash playing in bar bands. There is a spontaneity to the album that I did not even realize the previous three albums were lacking until I heard this one.
While ‘4’ contains quite a few appealing rough edges, undoubtedly influenced by the fact that Cobb requested the band not to over-rehearse the material, the album is not raw to the point that it becomes directionless. Myles Kennedy’s vocal melodies in particular contain more hooks than a fishing gear shop and the backing vocals – one of the few elements on ‘4’ that has not been recorded live with the whole band – are arranged very effectively. The grooves in particular are massively enhanced by the live feel, however, bringing out more of a Stones and Hendrix feel than any prior release by this group of musicians.
Because the feel of a band playing together is central to the experience of ‘4’, there is a bit less immediacy to the material than on its two Elvis Baskette-produced predecessors. This is not helped by the fact that opening track ‘The River Is Rising’ is the least impactful opener on a Slash album since ‘Ghost’ on his solo debut, but ‘4’ is an album of which the vibe just creeps up on the listener and refuses to let go afterward. Especially the more immediate tracks, like the powerful bluesrocker ‘Actions Speak Louder Than Words’ and the almost punky energy of ‘Call Off The Dogs’, profit from the live atmosphere.
Kennedy’s knack for a strong melody can be felt most clearly on ‘C’Est La Vie’ and the simple, but very effective hardrocker ‘The Path Less Followed’, the most chord-driven song on the album. I also really like the almost Sabbath-ish grind of ‘Whatever Gets You By’. Closer ‘Fall Back To Earth’ is the closest ‘4’ gets to a ballad, but it is structured quite interestingly for a rock ballad, especially in the way it shifts from a waltz to a straight 4/4 beat. ‘Spirit Love’ is another stand-out track, starting out with an electric sitar melody and seamlessly transitioning to a fairly dark mid-tempo stomper.
If you are into tightly-arranged, hooky hardrock, ‘4’ might warrant three or four spins to fully sink in. However, if you are like me and think that Slash has been weighed down by over-production too often throughout his career, ‘4’ is the album for you. This material is undoubtedly going to translate to the live situation quite well, as it has been recorded exactly like that. At the moment, I am still uncertain whether or not I like ‘4’ more than ‘Apocalyptic Love’, but the simple presence of that doubt means that ‘4’ is another excellent rock record.
Recommended tracks: ‘Whatever Gets You By’, ‘Spirit Love’, ‘Call Off The Dogs’
‘Cracked Brain’ is the only Schmierless Destruction album still considered part of the band’s official discography for a reason: it’s simply really good. The album was written and recorded in a time of turmoil, as evidenced by only three of the five performers being pictured on the artwork – and that does not even include singer André Grieder, who basically recorded his vocals as a favor to a bunch of friends. Destruction also reportedly wasted quite a bit of far too expensive studio time in the process. Considering these circumstances, ‘Cracked Brain’ should not be as good as it is.
Schmier left the band during the creation of ‘Cracked Brain’ partly out of frustration with the band’s increasingly technical compositions. But while ‘Cracked Brain’ is still fairly complex thrash metal, it does feel a tad more streamlined than its predecessor ‘Release From Agony’. The twisted riffs are still fired at the listener in bulk and with surgical precision, Harry Wilkens’ eighties guitar hero-inspired leads still set it apart from Destruction albums he doesn’t play on, but the choruses are generally more open and memorable than anything on its predecessor. ‘Cracked Brain’ is not quite as good, but it is slightly more consistent.
Now, there is one track that stands out like a sore thumb. As far as covers go, Destruction’s version of ‘My Sharona’ is done reasonably well, but it clashes so hard with the rest of the album in terms of atmosphere that it completely takes you out of it. It was probably added to pad the playing time out a little, as the entire album would have been under 36 minutes without it. Fortunately, everything else ranges from good to excellent. The title track and ‘Rippin’ You Off Blind’ have been re-recorded with Schmier and it’s easy to see why, as those tracks – along with ‘Frustrated’ – are the snappiest tracks on here, though ‘Rippin’ You Off Blind’ does contain some off-kilter rhythmic touches.
However, the more intricate material is where ‘Cracked Brain’ really gets interesting. ‘Time Must End’ turns the tempo back just a notch to create a vibe of unpredictable darkness, whereas the structure of ‘No Need To Justify’ feels a bit like that of ‘Reject Emotions’, only with a better developed quieter part in the beginning of the song. ‘Die A Day Before You’re Born’ is a whirlwind of riffs that would not have sounded out of place on any post-reunion Destruction album, only stuck together in a way the band never would these days. Closer ‘When Your Mind Was Free’ sounds uncertain about how it wants to end, but there is a lot of cool broken chord stuff going on in the minutes leading up to its finale.
Do not skip on ‘Cracked Brain’ because Schmier isn’t on it. André Grieder does a reasonably good job filling in for him, although he is capable of better than this and probably did not take a lot of liberties with what he was told to do, possibly due to time constraints. Other than that and the completely unnecessary cover, ‘Cracked Brain’ is an excellent mildly technical thrash album that everyone looking for a continuation of the ‘Release From Agony’ sound should give a shot. It’s unfortunate that Destruction did not continue that sound either with or without their popular frontman, but at least the Germans gave us two fine albums in that style.
Recommended tracks: ‘Cracked Brain’, ‘Time Must End’, ‘Die A Day Before You’re Born’
Like ‘The Book Of Souls’ before it, Iron Maiden’s new album ‘Senjutsu’ is an unnecessary double album. Not to bash the albums, as ‘The Book Of Souls’ is my favorite post-‘Brave New World’ Maiden release and ‘Senjutsu’ is quite good, but the former would have fit on one disc had its worst song been cut. With 82 minutes of playing time, ‘Senjutsu’ required even less pruning and Steve Harris’ solo compositions are always too long these days anyway. However, particularly the first disc of ‘Senjutsu’ contains some excellent material that should please everyone who stuck with the band for all these years.
At this point, Steve Harris is like a writer in need of a good editor. Nothing on ‘Senjutsu’ is anywhere near as awful as ‘The Red And The Black’ or ‘When The Wild Wind Blows’, but even his best solo composition here – the brooding, vaguely Middle-Eastern sounding ‘The Parchment’ – is far too long. This is often caused by sections that are repeated too often, but his obsession with cyclic songwriting also means that you can see the final minute of each song coming from a mile away. It’s either exactly the same or very similar to the beginning without exception.
Having said that, most of Harris’ songs have a dark vibe reminiscent of ‘The X Factor’ that suits them. Adrian Smith easily contributed the best material though. The semi-ballad ‘Darkest Hour’ initially felt too long, but grew on me through Bruce Dickinson’s best vocal performance on the album and a fantastic guitar solo section. Opening with the title track seemed like a strange choice, as it constantly seems to work towards climaxes that don’t come, but that’s exactly what makes the song so engaging. That and the interesting rhythms. ‘Days Of Future Past’ is a short, unpretentious rocker.
Smith’s other composition ‘The Writing On The Wall’ is the most atypical Maiden track on ‘Senjutsu’ with its long atmospheric intro full of acoustic and clean guitars creating almost a western vibe. It isn’t until Dickinson’s voice enters that it starts to sound like Iron Maiden. More typically Maiden is ‘Stratego’. The melodies are slightly more melancholic than on their classic work, but the gallop is there and it has a great chorus. Out of the other tracks, ‘Death Of The Celts’ – clearly a sequel to ‘The Clansman’ – is probably the best with its dramatic atmosphere, although ‘The Time Machine’ contains some cool guitar ideas.
Making ‘Senjutsu’ a two-disc album does emphasize how much better the first one is. None of the songs on the second disc is outright bad, but most of them are overlong and ‘Hell On Earth’ just misses the mark despite some good melodies. Scrapping some songs and sections to make it fit on one disc would have definitely made ‘Senjutsu’ a tighter and better listening experience, but it certainly beats out the uneven ‘The Final Frontier’ and the tired-sounding ‘A Matter Of Life And Death’. For what it is though, ‘Senjutsu’ is quite good. Better than most bands this far into their career could wish to be. And it’s housed in by far their greatest album cover since Derek Riggs stopped making them.
Recommended tracks: ‘Senjutsu’, ‘Stratego’, ‘The Writing On The Wall’, ‘The Parchment’
In multiplereviews of Merryalbums, the biggest challenge has been to describe the sound of the Tokyo-based band. They are a rock band without any shade of doubt, but there are so many elements from punk, rockabilly, jazz, blues and metal sprinkled through their sound, that mere words cannot do them justice. Ultimately, the easiest way to describe Merry’s sound is to let them do it themselves, through their music. Not entirely without my influence, however, as these songs are my ten favorite Merry songs.
Merry is one of those bands where I don’t exactly have one or two clear favorites. Any of the top five songs could have topped the list, as those were the five songs I knew should be included immediately, without having to think for even a second. Stylistically, my preference does push this list towards a certain style within their signature sound, but there will be more on that while describing the songs. Nonetheless, this list should give you a good impression of what a wonderfully weird, yet surprisingly listenable band Merry is.
Oh yeah, before I start: ‘Peep Show’ will be the album best represented in this list by far. There is a very simple explanation for that, however. It is simply one of the best, most unique J-rock records of all time. Merry is one of the most consistent bands in the visual kei scene, to the point where even their worst album is great – imagine that! – but even for consistent bands, the stars sometimes align just right.
10. Yako (Beautiful Freaks, 2011)
Since the more extreme moments on 2009’s ‘under-world’ were aggressive enough to make me worried about Merry sacking their subdued retro rock – or “retrock”, as they called it themselves – influences, ‘Beautiful Freaks’ was a pleasant surprise. It surely is not their most consistent record, but there are more than a few excellent melodic rock songs. ‘Yako’ is not particularly retro, but Yuu’s opening riff does kind of sound like something a surfrocker would come up with after a steady diet of listening to British invasion bands. There is a looseness in it, a swing that Merry needed at that time in their careers. Also, the way the bright-sounding chorus suddenly opens the song up – not the first time in Merry song – is a moment of pure bliss. ‘Yako’ is certainly one of the best singles Merry has released to date and a pretty good way to get acquainted with them if you are still on the fence about the retro thing.
9. Bluescat (Peep Show, 2006)
Because of its title alone, ‘Bluescat’ was the first Merry song I ever heard. After all, if you are curious about a band that has one of the least search engine-friendly names in the world, you pick the song that does not require you to go through copying the kanji title first. ‘Bluescat’ did not disappoint though. This rockabilly on steroids track was enough to enhance my curiosity into the strange world of Merry even more. Crazy as I am about the song’s interestingly woven guitar tapestries, the first thing that stood out to me was Nero’s drumming. Japanese drummers in bands of this stature tend to be excellent, but also quite measured in their approach. Nero is wild, nearly unhinged in a sense that sounds like he is trying to translate the unpredictable improvisatory nature of jazz drummers to power hitting in a rock context. The guitars were nothing like I would expect, but they are playful and memorable. Some rhythmic surprises only increase the fun.
8. under-world (under-world, 2009)
Generally, aggressive material is not what I prefer to hear from Merry. Not because they are not good at it, but they are just not the type of band I listen to when I want to hear something fast and aggressive. The title track of their relatively aggressive ‘under-world’ album from 2009 is the most important exception to that rule for me though. Here, Merry mixes the aggression with an almost aching sense of melancholy in the vocal and lead guitar department. While Gara does a lot of screaming and yelling throughout the album, ‘under-world’ retains the melodic qualities of his voice and Nero shows what an absolute beast he is behind the drums. It is his switch from pounding polkas to a slower time feel that lends this song its excellent dynamic qualities. This should also serve as an example to modern metal bands: acoustic drum sounds can in fact sound good enough for fast music, as long as you hit your drum kit with the right amount of power and ferocity. Yes, I also think it sounds like “underwear”. No, it doesn’t spoil anything for me.
7. Haraiso (Modern Garde, 2004)
One of the Merry songs that really got a hold on me early on and it is kind of difficult to pinpoint why. Not that it is the type of song that I would not enjoy usually, but it is quite simple, consisting of only a handful of simple riffs. What it does do is subtly shift its mood multiple times. When the listener is thrown into the first verse immediately, it appears that ‘Haraiso’ will be a fun, lightweight rocker, but as soon as the drums switch to a slower feel, there is a brooding darkness underneath the song, followed by the sorrowful longing of the chorus. If the translation of the lyrics I found is to be trusted, this progression of moods – which I noticed prior to reading the translation – is present in the lyrics as well. I quite like Kenichi’s guitar solo as well. He seems to favor telling story through his lead guitar work instead of showing off. The melodic theme he plays on the chorus also adds some emotional gravitas it would not have otherwise.
6. Sayonara Ame (Rain) (Peep Show, 2006)
To this day, it baffles me that Tetsu does not have a songwriting credit on ‘Sayonara Ame (Rain)’. His bass line, one of my favorites in J-rock history, is nearly half of what makes the song so good. It starts out as something reminiscent of Killing Joke’s ‘Love Like Blood’ rhythmically, but far more melodic. During the pre-chorus, the bass gets so melodically busy that it should clash with Gara’s vocals, except it does not. The chorus, meanwhile, is one of the best in Merry’s catalog. It somehow manages to be melancholic and uplifting at the same time, while Yuu’s guitar solo might just be the best he ever recorded. It is short and not at all virtuosic, but it does a great job building from the main melody of the song. The little clean guitar part before the verses start does wonders for the song’s dynamic character as well.
5. Tokyo Telephone (Haikara-San Ga Toru 2nd Press Ni Amo Meikyoku Tsuika, 2002)
Full disclosure: I used to mix up ‘Tokyo Telephone’ and ‘Tasogare Restaurant’, which – spoiler alert – is still to come, all the time. Maybe because they both have titles that are half kanji, half katakana. Or maybe it is because they are both early Merry tracks with a subdued groove that manages to be laid-back and driven at the same time. ‘Tokyo Telephone’ is the slightly more relaxed one of the two, with its rhythms dragging instead of pushing. The way Kenichi’s and Yuu’s guitars dance around each other add a great deal of swing to ‘Tokyo Telephone’ as well. If there is one thing this song proves, it would be that merely a year after Merry had formed, their signature sound had already been established and they excelled at it. Sonically as well; the guitar sounds in this song are subdued enough to give enhance the song’s vibe, but also just abrasive enough to emphasize that Merry is first and foremost a rock band.
4. Fukuro (Nonsense Market, 2014)
Sheer euphoria. That is what I feel every time I hear ‘Fukuro’ and that is why it has been one of my favorite Merry songs ever since I heard it. While that busy drums and dissonant guitar chords intro does a great job introducing the song, it is when it opens up immediately afterward when the beauty of ‘Fukuro’ is revealed. That lead guitar melody is quite simple, but does so much to give that section its triumphant feel. When ‘Fukuro’ was released, I had been listening to Merry for a couple of years and was so glad that Gara seemed to be moving into a more melodic direction vocally again. Musically, the song sounds like it came together from a spontaneous jam, but the fact that every member knows exactly when not to play betrays that the arrangement was far more thought-out than it may seem. Tetsu does not write a lot of Merry songs, but when he does, they tend to be winners. ‘Fukuro’ is the Exhibit A.
3. Sentimental Newpop (Peep Show, 2006)
That teasing lead guitar line, those sudden bursts of intensity, those simple yet excellent vocal harmonies in what appears to be the pre-chorus, that release from all the tension in the final minute or so of the song… Even today, I sometimes have trouble understanding how much great stuff Merry crammed into only three minutes in ‘Sentimental Newpop’. While it is not necessarily a busy song, as the structure is easy to follow and the arrangement leaves enough room for the vocals and guitars to breathe, it has far more musical information than the average three minute song. The title of the song undoubtedly is a reference to the omnipresent nostalgia in Merry’s discography, but let me tell you this: if new pop music was generally this energetic and melodically rich, I would not have complained about it nearly as much as I do.
2. Tasogare Restaurant (Gendai Stoic, 2003)
If ‘Sayonara Ame (Rain)’ and ‘Sentimental Newpop’ were the songs that made me fall in love with Merry, ‘Tasogare Restaurant’ is the song that made me decide that I wanted to stay with them. Despite its driving rock beat, the song feels relatively subdued and there is a nostalgic melancholy in both Gara’s vocal delivery and the overall feel of the song. That main riff, with Kenichi holding down the deceptively simple chord work and Yuu laying down a lead guitar part with a slightly different rhythm, is so effective that it hurts. In addition, I really like how the song opens up during its verses, as this is usually something musicians reserve for a chorus. Admittedly, ‘Tasogare Restaurant’ does not really have a chorus in the traditional sense. It does have a part that returns later, but with slightly different rhythms. Is that a complaint though? Of course not! That epilogue rounds out what is without a doubt one of Merry’s most brilliant songs.
1. Fukinko Kinema (Beautiful Freaks, 2011)
Easily the Merry track I play most. To be honest, I am not quite sure what it is about ‘Fukinko Kinema’ that I love so much. With all those chords on the afterbeats, ‘Fukinko Kinema’ is basically a slowed-down ska song, a genre that I do not particularly enjoy. But the laid-back retro vibe, the excellent melodies and that almost cathartic chorus are too good to resist. Structurally, ‘Fukinko Kinema’ is rather interesting as well. There is a break halfway through the second verse, the tension ramps up for the guitar solo after the first chorus only to drop back to the original feel of the song. Naturally, the energetic guitar solo returns after the final chorus, this is Merry we are talking about, after all. All of this contributes to a song that never fails at putting a smile on my face. It should be played at any Merry concert, but it appears that it is played at most of them already!
And the award of the most unexpected reissue of 2020 goes to Ningen Isu’s ‘Mugen No Junin’. Fans of manga and anime – which I am not – may have predicted it because the animated series based on the manga with the same title was released in late 2019, but it was a surprise to me. Due to its relatively mellow nature, ‘Mugen No Junin’ generally is not a fan favorite. And since it was released on a label not affiliated with Tokuma, it was not part of the band’s recent reissue campaign. It’s good that it’s available again, however, as ‘Mugen No Junin’ is better than it gets credit for.
‘Mugen No Junin’ is generally referred to as Ningen Isu’s most folky album and while there is some truth to that, that description also gives off a slightly wrong impression. The music on ‘Mugen No Junin’ is still as riff-driven as Ningen Isu always was and despite the generally more laid-back feel, it is heavier as a whole than its predecessor ‘Odoru Issunboshi’. When the album turns more folky, it is generally the type of folk that British prog rock bands from the seventies would attempt, with the tranquil, decidedly eastern ‘Mokko No Komoriuta’ being the only exception.
Where ‘Odoro Issunboshi’ occasionally sounded too laid-back for its own good, I actually think Ningen Isu nails the laid-back seventies hardrock and heavy metal grooves really well here. Opening track ‘Sarashikubi’ spends most of its time in a leisurely gallop – which would technically make it a trot – which really enhances the melancholic atmosphere of the song. It would not have worked quite as well had it been faster. Another track in which the relaxed pace works wonders is ‘Katana To Saya’. The interaction between the three musicians is really highlighted during these mid-tempo compositions, aided by the remarkably organic production. The slightly more uptempo ‘Tsujigiri Kota Mushukuhen’ marries a cool folky, yet distorted guitar line with almost nonchalant seventies rock riffing very effectively.
Of course, we are dealing with Ningen Isu here, so there will always be some crushing Sabbath-inspired riffs. ‘Bakkasu Kuruhi’ is easily the heaviest, most doomy track on here, although it does have some interestingly contrasting faster sections. ‘Jigoku’ and ‘Kuroneko’ feature some incredible riff work as well, though both songs feature a surprising amount of jumpy riffs and start-stop tricks. Shinji Wajima emulating a crying cat on his guitar in ‘Kuroneko’ (which transaltes to “black cat”) is a cool bonus. The spacey ‘Uchu Yuei’ is the closest Ningen Isu has ever sounded to Hawkwind.
However, what really makes the reissue of ‘Mugen No Junin’ worth the purchase even if you already own the original album are its bonus tracks. ‘Sakurashita Ondo’ is a unique entry into Ningen Isu’s oeuvre and can only be described by a Japanese power trio trying to play Turkish psychedelic funk from the seventies. This track may not be for everyone, but I love it. Especially that fuzzy lead guitar line over Kenichi Suzuki’s proto-disco bass line is incredible. Rounding out the reissue is the brand new ‘Mugen No Junin Buto Hen’, which after its brilliantly monumental intro transforms into one of Ningen Isu’s trademark near-speed metal tracks with a perfect blend of melody and intensity. Definitely worth getting the album for.
Ultimately, ‘Mugen No Junin’ is one of the most creative albums Ningen Isu released to date. Most of the risks taken on the album are very successful experiments. As a disclaimer, I do have to point out that to me, this was one of the Ningen Isu albums that needed the largest number of spins to finally sink in, but once it did, there wasn’t a single song worth skipping. Its replay value is greatly increased by the fact that it is so full of character, almost to the point of being an anomaly in Ningen Isu’s body of work. But those afraid that a folky Ningen Isu album would not contain enough monolothic riffs should not worry either. ‘Mugen No Junin’ is still more seventies rock and metal than folk rock.
Recommended tracks: ‘Kuroneko’, ‘Tsujigiri Kota Mushukuhen’, ‘Jigoku’, ‘Bakkasu Kuruhi’
While I will forever love the NWOBHM vibe of Crystal Viper’s debut album ‘The Curse Of Crystal Viper’, I also think the band sorely needed a change of pace, as they got stuck in a rut somewhat lately. ‘Tales Of Fire And Ice’ is the change the Polish band needed. Whether or not it is a change for the better depends on your taste, but for what it’s worth, I think it’s the finest Crystal Viper album since the debut. This time, the band dares to take their heavy/power metal roots in a slightly different direction. The results are quite refreshing.
One thing that stands out about ‘Tales Of Fire And Ice’ is its production, which is notably more polished than on the last few Crystal Viper albums. This increases the accessibilty of the material. And while that could be an issue for the old schoolers among Crystal Viper’s audience, they needed this step forward. ‘Tales Of Fire And Ice’ has a somewhat darker, more contemporary vibe than other recent Crystal Viper albums and the songs appear to be built around Marta Gabriel’s vocals more than ever. The change is notable, but not so much that Crystal Viper feels like a completely different band.
Every song on ‘Tales Of Fire And Ice’ has its own identity and that might just be the album’s biggest asset. In the past, the uptempo tracks in particular followed a similar formula, but they are all distinguishable here. From the Nocturnal Rites-isms of ‘Bright Lights’ to the borderline speed metal of ‘One Question’ and the epic grandeur of ‘Tomorrow Never Comes (Dyatlov Pass)’, you will not have any trouble telling them apart. Opening track ‘Still Alive’ even reminded me of Onmyo-za’s brilliant ‘Samayoi’, both in its main riff and in the hopeful melancholy of its atmosphere.
The song that convinced me the direction on ‘Tales Of Fire And Ice’ is the right one was ‘Crystal Sphere’. Though unmistakably a power metal song, the song breaks with some of the songwriting tropes of the genre. A very climactic track with some delightfully dramatic guitar arrangements. As a whole, the guitar arrangements seem to be more thought-out this time around anyway. ‘Under Ice’ an ‘Neverending Fire’ are fine mid-tempo tracks, but if you want to hear the best mid-tempo track of the album, get the CD version. That is my preferred format anyway, but the Dokken cover ‘Dream Warriors’ is nothing short of excellent.
In the metal scene, maturing musically is often feared or frowned upon. ‘Tales Of Fire And Ice’ is not an album for people who look at music that way, but the songwriting on the album is better than on any Crystal Viper record since the debut and Marta Gabriel sounds more varied than she ever has. The sophistication and subtlety of the songwriting will likely contribute to the longevity of the record, though it is too early to say for sure. Whether ‘Tales Of Fire And Ice’ is the start of a new chapter for Crystal Viper or a one-off experiment also remains to be seen, but it’s good. And in the end, that’s what counts.
Recommended tracks: ‘Crystal Sphere’, ‘Still Alive’, ‘Tomorrow Never Comes (Dyatlov Pass)’
Originally devised as a Dave Mustaine solo album, ‘The System Has Failed’ eventually became Megadeth’s comeback on multiple levels. Not only did it feature Mustaine returning to activity after an intense arm injury sidelined him for at least a year and a half; it is also more or less unequivocally seen as the first great Megadeth album since 1992’s ‘Countdown To Extinction’. Personally, I think that seriously sells ‘Cryptic Writings’ short, but it is a fact that ‘The System Has Failed’ is the best thing Mustaine had released in a long time and still stands as the best 21st century Megadeth record.
Despite bearing the Megadeth name, calling ‘The System Has Failed’ a Mustaine solo record is not a stretch. This is the first Megadeth album that does not feature bassist David Ellefson and all the compositions are solely credited to Mustaine. In addition, the album was recorded with a lot of session musicians, though there is a consistent core of bassist Jimmie Lee Sloas, Zappa drummer Vinnie Colaiuta and – perhaps most surprisingly – lead guitarist Chris Poland, who played on the first two Megadeth records. Mustaine being who he is, however, this sounds like a reinvigorated version of Megadeth, with a few exceptions.
In a way, ‘The System Has Failed’ sounds like an anthology of all of Mustaine’s songwriting tropes. The riffy opening track ‘Blackmail The Universe’ bears a passing resemblance to ‘Set The World Afire’, the intricate, yet aggressive speed metal of ‘Kick The Chair’ is highly reminiscent of ‘Take No Prisoners’ and the rocking ‘Something That I’m Not’ feels like an improved version of ‘Architecture Of Aggression’ at times. The nostalgic heavy metal of the surprisingly melodic ‘Back In The Day’ doesn’t necessarily sound like any previous Megadeth tracks, but does highlight Mustaine’s love for the NWOBHM movement prominently.
That does not mean that Mustaine is going through the motions here. ‘The Scorpion’ is one of his most experimental tracks to date, marrying the atmosphere of OverKill’s latter day midtempo tracks with a progressive, at times almost symphonic arrangement effectively. Even better is the following ‘Tears In A Vial’, an epic heavy metal track with a dramatic feel that has familiar sections, but also a bit of a fresh approach. The melancholic and melodic majesty in the chorus of ‘Die Dead Enough’ may be more controversial, as Megadeth’s hardcore fans prefer the band less chorus-driven, but it’s an extremely well-written song that works very well within the context of the album.
Ultimately, the only problem with ‘The System Has Failed’ is that it ends relatively weakly – like most Megadeth albums. ‘Of Mice And Men’ is good enough, though a bit preachy, and ‘Truth Be Told’ has a bunch of cool ideas that don’t really transition into each other all that well, but listeners will eventually mainly remember the album for its first eight tracks. Those feature all the tight riffs, wild lead guitar parts and snarling lead vocals one has come to expect from Mustaine. Compared to the rest of their discography, it would fit nicely between ‘Rust In Peace’ and ‘Countdown To Extinction’, as it is more streamlined than the former, but infinitely more metal than the latter.
Recommended tracks: ‘Kick The Chair’, ‘Tears In A Vial’, ‘The Scorpion’, ‘Back In The Day’
Last week marked the seventeenth anniversary of Chuck Schuldiner’s passing. Metal fans everwhere celebrated his genius by playing old Death records, but personally, I think the sole Control Denied album may have been his crowning achievement. ‘The Fragile Art Of Existence’ used to be my all time favorite album for a long time and to this day, I still am in awe by the melodic elegance and the complex, yet accessible nature of the record. Despite the shadow of the disease that would eventually kill Schuldiner inadvertently looming over the album, the album impresses with excellent songwriting and ditto performances.
The cast of musicians on ‘The Fragile Art Of Existence’ looks like an all-star cast of Death musicians with a clean singer. Tim Aymar’s powerful, theatrical voice that is equal parts Ronnie James Dio and Rob Halford is what gives the album its own face, because the music isn’t that much different from the final Death album ‘The Sound Of Perseverance’. That should not be too surprising, given that some of the songs on that record evolved from Control Denied demos. As a whole, Control Denied comes across slightly more streamlined, though the songs still feature all the abrupt changes and glorious melodies that Schuldiner was known for.
It is hard to imagine most of these songs as Death songs though. The guitar riffs and arrangements in tracks like ‘What If…?’ and the incredible ‘Believe’ seem to be set up specifically with the idea of leaving as much room as possible for Aymar’s vocals, making their structure feel somewhat more open than Death’s dense compositions. Of course, those moments of density are still there, as not giving the virtuoso rhythm section of Richard Christy and bass wizard Steve DiGiorgio any room would feel like a waste of talent. What makes these guys good, however, is that they also know when to hold back.
My collection does not feature many other albums with such a consistently high level of songwriting and performance throughout. Only ‘Cut Down’ is merely good. ‘Breaking The Broken’ might be the best transitional track for Death fans, as it retains the aggression along with intelligent songwriting. ‘Consumed’ is a brave opening track, as it changes tempo and mood several times throughout its seven minutes and introduces Aymar remarkably effectively. ‘Believe’ is relatively simple, but brutally effective and the closing title track has to be heard to be believed. It manages to combine traditional heavy metal riffing with an almost ethereal middle section and ending that almost two decades later still gives me goosebumps.
Of course, with a line-up like Control Denied had on this album, it is nearly impossible to go wrong in terms of performances. Shannon Hamm is easily the most Schuldiner-like guitarist Chuck ever worked with and they’re both on fire here. The performances could have easily held the songs hostage though. It is a testament to the brilliance of Chuck Schuldiner that the music holds together so well. He was truly a unique talent and as good as every Death album from ‘Human’ onward is, ‘The Fragile Art Of Existence’ may actually be the most unique album he created.
Recommended tracks: ‘The Fragile Art Of Existence’, ‘Breaking The Broken’, ‘Believe’
For the last three decades, I have been on a quest to find the greatest music from all over the world. On my weblog, I would like to share some of my findings with you. Please enjoy your stay and come again!
Kevy Metal 