No, not THAT Warrant. This Warrant was a German metal band on the Noise Records label (also Banzai Records in Canada). Nothing complicated, just good ol’ fashion heavy metal drenched in the blood and puke of Teutonic awesomeness. Think Grave Digger, Tyrant, or (one of my faves) Stormwind. There were tons of bands like Warrant coming out of Germany in the mid-eighties. And I love ‘em all! (Thank you Satan for giving us so much kick-ass METAL!) Old school riffing and nasty solos should bring a smile to your ugly mug. Warrant’s singer, Jörg Juraschek, had the prototypical German metal voice; shrieky, screechy, and indecipherable. But I like his rabid ferocity, and he could carry a tune just enough to get by; imparting a little melody on top of these guitar-driven ear assaults. Like I said, nothing fancy here from Warrant, but I like the cut of their jib. Faves include Cowards Or Martyrs and Betrayer. PLAY IT LOUD! My score: A-
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For the first time in their career, Europe failed to hit one out of the park. In my opinion, Europe’s debut Europe was a masterpiece. The follow-up Wings Of Tomorrow was very solid too, and The Final Countdown was a downright guilty pleasure. But with each album, Europe ventured further and further into pop-metal territory. The Final Countdown was pretty much an out-an-out “hair” album (but a very good one). Out Of This World continued on this unfortunate trajectory, and the final product was more perfumed and wimpy than ever before. Out Of This World was Europe’s weakest release yet. It was also the first Europe album that didn’t feature John Norum on guitar. He left Europe after The Final Countdown, apparently unhappy with the band’s musical direction. Kee Marcello replaced Norum for Out Of This World.
Despite my disappointment with this album, I do think Out Of This Word houses one essential, magnificent gem. I’m talking about one of my favorite Europe songs ever, Superstitious. With its glorious, gospel-like refrain, a sublime solo by Marcello, and even some uplifting keyboard embellishments, Superstitious never gets old to me. In my house, it’s a stone-cold classic! Superstitious is majestic! It makes me want to ride a glowing white unicorn into a rainbow of Skittles! Another great song on the album is Open Your Heart, but since this song had already appeared on Wings Of Tomorrow, I’m not sure if I should give Europe credit for that one here. Besides, the Wings Of Tomorrow version of Open Your Heart was much better. The Out Of This World rendition was sprinkled in the fairy dust of too much keyboard lameness.
As a whole, Out Of This World barely qualifies as hard rock. There’s WAY too much keyboards for my taste, and it seems the album was written more for teenage girls than grizzled hard rock fans. But it’s still Europe, which means that Joey Tempest’s always great voice was there to (almost) save the day. That’s a plus. And Kee Marcello’s solos were exceptional. I love the full, rich tone he conjured from his guitar, and his leads perfectly balanced flash and taste. My score: B-
As the story goes… this was supposed to be a Dee Snider solo album. But Atlantic forced Dee’s hand and had the album released under the Twisted Sister name. Apparently, Dee Snider’s Twisted Sister band mates didn’t actually play on the album. Love Is For Suckers was put together by Snider, Ronni Le Tekro (guitarist for TNT), Reb Beach (the soon to be guitarist for Winger), and producer Beau Hill. But since Dee Snider wrote all of Twisted Sister’s material, the songwriting style on Love Is For Suckers wasn’t a far cry from Twisted Sister’s previous work. But the execution on this album was WAY different!
At the time Love Is For Suckers was recorded, Twisted Sister was in a bad place. Their last album, Come Out And Play, was a disappointment, and the band was falling apart. In fact, Twisted Sister broke up in ’87, not too long after Love Is For Suckers came out (and subsequently bombed).
When I first heard Love Is For Suckers I wasn’t too impressed. But with time, I actually have come to enjoy this album, though it is significantly flawed. First of all, I’m pretty sure the drums are fake. A drum machine must have been used. To me, that’s just a cardinal sin in rock ‘n roll! There’s no excuse for that crap. What this album needed, in my opinion, was much less Beau Hill (he overproduced this thing, making Love Is For Suckers sound too polished… too much like a studio creation), and more Twisted f*ckin’ Sister. Actually, the substrate on Love Is For Suckers wasn’t all that bad. I wish Twisted Sister had recorded this album as a full band. It would have sounded more lively, more real. But I guess that’s neither here nor there. Nevertheless, the final product actually has some catchy tunes. Sure the lyrics kind of suck, and I can tell by listening to Love Is For Suckers that Dee was desperate to get back on the radio and back on MTV. (Dee Snider was, and remains to this day, a shameless whore for the spotlight.) The best tracks include Wake Up (The Sleeping Giant), Hot Love, and Love Is For Suckers. Hardcore SMF’s from the ol’ days, you’ll hate this. But, taken for what it is (a Snider solo venture), it ain’t nearly as bad as everyone says. My score: B
‘Twas really rare for a thrash band to debut on a major label. In fact, as I sit here typing (with finger deep in nose), I can’t think of a single thrash act that debuted on a major label. But the late eighties were the salad days of thrash. Yes indeed, thrash metal was a genre once thought to be commercially viable. Can you believe it? But it wasn’t to be. Not for Wrathchild America. Not for anyone ‘cept Metallica, Anthrax, and Megadeth. To my knowledge, those are the only three thrash bands to ever go platinum in the United States. (I think Slayer went gold.) But back in those crazy salad days, somebody at Atlantic Records thought Wrathchild America might make it big, and signed them. Good on that guy! (He was probably fired shortly thereafter.)
Wrathchild America was a talented Maryland band that had been around for quite a while (known only as Wrathchild before their debut). Climbin’ The Walls is a very good album. At times, downright kick-ass! The first half of the album is fine and dandy. Not mind-blowing, but some good stuff. Vocalist (and bassist) Brad Divens conveyed a kind of smug, snot-nosed vibe. The lyrics, on the surface, were quite cliché (devils, boning, vampires, insanity… the usual suspects), but I think it was all meant to be a little sarcastic. More of a satire on heavy metal norms than anything else. However, most reviews I’ve read for Climbin’ The Walls seem to take the lyrics at face value, which, in my opinion, misses the point. The drumming on Climbin’ The Walls was performed by Shannon Larkin, who had been with the band since its inception in the late seventies. Great drumming by Larkin. He later joined Ugly Kid Joe (a cool band with a similarly sarcastic edge), and then Godsmack (huh?). Check out this old clip I found on YouTube documenting Wrathchild (America) before they were signed. Pretty cool.
The second half of this album really kicks it into high gear! Silent Darkness (Smothered Life) houses tha album’s most infectious main riff. Damn I love this song! Time is a Pink Floyd cover that stays true to the original. I’m not a real fan of covers, but this one is in such stark contrast to the rest of the album that it makes for an interesting sojourn. The finale of Climbin’ The Walls is a real gem of a tune called Day Of The Thunder. This one has a very strong chorus and a great vocal. It is absolutely my favorite track on the album. My score: A-
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A bunch of short reviews. All from 1985…
Attack – Return Of The Evil
Ricky van Helden continued on his warrior’s journey through the barren wastelands of heavy metal obscurity on Return Of The Evil, his band’s second album. Attack’s quirky debut Danger In The Air was an interesting curio to say the least. But with Return Of The Evil, Ricky forged ahead with a more conventional “power metal” sound. Here, a clear Iron Maiden influence comes to light (though Ricky’s approach was a little more straightforward). Ricky van Helden crafted songs that weren’t complicated technically, but were played with high energy, and provided a sturdy framework to back his melodic vocal ideas. Dirty Mary and Warriors In Pain are my personal faves. The album creates an atmosphere of epic fantasy, of ancient warriors in some quasi-medieval realm. (Raise your broadswords, all ye warriors of METAL!) Return Of The Evil was an even better album than Danger In The Air, but Attack’s best work was still on the horizon. I’m talking about the long-lost gem called Destinies Of War (1989)! Cheers to you, Ricky van Helden, you magnificent bastard. My score: A-
Gravestone – Back To Attack
Bummer dude! Gravestone’s follow-up to their extraordinary 1984 offering Victim Of Chains wasn’t nearly as good as that iron-forged masterwork. Nay, Back To Attack lacks the moments of bliss that flowed generously from the pulsing veins of Victim Of Chains (with tracks like The Hour and Death And Reality). Still, the Scratch Records mix offered up here is another white-hot face melter (and sometimes that’s half the battle, ain’t it?) Man, I love the molten metal sound of some of these Scratch Records products! Don’t get me wrong, Back To Attack is another consistent and competent Gravestone record (stylistically, there was really no change from Victim Of Chains), but it just doesn’t quite blow me away like Victim Of Chains. I Love The Night and Break Out are my faves. My score: B
Omen – Warning Of Danger
If a band like Iron Maiden was the equivalent of a prime rib dinner, then Omen would be the equivalent of your standard bologna sandwich; not your first choice for a meal, but enough to sustain you when the cupboards are bare. Omen was formed by ex-Savage Grace guitarist Kenny Powell (leaving that band after their weak-sauce debut The Dominatress). J.D. Kimball (R.I.P.) provided the vocals. (Kimball, evidently, with his vocal cords on loan from Joe Cocker.) I would have considered Omen to be in the top third of the Metal Blade roster in ’85, and maybe a middle-of-the-pack act overall. Despite the second tier status, Warning Of Danger has enough clout to put a little more hair on your chest, with its sturdy (though not spectacular) armor-plated battle cries. Something that may be worth checking out if your allowance is burning a hole in your pocket. A quibble: Kimball’s vocals dominate the mix a bit too much. My score: B-
Stormtroopers Of Death – Speak English Or Die
Speak English Or Die, a throwaway crossover album brought to you by a few dudes from Anthrax, and featuring Billy Milano (future M.O.D.) on vocals. By no means did the guys in S.O.D. intend to be taken seriously with this side project. (Yet, for reasons unbeknownst to me, it is considered one of the great albums of ’80s metal. Huh?) One can tell by listening to Speak English Or Die that the guys were having fun with a couple of half-baked ideas and intentionally juvenile lyrics. Offensive and comically racist, Speak English Or Die is one of those albums that you need only listen to once. A few chuckles, maybe a few beers, and then it can be cast aside for more important things. Musically, its shouty and, well… pretty piss poor. But that’s kind of the idea. One thing that Speak English Or Die is NOT… is timeless. The album is very much a product of its time; totally mid-eighties mosh madness that sounds almost completely useless (and not nearly as funny) in 2012. Yeah, I get it. But that doesn’t mean I ever listen to it. My score: D
Artillery – Fear Of Tomorrow
With a series of demo recordings under their belt dating way-the-hell back to ’82, the Danish thrash act Artillery finally launched their recording career in earnest in ’85 with Fear Of Tomorrow. First of all, cool band logo and cool cover. As for the music, those familiar with Artillery’s well-regarded 1987 album Terror Squad will find Fear Of Tomorrow a bit cruder, though not at all rudimentary. In comparison to other thrash debuts from 1985, I would say Fear Of Tomorrow is not as intense/insane as Exodus’ LP Bonded By Blood, or as catchy as Overkill’s Feel The Fire. This album lies somewhere betwixt; a respectable thrash debut featuring a handful of fun tracks like The Almighty and Time Has Come (and without the oft-oppressive heaviness of their future endeavors). My score: B-
Lizzy Borden – Love You To Pieces
Love You To Pieces is a quality metal album that, unfortunately, is doused in the piss of flat production. Though this is not a GREAT album, (the production makes sure of that, as does the jittery vibe of many of the songs which probably should have been slowed down a bit), Love You To Pieces does contain two exceptional Lizzy Borden tunes; American Metal and Rod Of Iron. The first, the quintessential Lizzy Borden anthem, and the second, the album’s stirring finale. The band’s leader was singer Lizzy Borden (the name of the man as well as the band… like a poor man’s Alice Cooper). Lizzy gave an enjoyable, though at times excessive, vocal performance on Love You To Pieces. The villainous Lizzy always had a rather unique voice and delivery. Meanwhile, his band carried on anonymously and without luster, sounding like an unwashed Iron Maiden. The cover rules/sucks like only an eighties metal cover can. My score: B
Stormwitch – Tales Of Terror
Record number two for these guys. Originally released by Scratch Records (one of the labels under the GAMA Musikverlag shroud), Tales of Terror became available on CD for the first time in 2005 thanks to the folks at Battle Cry Records. The formula was the same as Stormwitch’s debut Walpurgis Night; twin leads, serviceable vocals, and occult-ish lyrics. Tales Of Terror, I feel, is not as good as Walpurgis Night, as it lacks any truly kick-ass tunes. I like the dark, somewhat cheesy, atmosphere conveyed here (in much the same way I always enjoy those old ’80s horror flicks). The craptastic cover probably tells you something about Stormwitch’s style. The two highlights (IMO) are Point Of No Return and Arabian Nights. My score: B
Tox – Prince Of Darkness
Another nugget from the GAMA Musikverlag catalog. This one on their Camel Records imprint. (Mausoleum Records also released Prince Of Darkness.) Tox was a three-piece band that played tight melodic metal/hard rock. Tox sounded a little left of center in comparison to most of the metal coming out of Germany at the time. The first thing one may notice about Prince Of Darkness would be the compressed and punchy drum sound. Nice fidelity on the recording though, with each instrument (guitar, bass, drum, and voice) getting equal treatment in the mix. The songs are spatial and clean, and the album, as a whole, has a nice variety of tunes. Rosa Lee, which opens the album, is my favorite track. Pure hard rock candy! The song Prince Of Darkness is a cool track that matches the sinister vibe of the album’s cover. Power Of Love goes a bit overboard on the AOR tip; probably the album’s weakest track. Hard Hearted shows of the band’s more sensitive side. Classy stuff. My score: B
Savatage – Power Of The Night
The third album from Savatage, and its the same vintage metal sound as their first two. Again, great production and just a sick guitar tone conjured by the master, Criss Oliva. His riffs, as before, were straight up NASTY. However, I don’t think Power Of The Night is as good an album as its predecessors, Sirens (1983) or The Dungeons Are Calling (1984). With one exception (I’ll get to that in a moment), this album suffers from some really weak (vocal) hooks. I sound like a broken record when I review these ol’ Savatage albums, but singer Jon Oliva, for all his talent, just couldn’t deliver a chorus worth a damn in the early years. As for the exception, this album features my favorite Savatage song from the 1980s, Power Of The Night! A stone cold gem! Great riff, kick-ass solo, excellent vocals, and really cool lyrics. “Thrashing! Screaming! Twisting! Banging! Heads upon the platform. The witch has been conceived!“ All of Savatage’s greatest qualities came together perfectly on this essential track. One for the ages. Damn, there’s just nothing better than a great metal song! RAISE THE FIST OF THE METAL CHILD! My score: B-
Awesome album! Vicious Rumors took on two replacement members after their 1985 debut Soldiers Of The Night; vocalist Carl (Ace) Albert and Mark (Tits) McGee. (Okay, I made up the “Tits” nickname, but it is my belief that anyone with a last name of McGee must be called “Tits”. That’s just a rule.) From top to bottom this is a high quality American metal release. The cover art is cool, the guitars blaze, and the vocals destroy. Like most Shrapnel Records releases of the day, shredding was mandatory, and the tandem of Tits McGee and Geoff Thorpe delivered on the promise of the SHRED. But, in the end, it was the songs that delivered the most, making Digital Dictator a fun, catchy, and power-packed album. Nary a moment goes to waste on Digital Dictator. Whenever Tits or Geoff Thorpe tore off a lead break, they did so without lingering too long. In and out. Albert soared as the new vocalist. Drummer Larry Howe let the songs breath with a very understated performance (for a “power metal” drummer). As for bassist Dave Starr, well, I have no idea what he was up to because I really can’t hear the bass in the mix. Highlights are many, but my favorites are Digital Dictator, Worlds And Machines, The Crest, and Lady Took A Chance (even though the part that starts at 3:47 reminds me of Safety Dance by Men Without Hats). My score: A
So that’s the cover you guys are going with? (fart noise)
After being a key part of two of my favorite “power metal” albums of all time (Keeper Of The Seven Keys Part I and Part II), Kai Hansen quit Helloween and started a new band called Gamma Ray. He chose as his singer a dude named Ralph Scheepers, a man who was no stranger to the metal scene, as he had previously been the singer for Tyran Pace. Hansen, a founding member of Helloween, brought with him a signature sound, one so integral to Helloween’s success, and one to be continued in full glory with Gamma Ray. Precise, high-speed, and powerful, Hansen’s music can be described as uplifting and even downright happy. As a lyricist, Hansen was not afraid to be sometimes embarrassingly silly. Serious folks may not understand or ascribe to Hansen’s odd sense of humor (must be a German thing?), but I actually like the change of pace that his lyrics brought to the metal world. In leaving Helloween, Hansen also left behind an amazing vocalist with a super-human range; Michael Kiske. Ralph Scheepers stepped in quite nicely as Gamma Ray’s vocalist, and really stretched his limits with his performance on Heading For Tomorrow, showing more power and range than he had previous in his Tyran Pace days. At times he sounded a bit like Kiske, and that’s a compliment in my book.
Heading For Tomorrow begins with a brief intro called Welcome before diving headlong into the Helloween-esque majesty of Lust For Life. Easily my favorite song on the album, Lust For Life is a quintessential Hansen composition, calling to mind the greatness of Initiation/I’m Alive (the stirring opening to Keepers Of The Seven Keys Part I). Heaven Can Wait offers up a healthy dose of accessibility, and the pieced-together The Silence contains both moments of cheese, and moments of bliss. Scheepers penned one track on the album, Free Time, which gave him the opportunity to spout this lyrical nugget; “Free time is one of the things that I love. Free time is one of the things I enjoy.” Wow, Ralph, thanks for blowing my mind! Before I heard this song, I f*cking hated free time! Ha! The only part of Heading For Tomorrow that I really dislike is the unnecessary last five minutes of the title track. The song clocks in at over fourteen minutes, the last third of which is just a burden. Nevertheless, Heading For Tomorrow is a fine album that fans of Keepers-era Helloween should enjoy, if not love. My score: A-
The good news: Vinnie Vincent! The bad news: Gene Simmons.
Lick It Up, of course, was the album that introduced the world to a new, unmasked, Kiss. No makeup! And you know what? As far as eighties band photos go, the one on the cover of Lick It Up isn’t all that embarrassing. The guys are pictured on the cover wearing outfits that, relative to the scene at the time, were actually pretty tame. Sure, Vinnie looks like someone’s lesbian aunt Roxy, but hey, it’s all cool. Paul Stanley isn’t even pouting his lips (too much).
Lick It Up was the follow-up to 1982′s Creatures of The Night, an album that was supposed to be Kiss’ triumphant return to “metal” after some questionable musical choices. Unfortunately, Creatures Of The Night under-performed relative to Kiss’ expectations and thus, KISS felt that the time had come to take off the makeup, and light a fire under the ass of their sagging career. And indeed, the buzz created by this unmasking was enough to garner Lick It Up platinum sales, the first KISS album to do so since Dynasty (1979).
Vinnie Vincent’s presence was also important to the KISS “comeback”. Vincent had co-wrote a few of the songs on Creatures of The Night, and also played guitar (uncredited) on a handful of cuts on that record. He toured with KISS (in makeup) to promote Creatures Of The Night as well. But, Lick It Up was Vinnie Vincent’s first (and only) album as a regular (though not officially contracted) KISS member. Vincent co-wrote eight of the ten tracks on Lick It Up.
My Worthless Opinion: A mixed bag. As per usual, the best tracks are the Paul Stanley cuts. Gene’s sole purpose, it seems, was to make us better appreciate the songs he wasn’t singing. Rarely did Gene’s songs deliver quite like Paul’s. Stanley was the better singer and the better song writer. And Gene’s lyrics usually sucked. I understand that it’s rock n’ roll, and I love misogynist lyrics as much as the next guy, but Gene just comes across as down right creepy. Like Ted Nugent creepy. The man just reeks of incredible insecurity and over-compensation. I say this, not as a licensed medical professional, but as a student of the obvious. My favorite track on Lick It Up is All Hell’s Breakin’ Loose. That riff! Maybe the best KISS riff ever? Not sure who wrote the riff (the entire band shared writing credit on this track), but I assume it was Vinnie Vincent. I actually like Paul’s “rapped” verses, too. Even the somewhat racially insensitive first verse makes me smirk. Hey, its Paul’s world, we just live in it. Great video, too. And by that I mean that it is horrible and I love it! What else? Oh, there’s the title track. Another cool tune. It’s brazenly simplistic, but KISS pull it off (again, thanks to Paul Stanley). The biggest letdown of the album is that it ends with three straight Gene Simmons tunes. That’s not the way I want to go out. As for Vinnie Vincent, he was out of the band by the time they finished the Lick It Up tour. Apparently KISS realized that they had already reached their quota for assholes. My score: B+
With their sophomore LP, Grim Reaper were like the anti-Captain Kirk; boldly going EXACTLY where they had gone before. You see, Fear No Evil was an almost carbon-copy of Grim Reaper’s debut See You In Hell (1983). Same straightforward (and extremely repetitive) approach, same cliché lyrics, same overall gritty vibe. Vocalist Steve Grimmett stole the limelight once again with his banshee wails and dramatic style. (Side note: The man is a legend in my book thanks to his awesome performance on Chateaux’s Chained And Desperate LP). The big guy really had a bullet-proof voice! The biggest improvement for the Fear No Evil album over See You In Hell has to be an upgrade in the production department, as See You In Hell was sloppy and muddy; typical of an early Ebony Records hatchet job. Fear No Evil‘s production wasn’t great, but still an improvement. Fear No Evil sounds much “tighter”, too. (Hmmm… let me scan the liner notes… yep, just as I thought… a new drummer for Fear No Evil. That explains the tighter sound. As I recall, the guy on See You In Hell couldn’t keep time.) Well, there you go. If you liked See You In Hell, you’ll like this one, too. Me? I can survive without. My score: B-
One of the most noteworthy passings this year (2012) in the hard rock/metal world was that of guitarist Ronnie Montrose. By all accounts, Montrose was a complicated individual. He was said to be a driven perfectionist, and a man petrified of being viewed as a phony. He was also an alcoholic, a cancer patient, and as it turns out, depressed and (ultimately) suicidal. Ronnie Montrose will be remembered as an important figure in the evolution of American hard rock/metal. The 1973 debut album by his band Montrose is hailed as a classic of the genre. Despite Ronnie Montrose’s respected and influential body of work, few would probably be able to pick Ronnie Montrose’s face out of a lineup. He wasn’t really the type of rock star we are used to these days. His prime pre-dated the MTV generation, and as a blue-collar style guitarist, he rarely hogged the spotlight. Truth be told, I probably couldn’t have picked him out of a lineup myself. I’m a child of the eighties and nineties. As such, it’s not really my place to wax nostalgic about Ronnie Montrose, as I wasn’t around during Montrose’s heyday. The music of the band Montrose never affected my life directly like it surely would have had I been born a decade or so earlier. Nevertheless, it is important to remember a man who helped build the foundation for the music I have loved so much in my life. So I think its time to give my Gamma 2 CD a fresh spin. Gamma was one of Ronnie Montrose’s post-Montrose bands, and Gamma 2 (1980) was the band’s second LP…
Gamma 2 consists of the kind of conventional hard rock that was still very much in-phase during the early eighties. The sound was polished, mostly blues-based, and very professional. Listening to Gamma 2 brings to mind other FM radio friendly bands of the day such as Foreigner, Rainbow, and Bad Company. But more than anything else, I find Gamma 2 to be very much like UFO’s 1980 album No Place To Run. At times, Gamma vocalist Davey Pattison sounds exactly like UFO’s Phil Mogg. (And this is precisely the kind of hard rock record that made crusty metal reviewer Martin Popoff stain his underpants!) The sound of Gamma, like the other bands mentioned above, would eventually fall out of favor as the eighties wore on. The new sounds of hair metal and thrash captured the ears of hard rock/heavy metal fans.
Gamma 2 opens with a decent, muscular rocker called Mean Streak. Good start. The highlight of Gamma 2 comes next in the form of Four Horseman, a speedy demon featuring a neat Montrose riff. Gamma 2 also features a not-so-great cover of Something In The Air by Thunderclap Newman. This song, which I will forever associate with the great movie Kingpin (of which Something In The Air was used in a pivotal bowling scene), seems to lose all of its quirky appeal in this Gamma arrangement. On this song and throughout the album, Jim Alcivar’s synthesizers were used in generous proportions, giving the entire record a somewhat dubious time stamp. In the end, Gamma 2 is a very orthodox, somewhat corporate, vanilla hard rock album. It may not be remembered as Ronnie Montrose’s signature work, but (for better or worse) it captures the essence of a very specific time in radio-ready hard rock. R.I.P. Ronnie Montrose. My score: B-
