Another round of album reviews from 1985…
Silver Mountain – Universe
It’s Swedish, so you know it’s good. On metal’s more cerebral side, there was Silver Mountain, a band propelled by Jonas Hansson’s articulate and crafty guitar playing, some non-cheesy keyboards, and Christer Mentzer’s more-than-serviceable vocals. Universe‘s crystal clear production really helped shine a spotlight on Silver Mountain’s intelligent, neo-classical compositions. Jonas Hansson’s note-dense licks uncoiled with fervor. It’s clear that Silver Mountain paid meticulous attention to detail while crafting this album. Universe comes across as gothic and classy, maybe even elegant. Shades of Malmsteen and Blackmore for your wine sipping pleasure. European through and through. Faves include Universe and Why. My score: A
Slayer – Hell Awaits
Another burnt offering placed upon Satan’s alter. Hell Awaits was the last Slayer album from the band’s noisy and grooveless Metal Blade years. This is my least favorite Slayer LP from the eighties. After song #2, I usually check out mentally, finding the remaining tracks to be one long, merciless, headache-inducing wall of noise; a free fall into the Luciferian abyss. In particular, I am not at all a fan of Tom Araya’s vocals (here, consisting almost entirely of fast talking/yelling). I find them to be uninspiring and no-dimensional. And the lyrics get old really quick. We get it guys, you like death, you like killing, and you like Satan. What else you got? My score: C-
Rough Cutt – Rough Cutt
Rough Cutt released two albums for Warner Bros. Records in the eighties. The first was Rough Cutt, produced ably by Tom Allom (funny, I always disliked his work with Priest). These guys didn’t write really great songs, but they played the hell out of the ones they had. Listeners may be surprised by some of the heavy riffing that turns up here and there. And even when the songwriting doesn’t quite cut the mustard, vocalist Paul Shortino saves the day with his gutsy, bluesy voice. Rough Cutt contains a pretty good mix of styles, including anthems, ballads, plodders, and speedsters. My personal faves are Take Her and Never Gonna Die. Again, nothing mind-blowing, but nevertheless a band you really want to root for. My score: B-
Fierce Heart – Fierce Heart
This was a one album project featuring guitarist Rex Carroll (a future member of the Christian metal band Whitecross) and a guy named Larry Elkins on vocals/bass. Fierce Heart came out on Mirage Records. The production job on Fierce Heart was pretty stout, with the exception of the drums which sounded way too punchy (possibly fake?). Elkins actually stole the show with his ballsy voice, residing somewhere in the Lou Gramm zip code. The lyrics were another story, though. Heroes being a particularly egregious offender. Save for Elkin’s performance, Fierce Heart doesn’t really rise above. The biggest deficiency being that most of the choruses fall flat. My score: C+
Herman Ze German And Friends – Herman Ze German And Friends
This was a solo venture by Scorpions drummer Herman Rarebell. His “friends” included Don Dokken, Jack Russell, and Charlie Huhn (of Victory). Don’t expect a drum clinic from Rarebell. Nope, Herman Ze German And Friends is all about straightforward party-style hard rock/metal. And the party kicks off with… a ballad? Yes, oddly enough a ballad called I’ll Say Goodbye featuring Don Dokken on vocals is the first track on the LP. A serviceable one at that. The remainder of side one contains knuckleheaded, moderately effective, good time tunes. (For all you youngsters out there, I am working with my cassette copy of Herman Ze German And Friends, so forgive me if I still use archaic terms like “side one”, or for that matter, “cassette”. ) Side two continues in the same vein, with its best cut coming by way of Having A Good Time, which features Steve Marriott of Humble Pie fame. My score: B-
Mark Edwards – Code Of Honor
Because apparently Metal Blade Records handed out a record contract to anyone who owned a musical instrument in 1985, we have this four song EP by Mark Edwards on our hands. And judging by the two drum sticks that comprise the “cross-bones” on the cover, Edwards was a drummer. (Uh oh, is this an EP made up entirely of drum solos? Thankfully, no. All the songs are all instrumentals, however.) And who the f*ck is Mark Edwards you ask? Well, he played drums for several bands in the 80′s including Steeler, 3rd Stage Alert, Lion, and Riot. Code Of Honor, as mentioned, contained four instrumentals, all up-tempo and all heavy metal. Opener Kamikaze features a synthesizer versus guitar battle. I’m not one who is inclined to listen to instrumentals, and when I do, I likes ‘em short and I likes ‘em sweet. These ain’t short enough for me. But Code Of Honor provides enough of a jolt to (maybe) get me out of bed in the morning, but then again so does having to take a piss real bad. My score: C-
Highway Chile – Rockarama
They really shouldn’t have used the Highway Chile name for this album. First of all, only one member of the lineup remained from Highway Chile’s previous album For The Wild And Lonely (and that was the bassist). Secondly, this record has almost nothing in common with Highway Chile’s previous albums stylistically. Rockarama, you see, is a straight up pop-rock album. There are electronic drums and tons of synthesizers used. Despite all this, there must be a little magic in that ol’ Highway Chile name, because this album doesn’t totally suck. Sure, it is a completely overt commercial venture, one more in common with bands like Eurythmics than any kind of hard rock, but Rockarama is still a notch above average. The new singer was good, and some of the hooks really hit their mark. But, you’ll have to be able to tolerate eighties pop trends in order to enjoy any of it. Consider yourself warned. My score: B-
Mötley Crüe- Theatre Of Pain
Another monster commercial success for the Crüe. (At present, 4 x platinum.) Did they deserve it? Probably not, but who cares. There were tons of better bands, that’s for sure. But don’t hate the player, hate the game. It’s not like Mötley Crüe put a gun to anyone’s head and made them buy Theatre Of Pain. (That was MTV’s job!) By the way, Mötley Crüe was a mess during the Theatre Of Pain time frame, as documented in their book The Dirt. I’ve heard that Loudness blew them off the stage during the Theatre Of Pain tour. Even though the guys were circling the drain in their personal lives, Theatre Of Pain wasn’t a total disaster. Home Sweet Home is by far the most enduring track on this album; the quintessential “bad boys gone soft” power ballad, one that helped set off the hair band “monster ballad” explosion of the late eighties (and that wasn’t not necessarily a bad thing IMO. I’m a sucker for a good power ballad!) I think Home Sweet Home was the best song on the album (nice vocal work by Vince!). Another memorable hit was Smokin’ In The Boys Room (a cover). Best deep track: Louder Than Hell. All in all, a decent LP, but certainly not Mötley Crüe’s best. My score: B
Demon – British Standard Approved
This was Demon’s fourth album. Their first two, Night Of The Demon (1981) and The Unexpected Guest (1982) were quality hard rock records. Demon’s third album, 1983′s The Plague, saw the band venture into new territory, one less to do with hard rock and more to do with atmosphere and concept. With British Standard Approved, Demon went even further in this new direction, with an LP that jumped headlong and unapologetically into 100% progressive rock territory. This is an odd concept album that reminds me of Pink Floyd’s hit and miss album The Final Cut. British Standard Approved rarely rocks, consisting almost entirely of sparse constructs and weird shit. Most of the songs avoid hooks altogether. I think Demon was asking a lot of their fans to follow them on this new, experimental adventure. Not this guy, though. I’m a simple man with simple hard rock tastes. I much prefer Demon’s first two albums to British Standard Approved. I think Demon should have left the Pink Floyd stuff to Pink Floyd, and just kept on rockin’. And for Christ’s sake PUT DOWN THAT FLUTE! My score: C+
Razor – Executioner’s Song
One of two long players released by Razor in ’85, Executioner’s Song came first. This was straightforward Canadian speed/thrash played with attitude. Nuthin’ fancy, and not as good as Evil Invaders (Razor’s second album from 1985). Executioner’s Song sounds like it was recorded in a pay toilet, but that’s part of its underground charm I suppose. I sense a Motorhead influence. It’s fast, it’s loud, and it reeks like a gasoline-soaked rag. My score: C
