FRANCIS ROSSI - Live at St Luke's London

Released April 2010

Status Quo was one of the most boring bands on Earth, but despite this they moved massive amounts of albums in the 70s (sales now top an incredible 117 million) and their legacy of clod-simple three chord blues rock eventually led to band leader Francis Rossi being awarded an OBE. Live at St. Luke's London is Rossi chugging through a selection from his vast catalogue of samey-sounding songs with all the passion of a man being led to the gallows. You can tell what this album is going to be like just by the cover, which looks like the sort of thing you'd see old people buying from the bargain bin out front of the record store.

Which is what it is.

A nice catchy shuffle version of "Caroline" sets this off on the right foot, but it's almost as if this one song has taken up all his energy, like when your grandma dances like a monkey at your 21st for two minutes and then has to sit down for the rest of the night. The set quickly settles into middle of the road blues and country rock, like an Eric Clapton album if he played the same song over and over again. There's a reason why people still flock to see AC/DC while no one listens to Status Quo anymore. They may both use the same three chords, but AC/DC vary the diet across the scope of a set. Plus, they rock fucking harder than anyone. Rossi's hooks really are all pretty much exactly alike and this is one of the most pedestrian performances in rock history. While his son is a pretty handy lead guitarist there is no magic here whatsoever. Worst of all, this drags on for a mind-numbing 73 minutes of excruciating tepidity. For some reason, even though this is a live album, there's a slight gap between each song too. I wondered why that was for a moment, but then I realised that I simply don't care.

Perhaps your dad or even grandad might want this if they also have every Status Quo album ever, but surely if that's the case they're already boring enough.

1. Caroline
2. Claudie
3. All I Really Want to Do
4. You'll Come Around
5. Crazy for You
6. Strike Like Lightning
7. Tallulah's Waiting
8. Tongue Tied
9. Blessed are the Meek
10. My Little Heartbreaker
11. Electric Arena
12. One Step at a Time
13. Marguerita Time
14. Rolling Down the Road
15. Diggin' Burt Bacharach
16. Sleeping on the Job
17. Twenty Wild Horses
18. Can't Give You More

Rating: 20%

KEITH EMERSON BAND feat. Marc Bonilla: Moscow

Produced by Marc Bonilla and Keith Wechsler
Released: April 2011

The name Keith Emerson is writ large in the history of progressive rock. His 70s band Emerson, Lake and Palmer sit as one of the cornerstones of the movement and works like Brain Salad Surgery and Pictures at an Exhibition remain undisputed classics to this day.

Moscow is a two-disc live recording of Emerson's solo band taken from a show in 2008. While the set unsuprisingly focuses on highlights from both versions of ELP, it also features other material, including the very beautiful "Miles Away" and also "Marche Train", co-written with guitarist and singer Marc Bonilla from the self-titled album they were promoting at the time. Moscow is a showcase for Emerson's grand, showy and always engaging mix of bombast and elegance as the band works through sections of "Karn Evil" and an extended version of "Piano Concerto (3rd Movement)" and also highlights his songcraft with selections like "Touch and Go". The performance is staggeringly faultless and Bonilla's shiny, somewhat homogenised production gives it the feel of a studio album, however, somewhat detracting from the concert experience a "live" album should create

The highlight of the album of course is the 35-minute version of "Tarkus" which sprawls across the second disc, bracketed by Bartók's "The Barbarian" and a rock version of Tchaikovsky's "Nutcracker Suite" . While some may not appreciate an already long song being made even longer, given the context of the song's theme and its popularity among Russian audiences it would be hard to imagine a more fitting climax to this performance.

For completists and diehards, this will of course be an essential purchase. It's also a decent place for the curious listener to discover a cross-section of Emerson's work without having to delve into the formidable collection of compilations and box sets he's amassed. A more casual audience is likely to find Moscow pretty heavy going however, but that's something that could be said for anything Keith's ever done.

CD 1:
1. Karn Evil 9 (1st Impression)
2. Piano Concerto (3rd Movement)
3. Bitches Crystal
4. Malambo
5. Touch and Go
6. Lucky Man
7. Miles Away Pt 1.
8. Miles Away Pt. 2
9. Crusader's Cross
10. Fugue
11. Marche Train
12. Finale

CD 2:
1. The Barbarian
2. Tarkus
3. Nutrocker Suite
 
Rating: 75%

URIAH HEEP: Into the Wild

Produced by Mike Paxman
Released: Today

If you're tired of what today's music scene has to offer, then Uriah Heep's Into the Wild may be the cure for what ails you. Recorded between December and February last, this album sounds like it just fell out of a time warp from 1978. It's like Mick Box and the lads have spent the last thirty years listening to nothing but their own back catalogue and the Gillan-period Deep Purple albums.


They kick the album off with a couple of decent if non-essential 70s-style hard rock tracks. I can understand them starting out like this, but really these two songs are among the weakest on the album, especially "I Can See You" with its cheesy "She's the candle that lights my room/Better watch out coz it's coming soon" line. Still, they let you know to be prepared for some rock, and the Heep certainly deliver. When the keys float in and the organ starts to surge at the beginning of the title track is when Into the Wild takes off as Box chops out a classic driving rock riff and vocalist Bernie Shaw really hits his stride. The catchy, organ-driven rocker "Money Talk" follows, with Box sprinkling bursts of guitar all over, and "I'm Ready" follows the same template. At this point, Uriah Heep switches to prog mode with the glorious six-and-a-half minute "Trail of Diamonds" that could have come directly from their fabled past and will surely bring a tear to the eye of any old 70s rocker in the audience. The back half of the album has its share of gems also, particularly the hook-ridden "Lost", although "Kiss of Freedom" is rather twee and I could have done without the 80s melodic rock throwback "T-Bird Angel". Overall however, this is really quite a good album that doesn't pander to any kind of modern trend whatsoever and wholly the type of album you'd expect from a band that's been in business longer than your dad has probably been alive.

For fans of classic rock, Into the Wild is like buying a brand new armchair that already has your arse-groove in it. Just open a few cans of KB and you'll be right at home.

1. Nail on the Head
2. I Can See You
3. Into the Wild
4. Money Talk
5. I'm Ready
6. Trail of Diamonds
7. Lost
8. Believe
9. Southern Star
10. T-bird Angel
11. Kiss of Freedom

Rating: 75%

JEFF MARTIN 777: The Ground Cries Out

Produced by Jeff Martin
Released: April 2011

With Sarah Palin and her kooky cohorts ruining the legacy of The Tea Party with their unhinged shenanigans, Jeff Martin delved deep into his extensive knowledge of arcane lore and found a name for his latest musical outlet it in the work of Aleister Crowley. The Ground Cries Out is the debut release for Jeff Martin 777, a three piece combo of which the other elements are Sleepy Jackson alumni J Cortez and Malcolm Clark.


Those familiar with The Tea Party’s work won’t find any huge surprises here. A supremely confident individual, Martin already knows what works for him and hasn’t felt the need to reinvent himself or contemporise to appeal to a market. The Ground Cries Out follows his signature style of atmospheric, Zeppelin-accented rock and exotic, Oriental instrumentation.

The title track instantly puts the listener on familiar terrain. Over a darkly textured, Asian-flavoured musical background, Martin weaves his tales of mysticism and sex with that rich, sensual baritone. Amongst the layered bombast of "Santeria"and "The Cobra", the Led Zeppelin like “Queen of Spades” and the blues-tinged rocker “Riverland Rambler” there are delicate instrumentals like the Katoomba-inspired "Blue Mountain Sun", the moody ballad “She’s Leaving” and the sincerely beautiful "One Star in Sight" that easily ranks with Martin’s best. While he really isn’t exploring vast new musical territory, The Ground Cries Out should dispel any lingering idea he somehow lost his way on Seven Circles. This album continues Jeff Martin’s tradition for excellence and will certainly please his incredibly loyal following.

1. The Ground Cries Out
2. Queen of Spades
3. She's Leaving
4. The Cobra
5. 1916
6. The Meekong
7. One Star in Sight
8. Blue Mountain Sun
9. Santeria
10. Riverland Rambler
11. The Pyre
 
Rating: 95%

THE AMENTA: V01D

Produced by The Amenta
Released: March 2011

“Empty”, “Null”, “Nihil”, “Nil”, “None”, “V01D”. It’s easy to see the recurring theme that runs throughout this latest recording by Australia’s premier extreme noise technicians. The ambient bleeps, electronic beats, metallic scraping sounds and haunting soundscapes that sprawl across this album engender a harrowing, oppressive atmosphere of emptiness and cold sterility. Woven amongst them are the harsh, crushing and dense industrial death metal tracks with which The Amenta has set new standards for extreme metal in this country.


Essentially, "V01D" is a reimagining of several tracks collected from the past two albums, completely re-recorded with their latest line-up that now includes Australia’s most overlooked death metal vocalist, Cain Cressal. The general direction remains similar to the course they plotted with n0n, with the most significant differences in the delivery of the vocals and the enhanced clarity in the production, with some further enhancement of the atmospheric aspects. There’s also a nod to their influences with a cover of Armored Angel’s “Enigmatize” that is more or less faithful but with a modern polish and further experimentation with another four remixes that call to mind the work of Skinny Puppy and Front Line Assembly.

The second part of the package is video footage of one of the band’s live performances, captured in Sydney, and an awesomely gruesome Aphex Twin-style clip for “Vermin”.

It would have been easy for The Amenta to do something half-arsed when they’re giving it away free as a download, but with "V01D" they instead continue to uphold their reputation as one of the best Australian underground acts in circulation. And it costs you nothing, so seek it out.


1. Empty
2. V01D
3. Erebus
4. Ache
5. Junky
6. Spine
7. Null
8. Vermin
9. Nihil
10. Nil
11. Enigmatize
12. None
13. Junky (remix)
14. Nihil (remix)
15. Vermin (remix)
16. Erebus (remix)

DVD component:
1. Junky
2. Vermin
3. Mictlan
4. Erebus
5. Vermin (clip)

Rating: 91%

TRUTH CORRODED: Worship the Bled

Produced by Truth Corroded
Released: April 2011

Truth Corroded has been around for a long time now and with each album they've just got better and heavier. Worship the Bled is the culmination of their journey so far, a crushing, savage and brutal album that brooks no compromise from beginning to end.

A portentous intro of Mongolian throat-singing and noise erupts into a ominous opening riff played over the monstrous drumming of Kevin Talley, who pounds the skins on this recording, before subsequently exploding into ferocious high speed thrash reminiscent of Hatesphere. Then just when you think "Knives of the Betrayed" can't get any more epic, it does, as Jonas Kjellgren steps in and unleashes a face-melting forty-five second guitar solo . It's such an enormous track to open the album that it almost threatens to overshadow the rest of it, and in truth the next song, while solid enough, does get left in its wake, but "Pride of Demise" and "Leave Nothing Alive" have their own memorable riffs and catchy groove that allow them to stand up. "The Great Waste of Flesh" then is another huge track that builds from silence to a crescendo of staccato riffing and a neat solo from Darren McLennan. "Scavengers" is a showcase for Talley's drumming as the band cranks up the speed again before shifting into a mid-paced chug for "Remnants". On "Dragged Beneath" Truth Corroded has an At the Gates moment as a violin saws out a melancholy theme while the band chops out death metal underneath. The album ends on the same scale with which it began, with the eight-minute thrash epic "Summon Abyss" pulling out all stops before fading out into the weird, manipulated strains of throat-singing once again.

Kjellgren and Talley certainly add a dose of magic to this album, but it's the experience and pure song-writing clout of Truth Corroded that makes Worship the Bled what it is, and that's one of the best local metal releases of this year. This is simply a great metal album that any band would be proud to call their own.
 
1. Knives of the Betrayed
2. Hunt All Heroes
3. Pride of Demise
4. Leave Nothing Alive
5. The Great Waste of Flesh
6. Scavengers
7. Remnants
8. Dragged Beneath
9. Tear Out the Eyes of Your God
10. Summon Abyss
 
Rating: 85%

IRON MAIDEN LIVE IN SYDNEY

Sydney Entertainment Centre
February 24, 2011

With approximately half the audience still filling local bars or crowding the merch stalls, Rise to Remain opened tonight’s show, the second of Iron Maiden’s warm-up performances ahead of their Soundwave Festival appearances. Looking every bit like his father’s son, Austin Dickinson led his young troupe through some energetic if fairly standard metalcore. As much as they’ve played the past two years, Rise to Remain still has some way to go to really develop their own identity and looked a little self-conscious on the vast Entertainment Centre stage playing to almost no one. Nevertheless, they fared much better than Maiden’s openers on the last Australian tour (Steve Harris’ daughter Lauren and the awful emo band Behind Crimson Eyes).


Midway through Iron Maiden’s set, Bruce Dickinson acknowledged that tonight’s audience – unlike the massive sell out tour two years ago – was mostly the band’s old faithful, the die-hards who didn’t come along just to hear the "hits". Which was just as well for them. Fully half the set was drawn from the band’s post-2000 comeback era, none of which had ever been played to an Australian audience before. But that didn’t seem to matter, and it was great to see that a good majority of the crowd were able to sing along with the five Final Frontier tracks that were aired, four of which made up the first five songs of the set. Of those, the opening salvo of "The Final Frontier" and "El Dorado" got the warmest response as Maiden burst onto the stage but when the introductory riffing of "2 Minutes to Midnight" was unleashed, a massive roar like 9000 people going "ROOOAARRRRR!!!" almost drowned out the band.

"The Talisman" seemed like an odd choice to follow that, but as perhaps one of their most technically demanding songs I could understand it being played so early. This one seemed to split the crowd a bit, but the band of course pulled it off. "Coming Home" was an early highlight, and "Dance of Death" is a much better song live. One of the biggest reactions, however, was reserved for "The Wicker Man", a clear sing- along favourite being played in Sydney for the first time with the crowd almost lifting the roof off and the band reponding by pulling out every stop.

Unlike the previous tour, Dickinson only got into costume once, for the always ball-tearing "The Trooper" during which he must have run at least a mile waving two Union Jacks. Yet again, as usual, he proved himself to be metal’s – indeed, one of the entire rock world’s – consummate frontman. He engaged everyone in the crowd, pointing out sections for special attention, offered his "Scream for me, Sydney!" rally cry several times (not as often as last time though, thankfully) and always has something poignant, interesting or funny to say. He made jokes about Shane Warne as he tossed a pink bra into the crowd from where it had (apparently) come. He talked about playing in Singapore and in Indonesia, in front of Islamic "metal brothers" who don’t care about race or religion when they’re rocking out to Maiden and in a gesture that caused one of the biggest cheers of the night, dedicated "Blood Brothers" to our cousins suffering from the earthquake disaster in New Zealand. And he never stopped moving. Nor did guitarist Janick Gers, whose crazy dance steps and rubbery contortionist moves when he slips into his own zone are as much of a spectacle as the singer’s exuberant athleticism.

For their part, the rest of the band were hardly boring to watch either, for without a lot of extravagant props and flashy stage effects, Iron Maiden relied on their music and natural showmanship to keep the crowd engaged as the back half of the show was filled out with more familiar songs like "Fear of the Dark" and "Iron Maiden" that was, of course, the cue for a giant red-eyed alien Eddie to prowl the stage and engage in a guitar duel with Dave Murray.

"The Number of the Beast", "Hallowed be Thy Name" and "Running Free" were reserved for the encore, the second of which not only got the greatest cheer of the night but left me both with no voice and a very clear understanding of why I and thousands of others love this band so much. Iron Maiden were truly outstanding tonight and if anyone went away disappointed that they didn’t play "Run to the Hills" then they should kill themselves.



The Final Frontier
El Dorado
2 Minutes to Midnight
The Talisman
Coming Home
Dance of Death
The Trooper
The Wicker Man
Blood Brothers
When the Wild Wind Blows
The Evil That Men Do
Fear of the Dark
Iron Maiden

--

The Number of the Beast
Hallowed be Thy Name
Running Free

STRATOVARIUS: Elysium

Produced by Matias Kupiainen
Released: 2011

For everyone who's championed them over the years, I've always found Stratovarius to be a decidedly uneven prospect, with their obvious abilities hindered by a propensity for over-the-top histrionics and a need to be neo-Classical at the cost of all else, fuelled mainly by Timo Tolkki's desire to show the world what a flash guitarist he is.


It appears that with the final, ignomious departure of the tragic Tolkki, the band's creative centre now revolves around 27-year old guitar prodigy Matias Kupiainen, a man who was only just born when Stratovarius first formed. It has never been more clear that new blood can inject life into a tired old band than here: not only did Kupiainen write the majority of the tracks, he also produced, and a remarkable job he has done.

There hasn't been much of an effort at reinventing themselves here. Really, Elysium is Startovarius refining their sound: winding back the overly flouncy keyboards and the overt neo-classicism in favour of song-craft and consistency. With four out of five members of the band contributing tracks, Elysium is the most diverse Stratovarius album in many years, or possibly ever.The first five songs are pretty standard, if solid, power metal songs and the opener is definitely strong. The tone is set early: Jens Johansson's keyboards help fill out the sound rather than dominate it, coming forward only to solo or trade-off with Kupiainen, Lauri Porra's bass is discernible and, perhaps most importantly, Timo Kotipelto's voice is fine. I've had issues with him in the past because he often goes off-key -- either on purpose or because he's stretching his range -- but here he's spot on. "Lifetime in a Moment" makes the transition from good to great for Elysium, where simplicity meets majesty, and "Event Horizon" is not just blazingly fast but heavy, much heavier than usual.

The true highlight of the album however is the title track itself, a sweeping 18-minute epic that dwarfs not only the rest of Elysium but possibly everything they've ever done. Normally a track this long by almost anyone would leave me screaming for the exits, but this is the true display of brilliance that possibly everyone in Stratovarius has always strived for. Every member shines, even the usually almost invisible Porra gets a solo, and Kotipelto has never sounded better. The ebb and flow of the song's three main sections mesh perfectly and the song works so well it doesn't seem anywhere near as long as it is

I never thought I'd write so much about a Stratovarius album without most of it being ridicule, but they deserve only high marks for this.

1. Darkest Hours

2.Under Flaming Skies
3 Infernal Maze
4. Fairness Justified
5. The Game Never Ends
6. Lifetime in a Moment
7. Move the Mountain
8. Event Horizon
9. Elysium

Rating: 85%

THE ETERNAL: Under a New Sun

Produced by Jeff Martin
Released: January 2011

Under a New Sun is the fourth album from Melbourne's The Eternal, and marks a distinct transition from their previous work. Having evolved from its early days as an Anathema-like doom band, the three-piece is now possessed of a more organic, robust and mystical sound that is clearly demonstrated here.


The album opens with a "Control" displaying a strong, dark, modern rock style. With Mark Kelson's heavily syncopated vocals and the processed scream of "And now you want control!", it actually recalls the heavier moments of groups like Disturbed and Stone Sour. It is certainly quite different from what The Eternal has presented so far, a very long way from the gloomy doom-laden debut of 2004.

With the vastly talented Jeff Martin in the producer's chair, The Eternal has cranked up the hooks to a degree more usually seen in the pop world, but over the course of the next few songs Martin's creative influence appears in danger of overwhelming the band. The title track is remarkably like Kav Temperley from Eskimo Joe singing with The Tea Party and the hook is very much like the one in that band's song "Temptation". "Delirium and Desire" begins with a ghostly choir that invokes some Pink Floyd-style chords and organ, then the big chorus sounds rather like, well, like Temperley and The Tea Party teaming up again. "Nothing Remains Without Us" is the The Eternal displaying something more of themselves, with an explosive guitar solo and a darkly heavy riff. Yet the spectre of the producer's former band continues to haunt Under a New Sun's first half. This culminates in "The Sleeper" that, with Martin on lead vocals, sounds like it could have been lifted directly off Splendor Solis. But it is after this point where the band seems to really find its true voice, taking the somewhat overt influences of the first half and crafting them into something more their own.

On "A Thousand Shades of You", The Eternal really steps up, laying down a heavy, creeping guitar riff for Kelson's vocals, this time pitched a step or so higher. Underneath the multi-layered voices of the massively hooky chorus, the band adds ethereal wailing and melodies and a glorious solo caps it all off. Brilliant. Booming drums and a classic rock riff power "Collapse" towards a truly epic 70s-style guitar solo. Again, the chorus is hookier than a pelagic long line. "Cast in Stone" is another for which the only short description is "epic", where Kelson throws huge riffs at each other that then clash heroically against Marty O'Shea's pounding drums. It's like the band waits until now to really let themselves go and bring the album to a rousing crescendo.

Under a New Sun is The Eternal's best and most expansive album yet and to deny its catchiness is practically a sin against nature. It's a very good release, but one hampered somewhat by a frustrating feeling of being overshadowed by its influences, resulting in something that probably doesn't quite show the originality that it really should. Nonetheless, anyone who enjoys dark, contemporary rock with a progressive twist should really enjoy this.

1. Control
2. Under a New Sun
3. Delirium & Desire
4. Nothing Remains Without Us
5. Eclipse
6. The Sleeper
7. A Thousand Shades of You
8. Collapse
9. Despondency
10. Cast in Stone
11. Departure

Rating: 85%

DEVILDRIVER - Beast

Produced by Mark Lewis
Released: February 18, 2010

It's awesome when an album can just pick you up by the throat and hold you there. Before this came on I was planning on doing a bunch of other stuff, but two songs in Beast was having its way with me and wouldn't let go.


Whoever's been supplying Dez Fafara with angry pills has upped the dosage to a dangerous level lately, because he sounds like a man possessed by nothing but hatred and rage. And with the rest of the guys in the band all contributing guitars and bass, Beast has the fattest riffs and the most pummelling groove of DevilDriver's career. Let's not forget John Boecklin's huge drumming either. The dude certainly had his work cut out for him here, and he delivers in spades. Fafara clearly wasn't joking when he said that this was the most extreme DevilDriver yet. Simply everything has been beefed up to a degree beyond everything they've done so far.

Beast is an immense record, opening with the epic-sounding violence of "Dead to Rights" that will make their insane circle pits positively lethal once it's unleashed live. Yet that is merely the beginning of close to an hour's worth of unrelenting, unforgiving metal aggression. "Bring the Fight (to the Floor)" and "Hardened" only heighten the intensity level until the band has become a seemingly unstoppable hate machine. By the time of "Blur", Fafara is shrieking "I don't know you but I fucking hate you" like a complete madman. "Shitlist" is somewhat looser with a twenty-second intro of ambient guitars, but this is only a very brief respite. The punkier elements of Pray for Villains are mostly pushed aside this time, only really making their presence felt in "You Make Me Sick", but Beast is no worse for this, instead veering harder toward the more extreme end of the metal spectrum than ever. Parts of "Black Soul Choir" are almost in the realms of melodic black metal. Only "Lend Myself to the Night" offers some relief, but only insofar as it's slower and the most melodic track, as if the band decided to ease off the pedal as the album rumbled to an end.

Beast is the true pinnacle of DevilDriver's -- and Fafara's -- career to this point. It is an absolute monster of an album that has already set the bar way high for the year and a new standard for all groove metal albums to come.


1. Dead to Rights
2. Bring the Fight (to the Floor)
3. Hardened
4. Shitlist
5. Coldblooded
6. You Make Me Sick
7. Talons Out (Teeth Sharpened)
8. Blur
9. The Blame Game
10. Black Soul Choir
11. Crowns of Creation
12. Lend Myself to the Night

Rating: 95%