Metallica-Master of Puppets Review

  
   What is there to say about this album that has not already been said? Metallica's highly-praised third album is often considered to be the greatest album ever released. Do I agree? Let's take a look...

    Released in 1986, "Master of Puppets" was released during the golden age of metal. Stepping away from the satanic and demonic lyrics of most metal bands of the day, on Master of Puppets, Metallica showed that metal had something much bigger to say. Basically a sort-of concept album, "Master" concerns the military-industrial complex that churns out soldiers only to see them thrown away like trash after wars are over, if they survive at all. Countless imitators would follow (Megadeth?), and this album basically set the scene for thrash metal for the next 20+ years.
 
    The album begins with "Battery". Anyone doubting the drum-pounding skills of Lars "Napster" Ulrich, needs only to listen to this song. An absolutely manic song, it was with Battery that thrash metal perfectly blended speed and melody. Classic song. Next is the titular "Master Of Puppets". What can I say about this monster. The most epic metal song of all time, "Master" is a great majority of Metallic fans favorite song. I have nothing other to say than if you have not heard this song, listen NOW!. "The Thing That Should Not Be" comes next. Never one of my favorite songs, the riff is ultra-heavy and the drums kill, but it lacks the epic progressiveness and time changes of most of the other songs on the album. Next is "Welcome Home (Sanitarium)". One of the best "Tallica" songs ever, it is similar in structure and lyrically content to the more famous "One" from "And Justice For All". I love the solos on this song, and Kirk Hammet lays down easily his best guitar work in my opinion. Bonafide classic.
  
     "Disposable Heroes" continues the theme of the album. About soldiers heading into the slaughter, the song is brutal and raw.  Much more straightforward musically than other songs on the album, it lacks some of the progressive complexity that most of Master has. Certainly not a bad song, but not a standout track for me. "Leper Messiah" is a hardcore fan favorite. I find the verse somewhat repetitive and hard to distinguish musically from any other Metallic song. But, the instrumental break-down of the song is what keeps me coming back. Lars is a beast on this song, and I love his "double-bass" drum work at the end of the song. Very good, but not a classic in my opinion.

   Next is my favorite Metallica song. "Orion" is a gem, and showcases not only the band's talent, but the talent of the late "four-string mother-fuc***", Cliff Burton. Instrumental, I believe the lack of lyrics only adds to the greatness of the song. Ominous, brutal, skull-crushing, are just a few of the words I would use to describe this song. Anyone who plays rock bass has surely taken something from this song, even just one note. Amazing. Last up is "Damage, Inc". I have always loved the keyboard sounding intro, very different sounding. After chilling you out, Metallica takes a proverbial baton to your head with a super-tight riff that echoes military marching bands turned up to 11. Insanely fast, manic, and drilling, the song is a perfect closer to Master. Great song.

    "Master of Puppets" is a great album. There is no doubting its genius and impact. But, is it the greatest metal album of all time, I don't think so. A close contender, but I can think of a list of several of albums that exceed this overrated album. Great, but not the greatest album with the word "Master" in its title.

Rating-9/10
    

Quiet Riot III-Review

       Released in 1986, "III" is not the third album by Quiet Riot despite the title. It is actually the fifth proper album (but "I" and "II" were only released in Japan and are now ultra-rare collector's items). Does this album live up to the much more famous "Metal Health"? Let's find out shall we!

    First up is "Main Attraction". Somewhere between Van Halen and Twisted Sister(all of their songs?), the song oozes with cheesy 80s synths. Basically, the song concerns the band's mission to "rock". Not a bad song, but lyrics are about as deep as a puddle and the instrumentation is incredibly dated. Yawn. Next up is my favorite Quiet Riot song of all time. "The Wild and the Young" was a fairly successful single (check the awesome video on youtube!). Another hair metal song of teenage rebellion and lament, it was up hearing this song that my opinion of the band changed from curiosity to genuine interest. A classic anthem. Another stone cold classic is up next, "Twilight Hotel" basically tells sordid tales of forbidden lusting and lost sexual morality. Obviously about infidelity, the song shows that the band could tackle "serious" topics when they wanted. Great song, and great guitar work by Carlos Cavazo. "Down and Dirty" is next. The song replaces lead guitars during verses with synthesizers. The terrible sounding keyboards ruin the verses, and I can't even listen to the song. Awful.

     "Rise or Fall" instantly reminds on of Judas Priest. The main verse riff is nice and driving, but keyboards again drown out the other instruments on the track. Not bad, but the cheap samples and keys kill any chance the song had of rocking. Mediocre. Next is "Put Up Or Shut Up". 80s metal by numbers, the song is so full of cliches I don't know where to begin. A fairly generic song, it fails to make any impressions. "Still Of The Night" bears no relation to the Whitesnake hit. Another song filled with keyboards, at this point I start to realize why the album failed to make a commercial impact. Never a ballads band, too many of them bog down the album. "Still Of The Night" is positively sleep inducing. "Bass Case" is a short bass solo that shows off the chops of bassist Chuck Wright. Fun while it lasts, but certainly not "Anesthesia" by Metallica. "The Pump" is next. A fairly dunderheaded  lament about banging, the song fails to do anything different from any other hair metal band of the day. Keyboards are limited mostly to Tom Sawyer-like swaths, not really up front. Not bad, but nothing special. Next is another ballad, the obligatory ballad with an acoustic intro, that was present what seemed to be all hair metal albums post 1983. I actual find the song's choruses quite catchy, and it is easily one of the strongest songs on the album. The album ends with the socially conscious "Helping Hands". In the wake of Live Aid in 1985, most rock bands began to take a more active role in promoting welfare. However, I find the song extremely dull and trite. ZzZz.

   "III" represents the start of a long and steady decline for the band. Not a terrible album, but very average in most respects. Skip the album, and get the greatest hits or "Metal Health" instead.

Rating-5/10
   
   
    

Motley Crue-Generation Swine Review

      Motley Crue is by no means a great band. But, they had more than enough enjoyable albums during the 1980s that they continue to endure and live to play various festivals and casinos on a near-constant basis. Crue's seventh album "Generation Swine", is not one of those "enjoyable albums" that I have just mentioned. Let's take a look.

    Released on the heels of a much publicized and failed reunion, relations in the band were at an all time low during the recording of this album. And the music reflects that. Opener "Find Myself" reveals the band's new musical direction. Something akin to "Ministry" run through a garbage disposal, the band heads into the 1990s in all the wrong ways. Extremely distorted, the vocals lie buried beneath a thick, metallic wall of clashing guitars. Terrible sounding. Single "Afraid" is slightly better, very reminiscent of former guitarist/vocalist "John Corabi's solo material, the mix again sucks, but the song is quite catchy and raw. Not a bad song. "Flush" is next, totally out of style for Vince Neil's vocals and shows that he clearly was not very involved in the writing of the album. Corabi clearly wrote most of this album, and this song shows that to be true, sounding like something off of 1994's self-titled album. Vocals again are totally buried beneath a sea of digital effects, but the song is not a total write-off. "Confessions" comes next. An absolutely terrible song, I have never heard a worse mix on any song to date. Vocals are very unintelligible, and muttered. Mick Mar's guitars are clunky and lack oomph, they just lie there doing nothing (like Vince Neil at the time).  Even Tommy Lee's drums sound weird and digital, a nice attempt at a grittier sound, but it just sounds dated and cheap.
   
    Single "Beauty" comes next. Sounding like a strange electronic version of "ZZ Top", the song is a true curiosity the in Crue canon. Definitely unique sounding, I could do without the keyboards, but not a bad song. Probably the best on the album. "Glitter" is another step in the electronic music direction. Co-written Bryan Adams, the song is really a failed experiment. The electronics are totally out of style for the band, despite the song writing being somewhat strong. In its current form, I cannot take the song seriously. Next, "Anybody Out There" is a very short, punky song. Much better sounding and lacking the electronics that permeate the album. But I have never been a fan of Crue punk songs, and I have always felt that Mick Mars is much better suited to riffing than power chord crunching. "Let Us Prey" it total Corabi, and very Soundgarden-like. Actually a decent song, the riff crushes but sounds out of character with the aging Crue. Sixx's bass tone is quite nice on this song, and Neil screeches like a maniac. "Rocketship" is interesting as it features Nikki Sixx on lead vocals. Obviously not a strong vocalist, it is nonetheless a fairly sweet song Sixx wrote to his new beau Donna D'Errico. Very chill, almost Smashing Pumpkins-esque, I still like this song. "A Rat Like Me" features heavy backing vocals from Tommy Lee.  Lee makes Sixx's vocals sound awesome, and they almost ruin the song. Basically a confession of the deplorable nature of the band's personalities, I feel pretty scummy just listening to this song. Not bad and step in the right direction, strange digital effects on the solo again sound awkward.

    "Shout at the Devil 97" is a totally useless remake of the classic 1983 song. Skip. The album closes with "Brandon". Showing that Tommy is truly a romantic, the song is incredibly cheesy and lame, but is very sweet. A bad song, but very touching when considering he wrote it the night of his first son's birth.

    "Generation Swine" is bad. But, it is worth a listen if you like Motley Crue. For casual fans, stick to the classics.

Review-4.5/10

Poison-Look What the Cat Dragged In

    Poison's debut was released in 1986 at the height of glam metal, this album (like all albums by Poison)  in generally tossed aside to the dustbin of musical history. Was Poison the harbinger of the destruction of musical taste? Or are they worth reevaluating through the always unclear lenses of nostalgia? Let's find out!

   Opener "Cry Tough" is still a live staple today. Like countless Poison songs, it's about persevering in the face of what life throws at you. Is the song cheesy? Yes! Is it fun? Yes. A great song that shows that pop metal was not all bad at times.  Huge hit "I Want Action" is next. Not a big fan of this song, it reminds me of Kiss' "Rock n Roll All Nite", a very repetitive party pop anthem that lacks any taste. Poison have always been known for their ballads, and "I Won't Forget You" is one of the biggies by the band. Very high-school dance, the song is sweet, nostalgic, but quite trite and musically simple. Guitarist C.C. DeVille has always been criticized for his lack of musical ability, and this song shows why he gets this reputation. "Solos" are very sanitized and simple on this song, basically neutered when compared to even Bon Jovi's Ritchie Sambora. 
    
     "Play Dirty" is the epitome of the glam metal sound in 1986. Metallic and digital sounding guitars with excessive whammy bar action sit atop thin drums and sleazy lyrics about what else? Screwing! But then again, if you listen to Poison, I assume it is not for their lyrical "depth". Not a good song, quite average. The best song on the album comes next, "Look What the Cat Dragged In" is a killer song (yes, I said it!). Despite underwhelming "solos", the song has a lot of swagger, wicked drums from Rikki Rockett (underrated drummer!), and very confessional and autobiographical lyrics about the excesses of a glam metal bands in the 1980s. Another big hit comes in next, "Talk Dirty to Me" is one of Poison's most enduring songs. It endures because of its timelessness, like the Ramones (did I just compare Poison to the Ramones? Yes I did, live with it!), the simple structure, universal lyrics, and everyman musical quality add to its charm. I love this song, and I don't care who knows it!

    "Want Some, Need Some" brings up the rear. Another song about longing and lusting, it is musically very similar to "Cry Tough". Honestly, I don't really listen to this song and find it boring and too similar to the "big" songs on the album. Not terrible, but not a classic. "Blame It on You" is another dud on this album. Despite catching group choruses, gritty guitars, a decent solo, and very clear-sounding drums, the song really feels rushed and lyrics are pretty freakin lame, even for Poison. Skip it. "#1 Bad Boy" has always been one of my fav Poison songs. Basically Poison trying to be "Ratt", the song feels a little forced and out of character for guys who were wearing more eyeliner than Liz Taylor. But the song works, guitars are the some of the heaviest Poison ever recorded, the drums pound, and Brett Michaels proves his worth by delivering one of his best vocals to date. Great song. The album closes with "Let Me Go to the Show", the obligatory anti-parents/authority song on any 1980s metal album. Been there, done that. Yawn.

   "Look What the Cat Dragged In" is my favorite Poison album by far. They sound hungry, lacking a certain degree of musical chops and lyrical depth, but making up for it by pouring their hearts out for all to see on stage. Poison is still a great live band, and I always feel happy to have seen them after I leave the show. While they may not be musical Svengalis, they touch you in the most important place, your heart.

Rating-8/10

     

Black Sabbath-Born Again Review

    1983's Born Again was the first and only Sabbath album released with Ian Gillan as the singer of the Sabs. Dubbed "Deep Sabbath" by many detractors, the album was met with a fair degree of hostility, confusion, and anger in some circles. But the album has been "Born Again" recently by receiving a great deal of  attention as a valuable piece of music. What do I think? Find out below...

               The album begins with a typically silly Ian Gillan lyric about getting boozed up. “Trashed” is about the antics that the band got into while recording the album, a la Smoke on the Water years before. A fairly well-known music video was made for the song, which was equally ridiculous. Not a classic by any means, the song is too goofy and superficial for the name Black Sabbath. Next is “Stonehenge”. The song is now legendary for being the inspiration behind the “Stonehenge” scene in “Spinal Tap”. Musically, the song is really just a short and dated sounding instrumental with some nice atmospherics, but little actual purpose. Check out the longer version on the Deluxe Edition of Born Again, as it is a much more complete musical statement. Moving along, “Disturbing The Priest” is another song churned from the events of the recording sessions for the album. Not as evil as the title sounds(check the true meaning of the song), the song is really just a showcase for Gillan’s screeching vocals, which fit the very dark tone of this song. Good song, but not a classic. “The Dark” is another fairly short instrumental track. Sounding like it belongs on the soundtrack to a cheap 80s horror movie, the song fails to really do anything for me. Just more simple keyboard noodling from Tony and company.

Next up is probably the most famous and beloved song from the album. “Zero The Hero” is a beast of a song. An absolutely disgusting and chunky riff is helped by sinister bass notes and a jack-hammering Bill Ward beat. The song would later be cited as an influence on many modern metal bands, including “Cannibal Corpse”  who would later covered it. Easily the best song on the album, “Zero The Hero” may sound like shit (the whole album does, really), but it was easily the heaviest song on the planet circa 1983 and the terrible mix actually gives the song a unique quality. “Digital Bitch” is claimed by many to be about Sharon Osbourne, with whom the band had a difficult relationship (to say the least). In any case, the song is not bad at all. Despite sounding very much like Trashed musically, a nice fast beat, funny lyrics, and great singing from Ian really add up to an almost-classic retelling of the “evil woman” metal song. The title track is next. “Born Again” has always been a little too bloated and long-winded for my tastes. Very slow and dreary, the introspective lyrics and desolate sounding instrumentation are welcomed, but I lose interest by the five minute mark.Not a great song. Next is "Hot Line", driven by a manic riff, the song is very Deep Purplish, albeit covered in more grit and nastiness. Organs come in for the chorus, but without Jon Lord playing, something is lost in the Gillan/organ combo. The solo is quite nice, but sounds terrible distorted and nasty. The final song is "Keep It Warm", a slightly bluesy song about ........guess what?....sex! The song is honestly totally boring. The riff doesn't match the bluesy lyrics, the drums sound like their are being played from a submarine speaker, and the bass sound is just terribly low in the mix. 

          I love Black Sabbath, and all of their albums. But Born Again is almost a total disaster, despite a few high points. Basically an interesting curiosity, a meeting of two worlds. The album is quite heavy and raw, and vocals are strong. But, terrible production, a defeated Bill Ward, and rushed songs result is one of the less than stellar Sabbath albums in existence. However, it is worth a listen to hear just how strange it is.

Rating-6/10  

Thin Lizzy-Chinatown Review

      Chinatown is Thin Lizzy's tenth album, and easily one of the most ignored and overlooked. Like most later-period Lizzy albums, "Chinatown" is certainly not the band's pinnacle, but it does a more than adequate job at rocking down the house. Let's look at Lizzy's most misunderstood album.

   By 1980, Thin Lizzy had undergone countless line-up changes. At this point, the guitar spots were filled by the venerable Scott Gorham and the much maligned "Snowy White". Although Snowy was certainly never a great fit for Lizzy, he did a fairly decent job in my humble opinion. First up is "We Will Be Strong", a fairly optimistic about never giving up (something I'm sure Phil Lynott was considering for Lizzy at this point).  Not a Lizzy classic, but the classic twin guitars are in effects and the song really drives along with a fairly fast beat and soaring chorus. The title track is next. "Chinatown" is perhaps the most remembered song from this album. Telling tales of shady back-alleys, criminal activity, and getting into trouble in alleys, the song is a classic Lynott tribute to the outlaw life that shaped much of Lizzy's style and songwriting. The song swaggers along with a chunky verse riff, but stumbles with a pointless and boring chorus. Former lead guitarist "Gary Moore" is sorely missed on this tune. While the twin leads impress and the solos moderately dazzle, Moore and certainly earlier guitarist Brian Robertson always packed in the danger and punch characteristic of Lizzy solos.
 
   "Sweetheart" is next. Turning up the distortion, it shows that Chinatown is a remarkable loud album. Basically a pop song wrapped in metallic leather, the song exemplifies Lynott himself. Hard on the outside, but soft and poetic on the inside. But the contrast is a bit much on this song, and it feels confused and causes too stark a contrast between hard music and soft and sweet lyrics. Lead guitars are quite nice, but overpower Lynott's bass and even vocals at times. Not great. "Sugar Blues" is probably one of my least favorite Lizzy tunes. Sounding rushed and very jammy, the song feels unfinished. For me, without Gary Moore, Lizzy struggled to write blues songs that really hit the mark musically. "Killer on the Loose" was a single from the album. It failed to make an impact, and I can see why. Snowy White seems to be going through the motions on this track, and the guitars fail to impress. Also, after years of hard-living and substance abuse, you can start to hear Lynott's voice showing the signs of the damage he was doing to his body. His voice is hoarse on this track, and lacks the grit and strength of earlier albums.

    "Having a Good Time" was certainly the band philosophy of Thin Lizzy at this time. Basically a celebration of the rock n' roll lifestyle,  it is obviously a fun song and a great party anthem. Slightly sad given the conditions of Lynott's death, but a great party song. My only issue is the solo, Snowy shows his limitations, and shows that pop music was really more his thing. "Genocide" is easily the best song on the album, and a true classic. Telling of the dangers of animal extinction, a hard riff and killer vocals set the tone perfectly. Solos kick the crap out of any other song on the album, and shows a return to form after some pretty boring and laid back songs. Great song. "Didn't I" basically tries to repeat 'Still In Love With You", and is a fairly generic sounding weeper about lost love. The song sounds quite dated with Darren Wharton's cheap-sounding synthesizers backing up a crooning Lynott. Not a fav of mine. The album closes with "Hey You", a fairly decent rocker about isolation and persecution, something that Lynott certainly experienced being one of the small amount Afro-Irish people in his country. Pretty good song, with crunchy guitars and fairly angry lyrics.

    Chinatown is not Thin Lizzy's best album, not even close. But no Thin Lizzy album really blows, and this is no exception. The main issues are the mix (guitars are too high in the mix), the rushed nature of the album, and the addition of less than stellar Snowy White to the line-up. If your looking for a killer Lizzy album, go with "Vagabonds of the Western World" or "Fighting" instead of this also-ran. Not bad, but below par for Ireland's greatest rock band.

Rating-6.5/10
   

Cinderella-Long Cold Winter Review

   One of the truly good "hair bands', Cinderella never really got much respect but sure racked up the sales. The band's second album "Long Cold Winter" is considered by most to be their commercial and critical peak, and I would definitely agree. This is a hair metal classic (is that an oxymoron?), and one of the best hard rock albums of the late 1980s. Let's hope in the Delorean and head back to 1988....

   The album begins with "Bad Seamtress Blues-Fallin Apart at the Seams". Like most of the album and songs by the band, it really kicks up the blues factor. Jeff LaBar kicks in with some devious slide guitar that continues for the early portion of the song. Electrics come in soon, and take the song into the 80s. The cheesy chorus harmonies are standard hair metal, but the song is quite raw when compared to slicker contemporaries like Poison and Winger. Tom Keifer's vocals do sound worse at slower speeds, but don't annoy by this point of the album. Not a bad song. Next is the fairly big hit, "Gypsy Road" is a live staple played by the band at almost every concert they play. Basically "blues by numbers", the song feels like Aerosmith-lite. Not as bad as other Aerosmith copycats such as "Faster Pussycat", but still somewhat lame and plastic compared to the real deal. Next.

   "The Last Mile" is a fairly standard rocker, somewhat reminiscent of Bon Jovi, who of course had discovered the band in the first place. The song moves in the same musical direction that Bon Jovi were heading during the 1980s. The light and fluffy "cowboy hair metal" was quickly becoming standard for bands like Cinderella, Poison, and of course, Bon Jovi themselves. I have never really appreciated this shift to the western motifs, and I don't think it works for Cinderella. Not a big fan of this song. "Second Wind" is a fairly obvious send-up of Aerosmith, with a tad more heaviness in the chorus riff. The guitars feel subdued and icy, I would have liked more "balls" to the sounds, akin to Guns and Roses at the same time. Not a bad song, just not a big fan of the production. The title track comes next, "Long Cold Winter" is a very slow bluesy number about loneliness and regret. As a showcase for Jeff LaBar, the song really kicks. However, the vocals of Keifer grate and annoy at such slow speeds, and I started to realize that why his voice is such an acquired musical taste. Pretty good musically and lyrically, but if you don't like grating vocals, stay far away.

"If You Don't Like It" is pretty standard sounding 80s rock. The standard anti-authority vocals about young rebellion are met with generic Vinnie Vincent-esque "shred-lite" guitars. By 1988, a million song in this musical and lyrical vein had already been written, much better I might add. A boring and generic song, skip it. "Coming Home" is another lonesome, acoustic-country ballad. This rollicking belly-ache of a song makes you stomp your feet, and shows that Cinderella were basically a bar band that made it to the big time. A good song. Next is "Fire and Ice", and it really shows Cinderella at its sleaziest. Very contemporary sounding, the song almost sounds like it was written by "Dokken", very sleazy and very 80s. But, a pretty good song and easily the most head-banging on the album. The album closes with "Take Me Back", a less than memorable song, with fairly generic lyrics and structure. Not one of my favorites, despite very strong guitar from LaBar.

"Long Cold Winter" is easily the best Cinderella album, and a pretty good example of half-decent hair metal. If you are going to pick an album by this fairly seminal band, this is the one to get.

Rating-6.5/10