Budgie-Budgie Review

  In the annals of hard rock and heavy metal, there are bands that are underrated. Bands like UFO and Diamond Head have never gotten the respect from the mainstream that they most certainly deserve. But even more than these bands, the saga of Budgie represents one of the most severe cases of a complete lack of acknowledgement from the musical mainstream. However, the band is beloved by a small cadre of metal maniacs, and is known for its huge influence on the NWOBHM movement as well as 1980s thrash bands such as Metallica. Let's take a look at their 1971 debut and see if this cult band deserves any special attention.

   The album opens with the superb "Guts". Pretty chunky and heavy, it's hard to fathom that this song was recorded so long ago. A perfect slab of molten metal, some have called the song a precursor to the "doom metal" genre that would emerge in the wake of Sabbath's break-up in the early 1980s. Very simple musically speaking, but an immensely heavy sound from the power trio. Singer/Bassist Burke Shelley sounds equally comfortable singing soulful blues or high-pitched screams, all the while playing some killer bass-lines. A great start to an incredibly heavy album. Next up is "Everything In My Heart". A very short and mellow acoustic trip, the song really is somewhat reminiscent of T-Rex song, very hippie-like and totally spaced-out. Not a bad song, but it screams filler.

  "The Author" comes next.The verses are gentle and jazzy, while the choruses produce some of the heaviest guitars sounds recorded up until that point of musical history. A very interesting contrast, not totally different from the godfathers of metal (do I need to tell you who that is? I hope not). The song picks up the tempo, playing a jazzy racket of jarring guitars and swing/jazz drums. The song also shows why Shelley has garnered comparisons to Rush singer bassist Geddy Lee. Both men share high-pitched vocals, killer bass skills, and a somewhat similar look. In any case, a great track. Moving on, Budgie unleashes the oddly titled "Nude Disintegrating Parachute Woman". The song is fantastically raw, sounding almost like a demo. I particularly like Shelley's bass, he was never content to play simple lines, very complex and busy. A pretty long song, it evolves at the midway point into rapid-firing cauldron of metal magic. A good song, one of the more "jam-like" songs on the very raw album.

    "Rape Of The Locks" is another curiously titled song. It seems to concern dealing with criticism for having long hair, at least that is what I get from it. Anyways, a decent track. Shelley sounds great here, like a cross between the high-pitched squawk of Geddy Lee and the soulful voice of  former Trapeze/BCC front-man Glenn Hughes. I love the ending of the song, pounding drums are accompanied by some great, heavy riffage.A decent song about living how you want to, a great addition to a pretty solid album so far. "All Night Petrol" could certainly be seen as an influential song of many 1990s grunge bands (although few would like admit it). The bass dominates the song, as with most of the album. Like the love-child of Sabbath and Rush, the song will certainly please fans of early metal. About finding loving in the middle of the night, the song reeks of desperation and it has a pretty seedy character. I really dug the song, certainly not as musically progressive as Rush, but certainly heavier in many respects than Toronto's darlings.

   "You And I" brings us back to acoustic rock territory. A very psychedelic-sounding tune, it sounds like a refugee from the band's late 1960's formation. Not bad at all, but Budgie is definitely better at higher volumes and with heavier tones.  Lastly, we have the coolest sounding song title on the album, "Homicidal Suicidal". Certainly a landmark in metal, the song's main riff is insanely heavy for the times. The song's lyrics are dark and introspective, garnering obvious comparisons at the time to the "downer rock" genre that was applied to Black Sabbath. A great track, and an essential listen for historians of metal and hard rock.

  "Budgie" is a fairly good album. The famous Brian Eno quotation about the Velvet Underground could certainly be applied to Budgie. Certainly a high percentage of those who bought Budgie records in the 1970s started bands themselves. From Van Halen, Metallica, to later bands such as Soundgarden, countless hard rock and metal bands have expressed their love for the band through covers and interviews. A band's band, Budgie will never be mainstream, but they are an important act in the long history of heavy metal. "Budgie" is them at their most untamed and raw, and is easily one of their best albums. Give Budgie a spin, you'll be pleasantly supplied.

Rating-8/10
 
  
 

Rainbow-Ritchie Blackmore's Rainbow

   Released in 1975, "Ritchie Blackmore's Rainbow" was the first album by the new band. Of the three Ronnie James Dio-fronted Rainbow albums, this one is usually held in the lowest regard. However, the believe that the album has a lot to offer listeners. Let's take a look.

  "Man on the Silver Mountain" gets the album off to a great start. Funky keys from Mickey Lee Soule provide the backbone of a great toe-stomper of a song. Dio speaks of a god-like figure during the track, someone filling people with hope and promises. A great song, and a pick for best song on the album for many. "Self Portrait" is a more bluesy track. Dio sings out the despair of his soul, a pretty dark and depressing song. I can see why Dio and Blackmore would switch out most of the band for the next album, bassist Craig Gruber and Drummer Gary Driscoll seem a little behind Blackmore at times, slightly out of sync with the guitar wizard that is Blackmore. A decent song, but nothing terribly exciting.

    "Black Sheep of the Family" is the most boring song on the album. Written by Steve Hammond, the song is very out of character for the band. A pretty typical 1970's rocker, the song concerns being ostracized and excluded. Musically, the song is reminiscent of Humble Pie and other early 1970's Brit rockers, nothing terribly exciting going on here. "Catch the Rainbow" is the highlight of the album for me. A slow burner, the song lifts Hendrix-like guitar swathes. A very gentle and delicate tune, it is a perfect chill-out tune. Dio's vocals sound top-notch as usual, and this song is one of his most gorgeous vocals. Check out the live version on "On Stage" to hear what I believe to be the definitive version of the track. The string keyboards sound great, adding a cheesy, but somehow majestic warmth to the song. A classic.

    "Snake Charmer" is very 1970s. Like disco with a dose of wizardry and evil, the song is quite odd. Not far off from the sound forged by Blackmore during his last years in Deep Purple, think Deep Purple's "Stormbringer" album meets Heaven and Hell. Dio sounds positively evil on the track, unleashing some deep and dark groans, very gravelly. Blackmore's solos are great, and he is no doubt one of the best guitarists of all time, dare I say underrated? A great track. "Temple of the King" shows Blackmore's and Dio's love of sorcery and fantasy. Clavinets and lute-like sounds make for a very medieval-sounding tune. Very pastoral and gentle, I like the vibe of the song. Fans of Dio and Blackmore will love the combination of his fantastical lyrics coupled with the very classical influenced guitars of Blackmore, a perfect match.

    "If You Don't Like Rock 'n' Roll" moves away from the fantastical elements of the album. Close to Dio's previous band Elf (most of the members of the first version of Rainbow were members of Elf), the song is a basic and short tribute to rock music. A nice groove, but the song screams filler. "Sixteenth Century Greensleeves" takes us back to a land with dragons and magic. Close to the musical direction that Dio would take during his solo career, the song is wonderful. Killer solos/leads, amazing vocals from the dearly departed Dio, and some nice rubbery bass fills from Craig Gruber, an underrated songwriter and bassist. The drums fail to impress, but are decent enough.

   The album closes with "Still I'm Sad". Written by Paul Samwell-Smith and Jim McCarty. After an extended guitar intro, Dio and the band kick in with a fairly heavy chugging riff and thundering drums. Rainbow's wonderfully loud keys round of the song. Medieval scales are played at high volume while Dio runs his vocals all over the track. An exercise in musical virtuosity, it really shows off the amazing talent of the band while it lasted.

   "Ritchie Blackmore's Rainbow" is a good album. Although Rising is certainly better, I actually prefer this album to "Long Live Rock "n" Roll". There are a couple of filler tracks, but most of the album is very high-grade hard rock. Fans of Dio will certainly love the album, as will Purple/Blackmore fans.

Rating-8/10

Stryper-No More Hell To Pay Review

  The kings of Christian metal return for their 11th studio album. Already getting a lot of buzz, let's take a look to see if the boys in yellow and black still got it.

   First up is "Revelation". Modern sounding without being overly processed, I like the beefy sound of the tune. Guitarist Oz Fox provides the same quality of lead guitar that he has been belting out for years, a very underrated player in the metal realm. Tim Gaines is another unsung player in the band, providing some nice bass fills that are finally a little higher in the mix. Singer Michael Sweet is as amazing as ever, a great rock voice. Lyrically the song is fairly standard for the band, and if the religious element of the band pisses you off, this album certainly is not a step towards secular songwriting. A good start to the album. Lead single "No More Hell To Pay" comes in next. Quite a slow song, but heavy in terms of riffage. A very familiar sound for the band, the best part is that Michael Sweet can still belt out those high notes. Just a solid Stryper tune all around that fans of the band will surely love. A bit slow for me, but a decent song.

     "Saved by Love" picks up the pace quite a bit. Lightning fast drumming is provided by the solid Robert Sweet. Oz Fox runs through some guitar aerobics during the song, giving Eddie at least a partial run for his money. The speed of the song is a bit ambitious for gentlemen of their vintage, but they still sound quite fast and heavy. I like the track, a decent addition to the album. "Jesus Is Just Alright" is another cover of the famous 1960's gospel original. The song has been covered multiple times by other artists, but Stryper adds their own take on the track. I felt like it could have been a bonus track, but a nice metallic take on the original.

   "The One" brings us back to the brooding ballads that made Stryper the darlings of Christian metal during the 1980s. Nothing has changed, and it feels like the song could have easily been recorded during the band's heyday. Great lead and backing vocals and a killer solo make the song more than enjoyable. Fans of the band will be in heaven (pun intended), a return to form after many attempts to branch out to a more modern metal audience with the previous post-reunion Stryper albums. "Legacy" sounds like a wholesome version of Judas Priest in a way. Sweet is decent at grunting during the verses, but the song takes flight during the chorus when he soars vocally. At this point I can't believe how well his voice has aged, truly sounding very youthful and powerful. A great vocal showcase for Sweet, and a decent rocker, but fairly standard sounding for the band.

   "Marching Into Battle" is another battle hymn for God's soldiers. One of the heavier riffs the band has produced, I like the Queen-like progressive rock nature of the song. I was instantly reminded of "Ogre Battle" from Queen II. The operatic backing vocals in the song add an element of mystery, and I think the song is one of the most ambitious recorded by the band to date. Some great tapping is released by Oz Fox, who smokes (metaphorically) all over this album. A little too long in my opinion, but a pretty cool track. "Te Amo" speeds up the tempo again. A classic uplifting Stryper song of the power of love, the song is pretty over the top, but everything about this band always was. From the yellow and black spandex to the giant neon cross on stage, Stryper have always been larger than life, and this album is no exception. Great drumming, vocals, and stellar leads round out a very impressive track, my favorite tune on the album.

   "Sticks & Stones" is one of the more mundane tracks on the album. The children's proverb has been made into a song about loving and respecting each other. While one can certainly appreciate the message, the song fails to excite. The leads are more tame, the vocals are adequate, but don't really soar. The lyrics don't stand out either, I prefer Stryper singing about the fire and brimstone stuff that gets them all fired up. Not bad, but not a standout track for me. "Water Into Wine" brings back the heavy riffs. A nice slow-burner, the song builds to its climax in classic hair/glam metal fashion. Group backing vocals, plodding bass and drums, and a fist-pumping chorus makes the song really feel like 1985, a great throwback to classic Stryper.

   "Sympathy" continues the fairly long album. More of a filler tune, the main highlight of the song is the hard-rocking drumming of Robert Sweet. The chorus is fairly catchy, but the verses are a little too typical sounding for the band, feeling like I've heard this all before. Not bad at all, but not one of the highlights for me. "Renewed" closes the album. The main riff is quite intricate and interesting, showing the band heading towards more progressive metal territory. The chorus is quite hummable, and Stryper unleash yet another slice of metal magic, certainly one of the catchiest songs about being born again that I have ever heard.

  "No More Hell To Pay" is a Stryper fan's dream album. A true return to form, the album contains all of the hallmarks that have made the band as successful as they are today. For those with a distaste for the band, this album will certainly not change your mind. But those of us who appreciate their unique take on metal, listen away, you might even find more enjoyable than the music.

Rating-8.5/10
 
  
  

T-Rex-Tanx Review

    T-Rex released their eighth album in  1973. While not as revered and commercially successful as 1971's "Electric Warrior" and 1972's "The Slider", the album is certainly held in high esteem among many fans of the band and of early 70s glam rock. Let's see if Tanx holds up to those earlier masterpieces.

   Opener "Tenement Lady" appears to be about a lady friend of T-Rex main-man Marc Bolan. Given the title of the song and the cheeky lyrics, it seems to be about a woman living in less than ideal conditions, but still has the ability to entertain and please various callers. Musically, the song is fairly interesting. Like many T-Rex songs, it features a healthy dose of what appears to be Mellotron (or a similar instrument). Bolan sounds great on the track, both in terms of his muscular voice and great guitar work. The closing section of the song is a sad, piano-ballad that uses many of the same lyrics from the first sections of the song. A cool song. Second is "Rapids". Very rootsy, the song instantly reminds of "Proud Mary" and other CCR tunes, with an obvious element of glam and flair.

    "Mister Mister" is one of the poppier songs on the album. A very English-sounding piano tune that instantly reminds of the Fab Four. A little candy-coated for me, but by no means a bad song. "Broken Hearted Blues" is very reminiscent of Bolan's peer/rival, David Bowie. The production touches of famed Bowie producer Tony Visconti are especially apparent on this track. Mellotrons, a copious amount of horns, and gentle acoustics could also be found on countless Bowie albums. Pretty soft, but fans of Bowie might certainly find something to like here, just a youthful tale of heart-break and lost love.

    "Shock Rock" seems to be written as some sort of homage to Alice Cooper and his then burgeoning movement. I like the main riff, very crunchy and bluesy. Vocally, Bolan even appears to imitate shock rocker Alice Cooper's trademark groan at one point. Far too short, but a great tune. "Country Honey" is an almost Zeppelin-esque folk rocker. Mellotrons swirl amidst a cacophony of guitars and groaning from Bolan, a wonderful noise. He sings of being swept away to far off locales by a woman, something I am sure that he did a lot of in his far too brief life.

   The curiously titled "Electric Slim and the Factory Hen" is not as bizarre as it sounds. A nod to the band's psychedelic past, the song is very dreamy and trippy.The lyrics are pretty interpretive, and like many of the Bolan's songs, you might have multiple guesses about what the song could really be about. I love the bass work of the late Steve Currie. A good track, especially if you like the band's pre-1970 material."Mad Donna" is a great toe-tapper. The song is about changing a woman named Donna, into what is not clear. The song is pretty heavy, although a little repetitive in terms of the chorus being repeated ad nauseam. I like the backing vocals, one of T-Rex's characteristic touches.

   "Born to Boogie" is another 1950's-style rocker. A groovy rockabilly feel permeates the song. A fairly traditional rock song, but certainly enjoyable enough. "Life is Strange" slows down the pace of the album. A fairly mellow acoustic rocker, it features nature samples and jangling guitars. A fairly hippie song, another nod to the band's late 1960's albums. "The Street and Babe Shadow" is an odd tune. Featuring warped Mellotron strings accompanied by crunchy guitars, the song has a weird vibe, even for T-Rex.

   "Highway Knees" sounds very similar to the previous track. Wobbly Mellotron accompanies Bolan's vocals, lonely and desolate, begging for a woman to take him back. Most of the album starts to blend together at this point, very similar sounding to many other tracks on the album. The album closes with the doo-wop-like "Left Hand Luke and the Beggar Boys". A swirling slap of pop/glam, the song is very very Visconti. I like the over-the-top production, and fans of Tony Visconti's work will find plenty to like here.

   "Tanx" is not a great album, but is it a decent addition to T-Rex's long discography. Fans of glam rock will surely find plenty to like here, but it does lack many heavy and hard rockin tunes compared to Electric Warrior and some later albums by the band.

Rating-7/10
 

Slade-Slayed? Review

    Released in 1972, Slayed? is the band's most well-known and beloved album for many. A bona-fide classic according to most rock journalists, the album has certainly endured the test of time. Let's jump in our time machine (proverbially) to the bright lights of 1972.

  First up is "How D'you Ride". The titles of Slade songs reflect British slang, a very interesting and unique characteristic of the band. The song is loud and in your face, showing the great racket the band made. The song is a decent introduction to the band, but fairly short and lyrically limited, not a stand-out for me. Next is "The Whole World's Goin Crazee". A great boogie, the song is very characteristic of the glam era, but with much more balls and power. Slade took glam rock and turned everything up to 11. Singer Noddy Holder sounds great on the album, but the power of his voice is really apparent on this track. Holder sounds like a more ragged version of his peer Brian Connolly from Sweet. A great rock voice, but definitely a bit too gravelly at times. In any case, a good track, it picks up the album into full-on rock mode.

  "Look At Last Nite" slows down the action. Very bass-heavy, the song seems to be about someone looking for a bit too much attention in the wrong ways. The bass-lines are very good, with bassist/keyboard player Jim Lea providing some very hypnotic bass work. A decent track, but much slower and more introspective than the party songs that Slade is most famous for. "I Won't Let It 'Appen Agen" is a fairly cryptic song about what seems to be being mistreated by rock's archetypical evil woman. Very short like most songs on the album, but a interesting grove and dark lyrics make for an interesting song. "Move Over" closes the album, and it is a true gem. Very loud and over-driven, the raw, almost punk-like song has a great bluesy vocal from Holder. That was the great thing about Slade, they really did have one foot in the past, and one in the present. Their songs drew on early rock and roll, but also helped inspire punk and metal by turning up the tempo and distortion, a highly influential sound. "Move Over" is a great track, one of my favorite on the album.

   Side 2(you gotta listen to Slade on vinyl, c'mon) begins with "Gudbuy T'Jane". A T-Rex style romper, the song represents Slade perfectly. An upbeat guitar riff and tinkling piano atop a solid, chugging rhythm section is the perfect mix for Holder's vocals. Very catchy, the song was a fairly big hit for the immensely successful band. A classic early 1970's tune. "Gudbuy Gudbuy" is a pretty heavy song. A heavy-metal riff drives along the song, with Holder basically telling a woman to get lost. Very pissed off, I especially enjoy drummer Don Powell's kit bashing, a bloody good romp on the skins. "Mama Weer All Crazee Now" was famously covered by Quiet Riot in the 1980s. The original has more analog warmth and kick, but I do like both versions. A smashing tune, the song is pure rock and roll in its most unadulterated form.

    "I Don' Mind" slows down the album a bit. A nice groove of a riff provides a funkier side of Slade. Like Pink Floyd through a Marshall stack, the song is incredibly loud, causing my speakers to crack and hiss. Holder sounds great on the track, imitated by many, but there is no substitute. A great rock voice. The album closes with "Let The Good Times Roll". A party anthem, the song is enjoyable enough, but not exactly an amazing songwriting feat, a fairly basic rocker.

  "Slayed?" is a great album. A tad overrated in my opinion, but it is chock full of rock classics. Any fan of classic rock owes it to themselves to listen to this album in any capacity.

Rating-8.5/10

   

Sweet-Desolation Boulevard(U.S.)-Review

  Sweet are one of those bands that greatly influenced rock and roll but have somehow avoided totally becoming household names (at least in North America). Desolation Boulevard is their most well-known and beloved album by many, and contains numerous hits that would be covered by countless artists over the years. Let's take a look at a very influential album by a very influential band.

   First is "Ballroom Blitz". A classic rock radio staple, it is likely the band's most known song. I guess that years of constant radio play has worn down the appeal of this song for me, but I have never really understood why it gets so much airplay. Not a terrible song, but fairly basic in terms of structure lyrical content. Next up is "The Six Teens". A great song about adolescent love, the song has numerous elements that define the band's sound. Bright lead guitar, trading vocals between members, and some great backing vocals are characteristics that set Sweet apart from other 1970s rock bands. A great track, one of my favorites recorded by the band.

   The album continues with "No You Don't". Pretty heavy for the early 1970s, the influence on hair/glam metal that the band has had can clearly be heard in this track. Thunderous drumming is accompanied by a driving riff and anthemic backing vocals shouting the title of the track. A Who-like acoustic breakdown rounds out the track, building tension until the song kicks back in with the chorus yet again. "AC DC" is a pretty famous track by the band. About a woman that is cheating with another woman, the lyrical content can certainly be seen as edgy for the time. Musically, the song is a fairly basic blues-based rocker. Very sparse, but very catchy and pissed off, a fun addition to the album.

    "I Wanna Be Committed" is a strange song as the title would suggest. The lyrics concern the fragile psyche of someone cracking up, accompanied by machine-gun drumming and effect-covered backing vocals. Various other strange sound effects come into the song near the end, making the song even weirder. Not a favorite of mine, but an interesting sonic experiment. The influence of the band on KISS' Ace Frehley can be heard in this track very clearly. Frehely would go on to cover "Fox on the Run" on his 2009 album "Anomaly". "Sweet F.A." is a galloping heavy metal adventure. After a chugging instrumental introduction, lead vocalist Brian Connolly final comes in. You can clearly hear the influence of Connolly vocally speaking. Bands such as Motley Crue and Quiet Riot clearly got a lot from the band and Connolly, lyrically and musically speaking. The song is very epic, with a synthesizer solo, guitar solos, pounding drums, and near-constant heavy riffage. Easily one of the heaviest songs out in 1974, the band's influence on modern metal is downplayed in my opinion.

   Moving on, the band unleashes "Fox on the Run". A huge success for the band, I absolutely adore the track. A classic 1970s rock song, it combines glam with metal in a great synthesis. One would think the synthesizers cheapen the song, but I actually love the synth-lines that are played in the chorus. Bassist Steve Priest provides some great backing vocals as well, fleshing out the very full sounding song. The best song on the album, and much better than Ballroom Blitz in my humble opinion. "Set Me Free" is an insanely heavy song, some would say the blueprint for thrash metal. The main riff smashes through the song like a freight train, very powerful. Drummer Mick Tucker is a very underrated drummer in my opinion, and delivers some fantastic stick-pounding on this track. A great track from the band, and very influential on the development of rock music.

   "Into the Night" is another very heavy song. The verses are very raw and punchy, but the chorus is fairly slickly-produced and poppy.  Sweet could certainly make pop music when they wanted, and often their songs would switch from heavy rock to a pop chorus in an instant. Great playing from all members of the band, I especially like the progressive rock elements of the song. A fantastic song, and a very ambitious track in terms of musicality. The album closes with "Solid Gold Brass". A blues-tinged number, it is the most contemporary track by the band. I like the swagger and attitude of the song, but I have never been a huge fan of the band attempting more blues-influenced tracks. A decent song, but very stylistically different from the rest of the album.

  "Desolation Boulevard" is a great album. The U.S. version combines tracks from multiple Sweet albums, and is a compilation of sorts. Therefore, I believe the U.S. version is actually better, despite being butchered. In any case, a great album, and an essential listen for anyone with even a passing interest in 70s hard rock.

Rating-9/10
   

UFO: Seven Deadly Review

  Seven Deadly is the 21st studio album (20th if you don't include the EP "Ain't Misbehavin). One would think that the band would be entering the twilight of their career, resulting a less than stellar album. But, is Seven Deadly like a fine wine? Does the band get better with age? Or, is it time to put the aging UFO (founded in 1968) out to pasture. Let's take a look.

    The album begins with the muscular left-hook of "Fight Night". Singer Phil Mogg's voice is immediately ragged and aged, but to no detriment. The whiskey-growl in his voice really suits the character of the band's later period songs, mostly about loose women, drinking, and other manly pursuits. The song concerns Mexican organized fighting, continuing Mogg's exploration of the land "south of the border". Guitarist Vinnie Moore provides some chunky and heavy riffage, and veteran drummer Andy Parker can still pound the sticks with great ferocity. A great track, very muscular and hard-hitting. "Wonderland" is a song that has puzzled many listeners. Mogg sings of looking for a "monkey" repeatedly throughout the song. What that monkey is, is anyone's guess. In any case, a great track, with some superb vocals and a very catchy chorus.

   The album continues with "Mojo Town". Like many of the band's latter songs, the track is very heavy on the blues. Basically blues-metal (if you feel that is a real genre of music), the song is very heavy. Mogg's raspy voice still sounds amazing, different in character from the early days, but still very hearty-sounding and pleasing. Great vocals are rounded out by some killer lead guitar from Vinnie Moore, every bit as good as "wunderkind" Michael Schenker. A great track. "Angel Station" was a little bit of a sleeper track for me. Not a bad song by any means, but it sounds like an outtake from the somewhat standard-sounding UFO "Monkey Puzzle" album of 2006. The solo is great however, and Mogg's vocals do please, just somewhat slow and lacking the edge and grit of tracks 1-3.

   Next up is "Year of the Gun". A great road song, it easily fits into the loose biker theme that exists throughout this album. Very soulful and bluesy, it fits in very well with the character of this album. The main riff is infectious, a stand-out track on this very good album. "The Last Stone Rider" reminds me of the sound of UFO's 1992 album "High Stakes and Dangerous Men", but recorded much better. Very rootsy sounding, the track certainly has fire and brimstone. Moore is great at mixing the blues with heavy riffing, and this song is not exception. The sixty-three year (at time of recording) Mogg is as feisty and fiery as ever, and I love the part of the track when he sings "fire me up", a great addition to the track. 

   "Steal Yourself" features some great vocal tricks by Mogg. No longer capable of hitting the high notes, he uses a howl-like technique to somewhat mimic those notes, and it really adds an interesting character to the track.  Pretty bluesy and raw-sounding, a decent addition to the album. However, I found the chorus lyrics a little repetitive and Moore's guitars a bit too busy for such a simplistic song. Not a stand-out track, but a decent tune. "Burn Your House Down" is one of the best tracks on the album. Almost a ballad, it seems to tell the tale of a vengeful lover seeking revenge on their former flame. Very brooding and atmospheric, proof that UFO still have plenty of life left in them. A great solo rounds out a very strong track, one that I feel should have been the lead-single from the album.

   "The Fear" is my pick for the best track on the album. Continuing the blues-fest that is Seven Deadly, a crunchy blues riff is backed up by some nice harmonica work, backing vocals, and some of the coolest lyrics ever put to paper. Mogg is a great elder statesman of rock and roll, and this track proves that this a role that suits him quite well. Anyone doubting the quality of UFO's post-Schenker work need only listen to this track to affirm that they are still one of the best British rock bands in existence, even with a combined total age of over 200 years. Last up is "Waving Good Bye". In my opinion, easily the worst track on the album. While I like guitarist/keyboardist Paul Raymond's organ work, the song feels somewhat like filler, very dull considering the bluesy bravado of most of the tracks.

  The LP and deluxe CD contain two bonus tracks. "Other Men's Wives" is a fairly basic heavy-blues based track about violently attacking men that mess with other men's wives. While the lyrics are very enjoyable and gruesome, the music bores somewhat. Lastly, "Bag o' Blues" is an attempt at making a retro-sounding bar-room piano moaner. Mogg is accompanied by just a piano, a very sparse track. Totally different from anything UFO have attempted in the past, an interesting curiosity in their long discography.

  "Seven Deadly" is a very good album, easily their best since 1995's "Walk On Water". While the direction of the band has shifted towards a more blues-based sound, I believe that it really works for them at this point of their career. Any fan of the band should definitely check out this album. 

Rating-8.5/10