Queen: II Review

  Released in 1974, Queen's second album is usually viewed as their most epic, fantastical, and progressive. Most hardcore Queen fans regard the album with the utmost praise. However, they are some who see it as an under-cooked musical statement, a precursor to the much more successful Queen albums that would follow II. Let's take a listen..

  The album opens with the very regal "Procession". An instrumental featuring guitarist Brian May's signature multi-tracked guitars atop a basic machine drum-beat.  After a minute, the album really kicks in. "Father to Son" is a great track about the love and devotion of a father through the passage of time. Queen really tug at the heartstrings on this album, and this song is no exception. The vocals are a little low in the mix for me, as with a few other songs on this album. A classic Queen song, and one of the more famous tracks from this album. "White Queen (As It Began)" is one of my favorite Queen songs. The song opens with a gentle and delicate hymn to a beautiful creature, the object of a man's affection. The song soon kicks into some pretty heavy riffs and guitars. Amazing operatic backing vocals, thunderous drumming from Roger Taylor, and Mercury's amazing vocals seal the deal for this masterpiece, a great track and Queen at their most progressive rock.

  "Some Day One Day" was the first Queen song to feature Brian May on lead vocals. Very folky, it's a nice change from the epic nature of the previous song. May's vocals are quite enjoyable for me, reminding me of both George Harrison and Paul McCartney, however, he appears somewhat reserved here. Not one of the strongest tracks on the album, but not a bad song at all. "The Loser In The End" was written by and sung by drummer Roger Taylor. I have never liked too many of his compositions, and this is no exception. The weakest track on the album, I find it very out of character for the progressive and fantasy-based nature of the album. Not a terrible song, but a fairly disposable classic rock song about loving and losing a woman.

  Side 2 (called the Black Side, while Side 1 was called the White Side) starts off with "Ogre Battle". Concerning battles between mystical creatures, the song is epic. The song begins with some tape speed manipulation, followed by a chugging near-metal riff. Freddie Mercury's operatic vocals drive along the song with all the pomp and circumstance of a British Lord leading his troops into battle. Bassist John Deacon's bass work is amazing in this track, proving why he was the unsung hero of Queen, laying low in the mix, but playing the bass with remarkable precision. "The Fairy Feller's Master-Stroke" is an incredibly progressive track. Based loosely on the Richard Dadd painting, the song features numerous elements that make it a compelling listen. Mercury plays harpsichord wonderfully on the track. The track even features famous Queen producer Roy Thomas Baker on the castanets, an ancient European percussive instrument.

  "The Fairy Feller's Master-Stroke" merges into the next track, my personal favorite Queen track ever recorded. "Nevermore" is hauntingly beautiful, featuring sombre piano accompanied by Mercury and multi-tracked backing vocals. The song concerns lost love, "Nevermore" being the place where love no longer exists. My only complaint is that the song is incredibly short at around a minute long. "The March of the Black Queen" is one of the most well-known tracks on the album. Very musically complex, the song has been called a precursor to Bohemian Rhapsody, the smash single that would propel the band to super-stardom on their next album. I find the song a bit "all over the place", perhaps too complex at this stage in their recording career. Brian May's guitar solos are the highlight for me, but I appreciate the complexity and grandiose nature of the track.

"Funny How Love Is" was written mostly by Mercury, like most songs on side 2. The song is based around a consistently strumming acoustic guitar with layered backing vocals. While the song is gentle and calming, I find the repetition of the same guitar chord structures to be a little boring, especially for a song by a band as complex as Queen. The song does show off Mercuy's range however, with very notes being hit all around. The album closes with "Seven Seas of Rhye". The lyrics are mostly about a fantasy story written by Mercury, as with many other of his compositions. The song is a great testament of the power of the band to use the studio as an instrument like any other, there are some very complex things going on musically in the track. Particularly noticeable is the "panning effects" throughout the track, and indeed the album itself. A great country-twanged solo, rollicking pianos, and amazing backing vocals make the song a very decent entry into Queen's long canon. An enjoyable song.

  Queen II is a great album. A few songs are perhaps too ambitious, but that's the beautiful of the band. Queen was never afraid to try new musical ideas, and this album is easily one of their most experimental. If you like Queen and are looking to delve a little deeper into their discography beyond We Are the Champions, this album is a great start. Smashing stuff.

Rating-9/10
 
 

 

Riot:Narita

  Released in 1979, "Narita" was Riot's second album. The album is considered by many to be the band's best and an underrated metal/hard rock classic. With the recently and tragic passing of guitarist Mark Reale, many are re-exploring the band's rich discography. Let's take a look at Narita.

   "Waiting for the Taking" is a great opener. A fast-paced and high-energy tune, my only real complaint is that the guitars are a little low in the mix. Late vocalist Guy Speranza sounds great, a very clean and smooth voice, had he chosen, a career in pop music would have certainly worked for him. The solos are electrifying, and a tight rhythm section rounds out a great track about grabbing life by the horns, carpe diem in musica. Next up is "49er". A great riff kicks off the track, and Speranza sounds phenomenal here, a shame that he did not continue his career in music after the first couple Riot LPs. The influence of the band on both power metal and speed metal can be heard in this track, a very large and influential sound. A great lyric also tells the tale of American pioneers, undertaking "manifest destiny" in the American West. A great song.

    "Kick Down The Wall" is a great pissed off song about rock and roll rebellion. Reale provides another smokin riff, which leads into a very catchy chorus that was clearly ripped off by Twisted Sister on nearly all of their albums at least once. A little repetitive, but a great f-ing song, a true metal anthem of the golden age of metal. "Born To Be Wild" is a totally unnecessary cover of the Steppenwolf  original. Not a bad cover, but it kind of disrupts of originality and tone of the album, unless you really love "Born To Be Wild" and haven't heard enough of it in your life, skip it. "Narita" closes out the album. An instrumental, the song is very European-sounding, at least in retrospect. The twin leads and thundering drums would have a profound influence of the European metal scene that would come to fruition during the 1980s and 1990s. I like the song, but I have never been a huge fan of instrumentals. However, great guitar work by Reale and guitarist Rick Ventura.

    "Here We Come Again" opens side 2 of the LP. A more traditional rock song, its sound is firmly rooted in the 1970s. Progressive sections puncture the song, but its one of Riot's most traditional songs. The song actually reminds me of Rush, specifically their first album. A great song, very fast and hard, with a great solo, thundering drumming, and a element of complexity that rivals Rush. "Do It Up" continues the all-out rock barrage on this very high-energy album. The most punk-like song on the album, the influence of said genre can be somewhat heard on this track. However, the song again blends elements of progressive musicality into a power-chord rocker, something very hard to do. The lyrics are slightly laughable and cliche, but its a fun rock and roll song, we don't need lyrically depth when a band rocks this hard, a great riff and vocal from Speranza. Countless bands would rip off Speranza's sound during the glam metal era, and his vocal influence can be heard all over this album.

   "Hot For Love" is my favorite track on the album, a bona-fide classic. Speranza vocal sends shivers down your spine, a incredible persona and presence. One can clearly hear the influence of the song on one Blackie Lawless, as well as Motley Crue. In fact, I would go as far to say that the whole late 1970s and early 80s L.A. rock scene basically plagiarized Riot in many ways. The break-down of the song features simulated sex sounds, very edgy for 1979, something that Guns and Roses would also later rip off. Over the groaning, a heavy and thundering riff provides the perfect accompaniment for the lusty sounds. An amazing track. Amazing. "White Rock" is one of the my least favorite tracks on the album. A bit too progressive musically for its lyrical content and classic rock character. A great solo, but not a fan of progressive transitions in between the Ramones-like punky riff. The album closes with "Road Racin'". Very fast, the song could certainly be seen an influence of speed metal, as many have cited. It reminds me of the road songs of Judas Priest, with a uniquely American character, replacing motorcycle cruisin with muscle-car driving. A great track, it reflects the intensity and danger of speeding down the highway at break-neck speeds. A stellar solo caps off a great album.

"Narita" is an amazing album. If you like hard rock or metal, there is no reason that you should not own this album. Sadly, the band is no longer active due to the death of only-constant member Mark Reale in 2012. I believe the band never achieved the level of fame that it deserved during their career, perhaps a victim of their progressive tendencies. In any case, they leave behind a long and rich discography, of which Narita is a shinning member. Long live Riot!
   

 

  

The Runaways-Queens of Noise

   As the pretty mediocre 2010 film will try to tell you, the Runaways were bright stars blazing across the night sky, leaving a huge impact on their audience, but ultimately burning out too fast. Queens of Noise is their second album, and what an album it is.

   The title track kicks off the album. With a thundering drum beat, a heavy KISS-like riff drives along the track. The chorus is actually quite poppy, but that was the great things about the band, they could combine catchy choruses with insanely heavy riffs. In any case, a great opener, and one of my favorite tracks by the band. I could do without the synth-guitar solo, but it's very short. "Take It Or Leave It" again reminds me of KISS, especially "Baby Driver". The song is pretty poorly recorded, as is most of the album, but it adds a rawness to the band's music. Lita Ford's leads sound great, one of my favorite tracks featuring her lead guitar. A great track again, one of the best on the album.

    I have never really liked "Midnight Music" very much, maybe because of the very poppy choruses, almost John-Denver or Neil Diamond-like. Not a bad song, but a little sappy for this group of hard-hitting female rock warriors. "Born To Be Bad" reveals the limitations of the girls' musical chops in the intro, as the song warbles in a vague facsimile of being in time. But again, that really does add to the charm. After the slow and almost Beatles-like introduction, a heavy punk/metal riff comes in and kicks you straight in the face. The song is unapologetic, with Joan Jett not showing one iota of regret for living and breathing rock and roll. The song does reveal Jett's vocal limitations compared to Cherrie Currie, but her attitude and edge more than make up for any vocal shortcomings. A great track, but somewhat "all over the place" in terms of production, especially with the effects applied to it, far too much reverb.

   "Neon Angels On The Road To Ruin" is a great track and one of the band's most remembered. A massive riff opens the track, and in my opinion the song is the band's most metal-like. The verse riff is simply crushing, very heavy and memorizing. Currie sounds great here, my favorite vocal of hers. The chorus is more punk than metal, but that was another great aspect of the band, the ability to seamlessly blend punk and metal to create a new kind of heaviness. Lita Ford's solo heads into shred territory, and proves that she is definitely underrated as a lead guitarist. A great track, one of my favorite by the band. "I Love Playin' With Fire" is my favorite track by the band. A hypnotic swirl of teenage hormones, fear, and anger, the song swells with emotional impact. I love the cowbell use by drummer Sandy West, a very underrated drummer. Jett's vocals are phenomenal here, very raw and pissed off. A blazing solo caps off a great track, and I dare anyone who likes rock and roll to deny the track's brilliance. Easily the best track on the album.

    "California Paradise" is another very well-known song by the band. Currie again delivers her almost banshee-like wail.  The song seems to be both praising and lionizing California, obviously where the band was from. Not a favorite of mine, perhaps too much on the punk side of life for me with its tongue-in-cheek sardonic nature. Next is "Hollywood". The song feels almost demo-like, perhaps on purpose. Compared to many over-produced tracks on the album, this track lacks nearly any semblance to being produced at all. I love the bass-lines of Jackie Fox, who shares a writing credit on the track. Jett sounds great here, but her vocals and guitar lie somewhat buried by the bass and drums in the mix. A decent track, very similar to the songs by Jett that would set the early 80s rock world on fire when she would embark on her solo career.

   "Heartbeat" shows that we are still in the 1970s and at the tail end of the classic rock era. The most traditional rock song on the album, perhaps due to the influence of Lita Ford on the songwriting of the track. Pretty slow during the verses, but appreciated after such a heavy barrage of earlier tracks. Currie's vocals are soft and sentimental for a change, and they sound decent, but I do prefer her pissed off wail. Lita's leads again sound great, but she brings in that "guitar synth" effect that grates my nerves, despite being a product of its time. A pretty good track, and a nice break from the speed and heaviness of the album. "Johnny Guitar" is a blues-influenced track, telling the tale of a rock and roll lover named Johnny. Despite the sexual drive of the song, I don't care too much for it. The song is far too long and jammy, and suffers from terrible production. Currie's vocals are barely audible. Skip this one.

   "Queens of Noise" is a great album, and the band's best in my opinion. Seamlessly combining traditional rock with metal, punk, and even pop, the band fused many musical styles into a heavy sound that showed the world that women could rock as loud as, if not louder here, than any male act. A great band that was before their time, enjoy it while it lasted.

Rating-9/10

Krokus-Headhunter-Review

   Perhaps the band's most well-known album outside of their native Switzerland, Headhunter is seen by many as the Swiss band's magnum opus. Is this a fair statement? Is Headhunter really that good? Read on my fellow metal manics.

The album opens with the very NWOBHM-like title-track. "Headhunter" sounds like a mix of the Scorpions and Accept, which could also be used to describe the sound of much of the band's early 1980s output. The song is a little cliche and tacky, but is more than enjoyable. A nice gallop thunders the song along, with Fernando von Arb providing some very nice and over-the-top lead guitar. The rhythm guitars sound a little cheap and thin, but the leads beef out the song. A pretty good track, but somewhat cliche. "Eat the Rich" is less 80s-sounding, a much more classic-rock sounding song. The band's AC/DC influence shows here, and the song bears more than a passing similarities to the Aussie rock gods. Nevertheless, the song is pretty damn catchy, with especially solid drumming from Steve Pace, as well as a cool little bass solo from Chris von Rohr. Totally a rip on AC/DC, but Krokus pulls it off more like a homage, rather than outright pilferage.

"Screaming in the Night" was a huge hit for the band, especially in America. A power-ballad of sorts, the song combines a cheesy horror-lite theme with equally sappy lyrics about longing and lusting for a woman. I feel like the Scorpions do this kind of thing much better, and I prefer Krokus' heavy and fast rockers.Not a terrible song, but far too long for me, and dated with digital sounding drums that kick in at times. The solos and leads are nice, and Marc Storace's vocals are more than adequate, but never got into this song. "Ready to Burn" brings us back into the land of the living. Another AC/DC-like song, Marc Storace summons his best Bon Scott impression again. I like the swagger of the song, but the lyrics are very repetitive (even for 1980s metal) and the song feels trapped in a state of purgatory between NWOBHM metal and the classic sounds of 1970s rock. That's the problem really with Krokus, they had one foot always in the 1970s, and unlike Judas Priest, were somewhat unable to fully adapt to the musical landscape of the 1980s.

"Night Wolf" is obviously the song with the coolest title on the album. Much more 1980s in terms of sound and composition, the song is quite fast and reminds of Judas Priest and Accept. The chorus is laughable in terms of lyrics, but the song contains all of the features one must look for in vintage metal. My favorite track on the album, I love the speed of the track, the screeching vocals, and the solid drumming. I just wish the guitars were a little heavier, but Krokus always held back their guitar sound a little in my opinion. "Stayed Awake All Night" feels a bit too "jammy" for me, very 1970s-sounding. The simplistic riff doesn't really work for me, and the song features an annoying section with just a sparse drum-beat, synth washes, and spoken dialogue/screaming. The section seems to go on forever before the riff comes back in, ughhh. Not a fan of this track.

"Stand and Be Counted" is another song that sounds like a 1970s transplant. With layers of 1980s-production applied by knob-wizard Tom Allom, the song sounds very dated given the time of its release. The song reminds me of Free/Bad Company, but lacks all of the blues-swagger that made those bands so great. The lyrics are so corny they would make even Twisted Sister cringe. The song is somewhat decent, but even the solos feel tacky and fail to impress. "White Din" is a strange and short instrumental, just some guitar arpeggios with some leads over them. Kind of cool sounding, but nothing more than a short curiosity. "Russian Winter" closes the album. I can hear the influence of Accept all over this track, but Accept themselves were obviously influenced by Krokus, so it's really a case of who made who. The lyrics are so laughable they could be off a Survivor record, but it's not a band track, it has a great solo, a solid drum beat, and it fills enough of the nostalgia voice given the cheese factor it produces. One of the better tracks.

Headhunter is not a great album in my opinion. I prefer the band's late 1970s output personally. However, if you can find a copy for cheap (I'm sure you can), there are a few tracks to make it worth a purchase.

Rating: 6/10

UFO-Phenomenon Review

    

      Released in 1974, Phenomenon is UFO's third studio album. Generally regarded as their first commercially appealing album, most listeners of the band would naturally avoid (but don't!) the late-psych of their first two albums and start here. I recently acquired a vinyl copy of the album, so let's take a look at this hard rock classic.

     "Too Young To Know" is a fairly standard hard-rock tune. Singer Phil Mogg delivers a Bad Company-like lyric about obviously "teaching" young girls the meaning of rock and roll, I'm sure you know what that entails. Bassist Pete Way sounds great on the track, delivering a great and rubbery bass-line, obviously a very under-rated bass player. But the highlight of the track is clearly the addition of Michael Schenker in UFO. Schenker delivers some great leads on the track. A decent song, but a tad slow. "Crystal Light" does little to pick up the pace, and is another fairly sleepy tune at first. I would have placed it later on the album, but I love the vocal harmonies and delicate guitars by Schenker. A very sombre and reflective song, I really dig it, but too depressing and slow at this point, bad placement.

    One of UFO's signature tracks comes next. "Doctor Doctor" is a revelation. After a very cool lead guitar introduction, the main riff comes in with thundering drums and bass, played with military precision. A great influence on both the punk and in turn NWOBHM movements, this is the point at which UFO began to make killer hard rock. Mogg voice is thick and full, and Schenker and Way are in near-perfect synchronicity with some great drums provided by the always stellar Andy Parker. A fantastic song, but hear the live version off of Strangers in the Night as well. "Space Child" slows down the album again. Another "Floydian" style tune, the song ventures into Gilmour/Waters territory with trippy vocals, extended solos, and a sometimes syncopated rhythm section. The lyrics are pretty nonsensical and seem to be a bit of a rip on David Gilmour in terms of style, but not terrible. Not a stand-out tune for me.

    Next is the mother of all UFO songs and my favorite song ever recorded by the band. "Rock Bottom" is an absolute masterpiece.  UFO is a living, fire-breathing, rock and roll machine firing on all eight-cylinders here. Schenker's riff crushes with heaviness, despite being not very distorted, relatively speaking. I love the slow section, which is quickly following by the band heading into an extended jam (with amazing drumming and bass), only to close the song with another all-out riff assault. A f**king monster of a song, and to me, Rock Bottom defines hard-rock in both sound and lyrical content. Side 2 opens with "Oh My". Heavy on the blues, the song definitely has quite a lot of swagger.  Schenker sounds great throughout the track, but over-solos a bit for me, something that he was certainly prone to. Fairly repetitive lyrically speaking, the song nonetheless enjoyable, if a somewhat too short.

    "Time On My Hands" is the most folk-influenced song on the album. Based around an acoustic guitar, the song is a far cry from the heavy rock songs on side 1, a bit too mellow and sleepy for me. That's really the problem with UFO, they could rock the house down when they wanted, but they often would compose a great deal of acoustic/mellow songs, many of which I and many other hard-rockers just can't get into. Not a bad song at all (especially the solos), but certainly not a high-light for me. "Built For Comfort" is a stab at the Willie Dixon classic. Mogg shows off his very gritty and bluesy vocals, the true high point of the track, alongside some smokin lead-guitar from Schenker. A great cover of the blues standard, UFO would take a much bluesier direction in recent years, especially on their 2012 album Seven Deadly.

    "Lipstick Traces" is a cool instrumental that has elements of classic music flowing throughout. Very calming and very European-sounding, the song has a flair and style all of its own, intricate, yet simple at the same time. A nice musical break. The album closes with "Queen of the Deep", another psychedelic trip of a song. Very Zeppelin sounding, it could have easily fit onto Led Zeppelin II or III. After a short acoustic intro, a heavy riff and jazzy drums accompany Mogg singing about a mystical and mysterious woman of lore. A nice closer to a pretty decent album.

   "Phenomenon" contains two songs (Doctor Doctor and Rock Bottom) that helped define hard-rock and in turn heavy metal. Besides these two songs, the album is a fairly acoustic-like collection of hippie/psychedelic and mellow rock songs. I believe that UFO would come more into their element over the next three albums, but moments of emerging brilliance can certainly be heard on this album. For fans of 70s rock, there is no question, you need to get this album, now.

Rating-8.5/10

Black Oask Arkansas: Black Oak Arkansas

Released in 1971, "Black Oak Arkansas" is the first album released by the southern rockers. Less immediately known than contemporaries such as The Allman Brothers Band and Lynyrd Skynyrd, the band has been somewhat ignored by the mainstream rock press, and is mostly unknown to those without a strong liking of Southern rock.

The album opens with the folky "Uncle Elijah". Without a trace of distortion or electric guitar, you'd think the band was a fairly mellow act upon hearing this song. I really like the story-telling nature of Southern rock, and this song fits in nicely with similar songs such as The Ballad of Curtis Loew by Lynyrd Skynyrd. A nice folk song from a band that would get increasingly heavy in the next couple of years. "Memories At The Window" is slightly psychedelic, and was clearly written in the days of flower power. Infamous vocalist Jim Dandy delivers one of his strongest vocals, along with some very poetic and introspective lyrics. I love the peaceful vibe of the song, driven home by nice harmonies and great slide work from guitarist Harvey Jett. A little long in the tooth, but a very good song.

The Hills Of Arkansas is another folk-like song. The band at its hillbilly best, it was supposed written during their sojourn on the run from law enforcement in Arkansas for stealing some musical equipment from their high school. I like the combining of folk elements and psychedelic elements, somewhat similar to the Byrds and their blending of country/folk and psych. A great song. "I Could Love You" finally shows the band getting a little gritty. Based on a grooving guitar riff, the song is pretty squelchy and distorted. Jim Dandy moans about giving some loving in one of the most hoary and gritty tones you've ever heard, a great musical talent. The guitar leads may lack technicality, but sound powerful and white-hot.

The highlight for me comes next. "Hot And Nasty is one of the bigger hits from the band. Bassist Pat Daugherty unleashes a mighty groove of a bass-line. Jim Dandy's lyrics reference his love-making ability and reputation several times, a great example of rock stars boosting their own legends. Very primal and sexual, the band certainly had an element of caveman-like charm. "Singing The Blues" is a fairly basic country-blues song. Besides Dandy's Tom Waits-meets-a garbage disposal vocal styling, the song could really have been performed by any bar band around America, very standard-sounding.

"Lord Have Mercy On My Soul" has one of the coolest introductions of any song I have ever heard. Featuring what seems to be an African-American man, he narrates a story of the battle over his soul between God and Satan. The song itself is a Grand Funk-like rollicking rocker with a solid beat. For some reason Dandy reminds me of Joe Cocker here, albeit a strung out or extremely drunk Joe Cocker. I like the introduction more than the song itself, but a funky and cool song, especially lyrically speaking. "When Electricity Came To Arkansas" is one of the coolest titles in rock history. After a very cool bass/washboard introduction, the song heads into some pretty bluesy territory, with Dandy continuing to play the washboard throughout. The song doesn't contain any lyrics, but with guitars this blistering hot and a damn washboard, who needs vocals. A great tune, one of the heaviest Southern rock songs ever recorded.

"Black Oak Arkansas" is a very good introduction to the band, and is sits at the top of their discography as one of their strongest albums. If you like other Southern rock bands such as Molly Hatchet, 38. Special, and even Lynyrd Skynyrd, you could do a lot worse than this band and this album.

Rating-8/10

Black Sabbath-Tyr-Review

   Black Sabbath released their fifteenth studio album in 1990. The album marks a difficult period in the band's history, a time of relative decline in terms of popularity and critical and commercial appeal.Nevertheless, many fans of the band quite enjoy this album, me being one of those who sing its praises. Let's take a look.

    Tony Martin continues his role as Sabbath vocalist for the third time in a row, and he sounds very comfortable and confident here. Opener "Anno Mundi" really shows off Martin's vocals, especially in the chorus. The riff is very heavy, chugging alongside Cozy Powell's very bashing drums. Bassist Neil Murray has always been a bit subdued in terms of tone for my tastes, but provides a decent enough bass sound, if a little buried. I love the break-down, with the creepy keyboards and chanting like backing vocals, a great sound. A great start to a massively underrated album. Next, "The Lawmaker" picks up the pace, a very fast song. Showing the growing influence of power metal on Sabbath, the song rolls at Iron Maiden like speeds, one of the fastest songs by the band. Iommi's riff is gorgeous, simple, yet effective and energetic. The lyrics are very focused on the classical religious themes of the band, and seem to concern an entity who controls the mortal world, obviously being Satan. Tony's solo is stellar as usual, and one of his best from the 1990s. A great track, but sadly never played live (as far as I know).

    "Jerusalem" is my pick for the best song on the album, very epic. Somehow poppy despite the very heavy lyrical content, the song really shows off the stellar musicianship of the band.  Cozy's drumming here is mind-blowing, such a powerful force of music, and he is sadly missed. Great leads, heavy drumming, and killer vocals, my only real complaint is that the song is a tad too keyboard heavy. However, you need to understand the time and place in which the album was produced, as nearly every late 80s/early 90s metal band made liberal use of keyboards. Next is "The Sabbath Stones". After a spooky intro a la "The Eternal Idol", a heavy Iommi riff blasts its way in atop smashing drums from Cozy. Tony Martin sounds great on the track, and in my opinion, delivered his strongest vocals during his time in Sabbath during this album. The album closes with a rolling riff that instantly reminds of the song "Black Sabbath" from the band's 1970 debut. Not as epic as Black Sabbath's closing section, but pretty cool sounding with its gallop.

   "The Battle of Tyr" is a short instrumental that sets the tone for the suite of songs to come. A fairly useless movie-soundtrack type, the song would not sound totally out of place in a 1980s fantasy movie. The sounds are fairly dated, but given the time it was recorded, it sounds decent enough. Not much to see here, let's move on. "Odin's Court" reflects the Norse mythology element present through much of the album. Mostly acoustic, the song is very desolate and sparse. Gentle synth washes back up Tony Martin's vocals nicely, a nice "campfire" song. The song quickly transitions into "Valhalla". Much heavier than the previous song, it features a very fast and "bright" riff from Tony Iommi. The song concerns the tale of the Vikings, and ties into the Norse theme of the album. I like the track quite a bit, especially Cozy's insanely heavy drum assault and Tony rapid-fire solo.

   "Feels Good To Me" is most people's pick for worst song on the album. An early 1990s power-ballad, the song is pretty dull and quite out of character for the masters of doom and gloom. A video was made, and the song was clearly an attempt by the band to be commercial. The chorus isn't bad, and Martin's vocals are very strong, but one of the worst Sabbath songs ever put to record in this author's opinion, too sappy. The album closes with "Heaven in Black". While not as commercial as the last song, it still feels somewhat out of character for the band. There is nothing particularly bad about the song, just not a huge fan of the structure, despite a smoking solo from Iommi and some very tasty drums from Cozy Powell.

   'Tyr" is a decent album, not one of the greatest, but my pick for second best of the 1990s for Sabbath. Hardcore fans of the band will find something to like about the album, and it deserves at least one listen.

Rating-7/10