I really don't want to get my hopes up about the new Marilyn Manson album. The last two weren't necessarily bad, just very forgettable. I haven't listened to either of them in a long time. So, is now the time? Is Marilyn Manson ready to return? To shake things up again? To reclaim his place in rocks hierarchy?
On the strength of the new song doing the rounds on t'internet, I think it might be. I am still reserving judgement, however. One good song does not equate to a good album, and I have been burned before. Let's just wait and see what he serves up on Cooking Vinyl (pun very much intended) on April 30th.
For now, just feast your ears on this, "No Reflection" from the new album.
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Friday, 9 March 2012
Soulfly - Enslaved
I have no idea why, but I have been quite excited about this release in recent weeks. This isn't to say I was without my reservations, but that isn't what is important here. This is a surprise to me as I found the last two albums, as well as both Cavalera Conspiracy albums, to be a bit "by numbers" if I'm honest. I got the feeling that Max was spreading himself too thinly. Well, I'm pleased to report that Max has found his bite again. It has far more too offer than the last two albums combined, and back is the Soulfly penchant for experimentation.
That isn't to say this is anywhere near to the world music meets metal of the fantastic "Prophecy" album, but it certainly has a lot more to offer than anything Max has put out since. I need to get one thing perfectly clear, though - This is NOTHING like Sepultura, so anyone still flogging that dead horse needs to find a councellor and get some closure before finally moving on. No, this is pure Soulfy, and should be celebrated as such.
Max has come storming back with a vengeance with this album. His vocals roar and tear throughout, the melodies are sumptious, the riffs headbanging, and most importantly, this is a great collection of songs. Soulfly have evolved a little again. I, for one am very pleased to welcome the band back - and you know what? I think you should be too. Max is a man who lives for this (to paraphrase Hatebreed). He has never been anything but completely passionate. A true metal legend, and a real one of a kind.
Have a listen to "Gladiator" and decide for yourself.
Tuesday, 6 March 2012
The Replacements - Part 2: Successes
Continuing on from part 1, where I looked at the occasionally downright shambolic decisions made by some of metal's biggest acts when it comes to replacing a frontman, this time I will focus on some of the many success stories.
Bruce Dickinson
In 1981, Iron Maiden were coming out of a hectic 2 year period of touring and recording. They had released 2 albums and had gone on to play bigger and bigger venues in front of an ever-growing fanbase. Maiden were the new heroes of British metal, and a band most expected to go on to greater things. To lose the singer/frontman at such a crucial point would have derailed almost any other band. But this was Iron Maiden. Steve Harris made the brave desicion to fire Paul DiAnno as he felt that DiAnno was becoming more of a hinderance due to his drinking and erratic behaviour. Enter a pretty much unknown young singer, Bruce Dickinson. At the time, Dickinson was frontman for another up and coming Britich band, Samson. His decision to join Maiden would prove disastrous for Samson, but for Maiden, Bruce was the catalyst they needed, the mussing link to take them all the way to the top. He had the look and the voice that was perfect for Steve's vision. The band exploded and went on to become on of the biggest, most loved and respected bands in metal history. Would any of this have been realistically achievable with DiAnno? I suppose we will never know, but with the confident, charismatic and most importantly, impressively talented Dickinson on board, the standard was set and the bands future assured.
William DuVall
This was always going to be a controversial one. Replacing a legendary, passionate and respected frontman like Layne Staley would be hard enough as is, but when you take into account that AIC hadn't released an album in a decade and during that time, Staley had died of a drug overdose, it becomes a whole new challenge. It was one that the band, with DuVall at the helm, took head on and silenced the naysayers and doubters with ease. I was lucky enough to see the band perfom with DuVall at the Download Festival a few years ago and it was a genuine "goosebumps experience". Of course, he could be accused of being a Staley clone (if not in looks, obviously), but the point is, he delivers and the band has successfully been regenerated and rejuvinated at the same time.
John Bush
As one of the members of the so-called "Big Four", Anthrax were big players in the 80's metal scene - even managing to break through to the mainstream consciousness with their cover/collaboration of "Bring The Noise" with Public Enemy. So, the departure of Joey Belladonna could easily have completely derailed the band. Enter former (and current) Armored Saint singer John Bush. Bush brought with him a far superior vocal range, which was also better suited to the Grunge era of the early 90's than the higher range thrash style vocals of Belladonna. When this new (improved?) incarnation of Anthrax released the ground-breaking and all conquering "Sound Of White Noise", they took the "Beavis and Butt-Head generation" completely by storm - It has to be noted that getting the "rub" from B&B was in essence a "golden ticket" for any band. The two decades that followed brought mixed fortunes for the band, along with a tiresome "soap opera" farce of replacement vocalists and scrapped albums. Overall though, Bush-era 'Thrax was a massive success.
Howard Jones
When Jesse Leach quit KsE for "health reasons", it shook the band. They had just released the superb "Alive Of Just Breathing" and had caught the imagination of metalheads who has been starved of quality metal in the preceeding Nu-Metal years. They seemed guaranteed to be a break out band and go froward as the next big name in the scene. Replacing a vocalist at this point could have been a disaster. It was crucial that they chose the right man for the job. Enter Howard Jones, a relative unknown. Although he didn't have the ferocity and edge to rival Jesse's considerable talents, he had a very strong clean voice and was hugely charismatic. KsE didn't miss a beat. A string of successful albums and tours followed as the band continued on its path to become a heavy hitter in the scene. A definite success story.
Ronny James Dio
Of all the men on this list, it could be argued that the challenge facing Dio was the most daunting. He was to replace the mighty Ozzy Osbourne in Black Sabbath. Sabbath had an amazing first half to the 1970's, releasing five classic albums in succession. It was the latter half of the decade, however, where things started to go wrong for the band and following three lacklustre albums, Ozzy's alcohol and drug problems got too much for the band and he was fired. In came American, Ronnie James Dio. A man who already had a rock pedigree as the singer of Rainbow. In 1980 the band released the incredible "Heaven And Hell" album which not only rejuvinated the band, but took them to the next level. In the years to come, Dio would record with the band sporadically, but almost everything he recorded with the band was of a high standard, including my personal favourite Sabbath album, Dehumanizer. Although, it should be noted that the Sabbath name itself became pretty much worthless after being tainted by a ridiculous revolving door of vocalists.
There are of course many others in both camps, including probably the most successful of all the replacements, Brian Johnson, who brought AC/DC back from the brink of collapse and led them to become one of the biggest bands on the planet. Also worthy of a mention in the success section are Angela Gossow (Arch Enemy), Sammy Hagar (Van Halen), Barney Greenway (Napalm Death), James LaBrie (Dream Theater), Tomi Jautsen (Amorphis) and many others. Other notable failures include such poorly thought out choices as John Corabi (Mötley Crüe), Marco Aro (The Haunted), Kristoffer Göbel (Falconer), etc
I will come back to this subject at a later date.
Bruce Dickinson
In 1981, Iron Maiden were coming out of a hectic 2 year period of touring and recording. They had released 2 albums and had gone on to play bigger and bigger venues in front of an ever-growing fanbase. Maiden were the new heroes of British metal, and a band most expected to go on to greater things. To lose the singer/frontman at such a crucial point would have derailed almost any other band. But this was Iron Maiden. Steve Harris made the brave desicion to fire Paul DiAnno as he felt that DiAnno was becoming more of a hinderance due to his drinking and erratic behaviour. Enter a pretty much unknown young singer, Bruce Dickinson. At the time, Dickinson was frontman for another up and coming Britich band, Samson. His decision to join Maiden would prove disastrous for Samson, but for Maiden, Bruce was the catalyst they needed, the mussing link to take them all the way to the top. He had the look and the voice that was perfect for Steve's vision. The band exploded and went on to become on of the biggest, most loved and respected bands in metal history. Would any of this have been realistically achievable with DiAnno? I suppose we will never know, but with the confident, charismatic and most importantly, impressively talented Dickinson on board, the standard was set and the bands future assured.
William DuVall
This was always going to be a controversial one. Replacing a legendary, passionate and respected frontman like Layne Staley would be hard enough as is, but when you take into account that AIC hadn't released an album in a decade and during that time, Staley had died of a drug overdose, it becomes a whole new challenge. It was one that the band, with DuVall at the helm, took head on and silenced the naysayers and doubters with ease. I was lucky enough to see the band perfom with DuVall at the Download Festival a few years ago and it was a genuine "goosebumps experience". Of course, he could be accused of being a Staley clone (if not in looks, obviously), but the point is, he delivers and the band has successfully been regenerated and rejuvinated at the same time.
John Bush
As one of the members of the so-called "Big Four", Anthrax were big players in the 80's metal scene - even managing to break through to the mainstream consciousness with their cover/collaboration of "Bring The Noise" with Public Enemy. So, the departure of Joey Belladonna could easily have completely derailed the band. Enter former (and current) Armored Saint singer John Bush. Bush brought with him a far superior vocal range, which was also better suited to the Grunge era of the early 90's than the higher range thrash style vocals of Belladonna. When this new (improved?) incarnation of Anthrax released the ground-breaking and all conquering "Sound Of White Noise", they took the "Beavis and Butt-Head generation" completely by storm - It has to be noted that getting the "rub" from B&B was in essence a "golden ticket" for any band. The two decades that followed brought mixed fortunes for the band, along with a tiresome "soap opera" farce of replacement vocalists and scrapped albums. Overall though, Bush-era 'Thrax was a massive success.
Howard Jones
When Jesse Leach quit KsE for "health reasons", it shook the band. They had just released the superb "Alive Of Just Breathing" and had caught the imagination of metalheads who has been starved of quality metal in the preceeding Nu-Metal years. They seemed guaranteed to be a break out band and go froward as the next big name in the scene. Replacing a vocalist at this point could have been a disaster. It was crucial that they chose the right man for the job. Enter Howard Jones, a relative unknown. Although he didn't have the ferocity and edge to rival Jesse's considerable talents, he had a very strong clean voice and was hugely charismatic. KsE didn't miss a beat. A string of successful albums and tours followed as the band continued on its path to become a heavy hitter in the scene. A definite success story.
Ronny James Dio
Of all the men on this list, it could be argued that the challenge facing Dio was the most daunting. He was to replace the mighty Ozzy Osbourne in Black Sabbath. Sabbath had an amazing first half to the 1970's, releasing five classic albums in succession. It was the latter half of the decade, however, where things started to go wrong for the band and following three lacklustre albums, Ozzy's alcohol and drug problems got too much for the band and he was fired. In came American, Ronnie James Dio. A man who already had a rock pedigree as the singer of Rainbow. In 1980 the band released the incredible "Heaven And Hell" album which not only rejuvinated the band, but took them to the next level. In the years to come, Dio would record with the band sporadically, but almost everything he recorded with the band was of a high standard, including my personal favourite Sabbath album, Dehumanizer. Although, it should be noted that the Sabbath name itself became pretty much worthless after being tainted by a ridiculous revolving door of vocalists.
There are of course many others in both camps, including probably the most successful of all the replacements, Brian Johnson, who brought AC/DC back from the brink of collapse and led them to become one of the biggest bands on the planet. Also worthy of a mention in the success section are Angela Gossow (Arch Enemy), Sammy Hagar (Van Halen), Barney Greenway (Napalm Death), James LaBrie (Dream Theater), Tomi Jautsen (Amorphis) and many others. Other notable failures include such poorly thought out choices as John Corabi (Mötley Crüe), Marco Aro (The Haunted), Kristoffer Göbel (Falconer), etc
I will come back to this subject at a later date.
Sunday, 4 March 2012
The Replacements - Part 1: The Failures
This is the intro to the new idea I have had of looking at replacement vocalists, and the impact it had on bands involved. The replacement of band members is obviously very commonplace in the metal world, but the success and fortunes of the bands involve vary hugely. There have been many cases where a band has gone onto bigger and better things...completely outstripping their achievements prior to the introduction of a new member. It sometimes seems as though the missing piece has been slotted in, like the chemistry was lacking something. of course, there is also the flipside, where a band loses a key member, and never seem to be the same again. It can be that the fans of some bands (yes, Maiden, I'm looking at you) are so single-minded and obsessive that they won't allow someone they consider to be below par into the band, but it can also be that the original member was just so important (be it due to talent, charisma, etc), that they can never be convincingly replaced.
Anyway, in the next two parts. I will share my thoughts on the bands I consider to fit into one of the two camps - for right or wrong. This is by no means an exhaustive list. I have included mainly bands that I am a fan of . It would also be an incredibly daunting task and one that I don't feel I could dedicate myself to.
Below, I take a look at some of the perceived replacement failures. Decisions that proved for the most part, to be catastrophic for the bands concerned.
Blaze Bayley
I don't think there is anyone who could say, with all honesty, that Blaze was the right choice for Iron Maiden. I want to start here by saying that I liked (and still like) the two Blaze-era Maiden albums, and "The X-Factor" (oh, the irony!) still ranks among my all-time favourite albums, Maiden or otherwise. But, and here is the "but". He wasn't the ideal replacement for a frontman of the high calibre of Bruce Dickinson, who not only had a formidable vocal range, but was also hugely charismatic and outspoken in the press. To be honest, I don't really think there was anyone who could have fitted in to Maiden as a true replacement for Bruce. That isn't to say that there aren't aren't other highly talented vocalist out there, but Bruce is a one-of-a-kind, all rounder, perfect for Steve Harris' bold vision. For people to level all the blame on Blaze, however, is not only completely unfair, but also very wide of the mark. Let's look at the facts here. Who is the main man in Iron Maiden, the shot caller? Steve. Who writes the majority of the material? Steve. Who self-produced the Blaze-era albums? Steve. Who chose Blaze for the band? Steve. Despite all this, the fans just wanted another Bruce. A clone. Blaze didn't stand a chance.
Tim "Ripper" Owens
This unfortunate individual has the dubious honour to have failed in two well-established and popular metal acts, Judas Priest and Iced Earth. The reasons for Tim's failure to succeed Rob Halford in Priest are obvious. He certainly wasn't lacking in the vocal department (quite the opposite in fact) and was even the singer in a Judas Priest tribute act, which incidentally, is how he landed the job. No, his problem was, and is, a distinct lack of personality, both on stage and off. Add to that, some of the woeful songwriting on the "Jugulator" and "Demolition" albums, and you see that Rob wasn't just a powerful voiced and charismatic frontman, he also held a major songwriting position in the band. OK, to say that he was a failure in Iced Earth is a little harsh. The albums he sang on were mainly lacking in song quality, which was certainly not a failing from Tim. He just never seemed to quite fit in. To me he sounded like a Rob Halford clone (something he never was in Priest as it happens) singing in Iced Earth. So, as soon as (mainman) Jon Schaffer saw the opportunity to re-recruit former vocalist Matt Barlow, Tim was unceremoniously shown the door. With his obvious talents, I only hope that Tim finds the perfect outlet and has a chance to shine, rather than to always be remembered as a replacement vocalist. He is capable of, and deserves to be so much more.
Johnny Solinger
You would be rightly forgiven for saying, "who?" at this point. Therein lies the problem. Before the departure of Sebastian Bach, Skid Row were a great band and should have gone on to be one of the upper echelon in the rock heirachy.Sadly, due to his apparent diva-like behaviour, Bach was fired from the band (and went on to do very little of any note for over a decade), and was replaced by Johnny Solinger. Again, for me, the problem here is in the (lack of) songs. Both of the Solinger-fronted albums to date have been largely forgettable, plodding, standard hard rock. Neither are without their standout moments, but both are lacking the punch of the earlier material. This is notable both in vocal delivery and attitude, as well as the previously mentioned drop in writing quality. The band is destined to be largely forgotten about or to be looked upon as a poor Skid Row tribute act.
Derrick Green
The first point I would like to make here, is that all it would have taken to avoid the treatment of Derrick, and of Sepultura in general, is a name change. This is more than just a replacement of vocalist as for the most part, the band's style has also changed drastically. The band that started as a death/thrash act in the 1980's and morphed into more a modern metal band in the 90's, now have their feet firmly planted in hardcore territory. Almost gone are the thrash riffs and "tribal" influences. It was a shaky start with the patchy "Against" which seemed unsure of what it wanted to be. It had a flat production and the songs on offer were for the most part, forgettable. The follow up album, "Nation" turned the fortunes around (albeit, briefly) - coming out swinging with a clutch of great songs, a fantastic performance by Derrick and the all important attitude needed to show people that the band still mattered. Unfortunately it seemed that this was an anomaly, as the the decade that followed was far from kind to a band struggling to escape from the shadow of Max Cavalera. In 2011, the band released the thrashier, edgier, ballsier sounding "Kairos", which has made huge inroads towards recapturing the bands former glory. Only time will tell now how Sepultura will be remembered. Will the next album be as good as Kairos or was it another case of "smoke and mirrors"? If you want to judge this from a firmly name-based standpoint, then yes, Sepultura are certainly a failure and are not the band they once were. However, as a purely musical entity, they are a different, but a not entirely awful prospect for those willing to listen with an open mind...just leave your preconceptions of what Sepultura is at the door.
In part 2 I will look at the successes. The bands that took their sound to the next stage or those who just experienced a massive surge in popularity.
Anyway, in the next two parts. I will share my thoughts on the bands I consider to fit into one of the two camps - for right or wrong. This is by no means an exhaustive list. I have included mainly bands that I am a fan of . It would also be an incredibly daunting task and one that I don't feel I could dedicate myself to.
Below, I take a look at some of the perceived replacement failures. Decisions that proved for the most part, to be catastrophic for the bands concerned.
Blaze Bayley
I don't think there is anyone who could say, with all honesty, that Blaze was the right choice for Iron Maiden. I want to start here by saying that I liked (and still like) the two Blaze-era Maiden albums, and "The X-Factor" (oh, the irony!) still ranks among my all-time favourite albums, Maiden or otherwise. But, and here is the "but". He wasn't the ideal replacement for a frontman of the high calibre of Bruce Dickinson, who not only had a formidable vocal range, but was also hugely charismatic and outspoken in the press. To be honest, I don't really think there was anyone who could have fitted in to Maiden as a true replacement for Bruce. That isn't to say that there aren't aren't other highly talented vocalist out there, but Bruce is a one-of-a-kind, all rounder, perfect for Steve Harris' bold vision. For people to level all the blame on Blaze, however, is not only completely unfair, but also very wide of the mark. Let's look at the facts here. Who is the main man in Iron Maiden, the shot caller? Steve. Who writes the majority of the material? Steve. Who self-produced the Blaze-era albums? Steve. Who chose Blaze for the band? Steve. Despite all this, the fans just wanted another Bruce. A clone. Blaze didn't stand a chance.
Tim "Ripper" Owens
This unfortunate individual has the dubious honour to have failed in two well-established and popular metal acts, Judas Priest and Iced Earth. The reasons for Tim's failure to succeed Rob Halford in Priest are obvious. He certainly wasn't lacking in the vocal department (quite the opposite in fact) and was even the singer in a Judas Priest tribute act, which incidentally, is how he landed the job. No, his problem was, and is, a distinct lack of personality, both on stage and off. Add to that, some of the woeful songwriting on the "Jugulator" and "Demolition" albums, and you see that Rob wasn't just a powerful voiced and charismatic frontman, he also held a major songwriting position in the band. OK, to say that he was a failure in Iced Earth is a little harsh. The albums he sang on were mainly lacking in song quality, which was certainly not a failing from Tim. He just never seemed to quite fit in. To me he sounded like a Rob Halford clone (something he never was in Priest as it happens) singing in Iced Earth. So, as soon as (mainman) Jon Schaffer saw the opportunity to re-recruit former vocalist Matt Barlow, Tim was unceremoniously shown the door. With his obvious talents, I only hope that Tim finds the perfect outlet and has a chance to shine, rather than to always be remembered as a replacement vocalist. He is capable of, and deserves to be so much more.
Johnny Solinger
You would be rightly forgiven for saying, "who?" at this point. Therein lies the problem. Before the departure of Sebastian Bach, Skid Row were a great band and should have gone on to be one of the upper echelon in the rock heirachy.Sadly, due to his apparent diva-like behaviour, Bach was fired from the band (and went on to do very little of any note for over a decade), and was replaced by Johnny Solinger. Again, for me, the problem here is in the (lack of) songs. Both of the Solinger-fronted albums to date have been largely forgettable, plodding, standard hard rock. Neither are without their standout moments, but both are lacking the punch of the earlier material. This is notable both in vocal delivery and attitude, as well as the previously mentioned drop in writing quality. The band is destined to be largely forgotten about or to be looked upon as a poor Skid Row tribute act.
Derrick Green
The first point I would like to make here, is that all it would have taken to avoid the treatment of Derrick, and of Sepultura in general, is a name change. This is more than just a replacement of vocalist as for the most part, the band's style has also changed drastically. The band that started as a death/thrash act in the 1980's and morphed into more a modern metal band in the 90's, now have their feet firmly planted in hardcore territory. Almost gone are the thrash riffs and "tribal" influences. It was a shaky start with the patchy "Against" which seemed unsure of what it wanted to be. It had a flat production and the songs on offer were for the most part, forgettable. The follow up album, "Nation" turned the fortunes around (albeit, briefly) - coming out swinging with a clutch of great songs, a fantastic performance by Derrick and the all important attitude needed to show people that the band still mattered. Unfortunately it seemed that this was an anomaly, as the the decade that followed was far from kind to a band struggling to escape from the shadow of Max Cavalera. In 2011, the band released the thrashier, edgier, ballsier sounding "Kairos", which has made huge inroads towards recapturing the bands former glory. Only time will tell now how Sepultura will be remembered. Will the next album be as good as Kairos or was it another case of "smoke and mirrors"? If you want to judge this from a firmly name-based standpoint, then yes, Sepultura are certainly a failure and are not the band they once were. However, as a purely musical entity, they are a different, but a not entirely awful prospect for those willing to listen with an open mind...just leave your preconceptions of what Sepultura is at the door.
In part 2 I will look at the successes. The bands that took their sound to the next stage or those who just experienced a massive surge in popularity.
Saturday, 3 March 2012
Wolfsbane...Save The World?
Importantly though, I don't the think the band recorded the album to sell a million copies. I think they made the album because they needed to. It is, in my opinion, a form of closure for the band after the disappointing, public and acrimonious implosion of the band in 1994. It also has the feel of a band having fun, enjoying playing together again and recording the album they wanted to make all those years ago.
Musically, this is classic Wolfsbane - falling somewhere between the harder end of classic rock/metal (think Skid Row) and the more chorus driven and potentially radio-friendly sound of mid-90's Brit Rock (think The Wildhearts) with a youthful dash of NWOBHM for good measure - but effortlessly managing to sound fresh and not like a throwback or a nostalgia record. It even manages to do this with its flimsly, Moss-thin production.
Influences aside, this is obviously a Wolfsbane record, retaining (or recapturing) the classic sound of the band.
Blaze's voice is instantly recognisable and he is on fine form here. He commands the songs with his distinctive, deep croon. Yes, contrary to popular and bizarrely enduring opinion, Blaze really can sing. Admittedly, his voice is probably more suited to the kind of hard rock on offer here, than at signing full on, balls out metal.
The lyrics absolutely ooze positivity and oddly, youthful enthusiasm, while retaining a hint of regret and sadness - even if they occasionally drift into very clichéd and sometimes cringe-worthy territory - which exposes the band for what they are - A product of the late 80's and a bunch of working class lads.
A welcome addition to the Wolfsbane back catalogue, and a must buy for existing fans of the band of for anyone with a hankering for some progressive nostalgia (of such a thing exists). The bottom line is, that in "...Save The World" the band has delivered a great hard rock/classic rock record. If you are not familiar with the band, some points of reference would be bands such as, but not restricted to the following: Almighty, Queen, Skin, Wildhearts, Maiden, Skid Row and Warrant.
Overall, however, it is an uplifting and energetic listening experience - one that will make you feel good about life. It's great to hear a band truly enjoying themselves and bearing their souls without a trace of cynicism or bitterness.
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