Remember when life was so simple when you were young? You bought a record and immediately went straight home and listened to it numerous times?Everything else could wait. Not so easy as life gets ........busier.....sigh....
So, I decided to listen to Metal Resistance by Babymetal. It came up in another discussion regarding Japanese metal acts that I was having with some friends and this band came up due to all the controversy that occurred in 2016 when that album came out. I remembered a lot of fans of the genre frothing at the mouth over the band and fans of the band saying that they were a misunderstood innovation in the genre that was absolutely genius. Under that environment and not liking what little I did hear, I just avoided it until now. I was a bit interested to see if the praise this album got for surpassing the gimmick the band has was true at all and having listened to it in full, I don't think it does. Now, there is a laundry list of things that I really dislike about the album. The vocals become progressively grating over time, the production is quite sterile, the added effects are annoying, etc. However, I noticed that one aspect of the praise that this particular album received was that each track was involved in a different metal subgenre which gave the album more variety. That said, I don't really believe that it's a strength in the case of Metal Resistance. In fact, I think it's the album's crippling weakness. Each song feels like a pale facsimile of whatever subgenre it represents. Road of Resistance is a generic power metal track (with Japanese idol vocals), Tales of the Destinies is a poorly-conceived and rather shallow progressive metal track (with Japanese idol vocals) and so on. For a band that is so often lauded for its eccentricity, the actual music is pretty dull which honestly disappoints me. Really, the band's success overall kind of disappoints me as well. The Japanese metal scene is a pretty interesting one to look into and spans many subgenres with different interpretations on them and given some of the favorites that I've discovered, Babymetal's success is mildly insulting for the last reason I stated in the previous paragraph. I mean, why listen to Babymetal's dull take on power metal when you can just listen to a band like Galneryus, Aion or Concerto Moon instead? Why listen to Tales of the Destinies when you can listen to Alhambra or Saber Tiger? Why listen to any of the thrashier tracks on this album when you can listen to late Sabbat or Gargoyle instead? Why listen to Babymetal for traditional metal when you can just listen to the superior X Japan, Anthem and Loudness instead? That's the kicker. This group manages to be a total superfluity in both the Japanese idol "genre" and Japan's metal scene. While some critics have given overly aggressive and overdramatic condemnations against this band that may be exasperating to see, they really do feel like a novelty act who persists entirely on gimmickry.
Well said and I couldn't agree more with your opinions. I am a big fan of many Japanese metal bands and find this gimmick band a complete joke.
Remember when life was so simple when you were young? You bought a record and immediately went straight home and listened to it numerous times?Everything else could wait. Not so easy as we buy lots of CDs at once.......sigh
I remember buying that one on vinyl when it came out. I really liked "Wrecking Crew" from it. I need to pull Taking Over out again and listen to it. Bobby Gustafson and I were in the same band but not at that same time. He's a good guitarist.
Tell me about it. I have stuff piled up that I bought like A YEAR AGO and still have had no time to listen to them. Especially the boxset stuff like the Tulls or Sabbath that I want to actually sit down and read through 'em. I didn't get my Ty yet btw. But have a lot more lined up I want to hear first though anyways...
I checked it out of curiosity when I first heard about them. Not my style of music in the first place but I found the whole fake-put-together-by-a-producer/manager-to-try-ca$h-in-on-a-new-trend kind of thing instead of being "real" to be a huge turnoff anyways, no matter what kind of music it was.
This seems more applicable to our dilemma nowadays?Too many releases & less time to absorb them with? EDIT; And too many re-issue/ repackaged/re-mastered/re-releases of music we already have bought multiple times over!LOL,ohhhhh.........for the simple days again of one release per ....release?
If you have a few minutes report back on the Joe Perry disc. I have his first self titled solo disc and while the music is good, I'd like to know who thought it was a good idea to let him sing. I saw him do a cover of Jimi's 'Red House' at an Aerosmith concert the singing there was pretty poor as well.
Joe Perry covered “Red House”? I cannot imagine that. It had to have been subpar at best. Perry is not a gifted lead player imo. Was Whitford playing the main licks?
Machine Head are getting badly ripped in reviews for their new one, going back to nu-metal like their 99 album. I don't think a metal band has ever gone back a 2nd time to a controversional style change that bombed?
i'll let you know. perry doesn't do a lot of singing on this one it appears. i enjoy the aerosmith tune he sang though "walk on down"
Got this one today...listened to it 3 times already and it's awesome (I am biased!!) In all honesty even after only a few listens it could be one of the best since the original line up reunited in 2000. The Japanese version comes with a 17 track 90 minute live dvd well worth the price!
after 1 listen. this is the best of his 3 newest solo albums. as you mentioned the one from around 2005 he needed to have help with the vocals. the one from 2009 sounds like an half hearted attempt to make an old school aerosmith album since the new aerosmith album was taking too long to make. i think 2-3 songs on that were actually songs originally suppose to be for the aerosmith album that was stalled. this new album though is great. very bluesy and rugged sounding. perry only sings on 1 song, although honestly he could have done another song or 2. its very layered with guitar and percussion. perry had mentioned something about he was possibly going to make an instrumental album but then some of his buddies showed up and helped write lyrics for the songs and then did the vocals too. i want to say to me perry is the one in aerosmith who seems to enjoy creating new music. the rest of them seem to pretty much be on the aerosmith train except when tyler tried to make a country career. in the last 20 years perry has been on more releases than anyone else in aerosmith 1997-nine lives 1998-a little south of sanity 1999-2000-3 new tunes on movie soundtracks 2001-just push play 2002-2 new tunes on oh yeah ultimate hits 2004-honkin on bobo 2004-you gotta move 2005-joe perry* 2005-rockin the joint 2006-2 new tunes on devils got a new disguise 2009-have guitar will travel* 2012-music from another dimension 2013-rock for the rising sun 2014-merry christmas EP* 2015-hollywood vampires* 2015-donnington 2014 2018-sweetzerland manifesto* *non aerosmith releases
Atomic Opera- For Madmen Only Debut('94) I first got this when released and kinda over time got pushed into the shadows for awhile(reasons already noted in post #6826 & 6828) I forgot how good this sounds IMHO of course Sam Taylor (Producer of King's X) molding a heavier King's X here? I like the Southwestern/Native American look and vibe. From Texas like King's X. Great vocals.Beefy sound for the time.Tight song structures.I like these guys. Though I can't say I would be playing it non stop.It is a nice revisit from time to time.
It would of been the Joe Perry solo project. Mr. Whitford doesn't get a lot of lead time in concert. Interestingly enough, the show was at Alpine Valley WI, with the Black Crowes opening up. On the Crowes video Hard to Handle (what a great album BTW), most if not all of the sound check and live concert video was taken from that venue/show. Tragically, the same venue played host to Stevie Ray Vaughan's last concert just a few months later.
