Should I add Volbeat to the list? http://www.uberrock.co.uk/cd-review...blvd-follow-the-deadlights-nuclear-blast.html "Ploughing a furrow that could be equated as lying somewhere betwixt those followed by the likes of Black Label Society, Volbeat and Danzig - in fact, they remind me very much of Northern Ireland’s own Baleful Creed - in their mixing of doom-edged grunt with huge, crunching riffs, dark, gritty guitars, dense melodies and insanely catchy choruses" Which also marked the debut of Baleful Creed being cross-referenced in a review - as far as I know.
Concerning the Sword - Start with "Age of Winters" it is their masterpiece. If you like that style I would say check out Acid King, Weedpecker, and Belzebong
I feel the same way about Volbeat as I do Smashing Pumpkins...there are days when I go "wow, this is great" and days when I go "what the hell do I see in this band?"
I can see that. I don’t listen to them very often and when I do it’s usually because I’m in the mood for something different.
I just could never do Gary Moore. He can shred, no doubt about it, but the songs always felt totally blah to me. Almost like bad Schenker, which in itself isn't all that great in terms of songwriting (at least after his first few solo records, and even then). Platforms for soloing, essentially. IIRC, a lot of his records had that shouty Graham Bonnet type vocals which don't much for me.
Run For Cover is is his best over-all, but I can see what you mean. I think you could pick and choose from Corridors of Power and Victims of the Future and make a killer disc.
I can certainly empathise with this but his better moments to me are, as RJD might put it, "bloody great." Not having any of the anti-Bonnet sentiment, though, Brude... a staggering vocalist.
Anyone know of a good sounding CD of the album Crusader by Saxon? I own the remaster on the French label Axe Killer and I think it sounds horrible. The drums are very distorted and it's just difficult to listen to overall. I still have my original vinyl copy which I listen to at the house but looking for good sounding CD to listen to on the go.
He is great, and I've liked a lot of his work, but just not one of my favorites. In my head he's sort of the archetype for the mid-tempo metal shouter - plenty of people sound like him, although he does it best.
Can I second this request? I tried a remastered CD of The Power And The Glory which was a nine circle of sonic damnation shocker; a very helpful bloke from the Emerald Isle saved my sanity with an as-new, original vinyl LP and I couldn't believe the difference. The only comparable contrast in extreme 'remastered CD to original vinyl' A/B switching was Whitesnake's Ready An' Willing when the acetate from 1980 is so good compared to the silvered disc it beggars belief at what we sometimes define as progress. (The original CDs of this record are superb, by the way so as ever, the question applies to Biff & Co re Crusader..?)
I think GB's highly distinctive! Listen to 'Hiroshima Mon Amour' from his Alcatrazz days - Oofasuarus Rex!
Yeah, definitely. He is very distinctive, and such a powerhouse. Those Alcatrazz albums were really good (especially the Malmsteen era).
Me personally, I think Run for Cover is spotty, and it lacks a cohesive sound due to it having so many different musicians & singers on it etc. Also I think the remake of Empty Rooms is way too overproduced with all the keyboards etc and is vastly inferior to the original version from Victims of the Future. That being said it has two of my favorite Gary songs - both featuring one of my favorite songwriters/singers Phil Lynott, with Military Man and Out in the Fields!! Plus at the time they released a maxi-single of Gary/Phil redoing one of my fave songs, Still In Love with You that is tremendous, and that is on the CD remaster of Run For Cover. His run of albums of Corridors of Power, Victims of the Future, Run for Cover, Wild Frontier, & After the War in a row are my favorite Gary period. The albums aren't perfect, with highs & lows, but the highs are so goddam high they make my jaw drop. The weak stuff like Friday on my Mind can really ruin things though (if not for that song Wild Frontier would probably be my fave GM album, even with the goddam drum machine instead of a real drummer).
What is it about a fuzzy guitar that just grabs me every time. Here's an example from Ireland - Crafty Fuzz This is some great fuzzed up, bluesy hard rock with fantastic female vocals. The reviewers compare it with Budgie and I get it.
Just took delivery of the new album from The Burning Crows, Murder At The Gin House, and looking forward to checking it out.
Something about Graham Bonnet has always bugged me. His voice is kind of rugged and gritty and, IMO, doesn't suit heavy rock that well. Secondly, he's always looked like a bit of poof with the short hair and sunglasses. Kind of like what Robert Patrick looked like in "Terminator II: Judgment Day". A very similar look. I remember reading that Blackmore got angry with him because Bonnet would sneak off and get a haircut when they were on tour. He never was about the hard rock/metal image at all. I think he was kind of a frustrated soul singer.
Too funny. I agree with what you said, and also thought Bonnet looked like the Judgement Day Terminator dude! I'm not much of a fan of his voice, but a friend of mine that sings in a metal covers band really likes him (for reasons that escape me), so he is not without his fans. I can tolerate his voice if the music is good but for the most part don't like it.
I'm pretty sure that this particular 'man in black' had his issues with almost every player whom his orbit intersected! Whilst the 'Hawaiian beach shirt and shades' aesthetic was, circa 1979/80, in stark contrast to the denim and leather of the prevailing, hirsute hordes, we must acknowledge the Marine spec shearing which characterised the bonces of other, Metal denizens, including venerable giants such as Dirkschneider and Halford (although yes, they were indeed, both infinitely more disposed unto the leathery garb...) Does the appearance really matter that much, however? Well, I certainly prefer the conservative uniform but if you think about it, Bonnet was not unique in spurning that purist look. At the time, I always recall 'Maiden's Adrian Smith who displayed an apparent penchant for the 'Miami Vice' sports casual jacket whilst by the early-mid 80s, Messrs. Lifeson and Peart were 'going short' and favouring soft fabrics (even though yes, the Canadians had never gone beyond denim and some free flowing chiffon.) Vocally and stylistically, I don't believe he was somehow non-ferrous in predilection: his outings with Schenker, then Malmsteen and Vai in Alcatrazz were critical slabs of relatively obscure but buzzing Metal. Then again, I haven't got a clue what he did afterwards so you'll probably inform me of a Gary Moore-esque tie up with a Blues legend but certainly, until the mid 80s, he was a perfectly acceptable character with a unique vocal delivery which to me absolutely soared to righteousness. I know he always suffered in critical circles for having the temerity to effectively usurp Dio after Rainbow's halcyon period but sacrilege of sacrileges, have even heard it said his range exceeded Ronnie's (even though, of course, nothing could topple RJD's subjective impact from 1975-78.)
