Showing posts with label Iron Maiden. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Iron Maiden. Show all posts

Another @#$&! 2015 Top 10 rock albums list: Part 1

Depressing end to a year full of strong records
By Peter Lindblad

Killing Joke and Jaz Coleman released
one of this year's best records with 'Pylon.'
There was no happy ending to 2015 for hard rock and heavy metal. The December deaths of Lemmy Kilmister and Scott Weiland cast an overwhelming pall over a year dotted with peaks and valleys, the June passing of Yes bassist extraordinaire Chris Squire being one of the lowest of low points.

Once the grief passes, and eventually it will, the sun will break through the clouds, shining a light on the positive developments of 2015, such as the grand return of Jeff Lynne's Electric Light Orchestra and the release of critically acclaimed solo albums from Keith Richards, David Gilmour and Roger Waters. And while it appears the end is near for Black Sabbath and the ride is over (maybe?) for Motley Crue, battling brothers Ray and Dave Davies surprised everyone and briefly reunited onstage on Dec. 18, much to the delight of Kinks fans everywhere, rumors of a Guns 'N Roses reunion – now officially confirmed as a go, with a performance scheduled at the famed Coachella festival – gained unstoppable momentum and Phil Collins declared he is back ... for better or worse.

As is the case every year, a slew of incredible rock albums issued forth in 2015, bravely facing a music industry still in a state of flux and fighting for relevancy against tough odds, as a celebrity-infatuated public continues to genuflect at the pedicured feet of Adele, Taylor Swift and Bruno Mars. Here is Part 1 of our list of the Top 10 rock albums of 2015.

Stryper - Fallen 2015
10. Stryper – Fallen: Heaviness is next to godliness for Stryper these days. On Fallen, the Christian metal stalwarts keep thickening their sound and toughening gnarly riffs without sacrificing the sweet, uplifting melodic sensibilities and transcendent vocal blends adored by fans of their '80s output. More lyrically ambitious than past efforts, Fallen finds Stryper taking more risks, while refusing to abandon the signature elements that have always called the faithful to worship.

9. Lamb Of God – VII: Sturm Und Drang: Appearing rejuvenated, with Randy Blythe's terrifying legal ordeal in the Czech Republic behind him, Lamb Of God emptied their bag of tricks on the wild ride that was VII: Sturm Und Drang, proving that the disappointing Resolution was an aberration and thankfully not a trend. The words "controlled fury" get thrown around way too often, but that's what Lamb Of God engage in here, with brawling, savage riffs, titanic chugs and catastrophic breakdowns making beautiful chaos. There is great vitality and energy to VII: Sturm Und Drang, things that have been missing from recent Lamb Of God efforts. Blythe's personal journey out of hell seems to have lit a fire under the band he fronts.

Cattle Decapitation - The Anthropocene
Extinction 2015
8. Cattle Decapitation – The Anthropocene Extinction: Pollution is choking earth to death, and nobody is really doing much about it. That makes Cattle Decapitation very angry. On The Anthropocene Extinction, the extreme metal idealists paint an ugly apocalyptic vision of severe ecological devastation, and their rage at the apathy and corruption of mankind is manifested in some of the most intense, disorienting aural madness recorded in recent memory. And while it all seems to come dangerously close to going off the rails, Cattle Decapitation skillfully orchestrates a frenzied, enormous riot of pulverizing beats, violent riffs and diseased vocals designed to shock and awe. Welcome to Thunderdome.

Iron Maiden - The Book of Souls 2015
7. Iron Maiden – The Book Of Souls: A bit long-winded perhaps, with three songs clocking in at more than 10 minutes in length, The Books Of Souls dares to go places that Iron Maiden has rarely ever ventured. As their approach continues to grow increasingly progressive, resulting in some of the most complex and dramatic creations of their career, Maiden still indulges in the kind of thrilling, thunderous gallops and soaring, twisting harmonies that have always driven their most stirring anthems. And while that's a comfort to their legions of fans, as is the fact that they haven't lost any of their instrumental brilliance, The Book Of Souls also shows they're still eager to broaden their horizons and deeply explore new lyrical themes.

6. Killing Joke – Pylon: At war with the forces of oppression and greed, these post-punk veterans go for the jugular on the exciting, heart-pounding Pylon. Surging with great momentum from start to finish, while enveloped in swirling, expansive darkness, Pylon is a spiritual and political uprising for Killing Joke, a deep forest primeval of tribal drums overrun by modern electronic and industrial insurgency. In the distance, the powerful, echo-laden voice of Jaz Coleman sounds the alarm for mankind, delivering poetic tidings of the peril and calamity that should befall us if we fail to heed these warnings.

CD Review: Iron Maiden – Book Of Souls

CD Review: Iron Maiden – Book Of Souls
BMG Recorded Music
All Access Rating: A-

Iron Maiden - The Book of Souls 2015
Flying too close to the sun is an occupational hazard for Bruce Dickinson, both as an aviation enthusiast and as the lead singer of heavy metal legends Iron Maiden.

Ignoring the lessons of Icarus – the cautionary tale having been recounted by the metal legends on the 1983 album Piece Of Mind – Dickinson and company climb to dangerously lofty heights on an ambitious new double LP entitled Book Of Souls. Somehow they manage to do so without crashing to earth in a burning heap of singed feathers.

Exploring issues of mortality and the nature of souls with a deep intellectual curiosity, the highly literate Book Of Souls is a progressive-metal epiphany – with a strong emphasis on the word "progressive." Whether charging once more into the breach with the pounding rhythmic hooves, galvanizing strength and hot metallic breath of "Death Or Glory," "When the River Runs Deep" and "Speed Of Light" or traveling the winding passages of the glorious "Empire of the Clouds" – Dickinson's 18-minute long, piano-based opus and now the longest song in Maiden's catalog – the follow-up to 2010's The Final Frontier is a daring musical adventure. Maiden has never shown this much diversity or taken these kinds of risks.

With Dickinson, Steve Harris and Adrian Smith divvying up the songwriting duties, Book Of Souls artfully develops heady harmonies, plots out clever changes and subtle intricacies and indulges in the kind of signature gallops and dramatic builds and flourishes that have always been part and parcel of Maiden's sonic mythology. Practically daring critics to grouse about how "overblown" the release is, Maiden throws all of these elements into the chugging, dizzying rush of blood to the head that is "The Red and the Black," the sweeping, cinematic grandeur of "Shadow Of The Valley" and the wheeling, serrated sharpness of "The Great Unknown," controlling shifts in tempo and dynamics like puppet masters. Even with three songs eclipsing the 10-minute mark, Maiden seizes this opportunity to distinctly shape and mold its melodic sensibilities on "If Eternity Should Fail" – dodgy synthesizer intro and all – and the Robin Williams' tribute "Tears Of A Clown," trotting out good, sure hooks in thoroughly impressive displays of song craftsmanship.

Hardly diminished by time, Dickinson's stirring vocal histrionics are forceful and dynamic, but it's his expressive reading of "The Man Of Sorrows," emerging from quiet calm and a menacing undercurrent, that's his most affecting performance here. Flowing twin-guitar leads and searing solos shoot forth like missiles from the guitar armada of Smith, Dave Murray and Janick Gers, while drummer Nicko McBrain offers his trademark acrobatic rolls and Harris takes a more nuanced approach to his bass work – choosing to prod and pull Maiden with an easier touch, rather than simply thundering away out in front.

Anyone holding their breath for a return to the explosive heaviness and raw, immediate excitement of Killers or even The Number of the Beast should probably exhale. While not completely abandoning the identity it's taken them decades to establish, on Book Of Souls an even more theatrical and indulgent Maiden expands what defines them, making them harder to pigeonhole. That, in and of itself, doesn't automatically qualify Book Of Souls a great record, but the fact that it contains music that is consistently compelling and interesting does.
– Peter Lindblad

Inside Iron Maiden: The Paul Di'Anno years

Author Greg Prato releases new book on metal giants' first two albums
By Peter Lindblad

Greg Prato's "Iron Maiden '80-'81" 2015
Iron Maiden's global domination as one of heavy metal history's greatest conquerors continues on unabated.

Still packing arenas and stadiums across the world, jet-setting to far-flung locales that embrace them as visiting royalty, the metal legends show no signs of slowing down, especially with singer Bruce Dickinson at the controls of Ed Force One.

There was a time, however, when a very different Iron Maiden was ravaging England with a vicious "punk metal" assault that spearheaded the New Wave of British Heavy Metal.

This was before Dickinson, before Nicko McBrain and the most well-known Maiden lineup. This was the era of lead vocalist Paul Di'Anno – as well as guitarist Dennis Stratton and drummer Clive Burr – and theirs was a raw, visceral sound that generated two classic albums (Iron Maiden and Killers) and eventually gave way to the more melodic and complex "prog metal" that made Maiden famous.

A new book by noted author Greg Prato chronicles Maiden's Di'Anno years in "Iron Maiden '80-'81," an oral history of the period composed through tons of insightful interviews with producers, band members – including a very candid and forthright Di'Anno – and other metal musicians. In some ways, it's also a history of NWOBHM, with a detailed look at the making of those first two Maiden albums and insider perspectives on why this lineup didn't last.

Prato recently took some time to answer some questions about his book and this volatile time in the life of Iron Maiden. Ordering information is included at the end of our Q&A.

Why did you decide to do a book on the early years of Iron Maiden? Did you feel in some way that it was an era that’s been somewhat forgotten?
Greg Prato: I was a huge Maiden fan growing up, lost track of them for most of the '90s, and then reconnected with their classic albums in the late '90s/early 21st century. And I found myself enjoying their first two albums (with Paul Di'Anno on vocals) the most of the bunch. I started reading up once more on the band's history, and noticed there was no book that focused solely on the "Di'Anno era" of Maiden. Like all the books I've done up to this point, it's a subject that I wanted to read about, but there wasn't a book on the marketplace, so I decided to stand up and do the bloody thing myself. To answer your other part of the question, early Maiden isn't necessarily forgotten (it seems like if you ask the average headbanger what their favorite two Maiden albums are, it's usually The Number of the Beast and Killers, the latter being Di'Anno's last album with Maiden) – I just wanted to read/learn more about it!

You talked about in the introduction how those early albums are the ones you enjoy the most, even though you were introduced to the band during the Bruce Dickinson era. It’s interesting that Mike Portnoy said basically the same thing. What makes those albums so exciting for you?
GP: Two of my favorite rock styles are probably vintage heavy metal and vintage punk rock, and to the best of my knowledge, Maiden was one of the first bands to merge both together (specifically on their first two albums) РMoțrhead being the other band. And this style later served as the template for what became thrash metal. I also always dug Di'Anno's vocals Рwhile I certainly appreciate singers whose voices border on the operatic (Freddie Mercury, Rob Halford, and Ronnie James Dio are some of my all time favorites), it seems like my favorite rock singers are those who don't sound like they're classically trained, but have a lot of personality in their voices (Di'Anno, Paul Stanley, Alice Cooper, Joey Ramone, Mick Jagger, etc.).

Author Greg Prato
You interviewed a wide range of people for this book. Who was the toughest interview to secure and, ultimately, what did it add to the story?
GP: Not many were difficult to secure, but perhaps the most interesting way an interview was conducted was with ex-Maiden guitarist Dennis Stratton. I got in touch with a gentleman through Stratton's website, who explained that Dennis now lives in a remote location and doesn't do email or phone interviews, but what he could do is if I emailed my questions, he would get them to Dennis, who would then record his responses as a sound file, and I would then get it sent back to me! Mr. Stratton was kind enough to answer two rounds of questions that way.

Tell me about talking to Paul Di’Anno. He’s such a big part of this story, obviously. What did you learn about him and his relationships with his band mates from your interviews that you didn’t know beforehand?
GP: It was great speaking to Mr. Di'Anno (who also was kind enough to grant me two interviews, as more questions came up after first round). I wasn't sure how he was going to be going in, because I had read his autobiography, 'The Beast," which includes some pretty darn wild and dangerous stories. But he was a very kind and talkative chap. As far as his relationship with his former Maiden mates, it sounds like he doesn't harbor any ill will towards them, and that he recently had a humorous run-in at an airport with longtime Maiden manager Rod Smallwood, which he recounts in the book.

There’s such a wide range of opinions about him as a singer. Do you think he gets the credit he deserves from not only the fans, but also his colleagues in the business?
GP: Yes and no. Any serious heavy metal fan I would think is well aware of Di'Anno's vocal contributions and importance towards Maiden's early albums and sound. But perhaps to newer fans who may just be discovering Maiden and other veteran metal acts, maybe not – since they've probably only been exposed to Bruce Dickinson-era Maiden. But as you read in the book, just about everybody interviewed has very complimentary things to say about Di'Anno's vocals on those Maiden discs.

Is Paul right, do you think, that the New Wave of British Heavy Metal started and ended with Iron Maiden? And with this story, did you want to tell the story of NWOBHM as well?
GP: Tough to say Рbefore Di'Anno told me that for the book, I would have said that there were other important contributors to the NWOBHM, tops being Def Leppard, Saxon, and Diamond Head (while a few veteran acts that were gaining steam at the time seemed to be lumped into NWOBHM at the time Рnamely Moțrhead and Judas Priest). But after Di'Anno's quote, I can kind of see his point Рthink "NWOBHM," and Maiden is really the band that automatically comes to mind. And out of all the NWOBHM bands, Maiden probably stuck to their stylistic guns the most, and didn't soften their sound further down the line (not to take anything away from Def Leppard, who I think did the right move with the direction they went with on Pyromania and Hysteria).

Reading about Iron Maiden’s evolution in this book, it seems like Paul’s time had an expiration date from the very start. Was his departure almost preordained?
GP: Another tough-to-answer question – you're hitting me hard with these questions! It seems like Di'Anno and the rest of the band were going in two different directions regarding what they thought Maiden should sound like, Di'Anno wanting to stick with the "punk metal" sound, while Steve Harris and the others wanting to open up their sound (which eventually shifted towards a more "prog metal" approach). It would have been interesting to hear what Mr. Di'Anno would have done on The Number of the Beast material, though.

Who, besides Paul, is the most interesting character or interview in the story of Iron Maiden’s rise? Maybe Dennis Stratton, whose relationship with Paul was pretty frosty? They definitely have different views on Rod Smallwood, the band’s longtime manager.
GP: Tony Platt, who produced the "Women in Uniform" single (as well as engineered AC/DC's Highway to Hell and Back in Black) had some interesting things to say about what really happened behind the scenes at the recording session for that song (it was a cover song that supposedly the band was forced to record against their wishes, in hopes of scoring a hit single). And interviewing the producer of Maiden's first album, Wil Malone, was very cool – to the best of my knowledge, I don’t think he has ever been interviewed before about his memories of working with the band.

There seem to be disagreements over what went on in the studio during the making of the first album, at least between Wil Malone and the band. Does he get an unfair rap for the production of that record?
GP: I personally like the sound of the first record! Raw and live – the way most of my favorite all-time rock n' roll recordings are. I admit that the sound of Killers is better, but the sonics of Iron Maiden get a bad rap, in my opinion. That album still holds up well – both sonically and musically.

Whose reaction to hearing that first album or memory of making it surprised you the most?
GP: Well, obviously Di'Anno's, who holds nothing back in voicing his disapproval of Malone's production!

In talking to everyone, did you come away with a new appreciation for that first album that you didn’t have before? Did what someone said about it make you look at it differently?
GP: No, my three favorite all-time Maiden albums are Iron Maiden, Killers, and Number of the Beast, so I've appreciated those early releases for a very long time. I thought it was interesting that Mr. Malone explains that he was consciously going for a "punk meets metal" sound on the album – so it may not have been solely the band's doing.

What was the best Iron Maiden touring story you heard from your interviews?
GP: The late/great Clive Burr filling Di'Anno's shoes with shaving cream right before going on stage, Stratton going out for his birthday with Kiss' Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley, an interesting story by Raven's John Gallagher about getting ripped off opening for Maiden, and Tygers of Pan Tang's Robb Weir almost falling off the stage backwards opening for Maiden…but being saved at the last second!

Everybody talks about the production of that second album, Killers. Was that the main difference between those first two records, or was there more to it than that? It seems as if there was a real sea change in the direction of the band in the aftermath of that first record.
GP: The sonics have a lot to do with the difference between the two. As far as the material, both albums are great from start to finish. But there is something about Killers – if I really had to choose a favorite Maiden album, I'd probably go with that one. Perhaps because there are so many songs on it that have either been forgotten or are seldom played live anymore by Maiden (namely, a song that I always thought could have been a rock radio hit at the time – "Prodigal Son").

What do you think set Maiden apart from the other NWOBHM bands? And do you think the other bands from that era were aware of the differences?
GP: As I said earlier, they appeared to be one of the first bands bold enough to merge punk and metal, and the fact that they became a global success by not shifting their approach towards a more pop direction. Not sure if the other bands were aware of the differences, as most NWOBHM bands followed a similar "punk metal" sound on their debut albums.

What would you like Iron Maiden fans to come away with after reading this book?
GP: With all my books, I make sure the main story is included, but also, I always try and include a few facts or stories that have never been recounted anywhere before. Ever wonder if Di'Anno was presented The Number of the Beast material before he left? What was Maiden up to when they learned of John Lennon's murder? What are Di'Anno's two favorite rock concerts he ever attended? All are included in "Iron Maiden: '80-'81," dear friends!

To read a sample chapter of 'Iron Maiden: '80-'81,' go to: http://www.songfacts.com/blog/writing/iron_maiden_80_81/

For ordering info (and to view Greg's other books), go to:

Turn the radio to FM

Melodic hard-rock favorites return with 'Heroes and Villains'
By Peter Lindblad

FM is Steve Overland, Pete Jupp,
Merv Goldsworthy, Jem Davis
and Jim Kirkpatrick
A band like FM was never going to survive the grunge revolution. They could see the writing on the wall in the mid-1990s and decided they weren't going to swim against a rising tide of record label indifference.

"We, or should I say our whole genre of music, became very unfashionable with the Grunge explosion," said Steve Overland, leader singer for the U.K. melodic hard-rock outfit. "Recording (1995's) Dead Mans Shoes was a bit of a struggle as we had limited budgets. It just seemed to be the right time. There was no animosity in the band. We all still got on. We just all felt we’d taken FM are far as we could at that time."

Formed in 1984, as ex-Samson members Merv Goldsworthy and Peter Jupp joined forces with Wildlife's Overland brothers, Steve and Chris, as well as keyboardist Philip Manchester, aka Didge Digital, FM enjoyed more than a modicum of success, especially in their native country.

They built a devoted following while touring in support of such musical giants as Meatloaf, Tina Turner, Status Quo, Gary Moore and Magnum, and there was that time they rocked the Hammersmith Odeon with REO Speedwagon. FM's big break, however, came late in 1985, when Bon Jovi brought them aboard for the U.K. leg of the "Slippery When Wet" tour.

Through changes in record labels and personnel, FM persevered, penning well-crafted, radio-friendly fare that, for whatever reason, rarely ever made the airwaves. Not even a writing summit with hit-making guru Desmond Child in the States would do the trick. And when labels went scouring the land for the next Nirvana, Soundgarden or Alice in Chains, FM knew its days were numbered.

Then, in 2007, FM returned to headline Firefest IV at Nottingham Rock City, and the crowd embraced these prodigal sons of pop-metal. The experience convinced them to carry on, leading to the recording of 2010's Metropolis LP and playing out with bands like Europe, Thin Lizzy and Foreigner and performing at high-profile events such as Graspop, Sweden Rock Festival, Loreley and Download Festival.

Five years later, FM is following up with a new Frontiers Music release dubbed Heroes and Villains, with Goldsworthy (bass), Jupp (drums), and the golden-voiced Steve Overland (lead vocals/guitar) teaming with keyboardist Jem Davis – Digital's replacement, who appeared on Dead Man's Shoes – and lead guitarist Jim Kirkpatrick.

Steve Overland talked about with All Access recently by e-mail to discuss the new record and share some memories of FM's heyday.

What’s the significance of the album title Heroes and Villains?
Steve Overland: There’s no real significance. Merv came up with the idea for the title, we thought it was great and that’s it. Nothing sinister or deep. Just all the band liked it, very simple really.

In what ways does Heroes and Villains remind you of earlier FM albums, and in what ways is it different?
SO: We’ve always been known for big choruses, huge hooks, [and] melody, but by using modern studio techniques, we’ve tried to make our sound more contemporary and modern. Whenever we record we always try and take what we consider the essence of the FM sound and bring it up to what’s happening now.

With the last record, 2010’s Metropolis, you had two songs play listed on national radio in the U.K. for the first time. How did that affect you personally and the band as a whole? Did you see it as validation that had been a long time coming?
SO: We’ve had four songs play listed on Radio 2 I think. We’re getting more play on National radio now than we ever did, which is great. It’s weird when people, or your auntie, come up to you and say they’ve heard you on Radio 2. We’re not complaining at all. It shows they think we’re still relevant. 

“You’re the Best Thing about Me” and “Life is a Highway” are just such perfectly crafted songs. Talk about the making of both and your feelings about them after hearing them on the record.
SO: Those were two of the last songs we recorded for Heroes and Villains. "Life Is A Highway" is definitely old school FM. Steve had had the idea kicking around for a while. Merv really liked the vibe, and so we went into rehearsals and arranged and finished it quite quickly. "You’re The Best Thing About Me" was another idea Steve had. We demoed it and presented it to the guys. From what I can remember the arrangement is identical to that of the demo, but everyone has put their stamp on it.

FM - Heroes and Villains 2015
Heroes and Villains does not sound like records that are out there today. Like you don’t hear a song such as “Walking With Angels” out there today. What do you think is the biggest difference between the songwriting of FM and songs mostly heard on the radio today? Are there any similarities?
SO: I think we sit perfectly on radio stations like Planet Rock, and they are very supportive, but then they’re not going to play EDM or One Direction. We’re never going to fit in with the Radio 1 demographic. It’s a million miles away from what we do. We’ve been play listed on Radio 2, so we obviously fit in there. We write rock songs, but to us, melody is king. "Walking With Angels" is maybe a departure from the norm to us, but it’s such a great song. We just wanted it to be very simple and organic, personal. It has had such a great reaction. We’re glad we believed in our convictions.

FM went out on the road with some of music’s biggest names in the ‘80s, including Bon Jovi on the U.K. leg of the “Slippery When Wet” tour. What tour did you enjoy the most and what was the worst?
SO: The Bon Jovi tour was just so good for us. It was right around the time they went global with Slippery When Wet. It was infectious to be around them with all the excitement. I think we were in Newcastle when they heard they had hit the No. 1 spot in the States. They were a great bunch of guys, great to work with. They really looked after us, and that tour took us to a whole new level in the UK.

Since getting back together, the tour we did with Foreigner last year was just as memorable. You forget how many great songs they have. It’s just hit after hit. The band are amazing, and Kelly (Hansen) is a brilliant singer and front man. And what can you say about Mick Jones? The man is a legend. What a songwriter and such a lovely guy. We’ve never been badly treated on tour, but Magnum wanted us to play in front of the fire curtain at Hammersmith Odeon, which left about 6 feet max, if that, in depth, which was impossible and very unreasonable as Hammersmith has one of the deepest stages on the theatre circuit. We had to pull out of the show literally at the last minute and left a lot of disgruntled FM fans who had bought tickets, but it was totally out of our hands. Magnum wouldn't budge. We had no room to play. It was a bad situation, but what could we do? Why they did it I have no idea. We had been doing really well on the tour, so maybe they felt threatened by us. Who knows?

You played your first show on Valentine’s Day in 1985. What do you remember most about that performance?
SO: Our first ever shows were supporting Meatloaf in Germany, but the Marquee would have been our first headline gig in our own right. To be honest, I don’t remember too much about it. I remember we got ready for the show in a hotel on Russell Square. We didn’t use the Marquee PA. We hired a state-of-the-art American system; it sounded amazing, like a huge hi-fi. Did we sell it out? I can’t remember, but I do remember it being packed. I’d headlined it a few times before with Samson, but I always enjoyed playing there.

What do you think made your debut LP Indiscreet such a good record? Was “Frozen Heart” always going to be the big single off that album?
SO: It was an album full of great songs, and although we were never really happy with the final mixes, our fans took it to their hearts and it became the soundtrack to a lot of people's lives. "Frozen Heart" was the big ballad and was actually released as a single twice, but it didn’t get on the Radio 1 playlist either time. I remember it went top 75 in the first week, but CBS had given away some “Frozen Heart” FM radios as a promo item, which was construed as hyping, and we were penalized and the following week, despite great sales, the single was moved down instead of up as a punishment and momentum was lost.

Were you surprised that Iron Maiden covered “That Girl”? What did you think of their version?
SO: Maiden did the original written version of “That Girl.” When FM got together we thought the chorus could be stronger so we rewrote it. The two bands, as are the versions, are both very different, but I like what Maiden did with the song.

You recorded Tough it Out with Neil Kernon as producer, but you had to switch labels. You also wrote with Desmond Child. How did the making of that record differ from the first album, and how did the label changes affect the band?
SO: We produced Indiscreet ourselves with our then manager Dave King. Originally we went in with producer Peter Collins and recorded two tracks, but it didn't work out. We did some initial recordings, about four tracks, for Tough It Out with a producer called Jeremy Smith, but we felt they were not representative of the band and they were scrapped. Neil came in and he’s a very good producer. He got great performances out of everybody and knew what he wanted. Nigel Green mixed the album. Steve and Chris went over to the States and wrote “Bad Luck” and “Burning My Heart Down” with Desmond. They said he was quite eccentric but great at coming up with fantastic hooks. Changing labels was meant to be advantageous to us by opening up the American market to us, but there were a lot of internal politics with the MD in the States and UK. A lot of bands unfortunately suffered because of two massive egos.

FM reformed in 2007 for Firefest IV
What was it that got the band back together, and what’s been the most enjoyable part of reviving FM?
SO: An Irish guy called Kieran Dargen ran a festival called Firefest, and he’d been pestering us for years after we split to get back together and headline the festival. We kept declining, but at the end of 2006 he asked again. We had a chat and thought it was probably now or never, so we signed up for Firefest 2007. We really had no plans past that one show. We honestly thought if 400 people turned up it will be a result, we’ll have a laugh, a few beers and go our separate ways again. We sold out Nottingham Rock City, the first Firefest sell out; it was a roller coaster ride.

Remember, we hadn't done a gig for 12 years and our contract with Firefest stated we couldn't do a warm-up, so our first gig back together was in front of 1,500 FM fanatics, and of course, you doubt yourself. When we got out there onstage I can honestly say it was one of the most emotional nights of my life. You could just feel the audience willing us to do good; it sounds corny, but you could feel the love. I’ll admit to sitting there at the back behind the kit tears welling up in my eyes on more than one occasion. I felt so proud of us and the dedication of the fans. When we came off we were dumbstruck. We never expected a retain like that. It was pretty much immediate there and then in the dressing room at Rock City that we decided to give it another go and record an album. We felt we owed it to the fans. It’s now 2015 we’re releasing our 9th studio album and everything is cool.

Since getting back together, you’ve played with Toto, Foreigner, Thin Lizzy and other contemporaries of FM. How has touring changed for FM? Do you still enjoy it? How is your material received today as opposed to back in the ‘80s?
SO: I enjoy the writing and recording process, but playing live is off the scale. You can’t beat the buzz, feeding off the energy of a live audience. I don’t think it’s changed that much from the '80s, but I think the venues are much better now, especially the clubs. The facilities are way ahead now. One huge change is now you do a show, and it’s up there on Youtube for the world to see before you’ve had time to change out of your stage gear.

Can a melodic hard-rock band like FM break through again, or is the deck stacked against bands like yours?
SO: We’re under no illusions that we’re going to suddenly become “the next big thing,” but we’re holding our own. We’re making credible, critically acclaimed albums, selling concert tickets. The very fact that Radio 2, the biggest radio station in Europe. is play listing our music must say we’re doing something right and count for something.

CD Review: Ruthless – They Rise

CD Review: Ruthless – They Rise
Pure Steel Records
All Access Rating: B+

Ruthless - They Rise 2015
Out of an unmarked grave dug deep in the dark recesses of the 1980s Los Angeles metal underground scene, the raging inferno known as Ruthless arises, releasing their first album in 29 years via Germany's Pure Steel Records label.

The long wait was worth it for the cult that grew up around the 1984 EP Metal Without Mercy and 1986's Discipline of Steel LP, two records of uncompromising, hard-bitten heavy metal that reek of death and decay.

Produced and engineered by Bill Metoyer (W.A.S.P., Slayer, Armored Saint), They Rise is the mean and rugged product of an unlikely reunion between vocalist Sammy D, guitarist/vocalist Kenny McGee, guitarist Dave Watson, bassist/vocalist Marc McGee and new drummer Jason Van Slyke – an old-school, blood-and-guts metal album that's vicious and fast and sounds as if it was recorded in dirty, abandoned factory and left there to die by Blackie Lawless.

As rabid and raw as ever, their tense, serrated guitar riffs cutting like a saw, Ruthless thrashes through the toxic waltz of the title track with tight energy, charges into "Defender" like a soldier full of blood lust and unleashes pent-up emotions in the stampeding "Frustration," with the heavy, thudding grooves of "Out of Ashes" infected with a delicious and gripping nastiness that's missing from today's well-manicured and overly fussy metal.

Solid, rugged and exciting from the electrifying opening power chords, They Rise isn't most imaginative offering to the metal gods, nor does it have the ambition to reach for grandiose heights. Nevertheless, it burns hot, although the chilly, darkly melodic intro to "Laceration" – a track that later explodes with thunderous sturm und drang – and the melodic "Circle of Trust" and "Time Waits" provide rare moments of rough, calmer beauty. Sammy D.'s screams are devilishly evil, and so is the bullish, radioactive riffage and the occasional interwoven dual-guitar leads, all of it reminiscent of early Iron Maiden. They're still Ruthless.
– Peter Lindblad

CD Review: Revocation – Deathless

CD Review: Revocation – Deathless
Metal Blade Records
All Access Rating: A

Revocation - Deathless 2014
Deathless is the album that's going to move Revocation to the top of the class as far as technical death metal is concerned.

New to the Metal Blade Records family, this being their first release for the label and fifth overall, Revocation – having toured with fellow death merchants Whitechapel and DevilDriver – has a lot of living yet to do, their dizzying chops, maniacal energy and frenzied diversity driving such crazed balls of thrash fury as "A Debt Owed to the Grave," "The Fix," and "Scorched Earth Policy."

And yet, this is a disciplined unit, moving together in lock-step, switching directions on a dime, adrenaline coursing through their riffs. Somehow they don't lose the plot in the twitchy, jazz-like complexity of a constantly sparking "United in Helotry," and when they decide to lay it on thick, as they do on the brutally heavy "Madness Opus," they make crushing bones an art form, even as wreaths of melody escape the carnage.

Surging, careening dynamics, fearsome vocals, horrifying lyrics and hammering, high-velocity drums make Deathless a gripping, visceral listen, guitarist/vocalist Dave Davidson leading this team of death-metal demolition experts through its paces and teaming with Dan Gargiulo on brief spells of beautifully intertwined twin-guitar leads that pay homage to Judas Priest or Iron Maiden.

Deathless is non-stop action, every song the aural equivalent of a sliced artery shooting forth well-sculpted sounds like geysers of blood and Revocation scrambling to save itself before it bleeds out. Even the building drama of "Apex" eventually explodes through speakers, as does the simmering, menacing "Witch Trials." This is volatile stuff, but Revocation, like other technical metal freaks Dillinger Escape Plan and Meshuggah, does not handle it with care. It shakes it up like a snow globe and lets the chips fall where they may.
– Peter Lindblad

CD Review: Vicious Rumors – Live You to Death 2: American Punishment

CD Review: Vicious Rumors – Live You to Death 2: American Punishment
Steamhammer SPV
All Access Rating: A-
Vicious Rumors - Live You to Death 2:
American Punishment

Still chasing his speed/power-metal muse all these decades later, Geoff Thorpe has kept Vicious Rumors going through thick and thin – the "thin" part being singer Carl Albert's death in 1995 and Thorpe's own battle with carpal tunnel syndrome, and the "thick" being their salad days of the late 1980s and early '90s, when the band, founded in 1979, was on Atlantic Records back when being on a major label meant something.

Undergoing a renaissance of sorts, having released the critically acclaimed Electric Punishment in 2013, Vicious Rumors is upping the ante with a searing new concert album for Steamhammer SPV, Live You to Death 2: American Punishment. Gripping and relentless, with the high-pitched wail of new singer Nick Holleman swooping and diving in and around stampeding double-kick drums, tenacious bass lines and serrated, stinging guitars, the energetic romp Live You to Death 2: American Punishment finds Vicious Rumors thrashing as hard as ever, getting into gritty street brawls with "Towns on Fire" and "Lady Took a Chance," riding roughshod on a frenzied and melodic "Don't Wait for Me" and defiantly pounding away at the Anthrax-like declaration "I Am the Gun," with its ever-shifting tempos and tightly wound riffage that's at once heavy and thick and later lightning fast and razor sharp. As for "Minute to Kill" and "You Only Live Twice," they are electrifying and single-minded in their approach, always on the attack, speeding and raging until their dying breath.

Recorded with startling clarity and richness, Live You to Death 2: American Punishment documents where Vicious Rumors is at right now and where it's been, the set list throwing exciting new material in with wicked old favorites like the surging anthem "Soldiers of the Night." Comparisons to Iron Maiden and Metal Church have always been spot-on, but Thorpe is, and presumably will be until death, his own man, and with Live You to Death 2: American Punishment this version of Vicious Rumors carves out its own identity.
– Peter Lindblad

CD Review: Gamma Ray – Empire of the Undead

CD Review: Gamma Ray – Empire of the Undead
Armoury Records
Gamma Ray - Empire of the Undead 2014

All Access Rating: A-

Wailing to the heavens, as only he can in that dramatic voice of his, the one that once led Helloween to such great heights, Kai Hansen declares, "It's up to you to be forgotten" in the surging symphonic-metal fantasy "Avalon" that serves as the gateway to the Armoury Records release Empire of the Undead, the new album from German power-metal legends Gamma Ray.

Always a potent mix of speed and bombast, Gamma Ray has no intention of being relegated to the dustbins of metal history, not after adding an LP as memorable as Empire of the Undead to their esteemed catalog.

Abandoning any pretense of subtlety, Gamma Ray lets it all hang out on the gloriously operatic "Avalon," a 9:22 shape-shifting theater of magic, deceit and heroism that consists of epic storytelling, soaring strings and powerful, melodic surges of guitars, drums and bass that eventually turns into an angry tempest. The rumbling evil and dark, pounding riffs of "Demonseed" drive a complex tale of a demonic presence looking to spread pain and suffering throughout the earth, while the high-flying "Seven" – reminiscent of Iron Maiden's "Run to the Hills" – takes an elevator down to hell, as Hansen gives a particularly devilish soliloquy. It's a captivating vocal performance that Hansen gives on Empire of the Undead, as he relishes the chance to assume different roles.

Not always so theatrical, Empire of the Undead doesn't end there. The title a transparent nod to Judas Priest, "Hellbent" is a fast, thrashing ode to the greatness of heavy metal, and it is not only sincere, but also absolutely thrilling, as is the equally fast and furious title track, its guitars full of venom that spreads into the hard-charging "Pale Rider."

Full of diverse compositions, stampeding blast beats, aggressive guitars and dynamic shredding, and Hansen's unique and utterly compelling vocal phrasing, Empire of the Undead is completely over the top and runs on pure adrenaline, that is until Gamma Ray tries to be Queen on the overly earnest "Time for Deliverance." That's when this Empire falls, until revived again by the explosive power-metal back draft of closer "I Will Return." Here's hoping Gamma Ray also comes back again.
– Peter Lindblad

Keep calm and ask Alice Cooper

Alice Cooper - Super Duper
Alice Cooper 2014
New documentary on shock-rock icon comes with fan Q&A

Alice Cooper is coming to the silver screen. Hide the women and children, and the boa constrictors. 

Due to premiere at the 2014 Tribeca Film Festival, "Super Duper Alice Cooper" is a new documentary on the shock-rock superstar that's purported to be the first-ever "doc opera," combining animation, archival footage and rock opera tropes to tell the story of rock 'n' roll's first true villain. It will hit theaters nationwide beginning May 30. Here's a trailer:





Wanting to make the experience an interactive one, Cooper is compiling a pre-recorded "Keep Calm & Go Ask Alice" Q&A that will run following each theatrical screening. Fans are being asked to go to www.SuperDuperAliceCooper.com (click the "Keep Calm and Go Ask Alice" graphic) and ask the man himself whatever questions they want, as long as the submission period runs. He'll then handpick select questions and answer them via video. 

As for the film, it's another Scot McFadyen and Sam Dunn joint, those same guys from Banger Films that brought you "Iron Maiden: Flight 666" and "Rush: Beyond the Lighted Stage." It traces the career arc of a preacher's son who became Public Enemy No. 1 to parents nationwide as Alice Cooper, following his career from its freaky Phoenix roots through his band's groundbreaking, demented theatrics and into the destructive decadence of the '70s, which set the stage for his rebirth as an '80s glam-metal icon.


Iggy Pop, John Lydon, Dee Snider and Elton John weigh on the art and life of Vincent Furnier, a man who fought to overcome his demons, all while trying to maintain the image of his crazed alter-ego, Alice. 


Looking for information on what Alice Cooper is up to, visit www.alicecooper.com, www.facebook.com/AliceCooper, or www.twitter.com/realalicecooper.

Thoughts on the Grammys, Pete Seeger and Motley Crue

A look at a tumultuous week in music
By Peter Lindblad

Pete Seeger died this week at 94
Pete Seeger died, Motley Crue submitted their retirement papers and the Grammys spit on hard rock and heavy metal once again, incurring the wrath of Nine Inch Nails mastermind Trent Reznor. It's been a hell of a week in music. 

And let me just start off by saying that I really hemmed and hawed about writing this, mostly because to do so would give the Grammys credence they don't deserve. I didn't watch it. I haven't watched since probably high school, and I don't plan on watching them in the near future. They have so little to do with music I enjoy that I'm just not interested in them in any way, shape or form.

But then, Seeger passed away, and not long after, Motley Crue finally said what they've been hinting at for a long time, that they'd decided to call it a day. Finding a way to connect all three huge news stories seemed like a good way to kill an afternoon.

So, the world mourns the death of the banjo-playing Seeger, who could someday qualify for sainthood. A folk singer and political activist who stood up for the working man, he was willing to go to prison rather than kowtow to the tyrannical witch hunt of Sen. Joe McCarthy and his House Committee on Un-American Activities. Into his nineties, Seeger railed against injustice at every turn, was a man of principles and sang simple, unadorned songs of rare, rustic beauty, always with an eye toward a better future for the country he loved and its people, especially the downtrodden. 

Motley Crue officially retires
And then there's Motley Crue, who never really cared about the downtrodden as they were partying past sun up and sleeping with anything with a pulse. Terrors of the Sunset Strip in their salad days, these glam-metal hellions lived the "sex, drugs and rock 'n' roll" ethos to the fullest extent possible, and almost didn't actually live to tell about it. They've shouted at the devil, extolled the virtues of their favorite strip clubs and indulged in just about every vice known to man. And their music is loud, rebellious, dirty and played with a street-fighting swagger that, from the very beginning, tapped into suburban teenage longing for danger and excitement. 

It didn't hurt sales that they surrounded themselves with scantily clad women in videos and onstage, set off a scary amount of pyrotechnics in concert and rode fast motorcycles and cars. Boys on the cusp of manhood tend to go in for that sort of thing.

The wreckage resulting from their misdeeds being common knowledge, Motley Crue wanted to put on a show. Seeger aimed to change the world. Both never wanted to be told what to do, and when institutions and authorities tried, they balked at attempts to shut them up. Musicians and artists, at least the good ones, are like that. 

Not surprisingly, critics have differing opinions about the bodies of work left they've accumulated. Not that Vince Neil cared one jot about what they had to say about Crue's music. Rightly, after the announcement was made that Crue was going to dissolve their long-lasting partnership after one last tour, Neil declared that Crue is, and always was, a "fan band," that they didn't make music for critics or to garner awards. Of course, every band the critics hate has to say that. 

Still, there's more than just a kernel of truth in that statement. Crue's fashion sense was something out of the movie "The Warriors" or Adam Ant's nightmares, but their songwriting, especially those bad-boy ballads, certainly had an audience, and a big one at that. In that way, Crue was a band of the people, and the salt-of-the-earth Seeger was nothing if not a man of the people, critics be damned.

As for the Grammys, there are some people they just don't care for. And Sunday night's telecast of the awards proved that they would rather not have anything to do with hard rock and heavy metal. Sure, Black Sabbath won the award for "Best Metal Performance," and it's hard to gripe about the nominees in that category, but wouldn't it have been nice to see Sabbath perform or even simply just accept their award? The point's been made by many that Metallica and Lang Lang doing "One" was an inspired pairing, even if it didn't come off all that well, and as others have also remarked, Metallica didn't put out any new music this year. 

So, what were they doing there? Did somebody with some pull say, "Hey, Metallica … that's a band I've heard of. Let's get them on." Isn't that why Foo Fighters are always the default setting when the Grammys want somebody to represent hard rock, but they also want a band that's sort of non-threatening and that everybody kind of likes? 

And then there are the "in memoriam" snubs of Slayer's Jeff Hanneman and Iron Maiden's Clive Burr. In Hanneman's case, the oversight is unforgivable, considering Slayer's five Grammy nominations and wins in 2007 and 2008, and Hanneman's songwriting contributions to Slayer. Burr is also more than deserving of recognition as well. Jesus, he was in Iron Maiden for God's sake. Both bands have racked up millions in record sales, and really, that's all the Grammys care about, isn't it? Just to be fair here, I heard they also forgot about The Dyvinyls' Chrissy Amphlett, which makes you wonder, who didn't they leave out?

Trent Reznor had a few choice words
for Grammy organizers
Anyway, seeing as how they cut to an ad and rolled credits while Trent Reznor and members of the Foo Fighters and Queens of the Stone Age performed the finale, Reznor, in no uncertain terms, let them have it in an angry tweet, as is customary these days. Grammy Executive Producer Ken Ehrlich apologized … sort of, noting that the show was going long and they did manage to run all but 1:20 of it. Okay, but what about all the other stuff you didn't do?

Eddie Trunk gives the Grammys a bit of pass when arguing who's more disrespectful of hard rock and heavy metal, the Grammys or the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. It's not that the people behind the Grammys are doddering old fools who don't know any better. I just simply don't believe that. After being the butt of so many jokes about Jethro Tull getting the heavy metal Grammy Metallica should have won, they had to have learned from that mistake. 

If it is ignorance on their part, it's willful ignorance. They don't want to present the award for "Heavy Metal Performance" during the actual telecast because they never wanted to include such a category in the first place. The circumstantial evidence of that is overwhelming.

At the end of the day, it's pointless to get all worked up about the Grammys. I realize that. Most right-thinking people do, too. Style has always trumped substance with that show, and in all likelihood, it always will, and who needs an awards show for music anyway? On the other hand, why not speak out about it? Why not try to get them to change their ways? What's that saying about all evil needs to triumph is for good men to do nothing? 

All right, maybe that doesn't exactly apply here, but then again, perhaps it's long past time for the Grammys to get it right. With the state the music industry is in right now, it can't afford to shun a rather large segment of consumers. Pete Seeger wouldn't do it on principle, and Motley Crue wouldn't do it because it just doesn't make sense from a business perspective. 


CD Review: Red Dragon Cartel – Red Dragon Cartel

CD Review: Red Dragon Cartel – Red Dragon Cartel
Frontiers Records
Red Dragon Cartel - S/T 2014
All Access Rating: B+

The reports from the front lines were troubling. Red DragonCartel, it seemed, had stumbled out of the gate. By most accounts, their first show together at the Whisky-A-Go-Go in West Hollywood was a train wreck, with the blame laid squarely on a singer who probably needed more rehearsal time and more rest leading up to the show and less booze the night of it.

This was supposed to be Jake E. Lee’s glorious return to rock ‘n’ roll after a 20-year absence, and all anybody could talk about was how off tune newcomer D. J. Smith was. Some good came out it, though, as Smith and the rest of the band made a renewed commitment to tightening up their performances, and since then, there haven’t been many complaints. Red Dragon Cartel seems to have righted the ship.

From the sound of their searing self-titled debut record, they knew all along what direction they wanted to go. Updating the ripping and tearing guitar work he did with Ozzy Osbourne and Badlands with slick, hurricane-force modern production, Lee has built up a potent arsenal of riffs and torrid solos in his time away that David Koresh would admire, as Red Dragon Cartel roars through 10 songs of slightly darkened, expansive post-grunge hard rock that eats dynamite for breakfast. The slashing riffs of “Deceiver,” an adrenaline rush of an opener that kicks down the door with all the subtlety of a SWAT team, give fair notice that Lee is back with a vengeance, and the snarling "Wasted" finds Lee's mushrooming guitar barking like angry dobermans who've just caught a whiff of fear, while the heavy, swaggering "Shout It Out" has an infectious, swirling nu-metal vortex of a chorus.

"Slave" is a buzzing hive of frenzied riffing, while the sludgy "War Machine" dances and stomps around a witches' cauldron stirred by Tony Iommi and the original Black Sabbath. Filter's kaleidoscopic "Take a Picture" comes to mind when the rougher cinematic ballad "Fall From the Sky" washes in, carrying with it a flood of melody, but it's the soulful "Redeem Me" that brings Red Dragon Cartel back to a more organic and earthy sense of self.

Guests like Robin Zander of Cheap Trick and ex-Iron Maiden singer Paul Di'Anno, plus former Pantera and current Kill Devil Hill bassist Rex Brown, are there for window dressing, and they only flesh out a diverse set of tracks that allows Lee's scorching fretwork to burn. Making up for lost time, Lee serves up an array of tricks that won't break new ground, but they will thrill anybody with an appreciation for six-string agility and melodic power. And in Smith, Lee has unearthed a forceful vocalist whose singing is brawny and masculine.

Chock full of big, roundhouse hooks, Red Dragon Cartel is on rare occasions clunky and derivative, but on it Lee, lured out of retirement by sod-busting bassist Ronnie Mancuso, unloads in such gripping fashion two decades of artistic frustration on anybody who will listen. Still, few may notice those slight blemishes, and everyone should lend Red Dragon Cartel an ear. http://www.frontiers.it/
– Peter Lindblad



Guitar master Ethan Brosh unleashes 'Live the Dream'


Ethan Brosh 2014
Prepare to be amazed! Live the Dream, the upcoming all-instrumental album from guitar wunderkind Ethan Brosh, is due out March 4 on drumming legend Carmine Appice’s new label, Rocker Records LLC, and Brosh’s dazzling chops and limitless imagination as a player and composer will undoubtedly delight metal aficionados and fill them with awe.

An honest-to-goodness guitar hero, Brosh, who grew up in Israel, is a daring six-string acrobat who plays with fire and precision, never sacrificing technical proficiency for flashy showmanship – although his dynamic, fleet-fingered solos, furious riffs and complex acoustic figures are wildly entertaining. Having added to his already bulging bag of tricks, the Berklee College of Music graduate, now an instructor at the school, soars to new heights on Live the Dream, pushing the envelope with supernatural guitar wizardry and drawing up stunningly inventive musical designs that are wondrous to behold.

“Rocker Records and Carmine Appice are excited to be working with one of metal’s up-and-coming young stars,” said the label’s Michael Cusanelli.

They are not alone in their admiration. Mixed by Max Norman (Ozzy Osbourne, Megadeth) and mastered by Bob Ludwig (Bon Jovi, Def Leppard and Iron Maiden), Live the Dream – with cover art painted by Joe Petagno – is progressive and intellectual in its construction, showcasing refined melodic sensibilities and a maturing instinct for developing intricate and diverse harmonies. Live the Dream, an album Brosh began promoting last spring while touring in support of Yngwie Malmsteen, finds Brosh quickly evolving as a songwriter, even going so far as to effectively experiment with flamenco, trading off nylon string and full-on electric guitar parts in a completely unique and beguiling fashion while also employing the formidable talents of Megadeth’s Dave Ellefson in a way nobody would expect.

Brosh used to be in the band Angels of Babylon with Ellefson, who appears on two Live the Dream tracks. Together again, they go nuclear on the track “Rude Awakening.”

“The intent here was to create a heavy, in-your-face kind of tune with a real mean groove to it!” said Brosh, joined by bassist Alex Pierce and drummer Tyler LeVander on Live the Dream. “I figured this tune could use the help of the greatest thrash metal bassist Dave Ellefson! I still can’t get over how huge Ellefson’s bass intro sounds after the incredible mix of Max Norman!”

Brosh is just as enthused about the title track. “I feel this tune defines a lot of my guitar playing at this point in time,” he said. “It’s an epic tune that combines some hard rock riffs that have lots of drive to them. I believe the beginning is a perfect introduction to this record and its dream concept!”

A product of an enjoyable creative process, “Space Invaders” is mind-blowing as well. “Since this is a guitar instrumental record after all, I figured I’d have some fun with writing a tune that has a fast riff and lots of guitar harmonies, etc., etc. … I’m really proud of the way it came out because I feel the melodies came out strong in the end,” said Brosh. “To me, that’s really important. People seem to respond really well to this one when we play it live. Maybe it’s because it has too many nooooooootes!”

It’s a good bet they’ll embrace “Clean Slate,” too.

“The tune started as a guitar only idea,” said Brosh. “It developed through time. When I sit at the edge of the stage and play this tune, it is an intimate moment between the audience and me, regardless of the crowd size. Once the band joins in with a big bang, it really hits the listener hard! I think we managed to capture that vibe very well on the record, too. I have a feeling this will be a tune that stands out for people!”

Below is the track listing for Live the Dream:

Track listing:
1. Live the Dream
2. Forbidden Pleasure
3. Bottomless Pit
4. Knock on Wood
5. Space Invaders
6. Suspicious Exchange
7. Rude Awakening
8. Dawn of an Old Era
9. Clean Slate
10. Silver Lining
11. Up the Stairway
12. When Picks Fly
13. Crying Moon

For more information on Ethan Brosh, visit www.ethanbrosh.com - http://www.ethanbrosh.com

CD Review: Amon Amarth – Deceiver of the Gods

CD Review: Amon Amarth – Deceiver of the Gods
Metal Blade
All Access Review: A-

Amon Amarth - Deceiver of the Gods 2013
There’s a special place in Valhalla reserved for AmonAmarth. Brandishing guitars like gleaming, freshly sharpened blades, the Swedish death-metal war party and Iron Maiden descendants have earned it with an admirable body of brutally heavy wet work.

Obsessed with Norse mythology, Amon Amarth is known for drawing scenes of bloody battles forgotten by history and paying tribute to courage in close combat on rough terrain strewn with stinking, decomposing corpses. Gird your loins once again, because the relentless Deceiver of the Gods has come to pillage and plunder with songs armed to the teeth with beast-like riffage, hell-spawned vocals and strong, dynamic melodies forged in steel that survive massive storms of transfixing sound and fury. 

The squishy, gurgling noises of a man bleeding out and breathing his last after being stabbed is heard right before the rampaging “Blood Eagle” storms whatever territory it is that Amon Amarth must take by force, and it is sobering. A revenge song, replete with the ghoulish moaning of Viking ghosts, “Blood Eagle” is typical of Deceiver of the Gods, thick and intense, but always serving its conflicted masters of shifting, tightly wound harmonies and immense power surges.

Nothing on Deceiver of the Gods has the massive tonnage of “Hel,” a death march that slogs through mud and gore to find the glory of war, if there is such a thing. Immersed in traditional metal and doom elements, “Hel” is a black mix of different vocal textures, comprised of Johan Hegg’s usual hoary growl, deathly background wailing and the operatic histrionics of Candlemass guest singer Messiah Marcolin, who sounds like Bruce Dickinson’s evil twin. Those thick, burly guitars that smash “Hel” into kindling also crush “We Shall Destroy,” and they come in mammoth waves. But it’s the melodic spirals of guitars that lift the soul of that track above the instrumental chaos and violence on the song’s terra firma that really astound, as they do on the pummeling closer “Warriors of the North” and the punishing, explosive “Shape Shifter.”

Known for his ability to heighten the impact and sonic aggression flooding out of his client’s amplifiers, producer Andy Sneap increases the voltage of Amon Amarth on Deceiver of the Gods. Electricity courses through the veins of these tracks, riding old-school power chords into the night. Their grooves are somehow even more muscular than ever on the turbo-charged “Father of the Wolf” and the title track’s furious thrashing, and the melodic parts – see the intro to the fast progressive-metal maze “As Loke Falls” – are assertive and magical, almost spellbinding at times.

The devilishly playful Norse god Loke inhabits this indomitable fortress of metal, and Amon Amarth only encourages him, following his melodic whims and destructive tendencies. Similar in character to previous releases, Deceiver of the Gods finds Amon Amarth sticking to a formula that works for them, adding power and definition to every unexpected, expertly executed maneuver and rich tonality to their remorseless attack. This is a well-plotted battle plan, the likes of which Rommel might have conceived. Whatever game of thrones Amon Amarth is playing, they are winning. http://www.metalblade.com/us/
– Peter Lindblad

Ethan Brosh is 'Living the Dream'

Young guitarist reflects on tour with Yngwie Malmsteen, talks new record
By Peter Lindblad

Ethan Brosh recently toured
with Yngwie Malmsteen
In a duel reminiscent of the Old West, only without the bullets and the threat of imminent death, a brash young guitar slinger named Ethan Brosh recently challenged one of the fastest draws in metal history, Yngwie Malmsteen. It was a shredding showdown for the ages, with both players going down every night in a blaze of glory on a recent tour together.

Throughout April and May, fans of intricate guitar architecture, sheer technical brilliance and face-melting soloing were treated to awesome exhibitions of mind-blowing guitar work from both men, one an up-and-coming six-string dynamo seeking respect and the other a master of the instrument always pushing himself to greater heights. For Brosh, it was a coming-out party, a chance to show a whole new audience what he was capable of, and the sky is the limit for the Berklee College of Music graduate, who grew up in Israel learning classical music and is now a teacher at the school.

And the rest of 2013 has more excitement in store for Brosh, who will be releasing his second all-instrumental album, Live the Dream. He had help from a number of metal luminaries, as the album was mixed by Max Norman, known for his work with Ozzy Osbourne and Megadeth, and mastered by Bob Ludwig, whose work has pumped life into the recordings of Iron Maiden, Def Leppard and Bon Jovi. And speaking of Megadeth, none other than Dave Ellefson plays bass on the record.

This isn’t the first time Brosh and Ellefson have teamed up. They were in the band Angels of Babylon together, along with drummer Rhino, although Brosh has since left to concentrate on his solo work and his other band, the melodic-metal upstarts Burning Heat.

Live the Dream promises to build off Brosh’s first record, 2009’s Out of Oblivion. A few stars of metal came out for that one, as well. Most notably, Brosh traded licks on the record with ex-Dokken guitarist George Lynch and former Michael Jackson guitarist Greg Howe, while Derek Riggs, the man behind all those great Iron Maiden covers, provided the art work.

Indeed, Brosh has been blessed, but he’s earned the respect of his peers. Whether Brosh is blazing away on his electric guitar or working out some complex acoustic patterns, his talent and dedication to his craft is impossible to ignore, and those who’ve seen him opening for the likes of Michael Schenker, Lynch Mob, Danger Danger and Enuff Z’nuff would undoubtedly echo those sentiments.

Brosh recently took time out after the Malmsteen tour to talk by e-mail about his education, watching the great Yngwie in action, his admiration for Lynch and Ellefson and other projects he has on the horizon in this interview:

How was the tour with Yngwie Malmsteen? Has your material been well received?
Ethan Brosch: Finally got back home! The tour has been amazing … it really was. Of course it was difficult on some levels, but overall it was an incredible experience. Actually, the crowd reaction to our material was the best part. Going into it I had no idea how Yngwie’s fans would react to my playing and if I’d be playing in front of many jealous guitar players who would boo me … I was very pleasantly surprised how warm and appreciative people were throughout the whole tour since the very first night in Cleveland.

In what ways has seeing him play live inspired you?
EB: In many ways. I would find some time during Yngwie’s set to be on the side of the stage watching him tearing it up very closely. Seeing the focused look in his eyes every night and seeing how things differ from one night to another and seeing how he deals with it had taught me a lot. I had also asked him about it. I also found it inspiring seeing him always moving onstage 100 percent of the time on every show without getting tired and discouraged at any point. It was a reminder for me to always give it my all regardless of how I feel on a particular night or venue. Also just listening to his amazing phrasing on a nightly basis and seeing how much he improvises is something that I’d like to incorporate more into my own music.

What led to you joining the Malmsteen tour?
EB: My great manager and years of hard work basically. Doing things like this in the music business is a long process with many factors involved.

What’s been your favorite moment on the tour so far?
EB: I can recall a few. Some of them are just random moments onstage where I was realizing all of a sudden what was happening. Seeing people responding so well to songs I wrote in my basement or some which I wrote when I was a teenager was a great feeling. Being back home in Boston as part of the tour and seeing my friends in the crowd was a very good feeling. Also having Yngwie tell me I was a great guitar player after he heard me play on a whole tour is something that will stay with me forever.

Ethan Brosh in action live
You went to the Berklee College of Music. What were your expectations going in, and in the end, was it everything you thought it would be?
EB: We’re talking about something that happened a long time ago. I do remember not knowing what to expect from Berklee at all. But coming out of it I thought it was one of the most amazing experiences of my life. I absolutely love Berklee – the teachers, the students, the never-ending music and the beautiful location in Boston. It’s one of the main reasons why I still live here in Boston. Being back at Berklee as a teacher in the summers is something I really enjoy doing.

How did that experience impact Out of Oblivion?
EB: Some of the material on Out of Oblivion was written as songwriting projects at Berklee. Also just growing as a musician and understanding more of what I was doing and composition ideas really helped develop Out of Oblivion. I also meet Mike Mangini at Berklee and that helped kick start the whole record to begin with actually.

Tell me about the making of Out of Oblivion. What pleased you the most about how it turned out?
EB: This was a two-and-a-half year project that took everything out of me. What pleased me is the result considering I had no idea what I was doing as far as making a record when I first gotten into it. Listening to George Lynch and Greg Howe playing on it still gives me the chills nowadays! My tune the “Hit Man” will probably forever be the tune people recognize me for. And having my guitar mentor Eyal Freeman playing bass on some of these tunes personally means a lot to me. And, of course, Derek Riggs, whose paintings got me into my first love, Iron Maiden, doing my first album’s art was a huge thing! I guess looking back I feel very proud of this record, and it was well worth all the work I put into it.

Explain if you can how the song “Downward Spiral” came about?
EB: I just remember me sitting in the dark on a hot summer night in my bedroom in Israel many years ago messing with my Washburn EC-29 guitar (It’s the guitar on the “Ancient Land” video that everyone’s always asking me about). I remember coming up with the two main riffs. It was only years later when I was recording Out of Oblivion that I came up with more sections and solos to complete it and be ready to record it. Then I had the idea of trying to approach George Lynch to play on it. I feel very lucky he did. He gave that tune a unique feel that only George can bring. He’s always been one of my biggest influences and a guy I respect so much. I’m very proud to call him a friend now. Working on the video of “Downward Spiral” was such a pleasure and will forever be a great memory. I’ll always be grateful to George for helping me out like that. What a great guy.

You’ve worked with George Lynch quite a bit. What do you admire most about his playing and what is it about working with him that you enjoy the most?
EB: What I admire about him is that George is a very artistic person. His whole look, persona, and playing is very different and just so colorful. I think he is the best metal player who ever lived. His attack on the strings is the coolest and most aggressive I’ve heard. It’s aggressive but with so much style. George is also a player who works 100 percent on instinct and has a true rock ‘n’ roll approach. His phrasing is so musical, different and beautiful. Not to mention his never-ending search for the perfect tone and how great it always sounded over the years. These are the type of things I’m trying to take away from these great players and bring to the new generation instead of just ripping off all the shred licks from these guys.

Ethan Brosh playing at Berklee
Now that you are off the road, what are your plans? Will you be heading into the studio again? What will the material be like, if you have indeed started on it already?
EB: Well I just finished my second instrumental record which will be released later on this year. I’ve been working on it for the past two years. It’s called Live the Dream. I had pre-release copies available on the Yngwie tour exclusively. I’m very happy to have had Dave Ellefson from Megadeth play bass on some of the record – having the greatest mastering guy of all-time, Bob Ludwig, master it. And convincing the great Max Norman to come out of retirement and mix the record! Max produced the first three Ozzy records and all the classic Megadeth records. We had a great time working together! I feel like Live the Dream takes things to the next level after Out of Oblivion. Many more things to come, the full length record of Burning Heat we’re working on. Maybe some instructional DVDs, more touring and hopefully me finally being the guitar player of one of the biggest 80s metal groups I grew up on. That’s something that I really want to do and I’m ready to go!

Is there any news on Angels of Babylon?
EB: Angels of Babylon will be releasing its second record soon on Scarlet records in Italy. I played lead guitar and nylon strings guitar on that record. I feel like it’s some of my best lead work to date. I have recently parted ways with AOB on good terms to focus more on my solo career and Burning Heat.

What was the studio experience like with Angels of Babylon? How different was it from the recording of Out of Oblivion?
EB: The Angels of Babylon records were very different than Out of Oblivion and Live the Dream. On the AOB stuff all I did was play just lead guitar and nylon strings guitar. Everything else was taken care of by Rhino pretty much. With my instrumental records all the writing, producing, recordings, etc. etc., was on me, so of course, it was a lot more work. Either way I like all these records.

Talk about working with Dave Ellefson.
EB: I love working with Dave Ellefson. There are very few bass players that I feel really understand the style and have the right approach, not to mention the tone. Dave is a legend without a doubt and it’s always a pleasure working with him. We were in Angels of Babylon together. I played a solo on one of his F5 band’s songs. He just recently played on my record Live the Dream. I hope to continue and do lots more work with Dave ‘cause I think we can do some really great things together. I also love how professional he is as far as communicating and working. There’s no BS with him, and I love that because that’s what I aspire to be like myself. I’m also learning a lot from him about the business … great guy and a great friend.

What were your favorite songs on the Kingdom of Evil album?
EB: Kingdom of Evil has a lot of great songs on it – “Oh How the Mighty had Fallen,” “Conspiracy Theory,” “Tear Out My Heart” and the title track are some of the obvious ones. I think all the songs are great on that record honestly.

Can we expect an “Ethan Brosh Yngwie Malmsteen” collaboration down the road?

EB : Only time will tell, All I can say is I hope so! I’d like to take the opportunity to thank all my fans because I love them all. I’d like to thank anyone who took the time to read this interview and check out my music. That’s what it’s all about for me.