Featuring Tony Iommi

 

This has to be the goofiest title of a band ever. Seeing “Black Sabbath featuring Tony Iommi” is like if “The System Has Failed” had the title “Megadeth  featuring Dave Mustaine. There is no one else anyone would expect being associated with these groups so I can imagine the bewilderment or laughter when metal connoisseurs saw this record when it first came out. It is understood this was supposed to be an Iommi solo record, but Warner Bros. wanted the Black Sabbath stamp on it. With that fact, this is not your typical Sabbath affair with heavy guitars and doom laden lyrics. It actually has more an eighties feel which works at times and also does not while also showing Iommi’s blues background. The addition of another former Deep Purple singer, Glen Hughes, is welcomed and delivers a great performance. A deluxe edition was made available in 2010 and features a concert from the Hammersmith Odeon in England with Ray Gillen on vocals and it all bundles up as a nice package capturing a tumultuous period in Black Sabbath.

In addition to Hughes, Iommi armed the rest of the band with a couple of young guns in drummer Eric Singer and bassist Dave Spitz as Geezer Butler had enough and Bill Ward could not be found. The combination of the four all lead to this varied selection of songs on “Seventh Star.”

To all the hardened fans that keep a skeptical eye on this product, I urge to remove the veils and take this for what it is. This album is not going to conjure up memories of “Sabotage” or “Heaven and Hell”, but it holds up well in the lengthy and varied Sabbath discography.

“In for the Kill” is quite literally the killer opener with a low riff and Hughes declaring his prey by commanding “Thunder shattered the dawn.” This bit of lyric tingles the senses and I love the way Hughes delivers the lines. In fact, Hughes delivers an awesome performance on this record. The way he laments on “In Memory…” and conjures up images of ancient Egypt in the title track is remarkable and is attention grabbing.

This is all possible because of the other major player and who this record features in the guitar god himself with Iommi. It is hard not to appreciate the riffs on display and the song arrangements leave plenty of room for Hughes to do his magic. The title track stands out as a top song because of the gloomy atmosphere and once the background hymns kick in with the chorus; it never fails to send a shiver up my spine. Iommi lets his blues background shine in “Heart Like a Wheel” and the combo to round out the album in “Angry Heart” and “In Memory…” leave memorable guitar parts. The former also has some acceptable keyboard parts provided by Geoff Nicholls and the build-up of the riff to the vocal lines is impressive. I love the contrast provided as it segues into “In Memory…” with the depressing acoustic guitar and the way Hughes says “It’s still haunting me” really makes the listener feel his pain and regret.

The only clunker is “No Stranger to Love” with its cheesy synths, cheesier lyrics, and sounds very eighties. This has no place on a Sabbath record, Iommi record, or any record for that matter. The guys are much more capable than this. Funny enough, this deluxe edition includes a bonus track of this song presented as an alternate version. The song is worthless in both formats, but the music video is good for a chuckle.

The other songs that resemble the eighties are “Turn to Stone” and “Danger Zone.” They are both straight ahead rockers that some would say have a glam edge, but the songs have some delicious riffs. “Danger Zone” is the stronger song due to some awesome drumming by Singer and complimented by a trademark solo by Iommi. The way the guitar jumps out the riff in the middle is a nice touch added.

“Seventh Star’s” second disc is a concert taken from the Hammersmith Odeon with Gillen on vocals along with Spitz and Singer. Gillen took over for Hughes because of his massive drug problem and he suffered an injury which caused him to not be able to sing very well. This concert is basically a glorified bootleg, so the sound isn’t strong, but it is nice to have Gillen featured on a Sabbath release and the guy has a great voice.

Gillen has the energy and passion of Ronnie James Dio, but he also can conjure up demons and doom like Ozzy Osbourne could. He sounds more natural on the Dio songs as songs like “Mob Rules” and “Neon Knight” seems more suited to his style. However, on the tracks “War Pigs” and “Black Sabbath” he sings with a higher tone because of his wide range, but he makes it work and keep the spirit of the original intact. In fact, his performance on “Black Sabbath” is remarkable because he sounds strangely similar to Osbourne in the beginning and the way his voice changes with a slight growl in when the song picks up shows he can be very diverse.

This extra concert is also a neat extra because you can hear two songs that will most likely not be heard in concert again in “Danger Zone” and “Seventh Star.” They work well in the live setting, especially the latter song. The keyboards are also more prominent in these songs as well as the whole concert.

Black Sabbath was in a time of great change in this period, but it still results in a good album. It is not Iommi’s best, but it has a lot of strong songs to take great enjoyment too. The deluxe edition also has plenty of pictures and the story of how this record came to be. The live concert with Gillen should provide extra incentive to procure this copy. The sound has been improved a little bit, though the bass could have been nudged up, but the sound levels are consistent and retain its balance. This would not the last collaboration between Hughes and Iommi as his guitar playing along with Hughes’ voice are a perfect match. The title on the cover is strange, but any Sabbath fan should take a dive into this album that features Tony Iommi.

Reborn Again

 

Black Sabbath was back into rebuilding mode after the mighty Ronnie James Dio and drummer Vinny Appice left the band due to some miscommunication and poor handling of the “Live Evil” album. Tony Iommi went into his bag of tricks and turned heads with the announcement of Ian Gillan coming into the Sabbath fold. Purple and black mixed together sounded intriguing and it culminated in the release of “Born Again” with the one of the most infamous artwork ever created. The demon baby from hell is definitely eye catching and may also induce vomiting, like Gillan stated when talking about the cover. Finally, after all these years of trying to find a reliable copy, a deluxe edition was bestowed upon the masses in 2011 with the baby in all its glory along with a studio outtake and a live show from the Reading Festival in 1983.

The most noticeable aspect of the original release of “Born Again” was the poor production which had a very flat sound and muddy guitars. The deluxe edition remedies the problem as much as it could as the original tapes could not be found, but there are some noticeable improvements as each instrument is distinguished as the drums give a sharper snap, bass lines are  recognized, and Iommi’s guitar is clearer.

As for the songs themselves, it’s like Sabbath received a shot to the system. Ozzy Osbourne and Dio never really used their voices wildly like Gillan does here. He carries an attitude and does not use his screams judiciously. In the opening moments of “Trashed”, Gillan sends a shriek to announce that he means business. The track itself is a solid opener featuring a driving riff with Gillan seeming to enjoy himself singing about how he took Bill Ward’s car for a joyride and wrecked it.

Iommi pays back Gillan’s eagerness by conjuring up some of his most sinister riffs. The crashing cymbal and snare provided by Ward act as a crescendo to Iommi’s hellish guitar in “Disturbing the Priest.” Gillan laughs like a madman and provides some vocal theatrics to one of the standout tracks. Iommi provides another gem with the most famous song from this album, “Zero the Hero.” The song seems like the successor to “Iron Man” as they both have that signature riff, interesting characters, and are very memorable.

The meld of Deep Purple and Sabbath comes into play with the final tracks “Hot Line” and “Keep it Warm.” The titles don’t exactly seem something one would see on a Black Sabbath album, but with Gillan penning the lyrics, there are some tongue-in-cheek sexual moments, but it works well with the content. Iommi lets the blues roll on the latter track featuring a great jam at the end with him, Geezer Butler, and Ward letting it fly. “Hot Line” has the as expected energetic vocal performance and a very catchy riff to knock your head to. Iommi nails down a gritty solo to round out a very cool song.

The only truly weak song is the goofy titled “Digital Bitch.” The vocal lines are weak and the guitar isn’t as strong. It does not help both as the chorus is not memorable and hearing Gillan sing these lyrics as well as the song title is too silly to take seriously. The title track also just falls short of being very memorable as it has a slow, dooming atmosphere, but it does not go anywhere. It has potential, but a stronger chorus and more interesting instrumentation could have helped. The last bit of quibbles is the two little tracks of sound effects in “Stonehenge” and “The Dark.” “Stonehenge” has eerie effects similiar to "E5150", and then segues into “Disturbing the Priest”, but serves little purpose and “The Dark” is some low, strange noises that transition into “Zero the Hero.” This leaves only seven actual songs on the album.

Apart from the record is the gem on the second disc of this deluxe edition. There is a studio outtake of a song called “The Fallen” which shows Ward flexing his muscles on the drums and the guitar puts together competent notes when it hits the chorus. An extended version of “Stonehenge” is also included and it’s basically three more minutes of eerie, spacey sounds.

The live concert at the Reading Festival is when business picks up. All I can say is Gillan is a beast singing the Sabbath classics. His performances of “Iron Man”, “War Pigs” and “Paranoid” are stellar. He unleashes spine-tingling screams to go along with the riffs in instrumental parts and injects new life to tracks associated with Osbourne. These moments make me wish that this lineup stayed together, but then “Perfect Strangers” would not have happened.

Bev Bevan filled in for Ward on the tour and does a competent job. He does not have all the groovy fills that Ward provides, but he certainly did not detract from the performance. “War Pigs” gives the indication that he knows what he’s doing.

The “Born Again” tracks receive some good pub too as “Hot Line” comes across well, but I was not too fond of “Digital Bitch” in the set. “Zero the Hero” retains oozy guitar and a wonderful solo from Iommi. In the encore, the boys throw a nod to Gillan’s previous band by pumping out “Smoke on the Water.” I could only imagine how awesome it was seeing the Sabbath guys playing a Purple classic with Gillan. The crowd was electric during this performance and definitely gives that feeling of wanting to be there.

The deluxe edition of “Born Again” also contains notes on the album came into being and also an essay by the man who created that darn devil baby explaining its origin and how it was accepted as the design. The live show is worth the purchase alone and serves as a time capsule for that period of Black Sabbath. Any fan curious of this collaboration and looking to finally get their hands on this album should take the plunge into Purple Sabbath.

Magic and Maiden

The early years of the nineties saw Iron Maiden go through some changes. Guitarist Adrian Smith left the band and Bruce Dickinson recorded his first solo album. Janick Gers, who played with Dickinson on first solo album “Tattooed Millionaire”, replaced Smith and then Maiden soldiered on until the end of Dickinson’s tenure. This culminated in an event broadcast on MTV in North America and on pay-per-view in Britain as Iron Maiden played their last concert with their famed singer. However, this was more than just a concert as illusionist Simon Drake shared a stage with band performing ridiculous magic tricks. It all adds up to some very cheesy and crazy moments, but it’s very fun to watch.

The set list consists of 17 tracks covering all Maiden’s career up to that point. Other than taking in the band’s performance, Drake pulls some shenanigans during some of the songs. The most ridiculous and comical trick is during “From Here to Eternity.” Drake’s assistants kidnap Dave Murray and then Drake proceeds to cut off Murray’s hands. When it came time for the solo in the song, Drake walks with the hands onto the main stage with Murray’s guitar and plays the solo with his hands. It’s so cheesy, but it’s awesome.

This Drake character is something else. He is dressed in a leather jacket with a tough guy shirt on and his hair is a perfect do. He reminded of the Andrew “Dice” Clay minus the sunglasses. The facial expressions he makes are humorous as well as his horror magic tricks. He tortures some members of the audience who anger him. The neatest trick is when he grabs a member of the audience, puts a sack over his head and cuts if off.  The devious Drake then proceeds to toss the head to his assistants and play soccer with it. To finish the trick off, he grabs a mannequin's head and draws a clown face on it. He then puts the head in the sack and on the beheaded victim and then voila, the guy has his head back, but with a clown face on it. It sounds a bit silly, but it's sweet seeing it.

With the band itself, most of the Maiden classics are present like “The Trooper”, “Hallowed Be Thy Name”, “Fear of the Dark”, and “Number of the Beast.” It was especially menacing when Dickinson began “Hallowed Be Thy Name” singing on a part of the stage with a hangman’s noose. It was a nice touch and I give much credit for singing a tough song flawlessly.

Some Maiden bites that are not heard that often like the instrumental “Transylvania” and “Bring Your Daughter…To the Slaughter” were a joy to hear, especially the gliding tones of “Transylvania.” I don’t think there is any way the band would want to play “Bring Your Daughter…” live today. “Be Quick or Be Dead” was busted out as the show opener and the aggression is still in place in the live setting. It’s is a really underrated song too; Maiden needs to dust off in the near future.

The last part of the concert is when the cheesiness is taken to another level. Iron Maiden finishes with the song that bears its namesake and as they are taking their final bows, Drake kidnaps Dickinson. Drake then puts Dickinson in an “iron maiden” and kills him! Eddie comes out with a sword and chops off his head and puts it on a spike right next to Paul Di’Anno’s dome. It’s very ridiculous, but it happens except the part about Di’Anno’s head.

The only improvement this special event needed is the sound. The vocals are way too low in the mix for the first few songs and the guitars are way too loud. There were some parts where I could barely hear Dickinson sing and that was frustrating.

“Raising Hell” showcases Iron Maiden at a time of change and at a volatile point of the band’s history. Dickinson sums up it perfectly at the end of the show when he tells the crowd “Well, we’ll see you sometime.” Drake’s horror magic tricks are good for a laugh and some of it is way over the top, but in the end its magic and Iron Maiden. I would definitely watch that on pay-per-view.

Singled Out

 

 

Yes, the title of this review is a terrible pun, but the collection presented today is anything but. Judas Priest is a landmark heavy metal band. Some regard them as part of the holy trinity of metal bands along with Black Sabbath and Iron Maiden. Columbia Records celebrated the legacy of this band by releasing their single collection starting with “Sin After Sin” and ending at “Painkiller.” In total this collection has 51 songs presented on 20 CDs. This is a must have for any Priest fan and collector.            

The discs are presented as mini-LPs complete with faithfully restored packaging and sleeves just as they were when released as records back in the day. All the CDs fit firmly in the box and are compact and easy to carry around. Going through the single history of the band makes for intriguing listens by seeing what they were trying to do spreading certain tracks to the audience.

The b-sides on these singles are usually other studio songs or live cuts. The live tracks are fruitful listens as there some energetic performances of “Freewheel Burning” and “Exciter.” My personal favorites were the tracks regarded in my hometown of Cleveland in 1978 with “Beyond the Realms of Death”, “White Heat Red Hot”, and “Starbreaker.” The live version of “Starbreaker” is much faster and has more aggressive drums and “Beyond the Realms of Death” shows Rob Halford’s godly vocals. He is the Metal God for a reason.

There is one quirky aspect of this collection though that I don’t understand. After reaching the singles from “Turbo”, the next ones found are for “Painkiller.” The singles from “Ram It Down” are missing. There were four singles from “Ram It Down”, but none are here. In reality, this really isn’t the complete collection and there is no excuse to leave them off.

Besides that omission, to round out the set are a pack of album magnets to proudly represent Judas Priest fandom on a refrigerator and also a booklet detailing each single and the songs found on each along with chart positions and so forth. There are also some neat pictures to stare at to keep each listener entertained.

Even though the “Ram It Down” singles have been rammed out of this collection, do not let this deter a purchase. It is a limited set and since this came out last year, I suggest any Priest fan to pick this up before there isn’t a “single” one left.

For the Newer Edguy Fan

 

I was late to the Edguy party. I didn’t enter the Theater of Salvation until about 12 years after that album was released and as I was seeking out their albums, I stumbled upon this set which features “The Savage Poetry”, “Mandrake”, and some bonus material featuring live songs and b-sides. Besides the music, the set comes in the form of an old tome with the inside containing golden discs (hence golden edition), full lyrics, and comments from the band on the songs from the two full-lengths.

“Mandrake” is the definite superior album with the operatic bombast of “Tears of a Mandrake”, the epic ode to the great Egyptian kings with “The Pharaoh”, and the acoustic campfire storytelling of “Jerusalem.” The “Mandrake” disc contains two live bonus tracks in the aforementioned “Tears of a Mandrake” and “Painting on the Wall.” The former retains the grand atmosphere in the live setting and “Painting on the Wall” makes for a nice listen as it manages to remind me of “Super Mario 64” because Mario jumps into paintings to start levels.

It would have been a better call putting “Theatre of Salvation” as the first disc because then the best of Edguy would have been featured in this set, but AFM Records decided to go with “The Savage Poetry.” This is the full re-recording of the first album that came out in new millennium and has two versions of songs that were originally recorded in 1995 with “Key to my Fate” and “Hallowed.”

The bonus content has some hits and misses. I don’t understand the need to include single edits of songs as extra content. The edit of “Painting on the Wall” and “Tears of a Mandrake” are unnecessary. The listener already knows they will not be superior versions, so it’s just a waste of space. The normal version of “Painting on the Wall” is on the third disc too for whatever reason.

On the other hand, there are some cool b-sides to discover. “For a Trace of Life” is ballad and it’s a little depressing with the lyrics and melancholic acoustic guitar line. “But Here I Am” sounds like it was recorded in a garage and is silly with how many times the chorus is repeated. The final one is “La Marche Des Gendarmes” which is a goofy song combining an Irish beer party with Motown. To round off the bonus, a flat, live version of “Walk on Fighting” is included as well as “Wake up the King” live. This live rendition is much more energetic.

If you already own “The Savage Poetry” and “Mandrake” than there is no need to buy this edition unless you are a big fan and want to read the linear notes and stare at pictures. For the new entries into the Hellfire Club, this is a great introduction to the band. I would have preferred the inclusion of “Theatre of Salvation” over “The Savage Poetry”, but as they say beggars can’t be choosers.

Full Crimson Platter

Crimson Glory was one of the leading progressive metal bands in metal’s most beloved decade, the 1980s. Originating from the sunshine state, their silver masks that shadowed their faces was ironic as their music was vibrant with enthralling guitar lines and powerful, emotional vocals of the one and only Midnight. Metal Mind Productions has now released a set compiling their four studio albums along with one EP featuring “Astronomica” demos and also some live bonus tracks from a 1989 concert. This set is limited to 1000 and if you’re a new fan of the band or are no stranger to them, the set is a worthwhile purchase.

The five discs come in digi-packs similar to the limited ones released a few years ago, each with the same bonus tracks featured in those releases as well. The self-titled debut has “Dream Dancer” attached to it while “Transcendence” has a remix of “Lonely” as well as the music video for the song. All the albums were digitally remastered and they sound great. Loudness is not an issue and I found the bass to have a more pronounced effect to enhance the listening experience.

The standouts are the extra live bonus tracks featured in the last disc. While the original EP had two live bonus tracks, three more are tacked on and is very entertaining. Hearing Midnight belt out “Lost Reflection” live sent shivers down my spine and his introduction to songs were filled with vigor. I smirked to the intro to “Queen of the Masquerade” when Midnight spews “This is for all the bizarre, strange women out there.” The thumping bass solo beckoning the crowd to shout “Hail” in the middle of the song added some great interaction for the audience.

A 60 page booklet is included in the set featuring a biography of the band chronicling their beginnings up until Todd La Torre’s arrival in the group in 2010. All album credits are also issued as well as lyrics for all the songs and some band pictures to look that. There are also snippets of magazine articles and there was one that caught my attention for the wrong reason. Seeing as this is a box set celebrating the band’s career, I don’t know why there is part of a magazine article mocking and ripping the band after their release of “Astronomica.” It sticks out like a sore thumb and I have no idea why it was included in the booklet.

“In Dark Places…” is a wonderful boxset and it is great to have their full discography in a convenient set. It is a shame that they didn’t break through the barrier and become a huge success like Queensryche would, but they certainly left their mark on the scene. The price tag might be a little iffy considering it is a limited set, but there are outlets selling these for respectable prices. It’s Crimson Glory though, so it should not be a tough decision.

A Nice Collection

 

Helloween’s single box collection features the eras started by main man Kai Hansen transitioning into Michael Kiske help birthing the power metal genre. The singles contained here are sort of a like time capsule taking you back to the days where roaming record shops for these items was fun and also available. If you are a young listener like me who missed out on those times, then it’s awesome to be able finally have versions of these and being able to stare at the cool artwork when more effort was put into releasing singles.

The biggest addition to this box set is the inclusion of the “Helloween” EP. The tracks are featured on the expanded edition of “Walls of Jericho”, but it is nice to finally have the item and letting the tracks stand on their own merits. “Victim of Fate” is a great speed metal number where Hansen really wails with his vocals, while “Starlight” will always be a favorite because of the little jingle from the movie “Halloween III: Season of the Witch.” The other standout is “Warrior” which has hurdling guitar part and then some aggressive riffing that warrants head banging.

It is nice that some of the b-sides get their time to shine as Helloween have some strong songs that unfortunately did make some full-lengths. The best out of the bunch belongs to “Save Us” from the “I Want Out” single as the sticking riff and the drumming from Ingo Schwichtenberg is very impressive. The Markus Grosspoff penned “You Run with the Pack” is also a standout with some great guitar parts and should have definitely made “Pink Bubbles Go Ape.” By far the goofiest track is the cover of “Blue Suede Shoes”, but it is a fun listen and Kiske puts forth some good vocals for a song that really does not suit his talents.

The box set is rounded out by a booklet containing linear notes and separate credits for of all the singles presented in the set. All the discs are in slipcase form, but are not loose to the point where they come right out. All in all, there are seven discs with just over two hours of music. This is a must have for any Helloween fan and the price for this set is not bad either. Since this came out in 2006, it’s a shame that a second box has not come out covering the last of the Kiske era and the first half of the Andi Deris era. At least we can savor the riches when the pumpkin crew was starting to make their mark.