A Bitter Taste

It is very easy to believe that this album would be a failure. Arguably, the main cog of Deep Purple, Ritchie Blackmore left because of his unhappiness towards the more funky, blues based sound the band was beginning to develop on “Stormbringer.” The band was just about done after this happened, but vocalist David Coverdale and bassist Glenn Hughes wanted to push on and push on they did when they found guitarist Tommy Bolin to fill in Blackmore’s big shoes. Bolin’s style is more straightforward and has a funky edge to it than the classical leanings of Blackmore. Adding on to that, the cover art is very seventies. I’m sure some people thought it looked “happenin’” and “groovy”, but seeing the band’s faces plastered in a glass of wine creeps me out a bit.

It's evidently clear that Coverdale, Hughes, and Bolin had the biggest imprint on this album because it is a lot more bluesy and funky. Songs like “Lady Luck”, “I Need Love”, “Gettin’ Tighter” have the funky edge and lyrics trying to court the ladies. There is no “Child in Time” or the emotional outreach of “Soldier of Fortune” found on here. In all honesty, I would have reacted better to this album if it was a Whitesnake release rather than a Deep Purple record. It makes sense too because Ian Paice and Jon Lord would join Coverdale in Whitesnake after this.

Amidst all the mid-tempo rockers are some great tracks. The opener, “Comin’ Home”, has an upbeat tempo, driving keyboards and guitar, with an energetic performance by Coverdale. The true highlights occur with “This Time Around” and “Owed to G” as Lord is allowed to show his keyboard skill with an array of notes dancing as Hughes channels his inner Stevie Wonder and busts out an awesome vocal performance. It’s a perfect tune to go strolling through the city streets with. At least, that’s the images that go through my head while listening to it. Another stellar tune is “You Keep on Moving” with a cool bass line and another inspiring vocal performance by Hughes. The somber tone by Hughes and the keyboards work effectively and the middle part where the music picks up and Coverdale joins in makes for a memorable moment. Bolin closes with a great solo and it makes for a perfect song.

It’s unfortunate the songs did not become as adventurous as this as “Drifter” and “Dealer” meander in mediocrity and fail to conjure anything memorable. However, I have to give an honorable mention to “Love Child.” Besides the goofy title, the opening riff is very catchy and manages to hold my attention throughout the song.

“Come Taste the Band” ends up leaving the listener with a bitter taste. If the band had concentrated their efforts on creating more songs like “Comin” Home” and “This Time Around” it could have been truly special, but unfortunately it fails to live up to its potential. However, it is by no means a bad record. If you are going to purchase this, I highly recommend the 35th Anniversary Edition which features remixes by Glenn Hughes and two studio outtakes where you can hear a Bolin and Paice jam where Bolin wails on the guitar more than he did on the rest of the album and “Same in LA” is a neat keyboard driven rocker. You also get the story of how this lineup was formed, how the songs were put together, and what led to their breakup. Even though as a whole, the taste is sour, there are some fine sips inbetween.

The Electric Age Dawns in Columbus

Venue: Screamin' Willies
Date: April 23, 2012

Thrash metal titans Overkill charged into Ohio’s capital city firing on all cylinders in support of their new opus “The Electric Age.” Overkill scorched an unrelenting 90 minute set full of some classics and some recent cookers to whet the appetites of those in attendance.

The set started with the first track from the new album in “Come and Get It” and the crowd responded favorably followed by “Bring Me the Night” which sounded fiercer in the live setting than it did in the studio. However, when the ‘Kill belted out “Elimination”; it whipped the crowed into a frenzy.

Even though his voice has been wrecking necks for nearly 30 years, vocalist Bobby Blitz still retains his whisky fueled pipes sounded great. He greeted the crowd by stating that we smelled bad, but we looked good. I must also add to that I liked that during the solos of the songs, he would crouch in the corner and then coming running back out when it was time to sing again.

The band ripped into “Electric Rattlesnake” which came off really well live and the middle part where the song slows down a bit was awesome. Guitarists Dave Linsk and Derek Tailer were tearing it up and were on target. They played “Save Yourself” from the new album as well and I thought that track was not that good, but found the extra intensity live more enjoyable.
 

The 90s catalogue was not left out either as they pulled out a couple groovier tracks in “Gasoline Dream” and “Necroshine.” I have never been that big fan of the latter or the album itself, but the way the stage lit up when Blitz did the short screams was awesome as the lights flashed quickly which it seem like Blitz was bursting out of the dark.

“Old School” received great crowd support and sing along opportunities and then “Wrecking Crew” almost turned into a wreck as Ron Lipnicki was bashing the drums like there was no tomorrow and he knocked over one of his cymbals.
 

Bassist D.D Verni may be greying around the edges a bit, but he still performs with the vigor and energy required at a thrash show. It was done successfully because someone was carried out of the club for reckless behavior. Overkill rounded out the performance with “Deny the Cross”, arguably their best song ever “Rotten to the Core” and the classy “Fuck You.”

One minor complaint I have is they did not play anything from “Horrorscope.” Other than that, it was a great show, full of energy and intensity. There is no room for fancy guitar solos, or elongated drum mashing as Overkill kicked ass from beginning until the end. After all these years, they still got it and will deliver a spark with “The Electric Age.”

March to Stalingrad

After Accept regrouped and finally realized their longtime vocalist Udo Dirkschneider was not coming back, they enlisted vocalist Mark Tornillo from little known eighties band T.T Quick. Tornillo’s ruff and gruff attitude and vocal style combined with Wolf Hoffman’s meaty guitar riffs rounded out an impressive comeback album talking about nations’ bloodied histories. The German heavy metal stalwarts have now focused their efforts on a single nation and put a stamp on the city named by the tyrant in honor of himself, Stalingrad.

The first salvo, “Hung, Drawn, and Quartered” starts the proceedings off with a bang with a great guitar intro followed by an aggressive riff. The boys pick up where “Blood of the Nations” left off with a strong, thick guitar tone and Tornillo sounds more aggressive in his vocal delivery. He even has some resemblance to the little man with the mighty voice who preceded him. The chorus in the up-tempo “Flash to Bang Time” and “The Quick and the Dead” showcase the Udo-side of Tornillo.

Hoffman is one the most underrated guitar players to wield the axe. The riffs he writes and the melodic solos he delivers are some of the best one could write. The solo in the title track sounds like the red army taking its march to its national anthem and the outro to “The Galley” provides some serenity to a furious album. He comes back with a biting riff in “Hellfire” which has stuck with since first giving it a listen. This is definitely one of the highlights of the album.

The best song is the fist-pumping “Shadow Soldiers.” It has a great, prideful riff and an inspiring vocal performance by Tornillo. The chorus is remarkable and I can see this going over very well in the live setting. The aforementioned “The Quick and the Dead” has a riff similar to Motley Crue’s “Livewire”, but it works and the drum performance by Stefan Schwarzmann is a highlight.

All the tracks flow at a steady pace, but the only ones that failed to grab me are the drab “Against the World” and “Twist of Fate.” The former is basically a standard metal cooker, but there is nothing of note that stands out. The latter is a slow burner which features some nice bass work courtesy of Peter Baltes, but it never reaches its full potential as it tries to strike an emotional chord, but it doesn’t happen.

When it’s all said and done, you cannot go wrong with this album. If you liked “Blood of the Nations”; then this will not disappoint and it does not overstay its welcome as the last one clocked in at long time while “Stalingrad” finishes at just under an hour. The German boys have hit their stride since regrouping with Tornillo as any listener will have no problem head-banging through the streets of Stalingrad.

The Age Has Begun

Overkill is back and they must have felt a jolt in their system. The New Jersey boys now have 17 albums under their belt and they sound better than ever. It was going to be tough to top their last output in “Ironbound”, but they have found a way to meet expectations.

The two main men, vocalist Bobby Blitz and bassist D.D Verni have cooked up ten monsters that doesn’t let up until after the last note is played. “Come and Get It” storms through with crushing riffs and a shredding solo from Dave Linsk. The first single in “Electric Rattlesnake” has some Black Sabbath moments and the ascending rhythm part with a slicing bass and pumping drums near the end combined with the final solo is memorable and drives a great song.

The production is again outstanding on this album. Overkill has, with a couple exceptions, always brought the best sound out of their instruments from “The Years of Decay” to “The Killing Kind” to “Ironbound.” The drums by Ron Lipnicki and the riffing by Derek Tailer are in your face just as they were on “Ironbound.” The top-notch production puts other heavyweights such as Slayer and Metallica to shame.

The thrashing continues with “Drop the Hammer Down” which would make the mighty Thor proud. It features a nice melodic solo and Blitz delivers an awesome chorus as if he’s about to bring the pain with his weapon. The verse also has a beautiful transition to that chorus and another one of the standouts. “All Over but The Shouting” has a title that wouldn’t look strange on a Cannibal Corpse album. The backing guitar theatrics with Blitz delivering the narrative is a nice touch.

However, there are a couple instances where the songwriting is not as strong. “Save Yourself” is a generic thrasher with not much going for it. The riff is bland and it fails to develop into something great. The other track that does not deliver is “Old Wounds, New Scars.” The song is homage to their New Jersey background, but the chorus is awkward and when it seems like the song is going to pick-up steam, it doesn’t.

With that being said, “The Electric Age” is a winner. Even though his voice has been through a lot, Blitz’s vocals are as charismatic as ever and Verni is still delivering bass lines that make him one of the best in the business. The fellas have really hit their stride after the disappointment that was “Immortalis” back in 2007. Blitz ends the proceedings in a fitting way uttering “Good night.” Thank you Blitz and the rest of the ‘Kill; I will have a good night’s rest after taking in the shock of “The Electric Age.”

Blues Taking Over

If one were to expect an album simliar to "Burn" then that person is going to be thrown in for a loop. The remarkable thing is that both "Burn" and the album being reviewed, "Stormbringer", were released the same year yet both have significantly different sound and style to them. It may have something to do with the amount of drugs being taken by Glenn Hughes and David Coverdale, but that is a discussion for another day. The one aspect that is evident is the amount of blues and soul infused into the songs and it is understandable why master axe man Ritchie Blackmore would be upset.

The songs that shine on here are the ones Ritchie goes full force with his famous Fender Stratocaster and when his riff playing is the main component featured. His catchy, intricate up-tempo riffing is the main highlight found here. This also brings out the brilliance of Jon Lord because the double team of his keyboards and Ritchie's guitar playing is unmatched by any other band.

The dueling vocals of David Coverdale and Glenn Hughes return and again they are very impressive to hear. Hughes shows his soulful vocal chords on "Holy Man" and "Hold On" and Coverdale's screeching, bluesy voice complements it perfectly. The way they play off each other is impressive and unique to this version of Deep Purple.

However, where "Burn" succeeded is where "Stormbringer" failed. For one, the drumming of Ian Paice is severely toned down, mostly doing a simple, blues type of beat and is not the wild, frantic kind we all know and love from him. The guy is a great musician, but you would not know it from this album. Another is the prevalence of the funky bass playing by Glenn Hughes. It just sounds annoying and is not enjoyable. "Love Don't Mean a Thing", and "Hold On" just drag the album down with no awesome riffing and having an overload of blues in them. Then "You Can't Do It Right" is a pure funk song and it is embarrassingly bad especially with the trippy chorus.

While a listener of this album maybe frustrated on what is going on, the last song will cure a lot of it. "Soldier of Fortune" is an acoustic track song sung by Coverdale and it is very melodic and beautifully done and might bring on a few tears. It is very melancholic and the inclusion of the violin in the background furthur adds to it and is one of the best Deep Purple songs.

"Stormbringer" is an album that will frustrate listeners as it is rather hit-and-miss. There are some very enjoyable moments found on here though and is worth the purchase. Some may like the bigger inclusion of blues and funk, but it just does not fit Deep Purple. With that being said, this still gets a good score and is still a good Purple record. This would be Ritchie's swansong as he would go on to form Rainbow because he did not like the direction of the band. Don't let that fact deter you from buying this though as it is certainly something to listen to.

The Deepest Purple

When a band loses a key member or members; it usually spells doom for the soldiers who carry on. With Deep Purple losing the wonderful talent in Ian Gillan and dropping Roger Glover; it could easily be concluded that this was just the beginning of the end for one of hottest rock bands of the 1970s. Further proof in the pudding was the choice of replacements in little known David Coverdale and this funky bass player from Trapeze, Glenn Hughes. In fact, the “Burn” cover art with the members’ heads as wax candles could be a symbol for their careers melting away.

However, what we have here is the finest Deep Purple album. The songwriting is top notch and the inclusion of Coverdale and Hughes as vocalist brings a great mix of bluesy and soulful singing. Ritchie Blackmore always had an eye for talent and he didn’t miss here. The title track and the opener is one the best Purple songs. From the insane drumming of Ian Paice to the back and forth solos between Blackmore and keyboardist Jon Lord; this is the definition of a perfect song. The world is also introduced to the blend of Coverdale and Hughes.

The Brits keep the music flowing with the bluesy and slow rocker in “Might Just Take Your Life” which transitions to the walloping guitar riffing in “Lay Down, Stay Down.” The guitar solo is done well with a clean piano in the background to keep the beat. The back and forth between Hughes and Coverdale is also enjoyable as this is one of the standout tracks of the album.

One of the other positives is that each track is unique. “Sail Away” brings a funky edge to the proceedings with the bass riff and the Blackmore closing solo which features many wavy guitar notes sounds similar to Blackmore’s future band Rainbow’s epic “Stargazer.” Another one of the standouts is “What’s Going On Here” which sounds like a barroom rocker as I can see Lord doing the piano part while Coverdale and Hughes are enjoying the devil’s fuel in the background.

A final masterpiece is found with “Mistreated.” This is the only track with a single vocalist as Coverdale takes the helm and delivers his finest Purple performance next to “Soldier of Fortune.” His bluesy voice blends with the depressing riff provided by Blackmore perfectly and the emotional solo drives it home safely. Soothing bass and trembling drums really drive the sad mood it goes for. This is a grade A song from a grade A band.

“Burn” shows how a band can change members and deliver great music. The new blood in Hughes and Coverdale a perfect combination of soul and blues and combined with Blackmore’s trusty guitar wonders makes this an awesome album. My only quip is “You Fool No One” does not fit the Purple mode of hard rock as it is way too funky and groovy. However, the title track is I daresay the best Deep Purple song ever written. Don’t believe me? Just put this song on and feel the “burn.”

The Chosen Ones: Love Songs

Now that Valentine’s Day has come and gone like a rose in the spring time; there are plenty of love songs from bands yearning for a woman or lamenting a breakup. While some miss the mark due to the cheese factor, others prosper because of catchy guitar part, well-written lyrics, or a mind numbing chorus. Here some of the best love songs to swoon your significant other.

Scorpions: Born to Touch Your Feelings
Everyone’s favorite Germans have many awesome ballads. No one writes a love song like they do. They can easily conjure moments of being romantic and becoming intimate with the person you’re with. “Born to Touch Your Feelings” is no different with some of the best lyrics the band has produced and combined with the epic feel makes this the best Scorpions ballad. The flawless vocal performance by Klaus Meine coupled with strong guitars and a bombastic ending must be heard.



KISS: Every Time I Look at You
The Knights In Satan’s Service saw this as the follow up hit to 1989’s “Forever”, but it ultimately failed as a single. However, I find this song to be the stronger of the two because of the acoustic guitar part and Paul Stanley realizing this is the woman he wants to be with. It begins with a hint of sadness, but then blossoms to something uplifting and it works wonderfully. “Forever” is just too cheesy and this song is to, but it has the right amount without being saturated by it.




UFO: Love to Love
There is nothing cheesy or crooning going on here. British rockers UFO wrote this song for their seminal album “Lights Out” and guitar hero Michael Schenker delivers a hard guitar part before it develops into a majestic radiance with one of the strongest vocal performances by Phil Mogg. The orchestral accompaniment adds a nice touch to the proceedings and the emotional solo by Schenker caps off an already impressive song.





Vinnie Vincent Invasion: Love Kills
While this may not be classified as a track to perk your woman, this song is just too awesome to leave off. Featured on “ A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master”, this haunting ballad contains a creepy, acoustic riff while a Mark Slaughter wails like a man on fire in the chorus. The electric solo is very memorable and the track remains a standout on “All Systems Go.” Plus, the appearance by Freddy Krueger in the video scores some extra points.




Lynch Mob: Through These Eyes
After George Lynch left Dokken, he formed Lynch Mob with the wonderful singer Oni Logan. The ballad is very catchy and the vocal performance by Logan is excellent. The guitar part will stick in your head for days. It is also certainly better than most of the ballads Lynch’s former band produced too.







Helloween: In the Middle of a Heartbeat
One of the forefathers of power metal, the pumpkin heads has never really been that good at writing ballads. “A Tale That Wasn’t Right” and “Number 1” are downright awful and have soiled the pumpkin stew. That trend changed in vocalist Andi Deris’ first album with the band “Master of the Rings” as the classical approach works really well. The song seems a little melancholic, but it works and you can be sure to console your loved one if they shed a tear.





Paul Stanley: Tonight You Belong to Me
This standout from the 78’ solo album is the Starchild at his best. An acoustic intro building to the bombast of an awesome guitar riff works perfectly. Stanley has professed how he loves songs that start low and become loud. The song is beautiful with Stanley telling his woman that while she may be leaving; he still has her for one night and he plans to make the most of it.








Stryper: Calling On You
Ok, this song is very cheesy, but I love it. God’s favorite band produced this hit back in 86’. The song is poppy and Michael Sweet sounds like a puppy dog, but the track is undeniably catchy and I can’t help myself to sing along to the chorus. Other than that, it’s a sweet song (no pun intended) to play for your lady to call on her to love you.







W.A.S.P: Forever Free
W.A.S.P may be known for gritty and unapologetically gruesome with their stage antics and sex infused songs, but this track off their most mature work “The Headless Children” shows a different side of Blackie Lawless and co. It talks of a loved one who has passed on, but is now free to flow along with nature, but will always by their loved ones side. It’s a beautiful song, and it rocks too.







Cinderella: Coming Home
This is another cheesy tune, but it’s my kind of brand. I like the guitar part a lot and there is no other feeling like returning to a person who means much to someone’s life. “Coming Home” speaks for itself in the title and on top of that, the execution is flawless.