Eclipse began in 1999 as the brainchild of Erik Martensson and Magnus Henriksson and are a strong part of the exploding Swedish hard rock scene. Martensson handles guitar and the lead vocals, Magnus Henriksson the lead guitar, Robban Back the drums and Magnus Ulfstedt takes care of the bass. Interestingly Ulfstedt was originally the drummer appearing on the first two album releases, 2001's The Truth And A Little More and 2004's Second To None, before they shifted their focus and "took their melodic hard rock roots in a more contemporary direction" gaining them legions of fans for 2008's Are You Ready To Rock. But it would be 2012's Bleed & Scream release that would ultimately place Eclipse in The Meister's cross-hairs, an album that still gets fairly regular airplay through my headphones and speakers. Erik Martensson also began to make a name for himself by producing a plethora of albums for bands such as Dalton, Adrenaline Rush, Giant, Jimi Jamison and W.E.T. (with Jeff Scott Soto). These and many others helped to earn him the accolade of one of the most sought after producers/songwriters today. Eclipse went back into the studio to record the Bleed & Scream follow-up in the latter half of 2014. The result is Armageddonize, boasting to show that "they are not anymore the brightest hope for melodic hard rock music, but a very solid and strong reality" and describe their music as "by far the best you can have today if you love rock music with energy, great songs, and want to hear a band that has the ambition to be on top of the world". I'm not sure about the music contained on Armageddonize as yet, but I can certainly say that the cover artwork is rather less than awe-inspiring. Armageddonize is due to drop in February 2015 via Italian heavyweight record label, Frontiers Records.
Eclipse's Armageddonize starts off with "I Don't Want To Say I'm Sorry", a fabulous tone setting track exhibiting a feisty little guitar riff after the slow build up. Basically, just what I would expect to follow the Bleed & Scream album. The second slot is occupied by "Stand On Your Feet", another track easily worthy and certainly fitting of the back catalog with its inspirational lyrical message. "Stand On Your Feet" is also the first single and video for Armageddonize and hit the internet airwaves ahead of the album in late January 2015. "The Storm" surfaces next following in the same vein but seems just a step lacking somewhere to me although it does grow on you with every rotation. The guitar work of Henriksson leads off "Blood Enemies" before the rhythm section explodes and Martensson's strong distinctive vocals join the charge. The high energy pace changing of this track uplifts any feelings left over from the previous in this real fist pumper. "Wide Open" blasts off again leading to a melodic chorus for a definite standout on Armageddonize. The somber beginnings of "Live Like I'm Dying" lay down the trail for this ballad, a style that has trouble winning me over to its side, so this one will be a "skipper" for me. "Breakdown" puts thing back into my preferred listening realm with this punchy, at times bluesy flavored cut. "Love Bites" comes out of the gates a full tilt pounding its way through to an infectious chorus and I have to say the strongest inclusion on the record. "Caught Up In The Rush" runs a close second in the total dogfight for the "top of the heap" accolade of the compositions contained here and may even become my number one with more listens. An all around great track. "One Life-My Life" rips along next driving home another message to the listener of "don't take shit from anyone"! The final inclusion on Armageddonize is "All Died Young", drawing things to a close on another of many high notes. I definitely find the latter half of the album to be the strongest but overall the whole effort is certainly solid and a fine entry in the melodic hard rock category. But does it best my treasured Bleed & Scream release? Sadly, I say, no it doesn't but in Armageddonize's defense how the hell could it or anything else really top Bleed & Scream?
Swedish hard rockers LYNX formed in the town of Eskilstuna, just west of Stockholm Sweden, in 1975 as PEGASUS. Vocalist Mats Eriksson (later Feretti) and Per Hermansson met on the train going to a Deep Purple gig in Gothenburg. On the way home again the decision to form a band was made by the two young men and they immediately recruited the drummer Tommy Karlsson. Just a couple of days later they found bass player Pål Johnsson and guitarist Jan Elvi. They chose the name Pegasus right at the start. After being together for a year or so Jan Elvi left the band and was replaced by guitar slinger Per Larsson. The band split up the first time as far back as 1977, but Larsson, Hermansson and Eriksson continued to play together in different formations.
In 1981, Pegasus was brought back from the dead but this time with Kuano Vaatovaara handling the bass. Pegasus slowly built up a larger following and a few years down the line drummer Tommy Karlsson was replaced by Johan Skagerlind. A record contract was signed in 1985 with the small label Mill Records. Just before the recording Pegasus changed the name to Lynx when they learned there was another band going by the name of Pegasus. A smart move to avoid legal fights over the band name. Drummer Johan Skagerlind played on the pre-production demos but just before the recording chose to leave the band and in came Carl Moser. He had almost no time to learn the songs but did so in two weeks. The debut album was recorded at Decibel Studios, Stockholm and released later that year. Production was handled by the band themselves together with Thomas Sunmo and Olle Larsson.
Picture courtesy of Lynx homepage
Caught In The Trap was Lynx's debut album and also the only album the band released. It combined the energy and attitude of the early NWOBHM wave, the heavy riffs and grooves of Black Sabbath with more melodic edged bands like Europe and Treat. The mix making it a really interesting release and with the frequent use of keyboards a parallel could easily be drawn to NWOBHM band Tobruk and the first two albums by Europe. Lynx recorded four more songs ("Back In The Streets" + 3 more) for a proposed second album which never materialized and Lynx split up soon after. Guitarist Per Larsson went on to play guitar in Dionysos and black metal band Nightspirit, the latter still active.
Fast forward to 2014 and Mats Feretti and Per Larsson have reunited and together they are writing new songs so maybe, just maybe, there will be more Lynx music in the future with the inclusion of some unreleased older tracks. Very much due to the great guys at Greek label No Remorse Records Caught In The Trap can finally be enjoyed in remastered format on CD for the first time. Caught In The Trap is the second release in the label's ”Swedish Hard n´ Heavy Series” (DIZZINESS – On The Rocks being the first). I hope there are some new and interesting re-issues coming up in the future. I´m definitely going to follow this very interesting series.
Track By Track Comments
The album starts off with a heavy song called ”My Own Way” which has a distinct Sabbath feel with a ”doomy atmosphere” running throughout the song much to the credit of Hermansson keyboards. The song starts off with a keyboard intro setting the atmosphere for the song before Larsson's riffs set in and a great and weird riff it is! Eriksson's spaced out and airy vocals float perfectly on the heavy riffing from Per Larsson. A really strong opener with a pulsing beat that catches your attention right away. It is followed by ”Win Or Lose” which is a mid-tempo affair, has a really catchy chorus and displays hints of Rainbow or early Europe. Some old style Hammond fills and a great solo from Larsson add value to the song. Lyrically it's about having to fight and
Picture courtesy of Lynx homepage.
whether you win or lose is your choice. It is followed by another great mid-tempo track called ”Fingers Crossed” which blends sharp guitar riffs with atmospheric keyboards in the background with Eriksson's clear vocals on top. Again some great riffs from Larsson in front of Vaatovaara's thumping bassline and Moser's pulsating drums. The song does not have a clearly defined chorus line. The fourth track on the album is called ”Man Without A Face” which is a great melodic rocker with a chorus that easily sticks in your head. The Rainbow influences on this song (Joe Lynn Turner era) are rather obvious, but it's a great melodic rocker and definitely one of the stronger songs on the album. The song is about the man without a face, a tyrant long ago who only came out at night and never showed his face. This is followed by ”Don´t Fool Me”, a song about being left alone in the dark waiting,which together with the opening track and ”Man Without A Face” are my top picks from this great album. ”Don´t Fool Me” is a great melodic hard rock song with clear hints of AOR. It´s got a really catchy hook with a huge chorus.
Next song is ”The Final Race”, a song about illegal street racing and losing control of the car - the final race. It is a faster-paced heavy rocker more in the vein of Saxon and Tygers Of Pan Tang and the British influences are really showing on this one. The song contains a nice solo from Per Larsson and some cool riffs. It is followed by ”Nothing In Return” and it may bethe fastest song on the original album which gives the listener another healthy dose of NWOBHM inspired heavy rock. The song contains a nice chorus and a great hook. Lyrically it deals with the subject of being used and how "easy come, easy go" sometimes applies to love. Next up is the strange but excellent track ”Master Of Evil”with a rather mysterious sounding riff and a vintage organ in the background creating that type of spooky atmosphere that was a signature mark of Black Sabbath's. The song brings up the subject of only getting one chance at getting rid of the almighty Tyrant (The Master of Evil) and throwing him off the throne. The original album then rounds off with ”Nightstalker” with the Rainbow influences clearly showing again. A really strong chorus with some nice keyboards and a great riff.
Now the bonus material takes over and everything is from the days when they were known as Pegasus. First out is a live recording of a song called ”In The Night” and it was recorded by Swedish Radio in 1981 in a town called Oxelösund. On this track, Tommy Karlsson was still behind the drumkit. It's a great song with a really nice vibe and an interesting hook. Think Rainbow again and you will get very close to what this song sounds like. Sound quality is of course not the greatest but a very interesting time document. When it comes to the songwriting it would easily have fitted on the
Pegasus live. Picture courtesy of Lynx homepage
album. Second song called ”Keep On Giving Me Love” is by far the fastest track on this reissue and starts of with a falsetto scream in the vein of King Diamond from Mats Eriksson and it continues in a fast pace with the pedal to the metal. An interesting song with a nice chorus line but sound quality is a bit poor. It was recorded on a 4-track in the rehearsal studio. The CD ends with a track from the pre-production demos leading up to Caught In The Trap. It is called ”Race To Hell” and it´s the only track where drummer Johan Skagerlind keeps the beat going. It's an early version of the song ”Final Race” that ended up on the album.
Summary
The production on this album from 1985 is really impressive with a crisp sound and all the instruments can be clearly heard separate from each other. The album is clearly heavier than most contemporary bands from Scandinavia in this genre. With heavy riffing, a great musicianship and a bunch of great songs this is really an undiscovered gem for many fans of the genre. Mats Ferretti's mystical and crystal clear vocals fit the music perfectly making this a really interesting blend of the traditional NWOBHM sound with the more keyboard oriented AOR sound. Some songs even show some hints of AOR.
The guys at No Remorse Records have done a great job again with reissue that comes with a very nice 20 page booklet including the lyrics to all the original 9 songs and a short band biography written by Per Larsson. This great package includes some really nice and great photos from the time of the recording of the album. I still wonder though why the 4 songs recorded for the second album were not included as bonus material, especially in the light of the questionable audio quality of the bonus songs. The only viable reason would be to save it for a later release with some new songs added. Considering how good "Back On The Streets", "The Arena", "Stolen Money" and "R&R Gonna Save Your Soul" sound, some of them you can find on YouTube, it's very strange why they were not included. Both the songwriting and the audio quality is superior to the bonus material included. That would have made a great release even better!
Rating an old release as this is always hard and for the time (the mid-1980´s) this was a really great album that unfortunately got lost in the shuffle. Lynx was good enough to compete with the best. I would give this reissue a 7/10 and maybe would have been even higher if the bonus material had been different. I can´t shake the feeling that the four demos for the second album should have been on as bonus tracks! No Remorse Records are doing a fantastic job of bringing all these old and great releases out again, often for the first time on CD. The Lynx album is no exception and is one of their best releases.
Let´s just hope that something comes out of the newly re-established connections between Larsson and Feretti. Maybe they can bring the original Lynx back together again – who knows. There are plans for a new record with both old material and some new songs and I´m still hoping that record will bring us the 4 missing demos because they are so good that they need to be heard! Until then I strongly recommend a listen to Caught In The Trap.
A new project from George Lynch can only mean he’s already looking for another new project. Since Sweet & Lynch just dropped January 27th you know he's already re-booting some incarnation of Lynch Mob, finding out if Jeff Pilson has some time between Foreigner tours or having lunch with Don Dokken. Right around the time I heard his last band KXM released their debut record I heard about Sweet & Lynch. If my body was capable of manufacturing thought bubbles the one above my head that day would’ve read “Why?”
Without dedicating too much space on the topic, this trend of constant collaborations of artists who last cashed a five figure check in 1988 is, to be kind, overwhelming. The music typically offered up by these unions is instantly forgettable and on the off chance you actually like it, the odds of seeing them live are slightly better than me being named People magazine’s sexiest man alive. Slightly. I’ve heard some claim it as a cash grab but who exactly is grabbing the cash and where is the cash coming from. This movement wreaks more of throwing shit against a wall and seeing what sticks. I suppose we have Sixx AM to blame for that.
So why? Why Sweet & Lynch? Was Oz Fox the weak link in Stryper? Michael Sweet has better hair than Don? I can listen to everything Dokken did through Back For The Attack. But I could never take Stryper seriously. Too much shtick. They weren't just Christian rock, they were also striped. Not just their clothes but their guitars, drums, stage and bibles were striped. And not just any color. Only yellow and black. Three gimmicks is too much. You are already pushing it with the whole God thing. God belongs outside the Arena holding a picket sign as far as I'm concerned. And now I have you asking why? Why am I writing a review of an album that without even hearing I’ve already given two strikes?
Because I like it.
One thing that gives this record a pass others don't is the name. It offers no premise of this being an actual band. It's two once titans of a scene long gone supported by a rhythm section of "I was the guy who replaced the guy." To be fair James Lomenzo was the original bass player in White Lion before he was the bass player in Pride and Glory, Zakk Wylde solo, Ace Frehley and Megadeth but Brian Tichy is too good of a drummer to be the guy who replaced the guy who replaced the guy in Whitesnake, Lynch Mob, Foreigner, Ozzy and Billy Idol to not wonder what's wrong with him.
But I dig this record. I texted a friend of mine that last night. It took a few back and forth texts to convince him I was serious. And no one is more surprised than me. This is better than I expected. I expected a Dokken record with Stryper vocals. And while you definitely get that, this record manages to kick some ass. And it's very well produced by Michael Sweet himself.
The second song on the record, Dying Rose, is killer but the opening track is so good I keep hitting the back button. The Wish is a song I wish I wrote. Michael has the type of voice that weakens with age and their is no sign of that here. He sounds as good as he ever has. In fact this may be the best he ever sounded. As for George, he has a reputation for using his natural talent to chase trends. But Gawdammit ole Lynchie pulls it off. Sounding both current without losing himself. This record features some of his best work of recent.
Standout tracks: The Wish, Dying Rose, Recover and even though it borrows heavy from Kashmir, the song Strength In Numbers is pretty strong. As for low points... Me Without You not only sounds like Alone Again from Dokken it actually borrows the melody. Hero-Zero just sucks and I think the song September (It's about 9/11) is just a bad idea. It's difficult to write a song about such an event that both pays proper respect while also being a believable song. I feel it's best just to leave it alone. And this song just doesn't deliver.
Maybe this time of year is good for Frontiers Records as my album of the year for 2014 was Red Dragon Cartel and it was released close to this time last year. This is a better than good record and in my "expert" opinion is at least in the conversation of the best work from both Michael Sweet and George Lynch.
If the music is what matters then buy this record. I'd have a different view of all these "Super" groups if the end product was this solid. It sucks that great musicians aren't allowed to grow old in America. Sweet & Lynch are two "has beens" at the top of their game and we should give this record its due. Do a couple of old rockers a solid and pick up a copy of this. I personally can account for three sales on the day it came out. Only 999,997 away from a platinum award.
After a week Down Under, we're back to a format that feels like a good ole pair of jeans.
Chris and Aaron present volume 20 of their long-running music-based Radio Sucks Radio Show format. No top-40, no corporate directives; just great rock and metal music that spans decades and borders and delivers over a full hour of ear candy. Great tracks from Poison, Gus G., D.A.D., Monte Pittman, Clutch, The Tip, and many more! Dig it!
Geeks of the Week:
Miguel Nunez, Danny Allen Clark, David Alpizar, Nick
Tevelis, Devin Fox, Robert DePasqua, Joe Lascon, Joe Royland, Jason Thomas
Broadrick, Scott Olinger, Shane Hebert, Kynan O’Meara, Brent Walter, Warren
Money, Billy Hardaway, Derik Novak, Jeff Hogland, Marc Alden Taylor, Ian Wadley
(Rock and Metal Combat Podcast), Brent Tibbetts, Mike Bount, James Brendon
Dunn, Brian Knapp, JTB’s Groovy Record Room, Wayne Newburn, Chad Pollock, Rock
and Roll GPS, TwittEarl, Barrisite, hoops, Daniel Chaput, DC, Raw Magazine, Hot
Metal Magazine, Loudmouth, Faces Rocks Magazine
The debut album came out in 1983 and their biggest hit was a Christmas song. In the 80´s they toured with AC/DC, Nazareth and a couple of other huge bands and they worked with famous producer Max Norman. They started out as a heavily NWOBHM influenced band and slowly became more melodic. They were branded as one of the prime contenders to Europe in the late 1980´s. The band was defunct for ten years but in the early 2000's the circuits slowly started to power up once more. The band name is a reference to the voltage used in many European homes.
I´m talking about Swedish veterans 220 Volt and now they are back with an all-new album – the first in 17 years. In reality, it´s 23 years since the last all-new album was recorded. 220 Volt formed in the northern Swedish town of Östersund as far back as 1979 during a round of miniature golf. During their formative years, they were heavily influenced by the then current wave in the UK with bands like Saxon, Tygers of Pan Tang, Angelwitch and Iron Maiden among others. 220 Volt recorded a first 7 track demo tape in June 1982, and soon another 5 tracks were laid down. The guys then took two tracks from these sessions and financed their first single on their
Picture courtesy of Heavy Harmonies.com
and financed their first single on their own called ”Prisoners of War” b/w ”Sauron”. It was pressed in only 500 copies and released in November of 1982. It is a rare collectors item today. The single was reissued on CD as bonus tracks on the Lethal Illusion album in 1997. The lineup in 1982 was Christer ”Frille Åsell” Nääs on lead vocals, guitarists Thomas Drevin and Mats Karlsson, bass player Mike Larsson and drummer Peter Hermansson. The first single was picked up by a New Jersey radio station which put it in rotation. That caught the interest of major label CBS and soon the ink dried on the new contract.
Debut Album When recordings started for the self-titled debut album the label insisted that Åsell's vocals was not up to par and demanded a change. Åsell left to join Empire and enter Joakim Lundholm (ex-Mugabe). The debut album was recorded in Stockholm with Thomas Witt picking up production duties. The album was a success with more than 10,000 copies shifting hands in Sweden alone. Working while the iron was still hot the band followed up with the sophomore effort, Power Games, released in February 1984 and it featured 8 tracks again produced by Thomas Witt. Strangely the label convinced the band to add two bonus tracks (”City Lights” and ”Screaming For a Riot”) for the cassette edition of the album. These tracks can now be purchased digitally only. The album started off with fan favourite and concert opener ”Firefall” and picked up where the debut left off in true NWOBHM fashion.
The band also cut a separate Christmas single called ”Heavy Christmas” which was released on 7” vinyl and became a huge success. It may still be their most known song today and mandatory every Christmas in the home of The Lionsheart. CBS showed confidence in the band by putting them on tours with Nazareth and German metal band Bullet, but they soon found themselves back in the studio recording their third opus. Mind Over Muscle. Prior to the recording guitarist Thomas Drevin left to join Åsell in Empire and was replaced by newcomer Peter Olander. To further market the band in North America, a collection of the best tracks from the first three albums were released as Electric Messengers in June 1985. A tour with AC/DC followed to promote the new album.
Problems and Breakthrough
Problems started to show their ugly head and the bands momentum stalled when all of them had to perform mandatory military service with the exception of Olander. After the military duties were out of the way, a ”best of” album with remixed songs and a couple of new ones was quickly set up and released as Young and Wild in 1987. The band had a hit with the power ballad ”Lorraine” in the Scandinavian countries and introduced a more melodic and commercially viable sound shrugging off most of the NWOBHM influences. To continue on that successful path CBS set the band up with famous producer Max Norman for the band's most successful and in my opinion best album to date, Eye To Eye, released in 1988. Support for the album included a co-headlining bill on the Swedish Monsters of Rock touring package, sharing headlining duties with Treat. This was one of my first concerts attending it in my small hometown as a 15-year-old. I still remember the band completely blowing me away and leaving my stunned by the performance. This particular day the band was in the headlining spot.
The End?
The album spawned the hit singles ”Beat Of A Heart”, ”Still In Love” and ”Love Is All You Need”. The album did really well and the band recorded a new album to keep the bandwagon rolling but problems started to set in. The music business was changing with the Seattle wave gaining ground and melodic hard rock on its way out. 220 Volt played their last gigs in Stockholm on May 29th and May 30th, 1992. The recorded album had been shelved for a time and there was no way forward at that point. Some of the guys continued under the name Voltergeist with new vocalist Per Englund (ex-Blacksmith).
Back In The Game
Fast forward to 1997 and melodic hard rock was starting to fight its way back with HammerFall, among others, making the genre popular again. It was time to release that long lost album and small Swedish label Empire Records put it out as Lethal Illusion and at the same time releasing that very first single on CD for the first time. The release raised the hopes and anticipation for a possible
reunion. That had to wait until 2002 when the band reformed, but this time opting for original vocalist Christer Åsell as frontman and now axe slinger Drevin was back in the fold as well. I´m sure that there were some reasons for that, but I am convinced that it contributed to it not being as successful as it could have been. The music the fans had learned to love was the melodic hard rock guided by Joakim Lundholm's very personal voice and vocals. The band played the famous Sweden Rock Festival and issued a ”new” record called Volume 1 with some re-recorded songs from the early years, a couple of new ones and some live recordings. This was again a self-financed limited press. The 1000 copies made sold out in two weeks. A live album followed in 2005 called Made in Jämtland, named after their home county, but the band became dormant again in 2008 when Peter Hermansson left. The band made another attempt by recording an EP with some re-recorded classics including ”Heavy Christmas” and ”Firefall” with Joakim ”Jocke” Lundholm back in the band in 2009. Unfortunately, they wanted different things and Joakim Lundholm chose to continue with his band Kraftztoff and the rest of 220 Volt started to look for a new singer. They found Anders Engberg (ex-Lion´s Share) and soon there was a record contract on the table from German label AOR heaven. Still being without a permanent bass player when Mike Larsson did not take part in the last reunion Lars Ericsson (The Summit) and Johan Niemann (Evergrey) handled the bass on the album as session musicians.
Walking in Starlight
With the entire back catalogue re-released in digital format there was a renewed interest in the band and soon recordings for a new album started. The result is the excellent comeback album Walking In Starlight. The new album was produced by the band and mixed byMax Norman ochRonnie Björnström. This album features most of the elements present in the band's repertoire except for one and very important thing – Jocke Lundholm's vocals and that is not taking anything away from Anders Engberg. He does an outstanding job and really shines on the album. I´ve been a fan of Lion's Share since 1997 so I know what a great vocalist he is, but still some of the unique identity is being lost. It is not a return to their NWOBHM roots and in that perspective it might lack some attitude and youth but is more in the vein of Lethal Illusion with its more blues infused hard rock. In that respect, it also separates itself from the more produced and polished sound of Eye To Eye.
220 Volt 2014! Picture courtesy of official facebook page
The album starts off with a real stunner and definitely the best song on the album – the title track ”Walking In Starlight”. Some really nice guitar chops from Karlsson and Drevin and a really cool riff. A heavy yet very melodic song with a superb chorus and punchline! The album is throughout very consistent with strong choruses and riffs. I really just want to crank the volume to 11 and bang my head. One of the strongest in the entire catalogue. Well done boys! The songs are mostly in mid-tempo with some nice twists and turns, always keeping your focus on the music and also keeping you interested. If there is a weakness to the album iit's that it lacks a bit in identity and except for the title track there is not really a standout track like ”Beat of a Heart” on Eye to Eye. There is however, not a bad song on the album and they all deserve their place on the album. My personal favourites include the already mentioned "Walking in Starlight", "System Overload", "Blind" and "Through the Wastelands".
Summary All in all this is definitely the strongest effort since 1988 Eye to Eye. Where Lethal Illusion is a mixed affair and was lacking in consistency, being very much up and down with a couple of fillers, this album is strong in every part. The guys have really come up with a new classic track in the making of the title track which, in my opinion, really stands out from the rest of the songs. In that respect, I don´t think Walking in Starlight really reaches the highs of Eye to Eye which I still hold as their ”Magnum opus”.
220 Volt has always been one of my favourite Swedish bands and they have really been missed. When Jocke Lundholm does not want to do this anymore this is as good as it can be. I would give this album a high rating of 7 out of 10 and I´m really looking forward to seeing the band live somewhere in the near future. It's only been 27 years since I saw them last time. Welcome back and hope it's for real this time!
KISS just recently announced that for their upcoming KISS
Kruise, the fifth of its kind, they will be performing their 1975 live album KISS Alive! in its
entirety.Proving once again... they
can't get anything right.How out of touch are these guys to think that their fans, the level of such that would plunk down a
couple thousand dollars to float around the ocean with them, would look at this
as good news.Much less as a big
announcement.
Are you fucking high?What die hard fan hears that and gets excited?I think the only record I’d want them to play
less would be Double Platinum.You want
to give the fans something special?Play the
fucking Elder in its entirety.Makes
more sense. It’s at least a fucking concept album.Does
it really matter if you play 100,000 Years right after Watchin’ You?
Paul can get away with that bullshit excuse for why KISS NEVER plays
any deep tracks during a tour with Def Leppard or some other past their prime
hit machine added to the bill to sell a few tickets.As weak as it is, an argument can be that
many people at a show like that aren’t going to be too into KISS running a
couple tracks off of Unmasked.But on the KK, the
opposite is true.To my point here’s the
ships passenger manifest for the upcoming KISS Kruise.
Boat crew.
KISS.
People who know every KISS song who if they were being
honest would admit they don’t need to hear Rock N Roll All Nite again. Ever.
The announcement that they are going to play
a record filled with half of their setlist from the last 20 years is the band
giving us a wedgie.In a recent podcast
with Chris Jericho, Paul complained that touring with Ace and Peter meant
being held hostage to a limited number songs because those two can't play anything else.Later in the same interview he defensively
stated that just because someone like me might enjoy hearing a song like All
The Way, NOBODY, (his words) nobody else would.And he wonders why people think he comes off as bashing Ace and
Peter. They would play a more diverse set if Ace and Peter could play it. And now that they aren't in the band to blame it's because nobody wants to hear it? Well fuck that.That's pretty convenient and frankly a lazy cop out and it’s time someone shoved Paul's
head in a toilet.
From the set list’s I’ve seen they’ve done a decent job of
digging deeper in to their repertoire on the previous Kruises.But still shoved Detroit Rock City, Cold Gin
and of course, Rock N Roll All Nite into the buttholes of those attending. I'm not suggesting those songs are bad songs. I'm saying damn near everyone buying a ticket for the KISS Kruise has heard and can hear those songs anytime. This is a very unique gathering of the diehard KISS fan and KISS. Take this rare opportunity and give them performances they won't get anywhere else. Deep tracks from some of your less celebrated records. Rather than belabor a point that has zero
chance of being taken seriously, I've compiled a list of Bakko approved songs KISS
should choose from for this and any future KISS Kruises. There is no reason to perform any song not on this list.
Kissin’ Time
Love Theme From KISS
All The Way
Mainline
Strangeways
Room Service
Two Timer
Getaway
Ladies In Waiting
Lover Her All I Can
Anything For My Baby
Great Expectations
Flaming Youth
Sweet Pain
Do You Love Me
Take Me
Baby Driver
Love Em Leave Em
Mr. Speed
See You In Your Dreams
Got Love For Sale
Almost Human
Hooligan
Then She Kissed Me
Plaster Caster
Anything off of side 4 of ALIVE II
Anything from any of the solo albums
Dirty Livin
Charisma
Magic Touch
Xray Eyes
Save Your Love
Hard Times
Anything on Unmasked
Anything on the Elder
I’m A Legend Tonight
Down On Your Knees
Nowhere To Run
Partners In Crime
Danger
Rock N Roll Hell
Killer
Saint and Sinner
Keep Me Coming
Exciter
Not For The Innocent
Gimme More
All Hell’s Breakin’ Loose
A Million To One
Dance All Over Your Face
And On The Eight Day
I’ve Had Enough
Burn Bitch Burn
Get All You Can Take
Lonely Is The Hunter
While The City Sleeps
Murder In High Heels
King Of The Mountain
Anyway You Slice It
Trial By Fire
I’m Alive
Loves A Deadly Weapon
Secretly Cruel
Radar For Love
Uh! All Night
I’ll Fight Hell To Hold You
Hell Or Highwater
My Way
When Your Walls Come Down
Good Girl Gone Bad
Thief In The Night
Turn On The Night Let's Put The X In Sex (You Make Me) Rock Hard
Betrayed
Prisoner Of Love
Read My Body
Love’s A Slap In Face
Silver Spoon
Cadillac Dream
King Of Hearts
The Street Giveth
You Love Me To Hate You
Somewhere Between Heaven And Hell
Little Ceaser
Boomerang
Tough Love
Spit
Heart Of Chrome
Thou Shalt Not
Paralyzed
I Just Wanna
Anything off of Carnival Of Souls
I Pledge Allegiance To The State Of Rock N Roll
We Are One
Raise Your Glasses
I Finally Found My Way
Dreamin’
Journey Of 1,000 Years
I’m starting think it would’ve been easier to make a list of
songs they shouldn't play.Gene.Paul.Look
at all that material you have ignored your entire career.How can you have so many songs that aren’t
worthy of you?You wrote
them. Recorded them. Released them. Why not play them?There’s a lot of great music there.You should play it.KISS fans won’t revolt. Quite the opposite.Think how cool it would be to dedicate Little
Caesar to Eric Carr.Imagine how blown
away they’d be if you played one of the new tracks off of Killers for fucks sake. You could even drop some Wicked Lester on their unsuspecting asses. They would NEVER forget that.And wouldn’t you as musicians like to mix it
up?Don’t you get sick of some of the
songs you play?The KISS Kruise is the perfect
opportunity to play only obscure songs.
KISS shows are legendary.It may be their biggest contribution to music.From Lady Gaga, to Garth Brooks to U2.Much of what constitutes a live show started
with KISS. I get why they might be protective of it. But KISS isn’t just the show. KISS isn’t just 20 songs.One of the
things that makes being a fan so enjoyable is their colorful history.They would be well served by not looking at
so much of it as mistakes and start embracing them as artistic decisions. Paul made a compelling argument that the Rock N Roll Hall Of Fame should recognize the groups entire history. If so then KISS should do the same with the live performances. And if by chance you are a KISS fan who only likes to hear them play the 20 - 25 songs they've been playing from since 1996, well go fuck yourself. They play those songs all the time. Give us this.
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release that would ultimately place Eclipse in The Meister's cross-hairs, an album that still gets fairly regular airplay through my headphones and speakers. Erik Martensson also began to make a name for himself by producing a plethora of albums for bands such as Dalton, Adrenaline Rush, Giant, Jimi Jamison and W.E.T. (with Jeff Scott Soto). These and many others helped to earn him the accolade of one of the most sought after producers/songwriters today. Eclipse went back into the studio to record the Bleed & Scream follow-up in the latter half of 2014. The result is Armageddonize, boasting to show that "they are not anymore the brightest hope for melodic hard rock music, but a very solid and strong reality" and describe their music as "by far the best you can have today if you love rock music with energy, great songs, and want to hear a band that has the ambition to be on top of the world". I'm not sure about the music contained on Armageddonize as yet, but I can certainly say that the cover artwork is rather less than awe-inspiring. Armageddonize is due to drop in February 2015 via Italian heavyweight record label, Frontiers Records.
Eclipse's Armageddonize starts off with "I Don't Want To Say I'm Sorry", a fabulous tone setting track exhibiting a feisty little guitar riff after the slow build up. Basically, just what I would expect to follow the Bleed & Scream album. The second slot is occupied by "Stand On Your Feet", another track easily worthy and certainly fitting of the back catalog with its inspirational lyrical message. "Stand On Your Feet" is also the first single and video for Armageddonize and hit the internet airwaves ahead of the album in late January 2015. "The Storm" surfaces next following in the same vein but seems just a step lacking somewhere to me although it does grow on you with every rotation. The guitar work of Henriksson leads off "Blood Enemies" before the rhythm section explodes and Martensson's strong distinctive vocals join the charge. The high energy pace changing of this track uplifts any feelings left over from the previous in this real fist pumper. "Wide Open" blasts off again leading to a melodic chorus for a definite standout on Armageddonize. The somber beginnings of "Live Like I'm Dying" lay down the trail for this ballad, a style that has trouble winning me over to its side, so this one will be a "skipper" for me. "Breakdown" puts thing back into my preferred listening realm with this punchy, at times bluesy flavored cut. "Love Bites" comes out of the gates a full tilt pounding its way through to an infectious chorus and I have to say the strongest inclusion on the record. "Caught Up In The Rush" runs a close second in the total dogfight for the "top of the heap" accolade of the compositions contained here and may even become my number one with more listens. An all around great track. "One Life-My Life" rips along next driving home another message to the listener of "don't take shit from anyone"! The final inclusion on Armageddonize is "All Died Young", drawing things to a close on another of many high notes. I definitely find the latter half of the album to be the strongest but overall the whole effort is certainly solid and a fine entry in the melodic hard rock category. But does it best my treasured Bleed & Scream release? Sadly, I say, no it doesn't but in Armageddonize's defense how the hell could it or anything else really top Bleed & Scream?
