Chris and Aaron return this week to bring you Aussie Rock volume 1! In this hour-plus episode the guys spin some of their favorite music from Down Under. You'll hear some familiar names but some not-so-familiar ones as well to give you a taste of some awesome Australian talent.
This week you get great tracks from well-known Aussie bands such as AC/DC, Rose Tattoo, and Airbourne. You'll also get some cool tracks from great artists such as Skyhooks, Electric Mary, White Widdow, Chinatown Angels and much more. A lot of great hard rock to fill your head holes. Dig it!
Geeks of the Week:
Danny
Allen Clark, Devin Fox, Brian Bates, Miguel Nunez, Todd Cunningham, Sid Menon, Brian
Bates, Miguel Nunez, David Alpizar, Derik Novak, Bakko, Crash Crafton, Justin
Ace Sixx, Matt Ashcraft, Kal Hinz, Rich Dillon, Robert de Pasqua, Joe Royland,
Gino Ames, Jeff Hogland, Marc Bullard, Shane Hebert, Joe Lascon, Matt Syverson
(Paperback Rocker podcast), James Brendon Dunn, Ian Wadley (Rock and Metal
Combat Podcast), Howard Tate, Scott Olinger, Brent Walter, Warren Money, Brian
Knapp, David Green, John Morton, Orm Arnarson, Brad Kanott, Sit and Spin with
Joe, Darren Parkin, Robin Bennett, Lee Schembri, Chad Pollock, Rodney Dickson, Faces
Rocks Magazine, Loudmouth, Raw Magazine, Hot Metal Magazine, Billy Hardaway,
John Sturm, Hoops, Lisa Gillis Books, Jack Broad, Mando Serna, The Mooger
Fooger, Metalfavs, MusicMagsAndWax, Creatures of the Net, The Cassius Morris
Show, Barrisite, Steve, Rob Lane, TwitEarl, Sven Isaksson, Hard Rocking Trivia
Show, Rock and Roll GPS, Cesar Neyra
This review marks a first for me. Reviewing a band as I hear them for the first time. Hateful abandon comes to us from Candlelight Records and the United Kingdom. What can you say about Hateful Abandon that hasn't already been said. Well almost anything actually. My efforts to educate myself on this duo were largely for naught as there isn't much to find about them on the world wide web. And that seems almost intentional as their website just redirects you to their facebook page where you can buy their T Shirts. I guess that means the music will have to do the talking.
Refreshingly Hateful Abandon are more than happy to acknowledge their influences. And with brazen use of adjectives like "Old" Skinny Puppy and "Old" Killing Joke. Too often bands shy away from obvious influences for fear of comparison. Which for me is ridiculous. CVLT Nation included this release as one of their six best post-pink releases of 2014. While I am familiar with post-punk I feel I should be clear that it's not a genre' I'm particularly into. I don't mean that as a judgments. Just a fact. That said let's get into this.
The cover I love. Simple yet bold. It's the Union Jack with cops primed in riot gear. I love this look. Black and white. Bold aggression. You can almost smell the tear gas as your eyes water from the pepper spray you know is coming. I believe album art should match the music contained. Time to put my headphones on and find out. What will I think about what really matters.
Maze Of Bastards - The word Gloomy comes to mind. For two guys with a Black Metal background that's not surprising but I was expecting a little more guitar present. There is much to like about this song. An apocalyptic funeral anthem if such a thing exists.
Culprit - The beginning actually reminds me a bit of late 80's band Sigue Sigue Sputnik. This sounds like what Danzig should have been going for with Blackaciddevil but fell short of. This song is so dusty I am thirsty listening to it. I really like Vice's vocal on this. (I just did a web search of Sigue Sigue Sputnik to check my spelling and to my surprise... they are still a thing.)
High Rise - Definitely a hint of Rammstein here. I imagine this is what Ed Gein heard in his head as he was making lamp shades of the tanned hides of his victims.
The Test - If my horror movies ever get made I know who will be doing the soundtrack. This song conjures images of someone slowly walking away from the horrible acts they have just done. Something burns in the background as people scream. It's a beautiful thing.
The Walker - Bells of doom. Chains of death. Sounds like a party... at a Hostel! Here I am the American rube who finds your accent funny and have no idea when you speak in your native tongue you are plotting to separate me from my limbs. They did a video for this song. Watch it HERE
There Will Never Be Peace - Why would there be. We live in a world of chaos and hurt. Maybe the most drum machine sounding the drum machine has sounded thus far. The haunting tones insist in such a way the vocals seem like an accompaniment.
December - The last song might as well be called December. Something about this song reminds me of Soundgarden's With My Good Eye Closed. This is the epic song would expect to be ending to this album. This is the most Sabbath sounding track as well. Dark. Foreboding. Heavy. This is my favorite.
At times they are somewhat derivative, Hateful Abandon still deliver what they promise. While much of what you hear is fabricated there is something very real about this record. I hear bits of Janes Addiction, Rammstein, Misfits, Kraftwerk, and Sisters of Mercy throughout. At times haunting, at times threatening. This isn't music for Thanksgiving Dinner with the family. Unless you're a relative of Rufus Firefly. It captures the best elements of electronica (the mood) and ditches the worst (the dance beats.) I would've preferred more guitar but apparently Hateful Abandon didn't. The end result is a very aura heavy soundscape perfect for a murder room... or a workout. This ain't for everyone so the only question is this for you.
Abandoned Souls are a band from London, Ontario, Canada currently consisting of vocalist/bassist James Todd, drummer Steve Thomas and guitarists Derek De Kort and Tim Thompson. I must admit that I was unfamiliar with them until they reached out to me after seeing The Meister's Decibel Geek review of Lee Aaron's concert on December 6, 2014 in Whitby, Ontario. The evening previous, (attended by DBG photographer Brian Ronald) in London, Ontario saw Abandoned Souls setting the stage for the Canadian Metal Queen. The band has also opened for Skid Row, Red Dragon Cartel, and Kings X among others in their Southern Ontario stomping grounds. In 2006, they issued their debut record, Circles of Shadows, trailed with Some Never Will, both of which assisted in garnering the band nominations for two London area music awards and appearances on many music shows and programs according to what I can find about them on the internet information highway. Damned If You Don't dropped in 2012 and their latest offering, released October, 2014, is called Insightful Minds At Ease. Insightful Minds At Ease is actually the first part of a two-disc collection that was the "result of some blistering songwriting and recording sessions throughout 2013 and 2014". The second CD is set for a mid-2015 release. The album was self-produced by James Todd/Abandoned Souls and recorded at Foundation Studios in London, Ontario. The album features photography and digital mastery skills from Darkophoto. Citing interests like Three Days Grace, Godsmack, AX7, Alter Bridge, BLS, Ozzy, Pantera, AIC, Shinedown and Disturbed I fear that this one may have a little too modern of a flavour for my particular tastes, but with Helix's Brian Vollmer supplying guest vocals on one track my mind is definitely open.
Insightful Minds At Ease opens up with the lead single, "Leave It Behind", and it's familiar (to those of us old enough to remember) sound of a phonograph needle hitting the vinyl. The track quickly blossoms into a powerful up-tempo rocker and excellent choice for the album's representation. "Want And Need" is next in the roster and holds up the qualities of the opener, having great harmonic melodies to the chorus, somehow reminding me a little of Alice In Chains. We then have "Black", ripping off at a fast pace after the more melodic predecessor and in the fourth position, we find "Save It All", the track featuring the assistance of guest vocalist Brian Vollmer of Helix fame. Now at the halfway point, only being eight tracks contained on Insightful Minds At Ease, "Take Yourself Away" begins the second half and doesn't seem to offer me anything different than we've already received from the collection. To be totally honest I was beginning to lose interest by the time we hit "Anybody" as this more modern, grungy-flavoured style of rock is not particularly my preference, but that certainly doesn't mean that these are poor quality tunes. "Sad Eyes" was more memorable with a chorus that seemed to stand out a little more to me, but I wasn't keen on the I Mother Earth reminiscent title track, "Insightful Minds At Ease" that serves as album's final inclusion.
Overall I found Insightful Minds At Ease to be a little thick sounding and modern for me to spin this on a regular basis, but for fans of that style, this album is definitely right up your alley! I did find that separating the tracks and listening to them one on one while mixed into a playlist of other music caused them to fare much better than the whole package from start to finish. Just my personal opinion, but certainly these Canadians are worth checking out, especially if you're into this sub-genre. A Meister score of 7/10.
Remember those albums that you saved up your hard earned paper route money to buy way back when you were just a kid? You brought them home, tore into the cellophane wrappers and played them over and over again with an indescribable excitement each and every time. You knew the words to every single song, often belting them out along to the spinning record. When together with friends, you couldn't wait to introduce them to your new discovery. Well, I've found something recently released that gives me just that very same feeling.....Rust On The Rose from Finnish-born band Stud.
I was able to catch up with guitarist Mika Kansikas via email for a brief interview concerning the album and history of this band I've just recently discovered!
Mika Kansikas of STUD
Meister: Hello Mika, I have to say that I love Rust On The Rose and am so glad that I discovered your band! Thanks for taking the time to answer these questions and expand our knowledge of Stud. Hopefully, through this we can turn a few more folks on to the fantastic work you’ve created here.
Mika: Hi, I'm Mika Kansikas, the guitar player, and the songwriter of STUD. Thanks a lot for the opportunity to do this interview, and talk about our new album Rust On The Rose as well as some details about our past activities.
Meister: To my understanding, STUD first formed way back in 1986, is that correct?
Mika: Yes. STUD was formed back in 1986. We started by singing in English but made some demos in Finnish, and got record companies interested. We ended up with doing a single with Finland's biggest record company.
Meister: How did the band originally come to be and who were the players in those days, the same as we find on Rust On The Rose?
Mika: Most of the guys were already friends before the band was formed. Actually, me and Pasi Hietanen, the original bass player, were playing in the same band called Distance. Tero Kukkonen, our drummer, was a friend and was playing in a local band. He joined the band and has been in STUD from day one. Ari Toivanen, our singer, was found from another band we saw playing. His singing style with high screams was something that got us interested. When STUD reformed in 2012, we started off with the original lineup. After the Out Of The Darkness album was ready, Pasi Hietanen told us that he couldn't continue with the band due to his day job. That's when Matti Jalonen came in as our bass player. Pasi is still playing on two songs on Rust On The Rose while Matti is doing most of the songs.
Meister: Why did you call yourselves STUD?
Mika: STUD just sounded good. We had a long list of possible band names but wanted the name to be short and punchy. STUD just came up and everyone thought it was the best one.
Meister: What happened to the band back then?
Mika: We raised some interest in Finland by appearing on Finnish television and media to support the single. We also played lots of gigs. Soon enough the singing language was switched back to English. At that point, we already had another singer. By the end of the decade, the music scene was changing and we failed to nail a contract for a full-length album. In 1989, we played our last gigs before the band was put on hold.
Meister: What saw STUD decide to regroup and issue an album in this present time, followed so quickly by a second one?
Mika: Me and Tero were involved in the same music project and started to talk about the reunion. The main point was to have the original lineup together. As we found Ari, after not seeing him for years, we decided to give it a try. The idea was to do some gigs together, but we turned out to do some demos from some of our original songs. It just grew from there. Pretty soon we booked a studio and made plans to publish our first album, Out Of The Darkness. The process of making Rust On The Rose was quite similar as on the debut, the difference being that the album was released through the Cranksonic label (authors note: their own label).
Meister: How has the reaction been to STUD's reappearance and two back to back albums, both in Finland and around the world?
Mika: It's been surprising how many people actually remember the band from the 80's. What's cool today is that you can actually reach people from all over the world. That's been the plan since the reunion, to try to expose our music to fans of hard rock and metal around the world.
Meister: What do you feel are some of the major differences now verses then with regards to both STUD and the music scene itself?
Mika: It's very different. There are so many genres today and lots of bands and artists. On the other hand, it's easy to make a record with technology available for everyone. Lots of music you hear on the radio is made in someone's laptop. The downside is to have the music found by people from the millions of songs out there. The way the music is distributed, digitally, is different too. However, good music is always good.
Meister: Are the songs on Rust On The Rose (or Out Of The Darkness, which I myself haven't explored as yet) new compositions or old material from the STUD archives?
Mika: Lots of the material is old which could have been published earlier. I'm glad they were not, because today we have total control on the end result. We're better players now as well. Many songs, even they were old ones, were revised and even new parts and lyrics were added. Songs like "Raise Your Fist", "Rust On The Rose" and "Freedom Call" are new material.
Meister: Tell us about Rust On The Rose. The differences and similarities between this album and Out Of The Darkness, released only a year prior? The writing processes that go into crafting a STUD song (such as my favorite, "Freedom Call") and an album?
Mika: We're very happy about both of them. They both have great songs and good playing as well. What's great is that we've seen that many people have a different song as their favorite from our albums. Almost all the songs have been played on radio stations as well. There are no filler songs on our albums, and that's what we want to keep doing. Each song is important. Even though our songs are quite different from each other, we've been able to build our own recognizable sound and style. The writing process usually starts with a guitar riff or several of them. If you listen to our songs, there's almost always a guitar riff behind the songs. The melody builds on top of the riffs or the chord structure, the lyrics come usually last. In some cases, the chorus and some cool lyric phrases may even come first, and the rest of the song follows. In some cases, a song is put together from two separate song ideas. What we've heard is that the new album is sound wise a bit more modern compared to the debut.
Meister: Who are some of the major influences for the band and what drives you to continue making music?
Mika: So many influences during the years, from lots of different genres too. If we go back in time to when the band was originally started, bands like Rainbow, Van Halen, Iron Maiden, Ozzy, and Dio were all favorites of ours. Matti would add Sabbath and Priest to the list. But like I said there are many others. What drives us to make music is the fact that we're all music loving guys, it's been with us a long time. It's also a great feeling to play in front of a live audience. It really gives you energy. It's been amazing to put together our two albums and have them presented to people worldwide. We feel that we still have lots of ideas and we want to offer them to our fans in the form of new songs.
Meister: Were you able to play many live gigs back in the 80's? Does any one gig from then to now stand out as more memorable over the rest?
Mika: Sure. We played a lot of gigs back then. The most memorable gigs were in Estonia where we had a tour. Estonia wasn't independent back then. It was a culture shock for us, but the people were amazing. Many fond memories of the live scene in the 80's.
Meister: What does the future hold for STUD? Will there be some touring in support of these albums? Should we expect another album release next year as well?
Mika: In 2015, we'll continue to push the band forward. There won't be a new album this year however. The reason there was only one year between the two albums was that the debut was ready long ago before it was released. We waited for a proper time before releasing. With the new one, there was no waiting. We are building a schedule for live shows for this year, first gigs starting in March. Festivals and live shows outside of Finland are something we'd like to do in the future.
Meister: If you had the power to put a band together with any musician you chose (past or present) who would they be, why, and what would the band be called?
Mika: It's the current lineup, with the looks from the 80's :), the hair and all....The band would be called Stupid. Let's add Elvis and Roy Orbison for background vocals.
Meister: What song do you wish you'd written? (question borrowed from Decibel Geek writer Wallygator)
Mika: "White Christmas" :). I'd be a millionaire. Seriously, it's the next STUD song that's not been written yet. The writing process in many cases is hard, so many options. I have lots of riffs ready, but a song must always have a point and a unique idea. The ingredients of our songs are melody and energy, and the song should be heartfelt too.
Meister: Please feel free to share anything else that you'd like mentioned in this article.
Mika: Thanks to Rich "The Meister" Dillon for the opportunity to do this interview. For the people who have not had a chance to check out STUD's music, please visit our website at (STUD) as well as our Facebook page (STUD Facebook). You can find the latest news from the band and listen to our music from there too. If you're a fan of hard rock and melodic metal you might like what you hear. Keep rocking!
Stud’s Rust on the Rose album starts off at full throttle with "Raise Your Fist" beginning with a charging riff before a wicked guitar solo enters the picture. I’m sold already and the vocals haven’t even hit the speakers as yet. The song is exactly what you might expect from an 80’s glam/sleaze band, loaded with hooks and an anthem chorus. I’ve raised my fist! "Rock n' Roll World" exhibits a slightly slower pace, grinding along into a gang vocal, sing-along chorus of "I want to live in a rock and roll world". I already live in a rock and roll world and thank God for that, but I’m still singing along! The album's title track and second single release keeps things moving forward in much the same fashion and other standouts include the catchiness of "We’re Gonna Strike", the commercial radio-friendly sounding "Promised to Be Mine", the blistering pace of "Break the Chains" and the lead single "I Don’t Know". Stud have issued a solid collection of 11 songs holding true to the sound of the 80’s guitar driven heavy rock, marvelous for fans of the glam/sleaze sub-genre. I wish I'd come across this closer to the release time, as had I given it just a little more attention, it would most definitely have ended up in my top ten albums of 2014!
It’s off to add Out of the Darkness to my collection, rock on you stud! \m/
***Many thanks to Marjo from Metal Revelation for putting me in touch with Mika for this interview!***
An Introduction To The Band
Dalton was one of Sweden's premier melodic hard rock bands during the mid to late 80´s and early 1990´s. The band's hard rock with hints of AOR here and there were perfect for the era and commercially viable. They were like a little brother to bands like Europe or Treat touring and making their mark on the 80´s hard rock scene in Europe. Often branded as Scandi-AOR along with fellow bands like Alien, Nasty Idols (first album), Bad Habit, Return, Stage Dolls and Treat they released two great albums in the 80´s; the debut album called The Race Is On in 1987 followed by Injection two years later in 1989.
Press photo for debut album
Let's take it all the way from the start. The year was 1986 and Sweden's hair metal wave was exploding worldwide through Europe's success with The Final Countdown. There was still room for plenty of contenders! Treat's original drummer Mats ”Dalton” Dahlberg (nicknamed for being a lookalike of the Lucky Luke antagonists) left Treat in 1986 after playing on the band's debut album Scratch and Bite (1985). He formed a new band which he named after that nickname – Dalton. He found singer Bosse Lindmark (ex-Bedlam, ex-Avenue) through one of Sweden's largest newspapers (Aftonbladet). Bosse brought in his brother Anders ”Kebbe” Lindmark on bass. The band was complemented by guitarist Leif Westfahl and keyboard player Ola Lindstöm. The band's ”Wild West Heritage” look proved in line with current trends and the band quickly established themselves as one of the major contemporary bands.
Photo by Magnus Elgqvist
First Album-The Race Is On
Together they set out to achieve stardom. Dahlberg had built up a network in the industry during his years with Treat and very soon they were picked up by EMI Sweden. Through Stefan Edman at EMI they got two songs by external songwriters: ”You´re Not My Lover (But You Were Last Night)” penned by Jon Bon Jovi, Richie Sambora and Desmond Child and ”I Think About You” by Michael Bolton and Martin Briley. Managing to get original songs from these masters of their craft was no small achievement at the time. The debut album, The Race Is On was released in 1987 and ”You´re Not My Lover (But You Were Last Night)” was released as the first single and became a hit in the Scandinavian countries. It is, still today, the band's most well-known song. This album is now a sought after gem (along with Injection) from the glory days when melodies and irresistible hook lines were just as important as the image. Dalton embraced both sentiments!
Injection In 1989, the sophomore effort Injection was released and on this album, they leaned toward a harder edge without losing their skill for catchy melodies and big choruses. In my opinion, the strongest effort by the band so far. Some of the lyrics to the songs may seem a bit juvenile today but hey, this was the 80´s and sex was the thing to write about. The album is filled with catchy songs, huge choirs and choruses and stands out even today as a massive effort. Westfahl offers some great chops and every song is filled with memorable hooks and guitar licks. Lindmark provides some great and personal vocals making this a real gem in the genre. Listening back to this album – all you want to do, is go out and have a party with your best friends in the warm summer breeze!
The Band Go Their Separate Ways
Sadly the story ended in 1990 when Dalton did not agree with EMI on how to produce the third record. Mats ”Dalton” Dahlberg left the band to form Speedy Gonzales with ex-Talk Of The Town singer Thomas Vikström (later in heavier bands like Candlemass and Therion) and guitarist Tommy Denander. The band continued on with new drummer Adam Korsnäs and recorded a demo for a proposed third album. The option for a third album with EMI expired. Stefan Edman provided them with yet another song from Michael Bolton and a song from Jean Beavoir (Voodoo X, Crown Of Thorns). A deal was struck with Virgin but then EMI bought Virgin and canceled all contracts. At the same time, a great change in the music climate could be felt with grunge making their way in. Dalton did not want to adjust to the current trends and so just gave up but stayed friends. Mats ”Dalton” Dahlberg left the music business after a couple of years when Speedy Gonzales did not go anywhere. Anders and Bosse Lindmark formed RAW together with guitarist Michael Larson and Christian ”Kicken” Lundqvist (The Poodles). They released two albums in the mid 1990s; First (1995) and Now We´re Cooking (1997) before calling it a day.
The Reunion
Fast forward to 2012! Sonny Erlandsson from the film-production company Sto-Cph was looking for a band to film for a documentary on reuniting an old band. Being a hard rocker at heart, the choice fell on Dalton and he approached Dahlberg with the idea. Dalton fired on all cylinders and started contacting all the other members who said yes. Lead vocalist Bosse Lindmark was the hardest one to persuade, being very busy with his current projects. He ultimately said yes and Erlandsson has been following and documenting the band from the first meeting, the first practice, first gig and so on. In a couple of years, the documentary will be released. The band got offered a spot on the huge Rockklassiker (radio station in Sweden) show in December 2012 headlined by The Scorpions. It was a great success playing to 7000 people and just then and there they decided to make a new album! At the same time, EMI released a Best Of album with three b-sides as bonus tracks, making them available for the first time on CD. Westfahl dug out the old demo tape from 1990 and the band made a new 3-song demo with Eric Mårtensson of W.E.T. and Eclipse fame. Frontiers Records soon offered the band a deal and the new album Pitstop was recorded and released in October 2014. Finally, the third album is here – it only took 24 years!
Pitstop – Track By Track Comments
The new album starts off in fine style with ”Ready Or Not” and you immediately recognize the Dalton signature sound. Just enter the time machine and teleport back to 1990! It´s a mid-tempo rocker with a great chorus about making difficult and life altering decisions by following your heart. The melodies and the hook lines are still there, some great keyboards from Lindström starting off the song. This is followed by another melodic rocker, ”Hey You”,from the Mårtensson produced demowith the an interesting melody for the verses and a nice chorus. Lyrically it´s about falling in love with a married woman. Next song is ”Don´t Tell Me Lies”which is a slow rocker about the usual heartbreak and being left alone. The song has a really nice vocal melody for the chorus. The album is turning out to be a really positive surprise and Dalton hasn´t lost one bit of their sense for a great melody. The song features a nice and very melodic guitar solo from Westfahl. Next up is the first ballad called ”Follow Your Dreams” which could have been a huge hit had it been released in 1989. The song title says it all really on what it is about. Never stray from your dreams! Parallels could be drawn to ”Heaven” by Warrant or ”Love of a Lifetime” by Firehouse. A really strong chorus and fantastic vocal from Lindmark throughout makes this one of my favorites of ballads released in 2014. It's not becoming wimpy at any point. The highlight of the album so far. Next is another pure 80´s rocker called ”Up & Down”, starting out with a great acapella choir continuing on with an interesting beat during the verse and finally exploding in a chorus where Lindmark is joined by the rest of the band. A strong straight ahead rocker. Lyrically it´s about the rollercoaster ride of being in love can be. Next is one is ”Bad Love”, also from the Mårtensson produced demo. A heavy rocker that is really good, not the strongest song on the album but still a great chorus line. Next song is ”One Voice”, which has been penned together with Erik
Dalton live at release party for Pitstop-Photo by Dalton
Mårtensson and you can clearly hear some Eclipse influences in the beat and the texture of the song. Some nice and clear vocals from Lindmark on the verses with a melodic chorus. A deeper lyric with more political content than usual, this song is about Martin Luther King and his dream of one man, one voice. Great song but more of an Eclipse feel than traditional Dalton. Next up is ”Here We Are” which one of the strongest songs on the album. A mid-tempo rocker with some great choirs in the verses and a really catchy and interesting punchline. The song is about peace and a positive note that we all can change and unite the world. Next song is also a co-write with Mårtensson and it gives me chills how similar this is to the old era Bon Jovi. ”Something For The Pain” is not only lyrically similar to one of their songs but also musically. That can´t be a bad thing in my book. The lyrics are again about broken love and the need for a pill that could fix it all. Then ”50/50” follows suit and again Bon Jovi shows up big time in my head. I´m sure this song should have been on New Jersey or Keep the Faith, the lyrics and the song structure are similar and now Lindmark even starts sounding like Jon in ”Sleep When I´m Dead”! It's about the hazards of love again and having a 50/50 chance on me. "Let's choose, heads or tails". The regular album rounds off with ”TGIF (Thank God Its Friday)” where Pontus Norgren (ex Poodles, now Hammerfall) gets a credit for having co-written the song. It´s an edgier party hard rock song about finally reaching Friday and picking up a new woman (the last one left when you proceeded to fast haha!). A nice rocker! Fortunately, I have the Japanese pressing so it continues with one of the strongest efforts on the album (wonder who chose to make ”Beautiful” an exclusive Japanese bonus track? He or she must have had a really bad day on the job!). Of course, this slow rocker should have been on the regular album. Very melodic in both verse and chorus, this instantly sticks in your head and never leaves! Some might say too commercial - I say a very strong song with a memorable hook and really nice keyboard fills from Lindström. A song about true love and how beautiful that can be. The album closes with an acoustic version of ”Follow Your Dreams (Acoustic)” which does not add anything in particular. It is a fantastic song in the original version so there is no need for this extra version. In that way a great bonus track!
Summary
Dalton 2014. Photo courtesy of melodicrock.it
All in all, this is a surprisingly strong comeback album. You never expect a technical album or a groundbreaking album from the band. That wouldn´t be Dalton and Pitstop is not! They were really great when I caught the band at the reunion show on the ”Rockklassiker” Festival, but I didn´t think they would hit back with a really strong album like this. They continue on in their established genre of melodic hard rock and you can easily recognize the signature Dalton sound! That's a really good thing because this is not a blueprint copy of the previous albums. There is not a really weak track on the album and it´s very consistent. I would even say that it´s stronger than the debut album and nearly as good as Injection. I would even give it as high of a grade as 8 out 10 points. I´m pulling off 0.5 points for placing one of the strongest tracks as a Japan exclusive. One of the strongest albums of 2014 and a really nice comeback!
On November 10th, the band issued a press release that keyboard player Ola Lindström had been hospitalized with a serious heart condition. We wish a speedy recovery and hope to see him back with the band as soon as possible.
I´m really looking forward to catching Dalton live at Väsby Väsby Rock Festival this summer. Let´s hope they keep it together and make another album! Go out, buy it and get Daltonized!
On June 11, 1991 rock and metal history was made when Skid Row released their followup album. Sophomore jinx? Nothing could be further from the truth.
This week Aaron and Chris return to Wire World Studios to sit down with legendary producer Michael Wagener to discuss the landmark album, Slave to the Grind. The followup to the self-titled Skid Row debut album left its mark as it debuted at #1 on the Billboard 200 Chart. The album holds up today with its mix of sludgy guitars, dark lyrics, and powerful vocals from singer Sebastian Bach. In this discussion, Michael shares his memories of producing this album. You'll hear stories of the atmosphere of the recording process, the band's work ethic, and much, much more.
German gravelly vocal-ed power metal superstar Udo Dirkschneider is still going strong, celebrating his 40th year in the business. In the past couple of years, the staturally challenged front man has issued two double CD live albums, a double CD of rare recordings and his 14th top rated studio effort, Steelhammer. The latest U.D.O. creation is entitled Decadent and set for a North American release date of February 3, 2015.
62-year-old, Udo Dirkschneider, departed German metal legends Accept back in 1987 beginning a successful solo career and has issued an immense catalog of music under the U.D.O. banner. The 15th such effort, the forthcoming Decadent, features Andrey Smirnov (guitar), Fitty Weinhold (bass and sharing production with Udo), Kasperi Heikkinen (guitar) and Francesco Jovino (drums). It was announced, however, on December 23, 2014 via the U.D.O. Website and Facebook page that Jovino would be departing the band for personal reasons. Perhaps Udo's son, Sven Dirkschneider, currently assisting Saxon on tour while drummer Nigel Glockler recuperates from surgery, will be chosen to fill the void? Or perhaps even you could be the new U.D.O. drummer with this post on the official website: "Drummer Francesco Jovino left U.D.O. due to a personal reason. The band is searching for a new drummer now since a complete world tour is scheduled for 2015 starting early March 2015. If you feel ready to become the new U.D.O. drummer feel free to mail your application to fsuepfle@itm-agency.com (please NO big attachments with soundfiles or similar, if we're interested we gonna contact you and ask for further information)." Only time will tell, but no matter who it is U.D.O. is high on my list to see live again and I hope Decadent affords me the opportunities to do so!
With the main theme of his fifteenth solo studio album, Decadent, being that of social criticism, the album deals mostly with the decadent behavior of the rich upper classes according to the press release. The release also states that during his time performing all over the world, Udo has experienced and witnessed a lot of things, including the devastating gap between rich and poor and the ruthless behavior of those in power. “Decadent behavior by privileged society exists in the whole world in completely different shades,” says Udo. “Decadence is almost like a universal language. What bothers me the most is the ego-centrism that goes along with that. People who have everything seem not to really care about the world around them anymore; it’s like they use their own privileged status as an absolution for that. Also they do not seem to see that there’s a correlation between their own luxury and the poverty of others.”Decadent is produced by the same successful team that delivered Steelhammer in 2012, Udo Dirkschneider, Mattes and Fitty Weinhold with Jacob Hansen (Volbeat) mastering.
Decadent hits the ears with "Speeder", a track that exhibits a little difference in sound to Steelhammer's fare but nothing overly experimental...not a bad thing by any means. The cat scratched, gravel-raked trademark vocals of Mr. Dirkschneider are once again in the forefront. The title track and lead single, "Decadent", has a hook that will quickly implant itself in your brain and remain there for some time to come, not to mention the message of the composition. A song that immediately made The Meister's MP3 playlist, perhaps even one of U.D.O.'s finest, has also been given the video treatment. "House of Fake" appears next, loaded with trademark chords, guitar solos and gruff vocals showing that Udo has no intentions of slowing down, awesome! "Mystery" chugs along in this slower paced composition that features some different vocals and a catchy chorus. "Pain" is another blatant standout with an incredibly memorable hook to the chorus and again makes a statement about the rich that is said to be the theme of Decadent as shown by the lyric "Try eating some of your own shit for once". I'm not a fan of the power ballad "Secrets in Paradise" finding it slow, boring and generally painful so it gets skipped in every listen, but it's just not a style that I particularly enjoy in general, so no reflection on U.D.O. "Meaning of Life" rebounds in the fine U.D.O. power metal formula that I've come to expect and the crushing riffs of "Breathless" beg to have the volume level raised. "Under Your Skin" has a thrash/speed feel to it at times as it crashes through the speakers at a breakneck pace, but "Untouchable" raises the bar again with it's chanting group vocal chorus guaranteed to have your fist in the air and the volume inching up yet again. The assault of "Rebels of the Night" attacks instantly with a pounding riff quickly beating you into submission and the softer beginnings of the longest track "Words in Flame" give way to a plodding composition to draw Decadent to a close.
Overall, consistency is a strong part of what U.D.O. does, but still manages to keep it fresh and once again the hard working German has outdone himself here. Twelve blistering songs from one of Metal's biggest legends and unmistakable voices. With a Meister score of 9/10, Decadent is one absolute "must have" album and an early contender for the top of 2015! Well done U.D.O., see you on tour in Toronto in 2015?
American power metal outfit Hammeron, based in Chicago, started out in the early 1980's with a different lineup than the one that would come to release the cult album Nothin´ To Do Again But Rock in 1986. Vocalist Brian Troch joined the band early on and soon after talented guitarist Jack Lazor also joined in. By the mid-1980's, these two were complemented by guitarist Mick Vega, bass player Danny Vega and the only original member, drummer Pete Pagonis. Just before recording their debut album Pagonis left the fold to join Damien Thorn, leaving the band without any remaining original members. Enter Jeff Ward, a powerhouse drummer with a great timing and feel and also the brother of Flotsam & Jetsam bassist Jason Ward.
The classic line up was now in place and would last until the band broke up in 1990. In 1985 the band managed to get two songs published on two sampler collections; ”Marching Off to War” (Chicago Class of 1985) and ”The Only One” (Chicago Metal Works Battalion 2). Why these two were omitted from these reissues I do not know.
Nothin´ To Do Again But Rock! In 1986, Hammeron entered Tanglewood Studios in Brookfield, Illinois to record their debut and, until now, sole album. Nothin´ To Do Again But Rock may seem, judging by the title, as some kind of banal and simple hard rock album. You cannot be more wrong! What you get here is classic American power metal in the vein of Queensryche (Rage for Order era), Lethal or Heir Apparent! Nice guitar duels by Vega/Lazor and fantastic guitar harmonies spiced up by crystal clear vocals from Brian Troch. Slighlty progressive in the song textures and great vocal and guitar harmonies build up these songs with memorable hooks and choruses. The production is of course, judging by today's standards a bit dated. This album should have been far more successful than it was in the mid 80´s. Being a self-financed release such issues as lack of distribution and marketing made the album doomed from the start commercially. Thanks to Greek label No Remorse Records (Great job guys!!) everybody gets the chance to discover this lost gem and pay tribute to what could have been.
Wired For Sound! No Remorse Records has also issued the 1987 demo and the later Sponges demo, all on one CD aptly renamed Wired For Sound. For the first time, these are now available to the public. This Wired For Sound album offers varied material in terms of quality. The 1987 demo portion continues on in the vein of the first album with heavy but melodic songs building on strong hooks with lots of melodies and harmonies but the sound quality is a bit on and off being a demo. The last three songs are taken from the Sponges demo and they really lower the grade on this album. To me it only sounds like a wall of sound with no memorable hooks or riffs. Troch screams and shouts like hell but nothing good comes out of it. I´m sorry to say, but it´s pure crap to me. Trying to sound like Pantera was obviously not the right choice. You could call it evolving but in my opinion it was a nosedive into obscurity.
Music style changed for the band and they started to grow apart, not being in agreement on where to go, Hammeron parted ways in 1990. Jeff Ward would then move on to play with Ministry and Nine Inch Nails, however, he struggled with a heroin addiction and tragically took his own life in 1993 (RIP). Guitarist Jack Lazor went on to sing for Widows Rose in Arizona with Jeff´s brother Jason (also in Flotsam & Jetsam). Mick Vega moved on to play with Syndrome, Mad Dog, The Plague and Rising Up Angry. Dan Vega also played with Widows Rose and Mind Bomb. Lead vocalist Brian Troch took the job as frontman with Znowhite and later on Cyclone Temple. Later on, he teamed up with Joe Stump, Jeff Tortora and Jimmy Pma to form Shootinghemlock and released two albums with them. Currently, Brian is playing with the band Flywater.
Track By Track Comments (Nothin' To Do Again But Rock)
Picture courtesy of Underground-Empire.com
The album starts off with the fast paced rocker ”Silent Victim” with a simple but nice chorus. The song has some interesting tempo changes with a slow mid-section and it keeps me interested throughout the song. A good way to start off the album! This is then followed by the title track, ”Nothin´To Do But Rock”, with it's midtempo during the verses and some intricate beats. It steps up a gear for the chorus, but it is a really strong effort! Troch shines on this one providing a great vocal effort and this song has a nice melodic guitar solo. The album then picks up with the song ”So True” which is one of the strongest tracks on the album. Nice guitar licks by Vega/Lazor and heavy riffing during the verses with Troch's melodic vocals on top. Again the song is slightly progressive but in a very positive way making Hammeron stand out from other bands. Keeping up on the high end another strong effort is to follow in ”Jealousy” which is a semi-ballad type of thing. The verses are sung in a ballad context, but the song evolves into a heavy and faster song for the really strong chorus. Another slower song follows suit in ”Endless Nights” and it's also a very strong song with it becoming heavier again for the chorus. Yet again, it is a really strong one with a nice vocal from Troch. ”Why Lie” starts off with a weird beat which then introduces Queensryche-like guitar licks and then turning into a strange but interesting chorus with a faster pace. Probably the oddest song on the album and it demands listening to a couple of times. Not the instant hit but that goes for the whole album I think. The next song, "Sleepwalker", is a faster-paced rocker with a more direct approach. ”Sands Of Pyre” offers a heavier and grooving sound than the previous songs with the tasteful use of keyboards. The song adds nicely a new element to the mix with the album then rounding off with a nice and melodic rocker in ”To The Top”. This should have been a first single in my opinion having the melody and commercial feel the radio was looking for in the 80´s with a direct and simple hook line and a great chorus!
Track By Track Comments (Wired for sound)
Picture courtesy of Metal-Archives.com
The album starts off in great style with a really strong song, the fast paced rocker ”One More Time”. Just as strong as "Silent Victim” which started off the debut album. It is continued with album highlight ”Hold You” which features some really nice guitar licks from Vega/Lazor once more and a great melodic chorus! In the next song, ”Hungry For a Fight”, you can clearly hear the band going for a heavier sound with a straight ahead rocker based on heavy riffing and Troch stretching his vocals to the limit on the chorus. The album then continues on with another fast paced heavy rocker called "Journey's End". With the faster songs, the progressive beats also fade away which is too bad. ”Journey´s End” is still a really nice song with a melodic chorus and the song features a nice guitar solo duel. With the next song, ”The Way”, we´re back in ”Queensryche-land"! The song could easily have been an extra track on The Warning or Rage For Order albums with Troch reaching a really high pitch and both beat and riffs taking me back to the early Queensryche years. Together with ”Hold You”, these are definitely the album's highlights! Next song is ”Living On The Edge” and the last song from the 1987 demo included here. It´s a good straight ahead rocker but nothing that stands out. The last three songs ”Full Force”, ”Sponges” and ”Hammer and Sickle” are nothing short of an attempt at the Pantera sound and they fail miserably. Only gives me earache and a bad way to round off an otherwise interesting album.
Summary No Remorse marketed this re-release as a long lost US metal masterpiece. I have to say it´s pretty damn close to that. For being a mid 80´s release these guys deserved so much better. They recorded a very consistent debut album (Nothin' To Do Again But Rock) – which had the songs and the musicianship to compete with the best. Yet, they faded into obscurity and I certainly did not catch them in the day. It's only thanks to the enthusiasts at No Remorse that I (and maybe you too) get to hear it! Back in those days there were no internet, no facebook, no twitter. I must say this is a great release that deserves a 7/10 points. When it comes to ”Wired For Sound the sound is not as great and the band are going for a heavier sound. The song quality is very varied with the end of the album being absolutely below par and pure nonsense. I would give the album a 4/10, the last three songs lowering the grade by at least two points and the sound quality deducting the last one in comparison with the debut album. It would have been better to include the two early songs and leaving the Sponges demo off the album in my opinion. My advice is to start off with Nothin´ To Do Again But Rock if you are not familiar with the band. I hope you all will give it a listen because it will be worth it. If your into melodic metal with pinch of progressiveness then this one is for you!
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