1. Led Zeppelin - Celebration Day
Led Zeppelin gives you your musical education. It's where heavy rock
began. So, where to begin... I didn't use to like Jimmy Page's guitar tone, but
this recent live recording makes it sound that little bit better. This double
Cd live recording was recorded in 2007 at London o2 arena. Featuring Jon
Bonham's son Jason Bonham on drums. The songs stand the test of time. There's
lots of variety and diversity to the way they play. The musical style has
embelishments and dynamics which make it interesting such as in: "Good
times, bad times" and "Ramble on" where the verse riff and
rhythm begin with a main rhythm and then one that follows the riff, it flows
into the chorus which is directly built on top of from the verse riff. In
"Black dog" a good blues tradition valuing is present when the riff
starts and stops to allow a vocal acapella dynamic then hammering back in with
the riff. The version of "Stairway to heaven" is well worth listening
to featuring some nice pipe organ and endearing guitar work. They hit you with
slow blues, smooth, sophisticated and raw, in both "Since I've been loving
you" and "Dazed and confused". They convey of plate mesmorising
chaos in "Misty mountain hop". My personal favourite is
"Kashmir" with it's epic, cinematic riff bolstered by it's well
navigated chorus counterpart. Old favourites "Whole lotta love" with
a long psychadelic dive in the middle and "Rock n' roll" with it's
instantly recognisable chant of "It's a lonely, lonely, lonely, lonely
life".
9/10
If you like this you may also like: Doors, Deep purple.
2. Black Country Communion - Afterglow
Black country Communion are a supergroup featuring Joe Bonamassa, Jason
Bonham, Glen Hughes and Derek Sherinian.
Joe Bonamassa wields his Gibson Les Paul studio guitar. High flying work
horse mode is in abundance on this album, where guitar solos flutter their
wings with patterns of beauty in songs such as "Midnight sun" and
awsome rhythm guitar in songs like "Dandelion". It's not that we
haven't heard this sort of thing before but it's done so well and with genuine
passion , it takes the bit of the formula that's proven and kind of enhances it
to a higher level. The drums so on the ball they kicksnactivate with power in
oodles of a style of which would cause trouble for a lot of today's powerhouse
metal drummers. Where as the 2nd album was full of woeful odes to society and
emotional subject matter, "Afterglow" is more upbeat and musically
enfusing.The bass keeps thundering away, sometimes with quite flamboyant style. Keyboards hot-rod
their way through. Whatever your rock angle, it's worth checking this out if
you wanna give the classic/retro with a new slant a go.
8.5/10
If you like this you may also like: The answer, Airbourne
3. Axewound - "Vultures"
Axewound I would call HATECORE but when I say this I don't mean 1-
dimensional, I mean a fully fledged onslaught that never fails to interest with
it's intensity. All the best of brutal down to it at the pinnacle. God this is
a good year for supergroups and Axewound feature members of Bullet for my
valentine, Cancer bats and Glamour kill. They spell it out hell is a heaven for
the hateful intent of mixing up a mecca of a moshpit world you could think of
as a misery for anything but worship of jarring guitars, bashful sometimes
simple, never overstated. It would appear to be the point is to recognise the
hatred ignited by ignition. Sometimes with harmonised guitaring. Extreme point
blank melodying in songs including: "Cold", "Exorchrist"
and "Collide"(with it's orchestral/piano leanings). There are a few
high-speed guitar solos such as the awsome solo in "Vultures". Fall
forward flung riffing power in "Destroy" and "Blood money and
lies". Drums are potent throughout.
9/10
If you like this you may also like: Cancer bats, bullet for my
valentine, Bring me the horizon,Slipknot
4. Over your threshold - "Facticity"
Some German death metal wizadry courtesey of that limericky one beat
bass-snare rhythms. Some grungifying bits
stick out of the starts and ends of a mainly falling plight, which maybe
in a stoner abborition seek to control a evil but playful giant wicker robot
like the one depicted on the cover illustration. Although they are a German
metal band their vocal phrasing seems not to vary from those of metal bands
from english speaking countries. They leave you there, venting in low to the
ground, pacified melody which counters the affliction of the (in death metal
terms) mid-tempo. So there is switching of moods and sometimes it's like a
battle between the two.
8.5/10
If you like this you may also like: Cradle of filth, any death metal
band that comes to mind but this band really are quite unique for there genre.
5. Enslaved - "R I I T I I R"
If ever there was a band to release an album dignifying the neon dazed
to ultimateism it would be Enslaved. This album has a bit of a Telecaster
sounding twangy hammering bleeding knuckle metal. It's all pulled off so
smoothly and so calmly with their dark gothic catchy choruses such as in
"Death in the eyes of dawn" with lyrics that read: "Blinded are
my eyes, tied are my hands, sleeping wide awake, got lost within myself".
This could mean a lot to someone looking for a sense of psychosis type bliss.
Most of the tracks are long and some have more prog-rock leanings than metal,
particularly "Storm of memories" and "Forsaken". Where they
really shine through is their ability to take you on a voyage with dry wit, and
dwelling on riff led barren soundscapes. Aswell as this, on another
level you can note the bite of their rampant soily death metal. The
soloing is kind of like you might have heard before but it's more like the
highlights of a gifted player.
8/10
If you like this you may also like: Opeth, Hammers of misfortune
6. The Gaslight Anthem - "Handwritten"
Let's look at it like this; a well groomed garage rock sounding band
stepping out with all the right hooks and punky sounds with lead breaks to
carry it off for the whole show that anyone can catch on to. As writer Nick
Hornby notes is of that boy meets girl subject matter that makes simple,
addictive listening. Highlights include: "45" and
"Handwritten". The album features just enough kick and grit in the
arrangements to qualify it for rockularity. I think this may have been said
before, but to quote: "Hey, hey turn the record over" "Hey hey
and I'll see you on the flipside". Indeed.
8/10
If you like this you may also like: Stereophonics, Ash
7. Last Wind - "Return of a sonic assassin"
An all star line up including Groundhogs drummer Ken Pustelnik and the
bass player from psychadelic rock band the Heads aswell as some former members of Hawkwind. A duo of guitarists (the
album also includes some synth sounds from the vocalist) with a spacey
slt-fying outing with it's Shaun Rydery-ish twists, like tales of fate from
down the pub on acid. Sometimes akin to Alien stash tin. Quirky humour and wit
run amok with a take it as we fuck you with it approach and solid rhythm
section. Lead guitar entailing a constant fast rip roaring though I believe it
to be multi-fx driven sound. It gets that in between early rock and punk notion
which people may be familiar with of bands like the stooges, well imagine that
going off on a mellow tip, an engine rooted more in a philisophical wisdom as
opposed to a wheel of explosion. It has been said that the vocalist Paul Hayles
is more of a "Chanter" than a singer. Lyrics such as in
"Slots" where it is said: "for some reason it's always a woman's
voice saying hang on to that money, keep it for another day" and
"that's what money's for ain't it". In "Day trippers":
"We used to take a stroll, take a pill or two" definitely work in
their favour.
9/10
If you like this you may also like: Happy Mondays, Hawkwind.
8. Neal Schon - "The Calling"
A solo outing from Journey's lead guitar player. He's been deemed as a
Satriani-like player. Indeed the title track does remind me of a Satriani
title. It's mainly whammy led lead lines, long sustaining and as instrumental
music goes it's pretty enticing. Backed sometimes by world music percussion and
often slightly funky drumming. I'd give it credit it's interesting to the point
where I'd say Schon gets his theories accross in tracks such as "Primal
Surge" and "Song of the wind 2". Rarely stopping for a bit of
rhythm guitar with nice arpeggios on songs such as "Irish field" he's
a talented player in that department too. His quick bursts of speed are nice
skirmishes, to coin this I'd say think of Hank Marvin with distortion and rock
etiquette, let the guitar sing you a song.
8/10
If you like this you may also like: Joe Satriani, Santana
Reviews by Dan Seward
