Album Of The Week: Sad Wings Of Destiny by Judas Priest

When I think of the genre of Heavy Metal and the one band that I think took the flag and it became it’s standard bearer, it always comes back to Birmingham, England’s own Judas Priest. In my opinion, no band better represented the genre then they did and they inspired a whole slew of bands along the way in there 50 year career. That’s right, Judas Priest is celebrating 50 years as a band and we are celebrating it by checking out what Loudwire.com ranked as 18TH on their list of 50 Best Metal Albums of all time in 1976’s Sad Wings Of Destiny. The album was the band’s second overall release and it featured Rob Halford (Vocals), K. K. Downing (Guitar), Glenn Tipton (Guitars), Ian Hill (Bass), and Alan Moore (Drums) who was the band’s third drummer by this point. Unfortunately, when the album was released, it had a hard time getting noticed due to the rise in popularity of punk rock music at the time. With a little bit of touring in the UK, the album eventually peaked at number 48 in the UK and it eventually achieved Gold in 1989.

1. Victim Of Changes-This almost 8 minute epic that was the product of two different tracks kicks off the album that was inspired by Led Zeppelin’s Black Dog. The track is about a woman who drinks too much and loses her man to another woman. The thing I love about this track is all the tempo and mood changes that occur in the song itself over the course of the track. 5/5

2. The Ripper-This Queen inspired chugger brings us into the mind of the great Victorian killer Jack The Ripper as we hear it from his perspective. 4.5/5

3. Dreamer Deceiver-a ballad track where we get some crooning vocals from Halford, but this serves as an intro of sorts for the next track. 4/5

4. Deceiver– A track that features more of that fast paced chugging sound that borders on being the inspiration for speed metal on the track. You can definitely also hear some influence from Black Sabbath in the track which was expected at the time. 5/5

5. Prelude– An intricate instrumental track done in the E♭ Aeolian mode, but it has nothing to do with the next track. 4/5

6. Tyrant-Such an intricate track with so many parts, but it definitely kicks a lot of ass in a very short amount of time. It’s a track that is all about going against the grain. 5/5

7. Genocide-a cool riff heavy track that takes influence from Deep Purple tracks like Women From Tokyo and Burn (you can hear it). I guess Rob wanted the track to be thought provoking and controversial, but not sure if it did the trick. 4.5/5

8. Epitaph-a piano track that has been described to be Queen like as far as the vocals are concerned due to how they are layered. The song is basically Halford describing his frustration for how there is no place for the old. 4/5

9. Island Of Domination– The other track bleeds into this one, but the heavy electric guitars take over in this song that Tipton has joked is a little personal to Halford. The very Sabbath like track could have some innuendos contained in it which is what Tipton was joking about. 4.5/5

My Final Thoughts-This is a very different album than what came in the 1980’s and that is what I like about this album. It definitely has a very 70’s Priest vibe to it and there is certainly nothing wrong with that. My favorite tracks on the album are Tyrant, Deceiver, and Victim Of Changes. I am going to give the album 4.5 stars out of five for a final grade.

Album Of The Week: The Crow Soundtrack

I honestly believe that if you were to ask me what were some of the greatest movie soundtracks of the 1990’s, one of them would definitely be the original soundtrack to the 1994 film The Crow. The Crow was a film that starred the late Brandon Lee that was based off of a comic book created by James O’Barr about a man who comes back from the grave thanks to a crow to have vengeance against those who killed him and his fiance. The soundtrack featured some of the best 90’s alternative acts like The Cure, The Jesus and The Mary Chain along with some really awesome up and comers in the Industrial rock scene like Machines Of Loving Grace, My Life With The Thrill Kill Cult, and the Nine Inch Nails. The soundtrack also featured some bands that were either already on the rise like Stone Temple Pilots, Pantera, or about to make a huge splash like Rage Against The Machine . It was definitely the album that made a splash on us because it made the film come to life and helped bring out the raw emotions of the characters. It did well on the charts as it peaked at number one on the Billboard Top 200 Charts and it has been certified platinum three times.

1. Burn by The Cure- This is my favorite song on the whole album that made me fall in love with Simon Gallup and his bass playing abilities as he drives the song forward while Robert Smith does his best invoking the spirit of the Crow in his lyrics. 5/5

2. Golgotha Tenement Blues by Machines Of Loving Grace- Machines bring the industrial rock sexiness with this blues tinged goth classic. Golgotha is the place that Jesus was crucified so the track could be their way of saying that this is where Eric Draven was “crucified” if you want to use those terms. It’s an awesome track. 5/5

3. Big Empty by Stone Temple Pilots- This is a classic STP track, but it’s not the original track intended for the soundtrack. Apparently, they had written one song called Only Dying, but management thought it wasn’t a good idea to release since the death of Brandon Lee had happened. This was definitely a great substitute as this is an STP classic. 5/5

4. Dead Souls by Nine Inch Nails- Trent Reznor went all out with this cover of Joy Division’s Dead Souls which is amazing. This is a very haunting track lyrically and Trent does a great job adding his flair to it while trying to remain true. 5/5

5. Darkness by Rage Against The Machine- A very young Rage brings this track to you with all the in your face, boombastic sound that we are used to while Zach De La Rocha spits that gospel. Zach is talking mostly about how AIDS was an epidemic in Africa and America was barely doing anything about it. 5/5

6. Color Me Once by Violent Femmes- Life can be cruel and tough and that is the message that legendary folk rock act Violent Femmes brings to you on the soundtrack. The track features a very cool bluesy guitar solo that is a true highlight. 4.5/5

7. Ghostrider by The Rollins Band- Henry Rollins reverting back to his punk roots as he covers Suicide’s Ghostrider for the soundtrack. This was always a surprise track for me because the music is just infectious with those big bass riffs. 5/5

8. Milktoast by Helmet- this is an alternate version of the band’s track Milquetoast where this one was mixed by Butch Vig as it features a distorted outro and some feedback loops that weren’t there before. This track also features some bad ass bass playing by Henry Bogdan. 5/5

9. The Badge by Pantera- Any soundtrack that features the late and great Dimebag Darrell is a winner in my book. This is Pantera’s cover of Poison Idea’s The Badge. It’s heavy and fast and it showcases some of Phil’s other influences. 5/5

10. Slip Slide Melting by For Love Not Lisa- I had never heard of this group, but the song has quite the kick to it cause the track drives. 4.5/5

11. After The Flash by My Life With The Thrill Kill Kult- an industrial banger that is bound to get the inner goth out of you with it’s Ministry/Electric Hellfire Club like industrial dance beats. This track kicks ass and you can’t help but groove to it. 5/5

12. Snakedriver by The Jesus and The Mary Chain- an alternative rock track that is a little different than the rest of the songs on here and it’s a good change as the singer talks about how life can be just as we thought it would be. 4.5/5

13. Time Baby III by Medicine- I think this is a very underappreciated song on the soundtrack because her voice is hypnotic. The band makes a cameo in the film playing the club. 5/5

14. It Can’t Rain All The Time by Jane Siberry- This is the actual version of the track that Eric Draven’s band’s song that appears on the soundtrack. The track is about no matter how tough or bad things get, it can’t be that bad all the time. 5/5

My Final Thoughts– This is definitely one of the greatest soundtracks of it’s time and it will live on in the hearts of all those that loved the film and soundtrack. My favorite tracks on the record are Burn by The Cure and Dead Souls by Nine Inch Nails. My least favorite track is probably Color Me Once by Violent Femmes. I am going to give the album 4.8 stars out of five for a final grade.

Album Of The Week: Group Therapy by Dope

There were a lot of bands that emerged from the Nu Metal scene back in the late 1990’s, but there always that one band that just seemed different than everyone else. Dope was one of those bands that just came out and they looked and sounded the part especially with the industrial influence of the first album. I felt with album after album that Edsel Dope, the lead singer of the band Dope was growing as a musician as well and it was evident with the previous effort Life. Edsel definitely kept the ball rolling with the next effort which we are covering this week in Group Therapy which featured Virus (Guitar and keyboards), Sloane “Mosey” Jentry (Bass), and Racci “Sketchy” Shay (Drums). Edsel assumed a lot more responsibilities on this album as he also handled guitars, audio production, engineering, and he produced the album which was also the band’s first effort since leaving Epic. The album garnered a lot of mixed reviews once it was released, but it was an album that had showed that the band had range. The album peaked at number 17 on The Billboard Top Independent records chart and it peaked at number 16 on the Heetseekers chart.

1.Falling Away– A cool bass line drives the verses for the most part before the band kicks back in with the industrial rock styled assault. The track seems to be about no matter how awesome he feels there is always something there to drag him down. 4/5

2. Bitch– I always loved this song because it’s such an in your face, bravado filled track with huge power chords that has balls. It’s about being in a relationship that literally means nothing to you, but the sex is great. 5/5

3. I Am– A cool rock track and one of my favorites that has a bad ass pre-chorus that leads into an epic chorus that makes you want to chant I Am What I Am really loudly along with Edsel. The lyrics are pretty self explanatory. 5/5

4. Motivation– Another in your face track with huge power chords that talks about being in the right state of mind to succeed and if not get the hell out of the way. 4/5

5. Sing– A song that is on the lighter side of things for the band with either an acoustic guitar or the guitars are on a clean channel. It’s a song that just tells you to sing no matter what you may be doing it for or what people think. Just sing! 5/5

6. Now Is The Time– A hard rock track that is ballsy with a big bass riff that is telling you that now is the time to do something so stop wasting time! 4/5

7. Paranoia– a track that has a driving riff that is super charged about being paranoid or are you saying I’m paranoid? 4/5

8. Bring It On– Racci kicks off this track with a cool drum beat before the band comes in for a real hard rocker. Racci is actually one of the stars of this song and it seems to be built around him. 4.5/5

9. Another Day Goes By– One of my favorite tracks on the album that is another example of their lighter side in a track that is about being trapped in the same place all the time. I’ve pondered a lot in life especially while listening to this track. 5/5

10. Today Is The Day– Another track that is driven by Racci’s drum playing and Sloane’s bass playing and it’s awesome when the band comes in full force for the chorus. Today is the day to change your life. 5/5

11. Burn– Sirens and Racci’s amazing playing kick off the sequel to Die MotherF***** Die and it’s intense with razor fast and sledgehammer like riffs. 4.5/5

12. Easier– a very different and cool rock track that is a little bluesy at times about a break up that just needs to happen. It further showcases their “softer” side, but really that they can write anything. 4/5

13. So Low– The band closes the album with an absolute banger that is intense as hell when it needs to be. It’s about a guy who is just fed up with getting the blame when things go wrong in relationships. 4/5

My Final Thoughts– Despite all the hate that the record may have received, I think that this is definitely one of the best albums the band has ever recorded. It was the natural progression from Life and they continue to move in the right direction with the next effort after this one. Another Day Goes By is the best track on the album besides the track I Am. I am going to give the album 4.5 stars out of five for a final grade because it’s that good.

Single Of The Week: Absolution Calling by Incubus

One of my favorite bands to come out of the late 90’s early 2000’s scene was Incubus and the California unit is back with brand new music that they are sharing with everyone. The band is planning to release tow EP’s that will be released this year and the band has unveiled the song Absolution Calling which has a vibe similar to The Cure and their track Burn from The Crow soundtrack. Apparently according to singer Brandon Boyd the song developed from a bass riff and guitarist Mike Einziger added on the Kevin and Bean Show, “Actually, Brandon was in Bali, in a land far away. He had to leave on this trip so we were like, let’s just try to make studio magic while he was gone so we started sending him idea. All four of us were in the studio jamming. That song just came out of us all in the studio improvising. It was like, ‘Oh wait, what’s that? Oh cool.’ And it just evolved.” As I said before, the band is planning to release two EP’s this year with Trust Fall: Side A being the first one to drop on March 24TH with the second to follow by late summer. Einziger also added to the interview saying, “We’re doing this really fun thing right now where we’re just writing songs and recording them and then releasing them, like as we finish them. We don’t really know what’s going to happen and the chaos that comes along with that is exhilarating. It sounds so corny but all we’ve ever done is as a band is to try and make music that gets us excited and hopefully other people will like it to. And, we’re in the advanced information age when we can just put things out. We can record them and just put them out immediately.” Check out track below and enjoy.

Cover Of The Week: Burn by Bruce Dickinson & Glenn Hughes

Back in 2012, the rock world was stunned when it lost one of it’s all time greatest keyboard players in Deep Purple’s Jon Lord. The man composed some of the greatest Deep Purple songs in Smoke On The Water, Mandrake Root, and this week’s cover song of the week Burn. So many greats teamed up to perform a tribute concert which was a celebration of Jon Lord’s career which was filmed at The Royal Albert Hall. The celebration is going to be released on CD/DVD on September 26TH. Along with the Orion Orchestra, Bruce Dickinson of Iron Maiden teamed up with Glenn Hughes to perform a blazing rendition of Burn which is an absolute must watch for any Deep Purple fan. On the performance, they are also joined by Ian Paice, Don Airey, and Rick Wakeman and it’s epic. When you go and throw a tribute concert for someone, you better do it right and these guys do it right. Check it out below and if you want to pre-order some cool bundles, just click here.

Album Of The Week: Super Collider by Megadeth

It’s the second entry this week for the album of the week in a week that already featured a release from The Queens Of The Stone Age and my review of Amon Amarth’s Deceiver Of The Gods. So, we got the fourteenth album from thrash metal titans Megadeth called Super Collider. The album’s line up consists of Dave Mustaine, Dave Ellefson, Chris Broderick, and Shawn Drover and is produced by Johnny K. The album also features a guest appearance from Disturbed/Device frontman David Draiman and it’s the first album to be released on Dave’s own label Tradecraft via Universal.

Kingmaker is the first track and it opens up with a very dark bass line from bass master Dave Ellefson over a helicopter. Then before you know it, Dave Mustaine and Chris Broderick came all guns a blazing with the sonic guitar assault. The track is amazing as it talks about wanting everything now and Dave acting like he wants to be the King S*** (hence Kingmaker). The title track is next and it feels like more of a hard rock song than a thrash metal song.  I’m not saying the track is bad, but it seems Dave has gone back to the days of Youthanasia and Cryptic Writings (which are some of my favorite albums) for inspiration with this track. Burn! opens up with the guitar master flexing his muscles before breaking into the track. The song is a great hard rock track, but the lyrics are a little weak (Burn baby burn cause it feels so good?) Built For War is them getting back into Megadeth mode with the double bass drum assault with the sonic assault from their fearless leader and his guitar partner in a Rust In Peace kind of style. Off The Edge is the next track on the record and it starts with some riffing before the song breaks in and as much of the album so far it explores a hard rock feel like Cryptic Writings. Dance In The Rain features Dave talking through the music as if he is telling a story to you which talks of big brother and a storm brewing so I hope you can dance in the rain. The track also features David Draiman on vocals.

Beginning Of Sorrow opens up with a killer bass riff from arguably my favorite bassist. It’s a track that is a little different for Megadeth with his daughter Electra adding background vocals to the track. The Blackest Crow is the next track and it has a bluegrass country feel to it that is dominant in the beginning and remains a part of the song throughout. It seems that Megadeth is expanding their horizons and I like it. As I said the bluegrass in prominent in the beginning before a cadence like drum beat starts to take over before Dave sings. Forget To Remember is the next track on the album and it’s a complete hard rock song with the power chords. Don’t get me wrong, it’s an awesome track, but if you were expecting Endgame or United Abominations by this point then your out of luck. Don’t Turn Your Back… starts off with a blues like riff before that track everybody was expecting kicks in. It hits you like a freight train with the double bass assault and that typical Megadeth like riffing. The last track on the record is a cover of Thin Lizzy’s Cold Sweat which was an amazing song to begin with. The album isn’t that bad, but it’s a little bit of a departure for Megadeth sort of like what Risk was at the time except this is ten times better than Risk. I am going to give this record 3.5 stars out of five.