Metallica's St. Anger - Retro Review

I decided to give it a go. 11 years after they released the album, I decided to give St Anger by Metallica another go. They deserve all the divisive reviews they got when they released this album, and Im here trying to break it down just what they got wrong and right.

Firstly the sound. I know they went for a stripped down sound with no dubbing or mixing but at the very least they could have made it sound less like jamming in a garage and closer to a stage / soundcheck quality.

Lars Ulrich has always tried to innovate his drum sound, but on this album his drums grate in your face constantly. It sounds like his drum kit consists of a cow bell and a trash can. It takes a immense effort to overcome this.

Guitarwise (and bass wise too) it sounds fresh, energetic and raw. It sounds like a band working out the demos just before they enter the studio proper and the final practise sessions before they move in and begin recording. I think the rejection of wanting to have guitar solos for any of the songs is a brave move, but closer to what a band would sound like in the raw. It wouldnt have hurt for Kirk Hammet or James Hetfield to have improvised a guitar solo jam over the top now and then. Surprisingly for a album with no solos, some of the songs can go on for a considerable amount of time, over 8 minutes in places.

The time between Reload and St Anger was a long time, time enough to have worked out 2 albums worth of material including solos and mixing, so to my ears and many other Metallica fans this sounds unfinished incomplete and unsatisfying. But look beneath the rough exterior and you will find some solid guitar work and more.

The more in this instance is an incredible improvement with James Hetfield's vocal ability. He sings now with far more emotion that he has done, and is closer to the style from the Load and Reload albums, especially on the title track.

Metallica (i.e. Lars and James) have done some dickhead things in their career, drugs, tattoos, alcohol, pro-gun lobby, Napster but to quote James "I'm madly in Anger with you.". But we, the fans are mad because deep down we really do love them, care about them and want them not to make arseholes of themselves.

Lets see how my opinion of Death Magnetic changes and then I may feel brave enough to try Lulu.

Adventures in Music Part 3 1980s Part 2

At some point I was given a old mono record player by someone living in our house. The record player was so old and useless that should really have been thrown away, it barely managed to screech out sounds and most likely ruined the few vinyl albums I played on it. It wasn’t long before I was bought a better stereo/record player. I used it to mainly play the 7inch singles that were lying around and the vinyl albums that both my mum and step-dad owned. We actually had three of these record players at one point in our house. My brother had one in his bedroom, so did I, and my parents had one in the lounge.

I remember the first vinyl record I was able to influence being bought was ADAM AND THE ANTS’ Kings of the Wild Frontier. The only reason I got to choose this album was on the proviso my brother also got to choose an album too. He choose the soundtrack to the film Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. It was the start of a luckily short-lived career of bad decision making purchases by him that thankfully ended with A-HA. My parents bought the Pickwick Records version of the film Grease soundtrack that I later failed to trade for the Cluedo boardgame, but thats another story.

I listened to my new album purchase over and over again, and I began to discover music shops as being a place to explore new music. Most of the music I wanted to explore wasn't mainstream. I tended to visit the independent record shops as none of the main shops stocked this kind of music. I discovered that ADAM AND THE ANTS had back material and bought some of their 7inch singles and their Dirk Wears White Socks album showcasing music from their punk beginnings. It was their earlier material I enjoyed rather than the mixed banquet that was Prince Charming that they released after Kings. Only a couple of the songs were decent from Prince Charming, the title track and Stand and Deliver made a mockery of the music and it became embarrassing to admit to liking glam punk and such a “popular” song. They went from a punk to new romantic to ridicule in a matter of weeks.

I didn't identify with punk music, even though it had its roots in the 1950s and 1960s rock and roll. Punks had a reputation that was far worse than rockers and mods. Punks in Ipswich were notorious for causing trouble at birthday parties.

I found myself getting into anything that wasn't mainstream, including SIGUE SIGUE SPUTNIK, which was more electro-punk, and one of the few times I didn't buy a good album. I bought it because it was recommended to me from the same friend who got me into ADAM AND THE ANTS, without any other reliable music source I bought the album.

Jeff LaBar - Cinderella Guitarist Solo Album

I love Cinderella, and I love Jeff LaBar, I think he is an under-rated bluesman, but after watching this video Im prepared to reverse my opinion of him.

He plays a tedious blues song that is of his own composition and manages to get a woman to co-star in the music video with who (and Im sorry for saying this) but your a-typical prostitute - I though Jeff would have better taste in women...

Enjoy or not as the case may be.

Judas Priest's Redeemer of Souls Follow Up

So I have been listening more to his new album by Priest, and can safely say this is vocally and musically as close to a new Iron Maiden album as you can get without Bruce actually singing and Harris writing the material.

Adventures in Music Part 2 1980s Part 1

My mum and dad divorced and she later remarried and moved in with our new step-dad in Ipswich. My step-dad rented out rooms in the house we now lived to people, including American airbase service personnel which was common as we lived near several American Airbases. One month one of the American men couldn’t pay his rent and was heading back to the States and left an 8-track behind as payment. 8-track was considered to the the best quality sound recording at the time in the 1970s. There was limited availability of the 8-track format in the UK, so I was confined to listening to only what he left behind. I listened to the comedian and folk singer RICHARD DIGANCE and several albums by THE EAGLES other other country rock bands the names of which I’ve forgotten. Despite the limitations of the media (availability of new music and the inability to rewind the tapes), I did adopt the 8-track in my bedroom and played all the tapes it until it just stopped working. Being limited to just a few albums was interesting, but I started to crave for more diversity.

I dabbled with lots of different music types during the 1980s, helped in part by the fact that in the UK at least, the diversity of music that occupied the charts was incredible. It wasn't uncommon for every song on the top ten to be from a different genre. I listened to some punk, ska/two-tone, and mod music (again I was unaware of these genres at the time), none of which I liked or enjoyed. Everyone at school seemed to like pop music or MADNESS in the first and second year of secondary school. I still hadn't yet found the music I liked to listen to. A classmate was heavily into Star Wars and ADAM AND THE ANTS because of their punk and new wave romantic sound, although I was unaware of what they were classed as that until many years later. Music is music, I wasn't aware of genres, only music I liked and didn't like. I think the only reason I got into them was because a kid in my class who was a loner as well as me got me into them. I think from that point onwards I seemed to enjoy liking music that very other people knew about. I listened to the charts like every other kid, and was glued to the radio on a Sunday afternoon to listen to the Top 40 charts, something that in the 21st Century has almost become meaningless.

My parent’s taste in music was based in the 1960s and 1970s bands such as THE MOODY BLUES, MAMMAS AND THE PAPAS, THE CARPENTERS, THE HOLLIES, THE BEACH BOYS, and my step dad’s personal obsession, THE BEATLES. He also had folk rock from the 1970s too such as THE EAGLES and CROSBY STILLS NASH & YOUNG’s Four Way Street live album was a regular to be played in our house. Despite my best efforts these albums would influence my musical tastes, and become my guilty pleasures later in life reminding me of my youth.

I went on holiday one year with my parents and the only device I brought along was my tape-player. I brought along several cassettes to listen to but found myself playing ABBA’s Arrival album on continuous loop.

Along with QUEEN’s Greatest Hits was also played. This was the first of three greatest hits albums they would release. At this period in my life, while I listened to a lot of my parents music, but, I rejected it on of the principle that anything my parents liked must be rubbish. The only exceptions to this attitude was THE MOODY BLUES and THE HOLLIES.

Jason "Newboy" Newstead

I think everyone who likes rock and heavy metal considers themselves an "outsider" in the real world, so when you are an outsider and not considered one of the gang in terms of a metal band, you really do have to wonder whats going on.

Jason Newstead had joined Metallica in the wake of Cliff Burton's death, and after they had just come off the back of a trio of albums that culminated in the release of "Master of Puppets", an album that is considered to not only be Metallica's best album, but also the best album released in the genre of metal and thrash. The biggest challenge for Jason Newstead would be

1. whether the fans would accept him,
2. the band accept him, and
3. would he fill such a huge void left in the wake of Cliff Burton.

My initial experience of Metallica was on the eve on the release of their "...And Justice For All" double album, which was Jason's first appearance on a record. I read all the music press, Kerrang and Metal Hammer and he was referred to often as Jason "Newboy" Newstead by both the press and his fellow band mates. I can take a little humour, but when even a decade later he was still being considered the outsider, the newboy, it leaves a psychological scar that never heals.

The politics within the band are well known. Lars Ulrich and James Hetfield are Metallica, and everyone else are there for the ride. Its common knowledge that when each new album is released, that Lars and James have already created the songs in near complete/demo form, and the rest of the band just play their part. I always got the impression Kirk Hammett was happy being in a band/playing with Metallica and hence was happy with his involvement and reward, but I didnt get that from Jason. When their hugely and deservedly successful album "Black" album was released with it came two videos (videos then, DVDs now) entitled "A Year and a Half in the Life of Metallica, Part One and Part Two". They were a companion set with the first video documenting the recording process of the album and the second video documenting the subsequent tour. Whilst I could review both videos here, I wont, suffice to say they are essential viewing by any Metallica fan and a window into the whole world of recording an album from start to finish.

The section I want to focus on is the part two, the tour around the world. We are often shown the various backstage antics common amongst a band on tour slowly going crazy from months of touring. There is a scene in which Jason is seen with a paper plate collecting food from a buffet after a show, and the rest of the band are making fun of him. (We later/earlier see Kirk Hammett acting like a child playing his guitar in his hotel room at 2am, rather childish). Jason just laughs off the insults and jibes with a comment. "I've got plans for these millions and it aint for fucking sandwiches." He's a smart guy, his feet on the ground without letting fame and fortune go to his head. Whilst Lars and James most likely earnt more money than the other two by dint of writing credits, but also tour earnings, Kirk acted more like a child who was happy with whatever James and Lars did, and Jason was just too smart for the band. He knew the bubble would burst, that fame and fortune is fleeting, and that once you have easy money its spent easily. Not wasting his money on room service when there was a perfectly good (and already paid for) buffet to eat from is a smart move.

Much is made of the bass mix with ...And Justice For All, which has been corrected somewhat in subsequent remixes, but by Jason's own admission you cant hear the bass because its integral with the drums and guitars. Either by design (he was told what to play) or the nature of the sound that JH and LU were looking for meant there was no room in the mix for a bass player.

I often wonder what Metallica would sound like today if Cliff hadnt died (and no I wouldnt prefer Kirk to have died instead, Id have preferred if no one died), and Im certain their fourth album would have been heavier and harder.

Edit

Yes 2014 Heaven and Earth

Its not often I pull a CD out of the CD player before Ive finished a listen through, but listening to this was one just incident.

This album sounds tired and unimaginative and a poor version of Yes.

Ive read that people have issues with this album and see good reason to dislike it as well. Considering that the guitarist and keyboard players are both from Asia is enough to tell you what this album sounds like.

While the new vocalist adds some interesting melodies, it is the music itself that leaves you feeling morose, apathetic and just bored. Most of the tracks exceed five minutes, with a couple of longer pieces, but some of these are just long keyboard intros that are unrelated to the song itself.

Yes have had their glory days, and with a band at this stage in their career and life, its time to call it a day on new material.

2/10 - only because I'm not a huge Yes fan.

Electric Citizen 2014 Sateen

I have discovered a new psychedelic/stoner rock band with a female vocalist. An American band with a Californian rock sound that just seem to find grooves in all their music. My first few listens through I got a sincere feeling that these guys love playing together and that infectious energy comes out in their music.

Bandcamp is where you'll find them, and this Sateen album is their 3rd release.

Monobrow 2014 Big Sky, Black Horse - Stoner Rock Instrumental Band

I had been dreading listening to this band for several reasons;

(1) the recent deluge of stoner metal bands has been very disappointing - halfway through the most of the second songs of new bands and I'm already clicking delete. Normally the vocals kills it for me, as they are either average, typical, inappropriate or growled which is a total turn off for me.

(2) Monobrow is hardly a name that inspires confidence, and seems to be foreboding on this album being sub par.

(3) Monobrow gave me the impression with their name choice that they were a joke/comedy band that doesnt take itself too seriously.

(4) instrumental music has to have that something extra which replaces the missing lead singer and this normally means a lead guitarist who plays too much over the melody, or uses a lead guitar to emulate where a singer would "sing".

I'm therefore very happy to annouce that I am wrong on all four counts. Their third album Big Sky, Black Horse is a terrific find and is available on Bandcamp. Their previous two albums are definitely going to be on my want list. 2010 Monobrow and 2012 Bennington Triangle Blues.

Here is a band that knows how to groove, how to get your head banging and your body moving. Groove stoner metal is enjoyable and a great way to demonstrate to all our non rock friends just how good music can be.

Choosing to release this without a vocalist enables the band to focus on the music which is mostly fast songs which catch you at the first riff and drag, push and delight you along the way. The opening track, Cicada is over 6 minutes long and afterwards I felt I could have listened to that for another 6 minutes. A galloping song that is as close as you get to groove stoner rock.

I highly recommend their album and give it a

7.5/10 mighty work indeed.

I have now sourced their first two albums and look forward to listening to their earlier material.

Judas Priest - Redeemer of Souls - First Listen

I have been dreading this album for some time. I actually enjoyed the prog rock metal opera that was Nostradamus. I enjoy concept albums and even more so when established bands create them too. I enjoyed listening to the other styles of music the members wanted to create as well as discovering new sides to the band and their playing and vocal style.

It was released on the back of a huge reunion and whilst afterwards they released good heavy metal albums, they werent great.

Well Redeemer of Souls falls into that same, not great category, that has plagued the band since its reunion with Rob Halford. And the only shining light in the last 10 or so years has been Nostradamus.

Ive listened to the first 3 tracks and have nothing amazing to report. Good guitars, heavy riffing, great vocals and the second track almost an Iron Maiden sounding song, but one thing that rings true on every song on every listen is how average the music is.

I found nothing new in their music, and maybe it will grow on me, but I found myself wanting the record to end.