Heaven and Hell at Myspace

It’s really a shame that this didn’t come out under the Black Sabbath name. Oh, I know how Ozzy, Bill and Geezer forced Iommi to sign a contract saying that the name couldn’t be used without the participation of all four original members, and how this was justified due to Iommi’s dragging the name through the mud during the late 80′s and early 90′s, but this is a quality release, arguably better than any of the “real” Sabbath albums with Dio (it’s certainly better than the the mediocre-as-hell Dehumanizer).

That said, The Devil You Know doesn’t really have a sound that’s much different from the other Dio Sabbath albums, but it’s really, really good despite its lack of innovation. Dio sounds amazing for a senior citizen (would that all vocalists could sound this good this late into their careers), Iommi’s riffs are as good as ever, and the rhythm section is solid throughout. There’s even a little bit of synthesizer that’s used sparingly but effectively.

The album’s tone is also remarkably consistent- it’s completely dark, with no silly excursions into other moods like the Ozzy-era songs “Planet Caravan” or “Changes.” It’s also fairly slow-paced throughout (but not in a boring way). This leads to a few songs sounding awfully similar, but it’s not quite as much of a fault as it might sound. The lyrics are sometimes pretty cheesy, but they don’t really stick out a lot when the music is this grim. All in all, this is an excellent album and a more than worthy addition to the Sabbath catalog, even if it is technically apocrypha. I wouldn’t begrudge anyone who changed their MP3 tags to “Black Sabbath” for this album at all.

Motörhead at Myspace

Motörhead isn’t a band that’s known for changing its sound much over the years. Despite the fact that Lemmy is the sole constant member, its sound has remained very consistent over the years. That said, there are differences from album to album; you just have to be playing close attention to hear them.

Orgasmatron (originally released in 1986) was Motörhead’s first album as a four-piece, and the first without drummer Phil “Philthy Animal” Taylor (except for “On Parole,” which was recorded in 1975 but not released until 1979). The dual guitars are a nice addition; they’re played by Wurzel and Phil Campbell (who is still in the band today). The production by Bill Laswell has its ups and downs; I liked the obviously sampled backing vocals on the songs “Deaf Forever” and “The Claw”, but Lemmy’s bass playing is just buried in the mix so far that it’s almost completely inaudible.

My favorite song was the title track, which denounces the negative effects of organized religion. This topic was so controversial that no other metal band has dared take it on before or since. All in all, despite a few minor changes from formula, it’s a pretty typical Motörhead album. The songs are simplistic but fun, and Lemmy’s voice is just as scraggly as ever.If you like Motörhead’s other work, check this out; if you hate the band, skip it.

Manilla Road at Myspace

Manilla Road’s latest release, Voyager, is a decent effort, if not quite up to the level of some of the band’s previous work. Mark Shelton’s voice isn’t what it used to be; while his nasal delivery was somewhat hard to get into before, I enjoyed it because it sounded like the Monarch from Venture Bros. was fronting a metal band. Now, he just sounds middle-aged and tired, and makes some truly pathetic attempts at death growls. Fortunately, though, his songwriting skill and guitar playing have not deteriorated one iota.

I didn’t like Voyager’s lyrics as much as those of earlier Manilla Road albums; it’s a concept album, and the story’s some silly stuff about Vikings conquering South America or something along those lines. I greatly preferred the more diverse approach used on earlier Manilla Road albums. There’s a surprising amount of acoustic material here; a few tracks have no electric guitar at all, which is a nice change of pace. I also liked the organ intro to the song “Blood Eagle”. The rhythm section doesn’t  really distinguish itself well on this record; the drums sound a bit clanky and the bass is nearly inaudible.

If you’re new to Manilla Road, this album isn’t the place to start; however, that doesn’t mean that it’s bad; it’s just a bit different from the rest of the band’s catalog. You’d probably be better off starting with the band’s 80s material.

Manilla Road at Myspace

Manilla Road is one of those bands that’s been around forever, but never managed to break into the mainstream in any way despite releasing some great material. Their first album, Invasion, dates all the way back to 1980. The production is about as rough as one would expect from an album self-released by a band from Kansas, hundreds of miles away from any of the major metal scenes at the time. Mark Shelton’s nasal, high-pitched voice is a bit of an acquired taste. There are also some incredibly cheesy parts, including the silly spoken intro to “Far Side of the Sun,” the terrible, cliche-ridden lyrics to “Cat and Mouse,” and the horrible trainwreck of studio effects that ends what was Side A on the original LP.

Yet for all these sins, there’s quite a bit of talent on display here. Shelton’s soloing is quite good, and the rhythm section is fine, if a bit workmanlike at times. It doesn’t really sound that much like the band’s later work, either musically or lyrically (there are no nods to the work of Lovecraft or Howard, for example). I especially enjoyed the 13-minute album closer, “The Empire,” which is closest to the epic feel that the band strove for on their later material. Invasion isn’t Manilla Road’s best album, but it’s a decent place to start.

Stormwarrior at Myspace

I love Stormwarrior. They do a great job of producing 80′s style speed metal in a way that’s delightfully cheesy without falling into the outright faggotry embraced by Hot Topic favorites such as Dragonforce. Heading Northe is another fine effort from the band. It’s hard to believe that this is just the third full-length studio effort from these guys; they’ve firmly established their sound. Things do get a little samey at points, but not as much as you’d think.

My favorite song on the album was “The Holy Cross,” a seven-minute epic telling about how the narrator will never give in to the foreign religion that is invading his land. (I would also like to state that my enjoyment of this song has nothing to do with the recent spate of church burnings in my area that started just after I first heard this album.) I also liked the fact that the band has gone out of their way not to include historically inaccurate horned helmets on any of its album covers.

I do have to address one thing. You probably noticed that extra E in the album title. Well, they randomly include them throughout the song titles and even in the lyrics booklet. It’s silly, but at least they didn’t have all the liner notes written in runes like Manowar did on their last album, and it doesn’t take away from the actual music one bit.