REVIEW: Queensrÿche - Queensrÿche (2013)

It's official folks: after what feels like centuries, one of progressive metal's pioneers are finally back on track! And I'll be damned if it's not one of the best comeback albums I've ever had the pleasure to listen to, much less own. No more drama, no more Geoff Tate....just a great bunch of guys doing the music they know and love.

But I digress: I just got this sucker not too long ago in the mail, but I've spun it enough to say with 1000% confidence that it's the best album these guys have done since 1994's Promised Land, possibly even Empire.

And speaking of Empire, that's the album that came to mind most when listening through this new self-titled (the cover art being a nod to it as well): Michael Wilton (the founding guitarist alongside Chris DeGarmo) was a big factor in that particular album's more anthemic cuts like 'Resistance' and the title track, and he's gotten to stretch his riffage muscles more here than he's gotten to in ages! Furthermore, Scott Rockenfield, guitarist Parker Lundgren, Eddie Jackson and drummer-turned vocal powerhouse Todd La Torre have a chemistry that rivals anything we've had since '91...and that's not something you can say about just any ol' comeback record!

Despite lacking a bit of the diverse, nuanced touches of variety that DeGarmo brought to the QR table with his more classic pop/rock tastes back in the late 80's/early 90's, there's a helluva lot to like here: a great deal of it might even work on radio (the Rage For Order-ish 'Don't Look Back', Operation: Mindcrime-reminiscent stomper 'Redemption' and the blistering 'Fallout' being my three main picks) but you also, surprisingly enough, get a foray into power metal with the sizzling 'Vindication' and two really snappy, cinematic mid-tempo hair raisers in the form of 'A World Without' and closing number 'Open Road'. Nothing overstays its welcome...hell, you might find yourself salivating for more as the last notes fade out.

Going back to Todd for a moment: this is his debut album as a vocalist, and he really brings the bacon here. Others have likened him more to original Crimson Glory frontman Midnight (R.I.P.!) and a younger Bruce Dickinson more than Tate as far as intonation and delivery goes, and after you've spent some time with the album, you'll probably find yourself in agreement. He's got a lot of range and power, but he isn't emulating anyone in particular: if anything, he's a chameleon of sorts, an amalgamate of every great 80's metal pioneer and then some. Any of today's heavier outfits would be lucky to have him: we're just doubly fortunate that he happens to be in Queensrÿche's present!

In conclusion: there was no way that this album was going to please everyone, but it really is interesting to hear, for the first time in fifteen years or more, QR actually sound alive, vital and most importantly, relevent in today's musicscape. They've brought everything we loved sonically from the EP through Promised Land and spiced things up with some 2000's melodic metal sensibilities. What more could you want really, especially when the QR brand itself is at stake in November?

PS: For those of you who will undoubtedly complain about the short running length....the band is already at work on the next record. Which will, according to them, have longer material that they couldn't finish in time for the self-titled. Definitely looking forward to that!!

Buy It Here!

Statε Cows - S/T (2010)

A dyed in the wool Westcoast classic for the modern age, at times even outgunning the big dogs in the genre from years past like Steely Dan and Toto in the songwriting department. We certainly are living in strange times though -- Swedes and Nords now do everything from jazzy pop to glam metal better than the country those genres originated in!

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REVIEW: Sonic Station - Sonic Station (2012)

The pet project of guitarist/producer Alexander Kronbrink and singer/songwriter Marika Willstedt, this modern day Westcoast/AOR offering certainly couldn't have come at a better time: stalwarts in the genre such as Toto aren't recording new material, and the international commercial landscape musically has gone through some major continental driftage -- the decade where sumptuous stuff like this ruled the charts is already ancient history.

Featuring three other vocalists besides Ms. Willstedt and a surprising amount of variety as far as the tracks themselves go, I found myself glued to my speakers, salivating all the while: opening number 'Love's Gonna Show The Way' is straight out of 1988 with those blazin' keyboards, an infectious rumbler that wouldn't have been out of place on The Seventh One or that debut by fellow Swedish luminaries Time Gallery. Wow!

Four of the tracks here are led by the previously mentioned Marika Willstedt, and all in all she's probably an AOR fan's top reason for tuning in at all: Carole King don't got nothin' on this talented lass, and her voice is heavenly on songs like 'I Wish I Could Lie', 'Last Refrain' and 'Running Through The Night'. Earworm choruses I tell ya, earworm choruses!

The record is shiny enough to eat off of, immaculately produced and coated with a modern sheen that enhances the mix immeasurably. It's at least on par with Ole Borud's Keep Movin' mixwise, and the majority of the songs prove just as catchy and mesmerizing as any of the Westcoast classics of the early 80's, or, hell, even Jay Graydon's flawless work with Airplay and related studio work.

From ballads to highway groovers to fist-pumping anthems that validate every goodhearted feeling you've ever felt towards the world, Sonic Station stands alone in 2012 as an AOR release that goes the extra mile, even when you least expect it.

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Splεndεr - Hαlfwαy Down Thε Sky (1999)

Along with Vertical Horizon, pop savvy alternative rockers Splεndεr had a brief moment there at the end of the 90's where the public was warming up to anything commercially viable that wasn't techno, Britpop or Nirvana. The other factors involved here, such as catchy songwriting, admirable performances, and the legendary Todd Rundgren at the production reins don't really hurt either. Have fun!

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Poετs Of Tнε Fαll - Tεмplε Of Tнoυgнτ (2012)

Finland's top rock band export since 2003, an unarguable point at this stage in the their career. Ever since tracks like 'The Last Goodbye' became a thematic focal point for Max Payne 2 way back when, this bunch has been releasing great album after great album of lofty, electronic-tinged modern rock, and this year's newest addition is no exception to that tradition. It's got a bit of everything: ballads with a sense of place and time (title track), mid tempo gems that burn the highway ('The Distance', 'The Lie Eternal') and even some groomed for radio showstoppers ('Running Out Of Time', 'Kamikaze Love') to seal the deal. Absolutely stellar!

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Bяεαkiиg Poiиt - Coмiиg Of Agε (2001)

Some of the musical world's more brilliant musical gems can be uncovered, it seems, after watching too many dubbed Dragon Ball Z films as a kid. This, my chums, is a prime example of such: one of those early 2000's post-grunge debuts which actually delivers something quite listenable without coming off as half-assed like most of its ilk.

The pros? Rough-round-the-edges production, great hooks, the absence of your usual cringeworthy lyrics and a refreshing lack of pretension. It's the sort of modern rock you could see yourself making AMVs around on Adobe Flash for the hell of it and not feel like a tool doing so. Shit, songs like 'Phoenix' and the title track almost make you want to believe there was hope for post-grunge a decade ago, that maybe a whole bunch of bands would take a cue from Breaking Point here and do something engaging with the established formula.

No such luck for the most part, but Coмing Of Agε gets points for trying quite hard to set the right precedent. For a couple of songs, at least, the potential of something more becomes a self contained reality.

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Uиdεя Thε Iиfluεncε Of Giαиts - S/T (2006)

Two bros from Home Town Hero hooked up with Audiovent's drummer and made some funkay music together in 2006, resulting in one of the few quintessential pop/rock/funk albums of the Noughties. Sounds pretty good, capiche?

To put it another way, amalgamating Maroon 5, Earth Wind & Fire and the edgier side of classic Prince into something simultaneously stunning yet cohesive is no small feat, but these boys bring home the bacon with extra munchies to spare!

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Joни Mαяtyи - Gloяioυs Fοοl (1981)

The king of U.K.singer/songwriters once again teamed up with drum guru Phil Collins in 1981 to establish a foothold in an era that didn't care too much for men and their 6-strings. Thus, a change in musical direction for mistah Martyn was called for: jazz fusion-rock with an infatuation for synths, a style which would predominate his music for the next couple of releases.

Jam-packed with spellbinding instrumental interplay whilst remaining pop-oriented yet lyrically interesting under the tight reins of a distinctive gravely-toned voice, this is one slick outing that illustrates just how talented the late Joни Mαяtyи was back in his prime, and thus essential listening in more ways than one.

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Tнε Exploяεяs Club - Fяεεdoм Wiиd (2008)

A fantastic young band who do their darndest to recreate early 70's Beach Boys sonically, but this debut album fares better than Wilson and co.'s output around that period on an overall songwriting front, especially when it comes to track-to-track progression.

Their sophomore release is actually coming out this year, so if you dig these classic-sounding power pop vignettes you are in for a sweet, sweet little treat within the next few months.

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Dαяyl Hαll - Lαughiиg Doши Cяyiиg (2011)

A decade and a half after his last studio recording and a mere eleven months after the death of his jam buddy and collaborator T-Bone Wolk, blue-eyed soul king Dαяyl Hαll delivered a record that could have easily made my Top 11 of 2011, but didn't due to mere technicality and timing on my part.

Eclectic, groovy and difficult to place in any particular box as genre goes, Laughing Down Crying is remarkably listenable. Whether in jubilation or lamentation, these songs are some of the strongest I've heard from Mr. Hall since he & Oates cut H20 back in 1984, and that's not something I say lightly considering the quality of that particular period in his career.

That being said, there's not much New Wave or synth-pop or Philly soul here. Listeners are more likely to be reeled in by the low-key power pop of 'Talking To Myself', or perhaps seduced by the standout space funk shuffle of 'Eyes For You' (the keyboard line of which is a tongue-in-cheek nod to a certain hit by the duo back in '82). :P

Hark a gander at my 12th favorite record of 2011.

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Thε Яippiиgτoиs - Touяisτ Iи Pαrαdisε (1989)

Ripped from CD.

One of five albums in my vast collection that I consider a desert island disc, this is, at least in my eyes, the single best contemporary/smooth jazz record that has ever been recorded by anyone at any period of time. Closely matched in overall quality by only a few other artists in this sort of genre or related areas (Toshiki Kadomatsu, Pat Metheny, Kit Walker and jazz-fusioners Karizma), the superlatives I could lay upon the nine cuts within this disc are near infinite. Deceptively accessible, melodic and boiling with atmosphere, this was an album recorded just as the Rips had begun to hit their peak. Russ Freeman, guitar god that he is, was beginning to experiment a bit more with guitar synths, percussionist Steve Reid was coming into his role as the group's sound architect and soundscaper, and Brandon Fields demonstrates time and time again what a damn good alto saxophonist can do when he isn't trying to be a hack like David Sanborn.

Needless to say, this is a strong record through and through, with four out of nine pieces in particular cementing this album's place at the godhead of all things smooth and Weather Channelesque. First is the title track, opened and closed out with some swooshing Korg synths and a steady drumline that remains (even into 2011) the coolest intro to any muzak ever written. Carl Anderson even scats throughout! Next you have the 6.5 minute 'One Summer Night In Brazil', which while slow remains sumptuous, beautifully textured and even tideful thanks to a combination of acoustic guitar, a couple of skins and Freeman. The last two, 'Earthbound' and 'Destiny' are a punchy pair that kick things up a notch in pace yet remain slick and electrified. They help close out one hell of a strong set, and are in fact worth the price of admission in a nutshell.

I can count the albums on both hands that made me sit up and suck in every track in only one go-around, with Yes's Close To The Edge, The Stooges' Fun House, It Bites' The Tall Ships and Soundgarden's Badmotorfinger being a couple of the big ones. Records that outperform, outclass, breezing through hooks, ideas and dynamics in twenty to forty minutes that make entire other bands' recorded outputs look like yesterday's garbage.

This was the album that turned me into a fanatic of all things smooth, the catalyst for a million other brilliant discoveries both analogous and bizarre, and nothing captures the late 80's better by a country mile.

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V/A - Fly Aшαy: Tнε Soиgs Of Dαvid Foѕτεя (2009)

Dαvid Foѕτεя, the man responsible for some of the biggest Westcoast pop hits of the 80's (and then some), gets an allstar treatment here from a variety of high-profile singers and musicians as they breathe new life into some of his best songs he's written over a thirty some year career. Delish!

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Toѕнiki Kαdoмαtѕu - Oи Tнε Ciτy Sнoяε (1983)

Another City-pop classic in the vein of Toshi-kun's 2010 masterpiece I posted awhile back, though this one was actually made in the decade it sounds like. Enjoy a smorgasborg of swirling synths, layered choruses, tides of bass and surf guitar and plentyyyyy of groovy post-disco drumlines for the ear to feast upon!

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Eяic Tagg - Drεamwalkiи' (1982)

Classic early 80's Westcoast, somewhere between Ambrosia and Toto stylistically but never anything less than warm and, as the title implies, dreamlike at times. Mr. Tagg had become somewhat popular in L.A. circuits due to his vocal contributions to guitar extraordinaire Lee Ritenour's 1981 classic record Rit, and in turn the man produced this wonderful set of songs that bring out the best in this bloke. Groovy stuff!

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Bluε Öystεr Cυlt - Firε Of Unкnowи Origiи (1981)

"I'm burnin', I'm burnin, I'm burninnnn for youuuu...."



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Mαнαvisнnu Orchεstrα - Apocαlypsε (1974)

Unfairly lambasted in its own time and overshadowed in popular consciousness by MO's previous two masterpieces (The Inner Mounting Flame and Birds Of Fire respectively), Apocalypse witnessed a completely new lineup (Jean-Luc Ponty on violin!!!!!) behind guitarist John McLaughlin executing a strange, yet beautiful mixture of classical orchestration into this band's signature hellfire brand of jazz fusion.

Falling into a more atmospheric subtext of the then-gathering-speed of Third Stream groups, this was indeed a true classic of the 70's. People just didn't realize it until that decade was gathering dust in Father Time's old sock drawer.

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Toѕнiki Kαdoмαtѕu- Cityligнts Dαndy (2010)

Assuming language barriers don't prevent you lot from enjoying a tasty groove here and there, Toshiki Kadomatsu is the king of midsummer beach-synth-pop awesomeness over in Japan, hearkening back to the early 80's with a sound reminiscent in places of U.S. Westcoast acts such as Toto and Ambrosia.

And, funnily enough, I consider this his best album...which is quite something considering he's been doing music for thirty-some odd years now. Bon appetit!

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Dαryl Hαll - Sαcrεd Songs (1980)

What happens when one of the top rising pop stars of the late 70's decides to make a record with a certain famous King Crimson guitarist? On top of that, what if the result was so crazy in places that RCA, their record label, decided to shelve it for all eternity (or at-least until 1980 xD)?

Buckle your fuckin' seatbelts kids.

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J0hn M4rtyn - Heav3n & 3arth (2011)

Although the grave has held him long and lonely since his unfortunate passing a few years back, everyone favorite bark-voiced English bard has finally gotten his final studio recording out into the presses for us, the fortunate living, to inhale and appreciate from pulse to pulse. Slick funk broods along the boogie blues of a swampy bayou, and its a ride that will be remembered long after the works of lesser singer-songwriters are left in the dust of yesterday's zeitgeist.

Love J.M. or hate him, these are some final bits of timelessness to add to his already rich and everlasting sonic hoard of riches. Let his soul wash over yours so that you may come out a better beast tommorrow.

Listen Here - "Heel Of The Hunt"


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Keven J0rdan - No Sign Of Rain (1991)

An Egyptian-born musician who later migrated to Canada at a young age, Keven Jordan only cut two albums in the early 90's before retiring from the music industry permanently, which is a real damn shame if you ask me: the man has a godly voice and a real knack for songwriting, both of which are apparent in spades on his lush 1991 debut No Sign Of Rain.

That said, this is one of the best sounding 80's-esque rock albums I've ever heard: the production must have cost a king's hoard in and of itself. Deep keyboard lines and drumming give the recording something of a skyward feel, complimented by the high-mixed languid vocals of Jordan himself. Depending on how you look at it, this is pop-rock nirvana: from the worldly tribal beat of 'True Believers' to the shimmering anthem 'There Is A Reason', there's nary a bad song to be had.

People who like 80's AOR/pop, deep production and a post-punk melancholic sensibility will eat this gem right the hell up, and with good reason to!

Listen Here - "True Believers"


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