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Black Sabbath – Mob Rules [Deluxe Edition]
Black Sabbath – Mob Rules [Deluxe Edition] (2010, Universal Music/Sanctuary Records – UK Import)
Original Release: 1981, Warner Bros. Records
Disc One: Mob Rules
1. Turn Up the Night … 3:42
2. Voodoo … 4:32
3. The Sign of the Southern Cross … 7:44
4. E5150 … 2:54
5. The Mob Rules … 3:15
6. Country Girl … 4:02
7. Slipping Away … 3:42
8. Falling Off the Edge of the World … 5:03
9. Over and Over … 5:28
Bonus Tracks
10. Die Young (Live – 12″ Single B-Side) … 4:04
11. The Mob Rules (Heavy Metal Soundtrack Version) … 3:14
Disc Two: Live at Hammersmith
1. E5150 … 1:18
2. Neon Knights … 4:37
3. N.I.B. … 5:16
4. Children of the Sea … 6:07
5. Country Girl … 3:53
6. Black Sabbath … 8:24
7. War Pigs … 7:40
8. Slipping Away … 3:18
9 Iron Man … 7:04
10. The Mob Rules … 3:35
11. Heaven and Hell … 14:24
12. Paranoid … 3:21
13. Voodoo … 5:45
14. Children of the Grave … 5:05
Mob Rules is an album I’ve spoken about before. That review was very brief, but really, what can you say? Looking back, it’s not my favorite of the Dio era (that nod would go to Heaven and Hell) but it’s still a classic that’s almost as good as the first album they did together. In addition to the original album of Mob Rules, Disc 1 features two bonus tracks: the original version of “The Mob Rules” (which was recorded for the Heavy Metal movie) and a live version of Heaven and Hell‘s ”Die Young”.
The real pull for me getting this Deluxe Edition was to get the second disc which features performances taken from Dec 31, 1981 through January 2, 1982 at London’s Hammersmith Odeon. This entire disc was originally released as Live at Hammersmith Oden by Rhino Records with an extremely limited print run of 5,000 copies back in 2007. As you can imagine, copies of that album are expensive and hard to come by so it’s great to now have the entire album included as a bonus disc.
If you don’t already own Mob Rules, or even if you do, this is still worth the pick up just for Disc 2. The band is in top form but then again, the Dio line-up was never not in top form! There are four live albums to choose from this particular Sabbath line-up (two as Black Sabbath, two as Heaven & Hell) and all of them are classics but if you want to hear this group in their formative years with a recording that takes places even before Live Evil, here’s your chance! Great studio album, great live disc = great deluxe edition!
http://heavenandhelllive.com/
http://www.blacksabbath.com
http://www.facebook.com/BlackSabbath
The Rods – Vengeance
The Rods – Vengeance (2011, Niji Entertainment Group)
1. “Raise Some Hell”
2. “I Just Wanna Rock”
3. “Rebels Highway”
4. “Ride Free Or Die”
5. “The Code”
6. “Livin’ Outside The Law”
7. “Let It Ripp”
8. “Fight Fire With Fire”
9. “Madman”
10. “Runnin’ Wild”
11. “Vengeance”
Band:
David “Rock” Feinstein – Lead Vocals, Guitar
Garry Bordonaro – Bass, Vocals
Carl Canedy – Drums, Vocals
Additional Musicians:
Ronnie James Dio – Lead Vocals (“The Code”)
Producer: The Rods
After David “Rock” Feinstein turned in his solid Bitten By The Beast solo effort last year, I was pretty much expecting The Rods’ Vengeance to be more of the same. I mean, just look at these song titles. The Rods aren’t setting out to reinvent the wheel, all they want to do is crank out some rock solid heavy metal and that’s exactly what they’ve done on this release.
As with Bitten By The Beast, the song on this album featuring Ronnie James Dio is the true point of interest (for me anyway). “The Code” could easily be from a latter day Dio album and I think I prefer it over the cousins’ collaboration on “Metal Will Never Die” from Bitten By The Beast.
As for the rest of the album, there’s nothing here that’s going knock your combat boots off. Songs like “Raise Some Hell” and “I Just Wanna Rock” are typical heavy metal bashers but it’s 100% pure old school heavy metal and that’s good enough in the middle of the summer when you’re washing your car!
Highlights: ”Raise Some Hell”, “I Just Wanna Rock”, “The Code”, “Livin’ Outside The Law”, “Vengeance”
My thoughts on K.K. Downing “retiring” from Judas Priest
The world of metal was rocked (no pun intended) on Wednesday, April 20, 2011 when Judas Priest issued this statement:
It is with regret that Judas Priest announce that K.K. DOWNING has formally retired from the band and will therefore not be joining them on their forthcoming EPITAPH Tour.
The band respect his decision and naturally all wish him well.
There’s a more fleshed-out (and rather upbeat & casual) press release linked with that statement that basically states the band plans to continue on with the Epitaph world tour (for those that don’t know, it is being hyped as the band’s final major world tour) and also still has plans to record and release a new album next year. Oh yeah, and the replacement is 31-year-old Richie Faulkner from England. I had never heard of him before but his most noticeable credit is playing in Lauren Harris’ (the daughter of Iron Maiden’s Steve Harris) band.
The whole thing with Priest has been weird for a while. First, there was the vague announcement that they were retiring and that the 2011 Epitaph tour would be their farewell tour. Weeks later, they backtracked and said “No, this is just our last MAJOR world tour and we’re still going to make new music”.
Which is fine. I think most people realize these guys are 60-ish and deserve the break from the rigors of the road. They are legends and deserve to sit back and relax for the rest of their lives if that’s what they want.
But who exactly in the band wants that? Here is the press release issued by K.K. on April 21, 2011:
Dear friends,
It is with much regret that I will not be with you this summer. Thank you all from the bottom of my heart for your concerns about my health. Please rest assured that I am O.K.
There has been an ongoing breakdown in working relationship between myself, elements of the band, and the band’s management for some time.
Therefore I have decided to step down rather than to tour with negative sentiments as I feel that this would be a deception to you, our cherished fans.
However I would urge you to please support the Priest as I have no doubt that it will be a show not to be missed.
All my love and respect,
K.K. Downing
For a while, it seemed like K.K. was the only one issuing updates on the Epitaph/recording plans, so you would think he was all for it. Perhaps Downing, and Downing alone, was the one pushing for a slower pace for Priest? Obviously, when K.K. mentions the band’s management there are some money factors at play. I’m guessing management (and perhaps the rest of Priest) have decided they want to continue full-steam ahead while K.K. is still wanting to operate at a slower pace. I think at some point all members were on board with some type of reduced schedule but money talks so it appears some members are more willing to keep up the pace than others. Perhaps this is similar situation to what Dream Theater recently went through.
Not that either side is wrong. No matter who wants to continue, who wants a reduced schedule or who wants it to all just be done — no one is really wrong. All of those options have their positive and negatives and while we certainly don’t know the full story (yet), I don’t begrudge Downing, Halford, Tipton or Hill for their choices in this matter.
I will continue to support Priest. Will it be the same band? Of course not. It’s going to be a different beast (especially when it comes to the new album) but I am not going to write them off. Who is to say the music still can’t be good? Priest isn’t just going to bring in any ol’ guy. The fact that they announced K.K.’s “retirement” from Priest and Richie’s joining in the same press release just means this is NOT something out of the blue and I know Richie had to have been carefully picked by Rob & Glenn. So in that regards, I think in a live setting the band will do just fine.
What I’m actually quite anxious to see is how the new album will turn out. The Halford/Tipton/Downing songwriting team has been responsible for some all-metal classics. Are we down to Halford/Tipton? Is Faulkner a hired gun like drummer Scott Travis or will Rob & Glenn let Richie flex some creative muscles? It will be very interesting either way and I hope K.K. will not wash his hands of music at this point. I would love to hear what he would offer up on a solo album.
Certainly, any way you slice it, this is very sad news. I’m hoping even if they have decided they cannot be business partners that the guys are still going to remain friends. You’d think even if Downing and the band had a difference of opinion on the future they could at least work through this final major tour but apparently not.
My feeling is that at some point Downing will be back. My fear is that it will be too late to really make a difference. These guys are not getting any younger and at this point in their lives they should be cherishing every moment they can have together as a band. For a veteran band, losing such a vital member this late in the game this can really set them back a ways. At least I was able to see the group in 2009.
Thank you, K.K., for all the decades of great music. I wish you the best.
Cult of the Fox – The Sea Beneath The Sand
Cult of the Fox – The Sea Beneath the Sand (2010, self-released)
1. “I’m Working On That” … 5:24
2. “Letters of Fire and Sword” … 5:03
3. “Out of Order” … 4:33
4. “The Sea Beneath The Sand” … 3:55
Band:
Magnus Hultman – Vocals
Per Persson – Guitar
Peter Svensson – Bass
Daniel Fritze – Drums
The Sea Beneath The Sand is old school heavy metal and the latest round of demos/EP (third total) from Sweden’s Cult of the Fox. Drawing on influences such as Manowar, Iced Earth, Judas Priest, Dio and Grave Digger the band plays in a traditional metal/’80s power metal style. They cite themselves as contemporary metal but I only really get that feeling (and just slightly) on the pounding “I’m Working On That”, which also seems to cross over into stoner rock territory.
Given that this is a set of demos, there is a simple and organic feel to the production but that works in favor of the songs, giving them a bit more teeth. “Letters of Fire and Sword” (great title!) is the EP’s true standout track. Just a galloping good time with some nice bass and it displays a bit of a thrashier of the band reminding of Metallica and Iron Maiden. “Out of Order” is an upbeat anthem about rebel-rousing and “The Sea Beneath The Sand” starts off slow and then picks up the pace with some Maiden gallop.
These demos are a solid listen and they shows that Cult of the Fox are a band with a lot of promise. I would definitely be interested in hearing what the band could do on an entire album. Recommended for fans of classic metal.
Highlights: “I’m Working On That”, “Letters of Fire and Sword”
http://www.cultofthefox.com
http://www.facebook.com/cultofthefox
http://www.myspace.com/cultofthefox
Recker – Tragedy Or Triumph
Recker – Tragedy Or Triumph (2010, self-released)
1. “3X Loser” … 4:08
2. “Give It All” … 3:22
3. “Shine On” … 4:34
4. “On The Run” … 3:50
5. “Love Gone Cold” … 3:44
6. “Winds Of War” … 4:14
7. “Fool” … 3:53
8. “Olympus” … 3:51
9. “1,000 Years” … 4:33
10. “I Will Be There” … 4:44
Band:
Rich Recker – Vocals, Guitar, Bass, Keyboards
Brad Halleck – Guitar (Tracks 3-5, 10)
Scott Smallwood – Drums
Additional Musicians:
Phil Bennett – Keyboards (“Olympus”)
Producer: Rich Recker
Recker is pure old school blue collar heavy metal! I’ve listened to this album a number of times and I’m enjoying it more and more. It’s almost as if this album is some hidden gem from the late 70s/early 80s. Had it come out during that time, I can totally envision someone on some heavy metal message board these days going “hey man, remember Recker !!! What a classic!”
Now I don’t mean to say that Recker is retro just for the sake of it because that doesn’t always appeal to me and I’m certain it doesn’t always appeal to other people as well. While an old school influence is always appreciated, when showing it off, some bands come off as more calculated than others while Rich & Co. bring heart & passion to the music. This even carries over to the production side of things, you’d be surprised to learn this was a self-released effort.
There are a number of great tracks here. “One The Run” and “Olympus” are lean and mean, “Fool” is a fantastic ballad that stays strong and metal while “1,000 Years” is just a beast and exactly the type of song I want to hear from a band like this and “I Will Be There” is a dark, pounding track that brings the album to an appropriate close.
Overall, this is a great album old school album to throw in the player and listen to. Recker has heart, Recker has riffs, Recker rocks! Definitely recommended.
Highlights: “3X Loser”, “On The Run”, “Love Gone Cold”, “Fool”, “1,000 Years”, “I Will Be There”
http://www.myspace.com/reckerrocks
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Recker/113616228707515
http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/Recker1
Razorwyre – Coming Out
Razorwyre – Coming Out (2010, self-released)
1. “Party Of Five” … 3:19
2. “Fuck You Tonight” … 4:13
3. “Operation Market Garden” … 4:19
4. “Suspiria” … 4:41
5. “Battleshark” … 6:27
Band:
Z-Chylde – Vocals
Chris Calavrias – Guitar
James Murray – Guitar
Simon – Bass
Nick Oakes – Drums
Additional Musicians:
Tim “Diamond Tim” Shann – Bass, Backing Vocals
Producer: Tim “Diamond Tim” Shann
Coming Out is a great little EP featuring a fantastic young band from New Zealand! Razorwyre is influenced by and plays in the style of traditional metal, NWOBHM, speed and thrash. In short… they rock! The band never lets up throughout this great five-song set. Z-Chylde screams like a siren and Chris Calavrias & James Murray display some great Maiden-esque work along with some fine speed and thrashing while Nick Oakes smashes and bashes along with ‘em.
“Party Of Five” is a great way to start off the album, setting the pace for the rest of album and acting as a calling card for the band. And I love how the band uses thrash but isn’t only writing “evil”, nihilistic or depressing lyrics. “Fuck You Tonight” is a great example of that: “Tonight! Tonight, I’m gonna fuck you, tonight! I’ll be out the door tomorrow!” \m/ “Battleshark” is a great closer. Not only is the title great but there’s some great machine gun riffing going on and at 6 minutes and 27 seconds it stands as the band’s lone “epic” at this point.
Razorwyre is one of the most exciting new bands I’ve heard in a while to use the ’80s metal template. And best of all? This EP is FREE! So if you want to hear for yourself, head over to the band’s website and download it! They’re working on their first full-length album right now and here’s hoping it gets released ASAP! The world needs more Razorwyre!
One thing I found interesting about this band is that they were briefly known as Gaywyre. An odd band name but I thought maybe it was some type of New Zealand thing but then this EP is called Coming Out. Is there some type of message here or am I reading too much into it? Who cares! Razorwyre rocks!
Highlights: “Fuck You Tonight”, “Operation Market Garden”, “Battleshark”
http://www.razorwyreband.com/
http://www.facebook.com/razorwyre
http://www.myspace.com/razorwyreband
Dio – Dio at Donington UK: Live 1983 & 1987
Dio – Dio at Donington UK: Live 1983 & 1987 (2010, Niji Entertainment Group)
Disc 1: 1983
1. “Stand Up And Shout” … 3:50
2. “Straight Through The Heart” … 4:49
3. “Children Of The Sea” … 6:16
4. “Rainbow in the Dark” … 4:38
5. “Holy Diver” … 5:09
6. Drum Solo
7. “Stargazer” … 1:43
8. Guitar Solo
9. “Heaven And Hell” … 11:06
10. “Man On The Silver Mountain” … 3:33
11. “Starstruck” … 0:47
12. “Man On The Silver Mountain (Reprise)” … 2:30
Disc 2: 1987
1. “Dream Evil” … 4:56
2. “Neon Knights” … 4:44
3. “Naked In The Rain” … 7:29
4.” Rock and Roll Children” … 2:47
5. “Long Live Rock ‘n’ Roll” … 4:39
6. “The Last In Line” … 4:12
7. “Children Of The Sea” … 1:22
8. “Holy Diver” … 1:28
9. “Heaven and Hell” … 3:18
10. “Man On The Silver Mountain” … 4:29
11. “All the Fools Sailed Away” … 4:23
12. “The Last in Line (Reprise)” … 1:12
13. “Rainbow In The Dark” … 5:12
Band:
Ronnie James Dio – Vocals
Vivian Campbell – Guitar (Disc 1)
Craig Goldy – Guitar (Disc 2)
Jimmy Bain – Bass
Vinny Appice – Drums
Claude Schnell – Keyboards
Another great document and testament to the power of Dio live! This collection of two live Donington shows is the first album to be released under Ronnie & Wendy’s Niji Entertainment Group label. The album was in the works before Ronnie’s death (he gets executive producer credit) but sadly he did not get to see the release of this album. Disc One was recorded August 20, 1983 while Disc Two was recorded on August 22, 1987. These shows are available to us today thanks to the BBC archiving them (along with a couple of the other bands) for the purpose of a few radio broadcasts. Now they’ve passed the savings onto us!
And what a release it is! Very nice digipak foldout featuring some cool pics from the shows (the album cover is the best shot), promo art, a bit of history on the band leading up the shows, plus two mock-laminate passes for these ’83 and ’87 Monsters of Rock shows. Also, if you pre-ordered from Ronnie’s official site, included is an exclusive Dio VIP backstage pass. I’m not sure if the passes were from random tours but my pass is from the 1990 Throw ‘Em to the Wolves tour which of course had the band supporting the Lock Up the Wolves album. If the pre-order pass isn’t authentic and something they found in a warehouse somewhere, they really did a heck of a job with making it look so.
Disc One features a hungry band on fire and with something to prove. Ronnie was coming out of Sabbath and had just released Holy Diver the month before and the group was placed early on the bill. Ronnie and his gang had no choice but to throw down the gauntlet and show the world they could make it just fine, thank you. Half of the set list features songs from the then-new Holy Diver album while Ronnie also makes use of his Rainbow and Sabbath days to further win over the crowd. The worst part about this set? We are only teased with way-too-short versions “Stargazer” and “Starstruck”! But there is another lengthy and epic version of “Heaven and Hell” to make up for it while the band shows all kinds of flash, power and pizazz on their shiny new songs. A lively crowd throughout (even cheering on the new and soon-to-be classics) helps makes this an even better show.
Disc Two finds Craig Goldy stepping in for Vivian Campbell. An extended set list is here as well now that the band had graduated to “Special Guest” for their second Donington appearance playing second to last on the bill (Bon Jovi headlined this year). Dream Evil was the new album to promote that year (also coming out in the previous month) and it’s a good album so I have no problems with some of those songs making appearances but I would’ve loved to have heard “Sunset Superman” (in place of “Naked In The Rain”) and even “Sacred Heart” from the 1985 album of the same name. At least Sacred Heart‘s Rock and Roll Children made it! One of my favorite Dio songs. I’m also surprised “Holy Diver” got the short end of the stick but oh well. Still, with Dio now being able to call up on four albums of his own and adding a few more Rainbow and Sabbath nuggets to distinguish this set from the 1983 show, this is yet another great concert. Funny how “Rainbow In The Dark” had worked its way up to becoming the band’s closing number.
I won’t even get into the highlights this time. The first disc is full of fire and energy and the second disc thankfully does not repeat too much of disc one and is a fine total performance in its own right. Dio fans must own this album!
www.ronniejamesdio.com
www.facebook.com/officialronniejamesdio
www.myspace.com/dioofficial
Black Sabbath – The Eternal Idol [Deluxe Edition]
Black Sabbath – The Eternal Idol [Deluxe Edition] (2010, Universal Music/Sanctuary Records – UK Import)
Original Release: 1987, Warner Bros. Records
Disc One
1. “The Shining” … 5:59
2. “Ancient Warrior” … 5:28
3. “Hard Life to Love” … 5:00
4. “Glory Ride” … 4:49
5. “Born to Lose” … 3:43
6. “Nightmare” … 5:19
7. “Scarlet Pimpernel” … 2:05
8. “Lost Forever” … 4:03
9. “Eternal Idol” … 6:33
Bonus Tracks
10. “Black Moon” … 3:38
11. “Some Kind of Woman” … 3:15
Disc Two
1. “Glory Ride” … 5:21
2. “Born to Lose” … 3:41
3. “Lost Forever” … 4:17
4. “Eternal Idol” … 6:48
5. “The Shining” … 6:30
6. “Hard Life to Love” … 5:20
7. “Nightmare” … 4:49
8. “Ancient Warrior” … 4:54
Band:
Tony Martin – Vocals (Disc One)
Ray Gillen – Vocals (Disc Two)
Tony Iommi – Guitar
Dave Spitz – Bass (Credited, does not appear)
Bob Daisley – Bass
Eric Singer – Drums
Geoff Nicholls – Keyboards
Additional Musicians:
Bev Bevan – Percussion
I’m such a freak about the non-Ozzy/Dio years that along with the Seventh Star reissue, this was one of 2010′s most anticipated releases for me. Now they really need to give Born Again and Headless Cross the deluxe treatment as well. If you want my thoughts on the original album, check it out here. Included with the original album are two bonus tracks that were included on “The Shining” single as B-sides: “Black Moon” and “Some Kind of Woman”. “Black Moon” later appeared as a track on Headless Cross but in a different key. So having an alternate take of “Black Moon” and now having “Some Kind of Woman” was a pretty big deal to me. Just for the sake of being a completist.
As with the Seventh Star reissue, the main course in my opinion is the second disc. But there’s no live concert, this time it’s the complete album as it was originally recorded with Ray Gillen (though it is not what would have been the final mix). I’m not sure how Sabbath fans felt at the time, but when I read about Gillen’s short time as Sabbath’s singer from other reviews and whatnot, it seems like a lot of hope and promise rested on Ray’s shoulder as if he singled-handedly could lead Sabbath back to the Promise Land. Did he hold the key to the band becoming a respected and legit group once again? I don’t particularly think so. I think people are fantasizing. They see that the band didn’t work so well commercially with Martin, so they say “oh, if they stuck with Ray they could’ve done so much better”. Plus, I think another reason people embellish with it comes to Gillen is because he died so young. Now I’m not knocking Ray Gillen at all. He’s a great singer but I just don’t think he could’ve ushered in some great new era for Sabbath any better than Martin tried to do.
Let’s be honest, Sabbath was a mess for most of the ’80s and into the early ’90s. While, musically, Iommi was certainly the band’s driving force, I don’t think he was a very good band leader. He was a bit too laid back and seemingly almost shy. That could’ve been countered if the band had great management, but they didn’t. So what you ended up with was poorly promoted and misguided albums & tours along with constant personnel changes. It’s amazing they were able to put out the quality music that they did, even if it wasn’t the evil doom ‘n’ gloom old school Sabbath fans wanted to hear. So yeah — Ray wouldn’t have changed any of that.
What Gillen did do was turn in a great performance live and in the studio. You certainly can’t knock his singing. Whereas Tony Martin had similarities to Dio, Gillen has a bit of a higher register, sounding much more like what I would expect from an ’80s metal singer. Maybe it’s just because I’m more familiar with him or because he does sound more like one of my favorite singers but I still prefer the Martin version over Gillen’s.
If you refuse to believe Sabbath ever did anything worthwhile without Ozzy or Ronnie, well, this reissue isn’t going to change your opinion. But that’s okay because this reissue isn’t meant for you anyway. It’s meant for all of us who can enjoy Sabbath’s later offerings and for us fans, I think this reissue is an important album to own.
