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Review: The Morning After – You Can’t Hurt Steel
The Morning After – You Can’t Hurt Steel
(2009, Rising Records)
1. Metropolis … 1:04
2. Lost In Time … 6:09
3. Hell And High Water … 3:48
4. Glitter And Bombs … 5:02
5. Crush.Kill.Destroy … 8:26
6. In The Heart Of The Young … 6:12
7. Atlantis … 5:15
8. Sometime After Dark … 4:43
9. The Destroyer … 0:47
10. You Can’t Hurt Steel … 5:43
Band:
Sam Ryder – Lead Vocals, Guitar
Phil Maher – Guitar, Backing Vocals, Keyboards
Gary Stone – Bass, Backing Vocals
Jake Booth – Drums
Okay, after loving the ’80s melodic rock-meets-modern rock/metal sound of Legacy so much, I decided to check out The Morning After’s debut album You Can’t Hurt Steel. It’s a less pleasant offering because metalcore permeates throughout most of the songs complete with those harsh growling vocals. I like when bands are influenced by Avenged Sevenfold, I just don’t like when those influences are from A7X’s metalcore years.
The Morning After still has their melodic moments but nothing like what is to come on Legacy, the songs on You Can’t Hurt Steel are heavy and fast. This is heavy metal and I think with their follow-up they toned their sound down to be more in the range of hard rock.
Musically, I really have no complaints because unlike most metalcore bands there is tons of melody here along with the chugging riffs and shredding solos, the problem is when the metalcore vocals come in but thankfully clean vocals are used the majority of the time.
The intro “Metropolis” is hilariously deceptive as to what is about to be unleashed throughout the rest of the album. It’s epic AOR featuring keyboards and it’s jarring when the modern metal of “Lost In Time” kicks in. It’s not until “In The Heart of the Young” that the album finally lets up and allows you to breathe and see where the band was heading for the next release.
Overall, You Can’t Hurt Steel is a good melodic modern metal album that is well worth exploring but if you’re like me and backtracking from Legacy, you may be in for a bit of a shock from the metalcore influence.
Highlights: “Glitter And Bombs”, “Crush.Kill.Destroy”, “In The Heart of the Young”, “Sometime After Dark”
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Review: The Morning After – Legacy
The Morning After – Legacy
(2011, Rising Records)
1. Legacy … 1:39
2. Into The Fire … 3:57
3. Limit … 4:20
4. America … 4:28
5. The Witch Is On My Back … 4:05
6. Over The Wire … 3:52
7. Streams of Stars … 10:33
8. These Hills Have Eyes … 3:39
9. Powerdrive … 3:32
10. Rest In Pieces … 4:52
11. Nightmare Planet … 4:49
12. Seasons … 6:39
13. I Walk With Giants … 5:28
Band:
Sam Ryder – Lead Vocals, Guitar
Phil Maher – Guitar, Backing Vocals, Keyboards
Gary Stone – Bass, Backing Vocals
Jake Booth – Drums
I read about this band & album in an issue of UK’s Classic Rock magazine where they gave Legacy praise and the reviewer stated “there’s as much Def Leppard and Iron Maiden in the mix as there is Sweet and Queen”. That grabbed my attention so I had to check this British band out for myself.
In their own biography, The Morning After says they “combine the exuberance, showmanship and melody of classic 80′s metal and pop with a gritty backbone of the metal and hard rock of today.” A lot of times band bios are just fluff and the young bands seem to oversell themselves with them but that description is dead-on and was exactly what I was thinking.
If you took a AOR added a some glam metal and then added a band like Avenged Sevenfold that’s The Morning After. These guys know how to write melodies and they know how to work the twin guitar attack that Iron Maiden & Avenged Sevenfold have worked so well in the past. I hear a lot of Maiden by way of A7X in these guys because the songs are done in a modern style while still appealing to ’80s metal heads/melodic rock fans. Songs like “Nightmare Planet” & “Seasons” sound like something you would hear from A7X during one of their more melodic moments. I definitely hear Queen & Def Leppard influences in the way the vocals are structured and layered and from the production as well.
I don’t want people to get the idea that these guys are as heavy as Avenged Sevenfold, they aren’t, I would consider The Morning After more hard rock than heavy metal but they walk the line having a classic yet modern sound. In that regard, they also should appeal to fans of Black Veil Brides, Endeverafter, The Darkness and Bang Camaro.
Legacy is a refreshing album where the world of ’80s rock/pop & metal meets the current scene. It’s full of great lead & backing vocals, wonderful melodies, shredding guitars and plenty of headbanging hard rock moments. Great album from 2011 that I unfortunately wasn’t aware of until 2012.
Highlights: “Into the Fire”, “Streams of Stars”, “These Hills Have Eyes”, “Nightmare Planet”, “Seasons”, “I Walk With Giants”
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Review: Michael Thompson Band – Future Past
Michael Thompson Band – Future Past
(2012, Frontiers Records)
1. High Times … 4:41
2. Can’t Be Right … 4:06
3. Future Past … 5:11
4. When You Love Someone … 5:24
5. Here I Am … 3:48
6. Beautiful Mystery … 4:38
7. Break Me Down … 4:33
8. End Game … 4:32
9. Gypsy Road … 4:44
10. Can’t Miss … 4:36
11. Fight For Your Life … 5:04
Band:
Larry King – Vocals
Michael Thompson – Guitar, Keyboards
Khari Parker – Drums
Alan Berliant – Bass
Additional: Musicians:
John Blasucci – Keyboards
Dave Hiltebrand – Bass
Matt Walker – Drums
Sahara Thompson – Backing Vocals
J.P. Delaire – Keyboards, Backing Vocals, Sax
Producer: Larry King & Michael Thompson
I wasn’t familiar with Michael Thompson before this album but his list of credits in the music industry is very impressive. He looks to be a very in-demand session player that has worked on soundtracks and with tons of rock/pop/R&B artists like *NSYNC, Barbara Streisand, Bette Midler, Boyz II Men, Brandy, Celine Dion, Cher, Christina Aguilera, Ciara, Debbie Gibson, the Eagles, Gloria Estefan, Jennifer Lopez, Jessica Simpson, Joe Cocker, Johnny Mathis, Kenny G, Lionel Richie, Madonna, Mariah Carey, Michael Bolton, Michael Buble, Michael Jackson, Neil Diamond, Seal, Shania Twain, Toni Braxton, TLC and Whitney Houston. Very impressive list.
Though Michael has managed to release two solo albums and also form another melodic rock outfit called TRW, with such a busy session career it’s no wonder there’s been a 23 year gap between the Michael Thompson Band’s debut album 1989′s How Long and Future Past. In 2007, Frontiers Records re-issued How Long (which was originally released by Geffen Records) so obviously they’d want to release the follow-up MTB album as well.
As you would expect from such a seasoned session player, the songs on Future Past are expertly recorded, written and performed. Thompson’s chosen vocalist for this album, Larry King, has a great voice and is exactly what I like to hear from melodic rock acts. A lot of this album sounds like the type of AOR that you would’ve heard in the early or mid ’80s (I am told this is referred to as “West Coast AOR”). But unlike many of those melodic rock albums from the 1980s, Future Past is thankfully not drowned in keyboards. After all, Thompson is a guitarist first and foremost so the keys take a backseat to that.
Future Past doesn’t actually live in the past completely though. “Can’t Be Right” has modern touches to it and “Here I Am” sounds like something I’d expect from Bon Jovi these days.
MTB has turned in a collection of sentimental moments and catchy, uplifting songs that is sure to please melodic rock fans everywhere.
Highlights: ”High Times”, “Can’t Be Right”, “Future Past”, “Here I Am”, “Beautiful Mystery”, “Fight For Your Life”
Mr. Big – Live from the Living Room (review)
Mr. Big – Live From the Living Room
(2012, Frontiers Records)
1. Undertow … 5:30
2. Still Ain’t Enough For Me … 3:24
3. As Far As I Can See … 4:05
4. Voodoo Kiss … 4:11
5. Take Cover … 5:34
6. Around the World … 4:23
7. Stranger In My Life … 5:15
8. All the Way Up … 5:17
9. To Be With You … 4:35
10. Nobody Left to Blame … 5:54
Band:
Eric Martin – Lead Vocals
Paul Gilbert – Guitar, Backing Vocals
Billy Sheehan – Bass, Backing Vocals
Pat Torpey – Drums, Percussion, Backing Vocals
Producer: Mr. Big & Pat Regan
Recorded during January 2011 in Tokyo, Japan in front of a small studio audience, Live from the Living Room captures Mr. Big’s very first acoustic show. Since the show was done during and for promotion of 2010′s What If… album, seven of the ten tracks from this set are stripped down versions of songs from that album. Of course it’d be crazy for Mr. Big to do their first ever acoustic show and not perform their biggest hit “To Be With You” (from 1991′s Lean Into It). Completing the set is “Voodoo Kiss”, which comes from the same album as “To Be With You” and “Take Cover” from 1996′s Hey Man.
Technically speaking, the band is very good. That should come as no surprise. Eric Martin sounds great and obviously Paul Gilbert & Billy Sheehan haven’t lost a step over the years. But… Mr. Big has never been one of my favorite bands. Despite the fact that they are great musicians, I’ve never really felt a big connection to them outside a few songs. Still, this live acoustic album should be an enjoyable listen that’s sure to please those that are big fans of What If… and Mr. Big in general.
Highlights: “Undertow”, “Take Cover”, “Around the World”, “Stranger In My Life”, “To Be With You”
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Sunstorm – Emotional Fire
Sunstorm – Emotional Fire (2012, Frontiers Records)
1. “Never Give Up”
2. “Emotional Fire”
3. “Lay Down Your Arms”
4. “You Wouldn’t Know Love”
5. “Wish You Were Here”
6. “Torn In Half”
7. “Gina”
8. “The Higher You Rise”
9. “Emily”
10. “Follow Your Heart”
11. “All I Am”
Band:
Joe Lynn Turner – Lead Vocals
Uwe Reitenauer – Guitar
Dennis Ward - Bass, Guitar, Backing Vocals
Chris Schmidt – Drums
Justin Dakey – Keyboard
Producer: Dennis Ward
There’s a few things I didn’t know about this Joe Lynn Turner/Dennis Ward project before researching this album. The first thing is that I wasn’t aware that the very first Sunstorm album debuted in 2006 (I had always thought 2009′s House of Dreams was the debut). Secondly, for those albums most of the songs recorded were songs that JLT had written in the past, either for other artists or himself.
With Emotional Fire there’s a twist because instead of recording songs that he had a hand in writing, Joe is covering songs that he sang backing vocals on. Examples: Michael Bolton’s “Gina” and Cher’s “Emotional Fire”. But don’t think this is just an album of old songs. A number of songs have been penned members of the current crop of AOR/melodic rockers who hold connections to Issa, Vega, Khymera and Xorigin.
My absolute favorite track is “Lay Down Your Arms”. Seriously, I’ve probably listened to that song about 15 times. It’s only January when I’m hearing this but this has got to be one of the best songs of 2012 when it’s all said and done. You’ll have to excuse my AOR ignorance because I am not sure if this is a new song or something Joe sang background vocals on in the past but it has enough of a modern touch that I can imagine it playing on a Top Forty station. There’s a great hook in this song.
The other song that stands out above the rest is “Never Give Up”, which is a great way to open the album. A bit cheesy with the lyrics perhaps: “never give up/never give in/if you believe it/you can win” but it’s so infectious and positive I had to use it as my Facebook status! It’s a fun & very upbeat melodic rocker.
The rest of the album is fairly standard AOR/melodic rock fare but some of it is quite good like “You Wouldn’t Know Love” and “The Higher You Rise”. Some songs like the closing ballad “All I Am”, “Follow Your Heart” and the cover of Bolton’s “Gina” fall flat with me but that’s because I’m not a hardcore AOR fan. I know the previous Sunstorm albums were well-received so I have no doubt this album will please fans of the first two releases and JLT fans in general. Even in his 60s, Joe is still proving that he is one of the best voices around for the genre.
Highlights: “Never Give Up”, “Lay Down Your Arms”, “You Wouldn’t Know Love”, “Torn In Half”, “The Higher You Rise”
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Primal Fear – Unbreakable
Primal Fear – Unbreakable (2012, Frontiers Records)
1. Unbreakable (Part 1) … 1:37
2. Strike … 4:39
3. Give ‘Em Hell … 3:05
4. Bad Guys Wear Black … 3:31
5. And There Was Silence … 5:13
6. Metal Nation … 5:11
7. Where Angels Die … 8:09
8. Unbreakable (Part 2) … 6:05
9. Marching Again … 5:41
10. Born Again … 4:48
11. Blaze of Glory … 3:56
12. Conviction … 3:58
Band:
Ralf Scheepers – Lead Vocals
Magnus Karlsson – Guitar, Keyboards
Alexander Beyrodt – Guitar
Mat Sinner – Bass, Backing Vocals
Randy Black – Drums
Producer: Mat Sinner
Here’s a band I’ve known about for a very long time but never got around to buying an album of theirs until 2010 when I picked up Jaws of Death and Seven Seals. I like both of those album but I haven’t gotten around to reviewing them just yet. Anyway, Unbreakable is the band’s ninth studio album and their third studio release from Frontiers Records (who’ve branched beyond melodic rock/AOR and have started to pick up a number of quality hard rock/metal acts over the last few years).
It would be unfair of me to say where Unbreakable ranks in the Primal Fear catalog but what I can say about this album is that I think it compares favorably to Jaws of Death and Seven Seals. What’s good about this album is that it’s full of anthems. “Bad Guys Wear Black”, “Metal Nation”, “And Then There Was Silence” and “Where Angels Die” will get stuck in your head. And any song that isn’t a metal anthem is just powerfully heavy. “Strike” really rips from the get-go and was a great choice to open the album. Then there’s the album’s lone ballad “Born Again”. Another catchy number.
It’s not big revelation that Ralf Scheepers’ vocal work is reminiscent of Rob Halford (just ask Judas Priest themselves) but it’s on “Born Again” and “Conviction” that he really comes across as a younger version of the Metal God. “Conviction” is probably the most straight forward traditional sounding metal song on the whole album (with “Strike” coming in a close second) and it’s a true highlight. Very Priest-like.
Unbreakable is sure to please Primal Fear fans and should please anyone who has an interest in bands like Priest, Maiden and power metal. It’s a great album to kick off a new metal year in 2012!
Digipak pressing comes with the exclusive bonus track “Night of the Jumps”.
Highlights: “Strike”, “Bad Guys Wear Black”, “Metal Nation”, “Where Angels Die”, “Born Again”, “Conviction”
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Mollo/Martin – The Third Cage
Mollo/Martin – The Third Cage (2012, Frontiers Records)
1. Wicked World … 4:40
2. Cirque du Freak … 4:13
3. Oh My Soul … 5:13
4. One of the Few … 4:01
5. Still In Love With You … 4:21
6. Can’t Stay Here … 4:08
7. Wardance … 6:00
8. Don’t Know What It Is About You … 4:55
9. Blind Fury … 5:06
10. Violet Moon … 7:38
Musicians:
Tony Martin – Vocals
Dario Mollo – Guitars, Bass, Keyboards
Roberto Gualdi – Drums
Fulvio Gaslini – Bass
Dario Patti – Keyboards
Brian War – Keyboards
If you’ve been following this blog for any decent amount of time or have conversed with me on message boards or Facebook, you’ve probably realized that I’m a big fan of Tony Martin. I rank his run in Sabbath second only to the great Ronnie James Dio. That said, I haven’t heard any of his side-projects or guest spots on other albums and have only heard the latest of his two solo albums (leaving 1992′s Back Where I Belong on my bucket list).
Dario Mollo, on the other hand, I know next to nothing about this Italian guitarist. Looking at his official website and the Frontiers website, I can tell you that he was in a metal band in the ’80s called Crossbones and in 2000 & 2005 released albums under the Voodoo Hill name with the legendary Glenn Hughes on vocals (I really need to check those albums out). He also did a UK tour as a member of the “Graham Bonnet & Don Airey Band”.
Also during this time is when “The Cage” series of albums came to be. Dario recruited Tony Martin to sing on and write lyrics for 1999′s The Cage and they paired up again in 2004 for The Cage 2. I was made aware of both of these projects awhile back and while I’ve seen good reviews for them, I never picked them up because they are, unfortunately, out of print and very expensive (I think I’ll pass on spending $80-$140 for a CD!). Well, at least now I am able to listen to the latest Cage album!
The first thing I noticed is that Tony Martin has not lost a step over the years. He sounds just as good here as he did on The Eternal Idol or Headless Cross. Not that I expected anything less because he sounded excellent on Scream as well. As for Dario, well, if you’ve got Glenn Hughes, Tony Martin, Graham Bonnet and Don Airey willing and wanting to work with you — then you know you’re pretty good at what you do. Some very nice solos and riffing going on here.
Though the album starts off heavy with “Wicked World” , “Cirque Du Freak” & “Oh My Soul” (the last two sound like they could’ve come from a Sabbath album with Tony), there’s a variety of styles to be found on this album. “One of the Few”, “Can’t Stay Here” and “Don’t Know What It Is About You” are all melodic rockers, taking Tony back to his musical roots and still displaying him as being just as comfortable singing these types of songs as he is singing heavy metal. “Still In Love With You” is heavy with an epic Middle Eastern-flair to it. “Wardance” is probably my favorite track on the album with the tribal rhythm of the drums and it’s just too catchy (“WAR!…DANCE!”). “Blind Fury” may be the heaviest track on the album while “Violet Moon” is a beautiful, near-trippy ballad that closes out the album.
There’s really not a bad track on this album. With each spin (and there’s been quite a few of them) I’ve grown to appreciate each song more and more but “Still In Love With You”, “Can’t Stay Here”, “Wardance” and “Don’t Know What It Is About You” were the instant standouts when I first listened.
How does The Third Cage compare to the first two Mollo/Martin albums? Don’t ask me! But I do know that Dario & Tony have delivered a great blend of hard rock, metal and melodic rock that has me wanting to snatch up whatever else Dario has done and has me wishing for even more new Tony Martin music.
Highlights: ”Cirque Du Freak”, “One of the Few”, “Still In Love With You”, “Can’t Stay Here”, “Wardance”, “Don’t Know What It Is About You”, “Violet Moon”
Dario Mollo Official Website
Dario Mollo – Tony Martin The Cage Facebook Page
Tony Martin Facebook Page
Fools Faith – Sinister F
Fools Faith – Sinister F (2011, Sick Day Records & Entertainment)
1. Across The Sky … 4:12
2. Forgotten … 3:51
3. Break Me … 4:32
4. Change Direction … 5:55
5. Sinister F … 3:53
6. Wait For Me … 4:58
7. Possession … 4:29
8. Ordinary Man … 4:12
9. Won’t Be Home (Tonight) … 4:55
10. Lies … 4:15
Band:
Joey Dia – Vocals
John Gallicano – Guitars
Andy Kadin – Bass, Keyboards
Marc Chandler – Drums
Sinister F is the sophomore effort from this Connecticut-based rock band after having released their debut Undone in 2007. A previous line-up of the group went by the name of Aftermath and had released Natural Destruction on the Escape Music label in 2003.
I wasn’t really aware of this band and by looking at the cover, I was expecting something heavy and perhaps something I wasn’t going to like. Instead, Fools Faith’s Sinister F delivers a great assortment of hard rock and melodic rock. Although the music and production certainly is modern and I can imagine a number of these tracks making it to radio (“Possession” has enough modern crunch), I still get a late ’80s/early ’90s melodic hard rock vibe from these guys that reminds me of groups such as Babylon A.D. and Mass at times.
For my first spin of the album I put it on as background noise and actually ended up getting sucked into a few songs like the “Across the Sky”, “Change Direction” and “Wait for Me”. Great melodies all around this album whether we’re dealing with rockers or ballads. Speaking of ballads, “Won’t Be Home (Tonight)” is fantastic. Great melancholy piece of melodic rock.
Had I done a list of the Top 30 albums for 2011 (instead of my usual Top 25), there is no doubt that Sinister F would’ve made the cut. Don’t get me wrong though, Fools Faith have delivered a hell of an album and are definitely worth seeking out for fans of melodic hard rock.
Highlights: ”Across the Sky”, “Forgotten”, “Wait For Me”, “Change Direction”, “Won’t Be Home (Tonight)”
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Buy ‘Sinister F’ from Amazon.com
