Truth be told, I kind of dreaded this week. I’d be revisiting some of the bands that were deeply influential to me at a fairly early age. None of these bands are bands that I kept on following, rather, most - if not all - of these band, I hadn’t listened to a record of theirs in decades. Lots of reasons why - maybe I’d moved on to something heavier, more extreme, more brutal - or I’d moved on from the genre altogether. Listening to these records was a trip down memory lane, as you’ll soon be able to read. Good memories? Sometimes, others not so much.
Day 86 - Metallica - '72 Seasons'
Of course, when you grow up in the ‘80s there are bands that are just so ubiquitous that you can’t escape them in any way, shape or form. Metallica was one of those bands - you’a always see their records on the rock section of the record store, or you’d see a metalhead sporting one of their tees. And then the black album came along and everyone and their mothers now loved Metallica. It’s funny, because for me it was where I started letting them go, so much so that I’ve not listened to an entire album of theirs since then. I’ve heard bits and pieces, yes, but the whole shebang? No. And I’d heard good things about this one, but that was never motivation enough for me to pick it up. What I say now can be wholly repeated for many of this week’s entries : It’s not bad, but it really isn’t that good. It’s got a sort of a homogeneous production that makes it sound and feel very samey. And it’s far, far too long… I kept on wishing that it would just end. But if I’m honest, it’s way, way better than I was hoping. I’ll give it a 6.5/10
Day 87 - Megadeth - ‘Megadeth’
There’a no Megadeth without Metallica, and this being their ‘final’ album, I thought it’d merit a listen. I have to confess I’ve never been a huge Megadeth fan, though I do like the odd song here and there. And just like the Metallica record, it suffers from very clean and sterile production - it feels like it's one very long song. Not bad, had some moments I enjoyed listening to, but I wouldn't be able to remember a single riff from it. 6/10
Day 88 - Iron Maiden - 'Senjutsu'
If Metallica were ubiquitous in the ‘80s, Iron Maiden towered above them. This is the ONE band I knew about as a kid, just from recognizing them visually from tees, graffiti, records, and sometimes even from promotional tour posters that you’d see plastered everywhere. I knew them and I knew I loved them without having ever listened to a single song of theirs. One of the most heartbreaking moments in my life, EVER, was when I was a kid, and I had this combat vest that I had gotten as a birthday gift, and it had a beautiful ‘Powerslave’ patch sown on the back, and one day I left in my mom’s car, and the car was broken into and the ONLY thing that was stolen was my vest.
Truth be told, I haven't listened to a single record of theirs since 'Virtual XI' - that one was so bad I sort of swore them off then and there. Listening to this record was a weird experience. This one had what felt like a strange production. It sounded like classic Maiden while at the same time not sounding like classic Maiden. It's good, but at 82 minutes long it outstayed its welcome for me. I’m generously giving it a 7/10
Day 89 - Helloween - ‘Giants & Monsters’
There was this one kid I knew in the late ‘80s that always, always used a ‘Keeper Of The Seven Keys’ tee and he swore up and down that it was the best metal band in the world. So one day I give him a couple of blank tapes get he could record them for me. My mind was blown - it was love at first listen. A few years later, I met this other kid who was a sort of metal guru, and he lent me a tape with their first records. Little could I imagine that the guy who was their guitarist in ‘Keepers’ was their original singer.
A few years ago they did a really cool thing - they reunited with their three singers and they toured the world. I watched a lot of youtube videos from that tour, and it was nothing less than stellar. Then they decided to record with that very line up, and… as much as I love them…. And though it pains me to say to…. It’s just good, but because it’s nowhere near as good as their best, it isn’t great. It’s really mostly unremarkable. For me a middling, disappointing 5/10
Day 90 - Manowar - ‘The Lord Of Steel’
Man… Manowar is one of those bands that you either love or hate. If you buy into that whole ‘Conan The Barbarian’ shtick they espouse, if you buy into that kayfabe, then man - it’s just great. If you don’t, then yeah, it becomes ridiculous. And I bought into it for the longest time, though I hadn’t listened to an album of theirs since about 1993. A new one, I mean.
They’ve always had so many great things working for them - their sheer epicness, the amazing Eric Adams voice, and one of the very best bass players ever - Joey DeMaio.
And yet… this album sounds very little like classic Manowar. Sure, the same fantasy lyrics are there, but maybe I’m just burnt out by now, and thus they just sound kinda juvenile now. And nothing that made them great isn’t here - Eric’s singing sounds tired and strained, below par. And Joey went for a kind of Fuzzy bass which I really didn’t find great. Two in a row, another disappointing 5/10
Day 91- AC/DC - ‘Power Up’
Of course AC/DC had to come up, though I never was a huge, huge fan. Another one of those that was inescapable throughout the ‘80s and well into today. It’s been argued that AC/DC makes the same album every time. Some love it, some don’t. And this one? Sounds like pretty much every single AC/DC record. It wasn’t bad, but I can’t remember a single thing about it. Maybe a 5/10?
Day 92 - Scorpions - ‘Rock Believer’
Now, If I’m honest, I only chose this band because all my other choices I want to leave for next week, and because there’s a story which I’ll always appreciate no matter what.
So, it’s about 1991 or so, I’d turned 14, and now girls had turned from these annoying gremlins to the most beautous and voluptuous of creatures. You know how every single school has that one class where all the misfits, ne’er do wells, and outright nutjobs end up? Well, in 1991 that’s where I ended up - a class where most of my classmates where these proper grown ass people, who had sex and where fully developed and in relationships - all that shit. And one of the girls in my class was this girl Sandra - and she was into Guns‘N’Roses and Scorpions. Now, she was very, very pretty, but she also had this huge pair of bazoongas - something that would provide me with masturbation fodder for many a year. Of course, I always knew that she’d never give me the time of day, but I still tried. And one of the ways I tried was when I bought the original tape for Scorpions ‘ Crazy World’ album, which contained their anthemic ‘Winds Of Change’ song, a song which I knew she loved, and I hoped against hope if I recorded it for her, then she would let me to unspeakable things to - and on - her breasts. She didn’t. Bah.
Anyhoo, this one was the surprise of the week - it’s really, really good! I’ll give a very, very strong 8.5/10
And next week we continue down this path, though we take the left hand one. It gets brutal next week. See ya on the funny papers!
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