SONG OF THE DAY 5/18

The song of the day is "Destiny" by Marchello from their 1989 album of the same name.

Meister Music #5 - U.D.O. Hit Me With A Steelhammer

Hello and welcome to my new segment called Meister Music.  I often get new music cross my desk from record companies or from my own personal musical searches and adventures.  I thought that this would be a good place to review and post my thoughts on some of this music, maybe turning you onto some new bands or reminding you about some old favourites.  Some of the albums may not always be to my specific taste in music, but I'll give you my honest opinions.  Some of it may not even be the most current as I try to introduce you to some lesser known bands that have crossed my path and become favourites of my listening rotation.  Like what I say or think I'm an idiot?  Please feel free to leave me comments and suggestions as you see fit, it would be great to start a discussion of some of these albums.

MEISTER MUSIC #5 - I'VE BEEN HIT WITH A STEELHAMMER!

German Metal King, Udo Dirkschneider is back to wage war on your ear drums and his weapon is the Steelhammer.  The former Accept lead singer is back with a new record called Steelhammer due out May 24th, 2013, but The Meister has it early and has already been spinning it for a few days now.

Udo formed Accept in Solingen, Germany with Wolf Hoffman and Peter Baltes in the late 1960's.  Accept rose to fame in the 80's with such hits as Princess Of The Dawn, Fast As A Shark (one of the first speed metal songs), Metal Heart and of course the smash hit Balls To The Wall.  In 1987, after seven studio albums, Udo left Accept to pursue a solo career.  While he did briefly re-unite with his Accept band mates from 1993-1996 to produce three more Accept records, his solo career has been in full force since his original departure.  Mr. Dirkschneider has released thirteen albums under the U.D.O. moniker to date with the fourteenth, Steelhammer due to drop on May 24th, 2013.  I've long been an Accept and U.D.O. fan, since hearing Balls To The Wall as one of my earliest forays into metal music and I have all of the CD's.  A long time dream came true for me last month, right around my birthday I might add, as I finally got to see U.D.O. perform when the Steelhammer tour made a stop in Toronto.  The show was everything that I expected and I put it up there with one of the best shows of the year so far.  Please check out my review of the night here: U.D.O. IN TORONTO.

In studying the album artwork, I once again reflected on the art form of the inner sleeves of a record, something that has lost it's importance in this day and age of downloading.  The cover, matching my tour t-shirt from the show, depicts the power of what one might imagine a "steelhammer" to inflict with a metallized fist poised to strike, as opposed to the general flaccidity of most of today's efforts towards album artwork.

I had already heard one of the tracks during the show in Toronto about a month ago now and as I received the much anticipated (by me, among others) newest U.D.O. effort, I sat down in my lazy-boy armchair in the dark with my eyes closed to listen to it.  The title track, Steelhammer leads off the latest assault from the German Power Metal King, containing everything that I would expect from an U.D.O. track.  U.D.O.'s growling vocals are in fine form here as we roll into A Cry Of A Nation next with a grinding riff.  Metal Machine sits in the third position.
This was the cut that I'd been treated to at the show in Toronto, the song came off well in a live set and the CD version does justice to the live version that's rolling around in my memory.  The foreign language of the verse and chorus doesn't take away from the enjoyment of the next track, Basta Ya, even though I don't understand it.  I think it's not German, but perhaps Spanish as I found on line that in Spanish basta ya means enough is enough.  Next comes 2:25 minutes of what I can only describe as an oddity and a deplorable tragedy!  I love U.D.O. and mean no disrespect, but singing a ballad is not something that he should do in my opinion.  Heavy Rain is shockingly just that as the piano is basically the only instrument to accompany Udo's guttural growl through this track (although the more I hear it, the more I become accustomed to it).  After the synthesised intro, Devil's Bite picks up the pace again feeling, as the title suggests, just like a bite from the devil as the riff chews through your speakers.  Death Ride follows and riffs hard
straight off the top as Udo's gravelly, throaty vocals remind me of Accept classics on this track.  The barrage continues with King Of Mean powering through and getting my hands air drumming with a couple of pencils as I chuckled a bit at the line "I'm a chainsaw".  The grinding, pumping riffs of Timekeeper surge the album forward, keeping the pencils twirling and reminding me of how Udo stepped away from the stage front during the show and held his eyes tightly closed as his head bobbed along and he felt rather than heard the music.  The chorus of Never Cross My Way echoes in my head long after the song dies away and I found myself singing it on more than one occasion at work as I flipped ribs on the grill.  I could definitely see this track played on rock radio as it has a bit of a commercial tinge to it, but don't get me wrong it doesn't detract from the song in any way shape or form!  The next track ramps up the energy again and is a fist pumping rocker called Take My Medicine, although with U.D.O.'s accent it sounds as
if he's saying "meda-seen"....lol.  Stay True just re-affirms that Udo's vocie is just as good if not even stronger than the old Accept days as he snarls out the lyrics.  When Love Becomes A Lie also broaches the commercial sound with it's pulsing rhythm beat, but maybe that's just my wishful thinking that a radio station would actually play an U.D.O. cut!  Light bongo drums lead into Book Of Faith, conjuring up the image of a belly dancer dancing for the tribe before it twangs in evoking mental pictures for a second of the wild west and the deserted street with tumble weeds as the hero enters the town.  But then it opens up and pumps or throbs along as the second longest offering on the disc and is just quirky enough to be my favourite on the whole record.  Book Of Faith's symphonic finish is a great closer to the song and the barrage that can only be called Steelhammer!

U.D.O.'s latest effort from him and his band consisting of ten year band mate Fitty Weinhold on bass, relative newcomer guitarists, Kasperi Heikkinen and Andrey Smirnov and Francesco Jovino on drums is a true metal blitzkrieg with the exception of the 2:25 minute ballad, Heavy Rain (which could be omitted).  That still makes thirteen solid rocking chants with the only other track clocking in under four minutes being the title track of Steelhammer  making the total album runtime of about sixty-one minutes.  Quite impressive again where many albums these days stretch to meet the standard ten song quota and many of those under the four minute mark!  Udo's still rocking hard and giving solid efforts on his records and out on the road, so really can I blame him for trying something like Heavy Rain....no, certainly not and I have to admit, now that I'm over the shock of it and I'm on my tenth or so listening, it's even growing on me.  A solid album here from The German Power Metal King and many of today's artists could learn a thing or two or take a page from U.D.O.'s book, I wish they would!

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ALL CONCERT PHOTOS BY:  THE MEISTER

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U.D.O.'s WEBSITE     U.D.O.'s TOUR BLOG (FACEBOOK)    U.D.O.'s OFFICIAL FACEBOOK

Cheers,
The Meister

Now Hear This: Holy Terror - Mind Wars

     Agent Steel were an L.A. speed metal band somewhat similar to early Helloween. The band's first album, the cleverly titled Skeptics Apocalypse, was released by Combat in 1985. At some point one of the band's guitarists, Kurt Kilfelt, and singer John Cyriis had a falling out and Kilfelt left to form his own band with singer Aaron Redbird, bassist Jeff Matz, drummer Joe Mitchell, and second guitarist Matt Fox. The band was christened Holy Terror and their first album, Terror and Submission, was released by Combat in 1987 but the band really hit their stride on their second album, Mind Wars, released in 1988.

     Kurt Kilfelt describes the band's intentions thusly:

"The idea was to make an epic metal record."

     They succeeded. Mind Wars was recorded over the course of seventeen days, and apparently a lot of drugs were involved. Kurt Kilfelt describes the creative process and obstacles the band were up against this way:

"We really wanted to get the old seventies type metal sound to it, this didn't go over very well with the label, they wanted what every one else was doing, hard panned right and left brittle processed guitars, no bass and really loud drums. My attitude was fuck 'em..."

 

    The band toured America with DRI and Kreator and Europe with Exodus and Nuclear Assault after the record was released. Holy Terror were better than all of those bands, in my opinion. I am not a huge thrash guy beyond the obvious albums (Master of Puppets, Rust In Peace, Sound of White Noise, etc) but Mind Wars is as good as it gets. This is not paint by numbers thrash metal, Holy Terror were a creative and ambitious group. The album opens with a Slayeresque basher called "Judas Reward." It's good but actually one of my least favorite songs on the record.

     The next song, "Debt of Pain," is amazingly melodic for a thrash metal tune. You can hear a distinct Iron Maiden influence but the band tweak it big time. The song is an artistic metal assault, brutal yet refined. The production on the album is a bit muddy but the quality of the songwriting more than compensates.

     Third track "The Immoral Wasteland" is a classic example of galloping heavy metal, conducive to headbanging but also wonderfully melodic. 

     Up next is an insane three part epic: a bruising burst of metal called "A Fool's Gold" segues into a plodding instrumental bit called "Terminal Humor" from which the killer title track bursts forth at about the 5:16 mark.

     Side Two hits us full speed ahead with a slamming track called "Damned By Judges." A brutal verse culminates in a great chorus. 

     The next song, "Do Unto Others," is a hardcore song with melodic moments. Holy Terror were an innovative group that refused to be pigeon-holed. It's fair to call this album thrash metal, but there's a lot more than that going on. 

     The second to last song on the album "No Resurrection" features a verse that vacillates between thrash and death metal but once again a melodic chorus arrives just in time. The key word for this album, obviously, is melody, a key component for me that was often missing from your run of the mill thrash metal tune.

     The album ends with a pounding track called "Christian Resistance." Play it loud.

     A few members of the band relocated to Seattle in the early nineties and formed a punk band called Shark Chum.

Meister Music #4- HIM's Tears On Tape

Hello and welcome to my new segment called Meister Music.  I often get new music cross my desk from record companies or from my own personal musical searches and adventures.  I thought that this would be a good place to review and post my thoughts on some of this music, maybe turning you onto some new bands or reminding you about some old favourites.  Some of the albums may not always be to my specific taste in music, but I'll give you my honest opinions.  Some of it may not even be the most current as I try to introduce you to some lesser known bands that have crossed my path and become favourites of my listening rotation.  Like what I say or think I'm an idiot?  Please feel free to leave me comments and suggestions as you see fit, it would be great to start a discussion of some of these albums.

MEISTER MUSIC #4 - HIM'S TEARS ON TAPE

Thursday May 9th, 2013 started out to be a fabulous day.  I found myself with an unplanned day off from work, so I puttered around the house completing several chores, looking forward to the night.  I had plans to meet with new Decibel Geek writer Kate to take in a concert at The Danforth Music Hall.  The band we were planning to see was Finnish love metal band HIM or His Infernal Majesty.  I had had some limited experience previously with HIM as a friend had turned me on to one of their albums, Greatest Love Songs Vol. 666 and I had rather enjoyed their covers of The Crying Game and Don't Fear The Reaper, but was not a rabid fan or anything.  Recently I acquired their latest release Tears On Tape for review.  How perfect that I would be seeing the concert around the same time.  Kate and I devised a plan to work on the article together, I would review the CD as I had already spun it a few times and it was growing on me and she would handle the show review portion.  As I headed out from my home north of Toronto for my trek to "the big city" for the evening's festivities I got a depressing call from Kate.  She had just seen a posting on Facebook that the show was off.  She called the venue to confirm and called me back within minutes bearing the sad news that the show was indeed cancelled.  Apparently the lead vocalist, Ville Valo has pneumonia.  I'm sure glad that she was heads up and caught the announcement before I got under way, thanks Kate!  Unfortunately this meant back home to more yard work........or maybe I'll just write my thoughts on the Tears On Tape record first....lol.

HIM is not a band that I gravitated to right away after listening to the album the first time, but my rule is to listen to something at least three times before formulating my opinion.  With some quick research I found that HIM had formed in 1991 with Ville Valo on vocals, Mikko "Linde" Lindstrom on guitars and Mikko "Mige" Paananen on bass in Helsinki Finland.  HIM is an acronym for His Infernal Majesty and the band has released a staggering (because I'd barely heard of them) eight studio albums so far and is the first Finnish band to have a gold record in the U.S. They also just won "The Most Dedicated Fans" award at the Golden Gods, so I'm probably going to be in trouble with them for my thoughts on the album.

The album starts off with a synthesiser, giving me more of a feeling that this would be along the lines of something Depeche Mode may release,  intro Unleash The Red.  After the 1:08 minute intro, All Lips Go Blue gets going sounding a little more like something I'm into.  The melodic vocals give the band a decidedly poppy sound to me.  Love Without Tears is next on the roster and sounds much the same as the previous track, however the vocal chorus is quite catchy.  Starting with a keyboard solo, I Will Be The End Of You picks up pace a little as it gets into the song.  The title track, Tears On Tape, is nothing different, being carried more with keyboards than guitars.  Into The Night starts off with a little guitar and the keyboards are not as audible until the chorus where the melodic vocals kick in again.  Hearts At War is one of the better tracks on Tears On Tape, in my opinion, with a catchy riff helping it to stand out a bit more from the rest of the selections.  Trapped In Autumn is a minute and a half of synthesiser sounds.  No Love starts off rocking and wakes me up a bit from the sleepiness of the rest of the album.  Drawn & Quartered blends into the background again, floating along.  I lost focus once again during Lucifer's Chorale, another minute and a half instrumental that followed no tune or anything and I fought to bring myself back for W.L.S.T.D. acronym for When Love Starts To Die.  Kiss The Void closes off the recording and my struggle to keep focused on the whole album with 2:25 minutes of synthesiser sounds.

This keyboard heavy music, proclaimed by vocalist Ville Valo to be love metal,  lacks punch to me and while it's not a bad album to put on in the background as you're doing something around the house, it will all meld or blend together, every song sounding much like the previous one.  My apologies to the dedicated fans, but this is not really my style and I prefer a little more crunchiness and balls to my music, whereas this is decidedly flaccid.

Cheers,
The Meister

SugarBoxx Rocks Ohio and soon the World

A few months ago I joined the modern world and opened a twitter account. Started following a few celebs, minus them Kardashian chics, and Bieber kid. I started following a man, Kevin ManDraken and his band, SugarBoxx. Born the son of a preacher, it was his mother, who was a fan of the Beatles and Elvis that would ignite the spark of music in young Kevin. She was the one who bought him his first guitar.

Don't be fooled by the name. These guys are not your average band. These guys know how to rock and they know how to put on a show. Formed in 2010, originally  started as a 80's cover band. "I wanted a heavier sound," ManDraken recalled. So ManDraken set out through Ohio to find those that shared his musical vision.

ManDraken recruited Scott Sherer (guitar), T.J. Sweet (bass) Dave Kesling (drums) to carry out his vision of mayhem and debauchery. Their first gig, however, said otherwise. "Our first gig was a local show. Not too many people were there," ManDraken recalled. ManDraken wanted a way to get those in the audience talking about the band, sort of a parting gift sort of and for this ManDraken drew inspiration from a local by the name of Marilyn Manson. 'I wanted to dip the bible I was using into fake blood, but the blood kept running off. So, I took the pages, ripped them out and made a cup out of them,dipped them in the bucket and drank the blood,"ManDraken recalled. The act, not only got people talking, but got some feathers ruffled also. Local clergy was not amused with the act. Many threatened protesting and boycotting of the shows, but ManDraken and the BOXX carried on.

The band went from playing to a few to bringing crowds. People wanted to see the man and the band that rocked and gave a little bit of a Alice Cooper meets Blackie Lawless feel to their shows. With the crowds came protests. Feminist groups also protested the shows due to the image they felt SugarBoxx was portraying for women. The guys, however took it in stride.

2011 brought a line up change. Out was drummer Dave Kesling, and in was a 17 yr old phenom Ryan  Quigg, the son of the group's photographer. "We were doing a local show when Ryan's mom was there taking pictures. She mentioned her son was a drummer. When it came time to look for another drummer, she mentioned it again, and just so happened she had a tape of him playing. He auditioned, and he was in,"ManDraken recalled. When asked about his young drummer and how it's working out, ManDraken 's voice beams with excitement. " It was like we won the lotto. He's a phenom. Ryan's got a bright future  ahead of himself. He's going to Georgia this summer for drum camp. He can play anything on the drums. It was like he gave us back our enthusiasm."

Like all bands, SugarBoxx has their own legion of followers, or BoxxHeads, as they are called. They follow the band from show to show, and their numbers are growing by the show. And the band has big plans leading them into the hot summer months. Their awaited E.P. is in final process now, set to be released either May or June. Their first single off that E.P. 'Monster' is set to be released May 7th.
"In July, we're planning on filming one of our concerts to help spread who we are," ManDraken said.
As we were coming to the close of our interview I asked what, if anything he could or would like to tell those faithful that come to see SugarBoxx play live, sometimes braving the snow (as we all know, spring no longer is a season, it's a myth).

"Thank you. If it wasn't for them, we couldn't do what we do. We love what we do, I love what I do".
SugarBoxx can be found on reverbnation.com. There you can get all their latest songs, show info and even booking info. The band even has a Facebook, yes they do. Just type in SugarrBoxx and click like. Or, if Facebook isn't what you care to use, the guys can be located on twitter, under SugarBoxx.

Episode 84 - Big in Japan

One thing we've definitely learned in the 2 years that we've been doing this show is that there's a great big world out there beyond our United States. While America tends to latch onto trends for a few years and then throw those artists away like yesterday's garbage when the next one shows up; other parts of the world seem to have a long-lasting appreciation for good rock and metal music.

With that said, this week we bring you the Big in Japan episode; an hour plus of music and discussion of artists that truly rock but have not attained the Stateside success that they deserve.

We kick things off with, quite possibly, the most underrated band of all time; Cheap Trick. It's no secret that Japan was an important factor in breaking the Rockford-Illinois born and bred band via their hugely popular breakthrough album Live at Budokan. Aaron's choice of a competitive rocker from Heaven Tonight is a great way to start off the show.

The Trews

Chris' first choice is an extremely well-known band......if you live in Canada. When we solicited suggestions from listeners on our Facebook fan page, one band that came up numerous times was The Trews. With the large amount of Canadian listeners, we trusted their judgement and spin a track from their 2012 EP ....Thank You and I'm Sorry that exploits the good side of alcohol consumption.

One of Aaron's favorite active rock bands today is Queens of the Stone Age. While they have certainly gained recognition in America in recent years due to the extra exposure from their ties to Dave Grohl, Europe caught on much earlier. We present a track from the fantastic Rated R album that helps expose what makes them one of the premier rock acts of today.

One of the biggest crimes in the American music is the ignorance of the public to the sheer genius that is Ginger and The Wildhearts. If it wasn't for Aaron Camaro and a few choice rock podcasts, Chris would have never known about this amazing talent that gets wrongfully ignored on American soil. The Japanese bonus-track that Chris play from the 2009 !Chutzpah! album buries lead singles by many well-known rock acts. Ginger continues to not get his due but he gets it on this show.

We return from the break with a very unorthodox choice by Aaron Camaro. You'd think that Chris would be the one to pick a song by Firehouse with his love for 80's and early 90's melodic rock. But Aaron did his homework this week and found a track off their 2003 Prime Time album that is deceptively heavy. Firehouse only had a couple peak years in America but are still a vital band in other parts of the world. This track shows you why.

One of the highlights of our 1979 Year in Review episode was the inclusion RIOT. This band was woefully unrecognized over the years in America and were on the brink of imploding back in the late 70's before British deejay Neal Kay started playing their tracks and, unintentionally, made them a part of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal. Chris' pick of a track from their Fire Down Under album features some searing riffs and powerful drumming.

A highlight for the Decibel Geek Podcast was getting to chat with Ugly Kid Joe's Whitfield Crane. In this conversation, Aaron Camaro made a plea with Whit to bring UKJ to the States rather than playing so much outside the country. Unfortunately, it hasn't panned out. So, with that said, we hope to motivate you to contact your local concert promoter/radio station/venue to bring them to the States as we spin a track from their 2012 EP Stairway to Hell.

One band that certainly got lost in the mix of the grunge transition was New York's Warrior Soul. Started on a bet from a promoter, singer Kory Clarke brought Warrior Soul to Geffen Records and have released 10 albums from 1990 through 2012. We check out a track from 1992's Salutations from the Ghetto Nation.

After the second break, Chris brings TNT into the picture. Formed in 1982, the Norwegian band has released 12 studio albums and gone through numerous lineup changes. We take a listen to a track from their successful 1987 Tell No Tales album.

Before we finish things off with Aaron's final pick for this week, we hear from Chiaki from the Metal Moment podcast. There's no better special guest for this episode as Chiaki is from Japan originally. He gives us his Top 5 Big in Japan bands with some tasty guitar work as well.

We finish things off with Aaron's pick from a band that stands tall among all others when it comes to the Japanese audience. Mr. Big is known, basically, as a one-hit wonder in America but in Japan they rival the Beatles with constant sold out arenas and large album sales. We close out the show with a track from their 2011 reformation album What If...




Buy Music!

Cheap Trick
The Trews
Queens of the Stone Age
The Wildhearts
Firehouse
RIOT
Ugly Kid Joe
Warrior Soul
TNT
Mr. Big

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A Cinderella Story: Tom Keifer's Big Comeback

     It's been twenty years since Cinderella's last album, Still Climbing, came and went with little fanfare, twenty years devoid of new material from the band's supremely talented frontman and chief songwriter Tom Keifer. That all changed on April 30th with the exultant arrival of Keifer's much anticipated first solo album, The Way Life Goes. It's been a long wait but if you're a big Cinderella fan like me you will not be disappointed. In my opinion Cinderella were one of the best rock and roll bands to come out of the eighties. Historical revisionism has not been kind to what is often snidely referred to as "hair metal" but assigning such an asinine label to a kickass rock band like Cinderella is a cultural injustice. Please, dear readers, stop using that term. Rock and roll is rock and roll. The cynical trend-hoppers and dancing lemmings of America seem to have lost interest in that once vibrant art form but those of us who still appreciate the real deal like Tom Keifer need to stick together in the name of rock.

     Cinderella began as a metal band and judging by the two discs worth of demos I possess they must have had three albums worth of material to choose from by the time they hit the studio to record their debut, Night Songs, which is an absolute classic of the genre. There's a reason it sold three million copies, it's great. The band shifted direction on second album Long Cold Winter, thoroughly indulging in a seventies rock vibe. Who would have thought they could top Night Songs, but they did. Long Cold Winter also sold three million copies and should be on any Rock Songwriting 101 syllabus. The band's third album Heartbreak Station upped the ante on the seventies rock thing and Keifer continued to astonish with ace compositions like "The More Things Change" and the beautiful title track. Heartbreak Station sold one million copies. 

     During the Heartbreak Station tour (I was lucky enough to see the band in Milwaukee with Lynch Mob and yes, Nelson opening) Tom Keifer damaged his vocal cords and was forced to undergo surgery to repair them. The band had a minor hit with their contribution to the Wayne's World soundtrack called "Hot and Bothered" but it took four years for them to release another album and the rock landscape had changed considerably in the interim. Their 1994 album Still Climbing went virtually unnoticed upon its release, I for one was a bit disappointed by the record. After Still Climbing tanked the band was in limbo for a bit but in 1999, thanks to John Kalodner's unsuccessful efforts to revive the eighties metal scene, they signed with Sony, unfortunately they were unceremoniously dropped by the label before an album was even released. They've  toured intermittently ever since but Keifer has continued to be plagued with vocal issues.

      That brings us to The Way Life Goes, Tom Keifer's brand new solo debut. One listen and it's apparent that Keifer poured his heart and soul into the record, he gave it everything he had. The album is very well-produced by Chuck Turner, Tom, and Tom's wife Savannah. It's clearly a personal and cathartic record and it is wonderful to witness such a stirring comeback. There is zero pandering on this record, no overt effort to sound relevant to today's version rock and roll, whatever that is. In all honestly, is there any version of rock and roll today in America? I mean real rock and roll? The mainstream American audience seems to have forgotten or forsaken the genre. We need Tom Keifer like we've never needed him before. America needs some real goddamn rock and roll again. The state of rock and roll in America has been an embarrassment for years. Finally an American rock record has surfaced that we can be proud of as American rock fans. Thank you, Tom Keifer.

     The album starts strong with "Solid Ground," a vibrant rock song very reminiscent of Cinderella but imbued with a rejuvenating spirit. It's a celebratory song about a struggle overcome. Second song "A Different Light" is a very inspired track, I was shocked on first listen when the unexpected and transcendent chorus unfolded from such an ethereal verse. The next two songs, "It's Not Enough" and "Cold Day In Hell," are driving, hooky rockers with punch and attitude. That pair of rockers is followed by a pair of striking ballads, the pretty piano-based "Thick & Thin" and genuine, country-tinged "Ask Me Yesterday." Next up are my two favorites on the record: jaunty "Fool's Paradise" is a skillfully arranged rock epic and "The Flower Song" is a wonderful acoustic ode to joy. Keifer's voice is in very fine form on both tracks as he delivers the beautiful melodies with deft precision. 

     Perhaps the heaviest song on the record is next, "Mood Elevator," a fast-paced kickass rocker. Next up is my least favorite song on the album and not coincidentally its most contemporary sounding track, "Welcome To My Mind," which is followed by an excellent ballad called "You Showed Me." A chunky southern rock ditty called "Ain't That A Bitch" follows. Apparently Keifer played all of the guitar on the record and he kills it. The last two songs are the bluesy title track and finally one of my favorites, "Babylon," a straight ahead trippy rock song with a killer chorus. 

     The Way Life Goes is a great album by a gifted artist and consumate professional. It's truly inspirational to hear such unpretentious, honest and heartfelt rock songs in 2013. The record should not make you feel nostalgic, it should make you feel hopeful. This music is not yesterday's news, it is very present and vibrant. No matter what they name their album Fall Out Boy are not going to "save rock and roll," but Tom Keifer might.

Who was Stanley?

   I remember watching a show on MTV about up and coming bands, it must have been 1991, and they profiled a few bands that later found fame, like Live and Blind Melon, but they also covered two bands that were unlike anything I'd ever seen before, a group of insane, battle-ready aliens who called themselves GWAR and a very odd band called Life Sex & Death that appeared to be fronted by a homeless schizophrenic named Stanley. The concept of the band seemed ludicrous and had to be a stunt but Stanley certainly looked homeless and his behavior and mannerisms were definitely eccentric. Also, who else but a homeless nut would take the catchiest song on his band's album and call it "Fuckin' Shitass."

Life Sex & Death - Fuckin' Shitass

     But was Stanley really a homeless mental patient or was this all just a gimmick or publicity stunt? In 2008 someone posted an early promotional video on Youtube that makes me lean toward the latter. Check it out:

     Let me start out by saying: I like the song! It's no masterpiece but I dig that kind of shit. And also: that's Stanley!!! He apparently went by Chris Stann at the time but that's him. As far as I can tell Life Sex & Death formed in Chicago with a singer named Chris Stann and it wasn't until after they moved to L.A. that Stann morphed into Stanley. How and why Stann turned into Stanley has never been explained. Gimmick or no gimmick it worked, the band reportedly were the subject of a bidding war between labels that resulted in a huge advance when Warner Brothers prevailed and signed them. Reprise wound up releasing the band's album The Silent Majority in 1992 and it sold hundreds of copies.

     If it was a gimmick it appears as if Chris Stann took the role of Stanley quite seriously, as many of those who came into contact with him at the time remarked on a foul odor. The band disappeared not long after the album's release and we can only assume that Stanley wound up back out on the streets scrounging for food, right? Wrong. Supposedly Chris Stann had rich parents and later ran his own rehearsal space/recording studio outside Chicago. Alex Kane, the band's guitarist, embarked on an eery repeat of the LSD story when he was enlisted to work with another reality-bending character, infamous MTV hanger-on Jesse Camp, on his major label cash-in album, which was a tremendous flop but actually contained a couple surprisingly good songs. I like "Sloppy Kisses."

     Alex Kane had this to say about Stanley in a Legendary Rock Interview:

"He is fearless, he is inspired, he is one of kind, he was miles before his time, he made some very interesting choices in how he chose to live his life and, I assure you from the inside, everything you heard is, in this rare case, absolutely and utterly true.  And trust me as well, what we didn't let you know is much much more weird and fucked."

     Honestly I don't know what to believe. Watching the video for "American Noise" you can see that Stanley was once a perfectly normal glam metal frontman. Are we supposed to believe that the guy from that video had some sort of severe mental breakdown yet managed to remain at the reigns of his rock band? No one tried to help the guy, quite the opposite they exploited his affliction and its results for publicity and a record deal? I don't buy it, but who knows.

     Alex Kane eventually formed an interesting group called AntiProduct and found limited success in Europe.

Meister Music #3-Resurrect Me!

Hello and welcome to my new segment called Meister Music.  I often get new music cross my desk from record companies or from my own personal musical searches and adventures.  I thought that this would be a good place to review and post my thoughts on some of this music, maybe turning you onto some new bands or reminding you about some old favourites.  Some of the albums may not always be to my specific taste in music, but I'll give you my honest opinions.  Some of it may not even be the most current as I try to introduce you to some lesser known bands that have crossed my path and become favourites of my listening rotation.  Like what I say or think I'm an idiot?  Please feel free to leave me comments and suggestions as you see fit, it would be great to start a discussion of some of these albums.

MEISTER MUSIC #3 - PAMELA MOORE'S RESURRECT ME

When I first heard that Pamela Moore would be releasing a new CD of all original material, I was intrigued.  I knew who Pamela Moore was, but was unsure if she could carry an album on her own and just what it would sound like.  I had seen Pamela perform on several occasions and you may have as well although you may not even have realised it at the time.  You see Pamela is best known as the voice of Sister Mary, the reformed hooker-turned-nun from Queensryche's 1988 concept album Operation Mindcrime.  Amidst all the Queensryche drama of late I had recently seen the Todd LaTorre version in Toronto on March 7th, 2013 (QUEENSRYCHE TORONTO) and then caught them again on the Monsters of Rock Cruise and was very impressed both times.  At that March 7th show, I had the pleasure to meet a young lady by the name of Kate through a mutual friend.  My friend, Kate and their group at the concert had played in a Queensryche cover band years ago, so they were all set to be extremely critical and they were impressed.  Then, after Kate caught the Geoff Tate version of Queensryche's show in Las Vegas last month she joined our writing team and reviewed that show as her first piece for Decibel Geek (BATTLE OF THE RYCHE).  So Pamela's album reached my possession at the perfect time.

With a little quick research I discovered that Pamela had been releasing albums for quite some time.  Take A Look in 1981 and You Won't Find Me There in 1982, both only available on vinyl.  R.P.M. with the band Radar in 2000, A Retrospective (EP) in 2004, Stories from A Blue Room in 2006 (with Queensryche's Michael Wilton making a guest appearance), two albums with the band Solna, Sent From Heaven (EP) in 2008 and Eurameric in 2009 and also Second Coming from Eden's Curse in 2008.........wait a minute......I have that album, I had no idea that Pamela appeared on it!  Pamela has appeared on several Queensryche albums since being commissioned as the voice of Sister Mary for the song Suite Sister Mary from their iconic 1988 album, Operation Mindcrime.  I for one will certainly be searching out some of these other Pamela Moore releases after falling for her forthcoming effort.

Her latest CD Resurrect Me is due out Tuesday May 14th, 2013 and can now be pre-ordered through the Ratpak records website.  There is also a really cool fan pack bundle available that includes among other things, a personal thank-you phone call from Pamela herself! (PRE-ORDER PAMELA'S CD)

Also check out Pamela's website (PAMELA MOORE) which contains the latest Pamela news, photos and a section for vocal lessons!  How cool is that?  Only for serious inquiries of course, but if you're a singer in the Seattle or surrounding area, maybe it's something you want to look into.

The rather aptly titled Resurrect Me CD starts off with Acquiescent, and on the first listen (I always make a point to listen to a CD at least three times to fully formulate my opinion) it did not impress me as I found it a little progressive and Pamela's voice a little high pitched for me, but on the second listen that opinion was squashed as I revelled in the heavy riffs of the track and the strength of her vocals.  What the hell was I thinking the first time???  This is a great lead-off track and shows the power of the CD still yet to come.  Melt Into You is just my style of song with a good head banging riff right out of the gate and some tempo changes to keep it fresh and exciting.  The slow grinding pulse of Paranoia drives the song along with more awesome, crunchy riffs.  Check out the very cool and dark video for the track through this link (PARANOIA).  We Are Damaged begins with a heavy riff and pumping bass line, quickly becoming a favourite on the CD.  In the liner notes (yes, I'm a guy who still reads those things and enjoys doing it) Pamela thanks Michael Posch for his "dedication, professionalism, persistence, kick ass musical riffs" and I'd have to agree as this album is absolutely loaded with biting and powerful riffs.  The title track, Resurrect Me starts out slow and is moody, picking up speed about halfway through.  I found myself again flipping back to the CD cover as I listened to the track, noticing that it was a nice three fold colour cover with a couple of photos
inside, one thing's for sure.....Pamela Moore is not overly hard on the eyes.  The Sky Is Falling was next on the roster and explodes through your speakers, powered by another great grinding riff.  Pamela enlists the assistance of Ralf Scheepers from Primal Fear to help her with the vocals of this strong piece.  The thumping bass line at the beginning of Awakening soon gives way to the power of the guitar and Jeff Loomis from the band Nevermore lends his guitar virtuosity to the track as it showcases Pamela's strong vocal ranges.  Breaking Down begins slow and moody again, serving as a break in the riff laden assault as the ballad track of the compilation.  Back to the riff onslaught with Desperate By Design, a furious track that, along with another one discovered recently, I'll be adding to my gym workout mix!  The album closer Wide Awake (Phoenix Rising) clocks in as the longest track at over six minutes and is a fitting closer to end the roller coaster ride of thrills that is Pamela Moore's Resurrect Me.

And there we have it, the forthcoming release from Pamela Moore and a fine effort she and writing partner Michael Posch have turned out here.  I wonder how our Sister Mary feels about all the Queensryche drama of late?  All I can say for certain is that there's some buzz on the Todd LaTorre version's (the real and only version if you're asking me) Facebook page.  They posted a nice little congratulations to Pamela on the video release and CD and it was suggested by some fans that she open for Queensryche's future shows!  What a fabulous idea, I for one would certainly fork over good money to see that pairing happen!

Cheers,
The Meister