Jim Peterik & World Stage: Winds Of Change (Frontiers Records)
When Jim Peterik, the man who co-wrote Eye Of The Tiger amongst many others, left AOR giants Survivor for the final time in 1996 the first release that followed was 2000’s Jim Peterik And World Stage, a collection of melodic rock songs where he duets with, as he put it “some of my friends”. 19 years later and Peterick has returned to World Stage for the second album, once again featuring some of the heavy weight names in the world of keyboards, melody and dubious lyrical content. Peterik is one of the hardest working musicians in the business, and a glance at his wiki page gives you an indication of the range of artists he has and continues to work with. Winds Of Change is 13 tracks of melodic rock, with each track crafted to the particular vocalist and underpinned by typically smooth musicianship.
The title track features Don Barnes of 38 Special and has a Southern melody throughout; Proof Of Heaven featuring Styx’s Dennis DeYoung is sugary and high pitched whilst Home Fires is a pacey romp with the vocal prowess of Pride Of Lions Toby Hitchcock. Danny Vaughn’s duet with Peterik on The Hand I Was Dealt contains some of the worst lyrics I’ve ever heard, Just For You with REO Speedwagon’s Kevin Cronin is awful but typical of what you’d expect of this genre. Love You All Over The World features the isolated vocal of the late Jimi Jamison, the Survivor singer who died in 2014. Peterik took the vocals and crafted a new track around it, to great effect. With other AOR luminaries such as Night Ranger’s Kelly Keagy and Kevin Chalfant, Loverboy’s Mike Reno and Jason Scheff of Chicago also included, you know exactly what you will get with an album like this. Melodic rock is more predictable than any other genre of rock music, and whether you like it or not, admiration for the quality of such polished crafted work cannot be denied. 8/10
The Watcher: Kaosaura (Self Released)
Little in the way of information about this five-piece from Finland. Kaosaura is their debut album and it’s a fine slab of Scandinavian style black metal. More than a nod to Behemoth in the vocal delivery of Medithateon and a pummelling delivery throughout highlights a range of influences from across the genre. It’s fast, as you’d expect, plenty of the standard tremolo riffing and at times I’d put this more into the death metal camp, such is the intense drumming (minus blast beats), the fiery riffage and the snarling intensity that fuels the ten track album. Rebellion Geometry, Alter Lux and Diva Of Divinity all burn the hairs off your face, such is their ferocity and the band maintain enough melody to distinguish their sound. 7/10
When Jim Peterik, the man who co-wrote Eye Of The Tiger amongst many others, left AOR giants Survivor for the final time in 1996 the first release that followed was 2000’s Jim Peterik And World Stage, a collection of melodic rock songs where he duets with, as he put it “some of my friends”. 19 years later and Peterick has returned to World Stage for the second album, once again featuring some of the heavy weight names in the world of keyboards, melody and dubious lyrical content. Peterik is one of the hardest working musicians in the business, and a glance at his wiki page gives you an indication of the range of artists he has and continues to work with. Winds Of Change is 13 tracks of melodic rock, with each track crafted to the particular vocalist and underpinned by typically smooth musicianship.
The title track features Don Barnes of 38 Special and has a Southern melody throughout; Proof Of Heaven featuring Styx’s Dennis DeYoung is sugary and high pitched whilst Home Fires is a pacey romp with the vocal prowess of Pride Of Lions Toby Hitchcock. Danny Vaughn’s duet with Peterik on The Hand I Was Dealt contains some of the worst lyrics I’ve ever heard, Just For You with REO Speedwagon’s Kevin Cronin is awful but typical of what you’d expect of this genre. Love You All Over The World features the isolated vocal of the late Jimi Jamison, the Survivor singer who died in 2014. Peterik took the vocals and crafted a new track around it, to great effect. With other AOR luminaries such as Night Ranger’s Kelly Keagy and Kevin Chalfant, Loverboy’s Mike Reno and Jason Scheff of Chicago also included, you know exactly what you will get with an album like this. Melodic rock is more predictable than any other genre of rock music, and whether you like it or not, admiration for the quality of such polished crafted work cannot be denied. 8/10
The Watcher: Kaosaura (Self Released)
Little in the way of information about this five-piece from Finland. Kaosaura is their debut album and it’s a fine slab of Scandinavian style black metal. More than a nod to Behemoth in the vocal delivery of Medithateon and a pummelling delivery throughout highlights a range of influences from across the genre. It’s fast, as you’d expect, plenty of the standard tremolo riffing and at times I’d put this more into the death metal camp, such is the intense drumming (minus blast beats), the fiery riffage and the snarling intensity that fuels the ten track album. Rebellion Geometry, Alter Lux and Diva Of Divinity all burn the hairs off your face, such is their ferocity and the band maintain enough melody to distinguish their sound. 7/10
Tank: Re-Ignition (DeadLine Music)
Another release from the Tank stable and this time it is the Tucker/Evans formation that is heading the charge. Four years ago, I was impressed with Tank’s Valley Of Tears which featured ZP Theart on vocals. I was less impressed with Sturmpanzer, the release from Algy Ward’s Tank in 2018. To avoid confusion, Re-Ignition features the Ward-less Tank, with guitarists Mick Tucker and Cliff Evans, long time drummer Bobby Schoffkowski, bassist Randy Van Der Elsen and new vocalist David Readman (Pink Cream 69). Tucker and Evans are not original members, with Tucker joining the original power trio of Ward, Mark and Peter Brabbs on 1983’s This Means War, by which time the band had already released the classic debut Filth Hounds Of Hades and 1982’s Power Of The Hunter. Evans joined Tucker and drummer Graham Crallan in the band in 1984 on Honour & Blood, by which time only Ward was left from the original line-up. The line-up disbanded in 1989 but have been around in various incarnations since 1997. Ward was replaced by Doogie White, the current vocalist of The Michael Schenker group for a period in 2010 with the album War Machine the result. Further line-up changes have continued ever since. Today there is Algy Ward’s Tank and Tank, which is the line-up which features on this review. Phew!
Now that we’ve cleared that up, what is Re-Ignition all about? Well, it is basically a tribute to the early days of Tank, when the band were a seminal part of the NWOBHM movement. It is fair to state that Filth Hounds Of Hades is an essential early metal album to own, and although Tank never fulfilled that promise, the early albums contain some gems. The reworking of 11 tracks from those first four albums is possibly the best introduction to the band’s early (and best) work, and this release injects a thunderous fresh energy into the selected songs. Opener Walking Barefoot Over Glass is as gnarly as it was in 1982; the addition of Sodom’s Tom Angelripper on Power Of The Hunter is inspired, making it an even greater prototype thrash track which thunders along at brutal pace. For most of these tracks the band stick faithfully to the original sound, none more so than (He Fell In Love With a) Stormtrooper from Filth Hounds, although Readman’s powerful voice slightly shades Ward’s gutsy original. Listening to the original version of Shellshock, it’s almost criminal that Tank didn’t achieve more than notoriety, such was their punk-fused rock ‘n’ roll. Inviting Dani Filth to add the vocals on the 2019 version gives this short song even more punch and once again you remember how at one time Tank were very much on a par with Motörhead. Closing this feisty throwback with The War Drags Ever On from Honour and Blood, Re-Ignition is a blinding reminder of some excellent songs from the early 1980s. Play it loud and enjoy. 7/10
Thor: Hammer Of Justice (DeadLine Music)
Less than two years since the former muscle-bound body building champion released the appalling Beyond The Pain Barrier he returns with another desperately poor offering. You must feel some sympathy with Jon David Mikl, whose continuing misguided belief that a) he can sing b) write decent music and c) anyone still gives a shit about his pathetic efforts continues to haunt him and anyone who has the misfortune to listen to this tripe. The opening trio on this album are utterly shocking; Return Of The Thunderhawk is astonishingly bad but it gets worse as the album progresses. With a sound that is solidly stuck in 1981, and a production that suggests the album was recorded in an outside lavatory, Hammer Of Justice is going to take some beating for the worst album of 2019.
I have a degree of pity; if you’ve had the opportunity to watch the 2015 documentary, I Am Thor, then you’ll have felt the same emotions that emerged during This is Anvil. A hopelessly out of touch musician, deluded in his ambition and convinced that his talent deserves better. Unfortunately, when you get to As The Dragon Flies, a mere half way into this album, any pity is replaced by despair that this waster is continuing to churn out such dog shit. Give it up you fool. It’s time to hang up your paper mache anvil and your stupid hot water bottle and leave us alone. I gave Beyond The Pain Barrier 2/10. This surpasses that. Avoid at all costs. 1/10
Another release from the Tank stable and this time it is the Tucker/Evans formation that is heading the charge. Four years ago, I was impressed with Tank’s Valley Of Tears which featured ZP Theart on vocals. I was less impressed with Sturmpanzer, the release from Algy Ward’s Tank in 2018. To avoid confusion, Re-Ignition features the Ward-less Tank, with guitarists Mick Tucker and Cliff Evans, long time drummer Bobby Schoffkowski, bassist Randy Van Der Elsen and new vocalist David Readman (Pink Cream 69). Tucker and Evans are not original members, with Tucker joining the original power trio of Ward, Mark and Peter Brabbs on 1983’s This Means War, by which time the band had already released the classic debut Filth Hounds Of Hades and 1982’s Power Of The Hunter. Evans joined Tucker and drummer Graham Crallan in the band in 1984 on Honour & Blood, by which time only Ward was left from the original line-up. The line-up disbanded in 1989 but have been around in various incarnations since 1997. Ward was replaced by Doogie White, the current vocalist of The Michael Schenker group for a period in 2010 with the album War Machine the result. Further line-up changes have continued ever since. Today there is Algy Ward’s Tank and Tank, which is the line-up which features on this review. Phew!
Now that we’ve cleared that up, what is Re-Ignition all about? Well, it is basically a tribute to the early days of Tank, when the band were a seminal part of the NWOBHM movement. It is fair to state that Filth Hounds Of Hades is an essential early metal album to own, and although Tank never fulfilled that promise, the early albums contain some gems. The reworking of 11 tracks from those first four albums is possibly the best introduction to the band’s early (and best) work, and this release injects a thunderous fresh energy into the selected songs. Opener Walking Barefoot Over Glass is as gnarly as it was in 1982; the addition of Sodom’s Tom Angelripper on Power Of The Hunter is inspired, making it an even greater prototype thrash track which thunders along at brutal pace. For most of these tracks the band stick faithfully to the original sound, none more so than (He Fell In Love With a) Stormtrooper from Filth Hounds, although Readman’s powerful voice slightly shades Ward’s gutsy original. Listening to the original version of Shellshock, it’s almost criminal that Tank didn’t achieve more than notoriety, such was their punk-fused rock ‘n’ roll. Inviting Dani Filth to add the vocals on the 2019 version gives this short song even more punch and once again you remember how at one time Tank were very much on a par with Motörhead. Closing this feisty throwback with The War Drags Ever On from Honour and Blood, Re-Ignition is a blinding reminder of some excellent songs from the early 1980s. Play it loud and enjoy. 7/10
Thor: Hammer Of Justice (DeadLine Music)
Less than two years since the former muscle-bound body building champion released the appalling Beyond The Pain Barrier he returns with another desperately poor offering. You must feel some sympathy with Jon David Mikl, whose continuing misguided belief that a) he can sing b) write decent music and c) anyone still gives a shit about his pathetic efforts continues to haunt him and anyone who has the misfortune to listen to this tripe. The opening trio on this album are utterly shocking; Return Of The Thunderhawk is astonishingly bad but it gets worse as the album progresses. With a sound that is solidly stuck in 1981, and a production that suggests the album was recorded in an outside lavatory, Hammer Of Justice is going to take some beating for the worst album of 2019.
I have a degree of pity; if you’ve had the opportunity to watch the 2015 documentary, I Am Thor, then you’ll have felt the same emotions that emerged during This is Anvil. A hopelessly out of touch musician, deluded in his ambition and convinced that his talent deserves better. Unfortunately, when you get to As The Dragon Flies, a mere half way into this album, any pity is replaced by despair that this waster is continuing to churn out such dog shit. Give it up you fool. It’s time to hang up your paper mache anvil and your stupid hot water bottle and leave us alone. I gave Beyond The Pain Barrier 2/10. This surpasses that. Avoid at all costs. 1/10