Posts Tagged ‘album reviews’
Agressor – Say Your Prayers (1996)
Here’s a good one from the vaults that most metalheads probably haven’t heard…but should. Agressor was a NY band 
that apparently had been around since the 1980s but really only got decent recognition when their debut full length album, Say Your Prayers, was released in 1996. Kelz turned me on to these guys on a compilation tape that he had made for me. After hearing it I immediately called Sentinel Steel Records and ordered it from Denis.
The best description is to call these guys a poor man’s Overkill because the singer could fill in for Blitz and I doubt anyone would notice the difference. Say Your Prayers certainly has a feel of Overkill’s Feel the Fire and Taking Over, but of course not quite as good…and a decade late. That being said I have always loved this CD.
These guys apparently changed their name to Magus Beast in 2002 and I don’t think they ever released anything else.
If you dig Overkill’s early sound, then certainly download this and you won’t be disappointed.
Watchtower – Energetic Disassembly (1985)
I remember clearly the first time I saw this on cassette. It was at the Music Man at Military Circle Mall in Norfolk, VA. 
The cover was upside down as compared to how the majority of cassette j-cards were printed. It always struck me as odd but I always felt it was intentional, especially after listening to this album at least 100 times since I first heard it. It certainly turned my mind upside down several times.
My friends and I were pretty shocked by this one. Most of us were into thrash ala Overkill’s Feel the Fire, Anthrax, Testament etc…but this was something different. Something special even.
The album opens with a frenetic frantic pace with crazy guitar riffs, insane bass lines and hyperactive drumming. They don’t stop until the end of the album. Mix all of this with Jason McMaster’s incredible vocals that cut through all of this madness and you have a perfect technical thrash album…perhaps the first truly technical thrash album. Some may debate that one but for me, this is the first.
While I love every song on this album, my absolute favorites are Tyrants In Distress, Violent Change, Meltdown and Argonne Forest. The whole band really seems to just be together and well-rehearsed. Billy White (f. Don Dokken), Doug Keyser and Rick Colaluca just flat out lay it down on this album. Period.
I still don’t feel that this album gets enough respect although some of the major metal players loved them such as Chuck Schuldiner (RIP) and Dream Theater. Watchtower set the standard early for technical metal. Their popularity is Europe still seems to be pretty strong as I believe they’re playing one of the Euro-Metal fests in 2010. It seems that they are still pretty huge in Greece.
While Control and Resistance was a good follow-up and was partially written by Billy White, a lot changed in their sound. Ron Jarzombek (Spastic Ink) and Allan Tecchio (Hades, Non-Fiction) do a fine job, but the loss of Jason McMaster and Billy White took them down a slightly different progressive thrash metal path. Both albums are certainly worth owning, but I have always preferred the debut.
Watchtower is in the studio recording a new album with McMaster on vocals (!!!) and I can’t wait to hear the whole thing. Hopefully I’ll finally get to see them live.
Living here in Austin, TX now, it is great to see how much that band is loved and respected around here. It gives me a warm tingly feeling. It’s also pretty incredible for me to have McMaster in my Motorhead tribute band. He’s a talented musician all the way around and bring a lot of energy to the band on rhythm guitar and backing vocals. Certainly one of my musical idols.
If you don’t own Energetic Disassembly and you like thrash, prog-metal, RUSH on steroids, you need to own this one.
Just do it.
“Breakdown, warning – Nuclear nightmare, reality”
Motorhead…MOTORHEAD!
To be truthful, I’m still only a relatively new fan of Motorhead. I never really checked them out in the 80s and never 
owned anything by them until the 1916 album, which I love. I first saw them live in 1993 and really only went to see Mikkey Dee and got to hang out with him quite a bit that day. It was seemingly a down time for them as the Peppermint Beach Club in Virginia Beach, VA may have been half full. I’m glad to see that their popularity has gone back up in the last decade or so.
It really wasn’t until the last 10 years that I started digging deep into their repertoire and became a fan, especially of the Fast Eddie/Philthy era. One of the first ones that I bought was the debut album, Motorhead.
I can see why a lot of the punk crowd digs this album because it really is a punk record IMHO. I love it and it’s easily in my top 5 Motorhead albums.
Train Kept A-Rollin’ notwithstanding, this album is almost perfect. I never cared for that song after hearing the Aerosmith version my whole life. Blech! But the title track, Lost Johnny, Vibrator, Keep Us On The Road, IRON HORSE/BORN TO LOSE!!! C’mon! Those songs are great!
Oddly enough, though, I don’t think this album gets enough credit. Granted the production isn’t the greatest and it’s not really a heavy album, it shows their roots quite a bit. When people ask me what I recommend to start them off on a band, generally I tell them to start at the beginning and work their way up and this is especially true with Motorhead. The transition from this album to Overkill is perfect. Getting the On Parole version is worthwhile as well.
Alright!
I’m just waiting on a friend…
It’s no secret that my older brother, Robert, was a big influence on my musical development, especially between 1975 
and about 1981/82. One of the bands that he introduced me to is The Rolling Stones. To date they are still my 2nd favorite band of all time behind Iron Maiden. He loved the Stones and subsequently so did I. He played them a lot and they became ingrained into my musical repertoire. After Wyman left I was done with them, but I love just about every album they did with him save one or 2 in the 80s.
I can remember coming home from school and listening to Tattoo You on vinyl. Typically mom and dad were at work and who knows where my brothers were. I seemed to have time to spin records before they all came home. Very influential and time well spent. Homework? Pfffft!
This album was always special to me though. It’s one of those albums that brings me back to a certain time in my life, actually to 2 different times in my life. I guess I have a lot of those types of albums and I am glad for it. Without music I don’t know how I would have ended up.
Tattoo You wasn’t a perfect album for the Stones although it had one of their biggest gits on it…Start Me Up. Sure it’s a fun tune but not one of their finest moments in my opinion. I really loved their slower tunes and this one has some great ones on it, pretty much all of side 2. Worried About You, Tops, Heaven, No Use In Crying and Waiting On A Friend. Such a smooth album side.
Side one’s highlight for me is Little T&A. When I was 19 I briefly dated a girl that this song seemed to fit so well. Typically when we went out I would play it sometime during the evening. Hang Fire is pretty good too. Pretty cool cover art as well. But all in all, side 2 rules this album.
There are many other Stones album that I like better, but this one does have that special place.
“Ain’t no use…”
Tiamat – Wildhoney – CD Review
Tiamat first caught my attention with their debut album Astral Sleep. It was raw, simple, dark…almost run of the mill 
death metal. Typically mid-paced but it didn’t suck by any means. Daniel and I went tape shopping (yes, I was still buying them in 1991!). He picked up Solitude Aeturnus’ debut and I picked up the Tiamat. Great picks by both of us.
I certainly picked up Clouds in 1992 and I believe it was in one of the first 100 CDs I ever owned. I liked it a lot even though they slowed down a bit more. It was a little more atmospheric. Cool album for sure.
But then came 1994.
Wildhoney.
WILDHONEY.
I remember the first time I popped it in. I was doing some stuff in the house…probably playing TecmoSuperBowl or something. I just remember that the album felt like it was over soon after it began. It’s 42 minutes long but it flows. The way they tied all of the songs in together was simply brilliant. Wildhoney got even more mellow than Clouds. They added a certain sense of Pink Floyd to their sound…imagine the song Fearless by Pink Floyd with distortion and better production. It was awesome. It still is. There is not a bad song on it and I think it should be in every metalhead’s collection.
This album gets regular play, at least once a month. It’s a great one to drive to. Very smooth. They use death metal vocals, but not in a cookie monster sort of way. You can understand everything that Johan sings.
Even though it is very much still in print, I think it needs to be shared. So here ya go. Listen to it in order. Many times.
I don’t get high but sometimes I have thought about what it would be like to listen to this one on mushrooms. Let me know, ok?
The Metal Files 
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