Reviews

REVIEW: The Darkness – Last of Our Kind (Christmas deluxe edition)

NEW RELEASE

Last review before Christmas!

THE DARKNESS – Last of Our Kind (2015 Canary Dwarf deluxe holiday edition)

If there is one thing we collectors hate, it’s buying a rare collectible version of an album, only to see it reissued later with more tracks! I waited ages to get the Japanese printing of the brand-new Darkness album Last of Our Kind, featuring two bonus tracks. Now, just in time for Christmas, the Darkness have released a seasonal deluxe edition, with four bonus tracks this time, and special packaging that looks like Darkness wrapping paper being torn open to reveal the CD inside. Even so, I had to order this CD in from Europe.

This counts as your annual seasonal content here at mikeladano.com, and it’s my only seasonal content this year! Humbug. Unusually for a seasonal post, this one is 100% rock!

Buying the album twice hurt a little bit less because it’s really, really good. The Darkness have quality standards, and they have not dropped between albums. They also had a new member, the talented drummer Emily Dolan Davies, who sadly couldn’t stick around and has since been replaced by Rufus Tiger Taylor, son of Queen sticksman Roger Taylor. Emily plays on all tracks herein, and she does so seamlessly. On first spin it would be hard to tell that original drummer Eddie Graham wasn’t around anymore.

Laden with the screams of flighting Vikings, “Barbarian” opens the album heavier than expected. “Barbarian” storms the gates, leaving trails of blood behind it, but fear not! “Open Fire” is fast n’ catchy hard rock n’ roll, the way the Darkness has always done it. The high vocals are toned down, with Justin Hawkins singing in his normal voice for most of it. His throat has acquired a little bit of grit to it (light sandpaper only) which he uses effectively on “Open Fire”, which would have been a hit had it come out 10 years ago.

The very best track on the album is #3, the title track, boasting one of those Darkness choruses that has become their trademark and strength. “Last of Our Kind” rings down as the highlight album and indeed one of the best songs to come out in 2015. Just like he did in the days of yore, Justin lets his voice rip, while laying down Lizzy-like guitar harmonies with his brother Dan. If singles were a still a thing, this would be the one. You’ll notice how Davies accents the song on drums the way Ed Graham used to. She doesn’t overplay, but she punctuates it where it has to be.

Rather than having used up all their ammunition on these first three great tracks, The Darkness have plenty more shells in the belt. “Roaring Waters” is a mid-tempo groove, and almost lacklustre except for that slippery Hawkins riff. Then you need a ballad, so you get a ballad: “Wheels of the Machine”. It’s not as pompous as “Love is Only a Feeling”, but still has the golden Justin voice that makes their ballads either unique or unpalatable, depending on your tastes. I say, turn it up. You’ll especially want it loud on “Mighty Wings”, which has a neat spacey 80’s sci-fi keyboard intro. Don’t be mistaken, for “Mighty Wings” rocks with a groove so chunky that neck strain is a real danger.

“This ain’t no double entendre. This ain’t no euphemism. This is real life.” Well hey, a mudslide is a weird subject for a song, but that’s what “Mudslide” appears to be about! “It’s a fuckin’ mudslide!” says Justin, to reiterate his point, after lamenting the loss of his “dear beloved gazebo” in the natural disaster. Fortunately, this song kicks lots and lots of ass. I wonder how many song lyrics reference a gazebo? “Sarah O’Sarah” has a vaguely celtic feel due to the mandolin. It’s an album highlight, sounding much like the Darkness’ second LP, One Way Ticket. Davies proves her mettle on the chorus section, a gallop of percussion that frankly Eddie Graham didn’t seem to have the chops to do. “Hammer & Tongs” shares its pop-chorus bent, but has some juicy slide guitar backing it up. There is even a slight Stones vibe in the gee-tars. The proper album ends on “Conquerors”, a ballad that serves as the dramatic pompous outro, featuring Dan Hawkins taking the lead vocals.

This deluxe CD continues on, with four bonus tracks, the first two of which are also on the pricier Japanese import version. “Messenger” and “Always Had the Blues” are fine as bonus tracks, with “Messenger” being album quality (and then some). Lush vocals from the back create swirls of melody that stick in your ear like gum in your hair! The real gem among the bonus tracks is the newbie “Million Dollar Strong”, which has a sweet 80’s riff (think Dokken) and a horn section for added oomph! The fourth track is their second Christmas single, “I Am Santa”. With an obvious “Do They Know It’s Christmas” bassline and beat, plenty of folks will find a nostalgic glow on this one. I especially like the line referencing “Ferrero Rocher”, a candy I always look forward to every Christmas. Like the chocolates, “I Am Santa” is sweet and delightful.

My only disappointment: 2013’s non-album single “The Horn” was not included as a bonus track. That leaves it frustratingly unreleased on a physical format.

4.5/5 stars

Japanese version:

Merry Christmas, and stay safe!

REVIEW: Poison – Look What the Cat Dragged In (remaster)

POISON – Look What the Cat Dragged In (1986, 2006 Capitol remaster)

I remember seeing this album in the racks of our local Zellers store. I didn’t know the band. I thought CC Deville was pretty cute.

Taking the gender-bending makeup of the mid-80’s to its logical end point, Poison stormed out of Hollywood and onto the charts. They did this with a handful of great singles, including “Talk Dirty to Me”, “Cry Tough”, and “I Won’t Forget You”. Also huge, but barely tolerable as a song, was the singalong “I Want Action”.

Bass “rapin’?” Good god!

Armed with just $23,000, Poison recorded Look What the Cat Dragged In with producer Ric Browde (Ted Nugent, W.A.S.P.) in less than two weeks. What they emerged with was a fun, raunchy and terrible sounding album with some big hits and plenty of filler.

“Cry Tough” was a tight little opener, a hot and bright rocker about going out and givin’ er. “You gotta cry tough, out on the streets, to make your dreams happen!” sings Bret Michaels in full-on cheerleader mode. Unfortunately the sonics of the album leave much to be desired. The guitar, drum and vocal sounds are demo quality at best, but that’s what you get for $23,000 and Ric Browde.

The other singles were all huge. “Talk Dirty to Me” is now minor staple, and “I Want Action” (annoying as it is) is another. The ballad “I Won’t Forget You” is an album highlight, well before Bret & co. had mastered the art of writing hit ballads. Low key, basic and electric, “I Won’t Forget You” is very different from “Every Rose” and some of the later broken-hearted Poison love songs. Paul Stanley has a cameo in the road-ready music video, which didn’t hurt.

That leaves a hell of a lot of room for filler, and Look What the Cat Dragged In has plenty. Of the album tracks, the decent ones include the saucy glam-slam rawking title track, and another song called “Want Some, Need Some”. Both tunes could have used some last-minute tightening up, but neither are as bad as the dreck on the tail end of the album: “#1 Bad Boy”, “Blame it on You” and the horrid “Mama Let Me Go to the Show” all suck absolutely. “Play Dirty” on side one is also pretty awful.

Even with the quality issues in sound and songwriting, Look What the Cat Dragged In sold over 3,000,000 copies. 20 years later, it was given a fresh remastering and three bonus tracks. The remastering could not fix the audio issues, but the bonus tracks are pretty good. Single remixes of “I Want Action” and “I Won’t Forget You” are marginally better than the original album tracks. Somebody realized that they were sonically deficient, and the remixes help a teeny tiny bit. Then Jim Croce’s “You Don’t Mess Around With Jim” is added to the end, a song that got more exposure on the covers album Poison’d! The bonus tracks go a long way towards making the album a little more listenable from start to end.

2/5 stars

REVIEW: KISS – Greatest Live Hits (2015)

NEW RELEASE

KISS – Greatest Live Hits (2015 Concert Live limited edition)

“What’s this?”, you ask with scorn. “Just another Kiss hits/live thing, is it?”

Yes and no.

Concert Live is a great company that records and releases “instant live” albums from major artists like Kiss and Alice Cooper among many. You can buy them immediately after the concert, or online as I have. Kiss have a lot of Concert Live releases. I have three, all from the Sonic Boom tour: Montreal, Saskatoon, and Atlanta. They are live, not overdubbed, raw and real. And expensive! So when Concert Live announced they were releasing a Greatest Live Hits CD from these concerts, I clicked the “add to cart” button immediately. The original order claimed there were only 200 copies available, but you can now get it from Concert Live as a part of a multi-album box set.

This 2 disc collection has all the classic hits (nothing more recent than ’83) from a variety shows from different nations. There are three tracks of Kiss from the Download Festival, in 2008. Paul’s voice is surprisingly strong, and the reason why is because they are from seven years ago. There is no booklet with details, so only the location of the recordings is obvious from the packaging. It is true that Eric Singer covers for Paul when his voice cracks or he cannot hit the note anymore. Concert Live seemed to focus on the best versions they could find of these particular tracks, so you get a high ratio of good-to-bad Paul performances.

Below are the recording details, courtesy of rock journalist Mitch Lafon. He suggests re-ordering the tunes to create an actual Kiss setlist.

At this stage, with so many Kiss live packages on the market, there’s no point in discussing specifics. The recordings sound as you have come to expect from Concert Live. Warts and all, but with sonic care and clarity, these are true live albums. When Gene has to suddenly sing in a lower key in “Rock and Roll all Night”, that’s in there. This is the kind of thing that drives casual music fans up the wall. I actually know people who can’t stand live music because of such realities. I find it hard to understand because that is a real moment captured in time, and it’s just a moment. The song does not derail and Gene soon returns to the original key.

Random observations:

1. When “Strutter” begins, the first second sounds uncannily like “Hide Your Heart” and it always takes me by surprise!

2. It’s nice to get “Rock and Roll all Night” out of the way early, but “I Love It Loud” as a closer? That’s a weird way to end an album: on a sluggish, way overplayed note!

3. On “Let Me Go Rock and Roll”, Eric Singer tries to do his version of Peter Criss’s shtick, talking to the crowd in the cool-cat voice. Unfortunately I find this to sound contrived and awkward for the new Cat Man, Eric.

4. Tommy Thayer haters can suck it. He’s playing the style Paul and Gene want him to play, and he does his job perfectly. This is the Kiss sound they have gone for, a classic Frehley guitar sound, and Tommy Thayer’s the man for that job so long as the Ace Man isn’t.

I was pleasantly surprised by the overall quality of this disc. A few more concert details would have been nice, and some of the edits between tracks aren’t so great, but this is a worthwhile buy for any fan of the present day Kiss!

3.5/5 stars

MOVIE REVIEW: Star Wars: The Force Awakens [Spoiler-free]

NEW RELEASE – SPOILER FREE ZONE!

STAR WARS: THE FORCE AWAKENS (2015)

Directed by JJ Abrams

“Faster, more intense!”

15 minutes ago, I was sitting in my theater seats. That’s how fresh this review is!

As mentioned in this morning’s post, Star Wars Episode VII is the movie I really wanted to see, ever since 1983. We didn’t care about backstory, we didn’t want to see prequels. All we cared about was “What happens next? What happens to Han, Luke and Leia?” That’s one reason Timothy Zahn’s written sequel, the “Thrawn Trilogy”, was so well received by fans worldwide. But that’s just a book — what really happens after the second Death Star is destroyed?

Now I know, and I am not disappointed.

Director JJ Abrams has re-captured the magic. The lived-in universe is back. The wooden, stiff dialogue and exposition are gone. The new quartet of leads (Adam Driver, John Boyega, Oscar Isaac, and especially the impressive Daisy Ridley) are everything we wanted out of a new generation of Star Wars heroes and villains. They will now join the pantheon of characters that live on in our hearts. The camaraderie and friendships that were never believable in the prequels have finally come back to life. Without the misguided hands of George Lucas at the tiller, the Star Wars sequel trilogy has begun anew, with life.

Rey is a scavenger on the desert planet of Jakku. The parallel here to Tattooine is unmistakable and obviously intentional, but Jakku has its own charm by being strewn with original trilogy space junk. In fact, the whole movie is littered with original trilogy callbacks, from certain objects on a familiar starship, to the overall look and deco of the universe. The galaxy has seen a lot of wear and tear, but a new threat called the First Order has risen, and wants to see the end of the New Republic. The Republic (which we don’t get to see much of), is defended by a secret organization much like the rebels, called the Resistance. They are led by General Leia Organa, continuing on doing what she knows how to do best. How does Rey fit in? When a droid carrying a secret message for the Resistance (sound familiar?) and an ex-stormtrooper fall into her life, it will never be the same again.

Uber-fans will like to know that there are some shots and lines in the trailers that are different in the movie.

The new characters serve the archetypes that worked in classic Star Wars movies. You have an orphan on the desert world, a hotshot pilot (or perhaps two), and the cute but witty little droid who helps out at all the right moments, but mostly needs rescuing. Original? Not hardly. The original trilogy, with its familiar set pieces and dialogue, are omnipresent. Fans have set the bar much lower since the prequels, and a group of re-tread heroes will have the fans satiated. Then we have the villain, Kylo Ren, the enforcer of the First Order, and face of the Disney marketing campaign. Much has been made of Ren’s wimpy voice, but in full theater sound it works much better. Adam Driver, an extremely talented and distinguished looking actor, fit the role like a glove. His epic temper tantrums rival those of his idol, Lord Vader himself.

But don’t worry. There aren’t any dreadful “Noooooooooo’s” or lines about sand being course and getting everywhere. There aren’t wishy-washy speeches about love, although Finn and Rey have a bond that could develop into romance later on. Writer Lawrence Kasdan, who worked on the classic trilogy and knew where Lucas wanted to take this thing, helped tremendously. From opening crawl to final scene, this feels right.

In many respects, The Force Awakens is Han Solo’s movie. When he and Chewbacca hook up with our new heroes (in a totally believable way), he takes over the lead and drives the plot forward. Harrison Ford seems to have turned his “Han Solo” knob up to 11. The older, wiser and sadder man has seen it all, now. As another character once said, “It’s not the age, it’s the mileage”. Solo and Chewie’s presence make the whole thing really feel like Star Wars.

My biggest concern going into this was that a Star Wars sequel trilogy would not feel like it was part of the whole; it would feel tacked on to the end. That is not the case. While George Lucas had nothing to do with the film, it does carry his wish that a new Star Wars trilogy would focus on a new generation of heroes, while remaining a story about the Skywalker family. JJ Abrams has done that, in an appropriate and lively way. The new Star Wars is the most exciting in many years, and what it lacks in originality it makes up in spirit. I can’t wait to see where it goes next.

My only serious beef is about this new superweapon the First Order have. Superweapons are a part of Star Wars, and always require blowing up. This one made no sense at all, especially how it was visually depicted. We need Neil DeGrasse Tyson to do a pop-up video and tell us just how stupid that thing is. If you thought the “red matter” and destruction of Vulcan sucked in Star Trek, wait until you see this stupid thing. Just pretend it makes sense and watch the pretty starship dogfights.

Oh, and Luke Skywalker? Some will be disappointed, but those who love Star Wars will have the same goosebumps that I did. Mark Hamill is the man. Luke is back, looking weary but powerful and wise. There are a lot of loose ends to tie up. Get ready, galaxy.

4/5 stars

Don’t forget to tune in tonight at midnight (ET) for Rob Daniels’ Visions In Sound, when he and I will be playing the brand-new Star Wars soundtrack composed by John Williams! Tune in locally on your FM dial to CKWR 98.5, or elsewhere, just click “listen live” via their website! The show runs from midnight to 2 am (ET). Coffee?

EDIT: Stream the whole show here!

REVIEW: Brant Bjork and the Low Desert Punk Band – Black Flower Power (2014)

Bought at Sonic Boom during Mike and Aaron Go to Toronto Again…Again! for $14.99 brand new.

BRANT BJORK and the LOW DESERT PUNK BAND – Black Flower Power (2014 Napalm)

I’m a little pissed off that I didn’t get this album last year. If I had, it might have dramatically changed my Top 5 of 2014 list. Ever since I first grew to love Black Sabbath, I mourned that nobody (including Sabbath) were able to really capture the ingredients that made the early band special. Brant Bjork and the Low Desert Punk Band have grabbed onto some of that magic. Their bassist, Dave Dinsmore, is the most Geezer-ish bassist I have heard outside out Geezer Butler himself. The songwriting gravitates to those chunky kinds of riffs that Black Sabbath made their home. That’s not to say that Black Flower Power is a Sabbath clone — not at all — but it does have those elements, among many. You’ll hear me reference the Sabs more than once in this review.

‘Twas the good sir knight More Wood that introduced me to Brant Bjork, via Fu Manchu and Kyuss. Yet his solo work has reached and sometimes surpassed the heights of his former bands. I’ve never been disappointed with any of his projects, although Jalamanta was and remains a favourite. Black Flower Power has the potential to be that, too.

Over the course of eight tracks plus two bonus, the Low Desert Punk Band law down a variety of grooving rock. Bjork brings his diverse influences to the table, so you’ll hear latin influences sitting comfortably next to punk rock. Mostly, you will hear pure 1970’s rockin’ groovalicious smoke, and judging by the artwork, it’s the funky green smoke. “Feelin’ so high, so alive” sings Brant on “Boogie Woogie on Your Brain”, so we know where his head is at.

Bonus tracks are always interesting, because I say, hey! Why not just put more songs on the album if they’re good? “Hustler’s Blues” makes sense as a bonus track because it’s kind of outside the general direction of the album. It has laid-back aspects that are more Black Flower Power meets Jalamanta. Brilliant jam, though, especially as it accelerates towards the end. The second bonus track is “Where You From, Man?”, a title taken from the lyrics to “We Don’t Serve Their Kind”. The songs are unrelated, though. “We Don’t Serve Their Kind” is a driving metallic sludge with a chorus that will assassinate your brain; “Where You From, Man?” is a jammy instrumental that meanders around with, what sounds like, samples quotes from James T. Kirk?! (Wonder where he got that idea?) It’s also one of the most Sabbathy, in terms of the early jazzy jamming Sabbath.

No matter your musical persuasion, it’s hard to deny the genius contained herein. If you’re attracted to playing, there’s that. Experimentation, yup, just listen to the guitar noise manipulation that passes for a solo in “Where You From, Man?” Melody is here, in aggressive rock form. Folks, this is quality shit.

Highly recommended, especially to fans of Queens of the Stone Age, Kyuss, Fu Manchu, and the mighty Sabbath.

5/5 stars

REVIEW: Styx – Equinox (1975)

STYX – Equinox (1975 A&M)

My first purchase from Mike and Aaron Go to Toronto Again…Again to be reviewed. Bought at BMV on Bloor for $5.99 in excellent shape.

A few years ago I picked up the pretty damn fine Styx 2 CD compilation Come Sail Away. Since that time I pledged to pick up old Styx studio albums on CD, if found used or cheap. Equinox is now the oldest found I’ve acquired. After recording four albums for Wooden Nickel records, Styx finally signed with a major label. A&M released their fifth: Equinox. It was however also their last album with original guitarist John Curulewski, a major songwriting contributor to the early albums. The Styx story continued with them moving from strength to strength and discovering a kid named Tommy Shaw out of Alabama. Shaw picked up the ball and helped Styx finish their touring commitments for Equinox.

When I was younger and not really paying attention to the lyrics, I assumed “Light Up” meant something about stage lights, perhaps lighting up the stage for a show. As an adult, I am convinced that Styx were actually corrupting the youth! Opening the album with a progressive salvo of heavy guitars and spacey keys, it quickly transitions into a celebration. “Light up and be happy, sweet sweet sounds will fill the air,” sings Dennis De Young innocently enough. Dennis seems to imply he’s singing about a sipping a glass of wine, but then: “All I need is just one hit to get me by, ‘Cause baby when you’re near I’m halfway high.” I see what you’re saying, Dennis, you rascal. A great happy-go-lucky tune, “Light Up” is just fun. But then “Lorelei” turns up the rock. This time Dennis is corrupting America by inviting a woman to live with him, pre-marriage I assume! “Lorelei let’s live together!” John Curulewski and James Young bring with them a hint of a southern rock twang in the leads (think the Eagles). Dense, immaculately arranged and lush, “Lorelei” is pure classic rock fun. On the progressive side, Dennis’ synth and organs take center stage on “Mother Dear”, a co-write with Curulewski who punctuates it with heavy chords. Fans of space rock will love this trippy journey into the sonic spectrum. “Lonely Child” starts as an acoustic number, heavying-up as it goes. Twangy space guitars are the highlight. These four songs together are a great side, a good balance between the cerebral and the hard.

I still like to think of classic albums in terms of sides, so this is where I got up to make some fresh coffee. Good thing too, because “Midnight Ride” could not be more different. It’s clearly a James Young song, a pure rock blaze through the night going over the speed limit. Put the caffeine right into my veins, man, this is groovy shit and Styx can rock you harder than you expect. Dennis’ role is limited to backing vocals, albeit stunning ones!

“Born For Adventure” combines the different sides of Styx. You get the rocking guitars and the progressive bent, with the pompous arrangement and smoking musicianship. Then, Curulewski is solely responsible for “Prelude 12”, the acoustic part that introduces the album closing epic, “Suite Madame Blue”. Six and a half minutes of bombastic Styx will drive almost every punk rocker out of the room. In many regards, this is a high water mark. It’s their “Stairway”. Their “Hotel California”. It lacks nothing and continues to impress, 40 years later!

John Curulewski died in 1988, of a brain aneurysm. After Equinox, he decided to step out of the spotlight and ran a recording studio while playing with several local Chicago bands. Shaw took his place and the band has never looked back, but we’ll dedicate this review to John Curulewski who was a crucial part the Styx story.

4.5/5 stars

REVIEW: King’s X – XV (2008)

Complete studio albums (and more!), part 17 – the Final Chapter!

KING’X – XV (2008 InsideOut)

King’s X faced many setbacks over their long 30+ year career. Their last obstacle has been the hardest and most serious of all, and because of that, 2008’s XV album remains their most recent. That’s a tough pill to swallow, because for many fans XV was largely considered a return to form.

“Pray” immediately starts things right: face-crushing bass, a groove you can’t get out of, and a funky melody. You are transported back in time to the late 80’s and early 90’s, but with modern slants and production…and funk! The song boasts a soulful, powerful chorus just like the classics King’s X built their foundation on. What a satisfying opener. Peel yourself off the floor though, because it’s over before you know it and the next song “Blue” has launched. King’s X have always been successful at balancing their sound with soft songs, while maintaining their integrity. It’s a great track sonically, though missing a killer chorus. XV strikes me as the best produced King’s X album since the mighty Dogman.

Better than “Blue” is the gentle “Repeating Myself”, Ty Tabor’s first vocal outing on XV. Everything is in its right place: Ty’s delicate picking, the patented King’s X harmonies, and just a touch of Beatles-y psychedelia. “Repeating Myself” is possibly the most perfect song King’s X had done in many years. It melds perfectly right into “Rocket Ship”, a mid-tempo heavy rocker with “single” written all over it. The 60’s psychedelia remains, but wrapped up in a heavy stomping riff. “Society-sanctioned brain-washing tries to wrap its arms around me,” sings Dug Pinnick, still unafraid to tackle issues in his words. Jerry Gaskill takes his first XV lead vocal on the lovely “Julia”. Another perfect song. It’s a ballad that reminds me of everybody from the Beatles to Shaw-Blades and Motley Crue, of all people. Then it’s foot to the gas on the irresistible “Alright”. This is a classic King’s X rocker, but this time with gang vocals on the chorus. It’s gangbusters. One of the catchiest King’s X songs yet.

Greasy blues rock guitar kicks off “Free” with an unusually simple Gaskill beat behind it. This transforms into possibly the most soul-infused King’s X song ever, with it’s inescapable “Na na na na, yeah!” backing vocals. For the first time since Ear Candy in ’96, it seems King’s X just wanted to write and record some catchy songs. Of course this is done with all of their diverse influences and talents, but it does not mean the band stopped progressing in order to write some pop rock. “Free” is catchy indeed, and easily could have been on the radio, but it also has lyrical integrity. “The debt is rising, and you overload, because you’re broke, is this a joke? So go buy something, that you can’t afford, because you’re broke, is this a joke?” Musically, by turning the soul knob right up to 11, King’s X have progressed again.

Ty Tabor takes his turn on a mournful ballad called “I Just Want to Live”. A fine song, “I Just Want to Live” won’t be remembered as well as the previous tracks. Then the aptly titled “Move” has a pulse that you won’t believe. It’s Dug Pinnick’s bass that drives this thing, in a very 80’s kind of sparse arrangement. The awesome chorus seals the deal: it’s killer. Ty once again provides the soft side on “I Don’t Know”, another simply beautiful King’s X ballad, much like his Ear Candy material. His guitar solo here is a work of pure magic, and I swear to you that I did actually feel a chill go up my spine. Honest truth.

Winding it down, Dug makes “Stuck” stick to your brain with some unusual melodies. It’s an unorthodox song and in that way it reminds us of early King’s X, though it sounds little like it. The return of the massive grooves on “Go Tell Somebody” turns this church singalong into a groove metal classic. “If you like what you hear, go tell somebody!” Yeah Dug, you said it! Word of mouth, baby. That’s kept King’s X alive through some difficult decades. They must have known, recording this song, that it was going to be awesome.

I’ve never seen a version of XV without bonus tracks, but my import digipack has ’em too. “Love and Rockets (Hell’s Screaming)” is an interesting song with a good riff. Dug sings the vocal with a calmness, as opposed to the wailing of “Go Tell Somebody”. Then “No Lie” is a jokey blues. “I’ve never sung this song before,” says Dug at the start. This one truly is a bonus track; although it has instrumental integrity, it doesn’t feel like a sincere part of the album. Another version of the album (probably Japanese) has a demo version of “Rocket Ship” as a bonus track. (Add to “Holy Grail” list)

XV is a solidly entertaining album with only a few moments that drag. For all the complaints about albums like Manic Moonlight or Black Like Sunday, XV sounds like redemption.

4.5/5 stars

Jerry Gaskill suffered his first heart attack on February 25 2012. He required surgery but was feeling strong. King’s X had a tour booked to start only one month later, which had to be cancelled. Then in October of that year, his home was destroyed by Hurricane Sandy. Fans rallied and donated money to help the Gaskill family rebuild. As if all of this was not enough to deal with, Gaskill had a second heart attack two years later. This required a double bypass. Once again, King’s X cancelled all gigs. They released special live albums to benefit the drummer, and only now in 2015 have they managed to get back on the road and start work on a new album.

We have waited a long time, but we will continue to wait as long as we need. King’s X will return!

This series is dedicated to Dug, Jerry and Ty. Long may they reign.

Part 1 – Out of the Silent Planet (1988)
Part 2 – Gretchen Goes to Nebraska (1989)
Part 3 – Kings of the Absurd (split bootleg with Faith No More)
Part 4 – Faith Hope Love by King’s X (1990)
Part 5 – “Junior’s Gone Wild” (from 1991’s Bill & Ted’s Bogus Journey soundtrack)
Part 6 – King’s X (1992)
Part 7 – Dogman (1994) + bonus “Pillow” promo single review
Part 8 – Ear Candy (1996)
Part 9 – Best of King’s X (1997)
Part 10 – Tape Head (1998)
Part 11 – POUNDHOUND – Massive Grooves from the Church of Psychofunkadelic Grungelism Rock Music (1998 Doug Pinnick/Jerry Gaskill)
Part 12 – Please Come Home…Mr. Bulbous (2000)
Part 13 – PLATYPUS – Ice Cycles (2000 Ty Tabor)
Part 14 – Manic Moonlight (2001)
Part 15 – Black Like Sunday (2003)
Part 16 – Ogre Tones (2005)
Part 17 – XV (2008)

REVIEW: King’s X – Ogre Tones (2005)

Complete studio albums (and more!), part 16

KING’S X – Ogre Tones (2005 Inside Out)

The previous few albums split fandom. Many found it hard to grab onto the loose structures of Mr. Bulbous, and the drum loops of Manic Moonlight. For this review, we are trying an experiment. I have never heard Ogre Tones before (in fact I’ve never heard any of these 14 tracks), so this will be a first-listen review. Does King’s X have the same impact on first listen as they do on 21st? Probably not, but let’s find out. In a sense this is a “live” review, so please join me as I listen!

“Alone” could have alienated fans again, starting as it does with distorted alt-rock screaming. This introduces a short pop-rock duet with Doug Pinnick and Ty Tabor, not a bad little song. Even though it’s only three minutes, it still boasts multiple sections and lush harmonies, as well as the trademark King’s X groove that only they can play. Ty dumbs-down the guitar solo for the 2000’s, as it mostly consists of one note. It’s over quick and then it’s into the even shorter “Stay”, a Doug pop ballad with balls. Some of those balls come from the heavy detuned guitar, some of it is purely in the ragged soul of Doug’s voice.

Pleasant sailing is “Hurricane”, not too challenging. The trademark Beatles-meet-King’s X backing vocals lend it a psychedelic feel. Thankfully, the kind of massive grooves you crave return on “Fly”, the first King’s X Klassic on Ogre Tones. Biting bass licks nicely accent a catchy rock tune, old-school style meets new-school production. “If” is another good song, kind of similar to the pop rock delicacy Ear Candy. Onto the jazz-metal of “Bebop”, Doug throws a very different song into the mix but the album is the better for it. Just before the halfway point of the album, “Bebop” becomes a highlight.

I like Ty’s acoustic numbers, and “Honesty” is a bare, emotion-filled Tabor classic. Sounding a lot like Faith Hope Love-era King’s X, “Honesty” is hit-worthy. You need some heavy riffing after that, and “Open My Eyes” has a big, phat Sabbathy riff behind it. The song is a bit disjointed though, at least on first listen. Just a riff without a song. “Freedom” goes in one ear and out the other (albeit with a great guitar outro). Unfortunately like many albums with so many tracks on them, Ogre Tones starts to sag in the middle. “Get Away” is another one. The lyrics don’t hit the spot anymore: “Hey God, I watched the news tonight, why are your people so fuckin’ mean?”

The only long song on Ogre Tones is “Sooner or Later”, at 7:00. It’s a decent slow dirge that I suspect will require a few more listens to appreciate, and even if it doesn’t, there’s plenty of Ty Tabor noodling to go around. Then there is another decent ballad in the oddly-titled “Mudd”. I was hoping this was a song about the classic Star Trek character, Harcourt Fenton Mudd. Sadly, it is not. The strangest song of all might be a remake of “Goldilox” (from Gretchen Goes to Nebraska). True to the original, but of course not as timeless and perfect, it is nonetheless a welcome inclusion. After all, can you really fault King’s X for putting one of their best songs out for a second time? Considering they tried, and tried, and tried to catch a break, why give up? Of course I don’t need to tell you that “Goldilox (Reprise)” was not a hit in 2005, but maybe they should try again in 2020! The album then closes with “Bam” which is exactly what it sounds like. Bam! A crash of instruments…followed by almost three minutes of feedback, noise, and the bizarre.

There is a video included on the first run of the CD, which you can still buy. “Alone” has girls shaking their hair for no reason. This video is now on Youtube, of course.

Ogre Tones strikes me as a good album, one that should deliver more on further listens. However I wonder if the sluggish middle section will be a difficult obstacle.

3.25/5 stars

REVIEW: King’s X – Black Like Sunday (2003)

Complete studio albums (and more!), part 15

KING’S X – Black Like Sunday (2003 Metal Blade)

After a couple albums that were…well, they were pretty far out, man…King’s X may have needed to get back to basics a little bit. Mr. Bulbous was undoubtedly a very experimental beast, and then Manic Moonlight introduced the drum loops. A number of fans had dropped off the train, this one included. It is only now that I have purchased 2003’s Black Like Sunday.

The concept of the album was pretty simple. Fans had been begging for Jerry Gaskill, Doug Pinnick, and Ty Tabor to re-release their very first indi album when they were still known as Sneak Preview. It is estimated that fewer than 500 copies of this album exist, but the band have never been eager to release it again. Indeed, rumour has it that the band destroyed over half of the original 1000 themselves. What they chose to do instead was re-write and re-record some of the old Sneak Preview songs, and release them as King’s X. There is no explanation of this inside the CD, so unless you were paying attention to the press, you might just think this was an ordinary everyday King’s X album.* Armed with 14 mostly shorter songs, they once again switched gears.

Laying it down right from the start, “Black Like Sunday” kicks rumps and gets ’em shakin’. Without having a clue what these songs might have originally sounded like, “Black Like Sunday” is admirable for its stock solid rock groove. Nobody in rock can groove like King’s X, but this is more straight than they normally play it. Jerry Gaskill is uncharacteristically laying down simple 4/4 drums and Ty has a nice rockin’ riff to hammer out.

“Rock Pile” is…different…takes some getting used to…but once you do? It’s in your head. It’s like two songs jammed together. A weird Van-Halen-esque unmelodic spoken word chunk, welded to a chorus from a corny Beatles song. On first impression, I thought “This is awful”. On third listen, it was, “Oh yes, this song! The heavy one with the catchy chorus…” and I was hooked. “Danger Zone” is also on the weird side, melding an oddly melodic vocal with a hair metal ballady electric chug. Much like “Rock Pile”, initial impressions are not good. Further listenings reveal that these songs stick in the memory, and that Ty’s rich guitar sounds are an absolutely highlight. His solo on “Danger Zone” is right out of the Neil Young book of awesome.

It has nothing to do with Rush, but “Working Man” rocks at mid-pace with many shades of the 80’s. “Dreams” has an odd reggae vibe, but grafted onto a heavy detuned King’s X riff. It’s not the greatest tune and probably the first that really fails to make an impact. Up next is “Finished” which is a pleasant pop rock tune. Nothing special once again, but instrumentally King’s X always have something to offer, and this time it’s Doug’s busy bass runs. Then things do get black like Sunday, on “Screamer”, an exotic vintage-Sabbathy stormer. Deep Iommi string bends meet tribal drumming meets Doug Pinnick. It’s a challenging listen but it has plenty to offer. “Bad Luck” is more down the alley of traditional King’s X, and it kills with its heavy groove.

King’s X have always been capable of tender ballads, so though unremarkable, “Down” will appeal to fans of that side. In contrast, “Won’t Turn Back” is stuttery chunky heavy metal. All of these songs have some strangely melodic vocal parts, and “Won’t Turn Back” is like that. It often feels like a chorus from a pop song has been transplanted onto a heavy metal song on this album. It’s one of the factors that makes Black Like Sunday hard to digest on first listen. At times it’s hard not to ask, “What the hell were they thinking?”

Steering the ship back on course once again, the song “Two” could have been on Tape Head since it has that bass-heavy stripped back kind of sound. “You’re the Only One” does not sound much like King’s X, but it does sound like quality hard rock. Maybe even pop punk. The Beatles harmonies work well here overtop a song that could have been written by Weezer. I wouldn’t doubt that Rivers wishes he wrote this song!

The only long song on the album is the incendiary, 11-minute-plus “Johnny”. Very Rush-like, “Johnny” is smouldering King’s X goodness with a big fat bow on top, so get ready to get down. Most of the 11 minutes is a long jam, a laid-back one in fact, but just listen to the interplay. Fantastic stuff. After an exhausting listen like that, what you really need next is the pop-punk-country-funk of “Save Us”. Ending the album with a short pop rocker really snaps you back to attention, and then it’s all over.

Assigning a rating to a King’s X album is difficult when you haven’t had years to absorb them and grow into them. Having said that, Black Like Sunday” makes a good impression. The songs are adventurous if a bit awkward, and there are enough gems here to warrant a purchase. Added bonus: the booklet doubles as a 2003 calendar! An amusing touch.

3.5/5 stars

*There’s no such thing as an ordinary everyday King’s X album.

REVIEW: King’s X – Manic Moonlight (2001)

Complete studio albums (and more!), part 14

KING’S X – Manic Moonlight (2001 Metal Blade)

Around this time, I stepped off the King’s X train.

A while after this album came out, a friend of mine from London (Ontario) named Edith-Rose came to help paint the new condo and hang out. As part of the deal I was to take her record shopping in all our decent stores. She bought a shit-ton of CDs. From the HMV up in Waterloo that doesn’t exist anymore, to Encore Records, to our own stores, she spent a lot of money that day. I came home with a few discs as well. Among them was Manic Moonlight by King’s X.

I bought it because it was used and it was the first time I’d seen it used. Truthfully, Mr. Bulbous lost me. Buying their next album didn’t seem a priority. We took the CD back to my place and gave it a spin. Edith-Rose liked it, especially the track “Static”. As for me, “Static” was the only song that stuck out. I have not listened to the CD in well over a decade. All I can really remember is that this is when Jerry Gaskill and the band started experimenting with drum loops. That is not a bad thing, but that is all I can remember about this album. Reviewing it with fresh ears, let’s have a listen, shall we?

The drum loops opening “Believe” are unlike anything on prior King’s X albums. Fortunately, the steam-powered real-life Jerry Gaskill comes in soon enough for this funky slam-dunk. The funk is emphasized by clavinet, and of course Doug Pinnick’s perpetually soulful voice. This slow funkster is bass-heavy and melodic, with just enough of those heavenly King’s X harmonies. There ain’t nothin’ wrong with this song, no! Computer-ish loops open the title track, “Manic Moonlight”, which aside from the modern production isn’t a far stretch from the classic King’s X sound. The psychedelic side of King’s X is out to play; lush 1960’s hippie vocals over a heavy 2001 rhythm.

There seems to be a theme playing out. Songs seems to open with loops, every time, and this is becoming a predictable drag. Fuzzy electronics open “Yeah” which basically a chorus without a song. It’s a great chorus, and if only it had some more meat on that bass heavy skeleton, it could have been a King’s X classic of the ages. It is cool to hear King’s X digging deep into the funk; Doug slappin’ da bass as best he can. The soft sounds of tabla are the loop of choice on the dreamy “False Alarm”. The production of the day seemed to be to distort Doug’s deep voice, which is a shame. Anyway, “False Alarm” is a King’s-Beatles-X strawberry field in the sky with diamonds, and it’s just shy of being great. Very close to the mark but not quite there.

“Static” is just as intense as I remember. You can hear why it jumped out to Edith-Rose and I years ago. For the first time on the album, the loops (tabla again) seem to be an integral part of the song rather than just an intro. Tense and direct, “Static” is bare-bones and absolutely nothing like King’s X of old, and good on them. Music is not about standing still. Music is about emotion, and “Static” is not short of those. Without a doubt, “Static” is the centerpiece of Manic Moonlight, and coincidentally (?) this is at precisely the point where an album would be split between side A and side B….

Down with the funk again on “Skeptical Winds”, plenty of new ground was being broken with this band. Strangely this song has a vibe similar to a 1994 Kim Mitchell rap-rock song called “Acrimony”; coincidental I’m certain but if you know the song then you can imagine “Skeptical Winds”. Doug’s spoken word vocals (distorted again, but that’s OK this time) are reminiscent of Kim’s, but the sparse and uber-funky bassline is 100% Doug. It’s a very different song, but cool. Although it isn’t loaded to the gills with time changes and riffs like King’s X of yore, it is still a long bomber jam session at almost seven minutes.

Having a knack for ballads, “The Other Side” has some beautiful moments built into it. It doesn’t hit the ball out of the park, but it has quality and ambition to spare. “Vegetable” has more cool funk, and importantly a soulful chorus that kills. “Jenna” has one of the heaviest riffs on the album, but doesn’t stand out…which is a shame as it is the last song. The final track, “Water Ceremony” is a joke track, closing the album on a burp! That’s…odd!

Of note: the always lucky Japanese fans got two bonus tracks. These were longer versions of “Believe” and “Vegetable”.

Manic Moonlight was a surpise to revisit, and with only a few sluggish moments (“Jenna” among them), it’s certainly a lot better than I remember.

3.5/5 stars

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