Review: Jon Oliva's Pain, "Global Warning"

With Savatage seemingly on indefinite hiatus between the monster that Trans-Siberian Orchestra has become and the various solo projects of its members, fans are getting a lot of music in a similar style, but not what they really want. Until now.

The first two efforts of Jon Oliva’s Pain have been quite enjoyable, if a bit uneven. "'Tage Mahal" (2005) represented a welcome return to the older, more aggressive style of Savatage, but at the same time, the songs on the record sounded an awful lot like Savatage throw-aways. The follow-up, "Maniacal Renderings" (2006), had one of the best songs Oliva has recorded in years, “Through the Eyes of the King,” but much of the record was very personal and self-indulgent. The same could be said of Oliva’s latest, "Global Warning," with one big caveat. Indeed, this record is very indulgent. Unlike "Maniacal Renderings," however, "Global Warning" is pure fucking genius.

You know you’re in for a wild ride from the title track, which opens the record. Oliva has, for a while now, been writing a musical based on the Romanovs, and some of that comes through on the Russian-flavored classical opening of the track. From there, it morphs into a 1970s hard rock jam, complete with big Hammond organ riffing, and finally into a Gutter Ballet-era Savatage song. That’s a lot of musical ground covered in four and a half minutes. It’s also a microcosm of the record, which features everything from blazing metal tracks to big, theatric numbers to soft, poignant vocal and piano pieces.

The record really captures the mood and feel of Savatage’s now classic rock opera Streets in its variety and power. Also like that record, some of the strongest songs here are the slower numbers. “Firefly” is a shining moment on the record, fueled by guitarist Matt LaPorte’s soulful, melancholy leads. LaPorte’s power is once again felt on “Open Your Eyes,” a Beatles-influenced number that finds Oliva sprinkling falsetto notes over his piano with a big bombastic bridge and chorus and LaPorte delivering a dramatic solo straight out of the Brian May playbook. (Queen is also a huge influence throughout the record.) “The Ride” may be the strongest track on the record, opening with a happy, jangly acoustic melody and then taking a turn into a more sinister chorus as the subject of the song is subjected to temptation. “Someone/Souls” closes the record with an emotionally-charged crescendo, just as “Somewhere in Time/Believe” did on Streets.

Not to worry, though, if you’re a metal fan. While Oliva has always been able to deliver top notch ballads, he also brings the rock here, too. “Before I Hang” will have a very familiar sound to longtime fans. A combination of the 1980s demo track ”Before I Hang” and the Streets demo “Larry Elbows,” the song, rightfully, sounds like a song taken from the Streets record and backs up the overall feel of "Global Warning." The digital feel and manic circus-style lead riff of “Master” should please, and “Stories” finds Oliva plying his theatric skills with the showtune-like gang vocals delivered over a pure metal track. “You Never Know” will probably have more old school fans banging their heads than any other track, as it sounds like it was taken straight from Hall of the Mountain King, a screaming, welcome, blast from the past.

Oliva’s voice, which has at times been a bit ragged over the past decade or so, sounds better here than it has in years. From his trademark Savatage shrieks to a gritty blues tone to crystal clear clean vocals on the ballads, he covers all the bases sounding like the late 1980s version of himself. There’s more passion packed into Oliva’s performance here than the last two JOP records and Savatage’s last record "Poets & Madmen" combined.

When I interviewed Savatage producer Paul O’Neill prior to the Trans-Siberian Orchestra tour last fall, he assured me that a new Savatage record will happen one day. But he also made it clear that it wasn’t a priority with several other TSO projects in the works. The good news for fans is that "Global Warning" will serve well as your new Savatage record. Most everyone will agree that bands can’t relive their best works, but Jon Oliva has done just that, reproducing the quality, vibe and feel of Streets here. It may not have the Savatage logo stamped on the cover, but this is a record that Savatage fans have been waiting on for a long time.

Get "Global Warning."

Read my review of "'Tage Mahal" from 2005.

Stuck in My Head: "Over My Head," King's X

These days it's a rare thing to find a record that really blows you away, that makes you go "wow, I've never heard anything quite like that before." I've experienced a lot of music in my life, and I guess, to an extent, I've grown into the jaded old cynic that always feels like most new stuff is just a rehash of something older with a few new touches. So it's nice to revisit a time when I had a little fresher view of music, and I could be surprised. When the promo for the latest from King's X, "XV," arrived in my mailbox earlier this week, it made me think about how I discovered the band that was one of my favorites through the late 1980s and early 1990s.

I was in high school when I first heard King's X. I was sitting in front of the TV one Saturday night watching "Headbanger's Ball," a weekly ritual for me in those days. The first thing that stuck out to me was the striking appearance of singer/bassist Doug Pinnick. Here was this tall, lanky, mohawked black guy (which was a rarity in itself in hard rock and metal in those days) that served a sharp contrast to the makeup-coated, big-haired (although his certainly wasn't small), preening singers of the time. The physical differences, though, melted away when he opened his mouth and that soulful, monster of a voice came out. I wondered how something that big and resonant could come out of this skinny guy that looked like he weighed 120 pounds soaking wet. What he sang, I believed. The voice had that kind of power.

But it wasn't just Pinnick and his voice that drew me to the song. It was the whole mish-mash of musical vibes that were going on. It started with that big power chord riff. It was a simple three-chord riff, as many of the best are. The riff is a play straight out of the Black Sabbath playbook, but with a twist. Instead of doomy and gloomy as Tony Iommi would have delivered it, it was faster, joyful and uplifting. Built around that metallic riff was a range of influence from funk, soul and even gospel. And then there was Pinnick's manic, yet powerful vocals, that brought it all home, brothers and sisters. I was instantly hooked.

I picked up my copy of "Gretchen Goes to Nebraska" on my next trip to the record store, and found even more to like about the King's X sound. It truly was like nothing I'd ever heard -- tight Beatles-style harmonies and song structures that ran head-on into Sabbath-influenced riffs, thumping and funky bass lines scattered throughout, old school soul flourishes here and there, all delivered with the power and passion of a gospel choir. For all that, they still managed to keep a sardonic sense of humor in the music, too.

The band rapidly became a favorite of mine. I quickly picked up their previous record, "Out of the Silent Planet," and snapped up each following record through 1994's "Dogman." Admittedly, King's X's late 1990s records and those earlier this decade were spotty as they began to experiment and move away from that powerhouse sound that first made me a fan. The good news is they've come full-circle back to that sound on their new one. Look for my review of it in the coming weeks.

Hear a clip of "Over My Head."

Get "Gretchen Goes to Nebraska."

Review: Cavalera Conspiracy, "Inflikted"

I can't deny that I've been waiting on this record for a long time. I was lucky enough to have a chance to see Sepultura live before they split with singer/guitarist Max Cavalera, and they destroyed the stage. Shortly thereafter, Max left amid some ugliness, and the band released a series of mediocre records that never really held my interest (even those that I initially liked, like 2006's "Dante XXI"). Meanwhile, Max took the sound of the band's more commercial "Roots" and made it even more accessible in Soulfly. While I admit I liked a lot of the Soulfly offerings, and they had a great live show, they don't stand up to the best Sepultura work at all.

Finally, though, Max Cavalera and his brother Igor have buried the hatchet and teamed up for this debut release from Cavalera Conspiracy. And finally, I've got the Sepultura record (pay no attention to the name on the cover, this is a Sepultura record) that we should have gotten after "Chaos A.D."

My favorite version of Sepultura was the middle version. While the early, more death-influenced stuff isn't bad, and the tribal sounds of "Roots" are OK, it's the groove-based thrash of "Arise" and "Chaos A.D." that made me a fan. On "Inflikted," the brothers Cavalera deliver a sound that's somewhere between that head-on thrash of "Chaos A.D." and the tribal grooves of "Roots" or Soulfly. It's a potent mixture. It opens with the title track, which might make you believe this will be a Soulfly record with Igor Cavalera on drums, but that changes with the pounding "Sanctuary," which introduces a return to the more aggressive Sepultura style, but also features a nice breakdown for Soulfly fans.

Certainly there are moments here that won't appeal to the unbending fans that hated "Roots" and Soulfly -- you know, the crowd that likes to throw the term sell-out around. There are undeniably some more commercial moments here than you would have ever found on one of those early Sepultura records, but then there are songs like "Hex" which digs even farther back for an "Arise," maybe even getting into "Beneath the Remains" territory a little, or the punk-influenced burner "Nevertrust." I happen to like a good groove, though, and this record has some great ones. The *gasp* hooks of songs like "Ultra-Violent" and "Bloodbrawl" and the screaming, bouncing riff of "Must Kill" will be with you long after you've finished listening.

"Inflikted" offers a perfect balance between heaviness and grooving melodies. It features songs that are hummable in one moment and bash your skull in the next. The tribal elements that colored "Roots" and Soulfly's sound are still there in places, but they're played down, putting the focus on a straight ahead metallic sound. It's a welcome return of a band that I've been missing for a good long while.

Hear a sample of "Sanctuary."

Get "Inflikted."

Review: Alestorm, "Captain Morgan's Revenge"

I've been recommending this record to people for months, so it's about time I get around to posting a review.

No description of Alestorm could possibly be better than the one they give themselves -- Scottish pirate metal. Blending power metal, keyboard lines inspired by the scores of countless pirate movies, the classic sea shanty and lyrics about sailing, wenching, grogging and pillaging, it's undeniably cheesy. It's also undeniably fun.

The folk metal elements of the music are obviously heavily influenced by Korpiklaani, but I find Alestorm's brand just a bit more fun. I can easily picture vocalist Christopher Bowes staggering around in full Jack Sparrow get-up and waving his cutlass in the air as he delivers songs like "Nancy the Tavern Wench," "Of Treasure" or the goofy "Wenches and Mead," which would be almost sexist enough to make the members of Motley Crue blush. But, we are talking about pirates here.

The record opens with the high seas adventure of "Over the Seas" which prepares the listener for the pirate power that's coming. The band covers a lot of metal ground over the course of the record. There's the pure power metal of songs like "Set Sail and Conquer," the Annihilator-inspired thrash of "Death Before the Mast" and "Terror on the High Seas," and of course the folky feel of "Of Treasure" and "Flower of Scotland." Alestorm does high speed blazers and mid-tempo songs equally well, as "Nancy the Tavern Wench" and the barroom sing-along shanty "Of Treasure" fare just as well as some of the more high octane numbers.

One of my favorite aspects of the record is the handling of the gang vocals. If you've listened to much power metal, you're familiar with its handling of those -- perfectly harmonized and tweaked within an inch of their life until they're as flawless as possible. Alestorm takes a rougher approach. They're not exactly what I'd call out of tune, but it's a little looser style that gives the impression of a group of salty dogs singing on the deck. When it works, as on the title track, which also stands as perhaps the strongest tune here, it's great. I dare you to listen to that chorus and not want to raise a pint and sing along. They do occasionally take it too far, though, as on the weakest number, "Flower of Scotland," where it sound too much like a rowdy, drunken, out of tune rabble. Of course, that's probably closer to the real pirate singing experience (if in fact there be such a thing).

Your tolerance for this record will probably depend on your tolerance for tongue-in-cheek humor in your metal. The dark, uber-serious crowd that rants about how "Metalocalypse" is making a mockery of metal will probably want to skip it. But if you enjoy a good laugh and some fun, well-played folk metal that doesn't take itself too seriously, definitely check it out. Alestorm's debut is silly and over the top, but it's still somehow enjoyable and quite addictive. Har, mateys.

Get "Captain Morgan's Revenge."

Review: Black Tide, "Light from Above"

I was intrigued when I heard the opening single “Shockwave” from Black Tide’s debut record. Sure, the lyrics were a little corny, but it was hard to get the chorus out of my head anyway. So, I’m torn when listening to the full record. On the one hand, after years of tuneless screaming from new bands, it’s really nice to see some young guys returning to the melody and distinctive vocals that are the roots of metal. On the other hand, there are points on this record, where I just don’t quite buy it.

If you haven’t heard Black Tide yet, they play a retro brand of metal, reminiscent of the early 1980s sound coming out of England. And while a song like “Shockwave” has a hook that will bury itself in your brain, it’s a little more difficult to take them seriously on a song like “Warriors of Time.” Despite a nice classical-flavored clean guitar opening, the “ohohoohs” and the lyrics are just way too hokey. It’s very, very Spinal Tap.

Black Tide are at their best when they’re ripping away, like on the opening riff of “Let Me,” a song that strays a bit toward the later 1980s hard rock scene, but is still quite enjoyable. The same can be said of “Show Me the Way.” When they try to slow it down a little as on “Give Me a Chance,” it’s often just boring.

There’s plenty of hat-tipping to the NWOBHM scene here, like the opening of “Enterprise,” which will put listeners in mind of Priest’s classic “Electric Eye.” While offering a wink and nod to your influences is cool, the biggest misstep on this record is the decision to cover Metallica’s “Hit the Lights.” It’s a lightweight cover that’s like a thin, faded copy of the original. Black Tide plays the song almost note for note like the original, but it just doesn’t have the explosive power that Metallica gave it. Gabriel Garcia’s voice is just too thin and the addition of some squealing guitar notes on the main riff aren’t enough to keep you from wishing you were listening to the real song. Fortunately, they recover with the next song, “Black Abyss,” which opens with a great riff and gets them back to that British vibe that has served them well earlier in the record, and they finish strong on the remaining songs.

There’s no doubt that guitarists Garcia and Alex Nunez have the chops down. The guitar work here, for the most part, will transport you back to the glory days of the NWOBHM. Garcia’s vocals are solid, if not stunning, and the record sounds really good. But when songs like “Warriors of Time” and “Live Fast, Die Young” come on, I just can’t seem to shake the feeling that I’m listening to a bunch of kids copping licks off of records they found in their parents’ basements.

Maybe my reluctance to embrace Black Tide is just me, having grown up in the original era of this style, being the grouchy old fart yelling out the window for these kids to get off my damn lawn. I’ll admit to that. Certainly there are quite a few enjoyable songs on "Light From Above," and the record has grown on me more each time I listen to it. It will be interesting to see if this record, which has gotten some traction since the release of “Shockwave,” might help usher the sound back to the spotlight and help bring the melody and vocals back to the up-and-coming scene. One can only hope.

Get "Light From Above."

Stuck in My Head: "War Pigs," Black Sabbath

Been a while since I've done one of these, and OK, I’ll admit this is a big, fat, slow-pitch softball for a reviewer. But a discussion on the former DigitalMetal.com forums (now TeethoftheDivine.com, check it out) has had me thinking about Black Sabbath’s “War Pigs” lately.

I grew up, and still live, in the buckle of the Bible belt. When I was a kid, and just starting to get into metal, I was a little nervous about anything that might be considered “satanic.” I shied away from a lot of the bands that I love today for that very reason. The whole religion thing had been pounded into me my whole young life, and I was a little nervous about cranking up my copy of “Shout at the Devil” and convinced that listening to something as innocuous these days as Ozzy. would send me straight to hell. Looking back, it’s funny to think that I thought some of this stuff was “satanic.”

Then one day, I was at a friend’s house, listening to a cassette mix tape. I had no idea that I was listening to a band called Black Sabbath, and when that last verse of “War Pigs” hit, I thought it was just about the coolest thing I’d ever heard. I figured if listening to this was enough to send me to hell, then maybe it was worth the trip. The rest, well, you can see it on this site.

Like most Sabbath tunes, it starts with the riff. There’s no one, living or dead, who can compose a better metal riff than Tony Iommi did in the early 1970s. None. The song opens with this stormy, thunder and lightning, back and forth riff before breaking out into that simple two-note D-E power chord punctuation to each of Ozzy’s verses that gives the song its punch. If it stopped with the main riff, the song would be powerful enough, but then there’s that chunky, funky riffage under the second verse and those spacy little sidetrips between that verse and the return of that two-note gut punch for the final verse.

That last little menacing lyric, “Satan laughing spreads his wings,” from Ozzy is just the icing on the cake of one of the most perfect metal songs ever written.

Like the best Black Sabbath songs from that era, “War Pigs” is stunning in its simplicity, yet still packs a powerful punch. If you don’t like this song, then you’re not really a metal fan. It’s as simple as that.

Hear a clip of "War Pigs."
Get "Paranoid."



Stuck in my Head is an occasional feature about whatever song happens to be running around incessantly in my head at the moment.

Review: Stuck Mojo, "Southern Born Killers"

When I first heard Stuck Mojo in the mid-1990s, the sound was fresh and interesting – a solid, Southern-flavored metal band fronted by a rapper. With the rise of the rap-rock trend and the nu-metal trends in the late 90s and early part of this decade, the sound began to lose its edge. The band was dealing with internal strife and feuding with Century Media, which led to a parting of ways in 2001. Guitarist Rich Ward went on to play in wrestler Chris Jericho’s ’80s cover band Fozzy and release his own, very strange solo album.

In 2005, the band got back together to tour, but frontman Bonz left before they went into the studio in 2006 to record Southern Born Killers. With new rapper Lord Nelson, the band released this record as a free download. It led to a signing by Napalm Records and this official release two years later with three bonus tracks.

While most of the groups that cashed in on the rap rock sound have moved on over the years in search of the next trend that will score them a radio hit, Stuck Mojo continues to do what they’ve always done. If you’ve heard the band before, Southern Born Killers doesn’t offer a lot of surprises.

The record opens with the chugging riff of “I’m American,” which leads into a Rage Against the Machine-inspired verse (without the annoying vocals) and a hard rock chorus with sung vocals. That pretty much sums up what you’ll get here. The title track is one of the catchiest numbers on the record, blending southern hip-hop influences with southern rock and metal. Each style gets its spotlight on the record. “The Sky is Falling,” is more of a straight hip-hop number with a radio rock chorus, while “Metal is Dead” should satisfy the other side of the audience with its blazing thrash riffs.

The album does have more than its share of throw-away tracks. “For the Cause of Allah” is a white noise track with drum machine, synth and audio clips from newscasts that’s really a huge waste of space to set up the track “Open Season.” It would have bothered me less if it had been short, like “Prelude to Anger,” the second unneccessary intro track. “Yoko,” a bit of a joke track, is another song that really seems to kind of take the air out of this record, placed between two solid numbers.

The main thing Stuck Mojo seems to have lost with former frontman Bonz is the ability to do more funky, southern-flavored songs. Two of my favorites from the band are “Southern Pride” and “Hang ’Em High” from The Rising. Nelson’s style just doesn’t lend itself to those types of songs, and I do miss it.

Of course, when the new lineup gets it right, they get it really right. “That’s When I Burn” is one of the best songs they’ve ever recorded with a great grooving guitar riff from Ward and an undeniably catchy chorus.

Southern Born Killers covers ground that Stuck Mojo has covered many times in the past, but there’s something to be said for sticking to your guns. They know what they do, and they do it well. It’s not their best record, and it’s not as exciting as it was 10 or 12 years ago, but if you’re looking for a funky blend of metal and rap, it’s solid.

Get "Southern Born Killers."

Review: Brainstorm, "Downburst"

So often, in the review business, it all comes down to timing. I try to keep an open mind and give fair reviews for every CD that comes across my desk. But in all honesty, if I get an OK record in a style that I’m just really burned out on at the time, it probably doesn’t get as fair a shake as it should. Some of it is right record, right time.

With the latest record from Brainstorm, it’s a case of the perfect record at the perfect time.

I popped the CD into my player for the first time on my way home after another crap day at work, and I wonder what the other folks on the road must have thought when they saw me grinning like a madman and banging my head like crazy as I drove past. This is the kind of record I’ve been looking for. There are no unneccessary intro pieces, no wimpy ballads, no over-the-top power metal pretensions, no trendy screams. In short, no bullshit. Brainstorm plugs in, cranks up and rocks the fuck out like it’s 1985 – with much better production values of course.

Sure, Brainstorm’s music has always been rooted in the traditional, but on Downburst, they nail the vibe absolutely perfectly. From the first riff of album opener “Falling Spiral Down,” you get the overwhelming sensation of the glory days when Priest and Maiden ruled the metal world. Unlike bands who simply copy the riffs, though, Brainstorm owns the style. Guitarists Torsten Ihlenfeld and Milan Loncaric lay down some monster riffs and Andy B. Franck’s powerful voice commands the listener’s attention.

The record is loaded with big, memorable hooks, notably on songs like “Fire Walk With Me” and “Frozen,” which stick long and hard. They do toss out a few interesting moments that stray from the traditional. The opening of “Redemption in Your Eyes” kind of puts me in mind of an In Flames riff. There’s a bit of a prog feel to “End in Sorrow,” which even as the slowest track on the record offers up some beefy riffing. The band does veer a bit into the power metal realms later in the record as the keyboards show up heavier than on the earlier songs, but they’re used nicely to punctuate the music rather than overwhelming it. The record ends solidly in traditional territory with the aforementioned “Frozen” and its huge chorus and the strutting groove and Queensryche influnced bridge and chorus of “All Alone.”

I was a bit disappointed with Brainstorm’s last effort, "Liquid Monster," after a solid performance with my introduction to the band "Soul Temptation" in 2003. But they bounce back strong with this record, surpassing their previous efforts. In short, "Downburst" is the best record I’ve heard so far this year.

Get "Downburst."

Review: Avantasia, "The Scarecrow"

Epic albums with big-name guest stars are an iffy proposition. The expectations those all-star lineups create can be a bit of a letdown. That was the case for me with the latest effort from Ayreon, which I found a bit boring. On this record, though, the guest stars get bits that better reflect their own musical styles, and the result is more along the lines of what you might expect.

The side project of Edguy’s Tobias Sammet, Avantasia appeared on the scene in 2000. Sammet released two ambitious records, "The Metal Opera Part I" in 2001 and "The Metal Opera Part II" in 2002, then faded into the background until last year, when new EPs popped up in advance of this record.

The guest lineup is short, but impressive. Former Kiss drummer Eric Singer provides the backbone for the record. Alice Cooper, Jorn Lande, Michael Kiske, Amanda Somerville and Roy Kahn are among the guest vocalists. Rudolf Schenker lends some guitar work to help out producer/guitarist Sascha Paeth.

"The Scarecrow" starts with a bang. The huge, slightly exotic riff of “Twisted Mind” grabs you immediately and stays with you. It sets the standard for what will come later on this record, namely big, memorable melodies. The obligatory “epic” 11-minute title track follows. I normally find those songs more than a little self-indulgent, but “The Scarecrow” is the exception. The song flows well without a lot of filler material to stretch it out.

Things take a dip from there, as Sammet explores a more typical power metal sound with “Shelter from the Rain.” Then things get really odd. “Carry Me Over” sounds like a 1980s electronic pop song, and Somerville delivers an over-the-top pop diva performance on “What Kind of Love.” It made me wonder if I had warped into some kind of bizarro world after the incredible power of the first two numbers.

When the Iron Maiden-flavored opening licks of “Another Angel Down” kick in, they’re very welcome. It brings some sanity back to the world. Lande delivers an incredible vocal performance on the song, as usual, and it gets the record back on track. What’s most welcome on this record, though, is Alice Cooper’s guest performance on “The Toy Master.” Make no mistake, this isn’t an Avantasia song. Who wrote it is beside the point — this is an Alice Cooper song. The twisted number sounds like it came straight from Cooper’s “The Last Temptation,” and is far and away Alice’s best song since the “Brutal Planet” record. It clears out the cobwebs left by that little sidetrip into ’80s pop.

The final portion of the record is a mixed bag. “Devil in the Belfry” is the best of the bunch, a quite enjoyable speed/power metal number. “Cry Just a Little” is a skippable ballad that also has a lot of 1980s overtones, as does the more rocking “I Don’t Believe in Your Love” which reminds me a bit of the Scorpions. (Not sure from the album notes what songs Schenker plays on, but I’d guess this is one.) The final track, “Lost in Space,” is, not surprisingly, a spacy mid-tempo number with a little progressive influence. It’s one of the middle-of-the-road numbers here. Not as good as the first two tracks or the Cooper song, but the best of the ’80s-influenced half of the record.

"The Scarecrow" plays on the same kinds of influences that you hear in Sammet’s regular band, Edguy, but takes them in slightly different directions. It’s a very varied record covering a lot of styles, and while it occasionally misses the mark, it delivers more than its share of exciting and memorable music. It’s a great record that you’ll be humming long after listening to it.

Get "The Scarecrow."