Zodiac Mindwarp (And The Love Reaction) - We Are Volsung

Released: 2010, SPV
Rating: 4.0/5
Reviewer: JP

This is the first review for a Zodiac Mindwarp album on this site so a little back-story is in order. This UK band was formed in the late 80’s and hit the big time quite quickly. They signed with a major label right off the bat, toured, shot videos, and had good support and a big endorsement from Alice Cooper. For whatever reason things went south and the band continued to make a total of about six records infrequently on smaller labels over the last 20 years.

I had lost track of them but always had really enjoyed the debut EP and full-length. I’m really glad the band has found a stable home on SPV. They seem to have got a bit of a second wind as they have delivered a really strong rock ‘n’ roll record. WE ARE VOLSUNG captures a true, gritty rock ‘n roll show with my guitar slung low, kinda vibe. Ten songs, short and sweet, Zodiac Mindwarp (full name includes …and the Love Reaction) play a simple, loose and sloppy guitar driven rock sound.

If you are not familiar with the band it’s the greasy house band that Ted Nugent and actor Jack Black would dig. Apparently there were some connections to The Cult and I hear shades of The Dictators (and Manitoba’s Wild Kingdom, naturally) and perhaps Johnny Crash from LA. Anyone remember them? Singer, founder and Mainman Zodiac is a vocal powerhouse just dripping charisma. For an English act, they sure have perfected a predominately American sound, Southern, bluesy Hard Rock sound much like The Four Horsemen, Little Caeser and more recently American Dog.

Bands like this have so much heart, sincerity and balls the few of them collectively help keep real rock ‘n’ roll alive. If you haven’t checked out Zodiac Mindwarp in a few years, do yourself a favour and pick this up. God Damn I dropped a lot of names in this review!

Encyclopedia of Heavy Metal Music

Phillips, William & Cogan, Brian
Released: 2009, Greenwood Press
Rating: 2.5/5
Reviewer: JP

In my mind the word Encyclopedia means more than just a list of facts. An encyclopedia needs to be unbiased and neutral, academic and professional and above all comprehensive. I don’t always understand why these book that come out every year label themselves as Encyclopedias. With over 200,000 bands listed in the world’s largest Metal database (MusicMight), even trying to attempt publishing a comprehensive printed version is almost an exercise in futility. However commerce prevails and gifted writers tackle these insurmountable projects with vigor and enthusiasm. That brings us to Cogan and Phillips stab at documenting the virtually un-documentable.

Published in an attractive hard cover in 2009, this book is an adequate 270 pages, with very few pictures and a simplistic, streamlined layout. The authors are academics, professors and have a reasonably good grasp on Metal, but if I had to guess, I’d suggest they probably weren’t really life-long fans. That is not not necessarily a bad thing but some of the choices included for entry betray their lack of understanding about Metal. Of course they address this very point in the preface and say they opted to be ‘inclusive’ which is the key flaw in that Metal is a very exclusive and elitist genre. They should have erred on the side of caution and not added not-Metal crap like Limp Bizkit, The Melvins, Insane Clown Posse and Nickleback. There are about a couple dozen, nu-metal, alt-metal, grunge, rap and rock bands that really shouldn’t have been in the book.

Another problem is that as outsiders they don’t truly grasp the role of many metal bands on the development of the genre, their importance and influence. They arbitrarily dismiss many bands critical to the history and development of the genre such as W.A.S.P, Manowar and Dream Theater. There are many bands that probably should not have been included, to add room for more legitimate bands. Who the hell are Zolar X, The Sword and Smokewagon and why do they take space away from bands like Angra, Rage and Blind Guardian? I’m not suggesting the former trio are not good bands but the choices for inclusion seem odd.

The authors opt to include a good number of non-bands entries into the book. Entries like ‘Cookie Monster Vocal Style’, ‘Demos’, ‘Headbanging’, ‘Tribute Bands’ and ‘Eddie Trunk’ serve to nicely add a bit more depth and substance to the book by elaborating on components of Metal culture. There are blurbs on movies, personalities in the scene, books, and clubs, all contributing to the depth of the encyclopedia.

The book has it’s fair share of mistakes both technical (dates, albums titles etc) and opinion based mistakes that again show that as academics they don’t truly have a grasp on the definitions of sub-genres and the parameters for inclusion or exclusion. Overall, it’s an average attempt to document and chronicle Metal and it’s culture. Written and presented as text book it would do well for a non-metal fan taking ‘Metal 101’ at a University but more advanced fans and critics will likely find less value.

Orgasmatron - The Heavy Metal Art of Joe Petagno

Petagno, Joe
Released: 2004, Feral House
Rating: 3.5/5
Reviewer: JP

This book reminds me in many ways of Kris Verwimp’s excellent collection of art, THE SEVENTH SIGN. Joe Petagno, known for his iconic artwork of the Motorhead mascot Snaggletooth, has compiled some of his work and published it for our enjoyment.

Feral House, known for it’s independent and counter-culture publications presented this nice hard cover book in 2004. It’s just over 100 pages and the paper quality and colors are both excellent. The book has a brief Foreword by none other than Lemmy of Motorhead and an introduction by Steffan Chirazi. In an interesting twist the art is not explained or described on the page it is printed on but the last few pages there are smaller replications with a title.

Over the years Joe has done a ton of art for many, many bands, as well as posters, magazines and so on. This collection is subtitled, ‘The Heavy Metal Art of Joe Petagno’, which is just what it is. His work has appeared on many album covers, more than you might realize. Incantation, Angelcorpse, Abomination and a host of other bands in the more extreme genres have wisely chosen to have Joe’s art grace their album covers.

You could spend ages pouring over each plate. There is a lot going on in each picture, layers, characters, it seldom ‘just a painting’ of one dude, each pictures melds into other dimensions and planes. Great stuff. His style is instantly recognizable with his heavy use of the classic metal imagery and colours of red and black. It’s nice to see almost the entire Snaggletooth collection in one place.

I’m rating this book slightly lower than Verwimp’s collection or HEAVY METAL THUNDER, the compilation of album cover art, because there could have been some little extras to really complete ORGASMATRON. They could have included a list of dates when the paintings were done, a discussion of techniques, materials used, some stories, quotes, endorsements, anything to add content. As always, your personal preference or enjoyment of Joe’s style will determine how quickly you add this to your library.

Pathfinder - Beyond The Space, Beyond The Time

Released: 2010, GM Records
Rating: 5.0/5
Reviewer: JP

Words cannot describe how good this is. Oh..wait..yes they can.

2010. Album. Of. The. Year.

OK, OK, if you are one of those people who insists on having the reviewer actually describe the music in a review, here you go….

Old Dragonforce + Old Rhapsody + Incredible Production = Pathfinder.

I could go on for pages how good this is. I'd better wrap this review up before it degenerates in gushing fan-boy praise but I will say this. This will have the same impact that Rhapsody's debut had in 1997, that Lost Horizon's debut had in 2001. This is one of the most incredible debut albums of all time.

Fück Yöu - Rock and Roll Portraits

Zlozower, Neil
Released: 2008, Chronicle Books
Rating: 2.0/5
Reviewer: JP

There are lots of these little books dumped on the market to capitalize on the resurgence of the 80’s melodic, Hard Rock/ Metal scene. These books often lacking in substance are quick snapshots aimed at an older crowd (my age!) who think nothing of dropping a $15.00 on a book they found in the bargain bin, to help relive a few memories.

FUCK YOU-Rock and Roll Portraits is a collection of photos by Neil Zlozower who along with Ross Halfin and Mark Weiss were synonymous with being the top Hard Rock photographers of the 80’s with each of their work appearing regularly in the glossy pages of Circus and Hit Parader and so on. FUCK YOU is a collection of about 200 photos of musicians. The ‘catch’ is that every single photo each person is giving Neil the middle finger! There are live shots, candid shots, posed shots from the biggest stars like Stephen Tyler and Bon Jovi to the nun who was on one of the album cover of Black Label Society’s SHOT TO HELL.

It’s bright, colorful, loud, fun and full of attitude. Neil adds a quick introduction but that’s about it, just photos on nice glossy paper. You can file FUCK YOU along with AMERICAN HAIR METAL, HOLLYWOOD ROCKS and THE WIT AND WISDOM OF THE METAL GODS as essentially collections of photos to sit on your shelf. Pull it out once a year, have a quick chuckle and then put it back to collect dust for another year.

The Claymore - Damnation Reigns

Released: 2010, Black Bards
Rating: 3.5/5
Reviewer: JP

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DAMNATION REIGNS is the third offering from Germany’s The Claymore. A few members were once in a heavier act called Agamendon, but these metal soldiers have crossed the border into True/ Power Metal territory.

This is my first opportunity to hear The Claymore and I’m very impressed. DAMNATION REIGNS is professional package with tons of great art, lyrics, photos and good layout. Top-notch production brings the songs out very well. The band have made some friends along the way because Victor Smolski (Rage) drops by for a solo and Tim Owens (Yngwie Malmsteen) lends his pipes to a cut as well.

The Claymore deliver unto us just over 50 minutes of pure Metal. Most of the songs are in the mid-tempo to fast range, but not resorting to a straight double-kick all the way through. The vocals of Andy Grundmann are clear and powerful with a good range. He has a classic powerful metal voice with a good delivery. There are tons of guitars, solos and crunchy riffs all over the place. The tunes are well written, not overly complex but good to head-bang to. There are a few little studio effects to add some spice, but nothing too adventurous. They even have a bit of a ballad, but more in the way Rage might do a ballad, still pretty heavy overall. The band writes classic Metal that you might have heard in the 80’s coming from bands like Vicious Rumours or perhaps something newer, like the last three Metal Church albums.

The band tops off the album with a bonus track, namely a cover of the W.A.S.P. cut, ‘Chainsaw Charlie’. They play it a little more straight-ahead than Blackie’s somewhat frantic original, but it is an excellent interpretation, nonetheless.

DAMNATION REIGNS is meat and potatoes metal, straight ahead and to the point, letting the songs speak for themselves backed with good performances all round. A solid and commendable offering that will appeal to fans of quality Metal.

Once Upon A Nightwish - The Official Biography 1996-2006

Ollila, Mappe
Released: 2008, Bazillion Points
Rating: 4.5/5
Reviewer: JP

Nightwish quite rapidly became one of the most successful and most influential bands in a relatively short period of time. Back in 2006 it was announced that their biography covering the first 10 years 1996-2006 would be issued in Finnish. I had hoped someone would translate and issue this book. Fast forward to 2008 and the good people at Bazilion Points have released the updated, translated edition.

ONCE UPON A NIGHTWISH is a very well put together book. The oversized paperback has dozens and dozens of photos on big glossy plates. At approx. 320 pages the book includes many, many little extras like tour riders, some technical data about stage set-ups, a detailed discography, a list of every show they have every done to that point and more. All this extra detail really is the icing on the cake. Everything is Nightwish fan could wish for is here in glorious detail. Author Mappe Ollila has unprecedented access to the band and there are interviews with a huge cast of characters.

The text of the book is really monumental. It covers in standard chronological detail, the lives of the various members. I believe people really like to read a true rags to riches success story with elements of pathos. Well, the band members may not have strictly come from rags but the author details the early lives of the various members from their humble beginnings in small towns in Finland. Founder and primary composer Tuomas seems a bit reclusive and introspective but he also wears his heart on his sleeve as he talks candidly about his comfortable and relatively happy childhood to his inspirations, hopes and dreams.

In case you are not familiar with the bands history, at a certain point while they were at the height of their power, the band very publically fired their lead singer, Tarja. This move was akin to the loss of Rob Halford, Bruce Dickinson and David Lee Roth from their respective bands. It was a very public feud and it is detailed here. The author and band have chosen to be very transparent and from the very start p. 16 discuss her dismissal from the band. They even publish, unedited, the letter they wrote to fire her. That takes balls. Ollila also publishes Tarja’s response as well.

The author treads carefully trying not to choose sides but tends to lean slightly in favour of the band. According to the author Tarja is going to release her own biography detailing her version. Ollila says that allegedly Tarja’s manager (and husband) has asked for so much money for a publishing advance that no publisher has accepted the project. Reading the story Tarja comes across at times as a bit of a Prima Donna and the band come across at times, as a bunch of drunken louts. It is no wonder the two sides clashed and eventually split.

ONCE UPON A NIGHTWISH is a phenomenal book, even if you are not a specific fan of the band, this tale documents the massive rise of band and the inner workings of the ours, the recordings, the managers, lawyers, record companies and all the adventures on the road. It sounds like it was a hell of a ride. As for people who are already fans of the band, this book is an essential addition to your library.

Nordheim - Lost In The North

Released: 2010, Indie
Rating: 3.5/5
Reviewer: JP

In every scene and sub-genre of Metal there are innovators. These bands develop a sound that becomes accepted, even popular. Other bands, fans of music themselves, may enjoy that sound and integrate those influences into their own song-writing and lyrics. Cynics, and those people who only listen to music that they deem to be original, will criticize bands as being unoriginal and dismiss them as clones. Those critics do themselves a disservice because with their superficial analysis of , “heard it before, sounds like Band X”, they may miss hearing many great bands.

Well, I feel that Nordheim from Quebec, Canada likely falls in that category. Are they original? No, not really, but I don’t care because they totally kick ass! Who cares of they sound like a bit of this and that? I don’t. It’s well-executed, well-performed, and delivered with sincerity and it is totally enjoyable.

More specifically, Nordhiem are a new, young quintet from Quebec and LOST IN THE NORTH is their debut full-length. 10 tracks, great production, a nice package with a beautiful and hilarious album cover, lyrics and photos all add to the listening experience. These guys are totally pro and know what it will take to compete.

Nordhiem fall firmly in the northern logging camp of Pagan/Folk/Viking Metal, unashamedly and proud, in the true north strong and free. The songs have a clear sense of direction and some fun. Track Four ‘Beer, Metal Trolls and Vomit’ is a helluva catchy-fun jig or reel that could easily stand toe-to-toe with Korpiklanni’s ‘Happy Little Boozer’, or Blackguard’s ‘This Rounds On Me’. It is a metal drinking song to end all metal drinking songs.

Elsewhere the humour is not as overt but the songs are fast, furious, with little sound effects and some accordion style sounds mixed in. The songs lilt and whirl through the arctic snow driven by some pretty harsh vocals in places and raging gang-vocals. Overall the band is on the heavier side of the sub-genre but not afraid to mix it up, add the folk sounds and have some fun. I don’t always like name-drop other bands but if you are a fan of the couple of aforementioned bands, Amon Amarth, Fintroll, maybe even Moonsorrow or Ensiferum, you will really dig Nordhiem (out of the snowbank). This is an extremely promising debut.

Glorious Times: A Pictorial of the Death Metal Scene (1984-1991)

Moses, Alan and Pattison, Brian
Released: 2009, Independent
Rating: 4.0/5
Reviewer: JP

GLORIOUS TIMES is quite an interesting and unique project. This book is an independent publication made for the pure love of metal and times gone by. Alan Moses and Brian Pattison (nope, I’ve never heard of them either) have compiled a living history, an in-depth first hand portrait of the Death Metal Scene.

As mentioned on the back cover of this 150+ page book, this is not a dry anthropological study nor an academic analysis. This is a collection of vivid first hand accounts of the metal soldiers who were in the trenches from 1984-1991. The book itself is a nice, oversized paperback with nice glossy paper that makes you high when you sniff the ink on the pages. There is a lengthy and somewhat rambling introduction by Laurent Ramadier of SnakePit.org who discusses in a highly opinionated style (most of which I agree with) the differences between the original Death Metal scene and the current scene. As a book it is a budget production and the layout and design could use some refinement but it is an excellent effort.

The book is laid out by band alphabetical order with a few pages dedicated to 48 different bands from that era. There are bands from all over the world, many of the names you would expect, Death, Deicide, Deceased and so on and some names that maybe never quite got the recognition of the others; bands like Groovy Aardvark, Hideous Mangleus and Where’s The Pope.

Each band entry has a number of candid photos, virtually all of them snapshots of the bands live, fooling around, partying etc. I can’t believe how young everyone looks! It is interesting to note that with the exception of the live photos, where the musicians are concentrating, almost all of the photos everyone is smiling and having a good time! Who said Death Metal was morbid?

Each band has a write up, mostly from members of those bands who share some intimate memories and recollections from ‘the good ol’ days’. This is not a mere recounting of common knowledge of tours and albums, this is an in-depth personal recounting of the era. It is really fascinating. I didn’t know that Pat from Hellwitch had almost cut his finger off in a bizarre gardening accident in 1986! There is enough trivia here to satisfy any Death Metal fan. There is a ton of rare material that has been captured here.

The only slightly negative I could mention is that looking at these stories and tales is the slight feeling of disconnect. As a guy, the same age as most of the people in these bands, reading GLORIOUS TIMES was akin looking at someone else’s photo album. Growing up in Western Canada these bands never, ever came up here. It is very cool but it’s like listening to (or reading about) someone’s else fond memories. If you were not actually there (and not a part of that circle or group of friends) you will always be an outsider looking in. Eg. “Remember that time that Fred got so drunk he puked on Barney’s cat? Ha! ha! That was hilarious!” Unless you were there that night or personally know Barney or Fred, it probably isn’t all that hilarious. It would be the same in reverse. If I was to compile all my personal stories of good times, parties and drunkenness, and publish it no one would care, except me and a few friends who were there. However, because these people (the Death Metal dudes) went on to become internationally famous and respected musicians there is enough here to compel the reader to identify with what it was like, even if you weren’t there.

If you happened to be involved with one of the bands or part of the tape-trading scene or ‘zine scene, then this will be the best scrapbook you could ever compile. That is what GLORIOUS TIMES really is, the ultimate Death Metal scrap-book from hell. It is raw, uncensored and authentic. A more pure history you will never find. If you are not a heavy-duty Death Metal fan, maybe you can crank this rating back a notch or two. However I am a heavy duty Death Metal fan so I really enjoyed it and you will too.

Symphorce - Unrestricted

Released: 2010, AFM
Rating: 2.5/5
Reviewer: JP

Symphorce have always been a bit on a non-entity for me. I don’t know why. On paper these guys are excellent. I’ve bought virtually every album and enjoyed them all but none of them stick with me. The band seems to lack a bit of personality, in the same way that Circle II Circle do.

UNRESTRICTED is album #7 for the guys and again it is a technically decent record. The album starts with a slow to mid-tempo cut, called ‘The Eternal’ it’s almost a ballad. Bad move. It’s an OK song but should have been about track seven. They pick up the pace but the songs never get really fast or dangerous. Andy Franck possesses the quintessential metal voice but I prefer his work in Brainstorm where he really cuts loose more often. Every song sits comfortably (too comfortably) in that crunchy, slow-burn pocket, each cut sitting in the 3.5 to 4.5 minute range. No real epics, no real ballads, no insane speed, just straight-ahead conventional, safe metal.

Lyrically the band seems a bit down on this one, lots of songs about heartbreak, love and loss. Again, to me the band have never really developed enough song-writing personality or distinction to stand ahead of the pack. The production is good, it has a nice eye-catching album cover but these things are not enough to salvage an average album. It’s a really competitive, busy genre and Symphorce have yet to stand out for me. The sum is not better than the parts as I like Freedom Call (DuPont's band) better and as mentioned I like Andy's work in Brainstorm better and Markus' work in Mystic Prophecy better.

I’m in the minority opinion about Symphorce as Rick and EvilG of this very site love these guys and heap praise on every album. I hope they do a review of UNRESTRICTED to give some alternate perspective.

Star One - Victims Of The Modern Age

Released: 2010, InsideOut
Rating: 3.0/5
Reviewer: JP

I really loved the debut album by Star One. Back in 2002 I gave SPACE METAL a perfect score on this very site. I was also really impressed by the Live follow up and the DVD. My expectations were really high for this next installment, and I disappointed to say VICTIMS OF THE MODERN WORLD doesn’t match up.

Star One is Arjen’s project to get darker and heavier than his other works. I admire that and saw that vision realized in the debut. The album is a bit too keyboard heavy. Don’t get me wrong; I love keyboards. I’m not one of these ‘Keyboards Aren’t Metal’ type of guys. However, when the instrument replaces the guitar as the key instrument much of the time, I’m not as pleased. There are a few heavier moments like on ‘Human See, Human Do’ but the album seems to have been held back a notch.

It’s not a bad album by any means. The production and presentation are top-notch. It sounds great! It a vocalist paradise with the usual cast of characters dropping by for a guest vocal slot or two, namely Russell Allen, Damien Wilson, and Dan Swano among others. We hear little hints of very gruff vocals for which come out of nowhere in cuts like the title cut. Ed Warby puts in a good performance as always. It’s well arranged and composed, good songs but they aren’t as instantly memorable in my mind.

The album has a lot of depth and character and is very enjoyable. The band has embraced a similar Sci-Fi theme but more along the lines of man’s alienation in modern times as the title would suggest. Arjen in pre-release material says it’s heavier and darker but I’m not hearing it. When considering your purchases and listening choices, keep in my mind my rating of this album reflects the fact that it is an above average album, I like it but my comments are tempered by my love for the debut.

Sodom - In War And Pieces

Released: 2010, SPV
Rating: 4.0/5
Reviewer: JP

It seems like a long time since the last Sodom album. In fact all of the Big Four of Teutonic Titans of Thrash, with the exception of Tankard (Yes, Tankard should be included in the Big Four) have been taking three to four years between albums now. IN WAR AND PIECES delivers another volley of shellfire to keep you pinned down in the trenches for about 45 minutes.

The mascot is firmly in place (the soldier, not the hooded executioner) and so are the standard levels of quality for a Sodom album. I’d suggest that the new album is just slightly less heavy than the self-titled from a few years back, which was pretty crushing. Sodom has always oscillated back and forth between injecting hints of rock and punk into their blend of thrash metal. Not convinced? Look at what covers the band chooses to do through their career. This album it seems that Uncle Tom has been listening to some of his AC/DC records again as there is a bit more rock’n’roll swagger on this record. That’s a good thing as I’m one of the folks who enjoyed the slightly less popular BETTER OFF DEAD.

IN WAR AND PIECES is a little slower in places, the songwriting a little more catchy and Tom seems to be singing just a little more. Again, not a bad thing. The bass drums are not always double-kick in every song and the riffery is more open letting some of the notes breath and the solos flow, as heard on songs like ‘Soul Contraband’. Sodom has always been my favorite band of the Big Four and they have delivered another superb record.

The Illustrated Collectors Guide To Alice Cooper - 10th Anniversary Edition

Sherman, Dale
Released: 2009, Collectors Guide Publishing
Rating: 4.0/5
Reviewer: JP

Alice Cooper is one of the best selling, longest running, most prolific Heavy Metal artists of all time. Alice has produced over 25 albums in the last 40+ years. There are a few bands that are hovering in the 18+ album range like Scorpions, Rage, Loudness and a select few others, but realistically none of them have had the same commercial appeal in terms of marketing, as Alice Cooper. Truth be known, probably next to Kiss (or perhaps Iron Maiden) there is more Alice Cooper merchandise than other Metal artist. It’s not like Alice has avoided the marketing opportunities either.

About 10 years ago Dale Sherman had just finished his massive ILLUSTRATED COLLECTORS GUIDE TO KISS and decided to embark upon the equivalent book for all things Alice. Fast forward to 2009 and the good people at Collectors Guide Publishing have decided to reissue and update THE ILLUSTRATED COLLECTORS GUIDE TO ALICE COOPER-the 10th Anniversary Edition.

I don’t even know where to begin. This is the most comprehensive guide to everything to do with Alice cooper, ever. This slightly over-sized paperback is a massive 474 pages, utterly packed with information. It’s loaded with photos of all sorts of things, flyers, tour books, vinyl issues and so on. Sherman adds an interesting introduction and sprinkles some humour through the book with his comments on various phases of Alice’s career.

The book is cleverly laid out into six chapters, reach one corresponding to a phase of Alice’s career. For example there is the Alice Cooper ‘band’ phase and then his solo years, then his comeback years, then the 90’s and so forth, each roughly approximated to a decade or so. Beyond that, each chapter is laid out into five parts; an overview, Recordings, Tours, Film & TV and lastly Books and Comics. Each section meticulously documents that phase of his career.

Sherman was clever enough to include a ‘Readers Guide’ which is essentially the legend to help you navigate through the myriad amounts of technical data presented in the book. Everything you ever wanted or needed to know is included here.

Have you ever wanted to know who opened for Alice Cooper at the Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City on August 6th, 1980? It’s in here. Do you have a burning desire to know what colour of the label on the vinyl version of the Taiwanese pressing of the 1981 album SPECIAL FORCES? It’s here. Do you stay awake at night trying to remember the name of the character that Alice played in the NBC Television show ‘The Snoop Sisters’ which aired on March 5th, 1975? It’s here. It would take a lifetime to digest and process all this information.

Sherman should be praised for his monumental work. It’s well organized, well laid out and incredibly interesting. THE ILLUSTRATED COLLECTORS GUIDE TO ALICE COOPER is a must for all fans of Alice Cooper.

Lyraka - Vol I.

Released: 2010, Indie
Rating: 4.0/5
Reviewer: JP


This is one of them more interesting and unique projects I have heard in a long, long time. Lyraka has written and arranged and composed a type of cross-fertilized metal that I don’t think I have never heard before. Bands mixing different styles and influences is nothing new, but Lyraka have really created something special.

When I first got this It had Italian Power Metal written all over it, the Ken Kelly cover art, the song-titles, even the band name! That’s a good thing because I love Italian Power Metal, so my expectations were high going in. However it goes to show you probably can’t (or shouldn’t) judge a CD by it’s cover.

Lyraka essentially is the brainchild of Andy DiGelsomnia and his partner in crime Jasmine Lyraka who is credited with “Concept, Story, Characters, Screenplay and Website”. The pair from Burlington, Vermont have created a Metal Opera for lack of a better term. The neat part is that instead of a typical neo-classicalyy based speed metal sound, like so many Metal operas, Lyraka go way back the 70’s for the roots of the sound. Imagine Black Sabbath, Deep Purple and Rainbow all mixed together and then blended with some Power Metal and add lots of instrumentation, orchestrations and longer arrangements. It’s so odd and so good!

The songs are certainly not composed in a typical fashion. A song can start with some really groovy Rainbow styling’s and then rip into a blazing solo and then drop down into some piano or violins, or maybe a hint of saxophone, acoustic guitar, then speed up again…it is a very dynamic and interesting listen. It’s not schizophrenic by any means, the songs have continuity and integrity, it’s not just adding dissimilar parts for effect, the songs are well composed and great to listen to. There are only six cuts but each of them has many components are on the longer side.

Lyraka have hit upon something special. Others see that as well because they have recruited some pretty heavy hitters as guest vocalists on the album, namely Tommy Heart and none other than Graham Bonnet! His vocal work on a few of the tracks is great, it’s good to hear his voice again.

The production is great, and the package while independent is solid. I would have liked to see the lyrics printed and maybe a picture or two or maybe even some additional artwork. The website is very elaborate detailing the story and characters and I would have liked to see that in the booklet. They are working on Vol 2. So I expect things will continue to get bigger and better. If you think you had heard it all and are looking for something that is certainly metal but quite unique, I highly recommend Lyraka.

KISS Kompendium

KISS
Released: 2009, Collins Design
Rating: 5.0/5
Reviewer: JP

Wow. This is by far the biggest book I own. This thing weighs a monstrous 5 kilograms (that’s 10 lbs!) This hard cover has almost 1300 pages! This hard cover is a thing of beauty.

It’s kind of hard to rate this book because it is a massive collection of pretty much every Kiss comic book ever made. This review is going to be short and sweet because if I tried to rate each comic duplicated here based on art and storyline, this review would be 50 pages long.

Both Gene and Paul have a brief Foreword. Then the book is divided into four main sections. The Marvel Years has the two Marvel Comics Kiss Super Specials. You know the ones, back in the 70’s where Kiss added a bit of their own blood to the printing ink. What a great publicity stunt. People still talk about it today. There are a couple of articles also published about the Marvel/Kiss connection. It’s a blast to see Kiss fighting Doctor Doom and hanging out with Dr. Strange and the X-Men.

The next section is the Kiss Graphic Novel created for Kisstory project. It’s neat to have it reproduced here because if you don’t have Kisstory this is harder to find. Up next is the more popular Todd McFarlane years and with Image comics and the Pyscho Circus storyline of the late 90’s. By this time the characters have sort of transcended being (almost) human and into larger than life, demonic characters, in the long running, dark series aimed or older audiences.

Lastly the compilation wraps up with the franchise switching to the Dark Horse Comics for 13 issues early in the new millennium. Tagged on the end of the book are a couple of dozen pictures of the (real) band from all the various eras.

How much do like comics? How much do you like Kiss? Well for me the answer to both questions is off the scale, so grade this compilation accordingly to your preference, but for me, it’s perfect.

Fire And Fame

Deisinger, Joerg & Begai, Carl
Released: 2008, Independent
Rating: 3.0/5
Reviewer: JP

My first question is… why? Why would anyone want to read the life story of the ex-bassist of Bonfire of all bands? Why did Carl Begai the respected scribe of BW&BK fame get involved? Why did Joerg Deisinger want to write the book in the first place? I’m not trying to slag Bonfire, I love the band however, I’d ask the same questions if there was an autobiography by the drummer for Fastway or the guitarist of Tyketto, for example.

Well, the answers are simple. Joerg Desinger, the ex-bassist of Bonfire was on holiday in Thailand on Dec 26th, 2004 when the Tsunami that killed 250,000 people hit Asia. He escaped with his life and it made him reevaluate his life and want to share his story. I don’t blame him. I want to write my autobiography, even without a life-changing experience. I would, but no one would read it! Joerg on the other hand has lead an interesting life and it is a great story that fans of Bonfire will want to read. I am a Bonfire fan so I wanted to learn more about this under-rated band. I spoke briefly with Carl about his involvement and the reality is that he lives close to Joerg in Germany and they struck up a friendship. Joerg asked Carl for help and the rest is history.

FIRE AND FAME is an independent publication, a simple, slightly over-sized paperback about 240 pages long, about a dozen black and white photos and a brief discography of things Deisinger has been involved with.

The autobiography, like most follows a simple chronological pattern, starting with Deisingers young life in Germany, early childhood memories, his first job, first band, first gig, first tour and so forth. The vast majority of the book covers the years 1986 to 1996, primarily the glory years of Bonfire. The band was bigger than many realize. They have about 16 albums now and in the late 80’s early 90’s they toured the world and sold hundreds of thousands of copies on a major label. I think only two of those albums were ever released in North America and that was about 20 years ago. Like many autobiographies Joerg focuses on the good times, the friends, the tours, the perks of the rock star lifestyle, visiting LA, cars, girls and so on. It’s all laid out in an easy to read, laid-back and appealing style.

The book ends very abruptly. Deisnger only spend about six pages on the last 15 years! It’s almost as if he said, “I left the band, did some other stuff for the last 15 years, but I’m not going to tell you about it”. It ended too quickly and after reading his life-story up to that point and gaining empathy for him, I wanted more details about his life after the band, and his other accomplishments.

One key area and major point that was covered was the somewhat complicated mid 90’s period for the band. I’m really glad he clarified what went on during that period. At one point it seems there were two versions of Bonfire going on, members coming and going, lawyers, lawsuits, managers, and even album being written by Bonfire but eventually recorded by another band under another name. It all wrapped up in July of 1996 when Joerg sold the rights to the band name to a couple of ex-members (who happened to be original members oddly enough). Those members continue on recording and touring today. If you have a chance to hear the Charade albums or the work Joerg did with Paul Sabu you will not be disappointed as those are some world-class albums that kinda fell through the cracks.

FIRE AND FAME is a decent autobiography, interesting, if a bit sparse in places. A good read by any standard, interesting for fans of rock autobiographies and all fans of Bonfire will want to pick this up.

Metal - The Definitive Guide

Sharpe-Young, Garry
Released: 2007, Jawbone Press
Rating: 4.5/5
Reviewer: JP

I believe that this was the last book ever written by Garry Sharpe-Young. Following his tragic and untimely death of natural causes in March of 2010, this book serves (in my mind) as his greatest legacy in the world of Rock and Metal journalism. Second only to Martin Popoff, Sharpe-Young was one of the most prolific and respected Metal journalists on the planet. This was Garry’s 13th book about Metal.

There are about a dozen books in the encyclopedia category that claim to be ‘the best’ or ‘the ultimate’ or ‘most comprehensive’, but in my mind Garry’s version comes the closest. Keep in mind I have read almost all of the metal encyclopedias printed to date (yes, I’m a metal-nerd) and Garry’s just stands out from the pack.

This book is a big, bad bomber weighing in at just under 500 pages of densely packed info and text. It looks great but doesn’t sacrifice substance over style like Ingham’s book. Looking a little more closely Garry had some heavy weight hitters with Joel McIver acting as Editor and Bernard Doe as Consultant and if that wasn’t enough the Metal God himself, Robert Halford pens the foreword.

The book is divided into 20 chapters roughly aligned along with genres or movements within the Metal world. Each chapter has a brief intro, lots of pictures, tons of quotes, limited discographies and biographies on about 270 bands from around the world. In my mind the bands that were chosen were pretty close to 95% what I would have included as the most influential, longest running, best selling, most innovative bands in the genre. It’s nice to see bands like Viper from Brazil, Bow Wow from Japan and Rage from Germany, get the recognition they truly deserve and are so often ignored by the other so-called ‘comprehensive’ encyclopedias.

A key point that I enjoyed is that Garry and his crew didn’t descend into the trap of flaunting opinion as fact. I’ve read many books that poke fun at or outright insult bands like W.A.S.P., Manowar, or Yngwie J. Malmsteen but Garry keeps it professional and neutral. There were very few technical mistakes in the book as well which adds to the air of authority and quality.

This book is utterly loaded with facts, most of them gathered throughout Garry’s prolific career as a journalist. You could literally pick virtually any band in this book, read the bio and find some interesting piece of trivia or factual tidbit that helps bring the book to life.

If you are looking to buy that one book that beautifully encapsulates the genre, forget Ingham’s book, pass on the Virgin Encyclopedia, skip Bukszpan’s Encyclopedia, and go directly to your store and buy METAL-The Definitive Guide.

The Book of Metal

Ingham, Chris (ed.)
Released: 2002, Thunder Mouth Press
Rating: 1.5/5
Reviewer: JP

The subtitle on the cover of THE BOOK OF METAL says ‘The most comprehensive encyclopedia of Metal ever created’. Well, that is simply not true. From a marketing/sales perspective I can why they might state that but off the top of my head I can name half a dozen metal encyclopedias that were published before this one, that are more comprehensive. Strike One. This book was compiled by some of the staff of Metal Hammer UK. Strike Two. This book is riddled with mistakes and flawed on many levels. Strike Three. It's not worth buying or owning.

Published in 2002 admittedly, this is a big, beautiful book. The large size paperback is big, bold and glossy, well-laid out, eye-catching fun and easy to read. It is packed with dozens and dozens of full-colour photos. They did a really good job designing this book. There are some lists, incomplete discographies, some sub-genre descriptions, and a few recommend albums as well. However, we all know that style does not outweigh substance.

The key flaw is that THE BOOK OF METAL includes dozens and dozens of non-metal bands. There are alt-metal, nu-metal, alternative, rap, industrial and grunge bands in the book. Bands like Blink 182, Creed, Nirvana, Tool, Nine Inch Nails, and Limp Bizkit are not metal; never were, never will be, and the very bands themselves would say that! To include these bands at the expense of real Metal bands like Blind Guardian, Angra and Rage is just inexcusable.

The editor says in his introduction that an exercise to classify Metal is pointless and reduces it’s value. The revisionist streak continues as he justifies the choices for bands to be included by calling it all aggressive guitar based music. Just because a band has an electric guitar does not qualify it for automatic entry into Club Metal! At least a third of bands in the book should not be here.

Another problem is that the authors focus heavily on UK bands. Bands like Vex Red, Lost Prophets, Terrorvision, One Minute Silence are all included while leaving out other far more respected and acclaimed international Metal bands. The authors need to get off their little island and explore the massive international Metal scene. The authors suggest that The Wildhearts are the greatest thing since the Earl Of Sandwich, but in reality outside of the UK the band barely made a blip on the radar. I don’t even think any of their albums were released in North America! I suppose one advantage of the UK-centric writing is that a few good bands do get some attention like, UFO, Thunder, Xentrix, and Wolfsbane but strangely enough no full entry for Saxon, one of the best-selling, longest running, most influential, British Metal bands of all time!

There are so many mistakes it’s laughable. Mistakes with discographies, release dates, album titles, this book was very poorly edited. Not only errors in the technical data but the book is loaded with ludicrous statements such as the UK band Hundred Reasons are the brightest hope for international stardom, the band Two is under-rated and Manowar is ridiculous! Encyclopedias are supposed to present fact, not uninformed opinion as fact. When I read statements such as how it’s easy to confuse Death Metal and Black Metal I cringed, as it obvious the author hasn’t got a clue about the clear and obvious distinction between the two very unique and distinct Metal sub-genres. I could go on…

It seems this book was rushed out and aimed to capitalize on a youth market by being as inclusive as possible. The editor says there will be a revised edition by about 2007 by to the best of my knowledge there hasn’t been an updated version released yet. It looks great on the coffee table but THE BOOK OF METAL is very poorly researched and edited, loaded with errors and the bands included (or excluded) means this book has no place on library shelf.

Golden Resurrection, Glory To My King

Released: 2010, Liljegren Records
Rating: 4.0/5
Reviewer: JP

Regular readers of http://www.metal-rules.com will know my tastes for neoclassical speed metal. I enjoy all forms of metal but this stuff is my bread and butter, my meat and potatoes, namely the main staple of musical diet. I can throw on a neo-classical Power Metal album on any time of the day and be satisfied. Golden Resurrection fits the bill perfectly.

Golden Resurrection is a Swedish project that brings together Christian Liljegren vocalist of Narnia, Audiovision and Divine Fire, and 22-year-old wunder-kid guitarist Tommy Johannson of Reinxeed on guitar. Audiovision+ Reinxeed=Golden Resurrection!

I never cease to be amazed at Liljegren’s productivity and creativity. I reviewed the Audiovision’s FOCUS on this site and gave it a 3.5/5. I also reviewed Reinxeed’s MAJESTIC and gave it a 4.5/5. Bring the two together and you have a winning combination.

The more I hear Christian’s voice the more I feel that he is under-rated and his name should be talked with the same respect and admiration as Goran Edman, Jorn Lande, Mark Boals and any other number of singers in that vein. GLORY TO MY KING was released on Liljegren’s own label and meets the usual standard of quality in terms of production and presentation. It’s clear, loud and has a nice balance between guitar and vocals.

In reference again to Audiovision and Reinxeed, Golden Resurrection is heavier and faster than Audiovision but not quite as fast and frantic as Reinxeed. I know those are very subtle shades of distinction but avid fans will be able to discern the difference between the projects that are all very admittedly similar in tone, tempo and execution. In case you were wondering about the name, yes, the band is Christian. Don’t let that dissuade you, the lyrics are not preachy, they are positive and life affirming, songs about the power and the glory, which in reality are not much different than the lyrical content of many other neo-classical type bands.

The guitars and soloing on this album are just mad, all over the place driving the songs along, fast, note dense soloing scattered all over the tunes. Everything is pretty fast on these songs propped up by washes of keyboards and soaring on top of that Liljegren powerful voice. This is well performed, well-executed and delivered with intensity and sincerity. GLORY TO MY KING is an extremely fine album melding the two shining stars capabilities into one superb album.

Heavy Metal Thunder

Aldis, Neil & Sherry, James
Released: 2006, Chronicle Books
Rating: 3.5/5
Reviewer: JP

As regular readers of my book reviews on this site may know, I’m not a huge fan of Heavy Metal books that are essentially collections of photos or art, unless they add something special or extra. Why would I buy a book of pictures of album covers that I already own? I can walk over to my shelf (or online) and look at the same pictures for free! HEAVY METAL THUNDER however delivers the goods.

This fat-boy of a book is over 250 pages long and is very well done. Ya gotta love an author who concludes his brief intro by saying, “Hail Satan!’ This book is so crammed with cool metal it hurts. The book is broken into eight chapters each with a theme. For example Chapter Two is subtitled ‘Lipstick and Leather’ and is a collection of albums covers about, yep you guessed it, Glam Metal. Chapter Three ‘Metal Thrashing Mad’ is self-explanatory and each chapter is roughly genre specific.

Scott Ian of Anthrax writes an eloquent and impassioned Foreword heralding the merits of cover art from the good ol’ days of vinyl. The authors throw in an Afterword which exclusively features the kick-ass art of the Manowar album covers. A nice touch!

What makes this collection of album covers stand out is that there is running commentary through the book, discussing the merits of certain bands, artists, album covers, trends and themes. The additional analysis is interesting and generally pretty accurate. As a reader you can see certain trends. Most album covers are big and bright. When you get to Chapter Six, the Black Metal album covers, you can see the trend of minimalist art or photos mostly in black and white, as compared to the bright cartoonish art of the Death Metal albums.

I own 98% of the album covers in this book, except for the lame grunge and alternative ones which could have easily been dropped in favour of a Power Metal chapter. However, since a ton of this stuff I own on cassette it is much nicer to see these bigger, clear pictures on glossy paper. It’s a great collection, good choices for inclusion and would fit in the library of all metal fans.