So, what’s been going on with me since I posted more frequently? Well, outside of dealing with typical life events I’ve been buying HUNDREDS of CDs- yeah you read that right… HUNDREDS. I’ve gone a bit buck wild at thrift stores, music stores, eBay, Mercari etc and have bought so many that there will probably be songs popping up on this “shuffle go ’round” that I’ve not even heard before. We shall see…

Oh, and I missed doing this particular post so I may over pontificate and go a little longer than usual 🙂

“Queen In Love”, Yngwie Malmsteen Trial By Fire: Live In Leningrad

Boy howdy, the pairing of everyone’s favorite Swedish six string shredder with the former mighty voice of Rainbow was a match made in heaven (tonight?). Unfortunately, we only got one studio album out of the deal (and this here live album) before the pairing went poo poo and went their separate ways but what they did release was some fab castle rock featuring Joe Lynn Turner’s sonorous pipes mixed with some great Yngwie playing o’er top some great melodic pomp n circumstance. “Queen In Love” is a fine chunkster, this live version featuring some fiery guitar work with a hooky chorus and JLT in fine voice. Would I love to see another pairing of this duo? Absolutely.

“Promises”, Overkill, From The Underground And Below

Uhhh… no. Look, I love Overkill and I give them props for throwing the occasional curveball onto each album but this is so far left field for the band that it sticks out like a sore thumb. Blitz crooning? Acoustic guitars?? WHAAAAT??? Sure, you get some fat riffage during the verses and chorus that’s kinda cool but this is kind of like bad Motley Crue mixed with Meat Loaf. It’s not quite a power ballad but it definitely feels like one. I’m not going to like every song from a favorite band so no winner here (sorry guys!)

“Peruvian Skies” Dream Theater, Falling Into Infinity

Interesting… I’ve had this CD for a few years and I may have listened to it once or twice and that’s it. Knowing a bit of Dream Theater (but not a whole lot), this song is kind of a cool sidestep as it tones down the histrionics and moves into what feels like Alice N Chains territory: brooding intro (kinda “Rooster”-esque in a way), dark lyrics, and some impassioned singing from James LaBrie. But then the chorus gets into Floydian territory with some gently strummed acoustics and dreamy vocals before switching back to AIC. For a band that has some massive chops this song sits back quite a bit early, everybody playing it cool until maybe the four minute mark where we have a full on tonal shift of the metal variety that kicks you in the head. First thing I noticed at the beginning of the song is… where’s Portnoy in the mix? Then BAM! Hey Mike, where ya been?

“Metal Thrashing Mad (Live)” Anthrax, Armed And Dangerous

“Live?”… ha ha ha… yeah right. No big deal because hey! Armed And Dangerous serves as the debut of new throat Joey Belladonna, he of serious pipes selected to front these stomping Noo Yawkers in Anthrax. In a way, “Metal Thrashing Mad” may have been the bands first (ahem) hit; or at least one of those that you remember from debut album Fistful of Metal and one that the band may toss out live in concert these days. This version is pretty skronkin’, Joey sounds GREAT and the band is on fire in all of its thrashy goodness- listen to that Frankie Bello bass! He’s a new guy on this platter too as he replaced Dan Lilker, lending a bit of Steve Harris flair to those original lines. Oh, and I’ve always felt Danny Spitz to be a bit underrated in the lead department. Awesome version.

“The Eagle Has Landed” Saxon, The Eagle Has Landed: 40 Live

First exposure to the mighty Saxon was via their Crusader album and then I went backwards from there to get the other albums. I’ve always had a soft spot for Power And The Glory and its relentless title cut but I’ve also always been mesmerized by this song’s dreamy sonics and impassioned vocal from Biff Byford. This version finds the band live at Germany’s Wacken Festival and features the band playing with an orchestra on some of the cuts including this one. And whaddya know, this actually works here- the orchestration sits perfect in the mix; not too dominating but finding pockets to add some beauty and heft during the slower sections and during the heavier sections. As for the band they sound fantastic, Paul Quinn ripping some very cool solos and Nigel Glockler’s solid thumping on the kit brings this one to even greater heights than the studio version. Well done!

“We Got Used To Us” Riverside, Shrine Of A New Generation

Riverside are a great example of a band that fits the purpose of this site… hey… are you looking for something new? I don’t recall how I stumbled across these guys; it was probably when I was on the hunt for bands that would fit my progressive rock/metal jones and boy does Riverside do that. There are some similarities with Porcupine Tree and Pink Floyd but I’ve always found elements of Deep Purple in their heavier material as well. As for “We Got Used To Us” it definitely leans more into into the melodious Porcupine Tree territory, maybe more of a passionate and dreamier vocal delivery with Floydian guitar work and some beautiful piano playing. Certainly no metal here but their material in this vein will definitely surprise you. A band definitely worth your attention.

“Until The End” Dragonlord, Black Wings Of Destiny

I’m a bit of a sucker for anything Eric Peterson does. Those not in the know about Dragonlord should invest, especially those looking for a little bit of black/death metal as a chaser to the man’s day job with the incendiary Testament. “Until The End” is a pretty good taster as to what you’ll get from the band- fat and chunky riffs, a well sung melodic chorus, symphonic keyboards, and Peterson’s dark gruffness along with the occasional crazy and demented wailings. If you can get past the vocals and dig what he does as part of his day job then this would be a nice pickup (and don’t give me gruff about “keyboards ain’t metal”, they offer up some cool colors on this one).

“747 (Strangers In The Night)” Saxon, The Eagle Has Landed

Hardy har har har… what is it with shuffle mode sometimes? Not that I’m complaining TOO too much as we end up with another stompin’ Saxon cut from one of the BEST LIVE ALBUMS you’ll ever hear, stuffed with classics and the band in full glory. My fave part of this disc (outside of the awesome toonz) is the performance from one Nigel Glockler, who is at his swingin’ and swashbuckling best, punching these cuts into the stratosphere. Oh, the song? One of the bands best; Biff in storyteller mode (you can feel the tension in the lyrics) with the Quinn/Oliver duo hitting the riff hard but peeling back with some sweet lines during the melodic chorus.

“Headswitch” Bruce Dickinson, Skunkworks

Good ol’ Bruce Bruce spread his wings back in the early/mid 1990s and left the massive Iron Maiden machine and releasing a handful of heavy rock records that were a bit removed from his Air Raid Siren days. One of those new hats was the band/record Skunkworks, a record that many felt was a bit alterna-metal or maybe a tad bit grunge considering the times. “Headswitch” leans more heavy blues with a dash of punkish tempo, yet Bruce is quite the contrast as he settles more into an almost talk vocal style that’s nowhere near the highs of his glory days. Actually a cool little slammin’ tune with some tasty, slippery licks from one Alex Dickson.

“Behold The Beheaded” Lik, Mass Funeral Evocation

Kicking off with a bit o’ doom, “Behold The Beheaded” lures you in until the one minute mark before thy heads start a banging and death starts a rattling. A bit of an underrated band that features some great drumwork from Chris Barkensjo, Lik falls a bit in that mostly death metal space with dashes of thrash and proper guttural barking from Tomas Akvik and nasty, megawatt riffage . Avkik’s “BeeHOOOOOOLD… the BEHEEEEADAAAAAAD” is true death, enough throaty force to peel the paint off the walls and sending those weak of heart running to the hills (and for their lives).

Fave tune of this post? Gotta go with “747” followed by “The Eagle Has Landed” with “Metal Thrashing Mad” pulling into third place