Words: Malcolm Dome

Acclaimed as one of the best albums of 2010, the self-titled debut from Slash (Roadrunner) has now been reissued on a deluxe format. The added extras are three acoustic tracks with Myles Kennedy on vocals and a DVD. Is it worth getting this album a second time for these? Your choice.  But the acoustic performances (including Velvet Revolver and Guns N’ Roses covers) are good, while the DVD is entertaining and informative.

The continual resurgence of back catalogue reissues from Savatage continues with Gutter Ballet (earMUSIC). Originally released in 1989, this is one of the great albums from the band, bringing together orchestration and power in a surging collection of songs with epic soul and esoteric passion. Perhaps more relevant now than 20 years ago.

You always know what you’ll get from Robin Trower. And The Playful Heart (V-12/Repertoire) fits right into the pattern. Some wonderfully evocative guitar moments on sumptuous songs, with the vocals of Davey Pattison very impressive. If you enjoy what Trower does then this will delight you. It plays to his strengths as a musician and songwriter.

From Sweden, Machinae Supremacy are now on tour in the UK, opening for Children Of Bodom. So, The Beat Of Our Decay (Spinefarm) is a rather timely compilation. It has tracks from their last three albums, and shows the way this band have matured from being almost industrial-lite pop rock band to becoming a formidable, epic metal beast. There’s also a cover included of Lady Gaga’s Paparazzi, which is really thunderous.

While we wait for the release of new U.D.O. album Rev Raptor, a four-track EP titled Leatherhead (AFM) gives us all a taste of what’s to come. There will be inevitable comparisons between this and the recent Accept album Blood Of The Nations. The problem here is that the songs are somewhat superficial and never really open up. This has more to do with the format than any lack of writing or musical talent. Hopefully, the full length album will be far sturdier.

The Trews are Canadians with a real penchant for intelligent pop rock. Hope & Ruin (Bumstead)  is their fourth studio album, and it is an emotional rollercoaster. There’s real depth here, with some wonderful playing augmenting songs blessed with subtle melodies and potent lyricism. Early Bryan Adams with touches of Rush.

Often overlooked, Blue Oyster Cult’s 1985 album Club Ninja (Lemon) suffers through comparisons with what had gone before. However this reissue, with a much more elaborate and firm mix, is a reminder that there are some stunning songs. Dancin’ In The Ruins, Perfect Water and Shadow Warriors would all have been hailed as classics had they been on the Fire Of Unknown Origin or The Revolution By Night albums.

Finally, a slice of terminally tempestuous metal from Australian cult heroes Destroyer666. To The Devil His Due (Hellsheadbangers). This is actually a collection of the band’s early seven inch singles, long since out of print. While you expect brutality, what surprises is the deep lying groove in each song. A stunning compilation.

WHERE: Prestatyn Pontin’s

WHEN: Friday March 18/Saturday March 19

The third occasion that this event has been held, and it’s gearing up to be the best yet. The line-up of bands includes the following:

Accept

Blitzkrieg

Breed 77

Elixir

Entombed

Holy Grail

Jaguar

Onslaught

Satyricon

Turisas

Viking Skull

It’s bound tom be a booze-fuelled, rifftastic weekend, full of maximum metal mania.

Find out more at http://www.hammerfest.co.uk/

Words: Malcolm Dome

Rival Sons are one of Classic Rock’s hot tips for 2011. And this introductory, self-titled EP (Earache) proves just why great things are expected from them. Available through iTunes, the tracks have a blues-rock swagger and early 70s authenticity. You can hear Free, Zeppelin and the Small Faces in there. But ultimately Rival Sons are their own men, and stand tall. See them make their live debut in the UK at The Barfly, London on Saturday, February 12.

In a similar vein there’s King King. The album Take My Hand (Manhaton Records) offers a very British appeal, with frontman Alan Nimmo having a voice that’s part Otis Redding and part Paul Rodgers,. Nice trick if you can pull it off – and he does. There’s a funky swing to back up the obviously bluesy rhythms, and some nifty songs. Could be a big career ahead. So, what with Rival Sons and also Saint Jude emerging, this could be a very big year for blues-soaked music.

More venerable is Francis Rossi, who’s recently been enjoying some solo attention. Live At St Luke’s London (earMUSIC) features a combination of his own songs and a couple of Status Quo classics. All delivered with the inimitable boogie sound that he’s been renowned for down the years. Perhaps a little too white table cloth and silver cutlery, as opposed to sawdust and empty beer bottles, but it’s an enjoyable romp.

Robin Trower delves back into the vaults for At The BBC 1973-1975 (Chrysalis). This is a collection of all his recordings for the Beeb, both live and in session. It’s a cracking double CD, capturing the great guitarist in a period when he was probably at his best. The Hendrix comparisons are clear, but so is the man’s individuality. Truly a celebration of a much undervalued figure.

With all anthemic guns blazing The Treatment race out of the blocks with debut album This Might Hurt (Powerage). There are hooks so big they could reel in a school of whales, plus mighty riffing with brings to mind Def Leppard in their very early days. And vocalist Matt Jones has the sort of raspy throat that should only be allowed after a decade of hard gigging and even harder drinking. And Shake The Mountain could become one of the year’s signature tunes. Catch them on the upcoming Power Supply tour.

Distorted Breed are one of those bands who could have easily fallen down, because of the inherent American biker rock style of the music. But it all holds together well on the EP The Wrong Road (Random Candle). There’s a real power and energy here, fuelled by influences from Black Stone Cherry and Black Label Society.  What’s more, led by thundering vocalist Jim Distortion, they’ve got a real Brit grit about them. One to watch this year.

Hookah The Fuzz are a young British metal band with a very interesting, and slightly twisted, sound. On their self-titled, debut album, they prove to be influenced by Metallica, only rather more proggy. The aggression and brutality are obvious, but so too is some intensely sophisticated musicianship. Find out more at www.hookahthefuzz.com

Desert Storm come on like the much-missed Four Horsemen on Forked Tongue (Buried In Smoke). It’s stoner rock, but with a real biker groove, and songs doused in testosterone and then set on fire. The band might look like hardcore nerds, but the music is right outta the Little Caesar and Circus Of Power approach.

Finally, Scheepers hit us with some true metal (that appears to be a prevalent term these days) on a self-titled album (Frontiers). This is Ralf Scheepers of Primal Fear fame. Armed with the likes of Ripper Owens, Kai Hansen and Mat Sinner, the singer has come up with an album that sounds like prime Primal Fear, or game Gamma Ray, or more than acceptable Accept. There’s even a full-on cover of Judas Priest’s Before The Dawn. A bit of a cracker, in a true metal style.

The lucky winners – and there will be 20 of them! – will each get four day passes, covering the whole shebang, from March 17-19. Please note: this does not include accommodation. But each set is worth a whopping £464.

OK, to enter correctly answer the following question:

Accept are one of the man bands playing at Hammerfest this year. What nationality is new vocalist Mark Tornillo?
Email your answer to info@hammerfest.co.uk

You must also include your date of birth and mobile phone number. You have to be 16 or over to be eligible for this competition.

Wanna know more about Hammerfest III? All the info’s here.

www.hammerfest.co.uk

Thu. 17^th: London Relentless Garage

Fri. 18^th: Prestatyn Hammerfest

Sat. 19^th Dublin Village

Sun. 20^th: Belfast Spring & Airbrake

Tue. 22^nd: Sheffield Corporation

Find out more at www.acceptworldwide.com

Words: Malcolm Dome

The Damned Things are a combination of Anthrax, Every Time I Die and Fall Out Boy. Their debut album, Ironiclast (Def Jam/Island) sees the five-piece trying to reinvent 80s classic rock. They do the job rather well, even if there are occasions when vocalist Keith Buckley remembers his metalcore past and starts barking and growling. But overall the songs are strong and the musicianship is convincing.

Evile have reissued their second album Infected Nations (Earache), this time with a bonus live CD. Still a fine record, and a reminder of the sad of loss of bassist Mike Alexander a year ago. They remain one of the  best young thrash bands around.

Burning Tree were one of those late 80s bands who always deserved more recognition than they got. Pitched somewhere between blues, stoner and proto-grunge, their self-titled 1990 debut has now been welcomingly reissued by Rock Candy. You know what? It actually sounds even more relevant than it was back then. Guitarist Marc Ford went on to join the Black Crowes, but this is his finest work.

Londoners King Lizard have been around for some while, but Viva La Decadance is their first album. And it’s something of a minor trash classic. Guitarist Niro is potentially a superstar – the man has the touch and feel of someone who could have walked into Motley Crue or LA Guns back in the mid-80s. That’s where this band are coming from, with a hint of Thin Lizzy swagger. At a time when this genre is enjoying a real return, the Lizard might just be the right band in the right city at the right time. The album’s out on December 1. Find out more at www.kinglizard.co.uk

German doomsters Mirror Of Deception return with fourth album A Smouldering Fire (Cyclone Empire). If your bag’s Candlemass style metal, then you’ll get right into this lot. They’ve been going for about 20 years now, and know how to deliver this style with real panache. The only down side is that they don’t have a killer track here.

Poison Sun feature Accept guitarist Herman Frank. So, it’s no surprise to find that influence on Virtual Sin (Metal Heaven). In fact, it’s a cross between being Accept-like and also having the more rock ’n’ roll attitude of Skew Siskin. Whatever, singer Martina Frank is a real belter, and this band could really make their mark, given the right touring opportunities. There’s even a cover of The Pointer Sisters’ I’m So Excited that could become a cult hit. A late entry for one of the albums of the year.

While Velvet Revolver continue the search for a new vocalist, the Live In Houston DVD (Eagle Vision) reminds us all what they lost when Scott Weiland was fired. It was filmed in 2005, when the band were touring their debut album Contraband. We get all the goodies from that record, plus GNR’s Used To Love Her and Stone Temple Pilots’ Sex Type Thing. Whoever comes in now has got a helluva an act to follow.

There might be a whole raft of books out on Metallica, but Mick Wall has come up with one of the best with Enter Night (Orion). It’s an excellently written, highly readable and objective account of the band’s chequered history, and also meticulously researched. It could just be the best book around on Metallica right now.

The German metal heroes have just released acclaimed new album Blood Of The Nations, and guitarist Wolf Hoffmann told Classic Rock:

“After our O2 London gig on the May warm-up tour (and, boy, did we warm up there) we all fell in love with our UK friends again – and it is the home country of our best friend (and producer) Andy Sneap and Judas Priest.

“We feel very strongly about it when we say we love to come back and what an honour to play Hammerfest.”

Accept join the following on the bill:

Attica Rage

Biohazard

Municipal Waste

Mutant

Revoker

To get tickets, call 08700 110034, or go to www.hammerfest.co.uk/tickets

Words: Malcolm Dome

Accept burst back, proving that there’s considerable life left in those Aryan limbs during this post-Udo era. New man Mark Tornillo has enough of the Dirkscheneider approach to fit right in on Blood Of The Nations (Nuclear Blast). But he’s also very much his own man. And the band are primed and primal, spitting out a succession of full-on metal anthems. Result? One of the best old school metal albums of the year, right up alongside Armored Saint’s La Raza. As some would say, this is very Accept-like.

Joe Satriani seems to have taken some of the discipline he’s learnt from the Chickenfoot project and translated it into Black Swans And Wormhole Wizards (Epic). The musicianship is, inevitably, of the highest calibre. But what really comes across is the rich sense of melody. A consummate release.

Talking of supergroups a la Chickenfoot, much is expected from Black Country Communion. And they mostly live up to expectations on Black Country (Mascot), a fine debut from Glenn Hughes, Joe Bonamassa, Derek Sherinian and Jason Bonham. Perhaps not quite the devastatingly classic album that Hughes claims, nonetheless it’s got enough strong moments to hold up, in a style that seems to owe more to Glenn’s time in Deep Purple than anything else.

Dragonforce have always been a better live band than a studio one. And Twilight Dementia (Spinefarm) proves the point. It’s a powerhouse live double CD, with some scorching guitar-driven metal. This might convince a few sceptics of the band’s pedigree, as they search for a new frontman.

Herman Rarebell has always had a very English sense of humour. Which is why he calls his solo project Herman Ze German. The former Scorpions drummer is back with Take It As It Comes (Dark Star), which includes a somewhat odd rap-style version of Rock You Like A Hurricane. But much of the album goes for a decent 80s-style American hard rock approach. Nothing amazing here, but diverting enough.

By his own admission, Robert Plant feels almost divorced from heavy rock these days. So, don’t expect Band Of Joy (Decca) to be rifftastic. In actuality, it carries on from where Percy left off on Raising Sand. Pleasant enough, and Plant has every right to go his own way, but this somehow doesn’t really inspire in the way that his early solo albums did. At times, the man himself actually sounds bored. Maybe the great vocalist needs the sort of kick that’s provided by an equal partner?

Spiritual Beggars were one of those bands who gave a real edge to Euro stoner rock in the 1990s. The Swedes were a class act, abandoned when guitarist Michael Amott decided to concentrate on Arch Enemy. Now, he – and they – are back. With a different line-up and, to be honest, a very disappointing album. Return To Zero (InsideOut) is not a reaffirmation of Beggars basics, but is a confused glob of retro goo. They badly miss vocalist JB, and the whole thing comes across as a misguided attempt to recreate the past.

Oceansize are one of this country’s most enthralling progressive-style bands. Self Preserved While The Bodies Float Up (Superball Music/EMI) is a wonderful mix of brutal rhythms, ambient messages and sedate antagonism. It really is a creative force, and more proof of the vast pool of talent out there.

Helmet rarely let anyone down. And Seeing Eye Dog (Work Song) is a prime example of their alt. rock credentials. It simply doesn’t sound like anyone else. You can identify elements of nu metal, grunge, punk and thrash. But it all adds up to…well, Helmet. It even includes a sparkling cover of the Beatles’ And Your Bird Can Sing, wherein mainman Page Hamilton actually captures the John Lennon vocal twinge remarkably well.

Finally, to the reissue of an all-time great album. Queensryche’s Empire (EMI) is now 20 years old, but it still sounds majestic. Progressive metal at its best, from a band who set standards even they found hard to match in subsequent years. There are three bonus songs added to the original album, plus an extra live CD, recorded at the Hammersmith Odeon in 1990.

THEN

Band: Accept

Venue: London Hammersmith Odeon

Date: January 29, 1984

Accept’s first real commercial breakthrough album Balls To The Wall had just been released by Portrait/Epic and was a total departure to the band’s four previous studio albums. The arrival of guitarist Herman Frank (ex-Sinner) totally changed Accept’s two-pronged guitar attack to a more clinical polished metal sound.

This was, of course, what some would describe as the classic line-up: Udo Dirkschneider (vocals), Herman Frank (guitar), Wolf Hoffmann (guitar), Peter Baltes (bass) and Stefan Kaufmann (drums). Udo was a character. He could be a moody so-and-so, but when he was on form, as here, he could be one of the most commanding front menin the world of metal.

I remember standing at the back of the stalls near the mixing desk – I always found the mix was much better there. Accept were going full pelt and had just launched into the hypnotic Princess Of The Dawn when I got a tap on the shoulder. I turned round to see James Hetfield and Lars Ulrich both grinning like Cheshire cats. As it turned out, they were both big Accept fans, headbanging along to the likes of Restless And Wild, Son Of A Bitch and Flash Rockin’ Man.

When Udo announced Fast As A Shark, Hetfield was off like a hare being chased by a greyhound down to the front and headbanged furiously to this titanic teutonic tune.This is without doubt one of the classic heavy metal songs – fast, intense, powerful and considered by some to be the first speed metal song!

Seeing herren Frank and Hoffmann duelling their axes on Balls To The Wall was simply joyous. Other highlights were infectious versions of the controversial London Leatherboys and Turn Me On. Accept delivered hell. Ask James Hetfield. I saw him after the gig and he had a very sore neck – that says it all!.

NOW

Band: Accept

Venue: London Islington O2 Academy

Date: May 26, 2010

Once again the Islington O2 Academy witnessed a truly historic moment. Back in early March it was Kiss, but tonight it was the triumphant return of the seminal German hard rockers.

I arrived at the venue early, as the band were doing an exclusive listening session for their forthcoming album Blood Of The Nations (due out on August 20, via Nuclear Blast) We were treated to eight of the 14 tracks. The album has been produced by Andy Sneap of Sabbat fame. And I must say here and now it’s an absolute barnstormer of an album. Along with Armored Saint’s La Raza, it’s the best metal album I’ve heard this year. The production is phenomenal; Sneap has done a grand job and seems to have injected a new lease of life into Accept.

New singer Mark Tornillo (formerly with power metallers T.T. Quick) commands from the off. The opening cut Beat The Bastards almost blew the speakers, as Tornillo snarled: ”Burn the bridges down!” My personal favourite was Shades Of Death – seven minutes and 33 seconds of pure bliss. A beautifully crafted metal song, with clever hooks and tasty solos from Hoffmann and Frank. I could go on, but there is a show to review.

Accept went on stage at 8:45pm and played for an intense and staggering two hours and 10 minutes. This was a new-look Accept. The aformentioned Tornillo now on vocals, Stefan Schwarzman (formerly with Helloween) on drums, and the rest of the band were as before at the Hammy Odeon in 1984. Opening up with Metal Heart, Tornillo easily filled the shoes of Udo Dirkschneider, in fact he reminded me of Brian ‘Beano’ Johnson with his gruff delivery. It really was a trip down memory lane as the devotedly partisan crowd lapped up all the old favourites such as Midnight Mover, Living For Tonight, Restless And Wild, Son Of A Bitch, Losers And Winners and London Leatherboys.

Two new numbers were also in there, namely The Abyss and Teutonic Terror, and both went down very well. But it was the oldies the metalheads craved and Accept duly delivered with rousing versions of Fast As A Shark, Up To The Limit, I’m A Rebel and Princess Of The Dawn. Encore? Of course, and it was a nice touch to see Andy Sneap guesting on guitar for the chant-a-long classic Balls To The Wall.

I actually preferred this show to the Hammersmith gig.

Accept were on fire, and with a strong comeback album should be making a lot of noise in the months to come. And when they come back perhaps could include Thunder And Lightning and Screaming For A Love Bite in their already impressive repertoire. When Blood Of Nations is released in September, buy it. You won’t be disappointed.

Suffice to say that, all in all, tonight was very Accept-like!

“They’ve asked me to do one song with them – a classic,” Sneap told Classic Rock. “So I’d better dust down the guitar and get learning! I don’t wanna give away which song it is – let that be a surprise!”

Also guitarist with Sabbat, long-time fan Sneap produced Accept’s comeback album The Blood Of Nations, which is due out in September through Nuclear Blast.

The London show, by the way, is on May 26 at the Islington O2 Academy. Click here for the chance to win tickets and meet the band.