Retro Review: Crimson Glory, Transcendence

When the nightmares ensue,

all that you can do is

paint the sky another brighter

shade of blue....

Ok, its 2018. The 30th anniversary of one of the greatest and most under rated albums from one of the greatest and most under rated metal bands of all time...Possibly THE most under rated. Of course, I'm talking about Crimson Glory and Transcendence. I've seen several other bloggers review it, so I figured I might as well too. Crimson Glory is one of my all time favorite bands, and Midnight is my all time favorite singer.

I remember the first time I heard them. They had released a self titled debut album, but I hadn't heard anything off it. A friend of mine was wearing a Crimson Glory T-Shirt, and I asked him who they were. He told me to come sit in his car. The tape was already in his player, and he had been wearing it out. The song, Painted Skies was just ending, and Masque of the Red Death was about to begin. When the abrupt punch of that song's intro blasted through the speakers, I was blown away. I loved the sleek and sharp blistering guitar leads of Jon Drenning, as they made way for Midnight's opening vocals. "The pain lingers on beyond these castle walls...The red death is taking them all...While the king and his court dance the night away at the masquerade..The hour of Midnight grows near..." I had goosebumps. I asked him to rewind it, but he said no, and played Eternal World. My reaction? Astonishment. Speed metal never sounded so good, and Midnight's vocal range was something I had never heard before. I told him not to play anymore, and later that day, I went and bought a copy of my own. 

That album is a slam dunk. There's not a bad song on it, and if the Metal Gods had smiled on Crimson Glory, Painted Skies would have been (recognized in the mainstream as) one of the greatest metal ballads of all time. Same with Burning Bridges, but that song is more epic in length and content, and wouldn't have been given radio play unless they chopped it up and shortened it which would have been a crime.

You've heard people rant and rave about the production quality of Metallica's Black album or Motley Crue's Dr. Feelgood? This album deserves to be in the discussion as the best. For example, I've honestly never heard drums sound like that before. They sound raw and live, yet also sound like they were done in the studio. You can also clearly hear the cymbals on this album, which is something that I can't recall where I've heard them in other songs. And of course the guitars and bass. You hear one lick from this album, and you'll know its them. Lots of work and money went into the making of this masterpiece.

Transcendence literally has everything that was popular at the time. Commercial appeal (although it was never a cheesy love ballad) in Lonely and Painted Skies, speed metal in Eternal World and Masque of the Red Death, a blast of thrash metal in Red Sharks (another stratosphere piercing offering from Midnight) Gothic metal with Where Dragons Rule (I'm sure there's a D&D dungeon master somewhere who plays that song each time his group starts a session) Power metal in Lady of Winter, and slow and creeping haunting metal with In Dark Places. And last but not least, an acoustic creepy feeling title track that made me feel like I was being watched the first time I heard it. This band literally put the metal world on notice with this album that they could do anything, and rule at it.

Unfortunately, we all know what happened next. The band signed with Atlantic Records, who put out a lackluster album, Strange and Beautiful that failed miserably to live up to its predecessor, in terms of song quality, and production.  Midnight left, and singer Wade Black, an extremely gifted singer joined to release the album, Astronomica. While better than Strange and Beautiful, it also failed to live up to Transcendence, and Black was eventually replaced with Todd La Torre, who is honestly the only singer I've heard that can capture every vocal nuance of Midnight's voice, and do the songs their well deserved justice. Unfortunately, the band wasn't ready to work, so La Torre left them to do the same for Queensryche. He's successfully replaced not one, but TWO metal legends. There's nobody else who can say that. Anywhere.

Todd LaTorre with Crimson Glory

So, give this album a listen if you haven't heard it. You'll thank me. And, if you have heard it, give it another listen. Tell a friend about them. I've told quite a few people who hadn't heard them about them, and their reaction was similar to mine. One guy just shook his head, and said "Its a damn shame that nobody knows this incredible band. Nobody knows the bass player's or the drummer or guitarists name." I replied "You do now, and so do all of their fans, and their cult fanbase keeps growing." 

Jeff Lords, Jon Drenning, Midnight, Ben Jackson, Dana Burnell

That's all I got for now. Writing this took my mind off this damn flu for an hour or so. Until next time, turn it up to 11!

. 

Crimson Glory Reuniting With New Singer?

"When we live to die fighting

for all the things we believe

wishes come true" 

You may have just read the quote above, and thought to yourself "What is that? Those aren't Crimson Glory lyrics!" Well, you're absolutely right. They are not Crimson Glory lyrics. I'll get to who those lyrics are in a minute. Just bear with me.

We all know that replacing Midnight, the legendary singer of the incredible metal band, Crimson Glory is not an easy task at all. He was arguably one of the greatest metal singers of all time. After his death, the band struck gold with Todd La Torre. He could sing Midnight's vocals perfectly, from the stratosphere blistering high notes, even down to the soul striking and haunting beauty of the voice, which made Midnight unique. But, unfortunately, the band went on hiatus, leaving La Torre to seek other work. We all know the end of that story, where La Torre went on to replace yet another metal legend, Geoff Tate of Queensryche.  The band hasn't done anything really since. There have been rumors of them finding a new singer, but nothing concrete. 

That all changed last week. Yannis Papadopoulos, the incredible singer of Greek metal superstars, Wardrum announced that he had been contacted with a proposal from none other than Crimson Glory about recording an album with them. I reviewed their previous album, The Messenger a few years ago, and I had Yannis as a guest on the radio show, then called The Will and Thunder Show. Yannis is a truly gifted singer who could easily step into the role of singer with Crimson Glory.  Don't believe me? Check this out. Its Yannis covering Eternal World.  And, here's another of him singing my favorite Crimson Glory song, Masque of the Red Death. Does he sound exactly like Midnight? No. Not exactly. But, close enough. But he is a better singer than Wade Black, who sang on the band's album, Astronomica. His voice is also a little more on the aggressive side. But, like I said, he is close enough, and he has the power to perfectly hit those notes that Midnight is famous for. With possibly even more power than Todd La Torre had, and that is saying ALOT.

Here is a screen shot of Yannis's announcement:

 

That quote at the top of this page? Its from the title track of Wardrum's previous album, The Messenger. I have been hoping for not only a Crimson Glory reunion and new album/ tour, but I ALSO wanted the band to recruit Yannis. That wish came true. Hopefully, they actually do it!

Of course, now the elephant in the room is Wardrum. I would hate to see that band break up, get put on the back burner, or for them to replace Yannis. So, I have a solution! When Crimson Glory tours, bring Wardrum on the road with them, as the opening act. That would be an EPIC concert. And, yes, Yannis would be opening for himself, but if any singer is good enough to pull it off, Yannis is. And, it would be a dream concert for me personally. 2 of my favorite bands together? Sign me up. Plus, the United States needs to have a chance to meet Wardrum! They are INCREDIBLE!

Looks good to me!

This needs to happen, folks!  Hell Yeah!

Top 20 Hair Metal Power Ballads of the 80's

 

There's so much crap going on these days, and I am well aware of all of it. I am just too awe struck by the idiocy of the so called leaders of this country, that I choose to live in the past for a while.

Sooooo, What better way to live in the past than to rattle off the top 20 hair metal ballads of the 80's.

This isn't going to simply be a listing of the songs with the most air play. It will be a list of songs based on musical content. For example, More Than Words by Extreme will most definitely NOT be on this list. Neither will Home Sweet Home by Motley Crue. There will be a couple radio hits, but most of this will be great songs that were overlooked by the music machine that is the radio.

So, here's a good idea for a date night. Grab that lighter, the laptop, some beer, cuddle up with your

 significant other, and lets get on with this list. Listen to every song as you read this! NOTE: The titles of the songs here are also links to the songs.

Number 20: Hideaway by Leatherwolf.

An under rated band, as most of the bands listed here will be. This ballad had power, skillful guitars, good strong vocals, and a chorus that knocked you into the next room. The first time I heard this one, I was convinced that Leatherwolf would be the next 'big' band. The problem was that this song was released in the LATE 80's. Not really enough time to catch on before the 90's. 

Number 19: Sunlit Nights by Racer X 

Yeah, we GOTTA throw some Racer X in here. This band should have been huge, but I guess the radio execs were scared of all the crazy guitar to push them. Oh wait...They pushed Mr. Big. I got nothing.

Number 18, I Saw Red by Warrant

This one was a radio hit, but it was not their biggest hit. I include it in this list because of the sheer emotion in the music, and Jani Lane's vocals. RIP, Jani. I got to open for him back in 2004, and got to hang with him. Great guy.

Number 17, Livin' Without You by Shotgun MessiahThis song is great on so many levels. It is the PERFECT breakup song. And it would be equally perfect today. A girl probably wouldn't have heard the song, so you give it to her, and she listens, and hears the lyrics, and thinks that the guy is heartbroken until she hears the line 'Living without you don't bother me.' Then, it heads into the line 'If there's a tear in my eye, it's not for you. Don't flatter yourself.' The girl would be shocked and angry, especially if SHE was the one doing the breaking up. 

Number 16, Don't Close Your Eyes by Kix

A very deep and heart felt anti suicide song. Very emotional singing, deep lyrics, and music. Not much more to say, other than great song.

Number 15, Alone Again by Dokken

Dokken wrote great ballads. Period. It was hard to narrow it down to one, so we'll just go with their first one. The guitar solo in this is phenomenal. Glen Tipton of Judas Priest thought so too. 

Number 14, The Flame by Cheap Trick

Yeah, I know that this was a mega radio hit, but it was definitely worthy of it. And, someone would have gave me crap had I left it off!

Number 13, Ballad of Jayne, LA Guns Kind of a deep song for LA Guns, but a great song none the less. Jayne Mansfield, the working man's Marilyn Monroe is immortalized by the Guns, but I can answer their question. Q: What happened to Jayne? A: She died in a car accident. What a shame.

Number 12, House of Pain by Faster Pussycat

LOVE this song. Not sure why, but its been one of my favorite ballads since it came out. MUCH better than Bathroom Wall, right? 

Number 11, Without You by Motley Crue

Calm down now! I promised that Home Sweet Home wouldn't be on the list! Without You is a song that Crue actually put effort into. Its a great song. Vince Neil actually sings, and the music actually does something, unlike that other one that ends with a hummer from Vince. 

Number 10, Love Song by Tesla

Another one that if I had left out, someone would have been all over me for!

Number 9, Fly High Michelle by Enuff Z'Nuff

Yes. I put them in the list. They were a great band. Extremely talented, and this song DOES belong in the top 10. Listen it it! I guess people couldn't get past the band's look. What a shame. I'd rather they had made it big than say...Winger. I'd put them deeper into the top 10, but there are some great songs coming up.

Number 8, Screaming in the Night by Krokus

Not your typical power ballad, but it still kicks ass. Can someone tell me what the song is about please?

Number 7, Dreams by Van HalenLove this song. It soars like an F-18. (Ok, that was bad I know, but this video is one of the only places you get to see the Blue Angels these days thanks to you know who!)

Number 6, Fly to the Angels by Slaughter

This song is great. A perfect and beautiful eulogy. Can't really say much more than that, other than Mark Slaughter and Dana Strum make an appearance further down in the list. NO PEEKING!

-See what I did there with Dreams and Fly To The Angels? ;)

Number 5, Together as One by Stryper 

This is Stryper's best ballad. Great piano, and a great guitar solo. Why this song isn't a hit for the first dance at weddings, I will never know. 

Number 4, Forever Free by Wasp

Yes. Forever Free by Wasp is number 4. Think about it, it is everything you'd expect if you heard the term 'power ballad' for the first time. Ok, go ahead and give me hell about it. This list was harder than I thought! It was either this or Nobody's Fool by Cinderella! 

Number 3, Quicksand Jesus and Wasted Time by Skid Row

These two songs are equal. I sat there for 20 minutes trying to decide between the two. Both have very deep lyrics, dark and powerful music, great singing, intense lyrics, and are just overall great songs, so I decided to list them both at number 

Number 2, Painted Skies by Crimson Glory

Ok, this song rules. It features one of the greatest metal singers of all time, in one of the first progressive/speed metal bands to make it big. All though, Crimson Glory never made it huge, they have a hell of a cult following, and this album is one of the most respected prog metal albums of all time.

Number 1, That Time of Year by Vinnie Vincent Invasion

I've been saying this for years. This song has it all, and then some. It is probably one of the best written preformed, and produced ballads I have ever heard. Sadly, this great song was overlooked. There is really no excuse for it. Emotion, great guitar, vocals...Everything. 10/10

Ok, as I mentioned earlier, this was MUCH harder than I thought, but I did have a good time, and I listened to every song I posted here, so it was a good night. 

Let me know what you think, and if I left something off. I had fun, hope you did too!

Honorable Mention and a spot as #1A to Love Kills, by Vinnie Vincent Invasion.

Because it was in the soundtrack of A Nightmare on Elm Street 4.

1983-1988...Heavy Metal's Golden Age

I do not hide the fact that I am a fan of the 1980's heavy metal music. The music that came out during that time frame inspired me in my own music, and I judge all other metal against that era. Sadly, pretty much all of it comes up lacking.

Friends always joke with me, and tell me that I am stuck in the 80's. I tell them they are damn right, and I am proud of it. Sometimes, I will ask friends to name one album that is better than what came out during the Golden Age of metal. They will try, but are unsuccessful.

Let's take a moment and look at the masterpieces that came out during that time frame. Here are some of them off the top of my head...I'm sure I've left some off the list, but you get the point with this list:

Between 1983 and 1988, 

Iron Maiden released 3 of their greatest albums: Powerslave, Somewhere in Time, and Seventh Son of a Seventh Son. While they put out great albums before and after the Golden Age, not one album lives up to these three.

Judas Priest  released Defenders of the Faith, Turbo, and Ram It Down. Screaming For Vengeance was released in 1982. Priest is probably not the best example for this considering the latter two albums were not very well received, but you can't have a list like this without Priest. Plus, they more than redeemed themselves in 1990 with the masterpiece, Painkiller.

Stryper released Soldiers Under Command and To Hell With The Devil. Both are masterpieces. Their next release, In God We Trust was a major letdown, and the band never recovered. Although, their followup to In God We Trust which was Against The Law in 1990 was not well received, the music and songs were very good. Had this been the follow up to To Hell With The Devil, I think Stryper would have been Bon Jovi huge.

Queensryche released Rage for Order, and the iconic masterpiece, Operation: Mindcrime. The followup release in 1990, Empire was very good, but a letdown after Mindcrime, and Promised Land was a gem. The band went downhill fast after that.

Metallica released Ride the Lightning and the iconic Master of Puppets. In 1988, they released ...And Justice For All which was a good album, but nowhere near as good as the prior two. And Metallica has not come close to matching those two albums since.

Anthrax released Among The Living and State of Euphoria. By far, their two best albums.

Dokken released 3 great albums in that time frame: Tooth and Nail, Under Lock and Key, and Back for the Attack. Since then, the band has had a revolving door of musicians whose efforts will never live up to their best 3 albums.

Megadeth released Peace Sells, But Who's Buying and So Far, So Good, So What. These 2 albums were groundbreaking, however Megadeth released their crowning jewel, Rust in Peace in 1990.

RATT released their 4 best efforts, Out of the Cellar, Invasion of Your Privacy, Dancing Undercover, and Reach For the Sky during that time frame. Nothing special since then.

Slayer released their juggernaut, Reign in Blood.

Ozzy, released Bark at the Moon, Ultimate Sin, and No Rest For The Wicked. I know his first 2 albums were also masterpieces, but with these three, he was trying to adjust to losing Randy Rhoads. Not an easy feat to accomplish, but he did it, and the albums were great. No Rest for the Wicked was Ozzy's last great album.

Honorable mention to Crimson Glory, who's Transcendence album, released in 1988 is an iconic album for progressive metal. With better management, they would have been HUGE.

So, tell me why I should modernize? I say if it ain't broke, don't fix it. These BANDS can't even top their own albums written in the Golden Age, so how could some crap corporate rock band like Nickelback even hope to come close? Not to mention, these new metal bands, and even some of the bands I listed just simply write forgettable music these days, and in the days following the Golden Age.

There are several newer bands that are very good, and I do get into such as Disturbed. But, if Iron Maiden and Disturbed are playing concerts the same night, and I can only go to one, guess which one I'm going to see. If you said Iron Maiden, then you would be right.

So, if you still insist on telling me that I am stuck in the 80's, and should modernize, here is your mission if you choose to accept it: Find me a band that compares musically, lyrically, and with overall talent to the pioneers of Heavy Metal's Golden Age. If you can, I will listen, and if I think it compares, I will be honest.

However, don't hold your breath. It hasn't happened yet, and I doubt it ever will.

Could heavy metal have a second Golden Age? I hope so, and all we can do is wait and see. But in the meantime, grab Master of Puppets, throw it in the CD player, turn it up to 11, Rock the horns, and Bang Your Head because the Golden Age of heavy metal will never die!