Black Sabbath - Vol 4 (1972)

I'm feeling a little nostalgic now, so it is time to listen through some old favourites, some classic rock, some classic metal, and a few albums that will take me back to my teenage years.

And what better than Black Sabbath? Okay, so this album was released before I was born, remastered and re-released in 1996. You cannot really get any more classic than the Sabbath. One of the most influencial bands of all time, their tuned down guitars, heavy bass-lines, slow and ponderous rhythms, Ozzy's nasal high-sometimes-whine-something-wail of a voice... They inspired so many, and still tour to this day. Formed in 1968, with various line-up changes and several different vocalists, the iconic Black Sabbath is that of Ozzy Osbourne, Geezer Butler and Tony Iommi. They have sold over 70 million albums, worldwide.

And this is one of them. I am sorry I have not contributed more to their sales pool.

The cover is fairly stylistic of the era - black with white writing, Ozzy in golden-yellow silhouette, arms raised so that his fringed sleeves hang down. Not sure of his fashion sense, but who cares? He's Ozzy, he can wear what the f**k he likes! And it was the 70s, after all.

For some "fun" information about this album, there's lots of info on wikipedia:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Sabbath,_Vol_4

The blues-fueled "Wheels of Confusion/The Straightener" opens the album, guitars churning into the distinctive steady and heavy Sabbath beating. Ozzy's melodious rasp is fresh and young.  The tempo is catchy, down-tuned, earthy in nature and there's something very primeaval and visceral about it.

"Long ago I wandered through my mind
In the land of fairy tales and stories
Lost in happiness I had no fears
Innocence and love was all I knew
Was it illusion? "

More sludge-laden, but suprisingly well produced (this being the re-release) opening chords of "Tomorrow's Dream". A song I've heard on the radio many times, but never really knew the name of. The slow, heavy rifts, the wailing vocals... Very Sabbath.

Now this is the track for which I bought this album. It begins with piano and Ozzy's voice plaintive, mourning the loss of not only his love - but the best friend that he ever had. "Changes" - one of the most sublime and beautiful, haunting pieces that I ever have heard. Strings complement the vocals and add an extra level of sorrow and loss. The lyrics are romantic and bittersweet:

"...but soon the world had its evil way, My heart was blinded, love went astray..."

This track makes use of the mellotron - the 70s equivalent of a synthesizer.

Eerie, echoey "FX" is instrumentation lost in a void, jumping from speaker to speaker, forlorn and abandoned. According to wikipedia (see link above), this track is essentially a joke.

Then we chug on in to "Supernaut". Heavy on the instrumentation, and the drummer (Bill Ward) gets full reign, switching out with the guitarists.

Now, the song "Snowblind" says a lot about what the band were going through at this time: rather large amounts of cocaine. This possibly explains why the album, whilst heavy, doesn't have any really complex and complicated guitars and is, for the most part, moderately straightforward. This song has some nice slower vocals crooning through the chorus.

"Cornucopia" sludges on through, with faster pacing to the verses and a smooth chorus. Competent instrumentation.

Bringing in a slower, golden-tinted edge reminiscent of the rise of the sun over still, calm oceanic water; "Laguna Sunrise" is a most pleasing instrumental, strings intersecting with the mix of lead and bass guitar. An orchestra was actually involved in the making of this piece.

"St Vitus Dance" has slow, jerky rhythms, bringing to mind a puppet tugged about on a string (or yes, the disorder). Ozzy's voice rises high and slightly echooey.

And here we witness the birth of doom metal, in "Under the Sun/Every Day Comes and Goes" with the slow, blues-heavy, almost dirge like, low and deep opening rhythms, which pick up the pace as the vocals jump in.

I've found it quite difficult to do a track-by-track dissection on this album, probably because the Sabbath sound is so instrinsically a core element of metal: the sludgy down-tuning; the high, slightly raw edged vocals; the slow, almost dirge-like drumming. If you're reading this blog, you've probably heard every track of this album.

It's worth a good, solid 7/10

Atrox - Orgasm (2003)

Now we are back to the beginning of the alphabet and it is time to unveil another cd that was gifted me by my brother. This is, quite possibly, the first time I have ever listened, really listened, to this album - which I have owned for quite some time!

Norwegian band Atrox are classified as "Avante-garde". This is defined as "innovative and experiemental" - in other words, a wee bit weird. They formed in 1988, using the name Suffocation, but changed that when they realised there were other bands with the same name.  In the beginning they were death metal, but by this album (their 4th) they had inserted enough other interesting elements to give them the above classification.

Now, how to describe the album? Well, it is a cardboard digipack, with booklet inserted into a pocket. The cover is a darkly surreal piece of art painted by the vocalist herself, Monika Edvardsen. Somewhat Bosch-esque, it depicts numerous deformed and distorted characters assembled in rows and staring at the viewer - some are cute, others downright creepy - a round-headed, three-eyed pyjama clad child clutches a red toy rabbit; teo horse-headed men bear a pole, from which hangs two pairs of legs, connected at the waist; little imps and goblins cavort in surreal and grotesque glory. It is all rather beautiful. On the back of the case are depicted various caricatures of the band - Afrox, Hatrox, Ratrox, Flatrox, Batrox, Fatrox, whilst a little lizard in spectacles points out his favourite. Crazy, crazy stuff! Inside the booklet, the lyrics are printed in a scrawled font only slightly darker than the background, making them downright undecipherable.

We rage into the steam-rolling, heavy dealing that is "Methods of Survival" with its loud, determined bass and husky, knife-edged vocals, which soar into a softer swoop for the chorus.  Their sound has been described as similar to Meshuggah, a band that I am not familar with. About halfway through it shifts from the immense thunderous wall of power into something distinctly progressive in sound, with screeching vocals and a rhythm that reminds me rather of Ritual, but with a distinctly heavier backing.

"Flesh City" starts similarly heavy, with repetitive thrash and female and male vocals twisting and twining around each other. The rhythms jerk and tug, the drum and bass fading so the guitar can take over, then charging back in. Faster, faster. Then suddenly, almost a jazz-vibe as Monika's husky vocals come in. Chugging, charging rhythms, distortion. The illustration accompanying the lyrics to this piece are frankly somewhat disturbing - although I do like the witch-pig-on-a-broomstick (wearing a gas mask).

Twiddly rhythms, over hand-clap drumming and Monika's low vocals usher on a "Heartquake" which contains lyrics about "little death". I'm not really much good at any genre excepting metal, but I suspect this may have some lounge/jazz sound to it. Or potentially cabaret. I can almost imagine her lying on a piano, kicking her feet in the air and tracing shapes in the air with a feather or some other sort of long and slender device.

"How long to experience a heartquake, but oh so afraid it will end with a heartbreak..."

We are whipped and whirled into the maelstrom of "Burning Bridges", the lyrics of which (for some reason) feature first in the booklet. Raw-edged, filled with tension and drama. Slower, gentler moments interplay with the aggressive; tidy guitar rhythms intercepting the raucous. Then into tiddly, organic rhythms of creeping deceit and lurking imps in the shadows, laughing. Theatrical. A swarm of hornets.

Dramatic, slow; "This Vigil" brings with it an air of the uncanny. Chugging rhythms, interspersed with the croon of the synthesizers (or the moog?) which add an otherworldly, demented air to the wailing vocals. Dirge like bass-line, banshee howls.

Sampling and a springy rhythm usher us into "Tentacles". Organic-sounding guitars, dropping into heavier depths and soaring with the spectral voice of the synthesizer. Tangled and demented. Grabbing, twisting turmoil. Disconcerting, disjointed, sampling and a faintly eerie sense.

"Second Hand Traumas" begins with a more mainstream approach, fast, competent guitar fingering and a mighty bass-line. Vocals with a hint of the shrill. Then more into the complicated, switching tempo and chaotica controlled.

Solid, determined, "Pre-Sense" sets Monika's voice rising into a shrill determination above a more classically metal sound. Going into twiddliness, finding a pattern, then abruptly stopping, jerking rhythms, disconcerting. She really does reach some surprising pitches. Towards the end we draw to a conclusion. Or not. Stop... start... stop... pause... start. The eerie and disjointed nature is messing with me, and I'm not sure I can listen to it through to its eventual conclusion.

Like Swedish band Ritual, there is something about the abrupt jerkiness of the rhythms and the switching tempos that makes me feel ever-so-slightly queasy, like it is messing a little with my inner ear equilibrium.

Strange and beautiful, like the art, the playful with a darker edge, demented and quirky. I can see why my brother decided to give me this. It comes to me in tones of sepia, with shadows and darting light and little creatures that lurk in the shadows and reach out to pluck at your senses with spider-like fingers.

Yes, definitely "Avantgarde" is the best definition.

Rating = 7.5/10

White Lion - The Best of (1992)

Before the rather aesthitically appealing Mike Tramp joined Freak of Nature, he was in a glam-rock band called White Lion. Like many rock bands of the 80s their lyrics focused on the good things in life - sex, parties and rock and roll, with the occasional bit of political commentary thrown in. White Lion originated in Copenhagen, Denmark, when Danish-born Mike Tramp teamed up with American-born Vito Bratta. They had reasonable success - mainly with the songs on this album which is, of course, going to showcase the best of their music. Less of the sex, more of love and rock & roll! (And, of course, the social and political commentary). They are noted for their dyed-blond poodle haircuts, pretty boy eye shadow and the delightful fashions of the 80s (leather jackets, fringed jackets, tight jeans, lether pants etc) . Watching the videos is a little like stepping back in time!

It's a best of album, so it's not the most exciting of sleeves - a lion head, inked in exquisite detail, above wings, beneath the band logo, looking rather like an elaborate door knocker. Inside there's not much of anything - just a track listing and a photograph of ephemera, which includes a rather cute white lion plush.
The album opens with "Wait". Taken from their 1987 album "Pride" (which I own on cassette tape), this track peaked at #8 on the charts in the USA. It is a sweet love song, with Tramp's melodious, but raw-edged vocals adding a hint of pleading.

It's so dated, it sparks something in me, that gentle hint of nostalgia - the memory of long car journeys plugged in to my walkman; of lying in the grass during my lunchbreaks, lost in a world of music; of day-dreaming that one day I might find a poodle-haired musician of my own to make my world a brighter place...

Then we rock on in to the cruisy "Radar Love". This is a cover song, originally performed by Dutch band, Golden Earring. It's rockin' good fun with a bitchin'ly competent guitar solo. A great driving song, play it loud in the car!

More relationship angst, it's time to mourn a "Broken Heart" - starts with heartbreaking loss, then moves into a determination to move on and find something new:

"...I know that things will get better, I know the sun will shine again..."

This would be a good song for a teenage girl suffering her first break-up. Was I such a girl? No, in my teenage/High School years I never dated.

Let's have some real glam - "Hungry" is a song about carnal desires. Filled with all the typical glam-rock metaphors such as "loaded gun". It's fun, frivolous and contains such delightful lines as:

"...baby take off your leather and show me all your lace..."

After that nod to the glam-rock conventions, it's time to show their political side, with the melodious "Little Fighter" - a tribute to the Rainbow Warrior - the Greenpeace ship destroyed by the French Intelligence Service whilst at harbour in New Zealand in 1985, with one activist casualty.*  Filled with determination and passion - this is a love song to a ship, but a ship with a purpose and a mission. This is one song that cannot fail to inspire you.

"... rise again little fighter and let the world know the reason why..."

And now we have a rather impressive array of power and guitars merging into a symphonic intro into the glory and might of "Lights and Thunder". Heavier on the drums, sophisticated structures. Cruising vocals, a gentle and immense purr - like a lion would purr**.

This is followed up with the anthemic*** "All you Need is Rock and Roll". A competent, but repetitive number with skillful guitar solo and a twiddly bass line. Surprisingly long considering there's only about 5 lines to the entire song. But what a guitar fade-out! Very dramatic. Ah, we are back to the days of the long-haired guitar heroes. Not that Vito Bratta ever really made the "guitar hero" list.

Probably the track that made White Lion at least marginally famous, "When the Children Cry" is a gentle, bittersweet ballad beginning with gentle plucking and the taste of tears. Tramp's voice is at its most beautifully broken. It was true in the 80s - and it's even truer now:

"... all that we have broken, you must build again..."

This song never fails to choke me up a little inside.

Another lovesong laden with loss and longing - "Love Don't Come Easy" - nice rhythm, easy to sing along with, nothing special but very likeable. As a follow-up to "Children Cry" it's a bit anticlimactic however. Somewhat repetitive and rather along the line of 'state the obvious'.

Drum and baseline usher us into the cruising, maudlin chords of "Cry for Freedom", another politically slanted piece about the futility of war and the loss of life. Heart-renching with a superbly anthemic chorus. Here again, Tramp's choked, raw voice really adds to the mood. A glorious track.

Another live track, "Lady of the Valley" rips on into the rock and roll with a gloriously enthusiastic guitar riffs, before fading down into a slower beginner and then rising again in passion to crash into a mellow chorus. This is a song of mourning and loss. The lyrics give it a slightly fantastical, maybe almost primeval/pagan air, which makes you wonder who the lady of the valley actually is:

"I have brought my fallen brother and I've laid him, yes I've laid him at your feet..."

"Tell Me" is another song of love lost - teenage love that has turned to ashes. A bittersweet ballad of farewell.

And then the final song of farewell - "Farewell to You" which is a pleasingly mellow, catchy song that works well for any occasion - the last song for a party; a goodbye to your reckless, rock and roll years and also a pleasing way to conclude an album. White Lion, you will always have a place in my heart - rock may come and rock may go.

"It was easier to say hello, than to say goodbye..."

This is probably one of the best choices of White Lion albums for those that are not huge fans - the songs are light on the sexual connotations and lyrics have more substance, with a sense of hope and purity that is somewhat lost in the more cynically-fueled Freak of Nature. Here is a band that is young, and feeling optomistic about the future, despite the pain and suffering caused in the presence. Alas, by the time they had evolved and grown into FoN the pure naivety had been lost in favour of a darker slant and realisation that things were not going to get better, that hope would not necessarily lead to triumph.

This is an album that proves that despite the poodle-hair, the eyeliner, the tight pants, White Lion were (are?) a band with sustance, and beliefs that went far beyond sex, drugs and rock n roll.

Some of these songs bring a tear to my eye, others are mere frivolities. I feel an 8/10 is a fair assessment.

Some of my favourite White Lion songs that don't (for some reason) qualify as "Best of" are "Broken Home" and "'Til Death Do Us Part". I suggest you look them up. The first is heart-breaking, the second beautifully romantic.

* I was only 8 at the time and have vague memories of the event but I guess it wasn't of too much interest  to an 8 year old girl into My Little Pony, Sylvanian Families and collecting erasers, stamps and dinosaurs.

 ** if they could, but lions can't purr.

*** that is to say - stadium rock anthemic - the sort that gets everyone jumping up and down and shouting along. Like Kiss' "God gave rock and roll to you" but not as good.

Virgin Black - Requiem mezzo forte (2007)

Formed in 1993, in Adelaide, Australia, I was first introduced to Virgin Black in the late-90s, when I stumbled upon a Christian metal show on a local radio station - a show which played its last track only a few weeks later.  That song was "Mother of Cripples", an early doom/death number - and quite possibly their demo. For a band played on a Christian Metal show, VB do not come across as typical of that genre.

The name, which sounds almost bordering on black metal, is said to represent "the juxtaposition of purity and humanity's darkness"*

In 2006, they undertook a project to release a trinity of albums, all named for their sound using the classical terms. I (thanks to my beloved brother) own two of them. I do not own the third one, the most beautiful and classical sounding of the three ("Pianissimo"), because the band took an "extended break" and have still not released it.

"Mezzo Forte" means "moderately loud". This album features the band performing with the Adelaide Symphonic Orchestra.

The cover features a portrait on parchment, one of those old style sepia artworks. The head is aflame, the vivide orange dancing across in stunning contrast to the shades of brown and tan. It is a booklet, and inside the lyrics read as typical goth-doom - poetic, majestic, dark and sorrow-filled.

"Requiem, Kyrie" begins with low, haunting melodies, deep and visceral, the sort that sends a chill down your spine. Chanting, spectral and eerie. Slowly the other instruments creep in, an orcheastra laden with gloom and tragedy. Rising over them, flitting like a gentle breeze bringing with it maudlin hope, the vocals rise and swoop and soar. Heavy with melancholy, desolation and loss, this truly is a requiem.

Heavier, but slow, dirge like, "In Death" has male vocals - merging the low, deep and haunted with the guttural snarls and grunts, punctuated by the rise and fall of the orchestra, the tension of drums and a spectral female choir. A gloriously dark, haunting and spooky symphony.

Harmonious, dark shadows of twilight stretching out across the fields as "Midnight's Hymn" comes upon us. The piano touch of frost. The churning of a double bass, and from the shadows a spectral voice rises, a strange and msyetious figure, as though created by moonlight. A man joins her, his voice low, echoeing, powerful.

"...And I am suffering...." is slow and laden with grief, loss and a hint of longing. The harmony between orchestral instruments and the soaring operatic vocals is truly a majestic combination, an aural delight. There is nothing more sublime, more beautiful than classical and metal joined in glorious harmony. So laden with emotion, power, drama. To anyone who claims that heavy metal is "just noise" - I would challenge them to listen to this album - it is impossible to do so without being moved:

"...when will my sorrow begin to pale?"

The bittersweet harmony of strings opens "Domine", in which the guitars and drums come crashing down, slow and strong. This is a much heavier number, the vocals slipping from guttural growls to higher, tenor-esque despair. There is an edge of menace.

Heart-aching, heart breaking, we step into the dirge that is "Lacrimosa (I am blind with weeping)". Lacrimosa is a beautiful word, would make a lovely Goth name. The harmonies of voice and string replicate the grief that falls upon one's heart, making it leaden with misery. Choirs rise in an anthem to despair.

Finally, it is time to "Rest Eternal" with a song reminscient of the earlier one - slow, heart-wrenching, lade with bittersweet melancholia. Atmospheric, emotive. Haunting.

Beautiful.

This is an album laden with layers and beauty. Unrepentingly sorrow-filled, but never gloomy or depressing, just a symphony of sadness, a requiem. The combination of orchestra and choral vocals, interspersed with the occasional more traditional heavy metal instruments and death metal vocals all combine to create an anthemic, sublime and magnificantly dark and haunting album.

I shall rate it 9/10.

I wish I could get my mitts on ""Pianissimo"... Why not release it already!

* From the source of all knowlege - wikipedia