Humble Pie – I Need a Star in my Life (Cleopatra)

 

Back in the day, Humble Pie, was one of the most dangerous bands on the rock scene.  Their live shows were unpredictable, you never knew what was gonna happen.  While variety of reasons prevented this band to fully realize its potential, when they were hot, they were the hottest!

I Need a Star in my Life is obviously a vintage release.  It’s an album filled with material recorded between 1974 to 1976.  It includes some original material, and some covers.  As Humble Pie would have it, the covers are certainly rearranged to fit band’s style.  It’s a very solid album with some amazing moments.

The cool thing about this collection of tracks is the notoriety of sounds and styles Humble Pie was able to able to explore.  At times, it’s hard to believe that it is the same band.  They were able to go from rock to blues to soul and still maintain their identity.  Vocalist/guitarist, Steve Marriott, was certainly a misunderstood genius.  The band he had with him was superb, they understood each other on a higher level. 

I Need a Star in my Life is a great testament to one of the greatest bands that never quite reach the expected level of fame.  The fans of 70s rock will appreciate this release, and celebrate this music.  Each listen here is a joy, and of course this is best served as a whole dish.

Mark Kadzielawa

Hatriot – The Vale of Shadows (Massacre Records)

 

Cody and Nick Souza grew up with metal in their veins.  Not any metal, but the Bay Area style thrash.  Both are the sons of Exodus’s Steve Souza.  In fact, when Steve decided to go back to play music again, it was Hatriot that provided a springboard for him.  Now resuming his job in Exodus, Steve is gone, but Hatriot carries on. 

The Vale of Shadows is a record filled with relentless riffing, and intensity.  This record just smokes.  It is energetic and profoundly heavy.  Bay Area sound fans rejoice, the new generation is here!  Cody Souza is now in charge of vocals, and he’s doing a very fine job delivering the goods.  By blood, there are traces of his father, but Cody does a great job on his own.

Hatriot is certainly coming into a world of its own.  In fact, they are already here.  It will be interesting to see where will they take this sound in years to come.  In the meantime, The Vale of Shadows, is a heavy offering, in the most traditional way possible.  Bay area’s sound survival is assured.  Hatriot polishes h in heavy!

Mark Kadzielawa

Grave Digger - Symbol of Eternity (Rock Of Angels)

 

Medieval knights were the first heavy metal heroes.  They are definitely portrayed as such by many bands. Grave Digger is definitely one of them.  They are back with another excellent album.  This time it is a concept based around the crusaders.

Symbol of Eternity is a very solid album.  Well written and very well delivered.  Everything about is just screams classic power metal.  The riffs are great, the song are catchy, and Chris Boltendahl’s vocals are one of a kind.  Instantly recognizable sound, and the quality that comes with it.

As good as this album is, it doesn’t really bring anything new into the already established Grave Digger sound.  That of course is not anything to complain about.  You know what you’re getting;  nothing that is short of great.  If you were a long-time fan, the band certainly delivers as they always did.  If it’s a starting point, you will be blown away, and may want to explore the albums that came before.  If you don’t care about Grave Digger, you still won’t. 

Symbol of Eternity is a great heavy metal album.  Every aspect of it screams quality and class.  Grave Digger wouldn’t last 40 years if that wasn’t the case.  Plenty of great track to choose from, but it sounds best when served as a whole.  Hell is My Purgatory rocks hard musically and lyrically.  Holy Warfare just crushes.  There is even a song called, Hellas Hellas, which is delivered in Greek.  The Greek heavy metal fans are known for their fanaticism around the world, no wonder the band is paying this tribute to them.  The song sounds great, and is very convincing.

Grave Digger is a heavy metal institution.  At this point, they have everything in place, and are firing on all cylinders.  Also, their ability to maintain a certain level of quality is a success in itself.  Symbol of Eternity is a solid punch in a gut, let’s hope you’re wearing your armor.

Mark Kadzielawa

The Dead Daisies - The Arcada, St. Charles, IL 9/15/22 (words and images by Mark Kadzielawa)

 

What do you do when your singer gets sick in the middle of the tour?  You can pack it up, scrape the dates, and go home, or you can bring in a replacement singer and continue.  This is what The Dead Daisies are currently doing.  Glenn Hughes came down with a bad throat infection and was unable to go on.  Dino Jelusic was brought in to replace Glenn on vocals, and the show went on.

The Dead Daisies are certainly in excellent shape.  The band is about to release their brand-new album, Radiance.  It’s a great record, and the band certainly captures a great feel.  Once they put the health problems behind them, they will continue on the road to absolute domination in the world of heavy rock.

This was a n early show.  The band went on at 8:00, and rocked from the first note onward.  Dino Jelusic came in at the last minute, and did his best to save the show, and deliver the goods.  Jelusic already filled in for some European dates when Hughes was unable to play.  He’s a fantastic singer with some very impressive pipes.  How do you replace the best rock singer alive?  It’s not an easy job, but one thing was obvious, Dino Jelusic, was there to do this job.

The band was certainly on fire, but you could see that their regular rehearsed routine was disrupted a bit, and in such circumstances that’s not a surprise. At times, it felt like they did the best they could to patch things up.  Despite all of it, the crowd was enthusiastic, and the band received a great reception.

Guitarist, Doug Aldrich, played beautifully.  He really went out of his way to deliver a superb show, as did David Lowy.  Drummer, Brian Tichy, even sang to covers to give some balance to the show.  The Dead Daisies worked hard this night, and they made the impossible somewhat possible.

The Dead Daisies played a combination of songs from the last two records, and added a couple of covers.  In many ways, this was a very unique show.  The band worked hard, and gave the fans a very special evening.  Their new album, Radiance, will certainly turn many heads, and this band will be back playing more shows as the original unit.  This was a great rock evening!

Mark Kadzielawa

Toxik – Dis Morta (Massacre Records)

 

If there was one word to describe this record, it would be explosive!  This word applies to the songs, performance, and each individual player involved here.  Toxik delivers the goods unlike any other time before.  While their previous records very certainly original, Dis Morta is simply on another level altogether.

Toxik formed back in the 1980s, releasing two critically acclaimed records in that decade.  From the 1980’s line ups, only guitarist, John Christian, remains.  In fact, it’s Christian who carries the ship forward.  While the next statement might come across as controversial, it is clear this is the best Toxik of all line ups.

Dis Morta delivers ten blistering tracks, of pure technical heaviness, often played at a breakneck speed.  Each track has its own distinctive personality, but best served as a whole.  The album is a great to listen to all the way through.  As much as this writer liked the previous records, seeing a show with Dis Morta being performed as a whole would be just great.

Guitarist, Josh Christian, was always a great player, but his playing here is beyond good.  Not only does he play extremely technical guitar, but approaches it in a very creative way.  You can hear all the years of experience coming back at you.  There’s a level of enthusiasm here you get from a brand-new band, not a performer who’s been at it for four decades.

Vocalist, Ronald Iglesias, is certainly shining star here.  Iglesias brings to Toxik what Ronnie James Dio brought to Black Sabbath.  Not only is he a brilliant singer who complements the music perfectly, but a very intense frontman who gets physical on stage, and gets the crowd going  All of the previous Toxik singers were great, but they probably would not give this record what Iglesias did.  Singers like that are rare.

Dis Morta is like a labyrinth of sounds and rhythms.  It’s all coming at you at once, and at first, it’s not easy to concentrate on all of it.  Every listen is a new discovery here.  It keeps the record fresh and vital.  It simply sounds explosive!

Mark Kadzielawa

Idol Throne – The Sibylline Age (Stormspell Records)

 

Idol Throne is a brand-new band from Indiana.  The group includes veteran players who put this project together to explore the world of progressive heavy metal.  Idol Throne intends to continue as a full-time band alongside other groups its members may be involved with. 

The beauty of this record is that’s it’s been completely thought out, outlined, and executed with detailed perfection.  The band members knew what they wanted, and knew what they were going for.  This may come across as a premeditated move, but the results are spectacular. 

The Sibylline Age is a state of the art progressive metal record with epic songs.  As it stands, this is a flawless album, yet the band shows tremendous amount of potential for the time to come.  One can only imagine what other greatness will come out of this group.  Until that time, this debut is to be enjoyed repeatedly.

Much has to be said about the technical aspect of these players.  Idol Throne members are quite talented as players, but they don’t overplay just because they can.  There is a level of balance in the music that shows great instrumental ability, and melodic songwriting.  Singer, Jake Quintanilla, can definitely deliver great vocal lines with an impressive sense of melody.  Each player here is an asset and beautifully complements the collective group.

Idol Throne will definitely be one of the great contenders in the area of progressive heavy metal.  After hearing this album several times, and seeing the band live one can sense a great commitment here.  The Sibylline Age is a record that will satisfy a listeners' senses in more than one way. 

Mark Kadzielawa