Massacre – Resurgence (Nuclear Blast)

 

This writer happened to witness Massacre’s last show of the previous line up, and the break up that took place in Chicago.  The album’s title, Resurgence, most likely refers to how the band was rebuilt.  The only two remaining members now include vocalist, Kam Lee, and bassist, Mike Borders.  Joining the band are Rogga Johansson, Jonny Peterson, and Scott Fairfax on guitars and leads, Brynjar Helgenton, is the new drummer.

In the past, the characteristic Massacre sound was based around Kam Lee’s vocals, and Rick Rozz’s riffs.  With Rozz now  gone, the band had a great task trying to maintain their style and identity.  They passed the test with flying colors.  The new players, clearly understand what Massacre is all about.  Resurgence is a very strong release in every way possible.

This writer is no longer shocked by the music, that happened upon hearing the first demo back in the 80s.  Massacre is not breaking nanynew grounds here, but they do deliver extremely satisfying old school Florida death metal.  If you liked the band before, there is no reason why you should stop now.  It has a solid sound, and reeks of brutality.  Dan Swano mixed and mastered the album.

Lyrically, it appears to be a concept record.  Many of the lyrics dwell upon H.P. Lovecraft’s writing.  In fact, the songs are divided into chapters.  Resurgence is actually a very solid follow up to From Beyond.  There were other attempts along the way, but this one feels the most complete and definite.  Also, there are few surprise vocal contributions from Marc Grewe and Dave Ingram, who at this point need no introduction.

The tracks feel very enthusiastic, and you can tell that everyone in the band feels the excitement of being there.  Playing the entire record live would not be a bad idea either.  It's a strong presentation.  The album feels more like a whole, rather than its individual counterparts.  Needless to say, it’s a job well done.  Resurgence can definitely wake the dead.

Mark Kadzielawa

Scorpions – Rock Believer (Universal)

 

Scorpions are back with another exciting new album.  12 years after announcing their retirement, the band is more prolific than ever, but they also made some great music since.  Rock Believer is an exceptional album in that regard.  The direction the band had taken here matches their output from the late seventies and early 80s.  Namely the two albums it resembles in spirit are Animal Magnetism and Lovedrive.  Having said that, please don’t expect song by song copy album.  It’s nothing like that.  Rock Believer has enough gist to be its own entity.

It’s a mid-paced hard rocking record with lots of hooks and catchy melodies.  On top of it, you get a great delivery from Klaus Maine.  He is in a truly great shape, and sings each song with a lot of feeling.  With exception of one track, everything was written by Rudolf Schenker, and Klaus Maine.  The two writers responsible for the big bulk of the material in the Scorpions’ extensive catalog. 

Rock Believer has plenty of great songs on it, but it all feels like a whole, and it’s great to listen to all the way through.  The title cut definitely rocks hard, as do Peacemaker, but it’s songs like Shining of Your Soul, Seventh Sun, and When I Lay My Bones to Rest that will grab the hardcore fans.  Three amazing songs that hopefully will make it to the set list.  In reality, there isn’t a bad song here.  There is a mandatory ballad, When You Know (Where You Come From,) and it’s another beautiful song with a strong message to the fans.  It’s Scorpions doing what they do best, and feeling very inspired.

New drummer, Mikkey Dee definitely adds a lot of enthusiasm and flavor to the music.  A solid drummer with the right grit to power up this monster.  Dee and Maciwoda lock in a solid and adventurous rhythm section.  Guitarist, Matthias Jabs, pulls some great leads, Hot and Cold comes to mind as a very memorable one.  Jabbs is such an accomplished player who knows how to complement every song he is faced with.

Scorpions are definitely on the roll here.  Rock Believer will get you jumping up and down with joy.  There is a lot of layers to this album, and each listen opens up another avenue in which the music will take you.  When you are able to apply your experience and refreshed enthusiasm, you make records this good.  Absolute winner in the hard rock heaven.  If this happens to be their last album, this will be a perfect way to go.

Mark Kadzielawa

Disinter – A Career Span Catalog (Self Release)

 Disinter is a presence in the Chicago’s death metal scene.  They had been releasing albums since 1997, played countless shows, and continue to grow and expand.  Over the years, there were many Disinter members.  They came and went, but the band is still with us, still faithful to their idea and playing death metal, and having fun.  The two players that navigate the Disinter ship are Guitar players, Mike LeGros and Mike Martocci.

This is a set of 9 CDs released in flat envelopes that outline band’s entire history thus far.  Many of these were released before, but some are available in this format for the first time.  Either way if you were missing any of these albums, this is the perfect time to update all things Disinter.

Putting it in the chronological order, the story begins with demos released back in the 1990s.  Demonstrations of Desecrations 1990-1999 covers all of the demos, and shows the formative years of the band.  Desecrated was their first album, Disinter, released back in 1997.  It officially put the band on the map, and set the stage for a very successful career.  Welcome to Oblivion was released in 2000, and one year later, it was followed by Demonic Portraiture one year later.  At this point, many were noticing Disinter as a serious band with places to go.  They were playing many shows, and their fan base was constantly growing.  From The Grave to The Stage is a live album from NRW Deathfest in Germany in 2002.  You can feel the heat coming from that stage when you listen to this disc.  Disinter was always a brutal and powerful band in a live setting.  As We Burn completed the first Disinter run in 2004.  All of those records were extremely heavy, and showed the spirit of Chicago death metal.  After this release the band took a long break, there were other projects the band members were involved in, but the idea of Disinter never died.  By 2014, they were back with Designed by The Devil, Powered by The Dead.  The title couldn’t be more accurate, Disinter, returned in style with a renewed enthusiasm, and strong album under their belt.  Breaker of Bones is the latest album by the group, and it is a release full of fire and death metal anger.  The set wouldn’t be complete without a disc full of rarities.  Rare, Rotten, and Regurgitated sums up any tracks that were released elsewhere, or only digitally.  The completes the Disinter saga, but undoubtedly there is more to come.

Listening to all these albums it’s like taking a trip down the memory lane.  It’s hard to believe they were able to accomplish so much, but they did.  There was a strong determination and dedication to the cause, and they clearly had goals to accomplish.  It’s absolutely great to get these albums at the same time.  What would make this release even better would be an accompanying booklet with some band members memories written down about these albums and times.  This is a self-release, and the budgets are what they are.  Regardless of that, this is still a big chunk of Chicago metal history that you can now hold in your hand, and listen to repeatedly. 

Mark Kadzielawa

Sodom – M-16 - The 20th Anniversary Edition (BMG)

 

Sodom released M-16 back in 2001.  It was a very successful album, and the band felt it was one of its strongest moments.  20 years later, M-16 gets a massive upgrade.  It is a massive vinyl reissue.  All of the songs are newly remastered, and brought up to the newest technology standards.  It now comes in shape of a box, and of course it has a military feel.  In addition to the album, there are two bootleg vinyl records with some unreleased tracks.  A very informative and extensive booklet, a USB bullet, and a Sodom dogtag.  If you felt your Sodom collection was lacking something, this more than makes up for it.

M-16 was considered a very strong album at the time of its release.  Sodom was riding high.  They were heavy, and sounding very cutting edge.  Sodom’s version of metal has undergone through a lot of metamorphosis.  By the time they got to M-16, they were already through several phases, and pretty much defined their style.  While never reaching true success in America, Sodom are a considerable presence in Europe and abroad.  They are one of the original and longest serving thrash metal bands.  Their achievements and influence on the scene very visible.

This is a very solid and heavy record.  It goes from ultra-fast to mid paced and takes no punches when it comes to heaviness.  The guitars sound crunchy, solid drumming.  All under the watchful eye of Tom Angelripper who plays bass and sings.  In fact, he is the only remaining member who is still carrying the Sodom torch.  M-16 has a historic value as the players who accompanied Angelripper are no longer in the band. 

The reissue of M-16 is a treat for any Sodom fan, and if you’re hearing this album for the first time, you won’t be disappointed.  The album rips and crushes anything in its immediate surroundings.  Your neighbors may complain if you play it too loud.  And its war theme will certainly send you on a special mission.

Mark Kadzielawa

Crystal Viper - In the Eyes of The Last Axeman

 

By Mark Kadzielawa

Crystal Viper are a heavy metal band from Poland.  They live and breath heavy metal, and absolutely love what they do.  Since their first release in 2007, Crystal Viper continues to be a very exciting and dependable unit.  Their albums always deliver the goods.  Crystal Viper knows and understands the heavy metal spirit.  The passion is there, and you can feel it from miles away.

"The Last Axeman" is the latest EP from Crystal Viper.  It's a combination of original and cover material, and some live in the studio performances.  It's a blistering release!  After the long pandemic starvation; this band is ready to go!

Marta Gabriel is Crystal Viper's guitarist and vocalist.  She is a very charismatic performer, and the mastermind behind the band and its success.  It clearly appears that playing and recording music is her life-long mission.  She certainly deserves your support when it comes to reaching her goals.

Marta Gabriel talks about the new EP, her life in music, and all things Crystal Viper! 

It seems like many bands are resuming their activities after lockdowns.  Is "The Last Axeman’s" purpose to make the fans aware that you’re still alive and kicking?

Well we were pretty active during the lockdown, and that’s how what started as a single, turned into a release which is almost 40 minutes long. We wanted to celebrate 15^th anniversary of our debut album with refreshed version of “The Last Axeman”, but in the meantime we also took part in the #RockOutSessions action during which we recorded 4 songs live in studio, and we joined the official DIAMOND HEAD tribute album with a cover version of “It’s Electric”. So we had 6 songs ready. Instead of splitting them, we decided to add one more new song, and one more cover song, to add more value to this release, and make this super long EP.

In your opinion, what do you think the new EP has to offer?

Well I guess this release will be more interesting for people who already know Crystal Viper, and are aware of what we do. As I said we wanted to make this release as valuable as possible, so although officially it’s an EP, it includes almost 40 minutes of traditional, classic Heavy Metal. 

Tell me about the two cover songs you did on the new EP? Did you face any challenges arranging and recording them?

We love recording cover songs, and we recorded many, many of them. So it’s basically like a tradition in our case. We keep on recording cover songs of our favorite artists, to show our fans where it’s all coming from, what are the roots of Crystal Viper, but it’s also a tribute to bands who inspired us. In the past we recorded cover songs of bands and artists such as King Diamond, Exciter, Riot, Grim Reaper or Manilla Road, now for this EP we recorded cover song of Aria, and we also included Diamond Head cover, which will also appear on the official Diamond Head tribute album. Challenges, well, some songs are easier to play and arrange, some other are harder, but that’s part of the fun. We love doing that.

You released your last studio album, The Cult, back in 2021. What response did it generate?

Amazing, the feedback we received was amazing! Our old fans love it, and I know we earned many, many new fans. “The Cult” is the comeback to our roots, both as a band, and when it comes to our teenage years. We’re all nerds you know, we love old horror and science fiction movies, books, comic books, old school arcade games and so on, so we wanted to capture that energy and vibe on “The Cult”.

Were you able to do any promotional concerts when the album came out?

Not really. We had this few weeks long European tour with Raven and Wolf confirmed, but then the pandemic begun, and everything was either canceled or postponed. We played literally 3 live shows to promote “The Cult” within last 2 years. This is super frustrating. 

Also, you did release a solo album titled, Metal Queens.  How did this album come about?  What focus did you take on that record?

“Metal Queens” is my personal tribute to some of my favorite female singers and female fronted bands from the ‘80s: Warlock, Lee Aaron, Hellion, Blacklace, Acid, Santa, Rock Goddess, Malteze, Zed Yago, and Wendy O’ Williams. I compiled a collection of my favorite songs, and then we arranged the entire thing that way, to make it sound like a one, solid heavy metal album. So when you listen to it, you can enjoy it as a standalone heavy metal album, even if you don’t know the original versions of those songs.

Is it fair to say that you yourself should be considered as one of the metal queens?  You did put a lot of hard work and years into heavy metal, it seems fair to be properly rewarded and billed.

Well thank you, but I don’t think about myself that way. I just love playing, recording and performing, and I love hard rock and heavy metal. I love what I’m doing, and I love sharing that passion with other people.

What is the heavy metal scene in Poland like nowadays?  I remember growing up in Poland in the early 80s, and liking heavy metal music, and for the most part I was considered an outcast.  Now when I visit, I see both guys and girls wearing heavy metal t-shirts. Back then it was impossible to see a girl into metal, and now it’s very common.  What changes were you able to observe during your time?

I honestly don’t analyze it that much. I’m aware that more extreme genres like black and death metal are way more popular over here, so there are way more people on those shows. We actually often meet people here in Poland, who tell us that they had no idea we exist, and they ask us if we’re a new band (laugh). But I don’t mind, since I love death and black metal as well. Although I’m guessing the change you’re talking about might be visible, as it’s now much easier to buy merch, and basically the access to the music is much, much easier than back in the ‘80s and ‘90s. Also many people who are fans, don’t buy physical releases like CDs or vinyls at all, so I guess they prefer to support the artists by buying their merchandise.

In your opinion how are women heavy metal performers being treated in Poland, and abroad? What differences do you see when you play in various countries?

I didn’t spot any differences when it comes to countries, but in general, I don’t think it should be analyzed from the “metal” perspective. You know, if someone don’t respect women, then it won’t matter if we are talking about woman who is a metal performer, or who is a lawyer, or who sells in a local grocery store.

When you look back at Crystal Viper’s career what is it you are the most proud of?

The fact that we are still doing that, without a doubt. I know that for many people, success is equal with selling millions of albums, being rich, having big house and so on. Sure, that would be nice, but in my case, the real success is doing what we love to do: playing heavy metal, and sharing it with the fans of the genre. We did 8 studio albums and we played in almost 20 countries, we met some amazing people, and we have friends all over the world. That’s something I’m really proud of! 

At this point, where is your most successful market for the music you play?

When it comes to numbers, I believe it would be Germany, Spain and Greece, but I know we have fans all over the globe. We’re sometimes getting fan mail from some really amazing and super exotic places. So yeah, that would be another thing I’m really proud of, that we reached so many people, and that so many people from different countries, from different cultures, like what we do. Absolutely amazing!

Do you have any plans to tour the American market?  Do you think the band is known enough to launch such a trip?  Could there ever be a package of Polish metal bands touring United States?

There were such plans, but the truth is we couldn’t afford it so far. It all got complicated with visas for musicians, and the prices of flights tickets between Europe and US are insane. We actually never played outside of Europe, so I really hope it will change. We know we have many fans in the US, it would be amazing to play for you guys one day!

What’s next for you and the band?

For now we focus on the promotion of this new EP, and I really hope we can finally play some live shows this year. We love playing, we love performing, stage is my home. Crystal Viper is a live band, we need live shows like air and water!

Vio-Lence – Let The World Burn (Metal Blade)

The impossible had happened; Vio-Lence is back!  They were one of the most exciting thrash metal groups to come out of the Bay Area in the late 80s.  Their run was cut short by the changing musical trends of the early 90s.  Vio-Lence had a very dedicated fan base, and those fans are still here, joined by many new ones who never did see the onslaught of their live performances.

Let The World Burn is a new EP from Vio-Lence.  It contains five tracks, and lasts about 25 minutes.  It’s like getting one side of an album.  The band hits with a solid punch from the opening track, and does not let go until the end.  This is state of the art thrash that will melt your face off, and still push you into the pit.  The songs are energetic, well written, and fresh.  The material is very well recorded and well produced.  Nothing is accidental here.  The band knew what they were doing, and they had the experience to back it up.

Despite some new blood joining Vio-Lence, the spirit of this band is more than preserved.  Those are solid Phil Demmel riffs we know and love.  He hasn’t lost his magic touch, and there is a level of maturity in his songwriting as well.  Vocalist, Sean Killian, provides the lyrics, and his one of a kind approach and singing style.  Drummer, Perry Strickland is still a powerhouse drummer; he’s more like a nuclear plant.  The new additions to Vio-Lence are guitarist, Bobby Gustafson, of Overkill fame, and bassist, Christian Olde-Wolbers, of Fear Factory fame.  Both players extremely talented and effective, and a great match to the original trio.

The five tracks here show that Vio-Lence still has a lot to say, and more recordings is to be expected in the near future.  In the meantime, this crusher will keep you salivating for months to come.  This is solid, this is Bay Area thrash at its finest.  The songs have a live feel, and must be heard live.  I can smell the sweat, and I can see the bodies flying, I can hear Vio-Lence playing!

Mark Kadzielawa

Rick Wakeman – Des Plaines Theater, Des Plaines, IL 3/5/22 (words and images by Mark Kadzielawa)

 

Rick Wakeman is a legendary British keyboard player.  He is known for his association with Yes, and The Strawbs, but above all he is a solo performer with countless albums and credited appearances.  There is no doubt, Wakeman, is one of the greatest personalities in the world of rock music.  Tonight, he was appearing in a beautiful Des Plaines Theatre on what he calls The Even Grumpier Old Rock Star Tour.  As you can see Rick Wakeman certainly has a great sense of humor, and he proved that repeatedly.

This was a stripped-down performance; a piano, keyboard, and a microphone.  No fancy set ups, no big production, not even a cape!  It was down to basics, and yet it was a very sincere, funny, and electrifying performance.  Wakeman’s interaction with the audience was great, and the evening had a very intimate feel.  Also, the nature of the Des Plaines Theatre allowed everyone a perfect visibility.  A big change from the big stadiums or auditoriums where he would appear with Yes.

Rick Wakeman would tell many stories and anecdotes from his time on the road.  Some extremely funny, proving once again that the truth is often stranger than fiction.  He was not afraid to dig dep, or have a dig at himself, and shared some embarrassing moments as well.  In between these stories he would perform music.  Wakeman would navigate between his piano and the keyboards.  His performances were flawless and full of passion.  Despite the advanced age and the self-described grumpiness, he still has his chops in order and can play unlike anyone else.

Rick Wakeman spoke about the plans to perform a big show with Keith Emerson of Emerson, Lake & Palmer, and Jon Lord of Deep Purple, and his sadness that it never materialized.  Afterwards he played, Gone but Not Forgotten, and paid a tribute to the departed Emerson and Lord. 

 Musically he was all over the place highlighting many great moments from his career.  The crowd definitely enjoyed hearing few selections from his award winning The Six Wives of Henry VIII.  Wakeman actually admitted to have the gone through few wives on his own, and got the crowd laughing.  He acknowledged his time with Yes by performing a beautiful piano rendition of And You And I, which certainly brought the house down.  There were many Yes t-shirts in the audience, which on this side of the Atlantic is understandable.

There were some less know gems performed as well.  One such composition was After the Ball from an album White Rock, or the warm and beautiful Sea Horses from the Rhapsodies record.  It was great for Wakeman to expose some of those lesser-known tracks and explain what makes them special.  There are 90 solo albums available to explore, and that’s a lot of music to choose from.

Wakeman spoke how he communicates with his sons through texting, and how they always send him various acronyms.  Afterwards he introduced some new acronyms that elderly rockers like himself may want to apply.  Some included TOT, which stood for texting on toilet, or BFF which stood for best friend’s funeral.  All of which generated some serious laughter from the crowd

Wakeman even took some questions from the audience which were submitted before the show.  He did have fun with the questions, and that once again generated some fun responses from the crowd.  One of the questions asked about the possibility of a retirement, to which Wakeman assured the audience that he loves playing music and will do it as long as it will be physically possible for him.

 Rick Wakeman concluded the evening with two compositions from John Lennon and Paul McCartney, before returning for an encore with David Bowie’s Life on Mars; a song he originally recorded with Bowie back in 1971.  At one point of the show, Rick Wakeman, remembered his first piano teacher who always told him that playing music was like painting, and he’s been painting ever since.  This evening was full of such images, and a tiny bit of laughter too.

Mark Kadzielawa