IRON MAIDEN (UK) - Best of the Beast (4-LP, EMI, 1996)

RATING: 6/10

OK, let's make this one as short and sweet as possible, so we can swiftly move to more interesting (or at least more relevant) Iron Maiden releases. Usually, I'm not really into reviewing best-of compilations, save from situations where there's a fair percentage of unreleased or otherwise rare material - and "Best of the Beast", apart from its historical significance as the first legitimate compilation released by the group, does indeed have a few brand-new recordings to talk about, which just about justifies a review around here. In fact, the timing of the release does say something about the tricky situation Maiden was trying to navigate through: it didn't celebrate any anniversary, there was no label change going on (and therefore no need to fulfill contract obligations with such a release), it was simply a case of, hmmm, putting some Maiden classic songs together in a package people would be willing to buy. To make money, if you want to put it bluntly. Now, I don't think there's anything wrong about using your own legacy as a cash cow on occasion (most of all when it is of such an immensely high standard), but the simple fact that Maiden needed to do it was clear indication that their new incarnation (with Blaze Bayley assuming vocal duties) wasn't exactly a resounding sucess in terms of shifted copies and ticket sales.

Accordingly, it was released on many different formats (so collectors would be tempted to buy multiple versions, of course), the most interesting by far being the 4-LP package: I don't have it anymore, but it's quite a thing of beauty, believe me -  and vinyl releases weren't that common an occurence back in 1996 as they are nowadays, so it's a good one to add to your collection if you can't live without it, though you better prepare to spend some stupid money on it. That's the tracklist I'll include on this post, as it has the most songs included - and there's also a minor diamond hidden among the nuggets, this being a live version of "Revelations" recorded live in Westfalenhallen, Germany during the tour to promote "Piece of Mind". It's unique to the 4-LP version, and it was never re-released anywhere, which immediately turns the package into a must-have for the most obsessive Maiden completists. For the rest of us, well, it's a pretty nice recording of an undisputed Maiden classic, so it's definitely a pleasant listen, but there's nothing too extraordinary on it to justify any sleepless nights if you don't have a copy. And oh yeah, there's also the demo recording of "Strange World" from 1978, that was previously unreleased up to that point - but it did appear on so many bootlegs through the years that you can hardly list it as a surprise, though it was obviously nice to be able to have an officially-sanctioned version of it at last.

Apart from that, the main focus of interest would obviously be the two new recordings with Blaze Bayley, a live rendition of "Afraid to Shoot Strangers" and a brand-new composition named "Virus". This particular tune would also be released as a single (in no less than three different versions, as the band really wanted the collectors to reach into their pockets, you know), but never appeared on any full-length album, being something of an oddity on Maiden's repertoire. It's not a bad song, mind you, but nothing too memorable either, a bitter tirade on sensationalistic media and the music press in general that switches from somber leanings to more lively tempos without a proper hook to put it all together. The lyricism is grumpy, the songwriting is kinda lacking, and the song as a whole don't show Iron Maiden in a particularly shiny light, I'm afraid. Not a song you will be willing to revisit on a weekly basis, and also something of a bad omen of things to come, though we're nowhere near the cringe-worthy territory of some tunes that would come next (more about that on the next review, I guess). That being said, I really like the live take to "Afraid to Shoot Strangers" (recorded in Gothenburg, Sweden in 1995): it was notoriously one of the few songs from Maiden's back catalogue that Blaze mastered right from the start, and he sings it so well that some can even try to make a case it's better than Dickinson himself, though I personally wouldn't quite go that far. Anyway, it's a good rendition for the song, and considering that Maiden will probably never release a full live package from the Blaze era (and, let's face it, understandably so), this recording (along with "The Aftermath", "Blood on the Worlds Hands", "The Evil that Men Do" and "Man on the Edge", all released as B-sides) will be your best chance to hear, in officially-released material, how he sounded upon a stage.

The remaining cuts are a mostly adequate selection of Maiden highlights from throughout their career thus far, with mostly obvious choices and very little in the way of surprises. The selected tracks run in a chronological order, the most recent cuts being followed by older classics straight into "The Soundhouse Tapes". It's a fine way to spend a few hours with Eddie and the boys if you don't feel like preparing a playlist yourself, and I guess it served its original purpose to keep Iron Maiden's name alive while they tried to figure out what to do next. But even the Iron Maiden camp don't seem to regard "Best of the Beast" as a particularly representative compilation, as it's been long out of print (unlike most recent best-of releases like "Edward the Great" and "From Fear to Eternity") and there seems to be precisely zero prospect for a reissue anytime in the future. 

The tracklist that follows refers to the 4-LP package. Tracks marked with a * were also included on the 2-CD version. Tracks marked with a ** appeared on the 2-CD and single CD/MD versions. All tracks taken from the standard album releases where they originally appeared, unless otherwise noted

Side A

01. Virus (previously unreleased studio track) ** / 02. Sign of the Cross * / 03. Afraid to Shoot Strangers (live 1995, previously unreleased) *

Side B

01. Man on the Edge ** / 02. Be Quick or Be Dead ** / 03. Fear of the Dark (live, 'A Real Live One' vrs) ** / 04. Holy Smoke * / 05. Bring Your Daughter... To the Slaughter **

Side C

01. Seventh Son of a Seventh Son / 02. Can I Play with Madness ** / 03. The Evil that Men Do ** / 04. The Clairvoyant **

Side D

01. Heaven Can Wait * / 02. Wasted Years ** / 03. 2 Minutes to Midnight ** / 04. Running Free (live, 'Live After Death' vrs) **

Side E

01. Rime of the Ancient Mariner (live, 'Live After Death' vrs) * / 02. Aces High ** / 03. Where Eagles Dare * / 04. The Trooper **

Side F

01. The Number of the Beast ** / 02. Revelations (live 1983, previously unreleased) / 03. The Prisoner / 04. Run to the Hills ** / 05. Hallowed Be Thy Name **

Side G

01. Wrathchild * / 02. Killers / 03. Remember Tomorrow / 04. Phantom of the Opera * / 05. Sanctuary *

Side H

01. Prowler (The Soundhouse Tapes vrs) / 02. Invasion (The Soundhouse Tapes vrs) / 03. Strange World (The Soundhouse Tapes vrs, previously unreleased) * / 04. Iron Maiden (The Soundhouse Tapes vrs) *

Have you been involved with any of the bands mentioned here? Have any extra info and/or corrections? Please e-mail me (drequon@gmail.com) and let me know! 

IRON MAIDEN (UK) - The X Factor (CD, EMI, 1995)

RATING: 8/10

Ok, we have all heard the stories. Thousands of tapes from aspiring vocalists, hailing from nearly every corner of the Earth, all painstakingly heard, ranked and evaluated - some names annotated on a spreadsheet, most simply catalogued and shelved for the time being. Some candidates were stronger than others, of course. Michael Kiske. Steve Grimmett. Glynn Morgan. André Matos. James LaBrie. Who would be chosen to fill the vacant slot left by the mighty Bruce Dickinson and become the new singer for Iron Maiden? Now, I don't want to pretend I'm a scholar on Maiden's convoluted history (you can go straight to Stjepan Juras' books, for instance, if you want to learn the band's history in minute detail), but it still amazes me just how much fan-fiction and legend were added to this particular topic. Contrary to what many Maiden forum users may argue, André Matos (RIP) did not get an audition with Maiden (Rod Smallwood, in particular, loved his voice, but the singer himself admited to have called the process quits before the final stages), Michael Kiske was never even considered, and fanciful options such as Joey Belladonna, Tony Martin, Joe Lynn Turner and Tobias Sammet (a mere 16-year-old at the time, for God's sake) were never on the cards, not for a single moment. In fact, the strongest candidates (and who actually got as far as sharing a studio with Maiden) were way less bombastic - and, to be fair, far more credible: Damian Wilson, Doogie White, Russ North (now that would have kicked ass) and of course, eventual winner Blaze Bayley. It seems that good old Steve Harris had Blaze as his heart choice from the very beginning, but the whole process went along nonetheless, and Doogie White (then a relative unknown, not long before him joining Ritchie Blackmore's Rainbow) seems to have been a strong second place - but, as we all know, it was Bayley who got the gig, a choice that started a difficult, sometimes quite tense and confusing, but still very important and interesting period in Maiden's career.

Now, there's one thing that Blaze Bayley would hint in later interviews that I really think should be highlighted. As for his understanding, the fact that he turned out to be chosen should be attributed, most of all, to the creative connection between him and the other guys, most of all Steve Harris. They sure ran through a lot of Maiden classics during the auditions (and I would definitely want to hear the tapes, if they do exist), but they also experimented with a few ideas here and there (most of all, a particular leftover from the Fear of the Dark sessions that would eventually become "Judgement Day"), and it seems that Blaze came with the most interesting input, clearly pointing to a different direction from what Iron Maiden was doing in the early '90s. And, though Steve Harris seems to have been somewhat biased towards Blaze from an early stage (to the point that he may have gravely overlooked the singer's inability to emulate Dickinson in some decisive moments from their repertoire), he deserves credit for having a strong (and, IMHO, quite commendable) vision about what Iron Maiden should do next. He didn't wanted a Dickinson clone, and he didn't wanted to churn out the old regular Maiden fare: he wanted something different, capable of giving the band something of a rehaul in terms of singing, attitude and songwriting. And they sure went somewhere else on "The X Factor", whether you're enamoured with it or not.

Oh well, let me make this clear: no, I don't simply think that "The X Factor" is a good album. In fact, I actually think it kicks serious ass. It's one of my favorite metal albums from the 1990s, and seriously one of the very best things Iron Maiden ever did IMO. But perhaps the most significant thing to say is that it is an important record, an effort that damn sure made a difference in the band's fortunes from that point onwards. When it comes to Iron Maiden, it's easily one of the most significant turning points in their career (perhaps second only to "The Number of the Beast"), and it went a long way into redefining the band's outlook and sound. After "The X Factor" was out, things would never be the same for the Beast, for good or bad - and, in a sense, we're still listening to the version of the band that came out of this particular period of soul-searching and creativity, nearly 30 years later.

Let's listen to "Sign of the Cross", for instance. Easily the most daring and unexpected opening number Iron Maiden ever employed on an album, it's also one of the very best: it takes its time to create a remarkably somber atmosphere, then launches into a rollercoaster ride of changing tempos and guitar patterns, without ever losing its sense of storytelling or its grip on the listener's attention. It's over 11 minutes long, and it works like a beast, every second of it. And when you are as big as Iron Maiden, and you open your first record with a new singer with such a convoluted, uncompromising track, you're also making a statement of sorts, you know. We mean business, they're saying, and we don't feel like churning out straight-to-the-point, 4-minute-long, easy-to-understand verse-chorus tunes anymore. No, we're going to tell you some stories from now on, and we're gonna take our time doing that. 

I mean, of course they would write plenty of short-and-sweet hard-hitters in the years to come - even "The X Factor" has at least one, the intense and engaging "Man on the Edge". But the band's records would no longer be centered around its shorter cuts: quite the opposite, actually, as the group's creative ambitions (and the listener's expectations, and their heated discussions as well) would consistently shift towards the longer, often very cinematic tunes that graced every Maiden album from then on. In "The X Factor" (which, clocking in at around 70 minutes, is quite a long record), no less than three songs move beyond the 7-minute mark, and "The Edge of Darkness" gets pretty close as well - something rivaled only by "Somewhere in Time" previously, a record widely regarded as the more progressive-inclined done by the group until then. After the two final albums with Dickinson (both filled with tracks that mostly kept far away from the 5-minute mark), it was quite a change, and a road the band would never move away from on later releases - in fact, they would only venture deeper and deeper into that territory, as subsequent reviews will surely demonstrate.

"The X Factor" is a dark album. It sure reflects Harris' state of mind, having to deal with a divorce while handling the difficult task to find a new singer for his platinum-selling band - but it also hints to something else, something that seems to work in an intelectual level, so to speak. I mean, just give a close listen to his basslines: apart from a few songs like "Blood On the World's Hands" and "The Unbeliever", gone are the flamboyant, fast and technically challenging parts, substituted by a markedly more simple, let's-work-for-the-music approach. It's almost as the musician gives way to the songwriter, if you know what I mean: rather than being one of the most influential bass players to ever grace a stage, regardless of genres, Steve Harris seems to decide he wants to be acknowledged as a guy who can write great songs, and all his focus and vision will be devoted to such a cause from now on. 

In "The X Factor", this stance take shape as a handful of really thoughtful, quite somber tunes, showing a new-found interest for atmosphere (the intro to "Fortunes of War" and some main sections of "Sign of the Cross" being good examples) as well as a penchant for serious, world-conscious lyrics. Even when good old Steve allows himself to write some more fantasy-driven verses (like in "The Unbeliever" and, in a sense, "Judgement of Heaven") he's more inquisitive than ever before, basically questioning the deep meaning of everything around him. I always enjoyed his lyricism, and it got more and more interesting to me as time went on - culminating in deep pieces of honestly moving poetry like "Hell on Earth" and "Lost in a Lost World", to mention his most recent input (all right, more on that later, I'll try to control myself from now on). And then the presence of someone like Blaze Bayley really starts to click: his deep register works truly well throughout the record, and his songwriting input is way more down-to-earth than Dickinson ever was up to this point - or can you imagine Iron Maiden writing a song like "2 A.M." in the '80s? Me neither. You have every right to dislike the results, but you can't deny that Blaze brings something new to Maiden's picture - something that was undeniably in tune with the creative avenues Steve Harris wanted to explore.

Some (well, many actually) complaint about the record's production - even myself, for a while, felt it was below par for Maiden standard. But my opinion has changed a lot through the years: today, I really like the dry sound of the drums and the thinly distorted guitars, as they help to paint a cold, eerie sonic picture that suits perfectly well with the album's contents. "The X Factor" is like staring to the dark corners of Iron Maiden's castle, an unique experience that is quite rewarding if you allow it to take its time. My personal favorites here would be the aforementioned "Sign of the Cross", "Lord of the Flies" (some very nice riffing and a powerful vocal performance from Blaze), "The Aftermath", "Judgement of Heaven" and "The Unbeliever" - a song that is often overlooked, but that I consider to be the first of many worthy collaborations between Harris and Janick Gers through the years. Maybe "Look for the Truth" is a bit too simplistic for its own good, and "2 A.M." (perhaps for appearing quite late in the running order) sound a bit tired and redundant when compared to the strongest cuts here featured; apart from that, though, "The X Factor" is quite a cohesive, coherent record, devoted to its vision and that never slides away from its path. I really like it, you know, and I suggest you to give it a careful listen next time around, as there's definitely a lot of interesting stuff going on within its grooves.

Unfortunately, the record didn't exactly signaled a period of newfound success and recognition for the group. The world tour supporting it ("The X Factour", how clever of them) was something of a difficult affair, with canceled dates and many gigs (most of all in the USA) rescheduled to smaller venues, as they simply couldn't sell as much tickets as before. Besides, it didn't take long (the very first bootlegs from the tour, that is) for people to realise that Blaze, while doing a mostly good job with his own songs, simply couldn't do justice to many Maiden classics, as his range and register had very little to do with Bruce Dickinson's trademark high belting. Album sales were the lowest since "Killers", and you didn't needed to be a genius to understand that Iron Maiden were facing the risk of a serious decline in popularity. Some may argue that the right option was to double the bet and move the band more radically towards Blaze Bayley's characteristics - that is to say, drop some classics from the setlist and further invest in Maiden's darker tone in a new album. Iron Maiden decided to do a bit of the opposite, trying to recapture some of their usual magic while not completely turning their backs to the new features Bayley had to offer. It could have worked, but it turned out to be something of a disaster, a cautionary tale on how you simply can't please all the people all of the time. A subject to be further discussed in the next instalments of the series, that's for sure.

Blaze Bayley (V), Dave Murray (G), Janick Gers (G), Steve Harris (B), Nicko McBrain (D).

01. Sign of the Cross (Harris) 11:16
02. Lord of the Flies (Harris/Gers) 5:02
03. Man on the Edge (Bayley/Gers) 4:03
04. Fortunes of War (Harris) 7:25
05. Look for the Truth (Bayley/Gers/Harris) 5:10
06. The Aftermath (Harris/Bayley/Gers) 6:20
07. Judgement of Heaven (Harris) 5:10
08. Blood on the Worlds Hands (Harris) 6:00
09. The Edge of Darkness (Harris/Bayley/Gers) 6:39
10. 2 A.M. (Bayley/Gers/Harris) 5:37
11. The Unbeliever (Harris/Gers) 8:05

Have you been involved with any of the bands mentioned here? Have any extra info and/or corrections? Please e-mail me (drequon@gmail.com) and let me know! 

GEMAGE (UK) - The Story So Far (7'', self-released, 1980)

RATING: 7/10

Once upon a time, there was a British rock group named Gemage that released a sole 7'' single in 1980, and no one seemed to know a damn thing about them. In fact, though not the most typical NWOBHM-sounding band you'll ever hear in your life (more on that later), there was (and still is) a lot of people willing to spend money on their reasonably scarse "The Story So Far" B/W "Bring Me Death" vinyl release, and the paucity of info regarding the band created a certain aura of mystery around them - as well as opening way for a few long-standing misconceptions regarding the outfit's biography. Not that Gemage's history is now known in minute detail, but it's fair to say that now we do actually know a thing or two about this combo, though there are still a lot of blanks to be filled on this particular profile (can you fill 'em? Get in touch!).

Hailing from Blackburn, Lancashire UK, this particular 5-piece seems to have existed for less than two years in total, probably forming sometime in 1979 and disbanding in the latter half of 1980, or early 1981 at the very latest. The two tracks released in the single are their only studio recordings, and were laid down to tape in around Christmas 1979 at Rochdale's Cargo Studio, being independently pressed and released in the early months of 1980. Contrary to widespread belief, Gemage doesn't refer to any member's real surname: the 'B. Gemage' credited as songwriter is none other than vocalist Billy Sumner, that seems to have chosen to adopt this rather bizarre stage name for no fathomable reason. Alongside him were guitarists Pete Frayne and Paul Lowery, bassist Steve Horsefield and drummer Jimmy Byrne - a certain Gas Sumner (Billy's brother, I'd wager) seems to have laid down backing vocals to the recordings, but judging for his very minor contribution to the songs (and though the concept of dedicated backing singers in rock bands isn't exactly unheard of), I'm pretty sure it was more of a casual appearance during a visit to the studio rather than any long-term commitment to Gemage's cause. Incidentally, I was once told that all band members used the same Gemage surname when playing live, in a typical Ramones-family scenario - but I never found any tangible evidence (or an eyewitness account) to support this, so I'll keep that possibility in the 'urban legend' file until further notice. Anyway, the 7'' was seemingly meant to be sold at gigs, but I reckon they never made more than a handful of shows around their geographical area after all, and therefore not many items ever made into circulation at the time, which would help explain its reasonable scarcity.

"The Story So Far" is the main focus of interest by far, being a reasonably forceful track that truly passes out as a legitimate attempt to play metal until the chorus, when a change in tone brings a more snotty, noisy, definitively punk feel to the proceedings. The main riff (a twin-guitar lead, in fact) sticks to your head at first listen, and Mr. Gemage's voice, though far from being your typical dose of metal (sound more like a new wave singer, in fact) works remarkably well in this songs' particular setup. Job well done, lads, and I would definitely buy this 7'' in virtue of this track alone (if I had the money, that is). Things get a bit weird on the flipside though, with "Bring Me Death" being way more inclined toward groups like Love, Procol Harum and The Byrds rather than anything more metallic - or contemporary, for that matter. It's a half-acoustic, psychedelic-tinged semi-ballad which is nice enough if you're in the right frame of mind, but I suspect it was something of an oddity in the band's repertoire, and can't help but think that picking a more orthodox rocker to complete their innaugural 7'' would have been a more representative choice, showing their collective powers in a more effective light.

I don't think Gemage lasted for too long after their sole single started doing the rounds, and it's reasonable to assume they had bitten the dust in a matter of months, quickly realising their considerable talents and youthful enthusiasm alone wouldn't take them to the next step - or maybe they just decided to do something else with their lives, which is fair enough. Accordingly, I suppose most of the lads just retreated to their day jobs thereafter - the only exception being bass player Steve Horsefield, who have been playing with local heroes The Itch for quite a while now, and is also known to have been a member of the Cottontown Sound Corporation, that released an independent CD in 2014. Not much else to report I'm afraid, at least for now - let's see if some enterprising individual (or some of the band members themselves) can help us to paint a clearer picture of Gemage in the not-too-distant future.

Billy 'Gemage' Sumner (V), Peter Frayne (G), Paul Lowery (G), Steve Horsefield (B), Jimmy Byrne (D). Also performed: Gas Sumner (backing vocals). All songs by B.Gemage.

01. The Story So Far
02. Bring Me Death

Have you been involved with any of the bands mentioned here? Have any extra info and/or corrections? Please e-mail me (drequon@gmail.com) and let me know! 

PAUL DI'ANNO'S WARHORSE (UK/CRO) - Paul Di'Anno's Warhorse (CD, BraveWords, 2024)

RATING: 7/10

I really wish I was writing this under different circumstances. As I'm sure you all know quite well by now, our good fellow Paul Di'Anno - one of the most unique vocalists in the history of heavy metal, a man who redefined many notions associated with heavy music during his time as the frontman of Iron Maiden - has left the building. It seems he was suffering from a number of health issues recently, and the repeated cancelling / rescheduling of his intended final European and South American tours were a clear sign he wasn't doing very well, unfortunately. These were times of rehabilitation for the man, both in his health and his career, and it sucks that he didn't have enough time to really sort himself out - because there's good reason to believe that (though in his typically stubborn, erratic way) he was indeed trying hard to get himself back on track this time. I'm damn sure this "Paul Di'Anno's Warhorse" CD wasn't meant to be the man's swansong when it comes to original music, but that's how things turned out to be, unfortunately - and knowing the singer is now gone to the other side sure gives the listening experience a whole different vibe, adding some extra layers of meaning to what was originally supposed to be an upbeat, no-fucks-being-given ride.

While in Croatia, during his reabilitation process after some delicate knee surgeries, Paul Di'Anno crossed paths with two local guitarists, Hrvode Madiraca and Ante 'Pupi' Pupačić, who are both involved with a power/thrash outfit named Rapid Strike (formely named Azazel) and had a number of more traditional Metal tracks demoed for the purposes of a side project. I don't how just how much Stjepan Juras (an Iron Maiden biographer who have acted as both manager and guardian angel for Di'Anno for nearly a decade, so God bless him) got involved here, but fact is that Di'Anno seems to have enjoyed the songs, and agreed to write lyrics and record vocals for what would become a new metal proposition named Warhorse. Not the most original band name by any means (I'm sure Nick Simper would like to have a word or two with you about it, Paul), but an apt choice when it comes to describe the project's spirit, so nevermind. With the much needed help of a few scenesters to fill the blanks - including some members and ex-members of local heroes Osmi Putnik, as well as bass player Becky Baldwin (now playing with none other than Mercyful Fate) and drummer Joe Lazarus (Steve Harris' nephew, and a much in-demand sticksman-for-hire for many projects and bands) - ten tracks were finished, and now comprise the "Paul Di'Anno's Warhorse" I hold in my very hands. To avoid further confusion, I'll just keep on calling the band Paul Di'Anno's Warhorse, as a way to diferentiate it from any namesakes (and oh yeah, some reviews of the old 1970's Warhorse are indeed a possibility around here) and to make it easier to be found in the blog's index.

As the musical contents, well, it's mostly good, unapologetic heavy metal fun, though not without its flaws. For me, opening track "Warhorse" is the best by far, a simple, yet extremely efficient heavy rocker with lyrics that (although not really making that much sense under close scrutiny) have a nice, somewhat evocative feel to it, like Paul is using this mythical, powerful equine as a metaphor to his own life and (often troubled) times as a metal champion working his way back to the top. I would have toned the gang-shouting down a bit, most of all in the chorus, but it's a truly nice track nonetheless, and perhaps one of the very best songs by Paul Di'Anno since at least the late '90s - and God knows how many dross he did record during this period (we'll get to it eventually). 

Though none of the following tracks work quite as well as this very strong opening, most work under the same formula, with a handful of simple-but-effective riffs put to use in some pretty straightforward heavy metal fare. Paul Di'Anno was never a highly skilled poet to be frank, but he sure had an individualistic way to write lyrics, trying to evoke particular feelings or situations rather than engaging in any serious storytelling - and it works quite well in most of the songs here featured, such as "Get Get Ready" (an uplifting tune about, you know, enjoying rock and roll) and "Here Comes the Night" (ditto), two very catchy tunes that are guaranteed to make old metal geezers shake their heads and pump fists in the air. I also really enjoy "Forever Bound", a good-hearted semi-ballad where Di'Anno express some sincere gratitude to those who had helped him while he was down. Pretty heartfelt lyrics here, and the musicianship also works to good effect. But if you want to hear Di'Anno's voice really shine, look no further than "Stop the War", a song about the war in Ukraine that really allows Paul to stretch his vocal pipes. The man still had it, no doubt about that, and this song proves it.

There are two covers in the package (The Champs' "Tequila" and Depeche Mode's "Precious"), and none of them are particularly interesting IMO, though at least the latter is a not-remotely-obvious song choice and deserves some respect because of that. I'm not that convinced about "Go" either, though this one is also worth a mention in the lyrics department, as Di'Anno (while telling a not very subtle tale about a female companion that seemingly overstayed her welcome) gives quite an interesting tone to the "never will I bend, never will I break anymore" chorus - like he is, once again, singing to convince himself, more than anyone else. "The Doubt Within" is a more convoluted, serious track that manages to create a pretty effective, somewhat ominous atmosphere - but the choice to keep things simple and direct is somewhat ill-advised here IMO, as the song is cut way too short and really deserved some extra minute or two to fully develop its ideas. The football-hooligan shouting that appears in most tracks also gets quite annoying after a while, sometimes sounding like a silly attempt to give some tough-guy quality to songs that didn't really needed it. But these are minor flaws, to be fair, and "Paul Di'Anno's Warhorse" is mostly a pleasant, enjoyable record that never sounds over-pretentious and easily fulfills most of its promises. 

And oh well, I could not finish this review without mentioning the final track, "Going Home". I wasn't at all impressed the first time I heard it, but then Mr. Di'Anno's untimely death was reported and, oh man, did this particular tune gain a whole new meaning or what? Now, this rough-and-ready heavy rocker sounds like Di'Anno is saying goodbye to us all: "and now I'm going home / to the place where I belong / Now I've lived it all / Somewhere I have to atone". As I said earlier, no Nobel-prize-winning poetry here, but these simple lines really carry the message across: his time here was almost finished, and he somehow knew it, and he was ready to get back home. No fade-out here, by the way: the song ends somewhat abruptly, as if the guy singing it didn't wanted to make a fuss in his last hooray. In the end, it's quite an adequate way for a man like Paul Di'Anno to leave the stage: crowd still cheering, guitars still roaring, ready to enjoy whatever else the night has to offer. Hope he's doing fine now, all pain and physical hindrances forever left behind, and let's raise some glasses for one of the true metal legends. Auf Wiedersehen, Paul, now you're forever running free.

Paul Di'Anno (V), Hrvoje Madiraca (G), Ante 'Pupi' Pupačić (G).

01. Warhorse 3:53
02. Get Get Ready 4:29
03. Go 2:53
04. Stop the War 3:30
05. The Doubt Within 3:24
06. Here Comes the Night 3:50
07. Tequila 2:21
08. Forever Bound 4:20
09. Precious 4:16
10. Going Home 3:28

Have you been involved with any of the bands mentioned here? Have any extra info and/or corrections? Please e-mail me (drequon@gmail.com) and let me know! 

DREQUON'S OFFICIAL ANNOUNCEMENT (October 2024)

Yeah, I know. The blog has moved on pretty sluggishly in recent times, as I was completely absorved by daily life and obligations. I also lost access to my e-mail for a long period of time (none to blame but myself, to be honest), and it surely also made things more difficult. But oh well, here I am, and here we go again!

Times have been quite nice here on Drequon's camp, with some nice surprises I hope to share in the near future. I'm thinking about adding a few sections around here, regarding live shows I attended and some NWOBHM news as well - not sure if I'll actually make it happen, but you guys and girls be warned that things may change around here in the coming months. As for now, a new rating system is finally being implemented - something I've been thinking about for a long while, but only now comes to fruition.

Gone are the 5-star rating (which I felt had become too limited and ineffective when it comes to form a previous image of how good a record is), and now comes a 0-10 rating system, that hopefully will be far more informative and actually allow me to evaluate bands and records in a more meaningful manner. You can read the description in the link above, but let's say that ratings ranging from 10-7 are mostly pretty good, while tags 6-5 are for unspectacular, run-of-the-mill releases,  and 4-0 are for records that, most honestly, I would not reccommend you to spend much time with. Older posts will be edited to reflect the change in earnest - hope it won't take too long.

More to come in a reasonable timescale, I suppose. Stay safe, stay lucid, stay metal! \m/

PRAYING MANTIS (UK) - Defiance (CD, Frontiers, 2024)

RATING: 8/10

Praying Mantis has been in great shape for quite a while, if you ask me. At least since the excellent "Sanctuary" (2009), the band has maintained a fairly impressive consistency in their work, always presenting that pleasant mix of AOR, hard rock and NWOBHM that we have become accustomed to hearing from them. That said, the previous work, "Katharsis" (2022) had honestly left a little to be desired, at least for me - of course far from a disappointment (it is a very pleasant album overall), but perhaps a little too formulaic and serviceable for its own good. Although they have never been a band known for wild experimentation, this old carnivorous insect has always had dynamism as one of their main features, and I couldn't help but feeling that their previous CD played a bit too safe. Thus, it is very pleasant to realize that "Defiance" not only rescues the adventurous side of the group's music, but is also one of the most dynamic and enjoyable albums ever recorded by the band.

Anyone who follows Praying Mantis' fortunes sure know by now that, although they were never a proper heavy metal band, the Troy brothers have always known how to sound and look the part, ensuring that their music would always have a denser and more 'serious' atmosphere around it than most bands associated with AOR. This is evident from the opening track, "From the Start": far from being the explosion of euphoria that so many similar bands aim for, it's a song that captivates with its sharp melodies, rock-solid song structure and the excellent vocal performance of Jaycee Cuijpers. It's music written, played and sung by people who damn sure know how to do it - and it is such a level of performance, which will remain unchanged throughout the album, that will ultimately capture the listeners with the band's spell.

A brief but special spotlight must be directed towards the mike stand, by the way. Many people have already lend their vocal services for Praying Mantis, and I always kept the view that, at the end of the day, they could just have left Chris Troy singing, since the bassist is responsible for most of the (pretty good) vocals on the first albums and his delivery is actually more recognizable than most of the technically excellent (but ultimately unmemorable) singers that came afterwards. Well, Jaycee Cuijpers have sure changed my mind on that subject. On his fourth consecutive album with the Praying Mantis, the Danish singer has already done more than enough to be seen as the definitive holder of the flame - and the truth is that he sings so nicely, and in a way that fits so well with the power and spirit of his current band, that it has now become difficult to imagine Praying Mantis without him. A voice that, in essence, crowns a period of admirable stability in a band quite familiar with internal turbulence: since 2013, Chris (bass) and Tino Troy (guitar), augmented by Cuijpers, have enjoyed the good services of Andy Burgess (guitar) and Hans in't Zandt (drums), a line-up that can easily be ranked among the strongest the band ever had.

"Defiance" is an album that, without reinventing the wheel, still manages to create an air of freshness around it, never sounding like a nostalgic exercise or a simple collection of songs by a band without any greater purpose. From top-notch rockers like "Feeling Lucky" and "I Surrender," to poignant ballads like "Forever in My Heart" and the title track, and culminating in grandiose, epic moments like "One Heart" and "Let's See," what we have here is a band expertly employing their most important elements - the guitar duets, the captivating harmonic progressions, the meticulous vocal arrangements - to create some truly  great, memorable music. And I'm glad to say they are relevant today, in 2024, without the need for us to project our minds into some kind of imaginary time machine. Even the instrumental "Nightswim" is very nice, far from being the mere filler that songs of the type usually turn out to be.
 

Let me say, by way of conclusion, that I feel the 'defiance' mentioned in the album's title does not refer to any life-challenging endeavor, but to something way more mundane, with which we can all identify: the daily challenge of holding firm to our principles and convictions. Completing 50 years of history, Praying Mantis continues to be successful in this battle. Long may it continue.

Jaycee Cuijpers (V), Tino Troy (G), Andy Burgess (G), Chris Troy (B), Hans in't Zandt (D).

01. From the Start (C.Troy) 4:26
02. Defiance (C.Troy) 4:06
03. Feelin' Lucky (Burgess, C.Troy) 3:45
04. I Surrender (R.Ballard) 3:40
05. Forever in My Heart (C.Troy, Cuijpers) 4:32
06. Never Can Say Goodbye (C.Troy) 4:10
07. One Heart (C.Troy) 4:31
08. Give it Up (Burgess, C.Troy) 3:35
09. Nightswim (T.Troy, Burgess) 3:42
10. Standing Tall (T.Troy) 5:18
11. Let's See (C.Troy) 4:56

Have you been involved with any of the bands mentioned here? Have any extra info and/or corrections? Please e-mail me (drequon@gmail.com) and let me know! 

NEMESIS (GG) - The Hills are Alive with the Sound of Metal (CD, independent, 2007)

RATING: 7/10

I guess everyone can be excused for not taking Guernsey into any strong consideration when looking for some heavy metal. I mean, the Channel Islands as a whole never harbored anything remotely close to a thriving rock scene (which is understandable when you consider that the whole archipelago holds little more than 170.000 people in total), and locating any items released by local bands is not exactly straightforward, if you know what I mean. In a remote location with seemingly little competition, I think it's safe to assume that Nemesis are the undisputed champions of all things metal, with a convoluted story that harks back to the second half of the 1980s and with roots even further in the past, this particular entity having pretty significant links with Vengeance, arguably the only bona fide NWOBHM manifestation to have ever come out of Guernsey - a combo that, unfortunately, doesn't seem to have released any demos to the public during their somewhat fleeting existence, but it's still fondly reminded by those who were there as a hard-working unit that promoted dozens of metal-related shows and festivals around the Channel Islands.

With vocalist/rhythm guitarist Danny Joyce as main creative force, Nemesis seems to have had two main periods of activity. Released in 1989, their "Unleash the Beast" 12'' mini-album (an independent affair, as nearly everything ever put out by the group) had a stronger connection with hard rock, whereas the elusive "Smile or Die" cassette (does anyone have it?) from 1991 seems to show the band veering towards more thrash/crossover landscapes. I also believe the line-up was different by this juncture, with guitarists Mike Helyar and Glenn Holmes (an ex-Vengeance veteran) doing the 6-string work and Joyce concentrating on his singing duties on the live environment at least. Whatever the story, the renewed sound direction of the tape was probably little more than a piece of experimentation, and the band seems to deem this particular release as unrepresentative, as none of its songs appear on the "Unleash the Beast" compilation CD issued by Cult Metal Classics in 2014 (and one I'm surely going to review in the near future).

Nemesis were laid to rest in 1993, but some well regarded comeback gigs (with both Holmes and Helyar on guitars) have reignited the fire a full decade later. Thus, 2007's "The Hills are Alive with the Sound of Metal" (god, I love this title) full-length CD is something of a comeback release for the outfit, while also restablishing their reputation as a more unequivocal heavy metal proposition. For this endeavor, Joyce is accompanied by Zack Mousetrappe (G), Brin Harrison (B) and Darran James (D) - the band's original line-up from the 80s, no less - and I have to say that the effort to record and release a fully independent album was worth it in this particular case, as "The Hills are Alive" are quite an entertaining listen for the most part. The title track opens the record with a bang, showcasing some simple-but-effective riffing and a truly memorable chorus that you'll be well excused to sing along on occasion. Quite a nice way to kickstart the record, and "Nemesis Awakes" keeps the energy high, with a more syncopated main riff drive that works very well and may even invite some discreet headbanging if you're in the right frame of mind (the final section reminds me of Motörhead a little, and it's also a nice touch). The contents are definitely metal of the most traditional brand, with some much welcomed power metal thrown in for good measure, a recipe that is usually much appreciated around here.

Unfortunately, I must admit track three "Supercharged" lost me a little, and the CD as a whole would never fully recover its appeal for me afterwards. Not that the band has done nothing wrong, mind you - but this song brings forth the more hard rocking side of Nemesis, which is not exactly of my personal liking, I'm afraid. Nothing sticks out as particularly bad (though "Everyday is a Good Day (To Rock)" is so cheesy that it gets perilously close to parody), but I tend to think that tunes such as "News for the Girls" and "Kings of Rock" don't get along that well with the more hard-hitting side of the band, sometimes almost sounding like a different combo altogether - an issue that significantly hinders the overall flow of the album, if we're to be honest here. I understand that they most probably simply enjoy writing and playing songs in that vein, and that I can keep any feeble reservations to myself for all they care - and they're probably right, as I'm trying right now to purchase a copy of the CD to call my own, so what do I know? But I can't help feeling that, had they recorded a couple more aggressive-sounding songs to replace some of the more sleazy tracks here featured, the final results would be way more memorable and enjoyable.

With that said (and who knows, maybe you'll listen to the hard rocking tunes here and enjoy it all immensely), there are redeeming features aplenty in the shape of tracks such as "The Footsteps of Vengeance", "Blood Red Sun" (a more meditative tune with nice guitar work throughout) and "Kingdom of Steel", that closes proceedings with silly lyrics that could well have been inspired by He-Man and the Masters of the Universe, but still quite enjoyable due to its uncompromising, don't-take-it-too-seriously vibe. In fact, most of the undeniable charm of "The Hills are Alive with the Sound of Metal" comes from the not-too-pretentious energy it emanates: the production is simple and adequate, the songwriting is uncomplicated, there's nothing disruptive of though-provoking being proposed at any level. Nemesis aren't trying to teach us a lesson or to astound us with their sheer heavy metal prowess or whatever: they just happen to enjoy the whole metal thing quite a lot, and want us to join them and have fun. I honestly see no reason to refuse their invitation.

Danny Joyce (V/G), Zack Mousetrappe (G), Brin Harrison (B), Darran James (D). All songs by Joyce/Mousetrappe. All lyrics by Joyce.

01. The Hills are Alive with the Sound of Metal 3:44
02. Nemesis Awakes 3:13
03. Supercharged 3:20
04. Everyday is a Good Day (to Rock) 3:39
05. Blood Red Sun 5:20
06. News for the Girls 4:33
07. She Bitch (Q.O.D.) 3:11
08. The Footsteps of Vengeance 3:34
09. Kings of Rock 4:27
10. Kingdom of Steel 4:14

Have you been involved with any of the bands mentioned here? Have any extra info and/or corrections? Please e-mail me (drequon@gmail.com) and let me know!