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Album Retrospective

Retrospective #9 – Tool

Tool are a band from Los Angeles, California. Forming in 1990, the bands original line-up included Maynard James Keenan, Adam Jones, Danny Carey and Paul D’Amour. 1995 saw the bands one and only line-up change when D’Amour was replaced by Justin Chancellor. Tool have released a mere 5 albums throughout their history!

It was June 1997, and I was somewhat indifferently watching MTV, when this video started that led to Tool becoming 1 of my top 3 favourite bands. The song was ‘Stinkfist’ and I remember being absolutely blown away by both the song and the video. I have been fortunate to see them live on just 2 occasions. First time was in 2001 at London’s Brixton Academy and then again in 2006 at London’s Wembley Arena. You will note the 2 venues are in London and fortunately, I lived in the South of England for 20 years.  Currently on tour in Europe in 2022, it is with a high degree of extreme disappointment that this tour does not include a date or 2 in Scotland.

The fact that I have only ever seen them live on 2 occasions is disgraceful, considering the extremely high regard I hold them in. That said, at least we have the albums.

Please welcome Retrospective #9, Tool.

Album Retrospective – Tool

Following the success of 1992’s debut EP, ‘Opiate’, Tool made the decision to lean away from the EP’s heavy sound, potentially as an anti-thesis to the burgeoning Grunge scene, but more than likely to create more atmosphere to Keenan’s dark and twisted lyrical content. Released in 1993, the album was called Undertow and it identified Tool as an incredible, technically proficient, band with deep and insightful lyrics, albeit with the dark undertones mentioned. ‘Prison Sex’, probably the best song on the album, is about child abuse. Nobody in 1992 was writing lyrics like this, we had not long emerged from the horrific Hair Metal scene, with bands like Motley Crue singing about girls or smoking in the boy’s room – you know, real intelligent stuff!  Meanwhile, Tool were getting videos withdrawn from MTV due to their lyrical content.

This was the only album to feature Paul D’Amour, and it is something he should be incredibly proud of being part of. In listening to the album as part of the retrospective, I totally lost my shit during ‘Bottom’, another stunning track.

Undertow is an album that demands your attention. With incredible videos featuring Adam Jones designed Stop-Motion techniques, Tool merely hint at that artistic future of the bands vision and sound.  8/10

September 1996 saw the release of their 2nd album, Ænima. If I were to concoct a list of my top 5 favourite albums of all time, this one would be near the top. There are very few albums I would deem as perfect, but Ænima is, to my mind, perfect. Be it through the cleverly placed interludes, the moments of extreme heaviness, sitting alongside superbly executed time signatures, there is absolutely no criticism that should be made about this album. When I heard ‘Stinkfist’ for the first time, I immediately went out to buy the CD. I was absolutely obsessed with the album from day 1.

Needless to say, the band still courted controversy with their lyrical content – again by MTV who refused to use the songs name when playing ‘Stinkfist’. ‘Die Eier von Satan’ is another controversial track. Designed to sound like a 1930’s Nazi rally, the industrial track is essentially a recipe for a Hash cake.

But it isn’t the controversies that make this album, it is the sheer quality of the tracks on offer, it is the way the album makes you lose your mind, makes you sing along to every single song and ultimately gives you goosebumps.  Perfection 10/10

It was then nearly 5 full years before we would hear a new Tool album. Yes, we had the Salival box set (which I only mention as I own it), but legal battles created by the folding of their record lable would apparently hinder the growth of the band. Well, it should have, but for the fact that Tool decided to write another absolute classic! Lateralus was released in May 2001 and eager fans, including myself, immediately gobbled it up. I remember buying it on the day of release, playing it constantly as I strived to learn all the lyrics. This was especially helpful when they band got 2 of the albums best tracks, ‘Parabola’ and ‘Schism’ onto the Guitar Hero game.

Salival by Tool

I loved the transition Tool were making into their sound, a more progressive form of metal and I was overjoyed when I got to see them live for the first time on this tour, especially at an iconic venue that is famed for its excellent acoustics, Brixton Academy.  I remember watching in absolute awe, just staring at the stage as the band exceeded the sky high expectations I had of seeing them live. 2001 was a good year! 9/10

Another 5 years and Tool were ready to release the 4th album. Called 10,000 Days, we were able to buy it in the UK at the beginning of May. I have the copy with the ‘eye glasses’, a gimmick that I don’t actually think benefits the album, but that is irrelevant. The songs themselves went even deeper into progressive territory and, again, many of them were absolute bangers, in particular the opening track, ‘Vicarious’. Yet again, the song made it on to a Guitar Hero game, demonstrating the popularity.

My life, around this time, was in a bit of a state, but I still managed to grab the chance to see the band at Wembley Arena in London, a far bigger, and far less awesome a venue than Brixton Academy. This time, I was in a seat with my friend, Simon, as we eagerly watched Mastodon open for the band. When Tool arrived, Maynard was situated on a riser in the back left of the stage, beside Danny and the drums, with Justin and Adam taking prominence at the front. Essentially a silhouette throughout the set, I again watched the band, awestruck at how cool it looked and how Tool were a proper band and that I was so happy that they were back! 9/10

My Favourite Tool T-Shirt
T-Shirt Back Print

Alas, my optimism that Tool were back was misplaced. As months became years and rumour replaced rumour, and as with so many of the bands I listened to in my 20s and early 30s, I grew apart from their music, listening to the albums less and less. Like many Tool fans, I didn’t think we would ever see the new album. Hope was just about extinguished, with potential release dates being mooted and then changed.

Then, in 2019, news broke of 2 new songs being played at a festival in the USA.  2 new songs…. I was beside myself. Then, in August 2019, Fear Inoculum was released and…. I didn’t buy it! Yes, I listened it on Spotify, as Tool had recently put their catalogue on streaming platforms, but they did not provide a ‘normal’ CD for anybody to buy. Instead, we had to buy a special edition at an exorbitant price, something I was, and am still not, willing to do. I love Tool and this is the only album I don’t own.  I go by the mantra buy, don’t Spotify, but I cannot do it on this occasion.

It is a shame, as Fear Inoculum is a fine album, albeit one that doesn’t really match up to the predecessors. Perhaps this is because of the excellent side projects the guys have had over the years, or more than likely it is because my musical taste changed drastically in the intervening 13 years between albums.  That said, I hope we get a new album fairly rapidly, with ‘normal’ version for us to purchase. 8/10

Listening to each of the albums during this retrospective, it is immediately obvious that the standard of each album is impeccable. The timelines between the releases has also not blunted the affection that I, and many others have for Tool. I now just hope for a Scottish date in the upcoming months so that I can see them live once again, as I don’t want to wait another 10+ years for this to happen.

Album Ranking

  1. Ænima
  2. Laterlus
  3. 10,000 Days
  4. Undertow
  5. Fear Inoculum

Off the beaten track – Check out the numerous Danny Carey Drum Cam videos on Youtube, although with nearly 24m views of https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FssULNGSZIA We can assume most readers of this blog will have seen them.

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Me vs The Wildhearts

The Wildhearts are my favourite band!

I say this safe in the knowledge that whatever happens within the band, my love for the band will never die. The Wildhearts shall endure! May have asked me why my favourite band have not been the subject of a retrospective. The answer is that I have never stopped listening to the band. I probably listen to at least 1 Wildhearts song every few days.

It has been a few days since the announcement that the band are on ‘hiatus’. How long this will last, nobody knows, but I have been a fan of the band since the early 90’s and so I know that, in one shape or another, they will return, bigger and better than ever!

Whilst this ‘hiatus’ is incredibly disappointing, especially considering the strength of their last 2 albums, I cannot say that it is unexpected.  The Wildhearts are a band that have thrived on conflict and internal strife.  Fights with record labels, trashing the office of music magazines, numerous personnel changes – the band has had it all, but through it all, the band has ultimately survived.

The Wildhearts have been responsible for some of my favourite moments in music. My favourite ever concert experience is seeing the boys at Kelvingrove Bandstand in Glasgow. I met the band for the one and only time in Glasgow early in the afternoon. I tried not to say anything stupid and utterly failed. I was a gibbering wreck and I also refused to have my work-shirt signed, as it was my ‘good shirt’. Idiot!

I then drove home 20 odd miles, changed, and got the train back to Glasgow to meet a bunch of strangers in the Solid Rock Café – the best rock pub in Scotland – as my normal gig going buddy had retired due to hearing issues. I cannot adequately explain how great this day was. I met people from all over the UK, including a guy who came up from Birmingham. Now, I don’t have a ‘face’ picture on Facebook, my picture is me passed out in my tent at the Reading Festival. So, this bearded hero hung about in the pub trying to figure out who I was. We were joined by a girl from Aberdeen, an awesome dude from Falkirk (I think) and a dude from the Islands. I have left their names out as I haven’t asked if I can use them. 

After introductory boozing at the pub, we piled in a taxi to the venue and drank even more. It was a fantastic gig, I was down the very front, have brilliant pictures of the band, including one where CJ and Danny actually posed for me, which helped this to be the greatest gig-going experience of my life!

The Wildhearts are also responsible for my second favourite song of all time. ‘The Trooper’ by Iron Maiden is the greatest song ever written by anyone, but ‘Everlone’ runs it close. It is one of 2 songs that can still give me goosebumps (Pilo Erect) when I listen to it. The other song is ‘Stinkfist’ by Tool. Any time I hear ‘Everlone’ live, I shut my eyes and the air-guitar appears to close the bad-boy out. I will always have this.

I have seen the band live more than any other….by a huge margin. I have never been let down at any gig, although I know that others have. I even heard CJ’s guitar in Glasgow. I’ve seen them at Festivals, indoor venues, posh bandstands, even ‘online’ gigs. I’ve seen several line-ups, different drummers, Jef Streatfield, Random Jon Poole spitting in the air and catching it again in his mouth, Toshi and Scott Sorry. I have nearly caught Ginger’s guitar (well, I was in the crowd watching them at Donington if that counts) and I have had a drink of Ginger’s JD and Coke in Southsea. I don’t like JD.

I have seen the band sober, and also very drunk. I have spent more money on Wildhearts merch than I can add up. I wish I still had all my t-shirts. More than half my ‘band’ t-shirts are Wildhearts related. I am lucky enough to have the fan-club release of ‘Fishing for Luckies’, and I still bought the update version of ‘PHUQ’, even though I could have put the tracklisting together to create the album proper.

I spent £25 for the ‘Caffeine Bomb’ EP on eBay back in the day, to complete my collection after they split up following the release of ‘Endless Nameless’, an album that I immediately adored, only for them to reform and release more singles. I was the President of the ‘Rock Society’ at university and knew the person running the University Radio Station. The upshot was that I was lined up to interview the band, only for them to split up.

Gutted!

I know people that ‘don’t get’ The Wildhearts. They are unable to understand the adulation that fans give them. Whilst I am by no means the ‘massive’ fan some folk assume I am (I know some fans that are incredibly intense), I am still a huge fan. I will never, ever understand why they are not huge and I do believe that they do not get the respect they deserve. I cannot understand anybody who doesn’t ‘get’ the band. It just does not compute.

For now, this hiatus gives the band time to get themselves together. Whilst we wait for this to happen, we can look forward to solo releases, gigs and all the other good things that allow the individuals to make the whole. I have complete confidence that I will be able to buy another new Wildhearts album. Until then;

‘Through edging greys, we remember these days’.

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Album Retrospective

Retrospective #8 – Therapy?

Therapy? are a band from Northern Ireland originally formed in 1989 by Andy Cairns and Fyfe Ewing. After recording their first demo, they recruited Michael Mckeegan on bass guitar. Both Andy and Michael have been the mainstay throughout the bands 15 studio albums.

My introduction to Therapy? was at Castle Donington’s ‘Monsters of Rock’ festival in 1994. I remember being on the band’s right-hand side of the stage (left hand side from the fans viewpoint), watch a trio tear up the stage early on in the afternoon. My abiding memory is Andy Cairns opening his mouth wide and it looking like a massive black hole due to the goatee he was sporting. Their set was absolutely fantastic and I immediately started buying their CD’s after returning from the festival. To my eternal shame, I cannot recall seeing the band again since – I possibly have, I used to booze a wee bit at festivals and have rather, lets refer to them as, ‘hazy’ memories, but I have never seen a dedicated Therapy? tour. That said, one of my favourite ever band t-shirts (sadly gone) was red, featuring the name Therapy? on my left breast, with a huge question mark and the word ‘Irony’ written on the back. If the band ever read this blog, I’d buy this t-shirt again if they re-issued it!

As Therapy? are still an active band, I have the opportunity see them in the future.

Please welcome to part 1 of Retrospective #8, Therapy?.

Album Retrospective – Therapy?.

1991 saw the debut ‘album’ from Therapy?, entitled Babyteeth. With its short running length and featuring only 7 tracks, it is slightly longer than an EP but shorter than an album. Incredibly raw, the album doesn’t really have any real stand-out tracks, with only the single, ‘Meat Abstract’ really making any sort of impact. It is probably fair to say that, back then, my musical taste would have caused me to write Therapy? off if this was my first introduction to the band. Fortunately, it wasn’t, and so I can see the mini-album for what it is, a stepping stone to greatness.  5/10

Early 1992 saw the 2nd release from Therapy?, Pleasure Death. Again, it is a massive stretch to call this an album due to the lack of tracks and running time, but I have decided to include it in the retrospective in an effort to elucidate the growth of the band. Pleasure Death is a step up from their debut. It allowed the band to impact on the Independent Charts, demonstrating a growing maturity with a sound that hinted at an alternative punk genre.

Similar to their previous release, there are few stand-out tracks. It is an album of the whole rather than the individual, with only ‘Potatoe Junkie’ making any real impact. However, Pleasure Death saw the band courted by major labels, before they settled on A&M Records for, what I would describe as their debut album proper. 5/10

As these 2 releases are not proper albums, they will not form part of my Album rating in this retrospective.

Later on in 1992, the band released ‘Nurse’on the A&M label. The album eschews their previous punk leanings, introducing what has been described as a more, ‘grunge’ sound. Whilst I dispute this comparison, there can be no doubt that the boys were beginning to gain their own self-identity and the delivery on ‘Nurse’ reflected this. That said, once again, to myself at least, there is only 1 stand-out track on the album, namely ‘Teethgrinder’. This is an album that is not as good as people think it is, and once again, it is an album that didn’t immediately grab me when I bought it, albeit long after its initial release. However, the next album was about to change everything for the band. 5/10

In 1994, I went to my 2nd Monsters of Rock Festival, where the 2nd band to appear on the main stage was Therapy?. They blew my tiny mind. It wasn’t long after that I had a shiny CD in my fledgling CD collection filed under ‘T’. Yes, I file my music in alphabetical and chronological order.

Troublegum, in my humble opinion, has a subtle hint of classic about it. This is the first Therapy? release to have multiple tracks that stand-out. Released in 1994, it opens with ‘Knives’ and you know that this is a band who have discovered who they are. Long gone are the punky leanings of the 2 mini-albums, with their 2nd A&M album also delivering a robust boot to the testicles of the previous release.

Ironically, a friend from my university days, am man I wish I was still in touch with, told me in 1996 that the bands earlier releases were far superior to Troublegum. Will, my friend, if you ever read this, I would love to have a beer with you to see if you think the same way, hell I’d like to have a beer anyway.

There are issues with the album. Although it consistently holds your attention. It is front loaded. The best songs would be side A of a record. I found that on listening for this retrospective, it was the first half of the album that reminded me more of my life in the mid 90’s. Although a minor quibble, it did disappoint me a little. 8/10

1995 saw the release of the band 3rd full album, ‘Infernal Love’. I remember playing this at work, working in a bakery where my brother and I ‘ruled’ the CD player. Alas, my brothers taste in music is not the same as mine and so this album went down like a lead balloon. The band made a decision, let’s call it a dubious decision, to fill the ‘gaps’ between songs with what can only be described as am ambient distracting annoyance. This was incredibly disappointing, as there are a number of decent tracks on the album, a number of which are ballads. It would be interesting to hear a thoroughly modern remix of this album without the incidental nonsense.

This album was unfairly maligned in my opinion. Although not as strong as Troublegum, it again demonstrates the progression of the band. I love ‘Me vs You’ and ‘Misery’ is a truly brilliant track. This album still has a warm place in my 90’s heart. 7/10

1996 saw founding member and drummer, Fyfe Ewing, leave the band, as well as seeing the band add a cellist in Martin McCarrick. After all, what rock band cannot be improved by a cellist. To be fair, the dude also played guitar!

Semi-Detached was the 4th full album released in 1998 and it has a handful of bangers about it. ‘Safe’ is a truly superb song and ‘Stay Happy’ also impresses. Although the loss of Fyfe Ewing was probably felt keenly by the remaining duo, the album doesn’t reflect this. It is an enjoyable romp, shorn of the shenanigans of the interludes interrupting the previous album. I was surprised by how much I enjoyed this album in my retrospective, as I didn’t remember it as being so strong. 7/10

 Not long after, 1999 to be precise, Therapy released, what this retrospective has determined, my favourite album. Suicide Pact – You First does not merely have a dark title, it is a dark album. Although the first 2 tracks are incredibly strong, it is ‘Jam Jar Jail’ where Therapy? really hit their stride. This song is truly stunning. Another banger is ‘Ten Year Plan’ where I have my favourite lyric by the band, ‘I just wanna get drunk and headbang’.   This album has nothing but top tunes and my retrospective reaffirmed by love.  9/10

In 2001, I was a couple of years out of University, living with my 1st ex-fiancée and having to have a real job to pay a mortgage. Alas, this has no impact on my opinion of Shameless, the 6th full album by Therapy?. I recall the anticipation for this album prior to its release…. and then the stifling disappointment upon listening to it. This album sounds like a band going through the motions, unhappy and devoid of inspiration. I was gutted. I don’t recall listening to this album in the last 20 years before this retrospective and I cannot say if I will ever visit it again. Shameless is a disappointing album where no single track stands out. 5/10

The 7th full length album, High Anxiety was released in 2003 and this album saw Neil Cooper replacing Hopkins on the, erm, skins (rubbish pun intended)…. and it immediately saw an improvement from the previous effort. Unlike the previous album, and by no means perfect, this album has a handful of superior tracks. This includes ‘Hey Satan – You Rock’ and the superb ‘If it Kills me’. High Anxiety appears to see Cairns and McKeegan recover their mojo with a band change, with McCarrick standing firm with his cello, prior to exiting the band!  6/10

Shameless was the last Therapy? album I bought. As previous retrospectives have stated, my musical taste evolved and Therapy? were a band that disappointedly fell by the wayside, only to rise like the proverbial phoenix from the flames. 

Part 2 of this retrospective will soon follow.

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Retrospective #6

System of a Down are an Armenian-American band that rose from the ashes of the band Soil in 1994. Over a 7-year period, they released 5 full length albums and are often discussed as being a nu-metal band, although I prefer to think of them as alternative metal.

In the mid ’90’s, I bought a copy of Kerrang! and included with the, then very good, magazine was a 2-track cassette by a band called System of a Down. Featuring the songs, ‘War’ and ‘Suite Pee’, I played it so much at University that my friend Mark would rip the piss out the former, shouting ‘We will fight the Heathens’ at the top of his voice. Mark used to also take his amp to the front door of our flat, turn it up to 11 and play a single power cord and then put everything back in his room. He was, and is, a cool dude, but I digress. Because of this cassette, I like to think of myself as an early adopter of SoaD and I quickly became a big fan, eager to lap up their new, original take on metal.

Jumping to the head of the queue due to a brief conversation with Gareth Endean (author of ‘Half a Ton of Heavy Metal’ – a great book, buy it on Amazon), Retrospective #6 is the excellent System of a Down.

Album Retrospective – System of a Down.

In 1998, soon after hearing the promo cassette of ‘War’ and ‘Suite Pee’, I eagerly snapped up the eponymous debut album by SoaD and was immediately blown away by the originality and sheer heaviness of the music. Serj Tankian’s vocals were immediate, especially in ‘Spiders’, one of the songs released as a single, with the other being ‘Sugar’. I tried to get everybody to listen to this album.  I couldn’t get enough of it, be it fighting the heathens, or storming poor June. Tankian may have written a vast majority of the lyrics, Daron Malakian gets a writing credit on ‘CUBErt’, but the band utterly shred on each track. Shavo Odadjian, the coolest looking of the band, and John Dalmayan have supreme control of the songs on bass and drums respectfully. As a result, there are no weak moments on this.  Listening to the album for the first time in a decade or so, I was immediately struck with how relevant it still sounded, despite the fact it was released last Century. It should be deemed a classic and is essential listening. 9/10

SoaD were then left with the supreme difficulty in trying to impress me with their 2nd album, Toxicity, released in 2001. Fresh out of university, with a job and some actual money to start building on my CD collection, I was absolutely beside myself when, on September 3rd, I was able to drive down to Our Price (gone but not forgotten record store) and pick up a shiny new copy. This excitement was peaked by my seeing for the first time at the 2001 Reading Festival a few days previous, I saw them for the final time in 2003 as well.

I was excited, but nervous.  How could it match up to what I deemed to be a classic?  Then ‘Prison Song’ starts and the relief sets in.  Toxicity is brilliant. With Malakian having far a bigger influence in the song writing, shared with Tankian, it seems to be a more balanced album, but for me it lacks the excitement and spontaneity of their debut. Somewhat controversial, it was released just before 9/11 and features lyrics including the words, ‘Self Righteous Suicide’ in ‘Chop Suey’, it didn’t hinder the sales. Indeed, ‘Chop Suey’ is one of the best songs on a very strong album. This is SoaD’s 2nd essential album. 8/10

The 3rd SoaD album was released late in 2002 and was called, ‘Steal This Album’. I remember at the time there was a small furore surrounding the name of the album.  Were they encouraging the thieving from music stores, illegal downloading or merely copying it from your friend?  In reality, it was none of these things. It was until recently that I found out that ‘Toxicity II’ was an actual thing, where tracks had been leaked onto the internet without the knowledge or consent of the band. SoaD then decided to record/rerecord, alter/change and probably ignore some of these tracks that then became the 3rd album proper.

In truth, this was not an immediate hit for me. I found, and still do find, the opening track, ‘Chic ‘N’ Stu’ intensely irritating. I can’t elucidate further, as I don’t know why it bugs me, I just hate the chorus. Yes, there are some grade A SoaD material, ‘A.D.D. (American Dream Denial)’ is superb. However, for every ‘Mr Jack’ – Excellent, there is an ‘I-E-A-I-A-I-O’ – not so excellent. It is an album that sounds like the band didn’t want to release. It is also an album that is also quite critical to the evolution of the band, a juxtaposition if ever there was one. 7/10

‘Mesmerize’ was the 4th album and it was released in May 2005 and it was noticeable that the dynamic in the band was different. No longer was Tankian the sole lead vocalist. Malakian was now sharing vocal duties, having moved on from the previous harmonising. With the best will in the world, Daron Malakian is not in the same league as Tankian as a vocalist.  I mean this as no slight, Serj Tankian is an outstanding singer that few other vocalists could match on a SoaD album.

The ultimate effect of this is that ‘Mesmerize’ is often disjointed, with the twin vocals struggling to intertwine. Songs like the thrashtastic, ‘Cigaro’ are almost ruined by Malakian advising that his ‘cock is much bigger than yours’. In saying this, the trademark lyrical themes are still in play, and the band stay true to their beliefs.  The fact is the album is just a little bit off.  7/10

A mere 6 months later, ‘Hypnotize’was the 5th and final album (so far) to be released by SoaD. Ostensibly recorded within the timeframe as its predecessor, it is essentially, if not part of a double album, a true companion piece for ‘Mesmerize’. Again, we have the dual vocal attack throughout a lot of the album, but it is when they main protagonists harmonise that the album hits its heights especially in 2nd track ‘Dreaming’ which has some wonderful moments.

Within the 2 releases, there is a truly outstanding album (think Use Your Illusion), but unfortunately these albums do contain filler, which is disappointing. We can speculate, perhaps, that the guys released these 2 albums because of the ‘Toxicity’/’Steal This Album’ debacle with unreleased and unfinished tracks being dumped online.  8/10

I must admit that, at the time, I really disliked the final 2 albums. I felt like the band had blown a huge opportunity to dominate an area of metal that had been vacated by RATM, a band delivering songs with political and social disparity messages. I was truly disappointed. It was this fact that led me to comment on Facebook posts by Gareth Endean in the Half Ton of Heavy Metal Facebook page. I essentially said these albums were pish, to which Gareth promptly and subtlety advised me I may be wrong. 

I had not listened to a System of a Down album for many many years, probably 15 years in the case of the last 3. I was presently surprised. I have missed SoaD and the later albums are far better than I have given them credit for. I have been very pleasantly surprised and this has been a very enjoyable retrospective for me.

Album Ranking

  1. System of a Down
  2. Toxicity
  3. Hypnotize
  4. Mesmerize
  5. Steal This Album
  6. Find out more – Check out Serj Tankian’s 2007 solo album, Elect the Dead
  7. Off the beaten track – check out the bands  2001/2003 Reading Festival sets on You Tube.
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Type O Negative formed in Brooklyn, New York in 1989. Pioneers of the Gothic Metal genre, they released 7 albums up until Peter Steele’s untimely death in 2010.

Although I was aware of Type O Negative having seen the video for ‘Black No. 1 (Little Miss Scare-All) on countless occasions, it was not until I saw them live at the Donington Monsters of Rock Festival in 1996 that the band forced themselves into my steadily growing CD collection.

My, rather sketchy, memories of that day included a genuine Man Mountain on stage with a chain as a guitar strap. Peter Steel was a huge man who utterly dominated the 2nd stage at the festival. With a mere 30 minutes on stage, Type O Negative boasted of playing a grand total of 3 songs. Their set was enough to win me over.

Peter Steele with Chain guitar strap

Joining Bassist/Lead Vocalist Peter Steel in the band were, Ken Hickey on guitars/backing vocals, Josh Silver on Keyboads and backing vocals and original drummer Sal Abruscato. Type O Negative benefited from having a relatively stable line-up throughout their history, with only a change in drummer, with Johnny Kelly beating the skins following Abruscato’s departure.

Retrospective #5 features the incomparable Type O Negative.

Album Retrospective – Type O Negative.

In 1991, rising from the ashes of Carnivore, Type O Negative formed and quickly released their debut album via Roadrunner Records. Slow Deep and Hard was the, not-so-subtle, title of the album and merely hinted at the sound the band would cultivate and make their own.

This album was, and still is, a strange listen for me, as I had heard some of their later albums before this. I wasn’t expecting the lack of a gothic sound. This album takes a number of metal elements and crushes them together to create a sound that, to be perfectly blunt, would not have encouraged me to purchase future albums. However, luckily, Type O Negative were a band who continually evolved with each album.  6/10

This evolution, however, wasn’t immediately apparent, as the follow up album was a ‘live’ album featuring renamed tracks from their debut as well as a few other additional releases. When I say Live, I mean it wasn’t. 1992’s The Origin of the Feces was a studio album with additional crowd noise added and is billed as being ‘Not Live at Brighton Beach’. As it is a studio album, it makes it onto the retrospective.

Again, I bought this album prior to hearing the debut which has led me to have a sense of love for the album that Slow Deep and Hard wasn’t able to capture. Songs such as ‘I Know You’re Fucking Someone Else’, although featuring on the debut with a different name, seem to fit The Origin of the Feces in a more natural manner. The genius of this album was the inclusion of, what was to become a Type O Negative trait, of cover versions. An outstanding cover of Sabbath’s ‘Iron Man’ was accompanied by an alternative version of ‘Hey Joe’, entitled ‘Hey Peter’. Both covers are well worth your time. 7/10

By the summer of 1993, Type O Negative had finally managed to hit their stride, and it was their first truly gothic album, an album that defined a genre. Bloody Kisses is, without a shadow of doubt, a magnificent album. Featuring truly epic songs, including the aforementioned ‘Black No 1’ as well as ‘Set me on Fire’ and, perhaps my personal favourite, ‘Christian Woman’, it is not a short album. But it utterly envelopes you in its dark humour and I still, to this day, sing ‘Christian Woman’ in my head on a consistent basis, although Jesus Christ doesn’t really look like me at all.

Bloody Kisses was the first Type O Negative album I bought, and I utterly adore it. It contains my two favourite Type O songs and it has a special place in my heart. There is a reason why it became a platinum album and for many years I considered it to be a perfect album up until I saw them live for the first time at Donington Monsters of Rock in 1996. Needless to say, perfection was to be redefined. 9/10

3 days after blowing my mind at Donington 96, Type O Negative released October Rust, their first without original drummer Sal Abruscato . I bought this almost immediately. I had always considered their 3rd album to be perfection and this was the album to prove me wrong. I remember playing this constantly. Not long after, I went to University and this album was a constant on my very heavy metal Sony CD player. Again, the album demonstrates a dark humour in amongst the gothic metal overtones.

October Rust is one of the most consistent albums I have ever heard. There is absolutely zero weak songs, it is perfectly produced and it is, to my ears, pretty much flawless. I remember having one of my many drunken conversations with my best pal, Kenny, about this album, where I talked about how the best songs on Bloody Kisses were better than the tracks on October Rust, but the actual album was not as good as October Rust. Peter Steele and the boys had reached a high that, unfortunately, they would find impossible to hit again. 10/10

One of the biggest surprises in doing theses retrospectives is rediscovering albums that I had previously disregarded. 1999 saw the release of the bands darkest album to date, World Coming Down. Featuring tracks such as. ‘Everyone I love is Dead’, and, ‘Everything Dies’ you begin to get the state of mind the Peter Steele was in. At this time in my life, I had recently graduated from University and was wondering where life was going to take me.  So, when this album came out, I never really gave it the chance the band deserved. Yes, I still played the album, but I never really listened to it, never listened to the more ‘upbeat’ tracks, ‘All Hallows Eve’ or ‘Pyretta Blaze’.

What has happened since I listened to this album for the retrospective, is that I now understand the content. It has hit a home run with me and I regret not listening to this more than I did in the last 20 years. Instead of being a weaker album than the previous 2, it is actually every bit as strong an album as Bloody Kisses.  9/10

Almost 4 years then passed before the band released album No.6, Life is Killing Me. Unfortunately, my retrospective listen to this album did not change my thoughts about it. When I bought this in 2003, I immediately to a dislike to it. For every good track like ‘I don’t Wanne be Me’, there was a ‘I Like Goils’. To say I was disappointed is a massive understatement. Following on from my, now incorrect, opinion of the previous album, I felt that I had moved on from the band. If you have read my previous retrospectives, you will see that my music tastes were changing around this time and so, it was with very fond memories, that my heart said a fond goodbye to Type O Negative. 6/10

So, it is with a slight hint of disgust about myself that I must admit that I did not have a clue that Type O Negative released a 7th album until I started this retrospective. I had always assumed that they only had 6, this is how much I switched off to the band.

In 2007, their last album, this time with a new record label, SPV Steamhammer. Having listened to this for the first time after revisiting their previous 6 albums, I was eager to see if they could recapture lost glories, make me feel like man in his 20’s again. Alas, it was not to be.  A new record label did not mean a new start and Dead Again, is an album that make you feel the guys were going through the motions.  I was pretty disappointed, especially as there will never be a chance of a redeeming album. 5/10

On April 14th 2010, Peter Steele died. I remember being absolutely devastated at reading this news. Although latter day Type 0 Negative albums hadn’t hit home with me, their music was a massive part of my younger life.

Type O Negative were at the forefront of an entire genre, perhaps releasing the definitive Goth Metal album in Bloody Kisses. It is perhaps fitting that the remaining members of the band did not continue as Type O Negative as it leaves Peter Steele’s legacy intact.

Album Ranking

  1. October Rust
  2. Bloody Kisses
  3. World Coming Down
  4. Origin of the Feces
  5. Life is Killing Me
  6. Slow Deep and Hard
  7. Dead Again
  • Find out more – Check out  their 2007 set Live at Wacken on You Tube.
  • Off the beaten track – Check out the 10 Unforgettable Peter Steele Moments on You Tube, including his Jerry Springer appearance.
Categories
Album Retrospective

Slight Changes

As I continue to write the next entry into my album retrospective series, I have taken the decision to make a very slight change.

In the earlier retrospectives, I gave each album a mark out of 10. This isn’t a bad thing, giving the reader my perspective of a particular album. However, I think the narrative does this as well, making the ranking a touch superfluous.

The upcoming retrospective will not have a scored ranking for each album, instead I am going to list the albums in order of my preference. I hope that this will encourage others to listen to these albums to see if you agree with me, or more likely, not agree.

Categories
Uncategorized

A Novice Blogger

So I am now a few months into whatever ‘this’ is and it has become abundantly clear to me that I don’t really have a clue what I am doing, especially with regards to setting up the page the way I think it should look. That’s why it looks a little bit of a mess at the moment. It will, however, improve.

I believe I have a decent basic idea for the blog. I can be very anal with my listening habits and for many years, I have listened to albums by one band/artist in order of the year they were released. So, why not see if anything I listen to sparks a bit of interest in somebody else, even if it is to say that they don’t like it.

That said, I am aware that I need change things slightly. My Devin Townsend Retrospective is too long. At 25 albums, this should have been split into 2 parts to make it more readable. But this is a learning curve for me. Although I have written hundreds of album reviews, I am very much a novice blogger. I have never started a blog from scratch nor have I set up a web page. It is new but it is fun.

I have plans for the blog as well. I want to incorporate others to help, maybe have my friends compile an album retrospective from their point of view. Also, I have an idea that has been in my head since 2016 where I have already sounded out my friend of 40+ years to help. More on this to come, but it will provide more content and be a little more pithy than a full retrospective.

Thanks for reading my thoughts – comments are welcome, as is any advice that can help improve on my Novice Blogger status.

I am The DevilsHorns!