I sit here in the computer room of a cruise ship moored off the coast of Russia. I was worried I would not have enough time to listen to much review music, of which I have quite a bit. I needn’t have worried. Appropriately much of the stuff is from countries which I am to visit on this cruise. Cruising is still something for the rather old or young.
Lillian Axe: Sad Day on Planet Earth
This lot are one of those bands that are rather consistent in their decent hard rock output. Always keen on being a slight cut above the rest, their music tends to be as clever as it is heavy. It's one of those bands that puts time into its lyrics and is a joy to listen to if, like me, you are one of those rare people who pays attention to what the band has to say.
From the title track to soaring songs like “Hibernate”, Lillian Axe once again reminds their fans why they are so special. There is not one bit of filler on this CD. Whether you like the band or not, you can’t argue with this sort of consistent quality. This is certainly a welcome return of a great band that always seems to be able to hit a mark bands often strive for, but never really achieve.
This is thinking man’s hard rock, normally you have to delve into the murky world of prog to find this sort of attention to detail. If you don’t know this band and clever rock appeals to you, then you might want to check out this release. A consistently good album from start to finish is quite a good thing these days.
Lions Share: Dark Hours
From the initial opening cord of “Judas must Die” there is no doubt what this lot are about musically. This is straight-ahead power metal delivered with the quality and attention to detail that you would expect from the better bands of the genre. Powerful heavy metal that is both catchy and driven. I rather liked this CD from the first listen, no need to wait to get into it.
If you want creepy power metal then you can do no better than “Bottomless Pit” which does dark metal better than bands that think they are “intense” and “extreme”. Imagine Twisted Sister’s “Captain Howdy” without the slightly tongue-in-cheek overtones. Not exactly the track you wanna hear right before you head to bed if you are easily spooked. The fact it's told from the point of view of the nasty baddie that is subject of the song makes it even more fun.
Article comments