The Black Crowes/The Southern Harmony and Musical Companion(1992)

Folk’s here’s Part Deux of mine and Mikey’s Double Crowes Header! Click the link below for Mikey’s slamming spin on this Classic!

REVIEW: The Black Crowes – The Southern Harmony and Musical Companion (remastered)

Don’t you just love the cover of this album? I sure as hell do! It’s basically the Crowes hanging out in a dump like setting so for all the wham bam Poison like happy 80’s bands trying to scrape by with any smudge of success in the early 90s The Black Crowes are basically about to stomp you out!

Nothing happy around these parts folks..move on but before you do. Dig into the grooves of this album! An absolute scorcher and in my mind (anyways) a 360 degree turn from the Hard Blues Stones like Rock of the debut (Shake Your Money Maker) from two years before!

Southern Harmony is an album of “We don’t give a F**K” we will do what we wanna do!” This album registers on all levels of that previous statement! No real radio tailor-made singles. No sir! Just plug-in and let it rip and through all its 10 songs 50 minutes of music. The co writes between vocalist Chris Robinson and his brother, guitarist  Rich Robinson are brilliant put together pieces of music without worrying about what would make it to the radio.

One big change was in the 6 string dept as Jeff Cease got his marching papers and in comes Marc Ford.  The rest of the Crowes still remained intact and that would be Johnny Colt(Bass),Steve Gorman(Drummer) & Eddie Harsch(Keyboards)

You could sense these guys were already graduates from the we don’t give a shit what anyone think’s thought of school. Fair enough…

Sting Me opens the proceedings and the Crowes are a flying as this is a straight ahead rocker. “If you feel a riot that don’t deny it” sings Chris and were off. Nice tidy like drumming by Gorman who as always does keeps the Crowes beat moving forward. This tune has a live like feel and even the Keyboards are mixed right. Great opener!

Ok. Remedy dropped as a single before the album landed in the shops and all I will say is “This is such a Friggin great Rock Track!” Whether from 1992 or 2017 it is amped and loaded. When i first heard this song I was blown away at the power of it. Just no fooling around B.S and Remedy was holding its own as the Seattle Grungeaholics were trying to wipe all kinds of rock from the map. Kinda like a hostile takeover but the Crowes were having none of that. Heads down in the trenches boys and Chris and Rich cook us all up a Remedy! With Gorman smashing about his symbols the guitars just lift this track right off! Still one of my all time fav-o rock tracks.

Thorn In My Pride is 6 minutes of a jam o ram workout. It’s all here. Chill vibe that ramps up with a snazzy driven keyboard line after the fuzzy distorted guitar solo. Chris battles “Devils/Angels” Hmmm is this about his brother Rich? hahaha….

Bad Luck Blue Eyes Goodbye starts off with Gorman clicking his sticks with the count in as someone chirps about “Weed” beforehand. Bad Ass Rock Hippies! This song has a different vibe. Real chill verses. The chorus wakes up a bit which features the ladies on the background vocals.  See that’s the thing I love about this album is that Crowes just jam out tunes that are pushing the envelope of doing what they wanted. Great chorus!

Sometimes Salvation. Marc Ford has the distinction of being in my all time Top 10 for the fuzzed out supersonic slip n slide distorted solo that is an absolute beast on this track. The first time I heard this tune on my first listen I went back to the solo it’s so freaking good! Sometimes Salvation has that great drum/lead vocal kick that to me along with the solo is like me scrapping around looking for a fix! A fix of Rock! I have always liked this video as  Chris just gives er in the lead vocal department especially when he’s bellowing “Sister do you wanna find me?” Deep man…

Hotel Illness has a Stones like opening featuring some cool percussion and harp to lead off the proceedings. Nice smooth vocal and I like how the Crowes mix it up between vocal/harp on the first verse and shift to vocal/guitar leads on the second verse. 

More harmonica on Black Moon Creeping. BMC is another great track as the Crowes do all the trimmings on this song. A sleazy like groove during the verse and Boom comes the chorus where it goes up one notch and thats due to Gorman and his drums!

The tour opener for the 92/93 tour that touched down in Tbay. No Speak No Slave has a real cool groove love the riffage of the guitars during the chorus. The song just ploughs forward with Colt playing his bass and just being locked and loaded with Gorman while Rich and Marc just jam all out over the map. Chris just bellows and howls and asks ‘Do you wanna be heard?’ Yes I Do! A rip snorting track that goes all bonkers at the end!

My Morning Song is another jam like workout. Tons of slide action from the guitars. No fooling around with a straight ahead rock track Crowesfried just how we likey! Chris man sounds like he’s about to go hoarse on this song and kudos to these guys for just leaving as is alone!

Time Will Tell is a Bob Marley cover that closes up shop on this album. The Black Crowes become Bob Crowes and basically keep the reggae like beat but with keeping an edge on it.

What can you say about this album?

Well…

Considering the Betty Crocker Baked Oven was on full throttle for this album these guys knew what they were doing.

To my listening ears this is a complete left turn from the debut. This album reeks of nastiness(the seedier side of life)but in a complimentary way. No radio like hits. A killer live off the floor recording  that no one back in 92 was doing or for that matter is doing now.

The vocals/musicianship the crafting of the songs by the Robinson Brothers was at an all time creative peak here.  I bought into the Crowes but after this album it was hit or miss with their stuff for my liking…

All time great here!

 

 

Soundgarden/Badmotorfinger(1991)

This review comes as an Request from Stick It In Your Ear follower ROBBO!

So as the  musical world tries to wrap its brain on what went down in Detroit. I think it would be a great time  to talk about a pretty decent heavy slab of Rock in the form of Badmotorfinger which was released on October 8th 1991.

Soundgarden I had read about in magazines(early 1990’s) like RIP who championed their cause as a band to watch at the  time. For myself I obviously knew the name but it wasn’t until I was cruising around in my buddy Oink’s car that in his cassette deck he was blasting something that wasn’t Ozzy or Maiden. 

I asked him “who is this?” as the sonics sounded heavy but in a cool kind of way as the rhythm of the drums sounded like a battering ram to the noggin while the guitars were mixed loud! Here come the late great Chris Cornell laying down a vocal like I had never heard. Cornell’s vocals sounded street tough but distinct and as a bonus I could understand him as his vocal delivery  was as loud as the band itself. I have often said I was amazed that Cornell didn’t toss a lung when he sang….

Speaking of which the first Soundgarden  song I had ever heard that night in Oink’s car was Jesus Christ Pose!

This was I believe in late 91. Of course Muchmusic started playing Soundgarden videos like Outshined and Rusty Cage so my curiosity level was tweaked even more.

Early 1992 I was onboard with Soundgarden(purchased Badmotorfinger) and for me they were a cut above everyone else and that was due to Cornell’s voice.

We all know the landscape for music changed as well in 1992 (no need to go there again) but I myself being from the 80’s Hard Rock club was intrigued by this new sound and by summer of 1992 I did own a copy of Nirvana’s Nevermind as well as Pearl Jam’s 10 album but for me it was Soundgarden I always went back to even with the followup releases like the classic 1994 release Superunknown and 1995’s Down On The Upside.  Those two albums are worth the time!

Hell I even purchased the A-Sides Greatest Hits compilation as it had tracks I had not heard.(I reviewed A-Sides a while back) and one of my Best Friends Metal Todd secured me a copy of the King Animal release  a few years back(2012) as well!(King Animal is a very good album one you all should check out but for some crazy reason no one talks about. Than again if it came out in 1997 people would be all over it)

Badmotorfinger through it’s 12 tracks(57 plus minutes if music) forged and created a sound I had at the time not had heard ever.

Perhaps the term “Impact” should be used here!

Drummer Matt Cameron plays all over the map but in a tight military like fashion with his snare drum blasting off rounds after rounds of  pure greatness.

Kim Thayil was no poster boy in the looks department but he could inner channel Sabbaths Tony Iommi  with big heavy dirty grimy power riffs and it’s all about the tunes not the image back in 92 correct? Thayil fits the bill to a T! Searching With My Good Eye Closed would fill the void of a Sabbath like sound. This song just oozes and limps its way to mass destruction.

Bassist Ben Sheppard plays like a mad scientist with a ton of groovy demonic like bass lines and the tone from Hell!

Special mention must be made to producer Terry Date who harnessed all this energy in and pushed the record button! Kudos Sir!

BadMotorfinger even though it never came close to the sales of Nevermind and 10 in 92 it still held its own and still sold and of course a few years later in 94 that would change when Superunknown went though the roof in sales as that was due to the songs and roadwork put forth by the touring on the Badmotorfinger release.

Speaking of Superunknown. Last year I challenged a few of you’s to put down your all time Top 20 albums. It was tough but sitting in my Top 20  was Superunknown and how could it not be. Limo Wreck has to be my fav tune on there and someday I will get around to reviewing Superunkown as well! Such a classic!

Last year in 2016 Soundgarden released a super-duper deluxe of Badmotorfinger which included a classic 1992 show from Seattle on this tour and it’s a full on 90 minute classic show with a band that is on fire and its a great piece of rock history! It’s noisy at times trashy but Cornell holds it all together with his voice or should I say Chris harnesses it all in…..So good… check it out folks! I posted the video from this show of Jesus Christ Pose….Crank it! This live clip shows you the   juggernaut that these guys were ….I think there must have been at least 20 stage dives by members in the crowd during this song alone!

Soundgarden back in late 91 made a fanboy out of me and I’ll never admit to being a diehard but vocally Cornell on the studio releases he  never sang half assed always at full throttle.

Give it up for the man and rest easy Chris…

 

Def Leppard/Live In Winnipeg…Oct 10/1992

 

Quick shout out to my sister Kristin and her Boyfriend Darren who are on there way to see Def Lep Live tonight in Minneapolis Minnesota along with Poison (meh) and Tesla(awesome). Kristin this one’s for you!

Back to 1992 ….Frigg I’m getting old but those  buggers Leppard are older than me still..haha! I will tell ya something that this production that Leppard put on back in 1992 must have been one of the last big Arena Rock Shows for a while as Grunge Mania was sweeping across North America and everyone was lapping up the saucer bowl filled with Nirvana.

 

Def Lep though went about their business and when they announced this show in Winnipeg I pounced on tickets ASAP as I thought it would sell out quick. Well wasn’t I fooled when myself and Sidekick Sal took our seats. I was amazed that only 9500 people were at this show where the old Winnipeg Arena could hold up to 16,000(that was the amount of people who were stuffed in the joint back in 89 on the Bon Jovi Jersey Tour). What was more bizarre was that there were 2000 more people at this Lep show than the one they played in Winnipeg on the Hysteria Tour in 1988!

When the opening lines of Clint Eastwood’s Dirty Harry  vocal spiel was over (you know the part in the movie about looking down the barrel of gun) Leppard opened up with the leadoff single Let’s Get Rocked and the crowd was in it from the get go. Second track was Tear It Down followed by the classic Women (still love that end of the song  solo). Vocalist Joe Elliot is a good frontman as with the stage being in the middle of the arena there wasn’t a bad seat in the house. Actually all the Lepp dudes (except Drummer Rick Allen ) moved about and used up all  the stage as no one in the crowd could say they weren’t giving it there all.

Guitar Hero Dude’s Vivian Campbell & Phil Collen  layed down the law with the chops of a butcher! On one hand you got Topless Phil playing and at times riffing so over the top it was ridiculous but he somehow reigns it in and can contain himself in the Lep song catalogue. Campbell is more my kind of player. Little more chill relaxed in his deal as he was replacing the Great King Of All Riffs Mr Stephen Clark(RIP). I have said it before in all my reviews a lot of the riffs went to heaven that day Clark died. But Lep has moved on as they had too and in replacing Clark with Campbell they got a fellow who went through the guitar hero ranks in Dio. Played with Davey Coverdale in the 1987 version of Whitesnake. Played some slick guitar in the Riverdogs & Shadow King two bands that went nowhere before landing the Lep gig in early 92!

Campbell/Collen each got their moment in the sun (guitar solo’s) and it was pretty surprising that having two actual guitar solos in the show would kill the pace but it didn’t. The only real drag like the one I mentioned in my review of this tour which landed in Ladano’s Fav U.S City Duluth (about 6 weeks later after this show) was that basically the first two albums were ignored except for the acoustic rendition of Bringing On The Heartbreak.

Still though this was a great show with an over the top Lighting Truss that swirled a shit load of lights on moveable pods above the crowd on Gods Of War.

Hit after Hit was played … Rocket to this day still is one of my fav Lep  songs as a ton of Hysteria was played (8 songs off of it) whereas there was a huge dose of Pyromania and the current Adrenalize as well..

Top notch live show and the end of an era so to speak as Lep hit the skids shortly after as far as sales go though I feel that 1996’s Slang is one of there best!

Great Times and enjoy the show Kristin and Darren…..

Update….My sister has confirmed to me that she will review this show! 

Watch for it…..

 

 

 

Saints & Sinners/Saints & Sinners(1992)

Mikey Ladano learned I had this and him being a Rick Hughes/Sword Fan Mikey requested a review of Saints And Sinners.

Lets’s Do This…..

Saints And Sinners hailing from Montreal Quebec came out in September of 1992 with a bit of press and a fellow named Aldo Nova who produced the one and only release from these guys.

The biggest problem these guys had was timing. If this record had come  out in September 1989 or 1990 even a year earlier say in 1991 Saints could have sold much more and perhaps had enough momentum to warrant a second release but woulda ,coulda shoulda…

Having said that this is a good piece of Hard Rock! Think NightRanger on steroids without a pouncing our senses with a sappy Ranger ballad..

Saints…..

Rick Hughes – vocals
Stephane Dufour – guitar and background vocals
Martin Bolduc – bass and background vocals
Jeff Salem – drums
Jesse Bradman – keyboards and background vocals

Speaking of NightRanger Jesse Bradman played keys in that band for a while I think even on the very good NightRanger album Man In Motion which no one cared about…..

Sinners…

“Shake” – 4:10
“Rip It Up” – 4:45
“Walk That Walk” – 4:40
“Takin’ My Chances” – 5:36
“Kiss the Bastards” – 5:03
“Wheels of Fire” – 3:51
“Lesson of Love” – 4:17
“We Belong” – 4:42
“Frankenstein” – 9:57
“Slippin’ into Darkness” – 4:18

This album cooks right from the start with a Big Blast of Good ol fashioned Hard Rock. Hughes has a great straight ahead rock voice and Shake has a real good hard rock swing to it while the chorus is what I always call the Money Shot. Big time rock guitar with a super duper cool solo leads the charge …

After Shake is finished it’s onto Rip It Up which once again figures some stellar guitar work and another great chorus. More hard rocking the sense’s!

The album is chock full of Hard Rockers like Walk That Walk/Kiss The Bastards/Wheels of Fire. If you need a fix of late 80s /early 90s hard rock. You will like these.

Even the more melodic things like Takin My Chances and Lesson of Love  may have a slow like tempo but the drums keep the pace moving along thank you very much.

I must mention that Aldo Nova brings out a clean big sounding make that a great sounding album, The dude knows what he is doing behind the recording console.

Frankenstein is the 10 minute like stomp that is actually an interesting move by these guys to put a track this long on a hard Rock release but then again as Hard Rock as they may be they stretch the boundaries as one 10 minute Frankenstein track is basically three Poison tracks . Imagine if Poison did a 10 minute track? Oh wait they have with those two 10 minute drum and guitar solos on that slop Poison Live record from 1991….. Frankenstein though is a epic piece of Rock as Rick sings “Close my eyes/He comes alive/ Frankenstein! The keys on this just add an big atmospheric sonic layer which does not annoy me! HA!

Saints And Sinners had  a classic throwback Hard Rock Sound! It’s really a shame these guys came out so late in the game. So many bands were suffocated under Kurt Cobains Ripped up Cardigan.

If you’re looking for a Hard Rock Hidden Gem. Seek this one out!

 

 

HardLine/Double Eclipse(1992)

Let’s be honest here people I have hammered on this blog about  Neil Schon pretty hard for back in the day(1980s) Neil would always pump every Journey album as “Lot’s Of Guitar Rock”…Ummm Ok Fella but when I read that and went and bought Journey’s 1986’s Raised On Radio his guitar was so buried under Jon Cain’s Keyboards that I Raised My Hands and Gave Up!

Of course Schon took his trade and moved onto Bad English and Man don’t get me started on those Yahoo’s of Power Syrup Rock. Bad English to this day still haunt Tbone as Moi and Tbones Brothers will still take the occasional jab at him for this 1989 Purchase! If you look on the site here I reviewed the debut Bad English under the 3/4’s Filler Section…….

Well 1992 roll’s around and I read in I think it was Metal Edge Magazine that Neil Schon was back with a couple of Bro’s in a new band called HardLine and once again Schon was going on about how heavy the guitar was sounding and once again Deke drank from the Schon Kool Aide cup and …..

HOLLLLLEEEEEE Sheeeeeeeeeit! Schon did not lie! His guitar is jacked to the masses and here’s Ol Neil ramping up some heavy guitar in the  year of 1992 with all things Grunge going on musically. It  took all of 8 years to get his heavy guitar Rock n Roll Ball’s after that great H.S.A.S album he did with Sam Hagar back in 1984. Welcome Back ….

All songs written by Neal Schon, Johnny Gioeli and Joey Gioeli except where noted.

“Life’s a Bitch” – 4:22
“Dr. Love” (Mark Baker, Brian Connors, Mike Slamer) – 5:31
“Love Leads the Way”- 4:04 (bonus track for Japanese release of the album only)
“Rhythm from a Red Car” – 3:40
“Change of Heart” – 4:42
“Everything” (Schon, Gioeli, Gioeli, Eddie Money, Jonathan Cain, Tony Marty, Mark Tanner) – 3:55
“Takin’ Me Down” – 3:34
“Hot Cherie” (Randy Bishop, Daryl Gutheil, Jeffrey Neill, Kenneth Shields, Kenneth Sinnaeve) – 4:47
“Bad Taste” – 4:23
“Can’t Find My Way” – 5:28
“I’ll Be There” (Schon, Gioeli, Gioeli, Cain) – 4:36
“31-91” (Schon) – 1:33
“In the Hands of Time” – 6:18

Band members
Johnny Gioeli – lead vocals, acoustic guitar, rhythm guitar, percussion
Neal Schon – lead guitar, rhythm guitar, catgut guitar, guitar synthesizer, backing vocals, producer
Joey Gioeli – rhythm guitar, backing vocals
Todd Jensen – bass, backing vocals
Deen Castronovo – drums, backing vocals

Double Eclipse is a real good no make that a pretty great album of Hard yet Melodic at times Rock that doesn’t even border on wimpy even with Jon Cain creeping on co writes on two tracks!

The album gets off to the get go with Life’s A Bitch( with Schons guitar tone sounding Heavvvvy) and Dr Love. Sure there are underlying sounds of the synth going on but first and foremost this is a Guitar Record! Plus the vocals of Johnny Gioeli  are tailor made for this kind of music! Dude has a good set of pipes and the performances of the other Cat’s on this record is excellent.

Below posted is a Radio Broadcast of these guys playing Dr Love. Great stuff…Schon plays some super duper lightening bolts of lick’s at the beginning of the track. Love the chorus so simple yet so Friggin catchy!

Rhythm From A Red Car is for my money down the best song on this album! Listen to Schon Folk’s he smokes the frets on this tune (blast the video posted)and even at the 2 minute 40 second mark or so he inner channels his best Angus Young and Jeeper’s Creeper’s now we are talking!

For all us Canucks out there Hardline cover StreetHeart’s Hot Cherie and there’s a fine mix of good hard (Takin Me Down/Bad Taste) with some not so hard rock but still good nevertheless(Everything and especially album closer In The Hands Of Time)

The musical climate at the time wasn’t kind to this album even though they got on as support for Van Halen’s Carnal Knowledge Tour(1992) still though an uphill struggle for all these guy’s and a few years later OL Neil took his guitar and hooked up with the reunited Journey and Neil’s guitar vanished into the Fog Of AOR Rock!

But for a brief time …….

Megadeth/Countdown To Extinction(1992)

Megadeth were one of those Metal bands that I bought some stuff and other releases by them I just didn’t bother with. I first came across Dave Mustaine with his snarl and loud guitar sometime in late 1986 or so watching the good Ol Pepsi Power Hour (MuchMusic)in the safe confines of my house while Megadeth tore apart the audio on the family television with Peace Sells,Who’s Buying? The video was crazy all the flashing images of World Leaders and  such but for some reason I passed….until…

1988 I bought So Far So Good ….So What(great title) on cassette tape and again nothing clicked. When I wanted metal in 1988 it was Iron Maidens 7th Son album for me and actually to this day in the year of 2015 it is as well! Ha!

1990 rolls around and my younger brother Todd whose pushing 14 years at the time is learning guitar, reading guitar magazines (I used to buy him guitar magazine subscriptions for Christmas. Guitar World and Guitar For The Practicing Musician) the little bugger in no time became a real good six string bender and to this day Todd still jams with his buddies once or twice a week…..

Anyhooooooooo….

Todd bought Deths 1990 release Rust In Peace album and he loved it especially Guitar hero Marty Friedman’s playing. I  borrowed it listened to it on my Walkman(ha!) on my bike rides to and from work. So I figured since Todd had a copy ….good enough!

1992 and in the magazines I seen the adds for the soon to be released Deth album Countdown To Extinction. I thought the cover was a slick affair with the colours being used (grey and purple) and the old dude fizzling out. It didn’t make me wanna go and buy it right away that’s until….

Back to The Power Hour this time Megadeth sold me big time once I seen the video to Symphony Of Destruction! Whoah ……I Likey this Metal and for myself this is the best Megadeth album in my book……

Dave Mustaine(vocals/guitar),David Ellefson(bass)Marty Friedman(guitar) and Nick Menza(drums) stream line there Metallic Sound and I’m onboard……

Peace Sells…..Is DeKEs buying?

SKIN O MY TEETH-Menza rolls out of the gate with a quick snap a roo of the drums and Mustaine and Friedman launch in to metal riff 101!  “I Had Wrists Donning Slits” slams Mustaine in to the mic. It’s very apparent that  this Deth record is gonna cook and not in happy place that Bon Jovi and especially Poison had led us to a place of happiness. A happy place of Hookers Strippers, Blow,Groupies. In its place is Megadeth taking us across the street from those two bands to a burned out apartment with Needles,Heroin,Syringes,Booze! 1992, gone is happy go lucky rock! Mustaine and crew dial up a musical speedball and shove it down our senses!  This has to be one of my fav Deth tunes! Menza and Ellefson play a straight ahead Metal Pace with the guitars a rocking! The chorus is a Metal Delight ! “No escaping pain,You Belong To Me!” Snarls Mustaine ” Clinging On To Life,By The Skin O My Teeth” Friedman nails off the solo and  Menza slams the ride cymbal hard and what a opener!

SYMPHONY OF DESTRUCTION-The track that hooked me line and sinker in buying Countdown! Not only did they have a ass kicking great video to go with the song but Menza and Ellefson roll the beat forward  down Deth Avenue with super duper solid bass and drums. While we’re at it great production on this record by Max Norman(Ozzy/Coney Hatch) and Mustaine as well! The guitars are wickedly crystal clear and the chorus is reeeaaaaaal good! MegaCatchy is Megadeth on Symphony! Friedman nails off another classic solo! The lyrics as well send the message of what can go hairy  when you put Mortal Man in control!

ARCHITECTURE OF AGGRESSION-Machine gun blasts off the start of this track. I must say a great title for a song! Ha! Swooping axe chops from Mustaine and Friedman lead the charge. Menza and Ellefson drop the anchor on the bass and drums .

FORCLOSURE OF A DREAM- “After All Is Lost Personal Holocaust…Foreclosure Of  a Dream,” snipes Dave. Great track and its a different kind of metal! Menza rolls down some cool double bass machine like drums during the shredding guitar solos and the boys lock and roll and its a well written piece of Hard Rock!

SWEATING BULLETS-Wowzers! This in my book is a absolute classic! Dig the slam of the drums and Mustaine and the boys do the rest! I dig Dave’s half chat half talk vocal! “Hello Me … Meet The Real Me!” The video is one of the best a Metal videos ever! Love the part in the cell where Dave is kicking himself! The video is dark real dark but a classic kinda dark! Bravo Deth Boys! Watch the vid!

THIS WAS MY LIFE-Cool Metal track here kinda a more laid back sound but a sound that will crush your skull! Dave wrote some good melodies I mean he tosses in the ever so catchy ‘Hey Hey This Was My Life!” You cannot go wrong with Hey Heys…ask Simmons the rich banker/part time bass player from Kiss who wrote the infectious Love It Loud and that song features about 400 Hey Hey and a ton of Yeahs tossed in! Megadeth here push the pedal to limit almost and I’m ok with it as Thrash is not my deal  and guys ripping there throats apart screaming stuff like……”Aaaaaaaaaarggggggggghhhhhhh,bllllllllllllllllaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah  Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaarrrrrrgh!” Just isn’t my deal but if it’s yours ..I salute You!

COUNTDOWN TO EXTINCTION-The title track. Countdown starts of MegaChill  and as the song progresses it picks up the pace with a pretty heavy metal poppy kind of chorus until Mustaine himself snarls his vocal with “This is the Countdown To Extinction!” Friedman and Mustaine can play that’s a fact! They can rip metal guitar when needed they can play at reduced metal clip when called upon. Countdown is one of those songs! All things Metal and some parts not so Metal! Great track…..!

HIGH SPEED DIRT-Is a tune about Sky Diving! Yep no dope,pills,hookers here it’s a tune about the adrenaline rush of free falling in the sky! It’s a quick little heavy metal number and as they do Mustaine and Friedman shred some solos but these two do with class as they don’t overplay like a bunch of Yngiwes where your head spins almost in a nauseous way! Jump Or Die screams Dave in the tune ! I will I will …I will jump off of my couch but not a airplane silly Metal Man!

PSYCHOTRON-Dig this tune. Not only by name but the song is robotic as well! Drums push this track and Mustaine throws down another real good chorus! I mean sing along kids with Uncle Dave “Part Bionic,Part Organic,Not A Cyborg,Call Him Psychotron!” So by the chorus you can tell that you are up for Termination! This is Proto Metal 1992!

CAPTIVE HONOUR-Crazy heavy opening with drums,bass and guitars all smashing up and than the beat  lays back and again picks up the pace.  This tune best shows us that Megadeth are not just gonna play it by the rules but there own as in they don’t care about radio or video play. Captive Honour is played to please the hardcore!

ASHES IN YOUR MOUTH-Megadeth ramp it up right out the door with this full out audio assault! Tons of time changes,fast guitars,fast bass and even faster drums! This tune I guess you could say is a tune that  would please the hardcore Megaheads. Quick pace this tune is actually it may be more metal than anything that was on Metallica’s Black Album from a year earlier.

IN CONCLUSION-Megadeth released a solid album here and it’s a just a great heavy piece of work. Mustaine and Crew rolled up there sleeves and got down to some serious business and the leadoff track Skin Of My Teeth sets the pace for the album! Great Metal is Great Metal and this is the deal folks!

So Much so that when Megadeth released the deluxe 20th Anniversary edition of Countdown To Extinction(2012) I was all over it as the Megaboys added a second disc which includes a full unreleased show from 1993(recorded in San Fran) and these dudes smoke these tracks live and shows what great live act they  were becoming but a few years later after the pretty good followup Youthanasia they hit the skids by changing there sound and putting out Risk…I submitted my resignation to Dave  but  Countdown is still a classic….

Drop by Arena Rock next Tuesday when I feature another one of my all time Fav Deth Tracks!