As has become trend with the bad boys from Leyton, this 15th outing has it’s share of lengthy pieces – only 1 song out of the 10 is less than 5 minutes & 5 are over 8 minutes each!  Apparently, radio airplay is still not a concern.  Kinda respect that, actually.

Overall, the album has a futuristic, prog rock bent reminiscent of “Somewhere in Time” and many of the later-day Maiden releases.  Let’s face it – the original, defining Maiden song formula was probably never gonna be any more perfected than “Hallowed Be Thy Name” or “Fear Of The Dark”, so something had to give.  Undoubtedly some fans will find it distressing that they’ve continued down this road.  Me, I’m thrilled that a group with this level of experience & talent can still find compelling ways to create WITHOUT pulling a “Load” debacle like ANOTHER well known band (I’m still pissed off about that one, incidently).

But speaking of mistakes, this does bring me to my first complaint; song 1 “Satellite 15 . . . The Final Frontier” is actually two songs, and in my opinion should’ve been tracked that way.  “Satellite 15 is rather monotonous & overlong whereas “The Final Frontier” is a return to the arena anthems the Maidens did so well in the 80′s.  It’s a fitting tune to bring in those of the younger generation who may not be familiar (does such a child exist? I hope not!).

First single “El Dorado” is too similar to “Wasted Years” & “Run To The Hills” for my taste, but is still a nice rocker all the same.  Would be a blast to see live, I guarantee.  I also really liked the more traditionally Maiden sounding “The Alchemist”,  “Coming Home” (which bears the mark of Bruce Dickinson’s solo efforts),  “Mother Of Mercy” and “Isle of Avalon” – both of these later pieces nicely retrofitting elements of the band’s classic sound with fresh  perspective & execution.

But to me, the second biggest surprise of the disc aside from the title song  is the final monster epic, “When The Wild Wind Blows” with it’s folkish interludes, excellent storyline lyrics and decent pacing – yeah, even at damn near 11 minutes the song moves along nicely.  In fact what amazes me the most, even after all the time I’ve spent listening to Iron Maiden releases, is their versatility in incorporating softer moods with deft guitar pyrotechnics, galloping bass runs, echoing solos and literate use of imagery in the lyrics.  Thankfully, none of that has changed with this release as well.

Vocally, Bruce Dickinson can still belt’em out better than 99.9% of all rock singers & the band as a whole still definitely have their chops intact.  I see no reason for them not to release another 15 or so albums. Please do!

Ultimately, I really liked this release and can see myself throwing it into the player every time I wish to combat the plethora of butt-rock & radio banality that permeates our culture today.   I encourage you to do the same!

This is the first album since 1988′s “No Rest For The Wicked” that doesn’t have Zakk Wylde on guitar & there was plenty of conjecture in the media on how this would impact the Ozzman’s future sound. Wylde’s replacement is one Gus G. (Dream Evil, Firewind) who unfortunately came in AFTER the songwriting process so we still don’t really get a feel for what kind of chemistry he & Ozzy will have.

Also missing is former Faith No More drummer Mike Bordin, who’s been replaced by veteran stickmeister Tommy Clufetos (Alice Cooper, Ted Nugent, Rob Zombie).  Think Rob Zombie’s getting tired of Ozzy hijacking his band members yet?  Zombie lost bassist Blasko to Ozzy for ‘Black Rain’ and was rumored to be in danger of losing guitarist John 5 before it was announced that Gus got the job.   C’mon Ozzy, recruit your own guys – mmmk?

Anyhow, like ‘Black Rain’,  music writing duties were shared with producer Kevin Churko and on occasion keyboardist Adam Wakeman.  Churko’s son Kane even gets into the act for one song – ‘Crucify’, which unfortunately is one of the weakest on the disc, in my opinion.

Overall this is a dark album – yeah, even for Ozzy.  Where his earlier works were almost as satirical as they were macabre,  ‘Scream’ is more like a collaboration between Ozzy & Marilyn Manson; brooding & heavy, touching on cynical religious views instead of ‘save the world’ soliloquies, it pretty much punches you in the face, let’s you catch your breath, then bitch slaps you for good measure.  I read somewhere that Ozzy likens the album to his Black Sabbath days, and really  – I can hear that.  It’s MUCH heavier than Sabbath, but it definitely echos some ‘Children of the Grave’ goodness in songs like ‘Diggin’ Me Down’ or ‘Let It Die’ (both of which could’ve been singles except for their 6 minute run-times).

What I don’t think is that this is as formula Ozzy as perhaps we’ve seen in the past; maybe it’s the world class talent supporting him but the songs aren’t as predictable this go round, you’re never quite sure of where things are headed.   Sure, there’s the obligatory ballads (the mediocre ‘Life Won’t Wait’ and the radio-friendly ‘Time’) but other songs are so bombastic, so full of crunch, you’ll find yourself staring at the speakers with a big ‘WTF’ on your face.  The intro to ‘Fearless’ made me think I’d hit the wrong band in my player, for example!

I’m sure there will be plenty of nay-sayers but honestly, I like the new stuff – better than Black Rain & frankly, better than the last few albums.  While I don’t think there’s another ‘Crazy Train’ or ‘No More Tears’ on this disc, there’s plenty of songs worth listening to more than a few times – songs that will translate well to a live performance even if they’re not as mainstream accessible.

In my opinion, Ozzy’s still going strong, adapting his sound & lyrics to remain relevant without becoming cliche.  I think the new blood is revitalizing his work & I look forward to hearing more ‘true’ collaboration between himself & Gus.

Welcome back, yon Prince of Darkness!  We’ve missed you!!

Ahem, I’m better now. Ok, so is it too much to hope that they come to Columbus? Well, HELL YEAH IT IS. So far no mention of anything closer than Indy. And yeah, yeah Megadeth returns to Cleveland with Slayer & Testament later in the summer. But so far, Columbus is once again bent over the table without the benefit of a warm-up kiss or a bottle of cheap wine.

But I’m not bitter or anything.

Well, maybe Zakk will tour more now, y’know? Oh, and John 5 (Marilyn Manson/Rob Zombie) is rumored to be a contender as Zakk’s replacement. I hope not, personally as I LOVE John 5 and would prefer to see him stay with Zombie. But that’s my own selfish wish.

Anyhow, it’s gonna be interesting, don’t ya’ know. . .

Fark.com –

Interestingly, he shares his birthday with Daryl Hannah (48), Brendan Frasier (40) & Andy Williams (81). Time for a duet with Mr. Williams, I think. Andy would probably be able to knock out a decent rendition of ‘Mr. Crowley’ . . . or an eerily upbeat ‘Flying High Again’.

Coincidentally, this is also the anniversary of the infamous Who concert tramplings at Cincinnati’s Riverfront Coliseum (1979) as well as the Union Carbide disaster in Bhopal, India that killed thousands in 1984.

There’s tons of other trivia for this day that I’ll spare you, but feel free to dig some up for yourself HERE.

Meanwhile Ozzman, have a burrito on me, mmmk?

I couldn’t help but notice that Jimmy has more than a striking resemblence to another famous, and fanatically dedicated, individual.  I think the photographic evidence speaks for itself below;

A word to the wise – don’t be borrowing Jim’s “precious”, if you value your health.

That being said, I’ve pondered an off comment made by Lars in one of the 10,000 interviews floating around for the album’s release – one conducted by Stevie Chick of the UK’s The Guardian (& linked via Blabbermouth.net HERE).  To paraphrase Mr. Ulrich a bit, he maintains that the world expects Metallica to ‘save metal’, to “carry the whole genre on their backs”.

Do you agree?  I usually don’t with some of Ulrich’s rants, but this time – I kinda see his point.   Granted, Lamb of God or Slayer or any of a ton of other bands would probably assert that the genre doesn’t need saving, and I would agree with that assertion as well.  SOME bands are doing quite well on their own, despite the fact that metal isn’t as popular as it was in say, the 80′s.

But what I think Lars is eluding to is there is definitely an underlying sense of anticipation with this release (as there is with Guns N’ Roses “Chinese Democracy”) that goes above & beyond what you normally see with new releases.  It’s the kind of hype that used to surround big releases in the days of vinyl, long before downloading and Itunes and the digital age leveled the playing field between fans and musicians.

I don’t know that anyone expects Metallica to ‘save metal’, but I do think there IS an expectation of them leading the charge to where metal goes more mainstream again.  Where songs can be played over-the-air without resorting to them becoming a watered down shadow of their potential (cough cough Disturbed cough) and yes, commercially viable.

It was announced this week that with “Death Magnetic”, it is the first time EVER that a band has released FIVE albums that have bowed at number 1 on the Billboard 200 – that beats the Beatles, U2 & Dave Matthews.  So saved or not, metal lovers still buy the CD’s and spend the cash to support their favs.

Metallica may not have saved us, but they sure did motivate us.  Will that momentum continue, will other bands enjoy similar success now that the floodgates are open?  I guess only time will tell.  But to me, a very clear message has been sent.  

To the labels - the industry is not dead nor is the genre known as Heavy Metal.  Promote quality & you’ll be rewarded.  To the bands, if you want fan support – earn it.  It can be done.  And as fans, we’re eager to see you succeed.  Together, we can all show the world that our music has the best community & most diehard devotees – period.

And as a side note, yeah I will probably make my first Metallica purchase in a very long time.  I can only sit on the sidelines so long, before jumping back into the fray.  Just hate being too trendy.  ;>

Well, I am now holding the finished newly master WZ box set in my hands. Yes, it is done! A long time coming but it is here. I’m not sure what the release day is yet, but it shouldn’t be much longer. I’m pretty you’ll be getting under your Christmas tree.

All I can say is boy the early shit is wacked. I haven’t heard some of these songs in over twenty years. I don’t know what the hell we were thinking.

Everything is including on this set. Over 4 and 1/2 hours of music plus tons of never before seen videos. 5 discs in all.

This is most DEFINITELY on the ole’ Rev’s Christmas list, along with Dani Filth’s “Gospel of the Filth” (assuming he really is going to release it this time!) & the limited edition leatherbound “Tales of Beedle the Bard” by J.K. Rowling.

C’mon Santa – I’ve been REALLY REALLY good this year! [fingers crossed behind my back]

According to Reuters UK, Friar Bonizzi became a metalhead after getting into Metallica about 15 years ago and doesn’t use his metal pulpit to preach Christianity, preferring instead to educate the moshing masses “to try to understand life, to be able to enjoy it. Nothing more.”  He even flashes the metal horns as he prances the stage.   Although I wouldn’t exactly call him a singer, his energy & passion for the form is undeniable – more heart then art.

No word yet on how the Vatican feels about the 62 year old headbanger but based on the response the band has been getting in Italy (especially the Gods of Metal festival where they played about a month ago), it might just be time for the good father to tour.

I’m thinking Fratello Metallo should co-headline with Deicide and call it the ‘True Heaven & Hell’ tour.