Italy’s RAINBOW BRIDGE have a new album out, Drive being their fifth full-lengthy album. Eight tracks, with blues, psych, southern, and heavy rock elements. Lots of great guitar, including a few cool instrumentals. Drive starts off with the slower paced “Until My Wings Wills Be Stronger”, which a few of these tracks are. Standout cuts for me would be the instrumentals “Black Monday” and “Still Drives” – which starts and ends acoustically, but in there it builds into a nice driving rocker. The 14 minute+ epic “Tears Never Here” is also great, another driving tune, with plenty of changes, an acoustic intro reminiscent of Zeppelin; includes an excellent vocal as well, making for a dreamy summertime tune. *For more info check out the press info and links below.
‘Drive’, the new album by Apulian Rainbow Bridge,comes almost three years after the latest, ‘Unlock’, released in the summer of 2020.
‘Drive’ is ideally divided into three parts. A first part is dedicated to the songs, a second part to the instrumental pieces and finally a long ‘concept’ suite that contains all the souls of the band.
«Our most ambitious project so far – says the band -, a kind of double album, like all our favorite bands have done.»
The band’s references start from classic rock – The Who and Jimi Hendrix Experience – a good influence of Irish hard blues – Rory Gallagher and the early Thin Lizzy – mixed with the more current sound of Brant Bjork (ex-Kyuss)’s stoner/desert rock and Color Haze.
Rainbow Bridge will release ‘Drive’ on CD and digital platforms on March 24th. Find digital preorders at Bandcamp HERE.
Giuseppe JimiRay Piazzolla – vocals, acoustic & electric guitars, lyrics Fabio Chiarazzo – bass guitar, lyrics, background vocals Paolo Ormas – drums, cymbals, background vocals, lyrics
Arranged & Produced by Rainbow Bridge. Recorded, mixed and mastered by Cosimo Cirillo at New Born Records studio. Pic by JimRay – Artwork by Nesia_Earth
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TRACKLISTING:
1. Until My Wings Will Be Stronger 2. Years of Beer 3. Black Monday 4. I Saw My Dad Play Air Guitar 5. Make Peace 6. Stills Drives 7. Tears Never Here 8. Coming Out
BIOGRAPHY:
Rainbow Bridge was born in 2006 inspired by the sounds of the Jimi Hendrix Experience and heavy psychedelic blues. Right from the start the band tried to give a personal touch even if they were cover songs or standards. The band played in many rock and blues festivals over the years – Blues in Town, WoodInstock, Jimi Hendrix Live, Campania Blues, Bitonto Blues, South Italy Blues Connection, Blues a Balues, Dogana Blues, Freakout Stoned Fest ecc. – and opened for bands like Oh Sees, Putan Club and more. Over time, several bassists have come and gone in the band but when Fabio in late 2015 joining trio, the band started producing new music. Since 2017, three self-produced albums have been released on Bandcamp – plus a live album and a cover album – with very positive feedback from the press and critics even outside Italy. The band is featured on the first volume of the ‘Stoner Freak Anthology’ with second album ‘Lama’.
CHARLIE was a British band, that initially started out as a fairly hard-rock guitar band, and it’s the band’s 1976 debut album Fantasy Girls that is easily the best in their catalogue (IMO). The band here comprised of Terry Thomas (lead vocals, guitar), John Anderson (bass, backing vox), Steve Gadd (drums, percussion), and Martin Smith (guitar, backing vox). Fantasy Girls came with different covers for each side of the Atlantic; I prefer the UK version, subsequent albums would feature models on the covers, which were an improvement.
As for the songs, this album is full of great guitar, with plenty of different styles and blends, heavy in places, harmonies, melodies… Not quite an overly heavy band, but holding back with smooth production, and a variety of cuts. Some massive solos, like these guys were torn between wanting to be an-out 2-guitar hard-rock/metal act and vocally an American smooth sounding AOR band. Regardless, every track is good here, but highlights have to be the title track, as well as “Prisoners”, the single “TV Dreams”, and the closing straight ahead rocker “Summer Romances”.
There’s not a lot out there (that I could find) in the press, and I suspect it wasn’t huge at the time. No North American single. Follow up albums seemed to get somewhat softer and smoother (tho’ I do like No Second Chance and Good Morning America!). Fantasy Girls has been reissued a few times – including one from Renaissance Records in 2006 with Another cover! Drummer Stephen Gadd would go on to be a drum tech for Iron Maiden years later, and Terry Thomas would become a major producer, notably with Bad Company in the ’80s (notably with Tommy Shaw, Bad Company, Foreigner, Giant, and Tesla).
CHARLIE- Fantasy Girls, Columbia PC 34081. Good, straight -ahead rock set from British quartet who approach rock in a simple, forward fashion. Good lead and good harmony and backup vocals, with lyric quality better than in most of the newer rock groups. Nothing extreme, as the band stays away from the heavy metal syndrome. More along the lines of some of the better fun rock of the ’60s. Best cuts: “Fantasy Girls,” “Don’t Let Me Down,” “First Class Traveller,” “Please Let Me Know,” “Summer Romances.” Dealers: Several potential singles here. – Billboard
CHARLIE: ‘Fantasy Girls’ (Polydor Super 2383 373) When I saw Charlie on the Old Grey Whistle Test, I thought they were tedious Their album, however, shows a much tighter control of the music then the live appearance. Their main problem scorns from a lack of originality. Their playing is competent but couldn’t be distinguished from the sound of a 101 other bands. Their lyrics aren’t exactly gripping either, le: “I have my dreams although I’m broke, acute skintitús is no joke.” That speaks for itself I think. – Rosalind Rusael, Record Mirror
Billion Dollar Babies was Alice Cooper’s peak, as a band, massively huge at the time, and still (arguably) the most important in the AC catalogue (band or solo!). Released in March of 1973, it would be a #1 album in the US, the UK, and Finland, as well as #2 in Canada, and top 10 in a few others. The band’s previous album, School’s Out had given the #1 hit and most famous AC track ever – “School’s Out”, and the album was a big seller, but there were no further singles. The band reworked the song “Reflected”, from their 1968 debut Pretties For You in time for the 1972 presidential election, even making a promotional film out of it, though that featured more of the chimp than bandmembers (aside from Alice). “Elected” would be the first of 4 hit singles from Billion Dollar Babies, released September 13 of 1972., months ahead of the album. Credited to the entire band, “Elected” gave Alice Cooper their 2nd Top 10 hit in the UK, as well as being Top 10 in a number of European countries, And reaching #26 in the US the week of the election! The song would remain in Alice’s live set, post-original band, often being used as an encore. The song also picks up radio play every election year.
Record World, Sept 23, ’72 – Amidst a continually broadening sphere of activities, Alice Cooper has not neglected this election year, and has just released a new single, “Elected.” The music and lyrics of the song were written by all five members of the group. “Elect-ed” took ten days to record, with basic tracks recorded at the Cooper Estate in Greenwich, Connecticut. To add authenticity to the sound of “Elected,” Alice makes use of Will Jordan’s impersonation of Walter Winchell, as well as recorded portions of the Democratic Convention in Miami. Also, the record ends with Alice giving a campaign speech. In keeping with the laws pertaining to full disclosure of campaign funds and expenses, Alice wishes to note that the recording costs of “Elected” were $10,000, inclusive. Warner Brothers has initiated a national campaign for “Warner Bros. Elected Alice Cooper Days” September 18th and 19th, which will consist of promo men dressed as Uncle Sam along with two models in red, white, and blue outfits to present the record to program directors at each station. (Robert Feiden)
Alice S -elected With Alice Cooper’s latest record “Elected,” racing through the country, Louis Araiza, a student at the University of Houston took the lyric seriously. It seems he found a loophole in the bylaws governing the Student Union at the university and had Alice Cooper elected homecoming “queen.” It was never specified in the bylaws as to what sex a homecoming queen has to be Araiza explained. Alice Cooper, the male, lead -singer of the rock group bearing the same name may be cancelling a portion of his upcoming European tour to fly to Houston on November 11 to accept a loving cup during the half-time, coronation festivities in Dome Stadium, the 49,000 capacity home of the University of Houston Cougars.
So, tracks for Billion Dollar Babies were recorded over a 5 month period. A second single was released prior to the album – “Hello Hooray” , in January of ’73. The song was picked for use as the album’s and the live show’s opener. “Hello Hooray” was written by Canadian Rolf Kempf (thus qualifying AC’s single as CanCon), and originally recorded by folk singer Judy Collins for her 1968 album Who Knows Where The Time Goes (featuring Stephen Stills on guitar throughout the album). The AC single would reach top 10 in the UK and the Netherlands, top 20 in other countries, and #35 in the US. Further versions of the song included American folk singer Meg Christian (1974), UK industrial/alternative act PIG (1992), and Rolf Kempf, himself, released a version of his song on his 1993 CD Woodstock Album. “Hello Hooray” was also used for years as the opener to Toronto’s Q107 Radio’s Psychedelic Sunday program.
“That song was presented to us. I still have the reel to reel tape with the original song on it; I guess Judy Collins did a version of it just before we did, so. We didn’t normally do someone else’s material because we were such avid writers, ourselves, but for the beginning of the album, Billion Dollar Babies, and for the beginning of the Billion Dollar Babies show it seemed to be perfect!” – Neal Smith (2014)
Side one of Billion Dollar Babies could be seen more as the ‘singles’ side, while Side 2 would be more of the ghoulish side. Aside from the first 2 singles, the first side also featured the album’s 4th single, the title track. The song, “Billion Dollar Babies” was based around that classic drum intro from Neal Smith, while the song is co-credited to Alice, himself, Michael Bruce, and Rockin’ Reggie Vincent (Vinson). It is another that has remained in Alice’s live show ever since. As a single, was released in July, charting in Germany (#30) and the US (#57).
“Rockin Reggie was a friend of our’s, used to hang out with the band; he was from Detroit originally. We would party with him a lot, and when we moved to Connecticut he would come and hang out with us. He was a good friend of Glen’s, and he was a guitar player and a singer, with kind of a Nashville influence. And he had a song, and it eventually evolved in to the song Billion Dollar Babies. So that is why he (Reginald Vincent) has a writing credit on Billion Dollar Babies. So, we worked on it at our mansion house, in Greenwich, and I had always loved the Rolling Stones intro from Charlie Watts to the song ‘[Hey You] Get Off Of My Cloud’. I thought that was very cool, and as a drummer I always used to like to write songs for drummers, because people listen to songs and think ‘that’s cool’, but if I was a drummer listening to an Alice Cooper song – what would be cool about it? And I always tried to have something special in there that would get someone’s interest. ” – NS (2014)
“Raped And Freezin”, a tale co-written by Alice and Michael Bruce was the second track on side one, and is straight up memorable rocker, with a title/subject matter that may not fly today. An interesting twist though. This is one of my favorites here.
Side one closes out with “Unfinished Sweet”, credited to Bruce, Cooper, and Neal Smith. It tells the horror of going to the dentist for some painful gum work, complete with sounds of a drill and Alice moaning in pain.
Of the many outside players and guests on the album were guitarists Steve Hunter and Dick Wagner, who’d appeared on previous AC recordings, as well as fellow Phoenix player Mick Mashbir. Mashbir would eventually go on to play live on the band’s next couple of tours. Bob Dolin would play keyboards (as well as live), and numerous other guests appeared, notably Donovan Leitch swapping vocals on the title track. That Donovan vocal was recorded during sessions at Morgan Studios in London, England, which rumored to have included numerous others via a jam session. The press did report that a Marc Bolan guitar solo made it on to “Hello Hooray”, but most involved only confirm that the Donovan vocal was the Only guest appearance used from those sessions. Billion Dollar Babies also would be the last ‘band’ album produced by Bob Ezrin.
Mick Mashbir on recording on Billion Dollar Babies – “It was actually Mike Bruce that made that happen. GB was basically on strike. He didn’t want to be in the same room as Michael or Bob Ezrin and they were rehearsing for the next record, B$B. …. I played on every track except “Elected” “Sick Things” and “Generation Landslide”. My favourite song was “No Mister Nice Guy”. I was happy with all my parts, GB was around as little as possible. We were recording in the band’s mansion and he didn’t bother to come downstairs.”
The album’s third single – “No More Mr Nice Guy” opens side 2. Credited to Cooper & Bruce. In his book No More Mr Nice Guy, Michael Bruce recalls that the song had been started back around the time of making the Killer album, and that most of the song had been written by him. But lyrically it’s been fixed up to suit Alice. The track was chosen to be rush-released as a single in time for the beginning of the band’s massive tour. It would , a top 10 hit in the UK, #1 in Holland, a top 20 in a few European countries, as well as hitting #25 in the US. The song would be covered by a number of acts, notably Megadeth and Pat Boone, as well as used in a few tv shows, such as Family Guy and The Simpsons, and in the movie Dazed & Confused. I love the production on this track, the backing harmony vocals are a classic touch. From The Best Of Alice Cooper CD notes, Alice stated – “I wrote the lyrics out of anger because of how my parents were treated by some of the press. It was particularly hard because of my dad being a minister. Fact is, my parents were the only ones who knew I was a nice guy.”
“All Alice Cooper singles should be up tempo and should break fast, if they are going to break at all. Therefore, we advised their management to rush out ‘No More Mr. Nice Guy'” from the album, which they are doing. – Kal Rudman, Record World.
“Sick Things” and “I Love The Dead” were the darker side of the album, with producer Bob Ezrin getting a co-writing credit on both, Both songs being slower, darker, and spookier, would be a major feature in Alice’s live show, with “I Love The Dead” being used at the show’s climax with Alice’s execution. Both tracks feature great guitar solos, and I think “I Love The Dead” is a superb ending to the album, though I am less enthused about “Sick Things”. The album’s finale was written about necrophilia, and though credited to Cooper & Ezrin, Dick Wagner would also co-write on this, without credit – “The first song we wrote together was ‘I Love The Dead’ for the Billion Dollar Babies album, but I got no credit on that either because I was told they were going to have only Alice’s name on the album and that was it, so I sold out my share of that song to them. That’s what you do when you need money, right?” -Dick Wagner (Brave Words, 2006)
“Sick Things was just such a great song for us to lead in to I Love The Dead, where of course we’d cut Alice’s head off with the guillotine. And I still have the same guillotine to this day. Sick Things was just talking about necrophilia, tearing people apart and having sex with dead people.” – NS (2014)
The latter 2 tracks were connected via the piano ballad “Mary-Ann”. I think the inclusion of “Mary-Ann” wasn’t a favorable one by the entire band, with most preferring something heavier, as well as something that would be a ‘band’ song, as “Mary-Ann” was simply Alice with piano accompaniment (from someone outside the band). It would be the lone song from the album not to be featured on the ensuring tour.
“Four of us did not want “Mary Ann” on our album. We had some killer rock songs and the best one of them should have been where ‘Mary Ann’ was. Betraying our long proven rule was a major problem, and damaging.” – Dennis Dunaway (2012 Interview)
The last song recorded for Billion Dollar Babies was “Generation Landslide”. Needing one more song for the album, the band flew to the Canary Island’s and stayed at an unfinished hotel where they worked on this song as The band. It would be credited to the entire band, and featured Glen Buxton, who’s participation elsewhere on Billion Dollar Babies was said to be minimal. Alice would re-record the song for his 1981 album Special Forces, and American metal band Lizzy Borden would record an excellent version of this song on their Deal With The Devil album in 2000.
“The Alice Cooper group wrote “Generation Landslide” together from scratch. It proved that Alice Cooper was still at our best when we were left alone.” – DD
Billion Dollar Babies came in a green snake-skin wallet looking cover, a gatefold, with an inner sleeve with lyrics and band photo, as well as tear away cards of the bandmembers, which many felt the urge to tear off as the credits were on the inner gatefold behind them! Designed by Pacific Eye & Ear ( Ernie Cefalu). The package also contained a large folded ‘Billion dollar bill’ featuring the band in the middle. It was the inner sleeve photo (other side of lyrics) which would cause controversy for the band, as would be illegal to include photos of US currency –
FEDS NIX ALICE SPREAD: The Treasury Department and -the Secret Service have told Alice Cooper that it is illegal to use pictures of currency, thereby holding up plans to use a picture of Alice amid $1 million in cash on the new album `Billion Dollar Babies.” Shep Gordon, meanwhile, winged into Washington (D.C.) with a phalanx of lawyers to appeal, vowing the picture would be used. Alice’s canceled Palace Theater show, by the way, will be going on the road shortly. It’s titled after the new album. – By JOHN GIBSON
The band would go on to the biggest rock tour at the time (see below). The tour would eventually give fans the movie Good To See You Again Alice Cooper, which made a brief theatre appearance, as well as the Billion Dollar Babies Live recording, from Houston, which was included on the 2001 2CD deluxe version, as well as the 2019 Record Store Day vinyl issue.
“The biggest tour in the history of rock and roll with “The Alice Cooper Show” playing to an audience of over 820,000 people in 56 cities.” – Cash Box
Alice Cooper’s “Billion Dollar Babies.” This brand new release has exploded in cites such as Chicago, Philadelphia, etc. because it is a fantastic album. They opened their record -breaking national tour last Thursday and Friday at the Spectrum in Philadelphia before 20,000 people each night. We introduced them from the stage, and I am now known as the Sixth Alice Cooper. This tour will gross 4.6 million dollars, and the second biggest tour in the history of show business, the last Rolling Stones tour, grossed 3.2 million dollars. Because of the unprecedented public demand, more shows and more cities are being added according to Ashley, and their manager, Shep Gordon (astute industry observers tell us that Shep Gordon now has to be rated as the best manager in the business, and he is spoken of in the same breath as the legendary Col. Tom Parker of Elvis Presley fame). As of now, they are booked into 60 sold -out shows in 56 cities and they will play before 820,000 people.… Obviously, a tour of this magnitude deserves media attention of unprecedented magnitude and a train load of 60 press people came to Philadelphia from New York City to cover the events. Warner Brothers’ Ray Milanese and Joe Fiorentino rented a Delaware River showboat for an incredible party after the show . . – Kal Rudman, Record World
-New Alice Cooper album, “Billion Dollar Babies” is going to make believers of all who think the group is all gimmick and little talent. It’s their finest album to date, and it’s very solid, too. This is the one we’ve all been waiting for . . . – CashBox, March 17, 1973
BILLION DOLLAR BABIES – Alice Cooper – Warner Bros. BS 2685 Every time an Alice Cooper LP comes out, we claim in these pages that it’s the best they’ve done yet. And so must we still declare. Lyrically, the set is as strong as ever … “You tell me where to bite, you whet my appetite” being only one choice line. Musically, the package is clearly superior-both in melodic impact (yes, we said melodic) and arrangements. In addition to their current “Hello Hurray” and their recent “Elected,” the album contains a strong single in “No More Mr. Nice Guy.” Worth every penny of it, baby!
Australia’s OCEANLORD are ready to release their debut album Kingdom Cold on May 26. The heavy doom trio have recorded 6 tracks, full of haunting tales, thick guitars, slower tempos, with melodies and solid vocals and production. Check out the first single/video “2340” (and read the story behind it). Six massively heavy and cool songs, including favorites “Isle Of The Dead” and “Come Home”.
*Available for pre-order on CD and translucent blue vinyl. Check out the press release and links below!
Behold! Hark! From the dark depths of the southern oceans, Australian doom trio OCEANLORD have conjured an eldritch monster of an album with their tentacled debut “Kingdom Cold”.
Frying guitars with an extra helping of thick fuzz and a crusty top deliver a tasty doom sound. Songs that range from very slow via slow to mid-tempo with occasional outbursts of energy also stand firmly on the rock solid ground of this classic metal genre. OCEANLORD display traces of the American, British and Swedish schools of thought with the clean vocals slightly tilting towards the latter.
Yet below the surface of all the time-honoured elements traditionally associated with doom, there is an extra layer of darkness lurking in these tracks. A foreboding sense of dread, madness, and unspeakable horrors is creeping in to replace the well-worn theme of melancholia usually accompanying the style. This sets OCEANLORD clearly apart from most of their peers. This is no accident, as the Australians are very openly inspired by the horror genre and the writings of New England author Howard Phillips Lovecraft in particular.
OCEANLORD came into being in Melbourne in 2019 when bass-player Jason Ker joined guitarist and singer Peter Willmott for a serious drink to ponder work, family, mortality, and the hellscape of corporate existence. When the conversation turned to music, the connoisseur of black, death, and progressive metal, Peter, found common ground with Jason, an acolyte of alt-rock and grunge in early heavy metal and doom. Jon May, with his history of punk and rockabilly in Perth followed by country-folk and swamp-blues in Melbourne, did not appear the most obvious choice for the drum-stool, but he brought a secret passion for everything slow and heavy, not to mention a van and good gear.
In the rehearsal room, the initial sound was primal and ponderous, with a glimpse of melody under thick, sludgy riffs. Stoner doom was the answer to save their souls from the slow soul-death of the modern corporate drone. Basement writing sessions began, riffs started flowing, and in 2020, the trio released a demo that caused a stir throughout the doom-underground.
During Melbourne’s dramatic 263 days of pandemic lockdown, Peter built a home studio and in 2022, OCEANLORD tracked their debut release. So beware of this monstrous record: “Kingdom Cold” takes doom to even darker depths than ever explored before!
Tracklist 1. Kingdom 2. 2340 3. Siren 4. Isle of the Dead 5. So Cold 6. Come Home
Line-up Peter Willmott – guitar, vocals Jason Ker – bass Jon May – drums
Recording by Peter Willmott at Studio R’lyeh, Melbourne, Australia Mix & Mastering by Esben Willems at Studio Berserk, Gothenburg, Sweden
Canada’s CATEGORY VI are releasing their 3rd album Firecry this week. For those who like heavy metal produced with big sounding guitars up front , solid production, powerful vocals, melodies, and songs that are lyrically and musically interesting – think Judas Priest, Saxon, Dio, and some NWOBHM influences. Best tracks include “Valkyrie”, “Heavy Is The Crown”, “The Cradle Will Fall”, and the title track . There’s also a lively version of Heart’s classic “Barracuda” to end this 9 track set, which rocks aggressively full-on from beginning to end, with only a few brief intros that let up on the gas. Aside from the band’s official videos (below), also check out the band’s track by track promo videos, hosted by singer Amanda Jackman. Cool cover art by Ivan Radnic
*For more info, check out the press release, bio, and links below!
“Firecry” is their third album and most accomplished release to date “Firecry”. From the initial flickering flame of “Firecry” to the final cinders of the absolutely combustible cover of HEART’s classic “Barracuda”, CATEGORY VI delivers true and classic 80’s heavy metal with utter perfection. “Firecry” boasts a crisp, clear, and scorching modern production that does not distract from the band’s true 80’s metal sound.
Lyrically crafted around themes of personal pride and triumph (Valkyrie, Heavy is the Crown), witchcraft persecution (Firecry), women’s strength (She Runs With Wolves) & their excellent live performances (Coven), these concepts are boldly and powerfully delivered by the soaring vocal excellence of Amanda Jackman. Bolstered and fueled by the powerful stainless steel riffs and catchy melodies of guitarist Geoff Waye, the pounding anvil bass of Keith Jackman, and the thunderous steadfast drumming of Brian Downton, CATEGORY VI brings classy and classic 1980s power – Traditional Heavy Metal into the 21st century with blazing glory.
To close out one of the best heavy metal albums of the decade, CATEGORY VI delivers an immaculate true metal, yet the radio-friendly cover of the chart-topping Heart classic “Barracuda”. With “Firecry”, CATEGORY VI unleashes a global scale climate-changing metal cyclone that just may melt the North American frozen tundra with its blazing power metal.
Track Listing: 1. Firecry 2. Valkyrie 3. The Vultures Never Came 4. She Runs With Wolves 5. Heavy is the Crown 6. Coven 7. The Cradle Will Fall 8. Burning Bridges 9. Barracuda (Heart)
Band Line Up (album): Amanda Marie Jackman: vocals Geoff Waye: guitar Keith Jackman: bass Brian Downton: Additional drums Jason Williams: session drums
Band Bio:
Hailing from the misty shores of the northeast Avalon, Category VI formed in early 2010. The band brings something new to the local Newfoundland metal scene as they are the only female-fronted melodic metal band in the province! Category VI has performed live in St. John’s actively since 2010 with other local hard rock and metal bands as well as with touring bands Including NAIL and ANVIL and to date has released two full-length albums.
The band self-released their first full album “Fireborn“ in January 2014. The album received plenty of praise and great reviews on both the local and international levels. Two music videos (“Reborn“ and “Silence befalls the crowd“) were produced for the album. “Silence befalls the crowd“ has been released 4/28/2017 on the DVD “Kill For Metal Vol. I“, a compilation of videos of label-mates on the KILLER METAL RECORDS label. The band has performed regularly for over 7 years at many venues.
Not long after the release of “Fireborn“, CATEGORY VI signed to Killer Metal Records. The band spent most of 2015 writing and perfecting material for their second album “War is Hell”. Recordings for the album took place throughout 2016 and wrapped up in June 2016 at Redhouse Recording in St. John’s, NL. Album mixing was done in the summer/fall of 2016 and mastering was completed in early January 2017 by Lacquer Channel Mastering in Toronto, Ontario. “War is hell” has been released globally as of June 9, 2017. The album was nominated for hard album of the year for Music NL and was favourably reviewed by several press outlets.
The band played several shows in 2017-2018 until pausing to write the 3rd album. Then, without a permanent drummer, and with the pandemic, the band was in hibernation. The band has now emerged from the shadows with a new drummer and with the third album FIRECRY ready to be released in 2023 via Moribund Records.
URIAH HEEP”s Chaos & Colour has been out for some time now, and has been received enthusiastically and with great reviews from fans. Phil Lanzon, has been a major part of the Heep songwriting team since he joined the band as keyboard player. On Chaos & Colour Phil, along with founder/guitarist Mick Box, have delivered 6 awesome new Heep tracks. In this exchange Phil answers my questions pertaining to the band’s latest album, as well as what else he is up to. *Check out the links below!
With the pandemic and time away from each other and stage, was there more songwriting going on prior to recording Chaos & Colour? Was there an abundance of songs & ideas to choose from this time around?
Yes there was plenty of that. Mick and I wrote songs remotely during the pandemic. It was unusual but worked really well. There are songs and ideas left over, maybe for the next album, who knows.
You worked again with Jay Ruston. Was that an easy decision?
Yes it was easy. Our working relationship worked really well with Living the Dream so we wanted that to continue with Chaos.
Russell & Simon Pinto contributed 4 songs to Chaos & Colour. Was there some tough decisions in cutting down the number of songs?
Well there is always tough decisions when choosing the final songs. Especially as others band members are contributing; which we all feel has made for a great combination of material.
Chaos & Colour is a great follow up to Living The Dream, but I think a bit of a step up with more varied tracks trhoughout. Was there any deliberate move to try and include more progressive moments or ballads?
I personally always feel that there should be a prog section within a Heep album, specifically to keep variety in the material and also take the listener on a journey. It is a Heep feature that makes an appearance on many Heep albums from the early days to today.
Can you give me a bit of insight into some of the tracks- lyrically or recall on how it all came together…
I’ll keep it short. We always keep a strict eye on our lyrics that they don’t stray into the ‘norm,’ which is a pitfall of many artists, so we use the basic premise of positivity and the knowledge that there is good everywhere. You just gotta find it!
You seem to have a few new keyboard sounds on this album, such as on “Fly Like An Eagle”. I get a bit of Dream Theatre feel in there. Can you touch on any new sounds, approaches or equipment?
Not a great deal of new sounds, I was just messing around with a mini-moog style sound and decided it worked for the track.
“Age of Changes” is a fantastic track (my early favorite). Can you touch on this song?
I wrote this lyric based on my first childhood sweetheart. A story I’m sure will resonate with so many. We go through so many changes in our lives but the first real awakening to that fact hits most of us in the school yard.
You guys recently completed the 50th anniversary tour. How did You enjoy the shows? Any highlights or favorite moments in the set for you?
We all enjoyed the tour, it was a huge success as far as we are concerned and made a whole lot of Heepies very happy. The acoustic show was well received and was a joy to perform.
Phil, in your time awaiting the next Heep tour – might you be working on another solo project, book, or any guest appearances anywhere?
I am at the moment trying to sell my Musical, I mean, musical theatre. It is a full length musical about Ellis Island New York in 1917. The script is with an American producer as I write.
What are you listening to these days? Any current (new) favorites?
Nothing new at the moment. I am immersed in my artwork right now. Check out my Instagram.
In Neal Smith’s latest release under the Killsmith character, he ventures in to country / western, with this 10-track CD, due out at the end of March. Lyrically and musically Killsmith Goes West draws inspiration & influences from old school country & western types like Johnny Cash, Hank Williams, Jimmy Dean, and more. So, there’s good uses of piano, slide guitar, and fiddle throughout this. There’s also some great titles and stories from song to song. I do lean a bit towards liking the lighter numbers, which there are a few of, but there are some serious rockers as well. Favorites would have to be “Sunsets Of Gold”, “Coffee, Beer & Borrowed Time”, the hard driving’ “Pull It Out Smokin'”, and “Evil Wind”.
*check out the press release below, as well as the links.
Drum Legend Neal Smith To Release the Fourth in His KillSmith Solo Series “KillSmith Goes West”
Founding member of the original Alice Cooper Group and Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Inductee
Neal Smith’s newest album, ”KillSmith Goes West,” the fourth in his KillSmith solo series, is heading in a whole new direction partner. Neal’s percussive, musical and songwriting contributions and influence to the world of rock are undisputed. From the ground breaking shock rock direction of the multi gold, multi-platinum legendary band “Alice Cooper,” until the present, Neal has always taken on the challenge of exploring new musical directions.
Neal’s early music influences were not only rock, big band swing, theater and movie music, but also country western. Growing up in Ohio, his mother, who loved live music, would often take Neal and his sister Cindy to Fixler’s Ballroom in nearby Sharon Township. Neal would often dance the “Mash Potatoes” solo with a clapping crown encircled around him, to the live band’s rousing version of “The Orange Blossom Special.” That band consisted of a drummer, guitarist, fiddle player, upright bassist and a blind piano player named Clarence. Now any band with a blind piano player named Clarence has to be a great band and this was a great country band.
In the story-telling spirit and tradition of great singer songwriter legends like Franke Lane, Johnny Horton, Jimmy Dean, Tennesee Ernie Ford, Johnny Cash and Hank Williams, Neal continues in that Western spirit with “KillSmith Goes West” and his ten new Outlaw Country Rock songs!!!
Featuring: Neal Smith (rhythm guitar, keys, drums, percussion & lead vocals) Rick Tedesco (lead, slide, rhythm, bass guitar, keys & backing vocals) Peter Catucci (bass guitar & backing vocals) Pete Hickey (keyboards) Stu Daye (slide guitar, rhythm guitar & backing vocals, on Tattooed Cowgirl) Arlen Roth (lead guitar) Gary Oleyar (fiddle)
The 4th album from Oakland’s Blackwulf is now out. Thieves & Liars, featuring 9 tracks, notably the lead off cut & single “Shadow” . These guys deliver a solid massive ’70s inspired heavy album that is not short on killer doomy riffs, hooks and solos, with great vocals that are somewherez between a younger + heavier Ozzy and a young Rob Halford, at times — this, along with melodies and changes should appeal to fans of Black Sabbath and early Judas Priest fans, among others heavy ’70s . Of the 9 tracks that run together nicely, check out the title track, which oddly reminds me of Sabbath’s “Heaven And Hell”, as well as cuts like “Seems To Me”, “Failed Resistance” and “Brother” (w/ singer Alex Cunningham sounding like a younger Rob Halford at times) – all easily likable heavy doom metal rockers. Thieves & Liars is also highlighted by the 8 and a half minute epic “Psychonaut/Edge Of Light”, which featured one great heavy slower doom number that fades in to the ballad featuring acoustic guitars…which blends in to the brief atmospheric instrumental “Mysteries Of This”. One of those albums that just flows so well from track to track, with no duds, and is over before ya know it. Awesome cover art from David North.
Following the announcement of new guitarist Sam Wood (Wayward Sons), Black Star Riders, the Anglo American rockers featuring Ricky Warwick (Lead Vocals/Guitar), Robert Crane (Bass Guitar) and drummer Zak St. John, are excited to release their new single “Riding Out The Storm”, which is accompanied by a video, directed and produced by famed video maker Tony Aguilera (Jerry Cantrell, Killer Be Killed, Orianthi) in Los Angeles.
Ricky Warwick comments: “As we get older, sadly we start to lose the ones around us who we love, having lost both my parents and some dear friends in the last few years I’ve started to question and look at my feelings on my own mortality and morality. I’ve come to realize that death is a part of life and even in the darkest days (that we all get sometimes), I’ve come to understand that every aspect of life should be an intensified experience and never taken for granted.”
He continues: “The video was shot in downtown Los Angeles and directed by Tony Aguilera. I love the cinematography and different camera filters that Tony used during the shoot. I think it complements the essence of the song, which conveys reflections of mortality and consequences of choice. Life must end eventually, but love doesn’t.”
“Riding Out The Storm” is taken from the band’s forthcoming album Wrong Side Of Paradise, which features 11 tracks, and was recorded in the Autumn of 2021 at Studio 606 in Northridge California and Toochtone Sound in Redmond Oregon with producer and longtime BSR associate, Jay Ruston.
Wrong Side Of Paradise is available for pre-order worldwide here: https://webstore.earache.com/black-star-riders. Formats include: limited coloured vinyl (including green, blue, red and black/white split), black vinyl, signed CD, cassette and digital download. A special edition of the album containing two bonus tracks can be found on CD (which comes with a 24-page song booklet) and USB stick formats. Various collector bundles are also available, including one with an exclusive 12”.
The band’s UK tour in February 2023, a special 10th anniversary run of dates, as well as their headline sets at Planet Rockstock and Earache Records’ 35 Years Of Noise party, see the band welcome back guitarist Scott Gorham and original drummer Jimmy DeGrasso for the celebrations.
Special Guests Michael Monroe and Phil Campbell and the Bastard Sons on all shows except Belfast where Trucker Diablo open.
Russell Gilbrook joined URIAH HEEP in 2007, and made an immediate impact with his drumming performance on Wake The Sleeper. Coming up to fifteen years since the release of that first album, Heep’s brand new album is titled Chaos & Colour, and Russell Gilbrook has not only given the band a strong boost of once again, but has also contributed 4 songs to the new album! Along with longtime friend and guitarist Simon J. Pinto, Russell also co-wrote the band’s newest single “Hurricane”. In this interview Russell answers my questions pertaining to the amazing new Uriah Heep album, his writing contributions, and more. Enjoy the read, and check out the new Heep album, as well as the links below.
You’ve contributed 4 excellent tracks to the new Uriah Heep album, co-written with Simon Pinto. First, can you tell me a bit about Simon and how you came to work & write with him?
I’ve known Simon for around 30 years and played in quite a lot of bands with him. He really understands my approach to drumming and rock music in general. He’s a great player and I knew the chemistry would work between us when it came to a writing process.
How did you and Simon write together — who came up with musical ideas, lyrics, etc…?
We got together and I gave him all my ideas of feels, grooves, chord progressions etc.. and he did his own research and familiarized himself with the Heep back catalogue and we slowly built up the songs from those initial ideas.
We wanted to write songs that had a storytelling element and wanted the music to help tell these stories.
Was there an abundance of songs to choose from for Chaos & Colour, more so than previous albums? How was it all cut down (producer’s choice?) And was there anything put to tape that wasn’t included?
Because of the lockdown situation, everyone was able to put down a lot of ideas. We had a lot of time on our hands. All those ideas were brought to the table during our two weeks of pre-production and we picked what we felt were the strongest ideas for the next album. Our producer, Jay Ruston, also had a say on which ideas he would like on the album.
The 11 songs were agreed and recorded in Chapel Studios over the three-week period.
Are there any plans to work on / record your songs that didn’t make the album in the future or with another project (solo or with Simon)?
Yes! All ideas that didn’t go on this record are saved and may be used for either a future Heep record or another project somewhere down the line.
Hurricane sounds like it will be a great live track. I know it might be a ways off, but have you guys discussed what songs from Chaos & Colour you’re probably going to include in the live show?
Well, we have no idea at this time what will make the live set but I’d definitely love to see it in there. What tends to happen is when we rehearse for touring the Chaos & Colour album, we’ll try out various songs from the album to see which ones we think will fit well with existing Heep songs.
You’ll Never Be Alone is an epic piece! Can you talk share a bit of what influenced this song lyrically and musically?
The story is about a child’s dream where fairies are luring and kidnapping children but this one particular child realizes that there is a problem and alerts the parents who then come to find the lost children and take them from the fairies’ grasp and when it seems like all the children are safe and well, the initial verse structure repeats, suggesting that it is a recurring dream and the fairies are up to their usual tricks. If you close your eyes and focus on the music, it really accentuates the story in a dramatic and magical way. It was really important for us to match the lyrics with the music, making it such an epic track!
Can you give me a bit of insight into Hail The Sunrise (a great catchy chorus), and Fly Like An Eagle (just an awesome hypnotic, progressive sort of song)?
Hail The Sunrise is going back to ancient times of how people erected these sacred formations and the blood, sweat and tears and long journeys that went into the process of moving the stone from one place to another, all for what they believed in. The dedication and devotion that ensured the formations at places such as Stonehenge, Gurung Padang and Gobekli Tepe stood through the ages is astounding and difficult to even comprehend! We wanted the chorus to be quite anthemic to represent the elation these people must have felt when these structures were completed and in use.
Fly Like an Eagle… On the surface it’s about meditation but it also touches on the indigenous cultural tradition of ‘Vision Quest’ – A spiritual journey to receive knowledge from the spirit world. The song was written to be uplifting journey for the listener, so hopefully, everyone gets those feelings from it.
Of the other tracks on the album from with Davey or Mick & Phil – what are a few of your favorites?
Save Me Tonight by Davey and Jeff Scott Soto is a killer, high energy track! We had no doubt Dave would bring something like this to the table after ‘Grazed By Heaven’. I also really enjoy Silver Sunlight by Phil and Mick. The dynamic changes within that song and the big melodic chorus are exactly what Heep fans love, but all in all, I think every track on the album has it’s strengths and the album has something to offer everyone.
There’s that cool little exchange between you w/ Mick and Davey, back and forth on “Freedom To Be Free”. A pretty intense instrumental section. Can you recall a bit about that song and section came together?
The song was written by Mick and Phil and we agreed that it would be great to have Davey do a bass solo in there. We played a musical phrase and Davey basically answered it. What that tends to do within a song is give it a bit of a cool musical expression to add a bit of interest. It’s the proggy part of Heep coming out, I suppose!
How did you approach this album playing-wise — anything different?
As a band, no, nothing different really. The song ideas determine ways to play and in the pre-production weeks, we try out a range of different approaches for the playing and find which works best. For me personally, the way I tackle the songs is pretty organic – When I hear the first demos I can already hear what the song needs and as I come from a session background and have played a load of different music styles I tend to have quite a few ideas on the spot and as a result, the drum parts come together pretty easily.
Prior to the release of this album you played on the White Spirit album. Can you tell me a bit about this project? How you got involved and all? Any plans to perform with the band live or on anything in the future?
Actually, Dave Ling (Classic Rock journalist) recommended me to Cliff Evans (Guitar) and Mick Tucker (Guitar) as they were looking for a drummer for the project. They sent over the rough demos and said that I was free to do my own thing on it. Unfortunately, due to the Heep schedule, adding in other touring responsibilities is quite difficult, however, I never say never if there is a gap in the Heep dates, I’ll be out there playing! I’m very happy with the outcome of the album and the songs are really good! It’s a great album, with awesome artists collaborating on it. I’d recommend people go check it out if they haven’t yet.
You’ve been in Heep now for 15 years. Have you ever sat and gone through the band’s Entire catalogue? And do you have a few favorite albums, and/or a few favorite tracks that might be considered ‘deep cuts’ or hidden gems in the Heep repertoire?
I wouldn’t quite say I’ve sat and gone through every album! Haha, but when we have rehearsal time to put together a new set, we tend to go back in the archives and find tracks which the band hasn’t played for a while, such as ‘Love Machine’, ‘Shadows of Grief’, ‘Wiseman’ and ‘Against the Odds’. As for albums that I love, ‘Wake The Sleeper’ is special to me because it’s the first album I played on, just a few weeks after joining the band and ‘Look At Yourself’ is such a Great early album for Heep that has the fantastic ‘July Morning’ and title track. Special mention goes to ‘Chaos & Colour’, of course as It’s my first contributions to the writing.
What sorts of music do you listen to at home (in car or at the gym)? Anything new you’ve been into lately? btw – Do you still buy albums – physical copies or mainly download or stream?
I like a varied amount of music – My car playlist is a bit of a joke actually! Haha
My car favourites go from the likes of Saxon and Judas Priest to Billy Joel and Oscar Peterson.
I’m really enjoying the new Ozzy album ‘Patient Number 9’ at the moment – I’m listening to it a lot in the car.
To be honest, I mainly stream because I only really get to listen to music in the car or in the tour bus. Unfortunately, streaming is the easiest way to access music in these cases.
Can you give me Russell Gilbrook’s Top 10 (favorite) Albums from your youth?
I struggle to name my top ten favourite albums from my youth! I have too many, but I can list 10 albums that I really like in general?
Outsider Rock 