Heavy Camerata Metal Overview – March 2011

March was fulfilled by news of the bigger bands, mistakes with masked rockstars and singers’ problems with the law. We also had Portnoy’s facts, another health problem with Tom Araya , Chinese Democracy selling for 1 dolar and a former vocalist with new plans. Check it out: 

  

ANOTHER CHAPTER IN PORTNOY’S FACTS

After his dismissal from Avenged Sevenfold, his unsuccessful trial to rejoin Dream Theater, his projects with a cover band of The Beatles, MP is working on the debut album from the new band featuring SYMPHONY X frontman Russell Allen and guitar Mike Orlando (SONIC STOMP). Portnoy is also working on a separate project with guitarist Steve Morse (DEEP PURPLE, DIXIE DREGS). It seems that Mr. Portnoy’s been very busy lately. Hope that he get back on track soon.

TAMPA BAY MISTAKE WITH ACE FREHLEY

Wow, that’s what I call mistake. Tampa Bay Lightning hockey marketing team, to promote Ace's Frehley concert hung banners of him around the St. Pete Times Forum in Tampa, Florida. That would be a good marketing plan. Lightining bolts and the spaceman costume… pretty easy to match. Then they realize that in the banner was the wrong spaceman. There wasn’t Ace but the substitute Tommy Thayer.

"We regret the mistake, and proper banners will be in place soon," said Lightning spokesman Bill Wickett.

Well, guess that concert must have been very interesting.

TONY MARTIN SUPERGROUP

Bassist Magnus Rosén(HAMMERFALL), guitarist Andy La Rocque (KING DIAMOND) and drummer Danny "Danté" Needham (VENOM, TONY MARTIN) are going to join forces with former Black Sabbath vocalist Tony Martin in a new all-star "supergroup." The band is currently working on music in Sweden as well as in England.

As a parameter Martin's last solo album, "Scream", was released in November 2005 viaMTM Music and it featured legendary drummer Cozy Powell (BLACK SABBATH, RAINBOW, WHITESNAKE) on the track "Raising Hell". I never heard his solo work but Tony Martin work in Black Sabbath was not that bad in my opinion. The worst phase of Sabbath indeed but is audible.

A photo of Martin, Rosén and La Rocque taken in late February in Sweden can be viewed below. Could someone please tell me where is Tony Martin in that photo?

ARAYA’S PROBLEM PT2

Cancelation of Slayer's appearance at the Sydney, Australia this time was caused by Araya’s new health complication: Vertigo. After a back surgery, legendary vocalist is suffering from vertigo due to extreme dehydration and lack of rest, according to his wife. Exams are being taken and we hope to see Araya in good shape soon.

As we informed in February review, Slayer is currently on the road without founding guitarist Jeff Hanneman, who underwent emergency surgery on his right arm in January after contracting a serious infection, possibly caused by a spider bite. Gary Holt is Hanneman's temporary replacement for the Soundwave festival.

PAUL DIANNO ARRESTED

Former Iron Maiden singer Paul Di’Anno was jailed after he falsely collected U.K. government benefits by claiming he suffered nerve damage to his back that prevented him from working. Very clever! According to Blabbermouth, he would serve at least four and a half months of the sentence behind bars before being released on conditional bail. Apparently Di'Anno was reportedly busted when investigators received an anonymous tip that he was still singing. They then found videos and pictures on internet of Di'Anno "energetically leaping around on stage, singing to fans around the world."

Di'Anno completed his first North American tour in early 2010, 17 years after he was deported following a prison term for guns and drug offenses.

Di'Anno states about his last experience in prison: "Prison was tough, but I'm tougher. I was nobody's bitch, put it that way. You've got to do it; otherwise people will walk all over you."

Guess that walking around with Di'Anno is a daily-learning.

GUN’S AND ROSES STUCK CDS

Well I have $1.99 in my pocket... should I buy a bubble gum or Chinese Democracy? Thought question. Best Buy, which was the exclusive U.S. retailer for Gun’s and Roses "Chinese Democracy", is offering the album via theBestBuy.com web site for just $1.99.

Best Buy paid $14 million for 1.6 million copies of the album, according toHits. But it sold just 614,000 copies in the U.S. so far, according to Nielsen SoundScan.

Axl Rose has done no promotion of any kind for "Chinese Democracy" and took 15 years to 

release it.

UPCOMING CONCERTS AND TOURS

Heavy T.O. and Heavy MTL

Heavy MTL will be held July 23-24 at Parc Jean-Drapeau in Montreal, Quebec. The festival billing is shaping up as follows:

Saturday, July 23 (Rockstar Energy Drink Mayhem Festival tour)

DISTURBED

GODSMACK

BILLY TALENT

IN FLAMES

TRIVIUM

UNEARTH

KINDGOM OF SORROW

RED FANG

MACHINE HEAD

DIAMOND HEAD

SUICIDE SILENCE

ALL SHALL PERISH

STRAIGHT LINE STITCH

Sunday, July 24:

KISS

MOTÖRHEAD

OPETH

ANTHRAX

CHILDREN OF BODOM

AS I LAY DYING

THE SWORD

TIMES OF GRACE

DEVILDRIVER

Heavy T.O. will be held July 23-24 at Downsview Park in Toronto, Ontario. The festival billing is shaping up as follows:

Saturday, July 23:

MEGADETH

ANTHRAX

OPETH

MOTORHEAD

CHILDREN OF BODOM

AS I LAY DYING

THE SWORD

TIMES OF GRACE

DEVILDRIVER

Sunday, July 24:

ROB ZOMBIE

BILLY TALENT

SLAYER

MASTODON

TESTAMENT

DIAMOND HEAD

BAPTIZED IN BLOOD

ANVIL

MELISSA AUF DER MAUR

Once there is Diamond Head features in concerts, see bellow their video to remember good times of NWOBHM:

Review: Uriah Heep - Into the Wild

I think people who read our articles here may think that we are some kind of prog addicted due to the number of progressive bands we have reviewed so far. But no, we are not aficionados in prog metal and yes, heavy metal has recently released a lot of progressive bands. And the subject band of this review is not just another band in prog scene. It is Uriah Heep, the dinosaurs of prog metal!

I never understood they never had a huge success in US once they have a lot of references and characteristics in their music which reminds me of Deep Purple. And Deep Purple was a successful band there. Uriah Heep’s keyboards, their vocals and hypnotizing riffs… they have it all to make it. And it is, in my opinion, exactly because of this difficulty in US that put Uriah Heep in that segment of cult bands. No problem with that, most of the times it is better to be a cult band and do your job in a true manner instead of going with the flow. Uriah Heep also have an extensive career of almost 45 years and in 95% of band which last that long they had a lot of changes in their formation. Mick Box is the last original remaining member.    

Into the Wild is their 23^rd album and keeps alive that 70s metal flavor. I heard it 3 times and my perception is that it is a beautiful album but not spectacular. And my criteria to have that perception are comparison to their past discography. Not that I expected an album with 12 massive hits, but Uriah is a band that have elements to over attend our expectations.

And actually they attend it in songs like “I’m ready”, “Believe”, “Southern Star” and “Into the Wild”.  “I’m Ready” is a well structured song with a killing chorus, probably the best song in my opinion. “Believe” is a ballad with a positive message which has flavor of pop music but quite good to listen. “Southern Star” has the well-know backing vocals and nice guitar riff and base fingering. “Into The Wild” is a fast tempo song with an epic chorus which reminded me Gipsy, which is my all-time favorite song of Uriah Heep. A curious fact while I was listening is that more than once Bernie Shaw’s vocals reminded me Ian Gillan. Not all the time but they have a similar tone.

Bottom line: Uriah Heep job in Into the Wild was successful and the album worth a listen.

Hail to Heavy Crew,

Stein       

Acho que as pessoas que lêem nossos artigos aqui podem pensar que somos uma espécie de prog viciados devido ao número de bandas progressivas que nós analisamos até agora. Mas não, nós não somos aficionados em prog metal e sim, a cena heavy metal recentemente tem recebido lançamentos de um monte de bandas progressivas. E a banda analisada neste trabalho não é apenas mais uma banda de prog cena. A banda é simplesmente o Uriah Heep, os dinossauros do prog metal! 

Eu nunca entendi porque o Uriah nunca fez um grande sucesso nos Estados Unidos, uma vez que tem um monte de referências e características de sua música que me lembram do Deep Purple. E Deep Purple é uma banda de sucesso por lá. Os teclados do Uriah Heep, os vocais e riffs hipnotizantes... eles têm tudo para ser um sucesso por lá. E é, na minha opinião, exatamente por causa dessa dificuldade nos EUA que o Uriah Heep é colocado num segmento de bandas de cult. Nenhum problema com isso, na maioria das vezes é melhor ser uma banda de cult e fazer o seu trabalho de uma forma verdadeira em vez de seguir os modismos. Uriah Heep também tem uma extensa carreira de quase 45 anos e em 95% dos casos de bandas que duram muito tempo, eles tiveram também uma série de mudanças em sua formação. Mick Box é o último membro original remanescente. 

Into the Wild é o 23º álbum do Uriah e mantém vivo esse sabor de metal dos anos 70.Ouvi-lo 3 vezes e minha percepção é que é um álbum bonito, mas não espetacular.E os meus critérios para ter essa percepção são a comparação de sua discografia passada. Não que eu esperava um álbum com 12 hits massivos, mas Uriah é uma banda que tem muito mais elementos para atender as nossas expectativas. 

E realmente eles atendem em canções como "I’m Ready", "Believe", "Southern Star" e "Into the Wild". "I'm Ready" é uma canção bem estruturada, com um refrão matador, e é provavelmente a melhor música na minha opinião. "Believe" é uma balada com uma mensagem positiva, que tem um sabor de música pop, mas muito boa  de ouvir. "Southern Star" tem o conhecido backing vocals do Uriah e um agradável riff de guitarra somado a um dedilhado de base. "Into the Wild" é uma canção de ritmo rápido, com um refrão épico que me lembrou “Gipsy”, que é minha canção favorita deles. Um fato curioso, enquanto eu estava ouvindo é que mais de uma vez a voz de Bernie Shaw me lembrou Ian Gillan. Não o tempo todo, mas eles têm um tom semelhante. 

Bottom line: o trabalho do Uriah Heep em Into the Wild foi bem sucedido e vale à pena ouvir o álbum.

Hail to Heavy Crew,
Stein 

Review: Avantasia - Flying Opera

To be honest, Avantasia is a band that I learned to like. It wasn’t a thrill at first sight… but at last I can say that I enjoy a good part of their material. Avantasia really is a daring project.  When I think about the musicians and all the logistic involved I respect more the work of Tobias Sammet. And to tell you the truth, his previous work in Edguy never called my attention.

Flying Opera is a two-DVD show covering Avantasia performance in Wacken Open Air in Germany and Masters of Rock (Masters not Monsters!) in Czech Republic. It covers 20 days on road with the band and all the backstage material in high fidelity. The material could be categorized as a metal opera which is something that is not that easy to be successful. Thinking about examples of successful ones, I could mention Queensryche’s Operation Mindcrime, Savatage’s Street and... Well, only these two came to my mind. Maybe Alice Cooper could also be categorized and included as one of the bests.

 The best songs are Lost in Space (big hit with a huge appeal with the fans), The Scarecrow, Avantasia, Sign of The Cross and Another Angel Down. Good performance of musicians but not of Tobias Sammet. His voice fails in excessively during some of the best songs. I just noticed that listening to CD. This is the price they pay for touring 20 days in a roll. The special guests are André Matos (Angra),  Jorn Lande (Masterplan), Bob Catley (Magnum), Amanda Somerville, Sascha Paeth, Kay Hansen, Olli Hartmann and Henjo Richter (Gamma Ray). And what impressed me a lot is that everybody from the guitar player to the drummer sings a piece of a song, or does the back vocals.

I hope Tobias Sammet keep the good work done so far to Heavy Metal. In days which creativity is not one of the main virtues in new Heavy Metal bands, Tobias is an outlier assembling good musicians, composing good music and giving his audience a pleasant performance, as these ones recorded in Flying Opera. Flying Opera is definitely a must-see DVD. Nice job Mr. Sammet.  

Hail to Heavy Crew,

Stein

Para ser honesto, Avantasia é uma banda que eu aprendi a gostar. Não foi emoção à primeira vista... mas enfim, posso dizer que eu gosto de uma boa parte de seu material. Avantasia é realmente um projeto ousado. Quando eu penso sobre os músicos e toda a logística envolvida, mais eu respeito o trabalho de Tobias Sammet. E para dizer a verdade, seu trabalho anterior no Edguy nunca chamou minha atenção.

Flying Opera é um DVD duplo cobrindo a performance do Avantasia no Wacken Open Air na Alemanha e Masters of Rock (Mestrado não Monsters!) na República Checa. Abrange 20 dias na estrada com a banda e os bastidores em alta fidelidade. O material poderia ser categorizado como uma ópera metal, o que é algo nada fácil de ser bem sucedido. Pensando em exemplos bem sucedidos, eu poderia citar Operation Mindcrime do Queensryche e o Streets do Savatage e... bem, apenas estes dois vieram à minha mente. Talvez Alice Cooper também pudesse ser categorizado e incluído como um dos melhores.

As melhores músicas são Lost in Space (grande sucesso com um apelo enorme com o público), The Scarecrow, Avantasia, Sign of the Cross  e Another Down Angel. Bom desempenho de músicos, mas não de Tobias Sammet. Sua voz falha em excesso durante algumas das melhores canções. Eu notei ao ouvir o CD. Este é o preço que eles pagam pela turnê em 20 dias diretos. Os convidados especiais são André Matos (Angra), Jorn Lande (Masterplan), Bob Catley (Magnum), Amanda Somerville, Sascha Paeth, Kay Hansen, Olli Hartmann e Henjo Richter (Gamma Ray). E o que me impressionou muito é que todos desde o guitarrista até o baterista cantam um pedaço de uma música, ou fazem o back vocals.

Espero que Tobias Sammet possa manter o bom trabalho feito até agora para o Heavy Metal. Em dias que a criatividade não é uma das principais virtudes nas novas bandas de Heavy Metal, Tobias é um outlier reunindo bons músicos, compondo boa música e dando ao seu público um desempenho agradável, como estes registrados em Flying Opera. Flying Opera é definitivamente um DVD a ser assistido. Bom trabalho do Sr. Sammet.

Hail to Heavy Crew, 

Stein