The Hard Rock Thread
Vinnie Moore - "Meltdown" (1991)
I picked up Vinnie Moore's third album on CD shortly after it was released given that I was a big fan of his 1986 debut album "Mind's Eye". "Meltdown" saw Vinnie changing direction a bit with a record that's a lot more hard rock than it is metal but it still made quite an impact on this young shredder as there's little doubt that Moore understood the art of song-writing as well as any in his craft i.e. instrumental guitar shred. Time hasn't been as kind to "Meltdown" as I'd hoped though & I see it as a step down from "Mind's Eye" these days but it's definitely still worth a listen if you're into this sort of thing.
3.5/5
Dear GOD the last reply to this was in 2023! Time to change that.
Elder - Innate Passage (2022)
Genres: Stoner Rock, Heavy Psych, Prog Rock
It's about time I finished up those other Elder albums of recent times. We've got a new album out this week and I wanna see how it does against the other more progressive outtings. They're a band I always liked, and one I tend to look forward to, but I missed the last album and forgot about it. This is that last album. I was expecting good things at bare minimum, and amazing things in pure fantasy considering it's supposed to have more range. But while the reviews are great, they're kind low in comparison to the classics. So, what did I end up getting?
Catastasis was just the surreal post-rockist intro I needed to get the back of my mind kicking and screaming for more. With this one, the band exhibited a constant sense of wonder while displaying some pride at their abilities to drive through every surreality a melodic prog psych song would allow. But pride would take the foreground with their next epic and only single for the album: Endless Return. Designated as a metal track around the internet, it brings back the sound of Lore but with more energy and fun, as if all we need to do now is jam. Coalescense gives us some of that with a noisier touch, but also gives us time to relax with some coffee and listen to a freaking violin. Due to the careful multilayering, one's able to hear every little intricacy, and be even more surprised when something unpredictable comes along. And our singer's voice matches up well with this higher tone and extra layers. And when it gets noisy, it's less like a mistake and more like the album is making a game out of finding things in the rainstorm, or a sandstorm, or both at once.
Next comes Merged in Dreams - Ne Plus Ultra. "Is it two songs rolled in one? It IS 14 minutes." That's what I thought at first, and was both excited and cautiously optimistic about it. I really loved how chill and long the intro was, nearing two minutes of sci-fi sounds and mellow guitars before jumping right into the most metallic riffs Elder had done in years, and I'm talking crazy riffage here. Honestly, this track shows masterful handling of both careful building between chill and metallic as well as abrupt 180's. And the switch from heard-hitting prog rock to quiet prog electronic backdrops 10 minutes in feels nothing short of appropriate for an outro to such exhuberant and maybe even exhausting activity. Forget the previous cup of coffee. Here's the goddamn jacuzzi for a couple minutes. Now back to the metallic guitars to end it all. :P. And finally, the album ends with The Purpose, transitioning from the previous track. This finally takes many elements of the last track with more balance, less abrupt shifting, a slower pace and a more contemplative tone. This goes on through the whole, reviving the post-rock behavior of the opener, which I was hoping would return. And in the end, the shortest track became a grand finale where the band lost none of their flow, luster, etc.
This album boasts a number of new strengths for the band. Firstly, they're willing to explore the maximum potential of any one sound they tackle, and how far they can venture for some time before coming back. This is way more impressive that those only seconds-long occasional ventured into other areas that bands like Blood Incantation do to spice songs up, which worked for most on Absolute Everywhere but needed expansion for me personally. But the best thing about the album is that it's always active. Much like in my recent review for the new Boards of Canada, this album is just like Inferno in multiple ways: it's always finding something to do, everything flows beautifully, the dynamics are perfectly done and it sucks you into various worlds.
And now for another of my gleefully but casually unconventional opinions: this is both my personal favorite Elder album and my personal choice for their best. I would honestly say that this level of creativity is as perfectly balanced and produced as many other like albums in that vein such as Worry by Jeff Rosenstock, Are Yoiu Shpongled and other albums that revolutionized various genres. And while the extra lack of metal and change in sound may seem alienating to some more hardcore Elder fans, I personally consider this an amazing new take on the genres they've worked towards and pioneered. I mean, I defend Fear Inoculum since Tool's been going from an alt-metal band to a prog rock band with each album. This is my new #1 for stoner rock and heavy psych, as well as a new top 100 of all time entry and my new #2 for 2022, behind Ants From Up There by Black Country New Road and overtaking Miracles in Transit by Naked Flames.
100
Dear GOD the last reply to this was in 2023!
That's because I started a generic Rock thread since then & have been posting all rock-related posts there.
Dear GOD the last reply to this was in 2023!
That's because I started a generic Rock thread since then & have been posting all rock-related posts there.
I know about that thread, but still, I figured Elder belonged elsewhere.
Led Zeppelin - "III", (1970)
When I was first getting into "proper" music, mid-70s, there were three bands I was obsessed with. I have spoken of my obsession with Motorhead before, the other two were Pink Floyd and Led Zeppelin. Of the three, it is Zeppelin who have fallen furthest in my personal pantheon. I don't really know the reason for this because seeing them live at Knebworth Park in 1979 was one of the most amazing musical occasions I have ever experienced, but as the years passed their brand of cocksure hard rock just kind of paled, to the point where I very rarely listen to them at all anymore. However, if the mood does take me, then it is almost invariably "III" that I reach for, probably because it is the most introspective and reflective of their albums.
Kicking off with one of the band's best, heaviest and most iconic tracks, "Immigrant Song", it might be obvious to others why this would be my album of choice, but it is, in fact, the folkier stuff that keeps me reaching for that bizarre picture-wheel cover. "Gallows Pole", a cover of Leadbelly's "Gallis Pole", for example, is one of my favourite examples of Zep displaying their influences, whilst "Bron-Y-Aur Stomp's" banjo-picking tale of one man and his dog out in the english countryside is something to which I can definitely relate. Elsewhere, the heart-rending blues of "Since I've Been Loving You" still has the ability, after almost fifty years, to raise the hairs on the back of my neck and "Tangerine" is a lovely, sweet, balladic reflection on lost love whilst "Out on the Tiles" is a joyful celebration of a current love.
Overall, to me, "III" feels more restrained, but also more expressive, than Zeppelin's big hitters like "IV" and "II" with less swagger and more reflection, making it an easier album to connect with emotionally. So, in ending, all I have to say is, "as I walk down the highway all I do is sing this song..."
4.5/5
I went head over heels for the first five LZ albums when I first checked them out, with my only problem being Moby Dick getting boring. III is pretty beautiful, boasting a perfect balance of their blues and folk sides totally fleshed out. Bro, I even enjoy Roy Harper for being an unpredictable outro. Honestly, from I to Houses, II's the only one that doesn't get the full 100 for me. Add BBC sessions and they're one on two music acts I've given five perfect ratings to, the other being Miles Davis.
It's a huge feather in Led Zeppelin's cap that fans place their back catalogue in such different orders but rarely dispute other people's differences of opinion because there's simply no right or wrong answer when it comes to the greatest hard rock band of all time. For me personally, "Led Zeppelin III" would just round out my top five behind "Houses of the Holy (my personal favourite), "Led Zeppelin IV", "Presence" & "Led Zeppelin I".
It's a huge feather in Led Zeppelin's cap that fans place their back catalogue in such different orders but rarely dispute other people's differences of opinion because there's simply no right or wrong answer when it comes to the greatest hard rock band of all time. For me personally, "Led Zeppelin III" would just round out my top five behind "Houses of the Holy (my personal favourite), "Led Zeppelin IV", "Presence" & "Led Zeppelin I".
"Houses of the Holy" certainly has some great stuff on it - "No Quarter" is an all-time great and "Rain Song" is gorgeous. Interesting to see "Presence" feature so high on your list, Daniel, most people have it lower. It has my fave Zeppelin track on it in "Achilles Last Stand", along with "Nobody's Fault but Mine" and "Tea for One", so I would rate it pretty high too.
Look, now I've gone all nostalgic and may have to dig my Zeppelin stuff out and give 'em a spin just for old times sake!