"The Roots of Metal" Project (Shadowdoom9 redux)
OK, so continuing my Scorpions journey of which albums are metal or not...
Lovedrive continues the band's hard rock/metal sound (and controversial album covers) with their first album with current guitarist Matthias Jabs. Here are my thoughts:
Lovedrive would've surpassed Taken by Force if Uli Jon Roth was still their guitarist instead of Matthias Jabs who's been with the band ever since. Roth was a talented member of Scorpions (except for his horrid vocal contributions). His metallic noise had really blown the roof off in the albums that he was in. But that's not to say Jabs is super bad at all, he's really good too. Lovedrive is another solid album by the band in which hard rock/metal anthems are in great balance with radio-friendly ballads. In fact, two of the tracks here are the heaviest I've heard from Scorpions, with one of them being an awesome speed metal assault leaning into thrash. Though a couple more tracks are a bit disappointing, such as an overrated dull ballad and a rock instrumental that feels empty without any vocals. In some songs, you can hear Jabs jamming along in the soloing with former member Michael Schenker (Rudolf's brother). And the vocals of Klaus Meine are still top-notch. You can find it all throughout this solid 70s rock/metal cruise in Lovedrive, despite those questionable moments leaving me scratching my head....
4/5
Metal enough in my opinion: yes
Seriously, the sharp riffing and upbeat tempo just scream metal to my ears! Of course, Scorpions is still the hard rock band they've been known for. Here are my thoughts:
The classic lineup of vocalist Klaus Meine, rhythm guitarist Rudolf Schenker, lead guitarist Matthias Jabs, bassist Francis Buchholz, and drummer Herman Rarebell are back at it again! Animal Magnetism shows the German hard rock/metal masters continuing their formula that would later propel them into global fame. The band can certainly blend rock melody with metallic fury with their respective instruments, whether playing fast, slow, or mid-tempo. Hearing albums like this decades after they come out has made me realize the appeal of their pathway to success. Animal Magnetism isn't as successful as the albums that followed it, but it was the spark they needed to make those albums happen. The elements they have for that are right here, so get ready to feel the sting!
4.5/5
Metal enough in my opinion: yes
Scorpions' true heavy metal offering before they began losing much of their heaviness in subsequent albums. Here are my thoughts:
This album is probably the center of the band's direction in their tenure. The 5 albums before Blackout are filled with twisted hard rock/heavy metal anthems, with only a few commercial-sounding songs and several ballads throughout. In the albums after Blackout, it's almost just commercial hard rock/pop rock with barely any metal. Blackout marked that true balance between those eras. They were able to write catchy hooks strong enough to fit well with the metal that shows the last of its dominance here. Many songs have metallic riffing that's hard to ignore, performed by guitarists Rudolf Schenker and Matthias Jabs. I'm starting to realize that Jab is one of the finest guitarists in classic hard rock/heavy metal, in the same level as the band's previous lead guitarist Uli Jon Roth. A shredding man of steel! Vocalist Klaus Meine performs some of his finest vocal work to date. He's awesome at his singing there, and even sing-screaming! I think his vocal cord surgery really enhanced his range. The rhythm section of bassist Francis Buchholz and drummer Herman Rarebell works well with all that soloing and singing insanity. Of course, the album is not without a ballad or two, but other than that, pure rock/metal anthems galore, including a 7-minute epic of the the ultimate heavy metal engravement in Scorpions' legacy stone. Don't back out from the Blackout!
4.5/5
Metal enough in my opinion: yes
The last Scorpions album metal enough for this site, and they had just started making their move to the hard rock/pop rock era that would sadly become more popular than their metallic past. Here are my thoughts:
That is the problem with several rock/metal bands starting off in the 70s. All their glory in that decade starts fading away in the 80s, and most of those bands have no chance in bringing it back. Scorpions is one of those bands with Love at First Sting. While similar to Blackout in terms of formula, almost all the heavy greatness of that album has been replaced with cheesy glam for the sake of commercial success. There's good music and some more killer riffing/soloing, but except a lot of highs and lows... Only a couple songs in the album have a metal sound in their speedy riffing and soloing, but most other songs rock much more like a glam/hard rock hurricane, and the album ends with one of the band's most popular ballads that I think it's just unnecessary and unfitting, and it's the unfortunate sign of their softer era to come. I wouldn't say Love at First Sting is completely bad, but when the band starts losing their metal steam and heading off in a more commercial path, there's not much that can appeal to a metalhead like me. The heavier side of Scorpions has pretty much faded away. That stings....
3/5
Metal enough in my opinion: no
So that marks the end of my journey through Scorpions' hard rock/heavy metal era that covers the second half of the 70s and the first half of the 80s. Of all the albums from that era, only Love at First Sting is more of a hard rock/pop rock album with barely any metal. Not only that, Love at First Sting is also one of only two albums in my side of the Roots of Metal project that I don't consider metal, the other being Judas Priest's Rocka Rolla. And now I'll just wait for Ben to add to the site the Rainbow and Scorpions albums that are not in the site but I consider metal, so I can copy and paste my reviews for the albums in the thread to their respective release pages. After that and my track-to-track genre analysis for Black Sabbath's Paranoid in Daniel's thread, I'll just stop my project. As much fun as I had exploring the 70s, I want to get my mind back into the present. There are a couple new releases from other bands of different genres that I plan to review. Will I continue this Roots project one day? I don't know. But that's it for this thread....
A playlist I've made compiling the best highlights of my side of the Roots of Metal project: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3iBbKInKjUBgKlMbZkIG41
I decided to continue this project with one more band from the 70s, this one I actually once enjoyed for their later US power metal albums, Riot. I'm just gonna look back at their albums with original vocalist Guy Speranza, starting with their debut...
To paraphrase a Honeymooners quote, they're a RIOT! One of the earlier American heavy metal bands, Riot was formed in 1975 in New York City. Their mascot is a buff warrior with a baby seal face, apparently suggested by one of the producers' girlfriend who fought against animal poaching. Riot would then become synonymous with classic heavy metal in America and battle against record labels who don't allow what they want but give them what they don't want. Their debut album Rock City already shows the band rolling through. Those guitars rise up high in raging speed of the dynamic duo Mark Reale and Lou A. Kouvaris, in perfect balance with the memorable vocals of Guy Speranza. 3 talented band members, sadly long gone. RIP... Also noticeable is the attention-grabbing bass of Jimmy Iommi and the speedy driving drums of Peter Bitelli. The band can make graceful catchy tunes without ever going too far into the mainstream, though there are a couple tracks where they lean toward more of a bluesy Aerosmith kind of sound. With Riot's heaviness that would be cranked up later, Rock City proves that the band can light up the world today as they had in the late 70s!
4.5/5
Metal enough in my opinion: yes
We’re in disagreement once again here Andi. I don’t think Riot made a genuine metal record until 1981’s “Fire Down Under”.
Well at least Narita has some earlier metal riffs, with some songs hinting at their later speedier sound. Here are my thoughts:
The members of the band continue to impress fans of their sound. The vibrant energy shows their motivation. They continue their hard rock/heavy metal sound with slightly more metal emphasis. There are even songs that hint at the direction they would take in their next album Fire Down Under. Yep, Narita already has some songs heading there with the searing soloing of Mark Reale and the mighty vocals of Guy Speranza. RIP those two awesome musicians along with original guitarist L.A. Kouvaris who wrote some lyrics for Narita but passed guitar duties to Rick Ventura who's also quite great. Jimmy Iommi keeps up the bass pumps, while Peter Bitelli stays steady behind the drum kit. While there are a few songs that lean into a catchy rock sound, the more metallic direction is already taking shape in many others, especially in the explosive piece of early speed metal that is the title instrumental. The American heavy metal scene was starting to form, and Riot was ready to enter it. So if you're up for the challenge in Narita, buckle up! It's gonna be a heavy flight....
4/5
Metal enough in my opinion: yes
Fire Down Under is the album that really baby-sealed their heavy metal sound, after their first two hard rock/metal albums. Here are my thoughts:
Speed was a new and fresh idea in the early 1980s, with some metal albums paving the way for other bands kickstarting speed/thrash metal in its full form. Fire Down Under is one of those albums. Vocalist Guy Speranza charges through with charisma and strength, while guitarist Mark Reale has glorious fun in his metal soloing and rhythm. They certainly have the essential for all those rock-on songs and speedier tracks. It's just upsetting that both an amazing vocalist and a master-mindful guitarist are gone from this world. Once again, RIP... Carry on through the fight!
4.5/5
Metal enough in my opinion: yes
So those 3 Riot albums really show their hard rock/heavy metal sound for me, even though their is some debate over their first two albums being metal. If I'm ever up to making an exploration through another metal band starting out in the 70s, I might continue this thread later. But I'm done here for now...
Well this next album is gonna cause some divisive discussion...
The most essential part of the history of Rainbow involves two members. First off, there's the band's main founder, ex-Deep Purple guitarist Ritchie Blackmore. He and Deep Purple were touring with support from blues/hard rock band Elf. That band was known as an early one for the legendary Dio (RIP). Impressive by Dio's mighty magical voice, Blackmore invited him for a different project, one that would become a great success, resulting in Blackmore leaving Deep Purple and Dio disbanding Elf.
As you can hear in Rainbow's 1975 debut, their hard rock sound combines the blues of Elf with the early metal of Deep Purple. Yeah, I'm saying it, this album is metal! Though their metal side would be more pronounced in their second album. But with a large amount of blues/hard rock in the album as well, I say the rock/metal ratio is 50:50.
"Man on the Silver Mountain" is a classic opener, right from that memorable riff. It's the most metallic sound here while combining their heavy metal side with hard rock. And that's just the start of the variation that would occur in the rest of the album. What makes that track the fresh classic highlight is how guitar-driven it is, as Blackmore slides through his riffing and soloing. Dio's vocals help give that guitarwork more atmosphere. More of that top-notch guitar playing appears in "Self Portrait" which, I suppose you can consider a power ballad, but to me, it has more of a hard rock/proto-doom metal (doom rock?) song of early Black Sabbath. The bass can be heard greatly, and the lyrics have poetic appeal. "Black Sheep of the Family" has the nice prog-ish hard rock speed of the band whose song they were covering, Quatermass. Good, but not spectacular.
Then we have a more obscure yet underrated track in "Catch the Rainbow". This can work greatly live with the clean guitar and vocals of Ritchie and Dio, respectively. It's more effectively that way for a slow blues rock ballad. Would the band's later vocalists like Joe Lynn Turner and Ronnie Romero be able to master singing that song as greatly as Dio? Didn't think so... The more exotic hard rock/metal sound comes back in "Snake Charmer", with a serene guitar solo. "The Temple of the King" has cleaner mid-tempo blues rock that continues to have the torch carried by Dio's vocals and Blackmore's guitars.
"If You Don’t Like Rock ‘N Roll" is OK, but their attempt to push their usual hard rock back a couple decades into the rock 'n roll era just doesn't sound right for me, especially that annoying piano. They assumed right, I don't like early rock 'n roll. "Sixteenth Century Greensleeves" is a mid-tempo hard rock/heavy metal march. One more highlight is an upbeat instrumental cover of "Still I'm Sad" by The Yardbirds. They take that band's blues/hard rock sound and give it a more metallic edge.
Other than that "Rock 'N Roll" track detracted a half-star from what would've been a perfect 5-star rating for the album, the music for Ritchie Blackmore's Rainbow is all in amazing performance and mood. Although it is a rock/metal album, the more metal fans might find the songs laid back. Despite that, the heavy energy is what keeps things rolling. I must admit, I wasn't expecting that kind of approach, so consider me surprised. I never usually enjoy 70s music, but the "Roots of Metal" project is going mostly smoothly for me so far. If you enjoy Dio and Deep Purple, you might get a great kick out of this as much as their second more solidifying album. Catch that rainbow!
Favorites: "Man on the Silver Mountain", "Self Portrait", "Catch the Rainbow", "Snake Charmer", "Still I'm Sad"
4.5/5
Metal enough in my opinion: yes
It's been 5 months since I last listened to Ritchie Blackmore's Rainbow, so I decided to give it a little more listening today. Now back then I was in the zone of checking out albums from the 70s in this project, and many of the albums I was listening to at the time sounded metal enough for my ears, and my thoughts carried over to this Rainbow album that made me think similarly to what those other bands/albums have done. Then in this recent revisit after listening to and reviewing a lot of modern metal albums, I've realized that this Rainbow album sounds nothing like any release I would consider metal. I guess listening to an album at a different time can trick my mind, huh? So I now consider Ritchie Blackmore's Rainbow more of a blues/hard rock record, and my rating has massively dropped down to 2.5/5. How sad... Metal enough in my opinion: no