Shezma's Reviews
I saw them live around this point at Rockfest and it was amazing! They played a lot of the same songs as that's on this album and those that they did I still feel the chills from hearing them on here. They didn't play many sense it was a festival and couldn't stay on for what this album shares but man am I envious of the people that were there for this recording. Volbeat can command a crowd really well and it shows on this album, now I'm not a huge fan of their main discography or even most live albums in general but this one holds a special place for bringing back to a great day of drinking, partying, and rocking out with the best of them. Definitely a show to see, but if you can't you should listen to this and hopefully you'll better understand why Volbeat are someone to keep an ear/eye out for.
As it's my nomination for December 2023, and I have already rated this but feel it deserves a full review. I don't remember how I found out about these women from Japan but they rock hard. This is a heavy and fun release with some super strong and memorable riffs and sing-along choruses for the most die-hard metal head. You cannot deny their talent here even if you come out of this not liking it, you are going to get this stuck in your head. Especially the last song, "It was that moment when I saw your smile", come on if you don't just get all hyped and keep that in your head for days after listening to this I don't know what will. It's symphonic, it's epic, it's fast and heavy music and all in just 21 minutes and 4 songs. All 4 songs while power metal, also hit a different vibe which is when I first listened to this got me super excited and needed more of this. Starts off with an awesome riff that reminds me of Iron Maiden, then into Break The Wall which has a thrashy sound like Megadeth . Above the Black Sea gives off a bit of a symphonic metal vibe to me and may possibly the best guitar solos on this tight EP. They shred so hard here it's not hard to headbang here. The final song Under The Red Sky is the catchiest, reminds me of Nightwish if they got more speed. I just can't help to sing along, and you'll feel like your listening to a big moment in an anime movie.
I've been keeping up with Lovebites since I first heard this EP and although their newer album are still solid they are pretty much all just straight power metal and don't try out these cool different genre switches as much as they do here. I love this band and hope they come out with something else similar to this again where they just have fun and try things like this again even if it's not good I want to hear more. These are one of those underappreciated acts that the eastern world just don't get enough advertising but are absolutely worth checking out and keeping in your head for days after listening.
The weakest of the original Ozzy era to me. Still a great record, the "sophomore slump" album. I enjoy this record as is, and it's an unfortunate that War Pigs, Paranoid, Iron Man, have been commercialized to death to the point I never want to hear them again that I have become biased before even listening to the record in full. I am not old enough to have been there for the release or the initial impact of this record. I do listen to older music all the time and enjoy many things but there is no record that I have been hit over the head with more than this one that I feel I cannot give it an accurate rating. My personal opinion is of an average 2.5/3 out of 5 or a "C" rating. However, I also have to recognize in listening what this brought to the music scene and other artists were truly inspired by this so gets a "Good, important" ranking for me. Besides the "singles" i mentioned, the other songs just don't work for me either. The slow moody Planet Caravan, the psychedelic doom Electric Funeral, heavy blues rock in Hand of Doom, fairly repetitive yet endearing Rat Salad, and finally Fairis Wear Boots that I do still enjoy quite a bit. Every one of these songs I've heard referenced else where in other songs or even media.
As my first classic Guardians release I'm reviewing this is a tepid start, but I enjoy the hell out of other albums of this era. My preferred Ozzy Sabbath is Sabbath Bloody Sabbath which feels much different then this record. It really is hard to rate a record nearly twice my age that i've heard parts of so many times in my life. It's like watching scenes from a movie, multiple times trying to put them together and though you've felt you've seen the movie and already made an opinion have you really watch it? Sometimes, yes and for many other people those best songs are just an appetizer for this album. For me though, I have already outplayed it's welcome and the other songs unfortunately don't bring enough to the table for personal relistens.
After first rough listen I was not a fan. This is not the same equilibrium I'm used to listening at all. The genre is listed as thrash metal, but not sure if that even fits. It's not horrible, but not what I was expecting and don't want to listen to again, but i will to get a better understanding of what they were going for. The songs are so varied, from some with pseudo rapping and clean vocals without the classic folk melodies I'm used to from them. I was excited hearing the renegade single, but not so much path of destiny with the butcher sisters..