Angry Metal Guy

DC4 //Electric Ministry
Rating: 3.5/5.0 —Cock rock with balls!
Label: Metal Blade Records
Websites: myspace.com/dc4duncan
Release Dates: Out now!

I didn’t want to review this, didn’t even want to listen to it. Angry Metal Guy said I had to do it. I bitched, moaned, put it off, made excuses and so on. I didn’t like the cover or the song titles. It screamed cheesy cock rock  and I had a general feeling of dread. Yesterday I resigned myself to biting the bullet and just getting through it. Although I was pretty much right on the nail about the cock rock, much to my shock, this didn’t suck. In fact, it rocked! It seems even the mighty Steel Druhm can be wrong (like twice on eon). DC4 is a semi-supergroup composed of former members of Armored Saint (Jeff Duncan), Dio (Rowan Robertson) and Odin (Shawn Duncan). They play a metallized hard rock style that can be compared to classic era Van Halen if Dimebag Darrel was the guitarist and songwriter. Yes, I mean that. Electric Ministry is their third full length and it features a collection of straight forward, guitar-driven hard rock anthems with just enough grit and punch to satisfy the average metal monger. They effectively craft songs with big, pumping, meaty  riffs and hooks galore. Its essentially panties-on-the-head party metal with a sleazy, “good times” vibe that veers into dark, disturbing areas at times. I’ll be honest here, I actively resisted liking this and it didn’t work. I resent DC4 making me support this release! What is the world coming to? Continue reading

In an attempt to not re-post Blabbermouth’s news like many of the blogs out there (since yes, I, too am unfortunately tied to Blabbermouth for my news), I try to do a bit more analysis and opinion on certain things. Think of me as the pundit to your regular news hour. Anyway, I have often given Iron Maiden shit about their American tours. Now once again they’re skipping the midwest in the US for the most part, and unfortunately they’re not coming to Sweden except for the stupid Sonisphere festival which costs way too much to just see Maiden (RIP Dio.). But one of the things I’ve often complained about is Maiden‘s reluctance to do new tours in the US or to play deep cuts on tours (can’t you play Alexander the Great JUST ONCE!?). Continue reading

Well fuck. 2010 really blows so far. First, Pete Steele and now Ronnie James Dio who died earlier today, according to Blabbermouth. This time it ain’t a mistake.

Wendy Dio, wife/manager of legendary heavy metal singer Ronnie James Dio (DIO, HEAVEN & HELL, BLACK SABBATH, RAINBOW), has released the following statement to BLABBERMOUTH.NET:

“Today my heart is broken, Ronnie passed away at 7:45 a.m. [on Sunday] 16th May. Many, many friends and family were able to say their private goodbyes before he peacefully passed away.

“Ronnie knew how much he was loved by all.

“We so appreciate the love and support that you have all given us.

“Please give us a few days of privacy to deal with this terrible loss.

“Please know he loved you all and his music will live on forever.”

It was only a month ago that Dio, 67, spoke about his battle with cancer with the Artisan News Service on the “black carpet” of the Revolver Golden Gods Awards, which took place on April 8 at Club Nokia in downtown Los Angeles. When asked about how he had been feeling since he was diagnosed with the disease late last year, Dio said, “Well, I feel good and bad at times. It’s a long process. Chemotherapy is a… I never realized what a difficult thing it was to go through. It’s a real cumulative effect — the more you have, the more it piles up on top and it takes longer and longer to get over it. I find it very difficult to eat. I don’t like to eat anyway, so I guess that’s OK. But I know I have to. But this makes it very, very hard. But if you’re determined to beat it, then you have to go with what you believe is going to beat it for you, and in this case it’s that. I go to a great hospital in Houston called M.D. Anderson, which I think is the best hospital in the world, I have the best doctor in the world, Dr. Ajani, who I really trust and I really believe in, so I think I’ve done all the right things. It makes me feel positive about my life and positive that there is a lot more of it to live.”

Earlier this month, HEAVEN & HELL canceled its summer tour plans in Europe due to Dio‘s treatment for stomach cancer. The band said in a statement that Dio wasn’t “well enough to tour this summer. We hope that everyone understands and want to thank fans and industry colleagues for their continuing support at this time.”

Ronnie James Dio had performed with ELF, RAINBOW, BLACK SABBATH, and his own band DIO. Other musical projects included the collective fundraiser “Hear ‘n Aid”. He is widely hailed as one of the most powerful singers in heavy metal, renowned for his consistently powerful voice and for popularizing the “devil’s horns” hand gesture in metal culture. He was most recently involved with HEAVEN & HELL, a project which also included former BLACK SABBATH bandmates Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler and Vinny Appice. Their first and only studio album, “The Devil You Know”, was released on April 28, 2009.

Once again I’m left with the unenviable task of writing a eulogy for a man I never knew. But let me just be clear about this: Ronnie James Dio was a heavy metal institution. He was the best of the best. He was the man who saved Black Sabbath from Ozzy and who made, at the age 66, one of the most widely acclaimed heavy metal records of 2009—not to mention his excellent solo career. He was tiny, but he had a huge voice and personality and he invented the metal horns as we know it (supposedly). There are few out there who I have as much respect for and there will never be anyone quite like the man. I will definitely be listening to some Dio and thinking fondly of learning to play his music and wishing I could sing like him.

I wish his wife and family all the best in this fucking shitty time and all of us here at AMG will definitely raise a toast to his memory while blasting his tunes.

Wuthering Heights // Salt
Rating: 4.0/5.0 – Ale to the Captain!!
Label: Scarlet Records
Websites: wuthering-heights.dk | myspace.com/wutheringheightsofficial
Release Dates: EU: 15.04.2010 | US: 04.27.2010

Well shiver me timbers, it’s a pirate metal concept album! Sure, Running Wild has been doing that since 1987 but can you ever really have enough pirate metal? Yarr, I think not me mateys! So it is with open arms I welcome Salt, the new album by Denmark’s Wuthering Heights. Salt is the band’s fifth release and although they began life in 1997 as a power metal unit, I am not exactly sure how to classify them now. They still have many elements of traditional power metal (fast, galloping rhythms, speedy yet melodic guitar work) but they have evolved into a far more progressive and unorthodox entity over time. So much so in fact, that yours truly couldn’t get into their past two releases because they were just too schizophrenic, scattered and disjointed. I will admit that after my initial few listens to Salt, I had exactly the same problem and was prepared to send this album down to Davey Jones’s Locker with a vicious cannonade along the lines of “ARRRRRR, she blows!!!!” Then slowly, the album’s buccaneer charm began to seep into my head and I started liking it (although at first I only liked parts of it and prepared to say it possessed merely “pieces of great, pieces of great”). However, after two days of soaking in the Salt, I have signed on for this expedition and am ready to pillage and quaff ale right along with Wuthering Heights.

First and foremost it must be noted that Salt requires some initial patience and attention from the listener. This is a BIG album musically and each song has a lot going on. There are enough dynamic shifts and mood changes to make one seasick at first, but unlike earlier works, this album eventually clicks and makes for a wild, adventurous if not totally berserk voyage. Of the nine tracks on offer, only three are fairly direct, linear song constructs (“The Desperate Poet,” “Tears,”“Weather the Storm”). The rest fly all over the treasure map from power metal, to thrash, to Celtic inspired harmony and so on. A perfect example of this running amok musically is “The Mad Sailor.” This oddity begins life as slow sea chanty then quickly changes over to bouncy power metal, then morphs into weird polka music before transitioning to a catchy, swing the beer stein chorus that may have you singing along before you realize it.

Major commendations must be awarded to Nils Patrick Johansson, whose outstanding Dio-on-fire vocals keep this insane rampage from shipwreck upon the rocks of over ambition. This guy is truly a professional metal singer, which should come as no surprise since he also helms Astral Doors, Lion’s Share and Space Odyssey. Johansson captains this vessel with power and fury and keeps you coming back for more throughout all the madcap, deranged shifts and turns. The rest of Wuthering Heights are equally top-notch musicians and they all shine brightly as Salt blasts along this way and that.

Throughout Salt, the attentive listener can discern elements of Running Wild, mid-period Helstar, Astral Doors, Voivod and countless other metal bands but no one sounds exactly like Wuthering Heights and what they have created here is unique, ambitious, crazy and fun. Do they go too far at times with the lurches and leaps in timing and style? Yes they do indeed and it hurts certain songs because it becomes TOO much to wade through (ex. all sixteen minutes of “Lost at Sea”). Fortunately, this is kept to a minimum and with patience, most of the songs on Salt end up being outrageously fun to listen to.

Whether you love or truly hate power metal, I would strongly recommend listening to Salt. It’s different, unique and inventive and even an Angry Metal Guy can like this and not feel too unmanly. I mean, pirates are really tough and cool right? So grab this album, proudly fly the Jolly Roger and find yourself a comely beer wench or two. Happy raiding you scallywags!