An Anvil Got Dropped on Gloucester

It's been less than 24 hours since I went to Gloucester to see the metal delights of Anvil. To make a long story short, Anvil totally kicked ass at the Guildhall in Gloucester, UK. However, it wasn't only a great night on account of Anvil, the two bands in support played their part in making metal history in Gloucester.

It was close, after fighting loads of traffic in my home town of Stroud and then trying to find a parking place in Gloucester, (Geography lesson: Stroud and Gloucester are about ten miles apart), then walking to the Guildhall, waiting in line only to be told that the tickets I ordered on line were waiting for me at the door, getting there and quickly buying my t-shirt, we got there just in time for the opening band.

Classic French metallers, Mystery Blue, opened things up very nicely. They are a five piece band front by lead singer Nathalie Geyer. While the sound sometimes made it difficult to tell, she does have a very good voice. But she is assisted by lead guitarist Frenzy Phillipon who knows a thing or two on how to smoke a fingerboard. Together with a sound rhythm section, Mystery Blue got the crowd in the mood for metal that night. While I can't remember all their songs, the two that stood out were "Running With the Pack," not a cover of the Bad Company classic and the title track from the latest album, "Claws of Steel," which ended their half hour on stage exceedingly well. I'd definitely recommend this band and I was going to go out on a limb and say that Mystery Blue were the best thing to come out of France since Gojira but after a look on their website, I found they have been around longer than their mentioned countrymen.

Mystery Blue begin their dominance

Nathalie proving she has the voice

Second up was German thrash metal band Rezet. While I can't say that they were the best thing out of Germany since The Scorpions, Accept, Bonfire, Helloween, Kreator or Doro, they were a brilliant band nevertheless. The first thing I noticed about Rezet was there was a definite early Metallica influence here and I'm not just talking about their sound either. Their look was the same as Metallica from that era. I remember an article in Hit Parader, (Motley Crue Magazine), in 1985 which stated that Metallica looked like they belonged in the high school detention class. Rezet were just as youthful looking and like the band mentioned, they played like they were just as hungry as that band was in 1985.

Rezet compounded the assault on the audience with some really good thrash. The comments about detention hall kids definitely applied to both guitarists who traded off solos on some songs and played individual ones on others. Frontman Ricky Wagner proved to be both a good singer and guitarist but the rest of the band played their part too. The most memorable song was "Gargantua," which as dig at modern politics and they closed with a tribute to Lemmy by playing the Motorhead classic, "No Class." This is definitely another band worth checking out.

Ricky Wagner and Rezet get things going

Thorben Schultz can also crank out the solos

Rezet coming down the the finish

Everything I expected from Anvil went away as soon as they hit the stage. Things started with Lips going into the midst of the crowd to play and he got a very welcoming response as he jammed away for several minutes. When he got back to the stage, I thought, "Okay, now they're going to play 'Metal on Metal,' they didn't. The first official Anvil song of the night was "Sex" but it got the crowd going. Also my prediction that they would play many of the songs from their latest album proved to be wrong. They only played two, one was "Daggers and Rum," a ditty about pirates and I can't remember the other one but Robb Reiner played a really cool drum solo on it. "Winged Assassin" from the last album I posted about did get played and right after another song from the same album, "Free As the Wind" which Lips dedicated to Lemmy. He also mentioned that Lemmy once invited him to join Motorhead but Lips declined because he was in Anvil.

From the outset, Anvil were out to have a good time during the 90 minutes they were on stage. They didn't care about the small venue because everyone inside was cheering them on. Lips especially was enjoying things and yes, he pulled out the sex toy and used it to play guitar to "Mothra." Unlike the documentary however, this one was battery operated and that also produced some cool sounds from Lips' guitar. Even without the toy, Lips surprised me by his ability to play. I knew he was good but I didn't realize he was that good. He really jammed away. Plus, I got to mention new bassist Chris Robertson. When introduced, Lips stated that it was great to have finally found the right bass player after going through so many. I have to say, Robertson is the real deal.

We were treated to a good cross section of Anvil material. The title track from "This is Thirteen plus a couple of songs from "Juggernaut of Justice," one of them being "On Fire." While he didn't open with "Metal on Metal," it was the last song they did before leaving the stage. The audience wouldn't have let them leave without playing that one. Then when they returned, a dude behind me and I both started yelling for "Forged in Fire." Lips looked in our direction and said, "This guy wants us to play "Forged in Fire" so we will play "Forged in Fire." That made my night totally complete. After that, they played one more song, a cover of the famous Steppenwolf song, "Born to be Wild." I thought it was a great way to end the night.

Lips in the crowd

Meanwhile Chris Robertson moves across the stage

Lips jamming on the guitar

Lips and Roberson going for it

Chris's bass solo

Singing to the crowd

Out came the toy

Here's a better picture of it

Robb's drum solo

The End

In their 39 year history, this was the first time Anvil toured the UK as a headliner. Hopefully after this night, they will be back again to tour even bigger venues because they were brilliant. When coming home from the gig, my step son couldn't fathom why Anvil weren't bigger. That is what's strange.

Next post: A Non Musical Tragedy

To buy Rock and Roll Children, go to www.strategicpublishinggroup.com/title/RockAndRollChildren.html

Also available on Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Froogle and on sale at Foyles Book Shop in London

Great Metal Albums of 1980: Black Sabbath- Heaven and Hell

Since the 1980s was the golden age of heavy metal and that golden age began with 1980, I thought what better way to pay tribute to it than to kick things off with an album by one of heavy metal's founding fathers: Black Sabbath. The thing is however, "Heaven and Hell" isn't just an album, it's a iconic album destined to go down in history as one of the greatest of all time.

The main question when this masterpiece was first unleashed back in 1980 was would new lead singer Ronnie James Dio fill the void left by Ozzy Osbourne. The answer to that is a resounding "YES!" Now, I am not going to debate who's the better of these two vocal Gods. They both have different vocal styles but at the same time, their vocals were suited to the needs of Black Sabbath. Dio's vocals are truly amazing on this album and for Sabbath it proved to the world that there was life after Ozzy. (Although a year later Ozzy would prove there was life after Black Sabbath.) Don't get me wrong, in no way am I suggesting that this album was all down to Dio. Definitely not! On "Heaven and Hell" Tony Iommi continues to do what he does best on the guitar providing some memorable riffs. "Children of the Sea" definitely comes to mind when I think of that. Geezer Butler and Bill Ward also as always, make the fabulous rhythm section that we all know and love. More reasons why this album is such a classic.

"Children of the Sea" is just one of the brilliant tracks I could name here. There is not a bad song on the album as each one in my mind radiates what pure metal should be. If I named each one here in this paragraph, there would be no need for me to do the track listing as all of the songs make the grade and more.

Track Listing:

1. Neon Nights

2. Children of the Sea

3. Lady Evil

4. Heaven and Hell

5. Wishing Well

6. Die Young

7. Walk Away

8. Lonely Is the Word

Black Sabbath

Ronnie James Dio- vocals

Tony Iommi- guitars

Geezer Butler- bass

Bill Ward- drums

Additional Musician

Geoff Nichols- keyboards

In my post for the 1978 "Never Say Die" album, I mentioned that Black Sabbath would headline my dream concert. There was a twist to it however and so not to repeat myself for those who have already read that post, I suggest those who haven't have a read and hopefully, like one reader then, you will be in awe when you think about it. "Heaven and Hell" is one of the reasons why Black Sabbath would headline my dream concert. For me, it one of the cornerstones in the foundation of what we now know and love as heavy metal.

Before I go, I would like to invite all of my readers to share in remembrance with me something that has been with me for nearly three decades. See thirty years ago tomorrow, October 23, marks the tragedy which befell the US Marines in Lebanon when 241 died when a suicide bomber drove a van loaded with explosives into the building there were housed in. This occurred less than four months after I left the marines but I served in that battalion for nearly three of my four years in the service. I know I lost friends on that fateful day. Now, I don't hate America over this, hell no, but I do think that while America mourned their deaths for a while, they were also too quick to sweep the whole affair under the carpet. It is also why I am now officially beginning work on my next book which will be about the marines in Lebanon. For those who've read "Rock And Roll Children," it will be a prequel to it as the Mitch character from the book will be the main character in the new book. I hate to end this post on such a downer, especially after visiting such an iconic album but I don't have the time right now to put it as a separate post, so do forgive me for that. To unify these two thoughts, it was a marine buddy from my platoon when I was serving in that battalion who provided me with the first listen of this great album.

Pay tribute to these brave souls

Next post: Sammy Hagar- Danger Zone

To buy Rock And Roll Children, go to www.strategicpublishinggroup.com/title/RockAndRollChildren.html

Also available on Amazon, Barnes & noble and Froogle and on sale at Foyles Book Shop in London

Great Rock One Hit Wonders of 1980

Well, its that time in the year I'm reminiscing about to pay tribute to some of the one hit wonders from said year. While there are always a good number of them in any given year, there are only a handful worthy enough to make the blog. In 1980, there were three such acts.

The first one and it's in the literal sense in 1980 was Charlie Dore for her big single "Pilot of the Airways." When I first heard it, I thought it was another one hit wonder group from the 70s, Prelude. I still love their a cappella version of Neil Young's "After the Gold Rush." However, after the a cappella intro, music kicks in so I ruled out Prelude as the artist of the song. Even though the sound is more country, I found myself liking the song. Charlie does have a unique voice that goes well with the song and I have to admit that back then, most songs with a guitar solo in them were worth the listen. Still, it's a well done to Charlie Dore for this one.

"Media Man" by Flash in the Pan was a brilliant new wave type song. It has one of those catchy choruses that sticks in your mind after the song is finished. I can hear myself singing "clap Hands For The Media Man." The song seems to be a warning of the dangers of mass media but done to a very likeable new wave vibe. Before I get a lot of rebuttal responses, I did notice other songs by this band when I looked it up on YouTube. However, I know nothing of any other material but would be happy to be enlightened. Besides, this song did cross the ocean because later on in the year, I saw it on a juke box in a café in Barcelona Spain.

The first time I heard "Tired of Towing the Line" from Rocky Burnette, I thought it was Bruce Springsteen. The voice was similar and there was a saxophone in the song. Therefore, I was a bit surprised to hear that Rocky Burnette was the actual artist. Still it was this song that chipped away in the charts and always seemed to be on the radio every time I switched it on. In itself, it is a decent rock tune, so hats off to Rocky for this one.

So there you have it, three songs from people who would only grace the charts once but made what is for me, songs that would linger in my brain more than three decades later. So let's raise a toast to the three rock one hit wonders of 1980.

Next post: Black Sabbath- Heaven and Hell

To buy Rock and Roll Children, go to www.strategicpublishinggroup.com/title/RockAndRollChildren.html

Also available on Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Froogle and on sale at Foyles Book Shop in London.

Bloodstock 2016: The Sunday

Sunday, the final day of Bloodstock and while that meant packing up to go home, (I couldn't stay the Sunday night as I had to be in work for 7:40 the Monday morning), I was determined to make the most of the final day. The two bands at the top of the bill on this day was incentive enough. Therefore, while I didn't rush things, I still went into the arena fairly early.

Let me declare to the world that I have found the perfect cure for the Sunday morning hangover! It comes in the form of the first band of the day, Ghost Bath. Their brand of what I would call stoner metal definitely soothes the soul and the melody of their music makes it very easy to sway back and forth to with little effort. The vocals basically consisted of the lead singer, he was the one dressed in black, screaming the occasional "Yeah!" down the microphone. Strangely, it went very well with the music. Furthermore, I was intrigued by Ghost Bath's appearance. Except for the singer, the rest of the band was all in white, sort of like ghosts. Like I said, a great way to get over your hangover on Sunday morning.

Ghost Bath soothing the afflicted

Going from one extreme to the other, while Ghost Bath were more soothing on the ears, loud vicious wails coming from the New Blood Stage beckoned me in that direction. Needing to investigate, I went into the tent and found the perpetrators, a band by the name of Pteroglyph. They were a well put together quartet of thrash metal mania. Again, like with Witch Tripper, I hope any scouts viewing them this day didn't pass on a great opportunity. Furthermore, I hoped the older looking appearance of the rhythm guitarist wasn't a further excuse to ignore this band. He looked close to my age but that could have been the lighting. I was impressed.

Pteroglyph releasing their carnage

Leaving the New Blood Stage, I returned to the Ronnie James Dio Stage in time for the second band of the day, Heart of a Coward. I had seen a picture of this band before and they reminded of the typical English men who go out on a Saturday night, get drunk and then engage in a good punch up. However, from the sounds they were creating on the stage, I get the impression that they put all of their aggression into their music and the sound resulting from that is fantastic. In between the power notes, there was some good intricate guitar work to be heard as well. This leaves me to conclude that the band's name is a good catchy hook because there is nothing cowardly about this band. Thinking about it, Heart of a Coward with Pteroglyph in support would make a cool concert on its own.

Heart of a Coward proving they weren't

Having fully been metalized for the Sunday morning, duty called so I had to return to tear down the tent and pack away. Fortunately, tearing down the tent wasn't nearly as difficult as putting it up. Even though, we had less to carry back the car as we did when we arrived three days earlier, it wasn't an easy task. That was probably down to my determination to get it all done in one trip. I did use a bit of ingenuity when we got to the edge of the car park. We grounded our gear and went and brought the car around to load it, thus saving a lot of effort. It allowed us to get back in plenty of time to see Dragonforce, who Teal and Joe were raving about.

At first, I was going to give Dragonforce a miss because Anthrax had arrived in the signing tent and getting their autograph would have been a dream come true. Fortunately or unfortunately, depending how you view it, I had to wait in a mile long queue to get an autograph. That line wound in view of the main stage, so when Dragonforce appeared, I got the best of both worlds. Dragonforce's brand of progressive metal, (they reminded me of Stratovarius), was quite enjoyable. It calmed my frustration brought on by standing in a line that wasn't moving. If I had known that I would never even get close to seeing my heroes Anthrax, I would have ventured closer to the stage because they seemed to have a good presence. Dragonforce eased the disappointment ten-fold.

Closest I got to Dragonforce

I should have gotten closer

I figured that I should go see one last band on the Sophie Lancaster Stage before I went home and Dragonforce's departure from the stage provided that opportunity. Ditty bopping over into the tent, I was treated to the powerful music coming from Vecktor. Here was another band that had some great guitar and progressive interludes in between lashings of pure power. They definitely had me head banging away to them along with most of those who were in the Sophie Lancaster tent at the time. I could feel the powerful climax to the night rapidly building up.

Vecktor putting on a cool performance

With the two bands most of Bloodstock I was waiting to see, I thought I would get close to the main stage in preparation. I'm glad I did. Not because I was going to be in a good position for Anthrax but also because I got to see the predecessors, Symphony X. While I only saw about twenty minutes of their time on stage, I thought it was well worth it. They were a natural progression from Dragonforce and Vecktor and would prove to be a good bridge for what was to come after. Power chords melded with some good melody backed by competent keyboards always makes a good listen and Symphony X ticked all of those boxes. By the time they had left the stage, I was a volcano waiting to erupt.

Symphony X

With Symphony X departed from the stage, I maneuvered my way down to the front of the stage, this time removing my glasses first and waited. Time flew by it seemed but watching the crew carry out the final checks only served to heighten the tension. Then it happened, Anthrax were on stage. I don't know what song they opened with but I didn't care, especially as they followed up with "Caught in a Mosh" and predictably, a huge pit opened nearby. Now, my only complaint when I saw them in 2013 was that they didn't play any songs from the "Spreading the Disease" album. This time, they rectified it with the fourth song. Predictably, it was "Madhouse" but that didn't stop me from singing along. Also, the first time I saw Anthrax was 30 years ago, but they, especially Frank Bello and Scott Ian, moved about the stage as if they hadn't aged at all. In fact, I never saw Frank quite so animated. He was all over the place. "Indians" proved to be the perfect climax to the show as all those in the pit started a war dance. They were on stage for a little more than an hour but the energy they showed, it seemed like only twenty minutes. Time does fly when you're having fun.

Anthrax assert their dominance

Ian and Bello proving that age has little effect on metal.

Rob Craggiano managed to get close enough for me to take a picture of him

With Anthrax done and dusted, the only ones left for the festival was headliners Slayer. Not wanting a repeat of Saturday, I drifted to the back but made sure I had a good viewing point. Slayer came out and wowed the crowd with great lights and music. The problem with so many lights, it hampers good photos but nonetheless, I tried. Anyway, Slayer granted my request and played not one but two songs from the "Show No Mercy" album, the title track and "Die by the Sword." While the played a good mix of material, they played the same two songs from "South of Heaven" they played three years earlier, "Mandatory Suicide" and that title track. However, I didn't care that much about trivial things like that as Slayer clobbered everyone in the crowd with what they do best. They did disappear on two occasions for a few brief minutes and I never could figure out why. When they returned, their absence was quickly forgotten. However, I wonder if that's why they never came out for an encore. At least it seemed that way. Nevertheless, when Slayer left the stage, I was completely satisfied with them, the Sunday and the whole weekend!

Slayer come out to fire and light

Slayer, a class headline act

Best shot of Slayer on the night

This photo wasn't too bad

Explosion of light

On the journey home, I discovered a conspiracy. For the third time in a row, when coming home from Bloodstock, I hit road detours on the motorways and had to go all around the houses. While it lengthened my trip time, I had the musical delights of Megadeath and "Twisted Forever," a tribute album to Twisted Sister to make the ride home enjoyable and allowed me to rejoice in the history that I had witnessed over the weekend.

Next post: A Surprise Gig

To buy Rock And Roll Children, go to www.strategicpublishinggroup.com/title/RockAndRollChildren.html

Also available on Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Froogle and on sale at Foyles Book Shop in London