Great Metal Album of 2018: Black Emerald- Hell Can't Handle All of Us

It's been four days since my weekend in Reading and after listening to their debut album, "Hell Can't Handle All of Us," I can still say I'm really into Black Emerald. I've now given the album three spins and I am completely impressed. Back in the 1980s, I used to love to listen to up and coming bands because they were hungry and that hunger was reflected in their music. So, it's great to see that more than thirty years on, that theme is still present.

Things start off with an intro that totally reminds me of Black Sabbath. You know, that slow gloomy bass and guitar sound that gives the eerie feeling of impending doom. Something I have always loved about Sabbath. However, unlike Sabbath, that mood quickly changes to a faster uptempo sound which the earlier hook leads you into banging your head away to. This is a good opener to the album.
Following on is the more speed metal "Life of Anxiety." Gutlocker vocalist Craig McBrearty lends a hand on the lead vocals and his vocal trade off with Emerald front man Edd Higgs, is just great to listen to. On "Dr Stein," we have a fusion of Black Sabbath meets Megadeath. An interesting combination to say the least but it works very well on this song. There is the speed of Megadeath to start and even the first chorus reminds me a tiny bit of one of my favourite Megadeath tracks, "A Tout Le Monde." Later in the song things go to the slower, gloomier Black Sabbath sound. "Dr Stein" ends with a very interesting combination of sounds from the guitar, bass and drums.

Next comes my favourite song on the album, "B.O.D." I have said many times before that if the music is good in a song, the content of the lyrics won't matter. The song could be about loving Jesus, eating fruit or doing terrible things to cats with a spoon and I wouldn't be affected. "B.O.D." is an anti- drug song and at my age, I shouldn't be amused by the lyrics but with the song being so good, I don't care that the opening line is:

"Shoot it up and snort the line

Dropping acid to drinking wine."

Even later in the track, there's "Smoking weed to smoking crack," but I'm still rocking away. It could be down to the fact that guitarist Simon Hall really opens up on this track.
"One For the Road" continues to show how well the band can change it up during a song with elements of speed metal and melody. Afterwards, there's "Voodoo Princess" which features Remnant guitarist Andy Gunn. The guitars on this track give the song a Jimi Hendrix feel to it. Like I said when I saw Remnant, Andy Gunn can play a guitar and Simon is playing along with him. I get impressions of guitar solo trade offs in the forms of Tipton/Downing, Smith/Murray and even Hanneman/King.

The second song from the demo tape I was given at Bloodstock is "Drown in the River." It's is done even better on the album and now that I have the lyrics on hand, I know know that the singer is drowning in the Thames River and not the River Death like I thought he was the past four and a half years. It also has a cool guitar solo and a great fade out at the end.
Black Sabbath rears its influential head again on the intro for "Sculptures to the Sky." Now before every starts going WTF? let me say that this track is what Black Sabbath would sound like if Tom Arraya was lead vocalist. I don't know if that would work in real life but Black Emerald makes it definitely plausible here.

The final crossover track from the demo is "Figure on a Barbed Wire Cross." During the show, Edd explained that the song was about Charles Manson. Reading the lyrics, I can see that but they could be singing about a Hitler, Manson, Satan orgy and I would still like this song. Another weirdo fanatic is featured in the near ten minute track, "Jonestown." The song is about Reverend Jim Jones who ordered his cult to commit suicide in 1978. What I love about this song is that's it's a celebration of what the band is capable of. Great vocals, musicianship and some cool tempo changes just so you don't get bored. Not that you would. "Jonestown" leads into the closing instrumental that is "Revelations" and that is a brilliant way to end the album.

Track Listing:

1. Hell Can't Handle All of Us
2. Life of Anxiety
3. Dr Stein
4. B.O.D.
5. One For the Road
6. Voodoo Pricess
7. Drown in the River
8. Sculptures in the Sky
9. Figure on a Barbed Wire Cross
10. Jonestown
11. Revelations

Edd Higgs- bass, lead vocals

Simon Hall- guitars, backing vocals

Connor Shortt- drums

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tQmfqkplaFw

You know what? Of the many hundreds of albums I have covered here, I have never broken an album down this extensively. This is because every track has something to offer. Black Emerald are hungry and this debut album is surely evidence of that. So, I hope I've converted all of you and you will all go out and buy this album.

To get Rock and Roll Children, go to: https://book-fm.cf/print/free-download-rock-and-roll-children-by-michael-d-lefevre-pdf.htm

Metal Madness in Reading, UK

Not long returned from my short break in Reading with Mrs 80smetalman. We spent the Saturday afternoon at The Oracle, which is Reading's big shopping precinct. While there were many eating places along the Thames River, which runs right through the precinct, we wanted to get out of the rain and went straight for the mall. With her ability to sense out these places, my wife found the Lush shop and added to her collection of bath stuff. We can also say that Lush staff are super friendly wherever you go. After that, we hit a few places in the mall, had dinner and then returned to the hotel where I prepared for big night at the Face Bar, where I was invited to attend the launch party for Black Emerald's debut album, "Hell Can't Handle All of Us."

After a couple of detours down some dead end side roads, I found the Face Bar without any real trouble. On the outside, it looks like any other rock club I've been to and probably on the inside too. However, the first honour done to me on the evening was when I announced who I was on the guest list, the people at the door seemed to be expecting me. Once inside, I met Sharon, the mother of Black Emerald's drummer as well as the bassist/lead vocalist's father, who incidentally, was the one who gave me the Black Emerald demo CD at Bloodstock 2013 and told me to go check them out at the New Blood Stage. A recommendation I will forever be grateful for.
[caption id="attachment_4381" align="aligncenter" width="388"] Sharon and me. Sharon worked her socks off to make sure the evening was top notch. Full marks to her![/caption]
Four bands were on the card this night and the first one on stage was Remnant. Here's one band you can't pigeon hole in any way. Remnant are a mix of thrash, groove and a few more genres of metal. They have dual male/female vocalists who share the duties but unlike say Amy Lee of Evanescence or Live Christine of Leaves Eyes whose vocals are very melodic, Tori Walter's vocals are just as gritty as her male colleague Lee Gordine. Another gender stereotype broken here resulting in a one-two vocal punch that doesn't let up. Both do a great job but what impressed me the most about this band was the lead guitar work of Andy Gunn. When you weren't getting pounded by the two vocalists, he shredded in spectacular fashion. All of the combinations worked well together to make one great sound. It was a great way to begin the night!
[caption id="attachment_4382" align="aligncenter" width="351"] Remnant begin the festivities[/caption][caption id="attachment_4383" align="aligncenter" width="301"] Tori and Leigh on the vocals[/caption][caption id="attachment_4384" align="aligncenter" width="304"] Andy Gunn shredding away[/caption]
FFI on Remnant, go to: http://www.remnantuk.co.uk/
The next band up was Thirty Giants, however, I never saw 30 giants go onto the stage. What I saw was four men who knew how to play heavy metal. Thirty Giants have a style I've become quite fond of in my waning years. They come out with some powerful metal during the verses only to go slightly more melodic while singing the choruses to their songs. Luca Cossu handles most of the vocals and does a great job with it but he has some good support from bassist Sam Yard. Meanwhile, Dave Gilburt does most of the lead guitar duties and solos very well but Luca does lend a hand at times on the guitar. They did do a solo trade-off on one of the songs and I always am impressed when that's done well, which it was. My biggest impression of Thirty Giants was that I am convinced I heard a little Asphalt Ballet influence in a couple of their songs and that made me like them even more.
You can hear some of their offerings here: https://thirtygiants.bandcamp.com/releases
[caption id="attachment_4385" align="aligncenter" width="225"] Luca and Sam begin things for Thirty Giants[/caption][caption id="attachment_4387" align="aligncenter" width="225"] Guitarists Luca and Dave wailing.[/caption][caption id="attachment_4388" align="aligncenter" width="225"] Luca on the vox[/caption][caption id="attachment_4389" align="aligncenter" width="225"] Dave plays a solo[/caption]
Anyone thinking that after the first two bands, they might have a reprieve, they were completely wrong. Up next was Gutlocker, who set out to pound the ears of everyone in the Face Bar with their brand of sludge metal. Lead singer Craig McBrearty has the power and range in his voice as well as the charisma of a good front-man, while the other three members did a great job in supporting his vocal efforts with power chords, thumping bass and drums. They might have only been on stage about thirty minutes by they let you know they were up there that entire time.
To hear more, go to: https://soundcloud.com/gutlocker1
[caption id="attachment_4390" align="aligncenter" width="225"] Craig with guitarist Peter Tucker[/caption][caption id="attachment_4392" align="aligncenter" width="225"] Peter and drummer Dean Walker[/caption][caption id="attachment_4393" align="aligncenter" width="225"] Bassist Ben Rollinson[/caption]
Three bands had come and gone. Three different styles of metal, all of which were completely enjoyable. Now, you might have noticed that I didn't say anything about the rhythm sections of any of the bands. That's because I would have been repeating myself three times. I can safely say that the rhythm sections for all three bands were spot on. All three bands also did a great job warming things up for the main event. After all, this was Black Emerald's evening.

The atmosphere was almost electric by the time Black Emerald took the stage. I could have been back at the old Philadelphia Spectrum in the 1980s seeing such greats as Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, Twisted Sister or Dio. It was like that. The first thing I noticed when they took the stage was that while I said how good they were in 2013, they were miles better four and a half years later! Edd Higgs's shredding had come on leaps and bounds and the vocals of Simon Hall sounded even better. Plus Simon and Connor Shortt had become an even more tighter rhythm section and I was very impressed with Connor's drumming. They played their entire album, including the song "Dr Stein," which I uploaded from  Youtube when I announced they were cutting an album. Plus, they played the songs from their demo, all of which I liked. During the set, Craig from Gutlocker came on for a guest vocal slot and it proves the versatility of this band, that they were able to fit their sound to his vocals. Just as good was when Andy Gunn from Remnant came up to play guitar on "Voodoo Princess." It was a treat hearing Andy and Edd shred together on this song. When they announced their last song, the nearly ten minute long, "Jonestown," I couldn't believe that more than an hour had passed. Black Emerald were fab!
[caption id="attachment_4394" align="aligncenter" width="225"] Edd shredding[/caption][caption id="attachment_4395" align="aligncenter" width="225"] Simon on bass and vocals[/caption][caption id="attachment_4396" align="aligncenter" width="225"] Connor on the drums[/caption][caption id="attachment_4397" align="aligncenter" width="225"] Craig on stage with Black Emerald[/caption][caption id="attachment_4398" align="aligncenter" width="225"] Simon working some more magic[/caption][caption id="attachment_4399" align="aligncenter" width="225"] Andy shredding with the band[/caption][caption id="attachment_4400" align="aligncenter" width="225"] Another shot of Edd[/caption][caption id="attachment_4401" align="aligncenter" width="225"] Simon has the pipes[/caption][caption id="attachment_4402" align="aligncenter" width="225"] Don't forget Connor[/caption]
Here's an interesting observation. You hear all the time of parents disapproving of their children's interest in playing music. Hell, even John Lennon's mother told him that playing guitar was a nice hobby but it wouldn't get him anywhere. Boy, was she wrong! Therefore, it was great to see the parents of the members of Black Emerald, truly supporting their sons. Special kudos goes to Sarah, (Connor's mum), who worked tirelessly throughout the evening, helping to make it so good.
When I left the Face Bar, I began to ask myself: "Is Reading an unknown mecca for metal?" True, the other bands weren't from Reading but close enough. Thirty Giants were the furthest away coming from Brighton. If it is, I must go there more. There was one more surprise in store for me. I went to purchase "Hell Can't Handle All of Us" before I left but Sarah told me to hold on. Moments later, she returned with a goody bag which featured the CD, a flier signed by the band, a Black Emerald coaster and a Black Emerald mug! That was a nice surprise and I thank the band for it and all the bands for a great night of heavy metal in Reading.

[caption id="attachment_4403" align="aligncenter" width="225"] My goody bag. Note: when I didn't need to buy the Black Emerald CD, I bought Remnant's one.[/caption]

Next post: Black Emerald- Hell Can't Handle All of Us

Great Rock Albums of 1981: Meatloaf- Dead Ringer

By 1981, many people, myself included, were beginning to write Meat Loaf off as a one album wonder. While many of us were still enjoying the delights served up on his famous 1978 "Bat Out of Hell" album, its regularlarity of play was beginning to rapidly wane as newer albums were coming to the forefront. It could have been down to the fact that he had appeared in a couple of films in 1980, "Roadie" and "Scavenger Hunt" and was thinking of an acting career but it was certain that his music career looked to be going downhill fast. Then what seemed from out of nowhere, "Dead Ringer" was released.

It is very difficult to follow up a colossal album. Though some bands have managed to do this, there are many others who haven't. I have to put this album in with the latter. I would have thought that after a more than three year layoff, Meat Loaf was meticulously planning a great album to follow on from "Bat Out of Hell."  Unfortunately, "Dead Ringer" does not live up to the expectations that were set upon it. Saying that, the album doesn't suck either. There are some really good tracks on it including one of my favourite Meat Loaf songs, "Dead Ringer For Love," which he performs a duet with Cher. I have also forgotten some of other decent tracks that make up the album like "I'm Gonna Love Her For Both of Us" and "Read 'Em and Weep." "I'll Kill You If You Don't Come Back" is rather good and funny and I forgot how much I liked "Peel Out" back in the day. So, while the album didn't live up to the hype, it wasn't one for the scrap heap either.

[caption id="attachment_2207" align="aligncenter" width="284"] Meat Loaf and Cher singing "Dead Ringer for Love"[/caption]

 Track Listing

1. Peel Out

2. I'm Gonna Love Her For Both of Us

3. More Than You Deserve

4. I'll Kill You If You Don't Come Back

5. Read 'Em and Weep

6. Nocturnal Pleasure

7. Dead Ringer for Love

8. Everything is Permitted

[caption id="attachment_851" align="aligncenter" width="100"] Meat Loaf[/caption]

Meat Loaf- lead vocals

Davey Johnstone- guitars

Mick Ronson- guitars

Joe DeAngelis- acoustic guitars

Steve Buslowe- bass

Roy Bittan- piano

Nicky Hopkins- piano

Larry Fast- synthesiser

Lou Del Gatto- horns

Lou Marini- horns

Tom Malone- horns

Alan Rubin- horns

Max Weinberg- drums

Liberty DeVitto- drums

Jimmy Maelen- percussion

Jim Steinman- spoken word on "Nocturnal Pleasure"

Cher- guest vocals on "Dead Ringer for Love"

It has always been my slightly biased belief as to why "Dead Ringer" wasn't as good as "Bat Out of Hell" was the fact that Todd Rundgren didn't produce it. However Jim Steinman doesn't do a bad job making the album a worthwhile listen.

Next post: Gillan- Future Shock

To buy Rock and Roll Children, go to www.strategicpublishingroup.com/title/RockAndRollChildren.html
Also available on Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Froogle and on sale at Foyles Book Shop in London