Great Metal Albums of 1983: Twisted Sister- You Can't Stop Rock and Roll

 

What better way to build up the excitement on the eve of Bloodstock than to post my favourite album from one of my all time favourite bands who will be headlining on the Friday night? Words can't express how pumped I am to see Twisted Sister's farewell UK gig. Yes, I'm aware that this might be a hype, after all, Ozzy has had three farewell tours but that doesn't lessen my excitement.

"You Can't Stop Rock and Roll" is the second album from Twisted Sister, though it was the first one I heard. I probably said this when I posted about "Under the Blade," but that album was only available as an import until 1985. Having seen them at Donington that summer, getting this album was a no brainer. Cliches aside, when I got it home and listened to it, I was even more blown away.

I think what I like most about Twisted Sister was many of their lyrics seemed to speak to me personally back then. Starting with the opener, "The Kids Are Back," okay, I'm only one person but I had only been out of the service a few months and I did walk the streets as a one man tattered army. I too asked myself about others who didn't appear to be having fun, how could I stop it. Most people back then couldn't understand that I was able to work hard and play hard. That made the fourth track my response to people. "I am, I'm Me!" and I didn't take seriously those who looked down on what I believed. Then comes "We're Gonna Make It." That song was my driving force come exam time when I was in college. Especially as I found in the service and out that life was mostly a case of "It's not what you know but who you knowin." To cap it off, my favourite Twisted Sister track of all time closes the album out and it's what I say to all those who have a problem with metal, "You Can't Stop Rock and Roll."

Maybe the other tracks weren't quite so personal to me but they are all great metal tunes. From the power riffs of "Knife in the Back" to the more ballad like "You're Not Alone (Suzette's Song) this album just rocks, plain and simple! I think that Jay Jay French and Eddie Ojeda play some of their finest guitar solos on this album. Now some have said that "You Can't Stop Rock And Roll" was the beginning of Twisted Sister's decent into more commercial sounding metal. Maybe be it's me but I never had that impression then nor do I have it now. This album for me is just amazing.

Track Listing:

1. The Kids Are Back
2. Knife in the Back
3. Ride to Live Live to Ride
4. I Am I'm Me
5. The Power and the Glory
6. We're Gonna Make It
7. I've Had Enough
8. I'll Take You Alive
9. You're Not Alone (Suzette's Song)
10. You Can't Stop Rock and Roll

[caption id="attachment_2918" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Twisted Sister[/caption]

Dee Snider- lead vocals

Jay Jay French- guitar, backing vocals

Eddie 'Fingers' Ojeda- guitar, backing vocals

Mark 'The Animal' Mendoza- bass ,backing growls

A. J. Pero- drums, percussion

When I saw Twisted Sister at Bloodstock, they played three songs from this album, "You Can't Stop Rock and Roll," "The Kids are Back" and "I Am, I'm Me." These are all great songs but since this is their farewell tour I would love for them to play more from it. Definitely, I would love for them to play "Knife in the Back," "Ride to Live Live to Ride" and "We're Gonna Make It." Then again, anything they play from this album will have me screaming loudly as it is my fave. Being the Twisted Sister fanatic that I am, an entire post will be dedicated to their time on stage. We'll I'll be off in the morning.

To buy Rock And Roll Children, email me at: tobychainsaw@hotmail.com 

Bloodstock 2018: The Sunday

Final full day at Bloodstock and I was prepared for a long one. Five of the final six bands on the Ronnie James Dio Stage were on my 'must see' list. That gave me some time to not have to wolf down breakfast and chill before I headed to the arena for a final day of metal. However, that was cut short when Teal suggested I make it six of the last seven bands when he recommended I see Amaranthe. Oh well, one more band wouldn't hurt so I went with him and Joe to the arena.
That six of seven could have become seven of eight, at least I wished so because when I got to the Dio Stage, the band Evergrey was finishing up. This was yet another band whom I only caught the last few minutes of and wished I had seen more of them. Maybe it's mellowing with age but I'm getting more into prog-metal bands and these guys from Sweden are definitely worth checking out. Shame I can't say more.

[caption id="attachment_4799" align="aligncenter" width="265"] Evergrey on stage[/caption]

So far at Bloodstock, Teal had been two for two when recommending bands I should see, Kamelot on Friday and Alestorm on Saturday. No surprises that on Sunday, he was three for three when I saw the second consecutive Swedish band, Amaranthe, although they did have some technical difficulties before they came out on stage. Not to worry, while those difficulties were being sorted, bassist Johan Andreassen entertained the crowd with a bit of improv. I can't remember anything he said, damn my Swiss cheese memory, but he had me and the rest of the crowd rolling on the ground in laughter. When the rest of the band emerged, the most obvious sight was that they had three singers. Two males, one described as clean vocals, that was Nils Molin and the unclean male vocals of Henrik Eglund Wilhemsson along with the vocals of Elize Ryd. The best thing is that this combination totally worked. Each singer would come in with their style of vocals at the appropriate part in the song and take it in an unexpected direction. Of course, the other reason it worked was the musical efforts of guitar, bass and drums. The end result was forty minutes of good power metal and another band not known to me who impressed me a hell of a lot.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UDVycjDLx4Y

[caption id="attachment_4801" align="aligncenter" width="250"] Johan Andreassen doing his improv[/caption][caption id="attachment_4802" align="aligncenter" width="250"] Elize and Henrik on the vocals[/caption][caption id="attachment_4803" align="aligncenter" width="339"] Amaranthe won me over[/caption]

Having seen Fozzy twice before I had already regarded Chris Jerico as a good metal singer. Third time is the charm and if I had any doubt in my mind about him, those doubts were obliterated on this particular Sunday. He even came out on stage in a really cool looking long coat. His vocals, if anything, were even better and he still knows how to work a crowd. His band was as good as ever, especially when they played my all time favourite Fozzy song, "Drinkin' With Jesus." Really love that song and I have made a promise to myself to listen to more Fozzy.

[caption id="attachment_4798" align="aligncenter" width="268"] Chris in his coat[/caption][caption id="attachment_4805" align="aligncenter" width="365"] A shot of the entire band[/caption][caption id="attachment_4806" align="aligncenter" width="244"] I thought I'd get the guitar and bass in.[/caption][caption id="attachment_4808" align="aligncenter" width="239"] Chris engaging the crowd[/caption][caption id="attachment_4809" align="aligncenter" width="242"] Got more good shots of Fozzy[/caption][caption id="attachment_4810" align="aligncenter" width="240"] I thought he was going to attempt a flying drop kick here.[/caption]

Since I didn't want to go back to the campsite but my 57 year old frame didn't want to stand, I went over to the Sophie Lancaster Stage to have a little sit down at the back. Shortly after, the next band started to get ready to go on stage but they too had some technical difficulties. This time, the bass player didn't do improv. Instead, she treated the crowd to a brilliant bass solo, she could play! The band took the stage and played some really cool thrash/death metal. I learned they were from Nepal and it's great to see such a good band coming out from that part of the world. I hope more people will check them out. Unfortunately, someone from either Wordpress or Youtube is being a prick and not letting me paste any of their songs here.

[caption id="attachment_4811" align="aligncenter" width="268"] Bass player shredding away[/caption][caption id="attachment_4812" align="aligncenter" width="267"] Underside finally emerge[/caption][caption id="attachment_4813" align="aligncenter" width="343"] Underside show that you can rock in Nepal.[/caption]

The universal big question asked by many of the 18,000 who attended Bloodstock in 2018 was whether Mr Big was the type of band to play at this Festival. For me, that question was answered in the affirmative on the very first song, it being my vote for their hidden gem, "Daddy, Lover, Brother and Little Boy." I have always loved that song and that set the stage for the rest of their set. Sure, they played most of their classics, "Green Tinted Sixties Mind" was the fourth song and not long after, "To Be With You" which Eric Martin brought out an acoustic guitar to play along to. He did the same with the cover of the Cat Stevens classic, "Wild World." On top of that, Paul Gilbert totally impressed me with his guitar work on the songs and when he was left to play a solo. Eric also explained to the crowd that they had been on a European tour and Bloodstock was their last stop. Their final songs were more metal leaning, one of the being "Take Cover." However, when they left the stage, they proved to everyone that Mr Big belonged at Bloodstock! Even if they didn't play my other favourite Mr Big song, "The Whole World's Gonna Know."

[caption id="attachment_4814" align="aligncenter" width="258"] Welcome Mr Big[/caption][caption id="attachment_4815" align="aligncenter" width="255"] Paul plays a solo[/caption][caption id="attachment_4816" align="aligncenter" width="247"] Paul continues to wail[/caption][caption id="attachment_4817" align="aligncenter" width="246"] Here's a shot of Billy Sheehan[/caption][caption id="attachment_4818" align="aligncenter" width="254"] Eric on the acoustic guitar[/caption][caption id="attachment_4819" align="aligncenter" width="253"] Billy and Paul jamming together. Mr Big were certainly the most photogenic band at Bloodstock.[/caption]

Some might think this might be going from one extreme to the other. Going from the melodic metal sounds of Mr Big to the death metal of Devil Driver. That didn't bother me nor the many others who came to see them. It was metal mayhem to say the least. I can't really say much about their time on stage. I went close to the front with Teal and Joe and therefore, spent the entire time on the edges of mosh pits and passing crowd surfers to the front. That kind of ruins your concentration a bit. What I did hear from Devil Driver, I totally liked and still had a fantastic time during their set.

[caption id="attachment_4821" align="aligncenter" width="246"] Devil Driver[/caption][caption id="attachment_4822" align="aligncenter" width="335"] The mayhem spoiled this shot a little.[/caption][caption id="attachment_4823" align="aligncenter" width="245"] The best shot of them[/caption][caption id="attachment_4824" align="aligncenter" width="258"] I don't remember anything about them but I got a shot of Servers on the New Blood Stage[/caption]

At Bloodstock 2016, I took HMO's advice and went to see a band he recommended on his blog called Ackercoke. So, when he posted about At the Gates a few months ago, I knew I had to see them. He's now two for two in my book because At the Gates were brilliant. Three Swedish bands took the Dio Stage on this day and all three impressed me. For me, they were a natural progression after the more progressive sound of Evergrey to the sometimes more harder one of Amaranthe to At The Gates's death metal although, they did go melodic at times. I always have liked that style so these guys fit in well. During their set, I met a man from New York who had come to Bloodstock just to see them. Apparently, they hardly ever go to the States. The band needs to rectify that! All I can say when they left was "Thank you HMO for showing me another great band."

[caption id="attachment_4825" align="aligncenter" width="365"] At The Gates[/caption][caption id="attachment_4827" align="aligncenter" width="254"] Singer Thomas Lindberg engaging the crowd[/caption][caption id="attachment_4828" align="aligncenter" width="239"] Thomas turned his back on me here.[/caption]

Headlining the Sunday was the Finnish band Nightwish. I had heard many great things about this band and I further liked what I had heard from them so I was expecting good things. I wasn't disappointed. A huge clock at the back of the stage counted down the final minute to their appearance and they came out just as it hit zero. From then on it was pure magic, whether it was the vocals of Floor Jansen, the guitar work of Emppu Vuorinen or the keyboards of Tuomas Holopainen. What impressed me even more was Troy Donockley who played guitar, Bouzouki and an assortment of woodwind instruments and all very well. I now have a full appreciation of what is called Gothic metal. The hour and a half went by too fast and the show ended with a spoken word bit but I can't say who was speaking or what was said but it added greatly to the atmosphere of the show. The band did come back and I was hoping for one more song but they just took more bows. Can't complain though.

[caption id="attachment_4829" align="aligncenter" width="241"] The clock counts down[/caption][caption id="attachment_4830" align="aligncenter" width="237"] Good shot of Tuomas Holopainen on keys[/caption][caption id="attachment_4831" align="aligncenter" width="243"] I tried to get the band but a bunch of lights got in the way[/caption][caption id="attachment_4832" align="aligncenter" width="241"] Flash![/caption][caption id="attachment_4833" align="aligncenter" width="240"] The last shot before they left the stage.[/caption]

Tired and hungry, I went back to the tent to feed, drink my last beer and get some sleep. Next morning would be time to tear down, pack up and go. However, I left completely fulfilled having seen some great bands not only this day but the entire weekend. However, Scandinavia did win the Sunday.

Next post: Bloodstock, My final thoughts.

To buy Rock and Roll Children, go to https://www.amazon.co.uk/Rock-Roll-Children-Michael-Lefevre/dp/1609763556/ref=sr_1_8?ie=UTF8&qid=1535059396&sr=8-8&keywords=michael+d+lefevre

Bloodstock 2018: The Saturday

  Saturday at Bloodstock was going to be an open day for me pretty much as the only band on my 'must see' list was the evening's headliners, Gojira. While I was finishing my early morning tasks at a leisurely pace, a gentleman passed by and suggested that I check out Power Trip. His sales pitch was that if I liked Suicidal Tendencies, I would love this band. That was enough to sell me so I headed over to the arena.

Listening to American thrash/punk crossover band Power Trip, I could see what the gentleman meant by the comparison to Suicidal Tendencies. They even dedicated a song to Cannibal Corpse and even though they said some might thought it too early in the morning, orchestrated a wall of death. While I have to say they're not quite like the band they have been compared to, Power Trip were a good band to have a great mosh to and quite an appropriate way to start the Saturday.

[caption id="attachment_4769" align="aligncenter" width="263"] Power Trip- a great start to any day.[/caption]

At this point of the weekend, I had seen several bands whom I had never heard of who had impressed the hell out of me and I was in the mind to award several bands the honour of "Band Whom I'd Never Heard of Who Impressed Me the Most." That all went out the window when the next band after Power Trip ascended the Dio Stage. That band was German prog-metallers Orden Ogan. If you like Hammerfall, then you should like this band. They really impressed me a lot. One thing I noticed when they were on stage was the absence of a bass player. Lead singer Sebastian Levermann explained this was because he had broken his thumb and was unable to play guitar. Thus normal bassist Neils Loffler took up the rhythm guitar. Saying that, he did play a couple of solos along with lead guitarist Tobias Kersting who could really jam. Left to just sing, Levermann was good at engaging the crowd and at one point when he would sing, "All we are," the audience would yell back, "Cold, fucking dead!" When they left, Orden Ogan were secure in the title of band who I'd never heard of who impressed me the most.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JPm46Qgyn24

[caption id="attachment_4770" align="aligncenter" width="268"] Orden Ogan come on stage. Too bad those horns got in my way.[/caption][caption id="attachment_4771" align="aligncenter" width="274"] Levermann and Kersting leading from the front.[/caption]

Being wowed by Orden Ogan made me hungry so I headed back to the tent for some lunch. Returning afterwards, I happened to catch the last five minutes of Vola on the Sophie Lancaster Stage. They were a four piece band which included a keyboard. The best way to describe them is to say they're industrial metal but they sounded all right to me and I might listen to them more.

[caption id="attachment_4772" align="aligncenter" width="243"] Vola on the Sophie Stage[/caption]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bJSt7ISU1-w
Heading back to the Ronnie James Dio Stage, I had no idea what to expect from the next band to take the stage, Combichrist. What I heard and saw took me completely by surprise. I thought that with a name like Combichrist, they would be a thrash or death metal band, especially with all the band's faces painted white. Instead, their brand of industrial metal would be something that metalheads to dance to at parties. The audience jumped up and down in time with many of the songs, though I had to take it a bit easy with my weak knee. Still, the antics of the band were very entertaining. At one point, lead singer Andy LaPlegua had the audience say "Fuck off!" to each member of the band, which was followed by a song called "Fuck That Shit." After a few more songs and "Fucks" from LePlegua, the band ended on a great high by bringing out three young ladies twirling flaming batons to the song, "I Don't Give a Fuck About You." Great way to end the show and I was very impressed.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oMg-HuAjJuo

[caption id="attachment_4773" align="aligncenter" width="290"] Combichrist with no bass and two drummers[/caption][caption id="attachment_4774" align="aligncenter" width="296"] A good shot of them[/caption][caption id="attachment_4775" align="aligncenter" width="289"] In this shot, the drummer was bouncing his sticks off his drum.[/caption][caption id="attachment_4776" align="aligncenter" width="290"] The baton twirlers come out.[/caption][caption id="attachment_4777" align="aligncenter" width="280"] The band plays "Fuck That Shit."[/caption][caption id="attachment_4778" align="aligncenter" width="280"] The twirlers in their full glory[/caption]

After being totally amused by Combichrist, I headed over to the New Blood Stage where I caught the last few minutes of a band called Aeonia. The featured two female lead singers who both possessed operatic style voices. I was sorry I couldn't have seen more of them.

[caption id="attachment_4779" align="aligncenter" width="255"] Aeonia on the New Blood Stage.[/caption]

Heading back to the Dio Stage, I was in for another surprise. On the recommendation of Teal, I decided to check out Alestorm. I had a feeling that this was going to be different when I saw the huge rubber duck at the back of the stage. This would be my first introduction to the genre known as pirate metal. The songs all sounded like heavy metal sea ditties and I liked it. I found the songs, "Drink," "Captain Morgan's Revenge" and "Shipwrecked" among others all to be very amusing. Instead of a mosh pit, lead singer, Christopher Bowes organized a rowing pit where everyone sat on the ground rowing in unison to the song, great fun. Bowes also stated that instead of a wall of death, everyone meet in the middle, take off their clothes and have a big orgy. We all saw the humour in that. Alestorm's set ended with him leading the crowd in singing:

Fuck you, you're a fucking wanker

We're gonna punch you right in the balls.

Fuck you with a fucking anchor

You're all cunts so fuck you all." 

A great time was had by all during the forty-five minutes Alestorm was on stage.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=th4Czv1j3F8

[caption id="attachment_4781" align="aligncenter" width="255"] The big rubber duck awaits Alestorm[/caption][caption id="attachment_4782" align="aligncenter" width="255"] Alestorm on stage with a lot of flying inflatable objects.[/caption][caption id="attachment_4784" align="aligncenter" width="261"] An even bigger rowing pit[/caption][caption id="attachment_4785" align="aligncenter" width="260"] Alestorm leave with an explosion of confetti[/caption]

With nearly two hours to go before Gojira, we decided to head back to the tent. The heavens had opened up so we stayed in the tent eating and drinking. That might have been a mistake because we all nodded off. I woke up at one point, heard the rain pelting down and thought, "I'm not going out in this." Maybe I should have because when I awoke after nodding off again, I discovered it had stopped raining but Gojira had been on stage for 20 minutes! Immediately waking Teal and Joe, we raced like mad back to the arena and to the Dio Stage.

If any band in the history of Bloodstock had paid their dues and earned the right to headline, it was definitely Gojira. I had seen them play second from the top spot in 2010 and just below it in 2016 and both times they were better than the band who went on after them. This time, they were simply better than ever! Being the headliner, they had a really cool light show, just as good as Judas Priest's light show the night before. I definitely remember them playing "Stranded" and Joe Duplantier was very good at engaging the crowd. Plus there was a cool drum solo from Mario. Overall, Gojira put on a great display of heavy metal and proved they can headline along with the best of them.

[caption id="attachment_4786" align="aligncenter" width="265"] Managed to get a good shot of Gojira here.[/caption][caption id="attachment_4787" align="aligncenter" width="282"] Another attempt at photographing them.[/caption][caption id="attachment_4788" align="aligncenter" width="271"] Different lights made this shot possible[/caption][caption id="attachment_4789" align="aligncenter" width="275"] Bright lights[/caption][caption id="attachment_4790" align="aligncenter" width="262"] More bright lights[/caption]

Having had that nap, I wasn't tired so I headed to the Sophie Lancaster Stage to check out that headliner, Orphaned Land. This turned out to be another great decision because Orphaned Land where nothing short of absolutely brilliant! They blend folk and death metal together to make one great but unique sound. Coming from Israel, they also blend Middle Eastern and Western influences and again, it sounds just great. I loved the use of the Bouzouki in place of guitar solos in some of the songs. Plus they do go ultra heavy at times. Before, they got on stage, the announcer told the crowd to listen to the message of this band. Lead singer, Kobi Farhi, explained how fucked up things in the Middle East are with everyone trying to kill each other be it Jews, Arabs or homosexuals. However, he stated that everybody hates heavy metal because it's considered Satanic. This got me thinking but I won't talk about that now, I just want to say how great a band Orphaned Land are.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hurWzo01FpM

[caption id="attachment_4791" align="aligncenter" width="253"] Orphaned Land come out under the lights.[/caption][caption id="attachment_4792" align="aligncenter" width="245"] A great shot of them.[/caption][caption id="attachment_4793" align="aligncenter" width="238"] A great show![/caption]

Still not tired, I went to the metal disco at the Sophie tent after the show. They played a good variety of songs which included some 1970s rock and even a Michael Jackson and a Coolio song. Eventually, I went back to the tent and had one last beer before bedtime. Sometime later, Teal came in and woke me up, I had fallen asleep in the chair with the beer in my hand. At least I didn't spill any. Still it was a great second day.

Next post: Sunday