Ozzy Osbourne - Down to Earth (2001)

Everyone knows Ozzy Osbourne - or thinks they do. He is a musician that truly needs no introduction. This is his 8th solo studio album. The cover features a three faced figure (two of which are skulls), standing before a cross with arms raised. Inside there are numerous photos of Ozzy divided up into 9-square grids, dominating one half of the concertina fold cover, on the back of which are the lyrics. No wait, no lyrics, just a list of song titles and more pictures of Ozzy. I almost wonder if there's supposed to be some sort of interactive or 3d element to the images which seem to show Ozzy morphing into the 3-faced fellow, but it's all a bit deep and meaningful for my humble little brain. It IS an "enhanced" cd, which means there's an interview on it, but no actual music videos or anything really exciting and interesting.

We open with the self-exploration of "Gets Me Through" - slow piano and dancing flute before the bass and drums surge in, and Ozzy's vocals rasp out melodiously*:

"I'm not the sort of person you think I am - I'm not the anti-christ or the iron man..."

Chugging along at a regular pace, Ozzy sounds almost like he's trying to convince the listener that there ain't nothing that special about him and that he wants to be left alone.
Well, I doubt that is the truth, Mr Osbourne.

Keyboards rising, into the crash of the guitars as we chug into "Facing Hell". Again, the vocals seem a little pained, Ozzy's razor edge seems to be getting more pronounced as he's getting older.

Piano-laden melancholy, and we are into "Dreamer", in which Ozzy's vocals seem a little smoother, a little sweeter. One of the more radio-friendly tracks and undeniably beautiful.

Something a little more energetic now - "No Easy Way Out" in which Ozzy is pretty-much shouting the lyrics. The music is a raucous affair, moving into a smoother chorus, thick and slightly sludgy.

 "That I Never Had" is another perfectly acceptable, but not particularly inspiring rock song. The guitar solo is pretty good though - I believe Zakk Wyld had returned for this album.

Another Ballad in "You Know" - a very short piece indeed.

"Junkie" has a bitter edge to it, not surprisingly (also contains the "Explicit content" warned by the cover). The music is churning, angry, flavoured with tension. A personal song, revealing Ozzy's own struggles with drugs and alcohol:

"...A bird with one wing who's trying to fly..."

Another melancholically wrenching piece "Running Out of Time". I guess Ozzy is starting to understand that he isn't getting any younger.

"Just another broken hero..."

"Black Illusion" surges in with dark and sludgy force.

More melancholy in "Alive":

"What keeps me alive is dreams..."

Sounds like we're getting back into the introspection here, Ozzy. Not even sure if this counts as singing for the most part, he's almost just speaking the lines.

Dramatic start to "Can You Hear Them?" Chugging, clapping rhythms, swelling in force. Vocals the typical Ozzy, double-recorded**, giving it that slightly echoey quality.

As Ozzy gets older, his songs have become more mature, more depressing and more personal. This is darker than my previously reviewed "Ozzmosis" (which felt more introspective). The songs seem heavily laden with shadows and darkness, and even the sweeter, ballad numbers have a bittersweet edge to them. His vocals have worn a little, become harsher with age and it all rather lacks the fun energy of Black Sabbath and earlier songs like "Bark at the Moon". Not remarkedly original or different. Kinda dull, really.

Let's go for 6/10.

* an oxymoron of an adjective+adverb? Well, not if you've listened to Ozzy.
** I'm guessing, but my musical knowledge in this manner is limited. So, feel free to deny this claim if you know better ^^

Kari Rueslatten - Other People's Stories (2004)

Released seven years after the other album of hers, this is a lighter weight, more internationally friendly album. For one thing, the lyrics and vocals are in English. Her voice is as sweet and lilting as before, delicate and fragile like a feather on the breeze, but with a power to it too.

The cover booklet is sophisticated and modern, with photographs "enhanced" by white vectored lines that are used to depict motion, perhaps? The paper is sturdy and quite glossy, high quality ink. It almost looks laminated.

The album opens with the gentle "Other People's Stories". The vocals dominate, the gently strumming guitars playing a pleasing background to the lilting vocals and autumnal rhythms.

Another pleasant and gentle piece with some folk-type rhythms, "Sorrow to My Door" is not a particularly cheerful song, although the litling vocals are sweet and pure as bells, even when singing sorrow:

"The house burned down, to the ground, to the ground, ashes and dust."

 "Dog Star" has a slightly bubbly sound to it, like a record. The vocals are playful and oh-so innocent, Kari's accent becoming more apparent. It's a very narrative song, with the lyrics being rather simplistic, befitting the mood.

"Cry" has a slightly technical edge to it, a twirling, whirling accentuation to the vocals - which are again soft and delicate.

"When Lillies Bloom on Winter Days" is like crystalline snowflakes drifting down to gild the frozen flowers. Pure, untainted, with an icy chill lit by sunlight.

Somewhat more modern, almost technical and with the rhythms more typical of one of the dance genres, "Push" is a faster paced and far more commercial in feel.

"Ride" is another combining the vocals with strangely electronically eerie noises and the stronger modern beats.

Even more spectral and vocal, "Fishing" relies entirely on the vocals. Kari's voice dancing up and down the rhythms, high and sweet and pure. Several verse in the instruments start, a whimsical accompaniment.

"Carved in Stone" is another pleasantly gentle piece with slightly more stirring choruses and light electronic accompaniment.

"Life" offers more of the same and "Orlando" offers little more, although it has a pleasingly melancholic feel to it.

 Overall, this is an extremely easy album to listen to - but not a very inspirational one. It makes for pleasing, soothing background music - along the lines of Enya (but less irritating) with its slow pacing and languid, relaxed rhythms. The tracks are short - the longest being just over 4 and a half minutes. Whilst Kari's voice is certainly sweet and aurally pleasing, each track blurs into one and it's a bit dull.

Rating 6/10.

The Chills - Submarine Bells (1990)

This is the final NZ CD I shall be spinning this month - although I may move onto my cassette tapes.

The Chills are one of the classic Dunedin bands. Frontman Martin Phillips is the only consistent member of the band, and they have released six full length albums - several compilations and a bunch of EPs. This was their third album, and their most succesful (it attained #1 on the charts) - in part due to the explosion of popularity in the whole Flying Nun/Dunedin sound and aided rather by the opening track and first single "Heavenly Pop Hit" which I still regard as one of the Definitive NZ songs. Many of the more modern NZ bands have a polished, American sound, but the sludgy, low mix of the Flying Nun label will always stick in my head as being the true NZ sound. Although it should be noted, this album was not released on the Flying Nun label - this was their first release on a major label - Slash/Liberation.

The cover depicts, I believe, a jellyfish, although it also rather resembles a translucent mushroom. It is very blue.

The opening organ of "Heavenly Pop Hit" is utterly unmistakable, bringing with it a clarity and joy that stirs the spirit and the heart. Phillip's voice is sweet and moderately high.

We have piano and a slightly British feel to "Tied Up in Chains". It reminds me a little of Blur and Madness and that whole English Rock sound of the late 80s. Not so much the Dunedin sound at all. Of course, this is somewhat ruined by Phillip's very kiwi accent.

Another nicely rock number is "The Oncoming Day". It offers little new - just a good pace and steady rhythms, catchy chrous.

We drop to a slightly lower pace for "Part Past Part Fiction" with its dreamy, slightly surreal feeling.

"Singing in My Sleep" is vocally dominated, interlaid with tremolo guitar and keyboard rhythms.

The swooping and gliding flute leads a soft and lilting edge to "I Soar" with its slight folk feel. It's a pleasing, slow song with sunlight shimmering through dappled leaves and a leaf frolicking on the wind.

More organ/keyboards lead us into "Dead Web" with its catchy and rollicking chorus.

Fast paced "Familiarity Breeds Contempt" is a solid rock number, with its steady rhythm. Phillips' Kiwi twang really shows in this number.

Pianoleads us into the more haunting "Don't Be - Memory". Vocals are slightly distorted, echoeey, with a shade of Pink Floyd (but Kiwi).

The beautifully titled "Effloresce and Deliquesce" has a wonderfully folkish aspect to it. The vocals are fast, and pronounciation, an education! To blossom and decay. What magnificant words. And quite a glorious song too, with its playful rhythms.

"Sweet Times" is absurdly short, almost choral and over too soon.

Another haunting number, "Submarine Bells" has the symphonic power of the opening track, but is overset by a melancholy that makes it spine-chilling.

Aside from "Heavenly Pop Hit", this album was previously unknown to me. At least this time it was because it's not my CD, but my husband's (although I do own some CDs that I've not actually listened to). It certainly seems more English than I had expected - with the pacing and music found in bands like Blur and Madness - the whole Britpop explosion. Although, given this album came out at approximately the same time (or before, in some cases), it makes you wonder whether it was intentional or coincidence. The tracks are short, and the whole album only clocks in at around half an hour.

The clarity of sound is certainly very good, and it is an enjoyable and well produced album - just not entirely to my musical tastes. I could listen to it, but I'd probably not buy it (although I may be persuaded to acquire several of the tracks).

Rating = 7/10

Dead Flowers - Sweetfish (2004)

Auckland band, Dead Flowers, followed up their 1993 release with this album - "Sweetfish" in 1994. The cover is very colourful and reminds me of some of the Art Trading Cards I've seen on my favourite forums. Lots of faces, eyes, hands and worms all randomly juxtapositioned around each other and all in vibrant and bright colours. It is vibrant and psychaedelic and fun.

First track "Watch Her Play" varies little from those on their earlier album - it is poppy and colourful, fast and sunny.

Still bright and bouncy, but Bell's vocals are taking on a slightly rawer edge with the inappropiately named "Gothic". The lyrics and vocals have a somewhat nasty edge but overall, it's fast and almost cheerful sounding.

Somewhat moodier, "Same Same" might seem an odd song to release as a single - given the chorus is along the lines of "it's the same, same shit... no one to blame everyone to bitch" and of course it got editted when it was played on public television. You can't say "shit" on tv! Another with a bitter edge. Good rhythms: fast verses, smooth purr of a chorus. Kinda catchy, but you've gotta watch where you sing it!

This is followed by the other single release: "Home". Released the year after Pumpkinhead's "Home" and a year before Shihad's "Home Again".  Not sure what it is about NZ bands' obssessions with home. This one is a fast and frantic, helter-skelter piece with aggressive guitar and whining vocals.

A slower number, "She Can't" features the now fairly standard semi-whining vocals. The music is smooth, but with erratic quirks and the chorus a steady and catchy pace.

A nice intro into "Dead Boy" with repetitive twiddly guitar rhythms giving it an almost oriental flavour. repetitive but shows some pretty competent guitaring. The last line is pretty cool:

"Too much like a praying mantis couple - give it up lest your head will tumble."

Now we race into the almost-punk frenzy of "What Do You Take Me For?" Vocals by Damon Newton, who is a lot rawer than Bell.

We mellow a little for "Shades", slowing the pace and with Bell's voice returning in its usual maudlin counterpance.

Heavy bass leads is into "Some Brain Ride" with its low and somewhat ominous vocals and rhythms.

Picking up the pace again, "Not Ready" starts with a guitar eruption and displays some rather competent rockin' out.

Slow again, as we fall into "Slumber". Starts slow and dreamy with the lightest of drums. Building, vocals rising like a gentle embrace. Soothing, soft, like lying in a pile of pillowy clouds. The guitars join in, lightly strumming. Then it surges into awakedness. An goes on for a very long time...

"Spaceboy" is the slow, melodious and haunting conclusion to the album, and the stand out track in my opinion. It's beautiful.


Overall, a fairly uninspiring album, perhaps following too fast on the heels of the debut. Very few of the songs offer anything new or different and it all rather blurs into one. Not a bad album by any regard, just not particularly fresh and original and with few stand-out tracks.

Rating = 7/10

Dead Flowers - Skin of a Stone (1993)

It appears that 1993 was the hayday of NZ rock music. The Dead Flowers were an indie-pop-rock band with a few hard rock elements that formed in Auckland in the early 90s. They received reasonable airplay and modest levels of fame, including opening for some well renowned acts - including Guns N Roses and received good reviews and overall seemed to have been on the road to success.

Their first single was "Lisa" and I actually went to a short acoustic performance at a local music store, and got my cassingle autographed. They laughed at me - in a nice way - because at that point they'd been around for some time and released a lot of other stuff and here I am presenting them with a cassette tape to sign - and not even a full length album , a cassingle. Anyhow, I am pleased to say I now own all three of their albums - two on cd and one of cassette. Although I will confess, they were pretty cheap (this one, for example was 50% off $16.99.

This was the only time I ever saw them live. I guess they never played at underage events locally.

This century, however, it appears they have vanished into obscurity, although vocalist Bryan Bell appears to be pursuing a solo career. The good news is that due to their relatively succesful career, I should have some videos to share with you, the possibly uninitiated reader.

Now, back to their first album release. The cover is one of those fold-out-into-a-poster ones, except that the only cover image is on the bit that sits in front of the cover and the rest is all the lyrics and band photos. The main cover shows a rather distorted and blurry image of an angel statue, next to a headstone. Very moody.

The album opens with the rocking "Be Someone". It's quite heavy, with an edge of aggression. Bell has a strong voice, with a sharp edge of angst. This is a song about paternal child abuse - so pretty heavy stuff, as is reflected in the hard guitars and the angry tone.

"Someday" is somewhat less passionate and inspiring.

There's something undeniably gloomy about "Underground". With its slow rhythms, melodic harmonies on the chorus and general down-tuned sound of the instrumentations. And the lyrics reflect this:

"Goodbye sunshine, hello rain, come tomorrow here again."

 Another somewhat maudlin piece, "Plastic" picks up the rhythm a bit and rises to a relatively stirring (if slightly sarcastic) chorus. I like the video for this one, since they seem to be trying to do the whole vampire-goth thing. The lyrics have a distinctly nasty edge. I would suspect this is a "break-up" song.  Good solo in the middle there, building like a steamroller of disgruntlement.

Sunshine speckled, dreamy guitar with an echoey edge lends us some "Karma" - a song that radiates colour and sunshine, light and love. The vocals are gentle and sweet. A rather short piece.

Erratic, dramatic; like (extremely musical) nails on a chalkboard, we enter into "Madness". There's almost a Deep Purple edge to the opening guitar rifts which are heavy, then dancing up and down the neck. Falls quickly into fairly regular rhythms.

Bright, vibrant and colourful guitar introduce us to "Lisa" this is a cheerful, lively piece with a high edge to the guitar strumming, melodic vocals and a general feeling of sunshine and life.

To follow up the cheer, we have "The Killing of Lisa". This is a slow, acoustic number with a decidedly melancholic edge. You cannot help but wonder how exactly Lisa died - and if it is a physical or metaphorical death:

"Cause you see the sun crashing to the floor. Your rainbows crash and your windmills soar..."

 The not-at-all-country "Better Dead than a Country Singer" follows it up, with its cynical, bitter and somewhat sarcastic edge to the vocals and the mocking rhythms of the instruments.

Another slower piece, with aching vocals, "Ma Ma Picture" has good rhythms, slightly erratic and with a hint of the melancholic.

"Mihi" starts with a quote in Maori, translated into English and then a gentle and sorrow-filled folk song in Maori, from a female singer, Whaea Hadfield (Riqi's wife? Or sister?). About halfway through, Bell takes over, adding his own haunted voice. Another electric acoustic piece.

Final track "Collision" gets off to a headlong, racing start. I reckon this would be a good song to play over surfing video footage. Vocals are fast, frantic and the guitars chug along. Energetic with a hint of aggression and a touch of distortion.

Overall, a polished and very nice album from a skillful New Zealand band. They were professional and talented and produced a good solid, but accesible rock album that has a distinctly kiwi flavour, a touch of sunshine and their own distinct sound. Rating = 7/10

Enuff Z'Nuff - AniMaLs WitH HUmAn InTElLiGeNcE (1993)

I first discovered Enuff Z'Nuff through mailorder catalogues through some music company (EMI?) through which I acquired "Strength". Alas, on cassette tape. This album I picked up much later for the kingly fee of $5 from Echo records.

Enuff Z'Nuff formed in 1984 and, amazingly, are still active today. They hail from Illinois and have released 12 studio albums, of which I am only familiar with the second and third. During that time their line-up has changed somewhat, with two memebrs dying - one of a drug overdose and the other of cancer. They began with a glam rock sound, which they mellowed into more of a rock style after the glam rock genre faded into obscurity.

This album was less succesful than its predecessor, and has one of the members - Vikki Fox, airbrushed out of the cover art, despite the fact he appears in every track, because he quit after it was produced. The cover features the three remaining members, all looking very curly haired and moody in blue tones. The back of the booklet shows an old style poster advertisement, featuring two horses - one firing a canon and the other posing beneath the stars and stripes. There are cute little banner cartoons above the lyrics for every song.

The album rocks in to "Superstitious". Good beats, vocals a low, smooth going into the occasional higher range. Nicely paced and catchy.

"Aieee-aieee-aieeee" the "Black Rain" begins. Beats like solid raindrops. Vocals undulate nicely with the rhythms.

"Pret-ty lit-tle sing-ing boy, just be-came a brand new toy..."

Taking on a more mournful, rock ballad feel, "Right By Your Side". Nicely emotive melodies. Vocalist Donnie Vie has a nice touch of angst in his voice, although it does tend somewhat towards the whiny.

"These Daze" starts with dogs barking, but is a cruisier number. Vie's vocals are lilting and raw, with a  touch of whine,  undulating with the rhythms, almost like the purr of a really large cat. This is a rock song about celebrating the wild years, but (presumably) setting them behind you.

A roucher, rawer, wilder number is the "Master of Pain". Heavier rifts. Harder sound. Solid beat. Catchy chorus.

"Innocence" is a sweet and soft song about growing up. It is about the loss of innocence, but

"who's to say it's right or wrong?"

And has good melodies and some nicely emotive guitar play. The lyrics are sensitive and almost reassuring. The lyrics indicate that it is about the loss of sexual innocence, to someone that "you" care for. More romantic than say, Helloween's "First Time". The piano adds nicely to the atmosphere.

Another ballad, "One Step Closer to You" is one of those unrequited love songs. Not creepy, just suggesting that the love interest is currently, technically, unobtainable. It has a faster rhythm, suggesting that this pursuit is not hopeless and that "I" am the better option:

"Every little move I make is getting you away from that loser..."

 There's a slight country-rock edge to "Bring it on Home". Vocals are low, smooth and relatively gentle. Bit rawer on the bridge to the chorus. Really rockin' chorus. Repetitive but catchy.

Another cruisy number - "Taking a Ride" is smooth and sunny. The music has a laid-back, restful vibe. The vocals getly rising and falling with the melody.

 With a  whistle and a chug, it's into the rock and roll of "The Love Train". Catchy and a good pace.

A heavier piece with a goodly touch of angst, "Mary Anne Lost Her Baby" is about abortion and regret:

"...Questions in your head: now the forties pass you by and there's still noone in bed, just a big fat lonely why. Spending life alone when you could have had the joys that make you carry on..."

Lastly, we conclude with a goodly rock number: "Rock N World".

Overall, this is a solid rock album - perhaps lacking some of the more interesting combinations and melodies of "Strength". It's an interesting listen and Vie's voice is strong, with a reasonable touch of angst and not too much whine. Not particularly remarkable and not earth-shatteringly original, however.

Rating = 6.5/10.

Van Halen - Diver Down (1982)

Time for some classic rock now - Van Halen! This is one of their older albums, and not one of their most well known - but for some reason it is the only one I own on cd: $10 from Echo records, second hand. It contains absolutely none of their notable tracks and is their 5th album.

Van Halen formed in California in 1972, fronted by the charismatic showman, David Lee Roth. The Van Halen brothers - Alex and Eddie were two of the other members, and Eddie is generally considered one of the finest guitar players in the world. Alex was the drummer and Michael Anthony completed the quartet with his bass guitar. They soared to rock n roll fame - with such hits as "Jump" and "Running with the Devil" which are awesome songs and not on this cd, of course. In 1985, Roth departed the band - due to personal conflict with Eddie, and was replaced with Sammy Hagar. Himself a fine vocalist. Roth returned again for a reunion concert in the mid 90s, before rejoining the band permanently in 2006. He is still a member there today.

Whilst this album seems to have faded into the depths of obscurity, it did earn them a ranking in the Guinness book of records for "highest paid single appearance of a band": $1.5 million for a 90 minute set.

Cover is... boring. Definitely ranks in my top #10 of "least interesting album covers" (Along with Warlord's "Best of", Helloween's "Chameleon" and Wrath's "Nothing to Fear". The cover is red, with a diagonal white stripe running from top left to bottom right. Band name at top right, title at bottom left. Not exactly inspiring. Inside it's no better - a band photo in which Lee Roth looks young, blond and pretty compared to the rest of the band who are all dark. The song titles, and some helpful instructions on how to keep your cds in good condition and clean them (straight line, center to edge, with a clean, lint-free, soft, dry cloth). Guess this WAS one of the earliest cds.*

So, slot it in and give it a spin!

"Where Have All the Good Times Gone!" (sic) the first track proclaims and it has a kind of downbeat feel to it. Roth doesn't have his usual "happy voice" going and sounds almost a little lost. Bit repetitive too, not my first pick for an opening track.

With a somewhat more energetic pace "Hang 'em High" rocks on in with very competent guitar flurries accentuating Roth's vocals. Again, it has a more melancholic feel, with Roth's voice being rather more melodious and smooth.

Some interesting instrumention on "Cathedral". Is that clarinet? It soudns almost like synth, but there's none listed, so must be Jan Van Halen adding their touch.

Another slower rock number, "Secrets" has more of a traditional soft rock feel such as is found in bands like Fish.

"Intruder" is a haunting drum and guitar instrumental, with some whining reminscient of industrial machinery towards the end it slips into the distinctive opening chords of "Pretty Woman" which sounds a little odd from Roth's vocal chords. He's a little rougher than Orbison. He does manage a rather throaty purr/growl at one point. Even this track sounds a bit maudlin.

Picking up the pace with some electronica guitar swirls as quirky twiddly squeaky flurries as it's time for "Dancing in the Street". Orginally performed by Marvin Gaye. Could increase the tempo a bit. Make this a livelier number. But no, still seems a bit foot-draggy. I'm not feeling like dancing guys!

"Little Guitars" starts with a very twiddly and complicated flamenco style intro before taking on bouncier rhythms. This one has a more quirky and upbeat nature to it. The chorus is perky and chipper and this is probably the most upbeat song on the album and, so far, my favourite.
Although I would swear he's singing "etch a sketch, etch a sketch"**

And now we're taking a trip back to the 20s with clarinet and "Big Bad Bill (is Sweet William now)". This is a song popular with barbershop quartets, but Van Halen have added in some extra instrumentation. It still sounds weird and a bit out of place on a rock album.

Now, time for some actual rock, "The Full Bug" has faster rhythms and a solid almost glam-rock beat. Very skilful guitar solo as Eddie makes his axe sing.

And possibly the craziest cover song on the album, "Happy Trails" is performed acapella and is short, slightly out of tune and kinda amusing. In fact, it kinda ruined the album for me. It's amusing, but not a strong way to end a weak album.

This is a very different album for Van Halen. It's less energetic, more soothing and has a shadowy sadness to it. The instrumentation is competent, although there are no full on rock-out guitar solos and there's a kind of lacklustre feel to it. Good background music (I might take this to work, actually). But, it's not Van Halen as I know and love 'em and even their choice of cover songs can't make up for the lack.

The only stand-out track is "Little Guitars" 8/10 for that (it's no "running with the devil") and 4/10 for the rest of the album.My recommendation - if you want a Van Halen cd, DON'T buy this one!

Rating = 5/10

* To wikipedia! The first cds were made in the mid-to-late 70s and became commercially available in 1982. The year this was released. 

** It's actually "catch as catch" but still!

Queensryche - Rage for Order (1986)

Queensryche are probably the finest band to come from Seattle, Washington. Sure, some would argue that it was Nirvana, or Pearl Jam, or maybe even Nevermore; but for technical prowess and musical competence, Queensryche have stolen my vote.

This is their second ful length studio album, and one of my favourites. It displays a creativity and intricity that was lacking somewhat from their debut album, along with an added dose of intriguing menace.

The cover is pretty plain - the band and the album names written in a ring, surrounding the tri-ryche symbol, overlaid across a fairly crude, lineary map of the world and coloured in what could well be blood red clouds. Inside the lyrics are printed in a bold, san serif font. I found the band photo particularly amusing:

Loving the widow's peak Geoff! The permed hair is particularly entertaining too.

The album starts with the catchy "Walk in the Shadows". Tate's voice is in fine fettle, high and melodic in pitch and power.

The rhythms slow, taking on a dreamlike quality, the guitars plucking gentle melodies as "I Dream in Infrared". Desperation bleeds from the vocals, surging into power and determination.

"The Whisper" is anything but. A solid beat, soaring vocals and a somewhat eerie edge to it. Great chorus, and harsh whispering voices. It has a technical aura to it, making me think of the voice in the computer, calling to the unsuspecting, controlling them.

"Please take my hand, don't be afraid. I am your master, you are my slave..."

Keeping with the creepiness, the eerie openings of "Gonna Get Close to You." The guitars create a dark and gloomy mood, shadows creeping in like fog, hiding all manner of secrets. The lyrics are pure stalkerism:

"I wait by your door til you're asleep at night and when you're alone I know when you turn out the light..."

Another with a menacing edge, "The Killing Words" bring with them a touch of frost, dancing across the drums and guitars. Chorus is filled with desperate anguish.

"Surgical Strike" hits with precision and power. Sharp, determined; Tate's voice is a spear. LYrics related to war.

Echoing, otherwordly, "Neue Regal" brings with it a hint of exotic. Vocals are high, bell-like, looming menace clustering in their shadows. Almost industrial sounds. Towers looming, darking the sky with their acrid smoke.

"Eternal Youth (We Are Rebellion)" strikes me as being a dystopian song, the sort that  makes you think of the general public rising up against the Government, waving banners, shaking fists. Combining shouting, breaking glass and general anarchy with Tate's vocals and a gallopin', rockin' chorus.

Following this is the hauntingly melancholic "London". It sounds like a love song - or to be precise, a loss song. The vocals are melodious, yet tortured, thrumming with loss and loneliness and abandonment.

"Screaming in Digital" is like a soul, trapped inside a computer, technologically imprisoned and crying for help. The vocals have a polished, technical edge to them. The instruments thrumming with pent up emotion.

Another haunting, lost and bittersweet piece, "I Will Remember" is heart-felt and forlorn. Tate's voice feels as fragile as a broken heart, the music playing a slow and solemn counterpoint.

 In a time when pants were tight and hair was permed, and lyrics were all about sex and love (but not necessarily both), Queensryche stomped onto the scene - with the hair and the pants, but they brought with them dark shadows and their own special blend of menace. This would have to be one of their finest albums: 9/10.

Mercury Rev - Secret Migration (2005)

Mercury Rev are glorious. As you may recall, it was my brother who lured me into their music, capturing me with their sound much as you would capture a mouse with peanut butter. The melodies, the liveliness, the sheer effervescence of their music... it is a delight to behold and absolute divine aural pleasure.

If you wish to know more about Mercury Rev, Pandora Radio has a nifty entry.

This album was purchased on a trip to Wellington. I had been informed of its impending release, which coincided with our vacation. Therefore I skipped out of the convention I was attending, racing down the hill in eager anticipation. I think this is the first time I've ever bought a cd on the day of its release and held it in my (slightly shaking) hands. I couldn't even listen to it - since I hadn't a portable cd player. But it was mine and it was beautiful and it was enough, for a time, to simply hold it in my hands and admire it.

The album cover is a thing of beauty. In perfect pastel lilac hues - delicate and fragile, like their sound. A moth, tawny wings spread to reveal eyes and a woman's face upon its thorax. Inside the dreamy, surreal, otherworldly feel continues with gorgeous lavendar shades: swans, clouds. It is all very dreamlike and ethereal, entrancing.

Of course, the instant I slipped it into the CD player I fell forever, unrepentedly, in love.

The dreamlike, haunting "Secret for a Song" entrances with its gentle piano, fleetingly beautiful vocals - as clear and as sweet and as innocent as a childhood kiss. Glorious enough to bring a tear to your eye and reach deep down into your soul and give it a gentle, loving, squeeze.

"I'll tell you a secret, I'll sell you a secret for a song..."

 Beautiful, melancholic, entrancing; now we delve "Into Yer Ocean". The lyrics are pure poetry, the light, lilting rhythms enhance and transform the music into thousands of delicate crystals, tinkling like stars above the gentle rise and fall of waves.

Tinkling like tiny stars, we have "Diamonds" with more evocative poetry:

"...like a bracelet hung, from a spider's web..."

Sweet, delicate, sensitive.

Piano and strings delicately dance around Jonathan's wonderful voice as he leads us through "Black Forest (Lorrelei)". Haunting, fairytale lyrics and a sense of longing and loneliness with a hint of helplessness.

"There's no way 'round the forest, the only way is through. And there's no way I'd make it without you..."

Their lyrics are so rich, so beautiful, so dream-like and whimsical that I cannot resist quoting them.

"Slow, rich, glorious velvet "Vermillion" is as smooth as a caress.

The glorious "In the Wilderness" is a love song. Vocal-centric, sweet, innocent, romantic and beautiful.

And Mercury Rev score mad bonus points for the line:

"How could I have been blind for so long
and how could the woman I love be so strong"

'Cos how many musicians would have used the rhyme "wrong" instead?
Also:

"...Take her by surprise, not by force..."

This song is like being enfolded in the arms of your beloved and lain down on the verdant grass in a glorious woodland where the trees are wearing their autumn suits.

Haunting melodies, echoing and spectral as the flutes and strings entwine "In a Funny Way". But it's not funny, it's beautiful, vibrant and playful love song. Fleeting, ethereal, ephemeral.
(The video is delightful and slightly creepy - you should totally watch it).

Hell, I need a thesaurus to write these reviews!

It's like being swept up into the clouds and sung to by angels.

Another beauty, "My Love" is the sort of melody that cannot help but stir your soul. The lyrics are filled with heartbreak and regret:

"... I never gave you enough, I could have given you my love..."

A lament of letting the one you love slide through your fingers, of not giving all that you should to someone who deserved it. Such a simple thing - love - but it means so much.

"Moving On" is short, choral and flavoured with crystal raindrops.

"The Climbing Rose" is another song of transcendent glory.The lyrics are repetitive, but poetic.

The drums erupt with vibrant energy as your spirit will "Arise" into clarity and poetry.

For a song called "First Time Mother's Joy (Flying)", this is a bittersweet symphony, the piano adding an edge of melancholy.

"...Soon the dormant patient roots will show themselves as childish shoots..."

Their lyrics are so gosh darned beautiful.

Concluding with the melancholic, the sorrowful, the heartfelt "Down Poured the Heavens" when Jonathan's voice almost cracks with the emotional overload.

Mercury Rev are, quite possibly, one of the most evocative and stunningly beautiful bands in the world. I cannot understand why they are not better appreciated, or more well known. There is noone that comes even close in terms of clarity and whimsical charm. Their songs are poetry to music, their arrangements pure magic and Jonathan's voice has an otherworld quality that makes you wonder how he can possibly be human (I think he's fae). After this album and the previous, it seems so impossible to possibly top them, that Mercury Rev released an album of entirely different stylings and sound. Still, whether they return to this sound or not, they have left us with two magnificant albums. The mood for this one is generally gentler, more melancholic, filled with longing and loss, compared with the playful innocence of (some of)"All is Dream".

And what will I rate this one? Yeh, you guessed it = 10/10.

Unisonic (2012)

Michael Kiske reunited with Kai Hansen to produce an ENTIRE ROCK CD. How could I resist? How could I refuse? Two of my favourite metal idols back together. Sure, this isn't power metal, this isn't even completely metal, but that doesn't mean it won't be an excellent album, does it just?

First, let's look it over. I purchased the digipak because it had a bonus cd (containing a whole 3 tracks, but never mind). I don't know why, but I like digipaks. Sure, they're a bitch to store (since they won't fit in CD racks) and they collect dust (ok, so all my cds collect dust, cos I rip 'em and shelf 'em). It is attractively coloured in shades of blue, with a distinctly futuristic look, rather than the fantasy-esque of old. In the band photo, they all look very serious, except for goateed Kai Hansen, who is giving a little smirk.

"Unisonic" opens with a dramatic flourish, vocals racing up into a smooth and soaring chorus. Slammin' rockin' guitars and lots of energy. The lyrics are simple and repetitive - a great opening piece for both album and live performances with a rather complex and fast paced gutiar solo. Cleaner, polished and more mature than Helloween. Kiske's voice is clea, sweet and powerful.

A slower, but still dramatic opening to "Souls Alive" with twiddly guitar bits. Vocals are also slower, and rick with a good blend of guitars and vocals. This is pure rock with a touch of metal. It drops to a slower pace where Kiske's voice drops into his rich, lower notes, ending with a scream that proves he can still hold those notes!

"Never Too Late" starts with a bit of a quirk to it and good rock rhythms. Soaring into a great chorus. There is something so splendid about Kiske's voice, it fills me with joy and positivity, thrilling me to the core even to this day!


A modern, mainstream rock sound characterises "I've Tried".  The vocals are on a slightly lower register, rising up into a catchy chorus:

"I've never said I'm sorry, but god only knows I've tried..."

Ominous beats bring us into "Star Rider" with the litling vocals soaring up and down the octaves. Kiske still does a fine falsetto!

"Never Change Me" gives us a bouncy rock n roll rhythm with catchy beats.

There's a hint of glam in "Renegade" With its rich, thick vocals and higher pitched chorus. Nice flourishes of the guitars and a good solid guitar solo.

Another solid rock number, "My Sanctuary" has fast-paced vocals with sturdy guitar accompaniment. Soaring chorus and a nicely chanted conclusion.

There's a bit of an 80's rock vibe to the opening bars of "King for a Day". As powerful as ever, Kiske's voice soars and rises gloriously into an anthemic chorus, in which Hansen's distinctive vocals shadow his.

And for those that love the smooth, anthemic, feel-good pieces, "We Rise" certainly fits the bill. Kiske's voice is like a purr - smooth and sleek and the accompanying guitar rhythms reach deep down into the soul and fill the listener with, well, positivity.

We conclude with a haunting ballad, "No One Ever Sees Me", reminscent of some from Kiske's solo days: the sweet melodies, the bittersweet lyrics, the melancholic vocals. Accompanied by acoustic gutiars and somewhat soul-wrenching. Beautiful.

Now, for the three bonus tracks:

"Over the Rainbow" is another ballad; haunting and melancholic. The guitars a gentle accompaniment to the heart-breaking vocals.

Followed by "Souls Alive". I'm not sure how this differs from the previous version, except that it is two seconds shorter.

"The Morning After" is another haunting piece, the opening somewhat reminding me of Sting's ballads, for some reason. Maybe it's the guitar. It quickly surges into a rather rockier chorus, before slowing down  again.

This is not Helloween, this is not Gamma Ray. It is heavier than Kiske's solo work, although probably closer to that than any of the former. And you know what? If you want to hear Kiske doing power/symphonic metal, you just need to pick up an Avantasia album or any of his other side projects. This is more polished than the 80s stuff, with a clarity of sound and complexity of rhythm that is pure rock (with a touch of metal).

It's good stuff - 9/10.

Phoenyx - Keepers of the Flame (1990)

This album was a bit of a gamble - albeit a very cheap gamble. It lay in the Real Groovy Sale Price bins, at the kingly cost of $1 or $2. The band photo on the back makes them look like wanna-be gypsies from the mid 80s - big hair, tattered clothing in a cornucopia of styles. The cover depicts a phoenix so stylised that I only just realised it WAS a phoenix. It's pretty wicked - all celtic design. Nice gold font on the cover too - that must have cost a fair amount to print. Inside, the paper is thinner, more like an actual booklet than the glossy cd covers I'm used to, and the list of instruments is appealing - electric violin, mandolin, tambourine, bodhran, mandola, flute and something called a florlogue.  Also bagpipes and a female vocalist. Hrm, I thought - sounds like folk. Could be folk-metal, could be folk-rock or could be pure folk, either way, it's probably worth $2.

And when I put it in, I fair wooped with glee. DEFINITELY worth $2.

Phoenyx are pretty obscure. They're from San Francisco, California and labelled as "Celtic fusion rock". Googling "Heather Alexander" is interesting - because the vocalist is apparently actually Alexander James Adams - from his website:

Alec is also the appointed heir to Heather Alexander. Heather, who was actually a changeling, was called back to faerieland in November 2006; at the same time, Alexander, the child in whose place she had originally been left and who had been raised in faerieland, was released after beating the faerie queen in a fiddling contest. Thus, Alec now carries on Heather’s musical legacy.

This band just become officially even more interesting (finally reading more carefully through wikipedia I discovered he is transgender and transitioned in 2006). He also indulges in a little filk music. And he's pretty funny too. Okay, so I've got distracted and am visiting his website, where this is video of him performing "He of the Sidhe" - this is the story mentioned above (the duel with the faerie queen) - ohmigosh, that man can fiddle! Seriously, I expected to see smoke coming off the strings. He appears to be a bit of an icon in the Pacific North-West. He now lives in Oregon with his wife and many animals.

This is the only album Phoenyx released and it is (not surprisingly) out of print. But if you think it sounds interesting, there is a bunch of solo stuff available through his website both of his and Heather's.

Now, to get back on track... Inside the booklet, the lyrics are illustrated with simple line art, giving it a real storybook feel and the music, well, let's give it a listen, shall we?

"Banish Misfortune/Lark in the Morning" are two folk reels, playing back to back and inspiring a lively, frisky mood upon the listener, promises of what to expect. There's a slightly discordant edge to one of the instruments, I think Ritual make use of them.

In "Stormbringer" the vocals come in, and oh boy, does Heather have a powerful voice or what! There are definite echoes of the 80s here, with a lilt to her accent and an almost masculine depth* - when she wants it to. Not metal by a long shot, but definitely rock. The music is alive and energetic, giving quirky little trills.

"The King of Elfland's Daughter" is a duet, between male and female (Heather and Alec, now that would be weird and chronologically improbable) - there's no other vocalists listed for this track.

"Black Unicorn" has a menace to it, the music low and looming. Vocals with the lilting accent. Music evocative.

A far more lively number is "Cat and the Fiddle". Pure folk, with very little of the rock but perhaps a tiny touch of country.

"Hey diddle diddle, answer me this riddle...
Hey diddle do, tell me what you will..."

 "Marley O'Reilly"  is a reel jig, with a good rhythm to dance and spin to and some very delicate fiddling.

"The Voices of the Sea" is a haunting number, with eerie vocals drifting in a spectral fashion. Heather's voice is edged with sweetness. This is a siren song - a soft and gentle, luring tune from a mermaid to a sailor, wishing them well on their voyage.

The mysterious "Creature of the Night" gets off to a haunting start. Alexander's voice is powerful and slightly ominous. It increases in tempo and menace, as the sinister Satyr lures the innocent and ithe ignorant into the woods. The gentle music evokes the feel of the dark forest in which strange creatures lurk.

Another set of reels now - starting with the slow and melancholic, "Musical Priest" becomes more lively as it frisks and folics into "Butterfly" then dives and dips into "Swallowtail".

Something a little more aggressive now - "March of Cambreadth". It opens with some marching fiddle and violent lyrics:

"Axes flashing, broadswords swing, shining armour's piercing ring..."

Keeping in the spirit of the Celts, they even spelled "armour" the English way.

Now, something's "Up in the Loft" - something threatening and strange. The turne is dramatic and the chorus jerky and a little discordant, while the fiddles whimper and the drums and guitars thrum with tension.

"Oh but yesterday I heard it, with its haunting mournful cry..."

A jerky and strange intro leds us into the ghostly, modern and pretty intense "Concentration". Vocals on this piece are from Cat Taylor. It's not a heavy song, but the back-and-forth tribal rhythms and the whispered vocals are disturbing and creepy. Very different from everything else.

The album concludes with "Yo Ho!" A rousing nautical tune with somewhat dark lyrics that - partway through, goes into the folk song about sailors that we all know and love (but with possibly different lyrics).
Like all good folk songs at sea, it has a light and whimsical verse, then a rousing chorus that the rest of the crew can join in with.

"If you eat ship rats then you get more meat..."

Hrm, I'm in the mood for pirates now. Maybe I should skip past Q this time (it's just Queensryche again, I've nothing else) and leap into Running Wild. What do you think?

This is a charming album, folk blended with  rock and a smattering of the quirky and curious. It has a light and whimsical feel, like the band were having a bit of a lark when they created it. For something a little bit fun, with some quite entertaining lyrics and a vocalist that sounds like she stepped out of the 80s and does a bitchin' tenor**, this might well be the album for you. Of course, it's out of print, so you're out of luck - unless your local store is trying to clear it at a mega cheap price, that is!

Let's give it a 7/10.

* not surprising, really. 
** I'm trying to prove I know something about vocal scales now. I don't. So if I'm wrong, so be it.

Fish - Vigil in a Wilderness of Mirrors (1990)

Fish is a somewhat eccentric Scotsman, who started singing in Marillion before leaving them to undertake a solo project. His influences lie in the 80s and there is a sound of Genesis, Pink Floyd and other rock bands of that era in his music, along with a small smattering of the Celtic. This is his first solo album.

It has an interesting, rather 80s rock cover - depicting a man and a woman wrapped in rather strange attire and standing atop a tower of televisions, on each screen is a face - possibly his. In the centre of the booklet, you get to see the entire painting - and it is surreal - a city in the background, a hill covered in crucifixes, nuclear waste, soldiers, men in biohazard suits. It's totally crazy, like a demented collage. The sky above is a black and blue streaked twilight affair, in which at one point sun rays split the clouds and a satelite appears against the black.

We start with the haunting melancholia of "Vigil". Fish's voice actually reminds me a little of Phil Collins, but his songs are more emotive.

The next track - "Big Wedge" - is a rockier number, catchy rhythms and an even catchier chorus. You know, I always thought he was saying "big wave". This is a song with a social message - an anti-America message from the sounds of things. It's all about consumerism.

A pop-py opening to "State of Mind" in which we hear more of Fish's political views:

"I don't trust the government, I don't trust alternatives. It's not that i'm paranoid, it's just that's the way it is..."

Again we've got the Phil Collins-slow rock vibe going on here. The music plays a twiddly and playful counterpoint to Fish's voice.

With a slightly folk-esque vibe, "The Company" is one of my favourite tracks. The music is gentle, an accompaniment to Fish's voice rather than telling a story of its own. It has a dreamy, moody feel with a somewhat Irish feeling chorus.

Gentle piano, and soft strings usher us into the finest song on the album - the haunting and beautiful "Gentleman's Excuse Me". The melodies and lyrics are sublime.

"Do you still keep flowers in the bottom drawer, with your Belgian lace, taking them out every year to watch the colours fade away..."

To me, this is a song of innocence and fragility, and its fleeting nature.

"The Voyeur" is another rockier number, with a vaguely amusing, vaguely sinister air to it.

"I like to watch..."

It seems to be about the voyeur inside us all when it comes to television - how we like to watch video nasties, natural disasters and all manner of terrible and dramatic things happening to other people. So much truer today than it was in the 80s, too.

Back into rather serious issues - "Family Business" is a moody song, with an element of the spirited and angry - the main theme being domestic abuse hidden behind the house doors.

Another moody and melancholic start, "A View from the Hill" quickly takes a turn for the rockier, as the guitars come crashing in for the chorus, then fade out again for the verses.

"Cliche" is another hurt and bittersweet piece. The guitars seem laden with confused misery, the vocals filled with inner fragility. It's almost as though he wants to write a love song, but cannot find the words because "...the best way, is with an old cliche..." And this turmoil, this inability to express how he feels, is driving him into sorrow. But finally, he comes up with the simplest, and the best.

Whilst there are some rockier numbers here, the general mood of this album seems to be melancholic (I know I've used that word a lot, but I'm really feeling it in the music) and moody. It is haunting, and beautiful, the songs centred around Fish's powerful and somewhat distinctive voice (which makes sense, since the album is named for him, after all). The lyrics are interesting, sometimes insightful and overall I rank this album a 7.5/10.

Ozzy Osbourne - Ozzmosis (1995)

Well, Ozzy Osbourne needs no introduction, but I shall give one anyway.

Born in 1948 as John Michael Osbourne (perhaps his parents were 'Peter Pan' fans?), Ozzy became famous in the 70s as the vocalist of heavy metal forerunners, Black Sabbath - and renowed for living the ideal rock n roll lifestyle of sex, drugs and heavy metal. In more recent years he has become a reality tv star famous for his litany of curse words; shambling, mumbled speech and rebellious teenagers. Of course, the whole family have amtured somewhat now, and probably about half of what we saw on screen was pure Hollywood. I never watched the show - finding it almost an embarrassment, but my brother has read Ozzy's biography and reports him as being an intelligent fellow.

His solo career took a less heavy flavour than Sabbath, more melodic and radio-friendly hard rock. He released a number of solo albums and I own several of them.

In High School (in the early 90s) we had to do a project on a famous person and I chose Ozzy. This was a lot harder in those days - before the tv show, the biography or even the internet, and my research consisted of old fashioned media such as books, my copious collection of metal magazines and a couple of video interviews. At that stage Ozzy was more famous of bring the somewhat creepy guy who bit the head off a  pigeon in a meeting with his recording studio. He also bit the head off a bat in another incident - but he thought it was fake (someone threw it on stage, the sick b**tard). He had to get a rabies jab for that one! It was an effort to find the names of his children, let alone any information abotu them (unlike now, when one only has to pick up the weekly mags).

I saw Ozzy live in Wellington a few years ago. It was pretty exciting, but Ozzy seemed to consider himself a little too "high and mighty" compared to early acts in the evening, like Poison and lacked the stage presence. Also, he kept shouting "I can't hear you" to the crowd - which admittedly was not as big as the promoters would have liked, but possibly it was because he is going deaf - the curse of all musicians that do not take proper precautions when being around very loud music. And the bane of music fans that attend too many live concerts too! (That's why I limit myself to a couple a year).

Anyhow, on to this album. The cover is a monochromatic affair, featuring the silhouette of a naked man, with teeth and eyes superimposed across his body. Inside the cover folds out, revealing the lyrics on one side, and various moody photos of Ozzy and assorted oddments on the other.

The album begins with a track about detective "Perry Mason". It starts with a melancholic orchaestral arrangement (sounds like strings, but could be a keyboard) before cracking into this well-paced rock song. Ozzy has a very powerful voice - soaring and melodic, but with a razor edge to it.

 Again the melancholic orcheastral arrangements, slower this time, as we move into the moody "I Just Want You". It has a powerful feel, but the lyrics seem a little lacklustre:

"...I'm sick and tired of being sick and tired, I used to go to bed so high and wired..."

Still, it is not like Ozzy is a young man anymore and this album perhaps reflects a more mature, subdued attitude.

Delicate guitar ushers us into the power ballad "Ghost Behind My Eyes". The music is very polished and quite atmopsheric, but it is quite a lightweight song, very radio friendly. One cannot help but feel that Ozzy was going through something of a nostalgic, wistful time when he wrote this one.

The base thrumms us into the industrial sounding* "Thunder Underground", the music as apt as the name, for it almost resembles a great train booming along the tracks.

 Another mellow number, "See You On The Other Side" is another melodic song loaded with melancholy and a little longing.

A slightly eerie opening welcomes us into the echoing first verse of "Tomorrow". A slightly heavier track but still somewhat edged with darkness and longing.

This feeling continues onwards too, in "Denial". There is a slight urgency to the vocals, the music a somewhat uneasy churning rhythm. One cannot help but feel the words they're hearing.

I have always suspected  "My Little Man" is about Ozzy's son Jack - who would have been about ten when this album was released. Somewhat repetitive lyrics, and a little sickeningly sentimental.

"My Jeckyll Doesn't Hide" picks up the pass a little, with the vocals moving more into urgency and getting closer to the Ozzy we know and love.

Another ballad - this time with piano, is "Old LA Tonight". It's a lovely power ballad, but seems decidedly un-Ozzy.

In conclusion, this is quite a gloomy album. Most of the songs are slow, melancholic and steeped in a sort of wistful longing, tinged with nostalgia, as though Ozzy were being brought, rather reluctantly, to face reality and grow up. The song arrangements are nicely done, and quite emotional, but it lacks the energy and passion of earlier albums. All in all, it feels a bit lacklustre. Also, I am in a bit of a gloomy mood at any case, and I think it is feeding that glumness. I should really be listening to something a bit more upbeat.

Even though I really do like the tunes, I'm going to give it 6.5/10.


* No, it's not the genre known as "industrial" - just industrial sounding - like a train. Okay? And not a train tooting, but a train chugging.

Michael Kiske - Instant Clarity (1996)

Michael Kiske departed ways with Helloween on not-so-pleasant terms in 1993. Also given his marching orders was Ingo Schwichtenberg. Kiske fared rather better than poor Ingo (who died shortly afterwards) and has gone on to have an extremely involved solo career - both producing his own solo albums, performing in Tobias Sammet's Avantasia project, guest staring on Gamma Ray cds and now joining up with Kai Hansen again in a band called Unisonic (I just bought that album, my third purchase this year - this CD buying must. end. now.)

This was his first solo album and I pounced on it and ripped into it. And yes, I admit, I was disappointed. Whilst Kiske's voice is as splendid as ever, the music stylings are not as heavy nor as sophisticated as those of Helloween - even the Chameleon years. It does have some really good tracks on it, but it's all a bit hoo-hum, middle of the road. I'd love to have seen more experimentation - like what happened in "Chameleon" and Helloween did later with "Unarmed".

Kiske is an accomplished singer - he possesses an almost 4-octave vocal range - according to wikipedia, and I gather this is note-worthy - it means he can do the higher pitched notes (and hold them for some time) and also the low baritone. Not to mention his clean, polished edge, like golden honey - rich, sweet and highly enticing. He also plays piano and guitar. Other guest stars on this album are Kai Hansen and Adrian Smith (Iron Maiden).

Packaging - a very green eye gazes out of the cover, long lashes - probably female. Lightning crackles around a sunset reflection-in-lake scene. Inside - lyrics, pictures of Kiske, looking faintly like he is daydreaming. There's a little comment at the back too, rather snidely directed at the "Remaining rest of Helloween..." This is one case where I am sure there shall not be a reunion tour.

Opening track - "Be True to Yourself" is something definitely worth being - and probably something Kiske feels he is finally doing, now that he is free from Helloween. It's a nice track, with great vocals and simple music stylings. More pop-rock than his earlier stuff. Still pretty catchy, especially in the chorus.

"Don't wanna look back, gotta to start to see the future..."

 "The Calling" starts a bit harder, faster. Again, catchy choruses, nice soaring vocals over those.

A plane soars in for "Somebody Somewhere" which is a gentler number, filled with longing and wondering. Vocals are very emotive.

Another slower number, "Burned Out" is the sort of song you might need to listen to, were you burned out without love. The vocals are, as always, amazing but the music is just that - music to support the vocalist. There is a hint of despair, or perhaps desperation, here. Not a lot, but enough to make you feel as though he were walking alone, along beside a river.

 We pick up the pace in "New Horizons", again the verses climax into the soaring choruses. This is probably one of the heaviest of the songs, with a  full on guitar solo - and it is noted that Adrian Smith (Iron Maiden) did play a part in this track.

"Hunted" has a different pace and vibe, a little more anger.

"Always" is a beautiful number. It begins with piano and is probably the most memorable song on the album. This is one that will linger with you. It is dedicated to the memory of Ingo. The emotive vocals will bring a tear to your eye. Play it loud.

Alas, it is followed up by the rather bland "Thanx a Lot". Fast verse, more melodic chorus - this is beginning to get a bit of a similar structure. Some nice chug-chug guitars though. It does slow down a bit towards the end.

Acoustic guitar and vocals characterise "Time's Passing By" which is rather a rock number.

Another angry song, "So Sick" has slightly murky-sounding vocals and abrupt bass. Until, of course, he "sees the light" and Kiske's magical voice takes over.

The final track, "Do I Remember a Life?" is one of my favourites (along with "Always") and is an acoustic and classically rendered masterpiece. Gentle, soothing music that seems to speak along with the vocals. The song rises and climaxes, surging with power and force before descending again into a melody that will linger with you after the disc has finished its spinning.

It is plain to see, that with this album, Kiske wanted to take on a different direction and leave the past - and pain - of Helloween behind him. It is a very nice rock album, with some very good guitar soloing and powerful pieces, but ultimately, one that requires several listenings to to truly appreciate. I do like this album, and I like it rather a lot, but I could never quite pick up the energy to purchase his other solo ones - even the one in which he sings Helloween songs. The follow-up to this one, "Readiness to Sacrifice" has its charms, but I found "Kiske" to be a little bland. Maybe I should have listened to it again, in more depth.

I'm giving this one 7/10.

Tomorrow I'm up to L, and Swedish band Lake of Tears.

The Waterboys - Dream Harder (1993)

The Waterboys have been around for some time, gracing the world with their fusion of rock and folk, catchy tunes and fresh somewhat upbeat feel. They formed in 1983, dissolved in 1993 (obviously after this album) and then reformed again in 2000. I believe they were in fact performing in Australia yesterday too. Apparently over 50 people have passed through the band, spending time as a "waterboy" - some short term, others longer.

Now, for this album - which is something of a rockier number from them. I pounced on it in a sale bin in Real Groovy on one of my Wellington expeditions, knowing exactly one song from it - "The Return of Pan". The cover is appeallingly whimsical - depicting a man with guitar, a rather stylised tree, with hills and a rising sun behind him. I would say, acrylic paints have been used. Despite the childlife simplicity of the artistic style, the clouds look delightfully fluffy and it suits the music which seems to have a similarly whimsical innocence to it. Inside - no lyrics, but instead we have a story. Entitled "The Dream" it is short and not particularly well written (says my inner editor). Not sure how it relates to the actual CD, but it is definitely different!

The track opens with the sparkling, rockin' "The New Life". Solid rock bassline, strong vocals; and a uplifting message:

"The world is a miracle, and so are you!"

"Glastonbury Song" seems to be about finding god in the beauty of the English countryside. Again, uplifting rhythms, catching chorus and very catchy. This is a sunshine song, with rolling green hills, streams trickling merrily through grassy plains and around ancient runes. It contains a fresh vibrancy that cannot help but make you feel glad to be alive.

Now for a song about how love makes you feel like "Preparing to Fly". Bright, fresh, vibrant and polished. The music swoops and soars with the vocals, and one cannot help but feel brimming with hope about the future.

The first song I had heard from this album - "The Return of Pan" begins with... panpipes, of course. I remember videoing this from music TV back in the early 90s and thinking "that's a lot of goats". Pan is a pagan god, occasionally confused with the devil because he's cloven hoofed. But Pan is a nature God.  Or rather, was, for he was "killed" with the rise of Christianity. The panpipes weave along with the rock tune, making this the first actual folkish track on this CD. It's a powerful and haunting song, with a little bit of Pan's wildness in it.

We get a little bit country in "Corn Circles". It is a gentler number, the vocals being accompanied only by acoustic guitars.

And I think possibly a bit bluesy in "Suffer". This is the first actual negative song on the album, and it's more a pushing-you-away-because-I'm-sick-of-you-traipsing-all-over-me song than a you've-hurt-me-and-made-me-suffer.

"I'm gonna suffer for you no longer, I'm gonna suffer for you no more..."

So, really, it's more of a self-empowerment song than an angsty number.

Back into the folksy ballads now, with "Winter Winter" bringing with it a touch of the early chill wind, sending shivers down your spine. It is over in a heartbeat and after winter we are into "Love and Death". The blend is so flawless that I failed to notice it straight away. "Love and Death" is a melancholic number, beautiful and haunting, thanks to the additional of a cello's mournful voice..

Bringing a bit more of a spring into the step, with "Spiritual City". Reptitive choruses, nonsensical but fun lyrics and a darned catchy song overall and pleasantly upbeat. And it stars Billy Connolly, as well.

"Hey ho, skedoodle-a-lo..."

 "Wonders of Lewis" is a strange little number. Who's Lewis? Perhaps something to do with drugs? The music is haunting (celo again?), the vocals spiritual and dream-like. Kinda a little bit hazy too.

And one of the most memorable pieces from the album - "The Return of Jimi Hendrix" which is an entertaining rock number with some goodly guitar, perhaps reminiscient of the great man himself.

And what better way to end a CD then with "Good News". Something of a slower, mellower number. It sounds almost melancholic, but flavoured with the bittersweet taste of hope and faith. Rather lovely.

A nicely eclectic CD, with a goodly blend of the rockin' and the mellow. Perhaps a little less folk than some of their fans might like, but definitely worth a listen.

Rating = 8/10.

Mercury Rev - All is Dream (2001)

My brother introduced me to this band (well, their music, I've never met them - alas). He is responsible for some of the stranger albums in my collection (most of which I haven't got to yet) as he sees it fit to educate me on non-metal genres. And occasionally metal genres as well.

This is probably my favourite album this century (although "Secret Migration" is also magnificant). I ADORE Mercury Rev's middle albums (not so much the older or the newer ones, however). Their delicate combination of vocals and instruments, the evocative, playful nature of the music... Not to forget Jonathan's beautiful voice. There's just something so joyous, so rousing, so alive about this album.

I have no idea how to classify them. According to Wikipedia, they're "dream pop" and similar to Flaming Lips. These guys are far better, however. Not that I've really heard much Flaming Lips.

The album cover is beautiful - a psychadelic array of colour - a whimsical acrylic painting that is utterly over-complex. To complicate matters, the lyric sheet is out of order, but I'm going to conclude that mine was merely assembled incorrectly. As was my brother's. Hrmmm.

We begin with the stirring "Dark is Rising", a song that lights a chord in my heart and makes my spirit soar. With its melancholic bridges, and soaring choruses, it is haunting and magnificant and just damned beautiful.

Following it is the gentler "Tides of the Moon". A sweet and sensitive song.

"Chains" starts with piano and a bit of a rock beat. Jonathan's voice is sweet - and he would be the first non-female vocalist I would label as sounding "ethereal".

The ghostly "Lincoln's Eyes" sends shivers down my spine. With lyrics like:

"... fragile as a seahorse..."

This song actually feels quite fragile, ephermeral, like wisps floating in the air. Actually, now that I'm actually reading the lyrics - they're really very random and weird:

"... covets like a dragon, grows to a shark length contracts to amoeba lives in your soul an' loves you like I do..."

I'm not sure what it means, but I love it.

"Nite and Fog" is a simpler song, which, because this is Mercury Rev, means not very simple at all.  It has a bit more of a beat to it, a little faster pace. The instruments seem to speak.

Now, looking at the lyrics to "Little Rhymes" I wonder is that a typo? "Staighre... to nowhere climb..." I'm pretty sure it's "stairs" right? No wait, it's a type of folding attic stair - haha, I just learned a new word. That'll be useful in Quiddler. It sounds sweet, but the lyrics are tinged with a hint of the sinister and sad. Like a lonely child, huddled in the attic, making little rhymes and taking pills to try and forget the harshness of the world outside.

My favourite song is the wonderful "A Drop in Time". I love the playful nature of the music, the way it flits and flickers like a hummingbird darting on the air. It skips and dances in my ears and sets my soul to fly with the instruments. The lyrics are kind of romantic too. I could listen to this song all day. Maybe I shall (I'm already playing it for the second today). What's with

"... a fleeting thought caught inside of Leonard Cohen's mind..."?

I think my favourite bit is the twiddly bit with the birds. Especially as I've been drawing hummingbirds today.

"You're My Queen" is another sweet, sensitive number. A song with few lyrics, but a good rhythm and a great chorus - every woman should be told that she is someone's Queen.

 "Spiders and Flies" is a cute little song, with lots of piano.

We conclude with "Hercules", a strong finale that starts soft and gentle but soars and expands in power and majesty.

For its atmosphere, its poetic nature, its vibrant music and beautiful vocals, I shall rate this CD 10/10.

Helloween - Pink Bubbles Go Ape (1991)

This may seem like a strange Helloween CD to begin my Musical Appreciation Blog with - I DO have almost all their albums, and this is generally rated amongst their worst.. However, this was the very first Helloween album I ever acquired. On cassette tape, no less.

Firstly, time for a brief history of my Musical Life. Back in my pre-teen years, I never much listened to music and when asked in school what music I liked, I replied "classical" because it was what my parents played. Along with Dire Straits and some other rockier numbers, and probably also Cat Stevens. However, as I grew into my teenage years, I began to crave friends, and the "cool" girls were listening to music, so like the sheep that I was, I followed them. Thus my first favourite bands were the boy band of the time - New Kids on the Block, and the abyssmal Vanilla Ice. Somehow, I ended up being lured into Poison (which the rebellious kids were listening to) and from there I took the rather sizeable leap into Heavy Metal. One of the first albums I ever bought was one of the "Speed Kills" series. Probably 5 or 6, IIRC. Then I acquired a collection entitled "Thrash the Wall". Released in 1990, it was an eclectic Roadrunner compilation, introducing me to the majesty of power metal in the form of Helloween's "Future World", Running Wild's "Raging Fire" and Rage's epic "Invisible Horizons". Also some pretty awesome tracks by Rochus, Paradox and King Diamond.

I was smitten. Something about the powerful chords spurred something in me, an energy that inspired me and well, it made me feel good. Like a drug, I suppose.

Anyhow, shortly afterwards I stumbled upon this cassette in a Nelson music store. Probably Everymans, although it may have been another one. The cover was weird - a woman dangling a fish over her open mouth and that may have drawn me in, along with the obscure title. I listened to it. Well, when I say "I listened to it", that was in fact a lie. I *thought* I was listening to it, but all I actually heard was REM who for some reason were being siphoned over the headphones, drowning out the very strange little opening ditty "Pink Bubbles Go Ape."

I bought it, popped it into my walkman, actually *heard* that strange little opening ditty and thought "what the heck have I just bought?" then "Kids of the Century" began and I was instantly hooked. It was like a drug, a drug that fed me happy emotions and made me feel glad to be alive.

So, that is why I have chosen to start my Hs with one of Helloween's least popular albums.
Because it may not be popular, but it's AWESOME, and it helped make me into the person I am today. Well, that might be stretching it a bit, I probably would have ended up okay either way, but I do think music helped shaped me, and by breaking out of the sheeplike following of pop music, I started to develop faith in myself as an individual.

This was Helloween's first album signed to a major, mainstream corporation - EMI (having broken their contract with Noise - and the repucussions of that - then they were were later dumped by EMI due to poor sales), it also lacked the guitar mastery of Kai Hansen, having instead the skillful fingerings of Roland Grapow. More commerically aimed, it lacks the intense vibes of the "Keeper" albums, but it is still a damned good album*.


Also, I had a major crush on Michael Kiske, the vocalist. He's going on mid-40s now, and not nearly as sweet-faced and innocent (looking), but ever since I've had a thing for cleft chins. Heh.

I also purchased the CD version - which, sadly, does not include the lyrics. Of course, I know this album very well indeed, but it would still be nice to have them clarified for me.

"Pink Bubbles Go Ape" is a weird little acoustic ditty, replacing the "traditional" one (or so) minute rousing intro track common in power metal albums. It's funny, and a little nonsensical - is he singing about champagne? But quickly merges in to the rather more rousing and powerful opening chords of "Kids of the Century". The video for this is worth watching, as it makes no sense, it's so delightfully random - forks? Flamingos? Fried eggs? Also, Kiske is quirky and cute and the guitarists are pretty funny too. The song itself is rockin' with quite depressing and almost sarcastic lyrics. Of course, they're the kids of the last century.

"Back on the Streets" is also pretty jolly heavy, with Kiske's golden voice ringing out loud and clear like a proud, operatic bell. I have never found a vocalist that can quite compare and I'm not sure if that's because he's just really good or due to the influence Helloween had on my formative years.

We then take a bit of a rest with the inspirational "Number One", the opening chords of which still cause my heart to soar and me to crank up the volume. Even my mother liked this song (she also liked "Mama I'm Coming Home by Ozzy Osbourne, so she has reasonable taste, but only for ballads). The motto is a good one, if a little in your face:

"Now it's time for happiness, stay hard and trust your fate. Don't forget you're something else, you'll never be too late."

A good positive impression to make on the negatively-inclined, hopeless teenager that I once was.

"Heavy Metal Hamsters" is just plain silly. I find it highly amusing, but I'm not sure all of the band agree. It was written by Weikath, and is related to their dealings with Noise records, intended as a B side and not supposed to make the final cut on this CD. Oops. I kinda like it, but some of the fans treated it with outrage, as it was a little too quirky and fluffy (literally, I mean rodents?) for the hard-arsed metal fan.

As you will have realised by now, I am not a hard-arsed metal fan, and like a little quirk in my music.

"Goin' Home" is a good solid song, with roaring guitars, strong riffs and golden vocals. It's about being on the road, touring (with the band), and finally being able to go home. I suspect a lot of people consider the rock n' roll lifestyle to be amazing, but from all reports that I gather, it's damned hard work. It's a business, and it's exhausting, and you've got to keep those vocal chords polished, and your guitar fingers flexed and then, finally, you might get to go home.

"Someone's Crying" is another heavier number, getting off to a rather loud start with pounding drums and racing guitars.

I love "Mankind" with its bold beginning. Helloween have always been fond of epic songs, and this would be this albums equivalent, unlike earlier (and later) albums however, this one is a more real-world lyrically than the fantastical bombastic-ness of the majestic "Keeper of the Seven Keys" - which is one of my all time favourite Helloween songs. The chorus is symphonic and glorious.

"I'm Doin' Fine, Crazy Man," with its random, nonsensical lyrics is fun to sing along with, but not a great song by Helloween standards. It makes no real sense and seems to lack something.

The following song, "The Chance", despite being the only song on this album that the band actually  seems to likes and still performs, is pretty standard fare. The chorus is catchy enough, the guitars energetic, but it doesn't seem to quite inspire much in me.

I much prefer the much loathed ballad "Your Turn", in which Kiske's voice totally dominates with its energy and vibrancy, with a hint of longing. Sure, he makes mention of Mickey Mouse. Sure, that's not very metal. Who f**king cares? It's a beautiful song and it deserves better credit.

I think this is where I differ from the majority of Helloween's rabid fans - the let's-pretend-it-doesn't-exist follow-up CD to this one, "Chameleon" is one of my favourites. And the only one of their most recent (as in, this century) albums I actually like is the rather criticised "Unarmed" which in my opinion was pure GENIUS.

People say this album is not that great, that the creative genius left with Kai Hansen, but having listened to this album and Gamma Ray's first back-to-back, I would have to say - this one strikes me as being the closer to speed metal. Not that I really consider Helloween even marginly close to the raucous controlled chaos of speed metal. Also, they don't sound very power metal anymore - not when you consider now the multi-layered orchaestras and symphonies that make up modern day power metal. The evolution of metal makes for an interesting study indeed.

I would say that the only flaw with this album - aside from its quirkiness that turns the true-blue metallers away, is that it lacks the vibrancy and energy of the "Keeper" albums. It feels more polished, and possibly a wee bit sterile. It just lacks the dynamite - and I think that is partly because it came in after some massive upheaval amongst the band - the Noise legal issues, the inability to release a CD in the USA for two years, personality clashes between Kiske and Weiki (the follow-up "Chameleon" very much feels like a Kiske drive album) and essentially they've switched the innocent playfulness of the "Keeper" days for a more mature, more commercial endeavour. An endeavour, which possibly for the best, failed to make them big in the mainstream. So saying, it's still HEAVY and catchy and, well, I love it and I'm going to give it a jolly solid 9/10.


* Better than the bollocks they've come up with recently, in absence of both Kiske and Hansen.

Freak of Nature - Freak of Nature (1993)

I am a big fan of White Lion, who regretfully broke up in 1992, shortly before I "discovered" them. Luckily, Mike Tramp, their golden-tonsiled vocalist, moved on to form this harder and somewhat darker band. Their lyrics are certainly more serious and meaningful - less of the Glam inspiration (ie: songs about sex and girls) here, and more of the darker side of relationships, more hurt and possibly more political stuff, although not so much in this CD. Essentially, a grown up version of White Lion.

Mike Tramp was born in Denmark (in 1961), and moved to America in 1982, before then living in Australia - giving him a rather strange blend of accents. His singing voice is strong, with an edge to it that works really well with the more melancholic songs - it is a voice that shows emotion. Interestingly enough, I had a bit of a crush on Tramp when I was younger, even though he is 16 years my senior, but even now pushing 52, he's still rather easy on the eyes. He has the most adorable cheekbones. Maybe I should take to drawing portraits of my favourite musicians.


This CD opens with the rockin' "Turn the Other Way", with its harmonic chorus.

"What Am I?" asks the ultimate question and answers with "... I"m just a freak of nature..." It has a solid rock beat and a catchy chorus, and a simple structure.

"Rescue Me" has a slightly aggressive start, pounding away before Tramp's voice soars over it, turning it into almost desperation, as he cries that he wants yo to "rescue me, oh rescue me". I would, Mike!

"'92" is a song that spoke to me a lot in my youth. I got this album in the early-mid 90s, when I was a teenager, afflicted with all the blights that teenagers suffer - low self-esteem, a general sense of awkwardness, a lack of close friends... Well, I DID have one close friend, but one day he up and dismissed me, and we barely spoke again. Hence the beginning lyrics: "What is it that I have done? To deserve a bullet from your gun. I always thought you were my friend, but I guess that I was wrong..." and of course, other lines like "I always knew the day would come, but never did believe..." is an apt one - albeit in a different situation.

"People" is a fairly basic song, with straightforward lyrics discussing the basic nature of humans and how some are negative and dishonest, and dismissing those - "They are people I don't like, they are shadows in my life. They are people I don't need, they will bite the hand that feeds..." Pretty good rules to live by, I suppose, if not exactly the most eloquent lyrics.

"World Doesn't Mind" speaks of how it doesn't matter if you're a little bit weird - you just gotta believe in yourself. Except in far more simplistic terms. It's a good song actually - straightforward lyrics, basic rhythm, catchy and a little bit sinister.

We get even more sinister in "Possessed". With its slightly manic rhythm and frantic lyrics, and just a hint of desperation.  It is probably has the most meaningful and impactful (is that a word?) lyrics of any of these songs, as it speaks of a murderer, damned forevermore.

We have a more melancholic number in "Where Can I Go?" which is essentially one of those "relationship angst" songs, about how hard it is to get by with this absense in your life. This is the sort of song that Tramp's voice is made for, with its edge of desperation and sorrow.

"If I Leave Today" delves more into ballad terrain. Here he is no longer mourning the loss of "you" but pondering instead whether letting "you" go is the right thing to do. Perhaps you would regain the opportunity to fly? It is a song of sacrifice, in its own way.

And the natural conclusion of the death of this relationship is revealed in "Love Was Here", easily the most melancholic and poignant song on the album, heavy with sorrow and loss.

Freak of Nature are an uncomplicated rock band, resplendent with the basic  instruments - Vocals, Bass, two Lead Guitarists (althouth their guitar solos are not especially complicated or extravagant). They have shaken off the Glam shackles of White Lion, and come across as more mature and serious. Their main charm is due to Mike Tramp's emotive vocals.

I give this album a decent 7/10*.

* Obviously most of my reviews will be 6 or higher - these ARE CDs I have forked out money to buy, after all - although yes indeed, I have made a few "mistakes" and they shall become apparent with time - probably when I run out of the "good stuff" for some of the letters of the alphabet.

D.A.D - Riskin' It All (1991)

Now for something a bit Rock n' Roll. It was a hard decision on which of my "D" bands to listen to first, but I thought I'd begin with this fun Danish act. They began performing in the early 1980s under the name "Disneyland After Dark" but that ultimately resulted in the threat of a law suit, and thus they switched to D.A.D, because if there's one thing you don't want, it's to be sued by one of the richest companies in the world. Despite being around for ten years, it took a while for them to find their way onto the international market and I discovered them in the early 90s, when I purchased a sampler cassette with a couple of their tracks on it.

The  CD begins with the rockin' "Bad Craziness" with its catchy chorus, bombastic stylings and all out, a flavour of fun. We are then treated to "D Law" which stands for "Disneyland Law", in case you didn't guess.

"Day of Wrong Moves" follows that up, moving into "Rock 'n' Rock Radar" which is a catchy, rockabily number.

"I Won't Cut My Hair" is one of my favourites, with its ridiculous lyrics and, at times, frantic insistence that "...I won't cut my hair, cos I'm proud of my hair..." Vocalist Jesper Binzer insists that he will never cut his hair, even now - it's the name of his biography.

"Down that Dusty 3rd World Road" is a more mellow number, with almost country rock elements. It rather makes me think of American deserts, for some reason.

We're back into the rock n' roll with the rather amusing "Makin' Fun of Money".

"Grow or Pay" is a rather less cheerful number, heading towards ballad terrain, and Jesper Binzer's voice is raw with emotion and tinged with a little desperation.

The country-ish feel is back in "Smart Boy Can't Tell You."

We become a little more frantic in "Riskin' it All" before concluding with my favourite track, the rather beautiful "Laugh n' a Half". The first chords stir something in me. Maybe it's memories - this is one song that I distinctly recall from my youth - when I first heard it on a ballad album that a friend of mine owned (along with Return's wonderfully emotional "Bye Bye Johnny" one of the finest ballads ever). Whatever the reason, it's a worthy way to end the CD.

D.A.D have been around a LONG time - since 1982, and have changed their line-up very little. They have great acclaim in their home country, Denmark, but never seem to have entirely taken off on the international scene. This is strange, given that, in my opinion, their sound has an almost American feel with aspects of country mixed with rock n' roll. According to wikipedia, they began in 1982 to thumb their noses at the negativity of punk music - calling their style "cowpunk". And, since their emblem is a bull skull with long horns, one cannot but feel that they wanna be cowboys. They do a bitchin' cover of "Horse with No Name" too. Why they never made it big in the US I cannot understand - maybe because they refuse to take themselves seriously - and of course, are up against some steep competition.

This is a decent album, I do not think it is quite as catchy as "No Fuel Left for the Pilgrims", but enjoy it more than "Helpyourselfish" which are the full collection of D.A.D albums that I own (and one is on cassette tape). They have 11 albums in total.

I rate this one = 7/10