Union 5-3992

I heard that for the first time blind and was like "was that f***ing Jethro Tull?". Turns out it was.

Not exactly a song you expect to have Ian Anderson on

I almost forgot about Hackney Diamonds by the Rolling Stones. That album was far better than it had any reason to be. 

52 minutes ago, Maverick said:

Smashing Pumpkins - Atum - At three discs and 33 tracks, it is a bit too long, but there is still some rally good music on this release with a good mix of heavy rock and synth pop.

 

As for Clockwork Angels, I think I appreciate more each time I revisit it.  The only songs I always skip are Halo Effect, BU2B2, Wish Them Well, and The Garden.  The album essentially stops for me after Headlong Flight, which is really what Rush should have done, too.

I really could barely get through Atum the first time I played it. I should revisit it. Out of 33 songs, a few should be good. But there's definitely enough bad in there to have kept me away. 

If the new Opeth album with Ian Anderson on it is any good, that may end up being the best music he's had anything to do with in 20+ years. It's a low bar. 

13 hours ago, Mr. Not said:

Asked my grandpa if he listened to the new Judas Priest album; mentioned that i was reading a lot of people claiming it was "one of their best", and "especially impressive considering they're all in their 70s"

 

He laughed and said it was "nowhere near their best work", and that the band has been steadily downhill ever since the lead singer came out of the closet. 

I haven't seen the forum come together to celebrate an album like this in a while. I don't think it's as good as Painkiller, but I've rarely heard a band 50 years into their career release an album this strong. The Rolling Stones also did it last year with Hackney Diamonds. 

Usually what I expect out of legacy acts like this is some of the same uninspired crud that Yes or Jethro Tull still release. 

3 minutes ago, Segue Myles said:

How do we define "old"? Because there are bands from the nineties who honestly fit this standard.  Twenty years ago, I saw the eighties defined as old school, so it's not a stretch to include nineties bands now.

I'd include 90s bands. If a band's most popular album is more than 25 years old and they release something great now, that should count. Even that's strict considering a lot of classic rock/prog bands were considered old timers back in the 1980s

All the hype around Judas Priest's new album had me thinking. What other bands have had a great album late into their career that stands alongside their classic seminal works. It got me thinking about another band's 19th studio release:

Rush - Clockwork Angels

This was the first studio album release since I became a fan and I played the thing to death when it came out. Revisiting it earlier this year with Geddy's book made me realize how well it still sounded. Some people have soured to this one over the years, but it really stands up well for me still. Of the last three albums Rush released, this was the most inspired and fresh. Because of the novel and story, the album actually feels like it has a sense of direction and purpose. 

I'll be able to see totality from my back yard. But since I live in WNY, that means there's only a 30% chance it won't be cloudy. I'll be willing to drive 2 hours in either direction to see it if it's clear there.

6 hours ago, J2112YYZ said:

 

How many people were there?

It was surprisingly full. But a full Town Ballroom is only like 1/7th that of Riverworks

This is a photo from the openers:

Burning Witches - The Witch of the North

Burning Witches - The Dark Tower

Paradise Lost - Medusa

Blind Guardian - The God Machine

Sōdesu ka

BAKA BAKA BAKA BAKA

Kenny had a good show last night. He and Ripper did quite a few Priest covers. Their originals were fine. Very innoffensive. It more made me think of what a triumph this album is. Instead of buying The Sinner Rides Again, I played Invincible Shield on the way back lol

Side note: Their opening band, Burning Witches were awesome. A really fantastic all-woman power metal band.

8 hours ago, Mr. Not said:

Yeah, you not having Hot Rats on your top 15 gets a certified "what" from me :D 

Other than that though I find it very reasonable 

I was shocked by this exclusion as well. 

3 hours ago, Segue Myles said:

You played my favourite Maiden, Priest AND Opeth albums!

Im deep in a metal fix right now because of IS

24 minutes ago, Mr. Not said:

Queens of the Stone Age

 

5 Stars

1. ...Like Clockwork

2. Songs for the Deaf

3. Era Vulgaris 

 

4 Stars (unfortunately none of these hit anywhere near as well as the top 3 albums)

4. Rated R

5. Lullabies to Paralyze

6. Self-titled

7. Time New Roman

 

3.5 Stars

8. Villains (it's really not bad, they just leaned a little bit too much into the whole pop/dance rock trend that was going on at the time) 

I almost blame Mark Ronson for Villains being a bit too pop/dance. But he also helped make In Times New Roman... which I like a lot more.

Today was a busy day:

Iron Maiden - Somewhere In Time

Primus - The Desaturating Seven

Bruce Dickinson - The Mandrake Project

Elton John - Goodbye Yellow Brick Road

Opeth - Blackwater Park

Judas Priest - Sin After Sin
Burning Witches - The Dark Tower

Paradise Lost - Medusa

Baroness - Stone

Judas Priest - Invincible Shield

Judas Priest - Painkiller

4 hours ago, Mithrandir said:

Pink Floyd

 

Animals

WYWH

Piper at the gates

DSOTM

Obscured by Clouds

The Wall

Saucerful of Secrets

Momentary Lapse

Meddle

More

Division Bell

Atom Heart Mother

Ummagumma

Final Cut

 

I never listened to "The Endless River"

It'd likely still settle to last place

2 hours ago, Entre_Perpetuo said:

Is this real? I dare say it might be perfect. BTROD into VOC??? Closing the main set with hecking PAINKILLER?  I’m starting to think Rob isn’t human. I can’t think of any sane singer who would wait to do that song at the end!

That's making me think about driving 3.5 hours to Youngstown lol

Apparently they had "You Don't Have to Be Old to Be Wise" and "Electric Eye" on the setlist but may have been dropped it for time

49 minutes ago, J2112YYZ said:

 

Ha! I didn't even know dollar store Priest was playing here. What venue is it?

It was originally the Riverworks but I got an email today saying it was moved to the Town Ballroom which I'm happy with. After checking them out, I'm most excited for their opener, Burning Witches.

1 hour ago, treeduck said:

Yeah they've done quite a few tours with these bands, and recently. I heard that it might be Sabaton who is the support band in the USA, in fact here it is:

 

I'm still trying to figure out if I can realistically see them this round. It could very well be one of my last chances to see them. Sabaton opening is a vast upgrade from seeing Steel Panther (though I did like them). I may have to drive 3.5 hours to see them in Ohio show as a 30th birthday gift to myself.

At present, I'm settling for KK's Priest in Buffalo on Wednesday

14 minutes ago, TheAccountant said:

Redeemer is the album that really got me back into Priest.  Got into them after seeing them on Ram it Down.  Collected their older work and loved it.  Painkiller was a dud and was not into their Ripper era work.  Angel I really enjoyed and Nostradameous was ok but some how I just had the feel that they were a group that was running out of gas.  That they were just (mostly) running on the fumes of their past greatness.  Enjoyed their live DVD's but they were winding down a great career.  Then Redeemer came out and it really impressed me - way more than Nostradameous.  Its on par with Angel which was their best work since Ram it Down.  Then I picked up the live DVD from their show at Wacken when they played supporting that Redeemer.  That show made me really take notice and it convinced me that adding Ritchie Faulkner had added some new gas to the tank.  That they were a band that was not just running on fumes - they had something left.   

 

For me Redeemer is good and it was a start that got the engine revving up again.  What has come since has been special.  But no Redeemer then no Firepower etc.  One just leads to the others.

 

By the way - all the songs you mentioned get a heck yes from me.

I'm a big fan of that Battle Cry release. Is it Unleashed in the East? Absolutely not, but it does a great job to capture the new phase of the band.

2 hours ago, treeduck said:

Well personally I like it, I think Firepower and Shield are better but to my ears it's a very cool album. Do you not even like Dragonaut? What about Cold Blooded? The Sword of Damocles? Or Halls of Valhalla and March of the Damned?

I'm a fan of Redeemer as well. I think it's weaker than the latter two, but it's still got some strong songs. The only song I had a negative reaction to was March of the Damned.

But I also caught opening night of that tour so I my affinity for that album may be a bit biased because of that. Dragonaut was a great opener and it's still a favorite of mine. Halls of Valhalla also gets played a bit.

If it had more prog elements, we could get a grim review from Darren Lock as well