On disc: Halford

 
 Resurrection
 
- Amir Djawadi -
 
 


 
 Crucible
 
- Claudia Ehrhardt -
 
 


 
 Winter Songs
 
- Umberto Mino -
 
 


 
 Made Of Metal
 
- Umberto Mino -
 
 

Made Of Metal

(Metal God Entertainment - 2010)



 
 

 

After the Christmas holidays record of last year, finally the Metal God release a serious and true new metallic album...and what a CD!!!!! Rob and his guys had done a masterpiece, very various in their sound but really metal in their intentions!!!! The time for jokes and holidays is over, now it's time put our horns in the air for the Metal God!!!! Am I too excited??? Maybe but after this CD most of you could be like me or like the first of Resurrection.

Made Of Metal starts with Undisputed, a song that for the lyrics and the music could be perfect for a wrestler entrance with pyros!!! Fire And Ice is simply speedy and catchy at the same time,and the title track (also video and single) Made Of Metal follow the road of easy and catchy and heavy songs... wow, this is the way I like!!!!! Speed Of Sound still don't betray our ears, and 'like there's no tomorrow' is the first approach to give us something different, but the result is still excellent!!! Til The Day I Die is really the first tune of Halford in Southern style... Can you imagine a song where Priest meets ZZ Top or Lynyrd Skynyrd???? If you answer is no, please listen that song, simply amazing result!!!! We Own The Night put Halford on their classic sound, but in the structure of this track there is something dark and obscure that in some ways remind some Fight songs... and also this time the result is good!!! Heartless is the classic mid-tempo that could be put in albums like Ram It Down, Hell Razor is a hymn to sing at their live shows...... heeeeeeeeell razor!!!! Thunder And Lightning is the most radio-oriented song, less heavier than the rest and simply a good song with a catchy chorus, and next Twenty Five Years is struggling, romantic, heavy and well interpreted by the Metal God!!!! Matador bring on tracks Halford with the worst song of this album (finally not an amazing song!!), and I Know We Stand A Chance is still an experimental song, and still the result is excellent!!! This CD ends with The Mower, a song very angry with vocals á la Painkiller!!!!

I'm still devastated after listening of this CD, so you all will forgive me if I push play on my CD player and I'll listen till death this album..... BUY OR DIE!!!!!
 
 










Umberto Mino


  
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Winter Songs

(Rykodisc - 2009)



 
 

 

Mr Metal God himself is back with his solo project after his Best Of some years ago. But attention people! This is a new full-length album of traditional Christmas songs!!!!!! After Twisted Sister and their ironic tribute to this Christian holiday, this is a serious project. Halford and his band (Roy Z and Metal Mike Chlasciak on guitars and the phenomenal drummer Bobby Jarzombek) give us a metal re-interpretation of the X-mas songs like We Three Kings or Come All Ye Faithful (additional track) with intensity!!!! This is a must for every metalhead on this planet or simply a product for a die-hard fan - like me - of the biggest singer of all times. To you people, the definitive answer.... Rating by heart: 10 stars!
 
 










Umberto Mino


  
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Crucible

(Metal-Is -2002)



 
 

 

In the year 2000 Rob Halford returned to the heavy metal circus with Resurrection. Many shows around the world followed and now he's back with his band. The new album is called Crucible and offers 12 tracks.

Opening with the title track which reminds me of the old Judas Priest track from Painkiller album, for me a kind of reliving the past, but just in the beginning. After a few moments Crucible develops his own style. The second track is One Will which is a kind of heavy anthem. A track which will sound best when thousands of fans sing along. One of the fast tracks is Betrayal where Rob Halford sings the high-pitched vocals he became famous for and which will also be released as a video clip. But there are also slower tracks... Mid-tempo ones. Unusual is the track Sun which has elements which are new in the sound of Mr. Halford, a mid-tempo track which has a certain magic, perhaps due to the different vocal sound... Also Trail Of Tears is an unusual track for Halford, coz is has elements which are new in the sound of the band, an intense number with has it's own magic. Heart Of Darkness is a hard track which has elements of eastern music, but also reminds me a little bit of Halfords first solo projects. The guitar sounds is different on this one. Anyway, he's pushing the limits.

Perhaps the reason for the larger variety is in the different song writing process, coz this time Rob Halford wrote the songs together with the guitarist. Another plus is the superb rhythm section which gives them more freedom.
 
 










Claudia Ehrhardt


  
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Resurrection

(Metal-Is - 2000)



 
 

 

I'm pretty sure that millions of metal fans all around the world will fall on their knees and pray after listening to this CD the very first time. Why? Because no one else then the former Judas Priest shouter Mr. Rob Halford left the experimental way to get back to the one and only musical direction as many metal fans will say... He's back to metal!

A compliment to Mr. Halford, coz he  didn't pretend to be somebody else like many others in this business do. Rather I have the impression that there is nothing he wanted more then to get back to his roots and to leave all the experimental stuff behind. To give the 12 songs on this 'comeback' album the right sound, they hired one of the most wanted metal producers these days, Mr. Roy Z! Known for his work with metal legend Bruce Dickinson who mediate Halford his manage­ment. Beside that Bruce Dickinson was impressed by the new material of Rob Halford and joined him on the track The One You Love To Hate. This is another excellent song on this homogenous album, but I don't want to name certain songs.

The unique voice of Mr. Halford is sometimes smooth, just to scream and shout the next second. The master found talented musicians to build a true metal scenery with drummer Bobby Jarzombek who gives the full punch as playground for the men on the strings. On guitars Mike Chlasiak and Patrick Lachman who got joined by Ray Riendeau on the four-strings. The four metal heads and legendary frontman Rob Halford delivered one of the best metal albums in 2000! This release might make some bands think over their release date or even let them consider to overdo their material....

If everything turns out for them and the for fall announced Europe tour will take place, then it will be party in heavy metal heaven.

Meeetaaaaaaaaal !!!!!!!!
 
 










Amir Djawadi
(translation: Claudia Ehrhardt)

  
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