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Iron Maiden band review... Where do I even start with this? I know. Lets go some time back, to December 25, 1975. On that day Santa Claus was probably stuck in a chimney somewhere, but that's not what this is about. Because on that day Mr Steve Harris created the band later known as Iron Maiden. Little did he know that Iron Maiden would be a band to make it in the history of metal music.

From day one till the next three years, there came an era of firings, initiated by Harris himself. Some were fired because of lack of on-stage energy and charisma, others because they had different political views. Okay that last one was a joke. But hey, if you're jamming and hanging out with the same guys, you're bound to have differences. That's what's amazing with metal music. Metal bands stick together because they want to, not because they need the cash.

Time leap again. We are now in 1978 and Iron Maiden has singer, Paul Di'Anno, join the band. That same year, on New Year's Eve, the band records their first ever demo. All the five thousand copies are sold in only a few weeks. This goes to prove how much their music was appreciated.

In 1980, Iron Maiden releases their first full-length album. The album is called Iron Maiden and it ranks number four in the UK Albums Chart. Running Free and Phantom of the Opera are probably the most popular tracks from that record. The band quickly gained popularity from there. They opened for Kiss and Judas Priest in that same year.

But things are still complicated. The next year, Iron Maiden fires Paul Di'Anno for cocaine abuse. They need a new singer and they audition Bruce Dickinson and the latter joins the band soon.

1982 was Iron Maiden's year of fortune. That year they released The number of the beast, one of the most popular albums. And they sign Nickp McBrain. From that year on, Iron Maiden rises to fame. All their following albums are instant hits among the fans. They produce numerous hits and inspire countless bands. They get so famous that even their mascot, Eddie, gets his share of the spotlight. The video below shows the band playing Aces High in 1985.


Yet, in the year 1993, Dickinson decides to part with the band to pursue his solo career. This news is not well received among fans. Iron Maiden plays their last show with Dickinson on August 28, 1993.

But the band is not dead. For the next year, they audition a gazillion vocalists and they select Blaze Bayley. The new vocalist has a deeper voice compared to Dickinson and fan's reactions are mixed. During that era, The band writes Virus, which goes on to be a massive hit thanks to its catchy, almost epic, interlude.

Bayley stays with the band for five years, but leaves in 1999. The reason: mutual agreement. The result: Dickinson is back in. Yeah baby!! In that year, Dickinson gets back with the band. And he's here to stay.

From 2000 onwards, Iron Maiden releases Brave new world, Dance of Death and A matter of life and death. These three albums receive very good reviews from magazines and websites. This prooves that the band has not lost their holy grail.

Iron Maiden's live performances are still energetic. Their music is still listened to. Even the younger generations are getting into them. There are so many bands rising with totally in your face debut albums, but then their next albums are just a bunch of Celine Dion metal covers. It's nice to know that one band, Iron Maiden, has not gone soft.

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Before I begin with this review, I should give you a brief intro on the band. The Way Out Is Through (TWOIT) is a new band. They are young, they are fresh and so is their music. They are from Worcester (Massachussetts) and they just released their LP, which goes by the name of "Bandages". The guys are by no means huge rock stars, but their music is true and honest.

The first song off the album is called Endorphin. And it starts aggressively, with distorted guitars and thumping bass. But then, it all stops. And the verse kicks in. The guitars get all melodic and calm. The singer, Hudson Eakin, is almost whispering at this point. I really like how this part sounds dreamy. The melodic tone set in here is amazing. There is also a very nice transition when this calm verse transforms into a distorted chorus with Hudson screaming at the top of his lungs. This song sets the tone of the album which is not straight metal or straight mellow. It's a combination of both. And the song ends nicely... With an outro solo. Man, I love outro solos.

Second song, Source of strength, starts off with a bluesy guitar riff. Hudson abandons the clear voice for a more raspy voice here. Change welcomed, sir. This song has got some nice musical parts. The drums (Sean Corbett, Esteban Garcia) get along well with the guitars (Zach Shaw and Andy Renard) while the bass (Dan Gilbert) delivers an awesome tone.

On to the next, Necronomicon. This song reminds me of early Suicidal Tendencies. It's amazing how TWOIT manages to play so many different styles. This song has some wicked screams coming in at 01:55. Nicely done. The chorus on that song is actually pretty catchy.


Ain't that good lyrics? Anyway we move on to the next song. It's called Don't care and it reminds me of early rap metal. It's actually more metal than rap. And I think its better this way. Hudson delivers some very nice vocal performance on this track.

My best shot, fifth song, starts calm. When you hear this song start, it feels so right. You know this song is going to be a hit. And I think it will. Why? Because there's some nice singing on the verse and some nice screaming on the chorus. Yeah baby, that's how we roll. It's even got a nice ending. This song is very strong. To me it's their best shot.

Sixth song, 1900, starts melodic. With Hudson's creepy cool voice over it. The voice reminds me of David Gilmour on that track. The song is very calm, but at halfway through, the drums and guitars go berserk, but the voice goes only a little bit faster. This delivers a special feel which makes the song different.

Surprise, there's a bonus track. The song has some kind of instrumental music which rap vocals. TWOIT once again nails it here. Their rap reminds me of Machine Head's rap metal period. It's the only kind of rap I can listen to.


So to end this here, I must say that this is a strong album from TWOIT. This band has got talent. They have a nice base to build up on. They are young and if they continue progressing, they'll make it far. Very far.

You can read more on the band on their official blog (free copy of the album to be had there). You can also head to their myspace page to listen to their songs online. And lastly you can scroll down and buy their albums from Amazon.

Buy The Way Out Is Through (TWOIT) - Bandages material

The first time I heard about this song, it was back when I was going through alcohol problems during my University years. I used to watch the song's video over and over. I just loved the way the song was sung on that video. Then I lent the CD to my brother and never saw it again. And I forgot how much the Hate me lyrics were genius, until...

Some months back, we decided to use a spare laptop at work as a jukebox. And someone added the Foiled album by Blue October. Then I heard the song again and it totally blew me. I started to listen to the song over and over. I started to sing the Hate me lyrics in my car, in the shower, at night. So I said, these lyrics can't go unread. I had to talk about it. I had to tell what it was all about. Read on, because here goes the lyrics analysis of Hate me by Blue October.

To me this song narrates how Justin Furstenfeld (Blue October singer) has alcohol/drug problems and how the only one helping him out is his mother. Okay don't go "Aww it's so sweeeet", because its not. The worst thing about having alcohol/drug problems is when your parents start to help you out. Funny I know, but that's how it goes.


The first verse narrates how Justin feels guilty about his mother helping him out. It's a thought that's constantly in his head. It crawls in him. Like eating him inside. He describes this as "a burning in my pride, and a nervous bleeding in my brain". This part of the Hate me lyrics is simply genius. This is an exact description of the state of mind of anyone in that situation. Then he starts to tell how his mother kind of became distant, because he asked for it.

The chorus of the song is brilliantly sung. You can feel all the anger and sadness in the screams. I love this guy's voice.


Sounds like Justin is feeling guilty. He'll never fall into alcohol/drugs again, because that's what tore him and his mother apart. He also narrates in a beautiful way how his mother always kept helping him. Even when he did not deserve it. Mothers are like that. They are strong and they'll do anything for their kids. Justin has mixed thoughts. He wants to get away from his mother, but does not want her to suffer. He came to a point where he feels he does not deserve to be cared for by his mother. But then again, he can't just disappear, he can't do that to his mother.


Then there's the post chorus. This part is really like the climax of the song. The part where the author goes all out. And says all that is on his mind. He's clearly frustrated. "Kicking shadows on the street for every mistake that I had made", that's one thing we all did when we were frustrated. He also tells how his mother over pampered him, so that he was never a man. Then comes the saddest part of the Hate me lyrics. The part where he sees his mother crying. That's when he became a man. That's when he realised all his mistakes. But it was too late. Because he can't make her smile come back. He can't bring her back to life.

So he says "Hate me today, hate me tomorrow, hate me for all the things I didn't do for you, hate me in ways, yeah ways hard to swallow, hate me so you can finally see what's good for you". He feels so guilty because all this time his mother was helping him get out of addiction, he did not realise how the time they had was priceless.

Now you have two options:

• Listen to the song on the Blue October official site or on Blue October' myspace page
  
• Buy the song from the links below

Buy Blue October - Hate me material

Enter Sandman - Metallica

Hey all. Back for another lyrics analysis. I wanted to do this one since a long long time, but my laziness got the best of me. Anyway, I heard this song when I was still new to the whole metal thing and when I read the lyrics I felt it was scary. It is actually. Read on.

Yeah so the thing with this song is that it actually makes a lot of sense. It has a meaning, a purpose, a story, everything. Ahh, back in the days, James Hetfield was writing great lyrics. Anyway here's my take on the song.


I love the way the lyrics kicks in. It really does great justice to the great intro this song has. The above lines are pretty simple. Its talking about a kid that is about to go to sleep. Saying his prayers like all kid should do. I really like the part where James goes "Keep you free from sin till the sandman he comes". The words are so true. Many parents tell these kind of stuff to their kids to shut them up.


This is the pre chorus and the chorus. I remember when I was a kid I used to sleep like that. One eye open and gripping my pillow... Haven't we all. To me the chorus is where the kid in the song is actually getting sleepy and diving into a dream. Like the kid is so scared, but he still falls asleep. Cause he's tired.


I love this part. "Heavy thoughts tonight and they arent of snow white". That line is so funny. That's the part of the song where the kid is having nightmares. Yeah being a kid and not understanding anything makes you prone to getting scared at night. I like to think of this song as a protest. As a protest against parents traumatising their kids with stupid fake sandman stories. Now stop it!

The next part of the song is the same pre chorus followed by the chorus. Then comes this part. But before that, there is an awesome solo. Its not the hardest solo to play (among the easiest on thier self-titled album). I really like that solo because its in the spirit of the song. Its very true to the song. Its not like something that has been plugged in. Feels more like it has been built from within. Anyway listen to the song again and take note of that.


This part comes after the solo. And its really catchy. Catchy because there is a small kid talking in the background. Saying his prayers. Funny thing about the prayer is that its actually

Now I lay me down to sleep,
I pray the Lord my soul to keep;
Should I die before I wake,
I pray the Lord my soul to take.
Source: wikipedia

Buy Metallica - Enter sandman material

Recently, I headed over to the Roadrunner Record website to satisfy my thirst of pure brutal metal. And surprise, surprise, I stumble upon a very different kind band. And I like it. The band was formed in 2004 according to Wikipedia. They are from New Jearsey and they do a kind of music that was thought to be dead in the past years... Rock.

Before, I go all technical over their style, let me just introduce the band. They are called The Parlor Mob and they just released an album called And you were a crow. Actually the album has been released digitally only.


Old pic, isn't it? No it's not. You see these guys bring you back to the 80s rock era. The Guns and Roses and Jane's Addiction era. If you liked those bands, you will love The Parlor Mob. They sound very much like the 80s rock bands. Very retro, but they manage to not sound shit. I mean they do not sound like they are playing old songs on a modern amp. The quality of the record is up to par with modern albums, and yet they manage to sound "vintage". Believe me, that's not an easy task.

Musically, And you were a crow is a great album. The riffs sound like they come from the past, but never cliche. The vocals are sung high, but never annoying. The guitars sound great. And the guitar solos are damn fine. In fact , you can tell the guitarists are completely at ease with what they are playing. The drums merge well with the songs. Its not Machine Head drumming, but it still kicks some serious ass. Strong album we have here. I like it.

I haven't youtubed those guys yet. But I heard they are awesome live. They are compeltely in the 80s era. Abusing instruments, head tossing (head banging is for metal. haha) and running around the stage. This what rock is about. Yeah baby!

Okay now for the review. The album starts with the song Hard times. The song really sets the mood. We are in the early 80s. The song is perfect for an intro to such an album. The riffs are awesome. And Mark Melicia really shows his vocal talents here. There are almost spoken passages, sung ones, screamt ones. The guy is good.

The next, Dead Wrong song begins with a galloping riff. This is very common in thrash metal. But early rock had it too. Again the song is beautifully built. Never boring. I love transitions in songs. Not as in progressive metal, just simple transitions. I love the guitar part at 2.15.

Third song, Everything You're Breathing For is a masterpiece. Its almost like an 80s song. Actually, the song is so popular that the guys have recorded an acoustic version of it. The song is kind of slow with verses sung over a picking riff. But at the chorus, the guitars are unleashed. There's even a "stacato" part. Like in Freebird by Lynyrd Skynyrd. I'm sure you know what I am talking about. Anyway I really like the way the song is sung. Reminds me of K-DST radio on GTA San Andreas.

The Kids is the next song. I love the way Mark Melicia yells "the kids ain't all right". At least this is what I heard, can't verify cause there's no full the parlor mob lyrics to be found on the net yet.

The next song, When I Was An Orphan, is also slow. With an acoustic guitar playing behind. The vocals are simply amazing. You can feel the elasticity of the singers vocal cords. Its is beautifully sung. Take this James Blunt.

On to the next. Angry Young Girl is another calm song. This album has a lot of calm songs. But they are nicely built. Most slow, calm songs tend to be boring because they are just made up under the shower. This one ain't.

Seventh track of the album is Carnival of Crows. Here the album is back on the fast track. Yes this a fast one. The song building is top notch again. The riffs are faster than in most other songs and a solo kicks in at 2.05.

Real Hard Headed comes next. "Cause I'm rude, real hard headed" says singer. The song is rather calm during the verses, but it rocks hard during the choruses, almost epic at times. There's a harmonica part which melds nicely with the rest of the song. 2.45, a solo kicks in. Its long, with vocals sung over it at times. Almost like Pearl Jam solos.

Next song is Tide of Tears. And the song starts with a rather creepy sounding arpreggio, building up to a chorus, but then getting back to the creepy part just when you would want it to break loose. The guys have got great song writing skills. It can't be denied. There are various nice licks and solos throughout the song. The song is 8 minutes long but never you feel bored, thanks to that. The solos are an albsolute must to listen to. Nice trade-offs.

My Favorite Heart To Break is the 10th song on the album. The song has some nice musically challenging passages. The lyrics ain't bad too. "My favorite heart to break". We all have one, don't we?

On to the next, Bullet is a good song. The lyrics are really screamt. And the guitars are aggressive. I love the way the song is aggresive, but has some very melodic licks played over. I can't say it enough, this is so 80 era rock. I really like how the interlude seems to be from a completely different song. You should really listen to understand that.

Last song, Can't Keep No Good Boy Down. The song starts with an acoustic guitar. You can hear people talking and beers chugging. And when the lyrics go "there's no turning back", everyone sings it. It kind of reminds me of country songs. It's even got people clapping in the background. Typical of country songs. The song is a great way to end an album.

Now that the review is done, I'd like to share something I read about the band.
The Aquarian Weekly, a New Jersey based newspaper, said "Basically, now is the time to go see them and say later on, 'Yea, you know, I saw them back before they took over the world,' because that's the way things are heading.".

This is funny but it might be true. I think it is. The album is just out and there are a lot of cover versions all around the net. I've even saw tabs of their songs. So people, I leave you now, but do listen to the previews of the album from Amazon.com (see top of post).

Buy The parlor mob - And you were a crow material

Now looks like the choice of words in this part is a bit less harsh. "This scar makes her heart stronger, your breath makes her days longer". This would be so true. I am always amazed by how Flynn manages to express his thoughts in such ways. He sounds angry, but his words make so much sense. "Life gained through your dying eyes". This part is violet and poetic at the same time. I am not a fan of dark poetry. I used to hate them because they made no sense last time I checked. But here this is beautiful. If you would classify these words as dark poetry, I'd stand corrected.

The song goes back to the buildup and chorus and then goes into a great guitar solo. With Robb and Phill harmonizing the end of the solo. You should see the video of this song. It is awesome. The singing, screaming, guitar, bass, drums all sound perfect. It's sounds like its the CD track. They played this to perfection.

On with it now. This is the part that comes after the solo. Here the song calms down and Robb whispers "The seasons whispers away" multiple times before the song breaks into an epic part which goes like this.


You might be surprised. This part is actually sung. Not screamt. You should hear this part. It's epic. That's all I can say.

The next part is a bit messy. With the drums and guitars going berserk. These words are sung over.


In this part, its almost like the wife is screaming back to the husband. "You can't hurt me, your power's control denied". These are great words, huh. This was my contribution to Women's day. I know it won't change shit, but at least now that you've read this, you'll feel like an asshole if you ever indulge in such acts.

Here's a vid of the song. Played live. Like only men with balls would do.

Buy Machine head - Seasons wither material