Helloween - Chameleon (1993)

So the previous Helloween album "Pink Bubbles Go Ape" might be weird, but I would argue that the band's 5th studio record entitled "Chameleon" is even weirder. Sure, the album cover does not have anything that matches a fish loving pinup girl, but what does this one say to you? It certainly does not scream power metal at least, and that is because this album is pretty far off from the high flying sound the band is known for. Instead, we get to hear a band that feels a little stuck in the 80's, despite this album being released in 1993. Oh lord have mercy on these pumpkins.

A possible reason to why "Chameleon" was so adventurous in its approach was the tensions within the band, which was so bad that both singer Michael Kiske and drummer Ingo Schwichtenberg got kicked out after the promotional tour. All of the songs were written by either Kiske, or one of the guitarists Michael Weikath and Roland Grapow, with no track having more than one writer. This leads to an album that is definitely diverse in its sound, but also extremely disjointed, going close to everywhere in the musical spectre, except for metal. We got rock, pop, prog, and even some country, but there is no sight of the sound that made the band so great in the first place.

So if you have not guessed it already, "Chameleon" is probably the most accesible Helloween album out there, feeling more like a collaboration between Bon Jovi and Guns N' Roses. So I did the only sensible thing, trying to get my mind straight, and judge this record from a blank slate, not thinking that it is Helloween who made it. Guess what, it does not work, it still sounds wrong, like no one band could make this on their own.

Still, I do think there is some good material in here, even if it is strange that it is Helloween performing these songs. "Revolution Now" and "Music" are two nice little pieces of progressive rock that the band handles surprisingly well, like a Queensrÿche light. Then we have the best of the 4 singles from this record, "Step Out of Hell", a steady and catchy rock tune that is easy to enjoy. The big favourite of mine though is "Crazy Cat", just because it is a fun and groovy song that show the funny side of the band, something I would have wished more from in this particular record. The saxophone in that track is a nice bonus as well. It is just a shame that these fine tracks are just a small part of this 1 hour and 11 minute record, which is obviously way too much to take in all at once. Some fat trimming would have done wonders here.

"Chameleon" is definitely deserving of its name, it shifts color here and there after the surrounding, but unlike the animal, this album just does not fit in. No matter how you see it, from whatever angle you may find, "Chameleon" is still kind of a mess, an album made by a group that is divided to their seams. It has its moments, but those are sparse, and it still does not really seem right. Not saying that Helloween cannot make an album that is not primarily power metal, but this particular effort is a no go in so many ways. It is a sad and strange ending to the Kiske era.

Songs worthy of recognition: Crazy Cat, Revolution Now, Step Out of Hell

Rating: 4,5/10 Giants

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Motörhead - Bastards (1993)

After being only a guest drummer in the predecessor "March Ör Die", Swedish juggernaut Michael Kiriakos Delaouglou (or as he is more commonly known as, Mikkey Dee) joined Motörhead and was one of the main reasons to the band's return to form. Mikkey himself is a guy who likes to do things thoroughly, so when he found out that the rest of the band did not rehearse, like at all, he instantly booked a time to do so. Initially, that plan failed (Mikkey was the only one to show up in their first "meeting"), but Mikkey eventually got his wish, and Lemmy himself stated "We have never sounded this good!". Do not believe me? Go to a Scorpions concert, meet up with Mikkey and find out yourself (and give him a thanks for all his hard work too while you are at it).

So with some nagging and practicing, "Bastards" came out sounding like good old Motörhead. It is fast, loud, and simply kick ass. It still got some of the more mature themes that we saw from the last two releases, represented mostly in the dark ballad "Don't Let Daddy Kiss me", a song about child abuse. Even with that down moment (feeling wise, the song is great), "Bastards is definitely an album that is gonna lift your spirit, especially if you have not been too high on the last couple of efforts.

The power in this record is simply astounding, and there is lots of it, plenty for all listeners. "Burner" is pure fury, very fit for Mad Max and Furiosa to blast while they are riding away from The Immortan Joe (worst dictator name ever). Or maybe they would prefer "Death Or Glory", because it is classic Motörhead at its best, with punk influences and killer riffs and all. While no other song can match those two, we still get some groovy ass rock 'n' roll in "We Bring The Shake", "Bad Woman", and "On Your Feet Or On Your Knees", making sure that "Bastards" keeps its momentum from start to finish.

Do not believe though that the band has made a full 180 back to their roots, because we still got some retro rock in this album, and not surprisingly, it is some of the weaker stuff in this record. It is also unfortunate that most of them lies in the middle of the record, giving "Bastards" a fairly chewy part that is not hard to get over, but drags down the tempo a bit. "Born To Raise Hell" is just a poor AC/DC rip off (even the title sounds like it was stolen from the Australians), "Liar" is extremely simple and dull, and while "Lost In The Ozone" is kind of interesting, I think it would have made more sense if Black Sabbath would have made it. No offense Lemmy, but that song does not suit you all too well.

But even with some miss steps here and there, I love the performance that the band brings to the table. It is powerful and passionate, filled with an energy I have not seen in some albums. They are really giving it their all, which makes the lesser songs really enjoyable too. The riffs of Phil Campbell and Michael "Würzel" Burston are fantastic, Lemmy's bass is pounding harder than ever, and Mikkey brings a whole new level of madness to the table, making this one of the better band performances from Motörhead.

So looking back at the discography, "Bastards" is truly a sleeper album, one that is mixed in with a lot of underwhelming brethren, making it fairly easy to miss. But bland cover art and bad surroundings aside, "Bastards" is just balls to the wall great, showing an attitude that is easy to admire with all its tenacity. A new born band is here, ready to take over everything once again with its loud aggressive style, taking down every bastard they see.

Songs worthy of recognition: Death Or Glory, Burner, Don't Let Daddy Kiss Me, Bad Woman

Rating: 8/10 Devils

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Fight - War of Words (1993)

After leaving Judas Priest in 1992, Rob Halford wasted no time in getting into his next project, and that project was Fight, a straight up heavy metal band that had influences from the popular bands in those days, like Pantera. Even if this is a completely new band, Rob did not fully leave his history behind him, including some small influences from his former band and adding drummer Scott Travis to the line up. The rest of the guys though were all newcomers, but it should be noted that the first guitarist of this band, Russ "Satchel" Parrish, did eventually go on to be one of the founders of Steel Panther. Oh goodness me...

Fortunately, we do not get any volatile, and juvenile hair metal in "War of Words". Unfortunately, we do not get any blazing speed metal either. Instead, we get a barrage of heavy attitude, and fairly slow songs that has momentum, but still feels awfully sluggish. I wanna give credit to Rob on that he wants to do something new, and not a Judas Priest 2.0, but this almost feels like he is trying to win over the younger generation with this new band. If I was living during that time, I would have hoped for a more experimental album, a album that is an homage to "Sad Wings of Destiny", but nope, just like most famous artists that leaves their well known band, Rob goes more on the safe route.

The album starts of great though, with the pure head banger "Into The Pit", a fast mauler with a Metal God that implements his patented screaming falsetto. Yes, it has several great qualities, and it is the clear stand out of the record, but one thing bugs me with this song, and the album in general, and it is the chorus. Almost every chorus on this album consists of the title of the track being repeated over and over again, which is really dumb. Sure, you can make an awesome chorus with this small of means, but this is done so often that you can almost feel your IQ dropping by a point or two. Some more content would definitely have helped the album.

Another negative aspect of this album is the guitar work. Sure, I did not expect Russ Parrish and Brian Tilse to be the new Downing and Tipton, but the riffing on this album is fairly bland. It is heavy, but it is bland. As for the solos, they do not stick out all too much, but they do fit in and are sounding nice, so they do have some redeeming quality to them. Still, would have loved some more personality in the riffing.

It is obvious that Halford is the star of the show here, and he delivers a professional performance in which he showcases his entire vocal arsenal. Mixing screams with lower registers, Halford brings a diversity to "War of Words" that very few vocalists could do. He also lifts several songs to a much higher level, like the title track, "Immortal Sin", "For All Eternity", but not even the Metal God can hide the fact that the song material here is, at best, okay. Like, why did they include "Little Crazy" with its country vibe and the super boring "Laid To Rest"? I know you can write better songs than this Rob.

I honestly do not see why Fight have gotten such a cult status in recent years, because "War of Words" is a just above average album that may be heavy, but does not bring anything new to the table. The songs are alright, the execution is professional, but the overall sluggish feel makes the album feel longer and more drawn out than it needed to be. It is an okay album, and the band does have something interesting going, but they just could not show it in this particular album.

Songs worthy of recognition: Into The Pit, Immortal Sin, For All Eternity

Rating: 6/10 Contortions