Cooper, Alice - "The Last Temptation"

Cooper, Alice - The Last Temptation
1994, Epic

1. Sideshow
2. Nothing's Free
3. Lost In America
4. Bad Place Alone
5. You're My Temptation
6. Stolen Prayer
7. Unholy War
8. Lullaby
9. It's Me
10. Cleansed By Fire

The Last Temptation is Cooper's concept album about his conversion to Christianity. You'd think this would be right up my alley. Me too... like I'm surprised at how much this one just doesn't do too much for me. I like "Sideshow" and "Lost in America" a lot, but the rest of the album...meh. Not that I hate this album or anything, I'm just very neutral about it. Even Chris Cornell's appearance didn't do too much for me. Maybe it will grow on me over the years...

Useless Fact: There was a comic or graphic novel made to go along with the album. I remember seeing it somewhere but I don't think I ever owned it.

Taylor, Terry Scott - "A Briefing For the Ascent"

Taylor, Terry Scott - A Briefing For the Ascent
1987, Frontline

1. A Briefing For the Ascent
2. Somewhere to Elsewhere
3. Beyond the Wall of Sleep
4. The Wood Between the Worlds
5. Changeless
6. My Love, My Love
7. Wars of the Heart
8. Capture Me
9. Where Dreams Come True
10. Long, Long, Long
11. Prelude
12. Going Home

I missed this one the first time around - mostly because I was too young. I'm not sure what motivated me to check it out other than I love Terry Scott Taylor and I hadn't heard this one before. A Briefing For the Ascent is a meditation on death and the afterlife - something Taylor tends to revisit again and again. The music matches the theme being equal parts fifties dream-pop and Enya. It's kind of weird to hear this type of music coming from him. Even though Daniel Amos worked in lush synth soundscapes on the Alarma! Chronicles it seems different here. Very ethereal - again, much like Enya (who in '87 was just getting started with "Orinoco Flow," I think). Now I can't say this is one of my favorite platters from Taylor, but it's definitely unique.

Useless Fact: I'm told this album was inspired by the passing of Taylor's grandfather.

Guardian - "Fire and Love (Legends Remastered)"

Guardian - Fire and Love (Legends Remastered)
1990/2018, Retroactive

1. Power of Love
2. Send a Message
3. Time Stands Still
4. Forever and a Day
5. Takin' On the World
6. Fire and Love
7. Turnaround
8. Time and Time Again
9. The Rain
10. Never Say Goodbye
Bonus Track
11. Take Up Your Cross

I'm glad Retroactive remastered this one as my hard copy of the original suffered from CD rot. Sad, I know. Let that be a lesson, kids from ten years ago - never put your CDs in those big binders! Anywho, this remaster cleans up the sound a little makes the guitars sound a bit heavier. I mean, this album didn't need much help anyway because it was pretty stellar to begin with, but I did notice a difference. Remember what I said about the original vocalist for Guardian versus Jamie Rowe? Yeah... that's so much more apparent listening to First Watch and Fire and Love so close together. First Watch was pretty good, but with Fire and Love the band really came into their own and I think the Jamie's vocals had a lot to do with that. He's pretty distinctive and unique and fits the more commercial style of hard rock perfectly. If you've never listened to Guardian before, now's the perfect time!

Useless Fact: This version comes with a bonus track, "Take Up Your Cross," which was originally appeared on Larry Howard's Cornerstone Blues Jam from 1992. I remember I had that album but since I wasn't as much of a fan of blues I didn't listen to it much.

Marmozets - "Knowing What You Know Now"

Marmozets - Knowing What You Know Now
2018, Roadrunner

1. Play
2. Habits
3. Meant To Be
4. Major System Error
5. Insomnia
6. Lost In Translation
7. Start Again
8. Like a Battery
9. New Religion
10. Me & You
11. Suffocation
12. Run With The Rhythm

Man, I was a little worried about this band. After the stellar Weird and Wonderful I was hoping this band would have a nice long life. Then...nothing for awhile. Thankfully, my fears were unfounded and here we are four or so years later with Knowing What You Know Now. Marmozets' sophomore release finds them doing more of the same intense, frenetic hard-edged alternative rock that I grew to love with the debut. However, I think they've dialed back the intensity and technicality just a notch in favor of a slightly more commercial sound. Becca has also changed her vocals a touch, affecting a sort of child-like cutesy-poo style in the slower songs "Insomnia" and "Me & You." It was slightly off-putting at first but I got used to it. She's also doing a bit less growling. It's a good album to be sure and continues on what the band built with their first album. So... the problem might be on my end. I like it. I do. I just... it's not sticking with me like the first one. Weird and Wonderful just dominated the playlist for a month or two. This one? I'm not as motivated to go back to it. I'm hoping this is temporary and I just haven't given it enough time to grow on me. I still totally recommend it and hopefully you'll take to it quicker than I have!

Useless Fact: Not a fact - more of a wonderment. As in, I wonder what the religious stance of the band is? Like... I don't know but they seem to have some basis of belief in something but beyond that I don't know. They've never talked about it in interviews that I've seen so I'm just kind of going with my gut here.

Tabor, Ty - "Alien Beans"

Tabor, Ty - Alien Beans
2018, Rat Pak

DISC ONE:
1. Alien Beans
2. Freight Train
3. Johnny Guitar
4. So Here's To You
5. Back It Down
6. Somebody Lied
7. This Time
8. Heavily Twisted
9. Until This Day Is Done
10. Deeper Place

DISC TWO:
1. 'Cause We Believed (Blame It)
2. Free Yourself
3. Ride
4. Senseless Paranoia
5. Money Mouth
6. Fast Asleep
7. Politician's Creed
8. Play
9. Bring It On Back
10. Nobody Plays When Nobody Wins
11. Change

If you're a regular reader of this blog you probably already know how I usually feel about solo material from King's X members (it's...no bueno). Though Jerry Gaskill's Love & Scars was wonderful. I initially wasn't really interested in Ty's new solo album - that is until I heard the riffs to "Freight Train" and "Johnny Guitar." Man... that is some good stuff... very King's X. In addition, I found out this album was going to come with a second disc full of remastered tracks from Ty's earlier solo albums. It seemed like a good value, so I dove in. Turns out I do like Ty's solo stuff after all. The first disc is solid. Miles and away better than the last solo album of his I heard (Safety... like... AGES ago!). I was surprised, though, at how much I liked the second disc. Both discs fit together so well that if you didn't know disc two was older songs you'd never know. It makes me want to check out those other albums to see what I missed! Is my opinion starting to change on King's X solo material?! Parrish the thought! I should probably listen to some of Dug's stuff to see if I've been missing great music this whole time.

Useless Fact: "Alien Beans" is the name of Ty's studio if you didn't know that already.

Overkill - "The Grinding Wheel"

Overkill - The Grinding Wheel
2017, Nuclear Blast

1. Mean, Green, Killing Machine
2. G*****n Trouble
3. Our Finest Hour
4. Shine On
5. The Long Road
6. Let's All Go To Hades
7. Come Heavy
8. Red, White, and Blue
9. The Wheel
10. The Grinding Wheel
Bonus Track:
11. Emerald

So as is sort of becoming an annual tradition, I've been trying to catch up on some of the albums from last year that have made various people's lists. Overkill's The Grinding Wheel was one of them. I've never gotten into them even though they've been around for a long, long time. The Grinding Wheel definitely delivers a pummeling thrash experience with a nice thick, meaty guitar tone and some infectious riffs. Yes... the guitar-work here definitely made me smile. However, there were a couple things that I had an issue with. First, the vocalist is... kind of strange. It doesn't always work for me - especially his higher range. My wife and Lexi say he sounds like a Dalek from Doctor Who. Truth be told... he... kind of does. Sometimes I'm not sure whether this is a plus or negative. Also, some of the lyrics are odd. I can't explain it but something just seems off about some of them. "Someone left the cat out in the rain" from "Shine On" is a particular favorite. Despite these niggling little things I really do like The Grinding Wheel but I don't think I'm going to be an Overkill die-hard soon.

Useless Fact: I've heard they have sort of a rivalry going with Avenged Sevenfold due to the similarity of that band's logo with theirs.

Guardian - "First Watch (Legends Remastered)"

Guardian - First Watch (Legends Remastered)
1989/2017, Retroactive

1. I'll Never Leave You
2. Mystery Man
3. Livin' For The Promise
4. Miracle
5. Saints Battallion
6. Kingdom of Rock
7. The Good Life
8. One of a Kind
9. World Without Love
10. Rock in Victory
11. Hyperdrive
12. Marching On
Bonus Tracks
13. Spiritual Warfare
14. Marching On

I never got to hear First Watch the first time around. I remember my cousin got it and listened to it. She didn't think it was that great. Based on her word I never gave it a second thought... that is until last year's reissue. I got it in my head that I needed to hear it and I'm glad I did. It's really good, actually. Take that cousin from thirty years ago! Being produced by Oz Fox this album has a little bit of Stryper in it. Mostly, though, revel in the sweet guitar licks of Tony Palacios. He actually reminds me a little bit of Nuno Bettencourt from Extreme. So... solid hooks, great riffs... pretty much great all around.

Except the vocals. Let me be clear - the vocalist isn't bad. He's not. It's just... I've heard Jamie Rowe. He's got such a distinctive and powerful voice it's hard not to listen to this album and wonder how much his presence could have elevated it. Now, it's not the band's fault, Rowe just wasn't around but it's definitely a handicap for a listener who started with Fire and Love. Paul Cawley's clear, slightly nasally tone just doesn't hold up. It doesn't make this album unlistenable - I'm really glad I got to hear this. I just wanted to note the trouble I had because I think not a few listeners will have the same problem.

Finally, Retroactive has really been knocking it out of the park with these reissues. It's got everything you could want, liner notes, an interview with bassist David Bach, lyrics. It makes me happy. Also, I pre-ordered so mine came with an album cover card signed by Bach.

Useless Fact: Apparently the label held on to this album for a year and made the band tour to generate interest.