Reviews roundup – Emil Bulls vs. Ace Frehley vs. J.B.O. vs. Peter Frampton
EMIL BULLS
Sacrifice To Venus
AFM
Never heard of them. But it turns out that the oddly named Emil Bulls have been on the go since 1995, and this release sees them into double figures, if you count their early indie releases. And they’re an alt-metal band. Which is never a good thing to discover. In fact, I would say that they are verging on metalcore, which is an even less pleasant experience.
But are they any good? Um, that depends on whether you think Bullet for My Valentine and Bring Me The Horizon are good things. There’s lots of screaming in the verses and a touch more melody in the choruses. The guitars are good, though, with ‘The Grave’ and ‘The Way Of The Warrior’ as good as it gets.
Mind you, ‘Pants Down’ is one of the worst songs I’ve heard this year. Maybe you had to be there. On the plus side, I do like the artwork. Metalcore fans will find a lot to enjoy, metal fans, not so much.
ACE FREHLEY
Space Invader
Steamhammer
The Space Ace is back, with his first album in five years. With hindsight, “Anomaly” wasn’t as good as I thought it was at the time. I suspect sentiment got in the way. But I’m always willing to give him a chance (unlike some), so here comes “Space Invader”.
Well, it certainly sounds better than any of his solo stuff from the past. The production is excellent, with the guitars right in your face. He was never a great singer, which actually helps when a performer heads into their autumn years, as there isn’t anything to lose (paging Mr Gillan), so he still sounds as he always has. The songs are surprisingly strong, with only a couple of duffers and a pointless cover to ruin the flow.
The highlights are many, with the title track, ‘I Wanna Hold You’, ‘Inside the Vortex’ and ‘What Every Girl Wants’ as good as anything he’s recorded in or out of Kiss. In fact, there are more must play tunes than on “Monster”. It’s good to have him back, especially as he’s managed to live up to his legacy and pull a few magic moments out of his hat. As always, in the modern world, there a plethora of formats to choose from, with a limited edition Digipak CD, (including 2 bonus tracks and poster), a standard jewel case CD, a double gatefold coloured vinyl album, boasting 4 bonus tracks, printed inner sleeves, and a CD in a cardboard sleeve, while the iTunes version of ‘Space Invader’ will include the 14 tracks contained on the digipak.
J.B.O.
Nur die Besten werden alt
AFM
What the hell was that? Well, no-one ever said the Germans were famous for their sense of humour. I’ve no idea why the album is called “Only The Best Are Old”, unless it’s referring to their age. I would look closely at the cover, but I get temporary blindness every time I see the pink suits.
I’m guessing that J.B.O. are like the power metal Wurzels, who put their own spin on well known tunes, as well as throwing in some of their own songs, which no-one will remember, but which might get them thruppence ha’penny in royalties from the people who’ve bought it for the cover of ‘School’s Out’. Yes, the Alice Cooper one.
Slightly more entertaining are their versions of ‘These Boots Are Made For Walking’ and ‘Mambo No. 5’ – retitled here as ‘Metal No. 666’. However, the songs are interspersed with spoken word interludes, which you will want to skip over immediately. There is a CD single lurking in here, which would make for a good listen, but the rest of us should approach with extreme caution.
PETER FRAMPTON
Hummingbird In A Box
Red Uk
I must admit to having been very scared when I read that this 7-track mini-album was inspired by a 2013 live collaboration with the Cincinatti Ballet. Yes, ballet. And not only that but contemporary ballet. Just typing the phrase makes me shudder.
Thankfully, if I hadn’t known that I would have had no idea, as a lot of the music here would have sat happily any one of Mr Framptons recent releases. For sure, there is probably more acoustic guitar than I would have expected on his conventional releases, but then you get a song like ‘The One in 901’, which is just pure rocking Frampton.
Of the mellower tracks, ‘Friendly Fire’ is a highlight, as is the closing jazz tinged closing track, entertainingly titled ‘Norman Wisdom’, someone I’m sure the Cincinatti Ballet are very familiar with. Some of the arrangements are more intricate than I associate with his conventional releases, and some of the percussion does seem to lend itself towards dance. However, there is nothing here for Frampton fans to fear.
The Rocker - The Artist Formerly Known As Zeitgeist. TAFKAZ 
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