Reviews roundup – Bulletrain vs. Riot V vs. Mob Rules vs. Hugh Hopper

Reviews roundup – Bulletrain vs. Riot V vs. Mob Rules vs. Hugh Hopper

BULLETRAIN
Start Talking
AOR Heaven

Well, this is rather good, if like me, you spent your eighties in a flurry of melodic hard rock.  The band in question, Bulletrain, originally got together back in 2006, with founding duo – Mattias Persson and drummer Jonas Tillheden – now joined by Sebastian Sundberg on vocals, Robin Bengtsson on guitars, and Niklas Mansson on bass for this album.  It was a vastly different band that released an EP  and album a few years back, and it’s been well worth the wait.

The first thing to say is, it sounds great.  Something probably down to production duo RamPac, who are really starting to make a name for themselves.  Of course it helps when you’ve got some good songs to go with the sound, and there is a plentiful supply of those, with the likes of ‘Nothing But Trouble’, ’All For One’ and the title track, the top of the pops for me.

They’ve also got the all important power ballad sorted out, with ‘Even With My Eyes Closed’ guaranteed to get those lighters in the air.  It’s taken a while for them to get to this point, so here’s hoping they can stay together long enough to capitalise on an excellent release.

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RIOT V
Unleash The Fire
Steamhammer / SPV

I saw Riot on the “Fire Down Under” tour.  They were great, as was the album.  Shame then that the late Guy Speranza jacked it in, because I thought they were on the cusp of being great.

Of course, the name Riot lived on long after that, thanks to guitarist Mark Reale.  But he passed on in 2012, which is why this record has the V appended to the name. To be fair Don Van Stavern (bass) and Mike Flyntz (guitars) have been associated with the Riot name for a wee while now, but there is another new vocalist this time around with Todd Michael Hall taking over.

And what you’ve ended up with is a fair representation of where 21st century Riot placed themselves.  So anyone who enjoyed those latter day records will enjoy this.  It’s certainly metal, and they rock hard on songs like ‘Ride Hard, Live Free’ and ‘Metal Warrior’.  Some of the songs do try to forge a new identity, with ‘Fall From The Sky’, the obvious one to highlight.  I’m not sure about ‘Return Of The Outlaw’, though.  They really should have left it alone.

In case you were wondering the V is to mark the fifth chapter of the band’s long history, as well as Todd Michael Hall being the group’s fifth singer.  Whether this is a strong enough record to mark their place in the world of modern metal is open to question, but if it points people towards some classic old school Riot, then fair play.

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MOB RULES
Timekeeper – 20th Anniversary Box
Steamhammer / SPV

No!  I refuse to believe it.  I still think of Mob Rules as being new.  Which shows how old I am.  Of course, it’s cheating slightly as it’s only 15 years since their debut album, but if the Status Quo can have multiple anniversaries, then our Teutonic metal friends can do the same.

And they’re not messing about, as this is coming out as a 4 disc box-set, containing three CD’s and a DVD. They kick off with a fifteen track best of, that runs from “Temple Of Two Suns” in 2002 right through to “Cannibal Nation” in 2012.  And it is very good indeed, if you like your Euro power metal.  And you should.

The second disc is the strange / interesting one, as it has re-recorded songs from the days of yore.  To be fair, it is different, as they’ve brought in some special guests including the likes of Udo Dirkschneider, Amanda Somerville (Avantasia, Trillium), Herman Frank (Accept, Victory) and others.  There is also a new song, and an orchestral version of the new single, ‘My Kingdom’ and covers of ‘Lights Out’ (UFO) and ‘Run With The Wolf’ (Rainbow). Disc three is your actual single, which is a bit of a cheat.

I haven’t seen the DVD featuring 11 live recordings from the band’s performance at the Prog Power US festival in Atlanta in 2011, as I’ve got the digital promo, but regardless, this is almost a fantastic release, with only Disc three letting the side down.

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HUGH HOPPER
Memories / Franglo Band
Gonzo

In case you don’t know, the late Hugh Hopper started his musical career in 1963 as the bass player with the Daevid Allen Trio alongside drummer Robert Wyatt, with all three ending up in a little known beat combo called Soft Machine.  They had an interesting history, developing rapidly from a psych pop band into legends of jazz rock.

After Hopper left the band, he continued to work in the genre, with the likes of Isotope, Gilgamesh and Stomu Yamashta, as well as a serious of collaborations with fellow Soft Machiner Elton Dean.  And what we have here are the first two installments of a ten part series compiled by Michael King.  And it’s, um, interesting.

The first CD is likely to be the most popular, with Soft Machine fans always keen to get their hands on material, and this sees things like a 1969 demo of ‘Memories’ with Mike Ratledge on piano / organ and Robert Wyatt, drums / vocals popping up, alongside much later material, primarily from the 21st century.  I doubt anyone would listen to ‘Long Piece’, credited to Hugh Hopper Computer Collage more than once, but the Franglo Band material is very listenable.

Over on Volume 2, it’s all Franglo Band, recorded at a Paris show in 2004, and it is a real treat.  The band really do set out on a musical exploration across numbers like ‘Facelif’, ‘Sliding Dogs’ and ‘Shuffle Demons’, with a guesting Didier Malherbe adding some Gong on one number.  This is the one to buy.

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