White Wizzard - Flying Tigers

White Wizzard, also known as the more traditional half of Holy Grail (who were initially called Sorcerer), are die-hard-in-denim:

They refuse to acknowledge that any time has passed (musically speaking, anyway) since, say, 1985. They wear tons of band patches proudly. They won't detune.

I admire that. I admire their taking a stand.

Unfortunately, it's also their major problem. It appears their muse is both very demanding and very narrow-minded.

Short version of Flying Tigers (sweet cover, though, huh?)-- the first half is a bad Hanoi Rocks/ Y&T cover band; the second a great Iron Maiden cover band. First half of album-- southern California cock-rock, mid-80s-ish; second half, NWOBHM, same time period. The second half is noticeably better and more natural and self-assured.

Look, don't get me wrong-- you can do "traditional" metal well without doing anything new with it. Witness: In Solitude, Ghost, Devil et al.. White Wizzard just never make it there for long.

Examples:

"Starchild" is a stilted power ballad (remember those?) that never quite gets off the ground; the title track is very Maiden-- lyrically and melodically it's a tribute to/reframing of "Aces High," (and vocalist Wyatt Anderson does actually keep up with Bruce Dickinson), but it doesn't have the same sense of tension and release that any good song does (particularly anything on Powerslave).

Lyrically, a lot of mentioning of the devil, going crazy, etc.

Power metal, traditional metal, whatever, lives and dies by its hooks (something extreme would do well to learn), and overall Flying Tigers falls short, hook-wise. To me the best White Wizzard song is still "High Speed GTO."

White Wizzard are best when they're just rocking out, Maiden/Priest style, and tracks like "Night Stalker," though generic, work this well. "Fall of Atlantis" with its opening middle-eastern-sounding riff, also rocks out unselfconsciously, sounding like, of all bands, CJSS.

"Demons and Diamonds" is lushly evocative and hints at what this band could really do if they just let loose and composed whatever came into their hands.

It seems like the problem with Flying Tigers, and with White Wizzard in general, is that they're so eager to be the perfect replica of an early-80s metal band, they force every track to sound like that, even when it feels like the riffs don't want to fit-- they contort them into the format. It seems like if they'd just play whatever they feel and stop pushing it through the King Kobra-strainer they'd make a hell of an album-- there's a lot of obvious talent here.

It's fun stuff. It won't change your world if you're over 13, but it's cool stuff, a throwback to a time where vocals reigned supreme (and perhaps should've?). It's got its flaws, but it's still definitely worth checking out if you've a soft spot for classic traditional metal.

--Horn

Earache Records' new compilation - New Noise Attack

 

Like a list on Cracked's website, I've gone through all 14 songs from Earache Records' new compilation, New Noise Attack, and stripped away the hype and puffery from each track, essentially translating each into fanspeak, or, What You'll Probably Say After Hearing Each Number.

Follow that? Yeah, you did. Nice.

Track 1-- Enforcer's "Midnight Vice": practically straight out of 1985, even production wise (light on the bass, drums doing nothing beyond bumpa-chih, bumpa-chih, bumpa-chih), this literally could've come straight from the last hour of Headbanger's Ball (were it actually around in 1985)-- sounds like Krokus.

Track 2-- White Wizzard, "Shooting Star": heavy Dokken with an Iron Maiden chorus. Will instantly transport you to 1985, unless you have no memory of that, in which case it might sound unique. Utterly derivative, but actually pretty fun.

Track 3-- Cauldron's "All or Nothing": even heavier Dokken, almost Motörhead-ish. Very cool.

Track 4-- Hour of 13, "Naked Star," is Badlands or the Black Crowes (or similar Led Zep/ Stones worshipers) [also] worshiping the devil.

Track 5-- The Soulless, "Earthbound," is similar to The Faceless or Obscura or every other tech-death band. Catchy, but nothing special.

Track 6-- The Browning [is this an Elizabeth Barrett reference or a lessening of Machinehead's "The Blackening?"] and their "Standing on the Edge" is --wait for it-- a mix of deathcore with an electronic section that sounds like Paul Oakenfold. Primary reaction to this will be "Why?"

Track 7-- Woods of Ypres, "I Was Buried in Mount Pleasant Cemetary": somber solo piano opener, like a combination of Chopin and Night Ranger; becomes then a Smiths' number if Morrissey liked Rammstein.

Track 8-- Wormrot's "Erased Existence," is a fun, puckish hyperkinetic grindcore number. Quite diggable. (Also, 0:43 long.)

Track 9-- Oceano, "Weaponized." Everything that is wrong with Deathcore.

Track 10-- Cerebral Bore, "The Bald Cadaver": completely formulaic tech-death, but done so enthusiastically it's fun to hear. Like everyone in the band is too young to have any original ideas, but is so young that they have enough excitement and adrenaline to make you remember how furious death metal can be. Also there are pig squeals.

Track 11-- And Hell Followed With, "This Night is the Coroner's": cool band name and song title, but otherwise Every Technical Death Metal Band You've Ever Heard. It's like Earache, at this point, are shotgunning death metal bands into the public ears, i.e., "Let's hit them will thousands of bands that are exactly the same-- one or two or them are bound to hit home."

Track 12-- Bonded by Blood, "Prototype: Death Machine": we have some points! It's generic too, but it's not death metal! It's thrash! Bay area-style! Slow, groovy introductory number followed by a groovy mid-tempo number with a fast chorus chock-full of gang vocals. Takes you straight back to 1988.

Track 13-- SSS, "Eat me, drink me, burn me," is similarly thrash, but more east coast (think MOD, right down to the Milano-ish vocals, or even Gothic Slam)-- fun, punkish thrash ranting.

Track 14-- Diamond Plate, "Waste of Life," back to the west coast with our now-progressive thrash. Sounds like Forbidden with a less-melodic, more gutteral Russ Anderson. Good, not great. Tasty drummer, though.

So, top tracks, in order: Wormrot, Cauldron, White Wizzard, Cerebral Bore.

It's no thing, really. Horn's Here to Help.

--Horn