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Metal In Oz

Judas Priest Live At Hisense Arena



It had been around 2 months since I attended a gig and I was definitely suffering withdrawal symptoms. As much as the hiatus seemed like torture, I knew my next metal adventure would make me forget all about it.

For it would be no ordinary gig. I'd be seeing the legendary Judas Priest, a band I adore. I mean what they've contributed to heavy music is incomparable. From rock anthems to pulverising metal classics to the occasional power ballad, Priest have done it all superbly in their lengthy career. Throw in my unhealthy fascination of frontman Rob Halford and you have some idea of how much I was looking forward to this gig.

With Cavalera Conspiracy getting bumped from the bill, the gang and I decided not to get there early. The decision was also made to drive in, which turned out to be much easier than expected. I see us using this method in the future.

Upon entering Hisense Arena I felt like I was at home. Most of the regulars were there and it was great to see them after such a long time. Eventually I get to my spot which initially didn't please me. I'd have liked to have been more front on to the stage and felt somewhat let down given how much I paid to go. Thankfully, I was calmed by catching up with Mortification mainman Steve Rowe. During the wait I heard some ACDC and Metallica, an ideal way to get ready for what would come next.

Judas Priest came out to the sounds of Prophecy from their last album Nostradamus. As excited as I've been at gigs I doubt I've screamed louder than when Halford arose on stage for the first time. Of the early going Metal Gods was the highlight, the death metal scream as the song ended was stunning. While age may prevent them from moving around like they once did they still perform the music exceptionally which is more important.

As incredible as their performance was I found this to be a bizarre set from Judas Priest. Sure it had the big guns, it just contained a lot of songs I wouldn't have thought they'd play, some I wasn't familiar with and only a couple from Nostradamus. Many of my favourites were not played and yet somehow I wasn't that disappointed. They just pulled off every song too well that it didn't matter what they played. When reflecting I thought the fact that Judas Priest could perform what was essentially a B grade set faultlessly showed what a remarkable band they are.

The latter part of the gig really took it out of me. My energy drained through songs like Electric Eye and Painkiller which for me was the high point of the evening.

When Judas Priest returned for the encore I was captivated. Seeing Halford on his Harley gave me a similar feeling to when Eddie appeared at Maiden. The songs that followed were Hell Bent For Leather, The Green Manalishi (With the Two-Pronged Crown) and You've Got Another Thing Coming. One of the best encores I've seen even if it was predictable.

On the way out I heard minimal complaints from my fellow headbangers. Everyone seemed to agree that they truly are the Metal Gods. Let's hope they come back soon because there's still plenty of songs I want to hear Judas Priest play.




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October 7th 2008 @ 02:41

Posted By: Lachlan McLeod - Category: No Category
   


Rose Tattoo Blood Brothers Special Tour Edition



I love Rose Tattoo. I couldn't pretend to be unbiased when it comes to them. Why would I even try to be when they are responsible for some of the best hard rock ever.

Last year the Tatts brought out Blood Brothers, another fine album. Seeing as how it's recently been rereleased, I thought I'd revisit it myself.

Blood Brothers continues on the Tatts path of rock and rebellion. Spearheaded by the tracks Black Eyed Bruiser and Man About Town it rolls along as you'd expect. The only drawback being City Blues, a slower song, which has never been the Tatts strong point. Still tracks like Slipping Away, 1854 and Nothing To Lose more than make up for it. As always you'll also be wondering why more bands don't use slide guitar.

The reason I picked up this rerelease though was because it comes with a bonus DVD. This contains Tatts TV which has interviews and some brief concert footage. While this is mostly of use to fans it does provide insight into the band. The DVD also has the Tatts performance from Wacken Open Air in 2006. Apart from the fact it runs under an hour it's awesome. The set is great considering the time constraints. There's plenty of new songs and they play most of the classics with We Can't Be Beaten being the notable exception.

I'm not sure whether this is out in Australia yet, I couldn't wait so I picked up a copy on ebay. Wherever you can find it I'd get it, it's a must.

9 / 10
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August 23rd 2008 @ 16:46

Posted By: Lachlan McLeod - Category: No Category
   


Def Leppard Songs From The Sparkle Lounge



It's all been about Def Leppard recently. I interviewed Phil Collen and then wrote an article on him, I'm anticipating their tour with much excitement and I've listened to their new album Songs From The Sparkle Lounge many times. While it's not the return to form that was widely publicised there are enough decent tracks to make you purchase this CD.

To Def Leppard's credit Songs From The Sparkle Lounge sees the band move away from the pop influences of the past. On this album they have gone for a raw sound, which is more similar to their earlier releases.

On songs like Nine Lives and C'mon C'mon this works well. Both are infectious rockers and will have no problem finding their way into Def Leppard's live set.

When the obligatory ballad Love kicks in Songs From The Sparkle Lounge does fall away. This isn't a terrible song but it doesn't come close to Love Bites or Long, Long Way To Go. They follow this up with a number of modern rock tracks that are only saved by the guitar solos.

Just when you think I know what the rest of the album will sound like Def Leppard come back to life with Bad Actress. It's a fast paced track in the vein of Stagefright and is the best song they've done in years. A couple more like this would have improved Songs From The Sparkle Lounge immensely.

Songs From The Sparkle Lounge is a good album that could've been great. This isn't necessarily a bad thing because at least they're not disgracing their name. I wonder if I'll be able to say that when the world's biggest metal band releases their new album.

8 / 10
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August 8th 2008 @ 06:33

Posted By: Lachlan McLeod - Category: No Category
   


Mortal Sin Live At The Espy


If I had a complaint about the metal year so far it would be that I haven't seen enough heavy bands. Recently I had the chance to make amends when I saw Contrive and for the first time Mortal Sin.

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July 17th 2008 @ 07:50

Posted By: Lachlan McLeod - Category: No Category
   


Saxon Live At Billboards

Anyone who's a fan of Saxon will tell you how underrated they are. They'll also go on about how they should have been as big as Iron Maiden and Judas Priest. I know this because it's exactly how I feel. Therefore when Saxon were going to tour here last October I was thrilled, only to be crushed when it didn't eventuate. After an incredibly long wait and some poor promotion the dates were rescheduled. I once again had tickets, which made me excited and nervous. This was because many around me were talking up the gig more than I was, something I'm not used to. I actually found myself trying to downplay my enthusiasm to avoid disappointment.

To say the night went according to plan is a lie. I got inside Billboards to find I couldn't get where I was last time and the crowd was small. Any anger I had was quickly lost, as I seemed to know every second person there. It certainly felt like a metal party


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July 10th 2008 @ 18:44

Posted By: Lachlan McLeod - Category: No Category
   


Screaming Symphony Benefit Gig


When going to a metal show I tend not to worry about my appearance too much. My main concern is usually whether I've got the right black T-shirt to wear. For the Screaming Symphony Benefit Gig it was a completely different story. I made sure I'd shaved and I joked with my mate that I'd considered wearing a suit. The reason for this was that I'd be seeing Divine Ascension for the first time. I heard varying reports about their music, mostly I'd been told their frontwoman is hot so I thought I better look my best.

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June 20th 2008 @ 06:45

Posted By: Lachlan McLeod - Category: No Category
   


WASP Live At The Forum Twice


When you've been mates with someone for a long time you develop a bond. One that is so strong it would take something monumental to break. It could be something like having an affair with your mate's wife or if your a metal brother it could be over how you rate a band. This nearly happened to me a couple of years ago. My mate attended a metal festival overseas where for reasons I still don't understand he decided to see Evergrey (who he saw again later in his trip) when WASP were playing at the same time on a different stage. As much as most of it was in jest I almost considered this unforgivable and I let my mate know all about it to this day. WASP are hard rock legends and mainman Blackie Lawless has been rumoured to be dead too often to let any opportunity to see them slip by.

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June 5th 2008 @ 14:58

Posted By: Lachlan McLeod - Category: No Category
   


Medusa Live At Musicland


It's been a slow year for local gigs so when the opportunity to see Medusa presented itself I was keen to go. They've been a favourite of mine for some time and are one of the most dependable live bands around.

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May 14th 2008 @ 06:36

Posted By: Lachlan McLeod - Category: No Category
   


Ozzy Osbourne Live At Rod Laver Arena

Ozzy Osbourne has done more than most in life. He was the iconic frontman of Black Sabbath, a reality TV star and is a constant advertisement of why you shouldn't take drugs. What seems to get lost is his solo career. With flawless albums like Blizzard of Ozz and No More Tears to his name I'm not quite sure how this happens.

So when I found out Ozzy was coming down under I didn't need much encouragement to go - even if he is past his prime. I'd never seen the Ozzman and I loved his recent album Black Rain - it showed he could go on for some time yet


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April 2nd 2008 @ 14:02

Posted By: Lachlan McLeod - Category: No Category
   


Helloween Live At The Forum

At Gamma Ray I said it. After Blind Guardian I definitely said it. Hell I even said it at Evergrey. As good as those 3 bands were I'd always leave saying I wish this had been Helloween. Maybe someone was listening because I recently got my wish when Andi Deris and company came to Australia for the first time.

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March 14th 2008 @ 01:54

Posted By: Lachlan McLeod - Category: No Category
   


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