The Best Of 2017
2017 will go down as a challenging
year. Sure, every year has its difficulties, but 2017 seemed just that much
tougher to get through.
But despite the struggles of day to day
life, at least there’s music.
But having said that, I’d have to admit
that 2017 won’t go down as one of the strongest in terms of classic musical
offerings either. There was no shortage of albums to listen to, but it fell
well short of mark of previous years for memorable albums.
But all was not lost, because there were
enough gems to emerge from the coal, and earn themselves high rotation
throughout the year.
So here it is this year’s list. As
always, the choices here are based on my own personal tastes, and are not in
any particular order of preference.
Enjoy.
The Night Flight Orchestra – Amber
Galactic (Nuclear Blast Records)
After the high mark of excellence left
with 2015’s ‘Skyline Whispers’, I expected big things from The Night Flight
Orchestra on their third album. And to be honest, on the first couple of listens,
I was disappointed. But you can never judge a book by its cover, and as time
wore on, so did my love of this album. Just about all the album tracks can be
listed as a favourite (Apart from the Mick Jagger cover of course!), but
favourites include ‘Midnight Flyer’, ‘Gemini’, the Kiss tinged ‘Sad State Of
Affairs’, ‘Jennie’, ‘Josephine’ and ‘Space Whisperer’. The album is a must
have!
Big Wreck – Grace Street (Zoë Records)
There are plenty of classic rock
outfits that emerge from the woodwork every year, but few that try live up to
their lofty claims of sounding like the real deal. But Canadian outfit Big
Wreck really is the exception. After a series of critically acclaimed releases,
the band is back with their latest effort, and it’s again something new from
them, and yet true to the bands past sound. ‘One Good Piece Of Me’, the vintage
‘Digging In’, ‘Tomorrow Down’ and the progressive laced instrumental ‘Skybunk
Marché’ is exactly the brand of rock you’d expect from the band, while keyboard
driven and measured ‘Motionless’, ‘All My Fears On You’, and the marriage of
all sounds on ‘Floodgates’ is new terrain from the group. Big Wreck isn’t the
next big thing, because they were always the real deal right from the start.
Ginger Wildheart – Ghost In The
Tanglewood (Round Records)
When Ginger announced that his new
album would be in a more acoustic/county vein, I was optimistic about the
results. But once again, I wasn’t sold on the finished product. But as always,
time has changed by mind, and for the most part, it’s another stellar effort
from the genius. The opener ‘The Daylight Hotel’ is an absolute cracker, while
the beautifully simple ‘Pay It Forward’, the heartache of ‘Miss You’ and ‘Remains’,
‘The Words Are Gonna Have To Wait’ and the rocking ‘The Reaper’ showcase
Ginger’s song writing stripped back, at seemingly at his best.
Hell Or Highwater – Vista (Spinefarm
Records)
It’s a while between releases for Hell
Or Highwater, but well worth it. Although sounding a little more polished on
the production front, the band retains the style that worked so well on their
former releases for the most part, with a couple of surprises to shake things
up a bit. Tracks such as ‘Don’t Hate Me’, ‘Dame’, ‘Colors’, ‘Washed Away’ and
the single ‘I Want It All’ will keep existing satisfied to no end, while cuts
such as the dramatic ‘Another Good Time’, ‘Lighter Than Air’, the thumping
modernised rock edge in ‘Don’t Stop. Get Up.’ and ‘Pieces’ keep things from
getting stale. ‘Vista’ is a truly well return for Brandon Saller and company
after a long period of inactivity.
Comeback Kid – Outsider (Nuclear Blast
Records)
Comeback Kid were always going to have
a challenge topping 2014’s ‘Die Knowing’ in my eyes, and while their new album
doesn’t quite topple the previous album off its place on the top shelf, the
band certainly gave it a bloody good go. ‘Outsider’ is probably best described
as an album that combines everything the band has delivered over the last three
studio albums. There’s plenty of aggressive hardcore/punk (‘Outsider’, ‘I’ll Be
That’, ‘Outrage (Fresh Face, Stale Cause)’ and ‘Livid, I’m Prime’) mixed masterfully
with tracks that drive home Andrew Neufeld’s irresistible melodic presence (‘Somewhere, Somehow’, ‘Surrender
Control’, ‘Absolute’ and the heavy ‘Throw That Stone’). Overall, this is
another top effort from the Canadian’s.
KXM – Scatterbrain (Rat Pak Records)
What I love about KXM is how much it
brings out in the three musicians involved. Bassist/vocalist Doug Pinnick
(King’s X) provides some amazing melodies and bottom end, guitarist George
Lynch (Dokken/Lynch Mob) truly stretches out and delivers a while array of
riffs and sounds that extend beyond his safety zone, and Ray Luzier (Korn) is
all over every song with his rhythmic thumping. Although they don’t stray too
far from the blueprint laid out three years ago, the songs are so good you can
overlook the fact. Stand outs include the groove based ‘Calypso’, the catchy
‘Not A Single Word’, the darkened overtones of ‘It's Never Enough’ and ‘Stand’
and the melodic trio of ‘Noises In The Sky’, ‘Scatterbrain’ and ‘Breakout’. If
you enjoyed their debut, then this is a must have.
Cheap Trick – We’re All Alright! (Big
Machine Records)
Despite being around for more than
forty years, I believe some of Cheap Trick’s strongest output outside of their first
decade together has been anything the band has released in the last ten years.
And that high standard is maintained on their latest effort ‘We’re All
Alright!’. Sounding a whole lot less polished and guitar heavy than anything
the band has released in years, ‘We’re All Alright!’ is Cheap trick in full
‘rock on’ mode, and sounding as good as ever. Classic Cheap Trick on full
display with stellar cuts such as ‘You Got It Going On’, ‘Long Time Coming’, ‘Lolita’,
‘Like A Fly’ and ‘Brand New Name On An Old Tattoo’, while ‘Nowhere’ and ‘Radio
Lover’ see the band add a punk edge to their classic rock sound. After a patchy
stretch through the ‘80’s and 90’s, Cheap Trick have bounced back with
enthusiasm and energy that belies their age. As far as I’m concerned, that’s
alright by me.
After the disappointment of 2012’s
‘Afterglow’, I didn’t expect the band to make a return, let alone emerge with a
fourth full length effort. But while my expectations were quite low, this album
really does herald a comeback for the band, and a welcome return to the collaborative
styled of song writing that was missing the last time around. Practically
everything is a winner here, but ‘Over My Head’, Bonamassa’s ‘The Last Song For
My Resting Place’, the riff heavy ‘Sway’ and ‘When The Morning Comes’ are
possibly some of the best tunes Page and Plant never got around to writing and
recording.
Decapitated – Anticult (Nuclear Blast
Records)
Fusing together elements of thrash and
death metal, and adding some melodic atmospherics has been working like a charm
for Decapitated in recent years to these ears. And on their latest album, the
Polish outfit have damn near perfected the mix on ‘Anticult’. From the groove
based thrash of ‘Deathvaluation’, to the infection catchiness of ‘Kill The
Cult’ and ‘Earth Scar’ and the throwback to days of old (Albeit with a modern
twist) of the punishing ‘Never’, Decapitated have come up with a diverse, yet
cohesive sounding album that is worthy follow up to 2014’s rather impressive
‘Blood Mantra’.
Sepultura – Machine Messiah (Nuclear
Blast Records)
Sepultura have always been a bit hit
and miss to me. For every big leap forward with a new album the band seem to
make, they falter with the follow up effort. Fortunately, ‘Machine Messiah’ is
one of those steps onward for the Brazilian outfit. Sepultura find a great
balance between doom heavy efforts (The title track), thrash blasting tunes (‘I
Am The Enemy’, ‘Silent Violence’ and the fantastic ‘Vandals Nest’),
experimental orchestral fare (‘Phantom Self’ and ‘Sworn Oath’) and the rhythmic
groove based songs the band are primarily known for (‘Alethea’, ‘Cyber God’ and
‘Resistant Parasites’) to produce a well rounded and interestingly diverse
album.
Top Ten Songs For 2017
Why stop at a top ten? That’s a good
question. And the answer is I haven’t. These albums aren’t quite as consistent
all the way through, but still have enough killer tracks to make them worth
checking out.
Pain Of Salvation – Silent Gold (From
‘In The Passing Light Of Day’)
After the brilliance of the double
barrelled ‘Road Salt’ efforts, ‘In The Passing Light Of Day’ is a chore to sit
through if I’m not in the right frame of mind. But one true gem to shine from
the album’s punishing progressive push from start to finish is the stunning
ballad ‘Silent Gold’. Stripped back, and full of Daniel Gildenlöw’s emotive
vocals, ‘Silent Gold’ is an absolute stunner that proves that a song doesn’t
have to be complex and challenging to captivate the listener.
Richie Kotzen – I’ve Got You (From
‘Salting Earth’)
Kotzen is another artist who despite
being immensely talented, can be real hit and miss on the album front. His
latest album is evidence of this, but it does have some absolute dazzlers in
there, including ‘I’ve Got You’. What it lacks in guitar wizardry, it more than
makes up with its infectious chorus and energetic vibe. And the fact that the
song sounded just as great live is a testament of how great the song stands up
on all fronts.
Warbringer – Shellfire (From ‘Woe To
The Vanquished’)
I love Warbringer, but to be honest,
‘Woe To The Vanquished’ fell well short of my expectations. I believe the band
may have been trying too hard to stretch their sound, and delivered an album
that sounds underdeveloped. But that doesn’t mean it’s a total failure, with
‘Shellfire’ a sure-fire thrashing blast that remind me of the very reason I got
into the band all those years ago. Fast paced, catchy and sounding better than
ever on the production front, ‘Shellfire’ is a sign that the band haven’t lost
their mojo, but merely misplaced it this time around.
Alice Cooper - Fireball (From
‘Paranormal’)
Now this one was a challenge! Not the
strongest album from the Coop, but far from his worst. So O.K., which track is
your favourite? And there’s the problem. I liked quite a few from the album,
but one that gets me every time is ‘Fireball’. Sounding unlike anything else on
the album, this bass driven (Dennis Dunaway no less!)/organ heavy effort
(Courtesy of Bob Ezrin) is a marvel of strangeness and catchiness, and suits
Alice to a T. It’s in a style of its own, and it’s when Alice produces his best
work.
Galactic Cowboys – Infernal Masquerade
(From ‘Long Way Back To The Moon’)
After seventeen years away, Galactic
Cowboys finally reunited with their original line up and put together a new
album! And man, was I excited. While I have yet to fully absorb in the entire
album, I can safely say that it’s not quite up to top ten material. But it does
have some great tunes, such as ‘Infernal Masquerade’. Packed with killer
harmonies, chunky riffs and a chorus that sticks in the mind once the song has
well and truly finished, the album may be far from perfect, but this is a
killer track.
Akercocke - Familiar Ghosts (From
‘Renaissance In Extremis’)
Akercocke is another act that emerged
from out of a self imposed exile to return with a new album this year, and
despite some clear changes in sound, ‘Renaissance In Extremis’ is a very solid
album. If I were to choose one song that is a favourite, and one that best sums
up all of the band’s multi-faceted sound, it would have to be ‘Familiar
Ghosts’. Effortlessly combining the more extreme, melodic and progressive
elements of Akercocke’s sound, ‘Familiar Ghosts’ is a good example of what the
band has to offer in the one song.
Black Star Riders - Thinking About You
Could Get Me (From ‘Heavy Fire’)
Three albums in, and Black Star Riders
are still producing the goods. There’s a lot of great tracks on the album, but
‘Thinking About You Could Get Me Killed’ is a firm favourite with its heavier
sound (Courtesy of guitar duo Scott Gorham and Damon Johnson), and Ricky
Warwick channelling a bit more grit on the vocal front to give the song a bit
more of that sound that made The Almighty so great in the first place.
The Haunted – Preachers Of Death (From
‘Strength In Numbers’)
After launching a bit of a comeback on
2014’s ‘Exit Wounds’, I was really hoping for a knockout blow with ‘Strength In
Numbers’. Unfortunately, something is a bit amiss on the new album, and The
Haunted ended up with a solid, but unremarkable release. But when they hit the
mark, they hit hard. ‘Preachers Of Death’ is definitely a hard hitter with its
chugging groove and menacing tone, this track is what’s expected of the band
both in terms of heaviness and density, and delivered in spades.
Roger Waters - Déjà Vu’ (From ‘Is This
The Life We Really Want?’)
It took him twenty-five years, but
Waters finally released a new album in ‘Is This The Life We Really Want?’. It’s
by far his most accessible and Pink Floyd sounding effort, and perhaps that’s
what stopped it from getting in my top list. Is it too easy to enjoy? Regardless
of this, ‘Déjà Vu’ is classic Waters with lyrics pondering the age old question
of ‘What if...’, while musically speaking it’s as melodic as ever.
Contrive – Below The Line’ (From ‘Slow
Dissolve‘)
Saying that any band seems to get
stronger and better at what they do with every new album is somewhat of a cliché.
But with long running Melbourne outfit Contrive that really is the case. On
their third full length release, the Haug twins have sharpened their song
writing, their riffs and thrown caution to the wind in regards to expectations
and return with a truly solid album. In terms of streamlined sounding efforts, ‘Below
the Line’ well and truly fits the bit. The riffs and fairly straight forward, and
Andrews drumming keeps the backbeat ticking long. But what really carries the
song over the finish line is Paul’s great clean vocals. If you need to sample
one track, I’d recommend this one.
The Best Book Of 2017
David E. Gehlke - Damn The Machine: The
Story Of Noise Records (Deliberation Press)
There’s a tonne of autobiographies out
on the market at the moment, but there’s few, if any, written solely around the
story of a record label. Enter Gehlke, who came up with the idea of detailing
the history of hugely influential German heavy metal label Noise Records, and
the result is one truly unique book, and an absolute triumph for Gehlke’s debut
effort in novel form. Boasting exclusive interviews with many of the band’s signed
on with the label before, during and after its heyday, and spliced together
with label founder Karl-Ulrich Walterbach’s tales of dealing with the band, and
the label’s numerous employees spread through different territories, what
emerges is story of a label that managed to achieve as many successes as it did
failures. But during their time, German heavy metal label Noise Records was
nothing short of innovative, and long after their fall from grace, considered a
legend amongst fans for their foresight to sign on band’s that would help
spread the European metal scene throughout the world. This book is an absolute
labour of love, and a truly captivating read for anyone who followed the label’s
releases back in the day.
Biggest Surprise Of 2017
The return of Vinnie Vincent is hands
down the biggest surprise of the year. And the fact that the return to the
public domain was through Kiss Expo, and not through a mugshot and an attached
police report is an even bigger shock. Where it goes from here remains to be
seen, but the fact that he’s emerged after more than fifteen years after
dropping off the face of the earth is something of a miracle for diehard fans.
One can only hope that during 2018, Vincent can not only right the wrongs of
the past, but release some music to fans who have waited patiently for the his return
for close to two decades.
Biggest Disappointment Of 2017
A lot of big name rock stars passed away in
2017, but the one artist who did pass away that actually meant anything to me
was Chris Cornell. Given I was a fan (In particular Temple of The Dog), it was
a sad loss. I have no doubt there was plenty of songs left in him, but when a
life is cut short, so too is the possibility of any more music.
Most Anticipated Album Of 2018
In short, The Wildhearts. Despite
claiming that the band had been laid to rest (At least on the studio front after the release of 2009's '¡Chutzpah!' and its sister E.P. '¡Chutzpah! Jnr.'), Ginger is once again writing
songs for a new album from The Wildhearts due next year. I’m holding back the excitement
to avoid disappointment should it all fall through. But once it’s given the
green light and we have definitive details, there’s no holding me back!
