Metal Overview: Alcatrazz

I had to admit that this was a tough one, fellow Otaku & Metalheads.

It’s not that the music is bad, cause it isn’t! Despite their short run, Alcatrazz released some of the finest progressive music the 80s has ever seen. Headed by Graham Bonnet, the group was quite the tour-de-force, and to this day has a respectable cult following. My problem.....is that I don’t consider this band to be metal. Make no mistake there’s a healthy does of heaviness, as you’ll soon seen, but I don’t quite hear it as Heavy Metal. With that out of the way, lets look at the short lived but awesome Alcatrazz, and see why they’re worth your time!

No Parole from Rock n Roll (1983)(Album)

Sometimes, if you can’t go back to your old comfort zone, it’s best to make a new one, and that’s Exactly what Alcatrazz was. After his time within the iconic Rainbow, and his stint in the Michael Shenker Group, Graham Bonnet decided to form a band that would replicate the groups he was in before, and thus Alcatrazz was born! Composed of Graham Bonnet on vocals, Gary Shea, Jimmy Waldo, Jan Uvena on Drums, and Swedish guitarist Yngwie Malmsteen (A man as talented as he is egotistical). Then on October 15, 1983, the band released the first of only 3 albums, No Parole from Rock n Roll. It charted on the Billboard 200 for 18 weeks, with it’s peak at no. 128. Perhaps the strangest thing about No Parole from Rock n Roll is the fact that it has a strong following in Japan, and certain tracks can still be found in karaoke bars to this day!
                                       
Best Track? Gonna have to go with Hiroshima Mon Amour. Dedicated to the survivors of the atomic bombing at Hiroshima (Hence the name of the song), this song holds a different meaning for me. You see, I had an uncle in WWII that was part of the Army Surveillance Corps, and was at Hiroshima after the bomb went off. I never met the man, but from stories I’ve been told, he wasn’t the same when he came home. He was drained by what he saw, and became rather slow. Until his dying days a few years ago, he was scarred by the horrors of war. So for me, Hiroshima Mon Amour can be a powerful song for both sides of the battle.

Hiroshima Mon Amour

Worst Track? Suffer Me is the only bad track on No Parole from Rock n Roll, but even then it’s not unbearable. Graham Bonnet is wailing as hard as he can, but it comes across as strained a little. There’s great instrumentation, but it’s all played rather slowly, and the keyboarding comes across as incredibly meh. Definitely not an awful song, but the flaws prevent me from saying it’s good.

Suffer Me

No Parole from Rock n Roll. A strong start from the band, and a interesting look at what may come in the future. The gateway into Alcatrazz, but not my favorite of their records. Next album!

Disturbing the Peace (1985)(Album)

Despite the success of Alcatrazz’s initial release, there were rumblings between Graham & Yngwie during their tour for No Parole from Rock n Roll. Eventually, these rumblings caused Yngwie to leave the group to pursue his own solo career at Polydor Records, but that’s for another time. In the search for a new guitarist, the group eventually landed upon another musical genius by the name of Steve Vai, who some of you might recognize as the man that helped introduce Devin Townsend to the world. With Vai in the group, and a new deal at Capitol Records, Alcatrazz set-out to craft another killer record, and on March 22, 1985, Disturbing the Peace was released. Staying on the Billboard 200 for 16 weeks, Disturbing the Peace was a lower-charting album than No Parole from Rock n Roll, with it’s peak at no. 145.

Best Track? God Blessed Video! Everything right & wrong with 80s rock and metal can be found in this track. Hokey, cheesy, stupid, and all sorts of fun. The mix of Steve Vai’s guitar work, couple with Graham Bonnet’s singing, makes for any awesome experience. The rest of the band does a good job too, with drumming that fits perfectly, and keyboarding that’s not too over the top, but not underwhelming either. A great way to open an album!

God Blessed Video

Worst Track? Breaking the Heart of the City. Dear god this is an awful way to end an album! I can understand the intent behind this song, but I can’t enjoy this at all. The band is playing at a snail’s pace, the keyboarding is irritating, and Graham Bonnet’s vocals really don’t work. In a lot of ways it kind of reminds me of the Heavy Duty/Defenders of the Faith combo from Judas Priest’s 1984 release, albeit a longer running time (And the fact that it’s only 1 song). Just end listening to this album at Skyfire, and you’ll be fine.

Breaking the Heart of the City

Disturbing the Peace. The middle brother of Alcatrazz’s miniature discography, but a middle brother that’s got some bite to it. A mid-80s record that you should have in your collection, or at the very least listen to it once. Next album!

Dangerous Games (1986)(Album)

Despite the acquisition of their new guitarist, success seemed to escape Alcatrazz. Things didn’t improve when Steve Vai left to join David Lee Roth’s solo. The leaving wasn’t bad this time around, as Steve & Graham remained on good terms, and Vai credits Alcatrazz as a high point in his career. His replacement came in the form of Danny Johnson, who’s prior bands included Axis, Alice Cooper, and Rod Stewart’s backup band. With their new guitarist signed, the band set out to create what would become their final album, Dangerous Games. Released in September of 1986, Dangerous Games was a drastic change from their previous two records, as a heavy Japanese style was the main influence behind this release. It didn’t really do anything positive for the record, as it failed to even chart. This was the last straw for Alcatrazz: shortly after the release of Dangerous Games, Danny Johnson left to join the group Private Life, and being disheartened by the revolving door of guitarists & shrinking album sales, Graham Bonnet broke up Alcatrazz in 1987. It’s a crying shame, as this is my favorite out of the trio of Alcatrazz’s albums, and to quote the almighty Razorfist, this is the single most 1980's album ever released.
 
Best Track? Blue Boar just seems to catch my attention, and I’m not sure why. Maybe it’s the instrumentation, with it’s slick & sensual feeling. Maybe it’s Graham Bonnet’s singing, as he balances between soft & mild wailing perfectly. Or maybe it’s because of the Japanese-like vibes I’m getting off of this track (And the album in general). I’m not exactly sure why, but what I do know is that Blue Boar is incredibly catchy, and I’m sure that most of you will like it as much as I do.

Blue Boar

An Honorable Mention has to go to not the music, but the album cover. I have never seen such a ridiculous cover in my life: a darkened living room, in which a panther is staring right at you, with a zebra-print couch on the right, and a table with a vodka martini on the left. I challenge any of you to find a album cover that’s even more ridiculous!

Worst Track? Only....One....Woman. You see, long before his time in MSG, and his brief stint in Rainbow, and even during his commercial jingle days, Graham Bonnet was part of a brief UK duo called The Marbles. Despite being around for only a year, it actually achieved some success, and Only One Woman became their one major hit (Reaching number 5 on the UK charts). It’s actually pretty damn good, as Graham really hits the high notes throughout the whole thing, and the minimal instrumentation complements the singing.

Only One Woman (The Marbles Version)

With this version, the band is really trying too hard to replicate the sound & feel on the original. Graham is trying too hard to sound like he did back in the 60s, and the rest of the group are really holding themselves back as they try to match-up with the pacing of the 60s version. This is only one of the few times I would say to ignore a song from this band (Apart from Breaking the Heart of the City, of course). 

Only One Woman (Dangerous Games Version)

A dishonorable mention would have to Ohayo Tokyo, but even then it’s due to the mild absurdity of the thing. Graham Bonnet’s at the top of his vocal game, and the rest of the band is putting in their dues, but the keyboarding really makes this track just goofy to listen to. If anything, the tune comes across as slightly Wapanese/Weaboo, but that might be just me. Definitely not terrible, but like Suffer Me from No Parole from Rock n Roll, it’s just “Meh”.

Ohayo Tokyo

Dangerous Games. Alcatrazz’s heaviest album by far, and the only one that I would consider to be metal. Out of all of the releases that this band put out during it’s brief existence, I have to say that this might be the most essential. Definitely recommended!

So that was a look at the brief existence of Alcatrazz. Maybe not a full-blown metal band, but definitely fits the bill if you want some nice & heavy. Give these guys a go, and let me know what you think. See you next week!




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If you want to see Razorfist’s take on Alcatrazz, check out the link below:

Metal Mythos (Alcatrazz)