Album Review - Led Zeppelin's In Through The Out Door

Been a while since I’ve reviewed something that’s not Heavy Metal, hasn’t it fellow Otaku & Metalheads?

Not since December of 2017 if I’m recalling correctly have I review anything outside my comfort zone, but this is one of the few times that I am. Like I hinted at in my review around the middle of this month, I’m taking a look at the oldest album in my collection. Turning 40 years old back in August, this release was the final official album from a rock titan, and was a highly significant one at that (For somewhat negative reasons). So, let’s take a seat up at the bar, order some scotch on the rocks, and take a look at my review of Led Zeppelin’s concluding release, In Through The Out Door. Let’s begin.

Background
By the end of the 70s, things did not look good for Led Zeppelin. Robert Plant’s son Karac passed away in 1977,  John Bonham was struggling with alcoholism, and Jimmy Page had been battling heroin addiction. Coupled with a taxation exile from the UK (Which prevented them from performing in their home country for 2 years), it meant that the band had to struggle to get back into the mind of the public, and it was this struggle that led to the release of In Through The Out Door. Put out on the 15th of August, 1979, In Through The Out Door was much more influenced by John Paul Jones and Robert Plant, and less influenced by Bonham and Page (For obvious reasons). Due to the issues with half the band, Jones & Plant would put together most of the songs in the day, while Bonham and Page would add their parts at night. Jones was also inspired to create new songs after he got a Yamaha GX-1 synthesizer prior to the album's recording, and was "working closely with Robert, which was something that had not happened before."

In Through The Out Door was meet with fierce criticism at the time of it’s original release (Though some looked at it more positively than others). Charles M. Young from Rolling Stone said that Page's diminishing creativity resulted in little good material to work with for Plant, whose lyrics Young found inane, and Bonham, whose drumming was viewed as heavy handed. This brought to the forefront the keyboard playing of Jones, who Young said "functions best behind Page, not in front of him". Chris Bohn from Melody Maker said "the impressionable first play" of the record "had everyone in the office rolling around laughing", while accusing the band of being "totally out of touch" and "displaying the first intimations of mortality". Ironically enough, In Through The Out Door would go on to be a huge commercial success. In the United States, it would sit at the No.1 slot on Billboard's chart in just its second week on the chart, though it would be the last record of the band to chart in America for heavily obvious reasons.

To further the irony, the 2015 re-release would be highly well received by critics and fans. Q Magazine said that "it's aged remarkably well and All My Love is breathtakingly beautiful", while Classic Rock writer Tim Batcup observed on the bonus disc “a scruffier, rambunctious Hot Dog and a sparser In The Evening, the drone intro truncated and Jones's synths high in the mix”. Andrew Doscas of PopMatters was more critical than other reviewers, especially in regards to the bonus material. He said that "While In Through the Out Door does have some merit, it's cruel of Led Zeppelin to think that anyone, even a dedicated fan, could muster the strength to listen to the album twice in a row". That’s a harsh way to look at it, but a little understandable at the same time.

Basic Description
The only Led Zeppelin album I like.

Now, that will sound like blasphemy to about 90 percent of all Led Zeppelin fans, and I can kind of understand why. For the longest time I was not a fan of the band, and I gotta blame my Dad for playing them over & over when I was younger. This persists to this very day to a degree, and while I’m still not a full-blown fan.....my opinion on them has changed. When I was younger I thought they were obnoxious & weird, now it’s more of the fact that I find them a little too artistic for their own good. That being said, I have far more respect for the band now than I ever did when I was younger! Without this fine Brits, Heavy Metal wouldn’t be what it is today. Hell, Rock ‘n’ Roll and other genres of music might not have their respective flair and spice.

So what does this have to do with why I like In Through The Out Door? Well, I always found this album to be the least Led Zeppelin feeling release in the entirety of Led Zeppelin. It most certain sounds like something you’d hear from the band, but due to the usage of synthesizer & odd experimentation, it almost sounds like a band that’s trying to not be like Led Zeppelin. Whether this is because of the conflict within the band at the time or because of outside influences, I’m not sure. Regardless, I think it’s because of this deviation that I like the band so much. I’m weird, I know.

Best Track
Even before I got this album, I was always a sucker for All My Love. An incredible tribute to his son, Robert Plant is the driving force behind the song. His voice goes between crooning, blues, & beautiful sorrow at the drop of a needle, and he never misses a step. The instrumentation is equally beautiful, as everything is incredibly emotional but not complex. The guitar & drums are played rather simply, and while the keyboard might be a tiny bit ear-piercing, they just add to the atmosphere of the track. I can’t skip this song at all, and neither should you.

All My Love

Worst Track
Their really isn’t any one track on In Through The Out Door that’s bad, Like I said before, due to the fact that it sounds like Led Zeppelin the least, I have a far stronger attachment to the music on this album that some. That being said, I can see why some Led Zeppelin don’t like this one. They seem a little too reliant on keyboards at times, and the band also seems to try & relive moments from their older works in some places (Not necessarily for the better, btw). Again, I’m not really affected by this, but for long time fans I can see why this would be a turn-off.

Other
If you’re curious about listening to this album, click on the link below:

In Through The Out Door

Overall Impression & Rating
In Through The Out Door was definitely a divider back in 1979. The more Synth direction definitely confused at best, or turned them off at worst. However, the album is a paragon of emotionally-charged music, and while it might not be as heavy as earlier material, Led Zeppelin still know how to craft tunes that just stick & tugs at the heartstrings. It might not be an essential record to listen to from this band, yet it’s legacy as the final Led Zeppelin release cannot be denied.

In Through The Out Door gets a 7.5 out of 10.

And with that, we conclude November 2019. Some interesting albums were reviewed this month, and they all have cemented their legacy in music history in some way. With that out of the way, the end of the year has come, and thus it’s time for the final posts of the year. See you all really soon!

Album Review: W.A.S.P.'s The Headless Children

Sorry I’m late fellow Otaku & Metalheads.

It wasn’t anything major. I had thought it was still a little too soon to post something, and so I did type anything up. Low & behold I looked at my calendar, and realized that maybe I should get something out! Luckily, with World Coming Out a little over 20 years ago this month, I figured I’d make an unofficial theme for November, where I take a look at albums that have turned a certain age. In regards to the release I’m looking at today, it just so happened to turn 30 earlier this year, and it’s a classic to boot! So don your leather clothes, get your protest sign, and scream at my review of W.A.S.P.’s final album of the 80s, The Headless Children. Let’s begin.    

Background
The period after the release of Inside The Electric Circus was the roughest that Blackie Lawless & W.A.S.P. felt at the time. Their 3rd album didn’t do as well as they thought, and some critics (Chief among them Blackie himself) seemed to just tear into the thing. Coupled with a rather negative review of the single 3.5 N.A.S.T.Y., Blackie began thinking about what & how the band should progress. Deciding that perhaps a more socio-political route was the right way to go, and so he and the rest of the band went into the recording studio, jammed their hardest, and on April the 15th in 1989, put out The Headless Children for all to listen to.

The Headless Children would go onto be one of the highest charted album, staying at the no. 48, and stay there for 13 weeks, eventually become the biggest selling album of W.A.S.P.’s entire career. Not only that, but fans & music critics praised the album to no end, with Hard Rock writer Thomas Kupfer stating that The Headless Children was second to the band’s debut release, while Canadian journalist Martin Popoff described the album as "the W.A.S.P. record for those who don't like W.A.S.P., hollow, damp and alone, integrity discovered, humanity revealed." Sadly, The Headless Children would be the last album for nearly a decade that iconic guitarist Chris Holmes would play on, as he didn’t mesh well with the new direction that the band was turning onto. Ironic, considering that there was a song on the album Blackie dedicated to him (Mean Man).

Basic Description
Politically minded Blackie Lawless.

If The Headless Children is the first W.A.S.P. you’ve listened to, you’re in for a world of whiplash. Their prior 3 albums were filled with sex, drugs, rock n roll, and that patented Shock Rock meets Hair Metal formula they’ve perfected so well. Then this album comes along, and kinda changes the game for the band. Make no mistake: they still have that aquanet hairspray floating around, and they still know how to offend. However, with the change in subject matter, their focus is less on physical wildness, and more on sticking it to the man. War, systemic oppression, and religious hypocrisy are just some of things that Blackie & the gang covered on this album, and it’s simultaneously refreshing yet confusing in a way.

Best Track
Like I said back in August, the band’s cover of The Real Me is the best thing on The Headless Children. Make no mistake: The Who crafted a wonderful song, and I can see why people like it. For me, I kind of like the more raw approach that Blackie & the gang took with their cover. I easily see why it connected with many younger people at that time, and the mix of The Who & W.A.S.P. probably resonated with a lot of them. As for myself.....I think it’s just an awesome song.

The Real Me

Worst Track
As I stated in August, The Headless Children’s only “Flaw” would be the tonal shift it took. Forgoing the sex, drugs, and rock n roll route of their first 3 albums, this one goes for a more socially conscious route, with a little bit of politics thrown into the mix, and I think for some this was probably off-putting. However, it’s the only time that I didn’t have an issue with this change, as it never necessarily came across as in your face (At least not completely). The topics sung were legit issues at the time, and still are today. Ironically, Blacke never came across as the conservative Christian like he has been since 2001. Rather, he smoothed out his carnal edge with real-world issues. That’s how I see it at least.

Other
If you’re curious about listening to this album, check out the link below:

The Headless Children

Overall Impression & Rating
The Headless Children definitely shows off a more socially conscious Blackie Lawless, and by extension a more socially conscious W.A.S.P.. That doesn’t mean that they lost what made them so successful in the first place, as that raw W.A.S.P. sound & feel is still very much apparent. It may not have as much sex & violence as say their first record, but The Headless Children compensates by having a sharp edge that cuts into your mind, and it’s not healing anytime soon. Luckily, this is one head wound I don’t mind suffering from.

The Headless Children gets a 9 out of 10.

Again, sorry for getting this up a little later this week. I forgot about putting something up, but luckily I remember just in time. I’ll see you all towards the end of this month, when I’ll review the oldest album I have in my collection.

The Top 5 Darkest Metal Albums of All Time

Hey fellow Otaku & Metalheads.

This is something of a random post I just decided to do. Despite having an amazing experience seeing Hammerfall & Sabaton at the Palladium in Worchester last week, I’ve just been feeling down a lot lately. So, I figured “What the hell”, and decided to use that down-ness for something productive. So here are my top 5 darkest metal albums of all time!

(Note: These are what I consider to be the 5 darkest metal albums ever. All of you will probably have your own 5 darkest records. These are the ones that are the darkest to me.)

5) Korn - The Nothing (Song)

We begin this list with a pretty recent release. Coming out nearly 2 months ago, Korn’s 13 release is the darkest that they’ve ever done. There were certainly some bleak tracks beforehand, but The Nothing is the first album that captures everything negative feeling that Johnathan Davis felt at the time. Losing his wife and his mother, not to mention having bipolar issues and diabetes, he really was at the lowest he’s ever been. This reflects upon each and every song that’s on this record, and yet The Nothing was simultaneously a way for the beleaguered frontman to let out everything negative from his mind & soul. Definitely a dark album.

4) W.A.S.P. - Still Not Black Enough (Song)

As I was making this list, I was surprised that outside of The Nothing, everything else came from the 90s. The decade was wild when it came to music, and the landscape was all over the place. Metal was definitely affected by this, and some of the darkest records of the genre came out here. Case in point is the forgotten classic of W.A.S.P.’s career, Still Not Black Enough. In many ways the record is a lot like The Nothing: both were inspired by the pain of the frontman, and the music reflects their agony. The reason that I think Still Not Black Enough eeks out a little more than Korn’s release is cause it’s somewhat unexpected, and rightfully so. W.A.S.P.’s 80s output was a nice mix of Hair Metal meets shock, and while The Crimson Idol was more serious than their prior output, it still felt like something from the band. With Still Not Black Enough? You treated to what may very well be the most personal material Blacke Lawless has ever made. It might be hard to find physically, but this album might just be the most essential W.A.S.P. album ever.

3) Ministry - Dark Side Of The Spoon (Song)

I said it back in 2016, and I’ll say it again: Dark Side Of The Spoon is underrated, underappreciated, and highly misunderstood. After Filth Pig became a bomb for Ministry, Al Jourgenson’s life went to hell in a handbasket, as drug & alcohol usage got worse, and his wife & child left him. This instilled within him a depression that would ultimately become a battle for him, yet it was at this time he became highly experimental with his work. Dark Side Of The Spoon is most definitely Industrial Metal, but there’s little bits of Country, Jazz, and some other unexpected genres thrown into the pot, not to mention the agony that Uncle Al was going through. The end result is an album that’s highly unique among Ministry’s discography, and one you should check out if you can.

2) Sodom - Tapping The Vein (Song)

You already know the story behind this record: my Mom was in the hospital, I was feeling god-awful, and this album was there for me everyday she was in there. Even if all of this didn’t happen, Tapping The Vein might just be the most brutal thing that Sodom has ever produced. Almost bordering on Death Metal, one reviewer on MetalArchives said that ““Tapping the Vein” often gives you the impression that brutality itself is somehow “taking over” the band’s songwriting, almost like Tom & co. were put under a schizoid possession that drove them to write violent music beyond their own control and beyond common logic, almost in a grindcore vein.” I most sincerely agree with that statement, as while I’m not the biggest Grindcore fan, Tapping The Vein almost reaches that genre’s love for violence and graphic imagery. If I never came across what ultimately became my number 1, Tapping The Vein would easily have taken it.....but there was another.

1) Type-O Negative - World Coming Down (Song)

You all should have seen this one coming. Out of all the dark/serious album’s I’ve listened to, nothing has ever come close to Type-O Negative’s most bleak output of their entire career. Forgoing the gothic sensuality & imagery of Bloody Kisses and October Rust, World Coming Down is the perfect reflection of a man that’s at the bottom of the barrel. Drug addiction, mental illness, dark sexual thoughts (Pyretta Blaze anybody?), loss, and loneliness are just a few of the things that Pete Steele was feeling. It definitely shows, as the band rarely if ever playing anything from the album during it’s tour. It’s a testament to it’s name, as just over 20 years later, even the most hardcore of Type-O Negative fans sometimes get a chill up their spines when listening to this album. That’s says something about it’s legacy.

And those were my top 5 darkest albums of all time. Again, this was just a spur of the moment post, but I feel that I needed to make this as a way to vent & shed how bad I’m feeling. I’ll be back to my normal self soon, and get some more content out also!

Album Review: Type-O Negative's World Coming Down

It’s getting close fellow Otaku & Metalheads.

We’ve past the spookiest time of the year, and now we’re in the home stretch of 2019. It’s the start of November, and December is just a few weeks away. I got some end-of-year content planned for next month, but beforehand I got some catching up to do. Since we’ve only got a little bit of a year ending in 9, a bunch of albums have some special birthday’s this year, so why not give them a little bit of love. All throughout this month, I got reviews coming up that all have their birthday in year’s that ended with the number nine. Today’s review turned 20 just a few short months ago, and it’s one of the bleakest records to ever conclude a decade. So sit back, turn down the lights & grab a stiff drink, and read my review for Type-O Negative’s darkest record. This is gonna be rough.

Background
The year following the release of October Rust weren’t the easiest for frontman Peter Steele. In the upcoming years he was having family members die for what seemed like every few months (If I’m being honest, things began to go downhill the year before October Rust when Pete’s father died), and coupled with his own growing depression eventually caused the man to break. He began to take cocaine at the age of 35 (He said in interviews he knew it was stupid, but was so broken he didn’t care), and the music to come would take a drastically bleak turn. Released on September the 21st, 1999, World Coming Down was the darkest Type-O Negative album at the time, and remains so to this day. Gone were the gothic themes (Outside of 2 exceptions) on prior albums, and in it’s place were personal issues of suicide, drug & alcohol abuse, depression, & whatever other negative thing Pete was feeling at the time. Not only that, but the album marks the first time that the band ever went full-blown Doom Metal, as a lot of the tracks come across like dirges meant for the most tragic of funerals.

Ironically enough, despite the bleak nature of the record and the lack of songs on the promotional tour (The band rarely if ever played any songs off the record, with the title track being one of the few exceptions during the Dead Again tour), World Coming Down was actually the 1st Type-O Negative record to ever break the Top 40 on the Billboard 200. Reaching no. 39, the album was received favorably by fans and critics back then & now, with AllMusic critic Steve Huey gave the album a 4-out-of-5 star rating, and Adam Wasylyk of Chronicles of Chaos gave it a very positive review: "An album that won't be ignored, it's my favorite album of 1999. Hands down.".

To add further irony to the situation, the members of the band had mixed opinions after World Coming Down was released. Keyboardist and producer Josh Silver felt that the band had release a strong record, while Pete Steele said that the music was too strongly connected to an uncomfortable period in his life (Hence why they hardly promoted the record during the tour for it).

Basic Description
To quote CoverKillerNation: “This album is mired with depression and suicidal iletiations with excess, addiction, alcoholism.”

This record is the very incarnation of rock bottom. This is the embodiment of someone who’s at the lowest point of their life, and even if they recover from it a piece always remains. This record is the definition of everything dark in our life, and what a few of us might become if life decides to throw some particularly virulent shit at us. This record is what some of us dread at the worst points of our life, and dread as what those close to us might become. However, I propose one addition.....that World Coming Down is beautiful.

You might laugh at that, but hear me out. The entire album is a torrent of negative thoughts & emotions, and if you’re not properly prepared you will get punched in the face with the force of a hundred sledgehammers. However, in creating an album that let’s out all of this negativity, Pete Steele was already beginning the healing process. Whether he knew it or not, World Coming Down was the 1st step in getting back to normal. In my opinion, that’s what makes this release beautiful in a sense.

Best Track
Like I said back in 2015, Creepy Greet Light really is the only song on World Coming Down that has any positivity to it (Apart from Skip It). Make to mistake though: it’s still just as emotionally heavy as everything else on the album. However, the bittersweet feel of the track makes it stand out among every other song, and the fact that it’s one out of two tune that are the lone gothic standouts make it special. The Doom Metal like pacing mixes with the Gothic tone & vibe really well, and Pete Steele’s voice is at an all time high on this track (Even though he’s great everywhere else). Definitely a song that’s great for October.....or for a Gothic romance.

Creepy Green Light

Worst Track
Like I said earlier, World Coming Down is a torrent of dark emotions. Outside of Skip It or Creepy Green Light, every other song is incredibly sad. The themes of the album are incredibly obvious, and not the least bit comfortable. Due to this severe emotional bleakness, it makes the album the least accessible out of everything Type-O Negative has ever produced, and in turn is the black sheep of the lot. Even the albums that came after World Coming Down (Including The Least Worst Of a year later ironically enough) have nowhere near as much bleakness all over the music, and are easier to get into.

Other
If you’re curious enough to listen to this album, click on the link below:

World Coming Down

Overall Impression & Rating
World Coming Down is just one of those albums that could have only come from Pete’s tormented psyche. Sure, there have been plenty of albums before & after that are pretty dark, but because of a mix of awful moments in life & personal issues not being handled well, it could only have come out in the late 90s and from Type-O Negative. This definitely isn’t the easiest release from the band to access, but if you manage to get your hands on this & give it a listen, you’ll find it to be an essential “Dark” record.

World Coming Down gets a 10 out of 10 from me (Probably most other Type-O Negative fans as well), but others might give it a 9 out of 10 due to how heavy the emotions are. Maybe an 8 out of 10 if listeners are especially critical of the emotional aspect of the record.

And with that, we continue further into November, and into albums that are older. See you all towards the middle of the month, when we’re get stung once again. Until then, keep your head up if you can.