martindavey87 ‘Extreme II: Pornograffitti’ is the second album by American hair metal band, Extreme. Released in 1990, it came out at a time when there was a sense of change in the air. While grunge hadn’t yet completely taken over the world, there was certainly a feeling that a lot of the glam and party antics of the 80’s were becoming dated, which is unfortunate for this Boston quartet, as they had just released what could arguably be considered their best album.

I’ll never understand why hair metal was on such a decline back then, with energetic showmen traded for angsty introverts and flashy guitar solos traded for three chords. Perhaps people were just sick of the image of it all, or just not being able to relate to the lyrics? But regardless, the musicianship was still truly spectacular. For Extreme in particular, praise must go to guitarist Nuno Bettencourt, whose absolute ferocity on the guitar is insane, and vocalist Gary Cherone has an incredible and charismatic voice that totally fits the funky shred style of the riffs.

And I won’t leave out drummer Paul Geary and bassist Pat Badger, who are absolutely solid as a rhythm section, providing plenty of groove and funk.

There’s an absolute abundance of hits on this album, but particular highlights for me include ‘Decadence Dance’, ‘Get the Funk Out’, ‘It (‘s a Monster)’, ‘When I’m President’, the frantic shred-fest that is ‘He-Man Woman Hater’, soft ballad ‘More Than Words’ (which was actually a massive hit for the band), as well as the title track itself. But in all honesty, this album is just non-stop banger after banger, and if you can shake off the 80’s glam stigma, this is an incredible album, and an essential addition to every rock or metal collection.

martindavey87 Released in 1989, ‘The Real Thing’ is the third studio album by alternative metal band Faith No More, and is notable for being the first to feature vocalist Mike Patton. With former frontman Chuck Mosley gone, it’s the addition of Patton that helped the Californian’s truly find their sound and establish themselves as a huge name in the rock and metal world. A certain hit single didn’t hurt, either.

Further pushing the boundaries of where they could take their music, Faith No More’s chemistry as a band really started to pay dividends here. Blending metal, funk, and even pop and disco elements, with a variety of singing, rapping and growling, the band really hit a creative high with their unique sound and unique singer.

Of course, the main focal point of ‘The Real Thing’ is arguably the bands most well-known song and their biggest hit, ‘Epic’. A song that still garners endless radio rotation to this day! Along with ‘Epic’, there are other great tracks, such as the energetic ‘From Out of Nowhere’, the funky ‘Falling to Pieces’, the heavy ‘Surprise! You’re Dead!’ or the title track itself. Though, I must admit I do feel halfway through the album there’s a decline in quality. While the songs are easy enough to sit through, I generally find them quite passable.

Still, overall, this album is regarded as a classic, and rightfully so. It really put Faith No More on the map as mainstream superstars for a short time, and while their brief flirtation with commercial music wouldn’t last long, this record still holds up pretty well to this day, and definitely belongs in the collection of every rock and metal fan.

UMUR "The Dark Parade" is the fourth full-length studio album by US, California based thrash/alternative/funk metal act Mordred. The album was released through M-Theory in July 2021. Mordred formed in 1984 and disbanded in 1995 after releasing three full-length studio albums and a string of minor releases. They reunited in the 2001-2007 period, but no new studio output was recorded during that period. Mordred reunited again in 2013 and released "The Baroness" single in 2015, as their first release featuring new original material in 21 years (they released "The Demos 1986-1988" compilation in 2014, but as the title suggests it didn´t feature any new original material). The "Volition" EP was released in July 2020 (5 years after the release of "The Baroness" (2015) single), so it´s arguably been sparse with releases in the 27 years since Mordred released their third full-length studio album "The Next Room" (1994).

"The Dark Parade" features 8 new original compositions (none of them were featured on the "Volition" (2020) EP) and right from the opening notes of "Demonic #7", we´re treated to the unmistakable sound of Mordred. I´ll describe Mordred´s sound a combination of thrash metal and heavy groove laden riffs, clever melodic lead guitar work, heavy and occasionally funky bass and drums, turntable scratching and effectful atmoshere enhancing keyboards, and the charismatic singing/shouting of lead vocalist Scott Holderby in front. So the above tags thrash metal/funk metal/alternative metal are all valid at various times during the album. So in that respec all is as it´s also been on the preceding releases. It´s interesting to hear a band make a comeback after so many years, and sound like they never disbanded. Mordred don´t sound tired and old, or like they have no gas left in the tank...instead they sound hungry and like they have unfinished business. This is exactly what you would like to hear on a comeback album.

If you´re familiar with Mordred´s 80s/90s releases you´ll know that they are skilled musicians who deliver their music with great passion and conviction. Nothing has changed on "The Dark Parade" (despite a few lineup changes since the 90s) which is very well performed and features many intricate and powerful details. I always say that early- mid 90s Suicidal Tendencies are Mordred´s closest relative, but although there are definitely some similarities between the two artists, Mordred are very much their own and create a pretty original sound on "The Dark Parade".

The album features a powerful, detailed, and clear sounding production job, which suits the material perfectly. The thrashy heaviness are given just the right room to shine and provide the music with rawness and aggression, while the guitar melodies and vocal parts are also in focus in the soundscape. The drums, the bass, and the keyboards/turntable are also placed exactly where they should in the mix. Upon conclusion "The Dark Parade" is a high quality comeback album from Mordred. The material featured on the 2020 "Volition" EP already showed great promise, but maybe pointed in too many different directions. That is however not the case on "The Dark Parade", which is a consistent quality release and a 4 star (80%) rating is deserved.

UMUR "Volition" is an EP release by US, California based thrash/alternative/funk metal act Mordred. The EP was independently released in July 2020. Mordred formed in 1984 and disbanded in 1995 after releasing three full-length studio albums and a string of minor releases. They reunited in the 2001-2007 period, but no new studio output was recorded during that period. Mordred reunited again in 2013 and released "The Baroness" single in 2015, as their first release featuring new original material in 21 years (they released "The Demos 1986-1988" compilation in 2014, but as the title suggests it didn´t feature any new original material). Since the release of "The Next Room" (1994), which was their last release before their 1995 split-up, there have been two lineup changes. Drummer Gannon Hall has been replaced by Jeff Gomes, and original lead vocalist Scott Holderby has returned, replacing Paul Kimball who sang on "The Next Room" (1994).

"Volition" features four new original compositions, although one of the tracks is "The Baroness" from the 2015 single of the same name. This version of "The Baroness" is an alternate recording though, and it´s quite different from the original 2015 single version of the song. "Not for You" opens the EP with a great thrashy riff and some nice turntable scratching, before Holderby´s distinct sounding talking/singing vocals kick-in. A great energetic and powerful track and the most thrash metal oriented track on the EP. "What Are We Coming To" follows and it´s a very different sounding track, as it´s an electronic/keyboard track with some effect laden rap styled vocals on top. It features a sinister gloomy atmosphere, which is the greatest asset of the track. I´m not a huge fan of this style of music, but it´s decent enough for variation. "The Love of Money", features an alternative metal style with more melodic vocals. It´s a great quality track (make sure to watch the official music video for this track, which is pretty great). The above mentioned "The Baroness" closes the EP, and it´s an absolute beauty of a track (and like "Not for You" it´s a thrash metal oriented track). I especially enjoy how the band employ the use of riot gang vocals in such an effective way. The funk element of the band´s sound is heard on all of the tracks (except for "What Are We Coming To").

"Volition" is a well produced release, featuring a powerful, clear, and detailed sound production, which suits the material perfectly. "What Are We Coming To" drags my rating down just a bit, but other than that track "Volition" is quite the brilliant release and fully shows that Mordred still have a lot to offer after their long break. A 3.5 - 4 star (75%) rating is deserved.

UMUR "The Baroness" is a single release by US, California based thrash/alternative/funk metal act Mordred. The single was independently released in February 2015. Mordred formed in 1984 and disbanded in 1995 after releasing three full-length studio albums and a string of minor releases. They reunited in the 2001-2007 period, but no new studio output was recorded during that period. Mordred reunited again in 2013 and released "The Baroness" single which was their first release featuring new original material in 21 years (they released "The Demos 1986-1988" compilation in 2014, but as the title suggests it didn´t feature any new original material).

21 years is a long time not having released any new original material, but it doesn´t take more than a few seconds of listening to "The Baroness" before you should be convinced that Mordred are back with a vengeance. Bay Area type thrash metal riffs, turntable sctratching, and lead vocalist Scott Holderby delivering his rather unique talking/singing vocal style. This 2015 single version of "The Baroness" is quite different from the version of the track which would appear on the 2020 "Volition" EP, and unfortunately having listened to the 2020 recording first and this one after, I definitely favor the 2020 version. This one doesn´t feature as much bite and conviction as the version of the track which Mordred would include on the "Volition" (2020) EP. When that it said this single version of "The Baroness" is still a high quality track, and it´s a welcome comeback for Mordred. Unfortunately it would take them another 5 years before they released something again, but in this case it was worth the wait. A 3.5 star (70%) rating is deserved.