tts42572

Just now, Captain Howdy said:

The only reason Erik might last longer is he is a fanboy for the band, Harnell was one of their peers back in the day.

I think for him it was just a job, for Erik it's kinda his dream.

Yeah, I see both sides.

I think no matter what happens, one thing Erik will do is increase his exposure in the USA.  And if it doesn't work with Skid Row for whatever reason, he'll be able to launch a solo career or find another lead gig.

I think Skid Row kind of needs him though.  I mean, this is probably their last chance.  If they can't make some headway with Erik, then they might as well hang it up.  It's really a golden opportunity for both sides.

I do struggle seeing the fit though and wonder how long it can possibly last.  I feel like "real" bands that are successful generally have common bonds that bind so to speak.  It's tough to see how a band like Skid Row is going to take kindly to Erik becoming the face of the band.  He definitely will feel like a hired gun and hard to see it being a long term thing.

I guess we'll see. 

2 minutes ago, The Rocker said:

Happy for him, but SR is old news and rather him in H.E. A.T

Same here.

Nice move for him to gain exposure and make Skid Row relevant again.  I mean, I know I skipped seeing them a few years ago for $20 and they were literally 10 minutes from my house.  I wouldn't skip them again though!

Hopefully they put out some great new music and can have a nice run with Erik.

But I agree, I'd much rather see him in H.E.A.T or even another new melodic rock band.  But I think a reason Erik left H.E A.T was just that he was tired of banging his head against the wall and not really getting anywhere.  This move probably gives him much more opportunity.   

Maybe Skid Row will play some H.E.A.T songs in their set lol.  H.E.A.T definitely has a better catalog of songs IMO.

2 hours ago, tobi is an animal said:

Real / I've Hurt Myself (By Hurting You)

Scorpio / Unsung Heroes

One Shot / Rising Tide

Subjugated / Remain To Remind Me 

Frequency Of Love / The Tracks We Leave Behind

Before The Rise Of An Empire / All I Ask Of You

Miles Away / Grace

Picture Yourself / Let Love Lead The Way

I Prophesize / Blood Cries Out

One By One / Easier To Leave (Than Being Left Behind)

When Dreams Are Not Enough / Fallen

~~~~~~~/ Make It Count

 

 

 

I think I'd agree with most of those except I like Tracks We Leave Behind more than Frequency of Love.  I might like All I ask of You slightly more than Before The Rise of An Empire too.  Basically, I give the edge to the first half of the second album and second half of the 1st album.

It's probably splitting hairs like Glen said though.

Have given this a few listens so far....pretty good and feels right in line with the first album to me.

My favs are Hurt Myself, Remain to Remind Me, Tracks We Leave Behind, Easier to Leave & Make It Count.  And I'd say Tracks We Leave Behind is probably my favorite on the album.  

I wish I liked the heavier tunes a little more (Rising Tide, Blood Cries Out) but not caring for those tunes.  And there's 1 or 2 other tunes that just aren't grabbing me much.

Pretty good though.

1 hour ago, The Rocker said:

How is the other new song??

This Time Around is very good.  Kind of a ballad/mid-tempoish song sort of like You Don't Understand Me.

Don't do that at all anymore in these days of You Tube, Streaming, etc.  But did that frequently back in the day.  I remember always strolling into a local music shop and just thumbing through CD's or Cassettes and trying to find something to listen to that looked good.  Heck, there weren't many other choices back then.  Sometimes maybe you were lucky and heard a song on the radio or MTV.  But often for me it was looking at photos, logos or whatever.

I struggle even remembering which ones I did that with but 2 of my favorites were Roxy Blue's Want Some and Firehouse's debut album.  I vividly remember with Roxy Blue looking at the cover and thinking, this just has to be good lol.  I'm not sure what drew me to Firehouse....Think I liked the band name, was itching for something new to listen to and it just looked like it was worth a try.

There were probably plenty I bought based on looks that turned out absolutely horrible too lol.  I'm not remembering who they were because, well....they weren't very memorable!  But I know there were CD's I bought that I'd listen to and then toss in the trash like it was a losing scratch off lotto ticket lol.   

6 hours ago, CureTheSane said:

Same here.

Why not? It works so go with it.

Most people here (as already mentioned) want to hear Def Lep from the 80's.
Blaming Viv Campbell for moving further from that sound? Yeah, that makes sense, new guy comes in and the band allows him to change their sound for shits and giggles?....

Same deal with Warant post Jani etc
Lose the expectation, and those golden memories of growing up with a walkman, and just enjoy good music.
Listen to is as if it's a new band and you may be surprised...
 

To me, Vivian had nothing to do with moving Leppard from that sound.  Frankly, I think from all my readings that he's had very little do do with anything the band has done since he joined.

It's probably fair to say losing Steve Clark had an impact.  And losing Mutt had an impact.  But then again it's hard to say too.  I mean, it's entirely possible the band could've taken the same route even if Steve had never passed away and they kept working with Mutt.  Hysteria was MUCH different sounding than HND and Pyro so they were already looking to change and evolve at that time. Who's to say they wouldn't have kept changing and evolving the same way they did? We'll never know I guess.

Def Leppard remains my favorite "all-time" band even if they've become hit and miss for me with some of their recent output.  I'm happy they at least still have the desire to put out new music and care enough about their fans to give them something unlike many bands from the era that have thrown in the towel on new music.

As for the new tune, I like it.  If this song were on their last S/T album, it probably would've been my third favorite song on that album behind Dangerous and Wings of An Angel.  That album overall was pretty hit and miss for me though.  I did like about half of it but some songs just did very little for me.

I'm kind of expecting the same from the new album....Hoping to find a handful of tunes I dig.  But we'll see. 

Definitely not HND, Pyro or Hysteria sounding but I like it.  Their recent stuff has been very hit or miss for me but this is a decent, catchy tune.  And happy these guys are at least still trying to make new music unlike a lot of bands from the same era.

Little more information from Amazon.au!  Includes a track listing:

https://www.amazon.com.au/TBC/dp/B09SC1955G/ref=sr_1_1?crid=38R54L42N9YWC&keywords=def leppard diamond star halos&qid=1647461931&sprefix=def leppard diamond star halos,aps,256&sr=8-1&tag=affinity1-21-20

Still a big fan.  Yeah, their recent output has been hit or miss and I think that's because they've just become so varied.  I feel like a big part of that comes from not having a focus and a producer that tells them something isn't good or needs more work.  At the end of the day though, I'm happy they are still trying to put out music as many other bands from the era don't anymore.  And they have done some good tunes so I'm happy if I can get a few songs I dig off the next album.

Here's the rumored album cover which may or may not be accurate.  What I find interesting is the Pyromania Crosshairs and the High N Dry diver.  If Wonder if those references suggest they feel like they're doing a bit of a throwback rock album?  Probably not but would be cool if they had that kind of focus to sort of go back to their roots a bit.

Like the new tune but Treat has always been a weird band for me.  I like a lot of their songs but at the same time they've never been a band I've moved into total fandom on.  I hear their songs, they sound fine when they pop up on my playlist.....But I find myself rarely going back to listen to these guys. 

I'll be checking the album out though and expect it'll be a good listen like their last few have been.

33 minutes ago, Mr.AOR said:

no No NO!!! Just NO...

Agree.

Some songs shouldn't be covered and this would be one of those.

This is a hit song done by a band with a very distinct and recognizable sound.  Not a good cover candidate IMO.  

Well, listened to this album this morning.....And basically just confirmed my thoughts from the singles.  Frankly, the 3 singles are probably the best songs here which isn't saying much.

It's well documented how much I dug HEAT and Erik so initially had high hopes for this even though I'm not really a metal guy.  I can dig some metal though when it's still melodic and catchy.  For example, there's some tunes on the new Girish & The Chronicles album that I really dig.  They sort of blend and mash together metal and hard rock and still have some hooks, catchy choruses, excellent riffs, etc that make it a good listen.

Well, not finding any of those things here.  I guess this is a good example of how important songs themselves can be because not even Erik's great vocals can save this drivel.  Seriously, I think listening to this gave me a headache lol.

There's a couple tunes where I feel like there might've been some good songs in there....like Stardust for one.  But in that song it almost feels like the music and pace doesn't match the song and the music just kills the song that could've been good with a little slower pace and more melody.

I guess overall I was hoping this might just be a heavier sounding HEAT album filled with tunes like Inferno, Blind Leads The Blind, etc.  But it became apparent in the singles that wasn't going to be the case.

About all I'm taking from this is that it's nice to see Erik healthy again and that he still has a good working relationship with Jona.  The rest is a pass for me.

5 minutes ago, AlphaMale said:

I hate your leftist views but this is one thing I'm 100% in agreement with you on.

Fuck MLB

 

Agree here too.

One thing I found during Covid was how little I missed MLB baseball.  Just a bunch of prima donnas and all anybody cares about anymore is hitting homeruns.  Doesn't matter if you can't bat above .200 as long as you can pound 30+ homeruns.  It used to be a game with a lot of strategy and execution but isn't anymore. 

It started really losing it's luster for me when all the juicing was going on and now I could care less about it.  I do still enjoy the game itself and enjoyed coaching my son through Little League and now watching high school baseball.   But it's entirely different watching kids who just love playing a game than watching MLB where it's clearly all about the dollars, as this labor stoppage clearly proves.

On 3/2/2022 at 1:40 PM, Glen said:

I'd quite like a Robert Sall written link up with Erik Gronwall, with maybe Daniel Johansson on lead ( who I adore) and someone like Josh Levine on drums to make a super melodic , modern, slightly edgy album along the lines of Address The Nation 

Might allow ADV to play a few keyboard lines to keep him sweet 😋 

Definitely feel like Erik Gronwall needs to be on an aor/melodic rock/hard rock type project as his talents are being wasted with the New Horizon stuff IMO. 

Probably could pair him with most anyone but I'd like to see some Swedish guys get together.  Maybe Gronwall, Sall, Martensson, Jona Tee?  Or maybe Chris Laney could get in on the act?  Lots of talent in Sweden to pick from.

Pretty Maids.

HEAT with probably Rise as my favorite tune.

Nice!  That basically sounds like an edgier Defiants to me.

Good stuff.

Just thought I'd post and share this as I thought some might be interested.  New band out of Sweden that seems to have a Nestor-ish type vibe with their music and back story IMO.  

Here's their first single from the debut album Throne of Gold due out in May 2022.  Not sure it's blowing me away but not sounding too bad either.  I think I'd at least be interested in hearing more.  I felt like reading their bio that things could get a bit progressive if they're planning to do some kind of cinematic thing but who knows.  Not really getting that here.....just a Euro melodic round tune in the vein of Nestor, Arctic Rain maybe mixed with like Queensryche or something....

Here's a bit of their concept and back story from their social media:

TRAVEL THROUGH TIME
Like our stories from the land of SARAYA, that take place in different times but are still connected.
Our own story (the band) began over 25 years ago…

For three decades we have been a hidden gem, a diamond in the rough waiting patiently in the shadows, planning, preparing and like Pandoras Box, almost lost and forgotten, waiting in silence to be revealed.

Transcending time and space, fate brought us back together and here we are, over three decades later, ready to take on the world, and let you inside our.

Like a lost treasure in the Swedish melodic hard rock scene, with some of the most outstanding musical visionaries and craftsmen the scene has to offer comes a beautifully crafted trajectory that reaches beyond traditional melodic hardrock. Introducing cinematic soundscapes and with the mesmerizing stories that take place in the land of SARAYA, SARAYASIGN brings something new and fresh to the table.

With stellar guitar riffs and haunting melodies and arrangements from our childhood dreams merged with our own twist of cinematic hardrock, we offer something old and something new.
Listeners will be in for a treat.

BIOGRAPHY
In a cinematic experience, music can propel narrative swiftly forward or slow it down. It often lifts mere dialogue into the realm of pure poetry. It’s the communicating link between the screen and the audience, reaching out and enveloping all into one single experience. That’s what we try to do through our storytelling concept and our music.

Like the exampled album “Operation: Mindcrime”, our songs are stories, and they are all drawn from the fictional world of SARAYA.
Through the eyes and words of the storyteller comes a compelling story that started out as a fantasy for creator Jesper Lindbergh almost 25 years and later due to various reasons stored away as his personal notes in hope someday a chance for them to be realized would emerge.

Now, over two decades later, they are all dusted off and reforged into a series of tales, ready to take listener on a unique journey as SARYASIGN was formed and these stories could finally be unfolded.
The initial story will be told over the course of four albums and Throne Of Gold is the beginning.

SARAYASIGN is a cinematic melodic hard rock band, and we took all that we learned to love about movies and poured it all into the mix of this concept. With guitar driven roots from the late 70’s, and the cinematic experience of the 21:st century, layered with strings and storytelling driven, melody-focused songs with an edge, the listener will be in for a treat.

LINE-UP
Stefan Nykvist: Lead and backing vocals
Daniel Lykkeklev: Bass
Daniel Blohm: Lead guitar
Andreas Axelsson-Hofgren: Keyboards
Jesper Lindbergh: Drums, Rhythm guitar, Loops & Soundscapes

7 minutes ago, Glen said:

I liked about 4 songs on that DL 

Was about the same for me.  

But it was a big improvement over Sparkle Lounge 

This was a good year but my top 2 albums aren't pictured.  Out of the one's pictured, it's Kissin' Dynamite. 

For me that year though, it's between Midnite City-There's Goes the Neighborhood and Shiraz Lane-Carnival Days.  I think I originally picked Midnite City when I did my year end list for that year but if I were picking right now, it would be Shiraz Lane.  I've just played that album much more the past few years.

Midnite City.

Defiants for me with When The Lights Go Down as my favorite track.