Eclipse - Bleed & Scream

[Guest Ratastar]

I want the bonus tracks too

[heaven&hell]

Ive got no emails....

[Guest Ratastar]

Thanks Glen!!!

 

 

[Glen]

OK, after 20 or so spins its time to lay down some thoughts on this. Excellent album overall....EM sings amazingly well, the solos are blistering, great hooks throughout and a flawless production - really adds up to a winning album. Here's a quick track by track

 

1. Wake Me Up - (9.50) - perfect melodic opener/genius pre chorus...just slightly repetitive in the chorus, but man the hook is great...always singing this one

2. Bleed & Scream - (10) - flawless melodic rock. Cant fault this song

3. Aint Dead Yet - (8.00) - change of style to a more Masterplanish track, Great energy. solo could be better, but I still love this track

4. Battlegrounds - (8.50) - huge Gary Moore vibe here, and this again is a winner. Just the spoken bits put me off.

5. A Bitter Taste - (10) - Wow is all I can say. I freakin love this track. Big Whitesnake 1987 type song with a massive ending. Magic stuff.

6. Falling Down - (9.25) - Great melodic tune with perfect verses.

7. SOS - (9.25) - more great verses, nice melodic chorus and killer musicianship

8. Take Back The Fear - (8.25) - back to the Masterplan sound but this is more melodic than track 3. Great solo. That rhythm section kills.

9. The Unspoken Heroes - (9.50) - first time I heard this I nearly fell off my seat...killer combo of Whitesnake and Lizzy. Massive anthemic chorus and killer solo. love it.

10. About To Break - (9.75) - near flawless ballad. Huge vocal. Awesome solo

11. After The End Of The World - (9.75) - Monster rocker to end the album true. Massive chorus.riff.solo...brilliant stuff....and really like the haunting bell and thunderstorm at the end...but this does drag on which detracts ever so slightly.

 

[overall 92.2% but will round up as the production and packaging is pretty great]

 

Verdict : 93%

 

 

[for the record - bonus tracks -

Into The Fire (9) - great track let down slightly by some generic lyrics

Come Hell...(9.50) - excellent rocker with crazy solo. Whole thing just rocks]

[TIM (2)]

OK, after 20 or so spins its time to lay down some thoughts on this. Excellent album overall....EM sings amazingly well, the solos are blistering, great hooks throughout and a flawless production - really adds up to a winning album. Here's a quick track by track

 

1. Wake Me Up - (9.50) - perfect melodic opener/genius pre chorus...just slightly repetitive in the chorus, but man the hook is great...always singing this one

2. Bleed & Scream - (10) - flawless melodic rock. Cant fault this song

3. Aint Dead Yet - (8.00) - change of style to a more Masterplanish track, Great energy. solo could be better, but I still love this track

4. Battlegrounds - (8.50) - huge Gary Moore vibe here, and this again is a winner. Just the spoken bits put me off.

5. A Bitter Taste - (10) - Wow is all I can say. I freakin love this track. Big Whitesnake 1987 type song with a massive ending. Magic stuff.

6. Falling Down - (9.25) - Great melodic tune with perfect verses.

7. SOS - (9.25) - more great verses, nice melodic chorus and killer musicianship

8. Take Back The Fear - (8.25) - back to the Masterplan sound but this is more melodic than track 3. Great solo. That rhythm section kills.

9. The Unspoken Heroes - (9.50) - first time I heard this I nearly fell off my seat...killer combo of Whitesnake and Lizzy. Massive anthemic chorus and killer solo. love it.

10. About To Break - (9.75) - near flawless ballad. Huge vocal. Awesome solo

11. After The End Of The World - (9.75) - Monster rocker to end the album true. Massive chorus.riff.solo...brilliant stuff....and really like the haunting bell and thunderstorm at the end...but this does drag on which detracts ever so slightly.

 

[overall 92.2% but will round up as the production and packaging is pretty great]

 

Verdict : 93%

 

 

[for the record - bonus tracks -

Into The Fire (9) - great track let down slightly by some generic lyrics

Come Hell...(9.50) - excellent rocker with crazy solo. Whole thing just rocks]

 

Nice review. You like it a bit more than me, and I like "S.O.S" more than you, but otherwise I pretty much agree. I'd still rate the Hess disc slightly higher though...

[JamesEagle]

OK, after 20 or so spins its time to lay down some thoughts on this. Excellent album overall....EM sings amazingly well, the solos are blistering, great hooks throughout and a flawless production - really adds up to a winning album. Here's a quick track by track

 

1. Wake Me Up - (9.50) - perfect melodic opener/genius pre chorus...just slightly repetitive in the chorus, but man the hook is great...always singing this one

2. Bleed & Scream - (10) - flawless melodic rock. Cant fault this song

3. Aint Dead Yet - (8.00) - change of style to a more Masterplanish track, Great energy. solo could be better, but I still love this track

4. Battlegrounds - (8.50) - huge Gary Moore vibe here, and this again is a winner. Just the spoken bits put me off.

5. A Bitter Taste - (10) - Wow is all I can say. I freakin love this track. Big Whitesnake 1987 type song with a massive ending. Magic stuff.

6. Falling Down - (9.25) - Great melodic tune with perfect verses.

7. SOS - (9.25) - more great verses, nice melodic chorus and killer musicianship

8. Take Back The Fear - (8.25) - back to the Masterplan sound but this is more melodic than track 3. Great solo. That rhythm section kills.

9. The Unspoken Heroes - (9.50) - first time I heard this I nearly fell off my seat...killer combo of Whitesnake and Lizzy. Massive anthemic chorus and killer solo. love it.

10. About To Break - (9.75) - near flawless ballad. Huge vocal. Awesome solo

11. After The End Of The World - (9.75) - Monster rocker to end the album true. Massive chorus.riff.solo...brilliant stuff....and really like the haunting bell and thunderstorm at the end...but this does drag on which detracts ever so slightly.

 

[overall 92.2% but will round up as the production and packaging is pretty great]

 

Verdict : 93%

 

 

[for the record - bonus tracks -

Into The Fire (9) - great track let down slightly by some generic lyrics

Come Hell...(9.50) - excellent rocker with crazy solo. Whole thing just rocks]

 

Nice review. You like it a bit more than me, and I like "S.O.S" more than you, but otherwise I pretty much agree. I'd still rate the Hess disc slightly higher though...

 

Yeah, count me officially excited. Defintely got to order this one. (I know I don't like the opening track, which lessens the excitement a tad, but I do love the 2 Glen gives 10/10s to.)

[Geoff]

OK, after 20 or so spins its time to lay down some thoughts on this. Excellent album overall....EM sings amazingly well, the solos are blistering, great hooks throughout and a flawless production - really adds up to a winning album. Here's a quick track by track

 

1. Wake Me Up - (9.50) - perfect melodic opener/genius pre chorus...just slightly repetitive in the chorus, but man the hook is great...always singing this one

2. Bleed & Scream - (10) - flawless melodic rock. Cant fault this song

3. Aint Dead Yet - (8.00) - change of style to a more Masterplanish track, Great energy. solo could be better, but I still love this track

4. Battlegrounds - (8.50) - huge Gary Moore vibe here, and this again is a winner. Just the spoken bits put me off.

5. A Bitter Taste - (10) - Wow is all I can say. I freakin love this track. Big Whitesnake 1987 type song with a massive ending. Magic stuff.

6. Falling Down - (9.25) - Great melodic tune with perfect verses.

7. SOS - (9.25) - more great verses, nice melodic chorus and killer musicianship

8. Take Back The Fear - (8.25) - back to the Masterplan sound but this is more melodic than track 3. Great solo. That rhythm section kills.

9. The Unspoken Heroes - (9.50) - first time I heard this I nearly fell off my seat...killer combo of Whitesnake and Lizzy. Massive anthemic chorus and killer solo. love it.

10. About To Break - (9.75) - near flawless ballad. Huge vocal. Awesome solo

11. After The End Of The World - (9.75) - Monster rocker to end the album true. Massive chorus.riff.solo...brilliant stuff....and really like the haunting bell and thunderstorm at the end...but this does drag on which detracts ever so slightly.

 

[overall 92.2% but will round up as the production and packaging is pretty great]

 

Verdict : 93%

 

 

[for the record - bonus tracks -

Into The Fire (9) - great track let down slightly by some generic lyrics

Come Hell...(9.50) - excellent rocker with crazy solo. Whole thing just rocks]

 

Nice review. You like it a bit more than me, and I like "S.O.S" more than you, but otherwise I pretty much agree. I'd still rate the Hess disc slightly higher though...

 

Yeah, count me officially excited. Defintely got to order this one. (I know I don't like the opening track, which lessens the excitement a tad, but I do love the 2 Glen gives 10/10s to.)

 

Second spin was kinder to me. Cool review, Glen, but I have two pretty big opposing views on 2 of the songs. I don't really like 'Battlegrounds' at all. Gary Moore?! I get that hateful "nordic" vibe that you might get from a weak Poodles, Wild Frontier or even Axel Rudy Pell song. It just doesn't sound like Eclipse to me, and I don't like it. And hate to say it, mate, but I don't love that 'A Bitter Taste' song much either. Promises a bit, but for me it never delivers. In the battle of the ballads, imo 'About to break' crucifies it.

 

Like Tim, I think 'SOS' is probably the best song on the CD - Killer stuff. My early faves are the first 3, 'Falling Down,' 'SOS' and the last 2 songs are truly awesome. 'Take back the fear' is okay but a song like that needs a stunning chorus, or at least a slight change in tempo during the chorus, to make any kind of impact with me. It's okay, but kind of pointless. I like 'Unspoken Heroes' but it was pretty "typical" to me and not one of my faves.

 

Other comments:

 

Big props to the guys, especially Martensson, for keeping this an Eclipse CD. This is a great progression from the last CD and their best yet... and still sounds like Eclipse, and not the thousand other projects he's involved with.

 

Whilst I think the Hitchcock CD has the better songs, because I love that type of really melodic rock, the production on this Eclipse CD is a thousand times better, and maybe he needs to bring the guitarist along with him on production assignments. The drums finally sound as big as they should.

[Glen]

Battlegrounds just gave me that out in the fields vibe. That's all. To be honest I don't think this will surpass HEAT either but it is still a great album - EM songwriting has improved so much over the past few years. Now can't wait to hear the Jimi album!!

[Geoff]

Battlegrounds just gave me that out in the fields vibe.

 

Me too. Out in the fields of Norway with my viking buddies, chanting in the mountains around a campfire.

[Glen]

Battlegrounds just gave me that out in the fields vibe.

 

Me too. Out in the fields of Norway with my viking buddies, chanting in the mountains around a campfire.

 

Im only interested in your opinion of the song, not what you did at the weekend ;-)

[heaven&hell]

Still not a bad song on here with "Battleground" or "Bitter Taste" being my fav and "Falling Down", "SOS", "Wake Me Up", "Bleed and Scream", "Aint Dead Yet", "Unspoken Heroes" all being up there as well. This disc will be somewhere in my top 5 at year end I'm sure of it.

[Glen]

Still not a bad song on here with "Battleground" or "Bitter Taste" being my fav and "Falling Down", "SOS", "Wake Me Up", "Bleed and Scream", "Aint Dead Yet", "Unspoken Heroes" all being up there as well. This disc will be somewhere in my top 5 at year end I'm sure of it.

 

Good to see someone else loving 'Bitter Taste' - brilliant song IMO with the best ending of any song this year!

[heaven&hell]

Still not a bad song on here with "Battleground" or "Bitter Taste" being my fav and "Falling Down", "SOS", "Wake Me Up", "Bleed and Scream", "Aint Dead Yet", "Unspoken Heroes" all being up there as well. This disc will be somewhere in my top 5 at year end I'm sure of it.

 

Good to see someone else loving 'Bitter Taste' - brilliant song IMO with the best ending of any song this year!

 

The last minute or two is just badass and the rest of the song is awesome too but the ending just takes it to another level!

[Geoff]

Okay, just got around to dropping my rating on this one. Here it for those interested:

 

1. Wake Me Up - killer hard rock opener, with a huge and very catchy chorus - 9.25

2. Bleed And Scream - killer melodic hard rock tune, absolutely made by the 2nd layer of the chorus - 9.50

3. Ain’t Dead Yet - good, solid hard rocker, very typical of their last CD - nice riff - 7.75

4. Battlegrounds - terrible nordic, viking sing-a-long chant. Nothing in common at all with any Eclipse song ever recorded and I don't get why they added this shit to the album. Worst Eclipse song they've recorded, by a mile. Maybe EM wanted to write a song for Running Wild too, to even further expand his horizons? - 5.00

5. A Bitter Taste - a genuinely nice song, which sadly just goes nowhere… despite a nice heavy section towards the end. The definition of a plodder, but a decent one. - 7.00

6. Falling Down - good hard rocker with great riffage and a pretty cool hard rock chorus - 8.50

7. S.O.S. - love this song, how the chorus just happens, and is magnificent too - 9.25

8. Take Back The Fear - literally the only thing that interests me at all about this song is the chorus line itself… just nothing else to hold my attention otherwise - 7.00

9. The Unspoken Heroes - messy, crap verses, only rescued by the backing vocals of the big chorus - 7.50

10. About To Break - love the lyric/vocal melody in the verses of this tune… nice big hook too. Good song - 8.50

11. After The End Of The World - killer closer - awesome hard rocker with monster riffage and a massive chorus - 9.50

12. Come Hell Or High Water (bonus) - love the verses and first part of the chorus. Main "hook" isn't so perfect, but a good hard rock track - 8.50

13. Into The Fire (bonus) - this actually sounds a little familiar, but it's still a killer hard rocker - love the massive verses - 9.00

 

- TOTAL SCORE (%) - 82

 

So there you have it. For the record, it rated 81% without the bonus tracks. It's a very good album with some really great songs, but I guess after the Hitchcock album my expectations may have been a little too high? It's still definitely Eclipse's best CD, but I do know that EM has given a lot of his best songs to other artists and obviously not always saved the best for his own pet project. Like I said, some great songs, but more misses here than I expected. And 'Battlegrounds' genuinely annoys me. It's so unlike anything he / they have written / recorded before. I actually skip that song now, which is a first when it comes to EM. But yeah, enough negative - that's a very good score for a very good CD.

[melodicrockoz]

Okay, just got around to dropping my rating on this one. Here it for those interested:

 

1. Wake Me Up - killer hard rock opener, with a huge and very catchy chorus - 9.25

2. Bleed And Scream - killer melodic hard rock tune, absolutely made by the 2nd layer of the chorus - 9.50

3. Ain’t Dead Yet - good, solid hard rocker, very typical of their last CD - nice riff - 7.75

4. Battlegrounds - terrible nordic, viking sing-a-long chant. Nothing in common at all with any Eclipse song ever recorded and I don't get why they added this shit to the album. Worst Eclipse song they've recorded, by a mile. Maybe EM wanted to write a song for Running Wild too, to even further expand his horizons? - 5.00

5. A Bitter Taste - a genuinely nice song, which sadly just goes nowhere… despite a nice heavy section towards the end. The definition of a plodder, but a decent one. - 7.00

6. Falling Down - good hard rocker with great riffage and a pretty cool hard rock chorus - 8.50

7. S.O.S. - love this song, how the chorus just happens, and is magnificent too - 9.25

8. Take Back The Fear - literally the only thing that interests me at all about this song is the chorus line itself… just nothing else to hold my attention otherwise - 7.00

9. The Unspoken Heroes - messy, crap verses, only rescued by the backing vocals of the big chorus - 7.50

10. About To Break - love the lyric/vocal melody in the verses of this tune… nice big hook too. Good song - 8.50

11. After The End Of The World - killer closer - awesome hard rocker with monster riffage and a massive chorus - 9.50

12. Come Hell Or High Water (bonus) - love the verses and first part of the chorus. Main "hook" isn't so perfect, but a good hard rock track - 8.50

13. Into The Fire (bonus) - this actually sounds a little familiar, but it's still a killer hard rocker - love the massive verses - 9.00

 

- TOTAL SCORE (%) - 82

 

So there you have it. For the record, it rated 81% without the bonus tracks. It's a very good album with some really great songs, but I guess after the Hitchcock album my expectations may have been a little too high? It's still definitely Eclipse's best CD, but I do know that EM has given a lot of his best songs to other artists and obviously not always saved the best for his own pet project. Like I said, some great songs, but more misses here than I expected. And 'Battlegrounds' genuinely annoys me. It's so unlike anything he / they have written / recorded before. I actually skip that song now, which is a first when it comes to EM. But yeah, enough negative - that's a very good score for a very good CD.

 

 

 

 

 

 

wow... that's quitea rating, I'm hoping the songs would wear off on me but not yet

[KarpetRydOFunk]

Okay, just got around to dropping my rating on this one. Here it for those interested:

 

1. Wake Me Up - killer hard rock opener, with a huge and very catchy chorus - 9.25

2. Bleed And Scream - killer melodic hard rock tune, absolutely made by the 2nd layer of the chorus - 9.50

3. Ain’t Dead Yet - good, solid hard rocker, very typical of their last CD - nice riff - 7.75

4. Battlegrounds - terrible nordic, viking sing-a-long chant. Nothing in common at all with any Eclipse song ever recorded and I don't get why they added this shit to the album. Worst Eclipse song they've recorded, by a mile. Maybe EM wanted to write a song for Running Wild too, to even further expand his horizons? - 5.00

5. A Bitter Taste - a genuinely nice song, which sadly just goes nowhere… despite a nice heavy section towards the end. The definition of a plodder, but a decent one. - 7.00

6. Falling Down - good hard rocker with great riffage and a pretty cool hard rock chorus - 8.50

7. S.O.S. - love this song, how the chorus just happens, and is magnificent too - 9.25

8. Take Back The Fear - literally the only thing that interests me at all about this song is the chorus line itself… just nothing else to hold my attention otherwise - 7.00

9. The Unspoken Heroes - messy, crap verses, only rescued by the backing vocals of the big chorus - 7.50

10. About To Break - love the lyric/vocal melody in the verses of this tune… nice big hook too. Good song - 8.50

11. After The End Of The World - killer closer - awesome hard rocker with monster riffage and a massive chorus - 9.50

12. Come Hell Or High Water (bonus) - love the verses and first part of the chorus. Main "hook" isn't so perfect, but a good hard rock track - 8.50

13. Into The Fire (bonus) - this actually sounds a little familiar, but it's still a killer hard rocker - love the massive verses - 9.00

 

- TOTAL SCORE (%) - 82

 

So there you have it. For the record, it rated 81% without the bonus tracks. It's a very good album with some really great songs, but I guess after the Hitchcock album my expectations may have been a little too high? It's still definitely Eclipse's best CD, but I do know that EM has given a lot of his best songs to other artists and obviously not always saved the best for his own pet project. Like I said, some great songs, but more misses here than I expected. And 'Battlegrounds' genuinely annoys me. It's so unlike anything he / they have written / recorded before. I actually skip that song now, which is a first when it comes to EM. But yeah, enough negative - that's a very good score for a very good CD.

 

I probably fall along the same lines. My track by track ratings would differ, but the overall score is close. I'm not sure why, but this simply isn't working for me in the same way that Hess, Hardline, Blessed By A Broken Heart, and H.E.A.T. are. It definitely changes from day to day. I might not like it tomorrow, but I was rockin' to it on Friday.

[Geoff]

Okay, just got around to dropping my rating on this one. Here it for those interested:

 

1. Wake Me Up - killer hard rock opener, with a huge and very catchy chorus - 9.25

2. Bleed And Scream - killer melodic hard rock tune, absolutely made by the 2nd layer of the chorus - 9.50

3. Ain’t Dead Yet - good, solid hard rocker, very typical of their last CD - nice riff - 7.75

4. Battlegrounds - terrible nordic, viking sing-a-long chant. Nothing in common at all with any Eclipse song ever recorded and I don't get why they added this shit to the album. Worst Eclipse song they've recorded, by a mile. Maybe EM wanted to write a song for Running Wild too, to even further expand his horizons? - 5.00

5. A Bitter Taste - a genuinely nice song, which sadly just goes nowhere… despite a nice heavy section towards the end. The definition of a plodder, but a decent one. - 7.00

6. Falling Down - good hard rocker with great riffage and a pretty cool hard rock chorus - 8.50

7. S.O.S. - love this song, how the chorus just happens, and is magnificent too - 9.25

8. Take Back The Fear - literally the only thing that interests me at all about this song is the chorus line itself… just nothing else to hold my attention otherwise - 7.00

9. The Unspoken Heroes - messy, crap verses, only rescued by the backing vocals of the big chorus - 7.50

10. About To Break - love the lyric/vocal melody in the verses of this tune… nice big hook too. Good song - 8.50

11. After The End Of The World - killer closer - awesome hard rocker with monster riffage and a massive chorus - 9.50

12. Come Hell Or High Water (bonus) - love the verses and first part of the chorus. Main "hook" isn't so perfect, but a good hard rock track - 8.50

13. Into The Fire (bonus) - this actually sounds a little familiar, but it's still a killer hard rocker - love the massive verses - 9.00

 

- TOTAL SCORE (%) - 82

 

So there you have it. For the record, it rated 81% without the bonus tracks. It's a very good album with some really great songs, but I guess after the Hitchcock album my expectations may have been a little too high? It's still definitely Eclipse's best CD, but I do know that EM has given a lot of his best songs to other artists and obviously not always saved the best for his own pet project. Like I said, some great songs, but more misses here than I expected. And 'Battlegrounds' genuinely annoys me. It's so unlike anything he / they have written / recorded before. I actually skip that song now, which is a first when it comes to EM. But yeah, enough negative - that's a very good score for a very good CD.

 

I probably fall along the same lines. My track by track ratings would differ, but the overall score is close. I'm not sure why, but this simply isn't working for me in the same way that Hess, Hardline, Blessed By A Broken Heart, and H.E.A.T. are. It definitely changes from day to day. I might not like it tomorrow, but I was rockin' to it on Friday.

 

Hardline has a solid batch of fillers too, but the difference between Eclipse and Hardline and the other is those few fillers, of which those others you mention have none. Except that one song on the Hess CD. 82% is still a great score, though. And I personally thing a very fair one in this case.

[Rockposer]

Favorite song for me is Bitter Taste.

[Glen]

Favorite song for me is Bitter Taste.

 

That & 'Bleed & Scream' are the highlights of an excellent disc.

[The Rocker]

Favorite song for me is Bitter Taste.

 

That & 'Bleed & Scream' are the highlights of an excellent disc.

I would throw SOS in there to.

[Geoff]

Favorite song for me is Bitter Taste.

 

That & 'Bleed & Scream' are the highlights of an excellent disc.

 

I was listening to the CD again today and I do like that song, but I'd definitely label it 3rd weakest on the CD. It's got a nice vibe and some very good lyrics... I love the tempo change at the end. But there's just no hook... nothing you remember when it's done. Yeah, just an average song, imo, that should have been great.

[Glen]

Favorite song for me is Bitter Taste.

 

That & 'Bleed & Scream' are the highlights of an excellent disc.

 

I was listening to the CD again today and I do like that song, but I'd definitely label it 3rd weakest on the CD. It's got a nice vibe and some very good lyrics... I love the tempo change at the end. But there's just no hook... nothing you remember when it's done. Yeah, just an average song, imo, that should have been great.

 

But when I get to the end I wanna just hit repeat and 'experience' it again, cos that build up and then that end is pure anthemic rock brilliance.

 

That's why it's a great track.

[Geoff]

Favorite song for me is Bitter Taste.

 

That & 'Bleed & Scream' are the highlights of an excellent disc.

 

I was listening to the CD again today and I do like that song, but I'd definitely label it 3rd weakest on the CD. It's got a nice vibe and some very good lyrics... I love the tempo change at the end. But there's just no hook... nothing you remember when it's done. Yeah, just an average song, imo, that should have been great.

 

But when I get to the end I wanna just hit repeat and 'experience' it again, cos that build up and then that end is pure anthemic rock brilliance.

 

That's why it's a great track.

 

You just want to spin it again because you missed the hook and you're wondering if you'll hear it if you try again?

 

Nah, to each their own. Like I said, it's a solid tune but I just need something to hold my interest, which sadly this song lacks.

[Rockposer]

Favorite song for me is Bitter Taste.

 

That & 'Bleed & Scream' are the highlights of an excellent disc.

 

I was listening to the CD again today and I do like that song, but I'd definitely label it 3rd weakest on the CD. It's got a nice vibe and some very good lyrics... I love the tempo change at the end. But there's just no hook... nothing you remember when it's done. Yeah, just an average song, imo, that should have been great.

 

But when I get to the end I wanna just hit repeat and 'experience' it again, cos that build up and then that end is pure anthemic rock brilliance.

 

That's why it's a great track.

 

That's why played it on the show

[Stefan]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y1HD_tqs7TQ

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v_ozQ9Ek1H8&list=UL