The Benja-man Is Verbose

Note about the different post formats:  The records from the "main" Metalstorm list I'll have already heard at least the songs on my sampler, and may well already know the whole thing, so those get a track-by-track dissection.  Whereas the records that come from the "also recommended" area of the list are more likely to be totally new to me, so those albums get the "early reaction"/"upon further review" two-post format.  Clear?  Well, just trust me, it makes sense if you happen to be me.     First impression of  Thundersteel , the record, is "Thundersteel," the song.  First of all, it definitely rocks. Second is how much I still think the vocals shape the feel of a song.  The riff is pretty straight ahead thrash stuff, even more so than with a band like Jag Panzer.  Then Tony Moore starts singing, and at first it's the kind of rasp-singing that fits the fiery verse riff, but then there's the chorus - not just the way he sing...

Just because I pretend to be on a first name basis with band members, the people I'm discussing here and their nicknames that they used in the '80s are William Tsamis [Destroyer] on guitar, Mark Zonder [Thunderchild] on drums, Dave Waltry [Archangel] on bass, Diane Kornarens [Sentinel] on keys, and Rick Cunningham [Damien King II] on vocals.  Spoiler alert: Every member is on fire, captivating in isolation but masterful together.  I think Bill basically wrote everything and that he and maybe Mark kinda stood over everyone's shoulders telling them exactly what to play, but however it came together, ridiculous amount of skill on this record. Track One:  "Beginning / Lucifer's Hammer" I'm glad that, unlike the original release, my streaming service actually separates the interstitials like "Beginning" into their own tracks.  Because I for one do not want to have to get through this ponderous spoken word bullshit thing every time I want to listen to ...

I like the idea of being a Mark Lanegan fan.  I've tried to be one as few times.  Rarely came away from any of his music unintrigued, but rarely ever fell in love either.  My thing when I don't totally understand something and want to know it better is to write at ridiculous length about it, so I decided that this would be a great opportunity to try a track-by-track dissection of an artist I don't click with as much, and pick apart what does and doesn't appeal.  In a moment of temporary insanity (and not realizing at the time that the book would only cover through the late '90s), I then decided to get to know where the music was coming from too, and read  Sing Backwards And Weep: A Memoir.   Plus, who the hell else has a parallel book and music blog?  This is a new experience and I don't know how it'll go, but go it does.   I have read the book already, so consider this a second reading.  Here are my comments on the first few c...