GEISHA - PHANTASMAGORIA (1987) DENMARK

This is a Very Rare gem long forgotten in my dusty vinyl trunk, that i've rediscovered again while taking some time to clean up. Does any one know who Peter Jacobson is? or Tony Niemistö? Or Micael kiriakos Delaoglou? Hal Patino? Joewall randall? Yenz Cheyenne?
Well, let's see if i can remember it all. Peter Jacobson, aka Pete Blakk, was the axeman for King Diamond from 1988 to 1992. Tony Niemisto aka Tony Reno aka Tony Lace, was the first drummer for the ginormous band Europe, from 1979 to 1984, in wich he played on the first two albums and subsequently substituted by Ian Haugland. Micael k. Delaoglou aka Mikkey Dee, also needs no introdution, is currently the basher for the teutonic champions, Scorpions, and also played with king Diamond, Don Dokken and Motorhead, as on Helloween and Thin Lizzy. Hal Patino, another King Diamond employee; joel Starander formerly on Blakk Totem, and finally Yenz Cheyenne, who was also the bass player for Piet Sielk's Iron Savior, among others.
So given the premisse, the band. Geisha were a hard sleaze metal band from Denmark. They were quite known in scandinavia and after few line-up changes and demos edited, they recorded an album in 1987 baptized "Phantasmagoria". The line-up for the record was Yenz Cheyenne on vocals, (this one afterwards formed the band Y with Tony Lace; yes, the one and the same Tony Reno); Pete Blakk on guitars, Tony Niemisto on drums and Joel Starander on bass
This is amazing hard'n'heavy with not one bad cut, with lots of "tilsentown" influences. For the year 1987, this is a great rock album with only 7 songs but catchy enough to put you banging your head, but with a not so good production. It's good enough, believe me, but this could have been big. They tried to play it by the book, and that they did, but the result wasn't the one that was expected. Never-the- less, for that year, when bands like Guns'n'Roses were emerging it was a good thing to hear, i really did enjoyed it, and i'm enjoying it again. they were on to a good thing but... strange ways parted them to other projects. it was fun finding this again because they were full of potential and i recomend you to give it a go, but please do it with an open mind and not like if you were to find the holy grail or you'll miss something very interesting. For this 31 year run i thank my good friends herr Olli making his way in the swiss alps and Joe aka DEV, who were the ones that presented me to this rare gem.
McLeod has spoken! 

TEN - ILLUMINATI (2018) UK

It had to be this way. Sometimes when we follow something or someone's life or evolution, even if we don't pay much attention, we came to a point were we know almost exactly what's going to happen. Ins't the powers of the mind amazing?
A few weeks ago, i was informed of the new record about to be released by the fabulous TEN. For the ones new to the hard 'n' heavy music world, TEN are an english supergroup wit a few million albums sold and if this doesn't open your appettite to discover more about the band, well, there's three out of two, either you're lazy, or you don't care or you're in the wrong page. Just to tell you that they have a fabulastic record named "Babylon" wich is a masterpiece and a reference in rock, a conceptual album about a not so futuristic love story in a digital world. Is it good enough now?
Moving on; my first thoughts about the new recordings were: what it will be like? heavier, with a lot of class? a strong theme? more direct and yet in your face atittude? Yes to all! You see, i've been following the bands career for decades now, inclusively my first record was "The Robe" in the distant year of 1997. The times when Gary Hughes was enjoying a status of the new british rock sensation artist, then accompannied by the british guitar hero Vinnie Burns, and well deserved for that young boy back in the last century, when he had a lot more hair, sorry Gary, couldn't resist the joke while i take the time to remember those videos again as i write, don't worry, i don't have that much too, sign of the times my friend...
Concerning the new times, i just bought this new record and it's a nuke ready to radio-active you to air-guitar or whatever...
"Illuminati" really is a powerful theme. For the ones acquainted with history or Dan Brown's books, you'll understand it. Heavier? well, when the acoustic prelude of the first theme ends and the main introduction riff starts, the heavy-speed german outfit Running Wild, came to mind, and from here you can imagine,... eheheheh, no, this is not speed power metal, but the power of the riff is really in your face, you lazy monks.
"Shield walls" is a battle tune with a triumvirate of screaming shred guitars, can't get enough of this, it's really powerfull to the core, well done Gary! not to forget the keyboards that set the pace to the holy taking of Jerusalem, courtesy of Darrel Treece-Birch.
"Esoteric ocean" is a first world class tune. Reminding me of past tunes from bands like Pretty Maids when metal was uprising and taking the world by storm. The dark environment given by the dark-noir set of keyboard playing sets the way for another fiercing guitar moment. A fantastic evolution of the band is the voice game in the songs, several chorus in falsetto, even i who can't sing a note feel like a first class singer, eheheh, really an amazing and fun album so far...
"Jericho" comes to me as a prologue, a direct rock tune but with a voice-off feeling, like in a history tv documentary, a bit too long, but then again...
This time they dare to enter the field of prog metal with a classic rock feeling, ideal for the main theme, a timeless tune, "illuminati"; just like history itself.
This is a concept record, not so direct like a story of sorts but history like, a journey through time.
just love it, and i'm pretty shure you will like it too. It's money well spent and one of 2018's best records so far; stil there's a lot to listen, i just couldn't find another 24 hours in the day to listen to them all, but i'll try.
McLeod has spoken!

ANTHEM - ENGRAVED (2017) JAPAN

These sons of the setting sun never cease to amaze me. A few days ago i came across with ANTHEM's new release, the "Engraved" new album and i must say, if you're in the neoclassical genre with lots of classic rock influencies, well you'll love this one. Graham Bonnett and Don Airey were at one time part of this japanese band, so if you're suspicious about their quality, well you've got another thing coming. Akio Shimizu is a hell of a shredder, one of the best around the world, so expect the unexpected, melody, speed and insanity until you drop. This new album brings not much of novelties, some bad boy songs, again a trend among the big acts; such a waste; and a follow up on their sound, still heavy has hell. Again the only problem is,... they sing in japanese with some english words here and there. I've said it many times and i'll say it again, why not 2 versions of the record, one in their mother language and another in english? The vocalist sings the english phrases with a very good pronounce, so there's no excuse there. Damn, i'll sing them if they want it, this is to good just to be confined to japan, but it's their choice, maybe the expansion experience with Graham Bonnett wasn't very well succeeded around 2000, like other japanese acts such as EZO (Produced by Gene Simmons), LOUDNESS (with Mike Vescera), VOW WOW (with Neil Murray), ...
Okay, this is heavy metal at it's best and worthy of at least a listining and "Far Away" deserves at least more than ten listenings. Very well crafted songs, excelent musicianship, and still their trade mark of writing songs with verse, bridge, verse bridge, chorus, solo; is still captivating. Again an instrumental song like in many of their past albums shows Akio at his best. "Sacred Trace" delivers a very eighties sound, like Impellitteri or MSG, a must for the hard and heavy fanatics. No ballads this time, just full frontal attack.
Lov'em or leav'em, but don't hate them, their too good for that.
By Mcleod!