Album Reviews, Doom Metal, Genre, Heavy Metal

Type O Negative – October Rust (Album Review)

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Type O Negative – October Rust (Roadrunner – 1996)

I was incredibly excited when I first heard Type O Negative via the track Christian Woman. I loved the medieval vibe, Pete Steele’s fathomlessly deep voice and the rustic acoustic parts. I thought this was going to be the best band ever but their 1993 album Bloody Kisses proved to be a bit of a mixed bag with a range of doomier, poppier and angrier tracks that were more or less to my taste but never came close to fulfilling the promise of that beloved introductory song. The follow-up, 1996’s October Rust, didn’t have anything quite that good either but, by revelling in the beauty of nature, got closer to what I really wanted from Brooklyn’s Drab Four. Lovelorn, gothic ballads like Love You To Death and Die With Me feature memorable melodies and rich layers of instruments and although the mixed bag elements creep in on groovier tracks like Be My Druidess and My Girlfriend’s Girlfriend these songs don’t disrupt the album’s mood and add some welcome energy. The musical highlight, though, is the climatic pairing of Wolf Moon (Including Zoanthropic Paranoia) and Haunted. Vampiric vocalist Steele is at his sonorous best on these creepy, doomy and foreboding epics and they awaken some of that Christian Woman excitement. But the thing that really makes me come… back for more is the stunning autumnal soundscape and atmosphere the band created on this album. It all sounds so idyllic and magical that it feels more like you’re entering a woodland realm than listening to a record. And it’s the main reason October Rust is my favourite Type O Negative record. A mandatory listen every time the leaves start falling from the trees.

Classic Rock, Genre, Hard Rock, Heavy Metal, Song Reviews

KISS – Hooligan (Song Review)

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“I mean, you know how cool I am”

It might seem odd to use a song he’s not particularly known for, and didn’t write or sing, to salute original KISS guitarist Ace Frehley. But Hooligan is a great example of Frehley as a team player and how his impeccable, instinctive and characterful guitar playing elevated any song he played on. The 1977 Peter Criss vehicle probably isn’t a song that rides high in anyone’s ranking of KISS’s greatest work but I’ve always had a big soft spot for it. Criss’ hollering is infectious, I love the old-timey rock ‘n’ roll vibe and I’m a sucker for Paul Stanley’s use of capos for rhythm guitar parts. But, best of all, Space Ace wrings out a memorable and effortlessly cool guitar solo that crackles with electricity. And his soaring guitar part over the song’s climatic chords is one of KISS’ most joyous and euphoric moments. Ace, who has sadly left the planet aged 74, inspired legions of people to pick up guitars (including me) but there will never be anyone quite like this beloved, otherworldly legend ever again.

Classic Rock, Genre, Hard Rock, Song Reviews

Tommy Bolin – Teaser (Song Review)

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“Yeah, she’ll tempt ya ‘til ya fall”

Backed by an array of talented guests and session musicians, Tommy Bolin works through a dazzling array of musical styles and moods on his 1975 debut solo album Teaser. But on the album’s title track he gets down to the business of some straight-up, groovy hard rock. The bluesy main riff that kicks things off is one of those “why didn’t anyone come up with this before?” classic riffs, the chorus’s crashing chords and stabbing bends have a Hendrix-y flash and excitement and Bolin colours the whole song with all manner of jazzy licks, tasty slide and spacey Echoplex effects. As well as being a guitar masterclass, Bolin’s singing also has a under-achieving cool charisma too. Teaser is a class track from one of my most cherished, most listened-to albums and I never get tired of hearing it. His role in the demise of 70s Deep Purple tarnished his reputation and his drug-related death cut his career tragically short but Teaser (both the song and album) is the work of a young guy with more maturity, talent and flair than many musicians manage to access in their entire lives.

Classic Rock, Genre, Hard Rock, Heavy Metal, NWOBHM, Song Reviews

Fist – Name, Rank & Serial Number (Song Review)

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“Now tell me the positions of your guns and armoured forces”

The debut single from South Tyneside’s Fist, this darkly amusing track depicts a military interrogation from the point of view of a stymied torturer who, despite his best efforts, can only obtain his captive’s Name, Rank & Serial Number. It’s a fantastically vibrant and catchy track. In particular, Keith Satchfield (who sadly passed away in early 2025) deserves a medal for his infectious, rhythmic vocals and inventive lyrics. Fist’s recording career ended up all too brief but in that short run they released some of the best tracks of the whole NWOBHM era. On Name, Rank & Serial Number, Fist managed the rare feat of being classic and definitive while also being startlingly original.

Black Metal, Genre, Song Reviews

Tormentor – Elisabeth Bathory (Song Review)

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“Oh how I love to feel your breath”

Due to the challenges of being an extreme metal band in Communist Hungary, Tormentor’s 1989 debut album Anno Domini didn’t see the light of day as an official release. But a tape of the record soon found its way into the global tape-trading network and it became a big influence on the burgeoning black metal scene of the 90s. A key factor in this influence was the brilliantly prescient track Elisabeth Bathory. Like a lot of black metal the track is rooted in place and history: a love-letter to the notorious Hungarian noblewoman and alleged serial killer rumoured to have bathed in the blood of virgins to retain her youth. It’s cold, hypnotic stuff with relentless mid-pace, eerie arpeggios and a theatrical, vampiric performance from vocalist Attila Csihar. The impressive Csihar was later recruited by the infamous Mayhem to record vocals for their genre-defining classic De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas, which sent many black metal fans (like me) scurrying back to investigate his previous work with Tormentor. But it doesn’t matter whether you encounter this song in 1989 or 1999… or ten years from now. Elisabeth Bathory is quintessential, fervid, eternal black metal.

Genre, Classic Rock, Album Reviews

Bad Company – Bad Company (Album Review)

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Bad Company – Bad Company (Island/Swan Song – 1974)

When I think of the term “supergroup”, Bad Company are one of the first bands that spring to mind. With their 1974 self-titled debut album, they absolutely lived up to that billing. The British group featured two former members of Free and their unfussy, soulful rock picks up where Free left off but in a more feelgood, riff-based, rock ‘n’ roll mode courtesy of ex-Mott The Hoople guitarist Mick Ralphs. And Ralphs ensured they achieved mega success by penning the ingeniously simple single Can’t Get Enough, a cruising and carefree radio staple. Not to be outdone, vocalist Paul Rodgers chipped in the album’s masterful title track, a thoroughly stirring mix of ghostly atmosphere and outlaw manliness. Other highlights include the priapic proto-Whitesnake Rock Steady and a sublimely classy remake of Mott’s Ready For Love. Bad Company were having too good a time to infuse the album’s ballads with anything near the emotional heavy load that Free conjured but tracks like The Way I Choose have proven to be growers over decades of listening and are great vehicles for Rodgers’ smooth vocals. The whole album sounds ballsy and beautiful, especially Ralphs’ creamy guitar tones. Bad Company is the cool, confident and timeless sound of talented musicians revelling in a newfound personal and creative chemistry. When I think of the term “classic rock” Bad Company is one of the first albums that springs to mind.

HMO salutes Mick Ralphs who recently passed away, aged 81.

(Bad Company 2CD deluxe edition from 2015)

You can get this album and more on this box set too!

Classic Rock, Genre, Hard Rock, Song Reviews

Alice Cooper – It’s Hot Tonight (Song Review)

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“Damn Hot Tonight”

1977’s Lace And Whiskey is not one of my favourite Coop albums by any means but the album opener It’s Hot Tonight is one of my most beloved tracks of his. It’s got an extremely ballsy opening riff and a ton of swagger, coming across every bit as scorched and steamy as the title suggests. Maybe it’s just because of the album title and artwork but I always get a hot city noir vibe from it too. The first time I ever saw Cooper live was in Glasgow on an unusually hot night and I was thrilled when he launched into this. Seeing the great man strut his way through a huge-sounding version of this in a packed, sweaty Barrowlands was just brilliant, a peak concert-going moment for me.

Album Reviews, Death Metal, Doom Metal, Genre

Winter – Into Darkness (Album Review)

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Winter – Into Darkness (Future Shock – 1990)

Released in 1990, when you’d expect a mix of influences like Hellhammer and Discharge to result in something akin to Napalm Death, New York’s Winter came up with something much bleaker and much slower. Into Darkness, their debut, shares a crusty, noisy, sense of protest with Napalm Death but rather than delivering it with blasting speed, Winter grind out an apocalyptically desolate combination of guttural death and turgid doom metal. It met with complete indifference on its original release and drummer and label problems meant the band called it a day soon after. But Into Darkness’ stature as a timeless mushroom cloud of misery has rightly grown over the years. An absolutely essential, boundary-pushing record.

2020 Svart Records reissue with the Eternal Frost EP bonus disc
Black Metal, Genre, Heavy Metal, Song Reviews

King Diamond – Black Horsemen (Song Review)

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“That’s the end of another lullaby”

Black Horsemen is one of my favourite metal album closers of all time and it also succeeds perfectly in bringing King Diamond’s 1987 ghost story concept album Abigail to a satisfying conclusion: lyrically, musically and emotionally. As with the rest of Abigail‘s tracks, Black Horsemen is chock full of dazzling musicianship, deadly riffs and King Diamond’s demented theatrical vocals. But the song is elevated by a serene, Randy Rhoads-esque acoustic guitar intro that evokes the sun rising as the horrific goings-on at the La’Fey mansion come to an end. And the climatic guitar solo is so joyous it feels like an ecstatically received curtain call.

Classic Rock, Genre, Hard Rock, Heavy Metal, NWOBHM, Song Reviews

Gillan – No Easy Way (Song Review)

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“You are so lovely, you are so beautiful”

There’s no easy way to shake off sorrow but listening to this classic Gillan tune, from 1980’s thumping Glory Road album, is guaranteed to blow away the blues. Gillan were a monster band and on No Easy Way they are at their boisterous, swaggering best. Guitarist Bernie Tormé runs riot all over this, unleashing a chaotic torrent of guitar to kick things off and then livening up the whole track with all sorts of howling bends and bombs. “Let it all pass by” is a bit of classic Ian Gillan life philosophy and he’s on brilliant rock ‘n’ rolling form here too. The sweet way he sings the quiet middle section is a wonderfully heartwarming bit of emotional connection.

… and classic rock too!