I reviewed "The Spider Lullabye" in 2015 so we are moving on to "The Graveyard". This period always feels like an odd one to me, as King assimilated the Texas band Mind Storm into his band. This is where Herb Simonsen, Chris Estes, and Drummer Darrin Anthony came from. 1996 marks a time when had certainly shifted into its own grooving aggression that rejected the trapping of the 80s. Thus they were trying to fund where they fit in. The album is about revenge, mental illness, and superstition rather than the occult. "The Spider's Lullabye" bridged things in this direction, it's a lot like a heavier Alice Cooper, with King's over-the-top vocals as the narrative. Even this remastered version is not doing to original recording a great deal of favors. To their credit, it is punchier and heavier.
The pace picks up for the second song. This mix is much more compressed which I suppose was more common from metal in 96, as it has a rawer sound than previous albums. I would place the guitar higher in the mix with almost non-existent bass. There is also more of an underlying rock vibe here. The chorus is pretty strong though. "Heads on the Wall" starts off as more of a ballad. I think it builds up well on the chorus, this is really an underrated song. On the flipside "I'm Not a Stranger' could not come out in 2025, as it delves into the creepy child abduction part of the album. "Digging Graves" might be the most noteworthy song on the album. It moves at a doomier pace than what you expect from him. It also has one of the album's best guitar solos.
"Meet Me at Midnight" is powered by a more aggressive attack. The opening riff might be one of his heaviest. Once again the guitars could have come forward in the mix. "Sleep Tight Little Baby" opens theatrically, the tempo is darker and closer to doom. The chorus leans further into doom. It is not the album's most focused song as some of the storytelling loses momentum, though the solo section is really cool. "Daddy" is sung from an ...um interesting point of view. Another turn to a slower pace, though this one feels like a darker dramatic power ballad. The plus is you get to hear him sing more from his chest register. "Trick or Treat" is a much stronger song, it's mid-pace works of a deliberate syncopation.
"Up From the Grave' is more of a theatrical interlude. The keyboard tone on "I Am" is unfortunate. I guess he was going for more of a Deep Purple sound. The guitar mix hampers the song, and vocal lines are not as focused as what we heard from him on previous albums. The guitar solo on this song is pretty great, but that is not going to make or break the song. It's been so long since I have listened to this album these are almost like new songs. The Last song "Lucy Forever" finds him trying harder. making this song work. The mix of this album makes me round it down to a 9, there are some strong moments but the bar he set for himself is pretty, though this is still better than what most bands from this era are capable of.
No comments:
Post a Comment