The official Frontiers Softcock Shit thread

[BlobVanDam]

Deceived, Shout it Out, Feeder and War Machine are all pretty good songs, but overall I agree with your assessment.
There are certainly parts of the album that make me believe Jake E. Lee still has it in him to write a great rock album, but this feels like he's still getting the rust off. The production is great, there are some rockin' sections, but overall I don't think Lee has quite found his modern sound yet, so a lot of it is fairly average metal.
I had moderate expectations for this album, and it fell a little short unfortunately. I still got a few decent songs out of it though, so it's not a complete loss.

[wolfking]

I doubt I'll be spending my money on it to be honest.

[jingle.boy]

I'm having a go at Hydra and RDC on Spotify this morning.  I'm not a huge WT fan, and this album isn't turning me into one (I'm about 1/2 way thru it now).  Seems rather run of the mill.  Nothing stands out in a good or bad way - except that rap song; totally unnecessary.  It's not like either of them are Run DMC or Aerosmith.

[rickhawk80]

I doubt I'll be spending my money on it to be honest.

I listened to bits and pieces of Red Dragon Cartel online and the couple of full tracks that have been streaming and came away from it with a very .... meh .... feeling.  I agree you can tell it's Jake playing right away but nothing that really wows me for would have me coming back to listen to it again and again.  Glad Jake is back but this release is nothing special compelling me to spend my bucks on it.   

[TAC]

I doubt I'll be spending my money on it to be honest.

I listened to bits and pieces of Red Dragon Cartel online and the couple of full tracks that have been streaming and came away from it with a very .... meh .... feeling.  I agree you can tell it's Jake playing right away but nothing that really wows me for would have me coming back to listen to it again and again.  Glad Jake is back but this release is nothing special compelling me to spend my bucks on it.   

Same here.

[Lowdz]

Had a listen to the RDC and feel the same as the general consensus. Sounds good and Jake is certainly there and performing but a distinct lack of quality songs. Not a total write off though. By contrast I listened to The Ultimate Sin straight after. 

[jingle.boy]

Had a listen to the RDC and feel the same as the general consensus. Sounds good and Jake is certainly there and performing but a distinct lack of quality songs.

Having never been deep into the Ozzy discog, or Badlands at all, I have no frame of reference for Jake's material.  RDC was decent.  Nothing that wow'd me, but nothing terrible.  Unfortunately, in this day and age with the amount of AMAZING music out there, I definitely won't be buying it, nor coming back to it too often - if at all.

[jjrock88]

The new Primal Fear and Silent Force are outstanding!  I think the PF release is the best since seven seals and the Silent Force is a melodic metal classic.  A change in sound for Silent Force, but it works big time.

[bl5150]

Preview track from an upcoming album by some Spanish dudes called Secret (ex 91 Suite)..............sounds typical latter day AOR , however just an extra touch of class and the odd bit of variety in there.  I think it sounds promising , even  if a little formulaic.   

https://www.melodicrock.com/audio/Secret%20-%20Since%20I%20Fell%20For%20You.mp3


Had a listen to Cleaning Out The Closet today back to back with Train of Thought and guess which one's going back in the closet?  Train of Thought   

[wolfking]

The new Primal Fear and Silent Force are outstanding!  I think the PF release is the best since seven seals and the Silent Force is a melodic metal classic.  A change in sound for Silent Force, but it works big time.

This excites me.  And yeah, the Silent Force is really good, a definite keeper.

[TAC]

Having never been deep into the Ozzy discog

You don't need to go too deep. Just three albums is all you need. The first three.
Blizzard Of Oz
Diary Of A Madman
Bark At The Moon (w/ Jake)

[BlobVanDam]

Having never been deep into the Ozzy discog

You don't need to go too deep. Just three albums is all you need. The first three.
Blizzard Of Oz
Diary Of A Madman
Bark At The Moon (w/ Jake)

Um no! No More Tears is easily up there with the first two, and miles better than BATM, and Ozzmosis is pretty damn good too. Even his other albums have at least a few good redeeming tracks, aside from the latest steaming pile.

[TAC]

Having never been deep into the Ozzy discog

You don't need to go too deep. Just three albums is all you need. The first three.
Blizzard Of Oz
Diary Of A Madman
Bark At The Moon (w/ Jake)

Um no! No More Tears is easily up there with the first two, and miles better than BATM, and Ozzmosis is pretty damn good too. Even his other albums have at least a few good redeeming tracks, aside from the latest steaming pile.

Well I rank No More Tears #4 and Ozzmosis #5, so I like them very much too. But if I can only have three, they both lose out.

[BlobVanDam]

But you said the first three are all you need, but No More Tears is definitely as essential as the first two imo. I'd put them in a 3 way tie. BATM doesn't match up to those, although it is overall quite good, especially if you throw in Spiders.

[TAC]

J-Boy..buy 4 Ozzy albums and include No More Tears!

[BlobVanDam]

I can live with that.

[bl5150]

Every single Ozzy album up to and including No More Tears is a ripper IMO.      No Rest For The Wicked took a long while to grow on me but did eventually....still my least favourite of the lot though.   I'll never forget getting that - got it for Xmas '88 (age 14) and I was at that stage a huge Jake fan and I raced over to the tape deck to play it and was in shock - WTF happened to Jake?!!!   

[BlobVanDam]

Every single Ozzy album up to and including No More Tears is a ripper IMO.      No Rest For The Wicked took a long while to grow on me but did eventually....still my least favourite of the lot though.   I'll never forget getting that - got it for Xmas '88 (age 14) and I was at that stage a huge Jake fan and I raced over to the tape deck to play it and was in shock - WTF happened to Jake!!!   

No Rest for the Wicked is still my least favourite Ozzy album, latest album aside (which I barely even count). Miracle Man kicks ass, and Crazy Babies and Breaking All the Rules are good, but the rest is bleh. I really like the Jake E. Lee stuff, but they're a bit inconsistent imo. The better tracks are amazing, but there are some duds in there.
And I think some of the later Ozzy albums are hugely underrated. Ozzmosis is damn good, just behind Diary/Blizzard/NMT, and Down to Earth is equal to the Lee albums.
I even enjoy a few songs off Black Rain (with the rest being crap), but Scream totally lost me. I'm a big Ozzy fan, but that one's past the point of no return.

[TAC]

I actually really like Ozzmosis. See You On The Other Side is a Top 5 Ozzy song for me.

[BlobVanDam]

I actually really like Ozzmosis. See You On The Other Side is a Top 5 Ozzy song for me.

I really love that one too. Some strong vocals from Ozzy on that album. The only tracks I don't like from the album are Thunder Underground, and Denial. The rest is excellent.

[Zydar]

I Just Want You

[bl5150]

I actually really like Ozzmosis. See You On The Other Side is a Top 5 Ozzy song for me.

So do I - just not as much as those earlier albums , but that's where I started to gradually lose interest in new stuff.   Scream is crap as Blob said - Down To Earth I haven't listened to in so long I can't even remember.  I seem to recall that even though Zakk played on it (and he was beginning to "black label" Ozzy's sound) he didn't have any writing credits - Joe Holmes and others if memory serves.

I should go back and check that one out again.

See You On The Other Side is probably my fave track on Ozzmosis too.

[BlobVanDam]

I actually really like Ozzmosis. See You On The Other Side is a Top 5 Ozzy song for me.

So do I - just not as much as those earlier albums , but that's where I started to gradually lose interest in new stuff.   Scream is crap as Blob said - Down To Earth I haven't listened to in so long I can't even remember.  I seem to recall that even though Zakk played on it (and he was beginning to "black label" Ozzy's sound) he didn't have any writing credits - Joe Holmes and others if memory serves.

That would be correct. He rejoined Ozzy fairly late in the process, I believe. It's a good heavy album, with the Zakk Wylde sound, without being too far in that direction yet like the next one. Not one of Ozzy's absolute best, but still far from his worst. An underrated album. Facing Hell has always been my favourite track.

[jingle.boy]

J-Boy..buy 4 Ozzy albums and include No More Tears!

No More Tears is the one solo album I do have!

[TAC]

J-Boy..buy 4 Ozzy albums and include No More Tears!

No More Tears is the one solo album I do have!

Well, no wonder you didn't get anything else.. Oops, I hope Blob didn't hear that!

No More Tears is great, all kidding aside.

[BlobVanDam]

How could anyone hear No More Tears, and not instantly want to explore further? Shame on you, jingle!

[jingle.boy]

How could anyone hear No More Tears, and not instantly want to explore further? Shame on you, jingle!

[Delirious Nomad]

RDC made me rediscover the first two Badlands recordings. Brilliant stuff. Timeless. I heard maybe 3 tracks of the debut and didn't like it. I guess I was expecting more Ultimate Sin style Glam Metal. Now I just can't get enough of the two albums.
RDC : Jake still has a great tone that makes listening to him enjoyable, even when the songs are not that spectacular.

[Lowdz]

RDC made me rediscover the first two Badlands recordings. Brilliant stuff. Timeless. I heard maybe 3 tracks of the debut and didn't like it. I guess I was expecting more Ultimate Sin style Glam Metal. Now I just can't get enough of the two albums.
RDC : Jake still has a great tone that makes listening to him enjoyable, even when the songs are not that spectacular.

 
I was a little disappointed with Badlands initially, the first two songs aside. They did grow though.

Ozzy wise it would be

Diary
Blizzard
Ultimate Sin
Bark

I like the odd song here and there but nothing else held my interest and Zakk was a poor replacement for Jake.

[wolfking]

Bark at the Moon is actually one of my least fav Ozzy records.  The Ultimate Sin is my favourite.  I'm quite a fan of No Rest and Ozzmosis too.  Down to Earth was his last good album.

[TAC]

Wow, I don't think that The Zultimate Sin is even in the same league as Bark At The Moon. 

[jingle.boy]

Tastes!!!! Who needs 'em!?!?

[wolfking]

Okay, I'm frustrated at the moment.  The album that made me start this thead, Mercury's Down, I have lost my physical copy of it. 

Now, the last couple of years I have been slack with my cd storing and they just pile up randomly, but it was sitting right on top of the other cd that started this thread Work of Art's In Progress and under Eclipse's Bleen and Scream.  I was going to grab it the other day to play the propper cd audio in the car and it has disappeared.

For the last 3 days I have searched every cd, every hiding place, the car, work, everywhere a cd would travel, but it has just gone, and I can't for the life of me think of where it may have ended up.  I don't care about losing it too much cause I can get another copy, but the frustration of not knowing what happened to it, is bugging me.  Nothing else seems missing from what I can see, which makes it all the more frustrating.  I have a digital copy of it, but still, annoying.

I'm gonna get another copy if it doesn't turn up.  I'm looking at the Japan edition which has a bonus track of Strong Enough as a duet with Hitchcock and Martenssen.  Sorry for the rant,  just wanted to get that off my chest as it's driving me nuts. 

EDIT:  Found the bloody thing.  It was dug under the passenger seat of my car almost under the mat, must not have looked properly the first time lol.

[Lowdz]

Wow, I don't think that The Zultimate Sin is even in the same league as Bark At The Moon. 

I hated Bark for a long time. 2-3 good songs. Its grown on me now that Slow Down is on there. The original UK version lacked that rocker. Jake is too restrained on Bark - he's all over TUS.

[bl5150]

I didn't know you missed out on Slow Down - one of my faves on BATM.


Thoughts on Primal Fear after one listen - good album but won't be racing back to it.......rate it around 70% (edit : upgraded to 72% after listening to bonus track Man Without Shadow ).  Note that 70% is very good on my scale.


PROS:

- brutally heavy in parts and an awesome crisp production
- one or two of their best ever songs

CONS

- was fairly bored of the sound by the end - little variety/songwriting tangents among the songs


If I want to listen to something off this I'll probably come back to King For A Day and Man Without Shadow (a bit Allen/Lande-ish in sound)  - there's not a real dud song on it but King For A Day gives me almost everything the other songs do and better.  Great heavy song.

If I want to listen to Karlsson I'd much rather listen to what he does on Allen-Lande.

On the whole though this should really appeal to Primal Fear fans - I've always found them a bit hit and miss and too same-ish and this is no exception.   If I heard a few songs one by one with days in between I'd likely predict an absolute monster of an album but all of them back to back and I was a bit tired of it by the end.

It's got enough going for it for me to rate it higher than WT and Red Dragon Cartel.

I wish some other bands would take a leaf out of the production book on this though - awesome job.