Sacred Warrior, 'Wicked Generation' -- Album Review

Let’s face it. Anyone who was alive in the 80s, and still is in to music, listens to bands now that they wrote off in the 80s. What is a hidden treasure today was often just dross at the time. So it is that I find myself searching for bands I "missed" to get my hit of 80s songwriting and production. Sure, lots of new bands recreate the 80s scene, but there’s something more authentic and cool about finding an obscure CD and giving it a spin.

There’s another dynamic going on in my case. As any regulars are probably aware, I am a Christian, and have my own website giving away my own Christian heavy metal songs ( www.jesusmetal.com.au ). So, when I travel the world for obscure bands, I am also interested to hear old Christian bands. There are definitely bands I love now, that I heard and hated in the 80s, both secular and Christian.

While doing some online reading, I read that Wicked Generation by Sacred Warrior was a must have album for any fan of Queensryche. I am used to such claims. Most Christian bands back then sold themselves as the "Godly" alternative to some mainstream band or another. Usually it’s all hot air, and the band simply fails to be original in any way, without ever coming close to the sound they were
aiming to copy. I always have a mental image of some poor kid in the Bible Belt being told that Dad burned his AC/DC tapes, because now he can listen to X-Sinner instead, it’s just as good. But, I digress.

So, I am reviewing Wicked Generation, by Sacred Warrior. I love Queensryche. I bought Operation: Mindcrime from a record club, having never heard of them, and played it non-stop for a year. I still love it. Seeing it live in it’s entirely is one of my favorite Rocklahoma memories (although not entirely for the right reasons, I admit).

Rey Parra is the singer in Sacred Warrior. Wicked Generation came out in 1990. Mindcrime came out in 1988 and Empire came out in 1990. I’ve been trying to work out a relationship between the names Rey Parra and Geoff Tate, because this CD sounds like it’s Queensryche, singing and playing the songs they rejected when working on Mindcrime.

It’s clear to me that these guys saw Mindcrime go massive, found a singer who sounded the same, copped the licks, and did everything they could to sound exactly like them. It’s really uncanny. Some of the songs are perhaps a little heavier than Queensryche, but the operatic Geoff Tate vocals are there, the proggy riffing is there, the slower choruses are there, it’s actually quite brilliant in its own, artistically bankrupt way.

The overall message as far as I can tell, is summed up in the quote in the booklet "they are not the children of Satan, they are who we make them." This seems to me like a response to the hysteria in the 80s over metal being satanic. I actually had someone ask me in church in 1989 if the music I played on guitar contained "that satanic beat that makes children kill themselves." I hope such ignorance died in the 80s. I’ve always felt that blaming metal was a hiding place for bad parents who couldn’t see that their kids ended up lost because their parents never related to them.

I am aware that, for reasons I don’t understand, some people hate Christian music because of the message in the lyrics, although I assume they listen to Guns n' Roses without participating in orgies or taking drugs, and may even listen to Slayer without worshiping the devil. However, if you’re not amongst that number, I honestly recommend this CD if you can get it cheap and like Queensryche. I think it’s a better Queensryche album than the last few they’ve put out, for sure. It’s certainly worth a giggle.

'Bittersweet Memories' -- Power Ballad?

How did I miss this song?! "Bittersweet Memories" is a song on Bullet For My Valentine's newest album Fever. A dark power ballad if I ever heard one. Do you agree?

Record Breaking Crowd at Rocklahoma 2011

Here's a release on the recent success of Rocklahoma:

A record-breaking crowd of over 35,000 fans were on hand May 27-29 to celebrate at ROCKLAHOMA 2011, the Memorial Day Weekend camp and rock festival that features a mix of the best classic bands and today’s top rock artists. ROCKLAHOMA guests enjoyed ideal mild sunny weather throughout the festival at “Catch the Fever” Festival Grounds in Pryor, OK. In addition, over $10,000 was raised at ROCKLAHOMA for the American Red Cross Joplin Tornado Relief.

“When we got involved with ROCKLAHOMA last year, the goal was to try to help reinvent the festival without alienating the long-time fans or losing the ‘magic’ that had been created,” commented Joe Litvag, executive producer of ROCKLAHOMA for AEG Live.  “In 2011 we proved that the plan is working, as the festival saw its highest attendance to date and the fans’ experience was even more over-the-top than they thought possible.  Now we’ve got to focus on topping it next year!” 

ROCKLAHOMA 2011 featured performances from top rock artists including: Mötley Crüe, Poison, Staind, Whitesnake, Seether, Papa Roach, Hinder, Saving Abel, Skillet, Sick Puppies, Sebastian Bach, Black Label Society, Drowning Pool, My Darkest Days, Rev Theory, All That Remains, Escape The Fate, Cavo, The Gracious Few (featuring members of Live and Candlebox), Hail the Villain, Pop Evil, Jonathan Tyler & the Northern Lights, Taddy Porter and many more.

“ROCKLAHOMA is a great rock n’ roll event,” noted Vince Neil of Mötley Crüe. “I played it in ‘07 and it was great to be back there and have Mötley Crüe do it. After getting warmed up at ROCKLAHOMA and in South America and Mexico we’re excited to launch this new, huge production on our headlining run in the U.S. this week.”

"We had a blast playing for the ROCKLAHOMA crowd,” said Whitesnake’s David Coverdale. “We hope we get invited back...Too much fun! Our thanks to all involved for such great hospitality."

 Staind guitarist Mike Mushok agreed: “It was really an honor to be able to play with such a diverse group of bands and be one of the headliners for what turned out to be a record-breaking year for the festival. We would like to thank both ROCKLAHOMA and especially the fans for making the night an unforgettable experience for us.”  

The media also raved about ROCKLAHOMA. John Hall of TulsaToday.com wrote that “festival organizers saved the best for last as the festival grounds were packed throughout the day on Sunday…As the sun began to set, a quick look around the festival grounds revealed a sea of people as far as the eye could see…With the festival gaining momentum each year, one can hardly wait to see what organizers have in mind for Rocklahoma 2012 (May 31, 2011).”

ROCKLAHOMA also used the mass gathering of rock fans to generate some community awareness and good will.  The festival is proud to have raised over $10,000 for the American Red Cross as part of their tornado relief efforts in nearby Joplin, MO.  Litvag added, “Not an hour went by the entire weekend where our thoughts didn’t go back to our friends in Joplin.  We’re proud of their courage, and every person on site, each fan, each worker, each artist, is happy we could do something to assist them.” 

Stay tuned to www.rocklahoma.com in the coming weeks for photo galleries of the festival.  In addition, fans who missed the opportunity to buy a t-shirt or other souvenir at the ROCKLAHOMA merch booth can purchase items online at www.rocklahoma.com.

ROCKLAHOMAis held just 45 minutes northeast of Tulsa, in Pryor, OK.  The “Catch the Fever” Festival Grounds is a premier destination for a multi-day festival and includes onsite camping with access to restrooms and shower house, a general store for campers, VIP reserved seating, hospitality areas and much more.

Established in 2007 as a classic rock destination festival with the motto “life, liberty and the pursuit of rock,” ROCKLAHOMA was revamped for 2010 as organizers teamed with AEG Live to create an event encompassing a much broader mix of classic, current and up-and-coming rock artists.  ROCKLAHOMA is proud to be presented by Bud Light.

Asking Alexandria vs. Skid Row

Raise your hand if you know the band Asking Alexandria. The English metalcore/screamo/techno band is one of my absolute new faves on the scene. At the end of last year, Asking Alexandria released an EP called Life Gone Wild. Appropriately enough, the band included two Skid Row covers on the disc: "18 and Life" and "Youth Gone Wild." (At Rock on the Range two weeks ago, I got to see Sebastian Bach perform "Youth Gone Wild" with Asking Alexandria).

The thing that surprises me about the covers is that Asking Alexandria stays very true to the originals - there isn't any screamo anywhere in these tunes. In fact, at some points, you'd be hard pressed to tell whether the singer is Sebastian Bach or Danny Worsnop. Sure, there are bits of that English accent in the lower register parts, but on the Bach-esque soaring notes, the similarities are uncanny. And the guitar work is freaking awesome.

I get that a lot of you don't like screamo and that's okay - but you might buy the two Skid Row covers to support this new band who clearly wears their influences on their collective sleeves. On their original songs, the Bullet For My Valentine and Avenged Sevenfold similarities are pretty clear. It's also clear that Asking Alexandria is a band that knows their metal - and isn't afraid to give a nod to the old standards. You know, the bands we call our favorites.

"Youth Gone Wild" by Asking Alexandria

"18 and Life" by Asking Alexandria

Steelheart, 'Black Dog,' -- New Single

Steelheart has a new single! The band has recorded a cover of the Led Zeppelin classic "Black Dog." It's awesome. Check it out. After you listen, download free from the band's website.

By Request: Black Veil Brides -- 'The Legacy'

Yesterday, one of my fine readers asked if I had seen the new Black Veil Brides video for "The Legacy." To be honest I had not. This fine reader pointed out the classic Motley Crue similarities. Think Shout at the Devil era, and you've got it. I'm not going to pass any judgements here, except to say that I think every member of Black Veil Brides looks like Nikki Sixx about two decades ago.

So, while Black Veil Brides is not a Glam band, they did create a pretty Glam video for "The Legacy." Watch and let me know your opinion.

Papa Roach, 'No Matter What' -- New Video

One of my fave modern bands, Papa Roach, have just released a video for their new single "No Matter What." The single is from the album Time For Annihilation: On the Record and On The Road. The clip was directed by Jesse Davey.

The song has that classic Papa Roach "sound," but seems unique at the same time. I really like the song. The video is interesting -- a treatment I never would have expected from P. Roach. Watch.