Here’s the fourth and final installment of the greatest metal compilation album of 1989 and possibly all time. The sad part of this is that some of these bands have faded into obscurity.
Dream Theater- The Killing Hand
Acid Reign- Goddess
Femme Fatale- Falling In and Out of Love
Tigertailz- Love Overload
Wrathchild- (Na Na) Nukklear Rokket
Zodiac Mindwarp and the Love Reaction- Backseat Education
House of Lords- I Wanna Be Loved
Well, that completes it. I hope you all loved this entire album. If there was any one compilation which caught the entire essence of heavy metal at the time, then it was “Protect the Innocent.”
Next post: I haven’t fully finished with this album yet. There are two tracks from the final installment which are from albums I missed on the tour of 1988. Therefore, I’m going back and covering those albums. So the next album is Femme Fatale.
To buy Rock and Roll Children, email me at: tobychainsaw@hotmail.com
The “The Protect the Innocent” saga goes on with side three, “The Wild and the Willing.” However, there seems to be no let up in the great metal this album has.
Magnum- Start Talking Love
Vow Wow- Helter Skelter
Megadeath- Rattlehead
Saxon- Back on the Streets
Lita Ford- Kiss Me Deadly
Lisa Dominique- Rock ‘N’ Roll Lady
Exodus- Fabulous Disaster
I hope you’re continuing to enjoy. Three sides down one more to go.
Next post: Protect the Innocent- Side 4, The Wanton and the Warriors
To buy Rock and Roll Children, email me at: tobychainsaw@hotmail.com
Three bands immediately spring to mind whenever the term ‘progressive metal’ is mentioned. One is Dio as they could be called one of prog metal’s founders, the second is Savatage, especially after the “Gutter Ballet” album and the third band is the one I’m posting about today, Dream Theater. They are another band I discovered on the compilation album I’ll be visiting in the near future and like Mammoth, they impressed me. Therefore, it’s only logical that I explored their debut album, “When Dreams and Day Unite.”
Oh yes, to clarify, I can already hear some of you screaming at the top of your lungs, “What about Rush?” I don’t consider them metal and neither do they. Maybe progressive hard rock at best but not metal. In any case, I still enjoy a good Rush album so this whole argument is pointless.
Now back to Dream Theater and their debut. “When Dreams and Day Unite” starts off with three good tracks, the third one an instrumental and while I say good as they keep me interested, track two, “Status Seeker,” being the best of the three, the throat grabbing track comes fourth, “The Killing Hand.” For me, this is the best track on the album and I can see why it was the one which appears on that compilation album. It’s an eight minute long progressive metal master piece with all the elements required for such a track. What I had forgotten is that it was broken down into five parts. It tells a story of time travel and murder although the writer, John Petrucci, isn’t totally sure himself. Great keyboard work, some nice guitar work, a steady rhythm section and good vocals all combine to make it the best song on the album.
What critics have said, not that I pay attention to them, although there is some truth in the fact that the band were finding themselves as a band and individual musicians. This is not a criticism of the band but it’s something a lot of bands experience with their debut albums. I could have said the same about Mammoth in my previous post. However, what they have done on “When Dreams and Day Unite” is build the foundation for their more successful follow up album, “Images and Words.” Listening to the album, I remember why I was excited about Mike Portnoy filling in as drummer for Twisted Sister and I can add John Petrucci to my list of underrated guitarists. Some have slated Charlie Dominici’s vocals on the album but I find nothing wrong with them and of course, you can’t have good progressive metal without keyboards and Kevin Moore shows he’s the one for the job. While I don’t hear much of John Myung’s bass on the album, I know he lays down a good line.
Not wanting to leave out the rest of the album, I can say that the second half of the album, with the exception of “The Killing Hand,” is better than the first. The standout track of the four is “Light Fuse and Get Away.” It’s another cool track which neatly combines all the elements. Saying that, there seems to be a Rush-Styx influence throughout most of these songs.
Track Listing:
A Fortune In Lies
Status Seeker
The Ytse Jam
The Killing Hand- i. The Observance, ii. Ancient Renewal, iii. The Stray Seed, iv. Thorns, v. Exodus
Light and Fuse Get Away
Afterlife
The Ones Who Help to Set the Sun
Only a Matter of Time
Dream Theater
Charlie Dominici- vocals
John Petrucci- guitar
Kevin Moore- keyboards
John Myung- bass
Mike Portnoy- drums, percussion
While “When Dreams and Day Unite” is the only Dream Theater album which failed to break into the top 200, it did set the foundation of greater things to come for the band. Still, if you fancy some great progressive metal, then check this album out.
Next post: Pretty Boy Floyd- Leather Boyz With Electric Toyz
To buy Rock and Roll Children, email me at: tobychainsaw@hotmail.com
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