Wednesday, November 28, 2012

Metallic Attack - The Ultimate Tribute

Bob Kulick has helped produce a lot of tribute albums, and I own a few of them. Metallic Attack: The Ultimate Tribute pays homage to Metallica, and it's about as good as every other one he's done. Which is to say, that it's okay, but nothing really special. The album relies more on names for selling power, and less on the the actual tribute to the band. However, there are parts to this album that are really kick ass.

The first thing I must admit about this album, is that I over paid for it. I bought it in the hype of the names of the performers, and I paid at least twenty bucks for an album that should have only been ten. The problem is when you see the names of some of your favourite musicians, and they are performing some kick ass songs, you just can't help yourself. This has been the most expensive of those albums, because there have been a few of these instances.

There are two things I find that usually wreck these tributes that Bob Kulick is involved with. The first is that it's too many musicians that just come in and lay tracks down. There isn't that proper coherence you get from a band. Then there's also the bands that don't actually put the effort in that they should. This album suffers from both of those problems, but this album suffers from something else as well. These guys are trying to cover Metallica, and not the cheap easy stuff either. This album is kind of like it was made by hardcore fans.

Now, there is only one band in the world that can take a Metallica track and do it better, and that band kicks of this album. Motorhead leads of this album with Whiplash, and that was the worst mistake on this album. It was all down hill after this. Lemmy is the baddest mother to play four strings of thunder. His voice is so bad ass that James Hetfield still isn't even close to being in the same league on his own song. This is also the Motorhead line-up of Lemmy Kilmister, Phil Campbell and Mikkey Dee, which is a bitchin' combo. This really should have been the last track on the album. This is a track you must own, and I don't care how you get it. It is so worth having.

I like when you see those funny little things on albums, like Flotsam & Jetsam performing Damage Inc. If you don't understand the humour of this one, let me explain. Jason Newstead, Metallica's most under-utalized bassist, left Flotsam & Jetsam to go to Metallica. Also, if you are wondering why I say "under-utalized", well that's simple. Bob Rock has more writing credits than he does, and Jason deserved better than that. He's damn good at what he does. This song, has neither Jason on bass, nor the production it deserves. It sounds as if Metallica had recorded it during Kill 'Em All, but not that cool.

Enter Sandman is allowed to be on here, because they played with it a little, so I'm not being subjected to the same commercial bullshit we all already know and loathe. This is a thrown together ensemble of Prong's Tommy Victor, Extreme's Nuno Bettencourt, Armored Saint's Joey Vera and Judas Priest's Scott Travis, but they actually pull it off. It's still very much Enter Sandman, but they give it a different vibe, it's a bit more ominous and spooky. I actually kind of dig it. Death Angel performs Trapped Under Ice, and it's not bad. They pretty much nail the song down perfectly, but the production is shitty, and I don't care for the vocalist. He's not bad. He's just not my thing.

The next track has me saying things that should never be said. I don't mind this version of Nothing Else Matters, and I think it's better than the original. Let me start by listing off the members of the band. Gregg Bissonette is the drummer. He's played with Steve Vai and David Lee Roth. No biggy. Then there's bassist Tony Franklin and he's played with Roy Harper, and The Firm. Still not much going on there. And on this song that's fine. Now we move on to Bob Kulick and he's worked with Meat Loaf and W.A.S.P., and helped produce this album. He's the rhythm guitarist. Then there's his brother, and the more well known Kulick. Bruce Kulick from Kiss and Grand Funk Railroad fame, handles the lead guitar. The two guitarists turn this song into a monster Arena Power Ballad the likes of Metallica never would have dreamed. Then it's all topped off with Joe Lynn Turner performing the vocals. He's been a vocalist for Rainbow, Yngwie Malmsteen and Deep Purple, because he has the giant high Rock God kind of voice. So when you mix it all together, and throw in some 80's Hair Metal production you get a song, as it should have been done originally. A song Hetfield should have just handed off, to someone else, because it wasn't right for him.

Motorbreath is done by an interesting mix of Metal musicians. Page Hamilton of Helmet, Scott Ian of Anthrax, Blasko of Rob Zombie, and Ryan Yerdon who's listed as being from Gavin Rossdale, and I only found an instance of his being in Puddle Of Mudd. He's also listed as being on the previous track, but I think that was an error. As for the song itself, it's okay. Not bad, but not Metallica.

I'm impressed that Holier Than Thou was on here. However, it's more one name that caught my eye. Eric Singer is the drummer. This is the only drummer I both love and hate. I love him because he's Alice Cooper's best drummer after Neil Smith. I hate him because every time I've seen Alice live, Eric's been on tour with Kiss instead. It makes me want to bitch slap him. However, he easily proves how over rated Lars is as a drummer. You can hear that he's not even breaking a sweat. Other than that, this is pretty much a cranked up Black Metal version of a track that sounds like everyone was recorded separately. Still not bad, though.

Master Of Puppets, has an interesting mix of musicians. Whitfield Crane of Ugly Kid Joe, Rocky George from Suicidal Tendencies (this is after Rob went to Metallica), Randy Castillo drummer for Ozzy Osbourne. Also, Ozzy's bassist at the time (2004) Mike Inez is on this track. But, he may be better known from Alice In Chains. I will say that I was impressed by this cover, and I like that they sound like they were all together working on this track, and not just sessioned out, which I'm sure is still what happened.

Impresseviely Eye Of The Beholder is on here too. Not exactly on my list of songs I would expect other bands to cover. As for how it sounds. Well picture Megadeth circa Cryptic Writings covering this song, and it sounds pretty much just like that. Which is really cool on one hand, and "meh" on the other.

Dark Angel closes the album with their version of Creeping Death, which is faithfully covered by a band that sounds like their name would suggest. It's basically a Death Metalish growling style with early 80's styled production. If you can find this CD for ten dollars or less, pick it up. It's worth that. Anymore than that, you better really like the Motorhead cover of Whiplash.

6/10 - content

6/10 - production

7/10 - personal bias

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