U.D.O. - Steelhammer
Okay, I admit that I was a little concerned about what U.D.O. would sound like without Stefan Kaufmann, but I needn’t have been. Other than a couple slightly White Zombieish nu-groove riffs (or perhaps variations on the same riff) in the song “Mean Machine,” which are more distracting than ruinous, this might as well be Rev-Raptor 2. Which is to say that it’s great! Kaufmann’s… I’m hesitant to use the word “replacement,” because you can’t really replace a guy like Stefan, but whatever term one uses, the new Russian guitarist, Andrey Smirnov is perfectly serviceable, and I doubt than anyone expected him to outshine Kaufmann. Main-man Udo “Bastard!!” Dirkschneider sounds just as good and gruff as always, even singing one song, “Basta Ya,” in Spanish to prove that U.D.O. truly is an international band. That’s one of the standout tracks, along with “Never Cross My Way,” and the deadly one-two punch of the mid-album duo “Devil’s Bite” and “Death Ride.” Dirkschneider sneaks in a piano-and-vocals softie with the strangely effective “Heavy Rain,” which benefits from its brevity at a hair under two-and-a-half minutes. It’s no surprise that the man with the metal heart has delivered another in an endless line of albums chock full of Metal anthems. There isn’t a song on Steelhammer that you won’t be singing along with after a couple listens (or, immediately, for some!), and other than that 2.5 minute break I mentioned, you’ll probably be working out your neck for most of this, too. The only real flaw —and I hate to beat a dead horse, but this trend must die— is that you’ve got to buy this twice to get all the songs. And even then, you’d better know which two versions to get. Don’t worry, though, because Metal Curse has your back. So, let’s break it down: The normal jewel-case CD has 14 tracks, and the Limited Edition digipak adds one more, “Shadows Come Alive,” which you don’t want to miss. The Japanese version has a different bonus track, an English re-do of “Basta Ya” called “Dust and Rust,” which, while excellent, is less of a must than the LE digipak’s entirely new song. No idea about the vinyl, cassette, 8-track, reel-to-reel tape, DCC, MiniDisc, DVD-Audio, or SACD tracklists. However, in what may be a first, the iTunes/Amazon/wherever mp3 download has two less songs than the standard CD! It felt good to type that. Fuck you, iTunes! So, if you download this (legally), you’re only getting 12 of the 16 songs. That’s three-quarters, for the arithmophobic among you, and I’d say that not getting a fourth of something you’ve paid for is a problem. Imagine you’ve just bought a 20-piece box of McNuggets and it only has 15 in it. Let there be an end to the Bonus Track Wars! May all formats have the same tracklist! In Metal’s name, Amen!
(0) Comment(s)
Page 1 of 1 pages