| Reviews for Rusty Eye's Rust n' Roll |
| Rusty Maiden. - 69% |
| Written by hells_unicorn
on September 24th, 2008
|
| If I were a betting man, I’d wager to guess that most who are either fans or at least aware of Rusty Eye’s music don’t like this album quite as much as the ones that came later when Miss Randall took over drumming duties. The reason behind this is not necessarily as obvious as one would guess it to be, such as the lack of the slightly cleaner vocals of the aforementioned percussion impresario, but more in the subtle nature of the presentation of the whole. It adheres to the band’s professed goal of defying the traditional concept of catchy, accessible music just as much as their current stuff, but in a way akin to experiments that could have, but weren’t tried in the early days of metal’s history. Despite the alleged punk image of former Maiden front man Paul Di’anno, based solely on his short hair no less, there was nothing remotely similar to the NWOBHM and the late 70s punk scene that preceded it. The two were radically different from each other in just about every respect, and despite assertions by some that Motorhead (who were cut from a slightly earlier grain) were in any way punk influenced, a careful listening session of their early material makes this suggestion laughable at best. But in spite of this, Rusty Eye has essentially succeeded in merging the two concepts together in a way that brings out the divergence between them from their common rock roots within one rather short album. The primary flaws in this album are not found anywhere in the songwriting itself, as some might suspect from this rather chaotic blend of ideas, but in the production and in some aspects of the performance. For all of his capabilities as a shouter and a bass player, Mr. Rust is not front man material for a metal band, and it shows on most of these songs. The most glaring examples are on “Silent Waters” and “Who The Fuck Are You?!”, which tend the most towards punk rock, and showcase Mr. Rust shouting in a half-hearted manner that doesn’t really sound distinctive even when compared to a lot of plain sounding punk rock vocalists. Sometimes he wanders too far off key for the listener to be able to appreciate the level of attitude that he is exhibiting, and at others this attitude seems absent in favor of simply getting the vocals over with and allowing the interludes to take over. The mixing job on here does leave a bit to desire, particularly in comparison to later output. The quality is almost akin to a garage demo, and though it is a good bit cleaner than what most independent bands tend to put out, it just comes off lacking heaviness. The backup vocal mixing on “Black Desires”, which is otherwise one of the best songs on here, showcases a lack of depth in the entire vocal presentation. In addition to not really being completely in tune with each other, the female vocal harmonies sound extremely timid and non-passionate, as if they are being offered up as window dressing rather than a worthy addition meant to augment an already solid sound. As a song, it’s a brilliant merging of a half ballad in the “Remember Tomorrow” fashion and a galloping, speed metal blaze that came to typify Maiden’s glory days in the 80s, but the vocal limitations of this incarnation of the band hamper it a bit. The album’s strength lies primarily in the instrumental elements at play in between the vocal sections, which do account for more than half of the music on here. Whether it’s the swinging riffs of the album’s complex yet oddly catchy opener “Dead Once Again”, the odd yet interesting mix of speed metal and off-the-cuff changeups of “Inside Her (Rings Of Smoke)”, or the all out homage to every Iron Maiden instrumental recorded between 1980 and 1985 “Phantasm”, it’s all simultaneously metallic and intricate in a very enjoyable way. It is undeniable that given the band’s new lineup and wider capabilities, that these songs would listen much better today at a live concert than they do on here, and one need only visit the band’s latest live offering “Live At The Joint MMVI” to confirm it with some of these. It is recommended that anyone new to this band should start with later material, which has similarities to this, but is ultimately the superior product of an additional 5 years or so of honing a very unique vision. It would be worth picking up if you’ve already heard “Stendhal Syndrome” and want more of where that came from, although the musicians that Mr. Rust has supporting his conception are not quite as apt as later additions to the fold. If you’ve ever wondered what the Dead Kennedys would sound like if they got bored of playing 3 or 4 chords all day, or what Iron Maiden would sound like minus a superior production and the mock opera vocals, this will probably appeal to you. Originally submitted to (http://www.metal-observer.com) on September 24, 2008. |
| Metal ‘n Roll? - 50% |
| Written by ruigeroeland
on October 3rd, 2007
|
| I was not expecting this when I wrote the band asking for a review copy. So I didn’t read any reviews yet, but I DID look at the genre tag on metal-archives which clearly states this is Progressive Metal. When I think of progressive metal I think of a crystal clear production, complex song structures and some over the top guitar prowess. I knew my expectations in this regard would not be met after hearing the first few notes of this album. And don’t get me wrong: I am not saying that is a bad thing. So what type of music is it then? I would say it’s heavy, dirty Rock (on the metal side). Maybe Metal ‘n Roll would fit their sound? So, I must admit I normally like my music melodic and polished, but after a few listens I must say it did grow on me a bit. The songs have a catchy rock and roll vibe going on and are quite short bursts (not short in a grindcore way off course) of fierce rockin’ with a metal edge. The playing is competent, which is no wonder seeing the band has been playing for five years before recording this album. The vocals by Mr. Rust are a mix of shouting and gruff singing and would fit right in with a Punk or Hardcore band. It fits the music quite good, adding more “dirtiness” to it I guess. But this is not really my “vocal cup of tea” so to speak. The production is not top notch, but I would say it is sufficient for this type of music, making it sound a bit “gritty” which is probably exactly what the band wanted. So, for someone who is not used to listening to music like this, it is a bit difficult to add a score to my review. I had a good time listening to this, but that is about it I’m afraid. So I'll keep it in the middle, because I think people who do digg this music will fancy this. |
| Rock and metal meet and they're ANGRY! - 55% |
| Written by Noktorn
on September 23rd, 2007
|
| This isn't bad if you look at it for what it is: a rock album with large heavy metal influences. I can't say this is a full-fledged metal album; it's more garage rock with some Iron Maiden CDs stocked away. It creates music with a weird sort of inner conflict, where the band is torn between rock minimalism and heavy metal complexity. You get these big heavy metal riffs and song structures jammed into this tiny rock-based space, and it creates a very interesting, if not entirely effective, sound. The music is very minimalistic and sounds like it could have been recorded on a 4-track: clear, but very flat, almost rehearsal room-like, especially in the wide, sustaining drum sound. The riffs are mostly metal-based, but the guitar tone is pure rock, which makes for an interesting dichotomy. Most of the song structures are rather bluesy and rocky in nature, though, clashing somewhat with the metallized riffs and sounding like Black Sabbath were Americans listening to The Ramones in 1995. A strong cord of bass presence winds its way throughout the songs, in an atypically large musical presence, at least when compared to most metal today. The vocals are also strange: shouted rock singing with the occasional oi! group chant, and even an isolated instance of death growling on 'Return Of The Scarecrow'. The production saps some strength from the already somewhat timid performance, though: they don't sound very powerful, but more unsure and quieter than they should be. The production in general is the main culprit of the music's flaws here: this is the sound of metal and rock not meshing, but grinding fiercely into each other, both entities too big for this little album. It creates interesting music, though. Sort of how Calling Hour's music is a battle between warm and cold in the form of thrash and industrial, Rusty Eye is a battle between rock and metal on this album, creating the exact opposite of an artist like Motörhead: very clean, somewhat erudite music that still reflects both genres in that same aspect, but with some level of the crudity that defines both genres in hand with the elegance. It's interesting from an experimental perspective: I don't think it works very well when it comes to making catchy music that I really want to listen to, but from a structural standpoint, I've never heard anything exactly like this. It's probably more progressive than most supposed 'prog metal' bands typically are: at the very least, it's going places that others don't quite tread. 'Rust N' Roll' is neither heavy metal nor rock and roll, nor is it a particularly traditional fusion of either. It's that fusion turned inside out in a way that I can't remember having heard before. Consider it the direct antonym of Bishop's 'Steel Gods': instead of reconciling the styles and celebrating their similarities, Rusty Eye forces them together and decries their differences. Weird, and I can't say a great deal of fun to listen to, but very interesting nonetheless. |