Album Review: Queen - s/t

Album: Queen
Artist: Queen
Label: EMI
Release Date: 13th July 1973

Queen's first album isn't often discussed, in television programmes about the band it tends to get skipped over very quickly and even fans prefer to heap yet more praise on 'A Night At The Opera' and later albums than revisiting what is in my opinion one of Queen's finest efforts. The album begins with 'Keep Yourself Alive', which despite being a wonderfully upbeat Queen-esque anthem didn't chart in the UK or America, and was left off the Greatest Hits albums. Sometimes it pays to delve a little deeper than a band's successful singles as it's a great album opener.

'Doing All Right' presents a more subdued continuation to the album, with some reflective lyrics and gentle guitar riffs before kicking off into some hard rock just before the end of the track. 'Great King Rat' is another song which seems to be largely ignored despite a classic Queen feel, with the beginnings of Brian May's classic overlapping guitar parts, choruses of falsetto backing vocals, and a general fantasy theme that continued into later Queen songs such as 'Seven Seas of Rhye' and 'The Prophet's Song'. There's also a faint hint of multi-sectional song structure, much like that of Bohemian Rhapsody which would see a release just 2 years later.

'My Fairy King' exhibits more of Queen's playful fantasy style lyrics which seemed to die off somewhat after the first two albums. As one of the most operatic and experimental tracks on the album, it serves to establish the band's signature style of their early period. With another rock instrumental break near the end, this track shows listeners that the band just don't do quiet ballads without a twist or two. 'Liar' is another excellent example of what a unique sound early Queen songs had, and is probably the best case study as to how the band's later songs were influenced by earlier tracks. Bouncing between loud and energetic sections and quieter breaks the song always feels like it's moving forward, never settling on a single idea for too long.

(The Seventies were an odd time for fashion and album cover photoshoots)

'The Night Comes Down' is perhaps the most conventional song on the album, though it still features Queen's signature vocal and guitar harmonies the song's structure is far more predictable and gentle than another other track. The song ends abruptly before heading straight into "Modern Times Rock 'n Roll', Roger Taylor's effort for the album, which is a fast paced rock n roll style song. Taking the helm on vocals, Taylor does a good job, and at just under 2 minutes the song is over in the blink of an eye.

'Son and Daughter' is a fusion of heavy metal and Queen's blues rock style, perhaps comparable to 'Stone Cold Crazy' later on in the band's career. If anything, this seems to indicate that the band were willing to incorporate any style of music into their sound (something which proved to be true in later albums) 'Jesus' is a lyrical recounting of parts of Jesus's life before a heavy guitar outro, leading fans of the time to believe that Queen were more of a psychadelic band despite never really revisiting this sort of sound or subject matter. Strangely though, the song seems to fit perfectly with the band's fantasy style and the overall sound of the album as a whole.

'Seven Seas Of Rhye' ends the album with an instrumental version of the song's intro, as it was unfinished at the time of recording. In a way it acts a sort of "coming soon" advertisement for the next album, which featured the full song. There are a few minor differences from what was featured on Queen II, but as the instrumental fades out, listeners are left with a sense of the album as a whole. From fantasy lyrics and light guitar twangs to heavy metal style solos and guitar breaks, with plenty of the band's signature style, Queen started as they meant to go on, and I think it's a real shame that none of the songs from this album made it onto the Greatest Hits, and that the album never really got the recognition it deserved. Still, with 3 equally great albums following this, you can hardly blame the listening public.

Rating 4.75/5.00

Album Review: Scars On Broadway - s/t

Album: Scars On Broadway
Artist: Scars On Broadway
Label: Interscope
Release Date: 29th July 2008

If you've met me at any time in the past 8 years then you'll know that I'm a huge System of a Down fan, so naturally when they went on hiatus I was interested in anything being produced by the band's members. While the first album released by any of the band was Elect The Dead; Serj's solo effort, Scars On Broadway soon followed with Daron Malakian on guitar and vocals, and John Dolmayan on drums. The album shows off Daron's writing style which was becoming more prominent in System of a Down around 2005.

The band wastes no time in going for the fast paced heavy metal sound; from the first seconds of "Serious", it's obvious that this project is just as heavy if not more so than System of a Down's sound. The sheer amount of energy condensed into the first song makes sure that no-one is thinking of Scars on Broadway as 'just a side project'. "Funny" contrasts well with the first song in its pace and is far softer with the vocals in both songs being less shouty than those we're used to in System Of a Down. "Exploding/Reloading" delves into popular topics for the band members such as religion and the Armenian Genocide. With a fairly catchy hook and ever more frenzied verses, the song fills out its short 2 minute 15 second run time.

 "Stoner Hate" proves to be a shouty punk inspired track with thrashy drums and guitar behind it. All of the songs up until this point on the album have been short and full of energy without much pause for thought. "Insane" breaks this trend with a slower, less distorted accompaniment, long guitar solo and reflective mood. Before the listener can get too comfortable however the intense verse of "World Long Gone" interrupts any contemplation. With a slightly less intense verse (which features vibraphone accompaniment), there's a nice contrast between the two parts of the song.

"Kill Eachother/Live Forever" is the second song on the album to have a two part title and is similar to its counterpart in more than a few ways. A hint of the guitars from System of a Down's album Hypnotize shine through at the end of the track also. "Babylon" sets itself up as an epic song with the gentle introduction of its final chorus as the opening section before setting off on a story of sorts complete with a great instrumental section. When the chorus does return it feels far more powerful and reminiscent of System hits. "Chemicals" feels like the album's attempt to recreate trademark System Of a Down madness in which respect it feels a little false and almost lazy. Probably the album's worst song, it's not devoid of good aspects but it's definitely disappointing both lyrically and musically.

"Enemy" is a return to form for the album with a funky main riff, a change from the heavy/light contrast of previous songs and a nod to an old System Of a Down live song. "Universe" is almost a straightforward rock song but it's the riff between chorus and verse that makes it that little bit more enjoyable. Just as the momentum seems to be returning to the songs "3005" laments the modern age in a slow, bluesy style with slide guitar and an enjoyable change of pace before the far more thrashy "Cute Machines" which experiments with a little noise rock and harsh vocals. Unfortunately this makes it seem as if the song isn't sure where it wants to go.

"Whoring Streets" is the final slow, reflective song on the album; another lament to the modern age and society as a whole. It's not bad and an appropriately slow contrast to the final song, "They Say". The main single for the album as a whole, the song warns of the impending apocalypse and has the political overtones that we've come to expect from members of System Of a Down. A straightforward driving metal song, it wraps up the album nicely and leaves the listener to make sense of all they've heard. Overall it's an enjoyable album for fans of System of a Down and hard rock alike with many highlights and a great deal of energy.

Rating: 4.25/5.00