I haven’t missed a show since they came out on “The Blackening” tour, a tour which lasted close to 3 years.
And my Best Man was in tow again who also hasn’t missed a show with me, along with my eldest son this time, who likes only three Machine Head songs in “Darkness Within”, “Bastards” and “Circle The Drain”.
“Do you reckon they’ll play em Dad”, he kept asking me.
“I am sure they will as those songs are up there in streams, so why not”, I lied back.
I had already checked the last 10 shows they had done via Setlist.fm and I couldn’t see those songs in the set. But I wasn’t going to tell him the truth. And selfishly, I wanted him to come and experience a “Machine Fucking Head” concert.
But before Machine Head took the stage, Fear Factory did.
It’s not the classic Fear Factory line up but then again which band these days is touring with the original members.
Guitarist Dino Cazares is the only original member, joined by new vocalist Milo Silvestro who replaced the much loved Burton C. Bell. Pete Webber on drums is also a new addition, then again Fear Factory have had more drummers than Spinal Tap. Rounding out the line up is bassist Tony Campos, who has been with the band since 2015.
I’m not a massive fan but I do like to go nuts on “Archetype”, “Shock” and “Resurrection”. And man, they did play em.
They opened with “Shock”, they closed with “Resurrection” and in the middle they dropped “Archetype”.
“Archetype” was written in the version of Fear Factory without Dino and it wasn’t played live when Dino returned, however once it was added to the setlist in 2013, it never really left.
But I was here to watch Machine Head.
Machine Head is a different beast these days from the first time I saw them. Robb Flynn is basically Machine Head, in the same way Dave Mustaine is Megadeth.
In 2010, joining Rob was Phil Demmel on guitars, Adam Duce on bass and Dave McClain on drums.
Fast forward 14 years, joining Rob this time is Jared MacEachern on bass, Matt Alston on drums and HAVOK guitarist Reece Scruggs, who stepped in for Waclaw “Vogg” Kletyka, who was the recording guitarist but couldn’t make the touring commitments as he was touring with his long time band DECAPITATED.
If you’ve been to a Machine Head concert, you know when “Diary Of A Madman” starts, the concert is about to begin (much like when “Doctor Doctor” plays at a Maiden concert).
And as soon as the outro of “Diary” kicks in, the lights go down and once it plays out, Rob Flynn starts “Imperium”.
It’s a great opener, it sets the tempo, the mood and the aggression.
And the aggression continued with “Ten Ton Hammer”, “Choke On The Ashes Of Your Hate”, “Now We Die”, “Aesthetics Of Hate” and “Old”.
“Locusts” was up next and it didn’t disappoint. It was also probably the most melodic song of the night.
The frantic energy and aggression continued with “Take My Scars”, “No Gods, No Masters”, “Slaughter The Martyr”, “Bulldozer”, “From This Day” and “Davidian”.
All the music here has been released before circa 2003 when the band remastered their albums on their own Motley Records label.
But let me highlight how many issues of the album they have done recently.
In 2022, they released a Limited Edition, Reissue, Black/Clear Split Vinyl edition.The music on this edition was just the normal album.
In 2018, they released a Limited Edition, Reissue, Remastered, Clear With Red Swirl Vinyl Edition. The music on this edition was just the normal album.
In 2016, they released a Limited Edition, Reissue, Remastered, Red With Black Swirl, 180g Vinyl edition. The music on this edition was just the normal album.
In 2011, they released a Limited Edition, Reissue, Remastered, Mini Vinyl Replica edition. The music on this edition was just the normal album.
Again in 2011, they also released a Reissue, 180g, Gatefold edition. And again, the music on this edition was just the normal album.
Between 2003 and 2023, they also released various CD versions of the album with wording like, HDCD, Club Edition, Limited Edition, Enhanced, Reissue, Remastered and SHM-CD (for Japanese Releases). Apart from the 2003 edition, it’s been the same album re-released.
But, it’s selling for $370AUD. It looks like a nice collectors piece and if you don’t have this album, you’ll be thinking “why not”, but at that price I would have expected something to be included that hasn’t been released as yet.
Take a cue from Mr Coverdale, who puts the effort in with his evolution compositions, different jams/rehearsals of the songs and live recordings.
STEVE JOBS
At 12 years old Jobs called Bill Hewlett (the co-founder of Hewlett-Packard) to ask for spare computer parts.
Jobs got the parts and a summer job working the assembly line at Hewlett-Packard.
Steve Jobs, believes asking is the single thing that “separates the people that do things from the people that just dream about them.”
METALLICA
Brian Slagel is putting together the Metal Massacre compilation album.
Slagel met Lars Ulrich a year ago at a Michael Schenker concert. Lars calls him up and asks him, “if he puts together a band can he be on the record?”
BON JOVI
It’s 1982 and Jon Bon Jovi has just finished writing and recording “Runaway”.
He shopped it around and couldn’t get a record deal. He couldn’t get a band together to play live because original bands didn’t make enough money.
Luck would have it that a brand-new radio station would open in New York. It was so new it didn’t have a receptionist so nobody was there to stop Jon from walking straight to the DJ and asking him to play “Runaway”.
The song quickly gained traction and Hobart entered Bon Jovi into a contest the radio station was running for the best unsigned band.
Jon won, he got his Mercury deal and by the summer of 1983, the song had become a huge hit.
It’s amazing what could happen from asking.
SONG ON REPEAT
“Crime Of The Century” by Revolution Saints.
That Chorus hook is undeniable. It’s from the new album “Eagle Flight” which has Joel Hoekstra and Jeff Pilson joining Deen Castronovo.
Check it out.
BONUS SONG I’M LISTENING TO
“Burn For Me” by The Night Flight Orchestra. It’s the Bowie “Modern Love” feel which hooks me in and then that feel gets put in the TNFO blender and what comes out is an infectious AOR Rock song.
It was released in 2004 on Ytse Jam Records, the official bootleg label of the band created by Mike Portnoy and John Petrucci, but Portnoy was the main driver.
Yep, the thing that bands are doing right now, Dream Theater has been doing it since 2003. Marillion, one of Portnoy’s favorite bands have been doing it even earlier via their fan club.
This was also released as part of their Inside Out record deal via the “Lost Not Forgotten Archives” on 12 May, 2023.
The CD contains pre-production demos as well as instrumental versions of the songs and songs that did not make it on to the album, or were recorded around the same time. Also included are six tracks the band recorded as a Christmas gift for their friends.
The band started this recording process as Majesty. By the end of it they would be Dream Theater.
They started it with Chris Collins as the vocalist. Then a whole year would pass before Charlie Dominici would join Mike Portnoy, John Petrucci, Johnny Myung and Kevin Moore. This is the band that recorded the debut album.
Afterlife – Instrumental Demo
It’s my favorite track from the debut album and it was the first new track they wrote upon returning home from Berklee in the Summer of 1986.
It’s straight ahead speed technical Metal and the instrumental demo highlights it.
And Johnny Myung is one hell of a bassist.
The harmony solo between the keys and guitar is still here, however the solo before is different to the recorded version.
The song was performed live with vocalist Chris Collins however it had different lyrics and melodies.
The Killing Hand – Instrumental Demo
It’s weird how my two favorite songs on the debut are the first two songs written.
You can say this song is the start of the Dream Theater epics.
That section after the solo still hooks me.
The Ones Who Help to Set the Sun – Instrumental Demo
The working title of this song was “Death Of Spock”.
It’s the most progressive of the tracks so far and the Arabic Metal feel is very prominent in the demo.
The Rush influence is also prominent when you hear the song instrumentally.
Ytse Jam – Instrumental Demo
Well the song was written to be an instrumental so instrumental demo doesn’t make sense.
Regardless, it’s a fan favorite and that Intro gets peoples attention immediately.
Cry for Freedom – Instrumental Demo
I needed to rehear it to remember it. A leftover from their Berklee jams.
Standard riffing that seems lost without a vocal melody.
But I do like the Sunset Strip riff from about 2.40 and then the change in feel at 3.00. The drums play a simple groove, the synth takes the lead and it sounds like “Stranger Things” took it for their intro. Or maybe the band was heavily influenced by the “Signals” album from Rush.
It’s also been preformed live with Chris Collins.
Resurrection of Ernie – Instrumental Demo
It’s like a John Carpenter soundtrack piece and I like it.
The music here has never been used or rewritten for another song, so it’s a true rarity.
Drum Solo – Instrumental Demo
I hate drum solos in concert and I hate them on albums. If they add some music to it and have the drums doing intricate things then I’m all in.
Portnoy created it for a contest that Modern Drummer magazine was running. The prize, “Neal Peart’s Tama Drum Set”.
Portnoy submitted it under the title “Peartnoy’s Complaint”.
He didn’t win.
A Fortune in Lies – Instrumental Demo
It is the opening track on the album. I still get hooked on the verse riff and how the keys decorate it.
And in the demo here, there’s no Chorus
Only A Matter of Time – Instrumental Demo
It’s missing the excellent synth lead which defines it.
A Fortune in Lies – Early Charlie Demo
Charlie Dominici is a great vocalist.
But at 36 years of age when he joined the band, he was always on borrowed time with the Dream Theater guys.
Mike Portnoy said it was like having Billy Joel singing in Queensrÿche. In this case it was more Steve Perry singing in Dream Theater.
A good singer in the wrong band, they would amicably part ways after this album.
Afterlife – Early Charlie Demo
My favorite track with a killer chorus. But you had to wait for it.
The Ones Who Help to Set the Sun – Early Charlie Demo
You hear a lot of Marillion in the demo and I like it.
These “Early Charlie” Demos are the ones that got the band signed. A friend of Portnoy’s had an ex-band mate who left Combat Records to start Mechanic Records and on June 23 of 1988, Majesty signed their deal.
Once signed, Terry Date was selected as Producer, who at the time had a reputation for making albums sound great on a low budget.
Portnoy’s 4 track came out and away they went with the Pre-Production demos.
A Fortune in Lies
Afterlife
Ytse Jam
Only A Matter of Time
The Ones Who Help to Set the Sun
The Killing Hand
Light Fuse and Get Away
All of the pre-production demos are more polished than the instrumental demos.
The solos are still a work in progress however most of the elements are there.
“Light Fuse And Get Away” was newly written during this phase.
“Status Seeker” was written just before they entered the studio and never demoed.
The entire album was recorded and mixed in 3 weeks.
Shortly before the release, the guys were informed of another unsigned band who held the registered trademark for the name Majesty. So they had to change their name.
And Dream Theater was born.
The album dropped on March 6, 1989 to little promotion and fanfare. The label reneged on their promise to fund a video and provide touring support.
It was dead on arrival as the guys retreated back to their basement rehearsal studio and their day jobs at delis, Chinese food places and music stores.
To Live Forever – Xmas Demo
The song was written after the guys watched “Rattle and Hum” from U2.
It’s stuff like this which I like from Dream Theater. They would take all kind of influences and still make it sound like Dream Theater.
On here, you can really here the pop vocals in Dominici.
Mission Impossible – Xmas Demo
A little jam with Portnoy losing his shit at the end of the song at Petrucci who was wailing away.
Golden Slumbers/Carry that Weight/The End – Xmas Demo
A Beatles medley.
O Holy Night – Xmas Demo
It’s not a Xmas demo with a Xmas song.
A Vision ’89 – Xmas Demo
I like Dominici’s vocals as well. Then again I’m a fan of this song, so I enjoy all versions of it.
This one is very Queensryche like.
And there you have it.
If you want to hear Dream Theater as a technical speed Metal band with various influences of other styles then this is the album.
It’s all about Copyright, that little piece of legislation meant to give creators a monopoly on their works, so they could create new works, however the creators now sell or license their rights to a corporation, who then seem to hold onto the rights forever and by doing so, the Corporations keep lobbying hard to change laws so copyright lasts forever.
THE VALUE IN COPYRIGHTS KEEPS GETTING BIGGER
It’s 2008 and the Global Finacial Crisis decimated assets across the world. In these wastelands, the Investment Houses turned to Copyrights to balance portfolios.
The arrival of streaming services took off the cloak and funny math on royalties by the labels. While artists complained about the pay per stream rate, one thing they couldn’t complain about was the amount of money paid to the organizations that held the rights.
15 years later, these portfolios keep making money for the Investment Houses as the majority of music consumers transitioned to streaming.
In 2022, Germany generated 1.656 Billion in streaming revenue. The total income for the country was 2.07 Billion so streaming equated to 80 percent of it.
Globally in 2022, streaming revenues reached 17.5 billion U.S. dollars. 70 percent of total recorded music revenue.
If you are not getting a cut of it, someone else definitely is.
The unusual trial will determine which of the two handwritten wills, including one found in couch cushions, will come in force.
The interesting part is how Aretha valued her earnings from Copyright, which she listed as $1. Meanwhile, the Estate earned $4 million in one year after her death.
It is estimated that Spotify has paid the rights holder of Sabaton’s catalogue between $9.6 million and $15.9 million during this time.
If Sabaton owned their Masters 100%, then they would have received between $7.6 and $12.6 million dollars from Spotify. It equates to $507K and $840K per year. There are five members in the band, so taking the lower amount, each member would get $100K each. This takes into account that they have no manager percentage, accountant percentage and so forth.
If they had a 50% Royalty agreement with their label, they would have received between $3.7 and $6.3 million dollars. It equates to $247K and $420K.
If they had a 20% Royalty agreement with their label, they would have received between $1.5 and $2.5 million dollars as the label would get the other 80%. It equates to $100K and $167K. Taking the lower value, each member would receive $20K for the year, which comes to $1,666 per month. This takes into account that they have no manager percentage, accountant percentage and so forth.
RE-RECORDINGS
The Law states that artists can get back their rights after so many years. But the labels are fighting each case tooth and nail.
So if the artists have the means, they are creating new masters and are making those new masters as canon. This in turn gives them control over their music and they can then license these recordings to TV Shows and Movies and Games on their own terms.
Metal music is always resilient to changes in genres however it’s also easily adaptable to other genres or it can be used as a fusion element.
And fusion is happening everywhere.
Taylor Sheridan is good at mashing unrelated and different story ideas into one cohesive story. Yellowstone is a mash up of Classic Westerns, Medieval dramas with a lot of back story and political thrillers. Tulsa King is “The Godfather” in a Western setting.
And then I did some research on em, and they have a gimmick, wearing face covering like ninjas from an anime.
“Darker Still” is a song by the Australian band Parkway Drive. It is also the title track of their 2022 album.
It is one of the best Metal tracks released in the 2020’s decade.
When it comes to Metal, there is always a discussion as to “what is Metal?”
Growing up in the 80s, there was a period up to about 1985 when any album with distortion guitar was classed as Metal.
This meant that you would find AC/DC, Bon Jovi, Motley Crue, Kiss, Metallica, Venom, Def Leppard, Iron Maiden, Black Sabbath, Ozzy Osbourne, Twisted Sister, Judas Priest, Van Halen, Scorpions and Quiet Riot (just to name a few) in the Metal section. Even Punk bands ended up in the Metal section.
But the scene fragmented. Blame the labels and MTV.
The massive sales of albums from Def Leppard, Scorpions, Judas Priest and Van Halen in 84 and 85, paved the way for the massive sales to come from Bon Jovi, Europe, Guns N Roses, Whitesnake and Def Leppard again between 1986 and 1989.
The labels needed new names and suddenly Glam/Hair Metal was a thing, Hard Rock was a thing, Melodic Rock was a thing, Thrash Metal was a thing, Death Metal became a thing, Melodic Metal became a thing and then Melodic Death Metal became a thing.
And somehow a thing called Black Metal and Extreme Metal became a genre.
On the other side you had Speed Metal, which morphed to Power Metal and then elements of that style became known as Symphonic Metal and another element became known as Pirate Metal.
And we all know that Grunge came and created a wasteland of rock acts. Industrial Metal and Industrial Rock started to rule the wastelands, and then Alternative Rock and Alternative Metal came briefly just to give way to Nu Metal.
And before Nu Metal, there was Grindcore, Hardcore, Doom Metal and everything else that didn’t fit in.
Parkway Drive started off in the 2000s with a Metalcore label. Metalcore is described as a fusion music genre that combines elements of extreme metal and hardcore punk. Its known for its use of breakdowns, slow, intense passages conducive to moshing.
These days Parkway Drive is basically a Metal act (and a pretty big one) that has so many different styles in their repertoire.
Like Metallica.
Metallica in the 90s, had became a very different version to the speed Metal band that started off. While their 80s output focused on speed, they did push some boundaries in the progressive Metal world before scaling it back to end up with the biggest selling groove Metal album ever.
Then they incorporated Blues Rock and Southern Rock into their sound for the “Load” and “Reload” album cycles. And when Nu Metal became a thing with no guitar solos becoming the norm they did this as well with the “St Anger” album. But since the fans became madly in anger with them, they never returned to the “No guitar solos”.
Metal to me is an “anything goes” attitude. And that’s what Parkway Drive brings to the table.
“Darker Still” has a lot of solos. Melodic solos. Emotive and sad by Jeff Ling who is the lead guitarist and man, he plays the sections wonderfully. But the recording sessions for this album along with some personal issues broke him and he lashed out badly at vocalist Winston McCall.
Just the way it begins with the whistling and the acoustic guitar is enough to hook me in.
But it’s the whistling melody which comes in at the 28 second mark that forms the foundations of the song. Because the same melody appears later as a solo, and with a choir and with violins and it’s massive.
Especially from 4.08. You hear it all, the guitar lead, the voices and the violins. Just close your eyes and let the music take you away.
And Ling breaks free again, for one of his best solos.
The song’s lyrics to me are about a person struggling with depression and the darkness that comes with it. It describes the feeling of being trapped in a cycle of self-destructive behavior, unable to break free despite the toll it takes on their life and relationships.
The chorus of the song is powerful, with the lyrics “And the night grows darker still”
This line speaks to the idea that even in the darkest moments of our lives, there is still hope and the possibility for redemption and recovery.
After they finished doing the tracking for the “Darker Still” album, the band members started the process of breaking up. No one wanted to be in the band anymore.
More volatile meetings were held and the guys realized they needed help.
Rhythm guitarist and manager, Luke Kilpatrick, saved the band. He suggested that they get counseling. Like Metallica.
The April 2022 tour they cancelled of the U.S for undisclosed reasons was due to the weekly counseling sessions they started to have.
And they made it.
Until I die, until I die and the night grows darker still.
A long time ago, I read a review on an old Yahoo run site, that classed Evergrey as “Doom metal” and “Dark Metal”. There is no doubt that Evergrey has built a career on writing songs that deal with sorrow, depression and a whole range of dark emotions. I have read reviews that state the band should lighten the fuck up.
But hey, no one said that life is pretty.
Evergrey’s 2011 album “Glorious Collision” is their 8th album. Like the albums before it, and like the albums that came after, it is a powerful and emotional journey through the human experience.
The press release had something like, the album’s sound is characterized by heavy guitars, soaring vocals, and intricate melodies that create a wall of sound that’s both intense and immersive.
But the reviews weren’t that kind. The usual websites who give every artist glowing reviews kept the reviews glowing, but when you get down to the more elitist blog sites, the reviews weren’t that kind.
The power metallers didn’t like, as they saw the band selling out and moving more into a commercial classic rock setting. The progressive websites kept saying they are not progressive anymore, just bland modern metal.
But, music is a connection between the artist and the fan. And Evergrey, courtesy of founder/vocalist/guitarist Tom Englund have fostered that connection with each album.
Production duties for “Glorious Collision” are also handled by Tom Englund.
But. Remember. Life isn’t pretty.
In May, 2010, before the album recording/writing even started, drummer Jonas Ekdahl, guitarist Henrik Danhage and bassist Jari Kainulainen left Evergrey. The press release said it was by mutual decision due to problems with the band members interacting with each other. The best outcome was to call it quits as to not ruin the friendship they all have with each other. Ekdahl and Danhage also went on to play with DeathDestruction, a Metal Hardcore band formed by Ekdahl and vocalist Jimmie Strimell from Dead By April.
For this album, founder Tom Englund is on vocals and guitar and Rikard Zander is on keyboards. Joining them is Marcus Jidell on guitar, Johan Niemann on bass and Hannes Van Dahl on drums. Female vocals are provided by Carina Englund (Tom’s wife at the time) and their daughter Salina Englund does guest vocals on “I’m Drowning Alone”.
Leave It Behind Us
In the twilight of the line-up changes and the turmoil of what was left of the band, Englund and Zander didn’t even know if they were going to continue. From 5 members only two remained. Then they wrote “Leave It Behind Us”.
All things that were known now are changing
It sums up what Englund felt back then and it also represents the melancholy of the album. The music is written by Tom Englund and Rickard Zander with Englund writing the lyrics as well.
You
The music is written by Englund and Marcus Jidell with lyrics written by Englund. It’s a classic rock track with a modern metal sound. And I like it.
And if weakness is a virtue And an act of strength a pride Then I am king and misery’s my empire
It’s a song about being let down, because the “you” in the song, is the one who said they will be there. But their nowhere to be seen.
Wrong
It’s another Englund and Zander composition.
The album’s standout track which features a powerful vocal performance from Englund and an uplifting chorus that resonates. The song encourages you to stay true to yourself in the face of adversity.
It’s also the first single and it was certified gold in the band’s home country for sales in excess of 10,000 copies. I know it’s not a lot when you live in the North American market, but for a small market like Sweden, it’s plenty. This is also the band’s first certification in Sweden as well the first certification for their label at the time, Steamhammer/SPV in Sweden.
I always thought that I would know That when things were broken it would show Somehow I thought I always knew The difference between the lie and truth
Blindsided by change. It’s never easy to deal with, especially when you are the one being blindsided.
It’s obvious Englund is writing about a relationship. And the way the lyrics are written, most people might think it’s about a romantic relationship, but in the end it could be about any kind of relationship, romantic, parental or friendship.
Frozen
Like the opening track, this hard hitter has music written by Zander and Englund with Englund writing the lyrics.
Everything is built from change All the things we recreate Fallen – lost – forsaken faith The unspoken made us frozen
It’s a powerful opening verse.
It’s bleak, and it shows how not talking about matters when you need to, leads you to being frozen many years later, when a separation happens.
Restoring the Loss
Written solely by Englund. Despite the heavy subject matter, there’s also a sense of hope and resilience that runs through. The song explores the power of forgiveness and redemption.
Don’t ask me to stretch any longer These arms are strained beyond what they can take Don’t ask me for strength cause it’s gone And I’ve reached my end restoring the loss to faith
We’ve all been there. As a species we don’t know how to say NO to people. So we end up worn out, used and unable to meet any commitments.
To Fit the Mold
This song connected straight away.
Lyrics are written by Englund with the music coming from Englund and Jidell. The song lyrically explores themes of conformity, loss, pain, and isolation.
We’re scared we’ll end up to nothing And we change to fit the mold We are… We’re accidents forced to happen
It’s a brilliant chorus. You really don’t know how strong family and social ties are in your life, until you get older. The conformity that these two institutions want to happen, is at another level.
I know from my point of view, I had to set some boundaries when it came to dealing with family, because it didn’t matter what I did, people were never satisfied.
Out of Reach
Lyrics are written by Englund with the music coming from Zander and Englund.
So what now my friend Where do you go from here When will the dark days end And all the clouds clear
Falling out of reach You can’t prevent it You can’t cause All wounds won’t heal
One thing I know in life, is that change is constant. The biggest argument I have ever had is with people close to me, like family or friends. It’s always the case. They felt that my actions disappointed them, and I felt the same way towards them. When partners get involved, it makes it even more complicated.
When I think of the word “wounds” in the song title, I think of the hurt that is felt after words have been said. Because the mind, remembers everything.
The Phantom Letters
We get a trilogy of cuts written solely by Englund, with “The Phantom Letters”, “The Disease…” and “It Comes From Within”.
I like the melancholy and moody atmosphere this song creates.
All the words that I leave offer reasons Holds the keys to the doors that I’ve locked And I knew they would never be opened Cause the ashes fall from heaven
If you are into self-development books, this is the chapter that says to keep a journal and to write down each day, what you are grateful for, what you have accomplished and what you could do better. It’s also there to write down your fears, concerns and words you want to say to others but due to how you are brought up, you are unable to.
The Disease…
It’s a journey through the ups and downs of life, exploring themes of loss, pain, and isolation.
Been loyal to the blind Had friends that were not mine I failed to see the disease before it created distance
Englund is not finished about the departure of the previous members. The album highlights his emotions at this point in time.
It Comes from Within
And I’m lying here So tired so torn Threat comes from within
It’s taking me over It’s making me weak Brought my doubts to the surface It’s leaving me helpless with no air to breathe
We are our own worst enemies. Our minds can trick us into doing everything or nothing.
Free
Lyrics are written by Englund with the music coming from Zander and Englund.
It’s a very depressing song but there is a little bit of hope in the Chorus. Here are the lyrics, you decide.
I’ve read your words I understand it’s said it’s done I walk away in fear of what you said that I’ve become Can’t change your words now they are stains made to stay
Free are those who walk away from setting suns And free are those who laughed at chains that held them bound Free are those who conquers in vain but won’t stop to run Battered and down they pick up their pieces to rise as one
Free are souls who wander alone in the shade of sun And free are those who’s forgotten by all but still warm inside Free are they with no intention to fold never bend for the cold Just to find someone too
I’ve read your words I understand it’s said it’s done I walk away in fear of what you said that we’ve become Can’t change our words now Can’t make them undone I’ll walk away I’ll walk away Just walk away
I’m Drowning Alone
Lyrics are written by Englund with the music coming from Zander and Englund. The child choir is haunting here as they are singing the “release me from darkness” part.
Release me from darkness Release me from all that chains me here I’m drowning in silence And I’m drowning alone
I hate to ask but I wouldn’t if I didn’t need it Not stronger on my own I’m weaker just so much weaker And I know I never asked But I need you to help me
It’s okay to ask for help. So don’t be afraid and do ask for help.
…And the Distance
Lyrics are written by Englund with the music coming from Zander and Englund.
I always presumed that since “The Disease” had three full stops at the end of it, and “The Distance” had three full stops at the start of it, that these two songs originally made ONE song called, “The Disease And The Distance”.
You’re keeping your distance, you’re pushing me away You’ve never let me say the words I want to say Our time here has withered Our circumstances changed
The themes of keeping silent to keep the peace run throughout the album. And the last song demonstrates that keeping the peace doesn’t lead to a happy future. It just delays the inevitable war that is about to come in a few years, maybe even a decade.
In its first week or release the album sold 900 copies in the United States. Hardly ground-breaking, but Everygrey always had a cult-like following. I actually purchased my version from the U.S Amazon Store. So I am not sure if my purchase counts as a U.S sale or an Australian sale.
The album was a new dawn, a new era. But that new dawn didn’t last.
The break with drummer Jonas Ekdahl and guitarist Henrik Danhage was civil enough to begin with, so when things started to break down with guitarist Marcus Jidell and drummer Hannes Van Dahl, the former members were soon back in the fold. I also think the commercial failure of their side project DeathDestruction also helped speed this reunion up.
But their side project was also halted when vocalist Jimmie Strimell left to focus on Dead By April, as they appeared on the Swedish Eurovision Song Contest and got a second breakthrough in Sweden.
In relation to the Evergrey change, it happened when writing for the follow-up album started. Via Facebook posts, the band first confirmed that drummer Hannes Van Dahl would be leaving the band to join Sabaton as a full-time, and then due to “problems working together” guitarist Marcus Jidell would also be leaving. Van Dahl, is still with Sabaton, appearing on their last four albums. Marcus Jidell has been busy. He has Avatarium, who are actively releasing new product, plus The Doomsday Kingdom, and between 2015 and 2018, he played guitars in Soen.
As a fan, there is not a weak track on the album.
Overall, “Glorious Collision” is a triumph for Evergrey but more so a triumph for Tom Englund, who kept the identity and brand of Evergrey running, when he felt like he had nothing left to offer. His ability to combine heavy, atmospheric music with deep, introspective lyrics is truly impressive, and this album is a testament to his talent and dedication. If you’re a fan of heavy metal and rock or just appreciate well-crafted music with emotional depth, this album is definitely worth a listen.
This is one of my favourite live releases from the 2000 era. Dream Theater is touring on the back of their most metal album ever in “Train Of Thought”.
“Live at Budokan” was recorded at the Nippon Budokan Hall on April 26, 2004 in Tokyo, Japan and released on October 2004. It’s the same venue as “At Budokan” from Cheap Trick, however the audio for the Cheap Trick album was from the Osaka show, as the audio from the Budokan show was unusable.
Due to time constraints for the set, the songs “The Great Debate”, “Under a Glass Moon” and “Caught in a Web”, which included an extended drum solo, were removed from the set list at the last minute.
As I Am
It makes sense to kick off the show with the opening track “As I Am” from the “Train Of Thought” album with its ominous Black Sabbath like intro making way for a Metallica like riff. Of course, any influence from the past is done in the Dream Theater way with some fills and different endings on the 4th bar.
This Dying Soul
It also makes sense to feedback into the thrash metal like “This Dying Soul”.
The song actually moves through quite a few musical and vocal styles. It reminds me of “Beyond This Life” which also comes next. While James LaBrie cops a lot of flak, he is a very diverse and unique singer who can cover a lot of different vocal styles.
Scene Four: Beyond This Life
They take a long song and extend it to 20 minutes in length. For a band that is very technical and very precise, they really like to be loose and just jam. Sometimes I wish they didn’t, but hey, if I wanted to hear the songs as per the album, then I would just press play on the album. This is another song that moves through a lot of styles musically and vocally.
Hollow Years
This is why the live album is a favourite.
The song is extended. But, it’s not just extended for the sake of it.
The intro has John Petrucci on acoustic guitar doing some flamenco/classical like leads over the verse chords that Jordan Rudess plays on the keys. The actual song (like the studio cut) version starts at 1.20.
At 5.30, there is an approx. 2 minute guitar solo which John Petrucci shreds on. And you know how in concerts the guitar solo spotlight is just that, the guitarist and no one else. Well, here Petrucci uses the songs solo chordal structure and the whole band for his spotlight.
It’s basically them extending the songs solo section. Something like how The Black Crowes do. And it is excellent.
If you are a guitar player you need to hear this. If you are not a guitar player you still need to hear this. This is why I go to the live show. To hear artists communicating musically on stage. Even James LaBrie thinks this is a highlight, as he screams in the microphone at 6.21, Mr John Petrucci and the crowd roars their approval. At 6.40 it’s over and they are back into the song’s pre-chorus.
War Inside My Head / The Test That Stumped Them All
These two songs are back to back in the “Six Degrees Of Inner Turbulence” song and they always should be played back to back. They are thrash groove Metal done in Dream Theaters way.
Endless Sacrifice
I get the same goose bumps when I hear the live version as I do for the studio version.
Instrumedley
It wouldn’t be a Dream Theater show if it didn’t have an instrumental song created purely for the live show.
In this case and on this tour, they take sections from their instrumentals and the instrumental sections from lyrical songs and create some new jams with it and they must have had a proviso that said it had to be at least 12 minutes long.
It’s broken down like this.
I. The Dance of Eternity II. Metropolis—Part I: ‘The Miracle and the Sleeper’ III. I. Erotomania IV. The Dance of Eternity V. Metropolis—Part I: ‘The Miracle and the Sleeper’ VI. The Darkest of Winters VII. When the Water Breaks (Liquid Tension Experiment Cover) VIII. The Darkest of Winters IX. Ytse Jam X. The Dance of Eternity XI. Paradigm Shift (Liquid Tension Experiment Cover) XII. Universal Mind (Liquid Tension Experiment Cover) XIII. The Dance of Eternity XIV. Hell’s Kitchen
As a fan of those musical sections, it didn’t feel long nor boring. Plus you get some “Liquid Tension Experiment” sections, which I am also a fan of.
And they finish it off with my favourite section from “Hell’s Kitchen”.
Trial Of Tears
The keyboard ringing out segues into “Trial of Tears”. Another massive cut at almost 14 minutes long.
But it never gets boring, bringing back memories of 70’s progressive rock with a hook that reminds me of “While My Guitar Gently Weeps” (the “it’s raining” part).
New Millennium
This song rocks.
I can get over how hard rock sounding the song really is. Its technical but still rooted in hard rock. Maybe because the keyboard parts are written by Derek Sherinian originally.
The style of Allan Holdsworth and what EVH was trying to do with “Van Halen III” comes to mind here musically.
Keyboard Solo
It’s a skip for me. Not all live shows are killer.
Only A Matter Of Time
A track from the long forgotten debut album. This track had embryonic elements of songs like “Learning To Live”, “A Change Of Seasons” and “Metropolis” that would come after.
Goodnight Kiss
It’s almost like a lullaby. Very Pink Floyd like with the shimmering clean tone guitar and samples of children voices playing. It’s another song within the massive “Six Degrees Of Inner Turbulence” song. Petrucci’s lead break is full of hope and wonder.
Solitary Shell
They continue with the major key vibes and go into “Solitary Shell” from the “Six Degrees Of Inner Turbulence” album. This one is very Peter Gabriel like.
Stream Of Consciousness
Another instrumental from their recent album. LaBrie gets a chance to rest while the remainder of the band jam for another 12 minutes. And the song goes through so many different movements, you cannot get bored listening to it.
Disappear
Press play to hear the section between 4 and 5 minutes. James LaBrie. What a vocal performance. Brilliant.
Pull Me Under
When I saw this album title for the first time ever, I just presumed it was a song about getting jerked off. Man, was I wrong. Never judge a song by its title.
As soon as the acoustic guitar lines start, the crowd is at its loudest and it’s all systems go.
In The Name Of God
Press play to hear the bone crunching riffs and the jazz fusion like lead section which has Petrucci wailing away at supersonic speeds.
And it’s not an easy song vocally with a lot of highs, but LaBrie does it well.
I have the DVD and the CD of this release. The DVD was also certified Platinum in January, 2005.
I like doing these review posts as it gives me the opportunity to read my earlier writing. Some of it is okay, some of it is crap and some of it is good. But the life Reno’s I went through recently put a stop to these weekly posts.
You can read my review of Redemption’s new album at the time, “Long Night’s Journey Into Day”. Vocals on this album were provided by Tom Englund from Evergrey, while previous efforts had Ray Adler from Fates Warning fronting them.
Being a fan of Redemption before Englund joined, I was always keen to hear a new Redemption record, however I was even more keen to hear it when I knew Englund would be singing.
Back in 2018, we had gas poisoning and acid attacks in the UK, Russia meddling in politics (and still meddling via a pointless war in Ukraine) and mother nature taking back her lands via fires, volcanoes, hurricanes/twisters and earthquakes. We have a problem with pollution in the air and plastics in our waters. We have people carrying out mass shootings or driving vehicles into crowds of people. We have wars over religion and poverty/famine in Africa is still happening and as much as big business want to deny it, climate change is real.
And then of course we got lockdowns due to COVID-19.
The past is littered with bands and music in general taking a stand against a problem, a situation, injustice and war. But what about now. What is upsetting musicians enough that they feel compelled to write about it?
“Dr Feelgood” came out on the first of September, 1989. 33 years ago. The album cost me $19.99. I pay just a little bit more than that a month now for my whole family to listen to almost the history of music on Spotify.
The drug overdoses, the death and subsequent return from death for Nikki Sixx, the drugs, the crashed cars, the lawsuits, the drugs again, the imposter, Vince escaping jail, the women, the drugs again times two, the partying, the clashes with the law and the eventual “sobriety”.
“Dr Feelgood” had to be number 1. If the music didn’t do it, the stories would have. Apart from the big songs, the other songs on the album were not mere filler.
“Sticky Sweet” has a wicked solo section, “She Goes Down” has a great bass and drums verse section after the solo section, which ends with the sound of a zipper going down, “Slice Of Your Pie” is so Aerosmith, but it’s the Beatles “She’s So Heavy” outro that hooks me, while “Rattlesnake Shake” has a riff reminiscent to the 60’s blues guitarists that influenced Mick.
“Live After Death” on cassette was my first Maiden. I even high speed dubbed the album, just in case the cassette deck chewed up the original tape. “Powerslave” was released a year before “Life After Death” but it came into my collection a few years after because if you had “Live After Death” you didn’t really need the earlier albums.
The thing with “Powerslave” which makes it great is that it has the power and energy of a live album and the line-up is finally stable. When you don’t have to look for new musicians to fill the void, you can focus on writing great songs as they did with the “Peace Of Mind”, “Powerslave”, “Somewhere In Time”, “Seventh Son of A Seventh Son”.
For an album which is 38 years old, it’s still so relevant today as it was back then. That is the power of music and great song writing.
1979 was a year of transition. While some bands were on their last legs, some were just starting to find their own.
Led Zeppelin were coming to an end while Thin Lizzy was on the ascendancy. The Scorpions had bigger things waiting with “Rock You Like A Hurricane” and “Winds Of Change” while Fleetwood Mac and Bad Company delivered stellar albums that unfortunately got compared to their previous mega gazillion selling albums.
Aerosmith became a shell of the band they were with “Night In The Ruts”, while Motorhead after a few up’s and downs with record label crap, got lumped in with the NWOBHM movement starting off and started their brief commercial rise.
Uli John Roth left Scorpions and created Electric Sun, but in all honesty he should of stayed with Scorpions, while a supergroup of “musicians who all had small record deals” got together and called themselves Survivor. “Eye Of The Tiger” was a few years away, but you get to hear a band allowing their influences to shape their sound.
Basically, all the bands on this list just kept on creating, regardless of their status on the record label commercial tree. Because that’s why people get into music, to create. Not because copyright terms are forever or because some label said I will give you money to create.
Led Zeppelin – In Through the Out Door Scorpions – Lovedrive Thin Lizzy – Black Rose: A Rock Legend Fleetwood Mac – Tusk Bad Company – Desolation Angels Aerosmith – Night in the Ruts Motorhead – On Parole Motorhead – Bomber Motorhead – Overkill Electric Sun – Earthquake Survivor – Survivor Susan – Falling In Love Again
“Generation Swine” and “Saints Of Los Angeles” both came out on June 24, 11 years apart.
How fortunes change for a band in a decade?
Before 1997, Motely Crue was riding high after “Dr Feelgood”. They renegotiated their Elektra contract for a lot of money and dropped “Decade Of Decadence” with 3 new studio recordings. Life was good.
Then Vince left or was fired (depending on whose story you believe). Regardless, the Crue got Corabi and delivered a stellar self-titled album in 94. But it didn’t sell the way Elektra wanted it too, and since they were footing the bills, they wanted the blond guy back in. Yep, Elektra Records A&R Reps in 1995, referred to Vince Neil as the blond guy.
The Crue camp remained defiant and went ahead writing songs for an album to be called “Personality #9” with Corabi. But money wins in the end and Corabi was out and Vince was back in.
It’s never been confirmed, but the Chinese whispers were in full voice, and the story doing the rounds mentioned how Corabi’s wage was coming from the other guys. Basically, Elektra paid Nikki, Tommy and Mick. Management took their cut, legal took their cut, Corabi got paid a wage and the rest was shared between the other three based on the band agreement.
“Generation Swine” came out, you heard it was a confused album. During the tour, Tommy Lee and Vince Neil punched on and Tommy leaves, then comes back and leaves again. Nikki gets into a slanging match with Elektra and eventually the contract was terminated and somehow Nikki managed to get the copyrights of the Crue songs back in the hands of the band. They form their own label and away they go.
Randy Castillo comes in, “New Tattoo” comes out, Randy dies, Samantha fills in on drums, Nikki gets it going with Samantha and his marriage goes to pieces while the Crue play theatres and cancel shows all over the world. I know, their Australian tour got canned. And after “New Tattoo”, the Crue went on hiatus.
In between, they got some stories together and a book called “The Dirt” came out. The band got back together for a few select shows and demand was so huge, those few shows turned into a huge world tour which was encapsulated in the “Carnival of Sins” DVD release.
If you want to have a career as an artist, you need to be a lifer, and be ready to ride the journey. It’s not always bright lights and success after success. There are hard times and good times. Doors shut and other doors are opened. And when everyone wrote them off, they came back stronger than ever.
For a band who were just average musicians at best, they built a career 40 plus years long. And that period between 1997 and 2008 could have been the end, but it wasn’t.
I came across an interview from Vince Neil in Faces USA 1993. Post Crue departure, Vince was the man, the centre of attention. Here are some sections in italics.
Faces: What surprised you the most about the reception you received upon your departure from Motley Crue?
Vince: How quickly I was accepted. A lot of the labels had faith in me. I had a lot of different labels that were interested. It was a really exciting process, walking in there and talking with the different companies, like the heads of Geffen and Giant and Epic.
All these corporate presidents were like “Come on, come and be with us.”
I sat in with Mo Ostin at Warner Brothers and all these dudes and I felt so much power in the room. When I made the deal, went “Okay, give me the money I want and a Warner Bros jacket with Bugs Bunny on it and I will sign the deal.”
I went with a Warner Brothers basically because they gave me the money I wanted and the security of being on the Warner’s label.
Faces: Can you tell us what the deal was?
Vince: Eighteen million dollars for 5 records.
Think about it. Motley Crue signed a 5 album deal with Elektra worth $35 million and the singer who wasn’t even the main songwriter of the band, then goes and signs a solo deal with Warner Bros for $18 million and 5 albums. And the “Exposed” album is a great slab of hard rock during a time when hard rock albums started to disappear from the record store shelves. But in music, these long term deals very rarely are seen to the end. Two years later in 1995, Vince was no longer accepted, and he had no record deal and no management after “Carved In Stone” disappointed commercially.
The person who signed him, Mo Ostin left Warner Bros in 1994, so it’s safe to say the new team, didn’t really like some of the signings that the old team did.
Even Motley Crue didn’t see the end of their Elektra deal. The people who negotiated the Motley deal in 1992, were no longer at Elektra by 1995 and the new Elektra management team didn’t really care for Motley. All they cared about was the bottom line and Nikki Sixx constantly called out current Elektra boss, Sylvia Rhodes at the groups concerts, even calling her from the stage, so the crowd could tell her to fuck off.
So what’s a few million when bands make the labels multi-millions.
SOLO
I expressed my disappointment at the SOLO movie, which basically put into images the words that Han Solo said in the original Star Wars movies.
The problem these days is movies have a lot of action scenes and hardly any good dialogue scenes. Meanwhile TV shows are winning the story script war hands down.
And do movies need to cost $300 million plus to make. In my view the higher the cost of the movie, the less story it has. And people are attached to a story.
It’s sad reading stories about how far removed Copyright Law is from what it was intended to be.
Copyright battles are happening everywhere. Most of the news is on how the record labels and movie studios are calling on governments to pass stronger dictatorship style copyright laws which would give these organisations police like powers.
But Copyright was originally designed to help the creator of the art. However, it’s assisting the corporations to make billions of dollars while the creators make a lot less.
Remember the movie, “This Is Spinal Tap”. Well, the movie has made over $400 million in profits, however the co-creators have received $81 from merchandise sales and $98 from record sales. If you think those amounts are pretty low, well the co-creators thought so as well, and off they went to court, for fraudulent accounting and to get the copyright back in the hands of the creators. And lucky for them they got a judge that saw their side, so the case is going to get interesting. Unfortunately for UMG/Vivendi, the co-creators in this case, also found fame with “The Simpsons” and they have a voice in the market as powerful as the corporation.
8 Years Ago (2014)
EASTERN EUROPE
I was in the middle of our holiday around Eastern Europe and you know what, piracy is king in these countries. CD and DVD shops exist with forgeries. Clothing shops exist with forgeries.
But in all of this piracy, thousands of people turn up to watch artists perform live. Every artist tours Eastern Europe and I am pretty sure that sales of recorded music now and in the past didn’t correlate to the thousands who attended the shows.
I got back from Eastern Europe on a Thursday morning and by Friday night I was at the Manning Bar at the Sydney Uni watching Protest The Hero. The ticket for the night was $45 Australian plus booking fee of about $6. Compared to some of the prices I have paid for tickets, this was a good deal.
And that’s a wrap of about a months’ worth of posts from the past.
Every label head said Schenker was finished, washed up.
It’s 1991 and a supergroup called Contraband drop their debut album. And it keeps on dropping because it is so bad. The nice advance payment that Schenker got to be involved in the project didn’t do much to enhance or move forward his career. In fact his manager and ex-partner took most of it.
But he stays alive, because he’s a lifer. When you have been in the game for this long, the only thing you know how to do is play. And play he did. He jumped on board the unplugged bandwagon and released an album. He called up Robin McAuley and released another McAuley Schenker studio album.
Then he re-unites with Phil Mogg and they start writing. The songs got the labels interested and the “Walk On Water” album from UFO, released in 1995 surprised everyone. Suddenly Schenker was back on the agenda and he’s getting money thrown at him again. He had a lot of bad people in his life at this point in time, from managers and partners, so it was always going to happen that MSG would return.
I didn’t think it would be that quick. Because a year after “Walk On Water”, “Written In The Sand” is released, the eighth full-length studio album that falls under the MSG brand.
The only thing consistent with all of these MSG albums is the name and Michael Schenker himself. The other members are in a constant flux. For this album, Schenker is joined by Leif Sundin on vocals, Shane Gaalaas on drums, and Barry Sparks on bass. All the music is by Michael Schenker and all lyrics by Leif Sundin.
Ron Nevison is doing all the Producing, Engineering and Mixing.
It’s not on Spotify which irks me, but YouTube has it.
Brave New World
It’s got groove, swing and lot of rock and roll. And the first thing that grabs my attention are the vocals from Leif Sundin. His voice is very melodic, fluid and unique. I would say he’s up there as one of the best singers in MSG.
The lead breaks are impressive, with Schenker even soloing over a harmony solo which acts as a rhythm guitar.
Cry No More
Press play to hear the intro. Its heavy and a lot of acts who went alternative to survive weren’t doing riffs like this during this period. The song could have been on a Deep Purple album and it wouldn’t be out pf place.
I Believe
It’s a ballad that turns into a rocker. It’s not original, yet it is an easy listen.
Back to Life
No one was writing riffs like this in 1996. Its old school and I like it. Barry Sparks is massive on the bass here as well.
Written in the Sand
This track is essential MSG. It has a sleazy bluesy riff and a lot of melody. And Schenker delivers a tasty guitar-solo in the middle and for the outro.
Essenz
It wouldn’t be an MSG album without an instrumental. This one has an “Eruption” vibe before moving into a fast blues. Think of “Hot For Teacher” when it picks up.
Love Never Dies
Imagine “Finish What Ya Started” merging with the melodic rock genre. Well this is the outcome. Another close favourite with a killer Schenker lead break.
I Will Be There
Press play to hear the verse riff. Schenker makes it sound technical, yet it rocks so fluidly.
Take Me Through the Night
Its classic heavy metal while the singing is happening and the solo section is barroom blues brawling.
It wouldn’t be out of place on any metal album from the early 80’s.
Down the Drain
The album closer showcases how Schenker decorates in a creative way. You cannot ignore how good it is.
While Schenker’s North American career had stalled, he was still a big draw in Japan and certain European markets. And just like that, the whole “Contraband” affair was forgotten. That is if you heard the album. Which wasn’t easy to do.
I was a fan back in the day and I still enjoy cranking their tunes. They released two official albums that I am aware off, in “Rise” (2008) and “iMerica” in 2010. There was an “Unplugged EP” in 2012 and a Kickstarter project that release new songs to the backers only in 2014.
I hope Anew Revolution make more music. They have fans. We probably won’t make the band millions, but we will listen.
Once upon a time, it used to cost a lot of money to record. Very few acts, got signed and even less acts got a chance to record and get distributed. Getting inside the record label machine was hard, however if an act could penetrate, they could have a long career even if they never had a hit on the charts.
The label did have good intentions to keep you in the business and the label would promote you. All at your cost of course. But the truth is, it was harder to keep a record deal than to get a record deal. Especially if you didn’t sell. And even more so, once MTV came out and you didn’t sell.
Kiss benefited from this business model. They relied on the label putting some money upfront for the recording of the album, for the film clips and for tour support.
Then Napster came, then torrents, the iTunes store and streaming and Gene and Paul just kept on shouting it loud to everyone about how there is no music business, while they toured non-stop and made money from the music business.
In the process they recorded two albums during this period.
Yep, two albums. “Sonic Boom” and “Monster”. But for all of the complaining about streaming they did, the Kiss catalogue was on Spotify Australia. Then half of it was off. Then it was back on after a few weeks off. Madness.
I’m against bands withholding their music from a service that people legitimately pay for.
It’s all about consumption. Funds are tight, but Google and Spotify is not the problem. The artists are getting squeezed by the consumer. The consumer either listens or doesn’t want to listen to your music.
For any artist thinking of withholding their music from a streaming service, don’t do it. Don’t hold back progress. Because if you look at the past, you will see people who said the internet would kill the incentive to make music. Wrong, there’s so much more music than ever before. People said streaming would kill the business. Wrong, revenues are up and streaming is seen as it’s saviour.
What can I say, there is something about TNFO and the music they create that hits a nostalgic spot for me. And I’m digging it.
Album number 4, “Sometimes The World Ain’t Enough” is full of massive sing-along choruses and derivative versions of some of the best pop songs ever written.
For example, if you like Deep Purple, Supertramp and Rainbow, then you will like the opening track “This Time”.
And that’s how the album flows. A road trip down memory lane, done in a new way.
2014 (8 Years Ago)
I was preparing for my European holidays.
A day before our flight, the news doing the rounds was the MH17 disaster. Then our flight got changed to an earlier time. But no one told us until the last minute.
And I had questions.
Because the new schedule would give us an 8 hour stopover in Bangkok instead of the normal 2 hour stop over.
And holidaying is meant to be relaxing and easy.
Thanks for reading folks, that’s another wrap of DOHistory.
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