Rainbow - Long Live Rock and Roll (1978)

Rainbow's third studio album and the last one with Ronnie James Dio. In retrospect, it's the end of an era: Blackmore, who usually changed almost the whole band lineup between albums anyway, would continue with almost completely new personnel into a much more radio-friendly direction, before eventually disbanding the band in favour of a (quite successful, yet ultimately doomed) reunion of Deep Purple. He would never again release as bold, aggressive and progressive music as he did in the second half of the 70s. What a pity!

Where Rainbow initially not that much liked, and didn't really drew large crowds to their concerts, in retrospect they are one of the defining bands of the emerging heavy-metal genre. Speed, precision, epic lyrics and operatic vocals underlining the classically inspired melodies - Rainbow got it all.

However, compared to their 1976 masterpiece Rising, Long Live Rock and Roll is often seen as the lesser record. I disagree. Rising might been more complex and longer, or more progressive, as one might argue^^ but its successor is just that bit more accessible and compact, has more memorable riffs and - thanks to its more diverse songwriting - feels more engaging. Rising might been a relentless full throttle-trip from start to finish, but Long Live... gives you that little breather from time to time that makes its punches hit you even harder when they come.

And gods, punches it gives. From its cheerfully kickass opening track to the mystical and oriental Gates of Babylon, to the speedmetal powertrip Kill the King, the album has some of the best songs and riffs the band (or Blackmore himself actually) has ever written. Just blisteringly played (and I'm sure some actual blisters were involved), with a vocal performance by Dio, that once again can only be compared to singers like Robert Plant, Rob Halford and Ro... Ian Gillan on top of their game.

It's a shame that this should be the last Rainbow album with Dio's involvement and the band's last straightforward hard-rock album, until 1995's Stranger in Us All. The albums after him were not bad, but too often too streamlined for chart-appeal and too restrained even in their wilder-moments. Luckily for us, Dio stayed true to his style, went straight to Black Sabbath, recorded two stunning albums there, before starting his own project in 1982.

Rainbow - Rising (1976)

Compared to its predecessor Ritchie Blackmore's Rainbow, Rising cranks it all up to eleven: the sword and sorcery, the heaviness, the complexity and length of the songs, the instrumental performances - it is basically the quintessential record of the Dio-era. Did the first album sound like the band was dipping their toe into a new world of hard guitar-centered music, in Rising they jumped fully into it.

Probably the best example is the epic Stargazer. Everything is larger than life in this song. A miniature-opera about the rise and (quite literal) fall of a wizard who enslaved the people to build him a tower to the stars. The way guitar and vocals are dramatizing the story here works so well and expressive and organic, with both being at the peak of their abilities, that its a pure, uplifting joy listening to.

Might the rest of the album not quite have the same epic dimension, with predominantly fast-paced songs, it is nevertheless spectacular. A good part of this is due to Cozy Powell's dense and varied drumming, which ties the songs together and works as a perfect counterpoint to the stunning performances of the albums main actors, Blackmore and Dio.

I think in hindsight you can see how influential Rising was to 80's metal: The breakneck guitar shredding, the fantasy-centered cover artwork and lyrics, delivered by an almost operatic vocalist and the occasional keyboard flavouring - all these bits became commonplaces in the decade after.
Its just a shame that the band initially wasn't too successful. About five years later, when the world was finally ready for this type of music and bands like Iron Maiden and Manowar filled the venues playing quite similar material, Blackmore had pushed Rainbow into radio-friendly territories instead. Luckily for us, Dio kept on waving the heavy-metal banner high. First with Black Sabbath and later as solo-artist with his own band.
All in all, Rising is definitely a milestone in the evolution of metal and an underrated masterpiece. And even the cover is less eye-watering than the first one!

Uli Jon Roth - Under A Dark Sky (2008)

Ok, this one didn't made it easy for me, but in the end it was quite enjoyable to write this review.

Uli Jon Roth, former lead guitarist with the Scorpions (long ago, back in the day when they were quite progressive and actually cool) has quite the reputation as guitar virtuoso and eccentric (which is quite an achievement for itself in the rock/metal genre), so its wise to expect the unexpected.

I like the basic idea of Under A Dark Sky: A concept album as a commentary on mankind's self-destructive ways, which eventually could lead into a catastrophe. That's always a winner for me.
The result though is a mixed bag. Between the highs of real greatness and the lows of utter kitsch.

To give you an impression: The album begins quite strongly with the track S.O.S., and - true to its subject matter - the sound of air sirens, morse-code and several voices declaring red alert building up a dramatic, film-score-like atmosphere. The voices are getting answered by a choir demanding "save our souls", underlined by a dramatically ascending electric guitar solo, before it falls into a shy, bittersweet melody.

All in all a very captivating start, but sadly a lot of the following material can't keep up and meanders somewhere in the acoustic no-man's land between operatic/musical orchestration and kitschy new-age tunes. With a good measure of virtuoso electric guitar solos thrown into the mix.

The tragedy is that there is certainly no doubt about Roth's skills as a musician. It is all wonderfully arranged and played, with some blisteringly beautiful solos. Same applies to his guest musicians.
It's more that, with all his theatrics, his taste fails him. His musical language is quite specific and the line between effective theatrics and simply kitsch is very thin - too thin for him. It's something I noticed in his other solo-works before: They are always displays of blistering playing technique, but when it comes to making use of it in a dramatic sense, it too often becomes comical instead of captivating.

Lyrically its a similar picture: The mix of English lyrics with German bits and pieces thrown in just feels quite artificial and over the top. It could have worked better if he had used them in more moderate doses. Which brings us back to the main problem of him as a musician: Uli Jon Roth wants too much. He is releasing all stops, puts everything into his music, shoots the moon and - misses.

I think its fair to say that Uli Jon Roth isn't quite on the same page as most of the rock and metal world. That's in theory not a bad thing at all, since most is pretty formulaic and uninspired, but sadly the alternative he brings up can't fully convince either.

This doesn't means the album doesn't has its good sides. It certainly has. In parts it is truly outstanding. It's absolute peak is the last track, Tanz in die Dämmerung (dance into the dusk), a monumental, almost 20 minutes long, epic. Dark and tense, starting slowly with some uneasy intervals played on Spanish guitar, and escalating into a wild frenzy. Mankind's dance into the catastrophe.
It end in sudden silence just when you would expect a resolution. Like a plug being pulled. In fact the songs ends so abruptly that some people thought their CD was damaged. A perfect metaphor of Roth's songwriting: instead of serving the expectations of his listeners, he surprises you with something unexpected. And here, instead of ending in a typical thunderstorm of noise, as so many bands would have done - there is nothing. Just as nothing would be left from us, if the big nuclear catastrophe strikes. A dance on the volcano - and then dead silence.

So despite its obvious weaknesses, I can't really condemn the album. It certainly has its highlights and grows on you with repeated listening. Keep in mind though that, if you expect anything like the Scorpions, get ready for a disappointment. Roth left the band in the late 70's and the music he made since certainly doesn't sounds like them at all. So better go into listening this record without any expectations or preconceptions. Its not going to be an easy, straightforward experience.