Serj Tankian 'Elect the Dead,' H.I.M. 'Sceamworks: Love in Theory and Practice," and Alan Parsons 'Live in Madrid' CD Reviews

Last Updated on Tuesday, 09 March 2010 17:37 Written by Gus Griesinger, Leah Burlington, Thom Jennings Tuesday, 09 March 2010 11:23

Serj Tankian -Elect the Dead

    Serj recorded one of his recent solo performances on March 16, 2009 with the backing of the 70-piece Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra. With orchestral assistance and direction provided by John Psathas, Serj brings his first solo CD to life with the help of the amazing ensemble and delivers an exceptional performance consisting of 14 tracks. His unique writing style mostly reflects his dedication to various humanitarian causes and that feeling penetrates through the majority of the performances. His vocals shine on tracks such as “Sky is Over,” “Baby,” “Honking Antelope,” and “Falling Stars.” In the middle of “Falling Stars,” Serj delivers a direct message about global warming, obviously another issue he feels strongly about.
The ever changing tempo of the track “Money” shows the diversity of Serj more than any other track on the CD. The CD ends with his hit “Empty Walls,” which is accompanied by an amazing arrangement of strings and piano. Overall, this is truly a one-of-a-kind performance by Serj and the Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra.    
    This package will be released in 3 formats: CD/DVD, CD, and vinyl.  Check out our recent interview we did with Serj talking about this amongst other things:  http://www.backstageaxxess.com/index.php/interviews/189-serjinterview.

Review by Gus Griesinger

 H.I.M. - Screamworks: Love in Theory and Practice

    I have loved H.I.M. since I first heard them in '01 or '02 when they were first hitting the states and being pushed by Bam Margera, who 
really drew attention to the band by having them appear on his show and plastered their 'Heart-o-Gram' symbols everywhere.
    Nearly a decade later, this band made up of singer-songwriter, Ville Valo, guitarist, Mikko "Linde" Lindströmare, bassist, Mikko "Migé" Paananen Drummer, Mika "Gas"  Karppinen, and keyboardist, and Janne "Burton" Puurtinen are still around, much to my surprise and pleasure. Toting their new album, ‘Screamworks: Love in Theory and Practice,’ H.I.M will embark on a tour that will be cruising into Las Vegas on April 24th at the HOB.
    The CD starts out with the "In Venere Verita’s,” which is upbeat at first with Linde playing the guitar in his signature style and Ville  singing of wounds that aren’t meant to heal. Then it moves smoothly into “Scared To Death” which shows Ville’s vulnerable side, as the lyrics speak of being scared to death to fall in love. That goes  straight into the first single chosen from this CD called “Heartkiller,”  which is another ode to the pain of love. “Dying Song” is a slower ballad that has highs and lows that soar with grace.
    From the striking ballad “Disarm Me (With Your Lonesliness)” to “Love, the Hardest Way” and “Acoustic Funeral (For Love in Limbo)” the lyrical commentary throughout the record seems to focus on three basic human elements we all experience, love, pain and death. “Kathrine Wheel” is very catchy, but again, still very dark. While, “Into the Arms of Rain” starts out like an old song we’ve heard before, very nostalgic. I really love this song, and feel it will be a hit in the right markets with cool and catchy lyrics that are pure poetry.
    Whether it’s the cold and dark of the Scandinavian climate of Finland, or just Ville’s tortured soul crying out, H.I.M exudes the essence of  darkness and their music moves me like no other. If love is this painful in real life maybe it’s time to be alone! I really like the CD and am glad they are still around and don’t intend to change.

Review by Leah Burlington

Alan Parsons - Live in Madrid

    Alan Parsons is perhaps best known for his work in the recording studio on legendary albums like the Beatles 'Abbey Road' and Pink Floyd's 'Dark Side of the Moon.' In addition to his engineering work, Parsons led a successful progressive rock band called The Alan Parsons Project, which was not a band in the true sense of the word; instead, songs were recorded with the help of various studio musicians under the guidance of Parsons and keyboardist Eric Woolfson.
    That is what makes Parson's latest release, 'Live in Madrid,' so intriguing. The CD being released this month was recorded on May 14, 2004, at Plaze Mayor in Madrid. Parsons backing band does a nice job recreating the polished sound of songs made popular by The Alan Parsons Project, like "Games People Play" and "Eye in the Sky." However, where the band really shines is on lesser-known numbers like "Psychobabble" and "Damned if I Do." On both numbers, the guitar work of Godfrey Townsend is nothing short of spectacular.
    Parsons' vocals are featured on three of the songs, including "Don't Answer Me." Even though Parsons does not have a strong voice, he sings the songs well. At times, he almost sounds like Dave Davies of the Kinks. P.J. Olsson, John Montagna, and Steve Murphy also share lead vocal duties with Olsson having the strongest voice on numbers like "Damned if I Do" and a new song titled, "More Lost Without You."
    Overall, 'Live in Madrid' is a good listen and although the arrangements remain true to the originals, the disc does capture the energy of a live concert and will certainly please longtime fans and casual listeners of Parsons.

Review by Thom Jennings