Under Pressure.

Its been proven beyond a doubt, I’m an idiot, I set myself up to fail every single time, I overthink things (well I have of late) I have no idea why I do, but I do, the numbers were doing great so I got complacent, when I get complacent I start to over think things, I have had a number of blogs (I’m not telling you how many simply because it will underscore the fact that I am indeed a bloody idiot) as each day passed I got gradually unhappy with them , so guess what happened, yes I deleted the bloody lot over 13000 words worth of toil, to be honest the ideas had flowed and so had the words, but then I got complacent, and slowly but surely I stripped away what I thought wasn’t good enough, soon it all went the way of the shredder (figuratively speaking, no paper was harmed in the making of any blogs).

Why do I put myself under such pressure, I have no idea, ideas simply float past me like fire flies in the night they fade as quickly as they came, only my note books suffer they are bulging with half thought out ideas, which I think that they might be good, only for me to shred them as being rubbish, maybe I need to get an editor, who can save the good from the bad, no doubt I have posted some rubbish, that I thought was good enough to post, I seem to be caught up in a maelstrom these days, ideas are plentiful, the execution of them don’t seem to pass my exacting standards (oh how I wish I had standards) to be honest I should simply type them up and get them out, take the rough with the smooth, the numbers will speak for themselves, if its good it will fly if its rubbish it won’t!

I do enjoy writing the blogs, however I seem to be holding the new blogs up against old ones, I had done some work on the blogs recently and I soon realised that there was in my opinion a lot of dross, quality control doesn’t appear within my grasp, I need to give my head a shake, I do believe there was a couple of really good historical blogs, but once I stopped developing them I seem to get maudlin about them and simply don’t feel its good enough, it probably is, however my brain takes over and then doubts rain from the heavens and drowns any happiness I had for the blog, self-defeating, that’s why I am writing this one of the cuff and simply posting it and damn the torpedoes!

So the intention is to get this one out and try and write something fresh at short notice next Saturday, I will pluck an idea from my many journals and simply let the words flow, that’s the intention, lets see how we do, Numbers haven’t been brilliant for the last couple of blogs, however I have been happy with them, just they seem to have crawled, the last one was in double figures up until yesterday, when it burst into life and took off, maybe I should stop trying to workout why or how it works, the numbers for April were awesome the numbers for May were still good but simply about 50% of April, why do I bloody look, I’m glad I’m not a recording artist, I would be crying when I saw that the latest had only sold about 12 copies, as if I could sell that many tee hee!

So lets take the head shaking under control, I need (yet) another cunning plan, an editor possibly, my editor of choice isn’t available due to health issues, I also need to be able to come up with fresher material, rather than rely on historical blogs, not that I’m going to stop the historical ones, I need to crack the whip on myself and simply write my heart out and post the damn things one after the other, now there’s an idea, maybe just maybe, let’s see shall we!

So I shall try and be consistent this week lets see what I can do, I’m off for pyshio on Friday for my knees, I reckon they will say there’s nothing wrong with them and that I should suck it up buttercup, me a pessimist hell yeah I am, so here is the blog, as I sit with as much positivity as I can muster and I think I know what the next blog will be about and it should if all goes well feature a grown man in a monkey suit and no I am not on about someone wearing a tuxedo! so stay safe and stay alive, please keep spreading the word as I do prefer it when the numbers are on an upwards trajectory, until the next one ………………………..Toodles!

Four on the Floor – The Stranglers.

 So back in the 70’s Punk exploded with a taste for aggression and I suppose a lot of angry young men, actually there was one group of men that wasn’t particularly “young” four men who aged 25 and 30 (two members) and a drummer who was 40, what the hell did they know about anger, quite a lot as it happens!

From April 1977 through to September 1979 they released 5 albums including a live album, the first three albums in the space of thirteen months and boy were those albums good and angry very angry.

 

Rattus Norvegicus: - released April 1977. 8.5/10.

What a treat, I can remember where I was exactly when I first heard Peaches, Consett YMCA Disco, and my mind was blown it was the first time I had heard a bass so prominent, and the band was so tight they used to play 8 disco songs, then 3 rock and then 3 punk so that night I heard Peaches, Sometimes, Hanging around and Go Buddy Go which was a B side at the time, a friend bought the album and whenever we got to his this was the album  that was played, the only track I struggled with was Down in the sewer, which to me was their Light my Fire by The Doors, I’m actually surprised they didn’t get sued as it was pretty close, I didn’t think that they would repeat an album as good.

No More heroes: - released September 1977. 8.5/10.

I was still a kid but even I was a little wary of certain tracks with what I thought were a tad ”offensive” but there was still some cracking tracks and no album tracks on singles at the time (5 Minutes) most of the tracks were in the three minute range with the exception of School Mam, it did seem like they had found a formula, again I didn’t think that could produce something as good, they toured a lot when did they get the time to write, there was an interesting B Side on the title track, What’s that in the shadows, the shape of things to come, I had the chance to see them on this tour but my lifts car got in a smash so it wasn’t to be,

Black and White: - May 1978. 9.5/10.

And on the eighth day god created this, damn this was so different, the bass was like the charge of the light brigade, damn brutal, the guitar was so discordant, the keyboards were like weird radio signals and static bursts of partial morse code, the artwork was stunning , stark and brutal, just like the bloody album, again most of the songs were around the 3 minute mark with the exception of Toiler on the sea ( a flock of seagulls) it was the first time I heard electronic drums on a record, not a bad note on the album, it wasn’t perfect my original album came with a free EP that quickly disappeared, I have my suspicions, but life’s too short and it was 46 years ago. Of the first three this still sounds the freshest of the bunch and could honestly be released today and make waves! And I still play the full album at least once a month it’s required listening!

Live (X Cert): February 1978. 8/10.

A great live album, if a little rough around the edges, I used to have a few bootlegs that were a of a similar quality, a good sample of them live, I felt it was necessary to put a full stop of the total to the brilliance that was the holy trinity of Punk!

 

The Raven: - released September 1978. 6/10.

This is where they lost me, drugs were in there ascendancy, the album was overly polished sound wise, the songs simply weren’t there, there was a couple Duchess, Nuclear Device the best of the album, there were some good ideas but they probably should have had a bit of a rest, this was the last album that I went out of my way to get, it was soon relegated, I never listened to a full Stranglers after this, I enjoyed the odd single and gig, but that was the end for me.

Then Hugh Cornwall left and it was never the same as there was there was some faceless bodies in as replacements, its only recently with the addition of Baz Warne taking Hugh’s spot does it seem to work there’s some great live stuff on YouTube, and I do drift towards them if I see them, live they are still a great band, no other band did as much in the short length of time that was the quality of those first three albums, yes the first two haven’t aged as well but god they are so damn good!

And they you have a musical one at long last sorry it’s been a while but life kept getting in the way, I’m off to play The Raven just to see if I can change my mind (I doubt it) so stay safe and stay alive until the next time……………. ...Toodles!

Clouds and Rain.

Where does the bloody time go, so there I was sat twiddling my thumbs, when I was hit with three good ideas for blogs and so I started to cultivate my thoughts and notes, when out of nowhere I was blindsided and the writing literally ground to a halt, and yes up until then it had all been good in the hood.

Healthwise my diabetes was still (and still is) kicking my ass but we had come up with a cunning plan to try and resolve some of the issues, that soon went sideways, technology wasn’t as good as we had hoped, I should have realised life was going to complicate things. Work was getting incredibly busy, nothing that couldn’t be handled (if my knees would play along, alas they wouldn’t) quite a few heavy days brought me to my knees (no pun intended) but I have started the push regarding my knees with the NHS (I think that there is a few blogs and quite a bit of bile to come out of this fiasco, watch this space) and then when I definitely wasn’t expecting it, “Bob” charged in from the rear, and gave my arse a bloody good chewing and then ran away barking in confidence, that he had screwed me over, he had, but I simply had no intention of going down without a fight, I know that took me by surprise, thankfully it was around four hours of quiet thinking and determination of not wanting to hit the rocks, thankfully could see that I was diligently trying my best not to go down without a fight and I was left alone, its great when people assume you are working hard, but they don’t realise that you are having a ghastly nightmare dealing with horrors of your own imagination.

The person more astounded than me was “Bob” as I shook the lethargy off and my funk while had not completely dissipated, I was on the best footing, the funk stayed with me all day, it wasn’t anywhere near as bad as I have had it, the cause was me simply ignoring the warning signs, the warning signs that I am fully aware of and I am usually prepared for, this was slightly different, but I was still to blame, and I felt guilty because of  it, I know it’s a daily battle with my issues and I need to be on constant guard, being reckless with my mental health only causes issues for me and the few people around me, thankfully I hadn’t decided to stand or fall on the day and I was able to keep two feet firmly planted in reality, if any of you were aware of the backwash, I can only apologise.

Once over the hump I was making sure that I was doing all the right things, its usually an upward trajectory after the event and thankfully that’s exactly what happened, but I was leaving markers open in case it flared up again. I was also trying to help the wife with her own issues which I think that she has turned the corner on, although I’m not cynical enough to think that she still has a hard road to endure, but I am there to help to share the load.

Thankfully it wasn’t all doom and gloom, yes there was clouds and rain, but I quite enjoy them, in my own way, I’m not a sunshine kind of person, I’m quite happy to have cloud cover and the smattering of raindrops, we even did something out of the ordinary and went to see the northern lights along with half of the county, it was like a scene out of “close encounters of the third kind” with so many cars abandoned at the side of the road, initially I thought we had missed it, but once we pulled the car over to a secluded layby and we actually got out of the car, well lets just say if I had a bucket list, that’s one thing that was ticked off, it was a thing of natural awesome beauty that we took the time to enjoy and appreciate, the only issue that I had was the amount of dead wildlife left on the roads with some of the nuggets whizzing around and small country roads, trying to get a better vantage point, the worst thing that was seen was a rather large owl, humans really don’t give a shit!

When I finally thought I was in a good spot for writing I then had technology issues, although  I have a couple of laptops I prefer to use to the steam driven one I have had for over 16 years, now the issue I believe is The Norton anti thingy majig, its turned into a highway robber, finding more and more issues and wanting more and more money to resolve these issues that I didn’t have before, time for a change I think I don’t mind paying for the protection but come guys one price to cover everything like you used to have, not like now you robbing ****************** continued at angryoldman.com . at over 56 minutes simply just to log on, I might have to use a newer model in future because that doesn’t take days to get started!

So I walked away rather than smash the laptop like Basil Fawlty, as I sat down  to type this I was almost felt Zen like (I did, almost) and I have sat here and simply let my fingers do the talking, I haven’t tried to censor myself, this is not my preferred style of writing but it appears to have worked …..today! so what of the three that I was working on, well I have the bare bones there its whether I can pick up the threads, I’m not promising anything let’s just see how it goes!

So there you go finally, I will have to be a little more diligent in looking after my fragile state of mind and my ideas that bloom like mould, that I start but don’t seem to be able to finish (oh look a butterfly) onwards is the order of the day, so look for the skies for incoming, keep spreading the disease, as for the name game 59 people took a guess and nobody and I mean nobody got it right, I was thinking of the Bruce Dickinson track, not what you lot came up with, lets see if anybody can get this one right, I actually think I will dig the album out for the Journey to work in the morning, so go enjoy the last day of the English Football season, and I wills ee you all soon enough , so until then stay safe and stay alive………………….Toodles!

Inertia.

Yes, the name game is in play!

Inertia is the tendency of objects in motion to stay in motion and objects at rest to stay at rest, unless a force causes its speed or direction to change. It is one of the fundamental principles in classical physics, and described by Isaac Newton in his first law of motion (also known as The Principle of Inertia). It is one of the primary manifestations of mass, one of the core quantitative properties of physical systems. it’s safe to say I’m not a happy camper at the moment!

The world feels like its spinning faster and I would appear to be the subject that is at rest, work, life just about everything has got me full stopped at the moment, Life as always is in a state of flux, and no matter what I seem to do, it simply doesn’t seem to help! it’s safe to say I’m not a happy camper at the moment!

Music has been a constant and this blog was meant to be a four on the floor, however my brain keeps taking me off in flights of fancy, a lot of ideas however none of them formed enough to take part of any semblance of help. it’s safe to say I’m not a happy camper at the moment!

Work has simply been work, too much to do and simply nowhere near enough time to complete things, with too many people playing politics as senior people are leaving and people are jockeying for position before the seat is even cold, I like work I like my job, but I think in reality I have had enough, I simply want to do the work to the best of my ability, unfortunately the team I work for seem to be standing alone, simply because nobody else wants to, enough said, its safe to say I’m not a happy camper at the moment!

My health is really shit I work and then snooze at odd times of the day, my knees are crumbling however I have started the process, to get to see a doctor, it’s probably about 6 months down the line if I’m lucky and my diabetes is kicking my ass like I have Mike Tyson chewing on my ear, it’s safe to say I’m not a happy camper at the moment!

Life itself is a ball ache, only because I feel as though I’m drowning not waving, I feel as though at nearly sixty years of age that I still do not know how to help the family with their issues, and while I try, I really do try, I’m not 100% sure that I’m helping, as I continue to blunder through life. it’s safe to say I’m not a happy camper at the moment!

The blog, the one thing that I thought I had got to grips with, is simply laughing in my face, mocking me, just when I think that I have a good idea, doubt and mistrust are the two hellhounds that have turned a number of these blogs to ash, it’s safe to say I’m not a happy camper at the moment!

If I’m honest I feel as though I’m angry with myself, for all of the above, I bounce through life with enough issues to sink a battleship, simply ignoring them in the vain hope that they will go away, at some point I will have to take the bull by the horns and tackle it, it’s safe to say I’m not a happy camper at the moment!

What’s that got to with the blog who knows, all I know is that I’m a lot happier for spewing some bile, I’m going to try harder for the family, for work and just about everything else in my life, health wise I think I’m fucked, but I have no intention of letting the Bastardo grind me down, I intend to pick myself up and kick some ass, probably mine just to get through life, it’s safe to say I’m not a happy camper at the moment!

As for music I intend to play a damn sight more (and I have played a lot) I should probably avoid the album that the blog title comes from as it’s a tad bleak but a great wall of noise that has kicked me in the seat of my pants, its safe to say I ain’t beat yet!

There you go, log jam cleared, so watch the skies for incoming, there will be another one soon the numbers have been great hopefully if I can give my head a shake the blog should simply get better, keep spreading the disease, onwards and upwards, stay safe and stay alive until the next blog……………Toodles!

Digital Man.

And so it begins, I have been to my diabetes clinic, now big brother is watching!

I have been in the wars these last couple of months what with continually falling, having dodgy knees, my diabetes and my get up and go has got up and quite simply buggered off, now you put in the mix attempting to help the wife and her issues and the grandson and his condition, it doesn’t leave me with a lot of well, get up and GO!

My arse has been handed to me on a regular basis these last 12 months, if I’m honest I haven’t exactly helped myself, when I have been down for any of the above, oh and let’s not forget I went 3 months without my medication (thanks to Brexit) it all adds up to a colossal Cluster F**k, it feels like I have been swimming against the tide in a Maelstrom and I’m not the best swimmer!

So me and the wife came up with a cunning plan to get me into the Dr’s by hook or by crook, I had two meetings back to back (I have been working from home today) so the wife was going to ring up (their method not mine) to see if I could see somebody about my knees, my first appointment didn’t turn up (they are now on the shit list) so I headed downstairs as I heard my wife talking to somebody at the Dr’s “could I get there for eleven this morning” erm no of course I bloody well could, the wife said thank you and I headed upstairs to make a start at the long list of tasks so I could head out on time!

As always, I was in ten minutes early, maybes it wasn’t a good thing as everybody that was coming out of the consulting rooms was saying the same thing “that was a waste of time”, should I just go home now? Just then my name was called and a nice person listened to my waffle and took notes, explaining I was basically getting slower and I couldn’t stop a pig in an alleyway, then I was told to “get my pants off” erm I’m a good boy I am, a cursory examination of my knees, she looked for my notes from 13 years ago to see what the surgeon had said, once I sat down fully clothed again, she explained the “good news and then the bad news” there’s a system but I have done the right thing to come in and start the ball rolling, then she slapped me because I don’t take painkillers (it’s a man thing) take paracetamol and stop being a masochist, I need to have some X Rays taken of my knees (that’s tomorrow) then I have to see a pyshio and then and only then will I see a Dr, oh well we have started the ball rolling.

I arrived back home with a renewed vigour trying to sort my list of tasks out, that simply didn’t appear to be shrinking, funny that…...NOT! a small lunch and back to the grind, my mind was wandering as I know I needed to do a blog, but as I said my get up and go had buggered off, I had another appointment this afternoon, my diabetes clinic appointment, I had slopped food on myself (no surprise there for anyone who knows me in the real world) so a quick wash and a change and I was heading back to the surgery to take my usual spot ten minutes ( I am a creature of habit) to sail through the door as always bang on time, today was a results day some good some bad, some strange and a moment of scratching of heads, 85% of it was good ( I am the number one patient I do as I’m told) I new plan of attack and I was stuck like a suckling pig (well kind of ) I now wear a monitor stuck into my arm to record my blood levels without me pricking my finger, they disappear off to a cloud and are analysed by big brother, ok my diabetes specialist, this could be interesting, it will also make sure that I play the game and not veer off the beaten track and to be found  head first in the fridge at silly o clock.

A little skullduggery (if I tell you I will have to kill you all) and my X Rays tomorrow and simply tons of graft at work, so unless I feel inspired I do believe a low profile could be part of the coming weeks, lets just go with the flow and see when I drift upon the shoreline at some point, the name game is in play and its my least favourite track on this particular album, but hey what do I know, the blogs have been doing good, however the last one stalled at 50% of the other blogs, I kind of get it but it’s a disappointment so I know I need to pull my finger out and simply “Must Do Better” so watch the skies for incoming keep spreading the disease as the numbers really are kind of super at this rate we will break last years numbers and damn were they good! So onwards and upwards I might have some new knees in about 8 years and hopefully a better handle on my diabetes in the coming months, hopefully that will help me, stay safe stay alive, until the next time………………..Toodles!

IDGAF.

 

Yes, it’s a song title, no it’s not my usual type of music, it was playing at work, it stuck in my head, it’s my frame of mind, nothing to do with anything but my frame of mind, it’s been a while, but it was bound to happen! let’s be honest (I always am!)

It’s not a “Bob” blog it’s a me blog, trying to do way too many things with not enough emotion left in the tank, life’s not helping, works not helping, I will reach a point and then recharge and take on the world all over again. The blog has been doing silly numbers so I’m back to second guessing myself, a load of good ideas, I’m simply avoiding them, why? Because its who I am, simply allowing the worms to burrow and for me to feel, this way!

The emotion sinks then gets shaken off, it’s just the way life is, I’m currently operating on around the single figure mark, and I suppose I’m alternating between angry and non-committal to pfft, they are all in there I need to be in the high double figures to operate well.

The blog is annoying me simply because of typo’s and other anomalies, which I know weren’t there when they were originally typed as I’m a person with OCD wanting perfection, I never get it but there must be some kind of glitch in the programming of the page, as words are missing or simply just letters causing me to have a blow out, sometimes are worse than others, I spend a lot of time writing these and then receive a number of missives saying that their toddler could write better English, (maybe it should be DILLIGAF) obviously I do!

I have been compiling notes on the previous blogs, again some annoying things popped up some things that made me really angry, but mainly stuff that made me go Meh! A week’s holiday and yes you guessed it I was ill, just the back end of the worst cold in a decade (I don’t normally do colds but this one has been hanging in there for grim death, and yes, it’s a grim, grim death! I’m sure that’s been the prime cause of my mood, I need to get my get up and go back into my life, I have never been like this before, again this is me, I’m still trying my best for everyone else but me personally for myself I simply don’t seem to care, and I hate feeling this way!

I’m hoping by putting some of the bile down onto (metaphorical ) paper I can break the log jam, even music hasn’t helped, as always plenty being played, but I’m simply not feeling the vibe, it is what it is, I’m not looking for sympathy just trying not to use dynamite to break the log jam as I feel that potentially will have damaging consequences in the real world, so there you go a blog done not a great one, (I can be self-critical so sod off) but these pop up from time to time they do help honestly.

So, until I can create something that I can be positive about and have the sensation that it’s actually any good, this will have to do, so keep spreading the disease, do what you ever you maniacs do as the blogs numbers have been damn good, something to be happy about (NOPE) stay safe stay alive until the next time ……………. Toodles.

Four on the Floor – Judas Priest.

This one will be slightly different as I do intend to pass comment on all of the albums but these first four are my favourites……TODAY!

 Stained Class – 9/10.

My introduction to the Priest, although I heard Sin after Sin about a week later, this simply turbo charged music for me at the age of 13, I loved the cover art, loved the pounding production, some amazing songs including Exciter Les Binks knocking seven bells out of his kit still the best drummer they ever had, Beyond the realms of death and Savage, Halfords stuttering vocal in Savage is probably my favourite of the whole back catalogue, I even liked the cover, although I didn’t realise that it was a cover at the time, I couldn’t wait for my next dose of this metal behemoth.

Killing Machine 8.5/10.

A slightly lower rating simply because I thought the production wasn’t as intense as their previous album, and a couple of weaker songs (Evening Star and Burning up) the rest of the album hit the mark and yes, I had it on red vinyl, it took me ages to find a black vinyl version, I got there in the end, for once I even liked the singles Before the dawn and take on the world, and again an awesome cover.

Firepower - 9.5/10.

To be honest I love this album and although haven’t played it as much as the others in the main part of the blog, I keep coming back to it, I played it yesterday and its simply awe inspiring, one of the best hour long albums there is the only one track that disappoints me is Sea of Red, maybe if it was elsewhere in the track listing of the album it might impress me more, but this is my favourite Judas Priest album, who knew?

Sad Wings of Destiny – 9/10.

Simply stunning when you consider how crap the first album was, a huge step up in every department, playing, singing, songwriting just everything, its quite a raw album and that’s probably why its not my favourite, I bought this a week after buying Unleashed as I wanted to hear the studio versions, this was definitely the shape of things to come! Oh, and a decent cover, it was the most expensive Judas Priest album I bought as the others were always on offer but the first two (on Gull records) were always full price.

Maybe a surprise, maybe not, but those are my favourite four of the current moment, although the ratings would not change sometimes, I simply go to an album that I haven’t played in a while and get a pleasant surprise!

Rock n Rolla – 2/10 I’m glad I didn’t buy this album until 1982 as I probably wouldn’t have gone any further, I bought it for a pound at a record fair, I still think I was robbed the only track I care for is the tile track.

Sad wings of destiny – See above.

Sin after Sin – the only thing I don’t care for is Roger Glovers production, 5.5 /10.

Stained Class – See above.

Killing Machine – See Above, I also bought a USA copy “Hell bent for leather” and I was never a fan of the Green Manalishi, they had better originals.

Unleased in the east – 8/10. Its well documented that Halfords vocals were rerecorded due to an issue with the original, see if you can find Unleased in the West a bootleg, a lot rawer but virtually the same track listing.

British Steel – 8/10. This is when they stepped up into the big leagues, although I hate the singles (simply because they are overplayed) a great album and the last of the actual great album/ original art work.

Point of Entry – 8/10. The band have always been pretty consistent I didn’t care for the album at the time of purchase, but I do go back to it more than some of the others and Solar Angels was one of the best opening tracks I saw by them!

Screaming for Vengeance – 8.5/10. Where the hell did this album come from, erm exactly stunning production, great performances, I wasn’t keen on the actual cover, there’s a similar version of it drawn freehand online and its much better, again why the scoring if I never hear the single from the album I would be quite happy, it’s a good song but singles tend to be overplayed, this was them getting a bit big for their boots as they didn’t play home for a few years after this, well unless you count The Tube.

Defenders of the Faith – 8/10.

They worked to hard and jumped back into the studio and it shows its like a Screaming part two even down to thankfully the unsuccessful single, some good songs but a couple of fillers.

Turbo – 7/10.

I know you have to change from time to time but I think they went a little too far and a little too fast on this album, I hated the two singles, simply boring the rest of the album would have fitted onto Point of Entry, some good tunes spoilt by the supposedly modern production, I do still play it but the first two tracks are played through gritted teeth.

 

 

Ram It Down – 8/10.

Why do they do covers this was horrendous (Johnny B Goode) and I don’t care for the last track on the album, however what saves the album big style is Blood Red Skies possibly one of the best tracks the band has ever released, maybe they were simply finding their feet again, I hated the album cover, even though I do like the artist, better things were around the corner.

Painkiller - 8.5/10.

After the court case maybe, they thought that they had something to prove, and they certainly did with this album, same artist for the cover same thoughts on the cover, could do better, but musically Scott Travis kicked the band into overdrive, simply the band doing what they do best, playing Heavy Metal!

Jugulator – 7.5/10.

I love Ripper, I simply think the band took too long to record and went to brutal to match the others in the scene, something was missing and they were second guessing themselves, the production is poor as is the artwork, some good songs but nothing standing out and although I do have the album, I rarely play its not bad simply could do better!

Demolition – 8/10.

Back on the front foot the band doing what they do best playing their style of metal, great production I was glad to see them heading in the right direction.

Angel of Retribution - 8.5/10.

 This could have been great but I don’t care for the last track (Loch Ness) 13 minutes of drivel, and I didn’t care much for Roy Z’s production which is a shame as just about everything else he has done has been damn good!

Nostradamus – 7.5/10.

I find this to be a dense album, I can’t think of many metal bands that can get away with a double album, is it good yes, but I can’t play it all in one sitting, and there isn’t for me (probably because I don’t play it that much) a stand out track, I get what they were trying to do and applaud them for it, but a single album might have been better.

Redeemer of Souls – 8.5/10.

The first without KK Downing and it was again like a kick in the butt they got back to their roots and simply played Heavy bloody Metal!

Firepower – See Above, I don’t think that this can be beaten, no bad tracks just ferocious songs from start to finish.

Invincible Shield – 8.5/10.

I’m too close this one as I’m still trying to get a handle on it, I love it, I simply haven’t played it enough, having said that I like cover I like the production, there’s nothing to dislike but I’m still trying to get to grips with the tracks.

Now you may have noticed I haven’t done any of the live albums apart from Unleased, there’s a reason for that I don’t care for them, Priest live seems like a stop gap filler crap cover poor production, lets just get some product out, I do like the Jap only release Live and Rare, the first three tracks are from b -sides from the singles from killing machine tour in the USA and they are raw like the band that I saw live sounded like, now if any of their live albums sounded like those three tracks well might simply have the greatest live album of all time, Metal Meltdown 98 is a good introduction to Ripper live, again though simply released to some product out, Live in London a better live album, but some strange tracks (united) and a lot of the same tracks from the previous album, again simply to have product out. A touch of evil Live, is ok Halfords back but again I don’t see the point of it, it does simply feel like to get product out, to this day I don’t think that they have ever released the definite live Priest album they came close to it with Unleashed but that should have been a double! Battle Cry another tour another live album, have I played it yes I have but its simply just another per functionary release.

I’m a fan, I have been since the age of 13 and I couldn’t tell you how many times I saw the band live (more than 30 gigs) I have seen good shows I have seen terrible shows but I have always enjoyed them, I have never come away not enjoying the gig, remember this is my opinion for today, next week it could be different, probably not but you never know all hail the metal gods, until the next blog ……………Toodles.