Band:
Sebastian bach (Vocals)
Nick Sterling (Guitars)
Bobby Jarzombek (Drums)
Discography:
With Skid Row:
Skid Row (1989)
Slave to the Grind (1991)
B-Side Ourselves (EP 1992)
Subhuman Race (1995)
Subhuman Beings on Tour (EP 1995)
Hi-Five (EP 2005)
With The Last Hard Men:
The Last Hard Men (1997)
Solo:
Bring 'Em Bach Alive! (1999)
Bach 2: Basics (2001)
Finding My Way (EP 2005)
Angel Down (2007)
Guests:
John 5 (Guitars on 3)
Info
Bob Marlette (producer)
Released 27/9-2011
Reviewed 26/8-2011
Links:
sebastianbach.com
myspace
youtube
frontiers
The last album was released on my 23rd birthday and since then both me and Seb has become almost four years older, which mean he has become 43. Despite being in his mid 40's Bach still have an almost identical voice with that shouting out Youth Gone Wild and I Remember You almost 23 years ago as well as handling the great power ballad 18 And Life - a song you should almost be obligated to hear at least once in your lifetime. 'Kicking & Screaming' serves Bach's voice as fresh and furious as he's always had and it sounds just as angry and hard as badger gone wild (no porn relation intended). His voice is like Axl Rose's voice should sound if Alx hadn't sung all his words through the nose instead of the mouth. Generally this album is quite heavy and angry - almost as pissed off as a tiger that had his tie collection stolen or a bee denied sweet honey from a female hocker-bee because of how he looks. Looking at the cover though just makes me shout out from disgust! TERRIBLE! What a waste of apparent talent making such an ugly cover!
However, just because the cover is ugly doesn't mean the album is crapy. Looking at production, sound, mix and all those things it sound everything but bad. It is strong and notable as being punched in the face. Bachs voice is thrown deep inside your ears where it stays, clear your ears from earwax and then park itself in a sofa in there with the TV on highest volume for the 52 minutes that this album last. The guitars throws your head back and forth like if you've been seated in a paint shaker and the rhythm section makes you involuntarily stomp your feet with amazing pace precision wherever you are as if it had been something completely normal, which it of course isn't. If you do it in public you'll appear as a huge idiot! bad remarks for the album there, you'll have to watch yourself behave in the same way as you have to watch yourself from attempting witch burnings in public, or whatever it is that Bach does on the cover.
I like 'Kicking & Screaming' though, I think the album successively ticks of the desires on my wishing list one by one: Good production with a good sound, well performed instrumental efforts without making a big thing of the fact that they know how to play, good vocals - and also that without making too big deal out of it, well written songs that isn't too similar to things we've heard hundreds of millions times already and great melodies that invites you to keep on listening. There is actually just one thing I think Bach isn't crossing of my list… a thing returning readers know I'm pretty strict about and often complain about - the length. In my opinion, this album would have been better off ending after 38 minutes, which would be after the tenth song - the power ballad Dream Forever. Unfortunately, by then there's still fifteen minutes of music and three songs of music we've heard already on this album.
In total this album is 52 minutes. That shouldn't actually be a problem for the length and 13 tracks isn't necessarily too much either, it shouldn't be a problem for one of the strongest voices in sleaze. He should be able to maintain the interest better but I just… sort of tune out the last three songs. I "forget" they even exist. And that's not flattering for the good old Sebastian. Not that there's anything in particular wrong with the songs, it's just that they feel too much. We've been served this delicious cake for 38 minutes but it's just interesting that long. It's not fun when it gets too much. Too much of something really good is still too much. Loose the last quarter and this album would get another H easily.
For 40 minutes this album is without a shadow of doubt one of the best albums this year. Ten of the songs on this album is ten of the highest peaks this years. But as with so much else it just gets a little bit too much and in the end they lose more on that than they gain from it. I know that in this modern age with downloading and the possibility to chose what you want to have in another way that you could 23 years ago, this might not be a problem. You don't need to get all 13 songs. And also - as release intensity has decreased when tours are longer and funds are less there might actually be a good thing getting longer albums. But you're still bound to listen to them in order and if you pick favorites and don't take all - which songs are you suppose to dismiss from 'Kicking & Screaming'? All songs are equal good and by nature you therefore skip the last three, or else you have the dilemma to sort it out - and this dilemma makes me stay at five this time. Had they cut the last three from the album, this dilemma wouldn't exist and things would be excellent! This album is excellent! The best solo release by Sebastian Bach and that's quite unarguable. Unfortunately, it's a bit too long.
HHHHHHH
