Author: Aleš Podbrežnik
Artist: Bach, Sebastian
Label: Frontiers Records
Release: 2013
Length: 102:27 (2CD)
Rating: 3.5/5
Sebastian Bach, former frontman of Skid Row, is yet another story proving that whenever Skid Row hit the stage these days, we miss an important spice in the mix. Or the other way round: whenever Sebastain Bach plays on his own with his backing band, something more is missing. But that’s how it goes. And the story of Skid Row and Sebastian Bach is no isolated case.
Anyway. The fans stayed. And Sebastian Bach knows it. The guy, Canadian by origin, has not only a great voice, outstanding stage charisma, a phenomenal way of working the frontman role and a reputation for plenty of excesses (no wonder he’s one of the few who’s still thick as thieves with Axl Rose today), but also a wide musical horizon. He’s a huge fan of the musical »oddballs« Rush. His two albums »Angel Down« and »Kicking And Screaming« are very solid efforts and proof that Sebastian can today navigate the choppy sea of rock acts as a solo artist without any trouble, always keeping his head above water.
Of course, Sebastian does »ride« on the old glory. He knows that solo albums from the »post-Skid Row« era won’t win him any new fans, but the ones who grew up with Skid Row in their teens stay loyal. As expected, at gigs he plays a generous bagful of Skid Row classics from the first two albums, while gems from his solo repertoire, like the »Halford-esque« »American Metalhead«, prove his voice keeps incredible power and potency even in his mature years.
The bombastic backing crew, led by drummer Bobby Jarzombek (Halford, Riot), provides a superb backdrop for Bach to aim his undiminished vocal power at. In the highs and the very highest registers his voice stays venomously screechy, and when he lets loose into regular falsetto, he occasionally gets close to Ozzy’s »naughtiness«. In short, Bach keeps all his vocal charge and, judging by the two CDs of this release, is a stage attraction worth every bit of your attention.
The package consists of two live CDs and a DVD. Over the past year Bach has shown up at some of the biggest rock festivals in the world, with sets limited to a bit under an hour. So the first disc gives us a show from France’s Hellfest, and the second one from America’s Nokia Club, a brand-new venue in the heart of Los Angeles. Meaning the second CD captures the pulse of an indoor-style gig. That hall holds over 2,300 people. At this show, Roy Z (Bruce Dickinson, Halford), the producer of the Angels Down album, jumps on stage, and there are a few more surprises, like Jinxx (Black Veil Riders) and Brent Woods (Vince Neil Band). What I’m getting at is that the vibes of the two recordings are quite different. The indoor sound is the more pleasing one: despite a very raw recording, it keeps the right balance and dynamics among all the building blocks of the sound. The sound on the Hellfest festival recording is crunchy as hell in the guitars, and the solos stay buried. Luckily, Bach remains a vocal little devil, which, despite the poorer sound quality, firmly keeps him at the center of the whole thing. No need to worry about anything. The material is played with the extreme rhetoric of hard balls that know no mercy! Throughout. At both locations.
The DVD, which isn’t the subject of this review, includes both concert recordings from the US and France, plus a third one from Belgium’s Graspop festival. The repetitiveness of the setlist is a bit annoying. On the Graspop version we get, for instance, »Dirty Power« from Bach’s solo repertoire, but nobody would probably miss it if the Graspop footage hadn’t been added to the DVD. So this is a release that all loyal Skid Row diehards and fans of the eccentric Sebastian Bach will snatch up. Otherwise it would have made more sense to get one single live CD from Sebastian Bach, carrying the best moments carved out of the shows played around the world in 2012. Anyway. Here’s proof that Sebastian Bach is still kicking at full gallop in years when you’d expect him to have mellowed out!
“ABachalypse Now” is available now at:
Line-up
Sebastian Bach – vocals, cowbell
Nick Sterling – guitar
Bobby Jarzombek – drums
Johnny Chromatic – guitar, backing vocals
Jason Rappise – bass
Track list
CD1 – Sebastian Bach – Live at Hellfest, France 2012:
1. Slave to the Grind
2. Kicking & Screaming
3. Here I Am
4. Big Guns
5. Piece of Me
6. 18 & Life
7. American Metalhead
8. Monkey Business
9. I Remember You
10. Youth Gone Wild
CD2 – Sebastian Bach – Live at Club Nokia, Los Angeles CA 2012:
1. Big Guns
2. (Love Is) a Bitch Slap
3. Piece of Me
4. 18 & Life
5. American Metal Head
6. Monkey Business
7. I Remember You
8. TunnelVision
9. Youth Gone Wild
DVD:
Live at Hellfest, France
Slave to the Grind; Kicking & Screaming; Here I Am; Big Guns; Piece of Me; 18 & Life; American Metalhead; Monkey Business; I Remember You; Youth Gone Wild.
Live at Club Nokia, Los Angeles
Big Guns; (Love Is) a Bitch Slap; Piece of Me; 18 & Life; American Metal Head; Monkey Business; I remember You; TunnelVision; Youth Gone Wild
Live at Graspop, Belgium
Kicking & Screaming; Dirty Power; Here I Am; Big Guns; 18 & Life; American Metalhead; Monkey Business; I Remember You; TunnelVision
Bonus Music Videos:
Kicking & Screaming; TunnelVision; I’m Alive.
