Liege Lord - Master Control (1988)

The third time is the proverbial charm. So, Liege Lord hires Bruce Dickinson, throw a mecha battlesuit on the cover of their 3rd album and it could only be a win win situation for everyone, right? Well, more or less. Bruce Dickinson wasn't available, so they hired Joe Comeau, who sounded a lot like Bruce Dickinson if he were to pop some amphetamines and front a faster American band (rather than that little known English group he stuck it out with.) You may know Comeau better from his later vocal work in Annihilator, or his stint playing guitar for Overkill, but he excelled here in Liege Lord. Coincidentally, you'll also hear a little of Bobby Blitz' early snear and snap in Joe's intonation. And sure, while his vocals were...not entirely original, they were far more precise, reined in and powerful than the wild musings of Andy Michaud.

As for the robot on the cover...well, one can dream, but it doesn't have a lot to do with the album aside from the lyrics to the titular track itself. It was still pretty damned cool in 1988 to see this cover art, and the band had finally settled on a half-decent logo. Master Control is, in fact, superior in all ways to both of its predecessors, offering a half dozen classic US speed metal tracks which more than compensate for any shortcomings. It's the heaviest and most consistent offering, with big, meaty rhythms that Comeau complemented rather than drowned (as was so often the case with Michaud). It's not perfect, and was sadly overlooked due to the presence of Operation: Mindcrime, No Exit and Seventh Son of a Seventh Son, but in retrospect there is enough ass kicking contained within the 42 minutes that it deserves some sort of attention, even after two decades.

Liege Lord have once again decided to come out swinging, and they do so with some stark chords and early leads to introduce "Fear Itself", before the thrusting bombardment of its verse and furious verbal artillery. Highway. What highway? We left that in the dust, we have just entered orbit, and Joe Comeau is your pilot, ladies and gentlemen. "Eyes of the Storm" is simply a call to arms for any fan of melodic power metal, perhaps the greatest Liege Lord song of them all, with a chorus very much worthy of Maiden or anything Dio has ever done. "Master Control" returns to the speed of the opener, with a momentum not unlike Overkill, initial leads that sizzle through the rhythm guitars of the verse. Speaking of Dio, we next have a great cover of Rainbow's "Kill the King" (one of RJD's best songs, from one of few good albums). Comeau and crew do this track a lot of justice, and it's vastly superior to other cover versions I've heard. "Soldiers' Fortune" is just awesome, with another of the band's more memorable hooks. Note the little lead swirl that follows behind the charge of the chorus.

I'll burn the evil and the crown it wears
A fire bright to cleanse the fear it bears
And in return the only price I ask is clear
A eulogy for all the battles I will bear

The hit machine does not end there. "Feel the Blade" is not one of the best tracks on the album, but at the least it rocks hard. "Broken Wasteland" is pure mid-paced power metal, performed at a total Priest/Sabbath pace with a killer, winding dual melodic hook that breaks into the glorious verse. You have to hear this one to believe it. Excellent. "Rapture" has a forceful stride, with chords that slam and shine across the throbbing undercurrent, and total headbanging rhythms. "Suspicion" has vintage Vinci bass, and some great NWOBHM rhythm to it, very much a Maiden tribute all doped up. "Fallout" is a melodic power ballad, but unlike "Speed of Sound" (which closed out Burn To My Touch), this one is actually good...and before long it erupts into a totally kickass nuclear war anthem.

Yes, Master Control was pretty damn good. But it was 1988...and being pretty damn good was simply not enough to shine in the eye of the roiling metal masses. Looking back, it's hard to understand why this one wasn't larger...except maybe that it wasn't a thrash record, and that style was the darling of the day (Metallica, Slayer, Megadeth and Anthrax all had very successful albums out in '88, not to mention the genius works and career highlights of many lesser known acts). Also, it would have been almost impossible to compete with the flawless, endless beauty of Operation: Mindcrime, from a band who likely shared most of the same fanbase as Fates Warning or Liege Lord. Speculation aside, this is still a strong sounding effort decades after the fact, and well worth your time to track down if you appreciate 80s speed and power metal classics. Here is a band who would end on a high note.

Highlights: Eyes of the Storm, Master Control, Soldiers' Fortune, Broken Wasteland

Verdict: Win [8.5/10] (I am supreme device)

http://www.liegelord.com/

Liege Lord - Burn to My Touch (1987)

When you're using the same enigmatic, fantastical cover art style that adorns the covers of The Specter Within and Awaken the Guardian, you must immediately expect a higher expectations for the quality of your music. Freedom's Rise was an average, effort at best, so Liege Lord expanded on that forgotten work with an elevated sense for songcraft that placed them squarely between Helstar and earlier Fates Warning...with Andy Michaud's piercing, wavering vocals that sadly would still break into his horrid falsetto screech...which King Diamond had already been doing for years, and far better. Yet, aside from these few moments of head shaking and begging the question 'Why?', Burn to My Touch is honestly a somewhat strong record of its 3rd Class (that being the class below the bands who would go on and forge careers, i.e. Fates Warning, which in turn was below the bands like Slayer, Metallica and Megadeth who would DEFINE careers).

The style is not a huge departure from Freedom's Rise, but there is a darker element here, perhaps brought on by the lessened reverb on the actual guitars. The bass of Matt Vinci is just as busy as ever, and Pete McCarthy was replaced here by Paul Nelson. Michaud's bite and bark are largely the same as before, though this album would be his swan song with the band, and his performance is simultaneously superior and more annoying than the debut. At just over 30 minutes, a fairly brief example of the American speed that ramped up its Maiden, Dio-era Sabbath and Priest influences into a more extreme form that helped usher in the style that we now dub power metal.

"Transgressor" is hot and heavy, like a Motley Crue that skipped a night of heroin to inject some classical influence into their sexy swagger. Michaud walks a fine line here between quality frontman and major headache, but the music compensates...with some thick bass lines strolling below the great leads. "Bird of Prey" is catchy up front with its great, sinking ship rhythms, and the work well until the screams, though they could have stood to be a little softer in the mix. "Cast Out" rocks hard, with searing opening leads that recall like Alex Masi's shred of the day. The entire track has a higher, melodic leaning that matches the vocals, and some of Michaud's shrieks even fit right into the following track "Portrait of Despair", one of the catchier tunes on the album. "Black Lit Knights" was perfect for getting laid in that dark, airbrushed van your cousin gave you after giving up on it in 1979...assuming you had a metal enough lass who wouldn't scream at you to turn it off.

Heavy weather douse out our fires
Informing prophets are crucified liars
Left behind to deal with traitorous lust
The wounded lie helpless encircled in dust

"The Manic's Mask" boasts a metric ton of Vinci's excellent strutting fingerwork, and Michaud really finds his stride, with a range in between his previous two poles that simply doesn't annoy within the context of the writing. The leads here are likewise terrific. "Legend" is somewhat of a mess, there are good rhythms in there but the vocals don't seem to mesh so well. "Walking Fire" is an instrumental which balances some jet fueled blues rock into its metal carapace, and "Speed of Sound" is a power metal ballad, though not untirely untasteful aside from a few annoying shrieks.

From the cover to the content, Burn To My Touch was a steady improvement over its predecessor, though Liege Lord may have already been too late to capitalize on anything more than cult status (it's not nearly as good as Somewhere in Time, Love You to Pieces, or Awaken the Guardian after all). The solos and bass are really well done on this album, and Michaud has just enough character to promote tolerance for his eccentricities behind the microphone. Like the previous record, it still holds up pretty well if you can live through the 80s production snafu (loud, loud vocals in the mix). It was enough at least to send the band once more into the field...

Highlights: Portrait of Despair, Black Lit Knights, The Manic's Mask

Verdict: Win [7/10] (my flames will rise to show)

http://www.liegelord.com/

Liege Lord - Freedom's Rise (1985)

Liege Lord were another of those early US power metal bands in the 80s who seemed to have all the cards in place for success. Solid songwriting, distinct vocals, proficiency and enough buzz through magazines and word of mouth that they would achieve a deal with Metal Blade Records. In a lot of ways, it was a similar story to, oh, Omen. Anvil. Or Lizzy Borden. Not that this band was quite so promising, or nearly at the level of their Connecticut betters Fates Warning, but I heard a lot worse in their day. Freedom's Rise was their debut full-length, with original vocalist Andy Michaud, and he had an edgy, charismatic middle range which he often offset with a shrill falsetto. Personally, I could have done without this screaming, because the lower vox fit the music far better and they seem like an afterthought, to compare with what other power/speed metal acts were unleashing at the time. The riffs were your garden variety Iron Maiden-inspired, power metal trots with dense melodic grace and a steady bass of the Steve Harris variety, but some of the songs have a vibrant energy which resonates even today.

The intro "Prodigy" has a sense for melodic weaving that instantly brought to mind Fates Warning or Omen, the same sensibility for classical guitar amped up into heavy metal, and it moves nicely into "Wielding Iron Fists", a pretty standard mid paced banger which is anchored largely by the vocals. "Dark Tale" is an improvement, with a flurry of solid chords and a catchy, epic feel to the riffs below the verse. "Amnesty" is another middling affair, though the bass is solid and the chords sound good as they introduce the folkish melody. "Rage of Angels" would not have surprised me if it appeared on one of the first three Omen albums, with the exception of Michaud's sharper vocals. It's not a great song, but it's glorious enough to raise one fist to the sky as you slowly bang your head to its neo-Christian dorkiness.

The smoke is swept away as this encounter slows
The prince of darkness overthrown
The angel's rage has proved victorious as known
The evil underground shall threaten nevermore

I KICK ASS FOR THE LORD! Sorry. The latter half of the album actually picks up slightly in quality, beginning with the dirty speed of "Vials of Wrath" with its broken rhythms and wild flourishes of lead. "Warriors Farewell" begins with an annoying cry from Michaud, before it starts to rock out like a sea of studded leather gloves shaking at a hooker in a Motley Crue video. "For the King" has a few good riffs, leads, and very busy bass grooving from Matt Vinci, but the vocals pretty much suck to the point of intolerance. "Legionnaire" was fun, especially with Michaud switching ranges from a manly lower pitch to his mid range, evoking a self-parody and much laughter. But the riffs and atmosphere here are solid, and it's one of the better tracks in the end.

Freedom's Rise was not entirely groundbreaking and it wasn't honestly a good album, but it showed what the band might be capable of if they could just reign in the vocals a little and write more towards their strength, that being epic melodies across traditional burning rhythms. I really liked the production, with some good reverb that bounces back at you from the castle walls of its mythical lyrics. I don't enjoy it quite so much as their later work, but if you want some average power metal from the middle of the Golden Age then there are worse examples.

Highlights: Dark Tale, Vials of Wrath, Legionnaire

Verdict: Indifference [6/10] (a death sentence on a desert night)

http://www.liegelord.com/