Pretty Maids | Motherland

by Justin Gaines
- News Editor / Senior Columnist –

Fresh from celebrating their 30th anniversary with a massive live CD/DVD set and extensive touring (including their first ever US appearance), Danish melodic metal heroes Pretty Maids are back with a new studio album, titled Motherland. It’s the band’s 12th studio album (or 13th, depending on how you count the acoustic Stripped), and it follows what has to be considered one of the band’s best ever albums, 2010’s Pandemonium.

Expectations are understandably high with any new Pretty Maids album. They’re one of the most consistent bands around, and Pandemonium was a near flawless release. Fortunately, with Motherland, the band has delivered a more than worthy follow-up. Everything you expect (and love) about a Pretty Maids album – Ken Hammer’s melodic guitar work, Ronnie Atkins’s unique smooth/heavy vocals, the steady rhythms and perfect amount of keys – is present and accounted for on Motherland, and the band seems to have taken the energy and momentum from their recent touring and channeled it right into these songs.

Motherland has a great mix of the kinds of songs Pretty Maids does so well. There are full on heavy metal numbers (see lead-off single “Mother of All Lies” and the patriotic “Motherland”) and slower, gorgeous love songs (like “Wasted” and “Bullet For You”) that are worthy of an AOR album. It’s the songs where these two styles meet that the album really takes off; moments like “Why So Serious” and “Sad To See You Suffer.” Heavy, light or in-between, the melodies, musicianship and vocals all shine on Motherland, and there’s really not a song that’s less than terrific.

It’s worth mentioning that lyrics to some of the songs on Motherland are fairly political. Not all of them (the love songs are quite clearly love songs), but some of the heavier tracks like “Mother of All Lies” and “To Fool a Nation” have a decidedly right wing message. How much this affects you is probably going to depend on your own point of view, but it’s not overt enough to keep anyone from simply enjoying the songs.

Go ahead and reserve a spot on your “best of 2013” list. With Motherland, Pretty Maids continues their already impressive legacy and proves once again why they’re the leaders of the melodic metal pack. Motherland has no chance of disappointing long-time Pretty Maids fans, and it’s the kind of album that will make instant converts out of new listeners as well.

Genre: Melodic Metal

Band:
Ronnie Atkins (v)
Ken Hammer (g)
Morten Sandager (k)
Allan Tschicaja (d)
Rene Shades (b)

Track Listing:
1. Mother of All Lies
2. To Fool a Nation
3. Confession
4. The Iceman
5. Sad To See You Suffer
6. Hooligan
7. Infinity
8. Why So Serious
9. Motherland
10. I See Ghosts
11. Bullet For You
12. Who What When Where Why
13. Wasted

Label: Frontiers Records

Website: www.prettymaids.dk

Hardrock Haven rating: 9.5/10

Pretty Maids | It Comes Alive – Maid in Switzerland

by Justin Gaines
Staff Writer –

Long running Danish melodic metal masters Pretty Maids are back with another live offering this year, their first since 2003’s Alive at Least. It Comes Alive – Maid in Switzerland is the title, and it is being released in conjunction with the band’s first-ever live DVD. The DVD will no doubt rule, but this review covers only the audio half of the show.

Spanning two discs and 21 tracks, It Comes Alive is the most comprehensive live album the band has released to date, and accordingly it covers all eras of the band’s lengthy career. They don’t quite hit every album, but you get songs from their ‘80s releases Red Hot and Heavy and Future World, ‘90s albums Lethal Heroes (a.k.a. Jump the Gun), Sin-Decade, Scream and Anything Worth Doing is Worth Overdoing, as well as more recent albums Carpe Diem, Wake Up to the Real World and Pandemonium. Future World and Pandemonium are the most heavily represented here, and that’s not a bad thing at all since those are arguably the band’s best albums.

Beyond being a hefty, comprehensive live set, the performance captured on It Comes Alive is just incredible. This is not a band that is just going through the motions or simply serving up note-for-note reproductions of their studio songs. Pretty Maids has a fantastic energy live that comes through in every song. Each song sounds almost brand-new, and between the band’s energy and the feedback they’re getting from the crowd it’s almost like being there in person.

While the smart money is on the full DVD package, the audio version of It Comes Alive is still a fantastic live release, and one that all serious Pretty Maids fans will want to check out. For fans here in the US, It Comes Alive is a terrific preview of what to expect when Pretty Maids finally plays here in America at the ProgPower USA festival this September.

Edition Notes: If you’re buying It Comes Alive in MP3 format, you’ll get an extra track – “Nightmare in the Neighborhood” – that’s not on the CD version.

Genre: Melodic Metal

Band:
Ken Hammer (g)
Ronnie Atkins (v)
Allan Tschicaja (d)
Morten Sandager (k)
Rene Shades (b)

Track Listing:
1. Pandemonium
2. INVU
3. Hell on High Heels
4. Wake Up to the Real World
5. Destination Paradise
6. Another Shot
7. Scream
8. Walk Away
9. It Comes at Night
10. Queen of Dreams
11. Savage Heart
12. Clay
13. Yellow Rain
14. Rock the House
15. Back to Back
16. Rodeo
17. Love Games
18. Future World
19. Little Drops of Heaven
20. Please Don’t Leave Me
21. Red Hot and Heavy

Label: Frontiers Records

Website: www.prettymaids.dk

Hardrock Haven rating: 8.75/10

LIVE! | 70,000 Tons of Metal: Day 4

by Chris A.
Staff Writer –

Sailing Back To Reality and Insanity: The 70,000 Tons Of Metal Day 4

The shadows from the low eastern sun crossed the deck as day 4 of 70,000 Tons of Metal kicked off with Megora performing at 10 a.m. Thursday on the pool deck. The final band, which closed the cruise, was God Dethroned, whose set was schedule to wrap up at 3 a.m. the following day. Literally four hours later, the ship coasted back into its berth in Miami. Day 4 of 70,000 Tons of Metal was filled with incredible bands, a lot of relaxation and soaking in the atmosphere of an incredible experience.

Merchandise lines for the cruise and the individual bands were crushingly long as metal heads sought souvenirs from an incredible week of music and
adventure. Knowing that this was the final day of live music prompted everyone to get in as much fun, drinking and head banging as possible. The cruise soon would be over, and it would be back to the real world.

Day Four Bands Include: Megora, Atheist, Alestorm, Virgin Steele, Sapiency, Diamond Plate, Eluveitie, Tristania, Therion, Riot, Pretty Maids, Orphaned Land, Coroner, Hammerfall, In Extremo, Dark Funeral, Amorphis, Venom, Whiplash, Channel Zero, Over Kill, Edguy, Suffocation, Candlemass, God Dethroned.

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LIVE! | 70,000 Tons of Metal: Day 2

by Chris A.
Staff Writer –

A Sea of Blood: The 70,000 Tons Of Metal Day 2

Steaming toward the southwest, with the coast of Cuba visible on the horizon, Day 2 of 70000 Tons of Metal resumed with abandon. For the next 18 hours, there would be a nonstop assault of metal on the ship’s three stages, with 27 bands scheduled to perform. At 10 a.m., with temperatures approaching 80 degrees on the main pool stage, the first band of the day would be old-school thrashers Whiplash with Crowbar set to close the day’s action at 4:15 a.m. the following day.

It was a day of head banging, drinking and running around the ship as the 2,000 fans went from venue to venue, navigating the narrow corridors with pits stops at the bar and casino. Catching all the bands was impossible, of course, but the atmosphere, beautiful weather and the utter variety of bands kept a smile on everyone’s face. Day 2 was nothing short of kick ass.

Day No. 2 performers included: Whiplash, Megora, God Dethroned, Diamond Plate, Exciter, Spiency, Orphaned Land, Tankard, Suffocation, Pretty Maids, Atheist, Kamelot, Stradivarius, Amorphis, In Extremo, Therion, Kataklysm, Annihilator, Children of Bodom, Virgin Steele, Venom, Riot, Hammerfall, Pestilence, My Dying Bride, Dark Funeral and Crowbar.

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Pretty Maids Pandemonium

by Derric Miller
Staff Writer

Pretty Maids is one of the most criminally underrated bands of the past three decades. Pretty Maids SHOULD have a handful of number one hits and a few platinum albums to their resume. They consistently produce the highest quality melodic Hard Rock on the planet, each studio effort, and yet, people are still discovering them. While the song (and album) “Future World” certainly put the band on the map, it was their 1990 release Jump the Gun (called Lethal Heroes in America) that SHOULD have made them a global phenomenon. But that was in 1990 when Grunge hit, and the best album Pretty Maids ever recorded went critically unheralded and fell between the cracks. The heavily melodic brilliance of Jump the Gun wasn’t quite replicated on later releases, although Carpe Diem and Planet Panic came pretty damn close, but the new studio effort Pandemonium meets and may just surpass anything Pretty Maids has released thus far.

 You know the winds of change or blowing when on the opening song and title track American President Barack Obama is quoted. Political beliefs aside, bands like Power Quest devoted an entire album to bashing former President George W. Bush, so it’s definitely a change when another European band has a more positive perception of America’s current leader. “Pandemonium” is a keyboard-heavy anthem, with new permanent member Morten Sandager flaunting his skills immediately. Pretty Maids singer Ronnie Atkins has always owned one of the more recognizable and unique voices in the industry; he can croon and sing ballads but unlike 99 percent of singers, the higher he sings, the heavier and more gritty the vocals become. He used to be downright guttural in the early ‘80s, but on the aforementioned Jump the Gun Atkins found a middle ground between the two styles and has continued to improve through the decades. Atkins sounds like no one, and his trademark vocal prowess is one reason why Pretty Maids will always stand apart.

Although the band released “Little Drops of Heaven” as the first single, there’s little doubt that “I.N.V.U.” is the highlight of Pandemonium. “I.N.V.U.” begins like a searing rock anthem, but then smoothes out into a mid-tempo radio hit. Again, Atkins takes the edge off his voice on the lower passages, and guitarist Ken Hammer flows between the initial frantic riffs to a more sedate style during the verses. It is the chorus, though, the sheer melody and honesty that pulls you in, with Atkins singing, “You’re flawless, prestigious, and I envy you. I’m faceless, ungracious, and I envy you.” The swirling keys bring you back to their earlier hits but it’s still modern enough, especially with Hammer’s guitar playing, to keep things current. This song reminds of “Savage Heart” or even “Over and Out,” two timeless Pretty Maids compositions from days gone by …

Up next is the first single/video, “Little Drops from Heaven.” It’s a way more mainstream song, along the lines of W.E.T.’s current album. More AOR focused and slightly more cheesy, it does feature magnificent hooks and it probably the catchiest song on Pandemonium. It’s just not as good as “I.N.V.U.”

One thing about Pretty Maids, though, is they do want to “Rock the House.” Hell, they even wrote a song about it once. So when you get to “Cielo Drive,” a racing anthem that is all speed and wicked Hammer riffs, don’t be surprised at how heavy the band can play. “Cielo Drive” is also a song about the madman killer Charlie Manson, so when Atkins sings, “Hell, tonight! No one left alive, on Cielo Drive!” the menace just drips from the words, and it haunts.

Their next single must be “It Comes At Night,” since they have a bonus remix as the last song. The bottom end from bassist Kenn Jackson steers the verses, along with drummer Allan Tschicaja’s off-time fills and overall expert explosive style. This is a bit more complex than some of the radio leaning compositions on Pandemonium, and also has that weird Richie Sambora vocal “wah wah” part like on their song “Living On a Prayer.” The cool thing about this song, along with the overwhelming menace, is the dual key and guitar solo.

While “I.N.V.U.” could be and “Little Drops from Heaven” is a single, the song “Breathless” also has “hit” written all over it. Pretty Maids can somehow write a Heavy Metal song about a murderer and then turn around and pen a love song that is utterly believable. Few bands can master either style — Pretty Maids is a master of both.

Pandemonium is simply one of 2010’s best releases, and it doesn’t matter what other albums come out in 2010, because 99.9 percent won’t be able to stand up next to Pretty Maids this year.

 Genre: Hard Rock

Band:
Ronnie Atkins (vocals)
Ken Hammer (guitars)
Kenn Jackson (bass)
Allan Tschicaja (drums)
Morten Sandager (keyboards)

 Track listing:
1. Pandemonium
2. I.N.V.U.
3. Little Drops of Heaven
4. One World One Truth
5. Final Day of Innocence
6. Cielo Drive
7. It Comes at Night
8. Old Enough to Know
9. Beautiful Madness
10. Breathless
11. It Comes at Night (remix bonus track)

Label: Frontiers Records

Web site: www.prettymaids.dk

Hardrock Haven rating: 8.8/10

Ken Hammer of Pretty Maids

by Derric Miller
Staff Writer

Pretty Maids guitarist Ken Hammer checked in with Hardrock Haven to talk about their brand new studio album Pandemonium; why they used spoken word quotes from American President Barack Obama; the making of the new video for the first single ”Little Drops of Heaven;” specific song compositions like “Cielo Drive;” upcoming tour plans; and a whole lot more.

Pretty Maids has long been one of the most underrated bands in the world, and Pandemonium is just more proof that they are as good as it gets. Tune in now to get to know the meaning behind their new release, Pandemonium, and pick it up as soon as it hits the streets.

(If the embedded player doesn’t populate, click here to stream the interview in a stand alone player.)