Metal Allegiance (self-titled)

Metal dudes unite! Oh, I guess they did. Well, here's hoping that this becomes a regular thing.Since 2011, multiple and diverse metal artists have bandied the idea about to jam and record together. The result of this union (we won't call it a supergroup) is captured in 2015 on Metal Allegiance's self-titled album. Let's give it the once over, eh?

The main band is essentially Alex Skolnick (Testament) on guitar, Mike Portnoy (The Winery Dogs) on drums, and David Ellefson (Megadeth) on bass, with various guest shots throughout the disc. Highlights include some sweet, tasteful soloing by Skolnick on Let Darkness Fall, including both electric and acoustic shredding that sounds like it's from a lost spaghetti western soundtrack. I can't help but love Can't Kill The Devil as the inimitable Chuck Billy joins cohort Skolnick in a decidedly Testament-y song that has Portnoy rocking those blast beats. Scars starts out like a straight-forward thrash tune with Mark Osegueda (Death Angel) growling away in fine fashion until the chorus takes a turn as Cristina Scabbia's (Lacuna Coil) harmonized voice takes it to the next level. Wait Until Tomorrow is largely sustained by the always enjoyable sound of one of metal's most soulful voices, Dug Pinnick (King's X), reminding me how much I want a new King's X album. Triangulum is the closest I've heard Mike Portnoy getting back to the rhythymic gymnastics of his glory days in Dream Theater and as George Costanza once put it, "it moved...". Seriously, check out that instrumental if you get the chance. Killer stuff. The deluxe edition will get a bonus track, a cover of Ronnie James Dio's We Rock which sounds great. Skolnick's playing is satisfyingly aggressive, and guest singers like Tim "Ripper" Owens and Alissa White-Gluz give the song a nice edge with a nice solo section. The maestro would be proud.

The Bottom Line: Hearing different artists get together to jam is always entertaining for the novelty of it. In practice the formula unfortunately has had mixed results. The basic "house" band of Skolnick, Portnoy and Ellefson is as solid as they come, but the actual songs (save for a couple) don't really stand out on their own above anything else the individual artists have done in their respective day gigs. That said, I would really like to see this become a recurring project with a rotating roster going forward if only for the occasional gems that would no doubt come from such collaborations.

- Genghis wanted this to be a truly amazing album...