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| from tbnweekly.com on BAT III | |
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Daniel 06:41 pm UTC 03/31/07 |
| from tbnweekly.com Meat Loaf’s latest ‘Bat’ chapter brings out diamonds, duds Meat Loaf returns to his roots with “Bat out of Hell III: The Monster is Loose,” a mixed bag of musical winners and losers framed by the evocation of his most successful endeavor to date. It has been 30 years since Meat Loaf joined forces with rock composer Jim Steinman and guitarist and producer Todd Rundgren to create the original “Bat out of Hell,” one of the best-selling albums of all time. Although it languished on the charts initially, it gradually became a cult classic and continues to attract new audiences today with its Wagnerian rock opera approach and memorable songs including “Two out of Three Ain’t Bad” and the classic “Paradise by the Dashboard Light.” “Bat out of Hell II: Back into Hell” produced the chart-topping “I’d Do Anything for Love (But I Won’t Do That),” as well as the singles “Rock ’n’ Roll Dreams Come Through” and “Objects in the Rear View Mirror May Appear Closer Than They Are.” Because of Steinman’s involvement, the album faithfully reflected the style and tone of its predecessor. Though it failed to achieve the acclaim heaped upon the original “Bat,” it pleased most fans while reaching out to a new generation of listeners. And then came “Bat out of Hell III.” While the model remains untouched, the players have changed. Specifically, due to some unfortunate litigation which has since been resolved, Steinman did not contribute directly to the album’s construction. Out of the 14 tracks on “Bat out of Hell III,” half were written by Steinman – for use in other projects. New faces on the album include John 5, formerly of Marilyn Manson and currently with Rob Zombie; Nikki Sixx of Mötley Crüe fame; and producer Desmond Child. It’s no surprise that most of best tracks are Steinman’s songs. The first single to be released, “It’s All Coming Back to Me Now,” was recorded by Pandora’s Box, a group Steinman produced, and in 1996 became a commercial hit for Canadian pop singer Céline Dion. However, it was actually written for Meat Loaf’s “Bat out of Hell II.” It was shelved for that project in anticipation of a third installment. Another highlight is Steinman’s “Bad for Good,” featuring the talents of Queen guitarist Brian May. Pairing May with Meat Loaf proves to be one of the few moments of artistic genius on the entire album. For ’70s rock aficionados and fans of the Steinman’s pop pomposity and operatic bombast, there can be no better treasure than the pretentious “Seize the Night.” Clocking in at almost 10 minutes in length, this epic gem derives from Steinman’s German musical “Tanz der Vampire” and is well suited to Meat Loaf’s vocals. When “Bat III” fails, it fails miserably. Case in point: The title track, “The Monster is Loose,” written by 5 and Sixx, is a nu-metal monstrosity that just doesn’t mesh with the Meat Loaf persona. One Steinman flop is the haughty “In the Land of the Pig, the Butcher is King,” an overproduced, overstated inflated number that strives only to overcome its own mediocrity. In contrast, “If it Ain’t Broke, Don’t Break It,” also strays from the traditional Meat Loaf model but works well with a heavy dose of horns, screaming guitars and a mantra-like refrain. While “Bat III” doesn’t live up to the standards set by the original “Bat out of Hell,” it isn’t all bad. Admittedly, it’s nearly impossible to improve upon perfection, and anything Meat Loaf ever produces will be measured against the success of his masterpiece. Keeping that in mind, then, this latest offering resonates with the wizardry of the first Steinman-Meat Loaf collaboration, even if the enchantment is a little less magical. | |
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