Collaborations between superstar
musicians are always exciting. Back in 1993, one of my favourite albums of all-time
resulted from Led Zep’s legendary guitarist Jimmy Page joining forces with Whitesnake
and former Deep Purple vocalist extraordinaire David Coverdale. While the album
didn’t have the success they’d hoped for and the ensuing world tour didn’t cross
the finish line, I am grateful that they did come together for a very special
album with Coverdale/Page. Many
collabs fizzle or don’t deliver. This time around, it’s former Megadeth
co-founding member, bassist David Ellefson, teaming up with metal/hard rock
vocalist Jeff Scott Soto who’s been part of a dozen bands over the past three
decades, including Yngwie Malmsteen, Sons of Apollo, and Trans-Siberian
Orchestra among many others. They are joined by Andy Martongelli on guitar and
keys, along with Paolo Caridi on drums to complete the lineup of the Ellefson-Soto
supergroup.
On to the album. This debut is a
terrific blend of heavy metal, hard rock, and power metal with hints of thrash.
The opening title track, “Vacation in the Underworld”, and first single is an
instant metal classic! An earworm, a speedy and super catchy tune that is sure
to have fans singing along at concerts. “Like a Bullet”, the second single, is
almost equally great, featuring plenty of cool riffs. It’s followed by a bridge
of solid songs: “Sharpen the Sword”, “The Reason”, “S.T.N” (which stands for
Something to Nothing), and “The Revolution”. “Celebrity Trash” is a highlight
of the album, a fun track with an old school hard rock feel to it. “Live to Die
Another Day” has a Megadeth-type riff and overall vibe. It’s a mean song, with awesome
guitar soloing and one of my favourites of the record. “The Day Before Tomorrow”
is a keyboard-driven, slower number. It features Soto duetting with Jade Etro
from power metal band Frozen Crown—another highlight of the LP. “Hercules” is a
gorgeous, albeit too short, bass-heavy instrumental that evokes Pink Floyd’s
David Gilmour with its guitar sound. “Rise to Win” is a banger of a song, with
a killer guitar solo that’ll make you bob your head along to the music. On top
of the album’s eleven tracks, we get three bonus songs and they aren’t your
average throwaway extra material, no sir! “Out of the Blue” is a bona fide rock
ballad with piano, reminiscent of Dream Theater’s Images and Words ballads. “Lone Star”, with its awesome intro, is one
of the catchiest songs of the album. It’s an ‘80s-tinged arena rock number that
is right up there with my favourites. “Writing on the Wall” brings things to a
close on a quiet but very strong note. A power ballad worthy of the best metal ballads
of the ‘80s and early ‘90s. I don’t know how metal fans will react to the inclusion
of a number of slower songs/ballads on this record, but I find they are a
welcome addition and I personally enjoy the heck out of them.
This album came out five weeks
after Megadeth’s The Sick, The Dying…
and I’m sure a lot of Ellefson fans are eager to see if it can hold its own against
the behemoth that is Megadeth. The answer is yes, with a small caveat: they are
both very different and I don’t think they’ll appeal exactly to the same
audience. Vacation in the Underworld
is a much more mainstream metal album than Megadeth’s and if you love hard
rock, traditional metal, power rock with some ballads, then you’re bound to
enjoy it immensely. I’ve only had the chance to spin it three times so far, but
I can tell you it’s gonna wind up on my year-end list of best records. Jeff
Soto’s vocals have aged like a fine wine, Ellefson on bass is just as great
here as in Megadave, Martongelli (whom I wasn’t familiar with) is a phenomenal
guitarist, and Caridi adds power to the mix, keeping excellent rhythm on drums.
Ellefson-Soto proves that merging a plethora of influences can give fantastic
results and Vacation in the Underworld
is a testament to that. Here’s hoping this isn’t a one-shot deal and that we
get more albums from this lineup in the years to come!
Rat Pak Records’ Ellefson-Soto Page: https://ratpakrecordsamerica.com/ellefsonsoto
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