Synic's Spotlight: Hold Your Fire - Firehouse (Or, The Final Spark in the Dying Flames of Hair Metal)

 Ladies and gentlemen if you've read my blog before you may have already picked up my affinity for classic metal, especially that of the 80's glam variety. But what about the 90s glam, you may ask? If you didn't ask then you've come to the wrong blog. If you did ask, chances are that we'd be pretty good friends if we knew each other in person.

Many people do not realize that there was actually some residual glitter sprinkling over the 90s. Much of it came from the already existing leopard-print and make-up clad metal groups that established themselves throughout the 80s. Bands such as Motley Crue, Cinderella, Poison, etc were still putting out albums in the early 90s. But for every glam band adding to their catalogue, there was another group, equally as hungry, rising from the torn spandex and fishnets.

For many glam fans out there, we look upon the 80s as the golden age of hard rock and metal. We then look upon the mid 90s as the fall of an empire; The Day The Music Died. While many fans and musicians alike may disagree the best term for the subgenre, whether you prefer hair, glam, sleaze, etc. does not matter here. What does matter here, is acknowledging that whatever you call it, I'll stick to glam for now, for the most part, died in the mid-90s. And why? Here's a free history lesson: many fans (myself included for a while) blamed it on the rise of grunge. And to some degree, that may be true, but hair metal's real tragic end was a result of its own misstep. The market simply became oversaturated with glitter and hairspray. Radio companies essentially started piecing together bands with no real talent. If you had big hair and could even hold a guitar, you got a record deal. Not only that, fans were getting tired of the same old formula: hard-rocking opener, maybe another, power ballad, metal anthem, filler... Take ANY glam record from the 80s to early 90s and you'll find that it fits this formula. Maybe with some minor tweaks, but for the most part the formula sticks. This was great at first, revolutionary some might say, but it wasn't to last. People were getting bored with it, and desperate for something new. Enter the torn denim and flannel shirts of the 90s grunge wave, or the final nail in the bedazzled coffin.

I know, I know, this is a SUPER long intro to this week's spotlight. I know. But I swear, I'm getting to the end. 

Anyway, to jump to the end, grunge will completely take over the airwaves and for the most part snuff out the last flame that glam had. As a result of this, there are many talented and fantastic glam metal groups who first came together in the early 90's that are often overlooked. Well if grunge can generate the sub-subgenre of post-grunge, then I can dub these 90s glam groups as post-glam. Why not, right? Some of the fantastic groups (there are too many to name, so I'll just stick with a few) include Vixen, Warrant, and today's subject: Firehouse. All of these groups are tremendous talents, and while some of them did actually make it as big as they deserve, others may have been mostly overlooked and generated only one or two radio hits, when the reality is that if they had debuted 5-6 years earlier, they would have been massive.

If your immediate response when I mentioned Firehouse was "...who?" Then allow me to apologize for the tragically sheltered life you have lived up until now. Well your old pal Synic is here to help. Real quick: if you had ever been to a wedding between the years of 1990 and 2020 then you know Firehouse's biggest ballad hit "Love of a Lifetime." If you have SIRIUS XM radio and you frequent the Hair Nation channel, keep it tuned there for a couple hours and you will likely hear "Don't Treat Me Bad," or "All She Wrote." What these three tracks have in common, besides the band that recorded them, is the record they were released on. All three tracks appear on the band's self titled debut record. In fact, to this day the band's setlist is very heavily comprised of songs from this record. Well the group certainly has more in their catalogue than just their debut album, and ignoring that fact is a true travesty. So today's spotlight will correct that.

Their sophomore record, Hold Your Fire, is every bit as strong as the debut. So why does it not get quite as much recognition as the debut? Well that remains to be seen. The truth is, I don't know. Maybe it is due to the fact that it's release fell closer to the mid 90s, where as I said before, grunge was coming, fans were sick of the same tired glam formula, etc. Whatever the story is, the fact that this record isn't widely loved by rock and metal fans truly saddens me. It's one of those records where even the filler tracks are just crazy fun to listen to. I truly don't believe that there is a skippable track on either side of the disc. When I first introduce my friends to the band, I always tell them "Yeah, listen to 'Don't Treat Me Bad' first, cause that's their biggest hit, but also listen to this!" and I show them "Reach For The Sky." and a small stack of other tracks from their first two records. I also throw in "Prime Time" from a much later record, but that's a song for another day.

I'm never that big into love songs/ballads, my readers are probably tired of reading that statement by now, but I always include it in case there's anyone new here. That said, "When I Look Into Your Eyes" is every bit as strong of a love ballad as "Love of a Lifetime." Actually, I would argue that vocalist CJ Snare gives a more passionate performance on this track, and wrote even stronger and more beautiful lyrics for it. When I see them live during non-pandemic summer tours, I will smile when they play "When I Look..." and I will roll my eyes when they play "Love of a Lifetime." I think that tells you everything you need to know.

I could delve deeper into each and every track on this record, but really I think I could sum it up by reiterating what I've already said. The album features a very strong opening rocker, plenty of fun and definitely not-skippable filler tracks, and a lovely and memorable ballad in "When I Look Into Your Eyes." Some essential tracks deserving of a shout out are "Reach For The Sky," "Hold Your Fire," "Mama Didn't Raise No Fool," "Sleeping With You," "Get In Touch," and, who am I kidding? Just do yourself a favor and listen to the whole damn thing. If you're looking to get into the last flickers of light in the dying flame of the glam-metal movement. Firehouse and their first two records Firehouse and Hold Your Fire is a great place to start.

Hold Your Fire - Firehouse

6 - 16 - 1992

1. Reach For The Sky

2. Rock You Tonight

3. Sleeping With You

4. You're Too Bad

5. When I Look Into Your Eyes

6. Get In Touch

7. Hold Your Fire

8. Meaning Of Love

9. Talk Of The Town

10. Life In The Real World

11. Mama Didn't Raise No Fool

12. Hold The Dream

Favorite Track: Reach For The Sky

Least Favorite Track: Hold The Dream

Synic Selects Vol. VII - The Under-Playlist

 Hey guys, let me ask you: how do you follow a playlist of the most overplayed songs from your favorite bands? If your immediate thought was the most underplayed songs from those same bands, then we had the same exact brilliant idea. Great minds, eh?

What follows is a collection of songs, by the same bands as last month, that are tragically under appreciated. They may not have been released as singles, or received much airplay, etc. Basically, this is a collection of some songs in the artist's catalogue that didn't receive the recognition they deserve. Some of them I will listen to 1000 times before I listen to the songs on last month's collection.

So, without further bush-beating, here we go:

1. Gone Shootin' - AC/DC

This track is one of 9 (or 10, if you're English) of the brilliant tracks off of 1978's Powerage. Mentioned previously as my all-time favorite record, there is just not enough I can say about this album. It's their most eclectic mix of songs, some of their rawest production to date, and certainly some of the band's most brilliant lyrics. "Gone Shootin'" is a bluesy rock ballad of sorts, in which Bon finds himself hopelessly in love with a drug addict. Give it a listen for yourself and experience the bluesy rock swing that will have you dancing to another man's woes.

2. Come Out Swinging - The Offspring

Another track from my list of all-time favorite albums. Noticing a theme, are you? Well The Offspring's 2000 effort Conspiracy of One, as a whole, is criminally under appreciated. It generated 3 singles, one of which is a setlist staple for the band: "Want You Bad," while another is a setlist alternate: "Original Prankster." They play "Prankster" quite often in their live show, but they will swap it out for another fan favorite. Case and Point, I've seen them three times and haven't seen "Prankster" once, but have seen "Want You Bad" all three times. "Come Out Swinging" is the album opener from CO1, and what a strong opener it is. It features a head-banging riff, and catchy yet unfortunately relatable lyrics. Combine that with a brilliant bridge and you have a great song that would never be played live in its 20 years of existence. There are plenty of other gems on this record, too, if you're so inclined. "Denial, Revisited," "Vultures," and "Living in Chaos" come to mind specifically.

3. Dirty Water Dog - Van Halen

There is a big fat stack of songs by Van Halen that I could have put here. Plenty from Roth, and certainly more than a handful from Hagar. But Cherone's time in the band AS A WHOLE is underrated in my opinion. The 1998 tour was criminally under-attended, Van Halen III was criminally under-sold, and Cherone's time with the band was far shorter than it should have been. "Dirty Water Dog" is only one of the handful of tracks from VHIII that is definitely worth listening to more than once. If you're into it, check out "From Afar," "One I Want," and the sole hit from the record, "Without You."

4. What Were You Expecting - Halestorm

A little-known shining star from their debut album, this song introduced the world to Lzzy Hale before she became the powerful bicon of our generation. This is her edgy, tongue in cheek confession to the world that she likes sex just as much as any man, and she certainly is not gonna fall in love with you after one hookup. This has all of the sexy attitude that "Do Not Disturb" and "White Dress" has, but "What Were You Expecting" came significantly earlier in the band's career.

5. Overburdened - Disturbed

One of the band's few early slow songs, this one is a true spectacle, and another off my favorite records of all time list. I find myself listening to this one quite often, which may come as a surprise to you since it is one of their slower tunes. It tells the tale of a line of fallen soldiers waiting their turn at the entrance to hell. They are all wondering how they could have ended up there after giving their lives fighting for their country. This song has all of vocalist David Draiman's best and strongest qualities. His powerful and intense vocal range, and his religious and political inspired lyrics.

6. Riddles - Joan Jett & The Blackhearts

This one comes from Sinner, another favorite of mine. This is the album opener, yet it was never released as a single. Instead, in true Joan Jett fashion, she released the covers from this record as the singles. The Sweet's "A.C.D.C." and The Replacements' "Androgynous." I believe that this song deserves more recognition than it ever got because it is some of Joan's best original work, and it contains that angsty anti-government edge that proves Joan Jett is a true punk at heart.

7. Scratch N Sniff - Stevie Ray Vaughan

Lyrically brilliant, musically brilliant, on my all-time favorite records list YET AGAIN, and come on, that title? Only Stevie could write a brilliant bluesy-rock jam, call it "Scratch N Sniff" and get away with it. He does say it once in the song, but I still find myself wondering how he decided upon that for a title. This song is one of many in his catalogue that I listen to and find myself wishing he were still alive and making music. It really was his gift to the world.

8. Only Broken Heart - Warrant

Warrant is one of the many 80s/90s metal acts that continue to perform to this day, and if you see them 20 times I'll wager that the setlist will be damn near the exact same at each of those 20 shows. All hits (and maybe an occasional B-Side) from their prime in the 80s. Several bands from this decade continue to tour and record, though some others will only tour. The frontman of Firehouse has even gone on record saying something along the lines of "don't hold your breath waiting for new music, what's the point? The fans in the audience only wanna hear the old stuff anyway." And sadly, he's not really wrong in saying this. Warrant has put out a couple really solid records with their current vocalist Robert Mason, but not many of their fans actually care. Which is a real shame, cause these albums are ripe with some under appreciated gems, especially "Only Broken Heart."

9. Dancing On Glass - Motley Crue

A fantastic song by a fantastic band. The band's notorious reputation for booze, drugs, women, etc. was certainly always well-known to their fans, so why did a song- featuring a brilliant metaphor for heroin- so harshly underperform compared to the mild and boring "Home Sweet Home?" Someone explain that to me.

10. Dot Your Eyes - Five Finger Death Punch

Not much to say about this one. The band is in top form here, it's an undeniable headbanger, yet it is criminally ignored compared to "The Bleeding." Bleh, "The Bleeding".... no thanks.

11. Just For - Nickelback

This song marks the exact spot when the Canadian rock group that everyone loves to hate transitioned from post-grunge to straight up hard rock. Anyone who has ever witnessed someone they care about get their heartbroken can easily relate to this one. And say/think what you will about the band, but a good song is a good song. And "Just For" is a good song.

12. It's So Easy - Guns N' Roses

This one is a bit of a stretch. It was released as a single, it's definitely a hit for the band, and it was their opening song from the Not In This Lifetime Tour, but it far undersold the boring and mindless "Paradise City." And it certainly doesn't get any radio play today, not like the unfinished and nauseating "Sweet Child O' Mine." Do yourself a favor, every time you feel like listening to "Paradise City" or "Sweet Child O' Mine," listen to "It's So Easy," "My Michelle," Rocket Queen," "It's So Easy," and "Nightrain" instead. Did I list "It's So Easy" twice? Oops...

BONUS: Bob - "Weird Al" Yankovic

"Weird Al"'s 2003 studio effort Poodle Hat features some of Al's finest work. "Bob" is a key example of Al's brilliance on this record, as he composed an uncanny likeness of Bob Dylan, and the song's lyrics are entirely comprised of palindromes. Find me another artist that can do that successfully. I DARE you.

Well, there you have it. The Under-Playlist. I promise you, this collection is a more interesting and worthwhile listen than last month's edition.

Synic Selects Vol. VII - The Under-Playlist

1. Gone Shootin' - AC/DC

2. Come Out Swinging - The Offspring

3. Dirty Water Dog - Van Halen

4. What Were You Expecting - Halestorm

5. Overburdened - Disturbed

6. Riddles - Joan Jett & The Blackhearts

7. Scratch N Sniff - Stevie Ray Vaughan

8. Only Broken Heart - Warrant

9. Dancing On Glass - Motley Crue

10. Dot Your Eyes - Five Finger Death Punch

11. Just For - Nickelback

12. It's So Easy - Guns N' Roses

Bonus: Bob - "Weird Al" Yankovic

Synic's Spotlight: A Different Kind of Truth - Van Halen

 Before we get started, let me answer some preliminary questions for you.

1. Yes, this will be another Van Halen post.

2. No, I will never be "over" Eddie's death.

All set? Okay, settle in, because what follows is a carefully thought-out retraction of my opinion toward what would serve as Van Halen's final studio record, 2012's A Different Kind of Truth.

I bought this album like anyone else would, as an excited fan ready to hear the latest offering from The Mighty Van Halen, recently reunited with Diamond Dave himself. The only drawback that I could see, was that this new evolution of Van Halen would be moving forward without longtime (and original) bassist Michael Anthony. I won't go into deep detail as to how much this hurt me personally, for that you can refer to an earlier post where I compare and contrast the 3 singers of Van Halen. For this version of VH, they would have Eddie's son Wolfgang filling in Mikey's shoes.

When I bought this album in 2012, I listened to it eagerly for the first time, and after it ended, I put it back in its case, and it sat on my shelf for the next 8 years. Admittedly, the only songs I listened to semi-regularly after that were "Tattoo," and "She's The Woman," two of every other Van Halen fans' least favorite tracks from the record. The song I hated the most? "Stay Frosty." A song that many absolutely cherish. And I cannot for the LIFE of me understand why. They tried to recreate the debut's "Ice Cream Man" with an older Dave, whose voice aged like milk, and without the bass/backing vocal harmony expertise of Michael Anthony. If anything, I take this song as an insult to their catalogue. And it personally offended me when I saw them in 2015 and they literally interrupted "Ice Cream Man" after every verse with verses of "Stay Frosty." I can forgive Diamond Dave for many of his faults, but this is not one of them.

It took the death of the legendary rock guitar icon Edward Van Halen for me to revisit this album. Many of these songs I have not heard in 8 years. So how has my opinion changed? Let's take a look.

"Tattoo" is the opening track, and albeit a catchy and jammy LP-opening tune, it certainly is not Van Halen's best. It's poppy, it's rocky, it's almost reminiscent of their 1984 brand of pop-rock. Though it just about misses with Dave's weak lyrics. Eddie certainly makes up for it with his face-melting guitar work as he always does, but the harmonies are completely missing. What was my favorite song from this record once upon a time, now falls short of the mark.

My opinion of "She's the Woman" has not changed much in 8 years. Catchy, all around decently strong Van Halen tune, probably not anyone's favorite, certainly not anyones least favorite either. However, once you hear them say "She's the Wombat," you can't un-hear it.

"You and Your Blues" gives me very similar feelings to that of "She's the Woman." Fun, strong, no real points to make here.

"Chinatown" I will put right up there along with "Tattoo." An early favorite from 2012, falls short of the mark in 2020.

"Blood and Fire," "Bullethead," and "Honeybabysweetiedoll" I will lump together and say these are some of Dave's worst vocal performances. His sound is also exceptionally weak on "The Trouble With Never," but I can at least forgive this one because it is among one of the more classic VH era sounding tunes. The sudden somber, low-toned bridge is a little unsettling, and I think the song would improve greatly if it were omitted completely. So while I forgive the song for Dave's performance, I will never stop second guessing it.

"As Is" is an unexpected favorite from this record. It was a regular skip for me back in 2012, but something about it shines in 2020. I'm not sure what it is, but Dave's lyric and vocal work are some of his best here out of the entire 13-track LP.

"Outta Space" quickly ruins that. Another epic riff from EVH and hard driving rhythm work from the uncle and nephew combo of Alex and Wolfgang Van Halen tarnished by feral cat David Lee Roth.

"Stay Frosty" was an immediate least favorite in 2012, and here we are 8 years later and nothing has changed. I know I touched upon this track earlier in this post, but I have to revisit it. I don't think I made it quite clear enough how much I hate it. Dave's vocals are astoundingly bad here, his acoustic guitar is damn near in top form, as is Eddie, Alex and Wolfie's track work, however the song feels like such a strange and unnecessary amalgamation of unfinished pieces slapped together with a weird anecdote that Dave came up with when he awoke one night in a cold sweat. Sonically it comes across as a phony Van Halen track with multiple personality disorder and it just can't decide what it wants to be. Needless to say, this is easily among my least favorite Van Halen tracks of all time. It sits down there with "How Many Say I" and maaaaaybe even "Jamie's Cryin'".... But don't tell anyone I said that.

"Big River" and "Beats Workin'" complete the downward slope of this record. Heartbreaking as it is to say, Van Halen did not go out on a strong note. This album was a once-listen twice shy, ridden hard and put away wet collection of songs. I was hungry for more Van Halen, and in a way that's what I got, with one key member well past his sell-by date. I would love to keep talking about why these songs are so bad, but how much shitting on Dave can I really do in one post?

But a lot has changed in 8 years. We got no new music, we got 2 reunion tours with Dave and Wolf, with Sam, Gary, and Mikey not even mentioned or referenced in the setlist. Finally, the king has left us. Eddie died, forever closing the door on the future of the band. So what we have now, is what we will ever get (unless Alex and Wolf go through the 5150 archives and release some secret stuff someday... dare to dream, right?)

That said, revisiting this album now I have forgiven a lot of its weaknesses. Eddie and Alex are still in their prime on this recording, and I have to appreciate it for that. We got plenty of hard rocking riffs and driving percussion from the two brothers here, maybe the last that we will ever hear. Knowing that, I can listen past the weak performances from Dave and maybe even enjoy this album now. Except of course for one song in particular... fuck "Stay Frosty."

A Different Kind of Truth - Van Halen

2 - 7 - 2012

1. Tattoo

2. She's The Woman

3. You and Your Blues

4. Chinatown

5. Blood and Fire

6. Bullethead

7. As Is

8. Honeybabysweetiedoll

9. The Trouble With Never

10. Outta Space

11. Stay Frosty

12. Big River

13. Beats Workin'

Favorite Track: As Is

Least Favorite Track: Stay Frosty....duh?

For Eddie...

 Husband. Brother. Father. Friend. Bandmate. Composer. Inventor. Innovator. Idol. Hero. Legend.

There are many words to describe the late and great Edward Lodewijk Van Halen. Listed above are merely a few of his best qualities for which he will remain immortal. I'm sitting in my living room, writing this memorial post in painful denial. The truth is, I have not yet accepted the fact that the king is dead. I can't. I won't; for a part of me has died with him. Of course, I was never blessed enough to have the opportunity to meet Eddie Van Halen, I am merely one of millions and millions of his fans, one of millions and millions who was blessed enough to hear his music, his gift to the world, and I was also fortunate enough to bear witness to the spectacle of his live performance. At the time, I thought of their 2015 summer Tour as a fun Roth-reunion tour, with an exciting career-spanning setlist riddled with all the hits, and some of the mega-fan's favorite B-Sides and rarities. Hell, they opened with "Light Up The Sky." It doesn't get any better than that. Unbeknownst to me, however, as well as the hundreds of thousands of other fans to have attended the tour, the 2015 summer Tour would actually serve as the band's unofficial farewell tour.

Eddie had been fighting a "long and arduous" battle with cancer, as his son Wolfgang called it. And this is true, he was really sick for some time around 20 years ago, when he had 1/3 of his tongue removed. He was said to be doing much better in the years since, but regrettably the cancer returned, and had spread to his other organs. Ed lost the fight to cancer just yesterday in a hospital surrounded by family and close friends, proving to the world that no one is safe from the devil disease, not even a god.

Rather than pouring my heart out all over the page and instilling more pain upon myself during this time of grieving, I thought maybe I should talk about the moment I first discovered my love for Edward Van Halen.

The first song I had ever heard (and really grasped onto) from the Pasadena rock band was 1984's "Hot For Teacher." No, I didn't live under a rock, of course I knew "Runnin' With The Devil," "Jamie's Cryin'," etc. etc. But for a kid that grew up wanting to be a drummer, "Hot For Teacher" was the one that truly changed the game. That intro, something that a high school friend of mine once described as "what it would sound like if you kicked a bass drum that was filled with rabbits," grabbed me and reeled me in immediately. I was amazed still further when that riff joined in. That riff, one of over a hundred mind-blowing licks from the legendary Eddie Van Halen. It was unlike anything I had ever heard before. I needed more of it. So I went home and dug through my father's CD collection. I pulled the only Van Halen title I could find, the one that would eventually become my favorite VH album to date, For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge. 

For you Roth fans reading this that groaned at that, get over yourself. Sam/Dave debate aside, can we FINALLY move forward and agree that Van Halen always was, and always will be, Eddie and Alex? Thank you.

Anyway, F.U.C.K. laid the groundwork for my inevitable Van Halen obsession. It was packed with more killer riffs! "Poundcake," "Judgement Day," "In N Out," "Top of the World," and more! There truly isn't a skippable song on the whole record. But the one track that truly stood out to me at the time of first hearing it, maybe this is a surprise, maybe it isn't, was "Right Now." The keyboard intro that builds and builds until percussion and guitar join in STILL gives me chills to this day.

In the years since my first discovery, I have accumulated the rest of their 12 studio albums, two live albums, and whatever demo or bootleg I could get my hands on. I have heard and studied each song time and time again, and will continue to do so for the rest of my days on this Earth, as will each and every one of Van Halen's millions of fans worldwide. It is absolutely undeniable that while Eddie Van Halen's physical being may have left us, his impact and legacy will live on until the end of mankind. 

RIP Eddie Van Halen. Long Live The King.

Outta touch, most all the time

Too many things on my mind

Shuttin' down, gotta stop this thing

Feelin'... no, I don't like what I've been told I'm feelin'

I'm bleedin'... like no one else will ever know I'm bleedin'

Dealin'... I'm dealin' with these things I'm feelin'