Share the post "Album review: TRAGEDY – Disco Balls To The Wall"
Napalm Records [Release date 30.07.21]
It was a genius idea to take some classic disco and pop music hits from the 70’s and 80’s, add some very loud guitars into the mix and crank things up to the max. Fortunately, six native New Yorkers had this very idea and Tragedy was born, unleashing an absolute of torrent of city block decimating heavy metal decibels and glitter upon the world. With eight releases already under their studded leather belts, the band have now signed to Napalm Records and this greatest hits is the first fruit from the new partnership, cherry picking some of their finest moments that provide the perfect primer of this high voltage, mirror ball madness.
Kicking off the fourteen-track smorgasbord in suitably gonzoid manner, ‘Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight)’ is a no holds barred, gloriously OTT retooling of the ABBA classic. Done with as much heart as humour, there appears here and throughout, a genuine love for the song writing, the band tailoring their style in subtle ways to suit the tracks themselves.
‘You’re The One That I Want’ glories in a huge intro before launching itself into unhinged fun, as Tragedy add their own little kinks and twists to the recording whilst ‘Evil / Baker Street’ is given a big, ballsy AOR treatment that throws in a power metal vibe too. There’s more of a Glam Rock feel to ‘Stayin’ Alive’ and ‘Sweet Caroline’, the latter coming off like Sweet meets early Def Leppard.
The brilliant mash up of ‘Raining Blood / It’s Raining Men’ throws suitably thrashing guitars and maniacal drums and bass at the Weather Girls staple, the original the favourite song of Homer Simpson it is rumoured, although quite what the cartoon character would make of this version is anyone’s guess. After that, ‘How Deep Is Your Love’ seems too much of a comedown and verges on the bland but this is quickly forgotten with the metal rush of ‘Aquarius / Let The Sunshine In’ and their ballsy take on Toto’s ‘Africa’.
Equalling the lack of restraint shown by the original, ‘Total Eclipse of the Heart’ is suitably bombastic and you feel that the late, great Jim Steinman would heartily approve as everything but the kitchen sink is thrown into this mini rock opera. Having saved the aforementioned sink, it’s then thrown into their take on the titular ‘Tragedy’, the track an absolute monster that turns up everything to way past eleven on the amps and this pattern of throwing any or all caution out of the window in the blazing, hard rock chaos that is ‘Dancing Queen’.
It’s just down to ‘Skyfall’, the Bond theme as it SHOULD be heard (the campaign starts here for Tragedy to write and perform the theme for the 26th outing of the super spy) and a vibrant live version of ‘Hot Stuff’ that features Alex Skolnick from Testament on guitar to wipe away the last vestiges of resistance. Whilst the proposal of melding campy disco, pop and blistering metal might sound an utter car crash, Tragedy manage to pull it all off with style and a deftness of touch that defies all expectations. Crafted with love, ‘Disco Balls To The Wall’ is an unalloyed triumph and shows you can’t keep a good song down, shoving ten thousand volts into its multi coloured dancefloor soul, a phoenix arising from the flames of one of Tony Manero’s discarded cigarettes. ****1/2
Review by Paul Monkhouse
Featured Artist: JOSH TAERK
Since early 2020 Josh has been entertaining us with exclusive monthly live sessions, streamed via Facebook.
Next session: Sunday 19 January
Check out videos here: https://www.facebook.com/getreadytorockradio
David Randall presents a weekly show on Get Ready to ROCK! Radio, Sundays at 22:00 GMT, repeated on Mondays and Fridays), when he invites listeners to ‘Assume The Position’. The show signposts forthcoming gigs and tours and latest additions at getreadytorock.com. First broadcast on 1 December 2024.
UK Blues Broadcaster of the Year (2020 and 2021 Finalist) Pete Feenstra presents his weekly Rock & Blues Show on Tuesday at 19:00 GMT as part of a five hour blues rock marathon “Tuesday is Bluesday at GRTR!”. The show is repeated on Wednesdays at 22:00, Fridays at 20:00). This show was first broadcast 3 December 2024.
How to Listen Live?
Click the programming image at the top of the page (top right of page if using desktop)
Listen via Windows Media Player. Click or tap here and “open file”
Listen via other media player (eg. VLC) Click or tap here and “open file”
Get Ready to ROCK! Radio is also in iTunes under Internet Radio/Classic Rock
Listen in via the Tunein app and search for “Get Ready to ROCK!” and save as favourite.
More information and links at our radio website where you can listen again to shows via the presenter pages: getreadytorockradio.com
Power Plays w/c 9 December 2024
In this sequence we play ‘The Best of 2024′ GRTR! reviewer selections
Featured Albums w/c 9 December 2024
09:00-12:00 The Best of 2024 (Melodic Rock)
12:00-13:00 The Best of 2003-2024 (Melodic Hard Rock)
14:00-16:00 The Best of 2024 (Singer Songwriter)
Popular (last 10 days)
Share the post "Album review: TRAGEDY – Disco Balls To The Wall"
PDF - you can delete unwanted sections
