#mike varney

[ricfreak]

What do these guys have in common besides being guitar heroes and super shredders?

[musicmags]

[metalsongoftheday]

Thursday, February 18: UFO, “The World and His Dog”

By the time Covenant rolled around, what little goodwill came out of UFO’s classic lineup reuniting for Walk on Water had long since dissipated, and for all of Michael Schenker’s talk about how Phil Mogg damaged the UFO brand, his return didn’t really do any favors for the name either.  But the thing about all of this was that Covenant actually turned out rather well: perhaps they felt less pressure after the reunion (which splintered anyway, since Andy Parker and Paul Raymond weren’t around for this), but both Schenker and Mogg sounded much livelier and more at ease in both writing and performance.  “The World and His Dog” closed the record with a commanding performance from Mogg, classy riffing from Schenker, and typically propulsive percussion from the great Aynsley Dunbar, and was more full of life than just about anything on Walk on Water. This wasn’t the high-flying fun of old, and everyone was clearly several years older, especially Mogg.  But “The World and His Dog” had energy and drive, and most of all, it sounded natural, didn’t pander and thankfully avoided the bluesy boogie that Schenker spent almost 20 years foisting on ever-decreasing audiences.  It felt closer to sounding like UFO than anything Mogg had released under the name since 1983, and more so than anything he put out since.

[give-pete-a-chance]

Scarified - Episode 6: Replacing Randy Rhoads w/Paul Gilbert

I love this segment in which Gilbert not only opens by playing some Rhoads riffs, but also reveals his naivete that at 15 he might be able to replace Randy Rhoads. His pursuit ended up leading to his connection with Mike Varney from Shrapnel Records, essentially launching his career.

[metalsongoftheday]

Monday, July 8: Wild Dogs, “Livin’ on the Streets”

The Z-grade metal released by Shrapnel Records throughout the ‘80s wasn’t really any less bushleague than anything New Renaissance put out, but Mike Varney’s signing virtually every shredder in the Los Angeles area eventually gave his label some credibility and reaped modest dividends.  That was how we ended up with groups like Wild Dogs and tunes like “Livin’ on the Streets”: the song was fun and it was easy to get caught up in the frenzy cooked up by leader Matt McCourt and drummer Deen Castronovo (who would go on to have a lengthy career drumming for everyone from Ozzy to Journey), but the sheer ridiculousness on display almost became a feature in itself.  “Livin’ on the Streets” was the platonic ideal of metal circle 1984, full of mindless but enjoyable aggression and energy, and working on those terms.

[metalsongoftheday]

Wednesday, April 19: Cacophony, “Savage”

Cacophony didn’t quite live up to their name, but they proved Mike Varney’s talent for scouting the fastest shredders and ultimately introduced Marty Friedman to Dave Mustaine.  “Savage” opened the aptly titled Speed Metal Symphony and attested that the cover art was no joke, as the tune was built around Friedman and Jason Becker playing around and over each other. Vocals were almost an afterthought, though Peter Marrino tried to draw attention away from the dueling axemen, who otherwise really couldn’t help themselves.  This was first order guitar wankery, and the tune moved in that standard mid ‘80s metal way, though it took a bit to get to the speedy part.  But although earlier albums with Vixen (not that one) and Hawaii showed Friedman’s chops, “Savage” really pushed him to the limit and demonstrated his considerable abilities in full.

[mikeladano]

REVIEW: Tony MacAlpine - Edge of Insanity (1985 Shrapnel)

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[musicmags]