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1993-10-31
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Music Review
Copyright (c) 1993, Jason Malandro
All rights reserved
BAT OUT OF HELL II: BACK INTO HELL
Meatloaf
MCA Records
1993
In 1978, an unknown musician calling himself Meatloaf released BAT OUT
OF HELL. A pop album curiously infused with Wagnerian opera (ala
composer and songwriter Jim Steinman), it become an almost overnight
sensation and ended up topping out at number 14 on the billboard charts.
15 years later, in 1993, BAT OUT OF HELL II: BACK INTO HELL rests firmly
atop the charts in the number 1 slot. Call it retro rock, call it 70's
nostalgia, call it anything you'd like - the album's actually good.
Reuniting with partner Steinman seems to have added the missing
ingredient Meatloaf needed. Of course, recycling the album title
probably didn't hurt either.
I'D DO ANYTHING FOR LOVE (BUT I WON'T DO THAT) currently holds the
number 3 slot for top singles, with a bullet. A stylistic sequel of
sorts to BAT OUT OF HELL's best-selling single PARADISE BY THE DASHBOARD
LIGHT, the song's destined to become a classic.
Some of the songs are more original than others, but there's isn't a bad
one in the group. Everythings well done, energetic, and creative. That's
a hard combination to achieve when doing a sequel to a 15 year old
album, but Meatloaf and Steinman manage to pull it off admirably.
Check out the artwork as well. You wouldn't normally buy a CD for the
artwork, but it sure doesn't hurt. The front of the CD itself displays a
beautiful recreation of the album's cover, depicting a motorcyling
wizard racing into the bowels of hell to save an angel. The coverart as
well as the 7 other illustrations found in the CD booklet are courtesy
of fantasy artist Michael Whelan and fit into the overall package
perfectly.
High-quality artwork, great songs, and a well-deserved comeback. Who
could ask for more?
My rating, on a scale of 1-10: 9