“Hell Hath No Fury”
SIN73
(Tin Idol Productions TIP0013)
Almost exactly a year to the day after they released “The Citadel,” the first act of a heavy metal rock opera about interplanetary war in A.D. 4157, Gerard K. Gonsalves and his Tin Idol Productions organization are continuing the story with “Hell Hath No Fury.”
Darren Soliven (bass/keyboards) joins Gonsalves (drums) and Tin Idol veteran Jimmy Caterine (guitar/vocals) as the band. Sandy “Storm” Essman, Mark Caldeira, Steve Morgan and Roy Young are the featured vocalists.
In “The Citadel,” Caldeira starred as D3V1N, a “bio-mechanically enhanced” human soldier who became separated from his unit in deep space, passed through a collapsing black hole and crash-landed on Earth, where he learned that the civilization he was fighting for had been destroyed. Essman appeared late in the story as a powerful being known as Arc Angel. With “Hell Hath No Fury,” the spotlight passes to her.
Arc Angel becomes a cyborg named Angela and launches a war of revenge against the Global Federation and its leader, High Commander Kane (Roy Young). Angela finds an ally in Bishop (Steve Morgan) and the Brotherhood of the Closed Fist. She discovers that Kane has “rows upon rows” of D3V1N clones, and that he possesses a weapon that may enable him to destroy the earth.
Essman is a powerful voice and a commanding presence. She gets consistent support from the musicians.
Gonsalves and Tin Idol have become Hawaii’s most visible promoters of heavy metal music with the release of a series of noteworthy projects.
This too is powerful heavy metal music Hawaii can be proud to claim. A graphic novel or computer-generated sci-fi film treatment of the story should follow the release of the final part of the trilogy in 2017.
Visit reverbnation.com/sin73.
“Slackers in Paradise”
Ken Emerson & Jim Kimo West
(Westernmost WMR-3009-2)
Ken Emerson has been Hawaii’s most visible advocate of the acoustic steel guitar since he and his brother, Phil, released their self-titled debut album in 1979 and backed Moe Keale on his landmark album, “South Sea Island Magic,” in 1980.
Slack key guitarist West is similarly committed to promoting the ki hoalu tradition in California. They re-create the acoustic hapa haole music of a century ago with their work here.
Most of the selections are originals written by either West or Emerson. “Hapa Haole Hula Girl” and “Lulu’s Back in Town” display their skill as arrangers of other artists’ work. The biggest leap in terms of genre is “Ruby Tuesday” — anyone who doesn’t recognize it can refer to the liner notes, where Mick Jagger and Keith Richards receive the credit due.
Visit jimkimowest.com.
