Rating:  -
The digital remastered sound quality of Iron Butterfly's Metamorphasis CD pressed in Japan is incredible. Any fan will be pleasantly impressed. It is indeed heavy music and psychedelic 60's rock at it's best! Play it loud!
Rating: -
I would agree with Mr Benson's comments on the big production. It is in utter amazement that I listen to this difference in comparison to other remembered Iron Butterfly releases prior. Great mix, honed clean, with precise guitars and a solid bottom end, and yeah, that B-3. There was an article concerning this lp ('Metamorphosis'), in which the band really gave it their all for this one and the thinking was that 'Meta...' would probably be their last shot.
It is with welcome delight to read the kudos this 1970 release deserves, while listening to it in the (loud) background; purchased this back in '71 and liked it, but there was so much to listen to that year. Little did the fans of this title realize that it would serve as a missing link to the onset of another great band within a few year's time, as mentioned in another review. The guitar player, Rhino and I believe the bassist, Lee Dorman went on to form the gifted pack-punch-heavy band, CAPTAIN BEYOND!
If you pick it up it'll provide an enjoyable listen with a slightly dated but wonderful charm, much like Blood, Sweat and Tears first lp with Al Kooper, another classic gem.
Good Listening...
Rating: -
Being a rock producer myself and having produced some pretty big rock records some would be amazed/shocked that i would be influenced by this band and this record!! I had the pleasure of meeting Richard Podolor, the albums producer, and it was with reverence that i told him of my love of this record and his production. Although it is definitely slicker than any of the other IB records it is also the best collection of songs and commentary that they had done to date. Ingle finally tossed out the Vox and moved up to the B3, the guitars are pristine, and the drums cannons! You could tell someone else was manning the board on this one compared to all the other releases. Ingle had a very underrated vocal - it was very identifiable and a precurser to the modern Pearl Jam white soul vocal stylings that are so prevalent today. Bushy and Dorman were very underrated as well as a rhythm section - the bass is always very melodic on a IB record, and the drums steady.
I agree with the comments about Braun - he was a genius - his use of feedback and various noises on the previous records is groundbreaking but I guess he wore out his welcome; the result on this record with Pinera and Rhino is a fresh approach.
But its also an end to what sadly is perceived as a one hit career and an untimely split-up. InAGaddaDaVida is still the thing most remember about these guys. They definitely had more to offer but with the lack of any more hit singles their career fizzled out.
Rating:  -
This cd is of course Iron Butterfly's best music ever. After their initial one hit wonder song, they never really went anywhere else, & yes I have most of their old albums. This music came after Mike Pinera came onboard & help produced a real "classis rock" album. This is not just a cd for hard core Butterfly fans, but a real piece of rock history. Mike Pinera went on to produce other classic albums, "Son of Cactus" with the New Cactus Band, 2 albums with his own Thee Image,(so far available on vinyl only). Buy this cd, you won't be disappointed.
Rating: -
With Metamorphosis, Iron Butterfly chose to redefine their sound, presumably to launch themselves out of the sixties and into the seventies. With Doug Ingle at the wheel, the lineup changed to accommodate the new direction and which included Mike Pinera whose straight ahead rock sensibilities are felt throughout the album. Whether it qualified as a genuine Butterfly album is debatable, but, contrary to implacable critics, Metamorphosis was still a solid effort that pointed the way to a successful future if the rest of the original band had chosen to follow Ingle's prescience. Songs like Best Years of Our Life, Stone Believer, and Easy Rider are prime cuts of early 70s rock that still sound fresh today. The only disputable flaw in this otherwise excellent album is Butterfly Bleu. It's an aspiring piece that works on its own terms and the best parts of it are stunningly brilliant, but it seems out of place compared to the rest of the album and ultimately weighs it down. Sadly, this was Iron Butterfly's last worthwhile effort. Resurrected a few years later by Erik Braunn, their final two albums, 'Scorching Beauty' and 'Sun and Steel', tried vainly to recapture what the band had firmly in its hands on Metamorphosis.
|
