Tag: Xalt

The 3rd album from Xalt really turns up the production value. I was actually surprised at the quality of production on this album. When I checked to see who produced it I discovered that he (Tony Miceli) is an unknown in the industry. This in fact was his first production job and he only had a few more after this. He is best known as a vibraphone artist though he did help on keyboards on this album. This album has a very commercial metal sound that I’m sure took some of their fans by surprise. My fav track is “Unconditional Love” which is a rock ballad in the feel of the mid 80’s. It has a real Bon Jovi feel but I do think the vocals are a little weak. That said I believe the talent was there, it just needed a few more takes and a little more effort. All in all a pretty good album here but a little late as it has a mid 80’s feel to me.

Tracklist
1 – Standing – 4:01
2 – Heart Of Stone – 4:31
3 – Babel Again – 3:44
4 – Walk Away – 3:06
5 – Unconditional Love – 5:01
6 – History – 2:57
7 – Build My World – 4:28
8 – The Tree – 4:29
9 – Reflection – 4:16
10 – Lord, Lord – 1:25

Credits
Art Direction – Toni Thigpen
Backing Vocals – John Heald, Scott Doerfler, Tony Miceli
Bass – Randy Carlson
Co-producer, Engineer – Paul Orofino
Design – Dale Wehlacz
Drums – Steve Luongo
Executive-Producer – Dez Dickerson
Guitar – James Erdman
Keyboards – Tony Miceli
Lead Vocals – Scott Doerfler
Mastered By – Roger Seibel
Photography By – Russ Harrington
Producer – Tony Miceli

Companies, etc.
Glass Mastered at – Nimbus, Virginia
Recorded At – Millbrook Sound Studios
Mixed At – Millbrook Sound Studios
Mastered At – SAE Mastering

This is the second album from Xalt. The band had one lineup change between albums with Randy Carlson replaced Steve Davis on Bass. It’s another commercial sounding Metal album and falls right in line with their first album. The album was not well received however and all the reviews I read criticized the lyrics and engineering. I do agree the engineering was not great and I admit that I greatly enhanced it for our YouTube videos. As for the lyrics personally they sound like all the other metal lyrics of the era so I don’t understand that complaint. All in all sounds like a solid Metal effort. It was reissued in 2021 by Retroactive Records and included a bonus track which I have included with our YouTube playlist. Strangely the reissue also came with trading cards. I don’t remember seeing that before.

Tracklist
1 – Through The Night – 3:44
2 – Forgiven – 2:46
3 – Under The Ruins – 3:59
4 – Waste Your Life Away – 3:29
5 – Lost Without You – 4:05
6 – Piercing The Darkness – 4:47
7 – The Fortress – 2:45
8 – Wounded Heart – 4:45
9 – The Kingdom Within – 2:50
10 – Lift Him Up – 3:32
11 – Take A Look (2021 Bonus Track) – 2:25

Credits
Randy Carlson – Bass
Allan Chase – Engineer, Keyboards, Background Vocals
Scott Doerfler – Lead and Background Vocals
James Erdman – Producer, Guitars
Todd Gleason – Drums
Andie Leheay – Assistant Engineer
Carolyn Neito – Background Vocals
Joey Powers – Producer
Kevin J. Wessner – Executive Producer

Here’s another great Metal band out of Michigan. This was Xalt’s first album which I guess is technically a demo but is probably best described as self released. It was only released on cassette which is a pity because the quality was, well, questionable. The album was finally re-released in 2017 by Retroactive Records with 6 bonus tracks. I have heard however that the quality is still questionable. Doesn’t matter what format you want to distribute music on, it’s only going to sound at best as it’s source. Anyway we do have a pretty good Metal album here that leans commercial but not overly. If you only have time for one track try out “God In A Box”.

Tracklist
1 – The Cross – 3:13
2 – God In A Box – 2:49
3 – Where Victory Storms – 2:59
4 – Angry Fire – 3:59
5 – Ready For The Fight – 2:29
6 – A Warrior’s Honour – 2:43
7 – Looking Down A Loaded Gun – 4:13
8 – Palace Daydream – 2:06
9 – Soldiers In The Mist – 3:02
10 – Dark War – 5:11

Credits
Bass Guitar – Steve Davis
Drums – Todd Gleason
Engineer – John Frazier
Guitar – James Erdman
Lead Vocals – Scott Doerfler
Mixed By – Hank Horton, John Frazier, Xalt
Producer – Hank Horton

Companies, etc.
Recorded At – Harvest Studios