The Menchen thread.

What are your favorite releases by this prolific guy? I love Menchen, wish he'd do another. I listen a lot to Titanic's Full Speed Ahead also.

No one?

I'm a huge fan of the first Menchen album "Red Rocks" and I also really dig the last Titanic album "Full Steam Ahead" and the second Menchen album.  Bill is a fantastic guitarist with a distinct sound.

I honestly think Red Rock and Dominion And Power were his best 2000s-2010s releases. Killer production, tone, songwriting, everything. Tony Franklin really embellished Red Rock.

As to Full Steam Ahead, very good songs, but the production is a bit loud and muddy. I hope that can someday be fixed.

Also, I have the first two original Rev Seven albums. They have more of an Ozzy sound to the vocals, and while the production is pretty thin, the guitar tone is pretty cool and the riffs are great. I did a few riff videos a little while ago, but I need to re-record them because my playing is very sloppy.

I loved both of the Final Axe albums, all three Titanic ones with the third being my favorite, and both Menchen projects.  Seventh Power is good, but it is rather hit or miss for me.  I'd love it Bill were to hook up with the dude from "Full Steam Ahead" and do another Titanic record in that sound.  To me, that was the best he's done with the first Menchen project being a close second.

The original Rev Seven projects would also have been in that favorites list if the sound were fuller.  When he redid these songs to modernize them, Bill made several lyrical and musical changes that should not have been done.  In some of the songs, the changes hurt the song in my opinion.

I totally agree about Rev Seven, some production for a bigger sound would make those killer. Haven't heard the redos but I trust you there.
For awhile he seemed to always have something coming out but now he's been quiet for a while.

I love his Final Axe albums.

I like the first Final Axe, the second not as much.
Seventh Power is good musically but I find the vocals distracting.

I'd say for me it's a toss up between Titanic and Final Axe.

He's working on an album called Blues Metal Trance, which is a mix of blues, metal and trance. (shocker)

Trance? Really? Ugh.

I feel the same way.  This will probably be the one project by Menchen that I won't be getting.

I'll actually be playing four songs featuring Mr. Menchen on my show this Thursday evening.

That's cool Through The Dark Radio.

I really enjoy Bill's work... the guy's got some monster riffs. One thing I've noticed is that when I'm ready to listen to his material, I end up listening all the way through his albums, and then I take a break for a good while. It's kind of like a feast or famine deal with his stuff.

Everything I hear by this guy all sounds the same to me. I've tried Menchen, Titanic, Final Axe and The Seventh Power and it could all be the same band, and it all sounds the same. And as much as I like Robert Sweet's drumming, it is consistently too high in the mix.

I have the first Titanic album (reissued) and Full Steam Ahead. I can listen to and enjoy those once in a great while, but I have no interest in anything else by Menchen.

I like his tone and playing but it does make all the projects sound too similar. I also don't care for his vocals after a while so I prefer projects with other vocalists. Like several others, Full Steam Ahead is usually what I'd pick out as my favorite.

I can understand that it has some of the same sound, it is the same guy writing most of the stuff. I agree about having other vocalists.

Leaning towards the Seventh Power albums...

I really loved Red Rocks, and mostly because of Ken Redding from "His Witness" vocals. Most of Menchen's stuff just sounds too processed for me. And sorry, but Robert Sweet doesn't add much for me.

Yes, I agree that "Red Rock" is my favorite release from the artist.  Titanic's "Full Steam Ahead" stands out as does the first two The Seventh Power Albums.  I really do not mind Bill Menchen's vocals (yes, many are better and I prefer it when he brings in an outside vocalist such as Redding, but otherwise feel he does a good job vocally).

I don't mind his vocals, but they do become rather monotone sounding after a bit.  He needs to try a bit more range just to keep things from sounding stale.

Using outside vocalists for Menchen's projects is pure gold.  The Titanic albums, especially the 3rd one, stand out as do Final Axe.