There Were Moments of Gold and There Were Flashes of Light

Back in my youth, my parents talked of this mythical creature they called Meat Loaf. Unlike the mystery meat that would show up on the dinner table every couple week, the other Meat Loaf was a singer who released an Bat Out of Hell before I was born and was a massive hit only for Meat to disappear into obscurity not to be heard again. But then out of nowhere the same dude somehow had a hit song and accompanying video, the puzzling titled I’d Do Anything for Love (But I Won’t Do That) that somehow made it onto MTV at the height of alternative rock and gangsta rap as well as the top of the singles chart. But unlike the previous album, Loaf didn’t fall back into obscurity and found successes as a character actor staring such cinematic gems as Fight Club and Spice World.

But much like its predecessor, Bat Out of Hell III: The Monster Is Loose came out a decade later than the previous volume. But unlike the other two Bat Out of Hell records, number three is the first that doesn’t have “Songs by Jim Steinman” on the cover as Meat Loaf’s partner decided not to partake in the third go around which caused a major riff considering Steinman controls the trademark on “Bat Out of Hell” and took the Loaf to court to keep him using the name. Obviously an agreement was reached that let Meat use the title but he won’t be able to use the phrase in the title so when his next album is released in 2020, it won’t be named Bat Out of Hell IV.

So Meat Loaf brought in Desmond Child, best know for his work with Aerosmith, to produce and help write a big chuck of the album. The still has the grandeur feel as it mixes Broadway theatrics with hard rock, but without Steinman, most of the songs just don’t have the same emotional connection that the previous songs had with him on board. Steinman does show up in the writing credits as the Loaf tackles some of his older work that he hasn’t done before including two song that were featured in the MTV version of Wuthering Heights which surprised me because I never realized that Wuthering Heights was a musical. He also poached two songs from Steinman’s Batman: The Musical project. I think it’s lucky that the musical never came to fruition from the lackluster songs the Loaf sings here despite Steve Vai showing up on In the Land of the Pig, the Butcher Is King, a song that most have been the villains theme.

Then there is It’s All Coming Back to Me Now, a song from a never released Steinman album that was made famous by Celine Dion. This time around Loaf turns it into a duet, a long staple in the Loaf catalog which plays to much effect by pitting Loaf against a female singer. On the song his counterpart is Marion Raven who you might remember as a member of the early 00’s Norwegian pop act M2M (wait you don’t, well me neither). Meat also shares song with longtime concert partner Patti Russo on What About Love? as well as Jennifer Hudson, who appently lost some karaoke contest on television, for the song The Future Ain’t What it Used to Be. But none of the songs stand up to Meat’s past greatness which makes you wonder how much better this project could have been had Steinman been fully involved.

Song to Download - It’s All Coming Back to Me Now

Bat Out of Hell III: The Monster Is Loose gets a on my Terror Alert Scale.