Bat Out of Hell III: The Monster Is Loose

by Meat Loaf

Overview

As anyone in Hollywood will tell you, creating a sequel that's successful both commercially and artistically is one of the toughest tricks to pull off -- a degree of difficulty that ramps up exponentially when trying to go to the well for a third time. Well, some three decades after bringing forth one of the biggest-selling (and most cinematic) albums in rock history, Meat Loaf has managed to do just that on this appropriately outsized completion of the Bat trilogy. The Monster Is Loose is clearly the fruit of the same family tree that bore Bat Out of Hell and 1993's Back into Hell, but it also conveys a sense of progression that's palpable -- in both the heaviness of its sound and the feistiness of its presentation. The shift has a lot to do with the presence of songwriters other than Jim Steinman -- the man who crafted the classics on the first two discs but bowed out midway through Monster due to health reasons. Steinman's contributions, characterized by the soaring "Seize the Night," which brings a children's choir into the mix, exude all the grandeur that Meat Loaf fans have come to expect. That vibe reaches its zenith on "It's All Coming Back to Me Now," a song popularized by Celine Dion but perfected here by the Loaf and duet partner Marion Raven. It's intriguing to witness how well Meat and company manage the integration of other voices, like Nikki Sixx and White Zombie/Marilyn Manson vet John 5, who bring an industrial tinge to the gnarled title track. On the other end of the spectrum, producer Desmond Child imparts a lush Euro-styled vibe to a passel of his compositions, notably "If God Could Talk." Meat Loaf has implied that this is his swan song -- and if that's the case, it'll be one of those rare instances of an artist clearly going out on the top of his game.

Product Details

Release Date:	10/31/2006
Label:	Virgin Records Us
UPC:	0094636314723
catalogNumber:	63147
Rank:	87851

Tracks

1. The Monster Is Loose
2. Blind as a Bat
3. It's All Coming Back to Me Now
4. Bad for Good
5. Cry Over Me
6. In the Land of the Pig, The Butcher Is King
7. Monstro
8. Alive
9. If God Could Talk
10. If It Ain't Broke Break It
11. What About Love
12. Seize the Night
13. The Future Ain't What It Used to Be
14. Cry to Heaven

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Meat Loaf   Primary Artist,Vocals
Stephanie Bennett   Harp
Todd Rundgren   Background Vocals
Steve Vai   Guitar,Soloist
Matt Rollings   Organ,Piano
Brian May   Guitar,Soloist
Desmond Child   Background Vocals
Bruce Dukov   Violin
Maria Vidal   Background Vocals
Kasim Sulton   Bass,Bass Guitar,Background Vocals
Sid Page   Violin
John Fumo   Trumpet
Mark Alexander   Organ,Piano
Rusty Anderson   Guitar,Soloist
Kenny Aronoff   Percussion,Drums
Rick Baptist   Trumpet
Eric Bazilian   Guitar,Soloist
Cheryl Brown   Choir, Chorus
Denyse Buffum   Viola
David Campbell   Conductor
Darius Campo   Violin
Larry Corbett   Cello
Brett Cullen   Background Vocals
Brian Dembow   Viola
Joel Derouin   Violin
Earl Dumler   Oboe
Chuck Findley   Trumpet
Marti Frederiksen   Background Vocals
Berj Garabedian   Violin
Endre Granat   Violin
Gary Grant   Trumpet
Diana Grasselli   Background Vocals
Victor Indrizzo   Drums
Jessica Jones   Choir, Chorus
Alan Kaplan   Trombone
Peter Kent   Violin
Lee Levin   Percussion
Steve Madaio   Trumpet
Joe Meyer   French Horn
Joseph Powell   Choir, Chorus
Bettie Ross   Pipe organ
Tom Saviano   Tenor Saxophone
Haim Shtrum   Violin
Eric Troyer   Background Vocals
Josefina Vergara   Violin
Brad Warnaar   French Horn
Evan Wilson   Viola
John Wittenberg   Violin
Ken Yerke   Violin
Eric Rigler   Irish Flute
John Miceli   Drums
Daniel Smith   Cello
Suzie Katayama   Cello
Dan Warner   Guitar
William Frank "Bill" Reichenbach   Trombone,Bass Trombone
John Shanks   Guitar,Soloist
Wayne Bergeron   Trumpet
Natalie Leggett   Violin
Nico Abondolo   Bass
Barbara Allen   Choir, Chorus
Andreas Carlsson   Background Vocals
Roberto Cani   Violin
Eric Sardinas   Slide Guitar,Soloist
Michael Valerio   Bass
Patti Russo   Background Vocals
John 5   Guitar,Soloist
James Michael   Background Vocals
Clint Walsh   Guitar
Camille Saviola   Background Vocals
Jeanette Olsson   Background Vocals
Corky James   Guitar
David Levita   Guitar
Marion Raven   Vocals
Philip Vaiman   Violin
Becky Baeling   Background Vocals
Alyssa Park   Violin
Andrew Duckles   Viola
John Gregory   Background Vocals
Jason Paige   Background Vocals
Bonita Brisco   Choir, Chorus
Sonya Byous   Choir, Chorus
Marda Todd   Viola
Keely Pressly   Background Vocals
Storm Lee   Background Vocals
Steve Richards   Cello
Randy Flowers   Guitar,Soloist
Michele Richards   Violin
Tereza Stanislav   Violin
Vernon Keith Allen   Choir, Chorus
Esther Marie Austin   Choir, Chorus
Carolyn Caletti Jablonski "CC"   Background Vocals
Graham Phillips   Soprano (Vocal)
Sandra Stokes   Choir, Chorus
Roshuan Stovall   Choir, Chorus
Steven Holtman   Trombone
John A. Reynolds   French Horn
Steven Becknell   French Horn
Mario de León   Violin
Matthew Funes   Viola
Jon Lewis   Trumpet
Paul Crook   Guitar
M.B. Gordy   Orchestral Percussion

Technical Credits

Todd Rundgren   Arranger
Steve Vai   Engineer
Russ Irwin   Composer
Desmond Child   Composer,Producer,Vocal Arrangements,Audio Production
Holly Knight   Composer,Programming
Jim Steinman   Composer
David Campbell   Horn Arrangements,Orchestral Arrangements
Randy Cantor   Programming
Steve Churchyard   Engineer
Dave Dale   Engineer
Doug Emery   Programming
Marti Frederiksen   Composer,Engineer
Kevin Mills   Engineer
Diane Warren   Composer
Nikki Sixx   Composer
Dan Warner   Engineer
Chris Vrenna   Programming
Allen Kovac   Executive Producer
C. Winston Simone   Executive Producer
Harry "Slick" Sommerdahl   Programming,Engineer
Dino Hermann   Engineer
Jules Gondar   Engineer,Production Chief
Greg Collins   Engineer
David Simoné   Executive Producer
James Michael   Composer
Nathan Malki   Engineer
Andy Ackland   Engineer
Corky James   Engineer
Jeff Rothschild   Engineer
Ghian Wright   Engineer
Jay Ruston   Engineer
Eric Vetro   Vocal Coach
Carlos Alvarez   Engineer
Chris Garcia   Engineer

Editorial Reviews

Meat Loaf's Bat Out of Hell III: The Monster Is Loose is a patchwork, pieced together from things borrowed and re-created, never quite gelling the way either of the previous BOOH albums did. Meat Loaf and producer/songwriter Desmond Child try to re-create their glory days, but they're not picky on how they get there; jarring shifts in tone are common as the album moves from song to song and within the tunes themselves, as Child's compositions chase after the grandeur of Jim Steinman's work (he wrote the first two BOOH albums) yet bear the marks of a professional playing a game without learning the rules. It's a brightly lit mess, but Meat Loaf sings his heart out as he valiantly tries to make this Bat a worthy successor.

All Music Guide - Stephen Thomas Erlewine