Maiden’s latest studio effort profiles a disturbing trend which began when Bruce and Adrian Smith rejoined the band in 1999: Long, aimless songs that attempt to be epic, but come off as unnecessarily long-winded.  I attribute this to the band’s endless search for a new, modern Hallowed Be Thy Name (or an epic stadium anthem that features a slow intro, a fast ending and plenty of harmony guitars and choruses to sing along to).  They found the 90’s version with Fear of the Dark, and seeing how it was the only song post-Seventh Son to make the cut for the “retro” Flight 666 tour set list, you can see how much stock they put into it.  Since Brave New World, we’ve heard twenty attempts coming in at over 7 minutes ranging from the successful (Dream of Mirrors) to the dreadfully overrated (Paschendale).  I gave up on A Matter of Life and Death after several listens just because the songs were SO long and also SO boring and while having some moments, Dance of Death was overall as dull as it’s cover art.  The Final Frontier follows this pattern with six of the ten songs at or over the magic 7 minutes in length.  Some of these songs are quality stuff, but with so much added filler, their impact often gets diminished.  Iron Maiden simply feels like they’re trying too hard.

The title track, The Final Frontier, is actually a pretty good song, but after sitting through a 4-minute, droning and COMPLETELY unnecessary “intro” called  Satellite 15, you’re left pretty confused on what just took place, and whether or not this is really worth your time.  The song also follows the predictability of other post-Blaze era album-openers by throwing together a catchy melody and driving beat with a simple, often-repeated chorus (Wildest Dreams, Different World, Wicker Man).  Is this necessarily a bad thing?  Well, no, because those songs are still awesome, but you get the feeling that maybe Maiden is just going through the motions a bit too much by sticking so blatantly to this formula.  The Alchemist and Isle of Avalon are some of the better songs on the album (although Avalon is still too long), and the first single El Dorado is solid despite some lyrics that seems like they were chosen just because they rhymed.  Despite being co-written by Janick, The Talisman is a good track, but after a boring 2-minute intro, you might have already skipped past it.

The Man Who Would Be King and When the Wild Wind Blows are the final two songs, and with a combined time of almost 20 minutes, they provide the long slow death to the album.  The Final Frontier is not a failure, but it suffers from overworked and over-thought songwriting and a maniacal desire to “create” a classic Maiden live staple.  After being beaten over the head with these attempts over the past four albums, it all begins to blend together into mush.  I am certain that some of these songs will kill live, because that’s what Maiden still does best, and I’ve noticed that because of Bruce’s “aging” voice, crowd participation help songs from the new era become a more powerful experience.  Maiden’s definitely not dead, they’re still probably the best metal band of all time, but I doubt I will listening to The Final Frontier very often.

Mark’s Rating:

King says: “11-minute song about Evil?  Bah, been there, done that.”

Matt’s Review:

For a band that has been around for over 30 years, Iron Maiden stays as busy as ever these days.  Not only do they keep an extensive touring schedule and churn out a new studio album every 3-4 years, but it also very evident that they are making valiant attempts to progress their sound into different areas, rather than live off of past glories and – at least consciously – rehash the same albums over and over again.  To an admirable extent, they achieve this with their latest offering, “The Final Frontier.”  However, to another extent, there are some moments of mediocrity and redundancy, which end up overshadowing some of those attempts.  Regardless, the album does have its fair share of redeeming qualities – you just have to dig a little deeper and be a little more patient to discover them…

Much like their last effort, “A Matter of Life and Death,” the songwriting duties have shifted more towards a group effort, with Adrian Smith and (to a lesser extent) Bruce Dickinson picking up much of the slack from Steve Harris.  Also, much like their previous effort, this mostly results in longer, progressive, mid-tempo songs with an epic feel, slower-moving transitions, and an overall approach that is definitely more simplified than in the past.  In other words, you get the feeling that, while the band is letting you know that they have nothing left to prove, they still have plenty of new music left in them and have every intent of continuing to explore their well-defined musical comfort zone.

Now for the album’s highlights:  “El Dorado” is just a well-crafted, no-nonsense metal song that will most definitely be the album’s ‘hit,’ as well as a song in their live repertoire for years to come.  It’s got everything – a catchy verse, bridge, a trademark anthemic chorus, and three guitar solos in the middle.  The ‘fast’ song on the album, “The Alchemist,” has classic Maiden written all over it, even if it does sound a little too similar to “Man On The Edge” at times.  Regardless, it is another well-crafted metal song.  Track 6, “Isle Of Avalon,” is officially the first ‘epic’ on the album, clocking in at just over 9 minutes.  There are some great progressive transitions on this one, very reminiscent of “Out Of The Silent Planet” from the Brave New World album.  Back-to-back tracks “Talisman” and “The Man Who Would Be King” are two more quality epics that offers much of the same ear candy.  Yes, the proggy epics are definitely Maiden’s forte these days… keep it up boys!

As for the album’s low points:  the opening track(s), “Satellite 15… The Final Frontier,” starts out promising with Satellite 15’s dark cyber-metal buildup, but then turns boring and generic after it kicks into the title track.  I don’t really understand what they were trying to do here, but anyways…  The third and fourth tracks, “Mother of Mercy” and “Coming Home,” respectively, are the obvious filler tracks on the album that frankly sound like rejects from the “No Prayer For The Dying” and/or “Fear Of The Dark” albums – personally my two least favorite Maiden albums of all time.

The remaining two tracks yet to be discussed – “Starblind” and “When the Wild Wind Blows” – fall into that mediocre category that I mentioned earlier.  Although both songs are lengthy and have one or two standout parts, particularly during the middle breaks, there are even more unnecessarily drawn out parts that could have easily been trimmed and/or eliminated to make for a much better song.

In summary, if you’re an old-school Maiden fan hoping for another “Number of the Beast” or “Powerslave,” then “The Final Frontier” is definitely not for you.  On the other hand, if you happen to be a fan of “Brave New World” and beyond, then the chances are you’ll enjoy this album as well and it will grow on you over time.  While the technical side of their playing is much simpler these days, the songwriting as a whole has definitely matured.  All in all, it’s another fairly respectable effort from the band that effortlessly rings up $20,000 bar tabs. 

Matt’s Rating:

King says: “Yes, age does bring maturity and grace… nothing a little makeup and hair dye can’t fix!”

Have A Listen:

Iron Maiden – El Dorado:

Download audio file (ElDorado.mp3)

Mark’s Review:

The Dave Mustaine / Joe Layden book, Mustaine: A Heavy Metal Memoir is a fantastic glimpse in to the complex and often sad life of one of the most polarizing figures in heavy metal. It’s a very quick read for any metal fan, and when you finish it, you realize many things:

1) Dave has a severe problem with illegal and legal substances:
We always hear stories of heavy drinking and drug abuse from bands on the Sunset Strip in the 80’s, but Mustaine’s nasty habits are only compounded by a circle of friends constantly filled with drug dealers and helpless junkies. This combined with his intense need for acceptance and an addictive (at times destructive) personality leads to a lifetime of abuse we follow along as he hits rock bottom multiple times. He admits that his abuse was a search for happiness, and that in the meantime many relationships were destroyed along the way because of it. Standard stuff for a rock memoir, but this type of transparency and contrition from the famous mouth of Mustaine is enlightening.

2) Dave has never lost a fight:
Mustaine has often stated that he has trained as a martial arts kick-boxer during his life, but the stories in the book portray him as a cross between Chuck Norris and Batman. He wrote the book, so I guess it’s to be expected, but it’s one of the few moments we see his boastful side win out.

3) A young Lars Ulrich was as sneaky and manipulative as the present day version:
The last decade have done a lot to destroy the once-powerful public image of Metallica. After the bouts with Napster and the “white whine” of Some Kind of Monster, we can see our once mighty metal heroes as they truly are: businessmen. Now, since the victors write the history books, we’ve always heard Metallica’s side of the most infamous split in the history of heavy metal, so it’s interesting to hear Mustaine’s side of things in such a therapeutic and honest tone. Mustaine describes a young Lars as a kid hell-bent on setting up a band with a business-minded outlook that rivaled Gene Simmons, and James as an introvert that needed to be pushed into the frontman role. While in 1988 we would’ve cried “bullshit”, both of these character portraits are very believable now. He admits often throughout the book that his ouster from the band has lead to many personal demons and feelings of inadequacy that will probably never go away. Unfortunately, his “invitation” to Metallica’s induction into the Rock ‘n Roll Hall of Fame as well as the ambush for the Some Kind of Monster documentary give you the feeling like they’re still fucking with him and playing with his emotions.

4) Dave admits that he truly is the arrogant prick he is portrayed as, but is quick to admit fault for causing pain to others:
This could be part of his new faith in Christianity, but Mustaine definitely comes across very candidly and legitimately apologetic for causing grief, running his mouth, and casting others aside. Those that expected the book to be filled with potshots at former band members (which there are a ton, even he admits it) will be disappointed. Mustaine takes time with almost every member of Megadeth and details why they left or were replaced. Often he blames himself for their departure, even if unreasonable circumstances lead him to no other choice.

5) Dave Mustaine is a true metal icon:
When you get down to it, Mustaine’s contribution to metal is pretty amazing. After 30 years and constant ups and downs, he’s still breaking new ground and coming out with some of the best music of his career. While many members of the “Big Four” have slowed or become shells of their former selves, he continues to deliver in his performance and attitude. The final paragraphs describe a man finding true happiness as he finally has begun to accept life’s challenges and balance his family, his music, and his legacy. Even the biggest Mustaine-hater would have to respect that.

Mark’s Rating:

King says: “This is the best book I’ve read since I cried at the end of Eat, Pray, Love!”

We’ll be back with more regular updates come hoodie season.

In the meantime, I challenge you to ponder the astounding complexity of this ad (found in last month’s Illinois Entertainer):

$5 to anyone who sends me a Rock Star Bunny demo cd.

Like most people who heard the name “Demented Ted” back in the early 90s, I instantly wrote the band off as some sort of joke… more than likely made up of pimple-faced teenagers who played half-assed-party-thrash.

It wasn’t until a few months ago and 5 hour conversation about metal with my buddy Bill (who is practically a Death Metal Encyclopedia on his own), that I actually heard Demented Ted; and WOW… did I ever judge the book by the cover. I know I am not alone in thinking that the band probably would’ve done a lot better for themselves with a name that more suited their crushing blend of Death/Thrash.

Ah well… their debut full length “Promises Impure” nicely sums up 90s Death Metal (in the vein of Death), and can still be purchased for dirt cheap.

As to where these guys are today is a bit of a mystery… some sites have members going on to play in a band called Beyond, while Wikipedia mentions ties to early 2000s Chicago Nü Metalers From Zero (I call bullshit on that one).

Either way… put your “shitty band name” judgments aside and check out Demented Ted.

Have A Listen:

Demented Ted – Existence Lies Beneath:

Download audio file (Existence_Lies_Beneath.mp3)

It’s been a long time since Danzig was more than just a punchline for hipster comedy.  And while the internet is partially to blame in crushing Glenn’s evil image by displaying him mowing his lawn and getting punched-out backstage by angry supporting acts, the fact that he hasn’t released good music since How the Gods Kill doesn’t help.  So going into his new album, the annoyingly-spelled Deth Red Sabaoth, I realized that although I really wanted Lucifuge, I shouldn’t be surprised if I got Blackaciddevil instead.  Luckily for Danzig fans, the album does not sink that low, in fact it manages to conjure some of the dirty, gothic soul we’d expect from “Evil Elvis”.  I wouldn’t say Danzig is back, but after a long hiatus, Deth Red Sabaoth is a welcome surprise.

It’s not all perfect, but there are a number of tracks that sound like unreleased songs from the early days.  The first, Hammer of the Gods hits hard and from the intro riff to the epic, sing-along chorus, it’s something fans have been missing for years now.  The second, The Revengeful, is definitely a toe-tapper despite it’s over-driven guitar riff.  Plus, any song that features the lyric, “I got a bed of human skulls” has to gain some extra points.  Night Star Hel continues Glenn’s problems with spelling, but the ending riff and driving ride cymbal groove powerfully as if we were all still in a dirty black summer.

The unintentional comedy of the video for I’m the One always soured what was a great song and the lyrical cheesiness of Ju-Ju Bone might do the same.  It’s your typical blues-driven Danzig fare, but if it were a bit more stripped down and inspired video of Glenn brooding and crooning on the front porch of a broken-down shack it would probably be more successful.

My main beef with the album is that the overall tones are a little off and it does become distracting at times.  What one might consider a “dirty” sound can sometimes be interpreted as just plain “bad” and the guitars are often TOO over-driven for the mix.  It seems like there was no mastering done as sometimes Glenn’s voice, the drumming and the guitar all fluctuate.  Also, the inclusion of double bass drumming on Rebel Spirits and Black Candy sound out of place, and worse, out of touch.  This type of drumming was never necessary for Chuck Biscuits, and it ruins the vibe that made early Danzig so great.  Are these issues enough to bury this album alongside 6:66 Satan’s Child?  No, in fact, I think for true Danzig fans, Deth Red Sabaoth will be hailed as a return to form.  The album might not get as many plays as the first four masterpieces, but it reminds us of what we loved about Glenn and his unique approach to music.  Plus, the picture of him with a naked chick on the inside of the album is worth the purchase alone.

Mark’s Rating:

King says: “Glenn, you have a bed made of skulls?  I just put the matching armoire on Craigslist, we should talk!”

Justin’s Review:

I’m going to cut to the chase here… Deth Red Sabaoth is the Danzig album you’ve been wanting for years. The rockers… the crooners… the pinch harmonics… the stripper anthems; Deth Red Sabaoth has it all (including possibly one of the worst guitar sounds ever put to tape). Despite that little nugget of injustice (seriously Glenn… stick to songwriting… producing is not your bag), DRS is definitely a return to form for everyone’s favorite mesh-shirt-wearing-jongleur.

While never really closing in on “Instant-Classic” territory, the majority of the tracks are memorable, and feature enough variety to keep things fresh and interesting. Kickoff track “Hammer of the Gods” features a smattering of classic Danzig traits and a nice doomy break that wouldn’t sound out of place on an early Trouble record. “The Revengeful” lays the guitars on pretty thick (one of many tunes that comes oh-so-close to overusing pinch harmonics & Tommy Victor wank-solos), but still manages to keep it together and enjoyable. “On A Wicked Night” marks the first single off DRS and despite it’s power-ballad leanings… is an incredibly well-writen song. I have visions of The Cult performing this and not losing a step. As Mark so accurately points out, “Ju-Ju Bone” waltzes unapologetically into cheese-land… yet still manages to win me over completely. Actually… that could probably be said for 90% of this record. Hell… 90% of all (good) Danzig records.

I first heard Deth Red Sabaoth a few weeks ago, and I’ve found myself doing attempting at least 3-4 Danzig impressions every day since. I think it’s a sign that this album’s pretty good.

Cover art kicks ass too.

Justin’s Rating:

King says: “Hey Glenn… when are we gonna do that duet we’ve always talked about?”

Have A Listen:

Danzig – On A Wicked Night:

Download audio file (On_a_Wicked_Night.mp3)

This day in age, it’s almost pointless to continue referring to Nachtmystium as a Black Metal band. The former troo kvlt USBM stalwarts have shed so much or their corpse-painted stigma, one almost forgets that less that six years ago Blake Judd was ball deep “bringing some of the world’s most extreme music to the world’s most extreme audiences.” with Battle Kommand Records. But throughout the numerous stylistic and lineup changes, there’s one BM trait Nachtmystium still hold near and dear to their hearts… pissing off the majority of people who loved their previous record.

Lucky for them, I’m not one of those people. Over the course of the last four years, Nachtmystium has declared “fuck you” to what was expected of them and delivered compelling album after compelling album. 2006’s Instinct: Decay scratched the surface (and no doubt left fans scratching their heads) by introducing a variety of psychedelic elements and soundscapes to the standard black metal fare. Then, in 2008, Assassins comes along with it’s blatant Pink Floyd worship, and begged the question… who exactly are these guys trying to impress? Three songs into Addicts, and that answer is clear… themselves.

It takes some seriously big balls (or seriously good drugs) for a band who’s name means “Encompassing Darkness” to write, record and release a song like Nightfall. I’m having a tough time even describing it… but the terms 80s/dance/pop all come to mind. The next track, No Funeral, follows suit with its jarring (yet shockingly appropriate) synth line and 80s snare sound. The title track continues the overall theme by showcasing the band’s best Killing Joke impression. And while we get back to “metal” territory with the next couple tracks (Blood Trance Fusion being my favorite Nactmystium song thus far), things once again return to the club scene with Ruined Life Continuum. It boggles my mind that Wrest, the same guy who brought us “Massive Conspiracy Against All Life” can now be found playing avant-garde dance beats. What a strange world we live in.

In full, Addicts is not nearly as thorough or cohesive as Assassins, but after repeated listens… it all begins to somehow make sense. Whether that was the intention or just mere coincidence remains to be seen. What I can safely say, is I expect to see Addicts appearing on plenty “best of” and “worst of” 2010 lists.

While most anyone not affiliated with “hipster metal” will continue to cry “bullshit sellouts,” the fact remains that Nachtmystium are successfully doing what few bands dare attempt… reinventing themselves.

And to some degree… the metal landscape at the same time.

Justin’s Rating:

King says: “This album keeps getting better every time I hear it. Too bad I can’t say the same for my falsetto!”

Mark’s Review:

I’ve written this review a few times now and I’m through rationalizing. I wanted to write a review on how confused I was and how hard it is to describe the new album by Nachmystium, Addicts: Black Meddle Part II. I was wondering if I truly liked it, just WANTED to like it, or hated it. Well, after many re-writes and re-listens, I really think I just don’t like this album and no amount of deep introspection into Blake Judd’s vision or acceptance of Gothic trance music will change that. Nachtmystium is definitely forging into new directions and deciding that the band will boldly go wherever they please musically. While this is a commendable stance, it always runs the risk of alienating a fanbase for the sake of personal gratification. I guess I don’t feel alienated, I’ve just become disinterested… which is maybe worse.

I don’t want to be so close-minded, but I there’s just not enough on Addicts to suck me in. The songs really aren’t terrible (in fact, High on Hate, Nightfall and Then Fires are pretty good), but the lack of attention paid to the details slowly becomes annoying. From the lazy vocal-phrasing and lyrics to the dull, repetitive passages that plague almost every song, everything has a disjointed and “half-assed” feel. So basically I’m left with two interpretations:

    1) either this is a very high-concept work of art that I cannot fully grasp, or
    2) it’s an incomplete and unfinished batch of songs given high importance by pretentious music blogs and hype

Either way, I don’t feel like I will be frequently listening to this album in the future. It’s not really a testament to the quality of the music, just a personal disconnect with the style and presentation. Now if you’ll please excuse me, I’m going to get back to blasting Hell Bent for Leather…

Mark’s Rating:

King says: “Blake… how come you never wear the makeup anymore??”

Have A Listen:

Nachtmystium – No Funeral:

Download audio file (No_Funeral.mp3)

On a recent trip to Phoenix, I was surprised to learn that Alice Cooper owned an Alice Cooper and sports themed bar. I knew Phoenix was Cooper’s hometown because I’ve visited there a few times and enjoy listening to his classic rock radio show. Thanks to the bountiful expense account that Reviews/Resist gives me, I was able to visit and judge the metalness of this place for myself. In short, I wouldn’t wager that it is the most metal place in Phoenix. It’s a sprawling restaurant and bar downtown by the baseball stadium that caters to the crowds that tailgate and whatever down there. However, it is decorated with a lot of cool rock memorabilia (well… some of it is cool), and sports memorabilia, too. The wait staff wear the signature Alice Cooper eye makeup.

The menu is pretty fun, some notable names include the “Megadeth Meatloaf” and “Ryne Sandburger“. I went for the “No More Mr. Nice Guy Pasta and Chicken” which was good but kind of like something you’d get at TGI Fridays. Something a Nice Guy would serve. The beer list was better, the Rattlesnake Pale Ale was great.

Overall, I’d recommend Alice Cooper’stown Bar and Grill if you find yourself in downtown Phoenix. I might avoid it on a gameday, but that’s just me. Let me know how the meatloaf is, assuming you don’t Wake Up Dead.

Hey… I still liked it.

Ed’s Review:

Hour of 13 is a relatively new duo from North Carolina rocking out what they refer to as “True Original Occult Doom” according to their myspace site, yet another example of many new American bands diving head first into the doom metal revival – in this case basically re-hashing and re-working old Candlemass riffs until they are blue in the face, resulting in what sounds like a weed and Makers Mark-laced mess of melodic/retro Candlemass worship. The only problem is, this band doesn’t do it nearly as well as Candlemass, or any other classic doom band for that matter.

The album starts off strong – the first three or four songs are well done, but like so many other records in this genre it starts to fall off into generic territory about half way through, offering little more than fairly bland classic-style doom riffs with the same high-pitched vocal arrangements throughout. The production has a very 80’s/reverb vibe to it (commonly known as the “Metal Blade” production in reference to the 80’s Celtic Frost sound), all the guitar solos are pelted with way too much delay effect (probably to make up for the lack of skill in this area), the vocalist is a direct cross between Ozzy and Messiah Marcolin, and the rhythm guitars are about what you’d expect – slow, heavy, punishing. Of course there are moments where you find yourself banging your head to the groove – and there are some killer grooves – I just don’t think this material holds up to the classics by any means.

Highlights: Title/kick off track “The Ritualists” is a good doom track, solid rhythm guitars and catchy vocals. “Demons All Around Me” has a great chorus. Final track “The Crawlspace” has some cool moments. There are other elements, particularly guitar riffs, contained within the album that are fairly rocking also.

Overall this band knows what they are doing, but compared to the heavyweights of contemporary doom (think Daylight Dies, Solitude Aeternus, etc.) this is definitely a “burn it” CD.

Ed’s Rating:

King says: “Only two guys in the band? My make-up staff is bigger than that!!!”

Matt’s Review:

Over the years, I’ve come to realize that doom metal is one of those sub-genres that can theoretically encompass a very broad range of musical territory. Unlike many of its relatives – thrash, death, grindcore, speed, biker, glory, and war metal – doom is one of the few that allows for a great deal of experimentation and originality, while at the same time not sounding too forced or diluted. Several bands have managed to successfully pull this off over the years and thus distinguish themselves as a result (Paradise Lost, Novembers Doom, Type O Negative, My Dying Bride, Isis). Others have managed to do the opposite and simply sound forgettable and/or like something that has been rehashed about as many times as a shitty Godfather impersonation (Bongzilla, Acid Bath, Electric Wizard, Crowbar). Either way, it’s all subjective… but in my meaningless opinion, Hour of 13 leans more towards the latter category, unfortunately.

I had never heard of these guys until I was kindly asked to review this album. Therefore, I can honestly call this a completely unbiased review and will surely sleep guilt-free tonight.

The first track, “The Gathering,” is very short (only 2:09 min) and comes off as very psychedelic, yet generic open chord doom metal with an uneasy David Bowie-meets-present-day-Ozzy vocals. With it being so short, it’s hardly fair to make any stern judgments just yet… The next song, “The Ritualists,” seems to carve out a much more definitive expectation of what the rest of the album might sound like. The riffing is much more Sabbath-inspired (nothing groundbreaking in 2010 by any means), which naturally makes the vocals blend in a bit better. Although the flow of riffs is fairly nice throughout, the reverb-filled solo and “Ohhhhh” vocals towards the end are a bad choice.

“Naked Star” consists almost entirely of riffs that sound like they were stolen directly from a Dio-era Sabbath album and/or the Dio song “Holy Diver.” Not only is there another bad reverb-drenched solo, but the song awkwardly fades out during a verse at the end. More bad choices have been made.
“Demons All Around Me,” on the other hand, is a pretty awesome song. The riffing is very much in the realm of early Mercyful Fate with a hint of Judas Priest and is much more progressive than the previous songs. Done very well here indeed… even enough for me to forgive the sub-par solo at the end, which I’m guessing is going to be a pattern from here on out…

“Possession” takes us back to Dio-era Sabbath rip-offs, with the intro and verse riffs sounding almost exactly like “Sign Of The Southern Cross.” I’m not that impressed with this one… and it’s pointless for me to even mention the solos anymore.

“Soldiers Of Satan“… I’m pretty much bored up until 4:30, when a kick-ass fast riff finally breaks up the monotonous one-dimensional vocals and sub-par riffing for the remainder of the song.

“Evil Inside” offers much of the same formula. As with “Soldiers,” there is ‘that one part’ between 4:50 and 5:20 that breaks up the monotony with a double-time chuggy riff.

Needless to say, I felt like getting to the last song, “The Crawlspace,” was a bit of a chore… and yes, that’s only eight songs total. However, I do like this one much more than the others, with “Demons” being the lone exception (yes, my fav!). Like “Demons,” this one is much more progressive, with a good flow and use of different tempo changes throughout.

All in all, “The Ritualist” reveals a band that is largely one-dimensional in every aspect and has little to offer in terms of originality, technicality, and songwriting prowess. While there were some good moments here and there, the album as a whole is largely forgettable.

Matt’s Rating:

King says: “Those are demons all around you?  Hmm… could’ve sworn they were just dwarf extras from the movie Willow.”

Have A Listen:

Hour of 13 – The Ritualists:

Download audio file (The_Ritualists.mp3)

Soulfly records have always been a mixed bag of Max’s aggressive genius and his over-reliance on misused “tribal” and “spiritual” elements that while fresh on 1996’s Roots, have grown increasingly stale and forced.  I admittedly was (and still am) a big fan of their debut album and felt like it would’ve been the natural progression of Sepultura had Max not left.  Today, the album is an incredibly-dated collection of nu-metal inspired slam anthems, but given the timing and situation, it really captured Max’s anger toward his former band, his family and society in general.  The follow up, 2000’s Primitive, was an exponential decline as Max continued to invite many “special guests” to record vocals to bad songs; the culmination being the incredibly awful Jumpdafuckup featuring Corey Taylor (not to be confused with Fear Factory’s equally shitty Back the Fuck Up off Digimortal).  You always knew you’d get something heavy and raw with Soulfly, it just usually wasn’t going to be very good.

A decade later, Omen is more of the same.  A thrashier sound replaces the “A”-tuned, “Korn-riff” guitars from the past, but Max’s thimble-sized well of song-writing themes (“war”, “pain”, “blood”, “Brazil”) remain.  Tracks such as Bloodbath & Beyond and Great Depression give us the same flashes of promise we heard on 2005’s Dark Ages and 2008’s Conquer, but from there it all goes downhill quickly.  Lethal Injection features Tommy Victor and pretty much IS a recycled Prong song, Rise of the Fallen sounds suspiciously similar to Dream Theater’s The Dark Eternal Night (not a good thing), and the songs Mega-Doom and Vulture Culture voice the same lyrical depth seen in a 9th-grade metalhead’s notebook ramblings.  Besides dealing with a topic 15-20 years past it’s shelf date, the song Jeffrey Dahmer truly scrapes the bottom of the Soulfly catalog barrel.  The song is so cheesy and so ridiculous that I am actually jealous of the infamous killer’s victims that will never have to hear it.

Soulfly keeps teasing that they’ll become a band as dynamic as the old Sepultura, but they never will.  I know it’s unfair to compare the two bands, but Max’s successful career and reputation in the metal community has elevated him to point where he will always be judged against his past accomplishments.  Right or wrong, metal fans formed a connection with him through one of the best thrash bands of all time, and we will always yearn for that same feeling and excitement created by listening to Arise and Beneath the Remains.  Omen is just another failed attempt to make a similar connection, and although it’s not the worst Soulfly album, it makes me look forward to the inevitable “Sepultura Reunion” tour even more.

Mark’s Rating:

King says: “Ugh, I feel like Max just kicked me in the Brazil nuts!”

Justin’s Review:

Remember back in high school when you, me and every other dude with long hair would spend the better part of 4th period meticulously recreating the cover for Arise in ball point pen on those brown-bag textbook covers? Yeah dude… those were the days. Unfortunately for everyone, the era of Max Cavalera worship is one FOR the History books.

Max’s transition from metal monarch to nu-metal jestee can pretty much be pinpointed to 1997 and his departure from Sepultura. While Roots (his swan song with Sepultura) most certainly “borrowed” from what was popular at the time, Soulfly absolutely depended on it. Fast forward 12 years and the release of Omen (which sadly marks Soulfly as Max’s most extensive musical endeavor), and the band are still struggling to stray from their own roots. Plenty of nu-metal riffing, pathetic attempts at aggro-poetry (“Bloodbath & Beyond“… good lord) and guest appearances to be found here. Not to mention the lyrics to “Jeffery Dahmer” make Macabre’s Corporate Death sound like god damn Shakespeare.

However… I’m as surprised as anyone to report that Omen does have its fair share of redeeming qualities too. The punk-stylings of tracks like “Bloodbath and Beyond” and “Great Depression” do well to break the nu. Additionally, guitarist Marc Rizzo does a fine job of sprinkling interesting and memorable leads throughout the album. Unfortunately in the end, it’s simply not enough to win me over. Maybe a little more focus on these elements and Soulfly could actually stand a chance of sounding moderately fresh… which would be a true feat indeed.

For the most part, Soulfly’s music remains as tired and uninspired as its logo implies. The History books just aren’t the same.

Justin’s Rating:

King says: “To quote one Mr. Jeff Lebowski: “This will not stand, you know, this aggression will not stand, man.” ”

Have A Listen:

Soulfly – Bloodbath and Beyond:

Download audio file (Bloodbath_and_Beyond.mp3)

The death of Ronnie James Dio – the man with the golden voice – this past Sunday from stomach cancer truly marks the end of an era in metal where an incredible voice could easily trump musical virtuosity in almost every way and be THE driving force that could either make or break a band when absent. Although many vocalists in the genre have managed to pull it off to a certain degree, very few of them have been able to withstand the test of time – especially as advancing age has set in. At age 67, saying that Dio’s voice reigned supreme as the king of longevity would still feel like a huge understatement to me, especially considering the man’s remarkable career, infinite influence, and undeniable role in being one of the forefathers of metal as we know it today.

My first introduction to RJD – or at least the first time I can remember – was around age 11 or 12, when I heard “Rainbow In The Dark” on the radio as a hormonal preteen getting ready for school one morning. It had everything I wanted in a metal song at the time – big and heavy riffs, a dark edge, great hooks, a shredding solo, and sinister operatic vocals that had metal written all over them. After another few years of listening to an abundance of excessive guitar wankery and bad hair metal (among other things), it wasn’t until my mid-teens that I fully discovered both the Ozzy and Dio-era Black Sabbath albums. Seemingly overnight, my addiction for wankery and hair metal disappeared and I was almost entirely consumed by listening to both band incarnations for a period of several months straight. I felt like I had finally found a band that encompassed everything that I never realized I loved about metal up until that point. I also found it hard to fathom how both eras, even though back-to-back, couldn’t sound more different from each other, even with 3/4 of the original line up still intact in the latter (at least on the Heaven and Hell album). While the Ozzy era ‘Sab four’ were more or less a band of equals with each member injecting as much influence as the next, the Dio era Sabbath was – whether intentional or not – a band largely based around Dio’s voice and use of melody while the other three took on slightly lesser roles than they had previously. It amazed me at how easily a vocalist’s talent and approach could completely transform a band who had already made their infinite mark in music history… and the amazement continues to this day.

I’ve had the pleasure of seeing and hearing him live four times – both solo and with Heaven and Hell – and was amazed every time at his ability to recreate live what he did in a recording studio some 20-30 years earlier, even as he was well into his 60s. What’s even more amazing is that, as Tony Iommi has attested to, he was never known to warm up before a show. As the old saying goes, “you either have it or you don’t.” Apparently, Dio had “it” firmly by the balls… and then some!

I just happened to be at a bar with some friends Sunday evening when I heard the sad news of Dio’s passing. Naturally, the first thing we all did was drink a shot of whiskey in his memory. We then proceeded to fill the jukebox with entire Holy Diver album (unfortunately, that was the only album they had available).

In the few days since, not much has changed – I’ve continued to mourn by listening to my entire Dio catalogue several times, as well as watching countless live youtube performances – both old and recent. It was only a few weeks ago that I was under the impression he was rallying from cancer and set to play some dates with Heaven and Hell this summer. Dammit, I miss RJD already…

Considering the huge outpouring of grief, condolences, and tributes from his friends, fans, and fellow musicians during the past few days, I am obviously not the only one drinking shots of whiskey and watching shitty-quality bootleg videos. Yes, this is truly the end on an era indeed…

RIP Ronnie

illustration by Ben Classman

Dio: Heaven and Hell

Some time in Denmark allowed me to visit the storied birthplace of the Danish legend King Diamond. Popular media would have you believe King came from Copenhagen, but those are all lies. The true spawning ground of such evil is a place forebodingly known as “Den Gamle By“. Here’s a brief tour:

Here we have the humble childhood home of the dark one. Note the ice on the ground. That’s because it’s colder than a witch’s whatever. Also note the thatched roof.

Down the cobbled lane we find this little shop. Nothing remarkable until you look closely at their specialty, advertised above the door in the traditional way: Top Hats. This is the hatter that first fitted the creepy King’s head. The hatter later died in a mysterious wool carding accident.

A wrinkly, old, grandmotherly woman motioned me toward the town meeting hall and led me down a dark corridor. The further we proceeded, the more I was slowly overcome with feelings of loneliness, fear, and utter despair. Just as I thought to turn around and make a run for it, we came upon the chamber shown here. It makes my soul ache to wonder what horrid acts may have transpired on this very altar, what judgments of damnation may have been handed down from this desk. As I turned around from taking this picture, the old woman was gone, and a black rat was at my feet, staring at me with ratty red eyes. I stumbled out of there, sobbing and flailing at the dark. I couldn’t stay to take more pictures because my pants were soaking wet and starting to freeze.

I’ll never go back.

PS: If you are a beer aficionado, be sure and check out our friends at Hop Cast… they seem to know what they’re talking about.

When I first visited Howl’s myspace site and found the band proudly sporting an endorsement for Chicago-based Emperor Cabinet amplifiers, I immediately asked myself “are these guys from Chicago?” Since all of your friends here at R/R are from Chicago, we usually get a first hand look at the extremely heavy yet sometimes questionable local hipster/celebrity male subculture that metal has become here, where the length of one’s beard can often be confused in drunken grandeur with the length of one’s self-proclaimed diabolical manhood. Anyway, turns out Howl is NOT from Chicago, but actually from Providence, RI – so I was immediately interested in what kind of metallic sludge this band had to offer without the media distractions of having their own premature Kuma’s Corner burger or having 20 simultaneous witty write-ups and name-drops in the Chicago Reader before anyone gets a chance to hear the actual music. And although Relapse is never a label to be cheap on the heaviness, I was a little iffy about the promo we received (64k mp3’s with a loud BEEP every 30 seconds throughout the ENTIRE ALBUM as a watermark… classy, fellas) but I gave the album a spin anyway. Hey, it’s a free promo right? And it’s METAL… good enough for me.

Turns out the low quality mp3’s and annoying beeps didn’t really matter all that much, because in the simplest terms possible, this album absolutely rips.

Howl have managed to find a near-perfect hybrid of the riffy, technical aspects of progressive heavyweights like Mastodon while keeping the pace at a slower, thicker sprawl than their speedy aforementioned peers, resulting in an aggressive and ultimately pummeling doom metal experience. What’s great about this album is the excellent songwriting combined with the consistency of quality songs from start to finish – two essential items that always make or break an album bearing this kind of intensity. Opener “Horns of Steel” is a juggernaut of a track, the slow building introduction giving way to a powerhouse of minor key riffage, directly throwing the listener into the wild, doomy ride this album has to offer. Things move in this path for a while, a brief dose of black metal riffs appearing during the bridge sections of “You Jackals Beware” that is completely nerve shattering (in a great way), eventually making it’s way to the excellent stand-out track “Jezebel” which conjures up imagery of both black dungeons and soaring cliffs – a very heavy, fairly complex and completely mesmerizing doom track that stands up with some of the best ever written, from Sabbath to Candlemass and beyond. The vocals tend to serve as more of an instrument as the album beats along, which is more than fitting considering the fine guitar work that rages throughout this listen. “Heavenless” moves more into prog territory, but with a cutting intensity and great fretwork both in rhythms and brief leads from guitarists Vincent Hausman and Andrea Black. In a similar manner to how Baroness has created a new flavor in slightly deep fried, yet killer hard rock guitar techniques, Howl is a guitarists’ band on a mission to bring the more evil, minor key range of doom metal into the volume game – this material is well-played and very dense, and rightfully so. “The Scorpions Last Sting” is another standout track, concluding with several minutes of bulldozer chug riffs mixed with psychedelic guitar overtones perfectly placed. The album concludes with the 10+ minute “The Day of Rest” which needs little description – just let me know if your stereo survives the damage.

I would highly recommend Howl to anyone who is fascinated by creative yet uncompromising doom-ridden guitar work – turned up to 11.

Ed’s Rating:

King says: “I wish we could have tuned down to B back in the 80’s… I probably could have ditched the make-up for a gig or three!”

Chris’ Review:

Man, I really thought I would get into this chug fest based on the album opener, but something happened and my interest faded as the tracks rolled by. Repeated listens of the album have me taking it down a notch on the patented R/R King scale each spin. What’s bothering me about Howl?

The overall thing is that there’s nothing here that sounds fresh or unique to me. There’s some cool moments, sure, like badass chugging riffs at some point in almost every song. But you know what, every high school band in my subdivision can crank out a badass chugging riff when they want to. What else does Howl got?

Well, they got this frenetic drummer that’s always playing big fills in small spaces and double bass, so that it sort of seems like the song is all intense and shit, but when you try to follow along, you find the song is actually pretty plain; the drummer’s just getting bored like you are. It’s hard to judge production on a low resolution review download, but it sure seems like there’s a whole lot of cymbal going on. At some points the guitars are just barely there. But golly, that crash cymbal sure comes through.

Secondly, each song is full of riffs, but they’re mostly not very interesting and just pasted together. It’s like a heavy metal jam band at some points (“Jezebel“, “You Jackals Beware“). Some riffs are downright played out (“Asherah“, the intro to “Jezebel“; how did this even make the album)? And I’m thinking I’ve heard the opening of “The Scorpion’s Last Sting” somewhere, too (free gift to whomever can tell us where).

The sound and style of Howl is nothing offensive, but it’s nothing that’s been missing from my life either. If more songs like “Heavenless” or “Horns of Steel” added interest and energy to this album, it might have been saved, but as an collection, this album doesn’t float.

Chris’ Rating:

King says: “This band would have a chance if they had a gimmick. Try face paint and devil worship.”

Editor’s note: Chris… I believe you’re referring to Earth Crisis’ “The Wrath of Sanity“. Now where’s my free gift?

Have A Listen:

Howl – Jezebel:

Download audio file (Jezebel.mp3)

There’s no way this post does the justice it intends to, but while listening to the Type O Negative catalog on repeat after Thursday’s events, I realized how much I will miss Peter Steele. Like most fans, I got into Type O by listening to the legendary Bloody Kisses album, but it wasn’t “Black No. 1” or “Christian Woman” that drew me in, it was “We Hate Everyone“. Featuring yodeling, an intro full of vigorous double bass and a crushing, industrial breakdown all culminating into one of the slickest bridges ever, it was my indoctrination to Brooklyn’s “Drab Four”. I was hooked, and I followed their path ever since, seeing them live twice and buying all their albums and DVDs (In fact, the last CD I purchased in a store [and probably ever] was Dead Again in 2007). In high school, Kisses and October Rust were the ONLY metal albums you could play if the planets aligned and you were able to convince some girls to hang out with you. And when you did play them, they were always intrigued by the baritone crooner that sang about how messed up the relationships between men and women (and sometimes another woman) can be.

It’s ironic that my favorite album from the band is also the one that they hated the most: 1999’s World Coming Down. The band and Steele said they disagreed on the direction of the album and were ultimately unhappy with it, but it captured the frontman at his darkest time and offered an intensely personal viewpoint of a moment where he struggled mightily with relationships and addiction. The album is by far the darkest and most depressing of all of the Type O offerings, yet the writing, the flow of the songs, the melody and it’s execution remain fundamentally beautiful. As an artist, this is what Steele really did best; he was the master at creating the “heavy-metal pop” song. He often said his two biggest influences were The Beatles and Black Sabbath, and by combining the sonic layers and vocal melodies of Lennon and McCarthy with the dark tones and phrasing of a young Ozzy, he created a unique metal sound expertly tailored to his vocal style and the message Type O wanted to convey. He was obviously a man who fought many demons, and he poured all of his emotions and experiences into the words and music of the band. It is sad to think that just as he was getting those demons under control, his life ended.

Rest in peace Peter, you will be sorely missed.

Type O Negative: Too Late/Frozen

Type O Negative – We Hate Everyone:

Download audio file (We_Hate_Everyone.mp3)

Tell us a little about yourselves… who you are, where you’re from and certainly how you derived your band name?

Darin: Derek was born and raised in LA.  I’m originally from a suburb of Baltimore, MD, but I moved to LA almost 10 years ago.  Due to the influence of my older brothers, my earliest musical inspirations were Pink Floyd, Rush, Black Sabbath, Iron Maiden, Judas Priest and the first two Ozzy solo records.  Derek and I met through a musicians wanted ad about 8 years ago.  We’ve been making music ever since.  

 

Our band name came from a really scary Christian propaganda book that was anonymously mailed to my apartment.  The book begins by describing 9/11 and then proceeds to explain why we are close to the Armageddon.  It predicts the US will eventually become a truly Christian nation and pass the National Sunday Law, which demands everyone go to church on Sunday…or else.  With some states teaching “intelligent design” as a science in schools, the Christian Right continuing to influence government officials, and the rampant anti-intellectualism happening in the country, we thought picking National Sunday Law as a name would showcase this temporary insanity and make light of the religious zealots in our own country.”

Two piece metal bands rarely cover the dynamic range that you guys do.  Have you ever felt the desire to recruit a full-time bass or synth player (especially in a live setting)?

NSL: Thanks to looping pedals and a MIDI foot controller for synths, we can reproduce almost everything on our record live.  So we don’t need to recruit a third member at this point. The final song on “The Fifth Ape” was originally recorded for our first album “La Storia di Cannibali,” but it didn’t sound right without low end.  We were really excited when Joe Lester (Intronaut) talked about jamming because we instantly knew his fretless bass would sound awesome on that song.”

Do you feel your music falls into any specific metal sub-genre?  Obviously you pull from a wider array of influences than most of your peers, but do you feel that sets you apart enough?

NSL: I guess we’re a post-metal or progressive metal band.  We didn’t even know the post-metal tag existed when we started writing heavier music.  Our initial influences for this band were Kayo Dot, Godflesh, Brian Eno and Pink Floyd.  When Derek and I first met,  we started a different band called Lux Medium.  At the time, our sound was more like old Helmet, Shiner, Jawbox, Don Caballero, Hum and Shellac.  So some of those influences come through in NSL as well.”

Do you worry (or care) about the style of music you play becoming over-saturated?

NSL: The standard post-metal formula is becoming a bit tiresome.  But we try our best to not repeat ourselves or rip off other bands.  Plus we’re constantly searching for new inspirations from newer and older bands.”

What are your feelings (and where do you think NSL fits) in the current climate of the music industry?  Did that in any way influence your decision to release your latest EP for free?

NSL:  We don’t really think about the state of the music industry.  We fit right next to all the other bands who have next to zero chance of making any money but continue to play because we love it.  We support file trading, but we also make an effort to buy music and merch from smaller bands.  We just want everyone who might like our songs to hear them.  The more people who hear the music, the better.”

Do you feel that unorthodox distribution & promotion methods (youtube vids, last.fm profile, etc) have helped expose NSL?

NSL: I kinda think youtube, myspace etc. are orthodox methods now for most DIY bands. I think 95% the exposure we’ve had is through that kind of promotion. It’s not like we’re playing to huge crowds, so we can’t reach that many people in person. Handing out free cds at shows works too but that can get expensive.”

What’s your general equipment setup?  I notice a lot of pedals in some of your videos… are you guys “gear-snobs”?

Darin: I play a Gibson SG and Schecter Celloblaster through a Marshall TSL 100 head and a Sunn Beta Lead bass amp.  My keyboard set up is a MicroKorg with a Roland PK-5A foot controller attached.  My microphone is also hooked up to the keyboard for vocoder parts.  As far as pedals, I use a Loop Station, Line 6 DL4 Delay, Line 6 Space Chorus, Voodoo Lab Micro Vibe, and Dunlop Tremolo pedal.  I wouldn’t say we’re gear snobs.  But we do research our gadgets before buying them.

 

Derek: I play a four-piece 1975 Ludwig kit with rather large Zildjian cymbals and a Wuhan China.  Next to my drums, I have a two tier keyboard stand with a Moog Little Phatty and a pedal board that holds our mixer, an Electro-Harmonix Memory Man and Line 6 DL4 delay.  On the floor, I have a Roland Loop Station, Electro-Harmonix Polyphase pedal and a volume pedal so my mic doesn’t feedback.  We run our own PA live, so both keyboards and vocals run through the mixer.  I also use the auxiliaries in the mixer to send vocals and keys through my pedals.”

Explain how synths play a role in your songwriting?  Is that something you’d like to incorporate more of down the line?

Darin: We use synths in a variety of ways.  With my MIDI controller, I can play bass lines with my feet while playing guitar.  Sometimes Derek pulls double duty by playing bass lines on his Moog with one hand and keeping a beat with the other.  We also record live loops of synth melodies and ambience to build layers of sound on our loop stations.  I like to take advantage of the vocoder function on my MicroKorg as much as possible.  We love the robot voice sound…”

We noticed that your prog influences are classic 70’s giants (Yes, Rush, King Crimson), yet your vocal style is mostly aggro/ heavy.  Why did you decide to go that direction?  Any chance you’ll venture even further down the progressive halls in the future?

Darin:  I’m a giant prog nerd.  Pink Floyd is my all-time favorite band, especially the stuff before Dark Side.  Late 70s/early 80s Rush also had a big influence on me.  But in the past decade, King Crimson, Kraftwerk, early Tangerine Dream and all Brian Eno projects have had a serious effect on me.  Some other recent prog/krautrock favorites include Camel, Goblin, Can, Harmonia, Cluster, Yes and Le Orme.  We’re currently working on a side project with Sacha Dunable of Intronaut that features even more progressive rock influence, traditional singing and even vocal harmonies.  Its a bit of a departure for us, but it has its dark and heavy moments as well.”

Any other thoughts/comments?

Download our FREE EP. Thanks for the interview!”

Mark’s Review:

Even though most of their programming revolves around reality competitions for the next Hawaiian Tropic Girl or Dallas Cowboy Cheerleader, I surprisingly never watch the channel HDNet. So, it’s anyone’s guess on how I stumbled upon this concert while flipping through channels, but I guess when you see Rob on a Harley, you stop and take note. I had high hopes, because the last time I caught a concert on this channel, it was Megadeth’s Blood in the Water, which was unreal in sight and sound. The Priest concert was about an hour long and features the 4 original members and Scott Travis cranking out British Steel in it’s entirety, along with a few other choice hits. The show was taped in Florida during last summer’s tour to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the album, which is astounding when you think about it. Now, I’m of the belief that British Steel is not the best Priest album, but I was eager to hear live renditions of some of the deep cuts. Overall, the show looks and sounds fantastic, and if you’re willing to put up with the shortcomings that time and age have bestowed on a heavy metal icon, then it’s a very satisfying Priest experience.

The concert is filmed in full HD glory, and although the thought of seeing K.K. Downing in 1080p is frightening, the presentation does an outstanding job at capturing the intense light show as well as the interesting costume choices made by the band. The camera work and editing of the show is also great. We catch every Scott Travis drum fill, Glenn Tipton pick slide, and Ian Hill… well, just standing in the back being Ian Hill. But the element that stands out is the sound, especially from the guitars. That over-driven, synth-like distortion generated from the twin guitars comes through so bold and loud, every song is made heavier and better from it. The sound is so metal, and so Priest, and they use it to their advantage to thicken up typical borefests like United and Living After Midnight. It’s amazing to me how Downing and Tipton don’t get more respect in the guitar and metal community. Maybe it’s because there are two of them, or that Rob is really the figurehead of the band, but their playing is effortless and flawless during the concert. The fact that they’ve been able to adapt and mold their signature sound to remain heavy while retaining the vibe of the early days should also be saluted. Some may say Rob’s return to the band gave them a new spark, but I firmly believe that without Scott Travis the band does not have the same power or longevity. He’s the ultimate metal drummer and the perfect backing pulse for the rest of the band.

Which brings us to Rob, who is showing that singing in his range is a very hard thing to do night after night when you’re almost 60 years old. I’ve seen Rob on the past few Priest tours, and although he’s using more effects to stretch his signature wails and screams, he still delivers. I’m sure they needed to tone down some of the effects for post-production on this concert, but he seems to play it very safe, avoiding all higher notes in fear of having a voice crack immortalized on film. Usually this isn’t a bad thing, but during You Don’t Have to Be Old to Be Wise, and Hell Patrol, the songs feel a little incomplete because they miss these dynamic vocal moments. The Ripper is pretty bad without these high notes, and when compared to the legendary performance on Unleashed in the East (quite possibly the best “Rob note” ever) it’s laughable. Also, while the other members have stayed in relatively good shape, Rob seems to have packed on at least 50lbs. He wears layers of denim and leather to cover his now-massive gut, and he stumbles around the stage in a way that he might think is menacing, but in reality is unintentionally humorous. I understand that icons get old and things happen, but Rob’s leaving himself open for criticism since he started referring to himself as “The Metal God“.

The concert is airing all week, and HDNet has a cool website that allows you to search for this show and add it to your Google Calendar. It’s definitely worth a viewing for the camera and sound quality alone. Just make sure you understand you’re getting 2010 Rob, not the one from the Breaking the Law video.

Mark’s Rating:

King says: “Oh, hi Rob… sooooo, um… having trouble hitting those high notes eh? hmmm… yeah… that’s tough… kinda sucks doesn’t it?… oh well. ttyl.
- KD”

While the term “sell out” has been thrown around the music industry for years, it’s never been more true to its meaning than it is today. In the wake of major labels pinching their pennies or dropping like flies, musicians are looking for new ways to get ahead, and luckily, enterprise is right there to help.

While companies like Vans have been doing this shit for years, newer (forward thinking?) companies like Scion (a subsidiary of Toyota) are spreading cash all over the music industry, assumingly to grab a younger, “hipper” audience. Though I will admit, I’m still baffled by their approach.

If I had to guess, I’d say the people signing the checks over at Toyota probably weren’t in the pit while Cannibal Corpse performed Five Nails Through The Neck at this year’s Scion Rock Fest. Nor were they probably around when Municipal Waste were doing beer bongs onstage at the Knitting Factory last summer during a Scion-sponsored show. And I’d don’t seem to recall any Japanese businessman crowd-surfing in the latest Torche video, which also happened to be entirely funded by Scion.

So what gives? Is the head of the Scion Marketing Department a total metalhead? Are long-haired stoners suddenly a hot demographic to target?

Truth is, we’ll probably never know. But if you were to listen to Hatebreed’s Jamey Jasta (in a recent interview with Decibel Magazine)…

That would’ve never happened 10 years ago. I wouldn’t have been caught dead in that car. But now it’s like, ‘It’s a free show? Yeah, let’s do it.’ So, God bless ‘em. They’re doing things that the labels aren’t doing.”

And Scion doesn’t look to be letting up anytime soon. In addition to sponsoring metal shows & producing videos, they’ve developed an entire branch of their company dedicated to art, film, music and lifestyle; which also offers weekly podcasts (interviews with underground artists, event coverage, etc) as well as a free iphone app that streams underground music from a plethora of genres.

So I guess what I’m trying to say is, forget trying to get signed… just buy a Scion and send your band’s demo to:

Scion
attn: Marketing Manager
19001 S. Western Ave
D102 PO BOX 2742
Torrance, CA 90509-2742

(and tell ‘em Reviews/Resist sent ya)

There aren’t many bands whose entire catalog of albums I own, but High on Fire sort of accidentally became one of them. I started with 2002’s Den of Thieves, and as each release trickled out, I found myself thinking, “Yeah, I could go for some more High on Fire.” It doesn’t hurt that the band tweaks their approach just enough each go-around to offer something fresh while preserving their trademark speed and snarl.

And so Snakes for the Divine marks an impressive fourth time for hearing a renewed High on Fire. Like previous albums I can’t call it a masterpiece, but a quality record, for sure. The first apparent difference in this album was how good the vocals sounded, which isn’t normally what I like about most albums but somehow they just nailed it on this one. It doesn’t hurt when, at about 6:13 into the title track, Matt Pike lets rip with what I’m assuming will be the best metal scream of 2010 and the first contender for the best scream of the new decade. Holy shit, it is badass. This track is probably my new favorite High on Fire song.

The rest of the album follows up that barn-burner respectably, if not ever quite re-attaining that first, glorious doom. Some close contenders include Frost Hammer and Holy Flames of the Fire Spitter (say it ten times, fast). The weakest track would be Bastard Samurai, a slow, meandering song about some Japanese Yakuza thing. It doesn’t help that this song comes after Frost Hammer, obviously a Viking  mythology tribute, and you just can’t switch from Scandinavia to Japan without some kind of transition; like something about Mongols or Cossacks, I’m thinking.

Sometime during the album I had the thought that I would describe this band as a ‘classic’ metal sound, but definitely not ‘retro,’ despite the Motorhead-like vocals The straightforward, fast, and awesome riffage executed with loud, but not slick, production, keeps me coming back for more. Yes, ‘classic’ is the word.

Chris’ Rating:

King says: “Scream of the Decade? Don’t count out the King!”

Justin’s Review:

Picture this…

It’s 7:43pm and still a balmy 93 degrees outside. You’ve just returned home from a rigorous 12-hour shift digging cable trenches for that new Old Navy store they’re building on the corner lot where you played baseball as a kid. Sweat trickles down your brow and the mud continues to harden underneath your fingernails. It’s been a looooong fucking day and that sunburn on the back of your neck itches like hell again. Rather than deal with the pile of bills staring you in the face, you decide to head out to the back porch with an ice cold beer and watch the sun set. Just before doing so, you drop the needle on your record player and crank that shit to 11.

Snakes for the Divine is the record.

And life just got a lot better.

Justin’s Rating:

King says: “I’m always getting High on Fire down in my Coven.”

Have A Listen:

High on Fire – Snakes for the Divine:

Download audio file (HoF-Snakes_for_the_Divine.mp3)

When I first watched the preview for Alive, I felt like it would definitely be a game-changer.  Disconnected and sporadic, it showed a strobe-lit and slow-motion shot of Tomas Haake drumming and Jens Kidman headbanging as their music rolled on underneath.  The clip really displayed the potential of how an expertly crafted and fresh combination of Meshuggah’s music with an intense video presentation could create a live DVD experience as unique as the band.  Unfortunately, the preview was just a teaser, and Meshuggah chose the safe route and made an impressive, yet overall dull DVD.

Like most modern concert DVDs, the camera work and audio are all crystal clear on Alive.  But, this high-quality capture is almost a negative because of the band’s ultra-tight live sound and improv-free set.  It’s a subjective issue, but you basically get the album version of these songs set into motion with none of the differences that can make live albums a bit more dynamic and fun.  The setlist is a bit heavy on Nothing songs, and while this is by no means a bad thing, since this is their first official live release, I would’ve liked more of a career retrospective and hear some stuff from Destroy Erase Improve.  This was filmed during the ObZen tour, but since it combines video from different nights, there’s really no reason why they couldn’t have added some songs to the set for certain shows and then cherry-picked a list that was representative of the band’s history.  The crowd at these shows also seems lifeless.  Maybe because much of it is filmed in Japan and Canada, but the guys in Meshuggah need to take a cue from Iron Maiden and see how an insane, European crowd can bring new life to a live recording.

There are many minor gripes with the overall DVD package that reek of laziness and haste.  First is the name; Alive.  Say what you want about KISS and how they’re cheesy, corporate shills and/or massive egomaniacs, but for live concert recordings, they own the title “Alive“.  Anthrax and Snot tried to use this title also, and everyone says the same thing: “I’m sure they’re going to get a call from Gene Simmons’ lawyer”.  C’mon guys, there wasn’t any other titles out there that would’ve captured the essence of the live show?  Also, the cover art is laughably bad, from the poor Photo-shopping, to the blatant ripoff of the Alien movie poster.  Seriously???  The band that has been so creatively involved in their mindfuck album art is using some graphic-design, student project as their first DVD cover?  They must’ve figured that it was going to be torrented all over the web anyway, so why bother sinking a bunch of dough into an original statement for the shelves at Best Buy.

Another thing that irritated me and ruined the “concert experience” of the DVD were the profile segments that interrupted the flow of the setlist.  Some concert DVDs do this and really for the life of me I don’t understand why.  Lamb of God’s Killadelphia, and Sepultura’s Under Seige: Live in Barcelona are two shining examples of incredible concerts that are marred by constant interruptions.  Sepultura’s concert was even worse because I had that on VHS tape, and you either had to sit through Paulo Jr. and Max talking in broken English about “growing up metal” in Brazil, or expertly time your fast-forwarding so as not to clip the first notes of Inner Self.  It’s interesting to follow the band and listen to their touring stories, but if you’re going to film these snippets, compile them in a way that makes sense and make it a bonus documentary at the end of the concert.  Opeth did this with Lamentations and it’s perfect.  You can watch either an awesome concert straight through or an awesome documentary and nothing is awkwardly crammed together.

Meshuggah’s Alive isn’t a bad DVD, but it is an ordinary one.  All the promise I saw in that preview became a missed opportunity and the fantastic performances are lost within many cut corners as far as package design, overall editing and presentation.  Maybe next time, but until then, I’ll stick to the albums.

Mark’s Rating:

King says: “I promise my animated Melissa DVD will feature more than this”

Justin’s Review:

Rather than bore you with a written review, I present my DVD live blogging session… “Thoughts Pulled at Random” (wocka wocka)

• This DVD cover walks the fine line between clever and stupid.
• Nuclear Blast probably spent a lot of money on their promotional intro clip… not worth it.
• I realize this is the same clip from the trailer, but this slow-motion footage is amazing.
• No surprise here… this kicks the shit out of that hyper-edited crap they released on the Nothing reissue.
• What’s up with the pixelization every time there’s a full-color wash on screen?
• Jesus… Japan has a lot of Meshuggah fans.
• The “full-body-bang” still cracks me up.
• Meshuggah really need to do something different with their stage setup… I’m thinking levels.
• Getting tired of Jens Kidman’s “creepy face” already.
• This whole DVD should’ve been in B&W… would’ve been way cooler.
• What? No one knows how “I” goes?
• The point of the split-screen is sort of lost when you’re showing the same dude on both sides.
• The mix is pretty good actually.
• These vignettes are more interesting than the concert footage itself.
• Flashing lights get annoying after awhile… just turn all the lights on and be done with it.
• Need more “drummer cam”!
• Seriously… why do people bother taking camera phone photos at concerts?
• When did Larry Charles start doing live sound?
• Ahhhh… Tomas Haake’s cousin is their lighting guy… that explains that.
• The snare sound at the beginning of Combustion is ridiculous.
• Why do metal frontmen insist on calling their audience “fuckers”?
• You call that “Bonus Footage”? Give me a break.
• Meh.

Justin’s Rating:

King says: “Not bad for your first attempt, but maybe you should try calling Darren Aronofsky to direct the next one.”

Meshuggah – “Alive” Trailer

Aside from the fact that self-recording doesn’t cost you money (so to speak), are there any other motivations behind releasing & distributing your music for free?

Nah, it just seems like a logical thing to do. Why would I make music just to keep it on my computer?

That being said… do you have any specific thoughts on the state of the music industry?

I don’t really pay attention to it. Despite all the complaining from people about how terrible music is “these days”, I’m still able to consistently find rad things to listen to.

It’s no surprise that you’ve listed Meshuggah as somewhat of an influence. What are some other bands/artists that inspire you as a musician (specifically outside of the metal genre)?

I would say that most of my influences come from outside metal. Clarity by Jimmy Eat World is a huge one for me, Low Level Owl by The Appleseed Cast, anything that Jeremy Enigk has ever done, Radiohead here and there, The Books, Sufjan Stevens, Tycho, Death Cab for Cutie, Glassjaw, uhh… this is going to end up with me listing every band I’ve ever heard but those are some of the main ones that I can consistently come back to and find something new to appreciate. Obviously though there is that metal influence–yesterday I listened to every Botch song I have and it was sweet.

Describe your process… do you sit down to record with the songs already competed, or is it more of an organic approach while tracking?

I write the songs as I record them, so all I need is a catalyst in the form of an opening riff or idea to play with and it goes from there. Usually that happens one of two ways; either I doodle around on guitar and happen to play something that sounds cool, or I’m in the shower and I think of a nifty drum beat and program it while wearing a towel after I get out. So I guess it’s the latter.

Would you describe yourself as a perfectionist when it comes to writing and/or recording?

Well I try not to make things that sound shitty, and I have been known to record a riff a few dozen times until I’m satisfied. Other than that I have a whole bunch of riffs and half-songs sitting on my hard drive that I decided weren’t good enough to make the cut. In that sense I would say I’m sort of a perfectionist, but I just consider it not wanting to make anything that I think is uninteresting or uninspired.

What are your thoughts on Cloudkicker’s recent boost in publicity and popularity?

It’s funny that when I stopped caring about who listened to music I made, people started listening to music I made. I’m really flattered and appreciative that people seem to connect so personally with the music for some reason.

Is Cloudkicker a goal-oriented project for you, or do you just take it day by day?

I think the goal is “how long can I keep making stuff that isn’t the same exact thing as the last thing I made but also isn’t a piece of shit?” So it’s a day-to-day goal.

What’s next for Cloudkicker?

World tour with non-union musicians being paid barely-livable wages so I can cash in while not being inconvenienced.

Cloudkicker released their latest EP “]]][[[” this past February. If you haven’t checked out Cloudkicker as of yet, do yourself a favor… point. click. rock.

Have A Listen:

Cloudkicker – #:

Download audio file (Cloudkicker.mp3)

If you’re a metalhead and looking to do some serious cooking (or eating), you can purchase Hellbent For Cooking over at Amazon.com

PS: In case you were wondering… yes… we did make our own aprons. King of the Kitchen!

Chris’ Review:

If you were worried (like me) about the world’s supply of cover albums running low, give thanks to Six Feet Under and Metal Blade for issuing their third (third!!) edition of death metal versions of “Graveyard Classics.” I know I’ve been railing for years to anyone that would listen, “There is so much great metal and punk from the 1980’s, and nobody knows about it! Nobody’s marketing it! There’s a gold mine waiting to be discovered and respectfully elevated to its honorable status, and you’re all walking around like zombies controlled by the “new music” piping through you ear buds. Wake up!” Finally we have friends at Metal Blade that ‘get it’ and assigned a talented, young group of death metal musicians to show today’s metal fans what they’re missing.

Ok, I just listened to Graveyard Classics III, and I need retract everything written above. As a collection, the album is a sack of crap. A couple tracks are interesting, but have no chance at redeeming the rotting, audio turds that should have never been unearthed from the cesspit in which they festered. (Hey, writing death metal is fun!)

There’s almost no theme to the album, so I’m going to have to break it down for you track-by-track:

The opening cover of Mercyful Fate’s “A Dangerous Meeting” reminds you of how good Mercyful Fate’s songs are, but does not make you want to listen to Six Feet Under any more. Most decent 80’s metal songs sound tougher when recorded in a modern production style, but that’s a tribute to affordable studio electronics, not the band. The same could be said about most the tracks on here.

The first Canadian import comes from the re-discovered Anvil. “Metal on Metal” sucked then, sucks now.

The next two tracks are from Slayer and Metallica. These tracks are decent, but how could a death metal band of any skill screw up a classic thrash track? It’s like congratulating an asshole on being an asshole. It should just come natural.

Our next Canadian clunker comes via Bachman Turner Overdrive. Seriously? See “Metal on Metal,” above.

Now honestly, without sarcasm, I did kind of dig this version of Van Halen’s “On Fire.” VH albums are barely listenable to me, but a competent, metallic version of one of their faster songs will make you nod your head. Barnes’ ‘grandma’ vocals ruin it, though.

This Exciter song sure sucks. Something about it sucks extra hard, but I can’t put my finger on it. What could it be? Oh, here it is! Exciter is Canadian. See above. If they move the Buffalo Bills to Toronto, one of the conditions should be that Toronto also has to take Chris Barnes.

Nothing says ‘eighties’ like Twisted Sister. And nothing says “Six Feet Under is fucking with us,” like Chris Barnes growling, “He’s gonna kick your ass!” at the end of this track.

This cover of the Ramones’ “Psychotherapy” makes it really hard to convince non-metal fans that death metal is not a joke.

Finally we have the album closer, a closet classic from the 90’s, actually, Prong’s “Snap Your Fingers, Snap Your Neck.” Any fan of Headbanger’s Ball of a certain era remembers this song (I’m one of them.) Checking back to Prong’s Cleansing album, these guys sound like nu metal before it was nu. I’m not sure Prong ever received the respect that a band on the bleeding edge of a new style deserves, and I’m not sure this shitty cover is going to help with that.

In summary, this cover album goes as most cover albums go. It feels more like an attempt to milk some extra dollars from the fans, and doesn’t do the covered or the coverers much justice. I have an album of Black Sabbath songs played on sitars that’s just about the same thing; I’ve listened to it once.

Chris’ Rating:

King says: “I’ve got to start being more careful about who I give my publishing rights to. And what the hell is wrong with Canada?”

Matt’s Review:

I remember it well – about 16 years ago – when I first heard Cannibal Corpse’s cover of Black Sabbath’s “Zero The Hero.”  Even though I had been a Sabbath fan for quite some time (yes, even Ian Gillian-era), I had just started venturing into death and grindcore territory, as far as expanding my metal horizons was concerned. Regardless, I was still a green teenage musical whore and it didn’t take much for something to seduce my inner ear canals at that point, as long as it was heavy.  Needless to say, what can potentially be a very good thing can also be a very baaaaaad thing.  How else would you explain my brief love for Nuclear Assault?  Anyways, back to the point… I loved the first minute of the song.  It was heavier and doomier than the original.  Then the vocals came in.  That’s it.  That’s the end of my story.

Oh, I’ll just cut the crap already – I’ve never cared much for Chris Barnes as a vocalist (or as a musician for that matter).  Don’t get me wrong.  I know that his vocal style inspired a lot of other tone-deaf dude-bros with no sense of melody to start gutter-growling into a microphone, and for that I have to at least give him SOME form of props.  But like I said earlier, what can potentially be a good thing can actually be a giant shit sandwich exploding like an atomic bomb on a small country, radiating all sorts of shit-like deformities on everything and everyone it touches along the way.  Oh wait, that was the long version.  Sorry dude-bros, my bad…

After hearing the first two Graveyard Classics albums, I had a pretty good idea of what to expect on this one – heavier, down-tuned, unimaginative, pointlessly inferior versions of the originals with the same damn gutter-growling from start to finish.  Regardless, I was determined to keep an open mind and give the ole’ Six Feet boys a completely unbiased critique… assuming that I would be able to make it through the entire album without pulling all of my pubes out one-by-one, that is… turns out my will was strong, so my pubes stayed intact.

The first track, Mercyful Fate’s “A Dangerous Meeting,” brought back the same memories of when I first heard “Zero The Hero.”  I mean, what did I actually expect?  Chris Barnes to start singing falsetto?  Well maybe, but is it really that wrong for me to ask him to at least try not to sound like a total dipshit while singing someone else’s songs?  Weh-hell-hell, apparently it is…

I got much of the same vibe on the second track, which is Anvil’s “Metal On Metal.”  You know, there’s a reason why Anvil never ‘made it.’  They are simply a terrible band… and this is a terrible cover.

Now that brings us to track 3, Metallica’s “The Frayed Ends Of Sanity,” which also happens to be one of my favorite Met songs ever.  I must say, the rhythm tracks are pretty solid, but the solo is pretty damn sloppy and ruins it all for me.  This doesn’t make much sense since, well, the solo IS overdubbed and it IS possible to re-record it if it’s played shitty.  On the brighter side, Gall is a better drummer than Lars.

Slayer’s “At Dawn They Sleep” is actually one of the better covers on the album, in my opinion.  Sure, it’s nowhere near as good as the original, but it somehow suits them well.  Don’t ask me why.  Oh, and Gall’s fill at the end isn’t bad either.

BTO’s “Not Fragile” just plain sucks.  Bad choice.  Very bad choice.

Oh yeah, the same goes for Van Halen’s “On Fire” and Exciter’s “Pounding Metal.“  On a roll, boys.  On a roll.

Until now… they actually redeem themselves with Twisted Sister’s “Destroyer.“  It might be the only song on the album that actually sounds like it could be an original.  For me, it translates pretty well… although I’m not totally convinced that J.J. French (or even Dee for that matter) would be proud to hear this.

“Psychotherapy” by the Ramones is pretty hard to butcher completely since, well, it is punk after all.  As someone I played it for told me, it “sounds like Cookie Monster does the Ramones.”  I can just picture that Sesame Street episode right now -  a bunch of little kids are dancing around like idiots while the Cookie Monster hardcore dances and growls into a microphone… where were these episodes when I was a kid???

I can’t really say that they end with a bang, but “Snap Your Fingers, Snap Your Neck” isn’t too bad.  They do a decent job with the music, I think.  However, it’s another one of those songs where it doesn’t really matter how the vocals sound because the original ones weren’t that great to begin with (sorry Tommy, I didn’t mean to bring you into this).

All in all, that makes about 3 somewhat listenable covers on this entire album, which isn’t exactly good since that also means they’ve managed to successfully botch the other 7 songs, in my opinion. At this rate, there’s no reason to believe that this shit storm will stop, especially since this is already their third installment.  Hmmm… something tells me that they enjoy pissing on amputated legs.

Matt’s Rating:

King says: “Fuck these guys… they broke the oath.”

Have A Listen:

Six Feet Under – A Dangerous Meeting:

Download audio file (SFU_A_Dangerous_Meeting.mp3)

Ed’s Review:

When Mark first posted a note on Facebook regarding this show back in the fall, I have to admit I nearly shat myself while simultaneously letting out a massive spew of deranged and uncontrollable laughter into the calm air in front of me. Was this really true? Could all of these amazing musicians really be teaming up for one of the most rocking prog tours ever to grace the highways of our broken and depressed nation? Indeed… and after confirming with various other online metal sources that this tour was really happening, I made the decision that only a really sexy case of the swine flu (or some other poxy microbacterial agent) was the only possible thing that could derail me from witnessing this amazing night of rock in Chicago, and fortunately I was fit as a fiddle come showtime.

We warmed up early at Rock Bottom microbrewery (which is now becoming a ritual before most HOB shows, since it’s only two blocks away)… I started off with a martini and then moved on to a few glasses of their delicious 10% abv Russian Imperial Stout. We cleared out around 5pm to catch Scale the Summit, but in typical House of Blues fashion (and the Metro does this also) Scale the Summit were forced to begin playing right as the doors opened, and the line of kids was still all the way around the damn block. We were at the end of the line, so by the time we got in the door Scale the Summit only had about three songs left in their short half hour set. Fortunately we were able to catch “Dunes” which sounded amazing, as did “The Great Plains” – a fantastic song in which the glorious dueling guitars of Chris Letchford and Travis Levrier cut through the club in perfect synchronicity. STS is a great band, and they sounded great this evening.

I don’t know if anything could have prepared me for what was coming up next.

Devin Townsend has not performed live in almost three years, and the busiest man in metal is currently smack in the middle of recording and releasing not one but FOUR new studio albums (the latest being #2, Addicted featuring the extremely talented Anneke Van Giersbergen on vocals, formerly of Dutch metal-turned-gazer arena outfit The Gathering), so one could only wonder what this live performance was about to consist of. Sure enough, Devin stormed on stage and blasted into his set armed with a clean, stripped down 4-piece rock band and sounded more intense than I’ve ever heard in the past. Perhaps his new found sobriety has actually strengthened his focus and notoriously powerful stage presence (Metallica could learn a thing or two from Devin these days) or perhaps his mind-blowing vocal range and excellent songs are just that great to begin with, but this was one of the most striking performances I’ve seen from anyone in years, let alone Devin himself. “Supercrush!” sounded great, as did “Kingdom“… his vocals soaring over the huge guitar tones and spot-on drumming that brought about a whirlwind of crushing epic space metal clarity, almost as if a parallel universe were temporarily created inside the club. I found myself simply busting into random spurts of laughter and amazement throughout this set, which hasn’t really happened since seeing Slayer or Helmet back when I was a wee lad in diapers. Thank you Devin for the best live performance of the evening, and one that will most likely be placed in my favorites for a long, long time to come.

Cynic took the stage and sounded good, although vocalist/guitarist Paul Masvidal appeared a bit tired and the songs seemed to be performed at a slightly slower tempo than on the recordings, which was interesting but didn’t exactly serve the songs very well. The set consisted almost entirely of Traced In Air material, and it was very nice to hear “King of Those Who Know” which they did not play during their last visit on tour with Meshuggah a year ago. They also performed a brand new song which sounded great and had some very spaced-out, delayed-guitar licks with lots of interesting melodic vocals from Masvidal as well. Overall Cynic played a tight set, but I thought last year’s performance opening for Meshuggah was far more dynamic.

Between The Buried and Me finally came on last, and considering about 85% of the all ages crowd showed up to see this band, we decided to head for the bar in the very back of HOB and watch a few songs from there in order to avoid the amped up and hormonal adolescent crowd. Of course, this overly-talented band sounded and performed at the top of their game, busting out plenty of material from their newest opus The Great Misdirect and sending almost the entire HOB floor into a huge moshing frenzy. However, my mind was already charred from the opening acts… and I still couldn’t help but think about how much Devin Townsend simply blew everyone else off the stage.

Ed’s Rating:

King says: “With this much PROG in the air, there’s a decent chance I could resurrect Melissa by night’s end!”

Mark’s Review:

People will tell you that becoming a new parent is one of the best things ever.  They say it will make you a better person and strengthen the bonds you’ve made with your spouse.  For the most part this is true, but what they don’t tell you is that for the first year, you’re trapped in the house, worrying about money and craving sleep.  You also try to be there more for your significant other, because now more than ever, you’re a team and you need that emotional support.  But, I’m still learning on how to do this “Dad” thing, so when I learned of this tour, I gleefully left my wife and our 3-month old daughter for a late night of beer drinking and progressive metal at the House of Blues.

You’ve heard me rave about Scale the Summit before, but seeing them play live was absolutely awesome.  They only played five songs, and we missed the first two because we were standing in line waiting to get inside the House of Blues (succumbing to their completely asinine policy of starting the show exactly when the doors are opened).  Luckily, we pushed our way past some girls and teenagers and were planted center-stage when they fired up one of my faves from Carving Desert Canyons: Dunes.  The song is huge, with harmony guitar tapping weaving it’s way through the final minutes, and the band nailed ever nuance effortlessly.  Flanked by scrolling LED amplifier-marquees, their performance of City in the Sky made me realize how much I sucked playing an instrument at their age… and how much I still suck now.  I liked them so much, I bought one of their t-shirts after the show, which is something I haven’t done in at least 10 years.

The man of the night was Devin Townsend.  I’ve seen him lead Strapping Young Lad a few times, but I’ve been anticipating seeing him play his solo material for years.  Once this show was announced, I made sure my calendar was cleared, because there was no way I was missing it.  The last time I saw Devin at the first Sounds of the Underground tour, he was “under the influence” and apathetic as he signed my ticket stub at a meet-and-greet.  Now, he’s freshly bald, clean and sober, and seemingly more focused and driven than ever.  Showing how powerful modern music technology can be in the hands of someone with a real dangerous knowledge of it, he used a MacBook Pro to trigger the chorus effects and keyboard accents and made his band of four members sound like ten.  His voice soared and slayed during Kingdom, and his rendition of Supercrush! made me forget the Anneke Van Giersbergen vocals featured on the album version.  The set ended with Ziltoid’s By Your Command, which completely crushed the audience full of Devin geeks and new converts who stood wanting more from the Canadian metal genius.  A note to Devin: I could’ve dealt with at least 2 more hours, 30 minutes was way too short.

Cynic was solid, but after witnessing the grandness of DTB, they seemed like a letdown.  Although still amazing, the band seemed to be on cruise control and lacked the same intensity they displayed last February when they opened for Meshuggah.  Sticking mostly to Traced in Air material wasn’t a bad thing, because King of Those Who Know was the highlight of their set, but I kept holding out for a rendition of Uroboric Forms that unfortunately never came.  They also debuted a new song Wheels Within Wheels which displayed a heavy Porcupine Tree influence, while remaining distinctly Cynic.  One thing is true, I’d like to subscribe to Paul Masvidal’s newsletter on leading a balanced life, because that guy really seems to get it.  I’ve seen them twice in about a year at House of Blues, and am beginning to feel that they deserve a headlining show at a venue like the Park West that caters to their fans and their sound.

After all this, Between the Buried and Me was an afterthought.  I like these guys, but I really can’t get into their “cramming as many complex and irrational musical themes together into one song” style of songwriting.  I want to get into them, but it’s hard when they keep interrupting awesome metal riffs with polka interludes.  We stayed for a couple of songs, then left to see the end of the Vikings-Saints NFC title game.  We had perfect timing, we saw Favre throw the interception, the final field goal in overtime, and an over-served, 50-year old man fall down the stairs.  The truly amazing thing is that my bill for parking ($33 for 7 hours) and one, 24oz Miller Lite at the House of Blues ($10+ $1 tip) was more than the cost of the ticket ($20 with fees) and my Scale the Summit t-shirt ($15)!  There I go… worrying about money like a true old man.

Mark’s Rating:

King says: “I was going to make it to this show, but was too busy cutting some tracks for the new Usurper!”

Ah, Dementox. The name alone brings a smile to my face.

I’m not sure where it originated, but for some reason my friends and I were aware of a dance called The Dementox (something of a cross between the pinwheel spin and plunging the toilet). Whether or not this originated with the band or in our imagination remains to be seen, but as a kid (and as a grown man) I thought it was awesome.

What I didn’t realize at the time, was how great the band was. Amazing riffs, sick vocals, and a classic thrash approach… not bad for a bunch of dudes who were between 17 – 20 at the time:

Dementox was founded in 1989 by brothers Roderick (bass, vox) and John (guitar, vox) Valdez, who were at the time barely even teenagers. The original lineup was rounded out by Chris DelaRosa (guitar), and James Kowalski (drums). This lineup played numerous basements, parties, and talent shows, earning the boys some well-deserved recognition and respect in their local scene. After some serious shaking-up of the band in 1991, the lead guitar position was filled by a ‘new kid in town’, Markus Launsburry, and the drum throne was taken over by Rob Pauly. The new blood allowed the D-TOX crew to escalate their audio-violence with increased speed, ferocity, and absurdity. Rehearsing intensely, throwing out-of-control parties, drinking cheap beer and expensive booze, throwing eggs at innocent pedestrians, and beating the shit out of neo-nazi skins were the ‘way of the walk’ for Dementox (AKA The Screaming Chicken Neck Posse, or SCN).

 

Like a band of hilariously sociopathic brothers, these four pissed off teenagers raged like true metal hellions, and this second incarnation proved to be productive, intense, and volatile. For the next two years, this lineup played shows throughout the region, sharing the stage with acts such as Demented Ted, Broken Hope, Agamas, Num Skull, Prisoner, Jungle Rot, Left Path, Morbid Corpses, Gainsay, Sarcophagus, Jeckyll (NOT Jackyll), Suspiria,Fleshold, Sarcoma, and many others. In 1993, Markus left the band to pursue other musical ventures, and was replaced by John Camella, a shredder from the NYDM scene. While Tom’s playing was exceptional, the band never really gelled again, and despite another year or two of effort, Dementox was essentially inactive by 1994.”

According to guitarist Markus Launsburry:

The demo was recorded on 8-track tape at Curved Air Studio in Crystal Lake, Illinois in December of ‘92 by some dude who’s name I don’t remember. Too bad, ‘cuz he was definitely proficient. All tracks, with the exception of vocals and one or two solos, were recorded live in one take. The super-sick cover art was done long after the fact by one of my best bro’s Putrid… he just loves Dementox so much he insisted on drawing an ‘old school’ cover for it. Hard to say ‘no’ to a wicked talent and yer best bud – and it pretty much sums up the D-TOX vibe – hellish metal and beating the living shit out of the neo-nazi scum who used to plague our turf!”

Markus has gone on to play in a variety of notable bands, including Tub Ring, Nachtmystium & his current project, Avantgarde/Black Metalers Blood of Martyrs (featuring Chris Wozniak (Lair of the Minotaur) on drums, Isamu Sato (Yob) on bass, and Jarboe (of Swans) on vocals).

For more Dementox info and tunes, be sure and check out their myspace page. THRASH ON!

Have A Listen:

Dementox – Playing With Skulls:

Download audio file (Dementox_Playing_With_Skulls.mp3)

I had high hopes after seeing the preview for Until the Light Takes Us.  Unfortunately, the movie seemed to be a bit too awkward and disjointed to really resonate, and I felt there was more to be told with the story.  The film loosely follows the divergent paths of Varg “Count Grishnackh” Vikernes and Gylve “Fenriz” Nagell, two Black Metal pioneers with different agendas for the genre.  It takes a while, but near the end, we understand that the goal of Black Metal in Norway was always meant to be more of a sociological movement than a “scene”.  It was never meant to attack people, but rather attack and challenge authority and societal norms, but this message and it’s delivery in the movie is very soft.  Along the way we see lots of beautiful shots of Scandinavia, but learn little about the music and it’s growth.

The thing is, most people seeing this movie will be fans of Black Metal, so they will have the basic historical knowledge of the events that led to its infamy in the early 90’s.  So seeing this movie really adds nothing for them.  There is too much focus on these events and not enough connecting them to the music, or explaining the atmosphere that all of this was made possible.  I feel that there was a lot that was left unsaid, and the sudden jump from “creating a new underground movement” to “burning churches and murdering homosexuals” left me saying, “OK, I know that, but why?”  Anyone watching this movie without this background knowledge will be confused and will probably fall back to blaming the usual heavy-metal stereotypes.  There’s no narrative to the movie, and this becomes a problem when we are subjected to some rambling manifestos of people using English as a second language.  It’s not their fault, but in trying to get their point across to the viewer, they stumble for the right terms quite a bit.  In the end, I wanted to know more about Vikernes, a fascinating character that I’m not sure is a genius or insane.

Overall Until the Light Takes Us was a disappointment.  Directors/Producers Aaron Aites and Audrey Ewell stylistically attempt to paint Fenriz and Vikernes as romantic leaders of a misunderstood revolution, but they come off more as metal caricatures from an episode of Metalocalypse (especially Frost from Satyricon, who looks like a fool wearing makeup and walking around in the dark).  Anyone who’s looking to learn more about Black Metal’s rise and fall is probably better off reading Lords of Chaos or even see the bonus material for Sam Dunn’s Metal: A Headbanger’s Journey.

Mark’s Rating:

King says: “Ummm… nice makeup?”

Justin’s Review:

If Black Metal is a rebellion against Death Metal, then Until the Light Takes Us could easily be considered the Black Metal equivalent to the modern metal documentary. Lo-Fi, often aimless, yet at times… strangely compelling. Unfortunately, much like the genre it’s trying to uncover, Until the Light Takes Us gets lost in its own gratuitousness.

Now I certainly wasn’t expecting to walk into another rehashing of Black Metal’s most famous cultural documentation, but based solely off the trailer and an interesting article (care of the Onion’s A/V Club), I was excited to see what directors Aaron Aites and Audrey Ewell had came up with. From the looks of things… candid interviews with two of BM’s progenitors, a smattering of historical footage, and in the director’s own words:

Not specifically the evolution of black metal, but the re-creation and re-contextualization of media and art and everything in modern culture. We’re really interested in a lot of postmodern theory and ideas, and we see a lot of parallels with black metal and the story of black metal.”

As promising as that sounds, UtLTU ultimately ends up combining fascinating interviews (Varg and Fenriz), with sophomoric commentary (Abbath and Hellhammer), idiotic “happenings” (Frost and supposed “visual artist” Bjarne Melgaard), and a solid 45 minutes of shaky footage of Fenriz walking around and chain smoking. While there certainly is a story to tell, it gets lost somewhere in the shuffle. Or should I say somewheres? Where the film excels in unraveling the mysteries behind Varg and Fenriz (and their diverse perspectives on the the scene itself), it severely lacks in a focused approach. The presentation of random footage and insufficient narrative will easily confuse anyone who isn’t partial to BM’s sordid history; and those who are, will find themselves waiting for the “meat and potatoes” of the film to be served. It’s evident enough that the film tries to make the sad connection between a reactionary genre that was distorted by the media (and its own minions), and the full-blown parody that it’s become today; but it never really drives the point home for either side. While some might argue that’s the whole purpose of a documentary, I tend to prefer documentaries that have purpose to begin with. UtLTU left me unsatisfied, but not clamoring for more.

Though I applaud Aites and Ewell’s commitment to the genre and their film (they did, in fact, move to Norway for several years to shoot this footage), I can’t help but feel that by taking the “artistic” approach with metal’s most infamous scene, they fall into the exact same parody they were attempting to document.

Justin’s Rating:

King says: “Is there anything more annoying than a heavy metal music critic who demands inspired, creative and intelligent cinema? Yes… and his name is Frost.”

“Until the Light Takes Us” Official Trailer:

Justin’s Review:

Man, what a night for metal in Chicago. I found myself double-dipping this evening, as this also happened to be the same week that Until the Light Takes Us (review to come) was playing in our fair city, so I knew it’d be a tight squeeze trying to make the concert on time. Sure enough, I walked in right as The Binary Code was moving their gear offstage. Bummer… cause after picking up their album a few weeks ago, I was actually looking forward to seeing how they pulled off their spazzy/melodic hybrid live. Word has it that they were pretty rockin’, so I guess I’ll be checking them out next time they head through.

If you’ve read my previous posts, you’ll know that I’ve become somewhat of a Revocation fanboy, so I was pretty stoked on finally getting the chance to check them out in person. Just as I expected, they slayed. Taking the stage as a four-piece (!), Revocation blasted through a set of new and old alike, showing us Chicagoans that Boston has more to offer than just Converge and clam chowder. The folks at the Empty Bottle took their sweet-ass-time pulling the sound together, but by the time Dave Davidson ripped the solo for Pestilence Reigns, the sonic assault was full-on.

One unfortunate side effect of such sheer awesomeness, is what I like to refer to as the “Bro-Pit.” Your typical Bro-Pit features roughly 5-10 dudes (usually above 250lbs) who love moshing and hate respecting other people’s space. The basic ritual involves a series of bull-rushes, followed by a smattering of drunken hugs. While at times, mildly entertaining to watch, this evening’s Bro-Pit became problematic for anyone within a 20′ radius of the stage. Now I realize that metal + beer = sheer testosterone, but come on guys… if I wanted to know what it felt like to have someone fat and hairy constantly slamming into me, I’d have stayed home and dry-humped a mirror. Regardless of minor annoyances, Revocation definitely brought their A-Game, and I’d highly recommend checking them out when they head through your area next. Believe the hype!

Last up this evening was Hypno5e, who I really knew nothing about, other than that they take a long-ass time setting up their shit. When they finally did hit the stage, the crowd (myself included) was waning. Two songs into Hypno5e’s Soulfly-meets-Isis impression and I was ready to head out. Sorry guys… time to hit Control+Alt+Delete on that Pro Tools rig of yours.

Justin’s Rating:

King says: “Metal as Art indeed… as Revocation are the Michelangelo of the Thrash Renaissance!”

Ed’s Review:

I happened to be checking the Empty Bottle website a few weeks ago and became instantly excited to see that Boston’s Revocation were planning on stopping by our city to play one of EB’s infamous free Mondays! Of course, I wasn’t exactly sure what kind of shape I would be in coming off a two-day annual party thrown by friends and local rockers American Draft known as The Fried Chicken Social (from which I regrettably suffered from some scary spots of memory loss and other mild drunken idiocy… my apologies to those who bore witness to this). But fortunately by Monday I was in top shape and even got a half hour in on the treadmill prior to the show (go me!). This Metalsucks.net sponsored tour also featured another up and coming metal band from New Jersey called The Binary Code, who I was equally excited to see after purchasing their incredible debut album “Suspension of Disbelief“.

The Binary Code took the stage a little after 9:30 and kicked things off nicely with an energetic set of progressive thrash/death metal. For being a relatively new band, these guys definitely know what the hell they are doing. Excellent guitar interplay kind of reminded me of Meshuggah (tech-wise) and Necrophagist (velocity-wise), with a decent and not too overbearing vocalist adding to the heavy and often quite complex vibe going on. The mellow breakdowns are very reminiscent of Cynic for sure, but well written and executed. I can definitely see these guys coming into their own style in the future and blowing plenty of minds along the way…

I really didn’t know what to expect from Revocation, since we’ve all heard some extremely polished records coming out of the thrash revival lately, and sometimes it’s a bit difficult to tell if this type of aggro-thrash can be replicated decently in a live setting or not. Well? This band was AMAZING, mainly due to the very charismatic and hugely entertaining antics of vocalist/guitarist David Davidson. Not only is this guy a complete shredder both in rhythm guitar precision and lead playing, he does it in such an effortless manner that even heavyweights like Gary Holt of Exodus would be more than impressed. The album kick off track “Pestilence Reigns” sounded great, as did the killer “Dismantle The Dictator” which may have given me a bit of temporary but tolerable whiplash. “Anthem of the Betrayed“, probably my favorite track off the new record, sounded even better live… causing an eruption of ridiculous dancing across the floor of the club (I actually got hit square in the chest at one point by the singer of The Binary Code… it’s alright brother, you are forgiven). Most importantly? This band genuinely seemed to be having a good time on stage – which is exactly what thrash metal is all about, right?

Ed’s Rating:

King says: “While the rest of city was watching CSI, I got my brain scrambled by REVOCATION!”

Take a Look:

It’s not Fear Factory’s fault.  It’s not their fault that they perfected a sound and a style that would sweep through metal.  It’s not their fault that heavy music with triggered kicks, gated guitar riffs, a combination of singing and screaming with an overall gloss of keyboard sheen could be easily duplicated and copied by an endless number of bands.  It’s not their fault that Roadrunner Records tried to push them into a more mainstream avenue, and that the popularity of tech, keyboard and sample-based metal gave us Spineshank, Static-X, Disturbed, Sevendust and Coal Chamber.  Demanufacture and Obsolete were revolutionary albums that expertly combined an image, a message and a sound with great song-writing that was aggressive, dark, powerful and punishing.  It’s not their fault that we’ve been inundated with an onslaught of watered-down and poor imitations ever since.  So when you listen to Fear Factory’s 2010 offering, Mechanize, you quickly realize that you’ve heard this all before, and that it’s nothing new or exciting.

Although it shouldn’t matter, the band’s off-stage drama over the past few years has done quite a bit to sour my perception of them.  After shifting through lineups and reading almost monthly of the childish bickering between Dino Cazares and Burton C. Bell, it reeks of desperation that the two have “patched things up” for this new release.  While Gene Hoglan and Byron Stroud are more than capable in filling the shoes of Raymond Herrera and Christian Wolbers, you just feel like you’re listening to a band that is going through the motions or trying a bit too hard to recapture some sort of past magic.  Hearing about potential lawsuits from Herrera about the use of the band’s name and the constant deluge of Blabbermouth jawing and press releases casts quite a bit of doubt on their legitimacy.  The band could have righted all their past wrongs with an inspired new album full of great songs, but alas, they did not.

Listening to Mechanize, you realize how boring of an album it is.  The songs are very formulaic and because of all the imitators the band has unwillingly spawned, the production sounds extremely dated.  Despite this, most tracks are interchangeable and gone are the hooks of Demanufacture or Obsolete.  It seems as if the band came up with song titles that expressed the “Fear Factory techno-image” first, then wrote the music to accompany them later.  Mechanize, Powershifter and Oxidizer may sound like X-Men characters, but they are just a sample of the pedestrian tracks that litter this album.  The last track Final Exit, it excruciatingly bad, featuring a collection of forced samples and anticlimactic drama.  I feel like the album is just an excuse to tour, and I wouldn’t be surprised if we heard of more problems between the founding members once they hit the road.  Maybe I’m jaded, and maybe there’s just no where else to go with this genre of metal.  It’s not Fear Factory’s fault.

Mark’s Rating:

King says: “Ugh, and I thought their “remix” albums were bad…”

Justin’s Review:

Ahh… band politics. If you’ve ever been in or around a band for any length of time, you surely know of the unique dichotomy that exists. Somewhere between a business partnership and a relationship resides the typical band structure. In that regard, Fear Factory are no different from most bands… just a higher profile and a few more pubic spats than they probably care to remember. That’s all shit for the lawyers to sort out.

As it stands, we seem to have one Fear Factory (henceforth to be referred to as Arkaea) that controls one of the Fear Factory websites and myspace pages, and another Fear Factory (hence forth to be referred to as Fear Factory) that writes music that some people actually give a shit about. And it’s that Fear Factory that we’ve come to discuss today.

Yes folks… Burton C. Bell and Dino Cazares have put aside their differences, and Fear Factory are back with their “heaviest” lineup to date. Candlelight Records has stepped up to the plate this time around, and according to their press release, Mechanize is “a full-fisted blast of passion and innovation that sounds like the missing link between’s 1995’s caustic, groundbreaking Demanufacture and 1998’s more texturally nuanced Obsolete.” Wow… sweet! If only that were true!

What we have on our hands here, is arguably the most middle-of-the-road album of the band’s career (which is a real shame, because after listening to Transgression, I was ready for a good Fear Factory album) [Editor's Note: To clarify... I'm not a fan of Transgression]. I’ve been through Mechanize four times now, hoping for something to jump out at me, and I can honestly say… nothing has. Not riff, nor vocal melody; not song title nor structure; not lyric nor artwork. Absolutely nothing.

I hate to say it, but…

Fear Factory

is

Obsolete.

Justin’s Rating:

King says: “Nice try guys. Hey… at least you’ve got the 80s covers to fall back on… I hear there’s good money in that.”

Have A Listen:

Fear Factory – Powershifter:

Download audio file (Powershifter.mp3)

Despite mainstream television distancing themselves ever further from what’s cool, and a handful of other disappointing “metal” ventures, 2009 surely showed us a good time.

First and foremost, this was a killer year for releases from both veterans and young-bloods alike. Quality albums seemed to be dropping on a weekly basis (including some great re-releases), and the fall release schedule was unlike anything I’d ever seen… chock full of outstanding records from the likes of likes of Baroness, Immortal, Skeletonwitch, Slayer and more. There was barely enough time to keep track of everything, and I’m certain I’ll still be listening with fresh ears well into the new year.

This year also presented us with some amazingly well-crafted documentaries in Flight 666 and Anvil! The Story of Anvil. In addition to being extremely enjoyable, both films have received critical acclaim, and hopefully, helped dispel some of the bias towards metalheads worldwide (we’re not all dip-shit losers after all).

2009 has also given us a variety of cool things to spend our money on, including but not limited to: Mercyful Fate shoes, heavy metal cookbooks, Enslaved vinyl box sets, Precious Metal, and plenty of challenging tracks for the little plastic baby guitars we all own.

From the looks of it, 2010 will continue to ride the wave of awesomeness with new releases from Dillinger, High on Fire, Meshuggah, Nachtmystium, Torche (and more); as well as fantastic tours and another promising documentary for us to enjoy. Here’s to hoping we all continue to deliver. Happy New Year y’all.

Stay Heavy.

Anyways… we made a valiant attempt to get Chris to give us his top 10 picks, but he kept saying something about the Saw 6 soundtrack, so we bumped him down to five. Enjoy, and Happy Holidays!

Mark’s List:

There were so many huge releases in 2009, it was hard to pick a top 10.  The year saw new music from metal’s heaviest hitters (Slayer, Cannibal Corpse, Megadeth, Mastodon, Anthrax) as well as comebacks from Alice in Chains and Immortal.  But ultimately, I believe 2009 will be remembered as when the new generation firmly took hold of the metal scene, as demonstrated by the outstanding releases from Skeletonwitch, Scale the Summit and Baroness.

10. Megadeth – Endgame (Roadrunner)
It’s no Rust in Peace Part-2, but with Endgame, Mustaine continues to prove that he can still crank out some great headbangers.
Check Out: This Day We Fight!

9. Slayer – World Painted Blood (American/Sony)
The second album since the return of Lombardo offers a new sound, but the same intensity.  One of the best album jackets/concepts of the year.
Check Out: Snuff

8. Devin Townsend Project – Addicted (Hevy Devy)
In a banner year for Devin, it’s the pop-metal soundtrack to a Anime-dream sequence (most likely depicting flight through a post-apocalyptic Japan).
Check Out: Hyperdrive!

7. Cannibal Corpse – Evisceration Plauge (Metal Blade)
Never ones to disappoint, Alex Webster and Corpsegrinder deliver the year’s most brutal offering.
Check Out: Carnivorous Swarm

6. Alice in Chains – Black Gives Way to Blue (Virgin/EMI)
Seattle’s finest create a comeback record worthy of the memory of Layne.
Check Out: Private Hell

5. Behemoth – Evangelion (Metal Blade/Nuclear Blast)
Negral conjures a maelstrom of demonic chaos that could easily convert anyone into a heretic.
Check Out: Ov Fire and the Void

4. Immortal – All Shall Fall (Nuclear Blast)
The Blizzard Beasts return with an incredible album that captures their focused and raw power.
Check Out: Arctic Swarm

3. Scale the Summit – Carving Desert Canyons (Prosthetic)
An instrumental masterpiece so rich in textures, tones and mood that it gets better with each listen.
Check Out: Dunes

2. Skeletonwitch – Breathing the Fire (Prosthetic)
A dominating statement from the Ohio thrash-masters.  An album that defines the term “thrash metal”.
Check Out: Submit to the Suffering

1. Baroness – Blue Record (Relapse)
Heavily layered with advanced concepts and dynamic playing.  Baroness once again delivers the album of the year.
Check Out: Jake Leg

Chris’ List:

Is a Top 5 acceptable?

5. Converge – Axe To Fall (Epitaph/Deathwish)
A somewhat fresh album from a familiar band that refuses to turn bad.
Check Out: Dark Horse

4. Cave In – Planets of Old (Hydrahead)
A four-song reunion works fine for me. Especially when the four songs kick tall ass.
Check Out: Retina Sees Rewind

3. Mastodon – Crack the Skye (Warner Bros.)
Bringing progress to Progressive Metal.
Check Out: Divinations

2. Baroness – Blue Record (Relapse)
The soundtrack that plays as my brothers and I descend to battle from snowy foothills astride armored polar bears, the perpetual winter sun smoldering unaware on a frozen, indifferent horizon.
Check Out: The Sweetest Curse

1. Propagandhi – Supporting Caste (Smallman)
Fast, angry, complicated. Even more so than before. The band affirms their category-defying musical identity, perhaps at the peak of their powers.
Check Out: Supporting Caste

Justin’s List:

Wow. What a fantastic year for metal. Narrowing this list down was quite a challenge… especially when I knew my top spot was reserved for a non-metal album. GASP! Yes folks… it’s true… my choice for album of the year goes to an indie rock band. But don’t worry… I’m not planning on wearing tight pants or reading Pitchfork anytime soon. In fact, I think I’ll carve “SLAYER” into my arm right now just to prove my self-worth. Eh… nevermind. That shit hurts.

10. Coalesce – Ox (Relapse)
15 years in, Coalesce continue to be one of the freshest sounding bands in the hardcore and metal community.
Check Out: Wild Ox Moan

9. Slayer – World Painted Blood (American/Sony)
Fast and raw… just how you probably like it. I know I do.
Check Out: Psychopathy Red

8. Converge – Axe To Fall (Epitaph/Deathwish)
As dynamic as it is heavy, Converge’s latest offering kicks you in the teeth before tucking you into bed. Awesome.
Check Out: Axe to Fall

7. Scale the Summit – Carving Desert Canyons (Prosthetic)
Remember the kind of music you and your friends were churning out in your early 20s? Yeah… it sucked compared to this.
Check Out: Sargasso Sea

6. Goes Cube – Another Day Has Passed (The End Records)
The Campbell’s Chunky Soup of the metal world… hearty and damn tasty!
Check Out: The Only Daughter

5. Baroness – Blue Record (Relapse)
Blue Record is one of those rare “all-emcompassing” albums. Great artwork, great music, great everything.
Check Out: The Sweetest Curse

4. Mastodon – Crack the Skye (Warner Bros.)
Like your beard, Crake the Skye really grows on you. And it totally rules.
Check Out: Oblivion

3. Revocation – Existence is Futile (Relapse)
These guys made me fall in love with shred all over again. When are we going to see the Existence is Futile tab book? (or vinyl for that matter… nudge nudge wink wink Relapse).
Check Out: Dismantle the Dictator

2. Skeletonwitch – Breathing the Fire (Prosthetic)
I Can Has Metal?
Check Out: Repulsive Salvation

1. The Life and Times – Tragic Boogie (Arena Rock/Hawthorn Street)
A non-metal album was my top choice of the year? Damn straight. Call me what you will, but me and my cred stand behind this decision. This band and album are absolutely amazing.
Check Out: Tragic Boogie

Honorable Mention:

Cave In – Planets of Old (Hydrahead)
Alice in Chains – Black Gives Way to Blue (Virgin/EMI)
Burnt By the Sun – Heart of Darkness (Relapse)
Buried Inside – Spoils of Failure (Relapse)
Propagandhi – Supporting Caste (Smallman)
Immortal – All Shall Fall (Nuclear Blast)
Cannibal Corpse – Evisceration Plauge (Metal Blade)

Ed’s Review:

I have to admit I was beyond psyched when I heard Baroness was coming to Chicago on Black Wednesday, mainly because (1) it’s the beginning of a four day weekend, (2) Reggie’s is a great rock club, and (3) this band has created, in my opinion, the best hard rock album of 2009. These three reasons combined with a slew of friends that were attending (I think I ran into ten or fifteen people I knew at this show) made for quite a spirited and festive kick off to the Yuletide season indeed.

I arrived early with a friend and managed to catch the entire sets from openers U.S. Christmas and Earthless. We had a bit of a rough time enjoying U.S. Christmas, mainly because the guitarist/vocalist (who bore a striking resemblance to Jesus) had an interesting vocal ailment going on. In fact, we couldn’t really tell if he had a throat problem or if this was his actual voice, which is never a good question to be asking when watching a band play live. Earthless pretty much rocked it, and although their set sounded like one long 45-minute song, I heard everything from Blue Cheer to Ozric Tentacles to Swervedriver within this band’s frenzied style – a very satisfying, pulsing, and ultimately aggressive psychedelic rock experience.

Baroness finally took the stage and tore into a heavy-weighted set that oozed with confidence, almost to the point that at times it sounded simultaneously heavy and mellow, the way you would picture a secret tribal ritual full of bonfire guitar acrobatics and miles of dancing intoxicated beardos. They ripped through most of “Blue Record” with the obvious standout tracks “Jake Leg” and “The Gnashing” being highlights for sure. The chemistry between guitarists John Dyer Baizley and Pete Adams has definitely grown to a telepathic level (which could have contributed to the sense of aforementioned clockwork perfection going on) combined with their dense yet matching tones – creating a wall of sound almost peaceful in it’s collective desire to be unleashed upon the sold out crowd. Gone are the ear-piercing rough & tumble antics and sheer intimidation of the band’s earlier gigs a year or two back, as they now seem to be favoring a much more controlled chaos in an effort to reach complete tonal perfection, as if they are gearing up for something much more monumental – or apocalyptic – than simply moving on to the next city or on to the next club. And whether or not Baroness is trying to signal the beginning of the end of the world in sonic terms, or simply conveying a fresh and very ass-kicking new thread of hard rock music, it’s obvious that this is a band who is at the top of their game right now.

Ed’s Rating:

King says: “A Bullheaded night of ROCK in Chicago, for sure!”

Mark’s Review:

About a year ago Baroness played in Chicago at Reggie’s Rock Room, and after they were surprisingly omitted from the Opeth show a few weeks earlier, I was very eager to see them.  Well, for some reason, financial or female, I ended up not attending and soon regretted my decision because Baroness put on an unbelievable live show.  To me, it was a missed opportunity to see probably the fasted-rising band in metal play a small club just as they break into the “next level”.  Well sometimes a little patience and perseverance pays off, because after the release of probably the best metal album of 2009, Blue Record, the band announced that it would be returning to Reggie’s on the supporting tour!  Adding to my good fortune and timing, the show date was on “Black Wednesday”, a notorious night for bar drinking that makes Thanksgiving even more awkward when you surprise your family with your brand new DUI.  The stars had aligned, and it was well worth the wait.

Unlike Ed, I skipped the two opening acts playing in the main room and treated myself to some $3 Stellas at the adjoining bar.  Unfortunately, I was also treated to a power trio playing CSNY’s Deja Vu in it’s entirety.  A ballsy endeavor for sure, but their accomplishment was cheapened by eliminating any challenges the complex vocal harmonies might pose by playing them on a 12-string guitar.  After wishing that they just get to the “doo-doo, doo-do-DOO” part (the only iconic CSNY refrain I could conjure), I grabbed a Foster’s Oilcan and headed back next door to get a spot for the show.

You know that Baroness is a band that is truly at a crossroads when in front of a packed house of fans, they lug their own gear on stage, set up, then slink off to wait for their intro music to begin.  Opening with The Sweetest Curse and then quickly jumping into Jake Leg, the band was in complete control of the crowd and the moment.  The new material was dialed-in from only a few months of fresh touring and driven by the strained vocals and frenetic guitar noodling of John Baizely and Pete Adams.  There was no stage banter in between songs, only ambient volume swells that seemed to be perfectly timed to mask “on-the-spot” guitar tuning and instrument switching.  All this noise would then build to a crescendo and come together perfectly into the intro notes of the next song of the setlist.  Isak and The Birthing were some highlights from the Red Album, but unfortunately there was no Rays on Pinion, even in the encore.  The whole night was seamless, and it really shows the unique power and versatility of this band.  At the end, Baroness thanked the crowd and the fans for making the show possible.  I would like to thank them for giving me the ultimate do-over.

Mark’s Rating:

King says: “Best thing about seeing Baroness the night before Thanksgiving? Afterwards, Grandma cuts the turkey…”

Take a Look:

This podcast picks up where our last one trailed off. We’re continuing our discussion on “lost” albums from the 90s… basically albums that we think went under the radar or have since been regulated to bargain bins worldwide. Now we’re certainly not in agreement on one another’s picks, but I do recommend checking out any and all of these records if you’re getting tired of listening to the Blue Record 24/7.

We also take a few minutes to discuss the travesty that are “metal remix albums”, and talk about the Kuma’s Corner December Burger of the Month… The Eyehategod. So sit back, grab your hot cocoa and warm your toes by the fireplace with Reviews/Resist Podcast #3.

We hope you enjoy, and be sure to subscribe in iTunes, and feel free to give us the old “you guys suck” in the comments section.

Download audio file (ReviewsResist_Podcast_3.mp3)

(31.4 mb / 40:43)

 

  We’re on iTunes… be sure and subscribe!

PS: I’m sad to report that the .mp3 of Mark’s band covering Life of Agony was not able to be procured in time for this post. Hopefully we’ll have that for your listening pleasure next time around.

Mark’s List:

20. Nile – In Their Darkened Shrines (Relapse)
Karl Sanders’ masterpiece is the perfect soundtrack to releasing spirits from a cursed Egyptian tomb.
Check Out: Execration Text

19. Iron Maiden – Brave New World (EMI/ Sony)
Bruce and Adrian are back… well, Jannick is still there, but still, this Maiden album makes us forget the previous four and brings us back to 1986.
Check Out: The Fallen Angel

18. Killswitch Engage – The End of the Heartache (Roadrunner)
Hello Howard Jones, pleased to meet you, your band rules… and so does this album.
Check Out: Rose of Sharyn

17. Strapping Young Lad – Alien (Century Media)
Devin and the boys melt faces on an album that stands up to the legendary City.
Check Out: Zen

16. Skeletonwitch – Beyond the Permafrost (Prosthetic)
Thrash came back in a big way in the 00’s, and these guys lead the way.
Check Out: Upon Wings of Black

15. Opeth – Ghost Reveries (Roadrunner)
The proggiest of the Opeth releases was also one of the best.  Swedish metal meets George Harrison’s Maharishi.
Check Out: The Baying of the Hounds

14. Slayer – Christ Illusion (American)
Another return from some big names, this time it’s Lombardo and Rubin and voila!, Slayer makes their most inspired record in years.
Check Out: Skeleton Christ

13. Gojira – From Mars to Sirius (Prosthetic)
France’s metal titans give us one of the heaviest-sounding onslaughts in recent memory.  An open array of serenity and punishment.
Check Out: Flying Whales

12. Meshuggah – Nothing (Nuclear Blast)
The only album meant to be recorded with 8-string guitars. So heavy and hypnotic it’s made for the atmosphere of a different planet.
Check Out: Glints Collide

11. System of a Down – Toxicity (American)
An odd little metal band that turned into a huge, hard rock juggernaut after this combination of focused song writing, great production and heavy manic.
Check Out: Prison Song

10. Mastodon – Remission (Relapse)
Their first full-length release and the introduction for many to Mastodon.  The album that woke up the metal world in 2002.
Check Out: March of the Fire Ants

9. Lamb of God – Ashes of the Wake (Epic)
The album catches Lamb of God and the Adler brothers at their hungriest, right on the cusp of becoming one of the biggest bands in heavy music.
Check Out: The Faded Line

8. Baroness – The Red Album (Relapse)
A genius mixture of metal’s fury and indie-rock’s fuzz dragged through the sludge of the Georgia swamplands. John Baizley becomes a new metal hero.
Check Out: Isak

7. Cynic – Traced in Air (Season of Mist)
We waited for 15 years after Focus, and Paul Masvidal did not disappoint us.  An incredible journey of musicianship, virtuosity and elite song-writing.
Check Out: The Space for This

6. Opeth – Deliverance (Music for Nations)
The title track contains one of the best riffs of all time.  Wreath and Master’s Apprentices provide some bone-chilling moments.
Check Out: Deliverance

5. The Sword – Age of Winters (Kemado)
A hipster delight, but also a headbanging, weed-smoking, stoner-metal classic.  The raw power of every riff conjures the ghost of Iommi (wait, he’s not dead!)
Check Out: Iron Swan

4. QOTSA – Songs for the Deaf (Interscope)
Another popular release that includes perfect song after perfect song.  Dave Grohl leaves his mark, and his curse on future Josh Homme projects.
Check Out: Song for the Dead

3. Immortal – Sons of Northern Darkness (Nuclear Blast)
One of the best black metal albums of all time. Abbath creates an avalanche of riffs and mayhem.
Check Out: One By One

2. Opeth – Blackwater Park (Music for Nations)
Many consider this the breakout album for Opeth.  A collection of the band’s finest moments and some of the best metal songs of all time.
Check Out: The Drapery Falls

1. Mastodon – Leviathan (Relapse)
Mastodon’s perfect metal album and one of the best releases ever.  A true classic from the first notes of track 1.
Check Out: every song

Justin’s List:

20. Candiria – 300 Percent Density (Century Media)
Normally, shit this eclectic is reserved for prog snobs… it’s a shame they’re too busy sucking off Dream Theatre to appreciate the real deal.
Check Out: 300 Percent Density

19. Killswitch Engage – The End of Heartache (Roadrunner)
This album raised the bar previously set by Alive or Just Breathing. A feat every other modern metalcore band (including Killswitch themselves) have yet to surpass.
Check Out: Rose of Sharyn

18. Starkweather – Croatoan (Candlelight/Hypertension)
Ready for something completely new and exciting? Check out these old-timers.
Check Out: Slither

17. Skeletonwitch – Breathing the Fire (Prosthetic)
As I’ve said before… this is “Metal” personified.
Check Out: Repulsive Salvation

16. Immortal – Sons of Northern Darkness (Nuclear Blast)
Black Metal’s finest hour?
Check Out: One By One

15. Slayer – Christ Illusion (American)
Kerry King + Tom Araya + Jeff Hanneman – Paul Bostaph + Dave Lombardo = ‘Nuff Said.
Check Out: Flesh Storm

14. Baroness – The Red Album (Relapse)
Eclectic, yet cohesive. Heavy, yet poetic. Artsy, yet fucking awesome.
Check Out: Wanderlust

13. Type O Negative – Dead Again (SPV)
Absolutely epic songwriting from “The Drab Four”.
Check Out: The Profit of Doom

12. Craft – Fuck the Universe (Carnal/Southern Lord)
Black Metal’s finest hour.
Check Out: Thorn In the Planet’s Side

11. Mastodon – Remission (Relapse)
Riffs beyond your wettest dream. A game changer for sure.
Check Out: Mother Puncher

10. Torche – Meanderthal (Hydra Head/Robotic Empire)
The prefect blend of heavy and poppy. I assume this album is perfect for cruising for metal chicks on a hot summer evening.
Check Out: Healer

9. Cave In – Jupiter (Hydra Head)
The biggest 180 in the history of hardcore. But Cave In are certainly a better band for having taken the risk.
Check Out: Big Riff

8. Opeth – Deliverance (Music for Nations)
One listen to the title track and you’ll know why it’s on this list.
Check Out: Deliverance

7. Isis – Oceanic (Ipecac)
This album single-handidly turned the word “Neurosis” into “Neurisis”. Stock in metalgaze shoots through the roof.
Check Out: The Beginning and the End

6. Jesu – Jesu (Hydra Head)
Justin Broadrick shows the metal community there’s more to life than Godflesh. Much more.
Check Out: Friends are Evil

5. Converge – Jane Doe (Equal Vision/Deathwish)
Converge’s defining record… Jane Doe also happens to be the defining record for 98% of hardcore bands since.
Check Out: Concubine

4. Meshuggah – Nothing (Nuclear Blast)
Is there such a thing as “too heavy”? It turns out the answer is no.
Check Out: Straws Pulled at Random

3. Pelican – Australiasia (Hydra Head)
The perfect mix of skull-crushingly heavy and heart-breakingly emotional. The soundtrack to “flying” dreams.
Check Out: GW

2. Hopesfall – The Satellite Years (Trustkill)
An awesome post-hardcore band doing everything in their power to sound like Hum. Hey… it’s all green to me!
Check Out: A Man Exits

1. Mastodon – Leviathan (Relapse)
The metal equivalent of Dark Side of the Moon. Instant Classic. Period.
Check Out: every song

Though, I didn’t know Mat on a personal level, the few times I chatted with him at shows, he seemed like a stand-up guy… and one who certainly knew how to bring the riff. He will be missed.

R.I.P. Brother

We know you all listen to metal, which means more than likely, you’re broke as fuck. So what better than offer up a FREE one-year subscription to our favorite metal magazine (featuring actual writers!)

We tried contacting Circus, Hit Parader, RIP, and Metal Edge, but none of them seem to be returning our e-mails. Luckily, the fine folks at Decibel Magazine do.

So… In honor of Decibel’s generosity and 6th annual “Top 40 of the Year” issue, all that’s required is that you drop a comment below or on Twitter @reviewsresist letting us know your favorite metal album of 2009. Yes, it’s that easy (keep in mind, if you mention A-Lex, you’re officially out of the contest). We’ll be selecting a winner at random in a couple weeks, so get on with your commenting.

Good Luck!

Contest runs until 12-7-09.
One entry per person
Participants must have a valid email & mailing address.

Also, be sure and check out Decibel’s super-exclusive issue, The Top 100 Albums of the Decade to see where St. Anger falls in.

UPDATE: We have a winner! We’ll be sending out an e-mail shortly for confirmation and to get your mailing address. Thanks again to those who participated!

I always thought Diabolus in Musica was an underrated Slayer album. It contained a few great tracks, mixed with a bunch of others that had their moments but failed to really strike a chord. This was pretty typical pattern for the band during the early 90’s, sputtering to find their next breakout album after grunge had laid waste to the promise of metal. World Painted Blood reminds me of this time and of this album, because once again Slayer seems to be exploring new ways of expanding their sound. Ultimately this will bring controversy amongst the fanbase, but since Slayer’s killing spree is once again being driven by Dave Lombardo’s legendary drum work, the end result is definitely more raw and untamed. Tom Araya’s vocals and Jeff Hannemen’s guitars all sound great, but even though the sound and attitude exist, some songs seem to lack cohesion despite a collection of standout parts. World Painted Blood is a solid effort, but a majority of it feels a bit divided and struggles to live up to its potential.

The first three tracks off of World Painted Blood are outstanding, and the title track shows how Slayer successfully incorporates new sounds to create the insidious and demonic vibe. From the midpoint of the song, the band uses riffs that are a bit more open, accenting the space between the notes to paint the picture of a slowly stalking and impending doom. Snuff begins with a wild Kerry King solo reminiscent of Captor of Sin and blitzes through three and a half minutes of pure fury. Unfortunately, after this initial barrage, the album’s power and focus begin to waver. The long stretch of songs in the middle of the album are not necessarily bad, but they fail to capitalize on some positive, yet fleeting moments. Beauty Through Order seems to wander and jump through different tempos, not knowing if it wants to be Dead Skin Mask or not, and Americon features some promising riffs combined with stale, politically-charged lyrics that plague the song with their lack of imagination. Luckily the album ends with the already-released, new classic Psychopathy Red and another awesome track, Not of This God.

There are some people that don’t like Slayer, those people are obviously idiots, but there are a few people that will not like World Painted Blood. While I think the album has it’s share of problems, it’s annoyingly close to being a great body of work. The album contains several songs that will become new live staples guaranteed to start pits and break noses, as well as some questionable tracks with brilliant bits left unfulfilled. Slayer fans will be discussing the pros and cons of this album for awhile, so that definitely makes it worth a listen.

Mark’s Rating:

King says: “World Painted Blood? Right after repainting the front door, thank you.”

Justin’s Review:

Let’s cut the crap. Much like the rest of the Big 4, Slayer spent a healthy part of the last 20 years adapting their trademark sound to match modern trends. Unlike the other three, Slayer never pulled a full-on Judas towards their fans, and when it comes to “returning to their roots” the band proved they were more than capable with the release of 2006’s Christ Illusion.

So where does Slayer go next? Dave Lombardo is comfortably back to the fold, the band has 2 Grammys collecting dust on the shelves, and at this point, would probably prefer golf and snake breeding to strapping on the leather pants and being drenched in stage blood. Well… this IS Slayer we’re talking about, so of course they collectively say “fuck that,” turn on the WABAC Machine and deliver us possibly their most well-rounded effort since Seasons in the Abyss. That’s not to say World Painted Blood is an instant classic. No… sadly, I think those days are behind them; but unlike their contemporaries, Slayer don’t pussyfoot around the issue either.

World Painted Blood embellishes on the “classic-era-Slayer” we all loved on Christ Illusion. The fast stuff is faster, the solos are ripping, and for the most part, that “late-90s-aggro-Stain-of-Mind-Slayer” is downplayed quite a bit (in favor of the “late-80s-try-to-be-creepy-but-end-up-sort-of-campy-Slayer”). All of which is fine by me. With the exception of a couple mediocre riffs and some cheese-dick lyrics (cough:Americon:cough:), the only real problem I have with this album is that it doesn’t quite sink in the way I wish it would. Positives aside, I don’t really see myself singing along to the chorus of Playing With Dolls 10 years from now, or trying to beat the solo from Snuff on Guitar Hero 18. Negatives aside, I do think World Painted Blood is a worthy addition to any metalhead’s collection (who the hell am I kidding… we all know you bought it the day it came out, right?)

Anyway, here’s to hoping Slayer continue to push themselves further (in this direction) before they move to Florida to retire. While you’re at it guys… be sure to give Larry Carroll a call next time around.

Justin’s Rating:

King says: “The only thing I like more than painting the world with blood is painting my face with upside-down crosses.”

Have A Listen:

Slayer – Snuff:

Download audio file (Snuff.mp3)

Mark’s Review:

If you read my bio, you’ll find that I’m that metal guy that’s into prog. If it’s technical, complex and musically advanced, I’m a fan, and although I’m quite immersed with the new Transatlantic, if you add a heavy component to it, then I’m all in. So it’s a mystery to me why I’ve never been able to get into Between the Buried and Me. These guys are as technical as hell, and can pretty much dominate any style of music, but I’ve never really enjoyed any of their albums. Their last album, Colors, featured some good songs, but it took me many, many listens to wrap my head around it. This usually means two things: 1) This is the sign of something great and complex, or 2) This just isn’t very good to begin with. The Great Misdirect gives me that similar feeling, lots of great moments that are wasted in a song-writing style that seems to feature a public display of talent over anything else.

Recently, a reader on MetalSucks.net stated that BTBAM is “the Lebron James of music“. I can see the correlation; James is an amazingly flexible athlete that can fine-tune his game between power and finesse to overpower anyone on the court. And just as he can seemingly perform anything humanly possible in order to win basketball games, BTBAM has the same level of talent in the musical realm, jumping through different genres and tempos with ease. The difference is that while James doesn’t feel like he has to use ALL the moves in his arsenal every time he touches the ball, every BTBAM song plows through riffs and song passages like a 2-year old does toilet paper. Almost every song on The Great Misdirect is jam-packed with a schizophrenic number of time changes, riffs, breakdowns and almost nothing resembling a song structure. While many will feel that this isn’t needed in the prog world, the songs get a bit tiresome and boring when you feel like they are just constantly changing themes for almost ten minutes with no payoff in sight. Tracks such as Obfuscation start off strong, but quickly degenerate into a chaotic and confusing pool of notes. It’s a shame, because that song, as well as Swim to the Moon and Fossil Genera feature some truly inspired and signature moments (although Fossil’s calliope-intro conjures a few chuckles and thoughts of bad Umphrey’s McGee). It doesn’t help when I’ve never been a fan of Tommy Rogers’ vocals, which I feel are forced when growling, and not technically sound when singing. Regardless, after sitting through four epic songs and two tracks that basically serve as intros, the album leaves me with feelings of both utter admiration and extreme confusion.

Maybe I’m the wrong type of prog fan to truly enjoy The Great Misdirect. As we’ve seen with the rise in popularity of other Victory bands as well as iwrestledabearonce and The Human Abstract, the current trend in technical music is to mash as many riffs and parts into a song as possible. You can say that this is a rebellion against standard song-writing structure, pushing the boundaries of what is “progressive”, or a commentary on the media over-saturation of American youth. No one denies that BTBAM are a group of very talented individuals, but after listening to almost an hour of attention-deficit inducing songs, I have a hard time really getting into their music.

Mark’s Rating:

King says: “Between the Buried and Meh”

Ed’s Review:

When a band advances so far into the expansive and sometimes flamboyant world of progressive metal, they’d better be damn good at it or else face a sea of snobbery from the mighty subculture of geeks that live & breathe this type of music (as Mark can confirm, just stand in line and eavesdrop a bit on your way in to a Dream Theater concert and you’ll know exactly what I’m talking about). What’s interesting about Between The Buried and Me is that they didn’t always play material so diverse or detailed as on their new opus “The Great Misdirect” – their roots are actually based in precision-oriented thrash and grindcore music, which makes it an odd pleasure to see a band move so far outside of the hardcore box without getting completely hung out to dry by their old-school fanbase (that is, if you consider 2002 “old-school”).

“The Great Misdirect” is BTBAM’s latest effort to explain the cosmos in just under an hour, and they have pulled out every damn trick in the book and then some. The band has always favored marathon session song structures elevated to dizzying technical heights, often intentionally confusing the listener with several peaks and valleys, sometimes going as far as to expand a single riff to so many variations it could easily send the Dillinger Escape Plan running for the nearest box of tissues. So it should be no surprise the band has taken this formula one step further on “The Great Misdirect” for better or for worse. BTBAM have never necessarily been the sum of their parts – simply put… with this band, it’s actually the parts that either strike or don’t.

I absolutely adore the opening track “Mirrors” with it’s free gliding clean guitars, part jazz and part space rock, and I’m even hearing some mid-90’s indie/emo touches here – a hell of a way to draw in listeners during the first five minutes of an opus. Obviously things change immediately, taking a quick turn for the extreme and pretty much staying there for the rest of the album. “Obfuscation” features the band’s usual pummeling grind metal mixed with a chanting chorus that contains none other than a bit of Dragonforce-esque riffage (yikes) and a fantastic drum/bass/lead breakdown just after the five minute mark that sounds like a hyperactive King Crimson mixed with The Mars Volta back when they were on a lot of drugs. Thankfully the band avoids using the polka gimmick as much as on their previous album “Colors“, instead favoring more airy, layered, psychedelic passages during their mellower moments that have more in common with Porcupine Tree and Katatonia than Mr. Bungle. A great example of this is “Disease, Injury, Madness” where vocalist Tommy Rogers layers several clean vocal tracks to achieve a psychedelic wonderment that would make prog gurus like Adrian Belew and Steven Wilson quite proud. “Desert of Song” returns briefly to the swingy, carnival-style polka the band likes to experiment with (a bit useless in my opinion… Mike Patton did it a lot better 10-15 years ago) which leads the band directly into smashing out the final 18-minute epic “Swim to the Moon“.
Although I love the Don Caballero-style intro and the next few space metal sections, the track quickly falls into a plethora of jam sessions pieced together (smells like Dream Theater) and even going as far as to include a brief drum solo (???). So yeah, the band lost me there. With that being said, the guitarists do a phenomenal job throughout the album, and although I think vocalist Tommy Rogers has a slightly generic “death growl” voice, I think there is a lot to be admired about his clean vocals and I actually look forward to hearing more of them in the future.

The songs on “The Great Misdirect” are well-executed for sure, but could they be considered cohesive and genuinely well written? It’s debatable to say the least. I’d prefer to say there are several “sections” of these songs that are impressive, if not downright mind-blowing. But to call this an “album”, or anything other than a long string of brainy sections glued together, is probably an overstatement. But I think few could argue that this is a very enjoyable listen nonetheless.

Ed’s Rating:

King says: “Between the Buried and MORE COWBELL!!!”

Have A Listen:

Between the Buried and Me – Obfuscation:

Download audio file (Obfuscation.mp3)

Not many bands can say they’ve kept as high a standard as Converge for four albums over eight years. The kind of hype and worship that followed 2001’s Jane Doe threatened to doom any attempt at a follow up, but 2004’s You Fail Me revealed a band with an incredibly clear vision and ability to harness the power of sound. For all the noteworthiness of Jane Doe, to my ears it’s You Fail Me that will stand as a timeless album.

And so it was 2006’s No Heroes that failed me; but only in that it didn’t continue to raise the bar impossibly high. No Heroes is also a great album; its main problem is that it’s almost too similar to You Fail Me.

Thus we come to 2009 and Converge still hasn’t hung it up, but have they dried up? As far as writing absolutely blistering hardcore, no. Axe To Fall opens with songs on par with some of the band’s best speed tracks. I’m scared to drive while listening to the album because I’m sure to careen off a cliff while air-drumming to the breakdown of the title track. Kurt Ballou’s guitar sound is one of my favorites of all time, almost worth the price of admission alone.

In addition to those excellent qualities we expect from a Converge album, Axe To Fall comes with some guest appearances, and nothing says “low on ideas” like “guest artist.” Despite the heavy collaboration with other artists mentioned in interviews, the album comes out sounding pretty Convergey. The extra artists are integrated tastefully, perhaps the one exception being the piano ditty “Cruel Bloom” with Neurosis’ Steve von Till that reminds me too much of Tom Waits. It’s not awful, it just doesn’t fit very well.

As much as a Converge album could ever be described as ‘fun’, Axe To Fall comes close. Fans of Converge have nothing to fear, and those unfamiliar with the band have some catching up to do.

Chris’ Rating:

King says: “Did I not make it clear I was available for guest appearances? Does anyone read my memos?”

Justin’s Review:

Ah Converge… the fine wine of the hardcore world.

In honor of their 2009 vintage, I present you a vino review (minus the booze-talk) that pretty much sums things up…

The _____ is dark, viscous and complex, slowly revealing its richness.  The opening is intense with _____, _____ followed by _____.  Further _____ reveals pronounced _____ of _____, _____, and slightly _____ nuances.

 

Obviously very _____, the feel of this _____ is nevertheless rich, robust and created for longevity.  The _____ is full with well-structured _____ and balanced _____ leading to a long, firm finish.

 

Few pairings in the world are as utterly seamless as _____ and _____.  When paired with _____ in a _____, the _____ was little short of magical.  This impeccably made _____ should provide enjoyment over the next _____ years.”

Remember folks… don’t _____ and drive.

(…and respect the X)

Justin’s Rating:

King says: “I still prefer their 2004 vintage, but the 2001, 2006 & 2009 will satisfy most any palate.”

Converge – “Axe to Fall”

Right now is a revolutionary time for fans of thrash, because for the first time, a generation of metalheads raised fully on the thrash movement of the early 80’s are now forming bands and aiming to emulate or even top their idols. Experts point to bands such as Toxic Holocaust or Municipal Waste as purveyors of the thrash revival, but in my opinion, the leader of this movement is the Ohio-based band Skeletonwitch. If you’ve never heard these guys, but you’re into metal, you’re missing out on one of the best new bands out on the scene today. Their debut album, Beyond the Permafrost was tremendous, and their second effort: Breathing the Fire is even better. Now, with so many bands attempting to revive the style and feel of early thrash, what makes Skeletonwitch such an amazing band and Fire such an amazing album? Well, here are a few reasons that come to mind:

1) They play old-school thrash, but they do it with such ease. Skeletonwitch realizes that good thrash isn’t something complicated, they make sure when the snare’s tempo is under 200 bpm, the kick drums are over. The lyrics are dark and the riffs of Scott Hedrick and Nate Garnette arrive in an onslaught full of arpeggio sweeps and full-blast down-picking. These guys wear their influences on their sleeve, but they do a great job at blending them into a style and sound that’s heavy, extreme, and anything but dated. Seasoned metalheads can hear Dave Lombardo’s halftime drumbeat on Stand Fight and Die, as well as traces of old Death, Testament, Megadeth and even Diamond Head. Coupled with fantastic production from Jack Endino, they retain a raw, but clean sound you wish was around for Show No Mercy and Ride the Lightning.

2) The songs are short, and they fly by with such fury and precision that when they end, you’re left wanting more. Strangled by Unseen Hands and Submit to the Suffering just do not let up, packing so many memorable parts into a clenched fist aimed directly at your face. Skeletonwitch makes sure you get hooked early, and since there’s not a lot of fat to be trimmed, the songs are focused and don’t stray far from the goal. All in all, the album is 35 minutes of surprising moments and aggression that doesn’t have time to get old. It’s perfect for clicking “REPEAT” on your audio player of choice.

3) I mean, c’mon, just LOOK at these guys. These guys ARE metal! The band portrays a raw attitude insisting to keep pummeling you into the ground with speed and mayhem. There’s no radio single, no ballads, pretty much nothing that doesn’t deal with death, tormented souls, or war (aka “cool stuff”). These are the kids that sat in the back of high-school science class in a Nuclear Assault shirt drawing Dark Angel logos on their assignment notebook. I can’t picture Chance Garnette giving up his parsel-tongued delivery for something softer, and with a drummer that goes by “Mullet Chad”, you can tell these guys eat, sleep and breathe metal. Breathing the Fire indeed.

Mark’s Rating:

King says: “Skeletons?  Witches?  Fire?  What’s not to love??? ”

Justin’s Review:

Well folks, Mark’s gone ahead and pretty much covered every single point that I wanted to make here, so I’ve decided to borrow a quick snippet from Skeletonwitch’s somewhat dated (but surprisingly accurate) bio:

Imagine a young Metallica, Megadeth, Slayer, and Exodus slamming beers and cranking up Immortal records at a rager in 1985. Just when you think the keg is killed, Judas Priest joins the party with a fresh case of beer.

If that doesn’t sound like “metal” personified, than I don’t know what does. And that’s precisely what you’ll get with Breathing the Fire… Metal Personified. And who in their right mind wouldn’t love that? (Besides “concerned” Bible thumpers that is).

Again, to borrow tried and true words… WORSHIP THE WITCH!

Justin’s Rating:

King says: “Go directly the Prosthetic webstore… Do not pass go. Do not collect $200.”

Skeletonwitch – “Repulsive Salvation”

Because we didn’t want to talk your ears off like last time around, we’ve decided to split this month’s topic into a two-parter. We’re discussing “lost” albums from the 90s… basically albums that we think are under-appreciated or not as well-known as they deserve to be. Although we don’t necessarily share the same thoughts on each other’s picks, I do recommend checking any and all of these records out if you’re in the mood for some new (old) metal.

We also take a bit of time to review the new Dethklok album, Dethalbum II, and talk about the “tower of meat” that is the Kuma’s Corner October Burger of the Month… The Agenda of Swine.

Again… we hope you enjoy, be sure to subscribe in iTunes, and feel free to give us the old “one-two” in the comments section.

Download audio file (ReviewsResist_Podcast_2.mp3)

(24.8 mb / 27:05)

 

  We’re on iTunes… be sure and subscribe!

As if that weren’t enough, we’re also throwing in a “Rust in Peace” license plate frame (supposedly looks great on Camaros), a Vic Rattlehead patch to cover the cigarette burns on your jean jacket, and last but not least, a copy of Rust in Peace on cassette. Vinyl might be all the rage, but let’s not forget… Megadeth probably wouldn’t be where they are today if it weren’t for dudes my age and their Walkmans. Leave this bad-boy laying around your house or car, and you’ll be rounding second base in no time.

The rules of the contest are pretty simple… just comment or twitter @reviewsresist your favorite Megadeth lyric of all time. After two weeks, we’ll choose a winner at random and send you the big box-o-deth. Fine print below.

Good Luck!

Contest runs until 11-1-09.
Participants must live in the continental United States and have a valid email & residential address.
(P.O. Boxes are not acceptable).

www.megadeth.com
www.roadrunnerrecords.com

UPDATE: We have a winner! We’ll be sending out an e-mail shortly for confirmation and to get your mailing address. Thanks again to those who participated!

Can you feel the chill in the air? No… it’s not Jack Frost nipping at your nose (not yet at least). That tingling sensation you’re feeling is the icy-cold sting of Abbath, Horgh and Demonaz returning from their long hibernation and delivering Immortal’s latest frostbitten soundtrack to the apocalypse, All Shall Fall. It’s been nearly 18 years since the band broke the ice with their debut full length Diabolical Fullmoon Mysticism (featuring everyone’s favorite black metal video and animated .gif “The Call of the Wintermoon“), and while Abbath and Co. can still be found running through the Norwegian forests brandishing an axe, Immotral’s music has certainly matured over time.

As you probably know, the “black metal” genre covers a lot of ground, and has been known to spark plenty of controversy both in terms of the general public’s perception of it and the majority of die-hard fans’ insolent attitudes towards some of BM’s heavy-hitters. Immortal, being one of the pioneering bands (of the second wave), have dealt with their share of criticism over the years, but throughout it all, have remained at forefront of the scene. In 2002, they released what many (myself included) regard as the band’s milestone… Sons of Northern Darkness. By tr00 kvlt standards, SoND could be considered the band’s “sellout” album, as it featured vastly improved sound quality, and GASP! some actual “hits” (so to speak).

Well… I hate to brake it to the elitists out there, but All Shall Fall doesn’t stray too far from these standards. The unfortunate thing however, is that when held side by side with it’s predecessor, All Shall Fall doesn’t quite live up either. While the songs themselves are undeniably Immortal, they don’t have the lasting power of tracks like “Tyrants” or “One By One” (though I will admit, I’m enjoying them more with each subsequent listen). Arctic Swarm comes the closest, by featuring that classic Immortal groove underneath the album’s most outstandingly bleak lyrics.

Release the arctic swarm to drag us down
Spread its shivering wings, caught us by its cold
With haunting frosty eyes, it journeys fast
The cold will bring the fall

Album closer Unearthly Kingdom is also a welcome surprise with it’s transition from brooding to badass and back again. Peter Tägtgren has returned to his role as producer, and on that level, the album absolutely rules. All Shall Fall perfectly captures the Immortal grimness without ever coming across as shrill. In this day of rampant over-production, it’s always nice to hear (solid) recordings that actually fit the music. Hails to cover artist Pär Olofsson on his contribution as well… it’s nice to have something besides a photo of the band to look at for once.

Overall, All Shall Fall is a (frozen) solid effort, but knowing what the Immortal are capable of, it’s probably just the tip of the iceberg. Let’s hope the next one puts an end to Global Warming.

Justin’s Rating:

King says: “Good to have you back guys… let’s get together soon and trade makeup tips. You bring the axe, I’ll bring the wine.”

Mark’s Review:

The year was 2002, and by most standards, life was good. The Rock thrilled us all in The Scorpion King, Life with Bonnie taught America to laugh again, and Immortal released what I consider one of the greatest metal albums of all time, Sons of Northern Darkness. After I saw Immortal live, I became obsessed with what these guys would do next. For me, they defined what black metal should be: riff after god-crushing riff wrapped up in a ice-cold aura of corpse paint and wrist spikes. Unfortunately, they chose to break up shortly after touring for the album, leaving many fans such as myself high and dry. Then, as if my prayers to the Norse Gods of Snow and Ice had been answered, it was announced that Immortal would be returning to the stage at the 2007 Wacken Open Air, schedule some US dates as well and enter the studio to record new material. Although my first impression of the new album was that there was some frost that needed to thaw, I soon realized that All Shall Fall is definitely a triumphant return for the Blizzard Beasts.

With expectations running extremely high, I was a bit disappointed by what I first heard on All Shall Fall. I guess it’s unfair to compare the album to Northern Darkness, but it’s impossible not to. The title track and The Rise of Darkness are solid, but they seem to lack the bite and madness of One by One or Demonium. When track 3 began, I was wondering if maybe I had set my sights too high. I was expecting these guys to churn out another metal classic and I was starting to feel a little let down. Luckily, here is where the mood starts to shift and you can hear the band really begin to knock off the rust. Hordes of War brings the insane fury and trademark gallop while Norden on Fire features a mid-tempo march of doom and that atmospheric, echoing Immortal breakdown. Abbath definitely saves his best for last, as the album ends with two monsters: Arctic Swarm and the epic Unearthly Kingdom. Clocking in at over eight minutes, Kingdom is a classic, featuring all the wild tempo shifts, blazing-fast riffage and images of frigid warriors battling you can take.

When the album was over, I immediately began listening again because I could tell that my initial disappointment was based on unreal expectations. I’m glad I did, because it keeps getting better and better. It still might not be as good as their previous effort, but that doesn’t mean the songs don’t still rule. With increased exposure and production values, a different tone is to be expected, but in a live setting, these songs will still destroy just as much as anything off of At the Heart of Winter. Looks like Immortal is back, because All Shall Fall grows on you into one of the best metal offerings of the year.

Mark’s Rating:

King says: “Is it cold in here? or is it just you? ”

Once again, Nuclear Blast have outdone themselves with a wide variety of packaging options.

Have A Listen:

Immortal – All Shall Fall:

Download audio file (All_Shall_Fall.mp3)

In an autumn full of anticipated releases from some of metal’s heaviest hitters, it’s Baroness’s second major release that stands out.  When the “Red Album” splashed onto the scene; it was so great, it generated amazing buzz, was named Revolver’s album of the year, and declared Savannah’s Baroness as the new gods of sludge.  That album completely kicked my ass from the first time I heard the opening notes of “Rays on Pinion,” so I along with many others have been waiting two years in anticipation for their next offering.  I’m happy to report that “Blue Record” does not disappoint, in fact, it rules.

“Blue Record” begins with two instant classics: “The Sweetest Curse” and “Jake Leg“.  Both of these songs are sludgy anthems that epitomize that Baroness style by combining John Baizley’s throaty voice, over-buzzed guitars and pounding drums into a dynamic blend all their own.  The harmony guitars abound on the album and the fast, and out-of control runs are displayed once again on songs like “A Horse Called Golgotha“.  The unsung hero of Baroness is definitely drummer Alan Blickle, who’s barreling, single-kick pulse drives life into “O’er Hell and Hide” and lends some swing and balance to “Swollen and Halo“.  Instrumental interludes are back again, but stylistically, there is an intent to reincarnate the themes they introduce into similar melodies that project a new life and a new perspective.  You can hear the results as the chanted vocal melody of “Steel that Sleeps the Eye” returns as a driving rocker in “Swollen and Halo“, or when the stomping waltz of “Ogeechee Hymnal” changes into the dirgey “Bullhead’s Lament“.  Once again the production is top-notch, creating a sound that’s soulful and dirty, yet tight and composed.  And I don’t think I have to praise the artwork, because it continues to prove the worthlessness of .mp3s.  Do yourself a favor and buy this record on vinyl.

The “Red Album” is a tough effort to top, because it’s pretty much perfect, but “Blue Record” comes close.  It’s definitely a logical step in the progression of the band, and it shows that they are here to dominate the metal scene for years to come.  The songs are a bit more streamlined, and a bit toned down, but they have a confidence and a grace underneath the rough exterior.  It’s scary to think what Baroness is capable of artistically, but I’m hoping for a long career, and I can’t wait to see what’s next.

Mark’s Rating:

King says: “Baroness, take my advice, just don’t release a “Black Album,” we’ve seen how that ruins credibility.”

Chris’ Review:

My main question for the new Baroness record was whether it would distinguish Baroness from the easy comparisons and classifications that the Red Album, enjoyable as it is from beginning to end, could not escape. To my great delight, the Blue Record defines Baroness clearly as their own band.

I wouldn’t say any part of the Red Album was disagreeable, but on the whole the album failed to grab me; it usually fades to the background as I’m listening. The Blue Record captivates throughout with a just-right amount of challenging sounds and passages instead of merely delivering one nice sound after another. What I’m getting at is, like most great albums, the Blue Record takes risks; it’s not homogeneous. Not everyone is going to like the acoustic sing-along “Steel That Sleeps The Eye.” The galloping beat of “Oer Hell and Hide” might be too dancey for you. Why the hell is that fuzz guitar solo on “A Horse Called Golgotha” so damn loud? Somehow Baroness makes these oddities enjoyable.

And the more conventional parts are plenty pleasurable as well: a treasure trove of guitar tones playing signature Baroness licks, layered vocals singing and yelling that signature melodic style. Musically I don’t know what you call it, but it sounds like the motivational melodies of the Seven Dwarves sung by Viking marauders.

Look closer at the art nouveau inspired cover art and you see more and more interesting details you might miss on your first glance: broken eggs spilling their embryonic goo, giant sperm wriggling in the sky. Listen to the Blue Record with a similar attention to detail and enjoy the revelations.

Chris’ Rating:

King says: “The Baroness: my favorite G.I. Joe character and (now my) southern metal band.”

Have A Listen:

Baroness – The Sweetest Curse:

Download audio file (The_Sweetest_Curse.mp3)

Replacing a well-known, well-established, well-respected vocalist is one of the toughest challenges a band can face. AC/DC and Anthrax (and to a much lesser extent, Iron Maiden) have managed to pull it off, but more often than not, bands who are forced to take action in this regard are met with a largely unsupportive audience (including those who turn their backs completely). So I can only imagine what a long, winding road Alice in Chains have had to venture down with the decision to reform after a 10+ year hiatus and the death of renowned singer Layne Staley. Not only was Staley’s voice instantly recognizable, it (alongside his haunting lyrics and outstanding vocal harmonies with guitarist Jerry Cantrell) practically defined the band’s sound.

So here it is 13 years after their last record, 7 years after Layne’s passing… and Alice in Chains have returned with their new album Black Gives Way to Blue; featuring Cantrell’s former touring vocalist William DuVall; who’s stepping in to fill some very large shoes. While the obvious question at hand is does DuVall pull it off… I couldn’t help but also wonder if this could/should really even be considered an Alice in Chains record (as opposed to another bloated Cantrell “solo” album)? Thankfully, any questions/doubts I might’ve had, were answered with a resounding “fuck yeah” several months ago with the release of lead single “A Looking In View“… a track so dark, so heavy, and so catchy… it just screams Alice in Chains.

As a whole, Black Gives Way to Blue follows suit. The majority of the album is complete return to form… plenty of classic AiC riffing, brooding sing-alongs and outstanding songwriting… while still retaining a surprisingly modern touch and slightly more positive vibe than you’re probably accustomed to from the band. Vocally, I couldn’t have really asked for anything more. The harmonies are spot-on (and noticeably played up), and while Duvall isn’t (nor should be considered) a Layne clone, he’s a perfect fit for the band and definitely worthy of the role he’s been chosen to play. Overall, the songs themselves tend to be slightly less memorable than classic AiC, but tracks like “All Secrets Known“, “Lesson Learned” & “Take Her Out” (among others) certainly stick to your mouth like peanut butter on the brain.

If there’s one area where BGWtB tends to fall a little flat, it’s the acoustic tracks. Throughout their career, AiC have managed to seamlessly integrate the lighter fare into their repertoire, and when taking their back catalog into consideration, these three just don’t measure up. The title track; a moderately depressing tribute to Staley; is a touching number, but probably not something with widespread rock-radio appeal. But in all honesty, that’s okay… “A Looking in View” and followup single “Check My Brain” will do a bang-up job in that department.

It’s hard to believe “the 90s” are almost 10 years old now… but if you’re anything like me, you’ll be dusting off your flannels and putting Black Gives Way to Blue on repeat for a long time to come. Alice in Chains are most definitely back and ready to show Chris Cornell what the term “aging rocker” should really mean.

Justin’s Rating:

King says: “I… believe… them bones… are Melissaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!”

Mark’s Review:

“Seriously? Alice in Chains is going to record a new album with a new singer and just try to replace Layne Staley? This won’t fly, there’s no way this doesn’t destroy their legacy as one of the most dynamic and original bands to come out of the Seattle scene. Unless they found a guy in the Philippines on YouTube like Journey did, it will be impossible to recreate the characteristic harmonies and one of the most unique voices in the history of hard rock. Get ready for the “county-fair circuit”, fellas“.

Yep, like many fans, I had a lot of selfish concerns going into a new Alice in Chains record. I’ve been burned by new singers before, and I was certain this was going to be another case of “Sepultura Syndrome”, where I listen to new material from a band I love and wish that it was sung by the old singer. But it’s a slippery slope: get a singer that sounds different, and the fans want the old sound, or use someone that sounds similar and turn into a local-bar cover act like Judas Priest with Ripper Owens or Iron Maiden with Blaze Bailey. So after all this trepidation, I’ve been very surprised and relieved while listening to AiC’s latest, Black Gives Way to Blue. While I don’t think it will make anyone forget Layne anytime soon, the band definitely sounds like they are back and amazingly true to form.

The first thing that stands out when you listen to BGWtB, is how much new frontman William DuVall sounds like Staley. Duvall’s voice is a bit more sharp, but it blends effortlessly with Cantrell and can pierce through a haunting riff just like Layne used to. While Cantrell still handles most of the heavy lifting, both of them create harmonies with ease, and the signature eerie vocal crawl remains. While A Looking in View might be the best song on the album, All Secrets Known is definitely the blueprint on how the new guy is going to mix with the old sound. The song features all the fuzzy guitar runs and wide open vocal phrasing that lifelong fans come to expect. Acid Bubble and Private Hell both could easily fit onto the tracklist from Dirt and each feature that slow crunch and harmonies stretched to the limit. Although Check My Brain is sure to be a rock-radio hit, the chorus ode to California reeks of lazy songwriting. AiC still likes to add a few extra choruses when they don’t seem to be necessary and Sean Kinney’s drumming is pretty pedestrian compared to the band’s heyday, but my main beef with the album mostly revolves around a distinct change in tone and the lack of bleakness. Overall this is not an issue, but the edge it created is sorely missed on songs like Your Decision, which would shine without the addition of a drumbeat, and Take Her Out which seems annoyingly up-tempo.

Despite these very minor grievances, the album comes through as a very polished effort and the next logical step in the history of the band. I’m pretty happy to report that with Black Gives Way to Blue, AiC has not tarnished their legacy, and I am not experiencing any symptoms of Sepultura Syndrome. Sorry Derrick Green.

Mark’s Rating:

King says: “Layne was addicted to heroin?? Hmmm, no wonder he was starting to look like Grandma!”

Have A Listen:

Alice in Chains – A Looking in View:

Download audio file (A_Looking_In_View.mp3)

Describe Baroness’ songwriting style… is there a specific process you adhere to, or is it more organic?

We’ve always tried to allow the songs to come together as naturally as possible. We start with a direction, concept, or theme. We slowly add and develop instrumentation as the song takes shape; and we try to distance ourselves from too much high-falutin analysis until the song is close to being done. We need to get a gut level reaction before anything else. We are reactive players and limited musicians; we’ve been playing music together for so long now words are becoming less necessary, we try to keep the chit-chat to a minimum. Our best songs were written this way: less talk, more rock so-to-speak.

How and when do you approach vocals throughout the songs’ development?

As our band has gotten older, and we’ve spent more time considering composition, we have increasingly tried to accommodate more room for vocals. Since I am playing an instrument and I am not an especially gifted singer, there are strictures we’re faced with in terms of vocals and lyrics. Early in our career, we used vocals as the nasty instrument in our band, to add intensity accents to moments within the song. More recently, I have tried to to find the vocal middle ground between where I was 6-7 years ago and something more flexible and expressive. I am always working with my voice right at the edge of its capabilities.

Where do you pull your musical influences from, and do they inspire Baroness’ non-traditional song-structure?

More recently, my musical inspiration has been drawn most directly form the non-musical arts: literature, fine art, cinema, etc. Without sounding like I’m careening into pretense, we have been trying to sequence and approach our records like cinematic scores. This has more to do with flow and tenor than actual structure. I don’t think our song-structure is all that out there, at least not in my perspective. I both detest and admire remedial pop structure; so I’ve always resisted submitting to those rules. I think our songwriting is more classic in it format, perhaps a format that has been glazed over in recent years.

As a musician and visual artist, do you find any similarities between your approach to creating physical artwork and songwriting?

The visual and sonic arts are really the same at their core. Both are a type of communication, though different mediums. I apply much the same methodology when creating in both formats. Expression of ideas, themes or atmospheres start from the same place. I tend to start generally, and then refine and develop along a natural path until my message is defined. Creation is creation.

The Blue Record seems to incorporate reoccurring themes more so than your previous albums, was this a conscious decision, or just something that came about throughout the songwriting process?

As i mentioned earlier, I like to let themes develop at their own rate in their own way. Sometimes our albums have disparate themes and occasionally they become more focused, as with Blue Record. We aimed at writing something personal, and the most poignant and obvious themes in our lives ended up repeating themselves. As it turns out, we all had some very common experiences happening at similar times, with similar implications.

Describe how you feel the band has progressed stylistically or sonically since The Red Album…

Since Red Album’s release, we have toured extensively and we’ve all remained active listeners and students of music. We have progressed technically. We have grown sonically. I think the real development has been that we’ve been able to define ourselves more accurately within our music. We have tried to slough off some of the more external trappings of genre, style and influence in favor of a more private and idiosynchratic means of delivery. Whether or not we have achieved any of this has yet to be seen. Process is the most important focus of the band, not resolution.

You’ve just announced a headlining tour with a variety of bands… explain the prospect of playing alongside such diverse musical company.

We have diverse musical tastes. Simple as that. It is restricting for us and our audience to play with the same type of band over and over again. There are so many powerful bands playing unique music out there; its a treat for us to share the stage with all of them. If nothing else, the diverse talent of those bands will keep us on our toes.

Any particular bands you’d love to tour with, or are you open to playing alongside anyone/anyplace/anytime? (ie: Clutch’s mindset throughout their career)

We’ll continue tour with bands that exemplify strong musicianship, forward-thinking attitudes and boundary-pushing ideas. Ostensibly, we are open to anything, it just has to illustrate one of the aforementioned qualities. I am a lifelong music fan, and outwardly, I am stoked to see these bands every night.

Explain the amp configuration you guys utilize for live performances. Does it largely differ from your in-studio setup?

I use two amps onstage for my rig now. One is a 50-watt Bad Cat head attached to a 4 x 12 cabinet, which I use for my high gain sounds. The other is a 30-watt Bad Cat 2 x 12 combo amp. This is more for the clean sounds and boosts on stage. Its not too complicated, and using two heads allows for a little more onstage diversity. In the studio, all bets are off. I’ll make anything work. Recording Blue Record, we used everything form our typical rigs, to tiny, super-crappy amps with horribly unique sounds. everything but the kitchen sink so to speak. It would take all day to explain the gear we record with. Then there’s a massive pedal board filled with inexplicable effects. The whole system is constantly changing.

In the age of digital media overtaking the music industry, what role do you feel artwork plays? Do you think it will continue to be as important as in the past?

Artwork will always be important to bands visual identity. But those rules and standards are changing. I am not liable to be some old codger rattling on endlessly about the way things used to be. We have to be aware of changes in aesthetic the shift from physical to digital artwork. With that in mind, I will still be making art the same way I always have, painstakingly slowly and traditionally. There are still people out there who appreciate that. My job is to find a way to make what I do relevant in the face of change.

Do you have a preference as far as format goes (digital/cd/vinyl)? In addition, what do you think of Apple’s recent announcement of iTunes LP… is that something you could get behind?

I believe in the LP as the ultimate (if outdated) album art form. That is how I initially design everything I make for bands. I think most album artists would agree with me there. There is a certain beauty in the LPs physical size. I have no idea what the itunes LP is. it sounds like a gross misrepresentation of something beautiful.

At this point, you’ve done artwork for a number of bands outside of your own. Will this trend continue on into the foreseeable future? If so, (I’m going to assume the demand greatly exceeds the supply) what factors determine who you will or won’t do work for?

I have always had a policy of working with bands I respect, admire, love or have friendships with. Anyone I work with exemplifies one of these qualities. I love making album art, and I am not likely to abandon it soon.

Describe what the ultimate visual+musical package for Baroness would be…

It’s already in the works. We’ll all just have to wait and see.

The Blue Record hits the streets on October 13th. As you might’ve suspected… there are a nice variety of pre-order options available.

If you give even the slightest shit about video games, you’ve no doubt heard about Brutal Legend, and more than likely are as stoked as I am for its release on October 13th. While I’ve yet to experience gameplay firsthand; (Xbox Demo hits the streets this Thursday) everything I’ve seen and read up to this point looks extremely promising (including the opening cinematic).

I stumbled upon the above video over at Double Fine conceptual artist (and all-around great illustrator) Scott C’s blog and thought it would be worth sharing. Obviously, art direction is a crucial part of any video game, let alone one centered around metal, and thankfully, the folks at Double Fine opted for something a little different than the tried and true H.R Giger references.

However… this begs the question… would Hieronymus Bosch be cranking out better Slayer merch were he alive today?

Of course… review to come.

The last two Megadeth albums have shown that Mustaine does his best work when there’s a Bush in the White House. While “The System Has Failed” and “United Abominations” weren’t on the same level with “Rust in Peace” and “Countdown to Extinction“, they certainly were a step in the right direction, and were light-years ahead of the radio-rock oriented “Risk” and “Youthanasia“. Mustaine has resurrected the mad riffing of the early days, and realized that he’s at his best when the speed is turned up and his nasal whine is high-pitched. Now we have the third offering from Dave and Co. since he took time off due to that nerve condition in his wrist, and although there are flashes that make it feel like 1990 again, “Endgame” features a bit too many mediocre moments to be considered a new classic.

Will you enjoy “Endgame“? Well, that depends on what type of Megadeth fan you are. Picture the album as a revised version of “So Far, So Good, So What” with way better production. It has lots of great moments, plus its fair share of clunky ones, but the detailed comparisons between the two albums is pretty shocking. For instance, like “So Far, So Good…“, “Endgame” starts with an instrumental (one that actually sounds a little bit like “Into the Lungs of Hell“). Not a big deal, since they’re both good tunes that both bleed into a classic Megadeth thrash song. On “Endgame“, that second song is the awesome “This Day We Fight!“, which I’m sure will become a live staple on par with “Wake Up Dead” and “Hangar 18“. “1,320” is pretty much a new version of “502“, as both songs lyrically revolve around driving fast cars and feature great riffs and sound bites of squealing tires. After that, there’s highlights in the form of “Endgame” and “Head Crusher” and low-lights with “How the Story Ends” and “44 Minutes“. I’m not even going to discuss the cringe-worthy ballad, “The Hardest Part of Letting Go…” because every Megadeth album can’t seem to avoid that one shitstorm of a song that forces you to make a face like you just inadvertently discovered the fart in the room.

Out of 11 songs on “Endgame“, I’d say half of them are very good and the rest aren’t really terrible (besides the aforementioned ballad), they’re just kinda bland. These are the songs that although they feature some buzzsaw riffs, screaming solos and Dave growling… remain aimless. Overall, “Endgame” will add some killer songs to Megadeth’s live setlist, but I’d avoid putting it into their Pantheon.

Mark’s Rating:

King says: “A valid attempt from Dave, but if you’re going “old-school”, I could have used more songs about witches and demons.”

Justin’s Review:

I’m going to generalize a little here, but up until now, you could get a pretty good read as to the quality of any given Megadeth album by simply taking a quick glance at the cover. Rust in Peace… fucking awesome. Peace Sells… pretty damn cool. Youthanasia… uh… yeah. So anyways, it comes as a bit of surprise that “Endgame“, which gets my vote for most boring album cover in the history of metal, actually isn’t half bad. Wait… I take that back.  It IS half bad.  But it’s also half bad-ass.

As Mark mentions, Dave and Co. (really… does anyone even know who plays in Megadeth these days?) are making a valiant attempt to recapture what made them a great band 19+ years ago… and man… when they are on, they are on. “Endgame” features plenty of pummeling riffs and classic Mustaine solos scattered throughout (Dialectic Chaos, Head Crusher, and Endgame to name a few), as well as the standout track “This Day We Fight!” which could possibly be the best ‘deth song since Rust in Peace… Polaris (although Mark did recently play Sleepwalker from 2007’s “United Abominations” for me, and that song is certainly in the running).

On the flipside, “Endgame” is also rife with classic Mustaine cheese-dick lyrics (“When it’s dog eat dog, you are what you eat; just like the mad dog… that bites the had that feeds.“), half-assed filler tracks (44 Minutes, Bite the Hand, How the Story Ends) and a laughably bad modern-metal ballad (The Hardest Part of Letting Go… Sealed With a Kiss). Like I said… when they are on, they are on. When they aren’t… well… (and is it me, or does the chorus to Bodies sounds an awful lot like the chorus to a certain other Megadeth hit circa 1992?)

As I sit here and try to hash out a few more things to say about “Endgame“, the thought crosses my mind… (and this is certainly something I now plan to discuss in a future podcast) who’s the shittier lyricist… post-1990 Hetfield or post-1990 Mustaine? (eg: “I’ve got nothing left to lose… but my mind. I’ve got nothing left to choose… so I think I’ll go insane.“) Eesh.

Anyways… considering my feelings towards Megadeth’s output near the past two decades, I see “Endgame” as a welcome improvement, and a definite step in the right direction. With a little less cheese and a little more Ed Repka, Megadeth just might earn themselves a solid 4 next time around.

Justin’s Rating:

King says: “I checked the Megadeth e-store for a Vic Rattlehead NASCAR Shirt and couldn’t find one… I know it’s gotta be there somewhere… oh wait.”

Have A Listen:

Megadeth – Head Crusher:

Download audio file (Head_Crusher.mp3)

Speaking of commercials… please enjoy one before your video begins, courtesy of MTV… (I would’ve certainly posted a YouTube version, but the marketing department at camp BFMV apparently don’t like metal blogs making fun of their band, so they’ve disabled embedding).

Justin’s Review

Man… it’s been a long time since I graduated high school, but back then, dudes wearing Maiden and Slayer t-shirts weren’t the total pussies they seem to be nowadays. Good thing Bullet For My Valentine are around to show these wimps that all you need is a little patience, a remote wooded area, and 3 copies of Twilight on DVD to stand up to those jock fuckheads.

Wait a minute… don’t jock fuckheads listen to Bullet For My Valentine? OH SHIT… RUN!

Mark’s Review

If there’s one thing I hate more than TEACHERS and PARENTS, it’s fucking JOCKS! Everyone’s always telling me I need to change my ways, but fuck that, I’m true to MYSELF!!!. So when I watch this video, it’s like someone had a camera on my LIFE. Bullet for my Valentine is REAL, COMPRENDE??? They don’t follow trends like shitty Taylor Swift and Lifehouse (FAGS!! LOL!!). In fact, Matt Tuck once said he doesn’t give a SHIT about trends or “what his fucking hair looks like”, and I believe him, cause when I saw the band at the Mayhem Fest (sponsored by Hot Topic), they totally looked like they kicked ass!!! I hope this video inspires other kids like me that are total UNDERGROUND to change into werewolves and murder people who pick on them.