Hard 20 |
February / March 2007Steel Assassin | Trouble | Drum Nation Volume 3 | Forty Duece | 40 Below Summer | Extrovert | Novembers Doom | Chris Farlowe | Soul-Sick | Anthropia | Destruction | Hedley | Disciple | Naked Flames | Flesh | Blue Oyster Cult | Switchback | Boc | Racetrack Babies | Bad Dream STEEL ASSASSIN No, no, no. 3 songs is not enough. I need more. Lots more. This is incredible power heavy metal with some of the best riffs, songs, vocals that I have heard in a long time. Will some label please sign these guys now and let them record a full length. The opening cut has some of best riffs that made my neck snap in 2. The band reminded me of Wargasm mixed in with old Saxon a bit and look the band is from Mass ands I think of one the ex members of the band produced this 3 songer. All I can say is incredible job guys We need more bands like you. Info: http://www.steelassassin.com Trouble (Re-Issue) In the age that we live in now where the past is recreated, digitalized and enhanced, everyone is and has been digging in the archives of T.V., movies and music to re-issue what ever they think will make a buck. I guess it is a good way to present the said product to a whole new audience as well. For all you collectors out there, yeah, I know it sucks. Here we do have a very cool re-issue. The classic album 'The Skull' re-mastered for superior sound quality and enjoyment. What can be said about this milestone release that Trouble originally put out back in '85? It sounds better. And for today's youngins' who are into the doom and sludge scene, this will be quite a treat for them. Honestly, I have not listened to this album since about, 1985. I owned it for a brief time on vinyl when it came out. It was not really my thing back then. Today, I can really appreciate it for what it is. It truly is a great classic metal album. Plus, and there's always a plus, an added bonus DVD of a live show that was filmed back in '84 in Aurora, Illinois. It was filmed by a single camcorder and the sound quality is not the best. But non the less, a very cool live show that is approx. an hour and forty-five minutes in length. It's like watching a descent bootleg. (Not that I support bootlegs, but have watched/owned a few) http://www.newtrouble.com Drum Nation Volume 3 The cliché is that a drummer is someone who hangs out with musicians. This release dispels that cliché with intensity. Twelve of today's wildest and most talented drummers are included on this compilation and the results are amazing. While the bulk of the drummers here are from metal bands, such as Chris Adler from Lamb of God and Jason Bittner from Shadow's Fall, there are very interesting musical ideas. Sure, the double bass drums are usually in a flurry and the guitar riffs are complex and drift into odd time signatures (who knows what time signature Chris Adler and guitarist Rob Jarzombek are in during "The Near Dominance of 4 Against 5"), but there is melodic drumming as well. Jeremy Colsom introduces "Fluoxetine" with an interesting tom pattern before guitarist Glen Alvelas and bassist Steve DiGiorgio join the chaos. The middle of this song, when the Alvelas and DiGiorgio play the same riff repeatedly while Colsom solos over them demonstrates a mastery of the instrument. Then the main riff is reintroduced and the song continues to its blistering conclusion. Other notable tracks are contributed by Justin Foley (Killswitch Engage) which starts aggressive before mellowing out and allowing Foley to construct a well-thought out piece of music. By the time you work your way to Raanen Bozzio's "Impulse," there is no doubt that drummers are people too. The final track "Weak Would" is a suitable conclusion to this release. After a thrashy intro, the music breaks down into Justice "singing" a complex drum pattern. Then, the drums come in and mimic his drum pattern. It is a technique that many drummers to explain how the drums are to sound and it provides the start of the end of this track as he throws a lot of fills and licks on his drums on top of the pattern. Then with an anquished scream, the guitars come back in for a couple more takes at the riff before the end of the song. While labels have often assembled guitarists for compilations, this series of assembling drummers is an excellent idea. Forty Duece Forty Duece are a hard rocking band who throw together a variety of styles into the music, with influences from the 80s, 90s, and today, making an album of driving rock tunes. Imagine Skid Row and LA Guns meeting Stone Temple Pilots and Pearl Jam, then throw in dashes of punk and power pop. Their music is rough, gritty, and stripped to the bone, and the band plays with drive. There are some full throttle hard hard rock songs like "I Still", "Say", and "Next To Me", while others are slower and mid-paced. The title track, which ends the album, is a pop flavored ballad that reminded me of Squeeze! The melody is similar to the Squeeze song, "Tempted". This was something a bit different from the rest of the album. All in all, a solid, straight up rock album. 40 Below Summer Well I'm going to start this off by saying I'm not familiar with the bands back catalog. From what I have read up on them here the past couple hours, it's probably a good thing. As many who read my reviews may know, I'm not much into the Nu-Metal thing. With not knowing their back catalog, that's a good thing for this disk as I listen to it. I'm not going to slam the fuck out of it like all the other sites I've checked out. Wow!! I guess for the fans, this is the last dance for the band. Maybe. So what the hell, give the guys a little break. The sound of this to me is not what I would define as a Nu-Metal sound anyway. But we all know, What the hell do I know? It does however come across as an above average hard rock radio style. Just barely above average. It sounds like so many other bands music that had flooded the waves just in the past couple years. Maybe a good release for some alternative stations. Musically these guys seem to be really talented. If they have disbanded, I wish them luck in the future. Maybe a little suggestion from an outside source? Take a break, re-group, change the band name and play some music from the heart. Not for the money or what's "in" at the time. Overall, this is a fairly good listen. I can't say it sucks or I hate it. And I would listen to it again and not bitch about it. And for those of you who, like myself have not listened to 40 Below Summer, they can be pretty closely compared to Crossfade, Pillar, Evolocity, Stone Sour, Hinder ect…...Oh yeah, you also get a 90 minute DVD of their performance to a sold out crowd at the Starland Ballroom in New Jersey. http://www.40belowsummer.com Extrovert Russia's answer to Dream Theater? This band, hailing from former Iron Curtain territory (and signing the whole album in their native tongue), play progressive metal in the vein of Dream Theater and Vanden Plas. Their musicianship and songwriting are very influenced by such bands. In fact, it seems as if their are trying to "out prog" the other bands of the genre, because they really push things to the max here. The songs are quite lengthy, a couple over ten minutes long. This made listening to the album a bit of a chore. Also, it seems as if they try to squeeze as much as they can onto the album until it's bursting at the seams. In other words, they overdo things. As many notes as possible, as many musical style/influences as possible, as much playing as possible, the songs are as long and complex as possible...they really go for broke! The band are talented, no doubt about that, but they really do wear the listener down with everything they do. It's like drowning in music! They make it so you can't see the forest for the trees-too much frosting and not enough cake. Extrovert are good at what they do, but they'd benefit if they wrote some actual songs, and did less musical showboating. It seems as if each member is trying to be a one man orchestra, when they should work together as a band. If they'd do that, they'll go places. They certainly have what it takes. Novembers Doom This is a powerful doom metal release, laced with death metal and dark overtones. 'Rain' kicks off 'the Novella Reservoir' and the song is flawless. I of course like the harder edged tunez, 'Drown the Inland Mere', 'The Voice of Failure', & 'Dominate the Human Strain'. The lyrical content is a totally pussified on 'Twilight Innocence', but you can't deny the sweet meloncholy of the music. Dan Swano (mixed) & James Murphy (mastered) & Chris Djuricic (engineering and co-producing, also taking up the recording of the Bass guitar) all worked on this lp, in my opinion did a great job, look forward to hearing more of their work together. Chris Farlowe Like the liner notes state, "It's hard to believe, but it's true, Chris Farlowe has been astounding audiences with his incredible vocal style for over 50 years now." Another thing that's hard to believe, especially when listening to this live performance, is the fact that Mr. Farlowe is in his 60's. He's got an incredible energy for a man his age...a youthful energy. In fact, I wouldn't be suprised if he's got another decade or two left in him. I guess it's true when they say that rock 'n' roll, or in this case, the blues, will never die. This is a very solid recording and the audience it was recorded in front of was obviously lovin' every minute of it. This show has also been released on DVD, Mr. Farlowe's first if I'm not mistaken. So, if you're a fan, not only are you able to get an audio fix, you can get a video fix as well. Can't beat that. Soul-Sick Well this disk starts off with a bang. Some serious metal-core grooves with death type vocals and plenty of attitude. The second track mixes a bit of the same with a Nu-Metal rap sound. The next song reverts back to a Poison The Well type sound. It's the fourth track where I get a little confused. I don't know whether I'm listening to DJ Quick or a metal band. Didn't Anthrax do this already? And Linkin Park or Korn? The track features Carly Coma on vocals/rap and Kenneth Schalk of Candiria on it. I'm sure it was fun to do, but so far it does not fit with the first couple tracks. Ahhh, here's some brutal shit now in the vein of Sick Of It All. For the next couple tracks at least. And then another hip-hop metal mix. What ever. When the band is playling the heavy tunes in the hardcore/death styles of metal, they do sound pretty damn good. Nothing really fresh and new, but still good. I can't take the Nu-Metal mixes that are presented on the album. With out those it would be a kick ass album. With them, it just doesn't make much sense. Maybe it will for you. Pick one or the other. http://www.soulsickforlife.com Anthropia More progressive metal. This is basically your standard prog metal album. Lots of Dream Theater influence (I guess that goes without saying), lots of complex, sohpisticated songwriting and movements; long, complicated songs; a bit self indulgent; music that changes gears frequently and veers off in every which direction, from classical to thrash, but nonetheless remaining set in classic style prog metal as musical "home base"; and a sci-fi theme as a concept (the first chapter). This band, however, are a bit harder and heavier than many bands of this ilk. There's a bit more crunch to their music, with some driving guitar riffs. One other band that seems to be a big influence of these guys is Savatage, in terms of the guitar playing (a lot of influence from Criss Oliva), songwriting, and the harder edge to their music. Anthropia write music that is also a bit more complex and sophisticated than most of their prog metal compatriots, so this band does raise the bar an inch or two. They are also quite talented, but that seems to be the case with most prog bands. I don't think there's any way to play this kind of music without an ounce or two of talent, at least. However, aside from those things, this band really isn't doing anything that hasn't been done before, they're just doing it a little more, if you know what I mean. DESTRUCTION Destruction have been one of my favorite bands and they usually deliver the goods and once again they do it. This is a release of them doing covers of songs spanning their whole career and they even do some songs when Schmier was not in the band such as "Cracked Brain" The songs sound great and the band rip through tune after tune of some of their classics. The songs do sound a bit more modern, but hey that is to be expected. All I know is when you listen to these songs re done you just know how much the band has meant to the underground over the years. Any fan of the band will not be disappointed and the band doesn't change much around and the only think different will be the better production on these. Info: http://www.candlelightrecordsusa.com Hedley When Hedley released their debut release in Canada, they were greeting with instant success and acclaim. Within a few months, the album went platinum. Now, the band is looking to break into the U.S. market. The question is...do they have a chance? Personally, they've got my vote. Their self-titled debut is one of the finest rock 'n' roll albums that I've heard in a long, long time. All the songs are strong and well written. They've got a radio friendly sound that actually does rock hard...at least enough to float my boat...and, lately, I've been gettin' kind of picky about what I like and what I don't like. This album kind of reminds me of the 80's sound that I've always loved...without all of the foolishness, of course. Hedley's just straight forward, good time rock 'n' roll, man. There's just no better way to say it. It's the complete package...everything...from the album cover, to the songs, to the way they present themselves and their music. It doesn't get any better than this. This is your new favorite band...you just don't know it yet. Be sure to check 'em out. Disciple I'm very surprised that with this being released in November that I have not heard the first single plastered all over mainstream rock radio. Well here in the mid-section of the country I have not heard it. It is one that should be soon. Although it has been getting a lot of praise by many Christian publications. That could hinder the mainstream uprising of a band. Not sure why, but it does. Although the embrace that over all vision, it's not a huge promotion on the subject. This album rocks!!! No two bits about it. Nothing really fresh or new along the lines of radio friendly hard rock, but a very well done album with a lot of chugging crunchy guitar work, screaming vocals and enough hooks to catch all the fish in Lake Erie with one cast. A brilliant hard rock sound with metallic overtones. A must for all fans of rock/hard rock and fans of P.O.D., Day Of Fire, Chevelle, Non Point, Allele, Adema, Seether and Nickleback. Naked Flames Never take yourself too seriously. I think that's a statement that Naked Flames would agree with. Wouldn't suprise me since they bill themselves as a comedy metal band...and a right interesting one at that, mate. The first thing that came to mind when I gave "Animal Love" a listen is that they had a raw, garage band sound that's probably mixed with a lot of alcohol. Upon closer inspection, they started to remind me of various bands such as The Doors, The Rolling Stones, Van Halen and Black Sabbath. Of course, with a very raw sound and not so normal lyrics. Although, to be honest, I didn't find a lot of the material to be "laugh out loud" funny. Then again, my sense of humor is a little more down in the gutter. I did, however, find a few tunes on this disc that put a smile on my face. Best of the bunch would be "Michelle," "He Takes It Up The Gary," "I Said I Was A Rover" "Clone My Bone" and "Nightmare Love." Also, from what I heard on disc, I'm sure they're a great live band, especially if you're drunk...and, coming from me, that's a compliment. Anyway, if you're lookin' for a little something that's "off the beaten path," Naked Flames probably has what you're looking for. FLESH Pure hare filled death metal is the ticket here. Razor sharp riffing along with vocals that are filled with intensity and hate. This is what death metal should be. The music is fast, rip roaring and lets up on the gas petal now and then, but when it goes full throttle, look out. This has one of the ex members of Maze of Torment and this release blew me away and is easily a top contender for a top 10 of 2007. A masterpiece of death metal done the way it should be. Info: http://www.ironfistrec.cjb.net Blue Oyster Cult A few classic albums by legendary proto-metal band Blue Oyster Cult have been reissued, with bonus cuts. BOC were metal pioneers in the 70s, and one could even call them progressive. They raised the bar for hard rock a little bit, by doing some things that were innovative for the time, and a bit unusual. They used three guitars, wrote music that was more sophisticated and complex than most other rock of the time, used elements of other styles of music (like classical, jazz, and folk), and wrote intelligent lyrics, that were sometimes even poetic. Their music had a dark, somber, sinister aura to it, and each song told a dark tale. BOC were quite a unique band, and very talented. They had a style all of their own that I've never heard another band duplicate, and they still rocked out! "Spectres" (originally released in '77) kicks off with one of BOC's most famous songs, "Godzilla". Inspired by the giant Japanese lizard of yore, this tune rocks with a vengeance! Those guitars just sizzle, and the whole song is a big kick in the nuts! "Godzilla" is followed by the equally hard rocking "The Golden Age Of Leather". Then the band jams on the brakes for a ballad, "Death Valley Nights". As for the rest of the songs, they're all quite different from each other. We have another rockin' anthem in "RU Ready 2 Rock" (the title says it all); "Celestial The Queen" is a pompy, proggy tune that could have been mistaken for ELP, with those keyboards and the song writing style; "Goin' Through The Motions" is a power-poppy number in a Cheap Trick vein; there's another ballad in "I Love The Night"; and a couple of dark epics, with "Nosferatu" and "Searching For Celine". There are also four bonus tracks; "Night Flyer", "M For Murder", "Please Hold", and a cover of "Be My Baby", the 60s pop tune. This is a rather odd choice for a cover and it's not much different from the original. You'd think the band would try to "Oyster-ize" it a bit, make it more hard rocking, but they didn't really. There's not even any guitars on it, as far as I can tell. A band that has three guitar players and they don't even use one on this song-weird! Aside from that little quirk, there's certainly no faulting a classic like this, especially with some extra material included. SWITCHBACK While this wasn't super original, it more than gets the job done. This band combine death metal and black metal with tons of speed to create quite a release. The music is fast, speedy death metal with tons of real blast beats and swirling riffs along with some almost black metal, dying man vocals. The music never gets boring and the band slow it down enough to keep it from getting repetitive. The production is strong and I enjoyed this for what it was, fast brutal death metal. Info: http://www.arakirecords.com Blue Oyster Cult In the late 70s, Blue Oyster Cult launched their triple guitar attack on an unsuspecting Atlanta (the first venue they ever headlined and sold out), and recorded that performance for this classic live album, which was one of several they released. It has now been reissued, with double the songs that were originally on it. Many live Cult classics are included here, including "Godzilla", "Don't Fear The Reaper", "ETI", "RU Ready 2 Rock", "Astronomy" ( a long, trippy, spacey tune that could be considered a thinking person's answer to Black Sabbath's "Planet Caravan"), "Harvester Of Eyes", "Hot Rails To Hell", and "This Ain't The Summer Of Love". The band also does some covers; "Kick Out The Jams" (MC5), "Born To Be Wild" (Steppenwolf), and "We Gotta Get Out Of This Place" (The Animals), which is included twice. The band really makes their songs longer for their concerts. In fact, there was only room for seven songs on the original album, due to the songs' length. This reissue clocks in a 73 and a half minutes. It's a bit lengthy but they do give you your money's worth, in bot quantity and quality. This is of course a classic live album by one of hard rock's all time greats, so there's certainly no faulting that. The guitar playing on here especially stands out, the triple axe team really giving it all they had. They even do a bit of showboating on the track "5 Guitars", where they all contribute a bunch of soloing. Great players all, and the band were in their prime at the time. The songs all rock hard, some even better than the studio versions, and the album is well produced. A classic album, squared with the bonus material. All BOC fans would do well to add this to their collections. Racetrack Babies I found this C.D. to be pretty good. The first song The Messenger is killer. Love the vocals and guitar. In fact the whole band is great! Racetrack Babies has a great beat. Summer Salt- is popish in parts. Great lyrics and guitar is awsome. The Storm has a great sound to it the kind that stays with you all day. The next C.D. gem Unshined starts out really heavy then goes mellow and back to heavy. The song Soul Snatch- reminds me of Bowie, very good lyrics. The vocalist should use this style more often. http://www.myspace.com Bad Dream Well for one I can't find any info on these guys on the web. I have no address or the patience to scan every site that has Bad Dream in it. I did check a ton. All that aside, I must say I was a bit thrown when this one started. Shit, I thought it was a nu-metal band. Well when the guitars never sounded in and the M & M style rapping continued on , I was in trouble. I can't give a good review of this as I do not like it. I will say that I did listen to it twice and all I hear is M & M. as well as other hardcore rappers. So with that I will say just because I don't like it, doesn't mean shit. Look how many albums M & M sells. And if I offend the M & M fans with this spelling, oh well. Good luck to the guys in Bad Dream as the 4 tracks on this disk are of high quality in sound, recording and rapsmanship. So for the hip-hoppers, I'm sure you'll be wanting this and you'll definitely be hearing about Bad Dream in the near future. |