ROB ~ Rise On Belief (EP) (album review) ... Glamorous beyond belief!

Style: hard rock
Label: Rising On Belief Productions
Year: 2007
Home: New York City, New York

Members: ROB Hoagland ~ vocals
Ronnie Drayton, Mario Rodriguez ~ guitars
Richie Harrison ~ drums
Mark "Abishai" Brooks ~ bass
Laree Williams, LaJune ~ b. vocals  

  Glamorous is a word that comes to mind when first hearing the debut from this New York City frontman. The second word is positive message. I might be wrong on both accounts, but it's hard to deny that ROB & his band is aiming for a breakthrough into the mainstream commercial landscape & not eternal garage band status with a highly polished & intricate sound melding hard rock &funk sensibilities with a big city groove. & his songs seem to share a positive message & vibe, even in the choice of the Hendrix cover 'Freedom'. There's enough variety in his songs that it's obvious ROB doesn't want to be pigeon-holed, albeit, if anything, he wants to be pigeon-holed as a high energy powerhouse of an artist putting lots of ideas & enthusiasm into his music. I guess that's not too bad of a thing to be pigeon-holed for! Further, that's probably one of his biggest assets, as at times the band over powers & draws focus away from his singing - which might be more the fault of the mixing - & one starts to wonder how much of the music is reflective of Rob Hoagland & how much is a producer's creation of what he wants ROB to be. Whose ever ideas are in the air, ROB's vocals have such energy you know he's a creative force of his own. Behind his singing out such lyrics as "I am the chosen one, I will fight .... like the sun, I bring the light" is music aiming for a big impact with a chorus & lots of guitar solos & fills. 'The Chosen One' actually reminds me a bit of KISS when they performed with a symphony. Big & bold & at times a little messy. In many ways ROB even has a very New York sound, which is something many might say doesn't exist, compared to a San Francisco, sound, until you hear ROB & know that the sound is big, textured & a little funky & a little raw. It's a mix of cultures like the city, balancing the wall between individuality & group popularity. The only thing missing from this album to make it perfect is legendary New Yorkers funkmaster T.M. Stevens or Joe Lynn Turner on backing vocals. Then it would really be big & bold & at times a little messy. ROB also wears some of his influences on his sleeve. His advertising quotes the Rolling Stones as a strong influence, alongside Kravitz, the Chili Peppers & Hendrix, but as someone whose heard every Rolling Stone album I don't know where they are in ROB's music, but I will say that the Kravitz influence is right with a bit of 80's funk made famous by the Chili's. ROB is one of those musicians who I believe probably sounds better on stage & I wouldn't mind seeing the next time he's in the area, so I can add to this review that what you hear is only part of the story & the flash & polish is as much alive onstage away from a producer's watchful eye.

Eyes Of The Owl ~ Eyes Of The Owl (aka debut) (EP) (album review) ... Where sludge metal reigns!

Style: sludge, doom metal, drum & bass
Label: self-released
Year: 2009
Home: New Zealand
Members: Dan, Leigh, Matt ~ n/a

 

 EOTO is a band that's taking the basic building blocks of metal & trying to push it further. This EP opens with a simple bassline that sounds like it's being projected from a submarine, jumping into a rhythm with the guitar & drums that's a mix of Hendrix & Sabbath, albeit their slower doomier side. Chunky yet simple, distorted but not enough so each instrument isn't clear in the mix. Nearly 3 minutes into the song comes some vocal screams, but distorted & way down in the mix, like echoes down a hall in a lost scene from Poltergeist or Saw. This is about ambiance & texture not singing with what sounds like less than 20 words. & with a guitar solo at the end of the first song that's out of the repertoire of Sunn O))), well, the stage is pretty much set for the what you're going to experience. This album isn't necessarily about surprises. This is about creating moods. Some define this style of music as sludge. The inherent meaning of sludge is not lost here. If you ever find yourself making a movie & have a scene of mud moving this is the perfect background music if you want to make the mud seem alive. Guitarists like to pose like their tearing the music from their guitar & if playing the instrument is painful. It's not but this crew actually sounds like it is & thus every note sounds like it's being torn from their instruments. In many ways Eyes Of The Owl might be the modern continuation of what the Velvet Underground was doing on many of their more instrumental tracks. Their 'Heroin' has but two chords & is definitely about repetition, mood & how the music naturally builds. I also must confess that I like the names of the titles: 'Tomb Of The Snake Where Darkness Reigns', 'Cloak Of Harsh Winds,' 'Revelation Of The Barren Conscience' & 'Passed Through The Dragons Teeth.' I don't really know if this is what I ever thought a snake's tomb sounded like ... but like a strange painting with a seemingly mismatched title ... don't worry about the details cause it's not about the individual parts but the whole picture. Even the fact that there's 4 songs on the album is a tease. It's really three parts of one with a tag. This is one of the more experimental releases I've reviewed in while. If you like an electric guitar dirge that actually sounds like it's coming out of a convent filled with inner pain & torment right out of the Middle Ages - I know a costume store that sells monk robes. I may even buy one with you. Obsequium religiosum!

Lindsey Buckingham ~ Go Insane (album review) ... Yet, the guitar already went insane for you!

Style: rock, new wave
Label: Reprise/Waner Music Group
Year: 1984
Home: California

Members: Lindsey Buckingham ~ guitars/ bass/keyboards/percussion/organ/vocals

Additional: Gordon Fordyce ~ keyboards
Bryant Simpson ~ bass

 

You never know what you'll get with a LB solo album, which is often their biggest draw as they tend to be hit & miss affairs. Hit being startling great songs, the misses being fragmentary ideas that are too obsessed with studio wizardry & not enough focused on listenable arrangements. Further, his solo albums rarely show the lyrical depth he had with Fleetwood Mac. This second solo release hits the highs ... & lows ... of both those points. 'I Want You' & 'Go Insane' could be Fleetwood Mac. While, 'Play In The Rain' is an example of a game of studio sound effect manipulation with no reigns. The vinyl version even had a locked groove that kept the last notes going, only to begrudgingly return to a 'Part 2' on Side 2 when all you want to do is get to the next song. What the record label thought upon hearing this one wonders. Indeed, Go Insane hits the highs & the lows & the lows & the lows & the ... LB is known for loving the world of the studio & what he can do in it. His albums are his children. He makes them for himself & not for chart positions. This is a sad case because when he has a successful solo album it doesn't get heard like it should. The first LB album I ever found was in a discount bin & it's the album many critics consider to be his best. I think of David Byrne as a comparable musician in many ways, in approach, musical style, experimentation & lack of chart success. Proof is that when LB went to put out a new studio album, the label said they never sold & would only take a Fleetwood Mac album. Thus, the reunion was born & only then after a live & a studio album did his solo work finally hit the shelves & then only riding the coattails of a tour. But, for whatever the lows of his albums, my focus on later day Fleetwood Mac has always been LB. I consider the pre-LB & Stevie Nicks band a different band. I saw Fleetwood Mac in concert at the Garden last year & the highlights for me were a couple solo spots by LB where he just let things rip. I'd see him again. Fleetwood Mac is just a nostalgia band. If they came back I'd bring my spouse whose a Stevie Nicks fan. But, I've 'done' the show. The fact that they didn't play anything from their 'newest' album (i.e Say You Will) - 'new' being 7 years old - nor anything since 1987's Tango In The Night, though two albums followed albeit sans LB & Nicks ... I'd love to see a LB solo concert as I'm sure it would be full of vitality. He's a greatly under-rated guitarist with a choppy style all his own with a tired but emotive singing style that's a perfect match ... & he's even got a classy looking guitar. When he plays he shines. When he twiddles nobs he experiments. But, if you're a die-hard collector like me you buy the good with the bad just to hear something. Lindsay always promises new, without doubt & that's what we want to hear. Go insane is the perfect title as he does. He may not be seen as a guitar god, but he's definitely an inspiration.

Van Halen ~ The Best Of ... Vol 1 (hits comp) (album review) ... The best of the greatest band!

Style: heavy metal, 80's rock, hard rock
Label: Warner Brothers
Year: 1996
Home: California

Members: David Lee Roth ~ lead vocals
Sammy Hagar ~ lead vocals/rhythm guitar
Eddie Van Halen ~ guitars/keyboards/b. vocals
Michael Anthony ~ bass/b. vocals
Alex Van Halen ~ drums

 

 

  I remember watching David Letterman every day after school as a young boy in the 80's. This is back before he'd switched networks. If you know what I'm talking about you're showing your age. One afternoon he interviewed Eddie Van Halen, who was then considered the greatest guitar player in the world, climaxed by being on Michael Jackson's chart-topping Thriller. Today few would probably call Eddie the greatest. Influential, yes. Legendary, yes. A bit odd when it comes to directing the later day career of his band, maybe. I didn't get into Van Halen until later when Sammy Hagar was on board & they released For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge (which, if you didn't realize it spells F.U.C.K.). I still remember the video of David in 'Poundcake' playing guitar with an electric drill. Predecessor David Lee Roth was a bit too flamboyant for me & I always liked the more commercial & polished arrangements that came with the Hagar era. Strange enough, I've always seen VH as more a singles band than being the creator of any climactic ground-breaking album. G'N'R has Appetite For Destruction, Black Sabbath has Paranoid ... but what one VH album eclipses all the other albums? The fact that they've had four musical eras based on their three singers (i.e. Hagar, Roth & Gary Cherone) & then the Roth reunion tour doesn't help examine their career for their best music. Luckily, they gave us The Best ... Vol. 1 so we don't have to argue. & VH has a plethora of hits ... & most of them are here. This could easily be the only VH album you ever need to be satisfied. Further, it's in chronological order so you hear a maturing band over two singers & then reuniting with the first to record some new tracks. & no, the new tracks are not detriments to the whole, though they aren't the best parts of the album either. Compilations are not always the best way to get to know a band, particularly for those with long & diverse careers like VH, but this compilation will save you a lot of money buying all their albums & figuring out their career for yourself. Further, a lot of bands rely on the power of the album over all with singles being like songs out of context. I guess it's in their favor that VH doesn't have a ground-breaking concept album. VH knew how to groove, they knew how to rock, they could be simple & straight-forward (i.e. the entire rhythm section) or blisteringly complicated (i.e. any of Eddie's solos), no song sounds alike, they experimented (i.e. the new tracks with Roth) ... but until they get their situation back together square enough for a new studio album this wouldn't be a bad album to have in your collection while waiting. They could easily never do another again, but with this collection you'll always remember them for the killer band the world once recognized them as.

Xerophonics ~ Copying Machine Music (album review) ... You've heard this one before & before & before & before!

Style: experimental, noise
Label: Seeland Records
Year: 2003
Home: n/a

Members: n/a

 
What's the definition of metal? That it's heavy? Obviously that's figurative as the weight of the instrument isn't important, though Les Paul guitars are heavy on the shoulder. That it's metal? Obviously more figurative speech, albeit, guitar strings are made of metal & their sound is the sound of vibrating plucked metal. The Xerophonics take the definition of heavy metal literally. As in ... literally this is heavy & metal ... in the sense that it's the music made from the recordings of very large, heavy & metallic Xerox machines ... 12 different machines to be exact, including Panasonic, Xerox, Matrix, Canon, Konica, Minolta & even Toshiba. Yes, I know, it doesn't give off the same thrill as if we were talking about Taylor, Fender, Martin, Gibson, Rickenbacker, Ibanez, Epiphone & even Gretsch (all guitar companies if you don't know). & yes, I already see the deja vu of John Cale where he recorded himself moving his living room furniture around. But, this is a little more complicated as the sounds have been looped & layered to form poly-rhythmic beats that actually make good on the idea. There's no other instrument - just copying machines. It's actually pretty good & there's some semblance of rhythm & harmony on the album that makes this more listenable & interesting than a lot of rock albums. Further, some of the sounds I didn't even know could be made by a machine, they've been so processed, so it's not as bland as you might expect. Though, I'll confess that I worked for 6 months in a copying shop so I have a bias. But, once you get this heavy everything else pales in comparison. It brings new meaning to Lou Reed's idea of Metal Machine Music. He's got nothing on this! 

Ozzy Osbourne ~ Just Say Ozzy (live) (EP) (album review) ... A strange affair for the Prince of Darkness!

(Click on heading to visit official website.)
Style: heavy metal, live
Label: Epic
Year: 1990
Home: England

Members: Ozzy Osbourne ~ vocals
Zakk Wylde ~ guitar
Geezer Butler ~ bass
Randy Castillo ~ drums
John Sinclair ~ keyboards

 

I've always found Ozzy live a bit of a messy affair compared to the perfection of the studio, something particularly encouraged by the blistering guitar of Wylde who to me always overplayed what to me are often simple riffs. The best part of this EP are the Black Sabbath tracks 'War Pigs' & 'Sweet Leaf' - featuring Sabbath bassist Geezer, no less, who I frequently tout as my bass playing idol - but both come at the end of 2 hits ('Miracle Man', 'Shot In The Dark') & 2 fillers ('Bloodbath in Paradise,' 'Tatooed Dancer') from No Rest For The Wicked album. This is a strange collection as it seems to have many roles it plays. At the time, according to the liner notes by Ozzy, it was the idea of the record company ... so, obviously the album was about taking further economic advantage of the current tour, which advertised the fact that it featured 1/2 of Black Sabbath. In hindsight, this concert is more a historical record featuring the last time Ozzy & Geezer would play together on tour before the Sabbath reunions while featuring the first of many tours with Zakk Wylde, who brought new life to Ozzy's dotted post-Randy Rhoads career. Also according to the linear notes this live version of 'Shot In The Dark' Ozzy prefers over the original studio version. Does he still believe that? Also, like many famous live albums, it should be noted that some parts were re-recorded in the studio afterwards. At one point in the first track Ozzy yells "Go crazy tonight." That's pretty much what they do on this show. So, this might be a great concert or it might be a historical piece depending on your point of view. The band drives ahead full-force & everyone is in prime form, though a 1/3 of the material may not be everyone's choice & the album too short by many fans standards

Black Flag ~ The Process Of Weeding Out (EP) (album review) ... Weeding out the notes!

Style: hard rock, instrumental
Label: SST Records
Year: 1985
Home: California

Members: Greg Ginn ~ guitar
Kira Roessler ~ bass
Bill Stevenson ~ drums 

 How many punk bands can you name that have put out an entirely instrumental album? This is not the most technically challenging album, particularly when it relies on atonal guitar solos versus traditional fluid melody lines that make the ear cringe, but it takes a lot of guts to release something that may go against your band's reputation ... let alone put off listeners ... in the name of experimental art. Luckily, BF didn't take the Lou Reed approach & release an album of unbearable noise (i.e. Metal Machine Music), but noise is a factor in this album that attempts to bring together the jazz & rock influences of bandleader Greg Ginn. Albeit, Ginn goes more for the rock end of the spectrum than jazz, making this more of an odd experiment than a musical ground-breaker. Ginn has nothing on the ground-breaking jazz-rock, or jazz fusion, work of guitarists Larry Coryell & Mahavishnu John McLaughlin & Jeff Beck on the rock side. At times it's a whiny groove-based rock album, other times it's a free jazz odyssey of the Ornette Coleman variety. Neither is really a success but it's definitely something interesting for the musicologist. Though, for those that know Black Flag such a creation as this should come as no surprise. They might be known as one of the first hardcore punk bands, but the essence of punk is about blazing new trails ... this album only continues to show how Black Flag lived up to that goal. For those used to modern punk, i.e Green Day, this is not be the album to be introduced to Black Flag by ... though, for those interested in originality The Process Of Weeding Out is an important nail in the coffin of how far you can take music before it becomes unlistenable. Yes, unlistenable. This album is indeed a weeding out of those who don't have the guts to listen to something that's non-traditional & largely disturbing. Albeit, I would love to see more bands should follow their lead & not be afraid to take their creativity to the limit. The outcome may not be great but the incentive behind it is admirable & inspirational. If you don't know who Black Flag is & you're not yet ready to delve into the other parts of their discography, all you really need to know is that their former lead singer is icon Henry Rollins. Look at his output & you'll understand everything you need to still be somewhat cool around us rockers.

Rush ~ Moving Pictures (album review) ... Rushing into the 1980's!

Style: progressive rock, hard rock

Label: Mercury
Year: 1981
Home: Ontario, Canada


Members: Geddy Lee ~ vocals/bass/organ
Alex Lifeson ~ guitars
Neil Peart ~ drums/percussion

Additional: Hugh Syme ~ synthesizers 

Moving Pictures is the spotlight album for many Rush fans & I would agree. It manages to include some very commercial songs ('Tom Sawyer' & 'Limelight') but also includes a stellar instrumental ('YYZ') & some non-chart toppers that almost make the aforementioned songs seem like filler. It's also a good mix of the oncoming '80's New Wave with hard rock but yet staying within the known heavy prog Rush sound. What's interesting is that both New Wave & hard rock were in development at the time this album would be made with both trends coming into their own within a few years. It's hard to say if the styles influenced Rush or if Rush influenced the styles listening to this album. Sadly, Rush would go on to have too much keyboards in the mix in forthcoming albums, but Moving Pictures is the perfect moment for a band to show who they were & who they could be & bringing in the best of all influences in a fusion that would make other bands jealous. Until hearing this album I always thought all Rush songs sounded the same, which might have something to do with Geddy Lee's tenor, but that would be a large misjudgment of a great band. If you don't know Rush this is a good starting point. What started as curiosity now is pushing me to listen to more of their albums.

The Wild Gulloots ~ Hold On Tight (EP) (album review) ... & don't let go!

Style: alt rock
Label: self-released
Year: 2008
Home: Bristol, England

Members: Sam Evans ~ vocals
Frankie Wollacott ~ Lead Guitar
Sam Short ~ guitar/backing vocals
Stuart Gullick ~ bass/backing vocals
Craig Walker ~ drums

I've always been surprised that there's not more of a rivalry between the British & American music scene throughout history. However similar they are they are also very different. Could the Stones, Led Zep, The Who or Sabbath have been created in America? Or, could Megadeth & Metallica have been done with a British accent? Though "alt rock", such as in the The Killers, seems to be the latest trend I hear definite differences between what is coming out of America & Britain within this genre. Maybe I'm not listening to enough of it but I often find the British music more musically experimental & exciting. Or, I should say the emphasis in the arrangements is on different things, though I can't put my finger on exactly what. The Wild Gulloots, an up & coming band a few years old in Bristol with the average of age of 20, is one of these bands where I can't put my finger on the what those Brit's are doing that we Yanks aren't, but I know they have something we can learn as I listen to them. For those of us that pour metal into our ears constantly it's rather easy to forget that there's music out there that doesn't need to prove a pound by storming fast like a locomotive & that there's a difference between a riff & a melody line. It's easy to forget that songs exist that aren't 90% guitar show-off soloing. It's like sitting in your room too much with the windows closed. You go outside & realize how beautiful the day is & are shocked that you feel as good as you did hibernating if not better. That's the best way to describe the Wild Gulloots - a breathe of musical fresh air. & if you haven't figured it out - they're named after their bald headed bassist. I was hunting in the dictionary for what a Gulloot was before I finally looked at the band roster.

Argenraza ~ Primera Conquista Total Del Hemisferio Sur (EP) (album review) ... My ears are bleeding!

Style: death metal, black metal
Label: self-released
Year: 2004
Home: Buenos Aires, Argentina

Members: R. Raza ~ guitar
Eviigne ~ drums
N. ~ vocals 

 

 

 
I've made an unwritten rule for these reviews that I won't review an album that was horrible ... & yes such albums do exist ... or I find totally bland, unlistenable & unoriginal. Some albums I review might have glaring weak parts, but the positives should tilt the balance. I won't promise to give every band a glowing review but I try to be fair in my criticisms. So far, I've heard no complaints. The only albums I'll give a completely bad review to would be those bands, preferably untouchable famous bands, that have an obvious skeleton in the closet not reflective of their greater career, such as The Joe Perry Project's first album which I don't like & neither do fans generally but obviously can't be considered representative of Perry's output. Further, if a band inspires me to write something than an album can't be all bad. & inspire is the key. I don't attempt to pick apart every bar of music or instrument - this I have been criticized unjustly for - but to just let the thoughts flow. If I'm inspired to write, & I tend to not write when uninspired, then some musical magic is happening. It's more complimentary, I believe, to allow the magic then to dissect the songs. But, going against everything I've just set forth - this debut by death metal outfit Argenraza is probably the worst album I've ever heard in my life (which now counts 32 years if you want to know), including living in 4 countries & visiting a dozen more where I always checked out the local songsmiths. Even the horrendous bootleg live jams by the Velvet Underground with potentially out of tune guitars have more dynamics than this near imitation of white noise. Add to this noise top of lungs screaming, three chord riffing out of the Stooges, no solos & monotonous one pattern drumming. & all this is lost under poor production that sounds as if the band recorded in a poorly set-up studio. The first time I heard this album my ears kept hearing it after it ended or maybe they kept bleeding. An aural assault? Beyond that! So, why give it a review if even my review is making it sound better than it is? Because it's so bad, so atrociously bad, that I can't help but take notice, so they're obviously doing something musically right ...?! I'm also reminded of all those senior citizens who say rock'n'roll is just screeching. This is obviously the band they've been listening to. Now I understand everything! Avoid this at all costs ... or give to your girlfriend if you can't figure out how to dump her. I just don't want anyone to say I'm not listening to metal from around the world & not giving non-English speakers a chance, albeit I can't tell if he's screaming in English or not...

Alestorm ~ Captain Morgan's Revenge (album review) ... Drink up!

Style: folk metal, pirate metal
Label: Napalm Records
Year: 2008
Home: Scotland

Members: Christopher Bowes ~ vocals/keyboards/tin whistle
Gavin Harper ~ guitars/jaw harp/percussion/b. vocals
Dani Evans ~ bass
Ian Wilson ~ percussion

Additional: Brendan Casey ~ bass/b. vocals
Migo Wagner ~ drums/b. vocals
Chris Mummelthey ~ b. vocals
Lasse Lammert ~ vibraslap/tambourine

  If you know this seemingly new trend of viking metal then you know exactly what Alestorm sounds like, albeit with pirate melodies versus other marauding influences ... which might be splitting hairs considering the rarity of historical recordings of actual pirates & viking singing available for anthropological examination. In the end, it's just trading one style of boat, uniform & weapon for another. Though, I'll confess I actually like this style of music! It's inherently fun. Whenever I'm in a upbeat mood where I'm not worrying about work or a project this is what I put on to spin welcomingly. Albeit, I'm reminded of the Manowar style of rock, but instead of a band wearing loincloths onstage they're wearing ... loincloths ... with broadswords. I've not done the research yet to see if music historians connect the two trends ... But, I do find this music historically fascinating for the reason that this is seemingly a form of music unique to Europe. There's no viking past in North America to draw from & so far I've not uncovered any Native American or Inuit Metal. Of the bands I've heard in the viking metal world Alestorm has become my favorite & not because the album is named after a bottle of rum (which in turn, I think, is named after a real pirate) ... because that's the one alcohol I don't like. Alestorm brings in the best of the sound, with fun & creative arrangements. The first time I heard this musical style it was by a Finnish band that opened for Dragonforce that featured an accordion & violin. I was intrigued & have been since. I should thank them for bringing me to Alestorm! If you don't know what viking metal sounds like - it's exactly what you think it sounds like: fierce rhythms, chorus vocals & viking inspired melodies & lyrical topics. Pirate metal is just a little more drunken & sea-worthy. If you don't know what I mean go straight for Alestorm or walk the gang plank! But, one must ask oneself, in all seriousness, would Captain Kidd approve or have the band beheaded? & since when do pirate ships have electrical outlets for guitar amps? Let alone, the guitar wasn't even invented back then. &, more importantly, is Adam Ant having a laugh, considering that he already did this 30 years ago?

INXS ~ The Greatest Hits (hits comp) (album review) ... New wave never sounded so sexy!

Style: new wave, rock
Label: Universal
Year: 1994
Home: Australia

Members: Garry Gary Beers ~ bass
Andrew Farriss ~ keyboards/guitar
Jon Farriss ~ drums/keyboards
Tim Farriss ~ lead guitar
Michael Hutchence ~ vocals
Kirk Pengilly ~ guitar/sax/backing vocals

Guest: Charlie Musselwhite ~ harmonica

   I remember moving across the country as a boy with my parents. I'd selected a few favorite cassettes to carry in the front of the U-Haul for the week's journey. INXS's X (featuring the then hits 'Suicide Blonde' & 'Disappear') was one of chosen. I didn't tire of it that week & it's infectious sound still sends shivers down my spine. That's one of those albums where every song is great - MTV chart-topper or not. I've since bought many of their earlier albums with pleasure. Sadly, I consider X the peak of their career as nothing they did later interested me - chart sales show that I wasn't the only fan with this change of heart - & with the senseless & tragic death of singer Hutchence INXS ceased to exist for me as a viable band. I no longer pay attention to their career as they struggle through singers & try to avoid the nostalgia circuit or splitting up. Now, I don't want to say that INXS isn't a great band without Hutchence's voice. They remain a group of talented guys whoever is in the front, but he made them a greater band with a timelessness to what is essentially the New Wave end of rock with a dancefloor beat that is badly dated. Further, Hutchance drooled with sex with every word with the same flame that spurred the sexually-charged charisma of Jim Morrison & Janis Joplin or Bono. Reflecting the later part of their career, this collection is a mixed bag. It spans their career, but being out of chronological order sounds like a compilation of a couple bands, as INXS was a band whose sound progressed with every album from modest garage band to MTV-branded pop & beyond to self-destruction, but out of order the progression is hard to listen to. Also, the album aims to grab equally from most of their albums - something many greatest hits collections don't do instead choosing to pull most of the album from a select few albums & largely ignore the rest - but that means there's a few weak tracks here & some good tracks left off. The weak songs really hurt the flow of the album, particularly when you go from a song that you love to a song that you don't want to be reminded of. Albeit, the hits do remind you why this band is so great. If you want an introduction to INXS pick up X, Kick & Listen Like Thieves & call it a day. That's the heart of their legacy & between those three albums you'll get all the hits, see a band showing growth & walk away believing they are a better band then the rest of their career sadly reflects.

Hysterica ~ Metalwar (album review) ... Chicks at war!

Style: heavy metal
Label: Animal Records
Year: 2009
Home: Stockholm, Sweden

Members: Anni De Vil ~ vocals
Bitchie ~ guitar
RockZilla ~ guitar
SatAnica ~ bass
Hell'n ~ drums

  

  A female fronted metal band that's not aiming for symphonic opera vocals seems to be a rarity these days & all girl metal bands are rare enough as it is. Yes, we listen to this band initially because of their gender, the key is that at the end of the album we no longer care. Hysterica is not about innovation. This is the spirit of Metallica without the technical flash, aiming for a harder sound through slower paced riffs. Anyone who says girls can't play metal, as they don't have the physical dexterity for the playing, Hysterica is showing on their debut one doesn't need that mythological dexterity to still rock. The fact that these are well-crafted songs takes things to new levels too. Listening to Metalwar I'm reminded of what a 19 year old Doro (sans Warlock) would sound like. If you don't know German metal songstress of the past 3 decades Doro you've just been given some homework to get out of your house more often & find some new music. It also can't help but be mentioned that this is a role model band for young metal chicks, of which there are plenty. If you're not a young metal chick & like to see women in leather mini-skirts ... Hysterica is covering all the bases. Nothing wrong with combining gender & talent!

Eye Of The Dawn ~ Eye Of The Dawn (aka debut) (album review) ... Meet your vampire, baby!

Style: hard rock, jam, alt rock
Label: Nuyawk Songs Inc.
Year: 2009
Home: New York City

Members: John "Sully" Sullivan ~ lead guitars/vocals
Craig Gottlieb ~ bass
Marcello Pantano ~ drums

 

 

It's easy to search the world for a great band...almost too easy these days...but in doing so we forget to turn to our own backyard, which for me is Brooklyn since I live in Manhattan. I look at the schedule for Madison Square Garden for a famous band on tour, but ignore the local bands roughing in local grimy clubs...even though as a rock bassist I've played in some of these local clubs, even including some this particular band has played in & know the future Madison Square headliners are in these clubs. Often the best response to a gig has been a compliment from a a stranger in the crowd. Friends always tell you good things. Strangers are actually paying attention. I regularly tell myself I really should get to more local clubs & be one of those strangers in the crowd. Hearing a band like EOTD I'm reminded of this unfulfilled New Year's resolution. Every band has both strong & weak points. Even Led Zeppelin or the Beatles. But, I'll confess to having a bias to a band with good lyrics & give them a few bonus points. Anyone can learn to play guitar, but you can't learn how to write great lyrics, no matter how many books from Barnes & Nobles you buy that'll tell you differently for $19.95. Lyrics are also often what differentiates one band from sounding like another & good lyrics can do wonders for an okay band of okay musicians with okay arrangements. If you have a band struggling for good lyrics...your search is over - hire the songwriter behind this band. Fun lines like "I'm your vampire baby/ You only see me in the dark/I'm your vampire baby/Come drive a spike through my heart" from "Vampire" or "until the walls come down/we're going underground" from "Underground" immediately hit your ear with their creativity. The lyrics are topically creative, let alone visually interesting in a way I haven't heard since I last listened to Morrissey. Let alone that the lyrics are sung between two different singers - two singers are always good in a band - laid against a bed of shifting rhythms & melodies that constantly bring musical surprises. & the songs are full of breathing room that not just highlights the lyrics but also the different instruments. Breathing in music is often the first thing forgotten in an arrangement & the first to be missed. Just the other night I was thinking I needed to listen to some music that was not all fierce walls of sound. I needed something with more emotion & more influences in it's musical range than just metal. Eye Of The Dawn is a good solution to my audio numbness. Creativity at it's best.  

Nutrition ~ Hyperdimensional Awakening (EP) (album review) ... Vitamin overload!

Style: black metal, experimental
Label: Death To Music Productions
Year: 2009
Home: California/Japan

Members: Jeremy Mauney ~ vocals
Roland La Goy ~ guitars/bass/keyboards/drums

 
I often have trouble enjoying black metal. It's not because I don't want to but because I don't know what to listen for. I fight against what I perceive as a lack of creativity in the double bass drum & repetitious guitar figures with indecipherable growling. Then, I hear a band where the growling has dimensions (i.e. Arch Enemy & Cradle Of Filth most immediately come to mind) & where there is some musical variety in the arrangement. In that moment I realize the enjoyment in black metal ... I just have to weed through the mass amount of junk metal out there to get to the really tarnished stuff worth collecting. A good stage show doesn't hurt either, which was my introduction to Satyricon who I like. But, on record this asset is missing & I'm stuck struggling trying to find things about a recording that makes it attractive to me. When I find it it's a goldmine. This 4 song EP did shimmers with a gold hue. On one hand it's straight-forward black metal, but the hyper-dimensional in the title should be taken literally. It's full of little nuances. These range from radio transmissions as voice-overs to haunting gothic keyboards, which particularly bring out a new level to the music with quasi-polyphonic melody lines, solos in different keys & a third track that goes for a more ethereal approach. I've found myself listen to this EP over & over & over in the last few days unable to find the words to review it because I know I'll fail & I kept hearing new things in the mix. Whenever I think I'm missing something I know it's good music. This album can be downloaded free, so there's no reason not to check it out!

Joe Perry Project ~ I've Got The Rock'N'Rolls Again (album review) ... But, it doesn't necessarily happen here!

Style: hard rock
Label: Columbia
Year: 1981
Home: Boston

Members: Joe Perry ~ guitars/vocals
Charlie Farren ~ rhythm guitar/vocals
David Hull ~ bass/backing vocals
Ronnie Stewart ~ drums

 

 

Fans & critics generally call this an inferior release from the JPP, as the song-writing isn't as good nor the production as their debut, but look at the production of the seminal Velvet Underground recordings to see the problem in this complaint. As for the song-writing on this sophomore release it isn't as elaborate as debut, but I personally found this the far better album. The polyphonic clutter of too many notes that makes the debut more abstract & at times distracting is gone. This album also has some standout tracks that far outdo the weak parts of the album & I found more memorable than anything on their debut. 'Play The Game' is a slow ballad that could have been a hit had it been done by Aerosmith, though it's still a classy song with Joe behind the mic. This track alone is all you need from the JPP to be satisfied. All 3 JPP albums would feature different singers, rotating with Joe, but while the changing voices makes the debut disjointed, this has a better overall feel. The first album also sounded like a guitarist pulling out all his trump cards to soon in an attempt to impress, while here things are more focus. The time to impress is over, now it's time to make some great music. Though, it's obvious Perry wanted both to be hit albums & tried different approaches to find that end. Thus, these two albums become more an interesting comparison in growth & diversity of a particular musician than two stellar lost rock albums. Weak albums of a musician often say just as much if not more as the great albums. If nothing else, cute title. It should be noted that a highlight of the album is Joe's singing. Nothing stellar or unique, but it works in this context. Actually, if he'd handled all the vocal duties he might have been more successful as the Robert Plant/Mick Jagger wannabees he hired are poor imitators. Also, the strongest part of the album is also the what would have been the complete side B. But, a lot of listeners probably lost interest by then. There's surprises around every flip. The surprise here is that Perry would actually attempt a third solo outing before going home to Aerosmith.

Eternal Voyager ~ Holy Warrior (EP) (album review) ... New Jerusalem will come!

Style: heavy metal, power metal
Label: self-released
Year: 2009
Home: Minneapolis, Minnesota

Members: Brian Blake ~ guitar
Kevin Rife ~ guitar
Becki ~ bass
James Monte ~ drums

 

  

  You probably won't hear Eternal Voyager on the radio as not just are they still relatively unknown with this being their first release, but their playing is a bit too straight forward with stock metal riffs to pull the music away from its peers. Albeit, these riffs do get spiced up with some good, though modestly played, solos. What makes Eternal Voyager worth a review here, a blog that focuses on things that are anything but stock, are the lyrics. 'Voyager Revelation', 'Holy Warrior', 'Army Of Our Lord', 'New Jerusalem', 'This Is War' & even the name of the band itself belay the underlying message of this album. Nothing is hidden behind ear-straining growing so when you hear "we are the soldiers of the army of our lord" or "the new Jerusalem will come" & other such inspirational phrases its hard not to take notice. Their strongest point is the lyrics, but I think that's the point in many ways. This band has a message about the state of the world. & they've got a girl bassist, for those who say girls can't rock, not that gender makes any different. This troupe does rock & are off to a good start & I look forward to hear where they take their sound, & how they might bring the music to the level the lyrics are.