An Assortment of Reviews

Music Or Die: Weezer - Pinkerton

2011-07-24T14:57:00.000-07:00

It took me a while to give Weezer a proper chance. Initially introduced to them at a very young age, I remember the Happy Days infused music video to ‘Buddy Holly’ being one of the weird extras on Windows ’95 CD-ROM (alongside a rather primitive 3D hovercraft game, but that’s neither here nor there). Not disliking the song ‘Buddy Holly’, I was at an age where I rarely actively sought out music and instead was just content to listen to whatever my parents played in the car (specifically I remember the numerous car journeys with my mum to pick up my dad from work being soundtracked by her Led Zeppelin cassettes – clearly something that planted a bit of a seed in my mind for later tastes).

I didn’t think about Weezer for years until a friend of mine started to really get in to them when we were around 16. Of course, at 16 I was absolutely insufferable when it came to music. Surrounding myself with a caustic mix of Metallica, Megadeth and assorted, over the top European metal bands, I was determined to close myself off to anything without ridiculous guitar solos and violent riffs, often espousing metal as a superior form of music and audaciously damning everything else. Suffice to say, I was a bit of a tool and discarded Weezer as a prime example of boring “emo” rubbish. Clearly, that was my loss.

I eventually got over my “more metal than thou” phase, stopped wearing black constantly and decided to open my mind a little bit. At 19, before embarking on a rather disastrous holiday with a dear group of friends, one of them loaded up my iPod with some songs they felt they would need over our week trip. Amongst the hilariously inappropriate mix of NoFX, Pig Destroyer and Loudon Wainwright III was a rather large selection of Weezer tracks. Understandably, it teemed with the more popular tracks like ‘Island In The Sun’ and ‘We Are All On Drugs’, but it was the material off the first album that really drew me in – ‘Buddy Holly’ was weirdly nostalgic and ‘Say It Ain’t So’ absolutely floored me. Shortly after the holiday, when I began university, one of the first things I did with my student loan was pick up Weezer’s debut, the colloquially titled Blue Album. My financial irresponsibility aside, it was a great decision as I played that album to death.

For some reason, it wasn’t until nearly a year later that I decided to get the next Weezer album, the rather shoved-under-the-rug Pinkerton. As soon as that raw, searing synth buzz started ‘Tired of Sex’, I was engrossed. In comparison to The Blue Album, the songs were notably simpler instrumentally, with the arpeggios of tracks like ‘Surf Wax America’ eschewed for even more thundering power chords. Everything on Pinkerton was so much more visceral, to the point and hard hitting than its predecessor. When Rivers Cuomo belts out that broken, adolescent yell on ‘No Other One’ or the aforementioned ‘Tired of Sex’, it still sends a little shiver down my spine.

Culled from the remnants of a curiously titled concept album, Songs from the Black Hole, Pinkerton developed in to an autobiographical and disarmingly honest account of a frustrated, slightly nerdy young man thrust in to a lifestyle he only dreamt about – and, unsurprisingly, it’s more complicated than he could ever have imagined. Songwriter and Weezer main-man Rivers Cuomo once said about Pinkerton that it was equivalent to “getting really drunk at a party and spilling your guts in front of everyone”* - it feels cathartic at the time, but you’re embarrassed by your own toss-pottery the next day. Of course, he’s right. There is something almost cringe-inducing about the lyrical content of Pinkerton; take the lonely desperation of ‘Across the Sea’ (an infectious semi-ballad that sees Rivers opine his lust for a Japanese fan who is, shockingly, across the sea from him whilst he sits alone, feeling sorry for himself), the bouncy self-defeat of ‘Why Bother?’ (here our protagonist points out the worthlessness in romantic pursuit as it will inevitably end in tears, so he “might as well keep wackin’”) or even the puppy-dog-crush romanticism of ‘El Scorcho’. Honestly, I can see why, when Weezer came back with their Green Album years after Pinkerton failed to make much of an impact, Cuomo was reluctant to play any of the songs off their sophomore effort – I can only imagine it would be like reliving a bad memory. But, as someone who has been in that drunken guts-spilling situation a couple more times than I care to remember, hearing the same irrational, self-pitying sentiments expressed so straight-forwardly and elegantly on Pinkerton reminded me that everyone is prone to those low points. They’re stupid thoughts, but they will occasionally find you. Rarely will you express them, of course, as they’re embryonically lacking a mental application of a wider context and your own common sense. So, it’s a particularly ballsy move to commit them to record without either sugar-coating them with rationality or embellishing them with melodrama, just to take the bitingly pathetic edge off.

Of course, it wasn’t just the lyrics that made Pinkerton work so well. Indeed, similar bitterness was present on much of the band’s previous album – ‘Say It Ain’t So’, ‘The World Has Turned And Left Me Here’ and ‘In The Garage’ all seem to be the laments of a rock loving nerd. Rather, Pinkerton excels at communicating its embarrassing but painfully human messages through the mere tone and production of the album. Nothing on Pinkerton sounds polished. The bass bumps and thuds in a nonchalant manner, the guitars are distorted with razor-like fuzz and are often accompanied by keys that squeal like a drill, the drums simply accentuate the cacophony and the high-pitched backing vocals often seem slightly out of place. Whilst the songs have clearly been meticulously written, their actual recording doesn’t sound as laboured and perfected as everything the band did before and after. It’s a wonder that any of it works, but it culminates in a surprisingly explosive and coherent platter of pop-rock. It is as if the music itself personifies the lyrical themes of the album, both serving as the primal and evocative emotional spurts of a man at the very end of his tether.

Whilst the songs present are effectively catchy pop anthems, the menacing sonics and bleak lyrics prevent the album from becoming as arguably twee as later efforts like The Green Album. Although post-Pinkerton Weezer still has much to offer, no other album quite touches on the exceptionally human and organic material of Pinkerton. Few albums seem as emotionally genuine as Pinkerton and that’s where the appeal lies. In those unfortunate instances where you’re racked with either abject dejection or self-indulgent self-loathing, nothing else quite hits the spot musically. Weezer get you. Or, at least they used to get you when they wrote Pinkerton.

*According to Wikipedia, this quote is from John D. Luerssen's Rivers' Edge: The Weezer Story, p348. Allegedly.

Music Or Die: An Introduction

2011-07-24T14:38:00.000-07:00

Never let it be said that music isn't emotive. There are just those songs and albums that you either so strongly associate with a memory or are so affecting of their own merit that you can't help but be moved by them when you hear them. I think it would be safe to say that one of the greatest powers of music is to communicate something beyond the restrictions of words and verbal language.

With that in mind, I thought it might be an interesting exercise to examine some of my best loved music and attempt to articulate why it means so much to me. I'm not going to lie, much of this idea has been copped from reading Nick Hornby's rather fantastic 31 Songs and, whilst I'm approaching this slightly differently to him, I do love the rather personal insight this kind of analysis of music can give a reader. I have a sneaking suspicion that anything I write of this nature might just translate in to a gushing and lengthy journal of some sort, which is not entirely the intention, but maybe that will just give a further explanation of how I approach music. Or maybe it will be a boring read, only time will tell!

These posts will be nonsensically labelled 'Music Or Die' after this absolutely ridiculous, adolescent screech of a track off one of Andrew W.K.'s early EPs.

For All We Know - For All We Know

2011-04-30T04:56:00.001-07:00

(Written for Powerplay Magazine) For All We Know is the solo project of Within Temptation guitarist Ruud Jolie, proving a rather different beast to the symphonic metal outfit. The album is a marvellously executed endeavour of atmospheric and emotive art rock, with slices of metal and piano augmentation providing it a solid backbone. Jolie’s writing exhibits a fantastic grasp of melody, displayed early on by the melding of quiet brooding and hooky chorus sensibilities on 'Busy Being Somebody Else'. A defining moment is the album’s shortest cut, 'Keep Breathing' – a wonderfully simple and stripped down number that sees several guest singers (most notably, Sharon den Adel) sing in round canon, followed by a brief injection of liveliness which dissipates before it can spoil the song’s elegance.

Despite its merits, For All We Know isn’t perfect. For instance, the failed Jeff Buckley attempt, 'I Lost Myself Today', comes off more whiney than affecting. Still, the album redeems itself thanks to Ruud and his ensemble knocking out stellar performances on each track. Of significant note are the vocals of Wudstik, whose clean croon is imbued with an enthrallingly bitter tonality and carries many of the songs through the addictive vocal melodies. Honestly, if you’re a fan of atmospheric rock / metal in any capacity, For All You Know is a mature and erudite album that demands your attention.

Devin Townsend Project - Islington Academy - 26/3/2011

2011-04-01T07:22:00.001-07:00

From the moment Devin’s perennial mascot, the coffee-obsessed alien Ziltoid, introduced the show by dancing to the Vengaboys, it was clear that this was going to be a rather lively evening. As Ziltoid’s nonsensical stand-up routine came to an end, the first notes of ‘Addicted’ echoed through the venue and the show was off to a proper start. It was immediately notable that the sound was a little quieter than usual for the Islington Academy, but this was hardly a bad thing as the intricate layers of the music came through just that bit more clearly as a result.

Whilst heavily reliant on the Addicted and Ziltoid the Omniscient albums, the set list saw a large portion of Devin’s solo material duly represented. ‘Kingdom’ from Physicist saw a stellar vocal performance from Devin, whereas the fantastic combination of the slow-grooved and ethereal ‘Earth Day’ and the bouncy ‘Bad Devil’ saw the crowd pulsate with excitement. However, it was a shame not to see a single track from Synchestra rear its head. Still, this was forgivable considering the magnitude of enjoyment provided by lengthier tracks such as the raucously over-the-top 'By Your Command'.

As one would expect with any concert involving Devin Townsend, the wealth of music was punctuated with bizarre but hilarious stage banter, not in the least during ‘Life’. Starting the song with a contagious chant of “Balls! Balls! Balls!”, it was only a few minutes before Dev proclaimed the guitar solo to be the worst he has ever written, accompanying its playing with disgusted expressions at every note. Whilst perhaps a bit peculiar, Townsend has an infectious charisma that saw the crowd utterly enamoured with him throughout the gig – whether it was the silly facial expressions, the uplifting comments occasionally peppering the songs or just the sheer musical ability displayed, the man remained a charmer throughout. The rest of the band were no slouches either, but were happier to hang back slightly during the proceedings. Of particular note was the drum-work of Ryan Van Poederooyen (or, as later introduced, “Ryan Van Poo”), whose rhythm section provided the dense backbone needed for this kind of music.

The show eventually began to wind down with the soothingly mellow, if slightly dirge-like, ‘Deep Peace’, leaving the crowd gently swaying in time with the song. Before finishing for the night, the Project invited fifteen fans on stage for closer ‘Bend It Like Bender’ which saw the rather fantastic set brought to a suitably energetic end.

A Chat With Duff McKagan

2011-03-08T12:55:00.001-08:00

On 1/3/2011, I got the chance to interview the one and only Duff McKagan for Powerplay Magazine, as he was in London following the Birmingham Guitar Show. As it's for the mag, the bulk of the interview can't be reproduced here so you should definitely pick up the next issue and give it a read. Here are a few little snippets that I couldn't fit in the proper article though. They're a bit weird out of context, so consider this a rather incoherent taster for the real piece.

On the feature film accompanying the new Loaded album, The Taking...

"We're not actually done [filming] it. We're probably about 70% done with all the filming. It's been filmed in Seattle so far, so we're gonna film some more in LA. We still have to figure out why we're all in LA in the same day... or maybe we'll disguise that it's LA. Thing is, we film for three days and then we don't film for two weeks, which gives Jamie [Chamberlain, film director] a chance to edit. It's not a high-falutin' movie but the stuff he's edited is just fucking amazing. Really, it's just another 'why not?'"

On "joining" Jane's Addiction last year...

"I was not in Jane's Addiction, just to clarify. I went in to help. Eric Avery had left and Perry [Farrell, singer] approached me about writing a new record - they're really a bass driven band. And I was like 'Oh, cool! I'm honoured.' The band started basically the same month as Guns did and I've known them since them - good guys. We were first in Perry's garage and that was great, but as soon as we went to a rehearsal place, the rumour got out that I had actually joined the band. It was a rumour gone amok. I played a couple of gigs with them, but those gigs were already booked, you know?"

On guesting on the most recent Manic Street Preacher's album, Postcards From A Young Man...

"Somehow, I was in London again and the band knew I was there. It was the Mojo awards I believe, and they had won an award and asked if I would present it them. Mojo said, 'The Manics requested you,' and I was like, 'Really? Fuck!' So I went and presented it. They're really sweet, good guys and I'm a fan of the band. Then Loaded were playing Hammersmith here and I called James and said, 'Hey, are you in town? Would you come and play 'It's So Easy' with us?' and he brought his tech, his amp - the whole deal! We thought he'd just come and play Squiers' [Loaded guitarist] amp, but it was really sweet of him. He really went all out with that fuckin' sound. And then to return the favour, he asked if I'd play on that song ['A Billion Balconies Facing The Sun'] and they just sent the file over to LA. I asked, 'What do you want me to do to this song?' and they just said, 'Just do the thing you do'. So, that was it. I sent the file back to them and it came out on the record.

On moving from Seattle's punk rock scene to California...

"[The scene] was great. Small, but mighty. However, the heroine infested Seattle I saw was laying waste to all of my friends and band-mates. I was 19 and it was time to go. I made that spur of the moment decision - 'Go now, or you may never go.'"

On the definition of 'ton'...

"We got back home and demoed all the songs we had... I don't know how many songs we had, we had a ton. 'Ton' is not a technical term. Maybe I should make it a technical term. It's like 18 and a half. The half is where the arrangement wasn't quite done. So from now on, 'a ton' is that."

The real meat of the interview is of course in the next issue of Powerplay, which should be out at the end of this month. Give it a read. Go on.

Chris Singleton & The Distractions - Lady Gasoline

2011-03-06T12:18:00.000-08:00

Perhaps the first thing that becomes abundantly clear when listening to Lady Gasoline is Irish-born Chris Singleton’s penchant for writing catchy melodies. The album primarily consists of eclectic power-pop, with influences fleeting between genres as diverse as classic rock and roll and 1980s new wave (sometimes in the same song, as with the title track), mixing the styles effortlessly without ever sounding out of place. Chris’ slightly nasally voice has a warming smoothness that softly carries the vocal lines and ensures that their melodies remain the album’s primary hook. That’s not to say the music is un-engaging, because it certainly isn’t. ‘Lose It’ is supplemented by brilliant Cake-esque guitar lines and enigmatic percussion, whereas the impeccable bass intro of ‘Bad Ambitions’ moves from the spotlight to allow for a horn-led mix of light Hammonds and flickering funk guitar.

However, it is the utterly contagious lyrical melodies that keep the listener entranced. Cuts like ‘Sold The World’ consist of those charming vocal patterns that are scarcely found outside of George Harrison penned Beatles tracks and ‘Moma Miss Americana’ boasts Dylan-styled intonations.

At the crux of it, Lady Gasoline is an erudite composition of uplifting pop rock that knows not only how to be hugely catchy, but also how to keep the music involving. By throwing in some meticulously crafted pop-rock numbers oozing with emotion, Singleton and his Distractions are on to a clear winner.

You can stream a good portion of Lady Gasoline at Chris' site.

An Interview With Devin Townsend

2011-02-19T06:21:00.001-08:00

(Here's an interview I did on the 19th February for Pi Magazine. It ended up being a bit lengthy to say the least [I think I might have overstepped my interview time slot, let's hope I didn't inconvenience anyone as a result!] so I thought I'd post the full transcript here as what goes to Pi will probably be a bit smaller. Be warned, it's pretty long.)

"Let’s just talk shit for half an hour, that's probably the best way to do this."

In the world of modern rock and metal, Devin Townsend needs little introduction. Starting his career as the vocalist for Steve Vai's Sex & Religion album and being a key part of the subsequently short-lived band, it didn't take long for Townsend to strike out on his own and establish a name for himself. Perhaps known best for his extreme metal outfit Strapping Young Lad, Devin has also had a prolific solo career that has seen him visit hard rock, acoustica, metal, prog, ambient, electronica and many things in-between. In 2007, Townsend disbanded Strapping Young Lad, the band that had probably brought him most of his fame and notoriety, and The Devin Townsend Band, the then-current incarnation of his lesser known "solo" career, taking an indefinite hiatus from the music industry altogether.

After a two year break, Townsend came back under the Devin Townsend Project moniker with the intention to release four stylistically distinct albums. In 2009, DTP released Ki and Addicted before scheduling tours to support them. As it stands, the next two in the series, Deconstruction and Ghost are slated for a simultaneous summer release.

Deconstruction

Right now, you’re nearing the end of your four album Devin Townsend Project. Am I right in thinking that you’ve just finished recording Deconstruction [Deconstruction is set to be album number three in the project, but the last to be recorded.]?

Yeah, the final uploads are happening right now. I’m just getting all my extra beeps and boops in and sending it off to the mixing engineer, then I head to Sweden on Monday. The engineer is sending me mixes and it sounds good but I’m like, “Dude, you gotta just crank up all the chaos!” and he says, “But it’s just gonna get messy…”. That’s how I roll, brother!

So is ‘chaos’ the ethos of the album?

Organised chaos. There’s chaos or just things exploding with no relevance to anything else but then there’s the type of chaos where’s there’s eighteen odd melodies happening at the same time and I like that. Well, in its place. I have to admit, I listen to Deconstruction from beginning to end and dude, I’m white knuckle by the end of it – it’s fucking intense. However, when it’s over, I don’t want to listen to it again, haha. It’s so much work just to wrap your head around all these elements. That’s why Ghost exists in my mind, because as soon as Deconstruction’s over I’m like, “Ahhh, that’s better”!

People a few years younger than me will probably be fine to listen to Deconstruction on repeat but for me… dude, I’m heading towards 40 and I’ve only got a certain amount of energy for that ‘type’ of sound. But I guess what I was trying to do with that four record thing is say, “Well look, I only have a certain amount of energy – but I do have that energy”. So the reason I’m releasing Deconstruction and Ghost at the same time is because one doesn’t exist without the other – there’s no preference. On some level, Deconstruction is an absolute mind-fuck because it’s such intense music and there’s so many guests and orchestras and choirs and it sounds really good and it’s emotionally really overwhelming and all that shit. In its place, that’s great and I think for that that compartment, Deconstruction is ideal. But that’s only an element of it and I wanted to take that element to the extreme, I wanted it to be ‘right’. But at the same time, that exists for only a part of my day. The reason I’m releasing these two together is to be able to make the statement “that unto itself is incomplete”.

Would you say there’s a bit of a yin & yang mentality behind them, then?

Well, yeah. Everything I’ve always done has had that yin & yang thing and the reason I’ve always been so interested in that is… well, it’s a fundamental in life. I think that when I was younger, I was hung up on the fact it was some kind of ideology - the yin and the yang is a hidden spiritual equation – but now I’m like fuck, man! Without positive, negative doesn’t exist – there you go! There’s no drama to it. Really, in order to make something as extreme as Ghost, I had to make something extreme as Deconstruction to balance it out, not in any metaphoric way. There would just be moments when I was working on Ghost and I was just so fucking bored of it - there’d be people on emails, money problems, kids doing cartwheels down the hallway and I’m stressed, right? So, I’d have to at that point just write something for Deconstruction just to get rid of that aggression. At the same time, I’d be working on Deconstruction sometimes and I’d be like, “You know what? It’s a beautiful day, I feel good, I feel very fortunate, I just want to go to the beach,” and all I’m doing is listening to this incredibly pounding, oppressive music and I’m thinking… “Well, this isn’t a great soundtrack for the day”! So I’d work on something for Ghost and be like, “Ahh, that’s better”.

Speaking of Deconstruction and its intricate melodies, how was working with the Prague Symphony Orchestra?

I was very fortunate to work with a good friend of mine named Florian, and basically I wrote all the music and sent him my demos on Protools and midi files. Then he took those midis and translated them into Finale and he changed the parts he would be more aware of – say, flutes can’t play that note but an oboe can or whatever. So he was able to translate the music into a way that the orchestra would be able to understand and I think in that lies one of my favourite parts of this experience. In any walk of life, as soon as you do something that impedes on anybody else’s territory, you’re always going to get somebody’s shit in a knot. You do something with an orchestra and all of a sudden, you’ve got a bunch of people who are composers who are saying, “Well, you don’t know what you’re doing!” and I say, “You’re right! But I did it!” [laughs]. It takes too much energy to lie about that really. I write it, I think complicated music in my head and it works, but in terms of the people who are like the Zappa fans and the Stravinsky fans who give you that, “Who do you think you are?” trip, I say “Well, I’m not them!” There’s never any desire or need to compete with that because I just really love writing what I write. For me, the symphony element is like a real version of my symphonic orchestra plug-in [laughs].

There are few rumours floating about regarding special guests on the album, can you tell us a bit about that?

There’s a ton of guests on it. The parts aren’t huge, a chorus here, a verse there. I definitely don’t want to make that a selling point out of respect of the guys who have done it. A lot of the people who have been kind enough to participate have done so because we’ve been friends for a long time and I think it’ll be really gauche for me to slap it on the cover, y’know? “Mid-range selling artist includes tonnes of better selling artists on his disc, please buy!” More so than a business move… it’s taken me so long to get back in to heavy music because I really thought on some level I had a self-destructive tendency within my artistic mind that would always lead me to make poor decisions thematically when it came to writing heavy music because writing heavy music inspires certain emotions. In the past, that’s led me to writing records like Alien… I’m very proud of that record, but it’s very hard for me to wrap my head around because there’s just so much paranoia in the lyrics… there’s so much fear. It was a cool effect, but shit, dude. Having to go out and play that stuff every night sucked, to be honest. So now, I really have to say if you’re going to do heavy music, make sure you got a clear head so you can back what you’re saying. If you have to tour for several years on this record, then it means when you’re out there, every word you say can be explained. Not “Oh, well I was stoned” or “It just came out of me”. Honestly, I realised – having a kid, life in general as you get older – you’re fucking accountable for everything, y’know? And so to not clarify that shit in the past or to not be completely in control of your artistic visions at this stage in the game makes your life difficult. So with guests coming on here, I basically wanted to say – look, I want to make this statement again, after years of being afraid of it and I’m going to cannonball. I’m not going to dip my big toe in to it and say that I did it, I’m going to do it. So let’s get everybody who’s cool that we know to back it, and then let’s put an orchestra on it and let’s put a choir on it and let’s make the point by the end of Deconstruction completely clear. When it’s out, people will know who’s on it and I’ve mentioned it here and there on forums but, out of respect for the people who are involved with it, I really don’t want to make it “Buy Devin’s new record because, even though we know you don’t like Devin, you like this guy!” [laughter]

Devin Townsend Project: Live

Devin Townsend Project live at Bloodstock 2010. I never said I was a great photographer.

Speaking of other DTP releases, you’ve just put out a free live EP from the band’s first tour. How did that come about?

Dude, I’ve got so much stuff on my hard-drive that I just want people to hear. Every time I say to the label let’s put this out, they say nononono. And, to their credit, it takes money to produce it and the ads and all that shit and I’m thinking, “Well why can’t I just give it away for free?” My motivation for being a musician... Dude, I would love to have a million dollars, honestly. To not think about money every minute, every day would be awesome. For any of us, of course! But if those were my reasons for being a musician? Dude, I’d be playing… I don’t know.. pop-rock or something.

Stuff like Nickelback?

Yeah, totally. I didn’t want to say it, but exactly. It’s just not my trip. Even if I wanted to, I just wouldn’t be good at it. So basically, my whole thing now… what I do is pretty specific and what I’m trying to say is a real work in progress, it’s all hypothesis. I’m just trying to get through life and figure out each step of the game as I go and making records is a way of me explaining that to myself and in this kind of musical atmosphere, I like bouncing it off other people! I don’t have an active social life, I like the people who listen to my records not being condescended to by being called ‘fans’. Dude, they’re people. And the people who are listening to it, I just want them to get the same thing out of it that I do. Every now and then you’ll get some kind of schizophrenic response where someone will say, “We’re the same” and I’m like, “Dude, we’re all the same! There’s like twelve human emotions!” We’re simple organisms, man and the things I’m writing about are one of those twelve things, haha. I’m either mad or I’m horny or I’m happy or I’m in love. For me, the way to connect and to get a gauge if whatever it is I am doing is not so far up its own ass that it’s unreachable is by talking to people about it. The internet, Twitter… all that shit. I like it, it’s cool. And because the industry is in a state now where everybody can download what they want – shit dude, I could point you to all my records on Mediafire. So if the incentive to purchase your record is based solely on whether or not you want the artist to keep doing his shit, then I think the artist has a responsibility to say, “Well, here! I know you can get it for free, my bottom line is I want you to hear it. So go for it! But I’ve gotta pay my rent, and if I can’t pay my rent through music, I’m gonna have to get a job and if you like the music enough, I’d really rather not. So, how can we work this out?” But the problem is, you go in to a record store and there’s one of my records for twenty bucks and it cost two bucks to make the goddamn thing. So, the incentive for somebody in these financial times to spend twenty bucks on something they can get for free strictly comes down to whether or not, in my opinion, they want the artist to keep doing it. So from my perspective, it’s “Here’s a bunch of shit for free” and my reasons for giving it for free are there’s an incentive to buy the record when it comes out, because I gotta keep doing this, haha.

Speaking of touring, you’re about to embark on a European one this Spring. After your hiatus, are you back in to the swing of touring?

Oh yeah. Yeah. Drink a lot of tea and make sure my voice isn’t completely hamburgered and try and find a place on the bus to jack off where you’re not gonna get busted by your buddies, you know?

Sounds awkward!

It could be, man! [laughs] But you know, I’m a cheeseball dude. I’m a total ham, right? Being on stage, I totally enjoy it. And I can only hope by being me being a bigger nerd than other people in the audience, it’ll allow them to say, “Oh okay, I can back that!” [Laughter]

What kind of material can we expect on this tour, then?

No Strapping, obviously. But dude, Ocean Machine, Inifinity, Ziltoid, Terria, Accelerated Evolution, Synchestra, Addicted, Ki, Deconstruction, Ghost… the list goes on and on. But specifically in the past – well, I like to say in the past, but I just did a 17 minute long song on fucking Deconstruction – I had this tendency to write these stupidly long songs so a live show a lot of the time would be, “Oh great, five songs and it’s two hours long!” There’s enough material to make a lot of cool shows and a lot of different sets.

I just think that… I never go to live shows and my reason for that is I just think number one, it always sounds like shit. And there are things out of the band’s control like the venue and the PA or whatever. But there’s also, a lot of times I get this sense that it’s a chore. The band’s on tour and the band feels they’re doing you a favour by touring. Things are rough in the world in general and when I go to a show, I wanna have a good night, a good time. I wanna come back thinking “It was heavy, it was awesome, I’m in a good mood – let’s go!” So with the live shows, I’m just trying to have a blast. Not in a delusional sense like “I’m happy when I’m not!” but it’s always like “Well, look. We’re going to go on stage, I’ve got some cool guitars and we’re gonna play some songs I like and everybody’s paid money to get here.” The band’s paid money to get here! The audience has paid to get here. So for us to not rock as much as we can doesn’t make a lot of sense, y’know?

Any chance of anything off your album as Punky Brüster, Cooked On Phonics?

Hahahaha. You know, it hasn’t come up yet.

It'd be great to hear 'Fake Punk' live!

Ha, I’ll see what I can do. I’ll talk to the band and see if they’re down with it, that could be cool actually! You’re in the UK, right? I’ll see what I can do. I don’t know if it’ll happen, I gotta finish this record but dude, it’s an easy song. I’ll see what I can do!

Ziltoid & Rock Band

Graphic for the Ziltoid Rock Band package by Rohan Voigt

Moving on from touring, you’ve just released stuff for Rock Band based on your album Ziltoid The Omniscient. Are there more plans for that?

Dude, I just can’t wait for them to get that fucking thing out on Rock Band. They released one song and they’re not releasing the rest of it and I spent a lot of time trying to get that thing together. Honestly, it kind of bums me out but we’ll see. So far my whole Rock Band excursion has been a little trying as I spent all that time trying to get that together and they’re like “Oh well, we can’t release it. There’s problems…” or whatever. We’ll see, I think eventually it’ll all come out. But really, I think it’s another example of the conservative nature of not just Rock Band, but the music industry in general tends to shoot itself in the foot a lot of the time. Like my whole thing with releasing that free EP was “Fuck it, man”. That whole dinosaur mentality of “Oh this isn’t going to work, this isn’t financially viable” definitely stunts the amount of things I want to do sometimes. But you never know man, that Ziltoid thing might get passed in a month or two and yeah, I’d love to do Addicted, I’d love to do Deconstruction, I’d love to do it all. It’s up to other people at this point.

What’s happening about the Ziltoid comic? Is that still in the works?

Yeah, we’re still working on it. I’ve got this guy, Rohan [Voigt], in Australia who’s been working on it. But again the Devin Townsend… Empire is usually a little scant in terms of funding. So trying to get people to do stuff for it is a little bit like, “When you’ve got time between taking care of your kids and working your 9 to 5 job, if you could do a huge project for me, that’d be awesome”. We’ll cut everybody in on the profits, but there’s not a lot of funding upfront so everything takes a long time.

Everything Else

On a different note and going back a bit, you recorded a few things with Jason Newsted of Metallica. As of yet, the Tree of the Sun recordings have yet to see the light of day. Any chance of that ever happening?

Haha, God I don’t even remember that recording. I remember a riff from the first song but… this is my problem with quote unquote super-groups, not that that was one, but in general. It’s like… to make a good record, I don’t care who you are, it takes a long time and a lot of passion and a lot of attention to detail, right? I get offered a lot of times – dude, in the last week I got two or three super-group offers – and I’m like “Okay, so what do we do?”, “We’ll get together for a week and we’ll write a record and we’ll record it…” and I’m like “Dude. The record is going to suck, man”. I don’t care who you are, the reason these bands are successful is because the record they made that people liked was slaved over for a long time. Whether or not the records came out really quick, there’s an element of inspiration or attention to detail that makes it. The audience isn’t stupid, you put on one a bad super-group record and they’ll be like, “Yeah, they slapped this together because they wanted to make a bunch of money based off the fact its Joe Bozo and Joe Knob-Gobbler in the same band together”. I honestly think that every time I get offered one of these gigs, I put so much time and energy in to making my music rock, to blow that away by making an average record with some dudes doesn’t make sense. And the Tree of the Sun thing, it was cool but it was never records. It was demos, people getting together and jamming. But there was so much attention paid to it because it was Jason, Scott [Reeder of Kyuss], Dale [Crover of The Melvins] and me. People had this sense that it was going to be a combination of all the best parts of all those bands in one place. Haha, it isn’t. It’s a bunch of people who don’t know each other getting in a room and trying to make it work and that’s what it sounds like a lot of the time.

Well, it wouldn’t be the first time you’ve released demos to your audience.

Yeah, it’s all Jason. That all Jason’s shit, nothing to do with me. He holds all those masters really. I honestly haven’t talked to Jason in like 12 years, so…

Going back a bit further, I have to ask – how did you end up in The Wildhearts?

The Wildhearts were opening up for Steve Vai when we were in Europe and me and Steve had this massive fight and I ended up destroying a bunch of shit back-stage – I was 19 – and all of a sudden, me and Ginger decided that we would get along [laughter]. And then, when he kicked CJ out of the Wildhearts, Ginger was like “Remember me? From when you were on tour and fucking freaking out? You wanna come to England?” and I was like, “Sure!” Y’know, what can I say about Ginger that hasn’t be said before? The guy’s a fucking genius, he’s written some of the most beautiful music of all time. I have nothing but immense love and respect for the guy. Should him and I be in a band together? Probably not, but it doesn’t change the fact I follow every step the guy makes because I’m so sick of being lied to by music – every time I hear music, you’re lying to me – that I’ve got to hold tight to the friends and artists in my life who don’t lie to me! And Ginger’s music is one of those to me and I love the Wildhearts and what he does. Love Ginger!

You’re often touted as one of the most creative minds in modern rock and metal, but what musician would you give the creative mind accolade to?

Oh. God. I don’t really think of it like that. I definitely don’t. I don’t listen to rock and metal that much, in all honesty. When I’m not doing what I do, I listen to stuff like deadmau5. I love dance music and dub-step… that really heavy house stuff, I love it because it’s not what I do. I love quiet New-Agey and country music. But in terms of creative minds? Aw shit, man. I think any kid at my son’s preschool has a much more creative mind than any of us bananas who are doing this for a living!

The Complete Short Stories - Perfectly Still

2011-02-18T12:45:00.000-08:00

(Written for Pi Magazine. Check out the site. Go on.)

In Perfectly Still, we are presented with an indie album conceived with more thought than is typically associated with the genre tag. Whilst the songs occasionally stray the border between genuinely endearing and a bit twee, the intricate vocal patterns and light instrumentation show a flair for immersive song-writing and help light up the relatively mellow but lively nature of the album. The Complete Short Stories are surprisingly diverse in their sound, at moments sounding like She & Him and at others, reminiscent of latter day Anathema. For instance, ‘Value The One You Love’ starts off a subdued number but is built up with meticulous musical texturing that sees surprisingly heavy, distorted strings juxtaposed against a harmonious piano, all accompanied by the perpetually serene vocals of Kerry Adamson. Indeed, Adamson’s voice is one of the biggest highlights of the album as she effortlessly floats above the backdrop of mild musical experimentation. Of course, as with most albums, there are a couple of dull moments – for instance, closer ‘Two Acrobats’ doesn’t quite connect – but this is made up for by tracks such as ‘Struggle On’, an initially restrained number that cautiously erupts a third in, and the memorable ‘Fish Food’ which brags a hugely infectious chorus.

Ultimately, The Complete Short Stories bring some welcome variety in to the world of indie, letting folk and even some prog influences subtly infiltrate the music, in the process creating an interesting dynamic of soundscapes. Whilst this won’t be for everyone, Perfectly Still is an engaging album and is great for an evening chill out.

Desert Storm - Forked Tongues

2011-02-18T12:25:00.000-08:00

Forked Tongues is the debut album of groove-metallers Desert Storm… from Oxford. Don’t let their location fool you though, as this is a strongly executed platter of sludgy riffs, gravelled vocals and hooking rhythms. The album has its fair share of grinding moments (take for instance, the title track’s stomping mess of metal madness), but these are masterfully offset by more subdued numbers such as the almost Zeppelin-esque ‘Connected’. Similarly, the grit-shovellingly low vocals are often countered by a smooth, feminine voice throughout, with the resultant combination really illuminating segments of Forked Tongues. The material presented remains consistent, with ‘Ol’ Town’ boasting a flurry of winding riffs reminiscent of slightly more upbeat Sabbath numbers and the drawl of 'Smokes 'n' Liquor' has the smell of stale booze literally emanating from the track. Perhaps one of the album’s biggest highlights is ‘The Void’ – initially stating as a melancholic number with clean vocals, it erupts with shoveling riffs before ending on an almost ‘Planet Caravan’-esque vibe of mellowness. Likewise, the melodic vocals of ‘The Jackal’ will hook any listener in, providing the perfect break from the bulldozing guitars of the verse.

Forked Tongues isn’t the most original of offerings, but it does prove a well synthesised concoction of bluesy hard rock, groove and metal and has found a great balance between the aggressive and melodic. It’s a promising start for the band and is well worth checking out for anyone who wants something heavy but tuneful.

Listen and purchase here.

Murderdolls - Nowhere

2011-01-17T10:54:00.001-08:00

(Originally written for Under City Lights / Rare FM)

When they first came around, the Murderdolls never grabbed me. Whilst the ‘horror punk’ thing was interesting, I could not get over the screech of Wednesday 13. However, key players, Wednesday and Slipknot’s Joey Jordison revived the band last year, releasing a long awaited (for some) second album and every time I hear a track off it, I’m utterly enamoured. I’m not sure what it is about latest single “Nowhere”, but somewhere between the soaring guitar leads, the sing-along chorus and Wednesday’s slightly more melodic vocals, I became hooked. “Nowhere” blends ‘80s style hair-metal with gothic sensibilities seemingly effortlessly, creating a fantastically catchy song in the process. Effectively, it’s an old school horror movie come to life, where the chilling and the campy are inextricably intertwined and it works rather well.

Slash - Beautiful Dangerous

2011-01-17T10:53:00.001-08:00

(Originally written for Under City Lights / Rare FM)

When Slash announced that his first solo album proper was going to feature vocal performances from a wide array of musicians old and new, one singer I was exceptionally sceptical about was Fergie of The Black Eyed Peas. Single no. 3 from the top hatted guitarist however proves to be one of Fergie’s best performances. Her voice soars over Slash’s trademark riffing, proving both the perfect accompaniment to the heavy guitars and commanding an audience of its own. It’s surprising, but Fergie sounds completely in her element in a rock context as she bellows the infectious chorus and steal’s Slash’s limelight. Indeed, “Beautiful Dangerous” is amongst the strongest tracks from the album and it’s shocking that it has only just been released as a single due to the potential cross-over appeal. Still, this is rock and roll through and through and well worth a listen.

Black Label Society - Overlord

2011-01-17T10:50:00.000-08:00

(Originally written for Under City Lights / Rare FM)

Black Label Society’s latest track, “Overlord”, is primarily dragged on by a compellingly sludgy guitar riff until it reaches the three minute mark and all hell suddenly breaks loose. Manic riffs and violently shredded solos provide a brief but welcome break from the song’s main body before it returns to its initial crushing stomp. Whilst a song that’s basically written around one riff shouldn’t last six minutes, somehow Zakk Wylde and his cohort of menacingly hairy groove-metallers manage to get away with it. Whilst not the most original or inventive of tracks, “Overlord” certainly makes me want to drink beer and shout along to the chorus and, honestly, that’s all you want from a Black Label Society cut.

Rob Zombie - Mars Needs Women

2011-01-17T10:44:00.000-08:00

(Originally written for Under City Lights / Rare FM)

Rob Zombie’s latest single does little to stray from the tried and tested Zombie formula – the guitars stomp, Rob barks and the lyrics confuse. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, however. The sheer ridiculousness of the song proves highly contagious and, whilst I’m not entirely sure if Mars actually does need “angry red women”, I’m happy to take Rob’s word for it. There are a few splatterings of rather interesting, almost funk-based guitar lines from the ever-talented John 5 which, whilst mixed in with the standard Zombie affair of movie sound-bites and industrial tweaks, stop “Mars Needs Women” from becoming stale. At the crux of it, it’s a heavy and catchy track that does little to drag Rob Zombie out of his musical rut. A rehash of prior Zombie efforts perhaps, but an addictive one at least.

Looks That Aren't Standing The Test of Time

2011-01-17T10:24:00.000-08:00

(In a bold change from the usual proceedings of reviews, here is an article I wrote for Pi Magazine's 'Style' issue that basically involved me being slightly mean about lots of fantastic musicians. This version is slightly longer than the one that got printed, so enjoy it in all its extended glory. Also, all images in this version are shamelessly stolen from Google Image Search. Sorry about that.)

Music is unquestionably intertwined with image and some of the best musicians out there have rocked rather striking aesthetics in their time. Whilst their classic albums and musical contributions will remain timeless*, their creators will not. Here are a few not-so-stylish stalwarts who have aged far from gracefully.

*Okay, the music of Dead or Alive and Poison has aged horribly, but I will never stop listening to Look What The Cat Dragged In.

Robert Smith
(The Cure)

Pioneering the classic goth look in the ‘80s, no one expects Robert Smith to look clean-cut and trendy. But then, equally, no one expects Robert to look like he was rejected for the title role in the film adaptation of Stephen King’s ‘It’ – for those of you who don’t know ‘It’, what I’m getting at is Smith looks like an evil clown.

Pete Burns
(Dead Or Alive / ‘Celebrity Big Brother’)

Now, the last thing I wish to imply is that Pete Burns ever looked fashionable. The ‘You Spin Me Right Round’ video has him with teased, backcombed hair and an eye-patch, caught adrift in an ocean of ribbons and garishly coloured pop nonsense. But at least he looked vaguely human. Nowadays, his face has been stretched so much that he resembles a monster from Beetlejuice and his lips look like you could pop them just by looking at them too intensely.

Bret Michaels
(Poison / ‘Rock of Love’)

I’ve never seen anyone so insecure of their receding hairline that they have to wear a cowboy hat over a bandana. Take it off Bret, that weave is fooling nobody.

Axl Rose
(The Band Previously Known As Guns N’ Roses)

(2002, 2006, 2010)

I really thought it couldn’t get worse than the multi-coloured braids and hockey jerseys, but Axl Rose’s current look reeks of a middle aged man desperately trying to be “down with the kids”. You’re never going to be considered ‘relevant’ with a Fu Manchu, Axl.

Adam Ant
(Adam & The Technicolour Dreamcoat)

Marginally bizarre clothes aside, there is something moderately inhuman about Adam Ant nowadays. So much so that he looks like more like Kryten from Red Dwarf than Prince Charming.

Iggy Pop
(Iggy & The Stooges / Really annoying car insurance ads)

Please Iggy. Just put your shirt back on and we can pretend your leathery, drug-addled body never happened. Also, if there’s anyone I wouldn’t trust to sell me car insurance, it’s you and your creepy puppet clone.

Boy George
(Culture Club)

The New Romantic look was always a bit of an extreme one but in the last few years, ‘80s crooner Boy George can’t decide whether he wants to be an androgynous “Right Said” Fred Fairbrass or Phil Mitchell from Eastenders.

Madonna
(The Madge Madgeson Experience)

I love Madonna’s music as much as any self-respecting man (i.e. with a crippling sense of guilt and irrevocable shame) but the woman has transformed beyond creepy. She’s a Frankenstein creation made from Iggy Pop’s arms, a partially melted wax-model head and a shop mannequin’s legs. Amidst all the horrifically revealing costumes and relentless gyrating, all that enters my mind is that Madonna’s a parent. A weird, freaky, 52 year old parent.

Survival Awards

Lemmy Kilmister
(Motörhead)

Considering he’s 437 years old, Lemmy actually looks remarkably young. Or at least he would, if it wasn’t for the face-altering boils by his beard. Still, Kilmister deserves only respect for being rock & roll incarnate and still dressing like he walked out of a heavy metal spaghetti-western.

Keith Richards
(The Rolling Stones)

For all intents and purposes, Keith should have died multiple times during the ‘70s. Fair play to the guy for having more lives than a cat, even if he does generally look like a maddened homeless man.

Down - IV: Diary of a Mad Band

2010-12-24T08:46:00.000-08:00

(Originally written for Under City Lights / Rare FM)

Down is quite literally the result of squeezing Pantera, Crowbar and Corrosion of Conformity together – both in personnel and sound. The result is a slow grooving, heavy bludgeoning of pure stoner metal. Their fourth album provides a rather faithful look in to the live Down experience, providing a chronological selection of cuts from their 2006 reunion tour. I say “faithful” because this is as raw as a live album comes; there are no studio touch-ups to be found here. Instead, we get treated to a fantastic array of sludging guitar riffs, pounding rhythm sections and the delightfully slurred vocals of Phil Anselmo. The flaws are audible through-out, particularly so in Phil’s voice which every once in a while goes horribly wrong (not in the least on the unbearably off-key ‘Planet Caravan’ wannabe, ‘Jail’). Equally, you can hear the guitars occasionally mess up (albeit, very rarely), providing the listener a real opportunity to listen to a band coming to grips with starting anew. It is rare that modern live albums sound genuinely live, especially so in the world of Pro-Tools abused metal, but Diary Of A Mad Band sees Down immerse you in gig the atmosphere as they storm through classics like ‘Lifer’ and ‘New Orleans Is A Dying Whore’. Even Phil’s ridiculous stage banter (which primarily entails indecipherable mumblings interjected by exclamations of “God-damn!” and “Bad-ASS!”) are kept fully intact. There are a few quieter moments, such as the melancholic ‘Learn From This Mistake’, but for the most part, things are heavy with that unmistakable Southern drawl.

If you’ve only heard Down in the studio and never had the opportunity to check them out live, this is the perfect solution. If, on the other hand, you have no idea who Down are, you could go a lot more wrong than picking this up. This is ballsy, Sabbath-inspired groove-metal through and through and is a testament to the band’s own integrity that they’re willing to commit their occasional flaws to record. It’s the kind of music that makes you want to shotgun some beers and punch a wall, but in a good way.

Alter Bridge - AB III

2010-12-24T08:37:00.000-08:00

(Originally written for Under City Lights / Rare FM)

Alter Bridge’s third album, the logically titled AB III, sees the band inject some morose tonality in to their hard rock sound, presumably as a result of the apparently “dark” nature of the album’s concept. They indulge their more metallic side frequently, with opener ‘Slip In To The Void’ straddling a surprisingly well-executed line between groove-metal and melodic rock.

That’s not to say everything is blisteringly heavy - after all, this is Alter Bridge. Whilst the album doesn’t quite keep up with the intensity with which it starts, most of the songs are surprisingly hard hitting. ‘All Hope Is Gone’ is a slowed rocker with a bizarrely Celtic vibe, whereas album high-light, ‘Make It Right’, provides a mix of rock-balladry and Jimmy Page styled guitar twanging. Conversely, ‘Wonderful Life’ seems to be a generic ballad that falls a bit flat.

The band are clearly focussed on getting the balance between melody and heaviness just right, but this occasionally result in a split personality to tracks. ‘Ghost of the Days Gone By’ fleets between delicate verses and power-chord driven choruses before departing in to an almost Pantera-esque breakdown. Tracks such as ‘Isolation’ and ‘I Know It Hurts’ see Alter Bridge achieving their goal more succinctly, with the heavy riffage brilliantly juxtaposed by the soaring vocals of Myles Kennedy which serve to accentuate the melody behind the heaviness.

AB III is certainly quite a far cry from the band’s earlier material. I’ve always been rather on the fence about Alter Bridge, but AB III seems to cement the band as one worthy of attention. Whilst the album can drag on a bit, it primarily remains a prime example of strong, modern day rock and roll. At the very least, it’s deserves a good few listens from anyone who has ever wanted unfashionably long hair.

Michael Jackson - Hold My Hand

2010-11-16T12:28:00.000-08:00

It is with a cautious sense of curiosity that I approach anything from the first of Michael Jackson’s posthumously issued albums (I’m assuming there will be more purely due to the unceremonious cash-cow Jackson’s death has provided). Leading single, ‘Hold My Hand’, sees Jackson performing a duet with Akon, a concept that initially filled me with fear, but remarkably, it works. Jackson’s vocals are as floatingly silky as ever before and Akon’s unsurprisingly auto-tuned voice seems to provide a slightly gritty but fitting counterpart. The entire production of the song clearly oozes qualities of Akon’s own material but it is admittedly jarring to hear Michael Jackson’s voice on something so overtly 21^st century. Whilst nothing particularly special, ‘Hold My Hand’ proves itself an upbeat if understated anthem that is sure to linger in the listener’s memory. With its sweeping orchestration and soothingly light accompaniment, ‘Hold My Hand’ has a certain charm despite its relative monotony. More than anything, it is pleasant to hear Michael’s voice on something new. Still, if you want a dose of classic sounding MJ, you’re probably best seeking out ‘Breaking News’.

Adler's Appetite - Alive

2010-11-16T12:27:00.001-08:00

Being ejected from Guns N’ Roses – a band where members have clinically died for short periods from heavy substance abuse – for being too much of a junkie should give quite a clear impression of what metaphorical demons original drummer, Steven Adler, has been battling against for the last two decades. In a moment of sobriety, the maligned drummer formed Adler’s Appetite, a band that saw him and a cohort of other 1980s LA glam musicians effectively become a GN’R tribute act. New single ‘Alive’ however marks a recent trend of original material and, shockingly, it’s really quite good. ‘Alive’ is a short and sharp dose of ballsy hard rock that sees driving guitars, suitably gritty vocals and, of course, cowbell-laden drums come together harmoniously. Adler’s sticking with what he knows; thundering rhythms, head-bangingly heavy riffs and anthemic choruses that make you want to cockily punch the air. After circling the drain for so long, it’s fantastic to see Adler put out something as strong as this. ‘Alive’ is a slab of good-time, life affirming rock and roll that blows most of Chinese Democracy out of the water.

Neil Young - Le Noise

2010-10-24T13:18:00.001-07:00

Crackling open with fuzzily distorted electric guitars, ‘Walk With Me’ sounds like it is building up to explode in to a huge, full band swamp rock stomp. Unfortunately, this never happens. Instead, Le Noise sees Neil Young accompanied only by his own crackling electric guitar, with all of the proceedings reinterpreted by a bizarre mix of sonic soundscapes courtesy of producer Daniel Lanois. These effects see Neil’s voice drenched in a floaty echo, whilst the guitars either sound dirge-like or fade into nothingness. The moody production acts as a mixed blessing - “Someone’s Going To Rescue You” sees the atmospheric space effects complement Young’s ethereal vocals whereas other songs like “Sound of Love” get lost in their own reverberated noise.

‘Love And War’ is one of the few acoustic cuts on the album and as it a result, it sounds more complete than the lone electric tracks which beg for rhythm accompaniment. The special effects on ‘Love And War’ and ‘Peaceful Valley Boulevard’ are few and far between but illuminate the guitar at the right moments without sounding over the top. As a result, the acoustic tracks prove the album’s highlight thanks to their solemn desperado flair.

As jarring as it initially is, it would however be wrong to say that Le Noise is a misfire. Once you get used to the bizarre soundscape, the strength of the material begins to reveal itself. The effect soaked ‘Angry World’ is a diamond in a rough; consisting of heavy metal riffs contrasted with Young’s high and vulnerable singing, it eventually culminates in a meticulous cacophony of fuzzy guitars, brooding melodies and echo. Le Noise’s key issue is its stylistic indecision. It is as if Young and Lanois aren’t sure whether they wanted to release an album of full-banded heavy swamp rock, solo earnest acoustic Americana or trippy ambience so instead they went with something that could just about be described as psychedelic folk. Le Noise is a challenge to get in to, but it is a mistake to discard it right off. For all its bizarre experimentation, there is enough traditional Neil Young goodness here to enjoy. It just takes longer than usual for it to pop out.

Gorillaz - Doncamatic

2010-10-24T13:14:00.000-07:00

One thing that has to be admired about Damon Albarn is his willingness to experiment under the guise of Gorillaz. New single ‘Doncamatic’ is no different, seeing the “band” move in to the realm of synth-pop and, weirdly, it really works. ‘Doncamatic’ has an undeniably retro vibe, with its electronic instrumentals sounding a bit like a badly synthesised accordion being attacked by an unrelenting array of square leads (the single is accompanied by an instrumental version of the track that really elucidates how bizarre the background effects are). The most modern thing about the single is certainly the vocals of guest singer Daley, helping to cement the track in the 21^st century and giving the song its much needed hooks. It’s a straightforward but ear-catching tune that should be positively received by most.

Ginger - Ten (Two)

2010-10-18T15:21:00.000-07:00

Ginger of The Wildhearts has just recently put out a compilation album that covers the first ten years of his solo work, aptly called Ten. Now, I’ll be honest. Despite being a massive Wildhearts fan, I’ve never properly gotten around to listening to Ginger’s solo output. You can’t blame me when there’s such of a wealth of stellar Wildhearts material to work through. However, as a companion to Ten, Ginger and co have picked an additional ten tracks that wouldn’t fit the compilation. Furthermore, they're being offered online for free. How delightful. If, like me, you simply haven’t had a chance to give Ginger’s solo material a fair shake, Ten (Two) provides an exemplary opportunity to do so. Expect something a bit more mellow and arguably more pop-oriented than The Wildhearts, but no less infectiously catchy. Go on, how often is it you get good music for free (...without breaking the law)?

Download Ten (Two) at http://gingerwildheart.bandcamp.com

Disturbed - Asylum

2010-10-17T07:47:00.000-07:00

Disturbed’s Asylum starts off surprisingly well; its instrumental opener ‘Remnants’ evokes an almost Megadeth-esque vibe in places thanks to its haunting guitar leads before seamlessly seguing in to the album’s title track. Initially driven by a crawling bass line, the path is paved for thrashing guitars and David Draiman’s bizarre semi-bark to carry a great chorus in ‘Asylum’. At this point, I begin to question my preconceptions of Disturbed, perhaps having written them off for their previous nu-metal tinged shenanigans too soon. I continue this line of reasoning as ‘The Infection’’s stellar opening riff spirals out of control before revealing a soaring, melodic verse line. However, my newly founded open-mindedness crumbles quickly as the flat chorus leads in to a generic, stop-start guitar breakdown. It is these relentless spasms of chugged riffs that make Asylum nothing short of dismal. The slow and melancholic opening of ‘Another Way To Die’ and the interesting tapped guitar intro of ‘Innocence’ are both quickly ruined by the dull, unimaginative thudding of down-tuned guitars. It’s a shame as there is some genuine good on Asylum. For instance, ‘The Animal’ sees Disturbed master the balance between melody and heaviness while ‘Never Again’ provides a ballsy anthem that tastefully tackles the Holocaust. Indeed, there are certainly some memorable choruses throughout, but when the verses are as excruciatingly pedestrian as on Asylum, listening to an entire song becomes a bit of a chore.

Musically proficient, Disturbed showcase occasional flashes of song-writing talent on Asylum but they are never realised for more than a split second. Having established a certain sound early in their career, Disturbed seem stuck in a rut of displeasing tedium where experimentation is out and repetitiveness is in.

Spirits of the Dead - Spirits of the Dead

2010-10-17T07:24:00.000-07:00

Spirits of the Dead are a massive nod to the past, incorporating elements of Pink Floyd, Uriah Heep, Black Sabbath and King Crimson to create something that sounds almost like a mellower Opeth. Opener ‘White Lady / Black Rave’ sees a strong 70s rock vibe come to the forefront, with light Hammond organs, bouncing guitar riffs and occasional synths evoking connotations of Sabbath Bloody Sabbath. Spirits of the Dead are exceptionally meticulous about the music they deliver, clearly avoiding the risk of becoming another retro-rock tribute act. Whilst it’s clear where the band’s influences lay, it would be wholly wrong to call them derivative as their brand of mixed genre rock sounds welcomingly fresh throughout. The music is ethereal and restrained without being dull, with the drum-driven urgency of ‘The Waves Of Our Ocean’ only letting up when sliced through by a guitar solo with all the fuzz of a bear. The heavier moments are few and far between but are cleverly implemented, appearing most prominently on ‘Red’ where the staccato riffing breaks through the solemn clean guitars. Of particular note is the album’s title track, which smoothly switches from blistering distorted guitars to melancholy cleans, eventually culminating in a heavy metal funeral march by its end. The entire album is a delight to listen to as it is abundantly clear a lot of time has been invested in making these songs as bright and fulfilling as possible.

N.B. Completely irrelevant, but I absolutely love the cover art.

Spirits of the Dead is out now on Big Dipper Records
http://www.myspace.com/spiritsofthedeadmusic

Shush - Soundtrack of My Life

2010-10-12T14:29:00.000-07:00

From the get-go, Shush’s Soundtrack of My Life is an energetic and heavy platter of pop-punk that sees winding metal riffs cleverly punctured by catchy melodies, as prominently displayed by the hugely infectious chorus of ‘Got Caught In The Act’. Shush’s lively songs have just enough bite to keep even their poppier moments weighted, with ‘Shout’ clearly channelling that Wildhearts penchant for aggressive hooks. Not shying away from variety, ‘Blues’ sees the band take on a slightly more traditional blues-metal riffery, with the fantastic groove of the verse leading in to a disarmingly charming chorus. Conversely, the title track is a bit more restrained, marred only by the borderline annoying over-repetition of line "Welcome to the soundtrack of my life". Indeed, there a few duff moments on the album - pseudo-ballad ‘Stay’ comes across as a bit naff despite its strong vocal performance, for instance - but, with tracks as jabbingly addictive as ‘You You Me Me’, there’s more than enough to make up for it. In Soundtrack of My Life, Shush have delivered a consistent debut of hook-laden modern rock that is sure to cement itself to listeners’ memories.

Soundtrack of My Life... is out 1st November on Ruby Records.
http://www.shushsound.co.uk/

The Jim Jones Revue - Burning Your House Down

2010-10-10T09:02:00.001-07:00

The Jim Jones Revue wear their influences on their collective sleeve, with their visceral music clearly based around the classic rock and roll formula of early greats like Little Richard. However, this rock and roll basis has been injected with the force of relatively more modern hard rock offerings. The result is Burning Your House Down, an album brimming with vibrant blues-rock stomps that often tread the lines of punk and early heavy metal, whilst still maintaining that boogie-rock shuffle. This seamless blend of the styles creates something really quite unique, where the thundering guitars are rivalled by the wild piano and the vocals are belted out with venomous intensity – especially so on single ‘High Horse’. Indeed, the bass driven ‘Elemental’ genuinely sounds like the hypothetical aftermath of Elvis binging on early Metallica, whereas the sinister shuffle of ‘Premeditated’s guitar riff is bolstered by an unrelenting piano and a scorching chorus. The title track itself provides the album with a bluesy slunk that is heavy enough to merit its hilariously aggressive title.

Burning Your House Down is a belligerent record throughout, but the songs are well crafted and still maintain a sense of melody. It’s rare that a band are able to capture such vigour in a studio, but The Jim Jones Revue showcase all the dynamism and force of a live gig, resulting in a brilliantly animated album from start to finish.

Sonisphere Festival 2010, Knebworth UK 30/7/10 - 1/8/10

2010-08-10T07:15:00.002-07:00

(Again, this is to be printed in Powerplay Magazine. All blurry pictures taken by me.)

Friday 30th July

Delain

Playing a brand of female-fronted symphonic metal akin to Within Temptation, Delain's set was a slow beginning to the festival. One of the few moments of energy in the otherwise melodramatic proceedings seemed to be track 'The Gathering'. On the plus side, front-woman Charlotte Wessel had a great voice and the stage presence to match it. Opening a festival is never an easy feat and Delain were hardly a bad act, but not quite the kick-start I was expecting.

Turisas

Opening with the storming 'To Holmgard and Beyond', Turisas' set was one filled with beer-swilling gang chants and raised fists. Teasing the crowd with the beginning of their now well known 'Rasputin' cover, Turisas instead opted to drop in a well adapted version of Black Sabbath's 'Supernaut' before front-man, Mathias Nygård, went on to continue ranting about how bad Carlsberg is and ending with their mantra song, 'Battle Metal'.

Gary Numan

Expecting something more new wave, I was blown away by the sheer heaviness of Gary Numan's set. Focussing mostly on his recent material, each song was a brooding synth elegy that saw Gary stalk the stage with a gothic careen and the occasional cheeky grin. Even upbeat Numan stalwarts, 'Cars' and 'Are 'Friends' Electric?', were given a far more crushing treatment. To the credit of Numan and his band, they really delivered a powerful set that saw the audience enamoured.

Alice Cooper

Scarcely straying from the content of the Theatre of Death tour, Alice's set spanned his entire career with the crowd being treated to garage rock classics such as 'Be My Lover' alongside modern tracks such as 'Vengeance Is Mine'. Of course, this being Alice Cooper, the audience were here for more than just the music. When Alice impales someone on a cane several songs in, you know you're in for a good night. But Cooper himself was hardly a lone star – the titular character of 'Nurse Rozetta' made a fiery appearance before her eventual strangling and welcome surprise 'Feed My Frankenstein' saw a giant monster take the stage to torment Alice. Furthermore, throughout the set, Alice's band did more than justice to the wealth of strong material, making sure that even without the theatrics, an Alice Cooper show would be hard to beat.

Saturday 31st July

Sabaton

Opening with the storming 'Ghost Division', Sabaton's set was fast and furious. Established classics such as 'Primo Victoria' and 'The Art Of War' were joined by new song 'Coat of Arms', all inter-spliced by Joakim Brodén's hangover focussed crowd banter. As expected, the staccato piano of 'Cliffs of Gallipoli' and its rousing chorus went down a storm. Closing with the heavy metal tribute medley of 'Metal Machine' and 'Metal Crue', Sabaton ended on a high note having energised the morning crowd.

Tim Minchin

Being a fan of Tim Minchin's musical comedy, I was curious as to how it would come across at a festival. Although playing amusing skits such as 'Prejudice', the environment just wasn't right for enjoying the Australian’s set properly. Whilst the songs are indeed good, when a comedian's humour is derived from witty lyrics, being able to hear the words clearly is pivotal – however, the sound quality simply didn't allow for great enunciation. It wasn't all bad though. 'Rock and Roll Nerd' saw Tim unexpectedly joined by Evile guitarist, Ol Drake, creating quite a surreal pairing.

Mötley Crüe

Despite opening with a variety of sound issues during a shaky 'Kickstart My Heart', the Crüe managed to deliver. Whilst Vince Neil may have taken to skipping select words in the verses of 'Dr. Feelgood' and 'Shout at the Devil', he remains a capable front-man, bounding across the stage in every song and keeping the crowd lively. Furthermore, Mick Mars' guitar playing was mesmerising, despite the show clearly taking its toll on him. Amongst the staples 'Girls, Girls, Girls' and 'Same Ol' Situation', the Crüe also saw it fit to mark the occasion by throwing in a few rarely played tracks; the sleazy 'Ten Seconds To Love' and the infectious 'Rattlesnake Shake'. Coupled with a wealth of pyrotechnics and fireworks, Mötley Crüe put on an all round good show.

Therapy?

Before Therapy? even began to play their acclaimed album Troublegum, the Bohemia tent had met its capacity, with many people being turned away by security. Eventually overcoming the sound issues that led to two false starts, the band stormed through Troublegum with sheer intensity and the crowd clearly loved every moment of it. Filled to the brim, the tent pulsated with fans singing along and rocking out. With Therapy? playing so well and the audience actively participating, not only did Therapy? do their album justice, they also created the most euphoric moment of the festival.

Sunday 1st August

Slayer

Anyone who has seen Slayer knows exactly what to expect – Slayer is as Slayer does. Playing new tracks off 'World Painted Blood' amongst staples 'South of Heaven' and 'War Ensemble', Slayer capably thrashed their way through a short set. Ending with 'Angel of Death', the crowd erupted towards the front and Slayer reaffirmed their status as a band who don't need to try anything new to please their fans.

Alice In Chains

Whilst Lane Staley is arguably irreplaceable, William DuVall does his legacy justice with Alice In Chains seemingly invigorated. The band played a good mix of old and new, incorporating slower numbers 'Your Decision' and 'Would?' with rockers like 'Them Bones' and 'Man In The Box'. Closing their set with the powerful 'Rooster', it was clear that the new Alice In Chains have a great chemistry and it was a delight seeing Jerry Cantrell take the microphone for a good portion of the set.

Iron Maiden

Preceded by a melodramatic video of travelling through space and a lunar stage set to match, Iron Maiden opened with 'The Wickerman', thus setting the standard for a set filled with recent material. Whilst occasionally dropping in classics like 'Wrathchild' and 'Fear of the Dark', Bruce Dickinson was adamant to prove that Maiden aren't a “nostalgia band”. The results were a bit of a mixed bag. The epic 'Dance of Death' was a fantastic choice whereas the lacklustre 'Wildest Dreams' was not. The Dio-tributed 'Blood Brothers' fell somewhere in-between whereas new song 'El Dorado' came off much better live than recorded.

I understand what Iron Maiden were going for with this set, but it wasn't without issue. Most of these songs were just too long; frequent instrumental interludes aren't suitable for a festival environment. I applaud the band for giving their more recent material a deserved airing, but the balance became skewed, creating a set that alienated the many casual fans in the audience. Whilst the encore did help save the show (you can't beat 55,000 people singing along to 'Running Free'), Maiden could have been more diplomatic in their choices and not omitted some of their most famous numbers. I probably remain the only person to have seen Maiden twice and not heard flagship songs 'Run To The Hills' or 'The Trooper' performed. Though the set-list was occasionally dubious, the band still put on a great show filled with energy and it's always fun watching Eddie getting beaten with guitars.

Indica - A Way Away

2010-08-10T07:09:00.000-07:00

(Written for Powerplay Magazine)

An odd signing for a predominantly metal label like Nuclear Blast, the perpetually labelled ‘all-girl band’ Indica play an almost gothic brand of pop rock. As ridiculous as it may sound, Indica are like the missing link between Nightwish and Girls Aloud. It’s catchy pop embroiled in a pseudo-dark image and symphonic orchestration. Listening to A Way Away, it’s no surprise that its producer was Nightwish’s own Tuomas Holopainen, who clearly brings his penchant for the grandiose in to the Indica formula.
Although it may sound like a musical identity crisis on paper, A Way Away is surprisingly listenable. The twee pop chorus of 'Precious Dark' is almost contagiously catchy, with lyrics straying between pretentious melancholy and Alexander Ryback fairy tales (you know, the Eurovision 2009 winner… no?). Similarly, the curiously poetic melancholy of 'In Passing' or the title track are enough to stay in the listener’s ear long after their conclusion. 'Scissor, Paper, Rock'sees Indica momentarily flirt with the up-beat, but only in its guitar driven instrumentation; the lyrics are as bleak as the rest of the album, but who cares when the chorus is this addictive?
There are certainly enjoyable moments throughout the album, but a lot of A Way Away seems to plod along rather drearily with many tracks sounding little more than a very simplistic funeral march. The strongest moments are when Indica step back slightly from their relentless elegy and deliver weirdly infectious gothic pop.

Liv Kristine - Skintight

2010-08-10T07:04:00.000-07:00

(Written for Powerplay Magazine)

Those expecting something akin to Leaves’ Eyes from Liv Kristine’s solo output should probably avoid Skintight as the music here is an exercise in European pop-rock and a far cry from Kristine’s symphonic metal outfit. Clearly, the main draw of the album is meant to be Kristine’s floating vocals which remain consistently gentle throughout. However, when most of the material is as ironically lifeless as tracks such as 'Lifeline', it doesn’t matter how good the singer’s voice is. That’s not to say it’s all terrible – 'Emotional Catastrophes' makes great use of a slightly rocky and haunting set of melodies, 'Boy At The Window' boasts a driven, partially spoken verse section and 'Versified Harmonies'’s drifting chorus is well enunciated by quiet guitar siren calls and subtle sitars. But these moments aside, the lion’s share of the album remains monotonous acoustic pop that lacks any particular direction or excitement and as a result, Skintight, whilst listenable, is probably really only one for diehards of Kristine’s admittedly dazzling voice.

Serenity Dies - Hacksawcracy

2010-08-10T06:58:00.001-07:00

(You know the deal by now. This one's for PowerPlay Magazine.)

Serenity Dies’ amusingly titled Hacksawcracy is a thrashing platter of metal, with its Annihilator-esque stop-start riffery and spiked, Mille Petrozza styled vocals making for an acidic mix. There are few dull moments on this album and variety is pleasingly rife throughout. The slunked riffs of 'In Devil’s Symmetry' are followed by clever little flourishes such as the intricate guitar pattern behind the chorus’ screams, a vigorous dialogue interjection and a fantastic set of solos. 'Psycho Ride' showcases an unexpectedly melodic chorus that is especially atypical to this brand of thrash but is masterfully implemented, whereas the almost Lamb of God stylistic flair of 'Dystopian Law' shows a willingness to be more than just a retro-thrash act.

Indeed, Hacksawcracy is short, sharp and hard hitting. In its modest 29 minutes, the album shows Serenity Dies to be skilled thrashers who have the oft-overlooked skill of not outstaying their welcome, offering quality over quantity.

Kiske / Somerville Album Launch Coverage

2010-08-05T15:55:00.000-07:00

(To be printed in a future issue of PowerPlay Magazine, but in a very edited format as this is far too lengthy for normal publications - be warned, it's a long one)

Navigation has never been my strong point and having made it to Cologne, getting to the area of Ehrenfeld was more of a challenge than I expected. Easily baffled by German train signs and maps and despite having been given very concise travel instructions, I found myself walking the streets of Cologne for much longer than anticipated. One thing that was abundantly clear, even through travel induced exhaustion, was that Cologne is a city passionate about its rock music. In central Cologne and Ehrenfeld itself, the walls were plastered with posters for upcoming tours and releases ranging from the likes of Motörhead to The Pogues. Furthermore, the city centre of Cologne was filled with kids clearly in to their music – I’ve never seen so many goths in one place, and I’ve been to a 69 Eyes concert. With such blatant musical passion in its community, I wasn’t surprised that the launch for an album whose personnel included rock and metal stalwarts Michael Kiske, Amanda Somerville and Mat Sinner was to take place here later this evening.

Having arrived at the hotel with enough time for a power nap, I made my way to Ehrenfeld's Underground Club for the Kiske & Somerville launch event. After a bit of room-changing within the venue, we are all led in to what appears to be the club dance floor area where we were treated to the Kiske / Somerville record in its entirety and, honestly, I wasn’t entirely sure what to expect from the album. Michael Kiske, still perpetually associated with his former band Helloween, and Amanda Somerville, whose own solo material is a far cry from metal, are amongst the best singers in the business but neither are exclusively heavy musicians – it’d be fairer to say that they both dabble in the metal world. That’s why when the album started, I was surprised by just how “metal” the proceedings were. Of course, with Mat Sinner as one of the key songwriters and producer, it made sense.

Opener 'Nothing Left To Say' is disarmingly heavy from the start. And yet, despite its furious drumming and pounding chords, the song remains highly melodic throughout; the chorus in particular, which sees Kiske and Somerville’s soaring vocals intertwine with one another in harmony over an exceptionally hooky chorus.
Similarly, the next track 'Silence' opens with jabbed violins before an interjection of thundering guitars. From a restrained verse, it leads in to a suitably epic vocal trade-off of a chorus between the two singers.
Follower 'If I Had A Wish' has a power metal opening of twinned guitar leads, setting the stage for an all around anthemic track. Whilst a tad repetitive, the strength of the hooks is more than enough to sustain it.
'Arise' is amongst the heaviest tracks on the album, boasting pinch harmonic riffs and a groove-metal breakdown that sees the weighted guitars well juxtaposed by serenely smooth vocals.
The sweeping orchestration of 'End of the Road' provides the track’s foundation, with neat flourishes of percussion and extra instrumentation cementing the track as one of the album’s highlights.
'Don’t Walk Away' sees an almost AOR styled addition to the album with a more upbeat chorus providing a welcome change from the rather brooding melodies that seem to encompass the rest of the album. The track is very rocky and very catchy.
Another lead driven number, 'A Thousand Suns' has a slow chorus that is made brilliant by the meticulous vocal harmonising. Furthermore, the flamenco guitar solo, whilst unexpected, is a great touch.
'Rain' fleets from soaring guitars to another infectious chorus and a very heavy bridge, creating another strong track
Slowing down a bit, 'One Night Burning' is a piano led ballad that again, really takes off at its bombastic and tuneful chorus.
Another album highlight, 'Devil In Her Heart' sounds sort of like a ballsier, European Evanescence. The two part chorus consists of one of the album’s best vocal trade-offs before moving in to doomy cries of “I’m going under”. Furthermore, the duel of guitar and keyboard solos provides a great finish.
The official album closer 'Second Chance' is another ballady number, but unfortunately falls a bit flat. It is having saved by a well placed, melodious solo.
Finally, bonus track 'Set A Fire' is heavier than anything that came before it, with its slow, thrashing intro subsiding to thumping drums and serene vocals from Somerville. The almost Eastern sounding acoustic guitars coupled with a haunting bass supplement Amanda’s interlude vocals fantastically, creating one of the best moments of the album. It’s a surprise that this track was only relegated to bonus material.

Whilst occasionally a tad formulaic in some of its song writing, nearly every track on “Kiske / Somerville” contains something memorable. Furthermore, it is nothing short of a treat to hear two talents such as Kiske and Somerville performing together so well. Following the album, we are shown the two promotional clips and then the the journalists get their chance to conduct interviews After a few drinks with the fellow attendees, I’m led to another building on the Underground’s property, where the talents of the album await to be interviewed. Unfortunately, Amanda had fallen ill by this point so I was left in the capable hands of Michael Kiske and Mat Sinner to discuss the album.

“I actually listened to it for the first time today as well,” Michael opens. “Of course I knew the songs, but I hadn’t heard the mix.” Asking what he thought of the finished product, Michael continues. “It’s very nice. The sound system was kind of unclear, so it had an almost ‘live’ sound. When you listen to it on a normal system, it’s going to sound clear.” Indeed, having already heard samples, it was clear this was the case. So, how did the project come together? “Serafino Perugino, the owner of Frontiers Records, asked me if I’d be interested in singing a full duet record with a female voice,” Michael recalls. “I did it once on the Indigo Dying record and it was a beautiful track. I really liked that song, so I said yeah, that I’d love to do it, if it’s the right kind of music. And then he…” Michael gestures towards Mat. “He asked me. He said ‘Mat, I really liked your last productions – are you interested in producing an album with Michael and a female singer?’ And I said yeah, of course, because I’ve loved Michael through all the stations in his career. I like his voice and he has a great background. So we were in need of a singer, a girl singer. We were searching and had a list of singers and we came to the point that Amanda came in to the picture. We’d worked on Avantasia and another project and there had already been a project where Michael and her had been singing together.”

Of course, Amanda Somerville was one of the key personnel behind orchestrating the Aina “Metal Opera”, on which Michael had sung a few tracks. However, Mat is quick to point out that “Michael didn’t recognise her in the first place.” Detailing of the circumstances, Michael adds “It’s a funny story. When I did the Aina album, I was sent a very beautiful thing on that called 'Silver Maiden'. Sascha Paeth sent me a demo with her singing on it. And I said to him, ‘Man, this sounds so good. Why don’t you take her voice? Why should I sing it? I can’t do any better, it’s awesome!’ You can ask her, I didn’t even know who she was, just this awesome vocalist – it was perfect! Then when we came to do the project, I didn’t know of the Aina connection. The thing is, after we did the video shoot – that’s when I found out it was the same girl.” Both Mat and Michael are quick to sing Amanda’s praises in her absence. “She’s very professional and very easy going,” Mat starts. “She’s very sweet and great to work with. With some girls, sometimes you have problems, but not with Amanda. She’s always sweet,” Michael adds. So how was the recording as a whole? Did you ever record together? “No, no. I would perform the songs, the instrumentation and whatever. Then Amanda would record her vocals and then I’d send the songs to Michael to record,” Mat details. Michael elaborates, “I love to record the vocals separately because then I can do it on my own time. Sometimes you’re just not in the right frame of mind to record and if you have people watching you, expecting you to perform, looking at the time… it’s a lot of pressure. I had some health problems in January, I had an operation for a hole in my diaphragm and it affected my singing.” So recording on your own gives you space to work around your health problems and record when you’re best prepared? “Yes, exactly.”

Looking at the credits, it’s quite noticeable that most of the album was written by Mat Sinner and Magnus Karlsson. With the key performers being Amanda and Michael, the album ended up heavier than I would have expected. “It’s heavy with a positive vibe,” Mat tells me. “It’s melodic. To me, it’s not heavier than expected, it’s just normal. It’s how I write, it’s very personal to me.” Michael adds, “It’s very positive and melodic. Just like with those Helloween songs, they were always positive and melodic.” Asking about how he felt not being part of the creative process, Michael states, “I didn’t write any of it, but I’m happy with my imprint on the album. Working with duet harmonies was very different to my previous collaborations but I think the record is an artistic success.” Mat nods.

With this slightly heavier offering and your current band, Unisonic, do you feel you’re re-entering the world of rock and metal again, Michael? “This project is heavy, yes but Unisonic are more rock, not metal. I like metal, but it’s too narrow for what we want. We want to be more open.” Michael has been known to be vocal about the metal crowd in the last decade, he assures me this is “in the past. I like metal, I still listen to some of those classic rock and metal albums.” At this point, Michael shows me his iPod and the wealth of varied music on it ranging from Oasis and Keane to Iron Maiden and Judas Priest. So does he feel that his animosity towards the metal audience was founded in perhaps bad marketing? After all, his solo releases were far from metal but were pedalled to the Helloween crowd. “The record label jumps on past successes, so yes that wasn’t great. But when I was doing signing with Unisonic at festivals… yes, there was a lot of Keepers and Place Vendome but every third album was one of my solo albums so even some of the metal crowd were buying them.”

After listening to the album, we were also shown the videos for 'Silence' and 'If I Had A Wish'. How did you find that? “I was uncomfortable,” Michael admits. “It was my first time on screen in… 16 years? You can see me being uncomfortable in the videos, I’m just sitting down. Amanda was great though, she was the real performer!” Of course, this was the first time the Kiske & Somerville band had properly been in a room together, so nerves were understandable, as Mat points out. “We had to start somewhere. The videos were done before we had relaxed in to it so it doesn’t quite seem like a band.” Michael corroborates, adding, “The second video was better because we were more comfortable.” So, now that the band are used to each other, is there any chance of a tour? “A tour for Kiske & Somerville depends on the record’s response. We have to have the right feed back for it,” Michael states. Mat elaborates, “Live, we want to present the music on a very good level. It’s more like an opera, It’s too big for small clubs. We need a stage where everyone would fit! It would have to be very theatrical.” “Mat’s invested a lot in this, it’s very personal to him so we would want to do it right. It needs a nice foundation to keep it going, live or on record,” Michael adds. “But I think it’s a success, whatever happens. If it’s a success personally, that’s the most important thing.”

Finally, I ask Mat and Michael what their current commitments are from now. Michael is of course continuing on with his new band, Unisonic. Mat tantalisingly mentions that his next commitment is working on the solo album of another talent of the German metal scene, Ralf Scheepers. Teasingly, he reveals that there will also be a lot of interesting guests on the album and it’s with that little snippet we conclude the interview. However, immediately after the interview, we somehow slipped in to a rather lengthy conversation about U2 – apparently both Michael and Mat are big fans of the band – providing probably the most surreal exchange of the evening.

With the interview over, it’s back in to the main club for a generous amount of German beer, loud music and good times. The feeling seems to be mutual that the Kiske / Somerville album is a strong platter that displays the talents of its namesakes brilliantly. Only time will tell how well the album will be received on a wider scale but for me, it was a delight to hear such skilled singers working together so well. I’m sure I won’t be the only one wishing to see this project performed live, especially considering how meticulous Mat Sinner is about presenting the music properly, so hopefully the feedback will be as positive as the launch experience.

Triosphere - The Road Less Travelled

2010-08-02T08:26:00.000-07:00

(To be printed in PowerPlay Magazine Issue 122)

Triosphere play a particularly ferocious brand of power metal, clearly putting to shame the claims of “flower metal” that plague the genre. Opener 'Ignition' misleads the listener with its mellow start before quickly collapsing into a rampant flurry of powerful tremolo picked riffs, wailing guitars and relentlessly blasted drums that serve to set the tone for the rest of the album. The Road Less Travelled’s primary strength lies in the well executed mix of heavy riffs and melodic tendencies, all of which are brilliantly exemplified by the impressive pipes of Ida Haukland. The operatic projection of Ida’s voice is made all the more enjoyable due to its sheer clout, perfectly complementing the heavy / melodic dichotomy that defines Triosphere’s music. The album remains hugely over the top but manages to just about get away with it through the utter bravado the band applies to every track. Whilst there are some dull moments ('Marrionette' being a prime example of this), the extra touches like the spiky-violin guitars of 'Watcher' or the frenzied chorus of the title track make it a worthwhile listen to those who want some metal that lives up to the title of ‘power’.

John 5 - The Art of Malice

2010-07-04T13:48:00.000-07:00

(To be printed in PowerPlay Magazine Issue 122)

From the blistering opening of 'The Nightmare Unravels' alone, it is clear that John 5 is a phenomenal guitarist - few others can match the sheer velocity of his playing. However, John 5 is more than just a one-trick pony, quickly turning his hand from Van Halen-esque shredding on tracks like 'Ya Dig?' (featuring fellow David Lee Roth Band alumni Billy Sheehan) to rapid banjo twanging on 'J.W.'. This country and western aspect to John 5’s playing is prevalent throughout the album. For instance, the guitar noodling of the title track shows off John 5’s chicken-picking chops whereas 'Steel Guitar Rag' is an exercise in country-blues stomping. Of course, it’s not all country bops. With John 5 probably most associated with industrial acts Marilyn Manson and Rob Zombie, there’s a fair share of metal on this platter. One of the more conventionally structured cuts, 'Wayne County Killer', opens with danger siren leads before moving on to apocalyptically fast guitar parts that would make even the likes of Alex Skolnick cower. Also of particular note is closer 'The Last Page Turned', which progresses charmingly from thumped acoustic chords to masterfully intricate interludes, creating a stunning end to the album.

The Art of Malice is a strong record that greatly displays John 5’s versatility as a musician, but will probably only truly entertain guitar enthusiasts. The technical feats achieved by John 5 will certainly wow and amuse music nerds, but the casual listener will find The Art of Malice quickly developing in to an indiscriminate mess of super-fast notes.

Belligerence - Remember Who Put You There

2010-07-04T13:42:00.000-07:00

(To be printed in PowerPlay Magazine Issue 122)

Belligerence’s Remember Who Put You There is a groove-laden offering of metal from the get-go, boasting ball-bustingly heavy riffs with the southern drawl that’s characteristic of bands like Clutch or Crowbar. Opener proper, 'A Breaking Dawn', is almost like a half-way point between Pantera and Down, with singer Tim Brock certainly having something of a Phil Anselmo quality to his voice. Throughout the E.P., the instrumentation remains strong; the guitars drive the music and the rhythm section makes sure there’s a constant thump to support the musical vehicle. The title track is by far the heaviest on the E.P., boasting painfully palm-muted riffs and a great wah-ed solo before leading into a neck-snappingly heavy breakdown.

Remember Who Put You There is gutsy display of sludgy riffs that is sure to please those who enjoy their metal with a booze-slugging punch behind it. If Belligerence can pull out an album as consistently strong as this E.P., they’ll be on to great things.

Peter Frampton - Thank You Mr Churchill

2010-07-04T13:32:00.000-07:00

(To be printed in PowerPlay Magazine Issue 122)

Thank You Mr Churchill is a collection of serene songs augmented by the classic guitar stylings and soft, Colin Hay-esque croon of Peter Frampton. Indeed, the guitar playing on the album is fantastic. Tuneful, well thought out and tasteful – exactly what the world has come to expect from Peter Frampton. But what’s more, it’s clear that Frampton hasn’t lost his knack for song-writing as there are some absolute stunners on this album. 'Road to the Sun' includes Frampton’s son, Julian on vocals and throws the listener a hugely memorable chorus whereas 'I’m Due A You' is a beautifully melodic soft-rocker that evokes a somewhat Santana-esque vibe. Subtly present throughout is Frampton’s Motown influence, one that makes itself most apparent on 'Invisible Man' through its bouncing guitars and effectively placed soul backing vocals.

The album as a whole seems to be calm and unassuming, moving along steadily and offering slightly laid-back tunes that are involving without being intrusive. Even when things get slightly heavier, such as on the Jimmy Page styled riffery of 'I Want It Back' or the classic metal chops of 'Asleep At The Wheel', the dynamic of the music somehow remains cool and collected. Whilst perhaps not quite the power rock of Frampton’s glory days, Thank You Mr Churchill offers a sublimely contemplative collection of matured songs that are sure to entertain both fans and newcomers alike.

Andrew W. K. - Mother of Mankind

2010-06-01T08:20:00.000-07:00

In 2006, Andrew W.K. released his third full-length album – a surprisingly diverse platter of rock amusingly titled Close Calls With Brick Walls – but due to never quite explained contractual reasons, it only appeared in parts of Asia. Finally getting a global release, it has been packaged with a rather unique collection of rare and unreleased material.

The curiously titled Mother of Mankind contains a wealth of tracks from 1999 to 2010, displaying the very different sides to W.K.’s creative capacity. Some tracks beg the question as to why they’ve been hidden until now, others make it obvious why they haven’t seen the light of day and the rest are somewhere between nonsensically bizarre and genius. However, it is clear throughout that Mother of Mankind is only meant for the hardcore Andrew W.K. fan. Simply put, moments like the electro-ballad demotivational speech ‘Kill Yourself’ or the bass-laden reggae-rock boogie of ‘We Got A Groove’ don’t quite fit the tone of most of Andrew’s discography. But it is this variety that piques interest; AWKGOJ styled tracks like ‘I’ve Got No Fear’ and ‘Coming Bad’ show W.K.’s penchant for the grandiose whereas ‘Big Party’ shows off some of his more electronic-disco tastes. Other songs such as the peculiar ambient noise of ‘Young Lord’ or the pseudo-rap of ‘Kicks And Bricks’ show his willingness to experiment musically, even if the result is dubious at best.

As a bonus to the long overdue release of Close Calls, Mother is a fun collection of primarily ridiculous songs. It’s just a shame some of its best tracks hadn’t been refined and made in to a new album.

An Evening With Anathema - O2 Academy Islington - 21/5/10

2010-06-01T07:59:00.001-07:00

(To be printed in PowerPlay Magazine Issue 121)

(^ Appalling quality photo of Vincent Cavanaugh courtesy of my camera phone)

Watching their An Evening With concert, you’d be hard pressed to tell that Anathema were suffering from a wealth of technical problems as every note remained perfectly delivered and not a single beat missed. Having quietly taken the stage with new cut, 'Thin Air', it didn’t take long for Anathema to start providing some much-appreciated fan-service. The audience showed their love throughout - the reaction to 'One Last Goodbye' was stunning, with the crowd drowning out the band by the end of it. The aforementioned technical hitches even led to one of the evening’s best moments with guitarist Danny Cavanaugh’s impromptu acoustic performance of 'Are You There?' demanding only awe. Having such a varied discography, their set saw them drawing on frantically energetic cuts like 'Empty' to balance out the more subdued performances such as 'Flying'. The encore even saw Anathema really looking back, delivering the roaming bass and crunching riffs of 'Sleepless' to the clear joy of many. Juxtaposed with further new material such as the beautifully melodic 'Universal', the variety of songs gelled surprisingly well, their seamless integration effectively acting as a testament as to how consistently well Anathema have progressed from their days of doom metal to their modern prog-rock melancholy.

Most bands live, as good as they may be, are entertainment. Anathema live, however, are truly an experience, performing entirely on a level of their own. Few bands have managed to send shivers down my spine like Anathema have and the rest of those attending were clearly just as enamoured.

L.A. Guns - Shrinking Violet (Deluxe Reissue)

2010-06-01T07:54:00.000-07:00

(To be printed in PowerPlay Magazine Issue 121)

With the name L.A. Guns now referring to two syncretistic bands, the arguably more authentic Tracii Guns led band have reissued their 1999 album Shrinking Violet to remind listeners how a Jizzy Pearl fronted L.A. Guns sounds. Whilst lacking the signature voice of Phil Lewis, Shrinking Violet is a surprisingly strong album throughout. Present as ever are the well delivered guitars and hooks; moments like the title cut’s winding riffs and slithering leads show that Tracii still has a knack for good guitar lines - Pearl even makes a good job of filling his predecessor’s boots, although his signature whine has an awful tendency to sleep to a very uncomfortable screech. Amongst the album’s strongest moments are the slightly more mature tracks, however. For instance, desperado-ballad 'Barbed Wire' sees the band stretching out, moving discreetly from subdued rhythms into a haunting and grandiose guitar-dominated climax, before finishing with a rather tasteful acoustic solo. Indeed, Shrinking Violet shows a lot of variety throughout, from the grungy, bass-heavy skulk of 'I’ll Be There' to the glam-tinged blues of 'Bad Whiskey' – and yet, remarkably, nothing sounds out of place.

The reissue sees the addition of some live tracks of the newest incarnation of the Tracii Guns-led L.A. Guns tackling some of the band’s classics more than capably. Whilst cuts like 'Rip N Tear' don’t sound quite right without Lewis behind the mic, the band shows they’re still able to pull of classics like 'Never Enough'. All in all, the live tracks prove a nice bonus for fans new and old alike.

Fen - Trails Out Of Gloom

2010-06-01T07:43:00.000-07:00

(To be printed in PowerPlay Magazine Issue 121)

Trails Out of Gloom is a hidden gem amongst the sometimes nonsensical world of progressive music that sees a collection of Porcupine Tree-esque melodies wrapped in meticulous sound-scapes of peaceful instrumentation. From the beautifully serene vocal harmonies of the title track, it is clear that Fen are something special - the drivingly melodic voice of singer Doug Harrison, with its occasionally strained delivery, perfectly accompanies the subdued guitars that comprise the album. Fen seem to have honed their rather softly delivered and ethereal sound to a tee, with the clunking pianos and fuzzy drums of 'The World Is Young' exemplifying the overall rather taken aback nature of the music. Fen are clearly masters at the complementary meshing of instruments - the soothing acoustics of 'Miracle' are brilliantly accentuated by the lightly placed bongo beats before the most miniscule of distorted guitars is allowed to enter the frame. It is this ability for subtlety that pervades the entire album and truly shows Fen’s strongest ability, only occasionally slipping into a heavier model (such as on the frantic 'End of the Dream') before returning to their instrumental restraint. Trails Out of Gloom is a brilliantly composed album that sounds half way between the cleaner moments of Opeth and Anathema, whilst also retaining its own unique identity. Fen provide a delightful presentation of mellow and erudite prog.

R.I.P. Ronnie James Dio 1942 - 2010

2010-06-01T07:36:00.000-07:00

It's been just over a fortnight since the passing of Ronnie James Dio and it's significance can really be seen on the rock and metal world. Without indulging too much in melodramatic pretension, Dio's death completely marks the end of an era. He truly was the voice of heavy metal in it's primacy and by all accounts, one of the humblest and most down to earth rock stars in existence. His incredible voice and commanding stage presence will be sorely missed. Rest in peace, Dio.

R.I.P. Peter Steele 1962 – 2010

2010-04-17T02:00:00.000-07:00

There's not really a huge amount I can say about Peter Steele that hasn't been said on a wealth of other websites. Steele was an undobutedly iconic front-man, with an almost monstrous image and stage presence and more importantly, an exceptionally unique voice. His low, dirge-like crooning was one of the defining aspects of goth-metal pioneers Type O Negative, perfectly suiting his black-humoured lyrics of pessimism and bitter discourse. Music has lost one of its most original legends and at an unfortunately young age. Rest in peace.

Electric Six - Kill

2010-03-29T14:51:00.000-07:00

Electric Six’s sixth album, Kill, might not be as immediately catchy as the bulk of its predecessors, but it is just as bombastically ridiculous as anything else to come from the Detroit disco-rockers. As is an Electric Six standard, the songs convey tales of sleazy machismo and nonsensical relationships, all delivered with such conviction that you don’t even think about questioning lyrics as ludicrous as “Karma is a big mean animal, looking for its next meal in your bedroom while I'm on top of you / Demonstrating the latest positions”. Dick Valentine’s vocals are as suave as ever; his passionate lows are nicely juxtaposed with the occasional falsetto highs, providing the perfect voice for the outlandish music.

One of the biggest differences with Kill in comparison to a lot of the band’s other material is the music’s actual construction. On the one hand, there is a stronger portrayal of the band’s electronic side - for example, ‘Rubbing Me the Wrong Way’ depends on a fuzzy square lead and sprinkled synthesisers to keep the track moving. At the same time however, there is also a surprisingly large presence of lead guitar, with almost all tracks brilliantly supplemented with far more well-placed noodling than ever before. Whilst it takes some getting used to, it seems that musically Electric Six have really pulled all the stops out, somehow managing to make their instrumentation almost as over the top as the lyrics.

Unquestionably, Kill is a strong album through and through, proving itself yet another entry to the deceivingly high-quality output of Electric Six. Its only fault is requiring repeated listens in order to truly ‘get it’, with cuts such as the oddly-heartfelt ballad ‘Steal Your Bones’ not immediately displaying their genius on the first play through. Whilst perhaps not quite as all encompassing as predecessor Flashy, Kill has plenty of variety and is bound to please fans of the Six’s other materials.

AntiProduct - Please Take Your Cash

2010-03-28T13:19:00.000-07:00

It’s extremely difficult to tag AntiProduct with a specific genre as they jump from anything such as melodic pop-rock to blistering heavy metal in such quick succession that it takes repeated listens to even notice the transition. Indeed, it’s a testament to AntiProduct’s musical ability that they are able to so seamlessly mix very different styles without it sounding awkward or jarring; ‘Arms Around The World’, for instance, leaps from Green Day pop-punk to a borderline thrash interlude before culminating in an almost nonsensical country breakdown. Whilst the entire album isn’t quite as manically eclectic as this, Please Take Your Cash remains as consistently fun throughout, ranging from up-beat motivators such as the could-be-Andrew W.K. song “Parties All Over The World” to the fantastically demonic cover of “Good Vibrations” – there’s never a dull moment.

Alex Kane’s American-twanged vocals ooze a biting yet tuneful charisma and are brilliantly complimented by the serenely English voice of Clare pproduct, with the rest of the band ably contributing their pipes to add an extra kick to the multi-layered chants. Of particular note is how much better produced the instrumentation of Please Take Your Cash is than on its predecessor Made In U.S.A., with the polished sheen really bringing out the Ramones-esque tendencies of the band. Furthermore, with their debut album Consume and Die... the Rest is All Fun becoming an increasingly difficult find nowadays, Please Take Your Cash also contains re-recordings of a few of the former’s tracks - not the least of which is live-staple ‘Bungee Jumping People Die’, proving itself just as good a track now as it did back in 2000.

Clearly, at the heart of AntiProduct’s Please Take Your Cash is an uplifting amalgamation of a desire for fun and genuine passion for music, both of which are beautifully and skilfully portrayed throughout and possibly best epitomised by surprisingly moving cuts such as ‘Tell Me What You Want’ or ‘When We Find Love’. There is honestly not a weak cut on the entire album and it should more than satisfy who like their rock with some well constructed diversity.

KISS - O2 Academy Islington 2/3/10

2010-03-28T12:59:00.000-07:00

Note: This review was originally written for Powerplay Magazine, but as it stands I have no clue if they've used it. If they have, I'll presumably have to remove it. You should pick up Powerplay Magazine anyway, it's rather good and I tend to be in it most months. End plug.

^ I actually took the photo this time round.

By KISS standards, the Islington Academy is effectively the box-room of venues but walking in and seeing that huge, lit-up KISS logo and the multiple stacks of amps has never made the hall seem so big. On a smaller stage, KISS lose none of their pomp with Gene Simmons’ constant antagonistic pointing and demonic gestures during cuts like ‘Cold Gin’ made all the more disturbing by his copious salivation over the stage. Keeping the crowd entertained throughout was Paul Stanley’s natural swagger and brief banter coupled with some great audience participation on rock gems like ‘Love Gun’. Of course the full stage show wasn’t present, but the confetti storm during ‘Rock And Roll All Nite’, followed by Paul smashing his guitar made the night feel much ‘bigger’ than it really was. Of particular note was how the newer additions to the band responded to the audience. Tommy Thayer has clearly come in to his own, assuming the role of the Spaceman brilliantly and was more than obviously enjoying himself, feeding off the undeniably huge energy present in the 800 capacity venue. Eric Singer was no slouch either, not only proving himself a great drummer, but also delivering a fantastic vocal performance during ‘Black Diamond’. It was great to see all four members acting as a cohesive band, showing KISS as more than just Paul and Gene’s group.

The only negative aspect of the concert was its disappointingly short length. Having been told to expect a fifteen song set, the proceedings were clearly cut short with staples such as ‘Deuce’, ‘Shout It Out Loud’ and ‘Lick It Up’ unfortunately missing. Despite this however, the concert proved itself worth every penny as it truly was a once in a life time opportunity to see KISS in such an intimate setting. One might think that without the intricate theatrics such as the pyro and the blood, KISS live would fall short of entertaining. On the contrary, KISS unquestionably proved not only that their music is more important than the visual show, but that they still have the ability to enthral a crowd on the strength of the band itself rather than the extra additions.

The Wildhearts - Chutzpah! Jnr

2010-01-03T12:04:00.000-08:00

When it comes to being prolific, few bands rival The Wildhearts’ ability to continually put out singles, albums and EPs. Hot on the heels of their latest release Chutzpah! comes a tour-only CD loaded with eight bonus tracks from the same sessions. Anyone who has followed the Hearts’ extensive release of singles will be well aware that the B-sides and unreleased tracks from their albums are not a result of a lack of quality, with some of the band’s best and most famous tracks never seeing release on an album. In this case, the B-sides that compose Chutzpah! Jnr are no different. Cuts like ‘The Snake, The Lion, The Monkey and The Spider’ and ‘All That Zen’ are as good as anything on Chutzpah!, boasting thumping riffs, slick production and hooks galore. Unsurprisingly, everything has quite a similar style to the ‘father CD’ of Chutpzah!, the main exception being ‘Vernix’ which seems to be an identity crisis in musical form (and is possibly this compilation’s only dip due its very mish-mashed stylings). However, tracks such as ‘Under The Waves’ are amongst some of song-writer Ginger’s best, boasting an ethereal and restrained quality rare to most Wildhearts tracks.

If this release had two or three more tracks, it would certainly be worthy of being the next Wildhearts album. However, only being around 26 minutes, it makes a nice little collectible bonus for those able to pick it up.

The Devin Townsend Project - Addicted

2009-11-27T09:07:00.000-08:00

The second in four albums to be released from the Devin Townsend Project, Addicted is a radical departure from the clean, haunting tones of its predecessor Ki. Instead we have an album’s worth of densely recorded guitars, synthesisers, computer-generated effects and unrestrained vocal bombast.

Addicted is a highly versatile record throughout, drifting from heavy metal numbers such as the title track, to the hilariously pop chorus of ‘Bend It Like Bender’ and to the lovely clean melody of ‘In-Ah’. One thing that stands out through the album is the brilliant vocal performances from Townsend and guest singer Annekke van Giersbergen. Their two voices complement each other greatly and it is an utter delight hearing Anneke’s version of ‘Hyperdrive’ (originally on Devin’s Ziltoid The Omniscient album).

Addicted's song-writing is arguably rather simple by Townsend standards. Still present are the wall-of-sound multitracked instruments, computer-based industrial tinkerings and versatile voices but there are very few elaborate musical deviations, Addicted! playing down Devin’s progressive tendencies. The songs are generally quite short and to the point, with the mission statement clearly being to deliver something catchy and enjoyable without being bogged down in the borderline self-indulgent. There is an almost Wildhearts-esque vibe to the album’s construction, with some songs going as far as to quite obviously reference the influence (for instance, ‘Resolve!’ is clearly partially based on The Wildhearts’ ‘Vanilla Radio’ as alluded to in the album’s liner notes).

Devin Townsend’s albums have often been touted by the man himself as an expression of where he is emotionally at that point in time – his state of mind in essence defining the tone of the album. If that is to be believed, then this is probably the first time we’ve heard Devin Townsend consistently happy and enjoying himself in every capacity. And it’s absolutely brilliant.

The Wildhearts - Chutzpah!

2009-11-14T16:44:00.000-08:00

The Wildhearts are rarely ones to follow trends, but you could be forgiven in thinking that Chutzpah!, the newest release from Ginger and company, was about to break that tradition with its honed production and hooky pop-rock stylings. However, few bands ooze charisma like the ‘Hearts and Chutzpah! remains yet another testament to their ability to write infectious rock.

Never having been a straight forward rock band, the tracks on Chutzpah! are as stylistically eclectic as ever. Although a lot of it can be described as modern rock with an early 90s flare, there are moments where you find yourself rewinding the last thirty seconds of a song in order to comprehend what just happened. Amusingly titled ‘You Are Proof That Not All Woman Are Insane’ seems to almost spontaneously combust at the end, with a mix of drudging heavy metal riffs and a corruption of children’s nursery rhyme ‘Frère Jacques’ being recited over the top. The introduction of ‘Low Energy Vortex’ quickly changes from a movingly unassuming piano chord progression to a heavy, almost funk-metal riff before fusing the juxtapositions together in an addictive chorus. The record is littered with moments like these, displaying The Wildhearts are still more than able to meld different styles together seamlessly and without alienating the listener.

The album is noticeably very well produced, with the instrumentation being polished to perfection. Musically, Chutzpah! quite literally shines with a great mix of crunchy sounding riffs and beautifully melodious leads accentuated in the best way possible. The only minor gripe with this is Ginger’s vocals seem to be overly clean. Whilst this certainly seems appropriate for lighter tracks like ‘You Took The Sunshine From New York’, Ginger’s rough-edged bite is unfortunately a rarity throughout. Nevertheless, each Wildhearts album seems to have a distinctive feel to it and Chutzpah! is no different in this regard, boasting possibly their fullest and most bombastic sound yet.

It is reassuring to know that even when most other music is doing little more than to distract you from (and worsen) your increasing tinnitus, The Wildhearts are able to rise above the filler. Chutzpah! will hold your attention from the abrasive opening of ‘The Jackson Whites’ to the tuneful end of its title track and leave you smiling as you inevitably play the album again and again.

Megadeth - Endgame

2009-11-14T16:33:00.000-08:00

From the onset, it is clear that Endgame is going to be about one thing and one thing only – bitter, seething thrash, the kind that only Dave Mustaine can deliver. Ultimately though, this turns out to be a blessing and a curse for Megadeth where the balance between song-writing and riffing seems to be somewhat skewed.

There has recently been an influx of retro-thrash styled bands gaining popularity by giving attention to a classic genre of metal. Musically speaking, Endgame is effectively Dave Mustaine giving these mere children a lesson in how to thrash out. The record is filled to the brim with incredible instrumental work throughout with the guitar playing being of particular note. New axe-man Chris Broderick is among the best lead players to grace a Megadeth record and guaranteed to “melt faces”. Whilst he may not have the soul and originality of classic ‘Deth guitarists like Marty Friedman, he makes up for it in ridiculous technicality, putting many of his predecessors to shame (not Friedman though – that’s just impossible). The guitar duels between Mustaine and Broderick are very reminiscent of the Rust In Peace-era of Megadeth and are a very welcome return, adding a great sense of urgency to the album as a whole.

Unfortunately, Mustaine’s actual song construction seems like an afterthought to the guitar abuse. On the initial few listens, there are few choruses or vocal hooks that really stick out and make the tracks truly memorable. This is uncharacteristically strange as “MegaDave” has a penchant for clever metal writing, merging the heaviness of his guitar playing with a keen sense of melody. This just isn’t present in the same way on Endgame, with only a few songs such as ‘44 Minutes’ or ‘Bodies’ having vocal moments that will stick in your head. Furthermore, lyrically Endgame is overly laden with Dave’s political ramblings and seems to lack some of the forethought of earlier ‘Deth releases. This isn’t entirely a bad thing, occasionally resulting in the snake-bite quips that only Mustaine can truly pull off, but many of the vocals seem tacked on and almost weak, failing to add to the muscular body of music behind them.

Whilst Endgame has widely been hailed as a return to form by most of the metal press and fans alike, I personally don’t agree. Whilst certainly a good album, the sacrifice of memorable song-writing for unrelenting riffs seems like Megadeth shooting themselves in the proverbial foot. Endgame suffers from what I like to call ‘Annihilator Syndrome’ – the riffs are certainly there, but the songs aren’t quite.

Andrew W. K. - 55 Cadillac

2009-11-14T16:24:00.000-08:00

Anyone who has followed Andrew W.K. at all in the last three or so years is aware that he is a man of many talents. Having dabbled quite extensively with motivational speaking, Andrew went on to start production work on well established musicians such as Lee ‘Scratch’ Perry before recently returning to his own music, initially releasing a covers album of J-Pop songs (don’t ask). W.K.’s most recent releases consist of an album dedicated to English versions of the themes of popular manga / anime series Gundam, and the long-promised solo piano album, 55 Cadillac.

55 Cadillac is a strange album to listen to if the majority of your Andrew W.K. experience is his anthemic good-time party rock. Although often touted between fans, it isn’t common knowledge that Andrew himself is a classically trained pianist and as such, is rather well versed at tinkling the ivories. 55 Cadillac is a collection of primarily improvised piano pieces of varying styles and quality. The album starts on a bit of a flat note with opener ‘Begin The Engine’ – a song completely bogged down in endless note trilling – but quickly picks up soon after. Track ‘Night Driver’ exudes a joyous sense of melody and is one of the few tracks on the album that is evocative of earlier Andrew W.K. material, with its bouncing chord progression. However, a common problem with the album is that of repetition. Frequently, a song will collapse into a mess of weird note patterns and trills that seem to cease any flow of the piece. Whilst usually the tracks do tend to pick up and begin forming a sense of melody again, these weird indulgent bits seem fairly ill-fitted - at several points it seems like Andrew is basically having a nervous breakdown via the medium of a piano. Thankfully, these moments don’t make up the majority of the album, which is sprinkled with a great sense of variety ranging from the almost Ludovico Einaudi stylings of ‘Seeing The Car’ to the upbeat and jazzy flair of ‘Central Park Cruiser’. ‘5’ is one of the more together pieces on the album, maintaining a solid progression throughout, whereas closer ‘Cadillac’ is definitely the most Andrew W.K. styled song on the album. Being the sole track to make a break from 55 Cadillac’s piano-only formula, ‘Cadillac’ allows some drum tracks and suitably epic guitar melodies to interrupt, eventually climaxing with the record’s only lyric - the ridiculously multi-layered declaration of “Cadillaaaaaaaac!”, guaranteed to bring a smile on the listener’s face.

Whilst perhaps not the best collection of piano pieces ever to committed to CD, there is a certain charm to 55 Cadillac. The actual theme of the album – that Andrew is inside of a ‘55 Cadillac and serenading you on a piano – is endearing. Whilst the songs are not always as brilliantly constructed as they could be, there are moments where Andrew’s penchant for writing catchy instrumentation and his great piano abilities really shine through. You can say a lot of things about Andrew W.K., but one thing that can never be doubted is his genuine commitment to everything he puts his name to. Whilst 55 Cadillac isn’t without its flaws, it is a great foray in to previously uncharted territory for W.K., who clearly is looking to broaden his musical horizons in each and every way possible.

The Wildhearts - Shepherd's Bush Empire 1/10/09

2009-11-12T07:28:00.000-08:00

(picture shamelessly stolen from glasswerk.co.uk)

The Shepherd’s Bush Empire is utterly packed as the support bands finish and everyone eagerly anticipates the main act. As is a bit of a fad nowadays, The Wildhearts start their set by playing the entirety of their new album in full. Often this would be considered a risky move – after all, who goes to see a band who have been around for nigh on twenty years just to hear the songs they’re least familiar with? But when the material is as strong as that of Chutzpah!, their newest release, it’s more than a welcome addition to the set. As the band blaze through ‘The Jackson Whites’ and the familiar banner of the Smiley-Bones logo gazes on the crowd, everyone is utterly enamoured by what they’re witnessing. This is a band truly on top form, excited to be on the stage and doing more than just merely going through the motions. The new material comes off great in a live setting, although is almost slightly too dependent on a variety of backing tracks in order to accurately recreate the studio recordings. Not the longest of albums, the band speed through Chutzpah! in what seems like no time at all, leaving, as iconic front-man Ginger quips, more time for the classics.

Every gig of this tour was unique in that the band were unaware of what classics they were going to play in the second half until they were handed a set list midway through the night. Ginger cheekily remarks that we’re in for a treat as he peruses the stellar list he’s just been handed before calmly beginning the distinctive arpeggiated chords of ‘Nothing Ever Changes But The Shoes’. At those few beginning notes, the crowd absolutely explodes and quite rightly. From there, we are treated to such classics as homage to rock ’29 X The Pain’, the confessional ‘Sick Of Drugs’ and the hilariously punk ‘Caffeine Bomb’ amongst various others. As is standard for The Wildhearts, the songs are interrupted with some light-hearted banter from the band and, for some reason, a few repeated versions of the ‘Little Einsteins’ cartoon theme (don’t ask). As the night draws to an end, the crowd completely scream the roof off with set finisher and Wildhearts classic ‘I Wanna Go Where The People Go’. Unfortunately the gig is over almost as quickly as it had begun.

Two decades in to their career, The Wildhearts clearly still know how to deliver the goods live. Every note is played with as much conviction as if they still had something to prove, giving most bands half their age a run for their money and giving the crowd what they want – rock and roll with balls.

Five albums that have had some vaguely profound effect on me

2009-09-05T12:29:00.000-07:00

In a bit of a change to normal proceedings, I thought it might be worth detailing a few of my all time favourite albums so that anyone reading my reviews can better understand where my opinions might be coming from... that or quickly dismiss everything I write due to 'poor musical taste'. Either one.

System of a Down – Toxicity

I remember being given this by a friend who had grown tired of it when I was around 13. I was already a fan of System of a Down from a mixed CD someone had given me a while before, but I think this was the first proper album I’d ever had. Toxicity for me is associated with so many disparate and different memories, almost all of which were good, and consequently merely listening to the album is a huge nostalgia trip. I remember when I first got it, it didn’t leave my CD player at all for a week – it was all I listened to. System of a Down have always been a hugely energetic band and this record was probably their peak. Between Serj Tankien’s ridiculously versatile voice (frequently switching between violent shouting to wonderfully smooth and quiet in the space of a second) and Daron Malakian’s utterly bizarre and unconventional song-writing, Toxicity is certainly a unique album. Definitely not an album that would suit the taste of all, but one that really clicks when presented to the right listener.

Guns N’ Roses – Appetite for Destruction

Now this was the first album I ever bought with my own money and as such, will always have a special place in my CD collection like the sentimental geek I am. The song ‘It’s So Easy’ floored me from the start, with Axl Rose’s suave low vocals promoting rebellion, drink-driving and misogyny before eventually cracking in to an obscenely high-register declaration of how “fuckin’ easy” it all is. Bolstered by the amazing guitar interplay between Slash and Izzy Stradlin – probably two of rock n’ roll’s greatest guitarists – and all locked together by great rhythm section of Duff McKagan and Steven Adler, ‘It’s So Easy’ was only the start of what was to come. Every song on Appetite is brilliantly crafted, from the scratched rhythms of Izzy to Slash’s amazing leads, to the brilliantly wild vocals, everything is perfect. The tracks had clearly been honed to perfection and emanate a dangerous brilliance that would never be as rawly presented on consequent Guns albums. From the sing-along chorus of ‘Night-Train’ to the all time classic rock ballad ‘Sweet Child O’ Mine’ or the rhythmically sexy riffing of ‘Rocket Queen’, this was late 80’s rock debauchery caught on record.

Megadeth – Rust In Peace

This is the best thrash metal album in existence and will never be topped. Many have come awfully close (Testament’s The Gathering, Metallica’s Ride The Lightning and Master of Puppets), but they just don’t quite reach the bar set by Mustaine and co.’s masterpiece. Filled to the brim with bizarre and idiosyncratic riffs and literally face-melting solos from Marty Friedman and Dave Mustaine, this album is almost a completely perfect thrash platter. Often remembered for the singles such as ‘Holy Wars… The Punishment Due’ and ‘Hangar 18’, every track boasts some kind of accomplishment – be it in ridiculous speed and technicality of ‘Take No Prisoners’, the chilling lyrics and incredible solo of ‘Tornado of Souls’ or the utterly haunting nature of ‘Lucretia’, the album shines from start to finish. The only let down are Dave’s somewhat strained vocals, but even they are not without their charm, adding a quality of perfectly apt desperation to ‘Tornado of Souls’ or roaring like a monstrous being on both ‘Five Magics’ and more prominently so on the title track, ‘Rust In Peace’. Even weird filler track ‘Dawn Patrol’ seems to slot in rather well and provides an ominous break between the ferociousness of the rest of the album.

Andrew W.K. – The Wolf

I think my fanboyish obsession for Andrew W.K. found its feet the first I listened to his debut album proper, the beautifully titled I Get Wet. It was 35 minutes of over the top, full throttle, happy and energetic music. It was basically a party in music format with youthful enjoyment as the main subject matter of the entire record. W.K.’s second album, The Wolf, changed things a bit. Still there was the bombastic multi-layered instrumentation, the anthemic shouted vocals and the general good times of I Get Wet. But now there was some added versatility on the album, with songs ranging from surprisingly moving piano driven ballads about never giving up to raucous feel-good tracks such as ‘Long Live The Party’. As a whole, the lyrics were much less one more dimensional than on Andrew’s previous platter of music, with W.K. taking a far more introspective approach to his life. Whilst it’d be probably be an exaggeration to call them particularly deep, there was a wonderful simplicity to Andrew detailing his faults and how they made him more determined to go forth and rock hard. Whilst W.K. has been dismissed as little more than a gimmick musician to many a self-proclaimed muso, there seems to be a genuinely heartfelt and somewhat child-like passion in every one of his releases. I’ve always felt those who don’t get it really are missing out.

Devin Townsend – Synchestra

After discovering Strapping Young Lad, it only made sense to look in to the solo work of the Lad’s master-mind, Devin Townsend. My initial discovery was the single ‘Vampira’, which piqued my interest quickly with its Judas Priest-esque song-writing but I was left speechless when I listened to the album Synchestra in full. ‘Vampira’ actually seems quite atypical of the album with songs like ‘Triumph’ being versatile 7 minute romps laden with dense layers of instrumentation, ethereally harmonised vocals and completely off the wall musical changes. Bookended by the subdued acoustic opener ‘Let It Roll’ and the happy pop-rock of closer ‘Sunshine & Happiness’, this album is a brilliant exercise in musical pick ‘n’ mix. A few of the tracks aren’t so much songs as instrumental pieces with voices merely acting as another layer to the music, but this works in the album’s favour, helping to draw things together and creating an amazing flow to the album. It’s hard to describe the album to those unfamiliar with Townsend’s work as the man has a very unique sense of melody and style of musical production. That wall of sound that ‘Hevy Devy’ has become synonymous with is crafted to perfection on most of his solo albums, but somehow comes across as its best on ‘Synchestra’ with the layering on songs such as ‘Notes From Africa’ making the record utterly infectious.

Honourable Mentions;

It was extremely difficult to wittle my favourites down to merely five albums so here are a few that didn't quite make the cut but are as good as the aforementioned five.

Iced Earth – Night of the Stormrider
Furious triplets, ridiculously hell-bent concepts, a hugely ominous tone to the album and in general, just some mildly pretentious ball-busting heavy metal. This is a great album, even if not perhaps the best by Iced Earth overall. Tracks like the epic ‘Travel In Stygian’ make it a must listen for metal aficionados though.
Helloween – Keeper of the Seven Keys Pt. 1 & 2
Kai Hansen and Michael Weikath basically invented power metal with these two albums. Between their ferociously melodic guitar duelling and Michael Kiske’s incredible vocals, Keepers remains at the top of the genre it created.

Savatage – Ghost In The Ruins
Probably one of the greatest live metal albums in existence. As my first experience of Savatage, this live offering did everything right to keep me interested. Not only is every member of the band an amazing player, but this album showcases just how diverse and brilliant the song-writing of the Oliva brothers can be.
Skyclad - Prince Of The Poverty Line
Pioneers of the seemingly impossible amalgamation of folk and metal, classic-era Skyclad is fantastic not only for the Thin Lizzy meets Pentagle style music but for Martin Walkyier's insightfully bitter and cleverly written lyrics.
Extreme – Pornograffitti
Coming out at the tail-end of the glam / hair-metal insurgence of America, Extreme’s second album offered something very different to their somewhat typical hair band debut. Mixing funk rhythms with catchy hard rock and musical virtuosity resulted in one of the most danceable albums of the rock spectrum.

Steel Panther - Feel The Steel

2009-09-05T12:26:00.001-07:00

Quickly dismissed as little more than a novelty band by some, Steel Panther have more to offer than penis jokes. That’s not to say there isn’t a lot of penis jokes, but thankfully it’s backed by some genuinely enjoyable music. The album itself effectively acts as a fan-service to 80s/90s hard rock fans making constant references to glam’s hey-day. Aside from singer Michael Starr being a near dead-ringer for Van Halen’s David Lee Roth, the music itself constantly nods the band's influences without coming across as completely dated thanks to modern production and tongues being kept firmly in cheek.

From the casual racism of ‘Asian Hooker’ to the insipid claims of ‘Eatin’ Ain’t Cheatin’, Feel The Steel is loaded with crude and occasionally cringe-worthy humour from start to finish. Whilst some of the songs are genuinely amusing (single ‘Death To All But Metal’ will appeal to the defiant and elitist side of any classic metal fan), half the time the lyrics come off as nothing more than idiotic. Presumably, the band are poking fun at the overt sexual nature of their idols’ songs by taking it further than any of their predecessors ever did, but it often falls flat. However, when this is the case, the strong musical body ofthe tracks more than makes up for it. Steel Panther are highly proficient musicians and, more importantly, good song-writers. The album is filled to the prim with great rock riffs, brilliantly catchy vocal melodies and some truly face-melting guitar solos – the three core ingredients to any kind of good hair metal. Obligatory ballad ‘Fat Girl (Thar She Blows)’ and rocker ‘Party All Day (Fuck All Night)’ show the band wearing their influences on their sleeve, channelling their inner Bon Jovi whereas acoustic cut ‘Girl From Oklahama’ goes as far as to mimic the famous chord progression of Extreme’s ‘More than Words’. Interestingly, the album features a number of guest appearances with Justin Hawkins of The Darkness / Hot Leg fame lending his voice, further cementing Steel Panther’s message that rock doesn’t have to be completely serious to be enjoyable.

The light-hearted nature of the album seems to be both a blessing and a curse, as Steel Panther’s downfall is that they don’t take themselves seriously enough. You could be forgiven for thinking they were trying almost too hard with the amount of ridiculous sexual innuendo that engulfs the entire album. Their finer moments are when they tone down the gag-making and deliver solid rock and metal songs. Regardless of their over the top lyrical nature though, this is a very strong album throughout. The songs are all written with a brilliant sense of melody and a flare for guitar-based tomfoolery that is quite rare to find. There is a genuine appreciation for the hard rock and metal acts of old displayed throughout the album and Steel Panther do a great job of amalgamating some of the best aspects of their inspiration in to something slightly more modern.

Steadlür - s/t

2009-07-15T13:44:00.000-07:00

The debut of Georgia-based rockers, Steadlür, is a mixed listen from start to finish. Littered with some memorable hooks here and there, some decent lead work from Tommy Steadlür and occasional flashes of good song writing, it’s a shame the whole album isn’t a more consistent effort. Mixing the sleazy motifs of 80s glam greats such as Mötley Crüe with a more modern rock sound, what Steadlür produce is a curious fusion of what once was and what now is a commercially acceptable form of rock. Starting off at full throttle, the album launches in with rocker ‘Poison’ and manages to keep the momentum going for a good few tracks. Of course, having any sort of glam-vibe in a band that seems to take pride in their image results in some utterly insipid lyrical rubbish – the kind of thing that seemed edgy in the 80s but now just sounds stupid. Singer Philip Steadlür makes so many repeated mentions of waking up in the beds of others, I’m more inclined to believe he’s actually homeless rather than promiscuous. Furthermore, with the chorus to ‘It’s Too Late’, we get a taste of some of the worse things to come later in the album – namely dull and not-so-heartfelt emotion and alternative-rock nonsense.

The album really begins to fall flat as soon as things are slowed down a peg. When they’re fast and furious, Steadlür are just about enjoyable if not very predictable. But the slow tracks are irredeemably terrible. Tracks like ‘Angel (On The Wrong Side Of Town)’ and ‘Time’ succeed in ruining what the album had achieved up until that point. One of the main problems with these cuts is Philip’s voice. Whilst he’s no Tom Keifer, Philip’s faux Whiskey-soaked voice, although somewhat forced, suits the more rock’n’roll tracks fine – sort of like a slightly whiny, low-budget Blackie Lawless. But without distorted guitars to supplement, the vocals become grating. Furthermore, the song-writing on ‘Angel’ is mind-numbingly dull and comes across as nothing more than a cheap attempt at a radio single - which would be fine if the song itself wasn’t utterly putrid. From the generic clean arpeggios in the background to the pathetically unmoving chorus, the song does little to keep the listener’s attention. Indeed, these songs straddle the line of generic alt-rock and emo so much that you’d be forgiven in thinking they were a tribute band to Bullet For My Valentine. Unfortunately, the album doesn’t really pick up from this dip, with the remaining tracks staying at a rather mediocre level, despite one or two enjoyable riffs or vocal lines here and there.

That’s not to say it’s all bad though, as Steadlür has some genuinely enjoyable songs. Tracks like the childishly charming ‘My Mom Hates Me’ will stick in your head with its thumping ‘Pour Some Sugar On Me’ styled rhythms and fantastically catchy, if not a tad idiotic chorus. In fact, the first half of the record ranges from tolerable to good, showing signs of the better side of Steadlür. There are some great riffs sprinkled throughout the album, such as the Zeppelin-esque flare of ‘Suffocate’s opener. There is however an overall tendency to slip in to rather bland filler music, laden with unimaginative melodies and ideas that have been worn to death. A fair few of the tracks feel like they could have used a lot more fleshing out and in some cases, should’ve been scrapped completely. Then Steadlür would be a strong and consistent debut. As it stands however, the album flutters between enjoyable and dull, with the former only just making up the majority. If you only listen to one album this year, it probably shouldn’t be this one.

Devin Townsend Project - Ki

2009-06-20T15:31:00.002-07:00

After a two year hiatus from creating original music, Devin Townsend returns with the first of four in a series of records under the imaginative moniker of ‘Devin Townsend Project’. Whilst perhaps more known for his extreme metal outfit, Strapping Young Lad, Townsend has never been a stranger to the more melodic side of rock and metal, entertaining a highly prolific ‘solo’ career and creating some of the more unique progressive albums of the late 1990s and early 2000s. It comes as no surprise to fans then that, having cleaned up his lifestyle of mind-altering drugs and habits, Townsend returns to the mellower side of his output. However, quirky ambient albums such as Devlab and The Hummer aside, never before has Townsend been so instrumentally laid back as on Devin Townsend Project’s debut, Ki.

Described by Townsend himself as a record to ‘set the stage’ for the entire project, Ki as a whole is unimposing when compared to the oppressive wall-of-sound production techniques that encompass most of the musician’s prior output. That is not to say there are not moments where Townsend’s trademark hostility and dense instrumentation dominate. On the contrary, the third track, ‘Disruptr’, seems to indulge the metal side of “Hevy Devy” about half way through, with a gradual crescendo of snarled vocals and distorted guitars quickly building up to assault the listener as if out of nowhere. What is different though is that this aggressive momentum doesn’t explode, but rather deflates itself almost as quickly as it began, cutting off before its musical climax to begin the initially mellow-paced song ‘Gato’. Whilst several songs on the album do similar, there are often clever musical juxtapositions to diminish the effect of the outright heavy moments - whether it’s the rhythms of jazz and blues drumming veteran, Duris Maxwell or the slightly disjointed, yet oddly serene additional vocals from guest singer Ché Dorval. Whilst actually only having one writing credit on the entire album, the mere presence of Maxwell seems to have inadvertently influenced a lot of the rhythm riffs of the album - Townsend opting for clean electric guitars and playing slightly off-beat grooves that will inevitably have the listener clicking their fingers along to the track after a few plays.

Although fairly subdued, Townsend’s bizarre sense of humour is also noticeable on occasion, as Ki is littered with moments that are guaranteed to bring a smile to the listener’s face. For instance, as ‘Heaven Send’ reaches a point of dense guitars and horns, it suddenly cuts out to reveal a small exchange from recording sessions between (presumably) Townsend and Maxwell before returning to its prior insanity. Indeed, the musical variance is almost witty in itself. ‘Trainfire’ seems to have an undeniable 50s rock & roll vibe, Townsend’s vocals reeking of a rather charming Elvis tribute act for most of the song, whereas penultimate track ‘Quiet Riot’ borrows a melody or two from ‘Cum On Feel The Noize’, with the acoustic guitars offering a stark contrast to the hit cover version of the titular band. Whilst a radical change in comparison to a lot of his work of old, for those familiar with albums of the Devin Townsend Band and previous pseudonyms, there are more than enough similar stylistic points for the fan to feel at home. The title track itself smacks of Devin Townsend Band’s Accelerated Evolution, with its floating vocals, soothing guitars and eventually huge melodic overlay of music acting as the angelic equivalent to the album’s earlier deafening disorder.

Upon initial listens, Ki’s fluctuation between laid-back, gentle tones and unrelentingly dissident fury is extremely daunting to even the most seasoned Townsend listener. It certainly takes a couple of spins to actually get used to the bouncing back and forth between the two extremes. However, it is in these repeated listens that Ki really begins to shine. At times, there is almost too much going on musically and the listener is led in to a false sense of smooth jazz-based security. As such, the listener needs to get to grips with this difficult fusion of musical styles before they can really begin to enjoy the album. This is certainly not an album for the casual music fan, demanding far more attention than to be relegated to just background music. Whilst possibly one of Townsend’s most alienating releases, Ki also appears to be one of his most well-crafted. Clearly a huge amount of thought has gone in to creating a rather eclectic collection of music, from the diverse mix of musicians on the records to the huge variance of sounds presented on the album. If this album is only an appetiser for what is to come from the Devin Townsend Project, I eagerly await the next course.

Hot Leg - Red Light Fever

2009-06-20T15:31:00.001-07:00

After dabbling with a rather short solo career, rock vocalist and guitarist Justin Hawkins resurfaces in a new band, Hot Leg (and not a moment too soon either, with his ex-bandmates more than ably progressing without him in Stone Gods). In The Darkness, Hawkins was primarily known for his infamous shrieking falsetto, taking a note or two from Freddie Mercury, the band itself eliciting either responses of amusement and enjoyment or ridicule and disgust. Their unashamedly dated brand of rock displayed great musicianship and wore its influences on its sleeve but also retained a tongue-in-cheek attitude. A ridiculous flamboyancy engulfed the entire affair and Hot Leg does very little to derive from this formula.

Perhaps one of the main things that distinguish Hot Leg from Hawkins’ previous band is the era of rock influences that the band pay tribute to. Whereas The Darkness drew a lot of inspiration from 70’s rock (at least on their debut – sophomore album, One Way Ticket became a bit more of a Queen tribute album, thanks to its bombastic multilayered vocals), Hot Leg seem to have far more of an 80’s glam vibe. Of course, there are some classic style rockers, but tracks like ‘Cocktails’ tend to remind the listener of 1984-era Van Halen with bouncy synthesisers being no stranger. The lyrics certainly reinforce this cock-rock idea, ranging from love and lust gone wrong (of course laced with the expected innuendo) to judgemental aggression – as was standard fair with any brand of hair-metal of the late 80’s / early 90’s. One song that seems to break out of this trend however is the track ‘Trojan Guitar’, which is more Led Zeppelin than Mötley Crüe due to its narrative nature and occasional folk guitar, making it an odd, but welcome inclusion. As to be expected, Red Light Fever is laden with vocal hooks galore and guitar solo trade-offs, showing that both guitarists, Hawkins and Pete Rinaldi, are equally well versed in widdling away on the six-string. Indeed, the entire band consists of tight performers, but all seem to take a bit of a backseat to Hawkins. This is partially as these songs are nearly exclusively his creation, but also due to his stellar performance - undeniably, one of the best aspects of the album his voice. Hawkins has an incredible set of pipes, especially when it comes to falsetto wails (just listen to him out-shriek guest singer Beverlei Brown, on ‘Ashamed’). It also doesn’t hurt that he has also developed some variance in his voice, occasionally switching to a low and gritty bark - presumably so any glass located near the speakers isn’t completely shattered.

What this album does right is meld together the different aspects of what the band clearly adores – classic rock. Whether it’s the somewhat bloozy beginning of ‘Prima Donna’ or the chicken-picked riffage of single ‘I’ve Met Jesus’, there’s definitely enough variance within the album to keep it from becoming stale. Clocking in at around 35 minutes, the ten cuts are short and sharp and tend to refrain from too much self-indulgent repetition, which is one of the key problems of many of Hot Leg’s predecessors. Perhaps the most important thing about this album however is that it is fun. It doesn’t take itself too seriously and yet is delivered with conviction and fantastic ability. Like the best of the classic rock bands, Hot Leg are clearly enjoying themselves and making sure their audience is aware of the fact. Rather than whine incessantly about their never-ending pain, as do many modern “rock” bands, Hot Leg want their listener to remember when rock was more about having fun (albeit, slightly misguided fun). Whilst the album is hardly groundbreaking (I don’t think it could actually be walking on more beaten paths), it is an enjoyable listen for fans of slightly-glam classic rock (and of The Darkness) and is unapologetically ridiculous. Red Light Fever is a strong debut and hopefully only a sign of things to come.

Manic Street Preachers - Journal For Plague Lovers

2009-06-20T15:29:00.000-07:00

14 years after the initial disappearance of original band member Richey Edwards, the Manic Street Preachers take the “risky” move of writing an album based entirely around the remains of Edwards’ lyrics. With their third album, The Holy Bible becoming synonymous with the often impenetrable contemplations of their almost-guitarist and lyricist, it is inevitable that the new album will be held up to the high standard set by The Holy Bible – a standard that seems unachievable. But the Manics have made a great job of trying to reach it.

From the very beginning, Journal for Plague Lovers evokes nostalgia for the band’s classic, The Holy Bible, through its sample-based opening – a concept that almost littered the latter record. Unavoidably, there are many common links with the album that became Edwards’ swansong, with Journal for Plague Lovers continuing the theme of lyrics on the slightly darker side of human thought. Whilst the Manics have never exactly been the happiest of bands throughout their career, their prior release Send Away the Tigers, whilst an enjoyable album musically, had some overtly uninspired lyrics (such as the chorus to hook-laden swayer ‘Autumnsong’, insipidly rambling about ‘what you’ve done with your hair’). As a result, it’s a welcome change to actually be able to appreciate the lyrics on their own, as nihilistic and self-pitying they are. As to be expected, there are references to a variety of topics, ranging from social commentary to artistic output, serving as a vehicle for displaying the intelligence, observational skill and huge ability to absorb information that Edwards had. As with The Holy Bible, the lyrics alone have a great propensity to stick in your head, with simple chorus lines such as the title track’s ‘Only a God can bruise / Only a God can soothe’ becoming a perpetual placement in one’s mind.

Great emphasis was put on the use of Edwards’ words by the rest of the band throughout the creation of the album, leading to many expectations of another The Holy Bible, with its suffocatingly enjoyable song-writing immersing the listener in a world of incomprehensible and unchangeable anguish. However, whilst the musical side of Journal for Plague Lovers is impressive, it doesn’t live up to the almost unreachable goals set by its effective predecessor. Where The Holy Bible was muddily and disconcertingly produced, Journal is primed and polished. Where Bible had an oppressive wall of sound (take for instance the chilling-beginning of ‘Of Walking Abortion’, where the violently sludging and ominous instrumentation kicks in over a suddenly garbled quote), Journal is extremely tame on the ear. There are moments of trying to capture that unique sound through the use of similar guitar tones (for instance, the verse guitar lines of track ‘Marlon J.D.’), but it would be impossible to recreate. And why would they want to? The songs are well-constructed, but despite the band believing the record as a whole to be possible commercial suicide, there are more than enough sing-along moments for even the most casual of Manics listeners to enjoy the record. Taking a few song-writing cues from one of their best received records, Everything Must Go, the songs are far less alienating than the lyrics might suggest, but still act as a completely suitable accompaniment to Edwards’ hard to follow and deeply alarming lyrics.

The album has a fair mix of radio-friendly rock songs (the first single, ‘Jackie Collins Existential Question Time’ immediately comes to mind), energetic songs (‘Pretension/Repulsion’s chorus makes punching the air almost compulsory) and unnervingly soothing acoustic songs (with ‘William’s Last Words’ reading almost like a pleasant suicide note). Whilst the Manics are no stranger to musical variety (indeed, they have come a long way from their Guns N’ Roses meets politics and occasional bad drum machine debut), Journal seems to do a brilliant job at encompassing all the aspects that have made the high points of their back catalogue so good – catchy choruses, well crafted songs, exceptional performances (especially from James Dean Bradfield, whose voice seems to not have wavered in quality in the last 15 years, as well as his guitar playing being criminally underrated) and intelligent lyrics. Journal for Plague Lovers, perhaps most importantly, stays consistent through out. There is not a weak song on the record and, despite its variation. Journal seems to remain appropriately in tone with itself keeping a steady feel, rather than an erratic mish-mash of different styles. Whilst not blown away on initial listening, the album has certainly proved to be a grower, with some of the best aspects of it only showing themselves after repeated listens (for instance, the charmingly dated and yet fantastically placed piano segment after ‘Viriginia State Epileptic Colony’s second chorus). Whilst Journal for Plague Lovers was never going to be able to live up to the legacy of The Holy Bible, it is a great record in its own right. Not only has it shown that the three-piece of James Dean Bradfield, Nicky Wire and Sean Moore are still a musical force to be reckoned with, but it is a more than worthy way to honour their clearly sorely missed band-mate, Richey Edwards. It’s only a shame that Journal for Plague Lovers is damned to live in The Holy Bible’s shadow because of it.