It’s been quite a busy few years for ANTHRAX. Between the killer Worship Music album and non-stop touring the world; the band has maintained a hectic pace. Originally conceived as a second disc for a deluxe edition of Worship Music, Anthems is mostly made up of inspired 1970s classic rock covers and a couple of remixes. It’s actually the band’s first EP in almost 23 years, since Penikufesin in 1989. For an EP that was recorded all over the world in hotel rooms, backstage green rooms and tour buses; it sure sounds good. ANTHRAX has always done covers almost every album cycle, going back to the Fistful of Metal days. Even “Bring The Noise” was conceived of as a cover before featuring PUBLIC ENEMY on the ground breaking corroborative track and video. The reason the band has done well in past with covers, is their eclectic taste in bands. Anthems continues the trend.
Kicking things off with RUSH‘s “Anthem”, the entire band is heard sounding really inspired. It is no small feat to cover RUSH, let a lone do them justice, but they pull it off. CHARLIE BENANTE and FRANK BELLO in particular play with a lot of passion and respect for the original parts. Benante even slips in a few clever drum fills from “A Passage to Bangkok” a few times and I can’t help but smile every time I hear them. JOEY BELLADONNA, following up his Worship Music performance, sounds phenomenal. His range in line with GEDDY LEE‘s own unwieldy voice at times, but a lot smoother. “Anthem” is easily the best track on the EP.
This is one of the alternate covers that comes with the CD.
I am a huge THIN LIZZY fan and I’m always bummed when I meet people who only know the band from their considerable hits, and not the rest of their catalog. Having already covered the TL minor hit “Cowboy Song” in the 1990′s, I guess I can’t complain about a fairly standard cover of “Jailbreak”. More great vocals from Joey and strong solos from the now departed from the band ROB CAGGIANO (VOLBEAT). Lots of groups have covered AC/DC too, and done so badly I must say. If you are gonna cover a song by a hugely popular band you should a) recreate the song in your special way or b) do a version faithful to the original. ANTHRAX does a pretty standard version of “T.N.T”, but it is still a lot of fun. Belladonna will shock you at how much he sounds like BON SCOTT on the track. Caggiano kills it on the classic guitar solo. I also like Bello’s finger-style bass playing and tone here too. Then the band goes back to the more adventurous territory. BOSTON is always a fun band that you don’t hear covered a lot, because they were insanely accomplished players. “Smokin’” sounds great and the band brought in legendary keyboard player FRED MANDEL (ALICE COOPER/QUEEN/PINK FLOYD/ ELTON JOHN/SUPERTRAMP) who did a terrific job. CHEAP TRICK is another underrated band historically, who balanced pop music with great chops. “Big Eyes” is another atypical choice of song to cover. It is more gritty and less polished than a lot of that bands’ better known material and sounds really fresh here. Then there is the JOURNEY cover. Sigh. I know I am in the vast minority, but I hate JOURNEY and I always will. That being said, the cover of “Keep On Running” is another clever choice, instead of choosing a huge hit, which might have grated on my nerves. The EP closes with two remixes of the album track “Crawl”, the second one being really interesting for its re-casting of of the motifs and pastoral sounding backing vocals. The artwork sounds cool too, conceived by Benante and artist Steven Thomson which promises an ANTHRAX “take” on the artwork of the original bands that were covered. This will be worth buying for Joey’s performance alone, fans of the band, complete-ists, and collectors too.
Throwback. It’s a word not often enough associated with modern hard rock music for my taste. Most bands struggle to properly represent an amalgam of their influences and pour out anything original, let alone inspired sounding. There is just a lack of great, unrepentant, kick-ass rock `n roll bands these days and that makes me sad. Sometimes a band comes along that not only does the history of the style justice, but also has something new to give us too, we the masses that are hungry to rock. That is why the new EP by THE BLACKFIRES has me so pumped up. It definitely answers the question of “what is the future of rock music” with a resounding hail of riffs and cymbal crashes that scream yes!
Recorded live at The Cutting Room in New York City, it is not quite a live show recording in the traditional sense. All the same, true live albums are hard to pull off these days, but the band definitely sounds lively and tight. From the opening snarl of the guitar licks in “Rocker Child” you hear the blend and balance of ZEPPELIN, SABBATH, GUNS, LIZZY, DEEP PURPLE and more along with a modern, rough hewn charm. Aggressive and slick, the track is a great intro to the band for the indoctrinated and would make a terrific set-list starter too based on how vital is sounds. Singer Cheggi channels his inner Plant, Freddy throughout the song and he’s not afraid to back up that front man bravado with his range and delivery. “Gambit” continues the charge with some killer guitar chops on display and more out of this world singing. The song goes through several tempo shifts and dramatic swells that will recall the best of a bygone era in music. Not only is axe-slinging tight, but bassist Ryan Egan holds is down all the time with his colorful playing and thick tone. “Livewire Babies” is a song that will take you by surprise and could be a potential single-type track, in spite of its impressive running time. There is a definitely a lot of AC/DC influence happening there, but I also hear remnants of early SOUNDGARDEN with Cheggi displaying his confidence in his ability. This song also has the best lead guitar work on the album and great lyrics. The key change in the final coda of the song is pure rock royalty in my book. “Just A Thrill” is the dark horse of the album. In addition to its grit and heaviness as a song, it benefits from a killer beat supplied by the bands’ drummer and secret weapon, Ilan Harel. It is such a raw and passion filled song that you almost get sideswiped by the earthy breakdown and eventual rave up to the finale. “Primal Love” closes out the affair. A sprawling, power-ballad with a lot of soul, I think this is a good track to end things with. Fans will have tear in their eye and their lighters out when this one comes on.
THE BLACKFIRES are definitely gunning for the big time with this release and putting a lot of bands in their scene on notice. For more information check out their website here.
THE BLACKFIRES: Bringing the SOUL back to Rock ‘N Roll.
Another stunning masterpiece album cover by John Baizley.
Another of the most anticipated albums of 2012 dropping this summer is by BARONESS. I have been a huge fan of the band since before they were popular so I will admit I have been excited for this album like a little girl getting a pony on her fifth birthday. After 2009′s Blue Album blew up and catapulted them to the top of every taste makers lists (it ranked #2 for me that year, by a nose behind MASTODON’s Crack The Skye), I didn’t have to rave about this band that few knew about anymore. Usually two things happen when a band reaches this level: they plateau and disappoint or they rise to the occasion and deliver a masterpiece. Rest assured, BARONESS has done the latter and then some.
With a sweeping double album, Yellow and Green has continued the journey the band has been on for several albums. Although the songs are still full of spirit and vitriol and packed with Olympian guitar work, musically the band has moved away from metal and potatoes Sludge influenced Prog-rock. What they have done is transform their sound, without constraints and wrote flat-out brilliant songs. They may lose some long time fans in the process, but similar to MASTODON and OPETH, this has been a long time coming. Some songs rage and others ebb and flow gently. All of them have a character and a soulfulness lacking in a lot of today’s music. Tiny details, amazing little bits of genius carefully put into the tracks that make each listen more rewarding. It is the sound of a band fully gelling, although defined and led by John Baizley’s creative fire
Yellow… is the more uptempo and rocking side of the two, but not in strict terms. After “Yellow Theme” sets the table as many BARONESS records have done before you have the rollicking singles like “Take My Bones Away” and “March To the Sea”. Without the use of metals’ clichés of over-driven amps and palm-muted chords, these songs stand on their own, and still damn heavy. Still, the beauty of the album is in mellower, but deeper cuts like “Little Things” and “Twinkler” that will be a treat for your ears and heart. Heady and emotive like all the greats: QUEEN, THIN LIZZY, late-era LED ZEPPELIN or early psychedelic-era PINK FLOYD, these albums took you on a mental journey into mystery the first time you heard them. “Cocanium” is a straight out 70′s Pop-Rock delight that could have been at home on a JOE WALSH or STEVE MILLER album. Gritty, mature and possessing dynamite bass lines and keyboard parts. Baizley actually played all of the bass on the album too since new bassist Matt Maggioni hadn’t joined until late in the writing process. Whether it’s the catchy “Back Where I Belong” or the transcendent “Eula”, every song has goose-bump inducing moments from both Baizley and Peter Adams in the guitar work.
Green… is very interesting by itself. I listened to the entire album together many times already, but Green has its own merits alone too. It’s not a case of one side being rockers and the other a chill out. Quite the opposite. Both albums have their different tones and timbres. “Green Theme” is actually a little less somber and more up beat than the earlier side intro song. Drummer Allen Blickle might have had to hold back a little more overall than his usual ferocious attack, but it may very well be his best playing of his career. “Board Up The House” has wonderful dynamic range as does “Mtns. (The Crown &Anchor)”. Baizley’s philosophical story telling gets an additional boost from some harmonized vocal lines that will make you think of THE BEATLES. “Collapse” is another gem of song craft also. “Stretchmarker” is soft and introspective while “The Line Between” is one of the hardest songs of the set. “If I Forget Thee, Lowcountry” puts a dreamy end to the opus. Yellow and Green is not only the perfect soundtrack to summer, it is the best album of this mighty bands’ career.
BARONESS sheds the typical trappings of metal for something more.
Female fronted hard rock band ROYAL THUNDER break out of the Atlanta metal scene with their full length album debut CVI (Roman numeral 106). They formed in 2007 and released a seven song EP in late 2009. The four piece group has a bluesy, psychedelic feel to them that garner them comparisons to LED ZEPPELIN and BLACK SABBATH. Many of CVI’s tracks are haunting and possess the doom that both of those legendary bands had earlier in their careers. This correlation suggests that ROYAL THUNDER have a long career ahead of them.
I was instantly drawn in by the opening track “Parsonz Curse”. The title is clever and humorous because the singer/bassist’s name is Mlny Parsonz. In a sense, Parsonz places a curse on the listener of not being able to resist falling in love with her voice. This is the song that reminded me the most of early SABBATH’s sound of doom and ended being my favorite of the album. Some other tracks that stuck out to me are “Blue”, “Sleeping Witch”, and “South of Somewhere”. The two things I loved about “Blue” were the background vocals and the jam-like feeling to it. It reminded me of some Zeppelin tunes because of the way Parsonz sings throughout the track and the way she phrases her words. “Sleeping Witch” is the only song on the album that also appeared on the 2009 EP. The song sounds similar to THE MOODY BLUES’ “Nights in White Satin” and has that slightly eerie feel to it. At around the 1:50 mark though, it crashes into becoming a heavier tune. Finally, “South of Somewhere” captured my attention because it started with the sound of wind chimes; an interesting way for a hard rock band to begin a song. The guitars in the sound are similar to the ones heard on the last MASTODON album The Hunter. Perhaps it has to do with the fact that both bands come from the same area/scene.
Overall, I really enjoyed the album. The songs are of various lengths and although many exceed the five minute mark, none feel too long. No two songs are the same but that doesn’t mean they don’t all belong on the album. They flow together quite nicely and the listener never feels bored. I believe we can expect great things from ROYAL THUNDER in the future.
Queen: Days of Our Lives (Directed by Matt O’Casey)
We don’t often discuss mainstream institutions here at Metal Army such as QUEEN. Usually bands of that stature get mentioned in interviews as an influence to many, but few have to explain why. You can hear their vast influence in metal today from artists as varied as DEVIN TOWNSEND, OPETH, IHSAHN, KYNG, BETWEEN THE BURIED AND ME, IRON MAIDEN, YAKUZA, JUNIUS, USX, THE ATLAS MOTH, PARADISE LOST, ARCH ENEMY, DREAM THEATER, ICED EARTH and many others. They are so ingrained in the culture of music fans that even casual music fans can name five or six songs by the band. Matt O’Casey’s documentary Queen: Days of Our Lives recounts the their history from their earliest beginnings to their enduring legacy as on of their generation. Metal Army was privileged to participate in the TRIBECA FILM FESTIVAL for a second year in a row, where the festival held a sold-out screening in late April.
Image used with permission of The Tribeca Film Festival.
Using an exhaustive collection of archival footage, concert footage and current interviews with the living band members, their former management, friends and critics their story was told. From their humble beginnings as college students in England, to their eventual rise to fame, it is a warts and all story. Brian May, Freddy Mercury, Roger Taylor and John Deacon certainly had an undeniable chemistry together live and in the studio. At one point early in their career’s they were broke, hated by the UK press and on their last leg as a band. Impossibly, they later wound up becoming on of the most endearing acts of the 1970s and 1980s as a result of the run they had, beginning with 1975′s A Night At the Opera. Beyond being memorable song writers, QUEEN had many other talents. Their earliest music was more in line with the progressive rock acts of the day, but they increasingly focused on rock and later funk, dance and pop music over time. They somehow always maintained their identity and for the most part, their fans often welcomed the sometimes radical departures in style. The film covers all the ways they were innovative before they got really big such as recording techniques, tour promotions, music videos and creative stage shows. Once they became more successful, their ability to put on gigantic stadium only tours the world over revolutionized concerts the way we know them today. In addition to becoming world-wide hit makers, they were the headline act at the biggest musical event of the 1980s, Live Aid.
An image from the groundbreaking video for "Bohemian Rhapsody".
There was naturally a down side to this success. In addition to taking quite a while to break out and reach stardom, they signed a disastrous deal at the start of their career that held them back for a long time. There were ego clashes and all the excesses you expect from a band of that stature. There are some interesting parallels to modern times and bands of today, other than the technology being used to make records. On the way to becoming musical and cultural icons, the band made a lot of mistakes, had a ton of bad breaks and of course as many losses as triumphs. The band hit their low point when Freddy Mercury died of Aids in 1991, after having been sick for many years. He was likely sick the last five to seven years of his life, yet worked tirelessly. This included the world tour that became the Live Magic album and concert video, their last official tour together as the original band. To Freddy’s credit he made music with the band practically until he was on his deathbed, a tribute to his amazing spirit. Ironically, the film notes that the band has existed for over forty years, but is as big or bigger in the twenty-plus years since Freddy died, if that is possible. The band has continued on with May and Taylor carrying the torch (John Deacon retired in 1997) with various incarnations and types of shows keeping their name out there, for better or worse. The film is already out on DVD and in stores now.
When we caught up with former NOTHINGFACE bassist Bill Gaal last fall, he was putting the finishing touches on his second album for his IN FIOR THE KILL project. Operating less like a full time band, Gaal brought in his former NOTHINGFACE cohort Chris Houk to play drums and revolving door of other talented musicians to complete the work. The full title of the album is actually This Is The Sweetest Kind Of Lie…You Are The Deadliest Surprise and released on his own label, S6Records. This arrangement, being in control suits Gaal well. We’re pleased to report the album is killer and was more than worth the wait.
Full of jammy 1970′s rock anthems and feel good, fuzzed out upbeat songs, there is not a remotely weak song on the record. Lead off cut “The Gold and Gun” could have come out in 1975 and you wouldn’t know the difference. Great waves of thickly compress bass guitar introduce the main riff while beats thunder and guitars crackle. Gaal’s phased in and harmonized lead vocals are eerily reminiscent of JOSH HOMME. As the song transforms from a careening rocker to a grooving jam Gaal’s voice becomes more true and gritty, yet still clean sounding. This is music that could please the metal dudes, but also has a deft pop sensibility most bands lack. Still, it’s not hard to imagine them out playing with the psychedelic stoner bands like RED FANG, KYNG, THE SWORD, TOTIMOSHI, MONSTRO and other desert rock influenced upstarts. “Blood For Love” is a little shorter and a little sweeter than the first track. Neat, crunchy guitars hide under a heavy beat. I really loved the winding lick that cuts in and out around the catchy chorus. The third track is the title song. It has a cool CARS/DEVO -style alienation to the delivery of the lines with the repeated refrain “automatic”. It’s a true rocker with some slick guitar antics too. “Off My Shoulders” rocks like middle era DEEP PURPLE until a groove/swing part comes in to drive the song even further into your mind. There is a little cool psychedelic part in the middle eight that builds a lot of drama and some dynamic vocal range from Gaal. “If Darkness Could Kill” starts out mellow with some gentle guitars, but swells with drama later. On the way up to a froth, the some builds with some earthly bass and beats and very cool organ accents. “King Of All The Pretty Ones” brings back the full fledged rock sound that has been missing for a long time. A lot of bands try to copy the style, but few can pull it off naturally. I doubt I will be able to get this song out of my head for days. A track with a serious funky style to it is “Against The Girl”. With some guitars added by Mike Longworth and Gaal, the occasional lead guitar work has a really JOE WALSH feel to it in spots. Great lyrics on this song as well. “Betrayed By The Sign of The Sun” is a bit quirky, but cool while “We Put You In The Ground” rocks out. Closing track “I Know Rain” has the raw power of later day NINE INCH NAILS or A PERFECT CIRCLE. I’d like to see this band on the road at some point, but only time will tell if it will happen. Get the album from the S6 Records website.
It seems like yesterday I was extolling the virtues of Snakes For the Divine (eOne), the last album from Oakland’s HIGH ON FIRE. That album was a masterpiece of raw musical fury and wild guitar abandon. I wasn’t sure the band could top that effort, nor did I think they would try to. At this point the band, led by Matt Pike (SLEEP) has little to prove, has built a strong following and rocks stages the world over. Their new album takes the approach of not trying fixing what isn’t broken, but still attempting to grow sonically and especially lyrically. Although you can make a case that every HoF album has a theme behind it, De Vermis Mysteriis is truly a full fledged concept album in the purest sense. The album title translates to “Mysteries of the Worm” and comes from mind of author’s like Robert Block (Psycho) H.P. Lovecraft’s Cthulu Mythos. The rest of the story has to do with Jesus Christ, the Immaculate Conception and the would be son of God’s ghost of his dead in-utero twin, who becomes a time traveler. Still with me? No, I am not quite high enough to fully get this concept yet, but it sounds pretty cool to me.
Prepare to be bowled over from the first notes of this album. “Serums of Liao” thunders alive with a crazy drum fill before launching an all-out assault on your senses. Just a wave of jagged riffs and ferocious drumming the band has come to be known for. Right away Pike sounds like his usually raging, unhinged self. Right from the first chorus, there is a hint of more melody underneath the weight of his gravely voice. Rather than play a typical guitar solo when you might expect it, the band engages in a unified tribal breakdown for the ages. Later on, when Pike does shred he favors texture and style over flash. This song is so ripping it’s ridiculous. Des Kensel murders his drum kit and Jeff Matz sneaks in a some fluid walking bass lines as well. Together they are one of the best rhythm sections in metal. My ears were kind of exhausted from listening to the opening track on repeat a few times. But when I did finally play “Bloody Knuckles”, I was amped! Definitely in the stoner groove vein of the bands’ earlier material. Nasty and hostile, the song just jams. The single “Fertile Green” is next and you just know there are gonna be some titles with smoke references on a HIGH ON FIRE album. Super thrashy sounding, the song has a main lick that careens back and forth between your speakers and ear drums. Pike again has the grit going in his voice, but manages to bring new possibilities with his vocals lines calling to mind a TOM WAITS or LEMMY. Both drums and bass again have slick little solo breaks as each musical part of the band carries their own weight. Hats off to producer Kurt Ballou (CONVERGE, CAVE IN, ISIS, TRAP THEM, KEN MODE) for bringing this band to new heights and capturing all of the blissful chaos. “Madness of An Architect” is really a throwback to SLEEP and all the great doom of yesteryear. Just a dirge made of tube shattering chords and grinding riffery. Definitely a track to burn one to, it almost has a MELVINS-like quality which I have observed before in their writing. “Samsara” is an epic, moody instrumental track that could be straight out of 1973. There is some great soulful lead playing on this track too. The song “Spiritual Rights” is at the heart of the meaning of the album. Great lyrics and crushing riffs. With its superior drumming it could easily share a musical ancestor with MOTORHEAD’s “Overkill”. “King Of Days” is another sludge metal masterpiece. It is so slow and harsh, yet has a great tunefulness to it. Matz channels his inner GEEZER BUTLER and JOHN PAUL JONES here as well. The title track is another killer tune. All of HoF’s albums are deep and full of well written songs, but this is kind of ridiculous. “Romulus and Remus” is another SABBATH-ian epic with a chopping riff that will blow your top off and have lots of kids working on their picking technique. The opus closes out with “Warhorn” which is as mighty in sound as it is in name. Sort of an aural bastard child blending SAINT VITUS and C.O.C. It’s hard to believe that this might be the bands’ finest hour, but it is. Raise your glass, bong and devil horns high with full respect!
For the almost four decades of history of the long running rockers AC/DC, some of their earliest stories have been told only through the lens of a reporter and often not someone who was there. Many fans and scribes agree the work they put down in the early years of the band was crucial to why they made it so far. Since Bon Scott passed away in 1980 there have been many fond remembrances of that time from outsiders, but never a first hand account of the magic and mayhem that life back then clearly was. That is, until now. Mark Evans who was the AC/DC bassist from 1975-1977 has written his memoirs entitled Dirty Deeds: My Life Inside/Outside of AC/DC (Bazillion Points) and it is a stark account of that time never heard before. Although he has mainly good memories, he certainly gives a warts and all look at himself and life in the biggest rock band in the world, before they got there.
Mark was no stranger to overcoming obstacles early in life. Coming from a rough suburb of Melbourne, the younger Mark toughed it out in a frigid housing project, uneven schooling and hectic times in his crowded, but loving family home. Outgoing and talented, he imagined himself an Australian Rules Footballer (“footy”) star and not necessarily a rock star, but that is what happened. Boisterous and fun loving (and a budding ladies man) he slowly devoted more and more time to his musical passions until they consumed him day and night. A chance meeting with AC/DC led to him joining the band and learning their entire set in one night. Although the classic debut High Voltage was already out locally and their live reputation was growing when Mark joined, his arrival meant Malcolm Young could permanently switch to rhythm guitar for which he is now known. Becoming an immediate improvement to the lineup both live and for the chemistry of the band, this boded well for the future. Mark’s ascent to stardom mirrored the bands and there were great times and human wreckage along the way.
Although it took time for the band to really take off, they had outgrown every scene they were part of and they certainly were a formidable act for headliners to share a stage with. Mark for his part fit right in, especially with singer Bon Scott and drummer Phil Rudd who were more in line with a savvy, street smart guy like himself. Malcolm was a toughie apparently, but Angus Young was an avowed tea toller at the time and then there was the Svengali-like older brother George whom everyone walked on eggshells for. As you could imagine, while the band were running up towards rock world domination they played hard, fought harder, partied the hardest, loved and lost too. Mark’s memory of even the littlest details, funny stories and other tales of yore really give the book a definitive picture of a band coming into their own. No one has ever been on the inside of the band to analyze the interpersonal relationships between the members like this book does which is great. As the band made their way out of Australia, relocated to the UK and climbed up the industry ladder they ran across every other rock band in the musical food chain of the day (KISS, RAINBOW, DEEP PURPLE and the OZZY fronted BLACK SABBATH to name a few.) More often than not earned a begrudged respect. Begrudged because this young band was talented and hungry, often shaming established, but fading acts with their intense live shows. Evans for his part certainly isn’t shy about sharing his feelings about a multitude of topics and people from that time and you get a sense that he is very real and down to earth then and now.
In less than two years Evans contributed to classic albums like T.N.T., the re-release of High Voltage, Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap, Let There Be Rock (and later on `74 Jailbreak EP) and helped set the foundation for the sound of the band with his deft playing and showmanship. Alas, after a little more than two years he was fired although a crystal clear answer isn’t really obvious. Evans was naturally devastated, but is far from bitter and appreciative of his life. Post AC/DC Mark played in several bands back in Australia and today owns a vintage guitar shop that has seen him cross paths with many former peers, modern masters and other admirers (like GEORGE HARRISON!). He definitely has his axes to grind, such as when the The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame teased him with a notice of induction (he fully deserved this honor) and then reneged on it, leaving him out in the cold for the ceremony too. Even worse to have to live through was the tragic death of his daughter which understandably was the low point in his life. We learn through his story that Evans has gained the perspective few usually do who have been where he has and lived to tell about it. He is in a good place at the time of this book. He still does what he loves with the same passion he had as a wild-eyed kid. We all could learn from this. He has seen the top of the mountain of rock excess and success and plummeted the depths of real life, only come out on the other side a better man. Evans is a fascinating study in how to learn from your mistakes and how to handle the aftermath of success when you no longer have it. This book is a must-have for AC/DC obsessives and casual fans too.
OPETH is one of the most revered names in all of metal and has been for nearly twenty years. For over ten of those years OPETH has been evolving slowly away from the brilliant death metal of their earliest origins and into an elegant progressive metal swan. Not the most inspiring analogy to original fans, I know. The media serves a weird function in music too (or thinks it does), and typing those words cements the fact that I am a mere spoke in that wheel. People were dismissing the album before they ever heard a note which is silly. If OPETH is suffering from anything on Heritage it is the myopia of metal fans and critics who think they can dictate to a band what is best for them. Human beings are creatures of habit and hate the idea of changes to what is comfortable. Mikael Akerfeldt has always followed his own muse and fortunately he ignored all the negativity. I’d rather him follow his heart rather than make an album that is death metal for the sake of it, but be lackluster because he doesn’t care. From my first few listens all the way through the album, we are not talking about a departure like METALLICA’s Load albums or even a CELTIC FROST’s Cold Lake. We are talking about emphasizing an element of the band that has always been there and diminishing another. Granted, I am the guy whose first concerts were RUSH and YES in the 1980s, so I accept that I maybe I am one of the droids OPETH is looking for.
Mikael Akerfeldt journeys to the center of his mind on Heritage
Fittingly the album begins with the title track, which is a mournful piano solo. Performed by the now departed keyboard player Per Wilberg it is a cool way to kick things off. The first full song is the single, the much talked about cut “The Devil’s Orchid”. A full out, progressive rock (barely metal) work of the highest degree, the song is brilliant. It is however, not heavy, not in the traditional sense. There are no growls to be found here or anywhere on this album. Not blasts of brutality. At all. Still, going through several time signature and chordal changes over nearly seven minutes, Akerfeldt’s sinewy tenor permeates the melody lines adding soulfulness. Musically he has let his prog jones fly free completely. The interplay between the keys and guitars recalls early EMERSON LAKE AND PALMER (amazing how much they are being borrowed from in metal lately). The heaviest thing about the song is probably the Nietzsche-ian chorus refrain of “God Is Dead”. Next track “I Feel The Dark” has a lot in common with the material off of the Damnation album. Akerfeldt and his warm vocal croon, synth strings and lovely ostinato bass lines by Martin Mendez are the highlights. Some trippy Mellotron notes buzz in your head like a stiff drink. The middle section vamps up the heaviness some and the resulting dynamic swings which are excellent. Drummer Martin “Axe” Axenrot is almost the star of the album with his ability to play jazzy one minute and rock out the next. He also employs some inventive double-kick work. “Slither” starts with a string skipping riff and an old Hammond B3 Organ sound. Typical of most of these tracks, the song is shorter and more direct than previous efforts too. The track almost sounds like a cross between prog and earlier IRON MAIDEN, which is an awesome mix by the way. A gentile classical guitar outro closes things out nicely. “Nepenthe” is mellow and highlights the jazzy guitar work of Fredrik Akesson. Known for his reputation as a tasteful shredder, Fredrik has used his time in OPETH to really explore every facet of his prodigious talents. The song has a certain mid-era PINK FLOYD vibe to it that is unmistakeable and also more brilliant lyrics from Akerfeldt. The brief mid-song freakout is a nod to bands like KING CRIMSON and GENTLE GIANT. The wild solo is as good as anything on this opus. “Haxprocess” is another amazing track that is decidedly un-metal with all of its nerdy goodness. Starting with flutes and what sounds like West African rhythms, “Famine” is an expansive meditative journey into song craft. A little self-indulgent perhaps? True. Is this too far away from the bands’ history to be appreciated? I say no. The bewitching bass lines and Mellotron work of “The Lines In My Hand” are complimented by terrific flamenco inspired guitars. More of Axenrot’s beat perfect, in the pocket drumming surfaces. By the end of the track it has transformed further slowly up the rock ladder to a full on thrash freak out. “Folklore” is another track that almost sounds like the mellower moments of AGALLOCH or WOLVES IN THE THRONE ROOM’s new album. It does rise up dramatically with a fairly tasteful and urgent guitar solo and rocks out a bit by the end. “Marrow of the Earth” caps things off in an instrumental fashion and is once again lost in the polyester age. The record is a masterpiece of writing and playing, but not very metal at all I’m afraid to report. Although that will cost the band some fans in the short term, anyone who has been along for the ride up to now may not complain all that much.
Now you have the chance to swallow GENE SIMMONS’ suds… well, beer suds, because KISS has just announced that they are releasing a line of wine and beer that is sure to have every 50-year old who lives in his parents’ basement (I know dude, it has it’s own entrance… that’s sweet!) spending that hard earned Rite Aid manager’s salary on something other than Budweiser and an unopened pack of those KISS condoms he hopes he’ll get to use one day!
Rewine has announced the release of KISS-themed Zin Fire Wine and Destroyer Beer. The Zin Fire Wine is being described as a “bold and fruity 2010 California Zinfandel,” while the Destroyer Beer will be sold in a 33 cl (11.2 oz) bottle and 50 cl (16.9 oz) can. As of now, though, the private label liquors will only be available in Europe this Fall, launching first in Sweden, Norway, and Finland, and then followed by Denmark, The Netherlands, and the UK.
I’m sure they’ll be in America by January, don’t worry guys!
