Posts Tagged ‘guitar solos’
Friday, July 20th, 2012
Yellow and Green (Relapse)
 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. GRADE: A+
by Keith (Keefy) Chachkes
Tags: 1970s rock, Allen Blickle, Baroness, classic rock, double albums, folk rock, guitar solos, guitarist/vocalist/keyboardist Peter Adams, guitarist/vocalist/keyboards/cover artist John Baizley, harmony vocals, heavy metal, JOE WALSH, Mastodon, metal reviews by Keefy, Opeth, pop-rock, psychedelic-rock, Queen, Relapse, STEVE MILLER, summer albums, THE BEATLES, thematic guitar parts, Thin Lizzy, www.metalarmyamerica.com, Yellow and Green
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Thursday, May 31st, 2012
Metal Army spent some time chatting it up with PRONG front man Tommy Victor regarding the bands’ new album Carved Into Stone (Longbranch Records/SPV). Tommy is never one to hold back on any topic, so he candidly shared his feelings about the band, recording, past successes and failures, other notable projects and people he’s worked with and a look back his career.
MAA: Please tell us about the making of Carved Into Stone.
TV: It was a long process. It started about two years ago writing the material, maybe even longer than that. I had some stuff on my computer I was fooling around with out of the initial five songs I started with, maybe one little part made it on to the record. Tony (Campos) came in and we did a couple of tours together, we were writing on the road together at Motel 6′s or what have you. Then we made a demo with Alexi (Rodriguez). We got up to fourteen songs and then up to twenty-five songs and more demos. We did a last pre- production demo before we did the actual recording, kicked a whole bunch of songs out, rearranged somethings in the last ten days before we went in the studio with Steve Evetts. We knocked out twelve basic tracks, eleven made the record. From twenty-five songs completely written down to eleven on the album! In the studio everything was done on the grid, like it was done back in the 90′s where we just played it live, all the basic tracks. It wasn’t a computer record at all. There’s no samples, no drum replacement, no quantizing, no cut and paste on any of it. It was just preformed. That’s what was so grueling for me. I was working on MINISTRY records where you’d lay a riff down and they’d cut and paste it a couple of times, ya know and bam bam! That why people have been doing since people started using Pro Tools and digital technology. Steve had me play every little thing, it was all dialed in precisely, the solos were designed, there was no improvisation. Same thing with the vocals, they’re completely doubled exactly and harmonies done without the use of Melodyne, etc.
MAA: What’s it like working with Steve Evetts?
TV: He’s an extremely hard worker and I needed someone like that to kick me in the behind because I’m getting older and stuck in my ways and he directed me to be more clear with the vocals and that was one of the big main reasons we got him for the work he’s done. I was really impressed with the vocal sound and the way he was able to get great performances. At first I thought he was a lot of using technology to do it but he was like ‘No! I get the guys to sing this stuff, the way it is’. I was like ‘Oh wow! Ok he’ll take a crappy singer and make him sound golden. I’m not saying I’m a crappy, but I needed work and he was great on that aspect of things. I knew he could get the guitar sounds and drums and the actual sounds together. Until we actually got in there I didn’t know how he was doing it. Everything was done outside the box. The only difference between then and back in the 90s was its on a hard drive rather then tape. Other then that everything was external and done really pure. Having a little bit of engineering experience, I really appreciated that. We talked about that right before we went in. He’s done like ninety records and his repertoire is unbelievable. We needed somebody broad based. He’s worked on THE CURE to THE DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN it’s just a broad base of that. He’s unbelievable. He’s a genius all business it was strict work. I’m not saying it wasn’t fun, but it was really hard, strict work.
 PRONG in 2012: Alexi, Tony and Tommy. MAA: You have been critical of your own output at times. How does this new album stack up to the history of PRONG?
TV: I thinks its one of the best ones, I mean it doesn’t have the cutting edge impact that Cleansing did where we were going in a new direction for heavy music in general. It isn’t anything ground breaking, but I think it’s up there in the quality of songs are up there with the best we’ve ever done. That was important for me. I wouldn’t know where to start to try to break any ground anymore, it seems like everything’s been done. So with that in mind, it was a matter of just getting the best songs we could possibly put together in reflection of the previous PRONG records, without going off in a complete different direction like we did with Scorpio Rising for instance. Where I think it failed, it wasn’t the right time. We didn’t work at it as hard. I just had a batch of songs I was just fooling around with. This wasn’t like that. This was much more intense. We put the work in and let the chips fall where they may. I feel this is one of the most hard working efforts I’ve ever done as far as PRONG goes. As far as anything really.
MAA: Carved In Stone has a lot more thrash feeling and a lot more lead guitar playing on it. Was that a conscious decision?
TV: It was conscious decision. I felt if the solos meant something or were designed properly, that was something I had the energy to work on. I was never been the kinda guy that practices and sits around figuring stuff out. It’s just been when I’m forced to do that like learning like with either MINISTRY: Mike Scaccia’s guitar parts or in DANZIG: with Glenn, John Christ and Todd Youth’s parts. I felt my chops got better. So I was able to do some solos that weren’t a bunch of noise or something that was completely off the cuff. I didn’t wanna do that. We had the option to design some solos that were precise that are actually part of the song, again. I wanted it to be a guitar record and a song record, rather then relying on haphazard routes like loops or other things to get more dynamics.
MAA: Between your work in DANZIG and MINISTRY would you say one or either have a reverse influence back to your work in PRONG?
TV: Not at all! PRONG is a completely different entity, it’s its own mindset. I don’t really listen to a hell of a lot of stuff. It all comes from the heart, really. I’m not out there scouring the charts or delving into countless hardcore metal records to find influences, I don’t have he energy to do that. I’m not being a snob, I just don’t have the time and energy to do that. I don’t want to do that or bring in any other project I’m involved in. I worked on the last two DANZIG records and Glenn has his own way of arranging stuff. Then with Al, I mentioned with his process, is highly computer oriented and I didn’t wanna do that either.
MAA: Where do you get your lyrical inspirations from?
TV: I think its in personal troubles and a way of coping. I try to find a way to deal with emotions. Then I have opinions too, so its a combination of those two things. There’s also some strict writing on this album, which is more like story lines. Like with the single, “Revenge Best Served Cold”, that is something completely outside. The title track also has a universal element to it where I feel there’s an external power that enables PRONG to still survive. Some outside force that is from the future, from the present and the past. Something paranormal. Then you get the angry ones like list of grievances. Then you have a song like “State of Rebellion”. I have a close friend who’s always talking politics with me. I try to leave these type of things to my songs a little bit. But when I’m hanging out or something I just don’t wanna hear about it. Let’s just ‘watch the game’ and shut the fuck up!’ That’s what that’s all about. I’m over it, ya know? I’m old school. I was brought up to never talk politics or religion with people. I’ve learned the hard way not to do that. (laughs) It’s not necessary.
 Know your history.
MAA: Looking back did you know at the time that Beg To Differ and Prove You Wrong were going to influence so many other bands?
TV: For years I didn’t really see that. People have been saying that for a long time, its mainly people in the press. We’ve toured with younger bands, I don’t wanna name names, but the attitude we got was ‘Who the fuck are you guys?’ I mean completely unfamiliar with PRONG and didn’t like us. I almost feel like I’ve gotten more of that attitude out there then any congratulations. But on a personal side, I had to re-investigate the early PRONG records recently and I listened to Beg to Differ. I haven’t heard it in years! I was like ‘oh my god!’ How did this thing come about? It’s bizarre to me. I don’t know how that really came together like that. It’s like that song “Carved Into Stone”. It was something outside myself made that happen. I have not a clue! I wasn’t even really playing guitar that long when PRONG did that record. Its bizarre to me the things that go down. It wasn’t even calculated. On a personal level, I’m happy with the discography, but it’s not like I go down the street and people are ‘Oh Tommy!” I don’t hear it that much. It’s mainly press people, but other bands, they either don’t recognize it or they don’t know. If anything about the past, like when I was forced to re-investigate Beg To Differ, I just kinda of zap it into the void. Like anything in the past, I think everyone needs to do that, its like a personal psycho-therapy in a way. It’s all good. I don’t have any bitterness towards anything, maybe at one time I did. It’s been so worn out, I just have a different attitude about that stuff.
(Special thanks to Tommy Victor, PRONG and Freeman Promotions)
Keith (Keefy) Chachkes
Tags: Al Jourgensen, Alexi Rodriguez, Avant Garde, Beg to Differ, Carved Into Stone, Cleansing, Danzig, experimental, glenn danzig, guitar solos, hardcore, industrial, Long Branch Records, metal interviews by Keefy, Mike Scaccia, Ministry, modern metal, Power of the Damager, Prong, Prove You Wrong, Scorpio Rising, spv, steve evetts, Thrash Metal, TODD YOUTH, Tommy Victor, Tony Campos
Posted in Feature Interviews, Interviews | 2 Comments »
Tuesday, April 3rd, 2012
The Electric Age (eOne)
Few original thrash metal bands can claim they have been as consistent as OVERKILL. While many groups of the early days of the genre disbanded or lost their way musically, these East Coast mashers have stayed the course. The vast majority of their back catalog is full of anthemic, catchy music that works on record or especially In the live setting. Rather than repeat themselves or cling to some kind of past glory, the band continues to evolve slightly record to record and still writes great songs. This proved to be the case for their last album Ironbound and is also true of their new album The Electric Age.
Opening with “Come And Get It” the band does what they do every album, provide a kick-ass table setter of a song to begin with. With it’s classic 80s tempo and sharp riffing, the song is angry, violent fun. Singer Bobby “Blitz” Ellsworth sounds ageless with his snarling, high range. The middle section of the song has a cool vocal sing–a–long chant that is downright otherworldly. If you didn’t know it was an OVERKILL record you might mistake this part for a progressive rock album or even a revamped BLACK SABBATH cover. Fear not though, it is full on metal. “Electric Rattlesnake” is another barn-burner with all of the typical themes you expect from the band. There is even a moody breakdown section in a throwback to some of their early 1990s albums. Even though I found the lyrics slightly cheesy, the gang vocals are great and you can see this track going over big at a concert. Having the same lineup since 2005 is really reaping some rewards today. Their collective writing has rarely been this representative of the total capabilities of the band. “Wish You Were Dead” is another fast killer song with a lot of back bone. Guitarists Dave Linsk and Derek “The Skull” Tailer crush with their licks and riffs. Since they have similar sounding tones (except for when Linsk solos) it is cool to hear the players come together in unison after jamming different parts. So heavy it’s not fair. The next track “Black Daze” is a real standout cut. It has a stomping power-groove feel that will put a smile on any mad headbangers’ face. The tough beats are accented by the sharp changing chords and again Blitz just kills with his snarky, powerful lines. This might very well be his finest hour as a singer. A track like this also really makes you appreciate the rhythm section of DD Verni and Ron Lipnicki. Verni, along with Blitz founded the band and has a hand in most of the writing of the tracks. He has a great punchy tone and plays some inventive lines under the chaos. Lipnicki is a solid drummer with an economical style and not focused too much on flashy. He has the requisite chops to do the songs justice and reminds me a lot of MEGADETH’s Shawn Drover. “Save Yourself” ratchets the speed element back to 11. The song is under four minutes, but feels like two. Another great vocal tour de force from Blitz and the rest of the band is the highlight here along with one of the nastiest solos Linsk has ever played. I don;t think he ever went about the 12th fret of his guitar once either. “Drop The Hammer” starts of with some impressive beats from Lipnicki, before the main tempo kicks in. This song definitely has “circle-pit” written all over it. Another cool breakdown (not that kind) has a great, old school thematic twin guitar-solo not unlike IRON MAIDEN. OVERKILL is that rare band that can mine its own style, break some new ground and yet still pay tribute to their heroes. “21st Century Man” veers into political commentary with the usual vitriol you have come to expect from them. Top notch licks and a head-nodding, marching beat top things off. “Old Wounds, New Scars” might be the best track on the whole album. Only Bobby Blitz can pull off a line like “Got a lotta mouth for a Jersey white boy” and have it not sound corny. Musically the song excellent with everything you want out of a modern thrash song. “All Over But The Shouting” also rules the roost. There are many neo-thrash bands half the age of this band that couldn’t write a song this good. They ought to take notes and bow down at the alter of “Chaly”, their mascot. The first minute or so of final track “Good Night” is a pensive lullaby, almost in the form of a madrigal from classical music. Gently plucked guitars turn back in to another thrash/punk master piece in the style of the bands’ more fun tracks. This album sounds like it came out in 1989 or 1990, but somehow fresh and not dated putting the band in the rare company of EXODUS and TESTAMENT among their peers. The band may be over thirty years old now, but this reviewer suspects we have many more years of great OVERKILL albums to look forward to.
 This shirt says it all, doesn't it? GRADE: A
by Keith (Keefy) Chachkes
Tags: "get your own fucking logo" t-shirt, bassist DD Verni, Black Sabbath, Chaly, circle-pit, Dave Linsk, Derek "The Skull" Tailer, drummer Ron Lipnicki, East Coast metal, eOne, EXODUS, gang vocals, great singing, guitar solos, headbanging like crazy, Iron Maiden, ironbound, Megadeth, metal reviews by Keefy, mosh, neo-thrash, old school, Overkill, sarcastic lyrics, screaming, Shawn Drover, shred, sing-a-long, Singer Bobby “Blitz” Ellsworth, testament, The Electric Age, thrash, Thrash Metal, thrash revival, thrash/punk
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Thursday, March 1st, 2012
Metal Army caught up with Woody Weatherman, the guitarist for C.O.C on the eve of their just released new album. We talked about the reunion of the 1980′s lineup, the new album, writing and recording, the history of the band and if they will ever reunite with Pepper Keenan who is busy with DOWN these days.
MAA: How did the original trio of C.O.C. reform and what led to making new music?
WW: It’s kind of a funny story. I’ve told it a time or two. Mike and I had been jamming and writing music and all that. Mike and Reed had also been jamming in a side project together called RIGHTEOUS FOOL. Pepper actually sort of rounded us all up initially. He wanted to do some festival dates as a four piece. Pepper called us all up and rattled all of our cages. Me, Mike and Reed started jamming and he was gonna come up from New Orleans. I guess the time kind of flew and out paths became a little discombobulated there. Those things never happened. But the three of us kept on jamming and we were like ‘We’ve already got started on this, let’s keep going with this!’ We were having such a good time so we decided to keep on rocking. Before we knew it we had an album written and we were out in L.A. Recording it. Then we set up a couple of shows back in the Summer of 2010 and had a great time. The funny thing was that Pepper sort of spearheaded it, which is cool.
MAA: How long did the writing process take for the new album?
WW: It would have gone a heck of a lot quicker. The actually recording of it, we really laid it down in two weeks and about the same amount of time mixed. But in between recording it and mixing it we did an entire summer of touring. We started recording it last March out at DAVE GROHL’s joint out in L.A. After we got it all on tape we spent some of the summer on the road doing shows to break it up. We finished mixing it this past fall over a few weeks. The writing of it went really quick. The only thing that made it seem like a long time was that we had so many shows in between. We were trying to play live and really gel the new stuff together. Because there is nothing like trying to making the new songs work better playing them in a live show.
 Power Trio!
MAA: There are obvious influences of punk, doom and thrash, but I hear some psychedelic parts and even some soul parts in there. Is that where you guys are at these day?
WW: We’ve got a lot of influences you know. I was joking to Mike and Reed like ‘When did we become a prog, death, doom, soul and every other adjective you can think of band?’ (laughs) None of it is on purpose. It truly is how we write. I know a lot of bands might say that. We’ve never approached this like we need to do this kind of record or we need to do this, we need to do that. Even if we started off that way in the back of our minds thinking that, it never works out that way.
MAA: Once again John Custer was behind the boards. What does he bring to the table that keeps C.O.C. coming back to him?
WW: I think he’s a quality control guy. At this point in the game because we have done so many records and worked with him through the years, he really let’s us do our thing. He doesn’t try to manipulate the music, like tries to change the direction. But he let’s you do want you do best. He let’s you do your thing. Then he tells you what really doesn’t work and how to make what does work sound better. He’s just really great a getting tones, bass, guitar and drum wise. That’s where he shines, polishing up the music and getting all the right tones in the studio. But he’s not into changing the music. He’s never has been one of those other guys.
 Reed Mullen and Mike Dean on stage, opening for CLUTCH in 2011.
MAA: It’s not slight to anyone else that has played drums in the band, but what does it mean to have Reed back in the band?
WW: There is no doubt. That was the lynch-pin in whole thing was actually getting Mullen back. That is what made it happen. It’s the original guys. What can you say? It’s what makes it click. Like I was mentioning about the writing process, whenever you write a riff with a drummer who plays the right drumbeat you want to hear behind you without telling him, that makes all the difference in the world. That’s the way it happened on this one. Of course we’ve had some excellent guys fill in behind the kit when he wasn’t with us. We’ve had Jimmy Bower (DOWN/EYEHATEGOD) or Stanton Moore from GALACTIC and they are great drummers. But there is nothing like having Mullen behind the kit. He is the real key to the C.O.C. thing, man.
MAA: Is the record being self-titled a statement in any way?
WW: As opposed to being really any kind of statement, it was just kind of time to do one. This year, 2012, we are around as a band for thirty years. Especially with getting Mullen back it seems more like the original band. It was the right time. It may or may not be our definitive work. I don’t want to say that any record is our best work because I think we are always improving. I’m sure our next record will be even better. It was time to do a self-titled. It was going to happen eventually, so why not now? (laughs)
MAA: From the bands earliest time the voice of the band was very socially conscious, political and anti-establishment. Why do those themes seem to still ring true today and appear on the album?
WW: At any time you could almost say that about the world. There is always some effed up shit going on in the world! (laughs) Everything in the world seems to be coming to a head. Everybody today is talking about these internet censorship and piracy bills like this SOPA. It’s pretty scary stuff. Big Brother is out there and has his hands around our neck. There are a couple of references in the lyrics on the album that alludes to it. We never try to get too exact and obvious with out meanings, but it is all in there. They are there and we leave them open to interpretation. Mike Dean does a great jobs with his lyrics. Reed does as well. He sings a few songs on the record too that are great.
 Woody, ripping it up live in 2011.
MAA: You have always had a distinct and soulful lead guitar style. Who were your influences that made you pick up the guitar?
WW: I would say probably the two standouts from my early years are BILLY GIBBONS of ZZ TOP and of course CARLOS SANTANA. I was a big SANTANA freak growing up as a kid in the 70s. And of course (TONY) IOMMI. Everybody says IOMMI, but you got throw him in there. (laughs)
MAA: Will we see a reunion of the lineup with Pepper eventually?
WW: Yeah! Obviously nobody knows the future but, you know Pepper is our buddy and we are gonna jam with him in New Orleans on St. Patty’s day. I’ve already talked to him. Maybe he will do a song or two, I don’t know. When the time is right, we all want to. But I believe we will get back together at some point. I think we have some more to offer as a four piece. We’ll see what time brings us.
MAA: Do you think there is a misconception about Pepper’s involvement with the band?
WW: Really what happened was we had a bunch more touring set up for In the Arms of God, which came out in 2005. And that hurricane (Editors note: Hurricane Katrina) really messed us up. We had a whole European tour booked to open for MOTORHEAD and all these plans that just dissolved after that. We just never got the ball back going. And the DOWN guys were all in New Orleans. The all live there. They got busy again and C.O.C. just fell by the wayside a little bit for a while. It was definitely not any kind of personal stuff involved in any way.
MAA: Manchild zine writer Brian Walsby did a phenomenal history/graphic novel of the band. What are your lasting memories of the history of the band?
WW: There have been a million labels applied to us through the years. Some of them were just made up, like crossover!
MAA: That is all D.R.I.’s fault!
WW: (laughs) Yup, D.R.I. took that over. We’ve always been doing the same thing. It is just a matter of how we’ve been able interpret it through our recordings and live shows. Just learning how to play better over the years on our instruments. (laughs) Just learning tricks to do and recording techniques. I think it has changed how we sound and how we improved. We’ve always have the same goal and it’s just a matter of how we do it has changed a little bit.
MAA: Thanks for your time Woody!
WW: Cool man! Thanks a lot brother! Look for us on tour!
(Special thanks go out to Woody and C.O.C., Candlelight Records and Earsplit PR)
Interview and live photos by Keith (Keefy) Chachkes
Tags: Billy Gibbons, Brian Walsby, C.O.C., CARLOS SANTANA, corrosion of conformity, crossover, Dave Grohl, doom, Down, Eyehategod, GALACTIC, guitar solos, hardcore, hurricane katrina, In The Arms of God, Jimmy Bower, MANCHILD, metal, metal interviews with Keefy, mike dean, Motorhead, New Orleans, pepper keenan, philosophy, political lyrics, producer John Custer, proto-metal, punk, Reed Mullen, sludge, SNAKE NATION, Stanton Moore, thrash, tony iommi, woody weatherman, zz top
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Tuesday, February 28th, 2012
Self-Titled (Candlelight)
One of the most anticipated albums of 2012 is finally here. C.O.C. as an entity was nearly as influential to mid-80s crossover hardcore bands and fans as they were sludge, doom and thrash ones later on. They continue to be one of those artists you sit back and admire the mad genius of years later. Even when they were getting popular with the SABBATH-ian riffage in the mid-90s, I still bumped Technocracy and Animosity in particular, a lot. It was so raw, so emotional and much too smart for the average fans back in the day to understand what they were all about. When Reed Mullen and Mike Dean started playing together in RIGHTEOUS FOOL I hope a glimmer of hope this lineup would come together and eventually it did. Believe it or not Pepper Keenan was part of the impetus for the trio version to come back together and he hopes to return to the fold someday when DOWN takes a break. In the meantime we have this appropriately self-titled album that reflects all of the little colors the band has played with over the many years cultivating their palates.
 Woody Weatherman, on tour in 2011.
From the opening riff to Dean’s unmistakable grunt, the band announced their grand return to form. “Psychic Vampire” has the same groove and ruff and tumble punk grind that their vintage tracks had. Immediately I though of John Custer, once again behind the boards making his magic happen. The sound of Dean’s tremendous bass tone, Woody Weatherman’s crust soaked guitar tone and Reed Mullen’s drumming is the real sound of the band and it is a joy to hear it back. Doom, hardcore and thrash parts blend naturally through these veterans’ hands and hearts. When Woody’s solo blazes in, it is just a revelation. He has always been a great lead guitarist, but he has also stepped up a lot here in terms of not strictly relying on the typical blues scales. “River of Stone” is another epic track full of boogie thunder and metallic frenzy. The jagged riffs that cut in and out are huge sounding while Mullen murders the drum kit. The sludgy chorus has a few twists and turns that will delight listeners as well. “Leeches” is a slice of pure 80s throwback that could have come out in 1985. It is raw, furious and fun. Great gang vocals too from everybody. Reed gets in on the act on some lead vocals too and again it is like back in the day came through to slap today’s face off. Dean is certainly a stronger singer than he has ever been and it shows on a number tracks. He comes off like a cross between an early OZZY, Darby Crash and a demented sooth-sayer. The lyrics are also superb on this track. The band continues to make relevant intellectual social and political commentary, proving the years have not dulled their anger much. For a change of pace the instrumental “El Lamento de las Calabras” is an introspective piece with some nice guitar work. “Your Tomorrow” returns to the feral rocking ground and is another rager. “The Doom” might be the best song on the album and it’s title is fitting. The track channels all of the sludgy yesterdays of metal until some rabid drumming by Mullen introduces the breakneck speed part. Their ability to shift back and forth between these styles and keep it fresh song after song is great. The last two minutes of the track rivals anything in the bands’ history. “The Moneychangers” is another tight track the band has been playing a lot live and harkins back to their pre-90s sound too. Right on the money with the lyrics again too. The philosophical nature of some of the lyrics and even some of the musical movements do call to mind the Pepper related albums. This makes me think that he was as much an influence on the band as they were an inspiration to him. My other favorite tracks include “Newness”, “Time of Trials” and “The Same Way”. The album is without a flaw though and I hope this lineup endures for a while so they can remind the old and wise of their greatness while schooling the newbies on what a great band sounds and looks like.
 C.O.C. in 2012. GRADE: A
by Keith (Keefy) Chachkes
Tags: C.O.C., corrosion of conformity, crossover, doom, guitar solos, hardcore, metal, metal reviews by Keefy, mike dean, philosophy, political lyrics, producer John Custer, proto-metal, punk, Reed Mullen, sludge, thrash, woody weatherman
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Monday, October 31st, 2011
Transmission Zero (Tankcrimes)
Right in time for Halloween the mysterious GHOUL is at it once again, throwing down a mighty slab (or with mp3′s shall I say an impressive aural ectoplasmic resonance) of horror inspired thrash. Although the bands identities are (sort of ) shrouded in mystery I assure you their musical pedigree speaks jams for itself. This eleven song masterpiece of blood and guts will have you banging your head and throwing the horns so much and so hard you will be offering yourself up as a sacrifice to them. Just one look at the awesome cover art and you know you need to bow down!
From the opening salvo of the instrumental “The Lunatic Hour” these henchman of hell blast thrash anthem after bloody anthem through your face like a pitch fork. Plenty evil and sick sounding, this is no ordinary neo-thrash, tight pants bunch of wussies. This is metal for men, preferably zombies or at least creepy grease-monkey dudes like Billy Bob Thornton in U-Turn. Although the music is inspired by thrash, it is not merely thrash either. The vocals are more akin to the gore-infused early days of death metal and the performances by each member are admirable. “Off With Their Heads” has the classy tongue in cheek tone of great horror and tremendous snarling vocal illness. Front man/bassist Cremator sounds eerily like and early John Tardy except more evil and holding bloody kitchen knives. Drummer Fermentor has terrific chops and his double kick work is highlighted by the analog-style sound of classic production values. Lead vocals are chipped in throughout the album by Fermentor and Digestor too. Bonus points! “Destructor” is another groovy, killer song. Great, classic riffs that would make Gary Holt pee himself lash out at your ears. There are some terrific leads on this album by Digestor and in general the axe-manship is as high as you’d expect. “Death In The Swamp” is a curious little ditty of death. It starts off fairly standard as thrash by way of THE CRAMPS. The track is short, but there is an awe-inspiring harmony guitar part in the middle to latch onto. When Digestor and Dissector start shredding together, look out! “The Mark of Voodoo” gives new meaning to the phrase cutting guitars. Crazy riffs descend upon you like a hatchet and of course a song about voodoo is gonna have some tribal drums jamming out. “Brain Jerk” offers as much thrashy goodness than an early EXODUS album and again has the horropunk/metal vibe to the back beat. Great song writing by the mutants here. More demented lyrical themes abound on the aptly titled “Blood Feast”. The speed and power of the riffs are just amazing here. “Morning of the Mezmetron” re-animates Cliff Burton’s wah and distortion drenched tone like a zombie and rocks out with epic greatness. The title track is next with more splatter-punk vibes and deathly gang vo-kills. I almost wanted to dance around to this song when I heard it and then I remembered I don’t dance, so I just head banged some more in my seat. “tooth and Claw” is yet another sick track with crazy changes and a fine sing-a-long chorus. Closing out the affair with “Metallicus Ex Mortis” the track is as hilarious as it is evil. GHOUL certainly have dibs on the most fun album of the year performed by murderous mutants from Creepsylvania. That goes a long way in my book.
 The mysterious GHOUL has been killing audiences nightly while opening for GWAR.
GRADE: B+
by Keith (Keefy) Chachkes
Tags: Cliff Burton's reanimated bass-wah pedal, death vocals, deathmetal, front man/bassist Cremator, ghoul, grooves, guitar solos, guitarist Dissector, horror-punk, Keefy, metal reviews, murderous lyrics, mutants from Creepsylvania, old school, splatter-punk, Tankcrimes, thrash, Transmission Zero, vocalist/drummer Fermentor, vocalist/guitarist Digestor
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Wednesday, October 5th, 2011
Monument of Metal: The Very Best of ANVIL (The End Records)
 Drummer Robb Reiner painted the cover art work, as seen in ANVIL: The Story of Anvil
Riding high of late, ANVIL has a new retrospective. These have been interesting times for the Ontario, Canada based band since the 2009 documentary ANVIL: The Story of Anvil. They have seen their album worked on in the movie widely released, toured the world at a much more professional and regular clip and released a decent new album in Juggernaut of Justice a few months back. Now comes a deluxe greatest hits package with re-recorded, live or remastered versions. While this is a no brainer purchase for their fan base, will the recent renewed interest help new fans find the band as much more than a novelty? Let’s find out!
The first good move was that the collection is not just from the early days, but celebrates their entire career. The songs were hand picked personally by the band, this is the best representation ever of the group’s history. These tracks are also indicative of the bands versatility of style be it proto-thrash, heavy metal or rock. When This Is Thirteen was re-released by VH1 in conjunction with the film the band re-recorded new updated versions of their classics and some of these like the bands biggest hit “Metal On Metal” sound terrific. The guitars snarl and cut through the speakers with a punch they never had on cassette and you can really here Robb Reiner’s pummeling drum strokes cut right through the din as well. However, if all the band had was one great song this collection wouldn’t be much of a collection now would it? “Winged Assassins” is a killer track from Forged In Fire. Insane riffage and furious sounds with all the touch stones of early thrash/NWOBHM music in place. This is followed by the more recent “666” which is one of the fastest and heaviest anthems the band has ever made. “Thumbhang” is next. The song was first talked about in the film as a forgotten jam and it is really cool to hear it fully realized now. The BLACK SABBATH doom meets classic metal sound here is great, as is Glenn Five’s bass licks. The Steve “Lipps” Kudrow signature lead guitar sound and choice sense of humor are still there after all this time. “School Love” and “Heat Sink” are more in line with the band’s early KISS and IRON MAIDEN fascinations with the latter being the better of the two. Then there is my favorite song by the band “March of The Crabs”. “March….” even as an instrumental is on par with all of the best early thrash anthems and that includes the mighty American Big Four as well. Lipps was ahead of the pack as a lead guitarist for his generation. A powerful and emotional song with excellent riffs and beats. “Plenty of Power” is another riff-fest in the JUDAS PRIEST mold while “Mothra” is another cool old school jam. The updated (1989) version of “Jackhammer” is miles above the original Metal On Metal version, where it was one of the better tracks back then. The title track off of Juggernaut of Justice still hasn’t sold me more since the early summer, but perhaps a stronger choice might have been “Swing Thing” or “When All Hell Breaks Loose”. The rest of the collection ranges from great: “Sins of The Flesh”, “Mad Dog”, “Fire In The Night” and “Park That Truck” to just okay songs like “Bottom Feeder”. Still, if you don’t know the band beyond the film and their “hits”, this is a fine entry point to a deeper listen that will give you insight into music that has sustained for over thirty years.
 ANVIL in 2011
GRADE: B+
by Keith (Keefy) Chachkes
Tags: Anvil, Anvil! The Story of Anvil, bassist Glenn Five, Black Sabbath, drummer Robb Reiner, early 80's, guitar solos, Guitarist/singer Steve “Lipps” Kudrow, heavy metal, Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, Juggernaut of Justice, Keefy, Kiss, Monument of Metal: The Very Best of ANVIL, more cowbell, NWOBHM, proto-metal, ribald humor, The End Records, thrash
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Wednesday, October 5th, 2011
The Hunter (Reprise)
 AJ Fosik created the distinctive cover of the album, instead of longtime collaborator Paul Romano.
In what will be one of the most talked about and debated over albums released this year, MASTODON’s highly anticipated follow up to 2009′s Crack The Skye is about to launch. Let’s recap the last few years shall we? Broke out of the underground? Check! Wait that was three albums ago. Made and unexpected prog metal masterpiece? Check. Wait, that was two albums ago. Hmmm. Pissed off some of their core die hard fans in the process? Check and checkmate! Unless you fear change more than Garth Algar from Wayne’s World, you have been with the program since the beginning. CTS was the album of the year in 2009 and I didn’t see the problem with the band becoming embraced by an entire new legion of fans. It didn’t seem to change them too much to me, or at least not more than they would have changed naturally. The band still rules and has been doing some amazing things afforded them by success like movie soundtracks, massive tours with METALLICA and ALICE IN CHAINS, all while still retaining their basic weirdness. People can argue over if any of this matters or not, but the band doesn’t seem too worried about any backlash over their new album, The Hunter. In fact they don’t seem terribly concerned with anyone’s opinion and upon a few listens I think they have gone out and (almost) topped themselves again.
 So you wanna be a rock superstar... and live large?
Drawing inspiration not just from their recent proggier leanings, but from song styles heard on albums like Leviathan and Blood Mountain as well the band gives credence to the idea that they have always been adventurous musically. Kicking off righteously is one of the singles, “Black Tongue”. Immediately noticeable is the return of Brann Dailor’s signature aggro beats and poly rhythmic fills that were missing on Crack the Skye. The song is equal parts prog and the bands’ signature modern metal. It may not be the toughest track ever, but it is not soft at all either. More like a continuation of the last album or it’s brilliant predecessor. Great guitar work and even greater vocals are featured here as well. I didn’t think Troy Sanders would even try to top his vocal performance after the last album, but he totally has. The other popular new song is the uber catchy “Curl of the Burl”. Somewhat akin to a more uptempo, “Oblivion” the band gets its 1970′s space rock ya-yas out in full effect here. The vocal trade-offs between Sanders and Brent Hinds continue to work in spades and both sing in a comfortable mid-range rather than the acrobatics attempted last time out. The album really starts to take form with the third track “Blasteroids”. A hyper-kinetic song with a bristling bass line, harmonized vocals and wonderful layered guitar lines, the song is a winner. It also brings back some of the dangerous avant-garde and screechy sounding vocals by Hinds that really add character. Too bad it’s two and a half minutes and a bit short. At this point it will hit the listener that this album is even more out the box than CTS in some respects. No over-arching concept (although the title is an allusion to Hinds’ brother who passed away unexpectedly during the recording of the album) and no elemental references either. Just great music. “Stargasm” is the song that most likely could have been on the last album. It is a trippy jaunt of space rock (ergo the name), psychedelic guitar swirls and haunting vocals. The frantic verses have a familiar feel and some of Bill Kelliher’s (PRIMATE) textural guitar work asserts itself too. The repeated refrain “you’re on fire” is really gripping. A quick examination of some of the lyrics, show once again this is band is a triple threat at all times and the total package of artistic ideals. Sanders also plays some terrific bass here as well. “Octopus Has No Friends” has more dominating drums from Dailor and more weirdness than you can shake a stick at. “All The Heavy Lifting” is another killer song and is pretty heavy too. Not in the old school, early albums way, but in a new ‘we are brave enough to be heavy and melodic way’ that will delight some and aggravate others. Sanders again kills with his soulful singing and the middle part is pure RUSH and EMERSON LAKE and PALMER inspired greatness. The title track has gentile guitar plucking and atmospheric moods for a spell. It is an opportunity for Hinds to weave his doleful voice into a beautiful tribute to his brother. The guitar solo is one of his best ever and you wonder how album after album he can keep topping himself in this department. There is even a BEATLES, Abbey Road lyrical reference too! “Dry Bone Valley” is like a 70s rock and proto metal workout with thundering tempos and riffs. “Thickening” is the song I believe Dailor was talking about when he made the references to LED ZEPPELIN over the summer. The song definitely sports a late-era ZEP vibe right down to the singing, guitar army soloing and tambourine/hi-hat work on the drums. “Creature Lives” is my favorite song on the album and not just for the nods to PINK FLOYD in the opening minute. Dailor has been increasing his profile as a singer and dominates the track with great vocals and drumming. Like a trippy BEATLES outtake sung by a young OZZY, Dailor carries the blissed out track to a new level of cool. Then just to show you they didn’t totally lose their minds, “Spectrelight” is just a brutal cut in line with the bands best work. Guest vocals from Scott Kelley (NEUROSIS) rock out as always (what is that like four straight albums he’s on? Make the guy a full member already!). This is the song they would play for their detractors if they gave two shits. “Bedazzled Fingernails” is a spazzy rocker that you can almost imagine PETER GABRIEL singing on it. And there are laser beam noises, Moog Taurus bass pedals (yes!) and what could be a theremin. The final track of the album “The Sparrow” also has the sweeping prog thing going for it again, more shoegaze style vocals from Dailor and Sanders and also has a hint of the epic CTS weight in it emotionally. I even hear a bit of main theme of The Wall in the riffs and the solo. The bonus version of the album contains two leftover tracks already heard from in “The Ruiner” and “Deathbound”. The band has reached a plateau where they have made the once unthinkable, comfortable. As if to prove it to fans and themselves, the band has managed to push their style even further out while retaining who they are and not being married to a central theme for once. Not their best album, but certainly worthy of the same kind of respect as their entire catalog. Take that haters!
 - “When the going gets tough, the tough get weird” ~ Hunter S. Thompson.
GRADE: A+
by Keith (Keefy) Chachkes
Tags: Alice In Chains, blissed out songs, Crack the Skye, EMERSON LAKE AND PALMER, guitar solos, guitarist Bill Kelliher, Jazz, Jonah Hex Soundtrack, Keefy, keyboards, late-era LED ZEPPELIN, Mastodon, Metallica, modern metal, Moog Taurus bass pedals, neurosis, Ozzy, Pink Floyd, poly-rhythmic drumming, Prog Metal, progressive rock, Reprise, Rush, Scott Kelley, singer/drummer Brann Dailor, space rock, textural melodic guitar parts, THE BEATLES, The Hunter, the pitfalls of success, theremin, thrash, tool, vocalist/bassist Troy Sanders, vocalist/guitarist Brent Hinds, weirdness
Posted in Album Reviews, Reviews | 1 Comment »
Friday, September 23rd, 2011
Texas prog metal merchants WHITE ARMS OF ATHENA just released their excellent debut album on Prosthetic Records, Astrodrama. Metal Army caught up with bassist Tom Sifuentes to chat about the band, how they make music and what it’s like for a relativity young and humble group of musicians trying to make its way in the game in 2011.
 Astrodrama dropped on 8/16.
MAA: Astrodrama is out today, so congratulations! Can you take us through the writing and recording process.
TS: Yeah, sure. And thank you by the way. As far as the writing goes, I’d say all three of the guitar players, I play bass guitar and the two other guitar players we are all really about writing our own stuff. Writing full parts and full songs too. I play guitar too, so all three of us have a big input as to how the songs go. As far as that goes it’s pretty hard to get everybody’s input in without taking away from someone else. I think we did an alright job of including everybody’s and all their writing input. As far as recording goes it was one of the best experiences I’ve ever had. We went out to North Carolina and recorded with Jamie King, who is a pretty famous producer. That was our first real band experience. We haven’t done any big tours yet or recorded in a cool studio like that so to be out of town with the guys was a really great experience.
 WAOA only take their music seriously. Photo by Chantelle Renee Photography.
MAA: I hear a ton of different influences on this album. How do you make it all work together so seamlessly?
TS: I think a lot of has to do with, like I said there being three song writers. All three of us, in order to really make it work we need to incorporate everyone’s ideas. I like a lot of jazz and a lot of the smoother stuff and I bring that to the table. While the the other guys really like the grimier, metal stuff. We just try to bring everybody in and that’s how we make it all fit together.
MAA: Is there a loose concept tying the album together?
TS: A few years ago we stumbled upon this little website called Astrodrama. I don’t know if it still goes under that name. It’s kind of like an improve, role playing game, as nerdy as that sounds. I’ve looked on the Internet recently and it’s pretty elaborate with dressing up in costumes. They like to take certain characters from the horoscopes like Pisces and Taurus characters and and what they represent in their human forms. What we wanted to parallel that to with our music is that all of us have very different backgrounds and styles. The same thing with Astrodrama, everybody has totally different styles and a totally unique perspectives. Bringing all these different people together from these backgrounds, it’s like us. It’s kind of the same thing: a lot of people coming together.
 Tom Sifuentes is a name you will hear a lot in the future of modern metal bassists.
MAA: You have a pretty unique bass style. Who are some of your influences and what gear do you use to get that sound?
TS: I’d say some of my biggest inspiration as of late comes from Joe Lester of INTRONAUT. His bass lines are out of this world. They are smooth when they have to be and really rocking when they really get into it. One of my all time favorites is Sean Malone. He recorded with CYNIC and he did a lot of other stuff as well. Those two guys really influences me and I can’t even count how many guys other I’ve been inspired by. As far as gear goes I’m with Ampeg right now and I just got an Ampeg 7. I’m playing through all Ampeg from top to bottom. And of course I use Ibanez basses. Where I really get my tone from is this little MXR pedal and I keep it on all the time. Even in the recording, Jamie King had another special DI box, but we wound up using my pedal because it sounded so good and Jamie liked so much.
MAA: The cover art of Astrodrama is very distinctive. How did you hook up with the artist?
TS: Around the time we were about to go record the album I came across this artist from Germany, Dennis Constantine. We thought we’d just reach out to him and he corresponded. We started talking and getting along. He was really cool and understood us, where we are coming from. Being that we are such a young band without too much money, it was cool that he still wanted to work with us. He did an original new piece of art for us which was cool. So we gave him the album and he brought it to us and the front cover and back cover run along together like the same piece. It looks crazy, like it’s from another world. We are really happy with it.
MAA: Do you have any touring plans lined up?
TS: We have a few months off until late October and early November where we will be out for two and half, maybe three weeks. We’ll do some local shows here and there. Then we are meeting us with a prog band from New Jersey called EAST OF THE WALL. We’re gonna do a few weeks out with them, getting out to California and New Mexico and then back to Texas. We have some other stuff in the works too that you will hear about soon. We are always looking for good tours and good shows to play.
MAA: What does it mean to you to to have your band on Prosthetic Records?
TS: I don’t know what to say except that we all really so happy and are ecstatic to be on a label with such a great roster. There are so many bands on the roster that are legendary. We are this little nerdy and new prog band on a label with so much history, it is such an honor. Cliche as that may sound, I mean it. Someday we’d like to be in the class of a GOJIRA or even now ANIMALS AS LEADERS, they are getting so big now and bringing out so much of their genre’s music. We’d like to be one of those bands someday.
(Thanks to Tom Sifuentes, Prosthetic Records and Chantelle Renee Photography.)
by Keith (Keefy) Chachkes
Tags: Ampeg amplifiers, Animals as Leaders, Astrodrama, bass leads, bass mastery, bassist Tom Sifuentes, between the buried and me, Cynic, djent, Gojira, guitar solos, Ibanez basses, Intronaut, Jazz, Joe Lester, Keefy, MXR pedals, Prog-Rock, Prosthetic Records, scale the summit, Sean Malone, shifting tempos, tech death, WHITE ARMS OF ATHENA
Posted in Feature Interviews, Interviews | No Comments »
Wednesday, September 21st, 2011
 This poster derived from the Avenger album artwork is by Brooke Kent. (www.brookekent.com)
Life on the road for a band is full of highs and lows. The unpredictable nature of the business of music interferes with the process of making art accessible to many. This is a sad reality for all touring bands, except for a precious few. Perspective is what you need to survive. You can look no further than the band TOTIMOSHI who has been around awhile, opened for some huge bands like THE MELVINS, MASTODON, NEUROSIS and ISIS and have a great new album out, Avenger (At A Loss). O’Brien club, just outside of Boston was less than full tonight which was kind of disappointing. The band however, appreciated those who did come out and didn’t let it affect them at all which was professional and cool. I was hoping to snag the split 7” the band has out with THE MELVINS, but alas they didn’t have it yet.
 Darryl Sheppard is BLACKWOLFGOAT! After hanging out a bit and chatting with some local scene folks, the bands started to play. The first band I caught was experimental noise-rock outfit LEAGUES. Fronted by the enchanting Deb Nicholson, the band ran through some obtuse songs that were high-minded, idealistic art pieces as much as they were songs. The crowd was digging it and the band seem to give that energy right back to the fans which was cool. Next up was solo guitar act BLACKWOLFGOAT. BLACKWOLFGOAT is the brainchild of guitarist Darryl Sheppard (MILLIGRAM/HACKMAN) who gets up there with just a guitar, an array of effects and one solitary amp. He crafts interesting rhythm and drone effects with his delay and sampling pedals and then plays beats, counter melodies and other riffs built on top of that foundation. The results are trippy and cool his choice of notes and licks is quite clever. Some of the loops become just insanely hypnotic over the course of time, sucking you in to the musical vortex. Bravo!
 TOTIMOSHI rips it up live in Boston. Finally it was time for TOTIMOSHI to hit the stage. They set up quickly and the fans that were in the house packed into the front for the headliners. The band readied for a musical war of the senses. Opening with the title track from their new album, they definitely set it off big time. Propulsive beats dropped from drummer Chris Fugitt like a thunderclap as Tony Aguilar’s guitar tone stabbed at our ears. The grooving jam just filled up the room and crushed. “The Seeing Eye” was next and was also really impressive. Between Aguilar’s fuzzed out riffs and singer/bassist Meg Castellanos thick as a brick basslines, the song is head-nodding good time. Aguilar is one of the more underrated front men rocking stages today. In addition to his terrific guitar skills, he is a fine singer and really connects with the crowd to put across his lyrical poetry. The stop-start riffs that end the song were lock-tight, showing what a veteran group with chops like these can do. Another Castellanos bass heavy track is “Calling All Curs” was next. A classic sounding funky instrumental, it is a jam full of swagger and bounce not unlike LED ZEPPELIN’s “The Crunge”. Fugitt in particular really killed and he was playing a cool looking see-through red drum kit that resonated throughout the tiny club. He also chips in some vocals here and there. Next up were “Ladron” and “Dance of Snakes”. “Ladron” begins as a trippy BLACK SABBATH or CREAM stoner jam, but quickly shifts in the verse to a semi-tone poem vibe. Later on it boils over into a full-fledged stomping rock anthem. “Dance of Snakes” is another husky rocker with a great breakdown and a super heavy ending. Just real music, delivered from the heart which is hard to come by these days. “Mainline” has a bit more in common with jazz music in terms of angular beats and phrasing, but winds up as a bluesy dirge. Aguilar’s passionate wail gives a feeling of imminent doom. As they sailed through the rest of the set with little stage banter, they chose to keep the focus on the music. “Viva Zapata” recalls some of the more interesting early SOUNDGARDEN songs when they were a lot more experimental. Aguilar in particular has a bit of Kim Thayil in his vibrato and chord voicings that really gets to me. “Gnat” was my favorite song of the set with its atmospheric build up all the way through to its rave-up ending. After robust versions of “The Fool” and “Opus” the band ran through an amazing cover version of “Are You Experienced”. Aguilar just slayed on the guitar solos and his whammy bar action is really admirable. They closed the triumphant set with “Waning Divine”, easily one of the best and hardest songs the band has ever written. It is equal parts ethereal, PINK FLOYD meditation and also a furious doom masterpiece all together. TOTIMOSHI is a band that really tries to create something special with their music so check em out if they come to your town.
 Chris Fugitt is a powerhouse drummer.
Set List:
Avenger
The Seeing Eye
Calling All Curs
Ladron
Dance of Snakes
Mainline
Viva Zapata
Gnat
The Fool
Opus
Are You Experienced?
Waning Divine
by Keith (Keefy) Chachkes
Tags: At A Loss, Avenger, bassist Meg Castellanos, Black Sabbath, building rhythms, classic rock, CREAM, doom, drones, drummer Chris Fugitt, effects, experimental, guitar solos, guitarist Darryl Sheppard, HACKMAN, Isis, jimi hendrix, Keefy, Kim Thayil, LEAGUES, Led Zeppelin, Mastodon, MILLIGRAM, neurosis, Noise Rock, Pink Floyd, post-rock BLACKWOLFGOAT, psychedelic, singer/guitarist Tony Aguilar, sludge, Soundgarden, split single with THE MELVINS, stoner rock, The Melvins, Totimoshi, vibrato, vocalist Deb Nicholson, whammy bar skills, “Are You Experienced”
Posted in Live Show Reviews, Reviews | No Comments »
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