Posts Tagged ‘Led Zeppelin’
Wednesday, March 20th, 2013
Coverta (EMI Records)
Who the hell else would have thought to cover some of these songs? ADRENALINE MOB would. This is their third release, if you count the 2011 self titled EP and the 2012 debut album Omerta. The cleverly named Coverta is fun, high-energy collection of non typical cover songs. For me there seems to be more passion on here in their performances than what was on their debut album.
They start this off with the only track I wasn’t familiar with, “High Wire” by BADLANDS. As a new song to my ears, it was pleasantly timeless sounding. Kicking it off with deep grooves and bass lines with some extraordinary fret work, it is the prefect way to open this album up. Singer RUSSELL ALLEN (SYMPHONY X ) is such a strong and versatile singer, you almost forget he is not that songs original singer on some of these tracks. He is the high point of this album. Holy cow, does he do justice to DIO’s “Stand Up and Shout”. It is scary how close he is to RONNIE JAMES DIO’s voice. Maybe that’s why three out of the eight tracks on here are from three of his former bands. If he doesn’t end up filling in for DIO DISCIPLES at some point in the future, something is wrong with the world. There’s one track on here that just caught me off guard, they didn’t go radically different but a few twist definitely made “Break on Through” by THE DOORS is my second favorite track on here. The addition of a little double bass drums just makes this song move and come alive. Also, a few killer fills never hurt anything either. Bassist JOHN MOYER‘s (DISTURBED) bass sounds nice and fat here. Allen’s ability to capture DAVID LEE ROTH‘s cadence is uncanny on “Romeo Delight” by VAN HALEN. Drummer MIKE PORTNOY and Moyer really shine on this bad boy.
I don’t think I’ve ever heard anyone cover HEART before and I’m glad their version of “Barracuda” popped my HEART cover cherry. MIKE ORLANDO (SONIC STOMP) is so good on here I really can’t find the words to say how much I love his playing. I have listened to this track more than any other here. Seriously, after hearing “Kill the King” by RAINBOW, I would love to see or hear Russell do a DIO cover show one day. I am extremely happy with their LED ZEPPELIN choice, if I had to hear another version of “The Immigrant Song” or “Whole Lotta Love”, I would punch someone in the face. Thankfully I am surprised here with ‘The Lemon Song’. It is slowest and the longest song on here and it feels it. ORLANDO simply kills on the solos here and MIKE PORTNOY is very faithful to the original. I don’t think anyone is really allowed to change JOHN BONHAM parts, its an unspoken rule. The last track is a no-brainer for them, it is their anthem. They just smoke BLACK SABBATH’s “The Mob Rules”. It really feels like its their song.
With great song choices and superb production this could quickly move up into one of the best cover albums out there. If you’re not smiling by the end of this disc, something is wrong with you.
 ADRENALINE MOB gets reinvigorated by some cover songs!
GRADE: A
Omar (Ojayy) Cordy
Tags: badlands, Black Sabbath, Dio, Disturbed, ex-DREAM THEATER, FLYING COLORS, heart, John Moyer, Led Zeppelin, MIKE ORLANDO, Mike Portnoy, Rainbow, RUSSELL ALLEN, SONIC STOMP, Symphony X, THE DOORS, van halen
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Tuesday, November 27th, 2012
Live At The Cutting Room (Self-Released)
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. GRADE: A
by Keith (Keefy) Chachkes
Tags: ac/dc, Bassist Ryan Egan, Black Sabbath, classic rock, Deep Purple, drummer Ilan Harel, Guitarist Anthony Mullen, Guitarist Chris Daou, Guns N Roses, hard rock, lead singer Cheggi, Led Zeppelin, Live At The Cutting Room, New York City Rock scene, punk, reviews by Keefy, soul, Soundgarden, THE BLACKFIRES, Thin Lizzy
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Wednesday, June 6th, 2012
CVI (Relapse)
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.
GRADE: B+
by Melissa Campbell
Tags: "Sleeping Witch", Black Sabbath, classic rock, CVI, doom, jams, Led Zeppelin, Mastodon, prog, Relapse, ROYAL THUNDER, singer/bassist Mlny Parsonz, stoner metal, THE MOODY BLUES
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Friday, May 18th, 2012
Kill Devil Hill (SPV)
Late last year I had the opportunity to speak to VINNY APPICE about a new band he was working on called KILL DEVIL HILL. He’s played on so many things; I figured well it’s just another project he’s working on. I’m fairly confident that I’m not the only one to think this as well, a legendary drummer that has played with BLACK SABBATH, DIO, WORLD WAR III, JOHN LENNON, RICK DERRINGER, etc. this is just another project right? Vinny was quick to put me in my place and point out that KILL DEVIL HILL was a band, his band. At that time, I hadn’t heard a single note by the band, but Vinny spoke with a lot of conviction about what I would hear months later. He discussed how the band accidentally came about, and naturally progressed from him and guitarist Mark Zavon jamming. So I was immediately intrigued, wanted to hear what the band was about.
During this conversation I admitted to Vinny that my all-time favorite BLACK SABBATH album is easily the often overlooked Dehumanizer. Why? That’s easy, I’m a drummer, and the crushing drum sound that drives that album is unbelievable. I’ve often wondered why other bands, and SABBATH themselves, have not mixed and recorded another album in a similar fashion. Much to my chagrin, TONY IOMMI mentions in his book how, unless you’re a drummer, you don’t really like the sound of that album. Guess he got me on that one! He mentions that the drums are too bright for his taste. Quite a shame, because that precise sound would have put HEAVEN & HELL’s The Devil You Know over the top.
By the time I was able to speak to REX BROWN, I had already had the album for a few days. During my conversation with him, I was caught off guard by something he said. He mentioned that the album was recorded with Pro-Tools. Now this really doesn’t seem like a big deal, because let’s face it, the majority of the albums that have been released during the last say 15 years have been recorded on Pro-Tools. What’s odd is that the album does not have your typical Pro-Tools recorded linear feel. The album has a lot of range and dynamic, something very atypical with a lot of the carbon copied hard rock and metal that is released nowadays. The album feels like it could have been recorded in the 70s, 80s, or 90s, before Pro-Tools really took off, when things were recorded on tape. The album has aspects of influences from all of those decades as well, but it doesn’t feel dated, it has a real modern feel to it as well. It gives you the best of both worlds. Rex mentioned that they mixed the album three times before it sounded right to the band. Although it doesn’t have that same Dehumanizer sound, it is very similar in the way that the drums and bass are presented on the album. Vinny’s parts especially sound as if he’s in the room with you, every hit of the toms sound crisp and clear, and not buried in the mix like they usually are. Which makes me think, why aren’t more albums mixed like this?
The way the band performs on the album reminds me a lot of LED ZEPPELIN and THE WHO. Now don’t get all bent out of shape, and let me explain. Both of those legendary bands had extraordinary rhythm sections, that drove their music. They also had a guitarist who instead of going out of his way to stand out every second he could, he atypically became the glue that held everything together. This is something that Mark Zavon does to perfection on this album by weaving between the solid foundation Vinny and Rex are laying down, and picking his spots to stand out and make the entire composition better. The melody on the album is incredible as well, Dewey Bragg does a great job of not only putting some solid lyrics together, but he uses his voice in a fashion that does not sound like any of today’s homogenized singers. Sure you can hear influences in his voice, but it doesn’t sound like every other singer out there. The album kicks off with four very solid tracks, “War Machine” starts things off driving forward. This takes us to “Hangman” which is classic Vinny, that slow punishing groove he is known for and more or less helped pioneer. “Voodoo Doll” is one of my favorite tracks to come out this year, the opening tremolo effect, into the mini solo before Dewey jumps into the first verse, and subsequent infectious chorus is to me the strongest track on the album. The fourth track “Gates Of Hell” is another slow dirge, which rivals classic SABBATH tracks like “Children of The Sea” and “Sign Of The Southern Cross”. Other stand out tracks include the “Time + Time Again” which was premiered late last year, “Up In Flames” which is about Dewey losing everything he owned in a fire, and the album closer “Revenge”, which has a real ZEPPELIN feel throughout.
Vinny’s DNA is all over this album, he is perhaps one of the most underrated drummers of all time. If this album sounds anything like SABBATH or DIO, it’s because of his playing. Although Rex was the last member to join the band, you can hear his signature playing as well. He is often overlooked in when his former band PANTERA is discussed. This album makes you appreciate what he actually did their landmark albums. Listen to what he does on this album, and go back to those old PANTERA albums, and realize how he actually influenced a generation of players. Dewey and Mark are just as important on the album, and not overshadowed by either of these two legends. Dewey delivers a very solid vocal performance, with a lot of great memorable melodies, and Mark is the perfect linchpin that ties everything together, and makes it all work.
The entire album is very solid throughout, and in my opinion, easily among the best hard rock albums to come out this year.
GRADE: A
Victor M. Ruiz
Tags: Black Sabbath, Dewey Bragg, Dio, JOHN LENNON, Kill Devil Hill, Led Zeppelin, Mark Zavon, Pantera, rex brown, Rick Derringer, the who, vinny appice, World War III
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Wednesday, November 9th, 2011
Trampled Sun (REALID Records)
In this day and age of every possible type of permutation of metals original design there is certainly a style to fit every taste. With new sub-genres popping up all the time it is hard to keep track, even for a guy who’s job is to keep track. At the same time I feel like there will always be a place for bands that represent the original idea of blues based rock and metal if it is executed well. There is no escaping good songwriting and a heartfelt delivery when given the chance to bring it back. California’s KYNG is such a band, being the torch bearer for the riffs and the grooves that can be eternal if you play em right.
From the very first track “Falling Down” the band makes clear its intent to pay homage to its heroes. A power trio not just in the style of all of the great proto-metal and classic rock bands, but in the rawness an d power of sound. Despite the vintage mindset the album is certainly heavy enough for modern fans of bands like DOWN, COC, CLUTCH, QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE, THE SWORD, BRAND NEW SIN, PRIESTESS, MONSTRO, TOTIMOSHI and the like. Lead singer and guitarist Eddie Veliz has an amazing bluesy wail and a fine range. He can carry the weight of some of these tracks on his voice along. Bassist Tony Castañeda also chips in some vocals and on occasion the band can pull off some harmonies like QUEEN or YES. Drummer Pepe Clarke Magaña just kills hits huge sounding drum kit with that good old natural sound you the way it used to be. “Pushing and Pulling” rages like a brake-less freight train with plenty of boogie and sick fills to boot. The title track comes next and has plenty of fuzzed out bass and gargantuan riffs a la KYUSS at their best. Veliz again delivers the goods vocally. The melodies and the solos are right from the pages of all the greats. Now its one thing to distill your influences and quite another to be able to make compelling original songs with those tools. KYNG does this really well. “Takes Its Toll” goes from a somber blues to a heavy rock strut easily. “Trails In Veins” is another jamming track with some impressive melodic components to it. It definitely has the sound of a modern hit. “I Don’t Believe” is a cool little ditty with a headbanging riff to it. “Bleed Easy” rocks out at maximum over drive while “Down On Me” lays back in the pocket a little more like an alt country metal tune. “Porcelain” is a slow burn epic that sounds like DOWN covering “Love, Hate, Love” by ALICE IN CHAINS. Castañeda chips in another cool bass line here in the style of Geezer Butler or Mike Dean. “Between the Blame” begins with some fine A cappella singing and builds up into a cool rocking march of a beat. The last track also has some of the best lead playing on the album which ducks in and out of the song without taking over or fouling up good riffs. The breakdown of the song goes down right proggy right before the climactic ending. “The Roses” is another epic song that rages just barely in control after a quiet start. This is a definitely one of the best new bands I have heard this year.
 KYNG: Standing on the shoulders of giants. Photo by Katherine Guerreo. GRADE: A
By Keith (Keefy) Chachkes
Tags: Alice In Chains, Black Sabbath, blues influences, BRAND NEW SIN, classic sounds, Clutch, COC, Down, drummer Pepe Clarke Magaña, epic songs, Geezer Butler, Keefy, Kyng, lead singer/guitarist Eddie Veliz, Led Zeppelin, mike dean, modern heaviness, Monstro, PRIESTESS, proto-metal, Queen, queens of the stone age, REALID Records, reviews by Keefy, singer/bassist Tony Castañeda, the sword, Totimoshi, Trampled Sun, vocal harmonies, yes
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Wednesday, November 2nd, 2011
Iron Man by Tony Iommi with T.J. Lammers (Da Capo Press)
Few other names in all of metal have the same importance as the name IOMMI. As the architect and soul of the sounds of BLACK SABBATH Tony Iommi practically invented the sound of metal music. This fact isn’t really up for debate. Iommi has seen it all, done it all and managed to still be standing tall after more than forty years in a career that is the stuff of legend. The toll of the journey and the mostly positive outcome is reflected in the books title Iron Man: My Journey Through HEAVEN AND HELL with BLACK SABBATH. As the book recounts, often in deep detail the back story of some of the most crucial times in not just metal history, but music history too.
Told in the laid-back manner you would expect, Iommi recounts the history of his early life in Birmingham UK, the formation of BLACK SABBATH and other tales. In spite of his (and everybody’s) copious drug use he has some surprising recall about events that have happened. Some of the stories are famous and well known and others not so much. Iommi does not look at the world through his purple-lensed glasses or another other color for that matter. He often paints himself in an unflattering light when he feels he deserves it and reflects back in time with brutal honesty. The 1970′s are definitely recalled as more wild than you have ever heard or dreamed. Perhaps like no one has yet to do in a book, Iommi recounts the entire history of BLACK SABBATH: all of the ups, the down and the in-betweens. He takes you to the low points of OZZY leaving SABBATH, coming back and what led to his eventual firing. Then he goes into great depth and insight about RONNIE JAMES DIO and his importance of reinvigorating the band and the brand. I learned things about DIO I never knew, which was great. All in all IOMMI recounts his friendships through stories involving LED ZEPPELIN, EMERSON LAKE AND PALMER, DEEP PURPLE, RICK WAKEMAN of YES, EDDIE VAN HALEN (whom is still a personal friend of his) JUDAS PRIEST, FRANK ZAPPA, GLENN HUGHES and many other classic bands. Covering the more recent years he discusses his IOMMI record, charity work and all of the current rank and file of metal stars who have befriended him and he appreciates them as well. Besides revealing his feelings about things like OZZFEST and the 1990′s SABBATH reunions with Ozzy he goes especially deep about the reformation of the DIO lineup, HEAVEN AND HELL; the highs of making new music and tours and the eventual illness and death of DIO which was heart breaking. He also talks about other fallen friends of his like COZY POWELL, DIMEBAG DARRELL and PETER STEELE as well.
Perhaps most surprising is IOMMI’s frankness when discussing his personal life. Ever the epitome of the buttoned up, classy and restrained British gentleman, he is not shy about talking about very intimate events of his life. He discussed his excessive drug use (although he claims he always felt responsible not to do more than the other in SABBATH), his workaholic nature that cost him his early marriages and his relationships with his children. Great detail was given about the extent of his recent hand injury that could have ended his career. He calls his current wife Maria (formerly Sjöholm, of DRAIN S.T.H.), the love of his life. It’s good to see Tony in a happy place in life as he looks back and he considers the future, including the possibility of anther BLACK SABBATH reunion to be wide open. A must have for fans and a great read for others interested in the history of rock and metal.
GRADE: A
by Keith (Keefy) Chachkes
Tags: Anthony Iommi, Bill Ward, Birmingham UK, Black Sabbath, book reviews by Keefy, COZY POWELL, Da Capo Press, Deep Purple, Dimebag Darrell, drugs, eddie van halen, EMERSON LAKE AND PALMER, fallen friends, Frank Zappa, Geezer Butler, GLENN HUGHES, heaven and hell, Iron Man: My Journey Through HEAVEN AND HELL with BLACK SABBATH, Judas Priest, Keefy, Led Zeppelin, ozzy osbourne, Peter Steele, RICK WAKEMAN, rob halford, rock star life, ronnie james dio, sex, tony iommi, TONY IOMMI: Iron Man by Tony Iommi with T.J. Lammers, yes
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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”
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Friday, September 9th, 2011
One of the best independent metal bands in America, ORWELL is dropping their dynamic new concept album AVOHFASIH in September. It is one of the best albums we have heard this entire year across the spectrum of all heavy music. Metal Army caught up with rhythm guitarist Tim Bradley to get up to speed on the band and the release.
 One of the best concept albums to come along in quite a while.
MAA: Tell us about the concept behind AVOHFASIH?
TB: The record has an overall concept basically about grieving and loss. A few of the other guys in the band and I, plus others close to us have lost some people in the last year. We thought the opportunity of the our record coming out as a good time to address those emotions we had going on. So we set upon doing it as a concept album with the second theme of also being lost at sea. It kind of has two concepts that way (laughs).
MAA: Musically it is a departure from some of your past work. What influenced this change?
TB: The last record we put out that was Endeavors with our old drummer Jim. He was way more of a thrash drummer. That’s what he enjoyed and frankly that’s what we enjoyed at the time as well. Our new drummer Chris came in and he contributed to the writing this time. Jim had as well (when he was in the band), but two different drummers, two records with two different writing styles sounding apart. Also Eric (Bolstad) our other guitarist wrote most of Endeavors himself. AVOHFASIH was more of a joint effort between all of us and not to discredit Eric, because he pulls his weight and then some in the writing process. The concept gave breadth to him an allowed him to explore some other areas of his writing and playing as well.
 ORWELL from La Crosse, WI. Poised for big things...
MAA: Do you think you will perform the album live in its entirety?
TB: All the shows we have planned at this point, we plan on doing the album in full. Anytime we have a forty-five minute set where we are able to play it in full, we will be. That’s the way we wrote it and it is meant to be heard as a complete work so we intend to do that.
MAA: You have some serious die hard fans. Did you worry about alienating them by changing things up a bit with a heady concept album?
TB: I don’t know if you would say worried about it. When we put out Endeavors, the last record we had high hopes for that record. The tour went well. But we got to a point at the end of the tour where everyone is playing a million miles and hour, and we were playing a million miles an hour when you play with only metal bands. We really just wanted to write music and we didn’t necessarily have to be super fast or super technical. I guess we didn’t really worry because outside of our core fans we are still becoming better known and we are looking for new fans anyway. He like how it all played out and I hope people like it.
 Tim Bradley of ORWELL: live and direct!
MAA: Can you talk about that disturbing teaser video for AVOHFASIH? It is uber disturbing!
TB: That’s a clip from a film called Baraka. It’s a band favorite. It’s a total, I don’t want to call it a documentary, but it’s basically a crazy two-hour art film of cultural rituals from all of the world. Everything from modern society and even aboriginal things. We are all fans of that type of films. That scene is particularly such an unnerving scene to watch in the movies. We thought this was the first time people would ever hear our new music in good quality. The clip is really suggestive and fits the music. We thought about what we could do to make it less like just new music and make it more special for our fans. We just kind of threw it together and it was the most activity we’ve ever had on our website in one day. It’s cool to do stuff like that, to surprise people and get people pumped for the band.
MAA: Since Logan Hauser is primarily a brutal singer do you and Eric consciously write more melodic guitar and vocal parts as a contrast to what he does?
TB: I do some more vocals on the record here and there. My stuff is more type of the yelly type of stuff. Logan has such a gravely, guttural voice so I did some vocals to contrast that. Chris (Brissell) did some of that too. Obviously we have the female voices (Danielle Taube and LeAnn Bradley ) on the album as well. We don’t ever want to be the type of band that has clean singing as a crutch to use whenever we need to make something sound pretty. Our concern is we want to accomplish melodic things with our instruments. We want to be able to use it so when we do that with vocals, it can stand out and hold its own ground.
MAA: Who are some of the bands influences collectively?
TB: Straight off the bat for me NEUROSIS has been a huge band. NEUROSIS, ISIS, RED SPARROWS and that whole kind of genre. All of the Hydra Head and Neurot bands has really kind of opened me up as a new way to view metal. Chris had really been in to all of those bands before that and through me and Chris getting in to it, that leaked over to everybody else. Those bands became a source of inspiration since we wanted create something really devastating and heartfelt. Those bands helped us create the framework of trying to do that with our instruments. And we’re all still fans of DARKEST HOUR and the more melodic bands like IN FLAMES. Even ANIMALS AS LEADERS as an instrumental influence. Obviously you can’t hear it directly but AAL is a band that we think has a great sense of melody that is really insane. Other than that Chris is really into RUSH. A lot of us are really into LED ZEPPELIN. MASTODON is a huge influence. I mean I could go on and on for hours because we just listen to so much music, we are all just serious music buffs. This record will really give us the opportunity to really stretch out from here on and do exactly what we want to do and move forward without compromising. Even though our sound is different from our earlier work, you can still tell it is four of the five same guys in the band. As we grow together and continue to create new music it’s only going to get better from here.
MAA: Do you have anything special planned for the release in September?
TB: We are going to release the album free online on our bandcamp. Free to download for anybody. The reason it’s free we want as many people as possible to get the album and hear it. Beyond that we are doing a limited edition pressing of hand numbered, physical copies of the record. For the physical copies we are doing everything ourselves, printing, cutting, folding and everything. It’s going to be a full package with a booklet, artwork and lyrics. We are doing all of the cutting, folding and printing. We’re trying to do everything D.I.Y. and we are doing 300 hundred of these and that is it. We just want everybody to know whoever is willing to make the monetary contribution and buys the physical album this is from us to you. We touched this and we are giving it to you, no matter who you are if you are one of those 300. No middle man or distribution. We are really pumped about that. The packaging itself really gives everybody an insight into the the concept of the album. Some of the themes and theories that go on in the record, the album title spells out the acronym that is in the lyrics. Anybody who wants to dive in and really get the meaning of the record and what we are about as a band will have that opportunity. That is another reason we are self-releasing it, so people will know it is 100% from us to them.
By Keith (Keefy) Chachkes
Tags: art, AVOHFASIH, Baraka, bassist Will Strickland, cave in, concept albums, Crack the Skye, DARKEST HOUR and the more melodic bands like IN FLAMES. Even ANIMALS AS LEADERS, DIY, drummer Chris Brissell, Endeavors, guitarist Erik Bolstad, guitarist Tim Bradley, hardcore/death vocals, Intronaut, Isis, Keefy, Lamb of God, Led Zeppelin, machine head, Mastodon, modern metal, neurosis, old-school PANTERA, ORWELL, Pink Floyd, Prog-Rock, RED SPARROWS, Rush, thrash, tool, vocalist Logan Hauser
Posted in Feature Interviews, Interviews | No Comments »
Wednesday, September 7th, 2011
Metal Army caught up with Todd Jones of NAILS right after he got off stage on their recent tour with RINGWORM. We talked about making their latest video, inspirational stuff and the next NAILS album. We were also propositioned by a guy who might have been a pimp, who was hoping we were selling weed and not doing an interview. You gotta love Allston Rock City (Allston, MA)!
 This was a sick show!
MAA: You guys just played a sick show! How is the tour going?
TJ: Excellent! All the bands are band that I like musically and bands I like people wise. The tour went by too fast. Today is the thirteenth day of the tour, tomorrow will be the fourteen. I left my house three weeks ago and feels like it was only three days ago. Even the worst show was an awesome show. It’s been too easy and too much fun!
 Todd Jones live with NAILS.
MAA: NAILS have been tireless road dogs, but your shows are crazy intense. How do you manage to stay motivated night after night?
TJ: I go through periods of motivation and demotivation, both. When I get demotivated I just try to think about the band and not listen to our music too much or our demos for our next record. We have a lot of demos for our next record right now. But when its time to hit the road or time to hit the stage something in me naturally kicks in and takes over and I’m ready.
 If you don't own this album, something is seriously wrong with you.
MAA: Can you talk about the making of the “Conform/Scum Will Rise” video?
TJ: The video was made by a friend of mine named Joel Perkins, who I’ve know since the fifth grade. He has recently started a career in the video world, I don’t know what you call it. He’s doing really well for himself and I called him up and asked him to do it. He did a great job on a shoe-string budget and I think it came out great. I’m proud of it, proud of him and how it came out. I think it was a success for us. It didn’t come out corny and that was my biggest fear. I think it works. It captures us and I hope somebody sees it and gets an idea of what to expect from us. You can listen to a record and get a general feeling of how the vibe that a band is trying to portray is. When you see a band live, it could be a different thing. The vibe that we portray in a live setting is the one they feel when they hear the album or see the video. I hope the video does that since it is live and if people can’t feel it I don’t know what to say. I just hope it was successful.
MAA: What is the progress on writing the new record?
TJ: We have five songs done. We need to write six or seven more. We’d like to write more songs than we need in case some of them don’t fit into the flow of the record. We already have the title for our record. I already have the idea for the cover. Writing is a slow process for us. It took us nine months to write Unsilent Death. We don’t rush anything and we just let it come to us. As it comes to us, we get it down. We will probably be recording early next year and hope the album comes out in the spring or summer.
MAA: What inspires your lyrics?
TJ: I try to write lyrics that fit the vibe of the music. I’m a very emotional person. Unfortunately, a lot of that emotion comes with depression and anger and I try to use NAILS as a way to vent that. In life there are a lot of injustices that you face in the way of relationships you have with people, relationships you have with your career, or with your family. Even though I might sound pissed, I look at it as a positive thing. NAILS is about freedom to do whatever the fuck you want and not have anybody not come down on you for it.
MAA: What music do you listen to in the van?
TJ: Today we listened to JESU, Justin K Broderick’s current band. We listened to SEPULTURA’s Chaos AD today. In the van we listen to a lot of music and with 5-7 guys its hard to cater to everybody, but I try to put on stuff everybody likes such as LED ZEPPELIN, SEPULTURA and METALLICA’s Master of Puppets. We just try to listen to classic records that are “easy to listen to” we can all enjoy.
(Special thanks to Todd Jones, NAILS, Earsplit PR and Moshography Photos).
By Keith (Keefy) Chachkes
Tags: bassist John Giannelli, Crust punk, D-Beat, drummer Taylor Young, get in the van, hardcore, Jesu, Justin K Broderick's, Keefy, Led Zeppelin, lyrical inspirations, METALLICA's Master of Puppets, nails, SEPULTURA's Chaos AD, Southern Lord, terror, touring life, Unsilent Death, video director Joel Perkins, vocalist/guitarist Todd Jones, “Conform/Scum Will Rise video”
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Wednesday, July 13th, 2011
Avenger (At A Loss)
There are lots of bands out there that try to be something they are not. Lots of musicians hear something or someone that inspires them and then they put a band together to try to capture a fleeting fad or seize a moment in a scene. Occasionally a band comes along defying trends and classifications and just rocks without pretense. Raw, honest music that fills you full of hope again. Music that makes to you think and rethink what you know about it too. One such band is TOTIMOSHI from the Bay Area. I first discovered them years ago on a comp and have followed their rise ever since. After seeing them hold their own opening up for THE MELVINS and ISIS last year, I knew they were headed for even bigger things and bigger stages someday.
After the intro track the album kicks off in earnest with the title number. the track is hot and full of explosive, angular rock riffs with pure lava-like beats. Tony Aguilar’s vocals are at both impassioned and questioning, almost berating the listener with his words. As usual the lyrics are dynamite and one of the most compelling things about this band. The classic configuration of the band as a power trio certainly affords them opportunities for mining creative outlets without excess or needless meandering. In addition to Aguilar’s slicing guitar sound, the powerful rhythm section of bassist Meg Castellanos and drummer Chris Fugit is just great. “The Fool” comes next and does not approximate a classic rock vibe; the band has actually written a modern classic rock song. “The Fool” has as much in common with the MC5 as is does THEM CROOKED VULTURES. Just exuding cool and devoid of fakery of any kind. Fugit’s drum cadences are totally killer in a vintage way too. “Mainline” is next and is more on the experimental side with its SABBATH-ian somber dirge and Aguilar’s bluesy vocal wail. Castellanos in particular stands out with her fluid bass lines and killer tone that really gives the song its foundation. Next up is the instrumental jam “Calling All Curs” with its throbbing bass and driving beats of doom. It kind sounds like MASTODON if MASTODON was a cover band playing 70′s songs at an 80′s house party. This is the kind of music other bands dream about writing. Aguilar’s sinewy lead lines and heavy as all get out licks are another highlight of the song and the entire album really. “Rose” has an economical riff style that would call to mind the funky 70′s rock of days gone by, complete with swaying drum beats and a silky smooth centerpiece riff. Following that up with “Opus”, a fuzzed out epic in the grand style of LED ZEPPELIN, CREAM or DEEP PURPLE. You get the feeling these guys and a gal really set the way back machine to bake on high. Waves upon waves of orgiastic guitar jammage just fill your ears. The spacey “Leaves” is very emotional and shows the full range of Aguilar’s vocal talents. It’s a song I’d love to hear in a live setting. “Snag” is an interesting little song that could almost be a lost JOHN LENNON solo out-take. It is coy and clever at the same time and a cool little piece of 60′s pop breaking through the din of the rest of the album until it becomes a psychedelic rave up. The album closer “Waning Divine” is flat out spooky and recalls the magic of KYUSS. The abiltiy of this band to reference all of these sounds and bands imprinted on our minds is impressive. How they manage to stay so original while doing so is their true and inspirational gift.
 Where they're going they don't need roads. GRADE: B+
by Keith (Keefy) Chachkes
Tags: At A Loss Records, Avenger, bassist Meg Castellanos, CREAM or DEEP PURPLE, drummer Chris Fugit, Isis, JOHN LENNON, Keefy, Kyuss, Led Zeppelin, Mastodon, MC5, metal, proto-metal, raw, real, retro, rock, singer/guitarist Tony Aguilar, The Melvins, them crooked vultures, Totimoshi
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