Kittie wasn’t a band I created; that was (Lander sisters) Morgan’s and Mercedes’ band, and the hype had already reached its limit.”
— Suicide City bassist Jennifer Arroyo on her former band.
This week’s most listened to CDs by yours truly were Machinery Hall’s “Tile” (I can hear everyone reading think “who?”) and Coheed and Cambria’s “In Keeping Secrets of Silent Earth: 3″… (I haven’t been able to make it to a store lately to pick any new stuff up.)
Sometimes you just don’t have the funds to go out and pick up all the new, latest albums you want to listen to. It’s times like those that I’m glad I have a pretty substantial collection put together … I love digging out older stuff I don’t listen to all the time.
This week I pulled out Machinery Hall’s debut album, “Tile.” It’s a melancholic affair, and one I don’t think is readily available outside of New England. The band’s lead singer has a great, deep voice and delivers his vocals seething with emotion. I wouldn’t really call the band metal (definitely not), but rather alternative rock with an edge. File the band under Pearl Jam. At any rate, “Tile,” and the band’s follow-up, “Inness,” are very cool albums. They have an air or the 90s infused in the sound, but I happen to really dig that on occasion.
So, here’s my pick for album of the week … 1995’s “Tile” … good luck finding it. (The band put a new album out a couple of year’s ago that I have yet to pick up…
..:..Pumpkins tribute takes shape..:.. Reignition’s Smashing Pumpkins tribute, “The Killer In You: A Tribute To Smashing Pumpkins,” looks to be a pretty interesting affair. Reignition, formerly Law of Inertia, did a great job with the Guns N Roses hardcore tribute “Bring You to Your Knees” last year, though this looks to be a more “alternative” affair. Of the notable bands on the album, Poison the Well is tackling “Soma,” Armor for Sleep is doing “Today,” A Static Lullaby is taking a stab at “The Everlasting Gaze” and Eighteen Visions is covering “Quiet.” To check out the complete track list, go here. The album is set for release Sept. 20.
..:..The bassist does not remain..:.. All That Remains recently revealed that bassist Matt Deis has left the group, via a post at the band’s official Web site. “We are sad to see Matt go, but it was his decision, and he will be greatly missed.” Josh Venn will now handle bass duties full-time. Venn also plays with Blood Has Been Shed … and of course, Blood Has Been Shed’s front man, Howard Jones, also fronts Killswitch Engage. That makes two members of the band splitting attention full-time. Not to mention, All That Remains front man Phil Labonte used to front Shadows Fall. It quite an incestual bunch we have up here on the New England metal scene.
..:..Cavalera talks about new album..:.. Soulfly has finalized the track list for its upcoming album, “Dark Ages,” tentatively due out in September. During a recent interview with SoulflyWeb.com, the band’s front man Max Cavalera talked about the darker direction of the album. “The events that took place this past December, with the death of Dimebag Darrell and the passing of (step-grandson) Moses, had a huge influence on the way that I chose to present this album, so I’d say that that made it a bit darker. We did some of the recordings in France, Turkey, and Russia and we used some instruments that you could only find in those countries. Those recordings will definitely have a strong effect on the direction that the worldly and atmospheric elements of the album take. But Marc (Rizzo, guitar) and Joe (Nunez, drums), those guys are both huge metalheads, and they kind of forced me to make a very heavy, brutal album.” Sounds like more of the same from the Soulfly camp, metal with international flavor. That’s not a bad thing, though I’ve found the band’s later material to seem pretty bland. I think there’s a lot of potential with this album — it’s almost a make or break album for the band, an opportunity to prove the group can move forward and still seem relevant on the current scene.
..:..More Sour Stones..:.. During a recent interview with the Dutch media, Slipknot vocalist Corey Taylor revealed that he and Slipknot guitarist Jim Root will enter the studio in January to start work on the next Stone Sour album. Taylor said the band has written over 30 songs for the sophomore effort. Stone Sour hope to have an album out by next summer.
..:..More brief studio briefs..:.. According to a post at Scythes-Of-Bodom.com, Children of Bodom finished mastering its next album, “Are You Dead Yet?” earlier this week. A single containing one track from the upcoming album will be released on Aug. 17; Seattle’s metal/hardcore band Himsa returned home from a month in Denmark where the band recorded its new album, “Hail Horror.” The album is slated for release in late September/early October through Prosthetic Records; Obituary has been discussing the songs off its new album, “Frozen in Time,” over at Roadrunner’s UK Web site. Check out the band’s opinions on the new tracks here.
Avenged Sevenfold: “City of Evil” … will the move to a major label affect this (pretty solid) metal/hardcore/punk band? I’m hoping this one will be good …
Finch: “Say Hello to Sunshine” … more from a band that mixed alternative rock and screamo vocals … this could be good…
Dream Theater: “Octavarium” … the entire album from this tech-metal band has already been leaked online …
Europe: “Start From the Dark” … the return of the band that crafted one of the most notable synth riffs from the ’80s …
Agents Of Man: “Count Your Blessings…” … this New Jersey band is being compared to Killswitch Engage … and that’s a good thing …
As I Lay Dying: “Shadows Are Security” … this band’s debut was a killer blend of metal, death metal and hardcore, so I anticipate good stuff with the follow-up …
Dark New Day: “Twelve Year Silence” … featuring former members of Sevendust, Doubledrive, Creed, Stereomud and Skrape …
Foo Fighters: “In Your Honor” … two discs: one mellow and one rocking. I haven’t heard the fantastic reviews I anticipated, but the album’s first single is rapidly becoming one of my favorite songs …
Funeral For A Friend: “Hours” … a great alternative rock/metal band, this should be good …
Life Of Agony: “Broken Valley” … the anticipated release from these reformed metal masters …
Static-X: “Start A War” … Wayne Static returns with the band’s original line-up …
Here’s some CDs I want, recently picked up or already have that I haven’t listened to nearly enough (you should check them out too):
Crowbar: ” Lifesblood for the Downtrodden”
Machinery Hall: “Inness”
As Friends Rust: “Won”
Still Remains: “Of Love and Lunacy”
Fear Factory: “Concrete”
I’m attempting to put together a Top 20 song list to include in the column … make it feel like something out of Billboard or something … mostly metal tracks … that’ll fill the Mix of the Moment/Now Hear This section of the column. (Just to keep you abreast of column happenings.) Feel free to e-mail any suggestions.
And that’s that. As always, drop me a line. Until next time, I’ll be here at Inside Pulse making sure no metal news falls through the cracks.
Take it easy…
