“If you asked 10 people in 1975 to go to an Alice Cooper show and do a two-page report on what they saw, you’d get 10 different shows. People saw things that weren’t there. … When you’ve bombard an audience with images – there’s crutches, there’s guillotines, there’s strait jackets, there’s manikins that come to life, there’s garbage cans, there’s swords, money, jewelry thrown in the audience – at the end of the show they’ll tell you the most amazing story you’ve ever heard. And I’ll think about half of that really happened…”
— Alice Cooper talking to Billboard.com about his stage shows.
This week’s most listened to CDs by yours truly were Dane Cook’s “Retaliation” (that’s not music!) and Byzantine’s “And They Shall Take Up Serpents.”
Let’s just dive right in …
Rarely am I as blown away from a brand new (at least to me) band. The second I cranked “And They Shall Take Up Serpents” I was sold.
The band has a thick, old-school metal sound — think Slayer meets Pantera. The catch is that the entire package is wrapped up in a technical, progressive metal-influenced package. The band doesn’t go all out like Dream Theater or Meshuggah, but they compliment the sometimes simple metal song structure with fantastic solos and bridges. The intricate riffing throughout the album take what could be a simple, heavy metal offering and turns it into an epic.
The vocals are intense, but tempered with just the right amount of haunting melody. As the lyrics cascade off the wall of sound — sick guitar work, thunderous drumming and awesome bass play — the listener can literally be enveloped in a sound-sphere of beautiful chaos.
Tracks like “Jeremiad,” “Salem, Ark.” and the album opener “Justica” explode out of the gate and refuse to let up. In fact, there’s hardly a weak track on the album. From “Temporary Temples” to the title track, Byzantine grab you by the throat and go straight for the metallic jugular.
If you’re a fan of stuff like Soilwork and Killswitch Engage, you like this even more. Do yourself a favor and go pick up my pick of the week, “And They Shall Take Up Serpents.”
..:..Anselmo resurfaces..:.. Former Pantera front man (currently with Down and Superjoint Ritual) Phil Anselmo joined Eyehategod on stage earlier this week at the CBGB club in New York. Anselmo did not sing with the band, but instead played rhythm guitar with the group. According to Billboard.com, before launching into the set, the band shared a joint onstage and Anselmo took the microphone, dedicating the performance to his “brother, Dimebag Darrell.” Pictures of the performance can be found here. One member of the audience reported to Blabbermouth.net that Anselmo seemed “healthy, upbeat, and in a great mood … He was mingling with the crowd and very outgoing.” Its good to see Anselmo making his way slowly back to the scene. Rumors are swirling that Down could put another album together down the road. Stuff to look forward to …
..:..Toned down Knot..:.. Slipknot was forced to tone-down its stage show during a recent show in Singapore. Among the rules set by the officials: No obscene gestures of any kind; No cursing; No vomiting; No throwing of feces; No jumping off the stage; No throwing water bottles into the audience; and my favorite — No simulation of humping on metal objects. According to The Electric New Paper, “The crowd had formed what was probably the largest and most intense mosh-pit ever seen in Singapore. Slipknot worked the audience up like no other band could. Concerns of tight security didn’t plague the gig and there was abundant slam-dancing throughout the show.” Band front man Corey Taylor seemed happy with the show: “Singapore is just like any other country we played, just a little more strict. We have played before in countries with strict rules and we came to have a good time with our kids (fans).” Check out the full review of the show here. I’ve been to Singapore. It’s a strict place but I know the people there know how to have a great time and rock out. And I’m not surprised the show went off without a problem: Slipknot would’ve have been crazy to mess around with those rules.
..:..Crowbreed no more..:.. For those of you that didn’t know, Hatebreed front man Jamey Jasta and Crowbar guitarist/vocalist Kirk Windstein have been working on a collaboration for a while know. Previously known as Crowbreed, the duo has now settled on a name for the project: Kingdom of Sorrow. The group’s debut album, currently being recorded at Planet Z studios in Massachusetts with producer Zeuss is “almost complete and it is the most pummeling slab of metal we’ve ever been a part of,” says Jasta. “This is seriously going to blow people’s minds! We have recorded 13 tracks plus a cover of Motorhead’s “No Class.” Windstein and Jasta have been sharing the vocal duties. This project sounds sick. I’ve been a huge Hatebreed fan since the beginning, and the juxtaposition of that sound with a Crowbar vibe should be awesome. Put this on the list of anticipated upcoming releases. Nothing been said yet, but I’m hoping this sees the light of day sooner rather than later.
..:..The Ozzman retires (sort of)..:.. Last Friday, Ozzy Osbourne’s wife/manager Sharon Osbourne confirmed in an interview with The Arizona Republic that this year’s Ozzfest will be the last time Ozzy performs with the traveling festival. After a string of Sabbath cancellations due to vocal problems, Ozzy blew out his voice, slammed his mike down and stormed off stage at an Ozzfest performance in Auburn last week. Said Sharon: “We’re changing the format of the festival next year, and Ozzy will be going into arenas for a while. Because this outside business is just knocking the (expletive) out of him in the summer.” I knew this was coming and am a little disappointed I didn’t make it to Ozzfest this year. I’m sure the festival can pretty much stay as it is, with a revolving door of classic metal acts taking over the headliner slot year to year. We’ve had Judas Priest and Iron Maiden, not to mention Sabbath. How about Slayer, AC/DC, Motorhead, Venom, maybe Merciful Fate. The trick is, if it isn’t a band that would draw all on its own, to make sure people are coming for the whole show (or at least draw in different groups with a good mix of acts). Again, this wasn’t a surprise. As for Ozzy, he’ll soldier on doing arena shows. Apparently, the godfather of metal suffers from hay fever which makes the outdoor shows that much worse. The singer is currently auditioning guitarists for a new solo album.
..:..Peripheral news..:.. While not really music news, The Associated Press is reporting that an arrest has finally been made in the 45-year-old murder investigation of the killing of three teenage camping companions found stabbed to death inside a tent in Finland. “On Tuesday, a 63-year-old man who was also found in the tent that day – unconscious, stabbed 10 times and with a crushed jaw – was charged with murder in the deaths. Nils Gustafsson denies committing the killings, but told reporters at Espoo District Court near Helsinki that he cannot remember what happened on the fatal night in 1960.” The murders took place at Lake Bodom, and the murders inspired the name of the band Children of Bodom. So there’s your metal connection. For more information on the case, check out the band fan site Scythes of Bodom.
Similar in theory to my pick of the week, here’s where I try to turn you on to a band you might have heard of but haven’t checked out … yet.
This week’s choice: Still Remains’ “Of Love and Lunacy.”
I had high hopes for Still Remains after checking out its debut EP, “If Love Was Born to Die.” The vocals were raw, the band had a great, hard-hitting sound and were only starting out. With some solid production behind a full-length debut, I was sure the album would be huge. Sadly, I was far from blown away. The vocals got a little too polished for my liking, and the re-recorded stuff lost some of the edge. Still, I think “Of Love and Lunacy” was one hell of a metal release for 2005. But don’t take my word for it …
From Blastwave.org: “Of Love And Lunacy” sounds like Killswitch Engage playing Dark Tranquility covers with a dash of “Clayman”-era In Flames added to the mix. While Still Remains aren’t the most original band out there, they still manage to play with sufficient conviction and craft enough enjoyable songs that such concerns can mostly be overlooked.
From TheGreatNothing.com: Still Remains have a great sound, blending elements of Swedish bands like In Flames and Dark Tranquility with the unrelenting passion of bands like At the Gates and Killswitch Engage. While many bands try to sound like this, few rise even to mediocre but Still Remains soars.
From Inside Pulse’s own Jon Sevastra (who?): Still Remains are the real deal folks! A powerful, crushing, and blindsiding kick in the teeth that feels so good you’ll thank them for the new gap.
From ConcreteWeb: Underneath the predictable cover is a band of young musicians that is very technically refined. The songs on ‘Of love and lunacy’ are convincing, catchy and just instantly memorable.
The Bled:“Found on the Floor” ..:.. the latest from a band that mixes hardcore and metal. It’s been said the band added more melody to the sound drawing comparisons to Radiohead.
Every Time I Die:“Gutter Phenomenon” ..:.. following in the footsteps of its last album, “Hot Damn,” ETID offer up another hard-hitting, albeit uninspired, hardcore album.
Fear Factory:“Transgression” ..:.. a year since its re-birth (“Archetype”), Fear Factory take a more experimental approach to its sound. The new songs are impressing fans on Gigantour this summer and I know I’m looking forward to it …
Bullet for my Valentine:“Hand of Blood” ..:.. this Welsh band combines traditional technical heavy metal with passionate melody. This is only an EP offering a taste of what’s to come …
You guys like the new look? Let me know if there’s anything else you might like covered in the column since I’m still modifying everything …
It looks like fall is shaping up to be a good season for metal … there’s a bunch of stuff to look forward to.
I’m looking for some suggestions for picks of the week or stuff I should be checking out. I want to pick up some new bands so I’m looking for to what you have to say. And maybe I can get Gloomchen to hook me up with some Project Hate material, I’ve loved what I’ve heard so far.
This was in last week’s column but I’ll keep it up until thing s quite down in my personal life: I’m in the process of relocating to the other side of the state. I’ll do my best to keep the column regular until I’m situated, but I just wanted to give you guys a heads up in case I disappear for a week or two. (What with moving, finding a new job and so on, things might get hectic.)
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…
