Coldworker
The Doomsayer’s Call
Listenable Records
When Swedish (Örebro based) death metal act Coldworker released their debut full-length effort ‘The Contaminated Void’ in 2006, the album was met with a largely positive response, with many hailing the band’s hybrid mix of old school grindcore and modern day death metal sounds. Not surprisingly, the band was one to keep an eye on in the future. With the release of their second full-length effort ‘Rotting Paradise’ two years later, Coldworker more than managed to deliver on their initial promise, with almost all hailing the album as a huge leap above and beyond what they presented on their debut. Four years on, and Coldworker (Who comprise of vocalist Joel Fornbrant, ex- The Project Hate MCMXCIX guitarist Anders Bertilsson, guitarist Daniel Schröder, bassist Oskar Pålsson and ex-Necrony/Nasum drummer Anders Jakobson) are back with their long awaited third full-length effort ‘The Doomsayer’s Call’ – their first release for Listenable Records after parting ways with Relapse Records.
Given the progression Coldworker had shown between the release of ‘The Contaminated Void’ and ‘Rotting Paradise’, it wouldn’t be too much of a stretch to imagine ‘The Doomsayer’s Call’ taking another large step forward. Unfortunately, the band’s evolutionary path is a short one this time around, with much of their latest album maintaining familiar traits to those heard on ‘Rotting Paradise’. But while the lack of progression is a bit of a disappointment, there’s still a whole lot to enjoy within ‘The Doomsayer’s Call’.
Coldworker open up their latest release in a decidedly groovy and slower paced fashion with ‘A New Era’, which interestingly enough reveals a slight thrash-like influence. Dan Swanö’s mix helps give everyone within the band enough space to stand out, while the overall recorded sound (Handled by Johan Berglund) is clear and detailed enough to sound sharper and heavy in the right measure.
After holding back on the opener, Coldworker unleash a full on assault with ‘The Reprobate’ (Which features a guest vocal performance from Ex-Dying Fetus/Misery Index vocalist Jason Netherton), ‘The Glass Envelope’ and ‘Flesh World’. But while all three tracks contain the familiar Coldworker extreme sound, there’s enough variation within the songs in terms of tempo changes and brief passages of groove and melody to keep things interesting throughout.
In terms of really pushing things to the extreme, tracks such as ‘Murderous’, ‘Pessimist’, ‘Vacuum Fields’ and ‘Violent Society’ are sure to keep fans of the band’s grindcore-influenced brand of modern death metal pleased to no end, while those looking for a slight departure from the band’s familiar trademark aggressive sound will revel in the hint of punk within ‘Monochrome Existence’ and the groovier and more rhythmic based ‘The Walls Of Eryx’.
While I’m reluctant to say that ‘The Doomsayer’s Call’ made an impression on me quite the same way that ‘Rotting Paradise’ did when it was released, I will admit that as a whole, this new release still manages to impress enough to maintain Coldworker’s place amongst today’s death metal elite.
Major Tom And The Atoms
Shake It Til You Break It
Independent Release/Remedy Music
Despite the success of their two full-length releases and their reputation as one of the underground indie-rock scene’s best live outfits, Melbourne (Victoria, Australia) outfit Little Red officially announced their split earlier in the year. There’s no doubt that the news was disappointing, but as the saying goes, when one door closes – another is bound to open. And from out of the ashes of Little Red, we can now celebrate the formation of Major Tom And The Atoms.
Fronted by former Little Red baritone crooner ‘Major’ Tom Hartney, Major Tom And The Atoms (Who also comprise of guitarist/backing vocalist Simon Tait, bassist/backing vocalist Simon Lawrie, saxophonist/Theremin/backing vocalist Sean Vagg, pianist/backing vocalist Ben Huisman and drummer/backing vocalist Adam Swoboda) have been performing together for the last year, and have within that time been praised by fans and critics alike for their lively and infectious shows.
With a growing following and acclaim for their presence on stage, the six piece act soon made a move towards the recording studio, and with the assistance of producer/mixer Tony Buchen (Who’s worked with the likes of Tim Finn, Phrase, Wim, John Butler Trio, Andy Bull, Gin Wigmore, Blue King Brown, Dereb The Ambassador, Washington and Old Man River), the band have released their debut E.P. ‘Shake It Til You Break It’.
The opening track ‘The House That Love Built’ (The first single released from the E.P.) is a rocking effort that oozes plenty of saxophone based rhythm and blues mixed with a touch of old-school funk that is sure to get any audience moving in no time at all. Hartney’s familiar deep vocals add plenty of soul to the tune, while the remainder of the group prove how tight knit they’ve become after a little more than a year together.
‘Rolling Stone’ is another firm favourite with its big band/piano based framework, while ‘Last Dance Of The Lizard King’ sees the band channelling the spirit of Jim Morrison and The Doors – albeit filtered through the band’s own hybrid mix of blues, soul and indie-rock.
A real stand out is the rather straight forward blues like and rocking ‘Merri Creek (Dead & Gone)’, which boasts some great piano and lead guitar work and soulful backing vocals, while ‘Mockingbird’ brings to mind The Strangeloves’ ‘I Want Candy’ in terms of its riffs and tempo, but rocking and enjoyable enough to overlook the obvious comparisons.
‘Shake It Til You Break It’ is a great little E.P., and a worthy indication of what Major Tom And The Atoms has to offer. Sure, this release doesn’t capture the band quite in the same way as their live performances, but it’s enough to get the idea.
Little Red may be done and dusted, but at least we have Major Tom And The Atoms to help fill the void.
Headspace
I Am Anonymous
Inside Out Music/Century Media Records/E.M.I. Music Australia
When Threshold vocalist Damian Wilson and keyboardist Adam Wakeman (Ozzy Osbourne/Black Sabbath keyboardist, and son of Yes’ Rick Wakeman) announced a joint venture under the name of Headspace, the news had many within the progressive rock scene eager to hear what the pair would come up with. And sure enough, with the release of their debut E.P. ‘I Am’ in 2007, the London (U.K.) based outfit lived up to expectations with the four tracks offered up. Timing issues and commitments to their various other projects slowed down Headspace’s progress towards the completion of a full-length effort for some years. But after a five year wait, the band (Who also comprise of guitarist Pete Rinaldi, Rick Wakeman/It Bites bassist Lee Pomeroy and drummer Richard Brook) have finally returned with ‘I Am Anonymous’.
Unlike a lot of progressive rock outfits, Headspace focus more on putting feeling and emotion into their music rather than relying solely on their technical prowess and wizardry, and that’s immediately evident with the album’s opening track ‘Stalled Armageddon’. ‘Stalled Armageddon’ has plenty of metallic passages that bring to mind Tool and Dream Theater in places, but it’s Wakeman’s masterful keyboard presence and Wilson’s passionate and emotive vocals that help give Headspace a sound that steers away from sounding like more of the same.
The follow-up track ‘Fall Of America’ is undoubtedly one of the album’s heavier and aggressive offerings, with Wilson alternating between anger driven passages, near on whispered passages and multi-layered harmony lines, while the diversity of sounds offered from the band on this track bring to mind Sieges Even in places.
The slow piano based ‘Soldier’ is a real stand out track that allows Wilson to showcase his delicate and emotion laden vocals while telling a story (This track kind of outlays the theme running throughout the album), while the straight forward drive of ‘Die With A Bullet’ is another stand out with its simplified structures and mix of musical aggression and vocal melody.
The church organ/choral introduction on the first three minutes of ‘In Hell’s Name’ is incredibly well done, while the subtle sitar effects (Which are most likely played through the keyboard) and the percussive dominated/jazz-like experimentation in the latter half of the song work well at show the band’s willingness to experiment within the confines of the tried and true progressive rock sound.
Despite the terrible title (Which in all honesty is – until you understand what the song is about), ‘Daddy Fucking Loves You’ is a great track that really does take the listener all over the place throughout its epic fifteen minute running time. Passages of particular note are the fragile/gentle acoustic start, the riff/keyboard heavy middle section and Rinaldi’s shredding towards the tail end.
Finishing up the album is the melodic, tense and darker edged ‘Invasion’ and the diverse progressive rock finale ‘The Big Day’.
Unlike a lot of progressive rock acts in today’s scene, Headspace has a sound that stands out from most. ‘I Am Anonymous’ does take time to fully understand and appreciate, but is well worth the time invested. This album is highly recommended for fans of Threshold, Dream Theater and quality progressive rock in general.
Meshuggah
Koloss (Deluxe Edition)
Nuclear Blast Records
I really have to be in the mood to listen to Swedish (Umeå based) outfit Meshuggah at the best of times. When I’m in the right frame of mind, their brand of technical post-thrash metal (Which has since been coined ‘Djent’) can totally blow me away - keeping me enthralled. But when I’m not in the mood, their repetitive grooves and off-kilter timed riff structures and monotone growled vocals can really rub me the wrong way. Although some of the band’s earlier albums have garnished the highest praise from diehard fans, it was 2002’s ‘Nothing’ and 2005’s ‘Catch Thirtythree’ where I believe the band really hit their creative peak (Despite the simplistic nature of the former, and the programmed drums on the latter), with both of the album’s seeing the band remain true to their original sound, but with an added sense of experimentation necessary to keep them from sounding stale and overly repetitive.
Following on from their impressive ‘ObZen’ release from 2008 (Excluding 2010’s live effort ‘Alive’), Meshuggah (Who comprise of vocalist/guitarist Jens Kidman, guitarist/backing vocalist/keyboardist Fredrik Thordendal, guitarist/backing vocalist Mårten Hagström, bassist Dick Lövgren and drummer/spoken word vocalist Tomas Haake) are back with their highly anticipated seventh full-length effort ‘Koloss’.
Given the band’s lengthy existence and vast body of work to date, nobody would be expecting Meshuggah to stray too far from what they’ve always done in the past on ‘Koloss’. And sure enough, the Swede’s latest effort remains true to the familiar template of old. The only real question is whether or not the songs themselves are strong enough to make the album stand out as a whole.
In answer to that question, ‘Koloss’ is a worthy follow-up to ‘ObZen’, and one of the band’s more consistent and enjoyable efforts.
The album opens up with ‘I Am Colossus’ (The first single from the album), which is a track that relies heavily on the band’s trademark strong stop/start groove patterns delivered in a slower brooding pace. The production is notably more organic sounding than some of the band’s former albums (Which is something the band was clearly aiming for with this album), which undoubtedly allows the song to sound a little more open and spacious than anything from ‘ObZen’.
The faster paced ‘The Demon’s Name Is Surveillance’ rivals the speed and intensity of ‘Bleed’ (From ‘ObZen’), and takes the aggression another notch up through Haake’s relentless drum work, while on ‘Do Not Look Down’, the band have managed to turn out a track that’s surprisingly stripped back and infectious, without losing any of their trademark sound.
The slow and calculated groove of ‘Behind The Sun’, ‘Break Those Bones Whose Sinews Gave It Motion’ and ‘Marrow’ boast the kind of sound and direction Meshuggah have been mastering for the better part of the last twenty years, and they’re the kind of songs that will either have you sucked in with their ongoing repetitive groove, or switching off midway through in sheer boredom.
‘The Hurt That Finds You First’ is another fast paced effort that easily stands out amongst the album’s ten tracks, with the catchy guitar riffs and Haake’s onslaught on the drums bringing to mind the band’s pseudo-thrash sound on ‘Chaosphere’ (1998).
‘Swarm’ is quite a dynamic track that combines the band’s strong groove delivered with plenty of menacing aggression and passages of pure experimentation (Especially throughout the solos), while the keyboards within ‘Demiurge’ add a haunting atmosphere to the track that overall gives the song a completely new angle. Finishing up the album is the instrumental piece ‘The Last Vigil’, which closes the album on a somewhat ambient note.
The deluxe edition of ‘Koloss’ comes with a bonus D.V.D., which comprises of a twenty-five minute ‘Konstrukting The Koloss’ and a twenty-six minute documentary of ‘Meshuggah In India’.
The documentary (Put together by At The Gates/The Haunted guitarist Anders Björler and Nocturnal Rites drummer Owe Lingvall) is a fascinating insight into the making of ‘Koloss’, as well as revealing a side to the individual members of Meshuggah that has otherwise been rarely seen before. Much like The Haunted’s ‘Road Kill’ film, the documentary is quite stark and sparse, which only emphasises the story being told that much more.
As ‘Meshuggah In India’ (Which was again put together by Björler for his At The Gates Films production company), the documentary follows the band’s short stopover in India in December 2010 while in support of ‘ObZen’. Again, Björler’s approach is stripped back and minimalistic, but incredibly well done. Although various bits of live footage of the band performing can been seen throughout the film (Including ‘Rational Gaze’, ‘Mind’s Mirrors’, Sum’, ‘Electric Red’, ‘Bleed’), there are sadly no complete live tracks. Despite this, the D.V.D. is a worthy addition to the deluxe package.
Meshuggah haven’t reinvented themselves one bit on this album, but if you liked the direction the band were heading on ‘ObZen’, then you’ll definitely enjoy this latest effort. Overall, ‘Koloss’ is another solid Meshuggah album.
Within the technical death metal realm, Swedish (Kalmar based) outfit Spawn Of Possession may not be the most well known or prolific of acts, but they have earned the respect of followers with their two full-length efforts to date. It’s been six long years since the release of their critically acclaimed ‘Noctambulant’ (Neurotic Records) effort, but after several line-up changes and move to a new label, Spawn Of Possession are back with their long awaited third album ‘Incurso’.
Given how strong their last album was, the six years in-between then and now and the band’s revamped line-up (Now comprising of vocalist Dennis Röndum, new lead guitarist Christian Münzner (Ex-Necrophagist/Obscura), rhythm guitarist Jonas Bryssling, new bassist Erlend Caspersen (Ex-Blood Red Throne/Deeds Of Flesh) and new/Incapacity drummer Henrik Schönström), there was some concern that the band would have changed somewhere along the way, and that their latest studio effort would inevitably disappoint. But contrary to my initial reservations, Spawn Of Possession have returned in a major way, and delivered an album that surpasses anything the band has delivered before.
The album starts out with a very foreboding and slow paced instrumental piece entitled ‘Abodement’, which eventually bleeds into the follow-up track ‘Where Angels Go Demons Follow’. It becomes immediately clear that Spawn Of Possession have lost none of their firepower or technical finesse. If anything, the band have stepped everything up another rung, with the vast array of stellar guitar riffs and solos from the Münzner/Bryssling partnership delivered throughout the song, and Röndum sounding as brutal as ever with his combined growls and scream/growl harmonies.
In retaliation to the brutality of the former track, ‘Bodiless Sleeper’ sees the band slowing things down a touch by focussing more on grooves and melody (Without forsaking any of the relentless aggression the band are known for), while on the epic ten minute ‘The Evangelist’ sees the band throw everything at the listener, with only the last couple of minutes of the song offering anything in the way of a respite from the onslaught of fast paced death metal carnage.
‘Servitude Of Souls’ and ‘Spiritual Deception’ maintain a strong sense of groove and melody, while tracks such as ‘Deus Avertat’, ‘No Light Spared’ (Which features a guest solo from former guitarist Jonas Karlsson) and the fantastic closer ‘Apparition’ (Which features some fantastic orchestrated keyboards throughout to give it a huge sound) are a blur of technical flash and pure venom.
Spawn Of Possession has never been the most prolific of acts, but they’ve always been highly regarded with what they’ve offered. And while the band has undergone some major changes in the last few years, they’ve come out the other side to emerge with ‘Incurso’ – which alongside Obscura’s ‘Omnivium’ from earlier in the year, will easily stand as one of 2012’s best death metal releases.
There’s a fine line between paying tribute to a hugely influential act, and blatantly ripping them off. And if there’s a perfect example of a band that lies right on that fine line, it’s Spanish act ’77.
Although elements of the worship of all things Bon Scott era AC/DC could be heard on their debut full-length effort ‘21st Century Rock’ (Which was independently released in 2009, before being re-released by Listenable Records in 2010), it’s nothing compared to what can be heard on their second studio effort ‘High Decibels’. Essentially, ’77 (Who comprise of vocalist/rhythm guitarist Armand Valeta, lead guitarist LG Valeta, bassist Rob ‘Raw’ Janssen and drummer Johnnie Dolphin) have become the ultimate AC/DC clone on their latest release.
The opening title track ‘High Decibels’ gives you a clear idea of what to expect from most of the album. Armand Valeta’s vocals are a spitting image of Bon Scott when he was in his prime, while LG Valeta’s arsenal of riff sounds as close to the early/vintage AC/DC (I’m thinking anywhere from 1975’s ‘High Voltage’ through to 1977’s ‘Let There Be Rock’) as you can get without being the real thing. Nicke ‘Royale’ Andersson (Ex-Entombed/The Hellacopters) should be handed due credit for capturing an authentic sound for the band through his mixing and producing of the album as well.
From here, it’s pretty much all been heard before from AC/DC, only with a slight twist on the familiar classic sound, with tracks such as ‘(Gotta Go) Gotta Hit The Road’, ‘Let’s Beat It Up’, the blues-like swagger of ‘Backdoor Man’, the easy rocking vibe of ‘Since You’ve Been Gone’ and the energetic ‘Meltin’ In A Spoon’ standing out as the strongest cuts.
Another track worthy of singling out is the bonus closing track ‘Things You Can’t Talk About’. With additional vocals from Michael Monroe/Backyard Babies/The Hellacopters’ Dregen, Andersson and Imperial State Electric’s Tobias Egge, the song is a real highlight on the album.
Unfortunately, not every track is a winner, with the lengthy eight minute mini-epic ‘Promised Land’ sounding far too ambitious for the band to really pull it off convincingly, and therefore drags. Elsewhere, some of the lyrics come across as too cliché on some of the tracks, which is also disappointing.
Overall, ‘77 is a good band – provided of course that you think all music begins and ends with AC/DC. If however you have a broader taste in music, then perhaps you’ll find ‘High Decibels’ limited in its originality and style.
Alter Bridge
Live At Wembley
The Dude Films/Alter Bridge Recordings/Via Vision Entertainment
Florida based outfit Alter Bridge are without a doubt one of the biggest acts within today’s modern rock scene, with the band’s three full-length releases all garnishing overwhelming critical acclaim and going on to become huge commercial successes. Given the band’s ongoing success both on the studio front and on the road, Alter Bridge have decided the time was right to put together another long awaited second live D.V.D. release to showcase just how far the band have come since the release of ‘Live From Amsterdam’ way back in 2009.
Recorded at the band’s largest headlining show at Wembley Arena in London (U.K.) on November 29th 2011, ‘Live At Wembley’ lives up to Alter Bridge’s reputation as a must see live act.
With virtually no fanfare, the concert immediately gets underway with the excellent ‘Slip To The Void’ – the opening track from their last studio effort ‘ABIII’ (2010). Vocalist/guitarist Myles Kennedy delivers the song’s moody introduction with perfection, while the rest of the band (Comprising of guitarist/backing vocalist Mark Tremonti, bassist Brian Marshall and drummer Scott Phillips) sound damn near flawless when they eventually kick in on the heavier body of the track. Right from the start, it’s clear that Alter Bridge is in top form with their performance throughout the twenty-two track set-list (Running for a touch under two hours in total), which isn’t all that surprising given the band had spent five weeks leading up to this performance playing throughout Europe.
In terms of the visuals, director Daniel E. Catullo III (Who has previously helmed live D.V.D.’s for Rush, The Smashing Pumpkins, Chickenfoot, Creed, The Cult, Godsmack and Alter Bridge’s ‘Live From Amsterdam’) has really put together something special, with the sixteen high definition cameras, the laser lightshow and sparingly used pyrotechnics used to great effect. And when you couple that with a killer live performance from the band and a very vocal ten-thousand strong audience made of fans, it’s hard to find any serious faults with ‘Live At Wembley’.
In terms of highlights, again it’s hard to find a song throughout the show that doesn’t stand up to expectations, but numbers that do stand out include ‘Ghost Of Days Gone By’, ‘Metalingus’, crowd favourite ‘Blackbird’ (Which is ingeniously introduced via a brief cover of the Beatles track by the same name), Kennedy’s acoustic performances of ‘Wonderful Life’ and ‘Watch Over You’ and the hard and fast ‘Ties That Bind’.
Also worthy of a mention is the brief jazz/rock ‘n’ roll intro that eventually leads into the heavy ‘Isolation’ (Which showcases the band’s sense of humour, and Kennedy’s own skills as guitarist) and the shredding duelling trade off guitar solos between Kennedy and Tremonti that precede the closer ‘Rise Today’.
In terms of extras, ‘Live At Wembley’ also comes with the sound track of the show on C.D., which unfortunately only features fourteen cuts from the show rather than the whole thing.
Faring better is the accompanying D.V.D., which features the fifty-five minute long documentary ‘Road To Wembley’. Through interviews with all band members and various members of their crew and management, the documentary quickly covers the history of the band before settling on detailing the events taking place on their tour of Europe, through to the grand finale – a headlining show at Wembley Arena. The interviews are insightful, humorous and informative (Especially those of Kennedy’s), and the footage is fast moving, making it a real bonus worth watching. Aside from the documentary, there’s the obligatory photo gallery (Featuring around one hundred and ten shots) and a two minute preview of the upcoming 3D version of ‘Live At Wembley’ (Which really is filler).
As mentioned earlier, it’s hard to find any serious faults with ‘Live At Wembley’. But that doesn’t mean that there aren’t some niggling issues.
Kennedy’s not partial to the odd use of profanity onstage, as evident on the D.V.D. I generally don’t have an issue with that, but there are times when it sounds a little too forced and out of place, which is a real shame.
Another issue I have is the set-list. Given it was only three years since their last D.V.D., it would have been great to see a track selection that focussed more on different tracks/b-sides to separate the two releases a little more, and to make the set-list a little more interesting for fans. And as for the speeding up of tempos on some of the tracks, sometimes it’s hardly noticeable – but when it is, it makes the songs sound unnecessarily rushed.
Aside from some small quibbles, ‘Live At Wembley’ is a great live release, and one that reaffirms Alter Bridge’s place as one of hard rock’s undisputed kings at the top of their game.
Municipal Waste
The Fatal Feast (Waste In Space) (Limited Edition)
Nuclear Blast Records
Over the course of three full-length albums (2003’s ‘Waste ‘Em All’, 2005’s ‘Hazardous Mutation’ and 2007’s ‘The Art Of Partying’), Municipal Waste made their way up from the underground scene to become the undisputed leader in the resurrected thrash metal/crossover genre. But despite their impressive track record, the band faltered a little with the release of their fourth full-length effort ‘Massive Aggressive’ in 2009. The band’s trademark humour was largely absent on the album, and the punk/hardcore sound was replaced by a decidedly more metallic thrash based sound. Needless to say, even though the album was solid in its own right, many considered the release a bit of a letdown when compared to the band’s earlier efforts.
It’s been a long three years since then, and after a change in labels (The band parted ways with Earache Records to sign up with Nuclear Blast Records), the Richmond (Virginia, U.S.) based act are back with their eagerly anticipated fifth full-length effort ‘The Fatal Feast (Waste In Space)’.
The album is opened with ‘Waste In Space (Main Title)’, which is a spaced themed/John Carpenter like instrumental (Performed by Zombi’s Steve Moore) that ties in perfectly with the album’s cover art. As soon as the track fades out with its cheesy horror film scream, the band quickly rip into ‘Repossession’ – a track that well and truly announces the band’s return to form in true thrashing form.
‘New Dead Masters’ is classic Municipal Waste, with the band’s trademark humour and thrashing crossover sound delivered with everything the band has got to give. Tony Foresta is sounding better than ever here, while Ryan Waste’s guitar riffs are delivered with style and with renewed aggression. Another noteworthy point too is the production, which finally allows Philip ‘Land Phil’ Hall’s bass playing and Dave Witte’s drumming to be heard with clarity.
‘Unholy Abductor’ ‘You’re Cut Off’ and ‘Idiot Check’ are violent thrash metal numbers that are fairly straight forward and brutal, while ‘Covered In Sick/The Barfer’ and ‘Crushing Chest Wound’ are real thrash highlights with their diverse array of killer riffs and various tempo changes.
‘Authority Complex’ is a surprisingly mid-paced and catchy number that also has some great riffs and lead breaks to make it stand-out, while ex-Avail vocalist Tim Barry makes a memorable guest appearance on the impressive ‘Standards And Practices’.
In the latter half of the album, tracks such as the scathing ‘Jesus Freaks’, the humorous title track ‘The Fatal Feast’ (Which is introduced once again by Moore’s cheesy sci-fi keyboards, and features a guest vocal appearance from Nuclear Assault’s John Connelly), the speeding thrash of the limited edition bonus track ‘Eviction Party’ and the somewhat more serious ‘Death Tax’ are the definite stand outs.
Given the lacklustre response to ‘Massive Aggressive’, I wouldn’t be all that surprised if most fans were a little reluctant to let go of their hard earned cash for ‘The Fatal Feast (Waste In Space)’. But they needn’t fear. ‘The Fatal Feast (Waste In Space)’ isn’t Municipal Waste’s best work (It’s hard to top those first two releases), but it’s at least a far stronger album than their last effort, and should appeal to those who thought the band’s strengths lie in humour and in the crossover style of their earlier releases.
Having cut their teeth playing covers with The Good Time Party Band, Collingwood (Victoria, Australia) based guitarist Jason Leigh and drummer Aaron Malmborg decided it was time to take things to the next level and start performing originals. After the demise of their former outfit, it wasn’t long before the pair officially announced the formation of Dotcoms. Despite some initial issues finding a suitable bass player, the pair finally managed to secure a capable bassist in the form of Jim Young, and have spent the last three years playing in and around Melbourne’s familiar live venues with regularity – and earning a reputation for their energetic live performances in the local street press. Having established themselves on the scene, the trio ventured into the studio with mixer Matt Voigt (Living End, Cat Power, The Killers) and Matt Neighbor, and have finally emerged with their self-titled debut E.P.
Anyone who’s seen Dotcoms perform live will already know that the trio are quite a lively act. And sure enough, the band’s debut offering reflects their live performances.
The opening track ‘Janie Got Super Cute’ (Which is also the first single lifted from the E.P.) is a funky little tune that showcases the band’s pseudo hip-hop influence mixed with heavy rock. Although the song isn’t the strongest effort on the E.P. (Leigh’s vocals do take a little getting used to, and the song itself is a bit simplistic), it’s a fun tune nonetheless.
The follow-up track ‘Big Man’ is where the band’s song writing and musicianship really gel, with the driving riffs and rhythmic combination of drum and bass injects a thriving pulse to Leigh’s powerful performance out front. ‘Big Man’ is a heavy/groove based track with a great chorus, and definitely one of the E.P.’s better offerings.
The humorous ‘Smack Ballad’ may slow down the pace and energy a little compared to the former tracks, but still manages to impress with the band’s ability to write a catchy tune and broaden the sound with the use horns, while the closer ‘Susie Likes To Party’ is a funky rock work out that again shows another side to the band’s wide ranging sound.
Dotcoms’ debut effort is a little all over the place style wise, and of the four tracks, two definitely stand out as stronger. But as a whole, the E.P. is a cool listen and an ideal taste of what you can expect from the band when they get up onstage and deliver what they do best – a rocking/energetic show.
Liberteer
Better To Die On Your Feet Than Live On Your Knees
Relapse Records
Grindcore isn’t a genre of extreme music that’s known for innovation or experimentation. But that’s not to say that the genre doesn’t offer up an album that takes you by complete surprise every now and then and makes you rethink everything you thought you knew about the genre. One act that’s completely taken me by surprise is California (U.S.) based outfit Liberteer, who have just released their debut effort ‘Better To Die On Your Feet Than Live On Your Knees’.
Having been a member of acts such as Cretin, The County Medical Examiners (As ‘Dr. Morton Fairbanks’) and Exhumed, it’s not hard to image what sort of sound Liberteer mastermind Matthew Widener (Who plays all instruments and vocals on the album) has in store for listeners with his latest musical venture. But while Widener’s Liberteer is essentially a grindcore project, there’s more to the album’s seventeen tracks than simple pummelling blast beats, tight knit riffing and guttural barked vocals. What really makes ‘Better To Die On Your Feet Than Live On Your Knees’ stand out is the inclusion of horns, banjos and strings, all of which gives the album a very different feel from the average grindcore release.
The short opening track ‘The Falconer Cannot Hear The Falcon’ immediately lets listeners know that this album is going to be anything but ordinary, with the lone trumpet making way for banjos and military-like drumming – all of which usher in a cacophony of unrelenting grind with ‘Build No System’. Even on this track, Widener manages to incorporate a brief horn section, which gives the song a completely unexpected twist. On paper, it’s hard to imagine it working so well, but after giving the track a run through, it’s more than evident that the mix of traditional grindcore elements and the unexpected work exceedingly well.
Of course, not every track is an exercise in mixing things up, as tracks such as ‘Without Blazon (Is The Flag I Hold Up And Do Not Wag)’, ‘We Are Not Afraid Of Ruins’ and ‘Class War Never Meant More Than It Does Now’ all are blasted out in a relentless fashion.
The banjo/electric guitar/horns infused instrumental piece ‘Rise Like Lions After Slumber’ is a welcome respite from the onslaught around the middle of the album, while the hint of melody within tracks such as ‘That Which Is Not Given But Taken’, the title track ‘Better To Die On Your Feet Than Live On Your Knees’, ‘When We Can’t Dream Any Longer’ and the symphonic instrumental piece ‘Sweat For Blood’ are well balanced amongst the destructive numbers such as ‘99 To 1’, ‘Barbarians At The Gate’, ‘It Is The Secret Curse Of Power That It Corrupts’ and ‘Feast Of Industry’.
Given that every track on the album bleeds into the next, it does feel a bit like the twenty-seven minute album is like one long track with several different movements. It also means that some of the individual tracks tend to get a little lost in the mix as well. But despite this, Liberteer’s debut effort is an adventurous and daring take on the traditional grindcore sound that manages to impress more than it does disappoint.
Stone Temple Pilots
Alive In The Windy City
Eagle Vision/Eagle Rock Entertainment Ltd./Shock Entertainment
It’s hard to believe that after twenty years together, San Diego (California, U.S.) based hard rock outfit Stone Temple Pilots have never released a live D.V.D. outside some scattered bits of footage from throughout the years on the D.V.D. that accompanied their greatest hits package ‘Thank You’ from 2003. Whatever reason for the lengthy delay of available live footage, Stone Temple Pilots (Who comprise of vocalist Scott Weiland, guitarist Dean DeLeo, bassist Robert DeLeo and drummer Eric Kretz) have finally given fans what they’ve been asking for in the form of ‘Alive In The Windy City’.
Recorded in front of a sold out audience at Chicago’s Rivera Theatre on March 27th in 2010 – ‘Alive In The Windy City’ showcases a rock solid live performance from Stone Temple Pilots at the start of their comeback tour in support of their as then unreleased sixth album ‘Stone Temple Pilots’ (Which was eventually released in late May, some two months after this show was recorded). Having seen the band live once before (On their debut visit to Australia in 2011), and being downright disappointed with what I witnessed (The band rocked, but Weiland let the band down with his autopilot performance), I can’t say that I was holding out for anything astounding with this release.
But contrary to my expectations, ‘Alive In The Windy City’ was a whole lot better than I expected, and show that despite the issues behind the scenes, Stone Temple Pilots can still put on a great show.
Set list wise, ‘Alive In The Windy City’ is virtually a greatest hits live set, which is not surprising given that this is the first official D.V.D. release from the band. Tracks from all of the band’s albums are represented on the eighteen tracks offered up (Running for a total of seventy-seven minutes), including four from their as yet unreleased self-titled album.
In terms of performance, Stone Temple Pilots appear to be in top form here. Sure, the band is getting on these days, but you would be hard pressed to know it for the most part. Of course, Weiland is still the weak link in the band’s chain, with his vocals wavering a little in certain places (Particularly on ‘Creep’, ‘Lounge Fly’ and ‘Interstate Love Song’ where he has a little sustaining the notes), but I can’t complain given that when I saw them live, Weiland’s performance was well below what I had hoped for a band making their first appearance in front of Australian audiences.
The lighting, projection screen shots/visuals and camera angles definitely help enhance the band’s show in a big way, and help maintain the live feel of the D.V.D., and Weiland’s occasional banter with the crowd between the songs (Not to mention his snake like dancing throughout) also adds a human element to the show (Something that was virtually nonexistent when I saw them live).
Every song played here is played admirably, but those performances that really stand out as highlights include the opener ‘Vasoline’, ‘Crackerman’, ‘Hollywood Bitch’, ‘Between The Lines’, ‘Plush’, ‘Sex Type Thing’, ‘Dead And Bloated’ and ‘Trippin’ On A Hole In A Paper Heart’.
In regards to extras, well things aren’t quite as impressive. The fifteen minute ‘Interviews’ segment is primarily a promotional vehicle for their upcoming self-titled album, which was previously made available as part of the iTunes deluxe edition of the self-titled album. So while the extras are promoted as something new, they’ve actually been around for some time. What makes it worse is that the interviews seem to be stilted and almost painful (Almost like they didn’t want to be there – Especially Kretz, who doesn’t say a word throughout), making it hard to enjoy.
Personally, I would have loved to have seen some newly filmed interview footage filmed for the D.V.D., and some more obscure tracks making their way into the set list for diehard fans.
But for what it is, ‘Alive In The Windy City’ is a solid D.V.D. release, and should appease those who have been waiting for a proper live Stone Temple Pilots show to make its way to D.V.D.
Tesseract
Perspective
Century Media Records/E.M.I. Music Australia
Although I’m not a huge fan of the ‘djent’ movement as a whole (Too many Meshuggah sounding acts, and too few that genuinely offer something new and original sounding for my liking), there are a few acts in the scene that I have taken a liking to. One such act is Reading (U.K.) based outfit Tesseract, who quite literally blew me away with their 2011 debut full-length effort ‘One’, which showcased the band’s ability to deliver the familiar ‘djent’ sound, but with a progressive edge that really made them stand out against the countless other clone acts in the scene. Needless to say, I was quite excited to see what the band would come up with on their follow-up release. But to my disappointment, vocalist Daniel Tompkins decided to part ways with the band in August 2011. As one of the band’s huge stand out features, the loss of Tompkins was a blow to the band to say the least. Nonetheless, Tesseract (Comprising of guitarists Alec ‘Acle’ Kahney and James Monteith, bassist/backing vocalist Amos Williams and drummer Jay Postones) quickly announced the addition of ex-Sky Eats Airplane/Of Man Not Of Machine/Zelliack vocalist Elliot Coleman to their ranks, and hit the road in order to introduce their new front man to fans.
Inspired by an acoustic radio session the band played in Brooklyn (New York, U.S.) a year beforehand, and realising that Coleman’s vocals have a completely different sound from those of Tompkins, Tesseract have decided instead to record a new E.P. rather than dive into a new full-length effort – which brings us to their latest effort ‘Perspective’.
My initial concerns were how big a shift in style Coleman is to Tompkins on the vocal front and how Tesseract’s progressive ‘djent’ music would translate in acoustic form? Well, to sum it up in a short few words – Different, but in a good way.
The band opens up the E.P. with ‘Concealing Fate - Part Four - Perfection’, which immediately reveals the direction Tesseract deliver for most of the E.P. The keyboards still play a large part in the band’s overall sound, but where you would normally expect the guitars to come crashing in with their huge riffs, the duo take on more of a supporting role to the keyboards, drums and Coleman out front, with the electrics used sparingly. It’s a new take on a familiar sound, but one that definitely works on the musical front. Coleman positively excels in the moody atmosphere of this reworked track, with his range being given a full work out. Style wise, it wouldn’t be a stretch that his vocals bring to mind Jeff Buckley for the most part.
On ‘April’, the changes between the original and this revised effort aren’t as blatant as the former track, aside from lack of aggression in Coleman’s vocals compared to Tompkins. Although having said that, it has to be said that Coleman does an admirable job at following Tompkins’ difficult melodies.
Much like the opener, ‘Concealing Fate - Part Six - Origin’ showcases some subtle changes over the original (Most notably it’s higher key), which successfully transforms the song into something quite different – yet strangely familiar at the same time.
Given Coleman’s style of vocals, it’s not all that surprising to see the band cover Jeff Buckley’s ‘Dream Brother’ (From 1994’s classic ‘Grace’). Despite the fact that it’s a cover, the song is a definite highlight, and sounds like a perfect fit for Tesseract with Coleman out front.
Obviously keen to show that Coleman is more than capable to handle the heavy material as well, the band finish up the E.P. with a reworked ‘Eden’, which has been retitled as ‘Eden 2.0’. Although Coleman lacks a bit of the aggression compared to Tompkins, his performance here still works well enough to find the track thoroughly enjoyable.
Unfortunately, Coleman has moved on since the release of ‘Perspective’, which has put Tesseract back to square one. It’s a disappointing outcome, because I really think that Coleman was a good fit for the band. But while the pairing was a short lived one, at least they managed to document their short time together with a solid stop-gap E.P.
Ginger Wildheart is an artist that has pretty much seen it all in the world of rock and roll. In his twenty years in the music business, Ginger has seen the highs, the lows and everything you could possibly imagine in-between within that time. But despite critical acclaim and the success he’s attained with his various musical endeavours, things were looking fairly bleak as little as a year ago. His group The Wildhearts had once again gone into an indefinite hiatus, and the prospect of doing the rounds of record labels to fund a new solo venture was far from appealing (So much so that Ginger was seriously considering taking a lengthy break from making music and taking up a day job to pay the bills). But salvation came from Ginger’s manager Gav McCaughey, who suggested that Ginger sign up with PledgeMusic – a website dedicated to giving fans the ability to help artists fund their musical projects directly, in exchange for exclusives and updates that wouldn’t otherwise be possible through more traditional means. The PledgeMusic concept appealed to Ginger, and in August 2011, Ginger announced his plans for a new musical project to fans – a triple album!
Never one to do things by halves, the prospect of a triple album appeared to be nothing short of commercial suicide – especially given the history surrounding double albums in general. But within six hours, the project had already reached its one hundred percent target (A new record for PledgeMusic). By the project’s completion, fans had pushed the pledges to five hundred and seventy percent (Hence giving the album its title). So even before ‘555%’ was released, you could say that it’s already been an overwhelming success.
So what about the album itself? Does it stack up against his first three solo releases (Especially 2008’s classic ‘Market Harbour’), or is ‘555%’ an incredible single album fleshed out with a whole lot of filler (Which is a fairly common complaint made of most double albums)?
Well in short, ‘555%’ is a great album, and simply a must have for any fan of Ginger’s vast body of solo work, and the kind of release that reinforces the notion that Ginger Wildheart is one of rock and roll’s greatest unsung heroes.
The first disc opens up with ‘Forget About It’, which is definitely an instant favourite with its huge choruses and melodic pop rock approach, while the infectious Ramones-like rocker ‘I-N-T-E-R-N-A-L R-adio’ (Which is the first of many tracks to feature Victoria Liedtke’s (We've Got A Fuzzbox And We're Gonna Use It!!) angelic vocals and the slick sounding ‘Lie When You Tell Me The Truth’ could easily be released as singles in their own right.
‘Incidental Noises’ is a surprisingly experimental number that sees Ginger playing around with harmonies and mellow melodic elements over the power of the riff, while ‘It Appears That The Party Is Over’ is a dance floor based rocker that is sure to become a fan favourite.
There’s plenty of great songs on the first disc, but ‘Deep In The Arms Of Morpheus’ is an absolute classic. Full of riffs, twists and turns and filled to the brim with Ginger’s memorable melodies, this song is quite possibly the greatest song written by The Wildhearts (Apparently as far back as 2001) but never recorded.
Speaking of The Wildhearts, ‘Baby Skies’ and ‘Silence’ features a guest appearance from ex-The Wildhearts members guitarist/vocalist C.J and drummer Ritch Battersby, giving the songs a sound that wouldn’t have sounded out of place on ‘iChutzpah!’ (2009), which earns both tracks their place alongside ‘Deep In The Arms Of Morpheus’ as hands down the strongest efforts on the first disc.
Finishing up the first disc is the melodic gem ‘Powderkeg’, and the epic ‘Time’, which is a great song the deals with the onset of age set against a soundtrack that’s wide in scope and sound. It’s not surprising to find that this track is one of Ginger’s favourites from the album.
‘Another Spinning Fucking Rainbow’ opens disc two with a funky/bass heavy/multilayered shout-out vocal driven sound that’s both fun and a little different for Ginger, while ‘Westward Ho! (A New Reputation)’ sees Ginger duet with Laila K (Sonic Boom Six) in what can be best described as a quirky pop tune that mixes heavy rock and subtle Caribbean influences and a gospel choir providing hand claps and backing vocals. But as confused as it sounds, Ginger makes it work wonders.
‘Do The Lonely Suffer More, Or Less, Or Just The Same At The Point Of Death?’ is a difficult track to describe with its disco like undertones, Devin Townsend sounding wall of sound and vocal harmonies that rival anything Brian Wilson created back in the ‘60’s. But what I can say is that it’s one of my favourites on the second disc.
The philosophical ‘The Other Side’ (Which again has Liedtke in a co-lead vocal role), the up-tempo feel good rocker ‘Strange New Year’ and the pop/rocker ‘Lover, It’ll All Work Out’ are all great tunes, and showcase a growing personal perspective in Ginger’s lyrics, while ‘Illuminating Times’ veers a little toward the darker side of the mind with its heavy lyrical tones, but not at the expense of its glorious choruses.
‘Begin From Within’ is another track that sees Ginger delve into the dance beats mixed with touches of industrial rock, but unlike the former tracks, the song takes a twist towards its latter half that’s sure to have fans singing along in no time.
In stark contrast, ‘Return Of The Northern Cardinal’ reveals a bit of a folk/country feel, and brings to mind some the sound that Ginger took on ‘Market Harbour’.
Finishing up the second disc is ‘Taste Aversion’, which is an amazing piece of progressive/avant-garde pop rock that sits alongside some of Ginger’s best solo work. Only Ginger could make the masses sing along to the chorus line of ‘Fucked from behind’ without giving it a second thought.
Moving onto disc three, the ridiculously titled ‘You’re The One, You’re The One, Yeah, I Know You’re The One, You’re The One (Yeah I Know You’re The One)’ opens up the set in pseudo-The Wildhearts fashion with its hard rock/riff driven structures (I’m thinking something around 2003’s ‘The Wildhearts Must Be Destroyed’), with ‘Beautifully, Blissfully Unsettled’ following in similar sound and style (Which is not surprising given that C.J and Battersby appear on the track). ‘Confusion’ is another venture into the dance beats blended with Cheap Trick-like rock, and possibly the closest thing to filler on the triple album. The track isn’t so much horrible, but more a throwaway bit of repetitive fluff that pales against much of the rest of the album. The chilled out ‘Sleeping In The Light’ on the other hand is a mature piece of classy pop that boasts an incredible chorus. This one is a definite favourite.
The instrumental piece ‘In Vino Veritas’ (Latin for ‘In Wine There Is Truth’) is an interesting addition to the album with its dominate progressive rock elements, and brings to mind how ‘G.T.T.’ (From 2005’s ‘Valor Del Corazon’) allowed Ginger to not only showcase his musical prowess, but also how he can sometimes deliver something completely unexpected.
In complete contrast, ‘Very, Very Slow’ (A track that is dominated by bassist/vocalist ‘Random’ Jon Poole) is an eighty second punk/metal tune that may lack any real intelligence, but more than makes up for it in aggression and volume.
‘Just Another Song About Someone’ is a laid back and completely stripped back track that relies on simplicity to get its message across (Which it does perfectly I might add!), while ‘There Is Something Wrong With My Mind’ is a bizarre tune that mixes military sounding choruses, stirring orchestral backing and elements of pop within. It’s strange, compelling and twisted, but it all works somehow.
The short acoustic track ‘We’ve Been Expecting You’ is a personal favourite with its sparse instrumentation, cleverly timed hand claps, subtle percussion and its mellow vibe. I wouldn’t be at all surprised if this tune turns out to be a rarely played gem on Ginger’s acoustic tours in time to come. Finishing up the album is the appropriately titled track ‘The End’. As you would expect, Ginger pulls out all the stops to create a fitting grand finale to proceedings. The track is part theatrical, symphonic and part epic, all of which come together to conclude the album in classic Ginger like fashion.
‘555%’ isn’t the kind of album that’s going to have much appeal for fans of The Wildhearts. If on the other hand you’re familiar with Ginger’s solo work, you’ll have an idea what Ginger’s latest effort has to offer musically (That’s everything imaginable, experimental and strange in sonic terms!). In other words, ‘555%’ is another classic offering from the legendary singer/songwriter, and a definite to-die-for release for fans.
Le Freak - An Upside Down Story Of Family, Disco And Destiny
Sphere/Little, Brown Book Group/Hachette Australia
The New York City (U.S.) born vocalist/guitarist/songwriter/producer Nile Rodgers has enjoyed a career that has spanned more than forty plus years - with his work alongside his own group and with some of the biggest names within the music industry reportedly selling in excess of more than two hundred million records within that time. But despite the impressive sales figures, and a career that has kept the musician in the business longer than most other artists, Rodgers has to be one of the most well known unknowns within the music industry.
All that is set to finally change with the release of Rodgers’ autobiography ‘Le Freak - An Upside Down Story Of Family, Disco And Destiny’. Rodgers’ biography is essentially a book of three parts, with the first third of his self-penned tome spent documenting his early upbringing, which pretty much reads like a coming of age tale. Rodgers talks openly about the drug environment of his early home life, his constant moves cross country to live with other family members, and the role drugs played in his early life through the addictions of his mother Beverly Goodman, his biological father (Nile Rodgers Sr., who was also a musician) and Jewish white stepfather Bobby Glanzrock. Rodgers’ early childhood is best described as dysfunctional, with Rodgers stating that ‘I was the oldest eight-year-old on earth’. But despite his rough background and difficult start in life (He suffered with asthma, moved into a convalescent home for some time, skipped school frequently and moved out of home to sleep on the New York subways by the age of fifteen), Rodgers doesn’t look back in any sort of negative way, but more as a precursor to what would eventually be his calling in life – making music.
Although the first third of the book is a little slow for the most part, it’s the middle third that Rodgers steps up the pace of his book – the chapter that details Rodgers discovery that making music was his call in life.
Starting out as a session guitarist with the Sesame Street band (Alongside Luther Vandross no less), Rodgers soon made the leap up to semi-professional level as a member of Harlem’s Apollo Theater house band, where he met his musical partner in crime in bassist Bernard Edwards. Together, the pair formed The Big Apple Band, before hooking up with drummer Tony Thompson – all of whom would soon find success with their own group – Chic.
Given how big Chic was in Rodgers’ life, it’s not surprising to find that a large chunk of the book is dedicated to the band, their phenomenal success (Producing hits such as ‘Good Times’, ‘Everybody Dance’ and ‘Le Freak’) and how their sound came to bring about the rise of disco in the late ‘70’s.
Any good autobiography has its up’s and down’s in the storyline to keep the reader enthralled, and Rodgers’ effort is no exception. Without pulling any punches, Rodgers also details the demise of disco, and the eventual downturn in popularity of the group in the face of the growing ‘Disco Sucks’ movement. Adding to Rodgers’ woes was the lack of success with his own solo album.
In a lot of ways, you would expect Rodgers’ story to end here. After all, Rodgers has already enjoyed success (Both as a member of Chic and his production efforts with Edwards – especially with Sister Sledge), and was wealthy enough to fade away without having to do a thing for the rest of his life. But deep inside, Rodgers writes about still having plenty to offer on a musical level - and so started the reinvention of Rodgers as a songwriter and producer.
Despite a false start with Diana Ross (The record company were less than enthused with Rodgers and Edwards’ work on Ross’ 1980 album ‘Diana’. So much so that the pairs version of the album wouldn’t see the light of day until the album’s re-release in 2003), Rodgers managed to find success once again with his work alongside David Bowie on his ‘Let’s Dance’ album from 1983.
For most of the ‘80’s, Rodgers’ skims through much of the details on his production work, with only his work alongside INXS (1984’s ‘Original Sin’), Madonna (1984’s ‘Like A Virgin’), Duran Duran (1984’s ‘The Reflex’ and ‘The Wild Boys’), Michael Jackson (1995’s ‘HIStory: Past, Present And Future Book I’) and Stevie Ray Vaughan (Bowie’s ‘Let’s Dance’ and Vaughan Brothers’ ‘Family Style’ album from 1990) given any real coverage. Instead, much of the story within the middle third of the book is split between his work, and his growing appetite for everything the ‘80’s had to offer for the rich and famous – sex, drugs and more drugs.
The last third deals with Rodgers’ growing dependency on drugs (Rodgers’ makes no bones about loving drugs), his slow decline and his eventual downfall (Rodgers came close to death on numerous occasions, and even goes as far as to detail a couple of near death experiences towards the tail end of the book). Of course, the book does have a happy ending, with Rodgers spending a couple of years in the mid-90’s to clean himself up (The irony that the Rolling Stones guitarist Keith Richards was Rodgers’ inspiration to clean himself up isn’t lost when six months on and clean and sober, Richards calls him up to score!), return to the stage with a revamped line-up of Chic and resume his role as an in-demand production/session artist.
Given the lack of profile Rodgers has, ‘Le Freak - An Upside Down Story Of Family, Disco And Destiny’ goes a long way to give those only familiar with his music an idea of who he is as a person. Rodgers tells a great story, as there’s times when it’s funny, sad, almost incredible (But true) and definitely delivered with a whole lot of passion. But unlike most autobiographies, there an undeniable thread of humanity that ties the whole journey Rodgers takes you on.
If there were any flaws evident, it would be that the book takes a while to take off, only to feel a bit rushed towards the end. The other real problem I have is that some of artists that Rodgers has worked with in the past aren’t even mentioned (Such as Johnny Mathis, David Lee Roth, Southside Johnny & The Asbury Jukes, Debbie Harry, Jeff Beck, Mick Jagger, Thompson Twins, Laurie Anderson, Grace Jones, Philip Bailey, Al Jarreau, The B-52’s, Dan Reed Network, Ric Ocasek and Tina Arena). And don’t even get me started on his solo albums. Yes, I know they weren’t successful, but why is 1983’s ‘Adventures In The Land Of The Good Groove’ only given coverage? And as for his soundtrack work – well that doesn’t even warrant a mention whatsoever.
Perhaps the book would have ended up twice of thick had everything Rodgers has been involved in was given the same amount of space his work alongside Bowie had been given, but then at least the whole story would have been told.
Despite my few criticisms, ‘Le Freak - An Upside Down Story Of Family, Disco And Destiny’ is a great read. You may not know the name, but you can be sure that at any given moment, something that Rodgers has had a hand in shaping is playing somewhere out there on the radio.
Weapons (Deluxe Edition)
Epic Records/Sony Music Entertainment
Welsh alternative/hard rock outfit Lostprophets made a huge impact on the scene with their debut effort ‘Thefakesoundofprogress’ (2000), with both fans and critics alike hailing the band as the next big thing. And sure enough, by the time they released their sophomore effort ‘Start Something’ (2004), it sure looked like the band were well on their way to fulfilling expectations. But with their third release ‘Liberation Transmission’ (2006), it was clear that things had changed within the band, with the Bob Rock produced effort bringing out a greater melodic edge to the band’s sound, which led some to believe they had lost some of the magic that made the band so special in the first place.
In response to the backlash of their last release, Lostprophets eventually emerged with ‘The Betrayed’ in 2010, which was not only darker and heavier than anything the band had released before, but also the songs on the album saw the band pulling back on the melodic tendencies in their song writing. Not surprisingly, the album was something quite experimental for the band, and polarised fans. Two years on, and Lostprophets (Comprising of vocalist Ian Watkins, lead guitarist Lee Gaze, rhythm guitarist Mike Lewis, bassist/co-producer Stuart Richardson, keyboardist/sampler/backing vocalist Jamie Oliver and drummer Luke Johnson) are back with their all-important fifth full-length effort ‘Weapons’.
The album is opened up with ‘Bring ‘Em Down’ (The first single lifted from the album), and it’s a powerful statement from the band. Although the song isn’t anything you haven’t heard from the band before, the use of huge riffs, infectious synths/electronics and big catchy choruses give the song an unmistakable catchy groove, which will get even the most jaded of Lostprophets fans moving. Proving the band still have what it takes, the follow-up track ‘We Bring An Arsenal’ (The album’s second single, and which is introduced by a football chant of sorts) is every bit as punchy and energetic as the opener, and the kind of song that wouldn’t have sounded out of place on ‘Start Something’.
After the one-two punch of the opening pair of tracks, the band take the foot of the accelerator to something a little more cruising on ‘Another Shot’ and ‘Jesus Walks’. Although far from something unexpected or different, the songs are solid and catchy, and maintain the standard set from the start. Unfortunately, as promising as the guitars sound at the start of ‘A Song For Where I’m From’, the song turns out to be a fairly ordinary effort. There’s no denying it’s catchy, but it’s hard to overlook its blandness as well. The same can be said for the pop based ‘A Little Reminder That I’ll Never Forget’ and ‘Heart On Loan’, both of which lack any real sense of spark that was prevalent on the band’s earlier efforts.
‘Better Off Dead’ does manage to liven things up a bit, with the prominent guitars in the mix bringing to mind the vibe the band were going for on ‘The Betrayed’, albeit with a little more emphasis on the melodies in the choruses. But once again, the consistency takes a turn for the worse with the acoustic based ‘Somedays’ coming across as catchy, but fairly unremarkable.
Finishing up the album is the heavily orchestrated ‘Can’t Get Enough’ which does fair better than some of the songs around the tail end, but still falls a little short of what we’ve come to expect from album closers from the band.
As mentioned earlier, this review is for the deluxe edition, which boasts an additional five tracks tacked onto the end of the official album. The opening trio of tracks (‘The Dead’, ‘Save Yourself’ and ‘If You Don’t Stand For Something, You’ll Fall For Anything’), are interesting inclusions here on the album as they originate from the band’s ill-fated John Feldmann produced ‘Garage Sessions’ from 2007 that were eventually scrapped. Despite the less than polished feel of the demos (Particularly on the vocal front), there’s an air of vibrancy in the recordings, with ‘If You Don’t Stand For Something, You’ll Fall For Anything’ a real stand out.
Elsewhere, there’s a demo version of ‘Another Shot’ (Which is somewhat interesting given its acoustic delivery, but otherwise unremarkable) and a remix of ‘Bring ‘Em Down’ from Bloc Party guitarist Russell Lissack (Which is actually pretty cool), before the album is concluded with the short and aggressive ‘Weapon’ (Which is also from the lost 2007 demo sessions).
As expected, ‘Weapons’ is essentially a mix of ‘Liberation Transmission’ and ‘The Betrayed’ both in terms of sound and consistency. What this means is that while some will be disappointed with the band’s lack of push towards something new and ground breaking, most will see this as another solid and likeable effort from a band that clearly want to maintain their existing fan base without straying too far from the sound they established many years ago.
It’s hard to believe that it’s been five long years since San Francisco (California, U.S.) based progressive metal/rock act Magellan released their last full-length effort ‘Innocent God’ (Which was released Muse-Wrapped Records). But given how much the music industry has changed in the last decade, it’s not surprising that the veteran act has been keeping a somewhat low profile in recent years. Taking time out to rethink their game plan and business model, Magellan (Who comprise of lead vocalist/keyboardist Trent Gardner and guitarist/bassist/backing vocalist Wayne Gardner) made a welcome return to the scene earlier in the year with a cover of The Beatles’ 1967 hit ‘Hello, Goodbye’ in digital form. Needless to say, the release of the single was quite a success, which prompted the release of the follow-up single ‘Dust In The Wind’ – a cover of Kansas’ classic rock single from 1977.
Buoyed by the overwhelming success of their first ventures into the digital realm, Magellan (With the assistance of long time drummer Roger Patterson) has decided to take things to the next level and start recording a new album. But unlike many who have adopted the idea of releasing their new music in digital form, Magellan has decided to boldly release their new recordings as soon as they’re completed. That brings us to the here and now, and ‘Keep It’, which is the band’s first new original composition in five years, and the first taste of what to expect from their upcoming full-length effort ‘Inert Momentum’.
Opening with the brothers’ trademark harmonies running through the song’s chorus, the band quickly move into familiar progressive rock territory, with the brief instrumental passage at the start of the song filled with heavy riffs and prominent bass underpinning throughout, lashes of keyboards and effects, and some powerhouse drumming from Patterson. Once the song truly gets underway, ‘Keep It’ reveals itself to be the perfect combination of classic rock and progressive rock – something that Magellan have been slowly perfecting throughout the years. The strong and catchy choruses within ‘Keep It’ may be the big stand out feature on initial listens, but it’s the deceptively complex passages of tight instrumentation, tempo changes and subtle key changes that pop up at various moments in and around the choruses that really glues the composition together in a way that showcases the skills the Gardner brothers have as both musicians and song writers.
It’s been a long time between releases for Magellan, but on the strength of ‘Keep It’, the wait has been well worth it.
If ‘Keep It’ is a sign of what Magellan promise with ‘Inert Momentum’, I eagerly anticipate the next digital instalment.
Having worked on several projects together throughout the years, it was only inevitable that Opeth vocalist/guitarist Mikael Åkerfeldt and Porcupine Tree/No-Man/Blackfield front man Steven Wilson would eventually collaborate on something outside of their respective bands. And sure enough, in March 2010, the pair officially announced their intensions to make an album under the name of Storm Corrosion. Two years on (And a year after its official completion, which allowed both Opeth and Wilson to promote their respective album releases in 2011), and Storm Corrosion have finally released their highly anticipated self-titled debut full-length effort.
Leading up to the release of the album, both Åkerfeldt and Wilson made quite clear that Storm Corrosion was not going to sound like a progressive metal act, but was in fact going to be something entirely different from anything the pair had produced throughout their musical careers. The idea sounded intriguing, and given the pair’s most recent efforts (Wilson’s ‘Grace For Drowning’ and Opeth’s ‘Heritage’), the sound and direction that Storm Corrosion could go in on their debut was really anybody’s guess. In a lot of ways, the best way to describe Storm Corrosion’s overall sound and direction is a mix of both Opeth and Wilson’s most recent releases, but with a greater experimental and avant-garde edge in terms of instrumentation and song writing.
Initially, I can’t say that the album really did much for me. And that’s probably not all that surprising given that while I thoroughly enjoyed Wilson’s last album, I was bitterly disappointed with Opeth’s last release. But despite my initial impression, I persevered with the album, and only after allowing the time and space to really let the music to sink in, it finally started to grow on me.
The opening track ‘Drag Ropes’ is by far the most immediate track on the album, with its cinematic mix of strings and sparse piano, and Åkerfeldt’s soft vocals adding a real melody to proceedings. A couple of minutes into the track, and the atmosphere changes into something far darker and twisted, with the manipulated keyboard sounds and the dual vocalists intertwined arrangements adding a very bizarre vibe to the song. Guitars are used sparingly here, but enough to stand out as something special, while the mix of vocal harmonies, the strings, piano and the guitars for the second half of the track evokes a dark and sinister feel, which is nothing short of absolute song writing genius. Unfortunately, the track really is a one of a kind.
The title track ‘Storm Corrosion’ is another album highlight with Åkerfeldt’s gentle acoustic guitar work and Wilson’s quiet vocals veering more toward folk territory at the start of the song. Åkerfeldt’s sparse solo midway through is a wonderful addition, while the subtle strings and minimalist percussion only enhance the folk edge. Of course, elements of the avant-garde aren’t entirely forsaken, with a section around the three quarter mark really shaking the song up. But while the bizarre sound effects interlude is a little jarring upon first listen, it does make sense once you get used to it.
‘Hag’ initially starts out as a continuation of the former track, but eventually evolves into something a little darker, before erupting with a distorted drum solo (Courtesy of Porcupine Tree drummer Gavin Harrison) and a sinister mix of piano, keyboards and guitars (Which brings to mind Opeth’s ‘The Grand Conjuration’ from 2005’s ‘Ghost Reveries’). Although not up to the standard of the former tracks, ‘Hag’ is at the very least an interesting track that works more than it fails.
‘Happy’ on the other hand is a track that doesn’t quite work. Åkerfeldt’s guitar work is good, and the sonic manipulations of sound towards the tail end of the track are effective, but essentially the pair is tacked onto a song that’s too meandering and short of fully developed ideas and direction. In essence, this is one of the album’s filler efforts.
Unlike the former track, the instrumental piece ‘Lock Howl’ is a definite stand out track, with the band indulging more in progressive sounds here than on any other track on the album. The use of acoustic guitars throughout allows a clarity that wouldn’t otherwise exist with electrics, while the fade in/fade out of strings, odd keyboard effects, hand claps and piano add to the mesmerising magnificence of the cinematic-like piece.
Finishing up the album is ‘Ljudet Innan’ (Which is Swedish for ‘Sound Before’), which opens up with a strangely soulful and blues like performance from Åkerfeldt on vocals (In other words – In a way you’ve never heard him sing before!), before trailing out with a lengthy and soothing mix of dreamy keyboards, gentle guitar notes and Wilson’s near whispered vocals.
Overall, Storm Corrosion has produced an album that will definitely divide fans. Those who enjoyed the more recent efforts from the pair will definitely find plenty to sink their teeth into. It’s experimental, challenging and avant-garde, but an album well worth taking the time to fully comprehend and appreciate. But those expecting something more progressive or metallic (Or even along the lines of the first single ‘Drag Ropes’) will be sorely disappointed with this collaborative effort.
And When You Get To The End Is It What You Expect
Impedance Records
Formed a little over three years ago, you could say that northern Wollongong (Austinmer) outfit Cape Tribulation is a relatively new act on the Australian music scene. But in truth, when you take into account the members that make up this trio, it’s clear that Cape Tribulation is anything but inexperienced newcomers to the scene. Comprising of vocalist/guitarist Nik ‘Diamh-inis’ Devenish (Ex-Hateman, Lustre 4, Captain Nemo and Little Death), bassist/backing vocalist Andy Staig (Ex-Boner, Suspect Device, Superpussy and Life Adjustment Disorder) and drummer/backing vocalist Phil Lally (Ex-Fridge, Tumbleweed, El Sanchez and Little Death), the coming together of the three veteran’s of the underground Australian alternative rock movement promise much on their debut full-length effort ‘And When You Get To The End Is It What You Expect’. And sure enough, it well and truly delivers.
Cape Tribulation open up their album with the urgent and energetic ‘Down With The Sea’, which gives listeners a clear idea of the distinctive sound the band have been carefully honing and perfecting for themselves over the last couple of years. Essentially, ‘Down With The Sea’ is a mix of post-punk and alternative rock, with the minimalist approach of Devenish’s angular guitar riffs, Staig’s highly prominent bass and Lally’s driving and solid ever-present drum presence. Topping it all off is Devenish’s half sung/spoken word vocals, which reveals a slight punk edge to the band’s sound, but with an added alternative edge that really allows the band’s sound to stand out.
The follow up track ‘Arms For Oars’ isn’t too far removed from the sound and direction of the opener, with Devenish’s unique vocal delivery giving the song an air of desperation and menace, while the infectious ‘Cabin Boy’, the straight-forward rocking groove of ‘Cat’s Paw’, the strangely melodic and off-beat ‘Clear’ (Which originally appeared on the fourth volume of Helter Smelter’s ongoing Illawarra/south coast regions downloadable compilation releases from last year) and the tight rhythmic closer ‘Latch Key Kid’ are definite favourites on the album.
Elsewhere, tracks such as ‘Dance’, the quiet verses/loud choruses construction of ‘Popular’ and ‘Lift On Three’ showcase a bit more of the experimentation within the band’s song writing, which works quite well, and gives the band a slightly broader sound beyond the confines of the post-punk and alternative rock mould.
Overall, Cape Tribulation’s debut effort is an album that’s kind of hard to pin down in simple terms. But despite this, the trio have created a thoroughly enjoyable album, and one that more than meets the expectations considering the history of those involved.
If there’s one thing missing in today’s music scene its classic hard rock. You know - the kind of rock that’s driven by a riff, a singer that can actually sing and where the music isn’t influenced by anything remotely modern. Sure, there are a few acts out there (Swiss outfit Gotthard and U.S. act Hardline are two that spring immediately to mind), but more often than not, what’s branded as hard rock these days is nothing more than a modern sounding act attempting to mimic the greats of the past (Saliva, Hinder and Nickelback are the best know worst offenders) – without the benefit of understanding what made classic hard rock so great in the first place. But just when I though classic hard rock was all but dead, along came German outfit Hard Riot to prove me well and truly wrong.
Founded in 2006, the Heilbronn based four piece outfit (Comprising of vocalist Michael Gildner, guitarist Andreas Rockrohr, bassist Mario Kleindienst and drummer Carmine Jaucci) released their independently released five track E.P. ‘The Hidden Truth’ in 2009, and coupled with their reputation of putting on live shows, eventually led to a deal with Cyprian based label Pitch Black Records, who have released the band’s debut full-length effort ‘Living On A Fast Lane’.
The album kicks off in rocking fashion with the opening track ‘Get Ready’. Almost immediately, you can hear traces of AC/DC in the band’s construction of simple but effective riffs. But outside of the riffs, it’s the vocals and the guitar solos that really give the song its character. Gildner really is the life and soul of the band’s core sound, with a voice that’s melodic enough to hook people in, but raspy enough to steer away from sounding too slick. And as for the solos, well you can’t complain about a guitarist who knows how to inject a bit of showmanship on the six strings into the heart of the song can you?
‘Hellfire Rock’ is another driving tune with an anthem-like sing-a-long chorus, while ‘Don’t Need You’ (Which originally appeared on the band’s debut E.P.) slows down the pace a little, but is no less rocking with its strong sense of blues sounding groove and hint of funk.
The fast paced ‘No Surrender’ is a definite stand out cut with its infectious chorus, while ‘Turn On The Lights’, the metallic sounding ‘Take Me Down’, the harmonised twin guitar assault of ‘Take Me Down’ and ‘Rock ‘N’ Roll Outlaw’ are further highlights found throughout the album.
Unfortunately, the album isn’t entirely perfect throughout, with the plodding ‘Tears In The Rain’ (The only other track lifted from their debut E.P.) overstaying its welcome, the ballad ‘Nothing But You’ suffering from a touch too much of Gildner’s German accent coming through (A problem that plagued the Scorpions at times as well), and ‘Black Widow’ a little too blues based to blend seamlessly with the rest of the album.
Despite a couple of tracks that don’t quite cut it, and the awkward title that adorns the album (Did something get lost in the translation?), Hard Riot have produced one killer classic hard rock debut effort.
