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The Ripple Effect: July 2009
The best music you’re not listening to.™Reviews of lost classics and obscure titles. Unheralded bands and songwriters. New bands deserving of greater attention.It’s all here, on The Ripple Effect.
It wasn't that long ago that we declared Echovalve to be the mythical Phoenix of rock and roll, having survived in their short career more adversity than most people will ever experience in a lifetime. Helloagaingoodbye was a raging slab of alt metal that roared like a declaration that the boys wouldn't succumb to their problems, but rise above, guitars held high, and fight back. And the did. Undeniably, the album was a success. More problems befell the boys however, and it wouldn't take much for the average Joe to assume that the weight of all this trauma might have finally caught up with the band.
Not so, says Echovalve. Returning with a three-song Ep of perfectly constructed alt-metal, Echovalve proove that not only are they survivors, they're conquerors. "Because of You," is the hardest hitting song of the three, something that could have sat comfortably on Helloagaingoodbye, thunderous big guitars, rampaging percussion and a damn fine vocal performance. The stop-start riffing of the chorus is instantly catchy, as is the message of release. No reason I can see that this song shouldn't be on all rock station playlists. "Intoxicating," reveals a softer, more mature side of the band. A gentler, more hopeful song . . heck a love song of sorts. That's not to say this is a ballad. No, this one rocks as hard as the first, just differently. The composition reflects a new maturity for the band, a moving beyond old demons to a place where they may actually find . . . gasp . . . happiness.
"Too Late," finds the boys dealing again with those old demons, trying to set them in the past where they belong. Another quantum leap in songwriting maturity here, bringing more modern rock influences into their alt-metal. Another infectious chorus and we got a winner.
Rock and roll is full of it's litany of casualties. Echovalve plan to be one of it's successes. And with talent like this, that's not an unrealistic goal at all.
Not really an EP in the classic sense of the word, but with two songs and a total running time of over 21 minutes, it's not really a single either. Let's just call it what it is and leave it at that; a mind-expanding hallucinogenic trip of stoned-up, spaced-out psychedelic meandering of the sort that would make our good friends over at Colour Haze proud. Listed as a demo, these excursions into musical inner consciousness are remarkably well constructed. "Singata," the shorter song of the two, coming in at 8:32 rides an acrid puff of pot smoke up into some mystical lava lamp in the sky. Driven by solid percussion, the fuzzed and effected guitars loop and dip and shimmy and swirl in glorious hashish drifts. Heavy sections rumble like an earthquake, big distorted bass strokes bring on the menace, while the guitar work is never less than masterful. Vocals do kick in eventually, but they're really an afterthought to this mindtrip.
"Double Freedom," mixes the pre-requisite sitar into the 13 minute plus mix. More vocals here give the song a bit more of a structured theme even as it wanders and meanders anyway the smoke blows. Nice guitar sounds lead us in, reverberating in a heavy '70's feel. Sienna Root explores ground like this, as does Dead Man, and SBE can proudly take their place standing at their sides. Moods change as easily as the mental states from euphoric, drugged out spaciness to heavy distorted doom. And it's all pretty fucking amazing. Fans of the bands I mentioned earlier, or the more extensive heavy psychedelic jamming of the '70's protometal bands like JPT Scare Band will not want to miss this one. I hear they're recording an album next and I, for one, can't wait to see which direction they blow my synapses next.
Now signed to Playing in Traffic Records, big-time Ripple favorites The Steps release this 5-song burst of their swaggering, punky, psych-garage blow ups. Now, I raved about The Steps on my review of their self-produced album. Just a barn burner of nitro-fueled Electric Prunes/early Kinks inspired garage blasts. Two new songs sit comfortably with three terrors from that first album. "Blonde Smoke," continues the frenzy The Steps started on that first album. Big Peter Gunn-ish basslines groove underneath the roaring garage-fuzzed guitars and wailing vocals. Featuring an expanded compositional style, with an actual time change, this song sits comfortably with the strength of the older tracks. "Push," likewise keeps The Steps magic roaring forward. Big open guitar chords crash this one, dropping down to a chugging line that rides all the way to the explosive chorus.
The old songs need no introduction. "Dagger," "Loose Mind," and "Cold Floors," were three of my absolute favorites from the first album. Here, they sound fresh and ready to rumble, adding extra muscle and bite to the new songs. If you missed the first album, or just want to see what all the fuss is about, don't miss this one. I predict big things for these boys.
How did a young new band from Germany wind up sounding like they’re from Cleveland in 1979? Lights Out! are the closest thing I’ve heard to the Pagans since . . . never.
This is real punk rock done right. No whiny melodic choruses, no NYHC mosh parts and, most importantly, no influences past 1982. None prior to the 1st Ramones album, neither. If you love The Zero Boys, Angry Samoans, Black Flag (pre-Rollins), Circle Jerks, DOA, etc you have a new favorite band. English punk lovers shouldn’t feel left out because there’s plenty of UK Subs and GBH to make you happy as well.
Formed in 2006, Lights Out! are probably named after the Angry Samoans song of the same name and not the UFO one (although that could make a pretty cool medley for them to do someday). Destroy Create is their debut album and it’s 14 middle fingers delivered in 21 minutes. The songs are short, fast, to the point and filled with anger. They come fast and furious one after the other with rabid energy. The rhythm section plows through everything in its path with vintage harDCore speed like Void or Minor Threat. The guitar is a piece of junk played through a shitty amp turned up way too loud for an obnoxious tone that will piss off all the shredders at the local Guitar Center. There are no solos to speak of, only furiously downstroked barre chords. The vocals are snotty and shouted in a bored Midwestern monotone.
“Something Is Rotten in the Age of Hope” sets the tone by letting you know that “I’m so anti” to a riff lifted from “My Old Man’s A Fatso” by Angry Samoans. At 2:01 it’s the 2nd longest song on the album. The longest song “Destination: Annihilation” clocks in at a “Freebird” like 2:09 and brings to mind vintage Weirdos. The rest of the songs average around 90 seconds and have positive titles like “Shut Up and Obey!” and “Blast Of the Fed Up.” The title track has a bass solo in between screams of “DESTROY CREATE.”
Go return a bunch of cans and buy a quart of the cheapest beer you can find with the nickels. Raid a party, steal some hubcaps and spray paint the walls to the sounds of Lights Out! Live fast, die hard.
It seems like forever since we all clambered aboard this music fueled contraption that takes us to such wondrous lands. If memory serves me right, last month’s episode was somewhat abbreviated as most of my spare time was focused on a preparations for a Field Trip on the East Coast, and I couldn’t go into great depth on some of the hidden gems lurking in the world of MySpace. So, now that I’m back in the saddle again (thank you for the screeching melody, Mr. Tyler,) and life is falling back into its normal routine, I’ve been able to delve deeper in the seemingly bottomless pit of cyber music. This month, as per usual, we’re headed to lands afar, so I hope y’all updated your passports. Buckle up, Waveriders! With Racer piloting this beast and Woody stirring drinks, we’re gonna’ traverse this globe and check out some more of the best music that you’re not listening to!
Our first stop this month will be to a land that the U.S. media has portrayed over the years as being a war torn land who’s inhabitants live in constant fear of bombed by groups of hostile neighbors. Being that this picture is being painted by our reporters, I’m going to assume that the Israeli people are a happy lot and the land is a lush paradise. Really . . . the place can’t be as bad as we’re hearing if the land can be called home to one David Broza. Now, I’ve been listening to Broza’s work for the last decade and I always find that he has a fresh take on a piece of music, even after repeated listens, there’s always that something that I never heard before. It can be as simple as a tone of his voice, a fill on a flamenco guitar passage, a chord progression, whatever. He seems to do it right every time out. While surfing the MySpace cyber wave, I saw that he updated the songs on his player and realized that I had yet to touch on his brilliant songwriting, somewhat acoustic folk-y vibe with a bit of rock and world flavor. It looks like he has a new album being released, but don’t quote me on that. He does, however, have a number of new tracks uploaded that highlight that rich, oh-so-rich, voice. Lordy, there’s some passion in there and a quality that’s hard to describe. And as for the music, think that earthy Cat Stevens acoustic sound without the edge and a bit more easy listening. If you want to hear the stuff that got me into his sound in the first place, listen to the track “Time for Trains.” It’s kinda’ Springsteen-ish, just a little less blue collar. The albums that I have are Time For Trains and Second Street, and both come highly recommended from Yours Truly. www.myspace.com/dbroza
Our next stop is taking us quite a bit north to one of our favorite regions of the world, Sweden and Norway. First, let’s catch up with our doom-y goth rockin’ friends in Katatonia as they power away in the reek filled halls of their studio to put the final touches on their new album. We recently found out that there’s now a release date as well as a title available for the masses. Night is the New Day will hit the stores on the 19th of October in Europe and a week later in the U.S. and will be released through Peaceville Records. From the posted diary, it sounds like we’re in store to hear some deeply atmospheric passages and acoustic works mixed with the traditional Katatonia metal sound. These guys have always pushed the envelope further and further with each recording once they dropped their full on death metal sound. The music has consistently become more and more moody with each release. Night is the New Day promises to show more of that musical growth. www.myspace.com/katatonia
While we’re enjoying our Swedish summer, we’re going to check out a newer band. They call themselves Corroded and they have a cool thing going on. Gritty, hard edged rock with songs like “Leave Me Alone,” and full on metallic, head bangers with “Come On In” and “Inside You” show these guys are above average. A nice balance of angst ridden guitar pummeling with beautiful vocal melodies make up the body of their latest release, 11 Shades of Black. For our European Waveriders, it looks like you can catch these guys on select dates through the summer. I’m not certain if that’s Sweden that they’re playing in, but that would be my assumption. Damn . . . I really need to bone up on my Swedish if I’m gonna’ keep dragging everybody out here! www.myspace.com/corrodedsweden
Heading west, we’ll cross into Norway and visit with Sarke. Have y’all picked up a copy of Vorunah yet? This is just a friendly reminder that it’s a killer of an album and is becoming a favorite for my end of the year top ten list. Anyway, the main reason I wanted to bring everybody here was to take note that Sarke will performing at the Wacken Open Air Festival, which in itself is so over the top spectacular, but what is is that the legendary Tom Gabriel Warrior will join the lads on stage for a rendition of the classic Celtic Frost tune, “Dethroned Emperor.” See . . . this is one of the reasons why Europe will always entice me. The U.S. doesn’t have cool festivals like this that highlight legendary acts of metal. . . . so, this year’s Wacken festival not only includes this extraordinary collaboration of Sarke, Nocturno Culto, and Tom G. Warrior, but will also feature the likes of Motorhead, Nevermore, Tristania, In Flames, Saxon, Enslaved, Machine Head, and so much more. Racer . . . we really need to get press passes for this one next year. www.myspace.com/sarkeofficial
Heading back to the U.S. we need to make a stop in Woodstock, NY. No, not because this is the 40th Anniversary of the music festival that changed the world or so all of us music geeks would like to think. Though that is a good reason, there’s another reason. By the words of a friend who pointed me in the right direction, I tuned into the folk-y and soulful sounds of a singer / songwriter named Bar Scott. First and foremost, what struck me about this music was the power of Bar’s voice. It just lights up the soul and chases away the crud that’s been building up in there for years. Waveriders, do me a favor and listen to a few of the high points from the posted songs. Check out the vocal harmonies on the song “Like It Was.” C’mon . . . is that cool or what? Somewhat operatic, a touch of theater . . . it’s those kind of nuances that keeps me digging deeper and deeper in to MySpace for music! And then there’s the cello on the song “Parachute.” Is there any instrument that sounds as wondrous as a cello? Love it! The song builds upon itself with every note, just getting more and more passionate with every passing second. Follow the link, folks. Don’t be shy. www.myspace.com/barscottmusic
Still traveling west, we make our way to Chicago on the recommendation of our resident bar keep, Woody. There’s this sleazy, bar room brawlin’, alcohol swillin’ bunch of rockers going by the name Low of the Low and they’re tearing it up with a gritty stoner metal sound that immediately had me thinking of bands like Down or later era C.O.C. Crap . . . check out hard driving, head bobbin’ tunes like the wah drenched “Reduce to Zero” or the profanity laced tirades of “Mississippi.” These guys have that groove that gets me tipping back a beer and unconsciously reaching for the pack of smokes that I dropped fifteen years ago. It’s honest rock that’ll give you a swift kick in the backside and then give you a high five for your troubles. Makes me wanna’ hang out with the lads, talk shit, and cook up some brauts! http://www.myspace.com/lowofthelowcom/lowofthelow
Racer turned this sucker to the south and parked us directly on the border of Tennessee and Mississippi (maybe he was inspired by the Low of the Low song?) so that we could catch up with a band called Evanscapps. These guys recently released an album on Rock Ridge Music called Last Time, and interestingly enough, this musical project is made up of Ean Evans (Lynyrd Skynyrd) and Bobby Capps (.38 Special.) I somewhat expected this to showcase their southern rock roots, but was turned onto something altogether different. Though the southern rock thing is apparent throughout the album, there’s a harder edge to the whole thing. Try imaging the detuned alternative sound with southern flavor, something akin to 3 Doors Down, but not as refined. The album opener, “Hell If I Know,” is a straight up rocker with a metallic hint to the massive riffage, but the edges are eased by the catchy melodies. “Dead Is Rising” is much the same. Heavy palm muted guitar riffs with distorted vocals over a thunderous drum beat give way to a melodic chorus that captivates with its dynamics. A number of years ago, there was a band tooling around called Cry of Love that captured a similar sound. Heavy, but soulfully bluesy and steeped in the southern swelter. Strong stuff. Spend some quality time groovin’ to these lads! www.myspace.com/evanscapps
Finally, we’re back in California and news has come across the wire that The Soul of John Black has posted a new song on his page. On further exploration, there certainly is a new tune called “Emotions” that is a bass driven groover, jam packed with a huge hip shaking helping of soul. Lord, this tune is simply dripping groove that I defy you to not move while listening to it. It hits the entire being and you’ll become part of the rhythm, almost like some sort of sentient being that’s made of music rather than bones, muscle, and various fluids. Yeah. John Black is the man and he warrants more than your attention. He deserves your undying servitude to make his a household name. www.myspace.com/thesoulofjohnblack
Oh yeah . . . groove on, Waveriders. Until next month . . . - Pope JTE
We've written several times about Ripple favorites, Joan of Arc and their mercurial alt-rock. Well, never content to lay low, Mike Kinsella has several side projects including his exquisite recordings as Owen. As he began writing his fifth album, Kinsella became a husband and a father. For a musician who has never been afraid to address deeply personal topics in his songs, it would be impossible for such life altering changes not to affect the music he creates. And so, it is not surprising that New Leaves, as its title suggests, finds Kinsella branching off the core aspects that have always characterized his songs - distinct vocal inflections, biting wit and unique guitar playing - by adding fresh flourishes.
On New Leaves, the arrangements are more elaborate, the song structures more complex, and the lyrics more refined. As proof that Kinsella is ready to embrace this new life, the album begins with its title track - one that fittingly sets the tone both musically and lyrically for the next nine songs. Unlike the slow-building introductions on previous records, this driving opener is propelled forward by a backbone of acoustic guitar and melodic piano.
Polyvinyl will release New Leaves nationally September 22nd. For the first time ever, Owen will be performing with a full band at both record release shows at Chicago's Beat Kitchen. The first single, "Good Friends, Bad Habits," is available for download below.
New Leaves Tracklist
1. New Leaves 2. Good Friends, Bad Habits 3. A Trenchant Critique 4. Never Been Born 5. Amnesia and Me 6. Brown Hair in a Bird's Nest 7. Too Scared to Move 8. The Only Child of Aergia 9. Ugly on the Inside 10. Curtain Call
Tour Dates
9/16 Urbana, IL @ Canopy Club (Pygmalion Festival) 9/18 Chicago, IL @ Beat Kitchen* (Full Band Record Release) with Bob Nanna 9/18 Chicago, IL @ Beat Kitchen$ (Full Band Record Release) with Davey von Bolen
There's an old saying that goes something like this. "Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death . . . I wouldn't want to set up camp there." I think the same thing could be said for Damon Fox's mind.
The main architect of the glorious doom, bombastic glam that is Bigelf, Damon's mind is not a safe place for the uninitiated. No one knows what's lingering behind each synapse, hiding between the axons, lurking within the dendrites.
Last year, I thought I was going out on a limb when I named Bigelf's mind staggering album, Cheat the Gallows, my number one heavy album released in 2008. Turns out, many other of the contributors to that Best of List, felt similarly, adding Cheat the Gallows to their lists as well. Well, I got news for you. In 2007 the Bigelvin men released an album Hex, that in many ways is just as impressive, and certainly heavier, than Gallows. If it had been released this year, it would already have the top spot nailed down.
Released on Custard Records, Hex explores the same virtual roads of insanity that Gallows explored but if anything, it's an even darker, heavier affair. Whereas Gallows was a momentary visit to a darkly demented carnival, Hex is a full-time institutionalization into the asylum. The same big flourishes of Alice Cooper, Pink Floyd, and Sabbath can be found but some of the more pomp rock ELO-isms of Gallows instead are replaced with the riff-mongering flavor of Off the Record-era Sweet. In all, it's a massive, gut-wrenching, sanity-defying journey through the chasms of one man's incredibly twisted brain, and what a staggering feat of beauty that is.
"Madhatter," starts this affair off, our admission to the Mental Home, heaps of massive Sabbath riffery puling under the maniacal laughter of hordes of insane minds. Big glam flourishes layer across as the song launches headlong into the "Another Brick in the Wall,"-style verses. Damon Fox's voice is in fine form, sounding substantially like that monstrous demon living inside my head, calling out all my darkest fears. Everything about this song rocks harder than most of the tracks on Gallows. Just listen to the scratch guitar as the verse breaks down into the chorus. Seriously, it's hard to find words to describe the intensity of this song and the freakishly strong craft. It's big, it's loud, it's bombastic. It's over-the-top and nearly psychotic. It is just a fucking masterpiece of demented rock. Bigelf make it clear that they operate in a dark dimension all of their own making.
Macabre prog I call it, and if that label sticks, then I'm selling it!
"Bats in the Belfry II," reaffirms that Damon Fox's mind is a horrifying place to visit. Huge synth washes flow over the densely Roger Water's-esque Pink Floydism of the song. Big organ tone and acoustic guitars layer on, the whole song building slowly, adding to the weight of it's own mental instability. "Pain Killers," attacks us next, turning up the amplitude big time. Riding some chugging riffing into its huge explosion of purple nail-polish, dark-twisted glam. This is Sweet after a long weekend of downers, trapped in a Halloween haunted house with no hope for escape. The riff here lays out perfectly with Fox's vocals, building tension through the horror show that lives inside his skull. Hollow-eyed patients pass you in the hallways. Slobbering, raving lunatics eat paint chips off the wall. Sadistic orderlies laugh themselves silly preparing your next acidic enema. This is no Happy Homes resting ground, this is Damon Fox's asylum from Hell, and no medication can make the visions go away.
"Disappear," brings on a jazzier vibe, changing pace, just like the boys did so effectively with Gallows. A beautiful, haunting bass line leads us in gently, gingerly, like we're being guided by some old man who we don't really trust and fear he could mutate into an ancient slobbering skeleton at any time. Pink Floyd lives here big time, camping out in the synth washes, the choral structure, the dynamic of tension and release. The song plays out like a moment of respite from the sheer insanity that is Bigelf, but in reality its a false lull, a dishonest moment of security. In reality we're being strapped down to the cold steel table in the asylum, the demons hiding just out of reach, ready to pounce at a moment's notice. Damon sings this one with remarkable depth and emotion in his voice, the whole shebang leading to some tasty guitar work from Ace Mark. A troubling, unsettling, starkly terrifying song, and beautiful because of it.
Your journey through the asylum continues through the "Have a Cigar,"-isms of "Rock and Roll Contract," the just-downright glam riff-rocking of "Sunshine Suicide." It's circular riff reminds me of the Beatles "Day Tripper," but from darkened alter-dimensions. Running down the peeling hallways, past the mad-laughing inmates strapped in their straitjackets, "Falling Bombs," explodes out of the asylum P.A. system in one pounding wave of bombast after another. Damon's voice takes us to new heights of anxiety as he wails through the chorus of "Falling Bombs," Duffy Snowhill's bass and Froth's drumming beating down on us with the oppressive force of the orderlies cattleprod.
Finally, herded into the corner by the crazed staff, "Black Moth," erupts as the physical embodiment of all of your darkest fears. Like the best of Alice Cooper, Damon locks onto his twisted muse, the Black Moth being symbolic of every one of his deepest nightmares. Yet throughout all of the sheer horror, and throughout the whole album, Fox manages to contrast the sheer heaviness of his macabre vision with some glorious melodies and moments of pure artistic beauty and genius. Not an easy feat when the subject matter is this dark, but one Fox seems to handle effortlessly.
But the institutionalization doesn't stop there. All the way to the end, a hidden track, early (demo?) version of their hit "Money, it's Pure Evil," there are no safe moments here. Bigelf never drop down to rely on rock conventions or cliches. With screams of madness rampaging through the darkened corridors, Fox just keeps on digging deeper, and deeper into the human psyche. Not liking very much what he finds there. But perhaps this is best put in Fox's own words from the track "Carry the Load." "There's no treatment for what I've got/leave me here to die and then rot."
It wasn't that long ago that our friends at Miles High Promotions dropped a soul bomb into our lap, the surprising and deeply rich album by the The Soul of John Black. As you can imagine, it only took us a few microseconds to know we were hearing something pretty special, and only a few microseconds after that to ask the ever-talented John Bingham, the mastermind of The Soul of John Black, to come pay us a visit on our red interview couch. Now, most often our guests love to hang and chat, sharing stories and philosophies amongst a cold brew. With Mr. Bingham, well, let's just say he let's his music do the talking.
When I was a kid, growing up in a house with Cat Stevens, Neil Diamond, and Simon and Garfunkle, the first time I ever heard Kiss's " Detroit Rock City ," it was a moment of musical epiphany. It was just so vicious, aggressive and mean. It changed the way I listened to music. I've had a few minor epiphany's since then, when you come across a band that just brings something new and revolutionary to your ears.
What have been your musical epiphany moments?
Iggy Pop
Talk to us about the song-writing process for you. What comes first, the idea? A riff? The lyrics? How does it all fall into place?
There's no one way I could nail that down.
Where do you look for continuing inspiration? New ideas, new motivation?
Every day life is the inspiration
Genre's are so misleading and such a way to pigeonhole bands. Without resorting to labels, how would you describe your music?
My Music.
What is you musical intention? What are you trying to express or get your audience to feel?
I play music because I enjoy it. I do it for myself
In songwriting, how do you bring the song together? What do you look for in terms of complexity? Simplicity? Time changes?
Music is from the heart,the level of complexity is determined by the examiner.
The business of music is a brutal place. Changes in technology have made it easier than ever for bands to get their music out, but harder than ever to make a living? What are your plans to move the band forward? How do you stay motivated in this brutal business?
I just live my life.
You've played with Miles, toured with Fishbone, and more. Come on, share with us a couple of your great, Spinal Tap, rock and roll moments?
Sorry.
Where do you see you and your music going in ten years?
I don't know.
What makes a great song?
I don't know.
Tell us about the first song you ever wrote?
I don't remember.
What piece of your music are particularly proud of?
??????
Who today, writes great songs? Why?
Kanye ,why ???? I don't know.
Vinyl, CD, or digital? What's your format of choice?
Live music.
What's the best record store in your town?
Amoeba.
Short and sweet and too the point. No risk getting bored with this cat running off at the mouth. He'd rather run off with the guitar, And what a great sound it is. All you fans of deeply soulful blues, check it out.
Just because we love all our loyal waveriders so much, we thought we'd hand carry another special gift for you.
We had such a freaking great response to our free offering of the wild Mighty High platter, Drug City, that we just went ahead and did it again. So now everyone gets one more chance to tune into this riotous slab of balls out, scuzzy, fuzzed-out, punked-up, high-as-a-fucking-kite, stoner rock.
Now if that doesn't show you how much we love you, I don't what will.
Mighty Highblast out an adrenaline rush of riff-crazed, stoner madness with the elegance of a charging rhino in heat visiting the woman's club. We're talking sleazy burst of gutsy rock like, "Breakin Shit," "Drug City," and "Stone Gett-off." Our main man Woody and his fried companions of chaos, attack their gits, drums and bass like they've had one too many hits of the adrenaline bong, and damn, if that isn't a good thing.
And this free giveaway couldn't be better timed. Turns out the main High Man, Woody, has conferred to us that he's into recording/finishing the band's new single. I suspect it's going to be offered for sale on the band's webpage. So what we'd like you to do is pop on over, download this radical rampage of stoned-out punk metal, and if you like what you hear, support the band and buy their new single. In the end, you get great music, the artist get's paid, and we're all happy.
One might think that when Eryn Non Dae. signed with Metal Blade that things might be cheerier for the lads. And, though the individual members of the band might be excited and hopeful, the music that they’ve created is anything but. Hydra Lernaia is one of those uber-dense pieces of music that portrays a world of darkness and despair, but not in the evil, satanic, boogey-man is gonna’ get ya’ kind of way. Think more along the lines of, “Gee, I have no education because my family was too poor to send me to school, but I can’t get a job to pay for further schooling because I have no education. So I guess I’ll just enlist in the military and die for a cause that I don’t believe in.” I’m not saying that the guys from Eryn Non Dae. are uneducated . . . far from it. In fact, they speak with the aged wisdom of sages, and it comes out in the music. They see what’s going on out there. They’re not fools. And they’re more than happy to spread their dark outlook to anyone who’ll take the time to listen.
Well, I listened and once I got through the initial onslaught of savagery, I found the shimmering beauty of hope interwoven within the elaborate tapestry of despondence. “Blistering Hate” is a huge slug-fest of a tune. Hammering away at the senses with distorted guitars droning away in the background, the double bass drums pound their way through the skull with all the subtlety of a New York City jack hammer. The power of this song is so intense that it’s almost too much, but then the dissonant guitars vanish and the heaviest bass rumble this side of Godflesh’s Streetcleaner steps into the forefront. Listen to the guitars as they enter slowly and methodically, adding incredible texture before the tune explodes into the earlier dissonant frenzy. As if that whole transition wasn’t bad-ass enough, the band then down shift this vehicle of devastation and enter this bizarre, almost psychedelic passage. Fuck . . . that is simply awesome! The bass goes catawampus, swirling in every crevice of the mind while the guitars add tones of texture. This song is a rollercoaster of abuse and power mixed with elements of technical beauty.
Then, as “Blistering Hate” fades away, “Existence Asleep” takes over with that overbearing bass tone that can best be attributed to the production mastery of Mobo. My God that’s heavy! This song, much like the previous tune, is packed with time changes and spastic rhythms, droning tones, and frenzied bursts of angst. There’s a great dynamic feature to pay attention to in this one as well . . . as the band powers away with a wall of sheer noise, the vocals do this great scream that fades out as the music drops back down to just the bass driven groove. It’s a little thing, I know, but it’s the kind of moment that breaks up the song, adds a unique texture and provides a ray of light in a pit of overwhelming darkness.
By the time we get to the center of this album, the senses should pretty much be mush, which is the perfect time for Eryn Non Dae. to force their will on us. The instrumental “Lam Tsol Oua” is an ambient adventure that eases the listener into a state of complacency. Huge waves of textured sound cascade across a darkened backdrop, like stars in an otherwise darkened sky. The suddenly, “Through Dark Skies” bursts into a vibrant explosion of fireworks, broken up by heavy bass grooves that have a rich quality to them, rich qualities much like the feel and smell of freshly turned soil. Soil that’s damp with moisture, loamy, heavy with the reek of decomposing matter. And then, as we’re shoveling through this rich earth, we dig up a worm eaten corpse and the subsequent explosion of blast beat discordance reflects the instant surge of adrenaline through our blood stream as we turn tail and run in panic. I’m sure it’s not the theme the guys in the band are trying to pass along, but the emotion is pretty much the same. Moments of serenity torn into shreds by the sudden appearance of horror, irrational fears breaking through the barriers of the rational mind, psychological twists to toy with the common precepts of reality . . . Hydra Lernaia holds a dirty and etched mirror up to our sanity.
Each and every song on Hydra Lernaia has something special going on in it. From the palm muted guitar riffs mixed the narrative type vocals on “Opposites From Within” to the sudden down tempo break in “When Time Elapses,” Eryn Non Dae. do a great job of mixing up the emotions. It’s one thing to pummel the senses for an hour at one constant speed and one constant tone, but it’s something on another level of musicianship to shift modes mid track to challenge the listener. It’s this latter effect that has always drawn me to this form of music. I liken it to classical music where there’s always something going on, a hundred different instruments doing their own things, but working in conjunction to create a common theme. Eryn Non Dae. mix so many different sounds together to create a rich palette of sound, as dense and ominous as it may be. If you’re a fan of Neurosis but find them just a hair too soft, Eryn Non Dae. will fill that whole in your musical diet. Just listen to the last track, “Pure,” and get lost in the drone. - Pope JTE
Hearing YOB’s 2005 album The Unreal Never Lived for the first time earlier this year I was stunned. At times it sounded like David Wayne from Metal Church fronting Sleep. At other times it sounded like Celtic Frost covering Swans. How come none of my friends into High On Fire or Electric Wizard told me about these guys? Like most good things in life, it’s always better to find out for yourself.
Yob became active again in 2008 after breaking up in 2006 after almost 10 years of service to the unforgiving beast of doom metal. In between, Portland, OR guitarist/vocalist Mike Scheidt started a band called Middian that released one album and then got stuck in the middle of an ugly legal battle with another band with the similar name Midian from Wisconsin. I don’t know the full story, but it sounds like Midian were a bunch of jerks who saw this as an opportunity to fund their band that didn’t record or tour. Lame.
The legal profession’s loss is doom metal’s gain because Yob’sThe Great Cessation is an intensely heavy album. Heavier than Leslie West and Pig Champion at an all you can eat Indian buffet. Even heavier than the mess in the bathroom afterwards. That’s heavy duty.
Two and half minutes into opening song “Burning The Altar” Mike Scheidt lets out the scream he probably wanted to do in a lawyers office circa 2007 on a daily basis. When the lyrics of the song kick in, he sounds as pissed as when someone hides Wino’s bowl. Aaron Reiseberg’s bass bulldozes, the drums of Travis Foster pummel and Mike’s layers of guitars crush and swirl around your bruised cranium.
Twelve and a half minutes later, the fun’s over and things get even slower on “The Lie That Is Sin.” Two minutes in it comes to a complete stop and the guitar plays a sparse repeating figure that eventually erupts into a full blown epic jam. Right around the 4:20 mark (coincidence?) a strong vocal hook emerges that sounds like Ozzy trying to break free from the murky mix of Black Flag’sIn My Head album. After 7 and a half minutes a quieter groove presents itself but we all know that it’s just to make the next part even heavier and wraps up a tidy 11 minute song.
“Silence of Heaven” is the second shortest song on the album clocking in at just under 10 hellish minutes. Most of it is super slow pounding that recalls the vintage violence of Swans with tortured screams and some occasional crooning.
After that, “Breathing From the Shallows” sounds like it could almost be the hit single of the record. It’s only 7 and a half minutes and has a memorable guitar riff. Mike lets out a disgusted death grunt like he’s looking at the back cover of Celtic Frost’sCold Lake album. The vocals alternate between death metal growls and angry cat in heat. Maybe it’s not a hit after all, but it’s memorable.
The title track is a twenty minute trip that starts off like some lost King Crimson jam from 1973. The doom metal comes in around the 6 minute mark, probably too late for some of the stoner doom metal police, but that’s what fast forward buttons are for if they don’t like it. Even though it’s the longest song on the album, it’s a little less heavy than some of the others. It certainly is an endurance test to get through the whole thing, but it’s a rewarding listen.
Getting through 5 brutally heavy songs in an hour left me with a feeling of accomplishment. The whole mood of The Great Cessation is very dark, powerful and intense. I actually felt better when it was all over and my attitude improved. It’s very cathartic. I’d recommend it to anyone suffering from depression, rage or frustration.
No long introductory paragraph this time, just right into the fun.
The Garage Gods - Had Enough of Your Lies/She Don't Love You Anymore.
A beaded go-go skirt blast of classic garage-psych-pop, this 7" will melt the heart of all classic and new vintage rock fans out there who ever dreamed of owning a Nehru jacket. "Had Enough of Your Lies," has just about everything a fan of '60's mod haircuts and garage classics could ever want; layers of Vox organ, jangling guitars and a melody that could've come from a page torn from Ray Davies notebook. Dig that huge fuzzed out guitar solo midway through before the verse returns, rumbling with a righteous menace. Great harmony vocals through the chorus also work to lift this one above the ordinary.
Backside "She Don't Love You Anymore," doesn't let the sixties-garage passion fade. A slower, more haunting song, just perfect for a montage scene in some beach movie of some poor kid driving his roadster while he watches his girl walk away with some other man. Through both songs, the understated vocals work perfectly with the mood. Big organ solo moans through the middle, like some lost-lover's lament. Big melodies, catchy choruses. Yep it's all here. And just dig that crazy cover art. It looks like some lost go-go band from the Flintstones cartoon. Its just crazy cool.
Think the Blue Magoos, think early Kinks, think the Zombies. Think whatever you want, then stop thinking and go buy this.
While you're at it, check out the dynamite Lost In Tyme fanzine, a Greek creation, celebration of all things mod and garage. Each issue comes with a CD full of great tunes also.
Tigers Jaw - Spirit Desire b/w We Are Great, There is Only One/Crystal Vision
Spirited indie rock that splits the grey zone between drone rock and Joy Division inspired post-punk, Tigers Jaw are a cool new flashing red light on the Ripple radar. Released on the newly-formed Tiny Engines label, this is a band and a label to watch. Let's do the label first. Formed by a music writer and part-time music promoter, the love Tiny Engines has for their music is worn like a mushy badge of honor, draped all over this 7" like a mother's blanket wrapped around her child. I mean seriously, it's not often I'll drool over the packaging of something as simple as a three-song single, but damn if Tiny Engines didn't get it right. Wrap around parchment style paper surrounding the art, a free mp3 code to download the songs to your iTunes that includes a bonus track that's not on the disc, and then there's the vinyl itself; glorious shades of marbleized yellow and orange. Yeah, yeah, I know, you don't buy a 7" just because it's pretty, but damn it helps. And trust me, this one is pretty. A lovingly constructed package.
Now for the music. I've heard names like Superchunk bandied about in describing Tigers Jaw and I'm okay to start there, but really, the boys mine their own tunnel of claustrophobic, atmosphere drenched indy rock. Distorted guitar lead us in, the tension deepening when the tom-heavy drums kick in. From there, beautifully done off-time drumming drives the engine of this melancholic ditty. Shades of light penetrate the density through the elevating chorus, the drums picking up extra flare, the guitars layering on thick, the vocals disaffected but with a glimmer of hope. Nicely done. The flipside explores similar themes of light and shadow; nice bass breakdowns punctuating "We Are Great . . " along with some sparkling guitar, while "Crystal Vision," hunkers down into the droning of distorted guitars with bass driven verses. Spasms of guitars burp through the breaks, adding a lighter feel (reminding me for no good reason of a less poppy Gin Blossoms, or a more dissonant Weezer.) No matter which way you slice it, this one's a winner.
www.myspace.com/tigersjaw www.tinyengines.net
Promonium Jesters/Adaptive Reaction - split 7"
Leaving the indy world of rock and roll behind, this next 7" plunges us straight into the techno industrial world of underground S&M clubs, mind altering substances, dark eyeliner and women who carry big, spiked cat-o-nine-tails. Promonium Jesters attack us first with their blistering assault of old school industrial rock, "Skull Duty." Massive waves of thrashing heavy guitars, tsunamis of synths, and armored batteries of drums lead the charge as the band subversives their mix with samples and all sorts of unnamed psychedelic exploration. Revving up the BPM to levels that could cause your heart to fibrillate, the song escalates into a frantic mania of guitars and keys. Never losing that all important beat, this is dense, metallic and heavy as shit. Maybe the song should be called "Skull Crusher," instead. Influences like KMFDM and The Revolting Cocks are here, but so are all the industrial standards, thrown into their blender of terror and spewed back out fully frapped. Fortunately, the song isn't a one trick pony of high rev BPM and the crew inject enough nuance and play with speed to keep it interesting all the way through.
Not to be outdone, Adaptive Reaction on the flipside plow a similar field but do it all their own way. Throwing more dissonance into their timewarp, high-N-R-G BPM beats and downtuned guitars, shades of Foetus or Throbbing Gristle reign supreme here. Adding to the intensity, Adaptive Reactive explode in brief, momentary flashes of dark-trip ecstasy; each of their punk industrial bullets rammed down your throat in less than 2 minutes. Of the two, "Nightmare," is my favorite. Aptly named, this is the theme music for some horrific underground club scene in a movie where all the patrons pierce their bodies under the laser lights while sipping on human blood. An absolutely charging methamphetamine shot of horror vocals, droning synths and mutated guitars and one catchy-as-fuck riff. That's not to say "Gangrene," is a slacker, it also leaves an indelible mark on your cranium with its synth heavy layers and crushing metallic guitars. Female vocals here remind me of X lost in a horror show and attacked by a morbid light show. If you can picture that. Not for the timid.
It seems that things wouldn't be normal here at the Ripple if we didn't drop in every so often to see what our good friend Tony Reed is up to. For this visit we're dropping back to the Mos Generator crew and this gorgeous slab of green-and-black camouflage vinyl single; Jam Room Demos. Two monstrous sides of doom-laden, riff-mad heavy rock await us here. "Step Up," buries itself into the Black Sabbath gravesite, unearthing some brutally heavy riffs of the ilk that'd make the Iommi-man proud. Big and doomy and heavy. What else could you ask for? Some inspired drumming, a steady bass and a fine emotive Tony Reed vocal performance make this one a winner. Just wait until the riff kicks in at the choral break. Yep, that's gonna get played on Ripple Radio.
What the first track alluded to in style, the flip side make clear in title. "Godhand Iommi," bursts out in guitar tones reminiscent of Sabbath's "Faires Wear Boots," and takes off from there onto one mad, hellish highway of guitar histrionics. I mean, damn, can that cat play. Not to be outdone, Scooter Haslip rides his bass in huge looping Geezer Butler passages, while Shawn Johnson pounds away like a maddened Bill Ward. Time changes, mood shifts, gentle passages, and moments of pure rage, make this instrumental a burner. I always said (to myself and anyone who'd listen) that there's nothing more boring than a doom metal/stoner rock instrumental. Damn, looks like I was wrong again. Mos Generator fans and fans of Sabbath and great heavy rock, don't miss this one.
www.myspace.com/mosgenerator
Ze - I am Glam
Perhaps not something that you'd expect to be reviewed on the Ripple, but then we always told you there were no barriers to our mad search for music, as long as it entertains us. And that's exactly what this one does. This time coming from Kuala Lumpur, Ze (pronounced Zay) teamed up with Belgian producer Ruben Debusschere to create a short-strapped handbag worth of radiant trashy dance music. Or as Ze says herself, she is one loud and bitchy electropop singer. And trust me, what she says is true. "I Am Glam," is her self-penned piece-de-resistance, an absolute gutter-fest of the trashiest electropop drum and bass you'll put your eye shadow on to. Looping Yaz-style synths, programmed beats, and then there's Ze, wailing on in her raving bitchfest that "I am what I am/Glam is what I am." And it's her attitude that makes the song work and the whole thing so endearing. Rather than coo like some puffed up diva, Ze belts the song out with so much passion and conviction, it's almost punk. And that's the way I'll leave it. Absolute trashy punky electropop, guaranteed to get the bodies moving on the dancefloor, the boys bouncing under the strobe lights, and girls fighting over their Gucci bags. Just what the doctor ordered to get the party started.
For all of you waveriders out there who're moaning that they just don't make flashed up, pure theatrical glam rock like they used to . . . have we got a surprise for you. Hailing from Boston, Gene Dante and the Future Starlets literally burst across the cosmic glamosphere riding in a flaming comet tail of David Bowie, Peter Murphy, and Ian Hunter. There's even a shade of T. Rex in their riff heavy, pop savy glam and roll.
And to make this world just a little sweeter place, Gene Dante and the Future Starlets invite all waveriders to download their new album, The Romantic Lead, free for a limited time. That's right . . . zero dinero to catch what may be the next great act in glam rock.
Upon hearing Gene, the Boston Herald proclaimed "There's a thrill in his drama-lounge delivery, sturdy melodies and on-the-money band, capable of handling anything from punk to power pop."
So do yourself a favor, click that sexy little link below and bring some glam back into your days. But do it quick, before this free offer becomes nothing but a memory.
When last we saw We Insist!, they were defying logic with their incredibly infectious release Oh! Things Are So Corruptible, an album packed past the grooves with deft tempo changes infused with a sense of melody that sticks with you like gum on the bottom of your boot. Guess what? The lads are back . . . and they haven’t veered off course in the slightest. If anything, they focused this vehicle of musical expression to a laser fine point and targeted the spirit of adventure square in the center of the bull’s eye. In most cases, one plus one equals two, but when listening to The Babel Inside Was Terrible, one plus one probably equals something more akin to pi. The time changes that this band lives by would send Einstein scrambling back to his chalkboard to recalculate everything that he thought he had proven. Time isn’t supposed to move this way! Then when you least expect it, We Insist! change things up and slap you across the head with melody drenched passages that not only act as a break to the discordant rhythms, but also act as the underlying theme of the song.
With no hesitation, the band opens the album with a screaming example of their mind boggling complexity with the stellar track “Déjà Vu.” Bouncing from off time explosions of rhythm to bubbling masses of bass fluidity to edgy prog influenced guitar breaks to melody rich vocal passages, this song captures damn near every essence of We Insist! What makes this song more noodle twisting and incomprehensible is that the drummer, Etienne Gaillochet, is also the lead vocalist. Hello! How in God’s name can he pull this stuff off?!?!? The moment I first heard this song I simply could not believe what I was hearing. Sure . . . I know a lot of things can be done in the studio to soften the edges and bring a little shine to an otherwise rough and haggard appearance, but c’mon! Are you hearing what I’m hearing? Just the mere idea that music can be performed in this manner is enough to perplex even the greatest minds!
And remember . . . that’s just the first song! We Insist! isn’t satisfied with making us scratch our heads in wonder for a mere five minutes. Oh no! They’re hell bent on putting us through this for near an hour. “Oakleaves,” and “Efficiency and Bad Habits,” are terrifying examples of what the unfettered musical mind can accomplish. Huge moving pieces of sound, roiling through the ether and ultimately hurling every turbulent note against the rocky shore of our subconscious mind. Beautiful melodies that soar in the foreground while droning notes and heavily distorted chords build a foundation of unrest behind the beauty. Both songs show the bands eagerness to explore different sounds as well. Not content with the standard rock format of instruments, We Insist! incorporate xylophones, saxophones, and some of the most bizarre tones a synthesizer can emit. It’s one thing to experiment with sound, but it’s something completely different when a musician can make it sound good. These guys have done that and more!
In an album packed with highlights, “In A Maze” is the point where everything just falls into place. The opening arpeggio passage with the textured guitars dubbed over, the melodic vocals, the synths . . . every sound working in perfect harmony, and then the full blown chords and discordant tones enter the mix, and the tension just bubbles over to riotous levels. Absolutely fucking awesome! The composition is as complex as anything else the boys have done, but there’s a hint of accessibility to this one. We Insist! walk the line between avant garde and formulaic to perfection, mixing in the oddball sounds with the traditional, mixing the melody with the disjointed spastic rhythms. And through it all, the band sounds like they’re having fun! Heady and thought provoking music that challenges the listener, but laced with a buoyant attitude to lighten up the menace of having to think too hard. Can’t get enough of this one!
Let’s face it . . . the whole album is incredible. I could sit back and dissect every song, but that would potentially ruin your experience and deprive you of your own sound exploration. Suffice it to say, you’ll never get bored with The Babel Inside Was Terrible because there’s always something new and exciting, fresh and death defying around every musical corner. We Insist! aren’t afraid of trying something new, following their muse no matter what time signature it’s grooving to, simply to achieve self satisfaction for the art that they produce. And maybe that’s one reason I dig this so much . . . the fact that this band isn’t content with just riding a groove to death or playing the expected notes at the expected times. They challenge the listener to rethink or relearn what they’ve heard up to this point. We Insist! are the Indiana Jones of the music world, in search of the music world’s lost treasures and finding adventure along the way. Let’s just hope they don’t meet an unflattering end in the process. In my book, they captured the bad guys, rescued the damsel in distress, and collected a handsome bounty for their efforts. The world simply needs more music like this. - Pope JTE
It wasn't that long ago that our very own master of mayhem, Woody, declared for fans of Tank and the Rods to rejoice. Their new favorite band had arrived and went by the cosmic moniker of Sun Gods in Exile. Moments later, with the band's debut Bright Light, White Lines blaring across the Ripple Office speakers, we lost ourselves in the utter abandon of a balls-out rock and roll record. Needless to say, we couldn't wait to have the Sun Gods themselves pop on over for a nice Ripple Summer bar-B-Q and to take up some space on our infamous red leather interview couch. Let's here what guitarist Tony has to say.
When I was a kid, growing up in a house with Cat Stevens, Neil Diamond, and Simon and Garfunkle, the first time I ever heard Kiss's "Detroit Rock City," it was a moment of musical epiphany. It was just so vicious, aggressive and mean. It changed the way I listened to music. I've had a few minor epiphany's since then, when you come across a band that just brings something new and revolutionary to your ears.What have been your musical epiphany moments?
When I was 8 or 9 years old this teenager invited all the neighborhood kids to his garage where he poured a circle of gasoline lit it and played guitar along to Quiet Riot's "Metal Health (Bang your Head)." I was hooked after that! It was the craziest thing I had scene in the humdrum neighborhood and he almost burnt the garage down!
Talk to us about the song-writing process for you. What comes first, the idea? A riff? The lyrics? How does it all fall into place?
Generally Adam or I will come up with a guitar riff and we will work out the songs as a band with JL putting a lot of finishing touches on the songs. It comes pretty easy to us we have all been friends for a long time but we have great chemistry as a band. I wish we started this project a long time ago.
Where do you look for continuing inspiration? New ideas, new motivation?
I personally listen to loads of rock and roll from the 50's to present and I have never been into learning covers but do get a lot of ideas from classic rock. We are not trying to do anything new or overly groundbreaking we just want to play the rock we love! For instance I love "Boogie No More" by Molly Hatchet I wanted a song like this and wrote one which doesn't sound anything like "Boogie" but has the same feel so it was inspiration without ripping it off.
Genre's are so misleading and such a way to pigeonhole bands. Without resorting to labels, how would you describe your music?
I consider us a straight forward classic rock and roll band.
What is you musical intention? What are you trying to express or get your audience to feel?
I would like the audience to feel good and get in a party mood. I want people to just forget about their problems and be able to get lost in good old rock and roll for 45 minutes.
In songwriting, how do you bring the song together? What do you look for in terms of complexity? Simplicity? Time changes?
Again we a very straight forward so we avoid odd time changes and complexity. We just want a good riff to build the song around.
The business of music is a brutal place. Changes in technology have made it easier than ever for bands to get their music out, but harder than ever to make a living? What are your plans to move the band forward? How do you stay motivated in this brutal business?
You know we talk about this a lot. It's not like the 70's where there was money to be had, people wanting new music and wanting to experience live gigs. I think the internet is the double edge sword; you can get heard around the world, but it only takes one person to leak your album and have everyone steal it. Also I think people are content watching their favorite bands on Youtube. The media is designed to get millions of people listen to teenagers sing covers ala American Idol. It's brutal if you don't love the music your playing you would never take on the financial strain of being in a band.
Come on, share with us a couple of your great, Spinal Tap, rock and roll moments?
I was in a motorpunk band called Fury 440 in the 90's I got a pair of leather pants and decided to set em on fire like Nikki Sixx. So I have one of my punk rock buddies spray lighter fluid all over them while I am playing a solo well he lit them and it caught my pants of fire but also the rug covering the stage. It was pretty intense the pants were ruined my legs got some minor burns and we were asked to leave...
Where do you see you and your music going in ten years? I am hoping we will be playing around the world with some minor degree of success.
What makes a great song? I really have no fucking clue, but I think that AC/DC writes the greatest songs and their formula is unmatched, so whatever they're doing is what it takes to make a great song. We try and deliver huge guitar riffs followed by rock steady drums and then glue it together with JL's massive bass. This is our formula for a great song.
Tell us about the first song you ever wrote?
It would of been a very simple metal riff in the mid 80's from one of my early teenage metal bands Paid Prophecy, the song was "Pain Asylum."
What piece of your music are particularly proud of?
Without a doubt it would be our debut release Black Light White Lines I am very proud of this record. It was basically recorded in a weekend. All these bands spend months and months in the studio and lose all the raw power which makes rock great!
Who today, writes great songs? Why?
Again I think AC/DC proves to the world they still write great rock and roll classics. Where all the other 70's rock bands that are still around have resorting to writing songs to be hip to the times AC/DC writes albums that could be at home in 1979, 1989 and 2009.. I love early Sykynrd but you would never hear a song like "Red White and Blue" from AC/DC. I also would say our label mates Dixie Witch never cease to blow me away.
Vinyl, CD, or digital? What's your format of choice?
CD's. They are the most versatile for me. I can play em in the truck on a boom box or a home stereo. Plus you still get the artwork.
We, at the Ripple Effect, are constantly looking for new music. When we come to your town, what's the best record store to lose ourselves in?
You’ve read the reviews about the best music that you’re not listening to, now listen to the music that Racer, Pope JTE, and the entire crew at The Ripple Effect write about each and every day. Listen in as Pope and Racer break down the songs, explain in a passionate voice what compels them with each particular song, and provide trivial banter about all things music. We don’t expect you to like everything that’s played, but you just may find that one piece of music that you’ve been waiting to hear your entire life. You won’t know unless you tune in.
The Ripple Effect cordially invites all Waveriders to tune into the Ripple Radio Show on Wednesday, July 22nd at 8:00pm (PST) - This week’s episode promises to be all over the place in typical Ripple fashion featuring music from Bigelf, Prong, Old California, We Insist!, Audio Moonshine, Gumshen, and much, much more!
Here's something that should excite even the most jaded waverider.
Sony Picture Classics's new Rock and Roll documentary called It Might Get Loud. The film "tells the personal stories, in their own words, of three generations of electric guitar virtuosos – The Edge (U2), Jimmy Page (Led Zeppelin), and Jack White (The White Stripes)."
Rarely can a film penetrate the glamorous surface of rock legends, but that's exactly what this film does. It Might Get Loud tells the personal stories, in their own words, of three generations of electric guitar virtuosos – The Edge, Jimmy Page, and Jack White. It reveals how each developed his unique sound and style of playing favorite instruments, guitars both found and invented. Concentrating on the artist’s musical rebellion, traveling with him to influential locations, provoking rare discussion as to how and why he writes and plays, this film lets you witness intimate moments and hear new music from each artist. The movie revolves around a day when Jimmy Page, Jack White, and The Edge first met and sat down together to share their stories, teach and play.
It was far too long ago that we published our last Ripples Around the World Column, a celebration of the diverse and dynamic world music that comes through the Ripple doors, so let's rectify that right now. We have two delicious slices of world music licorice pizza to share with you, so let's get right to it.
Lion Head Compilation Vol 1
Now, we've already raved about the mad dub world of the master, Glyn "Bigga" Bush, and his ongoing new ventures at Lion Head, but in truth, this time he's really outdone himself. Bigga Bush was the dub mastermind behind the phenomenal Rockers Hi Fi, who released a series of must have albums in the 1990's. These releases brought out the best of the early world of ambient dub, setting the foundations for what we all came to know as Trip Hop. Since then, Bigga has gone off on his own, doing his own mixes under the Lightning Head name and creating under the Lion Head banner, and now he's done dropped a megaton bomb on us.
Combining rare and unreleased tracks from Rockers Hi Fi, with Bigga Bush solo material, Lightning Head, Magic Drum Orchestra, and Ventoux, Glyn has fashioned a stand alone testament to the power of rhythm, groove, and the mastery of dub. Clearly, the stand out track here is the classic batucada remix of Ella Fitzgerald vs Rockers Hi Fi, with an amazing version of "Sunshine of Your Love." Trust me all you Cream fans, you've never heard anything like this before. Ella's voice is remarkable and nuanced as she moves her way through the lyric, the dub bubbling underneath like a volcano about ready to explode. Just check out the tension in that first 50 seconds, just Ella's voice, a slow heartbeat of bass, and some dub effects. It builds and builds, like a slow orgasm, until the percussion pops in, upping the ante, building gently. Apparently, the track is already causing an international sensation after getting play on the BBC, and it should. It would take a man with ears of stone not to be moved by the mix. Absolutely stellar stuff.
But the album doesn't end there. Inside, you'll also find a previously unreleased collaboration with Farda P, "Going Over," Bigga's first foray into dubstep, "Sound & Blues," the ambient guitar version of Rockers Hi Fi's "Push Push," plus a positively undulating track from Rocker's 1992 debut "More and More," and a whole bunch of other Bigga productions and collaborations. Overall, it's a mesmerizing, hypnotic journey through the many worlds of modern dub, a beat inducing, head bobbing trip through worlds of sound and texture. This album will appeal to all the fans of dub and trip hop, those seeking an ambient mood but not wanting to sacrifice dynamics, and those just curious about the whole thing. A trip definitely worth taking. Check it out at:
The Revolution - The Revolution Presents Revolution
Leaving the dub/African world of Bigga Bush, we pop right across the sea to an island nearby in the Caribbean, Cuba, and this percolating, dynamite dance-fest, celebration of all things Cuban, The Revolution. An all-star collaboration between some of the west's biggest producers (Fatboy Slim, Guy Sigsworth, Cameron McVey and Poet Name Life, amongst others) and some of the hottest emerging talent on the Cuban dance scene (Roisin Murphy, Lateef, Ariday VegaMartin, and the vocal quartet Sexto Sentido - known as the Cuban Destiny's Child- among others.) At times brooding and sinister, at times joyful and energizing, The Revolution presents Revolution consists of entirely original material taking in soul, reggae, house, old school hip hop, jazz, pop, dancehall, trip hop, and the many styles of Latin music. Imagine if the Buena Vista Social Club got loaded up on X and partied the night away in a hot American club with the best DJ's spinning mixes, and you'll begin to get the idea.
What you may not predict, however, is the sheer trance-inducing beauty of "Yellow Moon," produced by Marius Devries and featuring the captivating vocals of Roisin Murphy. Without a doubt, Rosisin proves herself immediately as a soul/jazz diva worth recognizing. Her silky smooth, smoky voice trips as delicately across the deep bubbling rhythm as a Shaolin monk dancing across rice paper. An instantly infectious excursion into deep lounge. You also may not predict the rumbling Latin beat of "Siente Mi Ritmo," a Fatboy Slim produced trip of swirling percussion, rolling basslines and beautiful female vocals. "You Wouldn't Want to Be Me," is pure trip hop of the sort that would make Portishead proud, highlighted by the extra romance of the Latin lyrics and purring female vocals. "Lies," brings in precious moments of ambient bliss, immediately followed by the dancehall burst of Poet Name Life's "14Me."
No matter which way you slice this pie, you're going to uncover another gem. Upbeat and bouncing, slow and simmering in romance, or ambient and laced with moments of thought provocation, this album has soul. And that's something that seems to be missing from so much of the generically produced American dance music. But you'll find it here, a simply journey across the sea to an island paradise. Jump on in, the water's fine.
Humble Pie’s Performance: Rockin' the Fillmore is regarded as one of the greatest live rock albums of all time. It captures a kick ass band in front of a rowdy crowd at the Fillmore East in New York City in 1971. Rockin’ The Fillmore is the album that broke Humble Pie in the USA. Up to that point, their studio albums were a mixed affair. Touring with Grand Funk Railroad showed them that kicking ass all the time is the way to go and to leave the acoustic guitars to James Taylor. Well, at least that’s what Steve Marriot, Jerry Shirley and Greg Ridley wanted to do. Lead guitarist Peter Frampton left the band to become the soft rock king of the 70’s. He wanted to show everyone “the way” was wine coolers, cocaine and feathered hair.
This live recording from the Winterland in San Francisco May 6, 1973 is another example of Humble Pie at its peak. Recorded for radio broadcast by the King Biscuit Flower Hour, this is very much the equal of their revered live album. Some like it even better than Rockin’ The Fillmore some less, but everyone agrees that few can match the power of Humble Pie in concert
The show kicks off with an announcement to the “beautiful people of San Francisco, please welcome the world’s finest Humble Pie.” The band launches into one of their all time hardest rocking songs “Up Your Sleeve” from the Eat It album. This is pure power. Steve Marriot fires up a simple riff and drummer Jerry Shirley leads the rest of the band into a frenzied boogie attack. Steve screams his brains while Clem Clemson rips solos through the entire song. The guitar tone is pure Gibson Les Paul Custom plugged into Marshall triple stacks. Loud, brash, in your face. Greg Ridley’s bass booms and you can imagine that it’s pounding the chest cavities of the stoned hippies. They love it! They want more! And they really get it when Steve introduces “4 Day Creep,” a highlight from the Fillmore album. It’s an old Ida Cox blues song that they give a swinging balls out arrangement to with Greg, Clem and Steve each singing a verse. This is total high energy rock & roll on a par with MC5, Grand Funk Railroad and The Who in their prime. If this doesn’t get you rocking, then you should donate your ears to medical science fiction.
Steve works the crowd by telling them that they didn’t come to California “to play no thin, thin rock.” They came “to play some rock motherbitchin roll!” Clem fires up their Live At Leeds inspired version of Eddie Cochran’s “C’mon Everybody” from the Smokin’ album. Jerry pounds the crap out of his cowbell and the band hits a heavy mid tempo groove. If you ever wondered what The Who might sound like with 2 guitars, this is it. If you ever wondered what the Rolling Stones would sound like with a better singer, the Pie’s version of “Honky Tonk Woman” will give you a good indication. It’s a pretty faithful rendition but hits a little harder than the original. (Disclaimer – I am not a Rolling Stones fan and always skip this song).
They slow things down with a version of “I Believe To My Soul” by Ray Charles that has Steve testifying with backing vocals by the soul trio The Blackberries. Steve Marriot is one of the few white singers that could really tackle soul ballads and not embarrass himself too much. He overdoes a little bit with the vocal histrionics at times, but he’s got the spirit. Coincidentally, the MC5 used to cover this song in 1967 and 1968 as part of their stage act.
The Blackberries start screaming that they want to take you higher and the band revs up a storming version of their hit “30 Days In The Hole.” Clem’s got some funky tremolo effect on his guitar and Jerry is absolutely pounding his drums. In the middle the band breaks into a vamp so Steve can preach to the crowd about not getting busted by The Man. He doesn’t “want no judge getting his buzz off you” by sentencing you to hard time.
The band gets funky on a 12 minute version of Jr. Walker’s “Road Runner” that’s tight and loose at the same time. Steve loves Ray Charles so much that they have to do another one of his songs “Hallelujah, I Love Her So” that’s also on Rockin’ The Fillmore. That version might be a little bit better with Marriot and Frampton trading the vocals. Clem’s on a par with Frampton on guitar but can’t match his singing.
“I Don’t Need No Doctor” is repeated from the Fillmore album, and that version also has the edge over this one. This is a great version but 1971 recording is the definitive one. The show wraps up with Steve getting behind the organ to preach to the crowd about the virtues of being “Hot N Nasty,” another killer jam from the Smokin’ album. It’s a total kick ass stone gett-off with a pounding rhythm section, funky guitar and call and response vocals. “Do you get the message” they ask? HELL YEAH!
When it comes to Iron Maiden, there are very few surprises yet there’s still quite a bit of mystery. You know that you’re getting heavy metal that weaves and winds through multiple time and mood changes, and all of it played with the proficiency of gods, but unless you’re family, part of the inner circle, or that ultimate fan who rummages through the bands personal belongings, there’s some question as to what it is that makes this band tick. Thirty odd years of writing music, packing luggage, hopping aboard a tour bus or airline to various places across the globe for months on end, and then doing it all again the following year takes a serious commitment. And Iron Maiden’s fans are the few fans in this sometimes big ugly world that seem to actually appreciate what the band has provided. A legacy. A band driven to outperform itself every night. A band that would rather die than let their paying fans experience something less than perfection. A band that works itself stupid, night after night, to the point of absolute exhaustion. The pay off? Being revered by a whole new generation of metal fan.
In response to this gift the band has given fans over the years, the fans have now returned the favor. Filmmakers and die hard Maiden fans Scot McFayden and Sam Dunn were given exclusive access to one of rock music’s more private bands as they set out to play with their own sort of madness . . . playing 23 concerts over the course of 45 days in 12 different countries. Yeah, 23 shows in 45 days doesn’t sound like a big deal, it’s that 12 countries part that makes you shake your head in disbelief! Then when you think of the logistics going on behind the scenes, well . . . that alone should make even the casual music fan want to run out and see what this is all about!
Banger Productions did a remarkable job of capturing the build-up of anticipation from Day 1 as the band was loading up in England, to the sigh of exhaustion on Day 45 as the band walked off the stage in Toronto, Canada. Fantastic behind-the-scenes footage edited to near perfection with the on stage drama, great interviews with band, crew, and the lucky fans, great camera angles for all of the live footage . . . Flight 666 is a cinematic work of art, and I’m not usually one to spout out high praises for visual works. McFayden and Dunn approached this documentary with as much attention to their film making aspirations and visual elegance as they did from the perspective of the fan. Honestly, who else would you want making a film about your favorite band? A stuffy, pretentious art student or a fan of the music who wants to give likeminded fans all of the cool stuff that was never available before? Yeah. There’s only one right answer.
I started off by watching the documentary first, having seen Iron Maiden about a million and a half times either in person or on video in the past, I wanted to know more about the historic journey that took our heroes to countries that they had never been to themselves. I sat in awe as the feat was unveiled. I laughed at all of the Nicko’s shenanigans. My heartbeat rose with every pyrotechnic explosion and every Dickinson bellowed “Scream for me . . . “ And I shed a tear as I watched the fans in these remote, totalitarian ruled, and extremely poor countries risk imprisonment and death to be a part of the music that they loved so dearly. McFayden and Dunn perfectly captured the importance of the music to the fans, the emotion that these people shed for Iron Maiden, making me pause to think how damn lucky I have been to see the band as many times as I have, and never once did I worry that I would get beaten by an overzealous soldier or trampled by his horse. To see the faces, coz’ folks . . . that’s where these guys captured the true magic . . . to see the face of the fans cheering and singing every single word, and leaving every ounce of energy on the concert floor for their band, it’s a truly moving moment. Keep an eye out for the kid who couldn’t me more than 8 years old singing every word to "Powerslave!" Fucking awesome!
But that emotion wouldn’t be coming out the way it did if the band brought anything less than a hundred percent. Strategically placed cameras all over the stage and through the various venues preserve the performances for all of time. My personal favorite camera angles were the ones stationed just to the left of Nicko McBrain’s throne. This camera caught some marvelous footage of Nicko’s lightening fast footwork and if you’re a drummer, you’ll eat this stuff up! Some of the stand out moments from the live footage is Adrian Smith rockin' the mic as much as he did and his guitar solo in “Rime of the Ancient Mariner,” Steve Harris’ bass work towards the end of “Two Minutes To Midnight,” and Dave Murray’s solo on “The Clairvoyant.” Subtle things, perhaps, but little moments that made me perk up my ears or immediately rewind so make sure I wasn’t hallucinating. Plus, there was some pretty cool back stage footage from Los Angeles of the current metal elite, the likes of Kerry King, Scott Ian, Vinnie Appice, Tom Morello, and Lars Ulrich hanging around to pay homage to the great metal beast. Ultimately though, it’s the fan interaction that keeps this video thrilling and one can’t help but feel some elation for these folks who are getting the opportunity to catch the band for the very first time. Watch out for the crowd reaction in Santiago, Chile . . . Lord, how no one got killed during that is a mystery!
As an Iron Maiden fan, I’d love to thank the guys at Banger Productions in person for putting together a documentary that didn’t focus on the minutia, but gave the fans a product that was fun, interesting, and jam packed with emotion. They captured the same sense of excitement that I remember having when I heard and watched Live After Death for the first time. Even though Iron Maiden went somewhere back in time for this tour, it never came across as a nostalgic tour, but more of a continuation of the band in its prime. And having these younger fans (seriously, kids of 13, 14, 15 years old were making up the majority of the audiences) so engaged in the music made me feel easily ten years younger. I’m thinking that Ponce de Leon never found the Fountain of Youth, but instead, McFayden and Dunn found it. They found it in the form of a little ole heavy metal band called Iron Maiden. Flight 666 is an instant Classic. - Pope JTE
Yep, we promised it would it happen and here it is!
Today is our first ever (monthly?) Ripple CD giveaway. What we do is randomly pull the number of one of our many blog followers out of a hat, and boom. . . . just like that you've won a free copy of a CD that we've recently reviewed here at the Ripple. Now each CD we giveaway is officially certified by the band to be used as a giveaway, we're not just handing out our review copies. This is all done to spread the word on the all the great music we keep on hearing here at the Ripple.
And the first CD to be won by our waveriders is . . . Five A.M.'s stunning debut Raise the Sun. Guaranteed to please fans of Matchbox Twenty and other melodic pop rock.
This one goes to waverider Barbara. Expect it in the mail soon!
And for the rest of you, simply register as a follower of The Ripple Effect, learn about the best music you're not listening to, and you too may find a brand new CD waiting for you in your box.
Man, I've been so excited to write up this month's D.I.Y Ethic column that I've been chomping at the bit like some racehorse dying to jump out of the starting blocks. Well, maybe I'm no racehorse, but at least I've been chomping like some quality quarterhorse at a riding school. A mule in a hayfield? A broken down burro in line at the glue factory?
Whatever, I've been so excited to write this column that I secretly jumped it ahead in the schedule so I could shout out about some of the great independent bands out there, slaving away on their own dime, dishing out some quality tasty treats for your aural consumption.
So without further ado . . .
Music Lives Here Volume 1- Red House Benefit CD
We're starting off this column with something a little bit different. Rather than a D.I.Y. band, we're kicking the gig off with a D.I.Y. effort, and an exceptional one at that. The Red House is a quality music school, recording studio, performance venue, and free form jam get together located in Walnut Creek, California, about 30 miles east of San Francisco. In addition to being a musical meeting mecca in the East Bay, and the venue responsible for starting off the careers of such notable Ripple favorites as Miggs, The Red House is also the home of the international Guitars Not Guns Program (www.guitarsnotguns.org). Now, truly, there can be few worthier efforts than GNG to write about in the Ripple. The organization's mission is to offer kids an alternative to life on the streets and in the gangs, and instead, turn them on to their natural talent and the joys found in playing music. To that end, Music Lives Here is a Red House produced benefit CD, featuring several bands with roots to the Red House. And the way it works is simple. For every 10 CD's sold, one child learns to play guitar.
Got your attention yet? If not, then the line-up of this CD certainly will. 12 songs of quality independent music lives within the silicon and graphite of the disc, including the previously mentioned Ripple men of Miggs, who blaze across the CD's second song with their scorcher, "St Rita," a rarely heard modern rock gem from their hard to find second album. But the goodies don't stop there. Every song pulsates with a modern rock energy that keeps the album driving all the way to the end. All Heroes opens up with a terror of a reggae-inflected agit-pop gem. Dear Kerosene show off some serious pop smarts with their song, "Long Island Sound." Now We Are Six plow a fertile field across a post-punk, modern rock field with "Devereux Martyrs," and Route 111 bring on a slightly rootsy flavor to their pop nugget, "Never Before." And that's just a cursory glance at what awaits inside. 12 tracks from 12 bands committed to the Red House and the Guitars Not Guns program.
Last I checked Music Lives Here Volume One is no longer available on the Red House website, but Volume Two, a collection of the Bay Area's best high school rock acts, is. Inside, you'll find an amazing collection of talented bands, working hard to create music they believe in. Check it out. You just may find the stars of the future and help a great charity at the same time.
In all honesty, I looked forward to listening to this CD with all the enthusiasm I had for my last hernia exam. Don't get me wrong, I try not to pre-judge albums, but looking at the cover art, I just had the sinking suspicion that I was about to unleash some nerd-fest of dweeb rock that would bore me to tears with soul-less techno-geek wizardry.
Man, I couldn't have been more wrong!
Don't make the same mistake I did. Run, no sprint I say, sprint as fast as you can to your computer (oh wait, you must be at your computer already) and rush towww.myspace.com/modernscienceband to get this amazing delectable treat of funky power-pop majesty. And it's a free download! I'll say it as clearly as I can, I love this disc, and you will too. Freaking love it.
Essentially a two-piece, studio creation, Modern Science unleash the funkiest bunch of white boy song craft since the finest material released by Was Not Was. Every song on this platter is a delicious nugget of walloping bass lines, crafty synths, and impeccably tight song writing. And when I say tight, I mean Difford and Tilbrook masterpieces. Listening to this was like walking into my favorite old-fashioned ice cream parlor where all the juicy tidbits are lined up for you to pick and choose, but your mouth is watering so much from the sheer delight of the selection that you can never make up your mind on what's your favorite. Certainly, "Look Where You're Walking," is as tasty as they come, riding a bass line sweeter than pralines and cream. But every song is so laden with with honey-dipped vocals, power pop guitar bursts, glorious harmonies, and damn hummable choruses, it's like an IV-infused sugar high guaranteed to keep you bopping in your bucket seat as you motor down the freeway.
"Every Little Thing," positively bounces across it's jaunty rhythm. "I'm The One (Pick Me)" is glorious, quirky, white boy funk pop. Somewhere Don Was is absolutely green with envy. "Baby Please," is that lost Squeeze classic that was finally discovered mining through the lost caverns of Tibet. "Whatever You Say," may be what George Michael would have written if he hadn't forgotten how to write pop gems. Seriously, if those references appeal to you at all, this is the disc for you. This is about as good as funky pop gets. Check it out, go over to their myspace page, and download the entire album for free! I'm so confident you'll like it that if I was selling these I'd hand em out with a money back guarantee. And not one person would take me up on that.
I'm thrilled to be writing a new review of Swift Ships because in many ways they (along with our long-time waverider Dimaension X) are responsible for this column existing in the first place. It was the sudden appearance of their latest disc, the aptly-titled Losers and Sluts, with it's alt rock, funky, bluesy soul that inspired me and the Pope to dedicate a special space in the Ripple (and our hearts) for those who toil alone, crafting and creating music to please their own inner muses, regardless of the potential for commercial success. And let me tell you, Swift Ships can craft some beauties.
Stepping backwards in time, Rebel Renaissance is the album that pre-dated the S/T and in it you'll find all the same glorious quirks that made Losers and Sluts such a revelatory find. "Wedding Day," percolates out, a mid-tempo, slightly blues-weary ode to . . . well, I'm not exactly sure. But between Ben Shanaberger's disaffected vocal delivery, Scott Lovings searing guitar work and a steady, constant, driving rhythm, this track is a winner of alt-angst. "Gunslinger," features what may be the most impassioned singing I've yet heard from Shanaberger and another Fourth of July burst of Loving guitar fireworks. Hard to declare a standout track among so many fune songs, but I defy you to sit in your seats for the entire 3:30 of "Flatland." Damn, between that funky-ass, scratching guitar riff, a bopping bass and another masterpiece of impassioned, yet disaffected vocals by Shanaberger, I can never get enough of this song. Expect to hear it on Ripple Radio. Soon and often.
From there, the whole album is one beautiful ride of alt-angst funk, like the stuttering guitar of "Nice Guy," the charging drive of "Pursuit Race," or the tin-pan alley depression of "Under the Weather." Don't really know where Swift Ships plan on setting course next, but count me in as deck hand. I'm on board for the sail.
Now, it's not very often that I'd let a band's self-penned description influence my review of their music. Lord knows, bands can sometimes be prone to hyperbole when it comes to themselves. And it's even rarer that I'd actually let that band's words make it's way into the review itself, but damn if the boys from Tok haven't captured the imagination and hammered the nail right on the head with the handwritten note they scrawled to me. "(Our music) is like if the Replacements, Nirvana, the Pixies and the MC5 got in a fistfight. Then someone scooped up all their blood and teeth and rubbed them all over a golden skeleton, and the golden skeleton had a flying V carved out of woolly mammoth tusks. So he's wailing on that thing and some grizzly bear is eating people and playing drums, and every time the bear hits a drum someone's head explodes in a beautiful shower of confetti." Um . . . yeah, that just about does it.
So what does all this mean for the uninitiated or less imaginative? It means one flaming, chaotic, bad-ass mess of punked up rock and roll of the ilk that would make our Ripple brethren Mighty High proud. "What Can I Do," is without a doubt the standout track on this collision of insanity. If you ever wondered what it would sound like if Henry Mancini lived during the punk rock revolution, pierced his cheek, wore a Mohawk, tattered jeans, hated humanity, and wrote the Peter Gunn theme while strung out on uppers, here's your answer. An absolutely devastating, brash demonstration of rawk and roll, driven by that massive drum and bass "secret-agent" riff while the boys, full of snot, wail on "Every night I hope and pray that the world becomes a disaster/I don't mind if you don't bother me, I'm gonna keep on being a bastard." Absolutely incendiary stuff. A song so addictive it's already been outlawed in several states and been responsible for the formation of 19 detox centers. Not content to stop there, the Tok brothers, Bryan and Matt Basler, rage through meth-speed rave-ups like "Dracula Time, "I'll Get Even Later," "Hot Rod Goat," and "Been Thankless," all overflowing with MC5 mania. They even slow it down for a punk jazz torch song, "All The Time."
In truth, the album is a bit rough around the edges, and nothing quite lives up to the sheer shove-it-up-your-ass-and-smile brilliance of "What Can I Do," but it doesn't matter. This beauty is worth listening to for "What Can I Do," alone. And if that song is any inclination of what the Tok boys are capable of, then I'm willing to bet they got lots more gems up their sleeves, just waiting to be unfettered on a helpless population. www.myspace.com/tokandroll
Attacking us with a double-barreled assault of garage rock and vintage psychedelia, all mixed in with a blinding amount of modern savvy and serious songwriting chops, The Steps were a major surprise when their self-released disc poured on into the Ripple Office. Grabbing a couple of cold frosty ones, we couldn't wait to get lead singer, Will, to plop on down onto our red leather interview catch and share with us the culmination of his Steps wisdom.
When I was a kid, growing up in a house with Cat Stevens, Neil Diamond, and Simon and Garfunkle, the first time I ever heard Kiss's "Detroit Rock City," it was a moment of musical epiphany. It was just so vicious, aggressive and mean. It changed the way I listened to music. I've had a few minor epiphany's since then, when you come across a band that just brings something new and revolutionary to your ears.What have been your musical epiphany moments?
When I was younger I really loved punk music. For my birthday, my dad took me to this festival where all my favorites we're playing. That was the first time I really thought about it. I guess another was when I saw The Strokes on MTV. They were featured amongst all these horrible bands that were huge at the time. It gave a lot of hope.
Talk to us about the song-writing process for you. What comes first, the idea? A riff? The lyrics? How does it all fall into place?
Usually its a part on the guitar or some instrument that comes first. Then I'll try to find cool sounding melodies to place over the music. I typically write lyrics towards the end once everything else is done.
Where do you look for continuing inspiration? New ideas, new motivation?
Just in hearing new bands and what they offer. Personal experiences and when were able to travel; taking all those surroundings in really helps with songwriting. It's never good to stay in one place for too long a time.
Genre's are so misleading and such a way to pigeonhole bands. Without resorting to labels, how would you describe your music?
I always say rock and roll but that's still very broad.
What is you musical intention? What are you trying to express or get your audience to feel?
I guess to put my ideas out there. Most of our performances are really just meant for the audience to get up out of their seats and nod their heads for forty-five minutes. It is nice playing in venues where they can hear the words in the songs and that makes it more meaningful.
In songwriting, how do you bring the song together? What do you look for in terms of complexity? Simplicity? Time changes?
The band is crucial in structuring the songs. Everybody has input. I think we like challenges when working on songs. If there's a part we feel could be better we'll really work to find it.
The business of music is a brutal place. Changes in technology have made it easier than ever for bands to get their music out, but harder than ever to make a living? What are your plans to move the band forward? How do you stay motivated in this brutal business?
Playing is important and the more people that see you and hear your name, the more they are to recognize and bring their buddies the next time were in the area. For most rock bands touring is essential. We've just gotten started so I figure we're gonna have to pay some dues before we see real success.
Come on, share with us a couple of your great, Spinal Tap, rock and roll moments?
It'd be far too dirty for internet bloggers
Where do you see you and your music going in ten years?
Maybe then we'll have a song with a time change.
What makes a great song?
A song without a time change
Tell us about the first song you ever wrote?
I think i was trying to come up with a tom petty sounding part and ended up just sorta stealing the whole verse. It was really bad
What piece of your music are particularly proud of?
Some of the new material we've got right now. It's the first time I've listened to one of our songs and not immediately torn it apart.
Who today, writes great songs? Why?
There's loads. Conor Oberst, Ryan Adams, Jim James. Those guys really have a sense of it. Really great lyricism and how they're able to arrange it with their bands
Vinyl, CD, or digital? What's your format of choice?
I really like vinyl at home. I have an ipod that I listen to on the road. There are a lot of artists now that release on vinyl and include a free download. Best of both worlds.
We, at The Ripple Effect, are constantly looking for new music. When we come to your town, what's the best record store to check out?
Waterloo Records get a lot of hype. There's End of an Ear on South First Street too.
We've got an extra special treat for all you waveriders out there today. Jumping into the Ripple Office with a fist full of Cd's, an itchy typing finger, and more musical knowledge than a hippy at Woodstock, we've got two guest reviewers today, lending their vast knowledge to us seekers of music. David Bischoff and Steve Weese co-host Soundscapes, a progressive rock radio show over at KRVM 91.9 FM Eugene OR. www.krvm.org. You can catch them streaming live 10 PM to 12 PM PST Sunday nights. These two musical Einstein's dropped off a couple of recent prog discs with their thoughts, feelings and summaries.
So let's get to it.
SAGA- The Human Condition
SAGA is the kind of rock band just keeps on ticking.
The Human Condition finds them in darned good form, with fresh ideas, good tunes, and a proggier tone. It's surprising that longtime lead singer Michael Sadler left, since SAGA had been picking up steam and returning to a form staked out in the 1981 classic Worlds Apart.
Still, new singer Rob Moratti is a superb replacement, with a warm, rich voice that's a pleasure to keep company with.
Perhaps Sadler has other surprises in store, as songwriting contributions were important to the band, his dynamism certainly the last album 10,000 Days. But these songs really have great textures with dreamy keyboards and memorable melodies that hang together in a pleasant tapestry with just enough taste of a great yesterday to keep today happy. We especially like "Step Inside" and the punchy, snappy "Avalon."
Recently at the Saturday night "On-air party" at Nearfest on a popular net radio prog show, a couple of tracks were played from this CD to good effect as people drank and partied. Dererk Sherinan's new album works best as a kind of background music.
Oddly for a man who's best known for his keyboard work with Dream Theater, Sherinan's sixth solo album is dominated by guitars. Fusion-metal rock shredding. Fortunately, before the songs can verge of boredom, most of these tunes shift gears -- unlike many CD's of the Joe Satriani ilk, mired in the Slough of Ennui.
We like this type of metal-like fusion, but only in smaller doses. We'd like to hear a bit more "space" from him. Planet X in our opinion, seems more successful because there seems to be more outside influence. Some of Sherinan's solo work seems to sound a lot alike and by the end of an album, you kinda just want to put on some Simon and Garfunkel. Still, Derek Sherinan sure can race his fingers across those keyboards.
It’s a Sunday morning, the clouds have formed over New York City, and anxiety has struck my being with the force of a ten ton nuclear warhead. I was leaving the city that I had just begun to fathom in theory for Newark, New Jersey en route to Bethlehem, Pennsylvania via train and bus, respectively. As if taking on the New York City terrain and subways alone wasn’t a daunting enough task, now I was embarking on a journey across state lines that I was completely unfamiliar with.
Sign of the cross, silent prayer, and . . . break!
I’ll spare you all the boring travel details, but in short, I took a train to Newark, hopped on a bus to Bethlehem, and hoofed it on foot up many a hill to Lehigh University to check out one of my favorite prog-rock bands. Yes, Trettioariga Kriget were back in the States for only the second time in their history and performing on the last day of NearFest, the annual festival that throws a blinding spotlight on all that is progressive in music, especially rock. Most of you know that I’ve had a fascination with these Swedes from the moment I first heard “Lang Historia” off of their 2004 release, Elden Av Ar, so it should come as no surprise that being a mere seventy miles away that I was gonna’ do everything possible to check them out. Again, I have no plans to bore you with every minute detail of me getting to the University, finding the hall, and locating my seat assignment . . . so let’s fast forward to the show, shall we?
The lights went down, the new visual projections were flickering across the back of the stage, and the band made their way to the stage to the massively tense build up of “I Krigets Tid I.” The sound was a little rough in places, but for the most part, Trettioariga Kriget sounded as good as anything one might hear on the live War Years album from last year. Even as singer Robert Zima and keyboardist Mats Lindberg were motioning to the sound crew to increase various levels in their monitors, the band powered through the first two tracks from the brilliant I Borjan Och Slutet. The bass work of Stefan Fredin drove through the sternum, drummer Dag Lundquist hit the skins with primitive force, and guitarist Christer Akerberg showed fluid grace throughout the entire performance, and through the initial songs, powered their way by sheer force of will to get the bands point across.
After the first two songs were complete, I noticed that this NearFest crowd was far from an exuberant bunch, clapping briefly in between the songs, and almost acting like this gig was some odd sort of classical recital. Last time I checked, prog-rock was a derivative of rock ‘n roll, which was all about rebellion and playing music at extreme levels, so in natural rock ‘n roll form, I belted out blood curdling screams of appreciation each and every time that I could. Walk with me or get left behind, NearFesters! TK turned in a blistering rendition of “Lang Historia,” and it was during this song that I recognized the phenomenal playing style of Christer Akerberg. My God . . . his right hand was like water as he half picked and half strummed the passages, his left hand practically had a mind of its own, weaving its way through the complex array of notes. And the band was tight! Throughout the near eight minutes of dips and dives, odd ball time changes, and textural shifts, these guys were on it! Highly technical work with a soulful foundation . . . Trettioariga Kriget showed that they were well prepared to capture the imagination of all in attendance.
For the next hour and a half, these prog-masters filled the air with tunes spanning their entire career though practically eliminating all selections from the more pop oriented Hej Pa Er and Mot Alla Odds, which makes sense. TK were performing for a group of folks who would argue to the death about the greatest moments of King Crimson’s first album, so it makes sense that the bands most technically complex moments were going to be on full display for the mathematicians to contemplate. Tunes like “Kriggsang” and the rarely performed “Roster Fran Minus Till Plus” garnered the loudest responses from the crowd as TK powered through these progressive epics like a group of men with something to prove. But, it was the stunning performance of “Jag Och Jag Och Jag” that knocked the room on its ass. Robert Zima’s heartfelt execution of the vocals, accompanied by the smooth arpeggio’s from Akerberg, took the crowd to their happy place, and once Fredin and Lundquist stepped up to the mic to add vocal harmonies, the crowd damn near passed out from sheer pleasure. Highlight of the show? To many, the answer is, most certainly. If you weren’t there, you can hear the song on War Years and get a strong sense of what we all got to witness first hand.
The band followed up with a couple of tracks from I Borjan Och Slutet in the title track and “Benke.” Again, Akerberg killed me with his playing on “Benke” as he tastefully and gracefully plucked notes from the ether. His accompaniment with Zima’s acoustic guitar playing was also an item of note, and a musical connection that I had either not noticed before or simply took for granted. Go back and listen to the studio version on I Borjan Och Slutet to hear what I’m talking about and then imagine it tenfold as these two worked together like the appendages of the same being.
Trettioariga Kriget wrapped up the show with a tune from their first album called “Ur Djupen.” Mats Lindberg’s keys shimmered across the airwaves and laid down a glimmering plate for Zima’s unique vocal stylings to be served upon. The tune weaved and wound through the various time changes and before we knew it, the band was walking off stage, returning mere minutes later to a joyous cheer from the suddenly ecstatic and boisterous crowd. The band then closed the show with two more fabulous tunes from the first album, “Fjarilsattiyder” and “Kaledoniska Orogenesen.” Both songs are as complex as brain surgery and were what this seemingly critical group of music fans were waiting to hear. The heads were bobbing in an odd off time fashion, the hands came out from underneath their seats, and there were scattered looks of amazement. As the band made their way back stage, I looked at the faces of the exiting crowd and saw smiles, hearing bits of conversation that they had to track down the bands stuff, and I ultimately felt that TK left a well deserved and hard fought footprint in the sand.
Personally, I was so damned satisfied with the show that even if there was bad sound and a lack of initial excitement from the crowd, well . . . it just didn’t bother me. Getting the chance to see Trettioariga Kriget live was an experience that won’t easily be forgotten, and finally getting the chance to shake hands with the band afterward felt like one chapter with the band was complete. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to meet chief lyricist Olle Thornvall who ended up cancelling his trip at the last minute, so that tells me there will be at least one more chapter in my relationship with this group of outstanding musicians.
If you couldn’t make it out to the show, I hope that this review helped paint a picture of what went down. There were no crazy explosions and balls of fire . . . it wasn’t that kind of a rock show. It was an hour and a half of solid prog-rock played by five exceptional musicians with no frills outside of their own God given abilities. Okay. There was the projection screen in the background for some added flavor, which did add a nice mood to most of the songs. If you do get a chance to see these guys do their thing live, I highly recommend it. You’ll be treated to a very entertaining and professional performance. - Pope JTE
A few years ago when the Melvins absorbed Big Business and became a 2 drummer band I was curious to see who else would do the same thing. I wasn’t surprised at all to find out that Kylesa replaced their old drummer with two new ones. What was surprising to me was the results on their 4th and latest album Static Tensions.
I had heard some of Kylesa’s music in passing over the years but none of it left much of an impression. I liked what I heard but was never inspired enough to buy an album. Still, I knew I had to check this album out. Any band with 2 drummers or 3 guitarists is something I always need to investigate. Static Tensions is a kick ass record start to finish and one that will appeal to a wide range of people like their music hard and heavy.
Kylesa get compared a lot to Torche and it’s easy to see why. Both bands are brutally heavy yet include a lot of melody and hooks in their songs. Torche’s live shows are an incredible thing to behold but the records sound a little too much like heavy Foo Fighters for my taste. Kylesa’s sound ranges from Neurosis to the heavy distorto pop of New Day Rising-era Husker Du and the slow pummel of Swans.
Oh yeah, and they’re LOUD.
The first song “Scapegoat” starts off with the drums. Put on your headphones because there are some great panning effects that makes you feel like your sitting between Eric Hernandez and Carl McGinely’s drum kits. When the band kicks in it’s heavy as hell but also very melodic. The guitars of Phillip Cope and Laura Pleasants are tuned way low but have great definition and never get mushy. They must have spent hours tuning their guitars in the studio. How bassist Javier Villegas manages to hold it all together is very impressive. (Javier only plays on the album, Corey Barhorst is doing the touring).
“Insomnia For Months” continues the barrage. Cope’s harsh screamed vocals are offset with Pleasant’s ethereal counterpart. For a 2 minute song it packs in a lot of riffs and a short Space Ritual jam. I wish more bands would be this economical in their arrangements.
There’s plenty of variety to be heard here. Trippy adventures like “Unknown Awareness” and “Perception” will make your head swirl with all the layers of guitars and rhythms messing with your brain. It’s a good thing this album doesn’t come with a strobe light because it would give most people a seizure. “Running Red” is the slowest and heaviest song with an overt Melvins/Neurosis influence. It starts off with solo acoustic piano before kicking into super heavy overdose. This would be a great one to play in traffic. It has a road rage chorus perfect for screaming at the idiot in front of you that keeps jamming on the breaks.
When Mastodon’sCrack The Skye was released a lot of their older fans who were unhappy with it were quick to point out that they preferred Static Tensions. It’s easy to see why. This sounds like the type of record a band like Mastodon would make. The cover art is by John Dyer Baizley of Baroness and the music has much in common with that band as well. They’re both from Savannah, the humidity capitol of Georgia. Savannah is about 3 hours from Macon, GA the home to the Allman Brothers Band museum. I think Butch Trucks should hold a ceremony where he hands the Georgian 2 drummer crown to Kylesa.
We're going to do things a tiny bit differently today. Shake it up a bit.
As many of you may know, in addition to our prides and joys, The Ripple Effect and Ripple Radio, we also run a site over at last.fm and a fun-filled, ball-of-fun group, From The Garage. Over at FTG, we celebrate all things garage rock, from the punky and scuzzy to the glammy and rocky. Most recently, in addition to our normal run of group discussions, we're in the final Round of our second annual Battle of the Bands. The finalists: The Cramps vs The Mummies in a heated battle, the winner of which will take on last year's champ, The Sonics.
In the spirit of that epic Battle, we're presenting a brief Battle of our own between two garage rock Giants. Sit on back at ringside, toss back your brew, place your bets and get ready to rumble.
And now folks, it’s time for our main event. Brought to you by The Ripple Effect and fully licensed in the state of California, tonight’s headline bout features a battle of the garage rock pioneers. In one corner, coming from L.A., featuring the heavy weight songwriting of Sky Saxon, we have the neo-psychedelic fuzz of The Seeds. In the other corner, from the rain-soaked garages of Tacoma, Washington, we got the five-piece underground legends, The Sonics. It’s time to bring these two Garage Heavyweights into the center of the ring, stand em up toe-to-toe and let ‘em have at it. Since production on all these early garage classics usually left a lot to be desired, it will be ignored for our fight tonight. Instead, our judges will rate the fight on a four point scale, giving one point each for: Creativity; Urgency, Musicianship, and Heaviness. May the best band win.
Stepping into the ring first is The Seeds and their classic 1966 release, The Seeds. Mixing a roughed up, raw garage appeal, a dash of early Stones and a flourish of trashy psychedelia, The Seeds may have been the prototypical Southern California underground band. A touch of punk energy infuses their fuzzed out pop, littered with some big washes of a clearly ragged, pre-Sgt. PepperBeatles psychedelia. “Can’t Seem to Make You Mine,” sets the pace perfectly, Sky Saxon’s nasal voice wailing over a rudimentary beat and occasional guitar flourish. Songs like this and the album's hit, “Pushin’ Too Hard,” broke the band out of the pure LA underground and onto mainstream radio. But really it is songs like the amped up “No Escape,” with it’s menacing “Nowhere to run/ Nowhere to hide,” lyric, and the awesome fuzzed out organ tones of “Girl I Want You,” that reveals this albums unique appeal. Sky Saxon fashioned some intensely melodic songs, usually lined with a coat closet full of hooks. At times, the added psychedelic washes, like the feyness of “Try to Understand,” steal from the proto-punk urgency of the album. And you don’t have to look any farther than the frankly repetitive arrangements, primitive music skills, or the stolen riffs-- like the clearly swiped Buddy Holly guitar lines of “Evil Hoodoo,”-- to realize that the band had it’s limits. Still, it’s not mystery to see why bands like the Stooges and Alice Cooper all site The Seeds as a major influence.
Coming out of its corner next, and looking particularly pissed, we have The Sonics brandishing their 1965 fuzzed up, trashed up, beast of early raunch-and-roll, Here Are The Sonics. Gerry Roslie bears one of the world’s greatest underground vocals, belting it out with massive amounts of rough-throated, Little Richard-inspired soul and wailing screams. Behind him, we find a garage band raging at full fury, not afraid to drop guitar solos in amidst their proto-punk ravings or the soulful howling of a big saxophone. Original songs are few here, but back a vicious punch. Just check out the song titles, “The Witch,” “Psycho,” “Strychnine,” and “Boss Hoss.” This is hardly “I Want to Hold Your Hand,” stuff. These guys were clearly a bad influence, insidiously released upon the unsuspecting youth of the Northwest. And the music sounds like it. This isn’t pretty pop. This is full on, kick your nuts and stomp your face, prison pounding, juvenile delinquent rock. A constant driving rhythm section drives the big kicks of songs like “Boss Hoss,” right down your throat. Mix in some definitive versions of standards like “Have Love Will Travel,” “Dirty Robber,” and a performance of “Money,” that makes the Beatles version look like an outtake from American Idol, and you got serious reason to lock up your daughters and hide the keys. There’s a bad influence in town and there ain’t no way I want them spreading their seed in my house. Just give one listen to the roaring, menacing guitars, near-manic, screaming vocals, and relentless pounding of “Psycho,” and you’ll agree. This was punk long before anyone ever heard the word.
So, how do our judges call the match? For Creativity, the nod has to go to The Seeds. When The Sonics wanted to crush out an original, it was pretty fucking impressive, but with only 4 originals on the original version of the album, it hardly compares to the productivity of Sky Saxon’s 17 songs. True, not all Saxon’s songs were that original, recycling his own arrangements, but then, The Sonics were pretty simple themselves, straight-forward, 50’s soul-fired rock and roll. Edge; The Seeds.
For Urgency, there’s no dispute. The Sonics literally blow the doors off the garage with this beast. This was everything punk would become, minus the safety pins and Mohawks. Edge; The Sonics. As far as musicianship goes, we got another non-contest. Search hard for a drum fill on The Seeds album, really hard. You’ll find one, somewhere, but in the meantime, The Sonics will have pounded a battering of garbage cans down your throat, thrown in a couple of guitar solos and screamed like a wild man the whole time. Edge: The Sonics. And finally, I think the question of heaviness has already been answered. At times The Seeds can get a little dark and disquieting, like the nasty, tasty organ riff on “Girl I Want You,” but too much of the cutesiness of flower pop rears its head to make the album a plower. The Sonics, on the other hand, must have scared the shit out of every kid who’d mistakenly played their disc instead of Introducing Herman’s Hermits, or Sounds Like the Searchers. God bless em, the edge here goes to The Sonics
So as the ring announcer steps to the center of the ring, we get the final call of the judges’ tally. The Seeds put up a good fight, but in the end, The Sonics are still the undisputed champs.
This whole piece was written in the spirit of fun, with respect to both bands and musicians and a special nod of respect to the recently departed Sky Saxon. R.I.P. Sky. Thanks for all the great memories.
I’ve had a rash of albums recently that teased me with opening songs that went one way and the rest of the album that took a hard left and went the other way. Somehow the sequencing isn’t quite what I expect from the music and it takes more than a few listenings to gleem the best of the album. The Toronto based Trews, on their 3rd album No Time for Later have done exactly that: the title track reminds me of a ‘70’s Rockpile song, or a mid ‘80’s Smithereens tune. The jangly Rickenbacher guitar overlaid on top of the track, the group chorus singing, even the drum pattern reminds me of them. Only this time its Colin MacDonald and his brother John-Angus MacDonald on the vocals and guitars. A good song….
And then we smash into the second track, Dark Highway, all chopped angry guitars, punked up drums from The Jam, a better produced second generation pop/rock fusion that has Dramarama meeting the Knack. Dark Highway has you reaching for the volume turning it up. Be Love has more than a little Easdale in the vocals, and more than a little Peter Criss in the drums that underpin the lyrics.
The rest of the album doesn’t so much as play in pop music’s backyard as run freely through it with rolls of toilet paper. With gusto, the boys bring a Farfisa organ to pair with the rhythm guitar on "Feel the Rain," a beautiful chorus just around the corner. How can you not love a song with lyrics like: You held my hopes/ you were caffeine for my soul and my heart? Dalton keeps the beat going with smart, economical drumming.
"Paranoid Freak" will have you keeping the volume up, and maybe even rolling the windows down to annoy the car next to you. Colin’s slight phased vocals and John’s slashing power chords on the lyrics belie the boogie-woogie piano keeping all the parts of the song playing nicely. Joe, average guy/ needs more things to buy/ spoon feed me a lie/ I’ll eat it/ I’m on a bad trip/ too many loose lips/ already sinking my ship/ I’m sinking. The Trews have a handle on the fact that rock and roll doesn’t need to always take itself so damn seriously. "Can’t Stop Laughing" doesn’t go as far afield as Barenaked Ladies but it has a chorus that you can’t quite believe you’re singing along with.
The nicest ballad on the record, "Man of Two Minds," a melding of delicate fingerpicking and strings, is as subversive as it is pretty. The protagonist is in love with two different women and can’t make up his mind. Not the usual subject matter for a Journey-worthy power ballad, unless you believe that two different women would be in love with Steve Perry. Pull the lighters out and hold ‘em up, the boys have written a beautiful song.
"If Man of Two Minds" finds the group hugging their inner indecisive child, "Hold Me in Your Arms" finds Colin getting in touch with his inner Robert Plant. A rocker of Zeppelin proportions, the entire band moves as one in a riff based rocked that should be a showstopper. Dalton gets some sonic room in the mix to really pound the skins, and his bass drum carries a wallop. The guitars are like buzzsaws and the group takes its time to build up to the chorus. As the band careens into the bridge, Colin singing “I will not back down to anything or anyone/you cannot contend cause in my head I’m number one/ it’s a mad mad world bady but what you gonna do/ you just watch your back and I’ll watch mine too, it comes across as one less idle rock boast and more a statement on purpose.
The fast paced acoustic rock of "Will You Wash Away" will remind you that you don’t need the Marshall stacks of "Hold Me in Your Arms" to play a compelling powerful song. There are roots here in the powerful desire to see if faith will win out: I don't want to hear you say/ You will never change your ways/ Cause you know it's hard to tell /When the river swells/ Will you wash away? Sung with passion and purpose against the driving drums and acoustic guitars, it quickly has become one of my favorites on the album.
And here is where sequencing gets strange: the 11th track "End of the Line," sounds like an obvious show closer, a slow tempo, the echoing arpeggiated guitar chords, it has last call written all over it before sending the audience out into the desolate Canadian winter.
All of which would be fine if the next track, "Burning Wheels," didn’t burst out of the gate at high speed, Colin singing: i'm travelling through confusion/ on a hectic highway ride/ i'm breaking down illusion/ i am seeing things/ for the first time/ there's nowhere left to hide the decaying power chords behind him, the band’s blurted “hey!” punctuating each couplet. Even the final track on the CD, "Ocean’s End," has the energy of early Pretenders, the prominent bass line, the short terse power chords from the Telecaster, the rhythm guitar panned so far right that the amp is in the broom closet. The song ends with just a touch of the Beatles in the repeating vocal line and echoing tape loops.
It’s a strong album, and one that has been in my rotation for the last couple of weeks. I’ll be searching out the first two Trews albums after this to see where they started and how they got here: strong song craft and great playing will do that for you!
This Field Report is a little unusual in that it’s not so much based on catching a live performance, but more focused on a little musical adventure that I had while spending some time on the East Coast. Much like the record buying trip that Racer and I had in March, this trip to New York was more about what kind of odd ball and nifty nuggets I could come across. That’s not to say that there isn’t going to be a report on some live music . . . trust me, there’s live music in the future. I did travel by foot, bus, and train to catch one of my favorite bands, but that report will be addressed in the second part of this report. For the first portion, I want to share with you some of the sights and sounds that I discovered in New York City, primarily the offices of an influential record label and a few record stores of note. Oh, Waveriders . . . make sure you bring enough spending cash and suitcase room. You’re bound to find some stuff that you can’t live without.
Wednesday, June 17th started off with your fearless Pope walking the mean streets of New York. Growing up, all I ever saw on the tube, or heard from people was just how dangerous New York City is. You don’t want to make eye contact coz’ well, you’ll get stabbed. You don’t want to ride the subways . . . ever. Why not? Coz’ you’re gonna’ get stabbed. You don’t want to smile at someone passing on the streets coz’ they’ll see you as a softy or out of towner and, that’s right . . . you’re gonna’ get stabbed. Guess what folks . . . not my experience at all. In fact, I found that most people were willing to make eye contact right back at you and return a welcoming smile. But, I’m not here to poo poo on the hysteria. I’m here to tell you about this great record store that I stumbled on just off of Broadway (long f’n street, by the way) and just a hair south of Union Square. The store is called Second Hand Rose, located at 48 East 12th Street, and let me tell you . . . this joint was packed full of LP’s the likes I had never seen, and some that I immediately recognized and got all nostalgic with. http://www.shrosemusic.com/
You walk into Second Hand Rose and your head begins to spin. Do I look over there on the left and peruse the jazz section? How about the smallish box of CD’s in the middle of the store? No . . . wait! Do I spy with my wee little eye the location marker for a little ole band called Motorhead? Why, yes I do. Let’s start there, shall we? Man, this place was jam packed with albums from damn near every genre that you can imagine and there was no realistic way that I was going to see everything in one day. All of the music was used, as best as I could tell, but the quality of the merchandise was exceptional. Plus, there were a number of rarities mixed in, so if you do decide to stop by the shop, bring a miners hat, shovel, gloves, lots of water (make sure it’s in a sealable container, we don’t want to spill on the vinyl,) and most importantly, bring a good amount of time and a healthy sense of adventure. Personally, I walked out with a couple of items . . . I couldn’t very well blow my wad in the first store I chanced upon. Also, I had to make sure that I could get all of my purchases packed away in my luggage for the return trip. Anyway, I walked out with a copy of Heavy Weather from Weather Report. Yes, featuring the late great Jaco Pastorius and Joe Zawinul, and also features the superb sax talents of Wayne Shorter. I also found a copy of the latest Roots album. This pick up was kind of a stretch in that I’ve always been intrigued by The Roots, just never found the right opportunity to dig into their groove. Hell, the price was right and I was feelin’ the groove, so why not. FYI – the initial listen was pretty frickin’ awesome!
I continued walking south on Broadway, feeling the first strains of hunger kick in, ignored that nagging belly ache, and marched. Before too long, I was on Bleeker Street. Now, I knew Bleeker had record stores from my early reconnaissance leading up to this trip . . . it was just a matter of strolling past the store fronts to find what I was looking for. As I walked west on Bleeker, into the NYU area I passed countless stores pedaling coffee, electronics, clothes, and grub, and then found myself at the corner of Thompson. Just as I was stepping into the street to cross, I caught a glimpse of a red awning to my right with those magical letters scrawled across it. Record Store. Clouds parted, angels choired, I bee lined. As I walked into Generations Records (http://www.generationrecordsnyc.com/), I saw assailed by a wall of heat and humidity the likes I hadn’t felt since I was in New Orleans. Holy. I let my body acclimate to this new environment and slowly started wandering around the store. As always, I was drawn to the dark corner of the store where all of the metal was stored. I dug through some of the discs, looking for anything that would jump out at me, and at one point had an older Khold album in one hand and a Psyekup album in the other. As I continued perusing, a coupel of long haired hessian types came in, talked trash with each other, and then I heard one tell the other that he was going downstairs. Downstairs? I’m sorry . . . did someone say downstairs? So like some odd record shopper stalker guy, I followed the guys down the stairwell and, despite the overbearing heat and the reek of age, I found a new part of heaven. Vinyl to the left of me, Cd’s to the right . . . here I am, stuck in the middle . . . alright you readers can finish the line of the song if you’d like. Anyway, I began sifting through the miles of used vinyl, looking for anything and everything that tickled that special area, but I gotta’ admit . . . I just wasn’t feeling it. I wasn’t feeling that massive well of excitement from this find. Was it because Racer wasn’t a part of this adventure? Ah . . . it could be, but I really think that it was because I wanted to find something cool and collectible, not just cheap, used discs from the names we’ve all come to know and love. Ultimately, I decided to power through the new vinyl area to see if anything jumped out at me. This is when it all hit me. Long story short, I checked out of the store with a limited edition double gatefold LP from Wolves in the Throne Room (Two Hunters) on gold vinyl, the double live colored vinyl Thrash and Destroy from Hirax, the double vinyl live Killadelphia from Lamb of God, and a used, yet very clean copy of Tommy Bolin’s Private Eyes. I was suddenly very happy and fulfilled.
I walked out of the store, exhausted, with much the same feeling as a marathon night of sex, and noted the location of the store in my handy dandy tour notebook. I had to make sure that if I had more time later in this trip, or for future treks, that I had the location correct. I then made my way to a subway entrance and began my descent into the bowels of the city. I won’t go into great detail on the sheer fear I had as I took my first subway to destinations unknown. If you’re really interested, I may publish a firsthand account of The Pope’s First Solo Subway Ride for future consumption. Anyway, my main man Alex Gilbert with All About the Music contacted me and told me that he was at the offices of Earache Records (http://www.earache.com/) for an intern gig. He was basically inviting me on by the offices to hang out, meet the chaps running one of the world’s most extreme record labels, and talk with a band called Municipal Waste.
Soon, I was wandering around Long Island City, waiting for my metal brethren to guide to the mother ship. We walked through the doors of Earache and I was introduced to every person within those walls, including Al Dawson who runs the U.S. branch of the label. As many of you may know, Earache was originally formed in the late ‘80’s in the UK, releasing the first albums from Napalm Death, Carcass, Morbid Angel, Godflesh . . . I could go on and on, but these guys were responsible for dropping grindcore genre onto our unsuspecting ears. And then, as I shook hands with the good Mr. Dawson and took in the tales of the labels meager beginnings, I realized that I was in the midst of legends. Pretty fucking cool sensation, to say the least. The folks at Earache live the music. None of these guys are getting rich doing their thing, at least not in a monetary fashion. They’re probably a whole lot richer in the sense that they’re helping to create the music and art that they want to, and that which makes them happy. They’re doing it for the love. Though the atmosphere of the offices were laid back and welcoming, I got the sense that everybody there would die for their love of the music and if they had to meet some deadline, everybody would stay through the wee hours of the night to ensure the job got done.
The Municipal Waste guys had just finished up a video interview and I was asked by the PR guys if I wanted to do a quick interview. Having never heard of the band before, I graciously declined the invitation stating that it would probably be the most awkward interview the band would ever give. We’ll just go ahead and leave the awkwardness to others. And, after a slice of pizza and my first soda in about six years, I said my thanks and good-byes, wished everybody the greatest success, and limped back to my train station to get back to the city.
That night, Alex tracked me down in my neck of the woods and we planted our asses at a bar for the next five hours or so. Pints went down, music was played, and conversations were had about the music being played, about our futures with music, music, music, music . . . and the room tilted to one side and then the next. I bruised my hand in emphatic speech, my voice got louder and louder, and I only pee’d once. It was a good night and ended with me sitting up until 5:00 am playing video games. I smiled knowing that this was only day one of a ten day trip. Ha! - Pope JTE
When we stumbled on Water is Rising from Ecotone Refugees we hoped for the best and expected the worst. What we got was an album that became part of our everyday life and soon started to engrain itself in the fabric of our existance. We were able to catch up with Johnny and Dave, and fired off our usual volley of questions. Here's what some of New York's finest had to say.
When I was a kid, growing up in a house with Cat Stevens, Neil Diamond, Johnny Mathis, Perry Como, and Simon & Garfunkle, the first time I ever hear Kiss's "Detroit Rock City," it was a moment of musical epiphany. It was just so vicious, aggressive and mean. It changed the way I listened to music. I've had a few minor epiphanies since then, when you come across a band that just brings something new and revolutionary to your ears.
What have been your musical epiphany moments?
Johnny - I've had several epiphanies. One was when I first heard "Iron Man" by Black Sabbath, I thought to myself, this band is scary, and being a fan of horror movies and their soundtracks, I was thrilled to hear this new sound. Another was when I heard "Echoes" by Pink Floyd. Now here’s a band that is totally insane, or maybe just riding the razorblade between genius and insanity, after all, what band would write a song that would take up the length of a whole album side. I like the idea of art being free and writing a song that goes on a journey. When I first heard "Roundabout" by Yes, I never knew a song could be complex, catchy and groove so hard. And being that I played organ at the time, Wakeman’s solo was a total turn on. Nirvana exited me because besides the raw energy, they used unique chord progressions that hadn’t been done much before. I’ve always had a fascination as a songwriter with finding the lost chord or a progression never played before.
Dave – First of all, I grew up in a similar household to you, we listened to the Carpenters and broadway showtunes and we sang every night. Then, one day I got some free tapes from the Columbia record club, and I heard AC/DCDirty Deeds, and was blown off my couch. Then, also in the collection was The DoorsAmerican Poetry album and I knew then that I wanted to write lyrics. Then I heard Black Flag, and I realized that I didn’t have to sing like Robert Plant to get on a mic. My latest epiphany was 2 years ago when I picked up the bass and joined this band. It’s the first time I played an instrument in a band and the first time I’ve sung with another singer.
Genre's are so misleading and such a way to pigeonhole bands. Without resorting to labels, how would you describe your music?
Intense, intriguing, inspiring, emotional, raw, intellectual, back to basics, dark, melodic, trippy, it’s not just the destination enjoy the ride.
What is your musical intention? What are you trying to express or get your audience to feel?
We want to pluck some emotional strings and trip people out. We want them to be entertained. We want them to have as much fun listening to it as we’re having playing it.
Ecotone Refugees blend a variety of different musical styles to create the ear candy that is Water is Rising. What was your approach to making this album? What was your inspiration?
No Rules. That was our approach. And we have to like it first. If anyone else likes it, we will count ourselves lucky.
In songwriting, how do you bring the song together? What do you look for in terms of complexity? Simplicity? Time changes?
Dave – For me it’s all about an emotional reaction to what I’m trying to create in the moment, then trying to edit it to make the words presentable.
Johnny – A cool progression, a catchy bassline, finding a tempo that feels good, repeat until a simple vocal phrase comes to mind. When something hits you, go with the flow. Work on the details later.
What piece of your music are you particularly proud of?
Water Rising.
The business of music is a brutal place. Changes in technology have made it easier than ever for bands to get their music out, but harder than ever to make a living? What are your plans to move the band forward? How do you stay motivated in this brutal business?
We’re trying to get a grassroots following. Our next album is mostly written. We’re motivated because we love it, not because it’s easy. We want to get on tour as soon as we can.
Anyone who’s been in the music biz for more than a few hours seems to have a “Spinal Tap” story or two. So far, what’s your best story?
A few years ago, before we formed this band, Dave and I were in LA at a songwriting convention. At night, everybody had broken into little song circles around the hotel. This guy was listening to us and he looked like one of the speakers, a major A&R guy. So we say “Bob right”? (name changed), He says yeah, nice to meet you. We start playing our hearts out, for like a half an hour. Much to our dismay, we later found out the only thing he had in common with the real Bob was his name and a certain resemblance. We may have been embarrassed, but we had the beginnings of the first song on Dave’s last solo album.
Vinyl, CD, or digital? What's your format of choice?
I like cds, digital sounds kind of crappy, but it allows us to be exposed to much more music than we ever could have heard before digital came along.
We, at The Ripple Effect, are constantly looking for new music. When we come to your town, what's the best record store to visit?
I don’t know if it’s the best, but there’s a store with a ton of old vinyl across the street from where we rehearse. Earwax on Bedford is pretty decent.
FREE FULL-ALBUM DOWNLOAD - A BACKWARD GLANCE ON A TRAVEL ROAD self-titled debut, out now!!
A BACKWARD GLANCE ON A TRAVEL ROAD, the side project of French experi-metalists Hypno5e, has made their self-titled debut available for FREE DOWNLOAD worldwide.To download this masterpiece in high-quality mp3 w/ the official album artwork and booklet, head over here: http://www.dl-abackwardglance.com/
Donations are welcome, and all in all, we encourage you to download it, burn it, post it everywhere, and help support this initiative.
For those of you interested in physical copies, the band is planning to release a COLLECTOR VERSION (remixed & remastered) of this release with bonus tracks, which is scheduled to surface October 2009.Stay tuned…
Make sure you spread the word, burn it for a friend, upload it everywhere and anywhere, and help blow up these French virtuosos.The music touches every nerve, where it's haunting and terrifying one moment, and hopeful the next, for one to realize where they went wrong in life, and then to live it to its greatest success.Emotionally heavy, beautifully executed ambient passages, and rich open minded colors flashing in every direction. A BACKWARD GLANCE ON A TRAVEL ROAD opens you up to discover the future.
And as the beauty of concept shows, each song creates a unique train of thought to the mind.Visuals for each song can be seen by clicking on the above tracklisting.
This album blew the mind of our esteemed Pope JTE, who wrote:
“This is the kind of stuff that forces you to take stock of your life and see just where you went wrong, yet feeding you with enough hope to pick yourself up to live life to the greatest success. . . The music touches the nerves in so many different ways, exciting one minute, saddening the next, building moments of hope and elation, terrifying the soul a heartbeat later. A Backward Glance on a Travel Road is an experience that I urge you all to be a part of. The album is a musical masterpiece and an epic journey through life we’ve led or are about to lead.”
There's a famous line in a movie that goes, "You had me at hello." That sums up my experience with Stone Axe.
Sometimes it doesn't take much to hook you, to grab you, to reel you in like some thrashing marlin off the coast of Baja. And I'll tell you, it only took 1 (count it, one) second of the first track of Stone Axe's debut album to know that I was hooked. If I was a marlin you could just go ahead and drag me into the good Stone Axe fishing boat, gut me, hang me up by my heels and weigh me. Oh heck, stuff me and stick me on the wall of the Stone Axe pub because I ain't going anywhere.
Stone Axe is the creation of Mos Generator guitarist Tony Reed and The Swinos vocalist Dru Brinkerhoff and should be adorning the shelves of all fans of big time, blues-injected classic rock like Free, Bad Company, and early Moody/Marsden Whitesnake. I saw this album referred to as "stoner rock," on some random music zine, but I gotta disagree. That's really just lazy publishing. Not all retro-70's, big riff rock and roll is "stoner," just like those bands I mentioned aren't stoner. No, this is big time, ball bashing, groove-laden, riff mongering blues and roll, directly related to those bands from the past, but streamlined right here into our future.
Now that first second of "Riders of the Night," starts off with a greasy and nasty, slightly grungy, big-time blues riff of the type that'd make Mick Ralphs cry with appreciation. Tony Reed immediately blows my mind with his guitar work, toning down the fuzz from Mos Generator and cranking up the bluesy savagery. But he's not content to stop there. No, Master Reed has to go on to prove that he's just as accomplished on the bass and drums. Yes, he plays every instrument here. And I'm not just talking, keeping-time 4/4 drumming. Tony drops in some subtle flourishes on the high hat, some tasty fills, and a generally grooving beat. When Dru drops in his vocals about 15 seconds in, be prepared. This cat is a revelation. His tone and timber are as reminiscent of Paul Rogers as I've heard in ages. And it sounds perfectly natural, not forced, just deeply soulful, heavily emotional, and perfectly toned. If I played this song unannounced, I bet 9 out of ten dentists would think it was Free playing. This is a lost classic track from the '70's that we've always loved yet for some reason haven't heard in ages. But thank God it's here now.
"My Darkest Days," begins with a rumbling bass tone, accompanied by some gentle acoustic guitar, and a touch of Cream psychedelia. Dru's voice takes on a more David Coverdale tone here, reaching deep down to pull out every ounce of it's emotion. And lest you think for a minute that isn't a compliment, just remember that before the John Sykes era, The Cov was undeniably one of the best blues rock belters out there. Some nice wahed guitar burst in through the ominous beat, surrounded by thundering percussion, and some swirling keys, bringing on a Zep feeling.
"Black Widow," is one of the main standout tracks on a disc full of standouts. Think early AC/DC as inspiration for the opening guitar, but Dru jumps right into his deeply Coverdale vocals here tossing this song right back to the glory days of early Whitesnake. Perhaps for no definable reason this song reminds me of Whitesnake's "Blind Man," but referencing isn't necessary. This is one rolling, rumbling, mean and nasty blues rock jam, percolating with a passionate, sensual energy, nearly sultry in the way the groove lays out, like a dangerous woman spreading her legs across your bed. Tony's fingers fly from one riff to another, dropping in a tasteful solo, before Dru launches back in with that amazing voice. Seriously, if you're a fan of the vocals of Paul Rogers or the Cov, you need to check this one out.
"Shining On," moves quickly through another Zeppelin inspired polyrhythmic blast, right into "There's Be Days," who's loose strung strumming instantly captivates. As the guitars pick up, strumming and picking in nice overdubs, Dru comes in, belting it out like Rod Stewart in his early (and still listenable) Maggie Mae days. "The Skylah Rae," ushers in a touch of the psychedelic for a freeform spacey ride on a cosmic ship journeying through the outer reaches of our galaxy. Slightly muted in production, mirroring the space theme, this song grows in power on it's looping bassline, gaining momentum, building in intensity. Dru gives another masterful vocal performance while Tony throws just about every trick he knows, and makes up a few new ones, with his drumming, guitars and bass. The epic centerpiece of the album, it shouldn't be missed.
Some nasty fuzz greets us with "Rhinoceros," shades of early AC/DC rides through "Diamonds and Fools," all the way to the surprising Thin Lizzy-esque closer "Taking Me Home," proving that Tony and Dru have digested a vast assortment of influences and digested them well before bringing their own meal to the table.
In the end a vastly satisfying album, infused with a genuine passion and love of the classic '70's rock. It's like Mr. Wizard dialed the 1970's into his wayback machine, grabbed the best of the lot and dropped it right here into the lap of the two dudes capable of bringing it all back to life, as big and beautiful as it ever was, and revved up for the current day. This is straight on rust and whiskey blues rock and roll, remarkable in it's depth and warmth, brimming with authenticity and moxie. I've seen that the album and some singles are available on vinyl and that would be the absolute best way to savor each texture the guys create here.
Yep, count me glad to be caught and hanging on that pub wall. If this is the house band, there just aren't too many better places to be.
From the ashes of Canada’s beloved Goat Horn rises Cauldron. Goat Horn was an incredible NWOBHM meets thrash band that put on great live shows and had hilarious metal anthems like “Rotten Roll” and “Right Heavy Metal.” They called it quits in 2006 and bassist/vocalist Jason Decay formed Cauldron with Flying V guitarist Ian Chains and drummer Chris Rites. The attitude is the same but the music is slightly more refined with less thrash and more NWOBHM. Fans of Raven, Acid, A II Z, Witchfinder General and Thor will be delighted with this record.
Chained To The Nite’s album cover looks like something that could have been released on the Long Island metal label Mongol Horde circa 1983 (home of the awesomely terrible Alien and Takashi). Cauldron are big fans of Thor and the artwork seems to be a tribute to his Unchained EP cover as well as the Keep The Dogs Away LP.
“Young and Hungry” starts the album off with a heavy midtempo anthem that would be a huge MTV hit if this was 25 years ago. Heavy enough to please the guys and with a big chorus for the girls to sing along to while cruising Main Street in dullsville suburbia. “Conjure The Mass” is up next and has a sinister riff but is not Satanic.
It should come as no surprise that guitarist Ian Chains shines on the songs “Chained Up In Chains” and “Chains Around Heaven.” Anyone who can’t enjoy these songs just doesn’t know how to have fun. “The Leavening/Fermenting Enchantress” shows off a bit more of a 1984 Metallica sound. That’s as contemporary as Cauldron gets. “Dreams Die Young” is a fast one with Iron Maiden style leads over a thundering Judas Priest rhythm, while “Witch Trial” is total Angel Witch.
This is a solid album that pays tribute to the early 80’s “heavy metal” era, before it became just “metal.” A few of the songs go on a little too long, but so did a lot of the songs back then. The guitars are crunchy and have a “scooped mid” tone (bass and treble all the way up, midrange on zero), the drums have tons of reverb and the bass is barely audible. Jason Decay’s vocals are limited in range but if you like Angel Witch you’ll have no complaints. Cauldron will be touring the US later this summer with Sweden’s Enforcer. If you want a night of straight ahead, no nonsense headbanging then tuck your acid washed jeans into your white high tops, break out your Agent Steel cut off T and jump in the fire!
In past reviews of Norwegian black metal albums, I’ve painted stark pictures of bitter winter landscapes as I’ve interpreted the music set before me. Frigid forested mountains caked with snow and ice, windswept hills and lands barren of most human life. The black metal mavens of Norway always seem to capture these environments better than most, creating this amazing imagery of desolation and want, which makes me think that their approach to the music is more than to follow the deer trails of those who came before them and more a lifestyle of shunning human existence. Steeped in the essence of the northern lands, multi-instrumentalist Sarke creates an overwhelming wave of earthy groove metal that mixes seamlessly with mesmerizing atmospheric passages, and vocalist Nocturno Culto (Darkthrone) adds the venom needed to propel this album into the ether. Vorunah is a spectacle to set your ears upon. Rabid. Monstrous. At times, overpowering and almighty, other times, majestic and sprawling. Ultimately addictive in its simplicity, Vorunah is the type of album that will make its way to the turntable without conscious effort.
As the opening track, “Primitive Killing” kicks in, the head will undoubtedly begin it’s up and down pattern, pushed along by a high octane tempo and dark, gritty guitar riff. Once the vocals part the wisps of smoke and Culto begins describing his knife of bone and rope for strangulation, it’s immediately apparent that these guys are hell bent on kicking our collective asses. Great riffs rain down like the leaves falling from the windblown trees, shifting with the tempo to create a greater sense of mood, and that break shortly after the two minute mark is brilliant in the way it creates dynamics and space. The beat practically disappears and the music grinds down to the slowest of slow grooves, hitting us with a quasi-Sabbath doom riff. As the guitars re-enter with their groove-centric riffage, take note of the subtle ambient flourishes in the background, sounding almost like a gong being struck to sound the battle charge. It’s a minute portion of the song, but damn! It creates this awesome feeling of tension and release.
As “Primitive Killing” fades out, it’s soon replaced by the droning guitar riffery of the title track. This song is truly brutal. Detuned and heavily distorted guitars power through the air, all to a mid tempo drum beat, overpowering the senses with its sheer weight. Pay close attention to the drum work as the song comes out of the first chorus. Sarke’s off pattern kilter with the drums follows the equally off kilter guitar passage. I get a sense of a bit of prog-rock with this tune despite the overbearing heft of the music, partially from the intricate guitar and drum work, but also from the sprawling keyboards creating an ethereal sense to the music. Culto’s vocals, again, spit out their venomous message of loathing towards the hanger’s-on crowd, snarled with menace, but never going the route of recent death metal trends to being incomprehensible. “Vorunah” is an instant classic. Just add water.
After being pummeled into pudding by the first three songs, Sarke take us on a more surreal journey across the darkened skies of the northern winter. “Frost Junkie” has a heavy ‘70’s rock vibe to it for the first half, somewhat spacey and airy, though rooted to the earth by a thick bass line. The guitars play sparse notes over the slowed down tempo, creating a great image of stumbling lost in the frozen wastelands on the Arctic. And then, the whole thing explodes with fire! The tempo increases just a tad, and the guitars come in with a fully distorted chugga-chugga attack that stomps the frozen bones that litter the wasteland into dust. Great dynamics! Mesmerizing with its atmospherics, it’s almost as if we’re all on some psychedelic trip, and then Sarke grab us by the ears and bellow at the top of the lungs, straight into our shuddering forms, effectively killing our buzz as we try to wipe the spittle from our faces. Yeah! Let’s listen to that one again!
As we flip over the record (yes, I picked up the vinyl edition of the album) and we hear the needle crackle across the open space between the first and second tracks, “Cult Ritual” rolls across our senses like some out of control manifestation of doom and darkness. The song opens with some atmospheric sound effects and the clean toned guitar who’s strings are softly plucked. The whole sensation is pretty creepy, and then the guitars go all crunchy on us and intermingle with an acoustic piano that’s softly played for texture. As the more ambient portions of the song fade away, the Culto led barrage of doom fueled metal grooves its way into our souls. So heavy, so unforgiving, and so unrelenting, Sarke power this epic tune into oblivion and beyond.
Vorunah is a fairly simplistic album in that the riffs aren’t these mindboggling affairs, but they’re unique enough to warrant repeated listens. Nor are the compositions so far out there that they’re not accessible, but the songs are not your average metal songs either. This album is as compelling and addictive as it is because of its simplicity as much as its individuality. Musician Sarke did a great job of capturing so many different moods and emotions, yet keeping the superfluous out of the mix. And tapping Nocturno Culto to take over the vocal duties is an understated move of brilliance. Everything works on this album. The musicianship, the performances, the songwriting . . . it all comes together to create a sound that’s heroin addictive, forcing me to unwittingly reach for it when there’s nothing else playing. C’mon, you know you want to join all of us Frost Junkies as we plod through knee deep patches of snow. We’ll wait for you to don your parkas, but not for too long. Rumor has it that there’s ice fishing to be done.
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