The Xroadie Files



Briqueville - II
AKTE V has dark grinding guitar and a solid beat.  The song begins with lots of noise and feedback that worms its way into your brain.  This is kinda like pissed off old Pink Floyd or some of the more obscure progressive rock bands from the 70’s but heavier.  AKTE VI is very slow and almost silent.  Slowly building in volume the guitar has some very emotional playing, then it kicks you in the teeth with intensity and volume.  It sounds like a cross between stoner and psychedelic music.  AKTE VII is another slow building song that is very space rock oriented at the end and it has a very middle eastern feel.


Midnite Hellion – Condemned to Hell
Drew Rizzo – Drums, Rich Kubik – Bass/ Vocals, Mario DiBartolo – Guitar

Black and White starts with an old radio changing stations.  Then an awesome speed metal style of riffs kicks in with thrash style vocals.  Death Dealer continues the metal riffage like fast Judas Priest with some excellent tempo changes.  Cross the Line is classic fast heavy metal that makes you want to just get up, throw your fist in the air, and then mosh.  Enter The Nightmare slowly builds with acoustic guitar and some chimes then an excellent speed thrash song.  It reminds me of some of the Exodus stuff.  Soldiers Of Hands is a fist in the air head banger that will have the entire crowd moving.  The Fever is another Judas Priest inspired song.  It's a great fist in the air, sing along metal anthem.  RIP It Up has an Annihilator style to the music and vocals along with some excellent guitar leads.  The Morrigan is just pure classic heavy metal, maybe the best riff on the album and that’s saying a lot.  Another just pure metal song.  Teenage Bloodsuckin’ Bimbos has spoken words then another excellent riff, some awesome bass, and some chanting sing along vocals to end this excellent metal festival of sounds.  


Monster Magnet - Tab (Reissue)
Dave Wyndorf – Vocals/ Guitar, Tim Cronin – Vocals, John McBain – Guitar, Joe Calandra – Bass, JonKlieman – Drums

Tab is an almost 34 minute space rock odyssey of sounds.  Mix Hawkwind, older Pink Floyd, and some more slow space rock from the 70’s and this is what you get.  Kick back, close your eyes and get ready to trip.  25 takes you to the outer places in your mind, then kicks into a MC5 style of song, and maybe like the original Amboy Dukes.  Longhair is more straight forward hard space rock, maybe with some Ziggy Stardust influence.  Lord 13 has the sound of a bar crowd mixed with a band tuning up which starts to play over the crowd noise.  Strange and different.   


Monster Magnet -  Spine Of God (Reissue)
Dave Wyndorf – Vocals/ Guitar, Tim Cronin – Vocals, John McBain – Guitar, Joe Calandra – Bass, JonKlieman – Drums

Pill Shovel has an excellent drum intro and then the fuzz guitars kick in.  This takes you back to the psychedelic late 60’s.  Medicine has a very Grand Funk Railroad style of riff with lots of awesome musicianship.  NOD Scene starts out very much like older Pink Floyd with fuzz guitars and strange sounds.  Then it kicks into a Black Sabbath style of riff, then goes back and forth.  Black Mastermind is a stoner Sabbath style of riff and rhythm with some excellent drum and bass playing.  Zodiac Lung takes you back to the days of maybe a cross between Frigid Pink and The Animals.  Spine Of God slowly builds with some very spacey sounds and guitar, then a slow plodding Black Sabbath style of riff kicks in, then back to the spacey melodic stuff with some spoken word continues till the end. Snake Dance has an excellent riff and drums to move to the beat with and also trip to.  Sins a Good Mans Brother is a cover originally done by Grand Funk Railroad.  I like the original better but this is a very good cover worth listening to.  Ozium takes you back to the 60’s and early 70's.  It's just slow, trippy, and moody with lots of emotion.  They end the album with the demo version of Ozium, slightly different but still as trippy.


-Xroadie

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