I've known of this band for a few years and I am surprised it has taken me this long to talk about them. I have dug the sound Volbeat has put out for the past few years but I guess what got my attention was the story behind the band. That prompted me to write my blog about the band.
I first heard the band back in 08 with their release of the track Sad Man's Tongue and thought the sound was good. In 2010, was their Album release Beyond Hell/Above Heaven and the band became a hit.
The band is very guitar rift driven. They use a lot of the same driving rhythm on their tracks. There is a lot about the mythology of the American Old West. That's okay but when you find out where Volbeat comes from their obsession with the Old West takes on a wholly different feel. Doing my research into the band I found out that they are Danish. Once again, it is a small world we live in that a Heavy Metal band from Denmark would write such authentic songs about the American Old West.
Their latest release was Seal the Deal and Let's Boogie. The album keeps the same driving beat and great vocals of their past releases. I enjoyed it but preferred the 2010 Beyond Hell/Above Heaven release. Maybe the 2010 release had more tracks that I have heard for the past 7 years and really love so those might be the only reasons I prefer that release.
I would recommend several tracks for the band to get a feel for their sound, The Mirror and the Ripper, A Warriors Call, The Hangman's Body Count, Lola Montez, and my favorite release Still Counting.
A great modern Heavy Metal/Hard Rock band with a cool back story, Volbeat should be listened to.
Till next time, listen to the best - your ears deserve it.
Sunday, January 22, 2017
Monday, January 9, 2017
Halestorm 3 take on Covers
I discovered Halestorm many years ago, actually 11 years ago with their first self titled release. The song I Get Off got me hooked. It has been great to see the band grow and become a mainstream of Modern Hard Rock, especially since the band is fronted by one Lizzy Hale.
I have talked about Women in rock and the strong foothold they have taken in the 21st Century. One of the leading bands in the new wave has been Halestorm. The band writes strong songs with driving guitar work and insightful lyrics. I highly recommend any of their releases, but this review is about the latest of three EPs of cover work.
Starting in 2011 with the release of Reanimate Halestorm their first of their cover EP's. I have mentioned in earlier posts that one of the great things about Modern Hard Rock and Metal is the respect they show to the bands from the 80's and 90's with covers. The other thing that the Reanimate EPs and others in the Modern Hard rock community have done is cover current Pop songs. The first EP has a astounding cover of Bad Romance by Lady Gaga and the current has a unique take on Heathens by 21 Pilots. I have to say the stand out track for the three EPs is the cover of Pat Benatar's Hell is For Children. Lizzy does justice in tribute to a female pioneer of Hard Rock.
The band shows their range by covering all periods of music; giving tribute while keeping the bands own flavor at the same time. I only have one of sort of criticism, I wish they did the full cover of Still of the Night by Whitesnake. Lizzy sounds great on it but I want the full orchestra on all that Whitesnake had. Other than that very minor critique of the EPs I wholeheartedly recommend you give them a listen.
Til next time, listen to the best - your ears deserve it.
I have talked about Women in rock and the strong foothold they have taken in the 21st Century. One of the leading bands in the new wave has been Halestorm. The band writes strong songs with driving guitar work and insightful lyrics. I highly recommend any of their releases, but this review is about the latest of three EPs of cover work.
Starting in 2011 with the release of Reanimate Halestorm their first of their cover EP's. I have mentioned in earlier posts that one of the great things about Modern Hard Rock and Metal is the respect they show to the bands from the 80's and 90's with covers. The other thing that the Reanimate EPs and others in the Modern Hard rock community have done is cover current Pop songs. The first EP has a astounding cover of Bad Romance by Lady Gaga and the current has a unique take on Heathens by 21 Pilots. I have to say the stand out track for the three EPs is the cover of Pat Benatar's Hell is For Children. Lizzy does justice in tribute to a female pioneer of Hard Rock.
The band shows their range by covering all periods of music; giving tribute while keeping the bands own flavor at the same time. I only have one of sort of criticism, I wish they did the full cover of Still of the Night by Whitesnake. Lizzy sounds great on it but I want the full orchestra on all that Whitesnake had. Other than that very minor critique of the EPs I wholeheartedly recommend you give them a listen.
Til next time, listen to the best - your ears deserve it.
Tuesday, January 3, 2017
The Native Howl's Trash Grass
Thank you Joe Proctor for adding a link to this band on your Face Book page. I am always looking for different blends of sounds and the latest EP release from The Native Howl fits the bill very well.
The Native Howl are 4 very talented musicians from Detroit who blend folk, rock, alternative and with the newest release Bluegrass to form a fun unique sound. The band is still relatively young, only formed in 2013,with only three EPs/Albums released.
Intrigued by the Thunder Head track, the first release from Trash Grass, I decided to dig deeper and listen to the rest of the three albums the band has done. I mostly liked what I heard from the first two releases and Love the newest Trash Grass. The first two releases are mainly a Folk Rock, Alternative sound, which have never been my favorite. I respect the musicians and can hear the quality of what they are doing but just not my cup of coffee.
Now with Trash Grass the music speaks to me. The first track Thunder Head sounds like if you gave a top Bluegrass Group at hit of Speed and then recorded the results, which are Awesome. Doomed from the Start is a fun track about how useless existence is the lyrics cleverly go over all the different ways Mankind can be doomed. Follow Me is a released track from an early release. Finally, with Hurricane, the EP comes to its howling end.
A pleasant find and a fun blending of two styles of music that don't normally blend give Trash Grass a listen.
Til next time, listen to the best- your ears deserve it.
The Native Howl are 4 very talented musicians from Detroit who blend folk, rock, alternative and with the newest release Bluegrass to form a fun unique sound. The band is still relatively young, only formed in 2013,with only three EPs/Albums released.
Intrigued by the Thunder Head track, the first release from Trash Grass, I decided to dig deeper and listen to the rest of the three albums the band has done. I mostly liked what I heard from the first two releases and Love the newest Trash Grass. The first two releases are mainly a Folk Rock, Alternative sound, which have never been my favorite. I respect the musicians and can hear the quality of what they are doing but just not my cup of coffee.
Now with Trash Grass the music speaks to me. The first track Thunder Head sounds like if you gave a top Bluegrass Group at hit of Speed and then recorded the results, which are Awesome. Doomed from the Start is a fun track about how useless existence is the lyrics cleverly go over all the different ways Mankind can be doomed. Follow Me is a released track from an early release. Finally, with Hurricane, the EP comes to its howling end.
A pleasant find and a fun blending of two styles of music that don't normally blend give Trash Grass a listen.
Til next time, listen to the best- your ears deserve it.
Thursday, December 22, 2016
Metallica Hardwired on the third try
The past 13 years haven't been great for the god's of Metal , the band Metallica. I will start with Death Magnetic, I won't mention the album that shouldn't be named St. Something or other, it was not a great album. Death Magnetic was on the level of the Reload release, kind of there but not awful. It took 13 years since the departure of Jason Newsted to get it right, but with Hardwired... to Self Destruct, Metallica sounds like the gods of metal again.
8 years is a long time in between releases and I have heard many times during the past years that this album was coming. After too many years of false starts the release has been worth the wait.
To start, I have to say I am impressed with the full court press of media on this release. A full week of a single channel of Metallica on Sirus/XM and appearances on Jimmy Kimmel. There are also at least 8 videos for the album on You Tube.This is a statement. The band knows that this album is getting them back to the top of the Metal Mountain.
A few months ago, thanks to ITunes music, I listened to the first three released tracks: Hardwired, Atlas, Rise! and Moth into Flame. I was hooked just from theses tracks. Finally,when the rest of the album came out I feel the fans' patience was rewarded.
The best thing about the album is that its a great gumbo of Pre and Post Black sounds. Atlas, Rise! and Spit out the Bone sounds early, Now that We're Dead and Hardwired sounds like Black era. I have really enjoyed every track on the release and the sound should satisfy all Metallica fans.
If you want to listen to one of the gods of Metal reawaken to their Greatness listen to Hardwired,,,To Self Destruct.
Til next time listen to the best your ears deserve it.
To start, I have to say I am impressed with the full court press of media on this release. A full week of a single channel of Metallica on Sirus/XM and appearances on Jimmy Kimmel. There are also at least 8 videos for the album on You Tube.This is a statement. The band knows that this album is getting them back to the top of the Metal Mountain.
A few months ago, thanks to ITunes music, I listened to the first three released tracks: Hardwired, Atlas, Rise! and Moth into Flame. I was hooked just from theses tracks. Finally,when the rest of the album came out I feel the fans' patience was rewarded.
The best thing about the album is that its a great gumbo of Pre and Post Black sounds. Atlas, Rise! and Spit out the Bone sounds early, Now that We're Dead and Hardwired sounds like Black era. I have really enjoyed every track on the release and the sound should satisfy all Metallica fans.
If you want to listen to one of the gods of Metal reawaken to their Greatness listen to Hardwired,,,To Self Destruct.
Til next time listen to the best your ears deserve it.
Tuesday, November 29, 2016
A7X Stages a reaching release
As mentioned in an earlier post (The Best Metal Band of 2000) I think Avenged Sevenfold is the best Hard Rock/Metal band of this generation. And with three years since their release of the Monster album Hail to The King the band was due for some new music. What was odd was on how they released the new stuff, no fanfair. Just a quiet here's our title track released on Itunes, Amazon, Spotify oh and next few weeks the rest will be out. Hey when you are the biggest band out there you can have the luxury of people finding you.
So after a few weeks of listing to the album The Stage I am still mixed on my review of it. Let me start by saying Avenged Sevenfold has not stepped back musically or creatively. Truly it is the opposite the band is reaching for much more on this release, and my reaction is did they Overreach? The title track and first release The Stage is grand. The song clocks in at an epic 8:32 time wise and it isn't even the longest song on the album. Musically and lyricly it is ambitious and is very much worth the longer time.
Honestly all the songs on The Stage deal with deep issues and are richly layered with amazing guitar and pounding double bass drums. The final track on the album is the epic Exist, The song clocks in at an 15:41 and even has Neil deGrasse Tyson speaking on the track. So yes the songs are almost like orchestral movements on The Stage.
I loved Hail to The King and think the band reached the top of the Hard Rock world with its release. So if there is a time for a band to stretch out and go beyond their musical limits why not try when you are at the pinnacle? I am mixed on my review but I can say I have really enjoyed getting lost on The Stage. So if you want to hear a band at its height musically and popularity wise see how fat they can go you need to go listen to The Stage.
Til next time listen to the best your ears deserve it.
So after a few weeks of listing to the album The Stage I am still mixed on my review of it. Let me start by saying Avenged Sevenfold has not stepped back musically or creatively. Truly it is the opposite the band is reaching for much more on this release, and my reaction is did they Overreach? The title track and first release The Stage is grand. The song clocks in at an epic 8:32 time wise and it isn't even the longest song on the album. Musically and lyricly it is ambitious and is very much worth the longer time.
Honestly all the songs on The Stage deal with deep issues and are richly layered with amazing guitar and pounding double bass drums. The final track on the album is the epic Exist, The song clocks in at an 15:41 and even has Neil deGrasse Tyson speaking on the track. So yes the songs are almost like orchestral movements on The Stage.
I loved Hail to The King and think the band reached the top of the Hard Rock world with its release. So if there is a time for a band to stretch out and go beyond their musical limits why not try when you are at the pinnacle? I am mixed on my review but I can say I have really enjoyed getting lost on The Stage. So if you want to hear a band at its height musically and popularity wise see how fat they can go you need to go listen to The Stage.
Til next time listen to the best your ears deserve it.
Wednesday, November 16, 2016
Alter Bridges the gap from Pretentious to Perfect Lead Singer
My praise for Myles Kennedy has been noted on this blog several times. Even a few posts back I was writing on how he is an incredible lead singer. As I mentioned, in the Louder Than Life post, his band Alter Bridge is incredible and not to be missed live. With the bands new album titled The Last Hero I had to give a good listen and review, so here we go.
I knew about Myles and heard some of Alter Bridge on SXM's Octane but that was the amount of knowledge I had on the band before this release. The album is great and I decided to dig into the band. Surprise, surprise the band behind Myles is the critics favorite Creed. (Yes, that is sarcasm,the critics Hated Creed and I agreed with the Critics somewhat) So with this knowledge it might explain my instant enjoyment of Alter Bridge. Follow me here , Creed was a great 90's band with a talented but Self Absorbed Pretentious lead singer in Scott Stapp. I really liked the band but I couldn't get past Scott. So for the second time (see my review of Slash's solo album) Myles has stepped in and brought a band to where I can really dig them.
The release is solid melodic heavy hard rock. The band lays down tasty hard rock groves and Myles delivery soars with them. One of the great things about the band is that they are Hard Rock but with many more musical layers that sets this band apart. The first release Show Me a Hero is a soaring rock anthem that has a message not missed on this listener during the Campaign season. My Champion has some outstanding guitar tracks. The title track drives home the dark theme of the release and ends a gem of an album.
Myles Kennedy with his band Alter Bridge delivers a great CD which is almost as good as they are live. The Last Hero is diffidently to be listened to.
Til next time , listen to the best - your ears deserve it.
I knew about Myles and heard some of Alter Bridge on SXM's Octane but that was the amount of knowledge I had on the band before this release. The album is great and I decided to dig into the band. Surprise, surprise the band behind Myles is the critics favorite Creed. (Yes, that is sarcasm,the critics Hated Creed and I agreed with the Critics somewhat) So with this knowledge it might explain my instant enjoyment of Alter Bridge. Follow me here , Creed was a great 90's band with a talented but Self Absorbed Pretentious lead singer in Scott Stapp. I really liked the band but I couldn't get past Scott. So for the second time (see my review of Slash's solo album) Myles has stepped in and brought a band to where I can really dig them.
The release is solid melodic heavy hard rock. The band lays down tasty hard rock groves and Myles delivery soars with them. One of the great things about the band is that they are Hard Rock but with many more musical layers that sets this band apart. The first release Show Me a Hero is a soaring rock anthem that has a message not missed on this listener during the Campaign season. My Champion has some outstanding guitar tracks. The title track drives home the dark theme of the release and ends a gem of an album.
Myles Kennedy with his band Alter Bridge delivers a great CD which is almost as good as they are live. The Last Hero is diffidently to be listened to.
Til next time , listen to the best - your ears deserve it.
Sunday, November 6, 2016
Mellencamp ages fine like a great wine
For my birthday my dearest got us tickets to see John Mellencamp in concert. There were a couple of reasons we really wanted to see him preform. First off, John Mellencamp hasn't visited the Bluegrass since 1988 so this is the first time we have been able to see him in a very long time. Second, not to sound too grim, we want to see John Mellencamp preform before he dies. Really with the year we have been having with performers, it is time to see this artist.
I always loved John Cougar Mellencamp, as he was known then. I remember how huge the album Uh Huh was when I was in Jr High, the artistry in Scarecrow for my High School years and the insights of Lonesome Juliblee for my College years. The great things about John Mellencamp's songs is that he revels in the rebelliousness of youth but with the tone of enjoy it now cause it will be gone. What makes him a great artist is that you can enjoy and see yourself in his songs in anytime of life.
As for the concert, John Mellencamp showed that he has been preforming for over 40 years. He commanded the stage with an ease that only comes with time. He preformed all his major hits with a touching treatment of Jack and Diane. The song was just him and his guitar with the audience doing most of the singing. I was surprised he closed with Cherry Bomb, not Pink Houses, but it was a great closer.
If you get a chance, don't miss this great artist preform. With the year 2016 has been it might be your last chance.
Till next time, listen to the best - your ears deserve it.
I always loved John Cougar Mellencamp, as he was known then. I remember how huge the album Uh Huh was when I was in Jr High, the artistry in Scarecrow for my High School years and the insights of Lonesome Juliblee for my College years. The great things about John Mellencamp's songs is that he revels in the rebelliousness of youth but with the tone of enjoy it now cause it will be gone. What makes him a great artist is that you can enjoy and see yourself in his songs in anytime of life.
As for the concert, John Mellencamp showed that he has been preforming for over 40 years. He commanded the stage with an ease that only comes with time. He preformed all his major hits with a touching treatment of Jack and Diane. The song was just him and his guitar with the audience doing most of the singing. I was surprised he closed with Cherry Bomb, not Pink Houses, but it was a great closer.
If you get a chance, don't miss this great artist preform. With the year 2016 has been it might be your last chance.
Till next time, listen to the best - your ears deserve it.
Saturday, October 22, 2016
Kansas: Progressive for the 21 century
So Kansas, the USA's best progressive rock band, has come out with a release that harkens back to their Signature style. Two things:, first I can't say America's best example of Progressive Rock due to Rush from Canada. The next thing is the USA has great bands that are almost Progressive Rock like, Journey, Styx, Boston and early REO Speedwagon, but mostly they are Arena Rock. If the USA had to showcase its Progressive Rock band it would be Kansas.
Unfortunately, it is the 80's Kansas that went to the Arena rock stage, but with this new release,The Prelude Implicit, the band has returned to its Progressive Rock roots. The first thing I noticed is that the violin is back. I always thought the violin was a great touch and depth to their earlier music. Unfortunately the vocal sounds of Steve Walsh are not here, but Ronnie Platt is a wonderful addition. The two vocalist are different but both can carry the right sound, and can even sing the phone book and grab my attention. The complex melodies and layers that are a staple of Progressive Rock bands are on nearly every track on the release
For the new release, The Prelude Implicit, there are 10 tracks. Eight of them I really enjoy. One I love and One I just don't care for. The first two tracks the band released, With This Heart and Visiblilty Zero are classic Kansas and got me really excited about the the bands return to form. Rhythm in the Spirit and The Voyage of Eight Eighteen are truly wonderful examples of what the USA can offer for Progressive Rock. The one track The Unsung Heroes leaves me flat, it's not awful, it is just filler. Refugee is the track that really made me stop and listen. It's haunting and the subject matter is hard but delivered in such a powerful way that it really grabs you.
The Prelude Implicit is not Leftoverture or Point of No Return but that's a good thing. No great band should step back; they need to take their music forward. Even so with different band members you can't catch that sound or chemistry again. No, The Prelude Implicit is a Progressive sound for this time from these members of the band and can be enjoyed for it.
Til next time, listen to the best - your ears deserve it.
Unfortunately, it is the 80's Kansas that went to the Arena rock stage, but with this new release,The Prelude Implicit, the band has returned to its Progressive Rock roots. The first thing I noticed is that the violin is back. I always thought the violin was a great touch and depth to their earlier music. Unfortunately the vocal sounds of Steve Walsh are not here, but Ronnie Platt is a wonderful addition. The two vocalist are different but both can carry the right sound, and can even sing the phone book and grab my attention. The complex melodies and layers that are a staple of Progressive Rock bands are on nearly every track on the release
For the new release, The Prelude Implicit, there are 10 tracks. Eight of them I really enjoy. One I love and One I just don't care for. The first two tracks the band released, With This Heart and Visiblilty Zero are classic Kansas and got me really excited about the the bands return to form. Rhythm in the Spirit and The Voyage of Eight Eighteen are truly wonderful examples of what the USA can offer for Progressive Rock. The one track The Unsung Heroes leaves me flat, it's not awful, it is just filler. Refugee is the track that really made me stop and listen. It's haunting and the subject matter is hard but delivered in such a powerful way that it really grabs you.
The Prelude Implicit is not Leftoverture or Point of No Return but that's a good thing. No great band should step back; they need to take their music forward. Even so with different band members you can't catch that sound or chemistry again. No, The Prelude Implicit is a Progressive sound for this time from these members of the band and can be enjoyed for it.
Til next time, listen to the best - your ears deserve it.
Tuesday, October 4, 2016
Louder Than Life Gets the Festival Right
Louder Than Life invited the Bluegrass Mixer to cover their festival last weekend. It was great to be invited as the press. Honestly it has been a few years since my last music festival, Never been a big fan of them, but Louder Than Life changed my mind.
With Music Festivals you get at most 30 minutes of the band playing a few hits then you get an hour of roadies changing the stage and checking the mics. Not exciting and worth the payoff for the wait. So the clever people at Louder Than Life had three stages. Two main stages for the headliners and a third separate stage for the smaller acts. At the music festivals in the past you sit very compact and crowded and bored through the sound check. Louder Than Life had plenty of room to wander around in between acts. The best thing Louder Than Life did was have all types of food trucks everywhere. The only change would be having charging stations for your phones.
If you chose to go next year, spring for the VIP pass. As members of the press, the Bluegrass Blog Mixer had access and it was a great set up. A separate tent with plenty of seating and their own food trucks and bar. It was nice to be part of the press.
Due to prior commitments, (Scarefest in Lexington), we only got to go to the Sunday line up. There was a great line up for both days and I do really regret not getting to see Avenged Sevenfold. The line up for Sunday was awesome and had a cool assortment of Hard Rock and Metal. The bands that surprised me were Crobot and Skindred. Crobot is a much tighter sounding band live and is a shame they can't catch the same sound in the studio. Skinred is a band not to be missed live. Hard and funny at the same time they drove the crowd hard in the early afternoon. Doing reading on the band, Skindred are known for kicking ass live.
The biggest surprise was Ghost. A very controversial band, I won't even get into the whole Satan worship thing. What I will say is that the band is charismatic and spot on musicians. Skillet was just as good live as on their records and a fun show. Myles Kennedy and Alter Bridge were amazing to hear and his voice was even better live.
The two headlines were Korn and Disturbed. Both have dominated the Hard Rock and Nu Metal scene for decades and after seeing them live I can say they deserve their place at the top of the heap.
Thank you Louder Than Life for allowing us to cover your event and showing us on how a Rock Festival can be done right
With Music Festivals you get at most 30 minutes of the band playing a few hits then you get an hour of roadies changing the stage and checking the mics. Not exciting and worth the payoff for the wait. So the clever people at Louder Than Life had three stages. Two main stages for the headliners and a third separate stage for the smaller acts. At the music festivals in the past you sit very compact and crowded and bored through the sound check. Louder Than Life had plenty of room to wander around in between acts. The best thing Louder Than Life did was have all types of food trucks everywhere. The only change would be having charging stations for your phones.
If you chose to go next year, spring for the VIP pass. As members of the press, the Bluegrass Blog Mixer had access and it was a great set up. A separate tent with plenty of seating and their own food trucks and bar. It was nice to be part of the press.
Due to prior commitments, (Scarefest in Lexington), we only got to go to the Sunday line up. There was a great line up for both days and I do really regret not getting to see Avenged Sevenfold. The line up for Sunday was awesome and had a cool assortment of Hard Rock and Metal. The bands that surprised me were Crobot and Skindred. Crobot is a much tighter sounding band live and is a shame they can't catch the same sound in the studio. Skinred is a band not to be missed live. Hard and funny at the same time they drove the crowd hard in the early afternoon. Doing reading on the band, Skindred are known for kicking ass live.
The biggest surprise was Ghost. A very controversial band, I won't even get into the whole Satan worship thing. What I will say is that the band is charismatic and spot on musicians. Skillet was just as good live as on their records and a fun show. Myles Kennedy and Alter Bridge were amazing to hear and his voice was even better live.
The two headlines were Korn and Disturbed. Both have dominated the Hard Rock and Nu Metal scene for decades and after seeing them live I can say they deserve their place at the top of the heap.
Thank you Louder Than Life for allowing us to cover your event and showing us on how a Rock Festival can be done right
Monday, September 19, 2016
Fire From The Gods: An American Blended Metal Band
Too many of these posts start out with me saying "As heard on Sirius XM Octane", but I listen to the station every day. Truly the station does a great job of promoting new and different bands. The band I'm going to write about today is one of their Accelerators bands.
Let me say this is a blog about music; not politics, but you would have to be living in a cave not to know about the unrest in our country. What this has to do with this band is that the group shows what's great about our country while singing about where we need to be better.
Fire From The Gods is a Hardcore/Metal band from Austin, Texas. Hardcore is not a style of Metal many Purists enjoy. I happen to enjoy it and there are some things that separate Fire From The Gods from the pack. First is what the songs are about and the singer delivering the messages.
AJ Ventor was born in the Bronx to a single mother from Jamaica. AJ's life has taken him around the world to settle in Texas. His voice, story and perspective is new to the Metal world. This is a great American blending of voices and styles that is one of great things our country had to offer. AJ sings about what is still needed to bring the Promise of our great Nation to be.
For the music itself, the band is good. It is solid Hardcore with a great blending of Rap and even Reggae tones. The Accelerator single Excuse Me is a going to a hit on the Metal charts and a strong single to introduce the band. Fire From The Gods is a band to check out
Til next time, listen to the best - your ears deserve it
Let me say this is a blog about music; not politics, but you would have to be living in a cave not to know about the unrest in our country. What this has to do with this band is that the group shows what's great about our country while singing about where we need to be better.
Fire From The Gods is a Hardcore/Metal band from Austin, Texas. Hardcore is not a style of Metal many Purists enjoy. I happen to enjoy it and there are some things that separate Fire From The Gods from the pack. First is what the songs are about and the singer delivering the messages.
AJ Ventor was born in the Bronx to a single mother from Jamaica. AJ's life has taken him around the world to settle in Texas. His voice, story and perspective is new to the Metal world. This is a great American blending of voices and styles that is one of great things our country had to offer. AJ sings about what is still needed to bring the Promise of our great Nation to be.
For the music itself, the band is good. It is solid Hardcore with a great blending of Rap and even Reggae tones. The Accelerator single Excuse Me is a going to a hit on the Metal charts and a strong single to introduce the band. Fire From The Gods is a band to check out
Til next time, listen to the best - your ears deserve it
Saturday, September 10, 2016
Still Ruling: Hard Rock House of Lords
This past week I fell done a Wikipedia hole. This happens every now and then. I was looking at an earlier post about Greg Giuffria of the band Giuffria, and remembered he had a follow up band House of Lords. My surprise was that this band from the late 80's was not only around but still recording. So off to ITunes I go.
The first thing I noticed is no Greg Giuffria. The amazing keyboard player is off and on in the lineup and is never a featured member. Honestly, Greg's amazing keyboard playing was not featured as much on the first two releases as I would have liked. I guess the goal was sales and keyboards in a hard rock band is sometimes a hard sell. I enjoy the great keyboardist like Jon Lord of Deep Purple and would put Greg Giuffria on his level.
The next thing I noticed is that the sound is straight Arena Hard Rock. Very similar sounding to Joe Lynn Turner and Sunstorm. The lead singer James Christian has been the one constant in the band. A top notch vocalist that still delivers the growl and bombast that is needed for the arena Rock sound.
To find the band was still around and sounding like a Arena band was a great surprise. The 2015 release Indestructible is an appropriate title given the way the band has lasted the decades. If you are a fan of the late 80's Hard Rock sound it is a great listen.
Til next time listen to the best your ears deserve it.
The first thing I noticed is no Greg Giuffria. The amazing keyboard player is off and on in the lineup and is never a featured member. Honestly, Greg's amazing keyboard playing was not featured as much on the first two releases as I would have liked. I guess the goal was sales and keyboards in a hard rock band is sometimes a hard sell. I enjoy the great keyboardist like Jon Lord of Deep Purple and would put Greg Giuffria on his level.
The next thing I noticed is that the sound is straight Arena Hard Rock. Very similar sounding to Joe Lynn Turner and Sunstorm. The lead singer James Christian has been the one constant in the band. A top notch vocalist that still delivers the growl and bombast that is needed for the arena Rock sound.
To find the band was still around and sounding like a Arena band was a great surprise. The 2015 release Indestructible is an appropriate title given the way the band has lasted the decades. If you are a fan of the late 80's Hard Rock sound it is a great listen.
Til next time listen to the best your ears deserve it.
Sunday, August 28, 2016
Pearl Jam's Ten plus 15 years adds perspective
It's hard to believe that it has been 25 years since Pearl Jam released their Juggernaut of a first release that was named 10. I have to start this post off by saying I was never a huge fan. I went with my college girlfriend (who reads these posts so please forgive me) to see Pearl Jam in concert when they visited Louisville but still didn't fully buy in.
I think my problem with fully jumping on the band wagon was two fold. Firs, at the time of the release Grnge was sooo in, that it was just in your face all of the time. I guess too much hype in the media for me. The other reason is Eddie Vedder. Eddie Vedder has a very unique vocal sound, of which I don't care for.
With my confession being said, I haven't listened to the album 10 in probably a decade or more and wanted to refresh myself on the sound. With my first listen I kind of have the same reaction I had 25 years and was not overly impressed,. Then once I got past Eddie Vedder there is some good Hard Rock here. The guitar playing and the musical sound is terrific Rock, Mike McCredy and Stone Gossard as the dual guitarist in the band are spot on and deliver timeless Hard Rock guitar riffs. To my surprise on my 2nd listening I was really getting into the sound.
I still don't buy into the hype about the band, and Eddie Vedder's delivery still leaves me flat. Is Ten good Hard Rock? Musically sure, is it worth the worship and the idea that they changed Rock and Roll, I leave those ideas to others. 10 is a fun trip down memory lane. I will leave it at that.
Til next time, listen to the best; your ears deserve it.
I think my problem with fully jumping on the band wagon was two fold. Firs, at the time of the release Grnge was sooo in, that it was just in your face all of the time. I guess too much hype in the media for me. The other reason is Eddie Vedder. Eddie Vedder has a very unique vocal sound, of which I don't care for.
With my confession being said, I haven't listened to the album 10 in probably a decade or more and wanted to refresh myself on the sound. With my first listen I kind of have the same reaction I had 25 years and was not overly impressed,. Then once I got past Eddie Vedder there is some good Hard Rock here. The guitar playing and the musical sound is terrific Rock, Mike McCredy and Stone Gossard as the dual guitarist in the band are spot on and deliver timeless Hard Rock guitar riffs. To my surprise on my 2nd listening I was really getting into the sound.
I still don't buy into the hype about the band, and Eddie Vedder's delivery still leaves me flat. Is Ten good Hard Rock? Musically sure, is it worth the worship and the idea that they changed Rock and Roll, I leave those ideas to others. 10 is a fun trip down memory lane. I will leave it at that.
Til next time, listen to the best; your ears deserve it.
Sunday, August 21, 2016
BabyMetal Globalized Hard Rock and Metal
So I was was playing Song Pop 2 on my I Pa, a new app version of Name That Tune.. It is a fun game if you like music and competition. The game puts up the titles or artist of the song clips and you see if you can guess correctly the quickest. I was competing in the Metal category and I missed on the band called BabyMetal. That name caught my attention and I was off to the handy I Tunes. Sure enough, there is a band called BabyMetal and I have to admit I love their sound.
Before I get too far into the review, most people will not like this group. You must first enjoy Hard Rock and Metal, next you need to like or at least appreciate Anime. If you do not meet either of these categories this band Is Not For You.
The band describes themselves as Kawii Metal, i.e. Cute Metal. I can see that as a far description. The thing I first noticed is that the band behind the singers is solid Metal. The double bass drum play and guitars bring the sound. Then the singers come in. This is where if you don't appreciate Japanese influence it will throw you. I do, so I find it very cool that they blend a good Metal sound with Japanese Idol singing.
Now this band isn't just a cute novelty act, they have been on stage with the Metal god Rob Halford. The have played Wembley Arena and the Tokyo Dome. Metal Hammer readers in July voted their debut album as the best album of the 21st Century.
So the globalization of music is working in Hard Rock and Metal. Time to embrace the new sounds and look forward to what is next.
Til next time, listen to the best - your ears deserve it.
Before I get too far into the review, most people will not like this group. You must first enjoy Hard Rock and Metal, next you need to like or at least appreciate Anime. If you do not meet either of these categories this band Is Not For You.
The band describes themselves as Kawii Metal, i.e. Cute Metal. I can see that as a far description. The thing I first noticed is that the band behind the singers is solid Metal. The double bass drum play and guitars bring the sound. Then the singers come in. This is where if you don't appreciate Japanese influence it will throw you. I do, so I find it very cool that they blend a good Metal sound with Japanese Idol singing.
Now this band isn't just a cute novelty act, they have been on stage with the Metal god Rob Halford. The have played Wembley Arena and the Tokyo Dome. Metal Hammer readers in July voted their debut album as the best album of the 21st Century.
So the globalization of music is working in Hard Rock and Metal. Time to embrace the new sounds and look forward to what is next.
Til next time, listen to the best - your ears deserve it.
Saturday, August 13, 2016
Smooth Sounds for Summer Yacht Rock
I'm going a little different on this post. Recently a smooth sound has come back into vogue, The smooth sounds of Yacht Rock. What's Yacht Rock you ask? It is the mellow classics from the late 70's and early 80's. It's also the sounds of my childhood and early teens, also known as Soft Rock, Blue Eye Soul, and Smooth Jazz.
For the summer, Sirius/XM (Channel 18) has been devoted to the sounds of Yacht Rock. If you get a chance also check out the live comedy of Yacht Rock on You Tube.
What I like most about the sounds coming out of the channel is that they are a perfect sound track for summer.Yacht Rock also features some of my favorite artists, Steeley Dan, Michael McDonald, Boz Scaggs. Is it corporate, well (not over) produced, and slick? Yes, yes it is, but on a warm summer evening drinking a mixed beverage and having Ambrosia playing in the background is a great thing.
Truly my love for the style of music comes from my youth and that some of the bands are really great. When this music was popular, it was what the hip young adults listened to and I wanted to be cool like them. So affection for the smooth sounds has hung on through the years.
So before the summer comes to an end,get a mixed drink and tune in your music to the smooth sounds of Yacht Rock. Then enjoy the night.
Til next time listen, to the best - your ears deserve it.
For the summer, Sirius/XM (Channel 18) has been devoted to the sounds of Yacht Rock. If you get a chance also check out the live comedy of Yacht Rock on You Tube.
What I like most about the sounds coming out of the channel is that they are a perfect sound track for summer.Yacht Rock also features some of my favorite artists, Steeley Dan, Michael McDonald, Boz Scaggs. Is it corporate, well (not over) produced, and slick? Yes, yes it is, but on a warm summer evening drinking a mixed beverage and having Ambrosia playing in the background is a great thing.
Truly my love for the style of music comes from my youth and that some of the bands are really great. When this music was popular, it was what the hip young adults listened to and I wanted to be cool like them. So affection for the smooth sounds has hung on through the years.
So before the summer comes to an end,get a mixed drink and tune in your music to the smooth sounds of Yacht Rock. Then enjoy the night.
Til next time listen, to the best - your ears deserve it.
Sunday, August 7, 2016
Skillet sizzles the hard rock and christian music scene
I have heard the band Skillet for the past few years. I have enjoyed listening to them on the modern hard rock channels. What stood out is that the DJs said they were a Christian Rock band. I listened to their songs and didn't hear anything overtly Christian. At most I heard maybe a positive message in some solid Hard Rock anthems.
So after a few years I decided to dig a little deeper on Skillet, cause I still didn't hear the Christian in their hard rock. It turns out unless you buy the albums or listen to the Christian Rock stations you won't hear the obvious Christian message in Skillet's music.
Amy Grant is a Christian Artist from the 80's and 90's who started the trend of having secular tracks released but having Christian tracks on her albums. Skillet and many other Christian Rock bands are using the same formula. It seems to work and draw in fans.
What I like about Skillet is that their releases for the mainstream are great hard rock anthems. If you need a sound track to work out t,o bring up Awake and Alive, Feel Invincible or Hero. Jen Cooper is a good drummer and I love her vocals with the lead singer John Cooper.
So, are they a Christian Rock band or Hard Rock mainstream? Yes they are. I have to give the band, respect they are bridging the two worlds very well.
Til next time, listen to the best - your ears deserve it.
So after a few years I decided to dig a little deeper on Skillet, cause I still didn't hear the Christian in their hard rock. It turns out unless you buy the albums or listen to the Christian Rock stations you won't hear the obvious Christian message in Skillet's music.
Amy Grant is a Christian Artist from the 80's and 90's who started the trend of having secular tracks released but having Christian tracks on her albums. Skillet and many other Christian Rock bands are using the same formula. It seems to work and draw in fans.
What I like about Skillet is that their releases for the mainstream are great hard rock anthems. If you need a sound track to work out t,o bring up Awake and Alive, Feel Invincible or Hero. Jen Cooper is a good drummer and I love her vocals with the lead singer John Cooper.
So, are they a Christian Rock band or Hard Rock mainstream? Yes they are. I have to give the band, respect they are bridging the two worlds very well.
Til next time, listen to the best - your ears deserve it.
Tuesday, August 2, 2016
Emarosa Kentucky's Alternative to Country Music
Listening to Octane on Sirius/XM a few months ago and my ears perked up at where this band started. Right in my current town Lexington KY. I have to admit I am not in the local music scene at all. I just don't stay out to 2 AM to listen to the bands at the local clubs and I don't care for music festivals; festival seating is annoying to me. So my first listen of a local band made good is on National radio.
Emarosa started in 2006 and have had several albums before they came on my radar. The band has also very much changed music styles as the albums progressed. They started Post Punk/Hardcore with sounds of Alternative Rock and now sound mainly Alternative Rock.
If I had to describe their new release's sound it would be a rougher edge to Fall Out Boy. The new release is called 131. After several hearings of the album it is very listenable. I enjoy their sound and the tracks they have released Cloud 9 and Helpless are solid. Do I think this is music that will change the face of Rock, no. Do I know this is a great listen that 5 years from now you can put on and still enjoy yes. I think what critics focus in on is off point. That being said some times bands put out music that they know people will enjoy and it means something to the band. This is the kind of music that becomes the soundtrack to our lives. The songs that are on in the background when our moments happen that can take us back to those moments when we hear the songs again.
Its great to hear that a local band is making moves on the music scene especially in the Rock area that Kentucky has not been known for.
Til next time listen to the best your ears deserve it.
Emarosa started in 2006 and have had several albums before they came on my radar. The band has also very much changed music styles as the albums progressed. They started Post Punk/Hardcore with sounds of Alternative Rock and now sound mainly Alternative Rock.
If I had to describe their new release's sound it would be a rougher edge to Fall Out Boy. The new release is called 131. After several hearings of the album it is very listenable. I enjoy their sound and the tracks they have released Cloud 9 and Helpless are solid. Do I think this is music that will change the face of Rock, no. Do I know this is a great listen that 5 years from now you can put on and still enjoy yes. I think what critics focus in on is off point. That being said some times bands put out music that they know people will enjoy and it means something to the band. This is the kind of music that becomes the soundtrack to our lives. The songs that are on in the background when our moments happen that can take us back to those moments when we hear the songs again.
Its great to hear that a local band is making moves on the music scene especially in the Rock area that Kentucky has not been known for.
Til next time listen to the best your ears deserve it.
Thursday, July 28, 2016
Loose lips are click bait. The Case for Linkin Park
I heard on Octane about some great click bate quote from Chester Bemnington from Linkin Park. Chester Benninton said that Linkin Park kept hard rock and metal alive. Okay if I had a sight that needed traffic I would lead with that comment too.
But hey hard core fans, take a breath and think about what he really said. In 2003 Hard Rock and Metal weren't the focus of popular culture. True fans loved Metal and Hard Rock but the general population didn't. There has always been waves of when different genres of music are popular, right now Metal and Hard Rock are close to the front. In five years I am sure it will be another type of music.
There are always the bands from each genre that stand out even when that genre isn't the most popular. In 2003 Linkin Park crossed into the popular culture even when Metal and Hard Rock weren't on top. If you take that to the next logical step, the band's influence lead to fans who weren't hard core to be more open when it was Hard Rock and Metals time to be in the forefront.
Hard core fans/haters who don't want to reason continue to post your nonsense, I am sure it makes you feel better. Those who can think and be open to all the best that All music has to offer keep an open mind and think before you click on the click bait.
Till next time, keep your ears and mind open to the best - they deserve it,
But hey hard core fans, take a breath and think about what he really said. In 2003 Hard Rock and Metal weren't the focus of popular culture. True fans loved Metal and Hard Rock but the general population didn't. There has always been waves of when different genres of music are popular, right now Metal and Hard Rock are close to the front. In five years I am sure it will be another type of music.
There are always the bands from each genre that stand out even when that genre isn't the most popular. In 2003 Linkin Park crossed into the popular culture even when Metal and Hard Rock weren't on top. If you take that to the next logical step, the band's influence lead to fans who weren't hard core to be more open when it was Hard Rock and Metals time to be in the forefront.
Hard core fans/haters who don't want to reason continue to post your nonsense, I am sure it makes you feel better. Those who can think and be open to all the best that All music has to offer keep an open mind and think before you click on the click bait.
Till next time, keep your ears and mind open to the best - they deserve it,
Monday, July 11, 2016
Al Yankovic still Weird after all these years
Genius is a very over used term, but how else can you describe an artist who has constantly for the past 36 years put out quality work. We also need to mention that this artist has successfully used every popular music style out there. I know it will come as a surprise that I am talking about Weird Al.
But by the numbers and cultural impact how else, other than Genius, can you describe Weird Al's career?
Numbers alone put Weird Al in very limited company. There are few acts who have put out as many chart topping works for 3 decades. In fact there are only three artists who have had a top 40 single every decade since 1980, Madonna, Michael Jackson and Weird Al.
As for cultural impact, I am not sure other than Prince there has been a more versatile artist than Weird Al. Weird Al has parodied pop, boy band, punk, soul, rock and all styles in between. On top of the parodies, Weird Al has written many of his own songs in the style of the above mentioned styles. For many years you knew that you had arrived as an artist when Weird Al parodied your song. As for his own creations, after hearing Weird Al's song written in the style of Devo; Mark Mothersbaugh founder of Devo hated him for writing a better Devo song than he did.
I have to admit it took me way too long to finally see Weird Al in concert. He puts on a one of a kind performance that reflects his amazing career. Weird Al is a genius and deserves the respect that any artist with his history of chart topping success would.
Til next time, listen to the best, even if it's silly, you ears deserve it.
But by the numbers and cultural impact how else, other than Genius, can you describe Weird Al's career?
Numbers alone put Weird Al in very limited company. There are few acts who have put out as many chart topping works for 3 decades. In fact there are only three artists who have had a top 40 single every decade since 1980, Madonna, Michael Jackson and Weird Al.
As for cultural impact, I am not sure other than Prince there has been a more versatile artist than Weird Al. Weird Al has parodied pop, boy band, punk, soul, rock and all styles in between. On top of the parodies, Weird Al has written many of his own songs in the style of the above mentioned styles. For many years you knew that you had arrived as an artist when Weird Al parodied your song. As for his own creations, after hearing Weird Al's song written in the style of Devo; Mark Mothersbaugh founder of Devo hated him for writing a better Devo song than he did.
I have to admit it took me way too long to finally see Weird Al in concert. He puts on a one of a kind performance that reflects his amazing career. Weird Al is a genius and deserves the respect that any artist with his history of chart topping success would.
Til next time, listen to the best, even if it's silly, you ears deserve it.
Saturday, July 2, 2016
Don Felder's Fingers still fly without the Eagles
I recently watched the Eagles documentary The History of the Eagles. What an interesting story and great characters. What hit me the most was the dynamic between Glenn Frey and Don Felder. It's not good to speak ill of the dead, but I felt more for Don Felder after watching the documentary. So I looked up Don Felder on ITunes and found a newer release from 2012. Don Felder has been on tour with Styx and Foreigner (sort of foreigner not any real original members) and after seeing some of the tour on AXIS TV I do regret not seeing it in person.
I have always liked Don Felder's guitar playing with the Eagles. Some neat back story on Don Felder; He is from Gainesville Florida and taught Tom Petty how to play guitar and learned slide guitar from Duane Allman. Don Felder did great work with Crosby & Nash and support with Neil Young before adding a needed Rock edge to the Eagles. His post Eagles work had some great stand outs, like two tracks on the Heavy Metal sound track. My love for the Heavy Metal soundtrack is well known and I thought his two tracks were great. So I really looked forward to listening to the new release and I was not disappointed.
Road to Forever was released in 2012 and has 16 tracks of wonderful classic rock. The first released track You Don't Have Me is a solid classic rock track that is timeless. Don Felder's guitar work on the album is wonderful as always he shows us on how he earned his nickname Fingers and his vocals are strong. I guess that is my take away from this album is that the tracks are a rock sound that could have been released any era and sound right at home.
If you want to listen to some timeless rock I would give Don Felder's Road to Forever album a listen.
Til next time, listen to the best - your ears deserve it!
I have always liked Don Felder's guitar playing with the Eagles. Some neat back story on Don Felder; He is from Gainesville Florida and taught Tom Petty how to play guitar and learned slide guitar from Duane Allman. Don Felder did great work with Crosby & Nash and support with Neil Young before adding a needed Rock edge to the Eagles. His post Eagles work had some great stand outs, like two tracks on the Heavy Metal sound track. My love for the Heavy Metal soundtrack is well known and I thought his two tracks were great. So I really looked forward to listening to the new release and I was not disappointed.
Road to Forever was released in 2012 and has 16 tracks of wonderful classic rock. The first released track You Don't Have Me is a solid classic rock track that is timeless. Don Felder's guitar work on the album is wonderful as always he shows us on how he earned his nickname Fingers and his vocals are strong. I guess that is my take away from this album is that the tracks are a rock sound that could have been released any era and sound right at home.
If you want to listen to some timeless rock I would give Don Felder's Road to Forever album a listen.
Til next time, listen to the best - your ears deserve it!
Tuesday, June 14, 2016
I Don't Care Anymore, a track so awesome it got two covers
As I have mentioned many times on this blog I love the fact that the new Metal and Hard Rock bands give love and respect to the artist who came through earlier by doing some great covers. For this post I am going to look at two bands who within months covered a great song. Neither are as good as the original but one comes close.
For the original and best version of this song I give you Phil Collins, again. I know I just reviewed one of Phil's albums just a few weeks ago but give me a break. The song covered is from Phil's next release in 82. The track is I Don't Care Anymore. There are very few artists who can do a better pissed off, I am Over it, F you song. The track starts off with pounding drums light synch and Phil's lyrics. Like his similar dark work on In The Air Tonight, the tone is ominous and awesome. I Don't Care Anymore is either 1 or 1A of my favorite Phil Collin's songs.
The tribute that is almost as good, in my opinion, is from the Metal Band Hell Yeah. Hell Yeah is a newer Metal supergroup with the drummer Vinnie Paul from Pantera. The cool thing about this cover is some of the guitar tracks are from the late Dimebag Darrell. For those who don't know Dimebag was wastefully killed by a crazed fanatic in 2004 on stage during a concert. It is a awful thing to happen and we are lucky that at least some of Dimebag's music can live on. Even without the cool feature with Dimebag I prefer this cover. I feel it is edger. The way the lyrics are delivered to start the track which are half sung and half growled leads to a feeling of hinted violence and deep rage. The guitars are played up more on this version and it is rawer. I like the fact that Hell Yeah decided to add their flavor to the song, sometimes that can go back but fortunately it works on this track.
Oddly enough the next version was released only a month earlier from the Hell Yeah version. Saint Ansonia is a Hard Rock band out of Canada. I heard this release earlier on Sirius XM's Octane channel and thought it was great. Upon the more I listen to the track and the release of Hell Yeah's version I don't think it is so great anymore. Don't get me wrong I still like Saint Ansonia's take but it doesn't add anything. Saint Ansonia's version is very faithful to Phil Collin's, almost too faithful. You don't have to reinvent the wheel but give me something new, cause if you don't why should I listen to anything you have to say if it isn't at least a little different.
Clearly the best version of I Don't Care Anymore is the Phil Collin's version, but it is great to know that new bands are giving respect to the great artists who came before.
Til next time, listen to the best - your ears deserve it.
For the original and best version of this song I give you Phil Collins, again. I know I just reviewed one of Phil's albums just a few weeks ago but give me a break. The song covered is from Phil's next release in 82. The track is I Don't Care Anymore. There are very few artists who can do a better pissed off, I am Over it, F you song. The track starts off with pounding drums light synch and Phil's lyrics. Like his similar dark work on In The Air Tonight, the tone is ominous and awesome. I Don't Care Anymore is either 1 or 1A of my favorite Phil Collin's songs.
The tribute that is almost as good, in my opinion, is from the Metal Band Hell Yeah. Hell Yeah is a newer Metal supergroup with the drummer Vinnie Paul from Pantera. The cool thing about this cover is some of the guitar tracks are from the late Dimebag Darrell. For those who don't know Dimebag was wastefully killed by a crazed fanatic in 2004 on stage during a concert. It is a awful thing to happen and we are lucky that at least some of Dimebag's music can live on. Even without the cool feature with Dimebag I prefer this cover. I feel it is edger. The way the lyrics are delivered to start the track which are half sung and half growled leads to a feeling of hinted violence and deep rage. The guitars are played up more on this version and it is rawer. I like the fact that Hell Yeah decided to add their flavor to the song, sometimes that can go back but fortunately it works on this track.
Oddly enough the next version was released only a month earlier from the Hell Yeah version. Saint Ansonia is a Hard Rock band out of Canada. I heard this release earlier on Sirius XM's Octane channel and thought it was great. Upon the more I listen to the track and the release of Hell Yeah's version I don't think it is so great anymore. Don't get me wrong I still like Saint Ansonia's take but it doesn't add anything. Saint Ansonia's version is very faithful to Phil Collin's, almost too faithful. You don't have to reinvent the wheel but give me something new, cause if you don't why should I listen to anything you have to say if it isn't at least a little different.
Clearly the best version of I Don't Care Anymore is the Phil Collin's version, but it is great to know that new bands are giving respect to the great artists who came before.
Til next time, listen to the best - your ears deserve it.
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