Megadeth founder, and former Metallica guitarist Dave Mustaine is full of contradictions and many of them come out in his memoir. His band Megadeth, along with other thrash metal founders like Anthrax and Slayer were seen as the antidote to the preening, style-over-substance genre of hair metal that hijacked the 80’s music scene, yet throughout his book, Mustaine talks about band member who did not have the “right look” –…
The emotional opening of the Needles EP will immediately catch the minds and hearts of anyone listening in. This is not only due to Zweng’s vocals but the arrangements that are present here. There are a multitude of different layers that work to highlight the vocals, and give listeners simultaneously a high replay value for the disc’s three tracks. Zweng moves through alternative, pop-rock, and alt-country all in the space…
“Wrecking Ball” does not give listeners a single second to prepare themselves; Voice of Addiction does not care, and their sing-along style (which is reminiscent of Street Dogs, Pennywise and Rancid) will grasp a listener by their shirt and never give up. With sizzling guitars, splashing drums, and a compelling set of vocals, the first strains of Reduce, Reuse, Resist are good ones. “Constant Pollution” has Matt Freeman-esque bass lines…
“Illustrated Girl” is the first track on the five-track “Beneath The Trees” EP, and it immediately kicks things into high gear. Back Pocket Memory is one of those rare bands that bring their own unique sound to the fore, rather than introducing themselves through the inclusion of their favorite bands and other influences. What results with the band’s sound at this early stage of the disc is something that has…
I find it tremendously interesting when an act that is not from the United States is able to come forth and create music that speaks so well to the American context. Crystal begins with “The Moment My World Stood Still”, a metal-laced song that links shredding guitars and equally-fitting drums in with an atmospheric meets gothic set of vocals. The track’s six-minute runtime gives Chantry proper time to introduce themselves…
“Just Another Day” is the first track on Meet The Christopher Brothers, and it provides listeners with inoffensive rock that is catchy, fun, and possessing of just enough of an edge to keep things interesting. Perhaps most interesting with “Just Another Day” is the rapid back and forth that the vocals take towards the end; rather than riding the melodies to their logical conclusion, the Christopher Brothers continue to add…
“Scene Through The Mist” is the perfect opening to The Veil of Whispers; the gravity of the female vocals that are present here will immediately cause listeners to take notice. Listeners will continue to focus in with the beginning of “L’Invitation au Mystere”. The track takes an interesting tack in that it blends together electronic and organic; there is an interplay, a context that is continued through the bulk of…
The ethereal opening to “Earthsong and Stardance” transcends the current period and touches upon mystic societies, traditional monk chants, and even more aboriginal approaches to music. What unites the disparate elements on both parts of the initial suite is the skill used in creating a seamless musical effort. While the two parts of “The Unfolding of the Worlds” represent the longest tracks on Earthsong and Stardance by far, Gandalf keeps…
When Athens’ favorite sons R.E.M. released Life’s Rich Pageants in 1986, the rest of the world finally got a peek at what the college rock crowd had been raving about for years. Four albums into it, R.E.M. had their strongest commercial success with Lifes Rich Pageant, a foreshadowing of what was to come with the impressive succession of follow ups (Document, Green, Out of Time and Automatic for the People).…
SPOILER ALERT! To get the big unanswered question out of the way up front, don’t count on a Husker Du reunion any time soon. “Beyond my personal reasons for not looking back, a Husker Du reunion would surely tarnish the history of the band,” front man/guitarist Bob Mould writes in See a Little Light. In his exhaustive new bio, Mould – co-founder of the highly influential Minneapolis indie punk group…
