The multiple styles in which Maynard James Keenan can successfully work in is astonishing; eir latest work as Puscifer, Conditions of My Parole, should show that. Green Valley is one early-disc track that will immediately impact listeners – the dual-part harmony achieved with Carina Round rivals the traditional instrumentation for dominance. Man Overboard is the closest thing to a single that Conditions of My Parole has, but this is for…
Økland and Apeland attempt to faithfully recreate the mystique behind Ole Bull’s compositions. Bull, an 19th century composer, has largely been forgotten by the current generation of musicians and listeners alike. This CD, released earlier this year by ECM Records, looks to restore Bull’s good name as well as showcase the technical virtuosity of Økland and Apeland. I believe that the duo is able to succeed in these listed goals;…
For those that may be younger and do not know Steve Hackett’s pedigree, ey was a major part of Genesis. After recording nearly ten albums for the outfit, Hackett decided to forge off on eir own and create music that represented eir. Beyond the Shrouded Horizon is two CDs dedicated to the furtherance of that goal. This 2-CD set begins with Loch Lomond, which situates listeners in a familiar position…
Weird Al has been creating parodies of popular songs for thirty years, but is able to still cut an interesting song parody at a fairly regular basis. More interesting would have to be eir stylistic parodies, which are original compositions that are couched in the unique style of artists like Devo or Neil Young. The Alpocalypse Tour captures the live side of Weird Al, who goes through eir expansive back…
Recently reunited trash legends Dead Horse have been added to this year’s Fun Fun Fun Fest, which will take place in Austin, TX November 4th – 6th and features the likes of Slayer, Cannibal Corpse and Henry Rollins. Dead Horse will be performing on the Black Stage at 3:50 PM on Saturday, November 5th. The band will also be playing an afterparty the night of their performance. For more info,…
11/5: New York, NY @ Gramercy Theater (SuckFest) 11/7: Worcester, MA @ The Palladium (Upstairs) 11/8: Quebec City, Que @ Le Cercle (3 HEADLINES) 11/9: Monteal, QUE @ Les Foufounes Electriques 11/10: Toronto, ON @ The Annex Wreck Room 11/11: Pontiac, MI @ Clutch Cargos 11/13: St Paul, MN @ Station 4 11/15: Denver, CO @ Marquis Theater 11/16: Salt Lake City, UT @ The Complex (UT) 11/17: Sparks, NV…
Quite possibly the worst part of my workout is drinking protein shakes to recover. The flavors typically are pretty atrocious, and the amount of liquid is too much for me. This is especially present on hard workout days, where I just want to sit like a lump on my chair. However, Protein Bullet has just came onto the market, and it is a product that I will be purchasing on…
Tributary is a two-disc effort; the band is given ample opportunity to stretch their wings and experiment with time signatures, influences, and the band’s overall sound. Tributary marks their 15th full album as a band, but do not let that scare you – what listeners will experience when they put in either disc of the effort is as fresh and as compelling as the most fresh-faced bands. The album begins…
At this point in their career, it is incredibly easy for Cradle of Filth to release albums that play on where they had been musically in their glory days. On Evermore Darkly, Cradle of Filth look both to invigorate their sound as well as to recall all sides of their multi-faceted approach. This EP represents a bold step forward for the band – they are still kicking and would love…
Hollywood Undead and Asking Alexandria kick off their co-headlining “World War III” tour with support from We Came As Romans, Borgore, and D.R.U.G.S. In celebration of the tour, the bands are giving away a pair of tickets to one lucky winner for each date of the tour AND a huge Grand Prize at tour’s end including a bunch of sweet autographed shit from all of the bands. The tour kicks…
The Dreaming has some big shoes to fill with their Puppet. The band features members of Murderdolls and Stabbing Westward, and decides not to take more than a second to introduce themselves. Puppet, the eponymous opener, immediately kicks listeners in the face. Despite coming from some of the biggest alternative rock bands of the last twenty years, The Dreaming comes to Puppet hungry. The resulting 12 tracks are full of…
I must admit, I was not too familiar with Scott H. Biram before picking up Bad Ingredients. Just Another River is the first track on the album, and it immediately shows the personality and catchiness that so many other listeners have already heard. The gritty, home-spun style of Biram is showcased at all points during this album, and Victory Song may just be the most iconic of the cuts found…
At this point, a great many individuals have a Blu-Ray player. Whether in a gaming console or one’s rig, there is a substantial amount of the populace that already has access to the newest format. However, there are always computers being built and there are still a large mass of individuals that do not yet have access to Blu-Ray play. The iHes212, produced by Lite-On, is an inexpensive way to…
Song For Kiara is the first track on Relaxing Melodies of Nature, and the resulting effort immediately tattoos Fuke’s inimitable style onto the minds and hearts of anyone fortunate enough to listen in. Summer’s Love takes a slower pace, adding a deeper, more deliberate sound to what listeners expect from Fuke. It is during Infinite Love where the disc moves to the next plateau; the track gains a little speed…
Silent Star begins with The New Day, a somber and serene track that sails on the waves of Koch’s immaculate piano playing. No vocals are needed to make this track properly soar – there is a narrative that weaves itself through all facets of this track. Softly Awakening continues many of the same trends that were originally created in The New Day, but Koch twists the overall sound to play…
Nantucket Brand is a company that has only been around for a few years (formed in 2005), but the sort of quality that they operate under has made them into a force to be reckoned with in clothing. We received one of Nantucket Brand’s shirts – the Women’s Cashmere Blend Henley Sweater – for review a few weeks ago. After familiarizing ourselves with the wear and overall feel of the…
Amy Gore and her Valentines have pure Detroit pedigrees in spades – their musical backgrounds give them the chops they need to rock, but it’s the on stage synchronicity that drives the band. After spending the summer recording, the band announces the release of their first single “Drivin’ Around” with a killer new video. They’ll screen it in Detroit on November 23rd at their Thanksgiving Eve show at Small’s, the…
Economy, the new album by singer/songwriter John Mark McMillan, is available digitally today, November 1st. The album will be made available physically on Tuesday, November 8th via Integrity Music/RED. The album’s first single “Sheet of Night”, has also just been released. John Mark says “‘Sheet of Night’ is about people who are grasping at the notion that we can be a part of something that stands above the terminally broken…
When I do hard workout days, particularly those that employ my legs, I find myself in absolute agony for the next few days. While I usually can make it to my next workout, there have been some times in the past where I have ghad to scrub a day just based on the muscle and joint pain that I am dealing with. However, NRG-X Labs have had to deal with…
After a fifteen year hiatus, the “classic line up” of Guided By Voices finished off its year-long reunion tour by recording an album of 21 new songs, making a deliberate effort to return to what bandleader Robert Pollard calls the “semi-collegial” approach of iconic GBV albums like Bee Thousand and Alien Lanes. Let’s Go Eat The Factory is some kind of return to form: sprawling, variegated, and yet still recognizably…