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Sunday, August 28, 2016

Open Your Ears To The Disturbed's Call For Truth

When The Disturbed gets a full head of steam going on behalf of righteous indignation, nobody cranks out the vitriol with more conviction. You start off with a thunderous explosion of guitar from long time veteran Dan Donegan, add in a pinch of David Draiman laying down truth sliced up thin and toothsome like a savory ham, bring John Moyer's fang filled bass to the party, and lastly bring along head drummer Mike Wengren to blast away any and all complacency and you have the recipe for what makes The Disturbed the powerful force it is today. David Draiman gives no quarter, asks for none in return. "Open Your Eyes" finds David and crew smack dab in the middle of their guns blazing element. The inferno roars, guns pop, The Disturbed cuts through the clutter, making their message unmistakable to neophytes and established Disturbed faithful alike. Turning to the lyric sheet, Dan condemns lying and the liars who choose to fashion it as some variant of the truth. "Open Your Eyes" plays off like the sequel to "Liberate", another ditty about getting your mind free from hypocrisy and half truths. Of course the edge boring through the soul of "Open Your Eyes" plays at a much sharper edge than "Liberate" which went on super slick like premium grade motor oil pushed through a funnel for all vehicles to behold. But again back to the words themselves which ought to give us a window into Dan's mental state. You're captive to lies, wearing a disguise just to cope with the daily doings of modern society. You're a willing stoolie for any sales pitch you get sold. Dan begs you to see through the disguise so you get a clearer picture of how you're being fleeced. News headlines compel your actions. Dan calls the uninformed on the carpet for allowing themselves to be sucked in by propaganda. Dan's guitar explodes methodically throughout and we're better off for the privilege. John Moyer acts as the girder upon which Dan can stretch out and lean into the material. It's quite beefy stump speaking to chew on and Dan pulls it off in stunning aplomb embossed fashion. He's one convincing mouthpiece for us to gain insight from. As a collective The Disturbed play on a level nobody else could possibly touch. These gents aren't out to wine and or dine you as a glam metal throwback party band might. Unabashed truisms are their stock in trade and they know where to stick the knife in for the deepest cut. What I respect most about Dan is the maniacally eyed tonsil flashing he brings to any party he signs off on. Dan's none too taken with the lemmings who accept whatever order gets put before them. Not revolutionary thinking in the slightest. He wants only authenticity standing behind him or on his behalf. "Open Your Eyes" settles on a rolling boil, then bursts into high gear for the climb ahead. If you like your hard rock soup served to a burnt tongue plateau then this song should leave your mouth feeling shades exceeding warm and fuzzy inside. The Disturbed earns its license to shake things up as much as they deem appropriate. "Open Your Eyes" belongs in the same conversation as other great Disturbed masterworks.

Tuesday, August 23, 2016

Metallica's Hardwired To Blow

To anybody out there who still digs Metallica's "Kill 'Em All" some thirty plus years on the guys have a stellar treat for you. "Hardwired," the title cut from the upcoming project seeks to give fans both longtime and new a dose of the hard, fast elixir that put Metallica on the map way back when. Kirk Hammett continues to deliver riffs that would make the late Cliff Burton smile and flash devil horns in rambunctious glee. Lars Ulrich remains a drum bashing force of nature. Robert Trujillo looms large on the bass side of the spectrum. His contribution can't be overestimated. They supply the extra oomph that allows "Hardwired" to royally come off the spool. And how about James Hetfield. Fifty years plus age bracket and continues to go right for the throat as his lyric performance shall attest. Such a sunny worldview the man possesses. "We're so fucked." "Shit out of luck." Makes you think the apocalypse looms near. His take appears to be that humans are a rather wretched lot (no argument here on occasion) We are, as he scornfully describes it, "Hardwired to self-destruct." Yes, looks like history has born that out a time or three. James ascertains we're on the road to paranoia. Not a nice place to visit when you get down to brass tacks. "Once upon a a planet burning, once upon a flame" sounds downright literary in the grand scheme of things. Who knew James Hetfield was the type to dabble in the classics? "Hardwired" flat out rumbles through time and space like a colossus you can only hope to contain because you won't slow it down. The track's ideal for the monster truck rally portion of the Metallica fan base. NO retreat to be found anywhere, the Metallica way of doing business for as long as us metalheads care to remember. It packs a hefty wallop in just under three minutes, twenty seconds. Behind the gear box sits a macho convergence that accelerates the tune into sixth gear, a level Metallica pretty much invented. They intimidate through death, doom, and other things that comprise the stuff of many a young tot's nightmares. Metallica long since sloughed off the sellout label, and why not. They more than earn their stripes. The video takes on a black and white patina that many can recall taking center stage on the band's "Unforgiven" piece. "Hardwired" stays exclusively in the grind it out performance wheelhouse. Hair goes flying, demonic chords take wing. Metallica plays like their lives are triple-parked outside the recording booth. Strange to me that if ever there was a period in the band's colorful history that would have found them kind of mellow I point to "Nothing Else Matters". "Hardwired" gets about as mellow as a charging rhino. We're dealing with what amounts to a bull roaring through a china shop, its eyes blood red. My verdict? "Hardwired" handily takes us back to Metallica roots and the view from the abyss couldn't be any more intoxicating. "Hardwired" can stand tall among Metallica's hardcore delicacies.

Saturday, August 20, 2016

Rhapsody Redux From Panic! At The Disco A Light Beer Laugher

Now entering the classic song lovefest we have Panic! At The Disco doing a disservice to Queen fans the world over by essentially taking the much revered "Bohemian Rhapsody" and giving it the watered down light beer treatment. On the plus side the Las Vegas denizens stick to the original chord and method. You'd think Brendon Urie was merely superimposed over Freddie Mercury and left to his own devices from there. What's the real difference between the two versions anyway? Not a whole hell of a lot to be honest. Same hard luck story of a poor boy on a ill-timed killing junket. Poor thing was just getting started in life but elected to throw his future down the dumper. At the chorus point is where Brendon and pals make a weak as water attempt to put their on imprint on the song. Candy coated gloss reigns supreme. Guitar man Kenneth Harris won't make anybody forget Brian May for a pronounced period of time. If it smells like aural wallpaper it probably is that. The harmonies at that juncture, all things being biased in favor of the revered original, come across as the machinations of fan boys who have a Freddie fixation and wanted to noodle a bit at the altar of a childhood idol. Remember the piano shooting "Bohemian Rhapsody" into the stratosphere, high intensity raw emotion leading the charge? Well, Panic! At The Disco promptly chucked that down the porcelain facility in service to, as I said before, gloss piled upon gloss. The drumming in the later stages, which in the original was used to magical effect isn't firing on many cylinders in the redux. Blink 182 spat on Ray Parker Jr.'s fun loving, kinetic "Ghostbusters" theme. Why? Only that threesome knows for sure. Wasn't really needed in my estimation. Now I know Panic! At The Disco has suitably exhibited a flair for the dramatic on past efforts. That might have served them well here. Alas it never came to pass. Only so much juice you can squeeze out of grade A nostalgia before there has to be some sense that a band isn't merely riding on somebody else's coattails. Panic! loves its source material and makes overtures towards reverence on a sublime level. But the guys don't pull off their devotions animatedly enough to demonstrate they've in fact improved on the original in any way. Even the climactic closing cymbal isn't pulled off with any kind of aplomb. Brendon's a fine storyteller, using original material such as "Hallelujah". His chops truly set their own identity up for perusal. Compared to Freddie though, Brendon's light in the loafers which, of course would be like comparing a Corvette to a Mazda. They both get you from point A to point B, but the Corvette gets you there in style. In Brendon's hands the lyrics have drama but they don't maintain the original's resonance. One aspect of a well-spun remake is you very nearly forget the version you're listening to wasn't the original. At best a band makes a cover its own. Suffice it to say Panic! At The Disco's given us no reason to get rhapsodical over this Queen update. Barely a ripple in this pool.

Tuesday, August 16, 2016

Green Day Gets Its Revolution Started With a Bang

Unicorns will actually fly before Green Day mellows out. I'm seldom a man of few words but the only one needed to describe the pop punk trio's new salvo on our senses is "explosion". What meth lab did this threesome knock over to whip up a batch of no surrender full steam ahead like "Bang Bang", a track culled from what's sure to be this Halloween season's early treat, "Revolution Radio." Green Day invented sixth gear all of a sudden and are not shy about employing it to the fullest degree. Vocalist Billie Joe Armstrong hasn't lost a trace of the angry young man we glimpsed during stellar tunes like "Holiday", "Basket Case" and "American Idiot". Tre Cool blazes through the drum kit as if The Grim Reaper was hot on his heels and so a memorable parting shot sounded like a necessity given the dire circumstances. Mike Dirnt's bass proves equal to the task in front of the band as he summons up the appropriate thunder to make "Bang Bang" sound like the latest no questions asked winner in their now legendary catalog. We can drop any concerns over whether or not this outing satisfies the accessibility factor. The grooves simmer like boiling vegetable soup, the speed limit has been tossed out the window right alongside the rule book. The sound has urgency in its hip pocket and wants you to know that chapter and verse. Billie wouldn't mind being remembered as a celebrity martyr. Not that the entertainment industry has ever been in short supply of those. Death or head, eh? That had better be some prime pussy then. "Shoot me up to entertain" appears to be an obligatory reference to recreational drugs being a necessary part of the whole creative process. Works fine for some, tragically for others. I can't believe how "Bang Bang" eclipses any speed race Green Day has put us through in the past. The bridge injects a fatal shot of what makes Green Day one of the most electric outfits of any size working the beat. Can't be complimentary enough about the rampant creativity ambling through the video. Again, just another day at the office for this bunch. It's a shade higher up on the animation food chain than Green Day usually heads for but, if you're Green Day, you get a pass I suppose. I can't even pin down one chord that makes "Bang Bang" light up so flawlessly. Let's call it a four way tie then. There are certain bands that, when you see their names on a record release schedule, you go nuts in celebration. Green Day falls into that category for their die-hards. "Bang Bang" aims, fires, and connects in so many ways. Here's an autopsy report you'll want to pry into.

Friday, August 12, 2016

Skillet Makes Even The Most Meek Among Us Feel Invincible

Christian rock band Skillet comes on like the tidal wave mentioned in the chorus throughout the new "Feel Invincible". The intensity level goes all the way up to eleven. Lead vocalist John Cooper leads a call to arms and we have been invited to participate in the fomenting revolution. What a huge thrill!! The production values crackle like a house afire. Each band member gives it one million percent and the dividends fall on the mega rewarding side. The crunching rock doesn't so much glide across the surface as much as bury itself in your bloodstream begging you to get down on your knees and beg for mercy in whatever form you can obtain it. Drummer Jen Ledger does a fantastic job of blending her well-timed vocals in with juggernaut beats. Lead guitarist Seth Morrison brings his best work during the bridge, Nothing along the order of showing off a la hair metal circa 1980s. It's his technical astuteness which carries this particular day. He lays out ballistic thunder in creamy fashion the way you'd spread out peanut butter. Full steam ahead no quarter asked for or given. Lyrics point to this being John's hour to fight even if the naysayers are already counting him down and out. Wimps need not apply here. Purely army squadron psychological pepper on the ball being thrown over the plate. Early on John knows the target on his back is next to impossible to shake let alone claim victory over. Does he opt to cower in the corner? Not on your life. He rolls up his sleeves and belts out rally cry after rally cry. Of course given the Christian nature of this band all praise for the pending uprising lands square in God's lap. You can feel the electricity vibrate across the board. "Feel Invincible" gains strength as the minutes elapse. Buckling your seat belt would be quite the smart idea lest you lose your lunch somewhere along the voyage. It's quite the honor to be going side by side with the platoon known as Skillet because the band knows how to establish a unified front and march down the field, intentions clear as mud to anyone toting around a working pulse. So what gets the reward for best overall lyric on the sheet? How about "Fight song raising up like a roar of victory in a stadium. The song itself roars like a lion itching to get sprung from its cage at the zoo. The billows of bluster come at you unrelentingly, knowing exactly how to get at your hot buttons, how to incite a riot among the calmest of souls. You get left clutching a Trojan Horse weightiness after the proceedings reach their logical conclusion but in a gigantic empowered exhale fashion. Korey Cooper's keyboards blaze the trail to renewal and all we have to do is follow along like the Curious Georges we know lie within our marrows.If "Feel Invincible" were to be compared to an amusement park ride then this snarling beast can be classified as roller coaster in the ways in which it matters. Maybe a little reverse peristalsis is good for body and soul. Skillet's form of dishing it out certainly has an indisputable bite behind it. In short "Feel Invincible" goes on camouflage fatigues and wears well over the excursion. Maybe you won't walk away clutching any cloak of invincibility but you'll likely work up a satisfying sweat.

Tuesday, August 9, 2016

Oxford's Glass Animals Take a Big Swing At Life Itself

Load the cannons up with pure electric bombast, throw in a brilliant change-up quiet keyboard ending that nobody saw coming and what are you left holding onto my friends? Why the pulse pounding craftsmanship of indie Oxford band Glass Animals whose opening salvo from the soon to be released "How To Be a Human Being", "Life Itself", packs in a wealth of British guts spread out over close to five minutes. Also present we find no small kitsch factor, something torn straight out of a Bollywood extravaganza. Look to the video if you doubt what I'm saying bears some ring of truth to it. Lead vocalist Dave Bayley relates a story many a teen has likely straddled through to young adulthood bearing the scars of. "I can't get a job so I live with my mom. The boomerang generation writ large for all to see. The chorus speaks to getting your mind free, to discovering a way to lean back and breathe. Easy to covet as opportunities go but highly difficult to obtain in the ever wandering craniums we carry around above our necks. Much to praise regarding "Life Itself". You could experience worse than a highway drive toting this on the iPod shuffle. Co-keyboard players Drew McFarlane and Edmund Irwin-Singer make this effort high on the chuckle factor. Sure the lyric material does present plenty to ponder. For example...how about those grown-up superstar dreams Dave was courting? Doesn't sound like they really came to fruition. That was one pipe dream that never found its way out of the pipe lamentably. From the song's tempo you'd never think Dave sounded too terribly disappointed. Just a road hump among many along his primrose path. Joe Seaward does commendable work behind the drums. You don't make him out to be a glory hog in any way whatsoever. He presents himself as a timekeeper in the classic Charlie Watts tradition, always dependable, never one to commandeer too much of the lion's share of attention. Maybe he's not in Charlie's league yet but give him some room to grow and somewhere down the line we could be returning to this same vein of conversation. Anyway, back to the lyrical heft, or lack therein. Dave covets freedom, and all the open air perks that it conveys. It's what young adulthood hangs its hat on. No parents giving you restraints holding you back from a high old time. Getting in to see R-rated movies whenever the mood strikes. Moving on to the next phase of boy-girl interaction. Stacking "Life Itself" high on humor presents an enormous bonus. It gives Glass Animals a high likeability factor. So much of today's world appears doom and gloom coated. Why not toss in some "lighter side of" yucks while we're at it. The video is infused with much youthful spirit. You want to make the connections where you can locate them. You could establish a pretty swift friendship based on the chorus alone. It begs you to go along as a travel companion, to share the unknown road together. Adventures are what life on planet Earth is made of. Glass Animals have the right animated vim to take us on a hugely enviable trek to destination unknown. "Life Itself" amounts to much more pep than any of us bargained for. It's a life worth pursuing...I can promise you that much.

Saturday, August 6, 2016

Nothing But Thieves Throws Down a Massively Effective Wake Up Call

Nothing But Thieves relies heavily on the bass of Philip Blake to propel "Wake Up Call" to dizzying levels of melodic grandeur. The chewy goodness permeates throughout this effort. Of course you don't far from first gear if you don't have an ace in the hole drummer inching you along. Enter James Price whose way with sticks staggers the imagination. In fact he and Philip play off each other's sense of rhythms ideally. Lots of juice flowing and what a wonder it is to behold. You throw in Joe Landgridge-Brown on lead guitar and the recipe for British rock brought to the dining room piping hot comes into big league focus. "Wake Up Call" itself pertains to the wake up call you don't get from life when it appears all you're doing is burning up daylight, wasting precious energy much better used on grand pursuit of one kind or another. Barreling through best describes the song tempo. Kind of like the race for the wake-up call that never really arrives in the manner in which we'd like. A chord predominates and what an effective use of that chord it turns out to be. Desperation hasn't set in but it looks like vocalist Conor Mason has placed it in just around the corner status. His voice gives off a workmanlike shimmer that's employed to marvelous effect. Also, one hears a definite crooning element giving away the passion in his message. And that would be my cue to let you all in on what the message conveys exactly. To the lyric lab, pals o' mine!! Conor expounds on how our hearts are not wireless. Plus Conor has no intention of slowing down and fading out. Many rock stars follow the exact same plotline to sometimes tragic results. "Sometimes we never get started. No one will give you a wake up call." Too true. We often have to be our own alarm clock if we ever expect to obtain greatness or something resembling it. When the chords do shift the drama of "Wake Up Call" claims a slice of greatness for itself. Skin bashing from Mr. Price can be the infection you don't want a fast cure for. Mr. Vernon's pipes hit that sweet spot when the titular refrain comes bursting through his lips. In the video he strikes the cosmopolitan pose in blue suit and ratcheted up attitude. Seeking but never making contact with what he really is after on this planet. The bridge affords Joe room to flex his capable muscle and make his instrument meld gracefully amidst the confusion. Guitar doesn't have to strike a macho pose in order to be at peak effectiveness. Joe kept that in mind and the outcome really demonstrates he's learned from any past mistakes he's guilty of. "Wake Up Call" is a quick entree bite at the musical buffet table. No longer than three minutes, four seconds. Economy of sentiment isn't always a bad thing. At least the guys make it count. No nook is left wanting in the atmospherics department. No accessible hook goes without being snatched successfully. As a total package "Wake Up Call" is the right psychological alarm system at the right time. We should all be so fortunate as to have a high caliber bunch such as Nothing But Thieves helping us get with the program.

Tuesday, August 2, 2016

Grouplove Pops Open a Bubbly Version Of Life

Welcome back Grouplove and thank you for bringing your keen sense of adorable arrangements along for the ride. At first glance you get this idea that co-vocalist Hanna Hooper is bound to steal the show called "Welcome To Your Life" thanks to her emphatic pipes and engaging vocal presence. Toss in her keyboard quaintness and the table's set for a brash ride like none you've ever known throughout your days. Not so fast my friends. Just wait until you get to the chorus. That's life celebrated through the wide-eyed wonder of youth. Bright shiny color comes from every which way and grabs you by the paw begging you to come along for this supercharged journey. All's quiet on the front side. Merely window dressing leading up to the movie soundtrack grandeur that follows. Christian Zucconi makes his brotherly presence known right up front. He excels at setting a twinkly mood right at the start. At his core he lays out a child's many possibilities for her life. Fantasy possibly? That's what childhood dreams are made of. This child's such a big mess but Christian loves her anyway. The drumming soars to exciting heights thanks in no small measure to Grouplove's muscle, one Ryan Rabin. His deft turn makes "Welcome To Your Life" cause for technicolor celebration. You're given the sense dreams, even those of a growing mind like a little girl's really could come true. As the verses grow bigger, Hannah's tone increases in its attention to daring proclamations. She declares "We're back in business. You're such a big mess and I love you." Not a shade of cynicism to cloud the trip through childhood wonderland. Rightfully Christian declarers "Nothing ever comes without a change." As hard as it is to accept, change is that nagging constant out to shake up lives hither and yon, for better or worse. In a child's construction of his or her possible vision of the future, change can be electrifying. Over on bass, Daniel Gleason gives us firm footing so we can all travel in high stepping panache. Let us not leave out guitarist Andrew Wessen who brings the top quality strumming longtime Grouplove fans and now hopefully converts alike can all appreciate. Sure, at four minutes and change, you could demand something weightier than the pondering of the extremely young set but "Welcome To Your Life" has the markings of a track that in no way warrants undue hostility. Remember folks, we all start out little. From small locations big dreams have the potential to emerge. Grouplove has the giddy thrill of early life discoveries down to a well-concocted science. Hannah and Christian make for an exemplary pair of arguments for why youth should not be considered aimless drifters. They usually do have something bold to contribute to a conversation if you listen long enough. Big messes or not they do have a way of making you think...at least for a little bit. You take your love where you can find it. In this instance Grouplove steps full stride into what could be instead of what's dead and gone. "Welcome To Your Life" sends us a welcome breath of delightful air in a world of nasty where President Trump happens to be an honest to goodness possibility.