Album Reviews

[binnie]

Mastodon – Once More Round the Sun (2014)

It is ironic (and tragic) that a band celebrated for being progressive are criticised so roundly when their sound…….progresses. When Mastodon’s released their previous record – 2012’s ‘The Hunter’ – they put one foot into rock, simplifying their sound somewhat and building upon shorter songs with more prominent vocal melodies. This was certainly a more to-the-point approach that the prog-metal labyrinth of ‘Crack The Skye’ (2009) or the full metal bluster of ‘Remission’ and ‘Leviathon’, but Mastodon were hardly Heavy Metal Judases – the frenetic riffs, crazy drumming, swirling melodies and warped lyrics were all present. ‘Once Round the Sun’ continues ‘The Hunter’s’ trajectory. In one sense, it’s still very Mastodon – there are moments of maniacal, demented genius at work, moments where riffs and melodies are guzzled by the belly of the beast. And yet, in another sense it’s an optimistic, colourful record bursting with choruses which tempers the ‘don’s metallic fury with a wider range of rock sounds. But it’s hardly a Foo Fighters record. Critics might spit the word ‘rock’ at them, but in this instance it’s no synonym of ‘conventional’, for ‘Once More…’ is a challenging, inspiring and awesome rock ‘n’ roll record.

‘The Motherload’ opens the album with stoner rock vibes and more than a little Southern Rock. With an upbeat tone and lyric, this is Mastodon you can rock out too, rather than demolish buildings. But it’s still music with a panoramic vision and cinematic quality, music made by a band that are so in tune with one another they work as an organism. ‘Asleep In the Dream’ is equally a point of departure, a spacey, translucent, shimmery song possessed of an eerie beauty of whispered melodies and sparkling guitar, whilst the title track has an psychedelic feel to it, with the band almost sounding like Hawkwind in places are they sweep from melody to melody. This is a band stretch it’s musical limbs and scratching multiple creative itches, a band that feels – if not quite sounds – miles away from the beardy beasts who bellowed out tunes about Moby Dick.

That’s not to say that there isn’t some heavy stuff here, however. Far, far from it! ‘Chimes At Midnight’ comes in at a gallop, battering ears and necks alike and propelled with and surging power which this band does like no other. It is as good as anything they’ve done before. ‘High Road’ is the most old skool of the tunes here, a lurching, riff-guzzling behemoth of a song oozing primordial power, and ‘Halloween’ is a swirling morass of groove and power. And epic, 8 minute closer ‘Diamond In The Witch House’ is full of the eerie bluster and grandiose majesty you’ve come to expect from this band, a truly crushing, almost claustrophobic musical experience. If this is Mastodon ‘selling out’, don’t be expecting you’re average Mumford & Sons fan to be jumping on board just yet.

But, as great as this is, there’s something missing. Like ‘The Hunter’ – and unlike Mastodon’s very finest records – ‘Once More…’ does not have an overarching theme. Even if you didn’t understand what ‘Crack The Skye’ was about (who did?) there was, at the risk of sounding pretentious, a certain musical unity to the album as a whole, a sense of a symphony which carried band and listener somewhere truly beyond themselves. That is no longer present and as a result, like ‘The Hunter’, ‘Once More….’ is a collection of great songs rather than a great album proper. Is that a criticism? Not really – how many bands achieve music on ‘Crack The Skye’ or ‘Leviathan’ level? Mastodon may no longer be exclusively ‘metal’, but I’d be very, very surprised if ‘Once More Round the Sun’ is not on the ‘best of 2014’ lists of most metalheads.

Stunning, stunning music.

[binnie]

Vallenfyre – Splinters (2014)

The second record from Vallenfyre – a motly cast of metal masters comprising of Gregor Mackintosh (Pardise Lost), Adrian Erlandson (At the Gates), Hamish Glencross (My Dying Bride) – is an absolute joy. Well, as far as a Doom Metal album can be called a ‘joy’. This is metal made by men who’ve been doing it long enough to know what to leave out, and how to create songs which have so much more presence by being less cluttered. Featuring a guitar tone that is just pure naaaasty – we salute you Mister Mackintosh – tunes like ‘Odious Bliss’ will make you headbang like a motherfucker. ‘Scabs’ takes elements of Death Metal, Doom and Punk into one uncluttered blast of music, while ‘Bereft’ is a My Dying Bride like lament, as lurching, slow and guttural as it is relentlessly heavy as it sucks you into its darkened world. Featuring Entombed-like guitars that thunder and smash in vicious waves of power, a raw production making the whole thing feel alive, breathing and wounded.

Great tunes played by great musicians: it is refreshing to hear doom played in a manner that is this direct, not pretentious.

[binnie]

Crowbar – Symmetry In Black (2014)

Imagine the weight of the Death Star. Now throw in King Kong, all occupants of Texas, Piers Morgan’s ego, and the remaining blue whale population and you’re still nowhere near how heavy the average Crowbar riff is. Delivering sonic abuse for over two decades now, the Kirk Windstein (of Down fame) led New Orleans sludge metallers have made an album of pure brilliance in ‘Symmetry In Black’. They’ve always been a captivating affair – ultra-heavy Sabbath injected with crack-fuelled aggression and doused in melodic beauty – but this time out Windstein (who left the more lucrative Down to focus on this album) clearly had something to prove. There is, simply put, nothing even approaching filler here, and rather than just relying on riffs the band have focussed on song dynamics and dabbling in a slightly wider sonic palette. The results are stunning.

Opener ‘Walk With Knowledge Wisely’ is one of the best tunes that Windstein has ever penned. A maelstrom of blackened riffs, pro-power vocals and funereal melodies which are larger than life and twice as ugly. It’s typically Crowbar, but it’s also more muscular and utilizes rhythmic quirks to make the songs feel more alive and bestial. ‘Symmetry In White’ is a nightmarish psychedelia, the effect of having a bad trip whilst listening to Sabbath which is the perfect vehicle for the longing and agony of Windstein’s tortured larynx. ‘Amaranthine’ is light and woozy, and ‘Reflection of Deceit’ is progressive, a haunting melancholy that is at once morose and beautiful. Songs like this showcase Windstein the song-writer rather than just Windstein the epic riff welder, and the results are a more rounded, and even more powerful Crowbar, a Crowbar that can genuinely compete with metal’s elite.

That’s not to say that ‘growth’ equates to ‘toned down’. There is PLENTY of full tilt metal here, too. ‘Ageless Decay’ is a sonic head butt, ‘Shaman of Belief’ is what it must sound like to have something burrow out of your skull, ‘Teach The Blind to See’ is a vortex of riffs, and ‘The Foreboding’ is just something else, a slooow building, riff twisting blast of melancholy which encapsulates everything that Crowbar are about and passes beyond it. Here the band’s mantra rings true: NONE. FUCKING. HEAVIER.

Crowbar have been a great metal band for twenty years. With ‘Symmetry In Black’, they’ve become a great band. Period.

[binnie]

Architects – Lost Forever/ Lost Together (2014)

Last time out (2012’s ‘Daybreaker’), Architects delivered a spectacular mis-step. Softening and simplifying their sound in the hope for wider commercial appeal, they succeeded only in making an album that was both disingenuous and generic. For a band that is pretty much consistently heralded by the British metal press as the best homegrown UK band of their generation, it was a crushing disappointment. ‘Lost Forever…’ is definitely a step back on the right track. To these ears, Architects are still a band in search of their own identity (the looming shadow of the Dillinger Escape Plan is ever-present, and there are still many, many ‘core’ elements), but they’re still a remarkably talented young band. Opener ‘Gravedigger’ seems the return of wrenching vocals and screams which drip with conviction, and sees this band showcase their technical prowess, switch-hitting from time change to time change with an aggressive aplomb. ‘Naysayer’ sees extreme blasts of drums and guitars sandwiched between huge hooks and is the sound of a band leaping into their stride and releasing torrential hellfire. As you listen to ‘Broken Cross’ – with its Bring Me The Horizon atmospherics – you can see the crowd losing itself, and the band impress with their diversity: ‘C.A.N.C.E.R’ is the heaviest the band has ever sounded; ‘The Devil Is Near’ is a sweeping, cinematic 4 minutes of music; and ‘The Distant Blue’ sees the band exploring luscious soundscapes in a way that is emotional and melodic without sacrificing the band’s clout.

Essentially picking up where ‘Hollow Crown’ (2009) left-out, ‘Lost Forever…’ nevertheless sees Architects continue to grow. They’re quickly developing a remarkable arsenal of tunes.

[binnie]

Judas Priest – Redeemer Of Souls (2014)

‘Redeemer Of Souls’ is the best album Judas Priest have released in two decades. But that’s not saying much. The Priest ‘reunion’ has to be the most disappointing come-back in the history of music. ‘Angel Of Retribution’ (2005) attempted to recapture the glory of those relentless ‘80s anthems and descended into parody (hello, ‘Lochness’); and ‘Nostradamus’ (2008) was a musical travesty of such ridiculous, over-blown pomposity which not even its protagonist could have predicted. That ‘Redeemer Of Souls’ raises a smile, then, is perhaps not much of an achievement.

There are certainly plenty of plus points. Firstly, it’s a back-to-basics affair: all attempts at opera, prog or complex arrangements which failed on ‘Nostradamus’ have gone out of the window, replaced by a simplicity first approach which suits that band well. Secondly, it’s a very, very heavy record which will make your teeth rattle on numerous occasions. And, thirdly, it is an unapologetic celebration of Heavy Metal – where so many ageing metalheads become embarrassed by their own genre and claim to have spent their formative years ‘listening to old blues records, maaaan, Muddy Waters was my bible’, Priest feel no pretentions to be anything other than what they are. The result is an honest album. You just wish that it was also a good one.

There are certainly moments to enjoy. Opener ‘Dragonaut’ is everything you love about Priest – gutsy guitars, that glorious mid-paced chug that possesses so much weight, and lyrics of fantastic abandon (‘welcome to my world of steel….’ Halford begins); ‘Halls Of Valhalla’ is awash with melodrama, power and the screeching energy of riffs and vocals that makes metal so much larger than life; ‘Hell & Back’ is unbelievably heavy, a feel-good Priest song that will kill live; and ‘Cold Blooded’ is five and a half minutes of slow-burning molten metal on which the band show off their chops and kick in those dynamics which made their best material crackle and fizz. Best of all is the bluesy ‘Crossfire’, which could hark back all the way to ‘Rocka Rolla’ – in one sense it’s the least typical Priest tune here, but it also showcases the natural performance and positively spits out energy.

It’s such a shame, then, that these moments of inspiration are mired amidst others of such utter mediocrity. ‘Metalizer’ is clumsy self-parody of a cringe-worthy nature. ‘Down In Flames’ is a clichéd afterthought which essential re-works ‘Painkiller’s’ (1990) ‘One Shot At Glory’, and ‘March Of The Damned’ sounds like the sort of tepid tosh latter-day Ozzy knocks out, and is certainly not worthy of its superb title. There is often the sense of a band going through the motions, too. You can forgive Halford for putting the higher end of his voice on the shelf (for the most part) – not only is it unfair to criticise a man in his 60s for not being able to do what he did in his 20s, Halford’s vocals were always about more than piercing high notes. But you can’t forgive the ageing-band syndrome of writing flabby songs. Many of the tunes here are padded out to 5 minutes when they’d have so much more power at 4, and the relentless use of mid-tempos make the whole record feel flaccid and longer than it actually is. ‘Redeemer Of Souls’ was clearly intended to be an album of to the point, big, bold metal anthems – it’s just a shame that, like Black Sabbath’s ‘13’, the finished product doesn’t quite make the mark.

And yet, you can’t help but enjoy it. Maybe it’s the rose-tinted ear-lobes of the fan; maybe it’s the overwhelming forgiving nature of nostalgia, but because you want to love this album, you can’t help but like it despite its (many) faults. 40 years and 17 albums into their career, listening to Judas Priest in 2014 is like watching an ageing boxer who can’t quite pull the trigger any more. He’s still recognizably the semi-divine champ he once was, and shows fleeting moments of his former self as you will him on to victory. But as he continues to pass through the motions, you can’t help feeling an inexplicable sadness by how very fragile, and desperately human, he has become.

[binnie]

KXM – KXM (2014)

Usually when you describe a rock record as ‘contempoary’ you’re using it as a synonym for ‘confused’ or ‘characterless’, but in the case of the debut record from KXM – a three-piece comprising Doug Pinnick (King’s X), Ray Luzier (Korn, David Lee Roth) and George Lynch (Dokken, Lynch Mob) – it is meant with as a genuine compliment. Here we have an album by a band who have taken influences from the entire 45 year span of your record collection and rolled them into something which is very much their own. At times gritty, bluesy or grungy, KXM is a heavy record on which each member restrains their ability to show-off and instead focusses on penning some damn fine tunes. Where so many ‘supergroups’ chase the glories of their past (Audioslave, Velvet Revolver) here is one in which the group is bigger than any ego involved in making it.

Opener ‘Stars’ has plenty of guts in the bottom end and is heavier than many will be expecting, a blast of gnarly hard rock with a very raw feel to it that is instantaneous. The voodoo blues of ‘Rescue Me’ is also like a shot to the chin, and comes with the sort of chorus that would be all over the radio in a fairer world. The songs are propelled by Luzier’s idiosyncratic rhythms to make them loose and very groove orientated, with the space between the pasts making the performances breathe and pulsate in a very live manner. When ‘I’ll Be OK’ kicks in there’s plenty of menace and bit, and the swing of ‘Sleep’ (which is one part grunge, the other gospel) makes for something mighty powerful. Pinnick’s vocals may be limited, but they positively drip conviction (see ‘Never Stop’ and ‘Burn’).

KXM is a record that rewards multiple spins, and the band have a sound that is both fresher than you might expect from guys this far into their careers and pushes beyond anything which any member has done. The emphasis on feel over flash is executed perfectly: in many ways, this may be some of Lynch’s best playing – not in a ‘oh-my-God-how-is-he-doing-that?’ kind of way, but in the sense of how much impact his guitar has here precisely because it’s both dialled down and locked into the weight of Luzier’s and Pinnick’s rhythms. It seems that you can teach old dogs new tricks.

All we can hope for now is that we get a chance to hear these tunes live.

[ELVIS]

Supergroup...

You might as well have used Chickenfoot as an example...

[ELVIS]

BTW, KXM sounds like a dirt bike or some digital radio crap...

I'll check out a youtube...

[ELVIS]

Wow, they must be real rock stars...

All of their vidieos are OFFICIAL...

They even have an OFFICIAL trailer...

Is there a movie also ??

[ELVIS]

Well, the OFFICIAL Rerscue Me VIDEO featuring George Lynch, dUg Pinnick and Ray Luzier is pretty tired...

Sounds like an overly compressed demo...

Was never a fan of Lynch...

Next...

[binnie]

I think it's interesting to hear Lynch not doing his widdly stuff. It's the rhythms that hook me, though.

[ELVIS]

Yeah, because he only knows one solo...

[Seshmeister]

Yeah, because he only knows one solo...

They probably weren't aiming for your Fundamentalist Christian Neo Classical Jealous Bedroom Guitarist Rock demographic.

You CNCJBGR fans are not really forefront in the minds of anyone tbh.

[Seshmeister]

Five posts in a row.

Look at me look at me I can bitch about a friend of the site.

Maybe he'll notice me.

Sad.

[Von Halen]

The best way I can describe this record, is sonic. I really liked it the first time I listened to it, and it just seems to get better with every play through it. My new Ram has the 10 speaker sound system with the sub in it, and this album sounds fucking phenomenal at max volume.

I was with Ray the other night, and he told me they will eventually play some live shows. Unfortunately, it is sounding like the first opportunity they will have to play live, will be in Japan. I just might go. I wonder if Cato will let me crash at his place? Ray also told me The Winery Dogs wanted KXM to tour with them, but Ray couldn't do it because of Korn doing the Mayhem Festival. That would have been one good show, to see those two bands together.

Elvis, I'm sorry George, Ray and Dug aren't shackled to a one room apt. in the shithole swamps of Louisiana, wanking away aimlessly on their music. Maybe they're just luckier than you are.

Speaking of George, he doesn't seem to be happy unless he's in about 7 different projects. He has another album I'm looking forward to. One with James LoMenzo, and Michael Sweet.

[ELVIS]

Five posts in a row.

Look at me look at me I can bitch about a friend of the site.

Maybe he'll notice me.

Sad.

What the hell is up your smug rectum ??

Just ban everybody, be done with it, and enjoy yourself...

It must suck to feel so threatened...

[Seshmeister]

I unbanned everyone if you remember.
When was the last time you made 5 posts about an album you probably haven't even heard?
Hmmm.

[Anonymous]

Five posts in a row.

Look at me look at me I can bitch about a friend of the site.

Maybe he'll notice me.

Sad.

Binnie is a friend of the site?

Well, it stands to reason. He posts here, doesn't he?

Unless you meant George Lynch. But why would Lynlyn hang around a web-bored?

You have to have issues to be at this site. I should know.

Cheers!

[Anonymous]

The best way I can describe this record, is sonic.

That would be a good way to describe a record.

In fact, you could pretty much describe every record as "sonic", as in "relating to or using sound waves" or "denoting or having a speed equal to that of sound".

Well, with the obvious exception of 4'33'', of course.

Cheers!

[Mr. Vengeance]

‘Nostradamus’ (2008) was a musical travesty of such ridiculous, over-blown pomposity which not even its protagonist could have predicted.

This line is why Binnie is a great record reviewer.

[Seshmeister]

One with James LoMenzo, and Michael Sweet.

I heard a rumor it's going to be called 'Jesus says don't piss on your camos.'

[ELVIS]

That's stupid...

[binnie]

The best way I can describe this record, is sonic. I really liked it the first time I listened to it, and it just seems to get better with every play through it. My new Ram has the 10 speaker sound system with the sub in it, and this album sounds fucking phenomenal at max volume.

I was with Ray the other night, and he told me they will eventually play some live shows. Unfortunately, it is sounding like the first opportunity they will have to play live, will be in Japan. I just might go. I wonder if Cato will let me crash at his place? Ray also told me The Winery Dogs wanted KXM to tour with them, but Ray couldn't do it because of Korn doing the Mayhem Festival. That would have been one good show, to see those two bands together.

Elvis, I'm sorry George, Ray and Dug aren't shackled to a one room apt. in the shithole swamps of Louisiana, wanking away aimlessly on their music. Maybe they're just luckier than you are.

Speaking of George, he doesn't seem to be happy unless he's in about 7 different projects. He has another album I'm looking forward to. One with James LoMenzo, and Michael Sweet.

Saw The Winery Dogs a couple of weeks ago and they were very good. I'm glad that Ritchie Kotzen has that platform to showcase his (considerable) talents.

[vandeleur]

I liked the album binnie , if they had of played up here I would have gone to see them.

[ELVIS]

Elvis, I'm sorry George, Ray and Dug aren't shackled to a one room apt. in the shithole swamps of Louisiana, wanking away aimlessly on their music. Maybe they're just luckier than you are.

No such thing as luck...

But hey, I'm making progress...

In a more Godly musical direction...

[FORD]

No such thing as luck...

But hey, I'm making progress...

In a more Godly musical direction...

eh..... not bad, but the drum machines have to go.

[binnie]

Of Mice and Men – Restoring Force (2014)

Silly name? Check. Overbearing emotions? Check. Breakdowns? Check. Oh, it’s another metalcore band, Yep. Well, with a little bit of emo and pop punk thrown in for good measure. Album number three from California’s Of Mice and Men will undoubtedly be successful. It is a big, shiny sonic soufflé of a record that seems designed to get radio waves rocking and teenage girls’ panties moist. Harsher critics than me might suggest that this is all very cynical, that the band have essentially focussed their metalcore by ‘borrowing’ elements of commercial rock/metal and injecting them into their sound. But to these ears, it’s just refreshing to come across a band that is so honest about what they do. You sense that OMAM looked at the problem this way – ‘we could keep make run of the mill metalcore and play to several hundred people; or we could make a poppier album and play to several thousand people’. They chose the money.

So perhaps it leaves a tangy taste in the mouth. But you can’t deny some of the hooks: big ol’ melodic choruses, full of emotions larger than anyone has ever actually felt, sit on top of well-crafted tunes packed full of rock ‘n’ roll vibes. There is nothing here you haven’t heard before, but in a sense it’s made more immediate by being so familiar. ‘Public Service Announcement’ is big, bouncy metal; ‘Feels Like Forever’ is the sort of post-Linkin Park metal that teenagers love so much, awash with a staid angst that seems to say ‘hey, my life’s challenging, but not so challenging that a half-bag of clichés wouldn’t make it bearable). It seems ready-made for radio. ‘Bones Exposed’ combines aggression and groove in a manner that Bring My The Horizon do so well, while ‘Would You Still Be There’ and ‘Identity Disorder’ are pure pop. Trite? Certainly. But not everyone can be Mastodon.

Hearts are broken, futures are uncertain, wounds are open, and people just better darn well step off (‘You Make Me Sick’). If this is rock ‘n’ roll, it’s more Bobby Darin than Little Richard. But entry-level metal bands are important, and maybe OMAM will ween a couple of Miley Cyrus fans over to the dark side. We all had a band like this: and we can still hum their tunes. You sense that in 2024 many of today’s 13 year olds will say the same about ‘Restoring Force’.

[binnie]

Body Count – Manslaughter (2014)

Any sense that Ice T has lost his edge since becoming a media darling is dispelled like a shotgun blast to the head on ‘Manslaughter’, album number 5 from his metal band Body Count. Open ‘Talk Shit, Get Shot’ is baaaaad – slab after slab of guitar, aggression and grime. The music is raw, underproduced and its fusion of hardcore and metal riffs makes a perfect backdrop for Ice’s aggro take on modern life (from the street and elsewhere). 1 part hilarious and 2 parts pariah, on tunes like ‘Get A Job’, ‘Back To Rehab’ Ice is pure rage packed with hooks and riffage; and on the likes of ‘Pray For Death’ (a violent revenge fantasy) the ‘ghetto’ mannerisms are anything but a gimmick. There are missteps along the way (‘Black Voodoo Sex’), but when Ice does things well – like ‘Pop Bubble’s’ seething indictment of the complete absent of balls or grit in modern music – ‘Manslaughter’ becomes one helluva record possessed with the sort of anger that makes the world seem a little bit better.

[DONNIEP]

I gotta check this record out.

[binnie]

Overkill – White Devil Armory (2014)

You already know what Overkill’s 17th album sounds like. What you don’t know, however, is how fucking great it is. Carrying on where ‘Ironbound’ (2007) and ‘Electric Age’ (2010) left off, ‘White Devil Armory’ continues Overkill’s late-career resurgence. This time out, however, the arrangements are simpler and the production is rawer which injects added snap into their maniacal brand of thrash, leaving the whole record dripping with energy. Opener ‘Armorist’ is a neck-straining burst of thrash which leaves no adjective can really do justice, whilst the likes of ‘Pig’, ‘Where There’s Smoke’ and ‘King Of The Rat Bastards’ can rival anything in the band’s 30 year back catalogue – how many middle-aged bands can say that of their new material? Bobby ‘Blitz’s’ vocals are as vicious as ever, and guitarists Dave Linsk and Derek Tailor are on truly bone-crushing form. Put simply, if you don’t head-bang to the riff-fests like ‘Bitter Pill’, you don’t like metal.

Overkill are the US equivalent of Saxon. An over-looked, yet defiantly blue-collar, band that is never anything less than fun. And, like Saxon, that Overkill don’t take themselves too serious counts against them. ‘White Devil Armory’ won’t come near critics end-of-year lists for that reason, but the likes of ‘The Fight Song’ and ‘Miss Misery’ are just fucking metal: they make you feel as excited now as you were the first time you rubbed the little fireman. If generating that type of excitement after three decades was so easy, more of Overkill’s peers would be doing it.

[binnie]

Coming soon........'binnie's Thrash-back'. in which we look at 10 under-appreciated thrash classics!

We all know the 'Master Of Puppets', 'Rust In Peace' and 'Reign In Blood's of the world, but what about the less heralded thrash classics. We're gonna go from the mid-80s to the present day, and we're gonna go deep. Work your necks in, people!

[Seshmeister]

Coming soon........'binnie's Thrash-back'. in which we look at 10 under-appreciated thrash classics!

Is such a thing even possible?

[Mr. Vengeance]

I hope to see a review of the new Ace Frehley album. Picked it up yesterday and as usual, Ace rocks! He made an album that the current KISS can only dream of making. Not that the last two KISS albums were awful, but Ace blows them away again.

[Von Halen]

I hope to see a review of the new Ace Frehley album. Picked it up yesterday and as usual, Ace rocks! He made an album that the current KISS can only dream of making. Not that the last two KISS albums were awful, but Ace blows them away again.

The music is really good. The vocals and lyrics sound too contrived.

Ace should have brought in a real singer.

[Never was]

I like the new Ace he is playing much better than he did 10 years ago. To me Space Invader and last 2 Kiss albums are half records. Put them together you get one kiss record. There is a vibe and slightly off way Ace plays that is simply missing from Kiss. Its a bit more fun, but more energy, a lot less polish. Ace however needs the structure of better songwriting and a more complete sound that kiss has. If you could get them to co-exist in one place at the same time you could something special but as is each has some promise but comes up short.


No Psycho Circus was not an example of the co-existing. Ace had zero input and frankly was not playing very well either.

[binnie]

Ace should have brought in a real singer.

That is an all too familiar story of 'guitar player goes solo' records.

[Mr. Vengeance]

I don't want an outside singer. The charm of Ace's albums has always been his relaxed, limited vocals, odd lyrics and great guitar.

[78/84 guy]

I hope to see a review of the new Ace Frehley album. Picked it up yesterday and as usual, Ace rocks! He made an album that the current KISS can only dream of making. Not that the last two KISS albums were awful, but Ace blows them away again.

I listened too it a few times. It's fun stuff overall with a few really good tunes. I like his voice but someone else singing a few songs would have been cool. I give it a thumbs up. And ya a few tunes really sounded like Kiss stuff. Some good hooks for sure.

[binnie]

From the vaults: American Head Charge – The War of Art (2001)

‘The War Of Art’ – album number 2 from American Head Charge – stands of one of the few records from the Nu Metal era that is worth giving two shits about as those baggy pants disappear further in the rear-view mirror. What made (and makes) it so compelling is the sheer level of aggression on display here, and the avoidance of falling into the biggest Nu Metal cliché of all: Korn worship. Sure, you can hear traces of Bakersfields chosen sons on AHC, but those traces are mixed in with a little Slipknot, and some of the harder end of punk and hardcore to make one pit-bull of a record. And, yes, there are lots of downtuned guitars and programming – but they’re used as tools to service songs rather than gimmicks to substitute real talent.

Opener ‘A Violent Reaction’ balances violent beats with a groove that is tar-think. This was an incredibly aggressive band, but one who’s aggression came from a form of metal that owed little to thrash templates which, by the turn of the millennium, were considerably out-of-date. ‘Pushing The Envelope’ blends punk and industrial is an immediate manner which avoids soft-heavy-soft-heavy formulas; ‘Just So You Know’ proves that this band could write a hook; and ‘Song For The Suspect’ and ‘Nothing Gets Nothing’ found a sound – and lyrical themes – which were unlike anything else at the time. Under Rick Rubin’s guiding hand, the music was stripped back and focussed: raw, powerful and complete devoid of tricks, this was an album with musical depth that was far more than fodder for frat-boys to lift weights to. You WILL bob your head to the beats on ‘Seamless’, and the likes of ‘Breathe In, Breathe Out’ are slooow, brooding and phenomenally heavy.

Is it perfect? No – few records need 16 songs, and there is a pervasive sense that less might have been more. But how many truly classic Nu Metal records are there? Do you need more than 5 digits to count them? ‘The War Of Art’ would have to be up there. Metal journalists’ forced-amnesia of 1995-2002 is considerably hypercritical – the bands who sold a lot of records in that era also sold a lot of copies of their magazines. But before ‘Nu Metal’ becomes generation Y’s ‘Hair Metal’ – a cheesy bad joke wheeled out for gripes and jibes – we might like to remind ourselves that there were more genuinely creative bands in that genre than Korn, Slipknot and System Of A Down. American Head Charge weren’t far behind that leading pack.

[binnie]

From the Vaults: Godsmack – The Oracle (2010)

Why Godsmack are an arena-level band remains something of a mystery: if success went hand-in-hand with talent or innovation, they surely wouldn’t be. When they first appeared some fifteen years ago they were labelled ‘Metallica-in-Chains’ but in recent years their sound might be more aptly characterised as ‘Nickleback-with-muscle’: simple, to the point, radio friendly ‘metal’ for people who don’t really like metal. Derivative? In every possible way. Challenging? Nope. Does Sully Erma’s yarling grate? You bet. But I can’t help but like ‘em. Call it a guilty pleasure, but although you can hear every flaw in their sound, Godsmack know what they do and they do it well – unchallenging blasts of contemporary hard rock dripping in cheap. Grungy thrills.

‘Good Day To Die’ and ‘Cryin’ Like A Bitch’ are bruisers fitted out with some hulking choruses, and if you don’t take them too seriously they’re an awful lot of FUN. You WILL headbang to the title track whether you profess to hate this band or not, and the likes of ‘Forever Shamed’ have a hulking swing to it. Sure, there’s filler – some of these tunes sound like over-long jams – but that’s what the skip button is for; and, sure, they take their lyrics straight from the big ol’ book of clichés (‘Saints & Sinners’, ‘War & Peace’, ‘Devil’s Swing’) – but sometimes cheap and nasty works. And cheap this certainly is – you get the sense of a band as a very corporate entity, with the music designed to shift units and concerts tickets, heavy, but not abrasive enough to make you spill your over-priced beer in the enormodome. There’s a place for music like that, even if Godsmack are nobody’s favourite band.