I'm not going to join in on all this BS about how crazy he was or that he touched kids (which I still think he did). This is about the legend, not the man. Men are flawed, weak but legends live on forever. You don't hear about Elvis' obsession with women or prescription drugs all you hear is the legend of the King of Rock and Roll. This is the same way I choose to think of Michael, and I hope the rest of the world does too. He is my generations Elvis, and yesterday a little bit more of my childhood died.
My first album review of the summer! 311 released Uplifter yesterday and I must say I was very nervous for this release with good reason, Bob Rock produced it. You all know how I feel about that asshole. So that being said, I knew a couple of things going in. I knew the album would sound great, quality wise, I knew there would be a really big sound behind the hooks and probably some cheesy vocals. Well sure enough all those things are on this record. However, there are some things I didnt know or expect. I didnt know what the overall feel of the album was going to be. It turns out to be a lot like Transistor which has become one of my favorites in their collection. The downside is Rock's influence on this, there are a LOT of cheese vocals. I can name two specific tracks: Never Ending Summer and Mix It Up, the vocals are really hammed up on these tracks. The real shame is that these tracks are really good its just that the lame vocal melodies inhibit what could be a beautiful song. Not that I blame all of it on Rock, Nick Hexum im sure contributed to this as well. All in all Uplifter is an big improvement over the past two records which were beginning to have a definite stale sound to them, I chalk this up to working with Saint over and over. I was afraid that 311 had begun sticking to the same sound as a lot of good bands do with age. Hatebreed, Bad Religion and Aerosmith im looking at you! Well looking forward to a great summer filled with new tunes and shows to report on.
I thought maybe I would entertain you all with a few of my favorite links. These are websites I go to everyday and sometimes twice or three times. They range the gamut of random shit, everything from movie news to gadgetry. Enjoy!
- The good 'ol local paper. I am proud to say that in this age of failing old media, it appears that my little old local paper "gets it" and provides great ad-supported content on the web for free. There are a few things that I find are lacking (no social interactions features like friending or article recommendation) but overall a great site.
-Yes it is mainstream, yes it is overdone. But the interface is superior and the content is always spot on. The only thing I wish, as with any other national sports news agency is a little more H-Town love
- Last but not least are THE bastions of nerddom on the internet. I am pretty new to these sites, but from what I can tell they have solid news and content. I dont really like the layout of Aint it Cool but i am getting used to it.
What up peeps! Well not much in the way of metal news this week. Killswitch's new album has a confirmed release date of June 30th. However no new tracks or album art to reveal as of yet.
**UPDATE**
I just found the new single off the Killswitch CD!!
Happy Metal Monday to everyone. I have been neglecting the blog for the last couple of weeks, I have no excuse for this so I decided to make it up to you all by doing a two for one. Up this week Unearth and Testament...
First up Testament, I have been into these guys for a while now even though they have pretty much been putting out the same album since the mid-90's. Billed as the poor man's Metallica, Testament really has never achieved the credit I feel they deserve. These dudes rock, I consider their best album to still be Practice what you Preach but Low does have some jams as well. Go check them out!
These guys are just itching to break out. Their newest album The March just dropped a couple of months ago and it is a non-stop fucking metal blast. It even has some very heavily punk-inspired riffs. So for you punk who are scared to join the metal fold this band might be the bridge you are looking for....im looking at you little pants!!
P.S. You can see both of these groups playing at the Scout Bar on June 2nd.
So ive been pondering all weekend and this week about what to post, since most music news doesnt happen until late spring/early summer I decided to cover the biggest thing to happen this week. Metallica was inducted into the rock and roll hall of fame. Now this is a big deal for several reasons. The first being the greatest heavy band of all time is officially being recognized for their efforts. The second being that they have now broken down yet another door for heavy music in the mainstream. There are HUGE omissions in the hall. A few I can think of off the top of my head are Motorhead and Slayer. This entry will make it easier for these bands to be considered. Here is some coverage from the induction:
What was really cool about this performance was that Jason Newsted played with them.
A lot of you clown on me for liking him, but I will still contend that John Mayer is one of the greatest talents of our generation. He is doing things musically that capture the spirit of Jimi and Stevie Ray. He is currently working on his new album and is blogging the whole experience you can find it here:
Another reason to love him is that he is a huge nerd and embraces the whole internet culture with a passion. Plus..Tim...he has a Kindle. Check out Battle Studies
Happy Metal Monday to everyone out there in internet land!!
Since there are no new albums or upcoming ones I thought I would share my thoughts about some upcoming shows that I am pumped about:
4.24.09 Lamb of God and As I Lay Dying
*This is gonna be a super badass show! I have seen Lamb one other time, and while underwhelming I hope they fired the sound guy and replaced him with one that actually can hear. I am also pumped to see As I Lay Dying, I love the record so lets see what they can do live
7.18.09 Rise Against and Rancid
*I am so fucking down for this show. I am in love with Rise Against and I am excited to see the spikes and patch-filled jean jacket crowd that Rancid brings. While not one of my favorites Rancid serves their purpose.
8.15.09 Meyhem Festival
*OMG OMG OMG Barring any upcoming announcements this is the show of the year. Slayer, Marlyn Manson, All That Remains, Cannibal Corpse, The Black Dhalia Murder, plus a shit ton more. I am already there in spirit. METAL!!
**5.6.09 Flight of the Conchords
*While not metal in any way, I am really curious to see how this pans out. I love this show and the record. They are hilarious, Jermaine and Bret 4 ever!!
I am back from the wonderful world of the Big Easy, or as Id like to call it "Old Detroit". New Orleans is the true armpit of America, New Jersey ain't got shit on it. But I digress, this week sees the release of Guitar Hero:Metallica which is going to be epic for sure. I foresee many a night in my underwear jammin' out to Ride the Lightening or Battery. I cant wait to get my hands on it, plus as a bonus since I pre-ordered it I get a double bass pedal for my kit. METAL!!!!!
St. Patrick's day has been a bittersweet day for me for a long time. On the one hand it is a celebration of my Irish heritage, on the other hand it marks the anniversary of the day my great-grandma died. Now this year is a special year in that it marks 15 years since that day. I was lucky in that I got to know and live with Nana for so long. Most kids dont ever even meet their great-grandparents much less have them lend a hand in raising them. Here is to you Nana, I hope you and Bumpaw are in a happy place!! Happy St. Patrick's Day
This weekend I was introduced to a new group, Dream Evil. This is a guilty pleasure for me, their music is the cheesiest, their image is horrible, but you cant deny the metal that pumps through their veins. This is exactly what inspires Jack Black to write Tenacious D lyrics. Heavily inspired by Dio, be on the lookout for these guys.
*Extra Bulletin*
The Mayhem Festival is coming on 8/15 to Cynthia Woods. This year includes Manson, Slayer, Cannibal Corpse, All that Remains and Bullet for my Valentine. This is gonna be a hot, sweatty, gross day of Metal...im there who's with me????
*Extra Extra Bulletin*
I almost hesitate to soil this post with pop news but I feel I must maintain my oath to point out the injustice that is bubble gum pop. It appears that Hannah Montana (the new Britney Spears) has taken upon herself to ruin Radiohead. Never mind that Radiohead has more talent in a wad they shoot in a tissue than this broad will ever have. Apparently Hannah felt sad that they wouldn't hang out with her (I think she forgot that shes 16 and they are like 40 something) So we'll see if she succeeds or not.
And now for something completely different...This band which hails from So-Cal are an interesting infusion of Metal with Armenian traditional music. Unfortunately they have been on a hiatus for a few years, but I think this is for the best considering the decline in the quality of the albums. Yet another product from my main man Rick Rubin this band I hope will rise again. Here are some of their classics:
Since I have started this feature there really hasnt been any major new metal records released, well that all changed last Tuesday. Lamb of God released their latest "Wrath" to the masses. I have soaked it up over the past week and here are my conclusions:
Good:
1. Good record overall
2. Recording is very good, but then again normally LOG's records are.
3. The good tracks are killer.
Bad:
1. There are quite a few "filler" tracks on this record, much more so than on "Sacrament" which I consider to be their best effort.
2. Some of the tracks focus on being heavy rather than trying anything new or groundbreaking. A lot of metal bands fall into this problem, while trying to appeal to the base they don't focus on expanding their range musically. If these guys are anything they are gifted musically.
Overall a good album I give is a solid 3 1/2 out of 5, with the potential to grow to a 4!
Here is a sample of one of my favorite tracks "Broken Hands"
Great news on the Arrested Development front. It appears that Michael Cera..the lone holdout..has agreed to be in the movie. Smart career move for this kid, after all this little bastard owes his whole existence to AD. I mean he does play George Michael in every movie, and im perfectly ok with that.
Happy Metal Monday to everyone!!!! This weekend as I listened to my new mix CD that I made (my sync broke in my car again :( ) I remembered how much I love this band:
Now while this isnt the normal "heres a new band to check out post" go back and listen to these guys work. It really holds up and paved the way for more aggressive metal to go main stream. Now while they might be associated with douche bag football players locker room antics, these guys were full entrenched in the heavy metal scene. While there career was cut much to short due to a combination of drugs, instability and the untimely death of one of the greatest heavy metal guitar players. These guys still hold a special place in my heart. This one goes out to you Dime!!!
While doing my morning surfing I happened upon this crazy video in which Glenn "the master of Armageddon" Beck tries to imagine different "war game" scenarios in which there is a civil war due to disenfranchisement of the citizenry because of the new Obama policies. Ok, now while I have no issue with Glenn Beck doing after all this it is his right under the 1st amendment. What if I had gone on TV in 2003 and "imagined" a scenario in which we lost in Iraq and there were revolts at home due to illegal immigration and militias were taking over cities? I would have been hung from the first tree that Beck/OReilley/Limbaugh/Hannity could find. I would have been labeled a traitor and a "radical left winger" but when these guys do it (just four weeks in I might add) it isnt even talked about or construed as anything but normal. What is the double standard here? Why can right-wingers talk about the fall of the government and liberals not peacefully protest about what is fully understood to be an unjust war?
P.S. Dont worry loyal readers Metal Monday is next...I was just really upset about this.
So, I just read on /Film that they are making a Coming to America sequel/reboot in reverse starring who? Who else? the "damn Gina" king himself Martin fucking Lawrence. Ok, so most of you who know me know that I am a huge 80's movies fan and a lot of the nostalgia that has been going on has been awesome for me. But this is a fucking atrocity, now not only do I have to put up with the complete demise of Eddie Murphy, I mean really Eddie this?
But now I gotta put up with Hollywood disgracing his older work? Fuck that. On top of it they got Martin Lawrence? What were they sitting around and thinking..mmm who embodies a young Eddie Murphy in him prime, oh I know Martin!
I just finished season one last night..I am so fucking down. This is a kick ass show. I knew going into it that I would love it but damn this did not disappoint. I can hardly wait for the second season to arrive via little pants express. Hey, oh I having a fit over here.
Well sorry about the late post. I know you all were on pins and needles as to which band was going to be featured this week. Well you can stop holding your breath...its All That remains. This Metalcore band from Springfield, Mass is yet just another example of the resurgence of heavy metal in the past few years. Plus they have a chick in their band (ill give you three guess as to which instrument she plays) They are really unique in that they mix more traditional, mainstream catchy choruses in with brutal riffs and lead guitar lines. Check them out for yourself here is a cut off the new album Overcome:
Chiron:
And here is a cut from their best album "The Fall of Ideas"
P.S. A little known fact their lead singer Phil Labonte was the runner up to be the replacement for Jesse Leach in Killswitch Engage.
I saw that the original Super Soaker, the ultimate water gun that provided us with so many great time turns 20 years old this year. This, along with Saved by the Bell really lets me know that I am officially old. This should make me think "well I guess its time to put childish things away" but a much bigger, more primal part of me is like: "fuck that dude there reissuing the old super soaker, I need a new water gun anyway." Which one do I decide to follow? Well ill decide while im shooting my wife with my new water gun!
Good Monday Morning to everyone. This week I would like to tell you a story about a little band from San Francisco that evolved into the 7th biggest selling act in American history, putting them up there with The Beatles and Elvis, which id have to say is an even bigger accomplishment considering what type of music they play. This is also a story of loss and redemption, highs and lows and one of the greatest comebacks in music history. I wont discuss the narrative, the story itself can easily be found my googling Metallica. What I will tell you is my own version.
I have had a passion for music my whole life, from singing along with Big Bird when I was a baby to country music in my formative years. But it wasnt until I heard this band in 5th grade that I truly can say that I fell in love with a genre. Ive heard my friends explain this similar feeling with punk rock, and I do like punk rock, but it does not give me the same feeling inside of out right joy that a metal track does and these guys do it the best.
That is not to say that it has all been rose pedals and smiles with them and I. Whatever the fuck they did in the mid-90's just baffled me. Here is a great example:
They went from this:
To this:
Needless to say, I was shocked and hurt. How could they do this?!? Why would they sell out after all these years? I gave up, started listening to nu-metal (which other than deftones is a decision I whole heartedly regret) and didnt look back. But lo and behold came the early 00's and a new face for the group. Jason Newsted left the group, which I think was a necessary move, he kinda sucked anyway. But its when I heard St. Anger that I knew that they were on the right path. They just needed to drop Bob Rock, which I firmly believe is the Yoko Ono of Metallica. I cant even begin to describe how much I FUCKING HATE BOB ROCK!!! I believe that he robbed me of 8-12 years of kick ass music. Fuck him. But anyway in the Fall of 2008 they released what is easily one of their best records Death Magnetic and set everything right again. This one I chalk up to Rick Rubin, whom I love with all my heart. If Bob Rock is the Yoko then Rick is the John Lennon. I would give this man a kiss if I saw him in real life. His records have brought me more joy, plus he resurrected the greatest heavy metal band of all time. I will leave you with a cut off the new record so you can feast your ears on some heavy metal redemption. Which incidentally is what I think they should of named Death Magnetic.
While surfing the internets this morning, I came upon this very interesting description of the New Deal and how ti helped us get out of the Great Depression:
This guy shows through government statistics how the New Deal made an immediate impact on the failing economy. I hope that Obama's package will have these same effects, but I fear that it might be loaded with too much pork and wasteful spending. What we need is all of that money to be invested in the basic services that this country needs. I think that the bill should focus on three places and forget about all the others:
Rebuilding Infrastructure
Whether it is failing or not, this will create much needed jobs and put people back to work.
Investing in new energy platforms
This will help fund scientists researching new renewable energy as well as try to harness as much wind, solar and geothermal energy and turn it into usable, sustainable energy we can use everyday.
Invest in a new broadband infrastructure
Not only will this create jobs in the technology sector, it will also create jobs for working class people who will be the ones to lay the wire across the country. This will also allow us to catch up to Japan and China in broadband. It is absolutely pathetic that we are the country that invented the internet but we currently sit at 15th in the world in terms of speed and broadband penetration. I think that the internet should be like radio or TV when it comes to a communication medium. It is a fundamental right and essential to our democracy that our citizens are active engaging each other online.
I thought to cheer us all up on this bleak Monday by introducing a new feature on my blog. Im going to call it Metal Monday (Horns go here) So for this first one I thought I would post about one of my favorite bands..Killswitch Engage.
rating: 4 of 5 stars Fantastic read. The characters are interesting, the plot continuously is moving along and it is graphic which I thoroughly enjoyed. I highly recommend this to everyone!!
I think we should take a second to realize that Saved by the Bell started 20 years ago this year! I really can't believe that. I still remember watching it for the first time that first magical trip down Bayside's halls, the first milk shake at The Maxx. Time really does fly.
So Windows 7, the much heralded successor to Vista goes into public beta today and I could not be happier. While many people know me as an avid Mac user, you never forget your first love. I will be more than happy to see Windows work again. Dont tell anybody but I am kind of getting tired of an XP. I mean I have been running it straight for 8 years!!
