Jeffrey Krause is a cool dude. He writes and performs music, loves Jesus, and is a family man extraordinaire. Not to mention, he is the United States’ foremost metal authority… well, he and Riki Rachtman.
Here you will find that Jeff is also a fantastic writer. In the below review of the newest Norma Jean release, you will find that like most of my guest writers, he’s much better than me. So, enjoy yourself for a change!
Norma Jean has been a longstanding member of the metal community. Dating back to their days with Tooth & Nail metal sub-label Solid State Records under the name Luti-Kriss, they have been a juggernaut of metal goodness. Meridional continues that trend, showing the band to be hitting on all cylinders once again.
Meridional launches right out of the gate with the aggressiveness of a predator on the opening track “Leaderless & Self Enlisted”. What is worthy of noting here is that the album progresses through the track listing with near-perfection, as any good album will do. Some albums these days sound less flowing, and more like a collection of songs thrown together randomly. That’s not the case here, as NJ perfectly molds each track for the listener with the appropriate level of rage and melody, making the album bob and weave through a variety of tempos, technicality, and pace that keep the listener interested and waiting for the next step.
Also obvious here is the broad approach the band took, shining through in tracks like “Deathbed Atheist” and “High Noise Low Output” (perhaps due to their time with Chino Moreno or Helmet’s Page Hamiliton during The Anti-Mother sessions). NJ isn’t afraid to throw some sing-screaming, or even straight singing into the mix, and it works, in a big way. Some may see this as a loss of metal “edge”; to the contrary, I think the thing that makes a metal band stand out in 2010 is their ability to take some risk and stretch themselves. NJ has done so here, and it brings even more continuity and flow to the overall album. What they accomplish through this stretching is what keeps them from being just another metalcore ripoff band.
Musically, NJ is as solid as ever. These guys have been doing this together for a long time, and it shows. Writing songs with multiple members is no small or easy task, but the musical component of NJ is so solid and tight (both here, as well as live on their recent stint with the Mayhem Fest), it sets them apart from the typical metalcore chugfest that seems to pervade metal today. Vocally, Cory Brandan’s range, screaming style, and ability to bring melody into his sing-screaming is amazing, and should be taken note of; many-a-vocalist could stand to take a lesson from Cory’s vocals on Meridional. They are solid, powerful, and in your face.
2008’s The Anti-Mother was thought by some (including myself) to be one of NJ’s best albums up to that point. While I still think it is an amazing release, what I found here was that the band continues to grow, mature, and stretch and challenge themselves to be better without totally reinventing themselves with every release.
If you haven’t picked up Meridional yet, do yourself a favor and get it. If you don’t you could be missing out on one of the best metal albums of 2010.
Skot Rudy is the bassist of Blood and Ink metalheads Debtor. He also is a good writer who has a lot of appreciation for good music (especially of the metal, hardcore, and country persuasions). Check out what he has to say about Relapse recording artists Black Tusk… the good, the bad, the ugly. Skot gave the album 2.5 of 5 stars… too bad we do our ratings out of 10 here sonny boy! Get with the program Skot… everyone else get with the reading!
The South kinda creeps me out: thick accents, fried food, confederate flags, alligators, and stoner metal. That being said, I was a little uneasy pressing the play button to start this album knowing Black Tusk comes right from the thick of it all. After a few seconds of trembling over my curser, I embraced what lied ahead.
It started out well… a nice build up from the drums, and then all out energy from this self-proclaimed “sludgy” 3-piece. With a title of “Embrace the Madness” and energy that backed it up, I was excited for what was yet to come.
As Taste the Sin progressed from track to track the energy was constant and hard-hitting. Unfortunately, the consistent all-out energy lost the hype it had after first hitting the play button. After a few tracks, the songs started sounding the same and the latter half of the album was a complete blur. The album had no ups or downs, no highs or lows, and was completely one-dimensional. Sludge indeed.
To be fair, the parts are definitely better than the whole when it comes to Taste the Sin. Going back, each song stands pretty well by itself. If I heard this album in parts, one or two songs at a time, I probably would have the same excitement for it as I did when I first heard “Embrace the Madness”.
Recommendation to the band – If you want your energy to stick, stay with the EPs and splits. If you really feel the need to record full-length albums you need some more depth in your music.
Recommendation to listeners – The songs on this album would do great on a mix or shuffled in on your iPod.
Legendary metal frontman for countless influential metal acts, most notably Black Sabbath, Dio, and Rainbow, passed away on Sunday of stomach cancer. He’ll be remembered for many contributions to the rock world, but none greater than the devil horns, aka the metal sign. Youth in this generation may not know much about Dio, but they imitate him daily when they throw their horns and stick out their tongue (as I did in nearly every picture of me for about 6 months during high school and continue to do every now and again until this day). Dio may be gone, but his legacy will live on forever.
Some critics may point to others’ use of throwing horns prior to Dio, but without him pop culture would never have adopted the gesture that he became his trademark aroudn the time of the release of Sabbath’s Heaven & Hell. So, throw up your horns and join in this tribute to a small man with a big voice and even bigger influence. Hail Dio!
In tribute to Ronnie, here are a few of my favorite Dio related moments:
1. Divide the Sea performs “In Knowing, Triumph” from their album Man on Blood & Ink Records. This is the leadoff track because a March mix must come in like a lion, and I assure you that Divide the Sea does just that.
2. Lee Abramson performs “The Rose is Gone” . Lee is an unsigned artist whose ambient music is inspired by the poetry of 13th century mystic poet, Rumi. Check out a bunch more free songs at rumimusic.com… you may even be lucky enough to have a poem written especially for you, as Lee did for me:
Watching his owner teach inmates
Strummer can do everyday tricks
He’ll do whatever he dictates
With his head out the Toyota Matrix
3. Jason Mundok performs “Good Coffee Blues” from his upcoming album due out in April. Since meeting Jason at Lancaster Art Walk last year, I’ve tried to keep up with his endeavors. A great musician who also lends his talents to the Irish folk duo Fire in the Glen. Look for a review of their latest next week.
4. Kiki Pau performs “An Old Song” from White Mountain. This track was featured as a free download two weeks ago, but I felt the need to promote it again… download it and find out why.
5. Weekend Stars performs “Obvious” , the closing track from their self-released album Tambourine Girl. This cool indie band has great pop sensibilities and reminds me of two bands I have enjoyed through the years, one big name and one you haven’t heard of: Train (yeah, the “Drops of Jupiter” guys) and Jerk Records’ staple act of yesteryear, Million Time Winner.
6. A Common Year performs “Solstice” from their debut album Between Cities. Casey, guitarist and vocalist, said to me:
I can’t claim to know who we sound like, but a few of our main influences are Jimmy Eat World, Brand New, Acceptance, blink-182 and TBS.
Find out for yourself…
7. Andrew and Kristi’s Toast performs “Alone in My Principles” . This track, off of It’s Raining, It’s Roaring is but a small taste of their original and unique sound. Check back Monday for another free track from this great indie act.
8. Sail by the Stars performs “I Wish I May, I Wish I Might” from the upcoming The Night Owl EP. Josh is a one man band and seems to have quite the Interweb following. This track is the lead track for the EP, due to drop in April.
9. Cook & UNO have become a TPM staple. Here they perform “Throwback“, a hot track from The Overflow. This track is hosted on a great site you should check out, Sphere of Hip Hop, and then go check out the new Cook & UNO music video below…
10. Dala performs “Hockey Sweater” . A cool track by these lovely Canadian women, it is featured on their 2007 release Who Do You Think You Are. Their newest album, Everyone is Someone, will be featured on TPM soon. For now, enjoy this track and check out their new video on YouTube.
Ok, so the title sounds like I’m about to bash some piece of hard music into oblivion. On the contrary, I have nothing but praise for Blood & Ink Records‘ Divide the Sea. Their new release, Man is a fantastic album of diverse influences from the hardcore, metal, punk, and Southern rock realms. While Skot Debtor (label-mate of Divide the Sea, friend of mine, Straight Edge extraordinaire, and all around good guy) would disagree, I’m not really a poser, but I am no hardcore/metal connoisseur. I’ve always enjoyed some music in these genres, but my list is not extensive and I’m not any type of expert of the scene. What I do know, however, is that the sound that Divide the Sea puts forth on Man is mature, diverse, and extremely tight.
During the recent rash of great hard music that has been sent my way, Divide the Sea sounds the most diverse. Twin Killing is straight up hardcore, danceable and direct. Debtor has some different things going one, but has a true rip your face off with the metal type of approach. Here, we are treated to a hardcore/metal act that is equal parts serenity and chaos. Whereas the Death Metal growl grabs you and makes you tremble, the banjo on the album closer leaves you feeling a calmness kind of hard to describe. On one hand there are screamcore vocals that rival any good metalcore act I’ve heard in years and on the other there is true beauty in the melodic vocals that balance out the mayhem. There is a strong Southern rock influence, an appreciation for old school hardcore, and a lot of metallic guitar riffs. Like I said, diverse.
Like label-mates, Debtor, these guys are the new movement of Spirit-Filled Hardcore. Powerful, Christ-centered lyrics, are as important to the overall feel of this album as the musical is. The album is a prayer to God about being a better man, a true child of God that can lead through example and be a vehicle for Christ’s love and power. The focus here is on God and our relationship to Him as His children. And more than I have in any album in years, I can feel the worshipful attitude and the desire to become a stronger Believer. It’s quite obvious here that every word and every note are from the heart. “We fight for out King” (“Dancin’ with the Devil”).
The finish product is polished, yet raw enough to evoke the best things about independent music. Nice packaging, great artwork, and a fantastic overall feel. I love forward to listening to this album over and over. A true treat to the ears, the mind, and the soul…
These guys aren’t posers, but I even the posers can be down with Divide the Sea’s Man.
Heard the new AC/DC yet? It’s called Worldshaker… and apparently, the band has changed their name to Main Line Riders.
Ok, so Main Line Riders are not actually AC/DC, but their throwback rock sound owes a lot to the blues rock stylings of Angus and Malcolm’s Aussie cock rock outfit, so much so in fact that the tagline for the album on cdbaby is:
A Salute to Those About to Rock. Heavily influenced by classic AC/DC and early Def Leppard.
You may recognize some names from Christian punk stalwarts and obsessive Ramones fans, The Huntingtons (who are working on a new album due out in 2010 actually), in particular, Cliff Powell (aka Cliffy Huntington aka Cliffy Stiv aka…). And, such as in his Huntingtons days, Cliffy wears his influences on his sleeve; though, while I often found the music of the Huntingtons (especially early stuff) to be a near carbon copy of The Ramones, I find the love of AC/DC to not be all encompassing to that degree. In fact, other influences are certainly evident on Worldshaker, as well.
You’ll hear the love of Bon Scott-era AC/DC along side the obvious appreciation of 80’s metal, ala LA Guns, Guns N’ Roses, and probably a few other bands with the word “guns” somewhere in their name. There is the token hair metal ballad track, “Comin’ Home”. “Worldshaker” involves some gang vocals in the chorus. “Chrome & Steel” showcases great musicianship with a heavy, groove laden, blues feel. “We are the Ready Ones” screams Riki Rachtman and Headbangers Ball more than anything I’ve heard in years.
I have to be honest here, I’ve never been a huge fan of Cliff’s previous endeavors, but this album rocks. Straight ahead rock and/or roll that just makes me want to get up and dance. As I wrap up this review, I’m relistening to one of my favorite tracks, “It’s a Revolution”, and I simply can’t stop bouncing my leg and bobbing my head. In fact, once I’m done typing, there’s a good chance that I take a few minutes of my day to get up and dance. There really is nothing else to say except that this is a great album… combine all of the best elements of early AC/DC, hair bands like Twisted Sister, and sleaze metal ala Skid Row; throw in some of that Huntingtons/Ramones vibe; crank the amps to 11; and blaring from your JBLs you’ll have the sound of Main Line Riders’ Wordshaker. Even Lemmy would be proud of this onslaught of rock.
Bone Gunn is quite an interesting name for a band. Before even listening to a note of any of Bone Gunn’s tracks, one must first contemplate the name. What type of music do you think a band called Bone Gunn would perform? Where does a name like that come from? Why does Gunn have two “n”s?
Answers to those questions may be revealed as we push forth in discussing the Flies EP, though perhaps we will be left with just as many, or more, questions than before we began. Below, I will break down my process of reviewing this EP and we’ll see what we come up with:
1. I download the tracks and burn them onto my iPod.
2. I being playing the EP, while beginning my routine of googling the artist before tackling the review.
3. Midway through the first track, I hear the singer begin to yell during what was seemingly a chilled out track. At this exact moment, I read a blurb on my search result that calls Bone Gunn an “Electro-Folk” act.
4. I open a review on The Noise: Rock Around Boston’s website that describes a live Bone Gun show in March of 2009 as follows:
Before Bone Gunn comes up next, the room fills and the crowd is buzzing with anticipation. A man in a Vietnam issue army jacket, a ski mask, and military goggles creeps around my shoulder and nearly gives me a heart attack. Next thing I know, the music starts and this masked man is up on stage singing. The first song builds slowly but surely, with ethereal interludes breaking up a salsa-esque bass groove. The song explodes with a drum part reminiscent of Nine Inch Nails’ “Piggy.” The second song is straight-ahead rock until the end bombards me with tribal drums, a tasteful guitar solo, and a gut-wrenching scream from lead singer Bryan Kane. Throughout the set Bone Gunn’s harmonically strange songs maintain integrity through their pop structure. The final song, “Flies,” delivers tenfold. At the end of the song, guitar player Brian Penny smashes his guitar into innumerable pieces as he swings it around by its strings. It is clear that the band has given every last ounce of energy they have. I can’t wait to see what surprises Bone Gunn will have in the future.
5. As I contemplate what is said in this review, I begin to hone back into the music playing from my stereo behind me. It sounds a lot like a David Bowie ballad. I lean over to my iPod and see that the song is called “Love Loathe”. I find myself grooving to it, relaxed and somewhat enchanted.
6. I resume my google search and am disappointed that there are no consumer reviews of the EP on Amazon. I like to read what regular folks think about the EP.
7. I read some more reviews of their live shows, all praising the band, calling them “experimental folk rock” and “folk noise” and “folk industrial”. At this time the album has not only restarted, but is back to the second track, which has a quiet tone. Soon the 3rd track begins, this time I am paying more attention than last. This track reminds me a bit of a Philly band I like called The March Hare in that it combines elements of jazz, metal, and electronic music. Before I can analyze the track to my liking, it’s over and that Bowie-esque ballad is back on. Too lazy to switch the track back on, I just close my eyes and sway a bit, enjoying the track. (more…)
I am reminded of days where the subgenre of hardcore dubbed “Spirit-Filled Hardcore” had its hey day in the late 90’s, with larger acts like NIV and Living Sacrifice and tons of smaller acts all over the country (perhaps, world). Every couple of years an album is sent to me for review that reminds me of how powerful this medium is… true hardcore music with positive, powerful lyrics that center on the struggles of sin, spiritual warfare, and the power of love. In the way that bands like Comeback Kid and Enlow had previously restored my faith in Spirit-Filled Hardcore and reminded me of the power of the music, Venia’s Frozen Hand is currently reawakening me in the same way.
Some will say there are tons of great “Christian hardcore” bands today, but I would assert that most of them are part of other “-core” subgenres (like metalcore, emo-core, etc.) and that most of them are nothing too special. Venia (not to be confused with the Finnish metal band, Venia) is not like these other bands, but rather an old school hardcore throwback that simply rocks.
I can’t say that I have favorite tracks, but I love elements of the entire album. The gang vocals in the chorus of songs like “It Starts Here” and “World All Your Own” put me right back in the pit of a posi-core fest in Jersey. The frenetic drums of “Seeker” make me start banging my head involuntarily. The break downs in “Hand of Security” just make me want to get up from my seat and dance. The hardcore kid in me loves this album as much or more than any album he’s heard in years… and I agree with him. Solid hardcore album front to back.
Like most true hardcore albums, the 12 tracks clock in at well under a half hour, which is okay because the guitars, bass, and drums whoop my ass enough in this amount of time. Where it takes your average rock band 45-50 minutes to wear me out, Venia does it better and in much less time.
So, if you are a all out music fan like me, give Venia a chance. If you are a hard rocker, then pick up this album. If your local mall is misguiding you to the pop side of punk, let Venia bring you back to the light. If you swear by bands like Underoath, Maylene and the Sons of Disaster, and The Chariot, take a break from that stuff and hit up some true hardcore music, equally as soul nourishing and twice as awesome. Forgo the metalcore mayhem, the radio rock, the Panic! at the Hot Topic, and the screamo sentimentality and hit yourself upside the head with some real hardcore. Venia is that band, you won’t be sorry.
If “Strength of Heart” doesn’t move you, check your pulse… you might be dead.
(NOTE TO SELF: File this in that small file of hardcore/metal acts that can’t be forgotten and/or deleted. Place between Stretch Armstrong and Strongarm to ensure many future listens.)
