Black Anvil – Hail Death CD Review

Black Anvil is New York’s answer to Black Metal. Their newest studio album; Hail Death released May27th, sounds like it was recorded in the fiery pits of hell. Being black metal, that is definitely not a bad thing at all. In an interview I read from the band, they basically said they don’t care what anyone thinks about their music and you can tell. The songs off their 3^rd studio album sound raw and energetic, they are brutal and unapologetic, everything black metal should be. The guitar, bass, and drums intertwined together flawlessly like beacons on evil calling out to the masses.  I like how they incorporate other genres of metal without losing their gritty black metal feel. Songs like “Eventide” with its gang vocals, as wells as “My Hate is Pure”, “Until the End” and, “Still Reborn” are all songs you should check out! Now go get caught up with what is BLACK ANVIL.

Arch Enemy – War Eternal Cd Review

Arch Enemy is the death metal brainchild of guitarist Michael Amott. Formed in 1996, the band has released 10 studio albums, including their newest one War Eternal which was released June 10th. With the departure of their singer Angela Gossow, who growled for them for 14 years, newcomer Alissa White-Gluz took over growling duties without missing a beat. Her vocal approach is uncompromising death metal at its best and from a female vocalist at that. Michael Amott knows how to write a killer riff and bring melody and destruction all at the same time. The haunting beginning of “Time is Black” sends chills down my spine before it kicks in and the metal begins. There is also a string section towards the end to add to the atmosphere of an already great song.  “No More Regrets” is another stand out track and based on the album as a whole, there is nothing to regret!! Every song packs a punch with amazing guitar work, haunting melodies, a rhythm section that shakes the earth, and vocals that kick you in the head, but leaving you asking for more. If you buy the deluxe version, it comes with a cover song of “Shadow on the Wall” originally by Mike Oldfield, an Arch Enemy patch and sticker. This is an awesome album and I would highly suggest it to anyone who likes death metal and killer guitar riffs with a great combination of melody.  If nothing else, listen to it to hear the amazing guitar work throughout the whole thing.

Mastodon, Gojira, Kvelertak Concert Review

               On May 16, 2014, I had the privilege of witnessing Mastodon play live. The show started with Norwegian rockers Kvelertak (which means chokehold in Norwegian) partying it up with their 3 guitar assault. Lead singer Erlend Hjelvik ran around shirtless like a maniac singing in the bands native tongue. I was pretty excited to get to see these guys and all the hype that goes along with them. I read recently in an older issue of Revolver Magazine an interview with the band and how they won Norway’s equivalent of a Grammy award called Spellemannprisen for their debut album. Not a bad way to get the night started.

                Gojira came on next. Having seen them before, I sort of knew what to expect, but boy do they deliver each time. Their live set sounds much like their albums, which delivered the brutality to get the mosh pits rumbling. They would be a band to see as headliners at some point so you can fully experience these French metal monsters.

                Mastodon came out swinging. Their set flowed flawlessly from old to new songs and crushed everything in between. They played a couple songs from Crack the Skye, which in my opinion has to be somewhere near the top of my best metal albums of the last ten years. The riffs, the mind blowing bass lines, and Brann Dailor destroying his drum kit while making it look easy, made for unforgettable metal. Songs like “Blasteroid”, “Divinations”, “Crusher Destroyer”, “Oblivion”, and “Black Tongue” were played in mesmerizing fashion. Combine the brilliantly played metal, with the lights and lasers, not to mention the freaky clown head by the drum kit; it was definitely an amazing show and one to remember!

Death- Leprosy (2014 Reissue)

               Death was one of the most iconic death metal bands of our time. Relapse Records has been reissuing their work and Leprosy is the newest release. Originally released in 1988, the 2014 version comes fully re-mastered and has a second disc of demos and rehearsal material. To say that this album is amazing would be an understatement! Decibel Magazine named it the # 6 death metal album of all time, while Metal Hammer Magazine boldly states “Leprosy splatters blood from the beginning”. Who could argue with that statement with songs such as; “Pull the Plug” and “Open Casket”!

                This was the second official release by Death and by all accounts it hit the metal community like a tsunami. Chuck Schuldiner’s vocals cut like razors straight to the point, while the guitar work shred and chugged in what we now hear as true death metal fashion. In my opinion, Death set the example or blueprint of what death metal should sound like and this album set the bar very high. Throughout Death’s history, many of the band members changed from album to album with Schuldner being the only constant. On Leprosy, Rick Rozz (Massacre) handles guitar duty, Terry Butler (Massacre, Six Feet Under) on bass, and Bill Andrews (Massacre) destroys the drums. It’s no wonder why Massacre’s new album Back From Beyond was the epitome of classic death metal. Death’s legacy is why so many bands reference them as an influence, as well as cover some of their classic songs. A few examples of great Death covers to check out are; Psychotic Gardening covering “Open Casket” or Revocation covering “Pull the Plug”. So check out Death’s reissue and if all else fails, at least check out some great bands covering Death songs.

 

Suicide Silence – Ending Is The Beginning: The Mitch Lucker Memorial Show 12.21.12 Cd/DVD Review

              

              This Cd/DVD which came out February 18, 2014 is an effort to raise money for the late Mitch Lucker’s daughter. As quoted from the Cd booklet; “On December 21, 2012, the metal community came together in an amazing way to celebrate the life of Mitch Lucker & raise money for his daughter’s future education with an unforgettable evening of collaborative performances between past/present Suicide Silence members and elite heavy vocalists.” Purchasing this Cd/DVD is our way to contribute and remember Mitch’s legacy.

                With an all-star list of vocalists like Jonny Davy (Job For A Cowboy), Greg Wilburn (Whitechapel), Rob Flynn (Machine Head) covering Black Sabbath’s “Die Young”, Max Cavalera (Soulfly/Former Sepultura) doing “Roots Bloody Roots”, Randy Blythe (Lamb Of God), and many other covering Suicide Silence songs with the band. It was amazing to hear all these different metal vocalists come together and do their best at singing Mitch’s songs. The songs sounded great and hearing all the different vocalists doing their interpretation of the songs was defiantly an experience. There is also a song of Mitch and Suicide Silence covering the Deftones “Engine # 9”. This cd is a must have for any metal fan and a great way of helping Mitch’s Legacy live on.

Metal Up Your Mass; Part 1

Massachusetts is full of history. It is 10,555 sq. miles, ranking it the 7^th smallest state. It was one of the leaders in the industrial revolution with the introduction of textile mills. It is where the pilgrims first settled.  It is the birthplace of basketball. But most of all, MA is home to some of the most exciting metal bands to rip your faces off and make your ears bleed. Killer riffs, sing along choruses, monster themes, MA has it all.

Let’s start with some bands more in the hard rock category, but still part of MA metal history. Staind is a hard rock band that started in 1994 out of Springfield, MA. They have 7 studio albums, not all which is metal, but still catchy as all hell. Their newest album which is self-titled is a much rawer, angry album than their previous few albums. Godsmack is another rock band hailing out of Lawrence, MA in 1995. With 5 albums, 3 of which reached number 1 according to the Billboard 200 list. With catchy songs and a stage show that demonstrates their raw energy, Godsmack have been a powerhouse in the rock scene. Rob Zombie whose career in White Zombie, then later his solo career is another example of a MA metal/rock act. Hailing from Haverhill, MA, White Zombie’s first studio album came out in 1987. He has successfully written albums based around horror themes, as well as wrote and directed quite a few horror movies. 

Salem, MA’s Converge is a metal band that brings punk, metal, and hardcore together in one unrelenting blend of music. Formed in 1990 by Vocalist Jacob Bannon and Guitarist Kurt Ballou, they have created incredible music throughout their 8 album career. 2001’s Jane Doe was included in Decibel Magazine’s Hall of Fame. It was the album that defined them and their style of music and will go down as a classic in any metal heads dictionary.  Their 2012 album All We Love We Leave Behind was Decibel Magazines 2012 Album of the Year and was well deserving of it. The album was an unrelenting blend of metal from start to finish and a great example of what MA has to offer the metal community. Also guitarist Kurt Ballou owns his own producing/recording studio Godcity Studio out of Salem. What this means for the metal community is, not only do great bands come out of MA, great albums can be produced and recorded there too.

              The Red Chord is a metal band out of Revere, Ma. The band formed in 1999 and has 4 albums that assault the ears with blistering metal. Singer Guy Kozowyk on top of being the founder and main growler for the band became a police officer for the Manchester, NH police force in 2013.  The band is currently on Metal Blade’s label, but unfortunately hasn’t had a new album since 2009. Guitarist for the band Mike McKenzie, aside from being the main riff master for The Red Chord is also the mastermind for Doom/Death band Stomach Earth whose debut album under the same name, came out July, 16, 2013. The album reached number 18 according to Rolling Stones “20 Best Metal Albums Of 2013”.

 

So I am going to end part 1 here. Part 2 will be coming soon and will feature bands such as; Killswitch Engage, Shadows Fall, Unearth, All That Remains, plus a few local bands I can think of. MA has had a lot of music come out of it throughout the years, some not even metal. With any luck, lots more bands will come out as well.

 

 

My Best Of 2013

2013 was in my opinion a great year for metal. I am not going to do a list, but will highlight some of my favorite albums or songs from the year. So let me start by throwing out a couple of “best of” songs. First I would have to say “In Due Time” from Killswitch Engage’s new album Disarm the Descent was an amazing start to Killswitch’s new endeavor with their new, old singer Jesse Leech. The album as a whole was great. Very melodic, but had the aggression of classic albums. Jesse’s voice seamlessly went from growling to clean vocals bringing a new life to the band and songs. My next song pick, “Blood like Cream” off of Red Fang’s Whales and Leeches is so addictive and catchy that it could possibly be stuck in your head for most of 2014. From start to finish, the album delivered pure party hard rock and roll.

As far as albums go, this year saw quite a few thrash metal legends coming out with great live albums. Metallica had Through the Never which was a spectacular display of their live abilities and also acted as a soundtrack for their movie. The album spanned their whole career, which was great to hear classic songs like “Hit the Lights” with newer songs such as “Cyanide” and everything in between.  Metallica never missed a beat packing full blown metal in a 2 cd set. Kreator and Testament who are also both thrash metal legends in their own right both came out with live albums spanning their careers which made you feel like you were literally at the concert.

Some of my favorite albums this year all happened to be by classic death metal bands. I may be partial to death metal, but these albums kicked some serious butt. Where to start is hard, but we will start with Autopsy’s The Headless Ritual.  The songs were straight up death metal, with a hint of doom mixed in. Suffocation’s new album Pinnacle of Bedlam was so brutal, it left you breathless. I could listen to this album over and over. I also liked the fact that the album came with a making of DVD which was pretty cool to watch the process. Exhumed and Immolation both had great albums, so if you love death metal as much as me, they are defiantly worth a listen.

Okay, on to my pick for the “Best Album of 2013” and the winner is…. Alright it’s a two way tie. Both albums were by bands that haven’t put out an album in years and both came back with a vengeance. I loved both albums a lot, but for different reasons. Let’s start with Gorgut’s Colored Sands. Every song on the album was pure death metal, well with the exception of “The battle of chamdo” which is done by an orchestra. Luc Lemay, the mastermind behind the music, did not miss a beat bringing his style of technical death metal to each song. Every song is great and worth listening to over and over again. I really enjoyed “Forgotten Arrows” and the title track “Colored Sands” very much. It also helps that I saw them play live this year and met Luc Lemay. He was very cool and charismatic which added to the greatness of the album.  Now for my other pick, which if you’re a metal fan, most people will agree with. Carcass’s new album Surgical Steel was an amazing display of metal greatness. Again it is an album you can listen to straight through over and over again. Each song has structure that makes them individual metal hits.  One of my favorite songs on the album “The Granulating Dark Satanic Mills” has a chorus that you will find yourself singing over and over again. Not bad for a band who hasn’t made an album for quite a while. They are touring next year, so if you have a chance to see these songs played live, do it. I know I am sure going to try and see them. The best part of that too is Gorguts are also touring with them.

2014 list of albums that are supposed to come out will make next year’s “Best Of” really hard. So far, I heard Slayer, Napalm Death (the godfathers of grindcore), Tombs, Mastodon, Opeth, and Behemoth are coming out with new albums. I don’t know about you, but I’m very excited, especially for new Slayer and Napalm Death. That’s just a small list of bands who are releasing new music, I’m sure there will be many more great albums no one even knows about yet. So this concludes my 2013 blog and I’m looking forward to new albums and some great concerts to blab on about next year. Hope you enjoyed it and continue to follow my rants next year.