It’s been twenty four hours since Down released “Blood Oath,” their first new song since 2014! Right off the bat it’s got that classic Down sound. You know that sludgy sabbath sound?! Kirk and Pepper really play off each other seamlessly. While Pat and Jimmy are locked in with an extra bit of swagger. And the. Phillip H. Anselmo sounding as crisp, clear and thunderous! Needless to say it’s been in heavy rotation since the release!
Down’s long awaited new album, Volume V, arrives on November 20th! It’s been twenty years since their last full length album! Crazy! On a personal note, I have a deep affinity for Down. So much so I get into arguments because I think Down is better than Pantera! Yeah I said it! I’ll explain that at a later date. In the meantime (pun intended since Down and Helmet are on tour together), enjoy “Blood Oath” and be sure you crank that volume!!
Every band has an album in their catalog that is a complete game changer for them. Interestingly more often than not, the title tracks for these albums are the song that encapsulates the change.
In May of 2003, Chimaira released their second album, The Impossibility Of Reason. When it came out it turned the heavy music circles into quite the frenzy. What was more in vein with their previous album is now flipped into a groove driven, metal and hardcore style that truly came when heavy music needed it.
“The Impossibility Of Reason” is found at track two and immediately punches you in the face. The hits keep coming as the verse goes fast and groovy. The chorus is a slower groove that is mosh inducing. The harmonizing solo in the bridge that takes you into the end of the song could have been pulled from the mid 80’s thrash era. The lyrics and vocals come at you with aggression and are delivered in a very strong and therapeutic manner.
The album The Impossibility Of Reason is a modern metal masterpiece. Almost twenty five years later and it still sounds fresh and alive. With Chimaira being active to a degree these days, it sure would be great to have an anniversary tour of the album when the time comes! Just putting that out in the universe!
For well over twenty five years now, Davey Havok of AFI has had one of the most recognizable voices in music. His ability to hit high notes one second and then unleash an unheavenly scream the other is astounding. Not to mention the lyrics and melodies the accompany the music. Over the years, Davey has lent his vocals to some great bands and their songs. Check out these songs that feature the one and only Davey Havok.
When it comes to complete albums and deep cuts, Down is a band that always comes to mind. Though they only have three full length studio albums, each one is monumental and full of songs that deserve to be well known.
While most recall songs from their classic first album, their third, 2007’s Down III: Over The Under, is one that seems to have gone a bit under the radar. The songs on this album were inspired by the aftermath of the murder of Dimebag Darrell, Hurricane Katrina and more. There are those big, giant, heavy riffs amongst them all to go along with those perfectly delicate notes. The deeper you go into the album the more “epic” it becomes.
One of those songs is the penultimate song, “In The Thrall Of It All.” A song that is bluesy and groovy at the same time sludgy and full of a heavy helping of purity. The vocals here are soaring and chock full of great melodies. It’s one of those songs where the sum of all the parts makes it great. Even the way the songs ends and flows into the masterpiece of “Nothing In Return (Walk Away).” On an interesting note it’s the lone song on the album to be solely written by Philip Anselmo.
And while on the subject of Down III, let’s get more of these great songs in the set list!
The impact live versions can have over a studio version is quite significant. Often times the studio version, while it still has the deep thought, feeling, and emotion it’s usually too compressed and the mix can make things feel strange. While the live version has a more enigmatic feel and a more raw sound.
Thrice is a band that when you see and hear live it takes things to a different level. Their studio albums have all had different vibes to them and it makes for a great listening experience. One album in particular, Beggars, took me a bit to get into when it first came out but, then seeing them live and playing a slew of songs from said album changed it all. One of those songs has always stuck in my mind and it’s quite fitting for the state of the world we live in now. “All The World Is Mad” is the first song on Beggars and fifteen years later still sounds as alive as ever.
This live version of “All The World Is Mad” is from their “farewell” tour back in 2012. It’s an electric and excellent version of an already great song. And in a personal side note, this song needs to be played live more!! Enjoy!
Thrice- All The World Is Mad (Live 2012: San Diego):
In only a few more days as of this writing, Mastodon will be releasing their long awaited new album, Marrow Deep. Already two stellar songs have been released from the album in “Your Ghost Again” and “Snakes For Dinner.”
Now, “In The Ruins” has been let out of the gate and it’s definitely a deep one! The song is inspired by the devastating impact of Hurricane Helene and the havoc it wreaked upon Troy and his family. The catastrophic storm severely flooded their home and destroyed personal belongings, leading to a nearly two year period of displacement that coincided with the whole band navigating the passings of Brent and Brann’s mother Michele. Talk about inspiration. Jeez!
Here’s a use of song in film that even I forgot about. Back in 1990 Gremlins 2: The New Batch was released. It was definitely a bit different than the original but, still a fun watch. So much so that when it came to the use of songs in the movie, they definitely went for it. Towards the end of the movie, Slayer’s “Angel Of Death” comes on during a hilarious yet chaotic scene in the movie. While it’s short, the use of the song during a campy moment really brings it all together! Enjoy!
Thirty years ago an album came out that not only flipped hip hop on its side but, also pioneered a whole new wave of influence and inspiration in all of music. Entroducing…. by DJ Shadow is an absolute game changing masterpiece that stretches the bounds of all genes.
Released September 16, 1996, DJ Shadow aka Josh Davis, Entroducing, intrigued and introduced legions of people and new fans to the world of making music based on samples. While sampling isn’t new, as it’s been done forever, this was however a new way to create whole songs and albums. So much so in fact that Entroducing would go on in 2001 to be recognized in the Guinness Book Of Records as “the first completely sampled album.” The only pieces of equipment Shadow used to produce the album were the AKAI MPC60 II 12-bit sampling drum machine, a pair of turntables and a copy of Pro-Tools given to him by Dan The Automator. DJ Shadow would edit and layer samples to create new beats and tracks of varying moods and tempos.
Mixing hip hop, soul, r&b, funk, jazz, rock ambience and more created the perfect blend. Across an hour plus, the way Entroducing captures your attention needs to be studied. It doesn’t matter what you mainly listen to, once you are in the midst of listening. The inception of this album idea began in 1994. Spending hours at a time digging for records and singles, the samples struck a chord.
Each song has its own vibe and will evoke different feelings. A track by track run down doesn’t do this album or its songs justice. The ones most recognizable like “Organ Donor,” “Midnight In A Perfect World” and “Building Steam With A Grain Of Salt” have become classic and timeless. While others like “Mutual Step,” which samples Bjork, “Napalm Brain/Scatter Brain,” “The Number Song” which contains samples of Metallica’s “Orion,” and Changeling/Transmission 1” which samples Tangerine Dream, have long been fan favorites and have amassed a cult like reputation. No matter what you’re listening to on here you’ll be in audio heaven.
To this day, I still love putting this album on during a nice drive or even to go to bed too. There’s so many different things and sounds to explore with each listen. That repeat factor has played a big part as to why Entroducing is an absolute classic masterpiece. The entire DJ Shadow catalog is a gem with more styles and vibes to explore.
It happens all the time. You come across a band that on the surface doesn’t really peak your interest for whatever reason. It could be a song, the band name, their style and more. The fun part of it all is over time, your previous expectations begin to dissipate and you give that band a chance and the end result is quite surprising.
Only a few weeks back I was out driving and put on one of those similar artists stations on Apple Music. While winding through canyon roads, a song came on that struck me. I didn’t have the who’s playing screen on so I didn’t know who it was. But this song was quite the heavy melodic treat. When I got to a place to stop, I went back to check who it was and to my absolute surprise it was a band I was not expecting. The song was “Sun Doesn’t Rise” by Mushroomhead. Yes, I was that surprised too. It’s been years since I heard this song and probably the same amount of time since I actually last listened to Mushroomhead. Needless to say, what came next was listening to the album XIII which the song is from. The end result led to…
“Wait?! This is Mushroomhead?!! Oh damn, maybe it’s time to give them a second look.” Before I went into this album, I made sure to put aside any pre conceived notions I had about the band and went in with fresh ears. The end result is that XIII is a really really good melodic heavy album. There are elements of the time with some “nu-metal” styles but, there is way more to take away from this album and band. Throughout the album, piano is a vital and prominent instrument that propels certain songs and moments in a delicate but menacing nature. The down-tuned riffs, while they do have some nu-metal flair, you’d be surprised to hear that it’s actually more in line with Meshuggah style djent-y guitar riffs and rhythms. The album itself is hyper-focused and you hear the amount of effort being poured into XIII. As this is the bands “major label debut” the need to go full on here paid off quite well.
The way the album plays out feels very cohesive with each part being there on purpose. The 13 tracks on this album bring about a variety of styles fused together, different moods and interesting arrangements and structures. Without giving the albums away, this track by track rundown will guide you to listen to the album!
Starting XIII is “Kill Tomorrow” which out of the gate kicks things off in a great way. Then “Sun Doesn’t Rise” really takes it to another level. Really this is one of those songs that makes this an underrated record. “Mother Machine Gun” is one of the standout songs on here. The intro blends so well into how the songs continues. The melding of styles on this song is a good idea of the progressive nature of where things are headed. “Nowhere To Go” has a ballad sensibility and a great push and pull aspect. “Becoming Cold” is a track that feels like a throwback to some of the bands earlier material in the M3 era.
“One More Day” is another treat of a piano driven song. “The Dream Is Over” is a heavy stellar track that has a very deep sludgy style. “The War Inside” is the companion of the previous. Rght in the middle of the record is a left and right hook to the head. “Almost Gone” goes further into the sludge territory and gives the album a song that is a true deep cut. The last three songs “Eternal,” “Our Own Way,” and “Destroy The World Around Me” play out like three chapters of a book that you are eager to get to so you know how things are going to end and what possible direction will come next. Closing out the album is “Thirteen” an instrumental track continues on that leads to a secret song, a cover of “Crazy” by Seal.
The band themselves have chops and write good songs. The vocal combination of Jason “J Mann” Popson and Jeffrey “Nothing” Hatrix sounds stellar. Each have their own style and character in their voice which makes their back and forth and chemistry really be present. Drummer Steve “Skinny” Felton propels the songs with an ignited spirit. As the bands main producer too, Skinny knows the band inside and out. Jack Kilcoyne aka Pig Benis, has a mighty bass tone that feels like it could have been a part of Crowbar. Dave Felton aka Gravy, like Benis, has a great sludge style of guitar playing as does other guitarist Bronson. And Stitch on turntables/samples giving the songs an added texture.
At the end of the day, when you take away the gimmick aspect, the band name, the stage names, you have a really quite good band. Mushroomhead really are a solid band. To be an entity back from 1993 till now, shows there is something here. Each of their albums has it’s own moment. XIII just had something else to it that makes it what it is. This is a really great example of an underrated album that got the brush off just because of some silly media crap. Listen to what you want and like. And while you are at it, give Mushroomhead’s XIII a spin!
The way the younger generation has been inspired and influenced by what came about during the previous generation has been very interesting to see come to life. The bands that have been able to create music that feels like a throwback but, also put the right spin on it, are the ones to watch. Which brings us to the band of the week.
A few weeks ago at part three of The Cobalt Presents 5 Year Anniversary show, there was a band that played and really turned up the volume and that band is Gerbil. Don’t let the name fool you, this band has teeth. While the 90’s alternative/indie rock is prevalent, the way Gerbil injects a bit of funk, rock, pop and a scoop of ska into their songs is the part that gets you.
The youthful fun energy Gerbil has is infectious when you see them live. Each member brings their own influence to the fold and its plays out in such a great way.
