Back in the yesteryear when MTV actually played music, they had some pretty amazing shows that were televised. On Halloween in 1997, Jane’s Addiction played a show at New York’s Hammerstein Ballroom. This Jane’s reunion would feature Flea on bass instead of Eric Avery. Jane’s Addiction would release the Kettle Whistle record which featured new songs “Kettle Whistle” and “So What” both featured Flea on bass, as well as alternate, unreleased and live tracks. The show for MTV was quite the performance and the set list was top notch. Enjoy this classic gem!
Jane’s Addiction- Hammerstein Ballroom, Halloween 1997 on MTV:
Set List:
01. Oceansize
02. Aint No Right
03. Then She Did
04. Stop
05. Three Days
06. Mountain Song
07. Summertime Rolls
08. Jane Says
09. Classic Girl
10. Chip Away
11. Ted, Just Admit It
12. I Would For You
June 7th is only a few weeks away, and that is when we get the new (and final?) Cave In album Final Transmission. Today, they have released another new song entitled “Shake My Blood.” This new song is a pretty deep and heavy track. It also has a sort of Jupiter feel to it. Granted there have only been two songs released so far, this one and “All Illusion” but, I can already sense that this album is going to be one of the best albums of the year and be in constant rotation for a long time to come.
Pre-Order the album HERE
The other day I had a song in my head but, it was mainly the beat. After agonizing over where it came from, it finally dawned on me that it was a Beastie Boys song, “Root Down” to be exact. Naturally after that, I went on a binge of nothing but the Beastie Boys. And when I tend to do things like that, an album rank pops in my head. So, with that in mind, here’s the album rank of the Beastie Boys releases. Keep in mind that this is actually a really hard group to rank, and I’m not quite sure I got it right.
Digital Daggers is a very unique group. Formed by a meeting in 2008 by their former music publishers, Jason “Space” Smith and Andrea Wasse, began writing songs for other artists but, soon felt that what they were creating was a bit more personal and not something they wanted someone else to use. From that point, Digital Daggers was formed. Now 11 years into their collaboration, they’ve released 2 full length albums, an EP, and a collection of remixes and b-sides. Their songs have been heard on countless shows like Revenge, Teen Wolf, The Vampire Diaries, Pretty Little Liars and CSI: NY, to name a few. Now they are releasing a new single entitled “Black Magic,” a song that really encapsulates the sound and feeling that this group emits. There’s a darkness to the song but also a very sexy vibe that crawls under your skin and gives you chills. Digital Daggers are one of those bands that when you hear it, you immediately feel drawn in and the waves of the music take over.
I’m about to introduce you to one of the best bands, you’ve never heard. The Tea Party, has been one of rocks best kept secrets. Formed in Canada in 1990, The Tea Party has sold over 2 million records worldwide. The band was active throughout the 90’s until the mid 00’s. They reunited in 2011 and have been writing, recording, touring and releasing new music since then. The band has an interesting sound mixing heavy rock with bits of blues, psychedelic rock, prog rock, industrial and world music to create a very epic sound. An interesting tidbit is the origin of the bands name, which comes from the infamous hash sessions of beat poets Allen Ginsberg, Jack Kerouac and William S. Burroughs.
The Tea Party is made up of Jeff Martin (vocals/guitar), Jeff Burrows (drums) and Stuart Chatwood (bass/keyboards/etc). As a three piece they are devastatingly huge sounding. From their debut album in 1991 till now, each album has distinct sound to them, never repeating what they did before. Their major label debut Splendor Solis is very rock driven and inspired by the likes of The Doors and Led Zeppelin. The follow up, 1995’s The Edges of Twilight saw the band incorporating bits of world music into their sound. This record would propel the band to achieve double platinum status in their native Canada also earning nominations for album of the year and group of the year at the Juno awards. Then in 1997, The Tea Party released the album Transmission. This is my favorite album of theirs. Taking everything they’ve done since their inception, Tranmission saw the inclusion of an industrial tinge to their sound making it more grandiose and epic. Songs like “Temptation,” “Army Ants” “Psychopomp (which is my personal favorite song of the band),” “Transmission,” and “Aftermath” are among the best songs the band has ever written. This album for me is the epitome of what this band is and shows what a great band they are. The next album Triptych saw the band relying more on melody and well written songs, moving away a bit from the epic sounds of the previous albums. For 2001’s The Interzone Mantra’s, The Tea Party continued on with the sound of Triptych while holding on to a strong sense of their very early sound. The end result was an album that felt inspired and rich at the same time almost conceptual. The bands 2004 album and last before their 2011 reunion, Seven Circles was quite a departure from the bands sound the fans had come to love and admire. This album was more “ballad” driven and it shifted to a more positive, optimistic vibe rather than the bands use of dark imagry and moody tones of past releases. After this album the band broke up due to “creative differences.”
During the breakup Jeff Martin went on to start a solo career, releasing quite a few albums and live releases. Stuart Chatwood would go on to become a composer for video games, film and TV. Most notably is his work on the Prince Of Persia game soundtracks. Jeff Burrows would go on to work with Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson, and other Canadian musicians as drummer in the one-off project the Big Dirty Band, as well as become a radio DJ in Canada. Then in 2011, The Tea Party announced they were getting back together to play a number of select dates. Later in the year the band stated they were back for good. After countless shows, in 2014 the band released their first new album since 2004 with The Ocean at the End. The Tea Party would then go on to continuously tour and rock audiences all over the world, especially in Canada, Europe and Australia. Then on November 9, 2018, The Tea Party released their new single “Black River,” which is due to be released on an upcoming new album.
The Tea Party are truly one of the best bands you’ve probably never heard. They should have been HUGE in the states. They had all the right things in terms of sound, songs, and overall ability to kick ass. Jeff Martin is one hell of a guitarist and his voice is reminisent of Jim Morrison and Ian Astbury while still being unique to himself. Jeff Burrows is one of the most underrated and talented drummers I’ve ever heard. That guy is an absolute beast on the drums. Stuart Chatwood adds so much to the band with sound design and ability to play multiple instruments to give the band their rich sound. I was recently introduced to this band by a friend of mine and from the moment I first heard this band, I knew I had totally missed out on something great. I highly recommend you all taking time out to give this band a listen and hear what you’ve missed out on.
Neurosis is one of my all time favorite bands. They are truly innovative, inspirational and influential. If you’ve never really listened to them, I highly recommend you check out the albums Through Silver and Blood, Times of Grace and my personal favorite A Sun That Never Sets. Speaking of A Sun That Never Sets, I’d like to present a great music video for the closing song on that album “Stones From The Sky.” This video is just as epic as the song itself. This also just happens to be one of my favorite Neurosis songs of all time too. I’m not going to go on and on, just put this on and enjoy this great video and epic song!
Neurosis- Stones From The Sky (from A Sun That Never Sets):
I love side projects. Especially when they deviate from the style of music you’ve associated someone with for so long. Wear Your Wounds is one of my favorite side projects I’ve ever heard. Wear Your Wounds was created by Converge founder Jacob Bannon. Initially conceived as a solo project, it evolved into a five-piece band that often works with collaborating musicians. In 2017, the debut self titled double album was released followed closely by the even more experimental Dunedevil, which was also an accompaniment to Bannon’s abstract art book of the same name. Now, Wear Your Wounds, prepare to release their new album Rust on the Gates of Heaven (out July 12 via Deathwish Inc.). The release marks the first time the official lineup of the band; Jacob Bannon (Converge), Mike McKenzie (The Red Chord, Stomach Earth, Unraveller, etc), Adam McGrath (Cave In, Nomad Stones, etc), Sean Martin (Twitching Tongues, ex-Hatebreed, ex-Kid Cudi), and Chris Maggio (ex-Trap Them, ex-Sleigh Bells, etc) have properly written and recorded together. It also features musicians Ben Chisholm (Chelsea Wolfe, White Horse) and Gared O’Donnell (Planes Mistaken For Stars, Hawks and Doves) collaborating throughout. Watch and or listen to the music video for the album’s eponymous first single now. Personally I can’t wait for this album to come out. So do yourself a favor and dive in to this great band and their work.
I still remember the first time I heard that raspy snarl. The charisma that could ignite a crowd into a frenzy. Far removed now from his time in Gallows, Frank Carter and The Rattlesnakes have solidified their place in modern rock today. End Of Suffering, the bands third album, sees the group moving along in away that still connects with their roots but lays down a foundation of where this band can go. 2017’s Modern Ruin was a great benchmark for just how talented this group is. End Of Suffering takes that level and adds a few layers of optimism as well as tenacity.
The entire album is quite interesting. There are many different speeds to this record. On one hand you have a song like the opener “Why A Butterfly Can’t Love A Spider.” This track sets up the album in a tonal way by the feel of the music and the lyrics. There’s a sense of pain but hope in the way it’s delivered and that carries through the rest of the album. Songs like “Anxiety,” “Crowbar,” “Heartbreaker,” “Kitty Sucker,” and “Tyrant Lizard,” which features Tom Morello ripping it up, all provide the uptempo tenacity that Frank is known for. Then songs like “Love Games,” “Angel Wings,” “Supervillain,” and “Latex Dreams” have a bit more of sensitive side but still contain a sharp edge and gruffness. Ending the album is the title track “End Of Suffering.” This soul bearing song gives a deeper glimpse into the mindset of Frank and where this album is truly coming from.
End Of Suffering is the kind of album that has something for everyone. It’s diverse and full of life. Nothing about this is phoned in or fake. If you’ve been following Frank since his days in Gallows, you know you are going to get a guy giving his all. While this album may seem to be more “straight forward” in terms of sound, it does show what the band is capable of doing as songwriters and how not to constantly repeat what they’ve done before. Frank and The Rattlesnakes (Dean Richardson, Tom Barclay, Gareth Grover and Thomas Mitchener) have really found themselves as a band. End Of Suffering was a not where you think they would have gone after Modern Ruin but, it’s definitely the right move.
Overall Rating: 7.5/10
Frank Carter & The Rattlesnakes- End Of Suffering:
When I first heard the Spotlights 2017 album Seismic, I immediately was floored. The combination of shoegaze, doom metal and sludge was just what I needed at the time. And Seismic found it’s way into my top 5 albums of 2017. Fast forward to 2019 and Spotlights have released their new album Love & Decay. Not straying too far from where they left off, Love & Decay continues on the path they laid out with their previous releases only this album goes deeper into that sound.
The album starts off with a sonic explosion that is “Continue The Capsize.” This mood setting song pulls you in just like an album opener should. As the album continues, the crunchy guitars, fuzzed bass, dreamy synth layers, pummelling drums and soft vocals, give Love and Decay the sound for all these songs to come to life. Songs like “The Particle Noise,” “Far From Falling,” “Until The Bleeding Stops,” “Xerox,” and “The Age Of Decay” emit all those elements and then some. Then you have a song like “Mountains Ar Forever” that is a bit of a departure yet still is Spotlights through and through. This experimentation gives the album a needed right turn. Closing out the album is “The Beauty Of Forgetting.” This song continues the experimentation path by adding in some haunting acoustic guitars, underlying industrial style beats and thunderous bass to really drive home the end of this album.
Love and Decay is exactly what Spotlights sound like, only this time around, they stepped up the heavy and added a level of melody to help propel the songs to new heights. The one thing about this album is that at times, it feels like the songs are just a shade too long. It’s like when you watch a film and think that certain parts could have been cut down to get to the point faster. Other than that, Love and Decay is a killer record. Mario Quintero (guitars/vocals/production), Sarah Quintero (bass/vocals) and Chris Enriquez (drums) have formed an exquisite bond as a three piece and they sound like there are at least eight people in this band. Love and Decay is the type of album that with more and more listens you will find more to love and be drawn deeper in. It’s also worth noting that, having seen Spotlights live before, I just know these new songs are going to tear the roofs off of venues and leave audiences in awe.
There are certain bands that have the ability to evolve in a way that it doesn’t seem like they are yet, they truly have albeit in a subtle way. Never a band to be complacent or comfortable, Helms Alee have been pushing the boundaries of the sludge metal genre since their first release back in 2007. Noctiluca, the bands fifth full length studio album, sees the band moving more into a progressive territoty while still maintaing their psychedelic and sludgy tendencies.
The album as a whole has something for everyone. Songs like “Interachnid,” “Beat Up,” are signature Helms Alee with thunderous rhythms and delayed guitars that give the album the start and roar it needs. Then you have a song like “Be Rad Tomorrow” which takes the band on a different journey. This song is one of the more experimental tracks on the album with a more prog feel to it. The expansiveness of this song is very representative of how the members of Helms Alee have evolved as writers and players. Then you have a song like “Lay Waste Child” that continues what “Be Rad Tomorrow” started only this song, takes you deeper down the rabbit hole. “Illegal Guardian” seems to complete the trilogy of the previous two songs. This track is everything that Helms Alee is all about. I’m not going to give it away. You just need to listen and you’ll hear what I mean. A song like “Spider Jar” is a welcome treat. It shows off the more melodic side of the band and provides a more delicate approach to the bands sound. Closing out the album is “Word Problem” a song that is drenched in doomy sludge (think Sabbath meets The Melvins). It’s a straight forward song that will have you starting the album over once it’s done.
Helms Alee have created an album that hits on everything they’ve done till now. Noctiluca is the type of album that if you are just discovering the band, it will get you into them for sure. One of the best things about Helms Alee is that as a three piece drummer/vocalist Hozoji Matheson-Margullis, bassist Dana James, and guitarist Ben Verellen are super tight and play off each other so well. They have the ability to create a sonic assault that while deafening at times is soothing and almost hypnotic. If you have the chance to see Helms Alee live, I highly recommend you do. Their live show makes their songs truly come alive and will give you one hell of a rush.
