Author: audioeclectica

LIVE SHOW REVIEW: STICK MEN AT THE BAKED POTATO

Being able to have an eclectic experience with music is truly a gift. Weaving in and around different styles, genres, and sounds makes for a truly immersive environment. Which brings me to a recent show I went to that was all of the previously mentioned and more. At The Baked Potato in Studio City/Hollywood, Stick Men performed a set that was truly unique and quite a bit of a trip into a different world.

Stick Men is a trio featuring King Crimson’s Tony Levin and Pat Mastelotto with Markus Reuter. Together they make music that feels part film score, part avant-garde, part progressive rock and part jazz. This evening at the legendary Baked Potato, Tony, Pat and Markus were celebrating the group’s new album, Let’s THRAK Again, a tribute to King Crimson’s ’90s landmark album, THRAK.

Throughout the bands set, you felt like you were swept away by the rhythms and dissonance. Being all instrumental, your imagination has the ability to run wild and free. Each piece lent itself to a remarkable story. The playing abilities of all three was astounding. Music like this is not easy and yet at the same time felt almost improvised. That feeling is something that truly makes music special. Amongst the sold out crowd, you could sense that those there were swept away by it all too.

When the opportunity comes to explore your musical tastes, go and see what comes of it. Shows like this and bands like Stick Men, show there is a wealth of more to discover. And what a great place to start than with King Crimson.

Overall Rating: A

By: Brian Lacy

Stick Men- Let’s THRAK Again:

https://stickmen.bandcamp.com/album/lets-thrak-again-reel-one

NEW MUSIC SPOTLIGHT: SEMUTA- THOUGHTLESS / DREAMLESS

The idea of oh, this album cover looks interesting, often leads to great discoveries. As a kid, I remember that feeling of seeing album covers that looked cool and being so intrigued by what those bands were. This day in age it’s still fun to do especially in stores but, most of the time it’s on your computer. The other day while catching up on a ton of music I hadn’t had the chance to listen to yet, I found the perfect album cover that peaked the interest that when played, listening felt just like that album cover.

Semuta, from Portland, Oregon, are making music that almost feels like you’re in a kaleidoscope. Their new album, Thoughtless/Dreamless (out October 09 on Accident Prone Records (is that a Jawbreaker reference?!?!) features their stunning title track. Clocking in at just under ten minutes (it’s basically two songs in one), “Thoughtless/Dreamless” is a song that transports you in the best way music can. The progressive elements evoke King Crimson type vibes with an atmospheric doom tonality that is reminiscent of Isis around Oceanic.

Now for the even more fun part that this is a duo! That’s right, guitarist/vocalist Benjamin Caragol and drummer Ben Stoller have crafted quite the album here. Recorded and mixed by Scott Evans (Neurosis, Kowloon Walled City) and mastered by Brad Boatright (Portrayal of Guilt, Torche), that on it’s own merit made me want to listen. And the end result from this is truly a work of art.

Semuta- Thoughtless/Dreamless:

BANDCAMP: https://semutamusic.bandcamp.com/album/thoughtless-dreamless-2

LIVE SHOW REVIEW: IRON MAIDEN, MEGADETH & ANTHRAX

When a legendary band comes to town, it’s wise to go see them. Even more so when you add two other legendary bands making an absolutely stacked and perfect lineup. On Sunday, September 27th, at BMO Stadium in Los Angeles, Iron Maiden along with Megadeth and Anthrax absolutely made their presence known in among the sold out crowd. 

Opening the evening at little after 6:00pm, New York’s own, Anthrax took the stage to a rousing reception to the many thousand already there and immediately launched into “Caught In A Mosh.” Songs like that are quite the pit starter. In fact throughout their entire set, the pit did not let up. “Madhouse” was delivered in grand form. “Metal Thrashing Mad” followed. Anthrax surely had the crowd getting more and more energized and roaring. When they got to “It’s For The Kids” which was the first single from their new album, Cursum Perficio, it was very refreshing and great to hear a new song. So much so that having it sandwiched between two cover songs really felt kind of weird. Maybe it’s just me but, playing covers when you have a wealth of great material doesn’t entice me at all. Yes I know “Antisocial” and “Got The Time” are “hits” for the band but, let’s be honest, it’s taking away from more great music we all would want to hear. Closing out their set was an extended version of “Indians.” The band was firing on all cylinders and were great to watch. Lead Guitarist Jon Donais, really deserves a standout mention. He absolutely killed it on the songs, solos, and genuine energy. Just gonna put this out there, how about Shadows Fall on tour with Anthrax?!

Direct support for the show was Megadeth. Before this goes any further, I have to note that this slot should have gone to Anthrax. Sorry but, Megadeth just doesn’t have it anymore. Don’t worry I’m not talking about their individual playing abilities. Dave Mustaine and company can absolutely still shred. And this evening they surely did that part great. The voice, stage presence/energy and production are just not there. Even the way their set began was bizarre. Not sure if this is playing into the narrative of media or something else but opening with “Mechanix (aka The Four Horsemen) and “Ride The Lightning,” while looks and sounds cool in theory, just feels like trolling. The rest of the set was filled with classics like “Hangar 18,” “Symphony Of Destruction” and a stellar instrumental performance of “Tornado Of Souls.” A new song in “Let There Be Shred” which is a really cool song instrumentally fit well in the set. As said above these guys are great players but let’s get someone else in to sing. It’s time! If this next couple years are to be the retirement tour, go out on top with someone who can really let you go out with a bang!

Iron Maiden. That’s it. That’s the review. All you need to know is Iron Maiden. Kidding of course. What a show this was. From set list, playing/singing, production, and performance, just WOW! It’s been twenty six years since I last saw Iron Maiden. When I went it was the reunion with Bruce Dickinson and Adrian Smith with Halford solo opening and Queensryche as direct support. This evening just like that one, was amazing.

What a great way to open the set then with “Murders In The Rue Morgue,” “Wrathchild,” “Killers,” and “Phantom Of The Opera.” I like to think of this as a tribute to late Paul Di’Anno. Those first two albums still cause the volume to be turned up!!! From there an exquisite barrage of “The Number Of The Beast,” “Infinite Dreams,” “Powerslave” and “2 Minutes To Midnight.” The visual aspect during these three were a show of its own too. Side Note: Hey Guns N Roses!!! You need to hire who Iron Maiden did for theirs! Then right smack in the middle of the set, not only does it go epic and amazingly theatrical, we get “Rime Of The Ancient Mariner.” At this point it’s been a great show even though Rime did feel like it dragged a bit. Thankfully the band brought it all back up with “Run To The Hills.” Next up “Seventh Son Of The Seventh Son” had the crowd in a frenzy. Pits aplenty were everywhere on the floor! The next three songs to close out the main set not only are Maiden classics but, a trifecta of amazement. “The Trooper,” “Hallowed Be Thy Name” and “Iron Maiden.” Each song delivered a performance that any band would strive to aim for. The way the crowd and band connected with these should be studied in the best way possible. There’s nothing like hearing 30,000 plus people singing along. Speaking of singing along. When the encore came, I’m pretty sure the general area of BMO Stadium could hear it too. Closing out the night with “Aces High,” “Fear Of The Dark” and my all time favorite Iron Maiden song, “Wasted Years,” was exhilarating! “Wasted Years” last is just simply divine!

Bruce, Adrian, Steve, Dave, Janick and Simon were on fire for two hours. Tours and shows like this are a reason to celebrate the love of music and the bands. Iron Maiden has been consistently great for fifty years now. Let me say that again, 50 Years! The appropriately named Run For Your Lives tour is going to go down in Maiden history as one of their best. Making it a legendary night. Remember, when the opportunity comes to see three legendary bands on a night, GO!!!

Overall Rating: A

Iron Maiden: A / Megadeth: B- / Anthrax: A

By: Brian Lacy

SET LISTS:

ANTHRAX:

01) Caught In A Mosh

02) Madhouse

03) Metal Thrashing Mad

04) Antisocial

05) It’s For The Kids

06) Got The Time

07) Indians

MEGADETH:

01) Mechanix

02) Ride The Lightning 

03) Hangar 18

04) Let There Be Shred

05) Poison Was The Cure

06) Tornado Of Souls

07) Symphony Of Destruction

08) Peace Sells

09) Holy Wars/The Punishment Due

IRON MAIDEN:

01) Murders In The Rue Morgue

02) Wrathchild

03) Killers

04) Phantom Of The Opera

05) The Number Of The Beast

06) Infinite Dreams 

07) Powerslave

08) 2 Minutes To Midnight 

09) Rime Of The Ancient Mariner

10) Run To The Hills

11) Seventh Son Of The Seventh Son

12) The Trooper

13) Hallowed Be Thy Name

14) Iron Maiden

ENCORE:

15) Aces High 

16) Fear Of The Dark

17) Wasted Years

ULTIMATE TOUR/SET LIST: ANTHRAX, TRIVIUM, XCOMM

For the past week my friend and podcast co-host Justin of Sinister Reviews has been celebrating Anthrax and the release of their twelfth studio album, Cursum Perficio. Anthrax is his favorite band and what a fun thing to do. In the midst of our conversations we both started talking about dream set lists and who we’d want to see tour with Anthrax on their headline tour for the album. Needless to say both of us came up with a great idea of a tour as well as set lists. Note: this is only Belladonna era songs.

What you have below are our individual set lists for this dream scenario. We’ve chosen Anthrax to go on tour in 2027 (as that makes the most sense as there isn’t much of the year left) with Trivium as direct support and since it’s fun to do and why not “Keep It In The Family” with XCOMM as the opening band. As you can tell, we’re definitely not the casual fan of Anthrax. Both of us have dug deep to really go with choice deep cuts, rarely or never played songs, One of us has a couple more “hits” than the other. See if you can tell who!

CLICK BELOW TO SEE THE RESULTS

DREAM TOUR/ SET LIST: ANTHRAX – TRIVIUM – XCOMM:

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ALBUM OF THE WEEK: EMMA RUTH RUNDLE- THESE KILLING TIMES

When the words conveyed in a song come to life in your mind as you listen it’s beyond a treat. Suddenly your mind goes into a different state and you get lost in it all. That’s what happens when you listen to These Killing Times, the new album from Emma Ruth Rundle.

The sheer poetic nature of the songs found on These Killing Times is drenched in dark yet beautiful imagery. The vocal delivery by Emma is cinematic and enchanting. Having this be a full band album too, makes everything more heightened. There’s a soundscape element across the entire album that engulfs you like ocean waves. Don’t let that fool you though as the sheen on top of the dark only goes to the depths of apocalyptic despair.

Each song tackles its own theme and through the melodies and arrangements, it’s all unlocked and unhinged. The confrontation can feel subtle and unsettling at the same time. While the release, though cathartic, really makes you feel and think about each aspect of the song. There’s not one thing on this album that doesn’t deliver what’s it’s meant to. Even with guest appearances from Gina Gleason (Baroness), George Clarke (Deafheaven), Bryan Funck (Thou) and Marissa Nadler, they are accents to further experience the idea of the whole. To go track by track or even highlight a few songs would be a disservice to your own reaction and feeling to this album.

Albums and art like this exist in a place that is honest and pure. This is exactly Emma Ruth Rundle in this moment come to life. The folk and post punk elements hit the right notes while the atmosphere and sonic dynamics push you into another realm. These Killing Times is a great representation of the world we live in today. Emma just makes you feel less alone in it.

Overall Rating: A

By: Brian Lacy

Emma Ruth Rundle- These Killing Times:

https://emmaruthrundle.bandcamp.com/album/these-killing-times

BAND OF THE WEEK: WRONG MAN

There’s always something to be said when you put on an album without knowing a single thing about it other than the name and then the moment the first note rings, you know that you’re in for a treat. As a music enthusiast, curator and somewhat of a tastemaker, that feeling gets to be expressed here on Audioeclectica. And now here’s a band that is equal parts post-hardcore, noise rock, blues and melodic. Hailing from Belgium, Wrong Man features members of Oathbreaker (their album Rheia is beyond a masterpiece. Seriously it’s ten years old now and still will have you crying tears and blood (metaphorically)), Rise And Fall and Partisan. Their second album, Here’s That Feeling (note what I said previosly), is a soulfully sonic and dynamic album that is raw and beyond expressive. Each song arms itself with a tonality that lets each member’s part guide you in the direction needed to go.

Here’s That Feeling on first listen felt like I had missed an album from the era of bands like Fugazi, Drive Like Jehu, Helmet and even Rollins Band and Planes Mistaken For Stars to an extent.

The way the album opens with “Loose Ends” it feels like a shotgun blast to the heart. Then “It Won’t Wash Off” into “Exit Strategy” and a very stunning guest spot from Jeremy Bolm of Touche Amore. One song that really stuck out and caused multiple repeats is track four, “Blue.” The aggressive yet melodic nature of the song really opened up the album a bit more a bit like a perfect transition into track five “Petty Thief.” The way the album starts and gets to this point is beautiful. As the album unfolds even more, with “Mystic Eye” and “Heaven Ain’t Happening.” The final two songs “Ripped Open I” and “Ripped Open II” are absolute gems. Live these songs will hit on the epic richter scale. There’s so much great music, lyrics, melodies and subtle parts to make you feel like you are floating. Seriously put on a really great set of headphones and just press play. You’ll thank me later!

What a great album! This is pure and natural progression for a band like this. One other great aspect of this record is the immeasurable amount of tension and urgency found throughout. One can only hope that US dates are announced for Wrong Man. Los Angeles surely needs this! And of course Deathwish Inc releases this great album. They’ve been on quite the roll over the past few years with the bands and albums released! Now go make the right decision and listen to Wrong Man!

By: Brian Lacy

Wrong Man- Here’s That Feeling:

ALBUM RANK: ANTHRAX

For over forty five years now, Anthrax has been at the forefront of heavy metal. As part of the “Big 4” of thrash metal, Anthrax has undeniably been an influential and inspirational band to so many. The bands twelfth studio album, Cursom Perficio, just came out (more on that later this week). With that in mind, here’s Audioeclectica’s Definitive Album Rank for Anthrax

ALBUM RANK- ANTHRAX:

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SONG OF THE WEEK: SIDEWAVE- BIG WHISPER

When Audioeclectica was first getting going, there were a handful of bands that I couldn’t wait to share with everyone. one of those bands was spacegazers, Sidewave. Think of Failure, Siamese Dream era Smashing Pumpkins and Hum all mixed together. Lush atmospheric soundscapes, heavy guitars and a delicate vocal delivery that all together shines.

The bands first release in quite some time is here and despite the title, it’s leaving quite the big expression. “Big Whisper” is a fuzz driven yet bright shoegaze soaring song. The textures of the song are a trip to explore.

“Big Whisper” is the first release from the upcoming album, Dispel, which will arrive on October 23, 2026.

Sidewave- Big Whisper:

B-SIDES: CORROSION OF CONFORMITY- JAGUAR

The sheer enjoyment of listening to Corrosion Of Conformity is beyond exhilarating. There’s always so many good twist and turns to complaint the grooves and sludge. While their new album, Good God/Baad Man is one of the best albums of 2026 and in constant rotation, there’s another album of theirs that’s phenomenal as well. That would be 2005’s, In The Arms Of God.

In The Arms Of God deserves a whole article dedicated to it. That’s how great this album is. There’s always one song though that’s always a b-side or bonus track that makes you think, “why wasn’t this on the album?!” And that song would be called “Jaguar.” This song was released on the Japanese release. And in just under three minutes, you get a rip roaring classic COC jam. Seriously this song really should have been on the record. One day I hope to hear it live!

Corrosion Of Conformity- Jaguar:

TITLE TRACKS: SYLOSIS- A SIGN OF THINGS TO COME

For the past year, there’s been a band that’s been in constant rotation through my stereo. They are also one of those bands that have gotten better and better with each album. The band is Sylosis and while I’m quite enjoying their new album, The New Flesh, it’s their previous album, A Sign Of Things To Come that’s been the one on constant rotation.

While it’s not as thrashy as their earlier albums, Sylosis really moved into this new territory with a seamlessness that really just goes to show how much evolution has been achieved through the years to this point. The title track “A Sign Of Things To Come” almost feels like it should have been track one. The push and pull of melodic aspects into barreling heaviness brings you to attention. Vocally it’s got bite and an attitude that spits venom. Musically it’s grabbing without being overly catchy. The sum of all the parts together make this a great song. The live versions of it too add even more grit to an already punishingly beautiful song.

Sylosis- A Sign Of Things To Come:

Sylosis- A Sign Of Things To Come (Live):