I woke up this morning with Stone Temple Pilots in my head. Specifically the song “Atlanta.” So naturally I did what I always do and put that song on and then just let Number 4 start from the beginning. While listening to STP it got me thinking about their B-sides. Check out their B-sides over the years and songs that were previously unreleased.
Only Dying (from Core- Originally intended to be on The Crow Soundtrack):
All In The Suit That You Wear (from Thank You- Originally intended for the Spiderman Soundtrack):
One thing that I truly enjoy is getting to see a band in a club atmosphere. There is something really special about the intimacy of it. It doesn’t matter if it’s a big band or an up and coming band, club shows will always be some of the best shows a band will play. Last night I ventured out to the Viper Room to check out two bands that I’ve been wanting to see, Cane Hill and Valor & Vengeance and they both didn’t disappoint.
Valor and Vengeance took the stage before Cane Hill and delivered a very mood setting performance. Their intensity and prowess on stage really draws the audience in and definitely gets the head banging. The bands frontman Adam Ryan is a beast, not only does he have that intimidating yet really nice guy factor, the guy can down right sing and scream with the best of them. The dual guitar attack of Tyler Morgan and Mike Muenzer shines when the heavy kicks in along with the more melodic nature of the songs. Bassist Paul Perry and drummer Josh Fresia are beyond locked in and deliver a pummeling rhythm live. Songs like “Devil’s Highway” and “Sinking Further” really stood out during their set. In a previous post about the band I said “I like to think of Valor and Vengeance as sounding like Avenged Sevenfold if the latter had balls and didn’t suck.” I stand by that description but I’d like to add that they are definitely way better than Avenged. Check out Valor and Vengeance when they are playing at a town near you!
The other reason I was out last night was to check out Cane Hill. I’ll admit I wasn’t too familiar with them until about a week ago but, when I heard their new album Too Far Gone, I knew I had to go see them. Their sound and style is reminiscent of early Slipknot (first 2 albums) with a bit of a metalcore and industrial vibe. This 4 piece from New Orleans really laid it out for all the fans in attendance. You can tell that these guys believe in their music and are in it for the love of music. The entire band are beyond tight and know how to deliver a show. Singer Elijah Witt has one hell of a set of pipes. I wasn’t sure how he’d be able to pull off certain songs live but he did and I genuinely think his voice sounded better live. Especially on songs like “It Follows,” “Erased,” “10 Cents,” and “Ugly Model Mannequin.” Guitarist James Barnett has one hell of a tone and is resonated extremely well inside the Viper Room. Bassist Ryan Henriquez and drummer Devin Clark are blistering as a rhythm section. Cane Hill is one of the best newer bands I’ve heard in a long time. Their album Too Far Gone is one of my favorites of 2018 and it’s only March. Do yourself a favor and check them out and go see them live, you won’t be disappointed.
Cane Hill- Too Far Gone:
Valor and Vengeance- Devil’s Highway:
Valor and Vengeance- Sinking Further:
Review and Photos (granted they are kinda crappy) by: Brian Lacy
As I’ve written about it many times before, the soundtrack for The Crow is one the best soundtracks of all time. There isn’t one song on it that doesn’t fit or make you want to watch the film. I’ll never forget way back when, the first time I heard the Rage Against The Machine song “Darkness.” I was completely floored by it. I had been a fan of the band for a while at that time and didn’t hear it on their debut. The song was originally written in 1991 and titled “Darkness Of Greed.” They re-recorded the song specifically for the soundtrack. “Darkness” never appeared on an album until the anniversary edition of their debut album. It did appear however as a b-side on the “Killin In The Name” single. Either way the only way to get this song for a long time was via The Crow soundtrack.
In case you didn’t know, Neil Young is one of my all time favorites. I have both my mom and dad to thank for getting me into his music. While I was looking up some songs for an upcoming episode of Audioeclectica Radio (Yes, it is coming back!), I totally remembered this really cool cover Prong (the very underrated Prong, I must say) did of the Neil Young classic “Cortez The Killer.” Check it out and enjoy!!!
The A to Z list continues to find the top ten bands/artists in the alphabet. V is upon us and needs help to complete the list.
As usual your suggestions are wanted in completing this list.
These are in no particular order as well.
01) The Velvet Underground
02) The Verve
03) Van Halen
04) Vision Of Disorder
05) Vast
06) The Ventures
07) Vanilla Fudge
08) Violent Femmes
09) The Vandals
10) Vexes (one of the best new V bands)
One of my favorite things about writing and running Audioeclectica is when I get an email from a band that is personalized and asking me to check out their band. Recently I got a message from a band called Knaaves. I was immediately impressed with the message that was sent that I stopped what I was doing to check them out. What I heard was a blistering heavy band that was full of dark riffs and an attitude that compliments the music superbly. Knaaves, based out of Milwauke, is a four piece band featuring Andy Parmann (Vocals), Amanda Daniels (Bass), Jamie Kerwin (Guitar), and Antonio Ninham (Drums) that mixes metal, hardcore, and bits of melody to create a hard charging, groove filled sound. Knaaves isn’t a “metal-core” band, instead they take bits of post hardcore and add it to their already heavy groove. Their 2 song EP JANUARY, featuring the songs “January” and “Nine Lives Lost” will have you banging your head and possibly erupting into a one person mosh pit (which is totally possible). Do yourself a favor and check out Knaaves and let the power of heaviness guide you on your way to where you are headed.
Every now and then a band comes along and reignites a genre that hasn’t been relevant in a while. Depending on what time you grew up, you just might have a connection to that specific genre. The mixing of rock/metal and hip hop has been around for almost 30 years now. Some bands were able to do it extremely well like Rage Against The Machine, and some more underground bands like Downiest and Hed PE (their first album). Recently a band has come out that has brought back that sound but have done it in a way that isn’t cheesy like Limp Bizkit. I’m speaking of the band Fire From The Gods. Based out of Austin Texas, Fire From The Gods have incorporated hip hop into their music along with with a generous helping of melody, hardcore, and metal. I’d like to note that not all their songs feature the rap-rock sound, only a handful of the songs have rapping in them, like the song “Excuse Me.” Instead the band focuses on melody and hooks to gain your attention. The band, fronted by the very charismatic AJ Channer, is definitely a band that you need to look out for. I like to think of them as a more melodic Sevendust, only a bit more socially conscious. Their album Narrative is one hell of an album. It’s full of all the above I mentioned but also a very uplifting feeling. Musically the band is tight and churn out some tasty riffs and rhythms. From their videos I’ve seen, their live shows are full of energy and heaviness. It’s no wonder why Fire From The Gods are a band to watch out for.
It’s always a pleasure to see and hear a band evolve in the right direction. A couple years back I featured the band Dead Empires as Band Of The Week, and now they have come roaring back with a new album, Designed To Disappear, and it is absolutely crushing. From the time the opening song, “Spectacular Ruin” kicks in, you the listener know you that Dead Empires are coming to take over. The progressive nature of the Designed To Disappear not only lets the songs stand alone, they are have a perfect ebb and flow to create an album. There are parts that are reminiscent of The Dillinger Escape Plan which makes for some really cool jazzy breaks. Songs like “The Form,” “Reverse Speak,” “A Summertime Song,” and the closing title track “Designed To Disappear,” all have a sense of urgency and depth that a lot of instrumental bands seem to lack. Now armed with a vocalist, Dead Empires are about to cause some serious damage to stages and speakers. Something else about this album that stands out is the production. There is a crisp and heavy feeling about these songs that helps to resonate what the true nature of their playing feels like. Dead Empires are alive and well, and are ready to take over.
Back in 1993 there was a movie that came out that was pretty mediocre but the soundtrack was an absolute beast. I’m talking about Judgement Night. The movie had Emilio Estevez, Cuba Gooding Jr, Jeremy Piven, Stephen Dorff and the great Denis Leary. The movie is less than memorable, though Denis Leary plays one hell of a bad guy. The soundtrack though became a cult classic and really was instrumental in bringing hip-hop and rock/metal together. Collaborations like Helmet and House of Pain, Biohazard and Onyx, Living Colour and Run DMC, Slayer and Ice-T really stood out as the go to tracks. Then there were others that were quite interesting like Pearl Jam and Cypress Hill, Sonic Youth and Cypress Hill, Dinosaur Jr and Del The Funky Homosapien. All in all this soundtrack was badass. There was even a collaboration between Tool and Rage Against The Machine but, neither band was happy with the end result so it didn’t make the album.
Judgement Night Soundtrack:
Tool and Rage Against The Machine- Can’t Kill The Revolution:
For many years now, Howard Jones has been a well respected vocalist in the heavy music world. From his time in Blood Has Been Shed to Killswitch Engage and now with Light The Torch (formerly known as Devil You Know), Howard’s voice and lyrics have resonated with countless amounts of people. Since Light The Torch is getting set to release their new album, Revival (out March 30), I thought it would be fun to put together a bunch of songs Howard has guested on over the years.
36 Crazyfists- Elysium (from Rest Inside The Flames):
Eighteen Visions- One Hell Of A Prize Fighter (from Vanity):
Throwdown- The World Behind (from Vendetta):
Roadrunner United- The Daggar (from Roadrunner United- The All Star Sessions):
Every Time I Die- Punch-Drunk Punk Rock Romance (from Last Night In Town):
Within Temptation- Dangerous (from Hydra):
Jasta- Chasing Demons (from The Lost Chapters):
Asking Alexandria- Until The End (from From Death To Destiny):
