Pearl Jam’s new album Gigaton comes out this Friday. And ahead of it’s release, the band has released a new single, “Quick Escape.” This song definitley is a rocker and it harks back to their Yield days. Which by the way, I highly suggest you taking another listen to. That is one hell of a good album. Anyways, Gigaton seems like it will be a pretty diverse Pearl Jam record with something for everyone on it.
Pearl Jam- Quick Escape:
At the end of Nine Inch Nails’ epic EP Broken, there are not one but, two secret songs hidden amongst all the silence. The first is a cover of the Adam and The Ants song “Physical” and the other is a killer version of the Pigface song “Suck.” Trent was actually a part of Pigface and wrote and sang on the original version. The one found at the end of Broken is a lot grittier and sinister than the original. It’s also worth noting too that, the lives version of the song found on And All That Could Have Been and the Woodstock 94 set, are stellar as well.
Nine Inch Nails- Suck:
Nine Inch Nails- Suck (Live Woodstock 94):
While I was thinking of what to write about over the weekend for Monday, I came up with an idea. It’s definitely going to be a fun one and it will allow you to further delve into some songs and artists/players you might not have normally listened to. The first one I’d like to get into is the collaboration between the Foo Fighters and Joe Walsh from the Foo’s album Sonic Highways. On that album, the two collaborated on a song (the best song on the album by far too) called “Outside.” Joe Walsh is such an integral part of any band or appearance he’s ever been a part of. There is a way to how he plays and his overall vibe and style, that just makes those songs and bands great. This song is no different. His minimalist guitar solo truly sets a mood and as you listen to the song and the lyrics, you really understand why Dave Grohl had asked Joe to guest on the song. It’s one of those perfect collaborations.
Foo Fighters w/ Joe Walsh- Outside:
Foo Fighters- Making of Outside (from Sonic Highways DVD):
One of my favorite sub-genres over the last decade has got to be the post-hardcore genre. There is something about the ferociousness and tenacity within the music and vocals that just hits right. And when you find the right band in that realm, it all sounds like it should. There is a new band I recently came across that has really peaked my interest. Hailing from California and New York, Old Lung, is bringing a viciousness to the genre with a direct impact. Their debut song “Wounds” is straight up in your face and grabbing. Their debut EP will be out later this year via Stay Sick Recordings. Old Lung is definitely a band you should be on the look out for.
Old Lung- Wounds:
Alternate versions are quite fun to dive into. They give you a different experience from the original version. And sometimes, these versions turn out better than what you heard first. Converge have released a new version of their song “Aimless Arrow” entitled “Endless Arrow.” This version was created by the bands guitarist Kurt Ballou and is a 30 minute experimental/ambient version of the song. “Aimless Arrow” originally appeared on the bands 2012 album All We Love We Leave Behind. This new version was created “To keep people entertained in these challenging times.” It’s definitely a different take on the song. Personally, I’d be interested to hear them do this with a few other tracks of theirs and maybe even expand this into their Blood Moon project as well.
Converge- Endless Arrow:
Converge- Aimless Arrow:
A while back, Oathbreaker released a new song called “Ease Me” on the Adult Swim Metal Swim 2 compilation. Now, a new EP release featuring the song along with a few different remixes by Jesu, Chelsea Wolfe and others, will be released May 8th (via Deathwish Inc.). Oathbreaker is one of the best bands I’ve heard in a long time and their 2016 album Rheia is an absolute masterpiece. If you’ve never heard it, I urge you to do so. Check out Ease Me and the Ease Me (Jesu Remix) below!
Oathbreaker- Ease Me:
Oathbreaker- Ease Me (Jesu Remix):
One of my favorite new(ish) bands, If It Kills You, has released a stunning version of the Fugazi song “Rend It.” For those of you that don’t know, “Rend It” is on the Fugazi album, In On The Kill Taker (which is my favorite Fugazi album). This cover is true to the original but, with just enough oomph and grit to make it their own. Do yourself a favor and play this loud and when the mood strikes to start moving around to the music, go with the flow! And while you’re at it, check out the EP, Infinite Hum, by If It Kills You. It’s superb.
If It Kills You- Rend It:
If It Kills You- Infinite Hum:
For a while now, I’ve really been digging on the Los Angeles based band, Fact Pattern. They’re one of the few bands that I’ve heard that actually understands what industrial music is all about. Their blend of industrial and doom music is something that stands out. The fact that they’ve been able to take inspiration and influence from bands of the past and make it their own is pretty great. By adding lush landscapes of sounds to really set the mood and a melodic nature, the songs are accessible but not in a way that it’s watered down. Their most recent album, Fallen Language, is all that wrapped into one. And on the song “Under The Knife,” it’s all very present. Plus the video for said track is quite cool. Do yourself a favor and check out what Fact Pattern has to offer. I have a feeling you’ll dig. Plus with everything happening in the world today, they are quite good band to play as a soundtrack to it all.
Fact Pattern- Under The Knife:
Fact Pattern- Fallen Language:
Because the world is in a panic and we all can use a little humor to brighten things up, I thought of making a list of the best End Of The World songs. This should be a fun one to throw songs at and create different playlists and such. So, lets begin.
R.E.M.- It’s The End Of The World:
Everclear- Santa Monica:
Black Sabbath- Hole In The Sky:
Creedence Clearwater Revival- Bad Moon Rising:
The Doors- The End:
Iron Maiden- 2 Minutes To Midnight:
Soundgarden- Black Hole Sun:
Nine Inch Nails- The Day The World Went Away:
The Smashing Pumpkins- Doomsday Clock:
Cold- End Of The World:
The Cure- The End Of The World:
The Clash- London Calling:
Let’s travel back to 1992 and revisit the soundtrack for the Buffy The Vampire Slayer. While the movie has achieved some cult status over the years, and the TV show has been hailed, the soundtrack has become a bit of an after thought. When you look at the soundtrack though, you can see why it would be. Though there has always been one song on it that has been intriguing. That song is “Light Comes Out Of Black” by Pantera featuring Rob Halford. In an interview some years ago, Rob Halford commented on how this came to be. “I was away from Priest. Sony were working on the soundtrack. They wanted Sony artists and asked me to write a song. I hadn’t written as a solo writer for years and years and years. But it’s one of those things where you don’t know what you can do until you put your nose to the grindstone. So I wrote “Light Comes Out of Black,” and I was stuck. And I got Dime’s number, and I called him up and I said, “Here’s the deal.” And he goes, “Let’s do it. Just get in the plane and come down to Dallas.” So that’s what I did the next day, went to the studio, laid the track down in a very short space of time. Phil wandered by, said “Oh, how’s it going, ‘metal god’?” So I told him and he said, “You got a spot for me?” I said, “Pfft, here’s the mic.” So Phil joins me on the back end of the song. And it turned out really good. It’s amazing to think that that’s a Pantera song really. It is Pantera with me on lead vocals, and Phil obviously doing the outro sections. But it’s a Pantera song really.
So without anymore delay, here’s the song!
Pantera with Rob Halford- Light Comes Out Of Black:
