Bands That Should Come Back

MEMENTO IS BACK

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A few months back I wrote a piece about the band Memento. since their break up in the mid 2000’s, I had always hoped that they would reform. There was a slight chance of that happening a few years back with a band called Nine Times Bodyweight, but that didn’t really go anywhere. Then something really cool happened to me yesterday. I got an email about a notification of a comment on the post I write about Memento from the bands guitarist Jason “Space” Smith, saying that Memento was back. And just like that I had the biggest smile on my face. I immediately grabbed my Memento CD and put it on and played it quite a few times. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, Memento got a raw deal by not being pushed by their label and being lumped into the “Nu Metal” genre. This band is one of the bands that was very underrated and a pleasure to watch live. Now we all get a chance to experience them again. Welcome back Memento!!!

https://www.facebook.com/mementotheband

Here is a video they posted of Justin (Vocals) and Space (guitar) playing “Below” acoustically in the studio recently.

 

Nothing Sacred:

Savior:

Coming:

Figure 8:

Blister:

Abyss:

Shell:

Beginnings:

Reflections:

Below:

Bands That Should Come Back: White Zombie

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This feature is so much fun to do. It allows me to think that maybe if I put this out in the ether of the internet, some of these bands might get back together (with the help of all of the others that want it too). Now I know this one is total wishful thinking, especially since Rob Zombie said that he won’t do it, but how awesome would it be if White Zombie got back together. They were such a fun band. There was something unique and fun about them. They had a really cool groove to the music. Guitarist J Yuenger really had a knack for cool riffs and licks that seemed simple but were intricate in the timing. I always wondered why he wasn’t regarded for his playing. Their two major label releases La Sexorcisto and Astro Creep 2000 were outstanding albums. And both were different in good way. La Sexorcisto had a more metal vibe to it while Astro Creep got more electronic and had tinges of industrial to go along with the groove metal riffs. Take a stroll and get back into White Zombie!

 

La Sexorcisto:

 

Astro Creep 2000:

Bands That Should Come Back: Orange 9mm

350_orange9mmThe 90’s are really trying to claw it’s way back into music, and that is a good thing. The influence of so many great bands from the era are really shining with a newer generation of bands. Not to mention the revival of so many great bands from the 90’s that are getting back together and releasing new music. One band I’d love to see get back together is Orange 9mm. Formed in 1994, they released their major label release Driver Not Included in 1995. This album was produced by Dave Jerden (Jane’s Addiction, Alice In Chains). Orange 9mm had a punk rock mentality that came across in their music all the while being able to throw in other influences that made separated them from the pack. While touring on their first album they shared the stage with bands such as Quicksand, Deftones, Korn and Helmet. The follow up to Driver Not Included was the fabulous album Tragic which was produced by David Sardy (Helmet, Marilyn Manson), Sadly though before the first tour for the album founding member Chris Traynor left the band to go play for Helmet. Not one to retreat, Chaka Malik and the others carried on. They spent a good amount of time writing and recording a great deal of material under a wide range of influences. Periodically, the band would perform one-offs and small weekend runs; during this period they released a split EP in Japan. Following the release of their EP, Ultraman vs. Godzilla, the band released what would wind up being their final album, 1999’s Pretend I’m Human.

Orange 9mm was a band that was full of energy and intensity. Their music had that flair that Quicksand had as well as the diversity as the Deftones. It’s too bad they didn’t last longer with their original lineup, they really could have made a bigger name for themselves.

Orange 9mm- Driver Not Included:

Orange 9mm- Tragic:

Orange 9mm- Pretend I’m Human:

Bands That Should Come Back: Mudvayne

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Last week I made a post about Nothingface being a band that should come back. With that in mind I’m writing about Mudvayne this week. Mudvayne had a different approach to the music they put out. When their album LD 50 came out, it was met with high praise throughout the metal community. That album is still thought of as a quintessential album of the early 2000’s. Through their career, they started experimenting with melody and more straight forward styles of song writing. More often than not, it just didn’t work, but when they stuck to their guns, Mudvayne wrote some really great songs. Their final album, was a step back in the right direction, with riffs and rhythms that harked back to their LD 50 days. One thing with Mudvayne was that their live shows were always full of energy and excitement. Instead of coming back to the group and getting back to basics, Hellyeah became the main priority to singer Chad Gray and guitarist Greg Tribbet (though Greg finally left the waste of time that Hellyeah is). I strongly think that if Mudvayne were to come back it would be with welcome arms and they would come back with a real sense of purpose to deliver the goods as they once could. 

 

Dig:

 

Death Blooms:

 

Not Falling:

 

World So Cold:

 

Determined:

 

Dull Boy:

 

Scream With Me:

 

Heard It All Before:

 

 

Bands That Should Come Back: Nothingface

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The late 90’s and early 2000’s were a very interesting time for heavy music. There was a resurgence of rock music in the mainstream, with bands like Korn, System Of A Down, and many others. One band that didn’t get the recognition they should have was Nothingface. Formed in 1994 in the DC area, Nothingface combined metal, alternative, death metal and a healthy shot of melody. Their debut album Pacifier was written off as a “Korn ripoff band,” but on their follow up An Audio Guide To Everyday Atrocity, they abandoned that sound and featured the heavy metal and alternative metal sound they became known for. In 2000 their break out album Violence was released featuring the single “Bleeder.” In 2003 thier final album Skeletons was released.This album is considered their most diverse, featuring some of the band’s heaviest as well as most melodic material especially the song “Ether.” That summer, the band played on the second-stage of Ozzfest. Sadly though, the group disbanded on February 10, 2004, citing musical differences, infighting and lack of support of their label. There were multiple attempts over the years to get the band back up and running but it seemed that something always held it back. Nothingface was a stand out band amongst the pack due to their use of melody and clean vocals. It’s a real shame that it didn’t work out. Guitarist Tom Maxwell is now wasting his time playing in the atrocious Hellyeah. Who knows what will happen over time, but if Nothingface were to return it sure would be a nice welcome back.

Violence:

Skeletons:

 

By: Brian Lacy

Bands That Should Come Back: Operation Ivy

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The 1980’s were a very interesting time for music. Hardcore Punk was created as was Thrash metal. Towards the late 80’s a group formed in Berkeley, California. Operation Ivy was one of the first bands to mix hardcore punk and ska. Their mix of the two genres is regarded as part of the vanguard of the second wave of American punk rock which swept the country in the 1990s. Operation Ivy was critical to the emergence of Lookout Records and the so-called “East Bay Sound.” Although the band released just one full length album Energy, before breaking up in May 1989, Operation Ivy is well remembered as the direct antecedent of Rancid (Tim “Lint” Armstrong and Matt Freeman were both in Op Ivy) and for wielding a lasting stylistic influence over numerous other bands. A fun fact about the band at their last official live performance. This show was Green Day’s first performance at the famed 924 Gilman St. This was also supposed to be Operation Ivy’s record release show. As for a reunion, the group has stated a number of times that Operation Ivy reunion is unlikely to happen. frontman Jesse Michaels addressed reunion issues in a Myspace blog years ago, citing the legal and logistic difficulties in getting the four members together for a reunion, as well as the fact that the band “never belonged in a big rock club in a one to two thousand seat joint.” He concluded the post with the following: “[Will] it happen? The most honest answer is probably not.” The closest thing ever to a reunion happened at a Rancid show at the Warfield Theatre in San Francisco on December 17, 2006, Jesse Michaels reunited with Tim Armstrong and Matt Freeman to perform the tracks “Unity” as well as “Sound System”. It was Jesse’s first time on stage with Tim and Matt in over 15 years.

Operation Ivy is one of those bands that if they were to come back would immediately be welcomed. There is such a high regard for this band in all circles of punk, and even parts of the metal community. One can only hope that one day this happens before it’s too late.

By: Brian Lacy

Bands That Should Come Back: Poison The Well

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There comes a time in every bands career when the thought of evolving crosses their mind. It’s never to take away what they’ve done in the past but as a sign of the times of maturity and growth. Poison The Well did just that when they were together. Starting out as a hardcore/metalcore band when they released their album The Opposite Of December, the band eventually started experimenting with melody and different song structures on their great follow up Tear From The Red. This album gave the band the push they needed to continue to evolve their sound and not get stuck in a stagnant spot of regurgitating the same thing. For their next album You Come Before You, the band reached out to Swedish producers Pelle Henricsson and Eskil Lövström, who worked on the classic album The Shape Of Punk To Come by the Refused. You Come Before You was also their first and only record to be released by a major label, Atlantic Records. Having experienced some level of success with You Come Before You, a long and hard touring cycle left certain members of the band disenchanted. Guitarist Derek Miller quit the band and would later go on to form the alternative band Sleigh Bells (yuck). After months of working and writing material, the band set off in early 2005 to work and record with Pelle Henricsson and Eskil Lövström again in Sweden. Versions was their next step in their evolution. After the touring cycle finished for Versions, the band wasted little time in getting back to writing for what would be their final album The Tropic Rot. This album was sonically large and very focused. All their experimentation, was leading up to this. Sadly it all came apart after the end of touring for The Tropic Rot. The members of Poison The Well announced they were moving on and exploring other musical interests.

It also seems as though what Poison The Well were up to, might have been a little ahead of the times. To constantly be able to be challenged and inspired to create genuinely good pieces of work is not easy and does take a toll. I can only imagine what new material would sound like from them now. So with that in mind, Poison The Well needs to return!

 

Nerdy: The Opposite Of December

Botchla: Tear From The Red

Apathy Is A Cold Body: You Come Before You

Letter Thing: Versions

Exist Underground: The Tropic Rot

 

By: Brian Lacy

 

Bands That Should Come Back: Scatter The Ashes

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Scatter The Ashes was a post-hardcore band. They were formed in the summer of 2001 and signed to Epitaph records. Devout/The Modern Hymn is the only album from them. Musically it is a very dark, with atmospheric rhythms with bone-jarring resonance that is not only haunting, but catchy, appealing. Imagine Joy Division meets the Refused. The band was rooted in punk rock and evolved beyond their years.  In 2006, they officially broke up. They were artistic and believed in their music and it showed. Their debut album has been in constant rotation in my cd player. Take a listen and you’ll hear why.

Caesura:

 

Affinity:

 

City In The Sea:

 

In The Company Of Wolves:

 

By: Brian Lacy

 

 

 

Bands That Should Come Back: Isis

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There is a saying that it’s best to go out on top, and in 2010, Isis did just that. Having released a great album Wavering Radiant, the guys in Isis decided to go their separate ways. Over the course of their career they released quite a few albums, EP’s, and splits. Two of their albums 2002’s Oceanic and 2004’s Panopticon are genre defining albums and regarded as classics in heavy music circles. Isis was a band that helped to expand the genre in which Neurosis and Godflesh made. Their use of conceptual themes in their lyrics made the albums stand out even more especially Panopticon. During their live shows the use of lights mixed with the rhythmic nature of the songs and the use of ambient sounds made their live show a truly intriguing experience. I was lucky enough to have seen Isis on their final tour. All the members have since gone on to other projects. One of the most prominent of those project is Palms which features 3 of the members of Isis and Chino Moreno of Deftones. All in all Isis was truly a great band that still had so much left to share with the world musically. Only time will tell if there will ever come a time when they will reconvene and form again.

 

Oceanic:

 

Panopticon:

 

By: Brian Lacy

Bands That Should Come Back: These Arms Are Snakes

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Since the late 80’s Seattle has been the birthplace of many great bands. We really don’t need to go over the list. There was one band that came about in the early 00’s that took a very artful approach to their music. Formed by former members of Botch and Kill Sadie, These Arms Are Snakes gave new life to post hardcore and experimental rock. During their career they released 3 full length albums, 1 EP, and over half a dozen splits (a couple with Pelican and Russian Circles). They had one of the most energetic stage shows and best live sounds to boot. Their evolution and growth in songwriting and craft got better and better with every release. After their break up in 2010 the members all went onto other projects. Brian Cook (bass) went on to continue playing with Russian Circles. Ryan Frederickson (guitar) formed a band with former Botch singer Dave Verellen called Narrows. Steve Snere formed the more electronic Crypts and Chris Common went back to work as a full time producer/engineer. These Arms Are Snakes left a lasting impact in the underground scene and are deeply missed.

Red Line Season: From Tail Swallower and Dove

 

Subtle Body: From Easter

 

By: Brian Lacy