There are so many bands that have been around for a while that have never gotten the due respect they deserve. Karnivool is a great example of a band like this. They have formed in 1997. Their first real album Themata, came out in 2005. The bands follow up Sound Awake, was a huge progression from their debut. this time around it was a collaborative effort on everyone part, thus making it a more natural sounding album. During this time the band found their fan base grow in their native Australia and in Europe. Karnivool played the Third Eye Gathering in Los Angeles, helping to promote themselves to more US audiences. In 2013 they released Asymmetry. This album was a departure from the sound they developed on Sound Awake, but at the same time showed the bands progression. Karnivool is for sure a band that deserves to be on everyones radar. They expand upon the basic of prog rock and take it to an extra dimension.
I’ve been a fan of heavy music pretty much my entire life. There are certain genres within the heavy music world that I’ve really come to love over the years. In 1998 I heard a band that really stepped up the hardcore game. That band was Vision Of Disorder and the album was called Imprint. As I do with every band that I wind up really liking, I went out and purchased any other albums by the band. Flash forward many years later as the “MetalCore” genre started growing in leaps and bounds, it really got me thinking that VOD weren’t getting the due they deserved. Vision Of Disorder had a large hand in developing the “metal core” sound and perfected it with the right amounts of hardcore, metal, and melody. The first two VOD albums cement this theory, especially Imprint. Songs like “What You Are,” “12 Steps To Nothing,” “By The River” which featured Phil Anselmo, and “Jada Bloom” are exquisite examples of what the band stands for. In 2001 the band changed it up a bit on their album From Bliss To Devastation. This album saw more structure and a more pronounced approach to songwriting. The band though grew frustrated by the lack of support from their label and thus Vision of Disorder went on extended hiatus and eventually disbanded. Singer Tim Williams and guitarist Mike Kennedy formed the band Bloodsimple (who released two solidly good albums). Brendan Cohen (drums) and Mike Fleischmann (bass) played in the band Karvnov. Over the years VOD would reunite for scattered shows, then in 2008 the band formally announced their return. The released a new album entitled The Cursed Remain Cursed in 2012 and are gearing up to release the follow up to that album called Razed To The Ground in later 2015.
Vision Of Disorder is a band that deserves the respect of the bands they helped pave the way for. They have a signature sound that sums up what the genre is all about. The music these gents create is passionate and headstrong. I’m happy to say that I’ve had the pleasure of seeing VOD live and they are intense and go for it all every time they are on stage. Do yourself a favor and pick up some VOD albums and see what you missed out on!
When you think of Canada you mainly think of hockey, and health care for everyone. Music isn’t the best export, especially when Nickelback is a part of it. Thankfully though, Death From Above 1979 saved the day. This dance/electro/noise/punk/rock band consists of Jesse Keeler (bass, synths, vocals) and Sebastien Grainger (drums, vocals). Death From Above 1979 have the ability to cross genres and get different people to enjoy what they offer. Their debut album You’re A Woman, I’m A Machine was released in late 2004. The band toured extensively on that but sadly broke up in 2006. After a few years away from each other Jesse and Sebastien reunited in 2011. They played their first shows in early 2012 and announced they were working on a new album. In 2014, The Physical World was released. The album was produced by Dave Sardy and features 11 songs of pure excitement, with tons of groove, and rocking beats. Currently Death From Above 1979 is on tour with Deftones and Incubus. These guys were very underrated and helped to pave the way for countless bands around today.
As many of you have read, I’m a big proponent for 90’s rock. I love that I grew up in the era when music transcended a generation just as it did in the 60’s ad early 70’s. One band that I remember hearing way back was Sponge. When I first heard the song “Plowed” in Empire Records, I was hooked. Their debut album Rotting Piñata was a pure slab of alternative rock. Some critics wrote them off as a Stone Temple Pilots ripoff band, but the Sponge had a different vibe. Sure they had the quiet to loud moments, and the deep vocals, but they added a little bit of a punk element and blues to their music. Rotting Piñata was certified gold and was the bands best selling album. Their follow up Wax Ecstatic was a great follow up. Their song “Have You Seen Mary” was featured in Kevin Smith’s Chasing Amy. in 1996 Sponge was asked to replace Stone Temple Pilots for Kiss’s reunion tour. Over the years Sponge has continued on with different lineups but have been constantly on the road and releasing albums. They have shared stages the world over with Guns N’ Roses, Nickelback, Iggy Pop, Soundgarden, Alice in Chains, Kiss, to name just a few. Their most recent came out in 2013.
Sponge is definitely one of the bands front he mid 90’s that got a lot of flack but were really great and still deliver the goods. If you haven’t listened to them ever or it’s been a long time, reach for Rotting Piñata and Wax Ecstatic, you’ll really enjoy yourself.
When a band has been established in one genre it’s often hard to break out of that shell. When Corrosion Of Conformity was formed, they started out as a hardcore punk band, then a lineup shift happened and they became a more sludgey southern rock band. Corrosion of Conformity (C.O.C.) was formed in North Carolina by Mike Dean, Woody Weatherman and Reed Mullin. Their debut album Eye For An Eye is regarded as one of the quintessential hardcore punk albums along with their follow up album Animosity. In 1987 Mike Dean departed the band leaving COC in a state of flux for a couple of years. The remaining members re-tuned the line up and searched for a new vocalist. After much searching, Karl Agell was recruited on vocals, Phil Swisher on bass and a gem of a guitar player in Pepper Keenan. In 1991 the bands music had shifted to more metal sounding with the release of their album Blind. This would be the first album of COC to receive mainstream attention. The video for “Vote with a Bullet” (the only song with Keenan on vocals on the album) received airplay on MTV. In 1993, Agell and Swisher left the band and formed the band. Mike Dean returned and Pepper Keenan took over lead vocals. The following year COC signed a major label record deal with Columbia Records and released their great album Deliverance. Deliverance saw the band move more toward a southern metal sound that they took with them into the writing of their next albums Wiseblood and America’s Volume Dealer. During this time as well their song “Big Problems” was featured on the soundtrack for Clerks, and “Clean My Wounds” was also featured in the anime movie Tekken. Deliverance was the band’s biggest selling album. This was mainly due to the singles “Albatross” and “Clean My Wounds” becoming Top 20 hits on rock radio and the album managed to peak at number 155 on the Billboard charts. Wiseblood was released in October 1996. Despite producing a radio hit with “Drowning in a Daydream” and a worldwide tour with Metallica, the album failed to match the sales set by the previous album. “Drowning in a Daydream” was nominated at the 1988 Grammy’s for Best Metal Performance. Soon after the release of Wiseblood, Columbia dropped COC. The band then moved labels to Sanctuary Records. The band released its first album for its new label, America’s Volume Dealer, in November 2000. The album was even more of a commercial failure than Wiseblood not even managing to make the Billboard 200. However, the single, “Congratulations Song”, did give the band another Top 30 hit. No videos were made from the album. Reed Mullin left the band in 2001. Over the next few years, the band worked with a series of drummers Including Jimmy Bower of EyeHateGod/Down), Stanton Moore of Galactic amongst a few others. After a few years COC returned in 2005 and released their critically acclaimed album In The Arms Of God. This album performed much better than their previous effort, debuting at No. 108 on the Billboard 200. A video was made for the song “Stonebreaker” which saw airplay on MTV2’s recently revived Headbanger’s Ball. The band spent the rest of the year touring the US and Canada opening for the likes of Motorhead and Disturbed. In 2010 after a long hiatus it was reported that the Animosity lineup of COC had reunited and were working on a new album that was more in line with their earlier influences. During this time the band mentioned that Pepper was still in the band but was working on other projects at the time, mainly Down. In 2012 a self titled album was released with just the original three members. Not long after that the band quickly went and recorded another album entitled IX which was released in 2014. Pepper Keenan has stated that he looks forward to working on some Deliverance type material in the near future with the band.
This is one band that really deserves to be heard. Their influence can be heard in many many bands. When Pepper decides t come back into the fold after his commitments with Down have wrapped for a while, I’m sure the material they come up with will be heavy and full of the classic approach they have. Personally I’ve always dug the albums with Pepper on them.
It’s a crying shame that so many talented bands go unnoticed. Some of the time it’s the label that they are on’s fault for not doing the work to get these bands to the level they should be at. And sometimes the band is just ahead of their time, that the people out there just can’t quite grasp it. Ours is a perfect example of all that. In 1997, Jimmy Gnecco restarted Ours again after a few year break and quickly drew the attention of many labels industry. Ours signed with the now defunct DreamWorks Records and after four years, finally released their major label debut the wonderfully masterful Distorted Lullabies in 2001. This album was produced by Steve Lillywhite (early U2 producer). Distorted Lullabies was met with mixed reviews (probably my journalists that just didn’t get it) but led to many successful tours with bands such as The Cult and Pete Yorn. The first single off the album “Sometimes” was a powerful track. Other wonderful songs from the album include, “Medication,” “Fallen Souls,” “Drowning,” and “Bleed.” In 2002 Ours released their follow-up, Precious. Precious featured a more stripped-down sound and received much more positive reviews. I find that to be odd considering that Distorted Lullabies is a much better album than Precious. Songs like “Leaves,” “Realize,” “In A Minute,” and “Disaster In A Halo” are all stand outs. There is even a really good cover of The Velvet Underground’s “Femme Fatale.” In 2004, Jimmy Gnecco relocated from New Jersey to Los Angeles to work with Rick Rubin for a upcoming album. The end result was the beautifully masterful Mercy…Dancing For The Death Of An Imaginary Enemy, which was released in 2008. This album stands out not just for the songs, but for Jimmy’s hauntingly, soulful voice, He has always had comparisons to Jeff Buckley, but definitely comes into his own on this album. Songs like “Mercy,” “Black,” “Live Again,” “Willing,” and “The Worst Things Beautiful” really capture the essence of the mood of the album. In 2010, Jimmy released his highly anticipated self-produced first solo acoustic effort, ‘The Heart’ and followed it in 2011 with the release of ‘The Heart: X Edition’ in which built upon the intimacy of his solo album with a full band version of the record. In 2013 Ours released Ballet The Boxer, a re-inspired and resurgent self-produced release. This album builds upon the moody, soulful and epic sound captured on Mercy but with a greater sense of purpose that expands on the emotional state of previous releases.
Ours is a band that deserves to be bigger than they are. Jimmy Gnecco has a real knack for creating music with meaning and purpose. His voice is unmistakable and chilling. Give Distorted Lullabies and Mercy a listen and you’ll hear exactly what I mean.
The great thing about Faith No More is that they always did what they wanted to do. Their music was never easily classified, it ranged from metal, jazz, funk, rock, psychedelia, new wave, and then some. The band with Roddy Bottum, Billy Gould, Mike “Puffy” Bordin Jim Martin and Chuck Mosley released one album Introduce Yourself featuring the song “We Care A Lot.” When Mike Patton took over for Chuck Mosley, everything fell in to place. Their success took hold when The Real Thing was released. Featuring the songs Epic, From Out Of Nowhere, Falling To Pieces and the great cover of War Pigs. That album plus play on MTV garnered them plenty of exposure. Their follow up album Angel Dust was a departure from their previous effort. Songs like Midlife Crisis, Caffeine, Land Of Sunshine and Jizzlobber to name a few were far more experimental. After touring that album Jim left and was replaced by Trey Spruance (Mike’s bandmate in the great band Mr. Bungle). They would go on and record the album King For A Day… Fool For A Lifetime. The album stepped up the experiments venturing into the world of bossa nova, country, and gospel. Songs like Evidence, Digging The Grave. Their final opus Album Of The Year was released in 1997 and featured Jon Hudson on guitar. Ashes to Ashes, Last Cup Of Sorrow amongst others highlight this piece of work.
The individuals of the band are quite influential to many people in their own right. Mike Patton especially. His vocal style is undeniable and his ability to hit certain ranges is incredible. His numerous other projects including Fantomas, Tomahawk, Mr. Bungle (R.I.P.), Peeping Tom, etc are all influential and quite awesome. Billy Gould’s bass tone is copied by many in the heavy rock community. Mike Bordin is a beast behind the kit. After the break up of Faith No More, he would go on to play for Ozzy. Roddy Bottum is a mater of the keys. His arrangements and effects really helped to make Faith No More substantial. Their guitarists Jim Martin , Trey Spruance and Jon Hudson all different helped to shape the sound of each album they played on and it shows.
Faith No More reunited for a bit between 2009 and 2012. Sadly they have said that is it for now. Hopefully they change their minds.
The Cult formed in 1983. They melded their love for Led Zeppelin, The Doors and assorted Post Punk bands such as Joy Division to create a heavy mystic sound. Ian Astbury and Billy Duffy have been the most consistent members since the inception of the group. They gained notoriety for songs such as “She Sells Sanctuary” “Love Removal Machine” “Fire Woman.” They have created 3 of the most underrated albums in all of hard rock, Love, Electric, and Sonic Temple and have left a distinct mark with each of them. In 1995 the band split for a period of time to work on themselves and came back with a rocking album in Beyond Good and Evil featuring the songs “Rise” and Painted On My Heart (which appeared on in the movie Gone In 60 Seconds). After the release and tour the band took a break again with Ian joining the remaining members of The Doors to play shows. Billy went on to form other bands that while were good, failed to leave any mark on the landscape as The Cult did. In 2006, Ian and Billy got together again to record the album Born Into This. 2012 saw the release of Choice of Weapon. This album is one of their best ever. It’s up there with Electric and the songs themselves are awesome.
Ian Astbury’s vocals, lyrics and stage presence are all things that so many people and other bands have tried to replicate. While some of what Ian does is similar to that of Jim Morrison, Ian took it to another dimension and explored deeper into his own internal struggles to connect with the mysticism that he was involved in. Billy Duffy has a very distinctive guitar tone that has a nice reverb to it all the while packing a punch. The clean sensibilities of his guitar work show the soul of the music. Live, The Cult are captivating and hypnotic. Watching Ian on stage is intense as he gets so into the show and hardly interacts with the crowd. Billy strums like a madman. Completing the lineup for live show is John Tempesta on drums and Chris Wyse on bass. Listening to The Cult and then listening to so many bands that have come up in the past 10 years like Mastodon (yes them), Queens Of The Stone Age and others, you can hear the influence.
There are certain areas in America that have spawned new sounds of music. Seattle had grunge, the San Francisco had thrash metal, New York had a punk revolution, and Boston, Massachusetts had hardcore. One of the most underrated bands yet very influential bands that came from the area was Only Living Witness. The band was formed in 1989 by Jonah Jenkins (vocals) Eric Stevenson (drums), Kevin Stevenson (guitar) and Kevin Costa (bass). In 1991, Kevin Stevenson and Costa were replaced by Craig Silverman and Chris Crowley. Only Living Witness was signed to Century Media Records. Their debut Prone Mortal Form was released in 1993. The songs VTA and December are classic standouts. They embraced the hardcore roots with a melodic edge to them In 1996 their follow-up CD Innocents was released, but the band had already split up. Songs like Strata, Knew Her Gone, Total Particle Reversal and Downpour continue the melodic hardcore vibe but goes beyond with an added presence of more melody. Only Living Witness briefly reformed in 2008 for four reunion shows: 3 in Massachusetts and 1 in the Netherlands. After being in Only Living Witness Jonah Jenkins went on to perform the vocal duties in Miltown, Milligram and Raw Radar War. Craig Silverman now plays in Slapshot and is the touring guitarist in Blood For Blood. Eric Stevenson, main composer and drummer, died on August 9, 2011, at the age of 43.
Only Living Witness has left a mark on modern hardcore. Their influence of their vocal styles, riffs and drum patterns is very noticeable in many bands. Bands like Killswitch Engage, Shadows Fall, Every Time I Die, and others all have a lot to owe to the guys in Only Living Witness. One of the best things that have come from this band was their injection of a sense of melody into such heavy music.
Dredg are one of the most intriguing artistic bands that have come out in the last 15 years. Formed in the bay area in the mid 90’s, they found success as an independent band when they released their debut Leitmotif (their first concept record) in 1998. Shortly there after in 2001 Interscope records came calling and signed the band. El Cielo was released in 2002. The album was another concept record which was based upon sleep paralysis, a piece by Salvador Dali and was recorded mainly at Skywalker Ranch. Songs such as Sanzen, Same Ol Road, Triangle, and Sorry But It’s Over, really open your mind to a strange insightfulness. During that time Dredg toured with bands such as Deftones, Sparta, Glassjaw and Onesidezero. Their follow up Catch Without Arms was released in 2005 and was produced by Terry Date (producer of Deftones, Pantera and many others). This album again had a concept about positives and negatives. Catch Without Arms featured some amazing songs that take you on a journey of heaviness and melody, all the while showcasing the tightness of the band. The songs Bug Eyes, Ode To The Sun, The Tanbark Is Hot Lava, and Jamais Vu really encapsulate the vibe of the concept. Not long after the cycle was complete, Dredg began working on their next album The Pariah, The Parrot, The Delusion another concept record based on an essay by Salman Rushdie. This record saw Dredg leave the major label machine of Interscope records. This record featured a more interstellar vibe all the while still rocking. Featuring the tracks Pariah, Lightswitch, Information, Savior and I Don’t Know all showcase why Dredg have never compromised their true nature of being artists. After a break Dredg returned to the studio to work on Chuckles and Mr. Squeezy. This album was a departure from their previous efforts and focused more on an electronic tinge. Dan The Automator was behind the boards for this one, and it shows. There are quite a few standouts on this album such as Another Tribe, Down Without A Fight and The Though Of Losing You. All in all Dredg has always stuck to their guns and stuck with their artistic integrity. The members also are quite remarkable, Gavin Hayes has a silky smooth voice that caresses the lyrics and melodies. Dino Campanella plays the drums with such force it’s almost like he has a dozen arms when he plays. Mark Engles has such a clean guitar tone that really compliments the songs beautifully. Drew Roulette drives the rhythm home with his mighty touch of the bass.
Dredg has influenced quite a few newer bands over the last 5 years. They are also a band that should’ve been a lot bigger than they are, if only the label they were on marketed them properly.
AUDIOECLECTICA 