The 90’s are my favorite time in music. So many landmark albums came out and shaped my musical taste and became the soundtrack to my life. Though it wasn’t just music, there were so many great films that came out then too. There was something truly remarkable about the combination of music and film during that time. One such combination that has always stuck in my head since I saw and heard it was the use of Placebo’s “Every You, Every Me” in the opening credits for the film Cruel Intentions. It fits so perfectly and sets the tone ever so dramatically.
One of the coolest things about being a musician is being able to explore different genres and expand your musical palate. For many years now I’ve been a fan of guitarist Craig Locicero. You might recall the bands he’s been a part of from Forbidden, Manmade God and Spiralarms. Not only can Craig rip on guitar, he is also one hell of a songwriter. Which brings me to his latest band, Dress The Dead. This new band has it all, from super heavy riffs and thunderous rhythms but also a great rock voice that reaches the metal heights and soulful elements of blues. Dress The Dead is comprised of Kayla Dixon (voice), Craig Locicero (guitar), Dan Delay (guitar), James Walker (bass) and Mark Hernandez (drums). It’s worth mentioning that the original singer of the band was Peter Dolving from The Haunted. While Peter laid the groundwork for the vocals, Kayla has really stepped up to the plate and knocked it out of the park (yes I used a baseball reference. It is baseball seasons after all). The best way to describe Dress The Dead is Thrashy Rock N Roll. While it’s “metal” it’s definitely rock through and through. From the songs they have released so far like “Promises & Kisses,” “There Goes The Sun,” and “1969” it’s very apparent that Dress The Dead is going to be one hell of a band.
After a very long break, Hopesfall have returned following a lengthy hiatus. Hopesfall’s new song “H.A. Wallace Space Academy,” is off their upcoming album Arbiter (out July 13th) their first since 2007’s Magnetic North. This new song picks up where they left off but also rekindles the classic style they had on their landmark album The Satellite Years.
It’s really interesting to think about all the B-sides a band has. A lot of the time the songs that didn’t make the album are actually really good but just didn’t fit in the scheme of things. The other day while in the car with my wife, the Nine Inch Nails song “Non- Entity” came on and it got me thinking about all the songs that Trent has written over the years that didn’t get put on albums or even released. So naturally I went on a binge of listening to all the B-sides, covers and unreleased tracks by Nine Inch Nails that I could. Here are a bunch of my favorites. (more…)
The summer of 1993 was supposed to be huge for Arnold Schwarzenegger and the movie Last Action Hero. Instead Jurassic Park swallowed up the competition that summer. Even though Last Action Hero bombed, it was still a fun movie. The one real saving grace to that movie though was the soundtrack. In particular the Alice In Chains song “A Little Bitter” which was released exclusively on the soundtrack and not available anywhere else until their box set came out in the late 90’s. Enjoy this gem of a song.
A long while back I started compiling a list of the most overplayed songs ever. That’s not to say that these songs aren’t good, just that if you hear them one more time you just might stab your ears with an icepick.
As always your input on this list is greatly appreciated. I’m very interested to see what you all come up with.
Now on their 12th album (yes 12, crazy I know) Sevendust is back doing what Sevendust does, and that’s bring the ROCK. Their upcoming album, All I See Is War (out May 11 via Rise Records), is shaping up to a bit of a continuation of all the things fans of the band enjoy based on the two songs released so far, Dirty and Not Original. One thing that needs to be mentioned time and time again about Sevendust is how great of a singer Lajon Witherspoon is. That guy, man, he’s got so much soul in that voice and it’s bleeding all over this album. Check out what they have in store for us all.
I was thinking the other day while looking for something to listen to about how many bands are out there that have only one album. Whether it’s by choice a la The Sex Pistols or because the band was dropped/broke up or even a one time project, I thought it would be quite interesting to compile a list of all those bands and albums.
What else is there to say about Metallica that hasn’t already been said? Over the past few days I’ve been on a Metallica kick, and while listening back to all their albums (yes even St. Anger), I noticed how strong their ending songs all are. From their newest, “Spit Out The Bone,” all the way back to “Metal Militia” and probably the best one “The Outlaw Torn,” there is no doubting Metallica knows how to properly end an album. (more…)
The year is 1992 and most of the musical world is caught up in the Seattle sound. It seems as though metal and music of that ilk has been swept aside. But was it really? No it wasn’t, instead it quietly stayed in the shadows and began to create it’s own entity just as punk music did in the 80’s and early 90’s. During this time many bands found a new way to evolve and grow to create albums that would become monumental and impactful. One such album is Danzig III: How The Gods Kill.
