End Of The Year List 2017: Best Vocalist

Next up on Audioeclectica.com’s 2017 End Of The Year Lists, the Top 10 Vocalists. The stipulation is that, an album/EP had to have been released this year.

Vote for your favorite in the comments section. At the end of the month, I will release the results of the readers poll.

This list is also in NO PARTICULAR ORDER!!!

01) Stephen Brodsky- Mutoid Man
02) Jacob Bannon- Converge/Wear Your Wounds
03) Ben Flanagan- Black Map
04) Josh Breckinridge- With Our Arms To The Sun
05) Brett Campbell- Pallbearer
06) Phil Lewis- L.A. Guns
07) Mlny Parsonz- Royal Thunder
08) Mike Minnick- Less Art
09) Kristina Esfandiari- King Woman
10) Chelsea Wolfe- Chelsea Wolfe

End Of The Year List 2017: Best Guitarist

Next up on Audioeclectica.com’s 2017 End Of The Year Lists, the Top 10 Guitarists. The stipulation is that, an album/EP had to have been released this year.

Vote for your favorite in the comments section. At the end of the month, I will release the results of the readers poll.

This list is also in NO PARTICULAR ORDER!!!

01) Stephen Brodsky- Mutoid Man
02) Kurt Ballou- Converge
03) Mark Engles- Black Map
04) Mario Quintero- Spotlights
05) Ryan Adams- Ryan Adams
06) Tommy Victor- Prong
07) Tom Morello- Prophets of Rage
08) Chelsea Wolfe- Chelsea Wolfe
09) Bryan Tulao- Chelsea Wolfe
10) Mike Tarlazzi- Black Wail

Live Review: Spotlights at The Echo

When a band puts out a tremendous album my expectations for seeing them live tend to go up. Last night at The Echo, I had the pleasure of checking out Spotlights live and I left the show in awe of how great they were. As a three piece band, the amount of volume they emitted from the stage was astonishing and bright. Every song they played was tremendous. Their recent album Seismic is a true gem of 2017 and their live show cements the band as a force to be reckoned with. Guitarist/vocalist Mario Quintero, bassist/vocalist Sarah Quintero and drummer Chris Enriquez tore through their set with the utmost precision and passion. Songs like “Learn To Breathe,” “Seismic,” and “Ghost Of A Glowing Forest,” and “What Is This, Where Are We,” decimated the audience. During their set I couldn’t help but look around at the crowd to see their reaction to Spotlights and the sea of heads swaying along with the music was a sight to see. Seeing Spotlights at a venue like The Echo was the perfect place to see them. The intimate setting really lets those in the audience become fully engrossed in the music and the hypnotic nature of the band. I strongly suggest everyone going to see Spotlights when they come through your town. I can’t wait to see what’s to come for them, as they are definitely a band to look out for.

Review and Photo By: Brian Lacy

End Of The Year List 2017: Best Drummer

Next up on Audioeclectica.com’s 2017 End Of The Year Lists, the Top 10 Drummers. The stipulation is that, an album/EP had to have been released this year.

Vote for your favorite in the comments section. At the end of the month, I will release the results of the readers poll.

This list is also in NO PARTICULAR ORDER!!!

01) Ben Koller- Converge/Mutoid Man
02) Brann Dailor- Mastodon
03) Chris Robyn- Black Map
04) Riley Breckinridge- Less Art
05) Evan Diprima- Royal Thunder
06) Mark Lierly- Pallbearer
07) Alex Bent- Trivium
08) Adam Jarvis- Scour
09) Aaron Harris- Spotlights
10) Roy Mayorga- Stone Sour

End Of The Year List 2017: Best Bassist

Next up on Audioeclectica.com’s 2017 End Of The Year Lists, the top 10 bassists. The stipulation is that, an album/EP had to have been released this year.

Vote for your favorite in the comments section. At the end of the month, I will release the results of the readers poll.

This list is also in NO PARTICULAR ORDER!!!

01) Nick Cageao- Mutoid Man
02) Nate Newton- Converge
03) Joseph Breckinridge Jr- With Our Arms To The Sun
04) Troy Sanders- Mastodon
05) Mlny Parsonz- Royal Thunder
06) Ian Miller- Less Art
07) Sarah Quintero- Spotlights
08) Joseph D. Roland- Pallbearer
09) Susan Lutin- Black Wail
10) Ben Flanagan- Black Map

End Of The Year List 2017: Best Guitar Duo

Next up on Audioeclectica.com’s End Of The Year Lists 2017, are the top 10 guitar duos. The stipulation is that, they had to have released an album this year.

I encourage you to vote for your favorite in the comments section. At the end of the month, I will release the results of the readers poll.

This list is also in NO PARTICULAR ORDER!!!

01) Tracii Guns and Michael Grant- L.A. Guns
02) Josh Breckinridge and Joseph Leary- With Our Arms To The Sun
03) Ed Breckinridge and Jon Howell- Less Art
04) Brett Campbell and Devin Holt- Pallbearer
05) Bill Kelliher and Brent Hinds- Mastodon
06) Mike Schleibaum and Mike Carrigan- Darkest Hour
07) Josh Weaver and Will Fiore- Royal Thunder
08) Derek Engemann and Chase Fraser- Scour
09) Matt Heafy and Corey Beaulieu- Trivium
10) Chris Shiflett, Pat Smear and Dave Grohl- Foo Fighters

2017 End Of The Year List: Best Album Cover

First up on Audioeclectica.com’s 2017 End Of The Year Lists, the Top 10 Album Covers. The stipulation is that, they had to have released an album/EP this year.

Vote for your favorite Band/Album Cover in the comments section. At the end of the month, I will release the results of the readers poll.

This list is also in NO PARTICULAR ORDER!!!

01) With Our Arms To The Sun- Orenda:

02) Royal Thunder- Wick:

03) Mutoid Man- War Moans:

04) Converge- The Dusk In Us:

05) Darkest Hour- Godless Prophets and The Migrant Flora:

06) Nine Inch Nails- Add Violence:

07) Mastodon- Emperor Of Sand:

08) Pallbearer- Heartless:

09) Wear Your Wounds- Wear Your Wounds:

10) Spotlights- Seismic:

Band/Artist Of The Week: Justin Stewart Cotta

You might remember the name of Justin Stewart Cotta from the band Memento where he was the singer or the band VAST in which he played guitar during an early incarnation of the band. It has been a little while since Justin has released new music, actually it’s been 10 years. After the break up of Memento, Justin returned to Australia and got involved with theater but he never forgot about the music. Justin’s new release, the 3 song EP Amor Vincit Omnia is a delicate and expressive acoustic offering which is the perfect way to return. His powerful voice and lyrics are ever present while the subtle acoustic guitar adds a layer of melancholy without making you feel low. There is a real intimacy to the songs (“Love Yourself,” “Miracle Man,” and “Rain”) that emit a brightness to the darkness. What a way to come back. So check out what Justin has to offer the world and enjoy!
Justin Stewart Cotta- Amor Vincit Omnia:

and just because Memento was awesome:

Memento- Beginnings:

Cover Song: The Jim Carroll Band (The Velvet Underground)- Sweet Jane

Jim Carroll is one of the most gifted and prolific writers of the past century. His poetry has inspired countless bands and songs. His writings be it The Basketball Diaries, poetry books, or songs are nothing short of special. During his time in the 70’s, Jim spent a good amount of time with bands and musicians like The Velvet Underground, particularly Lou Reed, He once lived with Patti Smith, and was a fixture at all the local hot spots in New York like CBGB’s and Max’s Kansas City. On his 1983 album I Write Your Name, he did a cover of The Velvet Underground’s “Sweet Jane,” and it’s probably the best cover of the song I’ve ever heard. Check it out!

The Jim Carroll Band- Sweet Jane:

The Velvet Underground- Sweet Jane:

That Was A Bad Idea: Daron singing lead in System Of A Down

The first two System of a Down records are pretty damn solid. They were exciting and filled with artistry and riffs galore. Not to mention the melodies emitted from singer Serj Tankian. Then there was a drastic change to the band as they released their third and fourth albums Mezmerize and Hypnotize. Guitarist Daron Malakian took on a more prominent role of not just songwriting but also as the bands singer, and moved Serj to the background. This was more than changed the style of the band but also saw the beginning of the end for System of a Down.

It’s one thing to add another layer of vocals to the band. Mastodon did it and they did it well. But the singer switch in System really changed the band and not for the good. Gone were the more poetic songs and melodic voice, and were then replaced by self deprecating lyrics and nasally whiney vocals. Also gone was the real artistry that the band had. Their early days featured beautifully chaotic performances which emitted a strong passion to not just their art but as a way to stand out. This “new” version of System was boring, generic and stale. Musically the songs just didn’t have the “power” as their past albums. Their live shows became utterly boring, with the band just standing there playing with no emotion at all. Looking back on this era you could see the writing on the wall that this was it for them.

Over the years during different “reunions” of the band, you can still tell that there is a bit of something off about the band. These shows also seem to be more about replenishing their bank accounts then anything else. Reading interviews with Shavo and John, you can tell that they are 100 % into the band and wanting to record new music together but, Daron and Serj seem to be the ones that are holding that back. Who knows what will happen in the future but, the time is running out for them to get back to what they did best. It’s a shame that ego’s get in the way of making great music. Hopefully they get their act together and can put out a great album again. Until then at least I’ve got their debut album and Toxicity.

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