The journey continues to find the top ten bands/artists in the alphabet. K is here and like H, I, and J, K is another difficult one to complete. As usual your suggestions are wanted in completing this list.
01) The Kinks
02) Korn
03) King Crimson
04) Kyuss
05) Killswitch Engage
06) Kiss
07) Lenny Kravitz
08)
09)
10)
There truly is something beautiful about heavy music in a live setting. The excitement, chaos, and dedication really comes through in a way that I don’t think any other genre of music can compare to. Last night at the Wiltern, Gojira decimated the audience with a set of forceful magnitude that left me in total awe and sore as all hell from headbanging and moshing.
The opener for the evening was Tesseract. This 5 piece U.K. based band, wasn’t really what I had in mind for the warm up band. Their set was pretty drab and boring. As musicians these guys can play with the best of them, but after a while it all just started to sound the same. At one point I looked over to my friend and he was saying that parts of their songs, especially the vocals, sounded a bit like Incubus. And naturally the more I thought about it, the songs did have that vibe. I don’t remember the song but, if you were to sing the Incubus song “Pardon Me,” over the music, it fit perfectly. Needless to say, this just wasn’t my cup of tea.
Before Gojira even took the stage, the loud chants of their name permeated through the venue, and when they appeared the roar of the crowd was near deafening. Their new album Magma is a tremendous piece of music and the songs live were like a volcano exploding. Their set consisted of songs from all their albums, with a focus on playing songs off Magma. Singer/guitarist Joe Duplantier, his brother drummer Mario Duplantier, guitarist Christian Andreu, and bassist Jean-Michael Labadie, play with so much fury. The lyrics of Joe Duplantier are heavy and poetic. Throughout the night I kept thinking the set list was great. Songs like “Stranded,” “Silvera,” “The Cell,” “Only Pain,” “Flying Whales,” “Explosia,” “Oroborus,” “Vacuity,” sounded amazing. Mario Duplatier’s drum solo was something spectacular and intense. By the end of their set, it was very clear that Gojira are a force to be reckoned with and not just in the heavy music circles.
What a great night. I don’t even mind the horrible neck pain I have. When a show like this is that good, it’s all worth every ounce of pain. This was my third time seeing Gojira and each time they keep bringing it more and more. If you haven’t seen them or heard them, I strongly recommend you do!
Review and Photo By: Brian Lacy
Planes Mistaken For Stars are returning after a decade long hiatus. Their new album Prey, comes out October 21 on Deathwish (The label is owned by Converge frontman Jacob Bannon), is their first since Mercy, which came out in 2006. This new album is surely what you’d expect from Planes. The three songs released so far have a sense of growth and maturity to them. I for one am excited for this. The last time I saw them live was at the Knitting Factory in Hollywood with These Arms Are Snakes, and that was about 11 or 12 years ago. Looking forward to this album and the shows!!
Clean Up Mean:
Riot Season:
Fucking Tenderness:
https://www.facebook.com/planes666/
A couple weeks back I saw Peter Hook of Joy Division at the Wiltern. It was a really great show. His Joy Division set was pretty spectacular. One of my all time favorite Joy Division songs is “Atmosphere.” Peter did a good job of singing it but, I’ve always thought that Trent Reznor did it the most justice (other than Ian Curtis obviously). If you’ve never heard this version before, you are in for a treat.
Nine Inch Nails-Atmosphere (Live: P.S. I was at this show):
Joy Division- Atmosphere:
There are certain genres of heavy music that most people just don’t get. In fact most people would give you “the look” if they heard what you were listening to. One of the best things about being into heavy music is the matter of not caring what people think about what you listen to. Which brings me to Scour. This band is a “supergroup” consisting of Philip H. Anselmo (Pantera, Down, Superjoint, etc) – vocals, Derek Engemann (CATTLE DECAPITATION) -Guitar, Chase Fraser (ANIMOSITY) – Guitar, John Jarvis (PIG DESTROYER) – Bass, and Jesse Schobel (STRONG INTENTION) – Drums. Their debut E.P. sounds nothing like their main projects. Their sound can be derived from influences of the ’90s Scandinavian black metal movement. The six songs that appear on the E.P. are nothing short of heavy, dark, and pummeling. The songs “Dispatched,” “Clot,” “Codes,” and “Tear Gas,” all exemplify what modern day black metal with a bit of thrash should sound like.
For all his faults and tendencies to put his foot in his mouth, Philip Anselmo, has delivered one of his best vocal performances on an album in some time. His ferocious growls and screams are right in line with how black metal vocals should sound. Musically this band is top notch. I for one would love to see them have time to really work together and create a full length album.
So if you are looking for something different and heavy, then Scour is what you need.
Scour- The Grey EP:
The Dillinger Escape Plan are calling it a day with their upcoming album Dissociation. So before their swan song album comes out, how about an album rank.
Under the Running Board:
Ire Works:
Miss Machine:
Option Paralysis:
Irony Is A Dead Scene:
Dissociation:
One Of Us Is The Killer:
Calculating Infinity:
Every once in a while I come across a band or album that has put out something that really grabs my attention. True Widow’s new album Avvolgere is something quite intriguing. The album has a feel of parts stoner/doom rock, 70’s psychedelic rock, and a bit of shoegaze, while still having a “metal” feel. Avvolgere is an “album” for sure. Each song on it from the opener “Back Shredder” to the closer “What Find’s Me,”fits in the spectrum of an album the way it should. Something else that I noticed about this album is the sense of calm that accompanies it. The production is stellar. The minimalist feel to it allows the instruments to shine in their natural state. The bright yet slightly doomy guitars glisten among the words and vocals. Each and every song on this gloomy gem is a stand out. The reverb drenched “To All That He Elong,” is a sonic triumph. “OOTPV” is one that brings the sludge in a great way.
True Widow is a band that deserves your attention. Avvolgere is an album that should be delved into. What really stands out to me is their desire to create music that has substance and rings true to their influences and inspiration.
Metallica seems to be very inspired on their new album Hardwired…To Self Destruct. This new jam of theirs brings the heavy and the melody that Metallica is known for.
Metallica- Moth Into Flame:
I was 10 years old when I first heard about Joy Division. Nine Inch Nails had a song on The Crow soundtrack called “Dead Souls.” I thought what Nine Inch Nails album is this on that I don’t have. Well it turned out to be a cover, and I immediately sought out to discover who the band was, which was Joy Division. From that point I started to really get into Joy Division, and could definitely hear where Trent got some of his inspiration and influence from. So when the opportunity came up to see Peter Hook play songs from Joy Division’s catalog, it was a no brainer, I had to go.
The first part of the night was dedicated to New Order. I’ve never really been a huge New Order fan, with the exception of their first couple albums, and the song “True Faith,” so the impact of the first set of the evening didn’t get me very excited. But the great thing about live music is that it has the ability to change your mind about things. I can honestly say that after the set which was full of great songs like “Ceremony,” “Blue Monday,” “In A Lonely Place,” “Thieves Like Us,” “Confusion,” and many more. Starting the night off with New Order was a great way to bring about energy to the almost full crowd.
Now the second set of the night was what I was waiting for. I’ve waited a very long time to hear these songs live. I’ve heard plenty of other bands over the years cover their songs and it always seems to get crowds really excited. Peter Hook delivered a great set of classic soothing songs, so much so that if you looked around at the audience, you could tell that you were in a place that was full of joy. The signature sound of Peter’s bass rang through the venue with bombastic pleasure. Songs like “Shadowplay,” “She’s Lost Control,” “Atmosphere,” “Dead Souls,” “Warsaw,” “No Love Lost,” and “Love Will Tear Us Apart,” were absolutely done brilliantly and left me feeling like I could successfully cross this off my list of bands/shows I need to see.
The entire evening was great, seeing all the people in attendance feel right at home. No matter the age, fans were excited to be hearing these songs. There was a lot of dancing and singing along, which was astonishing to see. On two occasions Moby came out to join the band for a couple songs. Once in the New Order set to sing “Ceremony,” and again during the Joy Division set to sing “Transmission.” Moby was extraordinary as a guest. He was really into it, and you could tell these songs meant a lot to him as well. At the end of the night, Peter Hook came out for a final bow and took of his sweat drenched shirt and threw it in the crowd, showing off his ripped physique. That was quite a punk rock moment and a fantastic way to end the night.
New Order Set List:
In A Lonely Place
Procession
Cries and Whispers
Ceremony (with Moby)
Everything’s Gone Green
Temptation
Blue Monday
Confusion
Thieves Like Us
The Perfect Kiss
Subculture
Shellshock
State of the Nation
Bizarre Love Triangle
True Faith
1963
Joy Division Set List:
No Love Lost
Shadowplay
From Safety to Where?
Komakino
These Days
Warsaw
Leaders of Men
Digital
Autosuggestion
Transmission (with Moby)
She’s Lost Control
Incubation
Dead Souls
Atmosphere
Love Will Tear Us Apart
Review and Photos By: Brian Lacy
Nearly two decades into their career, Every Time I Die shows no signs of slowing down. Never a band to shy away from being unrelenting and punishing, their new album Low Teens is just that, only this time it’s more personal. Inspired by the events of a huge ordeal singer Keith Buckley and his wife went through when she was pregnant with their daughter, the lyrics on Low Teens provide a lot of insight into the push and pull of life and death. Armed with all these thoughts and perspective, vocally, this is one of Keith’s strongest performances. The accompanying music the rest of the band wrote fits perfectly with the theme of the album.
There is something else on this album that really makes this one stand out among their last couple releases and that is the dynamics. On this album, Every Time I Die has really found a great niche into exploring melody while still staying true to their heavy and hardcore roots. The guitar playing of Jordan Buckley and Andy Williams is groovy and rocking. The tones they have blend so well that it seems like a huge wall of guitars. Bassist Steve Micciche’s knack for writing thumping bass lines that don’t over power the guitars or Daniel Davidson’s pummeling drums. Speaking of the drums, new drummer Daniel Davidson (formerly of Norma Jean) fits in Every Time I Die perfectly. It’s as though he’s been in the band for years the way he plays.
From opening song “Fear and Trembling” all the way through to closer “Map Change,” there is not one bit of filler on this album. Each song fits and is meant to be here. Even the order of songs is impeccable. Other songs like “C++ (Love Will Get You Killed),” “Glitches,” “Two Summers,” “Petal,” “The Coin Has A Say,” are stellar. Even the song “It Remembers” which features Brandon Urie of Panic At The Disco is an absolute great song. The production on this album is a great fit for them as well. Their previous album From Parts Unknown just didn’t have the feel of an Every Time I Die record. I always thought that Steve Evetts and Joe Baressi were the best people to capture what Every Time I Die is, but on this album Will Putney joins those two gentlemen in that category.
In all honesty this is one hell of an album. Every Time I Die has further cemented their legacy not just as a heavy band but as great songwriters. I highly suggest buying this album and seeing them live when they come to your town. You won’t be disappointed in your decision to do either.
Overall Rating= A
Every Time I Die- Low Teens:
