Op Ed: Stone Temple Pilots Take A Break

The wounds are still fresh and the scabs haven’t even begun to form. Now is not the time. Since Scott Weiland’s passing late last year, the surviving members of Stone Temple Pilots have taken it upon themselves to continue on. On one hand I totally understand their need and want to get back out there, but it’s just too soon. Their failed attempt to move on while Scott was still alive was atrocious. Their picking of Chester Bennington was awful. Have you seen the footage of it? I mean seriously, what are you guys thinking? The clips that I saw just showed Chester trying to emulate Scott all the way down to dying his hair pink, and swaying and moving on stage just like Scott would. Not too mention that Chester’s voice is too high and sounds nasally. It’s as though they created a tribute band already with the addition of Chester. At least when the band took a hiatus in the 90’s, the guys had the decency to start a new group under a different name. Remember Talk Show?

With enough time, I think that people would welcome an STP return. Look at Alice In Chains. When Layne passed away, they all did their own things and came back when enough time had passed. Granted there were quite a few doubters, but those that took the time to see the new Alice, saw that it’s a breath of fresh air that does the band justice. Jerry, Sean and Mike found the right guy in William DuVall. And now people are loving what William has done for the band.

What I’m saying is that now isn’t the time to get back out there. Let the people have the chance to get over Scott’s passing. Dean, Robert and Eric take some time and do something else. By getting STP going again, you are tarnishing the memory of what a great band you were. All people will think is that who ever you pick to sing for the band, it isn’t Scott and won’t come close. Start up Army Of Anyone again. I’m sure Richard Patrick from Filter would be down to get that rolling again. Or just start a new band and call it something else. You can play a few songs from your STP catalog, but don’t make an entire set from it. With enough time the wounds will heal enough for you guys to get the band back together with the right person.

As it says in the song “Creep”… “Take time with a wounded hand, cause it likes to heal.”

Album Rank: Filter

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Filter is about to release a new album called Crazy Eyes. So naturally that has put me in a Filter mood as of late. I recently went back and did a full catalog listen of Filter and have come up with an album ranking of their releases from not their best work to the best.

 

Anthems For The Damned:

 

The Sun Comes Out Tonight:

 

Crazy Eyes:

 

The Trouble With Angels:

 

The Amalgamut:

 

Title Of Record:

 

Short Bus:

Band Of The Week: InAeona

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The band of the week feature is my absolute favorite category to write on my site. Not only do I get to discover new music, but I get to share that all with you. This week I present to you InAeona. This three piece from Boston combines epic and eerie melodies with space rock, post metal and bits of electronica (mainly from the ambient/industrial side). The band themselves have been at it for a while, developing their sound and gaining a passionate following. Their latest release Force Rise The Sun, is ferocious in its intensity and delivers an astounding amount of hope and passion. I had the pleasure of seeing InAeona a few months back when they played with Sidewave (a favorite of Audioeclectica’s), and their live show was intense and striking. InAeona is a band that needs to be on everyone’s radar. They really have the chops and package to really deliver a blast of rock that is needed in today’s music climate.

InAeona- Force Rise The Sun:

 

InAeona- Soldier:

 

InAeona- Sun|Moon:

 

 

 

https://www.facebook.com/inaeona

 

 

 

 

Underrated Albums: Sparta- Threes

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One of my favorite things to do is take a day and listen through a bands entire catalog. Yesterday, I was looking for something to listen to and out of the corner of my eye I saw my Sparta collection. So naturally I grabbed all three albums loaded them up in the stereo and proceeded to emerse myself in Sparta’s catalog. Their first album Wiretap Scars has already been established here on Audioeclectica as an unsung masterpiece. Their second album Porcelain is a somber album that takes a little while to really get into. But the album that really wound up striking a chord with me was Threes.

All the songs on this album present a refreshing sense of the band. Vocalist Jim Ward admits he was heavily influenced by Radiohead recording Threes. In the softer parts of the songs you can hear Thom Yorke in the vocals. Whatever it is he is singing, it’s always very passionate. One thing I noticed about Threes is the atmosphere of the album. It’s not the ambience that made Wiretap Scars special, but instead it brings out a new kind of ambience full of gloominess, suffering and other emotional pain. Songs like “Untreatable Disease,” “Crawl,” “Unstitch Your Mouth,” “Erase It Again,” and “The Most Vicious Crime,” all fall into that solemn category.  The first single “Taking Back Control,” is a classic heavy song for Sparta. Other stand out tracks include “Atlas,” “False Start,” “Red.Right.Return,” and closing track “Translations.”

If there is one critique about the album as a whole is that the production is a little too slick. In a way you can tell that the producer tried to expand upon the production sound that helped to make Wiretap Scars sound so good, but used too much compression. Sparta would go on to take a very long break after Threes. They reunited in 2012 for a short tour and also released a new song called “Chemical Feel,” which is equal parts Wiretap era and Threes. Sparta, while only having three albums, really left a quiet mark on the times of the early 2000’s expansion of post-hardcore. I really feel like they still have enough in them for one more solid album. Granted that will all have to come after this current At The Drive-In reunion. So take a listen to Sparta’s Threes and you’ll hear what I’m talking about.

 

Sparta-Threes:

 

Sparta- Chemical Feel:

 

 

 

 

List: Best Three Piece Bands

I’ve always been intrigued by bands that have 3 or less members. Sure some of them when they play live add members to fill out their sound, but the core remains those three people. So with that in mind here is a list of the best three piece bands. Note This list is in NO PARTICULAR ORDER.

Beastie Boys
Cream
Thin Lizzy
Black Rebel Motorcycle Club
Chevelle
Depeche Mode
Green Day
Black Map
Rush
Jimi Hendrix Experience
Failure
ZZ Top
Motorhead
Nirvana
Silverchair
Wild Throne
High On Fire
Placebo
Primus
Dinosaur Jr
Crosby, Stills & Nash
Muse
The Melvins
Sigur Ros
The Police (Even though Sting is a douche)

Soundtrack Only Songs: Nine Inch Nails- The Perfect Drug

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I can’t believe that it’s been almost twenty years since I first heard Nine Inch Nails song “The Perfect Drug.” Not only that but it’s also been almost twenty years since the release of David Lynch’s film Lost Highway, in which “The Perfect Drug” appeared on. There is an intriguing story that explains how Trent Reznor and David Lynch made this happen. Trent had been after David Lynch to direct a video for Nine Inch Nails, but it never seemed to work out. Not long after the success with his work on the Natural Born Killers soundtrack, Trent got word that Lynch was interested in having him do the soundtrack for Lost Highway. And the rest is history. On a fun side note, Trent finally got David Lynch to direct a video for Nine Inch Nails a couple years back. The song “Came Back Haunted” off the album Hesitation Marks had its video directed by David Lynch.

 

Nine Inch Nails- The Perfect Drug:

 

Lost Highway Soundtrack:

 

 

Band Of The Week: 1000 Suns

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Over the past few years I’ve really taken a liking to instrumental bands. There is something really intriguing about bands that can do it all musically without a singer. This weeks band of the week 1000 Suns falls into that realm of instrumental bands. 1000 Suns is a very inspired three piece that takes the instrumental game to another level. The bands use of effects, samples and electronics are used in a way that it enhances the sound. Since 2012, 1000 Suns have released two very intriguing and boundary pushing albums. Their songs range from moody pieces that transcend reality into something soothing, to epic and heavy songs that attack with tenacious riffs and arrangements. 1000 Suns are gearing writing for a new album release soon as well as enlightening audiences with their live show.

1000 Suns- The Body The Mind:

1000 Suns- The Spirit Molecule:

http://www.1000-suns.com/

https://www.facebook.com/1000sunsband

 

 

 

 

 

Cover Thursday: Silverchair (Black Flag)- Wasted/Fix Me

I woke up this morning with Silverchair’s “Israel’s Son” stuck in my head. That riff is timeless. Anyways, while delving into my Silverchair albums I sought out seeing what covers they have done, I came across this interesting version of Black Flag’s “Wasted/Fix Me.” I’m still torn as to if I like it or not, but I can tell you that Daniel John’s vocals on it are quite fun and make this cover worth checking out. On a sidenote, the era of Black Flag these songs appear are with Keith Morris on vocals, in case you were wondering.

 

Silverchair- Wasted/Fix Me:

 

Black Flag- Wasted:

 

Black Flag- Fix Me:

Second Chance Albums: Metallica- Load

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In every bands career there are times when the band changes things up and tries to take a chance and expand upon what they’ve already done. Sometimes this works out great, and other times it seriously backfires. In 1996, coming off the monster success of their “Black Album,” Metallica shocked their fans and released “Load.” Granted Load came in at number one on the billboard charts, it seemed to have left many of Metallica’s fans wondering what the hell is going on with the band. Gone was the band’s trademark thrash metal style and instead of that, the style was replaced with a more blues centered structure. The speed and complexity that the fans had grown to love was entirely disregarded on Load.I still remember seeing the video for “Until It Sleeps,” wondering what happened to Metallica.  I was one of those fans that was left scratching their head as to why Metallica would do this. Then as the years went on and I experienced more of what life has to offer, I took another listen to Load. What I found was an album that was ahead of it’s time. This was Metallica being vulnerable and laying it all out there. This is a great example of a band growing up and stepping outside their comfort zone. It is also an album that takes on a different meaning once you’ve lived life a bit. One of the best songs Metallica has ever written appears on Load. That song is “Bleeding Me.” The lyrics alone are enough to resonate deep. The music is solemn and moody, allowing all the emotions to flow with the song. Other songs like “Until It Sleeps,” “Hero Of The Day,” “Ain’t My Bitch,” “King Nothing,” and “The Outlaw Torn,” are steeped deep in misery and toil. The entirety of Load is astounding. There might be a song here and there that seems out of place but this album is a true gem. There is something about this album that, like a fine wine or a really good scotch only gets better with age.

Load wasn’t right for the time it was released. The fans still wanted more heavy from the band, and were caught completely off guard by this. This record is an exceptionally underrated metal/hard rock experience that takes the band’s music into entirely new territories.  Load is an excellent album with great songwriting and a high level of diversity. Giving something for everyone. Sure it’ll never top what Ride The Lightning, Master Of Puppets, And Justice For All and The “Black” Album are, but it’s definitely an album worthy of your time and patience. Give it another chance and you’ll see what I mean. Leave all your preconceived notions about Metallica at the door when you listen to this album.

 

Metallica- Load:

 

Metallica- Bleeding Me (S & M Version):