Album Review: Royal Blood- Royal Blood

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Earlier this year when I heard Royal Blood, I was taken aback. To me there was something about their music that had been missing in rock music. When people asked me what they sounded like I would say, imagine if The Black Keys didn’t suck and Muse didn’t start to whimp out. After seeing them live my description lived up to my words. Now in August, Royal Blood is unleashing their debut full length. Simply self titled, the 10 songs blaze a path in the 32 minutes of the album. Three of the songs (Out Of The Black, Come On Over and Little Monster) are from their Out OF The Black EP. The other 7 songs are a mix of heavy rock with lots of melody, and the occasional experimentation with blues, and mid tempo beats. The first single “Figure It Out” is a pure groove rock song. Closing song “Better Strangers” features a really cool bluesy feel with a slow laid back beat.  My favorite of the new songs is “Blood Hands.” This song is the perfect blend of heavy and subtle. It really shows their ability to craft a well written song. Mike Kerr (Vocals/Bass) and Ben Thatcher (Drums) have created a sound that is blistering with melody and heaviness all the while providing a great groove and feel for the listener. Royal Blood is primed to invade with great rock n roll. 

http://royalbloodband.com/

https://www.facebook.com/RoyalBloodUK

 

By: Brian Lacy

Unsung Masterpieces: Pantera- The Great Southern Trendkill
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There are certain albums in every bands catalog that get overlooked. Most people when they talk about Pantera talk about Vulgar Display of Power and Far Beyond Driven. In 1996, amongst a lot of band tension, Pantera was able to put together their most brutal and honest album The Great Southern Trendkill. This album is known for relentless screaming throughout the album most notably on “Suicide Note Pt.II.” Also featured on the album are some of the fastest tempos and most down-tuned guitars that the band ever recorded. It also has a more experimental nature to its songs, such as the acoustic guitar and keyboard-laden “Suicide Note Pt. I”, the long breakdowns in the middle or near the end of songs like “Suicide Note Pt. II”, “Sandblasted Skin”, “Drag The Waters” and “War Nerve”. Some of the more intricate vocals that Philip Anselmo has doen can be heard on songs such as “Suicide Note Pt. II”, “The Underground In America”, “Sandblasted Skin”, “War Nerve” and “Living Through Me (Hell’s Wrath)”. A very interesting fact about the making of Trendkill was that Phil Anselmo recorded the vocals for this release in Trent Reznor’s studio in New Orleans, while the rest of the band stayed in Dallas to work on their parts. Of all the albums Pantera released, this one is by far my favorite. The lyrics go beyond just the normal anger. Topics such as hate for the media (“War Nerve”), suicide (“Suicide Note”), drug abuse (“10’s”, “Living Through Me (Hell’s Wrath)”) the end of the world (“Floods”), trends (“The Great Southern Trendkill”, “Sandblasted Skin”) and teenage taboo on life (“The Underground In America”) are all brought up. 

1996 saw the release of Metallica’s Load, Sepultura’s Roots, Rage Against The Machine’s Evil Empire, and Korn’s Life Is Peachy. The Great Southern Trendkill stood out amongst all the other metal bands releases of 96. with the exception of Neurosis’s Through Silver and Blood. Do yourself a favor and take another listen to The Great Southern Trendkill and you’ll have a totally different appreciation for it!

The Great Southern Treadkill:

By: Brian Lacy

Dekades- Red Trolley

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The fantastic Dekades just released a new song. Check it out below:

Attacking with subtle goth moments and borderline industrial sounds, Dekades has unleashed another great song in “Red Trolley.” The vocals and melody are unique and powerful. Imagine if Fiona Apple had more range mixed with Beth Gibbons of Portishead. The drums come out heavy with a bit of a Nine Inch Nails vibe attached to them. The guitar accents and ambience amplifies the direction of the song, all the while the heavy distorted bass drives the song. Dekades are on the right track. I personally can’t wait to hear more.

 

http://www.dekadesofficial.com

https://www.facebook.com/Dekadesofficial

By: Brian Lacy

Band Of The Week: Black Map

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I’ve talked about this band a lot, reviewed their shows and interviewed them. They are one of the best new bands I’ve heard in a long time. I can’t stop listening to their Driver EP. They deserve all the good that is coming to them. Their balance of being a heavy rock band with melody is beyond intriguing. For a power trio they really put out a lot of volume. The drums are thumping and pounding courtesy of the heavy hitting Chris Robyn. The guitars are delicate and crisp when they need to be and then change in to distorted crunchy heaviness thanks to Mark Engles. The bass is driving and plays off the riffs so well. Vocally the range of Ben Flanagan is astounding. His ability to hit high notes then go to a gruff scream is tremendous. Black Map is one hell of a gem to see live. There is so much energy that it permeates through the crowd. Be on the look out for their debut fill length soon!

http://www.blackmapmusic.com/

https://www.facebook.com/blackmapmusic

http://blackmapmusic.bandcamp.com/album/driver

By: Brian Lacy

Cover Thursday: Shadows Fall (Pink Floyd)- Welcome To The Machine

Pink Floyd is very hard to cover. Korn tried and failed miserably, but then again it is Korn. In 2003, when Shadows Fall released their great album The Art Of Balance, I was incredibly surprised to hear them cover “Welcome To The Machine” at the end of the album. It’s another cover that I’m torn on. I love the original, and this version is good but I’m sure something is missing from it. 

 

By: Brian Lacy

Bands That Should Come Back: Operation Ivy

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The 1980’s were a very interesting time for music. Hardcore Punk was created as was Thrash metal. Towards the late 80’s a group formed in Berkeley, California. Operation Ivy was one of the first bands to mix hardcore punk and ska. Their mix of the two genres is regarded as part of the vanguard of the second wave of American punk rock which swept the country in the 1990s. Operation Ivy was critical to the emergence of Lookout Records and the so-called “East Bay Sound.” Although the band released just one full length album Energy, before breaking up in May 1989, Operation Ivy is well remembered as the direct antecedent of Rancid (Tim “Lint” Armstrong and Matt Freeman were both in Op Ivy) and for wielding a lasting stylistic influence over numerous other bands. A fun fact about the band at their last official live performance. This show was Green Day’s first performance at the famed 924 Gilman St. This was also supposed to be Operation Ivy’s record release show. As for a reunion, the group has stated a number of times that Operation Ivy reunion is unlikely to happen. frontman Jesse Michaels addressed reunion issues in a Myspace blog years ago, citing the legal and logistic difficulties in getting the four members together for a reunion, as well as the fact that the band “never belonged in a big rock club in a one to two thousand seat joint.” He concluded the post with the following: “[Will] it happen? The most honest answer is probably not.” The closest thing ever to a reunion happened at a Rancid show at the Warfield Theatre in San Francisco on December 17, 2006, Jesse Michaels reunited with Tim Armstrong and Matt Freeman to perform the tracks “Unity” as well as “Sound System”. It was Jesse’s first time on stage with Tim and Matt in over 15 years.

Operation Ivy is one of those bands that if they were to come back would immediately be welcomed. There is such a high regard for this band in all circles of punk, and even parts of the metal community. One can only hope that one day this happens before it’s too late.

By: Brian Lacy

Album Rank: Nine Inch Nails

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I present to you the album rank of my all time favorite band… Nine Inch Nails!

Note: These are just the “ALBUMS” not the REMIX ALBUMS.

 

10) Ghosts:

 

09) The Slip:

 

08) Not The Actual Events:

 

07) Hesitation Marks:

 

06) Year Zero:

 

05) With Teeth:

 

04) Pretty Hate Machine:

 

03) Broken:

 

02) The Downward Spiral:

 

01) The Fragile:

 

 

 

 

Greatest Bassists

Bass is one instrument that often goes overlooked. The following list are the best bassists (In no particular order).

1. John Paul Jones- Led Zeppelin
2. John Entwistle- The Who
3. Geezer Butler- Black Sabbath
4. Noel Redding- Jimi Hendrix Experience
5. Mike Inez- Alice In Chains
6. Mike Starr- Alice In Chains
7. Krist Novaselic- Nirvana
8. Ben Sheppard- Soundgarden
9. Jeff Ament- Pearl Jam
10. Sergio Vega- Quicksand/Deftones
11. Cliff Burton- Metallica
12. Steve Harris- Iron Maiden
13. Caleb Scofield- Cave In/Old Man Gloom
14. Chi Cheng- Deftones
15. Sergio Vega- Deftones/Quicksand
16. Dave Edwardson- Neurosis
17. Rex Brown- Pantera/Down
18. Greg Edwards- Failure
19. Billy Gould- Faith No More
20. Tom Araya- Slayer
21. Frank Bello- Anthrax
22. Robert Trujillo- Metallica/Infectious Grooves
23. Jason Newstead- Metallica
24. Duff McKagen- Guns N Roses/Velvet Revolver/Walking Papers
25. Jack Bruce- Cream
26. Pino Palladino
27. Eric Avery- Jane’s Addiction
28. John Bakers Sanders- Mad Season
29. Troy Sanders- Mastodon
30. Roger Waters- Pink Floyd
31. Tim Commerford- Rage Against The Machine/Audioslave
32. Brian Cook- Botch/These Arms Are Snakes/Russian Circles
33. Marcello Diaz- Abloom/Soulfly
34. Doug Yule- The Velvet Underground
35. Jeff Caxide- Isis/Palms
36. Trevor Dunn- Mr. Bungle/Tomahawk/Fantomas
37. Chuck Dukowski- Black Flag
38. Nate Mendel- Foo Fighters/Sunny Day Real Estate
39. Danny Lohner- Nine Inch Nails
40. Nick Oliveri- Queens Of The Stone Age
41. Scott Reeder- Kyuss/Unida
42. Mike Dean- Corrosion Of Conformity
43. Ryan Martine- Mudvayne
44. Ty Zamora- Alien Ant Farm
45. Les Claypool- Primus
46. Justin Chancellor- Tool
47. Victor Wooten

Band Of The Week: Young Hunter

429002_243144619110462_654680814_nThe Portland music scene is getting bigger as time goes on. Stoner/Doom metal in particular is growing by leaps and bounds. Young Hunter is one of those bands that has the elements of stoner/doom but adds something else to the mix. Their use of 70’s psychedelia really makes their music stand out. There are some comparisons to Torche and Black Mountain in the way their music sounds. Their recent EP Embers At The Foot Of Dark Mountain is soothing and seductive all the while being powerful. One can tell by listening that the members of Young Hunter really have a feel for what they create. 

http://younghunter.bandcamp.com/

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Young-Hunter/127424170682508

By: Brian Lacy

Cover Thursday: Ryan Adams (Black Flag)- Nervous Breakdown

A while back there was an album curated by Henry Rollins featuring all Black Flag songs redone with different vocalists. All the proceeds went to help the West Memphis Three. One of the tracks on that album  that really stood out was Ryan Adams’ version of “Nervous Breakdown.” It’s a totally different and interesting version. Check it out!

 

 

By: Brian Lacy