The Klepto's Guide To Awesome Music

The Klepto's Back!!

2011-11-25T16:12:00.000-05:00

Ok, I know I've said it before, but I'm back baby!

I'm working with some others to create a new project: Pop It & Rock It (it's still in it's infancy so go easy), which will get me back into the swing of writing and reviewing. The new website will have a wider scope of the entire rock genre - from pop to metal - with yours truly in charge of all things heavy. With that in mind, I'll be double posting, with every heavy review on PI&RI also appearing on The Guide, and several older articles from here appearing on the new project.

The articles/reviews won't be daily here, like they were, instead a few times a week - something more manageable - but eventually I hope to have Pop It & Rock It posting daily, once everyone involved is more used to reviewing/writing. I encourage you to check out the new site, if only for the added support, but if you end up finding something you like, something you've never heard of before, then I think my job is done. My plan with the wide scope and multiple genres is to expose people to as many new things as possible - I myself don't like pop/pop-rock very much, but I still find myself enjoying the occasional song that comes on the radio at work. So please, shoot a quick look that a-way if you have a free moment.
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Albums Listened To In June

2011-07-01T13:32:00.143-04:00

Ok, this is a long time coming, I've been enjoying my vacation just a little too much it seems. The end of the month encluded a week or two of vacation time, so many of these albums were while in the air or traveling by car; a trend that will continue within the following month. I'm still working on this month's (July) articles and the new project with some friends, we'll see if it ever becomes anything worthwhile.

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New Band: KONG!

2011-06-27T12:00:00.003-04:00

Wow, this band is a punch in the face. I've been listening to a lot of classic and alternative rock lately and switching to something this heavy and crushing was a bit of a surprise. KONG! is a group hailing from North Carolina which seems to want to bring the balls back to underground metal.

As far as I can tell, Mind Eraser is KONG!'s debut EP - I say as far as I can tell because there are at least another half-a-dozen bands out there with that name - and it's an amazing start. While the other reviews I saw qualify the band within the hardcore bracket of music, I'm leaning to more of a New Wave of American Heavy Metal feel. There is some shouting, but it's more guttural then true screams that would go with hardcore. The music itself is more metal then punk, which would move it to metalcore I believe (I think I'm getting this right, I am not a fan of anything -core titled usually), but I still don't see it. The songs are too varied, too filled with ups and downs. Mind Eraser, while filled with energetic music, is not overwhelming with the sound or frantic as much hardcore acts I have heard. They are much more groove-oriented then punk.
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Update

2011-06-26T13:49:00.000-04:00

Yes, I am still here, and I have every intention of coming back.

First, now that I've had a break, I'm going to try and get at least sort of caught up with all of the albums I've been sent by The Ripple Effect (great site, check them out if you haven't already) and the random band submissions. I know I'll never get 100% caught up because more are coming in every day, but I'm going to at least make an attempt at the mounting pile I have in front of me. I leave for vacation in a few days, but I should be able to get at least a handful done before then.

I've started getting the writing itch, which is good, it's what I want. A return of the want to write would be grande for me at this point.

Secondly, while I don't think I'll ever bring The Guide back to it's former glory, I am working with a group of musically-minded individuals on a new project of sorts. This one will be more varied in musical scope, with all forms of rock accepted. I'll keep doing my metal thing, and I have one or two more partners in this project that also enjoy them some heavy, so there will be something there for you all to enjoy. It will just be mixed in with more accessible music for the masses. Fear not, I will keep up both sites to the best of my ability, with each getting unique articles from yours truly (but also a lot of crossover). We are looking at an end of July start-up for that one, so when I get it all up and running I'll make sure to inform all of you to that.

Thank you to all of you for your patience and understanding, I have gotten a few comments and emails and that feels great; makes me feel like I'm making a difference in some way. Gotta throw a shout-out to That Devil Music and Captain Beyond Zen for their help as well, some more great sites to read while you're waiting for me to get off my lazy ass.

\m/

Hiatus

2011-06-20T22:22:00.000-04:00

As I'm sure some of you noticed, I did not post anything today. I wrestled with it all morning, I certainly had the time, but not the drive. With that, I have to put The Klepto's Guide To Awesome Music on temporary hiatus, at least compared with how it is currently handled.

I do not do this lightly, but as of late The Guide has become homework, which is not what I want at all. I used to look forward to listening to brand new and obscure albums, writing about what I heard, and generally spreading the good word. I used to be able to bang out half a dozen articles in a full day, key word - used to. Currently, I am writing articles hours before they post, that and a full work load is running me ragged. I have to change something and The Guide is the easiest.

I'm not going away totally, I'll still post time to time; bringing this website back to what it was for the first year or two, I post when I feel strongly about and album or act, not because I feel I have too. I think that my articles have been watered down and pretty shitty overall recently. I have been self-imposing deadlines that require quantity over quality, going back to writing whenever I feel like it will hopefully bring back some of the quality that I think The Guide has been lacking.

Also, I am talking with a couple of friends (once again) about writing here part time. This group actually seems into it, so if we can figure something out, something substantial and meaningful, then I will bring back the daily posts. But for now, for at least the week (and another because I am going on vacation for 8 days), I am effectively putting this blog on hold, focusing on other things, listening to music I actually want to listen to, not bands that I feel I have to listen to.

If you want to keep submitting albums, I am a whore for new music, so I will keep taking them. Also if you would like to be brought in on the new and improved Guide, whenever I get around to restarting it, please drop me a line, more the merrier.

For now, I bid you all adieu (that's French for goodbye).

EP Shakedown: Bandito - I & II

2011-06-18T12:00:00.003-04:00

For this week's 'EP Shakedown' I'm going to double up with a pair of EPs released by Bandito, aptly titled Bandito I and Bandito II (or just I and II but I like having the name there). You can download their most recent EP from their website, or get their entire discography (these two EPs and a single) from their BandCamp page. So snag some free music, give it a listen and read on.

Bandito treads between a couple different sounds within the stoner genre. Their first EP opens with "For No One" which is close to the harshness of Hermano or the raw sound of Kyuss' early works (wow a stoner band that sounds like Kyuss). The following song, "Trent Boyett," is something much more groove oriented. I do have to laugh because "Trent Boyett" seems like an obvious homage to a South Park episode, I'm not 100% but it seems to be about a child always in trouble, which sums up the episode pretty well. The other two songs of the album are in a more sludgy realm, being more down-tuned and rough-vocaled (but not too growly). "Killing Black" and "Cubic Cycle" are both decent, but I definitely like their more groove/funk songs more.
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Video: The Tossers - "Good Mornin' Da"

2011-06-18T12:00:00.002-04:00

I was jamming out to The Valley of The Shadow of Death today and thought that "Good Mornin' Da" would make a great addition to my weekly video section. I really love The Tossers' style of Celtic punk; incorporating some slower melodies and blues. Not so much on this song, but on several others. I'd suggest checking them out.

Weekly Dose of Prog: Yes - The Yes Album

2011-06-17T12:00:00.031-04:00

The Yes Album is a disc that I grew up with; my mother had this one and Yes' greatest hits sense I was a wee babe. Needless to say I could describe this album in vivid detail without actually listening to it again, but why deprive myself of the experience? It has been a while.

Looking at the tracklist before actually beginning listening I immediately recognize family favorites, "Yours Is No Disgrace," "Starship Trooper," and "I've Seen All Good People." Each of these I can sing along with and could probably manage the majority of the song without any music accompaniment. With those three alone (of six), I know I will enjoy this album as a whole. However, as I listen through it, I'm reminded of how great this album truly is.
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New Album: Black Stone Cherry - Between The Devil And The Deep Blue Sea

2011-06-16T12:00:00.000-04:00

I'm a tad apprehensive listening to Between The Devil And The Deep Blue Sea, Black Stone Cherry's latest album; their debut was amazing, completely top-notch southern stoner metal. It was full of creative songs, powerful is story and vocals, with some amazing instruments to match. The followup, Folklore And Superstition, was a dull, alternative rock with a touch of southern twang release. All the originality of their was gone, and we were left with an empty shell of, what I assume to be, an attempt at being accepted by the majority of the populous. So I am both excited and dismissal of Black Stone Cherry's newest release, hoping that it is a reminder of their origin, not their evolution.

This new incarnation of Black Stone Cherry's sound seems a bit of a pairing of the previous two mentions. It is a little more rough and tumble, and there by a little more metal, but in the same token, it is still filled with obvious song hooks and melodies. The music is entertaining, but nothing is really outstanding or challenging to the listener. There are enjoyable songs, but nothing that made me go "wow, that was cool," or anything that makes me want to show off a song to my friends. It's satisfying but not filling.
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Play It Again: Arbouretum - The Gathering

2011-06-15T12:00:00.000-04:00

I touched on Arbouretum a bit at the beginning of May, and having just listened to The Gathering again, I think they deserve another mention. I'd been listening to their cover of The Highwaymen ("The Highwayman") a lot recently, and I really enjoy it. The really laid back and spacey style is really well conveyed. It made me want to listen to their album as a whole over again, so that's what I did.

There is just something about David Heumann's voice (he's the singer, by the way) that really makes this record what it is. His cool, melodic-yet-monotone style just washes over you like a gentle silk sheet. I think he truly makes The Gathering an enjoyable record. Sure, they could have gotten another singer who may have been just as good, the music just as listenable, but with Heumann they have something special. I don't think this album sung any other way would be nearly as listenable.
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New Album: Across Tundras - Sage

2011-06-14T12:00:00.001-04:00

Another day, I'm still tired, but not nearly as much as yesterday and so I feel I can take on a bigger project then a four-song EP.

Across Tundras is a band that I'm relatively new to; I've heard Old World Wanderer, their 2010 release, but other then that, not much. I do know they are a stoner/doom band, and I seem to recall enjoying what I heard, so I'm listening to Sage with almost virgin ears. We should all be so lucky.

Sage has one thing going for it, the songs seem to last forever. This is both a blessing and a curse; for the good songs it is amazing, some songs have a good section within, but it is drowned out by the endlessness of the song. I'd say there were no average or so-so songs, but this seemingly-infinite style tends to get a bit boring. Again, the songs that are good - good all the way through - are amazing, the chugging rhythm of "Buried Arrows," for example, is amazing, and when the tempo picks up and the southern-style of music kicks in, it turns even more so.
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New Album: Forged In Flame - Forged In Flame (EP)

2011-06-13T12:00:00.003-04:00

I am so tired and a little hung over. I have just come back home from a weekend at a wedding down in South Florida (four hours from my home). A long weekend of partying, drinking, making fun of friends and trashing hotel rooms. Needless to say I'm pretty beat and although I had enough articles to last me through the weekend, it is once again Monday and my foresight has fallen a bit short... again. So before I pass out (it's Sunday night as I'm writing this), I'm going to listen to Forged In Flame's debut EP.

I have had only a taste of what Forged In Flame has to offer, from the Soda Shop Comp, almost a month ago, so I was ready for some more stoner groove metal to wash over my soul. For that purpose alone, this was a great EP to choose.
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Video: Tyr "Hold The Heathen Hammer High"

2011-06-12T12:00:00.000-04:00

In response to Tyr's latest release, The Lay of Thrym, I have been working my way through their past five albums. I'm really looking forward to their newest album, but this run-through just reminds me of how much I enjoy this band. All of their albums are of a certain amazing quality - aside from Land that is, but most of the album isn't in English so it's not fair for me to really judge - which was culminated by 2009's By The Light Of The Northern Star, my favorite yet. If this year's can get anywhere close to that masterpiece, I'll be amazed and overjoyed.

With that in mind, here is the video for one of my favorite songs off of By The Light Of The Northern Star, "Hold The Heathen Hammer High." Along with "By The Sword In My Hand" this song is filled with amazing imagery and, of course, musicianship.

EP Shakedown: Manhammer - Above The New Frontier

2011-06-11T12:00:00.036-04:00

Manhammer is a hard band to get a hold of. It was damn near impossible for me to find any real information on this group, with only YouTube and porn sites popping up with most of my searches. I ended up having to turn to the SludgeSwamp, as they had at least a link to the band's MySpace. I also found another band called ManHammer, and a 'Future Site For Manhammer,' so maybe I did find them after all. I think the first focus of this band should be to raise themselves up from the dirge that a search of Manhammer pulls up. Your web identity is everything, and if people can't find you you're losing some potential fans.
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Weekly Dose of Prog: Acid Rain - Shallow Paradise

2011-06-10T12:00:00.001-04:00

Acid Rain took a while to find on the web, as both Metal Archives and ProgArchives list at least three other bands of the same name, all within the progressive vein. I guess naming oneself after a Liquid Tension Experiment song (which is a bad ass song if you haven't heard it) tends to mean that progressive music is your forte. Hell I got the message, the only reason I picked up this album was because of the obvious throwback-name and the interesting album artwork. Yes, I am one of those people that judges a book by it's cover, it's worked pretty well for me so far.

I didn't know truly what to expect from Shallow Paradise, and there is scant within the internet, so I turned to a review off of ProgArchives about their other album, The Descending Line. In a nutshell, the review calls Acid Rain musically a Dream Theater homage - used as a positive description - but that the vocals lack behind the rest. This set the stage for my listening adventure, and while reading someone else's opinion may taint my own, I just look at is as a launching-off point for my own review. After all, how many people can truly claim that they've never read a review before listening to an album? We use other's to meld our own views, it's the way of life.
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Retrospective: Tyr

2011-06-09T12:00:00.072-04:00

With Tyr releasing their sixth album, The Lay of Thrym (review upcoming), I thought it prudent to go through their entire discography. While I was doing so, why not write about it all? Thus a Retrospective was born.

Tyr was my first true introduction to the world of folk metal, way back in 2005. My then-recent discovery of Last.fm brought about a ton of new bands and genres, with this mystical world of folk vying for my attention along with stoner, power and progressive metals. For the longest time, the only album I had by the group was their debut, being unable to find Eric The Red and later Ragnarok. I didn't truly start listening to more then that first album until around 2007 or 2008, when their material became more accessible, so I guess you could say I'm a bit of a late joiner of the band's fandom. I don't think it really matters because now I am a staunch believer of their sound, I loved their 2009 release, I look forward to this 2011 one, and they play a bitching live show, even at a shitty venue.

How Far To Asgaard - 2002
Their first album and my first taste of the group, How Far To Asgaard is an amazing debut from this act. It's one of their more solid release, but I feel this is because all of the songs sound very similar to each other, at least musically. "Hail To The Hammer" and the title track are the far-and-above winners of the album, but pretty much every song carried merit in some degree. Even their non-English song, "Ormurin Langi," is catchy. I found myself humming along and attempting to sing a few lines, this might be because I've heard it so much, or it could be because it is a song that transcends language barriers. Either way I like it.
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Bands I Love: Clutch

2011-06-08T12:00:00.001-04:00

I've made no secret on The Guide that Clutch is one of my favorite (if not number one) bands out there right now, and I've already dedicated two articled to their discography (Part 1 & Part 2), so this one is going to be a little different. For this edition of 'Bands I Love' I'm going into the evolution of enjoyment that I (and I'd assume other fans) get when I re-listen to their albums; of the changing of taste and favorite songs.

For this example I'm going to spend all of my time dissecting probably one of their best albums, Blast Tyrant, released dead center with their funk-stoner phase, way back in 2004. Initially the songs that jumped out at me were: "Mercury," "Mob Goes Wild," "Cypress Grove," and "Worm Drink," each for their simple and catchy lyrics and really head-bobbing melodies. These tracks were easy to get into and at the time that I was first giving the record a spin, I was still new to the band, with only Robot Hive/Exodus under my belt. These songs were a great and simple entry into Blast Tyrant. While I enjoyed the album as a whole, these were the songs that I spent most of my time with, and these are the group that most often landed in mix CDs for friends or for my car.
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New Album: Flogging Molly - Speed of Darkness

2011-06-07T12:00:00.001-04:00

As I mentioned on this past week's Video, I don't know how I missed the release of Speed of Darkness. Hell, I didn't even know it was recorded and being released! I love Flogging Molly, and so the usual level of excitement that creeps up as I hear updates of a new album, over the months prior, finally culminating with me getting my hands on the actual music itself... never happened. I've had to jam all of that raw emotion, lust, and excitement into one short week; I am exhausted. But the excitement is carrying me on, onto this 2011 release from one of my favorite bands - and also one of the few modern bands that I've listened too for almost a decade, I realized this week.

The album opens with the title track which hits you like a bang, a true Flogging Molly experience. Ten seconds (after the intro) and I knew exactly what I was getting into - and I love it! This sounds like a vintage track from the group, something that could have been released within any previous album of their fourteen-year-plus recording career and not seem out of place. This is a great beginning, because you never know if a new release by a band you love will live up to the expectations that you have. Will the new album be the same style, and with that, too much of the same, or not enough of a change? With this opener, I am less worried.
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New Band: Crescent Shield

2011-06-06T12:00:00.001-04:00

Crescent Shield is a traditional heavy/power metal band whose latest album, The Stars of Never Seen, caught up some pretty decent reviews. The album is a little older, coming out in 2009, but it's new to me and I've been in the mood for something a little different then the usual stoner/doom/prog mix I've been on lately. So I'm taking a chance on a wholly new band, based off other bloggers' reviews; ain't the internet grand?

My fist impression of The Stars of Never Seen is something of a mix between the epic doom style of Candlemass - especially within the vocals - and the more varied traditional metal of Holy Martyr. Actually the Holy Martyr comparison is the most straight-forward that I can think of; both of their styles could be called epic metal (or folk metal without the folk, as I said on my article about Holy Martyr). They both use traditional themes and sounds of heavy metal (although a little more on the war and sorcery side, like power metal) but add a very flexible vocalist(s) that gives the songs a bit of that 'epic' feel. Once again, it's a hard sound to describe, but it works amazingly for Crescent Shield.
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Video: Flogging Molly "Don't Shut 'Em Down"

2011-06-05T12:00:00.004-04:00

Just found out that Flogging Molly have released a new album last week - I don't know how I missed it for so long. I haven't had a chance to listen to Speed of Darkness yet, but this is the first single and accompanying video; "Don't Shut 'Em Down." Float, their last release, was pretty bad-ass, so I'm looking forward to this album quite a bit.

EP Shakedown: Big Jesus - Big Jesus

2011-06-04T12:00:00.001-04:00

Ok, I'm not feeling too hot, so short and sweet are what's in store.

Big Jesus is a stoner/alternative/post-grunge act from Las Vegas, of all places. Their debut EP (follow the link for the free download) is a combination of rock n' roll stoner and the post-grunge style that made Alice In Chains famous. The opener, "Ribs," is a nice bout of the former, while keeping in a down-tuned and darker feel. And actually the second track, "Hairteeth," could easily have been found on an Alice In Chains album, or as a tribute at the very least. It sounds straight from the 90s and that is nothing if not a good thing.
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Weekly Dose of Prog: The Devin Townsend Project - Deconstruction/Ghost

2011-06-03T12:00:00.098-04:00

A couple of months ago I featured The Devin Townsend Project's latest (at the time) releases, Ki and Addicted, with an article, now I continue (and finish) the cycle, with the upcoming pair of releases from the madman that is Devin Townsend, with Deconstruction and Ghost. The first two releases were a clever mix of ambient and heavy/extreme metal, with Ki being more on the ambient side of things while Addicted brought elements of industrial music. That first pair was plenty for any other band, but Townsend seems fixated on going above and beyond (Deconstruction and Ghost haven't even been released yet and he's already announced the name of his next record). I'm covering them as a pair because they are being released in that fashion; while they aren't directly linked, the project seems to follow a sweeping style-arc which flows together rather well. If he (Townsend) had released all four at one I'd probably put the entire project into a 'Weekly Dose of Prog.'

While Ki and Addicted seemed more stylistically split, Deconstruction is a more even mix of the metal and ambient music that The Devin Townsend Project is known for. It's also far more eclectic, with the album opening with "Praise The Lowered," a very ambient song, then "Stand," a ten-minute progressive song, light on the ambient but heavy in pretty much everything else, followed immediately by "Juular" which sounds something more like Strapping Young Lad (Townsend's previous band/project) would release, coming across borderline thrash/NWOAHM with bits of lighter vocals (but still heavy instruments, especially the percussion) thrown here or there for effect. Although it sounds weird, it actually works really great, bringing Deconstruction a much more memorable feel then the previous pair of releases. My one complaint of the album, however, are the longer tracks. It seems that the songs that cross the ten-minute marker just can't pull it together well enough to warrant that amount of time. "Planet of The Apes," "The Mighty Masturbator," and "Deconstruction" are the main examples of this ("Stand" keeps it together pretty well, plus it's just under ten), with certain parts that work very well - namely the beginnings - but they just lose focus, or change styles too much, or have to much out there stuff (spoken word and whatnot - "Deconstruction" anyone?) to be as enjoyable as the rest of the album. Other then that, the album is almost priceless.
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New Album: Argus - Boldly Stride The Doomed

2011-06-02T12:00:00.000-04:00

I have been looking to this album sense I first heard of it in February, as I really enjoyed Argus' debut album from two years ago. I discovered the band on a whim and was very surprised with what I heard, so much so that I've listened to their self-titled several times sense then. Boldly Stride The Doomed, their sophomore follow-up, has some high expectations to get over, but I'm sure with gentlemen of this caliber at the helm, it will all be just fine.

In my replay of their debut I told you my definition of Argus' sound being power doom metal, well Boldly Stride The Doomed does nothing but strengthen that description. The album opens with "A Curse On The World" which is something like rock 'n doom, with a swinging melody and powerful vocals. It sounds sort of like an 80s hair metal band belting out their rendition of doom; catchy but still amazingly heavy. It sounds very similar to the first song off their debut, "Devils, Devils," but that is nothing but a complement, as that was my favorite song from the disc.
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Everything I Didn't Review In May

2011-06-02T00:01:00.009-04:00

Really, there isn't much to write about this month. While I did get decent album numbers, most of what I listened to was older discographies, or debut albums from acts that are now releasing their sophomore discs. Everything else, that is actually new to me, has received a review, so there isn't a case to add the albums here.

With my new computer, it's been a semi-battle to get back in the swing of things, and so finally I'm getting out ahead of the overwhelming number of albums, songs, and artists that I have. Each month will be a little more new, and a little less old, until I'm back to my usual flow of about 2/3 new and 1/3 old. This is my long-term goal and I hope you stick around for the journey with me.
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EP Shakedown: Major Kong - Orogenesis

2011-06-01T12:00:00.000-04:00

Ok, my computer is back up and running smoothly, turns out it wasn't a big deal really. So this is the 'EP Shakedown' that I had all set up for Saturday that was never posted. Luckily I had the articles for Sunday and Tuesday already set to go, so you all had something to tide you over. I'll get back on schedule tomorrow with the daily postings.

Major Kong comes highly recommended by several sources as some great sludge metal. This is down and dirty instrumental doom metal, I can't really call it sludge, because to me sludge is all in the vocals, but I feel I'm just splitting hairs there. The songs (four of them) are long and drawn-out, seeming to go on forever.

Orogenesis (available for free download), the debut EP from the guys of Fifty Foot Woman, is for anyone who loves some dark doom. If you're looking for complex rhythms or styles, you need to be listening to something else. The songs are droning and fairly predictable, but at the same time, they will melt your face (which would be a sweet album name).
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Albums Listened To In May (85)

2011-06-01T00:01:00.086-04:00

Still working with that new computer (and the loss of all my info), the following crash, and starting a new job, it's a surprise I got anything done this month, let alone listen to 85 albums. I spent most of the month re-listening to discographies of bands that I love; 3, Argus, Black Spiders, Clutch, The Decemberists, The Grand Astoria, Led Zeppelin, Lo-Pan, Meat Loaf, Rainbow, Red Fang, and Whores of Tijuana. Several of these deserved - and received - a write up. As such there won't be much of an article for tomorrow's 'Everything I Didn't Review,' but that also means I am running at full tilt here. I hope you all enjoy what I do.

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Retrospective: 3 (Part 2)

2011-05-31T12:00:00.009-04:00

Part two of 3's discography, this time with a little bit more emotion and strength behind most of it. Make sure you caught part one!

Wake Pig - 2004

2004 brought about a new album and a resurgence of the heavier and angrier sound that 3 does so well. Wake Pig was the first album from the group that I heard - I don't even remember where I got the disc, but I think the album artwork had something to do with initial discovery - so I may be pre-disposed to this musical outlook over anything else they have to offer. Regardless, it's what I think they pull off the best, their mix of angsty vocals, weaving bass and drums and some of the most amazing finger-picked guitar I've ever heard (just listen to "Bramfatura" for that little example). Even though I've been listening to this album for five or six years now, I still get excited when "Alien Angel" pops up on my iPod, with me belting out the words at the top of my lungs at each opportunity. "Alien Angel" and the title track weight-in as the winners of the album's heavier songs, with "Trust" and "Dogs of War" being much lighter of touch, but equally enjoyable. Wake Pig being my first taste of 3 will always taint the others a bit I fear, well except those that follow a similar concept at least (see below for more on that).

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Video: Alestorm - Shipwrecked

2011-05-29T12:00:00.002-04:00

Brand-spankin' new song from Alestorm! I've only ever heard "Shipwrecked" on Soundcloud so it's kind of nice to get something a little different up here. I'm only a few listens in, but this song didn't hit me as hard as some of their other, earlier works. I'm sure by the time the actual album comes out I'll be singing another tune.

Damn I love this band!

Computer Woes

2011-05-28T21:57:00.000-04:00

So yesterday we had a decent storm, during which the power flickered (and i mean flickered) and my brand new computer died. Wont turn on. Dead.
So for the time being there will limited updates, at least til I get it fixed (some time this week).
Right now Im writing this on my Nook, watching SLC Punk. Very difficult, trust me.

I shall return.

-K-

Weekly Dose of Prog: Giant Squid - The Ichthyologist

2011-05-27T12:00:00.077-04:00

With a vocal style reminiscent of Serj Tankian (of System of A Down if I have to make the distinction for anyone), Giant Squid plays a style of new progressive metal. melding the prog with jazz and atmospheric elements, bringing it just a hair's width short of post-metal. There are sounds of strings (cello I believe), keyboards, and other unique sounds - sometimes just a droning melodic melody - that really bring it into a totally different vibe.

I'm not going to lie, the only thing that initially attracted me to this band is the album artwork to The Ichthyologist. Look at it (to the right), that is some awesome shit, and I've said so before. There is another version of the album artwork floating out there (see below), which makes me wonder which is the original, but honestly I don't care, this one is perfect for me.

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Play It Again: Argus - Argus

2011-05-26T12:00:00.000-04:00

I really like Argus' debut album, really digging the style of the record. It's power doom with stoner touches, and that is something that I don't know if I've ever heard before. Their songs meld the lines between uplifting and depressing, with both power metal and doom metal having a heavy hand in their creation. I've heard this album a bunch now, but every time I give it another spin, I find something else to enjoy, something else to raise it's praise in my book. This time is nothing new.

The album begins with a power/stoner style of song, "Devils, Devils," whose chorus really gets my head bobbing and stuck in my head. From there we play the more stoner, more power metal game, with one genre winning out over the other, and judgement of the song can commence. As these songs trade places style, they also swap around in overall quality, at least to me. But also, as the album progresses, the doom features become more apparent, by the half-way mark it becomes noticeable, and by the end it's overpowering of all others. The final pair of songs, "The Effigy Is Real" and "The Outsider," are pretty much straight doom, with only a touch of the power metal melodies. I love doom, and so these are probably my favorite tracks of the entire album (with "Devils, Devils" being up there as well).
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Retrospective: 3 (Part 1)

2011-05-25T12:00:00.001-04:00

Nearly two and a half years ago I went into my introduction of the band 3. In an attempt not to basically write the same article twice, just slightly updated, I'm going to try and keep this article to the point; the basics of each album and their stylistic changes over each and their career. Also, my writing chops have evolved quite a bit, as have my musical tastes and the ability to pull from a song, so hopefully this will be full of new material for you long-time fans (not that I believe there are many).

Paint By Number - 1999
In my past article I claimed this group to be a funk/progressive crossover and listening to Paint By Number it would be apparent to make that leap. This is their first and their most 'alternative' sounding one too date. The songs meander between a heavier almost-metal sound and a light story-telling motif. Subjects cross into love, loss, astronauts, with a surprising number of thinly-veiled suicide references, leading the album to come slightly into the 90s emo movement (not the shitty emo-punk bands of the 2000s, I mean real emo music from the 80s and early 90s). Through all of these styles there is a solid underpinning of bass guitar; most songs containing a heavy hand with the instrument. And it's not just simple riffs or an echo of the drums or lead guitar, this is some stand-alone playing, something that you would notice missing if it were removed, something most bands can't claim. My favorite song off the album, and of 3's career in general, is still "You Call Me Baby," another love song with vague references to suicide and other weird shit but still oddly beautiful. Other songs I like (I don't know if they're recent additions as I've listened to all of these albums probably a dozen times at this point) are "You've Been Shot," "Leaving After All," "Wrongside," "Paint By Number," "Astroknot," "Better State of Mind," and "Policeman," quite a lot of the album all told (nine of fourteen). If you have the album then you'll see that the majority of the first half of the album is on here, and as I said before this is the more funk-oriented half and it is the grouping I like the best. I like prog, but some good funk rock/metal really puts it over the top.
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New Album: Red Fang - Murder The Mountains

2011-05-24T12:00:00.000-04:00

In preparation for this article I re-listened to Red Fang's debut, finding a surprising newfound love for the disc. Hoping to follow that I look towards their 2011 release (as well as a kick-ass video), Murder The Mountains.

Right off the bat, Murder The Mountains is much more groove-oriented then it's predecessor. The numerous songs that utilize the heavy bass and drums combo are my favorite by far. I've noticed that there is a huge difference of my appreciation for these songs if the bass is featured or not. The opening handful; "Malverde," "Wires," and "Hank Is Dead," are above average tracks because of this. The following triad of tracks; "Dirt Wizard," "Throw Up," and "Painted Parade," all lose this feel, and thereby are weaker songs in my opinion.
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New Album: The Atomic Bitchwax - The Local Fuzz

2011-05-23T12:00:00.011-04:00

If you've been keeping up with The Guide, you would have already read my discovery that I don't like The Atomic Bitchwax nearly as much as previously thought. Although I still find that shocking, I think it's time to move on, and the best way to do that is to review the act's latest release, The Local Fuzz. You will see some mention of this album being and EP/LP, and that is because of some general confusion of what it is to be either. One song, forty minutes in length, no words... I'd call it an EP, but others disagree. Whatever the case, it makes for an interesting listen (I hope).

The song/LP/EP kicks off with a flash; some groovy, moving bass lines, accompanying drums and a crazy-sophisticated guitar lick over it all. It's all a little repetitive, but whenever it seems to be getting a little dull TAB switches the melody in some fashion, which helps keep it alive. The changes are minute enough to not sound out of place, but they have enough of a difference/change to be noticed, for your brain to still focus on the song at hand.

At around the fourteen minute mark the song takes a significant stylistic change, sounding like a new song is beginning. For the short while it all slows down, with less emphasis on the frantic guitar and drum work of the past section. This only is maintained for a minute or so before the band all comes together, but the music following isn't wholly like the beginning of the track; there are sections of quick guitar work, but it's inter-spliced with slower jam sessions. It really feels like a different song, which is awesome for a song like this.
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Video: Red Fang - "Wires"

2011-05-22T12:00:00.001-04:00

Jumping on the bandwagon here (this video has been posted everywhere) but I think it's a video worth seeing - if you haven't already - and it ties together with my article earlier in the week, and one upcoming. Here is Red Fang's latest video release, "Wires," from their second album, Murder The Mountains.

The song is good but the music video takes a little bit to get going. Stick it out to the end, because the last half of the video is hilarious and is something I would gladly do if someone gave me some cash to make a music video.

EP Shakedown: Mother of God - Forging A New Path

2011-05-21T12:00:00.001-04:00

Still spinning with the new bands that I discovered (or rediscovered) from The Soda Shop Comp. Vol 1, which is the point of a compilation of that type right? I figured after re-listening to Lo-Pan and Whores of Tijuana, and then reviewing Gozu's debut, the next logical step was Mother of God, for some good ol' stoner/doom. As I drink at 6pm on a Wednesday (yea, I finally have my articles cued up again), I'm just going to sit back, relax and let the sounds of this great act wash over me. Their wall of sound style of stoner is great for this, as I'm learning.

First thing, Forging A New Path has a lot of fuzz. Let the intro to the third track, "Blind Monkey," show you that. It is what leads to the wall of sound comment I made before. If you can't find a millisecond of silence, or a slight dip in energy coming at you, that is a wall of sound as far as I'm concerned, and this EP is full of it. While the disc itself isn't really slow or doomy enough to be accurately classified as stoner/doom metal, it is too slow to be straight up stoner. It falls into that rarely utilized classification of tempo and style, which oddly helps out the release as a whole. It gives the group enough of a stylistic leniency to play on both sides of the fence. Some songs are a little more on the doom side, while others are more straight-stoner.
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Weekly Dose of Prog: Gojira - The Way of All Flesh

2011-05-20T12:00:00.001-04:00

In my ever-constant search for new and exciting music, as well as being open minded and pushing my own boundaries, I took a chance and decided to listen to Gojira. The band is from France and has been making waves for a number of years. Their latest album, The Way of All Flesh, was seemingly loved by all, every time someone reviews it - even now - it's overwhelmingly positive. They combine progressive elements with death screams, thrash and new wave of american heavy metal (which to me is a mix of thrash and death screams, but I won't get into that right now), which is what got my interest. We'll see if I join in with the masses with love for this group and album.

In the past the only thing I ever heard about Gojira was either just snippets from their songs or reviews on other metal sites. Most of the reviews equated them into the death metal bracket of music, which i absolutely abhor, so I had really no interest to actually listen to the band. This changed very recently because within a week's span two websites had pulled up a song and/or video from the act, to which I gave a quick listen, and discovered that I actually enjoyed the music I was hearing. From that point on it was the simple matter of discovering that I already had their critically-acclaimed 2008 album, and then to actually take the time to hear it - not the easiest task let me assure you.
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Retrospective: The Atomic Bitchwax

2011-05-19T12:00:00.002-04:00

After my new computer snafu, I have been taking a lot of time to re-listen to discographies of artists I know and love. It's helped me reconnect with some bands I don't hear nearly enough, I've sussed out some new songs that I hadn't given much time to before, and it's introduced me to some albums I've missed or skipped. On the rare occasion it has opened my eyes to an act that I don't like nearly as much as previously thought. The Atomic Bitchwax is within this last category.

Don't get me wrong, I like the band, I enjoy their groove-heavy, funky, frequent instrumental style of stoner, but on another round of actually listening to the entire disc of their albums - not just the songs I pick through - I realize how little of the songs I actually enjoy off of each. For this article, I'm only focusing on the major LPs; The Atomic Bitchwax, The Atomic Bitchwax II, The Atomic Bitchwax 3, and TAB4. I haven't heard The Local Fuzz yet (their latest) and I've never really gone through the EPs very much, so I'll save those for another day and another article.

The Atomic Bitchwax - 1999
Their debut and one of my favorites (as far as numbers go) of the group. I like the instrumentals and the mix of funk and psychedelia of the album. The only songs I know offhand, that is I've already listened to them a dozen times, are "Hope You Die" and "Stork Theme" (which is an instrumental). That being said, out of the eleven tracks on this album, six of them I enjoy above and beyond - something I could imagine listening to over and over. This isn't really bad, I know a lot more acts that have a worse album ratios at all times, but this is one of the high points for my relationship with The Atomic Bitchwax, which is kind of sad.
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Play It Again: Red Fang - Red Fang

2011-05-18T12:00:00.001-04:00

Every Friday (under the tag Frydee) The Obelisk posts a music video and sums up the past week and what is upcoming.for the man (H.P. Taskmaster) and the site in general. This past week's 'Frydee Red Fang' hosts the new music video for "Wires" a song taken from Red Fang's brand new album. The video is pretty clever, you should check it out, and had me laughing at last at one point, but the more important aftermath of the video (at least for me and you) is the return of my interest for the group. I have received their latest release, Murder The Mountains, and look forward to reviewing it, but I decided to listen to the band's debut, self-titled, album first, to reacquaint myself with the act. And so I give Red Fang another try.

Although I've known about Red Fang for some time now, I only recently ever took the time to actually listen to their debut. Someone said something on a forum, or posted a review or something and it got me thinking about the group. Most comments and reviews have been pretty much overwhelmingly positive, and who can battle that praise for long? So I decided to give it up, take a seat and give Red Fang a spin. What I heard, on this first take, was an album of groovy stoner rock, with a couple of bright stand-outs but the rest of the album being very average. Their music had some skill, but not enough flair to really pop in my head.
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Sabaton on Tour - EXCLUSIVE Interview

2011-05-17T12:00:00.000-04:00

The crowd at Firestone Live was evenly divided between bright-eyed twenty-somethings and middle-aged, veteran metal heads. This was just what I expected from a show where the headlining band has been around since the '70s, and the biggest opening band could attribute much of its rising fame to YouTube fan videos.

Orlando, Florida was the first stop for the Sabaton/ACCEPT U.S. tour. For the German band ACCEPT, this was just business as usual. But for Sabaton, April 9th, 2011 was a landmark, as it was their first stop in their first-ever U.S. tour.

"Everyone here is so polite," Joakim Brodén, lead vocalist, remarks. "In places we have toured like in Eastern Europe, they're fucking crazy. They will kick down doors to get to you. It's a security issue, you know."
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RIP Ronnie James Dio - 1 Year Today

2011-05-16T12:00:00.001-04:00

Today's post was supposed to be an exclusive interview with Sabaton, by the overly talented Gryphyn, and I was also working on a review for the new Red Fang album but it all is getting pushed back a day (sorry Gryphyn) so I can bring memory back to one of the mad men of metal: Ronnie James Dio, who died of stomach cancer one year ago today.

It's weird because although I am only in my twenties, thinking of Dio's passing still brings me sadness. I mean, a couple of months previous Peter Steele of Type O Negative died, and he had a much more 'actual' impact on my life, having bought ToN albums and seen them live. But although I lament his death, it is still not anywhere close to what I feel about Dio. In my delusions of grandeur I always hoped I would bump into Dio at the store or at work or something, and that with my stupidly-large knowledge of heavy metal, I could smooth talk my way onto his next tour or something. I know it's foolish but it's my dream ok? I find myself having this same daydream at work now sometimes, before I remember that he has died and that it's a 100% impossibility (as opposed to the 99.9% as it was before). Makes me feel even shittier at my shitty job.
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Video: Black Spiders - "St. Peter"

2011-05-15T12:00:00.002-04:00

As I've stated before, with my new computer, I've had to work through my huge library pretty much from scratch. The good of this is that it gives me a chance to re-listen to all my records - both old and new. I'm re-listening to the Black Spiders discography right now and it hit me how good of a band this is. Their debut, Sons of The North, was damn near perfect.

Of this great album, the song "St. Peter" is by far my favorite. It has the most punch, great rhythm, and some serious replay-ability. The music video really doesn't make much sense, but who cares? The music does all the talking (both literally and figuratively).

EP Shakedown: Ocean Towers - Chapter 1

2011-05-14T12:00:00.000-04:00

In a very 70s metal way, Ocean Towers puts out tunes. Their debut EP, Chapter 1 (which is available free from their BandCamp page), isn't quite enough of a throwback to be confined to the retro-rock tag, but I could easily see some of these songs appearing on a mid-to-late 70s release. Along with that there are plenty of more modern sounds and elements within the five-track record - it's an adventure with these guys.

The first two tracks, "New Slides" and "Honey Slides," are the obvious retroly-influenced tracks, at times sounding like Black Sabbath (mid-Ozzy era, think Vol. 4 or Sabbath Bloody Sabbath) or heavy Deep Purple, mixing all of this well within the stoner vein of Kyuss. The balance of style and form is what really stands out in my mind with these two, there isn't any wavering of the music or the vocals, nothing that would bely these relative newcomers short histories. This is all rock n' roll and metal, a mix so well stirred you can't see where one begins and another ends.
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Weekly Dose of Prog: Awestruck - Telemision

2011-05-13T15:06:00.000-04:00

So Blogger has been down all day, so I haven't had a chance to post this article till now. I apologize for the lateness of this release, I know how some of you like reading these weekly posts.

I've actually met the guys from Awestruck, my good friend Andrew Clayton went to high school with the drummer so we all have a bit of history. I interviewed them for my short-lived radio show, I've been to their home and to their recording studio (same place really) to help out with a track. They've been making waves here in Orlando over the past few years, headlining a lot of local shows and special events around town, and I've only ever seen them live once, much the pity on my part.

The band gave me their debut album, Telemision (sorry for the iTunes link, it was the only one I could find), after our radio interview - Jesus that 2008... doesn't seem like it should have been that long - and so I've had a lot of time with it and it has a lot of listens to it's name. The album itself meanders between neo prog, post-hardcore and the alternative rock sound that been popular lately. Their sound reminds me of 3, early Incubus or even (slightly) Coheed & Cambria (but in a good way!).

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New Band: Gozu

2011-05-13T13:44:00.000-04:00

After reviewing The Soda Comp. Vol 1 yesterday, I was reminded of Reg at Heavy Planet's best of 2010 list, of which Gozu was on. Not only that, but these guys popped up on a number of year-end lists, and that made me want to hear more. I forgot all about that, until the review of the comp, so I figure what better time then now to get it out there? I am kind of sick (bachelor party at an all-you-can-eat steak joint, you all understand) and am having a little problem stringing these words together (spelling is a big deal right now), so this one may be a little clipped. I'll try to get everything I want out.

My taste of Locust Season from the comp is pretty accurate; the album is chock-full of groove-oriented stoner metal. Although that is the base description it does not make this album dull by any means. They do use some special effect for emphasis; the vocals often have the effect that they are spoken through a voice box (most notably in "Regal Beagle"), layered vocals makes an appearance in "Rise Up", as does an acoustic guitar intro, and the beginning of "Meat Charger" sounds straight-up like AC/DC. Each song pretty much has something slightly different about it to have it stand apart from the rest, the trick is just finding that little extra.
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New Album: The Soda Shop Comp. Volume 1

2011-05-11T12:00:00.003-04:00

A couple of months ago our friends over at The Soda Shop released a compilation of some up-and-coming acts (some more up currently then others). After debating about it for a while, I decided to give The Soda Shop Comp. Volume 1 a spin, to try and find some new artists, figuring with these guys at the helm I can't go wrong. Did I mention it was free?

Stone Axe "Old Soul (Beat Club Version)" - "Old Soul" (the original version) was not my favorite release from the band, and this remix of sorts does not add much to the ending product. I really like the band but I think they could have chosen a better song for this mix, but it is Stone Axe, so you know it'll be enjoyable on some level.

Strange Haze "Strange Dope" - My first taste of Strange Haze, and although I wasn't wowed with this song, it does want me to check out the album I have of theirs. Their musical style is most definitely blues stoner (complete with harmonica), but the lyrics and their influence of the music reminds me a lot of Warren Zevon. I'm not sure if it's just this song or their style as a whole, more research is needed to make an accurate description.
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New Album: Ironweed - Your World Of Tomorrow

2011-05-10T12:00:00.001-04:00

With a name like Ironweed, I'm always surprised with how much energy this act puts out. As I said last week, the band's style melds stoner and alternative metal - something they do quite well - but from my experience with bands that have 'weed,' 'pot,' 'dope,' 'bud,' etc within their name, they are usually more stoner and less metal (except for the sludge acts). This is what history has shown me, and this is why I am never expecting the intensity that Ironweed throws out there with every riff. This was true with their debut, Indian Ladder, and it is true now, with Your World of Tomorrow.

I've been hearing some grumbling across the interwebs about this album, about it not being a fulfilling sophomore release and other such squawking. I can't see how this could possibly be a concern or worry, because if Your World of Tomorrow is anything, it's consistent with Indian Ladder. The punchy guitars are still a focal point, this time with added solos over it all, the vocals are still stoner/thrash style (shouted but understandable), the drums still pound away. I don't see a huge difference here.
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Retrospective: Led Zeppelin (Part 1)

2011-05-09T12:00:00.001-04:00

It's been a while sense I've done one of these, and while I have a couple half finished (these are my most time consuming article, and who would say otherwise with five or more albums to listen to before completion...) I thought, with my new computer and my new library, I'll begin with the gods of heavy metal: Led Zeppelin.

Led Zeppelin - 1969
It's apparent to see, with this self-titled debut, that Led Zeppelin were on to something. Remember, at this point the heaviest thing out there was Blue Cheer and Iron Butterfly, and while both of those are decent forerunners to what would become metal, when this album hit the scene it was a game changer. The songs are heavy, but still deep in the blues and rock, making them accessible to the average audience, not something just for fan-boys, hip to this new wave of music. The songs have stories ("Black Mountain Side"), they contemplate on modern issues of love and money ("Dazed and Confused"), all the while combining great guitar and percussion. The parts of this album that I like the most are the breakdowns that lead into a quick and heavy follow-up. "You Shook Me" and "Dazed and Confused" both are examples, with some sort of slowdown, often into the spacy/minimalist style, followed immediately by a fast rock n' roll section before returning to the original tempo and style. No one else was doing this at the time, at least not on this scare, and for that they will always be remembered. As far as the tracks are concerned, pretty much each one is a classic; the only exceptions being the final pair: "I Can't Quit You Baby," and "How Many More Times." I know this is all personal preference, but the first just doesn't seem to get to where it's going, and the second just drags on and on. The songs themselves are enjoyable, but just fall short when compared to the rest of the disc. That's it, that is the only gripe I have, the rest of the release is pretty much gold. A legendary beginning for a legendary career.
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Video: Whole Wheat Bread - "Old Man Samson"

2011-05-08T12:00:00.001-04:00

I don't know why I never thought to look up Whole Wheat Bread on YouTube before, but there you have it, it never crossed my mind. WWB is a band that mixes their love for punk rock and hip-hop into something pretty great. I've seen them live twice, and they are a show to see if you get the chance to, well worth the twenty bucks you'll probably spend.

"Old Man Samson" is from the group's debut LP, Minority Rules, which was from 2005. You can tell the age of this video looking at it, as the members don't look much like this anymore - plus they have a new bassist - but it doesn't matter, it's a jamming, rocking song. I love their albums!

EP Shakedown: The Helldozers - My Anger

2011-05-07T12:00:00.005-04:00

The Helldozers are a southern stoner/sludge act, who have been nice enough to release their debut EP, My Anger, for free off of their website (both in MP3 and FLAC for those huge music nerds out there). Their style is slightly reminiscent of early Down, with a heavy groove sound with some rough (but understandable) vocals. For someone who isn't wholly on the guttural style of singing, as I've stated many times before, it took me a little bit to get on board with it all, but by the end of the first track off of the EP I was happily engaged.

The release begins with "My Anger" which may or may not be live, there are live sounds but you never know nowadays whether or not they aren't added in. The song takes a while to take off, or perhaps it was the time needed for me to get used to their style (see above), but either way it ends strong and is easily enjoyable. The following song, "I'am What I'am," has a really catchy chorus and some good music to go along with it, but sounds like something is missing from the equation. "Seven Seas," the following song, is a really groove-metal, circa 1990-era thrash. It's quick and heavy, but not so frantic as the 80s thrash was, more mature and tuned down for effect. A really good end of the first half of the record.
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Weekly Dose of Prog: Wishbone Ash - Time Was

2011-05-06T12:00:00.001-04:00

Here's one for you older folks out there, a band that people of my generation have probably never heard of, and I'm willing to bet even a fair chunk of the older crowd never had a chance to listen to this great band. This band was one of the earliest pioneers of dual guitar players, utilizing both as lead and creating an interesting harmony within the melody. Along with this, they incorporated multiple vocalists (three at their beginning) which gave them the flexibility of range, style and layered performances. Using these elements the act combined progressive themes with those of blues rock to create a unique sound. The band I'm referring to of course is Wishbone Ash.

Mixing the emerging themes of blues rock and progressive rock, along with the forming heavy metal scene, Wishbone Ash's songs are all over the place stylistically. I know Time Was is the best of the band, so it may be a little unfair to compare the styles of songs next to each other, seeing as they were pulled from over a twenty year career (at the time of the album's release, 1993), but I'm not complaining about the styles, just remarking that they are there. There is the constant melding of hard/blues rock and progressive rock, sounding at times like a mix between Led Zeppelin and The Allman Brothers Band, but it goes deeper then that. At times I hear tunes of the psychedelic-induced Yes, at other points I hear a vocal harmonized/operatic style closer to Uriah Heep then anything else. Early in the collection, there is a 'call and answer' section (I believe it's the song "Errors Of My Way" but I'm not wholly sure) between the lead guitar and the vocals, wherein the guitar plays a line/lick which the vocals attempt to mirror. I've heard this before in other acts, but in this example it's actually quite a long section, taking up a good chunk of the song. It's something the members spent some time on, not just a four-bar phrase tossed in for fancy.
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Play It Again: Ironweed - Indian Ladder

2011-05-05T12:00:00.030-04:00

I was going to review the new Ironweed album (part of the Small Stone gift pack), but I decided to listen to their debut first, to both remind me of the group and to hear some sick tunes. I discovered Indian Ladder through Chief Iron Lung, a fellow blogger (although with an ulterior motive), who said these guys kick some major ass. He was not wrong, and has steered me to some great acts before and sense, and I aim to do the same now.

I really enjoy Indian Ladder because of it's fresh take on the stoner genre. Ironweed mixes the fuzz of the usual stoner with a alternative metal edge to it. I mean by that, that instead of the sort of laid back feeling of most stoner acts, this album holds onto a quick and frantic style that reminds me of something more mainstream; I don't mean this as an insult, but it's sort of like the singles from Avenged Sevenfold or Five Finger Death Punch mixed in with the more usual stoner side of things.
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New Band: Tia Carrera

2011-05-04T12:00:00.040-04:00

When I got the Small Stone care package (the recording company's full 2011 line-up albums) I was a bit confused to see Tia Carrera included with the group. A quick google search led me to believe (for a short while) that she was the chick from Wayne's World - the actress' name is Tia Carrere so it's close. It turns out that she has a band that she fronts, when she's not making the one movie a decade. I was initially confused because I couldn't imagine her playing anything that would constitute a stay on the stoner label of Small Stone. A little more digging got me to the right act, and I have to say I'm happy that it turned out this way, as Tia Carrera (the band) kicks some stoney ass!

Cosmic Priestess is one doomy-instrumental-stoner-extravaganza. It sounds half carefully planned and half made up on the spot; part jam, part craft, all rock. The album opens and closes with the simplest and shortest songs - not a shortcoming as both are over seven minutes in length - very astutely bookending the LP with a similar style. The first song, "Slave Cylinder," is a build-up track, never quite reaching it's full potential, but accurately setting the stage for the later works. The last track of the album, "A Wolf in Wolf's Clothing," is a very groovy and semi-funky song, first focusing solely on the the groove, but eventually shifting the focus to a more drum and guitar back-and-forth. It's a great outro, and puts a memorable ending spin on Tia Carrera's latest release.
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Awesome Websites: Map of Metal

2011-05-03T12:00:00.001-04:00

Slow week for me, and so I'm just going to leave you with this little tid-bit until I get something real done.

Map of Metal

It's kind of a neat representation of the world of metal that we live in. It starts at the 'Heavy Metal' tag, and spans outward from there. What I like is that on top of the map (which is huge by the way) it has musical examples for most of the genres, including those that aren't fully metal. It entangles any sub-genre of rock, from punk and thereby hardcore, to psychedelic and grunge.

I don't agree with all of the genres and how they are tied together always, with djent in the death metal breacket, but it's pretty accurate overall. I did learn some new genres that I had never heard of; visual kei, and neue deutsche harte (literally new German hardness), and some better understanding of a few genres that I'm not totally fond of.

Well enjoy looking through that, and I hope that it shows you something that you didn't know about the world of metal, and introduces you to some hew bands. I'll try to get something more substantial up tomorrow.

Guilty Pleasures: Disturbed - The Sickness

2011-05-02T12:00:00.052-04:00

Here we go, another throwback album, one that if you were a child of the 90s you probably listened to ad nasaum, and another one to raise the ire of those opponents of 'false metal.' Whatever, I don't care, I jammed out to this album and group for a number of years, and I still enjoy hearing their releases occasionally today.

While not my favorite Disturbed album, The Sickness is by far the heaviest and most known release from the group. It was the act's debut album, and became immensely popular; collecting much radio-air time, selling most of the available tickets on their tours, and scurrying around the halls of my high school (I was a freshman at the time). It is also the album most within the nu-metal bracket, which is why it receives the current level of animosity that it does. I don't see why really, while it does have nu-metal tendencies, this is most definitely heavy metal, if only with some semi-industrial pieces mixed in.
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Everything I Didn't Review In April

2011-05-02T00:01:00.119-04:00

With the shorter numbers this month, there wasn't a ton of new music hitting my ears in April. What little there was, mostly already has/had a review posted about it, so don't expect a ton going on here.

Ambeon - Fate of A Dreamer
Another mast on the Arjen Anthony Lucassen ship of awesomeness, Ambeon's Fate of A Dreamer is a light and semi-atmospheric adventure into progressive metal. Not his best work, Ayreon and Guilt Machine are both way better, but it's nice seeing the man try new things. He has a couple of other acts/releases that I want to listen to, but I have a lot on my plate

Arbouretum - The Gathering
I just wanted some chill music to ease into my day, which is why I chose the psych/stoner act Arbouretum and I got what I wanted. The Gathering is a great, relaxing piece for anyone who just wants to let their eyes go slack and zone out. The album was a great mix of tranced-out tunes and story-telling that reminds me of Warren Zevon. My personal favorite is "The Highwayman" because it combines both of these ideals; the music is simple and relaxing while the story is deep and entertaining. I wanted to do a full review of The Gathering, but I have a hard time reviewing psych albums, at least to the length of a full review. A great album.
[Edit] After hanging out with Andrew Clayton this week, he played me the version of "The Highwayman" by The Highwaymen (outlaw country supergroup featuring Kris Kristofferson, Johnny Cash, Waylon Jennings and Willie Nelson). Half way through the song, I remarked that I had heard this song before, and recently, and after a little bit of a search, I re-came upon the Arbouretum version. I played it for Andrew and he liked it enough to take a copy of the group's album. Kind of a neat story I think.
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Video: 3 Inches of Blood - The Goatriders Horde

2011-05-01T12:00:00.001-04:00

My favorite song off of 3 Inches of Blood's last good album, Fire Up The Blades. I just like the thought of the ultimate evil, the armies of hell, riding goat... I don't know but that makes me laugh a little bit. I know this is an older video, and that the band has released some for their latest release, Here Waits Thy Doom, but as I led too above, I think their newest album is crap. No original members and only one singer - the growly one - really doesn't do it for me. But, this is why I choose this song, this album, because I view it as the last album by 3 Inches of Blood, anything else is a poor tribute.

Albums Listened To In April (57)

2011-05-01T00:01:00.091-04:00

After the amazing listen counts of last month, I'm a little disheartened by this month's lackluster numbers; 56 total listens. This was affected by the fact that I stopped riding my bike to work (rainy season starting put the kabosch on that), work has been extra shitty of late (a depressed Klepto is not in the state of mind for reviews or listens), and that I got a new computer towards the end of the month which has taken up some time to get everything on track.
A lot of this months listens have been golden oldies, mostly because of the lack of motivation with writing and new music (going back to the shitty job thing) and that with the new computer, I have no rankings or organizations for my iPod. Thus, I need to re-listen to all of my favorites, classic rock/metal, and great releases before I focus too much on what is new for 2011. It's going to hamper this site somewhat, but I'm looking big-picture here. Do the grunt work now and eventually I can get The Guide running more smoothly in the near future.
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EP Shakedown: Trash Titan - Trash Titan

2011-04-30T12:00:00.001-04:00

Trash Titan seems like a very accurate name for this group. The music they make is some rough and trashy stoner rock with a huge sound. The songs off of their self-titled EP move between being blues/retro rock and grooving southern rock, with the occasional thrash feeling within the breakdowns.

"Medicine" does a good job of setting the scene; with the southern-tinged rock coming in thick. The second track, "Sunny Day," is where the album begins to take off, where the mix of stoner genres is more apparent. Elements of southern, rock n' roll and thrash all make their play here. This leads to the more subdued but far superior, "Whiskey Love," the high point of the release. This one is straight-forward southern jam-stoner, with a moving rhythm and a entertaining story.
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So Mike Mangini Is Dream Theater's New Drummer

2011-04-29T14:00:00.000-04:00

I don't do a lot of current events and news here, with my feeling that I'll never have enough time to maintain anything long term, and honestly you can all that from either Shy Guy Assassin or Metal Insider (among others) if you truly want... like I do. But because I love Dream Theater and have already commented on the whole Dream Theater minus Mike Portnoy thing, I feel inclined to comment on this latest development.

After attempting to tie people in with a documentary, showing the drum-offs if you will, the fellas of Dream Theater have officially announced (finally) that their new drummer/percussionist will be Mike Mangini. Now, I didn't follow the documentary at all, and I only kept in the loop sparingly, but this bit of news grabs my attention. Mr. Mangini has worked with several acts previously; Steve Vai, Extreme, Annihilator, and James LaBrie's solo effort, among others, so you know he has the basic ability (Annihilator's Set The World On Fire is one of my favorite albums by the group). On top of that he was, at one time, the holder of five of the World's Fastest Drummer records, including Fastest Matched Grip, Fastest Barehands, Fastest Traditional Grip, and Fastest Single Stroke Foot (2 different records), so you know the man has speed.
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Weekly Dose of Prog: VYGR - Hypersleep

2011-04-29T12:00:00.000-04:00

VYGR is a new band that has been getting a lot of press of late; and while I discovered that they are a bit light on the progressive aspect, several other reviewers hailed their style of music as very much progressive in nature. This is what led to the group being this week's 'Weekly Dose of Prog,' but whichever way you look at it, I'm glad I got a chance to hear Hypersleep.

You see, while VYGR (pronounced Voyager) have progressive tendencies, they really fall more into the post-metal aspect of the genre. The songs have a tendency of being long and drawn-out (not a complaint), mixing in sludge and doom for good measure. This is the style of sludge I like by the way, the vocals are growly but semi-understandable and go with the music very well. It's not like the growing trend of pointless screaming and incomprehensible growls that have become so popular nowadays. It reminds me of Baroness, only less prog and much more doom-oriented.
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Play It Again: Sucking The 70s - Volume I & II

2011-04-28T12:00:00.075-04:00

I discovered these pair of awesome throw-back to the 70s releases about a year ago, and have since been thoroughly enjoying these modernized classics. Small Stone Records collected the best of of the bands under their label and gave them some of the best songs of the 70s to put their heart and soul into. The best thing about this idea is most of these acts are qualified as 'retro-rock' bands, and so most of these covers don't sound out of place at all. Blues-stoner acts jamming out blues rock songs sound perfectly at home, no chance of a waver or misstep.

These albums are carried by two points, the original song quality, and the skill of the band covering them. Songs that you know and love from the 70s get proper justice here, and the few lesser known songs (I had never heard of Leaf Hound or Big Star before) that get an overhaul are of equal footing. Not every song within Sucking The 70s is truly amazing, but enough of it is to wow any audience.

To keep things simple, I'm just going to list all of the songs on the albums, with the ones I love in bold, and the very few I can't stand in italics, everything else is just ok. The list is organized by: Covering Band - "Song Title" (Original Band), to keep it simple to understand.

Sucking The 70s
I discovered this album first, a few days before the other and found it amazing. A few of these songs I had already, either on the respective act's releases or in some other special edition collection, but that didn't dim my excitement at having so many classic songs in one release. Personal favorites (above and beyond the bolded collection) are; "Cross Eyed Mary," "I Don't Have To Hide," and "Workin Man."
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Favorite Albums: Elf - Trying To Burn The Sun

2011-04-27T12:00:00.002-04:00

Trying To Burn The Sun is the last Elf album, and similarly the last Elf album to be included in my Favorite Albums list (aha a stupid joke). Check out my articles on their other two albums, Elf and Carolina Country Ball, for more Elfy goodness.

It seems that the band seemed to know this was to be their final release, as Trying To Burn The Sun pulls out all the stops. The album includes some of their best songs, most varied compositions, and almost every track of the record has a centralized story - something I love within my music. This album, on a song by song basis, is the greatest of the Elf albums. It contains their best tracks, all collected very nicely in one place.
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Awesome Artwork: Alestorm

2011-04-26T12:00:00.087-04:00

I was working on my last Alestorm article, under the 'Bands I Love' headline, and I realized that this group has some amazing artwork out there. To celebrate this fact I'm going to showcase all that Alestorm has to offer. Expect some big, decent-definition pics with brief descriptions.

Captain Morgan's Revenge - 2008
This is what begins us off, out first hit of what Alestorm has to their name. I like the artwork for Captain Morgan's Revenge because it is simple in the background, and then has a very visual foreground. I could easily imagine this (minus the skull-face) being a part of an actual time piece from the 17th century about piracy - if only a smaller piece of a bigger portrait. It begins the story of the band smashingly.

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Awesome Songs: Elf - "Streetwalker"

2011-04-25T12:00:00.001-04:00

As I was working on my 'Favorite Albums' article for the last album by Elf, Trying To Burn The Sun, I began writing about the amazing song "Streetwalker" which appears on the album. After giving a bare-bones version of the song, I still ended up writing half a page on the subject. So I either had to slim it down, or start a new article... Guess what I chose.

As I said in my previous Elf article, "Carolina Country Ball" is my favorite song by the band, but the finale of Trying To Burn The Sun, "Streetwalker" takes a close second place. It is an amazingly well put together piece of rock and roll. Strong is form, melody and narration, I can't help to belt out the lyrics each and every time I hear it - especially the ending of the track.

== Check out the track on YouTube (better this way then the old) ==
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A Helping Hand...

2011-04-24T21:55:00.000-04:00

Don't worry, I'm not asking you for money or anything, calm yourself.

I have a couple friends in a band and there is a contest going on right now by FedEx for a record deal. It's sort of like a battle of the bands except by votes only (and that much more lame). Regardless, it would be sweet if my friends won, and as so I am asking all of you out there on the interwebs to head HERE and vote for The Jonnie Morgan Band (they are the 13th one down). All you have to do is go to the site, wait for it to load (it's kind of a poorly put together one, it takes forever to load) and click on the plus sign (+) above 'Be A Fan.'

That's it, it'll take 30 seconds and you'll be benefiting some amazing musicians from Central Florida.

Thanks a ton in advance.
-K-

Video: Alestorm - Keelhauled

2011-04-24T12:00:00.007-04:00

I've already spouted my love for Alestorm (more to come as well), and "Keelhauled" is one of their more interesting songs. I love the jig-style of the track, and the story-telling aspect as well; all about a traitor who must pay for his crimes. I've seen the group live so I already know all about the keytar the lead singer plays, but that is a sight I don't think I'll ever get used too...

EP Shakedown: Syd Arthur - Moving World

2011-04-23T12:00:00.070-04:00

I had know idea who or what Syd Arthur was, but what I heard was not what I was expecting by any means. Moving World was another 'gift sent' to me by Ripple Music, and I really don't know what to make of it. It melds styles I previously thought un-meldable. Truly a conundrum of sound and style. I only label this as progressive rock because I don't know what else to classify it as, it is that much of an interesting mashup of style.

I'm going to assume Syd Arthur is either a nickname or the band name, like Pink Floyd, Jethro Tull or Franz Ferdinand, a name that sounds like a person's, but is in fact the group's name (in my searches I discovered a theory that the band gets it's name from Syd Barret (original singer for Pink Floyd) and from The Kinks' album, Arthur (Or The Decline And Fall Of The British Empire), so that's kind of interesting). I say this because the singer has a very peculiar voice; At times making me think it is a female singing, and at others just a really odd male (the first draft of this paragraph was all about a female vocalist, then I did some actual research and learned the truth). It is really odd, I can tell that he's British, but other then that I am at a loss.
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Weekly Dose of Prog: 3 Headed Monster - 3 Headed Monster

2011-04-22T12:00:00.058-04:00

Work's been pretty brutal of late, and as such I'm putting together this week's 'Weekly Dose of Prog' very last minute. This week's isn't going to be a big one, and I'm working hard on getting something of substance out on time (my first draft was very short). As it stands, this will be short and sweet. I'll try to get back on my feet for next week, as I do enjoy writing these.

3 Headed Monster was an instrumental progressive metal band that I discovered randomly several years ago. I don't really remember how I found them, or why I would give them a listen above so many other bands (it probably had something to do with the band name and the album artwork). Whatever the case I discovered the act and I am glad I did.

With the many previous instrumental acts I've heard and reviewed here the constant remark I make is whether or not the band in question can pull off being entertaining for the long hall. Some acts can handle this, with consistently evolving melodic progressions and an equally impressive guitar/drum relationship, while others fade out into nothingness, with repetitive riffs and the like. 3 Headed Monster plays on both sides of the fence, with some tracks being very entertaining and memorable, while others simply are not.
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Play It Again: Abramis Brama - Nothing Changes

2011-04-21T12:00:00.011-04:00

Because of my recent acquisition of a new computer and the musical fiasco that decision brought with it, I basically have to re-listen to my entire collection (or at least those albums I know I love) to get back on the same page. Seeing as I have to do this, I'm going to go for the silver lining and figure that it gives me a chance to write a bit about some of my favorite bands and records. In the past I've only written about full discographies or new bands/albums that I have heard. This gives me the chance to tell you about those diamonds in the rough.

Although I am not planning on doing this alphabetically, Abramis Brama is damn close to the beginning of my collection (currently number five. but honestly I haven't listened to the artists that come before yet). The group is Swedish, and Nothing Changes is their sole album in English. I'd love to hear more from the group, but as I've said before, I can't handle non-English music for an entire album. I need some sort of vocals that I can sort of understand (which is also my problem with a lot of instrumental music out there). If you can speak Swedish, or don't mind hearing gibberish, I am jealous and encourage you to check out the rest of their albums and get back to me.

Anyway, Abramis Brama plays a real bluesy and groove-oriented rock, with a strong sonic styling of Soundgarden, especially within the correlation of the guitars to the vocals. While it's not a complete comparison, when Ulf Torkelsson (awesome name) holds out a long note in the higher end of his register, I can't help but think of Chris Cornell (from Soundgarden). The rest of the group is pretty mellow, with down-tuned and lightly-strummed guitars, and chill drumming. It all weaves back and forth, bringing up the amplitude when needed, but never oppressing the lyrics in any regard. The mixing for this album is superb to say the least.
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Taste of Thrash: Municipal Waste - Waste 'Em All

2011-04-20T12:00:00.000-04:00

This is the album that, for some reason, I have really wanted to listen to again, recently. One of their songs ("Death Prank") popped up on a random mix CD I made some years ago, and sense that encounter, I've wanted more from Municipal Waste.

While Carnivore was an in-your-face style of thrash (see 'Taste of Thrash' from last week for more), Municipal Waste's particular style - at least for Waste 'Em All, I haven't listened to much more of their albums - is ten times that. They call this their first full-length, but at fifteen minutes long I'm not sure if that description qualifies. Also of note, there are fifteen tracks. Yes, that means that the average track length is one minute long, the longest being 1:52 and the shortest only coming in at eleven seconds (the aforementioned "Death Prank"), which makes this album a roller coaster ride of a listening experience.
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Favorite Albums: Elf - Carolina Country Ball

2011-04-19T12:00:00.047-04:00

Continuing on with last week's edition of Favorite Albums, dedicated to Elf's debut album, I thought it prudent to work on the second disc in their discography; Carolina Country Ball. This is the album where the group begins to pick up steam, having toured with Deep Purple for over a year, working on their composition and sound. It begins a direction more into the rock aspect of blues rock, joining in with the rock 'n roll era, and is a real step up in the story-telling aspects.

First thing, the name; you see, while the album if officially titled Carolina Country Ball, it was released in parts of the world (most notably the USA and Japan) as L.A. 59. No reason for this switch has ever been offered, and while it really doesn't change anything - there aren't two different track lists out there - it does strike me as a bit odd. Personally I much more enjoy the song "Carolina Country Ball" over "L.A. 59," so I prefer the original title, and will continue to address it as such.
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Current Events

2011-04-18T18:11:00.000-04:00

Just a short little FYI: I got a new computer this week, which while awesome, does screw up my music collection somewhat. All of my songs/albums/artists made the crossover (I think anyway), but the organization that I had with them did not. So all of my rankings, notes, playlists, collections, etc have gone the way of the buffalo. With all of this I have to pretty much start from scratch.

My monthly 'Albums Listened To' lists will be a bit screwy, mostly because I can't be 100% which albums I have heard before or not. Also if you are a band/label and have sent me an album to review I have lost my order and the groups that I had put on my system to keep track of everything. I have it all saved in my email, but it will take me some time to get through all of the emails and whatnot to get back on track.

That being said, because of the fairly clean full-restart, I'm going to be editing some things. First off: I've created a new Last.fm for The Klepto's Guide, so if you have an account (which I strongly suggest) shoot me a friend request. I'm going to try to be more active on that website, with groups and whatnot so expect some of that.

I have enough article pre-written, or at least 75% done, for the next week or two, so I'll keep up to date for now. Hopefully by that point I'll be back on track with everything. I'm finding it hard to get moving, with basically the past three years of this hobby/addiction brought back to naught. It's a very sobering thought, looking through 65,000+ songs and really not knowing what to do with it all.

Bands I Love: Alestorm

2011-04-18T12:00:00.001-04:00

I am going to do a much fuller article on Alestorm here in the near future, but for the time being I just want to show my appreciation for the group. I absolutely love their first two albums, and I am actively working on a 'Favorite Albums' article for each. With the release of their third album, early in June, my excitement level is reaching biblical proportions and I feel the need to shout my adoration from the rooftops! Thus this edition of 'Bands I Love'.

I'm going to keep this article short and sweet - with more articles on the way, I really don't have to go too far into detail now - just highlighting one aspect of Alestorm's releases that I love and find really fascinating: their penchant to include covers on all of their releases. In itself nothing too special, many acts cover bands and artists that influenced them or something along those lines. Alestorm is special in the regard that all the songs they cover: A) Have something to do with pirates, theft, booze, etc. And B) Are mostly from non-metal acts and/or are something way-way off in left field.

The first example of interesting covers is probably the least adventurous of the group; it is "Flower of Scotland" off of their debut, Captain Morgan's Revenge, originally penned by the folk rock group The Corries way back in 1967. Sense that time the song has become de facto national anthem of Scotland - even though the country itself doesn't have a set anthem - so I could see why the Scottish band Alestorm would be interested in recording such a cover. As I said, not too out there, but not something you would normally expect to hear on a heavy metal release.
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Video: Type O Negative - "Black No.1" & "Everything Dies"

2011-04-17T12:00:00.019-04:00

This week was the first anniversary of Peter Steele's untimely death. As I'm sure most of you know, Steele was the lead singer and bassist for the gothic/doom band Type O Negative, as well as the thrash band Carnivore. I paid my dedication to Carnivore earlier in the week, and now do the same for Type O Negative.

Because of the mournful tone of this article, and because I love the works of Peter Steele, and Type O puts on one hell of a live show, this week's music videos is going to be a twofer. Two songs by Type O Negative, the first being their big hit of the 90s: "Black No. 1 (Little Miss Scare-All)" followed by a somewhat fitting "Everything Dies," the group's most depressing song I ever heard.
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EP Shakedown: The Dandelion Club - One More Margarita

2011-04-16T12:00:00.000-04:00

Down and dirty garage rock, this is what The Dandelion Club is selling. Their EP, One More Margarita (follow the link for a free download from the group's BandCamp), is a three-song, rough production release that captures the band's live element really well. Now, I haven't ever seen them live or anything, but judging from the energy they put out on this disc, it's not a far leap to make. By the half-way point on the first two songs it sounds like the singer is out of breath and exhausted, having worked so hard to put all he had into the track, this is why I would expect great things from band live.

Their style seems a mix of the garage rock of the 90s, the DIY style of punk (as well as some punky vocals) and the fuzz of stoner, giving it an almost punk folk sound. I know my first thought when the vocals came in on the title track was one of a Celtic punk band like The Pogues of Flogging Molly, although The Dandelion Club really don't have any true folk influences. It's just in the vocals and the loose production values I guess.
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Weekly Dose of Prog: The Devin Townsend Project - Ki/Addicted

2011-04-15T12:00:00.067-04:00

My knowledge and experience with Devin Townsend and his various 'projects' is limited at best. I've only heard a couple of his albums, all from his progressive side, and the only one I actually remember listening to with a 100% assuredly is Ziltoid The Omniscient, and that is ...well, a special case to say the least. So the should-have-been double album of Ki and Addicted will be my return to this crazy individual's bi-polar induced mind. Fare me well.

As a man who has released numerous albums all over the genre spectrum, you never really know what you're getting from Devin Townsend on any of his albums. He's released extreme music as Strapping Young Lad, and various styles of progressive music (including ambient records) under different makes of his name: originally as Devin Townsend, followed by a short reprieve as The Devin Townsend Band, and now currently The Devin Townsend Project. Each name takes on a slightly different style and skill of album released, but my own experience is admittingly limited, something that I hope to rectify over the coming weeks.
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5 Quick Album Reviews

2011-04-14T12:00:00.002-04:00

I've recently joined the family over at Ripple Music. They've been nice enough to send me some music for review (as well as connect me with the JPT Scare Band, who sent me a shirt and their entire discography, way to go there guys!), and a new outlet to gain some readers. If you haven't had a chance to check them out, I strongly suggest you do so, they review pretty much anything, from old to new, and any range of rock/metal. It's a lot more varied then The Guide is, so if you have eclectic tastes like me, there is bound to be something interesting there for you to enjoy.

Thinning The Herd - Oceans Rise
As a group that describes themselves as a "soulful brew of grunge-fueled, blues-driven, stoner-infused rock," their self-description hits the nail on the head pretty solidly. The songs off of Thinning The Herd initially strike me as a mix of early-era Clutch and the alternative/post-grunge of Alice In Chains. Even though Oceans Rise drift away from that original analysis, it is this thought that continuously pops up throughout the album. Overall the album is tuned-down, making it all sound very dark and oppressive, probably more so then the lyrics would normally have come across as, but I have to think that this is the purpose. Songs that do pop-up ahead of the group, do so because of their more melodic tendencies. An underlying theme to the music (at least to me) is a semi-garage and/or noise rock fuzz and overexposure of the instruments and vocals. Songs like the title track, "Defiler," "Binge," and "My Wake," all have more in the whole 'musical' department, a little more groove, a little more tune. If you find yourself forlorn at the end of the 90s grunge/alt-metal era then definitely check out Thinning The Herd, you will not be disappointed.
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Taste of Thrash: Carnivore

2011-04-13T12:00:00.000-04:00

I started the 'Weekly Dose of Prog' segment because I thought that The Guide was lacking on that front. I made it weekly because progressive rock/metal is one of my favorite genres, I can't really do that with thrash. I like thrash, and lately have been jonesing for a fix, but I know that I don't listen to nearly enough to describe these bands in as vivid of detail as I can with prog, stoner and doom. So randomly, I'm going to bring just a 'Taste of Thrash' to The Guide.

Although their music is more aggressive and in-your-face then most of the other thrash acts I listen to, for some reason I can't get enough of Carnivore. It could be because of my history with Peter Steele's later act, Type O Negative, as he sung and played bass for both bands, or it could be the thinly veiled attempt at humor many of the songs take on. Whatever the case, I can really get behind these grooves and melodies.

Louie Beateaux, Peter Steele, Marc Piovanetti

The group only released two albums before calling it quits and heading to the other side of the genre spectrum, spawning legendary metal doom/dark metal acts Type O Negative and Life of Agony, but I've listened to the second, Retaliation, repeatedly. I am ashamed to say that I haven't heard their debut, self-titled, LP nearly as much, but I'm trying to amend that as I write this article. For a band that basically tried to piss people off, they put out some damn good tunes. If you doubt their attempt at shock and awe just look at their subject matter; songs about race wars and racism, sexism and rape, anti-religion, hate, nuclear holocaust, and a few other touchy subjects. It's one of those acts you can either see the attempt at a lampooning style or hate the blatant message. Sort of like missing the forest through the trees if you ask me, but to each their own.
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Favorite Albums: Elf - Elf

2011-04-12T12:00:00.005-04:00

Unbelievably, it has been almost a full year since the passing of the legendary Ronnie James Dio. I still can hardly fathom is and it puts a pit in my stomach every time I think about it. Although the man is best known for his metal career; both solo and with Black Sabbath (as also Heaven And Hell), my favorite recording to benefit from his amazing voice are from his short-lived blues rock band, Elf. I've already written a bit about the band, once when I first discovered them, and again while I was going through the entire Ronnie James Dio catalog (a full year before his death). Now that it's been a while, I believe that I can adequately describe these amazing records (all three of them) and why they are included within my Favorite Albums.

Elf, the group's debut album, is a great first release from the group. As I stated before, this is their most 'pure' album, and by that I mean that this album takes upon the sounds of blues and mixes them with a semi-big band jam sound. The following pair of releases are much more rock-oriented (while still keeping the hint of blues) as the group was influenced by the sounds and styles of Deep Purple, who they were opening for continually throughout their career. So this is the album that best signifies the 'true sound' of the band, for better or worse.
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Tribute Series: Yellow Matter Custard

2011-04-11T12:00:00.000-04:00

It's been a while, but here is the final tribute band/act that I discovered going through Mike Portnoy's discography. You can check out the others; Hammer of the Gods, Cygnus and the Sea Monsters, and Amazing Journey.

This is the album that started the trend (but the last I heard), One Night in New York City is a tribute to The Beatles under the name Yellow Matter Custard; made up of Mike Portnoy (Dream Theater, Transatlantic, OSI, Liquid Tension Experiment), Neal Morse (Transatlantic, Spock's Beard), Paul Gilbert (Racer X, Mr. Big) and Matt Bissonette (ELO). They take their name from a lyric in "I Am the Walrus", by The Beatles: "Yellow matter custard, dripping from a dead dog's eye".

The Beatles have never been my favorite act, which is why the great delay between this article and the others (about four months). I was much more interested in The Who and Rush, which is why they were the first of the set I listened to. It just doesn't have the spark for me, as hearing some of my favorite acts covered. You all can understand that right?
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Video: Turisas - "Battle Metal"

2011-04-10T12:00:00.008-04:00

I tried to find a more modern music video for Turisas, seeing as they just released their third album, but when I found this one I knew it had to go up. The intro to the video will explain the set-up so there isn't any need for me to go through it.
One thing I did notice is that the vocals are easier to understand from this music video then the actual CD that they come from (Battle Metal). I don't know if it's a re-recording or just a cleaner mix, but whatever it is, I like it.

EP Shakedown: Heavy Ripples, Vol. 1

2011-04-09T12:00:00.000-04:00

I'm usually reluctant to listen and review compilation albums/EPs, because of the usual clash of styles and overall skill of the bands featured. It's the only place where you can hear stoner rock sat next to NWOAHM and atmospheric doom. It's just a little too sketchy for a real review... usually.

For the first compilation EP released by Ripple Music, aptly titled Heavy Ripples, Vol. 1, the guys have collected some amazing acts of the stoner persuasion. The album begins within the blues side of the sub-genre, then takes small sonic steps throughout the rest of the album, through excellent song selection, moving towards rock 'n roll and a dash of punk. Normally this shift would have bothered me, but the fellas at Ripple have done a superb job making it all from amazingly.

Stone Axe is at it again, with their real chill, more-blues-then-rock sound. This time turning the Mos Generator song, "Nightwolf," into what seems like a blues standard, something that I wouldn't think possible. This excellent effort is followed by Sun Gods In Exile, a group not on the Ripple Music label - originally from Small Stone - but nice enough to let their music be included (I'm sure the added press doesn't hurt either). Their song, "Over My Broken Body," isn't as blues-oriented as Stone Axe's work, but you can hear the correlation between the pair.
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Weekly Dose of Prog: Guilt Machine - On This Perfect Day

2011-04-08T12:00:00.000-04:00

Have to thank That Devil Music for this one, their great review is what tipped me off to the fact that this band even existed! Go check them out if you haven't had the chance yet, a great group of writers who actually know what they are talking about! Sometimes a rarity in today's world.

Arjen Anthony Lucassen is nothing if not a genius. His musical project, Ayreon, is one of my favorite progressive metal bands out there right now. On top of this epic project, he is also the frontman of a few others; Ambeon, Star One, Stream of Passion, and Guilt Machine - some of which may pop up again on another 'Weekly Dose of Prog.' While most of these projects were short lived, this is still an accomplishment by any measurement. And because Guilt Machine is what That Devil Music introduced me to, that is where I'll begin.

Fans of Ayreon will hear familiar sounds and themes throughout On This Perfect Day, and this is to be expected, as they both have the same person at the helm. However, Guilt Machine seems more dedicated to the lighter side of metal, not having any of the crushing themes that popped up on Lucassen's previous works. Compensating for this, the album takes upon aspects of ambient and industrial music. Neither is too overpowering, and if you were to listen to a segment of a song at random odds are you wouldn't hit an ambient or industrial passage. This new 'look' brings the sound and feeling of the record to a new level, adding credence of this is a different project. I actually like it quite a bit.
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Rant: At What Point Is A Band No More?

2011-04-07T12:00:00.000-04:00

Side Note: For some reason it seems like Thursdays are turning into a day where I rant about some issue. This is not intentional, it just has been the day that I have these articles finished by. We'll see if this 'trend' continues.

The title of this article may be a bit misleading, but I couldn't figure a way to word it any better. By the above I mean; at what point does a band, upon losing original members, stop being the band they were originally? I know that's not much clearer, but stay with me, I will explain.

This thought hit me while I was working on the recent Styx article (Favorite Albums: The Grand Illusion) to which I remarked that when I saw the band live, some years ago, there was only one original member of the band still recording and touring. In a like story, I know that 3 Inches of Blood lost their last founding member a couple of years ago, meaning that when you see the band live, you aren't seeing the group that released Battlecry Under a Wintersun, or perhaps even Advance and Vanquish (I don't know, I didn't spend that much time checking their attendance).

So do you call that truly seeing or hearing the band? I know it's just an argument over details, because these acts are still recording new music, still touring, and still being Styx or 3 Inches of Blood, but there has to be a line when the band isn't really the band, and I'm just querying of when that line is reached.
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Guilty Pleasures: Godsmack - Faceless

2011-04-06T12:00:00.001-04:00

I almost didn't have anything for today, I could not for the life of me figure out what to write about. I didn't feel like a review of something new, I just did an 'All In The Family' and I've been working on Queen's A Night At The Opera for a new 'Favorite Albums' but it's got a long way to go. I was afraid that I would of had to put up a video or some stupid current events or something. Then, while I was driving to the store, some 90s alt-rock song popped up on the radio, and it reminded me of Godsmack, and how they were a guilty pleasure of mine. This thought process led to the new segment about my guilty pleasure bands, songs, and albums. Seeing as I grew up in the 90s, it'll probably contain mostly artists from that era, and mostly consist of alternative or (gasp) nu-metal. I know, I know! I said the 'Nu' word, but that is what I listened to as I grew up (check out The Times, They Are A-Changin' (Part 2) for more info), so that is what constitutes as a guilty pleasure to me. This is broken up into two halves; Then and Now, which will give what I remember loving about the album, and what I think about it now, comparing the two thoughts. Let's give it a try.

I wouldn't say I grew up with Godsmack, mostly because their debut album wasn't released until 1997, and I was eleven at the time, but my Dad did own their debut (mostly for the song "Voodoo") and their follow-up, Awake, so I was introduced to the group from the beginning. I heard the singles both on the radio and at home, I learned most of the songs and lyrics to the first album, mostly on road-trips with the old man, so I knew it all pretty well. Then they released their third album, Faceless, and my enjoyment of them came to a new level.
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All In The Family: Ayreon

2011-04-05T12:00:00.002-04:00

Ok this one is pretty much a list of artists that have helped out with the project band that is Ayreon. There are just so many that I think it needs to be said, in one long list.

Of course there is the main man, Arjen Lucassen, who is the ringleader of this event. Without him there would be no Ayreon as he has written most of the instrument parts and the lyrics to all of the albums. As well as this project he has started a few others; Ambeon (1 Album), Star One (1 live and 2 studio albums), Stream of Passion (1 live album and 2 studio albums with one more upcoming), and Guilt Machine (1 album), as well as helping out with several other acts.
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In The Beginning: Bad Company - Bad Company

2011-04-04T12:00:00.000-04:00

I've been working my way through some classic albums by classic bands; Lynyrd Skynyrd, Rainbow, AC/DC, mixing them in with some more contemporary artists. I eventually came to Bad Company, and quickly to their debut album. Listening to it just reminded me how great of an album it was, how much talent was with the band (at least the first incarnation) and just how long ago it was that they got together. Seemed like a perfect match for a 'In The Beginning.'

Bad Company, while not the first true supergroup, may have been the first one to make it big within popular media. I'm not including acts like Led Zeppelin or anything, because while technically they were a supergroup, it was more of an evolution from The Yardbirds. Bad Company was a 'true' supergroup, with a group of musicians coming from established and substantial bands (Free, King Crimson, and Mott The Hoople), with the intent of putting out some new music. That is the line I'm drawing, feel free to make your own claims to what it is to be a supergroup.

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Video: Black Sabbath - "Black Sabbath"

2011-04-03T12:00:00.003-04:00

You have to think; not only is this one of the first metal songs, or one of the first doom songs, but it is one of the first music videos (and one of the first metal music videos on top of that). There is nothing special about this video, in fact it's kind of dull by today's standards, but from 1970, when this song was released (I don't know when the music video was recorded, but Ozzy still could complete sentences, so it had to be the early 70s at the very least), it was new, progressive and unexpected.

Black Sabbath: Still awesome!

EP Shakedown: Spiders - Spiders

2011-04-02T12:00:00.035-04:00

I started these EP Shakedowns as a hope for a simple and short article for the weekends, something that wouldn't take a lot of time to bang out, so I can get a break in every now and then, and you all aren't left out in the cold. For the past few sessions of this segment, the articles have been long and getting longer, which is obviously the opposite of what I wanted. So this is going to be a return to form that never existed - short and sweet.

I was initially surprised when the first notes of Spiders' debut EP came out of my speakers, this was a woman singing! There is nothing bad about it, especially with the skill showed off here, but even in the 2010s a female vocalist in rock is a semi-oddity. I know I shouldn't have been startled, her pic is on the album artwork, but apparently I don't pay that much attention to this sort of thing. Her voice isn't the best thing I've ever heard, coming off a bit like Janis Joplin - the power is there but it's lacking on the range - but she is well aware of her abilities and sticks with what she knows.
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Everything I Didn't Review In March

2011-04-02T00:01:00.074-04:00

Black River Bluesman & Bad Mood Hudson - Double Headed Trouble
I listened to Black River Bluesman & Bad Mood Hudson directly after I heard Bo Molasses - apparently something I did in great error. You see You've Put Your Voodoo On Me was so amazing (see below) and Double Headed Trouble was so average that the differences were elevated to a near impossible degree. Double Headed is a decent album, heavy in the blues (more traditional then modern) that I know some people would dig, but my mind compared it to Bo Molasses (unintentionally of course) and that just wouldn't do. I probably need to give this one another try.

Bo Molasses - You've Put Your Voodoo On Me
Something is odd about this one, but I love it! Bo Molasses is not metal (even though the cover art may seem so), instead dark blues/American folk which I find really appealing for some reason. I was going to review You've Put Your Voodoo On Me, but I had a really hard time struggling to write more then "It was good and bluesy....and good" So here's this mini-review. Pick it up at their BandCamp for only $5! Can't beat that.

Bungalow Bums - Body In The Trunk
So-so southern rock. There were a few really good moments, but most didn't go anywhere substantial. I was on a southern stoner bender and Bungalow Bums just didn't live up to their cohorts in the genre. But Body In The Trunk has some bitchin' artwork though.
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Weekly Dose of Prog: Beardfish - Mammoth

2011-04-01T12:00:00.001-04:00

Even though the group has been around for a decade, I have never listened to Beardfish before. Not only that but before about a year ago, I hadn't even heard of them in the first place. I stumbled upon the group trolling through the ProgArchives archives (kind of a pun), found their album artwork interesting and they had some decent reviews on the site. I did some more research, and found that either you love the group or hate it, with little heard from anything between. On top of all this, each group is very vocal of their particular view, making for some pretty interesting (and at times funny) articles/forum posts/flame wars. Alright Beardfish, I am intrigued, you pulled me in. Now either wow me or let me hate you, seeing as that is the only two possibilities...

...And I am wowed. Mammoth, Beardfish's latest release (just this past week) is an amazing display of eclectic progressive rock, delicately dancing into progressive metal occasionally but still keeping the lighter side of things firmly grasped. I say it's eclectic progressive because almost each song is a part of a different subgenre of the progressive movement; there are long, outlandish pieces with movements and frequent time-signature changes, there are more straight-forward rock n' roll style songs, jazzy tacks incorporating the saxophone, and even a light a fluffy piano piece. All of this and more, summed up into one word: eclectic. Which to me translates to 'fun.'
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Albums Listened To In March (106)

2011-04-01T00:01:00.007-04:00

Hat damn, there are a lot of albums in this week's count! I know I dedicated this month to folk music, and while I did get some substantial collections in (Blood Or Whiskey,The Decemberists,The Real McKenzies, Rebellion, Tyr), it wasn't as much as I wanted. I wasn't in much of a folk mood as soon as the 17th had passed. Oh well, what can you do?
Still, over 100 albums this month... that is something to be proud of. For the past few months, I have noticed that I've been averaging close to two discs a day, and I wondered if it was possible to get it up to three a day. Well after the first week or so of this month and I realized that I was already above this average, I decided to go for it. Three albums a day average! And you know what? It wasn't really that difficult. I'm not saying that I'm going to keep this up in the upcoming months, but now I know I can... so, who knows?
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Rant: The Times, They Are A Changin' (Part 3)

2011-03-31T12:00:00.111-04:00

The final part (so far) of my history into the world of music, and what made me who I am today. In Part 1 I looked at my early upbringing, the tastes of my Mother and Father, and my earliest musical memories. In Part 2 I began my own era of musical discovery, only to find that I never really traveled that far away from my parents' tastes. Now, for Part 3, we look into my true era of discovery, where I started discovering acts and genres that my folks could never have hoped to heat. All that would eventually turn me into The Klepto!

Now then, we come to my college year, the time where I truly strove out on my own in my musical exploration. I joined a musical fraternity, and was constantly surrounded by people whose very life was music - for most it had nothing to do with metal, but the idea of exploration and discovery was all well embedded within the group. Through them I discovered some of my-now favorite bands: Dream Theater, The Decemberists, and was introduced to so many others (too many to list). I did my fair share of distribution as well, trying to open my 'brothers' eyes to the bigger world of music out there.
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New Band: Hugenelk

2011-03-30T12:00:00.003-04:00

What initially attracted me to Hugenelk was either one of two things, I haven't decided yet; either the band name (I thought it was Huge Elk, but Hugenelk still is neat) and the album artwork, it's big, bold, bright and beautiful. It's a mighty elk, with muscles pumping and veins pulsating, chasing or at the very least scaring the shit out of a whole menagerie of furried beasts; demonic looking rabbits and lizards and... kuthulu, and imps and shit. Hell I don't know what it all is, but it's kind of funny and really well done.

Anyway, the music, the reason you all care. If only the band could equal the impressive album art, then the picture would be perfect. As it is however, they play a very average blend of stoner rock and metal. If you're a die-hard fan of the genre, as in it's all you ever care to listen to, then you may enjoy hearing more of the same. The guitars off of their debut have a bit of groove, the drums are kind of bouncing, the vocals are clean but contain that hint of scratch that most stoner acts have. It's all been done, and it's all very average.
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New Album: Blood Ceremony - Living With The Ancients

2011-03-29T12:00:00.002-04:00

Blood Ceremony's debut was one of my best finds of 2009, and one of my Favorite Albums. The group is one of the most unique bands I have ever had the pleasure of listening to, mixing doom metal with progressive themes and - of all things - flute! It being led by a woman is something remarkable as well, for it's not very often you hear something like this with the haunting melody of female vocals. It all combined to create something truly magical, something that from my first listen, I knew to be special.

With all of the love of their debut (apparently I am not the only one), a lot of doubt has been thrown around for their follow-up, Living With The Ancients, saying that they couldn't hit gold twice. Well folks, let me tell you, you need not worry, what we have here is an amazing album.
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New Album: Turisas - Stand Up And Fight

2011-03-28T12:00:00.000-04:00

I think the thing that draws me to Turisas is the massive scope of their songs and albums. Don't get me wrong, I love the songs of war, and the power therein derived, but whenever I sit down to hear one of their discs, I can't help but being reminded (as much as one could be) of a group traveling bards, belting out their wares. They tell epic stories, multi-faceted instrumentations, and use several styles of vocals. It's almost like hearing a play unfolding.

The thought of hearing a play coming through your speakers is magnified several times with Turisas' newest release, Stand Up And Fight. For this one the group decided to go into a new direction, incorporating an orchestra, making their usual layered sound into something colossal. Secondly, they've really taken the 'storytelling' aspect of folk/power metal to an almost extreme - gone is the more conventional song structure that was prevalent in Battle Metal, instead long narratives and multiple movements per song are the new norm.
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Video: Cake - "Short Skirt/Long Jacket"

2011-03-27T12:00:00.022-04:00

I don't really have a reason for this one (the past few Videos I've linked to another article or some album I've recently heard) except that it's a great song. We have a company 'radio' station at work, and although it's 90% crap, every now and then something decent comes on; we've got The Decemberists, Pink Floyd (one of their more trippy pieces) and of course Cake.

"Short Skirt/Long Jacket" is a devilishly clever song as it is, and the music video follows suit. It's a collection of random people, from all walks of life, introduced to the song (and presumably the band) for the first time. Some people embrace it, some shun it, and most look like they have no clue what is going on. Personal favorites are the black dude who diggs it, the old guy who says he's been listening to the group sense the 60s (even though they've only been together in the 90s) and the British man who finds it silly.

EP Shakedown: Lecherous Gaze - Lecherous Gaze

2011-03-26T12:00:00.000-04:00

Lecherous Gaze's self-titled EP is a quick, four-track, fifteen-minute rocker, melding stoner rock and punkish themes. Actually I hear a bit of the classic era of punk hidden in there; British acts like The Clash and The Sex Pistols. It's partially in the muddled, over-exposed vocals, and part in the quick guitar and drum rhythms.

The EP seems to be split into two stylistic types; the first half - "Phaze" and "Sold" - fall solidly into the punk/stoner crossover I mentioned above. The licks are catchy and plentiful, the vocals are simple and quick (if not easily understood), reminding me of the 80s heyday of punk. The songs kind of blend into each other, and as I'm not a connoisseur of punk, not the high point of the disc for my ears.
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Weekly Dose of Prog: Sherman Burns - The End Is All

2011-03-25T12:00:00.061-04:00

I was having a hard time deciding on an act/album for this week's Weekly Dose of Prog, so much so that I ended up going through the 2011 albums I have playing the first tracks of albums to see what appealed to me. I got to Sherman Burns (rather quickly; there haven't been that many prog releases yet this year) and started with "Bone," and was intrigued. So with The End Is All I went.

This is their first release (available for pay-what-you-want at their BandCamp Page), so other then listing to the first track, I have no idea exactly what to expect, as their is very little press out there about them. I could only find a few articles that even make mention of this band, and then nothing in the way of a true review. so hopefully I am the first! What I end up hearing is a blending of progressive metal, groove/thrash licks, and some hardcore themes for good measure. I suppose that's a little like groove-oriented mathcore, but then again, I'm not a big listener to the genre so I can't truly tell. Regardless, I am enjoying this particular foray into ...whatever genre this is.
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