New Band: 3

So as you may know, I have been listening to alot of progressive metal/rock of late. While I did take a break for a while, I'm getting back into the swing of things with re-listening to the works of 3. This is my third or fourth listen through most of their stuff and I've just noticed something: I believe that 3 qualifies as the first (that I've found) progressive metal-funk crossover. Now, I don't say this lightly, I am not a person who feels just because they have two songs in a different genre then the norm, that they should be also qualified in this alternate genre. This group has a strong funk influence in at least half of their songs, often times to the diminishment of the prog feel. I would almost call them a funk rock band, except there is still a very strong prog feel in their albums and in most songs, with almost every song having a breakdown that is straight metal or rock. Also, alot of their songs either have an intro or a background guitar riff that is very reminiscent of a Latin or Spanish theme (this is more prevalent in their earlier work, and has faded out of recent). These guys merge styles to create something new - and they do it well.

3's first album, 1999's Paint By Number, was the most directly funk-oriented album that they have released. The first three or four songs are straight-forward progressive metal, in the vein of Dream Theater, but after that the album takes a hard right turn and moves to almost solely funk. This strong sudden variation surprised me. At the time when I was first listening to this album, I had already listened to the rest of their studio albums (all which came after), so I thought I knew what this album was going to be like. I really liked the funk-half of the album alot more then the prog-half, but the whole album is solid. My favorite tracks off this album are "You Call Me Baby" (which is my favorite off of all their albums) and "Paint By Number."

Their next album was a live release, called Half-Life. It consisted of their first CD as well as un-released material, most of which that would be re-recorded on future releases. It is, for the most part uneventful, except for the fact that almost every song on this album is an alternate version of their studio tracks. I like this idea alot, because I dislike live albums as a whole, but this one puts a different spin on it. This release gives you something new to listen to, something different yet familiar (although I dislike that they changed "You Call Me Baby" to a more rock version, taking away alot of the funk elements that I liked so much).

Summercamp Nightmare, released in 2003, was 3's next release. It contained studio tracks from their previous album, as well as new material. This album was (in my view) was their weakest release. It moves back on the funk, and even some on the prog. One interesting thing is that the vocals are altered a little for this album. While the light, wispy lyrics are still there, for alot of the songs it sounds as if it was guest sung by David Bowie. Alot of the choruses have that odd, light British bite to them, that is prevalent in Bowie's work. Just a little tidbit there for ya. My favorite songs off it are "Halloween" and "Broadway Alien."

After Summercamp Nightmare, 3 was picked up by a major label, Metal Blade, for 2005's Wake Pig. This was the first album I heard from them, and as so, it is my favorite. I've listened through it the most, so I am the most comfortable with it. This albums continues the funk-feel, but in a much lighter sense. Instead it amps up the heavy metal into a more contemporary prog album. Some of these songs are re-recording of tracks off of Summercamp Nightmare, which for a person who has their entire discography, gets annoying fast. But as I said this is my favorite album, all of the songs are strong and well put together. The stand out tracks are "Alien Angel, "Bramfatura" (an instrumental Latin-themed track), and "Amazing Disgrace."

3's latest album, The End Is Begun, begins to ease back into the funk sound, while keeping the heavy progressive themes. This album I have only listened through once, so I can't remark too much on it. It is another solid album, with an underlying "ending" theme (hinted by the title) as well as a slightly morbid feel. This is definitely one of their darkest albums, second maybe only to Summercamp Nightmare. My favorite songs are "The End Is Begun," "All That Remains," and "These Iron Bones."

Epic Playlist: B

Here it is, the next chapter in my Epic Playlist. I have been fine tweaking the list to make sure that only the best by the best is within it.

These updates take forever. After listing and tagging everything, I still have to write about the songs. That is why these updates are so far apart. My apologies.

[Edit] Jesus this took me over 2 months to start and finish. I think this Epic Playlist will be a year-long project... Let me know if you find it interesting or if I'm just wasting my time.

Enough complaining let's get back to it:

-B-

1. The B-52's - Love Shack - Who doesn't know/love this classic song. Grab your boards, we're going to the Love Shack
   
2. Bachman-Turner Overdrive - Takin' Care of Business - All about how much better your life is if you're in a band. Couldn't say it better myself.
   
3. Bad Company - Bad Company - About a man who who "was born with a six-gun in [his] hand." Outlaws and hooligans, live by the gun, die by the gun.
   
4. The Bags - Cavemen Rejoice - I'm not going to lie, the only reason I know about this song is from Guitar Hero, but it is a good one. All about cavemen rejoicing (who would have thought?) over the killing of a Woolly Mammoth and victory against the neighboring tribe of cavemen. I really like the break down in the middle, where it is the guitarist (maybe bassist) playing a few notes, holding them out, dropping it, then repeating over and over. I always think that the power for the player is just too much and he has to keep re-attempting the same rhythm. But that's just me.
   
5. Barenaked Ladies - One Week -Just a simple song about a guy and his girl arguing and eventually coming back together. Its a fast song with catchy lyrics (who can't remember "Chickety China, the Chinese chicken, you have a drumstick and your brain stops tickin"?). Just a throwback to the alt. rock of the 90's
6. The Beach Boys - Kokomo - Another classic. If this island paradise that the Beach Boys sing about actually exists, I totally want to find it.
7. The Beastie Boys - (You Gotta) Fight For Your Right (To Party) -A Rap/Rock anthem about telling your parents to shove it. I'm not much into rap but The Beastie Boys are a favorite of mine. "Licence To Ill" was a great album.
   
8. The Beatles - While My Guitar Gently Weeps -The genuine guitar song. While the lyrics are whimsical and really signifying nothing, I love the guitar work, and the haunting melody and chorus; "While my guitar gently weeps." I raises the hairs on my arm every time it comes on
9. Bill Withers - Lean On Me - Once one person starts this song, you can't help but join in. With the slow piano and rhythm, and the soulful melody, this is a song for the ages.
   
10. Billy Idol - White Wedding - I really have no clue what this song is about. It references a "Little Sister" and of course the "White Wedding," but very little ties them together. Still, this being one of Billy Idol's two hits (The other being "Rebel Yell") it's hard not to add. Plus this is another song that everyone knows
11. Billy Joel - Scenes From An Italian Restaurant - One of my favorite songs of all time. I remember belting the lyrics to this in the back seat of my parent's car as a kid, and I still do it now (although I have moved to the front seat). The song is broken into three parts, and it flows effortlessly between them. The piano, the love, the regret; all classics.
12. Black Eyed Peas - Pump It - This song is catchy. It really is just a remix of "Misirlou" by Surf Rock great Dick Dale, with some lyrics thrown over it. That guitar tune in the back ground of the entire song? That's "Misirlou." The only real instrument besides clapping? "Misirlou." So while I do enjoy the song, let's just sum up what this really is: a re-vamped cover. Still, it is catchy, and it is one of the few rap songs that I know every word of.
13. Black Label Society - Fire It Up - I've seen Black Label Society two times live, and they put on a decent show. They are a straight-forward metal band, and play the part. This song has a solid guitar riff, simple lyrics, and of course a bitchin' solo. While is is not a great in the halls of metal, it is the best BLS song that I have heard.
14. Black Sabbath - The Wizard - While not the most popular of the Black Sabbath songs, this one is by far my favorite. It starts with the harmonica which leads into Tony Iommi's guitar. Any song about wizards is cool by me (see the next song). About how everyone is excited when the Wizard visits their town.
15. Black Stone Cherry - Rain Wizard - Following in the footsteps of Black Sabbath, Rain Wizard is a prayer of sorts to a Rain Wizard to bring rain to the people's crops. I really loved Black Stone Cherry's debut album, really great southern rock/metal, and was looking forward to their follow up, but it left me wanting more. Not nearly as good. (See my review)
    
16. Black Tide - Warriors of Time - See Here for entire band/album review. This song is haunting. Every time I hear it, chills run up my spine. It begins with a simple Spanish-guitar melody, and quickly turns into a Power Metal anthem for the ages. I love the singers voice/vocals, I love the guitar solos, I love the lyrics, I love this song.
    
17. BlackFoot - Train, Train - This is a song that makes me turn up the radio every time it comes on. I love the harmonica intro, I love harmonicas in rock music, I think that they add something different. Actually, the harmonica intro is not officially part of the song. It is titled "Train, Train (Prelude)" and lasts for roughly 30 seconds. When I uploaded this album onto my computer, I melded the two tracks together, because to me, like Queen's "We Will Rock You/We Are The Champions," they cannot be split up.
    
18. Blind Guardian - Into The Storm - Off the Nightfall In Middle-Earth album, Into the storm is the second track (but the first song), telling the beginning of the story of the fall of the old king. I like it because of its high musical sound, with several vocals layered on top of one another. A great war chant.
    
19. Blind Melon - No Rain - The only single, off the only album, by these Alt. Rock/Grunge wannabes. They stopped recording because of the death of their singer, Shannon Hoon, by (you guessed it) a drug overdose. Regardless, this is a simple song, with haunting lyrics. And this will live forever, shouting out the memory of it's creator
    
20. Bloodhound Gang - Fire Water Burn - The Bloodhound Gang is known for their crazy lyrics that are self-detrimental and overall insultive to everyone. This song is no different. It's a laugh riot every time.
    
21. Blue Cheer - Summertime Blues - A cover of an old blues song, and it's been covered several times sense this, but it is still a good one. One of the originators of metal, Blue Cheer down-tuned their guitars for a "Heavy" feel, which would become prevalent in the works of Black Sabbath, some time later.
    
22. Blue Öyster Cult - Godzilla - One of the biggest song of their career, "Godzilla" cashes in on the old Japanese movie craze that went wild during the 70's. Becoming an unofficial theme song, this song catapulted the movies to an even wider audience (and quite possibly, the movies helped out the song's popularity too). Now a constant staple on US classic rock radio.
    
23. The Blues Brothers - Theme To Rawhide - An awesome movie, and awesome soundtrack, an awesome idea. Cover a song from a TV show from the 60's, this song brings a piece of history to new masses (such as myself). I love the back and forth part between John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd. If you haven't seen this movie (where have you been?!?) go out and buy it. It is a hilarious classic with a great blues/funk soundtrack.
    
24. Blues Traveler - Run-Around - As stated before, I love the harmonica, which is probably why I like the Blues Travelers. They always have very musical-oriented songs, with a mix of fast lyrics and excellent bass. And of course that harmonica. This song is no different. I grew up to this song (my Mom's a fan), so it has a certain nostalgia value to it.
    
25. Bon Jovi - You Give Love A Bad Name - A classeic, enough said. If you don't know it, come out from under your rock and buy Bon Jovi's Greatest Hits. You'll enjoy it.
    
26. Boston - Foreplay/Long Time - My favorite drum intro ever. I love the sound and feel of triplets, and this intro ("Foreplay") is rife full of them. The song itself is good too. But that beginning....
    
27. Breaking Benjamin - So Cold - This song is another throwback to my highschool days. I've seen these guys live, and they were pretty good. While I didn't like their albums too much (they aren't bad), this song has always held my appeal. It's hard rock with downer lyrics. Not bad.
    
28. The Brighouse And Rastrick Brass Band - Floral Dance - An old English horn song. I only know about this because of my mother (who is British). It's a fun horn and drum song, no lyrics, nothing close to vocals, but I smile every time it comes on. Apparently it was number one in England in the 70's for one week, before getting knocked out by Wings.
29. Bruce Dickinson with Godspeed - Sabbath Bloody Sabbath - One of my Cover Songs That Are Better Than The Original, this song, off of the first Nativity In Black Album (a tribute album to Black Sabbath), was where I got the idea for my aforementioned List. After going back and listening to the original Sabbath version, I felt that the song was empty. It was missing Bruce Dickinson's amazing voice. That man can sing. While he has done nothing of merit solo, his years with Iron Maiden are some of the bast in Metal history. This song follows in that trend. This is one of the songs that made Nativity In Black a stellar album
30. Buckcherry - Lit Up - A catchy riff, swingin' lyrics, lots of references to cocaine. What's not to love.
31. Buffalo Springfield - For What It's Worth - Another protest Vietnam song, but one of the few that has made it out of the decade. Most young people (my own age) don't even realize the dark sub-content of the song. But nevertheless it is a timeless classic

Rant: Single-Release Bands That Need To Release New Material

There are many bands out there which fizzle and die after their debut album. Either they were only a side project, or an idea that was scrapped after leaving the studio. Whatever the reason for their break-up, these bands released one amazing album, and now need to release more.

Probot

A side project by David Grohl (Nirvana, Foo Fighters), Probot was a collaboration between Grohl and some of metal's greats. Featuring vocals by Max Cavalera (Soulfly, Sepultura), Lemmy (Motörhead), Mike Dean (Corrosion of Conformity), King Diamond (Solo, Mercyful Fate), and even a hidden track by Jack Black (Tenacious D). There are more, of course, but these were the big names.

Grohl stated that he wanted to team up with some of heavy metal's greatest from the 80's and 90's, people who influenced him in his endeavors. And I think this is the best thing that he has released to date. Now I don't like Nirvana, and the Foo Fighters are not great, so my view is already messed up right from the get-go, but I like this album. They are not all winners, but the songs featuring Lemmy and King Diamond are great. I would have liked to see more of a varied line-up for the actual instrumentation, as Grohl wrote and performed most of them on the album. So it was more like a "David Grohl With Guest Singers" album. But whatever, it is a good album, and seeing as it's been 5 years (it was released in 2003) I doubt we will see another Probot release.

Pride & Glory

Created in 1991, at Ozzy Osbourne's retirement (short lived that it was), Pride & Glory was guitarist, ZakkWylde's new band, before creating Black Label Society. While Wylde is known mostly for his heavy metal works, for this project he took a completely different approach. Pride & Glory is a southern rock band, in the vein of Lynyrd Skynyrd. Every song has that southern twang, and Wylde keeps a southern drawl through as well. On their only release, Pride & Glory, there are songs about women, wine, and friendship, all staples of southern music (I assume, I don't listen to country too much). I like every song off the album, with stand-outs being "Losin' Your Mind," "Toe'n The Line," and "Cry Me A River."
I like Zakk Wylde's other projects, from his solo album, his work with Ozzy Osbourne, or his current side band, Black Label Society, but by far my favorite work from him is the short lived Pride & Glory.

New Band: Viking Skull

It's a new year and the school semester has just started. This probably means very little to you, but to me it means a return of access to the CD store on campus. And as I began back in November, with Sound And Fury, I am going to try to buy a new album once a week (my budget might not allow it but it will be at least once a month), and give it a serious listen. I like finding new music, and often times it's easier to find up-and-coming bands in small CD shops then in the big ones, or even online.

This time I found the latest album by the metal band, Viking Skull. This album, Doom, Gloom, Heartache & Whiskey, was one of the ten featured metal albums for January, at my CD store, and after giving the first few tracks a listen (I didn't want to make the same mistake as last time) I decided that I could enjoy this.
I was driving all day so I took Dream Theater's, Scenes From A Memory (see My Take), out of my CD player and slid in Viking Skull.
It's a short album, nine songs clocking in at just under 40 minutes, so it was no problem to get a full listen. I dislike overly short albums, I feel like I am getting gypped. I'm paying the same price (actually more because of the store) but getting only half of the music. In my opinion, all albums released today should at least be one full hour. We don't have the size constrictions that they had in the 60's-80's with vinyl records, so we should maximize this technology. But that's neither here nor there, just a little pet-peeve of mine.
Anyway, back to the actual album. I listened through the album once on the road, but I don't like to review off of this, because my mind tends to wander alot when I drive, and I feel that I can't give it a true listen. So I came home and listened to it again, in my home system, but I have to say, most of what I was thinking in the car has held true, throughout this second listen.
First off, this band is just straight-forward metal with a guttural-voiced lead singer. Every song has a nice groove format, and the lyrics are decent, but the vocals get lost often in the droning of the guitar. It's as if the guitar and singer are recording off the same mic, leading to the vocals getting drowned out in alot of the songs, especially in the first two. It sounds like they ran out of money or time mixing the album, or I guess it could have been on purpose, but its all very muddy, not what one would expect from a main release.
But that aside it's a pretty good album. Every song has catchy rhythm and guitars, and most songs have a nice laid-back solo within them. Not the frantic type that has had a resurgence of popularity since Rage Against The Machine. These guys are not trying to cram as many notes in a solo as possible, to show off their "mad skilz." They play what they want to play, when they want to play it.
My favorite tracks are "In Hell," "Shot Down," and "19 Swords," all of these songs have semi-clear lyrics (at least they stand out from the instruments), and a continuation of a cool grove line. "In Hell" and "19 Swords" are war anthems of sorts, with "Shot Down" being about what you'd expect, getting shot down by a woman.
My review would stop here, with a round up and stating that it is a solid album, that most metal-heads could get into, but alas it cannot be. For the final track make me rethink this whole album. First, let me say that on the plastic wrapper that was on the disc in the store, there was a sticker saying something along the lines of "For fans of Heavy Viking Metal." Now this was way off, because besides the name and the slightly harsh vocals, there is nothing Viking Metal about this album. I assumed that this was just the record company trying to tie Viking Skull into some genre, to help sales, but then the last song on the album came up. It is titled simply, "Drink," and it is what you think; a drinking song. Apparently these guys thought they were Viking Metal too and had to add a poorly conceived drinking song on the album. The song starts with piano, the kind you'd expect in a old-west bar, and just a tambourine and stomping feet to add anything else musical. Then the singer comes in, with some of the most retarded lyrics I've ever heard. "Drink/Drink 'til we shit our pants/Drinky-drink, drinky-drink lord/Drink 'til we shit our pants" over and over and over. There is an attempt at a verse in the beginning, but it is half-assed and quickly goes away, just leaving the piano, tambourine and bad chorus for the final five minutes (it's a six minute song, the longest on the entire album). Horrible, simply horrible.

So as I said, this is a solid album (until the final song), with good guitar, bass and simple drumming. If they had worked more on it in the studio, and cleaned up the crossing of the vocals and guitars, it would have come out alot better. But, as my second CD purchase in some time (with the first one being horrible), it's not a bad deal.

Track Listing

1. Start A War
2. Doom, Gloom, Heartache & Whiskey
3. In Hell
4. Hair of The Dog
5. Shot Down
6. Double or Quits
7. In For The Kill
8. 19 Swords
9. Drink
   

Bands I Love: Uriah Heep

Uriah Heep: a band that very few people of today's youth knows about, but one of my favorites of the classic blues rock days. Formed in 1969, around the same time as well known acts like Led Zeppelin and Deep Purple, Uriah Heep helped pave the way for bands under the progressive moniker, but still focusing in the blues. Known as "The Beach Boys of Heavy Metal," for their multi-part harmonies and melodic songs, Uriah Heep are still active and touring, releasing their first album in ten years in 2008, Wake The Sleeper.

Named after the antagonist in the Charles Dickens novel David Copperfield, right from the beginning the band was knee deep in immense storytelling and imagery. Their first song of their first album, 1970's Very 'Eavy, Very 'Umble (released as "Uriah Heep" in the US), titled "Gypsy," is the tale of a young man who falls in love with the daughter of the leader of the Gypsies. After being beaten by the chief, the narrator swears that he will train to fight to come back and win the hand of his love, to be "The kind of a man/That he'll understand." Although the album was panned by critics and sold poorly, it is now seen as one of the foundations for modern heavy metal, and at least sold well enough for the group to release more albums.
Their second release, Salisbury, released in 1971, dove deeper into the progressive rock, with the 16 minute title-track featuring a 24-piece orchestra. This album also presented another amazing song, that continues to be a fan favorite to this day; "Lady In Black." This song is about a man visited by a goddess, this "Lady In Black." She asks him who his enemy is, and he begs her for men "To fight and kill their brothers," and horses "To trample down my enemies." She declines his offer, saying that this is not the way to win, that "There is no strength in numbers/Have no such misconception/But when you need me/Be assured I wont be far away." Then she leaves without another word, and although the narrator's labor is no easier, he feels better about it, knowing that She is there, watching. The song ends with the speaker saying that "...If one day she comes to you/Drink deeply from her words so wise/Take courage from her/As your prize." and to "Say hello for me." I find this song is very poetic, and has a simple instrumentation, with it being mostly acoustic with spurts of heavier sounds. One of my favorite songs of all time.
The next album, Look At Yourself, was released in late 1971, and climbed up the charts slowly, breaking the top 100 (ending at 93). It was a fairly decent album, no truly great songs off it spring into mind, but it was this album which helped launch their best album, just a year later.
In 1972, Uriah Heep released arguably, their best album, Demons & Wizards. Just by the title, you knew what would be the bread and butter of this album. It was their best seller in the United States, reaching 23 on the Billboard Top 200, and also jumped to number 20 on the UK Top 100 (this would later be beaten by three of their next four albums, but they never saw a better ranking in the US). The two singles released were, "Easy Livin'," which became their first US hit, and "The Wizard," another narrative song, although short. The speaker is visited by a mighty Wizard, with whom she shares his wine. While there, the Wizard tells this man about his life, and his dreams for this world. The man comes to realize that they weren't so different, that all everyone wants is to be happy. So the traveler leaves and the speaker is left alone pondering the words of wisdom of his guest.
After this album, the band continued to release albums on average of once a year until the 90's (releasing 17 albums in twenty years), but nothing equaled their Demons & Wizards album (well I haven't heard their new one yet, so there still is hope, but I am doubtful). They have had a few more popular singles, "Stealin'," "Sweet Lorraine," and went on to become quite large in the UK and Scandinavia, but they faltered in the American charts.

Throughout the almost forty years of playing together, the band has changed styles several times. Starting as hard rock/heavy metal, moving deep into progressive rock/metal, and then for a time fading in and out of blues and sometimes even jazz, all the while keeping a hard feel to their music. So although they have experimented with several styles, they still were always Uriah Heep, they never fell off of their own path to become something unknown. So forty years and 21 albums later these guys are still the storytellers they always were, and the foundations of both heavy metal an progressive metal.

Studio Album Discography

1. Very 'Eavy, Very 'Umble - 1970
   
2. Salisbury - 1971
   
3. Look At Yourself - 1971
4. Demons & Wizards - 1972
5. The Magician's Birthday - 1972
6. Sweet Freedom - 1973
7. Wonderworld - 1974
8. Return To Fantasy - 1975
   
9. High And Mighty - 1976
10. Firefly - 1977
11. Innocent Victim - 1977
    
12. Fallen Angel - 1978
    
13. Conquest - 1980
    
14. Abominog - 1982
    
15. Head First - 1983
    
16. Equator - 1985
17. Raging Silence - 1989
18. Different World - 1991
19. Sea of Light - 1995
20. Sonic Origami - 1998
21. Wake The Sleeper - 2008

Current Trend: Soft Rock/Piano Music

For some reason, as always unknown to me, I have been venturing away from heavy metal and into a softer rock-style of music. My recent playlists have been dominated by piano music like Elton John, Billy Joel and James Blunt, and softer rock like The Beatles, Johnny Cash, Bob Dylan and Creedence Clearwater Revival. I still have some heavier stuff in there, like Henry Rollins, or Destroy Destroy Destroy, but not nearly as much as normal.
As I said I don't know why. It started with me listening to music late at night (2am) and not wanting anything too adrenaline-pounding that late. So it began with Billy Joel and Elton John, but then eventually it went into a tailspin of soft rock. It's just nice to ease out of a rough day with some loose, calming music.
I'm not sure how long this will continue, so maybe there will be a change or a continuation, only time will tell...

New Band: Stone Gods

Remember The Darkness? They had that mega-hit "I Believe In A Thing Called Love" back in 2003 (you know the high-pitched one, with the guy in a white open-chested Spandex full-body suit in the music video), which led them into the pop-rock charts. One mediocre album later and it seems that the rest of the band got fed up with the falsetto pseudo-rock and opted for something more dark. They booted the frontman and promoted their bassist, Richie Edwards, to lead vocals (and switching to rhythm guitar), and found a new bassist. Thus, Stone Gods was born. After hearing Edwards' grittier vocals, I can't imagine why they didn't start off with him in the first place. Of course they wouldn't have been as big as they ended up being, but I would have enjoyed it more, and in life isn't that all that matters? (For me anyway)
Their debut album, Silver Spoons & Broken Bones, came out in July of 2008. And they began touring almost immediately. Although there have been some hiccups (some shows got cancelled in England with little warning of the cause), they are currently on the second leg of their tour, opening for Black Stone Cherry (another favorite of mine), across the US.
My favorite songs off the album are "Burn The Witch," with great lyrics and an amazing guitar-driven outro, and "Oh Where 'O My Beero," which's bass and snare beginning reminds me alot of John Lennon's song "Give Peace A Chance."
Overall, I like Stone God's debut performance, way more than any effort by The Darkness. Ironically, this new incarnation are alot darker then previously. I can't wait to hear their next release, either an EP or full-length release.

Track Listing

1. "Burn the Witch" - 4:44
2. "Don't Drink the Water" - 2:47
3. "Defend or Die" - 4:58
4. "You Brought a Knife to a Gunfight" - 3:07
5. "Magdalen Street" - 3:56
6. "Where You Comin' From" - 3:12
7. "Lazy Bones" - 3:57
8. "I'm With the Band" - 4:16
9. "Start of Something" - 3:29
10. "Making It Hard" - 3:12
11. "Wasting Time" - 3:24
12. "Knight of the Living Dead" - 4:22
13. "Oh Where 'O My Beero" - 4:14

Albums Listened To In December

The end of the year... and a good one it's been. Alot of new releases by amazing bands. This month my count is way down. With all of the traveling I did, it was hard to find the time to sit and listen to an entire album (as well as post...sorry). But it is now 2009 and I'm back baby! I'm done seeing family, and my job is going to be folding up soon, so that leaves plenty of time for music and posts. Let's just hope I can afford to keep doing both.

My favorite newly listened album of the month: Trans-Siberian Orchestra with Christmas Eve And Other Stories. I know it's all Christmas music, but it is the season, isn't it? And as a bonus, it's an album of Christmas music that's been amped up, with electric guitars and synthesizers taking the brunt of the action. Seriously, if you listen to hard rock (I know some metalheads out there refuse to deal with anything less than brutal) give this album a try. I tried listening to their other albums, but I couldn't get into them. The song selection of the other Christmas themed album they have, is all the secondary Christmas songs, the ones that no one knows. I didn't feel like exploring Christmas songs.

My least favorite newly listened album of the month (by far): Myth Or Reality by Minotaurus. Now I wasn't expecting much, and that's exactly what I got. It's not like last month where I was disappointed with the effort by Cathedral (and especially the band Folkearth). Minotaurus is a band from Europe that I found while searching the forums for new music. Their band name caught my eye and I figured "why not?" What I was given was a long, boring, and repetitive album. There was not one good song on the entire disc. It is 48 minutes that I would like to get back.

Special category - Last Album of 2008 - To Death and Beyond... by Battleroar. Finished at 8:35 New Years Eve (Just before leaving for my New Year's Party)

1. 3 - Half Life - Newly Listened!
2. 3 - Wake Pig
   
3. Agalloch - Ashes Against The Grain - Newly Listened!
4. Agalloch - The Mantle - Newly Listened!
5. The Allman Brothers Band - Eat A Peach - Newly Listened!
6. The Almighty - Powertrippin' - Newly Listened!
7. Ayreon - Ayreon vs. Avantasia: Elected - Newly Listened!
8. Battleroar - To Death and Beyond... - Newly Listened!
9. The Beatles - Let It Be - Newly Listened!
10. The Beatles - Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band - Newly Listened!
11. Black Asylum - Truths of The Blood - Newly Listened!
12. Elton John - Greatest Hits 1970-2002 - Newly Listened!
13. Falconer - Among Beggars And Thieves - Newly Listened!
14. Green Day - Nimrod
    
15. Guns N' Roses - Use Your Illusion I
16. Johnny Cash - American Recordings - Newly Listened!
17. Johnny Cash - American III: Solitary Man - Newly Listened!
18. Johnny Cash - American IV: The Man Comes Around - Newly Listened!
19. Machine Head - Covers - Newly Listened!
20. Minotaurus - Myth Or Reality - Newly Listened!
21. Regina Spektor - Begin To Hope - Newly Listened!
22. Testament - The Formation Of Damnation - Newly Listened!
23. Tom Morello: The Nightwatchman - Fabled City - Newly Listened!
24. The Tossers - Agony
25. Trans-Siberian Orchestra - Christmas Eve And Other Stories - Newly Listened!

Completely Unrelated: My Past New Year's Resolution

So this past year I set a New Year's Resolution, one I will actually keep, to drink over 100 types of beer in 366 days! (It is a Leap Year). I did not choose any of the really "normal beers" you find here in the states. No Budweiser, Miller, Coor's, etc. Although I do accept alternative versions of some of the common ones (aka Yuengling "Black And Tan").

1. Abita Beer "Amber" - Abita Springs, Louisiana
2. Abita Beer "Golden" - Abita Springs, Louisiana
3. Abita Beer "Turbodog" - Abita Springs, Louisiana
4. Allagash - White Ale - Portland, Maine
   
5. Arizona Red Rock Ale
6. Avery "India Pale Ale" - Boulder, Colorado
7. Avery "Karma" - Boulder, Colorado
8. Avery "White Rascal" - Belgian Style Wheat Ale - Boulder, Colorado
9. Banks Caribbean Lager - Barbados
   
10. Bass - Pale Ale - Burton Upon Trent, England
    
11. Beck's Pilsner – Bremen, Germany
    
12. Belzebuth Pur Malt Beer – Blonde Ale – Ronchin, France
    
13. Black Dog "American Pale Ale" – Colorado
14. Black Dog "Black Dog Ale" – Colorado
15. Black Dog "Honey Raspberry Ale" – Colorado
    
16. Blatz Beer - Milwaukee, Wisconsin
17. Blue Moon "Honey Moon" (Summer Seasonal)
18. Blue Moon "Rising Moon" (Spring Seasonal)
19. Blue Moon "Harvest Moon" (Fall Seasonal)
20. Carib Caribbean Lager - Fleurs, Trinidad
21. Carlsberg Beer - Copenhagen, Denmark
22. Erdinger - Hefe Weizen - Weissbrau, Germany
    
23. Fiddler's Green - Blonde Ale - Utica, New York
    
24. Flying Dog "Doggie Style" – Classic Pale Ale – Colorado/Maryland
    
25. Flying Dog "In-Heat Wheat" – Wheat Ale – Colorado/Maryland
    
26. Flying Dog "Old Scratch" – Amber Lager – Colorado/Maryland
    
27. Flying Dog "Road Dog" – Porter – Colorado/Maryland
    
28. Flying Dog "Snake Dog" – IPA – Colorado/Maryland
    
29. Flying Dog "Tire Bite" – Golden Ale – Colorado/Maryland
    
30. Fuller’s "ESB" – Ale – England
    
31. Fuller’s "London Pride" – Pale Ale – England
    
32. Granville Island – Cypress Honey Lager – Canada
    
33. Grimbergen – Blonde Ale – Belgium
34. Harbin Lager - Wuhan, China
    
35. Hazed & Infused - Dry-Hopped Ale
36. Heavy Seas "Below Decks" - Barley Wine Style Ale - Maryland
37. Heavy Seas "Loose Cannon" - Hop Ale - Maryland
38. Heavy Seas "Peg Leg" - Imperial Stout - Maryland
39. Heavy Seas "Small Craft Warning" - Uber Pillsner - Maryland
    
40. Hoegaarden – White Beer – Belgium
    
41. Horbrau Munchen - Hefe Weizen - Munchen, Germany
    
42. Hurricane Reef - Caribbean Style Pilsner - Melbourne, Florida
    
43. Kirin Ichiban – Japan
    
44. Kronenbourg "1664" – France
45. Lagunita’s "Censored" - Copper Ale – California
46. Lagunita’s "Hairy Eyeball" - Ale – California
47. Lagunita’s "IPA" - India Pale Ale – California
48. Lagunita’s "Pils" - Czech Style Pilsner – California
49. Leinenliugel’s "Honey Weiss" – Wisconsin
    
50. Leinenliugel’s "Summer Shandy" – Wisconsin
    
51. Leinenliugel’s "Sunset Wheat" – Wisconsin
    
52. Lump of Coal (Holiday Seasonal) – Dark Stout – England
    
53. Mad Hatter – IPA – Michigan
    
54. Mendocino Summer Seasonal - Belgian Style White Ale - Sartoga Springs, New York
55. Michelob "Irish Red Ale" - St. Louis, Missouri
56. Michelob "Pale Ale" - St. Louis, Missouri
57. Michelob "Porter" - St. Louis, Missouri
58. Modelo Especial –Mexico
    
59. Monty Python’s Holy Ale – England
    
60. Otter Creek - White Sail - Belgian Style White Ale - Middlebury, Vermont
    
61. Paulaner - Hefe Weizen - Municil, Germany
    
62. Panama Lager – Panama
63. Pipers Pale Ale - Dundin, Florida
    
64. Peroni Nastro Azzurro - Premium Pilsner - Rome, Italy
65. Red Head Red Ale - Dunedin, Florida
    
66. Red Hook’s Long Hammer – IPA – New Hampshire
67. Red Stripe - Jamaican Lager - Jamaica
68. Samuel Adams "Black Lager" – Massachusetts
69. Samuel Adams "Boston Lager" – Massachusetts
    
70. Samuel Adams "Cherry Wheat" – Massachusetts
    
71. Samuel Adams "Cream Stout" – Massachusetts
72. Samuel Adams "Heffeweizen" – Massachusetts
73. Samuel Adams "Summer Ale" (Summer Seasonal) – Massachusetts
    
74. Samuel Adams "White Ale" (Spring Seasonal) – Massachusetts
    
75. Samuel Adams "Winter Lager" (Winter Seasonal) – Massachusetts
76. Samuel Whitbread Pale Ale - Bedfordshire, England
77. San Miguel Dark Lager - Manila, Philippines
    
78. Shiner Bock – Texas
    
79. Shipyard Export Ale
    
80. Shock Top – Belgian White – Missouri
81. Smithwick's Irish Ale - Kilkenny, Ireland
    
82. St. Peter’s Golden Ale – England
    
83. Stella Artois - Belgium
    
84. Strongbow – Dry Cider – England
    
85. Terrapm - Golden Ale - Athens, Georgia
86. Tiger Lager - Asia Pacific
87. Tommyknocker "Alpine Glacier" - Lager - Idaho Springs, Colorado
88. Tommyknocker "Butt Head" - Dobbobock Lager - Idaho Springs, Colorado
89. Tommyknocker "Jack Whacker" - Wheat Ale - Idaho Springs, Colorado
90. Tommyknocker "Maple" - Nut Brown Ale - Idaho Springs, Colorado
91. Tommyknocker "Ornery Amber" - Lager - Idaho Springs, Colorado
92. Tommyknocker "Pick Axe" - Pale Ale - Idaho Springs, Colorado
93. Tsingtao - Quingdao, China
    
94. Whistler – Export Lager – Canada
    
95. White Tail Pale Ale - Wisconsin
    
96. WLD – Hard Blue – South Carolina
97. Windmer - Heffeweizen - Portsmouth, New Hampshire
    
98. Wychwood "Hobgoblin" - Dark English Ale - England
99. Wychwood "Scarecrow" - Golden Pale Ale - England
100. Yesi - Melbourne, Florida
101. Yuengling "Black And Tan"

An Apology For The Holidays

So I have been slacking. First it was projects then it was finals. Now it is Christmas and I am off on adventures. Tomorrow I leave on a 4 day cruise for the Bahamas, then I am back in Orlando for 2 days and then back to my parentals place for the Christmas weekend. So although I wanted to get another article out (I have done nothing in over a week, sorry no Guns N' Roses articles) I didn't. When I get back to society on the 29th I will try to bang a few out, but no promises. The lack of school really makes my drive for articles go away. It's odd really...

IGN Lists The Top 10 Doom Metal Bands

Ok, yet again to "borrow" information from MetalMartyr.com, I present to you IGN's The Top 10 Doom Metal Bands. After checking out the article on MM and reading through IGN's List, I began to leave a comment on the article at MM, and 20 minutes later I had several paragraphs written. So I decided to cop-out and use this for my own needs. Sorry MetalMartyr but we all help out each other right? (I hope so anyway).

Now, I am a fan of this genre, but even I can't listen to it all the time. It's too moody. I have to either be in a really good mood or a really bad one in order to stand more than one song.
This list on IGN is decent, and it does highlight some of the genre's greats, but then overlaps them with bands who have only one or two doom albums, or who mash genres together which really doesn't make it "Doom" anymore.

Their list in no order (I hope):

1. Saint Vitus - Classic, well deserved. They are one of the "Big Three (or Four depending on who is listing)" of doom metal, along with Pentagram, Candlemass (and Trouble as the fourth). I am happy to say that all of these made this list. Album of note: debut album Saint Vitus
   
2. Trouble - A surprise, but 100% right on. Trouble is most times looked over when lists are compiled, this gives me a little more confidence in this reviewers abilities. An odd thing about this group is that most of their songs have a highly Christian influence, not normally seen in Doom. Albums of note: Psalm 9 and The Skull.
   
3. Candlemass - One of my favorites. Single handedly began "Epic Doom Metal." I love the lead singer's voice on their first albums (even though it is two different people, you can barely tell). Albums of note: Epicus Doomicus Metallicus and Nightfall
   
4. Witchfinder General - Another of the founders. Don't know much about these guys because I can't find any of their albums anywhere.
5. Type O Negative - Now, Type O Negative is one of my favorite bands, but they aren't exactly doom metal. They only released one straight forward doom album (World Coming Down), dealing with drugs and death. They are more sludge metal, which is a crossover of Doom and Hardcore Punk. If you were going to count Sludge Metal on the list, there are a number of bands that are more influential than Type O Negative (Eyehategod and Crowbar off the top of my head). Albums of note: Bloody Kisses and Dead Again
   
6. Paradise Lost - Not a good choice. They originally were Death Metal, then Death/Doom for 2 albums, then Gothic rock and now they are Synth-rock/metal. They never really were in the Doom category, and nothing they did was that special.
7. Earth - Alright I'll give you this one, Earth is Drone Metal, which is a super-super-slowed version of Doom. One which focuses on minimalistics, which is a type of music (within all genres, it's big in classical) that is characterized as having almost no key signature, so things seem to happen randomly without warning. I can't stand it, but it does qualify, I guess...
8. Sleep - Another crossover; Stoner Doom. Again not my favorite sub-genre, but it qualifies as Doom. Like Earth, Sleep focuses on epicly long songs, with one song being the entire album, clocking in at over an hour long (Dopesmoker). It is way to trippy and out there for me to enjoy. But if you were high it might add a little something.
9. Pentagram - Another classic. Made the jump from straight-forward heavy metal to doom, and was one of the first to do so. A must have for any Doom List. Album of note: Day of Reckoning.
   
10. My Dying Bride - Death/Doom, which with my experience it falls more into Death than Doom, but I haven't listened to alot of their stuff. I am not a fan.

So, while the IGN list isn't a bad one, there are some bands that I feel should not be included. If you are making exceptions for cross genres like Death/Doom or Sludge Metal, than you need to include better ones to it.
Thanks to MetalMartyr.com

Rant: 20 Cover Songs That Are Better Than The Original

So there are alot of covers out there. Most of them are utter shit. Either they are direct copies of the originals, or they try to put a creative spin on them that send down the spiral of hell. However, every so often a truly great cover comes along, a song that is so awesome that I cannot enjoy the original song nearly as much as I did before. Some of these are great songs covered by great bands, and some are crappy songs made great. This is my list of those songs:

1. Bruce Dickinson with Godspeed - "Sabbath Bloody Sabbath" - Originally by Black Sabbath
2. Demons & Wizards - "Immigrant Song" - Originally by Led Zeppelin
3. Dope - "You Spin Me Right Round (Like A Record)" - Originally by Dead or Alive
4. Eric Clapton - "Cocaine" - Originally by J.J. Cale
5. Eric Clapton - "I Shot The Sheriff" - Originally by Bob Marley
6. Foo Fighters - "Darling Nikki" - Originally by Prince
7. Gary Jules - "Mad World" - Originally by Tears For Fears
8. Guns N' Roses - "Hair of The Dog" - Originally by Nazareth
9. Guns N' Roses - "Knockin' On Heaven's Door" - Originally by Bob Dylan
10. Guns N' Roses - "Sympathy For The Devil" - Originally by The Rolling Stones
11. GWAR - "School's Out" - Originally by Alice Cooper
12. Helloween - "Hocus Pocus" - Originally by Focus
13. Iced Earth - "Shooting Star" - Originally by Bad Company
14. Iced Earth - "Transylvania" - Originally by Iron Maiden
15. Jimi Hendrix - "All Along The Watchtower" - Originally by Bob Dylan
16. Johnny Cash - Hurt" - Originally by Nine Inch Nails
17. Metallica - "Sabbra Cadabra" (With "A National Acrobat" mixed in the middle) - Originally by Black Sabbath
18. Tesla - "Signs" - Originally by Five Man Electrical Band
19. Type O Negative - "Hey Pete" - Originally "Hey Joe" by Jimi Hendrix
20. Ugly Kid Joe - "Cat's In The Cradle" - Originally by Harry Chapin

New Band: Black Tide

I love finding new music, and I love even more to find new bands. Some people may have heard of Black Tide at this point, they had a very successful Ozzfest tour in 2007 (which I went to) and have their album, Light From Above, out for 9 months now, so they are growing in popularity and known.

Now, not to brag (lies) but I found these guys before all that. Months before the start of the Ozzfest tour, when I decided to go, I went and researched all the bands performing (because that's what kind of music geek I am), to find those that I know I'll hate (the screamers) and try to learn some of the music of the groups that aren't bad. This is how I found Black Tide. At the time they didn't have any album out, and not even an EP per se, they just had their MySpace. I listened to said MySpace, liked what I heard and added them as a friend (I no longer have a MySpace because I would like a job one day), to keep updated.
Time passed, and I forgot about these small-time artists who had a lucky break. Later, while I was on MySpace one day I saw a bulletin from them that caught my eye. Apparently, because all of this band's members were under the age of 21 (I think the oldest was 18 at the time) they were being kicked off the tour. See, the second stage (where these guys were opening) was hosted by Jägermeister, and they had a problem with a bunch of underage kids playing on their stage. So they were off the tour, and a little pissed (as would be expected).
About a week passed and I saw another bulletin, a 180 on the previous one. It seems that Ozzy, the man himself (with probably a push from his wife), thought that what was happening to these guys was crap. So he decided to bump the band up to opening for the mainstage, a honor usually held by those bands who have been around for over a decade. So Black Tide jumped from being a no-body band that most people would miss (I rarely make it in time for the first band, especially for Ozzfest), to the openers for the mainstay of metal.
So they went on to play a great show (I guess, I really don't remember, with 14 hours of metal, it all seems to blur together. But they weren't bad, I would have remembered that), and released their debut album shortly after. The album did alright, breaking the Billboard Top 100, landing at 73, not to shabby for a debut band and album within the metal community.

I have the album (obviously) and I think that it is great. They do a cover of Metallica's "Hit The Lights" and don't suck at it. As I was listening to it, it struck me that they are a mix of the golden-age Thrash, reminiscent of Metallica, and NWOBHM, with Judas Priest-esq vocals and lyrics. My favorite song, by far, is "Warriors of Time." It's a simply-lyric'd song, with only one real verse and alot of guitar-work, but it keeps me enthralled, and my the hair on the back of my neck prickles every time I get to their haunting voices chanting "We are the warriors, the warriors, the warriors of time!" This disc is a must have for anyone who enjoyed the days of Iron Maiden but wants a little more of a kick.


Black Tide - Light From Above

1. "Shockwave" - 3:38
2. "Shout" - 3:26
3. "Warriors of Time" - 5:53
4. "Give Me a Chance" - 3:34
5. "Let Me" - 3:30
6. "Show Me the Way" - 3:59
7. "Enterprise" - 4:31
8. "Live Fast Die Young" - 3:01
9. "Hit the Lights" (Metallica Cover) - 3:42
10. "Black Abyss" - 4:06
11. "Light From Above" - 5:46
12. "Black Widow" (UK Bonus Track) - 3:48
13. "Again" (iTunes Bonus Track) - 3:18
14. "Rise" (Hot Topic Bonus Track) - 2:46

Albums Listened To In November

Another month is done, and with it comes my list of albums listened to. This month started out very bright, with over 25 albums listened to in the first two weeks, I thought I would do better than October (50 albums), but within the end of November, the numbers started to slack. To many bands, not enough time. Plus my epic playlist took up some of the time.
Only 40 albums this month (not counting my Epic Playlist)

My favorite newly listened album of the month: Paint By Number by 3. I really enjoyed the mix of traditional Progressive Rock and Funk Rock. It completely switches feel after the first three songs. It was unexpected and I loved it! Favorite song: You Call Me Baby
Honorable Mention: The Honeydrippers - The Honeydrippers: Volume One. A surprise find of some of rock's greatest performers playing covers of songs from the 40's and 50's.

My least favorite newly listened album of the month: Hopkins (The Whitchfinder General) by Cathedral. After hearing this band's first few albums I could not wait to get to the rest, but this EP really let me down. The band goes from it's doom/heavy sound to more of a psychedelic/rock overhaul. Not one song stood out to me in any way.
Dis-honorable mention: Folkearth - Father of Victory. Disliked the band considerably, will probably never listen to them again. May not be a bad albums, but it is a bad band to me.

1. My Epic Playlist In It's Entirety!!
   
2. 3 - The End Is Begun - Newly Listened!
3. 3 - Paint By Number - Newly Listened!
4. 3 - Summercamp Nightmare - Newly Listened!
5. AC/DC - The Razor's Edge
   
6. The Answer - Rise - Newly Listened! - See My Take
7. The Beatles - Revolver - Newly Listened!
8. Billy Joel - 52nd Street - Newly Listened!
9. Billy Joel - An Innocent Man - Newly Listened!
10. Billy Joel - The Bridge - Newly Listened!
11. Billy Joel - Cold Springs Harbor - Newly Listened!
12. Billy Joel - The Nylon Curtain - Newly Listened!
13. Billy Joel - Piano Man - Newly Listened!
14. Billy Joel - Songs In The Attic (Live) - Newly Listened!
15. Billy Joel - The Stranger - Newly Listened!
16. Billy Joel - Turnstiles - Newly Listened!
17. Cathedral - Hopkins (The Whitchfinder General) - Newly Listened!
18. Clutch - Jam Room
19. Dream Evil - Evilized
20. Dream Theater - Scenes From A Memory - See My Take
    
21. Dream Theater - Systematic Chaos
22. Fates Warning - Disconnected - Newly Listened!
23. Firebird - Firebird
24. Folkearth - Father of Victory - Newly Listened!
25. Guns N' Roses - GN'R Lies
26. Guns N' Roses - Appetite For Destruction
27. HammerFall - Renegade - Newly Listened!
28. The Honeydrippers - The Honeydrippers: Volume One - Newly Listened!
29. Kiuas - The New Dark Age
    
30. Kiuas - Reformation
    
31. Kiuas - Spirit of Ukko
    
32. Mushroomhead - XIII
33. Mushroomhead - Savior Sorrow
34. OSI - Office of Strategic Influence - Newly Listened!
35. Queensrÿche - Empire
36. Regina Spektor - 11:11 - Newly Listened!
37. Reel Big Fish & Zolof The Rock & Roll Destroyer - Duet All Night Long - Newly Listened!
38. Spock's Beard - Day For Night - Newly Listened!
39. Spock's Beard - Spock's Beard - Newly Listened!
40. Sturm Und Drang - Learning To Rock
    
41. Transatlantic - SMPT:e - Newly Listened!

A GNR Retrospective: Beginnings To Appetite For Destruction

Formation And Discovery

Guns N' Roses was formed in Los Angeles, California in March 1985 by Hollywood Rose vocalist Axl Rose and L.A. Guns guitarist Tracii Guns. Rose recruited Hollywood Rose's rhythm guitarist, Izzy Stradlin, to join the band, and Guns recruited former L.A. Guns members Ole Beich and Rob Gardner for bass guitar and drums respectively. Soon after the formation, Beich was replaced by Duff McKagan, and guitarist Slash and drummer Steven Adler filled in for Guns and Gardner, after they failed to show up at a concert the band was to perform. In early 1986 Slash and Adler became full time members of the band after Guns and Gardner were fired for not appearing at several of the band's performances. The name Guns N' Roses was derived from a combination of the two bands that they were formed from.
After witnessing a Guns N' Roses show at the Troubadour, Tom Zutaut, a Geffen Records A&R executive, falsely warned other scouts "they suck" so he could have more time and leeway to sign them. Axl Rose demanded, and received, a $75,000 advance from Zutaut before revealing that he had promised an A&R executive from Chrysalis that the band would sign with her if she walked naked down Sunset Boulevard. For three days, Zutaut nervously watched from his office window for a naked A&R executive before he could close the deal. Alan Niven was subsequently hired as the band's manager, and the team set out to record the band's full-length debut album.

Live ?!*@ Like a Suicide

Before the first full album was ready Geffen decided to release an EP to keep the interest in the band that had to disappear from the club scene to work on the album. For this purpose an "independent label" Uzi Suicide Records was created by Geffen and on December 16 1986, a four song EP entitled Live ?!*@ Like A Suicide was released.
Designed to gauge public opinion of the band outside of Los Angeles, the record contained covers of Rose Tattoo's "Nice Boys" and Aerosmith's "Mama Kin", along with two original compositions: the punk anthem "Reckless Life" and the classic rock inspired "Move to the City", both of which were co-written by Hollywood Rose's founding member Chris Weber. Despite having the look and sound of a live album, band members have admitted that the tracks were actually studio recordings with a live audience overdubbed.
Only 10,000 vinyl copies of the album were produced, and even though the tracks were re-issued verbatim two years later as part of the GN'R Lies EP, the original Live ?!*@ Like a Suicide has been a valuable and sought after collector's item among fans since the late 1980s.

Appetite For Destruction

The band's first album, Appetite For Destruction, was released on July 21, 1987. In the US, "Welcome to the Jungle" was issued as its first single with an accompanying music video. Initially, the album and single did not perform well, but when Geffen Records founder David Geffen was asked to lend support to the band, he obliged by personally convincing MTV executives to play "Welcome to the Jungle" during their after hours rotation. Even though the video was initially only played one time at 4 a.m. on a Sunday, rock and punk fans took notice and soon began requesting the video and song.
Overseas, countries were often treated to material that never saw release to the US market, and went unexposed to US fans. The original UK "Welcome to the Jungle" single was backed with a performance of AC/DC's "Whole Lotta Rosie" and a 12-inch single included live renditions of "It's So Easy" and the Bob Dylan classic "Knockin' on Heaven's Door" (which would later be covered by the band in the studio on Use Your Illusion II). In Japan, an entire self-titled EP was issued, containing the album version of "Sweet Child o' Mine" and most of the Marquee Club recordings.
The album underwent an artwork change after the original Robert Williams cover design (a surrealist scene in which a dagger-toothed monster vengefully attacks a robot rapist) spawned complaints from religious groups and caused some record stores to brown bag, obscure, or refuse to sell the album. The revised cover was gleaned from a tattoo that Axl Rose had recently commissioned featuring skeleton faces of the five musicians arranged on a cross. Rose later insisted that the Gold and Platinum plaques issued by the RIAA be set using the original cover. The artwork from the original cover can be found in the booklet of the CD release.
"Sweet Child o' Mine" was the album's second US single co-written by Axl Rose as a poem for his girlfriend and future wife, Erin Everly. Due to the growing grassroots success of the band and the cross-gender appeal of the tune, the song and its accompanying music video received heavy airplay on both radio and MTV, and became a smash hit during the summer of 1988. "Welcome to the Jungle" was then re-issued as a single, with new pressings of records and tapes and new artwork. The UK re-release was backed with an acoustic version of "You're Crazy", recorded much earlier than the one featured on the G N' R Lies EP.
By the time "Paradise City" and its video reached the airwaves, the band's touring success and fame had catapulted the album to #1 on the Billboard charts. "Welcome to the Jungle", "Sweet Child o' Mine" and "Paradise City" were all top ten singles in the U.S. To date, Appetite for Destruction has sold over 26 million copies.

--------------------------------------

GN'R Lies

The album "GN'R Lies," is a re-issue of their debut EP "Live ?!*@ Like A Suicide" and an unreleased acoustic EP, released after the success of "Appetite For Destruction." It is a good first effort by the band. The "live" songs (they all turned out to be made live in the studio), "Reckless Life," "Nice Boys," "Move To The City," and "Mama Kin," all show the ferocity that GN'R was known for at the time. The second half of the disc houses some of my favorites, "Patience," the tongue-in-cheek "Used To Love Her," "You're Crazy," and "One In A Million." These latter tracks show off the bands musical ability, which would become more prevalent in their later albums, the "Use Your Illusion" double disc.

1. "Reckless Life" – 3:21
   

2. "Nice Boys" (Rose Tattoo Cover) – 3:04
   

3. "Move to the City" – 3:43
   

4. "Mama Kin" (Aerosmith Cover) – 3:57
   

5. "Patience" – 5:56
   

6. "Used to Love Her" – 3:13
   

7. "You're Crazy" – 4:10
   

8. "One in a Million" – 6:09

Appetite For Destruction

Appetite For Destruction is GN'R's claim to fame. It houses more of their hits than any other record, and was a seminal debut full-length album for the band. It catapulted them into stardom, which only ended when they did. With their mega hits, "Welcome To The Jungle," "Paradise City," and "Sweet Child o' Mine," this album was a best seller and is one of my favorites to this day. I love the songs (which weren't ever made into singles) "Mr. Brownstone," and "It's So Easy," as they highlight different aspects of the band, and pave the way to their greatness.

1. "Welcome To The Jungle" - 4:34
   

2. "It's So Easy" - 3:22
   

3. "Nightrain" - 4:28
   

4. "Out Ta Get Me" - 4:23
   

5. "Mr. Brownstone" - 3:48
   

6. "Paradise City" - 6:46
   

7. "My Michelle" - 3:39
   

8. "Think About You" - 3:51
   

9. "Sweet Child o' Mine" - 5:56
   

10. "You're Crazy" - 3:17
    

11. "Anything Goes" - 3:26
    

12. "Rocket Queen" - 6:13

Thanksgiving Homework

So I will be headed home on Wednesday for the Holiday and back to my life in Orlando on Sunday. This whole time I will be away from a decent computer and my extensive library. How will I cope? By giving myself homework. Because I will be away from my lair, I won't be able to update this site for about a week. But, when I get back I intend to have some new articles prepared:

With the release of the new Guns N' Roses album (which I have obtained), I will be listening to their entire discography (beginning back when there was a soul in the band) from the first album/ep, Gn'R Lies (which, although their second album, is actually a reprint of their two first ep's together), to their cover album, "The Spaghetti Incident". After this retrospective, I will review their newest album, flaws (or greatness, I don't pre-judge) and all.

I also am playing around with the ideas of paying homage to two of my rising stars in power metal; Kiuas and Dream Evil. I almost always listen to them back-to-back so it seems fitting to write them in the same fashion.

And because I will not be on campus at all this week, I cannot hit-up the CD shop, for my "New Album of The Week" bit, so I will have to find a substitute around my parent's place. I really don't want to go to a conglomerate such as Best Buy, but I don't know of any smaller places around. I'll have to have some of my old friends help me out.

So that is my self-applied homework for this upcoming week. Let's see if I actually get around to doing any of it. I really want to do the "GNR: Retrospective" stuff. So I will prob do that first.
I have some free time tomorrow between a job interview and work, and a little free time Wednesday morning before I leave, so I will try to get one more article up. I'd hate to leave for a week and just have this up...

New Band: Sound And Fury

I've decided that I don't actually buy albums that often any more. I either trade or "acquire" them from various contacts. So, in order to feel better about myself, and to give back to the community (I believe the first one more), I have decided to try and buy a new CD every week at the store on my College Campus.

This week my acquisition, was the debut, self-titled album, by Sound And Fury. Now, at the store where I go, they have a "Metal Pick of The Month" section, where you can listen to the albums, which I always give a quick run-by. Normally it is fulled with genres like death/black metal, or something with -core in the name, but occasionally it can be good for a find. I saw the Sound And Fury albums, and the artwork really stood out to me, it is bitchin'. It's a mob of people with skulls for heads. That's it, but it is really neat to look at. At the station I listened to part of the first track, and should have listened a little harder, but I was with someone and didn't want to be a dick (plus she is cute). So I took the CD with the cool cover art and bought it.

GnR Streams The Full "Chinese Democracy" On MySpace

So it might actually happen; Axl may bite the bullet and actually release his over-a-decade-in-the-making album "Chinese Democracy." Although it is supposed to hit the shelves in two days, Axl Rose hasn't officially confirmed that the album will be released then, so I've got 10 bucks that says that he will decide tomorrow to scrap the whole idea and begin again. That's just me and my freakish talking money.
Anyway, as I said in the title, you can stream the complete "Chinese Democracy" off of Guns N' Roses' MySpace. I am listening to it now, and I have to say, that although streaming is no way to review an album, it is nothing special. I mean don't get me wrong, it's not bad, and it probably would have sold well 15 years ago, but after all this wait this album would have to be spectacular to live up to all the hype and disappointment over the years. It just does not do this. It is an alright album (from what I've heard) but not worth the whole wait.
But you go ahead and give it a listen, I will probably have a real review up here eventually, but as I said, you can't review off MySpace. At least I can't.

New Band: The Answer

Yet again I am re-using information from another blog. But most sites get their info from other sites, and hey, I always give credit. This time it's from a video (see below) that I got from this article from The Rock Dose, a great blog for the more mainstream rock.

But this video, from Letterman, shows the Irish band, The Answer, playing a single from their upcoming EP, "Never Too Late" (which is also on their debut album, "Rise"). Looking now at the information in front of me, I think that the site I got the video from is a little outdated. Reading from AllMusic, the EP "Never Too Late" was released in 2005, before their premier album, in 2006. So although I am a little behind with my discovery, I am also putting out the correct information, checking my sources. This makes me question other articles from The Rock Dose, gotta keep us all correctly informed man! (Unless of course they are re-releasing it within the States, in that case I take it all back, and I am an ass-hat)

Anyway, so after hearing the song on Letterman, I "acquired" the album and gave it a listen. The album, "Rise," seems to be straight from the 80's, from the AC/DC-esq straight-forward rock ("Under The Sky"), to the Deep Purple-infused Blues ("Memphis Water"), even including a power ballad as their last track ("Always"). When I picked up the album I was originally blown away, the first two tracks, "Under The Sky" and "Never Too Late," were amazing, upbeat rock-jams. Then it began to slow down as they added some blues into the mix. Not that the variation is a bad thing, but I was used to the fast paced beginning and was surprised when the songs got slower and slower as I continued. I was still bobbing my head along, however, until I got to the end of the disc. The final two songs, "Preachin'" and "Always," were just a boring way to end the, up to this point, strong album. Without changing the songs themselves, I would not have put these two together, and especially not at the end of the CD.

My favorite songs off of the album are (as already stated) "Under The Sky" and "Never Too Late." Their catchy riffs and quick lyrics are a nice mix.

Here is the video from The Answer on Letterman