CD Review: Sevendust – Kill The Flaw 7Bros. Records All Access Rating: A-
Sevendust - Kill The Flaw 2015
Sevendust was built for the long haul, and so are their ardent admirers. A model of consistency, they cultivated a loyal following most bands would sell their souls for, and there's no reason for the long-running hard-rock quintet to give up the ghost now, especially not after just unleashing what might be their finest work in their 18 years together.
Kill The Flaw is the 11th studio album from a hard-rock quintet that could easily have burned out quickly in the '90s after a string of gold albums and incessant touring. There's something to be said for the kind of longevity Sevendust has achieved. Even more noteworthy is that, after all this time, they're still pushing themselves creatively to grow and mature, without losing their identity – a tricky balancing act some of their peers never managed to pull off.
As floods of expansive, winding melodies that no dam could hope to hold wash over the self-produced Kill The Flaw, wherethick carpets of heavy guitars and surging, sculpted grooves decorate mansions of sound, it's the emotionally powerful vocals of charismatic front man Lajon Witherspoon that give each place its heart and soul. Calming the thunder somewhat, Sevendust allows the complex dynamics of "Forget," "Cease And Desist" and "Not Today" to sink their firm hooks into an audience already reeling from the rapturous, ever-widening epics "Thank You" and "Death Dance." The dark crunch of "Letters" plumbs the layered, atmospheric depths of The Deftones, while "Silly Beast" evokes comparisons to the slick, majestic sonic designs of Muse and "Peace And Destruction" and a gripping title track deliver their sincere messages with fierce urgency and strong riffing from guitarists Clint Lowery and John Connolly. Hearing these songs is like being swallowed by an easy chair and drowning in its plush cushions.
Signs of progressing artistry are found all over Kill The Flaw, but it's the easy flow, the clarity and definition of the songwriting here that raise the bar, making for memorable experiences that should absolutely soar in live environments, where Sevendust really shines. Whatever "flaws" there are here are mostly submerged, and if Kill The Flow doesn't break any new ground, it does suggest that Sevendust isn't willing to compromise its vision. And that is why their fan base sticks around.
– Peter Lindblad
DVD Review: Rage Against The Machine – Live at Finsbury Park Eagle Rock Entertainment All Access Rating: A
Rage Against The Machine -
Live at Finsbury Park 2015
Every so often, good does triumph over evil. "Live at Finsbury Park" is a reminder that occasionally the underdog wins, if it's on the side of the angels. Of course, it helps having a force of nature like Rage Against The Machine driving the grassroots campaign behind it.
For those not familiar with the story, a short history lesson. The presumptive Christmas No. 1 hit in 2009 on the U.K. singles chart was bound to be whatever corporate, lightweight pop drivel Simon Cowell's "X Factor" winner had excreted. Then, along came Jon and Tracy Morter.
Tired of seeing Cowell's patronage result in yet another undeserving holiday season score for his formulaic, pandering hit machine, the English DJ and his wife crafted this modest proposal: How about giving Rage Against The Machine's "Killing In The Name" a chance at No. 1? Their indomitable promotional campaign led to a chart upset that wiped that smirk right off Cowell's smug face. The people had spoken. "Killing In The Name" set records for downloading and claimed that top spot on Christmas despite Cowell's prediction that such a travesty would never occur.
And so, in keeping with a promise RATM vocalist Zach de la Rosa made, Rage played a celebratory free concert in the U.K. to express their gratitude and encourage more rebellion against the forces of commerce and tyranny in general. Available on DVD, Blu-ray and in digital formats via Eagle Rock Entertainment, "Live in Finsbury Park" documents in spectacular fashion that blistering performance with some of the most dynamic and exciting cinematography ever choreographed in a concert DVD. Colorful, clear imagery of the band in full throat, leaping about the stage with reckless abandon and wild-eyed energy and laying down infectious, thick grooves for a massive, writhing throng of people, not only flows together logically, but also effortlessly frames the incendiary action from a variety of angles.
A modern-day MC5, with a passionate rapper/singer in de la Rosa spouting socially conscious lyrics through an incendiary delivery, Rage Against The Machine is riveting onstage, hardly taking a breath as they ferociously attack favorites such as "Bombtrack," "Guerilla Radio," "People of the Sun" and "Bullet in the Head" and stomp all over "Bulls on Parade." The tense build-up of opener "Testify" lays the groundwork for the series of explosions that take place over a concise set that includes a furious cover of The Clash's "White Riot," all of it leading up to the grand finale, an overpowering version of "Killing In The Name" that burns the place to the ground.
From the skittering guitar scratchings and other innovative machinations of Tom Morello to the intense bashing of drummer Brad Wilk and the strong currents of menacing, insurgent bass lines of Tim Commerford, Rage is on fire, basking in the moment and exhorting the multitudes not to give up the fight, even as they themselves splinter off in different directions. A short behind-the-scenes featurette, coupled with an interview with the Morters and a booklet full of rich concert photography round out a package of historical importance. Unfortunately, it's also a tease for those who wish Rage was more active and doing this sort of thing all the time.
– Peter Lindblad
CD Review: With The Dead – With The Dead Rise Above Records All Access Rating: A-
With The Dead - S/T 2015
Don't let the crosses and pastoral garb fool you. The members of eerie, occultist doom-metal misanthropes With The Dead are not exactly a pious lot.
Electric Wizard castoffs Tim Bagshaw (guitarist/bassist) and Mark Greening (drummer) make up two-thirds of With The Dead, joining Cathedral's Lee Dorrian, and once upon a time, as legend has it, the two were arrested for absconding with a crucifix off a church's roof, among other transgressions. Not surprisingly then, the harrowing, disorienting journey deep into the dark unknown that is the trio's punishingly brutal and ominously crusty self-titled debut LP, released by Dorrian's Rise Above Records, certainly does disturb the peace in ways that seem unnatural and extraordinary.
Burrowing down into the horrifically gnarly bowels of the sepulchral With The Dead is not advisable for the faint of heart. The further one goes the more hallucinatory the effects, Dorrian's hoary vocals a distant, echo-laden evil always fearful of being buried alive by monstrously heavy riffing crackling with grimy distortion on "Nephthys" and "Crown of Burning Stars." Occasional bridges of clarity and sinister, spare acoustic designs appear in thick, slow-turning dirges "Living With the Dead" and "I Am Your Virus," as With The Dead haunts wide swaths of ruinous, bombed-out sonic devastation and gets lost in the churning blackness and awful dread of "Screams From My Own Grave." Take a flashlight with you upon entering With The Dead and make sure the batteries are charged.
In danger of succumbing to shapeless monotony, as each song seems more turgid than the last, With The Dead almost grinds to a halt by the end, and yet, the album beckons time and time again, revealing more layers than a cursory listen provides. Each breathtaking track seems to be a universe unto itself, requiring deep exploration, even as mammoth implosions cause a series of massive sonic cave-ins from which there is no escape. Much has been made of the fractious relations between Rise Above Records and the Electric Wizard camp, but with this effort, it's clear that With The Dead are moving on to the next plateau. Maybe they'll settle their differences in the afterlife.
– Peter Lindblad
CD Review: Stryper – Fallen Frontiers Music srl All Access Rating: A-
Styper - Fallen 2015
Placing its faith in heavy, crunching riffs and bold, uplifting melodies enveloped in fire-and-brimstone bluster paid off handsomely for a reinvigorated Stryper on 2013's No More Hell to Pay, an album that drew rave reviews from critics once reluctant to pay them any respect whatsoever.
A Frontiers Music srl release, Fallen continues their glorious crusade back to metal relevancy. Holding nothing back in terms of its growing creative aspirations and staying on message with determined zeal, the yellow-and-black attack is increasingly intense and relentless on the mighty Fallen, where high-minded principles and sentiments sometimes clash with righteous indignation.
All of which is found in the epic opener "Yahweh," as storming thrash-metal anger collides with angelic choirs and rousing, uplifting power-metal drama in a tour-de-force production that's as ambitious as anything the Christian metal stalwarts have ever attempted. Driving furiously through fast-paced, gripping tracks such as the Black Sabbath cover "After Forever" and "Till I Get What I Need," Stryper seems to relish throwing off the shackles of its hair-metal past. And when provoked, they can turn downright vicious, passionately pounding the pulpit with thundering sonic authority while condemning Hollywood for its false portrayal of Christians in "Big Screen Lies."
On Fallen, the band's 11th original album, there is darkness and light, with Oz Fox and Michael Sweet trading various combinations of searing, hot-wired guitar licks that seem to take dead aim at Stryper's detractors and Sweet singing with dynamic force and great conviction, as drummer Robert Sweet and bassist Tim Gaines flex their rhythmic muscles. Brawling, weighty guitars grind through the title track, "Pride" and "Let There Be Light," their gnarled hooks gripping tightly to desperate souls seeking salvation, while "Heaven" smolders, "Love You Like I Do" stings with melodic sweetness and the lovely pop-metal ballad "All Over Again" swoons with sighing harmonies.
Without completely reinventing themselves, Stryper has shown that an old dog of an '80s metal band can learn a few new tricks and not lose its identity in the process. There are times on Fallen where it seems Stryper falls back too easily on what's worked for them in the past and becomes formulaic, but for the faithful who've stuck with them through it all, that's probably a comfort.
– Peter Lindblad
CD Review: Michael Monroe – Blackout States Spinefarm Records All Access Rating: A-
Michael Monroe - Blackout States 2015
If romance wasn't actually dead before the release of Blackout States, Michael Monroe may have finally choked the life right out of it with "This Ain't No Love Song."
Kickstarting Monroe's latest album with incendiary guitars and a healthy dose of punk attitude, the rip-roaring anthem makes no bones about Monroe's cynicism toward relationships. Declaring that "there ain't no first dates, there ain't no soul mates," the pride of Finland is fine with being a loner. It's a lifestyle choice he heartily endorses, and the absence of a soul-draining partner seems to agree with him, as the Spinefarm Records release Blackout States continues a run of strong, high-energy rock 'n' roll records from the former Hanoi Rocks frontman. Who needs love anyway if you could be – forgive the hyperbole – the last rock star on earth?
Cultivating a more melodic sound that's slightly looser than its predecessors, the trashy, irresistible power pop of Blackout States dials back on the big, in-your-face production of his last two swashbuckling records and lets the record's sparkling songwriting speak for itself. The result is a more consistent album, with less peaks and valleys, although Monroe and company have plenty of fire in the belly this time around. Infectious, tough and wistful, "Good Old Bad Days," "Goin' Down With the Ship" and a rumbling "Dead Hearts On Denmark Street" are fiery riots of tight hooks and sing-along choruses awash in nostalgia for wilder times and irresponsible behavior. While "The Bastard's Bash" is all swagger and ballsy bravado and "R.L.F" is fast, ramshackle punk on trucker speed, the self-empowering sentiments of "Keep Your Eye on You" benefit from reduced volume and swooning harmonies, while "Permanent Youth" and "Six Feet in the Ground" offer sweet ear candy with razor blades stuck in them.
With bassist and longtime collaborator Sami Yaffa and drummer Karl Rockfist driving this furious engine, and guitarists Steve Conte and newcomer Rich Jones (formerly of the Ginger Wildheart Band and the Black Halos) delivering hot-wired riffs and blistering leads, Monroe has the backing of a band that matches his youthful enthusiasm and rebellious personality. And while Blackout States mines the same old exhausted veins of glam-punk gold Monroe goes back to time and time again, he somehow still manages to find shiny nuggets of the stuff lodged in there.
– Peter Lindblad
CD Review: Operation: Mindcrime – The Key Frontiers Music srl All Access Rating: C+
Operation: Mindcrime - The Key 2015
The sprawling concept album Operation: Mindcrime was indeed Queensryche's finest hour, a grand puzzle of progressive metal full of grandiose arrangements, sweeping drama and intelligent, socio-political storytelling. Queensryche's former singer is hoping some of the magic of his old band's most iconic work rubs off on his latest mission, which bears the same name.
Not so much a band as a collection of hired guns gathered together to help Tate realize his vision, Operation: Mindcrime borrows the talents of Megadeth's Dave Ellefson, John Moyer (Disturbed, Adrenaline Mob), drummers Simon Wright (AC/DC) and Brian Tichy (Billy Idol, Ozzy Osbourne) and seemingly a cast of thousands on the elegant mess called The Key, said to be part one of an epic musical trilogy from Tate and released by Frontiers Music srl.
An enormous undertaking, The Key is ambitious, thought-provoking and cinematic in scope, and the chord progressions, strings and deep bass grooves establish a dark and stylish environment for a series of scenes addressing the question: What would happen if a key was found that could completely alter our perception of the world? The crunching, surging riffs and building drama of "Burn" and "Re-inventing the Future" that follow in the wake of the soaring, orchestral opener "Choice" all suggest the high expectations for The Key were warranted. This is where the engine stalls.
Quickly losing focus, its jumble of interesting ideas never quite pulling off the jaw-dropping tricks its set of musical magicians promise, The Key devolves and flatlines. "Ready to Fly" meanders about without any real sense of purpose or direction, as if sleepwalking through an empty park in the wee hours of the morning. Just as rudderless, the proggy indulgences of "On Queue" and "An Ambush of Sadness" are set adrift instrumentally without any hope of rescue. And choruses destined for greatness end up ineffectual and formless, as is the case with "Hearing Voices," a chunky, heavy riot of Rage Against The Machine-like stomp that ends up stammering like a petulant child.
Still possessing a powerful, expressive voice and a gift for bold theatrics, Tate has time to fix this, with two more acts yet to play out. Getting all these disparate pieces to fit together logically, allowing for greater flow and fewer stumbles, might be his biggest challenge.
– Peter Lindblad
Ross The Boss looks back on landmark punk LP By Peter Lindblad
The Dictators - The Dictators
Go Girl Crazy
If ever an album was deserving of a midlife crisis, it's The Dictators'Go Girl Crazy! Having just turned 40 this year, it ought to be living the high life, and against all odds, it is.
Rather than racing around in expensive muscle cars, sporting a bad comb over and sidling up to trashy, tattooed strippers, telling them dirty, tasteless jokes over 25-cent tappers in vain attempts to wear down their resistance, Go Girl Crazy! –the Rodney Dangerfield of proto-punk records – is finally getting some respect.
"When it came out, people were laughing at us," said Ross The Boss, a founding member of punk trailblazers The Dictators and guitarist of a band that showed everyone from The Ramones to the Beastie Boys how its done. "People were mocking us, laughing at us. 'Ooo hoo, look at that guy with the wrestling outfit on the front cover and the back. What’s going on with this?' You’re talking about cars, girls, surfing and beer and American culture, and we thought, 'Ohhh, yeah!' But it seems as if 40 years later, Uncut magazine votes it No. 1 greatest American punk rock record of all-time. Uncut magazine … yeah. Uncut magazine … greatest American punk rock record of all-time."
Misunderstood almost from birth, The Dictators' seminal debut LP, released in March 1975, had its own special neanderthal, politically incorrect charm that, over time, has ... well, it's grown on us. It was after simple pleasures, and it was a stone gas, honey – just loud, obnoxious rock 'n' roll laced with grabby hooks, irresistible melodies and sun-kissed harmonies, such as those found in "Weekend," "Teengenerate" and "(I Live For) Cars and Girls," and a penchant for goofy humor. Take for example "Back to Africa" and "Master Race Rock," a precursor to Black Flag's "TV Party." Did I mention the political incorrectness?
Primitive, naive and just out for a good time, this was savage, street-wise garage rock played with surprising skill and a wild, brash attitude. It had an appreciation for bad TV, political incorrectness, indiscriminate sex and youthful hijinks and, according to "Two Tub Man," it had "Jackie Onassis in my pants." Oh, and it hated hippies.
"It was amazing. It was our first time, my first time, in the studio.We had absolutely no idea what we were doing, but we had the songs," said Ross The Boss, who later resurfaced with traditional metal heroes Manowar. "We knew what we wanted, and we recorded that record and it’s hanging in the Rock And Roll Hall of Fame. The first thing you see is [Handsome Dick] Manitoba (The Dictators' indomitable front man) stuff, and the band has never been bigger, never been bigger – working harder than ever."
Soon, Go Girl Crazy! will get what it so rightly deserves, that is a proper reissue from CBS Sony. However, on Black Friday, Sony Legacy will release an appetizer of sorts, a 10-inch EP of five songs from Go Girl Crazy! that's entitled the Next Big Thing EP. A special 40th anniversary reissue of the original album is due to follow. Ross The Boss is enthused.
"Andrew W.K. has remixed three tracks. And he asked us to do it," said Ross The Boss. "We dug up the fucking two-track, excuse me. He remixed three songs … amazing remixes. I never thought I’d hear them remixed, and they are reissuing a double CD with alternate takes, odds and sods, that stuff that they found. And now it’s coming out again 40 years later. So now I’ve lived and the tables have turned. So this is going to be a great fall."
The two releases are separate, as the 40th anniversary CD reissue of Go Girl Crazy! will include the full album, plus alternate takes and different mixes.
As for Ross The Boss, he's got more than a few more irons in the fire. His melodic power metal band Death Dealer just released its sophomore album, Hallowed Ground. And there's new Dictators' material on the way.
"So this is going to be a great fall. [Along with] the new Death Dealer, also we’ve written our first new single, The Dictators, without Andy, with the new lineup," said Ross The Boss. "So we’re moving into new territory. And everything is hitting on all cylinders my friend."
There's no rest for the wicked, or Ross The Boss. And his work ethic is stronger than ever.
"I’m honored, I am honored, but at the same time, I wake up and I work my ass off every single day," said Ross The Boss. "I don’t take a day off. So we work on it all the time. And I would say maybe pass that bit of info on to other musicians. Instead of sitting there on their couches every day, waiting and waiting for their break, you can’t wait for it. It’s not coming. You have to go out and get it."
CD Review: Motorhead – Bad Magic UDR All Access Rating: A-
Motorhead - Bad Magic 2015
Soldiering on despite increasingly alarming health issues, Lemmy Kilmister leads Motorhead on another balls-to-the-wall, rock 'n' roll escapade, this one called Bad Magic. Keenly aware of his own mortality, Lemmy – with a little help from his friends – seems intent on going out in a blaze of glory, releasing one fireball of an album after another.
The formula doesn't change. Taking pride in being gritty, fast and ugly, as they always have, Motorhead again goes straight for the throat, and on the UDR release Bad Magic, Lemmy and cohorts Phil Campbell (guitars) and Mikkey Dee (drums) are addicted to the speed of blazing anthems "Victory or Die," "Thunder & Lightning" and "Electricity." It's as if they feel the Grim Reaper hot on their heels, as they race through a more melodic "Evil Eye" and blacken the earth with a scorching "Teach Them How to Bleed," hardly ever stopping to catch their breath.
While the deteriorating effects of age are creeping into his vocals, Lemmy's vile snarl is still vicious and mean, free of any studio or computerized enhancements that might add a synthetic and dishonest youthfulness that would send any Motorhead follower worth his salt into a disillusioned rage. Focus instead on the dogged grooves and hooks of "Fire Storm Hotel" and "Shoot Out All of Your Light" –the latter a powerful squall of dizzying guitars – and get blown away by the big, high-impact chorus and churning riffs of "The Devil." To top it all off, Motorhead brings their leaner cover of The Rolling Stones' "Sympathy For the Devil" back to the street, a rather faithful version that's even tougher than the original. Aside from a fairly standard and lugubrious, if still smoldering, ballad in "Till The End, there's nary a misstep on Bad Magic, where Campbell's solos and leads are absolutely searing and Dee's beat factory working furiously to keep up with orders. Sticking to what works with determination and editing out the fat, Motorhead still has that old black magic.
– Peter Lindblad
Maybe it'll be their cataclysmic firestorm of a sophomore effort, Hallowed Ground, that kicks open the door for these ferociously rugged, melodic heavy-metal mercenaries, thrown together by fate to wage war against musical charlatans that dishonor everything metal stands for.
It's happened before for the guitarist, a founding member of the testosterone-fueled, epic metal heroes Manowar, as well as The Dictators, whose 1975 debut album The Dictators Go Girl Crazy was recently deemed by Uncut magazine as the "Greatest American Punk LP" of all-time.
"I have a feeling I right now like I had in 1981, like before (Manowar's first LP) Battle Hymns came out," said Ross The Boss. "I mean, I have that kind of a feeling. People don’t know what’s about to hit. And I have that feeling, and I hope it does. It took Manowar a while before everyone realized how original it was, and I have that same feeling. I’m confident about Death Dealer. Otherwise, I wouldn’t be in it. I’m not into a slog. That’s not what I want to do. I’m into doing positive, good work."
Appetites whetted for Hallowed Ground by the powerhouse debut album Warmaster, as well as the fiery video for the song "Break The Silence," seen below, Death Dealer – featuring fellow guitarist Stu Marshall, vocalist Sean Peck, bassist Mike Davis and drummer Mike Bolgnese – has designs on world domination, even if such grandiose dreams seem far-fetched in this day and age. With a force of nature like Ross The Boss in the fold, however, anything seems possible.
Soon, Death Dealer will make landfall after being a part of Motorhead's Motorboat Cruise, which also included Anthrax, Exodus, Suicidal Tendencies, Hatebreed, Slayer and Corrosion of Conformity. Then comes the business of reaching mass audiences with extensive touring.
Made up of veterans from metal acts like Lizzy Borden, Rob Halford and Cage, not to mention Ross The Boss's impressive credentials, Death Dealer is ready for the next level, as Hallowed Ground blends aggressive speed metal, ambitious orchestrations and pulse-pounding bombast in an explosive package. Ross The Boss talks about Death Dealer and the highlights of his career in this interview:
What do you have
going on now that the album is done?
RTB: The album’s
done. It’s coming out Oct. 2 on SMG, Sweden Music Group. Our video dropped last
week. We have 12,000 hits on it, and we’ll just roll along.
How happy are you
with the recording?
RTB: Absolutely
thrilled with it. Once we finished the first record, after Warmaster, our first record three years ago, we started … well
actually before, it was like two and a half years ago. Once we finished with
that, we started writing immediately for the second record. So we’ve been
living with these songs for quite a bit. I mean, we did the Metal All-Stars
arena tour. We opened for that, which I was a part of. I was an All-Star. And
so I was opening for myself. The band really became a true band, played in
front of 80,000 people, so we worked on these songs and we’re so very happy
with it. I mean, our songwriting really matured, I think. It’s the
natural evolution of things, and here we are waiting to release the second
record.
Maybe you already
answered this, but in what ways does Hallowed
Ground build off what you did with Warmaster?
RTB: Well, as I
said, it’s just the natural evolution of music. It’s deeper, it’s … well, you
know, everybody says it’s better, but I think this actually is better. Not to
belittle a really good debut, but the songwriting has more rounded approach.
You obviously haven’t heard it?
No, I have. I love
it. I really like the production of it. I think the production … man, it hits
you.
RTB: It does hit
you. It’s loud. It’s clean. I’ve actually had someone say that it’s too loud.
Really?
RTB: Yeah, I go,
“What?” I mean, you live long enough you’re going to hear everything in this
world. I don’t know. It’s too loud for a heavy metal fan. I mean, people pay
hundreds of thousands of dollars to get it like that. I don’t know. I’m braying
with smoke coming out of my ears, I don’t know (laughs).
Death Dealer - Hallowed Ground 2015
Was it an easier
process this time around, or were there difficulties you encountered?
RTB: No, actually
no. The songwriting … Death Dealer is a song-rich environment. I
mean, when you have actually three guys that can really write songs, and then
Mike and Steve, they’re going to start, I mean we’re dealing from strength
here. These ideas … we have stuff for the third one already. It just
never stops, the process of songwriting for us. It’s an amazing thing because
if I send a riff to Stu, and he’s in Sydney, Australia … if I send a riff to
him, I don’t even have to play it. I show it to him … "Play it like this, right?" And he does like eight bars, 16 bars, and then, all of a sudden, he writes a part
to it, another part. So then we have that part. He does the demo, and we can
have a demo that sounds like that album, Hallowed
Ground. We have that, he masters it, and he has the whole thing. So, we’re
already hearing it like people are hearing our music on our CDs, so that really
rushes up the creative process. And then Sean gets it in a nanosecond and he’s
on it. And everybody stores their stuff. Everybody passes everything along, and
I think it’s an even better process of writing songs than if you’re in the same
room.
I was going to ask
you about that. You obviously like doing it this way, but because everybody
talks about the immediacy of recording live in the studio, and how that sounds, do you get that still with this method?
RTB: Well, we would love to be together all the
time as a band practicing. Would we love to say, “Let’s go practice and knock
shit out?” Of course we want that. Everybody wants that, but in today’s world,
today’s day and age, I mean not many guys live in the same spot, except The
Dictators, who are all from the same city. So bands that live apart, it’s the
only way to go. It’s the only way to do it. And we’ve mastered that. We have it
down to a science where everyone … and Stu’s in Australia, so his time zone is ... forget it. So we manage to do Skype with the whole band, so everybody’s on the
same plane with the songs, everybody’s contributing. Mike and Steve contributed
greatly to the arrangements and all the stuff that has to go down to it.
There’s no “I” in Death Dealer, so … I mean, the proof’s in the pudding.
One of the best songs
on the record is “Break the Silence,” and you did a cool video for it. Talk
about the making of video and the recording of that track …
RTB: We were in
Europe last month on our tour. We had festival shows, promotional stuff. So we
drove up to northern Sweden to our director’s house, Owe Lingvall. And he had
everything set up. It was unbelievable. We got there and it was like, flame
towers, flame throwers, drones … he had drones ready to go. I mean, this was …
those giant lighting things, I mean it was quite a nice production to this
video. And flame everywhere like you wouldn’t believe. He’s one of the finest
directors in the business. I mean, the result is obvious. I think the video is
just incendiary (laughs).
It matches the song.
RTB: Uh huh. No,
really. I mean, we’re really happy with the final product. He puts his name on
something and it’s really great. SMG loves it, everybody
loves it. So far, the 12,000 hits we got love it. We want to make that 12,000
into 120,000. That’s the goal of the band. When we’re at 120,000, this band is
going to be all over the world, and I truly believe that is going to happen.
What guitar parts are
you most proud of on the record? I really like the guitar work on “Total
Devastation” – great power, speed and a variety of leads.
Death Dealer consists of guitarists
Ross The Boss and Stu Marshall,
bassist Mike Davis, singer Sean Peck and
drummer Steve Bolgnese
You’re quoted in the
press materials as saying, “ … this is what metal should sound like.” Between
Death Dealer and Manowar, you’ve been responsible for shaping and influencing
heavy metal. What’s different about the metal you’ve made with Manowar and
Death Dealer, as opposed to the metal of today’s artists? What are they
missing?
RTB: Well, I
think that the accent on songwriting, the accent on divergent, diverse
songwriting. I mean, you could listen to our stuff and we’re really not
repeating ourselves. Some bands have like their songs, their main song, that’s
1A. And then they start going to 1B, 1C, 1D … it’s like the same song. They’re
repeating themselves through the whole CD and the ideas get very tired. I mean,
I’ve heard some really good records, but I don’t think a band can sustain a
record like we have on 13 tracks here.
There’s a real
rawness and power, not to mention great hooks, to songs on Hallowed Ground like “K.I.L.L.,” “The
Anthem” and “Break The Silence,” and a galvanizing energy and spirit to “I Am
The Revolution.” And then there’s the speed of “Plan of Attack.” There’s a lot
of variety to Hallowed Ground, but to
me it’s the aggression and energy that really stand out. How would you
characterize the album?
RTB: Oh, there’s
absolutely an incredible energy level to Hallowed
Ground. People compliment us a lot on our live show saying, “That’s the
highest energy band I’ve ever seen.” And then people are mentioning how high
energy it was. The band is high energy, right from the get-go. We are a high-energy machine. It’s incendiary. That’s what it is. We are that. You can’t deny
it.
How did you guys get
together?
RTB: Well, about three and a half years ago, I get
a message on Facebook from Sean Peck, who I knew. I wasn’t very familiar with
Cage, because I don’t listen to a lot of other bands. I never did. So I get
this call from him and he goes, “Ross, I really admire you and what you’ve
done, and blah, blah, blah, and I’m putting this thing together with this guy
Stu Marshall, who’s this really great guitar player, and we’re interested in
having you play on a couple of songs." And you know, we took it as far as that.
“Okay, all right. Send me some songs then.” Okay, and then the next day, I get
a message from Stu. And it was like, “Oh hi, mate. Battle Hymn is my favorite.
It really changed my life,” and all that. And he goes, “You can’t believe how
influential all that stuff was,” and I go, “Okay. Great.” And he said, “I’m
working with Sean and I think we either want you or K.K. Downing (laughs).” And
I said, “What? Huh?” He said, “You or K.K. Downing.” And I said, “Okay, all
right. I’m very interested.” So later, after about an hour, I get some tracks,
unfinished tracks, and I go, “This is incredible. This is really incredible.” It
took me a day, and I said, “I’m in. I’m in with this. Whatever you guys do, I’m
in.” And so Sean gets back on the thing and says, “Well, we have the name of
the band set, and we have a bass player, we have a drummer, blah, blah, blah …”
Sean is just so flipped on this, and I go, “Wow!” And then we started working
on the songs. It was great, and the rest is history.” And in three years, we’ve
taken the band from idea to completing Warmaster
to opening for the Metal All-Stars on the arena tour, to doing all the other
stuff, getting a label, putting it all together – SMG is putting it out Oct. 2
– to doing three tours to doing the video. In three and a half years, this is
what we’ve done. We self-financed the first record, but not this one, so I
think … it’s good, it’s good.
I know it’s a whole new world out there, but have you found
that you’ve been able to build an audience the same way you used to or are you
having to go to different avenues?
RTB: Well, it’s
not as easy as it once was. I mean, bands … if they want be on a big tour they
have to buy on, which SMG is going to do for us. In one way, you’ve got the
Internet helping, which spreads the word faster, but you really need to get out
there and win over heads and turn heads, which we’re going to do. We’re doing
the Motorhead boat tour Sept. 28, which has a thousand people on it. We’re
excited to do that. The whole plan is just being laid out, but it’s a different
world we live in.
Have you done a boat
tour before?
RTB: Uh, no.
What are you most
looking forward to with it?
RTB: I am looking
forward to it. Hanging with Lemmy. Hanging out with my friends in Anthrax. It’s
going to be great. It’s got to be great. It’s a load of fun.
Yeah, because you worked on Anthrax’s demo,
producing it.
RTB: Yeah, I got
them their first kind of deal and all those Marshall cabinets, and really
helped out.
What did you think of
the band back then?
RTB: I thought
they were great. I mean, I liked their ideas. I thought their energy was … I
could definitely relate to that. I liked their songs, and Neil Turbin and Danny
Lilker, the other guitar player. It was cool.
Did you believe that The Dictators Go Girl Crazy, which turns 40 this year, had a lot of commercial potential at the time?
RTB: Coming out?
Yeah.
RTB:Go Girl Crazy? Yes, I did. You bet. I
thought songs like “Weekend” and “Cars and Girls” definitely could make it on
the radio, but the radio was so screwed up with Boston and Foreigner and all
this other stuff that was coming out then that … I mean, I thought good American
records, good American rock ‘n’ roll would always win out, but CBS couldn’t
figure it out at the time, you know. There were no visionaries there. It was
just, it’s got to come out and sell … typical story, but strange,
though. How many records from back then are still being hailed as great
records? Not many. The Dictators Go Girl
Crazy has just got legs. It’s got a life of itself. It’s got a super cult
following, and people have responded. And finally, people are saying this is the No. 1 greatest American punk rock
record of all-time.
That’s amazing,
considering all the great punk records that came out. You guys really were
influential.
RTB: Yes. I mean,
I would say that, as in Manowar, all the original fans became musicians that had bands and made records, especially with The Dictators. So
many people around the world that got into Go
Girl Crazy when it came out were all musicians, like Radio Birdman, The
Ramones, and all these bands from all over the world. Yeah, so the band was
really influential.
Going back to the
origins of The Dictators, what brought the band together and what were early
rehearsals like?
RTB: Oh, well, we
created the band up at state college in SUNY New Paltz. After high school, we
were all pretty much not going to college (laughs) … going to college, but not
going to college at the same time, like “Animal House.” That was exactly what
it was, and New Paltz was like the No. 2 party school in the country. It was
insane, and it was that kind of environment, and I was in a band called Total
Crud in New Paltz. It wasn’t that good, but it was wild. And Andy Shernoff was
there and going to New Paltz, and he goes, “Listen, do you want to form a band?
Do you want to form a band?” And I go, “Yes.” Yeah, and I said, “Yeah.” And he
was a rock ‘n’ roll journalist, writing rock reviews. And he had his own
fanzine, Teenage Wasteland Gazette. (Laughs) And he said, “Let’s start a band.”
So Andy and I started The Dictators, and we got Scott (Kempner) and we found a drummer up
there and kind of was messing through it – couldn’t play worth shit, except me,
actually. But he had a bunch of songs, and we kind of got the band together.
Manitoba wasn’t the lead singer yet. He was our breakfast chef (laughs). So
Richard Meltzer was Andy’s friend, a rock writer, and Meltzer’s buddy, Sandy
Pearlman, was managing the Blue Oyster Cult. And he got Sandy to come up and
see the band. And Sandy fell in love with us and that was it. We went down to
New York. We recorded a demo and we were signed to CBS.
What was it like
working with Sandy Pearlman and Murray Krugman.
RTB: Well, very
interesting guys, I can tell you that. They have very different production
values than what I was using. I don’t know. They had some very strange things
that they did in the studio, but it seemed to work out. Sandy just had his way
of doing things. I mean, I worked with Sandy on a lot of records, including
Shakin’ Street. Listen, when you’re
working with a producer like that – and he did The Clash – when you’re working
with a producer like that, it’s what he wants. He was good with us in that if I
suggested something to him, he was definitely into it, but he definitely had
his own vision (laughs).
Did that clash with
what you wanted?
RTB: Sometimes,
sometimes … yes – especially working with Mark Mendoza. Oh my God. Oh my God.
Like when we heard Manifest Destiny
in San Francisco, we wanted to kill him. The whole group said, “We hate this. Go fuck
yourself, and we hate you.” You know what that did? Nothing (laughs).
What is your favorite
Dictators record?
RTB: Mine is Blood Brothers – just because the band
was more musically together, and we had a real drummer. I can imagine
if we had Richard Teeter for the first record, I think the band would have been
superstars. Seriously, but that’s the way it is. We were who we were. It is
what is. And it hasn’t died. It lives bigger and better.
What was the New York
City music scene of the early 70s like? Describe some of the places you played
back then.
RTB: What was the
early scene like?
Yeah, was it pretty
gritty? I imagine it was.
RTB: When we got
down to New York in ’74, and there was really nowhere to play. There was a
place here in Queens called The Coventry, where KISS was playing and the Dolls
would play. No Max’s Kansas City yet. No CBGBs yet, but there were other bars
to play at. There was Popeye’s in Sheepshead Bay, Brooklyn. That’s where
Manitoba sang for the first time – got up on stage and sang “Wild Thing.” It
was like a dead Tuesday night, and the bums were there and we’re playing.
Here’s an interesting story. We’re there, and we’re just playing along. Andy
was the lead singer, and people are going, “Yeah, they’re nice. They’re good …
The Dictators … yada, yada, yada.” You know, it’s like, Manitoba was our
roadie, but he was a terrible roadie, because he was breaking signs and shit.
In the clubs, he was back and just destroying shit. So they couldn’t keep up.
That couldn’t keep up, because we couldn’t afford it, breaking awnings and
stuff. So we go, “Richard, you want to sing a song with us?” Looking up, he’s
drunk and shit. And I go, “Well, what song do you know?” And he goes, “Well, I
know ’Wild Thing.’” Oh, okay. We know “Wild Thing.” So we proceeded to do “Wild
Thing,” and he started singing, and every bum, every person in the club, their
heads perked up. It was like, “What the fuck was that? Who was that? What the
hell?” The reaction he got was shocking. It was shocking that he woke this
whole club up like the place was on fire. And after that, I go, “You know what?
I think we found our lead singer.” So that night, at Popeye’s in Sheep’s Head
Bay, Handsome Dick Manitoba was born. And, you know, a guy from Blondie was
there … the guitar player?
Oh, Chris Stein …
RTB: Yeah, Chris
Stein. Yeah, he was there and Eric Emerson. But now, of course, everybody says
they were there. You know, like Game 6 of the World Series with The Mets.
Everybody was there, and everyone was at Woodstock, too, but it was an amazing
night.
Talk about meeting
Joey DeMaio for the first time. How did the idea of forming Manowar come about?
RTB: Okay. Shakin’ Street was supporting Black
Sabbath on the first Ronnie James Dio tour, and their comeback was playing in
Manchester … one of those cities. And Ronnie Dio comes up to me and goes, “Oh
Ross, I love your guitar playing. I love the history of The Dictators and New
York rock. I love it.” And I go, “Well, thank you.” And I’m like Ronnie Dio … love it! He goes, “Great fan of yours.” And I
say, “Thanks. Thanks, Ronnie.” He goes, “Oh, by the way. You should check out this
guy Joey on our crew. He plays bass. You should check him and check each other
out.” And I go, “Okay.” So the next thing I know, Joey and I are like in Black
Sabbath’s dressing room when they’re on making music and going through ideas
and stuff like that. So, as the days went on, we decided that I was going to
leave Shakin’ Street, issue my replacement and we were going to go off the road
and form [Manowar]. And I already had a guy on EMI that really wanted to
do a project very badly with me, Bob Curry, who was a friend, a personal
friend, and a very great guy. So that was the stage for Manowar.
The music of Manowar
was pretty different than that of the Dictators. What excited you most about
the potential of Manowar and what attracted you to play metal?
RTB: Well, it was
different. Culturally, it came from a different place. It was Norse mythology,
Wagnerian moments, street rock and roll, of course, and me, and it was
different. I don’t think anyone else was doing stuff like that. We were ready
from the beginning. We had the epic songs. “Dark Avenger” that I had written,
and Joey had “Battle Hymn,” so it was different. No doubt about it. It was
different. I mean, Judas Priest and Iron Maiden weren’t writing songs like
that.
What were the early
days of Manowar like? What were the shows like? Were you received well from the
start by audiences, or did it take time for them to get what you were doing?
RTB: Yeah,
wherever we played we were … yeah, because no one else would play with us.
Why was that?
RTB: Because
that’s just the way it was. Whitesnake said, “Well, you can come out with us,
but you can’t wear your clothes. You have to be in jeans." And we said, “No
way.” And it’s like, we kind of did it to ourselves: “We’re the best, we’re the
loudest, we’re the fastest … we’re this, we’re that. ‘Death to false metal.’”
We kind of made it like a members-only club. And as much as it helped the band,
it hurt the band. We had big mouths.
Talk about some of
the Manowar albums, starting with Battle
Hymns. What was recording that like, especially compared to your work with
The Dictators?
RTB: Oh, well. We
were still doing everything in the studio together. We were very, very
well-rehearsed. And you know, Criteria Studios (Miami, Fla.), it was basically the same –
get everything set up, mic everything up and go through takes. It was the same.
It was the same up until Fighting The
World.
But you got Orson
Welles on that record …
RTB: Yeah, Orson
Welles did the first record, right. Our manager … well, Bob Coury from the
label found his manager. He was living in Las Vegas, he was going to be in New
York for a couple of days, and we sent him the lyrics, and he absolutely loved
it. He agreed to do it, it was the coup of a lifetime, and amazing. It was an
amazing thing that happened to me, and it was Orson Welles.
Was Into Glory Ride another step up from that
record?
RTB: Well,
listen. By the time of the Into Glory
Ride period, we’d gotten dropped from EMI. They gave us a buyout, and from
the money we got from the buyout – because EMI and Liberty Records, Kenny Rogers’ label, had
absolutely no idea what we were doing; I mean, they couldn’t relate to us – so
with the money we got from the buyout, we recorded Into Glory Ride, and it was the most hateful, angry we could come
up with. And that was Into Glory Ride, and that’s what it is – another record
that still stands the test of time.
And so does Kings of Metal. Did that really feel
like the pinnacle for you guys?
RTB: Well, it was
the pinnacle recording it. And then, of course, Joey thought it was a good
decision to ask me to leave right before the release of Kings of Metal. So I put that in like the top two of the worst moments in rock ‘n’ roll: Mick Taylor quitting the Rolling Stones and
Ross The Boss leaving Manowar before Kings
of Metal. Like maybe after that tour? You know … it totally put that band
into confusion.
Was there ever a
reason given?
RTB: Yeah, we
weren’t getting along … blah, blah, blah. But there was no reason for that, no
reason for that. We could have worked out our problems, but a certain someone
needed complete control – complete control of the money, complete control of
everything – and he wanted to work with a band of puppets. I wasn’t about to be
a in a band of puppets, so …
What seems to me to
tie Death Dealer, Manowar, and The Dictators is a real sense of integrity and
that really comes through. You’re really making music that’s true to that
genre. Is that kind of the sense you get to?
RTB: Well, that’s what we have to do. Only the
true bands will go through. A band that’s full of shit will be outed easily.
They will be outed. Like an all-star band, like a one-off tour … some of the
songs, light songs. You know what I’m saying. Our music, all that stuff was
from the heart back then, and to this day now. It’s just the way it is. We put a lot of effort and love and work into our music and it shows. It
showed between ’82 and 1988 and it shows now, and it showed on my two solo
records, too.
Outside of those main
two bands, what are some of your other favorite projects?
RTB: The Ross The
Boss band – New Metal Leader and Hailstorm I think are very, very fine
records. We had a band called The Spinatras, and we did a record for CMC, which
no one knows about because they just went to hell, the label just went to hell,
but they gave us a whole bunch of money. The Spinatras were good, my work with
the Brain Surgeons – Albert Bouchard from BOC … there’s a lot of them.
Any of those records
you feel should have gotten more publicity than they did?
RTB: The
Spinatras for sure. There was some real strong songs on that record.
With everything
you’ve got going on, what are your hopes for The Dictators going forward and
Death Dealer?
RTB: Well, The Dictators are getting bigger and bigger. Our
tours are getting more well-attended. The single’s coming out. We’re going to
have it for November. We have 12 shows in New York for November, ending in the
Eindhoven Speed Fest [in The Netherlands]. And you know, as far as Death Dealer, we have
the [Mothorhead] Motorboat cruise, and the day we get off the ship, our album is going to be
released on the second of October, and we’ll take it from there. I mean, I’m
sure it’ll start attracting a lot of heads. I think 2016 is going to be an
incredible year. I mean, if it’s not, something’s really off on this planet,
but I think we’re setting ourselves up – both bands – and I got the Titans of
Metal in Israel on Dec. 17 with Sean Peck and the girl from Nightwish, and Uli
Jon Roth and the two guitar players from Mercyful Fate, and all this. So we’re
going to do that, Tel Aviv and Cyprus on the 17th and 18th
of December. So I’m kind of busy, you know. Things are all really going to be good,
but Death Dealer and The Dictators for 2016, put your money on it.
Book Review: Greg Prato – Survival of the Fittest: Heavy Metal in the 1990's All Access: A-
Greg Prato - Survival of
the Fittest: Heavy Metal in
the 1990s
The party was over for glam-metal and more traditional metal acts weren't having such a good time of it either, their days in the sun darkened by dour, flannel-clad hordes from the Pacific Northwest intent on making everybody as depressed as they were.
Once and for all, a new lengthy examination of metal in the '90s by author Greg Prato completely eviscerates the wrongheaded party line that grunge was some kind of powerful insecticide that wiped out the entire genre as a whole, even if it did seem to, at the very least, harsh headbangers' buzz for a time. Still, after grunge's cleansing purge, heavy metal – beaten to a pulp in the press and, for a time, left for dead in record label boardrooms – miraculously recovered and even thrived, its durability enhanced by its own evolution.
Utilizing the oral history format that served him so well with other tomes, such as "Iron Maiden: '80, '81," "The Eric Carr Story" and "Grunge Is Dead: The Oral History of Seattle Rock Music," Prato covers a great deal of territory here, interviewing close to 90 subjects – Eddie Trunk, Riki Rachtman, Def Leppard's Joe Elliott, Overkill's Bobby Blitz, Les Claypool from Primus, Phil Anselmo, Cinderella's Tom Kiefer, Scott Weiland and others too numerous to mention – for over 600 pages of candid, insightful observations and memories from those who experienced one of the biggest sea changes in rock history. Along the way, Prato chronicles the splintering of metal and hard rock into seemingly a thousand sub-genres, as metal seemed to merge with "alternative rock."
In his forward to Prato's work, ex-Pantera bassist Rex Brown writes, "Back in the '90s, us and quite a few of our peers were doing something that was off-the-cuff, and you had to make it your own brand and style." Innovation was the order of the day, as bands like Pantera, Nine Inch Nails,Sepultura, Fear Factory, White Zombie and Kyuss expanded the possibilities of a genre that had gone stale, and Prato takes great pains to chronicle the onset and development of stylistic shifts that resulted in prog metal, extreme metal, funk metal, industrial metal, stoner metal and, of course, nu metal.
At the same time, Prato attacks the subject from all angles, painting a well-rounded picture of just what the hell happened in metal's most perplexing decade. It explores, in depth, Guns 'N Roses' increasingly grandiose aspirations and precipitous decline, the explosion of Nirvana, band break-ups, changes with KISS, Rush and Aerosmith, the "Gary Cherone Years" of Van Halen, and other earth-shattering events. Even with such a prodigious page count, "Survival of the Fittest: Heavy Metal in the 1990's" flies by, the conversational tone of the book resulting in a fairly quick read. Because of that, and the massive amount of interview material it contains, it's a work that owners can go back to again and again and still find it worthwhile to do so. For ordering information for paperback and Kindle, go to http://amzn.com/1512073067 and for Nook, visit http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/survival-of-the-fittest-greg-prato/1122273381.
– Peter Lindblad
CD Review: Dr. John – The Atco/Atlantic Singles 1968-1974 Omnivore Records All Access Rating: A-
Dr. John - The Atco/Atlantic
Singles 1968-1974 2015
All of America's confounding contradictions are laid bare in Dr. John's "The Patriotic Flag Waver," the mono version of which appears on a new compilation, from Omnivore Recordings, of the New Orleans icon's best-loved music titled The Atco/Atlantic Singles 1968-1974.
Set to martial drums, some light acoustic guitar strumming and a playful, slightly off-key children's choir singing "My Country, 'Tis of Thee," the beautifully messy, spoken-word reading perfectly encapsulates – without judgment – the cultural and socio-political idiosyncrasies of a country that aspires to greatness and often falls short. Given the current divisiveness over race, religion and any number of hot-button topics that drive people into a frothing rage these days, the song – guileless and honest, to a fault – couldn't possibly be more relevant.
This well-curated collection, complete with insightful and reverential penned liner notes by musicologist Gene Sculatti, gathers together both the A- and B-sides Dr. John recorded for Atlantic's labels during a stretch of particularly inspired work. Revisiting "The Patriotic Flag Waver" – a history lesson that sounds like a distant echo or a recovered memory in mono – is, in and of itself, a rewarding and thought-provoking journey through the nation's checkered past. Still, that's just one of heady intoxicants in a 22-song survey that, while less than comprehensive, serves as an ecumenical worship of an artist and the music of his native home, and a serious lesson in the musical lexicon and history of The Big Easy.
An easy stroll through the diverse sounds of the Bayou, the music of Dr. John is a melange of swampy R&B, jazz, psychedelia, pop, funk, rock 'n' roll and whatever else happens to be trolling through the backstreets of New Orleans blowing sun-dappled, dewey horns. Like a more languorous and soulful Tom Waits, he slinks down Tin Pan Alley in the jazzy, minstrel shamble of "Jump Sturdy" and shuffles through the subdued, engaging R&B of "Mama Roux." However, darkness and danger are present in the mysterious murk of "I Walk On Gilded Splinters" Parts I and II and the sinister "Gris-Gris Gumbo Ya Ya," as a creepy Dr. John, aka Mac Rebennack, declares himself to be "known as the night tripper" over rolling drums, with hypnotic, zombie-like vocals swaying and moaning as if caught in a voodoo trance.
A Grammy winner six times over, Dr. John is a soulful singer and a wickedly clever keyboardist, his great feel for the material and what it needs always apparent, whether he's shaping the slinky grooves of "Loop Garoo" and the smash hit "Right Place Wrong Time," or laying back and playing it cool on a breezy "Wash Mama Wash." He makes the electric-piano boogie of "Wang Dang Doodle" seductively bounce and gyrate across the dance floor, while the summery "Such A Night" twinkles and sashays under the stars, the high-stepping energy of "Iko Iko" exudes light and "A Man Of Many Words" – where Dr. John is joined by Eric Clapton and Buddy Guy – gets lost in deep, bluesy reflection.
Protective of its traditions, but not inextricably bound to them, Dr. John is a New Orleans institution, an almost mythical figure ingrained in the old, decaying fabric of a haunted city. Among the producers, writers and arrangers he's rubbed elbows with are sainted names like Clapton and Guy, Ahmet Ertegun, Jerry Wexler , Allen Toussaint, Willie Dixon. Even among such esteemed company, Dr. John – his slightly raspy voice a cocktail that brings on a drowsy buzz all by itself – stands out, his outsized personality and reputation for wildly theatrical performances matched only by the singular character of a place unlike anywhere else. To find the real Dr. John, wander through The Atco/Atlantic Singles 1968-1974 and then seek out the rest of his catalog. It's easy to fall under the spell of the Night Tripper.
– Peter Lindblad
CD Review: W.A.S.P. – Golgotha Napalm Records All Access Rating: B+
W.A.S.P. - Golgotha 2015
Few could have predicted that Blackie Lawless, of all people, would find religion ... again. Unthinkable in the '80s, when he was Tipper Gore and the Parents Music Resource Center's Public Enemy No. 1 for his outlandish, unsavory stage antics and lewd, violent lyrics, Lawless has, indeed, turned back to God for salvation. And the more recent output of W.A.S.P. has reflected the change, becoming less dangerous or carnal in the process and sounding cleaner and more idealistic as it leaves behind the furious bluster and viciousness of the band's malevolent past. Not all W.A.S.P. fans have welcomed the transformation, with many leaving the flock in droves after 2009's Babylon and its predecessor Dominator. The first W.A.S.P. album in six years, Golgotha – the skull-covered site of Jesus's crucifixion undoubtedly inspiring its creepy cover art – might draw some of them back, its ominous winds blowing strong melodies across desolate landscapes. It's easy to get swept up in the gathering momentum of high-flying, melody-filled metal anthems such as "Scream," "Last Runaway" and "Shotgun," even as Lawless comes off as some pale, trilling imitation of Meatloaf in this heady rush. Overtly Christian in many of its themes, as the earnest, slow-building title track dramatically pleads, "Jesus, I need you now," the occasionally bloody Golgotha finds Lawless in a vulnerable state, the desperate, emotional ballad "Miss You" – awash in melodrama – baring his feelings of utter helplessness and the darkly melodic "Fallen Under" appealing for protection against evil hordes. In stronger voice, Lawless urges on the galloping bravado of "Slaves of the New World Order," even as leaves himself more exposed than ever on Golgotha.
CD Review: Death Dealer – Hallowed Ground Sweden Music Group All Access Rating: A-
Death Dealer - Hallowed Ground 2015
Still looking to eradicate "false metal" from the face of the earth, ex-Manowar and Dictators guitarist Ross The Boss resurfaced in 2013 with Death Dealer and their raging debut album Warmaster. An all-out offensive of racing rhythms, blazing solos and gnarly riffs, Warmaster put Death Dealer on the metal map, earning the newly formed outfit a spot on the upcoming Motorhead Motorboat Cruise. The band's sophomore effort, Hallowed Ground, is all those things and more, another thrilling, white-knuckle ride of aggressive, slamming speed-metal and heavy punishers reminiscent of Painkiller-era Judas Priest. The earth-shaking production is assertive and vigorous, amplified for maximum impact in brutal bangers "K.I.L.L.," "The Anthem" and a screaming banshee called "Break The Silence." Killer hooks abound, hair-raising singer Sean Peck practically devours this material and Ross The Boss and Stu Marshall let it rip on searing leads and vigorous riffs, showing off a dizzying variety of chops on "Total Devastation." Pressing down on the accelerator, the thrashing "Plan Of Attack" goes 100 miles per hour and the spirited defiance of "I Am the Revolution" should galvanize the faithful, while "Seance" infuses mystery into Death Dealer's irresistible onslaught, even if the faint whiff of cheese can be detected over the menacing din. A force to be reckoned with, Death Dealer is metal to the core and has shown everyone how it's done.
CD/DVD Review: Aerosmith – Aerosmith Rocks Donington 2014 Eagle Rock Entertainment All Access Rating: A-
Aerosmith - Aerosmith
Rocks Donington 2014 - 2015
A massive spectacle in every sense, the Download Festival rolled out the red carpet for royalty in 2014, welcoming Aerosmith as a headlining act. These kings of sleazy, blues-infused rock 'n' roll laid down the law in an electrifying outing from the "Let Rock Rule" tour, now available as a lavish, career-spanning two CD/DVD collection titled "Aerosmith Rocks Donington 2014." Overly effusive in his praise, Rolling Stone's David Wild gushes and prattles on endlessly in colorfully photographed liner notes that serve more as a mash note to Aerosmith than anything else. On the other hand, he's not wrong about them or this powder keg of a performance, as Steven Tyler, Joe Perry, Tom Hamilton, Brad Whitford and Joey Kramer feverishly tear through a raucous, double-barreled blast of "Train Kept A-Rollin'" and "Eat The Rich" for openers, confidently strut and preen all over the full-tilt boogie of "Walk This Way" and "Same Old Song and Dance," and radiate pure energy in vibrant, crowd-pleasing renditions of "Love In An Elevator" and "Dude Looks Like A Lady." Vividly filmed in high definition, with quick-cutting, sweeping camera work shooting from unusual angles and edited so it comes up with money shots in every scene of the band in full throat, "Aerosmith Rocks Donington 2014" is a truly great concert film. And the sound is just as striking and lucid. Aerosmith is electrifying on this sparkling night, with newer fare like "Cryin'" and "Jaded" shining just as brightly and gloriously as old favorites like a savage "Sweet Emotion," the majestic "Dream On" and a rollicking "Mama Kin." Even with Tyler, ever the ring leader, narcissistically mugging for the camera at various turns and occasionally slurring his way through the words, this is vintage Aerosmith, a full-force gale onstage playing with power and passion as Perry and Whitford trade nasty licks, Kramer kicks like a mule and Hamilton acts as the anchor, his bass phrasing melodic and compelling throughout these 20 songs. Nobody should be jaded about Aerosmith.
– Peter Lindblad
