Scanner: 'The Judgement' day has arrived

German power/speed metal outfit has something to say
By Peter Lindblad

The German power/speed metal
group Scanner

Nobody can accuse Scanner of shying away from controversy. Serious subjects are addressed on The Judgement, the blazing new thrill ride of a record from the veteran German power/speed metal juggernaut that raises heart rates to dangerous levels.

From ecological devastation to genocide, corruption and greed in the financial markets and political arenas and the continued erosion of ethics and morality, Scanner has much to say about the deteriorating state of the world and they do it without sermonizing.

Opting instead for rich, imaginative storytelling, Scanner – its love of science fiction imagery splashed all over the record's attention-grabbing cover art – couches its political passions in intelligently designed, fast-paced, charging metal that's incredibly taut, sleek and arranged with ever-evolving complexity and interesting dynamics. And yet, it feels like a return to Scanner's intense late '80s and early '90s work, its explosive, overdriven guitars and punishing rhythms creating a wildly exciting and aggressive listen.

Once known as Lions Breed, releasing a 1985 album under that banner called Damn The Night on the Earthshaker label, the group soon took the name Scanner and released Hypertrace in 1988, followed by 1991's Terminal Earth, 1995's Mental Reservation, 1997's adventurous Ball of the Damned and 2002's experimental Scrantopolis. Despite having toured with the likes of Fates Warning and Omen and a show-stopping performance at Wacken Open Air Festival in 1997, label problems and personnel turnover at various points in the band's history undoubtedly slowed their momentum, but with The Judgement – out on Massacre Records – and some stability at lead vocalist with Efthimios Ioannidis, Scanner sounds more powerful than ever.

Guitarist Axel A.J. Julius took some time recently to talk about the making of the band's new LP.

If you were to compare The Judgement to any past Scanner albums, which one would it most closely resemble and why? 

Axel A.J. Julius: I think The Judgement definitely is the next door neighbor of our first four albums. That is what we intended also. After the experiment of Scantropolis we wanted to make clear again where our roots lie. We attempted to receive and revive the sound and the spirit of our '80s and '90s releases and we were guided by our old stuff from this time. And therefore the album sounds old school metal by default. If somebody likes Hypertrace he won’t hate The Judgement, that’s for sure. But you should never expect a copy of another Scanner album from us; I mean we would be bored by doing that.

Scanner - The Judgement 2015

Describe the creative process that led to the birth of The Judgement. Were there more difficulties than usual? Did obstacles crop up? Or did it go smoothly?

AJ: After a few years playing live primarily and having fun on the road, the record industry could not get us into the mood to record a new album. But we wanted to write new songs and build our own sound studio. Then when everything felt good for us it was the first time that we could pre-produce, record and mix the entire album in our brand new studio and you can say this was a more direct approach than with the other albums. You can determine all the schedules by yourself and you are independent. This has advantages. However, it can also tempt you to stretch the periods, which you must counteract with discipline then. So the process itself was smooth. Let's put it this way: For The Judgement we have cut off from the outside world and did exactly our thing. And we did not mind what was modern today. This was our main intention for this album: 100 percent Scanner. And I tried to let the album breath and sound more direct and raw by using again our own drum sound, for example, instead of using triggered samples for the album as done and heard on thousands of productions nowadays. It did not take us 12 years to make the album, but the motivation to do it just rose initially in 2012.

The riffs on this album are striking, especially on the title track and “Warlord,” a song that’s really heavy in parts and thrashing, but the mood and pace changes so frequently it’s dizzying. Talk about the writing and recording of that song in particular. Was it a complicated process? 

AJ: Oh dizzying? Ok, but for me it is not dizzying. It’s exactly my style of composing and I like the counterparts in a song, like fast and slow, loud and quit, etc.. Since Heavy Metal is hardly compressed music you often miss the dynamic expression a classical orchestra always has, for example. That’s one reason why rhythm changes are a part of my expression I use in a song. And "Warlord" is special because of its idea behind it. The song is about Africa and especially the genocides in Rwanda and Nigeria, Boko Haram and the Warlords and our ignorance about the coherences of our western governments and their world trade partners and beneficiaries in this area. So the theme does not really fit to a steady groovy, and sing-along track, I thought. So "Warlord" is a more sophisticated song. But the recording process of this song was not complicated because I’ve had a plan.

Listening to “Eutopia,” the first thing I think of is Queensryche. It’s another multi-part song with melodic shifts and thought-provoking lyrics. Tell us what the song is about, what inspired it and how it came together.

AJ: Actually this song was planned to be our first video of the album, but because of our small budget we had to scrap this idea. The song is about a time-traveling guy with visions of a land called Eutopia. The idea came up after the financial crisis brought major problems to some countries here in Europe and the idea of a United Europe has threatened to fail more and more. So a United Europe is kind of a Utopia. This brought me to EUTOPIA. This dude in the song is not a time voyager really; finally, the story reveals he is on drugs. So his stories were a flight of fancy, like some ideas of our politicians here in Europe are as well.

What song on The Judgement affects you the most from a lyrical perspective? Is it the title track? 

AJ: Yes, it is the title track. Somehow it is the most emotional and summing track. It is about our moral values; our personal ones and those of our whole society. And it provokes questions about where we are heading to when we have blown off all the “angels.” I think our ethical and moral orientation should not follow the dictation of Wall Street. I'm not a fan of religion either, but I think that our society should come to an anthroposophical approach beside all religions and adjust our ethic values right again. There is something wrong with us when we allow for example the Kyoto Protocol to be ignored by important states, although it is dealing with our air we are breathing. Meanwhile multinational companies are increasing their profit and ruining our environment. My guitar used to be from mahogany, but that was never the reason for the cleared woodland and for the diminishing rainforest, if you know what I mean.

After all this time, what drives you to keep Scanner going? 

AJ: Well, for sure our fans all over the world and their feedback and faith and my resulting deep feeling of owing them something since our first releases. Honestly spoken the band was a bit unlucky from that moment on when we signed with the wrong company at the beginning of our career. This company made us lose two singers in a row in principle. And it was the reason we lost so much time researching for new vocalists. But our fans did not forget us even when there were longer breaks, nor when the bigger magazines did not give a dime on us anymore. The business is hard, but I do not want to complain. I’d rather have fun against all odds with people who adhere to us on our long time journey. And now we are back again… although we had never gone in objectivity. Let’s have some fun, mates.

CD Review: UFO – A Conspiracy of Stars

CD Review: UFO – A Conspiracy of Stars
Steamhammer/SPV
All Access Rating: B+

U.F.O. - A Conspiracy of Stars 2015

Phil Mogg's toughness is legendary. He's never been accused of being soft as a lyricist either, as the pugnacious piece of work "Ballad of the Left Hand Gun," from the new UFO album A Conspiracy of Stars, so perfectly illustrates.

As Mogg sings about stepping over the prone body of a champ "past his prime," he still sounds as if he's ready to take on all comers and knock them flat on their sorry asses with sturdy, gritty tales about hardship, survival and the dark side of romantic attachment and emotion.

His lyrics are as sharp and pointed as ever, his economy of language and astute, if somewhat cynical, observations of human relations still jarringly poetic, as he talks of love and possession in the violent, well-structured opener "The Killing Kind," a song covered in melodic ivy hiding a rhythmic brick wall. The weatherbeaten "Devils in the Details" is similarly constructed, with A Conspiracy of Stars – out soon via Steamhammer/SPV and produced by Chris Tsangarides, once a 14-year-old studio trainee on the band's 1970 debut UFO 1– coming off as a series of bare-knuckled, bluesy hard-rock combination punches, the meanest being "Run Boy Run" and "Messiah Of Love," with their nasty grooves plowed into hard ground.

Nothing else on the occasionally generic A Conspiracy of Stars has the confident swagger and rough swing of "Ballad of the Left Hand Gun," although "Sugar Cane" comes awfully close, as UFO flexes its muscle with Paul Raymond's simmering, smoggy keyboards and Vinnie Moore's tastefully executed guitar leads menacing the rugged work of drummer Andy Parker and bassist Rob DeLuca. The hooks of A Conspiracy of Stars grab for a sure foothold, and more often than not, their grip is strong, as with "The Real Deal," which sounds a bit like the Rolling Stones of more recent vintage. Often, the record, so full of good, solid rock songs that consistently hit that sweet spot, has all the rush of a cocaine binge, and although it was recorded in Britain, it feels American, rough and ornery but also full of heart and the wisdom that comes with age.
– Peter Lindblad

CD Review: Brothers of the Sonic Cloth – Brothers Of The Sonic Cloth

CD Review: Brothers Of The Sonic Cloth – Brother Of The Sonic Cloth
Neurot Recordings
All Access Rating: A-

Brothers Of The Sonic Cloth -
Brother Of The Sonic Cloth 2015

A fraternal order even stranger and more mysterious than the Masons, Brothers Of The Sonic Cloth are spearheaded by Tad Doyle, former leader of the demented, star-crossed grunge/metal woodsmen Tad – the same outfit doomed by an infamous trademark tussle with corporate soda giant Pepsi that, for intents and purposes. spelled the end of the band.

Doyle's latest doom-metal project, featuring veteran bassist Peggy Doyle and drummer Dave French (The Anunnaki), is about to unveil Brother of the Sonic Cloth, the first recordings released by Tad Doyle in 15 years, and what a welcome return from exile this Neurot Recordings offering is.

A trudging, mesmerizing journey through ruinous, dense soundscapes similar to those mapped out by label mates Neurosis, where a multitude of strange, tortured vocal manipulations are piled atop massive funeral pyres of thick, lugubrious riffs, Brother of the Sonic Cloth is texturally interesting and darkly atmospheric. Here, the icy, haunting post-rock world of Mogwai merges with corrosive, brutally heavy and occasionally crusty guitars in "Unnamed" and an astonishingly epic uprising titled "The Immutable Path" – a bonus track available on the CD version.

Where the punishing opener "Lava" insistently pounds on its wall of sound, like a prisoner who's reached his breaking point and cannot take incarceration one minute longer, what follows with "Empires of Dust" is a malignant, down-tuned force stirring in the bowels of the earth and birthed holding on to a slim rope of slowly evolving melody. Comprised of mediations on loneliness and existence, with the inevitability of mortality always on the horizon, Brother Of The Sonic Cloth is monstrous and fearsome, often going from quiet intros to mountainous power surges, although the fertile, bluesy crawl of "La Mano Poderosa" finds the trio mining more earthy territory with its heavy machinery. Join the Brothers Of The Sonic Cloth on this membership drive before the bandwagon is full up.
– Peter Lindblad

Grammys not showing their "metal"

Awards show gets it wrong ... again
By Peter Lindblad

AC/DC gave a commanding
performance at this year's Grammys

For just a second, let's forget about Kanye West and his weird obsession with getting Beyonce a Grammy. Can we talk about the Grammys and their "heavy metal problem?"

Why can't they ever seem to get metal right? Smartly, the Grammys kicked off their soul-sucking awards show with AC/DC doing "Rock Or Bust" and then following it up with a galvanizing performance of "Highway to Hell."

Katy Perry – yes, that Katy Perry – had plastic devil horns on her pretty little head and was flashing signs. Lady Gaga was losing her mind over it. Everybody was on their feet, from clueless industry executives to Dave Grohl, celebrating the survival of battle-scarred veterans rocked by a founding member's debilitating health problems and another's bizarre legal battles.

Oh, Grammys ... we knew you cared. This was a magnanimous gesture, one that would surely lead to peace between an institution that either had no clue about metal or was intentionally dismissive.

Metallica's ... And Justice for All
lost the Grammy to Jethro Tull

And then came the award for Best Metal Performance. The National Association of Recording Arts and Sciences first recognized metal in 1989 with a category known as Best Hard Rock/Metal Performance Vocal or Instrumental. A lot of people forget that "Best Hard Rock" part, because that year, the Grammy inexplicably went to Jethro Tull's Crest of a Knave. over Metallica's ... And Justice For All.

The metal community has never forgiven the Grammys for that disaster. Still, there is that nagging feeling that at least they were taking into consideration the "Best Hard Rock" part of the equation in making the decision. Still, hardly anybody mentions Crest of a Knave anymore, except when people want to talk about how out to lunch the Grammys are when it comes to heavy metal.

Over the years, the title of the category has changed, and Metallica has ended up with their fair share of Grammys. Controversy has dogged this area, with Soundgarden's Chris Cornell wondering why Dokken was nominated in the heavy metal category a year later. Many, including yours truly, had a beef with Soundgarden winning a Grammy for "Spoonman" in 1995.

Here's the rest of the entrants that year: Rollins Band's "Liar"; Pantera's "I'm Broken"; Megadeth's "99 Ways to Die"; and Anthrax's groundbreaking collaboration with Public Enemy on "Bring the Noise." Little did Cornell know that he'd be living in a newly furnished glass house five years later when he made his remarks about Dokken.

Anyway, the point is, there have been good choices and not-so-good picks in the past 15 years, but surprisingly, the Grammys had generally avoided making complete fools of themselves in that time. That is until last year, when the show cut off a performance from Queens of the Stone Age, Trent Reznor, Dave Grohl and Fleetwood Mac's Lindsey Buckingham before it was finished – a sort of musical coitus interruptus, if you will.

Reznor declared a self-imposed exile from the event forever. They were insulted, and it stands to reason that aside from Grohl, who always seems to want to play peacemaker, none of them will ever do the Grammys again. Black Sabbath's win aside, this was not a good moment for the Grammys and metal. This was Vladimir Putin defecating in Obama's corn flakes. And that doesn't even take into the Grammys' In Memoriam snub to Slayer's Jeff Hanneman, repeated again this year with its overlooking Gwar's Dave Brockie.

So, we come to this Sunday's event, filled with the usual ridiculous drama and lame thrown-together collaborations it's always had and awards handed out to the undeserving – Beyonce, I'm looking at you!

But here comes Best Metal Performance. In this category are Anthrax's "Neon Knights," Mastodon's "High Road," Motorhead's "Heartbreaker" and Slipknot's "The Negative One" – all worthy candidates. But, when that envelope was opened, the award somehow went to ... Tenacious D's remake of Dio's "The Last in Line."

Okay, Tenacious D are great at what they do, and Jack Black and Kyle Gass came up with an amazing version of "Last in Line," doing Ronnie James Dio proud. But choosing a slap-sticky acoustic comedy duo over four incredible bands like that? It's a, pardon the pun, joke ... and it smacks of the Grammys consciously and with malice of forethought again spitting on metal. What it comes down to is this: whatever you think of the Grammys, at the very least, they are supposed to recognize sublime artistry in music. By that yardstick, it's hard to even fathom why Tenacious D was nominated in the first place.

And lest you believe this is rampant paranoia or an oversensitivity as to how metal specifically is mistreated by the Grammys, do you think for a moment they'd ever choose somebody like Tenacious D over their precious Taylor Swift or Sam Smith in any other category? Not in this lifetime. This was a decision made carelessly and deliberately so, and because of that, it's a slap in metal's corpse-painted face.

I don't buy the notion that the Grammys are simply lorded over by old geezers who somehow just don't get metal and make decisions based on a lack of awareness. That argument didn't hold water then and it doesn't now. They've had all this time since the Jethro Tull debacle to figure out how to give metal the respect it deserves. And time and time again, they prove they just don't give a shit about it. This is the Grammys saying, "Hey, I've seen those guys in the movies. Forget all the rest of those clowns. Let's give it to them. I liked 'The Pick of Destiny.' Hell, 'Nacho Libre' was a work of cinematic genius!"

And if the Grammys really and truly were paying attention to metal, wouldn't they stop trotting out the same old acts to reward retroactively for sins of the past? Wouldn't they include newer acts in the Best Metal Performance category, like Revocation, Periphery, Animals As Leaders, etc., etc.?

Trashing the Grammys is dumb. It's like a vegan trying to get McDonalds to give up beef for tofu. They'll never change. I hate talking about them. And yet, here we are. Damn it, Grammys ... you've won again. Visit http://www.grammy.com/ and tell 'em what you think. At least Brann Dailor got to show off that cool suit.

CD Review: Uriah Heep – Live at Koko

CD Review: Uriah Heep – Live at Koko
Frontiers Records Srl
All Access Rating: A-

Uriah Heep - Live at Koko 2015

Most of the face of that clock on the cover of Uriah Heep's upcoming two CD/DVD concert release Live at Koko is gone, revealing rusty gears and a shoeless man walking the rim, his arms mimicking the hour and minute hands above him and seemingly struggling against time like a mime pretending to be at the mercy of a strong wind.

One of the flagships of '70s progressive hard-rock, although they were actually formed in 1969 by guitarist Mick Box and vocalist David Byron, Uriah Heep has better things to do than count the days, weeks, months or even years until its certain end, as the invigorating and unbridled Live at Koko resuscitates their reputation as a driven and powerful concert act – no matter their advanced age.

While their middling 2014 studio album Outsider indicated that maybe they were running out of ideas, this career-spanning set from Frontiers Records Srl at the very least confirms the notion that Uriah Heep's combustible band chemistry has never been more dynamic – the pulse-pounding, one-two punch of opener "Against All Odds" and "Overload" hitting listeners right in the chops and buckling their knees. Their skillful brilliance is still miles ahead of most of the competition, with Box's solar-powered, squealing guitar forays and Phil Lanzon's smoldering, storming organ making roaring sonic furnaces out of "Between Two Worlds," "Can't Take That Away," "Free and Easy" and, of course, the driving, ever-popular closer "Easy Living."

"Sunrise" and "Stealin'" – the latter a major Top 40 hit in both the U.K. and the U.S. off 1973's Sweet Freedom album – emerge from their condition as slumbering legends and grow into tuneful awakenings in the this sultry London 2014 performance, raising up with sweet vocal harmonies and dewey, yearning melodies. On a quiet and calm "July Morning," the crowd can be hearing singing along joyously, just before the song surges with power, transforming into a fervent and glorious hymn. Poetic and deeply reflective, "Lady in Black," so beautifully written by former member Ken Hensley, drifts in next, with its infectious acoustic guitar strumming and expansive instrumentation enhancing the telling of this lyrical tale through the superb interpretation of vocalist Bernie Shaw, who is absolutely sublime here.

Contemporaries of iconic bands Deep Purple, Black Sabbath and Led Zeppelin, the durable Uriah Heep never quite seems to get its due from critics and rock historians. The sweltering Live at Koko offers them a chance to reassess what has always been an underrated catalog, with few missteps.
– Peter Lindblad

Revolution Saints' second video sees light of day

Clip for 'Back On My Trail' unveiled
By Peter Lindblad

Revolution Saints - S/T 2015

Not everyone can be as clever or creative as Red Fang.

What the Portland metal maulers can do with a shoestring budget is genius-level stuff, as Red Fang has created some of the funniest and most imaginative music videos of this, or any, era – the big-budget days of MTV included.

Today, the newly formed supergroup Revolution Saints unveiled its second video in anticipation of the release of their debut self-titled album, which is happening Feb. 24 via Frontiers Music Srl. It premiered on Billboard.com.

If you were expecting a grand cinematic masterpiece on the scale of something like "Citizen Kane," you reader have ridiculously high expectations. That said, while the video for "Back On My Trail" won't ever be a threat to take home an Oscar, it should generate excitement for one of the hotly tipped releases of 2015. Judge for yourself here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t_-oy6dRJt8

The setting for basically what amounts to a performance clip appears to be a well-appointed home studio, where Journey drummer Deen Castronovo, Night Ranger's Jack Blades and former Whitesnake guitarist Doug Aldrich are playing "Back On My Trail" with gusto – somebody off-camera having tuned them in via an old FM radio, after some compelling vintage knob-twiddling footage. Aside from that, it's a high-energy clip for a song with a bumper crop of melodic hard-rock hooks, with Castronovo – the band's singer – wailing about trying to belong somewhere in a confusing and often cold, cruel world.

Clear and masculine, with just a hint of vulnerability, Castronovo's powerful vocals are phenomenal, and finally, he gets to show off what are some pretty amazing pipes. There's a searing solo from Aldrich, with the cameras getting in there close to capture his dizzying finger work and everybody seems to be having a jolly time, a behind-the-scenes shots thrown in to capture the group's obvious joie de vivre.

Fast-paced and edited tightly to make the action come alive, the filming is actually rather stylish for what it is: a simple, unabashedly fun romp through a fairly cheesy, but nevertheless utterly infectious, '80s-style rock anthem and while it's not arty or challenging in any way, it'll be a crowd-pleaser of a song. Previously, the band released a video for "Turn Back Time," which, as it turns out, is not a cover of the glitzy Cher hit and it's somewhat more melodic, with sunsets and landscape shots interspersed throughout. It was directed by Devin DeHaven, who's credits include videos for Rick Ross, KISS, R. Kelly and Whitesnake. Expect more of the same from Revolution Saints.

Of the song "Back On My Trail," Castronovo said, "'Back On My Trail' was the first song I recorded drums and vocals on. It was a new experience for me and really was the beginning of Revolution Saints. I pulled no punches, and I hope everyone can hear the fire on that track."

Available for pre-order at Amazon in standard CD format at http://geni.us/RevSaintsAMZReg, with a deluxe version combined with a DVD available at http://geni.us/RevSaintsAMZDlx. Those who order the album digitally via iTunes at http://geni.us/RevSaintsiTunes will get automatic downloads of "Turn Back Time," "Back On My Trail" and "Way to the Sun (featuring Journey guitarist Neal Schon).

To get familiar with the band and the making of the album, here's an EPK for the album: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xOKjuLhUkKs

DVD Review: Deep Purple With Orchestra – Live In Verona

DVD Review: Deep Purple With Orchestra – Live In Verona
Eagle Rock Entertainment
All Access Rating: B+

Deep Purple With Orchestra -
Live In Verona 2014

Any list of the world's most spectacular outdoor concert venues would be woefully incomplete without an entry for Arena di Verona.

Originally built in 30 AD, the beautifully preserved Roman amphitheatre provided a dramatic and elegant backdrop for a glorious 2011 performance from hard-rock giants Deep Purple, backed on this enchanted evening by the full instrumental might of the Neue Philharmonie Frankfort and lushly filmed for a new DVD "Live in Verona" released by Eagle Rock Entertainment.

Lending added weight, complexity and richness to a set loaded with familiar classics, the orchestra – obviously relishing the moment, playing with both passion and precision – pushes and prods Deep Purple to go for broke and drive "Highway Star," "Strange Kind of Woman" and "Woman From Tokyo" like getaway cars used in a daring bank heist. It is, indeed, the thrill of the chase that still moves Deep Purple.

Quick cutaways make the action onstage come alive, the cameras expertly capturing Ian Gillan's expressive wails and honing in with artful subtlety on the virtuoso chops of guitarist Steve Morse, drummer Ian Paice, keyboardist Don Airey and bassist Roger Glover – Morse's fluid soloing brilliance drawing most of the attention, and rightly so. And while they plow through "Knocking at Your Back Door," "Space Truckin'" and "Smoke on the Water" with the usual organ-fueled horsepower of a dependable, rugged vehicle that has a lot of miles on it, Deep Purple is at its best here when swimming in the sonorous, mystic oceania of a breathtaking version of "Rapture of the Deep" and giving a soulful rendering of "When A Blind Man Cries." Bonus versions of "Hush" and "Black Night" make this a package worth getting.

Of course, this isn't the Deep Purple of old, some of the fire of youth having understandably diminished over time, although the visually stunning "Live In Verona" proves they're still eminently capable of burning this lovely setting to the ground when properly motivated. And they are in fine form here, even if the bloom is off the rose, so to speak, when it comes to seeing Purple once again perform with an armada of strings and other classical accoutrements.
– Peter Lindblad

'That Metal Show' announces first guests

Rush, Dream Theater fans ought to be excited

By Peter Lindblad

'That Metal Show' returns Feb. 21 with
hosts Jim Florentine, Eddie Trunk
and Don Jamieson

The waiting is over. "That Metal Show" returns Feb. 21 on VH1 Classic, and, drum roll please, who will be the first guest? Why it's none other than today's Tom Sawyer Rush's Geddy Lee!

It'll be his second appearance on the acclaimed hard rock/heavy metal program, hosted by Eddie Trunk, Don Jamieson and Jim Florentine. Lee will be there ostensibly to promote this summer's highly anticipated Rush R40 Live 40th Anniversary Tour, a 34-city run through North America.

"Back when 'TMS' was first born Geddy & Alex were nice enough to fly to New York and be a guest in our very first season. I've always had a great relationship with the Rush guys and it meant so much to me they were willing to support something that I was doing that at that point hardly anyone had seen or heard of," said host/co-producer Eddie Trunk. "Amazingly, almost seven years have passed and we're now about to debut our 14th season of 'That Metal Show' and I couldn't be more honored to welcome back Geddy to the set to celebrate 40-plus years of Rush and the return of 'TMS'!"

There's another little surprise in store for viewers of the season premiere, as Dream Theater's seven-string virtuoso John Petrucci will make his inaugural appearance on the debut episode. Dream Theater is currently working on a new album, expected to be released later this year.

All the TMS favorite segments are back, including "Metal Modem," "TMS Top 5," "Rank" and "Take It Or Leave It," as well as "Stump The Trunk" and Ms. Box Of Junk, Jennifer.

Fans can watch previous episodes and other exclusive bonus clips at ThatMetalShow.VH1.com and the new VH1 app.

TMS debuted on VH1 Classic in November 2008. Check out That Metal Show's Facebook page for more information at https://www.facebook.com/thatmetalshow

CD Review: U.D.O. – Decadent

CD Review: U.D.O. – Decadent
AFM Records
All Access Rating: B+

U.D.O. - Decadent 2015

Udo Dirkschneider is, once again, spoiling for a fight. Lined up in his crosshairs on Decadent, album No. 15 from his long-running post-Accept band of battle-scarred, traditional metal warriors, are greedy, cigar-chomping fat cats given to spitting on the less fortunate.

Waging class warfare with torrential, tight-fisted riffs, galloping rhythms and growling, impassioned, teeth-gnashing vocals, U.D.O. takes on corruption and Capitalism run amok, questioning whether societies with such wide divides between the rich and poor can, or even should, survive.

On point and on message, the team of Udo, Mattes and Fitty Wienhold – the same threesome that produced the titanic Steelhammer release a year ago – have a clear vision for Decadent. The thrashing toxic waltz of a racing "House of Fake" snarls and lashes out, while the rugged, down-and-dirty groove of "Breathless" is a caged animal pacing impatiently. An uprising of big hooks and bass thumping that sounds like cannons going off, "Pain" is melodically tumescent, its growth unchecked as riff blitzkriegs "Speeder" and the philosophical "Meaning of Life" – fast-fingered guitar leads flying underneath the tumult – carry the fight with focused aggression.

Oddities like the bi-polar, deliciously sinister and heavy "Mystery" and a directionless acoustic number entitled "Secrets in Paradise" are strangers in this land of U.D.O., but Decadent rarely deviates from its righteous path of honest indignation and designing sharp-clawed metal constructs that are so familiar, yet so undeniably compelling. Though a somewhat less powerful statement of purpose than Steelhammer, Decadent has more to say and it does so in a more varied manner. still slamming its battering ram of a head against the wall and hoping for the betterment of human kind. Let's hope U.D.O. won't ever water down its ideals or its sonic assault.
– Peter Lindblad

CD Review: Yes – Like It Is: Yes at the Bristol Hippodrome

2 CD/DVD Review: Yes – Like It Is: Yes at the Bristol Hippodrome
Frontiers Music Srl
All Access Rating: A-

Yes - Like It Is: Yes at the Bristol
Hippodrome 2014

The path's been pretty well beaten by now, the progressive-rock elders of Yes having performed live the favorite songs of 1970's The YES Album and 1977's Going for the One so often they could be forgiven for being bored to death with them. On its spring 2014 tour of the UK, Europe and Canada, Yes pledged to play both of them in their entirety, however, delving ever deeper into two of the most iconic records of their extensive catalog.

Playful and eager to engage in extended jams stretching the boundaries of famously complex arrangements, Yes breathes new life into dusty old compositions on the engrossing and expansive two CD/DVD set "Like It Is: Yes at the Bristol Hippodrome," the venerable masters taking liberties with subtle, nuanced alterations. A rollicking, extended piano run here, some extra guitar noodling there, and a gorgeous blending of vocal harmonies thrown in everywhere make for a joyous, captivating listen – the sound so vivid and clear, emphasizing the band's full-bodied instrumental flourishes and calculated precision, off-kilter melodic shifts and wonderfully interwoven vocal harmonies.

Summery and cheery, "Starship Trooper" culminates with a spiraling crescendo, the entwined machinations of guitarist Steve Howe and bassist Chris Squire sending wordless messages heavenward, while "Yours Is No Disgrace" motors through complicated twists and turns with easy grace. The proggy hootenanny of "Going for the One" is an aural ballet of elongated movements, the swooning "Wondrous Stories" and "Turn of the Century" are beautifully rendered to win over even the most jaded of audiences and "Awaken" swells majestically. And if it's intricate acoustic guitar picking you want, Howe obliges, with his folksy, whimsical turn on the lively instrumental "Clap."

Occasionally, he strains to reach certain notes, but otherwise, vocalist Jon Davison handles the material with warmth and skill, while Geoff Downes' keyboards add symphonic color to and shade in grand arrangements and Alan White glues it all together with intuitive rhythmic dynamics. Doing just one classic album in a concert setting seems to be passe for Yes, who've taken the concept to a whole new level. Not long afterward, they would attempt three on another series of live outings. Would it be too much to ask for four?
– Peter Lindblad

What's my age again? Drama with Blink-182

Pop-punk trio is going through a messy break-up
By Peter Lindblad

Blink-182 in happier times

Blink-182 didn't want to grow up.

When the adolescent pop-punk manifesto Enema of the State came bounding out of San Diego in 1999, with smiling porn star Janice Lindemulder on the cover sadistically pulling on a plastic glove just for effect, Mark Hoppus, Tom DeLonge and Travis Barker should have been encased in amber, never to age a day.

This was their moment. Even more juvenile than Green Day, Blink-182's sound was deliriously infectious, even sunny and completely irreverent – songs like "All the Small Things," "What's My Age Again?' and "Adam's Song" were like sonic bags of Pop Rocks, bursting with radio-friendly hooks that were as addictive as crack. Nothing was out of bounds lyrically, as they trafficked in potty humor and youthful sexual clumsiness, displaying the kind of stupid courage exhibited by skateboarders hopped up on Mountain Dew. Somehow, these class clowns had control of the classroom, and they had everybody pogoing.

Gradually, the party started winding down, although Take Off Your Pants and Jacket hit No. 1 in 2001 in three countries, including the U.S. For the self-titled Blink-182, released in 2003, they started messing with the formula, experimenting with and incorporating new styles and people starting throwing around the word "maturity." Cue the death knell.

DeLonge left in 2005, but the trio reformed four years later, eventually recording Neighborhoods for a 2011 release. It seemed they were on track to follow that up this year, but this week, rumors began flying that all was not well in the Blink-182 camp. That's putting it mildly.

Again, DeLonge appears to be on the outs with Hoppus and Barker, who've accused him of being "ungrateful, disingenuous" in a Rolling Stone article found here http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/blink-182s-hoppus-barker-blast-ungrateful-disingenuous-tom-delonge-20150126. DeLonge shot back on Facebook that band drama had "poisoned" everything, writing an open letter explaining his side of the story. And more's been coming out ever since the first bombshell dropped. Now boys, dad's going to have to stop this car if you don't quit all this nonsense.

Apparently, the ride has come to a halt, at least for now. Not that any of this should come as any great surprise, as tales of infighting in Blink-182 are not exactly government secrets. Barker, in perhaps the most telling comment on the matter, said in the Rolling Stone article, "Why Blink even got back together in the first place is questionable."

And that really is the question, isn't it? Unless you're the Rolling Stones, rock bands usually have a pretty short shelf life, and Blink-182 hit its expiration date a long time ago. They weren't built for the long haul. Theirs was a aesthetic that appealed to youth culture at a certain point in time. Aside from Barker's tattoos, they weren't at all scary or intimidating; rather, they were clean cut and approachable, safe enough for soccer moms who'd wag their fingers at their antics while secretly lusting for their boyish charms and about as harmless as kids caught toilet papering the neighbors' trees.

Of course, they probably said the same things about Green Day, and who could have predicted they'd come out with American Idiot, a stinging and powerful indictment of the Bush presidency and the dumbing down of the country that elected him. It's hard to imagine Blink-182 following suit, not that they'd have to do so to justify their continued existence. Now in their 40s, though, do they have anything left to say? Have they ever shown the slightest interest in tackling more "adult" subject matter? And even if they did, could they pull it off? Has their sense of humor evolved over time? Could they do "dad rock" and make it funny ... like Louis C.K. funny? That would be refreshing, if they could. The Beatles were able to grow as artists, but even Led Zeppelin ran out of steam.

Individually, the members of Blink-182 might go on to make great art, but as a group, it's probably time to hang it up, especially if they can't work through their issues. Airing a band's dirty laundry in public is always a dicey proposition, and it greatly dims any prospects of reconciliation. At least we'll always have our memories ... and Enema of the State.

CD Review: Lord Dying – Poisoned Altars

CD Review: Lord Dying – Poisoned Altars
Relapse Records
All Access Rating: A-

Lord Dying - Poisoned Altars 2015

There's plenty of sludge to crawl through on Lord Dying's roiling, action-packed sophomore LP for Relapse Records, Poisoned Altars, although it's not an arduous march.

Unlike other bands of their grim ilk, the doom-laden Portland outfit, creators of 2013's highly acclaimed Summon The Faithless album, don't just creep along stuck in low gear all day. Their paralyzing breakdowns result in unexpected tempo shifts, the epic, almost cinematic closer "Darkness Remains" expanding and changing course at will, as Lord Dying engages in push-pull dynamics that are compelling, to say the least.

And while "Suckling at the Teat of a She-Beast" is a frenzied charge of barely controlled thrash, the title track, "The Clearing at the End of the Path" and "(All Hopes of a New Day) ... Extinguished" are monolithic, chugging surges of iron-clad riffs powered by brutally heavy churn-and-burn machinery and caught in stormy sonic seas, tossed about along with mighty hooks, muscular grooves and growling vocals. Feel the hot breath of sinister blackened death-metal expelled in "Offering Pain (and an Open-Minded Center)." Get sucked into the infectious vortex of "A Wound Outside of Time." When it's all over, lay a sacrifice at these Poisoned Altars. For Lord Dying has wrought aural devastation on a biblical level, much as Crowbar and High On Fire have, and somehow, nobody got killed.
– Peter Lindblad

CD Review: Pat Travers Band – Live at the Iridium NYC

CD Review: Pat Travers Band – Live at the Iridium NYC
Frontiers Music Srl
All Access Rating: B+

Pat Travers Band - Live at
the Iridium NYC 2014

Obviously feeling his oats, Pat Travers isn't lacking for confidence when he declares that he's "going to kick your ass" to the crowd at the famed Iridium Club in New York City.

In February 2012, while out on tour with a reunited Pat Travers Band, the fiery guitarist did just that, showcasing a variety of electrifying, finely honed chops in a feverish two-night binge of no-nonsense, working-class blues rock. Perhaps not quite as essential as his 1979 classic concert LP Live! Go For What You Know, Live at the Iridium NYC is energetic, joyous and occasionally stylish, the sizzling funk of "Gettin' Betta" eating the exhaust of a full-throttle "Rock and Roll Suzie" – complete with perfectly in sync dual lead guitars – with the smoky, simmering blues of "Crash and Burn" slinking into a blazing version of "Heat in the Street."

Bold, assertive and galvanizing, the Pat Travers Band – with Sandy Gennaro back on drums – is a finely tuned engine on Live at the Iridium NYC, able to downshift into a smoldering version of Ray Charles' "I've Got News for You" and cook it slowly, before turning around and whipping a celebratory "Ask Me Baby" into shape, although its "Josephine" that sparkles and shines like a cut-glass tumbler full of whisky on the rocks. Its mix of melodic toughness and sweetness goes down easy, but with a slight burn.

Recorded with full-bodied sound and warm clarity, Live at the Iridium NYC is a fine survey of Travers' illustrious career, even if it doesn't approach this kind of music in a particularly fresh or innovative way – not that it has to, considering the high level of performance and raw vitality here. Little additions, like Jon Paris playing blues harp with great feeling on "If I Had Possession Over Judgment Day" and "Spoonful," make for a wonderful listen, with inspired choices all over the set list and Travers' smoking licks laying out a case for him to be mentioned among the all-time guitar greats. The evidence is overwhelming. https://www.facebook.com/frontiersmusicsrl?fref=nf
– Peter Lindblad

CD Review: Sweet & Lynch – Only to Rise

CD Review: Sweet & Lynch – Only to Rise
Frontiers Music Srl
All Access Rating: A-

Sweet & Lynch - Only to Rise 2015

It is 2015, isn't it? Seemingly from a different era, when glam-metal was king and Michael Sweet and George Lynch were lords of the Sunset Strip, Only to Rise is a debut album of towering melodic hard-rock spires from Sweet & Lynch.

While unabashedly raising a toast to the good ol' days, it's Sweet's penchant for yearning, grandiose melodies that makes this set actually seem timeless and not at all dated. Still, in many ways, Only to Rise certainly could be considered a time capsule from the mid-1980s.

Pairing a very busy Stryper front man with the equally hard-working ex-Dokken guitar shredder, Only to Rise soars on clarion vocals, generous hooks and sugary guitar crunch from Lynch, his riffs solid as bedrock, while he solos like a heat-seeking missile – all of it lending these songs the blazing thrust of NASA booster rockets. Adding more force and muscular drive to Only to Rise is the top-notch rhythm section of bassist James Lomenzo (Megadeth, White Lion) and drummer Brian Tichy (Whitesnake), two names that probably deserve some mention on the marquee alongside Sweet & Lynch.

Aside from the dreamy, if slightly schmaltzy, ballad "Me Without You," Only to Rise has big rock aspirations, building skyscrapers out of bittersweet anthems like "The Wish" – suffused with nostalgia for the Hollywood they remember – and "Dying Rose" in a matter of minutes, and doing likewise with "Recover," where Sweet nails difficult high notes like a champ.

With its juxtaposition of smoldering, bluesy verses and radiant, psychedelic chorus, "Divine" opens up the shutters and lets in a stream of light, while tracks like "Rescue Me," "Love Stays" and "Time Will Tell" build to amplified crescendos, flowing together beautifully like wild, swollen rivers that bring arena-rock floods somehow contained by the sandbags of superb songcraft and emboldened by strong, modern production values that bridge the present with the past. Had the '80s produced more of this, that party might have lasted a little longer. http://www.frontiers.it/
– Peter Lindblad

Shake your moneymaker: The death of the Black Crowes

Southern-rock champs calling it quits, what's their legacy?
By Peter Lindblad

The battling Robinson brothers are at it again, and this time, it seems their fussing and feuding has resulted in the death of The Black Crowes.

The Black Crowes have decided to
call it quits

On Friday, guitarist Rich Robinson issued a statement that reads, "I love my brother and respect his talent, but his present demand that I give up my equal share of the band and that our drummer for 28 years and original partner, Steve Gorman, relinquish 100 percent of his share, reducing him to a salaried employee, is not something I could agree to."

Ah, money, the root of all evil, and apparently, it is the cause of yet another Black Crowes breakup, although we've yet to hear Chris Robinson's side of things.

The writing was on the wall in October 2014. Back then, Gorman told Rolling Stone magazine, "I've said in the past, 'I know we'll work again' or 'there's no way we'll work again,' and I've been wrong. But right now, the likelihood of us doing anything again is as low as it's ever been. We could all see things differently in a year, but I'll be surprised if the Black Crowes do something again. Ever."

This coming from Gorman, who once quit the band near the end of 2001, only to return four years later.

Rich Robinson also said in that statement, "It is with great disappointment and regret that after having the privilege of writing and performing the music of the Black Crowes over the last 24 years, I find myself in the position of saying that the band has broken up." So, there you have it.

He also said, "I hold my time with the Black Crowes with the utmost respect and sincerest appreciation. It is a huge swath of my life's body of work. I couldn't be more proud of what we accomplished and deeply moved by the relationships people created and maintained with my music. That alone is the greatest honor of being a musician."

They certainly did nothing to stain their legacy on their final tour, at least if their show in Madison, Wis., on Sept. 22, 2013 was any indication. The Crowes were masterful that night, blazing through a well-chosen set list highlighted by a jaw-dropping supernova of a guitar duel between Rich Robinson and newcomer Jackie Green.

Is it too early to write a eulogy? Just what is the band's legacy? Are they the last great rock 'n' roll band?

There was a party going on in the '80s, as glam-metal was living fast and about to die young. The Black Crowes were formed in 1984, and they weren't invited. Not that they would have gone.

The Black Crowes - Shake Your
Moneymaker 2014

The Crowes were all about revivalism and swagger, bringing Stax-style soul, gospel, blues, classic rock and the Rolling Stones and the Faces back into fashion, and they looked the part – dark, even a little sinister, and certainly planning to do bad things to your daughters. And in 1990, they burst onto the scene with a debut album in Shake Your Moneymaker that turned music upside-down, just when grunge's crusty flannel-covered melancholy was on the verge of exploding.

An anomaly or an outlier in those early days, the Crowes' first smash hit was a rousing, raucous version of Otis Redding's "Hard to Handle." More singles followed, including the rolling boils "Jealous Again" and "Twice As Hard," and then hitting again with the soulful ballad "She Talks to Angels." They were shoving the '60s and bluesy rock 'n' roll right down the public's throat like it was castor oil or some detoxifying musical medicine that initiated a much-needed cleansing.

The Black Crowes - Southern Harmony
And Musical Companion

And just to prove they hadn't peaked too soon, the Black Crowes created a masterpiece with The Southern Harmony and Musical Companion, which shot straight up to No. 1 on its release and delved ever more deeply into their roots. The songwriting was even better, as assertive, spirited rockers "Remedy," "Sting Me" and "Hotel Illness" all paraded around like strutting peacocks and the sun-dappled "Thorn in My Pride" was mellow gold. Amorica was just as good, and for "Wiser Time" alone it should be considered a classic.

Personnel changes, sibling squabbles and some uneven, often uninspired records slowed their momentum, and even in their heyday, some critics accused them of a lack of authenticity and originality, of being a pale imitation of those that had come before them and too dogmatic. Somehow what they were doing didn't ring true. The Crowes just couldn't win. It's a Catch-22 that the Stones and The Beatles were all too familiar with. At the same time they were harangued for simply going over the same old, well-trod ground as their influences, others argued they weren't paying them the proper respect, that they could never be the genuine article and how dare they even try.

Luckily, the Crowes paid them no mind and just went about their business, writing great, memorable tracks that never really celebrated the South, but certainly captured its rebellious, quirky nature in song. More importantly, they gave new life to all those styles of music they were supposedly defiling and taught a master class on it to a new generation of rock 'n' roll fans that desperately needed the education. What they took from The Faces and The Rolling Stones was a vibe and a preternatural feel for what made that music special, and they went one step further, giving that old, decaying music a jolt of energy and passion.

Jimmy Page recognized it. So did the Grateful Dead. The Crowes opened for both, and with a charismatic rooster of a front man in Chris Robinson and players capable of soaring, transcendent performances, they were hard to top as a live entity, even if by the end they were more of a nostalgia act than anything, having last released an album in 2010. They've all got other projects now – Chris Robinson's Brotherhood, Steve Gorman's Trigger Hippy and Rich Robinson's always doing all sorts of stuff. This isn't the last you've heard from any of them, but if this is, indeed, it for the Black Crowes, it's a sad moment for rock 'n' roll.

CD Review: Venom – From the Very Depths

CD Review: Venom – From the Very Depths
Spinefarm Records
All Access Rating: A

Venom - From the Very Depths 2015

An onslaught of blackened thrash-metal fury that leaves pretenders to Venom's dark throne in absolute ruins, From the Very Depths is album No. 14 from Cronos and his henchmen. Who would bet against him reaching No. 666?

The notorious architects of extreme metal, their 1982 album Black Metal basically responsible for starting a whole sub-genre all by itself, Venom burst forth from the northeast England city of Newcastle upon Tyne in 1979 like a vile horde of demons escaping the underworld.

Nobody else could have concocted such a dirty and devastating perfect storm of frenzied punk and metal and Satanic imagery, and legions have fallen under their spell – some acolytes winding up in some of the biggest bands in the world, like Metallica, Slayer and Megadeth. Due out soon on Spinefarm Records, From the Very Depths won't disappoint them.

Torn between a desire to methodically maul its victims with trudging menace, as they do in "Crucified" and "Evil Law" – the latter switching tactics midstream to build a massive swell of steely riffage, courtesy of guitarist Rage – and run like hell through a cloud of sonic, speed-metal toxins in "Grinding Teeth" and the all-out war that is "Mephistopheles," Venom is, as always, adept at switching gears. The smoldering "Smoke" surveys an ash-covered apocalypse as an evil grin spreads slowly across its face, while the hammering "Temptation" is like a film of car crash-test footage on continuous loop and "Long Haired Punks" toggles between going really, really fast and then gradually halting.

A sinister laugh is heard at the beginning of "Stigmata Satanas," as a ring of aural hellfire seems to surround wherever its coming from, and there's a reason for it. Delivered with such overwhelming force, its chugging riffs blowing steam, the track is a vicious mosh pit of energy, that infamous "bulldozer bass" of Cronos driving Venom hard through cursed landscapes.

Blistering guitar solos erupt throughout From the Very Depths, and the effect is dizzying on this swarming, violent, white-knuckle ride of a record, interrupted only for a brief respite by a grimly melodic acoustic interlude called "Ouverture" that reeks of death. Hard-hitting, intense and unremittingly hostile, with a touch of black humor, From the Very Depths is classic Venom. Gird your loins.
– Peter Lindblad

"I am the Swiss!": 'That Metal Show' returns

A list of my five favorite moments in the show's glorious history
By Peter Lindblad

The hosts of 'That Metal Show' Jim
Florentine, Eddie Trunk and
Don Jamieson

It was one of those magical, unscripted moments of television.

During a segment of "Stump The Trunk" on VH1 Classic's "That Metal Show," this lovably goofy metal fan in a flag of Switzerland t-shirt enthusiastically declared, "I am the Swiss!" when asked by host Jim Florentine where he was from.

Everybody chuckled. I still do every time I think of of my favorite Swiss.

And when news today broke of "That Metal Show" returning to the air in February for its 14th season, having started in 2008, memories of episodes past came flooding back.

The new season starts Saturday, Feb. 21, with a new broadcast time of 9 p.m. Eastern Time. It'll be repeated at 11 ET. There will 12 episodes, all of them shot at Metropolis Studios in New York City on Tuesday nights for broadcast the following Saturday.

To be part of the audience, tickets are available through Gotham Casting at http://gothamcasting.com/gothamrsvp/. So far, nothing has been announced regarding guests. That'll come in due time. Meanwhile, how about a look back at some of my favorite moments in TMS history?

Marilyn Manson makes everyone blush: Ostensibly there to share his love of absinthe and talk about his sexual exploits, shock-rocker Marilyn Manson seemed bombed out of his gourd when stating that he'd been "clean and sober ... for the last five minutes." While sipping from his own stash, a product he called Mansinthe, Manson discussed among other things – in a conversation that can only be described as "rambling" – reverse erectile dysfunction, embracing deviance, and a threesome he once had, and everybody had a good nervous laugh about it. It smelled like this wasn't exactly a show for children, and it was uncomfortable. Then Manson went on "Talking Dead" and did it all over again.

Brian Johnson tastes "Lemmy's plums": Was there ever a funnier guest on TMS than the AC/DC singer? The three hosts almost did a collective spit take when, in critiquing new wines from the Motorhead vineyard, Johnson was questioned about whether he could detect notes of plum or other such flavors and responded by saying, in a deadpan voice with perfect timing, "I can taste Lemmy's plums." Then there was that lurid tale of some masked intruder with a rubber glove going around tour buses sticking his finger where the sun never, ever shines and then, in dramatic fashion, saying, "You know you love it!" And we all shook with jolly laughter all night long.

"Ego ramp": Full confession ... I never knew they called that long, slim stage extension that runs straight into the middle of a concert crowd – perfect for rock-star posing – an "ego ramp" until Heart appeared on TMS. Ann Wilson came off a little catty towards Def Leppard, didn't she, talking about the pop-metal band's extravagant stage show? The implication being that Def Leppard was, perhaps, a little shallow and desperate for audience validation. And then there was the little jibe about Leppard's backstage "health room with cigarettes and full bar." Evidently, Wilson made similar disparaging comments in the book "Kicking and Screaming: A Story of Heart, Soul and Rock and Roll." Vivian Campbell was not amused, expressing his disappointment on the Def Leppard website in the aftermath. And there was poor Lita Ford, coming on later with Heart and trying ever so hard to smooth the waters just a bit. It was textbook rock 'n' roll diplomacy.

"I am the Swiss": Eddie Trunk may hate it, but the "Stump The Trunk" segment is absolute comic gold – unpredictable, sometimes embarrassing and one of these days, I swear Trunk's head is literally going to explode on air. The " ... Swiss" guy is my favorite. And what about Gregg Guiffria's twin brother? Oh, those flowing locks of long, white hair. Somewhere there's a unicorn missing its mane. Remember when Clutch's Neil Fallon was on, and that woman got Trunk on some obscure question – who cares what the answer was – and she stuck her hand into the "Box of Junk" and pulled out Clutch's Earth Rocker album? The forlorn look on her face was priceless, and a bemused Fallon, being Fallon, remarked, "She looks over the moon." Zing! That Fallon is one droll bastard.

In Living Colour: There was hardly anybody in the audience for Living Colour's appearance, and yet, up into the stands went Corey Glover, handing out high fives to everybody within reach as Vernon Reid grabbed him down so they could get on with the rest of the show. The day of the taping a huge snowstorm brought New York City and basically the entire East Coast to a standstill. Some girl drove all the way from Pennsylvania or some such place, and if memory serves, her car broke down or something and her boyfriend called TMS to make sure she was all right. God, if that isn't metal, I don't know what is. Anyway, Reid and Glover proceeded to bicker like an "old married couple" – their words, not mine – and hilarity ensued, but when Glover talked about seeing James Brown perform at the Apollo, everyone was riveted. I'm thinking of joining their cult of personality, or at least reading the literature.

CD Review: AC/DC – Rock or Bust

CD Review: AC/DC – Rock or Bust
Columbia Records
All Access Rating: A-

AC/DC - Rock or Bust 2014

The engine that's powered AC/DC for more than 40 years finally broke down. Sadly, there may be no fixing him, at least to the point where he can function musically at optimum strength.

Dementia, among other degenerative health problems, forced Malcolm Young, one of the greatest rhythm guitarists in rock history, to sit this one out. A terrible tragedy, Young's departure robs the veteran Aussie hard-rock institution of its most propulsive element. Always locked in, Young spit out tough, infectious riffs like a machine and tenaciously tightened the screws on the band's hard grooves.

And yet, while his contributions were absolutely crucial in honing the band's sound for all that time, AC/DC doesn't skip a beat on Rock or Bust, the band's latest workman-like effort of driving, rollicking rock 'n' roll fun – nowhere near as dangerous or debauched as anything from the Bon Scott era, but still full of benign mischief. Stevie Young, Malcolm's nephew, fills his rather large shoes admirably, doing a more-than-passable imitation in matching his rich, gleaming, serrated tone and relentless groove.

All of this is not to say that Rock or Bust is some monumental achievement. The days of Powerage and Back in Black are long gone. For a band that prides itself on lean, taut songs played with ruthless efficiency and no-nonsense economy, the mid-section of Rock or Bust is rather flabby – the generic riffs and dragging pace of "Dogs of War" and "Got Some Rock & Thunder" indicating that perhaps AC/DC has let itself go to seed. Nothing could be further from the truth.

That old nastiness and lascivious charm emerges in "Sweet Candy," all hairy, slow-burning machismo and piercing Angus Young guitar leads, and a triple play of an infectious "Play Ball," the celebratory "Rock The Blues Away" and the stomping, ballsy title track offer bullet-proof hooks, gripping melodies and life-affirming power. Rock or Bust is compact, bold, potent and irresistibly lovable, a sermon from the mount on forgetting petty problems, having a good time and living on one's own terms delivered by a preacher in Brian Johnson who still sings a razor line every time.

And then there's good old Angus, ripping through biting, stabbing solos that always draw blood, as a blue-collar rhythm section plies its trade, drummer Phil Rudd swinging his drum sticks like two sledgehammers and always managing to keep perfect time. Rock or Bust is chock full of party anthems for guys going through mid-life crises who can't afford Porsches, as the fist-pumping "Rock the House" thunders and the cyclonic "Miss Adventure" gathers strength. Producer Brendan O'Brien pumps new life into the tried-and-true sound of a band that knows the end is coming – perhaps even sooner than they imagined, given Rudd's legal troubles and increasingly weird behavior. For those about to rock, AC/DC salutes you again, although maybe it's time we all salute them back. http://www.columbiarecords.com/
– Peter Lindblad

Lord Dying: Worshipping at 'Poisoned Altars'

Portland sludge-metal outfit issues sophomore LP
By Peter Lindblad

Lord Dying 2015 (Photos courtesy of
Danger Ehren Photography)

Lord Dying built up quite a head of steam going into 2015.

Adored by critics, their 2013 album Summon The Faithless was a beastly, monolithic horror that blotted out the sun, its writhing, skull-crushing riffs trawling through acres of sludge to bring ill tidings of death and despair to its hollow-eyed parishioners.

In the aftermath, they toured for 18 months, supporting such like-minded comrades as Red Fang and Black Tusk, among others, and in the spring of 2014, Lord Dying hunkered down in the studio with Toxic Holocaust's evil genius Joel Grind to record new audio devastation.

Due out Jan. 27 on Relapse Records, Lord Dying's sophomore effort, Poisoned Altars, builds off the promise of Summon The Faithless, prophesying an even heavier and more brutal sound, with giant hooks, catastrophic breakdowns, battle-scarred rhythms and roaring vocals that only High On Fire could love.

Based in gloomy Portland, Lord Dying is comprised of lead singer/guitarist Erik Olson, bassist Don Capuano, drummer Rob Shaffer and guitarist Chris Evans. Gathering together members of Portals, Le Force, Cremains and Black Elk, Lord Dying started out sharing bills with the likes of Unsane, Yob and Valiant Thorr and other local bands, and then hammered their way through the West Coast, before allying themselves with Kelly and Erica G to record their first release, a self-titled 7-inch mauler on Powerblaster Records. More touring followed with Black Cobra, Gaza and Witch Mountain.

With Poisoned Altars, Lord Dying is poised to become one of metal's most compelling and important bands. Olson talked about the band's development in this interview.

Lord Dying - Poisoned Altars 2015

Is there any special significance to the title of the album, Poisoned Altars?

Erik Olson: Yeah, Poisoned Altars means being aware of your problems and addictions and having the courage to face them regardless of the outcome. Or more specifically, if your beliefs are wrong, which could be for any reason, you first need to realize it and then actively try to change.

What is your favorite riff on the new record and how did it come to life?

EK: My favorite riff is the verse riff on "Offering Pain." It's fast and brutal, with a strong death-metal feel. The way it was written was spontaneous at rehearsal. We were arguing about something and rather than listen to the other side I just cranked up my guitar and started blasting. This was the result. We all decided we liked the riff and wrote a song around it.

The sophomore jinx is always talked about when a band has a debut album that's really good and makes an impact. Did you get any advice from anybody on how to avoid it or what to do to make a second album that will satisfy you?

EK: Not really. We were aware of the phenomenon, but tried to not worry about it too much. We wrote the album in the same way we always do – for us first and for others later. We're all really happy with the result.

Was this album easier or harder to make than Summon The Faithless?

EK: I think it was easier, because we knew while writing it we would be releasing it on Relapse, so we wanted all the songs to have a cohesive flow to them and feel like they belonged together, while also writing something that was more brutal and had more hooks than anything we'd done in the past.

What makes Portland a great metal town?

EK: The rent is the most affordable of any of the big cities on the West Coast, but I think the weather plays a big role in style and quantity of bands. It's overcast and raining for about nine months of the year, so Portland produces a lot of dark and heavy music, but because there's not much to do other than spend your time inside, people have a lot of opportunity to hone their craft and that's why a lot of the bands are so good. 

"Darkness Remains" is a great epic for a closer to the album. Talk about the making of it and why it seemed like a perfect one to end on.

EK: It was written really fast, right before we entered the studio and the lyrics and vocal parts were written right before Joe pressed record, so I guess because it was written so late in the game it felt like a good one to end the record with. Plus it's got kind of a huge melodic scope at the end and that felt like a good way to end the album as well!

How did working with Joel Grind help in bringing about your vision for the new record?

EK: We wanted Poisoned Altars to sound really huge, and we knew that Joel would be able to get that kind of sound for us because he always did on all the Toxic Holocaust albums.

What was your reaction to seeing the cover art for Poisoned Altars the first time?

EK: We saw it for the first time when we we boarding a plane to fly to California for Scion Rock Fest, so spirits were already pretty high, but we all loved it immediately. Orion is an amazing artist, and we totally trust his vision.

Lord Dying has toured with Red Fang.

Looking back on the progress of the band from the start to where you are now, what's different? 

EK: We've gone through a few drummers. Well, things are easier as far as touring goes, but it's still a struggle to afford to do it. We hope to be making a living doing this eventually. I guess every band does. We'll still be doing it either way. This is what we love to do.

What do you remember most about your first show or your first tour?

EK: Our first tour was a West Coast tour and our van broke down before we even made it to the California border. We had to get it towed to the first three shows! It was free because our roadie had AAA, but it was really funny to promoters to see us rolling up to every show on back of a tow truck! Good times!

What songs off Poisoned Altars are you most excited to play live?

EK: I really enjoy playing "A Wound Outside of Time." It's catchy and fun to play. I also really like playing "Darkness Remains." So far it seems to be the biggest crowd pleaser.

You've toured a lot with a number of big-name acts in metal, including Red Fang. What's the most fun you've had with any of them? Was there a point in the last 18 months where you felt touring was becoming a grind?

EK: I love touring and sure you can get exhausted, but I love doing it, so it never really feels like a grind. But yeah, the most fun would definitely be the European runs we did with Red Fang. Those guys are good friends of ours, so that made it fun, but they also are huge in Europe. We were playing rooms averaging from 800-1,200 capacity that were sold out every night. I'll never forget those tours!

Do you like it when people apply the terms "doom metal" or "sludge" to what you do? If not, what would you call your music?

EK: I don't really like to label our music, but if people feel like they have to I guess sludge is okay. I just don't want put barriers on what we can do. I feel like we write a lot of death-metal riffs, but that label only gets put on bands with guttural vocals, but ... whatever.

What are you most excited for in 2015 in terms of Lord Dying or anything else that has anything to do with music? Is there anything else that you're dying to do this year?

EK: I'm just really excited to start the touring for the Poisoned Altars album cycle and hope to get to travel and play in new parts of the world I haven't been to yet. Cheers!

Dead of winter: New music to warm your cold bones

What upcoming releases are we dying to hear?
By Peter Lindblad

Venom will release 'From the Very
Depths' on Jan. 27, 2015

January can be a cold, barren time in the music business, such as it is.

After the frantic run up to Christmas, with a fall full of notable releases from high-profile artists singing for their holiday suppers, the whole industry often seems to go dark at once – at least temporarily.

The silence doesn't last long, however. Soon, the factories that feed the music-consumer beast will begin humming again, and in no time, a steady stream of news regarding upcoming albums, EPs, DVDs and tours will flood an already well-saturated market.

Even now, though, in this very bleak mid-winter, there's a trickle of news coming out regarding some hotly anticipated releases and other events for 2015. Just this week came word from the Nuclear Blast label that metal heavyweights Slayer, Testament and Meshuggah will all be issuing new material in 2015, as well as new tour dates for Helmet's 20th anniversary celebration of their landmark LP Betty. At the end of "Wilma's Rainbow" is a pot of gold, and this is it.

Here are some more upcoming releases we're salivating over:

Venom - From the Very Depths 2015

Venom – From the Very Depths: Satanic imagery and punk-fired black metal will bring the thaw, as Venom returns with From the Very Depths on Jan. 27, coming via Spinefarm Records.

Front man Chronos has a message for his followers.

"This album is perfect," he said. "All three members are totally over-the-top confident with the new songs and the production. We had a great atmosphere in the studio while we were recording – Dante created pure thunder from his drums, while Rage tears the flesh off your face with his riffs, making everything fall into place so well ... it's a strong release and really shows the band maturing into an unstoppable force of pure Black Metal. We can't wait to play the songs live for the legions ... Hell yeah!"

Having just recently received an advance copy – expect a review very soon – my initial reaction is From the Very Depths sounds like classic Venom. It's fast, dark and rugged, an incendiary hell broth of seething guitars and explosive rhythms.

Revolution Saints - S/T 2015

Revolution Saints – Revolution Saints: Super groups seem to be a dime a dozen these days, what with your Rated Xs and your Kings of Chaos all doing their thing.

Here's another one, featuring guitarist Doug Aldrich – fresh off his leaving Whitesnake – and Night Ranger's Jack Blades, as well as Deen Castronovo, the drummer from Journey. A self-titled LP is due Feb. 24 from Frontiers Records.

There won't be any EDM found here or any of that bearded folk-rock melancholy that all the kids seem to love. Expect melodic hard-rock of the highest order from industry pros, with an emphasis on songs that are all heart and soul and top-notch musicianship. And, on top of that, Castronovo will be handling lead vocals. Didn't see that coming, did you?

U.D.O. - Decadent 2015

U.D.O. – Decadent: U.D.O. is preparing for class warfare, and Decadent drops a bomb of hard-charging traditional metal and blistering social commentary on the wealthy and the entitled.

Keeping up with his old band Accept isn't easy, considering what an unbelievable roll they're on with their last three records. Still, Udo Dirkschneider and those legendary teeth-gnashing vocals of his take a backseat to no one, and his most recent studio effort, the titanic Steamhammer, was simply unstoppable, a unsinkable battleship of a record that found glory in tumult. A live release that followed brought to bear all the power and majesty of this version of U.D.O.

The hope is Decadent, album No. 15 from U.D.O. and the second since the departure of longtime collaborator Stefan Kaufmann, will make Steamhammer seem like child's play, as Dirkschneider looks to eat the rich – metaphorically speaking, of course.

"Decadent behavior by privileged society exists in the whole world in completely different shades," says Udo. "Decadence is almost like a universal language. What bothers me the most is the egocentrism that goes along with that. People who have everything seem not to really care about the world around them anymore; it's like they use their own privileged status as an absolution for that. Also they do not seem to see that there's a correlation between their own luxury and the poverty of others."

Those are, indeed, fighting words. Decadent drops Feb. 3 via AFM Records.

Toto - Toto XIV

Toto – Toto XIV: On the softer side of things, there's Toto. Some may scoff, but we've missed their sterling musicianship, their ability to craft memorable pop-rock ear candy and their grandiose arrangements. And quite frankly, we all could stand some romance, some adventure and some positivity in our lives. I do sorely miss the rains down in Africa.

It's been almost 10 years since Toto's last opus, Falling in Between. A date's been set for the release of Toto XIV (they do love their roman numerals, don't they?), with the glorious event taking place March 24, courtesy of Frontiers Records Srl. It'll be coming out in all kinds of different formats, a two-LP vinyl set among them.

Guitarist Steve Lukather can barely contain his excitement. "When you put us in a room, and everybody brings in their pieces, the next thing you know it all fits together," says Lukather. "Everybody's performances are top-notch. We are really bringing our best out, forcing ourselves to make personal best choices, what's best for the music. I'm really excited to hear what people think."

Lord Dying - Poisoned Altars 2015

Lord Dying – Poisoned Altars: Time to restore some street cred. Poisoned Altars is the second outing from Lord Dying, one of the most fearsome and powerful new doom-metal outfits out there. Its churning riff magma will undoubtedly cause fiery, blackened, aural devastation and destruction on an apocalyptic level.

Will Lord Dying be able to avoid the sophomore jinx, after 2013's monstrous Summon The Faithless? That's a given, considering Toxic Holocaust's Joel Grind is handling the production end of things. Let's just go ahead and give Lord Dying a spot on the Best of 2015 list right now. Poisoned Altars comes out Jan. 27 on Relapse Records. Great cover by the way. Lord Dying, you've really outdone yourselves.