UFC 141 Preview & Fearless Predictions

A year wild and momentous year for the UFC wraps up this weekend as UFC 141 gives fans a big blowout before the onslaught of expanded UFC television coverage starts in a few weeks. I could sit here and do a recap, but if you pay attention to any of the major MMA websites, they’ve done a fine enough job doing that.
With UFC 141, one thing that fans at least on the east coast may dread: the return of the 10 P.M. start times. After several months of starting at 9 P.M., the UFC faced some dwindling pay-per-view numbers. I am not sure as to why people on the west coast would complain so much about starting earlier on a Friday or Saturday, but for UFC fans that like to get out to bars to watch the event in the eastern part of the country and avoid the always pleasant police force that late at night, it’s a pain in the ass.

But alas, we’ll still be here and I’ll stop ranting. But UFC 141 features a major heavyweight contender match between former Strikeforce Heavyweight Champ Alistair Overeem and former UFC Heavyweight Champ Brock Lesnar, in what will be a #1 contender match to fight champion Junior Dos Santos in 2012. Also on the card is a critical lightweight match between Nate Diaz and Donald Cerrone for a potential shot at Frankie Edgar’s belt.

UFC 141 will also mark the end of one era- as Spike TV hosts it’s last preliminary fights for free, before FX takes over the duties with UFC 142 in two weeks. So, let’s end 2011 on the right foot and do these damn picks for UFC 141:

Heavyweight Match: Brock Lesnar (5-2) vs. Alistair Overeem (35-11): I think most UFC fans remember the last time Lesnar got in the ring and the result: cowered up in a little ball as Cain Velasquez pummeled his face in. After Cain did the UFC a favor and bring Lesnar down a few notches, Lesnar had another bout with diveritiucitis and was sidelined before he could face Dos Santos. With his health under control once again, Lesnar seems back on track to give the fight world another go round. But Lesnar didn’t draw a cupcake for his first match since the October 2010 loss to Velasquez in dutch kickboxing extraordinare Alistair Overeem.

Whenever I watched Overeem in Strikeforce, the lack of quality competition was obvious as it looked like Overeem toyed with everybody from Brett Rogers to Todd Duffee. His only real competition in Strikeforce was a decision against Fabricio Werdum- who just signed his UFC contract two weeks ago. Between stints in K-1 kickboxing and the Japan promotion Dream, Overeem spent most of the last two years beating the crap out of fighters and strengthing his game- well, that and having a cameo in a LMFAO video.

So, it’s obvious to see that Overeem has an infinite amount of experience on Lesnar and should be the easy favorite, right? Wrong. Overeem has never taken on someone with the size and strength of Lesnar in this weight class. If this fight gets to the ground, I don’t think Overeem is going to stay around long. But if the fight stands up, I think Overeem chops Lesnar down and takes him out.

Overeem is the slight favorite here, but I think for at least one round that Lesnar will surprise a lot more people and not get gassed out, like in the Velasquez fight. But I don’t think Overeem will be dumb enough to let it go to the ground and wears Lesnar down in the second round for a win.
Pick: Alistar Overeem wins via TKO in the 2^nd Round.

Lightweight Match: Nate Diaz (14-7) vs. Donald Cerrone (14-3): Nate Diaz seems far more stable than his flaky brother Nick, who famously didn’t show up to a press conference and cost him a welterweight title shot. But Nate Diaz has been hit or miss in the ring, not out of it lately. However, his win over Takanori Gomi in September was impressive and his name is starting to get thrown around in the title picture again. But Cerrone has had probably the second best year in the UFC this year, next to some guy named Jon Jones (Yeah, I know- never heard of him either). Cerrone has went 4-0 this year alone and a fifth win this year would give him a better shot at Frankie Edgar’s title.
Cerrone can beat you many different ways, and I don’t think he’s gonna let Diaz choke him out this time. This one goes to the judges, but I think Cerrone becomes a serious contender with a win over Diaz.
Pick: Donald Cerrone wins via unanimous decision.


For a full fight card and places to watch the event, check out www.ufc.com for more details.

January Hard Rock/Metal Calendar

In Flames- January 13^th- Royal Oak Theater- Ok, “Sounds from a Playground Fading” might not have been the greatest album ever, but this is still a chance to catch the Swedish melodic death metal’s fury when they pack Royal Oak for the first big metal show of the year. And you can’t really complain about the openers either- with Trivium, Veil of Maya and Kyng opening up. This has to be one of the better bills to hit Detroit in a while. (Tickets are $20, available at tickets.com).

Machine Head (pictured)- January 20^th- Royal Oak Theater- With “Unto the Locust” exceeded industry expectations so far, it’s safe to say that the longtime Bay Area metal titans have hit a stride later in their career. This is sure to be another crazy night of metal inside Royal Oak as Suicide Silence opens up. Also, check out Iron Maiden’s Bruce Dickinson’s son's band, Rise to Remain, open up the show. (Tickets are $20, available at tickets.com).

Attack Attack- January 27^th- Omni (Toledo)- This is a home state show for the band who’s next album, “This Means War” on January 17^th. Opening are Sleeping with Sirens and the Ghost Inside. Should be a good night for the metal young’ins in Toledo. (Tickets are $15, available at ticketmaster.com).

Children of Bodom- January 31^st- Harpo’s- We were beginning to think the guys from Finland didn’t want to come to Harpos this time around in support of their “Relentless, Reckless Forever” album out earlier this year. Make sure to check out Revocation opening up the show, which may be a battle of the riffs between Revocation’s Dave Davidson and Bodom’s Alexi Lahlo. Let the riff blazing begin! (Tickets are $20, available at ticketmaster.com).

Last Call For Metal Shows in Detroit for 2011

When you hit that mid-December point every year, the concert calendar gets a bit thin and people actually expect you to hang out with your family. But for someone like me, I try and resist the temptation to call it a concert year for long as possible. The weekend of December 16^th provided a last gasp for concerts in 2011 for Detroit hard rock and metal fans before we go into a few week hibernation. It was obvious I wasn’t the only one gauging by the reaction of the crowds at the shows as both the Five Finger Death Punch show at Compuware Arena and the Devil Wears Prada show at the Royal Oak Theater were either near or at capacity.
But here are my thoughts of both the shows that hit Detroit this past weekend:

Five Finger Death Punch @ Compuware Arena- Dec. 16^th: I remember seeing these guys at the Ritz in Warren four years ago playing to about 300 people. Fast forward to late 2011 and the band nearly sells out a 5,000 seat arena and delivers their brand of high RPM hard rock. For the band’s 75 minute set, the band obviously had been watching a lot of their metal ancestors to put on a fast paced, big arena rock show. Starting off with their big single from their “American Capitalist” album, “Under And Over It”, FFDP didn’t let up in their set and provide too many dull moments. Whether it was older cuts like “White Knuckles” to the cover of “Bad Company”, the band is starting to master their surroundings and look the part of a major arena force for years to come. Songs like “Hard to See” and “Ashes” fit well in their new settings and the riffs and rhythm section provide that full bodied sound.

I know I’ve been hot or cold on this band in the past and there is still something that doesn’t settle with me right about this band- I’ll leave that open for your interpretation- but if they are the surging arena rock band of the future, I guess things could be worse- way worse. But guys, I know your album is called “American Capitalist”, but you don’t need images of every major company flashing on the big screen during your set- we’ve got TV and movies to already do that.

The Devil Wears Prada @ Royal Oak Theater- Dec. 17^th: It was the second to last night for this tour when it descended into a way packed crowd of about 1,700 into Royal Oak. After a lackluster set from For Today, a frantically paced set from Enter Shikari and punishing set from Whitechapel, the Devil Wears Prada walloped the crowd in their 75 minute set. Delivering on the title track of the band’s new “Dead Throne” album to start things off, it had the kids flying around the pits. The band frontloaded the set, playing popular cuts like “Saffafras” and “Outnumbered” and proved that the band is starting to make their way out of the sea of sound-alikes and get heavier in a time where a lot of the bands in their genre are either breaking up or softening their material a bit.

To this writer, even though TDWP put together a solid set, they may have been upstaged by the Brits in Enter Shikari. With their next album due out January 10^th, their electronic-punk-hardcore aesthetic sounded like a breath of fresh air at times, especially since For Today spent half their set going off on a hardcore religious sermon, which some of the fans bought into while making others rolls their eyes with the frequency of the preaching. But Enter Shikari set up the other bands quite nicely and the show provided good closure to a busy year for metal shows in Detroit.

So, we’ll take a few weeks off from shows in Detroit at least- catch me in Cleveland for a few shows around New Year’s- and we’ll see ya at In Flames in Royal Oak on January 13^th. Word to the wise, just no drinking in the parking structures. Royal Oak PD doesn’t seem to like that much. Later!

Metal Head Scratchers of 2011

Every year, we do the customary best albums of the year, where we kiss ass and fawn over what was the best of this particular year. Don’t worry, that list is coming and it’s just fine. Also, most people end up doing the worst albums of the year as well, but in the age of internet haters- that’s about as common as another Kardashian reality show on E!.

So, this year- I’m going to forgo the worst of list for 2011, but go off on some rants about some of the albums that just made it shake my head. They may have not been the worst album of the years, except for one I will discuss, but you will get my take on these polarizing albums.

Some of the albums will be just full on hate, others will have me playing devil’s advocate and trying to find some of the good out of the albums this year that made people scratch their heads and wonder “what the hell were they thinking” when recording these albums.
These are in alphabetical order and not in order of how they confused me:

Jasta- “Jasta”- You’re Jamey Jasta, you’re in one of the most popular hardcore bands of all time. You’ve got a decent side project in Kingdom of Sorrow. What’s your next move? Putting out an album full of cameos, which ends up sounding like a very watered down version of Hatebreed. I don’t know if Jasta thought with this would finally be his big breakthrough to the mainstream rock crowd or not. Either way, Jasta always has a lot going on and having his hand in a lot of things in metal, but this album should have been left on the cutting room floor.

The Haunted- “Unseen”- Before the Morbid Angel album came out, the blogosphere’s venom was pointed directly at this album right here. If you had enjoyed the Swedish death metal band’s earlier stuff up through “Revolver” and “The Dead Eye”, the move towards more melodic mainstream metal seemed a bit forced. The pedigree of this band has always been amazing, but was this album borne out of a feeling of getting lost in the shuffle in the metal world and trying to keep up? I just hope the Haunted right the ship with their next album, because “Unseen” has gone unheard- and that’s probably a good thing.

Metallica w/ Lou Reed- “Lulu”- Ok, this is the one that I can’t even defend. Someone on the net hit the nail on the head when they said that “Lulu makes “St. Anger” look like “Master of Puppets”, I couldn’t have said it any better myself. The sessions with Metallica and Lou Reed should have been just kept to that- jam sessions. No one needs to hear an over-inflated double album on the writings of a German playwright from the turn of the 20^th century. When Reed isn’t talking over Metallica’s riffs (which aren’t all that terrible if it was strictly an instrumental album), the lyrics based on those plays seem so antiquated and awkward that they make absolutely no sense. I seriously thought I was gonna to give my laptop a whirl down flights of stairs while hearing “Pumping Blood” and “The View”. I resisted temptation on hurling my laptop, but I can’t get Reed’s droll voice saying “Pumping Blood” over and over in my head. I hear it in my sleep, even after several sleeping pills. When I’m in the looney bin in a few years, I’ll still hear this in my head. Please, for the f---ing love of God, make it stop!

Morbid Angel- “Illud Divinum Insanus”- Of the list of these albums, this album might allow me to play devil’s advocate the most. Over their 20+ years, fans expect a certain sound and intensity when it comes to Morbid Angel albums. So, it was easy to think with the return of David Vincent that the classic sound would be firmly intact for their album. But most fans were stunned at the industrial metal lean on the album. My reaction was one more out of curiousity than hatred for it. As a fan of a lot of industrial leaning metal, some of the songs aren’t necessarily that bad. Sure, “Too Extreme” and “Radikult” are goofy as hell and should have been scrapped. But when the band sticks with small doses of the electronic side of things, but let the metal do the talking on “Existo Vulgore”, “Nevermore” and “I Am Morbid”, the album does work. This is one of those albums that if it didn’t have the Morbid Angel name on it or was done by another band, the venom from fans would not have been anywhere near as severe. But fans waited a long time for the band’s return to their early 90’s glory- guess they’ll have to wait a bit longer.

Queensyrche- “Dedicated to Chaos”- The prog-rock heroes have had great albums: “Operation: Mindcrime”, “Empire” and so on. But things have progressively nose-diving over the past few albums. But with their experimentation into cabaret/jazz rock was not what the fans had in mind. The album is slow, dull and better suited for coffee houses than theaters or clubs. We expect more out of Queensryche; better storytelling, more dynamic musicianship and so on. If this is “Chaos” for the band these days, then let’s “Rage For Order” for the next album. An experiment that just didn’t even come close to working.

Wayne Static- “Pighammer”- Static-X has always been one of those industrial hard rock/metal bands that I probably shouldn’t get into, but I do. They are never going to reach Ministry-early 90’s style heights, but it was good music to crank in the car during rush hour. But with Static-X on some hiatus for several rumored reasons, Static tried his hand at a solo album. But like Jasta’s album, Static’s album is just a watered down version of the material from the late 90’s height of Static-X. “Assassins Of Youth” and “Static Killer” are just ok, but could have been beefed up a bit if he, you know….just did another Static-X record.

These though these albums have their moderate to major flaws or just suck all together, I’d still rather listen to Lulu and Lou Reed sing “Pumping Blood” than most of the Top 40 auto-tuned crapfest on the radio today. That is all.

Enter Shikari Floods Royal Oak

The guys in the U.K. based electro-metalcore outfit Enter Shikari may have not released an album since 2009’s “Common Dreads”, but that doesn’t meant that they haven’t been busy touring. After doing some major stadium-size shows with The Prodigy over in the U.K., the band made their return to the States by opening up for A Day To Remember in 2010, before joining up with the Warped Tour this past summer.

But with “Common Dreads” now fully seared into fans’ heads, they are getting ancy for fresh material from the band. So, the band went into a Bangkok studio this past May to start the recording of their third album, “A Flash Flood of Colour”. Due out January 10^th, the album may or may not harken the hijinks of a “Hangover 2”-esque recording session, but will feature the band’s signature sound of electronic metalcore that is easily shown on the first single “Sssankepit”. But if fans cannot wait for the new album, you can always pick up the band’s live CD/DVD set “Live from Planet Earth”, which came out this past summer.

But think of that as a present for whatever December holiday you celebrate- however, if you are in the Detroit area, you can check out the band tomorrow night (December 17^th) when they open up for the Devil Wears Prada at the Royal Oak Theater. Along with Whitechapel and For Today, Enter Shikari helps round out a pretty formidable group of openers with their frentic sounds. So, if you get a chance tomorrow night and feel like skipping some holiday parties, make sure to check out Enter Shikari’s bouncing off the walls ways and get jacked.

Enter Shikari opens for the Devil Wears Prada at the Royal Oak Theater tomorrow (December 17^th). Tickets are $20 and are available at www.tickets.com. Additional tour dates and band info can be found at www.entershikari.com.

Top 10 Metal Albums of 2011 (that I listened to...)

(In Descending Order)

10. Animals as Leaders- Weightless- If Dave Davidson is the up and coming thrash metal god, Tosin Abasi is the virtuoso of the new school. On the group’s sophomore album, the intricate guitar work on “Odessa” and “Earth Departure” don’t bash you over the head, but comes off more like a metal jam band and shows that technical metal doesn’t need to be pretentious to amaze fans.

9. Suicide Silence- The Black Crown- When I spoke with lead singer Mitch Lucker this summer, he said this was a “make or break” album for the band. They certainly didn’t break on their third album, as tracks like “Slaves to Substance” and “Smashed” beat your skull in and sent pits ablaze at the Mayhem Festival. We’ll see if the band rises to the top of the metal heap in the future, but “Crown” bodes well for the band.

8. Mastodon- The Hunter- There have been cries of “it’s a pop album” and other derogatory remarks made about this album. Even if it’s not as epic and memorable as their past album “Crack The Skye”, the collection of songs on their latest are songs that are a little more refined than past work. Listen, we all love “March of the Fire Ants” and “Blood and Thunder”, but a band has to evolve at some point and the grooves on “Curl of the Burl” and “All The Heavy Lifting” are undeniable. It’s good to see a metal band crack the Top 10 of the Billboard Album charts as well, it’s something not seen much these days.

7. Devildriver- Beast- After the fury for “Pray for Villains” pummeled fans’ eardrums back in the summer of 2009, you think Devildriver would rest on their laurels and take the foot of the gas a little. Bulls—t! The title of the band’s latest album sums up the push it to the floor mentality of the band over their five albums now. If you doubt me, check out “S—tlist” and “Bring the Fight” and I bet you change your tune real quick.

6. Revocation- Chaos of Forms- Revocation’s Dave Davidson is just a monster on this album. With the band’s third full length, his guitar work on tracks like “Cradle Robber” and “No Funeral” prove that the band is probably one of the more criminally underrated bands. Critics love them, now they just need to capture the metal masses.

5. Ghost- Opus Eponymous- Ok yes, the group’s look and pseudo-Satanic imagery is a gimmick, and they don’t do blast beats or guttural vocals and I can see why someone would roll their eyes at this choice. But if you listen to the songs, it’s a wild throwback to the early days of metal. Songs like the catchy as hell “Ritual” and “Elizabeth” prove that you don’t have to be technically proficient or scary musically to make tuneful music.

4. Asking Alexandria- Reckless & Relentless- Sure, it’s Hot Topic/something-core music that is sure to enrage the metal purists, but if you are looking for a happy medium between a nod to the old school and modern metalcore, these British guys got it right with their second album. “Dear Insanity” and “A Lesson Never Learned” are two of the songs on an album that just seems to get better the later the album goes on and may show some signs of hope for the metalcore scene.

3. Black Dahlia Murder- Ritual- Sure, the guys from Detroit have had some killer albums before- but there was something different about “Ritual”. The guys tried for more melody and diversified their guitar work into a full bodied experience. Even though titles like “Conspiring With the Damned” or “Carbonized in Cruiciform” might not be dinner table conversation, the riffs and frentic vocals give the album real punch and is easily the band’s best yet.

2. Anthrax- Worship Music- Maybe it was because I didn’t have faith in Joey Belladonna’s vocals or their problems, but the material on “Worship Music” made a believer out of me after I went into the album with a lot of apprehension. It’s a great blend of the Belladonna and Bush era material and if you didn’t get into tracks like “The Devil You Know” or “The Giant”, you are hopelessly stuck in your little niche scene and need to show some old school respect.

1. Machine Head- Unto the Locust- The band’s last album “The Blackening” could have been one of the top 3 albums of the past decade, and “Locust” turned out to be just as heavy as it’s predecessor. The songs continue at the same epic length and if you haven’t heard the title track or “I Am Hell”, you probably haven’t heard the best metal songs of the year. The last album help forgive the goggles and jumpsuits of their awkward late 90’s period; this album proved they are one of the titans of the modern era.