Art Hates You

February Hard Rock & Metal Calendar

2012-01-28T11:41:00.001-08:00

Sebastian Bach- 2/4- Emerald Theater: The hard rocker/TV personality has been gone from Skid Row since 1996, but Bach has done a good job of keeping himself in the public eye, whether it’s hanging out with Axl Rose, countless VH1 specials and Broadway plays. But Bach recently released a new solo album, ‘Kicking & Screaming”, which is sure to get some play along with his classics from the Skid Row days. (Tickets are $20, available at ticketmaster.com)

Gigantour 2012- 2/9- Palace of Auburn Hills: Megadeth headlines the 4^th Gigantour at the Palace and coming in support of their latest album, “Thirteen”. But having the ageless Lemmy and Motorhead, as well as the Danish metalbilly rockers Volbeat aren’t bad openers to have around. Or you can sit around and imagine who did more drugs in the old days, Lemmy or Dave Mustaine? (Tickets range from $13-$40, available at palacenet.com).

The Darkness- 2/10- St. Andrew’s Hall: After wowing us back in 2003 and 2004 with their debut “Permission to Land”, the English rockers disappeared, falling into the usual rock and roll perils. After several years away, the Darkness is back and trying to win over American crowds one more time. (Tickets are $20, available at livenation.com)

Royal Bliss- 2/11- Machine Shop: After issues with their label, the guys from Utah are finally getting their latest album, “Waiting Out The Storm” and hitting the road. As the band hits Flint, they bring Bobaflex on tour for a night of straight forward hard rock and cheap beers up at the Shop. (Tickets are $10, available at etix.com).

Wayne Static- 2/18- Harpo’s: Static has been on the road very consistently since the release of his first solo album, “Pighammer”. Except to hear the new stuff and old Static X favorites. Make sure to check out Polkadot Cadaver, opening up the show as well. (Tickets are $18, available at ticketmaster.com)

Van Halen- 2/20- Palace of Auburn Hills: Sales for this show are doing well so far, as David Lee Roth rejoins with the band one more time. With the band’s first album in 14 years due out February 7^th, Van Halen is trying to make fans forget the band politics and struggles the band has had in that time. After hearing the first single “Tattoo”, I think most fans will just want to hear the old classics. (Tickets range from $29.50 to $149.50, available at palacenet.com).

August Burns Red- 2/23- St. Andrew’s Hall: The Pennsylvania band keeps on touring as they are still out promoting their album, “Leveler”. The material on “Leveler” goes to show this is one of the most underrated current bands out there. The band pulled off a big surprise in getting Toronto band Silverstein to open up the show. (Tickets are $20, available at livenation.com).

Korn- 2/23- The Fillmore Detroit: I saw this show in Philly back in November, and I thought it was a bit of false advertising with presenting it as a mash-up of their songs that were supposed to be given an electronic makeover. This time around, it’s just Korn doing their thing and playing some of those new songs off the bold try “The Path Of Totality” (Tickets range from $29.50 to $49.50, available at livenation.com).

Anvil- 2/24- Token Lounge: After playing at the Token in the fall, Lips and Robb found a place that they like in this Detroit as Westland will host the guys with the amazing comeback story. No documentary showing this time- just cuts like “Metal on Metal” and new songs from their latest, “Juggernaut of Justice”. (Tickets are $20, available at ticketweb.com).

Orgy- 2/29- Machine Shop: Color me shocked; I had no idea these guys were still involved in music. The band who had a couple major hits in the late 90’s bring their electro-hard rock back to the clubs again. Lead singer Jay Gordon is the only original member of the band remaining and plans to put out a new Orgy album sometime this year. (Tickets are $16, available at etix.com)

Album Review- Lamb of God "Resolution"

2012-01-28T11:39:00.000-08:00

Pretty much since 2006’s “Sacrament”, the Virginia based metal juggernauts Lamb of God have the most anticipated metal album of the year. For most of their career, the band has delivered punishing albums with stunning precision and one would have to think that is this were the old days of the music industry, this would be the metal band playing arenas, ala Pantera in the mid-90’s.

With their seventh album, “Resolution”, Lamb of God doesn’t quite reinvent the wheel here, but delivers another headbeating 14 songs. Starting with the blood curdling screams of the opener “Straight for the Sun” to the usual groove metal of the first single “Ghost Walking”, Randy Blythe start in a familiar comfort zone to lure fans in. But where the album gets interesting is after the first single, where cuts like “The Undertow”, “Barbarosa” and “The Number Six” doesn’t really show us anything new, but brings intensity and the fiercest vocals from Blythe in several albums.

After going for some shine on “Sacrament” and on certain parts of their 2009 album “Wrath”, LOG muddy up the guitar work in a good way, giving the overall sound a bit more edge than the past few efforts. Of course there are a few tracks that seem subpar, such as the been there, done that already “Cheated” (but you gotta give them props for using the Sex Pistols’ infamous last line in concert “don’t you get the feeling you’ve been cheated?”) and the cleaning singing in parts of “Insurrection” sound more Phil Anselmo-ish than Blythe’s.

I think that the material on “Resolution” doesn’t show any new tricks in the playbook, but with a band like Lamb of God, I can let that slide. The album shows a brut force that was missing on “Wrath” and is more in the vein of their classic 2004 album “Ashes of the Wake”. And to be honest, an above average Lamb of God record will contend for Album of the Year and is still better than 99 percent of metal bands out there.

UFC on Fox Preview & Fearless Predictions

2012-01-22T09:42:00.000-08:00

Fans of the UFC are hoping that the second UFC on Fox event will last a little longer than the first one. The first match, the Heavyweight Championship bout ended in a whopping 64 seconds, meaning there was about 45 times the pre-fight coverage than there was the actual fight. Well, UFC organizers are hoping for two full tilt fights at the event in Chicago on January 28^th.

There are no championship bouts here, but some very high profile contender matches at UFC on Fox 2. In the Light Heavyweight division, Rashad Evans will be fighting someone not named Jon Jones, as he bides his time fighting up and comer Phil Davis. Meanwhile, arguably the two biggest villains in the UFC fight in the Middleweight division as Chael Sonnen fights Michael Bisping. There are major implications on the line for both fights and we will break those down a bit in the predictions.

So, instead of doing more hype, let’s just get to the breakdown of the major fights on UFC on Fox 2:

Light Heavyweight Match: Rashad Evans (16-1) vs. Phil Davis (9-0): It has seemed like an eternity for Rashad Evans to get his next title shot against his one time trainer partner Jon Jones, which has caused a lot of tension between the two fighters that is beyond well documented. Evans missed out on another chance late last year due to injury, and watching Jones dispatch fighters left and right. Evans will most likely get his title shot if he defeats the undefeated Davis, but that’s a pretty big if.

Davis has been making his way up the Light Heavyweight ladder, and last taking out Little Nog (Antonio Rogerio Nogueria) last March. Almost a year is a long time to wait your turn, but Davis should be ready to fight. But fighting Evans is a big step up from the Brian Stanns and Alexander Gustaffons of the fight and this should prove to be the biggest test of his career.

As much as I think Davis has a long career ahead of him in the UFC, I think Evans wants and needs this fight more. At 32, Evans is getting any younger in fighter years and sees this fight as one of his last chances to get a crack at fighting his new mortal enemy in Jones. I don’t see this ending by submission or by a decision. For some strange reason, I see a highlight worthy one punch knockout for Evans reminiscent of his fight with Chuck Liddell years ago. It’s a longshot to call that, but I’m doing it.
Pick: Rashad Evans wins via knockout in the 2^nd Round.

Middleweight Match: Chael Sonnen (26-11) vs. Michael Bisping (22-3): To fight fans, this is like North Korea and China fighting each other. After Middleweight contender Mark Munoz bowed out of this fight, originally with Sonnen, this match of villains was made possible. Both men come with lots of hatred from fans, but let’s be honest, both guys are entertaining as hell and my only wish is that the fighters had more time to trash talk about this fight.

For Sonnen, we all know what this is about: win and you get your long awaited rematch with Anderson Silva, most likely in a Brazilian soccer stadium in the summer. For Michael Bisping, this is a shot for him to get back into the title picture and fight Silva for the first time.

After his little Silva rant after his win over Brian Stann last year, Sonnen eats, breathes and sleeps thinking about Silva (and probably what wild statement he can make next about anything). Bisping is coming off demolishing “Mayhem” Miller in December and spitting his way to victory over Jorge Rivera last March. In this match, it’s hard to actual call who has the advantage here, because I think this match is so even matched. Bisping can try for the crushing knockout; or Sonnen can take him to the mat and wearing the Brit down.

But in the end, I think Sonnen’s mat skills will wear down Bisping and submit him, setting up one of the biggest pay per views in UFC history against Silva.
Pick: Chael Sonnen wins via submission in 3^rd Round.

UFC on Fox 2 is set for Saturday, January 28^th at 8pm EST. For the full fight card, check out www.ufc.com.

The Cab Wishes It Was Summer

2012-01-21T10:32:00.000-08:00

Call it the wonders of the internet. Years ago, if a band left a label to independently release their music, it was nothing short of career suicide, but not so much anymore. Take a group like the Las Vegas band The Cab; who split with Fueled By Ramen/Decaydance last summer, quickly self released their second album, “Symphony Solider” in August. But with the band’s loyal fan base and wonders of the internet and getting your music out there, the guys in the Cab debuted at #62 upon the album’s release.

The Cab was founded in 2005 in the Vegas suburb of Henderson, when lead singer Alex DeLeon moved away from hardcore bands to find a bit more melodic side, founding the Can and watching the eye of Panic At The Disco, who helped the band get signed to Fueled by Ramen. After their debut, “Whisper War” almost cracked the Top 100 in 2008, the band enlisted such pop powerhouses as Adam Levine of Maroon 5 and Bruno Mars to help with the songwriting for “Solider”. With the material on the new album, it’s easy to see that the band captured a bit more power pop and shine to their music. Make sure to check out songs like “Bad” and “Grow Up And Be Kids” for some good examples of the band’s latest sound.

Being a veteran of the Warped Tour and AP Tour, the Cab aren’t wasting anytime getting back in the road in 2012. Along with fellow pop-punk band The Summer Set, the Cab started their “Everything’s Fine Symphony Solider” tour on January 14^th and runs through mid-February. But the two groups make sure to hit Detroit when they reach what should be a cold Pontiac when the bands hit the Crofoot Ballroom on Friday, February 3^rd for a night of catchy hooks and some easy going fun.

The Cab play at the Crofoot Ballroom on Friday, February 3^rd. Tickets are $14 and are available at www.ticketweb.com. Additional tour dates and band info can be found at www.thecabrock.com.

Celldweller Stars in Detroit

2012-01-21T10:11:00.001-08:00

For fans of the electro-rock band Celldweller, fans have been awaiting since 2009 to see the finished product behind his “Wish Upon a Blackstar” effort. With the first chapter released in August of 2009, Celldweller to continue roughly one chapter per year and fans are now get a taste for the final piece of the puzzle, when the fifth chapter of the album comes to fans on March 27^th.

Even with the ongoing “Blackstar” saga, group mastermind Klayton has been putting out music since his 2003 self-titled debut. Starting out in a band with big time illusionist Criss Angel, Klayton struck out on his own with a brand of electronic & industrial rock very reminsicient of the genre’s early to mid-90’s heyday. After moving from New York to right here in Detroit, Klayton really kicked in the project in overdrive once in the Motor City, releasing a few more albums worth of material before working on the still in progress “Blackstar”. If you had a chance to check out any of the four chapters, Celldweller’s music is a wild mixture of industrial, dubstep and drum and bass that keeps things heavy enough, but melodic enough to bring in a wide range of fans.

With the fifth chapter being released both digitally and a physical CD in March, the seven song chapter, with such tracks as “Against The Tide” and “The Seven Sisters”, are sure to feature a blend that rang through the first four chapters, but with a few new twists thrown in for good measure.

After taking a bit of a break from touring, Klayton brought Celldweller back to the road in 2010 and has been touring a bit since then. With some dates in 2011, Celldweller stays home for a rare DJ set at the Works in Detroit this Thursday, January 26^th. Perhaps you can check out some of his recent mash-ups, using songs by Metallica and Asking Alexandria, hear some of the Celldweller stuff, or just songs that get Klayton. Who knows? You could hear all three, but make sure to get to the Works to see the Celldweller sound.

Celldweller plays a DJ set at the Works Bar & Club, located at 1846 Michigan Avenue in Detroit on Thursday, January 26^th. For more information on cover, check out www.myspace.com/theworksdetroit for more details. For more info and tour dates, check out www.celldweller.com.

Interview w/ Neal Middleton of Royal Bliss

2012-01-17T18:17:00.001-08:00

For a band who proclaimed the “unluckiest band in rock”, the guys in Royal Bliss seemed to be putting that moniker to rest in 2008 and 2009 as the band scored two Top 40 Rock singles in “Save Me” and “We Did Nothing Wrong”, from their album “Life In-Between”. But as the album and those songs started to progress, the powers that be at their record label at the time (Capitol Records) shifted and a lot of bands got lost in the shuffle, including Royal Bliss.

But instead of trying to find a new major label, the band opted to go the indie route and start work on their next album. Almost three years later, the band’s saga is reaping benefits as the band releases their brand new album, “Waiting Out The Storm” on January 24^th. When hearing the story of the genesis and the situation the album was born out of, it’s easy to see why the band called the album what they did.

The band is currently out on tour with West Virginia rockers Bobaflex for dates through March 6^th. As the band was in Portland to record some new material that may or may not end up on a future album, or something to complement the new album, I had a chance to talk with singer/guitarist Neal Middleton about how the issues with the former label shaped the album and Neal’s experience on a certain NBC music game show.
Here’s is my interview with Neal:

AM: After everything that has happened in the past couple of years, where is your excitement level at for the new album?
NM: The excitement is huge and we feel this is the best album we’ve ever done, but that’s what we always try to think. We want to go out there and prove that we can do this without a major label and we’re in control of our own destiny. There’s a new energy to the band and it feels like we’re a new band all over again.

AM: How long did the recording process take?
NM: Originally, we had written 100 songs for the album and it went through a bunch of different phases. We got it down to 40 or 50 songs before getting into the studio with Brian Virtue, then we widdled it down to 16 or 18 songs that we recorded for the album. But it probably took about a year and a half before the initial recording started, and then about another year and a half after that, so it was almost a three year process all together.

AM: In that time, how did the lyrics and music change from start to finish?
NM: I usually write from a perspective of what’s going on in my life at that time, and there was a lot at this point. We ended up leaving the label, I just had a son and some other things that were going on. I was a father for the first time and a lot of the lyrics had to do with the idea of watching him growing up and being a good father to him. Some of the songs had totally different lyrics and sounded when they were finally recorded than the pre-production stage.

AM: How did the band find new management and stay afloat in the tough time?
NM: We were out of the label management and the deal prior to recording. We had some help from some private investors that really believed in the band and what we were doing and helped us with the recording costs. When working with Brian, he basically told us that if we were just interested in writing a bunch of songs for the radio, he wasn’t interested in working with us. He wanted to be a full on Royal Bliss album. It was around that time that UEG Management, who handles Hinder, Nickelback and a few other bands found us. We were in Nashville recording at the time when we started getting all of these managers wanting to work with us. They were pretty shocked that we had no interest in going back to a major label and wanted to self-release things. They liked our music and didn’t just automatically think about how they could make money from us, so that worked out well.

AM: How did the band feel after finishing the long stretch of touring last summer?
NM: It was tough, to say the least. We paid for a lot of the touring out of our own pocket. We did two to three months with Hinder, another month with Puddle of Mudd, making as little as 250 dollars a night. But with traveling and gas prices, we were spending a lot more money than that to stay on the road. I had my son in August and we had to cancel 15 shows while I spent time with him. During that time, I went out and auditioned for “The Voice” (laughs). I actually made it to the Top 85 people on the show and performed in front of the coaches, and it should be on the show when it comes back on. At that time, I was thinking more about money and taking care of my son. But it was a really weird experience and I felt very out of place. I can’t play a character on some reality TV/game show. In a way, I’m glad it didn’t work out and it helped me finish the record.

AM: If there was anything you could go back and change about “Life In-Between”, what would it be?
NM: (laughs) To raise about an extra $500,000 to properly promote the album. It was a great album and I wouldn’t change a thing about the album itself, but we just didn’t have the capital to have the album stick around for a while. EMI got bought out and the executive that signed us left, which left us in the dark. By the time that got settled, there wasn’t a lot of money for touring and promotion.

AM: The album did yield a couple big singles; how did the band react to first hearing those songs?
NM: It was such a surreal experience. Coming from Salt Lake City, we always had a good following there, but when we started hearing the song on Sirius Radio, we started going crazy. But from there, we started going to cities on tour and we’d turn on the local radio station and see if they were talking about us. It was great to hear radio stations 1,500 miles away talking about our shows and stuff. It really does give you butterflies.

Royal Bliss play at the Machine Shop in Flint on Saturday, February 11^th. Tickets are $10 and are available at www.etix.com. Additional tour dates and band info can be found at www.royalbliss.com.

The Block "M" At Clutch Cargo's

2012-01-14T11:55:00.000-08:00

Nope, it’s not a reference to the University of Michigan and hitting a game at Michigan Stadium (I know Spartan fans, roll your eyes----NOW! And deal with it). But when you see the big block “M” associated with the San Francisco based group The M Machine.

The M Machine are the progressive DJ trio of Andrew Coenen, Benajmin Swardlick and Eric Luttrell and are releasing new music at a pretty good clip these days. Back in October, the guys released the double single for “Promise Me a Rose Garden” and “Glow”, which showcase the M Machine’s highly infectous “chillwave” brand of electronica. But the group’s cornerstone is the 12 minute “Trafalgar”, which more than keeps the listener’s attention for the full time. The group was recently signed to OWSLA, which is the new musical label imprint from new electronic music heavyweight Skrillex.

The M Machine will be on the road with Paper Diamond for the “Winter Warmer Tour”, which runs through February 1^st. But the tour will make their way through a probably frigid Detroit area stop as they play the iLounge inside of Clutch Cargo on Saturday, January 21^st. If you haven’t checked out the venue yet and love this group- let’s just say’s it’s one of the perfect places to check and chill to one the trance and mellow ways of the M Machine.

The M Machine open for Paper Diamond at the iLounge at Clutch Cargo’s on Saturday, January 21^st. Tickets are $15 and are available at www.ticketmaster.com. Additional tour dates and group info can be found at www.facebook.com/themmachine.

UFC 142 Fearless Predictions

2012-01-14T11:09:00.000-08:00

I am seriously just too lazy today to write out a full preview on tonight's UFC 142 event. I swear, I'll have one for the big UFC on Fox 2 event on January 28th.

For my quick picks tonight (if you're betting on it):

Jose Aldo vs. Chad Mendes (Featherweight Championship): Can Mendes be the guy to stop one of the pound for pound best fighters in the world. Doubtful. Pick- Aldo wins via unanimous decision.

Vitor Belfort vs. Anthony Johnson (Catchweight Fight): Johnson came in way overweight for this fight- missing the weight cut by 12 pounds. Dana White is totally pissed at Johnson right now, and I think with his extra weight- it will slow him down against Belfort. Pick- Belfort via knockout in the 2nd Round.

Interview w/ Revocation

2012-01-14T11:03:00.000-08:00

Look at any year end Top 10 list of metal albums (including this very writer’s), and you should see one constant on those lists- and it’s not Metallica & Lou Reed’s horribly executed “Lulu” album. One album that is on the vast majority of those lists is the third album by the Boston extreme metal band Revocation, “Chaos Of Forms”. The album is a nearly 50 minute sonic lesson in all things technical death metal that is showing that the guys in Revocation are quickly becoming one of the underground metal world’s fastest rising groups.

With “Chaos of Forms”, Revocation delivers their usual brand of metal, but for the first time, they added unusual (for the metal world) instrumentation for the album, enlisting a horn section for one of the tracks. Given the diverse education that guitarist Dave Davidson received at the prestigious Berklee School of Music in Boston, it’s no surprise to see the band branching out and adding new elements to their metal.

After taking a bit of time off around the holiday to recharge their battery, the guys are about to get back on the road as they open for Finnish thrash stars Children of Bodom on a tour that lasts through the beginning of March. Before their tour was underway, I had a chance to Davidson and bassist Anthony Buda to discuss the new album and how they feel the band is progressing in the metal food chain.
Here’s my interview with Dave and Anthony from Revocation:

AM: Are you guys surprised at all the accolades for “Chaos Of Forms” at the end of last year?
DD: I mean, it’s always nice to see your band on those lists and for people to say those things and definitely an honor. When you look at magazines like Guitar World, and see your album getting praise- it’s shocking but an ever bigger honor.

AB: It’s nice to know that people are appreciating what you’re doing. I feel things like this help show the constant evolution of the band, but at the same time, you don’t get too full of yourself over it at the same time.

AM: How did the recording experience for “Chaos of Forms” vary from previous albums?
DD: It was different in a sense that it was the first time we stopped and started a bunch of times while recording. We had to do this because we kept getting asked to be on tours and did tours with Despised Icon and Darkest Hour and kept coming back to the album. But with all these stops and starts, it gave us more time to develop the songs- so it actually worked out fine.

AB: For us, this was the first time we were full integrated as a full time band, touring and recording. For me, it was finding that balancing between how we sound live and trying to make the album sound closer to how we sound live.

AM: In what way lyrically and musically do you see this album being different from past albums?
AB: As a metal band, you want to have fun when doing your music and bring forth that attitude, but at the same time- you want to make people think and not be overly directly. It’s better to let people internalize the things they are hearing and let people make interpret the music in their own way. It makes for an experience with more substance and depth.

DD: I think not being super direct keeps things interesting. A song like “Cretin” on paper is about this demented circus freak. But if you look deeper into the song, it’s an allegory for bullies and the torment with that, or the agony of what someone deals with a physical handicap. A song like “Conjuring the Cataclysm” talks about necromancers and zombies and things, but it just as easily discusses our band in the metal world and the subculture into itself.

AM: Is there a song in the live set that you feel challenges fans the most these days?
AB: Definitely “The Watchers”. It’s unlike we’ve done before because of the fact we have a horn section and organ section in the song that gets the most surprising reaction from fans and has been receiving pretty positive responses so far.

AM: How does your education at the Berklee School of Music influence that diversity in the music?
DD: With those songs like “The Watchers”, I think it was just the product of my environment going to school there and studying with many different people from different backgrounds. Plenty of people there just hide in one musical corner and don’t want to come outside of that zone. I focused in on all sorts of music, a smorgasbord that opened my eyes up and learned more improv stuff- which you can see on the intro to “Cataclysm”.

AB: As someone that worked with Dave before he went to Berklee, I’m here to say he’s always been the same guy and is a great player, but this knowledge makes him that much better. He knows what it takes to make a song sound good, but can still get the best technical aspect out of the song too.

AM: The band recently expanded to a quartet- where did the band find Dan Gargiulo, the band’s new guitarist and how does he fit into the grand scheme of the band?
DD: Dan’s a great player and totally came in and wowed us. We had known him through a friend of a friend and he played in a few other bands in the area. He worked out well because we didn’t have to show him how to play every song- he picked up the entire set list just by his ear and knew the songs within a couple of days.

AM: With all the touring the band does- do you feel the band is starting to get the recognition most band’s seek?
DD: It’s been a long hard road and at the shows, I think people are starting to recognize us more and more and more people are hanging out with us, so I think it’s working (laughs). Touring is key to heavy metal music, so is the word of mouth and it’s exciting to play to other crowds.

AB: We very focused on playing with a lot of different types of bands, because it helps fans get out of their own little subgenre and world and exposes them to us, and at the same time, helps us to see what those fans are like as well. It may not directly be their type of music, but they usually get and respect what we’re doing.

Revocation open for Children of Bodom at Harpo’s on Tuesday, January 31^st. Tickets are $20 and are available at www.ticketmaster.com. Additional tour dates and band info can be found at http://www.relapse.com/label/artist/revocation.html.

Van Halen's Tour- Should We Care?

2012-01-07T09:20:00.000-08:00

Let’s face it, except for a couple quick cash grab tours in 2004 and 2007, Van Halen has been off people’s radar since the epic fail that was the Gary Cherone fronted “Van Halen III” back in 1998. After that album, Van Halen mostly went into hiding, and infighting. Things seemed all well at first when Sammy Hagar came back to the fold in 2004 for the reunion tour, but from all accounts behind the scenes- that tour was an unmitigated disaster.

In the wake of the verbal fisticuffs of that tour, Hagar and original bassist Michael Anthony left the band. After almost 30 years in the band, Anthony was replaced by Eddie Van Halen’s 17 year old son, Wolfgang, to play bass- adding insult to injury. Van Halen recruited original lead singer David Lee Roth for a 2007 tour that seemed to have minimal issues, but fans had a hard time taking to the latest Van Halen member in the band.

So after almost 5 years after that tour, the band has been working on a new album and are now starting to try and make their comeback after being irrelevant well over the past decade. With their new album “A Different Kind of Truth” due out February 7^th and a tour starting a few weeks later and lasting through June, this should be an exciting time for Van Halen fans everywhere- or is it?

I don’t think I’m in the minority when I say this- but I am very mixed on this latest attempt to reboot Van Halen. Below are my reasons for why you should be excited for the latest VH comeback:

Be Excited!: Ok, I’ve taken my shots at David Lee Roth over the years. He’s a dork, he’s too goofy and dumb to be a great lead singer, and so on. But seeing Roth back in 2007 in the band was the only reason to enjoy that tour. Yes, he’s a dork. Yes, he’s goofy and dumb. But he’s also a lot of fun, even after all of these years. The only life coming from stage during that tour was Roth and he made the shows enjoyable. It’s pretty safe to say that Roth had one of the largest egos in rock history back in the 80’s, but I think that’s tempered a bit now and he knows what he has now.

Plus, I think fans are looking for a little fun in their Van Halen now. After the horror stories told about the 2004 tour with Hagar, fans are looking for a lighter approach to Van Halen in 2012. Roth is the guy to bring that and even as he gets into his late 50’s, Roth is still a ball of energy and entertaining as hell. Whether or not it translates into a good album- we’ll that remains to be seen.

Eh, Not So Much!: If you’re read books on the band and interviews with various artists- why would you cheer for a comeback for Eddie Van Halen? From all accounts, the guy is a legendary egomaniac a-hole and drove not one, not two, but three lead singers out of the band (see- Gary Cherone finally gets his due!). Sure, he’s a phenomenal talent, but why would you cheer for someone that has tried to sabotage his own band several times? It’s tough to get behind someone like that. It’s not like we care much about his brother, Alex Van Halen and staying lockstep with his brother. Plus, with the way Michael Anthony was let go for Eddie’s 16 year old son Wolfgang was pretty nauseating to say the least. I wonder if Eddie was always preparing his son to take over the bassist role and had been grooming him since birth for it? We’ll never know, but one can speculate. But with everyone named Van Halen on this album and musical talents aside and personal history in the forefront- it’s still tough to get excited about this.

Whether you are stoked or not- Van Halen plays the Palace on February 20^th. Tickets are on sale this Tuesday (January 10^th).

Things to Look Forward to in 2012

2012-01-05T15:30:00.001-08:00

Nope, this is not a cynical list of things to do if the Mayans were really right and things will end in December 2012. Personally, I think we’ll all be ok come January 2013, so the Mayans will be seen as frauds. But either way, there should be some things in the hard rock and metal world for 2012. Some will be right off the bat, some are further down the road and some of this is just pure, wild speculation. But even if it’s only speculation, it’s always fun to dream up stuff that may be based in some reality down the road.
So, here’s some of the things that hard rock and metal fans have to look forward to in 2012:

Concert: Tool @ Huntington Center (Toledo)- January 24^th: Tool was last in the area back in 2008, and even though Maynard Keenan has been busy with various projects, it’s good to see his main band back in action. The tour runs for about a month, but the band makes their first trip to the border town of Toledo in a long time. I haven’t checked out the new Huntington Center for a show as of yet because the only thing there has been country shows so far, but I heard it’s nice and should be a good show.

Album: Lamb of God “Resolution”- January 24^th: Easily the most anticipated metal album of the year. If you’ve already heard “Ghost Walking”, you get the idea that Lamb of God ain’t trying dubstep or classic rock for this album. With Lamb of God, it’s pure pedal to the floor metal and “Resolution” should be no different. To quote Bart Scott from the 2011 NFL Playoffs :“Can’t Wait!”.

Concert: Gigantour 2012 @ Palace of Auburn Hills- February 9^th: Visions of Megadeth getting blown off stage by Lamb of God back in at the Gigantour 2006 still brings memories to me, but Megadeth has rebounded from that time to put out some of their best work in a long time over the past several years. But Mustaine and company will have their work cut out for them as the immortal Lemmy and Motorhead open up the show. Also, Volbeat open up as well and why anybody still cares about Lacuna Coil is beyond me.

Concert: Rammstein @ Palace of Auburn Hills- May 6^th: If anybody made the trip to Chicago or Toronto last year to see Rammstein light those arenas on fire, I’m willing to bet absolutely no one left the arena disappointed. But now the band has expanded their touring to nearly 20 U.S. dates in 2012, and one is right here as the German industrial giants prepare to unleash hell on the Detroit crowd. Rammstein was the show of the year in 2011, and there is no reason why they shouldn’t repeat in 2012.

Concert: Rockstar Mayhem Festival @ DTE Energy Music Theater- July 22^nd: Yes, that date and venue have already been announced- but with no lineup. Early rumors for the fifth go-around for the festival include the first major dates for Slipknot since the death of bassist Paul Gray. Also, Five Finger Death Punch and Korn are rumored to be on the bill as well. Except a full lineup announcement sometime in late January.

Kyng Tramples On Royal Oak

2012-01-05T15:27:00.001-08:00

After the band had done tours with Drowning Pool and Wayne Static, you would think the guys in the California based band Kyng would be taking a short break to start the new year. Guess again. After releasing their debut “Trampled Sun” back in late September and wrapped up their 2011 touring, the band quickly made plans as they will be opening for In Flames during a winter tour about to get underway.

Founded when former members of the band Ankla, Tony Castaneda and Eddie Veliz left to strike out of their own, Kyng moved away from the full on metal of that band for a wide ranging old school sounding hard rock record. Whether it’s the groove of tracks like “Pushing & Pulling” or the Alice in Chains-esque “Takes It’s Toll”, Kyng makes a play for big rock radio with the songs on “Trampled Sun”. Perhaps the best show of the wide ranging sound is the nine minute, two part track “Beauty at the End/ Shorelines Pt. 1 & 2”, where the band starts the song with a serene acoustic number, before moving into a hard charging hard rock cut. When I spoke with Castaneda over the summer, he described the band’s sound and influences as “California Heavy”- which is a blend of classic and modern rock, latin music, hip-hop which gives the band their diverse sound.

With the new year started and the band back on the road, their first tour of 2012 will be with Swedish melodic death metal patriarchs In Flames. Along with a huge lineup including Trivium and Veil of Maya, Kyng will be on the road starting January 13^th through February 21^st. But the tour makes an early stop in the Detroit area as the bands take over what is sure to be a loud and heavy night in a cold town as Kyng starts things off with that “California Heavy” sound.

Kyng open up for In Flames at the Royal Oak Theater on Friday, January 13^th. Tickets are $20 and are available at www.tickets.com. Additional tour dates and band info can be found at www.kyngband.com.

Breaking News: Howard Jones Leaves Killswitch!

2012-01-04T18:01:00.000-08:00

Well, this is starting off 2012 in the metal world with a bang: Just several hours ago, we learned that Howard Jones has left Killswitch Engage after nine years in the band. After starting with the band a year before their major breakthrough album, “The End of Heartache”, Jones and KsE toured an insane amount over the years and watched as the band rose to the top of the heap of the current metal world.

When reading the band’s press release, you hear a lot of the band’s niceties about Howard, such as “we love Howard”; “we wish him the best of luck” and things like that. But we all know there’s more to the story than just saying he left for “personal reasons”. Fans know that back in early 2010, Jones took time off for those same “personal reasons” right before a tour, which the band found friend Phil Labonte of All That Remains to fill in on that tour. There’s been plenty of rumors for that leave and now his exit- whether if it was due to impregnating a porn star (I’m sorry, you’re in a band, impregnating porn stars is just a occupational hazard. I don’t buy that one.) or due to alcohol and drug issues (sounds far more likely). Whether or not any of these rumors are true remains to be seen, but the whole deal seems shocking due to the fact that Jones had been doing shows with the band, recording and preparing to play with the band at the upcoming New England Metal & Hardcore Festival.

But now with Jones gone, the band is forced to find a new lead singer. Quickly. Labonte has already stated over Twitter that he will not take over that spot and there’s no reason. All That Remains has grown to rival KsE in popularity and it would seem dumb for him to jump ship. There’s always a chance that they could find an unknown to take over, but with an album due out this year and presumably a lot of touring behind it- the idea of taking months to find a singer probably isn’t in the cards right now.

But I know what all old school KsE fans are thinking right now- a little “Back to the Future” action and recruit ex-lead singer Jesse Leach to rejoin the band. Leach left the band originally due to depression issues, which hurt the singer for a few years. But recently, Leach has become involved in a few projects, including Times of Grace, with KsE guitarist Adam Dukitiewcz. The rest of the band have seemed to keep a good relationship with Leach, which could mean his return. With this option, it’s definitely not a lock by any stretch, but right now- it could make the most sense. Old school fans would salivate at his return, and it could spark a sense of renewed creativity within the band. The only question remains: will Leach want to tour that extensively once again? The heavy amount of touring was one of the main factors for his first exit and we’ll see if this comes to fruition.

I’m not picking sides either: even though I think there was some pretty nasty stuff that went down behind Jones’ exit, I’m not blaming either side. But when the band looks for a lead singer very soon, I am sure that the guys will give their old buddy a shot to make a huge comeback.

Stay Tuned…

UFC 141 Preview & Fearless Predictions

2011-12-26T10:51:00.000-08:00

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

2011-12-20T08:03:00.000-08:00

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

2011-12-20T08:00:00.000-08:00

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

2011-12-19T13:52:00.000-08:00

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

2011-12-16T07:36:00.000-08:00

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...)

2011-12-16T06:58:00.001-08:00

(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.

Top 5 Shows of 2011 (and I went to a lot...)

2011-12-16T06:55:00.001-08:00

(In Descending Order)

5. Deftones & Dillinger Escape Plan- The Fillmore Detroit: As a massive Deftones fan over the years, I am hyper critical when it comes to this band’s live shows. And quite frankly, the past few times I had seen them had been a bit disappointing. But the band was on fire during their packed show at the Fillmore in early May, kicking out the classics as well as the cuts from “Diamond Eyes”. For at least one show, the Deftones made me feel like I was back in the old State Theater in the late 90’s, raging out to one of their sets.

4. Volbeat- St. Andrew’s Hall: This is a band that is criminally undervalued band in the American market. The Danish band has a unique style of rockabilly, metal, and blues that had the fans at the sweaty St. Andrew’s in late March. Sure, fans might have seen them open for Metallica before, but on their own- the band put together a great 90 minute set. The tour paved the way for the band to play the States more and perhaps not have to rely on Nickelback and Shinedown for arena rock shows in the future.

3. Jay Z/Kanye West- Wells Fargo Center (Philadelphia): Say what you will about modern hip-hop (and I’ll agree with most of the negative comments), this was a minimal frills affair. No opening acts, no DJ in between, and no egos- at least on stage. Jay-Z and Kanye came out together an put on a two hour set that had the rappers bouncing back and forth between their biggest songs. People went nuts one song after another, as the hits kept coming the entire night. It will be a while before a new rapper can put together a show like this on this grand of a scale.

2. Soundgarden- UIC Pavilion (Chicago): Even if the band let the foot off the gas for the last few songs, it was amazing to see one of the biggest names of the grunge era back in full force. Chris Cornell proved he still had the voice and the ability to get from behind that acoustic guitar that’s seemed lodged to his hand the past few years and delivered a powerful set. With Pearl Jam toiling in some pseudo-hippie nomadic experience and Alice in Chains taking the year off, Soundgarden was your best chance to see a grunge god in 2011.

1. Rammstein- Allstate Arena (Chicago): The last time I saw Rammstein was a 45 minute set the Family Values tour in 1998, so it was a little taste of the madness this band brings to stage every night. In their nearly two hour performance, Rammstein proved that just about every single American band needs to take some pointers from these guys and fans got the full experience. Let’s face it, most rock bands’ show are not that entertaining and powerful and Rammstein proved that you can still bring out the big guns and give the fans a hugely visceral experience. Can’t wait to see them again in May right here in Detroit.

Other Shows That Received Consideration: Identity Festival (DTE), Pixies (Fox Theater), Avenged Sevenfold (Palace), Various Artists- Maryland Deathfest, Anthrax & Testament (House of Blues- Cleveland).

Alex Wand Diversifies With Enjera

2011-12-11T11:27:00.000-08:00

Ok, not to get it confused with the Ethiopian sourdough dish, the newest project from metro-Detroit native and multi-instrumentalist Alex Wand, Enjera plays on Wand’s African music influences and shows a different light from his work with Light in August, the band he’s been a part of for the past several years.

Self-released in late September, Enjera’s debut EP is a four song collection of such electic instruments as the bansuri, table and tuning fork, along with the sitar. When checking out the songs on the EP like “Samsura” and “Tabla Rosa”, the texture and range of songs comes out and provides quite the mellow and relaxing experience. Also included on the EP is Wand’s take on the Beatles classic track “Within You Without You” The EP is borne out of Wand’s passion of Indian and African music, which he has been studying in detail at the California School of Arts for his Master degree.

The EP was recording in the school’s Dizzy Gillespie’s studio and gives the listener a throughouly enriching experience. As of now, Wand does not have any tour dates planned around this project, but that could always change. But if you are in the mood for a evening with the sitar and other sounds that you may not always here in music- at least around here- check out Enjera’s EP and appreciate the musicianship.

Enjera’s EP is available for purchase at www.alexwand.bandcamp.com.

Interview w/ Jeremy DePoyster of The Devil Wears Prada

2011-12-10T09:51:00.000-08:00

The Devil Wears Prada were one of those bands that early on in their career, they were on every metal tour you could think of. The Dayton, Ohio band spent more time on the road each year than they were probably home, just trying to get the word out on the band. After a few years of touring, the band were shocked to see their 2009 album “With Roots Above and Branches Below” narrowly missing the Top 10 of the Billboard Album Charts. But the band knew their heaviest effort was still yet to come and with the recently released “Dead Throne”, the band finally cracked the Top 10, selling 35,000 copies during it’s opening week.

Fans and critics alike are heralding the album as the band’s heaviest to date and tackles false idols as it’s main lyrical focus. To help give the album it’s stepped up heaviness, the band listed Killswitch Engage wildman Adam Dutkewicz to produce the album and has become another sign the band is far from done.

The band is currently out on the road right before Christmas with Enter Shikari and Whitechapel for a scorching night of new school metal. But before a show in Maryland, the band had a little bit of down time when I had a chance to chat with guitarist Jeremy DePoyster. Jeremy and I discussed Dutkewicz’s production techniques and the things he misses about the band’s early days on touring.
Here’s my interview with Jeremy:

AM: When seeing “Dead Throne” debut at #10 on the album charts, what was your reaction?
JD: It was an awesome feeling. With our last album, we came real close and debuted at #11, I think. It was close, but I’m not reading our plaques right now, so I’m not sure (laughs). But it’s good to see what we do every day is paying off. It’s good for a non-radio friendly band with massive amounts of promotion doing this. It’s vindicating because we’ve done things the we we’ve wanted to do it.

AM: What was the band’s mood going into the recording of the album?
JD: I think the mood varied greatly. We rehearsed the songs in Chicago, where I live now. It was work all day, every day for several days in a row getting the vocals right, the music right and so on. We had only been home a couple of days from a long tour before we went right back in to work on recording. We had all these demos all set and we thought they were so good, thinking we were prepared. Then when we started working with Adam, he chopped things up and changed things drastically.

AM: How was working with Adam D on this album?
JD: Adam was awesome. This was the first time we didn’t work with our friend Joey Sturgis and he always did a great job. But I think Adam was more of a producer and intensely worked on the songs. He helped us crank out performances we didn’t even know we had in us and pushed us to make the best album we’ve ever done.

AM: For the “Zombie” EP, what areas of pop culture did you pull from for inspiration?
JD: Our original inspiration for it was when we were on tour in Europe. We were in some very weird countries with no internet and everybody was getting a little stir crazy. I think that started it and when we saw that “Zombieland” movie, we thought “oh yeah, we gotta do a concept like that!”. But we felt we didn’t want to make an entire concept record, so we did this.

AM: Is there any discussion of expanding on the idea of that EP at some point?
JD: I think we’ll go back and do a concept record somewhere in the future, but it won’t be about zombies or anything.

AM: What do you miss about the early days of the band’s touring?
JD: Some of the intimacy that you had about being an unknown band is gone. We were just learning when we first started touring back when we where 17 or 18. We were in a van in those days and you learned to run the crew and operation and learned more things in those days. You’re in a bubble more when you reach a level like we have.

AM: What has been the weirdest thing about the band’s success?
JD: It’s all been kinda surreal and you get all wrapped up in things while on tour. But we have a bunch of dudes in the crew that are easy to talk to and bring you down to earth. When you go home after the tour, things remain pretty down to earth and we don’t get too wrapped up in our own success.

The Devil Wears Prada plays at the Royal Oak Theater on Saturday, December 17^th. Tickets are $20 and are available at www.tickets.com. Additional tour dates and band info can be found at www.tdwpband.com.

Interview w/ Dave Rosen of The Parlor Mob

2011-12-10T09:47:00.000-08:00

The guys in the New Jersey based band The Parlor Mob know all too well about the downside of the music industry over the past several years. With the band signed to Capitol Records and a merger between a few different labels, many bands were dropped from the labels, causing them to release their music elsewhere. The Parlor Mob found this out through an email of all things and in a moment of frustration to be heard, the band released their EP on the internet.

Well, someone listened to that EP, because the band was signed to Roadrunner Records shortly there after and released their debut, “And You Were a Crow” in 2008. The band decided to switch gears majorly with the writing and recording of the album that would become their sophomore release, “Dogs”, which was released this past fall. The album is a celebration of the band’s perseverance and trials dealing with being a band during this time in the music industry.

The band is on the road at the moment, but during an off day back home in Jersey, I had a chance to talk with guitarist Dave Rosen about the band’s journey to their second album and some of the more economically downtrodden places that the band has played in recent time.
Here’s my interview with Dave:

AM: How has the reaction to “Dogs” been so far?
DR: It’s been great for the most part. We really didn’t know what to expect with this album because it was such a different record than the first album. This album wasn’t exactly a sure thing, but it’s worked out pretty well so far.

AM: Was there a conscious decision to move away from the sound on the first album?
DR: Nah, it wasn’t a conscious effort to change everything up. The first album was written when we were a lot younger, back in 2005 and 2006. We toured over two years behind the first album. I think we’ve got a lot more tight as a band and knew what we wanted on this album. Overall, I think “Dogs” took less time to write than the first album. It was only when we sat down and listened to the first cut of the new album that we realized it sounded so different than the first one.

AM: How long did the recording process take this time out?
DR: After we got off the road, we took about two months off to slow down a bit. The process took about six months altogether, because we extended our pre-production period. We decided on Matt Rose to produce early on, so we had to fly him out from LA out east. We wrote thirty-something songs in the beginning, recorded 15 and ended up with 12 on the album.

AM: Where was the band coming from lyrically on this album?
DR: There were interesting things going on with this album. When we wrote the first album, the world was totally different and we wrote more about things going on in the world. This album was an expression of the battle we’ve had for everything in this business. It’s the sound of the band’s struggle to make it to a second album. It personifies the world around us and being walked on and how you fight that.

AM: Did the band catch any heat for releasing the debut EP online from former labels?
DR: We got signed with Capitol Records early on and when they merged with another label, we got an email one day that we were dropped. We weren’t sure if it was legal, but we just wanted to get the word and the music out to the people. When we released it, the label didn’t seem to care about it, so we never had any problems with it.

AM: How has the touring environment been for the band?
DR: It’s crazy and noticeably different since the last time we toured majorly. It’s hard to get people out during the middle of a week for a show until 1 A.M. when they gotta work the next day. You go to places like Buffalo, Pittsburgh, and Syracuse and you can tell just how tough these places have it. For people to go and buy beers and a ticket, it can run you 40-50 bucks for the night and that’s a lot of money. So, we’ve been trying to get the word out about some of our guest list spots out on Facebook and sometimes, we end up doing that as well, just to get people to come out to the shows and hear us.

The Parlor Mob plays at the Pike Room on Friday, December 16^th. The show is free and more information can be found at www.thecrofoot.com. Additional tour dates and band info can be found at www.theparlormob.com.

Rock Hall Induction Ceremony Thoughts

2011-12-09T07:52:00.000-08:00

Whether you want to call it, the Rock n Roll Hall of Fame, the Rock n Roll Hall of Shame and so on, the committee made their induction decisions earlier this week and for people anywhere from the age of 25 to 45, this year’s inductees will actually be some groups that people know and will pose some interesting questions. Before you go get all Eddie Trunk on me and scream “it’s a crock of s--- until Kiss and Rush get in!” and “why am I writing about this?”, hear me out. I totally agree 100 percent those bands should be there, right alongside the best bands and there is some sort of secret music industry code that puts these bands into the Hall of Fame, but I’m not even trying to write about conspiracy theories and let’s just discuss who’s in it this year and what questions that could come up between now and April 14^th:

Guns n Roses: Most people I talked with were shocked to learn that they hadn’t been inducted yet. But given that the legendary “Appetite For Destruction” album and eligibility for the Rock Hall is granted 25 years after the release of your first album, this is actually GnR’s first year of eligibility. Metallica is the only other hard rock/metal band to be inducted in their first try. But this could pose some questions of who will show up, who will play and so on. Will Axl and Slash co-exist for 10 minutes while accepting their award? Will Axl show up for it after the ceremony is done or at all? Will Steven Adler overdose on stage? And these are just a few of the dozens of questions to ask about this potential firestorm.

If Axl does show, I am almost sure he’s gonna be late and insist the new GnR lineup comes out, complete with the ghastly Slash wannabe DJ Ashba and Bumblefoot playing “The Pink Panther” theme. If he doesn’t show, the rest of the guys will accept the award and perform a few tunes with a few different lead singers. Obviously, the second option sounds the safest. I don’t expect Axl and Slash to patch things up in time for the ceremony and who knows what will happen that night. Either way, it’s gonna make the Van Halen induction fiasco look tame in comparison.

Red Hot Chili Peppers: The Chili Peppers made it into the Rock Hall in their second year of induction and are a fine choice for the Hall of Fame. But for Anthony Keidis, please shave that most recent mustache off- it looks pretty 1980’s porno theater-ish. Will Dave Navarro show up and declare he should be there because he did one so-so album with the band? I hope not. And will they have a Spinal Tap montage to all their guitarists over the years? Maybe. But I think no matter what, the Chili Peppers guys will be wild but restrained. I am sure they are gonna be wanting to watch the GnR fireworks after them.

Beastie Boys: I am sure the future Rock Hall voters would have had a heartattack 25 years ago, when the Beasties came blazing out of the gates with the fratboy-ish yet blissfully simple “Licensed To Ill” and thought this would have been a Hall of Fame worthy group. But as we already all know, the group became far more diverse in their music over the years, mixing rock, hip-hop and even jazz into the mix. In their second year of eligibility, the Beasties are now one of the very few hip-hop acts to be inducted and the influence they’ve had on any white rapper since is undeniable. They will probably be the most gracious of the award, and yes- they’ll probably want to see what happens when GnR hits the stage.

The Faces and a few other names that escape me right now will also be inducted when the Rock and Rock Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony comes back to Cleveland on Saturday, April 14^th. It’s open to the public as well, as some tickets for $50 and $100 are available at www.rockhall.com starting December 17^th.

Album Review- The Black Keys "El Camino"

2011-12-09T06:13:00.001-08:00

Back when I first saw the Black Keys in 2004, they came out of the garage rock era that housed 20,000 other bands trying to pull off a similar sound. But what stood out about the band was the fact that they didn’t try and pull of that disinterested cool look like The Strokes did, or didn’t need five guys to pull off that sound. The duo of Dan Auerbach and Patrick Carney showed a lot of vigor and pulled off a big live sound with just themselves and proved to be a force to be reckoned with. But, I never, ever suspected the band would get as big as they have.

On their seventh album, “El Camino”, the band re-enlisted Danger Mouse (who produced the stellar 2008 album “Attack and Release”) for perhaps an even bigger sounding album than that one. Most of the bluesy material from their still pretty damn good 2010 album “Brothers” and brings back the heavier drum sound and quick strike method of songs that might have been missing on the previous album.

Yes, look no further than the first single “Lonely Boy” for the best indication of the band getting back into that groove again. But where the album really excels are on tracks like “Gold on the Ceiling” and “Money Maker”- which blends the bluesy and garage rock sounds together to it’s full effect.

When listening to “El Camino”, you get the feeling that the band’s move from Akron, Ohio to Nashville has influenced the band just a little bit. There is a lot more southern rock influence on this album, but obviously steers clear of the rebel flag and pickup truck mantra of some of that music. Auerbach and Carney seem to have more fun on this album than on “Brothers” and the loose nature of the album can be seen.

Back when I saw them in 2004 (and have seen them several times since), they seemed like the last band that would ever headline an arena tour. At the time, perhaps they could open for someone bigger, but I never thought they would be the huge stars they are becoming. But “El Camino” is another good indication that the band can be minimalist and large sounding at the same time and shows that they are the one band that can bring indie snobs, critics and casual listeners all together in the same place.

P.S.: Hey guys, the van on the cover isn’t an old El Camino, it’s a s---box 1990-something Chrysler Town & Country that looks like what I used to get driven to the movies to when I was a teenager. I just had to be a jerk and I’ll shut up now.

Album Review- Korn "The Path Of Totality"

2011-12-09T06:11:00.001-08:00

After releasing the back to basics “III: Remember Who You Are” back in the summer of 2010, which sounded strong, but met with complete indifference from fans- the band decided to switch things up a little bit. Growing tired of the cookie cutter rock the band had been hearing over the past several years, the band went in a new direction. Enlisting dubstep artists like Kill The Noise and Skrillex, Korn has changed up the template for “The Path Of Totality”, which features a slew of dubstep artists’ collaborations.

The result: the effort is there, but some of the music meshes well together, and others just fall severely flat. There’s been some hate from the internet hate police related to the first single, “Narcissist Cannibal”- but this is actually one of the better tracks on the album. Jonathan Davis’ lyrics and vocal structure fit better with that song than let’s say “Kill Mercy Within” and “Illuminati” which sometimes falls into Metallica/Lou Reed territory. Ok, maybe not THAT bad, but it is not their best work. The album seems to hit it’s stride in the middle after “Cannibal”, where heavier tracks like “Burn The Obedient” and “Let’s Go” show the fans the creative peak when you mix Korn’s music with the burgeoning musical movement known as dubstep.

If there are issues on this album, it’s not with the dubstep artists. They give life to the album with their beats and wild sounds throughout the album, but the album falls pretty flat at times due to Korn’s pacing of their material. The album seems like just when it’s about to turn it up a notch and turn into something remarkable, the next song just dies on you and loses momentum. Rock fans who aren’t sold on the whole dubstep thing might not appreciate the lack of riffs on the album and may wait for the next album.

“The Path Of Totality” is nowhere near a complete disaster, like the previously mentioned Metallica/Lou Reed or Queensryche albums released this year and it quite good at certain moments. But I feel like more guitars and a more evenly structured mix between those riffs and the electronica sounds would have provided a more happy medium on this salvageable but far from perfect album.