Since I have no time right now to do full-on metal reviews, check out The Metal Review on Twitter to get the inside scoop on new albums in 140 characters or less.
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Note: I haven't been doing a very good job on the Twitter side of things. Maybe it will start back up in the future. In the meantime keep checking The Metal Show Metal Blog for the occasional CD Review and up-to-date music news.
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
Sunday, April 5, 2009
Exodus Rocks Spicoli's: Concert Review April 1, 2009
So at noon last Wednesday I received a Facebook message from Alonso Donoso, singer of Iowa metal band Dark Mirror saying he might have a ride lined up for me to go see his band and Exodus play in Waterloo, Iowa, at Spicoli's. The venue is the new home of The Reverb formerly in Cedar Falls.
I dropped my plans and went on the road to watch some metal and I was not disappointed by thrash legends Exodus.
They played many songs off "Atrocity Exhibition Exhibit A" and the previous albums "Tempo of the Damned" and "Shovel Headed Kill Machine", seeing as those better suit vocalist Rob Dukes, who has earned his spot in the band by this point in time.
As for the older stuff Bonded By Blood was heavily represented, with the band playing "Bonded By Blood", "Piranha" and many more. They also played "Fabulous Disaster" off the album of the same name.
The band seemed to really enjoy themselves, despite the fact that they are now playing at venues with stages much smaller than they must have in the 80's. If I had to make a rough estimate, I would say around 125 people were at the show. These guys certainly aren't doing it for the money now. They just love to play.
Gary Holt and Rob Dukes could be seen smiling and playing up the crowd. The only member that looked a little worn out was guitarist Lee Altus (of Heathen fame, but he still performed well.
The band ripped through the songs and the crowd seemed to especially get wild during the "Bonded By Blood" stuff. Rob Dukes vocals can still be a little grating, but then again, so could Paul Baloff's. And things wouldn't be right if they weren't!
All in all a good high-energy show by one of the greatest thrash bands of the 80's.
Here is a recent video of Exodus performing "Iconoclasm" off of "Shovel Headed Kill Machine" live:
exodus - iconoclasm
Iowa's true metal band, Dark Mirror, also put on a damn good show and I was pleased to hear some new songs from the forthcoming album "Forever Young" hopefully due out in a few months. "Karma" had some ripping solos courtesy of new guitarist Dustin "Blitz" Creagan and "From the Ashes" was another good new one. The band ended the set with the required song "Dark Mirror".
Warbringer put on a hell of a show as well, despite the replacement of their drummer with the second guitar player due to a broken arm. They are a band that has a ton of energy live and sound better there than they do on record!
If Exodus rolls into a town near you, make sure to show some love and check them out.
I dropped my plans and went on the road to watch some metal and I was not disappointed by thrash legends Exodus.
They played many songs off "Atrocity Exhibition Exhibit A" and the previous albums "Tempo of the Damned" and "Shovel Headed Kill Machine", seeing as those better suit vocalist Rob Dukes, who has earned his spot in the band by this point in time.
As for the older stuff Bonded By Blood was heavily represented, with the band playing "Bonded By Blood", "Piranha" and many more. They also played "Fabulous Disaster" off the album of the same name.
The band seemed to really enjoy themselves, despite the fact that they are now playing at venues with stages much smaller than they must have in the 80's. If I had to make a rough estimate, I would say around 125 people were at the show. These guys certainly aren't doing it for the money now. They just love to play.
Gary Holt and Rob Dukes could be seen smiling and playing up the crowd. The only member that looked a little worn out was guitarist Lee Altus (of Heathen fame, but he still performed well.
The band ripped through the songs and the crowd seemed to especially get wild during the "Bonded By Blood" stuff. Rob Dukes vocals can still be a little grating, but then again, so could Paul Baloff's. And things wouldn't be right if they weren't!
All in all a good high-energy show by one of the greatest thrash bands of the 80's.
Here is a recent video of Exodus performing "Iconoclasm" off of "Shovel Headed Kill Machine" live:
exodus - iconoclasm
Iowa's true metal band, Dark Mirror, also put on a damn good show and I was pleased to hear some new songs from the forthcoming album "Forever Young" hopefully due out in a few months. "Karma" had some ripping solos courtesy of new guitarist Dustin "Blitz" Creagan and "From the Ashes" was another good new one. The band ended the set with the required song "Dark Mirror".
Warbringer put on a hell of a show as well, despite the replacement of their drummer with the second guitar player due to a broken arm. They are a band that has a ton of energy live and sound better there than they do on record!
If Exodus rolls into a town near you, make sure to show some love and check them out.
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Lamb of God Wrath Review: It's Been a Long Time Coming
I know I said I would do reviews of the newest Lamb of God and God Forbid albums ASAP after they came out on February 24, 2009.
Due to the unavailability of either CD in the Iowa City area (who knew it would be so hard to get these CDs?), I had to postpone the reviews. Then I finally got the CDs and still never did the review. So without further ado here is my abbreviated take on Lamb of God's "Wrath"...
Lamb of God Channels Its Groove Metal Roots:
On Lamb of God's fifth studio release, "Wrath" (sixth if you count Burn the Priest) the band has a lot to live up to. Riding on the waves of critical acclaim from the album "Sacrament", the band kept saying that this album was going to take the band in a whole new direction. Not quite guys.
In fact "Wrath", which sounds like a cleaned up version of "Ashes of the Wake", borrows more from past elements of the band's sound than the progressive "Sacrament" ever did.
The polish that producer Machine put on "Sacrament" made the band sound tight, but sacrificed that raw aggression, emotion and groove that the band is known for.
Rather than continuing in the direction of perfect production, producer Josh Wilbur, strips down the band's sound in order to channel what made these guys so big in the first place. There are a few stutters here and there, but that makes the experience seem a little more "real".
Songs like "In Your Words", "Contractor", and "Broken Hands", have all the ass-kickery fans have come to love and expect from the band. There are a few arguably experimental numbers where the band shines, such as "Grace" and "Reclamation". But mostly, "Wrath" is more of the same from the Virginian metalheads.
This album won't change the minds of those Lamb of God detractors, but it is a solid release that manages the cement the band's status as one of the leaders of the New Wave of American Heavy Metal for a little while longer.
Now I can only wonder what would have happened if Lamb of God actually did change up it's sound?
Album Rating: 3 1/2 out of 5 stars.
Due to the unavailability of either CD in the Iowa City area (who knew it would be so hard to get these CDs?), I had to postpone the reviews. Then I finally got the CDs and still never did the review. So without further ado here is my abbreviated take on Lamb of God's "Wrath"...
Lamb of God Channels Its Groove Metal Roots:
On Lamb of God's fifth studio release, "Wrath" (sixth if you count Burn the Priest) the band has a lot to live up to. Riding on the waves of critical acclaim from the album "Sacrament", the band kept saying that this album was going to take the band in a whole new direction. Not quite guys.
In fact "Wrath", which sounds like a cleaned up version of "Ashes of the Wake", borrows more from past elements of the band's sound than the progressive "Sacrament" ever did.
The polish that producer Machine put on "Sacrament" made the band sound tight, but sacrificed that raw aggression, emotion and groove that the band is known for.
Rather than continuing in the direction of perfect production, producer Josh Wilbur, strips down the band's sound in order to channel what made these guys so big in the first place. There are a few stutters here and there, but that makes the experience seem a little more "real".
Songs like "In Your Words", "Contractor", and "Broken Hands", have all the ass-kickery fans have come to love and expect from the band. There are a few arguably experimental numbers where the band shines, such as "Grace" and "Reclamation". But mostly, "Wrath" is more of the same from the Virginian metalheads.
This album won't change the minds of those Lamb of God detractors, but it is a solid release that manages the cement the band's status as one of the leaders of the New Wave of American Heavy Metal for a little while longer.
Now I can only wonder what would have happened if Lamb of God actually did change up it's sound?
Album Rating: 3 1/2 out of 5 stars.
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
Cannibal Corpse Create Modern Death Metal Masterpiece
Cannibal Corpse vocalist George “Corpsegrinder” Fisher often describes the band’s music and lyrics as being comparable to what is found in a bloody horror movie. To build on that analogy, if Tomb of the Mutilated is the band’s horror equivalent to Saw, then the new recording, Evisceration Plague, is more along the lines of Nightmare on Elm Street. The album is a death metal masterpiece.
The band’s eleventh studio release takes a more groove-oriented direction than its predecessors. And while the songs are slower in places, the music is more technical and heavier than ever. This is best shown on title track, “Evisceration Plague”, which opens with crunching guitars, followed by a slow and grinding bass/drum groove led by long-time bassist and songwriter, Alex Webster. Then Fisher comes in with staccato vocals that fit in with the groove perfectly and complete the crushing whole.
I would argue that “Evisceration Plague” is the perfect death metal song.
Webster is a skilled musician who knows his music theory, and it shows on the album. Songs are filled with subtle nuances that will go unnoticed by the casual observer, but on repeat listens become more apparent.
The album never gets dull due to the band’s constant variation of tempo. The tracks “To Decompose” and “A Cauldron of Hate” feature driving guitars and drums, which alternate between slow and fast sections.
“Scalding Hail,” is blindingly fast and clocks in at less than two minutes in length. Its appearance early on in the album lets you know that the guys haven’t lost their ability to write speeding riffs, despite slowing things down now and again.
“Carnivorous Swarm,” is a technical monster that is filled with complex guitar-work and vicious blast-beats. The guitars are layered in a manner that makes them sound like a swarm of deadly creatures getting ready to launch out of the speakers and rip the flesh right off of your bones.
With all of the great musicianship, it would be easy for Fisher’s vocals to fall in the background of things, but instead the complete opposite occurs. His trademark growls act as an instrument that is as important to the music as the guitars or drums.
Album opener “Priests of Sodom”, in which Fisher layers both deep-throated growls and higher pitched Chuck Schuldiner-like vocals, is one of his best performances to date. On several of the songs the vocal parts are somehow catchy, despite being mostly inaudible.
Cannibal Corpse is known for having gruesome lyrics and songs such as “Skewered from Ear to Eye” leave little to the imagination.
Boring through the brain, eye impaled on the point
Steel spears crisscross your greymatter.
Puncturing the eardrum and the blood begins to ooze,
Red blooms grace the dying head.
That being said, the lyrics on this album are actually toned down when compared to older Chris Barnes-era albums which were occasionally too extreme for their own good.
Evisceration Plague marks a milestone in Cannibal Corpse’s career and is sure to join the ranks of my favorite death metal albums, right alongside Death’s The Sound of Perseverance and Morbid Angel’s Domination.
Even those who are not heavily into death metal should check it out, as it just might sway your mind.
Rating: **** 1/2 bloody stars out of *****
The band’s eleventh studio release takes a more groove-oriented direction than its predecessors. And while the songs are slower in places, the music is more technical and heavier than ever. This is best shown on title track, “Evisceration Plague”, which opens with crunching guitars, followed by a slow and grinding bass/drum groove led by long-time bassist and songwriter, Alex Webster. Then Fisher comes in with staccato vocals that fit in with the groove perfectly and complete the crushing whole.
I would argue that “Evisceration Plague” is the perfect death metal song.
Webster is a skilled musician who knows his music theory, and it shows on the album. Songs are filled with subtle nuances that will go unnoticed by the casual observer, but on repeat listens become more apparent.
The album never gets dull due to the band’s constant variation of tempo. The tracks “To Decompose” and “A Cauldron of Hate” feature driving guitars and drums, which alternate between slow and fast sections.
“Scalding Hail,” is blindingly fast and clocks in at less than two minutes in length. Its appearance early on in the album lets you know that the guys haven’t lost their ability to write speeding riffs, despite slowing things down now and again.
“Carnivorous Swarm,” is a technical monster that is filled with complex guitar-work and vicious blast-beats. The guitars are layered in a manner that makes them sound like a swarm of deadly creatures getting ready to launch out of the speakers and rip the flesh right off of your bones.
With all of the great musicianship, it would be easy for Fisher’s vocals to fall in the background of things, but instead the complete opposite occurs. His trademark growls act as an instrument that is as important to the music as the guitars or drums.
Album opener “Priests of Sodom”, in which Fisher layers both deep-throated growls and higher pitched Chuck Schuldiner-like vocals, is one of his best performances to date. On several of the songs the vocal parts are somehow catchy, despite being mostly inaudible.
Cannibal Corpse is known for having gruesome lyrics and songs such as “Skewered from Ear to Eye” leave little to the imagination.
Boring through the brain, eye impaled on the point
Steel spears crisscross your greymatter.
Puncturing the eardrum and the blood begins to ooze,
Red blooms grace the dying head.
That being said, the lyrics on this album are actually toned down when compared to older Chris Barnes-era albums which were occasionally too extreme for their own good.
Evisceration Plague marks a milestone in Cannibal Corpse’s career and is sure to join the ranks of my favorite death metal albums, right alongside Death’s The Sound of Perseverance and Morbid Angel’s Domination.
Even those who are not heavily into death metal should check it out, as it just might sway your mind.
Rating: **** 1/2 bloody stars out of *****
Monday, February 16, 2009
Meshuggah Concert Review 2/12/09 @ People's Court
A mixed crowd attended the Meshuggah concert last Thursday at People’s Court in Des Moines, Iowa. Stereotypical frat-dudes, metal heads, hot chicks, the average joes and the 50 year-old way too drunk guy made up one of the most mixed crowds I have ever seen at a metal concert. Just what brought these people from all wakes together? I would like to say the mighty Meshuggah did.
The band put on what was one of the heaviest concerts I have ever seen in my life.
Opening with the song “Pravus” the Swedes whipped fans into overdrive from the get-go. Vocalist, Jens Kidman, has a monster of a presence on stage. He slowly banged his shaved head up and down to the crazy time-signature madness that the guys in the band put forth.
I had a great view of the guitar and bass rhythmic duo of Marten Hagstrom and Dick Lovgren who have perfected the unison slow-motion headbang. Combined with Thomas Haake on drums, these guys have to be one of the tightest rhythm sections in all of metal.
Haake never missed a beat and plays crucial part in holding the band together, as Meshuggah is known for their ridiculous time-changes. Fredrik Thordendal played his jazz-metal solos to perfection, melting audience members’ souls in the process.
“Bleed” got many new fans into Meshuggah and the audience was into it for the full six to seven minutes of the song.
When the band went into “New Millennium Cyanide Christ” the audience cheered and a massive mosh pit ensued. Fans climbed on the stage to do stage dives, but the audience was reluctant to catch them and the crowd-surfing was short-lived for most. Perhaps it was because people didn’t want to miss a minute of the show.
It was definitely an over-the-top sight to see Thordendal and Hagstrom’s eight-string guitars and Lovgren’s five-string bass tuned down to earthshaking levels.
Kidman rarely interacted with the crowd, but when he did it was with a think Swedish accent and he talked about odd things such as his mic being made of metal and not plastic. He did do a good job of pumping the crowd up when he thought they were being too calm.
The amazing thing about Meshuggah is that although the band plays some of the most complex music around, they somehow manage to do it in a way that makes it seem easy. And somehow you can still headbang to it as well. Although I did see the occasional audience member headbanging way off rhythm more than once (I was probably guilty of it too).
The band ended the night with the song “Future Breed Machine” which is one of the most intense math-metal songs the band has to offer. The pre-recorded noise at the beginning of the song got the crowd yelling and the song itself was the highlight of the night. It was a perfect end to an awesome metal concert.
On the opening acts:
The opening acts could not match Meshuggah’s intensity, but that is to be expected. The Faceless opened with an amazing instrumental that was fun to listen to and played technically proficient metal throughout the whole set. The only problem is, unlike Meshuggah they had a harder time getting the crowd to grasp the complex riffing and many of the songs blurred together. I was surprised they didn’t play “The Ancient Covenant” which is my favorite song off of “Planetary Duality”.
I felt bad for Cynic as they just didn’t seem to fit the bill with their atmospheric music and lulling vocoder vocals. The band definitely had talent, the music just seemed a bit stale in comparison to the other bands and it seemed the members weren’t completely into the performance either.
The band put on what was one of the heaviest concerts I have ever seen in my life.
Opening with the song “Pravus” the Swedes whipped fans into overdrive from the get-go. Vocalist, Jens Kidman, has a monster of a presence on stage. He slowly banged his shaved head up and down to the crazy time-signature madness that the guys in the band put forth.
I had a great view of the guitar and bass rhythmic duo of Marten Hagstrom and Dick Lovgren who have perfected the unison slow-motion headbang. Combined with Thomas Haake on drums, these guys have to be one of the tightest rhythm sections in all of metal.
Haake never missed a beat and plays crucial part in holding the band together, as Meshuggah is known for their ridiculous time-changes. Fredrik Thordendal played his jazz-metal solos to perfection, melting audience members’ souls in the process.
“Bleed” got many new fans into Meshuggah and the audience was into it for the full six to seven minutes of the song.
When the band went into “New Millennium Cyanide Christ” the audience cheered and a massive mosh pit ensued. Fans climbed on the stage to do stage dives, but the audience was reluctant to catch them and the crowd-surfing was short-lived for most. Perhaps it was because people didn’t want to miss a minute of the show.
It was definitely an over-the-top sight to see Thordendal and Hagstrom’s eight-string guitars and Lovgren’s five-string bass tuned down to earthshaking levels.
Kidman rarely interacted with the crowd, but when he did it was with a think Swedish accent and he talked about odd things such as his mic being made of metal and not plastic. He did do a good job of pumping the crowd up when he thought they were being too calm.
The amazing thing about Meshuggah is that although the band plays some of the most complex music around, they somehow manage to do it in a way that makes it seem easy. And somehow you can still headbang to it as well. Although I did see the occasional audience member headbanging way off rhythm more than once (I was probably guilty of it too).
The band ended the night with the song “Future Breed Machine” which is one of the most intense math-metal songs the band has to offer. The pre-recorded noise at the beginning of the song got the crowd yelling and the song itself was the highlight of the night. It was a perfect end to an awesome metal concert.
On the opening acts:
The opening acts could not match Meshuggah’s intensity, but that is to be expected. The Faceless opened with an amazing instrumental that was fun to listen to and played technically proficient metal throughout the whole set. The only problem is, unlike Meshuggah they had a harder time getting the crowd to grasp the complex riffing and many of the songs blurred together. I was surprised they didn’t play “The Ancient Covenant” which is my favorite song off of “Planetary Duality”.
I felt bad for Cynic as they just didn’t seem to fit the bill with their atmospheric music and lulling vocoder vocals. The band definitely had talent, the music just seemed a bit stale in comparison to the other bands and it seemed the members weren’t completely into the performance either.
Saturday, February 7, 2009
Death to False Metal!
So I have noticed a lot of "false-metal" review blogs out there, the ones that hype up the latest in metalcore and other un-metal genres.
I decided that in order to do the metal world justice I will try my hand at reviewing the new stuff and giving my honest opinion about it.
Stay tuned for some metal reviews!
I decided that in order to do the metal world justice I will try my hand at reviewing the new stuff and giving my honest opinion about it.
Stay tuned for some metal reviews!
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