Gedmundo's Garage

Black Spiders - No Goats In The Omen

2010-09-01T23:25:00.002+01:00

Black Spiders
No Goats In The Omen
4/5
Dark Riders

As a band who've supported Airbourne, Kiss and Ozzy Osbourne, it’s no surprise that Black Spiders rock. After punching us in the face with hard riffs on merely an EP and a single, they’ve already built quite a name for themselves, and with their second EP, it’s not hard to see why.

No Goats In The Omen, aside from having a brilliant title, is yet another solid release. Kicking things off with tongue placed firmly in cheek, ‘Just like a woman’ is straight from a better 70’s hard rock album. Jumping straight in with a riff bound to be a show opener. ‘D&B’ follows with a deceptively tiny intro, before thundering into a sprint. But stealing the show is ‘Cold Dead Hands.’ A huge tune which demands to be sung along to and has you ready for a fist fight. A cover of Motorheads ‘No Class’ finishes things off nicely.

It’s really hard to think how a band with so few releases can be so comfortably in their stride. A no nonsense approach working in their favour, No Goats... is a short but sweet EP that smashes you across the head and has you wanting this year’s promised debut full length. Now.

Asteroid - II

2010-08-31T19:48:00.006+01:00

Asteroid
II
5/5
Fuzzorama Records
To sum up Asteroid in one word, you’d probably have to say fuzz. A Swedish trio of promising musicians, the more psychedelic edges of stoner rock seem to run through their veins and they apply it to record with surprising confidence.

Following on from 2008’s self titled and a split with fellow fuzzsters Blowback, early adopters will be pleased that II is more polished production wise, but loses none of the haze which makes their sound enchanting. By the second track ‘Disappear’, they’ll have won most of you over. The vocals are powerful and yet the backing to these feels ripped straight from an instrumental band. For the most part, a very relaxed pace is spread across the record and even the faster paced tracks, such as ‘Lady’ never really break past a trot. The last three songs, ‘Towers’, ‘Fire’ and ‘Time’ almost blend together into one which speaks volumes for an album where not one track feels out of place.

Packed full of hooks without screaming for your attention, II is an album which fights its way into your consciousness and makes you reach for it again and again. Laid back and trippy, this could be one of 2010’s best.

Rebirth

2010-08-20T15:09:00.003+01:00

Right, this page has kind of fallen flat for rather a while. Exams led to summer, summer led to festivals, festivals led to busy. Been places, done things. As such, over the next few days, I'm going to review the 3 major festivals I've been to this year (Download, Sonisphere & Bloodstock - plus probably a comparison article), along with a lot of the albums I've been listening to; from the obscure Asteroid II, to the world beating Iron Maidens 'The Final Frontier.'

Hopefully I'm not too rusty.

Cypress Hill - Rise Up

2010-04-19T19:10:00.003+01:00

Cypress Hill

Rise Up

3.5/5

Priority Records

Cypress Hill is an odd band. In 1991, they released their debut hip-hop album and staggeringly, the rock community accepted i. That’s not a sentence you read often. It’s perhaps not surprising then, that since then, they’ve strived to add a rock element to their albums. This shows on Rise Up.

Still mainly a hip-hop album, Rise Up overflows with some of the fantastic West Coast rap which got them where they are. ‘It Ain’t Nothin’’ is up there with any of their early songs; A raw nineties feel and the trademarked aggression that won them so many fans to start with. However, there’s also a shockingly generic collaboration with Mike Shinoda of Linkin Park in the form of ‘Carry Me Away.’

Where the praise most lies on this album though is on the heavier edges. System of a Down guitarist Daron Malakian brings one of the most fiercely frantic riffs you’ll hear all year in ‘Trouble Seeker’ and Rage Against The Machine guitarist Tom Morello appears on ‘Rise Up’ a tune with serious power and bounce.

Rise Up hasn’t tweaked the formula from their past few releases too much, but they’ve certainly executed it better. Their best album in a decade.

Sonisphere Preview

2010-04-18T01:33:00.002+01:00

Sonisphere Festival
Knebworth
July 30 – August 1

Sonisphere Festival may be in its infancy, but it’s already touring Europe like some sort of Metal Juggernaut. Hitting no fewer than 11 countries, the UK leg sees 3 of the greatest stage shows in rock in headline slots. Alice Cooper headlines the half day Friday, with German pyromaniacs, Rammstein on Saturday and heavy metal legends, Iron Maiden close the festival on Sunday.

With the main 2 stages exploiting a staggered system (as soon as a band on Saturn Stage stops, the band on Apollo Stage starts), Sonisphere prides itself on having more high calibre bands with less clashes. Also added to proceedings are the Bohemia tent for smaller bands, which runs longer into the night, the Jägermeister truck for unsigned bands and an as of yet unknown stage, meaning plenty more to be announced over the coming months.

Although bands haven’t been officially assigned days yet, the Friday is said to have a Rocky Horror theme, with horror based bands and mass fancy dress encouraged. Bands added so far range in style and quality. For metal, look no further than Fear Factory, Municipal Waste and Evile with thrash titans Slayer and Anthrax. The classic vibe is brought with bands such as Europe, Terrorvision, Mötley Crue, Alice In Chains and Iggy Pop. Punk and hardcore are covered with Gallows and Sick Of It All. Also, bands including Madina lake, Family Force 5, Funeral For A Friend, Papa Roach, Fightstar and Bring Me The Horizon appear, which won’t be most metalheads cup of tea, but show the diversity the festival has. Also, controversial recent additions Pendulum will be looking to put on the show of a lifetime to silence the critics of their ‘worth’ on a rock festival bill.

Download Preview

2010-04-17T23:59:00.006+01:00

Download Festival

Donington Park

11-13 June

After a first sell out for Download in 2009, it seemed unlikely that the UK’s biggest rock festival would match the excitement in 2010. Then came the headliners; AC/DC, probably the biggest rock band on the planet, Rage Against The Machine, a band riding the crest of that Christmas number one and Aerosmith, wielding as many hits as you could care to imagine. If that’s not grabbing your attention, check for a pulse.

Friday this year sees a smaller line-up than previous years, but with super-group Them Crooked Vultures and Wolfmother playing on the main stage under ‘DC, it’s scarcely worse quality. Other stages on the opening day include Job For A Cowboy, Coheed and Cambria and UK’s very own Bullet For My Valentine.

Saturday brings the heavy this year, with a stellar main line up seeing thrash legends Megadeth play alongside Deftones, Lamb Of God, Five Finger Deth Punch with Rage Against The Machine headlining. Lower stages bring the perfect alternative with 30 Seconds To Mars, Him and Volbeat potential highlights.

Celebrating 30 years since the first iconic Monsters of Rock festival (essentially the precursor to Download), this year sees a continuation of last year’s ‘Classic Rock Sunday’ main stage. Bands such as Mötorhead, Billy Idol, Slash, Ratt and Saxon, the latter of which appeared at MoR all those 30 years ago, take up this spot under Aerosmith. Also appearing on other stages are Slipknot frontman Corey Taylor’s other band Stone Sour, Airbourne, glam mockers Steel Panther and Zebrahead.

With another 50 or so more bands to announce before the festival rolls around and a stunning set of bands already in place, this year’s Download Festival promises to rival any other in the UK this Summer. If Leeds/Reading isn’t your thing, Download is the place for you.

Recommended gig: Karma To Burn W/Year Long Disaster

2010-04-17T22:29:00.007+01:00

Who: Karma To Burn W/Year Long Disaster
Date: 21/04/10
Where: Manchester Academy 3

After a wasp strewn performance at last summer's Download Festival and a fantastic run of support shows for Monster Magnet in December, stoner rock legends Karma To Burn finally give the UK a run of headline shows. Some of their first since reforming in early 2009. Supporting their upcoming album Appalachian Incantation, expect a heavy, gritty, instrumental band with fantastic technical abilities and a relentless, methodical approach to playing. Their lack of vocals only serving to keep the band focused on thunderous riffery. Joining them on tour are hard rock up-and-comers Year Long Disaster, making it a busy double shift for Rich Mullins, the bassist for both bands. A no nonsense rock gig. Should be perfect.

For fans of: Kyuss, Orange Goblin, Monster Magnet

Myspace:
http://www.myspace.com/karmatoburn
http://www.myspace.com/yearlongdisaster

Airbourne - No Guts. No Glory.

2010-03-10T13:41:00.003Z

Airbourne

No Guts. No Glory.

Roadrunner Records

5/5

To say that Airbourne’s 2008 debut Runnin’ Wild sounds like an AC/DC album is a fairly huge understatement. Same screeching guitars, similar growling vocals and same pure balls to the wall, pure rock and roll philosophy. Hell, if their guitarist donned a school uniform, there’d be little difference. But blasting out No Guts. No Glory. it’s hard to see how this is a bad thing.

What you get here is the usual formula of chant laden anthems about sex, drugs and rock ‘n’ roll, with a few songs about booze thrown in for good measure. The perfect encapsulation of this is ‘It Ain’t Over Till It’s Over’, the fastest, catchiest song on the album without a shadow of a doubt. Other favourites here include ‘Blonde, Bad And Beautiful’, ‘Raise The Flag’ and ‘Get Busy Livin.’’ Whilst you’ll win no prizes for guessing what either of them are about (aside from scattered double entendre’s, what you see is what you get), you’ll be screaming their chorus out loud before it’s even hit.

Though the album is going to do nothing to shake off the sound-alike comparisons, Airbourne have achieved something spectacular here; they’ve released the best AC/DC album since 1981.

Bigelf W/Priestess

2010-02-24T21:54:00.001Z

Bigelf W/ Priestess

Manchester Academy 3

23/02/2010

****

Thomas Geddes

Going into a Bigelf gig as a newcomer, you’d be forgiven for expecting a rather serious, needlessly self indulgent kind of performance. After all, that’s prog. Quite a far cry from the reality of a genuinely impressive, crowd engaging slab of bi-organed lunacy.

Support band Priestess kicked off the night with a thunderous, fifty minute set packed with a surprising absence of filler. Hitting fan favourites early on and bringing the newer material in later; a wise move, seeing the crowd more involved from the off. The biggest highlight here was seeing their second album songs translate much better with the energy of a live show than they did initially on CD.

Bigelf were next onstage, fronted by top hatted, Damon Fox. Powering straight into the doomed sound which engulfs their set with ‘Evils of Rock and Roll’, it’s instantly clear that playing two organs at once, whilst also singing isn’t a gimmick, but a genuine spectacle. Fox commands the stage, from the three foot square he’s confined to. Having a seemingly endless repertoire of banter and amusing anecdotes to reel off between songs, he ensures there’s not a lull in the entire gig. There are certainly nods toward Black Sabbath, Rush and most noticeably, Pink Floyd, as Fox is quick to point out. “This song seems to have a line we accidentally stole from Pink Floyd... and YouTube won’t let me forget about it.” Fantastic, fun set to say the least.

With Priestess and Bigelf tipped for big things in the coming years, it would certainly be a shame to see the latter lose the intimacy which made this set all the more enjoyable. All the same, both bands deserve all the accolades and, if there’s any justice, should enjoy playing bigger venues the next time round.

Fear Factory W/Sylosis & October File

2010-02-17T00:58:00.004Z

Fear Factory w/Sylosis and October File

Academy 2

16/02/2010

4 and 1/2

The majority of metalheads have been chomping at the bit for three long years to see Fear Factory’s industrial themed metal assault spring back into action. February 16^th 2010 was when it finally hit the UK again. Boy, was it worth the wait.

Fear Factory’s return has been long overdue (especially when you consider legal issues pushed this back another six months), meaning the support acts faced a difficult task in winning over an expecting crowd. Pleasingly, October File played a short rousing heavy set which provided as good an introduction as you could ask for to the night’s two main attractions. Succeeding them on the stage were perhaps the highlights of the gig, Sylosis. A young, technical thrash band who have seen a huge ground swell in the past year, Sylosis continue to show the crowds why they’re set to be one of the next big names in metal. Heavy, loud and confident, expect big things, if not huge.

With that kind of introduction, Fear Factory coasted into top gear. Not that they needed such an introduction. Playing a set of classics, spread out with much awaited new material from the upcoming Mechanize, they filled the room with an industrial groove metal sound that it’s difficult for any band to mimic, never mind equal. Dino Cazeres continues to be master of the riff, dropping hook after hook without flaw and also must be the only guy in metal to receive an affectionate crowd chant of “You fat bastard.” This takes nothing away from the rest of the band, who were also exceptional.

Pretty much the perfect comeback for the prodigal sons of industrial metal, helped out, in no small part by an on form Sylosis. Both bands have albums due. Based on tonight, avoid them at your peril!

2010-02-01T23:19:00.002Z

The Stranglers
Decades Apart
4/5
EMI

When The Stranglers titled their latest compilation, an almost complete chronological retrospective of their discography, Decades Apart, it’s probable they didn’t realise just how accurate they were.

Not one’s for sticking to the sub-genre’s they’re assigned, this double disc takes you from punk to new wave, stopping off at hard rock on the way. The first disc includes the majority of the classics. Particular highlights being ‘Peaches’, ‘No More Heroes’, ‘Waltzinblack’ and ‘Golden Brown’, but they were always destined to be. Hidden gems are a-plenty. Recommended are ‘Something Better Change’, which is one of the better songs you’re likely to hear with synthesizers and ‘Strange Little Girl’, a particularly haunting number. The problem is though, these are all first disc songs. Whilst the second disc isn’t bad, the only brilliant song is ‘All Day and All of the Night’, a Kinks cover, so it’s destined to be the least played of both discs. Still, remember that once in a while, it is worth that play.

Whilst this is certainly an essential purchase on the strength of the earlier material, it isn’t going to fool anybody into thinking the Guildford rockers are still at their recording peak.

Tommy T - The Prester John Sessions

2010-02-01T19:49:00.004Z

Tommy T

The Prester John Sessions

Easy Star Records

2/5

“Music inspired by Ethiopia” isn’t a buzz phrase you hear all too often, so you’d be forgiven for not knowing what to expect from Tommy T’s first solo album. Even more so if you’ve heard the madcap, lunacy of his usual day job, gypsy-punk band Gogol Bordello. One thing that is for sure however is that you weren’t expecting a mixture of jazz, reggae and funk.

Largely an instrumental affair, The Prester John Sessions is surely set to be one of the most chilled out albums set for release in 2010. That isn’t to say there aren’t any hooks in there at all. The relaxing riffs of ‘Brothers’ and ‘The Eighth Wonder’ are fairly memorable, but are only asked to take command of an album with little else leaping out at you. The introduction of Gigi, a woman with an undeniably beautiful voice, on two songs does mix up the album a little, it still isn’t enough to make the album a must listen.

Whilst it’s unquestionable that the album is one born out of love for the Addis Ababa born bassists homeland, it doesn’t grab you with even an ounce of the passion of any of his other projects.

Interview with Micky Waters, bassist of The Answer

2009-11-30T23:41:00.000Z

With two critically acclaimed albums under their belt, a fourteen month support slot with AC/DC just wrapped up and their first British sell out crowd waiting just metre's away, you might expect Northern Irish blues rockers, The Answer, to be living with their heads up in the clouds. On the contrary. "Can I get you guys a beer?", utters Cormac Neeson, a frontman barely returned from warming up 90,000 strong crowds halfway through my chat with bassist Micky Waters, before laying down on a sofa in the corner. Despite a promising future ahead of them, they're keeping themselves grounded.

"We've just played some amazing shows. You wouldn't believe how good playing New Orleans was. But we still remember playing some of Europe's shady toilets. And Leicester [laughs], Jesus, we were getting dripped on all through the show and so was our equipment. We kept getting these shocks through the gig. That was worse than some of the bars back home."

How has playing with AC/DC affected your performances and how were the crowds, I ask? "It’s definitely helped us be better performers in front of big audiences. We’ve played big tours before, but that one was everyday for fourteen months. It wasn’t just like a festival in the summer or a couple of shows here and there. Full on, there you go. Get out in front of 90,000 people and play every night.
I have to admit, we’d heard all the horror stories that the support bands get bottles thrown at them and all the rest ‘cause their audience are very hardcore and just can’t wait to see them. They hadn’t toured for seven years at this point. But we actually got a pretty good response every night. It’s definitely been really good for us."
Not bad for an band with two albums then you'd think, but Waters soon makes clear how hard they've worked to get it. "We’ve been around for a long time as well. We’ve been round for about ten years, but properly touring for five/six years." Still, when asked who else they'd like to support, you can sense a tongue planted firmly in cheek when Cormac chips in from across the room, "Fuck that, headliners all the way!"

It's undeniable that The Answer first burst onto the scene with the acclaim of their debut album Rise.
"It was, quite a surprise for us, its success. All the material we’d written in the first three/four years. Yeah it did really well [in Japan.] Our first show out there was a sold out 2500, at a time when we were only doing 200 or 300 here so it was quite a shock.
With Everyday Demons, we were under a little bit of pressure to write a really good album and I think we wrote a better one. The songs are better and our performances are much better on Everyday Demons. But yeah, we put that pressure on ourselves anyway. I think we’ve got the raw power and energy of the band on Everyday Demons, which we just weren’t able to do on Rise."

For a band who are so deep seated in classic rock sound, it's surprising to hear some of their influences. "These boys like Helmet and Tool. All the grunge stuff as well. Pearl Jam, Nirvana, Soundgarden. Going back, we love The Rolling Stones, The Who, Free, bands like that. Basically all that, but mainly grunge" But there's no hiding they still enjoy the past more than the present musically. When asked the question of the moment, 'album of the decade', between them they rustled up a few names between them and the odd shrug of the shoulders. When decade was changed to 'ever', Neeson started an endless list. From the aforementioned grunge, to 50's blues, it's all there.

So, what does the future hold for a band who doesn't rest?
"We’ll do this tour and then take some time off over January and February and start gathering all the ideas we’ve had over the past 6 months. Put them together and start writing the album across January, February, March. Then do some tours in Europe and across America. Hopefully do the album sometime between May and September. It’d be great to get another album out by this time next year. We suspect we'll play the festivals too as we missed the season last year. I heard [Sonisphere’s] really good. We play a lot on the continent too."

For a band that's swelled so much in the past 3 years, it's encouraging to see they aren't showing signs of slowing down. It's going to be interesting to see what the future holds for a band who are bringing back the past.

Short piece on System of a Down - Toxicity

2009-11-30T17:35:00.005Z

The student paper lot voted in Toxicity by System of a Down as the 5th best record of the decade, and seeing as I bloody love it, I wrote the short piece on why. Would I have put it higher on my list? Probably. Would it have beaten the 'number one album of the decade' which was a fucking Strokes album. Yes.System of A Down
Toxicity
2001
American Recordings

In a decade dominated by corporate 'hot-tip-for-this-year' blandness, SOAD managed to fly the flag for those who liked their guitars fast, their drums hard and their vocals, well, a little bit warped. Arguably the album that captured the personality of the band most, Toxicity not only includes their most well known song, 'Chop Suey!', but also includes 'Bounce', their silly side, 'Prison Song', their political side and 'Toxicity', their self-debasing side.

Perhaps there were metal albums musically better throughout the noughties, but this worked because it tapped into the feelings within the decade. Released September 4th 2001, the anger at political powers expressed on the record resonated with many throughout a decade itself steered by the following weeks events. The album is musically sound, but it wouldn't have worked at any other time. It's a soundtrack for the decade.

The Answer w/General Fiasco & Gentleman's Pistols

2009-11-29T12:37:00.011Z

The Answer w/General Fiasco & Gentleman's Pistols
Academy 2
25/11/2009
Thomas Geddes
*****

Two months ago, you'd be watching The Answer from at least thirty metre's away, with rows of security between you and the band. Thankfully, having just completed their fourteen month support slot for AC/DC, they're back to more intimate surroundings, reaping the rewards of their well deserved publicity boost.

After waiting patiently through the two emergency support bands, (both previous supports splitting up/defecting respectively), The Answer burst straight into an energetic set of feelgood, 70's throwback riffs, outshone only by vocalist Cormac Neeson's constant care free dancing. Their confidence performing to their first British sell out crowd was noticable from the off, with Neeson even singing as he introduced the band. His powerful voice suits it though. It sits somewhere between Robert Plant and Paul Rogers, which definitely compliments the bluesy sound of the rest of the band.

There wasn't a dead spot throughout, which speaks wonders for a band with only two albums of origninal material and a handful of covers to pick from, and looking at their grins, they know it. Nor was there a bad word uttered, with the whole gig one of the most well spirited affairs imaginable. The set even finished with the up tempo, toe tapping, rendition of Preachin', one of their bluesiest songs, complete with beach balls being thrown to the crowd. Everything about the gig was about crowd pleasing, which is why they were being cheered well after their encore.

If there's any band in the classic rock vein set for big things, it's The Answer. They have the albums, they've had the exposure but most importantly, they still have the most fantastic shows. Maybe they'll be back to those stadiums again in a few years.

Albums of 2009

2009-11-28T19:31:00.034Z

Right, it's coming up to the end of the year, so I think it's time I added my albums of the year. This was an almost impossible task as 2009 has been one of the greatest times for rock and metal in my living memory. Starting from a shortlist of 31 (and that's 31 albums I actually listened to and liked), I spent an hour deleting from and adding to the list, before finally settling on 10. Bear in mind, these are personal choices, not what I'd consider to be a definitive list of the greatest albums out there full stop.

10 - Saxon - Into The Labyrinth

Just sneaking in as my number 10 comes Saxon's 18th (yes 18th) studio album, Into The Labyrinth. Just before this had arrived in the shops, a friend of mine had bought me a ticket to see Saxon. My cries of "Why are we going to see Saxon?" lasted only a few weeks, before this return to form came out. Seated in the 80's, this is an obvious NWOBHM album. Everything about it is about steel, riffs, and screaming. The surprising thing though, is that this is actually good. Saxon released three amazing albums in their first few years, then fourteen piles of shit. Hopefully this will last.

Best song: Battalions Of Steel. This just feels like a huge slab from the past. It's the classic 80's style of unwarranted epic sounds and a cheesy memorable chorus. But who doesn't want that every now and again?

9 - Heaven & Hell - The Devil You Know

When I found out that Dio was rejoining Black Sabbath, I shit a brick. The awesomeness that ran through my head seemed nigh on insurmountable. Fortunately, it wasn't insurmountable and the album lived up to all the promise I expected. Doomier and heavier than any Ozzy era Sabbath album ever manages, this might turn out to be a fitting swansong for Ronnie James Dio if his stomach cancer is serious. Although not packed to the brim with massive successes, when songs do hit, they hit big. These four still have it, even if Ozzy is off the rails these days.

Best song: Bible Black. It starts off with a slow build up, then bangs straight into a hard riff with powerful vocals. It's Dio era Sabbath. You know how it goes.

8 - Steel Panther - Feel The Steel

Scoff at your peril. As much as mock albums are usually about comedy first and then music last (I mean Homer fecking Simpson is in Spinal Tap), with this one you're never too sure. Yes, every single song on this album is about sex. Yes, there's less than casual references to drugs. Yes, they wear leopard print, hairspray and tights with holes in. But holy shit these pack riffs. That's what set's them out from Tenacious D, Tap or any other band that's going for laughs. You tell me that some of these songs don't make you wanna get up and thrash about and you're a fucking liar. A FUCKING LIAR. The only thing tarnishing this album is that it's been adopted by people who don't know a thing about rock. Beware their gigs, no doubt they're full of guffawing 12 year olds.

Best song: Party All Day. It's essentially a Bon Jovi song. It really is the most catchy thing this side of a fishing hook factory. Then again, what else do you expect from the lyric "Woah-oh-oh, hey hey hey, fuck all night and party all day"?

7 - Clutch - Strange Cousins From The West

I'm a self confirmed Clutch obsesser. I know my love for them crosses boundaries sometimes and I accept that. The fact that I can accept it is probably why I've not put this in the top three. This clearly isn't their best album. A third of the time, this just sounds like a jam band. I'm not saying that's a bad thing, but it's not quite what you want from a Clutch CD. Luckily the other two thirds of the album are pure live fodder. Struck Down, Minotaur, 50,000 Unstoppable Watts, Abraham Lincoln, all fantastic songs. And if that doesn't sway you to find it fantastic, the album packaging is amazing. You'll understand if you buy it I swear. Of course, I want them to lose the stripped down feel for the next album, but either way, this is still a solid release for the grooviest band on earth.

Best Song: 50,000 Unstoppable Watts. It's difficult to explain what happens to my genitalia when I hear this. It has Neil Fallon in shouty mode, which is something we don't get enough any more. It's a simple song, but it mentions booze, radio and a deadly chemical people used to kill with. Always good.

6 - Kiss - Sonic Boom

When I told someone I was including this in my top ten, she laughed and called me a cheese monger. But then again, she's Northern Irish, so she knows no better than to insult people for having different beliefs (I say with tongue firmly placed in cheek). For a band that hasn't released new material for eleven years, this is a masterclass. It's catchy, it's cheesy, and it has the usual Gene Simmons interuptions at needless points in songs. Usually in the form of "Yeah that's right" or something similar. It's a Kiss album. They haven't reinvented the wheel, but that's never bad when you've buggered off for a decade. The only different thing in this album is that it has more than one song that you'll like, which for a Kiss album is new.

Best Song: Modern Day Delilah. It's a good Kiss song. There's little to say.

5 - Rammstein - Liebe Ist Fur Alle Da

I'm guessing you've seen the video for Pussy. If you haven't, go watch it now, just so you know what I was expecting. What I was expecting was the camper side of these German oddballs. It isn't what I got, well aside from the aforementioned track. It's moody, epic (in an uncliche'd way) and German. There's a lot of drum work here, and a whole lot of synthesiser. But just when it gets scarily close to Kraftwerk, they add a song about fucking in. They know how to break the ice, that's for sure.

Best Song: Haifisch. All the above in one song.

4 - Mastodon - Crack The Skye

There was a time in this year that I'd decided this was my number one. It was locked in, and nothing was going to knock it off its plinth. So for this to go to number four is quite something. I maintain this is still an amazing album. It's lost nothing in replay value. It's only moved down because of the strength of the top three. This is a masterpiece of an album. Apparently about a paraplegic travelling through space (I kid ye not), it really is here as an album. Every song leading into each other without a dry spot. Apparently the full play throughs at gigs were something to behold and I can see why. There's no explaining this album, just listen to it,

Best Song: There isn't really a best song. This is meant to be listened to as a full album.

3 - Kamchatka - Volume III

Three months ago, I hadn't heard of these either. Then they supported a band I was going to see and blew me away. A blues/stoner power trio, these guys know how to play. There's hints of Hendrix, dollops of Zeppelin, and a hell of a lot of Swedish in this album. Don't let it put you off that one of these songs is about a happy tramp and another is about a man with wooden hands. The power and precision of their playing is only overtaken by their vocal range. Has to be heard to be appreciated me things.

Best Song: 681. Possibly the grooviest track on the record, it was either this or Pathetic I was going to choose. A song about, well I'm not sure. It seems to be about having to leave a loved one, but who cares when the hooks are like this.

2 - Megadeth - Endgame

Thrash is having something of a revival in recent years. Even the big four were upping their game, well until Anthrax couldn't keep their shit together. Last year Metallica released the best thrash album in a very long time in my opinion. This year, it might have been overthrown. Megadeth have managed to pull this work of genius out of the bag after a string of progressively better last three albums. It's essentially 80's thrash. That, for those of you who don't know, is a good thing. The riffs are fast, his voice is as bitter about the past as ever and he's probably got more ginger since the last album too. This might just be the thing Dave Mustaine needed to get over being kicked out of Metallica. Hopefully though, that won't mean he'll go shit after this album.

Best Song: 44 Minutes. A slower song off the record, but fantastically written. As a standalone track, I reckon this is my favourite of the year.

1 - The Answer - Everyday Demons

This album sexually excites me. If it had a bigger hole in the middle, I would actually sleep with the disk. If 2006's Rise showed promise of a band ready to burn the classic rock flame, this years Everyday Demons threw some fucking petrol on that flame and blew up a block of indie fucking flats. Bluesy riff after bluesy riff, it's not hard to see that the influences lay in Free, Led Zeppelin and Thin Lizzy. Every single song on this record had a point. All killer, no filler is the cliche'd phrase I'd use. But, I wouldn't recomend anyone buy it. Honestly, there's no point in buying Everyday Demon's. In fact, I'd go as far as saying buying it would buy a rip off. Go buy Everyday Demon's special edition. It's a few quid deerer, but you get one of the best live disks as a bonus too. These are going to be huge.

Best Song: Demon Eyes, but that's at a push. There's about 5 tracks on this album that could be my favourite individual track of the year. Demon Eyes pretty much dives you straight into the album with Cormac Neeson's voice shining through straight away and hard rock style guitar that just makes you wish you were born in the 70's.

Honourable Mentions

Animals As Leaders - Animals As Leaders
I've only listened to this a few times as of yet, and it's good. Really good. Not quite top 10 quality just yet, but definitely a debut album which fills me with hope. Prog never really hit me, with the exception of Pink Floyd, as lyrics inevitably went into the ludicrous realms of fantasy that i never thought complimented the instruments. But with these, as an instrumental band, lyrics aren't anything to worry about.

Evile - Infected Nations
Only got clued up to these with the unfortunate passing of their bassist Mike Alexander, but they sound awesome. Maybe if I'd have been a fan at the time of release, I'd have snuck a few more listens in and got it to the top 10, but unfortunately not. Thrash revival is something that excites me, but all too often it's complemented by a vocalist who just roars. Something which doesn't appeal to me. So it's nice to hear pure thrash with decent vocals.

Fu Manchu - Signs of Infinite Power
It's Fu Manchu. It's a good Fu Manchu record at that. Nothing much else to say.

Kylesa - Static Tensions
Pretty much as powerful and lively as you could expect a 2 drummed band to be. There's a lot of energy here, a lot of soul and at the same time it feels trippy. Only outside of the top 10 because of a strong year for albums

YOB - The Great Cessation
Doomy, trippy, shouty, heavy, fuzzy, so pretty much what you'd expect from YOB. The Usual 10+ minute songs are here. Yeah it's indulgent, but you're allowed to be when you sound so raw. Something that shouldn't appeal to my tastes, but somehow it does.

Flip Skateboards' Extremely Sorry - Baron and guests

2009-11-16T19:41:00.006Z

Flip Skateboards' Extremely Sorry Soundtrack
Baron & Guests
1.5/5

Let's get straight to the point here and say this album doesn't really need to exist. It's a soundtrack which was specially produced for a skateboarding DVD.

Produced by some guy called Baron, most of the tracks here are clear attempts at epic incidental music, which probably works when watching some 'dude' on a wheeled piece of wood jump a burning horse or something equally proposterous, but as pure audio, this just gets tiresome. However, there are one or two gems here, when his special guests turn up. The first being a surreally moving cover of 'Stand By Me' by none other than Lemmy Kilmister of Motorhead and Dave Lombardo of Slayer. Don't let that throw you though if that isn't your thing as it doesn't sound at all heavy. The other hidden treat however, is the heaviest number. 'The Process Of Extinction', can only help to put the band Early Man on the map.

It's hard to imagine anyone being desperate to listen to these tracks, but if you are, don't buy the CD. Download the inevitable 'Stand By Me' single and buy the DVD. At least then, you'll be treated to skateboarder's breaking their ribs.

The Company Band - The Company Band

2009-11-16T17:49:00.003Z

The Company Band
The Company Band
3/5

There are two supergroups releasing self titled albums this week, and it's a shame that this is the one you probably haven't heard of.

The Company Band previously released an EP under a corporate gimick, which thankfully they've dropped adding more scope for the full length. With members of Clutch, Fu Manchu, Fireball Ministry and CKY, it's odd that this is straight out rock without the desert twang of all, but the approach brings a fresh feel to the playing. Starting out with 'Zombie Barricades', you sense you're in a lively album, with catchy hooks and rough drums. Neil Fallon's usual brand of intelligent, twisted lyrics are present too. Most noticably in the tongue in cheek, 'All's Well In Milton Keynes', which rather aptly is the most sedate on the album. Other highlights include, 'Love Means Never Having To Say You're Ugly' and 'Djinn & Pentatonic' which keep the grooves of Clutch but in a more balls to the wall fashion. Though in truth, no song is flat out bad.

Surprisingly for a supergroup, this doesn't feel like a project completed on days off. It feels fresh and, whilst not as good as the sum of it's parts, heaps of fun.

Them Crooked Vultures - Them Crooked Vultures

2009-11-10T19:13:00.003Z

Them Crooked Vultures
Them Crooked Vultures
2.5/5

Dave Grohl. Josh Homme. John Paul Jones. Those three names should have grabbed your attention if you have even an ounce of rock in your soul. That's all well and good, but the music probably won't.

The problem is, there's not a lot really here to grab you. Nothing that exploits the trio's strengths. There are fleeting moments of promise. Halfway through the opening track 'No One Loves Me...', a monstrous riff hits and makes you take notice for two minutes. And the intro of 'Gunmen' is one of the funkiest you'll ever hear without blasting out some early Chili Peppers, but it's a sound that doesn't work with Homme's vocals. In truth, what we have is a new QOTSA album with a few bells and whistles. There's little nodding towards Zeppelin or Nirvana which renders the hype around Grohl (on drums in this collaboration) and Jones pointless.

Built on the back of hype and secrecy, Them Crooked Vultures was always likely to be a disappointment, but the point is, these three musicians have nothing to prove anymore. And it shows. Stick on the first three or four Kyuss, Nirvana and Led Zeppelin albums and you'll see what's missing.

Dead Confederate - Wrecking Ball

2009-11-07T21:56:00.003Z

Dead Confederate
Wrecking Ball
2/5

Dead Confederate sound pretty much like a modern day stab at Nirvana. Before anybody gets too excited, that’s in terms of sound, not originality and impact.

Mixing grunge and a diluted sort of stoner rock, they end up somewhere that’s clearly going to be labelled alternative rock. That’s a shame too, because it feels like they were trying to sound original and fresh. Album opener, ‘Heavy Petting’, is the closest to achieving this. Slow vocals and guitar, mixed with up tempo drums, it sounds amazingly fresh, yet gives false promise for the rest of the album. What follows is a mostly samey forty-five minutes before the final track. Slow, overindulgent and dragged out, there’s really very little to distinguish one song from the next. Except for maybe ‘Start Me Laughing’, and even then, that’s only because the vocals are louder. However, when you get to the final track, ‘Wrecking Ball’, it’s another blast. Almost a song of two halves, the start is slow and moody whilst ending upbeat.

The only saving graces for this album are the first and last tracks. The filling’s awful. Listening is like a vegetarian eating a ham sandwich. Cut the middle out. Just eat the crusts.

Breed 77 - Insects

2009-11-07T21:49:00.005Z

Breed 77
Insects
4/5

Breed 77 are a particularly odd sounding band. Mixing the bog standard metal sound with a Spanish, flamenco edge. It’s perhaps that weird edge that sparked them to oddly juxtapose two concepts for Insects. Revolution and, well, Insects.

Oddly enough, it works. Opening track ‘Wake Up’ builds the album up well, despite a pretty clichéd ticking clock opening. Heavy, fast and even growly in parts, it captures the dark feel to follow. Even the slower numbers feel somewhat dark and strangely, many of the flamenco parts of the album, such as in ‘New Disease’, sound like experimental System of a Down material. Screechy guitars are used in moderation to great effect, noticeably so in, ‘In the Temple of the Ram...’ a two part instrumental piece which doesn’t feel shoe horned into the album. The only real disappointment is the final track ‘Zombies’, which feels like a garbled mess of an anthem and doesn’t really fit into an otherwise broody yet confident album.

Overall, a pretty consistant album which improves upon an already solid back catalogue for Breed 77. More heavy parts than in previous albums, whilst still retaining the sound of their Gibraltan routes.

(Slightly edited version appears in Student Direct-Manchunian Issue 8 - dated 16th November 2009)

Clutch w/ Kylesa & Kamchatka

2009-11-07T19:13:00.011Z

Clutch w/ Kylesa & Kamchatka
Academy 2
02/11/2009
Thomas Geddes
*****

Going into a gig headlined by your very favourite bands is ALWAYS a drawn out experience. You stand there for a few hours, listening patiently to the support acts, all the while waiting for the headliners to appear on the stage and mess your pants quite a lot. If that's the case, we're going to have to redefine always.

In a gig that has the stoner rock seal of approval, Kamchatka entered the stage with most of the crowd somewhere towards the back or at the bar. They ended their set with most in attendance towards the front. Seeing as this was only their second gig in the UK (the first being the previous day), it was no surprise that this Swedish power trio were unknowns over here. After the performance they gave, which can only be described as a treat, I can't see that obscurity lasting. Most songs were a chilled out, yet groovy affair which had the crowds heads bobbing more than most support acts dream of. When instrumental parts and solo's hit, there was more than just a hint of Jimi Hendrix and Pink Floyd throwback in there. These were the only moments of their set where the head bobbing stopped. It was replaced by a slack jawed awe. I saw at least 3 people turn to surrounding people and mouth, "Fucking hell." I'm not ashamed to admit, I did the same.

Due to this warm up, Kylesa's job was made all the more easy. With the crowd already fully warmed up 2 bands early, their 2 drummed brutality and heavy guitars appealed to the more manic side of the crowd. Roaring their way through a constant barage of huge beats, there was no let up for the crowd. Particularly surprising was the powerful voice of the female vocalist and the intensity of both drummers throughout. Especially so, in a fantastic drum solo (or should that be tandem?)

With Clutch hitting the stage to a manic, lively crowd, they tore through a set largely dominated by their newest album, Strange Cousins From The West. Neil Fallon's preacheresque stance and expression was there in spades, with his facial expressions only adding to the intensity of songs like 'Abraham Lincoln' and 'Minotaur'. Jam's inbetween songs are commonplace in a Clutch gig, and as always were executed with precision, making every song seem to glide into each other. The only gripe of this night was that the set missed a huge chunk of the early, more hardcore style Clutch songs, which could have irritated some seeing the band for the first time. Yet, with an everchanging set, you can guarruntee that if you caught them in any other city of this tour, you'd get them.

Certainly, this was one of the best gigs you could ever care to see. 2 support bands that complimented Clutch's different styles, and yet didn't pale in comparison. 3 perfect performances, a brilliant atmosphere, and plenty of grooves. This is how music should ALWAYS be, and that's ALWAYS.

(Heavily edited version may appear in Student Direct:Mancunian) & Kamchatka used it on their myspace at http://blogs.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.ListAll&friendId=32082839

Late reviews coming

2009-10-26T14:49:00.003Z

Right, I feel the need to do some reviews (however belated), so expect a review of Eighties Matchbox B-Line Disaster (from last Monday), Rammstein's new album, Liebe ist fur Alle da, maybe an on time review of Wolfmother's Cosmic Egg too.

Also in the next fortnight, expect a review of World Painted Blood by Slayer and Clutch live at the Academy 2 next Monday. Might even throw some reviews of other shit I was at/have listened to recently up too.

So there, you massive fuckers.

Wolf w/Cauldron & Incidium

2009-10-20T05:47:00.005+01:00

Wolf w/ Cauldron & Incidium
Moho
14/10/2009
Thomas Geddes
****

Wolf may not be the hugest heavy metal band out there, but they’re certainly big enough to get excited about, when they play a venue as small as the Moho.

Playing to a room of no more than fifty, the Swedish old-schoolers didn’t seem deterred as they powered through riff after riff, stopping only once, early into the set, to pay heartfelt tribute to Evile’s recently departed bassist. Afterwards though, they broke out the cliché’s; running into the crowd and fist pumping through an impressive greatest hits style set. But cliché’s work at this kind of gig, and the small crowd loved every second of the throwback to metal’s yesteryear

Tagging along for the ride were Incidium, a thrash metal band who, despite a solid performance, were notably out of place. Cauldron, another slice of pure 80’s, were the middle act and seemed in their element. Close crowd’s called for playful banter from Cauldron, who, based on song titles like ‘Chained up in Chains’, didn’t take themselves too seriously. Yet their set was as heavy and fast as what succeeded. Wolf certainly stole the show, but a full solid gig. If you like anything the heavy side of AC/DC, this was for you.

(Edited version may appear in Student Direct: Mancunian at a later date)

Stoner Rock News: Karma to Burn release new video for 20

2009-10-18T02:57:00.004+01:00

One of the biggest things you need to learn about me is that, I have a massive, huge, biblical love for stoner rock. So any news that I deem relevant to that, it'll be posted here in a snap. Well, here's the first bit of news.

Recently reformed instrumental, numerical-song-titling geniuses, Karma To Burn, have just re-recorded their songs 20 & 30 to make them sound crisper. Whilst doing this, they also recorded a video for 20 which may have just become one of my favourite videos of all time. Perfectly bizare sums it up.

Papa Roach w/Madina fucking Lake & Heavens Basement

2009-10-17T15:56:00.008+01:00

Papa Roach w/Madina Lake & Heaven’s Basement
Manchester Academy 1
11/10/2009
Thomas Geddes
***

Papa Roach must be counting their blessings that Madina Lake exist. If it wasn’t for their shambolic performance preceding the headline act, Papa Roach wouldn’t have looked all that great.

Openers Heaven’s Basement offered the greatest set. Ploughing through their hard rock warm up slot, seemingly determined to leave an impression. Then again so would you if your career had been reset thanks to managerial issues forcing you to change your name and start from scratch. Working the crowd as well as any band can to a filling room, everyone was jumping and clapping along. The high spirits of the crowd didn't last for too long. What succeeded them can only be accurately described in noises of disgust. A kind of shudder from within the stomach. Pure nausia. Madina Lake definitely entertained an audience strewn with young girls willing to get wet at any band with matching haircuts, but the missed high notes were glaringly obvious and the front-man’s failed stage dive was embarrassing, if not hilarious. I’d genuinely recommend a trip to the bar, as no matter how much you drink, you'll feel less sick by the end of it than if you were to watch the glorious shit stains on stage.

Because of this confirmation of evil, Papa Roach’s arrival onstage seemed more triumphant than it would have otherwise. Kicking off a set peppered with songs from newest album Metamorphosis, the Californian quartet never hit their stride, looking constantly stiff and pretty much as though they were only on stage because of contractual commitment. During classics such as ‘Blood Brothers’, they seemed just as bored with it all, despite huge reactions from the crowd. Even Jacoby Shaddix’s confusing ramblings of “Who wants to take a sh*t on the floor?’, appeared as though they’d be rehashed for the full tour. Their whole set seemed way too static, way too rehearsed. Not in a good, polished and honed kind of way either. More in an embarrassingly awkward way where there was no room to move. I Definitely would not want to see twice in one tour. If not for the fact the 'first gig' type crowd showed no respect for their peers (when someone falls over in a pit and you're the only one trying to help them up, you'll see what I mean) then for the fact that I'd fear, with all the deja vu, that there was a glitch in the Matrix.

(Edited version appears in Student-Direct:Mancunian Issue 5 dated October 19th 2009)

House of Blues @ Old Orleans

2009-10-16T19:30:00.006+01:00

Day: Thursdays
Time:7:30PM/8:00PM till 11:00PM
Price: Free

I'm no expert on blues and given the choice at home, I wouldn't listen to the straight-up real proper blues variety. Granted, I like Led Zeppelin, Clutch, AC/DC, ZZ Top and plenty of others that incorporated blues at some point or other, but it's not really the same. Which is why, when it comes to hearing blues in a live situation, I'm expected to scoff and run away to some metal bar for some comfort from a long haired, leather clad, biker-type rocker.

Not the case. Infact, it couldn't be further from the truth if you fired it from a cannon into the sun. Hearing blues whilst nursing a drink is something special. It's the kind of relaxed oposite of what I'd normally go to. I like to think of it as a night off from reality. So imagine my joy when I found out there was a blues night every week, minutes away and free to enter. Yeah, it was pretty joyous.

House of Blues at Old Orleans (located in the Printworks) is an amazingly peaceful night out that I believe everyone with ears should pen into their diary. The premise is, 3 blues bands/artists (though what defines blues can be very sketchy here. It seems an acoustic guitar usually qualifies apparently) play an equal length set each and then. Well. Then you go home. That simple. I've only been for 2 weeks thus far, but both weeks have provided at least one amazing act and two average ones. But so long as the amazing one is first, you'll be drunk by the second act and won't care. That's all I have to say on this. It's not technically a review as a call to arms. Get to Old Orleans every Thursday so that they can make plenty of money and continue to do this for months and months.

Sore bloody neck + Early bloody morning = Bloody bloody hell

2009-10-15T08:11:00.001+01:00

To say I hate my neck muscles and the existance of man today is not only an understatement, but also the most fundamental truth known to man. The ache's in both my neck and head aren't only annoying to me, but also to anybody who crosses my path. I mean look at me. My face is demented as it is, but today it looks like a bag of mangled anvils. I'm gonna be grumpy all day. Bloody early mornings. On the plus side, Wolf were awesome. Cauldron were awesome. Incidium were pretty decent too. Real review coming sometime later.

Wolf w/Cauldron tonight.

2009-10-14T18:01:00.000+01:00

I find myself in an awesome position tonight. I'm going to check out 2 bands (maybe a 3rd depending on who this mystery guest is) at a smallish venue in Manchester called the Moho. I have very little knowledge of the bands, I've seen neither live & until last week, I couldn't sing any of their songs. But after a few days of spotifying, I'm really hyped. Massively. It's amazing. And the best thing. It's FREE. Seriously guys, take advantage of your local publications and get working for them as a volunteer. Now, just to dust off the leather jacket and chains.

Bowling For Soup - Sorry For Partyin'

2009-10-14T00:16:00.000+01:00

Bowling for Soup
Sorry for Partyin'
2/5

Every time I put on a Bowling for Soup album, I instantly feel like I'm 10 again, remembering listening to the first few albums and being overcome with mirth. However, with Sorry for Partyin', that didn't last the whole album. If anything, I felt older by the end.

The problem with this album isn't that it isn't funny (I defy anyone who says they can listen to 'No Hablo Inglés' without at least a smirk), but the hooks aren't as catchy as you'd expect in the whole from the 15 year strong Texas quartet. There's nothing even close to their earlier successes such as 'Girl All the Bad Guys Want' or 'High School Never Ends' and the first single, 'My Wena', a thinly veiled double entendre comparing the male member to a girl, is probably the least memorable on the album. The album opens with what I suspect may be the biggest success, 'Really Cool Dance Song', a song that not surprisingly is an attempt to make a poppy dance song which will be played everywhere in a few weeks.

If you dig around, there's certainly enough here to warrant a listen, such as 'America (Wake Up Amy)' a pop punk rally call for America to 'wake up' to all it's problems, 'BFFF' about loving a man (in a heterosexual way) and 'I Can't Stand L.A.', however, the people who should be buying this in droves are young teenagers more interested in a cheap laugh than music. Not a bad album by any means, but for me there's too much effort spent on the lyrics and not enough on the music. In the words of Danny Glover, "I'm too old for this sh*t."

(Edited version originally printed in Student Direct: Mancunion - Issue 3 - October 2009)

Hey

2009-10-14T00:04:00.000+01:00

Welcome. If you found this, either I've told you it exists, you were looking for a camply named magician, or you may have an unhealthy addiction to garages. If you're here for the latter two reasons, bugger off. I have no time for you. Otherwise, you're welcome. Essentially, this'll be a collection of my ramblings, thoughts, articles, reviews and mainly anything in the world of rock or metal I find interesting or worthy of comment. So yeah. Thats it.

P.S. I have to do my top 5 bands seeing as I always ask everyone else.

Clutch - Metallica - AC/DC - Dropkick Murphys - Pink Floyd