Clash of the album covers

It is....

Captain Beyond-s/t

vs.

Dust-Hard Attack

***Which cover do your prefer?

Admiral Browning-Magic Elixir

Dancing Sasquatch
2009

This disc from Middletown, Maryland's Admiral Browning showed up a few weeks ago and I promptly stuck it in the stack I think of as "need to be reviewed at some point". Eventually I pulled it out of the disc and popped it in the player to see what this three piece instrumental band was capable of doing. I was promptly greeted with a brief old time salesman pitch which goes along with the theme of the album title/cover and liner notes. Then the opener "Vortexer" marches on very deliberate and simple strides. Heavy for sure, but all rather ordinary until a few minutes in when they started to deviate from the simple path they were on. All of a sudden my senses were assaulted from multiple angles as the instruments involved seemed to explode bringing tones, various beats and a barrage of all things slow and brutal. Only one track in they in and this band has already set me up and knocked me down. "Ol' Martini Man" is up next and this much more aggressive from the start. The main riff sounds like they took the core of classic Sabbath and Pentagram, but pumped it up and twisted it into a huge and powerful Frankenstein monster style creature. Then it stomps it's way through knocking aside everything in it's path. This one is a behemoth that shows it's muscle form the beginning and never backs off. Up next is "No good stones" which at it's core is Led Zeppelin influenced blues rocker. Only Admiral Browning add a smoky haze to the mix yet still keep a big beat going in the background to guide this one through. The next track is the very appropriately named "Speaking in tones". This is a wild, riff-fueled rant that comes on like a storm and never let's up. Like a boiling cauldron, they keep steadily stirring the pot and adding odd and bizarre ingredients that all help keep the mixture swirling. All these songs have somewhat different approaches, but they all show that this band are a talented group with a mass of ideas at their disposal. This is only an EP and it manages to stand up great on it's own and also wet my appetite for the next full length offering.

www.myspace.com/admiralbrowning

Interview with Dark Castle

Dark Castle are a stoner/doom duo from Saint Augustine, Florida. I recently had the chance to interview them to find out more.
Dark Castle are:
Stevie Floyd - Guitar, Vocals Rob Shaffer - Drums, Vocals, Synth

MM-Who are your musical influences?
We're into a lot of different types of music. As far as metal, some influences would be Death, Bathory, Yob, Neurosis. As far as 70s prog rock, Deep Purple, Uriah Heep, King Crimson, Camel. We listen to a lot of multi-cultural world music types like middle eastern, Asian, Egyptian, African. Hip hop and classical too.

MM-Tell us some about the history of your band.
The band formed the day we met. Both of us had other music projects that we left behind to start something new. We both had similar interests and goals for a band. We originally both played guitar and had a drum machine, but then Rob decided to play drums. We wrote music and recorded a demo ourselves the first year 2006, and started playing shows and recorded our EP "Flight of Pegasus" which we self-released the second year 2007. We kept playing shows and made our own merch. We recorded a yet to be released song early 2008, then recorded "Spirited Migration" in spring and began touring outside of Florida, as well as began talking with At A Loss Recordings. In May 2009 "Spirited Migration" was released on At A Loss and we have been heavily touring all year. We've played close to 200 shows to date.

MM-How would you describe your sound to someone who was not familiar with your music?
"...a rupturing combination of doom wreckage and post-metal advancement...” - Decibel Magazine
"Listening to the debut from this Florida duo is like walking through a lush valley while the sky before you turns black." - Alarm Magazine
"sounds like Hiroshima but slower" - some guy

MM-You released “Spirited Migration” in May. Tell us about it.
We recorded "Spirited Migration" in Spring of 2008 with Phillip Cope from Kylesa at the Jam Room in Columbia, SC. The title of the album as well as the artwork refers to a spiritual journey, a path into a new perception and consciousness. Each of the song titles is a different step. Realizing the world of form is a dream and opening your eyes to the formless (Awake In Sleep). Breaking down past ways of thinking that have not worked, survival is threatened, and the need to adapt and change to evolve (Into The Past). Introducing the spiritual journey (Spirited Migration). Growing but fighting to become more aware (Growing Slowly). The journey is difficult but you persist (Weather The Storm). Perceiving a higher state of consciousness (Flight Beyond). Really feeling living things, and becoming a part of nature without labeling the circumstance or being. Finding the source. We belong to the land, the land does not belong to us (Grasping the Awe). The cycle of life, the man leaving the tree, going to the sea, dying and becoming part of the tree again, and the stillness behind all of that action (A Depth Returns).



MM-What are some of your favorite songs on the new album and why?
We really put our all into everything that came out on this album. We do not feel like there is any extra filler material. If anything we cut that stuff out. The album was meant to have a continuous flow, like all pieces are part of the whole. So we really feel strongly about every song.

MM-How does the new album compare with your “Flight of Pegasus” EP?
We definitely put a lot more time into "Spirited Migration" as far as writing, recording quality and concept. "Flight of Pegasus" was more a collection of songs that worked towards what we achieved with the new album, but we had not yet developed our sound.

MM-What has been the response to the album so far?
The response has been really positive. We've got more feedback and support than we could have imagined. It's amazing to us how many people can actually get something from it. We just really want for people to feel what we feel when we play this music.

MM -Where did you come up with your band name?
We felt that Castle could refer to a dream, and that is what we feel like reality is, a dark dream. And we approach writing music based on this concept.

MM-Under the “sounds like” section of your Myspace section you list a number items dealing with nature and you have nature listed under the “influences” section. How does nature impact your music and why is it such an influence on you?
Everything that is not man made inspires us. The energy of nature is free flowing and organic, which is how we would like our music to be perceived.

MM-Who are some of the best bands playing in your area right now?
Civilization, Six Dead Horses, Khann, Republicorpse, Jr. Bruce, Hollow Leg

MM-So what are you guys doing that sets or will set you apart from other bands playing this style of music?
We truly put everything we have into our music from all aspects including writing and live performance. We use a lot of multi-cultural scales when writing. Everything in our lives revolves around our music.



MM -You are doing a west/southwest tour through the end of June. How has that gone?
The tour has been great! We have met a lot of amazing people and played with a lot of killer bands. We really enjoy traveling to places we have never been, and playing shows in anything from basements to venues.

MM-What are some of the most memorable shows that you have played so far?
We have played with Zoroaster a lot that is always really fun. We played with Rwake in their home town to probably the biggest crowd we have played to. All our shows with Black Cobra have been a killer experience, they're such a great band and good people. We played with Sourvein during Mardi Gras which was pretty insane. Had a psychedelic ten foot bonfire with Minsk. And many more bands and experiences.

MM-What should someone who comes to see you live expect?
A loud journey through smoke and darkness.

MM-Is this the only project for you guys or is anyone currently working on any other projects?Stevie is working on a solo drone album. Rob has a lot technical metal material written. We are of course open to the idea of collaborations as well.

MM-What else do you hope to accomplish in the remainder of 2009?
More touring...We have a week with Bloody Panda in the southeast in late July. And a Northeast tour in September. We also want to finish mixing another recording we did before "Spirited Migration". A vinyl release of "Spirited Migration" hopefully later this year. We're open to whatever comes.



MM-Pick the band from each of the following pairs that you prefer and tell why you picked them.

Sleep or YOB
Both of them are obviously amazing, but we have to go with Yob, because of the creativity behind it. They do a lot with a little and have a very distinct sound.

Electric Wizard or Orange Goblin
Electric Wizard the only band who can make you feel high when you're not. Orange Goblin is badass though too.

Candlemass or Pentagram
Candlemass and Pentagram are tied for sure.

MM-What are some of the best albums that you have heard so far this year?
Kylesa "Static Tensions", Minsk "With Echoes In The Movement of Stone", Isis "Wavering Radiant", Battlefields "Thresholds of Imbalance and "Wolves in the Throne Room "Black Cascade"

MM-Is there anything else that you would like to say?
Thanks for taking interest in our band and music.

www.myspace.com/darkcastlemetal

Tonk-Sister Switchblade

2007



Australia's Tonk strike me as a band who know a lot of the basics concerning hooks, rhythm and other mandatory elements. The also manage to use volume to their advantage as they crank it up and are never subtle. The end results sound like a mixture of AC/DC, 80's KISS, Zodiac Mindwarp and others. When the songs work it's like come at you with quick, but weighty punches as they hit at you with brief yet definite chops. They get points for their energy level, but where they fall short is in the creativity department. This is basic hard rock, but you still have to come to the table with enough ideas or something to sustain the songs for the duration of it's run. There were too many times where this band would begin track in decent fashion, but then they would run into a wall. The results were usually some parts that just kind sat there riding out the length of the song. The results of that were that my attention was quickly drifting elsewhere and my pointer finger was getting itchy to go and press the fast forward button to relieve me of the dull moment. Now the album is more good than not, there are some obvious gaps that really need to be filled before this band can move beyond just being a decent act.


www.myspace.com/tonkrocks

Number 19

On to number 19 of my top 25 hard/metal guitarist countdown. There are only a couple guys on this list who here because of real contributions to multiple bands. Michael Schenker is one of those because of his work with UFO, his early work with his own band and even some work on one Scorpions album. His work with UFO was his most impressive though. He came in and made an immediate impression on that band and quite honestly elevated their sound right away. At his best he has create a balance between solid rhythms and killer solos. The flying V is pretty cool too.

What's coming up?

Hard to believe that it is half-way through the year, but it is. I think is has been a good year for music so far. Although more good than great albums.
I'll have a Tonk review and number 19 on top guitarist countdown out within the next day. I also hope to have the following out in the next week.

Reviews of...
Blue Cheer-Rocks Europe DVD
Admiral Browning-Magic Elixir
Syrym-s/t

plus...
Interview with Dark Castle

Clash of the album covers

Lesser of two evils (probably Sweer F.A. vs. Every Mother's Nightmare)

***Have a great week!

Interview with Mighty High

Mighty High might be as much of a statement as it is a band name. This is also the first time I have interviewed a band that began as a fictitious band. I recently had the pleasure of interviewing vocalist/guitarist Woody to find out more about this history of this band and what they are up to.

MM-Hello. Tell us a little about the history of your band.

Woody-Mighty High started off as a fictitious band. I started teaching myself guitar at the age of 31 as a hobby and would tell everyone that my band Mighty High kicked ass. Eventually my friend Brain O))) painted a denim jacket with a logo on the back. Once I saw the band name in acrylic on denim I got serious about writing songs and putting a band together.


MM-How did you come up with the band name?

Woody-My wife and I were on a road trip and I was telling her about something stupid I did in high school when I was stoned. She said “you must have been mighty high.” There was a long pause and we both said it would be a good band name at the same time. I later found out there was a great jazz album by Milt Buckner called Mighty High as well as a gospel song called “Mighty High” by the Mighty Clouds of Joy.

MM-Who are your musical influences?

Woody-We describe our sound as Black Flag Railroad. The basic concept is to sound like Black Flag covering Grand Funk’s Live Album. Other big influences on the band include Motorhead, MC5, The Stooges, Humble Pie, Killdozer, ZZ Top, The Ramones, Mountain and anyone else with a great live album.


MM-What are you currently up to?

Woody-Right now I’m in the process of blowing a ton of money to put out a 2 song 7” single later this year. It’s mixed, mastered and on it’s way to the pressing plant right now. Our artist Brain O))) is working on another incredible cover for it. We’re also writing some new songs and have some local shows lined up.

MM-Who have you shared a stage with so far?

Woody-I’m proud to say that Mighty High is the only band to have played with both Thor and Valient Thorr. Other great bands we’ve played with include The Brought Low, Federale, Puny Human, The Saloonatics, Mess With The Bull and Backwoods Payback. We also love playing with tribute bands! We used to play with the Black Sabbath tribute band Sabbra Cadabra at the Continental in NYC before they stopped having live music. We’ve also done shows with The Murderlators (Misfits), Gimmiehead (Motorhead), Lizzyhead (Thin Lizzy) and The Scrooges (holiday tribute to The Stooges).



MM-What have been some of your most memorable shows? Why?

Woody-We played Viking Skull’s first ever show in the USA last summer at Trash in Brooklyn. That was pretty cool. The crowd was drunk and rowdy. People are still talking about the Hoboken Holocaust of 2005 when we played Maxwell’s with Thor. A really funny one was when In This Moment opened for us in February 2007, also at Trash. Not long after that they were on tour opening for Ozzy Osbourne and White Zombie. We once played with a band called Monolith who’s singer was arrested for murder about a month after the show.


MM-Is this the only band for everyone involved or is anyone in other projects as well?

Woody-Our drummer Jesse also plays in another great band called Smokewagon. Check them out. He’s also in a Misfits tribute band called The Murderlators. The rest of us jam with friends occasionally but nothing really serious.


MM-You were voted Number 1 again on the High Times Pot 40 in the July 2009 issue according to your Myspace page. How cool is that? Did they contact you and tell you this or is it something you had to put in for?

Woody-The Pot 40 is voted on by the readers of High Times magazine and is compiled by John Holstrom of Punk Magazine fame. Anyone can nominate anything for it by sending an email to pot40@hightimes.com. It’s a huge thrill to be on there. I just found out that we’re #3 in the August 2009 issue. Our friends and fans nominate us month after month, but we stuff the ballot box, too.

MM-Your album “…In Drug City” came out over a year ago. Have you been working on any new material? If so then how does it compare with your other songs?

Woody-We have 6 songs recorded for the next album and a bunch of new songs in the works. Some of the songs are much faster with a strong early 80’s hardcore feel. Others are slower with a much more pronounced Deep Purple and Mountain influence. The main difference is that the songs have better arrangements. The songs are still simple but have a few more twists and turns to keep everyone interested. The lyrics remain about getting high and stupid shit like that.



MM-Obviously you are influenced by a number of 1970’s acts. What do you think was so good about acts from that decade?

Woody-Easy – EVERYONE was high. The audience wanted to hear righteous jams that sounded good when they were stoned. The musicians were also high and eager to oblige. Bands used to sell more concert tickets than records but unlike now, there was less competition for the short term attention of young people. The artists also worked on putting on a show and the crowd would go nuts.

MM-Was it a better decade for music than this decade? If so then why?

Woody-Just about any decade is better than this one for music. That’s a big reason I started the band. People stopped creating the type of music I like around 1982.

I’m a big fan of most American music from the mid 1940’s to the mid 1960’s. There’s so much incredible jazz, blues, country, western swing, rock & roll, soul music, etc that you can spend your entire life trying to discover it all.

The 1980’s was a great decade. On the surface it was all crap like Mr. Mister, The Outfield and Huey Lewis but I was too busy with all the great metal, hardcore and weird underground stuff to pay any attention. Personally, I thought the 1990’s was pretty lame. I was so burned out from all the killer SST, Touch & Go, Megaforce, etc bands that Sub Pop stuff just didn’t do it for me.

MM-Why should someone listen to Mighty High?

Woody-Because we rock! Hard! And all the songs are about getting high.

Not many people listen to Mighty High, but I wish more would. I know a lot of people are turned off by the humor in the lyrics, but fuck ‘em if they can’t take a joke. Musically we seem to confuse people, too. We play too fast for the stoner rock crowd, too slow for the punk crowd, not heavy enough for metalheads, and too metal for garage rockers.



MM-What are some of the best albums that you have heard so far this year?

Woody-I like the latest Mastodon record a lot, Crack The Skye. Some of their older fans don’t like it at all but I think it’s great. The new Kylesa record Static Tensions is also really good. Anyone who doesn’t like the new Masodon should pick it up. Same with Quiet Earth by Bison. That’s a really heavy duty album. I just heard the new Firebird album Grand Union and like that a whole bunch. They do a great cover of Humble Pie’s “4 Day Creep.”

Older records that I’ve newly discovered include Paul Kossoff’s Back Street Crawler, Leslie West’s 1st solo album called Mountain, Brain Capers by Mott the Hoople. I also finally picked up B.B. King’s Live In Cook County Jail. I was reminded when I read a recent interview with Angus Young when he mentioned it was one of his favorite albums of all time. It’s a killer!

MM-What do you hope to accomplish in the remainder of 2009?

Woody-Put out the new single, play more shows with great bands and write more songs.

Any plans for a new album in the near future?

Hopefully we’ll be doing more recording at the end of this year or early 2010. I already have the album title, cover concept and most of the music and lyrics. We just need to get into the practice space and jam on the riffs and sharpen them up into good songs.

MM-Pick the band from each of the following pairs that you prefer and tell why you picked them.
Woody-
AC/DC or KISS
AC/DC all the way. I love Kiss Alive but not much else by them. The Bon Scott era is my favorite but Back In Black is an all time classic and Flick of the Switch is an underrated gem.

Thin Lizzy or UFO
This is a tough one, I love both bands but will give it to UFO by a hair. I listen to Strangers In The Night all the time. Michael Schenker, please get your head together. We need you!

Aerosmith or Ted Nugent
Based on 1970’s output I should say Aerosmith, but am gonna go with Ted just because his music gets me so pumped up and belligerent. I had the great pleasure of meeting Ted about 10 years ago. He told me he invented the middle finger.

Black Sabbath or Deep Purple
Tie. I can’t choose one over the other. Black Sabbath is one of my all time favorites but I rarely listen to them, but listen to Deep Purple all the time.

MM-Is there anything else that you would like to say about your band, your music or anything else?

Woody-Thank you Metal Mark for the interview. It’s an honor to be part of the Heavy Metal Time Machine. You have horrible taste in music! (Just kidding).

www.myspace.com/mightyhigh

Iron Maiden-Flight 666

Universal
DVD
2009

We all age unfortunately, but some age better than others. Iron Maiden’s prime was back in the 1980’s going on that great run of the first seven albums. The 90’s was a far more inconsistent decade for this band, but “Brave new world” in 2000 showed some life. The last two releases have seen the band not only come back to form, but actually re-establish themselves. Even now almost thirty years after their debut there is something about this band that makes seem very genuine, but at the same time we are in awe of them because of all that they represent. This two disc set documents their “Somewhere back in time tour” that took place back in early 2008. The first disc documents the journey itself and the second disc is a performance with each song being filmed in a different city on the tour. At this point in my life a film about the behind the scenes part of a band’s tour would not interest me much at all. However, this is Maiden and even something that may be dull or routine with other bands is bound to be extraordinary with them. This film is no exception. This film isn’t just about the band, it’s also about their music, the fans and the impact the band has had upon their fans. That is as it should because all of these elements are part of what makes this band great. Maiden’s source of transportation is their plane piloted of course by Bruce Dickinson. The image of this machine in flight with the mummified Eddie on the tail fin is astounding. The band seem much more mortal now than they did twenty years ago. I mean we know they have aged, but we get to see the fatigue set in with different members during this grueling tour. It’s not a weakness though, but instead it makes them even greater when we see them work through their problems. Even when they are tired or banged up like when Nicko receives a huge bruise on his wrist from a stray golf ball, they still get fired up and charge out there like it was 1985 all over again. We knew all that though. Where this film really succeeds is in showing the fans. We see the piles of screaming fans at every stop. Then we get the individual fan stories like the young fan in Costa Rica who talked about Maiden's stop being "the thing" and the fan in Colombia who says Maiden's visit was every metal fan's dream or the guy in Japan who says that the great thing is that the band has never lost their spirit. All of these show the passion and respect that the fans have. The band is just as charged as they ever were and the fans are equally fired up no matter where the band goes. Maiden never fell into acting or thinking they were rock stars because they were too busy concentrating on the music and the tours. That's a large part of what has made them so great. Steve Harris sums it up late in the film when he says "It's all about the music and I think the people know that". Indeed we do know that and seeing them go through 23 shows in six and a half weeks and still sound great just adds to their legacy.
Disc two is Maiden live with 16 tracks plus the Churchhill's Speech introduction. The venues vary from arenas to outdoor stadiums. Always the fans are bouncing, screaming and singing along to "Powerslave", "Moonchild", "Heaven can wait" and all of the other selections. The band are just as excited as their fans. Comparing this to last year's re-issue of the fantastic "Live after death" is interesting. Almost 25 years later and Bruce is still running all over the place, Harris plays the bass without looking, the guitarists are amazing while making it look easy and Nicko look like an octopus with arms swinging everywhere. Just flat out fantastic performers who keep going at it with everything they have. I didn't need to see this stunning two disc set to know that Iron Maiden are the best metal band of all time, but it's still a must see for all fans.

Dogs of winter- From soil to shale

Self-produced
2009

While listening to the debut from the trio known as Dogs of winter I was left with one question in mind and that being "what is this?". I mean that not so much in the bizarre sense, but more in reference to my inability to really pin down their sound immediately. The one constant to all of the songs is that the rhythm section is huge. I mean in your face, spine-rattling bass lines and mountain size drum beats that all come pouring out as soon as the songs begin. They are not just keeping time or just guiding the activities, but instead they take control and make the guitars and vocals have to step up to really keep everything on an equal basis. They not only step up to the challenge, but rather they charge forward with piles of fuzzed out riffs and the two vocalists working in tandem. The results are like being tossed into a washing machine on spin cycle because every part is loud and in constant motion. Defining the overall finished project isn't easy because they mix the styles and keep you guesssing. At times it almost if they chopped off the prime parts of hard rock, metal and punk them keep them all going at the same as part of a whole like some hyper juggler. The growl, scream, roar, slam, push and plow their way through their tracks with unbridled enthusiasm. If there was a downside it was that it seemed a little too short or maybe I was just hoping for more. Nontheless, check it out and prepare to be sucked in by the madness of Dogs of winter.

www.myspace.com/dogsofwinter

Clash of the album covers

It is...


Black -n- Blue-s/t

vs.


Ratt-Dancing Undercover

***Which cover do you prefer?

Johnny Lima-Livin' out loud

Shock Pop
2009



Johnny Lima has done several solo albums over the last thirteen years. He has also spent the last few years lending his production skills to artists like Dirty Penny, Miss Crazy, Diamond Lane and the new supergroup Freakshow. Now he returns with his latest solo album. Lima obviously grew up on steady diet of 80's hard rock. He has taken the sounds of Def Leppard, Motley Crue, Bon Jovi and 80's KISS then mixed them in enough to make his own sound. The finished results remind me some of Trixie, but more guitar driven. Tracks like "Wildflower" and "Caught in the middle" are just downright catchy, melody driven rockers. Lima's vocals work perfectly for this style of music. Okay, the lyrics are largely the same old cliches that have been attached to this type of music for the last twenty-five years as we get entries about wanting to rock and relationships gone wrong, but the music and vocals more than make up for it. What sold me on this album was that I was instantly sucked in by every song primarily due to the catchy choruses and cutting guitar riffs. I kept expecting a track that was a little off to come on, but that never happened because every track is strong. Now I was also hoping for a song or too that would step up the pace a little and that never happened. So a slightly faster song or two on the next album might make it even better. Johnny Lima is not doing anything new, but he knows what it takes to make the kind of songs that are easy to get into . That's why I have been playing this disc over and over since I received it.

www.myspace.com/johnnylima

Four

Today is Father's Day of course. It is also my parent's 46th wedding anniversary. It is also the forth anniversary of my blog. Which means I have been churning out reviews, interviews and other foolish for quite some time. Thank you for reading andfor your comments.

Ratcliff-Bailey-Deuce

Self-produced
2009

This is the second release from the duo of Tim Ratcliff and Ken Bailey, artistically known as Ratcliff Bailey. They have written over 190 songs and they wrote all of the songs found on the release with the exception of the lyrics found on track six. That's the background, but let's try to get at what is really going on here. These two gentlemen hail from Inronton, Ohio and play a style blues of rock that draws upon classic rock, pop, southern rock and even hard rock. That's a very broad description I know, but accurate enough to start on because these guys really do vary the sound on these tracks. I heard some sounds reminiscent of early-mid 80's Tom Petty, Fabulous Thunderbirds and even the Rolling Stones around the time of "It's only rock 'n roll". The element that hit me first on many of the songs was that I was struck with a relaxed feeling when their music hit me. This is partly because they have written some catchy tunes and also in part to the fact that they channel their influences and that provides a feeling of familiarity. The songs flow smoothly and the slightly under produced sound helps them to maintain some fuzz and grit that actually gives their sound some added richness. The two musicians work well together as the sound is both tight and comfortable. There were a few instances where the sound could have come up a little more, but that's minor. Not the kind of music that I would always reach for, but it's well done.



www.myspace.com/ratcliffbailey

Number 20

Onward to number 20 in my top 25 top hard rock/heavy metal guitarist countdown. It is...


Dave Mustaine

Always a part of a duo and he played with some good partners (Chris Poland, Marty Friedman), but he was the heart and the consistent factor of Megadeth. He also gets credit for his contributions to Metallica's early material. He hit on finger bending riffs while developing a style that made Megadeth's sound unique and them to be one of the leaders in their field.

Number 19 will be out next week.

What's coming up?

I got some old 70's shows cheap recently on DVD including Ark 2. I never saw this show before. It only lasted for 15 episodes back in 1976, but they apparently kept showing the same episodes every season until 1979. It revolves around three young people and a monkey who ride around in a big vehicle helping people in a post war society that exists some time in the future. Normally they stumble upon some people wearing rags, the heroes get trapped and somehow they escape and everything ends on a positive note. Somewhere in between one of the main characters Jonah straps on his jetpack and flies around low stirring up leaves. It's a very average show, but mindly interesting. They also borrow sound effects and music from Star Trek the animated series and locations and possibly costumes from Planet of the apes the tv series.

Here is what I hope to have out this week.



Number 20 of the top guitarist countdown.



Interview with Woody of Mighty High



Clash of the album covers



Reviews of...

Iron Maiden-Flight 666 DVD

Johnny Lima-Livin' out loud

Dogs of winter-From soil to shale

Tonk-Sister Switchblade



***Have a great week.

Interview with Bone Shaker

Wisconsin's Bone Shaker play a classic style of metal and they have a new album out. They have also had a number of things going on since the last time I talked to them. So I recently had the pleasure of talking to guitarist/vocalist David "Gonz" Gonzalez to find out what they wee up to.

MM-It's been about a year and a half since I talked to you and a lot has happened for you guys since then. Let's start with the new album. Tell us about "Union".


Gonz - "Union" is a result of the last year of band life in Bone Shaker. We've done numerous shows, worked with various producers, management, label talks, other artists, and these are the songs we wrote in-between all those goings on.



MM-How does it compare with "Bang...you're dead"?

Gonz - It's a more honest representation of Bone Shaker than the first album. "Bang" was written primarily be myself in its entirety and then I would present the songs to the band. We recorded "Bang" rather quickly and though I'm very happy with the energy we captured, I think the songs could have been fleshed out more. Conversely, though the songs on "Union" are fleshed out and were written by the whole band giving input, I honestly prefer the energy captured on "Bang". In a perfect world, the next album will be the best of both worlds.



MM-Did you approach the writing and recording any differently on the new album?

Gonz - I was more open to input during the recording of "Union". There are moments on there that didn't exist until we were already recording. One good example is on "Promise Of Man". There was a short lead break after each course. That went out the window when Dan Rodic, the engineer, suggested I use an e-bow there. That's the weird sound you wind up hearing that kind of sounds Flute-ish. I also used it on the intro and outro of "In The Dark". Another example on "Promise" are the lyrics for the bridge. I wrote that as I was standing at the mic.



MM-What are some of your favorite tracks off of "Union"? Why do you like those songs?

Gonz - I lean towards "Union Of The Grave", "Hard Road Out", and "Take It All". It's all about the harmony guitars for me. I've always loved that.



MM-You are now on Firewalk records. How did that come about and what happened with Turkey Vulture records?

Gonz - Basically our contract with Turkey Vulture ran out. At the negotiating table they made us an offer we could refuse! Honestly, we also had some things on the table that didn't quite pan out. We were working with HM Marketing in Cleveland and doing some studio work with Don DeBiase which turned out some absolutely outstanding recordings. Flawless! Don has done work for Metal Blade, Victory, and worked with many great bands like Luna Mortis, Driver Side Impact, Epicurean, Beneath The Sky, and others. We did three songs at Chin Studios with him and we knew that maybe we shouldn't tie ourselves down with a label that wasn't really working for the artist in the end. The songs Don did with us are just immaculate works of art They were mixed and mastered by John Burke at Kobra Productions who was also in Forever In Terror. Unfortunately, three songs don't make an album! That's where FireWalk comes in. It's actually our own label which enables us to release material while still being able to negotiate a contract on our terms.

MM-Your song "We Are Iron" is now the theme song for the Milwaukee Iron Arena Football Team. You have been performing the song live at every home game aswell as on local cable TV. How did this arrangement come about?



Gonz - I ran into a local TV celebrity who was working in the Iron organization. I pitched the song idea to him and he loved it! I wrote the song and we recorded it all in a few days. They use it in their advertising as well at the home games.



MM-Do you play at half-time or what? Do you get to play any other songs at the games?

Gonz- Originally, we were set up directly in the end zone. We played the song as the team took the field. This didn't leave much time for the band once the game got going not to mention the footballs that came right at the band during game play! Later in the season, we moved to another part of the Bradley center where we were able to play the song as well as others for as long as we liked. We were so loud! You couldn't escape the metal! Now that the season has wound down, I don't think we'll be performing there much more. It was a cool ride and I think we were doing a good thing for original music locally.



MM-What kind of response have you been getting at these games?

Gonz - Pretty good. It's all about the football team but I think people were happy to get some bonus rockin' in their night.

MM-You played at Rocklahoma last summer. How did that go?

Gonz - How much time do you have? I'll tell you exactly how it went and you'll be the first to put it in print. Lot's of rain. We watched other bands. Lots of rain. We did our set in between rain and more rain. Did our press junket and TV and radio interviews. More rain. Now it gets interesting. What follows now is the absolute truth which can be verified by about the thirty people or so who were there as well as hospital records. There was a well documented storm on Saturday night when six super cells collided over the venue. It was unbelievable. Amp stacks blowing over, port-a-johns falling, drums rolling away! We took shelter from the sideways rain in the VIP tent behind the South Stage where we played. Next thing you know, security is yelling "Get out! Get out!" and the whole 60 by 50 by 40 foot truss system with the lighting and flown P.A. comes crashing down on the tent. Everyone got out, or so I thought. I was calling for Camille (my wife and bassist) and couldn't find her. I found Brian (drummer) and we went back into the wreckage fearing the worst. There were two security guards already in there and they were helping Camille out from between downed power lines in a foot of water. Her arm was severely crushed and the only thing that saved her life was that some road cases prevented the stage debris from going completely to the ground leaving her about three feet of headroom. We pulled her out, took shelter in a ticket booth that felt like it was about to blow away, and called for help. An ambulance rushed her out to the local hospital. Here's the amazing part...miraculously, she was the ONLY person injured when two stages collapsed in that storm. The Rocklahoma staff told the press NO ONE was hurt, Buried our story, and even fought compensation for our losses and medical costs. Don't fear printing this, it's one hundred percent true and prove-able.



MM-Did you have many shows planned for this summer?

Gonz - Actually just a few. We are doing shows but doing some auditioning for new band additions. Changes up our sleeve.



MM-So what is Bone Shaker doing that sets you apart from other bands?

Gonz-Staying true to ourselves. We refuse to do this extreme metal fad that everyone's on right now. Probably would be signed by now if we had but that's not us. We'll stay true to our sound and build a fan base that appreciates it and never let them down. Look at Iron Maiden. Almost thirty years later you know exactly what your getting and the quality is still there. People need a constant in there lives to come back to. That'll be us.



MM-In what areas do you think you need to improve?

Gonz-Consistency in our recordings. I think if we stick with Don Debiase and John Burke from now on, people will be extremely pleased. We may actually have them re-mix and re-master "Union" and if we do, you'll see a night and day comparison.

MM-What are some your favorite albums of 2009 so far?

Gonz - None yet. I'm still enjoying several from last year. Like In This Moment's "Dream", "Framing Armageddon" from Iced Earth, and "Appointment With Death" from Lizzy Borden. Actually a really good new album is "Virus" from Animal. Check it out!



MM-What do you hope to accomplish in the second half of this year?

Gonz - A bigger record deal! We have some meetings that we hope go well. Advertising dollars are what make or break a band first. Sure, the music and the band have to be good too, but first the world has to know you exist.



MM-If someone asked why should I buy your new album, how would you respond to them? Gonz- Because it's the perfect juicy center. It's not extreme metal which gets absolutely numbing after a few songs and it's not that lame American Idol bullshit everyone's being fed either.



MM-If you could only listen to three albums over the next month then what would pick?

Gonz - Iron Maiden "Brave New World", WASP "Double Live Assassins", and Judas Priest "Angel Of Retribution".



MM-What do you think about the metal scene in general these days? What's good about it? How could it improve?

Gonz - What's good about it is its ability to survive without a lot of airplay. It's got great support from the industry even though you can't turn on the radio and hear the latest song from Kamelot. That's most likely because of the Internet. Never a shortage of live shows though. Where it needs to improve is less segregation. Too many times this show is just Black Metal while that one over there is Death Metal. This show's for Grind core and that ones for Prog Metal. Why can't we just have a variety of metal at a show? Metal is Metal! If you don't enjoy the band or style go have a beer for a moment. Band together and make this an even stronger genre. They do it in Europe but not so much here in the States.



MM-Is there anything else you want to say about your band, your music or anything else?

Gonz - Thanks for all the support we've gotten so far. Germany has been really outstanding and we promise we will get there. We're working on getting on a tour so don't lose faith, Bone Shaker will be coming your way eventually! As far as the critics go, some have put us down in the media. Don't listen to them, find out for yourself. Do your own thinking. That's how you Live Life Metal!

www.myspace.com/boneshakerinfo

Below is the link to the interview I did with Gonz back in early 2008.
http://metalmark.blogspot.com/2008/01/bone-shaker-interview.html

Spank-Get Bent

Self-produced
2009


This is the sophomore effort from North Carolina's Spank. I am not sure what my expectations were for this one, but ultimately it's a mixed bag at best. It was three songs in before "Back to me" showed some real promise with it's early 80's hard rock groove. Just when I thought they were getting it all together they seem to bounce back and forth. There are some fun songs that play off of some smooth arrangements and sensational melodies. The vocals work wonderfully on those songs as well. Unfortunately Spank are bit of Jekyll and Hyde band as well. For every catchy and well written track there seem to be an equal amount of drab tracks that just pass the time, but fail to do much else. I felt like just when I knew where this was going they would go the opposite way on the next song and then flip flop even more after that. So undoubtedly the potential is there, but they certainly lack consistency. They also seem to be lacking in the idea department as the weaker songs suffer from being overly repetitive at times. When Spank are on they are really on. However there were far too many moments where I was left thinking that they needed to be spending more time on their writing. I hope that given some more time and practice that they can hopefully figure out their direction and have all of the songs at their peak.

Vindicator/Metal Witch-Outbreak of metal vol.1

Slaney
2009

This is a split disc consisting of six tracks each from Ohio based thrash outfit Vindicator who recently signed to Heavy Artillery and Germany's Metal Witch. It is meant to be a series featuring metal bands from different countries. Vindicator are up first and they contribute four new songs and two covers. The originals follow the blueprints of the early days of thrash circa 1983-1985. They chug along playing active yet fairly routine thrash not far off from early Metallica, Slayer and others. They keep it short and to the point, but it's just above average material that will sound all to familiar about a minute into each track. After the originals are the two covers with "I hate people" originally by The Anti-nowhere League and Indestroy's U.S.S.A. Vindicator fare better on these songs primarily due to the fact that they just sound far more inspired on these songs.
Metal Witch originally formed back in 1985, but broke up in 1987. They reformed in late 1990's and have knocked out an EP and an LP this decade. Actually five of the tracks on this disc are from either the EP or the LP. Still they were new to me and these songs are spectacular. This band draws from the likes of Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, early Metal Church and Motorhead for inspiration. So it's mid-paced to medium fast classic metal that's jam packed with heavy riffs and killer vocals. This is kind of music that is completely up my alley so I found it to be instantly likable. If this band was this good two decades ago then it's a shame they broke up so quickly, but at least we can discover them now.
So we get some alright entries from Vindicator and some outstanding offerings from Metal Witch. It will be interesting to see what bands they pool together in the future for this series.

Clash of the album covers

We have...





MSG-Assault Attack



vs.





Yngwie Malmsteen-Rising Force



***Which cover do you prefer?

Molotow-Rock Tales

Nordic
2009



It's been around a year and a half since Molotow's "feat. Rock & Roll" was released. The new album finds the band still playing the type of hard rock that was so prominent in the late 80's and early 90's. On "Rock Tales" the band takes it up a notch as they have become heavier and much forward in their attack. Under the influences section of the band's Myspace page it states "Every great rock band out there". That kind of attitude goes along with the fact that they seem more confident and they just rip into the songs with zero hesitation. I hear hints of Motley Crue, Def Leppard, Bon Jovi and others. However this time around these guys are starting to seize the opportunity and develop their own style. It's a style that grabs hold and doesn't let it go. There isn't a lot of meandering around or wasted notes. The melodies are strong and the hooks are tight and on target. The vocals are powerful and definitely had me convinced they would be even better live. They throw out some catchy choruses that were going through my head even after the first listen. The production is superb and everything is in place. I found myself feeling both surprised and impressed by how far Molotow have come since their last release. My only real complaint is that there were a few songs that I felt could and were going to last longer. So perhaps they could take their time more and get as much out of their talent as they can. The talent, confidence and poise is obviously present now.

www.myspace.com/molotowrock

Number 21

We are already down to number 21 on my top hard rock/metal guitarist countdown and it is...



Tommy Victor



The Prong frontman started his band out as a rather average semi-thrash/hardcore outfit, but by 1990's Beg to differ he was on to something else. Victor's playing has been tight, sharp and incredibly heavy at times. His playing focused as much on patience and control as anything else and it worked. Prong were one of the few metal bands of the 1990's doing anything worth listening to and breaking ground on top of it. He wasn't afraid to add some industrial edges and take some chances. He also worked with Ministry, Danzig and Rob Zombie, but it's his work with Prong that has set him apart.



Number 20 is coming up next week.

What's coming up?

I have been watching the entire Land of the lost series with my kids this week and they love it. I remember it a little form when I was a kid. I also remember taking plastic dinosaurs out to my sandbox and playing Land of the lost there as I shaped caved out of the sand. The effects are cheap, but the cast play it straight and the writing is decent. Unfortunately cast changes and dumbing in the writing killed the show in season three. I won't be going to see the new movie because I cannot imagine it being any good at all. I still owe a Dogs of war review and that will happen later today. Here is what else I hope to have out this week.

Reviews of...
Spank-Get Bent
Vindicator/Metal Witch-Outbreak of metal vol.1
Molotow-Rocktales
Ratcliff Bailey-Deuce

plus...
Clash of the album covers
Number 21 on my top guitarist countdown

**Have a great week!

Warbringer-Waking into nightmares

Century Media
2009

Sometimes familiarity can actually be a good thing if it’ is done right like a comfortable chair for instance. The retro thrash scene of recent years is based on familiar patterns and all too often these bands don’t do anything wrong per se, but still manage to sound rather routine. It’s like they think just because they played their vinyl copies of “Hell awaits” and “Terrible Certainty” to death that they can go out and plop down something that will have the kids in high top Nikes falling over their tired, old material. Fortunately there have been a few bands from this trend that are worth checking out. Warbringer are not going to save the thrash scene, but they do attempt to liven it up with pure volume and intensity. It’s like they took prime Testament, Exodus, Metallica and Slayer then shoved them into a blender, poured it out and cranked it up. Nothing original, but you don’t have time to think about that during the record because Warbringer are too busy kicking you in the head with some of the most instantly likable thrash this side of 1987. Seriously they are relentless enough that they just rip it up, but they keep the sound clear and coherent enough that you can absorb all that is being cranked out. On this release they also are developing the skills where they slow the pace down a little without missing a beat and move back and forth between the styles without losing any of their aggression. Yes, they are becoming better song writers and making it look easy. I have had far too many occasions where I slip on a disc by a new thrash band and I stop it halfway through to go listen to a classic by the likes of Over Kill or Destruction just because I would rather hear that than a cheap copy. That’s not the case with Warbringer because they just keep coming forward and their confidence plus the tightly woven sound has me thinking they could be a band who I will be definitely be listening to for some time.

Memory of Steel Warriors

In recent years I was thinking back to some vague memories of these ads in the back of Hit Parader for these independent albums. I remember these horrible covers with some band name with Steel in it. A quick search revealed that it was Steel Warriors who knocked out a self-titled EP in 1984 and "On the road to hell" in 1985. There is a little information on them and a review of the EP here.
http://www.metal-archives.com/band.php?id=1814

It looks like there are some audio files for the albums. I may have to check them out at some point although I can't imagine these being any kind of lost gems. I remember glancing at the ads a few times back in 84-85 and wondering about this band. This was back in the time when I was hoping that every album was going to be great. I guess I still hope that will be the case, but deep down I know better. I wonder if advertising in Hit Parader ever paid off for this band? Obviously these never made it very big, but maybe the ads got them attention or maybe as with me it was the rotten album art that made them hard to forget.

Axis Powers - Marching Towards Destruction

Pulverised Records
2009

Sweden's Axis Powers play a fairly loose brand of death metal with a strong war theme flowing through most of the songs. They bounce back between run of the mill sounding bursts and some more inspired bits. When they are on the band calls on huge pounding bass lines, driving drums and some off the wall ripping guitar bursts. They even go as far as to tuck in some punk edges on occasion. The vocals never get beyond being the typical growling variety, but the music makes up for it enough on these songs. On the times when they hit Axis Powers keep everything going and furious without letting up. This is what keeps them sounding just like a retro thrash/death act. Unfortunately there are several songs where all too willingly fall into the trap of plugging out the kind of death metal that we have all heard too many times. The production does help this album greatly. Everything is certainly brought up enough in the mix to really be heard and the pace changes sound sharp. Even on the more average tracks they still manage to keep everything moving along well enough. I think they took aim and making at extreme death/thrash effort. They show splashes of potential and were never boring, but they could certainly dig in a little deeper and progress even more. There seems to be a tendency for them to start strong, but quickly slip into material that may be comfortable for them to play, but not challenging enough to really be that interesting to their listeners. There is enough to deserve a listen, but hopefully they build on what the interesting ideas they showed in part on this album.

Supergroup?

I was going to write on 1980's albums that I underrated today, but I decided to save that to do as a list after I finish my top guitarist countdown. With the release of Chickensh...I mean Chickenfoot this week I was forced to hear the "S" word. "S" as in supergroup. I have written on this topic before, but this new release had me thinking about it again. Now, I have not heard Chickenfoot and will not be buying it largely because there is no one involved with the project that I am very fond of. I have read some positive reviews on it though. Anyways the media and PR people seem to love to slap the above term on a project that involves a couple of guys who have been involved in names before. Much like reunion albums supergroups tend to be more miss than hit in my opinion. There tends to be a lot of hype around these projects as expectations tend to be that the quantity of name players will mean quality music. That doesn't seem to happen very often or at least not often enough. Why is this? A number of times you get guys who are past their prime who join forces thinking that several hasbeens can sell more albums than just one hasbeen. I think Chickenfoot falls in that category. Other times you just guys that play it too safe. Damn Yankees come to mind on this one. That doesn't mean that there have not been good supergroups. Captain Beyond, Asia (debut album only), David Lee Roth's original line-up, Desperado and Mindfunk (debut) all come to mind as supergroups that worked to some extent. Although none of those are very recent examples.

Feel free to share your views on supergroups.

I'll have a supergroup Lesser of two evils out at some point in the near future.

Twisted Sister-Stay Hungry 25th anniversary edition

Rhino/Atlantic
2009



To say that this album had a major impact on me would be a gross understatement. Back in those early days I was eagerly absorbing any hard rock or metal that I get my hands on. Twisted Sister along with the likes of Van Halen, Iron Maiden, Motley Crue, Judas Priest and others were some of the first bands that I was exposed to. I don't know if it was the raw sound or the silly anti-authority lyrics, the drag queens gone wrong look or a combination of all of those, but Twisted Sister just struck a nerve with me.Their first three albums are fine examples of edgy hard rock done with a lot enthusiasm and fire. "Stay Hungry" was the one that really sucked me in. I wore out at least two cassette copies of this back in the mid-1980's. I had a Twisted Sister poster taped to my wall and of course I scribbled TS symbols all over my book covers. My love for the band tapered off on the albums after this as the band failed to deliver a good follow-up. Now twenty-five years later we get this two disc anniversary edition of "Stay Hungry" which also comes just a few years after the band re-recorded the album as "Still Hungry". The first disc is a remastered version of the classic album. Truthfully I don't hear a great deal of difference in the sound, but that's okay because the material still holds up well. "We're not going to take it" is a fantastic anthem that has never gotten old to my ears. Songs like "S.M.F' and the title track still have that powerful bite that they always possessed. Tracks like the two part "Horror-Teria" and the always fantastic "Burn in hell" have a dark side to them and they work even today. "Don't let me down" would be my choice for most underrated song on this album. "The Price" really should have been a bigger hit than it was as it's a slow song done right with feeling rather than the kind of whiny sap that made up many of the hard rock ballads of the day. Now I do have to admit that "I wanna rock" doesn't sound as good to me as it did back then. I still like it, but it's merely decent. That leaves "The Beast" and it is the one song on this album that I have never cared for. It's rather dull, but the rest of the album makes up for it. A great album, but that's not all because we still have disc two which is full of demos and previously unreleased tracks. There are demos for five of the songs on "Stay Hungry" and they vary in quality. The one for the title track is solid and not far off from the final version while "We're not going to take it" sounds very rough and the band has yet to figure out the groove that really drives the completed version. Interesting to hear these tracks in their early stages. Then there are ten older unreleased songs that recorded while the band was making "Stay Hungry" back in late 1983. For whatever reason they were not picked for that album, but at least we get to hear them now. There are some real gems like "What's love without you" and "We're coming on". Actually most of these songs are good although some sound like they could have been fleshed out a little more. In hearing these it's a shame that Twisted Sister went so far off the mark on 1985's "Come out and play" when they had some fine material like these songs already done. The first of the last two entries is a "KMET radio spot" which is brief, but slightly amusing. The other is "30" which is the band's first new track in a long time. It has a bit of an older drive to it, but definitely the kind of simple gritty sound that helped define Twisted Sister back in their prime. Surprisingly better than I was expecting. It's not like I needed an excuse to listen to "Stay Hungry" again, but this is a great album and the second disc is sure to please fans of the band as well.

Clash of the album covers

It is...


Saint Vitus-Mournful Cries

vs.


Trouble-Plastic Green Head

***Which cover do you prefer?

Bone Shaker-Union

Firewalk
2009


Wisconsin based trio follow-up 2007's "Bang,...You're Dead" with their latest effort. Now I loved their last previous album, but admittedly they were very much following their influences. So the result was a classic style metal disc owing much to WASP, Judas Priest, Iron maiden, Grim Reaper and others. Now obviously the band has felt the need to reach out and establish their own sound. The influences are still there in places only Bone Shaker have tried to build on them rather than just channeling the ideas. The results are mixed, but mainly successful. The overall sound is certainly more varied than on the last album. There are more pace changes within individual songs this time around. it doesn't always work, but it certainly adds some flexibility to their sound and they exhibit a fair amount of control. Now admittedly it took me longer to get into "Union" than it did for "Bang,... you're dead" and that's mainly because the material on the lat album was instantly familiar because it was so like other bands I knew. However, Bone Shaker are going through a transition of trying to evolve in both writing and playing. They have pulled upon various ideas this time around. It's not just 80's metal this time around because there are some more modern sounds, hard rock and others stirred into the pot for this release. Not every track is great, but I appreciate the effort and I think that they are on the right track. I am certainly interested in seeing where they go next.




www.myspace.com/boneshakerinfo

Oscape-The growing ground

Self-produced
2009

According to their Myspace page Oscape has been in the music scene for 18 years playing all around Tucson and the Southwest. Their list of influences varies from New Model Army to Slayer and includes several bands that would fall in between those two. Oscape remind me of Alice in Chains some and more their acoustic work. In fact Oscape remind me more of a early to mid-90's band if I were forced to pin them down. Right away I warmed up to the production on the E.P. as it's just the right blend of raw edginess and it's in your face when needed. They obvious care a great deal about the lyrics and the songs are set in a way that allows the listener to soak in the messages. The quickly fall into a groove on most of the songs and they certainly know their comfort zone. It was difficult to get a total sense of where this band was going from just six songs. That is also affected by the fact that two of the songs kind of roam around some. The music is tight and flows along fine. A few of the songs sound somewhat similar, but largely the band keep injecting enough ideas and movement into the songs. I found myself that this is a good start, but I would like to more. I also think they could benefit from taking a few more chances. There was enough here to like that I would certainly be interested in hearing what they could do with on a full length effort.

www.myspace.com/oscape

Number 22

My top hard rock/heavy metal guitarist countdown moves on with number 22. It is...



Jeff Hanneman and Kerry King

Normally when you think of talented individuals in Slayer you think of drummer Dave Lombardo first. There is good reason for that, but this guitar duo contributed greatly as well. Not technically great yet they brought a much needed dose of heaviness to thrash and they built upon it. Thrash and death metal would not have been the same without their contributions.

So far we have..
25-Ace Frehley
24-Andy McCoy
23-James Hetfield and Kirk Hammett
22-Jeff Hanneman and Kerry King

I'll have number 21 out next week.

What's coming up?

Yes, I have been watching Buck Rogers this week. This show has some of the worst dialog of the time and that is definitely saying something. The plots included space vampires, a child genius (Gary Coleman), a planet without men, a crooked space casino and more. Plus we are treated stiff acting, a robot with a head shaped like a penis, a ship's bay that looks like a warehouse with Christmas lights on the floor and stunt doubles who look nothing like the actor they are in for. So why watch? Well, it is sci-fi sort of. It has Erin Grey of course. At times it was like a space version of the Love Boat with all of the guests including Jack Palance, Jamie Lee Curtis, Ray Walston, Frank Gorshin, Gary Coleman and a lot more. Although I am not sure if that is a good point or not. That's just the first season and it was way better than the second season. I still think it's funny and that's probably the main reason I watch it. Anyways
I still owe an Oscape review and that will come Saturday plus I hope to have all of these others out in the next week.

Reviews of...

Twisted Sister-Stay Hungry 25th anniversary edition
Powers-Marching towards destruction
Dogs of winters-From soil to shale
Bone Shaker-Union

Clash of the album covers
Number 22 on my top guitarist countdown
Maybe something about 80's albums that I underrated

***Have a great week!

It's solo album hell again with surprisingly two solo albums where neither is a vocalist. We have former Angel keyboardist Greg Giuffria's band taking on Billy Idol guitarist Steve Stevens with his first solo effort. Giuffria came from a time when keyboards were thought to be cool. Wait, abundant keyboards like those were never cool no matter what some suit at MCA may have thought. They should have known better. Stevens was a fine guitarist with Idol and many fans were excited to see what he could do with more control. The answer was not much because the effort seems minimal on his album. Let's slice these turkeys up and see what's in there.


Giuffria-s/t

vs.


Steve Stevens-Atomic Playboys

Vocals-David Glen Eisley is up for Giuffria taking on Perry McCarty plus Steve Stevens handled vocals on one track. Eisley sounds like he's trying to be Sammy Hagar. That's not the highest goal in the world. However Eisley just struggles to convey any real personality and his consistency level is sketchy at best. Not out of tune, but he doesn't help the material and it needed help. McCarty shows up and tries, but the material is sub-par. Although I can hear that he is trying and he never really hits any clunkers.
Point to Steve Stevens


Guitars-Craig Goldy is up for Giuffria and he takes on Steve Stevens. I liked Goldy when he was in Dio, but here he is clearly in the background and just allowed to sprinkle out a few specks of flash. It's few and far between and by the time it does happen I am already in my "who cares at this point?" mood. Stevens' style of course affects the whole album because it his album. The biggest problem with his release is that he never seemed sure of what he wanted this album to be. The result is a very uneven album with a few promising rock bits and then a whole of filler and clutter. However, he has a few moments and not just a few notes per song.
Point to Steve Stevens

Rhythm section-For Giuffria it is Alan Krigger on drums and Chuck Wright on bass against Steve Stevens on bass and Thommy Price on drums. Giuffria is bad AOR with the keyboard player being in charge so the rhythm section is perhaps even more invisible than on a bad hard rock album. Stevens has his name on the album so that may be a factor as to why we actually get to hear bass work a little on the album. Price isn't stellar, but the drum sound is fair enough.
Point to Steve Stevens

Originality/production-When Greg Giuffria was in Angel they were second or third rate 70's hard rock. Being as this was the 80's I guess Greg heard Journey, Foreigner and the like so he decided to plop out some AOR. Unfortunately this is a lot of fluff without the melodies and catchiness that made up good AOR (yes, I do believe there is such a thing). Steve Stevens' album isn't as formulaic, but it's not all that good either. Some of the ideas are different, but they don't work out so well. The production work on Giuffria is typical of the time which means it's very slick but doesn't convey much in the way of substance. The production for Steve Stevens is good enough as it tries to help and certainly doesn't hurt the album.
Point to Steve Stevens


Who rocks more?-Giuffria and his band were obviously much more focused on aiming for a hit than they were on making a rock album or even a likable album. This is bloated bubblegum with very little redeeming values. Now with that said, I still think Steve Stevens' album was more of a disappointment. Angel were not that good so I didn't expect their keyboard player to create a masterpiece, but Stevens was a good player with Billy Idol and his best songs here were a cover and a couple of very typical hard rock efforts. His ideas were scattered and the results the same. Shame on him. However he is going to win by default or because he did about three songs that didn't make me gag.
Point to Steve Stevens

Well, it's a sweep, but that doesn't mean Steve Stevens should get off the hook for his album either. Giuffria played a style that had a following 25 years ago, but it's a bland and poofy attempt at AOR. Steve Stevens showed that he needed to just go back and back up other people if that was the best he could do on his own. Even the H.R. Giger cover doesn't help a whole lot.

***I'll have another match-up out next month.

Interview with Punky Peru of Witch

Witch were very much a part of the LA metal scene back in the mid-late 1980's and fortunately they are back again. This time Betsy Bitch is currently handling vocals and they have done several shows in recent months. I recently had the pleasure of interviewing drummer Punky Peru to find out more.


MM-Hello. What are you currently up to?
PP-We are putting the finishing touches on a new demo. It will be the first recording we have done in 20 years with all new material. And the first with Betsy singing.

MM-Betsy has been in the band for a few months and played several shows with you. Is this a permanent situation or is it still possible that Peter may rejoin the group?
PP-I always say...never say never but, yes Betsy is a permanent singer for Witch.

MM-How did the recent shows go? What were some of the highlights?
PP-We just recently played a show at the Black Castle in Los Angeles and the Cat Club in Hollywood. The Black Castle reminded me of the old days. It was an "all age" venue so there were hundreds of screaming teenagers there. Just the kind of crowd we know and love.

MM-Any good stories from these recent shows?
PP-No, not really. I mean no one got hurt or thrown in jail. The shows went very smooth and we had all night parties just like we did back in the day.

MM-What kind of people have come to your recent shows? Is it a lot of old diehards who were fans in the 80’s or a combination of younger and older fans?
PP-Not so much of the old diehards. Mostly people that had missed us back in the 80's and were curious with a mixture of new younger fans. Maybe their parents use to go see us. Who knows.....

MM-What does your current set list look like?
PP-The entire Hex is On EP, The Cherokee demos, 1:45 and Suffering in Silence. Suffering is the only song in the set that is not on the new Damnation CD.



MM-What has been the most difficult thing about getting back into playing as a group?
PP-Scheduling! With me in Hawaii, Ronny in Idaho and Jim and Betsy in Southern California it takes a lot to coordinate things.

MM-Are you using any of the old stage props that you used to? Or is it just the band and your instruments so far?
PP-We are using some of the old stage props. We have the flaming drum sticks on the intro, police lights, fire curtains and lots and lots of fog.

MM-Last year the “Damnation” collection was released. How did that come about and what has been the response to it?
PP-It came about by all the interest from the Witch website put together by Mark Piotrowski.

MM-Are there any more Witch recordings sitting around that might see the light of day?
PP-Just the new ones we are working on now. Keep your eyes open for possibly a DVD with lots of old live footage and interviews.

MM-Have you written any new material since reforming?
PP-Jim and I were working on a new project called "Punching the Clown". We put the project on hold for the Witch reunion. We recently decided to take the demos and have Betsy sing on them. You might hear some of them at future Witch shows.
If so then how does it compare with your other songs? They sound like WASP meets Kiss.

MM-There are a number of hard rock/metal festivals playing in the U.S. in the upcoming months. Has anyone approached you about playing any of those events? Would you be interested in shows like that?
PP-Yes, that is the reason we got back together. We had an offer to play the "Bang your Head" and "Keep it Real" festivals in Europe this year but then they fell through. We also had an opportunity to play the "Rock gone Wild" festival in Iowa this year but had to back out due to scheduling problems with Ronny.



MM-What do you think about the hard rock/metal scene today? How does it compare with music from say twenty years ago?
PP-I'm not sure. I have been out of it for so long. It appears that there is a big underground of the heavy death metal scene and a come back of the old 80's rock groups.

MM-What kind of your music are you currently listening to?
PP-I like everything now. From reggae to the Foo Fighters to old Van Halen shit.

MM-If you could only listen to three albums over the next month then what would you choose?
PP-That's a hard one to answer. Sweet "Desolation Boulevard", Foo Fighters "Skin & Bones" and Janes Addiction "Kettle Whistles".



MM-What goals do you have for the band this time around?
PP-To play festivals and have a good fucking time.

MM-Is there anything else that you would like to say about your band or your music?
PP-Check out the website http://www.witchtheband.com/

-Punky Peru

http://www.myspace.com/witchtheband

I also interviewed Jim Warmon of Witch last year in case you missed it.
http://metalmark.blogspot.com/2008/09/interview-with-jim-warmon-of-witch.html