Clash of the album covers

It is....


Anthrax-We've come for you all

vs.


Megadeth-The system has failed

***Which cover do you prefer?

Honeycomb Love-HCL Style

Cannonball
2009



Not sure about the story behind the band name, but it is a bit unusual. This EP is obviously very rough around the edges. Structure isn't this band's biggest strength as the songs often just move along rather than building up momentum. At times this sounds more like an impromptu jam in someone's basement rather than an album. However the potential is definitely there under the surface. The sheer enthusiasm and energy is present throughout even if all of their songs are not completely fleshed out. The sound is similar to LA Guns, early Guns and Roses and Bon Scott era AC/DC. They have a very mid/late 80's sleaze-glam sound that focuses around very basic riffs. The ideas on these songs are not brilliant, but rather they take what they have and run with it. That's why I think some more experience this band could really be one to watch out for in the future. The songs start out simple and never get more complicated, but Honeycomb Love keep pushing forward with a great of confidence. I get the impression would be great live due to the fact that they just launch into every song. The best offering on here is definitely "Crash 'n burn". This is the one track where they reach beyond a very similar formula. They just seem to playing off the cuff and they stumble a little, but overall it sees the band working it out and showing their most original ideas on the album.These guys need some work for sure, but they are definitely on to something.

What's coming up?

Struggling through at work, but the week work is almost over. I still hope to have out reviews of the latest Honeycomb Love and Empires of Eden plus the Icarus Witch interview in the next few days. For next week I am aiming to have out reviews of the latest from Ember's Flame, JPT Scare band, Delain and Black River and Clash of the album covers.

Have a great week!

Constantine-Shredcore

7Hard
2010

Constanine is a project for Konstantinos Kotzamanis. He is also the guitarist for Mystic Prophecy who I enjoy quite a bit. The title very much fits the project on this one. It's just mainly straight ahead guitar shredding with no vocals, no build-up and a great deal of structure. This is pure fretboard gymnastics and it's makes no attept to be anything else. This is a departure from the power metal sound of Mystic Prophecy as at times it reminds me of speeded up version of Dream Theater's Images and words. A few times he slows down and really takes the time to flesh out some ideas and work in a few flowing melodies. For the most part it's like a sprint with notses flying as fast as possible. Guitars and solo fanataics might eat this stuf up. For most metal fans it's slightly impressive to play so much so fast,but it's also kind of empty. It is certainly not an album I could listen to over and over. I get the impression that Kotzamanis did this much more for himself than for his fans.

Clash of the album covers

Two NWOBHM covers today.


Savage-Loose 'n lethal

Vs.


Witchfynde-Give 'em hell

***Which cover do you prefer?

Battle of the bands

It is...


Corrosion of conformity (COC)

VS.


DRI (Dirty Rotten Imbeciles)

***Which band do you prefer?

Primal Fear-All over the world

Frontiers
2010

For the most part live DVDs are normally hit or miss with me and I normally know what I am going to think about about the DVD fairly early in the show. Going by the above it didn't take long for me to realize that Primal Fear were just as good live as they are in the studio. In fact they are likely even better live. The main part of the DVD was recorded in Switzerland but there is more footage from shows in the USA, Japan and Brazil. Which explains why the DVD is called "All over the world", but live CD is called "In The USA" because it was all recorded in the states. The track listing on both are actually very similar with the DVD having three tracks not on the CD. Seeing them live on this show allows the band to state their case even more than on the recently released CD. They take the stage like a storm and never let up. Ralf Scheepers brings his Rob Halford style vocals to new heights and always seemed in control. His stage presence is undeniable as he has the crowd eating out of his hands the whole time. The music is loud as thunder and the band plows through tracks "Nuclear Fire", "Riding the eagle", "Metal is Forever" and more. The cameras focus on the action and catch reactions of the fans at the same time. The DVD also includes several videoclips, scenes from tours in the above mentioned countries and the making of 16.6. "All over the world" shows Primal Fear at their best and includes lots of material for fans to enjoy.

DesDemon-The Awakening

Self-produced
2009

New York's DesDemon are a female fronted band who play symphonic metal. This type of band is fairly common in recent years, but this band reaches beyond that to some extent. The vocals of Mistress Tina alternates between goth-type vocals and a strong metal style. This is different from the operatic style of vocals that are often associated with this type of music. This approach certainly helps to expand their sound. The other major difference is that the music starts with melodic metal and then the band adds in passages of symphonic, thrash and power metal.This take on their music allowed the band to branch out and keep the music interesting all the way through. They not only avoided falling into a predictable brand, but they also made the best of the styles that they used. This is only a five song EP, but the amount of style and number of pace changes made the album even more filling which is a certainly a major positive point for DesDemon. They not only show their diverse musical interests, but they used them to their advantage. They proved that symphonic metal isn't as limited of a sub-genre as some people may think. A good effort and I look forward to seeing what this band can do when they get around to doing a full length album.

What's coming up?

I still owe reviews for Primal Fear's DVD and DesDaemon this weekend. For next week the knocking down of this tower of discs to review will continue as I tackle the latest from Constantine, Empires of Eden, Honeycomb Love, and Embers Flame. Also I hope to have up an interview with Icarus Witch, Clash of the album covers and maybe even Battle of the bands.

Jorn-Dio

Frontiers
2010

One important about this album is that it was actually started before Ronnie James Dio's passing. Although the track "Song For Ronnie James" was added in as Jorn's way of thanking Dio for all he did as a performer. Jorn had already previously covered "Kill The King" and "Lonely Is The World/Letters From Earth", but they appear as well. As far as song selection we get a few staples from Dio's long career "Don't talk to strangers" and "Stand Up And Shout". More often than not there are less obvious choices on here such as "Night People" and the terrific "Sunset Superman". Even "Sacred Heart" certainly isn't one of the most popular title tracks that Dio did. Still all of these were solid songs and it's good to see them getting picked for this album. Jorn Lande is a powerful singer so unlike many vocalist it's not a stretch for him to cover Dio. His voice is similar in range and it has been obvious through the years that Ronnie was a huge influence on his approach. He handles all of the songs very well which is something that certainly not many vocalists could handle. Jorn fans already knew that and won't be surprised by how good he sounds here. For me this is a cover album and although the vocals are fine I was hoping they would take a few more liberties with the music and try to add something of their own ideas to them. That doesn't happen nearly enough as the band sticks very much to the originals with little variation. To me that limits the number of times I going to play this in the future. I still stick by the idea that a good cover song should A)be somewhat faithful to the original but B) the band also has to put something of their sound into it as well. Jorn and his band do very well that first part, but so well with the second. So this is a good album, but it's unlikely I'll listen to it that often because the versions are so much like the originals I will likely be listening to the originals when I get the urge to hear these songs.

Suicidal Angels-Sanctify the darkness

Nuclear Blast
2010

Greek band Suicidal Angels sophomore album took me a few plays to figure out what I really thought of. Retro thrash bands seem to be emerging from everywhere these days. Like any other movement their are bands who are on the top of the scene and bottom of the barrel acts. Suicidal Angels may not be totally in either group, but after five plays I came to the conclusion that they fall closer to the top group. This is real, gritty thrash that draws deeply upon the likes of Slayer, Sodom, Destruction and Death. They rely on chugging guitars, barking vocals and a pounding rhythm section. The music isn't particularly innovative, but it is fairly memorable. Despite making their influences very obvious this band still manages to begin carving their own sound adding some rapid fire grooves into the mix. They seem to have a greater focus to mixing in tempo changes and melodies as opposed to just sticking to pure speed. I think that decision greatly helps their cause and they are well on their way to forming their own sound while complimenting their influences. All in all a strong effort.

Toxic Lab Rats-Intoxicated

Spectre
2010

Swedish act Toxic Lab Rats play a blend of hard rock and punk that owes much to the likes of Rancid and Dropkick Murphys. They are high on energy and speed, but short in the idea department for both music and lyrics.There is pretty much nothing new to their approach and it's actually quite raw in places. Where they actually do excel to an extent is in the fact that they write some moderately catchy tunes. Also the songs are fairly short and focused. None of the 15 tracks are filler as all manage to be at least decent. The major problem is we have heard all this before probably more than ten years ago. While the album is fine enough the Toxic Lab Rats just are not doing enough to distinguish themselves from their influences and they are not doing anything that you are going to remember them the day after you hear the album. That's fine to do a style you like and draw on bands you love, but if you want to beyond just being a copy you have to step it up a notch and add something of yourself to the sound. Unfortunately there just wasn't enough of that going on here.

What's coming up?

I have too many items sitting around waiting to be reviewed so I have several lined up over the next few days. I will be cranking out reviews of Primal Fear's new DVD plus the latest from Toxic Lab Rats, DesDaemon, Suicidal Angels and Jorn.

Stratovarius-Polaris

Armoury
2010

This disc originally came out last year, but now we get a two disc set. Disc one is the Polaris album just as it was released in 2009. I was immediately impressed by this album a year ago and it sounds just as strong a year later. It had been some time since they hit a solid release before this album, but this disc brought back the spirit of their prime and got them back on track. Most fans have probably gotten this album in it's original form, but the real is of course the Polaris Live disc. This disc is listed as having been recorded in various cities in various countries. So we get fourteen songs and if Polaris didn't prove that Stratovarius were back to form then the live disc should certainly convince everyone that there is still plenty left in the tank. The production and overall tone if nothing short of fantastic for their performances. There is no shortage of highlights and some of the best include but are not limited to Speed of light, Kiss of Judas and Father Time. Their songs are all severely tight and impressive. They work up a strong attack that pulls upon equal amounts of power and finesse. The performances not only remind me of this band's overall fine history, but the songs off of Stratovarius fit in just as well.Fans should already have Polaris, but the live disc makes the set much worth the purchase.

Stratovarius-Infinite

Armoury
2000/2010

This was the eighth album from Stratovarius and was originally released in 2000. Before this album they had possibly hit their creative peak in the mid to late 1990's. While Infinite is a good album it saw the band slowing down and re-hashing previous material at times. So at the time it was perhaps the first time in the band's career where they were moving backwards rather than forwards. The re-issue includes a second disc which includes rarities, demo tracks and live songs. The second disc certainly compliments Infinite. The style of the rarities is similar with heavy emphasis on melodies and it is close to the approach of the tracks on Infinite. The demos are of Hunting High and Low and Millennium while the live tracks are Phoenix and Infinity. So all versions of tracks from Infinite. A decent bonus disc although your view of Infinite will probably dictate what you think of it. Overall a decent package that's likely to deal to die hard fans more than anyone else.

Battle of the bands

We have...


Anthrax

vs.


Exodus

***Which band do you prefer?

Blind Illusion-The Sane asylum

Metal Mind
1988/2010

The Bay area's Blind Illusion formed back in 1979 and went through different style changes before eventually settling on thrash.The band went through numerous line-up changes too as vocalist/guitarist Mark Biedermann was the only long term member left by the time they recorded the Sane Asylum. Joining Biederman for this album was bassist Les Claypool before his Primus fame, guitarist Larry LaLonde after Possessed and before Primus plus drummer Mike Miner. Even though Blind Illusion had formed before most other thrash bands their album came out at a time when the thrash movement was in full swing and many other Bay Area bands had already released albums. Still that didn't matter because it was instantly obvious that this was not just another thrash act trying to cash in on the rising trend. The album uses thrash riffs, but the straight ahead gallops are mixed in with various other pieces and the approach has different levels rather than just one speed. As a whole thrash in 1988 wasn't seeing a great deal of growth, but this was one band who were right away showing that the genre could be expanded upon. I first heard this album the year it came out and it took me a few spins to get into it because I was big on the charge ahead type of thrash. This album had more to give you just had to listen a little longer to soak it all in. Unfortunately the new re-issue doesn't have any bonus tracks and has the same packaging as the vinyl. On the other hand it's good to see it on an affordable CD. Also the music holds up very well twenty-two years later. Reportedly the band was working on an album around 1989 called "The Medicine Show" apparently also featuring Claypool and LaLonde as well as Biederman, but it was never released. The band just released "Demon Master" this month. I have not heard it yet, but need to. So for those new to the band you can now check out the re-issue of the debut and their recently released and long awaited sophomore release.

Clash of the album covers

It is...


Nazareth-Expect no mercy

vs.


Whitesnake-Lovehunter

***Which cover do you prefer?

Mass-Swiss Connection

SPV

1981/2010

What a difference a year made. I don't what the guys in Mass did in between 1980's "Angel Power", but it sure made a difference. They not only bought a clue, but they figured out their musical direction, how to create strong grooves, how to very styles and their production values inproved by about 60%. Plus they were going to get even a little better after this album. Still I cannot get over the leap they made on this album. It's not great as they still could use some breaks in the repetition and few more hard hitting moments. Still they figured out so many things and turned out albums where every song is at least decent. That is indeed reason for some sort of celebration considering I could barely struggle through "Angel Power" and it's almost complete lack of anything to latch onto. Still this German band were somewhat behind the times compared to what was going on with the top NWOBHM acts. In fact the music here has a little more in common with late 70's hard rock than with other early 80's acts. The most important facts are that Mass managed to improve drastically and lay down some catchy hard rock tracks. If you are interested in checking this band out then I would definitely skip Angel Power and go to this release instead.

Mass-Angel Power

SPV

1980/2010



Wow, ummm this album is kind of well... rough to be quite honest. It sounds a very raw and very early rehearsel. However this was actually the band's forth album. The prodction is weak the vocals being twice as loud as the music, but still very fuzzy. The music is too far in the background with an incredible lack of backbone for a hard rock release. Maybe the band had little control over that I can understand that. The music itself is not a whole better. There is just a complete lack of grooves and hooks. They hit upon some initial riffs to get going, but 15-30 seconds in the band as a whole seems overwhelmed by the task of having to create a 3-4 minutes song. So they stumble through to the bitter end dragging our poor eardrums down with them. Even if I heard this when it first came out in 1980 my view would not have been much favorable. Listen to this and then then listen to something like Iron Maiden's debut or Saxon's Wheels of steel. You would immediately be aware of just how much work Mass needed to get up to acceptable level. The re-issue includes one bonus track.

Schedule

Okay, I am running behind on my schedule for writing. The Primal fear DVD will get reviewed at some point this week as soon as I get around to seeing it. I will have two Mass reviews out later today.

Gallow's End contest

I have two autographed copies of Gallow's End's Nemesis Divine CD to give away. Just go over to the right on this page where it talks about contacting me and click on "HERE". Send me a message that you want to be entered in the Gallow's End contest and list an e-mail where I can contact you if you win. On July 17 I'll draw two winners and contact you. Good luck.


Here is my review of the album in case you are interested.

http://metalmark.blogspot.com/2010/06/gallows-end-nemesis-divine.html

What's coming up?

I'll be on vacation from work next week, but I hope to still be writing here. I hope to have a review of Primal Fear's review tomorrow. Some CD review on Saturday. I am not sure what yet.
Next week will be re-issue week of sorts as the five CDs I will tackle are all re-issues. There will be two each from Mass and Stratovarius plus one from Blind Illusion. Plus Clash of the album covers and battle of the bands.

***Have a great week!

Sergeant Steel- Lovers and maniacs

2010


This year has been solid for metal so far. What about hard rock? Let's see the new Ratt is good and Krokus and uh...well... okay it hasn't been the best year for hard rock. Don't despair because there is still hope and Austria's Sergeant Steel are one the bands that make me think that 2010 could still turn out to be fine year for hard rock after all. Sergeant Steel show influences from the mid-70's, early 90's and of course the 80's. They also step over into metal on a few tracks as well. They are not just a retro act and they sure are not afraid to take chances as they blend 80's hard rock along the lines of Van Halen, Bon Jovi, TNT and others with some vocal change-ups that remind me of Queen. Then they step it up a notch and approach a Judas Priest style fury at times. To be honest in a music scene so many bands seem content to just coipy one band it is very refreshing to hear act that's brave and enough to take numerous influences and not just copy them, but rather pull them together and add their own spin on it. What's more impressive it that for the most of Lovers and maniacs actually succeeds in being all that Sergeant Steel wanted it to be. Now that's not to say there isn't room for improvement. They could use some tightening around the edges and a little more direction in places, but in all they are the real deal. So here's hoping that these guys keep pushing the limits, take chances and follow up on the direction that they have started here.

Abscess-Dawn of inhumanity

Peaceville
2010

Long running death act Abscess crank out their eigth album and although not bad it left me unsatisified in many ways. It's heavy and they try to switch the pace around some and they stick to some standard influences. They attempt to mix death with hardcore and thrash. The main problem is the results are dull. For a band that has been around as long as they have Abscess seemed to have lost sight of how to be dynamic or create major hooks. As it stands this album was repitious and left me feeling rather dry at the end. Like all the life had been sucked out of me while I stuck with it to the end hoping it would get better. They are tying hard to incorporate numerous sounds into this, but diversity doesn't help if there are not sparks. That's how this album strikes me. The mix in different styles, but none of them help when they are generic like this. Most of the parts sound like Abscess dumbed it down with simple versions of death, thrash and hardcore. Unfortunately that doesn't work, but it just makes the album feel even longer. Several songs start out with promise, but they never follow up and instead just put it in neutral and try to glide through taking no chances. Not terrible, but not nearly what I was hoping for.

Touch and Go:The complete hardcore punk zine '79-83

Bazillion Points
2010



Back in the days before the Internet the fanzines were a great outlet for fans to spread their love for whatever their passion was. Back in 1979 Meatmen frontman Tesco Vee of the and Dave Stimson were huge punk rock fans and record junkies. So they decided to put together their own fanzine about punk rock. Touch and Go ran from Fall of 1979 until the spring of 1983. All of the issues have been copied and bound into this collection for your reading and browsing pleasure. Now this was indeed a very rough DIY type of zine with sometimes blurry pics, not always the greatest amount of order and frequently you have to search to see where one segment ends and another begins. Above all else these guys were honest and that shines through. They were honest about their views and said so straight out in their album reviews, live reviews and other articles. Today we are use to very orderly websites updated frequently with news. Before the Internet you had to wait a relatively long time to find out news about bands that you liked. If you liked more underground bands then you may have an even tougher time finding news and reviews. Tesco and Stimson give a fans view of a fairly exciting and busy period for punk rock. In reading interviews and reviews of and about the likes of Minor Threat, the Misfits, Discharge and many others in these pages you can feel the energy and excitement that the authors had towards these bands. Fans of this genre and the attitude and fire that accompanied this time in punk rock are going to find much to enjoy about this book. Highly recommended.

Sin4sin-7 deadly

2010

Being a native of Maryland I am always thrilled to listen to up and coming bands from my home state. It's even more pleasing when they actually pan out. So I am in luck on both counts as Baltimore's Sin4sin are the real deal. It's like Sebastian Bach era Skid Row only if the band forgot about ballads and changing musical trends and just stuck with full throttle kind of hard rockers. Sound good? Yes, I think so too. Which means I was all over this album from the start. The lyrics are of the typical drinking and loving women variety that we have all heard before. When it comes to music and vocals then that's where this band comes alive. Like a huge machine they storm forward cranking out fist banging tunes like it's 1989 again. There is down time or melodic turns on this disc as Sin4sin let loose headbanger after headbanger. I imagine these guys would be great live because they never let up and just keep bringing all they have like prize fighter coming on strong in every round. I really expected there to be a slower song or some filler because that's the way most hard rock bands operate. Sin4sin proved me wrong and I thank them for it. This hasn't been a great year for hard rock thus, but it just got a little better.

Clash of the album covers

Here you go...


Danzig-Deth Red Saboath

vs.


Force of evil-Black Empire

***Which cover do you prefer?

The year so far

So now here we are now into the second half of 2010. Speaking of music in the year thus far I would say it has been a good year. Not great, but good although with over five months left it could still turn out to be great. If I had to make up my list of the top 25 albums of the year so far it might take a while to sort it all out. Ufomammut's Eve is definitely my favorite album so far. Stone Axe 2 would be my second favorite. After that it gets more complicated and I'll likely pass on judgement for now. Around Halloween I'll start pulling out all the possible albums and giving them all a play or two to figure out who ranks where. Last year was definitely a strong year for stoner rock. This year I have not seen as much of a trend for a certain genre being stronger than another. The only trend I have seen so far is that a number of veteran bands have put out surprisingly good albums including Ratt, Treat, Heathen, Krokus and Danzig. Another good sign for 2010 is the lack of bad albums. Slash's album bored me to death. For actual bad albums the only ones that come to mind are Ozzy's new one which is awful as expected and the album from Suicidal Angels. The latter are a horribly generic thrash band with a lousy singer and some of the worst, least imaginative lyrics that I have heard in some time. I have not yet heard the new ones from Vince Neil or Bret Michaels although I would expect both to be quite bad. I have also heard a number of solid albums from little known or new bands and a good year for re-issues. There are also some already released albums that I have not got around to hearing. Due to lack of funds and time I may not get around to hearing all of them. Still I hope to get around to hearing the latest from from High on fire, Exodus, Overkill, Raven, Brainstorm Crashdiet and Sister Sin. With releases from Maiden, the Sword and others yet to go I am hopeful that the rest of the year will be solid too.

***What albums from 2010 have you enjoyed most so far and what upcoming 2010 releases are you most looking forward to?

Fen-Trails out of gloom

Ripple Music
2010



I have had this disc for several weeks and played it repeatedly. Still it has taken me some time to really put together my thoughts into words to describe this and I'm still not sure that I'll do justice to this release. Vancouver's Fen carve out a mixture of styles with relative ease. The music is mainly progressive rock, but it doesn't end there as they bring in many ideas to the mix and keep the pace and moods changing throughout. They effortlessly create some smooth as silk melodies that will mesmerize your senses and pull you along. Then they grind out heavy, semi-fuzzed out passages with the same amount of passion and skill. It's not just that they are creating moods, but rather that they are guiding them and us. Yet I never question it because all of the above ties together in the end. Perhaps the band's greatest asset is their ability to get so much out of every step they take. Each note, beat and word that Fen create all have a purpose and as a listener you will feel that. There is a very deliberate approach to their music and they take their time in building up each track. It's this approach that allows the band to get the maximum results from everything they do. Very few parts of what they create here are complicated, but it's more the fact that they are great at constructing and building these simple pieces together to make fantastic songs that unfold like masterful stories. Indeed this album is a grower of sorts. I liked it on the first play, but definitely like it more on each play. With each play I discovered more and more reasons to enjoy "Trails out of gloom".

http://www.myspace.com/fenmusicvancouver

What's coming up?

I still owe a Fen review so tomorrow I hope to have that out and then finally a Lesser of two evils on Sunday. For next week I am aiming for reviews of the latest from Abscess, Sin4sin and Sergeant Steel and the Primal Fear DVD. Plus maybe one more review. Also a Clash of the album covers or even two.

Have a great week!

Darkthrone-Circle the wagons

Peaceville
2010

Long running act Darkthrone have run through different sounds during their career. From death metal to black and then to their current sound. Currently they reach back about twenty five or more years and play a blend of early thrash combined with 80's UK hard core. This album brings the full force gallop of Motorhead, the primitive heaviness of Hellhammer and the attitude of Broken Bones and Discharge. On top of that add Darkthrone's experience and control and you have the makings of an explosive album. They seem to purposely leave the production slightly underdone to complement the sound and indeed it does. There are plenty of parts that will have you thinking it's 1985 again, but Darkthrone have enough of their ideas to really keep this machine rolling. They rarely let the music sit too long this times around and they bring enough ideas and even surprising bits into the mix. That's what helps to elevate this album above just being another retro release. Their musical ability and their willingness to do what like come together in "Circle the wagons" and the results are astounding. I am not sure that fans of Darkthrone's older material will immediately take to this, but they should give it a try because there is plenty going on here to appeal to most metal fans.

Clash of the album covers

Two fairly simple images this time around.


DRI-Crossover

vs.



Nuclear Assault-Handle with care

***Which cover do you prefer?

Snake Eyes-Beware of the snake

Slaney
2010

Poland's Snake Eyes make no effort to hide their obvious love for old style thrash. Their sound is very much reflects the likes of Kreator, Slayer, Destruction, Sodom, early Death and others. This is basic and direct thrash that just blasts ahead. If it wasn't for the strong production you might swear that this was some lost release from 1989. I hear those kind of bands frequently these days, but Snake Eyes are a little better than most. The fact that they rip into their songs without hesitation or build-up and the pure aggression they bring helps elevate their sound. Fortunately they are one of those bands that realized that heaviness is equally as important as speed in constructing good thrash. So we actually hear the rhythm section and the two guitarists make their presence known constantly with riffs that you will feel in your bones. They even control the pace and really keep the songs active with a steady barrage of blistering sounds. Most of the tracks are under four minutes, but I was actually surprised that four of the nine songs go over the five mark. I didn't realize that until about the third time I played the album. I guess that's to their credit that they keep it all moving along and grab your attention. Nothing fancy here, but rather just old school thrash and fans of that style should really take to "Beware of the snake".

www.myspace.com/snakeeyesthrash

On-Off: Ribcrasher

Self-Produced
2010

Who is the most copied hard rock ever? To my ears there is no doubt that it's AC/DC. Even though that band's prime was was thirty or more years ago it still seems like today there are more and more bands that come out sounding like them. I am not sure if the reason is because is people love them so much or because it's easy to me. My guess is most cases that it's a combination of the two. Here we have On-Off who actually started out as an AC/DC cover band. The music reaches back to the earlier boogie of say Dirtys Deeds and Let there be rock. A couple of the songs have riffs that are very similar to that era. Where On-Off get away from being a total clone is in the vocals. Guitarist/vocalist Matteo Vego does reach into a Bon Scott mode on a couple of songs. For the most part he sings as himself and his voice is more of an 80's hard rock style. That does compliment the music and keeps this band from being a complete copy. There are a few songs where they as a band bring more of their own sound and get away at least a little from their prime influence. There are enough AC/DC inspired three chord riffs here to appeal to fans of that band, but On-Off also manage to bring forth enough elements of their own to set them apart from other bands.

Battle of the bands

Here you go.



Dokken

vs.



Quiet Riot

***Which band do you prefer?

Mass-Metal Fighter

SPV
1983/2010

Germany's Mass had been around for about seven years when they released "Metal Fighter". To me this is definitely their best work and quite a step above their previous releases. Drawing on late 70's hard rock/metal and NWOBHM influences Mass tie it all into a very direct, guitar driven attack. It's nothing that you have not heard before. They are decent writers with some catchy songs. Mass also manage to vary the pace and tone quite often from song to song as well. Tracks like "Metal Man" and "High heel thrills" wouldn't win awards for most throught provoking lyrics or receive many originality points. Still there is no doubt that Mass could be quite proficient at playing a basic yet enjoyable songs. All things considered this album holds well enough over time. The re-issue includes some brief notes about this album, booklet and the bonus track "Don't stop on your way". Overall a good package and I am glad that SPV gave this one a re-issue.

Mass-War Law

SPV
1984/2010

Not to be confused with the American band of the same name or the German band who recorded one album ten years ago. This Mass also hailed from Germany, but they formed back in the mid-70's and ended up doing 8 albums between 1977 and 1986. War Law is their second to last release. This is fairly standard metal, but if I heard it without knowing the year it was recorded I would guess about 1979 or 1980. So they were a little behind the times as metal in general was getting heavier and branching by 1984. Still there is something to be said for the fairly catchy brand of music that Mass embraced. They remind me of times of a cross between late 70's Judas Priest and maybe a heavier version of KISS. Being where they are from there may be some early Accept influence mixed in there too. The slightly dated sound is probably what kept them from being as well known as other bands who moved ahead with the times. Still there they were cranking out this slightly under produced music that still has enough kick to be likable. I guess that was the key for them. The fact that they ignored trends and went with what they liked. Dated or not it was still pretty good. This new re-issue includes a bonus track "Playing in a rock -n- roll band" from 1978.

Stone Axe interview

Stone Axe play a style of heavy music that reached back to the 1960's and 70's. I recently had a chance to talk to Tony Reed to find out more about the band, their music and their future plans.

Tell us a little about the history of how Stone Axe came to be.

The Stone Axe name came from my first band when I was 11. I couldn't play yet but I had a band name and a logo.

The music came 27 years later. During the writing for 'the vault session' by Mos Generator I had a few riffs that didn't make it to the final stage of writing. one of those songs ended up being 'riders of the night'. I started writing tunes for a side band that were all in the style of the late 60's early 70's. when it came to the vocals I wasn't interested in singing on them. I had thought of Dru because I worked with him in a few bands and produced him in the studio. I knew he was a great vocalist and had the same love for classic rock as I did. I gave him a few songs to put lyrics and melodies to and when he came over and laid down 'riders' in one take I knew we had something cool.



Who are some of your influences?

Obviously stone axe is influenced by hard rock of the 1960's and 70's but the original idea of the band came from FREE. I wanted to do something that had a lot of space in it. Then once the songs started getting written other styles started creeping in. CREAM, The FACES, Peter Green FLEETWOOD MAC and early AC/DC play a big part in the influence on the first Stone Axe album.



Stone Axe 2 came out recently. Tell us about it?

On Stone Axe II we made an effort to push the music into a more seventies feel. we talked about having bigger choruses and more of a straight ahead rock feel. there is more of a production on this record. We are still riding on the wave of the first record and it appears that SAII is falling in line just fine.



What are some of your favorite tracks on the new album and why?

I like 'On with the Show' a lot. It has a big rock sound, a great singalong chorus and some notey bits in the bridge. It seem to be a well rounded rock tune. 'Chasing Dragons' is cool because it has a different take on the seventies sound. the acoustic intro with the song building a bit with every section works well. the lyrics are great and Dru's delivery is awesome. I had a great time putting together 'Turned To Stone'. The organs and the mellotron make the song super epic. To me it's a mix between Pocol Hrum & Bind Faith.



Did you use any special retro equipment to give your music the tones like it was recorded 35-40 years ago?

We try to use vintage gear as much as possible. I am a huge Laney amplifier fan so I use those as much as possible in the studio. Live I always use my 1970 Laney supergroup head. I have a ton of vintage amplifiers and drum sets. when I am recording I also use as much tube and vintage recording gear as i can. i want the recording to sound vintage as well.



How would you describe your sound to someone who has never heard you before?

Here is an excerpt from a review we got for the first album. To me it says a lot. "If you were to hear this album without the aid of any background information on its origins, your instincts would probably tell you it was 60's-era rock, carefully unearthed from the vaults of an overlooked rock band along the lines of Free or Cream. The fact that it's a new recording is a testament to the precision with which the group crafts not only their songs, but their sound. If you feel like you've exhausted your classic rock options, this is a great place to get a fresh start."



All of your albums are getting various vinyl releases. So I take it that you are huge vinyl fans. How many albums do you own? Do you any great rarities in your collection?

I own a couple of thousand albums. I had a lot more but went through and weeded out stuff that wasn't in good shape or that I didn't listen to much. as far as rarities go, my biggest rarity collections are stuff like Sabbath, Bowie, big star, soundtrack, and bootlegs. A while back I got $1,800 in trade towards my first mellotron for the first nirvana single.



You are getting to play some dates with Saint Vitus really soon. What are your expectations about these shows?

We are very excited and honored to be doing these shows. We are hoping to gain a bigger fan base and set up more connections for our own future tours.



Any other tour plans in the works for the end of Summer or Fall?

We are going to take the summer off and write/record as many songs as well can and then hopefully get to the UK in october. Right now we are having trouble finding anybody to help us out with that (nudge nudge, wink wink-readers).



Who would you love to share a stage with?

Bowie 1973



Tell us about some of your most memorable shows?

I think one of my favorite shows with stone axe was at the Charleston in Brooklyn with Mighty High. it was our first tour, we were headling this show and I was really worried about it, but when went on the room all of the sudden had this great vibe and we knew it was coming across the way we like it to. Nothing really crazy has happened to us yet.



You have a split seven inch with Mighty High coming out soon on Ripple Music. Can you tell us more about that?

I contacted Wood from Mighty High to see if he wanted to do a split 7". He talked to his mates at Ripple and they were into the idea. Since then I have started working for the Ripple music label as their mastering guy. They are also going to re-issue some Stone Axe and Mos Generator discs.

The song we put on the split is called 'Metal Damage'. It has a real 1978-'80 Judas Priest feel. The music was actually written for Mos Generator a few years ago. I like the way it turned out.


Your sound recalls bands from the late 60’s-70’s. What do you think made the music of that time period so special?

There was a lot of uncharted territory. The musical canvas seemed unlimited and bands were allowed to develop their craft over many albums. I think radio played a big part in how people viewed music back then. In an hour you might hear Cream, Anne Murray, the Monkees, and the Spinners all on the same station. I know that radio played a big part in my musical upbringing. Not necessarily me listening to it but my mom.

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

Black Sabbath-Master of reality

Necromandus-Orexis of death

Todd rundgren-something/anything



What do you think about the state of the music industry in general these days?

Confusion. I try not to think about it and just try to be successful at my own thing.



What are some of the best albums you have heard so far in 2010?

I haven't heard any albums from 2010. Only re-issues.



Is Mos Generator still going on?

Yes. A year and a half ago we took a break. We still haven't decided what to do. we played a show in February and it felt great but we haven't done anything since. When we started the break we had 6 songs written for a new record. I see us finishing 5 or 6 more songs and putting something new out. I don't know about shows though.




I love the first album cover, but have to ask about the blueberries. Any significance to them on the cover or did it just look good?

I was looking through a book of photography and saw that picture. It looked very striking to me so decided to use it. It's funny how much I get asked about that.



Pick the band from the following pairs that you prefer and tell why you picked them.

I've been pondering over this question for two days. A couple of these pairings are very difficult. We are talking about some of my favorite bands and I feel like I am betraying one by picking the other.

AC/DC or Thin Lizzy

I will have to go with AC/DC because of their amazing catalog. So many great albums. but Lizzy has so many more dimensions to their music. it's truly beautiful and has a feeling that no other hard rock music has.

Budgie or Deep Purple

Deep Purple hands down. You have to bow to the musicians alone, not to mention the mind blowing tunes.

Cream or Free

Very difficult. free is where stone axe comes from. That is our core sound but Cream are the masters of freeform jamming. If you listen to the live jams and just take them in it is amazing. Cream wins by a very small margin.

Black Sabbath or Pentagram

Black Sabbath is the greatest band of all time. Nothing moves me more. I am actually obsessed.

What's coming up?

It has been very busy at my work as I try to finish up stuff so I can take off next week. I will still be writing here next week as we may just do some day trips. Stone Axe interview out later today. Mass reviews hopefully tomorrow. Fen review on Saturday. For next week I hope to have reviews of the latest from Dark Throne, Snake Eyes and On-Off plus Clash of the album covers and battle of the bands.