Altitudes & Attitude-Altitudes & Attitude

Megaforce Records
2014

Here's a bit of an odd release and chances are it slipped by most of our readers just as it (almost) slipped right past me. You see Altitudes & Attitude is a side-project of bassists Dave Ellefson and Frank Bello. Now, you should be familiar with those two names but if for some reason you're not then that's David Ellefson of Megadeth and Frank Bello of Anthrax. Long-story short ladies and gentlemen, these two musicians/longtime friends were out traveling the world and doing these clinics (which I guess are now known as "Metal Masters"?) when they struck upon the idea of making a mini-album together. Most of the material was reportedly written while the pair was out on the road and here on their first studio recording Dave and Frank are joined by Jeff Friedl who is also the current drummer of A Perfect Circle. Naturally all the bass parts fall on both Dave and Frank and the pair even shares guitar duties*. But when it comes to the main man behind the mic? Well, then we're talking about one Mr. Bello and he actually do a bang up job singing on "Altitudes & Attitude"! Do you find that hard to believe? Go try on "Booze & Cigarettes" for size and then come back and talk to me about whose taking care of business night and day! With only three songs this could be dubbed either a EP or a single and I believe that it was filed under the latter when I initially  downloaded it off of iTunes. For some reason though this self-titled release from the oddly-named Altitudes & Attitude looks as it has now disappeared from the U.S. version of iTunes, but for future reference you can either download it or purchase a physical copy of it on Amazon. As to whether or not you should take that step really depends upon how you feel about rock and hard rock as that is pretty much what Altitudes & Attitude is all about. Anyone expecting thrash from Dave and Frank should keep on walking. "Altitudes & Attitude" opens strong with the gritty sleaze rocker "Booze & Cigarettes" and then ends the same way with the eighties metal anthem, "Here Again". And no, we are not talking about something akin to early Anthrax on the oh-so-right "Here Again", but rather a fine rocker that pays homage to the American metal movement of the early eighties. Back in the day when U.S. hard rock bands were just starting to light it up as they looked towards their British brothers for inspiration (with stars in their eyes and a gnawing hunger that could only be satisfied by even louder and faster guitar solos!) a nifty little number like "Here Again" would have made a real splash in the pond as they say. It's hard rock plus with the "plus" taking the form of imported British metal LPs and it's as good as (if not better than?) the down and dirty "Booze & Cigarettes". If you're counting though that is only two cuts out of three so what exactly is the missing puzzle piece of this 3-track recording? That would be "Tell the World" and while it isn't exactly a dud it in no way, shape or form holds a candle to the two previously-mentioned numbers that it sandwiches. It simply exists in it's own right, but there is no way whatsoever that it would be enough to discourage me from recommending this short and sweet release! I'd love to hear more from Dave and Frank, but with everything else going on for these two bassists I highly doubt that we'll see anything new from Altitudes & Attitude anytime soon. For more information on this rock/metal side project be sure to check out the group's official website here.


*The stone cold slayer that is "Here Again" features wicked lead guitar work from Gus G. (Firewind, Gus G., Ozzy Osbourne, ex-Arch Enemy (live), ex-Dream Evil, ex-Mystic Prophecy, ex-Nightrage)

Red Lamb-Red Lamb

Self-Released/Independent
2013

Wow, for the two people involved in this "project" you'd think there would have been a press-release or something. Instead this was album was released with no fanfare and, had it not been for the fact that I came across a review of it in Classic Rock (February 2012 issue), there's no telling if I'd have ever heard it or not. The two people involved you might be asking? Try Dan Spitz and Dave Mustaine! Guitarist Dan Spitz is of course known for his time spent in Anthrax (A band that I wish he'd return to) and Dave Mustaine is the main driving-force behind Megadeth. "Officially" the line-up for this album includes Dan Spitz (lead guitar, guitar, bass guitar, programming, background vocals, engineering, co-producer) and Don Chaffin (vocals). In addition the pair is aided some 'Brothers In Arms' in the form of Patrick Johansson (drums) and Chris Vrenna (programing and synths). Dave apparently co-write every song on the album with Dan. Why "apparently"? I'll get to that in a bit. DeuxMonkey was originally supposed to be the name of this "super group" and, according to Dave Mustaine himself, the music was said to be in the same vein as Distured, Soundgarden and Rage Against The Machine. That last band does come into play (unfortunately) with some of the songs on this album featuring rap-singing. It's not something I care to elaborate on as it's as bad as it sounds. Mostly though this sounds like the red-headed step-brother of Anthrax collaborating with a half-asleep Dave Mustaine. It's like he's giving them pointers on how to be a better breed of (later day) Megadeth while, for reasons known only to Dave and God, at the same time dipping their toes into some Metallica circa 1991. For most of this the lyrics seem plenty cheesy although "Puzzle Box" stands out as it is about autism. This subject hits close to home for the former Anthrax guitarist as Dan and his wife Candi are raising twin boys who suffer from autism. Having worked with autistic children myself I commend Dan for tackling such a subject. Now, as far Dave goes, and his involvement with this band, it's debatable if his contributions started and ended with him just helping out with the lyrics. Don Chaffin could very well be the only singer on this release, but some of these songs bear the unmistakable vocal delivery of Dave Mustaine. So, there's three options here I guess. Either it's all Don Chaffin and he just sounds like a slightly off-kilter Dave on a few of these tracks (I did listen to some of Don Chaffin's supposed other work and he doesn't sound at all like Dave on those), it's both Don and Dave singing (with Dave not taking any credit for some unknown reason) or it's Dave singing and they just list Don as the lead vocalist for whatever reason. My guess is that it's that second one and that they both sing on this album. I will say that I have a head cold and I'm all stuffed up as I'm listening to the album so I could be wrong. Regardless it is really strange that there was no press release for this or anything and then there's the fact that it was released on iTunes on a Friday (supposedly from what I've read) which, let's face it, is also odd.  Anyone with more information on this project please drop me a line as I'm rather curious about the whole who, what and why of Red Lamb.

Clash of the album covers

Here you go.



Megadeth-So far, so good, so what?

vs.



Metallica-Ride the lightning

***Which cover do you prefer?

Heavy Metal Thunderdome

Time again to match-up two highly thought of albums and see which you prefer based on the music. This time around it's two from the 80's and we'll see what are considered break through albums from half of the Big Four. Let's get ready for our heavyweight match-up.

In this corner we have hailing from New York those funny short wearing, mosh inducing goofballs on their third LP, it is.....



Anthrax-Among the living

Their opponents featuring on their second LP and first on a major label fronted by a former Metallica member and hailing from Los Angeles it is...



Megadeth-Peace Sells

***Which album do you prefer?

Battle of the bands

It is...




Megadeth

vs.


Slayer


***Which band do you prefer?

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?

Megadeth vs. Metallica

Remember the slight few "feud" between these two bands many years ago? The metal mags of the day were all too happy to print anything they thought might sell copies. Mustaine's time in Metallica has always connected these two acts despits the fact that hist ime in Metallica was relatively brief and a long time ago. Still today's battle is...



Megadeth

vs.



Metallica

Both have had ups and downs. They both contributed greatly to the early thrash scene, but both acts went for sounds that were much lighter by the 1990's. Megadeth have gone through numerous line-up changes and Metallica have gone through several changes in musical direction.

***Which do you choose and why?

Lesser of two evils

It's been a while since I pitted clunkers by two normally good bands so up this time is...

Megadeth-So far, so good, so what?

vs.


Metallica-And justice for all


Gasp, Metal Mark how could say that these two bands deserve to be in this column? Well, the short answer to that question is that both these albums were highly disappointing when they came out twenty years ago and neither has aged all that well.
Now for the background on these two albums I think the story would really start in 1986 which of course was when Metallica released Master of Puppets and Megadeth released Peace sells. Both were fine albums, both elevated the bands to higher levels and many fans were thinking that these were going to be two of the real leaders in metal's future. Metallica had to endure the loss of bass player Cliff Burton before the end of 1986. They brought in Jason Newsted from Flotsam and Jetsam to take the spot. They finished the Master of puppets tour and then put out their punk and metal cover album the $5.98 EP in 1987. By early summer 1988 their highly anticipated follow-up to Master was soon to be ready, the band hit the concert trail on Van Halen's Monsters of rock and the new album was going to come out in early fall. Megadeth's Peace sells sold well after it's release in 1985 and the band toured into 1987. The band hit some problems as both guitarist Chris Poland and drummer Gar Samuelson were out and Megadeth's former drum roadie Chuck Behler and guitarist Jeff Young were brought in to replace then. The band was back in the studio and the new album emerged early in 1988. Both bands had line-up changes before these releases, but expectations were still high and that's why it was so hard to stomach the underwhelming albums that both bands put out. Metallica's album was a big, lumbering concoction with a definite lack of heaviness and edge. Megadeth had established a definite style on their first two releases yet their third album was all over the place with some heavy songs, but also some contained some head scratchers as well. Let's get into the categories and see who is going to take this one. Just a reminder that in a Lesser of two evils featuring veteren bands that the Originality/production category is replaced by the Disappointment factor category.



Vocalist-So it's James Hetfield against Dave Mustaine in this round. If Hetfield's vocals are off from previous albums it's largely because of the change in musical direction. I think he tries to sound like he means business, but it doesn't take on this album. You can grind your teeth and try to sound like you mean it yet it rings a bit hollow on several songs here. Mustaine perhaps had a more unique style and sounded even better on Peace sells than he did on the debut. However he's far more uneven this time around. He sounds strong at times, but then mutters and comes across as more subdued at other times. Tough match-up, but I think ultimately Mustaine varies his style enough to pull this one out.

Point to Megadeth

Guitarist-So it's the duo of Hammet and Hetfield for Metallica going up against Mustaine and Young for Megadeth. For Metallica, the guitar style is similar to previous albums although slowed down. It's still heavy, but not as heavy as it should have been. Some of the solos hit and some are sloppy. While I normally think that Dave Mustaine is incredible, he was hot and cold this time around. Jeff Young is alright and perhaps gets treated a little unfairly because his one album wasn't one of Megadeth's best. The best guitar parts by the Megadeth duo are either very basic slightly watered down takes on the style that the band was so good at on the previous albums. Close but...

Point to Metallica


Rhythm section-Let me first say that I think Jason Newsted did great work on Flotsam and Jetsam's "Doomsday for the deceiver". Yet for some reason on this album the bass cannot be heard and although that is the fault of the producer it will hinder Metallica in this category. Dave Ellefson is an underated bass player and even though this album was not his best, he still does well enough. Lars Ulrich fares better than Newsted and probably beats Chuck Behler who was maybe the most ordinary drummer to ever sit behind Megadeth's kit. Still I can't get past not hearing the bass.

Point to Megadeth

Disappointment Factor-This is a tough one because both albums were very disappointing. However I think this category ties in with the one below. Master of puppets was a better album than Peace sells, but I wasn't thrilled by the $5.98 EP. Still Metallica had moments on this album that worked, but they went over far too often by trying to create some epic and it turned out dull. Megadeth had problems just figuring out where to start on several songs. Ultimately I can still today take AJFA a little more and I still shake my head more whenever I think about SFSGSW.

Point to Metallica

Who rocks more-Perhaps "who bores the bejeezus out me less" would be a more appropriate title in this case. I think the biggest problem with Metallica on this album is that they go on for too long, but the biggest problem with Megadeth is that there are too many tracks where they just never do much at all. So before I get as long winded as a Metallica song, I will say that they do a better job of having some rock parts here. No, they don't follow-up on them as well as they should have, but they are doing more than Megadeth.

Point to Metallica


So Metallica pulls it out in this battle of the albums that should not have been. I still often refer to Metallica's album as "An injustice for us all" and Megadeth's release could easily be summed up if they left off the beginning and middle of the title and just called it "Megadeth-So what?"

Megadeth-Set the world afire

Capitol
2008

Megadeth certainly seem set on keeping their name out there what with having released a studio album, a boxed set, a live CD, a live DVD and now this anthology all in about a two year time frame. This two CD set has 35 tracks spanning much of Megadeth's long and varied career. I got into Megadeth in 1986 when "Peace sells" was released and immediately became a fan. I was drawn in by Mustaine's unique vocals and the finger bending riffs, they were different from other thrash bands of the time. My favorite albums are "Rust in peace", "Peace sells" and "Killing is my business" because those were the albums where they showed their edge and bared their teeth a lot more. Those were the albums where Megadeth were at their best at creating these winding, slightly offbeat tracks. "Countdown to extinction" in 1992 was a good album, but it most certainly spelled the beginning of Megadeth's attempt to establish a more mainstream metal sound. Then the next decade saw them issue a series of albums that had them slowing down and settling into more basic material. The first disc in this set does have mainly earlier material starting with "Mechanix" from Killing is my business and ending with a previously unreleased demo version of "High speed dirt", the final version of that song would of course end up on "Countdown to extinction". We get a lot of their signature tracks like "Wake up dead" and "Hanger 18", but no real surprises. Disc 2 picks up on more "Countdown" material beginning with "Skin o' my teeth" and continues into some of their later material with again not a great deal of surprises. The final two tracks on the last disc are live versions of "Symphony of destruction" and "Peace sells" both recorded at the Cow Palace in 1992 and this version of "Symphony" was previously unreleased in the U.S. Okay, this is a decent package, but I can't help but wonder why there are only three songs from "Peace sells" included yet the far more uneven "So far, so good, so what?" gets four tracks and the fantastic "Hook in mouth" isn't one of the four. The biggest question here is why they felt the need to release this collection when the huge majority of the material was included on the "War Chest" boxed set from 2007? Actually the single disc "Greatest Hits" from 2005 also includes much of the same material as this set although "Set the world afire" of course has more. Releasing multiple best of, greatest hits and anthology type albums in a relatively short amount of time is something that seems to occur more and more in recent years. Still if you don't already own all of these studio albums or the boxed set then it may be something that you want to track down.

Clash of the album covers

We have....



Armored Saint's Revelation


VS.



Megadeth's Peace sells...but who's buying?

***So which cover do you prefer?

Gigantour 2 (DVD)

Image
2008

This is the companion piece to the CD of the same title although several tracks are different on the two. Here are my impressions of each band's performance here even though most of the acts only got a song or two. The Smashup opened and I just couldn't get into their brand of some type of metalcore. Nothing seemed very genuine about them and they just weren't that sharp. Sanctity were more to my liking as they had more of a thrash approach. Nothing new at all, but they were fairly tight and comfortable with what they doing. Oh, my poor ears and eyes as Into Eternity were up next their hokey vocals and thinly laced music. Yuck, if I had been there I would have gone to the bathroom during their set. It gets way better as thrash veterans Overkill rip into two songs. Despite the legion of guitarists and drummers this band has gone through they still rip into their songs and rule the stage. Arch Enemy follow and their music is pounding and even more coherent live yet I have never been very impressed by the vocals of Angela Gossow. She is very average as a singer and her performance just had me thinking that she just can't seem to get very energized.Opeth get a great amount of praise and the technical ability is there in large doses, but it just seems a stale to me. It's like metal for the slightly snooty, they replace and energy and aggression with layers and gobs of lots of long winding parts, but it's just a little too sterile. Okay, I'll admit it I have had trouble getting into Lamb of God not because I didn't like the music, but because they seem to be getting a lot of praise and they were not bringing anything new to the table. I still stand by that judgement as far their releases go, but the few clips here convinced me that they can bring much more live than on their studio recordings. Their presence and fire was undeniable on just the few songs on this DVD. Last up is Dave Mustaine and his latest version of Megadeth who perform three listed tracks and Peace Sells as a fourth bonus track. The sound is great and actually the sound for everyone on this disc is impressive. Megadeth were superbly tight in sound, but the energy I got from the band was merely decent. Maybe it's being a little older or maybe it's having a band of hired guns, but there was more standing around than I was expecting. Yet they sounded strong and the crowd ate it up. So all in all I liked this one for what it was.

Gigantour 2 (CD)

Image
2008


Dave Mustaine's brainchild gets a live sampler of sorts for the second tour. This line-up included The Smashup, Sanctity, Into Eternity, Overkill, Arch Enemy, Opeth, Lamb of god and of course Megadeth. Certainly these bands manage to represent a fairly broad spectrum of styles in the field of metal. That doesn't mean I like all the styles because the Smashup and Into Eternity are not to my liking at all, but there is enough decent songs going on from other bands to make up for it. My favorite bands on here are Megadeth, Overkill and Lamb of God and he sound quality is strong. However I always feel like I don't quite get enough on these sort of albums because you only get a few songs by each band. I would much rather have a whole set by one band than a sprinkling by all, but that may just be me. I think this sounded like it was enough of a quality line-up as I think they did a good job mixing veteran bands with younger acts. As far as this style of CD goes it's decent enough as most of the songs are likable yet it's likely just going to wet your appetite for a whole album by the band or bands that you enjoy.