DMP-1922

Aggressive Rhythm
2017

Formed in 2014 and originally known as Witchtripper, New York hard rock/stoner rock/doom metal band DMP (Death Metal Pope) just released it's second EP last week. The gnarly three-track recording is entitled "1922" and with a run-time of twelve minutes and twenty three seconds it serves as the highly-anticipated follow-up to 2016's "Harvest". For those of you who are keeping count that makes two EPs in the two years that this Long Island-based group has been known as DMP. If you ask me that is a damn good speed rate for these (hard & heavy) occult riff-rockers! Speaking of all things occult, Pentagram's "Forever My Queen" is given the royal treatment thanks to the members of DMP. It's a picture-perfect fit next to the group's two original compositions, "13 Devils" and "Lord of the New Depression". Self-dubbed "Halloween Rock" on the group's bandcamp page, "1922" is the sound of one ghoulish metal group that has it all figured out! From this point forward I plan to follow DMP on their Facebook page.

Free Metal Monday: The Lizzies-Play to get laid

See note below...

She Does Records
1999

The Lizzies (who should not be confused with the four-piece band from Madrid that gave us the killer "Good Luck"!) are a raw as f**k punk rock/riot grrrl band from New York. While not heavy metal per say, this 17-track album (which was released way back on June 1st of 1999!) is flat-out LOUD and ANGRY and it puts a lot of hard & heavy acts to shame! Available as a name-your-price download by clicking here, "Play to get laid" pretty much sums up the frustration and bitterness that many of us have had with the U.S. over the past twenty plus years. With songs like "All The Scum", "Pay to get laid". "Die Motherf**ker", "Love and Anarchy", and "Police State"(!) this great collection of old school punk is not for the faint of heart or those who are easily offended. In other words, "Play to get laid" is a hell of a good time and most-definitely recommended!


*Just like the band and it's actual songs, "Pay to get laid" features artwork that might not be suited for all of our readers. Parental guidance is suggested...

Gravelhead-Gravelhead II

Self-Release/Independent
2016

Released on January 29th, "Gravelhead II" is the latest recording from this Rochester, New York-based heavy metal/hard rock band. With a run-time that is over the fifty minute mark(!), "Gravelhead II" serves as  the natural follow-up to the group's 2010 self-titled debut and finds this heavy metal/hard rock band channeling it's vast array of influences into what ends up being one highly-recommend album! The group is lead by guitarist BrAiN (sic) and as a result of his Ozzy-like vocal delivery one can't help but point towards not only Osbourne's solo work, but Black Sabbath in general. Of course (musically-speaking) the rest of Gravlehead helps out greatly in this regard as this New York band as a whole channels solo Ozzy & Black Sabbath. Still, Black Sabbath is just one of many influences for this solid hard & heavy act as "Gravelhead II" offers up flashes of everyone from Metallica to Rush and in no way whatsoever is that a bad thing! Currently the band is rounded out by Jared Niedermaier (guitar/vocals) and Tom Bittner (drums) and for now at least "Gravelhead II" is only available as a digital download. With a price tag of only $5 (!) it is an absolute steal as "Gravelhead II" is not only an amazing step-forward as far as the group's skill level is concerned, but it is a prime-time example of how effective hard rock/heavy metal can be when you take the time to make sure that your album has the perfect balance of pristine melodic passages and flashy guitar-rock leads! For more information on this exceptionally-talented (and for some reason vastly-underrated!) New York band be sure to check out their Facebook page. 

The Dream Logic-My Black Arts

Self-Release/Independent
2014

Their backgrounds include touring and performing with the likes of D’Angelo, Les Nubians, Alicia Keys and Christina Aguilera and their friends include guitarists Eric Krasno (Soulive, Lettuce) and Vernon Reid (Living Color). Meet New York city's The Dream Logic. Made up of  band leader/vocalist Charles Compo and his longtime collaborators Jerry Brooks (bass) and Camille Gainer (drums), with the aforementioned friends/guitarists both helping out on this wild fourteen track LP, The Dream Logic is a fantastic new project just begging to be discovered by the older generation and today's young and hip crowd! The follow-up to 2013's "Dream Logic", "My Black Arts" is a bridge between the past and the present built with love and care by this eclectic jam fusion band. My first sampling of The Dream Logic came courtesy of the first single, "Drunken Monkey". With it's (FUNKY!) southern rock meets Steppenwolf's classic "Magic Carpet Ride" vibe it won me over something fierce! But for these New York born and bred musicians/friends there is so much more to the story when it comes to this fifty minute new album! Under the watchful eyes of multi- instrumentalist, singer and songwriter Charles Compo The Dream Logic comes alive on "My Black Arts". Never mind the funk as we're talking blues, soul, jazz, roots rock and even classic rock all gathered together for an impromptu jam session where there is only one rule-make it real. And by God it is as real as it gets when it comes to this New York-based band! Dripping with passion and integrity "My Black Arts" is a phenomenal release thanks in no small part to the shared chemistry of Compo, Brooks and Gainer. Recorded at The Cutting Room in NYC, "My Black Arts" never sways from it's mission statement and for young and old alike The Dream Logic roll out the red offering carpet. Whether you have a "few" miles to your body like some of us (wink wink) or you are still young enough to let down your hair this one will make you shake and move and feel alive! When the title cut rolls in and calls it a day you actually feel as if you've not only gotten your money's worth, but that you've been treated to one of the best shows that you've ever been to in your life! Sure there are good albums and even great albums. But when was the last time an album made you feel as if you've just witnessed a wonderful evenings worth of high-class entertainment? Until you hear "My Black Arts" for yourself chances are you won't be able to relate to the heartwarming afterglow of a release like this one! Not just for those into jazz-funk or fusion (listen to the excellent "Headlight's Into Darkness" for a sampling of soulful rock and roll) "My Black Arts" caters to all while still maintaining it's own identity. For some readers though an album like this one will require a leap of faith. That's understandable. If you've never branched out before on your own to sample all of the deliciousness that life has to offer it can be unnerving. The thing is in this case I must implore you to try out The Dream Logic. Offering more than you could ever imagine, "My Black Arts" is a soundtrack to a story just waiting to be written! One filled with love and adventure, twists and turns where you might know ahead of time that the ending is going to a happy one but you still delve in out of anticipation and child-like enthusiasm. And it can all be yours by simply clicking on this link: http://thedreamlogic.bandcamp.com/   

Matteah Baim-Falling Theater

Dream Drive Records
2014

New York-based Matteah Baim (Metallic Falcons) presents her third solo release in "Falling Theater". Just released last week, and serving as the follow-up to 2009's "Laughing Boy", the eight-track "Falling Theater" is (theme-wise) an album said to reflect the state of America's pre-war movie theaters: both luxurious and decayed. That little nugget of information is very important in the grand scheme of things (or at least later on when it comes time to picture what this fashionably dated album is trying to say) as is the understanding that Baim is another talented New Yorker with both a visual arts background and a musical one! Recorded and mixed by Eric Gorman at his studio in Brooklyn (with arrangements having come by way of Antony and the Johnsons member Maxim Moston) "Falling Theater" features a plethora of special guests such as Antony Hegarty (also of Antony and the Johnsons), James Richardson (MGMT) and various members/musicians of dream pop band Au Revoir Simone, The New York Philharmonic and The Boys and Girls Choir of Harlem! As a graduate of San Fransisco Art Institute (where Baim received her Bachelor of Fine Arts in painting and drawing!) Matteah puts all of her various talents into the musical/orchestrated soundtrack that is "Falling Theater" and when one listens to this very brief album it really does feel as if you are in another era! When looking to place "Falling Theater" into your neatly arranged CD collection it would make the most sense to create a new category as this atmospheric Dream Drive Records' release is one of a kind. Picture a poetic album that is seamless, softly psychedelic and casually dreamy. One that captures the sounds of old-fashioned musical theater, non-religious hymn arrangements, art-house folk and melodic dream pop and is then aided by Matteah Baim's healing, whisper-like voice. Such a lush little album like this one (at best it's like 25 minutes long!) deserves it's own slot in a music collection as (structure-wise/sample-wise) "Falling Theater" gathers together the tiny particles of life that continuously surround us and then this delightful singer/songwriter grants these elemental structures a new audience! Matteah Baim's latest solo release was an absolute pleasure and for those who might still be on the outside looking in "Falling Theater" also goes about proving once more that the combination of art and music does not have to be too pretentious or cerebral for it's own good. Instead it can be beautiful and graceful for those willing to open up their hearts to the possibility of previously foreign ideas!

Prong-Ruining Lives (Limited Digipak Edition)

Steamhammer / SPV
2014

Amazingly enough New York's Prong last appeared in these hollowed pages two years ago. Exactly two years! That particularly appearance (http://metalmark.blogspot.com/search?q=Prong-Carved+Into+Stone) saw yours truly covering the band's last full-length release, 2012's "Carved Into Stone", which was an album that was well received by fans, critics or, in the case of both Metal Mark and myself, both! Now we find Prong (or at this point pretty much just Tommy Victor along with engineer Chris Collier, the likely drummer on "Ruining Lives") on album number which, in addition to being produced by band founder Tommy Victor, is supposedly the group's fastest recorded LP! As I loved their last release I went and ordered this one without even hearing any previews and, as the the picture above showcases, I opted for the limited edition, digipak version. This particular version includes one bonus cut, "Retreat", along with a nifty poster that was almost instantly snagged by my 14 year old son! Style-wise this one is a departure from their last LP which rather surprised me. "Ruining Lives" is somewhat similar to 2007's "Power of the Damager" although it kind of jumps around and contains numbers like the title cut, a "Force Feed" kind of moment and more then a few tracks which harken back to the band's "Beg To Differ"/"Prove You Wrong" days. Mostly though this sounds like New York thrash with some hardcore thrown in (a tiny bit that is) and, weird as it might sound, the basic arrangements of both heavy metal and heavy rock (song-structuring if you will). Many have hailed this as one of Prong's best albums and in truth I can see where these people are coming from. The only real issue I have with "Ruining Lives" is the lack of real diversity. While the cuts are heavy and feature Prong's familiar crushing approach to thrash and hardcore it just seems as if some of these tracks were not flushed out enough. Maybe it's because the album was rushed or the fact that there are few musicians involved here, but I just had this feeling that the songs could have used a little something "extra". Still, Prong fans of old should dig this as will the younger kids who are finding themselves drawn to the power of  metallic thrash.

Young Magic-Breathing Statues

Carpark Records
2014

Young Magic, a Brooklyn, New York-based act (by way of Australia (producer Isaac Emmanuel who, prior to 2010, first conceived of Young Magic as being some sort of solo project ) and Indonesia (vocalist Melati Malay) with the New York underground dance scene serving to split the difference!), are on their second feature full-length project (or is that soundtrack in this case given the hazy sound-scape vibe?) with the recently-released "Breathing Statues". As an endearing (if oddly cold and abrupt) female fronted psychedelic rock band dressed up in electronic garb (and made over with atmospheric post-shoegazer tricks of the trade) a group of Young Magic's potential could easily slide between studio-project and potential (full-fledged band on the run) live outing and no one would blink an eye, but how exactly does that work-out when it's just you, your stereo and nothing but silence serving as the starting point? Mostly, given the experimental nature of all of this (even as it's meant to be absorbed via familiar waves of (pick and choose) synth-lines and mystic percussion), it comes across as if it's more of a pattern of carefully-assembled electronic components then music as, well, real music but it still serves a point...whatever that might be. At it's best it's all sincere and relaxing, putting one in the proper mood to embrace computerized sounds, process them and then fall in line with the new standard of inorganic song-structures. And it's hard to argue against the process when it certainly pulses through your body making you move involuntarily. That's not to say it's (to take a page from R.E.M.) music meant for "Shiny Happy People". Not in the least as there's a dark underbelly to "Breathing Statues". Far from warm and fuzzy, Young Magic's "Breathing Statues" is often bleak! Of course I alone could embrace that as I've long-loved dark wave, post-rock and goth rock (the more bitter the better!), but it's the lack of real instrumentation that holds an album like this chained to the ground. Had "Breathing Statues" taken a moment to breath, relax it's constricting song-structures and embrace the full-possibilities at the disposal of indie bands these days then this one could have been great! Instead it's a so-so album that means well, but doesn't deliver on it's promise.... 

Hounds of Annwn-Stirling

Contorted Records
2013

Released on October 24th "Stirling", which can be witnessed in it's entirety at the bandcamp link below (where it's also a name-your-own-price download friends!), is a 2-track EP from Syracuse, New York-based Hounds of Annwn. If the band name (or for that matter the artwork posted above!) isn't enough of a hint at what this particular outfit brings to the table then I'll spell it out for you. We're talking about folk metal here and yes, just like their promo material rightly points out, Syracuse, New York is "maybe not the first place you would go to find a new and exciting folk metal band." For that matter I'm not sure I would even think it possible that an area like that could end up producing an outfit like this! And yet here it is and, despite maybe wearing their Blind Guardian and Alestorm influences a bit too close for comfort (an issue that should be addressed with the passage of time and further experience one would imagine), the band (Daniel Barbour - vocals and rhythm guitar,  Connor Hoffman - lead guitar, programming and backing vocals and Joe Sopchak - keyboards and backing vocals) does a fine job with the material at hand. Of the two tracks here it's the eight minute plus title cut that did it for me as it rightly balances the powerful rock side of this folk metal band with catchy melody to spare! Hounds of Annwn are in a good place right now as folk metal continues to climb in popularity and (one would think at least) should they produce a solid full-length release in the near future their fan base should explode!

http://houndsofannwn.bandcamp.com/

The Deafening-Central Booking

Self-Release/Independent
2013

Allow me to introduce The Deafening. First heard by yours truly on the "Shoot To Thrill"* compilation that came with the December 2013 issue of Classic Rock Magazine (dedicated to the one and only AC/DC!), on which they opened things up rather nicely with the insanely catchy "Shake Down Chinatown", this female-fronted, New York-based four-piece act offers plenty of passion to go along with heaping handfuls of (AC/DC meets Guns N' Roses) blues-infused rock and roll punch! Lead by Lena Hall, and with at least two other releases to their name from the looks of it (two EPs it seems**), the Deafening list their interests as "Sex, Drugs and Rock N' Roll". Nothing wrong with that right? With Burt Rock on guitar providing razor sharp rock riffs and a sweet and nasty rhythm section made up of bassist Dylan Doyle and drummer Mick Harrison the band easily rolls through opening numbers like "Destroyer", "Evil Kiss" and "I'm So Bad" all while keeping their various and undeniable influences (Guns N’ Roses, MC5, Iggy Pop, AC/DC, Kiss, The Rolling Stones, Motörhead, Alice Cooper, Joan Jett, Queen, Black Sabbath, Metallica, Cheap Trick, Skid Row and The Misfits) firmly in check. While this one is primary a bad to the bone, rock and roll circus of an album ("Destroyer", "Evil Kiss", "You Will Remember The Dead", "Shake Down Chinatown", "Central Booking" and "Death Rattle N' Roll") the band does opt to slow it down on the heartfelt "Jessie" and even takes a turn at eighties hair metal with the easy and sleazy "Sexy Like A Suicide". In the end one can't help but appreciate how The Deafening serves up honest-to-goodness, barroom rock and roll without a hint of the cheesiness that has found it's way into today's scene. This New York-based group writes music that is catchy ("Evil Kiss", "Shake Down Chinatown", "Destroyer" and "I’m So Bad") and overflowing with attitude all while possessing more then enough raw sexual appeal on cuts like "Sexy Like A Suicide" and "Twist" (which is like The Donnas meeting Lita Ford for beers and then cruising around hunting down prey!) to take them all the way to the top! Why not get in then on the ground-level while this band is still (relatively) unknown?

http://thedeafening.bandcamp.com/album/central-booking

*Also featuring Youngstown, Ohio's own Turbo Lovers this 18-track compilation was worth the price of admission alone!

** A self-titled one from 2010 and the interestingly-named "Rattlesnake Sex Show" from 2011.

Imperial Triumphant-Goliath

Vatican Records
2013

It's not everyday that I come across a concept album, or in this case a concept EP, that is based upon the famed cities of Sodom and Gomorrah. And yet here we are, you and I, sitting down to a discusiion about New York City's one and only Imperial Triumphant. While their name brings up images of Darth Vader and the so-called "precise" stormtroopers to me, in reality we are talking about a black metal outfit that was formed in 2005 and is fronted by Ilya Goddessraper (I assume that's his Christian name!) who, in addition to being the founder of the band, plays guitars, handles lead vocals and provided the orchestral composition for "Goliath". Featuring members of Pyrrhon, SecretChiefs 3 and Malignancy, Imperial Triumphant's new EP is just latest offering for this bunch as there has also been a demo, two other EPs, a single and one full-length album released. This 2-track EP clocks in at 13 minutes and 15 seconds and was engineered, mixed and mastered by the band alongside Colin Marston (Gorguts, Krallice, Nader Sadek, Atheist, Origin etc.). The purpose of these 2 songs is pretty straightforward as "Goliath" "serves as the soundtrack to the slaughter" that took place as a result of the sinfulness of both Sodom and Gomorrah. In layman's terms that means unrelenting, slow and torturous black metal with a healthy dose of weirdness swirled in to the witches brew to give it that extra "what the hey???" factor. The music of Imperial Triumphant sounds as if it is centered around the notion that the more unflinching and unapologetic one can sound the better. Ilya Goddessraper's vocals and guitar playing is testament to that notion as are the odd bass lines of Erik Malave. The two cuts here feature two separate drummers in Alex Cohen (who plays on "Gomorrah") and Kenny Grohowski (who plays on "Sodom") while two additional guests also lend a hand in making "Goliath" the ten foot plus beast that it is! On "Sodom" Colin Marston provides a "Warr Guitar" solo and then there is Darren Hanson, the  orchestral engineer, whose contribution should not be downplayed. While the overall impression that I get of these self-dubbed futurists, who are hoping that their music ends up "transcending the confines of modern black metal", suggests that not everyone will be able to fully integrate this music into their mainframes, I still recommend "Goliath" to the curious and adventurous.

Forgotten Gems: Dagger-Fate Of A Violent World

North American Music
1994 

Here's an example finding something that you didn't even know you were looking for. While searching for information on Stockholm, Sweden's Dagger (and their "Mainline Riders" 7 inch) for review purposes I came across another Dagger and, what appears to be, their sole release. After I finished up my original review of "Mainline Riders" I turned my attention back to this New York four piece and this 11-track LP. As I was able to secure a used copy for less then a dollar (and what appears to be a signed copy nonetheless!) I went ahead and just bought "Fate Of A Violent World" on a whim. Up front it's obvious why this band didn't survive. Being that it was 1994, when grunge was still golden, this four piece act and their style of music didn't stand a snowballs chance in hell of  being accepted. Why you ask? Was it that it wasn't any good? The answer to that second question is that this Dagger was actually really good and, even more so, there are some cuts on their sole album that are quite catchy and straight-up solid. The problem was that this kind of band, and the honest hard rock/heavy metal to be found on this album, was way out of vogue. Lead by Rob Rage, with some nice and crunchy guitar solos from Steve Anthony, the band existed in-between hair metal and traditional heavy metal meaning they were alienated by both groups. Well, there's that and then theirs the fact that any band that dared to call themselves "metal" faced an uphill struggle. When I first read about this album it came packed with suggestions that the music on hand fell within Keel's territory or even that it might appeal to fans of Blitzkrieg (The California one that was released the excellent "Ready for Action"), Panther and Odin. That was from some of the fine folks over at Heavy Harmonies (one of whom tagged the band as being like Kid Wicked which I'm not completely sold on) and I'll just say that they just about hit the nail on the head perfectly when it comes to "Fate Of A Violent World". This Dagger also reminds me a bit of L.A.'s Lion and also Dorian Grey. The rhythm section on this album was bassist Tony Redd and drummer Woody Stevens and all told this New York act did have some smoking tracks. Cuts like "Face To Face",  "I Am What I Am" and "Live It Up" are actually rather heavy metallic rockers. Then there are cuts like the melodic "Radio City" which are catchy even if there a tad soft. The different feel between these tracks gives this CD a wider sense of appeal as does the combination of "Follow The Leaders" and "In Hell With Glory". These two cuts combine to offer up more of an emotional take on hard rock and it's interesting to note that here you had this normal, everyman group that was stretching their boundaries out into atmospheric rock. It's actually a bit bold for a band like Dagger, but then again you do get the overall impression that these New Yorkers were making music for themselves first and foremost. Without there being any real dubs on Dagger's sole-release this is one of those albums that I will readily check back into when I'm in the mood for hard rock/heavy metal.

 

To The Pain-To The Pain

Self-Release/Independent-Release
2013

There can't be that many things cooler then naming your band after a line from "The Princess Bride". That right there is both wicked and righteous with serious props due the pair of vocalist John Intagliata and guitarist Steve Shaver who, out of nothing more then a dream of forming the perfect heavy metal act, assembled this project in the summer of 2010. This New York-based band, which Steve and John original conceived of as far back as 1988 (when, as teenagers, they came up with the idea being a cross between Racer X, Megadeth, Metallica, King Diamond and Queensryche), would soon come together with rhythm guitarist Mark Trojanoski, bassist Jeremy Lustig and drummer Jimmy Klimatas brought in to round out the project. With new influences added to reflect today's tastes (Bullet for My Valentine, Shadows Fall and Killswitch Engage) and the ability to make dreams become reality that comes with being adults (hey, you can actually afford home studios sometimes when you're working 9-5 jobs kids!) this band has emerged as the be-all/end-all of "Let's throw everything together in one big bowl, mix it up like a bunch of maniacs and see how it tastes!" Normally something like this would end up as a "hot mess" (to quote today's kids!) which is why I struggle to comprehend just exactly HOW and WHY a band like To The Pain works so well? Lyrically this group follows Dave Mustaine's school of thought (politics and personal pain) while musically it's one big feast for the senses! The group's self-titled debut never stays in one place for too long as one can pick up on everything from 80's thrash love (Anthrax, Megadeth, Overkill, Testament, etc.) to admiration for all things doom (Black Sabbath and Trouble). Toss in those Racer X solos and the natural gritty vibe that comes from being a New York-based metal band and you've got an album that is just too good to pass up. Favorite cuts? Well, that's a hard one as the album opens with the heavy thrasher "For The People, Buy The People" and never let's up until the final notes of  "A Good Revolution" (Think "...And Justice for All" era Metallica meeting up the Suicidal Tendencies that gave us "Lights...Camera...Revolution!" for a play date from hell and you're in the ballpark!) fade out. All in all this one reads like a fan letter to all things heavy metal. As such it is a recommended addition to those who appreciate fun heavy metal and/or like their whiplash-inducing thrash to come from blue-collar bands.

www.facebook.com/tothepainny