2013 In Review - Musically Speaking, That is...

With 2013 winding down to a close, it is time to sit back and take stock of the year that almost was... Boring!

I could complain about how bad the pop-scene is or how pathetically formulaic the country scene has become or just gripe about the misogynistic content of rap and crucify Eminem and Kanye West but really, whats the point of all that. Or... and much more productively, I could blast some tunes and remember that this has been a great year, both personally and musically. This year I have acquired much less music than normal, but what I have bought has been stellar all around. A year with no clunkers is a good (and rare) year, unless you count the music you bought for your kids.

Photo courtesy of Amazon.com

Jan 31 - Dropkick Murphy's - Signed and Sealed in Blood. 14 years and 8 albums in, the Murphy's are showing no signs of slowing down with their unique brand of Celtic punk and blue-collar rock n' roll. This album is not as heavily influenced by the bands punk roots, but is more focused on melody, catchy lyrics and well crafted songs. The evidence of this is heard in the title-track, Rose Tattoo. One listen through and you will have the song rattling around your head for the rest of the day. Even though the album was released in January, it features a song bemoaning the Christmas holidays with family in the Murphy's humorous tongue-in-cheek style. The album contains absolutely no filler or extra throw-away tracks, but is solid from start to finish. Upon purchasing this album it has dominated my Cd player for weeks and is still in regular rotation along with the rest of the Murphy's catalog.

Photo courtesy of Wikipedia.com

March 19 - Anthrax - Anthems. Anthems was meant to be an accompaniment album to celebrate the re-release of 2011's Worship Music and contains 6 cover songs and 2 versions of the remixed song "Crawl" from Worship Music. The album was subsequently released as a bonus disc with the album and as a stand-alone album as well. The album was released with a few different covers mimicking the original artists albums from which the songs were drawn. All 6 cover songs are versions of 70's rock classics that influenced the band members in some form or fashion. My personal favorites are the cover of Boston's "Smokin" and Journey's "Keep On Runnin". The songs are given much respect by the band but some liberties are taken. The end result being a fantastic collection of covers by Anthrax that is without a doubt, an Anthrax album.

Photo courtesy of Amazon.com

May 05 - Stryper -Second Coming.This album was hyped and debated all over the 'net before it's release. Stryper, along with Metallica, were my introduction to heavy metal, so I knew these songs back-to-front and I love them. I was a little apprehensive about this album because I had grown up with these songs. I then started to hear/read reports that the vocals and guitars had been drop-tuned a step in order to keep Michael Sweet's voice in a comfortable range. OUCH! I put off ordering the album for a
couple of months while I decided what to do, and then I pulled the trigger. I am so glad that I did. The 14 remakes and 2 new tracks are very very well done, If this is drop-tuned, I can't tell. I know that Michael is singing in a lower register but not so low that it loses the character of the songs, rather it gives his voice a better attack. What the re-records did is add in Tim Gaines background vocals and bring up the volume of his bass. They also tweaked the guitar sound a touch and removed some of the 80' over-polished production, making the songs sound heavier and more balanced among the instruments. The end result is that instead of some over-polished hair metal, Stryper got back to their roots and created a monster of a heavy metal platter, the way that they should have sounded all along.

Photo courtesy of Rate Your Music.com

May 16 - Heretic - A Time of Crisis. This album actually came out in June of 2012, but as the old saying goes, "Too many albums, not enough money". I had heard some tracks off of this album and watched the music video that was released to garner more attention and promote the return of these metal masters. The first time through I was floored. Being 2012 and most bands drop-tuning to be "heavy" instead of writing riffs that will inspire air guitar fits and instant mosh pits in the living room, Heretic stuck to their collective guns and wrote heavy riffs and pounding rhythms instead of falling into the trap and trying to be trendy. Musically, these guys are power metal, that rare breed of metal that defies labeling and walks the line between speed and thrash (not the keyboard laced, dungeons and dragons garbage - Thanks Scott). Lyrically,these guys take social issues head on and stay far away from the typical "look how evil we can be" juvenile nonsense. There are no expletives and each song is very well written and crafted to take on it's own identity within the confines of the album. Of note, the song Heretic was written and released in the late 80's on the bands only other album. This is one album that still sees frequent plays and will continue to do so into the foreseeable future.

Photo courtesy of Rate Your Music.com

June 1 - Absolon - Darkness Rising: The Tale of Derek Blackheart. I enjoy combing through the piles of unsigned bands to find that one gem that you KNOW is going to do big things with their musical career. Absolon is that one band. I heard about these guys from another friend that enjoys the same thing. I listened to a few tracks online and I was blown away!! Why, oh why were these guys not a major label? They have the talent and have each honed their skills in order to produce this masterpiece. This album went straight to the top of the ol' want-list. I ended up scoring the album and some free merch in a drawing held by the band. What I had heard did not prepare me for the first
listen through the album in it's entirety. Musically this band walks that fine line that is too progressive in nature to be considered traditional heavy metal but not quite progressive enough to be labeled progressive metal, and they walk that line with ease. Absolon are a blend of early Queensryche and classic Deep Purple but do not sound like either band specifically. The other thing that sets this band far above their contemporaries is that while this is a concept album, each song has it's own life and place on the album. Each song stands alone but collectively tells a story that is clear and direct but open enough for the listeners interpretation. To be sure there is a moral to the story. What I have grown to appreciate over the amount of time that I have owned this gem, is that the musicians, especially lead singer and primary songwriter Ken Pike are so accessible. These guys do not have the rockstar mentality but rather are more than willing to just converse with their fans and be real people. From a fan's perspective, this fact alone makes me a loyal fan of the band. I sincerely hope that the new year finds many successes, prosperity and open doors for these guys. They deserve the limelight for this work alone.

Photo courtesy of Rate Your Music.com

June 13 - Alan Jackson - Precious Memories: Volume II. Most people that know me, know that for the most part, I cannot stand modern country. What they may not know is that I am an absolute sucker for the classic hymns. I could just sit and listen to the hymns and nothing else. That being said, I saw this album and immediately purchased it, having Volume I already. Alan Jackson has kept the hymns to the traditional melodies and timing and pays huge amounts of respect to the songs and original authors. This album is just pure simple praise and worship with accompaniment by an acoustic guitar and piano, with the occasional upright bass. Listening to this album takes me back to my childhood because when I was sitting in church singing these songs, we had a piano and guitar to sing along with. This is the way that hymns should sound, let the hymns stand alone on their own merit.

Photo courtesy of Amazon.com

June 24 - Megadeth - Super Collider. Megadeth came out of the early 80's Bay-Area thrash upheaval. While they are still labeled as a thrash band, as front-man David Mustaine put it "the music is just Megadeth". That pretty much sums it up. Megadeth have long been and continue to be one of my favorite bands, so it was with great excitement that I bought this album, and it has been money well spent. This album is also a bit of milestone because it sees the first album of 100% new material to feature the return of original founding member and bassist David Ellefson. Each Megadeth album is new venture into new territory and on "The Blackest of Crow" Dave and Co. incorporate a banjo and fiddle into the mix. The end result is a mournful ballad that flows well with the established styles already in play. This album is blend of the traditional styles of metal, some hard rock and of course, the bands thrash roots. I have not played this album as much as some of the aforementioned albums, but with each spin there is something new as well as something comfortable, like a visit from an old friend. I have not enjoyed a Megadeth album this much since Youthanasia, and each album is great. This album is most definitely NOT rehashed styles and songs, but new songs. Megadeth continue to deliver the goods with each new outing, not something that can be said for their peers. I bought the Best Buy limited edition version with extra tracks and a live version of the seminal "Symphony of Destruction."

Photo courtesy of Rate Your Music.com

November 13 - Sacred Warrior - Waiting in Darkness. This album was released in June and there had been some hype surrounding the album as Sacred Warrior were a fairly established act in the Christian metal scene in the early 90's but had not released anything since 1991's Obsessions. I was somewhat familiar with them at the time but being more into the traditional hard rock of Petra and L.A. stylings of Stryper, they escaped my notice. I bought their compilation album Classics back in the day but it was not a frequent player then. Since the release of Obsessions, Sacred Warrior have lost the original singer, Rey Parra to other projects and sadly, one member has passed away. I watched the video that was released as an album teaser and featured the title track a few times but I was not fully sold on the album. I decided to give it a shot as I liked what I had heard, and I am very glad that I did. Waiting in Darkness features the outstanding Eli Prinson on vocals and he absolutely delivers. It took a few spins to hear what is going on, and in the process of those spins, I was completely drawn in. The lyrics are vintage Sacred Warrior but the music is much more progressive in nature than the speed metal that they had previously released. Guitarist Bruce Swift has most definitely kept his chops polished and the fretboard pyrotechnics are in full bloom. Each instrument is balanced with precision and nowhere on the album is there a heaviness for the sake of heaviness attitude or any of the Dream Theater type of wankery going on. Each song is perfectly crafted and balanced between musicians as well as the attitude and implied tone of each song. Since owning this album it has slowly been making it's way to the top of my "Favorite albums of all time" list. What started as gamble has turned into one of the most played albums in my collection thus far.

Photo courtesy of Amazon.com

November - 13 - Stryper - No More Hell to Pay. Album number 2 for the yellow and black attack is a return to form... sort of. I ordered the standard edition rather than the limited edition because I didn't
really feel the need to pay for a second disc of in-the-studio-making-the-album type of stuff. As the band was recording the album, they were releasing small sound-bites and tidbits to garner excitement for the release. The conversation began to emerge that the band was re-visiting the early records and were getting back to the metal roots. Now, normally when a band says this, it is not even remotely true, but such is not the case with No More Hell to Pay. What we have here is a slab of traditional L.A. metal that rides the line between the seminal Soldiers Under Command and polished glam of To Hell with the Devil while sounding completely modern as well as embracing the bands legacy. There are hooks and solo's aplenty as well as that signature Michael-Oz dual guitar solo's. Robert is in fine form with the back-beat and Tim even breaks out a few tasty bass licks as well as keeping the low-end firmly planted. Michael Sweet is in top-notch form throughout the album and breaks out more than a few of his high-pitched wails proving that his voice is stronger than ever now. The end result is an album that is new and fresh while still maintaining that classic Stryper sound. Not since 1991's Against the Law have I enjoyed a Stryper album this much, and unlike the previous outing in '09, this is all new material featuring the original 4 members. The one weak spot of the album is the cover of the Doobie Brothers Jesus is Just Alright. I am not a fan of the Stryperized version as I think that they could have added a bit more funk to the mix and let Tim Gaines carry the song with his bass instead of just adding distorted guitars vocal harmonies. This is a solid metal album that can stand on equal ground with the classic material.

Photo courtesy of Amazon.com

November 29 - Theocracy - Theocracy. This album was originally released in 2003 and featured all instruments and vocals sans drums played by founding member Matt Smith. The album was released on Metalages Records and quickly went out of print. So quickly that by the time Mirror of Souls was released, this album was going for stupid amounts of money on eBay and Amazon. This album was remastered and now features drummer Shawn Benson laying down the drum tracks for 2013 release. Not being familiar with the original release, I cannot compare the two different versions, but what I can say is that this album was worth the wait. The vocal harmonies, mini-epic tracks and sonic brilliance speaks to the incredible talent of Mr. Smith. Each song is completely unique and different and adds much listening pleasure to the whole work. Musically, the album is more of that European speedy-prog metal style that the band continues to work in. Lyrically, the album is unashamed Biblical theology and a pure representation of the gospel with enough personal application to not sound preachy and condemning. This album focuses on Matt's personal experience with Jesus and the honest challenges that have come his way by being a follower of Christ. I personally find this lyrical style to be refreshing and encouraging in my own Christian walk and through my struggles as well. 

Photo courtesy of Amazon.com

November 29 - Bloodgood - Dangerously Close. Early this year Bloodgood launched a kick-starter project to fund a new album. Seeing that they had not released any new material since 1991's
All Stand Together. I was a bit skeptical and did not buy in and wanted to hear some new material first. Bloodgood have been active touring and playing festivals off and on over the years, and they had also added Oz Fox of Stryper fame on guitars to round out the mix. When the video for the first single Lamb of God was released I immediately laid down the money for a pre-ordered copy of the disc. What I received was an album that did not sound dated or hurried in the studio but rather was a another immediate classic in the Bloodgood catalog. I have read a few different reviews that state that this album is the perfect follow-up to All Stand Together and sounds like no time has passed between the release of these to albums. I disagree, what we have here is the missing segue between the phenomenal speed-metal opus of 1989's Out of the Darkness and the more melodic hard rock of All Stand Together. Guitarist Paul Jackson is no slouch on his instrument so not much help was needed from the mighty Oz Fox in that department. What Oz brought to the table is his ability to write fantastic riffs, and strong background vocals. Adding in another guitarist of Oz's caliber also added more depth to the sonic deliciousness. Bassist Michael Bloodgood is in top-form as well, adding his own groove to the songs. Drummer Kevin Whistler holds down the rhythm in a simplistic but powerful performance that fits each song perfectly, and Les Carlson does not hit the high notes like he used to but he adds a bit of bluesy gravel to his voice and still sings that charismatic high-pitched wail that gives the band their character. Lyrically, the band is in top form and have written what I think are some of their best songs yet, each and every song finds an unashamed Biblical stand for the gospel. I would have expected no less from the band they have delivered on every track. There are no speedy numbers but rather we have been given a fantastic slab of traditional metal that could only come from Bloodgood. This album shows that the chops are still present and strut and swagger of a premier metal band are in full swing and top form.

In retrospect, this has been a fantastic year for music and heavy metal specifically. With some of my musical hero releasing albums that have been put off for far to long and others just starting out and others continuing to fly the flag unashamed, this has been a stellar year. It would be a difficult proposition to rank one album above another as each is an expression of the individual artists and bands and each has affected me in a different time and season. Hopefully many of these bands will not fall prey to the one-and-done mentality but will use these efforts to restart careers and influence the next generation. In the meantime I will raise a glass to the efforts produced in 2013 and hope for even better things in the 2014 to come. God bless all of you who put in blood, sweat and tears to keep this metal fan grinning from ear to ear all year long.



 

The Trendy Core of Metal

Skinny jeans, skate shoes and shirts that are too small do not make for a talented band. That is, unless you are signed to Solid State, Victory or Facedown records. Being the fan of hard and heavy music that I am, I was on social media and following the posts of Solid State Records as they went on a spree of posting album covers from their catalog. I followed with the intent of looking for albums that I personally own, until I realized that every single band posted was labeled as "Metalcore." Other than a couple of bands on Solid State's roster, this is the only genre that they produce. This leads one to ponder other labels that cater to the Jesus-metal enthusiast. For fans of the more traditional styles of metal, one must be willing to dig through the layers of detritus and garbage that is marketed as "music." Short of extensive research or a working knowledge of the Christian metal scene, one must rely on record labels and their rosters, fanzines, and podcasts. The problem is that the Christian metal community is so small that any new trend tends to wipe out the previous wave completely. In order to stay relevant, record labels, fanzines and podcasters must follow these trends religiously just to stay in business. Meanwhile, Roxx Records, Retro-Active Records, and Bombworks Records are doing the best that they can to offer variety and stay afloat. 

In early 1992, grunge replaced glam (hair) metal as the trendy music of the next generation. This forced metal back underground, and almost killed the entire genre. Grunge pushing metal underground for a decade was beneficial in hindsight. This move made fans and musicians alike reevaluate what metal is and its place in society as a relevant form of artistic expression and entertainment. The benefit of hindsight has also given me an understanding for why people like Chris Cornell, Kurt Cobain, and Eddie Vedder hated the glam metal scene. There were so many bands that looked, acted, and sounded alike that there was no form of real expression or individuality left. Even the harder edged thrash scene that spawned giants like the Metallica, Megadeth, Testament and Exodus, had their own problems with over-spawning and exceeding the saturation limits possible for an industry. While the problems with thrash were not as big as glam, it was still too packed to breathe freely. Such is the case with metalcore.

Metalcore began as an underground movement in the mid-90's and has it's roots in extreme metal like death-metal and thrash while equally pulling influence from the hardcore punk scene. In the early 2000's metalcore exploded out of the underground spawning bands like As I Lay Dying, Killswitch Engage, Shadows Fall, and Demon Hunter. Essentially, metalcore consists of growled or barked vocals, heavy drop-tuned guitars, fast double-bass drumming and melodically sung choruses. Gone is the virtuosity and spontaneity of thrash, the fun of glam, or the brutal riffing and frenetic pace of death-metal. Metalcore has devolved into a scream verse-sing chorus-scream verse-blastbeat/breakdown-chant bridge-sing chorus formula. While the lyrics tend to be more introspective than the aforementioned genres, they still retain that whiny gloominess that nu-metal brought but with a more positive spin. The end result is a music style that cannot grow or expand beyond its own boundaries. This is not to say that metalcore as a sub-genre and movement within the metal community is devoid of influence.

Metal-core has influenced other styles of music. This influence can primarily be seen in the labeling of newer sub-genre's. Besides the labeling of the style followed by the word "core" the music does have it's own spinoffs. For instance, there is now deathcore, grindcore, groovecore and mathcore. It would seem that the record labels are so desperate to seem hip and cool that they have added "core" to just about everything in an attempt to legitimize the existence of any given sub-genre. Genius. The album art is no exception, while the graphics and fonts of different styles of metal tend to follow their particular sub-genre, metalcore is all over the place. They have incorporated all the different styles of graphics into a blender, gave it a spin and dumped the contents on a canvas. Like the music, the album art is just as confused and contrived.

What the next big thing will be is anyone's guess, but with critical-mass achieved by metalcore, it must be somewhere on the horizon. Will the next trend be a swing back to pop infused punk, or hard rock with pop sensibilities? Will it be a simplified, stripped down style of rock n' roll or industrial fuzed with dance? Will it be something completely new? In the meantime, while we watch and wait, I would suggest that new bands who are trying to break in to the current metal scene change their genre's names to Hair-core, Traditional-core, Prog-core or Power-core to seem more "with-it" and keep up with the trends. After all, metal is just not as legit as metalcore.

Friendly Fire

 

www.famemagazine.co.uk

 Back in the late 70's and early 80's when the Christian rock scene was beginning to explode, it was not uncommon to see people who called themselves followers of Christ vocally picketing bands that were using rock music to spread the gospel through their lyrics. Bands and artists like Keith Green, Rez Band, Petra and Stryper, who are unashamed of their stand for Christ were verbally chastised and publicly denounced from the pulpit. Specifically, Stryper became almost every Pastor's favorite whipping boy as they decried the immortality of heavy metal. While Stryper's peers relished the sex-drugs-rock n' roll lifestyle, Stryper was taking the gospel to clubs and concert halls and delivering it with a sonic bombast to anyone who would listen.

Stryper and their fans understand what continues to baffle the American Church as an entity. That is, an open sanctuary door does not accomplish anything. You have to go out

www.nolifetilmetal.com

into the streets where people live and invite them in with open arms, regardless of the appearance, status or lifestyle. A missionary does not go somewhere, build a church and hope that people eventually show up. By necessity to ensure survival, a missionary must be involved in the process and engage the people that they are trying to reach on the level where they live. Ironically, on one level Americans get it, they support missionaries on foreign soils, but rare is the occasion when a missionary is supported on mission to their own community. Even Seattle's Bloodgood released an e.p. called Metal Missionaries. In 1990, speed metal masters Sacred Warrior wrote a song called Minister By Night that contains the line "I`ve been seen in places that you`d only pass in daylight, but that`s our biggest difference, in the darkness we spread the light". Sacred Warrior, Stryper, Bloodgood and their compatriots continue live out their calling.

What has happened to our ability to think? Are we to sit in the pews like mindless drones

www.bloodgoodband.com

accepting what is told to us or are we to take our God-given intellect and discernment and test it against the scriptures for authenticity? As my experience has led me to believe, we are to talk about "unapproved" music styles and genre's in hoarse whispers for fear of repercussion?  forget the lyrical content. This was reinforced recently by a conversation with a friend who said that they did not talk about the music that they listen to because they did not want to cause some one to stumble. I agree with and respect this to a point, but when does it become legalistic, fearful, or simply spineless. If the music glorifies God and encourages the listener to seek Him more fervently, then does the musical style really matter? If we are living fearfully of the spiritual leadership that has been placed over us then our submission is not based in love, respect, or obedience. It is based on a desire for acceptance and a fear of consequences.

Simply stating that you don't like a certain style of music therefore it is not "Christian" is wrong! Who are we to say what God will or will not use to enlarge HIS kingdom. He is God on high and we human beings are not. God has and continues to use musicians of all varieties and styles to bring the gospel to those that would otherwise remain unreached. Conversely, calling music Christian because there are Christians in the band but whose lyrics are feel-good-happy-happy-joy-joy and don't address the spiritual reality of man are just as wrong. In Revelations 3:16, God says that he will spit these people out of his mouth. Compromising the word of God is a dangerous and futile exercise in the long run, but no more so than rejecting His chosen servants and witnesses.

Life is one grand, sweet song, so start the music.  ~President Ronald Reagan

Three Nails and the Truth

Country music writer and legend Harlan Howard once said that "Country music is three chords and the truth." For this to be possible one must then understand what truth is. Truth by it's very nature is unchanging and infallible, therefore, the author of truth must be unchanging and infallible. To be a human and an author of truth is not possible. Human beings can only offer opinions, unless speaking of the truth, in which case, said human must quote directly, accurately, and often. Eli Prinson and Mike Phillips of The Sacrificed do exactly this.

 The Sacrificed are a band out of Lakeland, FL, and came together in 2005. While they may be fairly young as a band, the music is pure American traditional metal, with some progressive vibes throughout the album to keep the music entertaining. At times the band has been compared to Queensryche, Deliverance and Sacred Warrior. The primary reason behind the comparison is the phenomenal vocals of front-man Eli Prinson. Eli has a range that is better than Geoff Tate of Queensrych and rivals the high-pitched wails of King Diamond himself. That is not to say that Eli rips off either person, rather his vocal style, and delivery is very similar. Add to the band the master guitar shredder himself, Mike Phillips. Mike is from the old school of metal, where one must have chops AND melody. On the songs that need a smokin solo to keep things moving, Mike delivers flawlessly. At other times, he plays a moving passage, and it is pretty obvious his soul wrote the notes. Mike also has a flair for the progressive styling in his playing but does not fall prey to the technical wankery of other players, rather, each note is placed in each song for the overall effect. Daniel Cordova holds down the low end of the band on the bass and brings the drums and guitar work together with a practiced finesse. There are not very many runs and fills in his playing style, but again, each note is played with emphasis and power, always keeping in mind the final product to be delivered. The bass is handled very competently and adds to the overall effect of the album, blending perfectly with the tempos set by drummer Jay Williams. Jay has incredibly fast feet and keeps the beat strong while adding fills and blast beats in exactly the right amount for flavor and dynamics. Whether he is holding the beat, pausing in an interlude, dropping out or crashing in, Jay Williams sense of taste and timing is impeccable. In short, The Sacrificed has brought together 4 guys that are clearly on the same musical mission. Mike Phillips and Daniel Cordova may be new to this band, but the overall sound that is achieved has 4 guys playing music that they love and it is evident in the intensity of the music created for this album.

Eli Prinson wrote the lyrics to 7 of the 10 songs on the album, Mike Phillips wrote 2 and the last is a song called Before the Storm, that is a Queensryche cover. Ironically, I would have not known from the first listen that Before the Storm was a cover, as it flows with the album and fits the style of the band. Lyrically, every song is taken from the Bible and urges people to seek Jesus without coming across as preachy and in-your-face. Songs Like The Nephilim Agenda, Behold the Power of God, and Ark of the Covenant are all written from  a historical perspective and tell a small story. The Nephilim Agenda deals with the events leading up to the flood. Ark of the Covenant is the history of the Ark from its inception, creation, capture by the Philistines and its ultimate return to Israel. Behold the Power of God is about Aaron and Moses' confrontation with Pharaoh when they demanded the release of the Israelites from slavery. Regeneration is more political and it is a plea for the people of America to turn back to God before this nation is destroyed. 24 and Falling are the two Mike Phillips penned songs and both of these focus what life without Jesus would look like and repentance from sin. 24 finds it's inspiration in the book of Revelations and describes the prophecies while at the same time offering hope in salvation. Lyrically, this band is refreshing in their lyrical approach because they walk the fine line of truth with gospel while not being overly preachy.

The only down-side to the album is the production on the vocals. To my ear it seems to have a bit too many effects dialed in and this tends to make the vocals muddy and distorted when the band is really playing. After a few listens and when played at a higher volume, this problem is not as noticeable, but at normal levels it really comes out. What made the vocals stand out is the crisp production on the rest of the instruments creating a really odd out-of-balance dynamic. The production on the instruments is outstanding and modern and yet the band has still achieved that classic metal sound.

All-in-all, I find The Sacrificed's III to be a fantastic example of classic metal and what it should sound like. these guys are wearing their influences on their sleeves with pride. They are not out to do something new, rather they are doing what they love musically while still bringing the gospel of truth to a lost world. They do not hedge or waffle but stand up for what they know to be right.  

Bay-Area U

It's 2010 and the great thrash resurgence is waning, but a little farther south of the United States is a little country that has taken the torch.This little country has been heavily influenced by the San-Francisco bay area thrash scene that spawned the mighty Metallica, Mega-Dave and his crew of Deth, as well as the infamous Slayer with their hordes devotees. This scene also gave birth to the oft-overlooked Death Angel, Testament, Exodus, Vio-Lence and Forbidden. More important than any one of these bands or the combined power of their sonic might is the influence that these bands continue to have. Bay-Area Thrash became a movement that rivaled the size of the NWOBHM and influenced all future generations of metal-heads. This effect was also carried down to the nation of Brazil. 

Disaffection take their thrash cues from the god-fathers of metal and bring it up to date. From the beginning of the album with the sounds of gunfire and whistling bullets to the blinding ferocity of the closing track, this album never lets up. The influence of the Bay-Area is unmistakable. From the patch covered denim vests, to the bullet belts, to the classic high-top tennies, to the album cover with its "V" guitars, these guys have the look. If not for the Portuguese accents, these guys could have grown up in San-Francisco in 1985. The attack of the drums is pure Dave Lombardo, and the vocal delivery is reminiscent of Mark Osegueda from Death Angel, and the influence continues into the depths of the album. The highlight however, is the ever present riff. These guys have nailed it. Be the song a blast driven mosh fest or a slower bass driven groove, the riffs don't let up. While the album is pure thrash and pulls it's influences from the masters, Disaffection still maintain their unique take on the genre. They do not emulate any one band but seem to pull pieces from each one creating a sound that is fresh without reinventing the thrash wheel. The one downside to the album is the weakness of the guitar breaks and leads. The lead is present and accounted for but do not have the technicality and feeling of a more seasoned band.

The lyrics are blatantly Biblical but steer away from the "turn-or-burn" variety. Rather, the lyrics seek to offer hope and answers to folks struggling in their lives and Christian walk. Encouraging people to think about their situations is the basis for songs like Stupid Ideas and Mystery of God, while Mortuary Man is a reminder that those who are born again do not have to continue in past sins but are now alive in Christ. The opening track Metal Kombat is a call to arms against fallen angels and other evils that are in this world because of sin. Every single song is theologically based and no-where is this more present than in the song Blind Man. Blind Man uses biblical truths and the analogy of darkness and light to describe the difference in life between one who is saved and one who is not. The song is wrapped up in short testimonial bridge that brings these ideas together.

Disaffection are a strait-ahead thrash band from Brazil that don't hesitate to share their faith and their ministry is their music. The lyrics are refreshing break from the "look-how-evil-we-are" variety. Disaffection play a style that is immediately recognizable and yet also new. Thankfully, this is only a debut and I look forward to many more releases from this band with great anticipation.

Cover... Version?!?!

The subject of cover vs. version was first brought to my attention while listening to the Radioactive Metal podcast with Roch and Snowy. Until the subject had been broached, I had never put much thought into what separates the two different categories. This particular subject caught my attention because I love cover songs, and I have found several new bands and artists that grabbed my attention through their covers of another artists song. Sometimes the discovery was a song that I was familiar with already, and a new band caught my attention with their particular rendition of that song. Other times it was a band that I was already a fan of doing a cover of an as-yet-unknown-to-me artist that got me prowling for new music. There have been a few times when I have been listening to a particular song by an artist and thinking that something in the song was not quite right and needed to be changed, be it the general attitude of the song, the lyrical delivery, the guitar solo's or tones or just brought up to date with better production. Whether the version was recorded as an homage to a previous artist, a mock-documentary, or recorded just for fun, different covers of songs are generally fun to listen to but a well done cover is few and far between.

A version of a song usually happens when one of the original artists or writer of the song is involved in the recording process. These songs are usually found on B-side singles, remixes, tribute albums and so on. For instance, the version of N.I.B. by Black Sabbath that was recorded by Primus with Ozzy on vocals was different than the original and definitely better. The music was changed slightly but the song kept it's own identity. Then there is the case of Paul DiAnno, former lead singer for Iron Maiden who continues to tour and plays songs that he sung with them live and re-records them over and over again. In the case of Dallas, TX punk band, One Bad Pig, they recorded a punk version of Petra's Judas Kiss with Bob Hartman doing the guitar work. OBP also entered the studio with the legendary Johnny Cash and recorded a duet with him in the form of Man In Black. While all these are examples of a version of a song, no two are alike and each version reflects the band as a whole.

 A different way to look at a version is Christmas music, hymns and traditional songs. Most people already know the lyrics and melody by heart and can identify these songs in a matter of seconds. I personally have 2 different versions of Amazing Grace as recorded by Flatfoot 56 and the Dropkick Murphys. Both of these versions are celtic punk with bagpipes carrying the melody, but both versions are far different. The Dropkick Murphys are also known for their punked-up covers of traditional Irish music and they have gained the respect of fans both young and old for giving new life to these classic songs. Be it punk, metal, pop, easy listening, rock, country, R&B, or another style, what the songs have in common is their easily identifiable melody and lyrics, as well as the appeal to the masses.

What separates good covers from the lifeless and mundane covers is the amount of originality that the recording artist puts in to the song, the style chosen and the originality that the covering artist maintains. Some covers, however, should never have been recorded in the first place. No Quarter by Led Zeppelin was covered by Tool. This cover was absolutely horrendous and unlistenable. There was nothing of the original song left intact. Had it been recorded with a different name, it might have been passed over all together. The banner-waving, flag-flying godfathers of metal, Judas Priest recorded a cover of Chuck Berry's Johnny B. Goode that is so bad it qualifies as a must-listen for the humor factor alone. The lyrics and the intro riff are left intact, but the original attitude and rock n' roll swagger has been produced and played right out of the song. Judas Priest have absolutely nailed covers in the past, most notably with Joan Baez's Diamonds & Rust. Judas Priest made this song uniquely their own and yet it is still respectful to the original artist and maintains the attitude and emotion of the original version. This song has become a Priest standard and few people even realize that is a cover.  Then there are the covers that are so bad they must be mentioned individually. These include Poison's cover of the Kiss anthem, Rock n' Roll All Nite, Winger's cover of Purple Haze, Alice Cooper's cover of Fire by Hendrix, and the Bronx Casket Co's cover of Free Bird. Unfortunately, the list goes on and on.

A great cover keeps the original song intact, thereby paying respect to the original artist, but the covering band must maintain their identity as well. It is a fine line to walk and a balancing act to be sure for the covering band to make the song their own without trashing the original artist or song. When Blackie Lawless recorded his cover of Chuck Berry's Promised Land, he gave song an injection of testosterone with a punk flavor but still kept the attitude and melody intact while creating a song that is pure W.A.S.P.. The Dropkick Murphys recorded a cover of CCR's Fortunate Son and created what is in my opinion, cover perfection. While I love CCR and I love the song Fortunate Son, I thought that it lacked some of that brashness and cocky strut that it could have had. You distort the guitars a little more for that raw buzzsaw sound, speed up the tempo, and add some gang vocals for effect. When I heard DKM's cover of this song, my jaw hit the floor, they had nailed exactly what I had wanted to hear that song become.

When Social Distortion covered Johnny Cash's Ring Of Fire they changed the song to fit the band, rather than changing the band for the song. This key is crucial to a good cover. Mike Ness, Social Distortion's frontman and main songwriter, also recorded an album of old country tunes but he changed the songs just enough to fit his vocal style, added some other guitar elements and changed tempo's to fit the attitude of the album and achieved one of the greatest  cover albums ever recorded. New Mexico thrashers Ultimatum also recorded an album of cover tunes. Their cover of Metallica's Creeping Death was changed and recorded in such a way as to make it familiar to fans of the original and yet it is still completely an Ultimatum song. Knowing when and what to change in a cover so that neither the original artist nor the covering band are compromised in their artistry and originality is crucial to the success of a song as a whole. Changing the song in just the right ways can allow for the song to take on a whole new life of it's own but changing it too much or not enough can doom the song to be compared to the hordes of impotent, lifeless covers that have gone on before. 

the point of all this ranting and raving is this, not every band or artist can cover every song. and most songs can maintain the stamp of originality while being covered in another genre, but not all. Whether a song is an original, a cover or a version, the song must reflect the bands individuality, and the band cannot sacrifice their individuality for a single song or you end up with generic garbage that has no lasting effect.

Blasphemy or Heresy?

1

In 6 months, Megadeth will be celebrating the 20 year Anniversary of Countdown to Extinction. Love it or hate it, this album was a huge turning point for the band. July 14, 1992 saw the release of this masterpiece. Countdown to Extinction debuted at #2 on the billboard music charts and went double platinum in the US and triple platinum in Canada.
 
Something had changed in the band between So Far, So Good... So What and Rust in Peace. With Rust, Dave Mustaine and David Ellefson had hired guitarist Marty Friedman and drummer Nick Menza to fill in for members recently departed. With these new members, and his new found sobriety, Dave Mustaine recorded the seminal and critically acclaimed Rust in Peace. By the time that this album was recorded, the manic thrash and speed that Megadeth were known for was almost gone. With that departure went a lot of the attitude and controversy that Dave Mustaine created. In the place of pure speed was the use of more complex timing signatures and progressive elements to maintain the attitude of the individual song, highlighted by the precision playing of the artists. While the snotty attitude of the past was disappearing, it was being replaced by a more mature and angry take on life.

A year of touring and playing together had cemented the chemistry between the members of the band, as had the experiences of recording sober. In January 1992, the guys entered the studio to begin the recording of Countdown to Extinction.They chose Max Norman to co-produce the album, and he began to help Megadeth reinvent themselves as artists. Why did the band listen to Max Norman, who co-produced the album, and pushed them to write shorter, simpler more radio friendly songs, is anyone's guess, but there is no denying the fact that 20 years later, Symphony of Destruction is still on the setlist.

Musically, there was more variety in the songs recorded. Songs like Foreclosure of a Dream and Countdown to Extinction had more of a traditional metal sound, while others like High Speed Dirt and Skin O' My Teeth were closer to speed metal. Dave Mustaine and Marty Friedman did not skimp on the riffs and solo's either, rather the songs are decked out in tasty leads and neck snapping riffs. Nick Menza and David Ellefson were also present to lay down the rhythmic foundation that holds this album together. Countdown to Extinction is not a watered down version of Rust in Peace, rather it stands on the strength of the musicianship and song writing of the band as a whole, unlike the previous outings when Dave Mustaine wrote everything himself.

Listen to any podcast dedicated to heavy music, or read an article about heavy metal and this album will come up in the conversation. This album has divided the Megadeth fans in to two separate camps. Fans of Rust in Peace and previous albums, claim that this album was a "sellout" and that Dave & Co. were only trying to make a few dollars. It did indeed sell out, 2x platinum in the US alone, and still selling. Fans of the later records, tend to prefer the cleaner production, the heavier riffs and the more traditional metal sound. With both camps of fans, you cannot have one era of Megadeth without the other. There is no "new" Megadeth without the history, and the older fans seem to forget that they are still able to attend the concerts on the strength of the new albums, not some pathetic reunion tour. Megadeth will never recapture the attitude of youth, or the hunger and drive for success that adolescence afforded them. Megadeth continue to buck the trends, write and play what they like, and keep the banner flying for heavy metal in a way that no other metal band has been able to accomplish.