Album Review: "Burial Dream" by Sarin

Burial Dream

I'm almost temped to shout HELLO CLEVELAND!

Today is the first time I've reviewed an album in two weeks. Yes, I worked hard to get caught up and now I'm behind.

So, once again, I'm playing catch up.

Today we're taking a look back to about two weeks ago. I received an email from Brampton, Ontario based Sarin.

Well, like most time when a band emails me, I wasn't familiar with their music, but I'm always willing to listen.

They're a doom, sludge, stoner metal band. I'm not sure if our friends in Sarin are too picky about which particular term we choose. I'd have to imagine that some bands get a bit snippy about it. I suppose it's kind of like death metal and technical death metal and melodic death metal. There's probably a difference, but it's hard to spot!

"Al Insane ... The(Re)Birth of abderrahmane" by Lelahell

Algerian Death Metal.

Please take a moment to let that sink in. I can wait.

Two weeks ago had you said those three words to me, well I would not have believed this existed, but then I received an email from Lelahell.

When I think of their home country of Algeria, I'll be honest, I don't think of death metal but Zinedine Zadane and Samir Nasri (still angry at the latter for quitting Arsenal by the way...).

So needless to say, I was interested in hearing this album. I cannot think of any other metal bands from this area of the world. Please enjoy this brutal export.

"Parasitic Unborn EP" by Victims of Contagion

Victims of Contagion are the latest indie band to send me their album.

They self describe as a technical death metal band.

Again, we arrive to the horribly convoluted cross section of metal subgenres where just a tiny little difference means it's an entirely different kind of music.

Honestly, much of the time I can't even tell you what this or that means. Technical death metal, blackened death metal, death metal with a side of rye...I don't know.

They hail from the far off land of Pittsburgh, PA, a steel town. When we look back into the annals of metal, we remember that Black Sabbath formed in Birmingham, England. Good metal comes from steel towns where metal is quite literally in the air and your blood.

Album Review: "Fragments" by District

Fragments

Twitter is a funny thing.

In the very recent past, I received a message from a band asking if I did reviews, and after answering in the affirmative, they sent me their album.

That is still my very favorite thing about running this little music blog. When a band contacts me. (Please see email address to the upper right of the screen should you be interested.)

But, in the end, I've never heard of this band and I have very little information about them other than that they have released an album and they are from Seattled and named District.

They self identify with alternative rock, but could they really call themselves anything else while being from Seattle? Perhaps I'm just too old, but that's all I think of when I think of Seattle...well that and The Crow.

Album Review: The Eponymous Debut of the Casual Strangers

Casual Strangers

Musical acts, like normal people, run in packs, scenes, cliques, etc.

After my review of Megafauna's latest album, The Maximalist, a couple other bands out of Austin, TX came out to say hi to me. I would definitely love to become more familiar with the scene in Austin, TX.

(It should be noted that if you're reading this and you want me to review anything, I'll listen to whatever's sent!)

The Casual Strangers.

In an era of an ever expanding list of terrible band names, I think this one is pretty damned cool. The standard trope of opposites becomes something very cool here.  I always hope to bring new artists to your attention, and this band couldn't be any newer. This is their first album.

Album Review: "Skullcrusher" by Maze of Terror

Skullcrusher

A few weeks ago I received an email all the way from Lima, Peru. It was from a metal band there. The band and I disagree precisely what genre they belong to, but we'll forgo that for now.

That's pretty cool. I've said it before and I'll say it again, it's so beyond awesome when I get an email from an artist who's asking me to listen to their music.

Doing this blog and getting to hear all of this music that I wouldn't normally know is why I do this.

So, for our South American friends, let's take a look at Skullcrusher. Normally, as this EP is a couple years old, I would not review it because it's not current, but I cannot pass it up. The band wanted to create a brutal thrash metal band with a very polished sound, and I think we can all agree that they nailed that goal.

Album Review: "Chain Reaction" by Distorted Harmony

Chain Reaction

Today's album review is another one submitted directly by the artist. There is still nothing as cool as the actual artist contacting me. I will admit that most of them are overseas and I wonder where the Americans are at?

So, today's featured artist, Distorted Harmony, is from Israel. You may recall the other Israeli band to appear on these pages, Ferium.

Like their fellow countrymen, Distorted Harmony is also progressive, but they make their changes in a single song, whereas Ferium changes from song to song.

Here's where things start to get a bit more interesting than your standard how the band formed story. Distorted Reaction was started by a Jazz keyboard player, but please keep reading. I suppose, it makes sense that a jazz artist would want to switch to progressive the metal...?

I should also mention, as a total nerd, I think that this cover art is just awesome. I feel like I should check the molecule to make sure it's a real one though...but I'm not a chemistry nerd anyway.

Album Review: "Everything You Knew Before You Knew Everything" by Static in Verona

Everything You Knew....

Normally when do I an album review, I listen to it in the car or on my headphones so I am sequestered away from all distractions and I can feel the music. I then take notes on a single page.

I only have six words written about this album playing in my ears, but it's really so much more than those six words.

Static In Verona is a solo project by Rob Merz. I say solo project in the truest sense of the word.

He is handling all of the duties on this album from top to bottom. I've always been of the mind that even if you wrote an entire album and had hired hands play what you can't, it's not a solo album. Consider all of the albums by bands where one or two members wrote everything, but didn't play on them...

"Face of Madness" by Tritton

 For the first time, this blog will be heading to our neighbor to the south, Mexico, but not the part of Mexico that the lure of drunk college kids have turned into America's socks. The real heart of Mexico, Mexico City.

At an elevation nearly fifty percent higher than the Mile High City of Denver, the air is thin. Originally, founded as the capital of the Mexica (later Aztecs) in 1325, it was conquered by the Spaniards. There is a lot about this city to make one angry enough to become metal. It's a very far cry from the paradisiacal cities like Cancun and Playa del Carmen. (The latter where I spent not only my honeymoon, but my last trip to Mexico.)

Enough of the Mexican history lesson, but if you'd like more, please email me and I'll tell you all about my visit to the archaeological site of Chichen Itza and send you photos.

"The Fall of Ominus" by Nephren-Ka

Do you ever wonder where metal bands get their names or often times the content of their songs?

Ok, truth time, metallers are big ol'nerds. Comb the Led Zeppelin lyrics carefully and you'll hear Lord of the Rings references, and this was before the Peter Jackson movies. Ace Frehley and Gene Simmons were huge on Science Fiction and Horror respectively.

So, these guys took their name from the Cthulu Mythos. Even the mighty Metallica has used that name, though they misspelled it.

These nice French boys have started a death metal band with some very obvious nerdy references and lyrical content. Encyclopaedia Metallum lists their lyrical content as influenced Frank Hebert's Dune. Ok, this is about as nerdy as it gets, unless you think about this song here. 

"Shiner EP" by Mainland

This band has an interesting genesis. The singer, Jordan Topf, lost his father and needed to get away.

What would you do?

He bought a van and went on tour. Just try to imagine that. After the loss of your father, you then head off into the world? Loss of stability and he gives up all stability and everything he's ever known.

Well every good song and good album starts off with an even better story. Mainland set off to write their story. This is a very staggering idea to me. Over the weeks and months, seeing new faces, they wrote, they created and they met a fellow in Austin who's got a recording studio and they wrote as much as they could and picked out these four to put into their debut EP.

"Eye of the Storm (7" Single)" by The Haunted

The Haunted are a long running metal band from Sweden. Honestly, what is it with the Swedes and death metal...and hockey?

They have released a bunch of albums over the years. How have they never found my ears before today? Well, here we are and they are releasing an album called "The Eye of the Storm" later on in the year. Today we're considering the first single off of what will become their eighth studio album.

It's still surprising that this is the first I have heard of them, but I'm glad to have the opportunity to check out their first single.

The band got together in 1996 when the brothers Bjorler decided to be totally metal and start it all.

"Canto III" by Eye of Solitude

This is the latest release by a band who's been around for nearly four years. The band was started in 2010 and has released a bevy of records, but this is only their third full length release.

They are considered to be Orchestral Funeral Doom Metal. There is a part of me that really loves considering the thousands of metal subgenres, because it just gets ridiculous.

Eye of Solitude is a super group of sorts, featuring members the bands: Unfathomable Ruination and Sidious.

This particular release is a very ambitious six track project. Please read that again, and ensure that you read it without any sarcasm. This is a very ambitious record.

"Rock Them Back To Hell!" by Left Lane Cruiser

Rock Them Back To Hell

It has been awhile since we've heard from the psychobilly Blues duo from Fort Wayne, Indiana (Home of the Komets! The last and only time I was in Fort Wayne for more than a fill up was in April of 2001 to see the Missouri River Otters RIP play the Fort Wayne Komets...good times.)

It's been about a year and a half since any  new music of theirs has crossed my desk and into my iTunes, but it was a killer album with old friend, James Leg. One the greatest things about this band is that they are one of the most hard working outfits in the business today.

When they are not in the studio, they're on the road. These two guys are just a pair of amazing road dogs. In the time that they have been on my radar, they have played in St. Louis at least four times for very reasonable pricing.

"Entrails of the Soul" by Aetherium Mors

Entrails of the Soul

The thing that makes death metal so great isn't the music. It isn't the fans. It isn't the cover art. The horrifying lyrics.

It's the fact that it cannot be killed.

This music never dies. It continues to lumber along, alive, undead, or something different. Napalm Death, Morbid Angel, Carcass, Deicide, and more and more bands have been slogging it out for decades in some cases, and returning to the game in others.

None of those bands are household names. Not a single one of those bands will ever be rich off of the music they play. Morbid Angel was recently in St. Louis on the 20th Anniversary tour of their seminal album, "Covenant," playing in a club.These musicians are road dogs and gluttons for punishment. When a death metaller tells you that it's about the music, you know it's true.

"Occult Delight" by Mode Moderne

The other day, this guy was just sitting at his desk minding his own business when my iPhone buzzes to let me know that an email has arrived. Its contents held an invitation to check out "Occult Delight" by a band that was unfamiliar to me.

Sounds good to me!

So, who are these guys? 

Upon hearing them for the first time, the most common reaction would have to be are they British? Well, British Columbian....(Is that a thing?). This group hails from the far west of Canada, Vancouver, BC.

This is a new wave band through and through, but being just a small boy, who was into heavy metal, when new wave was new, all new wavey things still sound kind of new to me. Only recently did I discover that I kind of like the Psychedelic Furs...

"The Astronaut" by Wax Fang

How many bands can you name that hail from Louisville, KY? Aside from half of the Black Diamond Heavies, for me, it's none. However, for your consideration, we have a band from Louisville, KY. When I think of Louisville, there are two things that come to mind: The now defunct-ish Louisville Redbirds and Big Red Soda on the fountain. (Hey, it's my blog.)

The music scene isn't what comes to mind for me, but honestly, the music scene in most smaller cities, like my own, don't really spring to mind. Obviously that's not fair.

Every city can't have several vibrant music scenes like Los Angeles and New York, but I refuse to have City envy. I love my big small city or small big city...however you want to look at. This band was brought to my attention by their management. They sent me an email to see if I'd check out their latest project, "The Astronaut." Here we are so I think you can tell that my answer was yes.

"Now Honey, Now Baby, Now Listen..." by White Trash Blues Revival

Remember when you were just a little one and you built musical instruments because, hell, you were only eight and it was fun. Personally, I built some "drums" out of two pieces of plywood and used a pair of swizzle sticks  (remember those?) as drum sticks. They worked great because they had little balls on the end of one side...JUST LIKE REAL DRUM STICKS!

Well, imagine if you were a professional musician and at a bar you frequent/play frequently that they were having a best of the worst bands contest. Would you ever conceive of calling your buddies and asking them to create something horrific as a joke. Like the drummer not even playing drums, but an empty beer kg, a bucket, and a cardboard box instead? Or the guitarist not even using a cigar box guitar, but a skateboard with pickups? Well that's what Sausage Paw of Left Lane Cruiser did. It worked so well that after a 20 minute set, they were booked for real and a band was born.

"Topanga" by Atheist

I've said it before, but the coolest thing about this hobby of mine is when an artist emails me and says that they'd like me to hear their music. So, once again I'm taking a look at some music I'd never heard of but received via email and that's totally cool.

The artist is question is Atheist and his album is "Topanga." Yes, he has an affinity for Boy Meets World. I was never a fan of that show because Fred was the best Savage.

This album touches on such pertinent topics like Topanga, The Warriors, James Franco's Ph.D's, hipsters, organic weed, and Drake "freestyling" with the aid of a BlackBerry. (Off topic: Am I the only one who sees Drake and wonders how Jimmy Brooks got out of the wheelchair? Degrassi Jr High rules.)

This album could best be described as old school hip hop done by a new school rapper. Keep reading to find out what the hell that means.

Album Review: "Likewise" by SixStringNoise

One of my favorite parts of this blog is that musicians seek me out and ask me to listen to their stuff and tell the world what I think.

In this case, a a Greek band called SixStringNoise. They started as a he, Markos 6SN wrote and recorded a debut in 2010, and now they are a they and have released their debut record: "Likewise." This album intrigued me greatly. In the email I received there was a list of American and Canadian hard rock bands as influences, many of whom I enjoy.  I cannot say I've ever heard any Greek Music aside from the bouzouki players at the annual Greek Festival around Labor day in my home town of St. Louis.

I suppose at this point, rock music has gone global. After all, how much of American music wasn't stolen from English musicians who stole it from American blues players?

Not much!