Album Review: "Mindhood" by Ashura

Mindhood by Ashura

In 2011, the brothers Gordillo decided they were going to stop playing Iron Maiden covers and start playing their own music.

The South American brothers then began an odyssey that took them through several other musicians and into the studio to record a demo.

In January of 2013 they met Enrico Cavion who helped them change their sound, their genre and their focus.

Finally, they ended up with the full line up that would birth the newly named Ashura's debut record.

They were  now ready to begin writing and recording and the produced a three song demo to begin their journey. Ashura is a Bay Area Thrash band in the modern age that stays true to the roots of the genre.

Album Review: "The Maximalist" by Megafauna

Maximalist by Megafauna

 It's time to meet a celebrated guitarist out of Austin, Texas.

Dani Neff.

You've never heard of her either? It's a crime against nature that this very talented woman has not been heard by the wider world. She has been chosen as Austin's best electric guitarist by the Austin Chronicle.

Considering the music scene in Texas's favorite weird city, that's high praise indeed.

Though she's oft referred to as a shredder, but that feels like an inappropriate tag for her style of play. There's nothing wrong with shred, from where I sit, but it implies notes for the sake of notes and often at the expense of the song, and that's not what she does.

Album Review: "BIG WEATHER" by 1, 2, 3

BIG WEATHER by 1, 2, 3

On Boxing Day, 2012, Nicolas Snyder, the primary songwriter for 1, 2, 3 quit the band.

In time, he returned to some sort of normalcy in his life. Living as a human being again instead of a person consumed by finishing a double album about weather, inspired by meteorological disasters.

However, in time, the itch that anyone who's played a song on stage knows all too well, came back. He listened back to the songs they had finished, that they had not finished, and that were barely written.

He then convinced them all one by one to return to the fold and the band lived and breathed once again. After listening and learning, they returned to the studio. They holed away for five months and finished this mammoth of a record...

Kill Devil Hill In St. Louis & My Conversation With Rex Brown

On a muggy Wednesday evening in May I arrived at The Firebird to meet with Rex Brown of Kill Devil Hill (and formerly Pantera).

As I made my way up to the door, I ended up having a conversation with some of the members of Crobot and their road manager. We spoke for about ten minutes before it was time for me to head in. There's something about that band that stuck with me, which I'll get to another time. They were opening up.

My nerves started to get the best of me. I've listened to Rex's music for a very long time. It was the first time I had the opportunity to interview someone whose music I loved. 16 year old me would be proud.

Rita Haney and Rex greeted me as though I was important. After a few minutes of chit chat with Rex a few things became as clear as an azure sky: he drops a few F-Bombs (I did soften this interview up a bit by removing some) and that he says exactly what he's thinking and it was equal parts a relief and a bit nerve wracking....

Album Review: "War Eternal" by Arch Enemy

War Eternal by Arch Enemy

Is there anyone who is not familiar with Arch Enemy?

Born of Carcass, Carnage, Mercyful Fate, and more?

Champions of women in metal?

OK, there has to be someone, so, a quick history lesson. The group was formed in 1996 after Michael Amott left Carcass.

Originally, the band's vocalist was Johan Liiva who was replaced by Angela Gossow in 2000.

In 2014, it was announced that at after 14 years, eight albums, and more, Angela was going to leave the band and she had even chosen her successor, Alissa White-Gluz, formerly of The Agonist. Angela and Micheal are still married and she is still involved with the band, but she has chosen to no longer participate in a musical capacity.

"More Primitive" by Lonesome Shack

 There are record labels that when I hear that they have an album coming that I know that I'm already interested in what it is.

Alive Natural Sound fits that bill.

Lonesome Shack is a blues trio based out of Seattle, Wash., but it would never be apparent to anyone listening.

In some ways, it's very nice when things do not change. When a style of music remains rooted in its past and holds onto the feeling, the power, and the structure, then you have tradition.

They tow the lines between 12 bar blues, boogie blues, and country blues, and all points within. Blues has had a bit of a renaissance over the last few years, but mostly Chicago blues with long solos, but this is very different than that.

"Endless Asphyxiating Gloom" by Sabbatory

I hope I didn't just bring you down there. This album is rather gloomily titled, but it's death metal and it is what it is. This is the debut effort from the quartet, Sabbatory.

It is a widely held belief that the location of a band will add to its air, its msytique, and even its sound. Consider Black Sabbath came from the poor industrial town of Birmingham, England. Tony Iommi even lost a finger in an industrial accident.

The biggest disconnect between location and music, naturally, is Tampa, Florida, but we're going to let that ride.

Sabbatory is not from a sunny beach town. They are not from an affluent metropolitan area. They are from Winnipeg, Man. If there ever was a cold, metal heart of Canada, Winnipeg would be it. The cold is so unbearable there that during the winter, the people walk in underground tunnels. The cold is beyond oppressive...it's asphyxiating there.

"Gets Loaded " by Hollis Brown

Hollis Brown is a roots-rock band based out of NYC.

They have been described as playing rock music that would have sounded fresh in 1966.

As they are on the Alive-Natural Sound roster, one could expect them to be a bit bluesy, a bit retro, and pretty rocking.

This is their sophomore album to their debut which was released last year. There is a story behind this record.

Originally this started off as a live tribute to Lou Reed and the Velvet Underground in November of 2013. Hollis Brown was invited to the show to play The Velvet Underground's Loaded in its entirety. Originally it was released as a Record Store Day limited edition, it's now getting its own proper release a month later...

"Inferno" by Marty Friedman

Oh Marty Friedman! おひさしぶりです! 

It has been a long time since I've personally thought about Marty Friedman.

I won't speak for you though. The last album he played on that I own I think is Cryptic Writings from 1997. I did see him perform with Megadeth on the Ozzfest in either 1997 or 1998, I forget precisely which year.

Well, where has Marty been for the past 14 years since leaving Megadeth? He has relocated to Japan and started  a solo career where he has released seven albums preceding this release.

I believe my favorite title from this era would have to be Tokyo Jukebox 2.

"Regicide" by Hour of Penance

About two months ago, when I was being interviewed for NPR, I discovered there was an album forthcoming with the title Regicide.

Just reading the title of that album, I knew that I had to hear it.

Emails were sent, approval was granted, and here we are. The album is by an Italian death metal band called Hour of Penance. Formed in 1999, Hour of Penance has released five previous albums and do not appear to be ready to mellow out.

Death metal has really returned with a vengeance in the current era. Aside from the newer deathcore, hyperdeath, symphonic-hyper-ultra-melodic-thrash-deadly-death metal, there has been a resurgence in American, if not Tampa Bay, style death metal. It warms my heart to see and hear that the extreme metal I grew up with has not been forgotten.

"Back to the Camper" by Bob Wayne

Would you believe that for the first time at Glacially Musical we are reviewing a country record?

Well, I assure you that it's a fact.

However, Bob Wayne doesn't identify as a country music singer. I think this might be why.... It's really hard to blame anyone for not wanting to be associated with that absolute claptrap.

Bob Wayne, the Renegade Carnie, considers himself to be an amalgamation of all sorts of musical styles, metal, rock, punk, and yes country, but to me this is a country record through and through.

I would imagine that this would give some people pause, but this is more Johnny Cash, George Jones, and Hank Senior than Blake Shelton, Carrie Underwood, or Taylor Swift.

"Future Former Self" by Chappo

Before you read anything, please click the album cover to the left. It's one of the coolest covers I've seen in a long time and seeing it for the first time today all blown up...well it's just awesome and you need to see it big.

Now that you've been properly wowed by the cover, let's move forward. Do you remember our friends from Chappo? These fellows are from Brooklyn, NY and make some sort of music that's kind of hard to make out what it really is.

There's some Doors in there. There's a little Jimi Hendrix in there, but just a little. Then there's the vocalist and there's really no telling what that man is doing or who his influences were. It doesn't feel like this band is a sum of anyone else's parts. Very often, we can listen to a band and pick out why sound like this, or why they used that drum fill, or how they got that guitar sound, but Chappo defies that.

"Cursed Redeemer" by Miasmal

 For our consideration today,  here is the latest release from Gothenburg, Sweden, Miasmal.

Formed in 2007, they recorded their first demo in 2008, released their debut EP in 2010, and their debut LP in 2011.

Cursed Redeemer is their sophomore album and their first for Century Media.

Miasmal lives in old school death metal.

Upon first listen it's not entirely apparent that they are not from Tampa Bay.

Their sound, their feel, and their anger are very reminiscent of old school, Florida styled death metal.

"Calculations of the Ancients" by Super Massive Black Holes

This is another Canadian metal band. For some reason, I never consider The Great White North when thinking of finding new metal bands.

Every time I have been north of these United States I have found the Canadian people to be polite, friendly, and not really all that angry.

I suppose I'd be less angry to if I knew that every sixer of Molson Export Ale I bought went to help pay for my health insurance...

Here we have their debut record. This is the chance to jump onto a bandwagon that has yet to even be built! Don't miss out.

It's really hard to describe what sort of band this is, which is great. In the end, they are a metal band, but not a garden variety of any sort....unless you're a fan of Tosin Abasi...

"Splinters" by Vallenfyre

Vallenfyre is a side project.

Paradise Lost's primary songwriter, Greg Mackintosh, started the group a few years back. Today we we have their second full length album.

The group was the "natural" reaction to Mackintosh losing his father. He put his feelings into verse and into chords.

Mackintosh is joined by Hamish Glencross of My Dying Bride on rhythm and lead guitar, Scoot of Doom on bass guitar, and Adrian Erlandsson also of Paradise Lost and more on the drums.

Vallenfyre has looked to the past for inspiration: Napalm Death, Bathory, Hellhammer, Celtic Frost and more, but more is added to the pot to make the band something different than any of those bands.