When the Led Zeppelins and Black Sabbaths of the world were nearing a decade of writing, recording and touring they obviously got tired and bored. I mean, how can you not get bored playing Iron Man night after night for the better part of a decade? Continue reading Metal Genres – British New Wave of Heavy Metal
Month: May 2017
Prong – Spoiling the Hell out of Us with Output
There’s a big trend going on right now with bands that hail from the 70’s through 90’s bands. They’re all touring on their classic hits and not releasing any new material. Poison anyone? And while touring is better than nothing, it’s still not as good as a band that still releases new material. Continue reading Prong – Spoiling the Hell out of Us with Output
‘Say Hello To Heaven’ Chris Cornell
What an incredibly sad week. At 2 in the morning on May 18 news broke out that Chris Cornell at the age of 52 had passed away. I literally stared at the wall for 30 minutes numb and shocked. Continue reading ‘Say Hello To Heaven’ Chris Cornell
In Defense of – Extreme
Extreme. Most people know them as the band with the least appropriate name of all time. Continue reading In Defense of – Extreme
Judas Priest Vs. Iron Maiden: Who’s Stronger?
It’s one of the more intense rivalries in the history of heavy metal. Who’s the strongest band of the British New Wave of Heavy Metal? Is it Judas Priest or Iron Maiden? Continue reading Judas Priest Vs. Iron Maiden: Who’s Stronger?
King’s X – The Most Underrated Band of All Time? Yes!
King’s X is, without question, the most underrated band in rock, metal or any other genre for that matter. The power trio consisting of Dug Pinnick (bass, vocals), Ty Tabor (guitar, vocals) and Jerry Gaskill (drums, vocals) holds it down like no other. Continue reading King’s X – The Most Underrated Band of All Time? Yes!
What Happened To Bon Jovi?
There are a couple of bands around today that are almost unrecognizable as to what they used to be. The Red Hot Chili Peppers are one. They used to be blazing buffalo hot without any sides for cooling down. Another band that has gone down this path is the once glorious Bon Jovi. Continue reading What Happened To Bon Jovi?
2017 Has Been Meh for Heavy Music – Exception Mastodon!!
2017 has certainly been less than stellar in terms of, well, really everything. But that everything includes heavy metal and these past four months have not been particularly inspiring for the genre. Yes, KXM’s sophomore effort is a near five star masterpiece. Deep Purple has a new album which is cool but I don’t really have the drive to get it. I was expressing how this year has been lackluster for music to a good friend. He asked me if I had heard the new Mastodon album. I said no and told him that I purchased ‘Blood Mountain’ recently and I was expecting a lot, because people rave about this band. Needless to say I felt pretty let down when I spun the disc. He said that ‘Blood Mountain’ wasn’t particularly strong and that I should check out ‘Leviathan’ and ‘Crack the Skye’. I was blown when I started digging. Particularly on their newest release ‘Emperor of Sand’. This is a band that has evolved in the truest sense and they just keep getting better. Some cry sell out. But those are just the folks who think that if there is any sort of melody what so ever in heavy metal than it’s automatically not heavy metal. Which is of course total crap. In many ways Mastodon are the definitive heavy metal band of the past 15 years. They flew the flag when many jumped the ship. And they’ve been successful in pushing the genre forward while still respecting and honoring it’s past. The pushing forward is done in the rhythmic arrangements and guitar tone. The honoring and respecting is done in the actual notation of the riffs and the vocal melodies. Honestly, how many bands have three singers? King’s X and, well, that’s all I can really think of off the top of my head. Oh, and KISS. All of the musical elements that Mastodon have adopted over the years are in full swing on the new album ‘Emperor of Sand’. The record is just pure ear candy. The sweetest, darkest, most delicious audible chocolate. ‘Sultan’s Curse’ opens with neo-classic metal glory. The album keeps up the momentum with the simple ‘Show Yourself’ before giving way to ‘Precious Stones’ featuring Brent Hinds’ haunting yarling melodies. The strongest track may be the groove masterpiece ‘Steambreather’. It just pockets and rides with catchy hooks, memorable beats and a classic metal instrumental bridge. ‘Roots Remain’ is pure prog Mastodon while ‘Andromeda’, ‘Clansdestiny’ and ‘Scorpion Breath’ will please long time fans of their heavier side. The album closer ‘Jaguar God’ however, is one of the peaks of Mastodons entire career. It runs the gauntlet from folk to blues to Mastodon style heavy metal. Just brilliant!! The album as a whole has completely morphed me into a Mastodon fan. I’ve been searching for a band to get into. It’s been a while since I’ve immersed myself in an unfamiliar band. It’s paying off big time. If you do not have the ‘Emperor of Sand’ album, get it! It’s been a slow year for heavy metal releases but Mastodon’s ‘Emperor of Sand’ is an absolute exception to what’s been released. Or not released for that matter.
The purest of heavy metal glory!
Groove, groove, groove. And melody. Smoothly and seamlessly put together.
How do you feel about the new Mastodon album? Feel free to comment and discuss.