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markwatkinsconsumerguide · 5 months

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Consumer Guide / No.125 / singer/songwriter John Howard with Mark Watkins.

MW: Past, Present, Future. In respect of your music career, pick one time that was memorable, currently memorable and what you'd like to see happening just around the corner...

JH: I guess my ‘Past’ memorable one time has to be the day I walked into Abbey Road Studios in April 1974 to begin recording my debut LP, Kid In A Big World. It had been my dream to become a recording artist since my teens (I was twenty-one in April ’74) and I’d spent many hours since the age of fourteen recording my songs on a multi-tracking tape recorder my parents had bought me for my birthday. So, by the time that day arrived when I began my recording career, I was ready. Standing in the enormous Studio 2 where The Beatles had recorded most of their tracks, and which I’d seen photos of in my Beatles Monthly magazines, was literally a dream-come-true one time moment. Sitting at the grand piano which Paul McCartney and John Lennon had played as I recorded the first track for my album, ‘Goodbye Suzie’, and playing the same mellotron which The Beatles had used on ‘Strawberry Fields Forever’ was something I’ll never forget.

My ‘Present’ memorable one time would be when my first novel, 'Across My Dreams With Nets Of Wonder', was published in September this year. I’d enjoyed seeing the three volumes of my memoir published across 2018 – 2022, but writing my first novel and seeing it there in my hands, a real book, was a great thing for me. Writing memoirs is all there in your head from the outset, whereas a novel is a collection of stories, scenarios, interwoven as you go and develop the narrative, all created in what was for me over twelve months, just starting with an idea and seeing it grow as I wrote, that was terrific, and to then have it published. A true Wow moment.

My ‘Future’ moment will only come out of what I create for myself. I’m a very self-motivated person, everything I do, whether it be recording, writing, painting, is because I want to do it. No-one’s pushing me for "another album" or "another book", I just do what feels the right time to do something, and everything I do is a challenge, it has to be a challenge to want to continue to do it. It’s a great position to be in, just starting on something which comes into my head and off I go. I’ve just begun writing and recording my next album, which will be a long-delayed follow-up to my 2005 album, The Dangerous Hours, which was a collaborative project with the poet Robert Cochrane. It turned out to be my first album of new material for thirty years (since Kid In A Big World had been released in February 1975). This new album, collaborating again with Robert, is already becoming a joy to do. I usually write all my own lyrics but taking Rob’s poems as the base for a set of new songs is a completely different process and pushes my music in an entirely different direction to one where I’ve written everything. It’ll be out in 2025, marking twenty years since we did The Dangerous Hours together.

MW: Tell me about the album, Kid In A Big World, when it was made, and how it was received, including the singles released from the LP…

JH: Kid In A Big World was the result of writing and performing my songs from the age of seventeen in 1970, up to moving to London in 1973, being "discovered" (gigging at The Troubadour in London) by a manager and publisher and being signed to CBS in January 1974. All those songs I’d written and performed in folk clubs, theatres and Universities for three years provided the groundwork and the well from which we selected ten songs for my first LP. The album’s main producer, Tony Meehan (formerly with The Shadows and the duo Jet Harris & Tony Meehan), booked me into Abbey Road, hired a great combo of top musicians to back me, including Bob Henrit (The Roulettes, Argent), bassist Dave Wintour (Rick Wakeman, Eric Carmen, Roger Daltrey), and Rod Argent (The Zombies, Argent), and over the next four months we had a ball recording the songs. In September, I moved to Apple Studios with my A & R Manager Paul Phillips to do new versions of a couple of the tracks ('Family Man' and 'Kid In A Big World'), which again for a Beatles fan was dream-come-true time.

The first single taken from the sessions was ‘Goodbye Suzie’, which CBS had great hopes for. It was released in October 1974. It received a lot of airplay on Radio Luxembourg charting on their Power Play Top 30. However, BBC Radio One, which was very important at the time for breaking records by new artists, refused to play it due to its storyline of teenage suicide. The second single, ‘Family Man’, released in February 1975, also got rejected by Radio One, who disliked what they referred to as its "anti-female" lyric (entirely missing the irony of the lyric where it’s the guy, the ‘Family Man’, who’s in trouble, life in a mess and trying to cope).

By the time the Kid In A Big World LP came out at the end of February, the road for CBS to break the album had been made much harder to negotiate following two flop singles. But they launched it with a concert I gave at London’s Purcell Room with an invited audience of media and music people, followed by a lunch where guests included Colin Blunstone. Within six weeks, it was as though the album had never been released. Only one pretty poor review in a music mag, no more singles, and already discussions on what I’d do as the follow-up sealed the album’s fate. The planned follow-up, Technicolour Biography, was shelved before completion, the label having a kind of panic attack after assuming Kid In A Big World would be a smash. They decided to put me in the studios with Disco producer Biddu, (Tina Charles, Carl Douglas, Jimmy James), telling us to "record an album full of hits!". When we delivered the tapes of Can You Hear Me OK? in the Summer of 1975 it had, as CBS saw it, "no hits", so, apart from releasing one single from the Biddu sessions, ‘I Got My Lady’, which received a lot of Capital Radio play but which failed to sell, that album was also shelved. The dream was, apparently, over.

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I went on to record a few singles with Trevor Horn and Culture Club producer Steve Levine, but by the mid ‘80s I’d had enough. By a lucky happenstance, I was hired to do a great job in licensing and marketing at a label EMI owned, which began twenty years working in the music industry in Special Markets and A & R. It saved my sanity and probably my life.

MW: Tell me how you nearly joined Iron Maiden!

JH: Oh yes, that was one of those stories which grew over time following the reissue of Kid In A Big World. In 1972, I was asked to join a band called Iron Maiden after appearing on the same bill as them at a concert at the Octagon Theatre in Bolton, Lancashire. THAT Iron Maiden, however, was not the Heavy Metal outfit which began in 1976 and became a global phenomenon. MY Iron Maiden was a group of guys playing folk/medieval stuff, a bit like Marillion years later, market squares, knights in armour rescuing fair damsels and all that. I turned them down as I was focused on making it as a solo artist.

MW: …and why write/record a song about April Ashley?

JH: April was a longtime friend of mine. She used to run a fashionable London eatery/music venue in Knightsbridge called AD8, and I performed there several times a week around ‘76/’77. We lost touch for a few years but after I’d written and recorded ‘Magdalena Merrywidow’, dedicated to April (not about her), for my 2008 album Barefoot With Angels, and a friend sent the song to her, she contacted me to say how much she loved the song. We stayed in touch until her death in 2022. I actually recorded an album inspired by April, LOOK – The Unknown Story Of Danielle Du Bois, released in March 2022. I’d planned to send her a copy but she died just before the album came out. April was an amazing lady, a true force of nature, and I miss our chats and emails.

MW: Have you met (Sir) Tim Rice?

JH: Yes, I went to Tim’s house in Barnes in 1994 to present him with a gold disc for 100,000 sales of an album of his songs which I and a couple of other people put together for MCA Records/Polygram TV. He was extremely charming, very funny with lots of, as you can imagine, great stories about his career. Also there that day was David Essex, who was featured on the album, and we presented him with a gold disc as well. It was great to see David again. I used to bump into him a lot during my days signed to CBS in the mid ‘70s. He was a hugely successful teenage idol back then, CBS’s biggest recording artist in the UK at the time, and I was considered by the label to be the "Next Big Thing"! He was always lovely, a real gent and we’d natter away at various music biz functions.

MW: With regards Christmas, do you (still) feel like a Kid In A Big World? How do you usually celebrate and any plans for this one....

JH: Last year, I released a single called ‘Christmas Was Made For The Children’, and that’s kind of my view of the festive season really. I loved Christmas as a child, but now it’s extremely commercialised and is geared, as it should be, to kids. As there’s only me and my husband living here in Spain and we don’t have any family here to share it with, our Christmas Days are very quiet, spent with our three rescued dogs. I think big families with lots of kids running around still enjoy Christmas, but we just tend to give our presents to each other on Christmas morning, play our favourite Christmas music and have a couple of glasses of Bucks Fizz, and that’s it. I’m not anti-Christmas at all, but "celebrating" the season is something other people do.

MW: Have you ever experienced a White Christmas?

JH: Well, living as I did up to the age of twenty in the North West of England, we experienced lots of White Christmases. Some years the reservoir near our house was completely frozen over. I have a Christmas morning memory, from when I was twelve, 1965, of my father walking across the frozen reservoir and writing a Ban The Bomb sign in the snow, with our dog Sandy watching him fascinated. That was probably my best memory of a White Christmas. But they happened a lot back then. Once I moved to London they were less frequent.

MW: What did you learn from school that proved to be useful in adulthood?

JH: Something my art teacher, Miss Shaw, once said to me: “Never be afraid to be different.” That stuck with me forever. She was rather beautiful, think of the woman who’s sitting with Bob Dylan on the sleeve of Bringing It All Back Home, she looked very much like her. All the boys in my year fancied her rotten. So imagine their faces when she offered to drive me, the school’s resident "Nancy boy", home in her open-topped green MG sports car after school. As we roared through the gates, they would all stand staring longingly, clearly wishing it had been one of them sitting next to the exotic Miss Shaw. It was when she dropped me off near my house one evening that she said, “Remember, son, never be afraid to be different.”

School was not a pleasant time for me, I was bullied a lot, but the older I got, by the time I’d reached fifth form, I’d discovered I loved performing on the piano for my school friends, something I did one Christmas and enjoyed it immensely. Around that time, 1967/1968, I began writing songs in my lunch breaks on the Assembly Room upright piano. My future career was kind of set from the age of fourteen/fifteen, and my talent for writing songs and performing them for the school finally made me different without having to put up with the bullying anymore.

MW: What books have you recommended to friend/s to read?

JH: Hmmn, that’s a difficult one as I don’t think I have ever recommended any books to anyone. I read all sorts of books, biographies, autobiographies, murder mysteries, crime thrillers, anything about The Beatles or Bob Dylan I usually buy and pore over as well. Dylan’s Chronicles was amazing, I wish he’d write another one. I have a friend, Caroline, someone I used to work with in the music business years ago, who occasionally sends me books she’s enjoyed reading. Rupert Everett’s autobiographies are books she sent me which I particularly loved. He’s an excellent writer. Caroline also turned me onto Tales of The City by Armistead Maupin. A brilliant series, books I can read several times and enjoy them just as much second, third time around. But books are my kind of private pleasure, filling the silence beautifully, and I never feel the need to share that with anyone else.

MW: What are your Top 10 favourite albums of all-time…

JH: It’s always hard to pick just ten, but here are the ones which still stick out for me as fantastic, those which in some ways changed my life, and which I listen to still (to get more of my faves in, I’ve cheated and given joint positions to some LPs here and there):

10. What’s Going On by Marvin Gaye: the first Marvin Gaye album I heard. A flatmate in 1975 had it and played it to me and I instantly fell in love with Marvin. I’d known his solo hits like 'Heard It Through The Grapevine' and 'Abraham, Martin & John', and loved his wondrous duets with Tammi Terrelle, mini pop symphonies all, but I’d missed out on What’s Going On when it came out in 1971 as I was so into T.Rex at that point. The brilliant way Marvin stitched the tracks together and the power of his lyrics and singing was something I’d not heard before. A truly great piece of musical art at its best, and an album which changed the direction of Motown; after What’s Going On, the label began releasing a lot more singles and albums with a social message.

9. Blood On The Tracks by Bob Dylan: the last Dylan album I loved. I’d kind of fallen out of love with Bob from Nashville Skyline onwards, from ’69 to ’73, his voice began to sound strained, with unsure pitching and oddly nasal, and it just wasn’t the Bob I’d adored through the ‘60s. But then this album came out in 1974 and someone at CBS gave me a copy and I was hooked. He was once again writing great songs with surreal and brilliantly woven stories, and his singing had found the perfect mix of ’66 Dylan along with his new throatier vocal, creating a spellbinding collection of astonishing tracks. Nothing he’s done since has gripped me in the same way. For me Blood On The Tracks was the perfect follow-up to Blonde On Blonde.

8. Hejira by Joni Mitchell: her voice had become huskier, deeper, and I loved it. The cigarettes were doing their worst regarding her health but giving her an incredible new voice in the process. ‘Amelia’ has to be one of the most beautiful songs she ever wrote, and one of the most beautiful songs anyone ever wrote. "The hexagram of the heavens"creating an intoxicating image. Her guitar playing on this album is also at times mind-boggling. Watch Dylan’s face during the film of his ’76 tour as he witnesses Joni outplaying every man in the room. He’s fascinated and loving every moment.

7. Court & Spark by Joni Mitchell: the album (pre-Hejira) where her voice dropped by an octave and became a thing of true beauty. I’d loved some of her earlier albums but that youthful soaring head voice which arrives out of nowhere, distorting the melody in the process, began to grate a little. This is the one where she concentrated on simply singing the songs straight rather than doing that unsettling falsetto thing, and moved her style into a more jazzy arena, great arrangements and stunning musicianship from all concerned. ‘Free Man In Paris’ and ‘Raised On Robbery’ were masterclasses in how to create the perfect double-tracked harmonies.

6. Let’s Get It On by Marvin Gaye/Joint 6th with Low by David Bowie: I went to see Marvin Gaye at The Royal Albert Hall in 1976 and he was fabulous. I’d already fallen in love with Let’s Get It On and What’s Going On by then, and had bought I Want You, his true stoner collection, but seeing him perform these fantastic songs live on stage makes this album even more special for me. ‘Distant Lover’ still gives me goosebumps every time I hear it. A voice gifted from heaven; I’d loved Bowie since Hunky Dory and bought all his albums up to Lodger in 1979, when I kind of fell out of love with him and thereafter. His music lost its beauty for me. It became very jagged and lost its innate pop brilliance and melodic flair. But Low in 1977 was something else.

Side One, a masterclass in how to write short, sharp, stunning pop songs. Who can resist singing along with Mary Hopkin’s crystal clear "doo-doo-doos" on ‘Sound & Vision’ and then delve deeper into "Don’t you wonder sometimes, ‘bout Sound & Vision" with those Bowie-esque harmonies? And bopping around the room to the stop-start friction of ‘Breaking Glass’. Fantastic.

Side Two, futuristic synthesised experimentation which actually works, a thing of beauty. It could have sounded self-indulgent, but manages to beguile instead. A landscape of sonic textures. It was the album where Bowie went from British pop star to mysterious cult figure on a new journey of learning, with Eno showing the way.

5. Christmas & The Beads of Sweat by Laura Nyro/Joint 5th with The Beach Boys’ Pet Sounds: I bought the Laura Nyro album after seeing the sleeve in my local record shop, and I wasn’t disappointed. It’s a marvel, her voice, the arrangements, the songs, one minute breathy and quiet, the next singing at the top of her voice, yelling at whoever she’d fallen out with, or joyful at finding peace with a special person, it’s not what you’d call comfortable listening, but I loved it all the more because of that; and of course, Pet Sounds is here in my list, the album where Brian Wilson found the genius button, in spite of his father, his record company and his fellow Beach Boy Mike Love demanding he go back to writing about girls, cars and surfing. Then he broke into pieces, bless him, and never completed what could have been an even more incredible follow-up, Smile, although he did go onto give us the masterpieces 'Good Vibrations', 'Cabinessence', 'Heroes & Villains' and 'Wonderful' and what has to be one of the most amazing pop songs ever, Surf’s Up. Still blows me away. ‘God Only Knows’ from Pet Sounds is the perfect pop song with the perfect production, ‘Caroline No’ should have been a chart-topping single. Pet Sounds should have blown the world away and been Number One for months, but it, at the time, didn’t create the impression it should have. I think The Beach Boys’ clean-cut, striped shirts and surfer boy smiles image didn’t fit with what was happening in pop in 1966. They simply weren’t groovy, man (and their awful promo videos at the time didn’t help to rid them of their gooky gawky image). Over time though, Pet Sounds has become to be regarded as a work of utter genius. Quite rightly.

4. Blonde On Blonde by Bob Dylan/ Joint 4th with k.d lang’s Ingenue: Dylan’s beautiful wash of drugged out mysticism set to his spaced-out vocal and inspired intoxicating backing, it will always be my favourite Dylan album, and that whole-side stunner, ‘Sad Eyed Lady of The Lowlands’, a song and a recording packed full of so much surreal imagery it fair blows the mind; Ingenue was the first k.d. lang album I bought after going to see her in concert at The Royal Albert Hall in 1992. She was incredible that night, and I bought Ingenue the following day, and then collected the rest of her back catalogue. Ingenue is a truly beautiful album by one of the best pop vocalists ever.

3. With The Beatles by The Beatles/Joint 3rd with David Bowie’s The Rise & Fall Of Ziggy Stardust And The Spiders From Mars: 14 tracks of unadulterated joy, With The Beatles was the album which marked the point when they went from British idols to global superstars. On just their second LP, within a few months of their debut, they were already experimenting with better production techniques, stronger vocals, more assured musicianship, the "‘let’s get it done in a day" of 'Please Please Me' long gone, double-tracking, gorgeous backing and harmonies, with a new confidence in songwriting, they created the first great pop album rather than redoing a live set. From the opening track, ‘It Won’t Be Long’ John, Paul, George and Ringo were telling us that they meant business. My sister bought it but I played it endlessly; Ziggy Stardust arrived on our TV screens when Bowie performed ‘Starman’ on Top of The Pops in the Summer of ’72 and I was hooked. He looked like nothing I’d ever seen before, and that song and that voice and that star charisma, and then the LP when I bought it, not a duff track anywhere (even the older recording 'It Ain’t Easy' manages to fit in perfectly). It’s pure pop, pure pop heaven, the album which signaled that a new star was born. ‘Moonage Daydream’ can still make me cry. It's so beautiful.

2. Roy Harper’s Stormcock: a piece of musical and lyrical genius by an artist who inspired me so much. I went to see Roy play in Manchester in 1970, loved him, bought Flat, Baroque & Berserk, which I adored, but when Stormcock came out a year later I couldn’t believe what I was hearing, sonic genius from start to finish. Four tracks only but oh my, what four tracks they were! I also bought my first pair of headphones at the same time, and listening to Stormcock with my headphones on sent me spiraling into a musical ecstasy. It’s Robert Plant’s favourite album of all time. ‘nuff said.

1. Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band: Many people choose Revolver as their favourite Beatles album, but it will always be Sgt. Pepper ...for me. It was the album which turned me onto the group in a big way – I’d always admired them, loved many of their singles, even bought a couple ('I Feel Fine' and 'We Can Work It Out', both sublime pieces of genius), but in 1967 when 'Strawberry Fields Forever/Penny Lane' came out that February, I was forever smitten, and to be gifted just three months later with Sgt. Pepper..., my world turned upside down, round and round, sideways, forwards and back again, and created a world for me where pop music suddenly became extremely fascinating and beguiling and part of my future.

1967 was a great year for pop brilliance to shine, Pink Floyd’s ‘See Emily Play’, Jimi Hendrix’s ‘Purple Haze’, The Beach Boys’ ‘Heroes & Villains’, Procol Harum’s ‘A Whiter Shade of Pale’, The Small Faces’ ‘Itchycoo Park’, Scott Mackenzie’s ‘San Francisco’, The Kinks’ ‘Autumn Almanac’, Traffic’s ‘Hole In My Shoe’, The Move’s ‘Flowers In The Rain’, The Beatles’ ‘Hello Goodbye/I Am The Walrus’, it seemed every week another amazing single was released and immediately in the Top Ten. What a year to be fourteen! I was ready for something incredible to happen, and Sgt.Pepper... gave it to me in spadefuls. That was the one which convinced me that I wanted to make records too.

With a limited four-track desk, repeat four-track desk, the fact that John, Paul, George and Ringo could create such a wealth of different sounds, styles, effects, and breathtaking tracks like 'A Day In The Life', 'Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds', 'She’s Leaving Home', 'Within You, Without You', 'Getting Better', I was gobsmacked when I first played it on my parents’ radiogram.

Don’t get me wrong, I love Revolver, but for me, it didn’t have the impact that Sgt. Pepper... had. When my history teacher told the class, before playing Sgt. Pepper... to us, ‘this lesson is about history, and this album will make history’…well, I don’t recall anyone ever saying that about Revolver. I think because Revolver is such a guitar-drenched album, reaching almost rock levels at times, it appeals to guitarists and guitar fans. Being a pianist myself steeped in jazz (my father was a jazz pianist), musicals (my parents regularly bought musical soundtrack albums and took me to see the movies), classical music (which I was tutored in from the age of seven) and psychedelia, which was everywhere that year, Sgt. Pepper... meant so much to me, it still does. I will never tire of listening to it – but always play the mono album, it’s miles better than the stereo version.

MW: Gold TV. What would be your ideal evening’s entertainment if you could schedule your favourite programmes from TV's past, starting at 7pm and going just past midnight?

JH: My favourite period for TV was the mid ‘90s when on a Friday evening on Channel Four there was Friends, followed by Ellen followed by Frasier, and a little earlier through the mid ‘80s into the early ‘90s there was The Golden Girls. I don’t think I ever spent an entire evening laughing so much, the comedy was always top notch, and as I was working quite a pressurised job in A & R and Marketing during that period, it was great stress-relieving TV to come home to. If I could watch all those five series again back to back, that would be my perfect evening of television.

MW: What do you watch on TV nowadays?

JH: My husband and I still watch mostly American TV series, NCIS, CSI, Bosch, Lessons In Chemistry, The Morning Show, The White Lotus, Severance, The Lincoln Lawyer, all great scripts, superb acting, and an ability to make you feel these guys are your family.

MW: As both bands are back on the charts, Beatles or Stones?

JH: Well, I’ve been a Beatles fan since the ‘60s, as I said earlier, but I can also admire a lot of what The Stones have done. The difference between the two bands, of course, is that The Beatles split in 1970 while The Stones have carried on recording and touring right to the present day, recently hitting No.1 with their new album Hackney Diamonds. My love of what The Stones’ brought out ended around the mid’ 70s, my last favourite by them being ‘Tumbling Dice’, the ramshackle vibe going on really appeals to me.

The so-called rivalry between The Beatles and The Stones in the ‘60s was manufactured by the media, as they did in the ‘90s creating the so-called war between Oasis and Blur. If The Beatles had felt the rivalry as deeply as we were told they did back in the ‘60s, then why would Mick Jagger and Keith Richard have been invited to attend the recording of ‘All You Need Is Love’, why would John and Paul have provided backing vocals for ‘We Love You’, why would John and Paul have written ‘I Wanna Be Your Man’ for The Stones, why would John have appeared and performed in The Rolling Stones’ Rock ‘n’ Roll Circus? It was true that The Beatles would hold back releasing their latest record until the new one by The Stones had had its three or four weeks in the sun, but that was purely commercial nous.

If I was asked which band do you prefer, it would be The Beatles, but that doesn’t mean I disliked The Stones, how could anyone not love 'Get Off My Cloud', 'Have You Seen Your Mother Baby', 'The Last Time', 'Jumping Jack Flash' and 'You Can’t Always Get What You Want'. Jagger was always fun to watch, he was the frontman, whereas The Beatles were always four equal guys in the band, although of course John and Paul got most of the spotlight and kudos simply because they wrote such amazing songs.

MW: In what circumstances do you think someone would want to shoot the pianist?!

JH: Ha! Good question! I can only comment on that by recalling my days in the early 2000s performing on the boats (before my comeback to recording when Kid In A Big World was reissued in 2003) there would be days when I’m sure some of the passengers would have felt like they wanted to shoot the pianist.

As they say, you can’t please all the people all the time.

Kid In A Big World | Official Website of John Howard

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rillette · 1 year

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!!! NIN and DC! A fave intersection of mine!! You have impeccable taste 🤌🤌🤌

Do you have any headcanons on what Jason would listen to? Personally I base my headcanons off of that one comic issue, when lil baby Jason was still squatting (? Or it was his old apartment, I’m not entirely sure. Is that still squatting? Probably. Huh. Whatever). He had a punk rock poster, which does make me think he’d like punk and metal, and I can also see rap, but like, specific rap. I dunno, does this make sense? Anyway. That was MY info dump you didn’t ask for! 🤣 all of this to also gently, with all the adoration in my heart, ask for any song or artist recs for Jason specifically because he’s my blorbo DC characters, because your brain is awesome and I greatly enjoy your thoughts! And because you’d best believe I have DC character playlists that I’m constantly updating. 🤌

ANYWAY. Your art brings me a lot of joy. BLESS. ❤️❤️❤️

TYSM!! I like to think jason listens to like. industrial (a la rob zombie or skinny puppy) or stuff like machine girl or death grips !

Personally though, THE jason songs to me are The Throne of Agony and Decent into the Inferno by Foetus. The lyrics. the drama. i desperately need all my red hood art to look the way these songs sound. Foetus is very jason to me in general but these two songs. God.

Also reccing the Metropolis album by Sister Machine Gun for general gotham vibes and bc its my favourite smg album teehee

#asks <3 #ty for the ask!!#and the kind words T^T <3 #music hour

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thesternj · 1 year

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My top 100 albums of all time (revised 2022 edition)

Explanation: years ago for my 25th birthday i did my first propper top 100 with albums being posted onto my at the time fairly active Facebook but it’s kinda lost to time and my tastes have changed alot since 2015 so here’s an older and more comfortable in his skin list that’s shifted with a somehow even more diverse taste in music.

100.Dead End Kings - Katatonia

99.w^w^^w^w - Car Bomb

98.Black Clouds and Silver Linings - Dream Theatre

97.Rammstein - Rammstein

96.I Am - Texas in July

95.The Future in Who’s Eyes? - SikTh

94.Bite Your Head Off - King Parrot

93.Exmilitary - Death Grips

92.Nothing is True & Everything is Possible - Enter Shikari

91.Wolf - Tyler,The Creator

90.Mouth of Swords - The Safety Fire

89.Grind the Ocean - The Safety Fire

88.Ghost Reveries - Opeth

87.Prequelle - Ghost

86.Material Control - Glassjaw

85.Colors - Between the Buried and Me

84.A Kind of Magic - Queen

83.Beyond the Permafrost - Skeletonwitch

82.Palimpsest - Protest the Hero

81.Deep Blue - Parkway Drive

80.Masters of Reality - Black Sabbath

79.Metal Resistance - BABYMETAL

78.Maximum Overload - Dragonforce

76.The Living Infinite - Soilwork

75.A Snow Capped Romance - 36 Crazyfists

74.In Waves - Trivium

73.Chaosphere - Meshuggah

72.The End of Heartache - Killswitch Engage

71.10,000 Days - Tool

70.Remission - Mastodon

69.Mechanize - Fear Factory

68.One Day Remains - Alter Bridge

67.Deconstruction - The Devin Townsend Project

66.Sounds of a Playground Fading - In Flames

65.Pork Soda - Primus

64.Sacrament - Lamb of God

63.Axe to Fall - Converge

62.Yoshu Fukushu - Maximum the Hormone

61.Ziltoid the Omniscient - The Devin Townsend Project

60.Fragile - Yes

59.Shogun - Trivium

58.A New Era of Corruption - Whitechapel

57. Grey Britain - Gallows

56.Remain in Light -Talking Heads

55.Ashes of the Wake - Lamb of God

54.Sentenced to Life - Black Breath

53.Painkiller - Judas Priest

52.Brave New World - Iron Maiden

51.All Our Gods Have Abandoned Us - Architects

50.Eremita - Ihsahn

49.Alpha -Sevendust

48.Gnosis - Monuments

47.Digimortal - Fear Factory

46.Ire Works - The Dillinger Escape Plan

45.[id] - Veil of Maya

44.That Handsome Devil - That Handsome Devil

43.Haji’s Kitchen -Haji’s Kitchen

42.Chaos A.D. - Sepultura

41.Slipknot - Slipknot

40.The Way of All Flesh - Gojira

39.Blood Mountain - Mastodon

38.Sailing the Seas of Cheese - Primus

37.Joy as an Act of Resistance - IDLES

36.Hellbilly Deluxe - Rob Zombie

35.Among the Living - Anthrax

34.Wisconsin Death Trip - Static-X

33. Nostalgia - Corelia

32.Fat of the Land - The Prodigy

31.Aenima - Tool

30.Bitterness the Star - 36 Crazyfists

29.Blackbird - Alter Bridge

28.Trees are Dead and Dried Out Wait for Something Wild -SikTh

27.The Discovery - Born of Osiris

26.Dirt - Alice in Chains

25.Scum Fuck Flower Boy - Tyler, The Creator

24.Alaska - Between the Buried and Me

23.L.D.50 - Mudvayne

22.The Fall of Ideals - All That Remains

21.Sheer Heart Attack - Queen

The Top 20

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20.Toxicity - System of a Down

The wild mixture of heavy guitars, duelling rambling (complimentary) lead vocals and heavy HEAVY political commentary makes this seminal 00’s STAPLE as iconic as it is but don’t get it twisted there is nothing but BANGERS on Toxicity and i can’t even think of a weak link here.

19.Dum Spiro Spero - Dir En Grey

An enigma of a band that never stays still, Dir En Grey’s ambitious growth is on full display here with what i reckon is their defining moment with as much disgusting soundscapes as there are beautiful crescendos and let’s not forget one of my all time favourite vocalists of all time KYO putting on performances that dive into inhuman sounding at times and just adds to the ominous presence this album has as a whole.

18.Songs for the Deaf - Queens of the Stone Age

A concept album based off of the simple idea of “what if we can condense the feeling of what it sounds like to switch between radio stations into 1 album” and QotS nailed it super hard and i can’t just sit here and list off all the stand out moments as it’s all so varied and yet so focused that i can only say listen to this album in full as it’ll give you that intended vibe even in an age where we are consuming media digitally more than ever.

17.Worship and Tribute - Glassjaw

Glassjaw are kind of an underdog band in my eyes, never broke out in terms of mass popularity, but in hindsight are iconic with their very emotional delivery and emo infused post-hardcore styled song structures which all come together with something of a “sound of things to come” album without it being completely obvious about it at first.

16.To the Pain - Nonpoint

An album by a band that the Smackdown vs Raw games introduced me to this high on the list?! FUCK YES AND I’D DO IT AGAIN, Nonpoint’s “To the Pain” is something is a rare treat to me: hard rock/metalcore infused with south american rhythms and blistering vocals that are parts rap and other parts nu-metal delivered by a guy who’s voice is so unique to me it’s nothing short of special (to me atleast).

15. Buiiku Kaesu - Maximum the Hormone

To say MTH shaped my weirdest parts of my taste is an understatement, i’ve tried to describe MTH over the years and at this point calling them a Japanese System of a Down doesn't do them justice: Nu-metal,Funk,Punk,deathcore,metalcore,ska,rap just doesn't roll off the tongue but it rolls off of the many vocalists of this band’s collective tongues as does their fun word play, their ability to change styles on a dime and not to mention giving us the best parts of Death Note’s OSTs (don't @ me) Buiiku Kaesu formed me and i’m eternally grateful.

14.MM.. Food? - MF DOOM

OK full transparency, my rap knowledge isn’t close to my metal/rock/video game ost knowledge, BUT that does not matter in the slightest as MF DOOM was a once in a generation talent, an ear for unique samples, a flow that’s unrivalled in my ears, natural charm in delivery, sure some lyrics haven't aged too well but he’s done so much great here that it’s easily glossed over with what i consider my favourite Rap album. Rest in Power MF DOOM, ALL CAPS REMEMBER THE NAME.

13.White Pony - Deftones

At a time ruled by the dumber Nu Metal bands, Deftones decided to deliver upon the world a low key killer but don’t get me wrong there are HEAVY parts on White Pony that can rend flesh (“Knife Party” being the key example as Rodleen screams like her soul is being burnt from her body) but what gets me is the band’s control of atmosphere with stuff like “Digital Bath” and the infinitely sexy “Passenger” and let’s not forget that their label made them turn possibly my favourite deep cut “Pink Maggit” into seminal Nu Metal banger “Back to School” (which tbf im not fussed about)...BUT this isn’t my favourite of Deftones’s albums, that honour goes to…

12.Diamond Eyes - Deftones

This is the album that opened my ears up to Deftones in the first place, so many bangers from a focused and hungry Deftones, atmosphere so dense it’s transcendent at points, grooves so heavy Meshuggah would blush, Chino’s insane range comes out in full force from subtle and sensual deliveries like “You’ve Seen the Butcher” and “Beauty School” to visceral screeches on “CMND/CTRL” and “Rocket Skates”, if you’ve never felt like you got along with Deftones maybe you’ve needed this album to get you hooked much like it did to me.

11.Silent Machine - Twelve Foot Ninja

Twelve Foot Ninja are fairly obscure but i sure as shit treat them better than that personally, they are so unique in what they do and it’s not even funny, they move from heavy riff based modern metal to smooth jazz to reggae to ballades with ease and this album is one of those “helped me expand what i thought what a song’s soundscape can be within 3 minutes” type of deals. Me describing this album won’t do it justice, please just listen to it if you like metal and want to hear what it can do when it doesn't take itself too seriously “but seriously enough to go hard at times).

10.Frances the Mute - The Mars Volta

Ok, Full transparency: it took me decades to get my head around this album but “Frances the Mute” is one of the most rewarding relistens i’ve ever had, this is a complex story that i can’t do justice but i’ll attempt to explain it’s sounds: a progressive and psychedelic ride through a southern american city scape with injections of jazz, prog and rock that gives this such a dense soundscape and has to be absorbed as a whole sitting over any of it’s singles (which i reckon is why it took me so long to fully understand this album).

9.Coal - Leprous

From the first listen of this heartbreaking album, i knew i loved Leprous, the musicianship on display is only second to Einar Solberg’s gruelling vocals throughout delivering some of the most well crafted lyrics i've ever heard alongside having a cheeky guest feature from another god tier vocalist in Ihsahn solidified “Coal” to be an all timer for me and not a day goes by where i don't think about the gorgeous cover art.

8.Volition - Protest the Hero

Protest the Hero nails a certain vibe for me, very tongue in cheek lyrics that are scathing yet playful; however it never detracts from the devastating topics they cover in Volition and how they accompanied these well delivered stories using technical yet catchy mathcore song structures. I don’t feel like I can do this justice but if you need something fun yet cynical and aren't afraid to tackle heavy subjects, I'd highly suggest “Voiliton”.

7.Alive or Breathing - Killswitch Engage

1 word: ICONIC. The work KSE have put in for the genre of Metalcore as a whole has been nothing short of influential, Alive or Just Breathing gave the world riffy yet melodic metal that was easy to sing along with and in the end it only got more about those hooks and riffs as time went on (specially when Jesse Leach left and Howard Jones joined for those also very influential years).

6.Periphery II: This Time It’s Personal - Periphery

P2 changed how i listened to albums honestly, it made me sit back and appreciate a lot more the music and also it made me appreciate how context can add a lot to a song you may not of been into on a first listen, this for my money is peak Periphery and nothing says it better than P2’s sheer beauty in it’s production being spotless, it’s composition being on point, Misha being one of the greatest guitarists of all time and let’s not forget Spencer’s sheer range on display with his vocals. P2 is a landmark moment for Djent and Prog Metal and i hope it’s revered in years to come alongside your “Moving Pictures” or “Dark Side of the Moons” of the world (but hey that’s just like my opinion man)

5.Nocturnal - The Black Dahlia Murder

Parts Death metal, parts melo-death, parts nerdy and horror based lyrics and themes but all PEAK MODERN DEATH METAL! There i said it, “Nocturnal” is peak modern death metal that covers so much that i can’t do it justice (you’ll hear this atleast once more this list) please if you like heavy music with alot of melodic elements then go listen to Nocturnal.

4.Slaughter of the Soul - At the Gates

THE Melodic death metal album, plain and simple, it set the standards for bands like The Black Dahlia Murder to your Killswitch Engage's and countless others with it’s melody based riffs and lead guitars and solos whilst staying vicious with it’s vocal delivery whilst not losing a single ounce of it’s sense of aggression that leads to a standout of the 90s metal hall of fame.

3.New Junk Aesthetic - Every Time I Die

I remember the first time i heard this band, it was on Metal Hammer sample CD and it had “The Marvelous Slut” by Every Time I Die on it and holy fuck that changed me, a song that’s less than 2 minuets long that really made me go out of my way and find the album and boy howdy did i find ETID,

This album is a really REALLY fucking great Hardocre album with some of the greatest lyrics i’ve ever heard, winding around and around using contradictions in forms of questions to only be highly self aware and genuinely funny at times in a snarky way only Keith Buckley could deliver and let’s not skimp on the fact the whole band is firing on all cylinders with this.

For years this and Numbers 2 and 1 have danced around but New Junk Aesthetic can sit comfortably as the one that stayed in the 1st slot for YEARS before this was finalised.

2.Human - Death

If you put a gun to my head and said “show me what you think perfect death metal is” Human by Death would be my answer, not because it’s the most brutal or is the most definitive, but it’s that it metalness lies in how it baffles people at times, its brutality is the mirror it holds up to what it means to be human (i swear this is about Human by Death and not NieR Automata,promise). Gnarly vocals, technical and calculated playing and honestly impressive albums for it’s time, a real “shape of things to come'' album and it really doesn't get the credit it deserves as why death metal,tech death and all of the other prog death sub genres evolved.

1.One - Tesseract

I think this was a slow burn but not in a traditional sense, i loved it on release however my love was directed more at the Concealing the Fate EP at the time as i had never felt that way about a large piece of music before, fast forward to 2022 and i have finally realised this album makes me feel even at times where i was at my most apathetic to life. It’s serene from front to back however it’s not just that it’s also heavy and groovy to a point where it warped how i enjoyed certain musical patterns WHEN SOMETHING MAKES YOU APPRECIATE HOW HARD A TIME SIGNATURE IS BUT DOSN’T MAKE ME FEEL LIKE A PRETENTIOUS TWAT THEN THAT’S GOTTA MEAN SOMETHING RIGHT?

Oh and i would be doing a disservice if i didn’t mention how Dan Tompkins became my favourite vocalist of all time with everything on “One” coming of as genuine and passionate whilst never needing to go overboard, he’ll let the music breath when it needs to and even on songs like “Autumn” where it’s a long gap in between his vocals but it feels like a cleansing few minutes to let the atmosphere stew and boy does this album’s atmosphere make for the finest comfort food.

And that was the redo of my top 100 albums from almost a decade ago. I gotta say a lot has changed but in the end I still can’t convey how I really feel through words but I hope you guys will enjoy the albums I suggest in the meantime :) (I’ll also make a playlist of select songs from each but i’ll do that soon as it sounds like a fun side project).

#My Top Albums of All Time 2022

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stylin-knight · 3 years

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Go away..

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worthikids · 4 years

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Was that a pic of Rob Zombie in the back of the Zomburger truck? I think I literally have a super similar pic of him on a muscle tank top I have.

IT IS I BASED IT OFF AN ALBUM COVER

#asks #pu-li-ru-la #I don't know a lot of his music BUT IT WAS TOO APT A REFERENCE NOT TO INCLUDE

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jamesindigital · 2 years

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Alright you Primitive Screwheads, listen up. I forgot about Tumblr for a long time, as happens. Then I thought, maybe this would fit here:

Long story shortest: Rob Zombie song remix (Supersexy Swingin' Sounds) with Army of Darkness clips/SFX mixed by me. (BTW I know this isn’t ground-breaking stuff, just a little fun, mostly just for my cousin who regularly asks me about “the halloween mixes” around that time each year.)

I'm rusty and this took way too long. Your appreciation may vary. This is an unlisted video. Base track is lossless Super-Charger Heaven (Adults Only mix) off the album Supersexy Swingin' Sounds. Army of Darkness sounds clipped from 5.1 mix of film in WAV, edited, cleaned and faded where needed.

Software used Davinci Resolve, Spleeter, Audition. This is definitely a headphone mix.

Long Story Short-- made a Halloween party mix with custom SFX/soundclips/simple mixing in 1999, got bored in 2021 and started to recreate/expand it in 2021. Got 1/20th of the way finished, resulting in a single AOD SFX Rob Zombie remix track.

Short Story Long-- In 1997-99 (high school), I was a pseudo DJ. Which in reality meant I had a large CD collection, knowledge of obtaining music on the internet, and passable editing skills. I made some various compilation and party mixes that circulated through local college campuses, including a Weezer compilation after they broke up that funnily enough ended up being extremely similar in content and track layout to the Blue and Pinkerton deluxe versions... but I digress.

I made a Halloween mix for a party near U of O in '99. It had multiple dancy mixes, with each track being different themes, '80s, Classical, Video games, Movie, Rob Zombie. These were other peoples remixes with my editing, adding SFX, lines from movies, cross-fades, and beat matching. One track was a Rob Zombie Halloween Party mix that blended three Rob Zombie remixes together with various sound effects from horror movies.

Cut to 2021 and boredom leads to "remastering." The grand plan was a whole concept album/track -- The Evil Dead/Army of Darkness saga in story form backed by White Zombie/Rob Zombie remixes. Life made it so that instead I only got 1/3 of the original mix started/remastered with a lossless source (My CD), and "lossless" 5.1 sound effects from Army of Darkness (My Blu-ray). Maybe I'll do the whole concept next year.

#bruce campbell #rob zombie #halloween #a little late #evil dead #halloween music #remix #army of darkness #ash williams

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x--daughters-of-darkness--x · 3 years

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Evanescence: “Guitarists need to be honest. Use your voice. We don’t need fake – we need humanity and real people”

Jen Majura and Troy McLawhorn wax lyrical on the high-octane gear, influences and themes behind the band's upcoming fifth album, The Bitter Truth

The Bitter Truth, the fifth full-length from Evanescence set for release in March 2021, will be their first album of new material in a decade. The American arena group led by singer/keyboardist Amy Lee had already released three singles, though the record’s completion was stalled by the virus pandemic that dominated headlines for much of the year.

The first sessions took place at the beginning of 2020 with rock super producer Nick Raskulinecz [Foo Fighters, Rush, Alice In Chains] in his Nashville studio, spawning the tracks we’ve heard so far – Wasted On You, The Game Is Over and Use My Voice. Then, of course, came Covid, putting an end to safe travel and forcing virtually all plans to change.

For the members in America, it was incredibly problematic. For German guitarist Jen Majura, who joined in 2015, it was an absolute nightmare. Nevertheless, the group kept chiseling away and fleshing out their parts for album number five.

When Guitar World tracks down Majura and co-guitarist Troy McLawhorn towards the end of 2020, things are still very much in the process of being finalized...

Looking back now, that session in Nashville must feel like a very long time ago!

Majura: “Definitely! What hit me so hard was that we’d recorded that first chunk of songs and waved goodbye at the airport, thinking we’d be back in a couple of weeks. And then suddenly this pandemic hit, airports were all shut!

“I had never felt more apart from my friends in the States than since this all started. It’s so unnatural for me not to be there! I’m very old-school – I like my tube amp and 4x12 cabinet. I like to sit in the studio with the humans I’m working with and creating in the moment.

“Being away from Amy and the boys while working on material has felt so unnatural to me, but that’s the we have to do it and we have to make the best out of it. The time we spent with Nick in Nashville was the happiest ever.

“It felt amazing to see these songs coming to life – you have this idea but when you are all in a room creating, things change and become better, you end up trying out different ways. It’s such a vibrant and beautiful way of working. But I get it, there’s this thing called corona, so you know…”

This will be your first album working together on new material. How do you go about splitting guitar parts?

McLawhorn: “Whenever we’re jamming, if someone comes up with up something cool, they play it. There’s no set thing. So far I’ve probably played the majority of the lead guitar – if Jen comes up with something she is always welcome to play whatever it is. It’s a good working relationship. The first batch of songs, the first three that came out, were done in one session before the coronavirus hit. We were all together for those ones.

“But then Jen flew home back to Germany and we were supposed to tour in Europe, but it all got cancelled. Everything we’ve done since then has been without Jen with us, we’ve been kinda flying sessions back and forth. I probably played a lot of the guitar on the album, but she’s been coming up with cool ideas and putting her stamp on it too.”

The Game Is Over definitely feels like the heavier side of Evanescence…

McLawhorn: “There’s a lot of good stuff like that on this one, stuff that people will be surprised by maybe. There’s a fair amount of that aggressive type of music, but it’s a good mixture. So far everyone’s heard the lighter side of the album, like Use My Voice and Wasted On You… but then there’s The Game Is Over. It was a lot of fun to play and there’s more heavy stuff on there too!”

Majura: “That bridge is so heavy, I love it! It’s going back to the real rock roots and having lots of fun. When you have a low-tuned guitar you have to be a bit careful – you can’t just smash your strings but they will warp a bit.

“I remember forcing myself, especially during the bridge, to play gentle even though it had this badass attitude. It took me a couple of takes… the first ones were completely out of tune [laughs]!”

Jen, it must have been a rollercoaster five years for you. How did you end up getting the gig?

Majura: “What happened was that I was playing bass in another band, not really being happy as I’m a guitar player. We happened to play two festivals, one in Germany and one in the Czech Republic. And it turns out Testament were playing the same days as us.

“I’m a huge Alex Skolnick fan, so we ended up talking and keeping in touch. A couple of days later, I got this very mysterious email from him saying, ‘Jen! Some friends of mine are going to contact you and I can’t reveal too much but I think it’s something you should say yes to!’ I was wondering what the hell he was talking about…

“And then a day later, I got this email from Evanescence’s management asking if I would be interested in… and I didn’t even finish reading the email. I just immediately replied ‘Yes!’ and sent it. That was a total no-brainer.

“So this was around July 2015 and the next evening I was on the phone with Amy talking. She invited me to come visit her in New York and hang out. I thought, ‘Okay… cool!’ and three days later I was on a plane flying to fuckin’ New York wondering if this was really happening. It was insane.”

Did you bring your guitar?

Majura: “I didn’t! I asked her if I needed to bring one and she said, ‘Nah, I know you can play, I’ve seen plenty of videos – let’s just hang out!’ And that’s exactly what we did for the next three days. Hanging out, long walks and talks, going out for dinner or to a concert. Becoming friends and getting to know each other on a more human relationship kind of base.

“I realize now that’s the biggest deal when you have to replace a member. A band is a family. I’d like to quote Rob Zombie on that, because he said it in the movie Hired Gun!

“Finding a good player is the easy part – the world is full of virtuosos. You also need someone who can commit to touring, being on the road and that whole lifestyle. The third and last thing, also the toughest, is that you need people you can stand hanging out with 24/7.

“Concerts are only 90 minutes – what about all the other hours in the day? You need to all fit together. Within those first few days with Amy, I realized we both had a strong work ethic and know exactly what we want, which is beautiful.

“She’s a very strong character. I appreciate her musicality and personality too, she quickly became one of my best friends because we laughed about the same things and then figured out we both love Sex and the City [laugh]! I am so grateful and thankful to have experienced everything I have with her and the boys.”

Troy, you’ve been a member of Seether and filled in for Sevendust on some tours, but you’ve been an on/off member of Evanescence for over a decade now…

McLawhorn: “Yeah, to be honest, I never really left Evanescence. We have big breaks between albums. When I did my first tour with the band, Amy told me she was taking a long break, probably around four or five years. I just went out to find something to do in the meantime and ended up playing in Seether for a few years…

“When it was time for me to leave, it coincided with Amy being ready to do another album. And it was a huge coincidence. I ended up in New York and went to Amy’s house. I was having trouble in Seether and wasn’t happy there, and she said she’d love me to come work on the new album. That’s how it all went down.

“There seems to be some pretty long breaks in between albums with this band but I think that’s part of Amy’s creative process. She likes to take her time when she’s writing the lyrics. The final product always turns out really nice that way, so why mess with it?”

What can you tell us about the gear responsible for the guitar sounds on this album?

Majura: “I signed up with Synergy Amps in November last year. When I joined, I think Steve Vai was the only big name working with them, but I figured if it’s Steve Vai it’s gotta be fucking great. So I went over to check their amp out and I was very skeptical. It looks like a tube amp but with all these holes and parts missing!

“But I plugged in, hit one chord and realized it was actually phenomenal. They’ve sent all the different modules to me, like the Diezel, and the perfect solution for me was the Friedman HBE. It has the perfect rock and roll sound for my solos but it also has the mighty depth of high-gain stuff too – which are all frequencies you need for Evanescence.

“I was originally expecting I’d go with the Diezel one, but the Friedman felt more right for me. I’m very open-minded when it comes to technology. You have two modules, each with two channels, so you get a four-channel amp made out of your favorites.

“For example, I could combine a Vox AC30 Brian May sound with a Diezel VH4. It’s phenomenal what they’ve managed to open up for us musicians in terms of sound options. It’s been my tour rig and studio rig ever since.”

McLawhorn: “I used a combination of different things on this album. On The Game Is Over, it was basically my live setup which is an Orange Rockerverb 100, with an analog pedalboard.

“A big part of the tone I get from the amp comes down to a 10-band EQ I use to boost the mids on the lead channel. That’s about it – I don’t really use overdrive pedals or anything like that and probably use less gain than most modern guitarists. I almost use EQ to find a modern sound, instead of more gain.

“I also have a Fractal Axe-Fx III, which I’ve used here and there on the album, especially for clean parts – it’s really good for that. I’ve done some overdubs with the II as well, stuff that has a lot of effects or sounds really wet – Axe-Fx is great for that, too. I also have a 1969 Marshall Superbass 100 which we split with a Bogner Ecstasy or Uberschall, and used for the rhythm tracks on a couple of songs.”

And how about for guitars?

Majura: “I’ve been with Ibanez for many years now and I’m very happy. They deliver the most perfect instruments. You pick up an instrument and either like it or not. Some of them seem to instantly merge with your system – you become one – and that is true of most Ibanez guitars, at least for me.

“Of course I’ve played Les Pauls and other things, but they’re really not my style. I have so many Ibanez guitars now. I think the AZ series was such a smart move – the family is even bigger and better now… Look at players like Tim Henson, who is just amazing. He makes me feel so old. He’ll be nailing it and I’m at home just playing along to AC/DC or something!

“For pedals, I stick with the Line 6 Helix pedalboard because I remember at my first rehearsal in 2015, they would tell me certain parts would need a chorus or flanger or this or that. At the end of the rehearsal I had a battery of pedals in front of me and realized I couldn’t do it. I’ve never been a pedal dancer. I went to Line 6 asking for a solution and they were just about to come out with the Helix… it was perfect.”

McLawhorn: “I was using a baritone PRS SE. I changed the pickups out, but that’s it – I love the guitar and how it plays. I tried a few different sets, most by Seymour Duncan. One of my seven-strings has a Seymour that my tech put in on the road and I don’t know which one it is! He just found it in my guitar coffin and asked if we should throw it in. It stayed for the rest of the tour – it was probably a JB, who knows!

“But the one on the record is the Distortion (SH-6). I really like how they sound. At first, they were a little hot for what I like – I tend to prefer somewhere in between modern metal and classic rock. It felt like really high gain, way too much, especially when switching from my other guitars. But he really lowered the pickup down and that fixed everything, making everything super-tight and adding some nice mids.”

Use My Voice has a really powerful message behind it…

Majura: “Yes! Another thing that connects me and Amy very strongly is that we both went through moments in our careers where males would tell us, ‘You’re just a girl – what do you know?’ It’s time for strong women – in rock or wherever – to stand up and say being good at a craft has nothing to do with gender. It’s been happening for way too long.

“That feeling of our voices being suppressed needs to change, because every voice matters. We’re all the same. It does not matter if you are male or female or transgender… humans are humans. I think we should spend more time understanding why we’re the same. Use My Voice is an important message for women to stand up and be heard.”

Where do you think your influences differ as guitar players?

Majura: “The first guitar hero I had at around 10 or 11 was Steve Vai. He was so revolutionary in terms of what he’s done for the guitar world, both sound-wise and crafts-wise. Electric guitar wouldn’t be what it is today without Steve Vai.

“I respect him so much for how he feels and talks through his instrument. He’s influenced my thinking about a lot of things. He’s an amazing person, not just an amazing musician.

“Then I got into Nuno Bettencourt, who plays for the sake of the song instead of showing off. Which is what I tried to do on my first solo album, Inzenity, everyone expected a shred album and it wasn’t. I played for the song. If it didn’t require a guitar solo then fine, I’d just leave it. I didn’t need to prove to the world how good I was.

“Nuno also has the percussive style of playing, which brings this tone that I really like. And finally, Angus Young. I’ve been playing in an AC/DC tribute band for four years and I love his playing.”

McLawhorn: “A lot of them for me were the classic players while I was growing up. So Ace Frehley for sure… KISS were like Slipknot for us who grew up in the '70s [laughs]! Then there’s Jimmy Page and Jimi Hendrix. Tony Iommi as well, he was a massive influence on me as a kid.

“Eddie Van Halen was a huge influence on me, too – it was very sad that we lost him so early and so young. When Van Halen came out, I started taking guitar very seriously. The bluesy side of his playing always appealed to me but he also had all that technical prowess, too. A very inspiring guitar player for so many people.”

What advice can you offer anyone out there hoping to become a good session player?

McLawhorn: “You need to know how to communicate with people. I’ve done sessions with some Nashville guys that have this shorthand way of writing music. Reading music and knowing theory is always important… I wish I knew more myself.

“It puts you at ease walking into a session knowing you read and play anything back. I can’t really do that – I just really really listen and learn things by memory. I can read some music but that’s going back to trumpet at high school [laughs]. So I rely on communication always!”

Majura: “I think guitar players need to be honest. Use your voice. Be real. Be pure. We don’t need fake, we need humanity and real people. What I love about people like Mattias IA Eklundh is he’s just himself. He’s pure and innovative in a really interesting way.

“I’ve gotten to know guys like him, Guthrie Govan, Richie Kotzen and Jeff Waters – they’re all awesome and very honest players. I think one should never think one has seen it all and learned it all.

“We need to keep in mind we’re all on a journey in search of becoming better. In terms of advice, I always have to say being open to different styles is so important. There’s something to learn every day. You should never stop trying to improve to make the world a better place. You should never stop learning… that’s what makes you human.”

#Jen Majura #troy mclawhorn #Evanescence #2021 interviews

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doomedandstoned · 3 years

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Cave of Swimmers Reach Epic Heights in Infectious New Spinner ‘Aurora’

~Review by Billy Goate~

Album Art by Brian Olson

I've always said that given the right circumstances (say a good set of professional ears lodged in influential places) that CAVE OF SWIMMERS would be a sensation. Why? Because they've got all the right stuff to really connect with people at a time when heavy music has been simmering underground, well-past ready for a fresh outburst. Hamstrung by lockdowns, financial burdens, and fear aplenty, we're ready to dust off our air guitars and party like it's 1987 again (incidentally, the year I first discovered heavy music). I'm not alone in speculating that we're in for another Roaring Twenties, not unlike the carefree days that followed the last global pandemic. And it's precisely this kind of energetic vibe, with its unique Latin-meets-metal flavor, that is ripe and ready to rock 'n' revel to!

Hell, we've not heard a sound this contagious since, well, maybe Sepultura -- and that was another animal entirely. With that said, Cave of Swimmers are very much metal to the core. And oh what a crowd-rousing live show Guillermo Gonzalez (guitar, synth, vox) and Arturo Garcia (drums, backing vox) can put on! I was there when Cave of Swimmers energized a hung-over and droopy mob gathered 'round The Vinyl Stage at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, lo those many years ago at the inaugural Psycho Las Vegas.

Doomed & Stoned · The Doomed & Stoned Show - The Cave Of Swimmers Special

All that and they have an appealing back story: two friends whose families relocated to Florida amidst tumultuous circumstances in Venezuela. As teenagers, Arturo and Guillermo grew up idolizing bands like Iron Maiden and Metallica and now they've crafted a fantastic, original style of their own, with wicked guitar play and grandiose vocals built atop a rhythmic array that is simultaneously feverish and suave, with choruses that are imminently singable. Stream their latest LP at least twice through and I can predict which lines you'll be humming at work and crowing in the shower at the top of your lungs.

When the band burst upon the scene in 2013 with Cave of Swimmers, I remember the community sharing it like mad. From "Materia" onward to their incredible namesake anthem, it was as if the Latin Candlemass had emerged from the salty Atlantic to enthrall crowds like some kind of warbling Creature from the Black Lagoon.

Cave of Swimmers by CAVE OF SWIMMERS

Their music-making only got better from there. 2015 gifted us with a second EP, Reflection, featuring a song I have no doubt will one day be a doom metal standard, "Prince of the Power of the Air". I'm telling you, the Psycho crowd went stompin' nuts when they heard those quasi-Biblical lyrics sung in epic doom fashion accompanied by that stern guitar tone, leading up to an incredible solo, and then a delirious second-half, which made everyone dance (whether we wanted to or not). It's infectious, like I said. I'm telling you, this sound cannot be matched. And I'm convinced it will not be stopped, either.

Reflection by CAVE OF SWIMMERS

2021 is Cave of Swimmer's year to ascend, for thus saith the Prophet that dwelleth atop the Rocks on High! Pandemic or no, it was this duo's time to release the material that had been welling up inside of them for so long. I guess we can call this their first LP, even though every spin so far has felt sufficiently hefty to refer to as a full-length. Six songs clocking in at over 30 minutes -- it's the band's next stepping stone in their journey from the recording studio into your earbuds and mine.

Aurora by CAVE OF SWIMMERS

'Aurora' (2021) plays like the first songbird of spring, if you'll indulge my idyllic wording for a moment. It's just so full of earnestness, life, and yes joy. Three things that we've been longing for in the midst of so much treachery and nihilistic despair. Hell, I consider myself something of a nihilist, but this band melts away my grim pessimism. It's all encapsulated in the thrashy, downtuned attack married to a kind of urgent Latin vibe that says "We've got one night left to live, let's die with a smile!"

After an atmospheric introduction that foreshadows material still to come, we're treated to "The Sun," which the band released as a single awhile back. I remember telling them at the time, "You guys should be huge." I meant it with all my heart, too. Certainly, this isn't watered down pop music fare, yet I think the average heavy music listener will find it wholly accessible. I'd put this Cave of Swimmers neck-and-neck with any Top 50 touring metal act, based on this track alone. Maybe I'm just enamored of their sound and being less than objective. So sue me.

Next up: "Double Rainbow," which is a kind of resurrection of optimism. Hope for a new and better tomorrow. "Forget the hate, forget the scene, forget the life of complacency," Guillermo sings. "A second arc, new scenery, our time is here. Don’t let it go! When I hear it, I too want to believe." It's a message that's especially important for us to convey to the next generation of rockers and metalheads, lest they be weighed down by our own disillusionment and mistakes. This is a song that encourages that that brash, foolhardy youthful joie de vivre and its power to change the status quo.

"My Human" opens up with a burst of syncopated guitar that reminds me of something Tom Morello likes to cook up, but its mere window dressing for a song that develops into something purely Cave of Swimmers. A single melodic line of epic singing accented by a soft layer of synthesizer lays out the verse, followed by one headbanger of a chorus. It's a song about companionship and the consolation that we can have in one another, if we will only open ourselves up long enough to being truly human. To give and in turn receive. It also seems to speak of a hope beyond this life, at least in some ethereal, metaphysical sense.

"Looking Glass'' unloads a spitfire of "Say hello to my little friend!" style riffage that rips open into a chorus I could definitely take with me to salsa lessons, if I were to dare return. Remind me to tell you about the time I accidently cracked a partner's nose with my elbow while trying to pull off one of those fancy turn-and-swing maneuvers. Sigh. Some of us have no rhythm, whatsoever. But I recognize a good slam-dancing song when I hear it!

Which leads me to talk "Dirt." Much more gritty than its predecessors, accompanied by a spooky synth of the kind Rob Zombie or Acid Witch are apt to toy with. Even as the mood turns grim, it's a foot shuffler nonetheless. And there's no denying the power of those soaring, falconesque vocals. Guillermo seems capable of transporting listeners to a higher plane of consciousness. Good thing, too, because the message is that we've all been living in our mental prisons for far too long, reinforced by "pride and ego trips."

Billions of us Where are we going to? Chasing our tails around the sun Bleeding our hearts Divided and conquered, too Buy us for sale at the dollar store Raised like pigs on dirt

It's time to break free. The song ends with a section of flamenco-style guitar executed with deft classical technique. It reminded me a bit of Psychroptic's "Euphorinasia" -- another song that makes brilliant use of acoustic guitar.

"C.S." is Cave of Swimmer's swan song -- a send-back to their earliest work. Their reprisal reminds me of something Metallica would do. There's a certain "Nothing Else Matters" mood about it all. Then out of nowhere, a spurt of volcanic riffage and mad drumming breaks out into a Gojiraesque hoe-down. Oh yes, and there's another celebratory trve metal guitar solo lodged in there juxtaposed with complex rhythmic percussion.

I'm telling you, Cave of Simmers cannot be beat. The game belongs to them. Their time is now. Give ear...

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#D&S Reviews #Cave of Swimmers #Miami #Florida #thrash #metal #doom metal #epic doom #heavy rock #Doomed and Stoned

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tisthenightofthewitch · 4 years

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Tobias Forge is reflecting on Ghost’s spooky success

Grammy-winning metallers Ghost are the perfect Halloween soundtrack. With a UK arena tour on the go, frontman Tobias Forge reflects on their journey so far.

Thirty-one years ago, in Linköping, Sweden, a mean old teacher stood in the way of her young freedom-loving pupil. She was condescending and bitter; she didn’t like talking back; she didn’t like heavy metal… and she was deeply Christian. She also inadvertently provided essential kindling for the biggest, most theatrical, occult rock act in the world today.

That student was Tobias Forge, now the mastermind behind Grammy-winning metal band Ghost. “I found it so weird that she was supposed to be representing good and she was just a mean, backward-thinking bag of shit, basically,” he tells The Big Issue. “That was generally my impression of Christianity, and of Christians: they were mean and stupid and didn’t like fun things. And so, fuck them.”

Steeped in infernal imagery and horror movies, Ghost is precisely the band you need at this most haunted time of year. Revelling in a backstory based in a semi-fictitious cult, they’ve been fronted by a series of Satanic priests (each of them actually Forge) with the rest of the band made up of masked musicians known as Nameless Ghouls. After cycling through four incarnations of skull-faced Pope Papa Emeritus, Ghost’s frontman is currently rejoicing in the persona of ambitious and light-footed Cardinal Copia.

Their live show – due to hit the UK in its biggest-ever incarnation very soon – is as much ritual as gig. Recalling the dark pomp of Alice Cooper or Kiss, they leave a wave of ‘Grucifix’-wearing converts in their wake.

We spoke to Tobias Forge between shows on the American leg of their Ultimate Tour Named Death…

TBI: Can you tell us a bit about what we can expect for your upcoming UK dates?

Tobias Forge: You will have basically the tour that we are on now – we’re just shipping that over to Europe. So, it’s a full production, arena show. Which is very, very cool. I am very happy about that because we’ve never really done like a full show in the UK ever.

For a long time we were stuck in the academy circuit. The academy circuit is so whimsical, it’s like, one venue might be okay – like the Manchester Apollo is nice and then you go to other cities, and the stages are just absolutely bullshit. So small, you can’t do anything. My motto is that if you pay the same money to see the show, you should get the same thing. Right?

That seems fair.

I’ve always been extremely adamant about moving into rooms where we can bring our own stage and bring our own production. And that’s what we’re doing this time. And I’m very happy about that.

It’s almost Halloween… do you have a favourite horror film?

I don’t have one favourite horror film, I have many. I generally believe that the best horror films were made by filmmakers who did one horror film and the rest of them they did was thrillers and drama. One example is Stanley Kubrick. The Shining is definitely one of the best horror films ever made. And so is Jaws. And so is Silence of the Lambs. The Exorcist. Dracula, Ford Coppola’s version, is one of my favourite films of all time.

A horror film shouldn’t just be about that spectacular death or that jump scare. Now, everything is just about jump scares. That’s not cool.

In Rats [the lead single for latest album Prequelle], you sing about living in times of turmoil, which we certainly are. Do you think that Ghost has a message for us in those times?

I think that there’s a message there if you want. Ironically, we’re not trying to preach. We’re here to entertain, to make you feel better about yourself, to feel content with life, and inspire you to live. And, to whatever extent we can, aid people and the world to either become a better place… or to not become a worse place.

In the greater scheme of things, I don’t think that we’re, you know, significant enough for the world to change, but who knows?

You attract a larger female contingent than we see for most metal acts. Do you have a theory about why that is?

A few years back when we were a little bit more clandestine, and people in general didn’t know who we were, I believe that part of the attraction was the fact that you could place whomever you wanted underneath that mask. [Forge’s identity as the leader of Ghost was only unveiled in 2017 as a result of a court case filed by his former bandmates over their share of revenue for the band.] So, whomever you fancy you can just pretend that was the person. But on the other hand, I also think that there’s the same rules of attraction – the music probably attracts people and the show probably attracts people. I don’t see that there’s that big of a difference between boys and girls.

And there are not many bands that finish their gigs with an ode to the female orgasm [the song Monstrance Clock]. So that has to help.

Right. That’s important stuff.

Do you miss the greater degree of anonymity that you used to have before you were ‘unmasked’?

I still have the luxury of being able to differentiate between myself and my onstage character, which is a luxury that many artists don’t have. I am not expected to be anything like my character in private. So, I’m still very fortunate.

I did not choose to dictate the imagery of this band based on the fact that I was shy, or I didn’t want to be famous. I wanted to be as famous and recognised as anyone else putting a guitar onto his or her crotch. But over the years of having both – being in a famous band, but not being super famous myself – I’ve come to enjoy the fact that I can go in and out of that.

I am not asocial but I definitely have an asocial streak, that I need to be by myself. I like to just go around y myself and I like to do simple things. I like to go to dive bars to play pinball. I like to go to record stores – and I like to do it by myself or in the company of a few friends. If I can still do that, I’m a happy boy.

Of course, to those of us watching closely, it wasn’t a full surprise whenever when you were unmasked. There were a few leaks. Rob Zombie memorably posted an Instagram photo with you without your mask. I wonder, did you rap his knuckles afterwards?

No. He explained it as just a mistake. He has no reason to flaunt a picture like that. It doesn’t serve him, his purposes. And he’s not a junkie, that way. You know, of ‘like’s, or whatever. I really, really didn’t feel in any way that he was doing it with any malice or any intent.

He seems like a cool guy.

Oh, yeah. He’s a very cool guy. Very nice.

I wanted to ask you about Satanism, because it seems to be having a bit of a moment just now, especially following the release of The Satanic Temple documentary Hail Satan?I know that many of the followers of The Satanic Temple are big fans of yours. Is it welcome to have to have them in your corner?

Anything that has to do with – loosely coined – ‘Satanism’ is, of course, up my alley. It’s part of my DNA. As long as, the peddlers of whatever faith that is are still positive – and it doesn’t involve certain negative elements, and it doesn’t involve violence against innocents – I am for it.

Prequelle has seen Ghost grow even bigger – how do you plan to follow it?

I won’t go into detail. But let’s just put it this way… the next must be built on the momentum that we’re leaving off now. And where we’re leaving off is playing arenas. We need to make an album that sounds like an arena band. I cannot just phone a record in and pretend that I have nothing to live up to. It doesn’t work like that.

THE BIG ISSUE

#Tobias Forge #Tobias Interview #The Band Ghost #Ghost Band #Cardinal Copia

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happymetalgirl · 5 years

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Motionless in White - Disguise

I have made repeatedly clear on here that I love me some good, sweet, sugary, delicious, indulgent, so-not-high-brow alt metal that many wou classify as pop metal. I'm an open minded boy and I don't think liking bitterly harsh industrial DSBM noise doom means I can't like the sweeter side of metal too. And that's where Motionless in White enter the stage of 2019.

I definitely remember Motionless in White's 2017 effort, Graveyard Shift, more fondly for its cherry-picked, punchy, and well-produced alternative/nu-metalcore bangers like "Untouchable", "Queen for Queen", "Voices", and "Eternally Yours" than it definitely was as a whole. But even if Graveyard Shift wasn't any kind of alternative metal or metalcore masterpiece in its entirely, I was actually looking forward to just getting a few more of those types of standout tracks from Disguise, just to add few more blood-pumping bangers to add to my workout personal playlist, or perhaps even the faint hope of a shift toward focusing the more direct, energetic types of ragers that stood above the crop on Graveyard Shift.

Well, sometimes hopes and dreams do come true; Motionless in White go more fully into the nu metal and metalcore-infused alternative metal on Disguise than they did more occasionally on Graveyard Shift. And while this album is still not without some of its own and some of Graveyard Shift's residual issues and probably not sitting too well with fans of the band's more longtime fans who got into them through Creatures or Infamous, this is definitely a more fertile creative space for the band to draw power from and thrive in than the desiccating fields of generic metalcore within their crop they had already harvested dry.

The opening title track finds the band pretty close to their sweet spot of nu metalcore and alternative metal with some already Chester Bennington-esque vocals with distortion effects that sound lifted from Hybrid Theory and jumpdfuckup groove that continues what the band set out to do on Graveyard Shift. It's a tightly composed track with little fat to trim that sets the tone for the rest of the album's alt. metalcore bangers well.

The few tracks that follow at the beginning of the album definitely carry that momentum well even if they do expend the majority of the album's firepower kind of early. The subsequent "Headache" features some Slipknot-inspired record scratches and high pitched whirs to enhance a more suspensefully menacing mood. But the chorus' dark melody really makes the song. "C0de" is a bouncy industrial metalcore tune with a bit of balance from its more pop-influenced alt metal chorus, which gets perhaps just a tad repetitive, but it's not enough to diminish the song's enjoyability. The vicious "Thoughts and Prayers" is probably the best moment on the album with its relentless metalcore verses and its defiant melodic chorus. It's more in line with the standard of metalcore, but the aggression is fitting for the song's subject matter and the band show that they have the capacity to take on the second wave's trademark clean/harsh approach with their industrial and alternative metal flavoring. "Holding on to Smoke" sounds like an extra punchy and metalcore-influenced Breaking Benjamin song during its emotionally exhausted choruses, which is, again, where Motionless in White sound at their optimum.

Even the album's later songs like the woah-laden "Legacy" (which sounds like an Imagine Dragons song during its choruses, except with much more energy) and the Breaking Benjamin-ish power balladry of "Another Life" that stretch out a bit too long on their pop formulas still manage to contribute at least to the tonal diversity of the album and really aren't all that bad either at accomplishing their intended purpose.

The band also partake in their usual samples of horror-inspired gothic metalcore for good measure on the spookily string-supplemented back-to-basics "Undead 2: The Tale of the Mightnight Ride" and the pair of very Rob Zombie-esque songs, "Broadcasting from Beyond the Grave" and "Brand New Numb", which all provide a welcome break from the rest of the more typically styled and structured songs among them.

The closing song, "Catharsis", is unfortunately just a bit too drab of a traditional alternative metal closer after all the fireworks that precede it, and it's definitely not a very conclusive way to finish the album off. But luckily it's not enough of a landing stumble to negate the showmanship of the rest of the album's routine.

While Disguise might not even hit the same high points that Graveyard Shift's best moments did and while it definitely comes with its own moments of nu metal cheesiness that the band showed themselves to be susceptible to on its predecessor, it is the more consistent album of the two. And I don't think this was nearly as bad of a jump into the deep end of late 2000's alt/nu metal as it definitely could have been. For the most part, the band play to the strengths of the genre and their own. I'm sure there will be ample preexisting detractors as well as many within the band's fan base that decry the significant increase in the pop-influenced structuring on this album and the obviousness of the band's influences worn so upfront right there on their sleeve. But they've never been shy about channeling their favorite bands, and this time they're at least playing to their refined strengths so that their costume-changing masquerade is at least very well-designed. While I will agree that the "pop sensibility" probably makes the album a bit too formulaic as a whole, I still think this is a step in the right direction for Motionless in White: away from the blatant Antichrist Superstar mimicry and early Bullet for My Valentine knock-offs, and toward a largely abandoned but open style that they can prove to still have plenty of vibrant, explosive potential. I think another tweak of the balance to emphasize the power of the band's metalcore foundations more so that the pop flavors don't drown them out would be a logical and easy step toward the ideal Motionless in White album, and this album is definitely a fine stepping stone in that path that the band hopefully continue toward.

Just a little bit to the left/10

#Motionless in White #Disguise #metalcore #alternative metal #nu metal #album review #new album #metal #heavy metal

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independentartistbuzz · 2 years

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Red Devil Vortex Shares “Psycho” from the New EP Dark Secrets

Red Devil Vortex kicks off the year with a collection of heavy-hitting new songs for your radar. "Psycho" is the new single by Red Devil Vortex and the last of a series of singles that together complete the EP Dark Secrets, released via all digital outlets.

From living in an RV on the streets of Hollywood to #16 on the Billboard Charts, Red Devil Vortex is not only the sonic result of life’s chaos and frustrations, but a statement of fighting for what you believe in.

“Psycho” is a fictional story based on the dark side often present in toxic relationships and it’s the last song created with the late producer Augustus Cryns (1989-2020), who’s also worked with the band in their first EP “Something Has To Die” (2018). The new EP, “Dark Secrets”, marks a transitional moment for the band with the joining of guitarist Luis Kalil as the new member. It’s set to be released on Feb 4th, 2022. Along with the original songs, it also features a version of “Mother”, originally by Danzig. - Red Devil Vortex

Though adapting to a new world of cultural shocks and real life challenges when moving from Curitiba, Brazil to Los Angeles, CA, lead singer / bassist Gabriel Connor and drummer Iago Marcondes were relentless and just getting louder. The band had its kickstart with the single “The Fallen” from 2016 followed by the EP Something Has To Die released in May of 2018. The EP hit the US Billboard charts in its first week at No #16 (Heatseekers Chart) and No #49 (Independent Albums Chart). It sold over 1,200 copies, both physical and digital downloads combined in its first week. "Something Has To Die" has reached over 340k Streams so far and with all songs combined, Red Devil Vortex has amassed over 600k Spotify streams to date. The release was produced by Augustus “Gus” Cryns (Butcher Babies, Anti-Flag).

In 2019 and 2020 the band headed back into the studio to record their sophomore EP, after the departure of original guitarist Pablo Kravicz during the process. Going full steam ahead, Gabriel and lago managed to finish the record before another loss with the untimely death of their friend and producer Augustus during the pandemic lockdowns. With the releases postponed Gabriel and Iago kept Red Devil Vortex alive, using the time to organically find the right guitarist, Luis Kalil, an award winning guitar prodigy based in Los Angeles who is also from Brazil. Kalil has recorded and performed with the likes of Steve Vai, Corey Taylor (Slipknot, Stone Sour), Kiko Loureiro & Dirk Verbeuren (Megadeth) among others.

With the new addition to the band, Luis recorded on the remaining tracks done with Augustus Cryns not only honoring the work they’ve done together before his passing, but giving a new meaning and creating a new chapter in the history of Red Devil Vortex.

For fans of Bad Wolves, Five Finger Death Punch, Disturbed, Ghost, and Rob Zombie, the band brings a raw and intricate sound to the table, as they create a sound that is uniquely their own.

On “Psycho” the music and lyrics were written by Red Devil Vortex and Augustus Cryns. It was produced by Augustus Cryns, mixed and mastered by Augustus Cryns and Adair Daufembach at Soundcheck Studios in North Hollywood, California.

The band is currently in the studio working on their first full length album with producer Adair Daufembach in Hollywood, CA. Following Dark Secrets, it will be released in the second half of 2022. Red Devil Vortex’s new album Dark Secrets is out now which kicks off a high profile and exciting year for the band.

Listen to Dark Secrets HERE

Listen to “Psycho” HERE

Watch “Psycho” HERE

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concerthopperblog · 3 years

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Blue Ridge Rock Festival: Soaking up an the Memories After the Dust has Settled

The world has been in a state of flux for well over the past year. Because of this, the fact that a festival was happening at all was enough to get us excited here at Concert Hopper. Fast forward to the lineup announcements as they incrementally happened and we found ourselves at an absolute fever-pitch of hype. Blue Ridge Rock Festival bills itself as the “fan driver rock experience” and this was made evident as the lineup was mostly chosen based on fan polling. All of this culminated in a wild weekend descending upon the sleep town of Danville, Virginia.

Day one of the festival was a bit hectic as it seemed that everyone had to remember how to function in a festival environment. Despite this, once everyone figure it out, the show was on the road. The first band that we were able to check out was Slaves from Sacramento, California. The band was a lot of fun to watch live and their awesome mix of infectious and heavy grooves and powerhouse vocals made them a great way to break the festival ice.

After Slaves, we stopped at the food court for a perennial festival favorite, Atlanta’s own Island Noodles. The festival wristbands gave attendees a stress free way to purchase their drinks and food without worrying about carrying around cash or their card. With the grounds being so sparse, it was easy to find a spot away from the chaos at the stages to take a seat and enjoy your meal.

The day was far from over though as more awesome bands were set to take the stage including many we were so excited to see. Early in the day was one of the ones we were most excited to see because the world at large had yet to see them beyond their music videos. Coming all of the way down from Canada, Spiritbox was set to unleash their brand of awesome on those in attendance and they did not disappoint. Awash in blue, from the backdrop to vocalist Courtney Laplante’s hair, the band left the crowd hyped and shocked at their prowess.

Amongst the other stacked bands on the lineup, a rarity graced Virginia as The Ghost Inside took the stage. For those unfamiliar, The Ghost Inside had a horrific bus crash in November of 2015 that resulted in the driver of the bus passing away and the drummer Andrew Tkaczyk losing his right leg. As a result, the band has rarely played shows. Nonetheless, the fact that they take the stage at all is mind-blowing and the entire band, Andrew included absolutely shredded and played an amazing set and gave us our first glimpse at pyro at the show.

The day rounded out with two other amazing bands Halestorm and Breaking Benjamin. Halestorm is always a blast to see live and their stage show, including the lighting is phenomenal. Along with this, vocalist Lzzy Hale’s incredible vocal prowess is always something to behold. They wowed the crowd and were a great way to settle everyone in before Breaking Benjamin took the stage.

As day two dawned, more incredible acts awaited us and those in attendance. One of the first big acts up for the day and one that drew a crowd was Fozzy. For those who may not be familiar with the band but who may have followed wrestling, the band is fronting by former WWE superstar Chris Jericho. The band was awesome live and put on a great show, complete with all of the showmanship that Jericho learned in the WWE.

After Fozzy, Atlanta natives Sevendust took the stage. Having had the pleasure of being present for Sevendust’s return to Atlanta concert, we knew we were in for an amazing spectacle. Of course, Lajon Witherspoon and the band did not disappoint. They played an incredible mix from their deep discography and put on a visual and audio power display for the crowd.

After Sevendust, heavy metal legends Anthrax were an absolute bucket list band to see live let alone be in the photo pit for. As always, the band put on a spectacular show. Vocalist Joey Belladona ripped through the set with impressive ease and the crowd was left in awe after the showing from one of the big four of metal. With their colorful backdrop setting the mood, they ripped their many of their fan favorites.

After the excitement that was Anthrax, the festival was set to be turned into a demonstration as Fever 333 went on. Fever 333 has been taking the live music world by storm with their wild performances. They are known for going wild, having been spotted playing from atop port-a-potties, crowd surfing in their gear’s crates and climbing the stage scaffolding. Blue Ridge was not going to be spared from these theatrics as both guitarist St33vis and vocalist Jason climbed the stage’s scaffolding (St33vis with guitar in tow.)

Fever 333 was an electrifying way to segue to the later bands of the evening including I Prevail, Motionless in White and the closing act of the day, another bucket list artist, Rob Zombie. Decked out with his trademark dreads and a wild stage setup, Rob Zombie took to the stage to party with the crowd. Truly, Zombie and the band embody that spirit, creating an awesome visual show for the crowd to match their wild and varied music. It was an awesome way to close the evening down.

Day three had dawned in Danville, Virginia and I personally found myself giddy with excitement. As one of the ones into the heavier music here at Concert Hopper, Saturday was my day in particular, it was slam packed with heavy bands and I couldn’t have been more stocked to get to the venue and get to snapping photos. My excitement was not misguided because Saturday was an incredible day for heavy music fans in Virginia.

With a few of the bands having to drop off of the festival billing due to various issues, there was a bit of a gap for us to start day three which led to one of the most happy accidents of the whole festival. While waiting near the Staylit stage, the adjacent HeartSupport stage was being besieged by a band from Atlanta, Georgia known as Head Hunter. While the band is chock full of young members, their musical prowess proved to be timeless and as their set progressed, they soon had a flock of fans surrounding them. They left such a strong impression that on day four, while wearing one of their shirts, I was stopped numerous times by fans telling me how awesome they were. This is definitely a rising star to keep your eye on.

After Head Hunter had thoroughly shocked us with their performance, it was time for hardcore legends Hatebreed to take the stage. Right off of the bat, the crowd was rowdy as is to be expected as a Hatebreed show. The band seemed to feed off of this energy and they put on a performance for the ages. Crowd surfers poured over the railing as the circle pits kicked dust up against the bright blue Virginia sky.

As the night was wearing down and the sun was setting, the last two bands were not content to let the moon watch peacefully over a quiet night. First up was Virginia’s own Lamb of God. Never ones to disappoint, the band rocked the crowd with a wall of incredible sound. To compliment the roaring tones of their music, the band had their awesome stage show complete with pyro and vocalist Randy Blythe’s signature dreadlocks.

To close out the night another member of metal’s big four was set to take on the Virginia crowds. Megadeth, complete with an impressive wall of screens and massive walls of amplifiers were a sight and sound to behold. It wasn’t long before Dave Mustaine and the crowd were locked in unison singing through some of the band’s classics like “Sweating Bullets.”

The dawn of the final day at Blue Ridge Rock Festival continued the tradition of exciting sets to witness. Certainly if the crowd was feeling anything like myself, they were tired and sore but excited for what was to come. Right from the onset day four had us rocking with Seattle native Ayron Jones’ signature hybrid of blues and rock.

After Ayron’s set we continue to hang out at the Staylit stage as we waited to catch the next band. Known for their amazing costumes and incredible stage performances, Starset was not a band that we wanted to miss. This made the wait well worth it and we were certainly not disappointed. Having set aside their astronaut-like outfits, the band was outfitted in updated suits that had them looking like a cross between Jawas from Star Wars and something from a post-apocalyptic scene like Mad Max.

Closing out the festival were the power duo of Papa Roach who played their Infest album in its entirety and Shinedown. Both of the bands brought the energy to their sets. It was a wonderful way to close out the festival and send the crowd home on a high. Of course, Shinedown included their awesome fireworks display as well.

When it was all said and done and the dust had settled and we left the festival grounds in the rearview mirror, Blue Ridge had been an incredible experience. The festival had it all as it settled in its new location in Danville, Virginia. From awesome fans to wonderful supporting staff to the most insane lineup we have ever seen. While the world is an a state of evolution right now, we hope that one thing that we can count on is that in 2022, we will find ourselves back in Danville, Virginia in a photo pit with 30-40,000 of our closest friends having our minds blown by more live music.

As always, please feel free to browse around ConcertHopper’s website (including checking out our full photo coverage featuring all of the bands from all four days of the festival) further and to check out our articles covering a wide variety of topics. Please also check us out on social media on our Facebook and Instagram pages. Life is a beautiful thing and music only adds to that beauty, make some time to get out and celebrate beauty and life with a community of like-minded individuals at a concert soon, it’s always worth the price of admission.

#2021 #music #festival #Concerthopper #Review #festival review #Blue Ridge Rock Festival #metal #Rock N' Roll

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myremains · 3 years

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King 810 - AK Concerto No. 47, 11th Movement in G Major

Tracklist:

AK Concerto No. 47

Red Queen

I Am the Enemy

Hellhounds

Love Under Will

Da Vinci Hands Pinocchio Nose

Dukes

House of Dust

Love Bomb

Suicide Machines

King 810, this is a band that really do have a truly dedicated fan base, before these guys ever even signed a record deal they had a reputation for their shows being particularly violent which has been known to get their sound cut off and riots against police ensue whilst the fans are still singing the songs, extreme yet but you can’t knock that sort of dedication. There’s only 2 guys left, we’re now 4 albums deep and they’ve gathered a huge global following, most of the lyrics are from personal experiences of lead singer David Gunn living in Flint, Michigan being robbed, shot and stabbed, arrested and surviving in the area.

I had heard of the first single they dropped, “Hellhounds” but since then I have completely forgot with everything else that is going on that they were bringing out a new album, this single was like a subtle sadistic call to war “I’m going to hell, oh well, who’s coming with me” and I’ll be honest all of us should be getting on the train because they just get better and better. I missed the second single “Dukes” but am remedying that now, it’s gritty and rough with a southern twang on it, nice bouncy beat, another top quality track. So the opening track is also the… half title track I guess, “AK Concerto No.47” is an absolutely unreal track, the heaviest and most demonic side of the vocals and tone are on full display here, thick chunky bass line and distorted riff, very easily memorable but effective chorus line like an army squadron sounding off. Album closer “2a” made me double take because I thought it had Switched to a sinister version of Powerman 5000 or a darker Rob Zombie with that industrial sound. One of the most interesting track names on the album “Da Vinci Hands Pinocchio Nose”, this track is eerie and spooky as fuck till the chorus announces itself with what feels like a bass cannon, the whole place is vibrating just listening to it on record God help us in a venue. “Red Queen” is another heavy industrial track and I’m absolutely loving how they’re taking approach, natural growth and aggression.

It's absolutely no wonder that there have been riots and that they have a reputation for particularly violent live shows, this stuff is just fuel for that kind of environment, I still only thought they’d ever get 2 good albums out of this style of music that they’d crafted but here they are with 4 top quality releases and still going hard, if not harder than ever.

[9/10]

#King 810 #King #810 #AK Concerto No. 47 #11th Movement in G Major #Rap #Industrial #Metal #Rock #Music #2020 #Albums #MyRemains

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kickdownthewalls · 6 years

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Top 20 Non-Metal Albums of 2017

So, while my passion has long been heavy metal, there is so much other great music out there I felt it was worth my time to compile a list of the best of the rest. These twenty albums represent quite a number of genres, but they all share the quality of being awesome…

1. BLACK SEAGULL - Distant Lullabies

After the heart-breaking demise of one of my favorite band of the last two decades, On Trial, I was overjoyed to hear that a couple of ex-members had formed a new band called Black Seagull. While the sound is a bit more mellow and countrified, the songwriting quality is still top-notch and it sounds very much like a logical continuation of the Forever album.

2. ANVIL STRYKEZ - Anvil Strykez

My first impression was this would be a half-assed synthwave late-comer, based on the name, song titles, and album art, but damn if this isn’t one of the most thoroughly engaging albums all around. Vocoded vocals, pure 80s synth and drum machines, well-placed guitars, and a completely memorable and different approach for each tune add up to one hell of a spin.

3. DEPECHE MODE - Spirit

The past few Mode records have been consistently good, if not quite as memorable as Playing the Angel or any of the classics. Spirit is a different beast and my favorite album of theirs since Songs of Faith and Devotion way back in in ’93. The songs “Going Backwards” and “Where’s the Revolution” rank right up there with anything they have penned and the lyrics throughout the album are the perfect reflection of our current state of devolved world affairs.

4. POPPY - poppy.computer

It’s happening again. Some things are weird. Let’s appreciate together. Am I doing this right? Someone sent me this. Can you see it? These are cotton swabs. Poppy loves politics. You are Poppy. I’m Poppy. Everybody wants to be Poppy, Poppy.

5. SNIFF 'N' THE TEARS - Random Elements

One of those groups that, save for one big top-40 hit back in 1979, has flown under the radar but consistently released top-notch albums over the years. Paul Roberts is the singer/songwriter that has helmed the group since the start (and even paints all the album covers) and he still sounds as unique as ever. He writes songs that have a certain melancholy to them that has always struck a chord with me and Random Elements is full of them.

6. DANCE WITH THE DEAD - B-Sides: Volume 1

While synthwave acts like GosT and Carpenter Brut have made a considerable number of fans among metalheads, Dance With the Dead goes the furthest in actually combining the styles. Retro synth lines are still the dominant feature but the chugging, thrashy riffs are nearly as omnipresent and the band add some very well-placed (and well-played) guitar solos on many tracks. This is their latest and they have only gone from strength to strength.

7. THE HAXANS - Party Monsters

This is the kind of thing I would usually roll my eyes at and dismiss straight away but this duo has put together a collection of songs that are so infectious, I can’t stop listening to it. It is the perfect mix of death punk, pop, and Rob Zombie-eque horror metal. Vocalist Ashley Costello is a real gem, too, delivering the campy lyrics with the perfect mix of sensuality and power.

8. KMFDM - Hell Yeah

These die-hard industrial rockers have been releasing slight variations on the same album for the past 25 years or so but, hey, it’s a fucking great album. Hell Yeah isn’t quite up there with WTF?! or WWIII but it’s better than the last couple and their revolutionary calls to action have never been timelier.

9. THE NIGHT FLIGHT ORCHESTRA - Amber Galactic

When it comes to paying tribute to classic AOR from the 70s and 80s, no one does it better and with more enthusiasm than The Night Flight Orchestra. Amber Galactic is not as consistently brilliant as the first two albums but it is still great and the song “Domino” is an instant classic.

10. SIINAI - Sykli

This is Finnish ambient space trance. Repetitive, hypnotic electronics, looping guitars - it’s the perfect soundtrack for some meditation or that long, slow flight into the night. I’m always looking for chill stuff like this that works and, damn, this is executed with utmost perfection.

11. CHEAP TRICK - We're All Alright!

While Cheap Trick made some pretty mediocre records in the 80s and 90s, their 70s albums all stand up as classics and they have done some good work in recent years, too, most notably 2009’s The Latest. We’re All Alright! might be even better and the first half in particular is loaded with some well-crafted and hard rocking tunes.

12. CURSED MOON - Rite of Darkness

This album positively reeks of early-80s death rock in all the best ways. You’ve got driving basslines, reverby guitars, and gloomy synths, with the added bonus of gruff vocals that are more in the vein of early black or death metal. Not a ton of variety from song to song but it’s a highly enjoyable sound that works for a full album.

13. THE MOON AND THE NIGHT SPIRIT - Metanoia

This is a cool Hungarian duo that has been around for a good 15 years now. They make a very enchanting brand of folky darkwave with dreamy melodies and ethereal vocals. This is the first time I have had a chance to hear them since I fell in love with their 2011 album Mohalepte a few years back and I’m pleased to report they haven’t lost any of their charms.

14. LEGEND - Midnight Champion

Duo from Iceland that manages to capture the vibe and quality of classic industrial-rock and infuse it with modern and rather epic touches. The songs don’t just kick in and race to a catchy chorus; you have to be patient. The payoff is always worth it, though, and each songs follows its own dramatic course.

15. ADRENALINE RUSH - Soul Survivor

The debut from these Swedish hard rockers back in 2014 was a captivating collection of tunes that lived up to the band’s name. Soul Survivor is not quite as consistently good but it still has some damn fine tracks. The sound is big, melodic and surprisingly metal at times, with Tave Wanning’s vocals adding a great deal of charm, passion, and distinctiveness to the proceedings.

16. JESUS AND MARY CHAIN - Damage and Joy

I’ll admit I never paid much attention to these Scotts until the Automatic album came out and blew me away. Sadly, they seem to have slowly disintegrated after that, but after a lengthy break, they managed to return with one hell of a comeback record. Damage and Joy has some of the feedback from the early years, some of the electronics of the later years, and all of the sardonic humor and Velvet Underground chord progressions you would hope for.

17. BLONDIE - Pollinator

Blondie has had some good tunes since their reunion in 1999 but this is the first album where nearly every track is a winner. The three most important contributors to the band’s sound - Debbie Harry, guitarist Chris Stein, and drummer Clem Burke - are all still intact and in great form.

18. BLACK MARE - Death Magick Mother

This is the solo project from Sera Timms, the lead vocalist of Ides of Gemini. Here she takes a far more traditional gothic tone with the music, while her vocals take on an even more ethereal feel than in Ides. No individual song really stands out but it all works together beautifully as a complete album.

19. RAINBOWLICKER - I Saw The Light But Turned It Off

My first listen to this Finnish outfit was truly one of those WTF moments. Elements of punk, electro, chiptune, industrial and goth all merge together with some suitably peculiar, snotty vocals to make a fresh sound that is at once annoying and endearing.

20. TARJA - From Spirits and Ghosts (Score for a Dark Christmas)

Christmas albums have a tendency to be either too campy or too cliched for their own good. Tarja instead presents a collection of traditional (and one original) tunes done up in a suitably dramatic and darkly original fashion. While her solo rock albums have left me rather flat, I love her voice and the orchestral pairing is simply gorgeous. No one sounds like Tarja, no matter how hard they try.

Some more bands with great releases in 2017 to check out if you are curious: AGUSA, BARDSPEC, CAMERATA MEDIOLANENS, DAN TERMINUS, FLAMES OF GENESIS, GALLEY BEGGAR, IIVII, KESHA, L.A. WITCH, LIVING COLOUR, PERTURBATOR, ROPE SECT, SOROR DOLOROSA, and UFFE LORENZEN.

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