Arsis Album Review

Arsis – Starve For The Devil

Nuclear Blast, 2010

9/10

Starve For The Devil is the fourth album from Virginia Beach’s Arsis, and the band is now poised to become legitimate contenders for the technical thrash/death metal crown in the new decade. Given the revolving door membership around main man James Malone throughout the years there’s always an aura of uncertainly about what to expect. Although Arsis’s sound has progressed into thrash metal ground, the intricate guitar and bass work at the start of opener “Forced To Rock” makes it clear that Arsis is on the cusp of something special. The thrash grooves continue with “A March For The Sick”, the intensity never lets go through other standouts such as “Beyond Forlorn” and “The Ten Of Swords”. The death metal roots of the band come back to the fore near the end of the album, particularly with “Sable Rising”, “Half Past Couple O’Clock”, and “A Pound Of Flesh”. It could be argued that Starve For The Devil is no great musical advance, but where the album shines is in sheer enjoyment and technical proficiency. Most death metal album are difficult to listen to in one sitting, but listening to Starve For The Devil actually has me eagerly anticipating the next song. The other pleasant revelation for me is the profound influence of the technical guitar style of Jeff Waters of Annihilator on Arsis. The influence is subtle, but it sure is deep. Many songs left me with the impression that this is how Jeff Waters would write a death metal album. 2006’s We Are The Nightmare left many fans cold, but Starve For The Devil is a strong, impressive statement that Arsis can no longer be ignored.

See my previous post here for a review and pictures from Arsis’ recent show at The Rock in Maplewood while supporting Arch Enemy and Exodus.

Arsis will be appearing at The Rock in Maplewood on Monday, May 24 as direct support to Dying Fetus. Additional support will come from Misery Index, Conducting From The Grave, and Annotations Of An Autopsy.

Slash Album Review

Slash – Slash

EMI, 2010

7/10

Although former Guns N’ Roses guitarist Slash has released a couple albums under the Slash’s Snakepit moniker, Slash is being regarded as his first true solo album. A revolving door of musicians and singers were employed for the recordings. Each song features a different singer except for Alter Bridge singer Myles Kennedy, who sings on two of the tracks. Other luminaries present here are a surprisingly diverse group from across the rock and pop world, including Ozzy Osbourne, Kid Rock, Lemmy, and Fergie, among others. Albums full of guest musicians are never as great as their impressive credentials may lead one to believe, usually due to inconsistent styles. Slash succeeds in this regard more than most solo albums of this type. Most of the songs are middle-of-the-road heavy rock that generally do not disappoint unless you are expecting this to sound like Guns N’ Roses, which this does not. The other general impression is that each vocalist is singing to fit the track. That is, it does not seem that each track was written to fit the style of the singer. This really seems to be the reason Slash largely succeeds as a solo album. All of the singers perform admirably, even on “Beautiful Dangerous”, the much-maligned collaboration with Fergie of Black Eyed Peas. The clear highlight is “Nothing To Say”, one of the heaviest songs ever written by Slash that features M. Shadows (Avenged Sevenfold). Other strong tracks are the acoustic “Saint Is A Sinner Too”, featuring singer Rocco DeLuca, instrumental “Watch This” (Dave Grohl and Duff McKagan), and By The Sword (Andrew Stockdale of Wolfmother). The only true stinker here is “I Hold One” with Kid Rock with its annoying chorus of female backup singers. Overall, though, Slash is an artistically satisfying solo album that breaks free of the usual curse when too many musicians and singers are involved with a record. Slash’s abilities as a songwriter and guitarist really shine through without being overshadowed by the impressive list of collaborators. The touring band will feature Myles Kennedy on vocals, so it will be interesting to hear his interpretation of both these songs and the Guns N’ Roses catalog.

Slash will be appearing at Northern Lights Casino in Walker on Friday, May 21.

Other Video And Audio Concerts For Future Postings

Judging from the large volume of hits, downloads, and click-throughs from Blabbermouth, Brave Words (thanks for the posts today!!), and YouTube, many of you are enjoying the Exodus concert footage I posted. Here's a teaser for some future postings. Digging through my old box of tapes, I've shot full-length concerts (video) from these bands: Cannibal Corpse (w/Chris Barnes), Cynic (Focus tour), Nevermore, Flotsam And Jetsam, Obituary (w/o John Tardy!), Coalesce, Skrew, Sinister, 20 Deadflowerchildren, Acumen Nation, Public Assassin (w/Richard Christy), Fates Warning, Klank, Incubus, Limp Bizkit, 13 Mg, Sevendust, Strung Out, The Damned, Shine (Wino!), Coal Chamber, Soak, Pantera...I'm only about halfway through the box! All shows are from the mid-late 90s. I'll get to posting everything when I can, but priority goes to bands that are playing in The Cities. Be patient. Digitizing, editing, and uploading these shows takes a long time, but you will be rewarded with some killer uncirculated shows! I should have Cannibal Corpse from The Bleeding tour posted by next week.

Roger Waters Concert Announcement

Roger Waters certainly isn't metal, but who doesn't love Pink Floyd? Today it was announced that the Pink Floyd guitarist will embark on an extensive North American tour to celebrate the 30th anniversary of The Wall. The legendary album will be played in its entirely, and a spectacle-type show as only Pink Floyd can do is promised. The Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul will host Roger Waters on Wednesday, October 27. Tickets go on sale to the general public on Monday, May 10.

Rare Exodus Footage With Paul Baloff - July 23, 1997

Since Exodus recently rolled through town with Arch Enemy (see the photos and concert review here), I thought I'd post a special treat. Here is some rare video footage of Exodus with Paul Baloff (RIP) singing in support of their Another Lesson In Violence album. I shot this video on July 23, 1997 at The Hurricane in Kansas City, Missouri. This is the first time I've released this entirely uncirculated concert, so you won't find this anyplace else! I was standing directly in front of guitarist Gary Holt, so at times the audio from his monitor is predominant. Digital transfer was done directly from the VHS-C master tape. Links to download the audio tracks only (mp3@320 kbps, 124.17 MB) and the individual video files (mov, H.264, 640 x 480) are available in the text file link below. The video files are large (239.26–447.99 MB) to preserve the highest possible quality.

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=5NV3B7CV
If you'd like to share the download link above, please link to this blog post rather than directly linking the download link to the text file. Thanks!

 
 
 
 






 

UPDATE: I found the flyer for this show in an old box of stuff!!

Alice In Chains Concert Review

Alice In Chains

Sunday, March 21, 2010

Roy Wilkins Auditorium, St. Paul, MN

Alice In Chains ended their most recent American tour in St. Paul tonight and were greeted with huge applause from the near-sellout crowd. Many were hungry to see the band since last year’s show at First Avenue in Minneapolis instantly sold out. I was excited to see the reformed lineup of Alice In Chains since I witnessed Layne Staley’s final performance when they opened for Kiss in Kansas City in 1996. There were people skeptical about new singer William DuVall, but it’s hard to imagine that anyone could not be impressed by tonight’s performance. “All Secrets Known”, the lead-off track from Black Gives Way To Blue opened the show, and the band quickly followed this with “It Ain’t Like That” and “Again”. Their most two recent singles, “Check My Brain” and “Your Decision”, were mind-blowing live, and were book-ended by a trio of songs from Dirt (“Them Bones”, “Dam That River”, and “Rain When I Die”. The melancholy ballad “Got Me Wrong” slowed the pace of the show, but “We Die Young” and “Last Of My Kind” quickly brought the audience back to life. “Nutshell” was a surprise acoustic selection, which was followed by “Sickman” and two more songs from Black Gives Way To Blue, “Lesson Learned” and “Acid Bubble”. The hits then rolled as “No Excuses”, “Angry Chair”, and “Man In The Box” closed out the set. “Love, Hate, Love” was an interesting choice to start the encore, and the crowd was satisfied with “Would?” and “Rooster” as the finale. Singer William DuVall shouldn’t have to convince anyone that he’s not the right man for the job of replacing Layne Staley. He looks entirely comfortable with the band and has a commanding voice and stage presence. It’s easy to forget how important guitarist Jerry Cantrell’s singing is to the sound of Alice In Chains, so it’s a nice reminder to see him taking over lead vocals on some songs and singing harmonies on many others. Perhaps the most refreshing aspect of Alice In Chain’s live show is that they refuse to use technology as a crutch. There’s no background vocal tapes, no recorded effects, just a pure live performance. William DuVall beefs up the band’s sound at times by playing second guitar when warranted. The show lasted nearly two hours, and with a diverse song selection tonight everyone should have walked away pleased. It was nice that they forewent some of the hits (noteably “Grind”, “I Stay Away”, and “Heaven Beside You”) to play deep cuts like “Nutshell” and “Love, Hate, Love”. The big slice of the new album was also welcome, although I would have like to have heard “A Looking In View” and “Black Gives Way To Blue” and for that matter, “Down In A Hole”. I’m nitpicking at this point because this was simply an amazing show to behold. I dare say that Alice In Chains is sounding better than ever, and tonight’s show further established their relevance after a long absence.

Click picture to see more photos of Alice In Chains (8).

UPDATE: I thought I'd add some cool, old Alice In Chains tour memorabilia. First is a ticket stub from Alice In Chain's final performance with Layne Staley when they opened for Kiss in Kansas City in 1996. I had the ticket signed by Jerry Cantrell before a solo performance at Canes in San Diego in 2000 or 2001. Below that are advertisements from two Dirt-era shows (1992 or 1993) in Davenport, Iowa, both of which were unfortunately canceled. How cool would that show with Masters Of Reality and Circus Of Power have been?

Katatonia Concert Announcement

Eclectic doom masters Katatonia from Sweden announced their return to North America today with one of the more interesting bills to hit the Twin Cities in a while. Finland's Swallow The Sun will serve as direct support with Isreal's Orphaned Land in tow. This tour crashes into St. Paul at Station 4 on Saturday, September 18.

Don't forget to check out Swallow The Sun this Saturday, April 17 as they support Finntroll with Moonsorrow and Survivors Zero.

Tommy Stinson Painting Up For Auction

Guns N' Roses bassist Tommy Stinson and his uncle, Chip Roberts, have donated a collaborative, signed painting entitled "They Don't Deserve You" (below) to the 102.9 WMGK Classic Rock Art Show silent auction. All proceeds from the auction benefit the Rock and Roll Forever Foundation, a non-profit organization founded by Steven Van Zandt that helps fund music education in schools. "They Don't Deserve You" was inspired by a song of the same name that will be featured on Tommy Stinson's new solo album scheduled for release later in 2010. Go to Tommy's website to see additional details about the painting.

Tommy Stinson's ties to the Twin Cities music scene are, of course, deep. Tommy was a founding member of The Replacements and has been a member of Guns N' Roses since 1998 (has it been that long?). He's released one solo album, and albums with Bash & Pop and Perfect. In 2005 he toured and recorded with Minneapolis's Soul Asylum.

Bleeding Through Album Review

Bleeding Through – Bleeding Through

Rise, 2010

7/10

You have to love a hardcore band that’s willing to incorporate keyboards into their sound. Bleeding Through have built up an loyal fan base with their unique and at times, unpredictable, take on the hardcore sound. On their new, self-titled album, the band continues to stretch their wings and expand their style. Bleeding Through sticks to the band’s roots in the sense that this album is brutally heavy and fast. The most interesting aspect of the record is the blurring of divisions between hardcore and black metal. Atmospheric keyboards accompanied by buzzsaw riffs and a rapid snare drum attack brings forth a black metal tone on many songs such as “This Time Nothing Is Sacred”, “Breathing In The Wrath”, and “Slow Your Roll”. Things also get interesting on “Drag Me To The Ocean”, with its heavy, sludge-style riff. High points are earned for the high level of innovation throughout the album, but twelve songs seems a bit much. This certainly isn’t easy listening, so prepare yourself for an intense listening session. A major downfall of Bleeding Through is its muffled, suffocating production, which contributes to the difficulty in making it through all twelve songs. The guitars sound like they were recorded in a meat locker and give the album a depressing tone. Despite these misgivings, Bleeding Through have delivered another quality album that their fans will hungrily embrace.

Bleeding Through will be appearing at Barfly in Minneapolis on Sunday, April 18. An army of support will come from Born Of Osiris, Sleeping Giant, Oceano, Legend, Of Salt And Swine, From Citizen To Soldier, My Dear Martyr, Last Line Of Defense, Filling The Final Grave, Parousia, Summon The Tempest, With Closed Eyes, In Hope Of Glory, and Stun The Brute.

Two Big Shows Tonight

This is a quick reminder of two great shows to go to tonight.
Hard rock and progressive metal fans will want to get over to The Rock in Maplewood tonight for Fair To Midland co-headlinging with Australia's Karnivool. Opening the show will be Something To Burn, Samsahra, and Severah.
Traditional power metal fans should check out Finland's Sonata Arctica at Station 4 in St. Paul. Support will come from Mutiny Within and Powerglove.
Both shows have early start times, so don't wait to make your way to the venues! I have an interview with Karnivool scheduled tonight, so expect the interview and a full show report to be posted soon!