Free Disturbed Documentary Screening

Chicago's Disturbed have announced a pre-release screening of a 75 minute documentary feature film Decade Of Disturbed on Friday, August 27 at the St. Anthony Main Theatre in Minneapolis. The director, Rafa Alcantara, has released a statement about the film that can be viewed at Cinema Purgatorio. Decade Of Disturbed will also be included with each copy of the band's new album, Asylum, which will be released on Tuesday, August 31. 93X and Sound Unseen are sponsors of this screening, and no information is yet available as to whether advance tickets are required for this free event. The official trailer can be viewed below.

Alation Demo Review

Alation - Demo

Self-released, 2010

9/10

Having been blown away upon seeing young Minneapolis upstarts Alation recently (read the show review here), I was somewhat anxious to hear if the recorded output of this four-song demo would confirm my positive thoughts on this exciting band. I’m happy to report that the demo lives up to the power of their live show. Alation offers an original take on modern-sounding female-fronted thrash metal here. Musically, the band melds technical guitar riffs and solos with a predominantly mid-tempo crunch. Comparisons are inevitable, and to me the guitar style of Testament, Iron Maiden, and In Flames shine through at times, but influences are cleverly incorporated in a way that allows Alation to sound familiar yet unique. Vocalist Angel, though, steals the show with a performance that reminds me of the late Dawn Crosby from Fear Of God: emotional, brutal, and full of conviction. You can only appreciate this if you’ve heard the vastly overlooked Within The Veil album from Fear Of God. Angel’s harsh voice is heavy enough to stand up to the music, but it’s her alternating use of this with clear singing and personal lyrics that makes things interesting. Following some tortured-sounding wails from Angel, the first verse of the opening track, “Redemption”, kicks off with a upbeat stomp that brings Testament’s “Souls Of Black” to mind. The thrashier sound of “Bed Of Nails” picks things up a bit, while “Forsaken” features some venomous lines spat out between technical guitar runs and a refreshing, melodic chorus. Closing track “Scarred” is probably the weakest song here, but it holds up well and doesn’t detract from the others in the least. The overall song writing is incredibly strong, and I’m impressed with how quickly Alation has developed an original sound that puts much label-released material to shame. Combine this with the talented guitar work of Stu and Sawyer and the charismatic, bold vocal style of Angel, and Alation is unstoppable. I expect that Alation will be able to quickly build a fanbase, and some choice opening slots for touring acts are certainly deserved. Any metal label scouting for hot, fresh talent need not look any further. You can listen to and purchase these songs plus the awesome track “Aflame” (live video of this song below) directly from Alation’s Myspace page:

http://www.myspace.com/alationmetal.

Alation will be playing alongside Mushroomhead plus more bands to be announced at Crypticon 2010 at the Sheraton Hotel in Bloomington on Friday, November 5. NOTE: Mushroomhead’s website lists November 6 as their performance date at Crypticon.

Watch Alation perform "Aflame" in Minneapolis on May 21, 2010.

Click photo to see more pictures of Alation (23).

St. Louis Park Outlines Rules For House Concerts

An article published yesterday in the Minneapolis Star-Tribune (aka the Strib locally) about house concerts caught my interest and I thought it'd be interesting to highlight. A St. Louis Park (a Minneapolis suburb) couple, Al Boyce and Beth Williams, have been hosting folk music concerts at their house for over ten years without incident until this year. Since they had been advertising the shows with flyers in their neighborhood and charging admission, the city ruled that this "constituted illegal commercial activity in a residential neighborhood." Boyce met with city officials and they said that they could continue to host concerts as long as they are not advertised and no admission is charged. "We will invite our friends and ask for donations to the artist," said Boyce. Read the full story here.

I have no idea what ordinances in other cities in the metro area say about house shows or noise restrictions that would more likely apply to metal or punk shows rather than folk music, but it's great to see that at least one local government is willing to let house concerts take place. Although I haven't been to one in a long time, house parties are important underground outlets for young bands.

This news comes on the heels of an article in the Strib last month about house concerts around the Twin Cities and St. Cloud. This article features Pat DiNizio, singer and guitarist for The Smithereens, and describes his experiences playing private house parties, including a recent one in St. Cloud. What I found most surprising is that there are nationally-known acts that are willing to do this; DiNizio will play 70-80 house parties this year alone.

Remember that it's important to check your city's ordinances and regulations on noise, promotion, and alcohol in advance of any planned house concert.

Closing Of The Rock Nightclub (1995-2010)

The Twin Cities metal scene took a hard hit nearly two weeks ago when long-standing nightclub The Rock in Maplewood closed its doors. The news was abrupt as it came just a day or two before the Soilwork and Death Angel show on July 24. Many of the upcoming shows (including Soilwork) have been moved to Robert's in Mounds View. The Rock, although a bit out of the way, was a fantastic place for shows with a big stage, excellent lights, and a large bar. I've seen many great shows there and it will be sorely missed.

Reasons for the closure were financial. The Minneapolis Star-Tribune has a brief news item about it here, including a couple quotes from the owner, Brian Bauman. Sources have told me that The Rock either recently faced or was about to be hit with stiff increases in their liability insurance. While liability insurance may have been a contributing factor, the bottom line is that people are spending less money when they go out.

This now leaves Station 4 (St. Paul) and the Triple Rock (Minneapolis) as the only bars that regularly book metal and hard rock bands every month. It would be nice if First Avenue would start booking metal shows again, but their recent opening of a full service restaurant indicates that they are trying to diversify their sources of money. I also wonder about the effect that construction of the light rail train line in St. Paul is having on business at Station 4. Tanpopo Noodle Shop, located a couple blocks from Station 4 (amazing food by the way!), recently stopped serving lunch due to decreased business due to the construction. If you've been to Station 4 recently you know that parking in Lowertown is usually difficult due to less street parking because of the construction. Don't let this dissuade you from getting out to Station 4! Hopefully one of the many excellent concert venue bars will step up and help bring metal bands to town.

It's my hope that the closing of The Rock will remind everyone how important it is to support bars that host shows by buying drinks. Money is tight for everyone these days, but venues count on their bar money to make a profit from a show. Many (probably most) times the ticket revenue does not even cover the contracted guarantee money for the bands. If you're underage, buy a soda or two from the bar. Keep in mind that many bars are still trying to recover from the state-wide indoor smoking ban, and your support is essential for venues to continue to operate.

Soilwork And Death Angel Concert Feedback, From The Vault

Who went to the Soilwork and Death Angel show on Saturday, July 24? Post your comments if you went or caught this tour in a different city! Of course, the show was moved to Robert's in Mounds View due to the closing of The Rock (more on this later). I had family in town and was unable to attend this show, which also featured Augury, Mutiny Within, Swashbuckle, and The Crinn. Evidently Robert's didn't know what to expect with a metal crowd since from what I heard the bar was wiped clean of all their beer at this show!

Death Angel was the band I really wanted to see that night and I was really bummed to have missed them on their first Twin Cities appearance since they reformed. The only time I've seen Death Angel was in 1990 in support of the groundbreaking Act III album. I've posted the ticket stub below, and this show took place at Medusa's in Chicago.

 This was a true thrash feast as Forbidden and Realm opened the show, supporting their Twisted Into Form and Suiciety albums, respectively. I was a big fan of all three bands, and I was eager to hear new Realm material since this show took place a month or so before Suiciety was released. Imagine how mad I was when Realm was forced to start their set as the doors opened. I believe Medusa's was sold out that night, so it took a while to get through the door and I only caught the last couple of songs by Realm. Incidentally, Realm bassist Steve Post used to play in St. Paul's instrumental masters of heaviosity, Zebulon Pike. Forbidden was simply amazing as they blazed through most of Twisted Into Form, closing their set with "Chalice Of Blood". The place went absolutely berserk when Death Angel took the stage with "Seemingly Endless Time". They rolled through a large chunk of Act III including the two acoustic numbers "A Room With A View" and "Veil Of Deception". I'm not a fan of Frolic Through The Park so thankfully little was played from that album, although "Bored" started a massive mosh pit. The Ultra-Violence was given due attention with classics like "Voracious Souls", "Thrashers", and "Mistress Of Pain". This was a legendary show, indeed.

Here's a flyer for a Death Angel show in Baltimore from The Ultra-Violence tour in 1987. I picked this up while on a family vacation, but wasn't able to attend.

Lastly, I'll get to posting some live photos of Swarm, a post-Death Angel band, from San Diego around 2000-2001.

Cage Tonight!!

I'm back from a bit of a hiatus, so there's lots of updates and reviews to come! I was out of town on two back-to-back trips, one a short vacation and the other for work. Work never stops for me, so it's always very stressful when leaving town and dealing with a mountain of things to do when I return.

If you can make it, be sure to check out San Diego's Cage tonight at The Triple Rock Social Club in Minneapolis. If you're a Judas Priest and Iron Maiden fan and love power metal, there's no finer American band than Cage. Vocalist Sean Peck is an amazing singer, and the back is always extremely tight. Having lived in San Diego, I've seen Cage many times in the past and they never disappoint. They've only been to St. Paul once before, and they're on a short run through the Midwest en route to a festival headlining appearance in Ohio. Don't miss your chance to catch this incredible band.

In case you're unaware, Cage rose to international acclaim in 1999 when they were selected by fans amongst hundreds of entrants for a slot at the Wacken Open Air Festival. They've toured Europe many times yet they don't have the opportunity to tour America that frequently. One of the most admirable things about Cage is that they've accomplished their success on their own terms, without the backing of a larger label. Vocalist Sean Peck also made national headlines in 1999 when he heckled embattled San Diego Chargers quarterback Ryan Leaf at practice by singing the old Little River Band tune "Lonesome Loser". This led to some verbal back and forth between the two, and seemed to hasten Leaf's demise. Check out one account of the notorious encounter from CBS Sports.

Underground metal fans should also be interested in tonight's show because Cage now features drummer Norm Leggio from legendary power/progressive metal band Psychotic Waltz.

I'll have a full account of tonight's show posted soon, as well as some old Cage pictures circa 1999–2001. Be sure to get there early for locals Dawn Of Valor, The Angle Obscure, and Avalon. The Angle Obscure has an amazing self-released album out that I reviewed here. If you bring your ticket stub from the recent Sonata Arctica or Primal Fear shows, admission is free!

Cage performs tonight at The Triple Rock Social Club in Minneapolis. Support bands are Dawn Of Valor, The Angle Obscure, and Avalon.

Slayer, Megadeth, Testament Ticket Sale?

Jam Productions sent out an email with the graphic below, stating that a special package deal for tickets to Slayer, Megadeth, and Testament on Saturday, August 21 at Roy Wilkins Auditorium in St. Paul will occur from today, June 4 through Sunday, June 6. The picture links to the Ticketmaster page for the show, but there's no mention of this sale. Two tickets can be had for $66.60 during the sale, but it's not stated if this is good for floor seats ($57 each) or reserved balcony seats ($37 each). I've also linked the picture to the Ticketmaster page so you check it out to see when this deal appears.

Far - April 2, 1998, Kansas City, MO, The Hurricane

Far - April 2, 1998, Kansas City, Missouri, The Hurricane

Video and audio recording

Having just reviewed the new album from Attention (here), it's a good excuse to post the complete video and audio of a show by Far that I recorded in 1998. The connection is that Far vocalist Jonah Matranga sang with most members of Attention in Gratitude, who released one album through Atlantic in 2005. Far never achieved more than a small cult following, but their 1998 album, Water & Solutions, is considered a landmark forerunner of today's emo-rock. This show captures Far less than a month after the release of Water & Solutions during a period that is considered the band's definitive time. On this tour Far was supporting Incubus (promoting the awesome S.C.I.E.N.C.E. album) with Ultraspank (before their first album was released). Although this particular night had some of the best lighting at The Hurricane, the video quality didn't hold up. It's very listenable and watchable, but I'd give both aspects of the recording a B. The set is mostly songs from Water & Solutions, with only two songs from Tin Cans With Strings To You performed. There's a song that I can't identify after re-listening to the band's entire catalog, so maybe someone can help me with this. If this is an unreleased song, I'm going to call it "For Ray". The encore song, "Seasick", is funny to check out. Weezer's "El Scorcho" is improvised before Jonah calls two guys from crowd on stage to give their best metal scream to determine if they'll play "Seasick" or "Love, American Style". Far also played at The Hurricane on the Tin Cans tour, but I can't remember the details of with whom they played. The band recently reformed and released an excellent album, At Night We Live, their first since 1998.

The link to download the text file with all audio (mp3@192 kbps) and video (mov, H.264, 640 x 480) download links are below the video embeds for "Mother Mary", "What I've Wanted To Say", and "El Scorcho/Seasick".

You can stream all videos from the set at my YouTube channel. As always, please share, but distribute the link to this post rather than the link to the text file. Enjoy! I hope to get around to posting the sets from Incubus and Ultraspank in the near future, too.

Click to watch Far play "Mother Mary".

Click to watch Far play "What I've Wanted To Say".

Click to watch Far play "El Scorcho" and "Seasick".

Far

1998-04-02, Kansas City, MO, The Hurricane (42 minutes)

1. Wear It So Well

2. Really Here

3. Mother Mary

4. The System

5. Unknown (For Ray?)

6. Waiting For Sunday

7. Nestle

8. What I've Wanted To Say

9. Bury White

10. El Scorcho/Seasick

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=PPKF9R2A
UPDATE: Here's a new link for the video for "Mother Mary": http://www.megaupload.com/?d=7OMXOM0R
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Attention Album Review

Attention – Through The Wire

Self-released, 2010

6/10

This unabashedly pop-rock album is a bit different from most of the fare that’s reviewed here, but Attention has certainly earned their due. Attention was formed from the ashes of Atlantic recording artists Gratitude, which featured vocalist Jonah Matranga (Far). Prior to this, their second album, the band released an EP and album, they’ve already toured the US and England, and had their music featured in a variety of cable television shows. Add to this a top unsigned band accolade from Alternative Press, and it’s immediately apparent that Attention should be poised to break out. Although this type of pop rock isn’t what I choose to listen to on my own time, I can appreciate that Attention are excellent songwriters. Put a massive marketing budget behind the band, put them on an Incubus or Rob Thomas tour, arrange late night TV appearances, and Attention will be a household name. “Whispers”, “Your Heart”, and “Perfectly Clear Skies” are the most driven songs on the album, mixed in with ballads and upbeat rock tunes. Nearly every song is tailor-made for top 40/rock radio. The hooks and melodies here are huge, and it’s hard to stop yourself from singing along. You also have to admire the singular focus of Attention on writing tight, memorable rock songs. There’s no attempt to crossover into trendy emo-rock wallowing or insincere, ham-fisted stabs at sounding like an alternative rock band. This is radio-friendly pop rock, and it’s done very well. Based on their prior industry experiences, I wouldn’t be surprised if Attention is intentionally avoiding the dying business of major record labels. If a band with mass-market appeal can find a way to survive independently, I have no doubts that Attention will find such a way. Fans of radio-friendly rock should get their hands on Through The Wire, especially since it is available for free download through Attention’s website: http://attentionrock.wordpress.com/.

Attention will be supporting Bret Michaels at the Medina Entertainment Center in Medina on Friday, June 4.

Post-Memorial Day Hangover

It was such a beautiful Memorial Day weekend here in The Cities that I had to enjoy a little bit of break from posting. Here in Minnesota the long holiday weekend is traditionally the time when a mass exodus from The Cities occurs so that everyone can open their cabins for the summer. I'm content to hang at home, drink beer and wine, and fire up the grill. Thank you for stopping by and making May the biggest month here yet!

Here's a quick preview of some things to look for in the near future. I'll have demo and album reviews from some local bands such as Alation, Attention, and Smiling Politely, in addition to a bunch of reviews of new releases by bands coming to town. The recent Hypocrisy show was pretty amazing, and my upcoming review will have a ton of pictures and video for you to check out. I've also got some great archival video of concerts from Nevermore, Sevendust, (Hed)pe, and Far that have never been circulated. Of course, unplanned things always happen, so be on the lookout for some unexpected things, too.