Lynch Mob "Rebel"

    Lynch Mob continues to dish out that classic hard rock sound and their new album is no exception. Titled, “Rebel,” the band’s 8th full-length album is full of tasty distorted riffs and slamming rock jams.

    George Lynch is probably one the most hard working guitar players and has been involved in plenty of different projects over the years. Ever since he left Dokken he seems to put out albums under the Lynch Mob banner on a consistent basis. Now, some of those releases were not exactly winners, but the recent albums are getting good reviews from fans. I think having Oni Logan back in the band helps since he sang on that first Lynch Mob album and he also has a strong bluesy hard rock type voice to compliment George’s guitar playing.

    “Rebel,” features eleven tracks of hard rock bruisers. I personally felt the album was very basic sounding in certain areas and did not do much to separate itself from the last Lynch Mob album. The band seems to fall into that category of musicians from the eighties who used to play arenas and now play in bars or casinos. Still, the band’s sound on this album is pretty solid since these dudes have paid their dues on the road and are accomplished rock musicians.

    The opening track, “Automatic Fix,” has an edgy sound and features a hard rock’n main riff. Oni sounds good while he narrates the vocals, but I felt the song was a bit bland in certain sections. Once George started throwing in a few leads and the heavy riffs began to come out, I think the song was able to become strong again. The lead guitar playing does add a little boost of excitement, especially when George messes around with different effects. Songs like “Between the Truth and a Lie,” and “Testify,” start to get a little more interesting. The band puts together some creative rock compositions with catchy melodies and dynamic riffs.

    Songs such as “Pine Tree Avenue” and “Jelly Roll” tend to be more cliché. I personally thought the lyrics were generic and sounded like something a bar band would write. Luckily the final tracks on this album seemed to pick up the slack and finished the album with a few winners. “Kingdom of Slaves,” was a crushing song and Lynch’s riffs had a Sabbath sounding quality to them. The final song, “War,” also seemed to have a heavier tone compared to some of the beginning tracks.

    For a band that is full of musicians have been involved in numerous other projects and are getting up in age, Lynch Mob’s “Rebel,” was an overall decent release. The band is able to write some classic sounding rock tracks with a modern kick. However, if not for George’s playing, I do not think I would have enjoyed the album as much. For anyone who likes hard rock and George Lynch’s guitar work, this album is worth checking out. The band will probably go on tour soon with the release of the album, so check your local rock bars!

Behold! The Monolith "Architects of the Void"

    Standing upon a plateau looking over riff filled valley of massive distortion you turn behind to see the black monolith emitting sounds of doom and sludge. Los Angeles based doom dealers, Behold! The Monolith, do not hesitate to blow listener’s eardrums away with their new album, “Architects of the Void.”
   
    For this album, the band worked with legendary producer Billy Anderson who has work with bands like Leviathan, OM, Weedeater, High on Fire and Neurosis to name a few. You definitely hear that abrasive and bombastic doom sound with Behold! The Monolith. There are some mellow moments, but for the most part, listeners are given thunderous sounding riffs and crushing Sabbath like jams. There is this fierce guitar tone throughout the album that creates some unbelievably dark musical landscapes.
   
    Behold! The Monolith kickstarts this album off with the song, “Umbral Vale.” Right away there is an explosion of heavy sludge style guitar and the drums slowly build the piece up in a ceremonial fashion. The track takes on this atmospheric doom quality with emphasis on the full guitar chords. Vocally, the band uses this echoing growl that came across as more of a background noise instead of being used to narrate the lyrics. Track two, “Philosopher’s Blade,” starts to bring in the traditional doom metal style songwriting structure. You get those minor chords and tritone riffs going and it just makes the song sound completely sinister. 
   
    Track three, “The Mithriditist,” is a longer song full of slamming doom riffs and a very progressive musical development. The following song, “Lord of Bones,” held true to the band’s wicked sounding riff presentation. Behold! The Monolith does have a repetitive formula going most of the time, but their use of different tempo changes and crafting of heavy atmospheric sounds, definitely throws listeners a wide variety of doom and sludge sounds.
   
    For song number five, “Black Days Of,” the band composed this drone and noise driven track to really incorporate a break from the usual heavy riff based songs. “Between Oder and the Vistula” and “Architects of the Void,” finish the album with long and dynamic compositions. I felt the lyrics were sometimes covered up by the riffs, especially during the faster paced parts. I will say that the slow traditional doom breaks offered great lyrical expression when the singer used a more clean style of singing.
   
    Behold! The Monolith was very fortunate enough to find a producer who was album to capture this group’s raw musical style and really construct a solid sounding release. Compared to other bands who play this style that I have reviewed in the past, Behold! The Monolith at times did not offer anything new to the table. However, there were moments where I was extremely impressed by their instrumental compositions. If you are fan of sludge and doom that has a subtle progressive rock implementation, I recommend Behold! The Monolith’s, “Architects of the Void.” I do not know if these guys are really architects of the void, but they are clever doom and sludge architects.

 

Behold! The Monolith Facebook Page

Phoenix Theater Concert Review: Sepulchre, Phaneron, 5 Days Dirty, Death’n Taxes and Thought Vomit

    The local metal and punk fans were out this Saturday at the Phoenix Theater in Petaluma, Ca for a rip roaring show. Now, there may have not been the same amount of people there as at the Rush concert I attended a few days earlier... but there was a passion for the music being played at the Phoenix.

    The five bands billed were Sepulchre, Phaneron, 5 Days Dirty, Death’n Taxes and Thought Vomit. First off, when there is people skate boarding in a venue before the show you can tell the place is a casual and welcoming environment. You do not see that at Sonoma State's Green Music Center!    

    To begin the show, Santa Rosa’s Sepulchre went on about eight o’clock and did not let the small turnout from being the first opening band affect them. The band even handled themselves very professionally, especially when there was a drunk couple who were being extremely obnoxious. The band’s guitarist/singer had a very creative and dynamic approach to extreme metal guitar playing. He played some impressive leads that explored a variety of technical scales. The band’s drummer and bass player sounded very tight and added an extra explosiveness to the slower and more aggressive sections. In Sepulchre’s sound I definitely hear some Death influence mixed with the more progressive technical death metal elements from bands like Atheist. I think they have a lot going for them and can hopefully bring something exciting to the death metal world.

    Taking the stage next was Phaneron from Lake County. This band was a mix of metal and hardcore which if we do the math is metalcore. To be extremely truthful I find metalcore to be very repetitive and the lyrical phrasing can be simply uncreative. I could tell Phaneron’s singer had passion for the music and was getting into his performance. I commend him for that, but the songs were just not there. When the guitarist pulled off a blazing lead part, only then did I start to take more notice, but for the most part I just felt this band had nothing new to offer that I had not heard before.

    The third act 5 Days Dirty from the East Bay played a style of pop punk and slight hardcore. If anything they played pop punk that would sporadically change to metalcore. When a fan next to me with a DRI and Exodus patch kept shouting for them to play some hardcore style punk, I knew he was not going to get his wish. I am sure there are people who enjoy pop punk that might find 5 Days Dirty to their liking. However, I was lost in a cosmic sea of confusion and not really digging the songs. Also, their stage banter was juvenile to say the least.

    Coming in as the fourth act was Death’n Taxes. This group from Clearlake seemed to be the night’s wildcard and completely took me by surprise. All he musicians sounded very accomplished and the songwriting was unbelievably solid. Their sound was this unique blend of psychedelic garage rock and punk with a little drop of funk at times. Probably a band who I could see attracting a wide range of music fans. Their songs flowed with catchy riffs and jamming drum beats.

    The final act of the night was the local punk/metal band Thought Vomit who were able to take a small crowd and turn the place upside down. They just did not let anything bother them and played a confident and wild set. I think, respect, is the right word for what I have for the band after I left the Phoenix Theater. Any singer who will jump in the mosh pit and run around with the crowd, is very passionate about the music and determined to put on a killer show for the audience. Everyone seemed to be having a great time during Thought Vomits' set. There was even a dog running around during the band’s set!

    Wrapping up this review I want to say, please go out and try to support your local punk and metal scenes. These local acts can offer exciting entertainment at an affordable price. Also, places like the Phoenix Theater need to keep going strong. This world needs more venues that can put on awesome all ages shows for fans of extreme music. Again, keep supporting your local scenes!

Rush R40 Concert Review

    After 40 some years of making music without conforming to label demands and being one of the most respected hard rock bands around, Rush celebrated their long successful career by putting on a spectacular show in San Jose, CA this past Thursday night (July 23, 2015).
    The show at San Jose’s SAP Center would be my second time seeing Rush. Compared to the first time I saw them live, this would be a slightly different concert experience. When I saw Rush for the Clockwork Angels Tour back in 2011, I attended the show in an amphitheater. SAP is an indoor arena, so I was expecting a difference in sound quality. I was a bit worried about how they would sound since when I saw Metallica at the SAP Center, the audio quality that night did not sound great. With Rush I hoped that maybe the band’s crew would be more aware of how to get the most optimal sound out of the building. Sure enough, that night was probably one of the best sounding concerts I have attended.
    Right when you stepped into the SAP Center their was this positive energy flowing throughout the place. All the fans were excited and everyone had on their Rush shirts. The merchandise lines were extremely long with fans hoping to snag some of those new R40 Tour concert shirts. Sitting down in my seat, I was surprised to get a really good view of the stage. Whoever set up the stage did a great job along with the placement of the video monitors for people who might not be able to get a direct clear view of the stage. As it got closer to showtime the fans became restless and when the lights finally went down everyone completely went crazy. A loud crack of distortion came from Alex’s amp and the band took to the stage.
    For the first few songs, the band played material from their last album, Clockwork Angels. There were some fans who did not feverishly rock out to these songs since they are not part of the Rush classic repertoire. However, the die hard fans knew every word, guitar riff, bass line and drum beat. When “Headlong Flight” started up I thought that I was going to melt from the power of Alex and Geddy’s monstrous sounding riffs. Neil even did a brief drum solo too inject some more power into the piece. After the Clockwork Angels material the band went back to Snakes and Arrows.
    Eventually, if you had not already read the set list online, you would notice that Rush was going backwards into their discography with each song. Right after “The Main Monkey Business,” the band played “One Little Victory” and then after they played one of their heaviest songs, “Animate.” Rush’s last two songs of their first set were, “Distant Early Warning” and “Subdivisions.” I really enjoyed “Distant Early Warning” since the song is not played live often, yet they did a phenomenal job. Once the band finished set number one they took a well deserved break and the fans went to go get either merchandise or something to drink.
    Set two came as a pleasant surprise and added more to the already brilliant performance. Rush started with a humorous video clip and then began “Tom Sawyer” after the classic South Park clip was played. “YYZ” followed up and Geddy played some unbelievable bass fills during the song. Of course, Alex’s solo was down right amazing and Neil never missed a beat. The band played three songs from Permanent Waves which were “The Spirit of Radio,” “Natural Science,” and “Jacob’s Ladder.” Once the band started up “Jacob’s Ladder,” the lighting crew perfectly synced the music up with these different colored lights. Rush continue to pull out classics from their catalog with “Cygnus X-1,” “Xanadu,” and a “2112” medley. During “Cygnus X-1,” Neil broke into an epic drum solo that only goes to prove why he is one of the most brilliant drumming minds in rock and roll.
    Towards the end, I was really happy to hear the band play “Lakeside Park” and “Anthem” which are two songs featured on two of my favorite albums. Also, when they played “Lakeside Park,” there was a cardboard cut out of Kiss on stage to poke fun at how they opened up for Kiss back in the seventies. The final two songs were off the band’s self-titled first album with the last one being “Working Man.” There was an image of a High Scchool gym behind them to reference how when the band first started out, they used to play at High School dances. Even after two sets Rush never slowed down and kept playing with passion until the very last note.
    Now, there is talk that this could be the band’s last major tour. I want to assure people that if the band decides to maybe play less shows in the future, it is not because they cannot play their instruments anymore. Rush is one of the most professional and amazing sounding bands I have seen live in my life. If you ever have the opportunity to go and see them...do not hesitate and just get your ass down to the venue! Once they play that song that makes you come alive and start uncontrollably rocking out... you will be extremely glad you went!

Morbid Slaughter "A Filthy Orgy of Horror and Death"

    From the shadows of Lima, Peru comes an extreme musical offering of black metal. This sinister sound is conjured by no other than Morbid Slaughter.
    The band’s debut album, “A Filthy Orgy of Horror and Death,” is an homage to early black metal bands like Venom, Hellhammer and Bathory. I hear that mix of speed metal meets punk while throwing in an extra touch of blasphemy. The way that this band recorded the album definitely reminds me of the traditional first wave of black metal approach. Morbid Slaughter’s horrific lyrics matched with the harsh distorted riffs open up a gateway into dark abysses on each of the seven tracks.
    The band’s singer has that eerie raspy black metal vocal style. He sounds like he recorded his vocals while he was battling a throat cold! As I noted before the band blends speed metal with punk, thus you get that classic first wave of black metal sound. Their rhythm section was very tight and laid down plenty of skull crushing grooves. I felt the guitar playing was very percussive sounding which helped strengthen the musical backbone to each song. Instead of going for a blitzkrieg of vicious noise all the time, Morbid Slaughter hammered out more haunting mid-tempo riffs that can be used to lead an army of the undead to go and feast upon the living.
    To begin this unholy musical orgy of horror and death, the band offered the song, “Cannibal Butcher.” The title of the song sounded as if it were taken from a seventies grindhouse horror film. Overall, the riff had a blackened thrash sound and seemed to accomplish this band’s goal of creating aggressive bone chilling music. “Zombie Splatter Axe,” and “Chainsaw Blade,” kept hacking away with more lyrical gore and wicked instrumental presentation.
    Adding some variation to the album was the song, “Fuck Off (We Murder).” This track had a really strong punk vibe which I totally enjoyed. The main riff and chorus section was extremely catchy and very unapologetic.
    “Death Cold Blood,” seemed to be where Morbid Slaughter wanted to go for a slower doom like atmosphere. I could imagine corpses rising out of their graves as the guitarist slammed away at evil sounding chord progressions. “Torture Without Anesthesia” and “Slay with Steel,” wrapped up the terrifying black metal attack while maintaining that solid sound you heard on the beginning tracks.
    I have reviewed bands who play this style of metal numerous times before. Still, I think Morbid Slaughter separated themselves by crafting a unique and very distinct sound. Musically they are not pushing technical boundaries, but the album’s sound and theme was definitely interesting.
    There is no denying that Morbid Slaughter can create some frightening black metal music. I think the band’s musicianship helped me not simply write them off as another generic black metal band. “A Filthy Orgy of Horror and Death,” has a sinister theme and features seven well put together songs. Highly worth checking out if you enjoy that old school black metal sound that might have been recorded in a cemetery late at night.

Click Here To Visit the Band's Facebook Page

Rob “the metal guy” Rants About Metal #11

    This week’s rant is going to be more focused on the business side of the metal industry, so if you were looking for me to poke fun at hair bands and analyze rockstar tantrums...you’ll have to wait until next week.
    After reading comments Kerry King from Slayer made about why the Mayhem Festival wasn’t as successful this time around, I wanted try to figure out where the problem might be. I do know after Kerry King voiced his opinions about the Festival’s turnout, the co-founder of the Rockstar Mayhem Festival also voiced his thoughts about the issue. There seems to be this consensus that the bill wasn’t that strong and how the two stage set up did not really offer fans a great variety of bands.
    When I looked at the Mayhem 2015 tour package I was impressed by the first two acts, Slayer and King Diamond. After those bands I did not find any other really compelling reason to attend. No offense, HELLYEAH is not a band that you would have so high up on a festival bill. Personally, I do not think they are a horrible sounding band, but I felt a more established and well recognized band should have been in the third slot. That might have added an extra boost of potential ticket buyers.
    From what people associated with the festival seem to be saying, tickets were just not selling as expected. Supposedly, Slayer was able to sell out a venue in Milwaukee, Wisconsin when they played with Suicidal Tendencies and Exodus, but with the Mayhem Fest they did not sell out the same venue. This continues to lead me to question why this festival failed to meet their target expectations?
    I do have some possible theories that I will put forward here. First off, Slayer cannot save a festival alone. As the main headliner I do not believe Slayer was able to draw out all their fan base with this tour. I think some Slayer fans could have been dissatisfied with the billing and they know Slayer will tour around some other time with a smaller and more exciting tour package. Having King Diamond right behind Slayer was not a bad idea in the least bit, except for the fact that a good majority of the bands at the bottom part of the bill lacked major draw potential. King Diamond alone might have influenced me to attend the show nearest to where I live, however, I already saw King Diamond last October. Also, I did not have to sit through four or five bands I am not really into to finally see the King. 
    Now, the co-founder from Mayhem defended the smaller billing and fewer bookings of superstar metal acts by stating a current issue plaguing the music industry...lack of funds. Well, certain major labels are not exactly hurting and those pop stars are able to brainwash millions of their flock to come out to a show and hear a digitally fixed up performance. The metal industry, especially in America, just seems to be searching for a fair business model that can put together a strong festival to influence the common day metal fan to buy a ticket and feel like they are getting their money's worth.
    So, does the Mayhem Festival’s failure to hit a finical home run mean the metal world is falling apart? No! I think local scenes are doing decent and most tours from your midlevel metal acts tend to bring out plenty a those headbanging fanatics. Right now I do not believe that the European style metal festival structure can be brought to America, but if a carefully crafted business strategy is put forth I think one day there might be a stronger possibility.
    Alright folks, there is what I think about the whole metal festival business related topic. What is the correct answer to fixing this problem? Is there one? Let me know by leaving your comments below.
    Cheers! Rob “the metal guy” \m/

Adversarial "Death, Endless Nothing and the Black Knife of Nihilism"

    Enter...the brutal and desolate sounding world of Adversarial! This Canadian extreme outfit pulls listeners into a hellish land full of unforgiving death metal.
    Their full-length album, “Death, Endless Nothing and the Black Knife of Nihilism,” is a never ending abyss of venomous noise. After being described as nihilistic cult death metal in their bio, I am worried that if I write a not so favorable review the band might put a curse on me. There are some moments on this album where I feel like I am listening to the unholy apocalypse. Hold on one minute, the entire album is a chaotic sound of mass destruction and might as well be used to score a doomed vision of how our world is to end.
    Although the dark extreme atmosphere is interesting, I will admit that I have reviewed bands who have written music in a similar manner. These days pessimistic sounding songs are quite popular amongst the death metal and black metal bands. I will say that Adversarial is a talent group of musicians who know how to play their instruments. The way that they compose their music is impressive and the band maintains an intense drive throughout the album. 
    I think this band’s vicious relentless musical attitude really caught my attention. These guys write some wicked pieces of music. Once the song “Dissenting the Walking Shell” began I was drawn to the destructive death metal approach. The amount of complex beats that this drummer hammers out is amazing. Adversarial's drum arrangements definitely strengthened the album's overall sound.
    Tracks like, “Eonik Spiritual Warfare,” and “Cursed Blades Cast Upon the Slavescum of Christ,” come across as bold lyrical and musical statements. Then again, with so much blistering extreme noise I can barely make out any of the words that the vocalist has to offer. Adversarial really clutters up the musical landscape with massive amounts of distortion and haunting arrangements. “Old Ruins Slumber in a Crushing Hatred of Man,” is one of my favorite tracks off the album because I preferred the layering of the instruments on this song compared to most of the others. Also, there were some tempo alterations that created brief moments of bone chilling doom.
    After the drummer ceased to annihilate his kit and the instrumental chaos faded away, I took a moments to reflect upon the extreme release I had just heard. If you enjoy this style of music or not, one must give credit to Adversarial for never stopping the harsh death metal onslaught. I think this album is definitely going to fall into my category of albums to listen to when I am in a certain mood. Those who desire a more intense and apocalyptic themed style of death metal shall be highly taken by this album. Lastly, if you are part of the nihilistic death metal cult, do not put a curse on me...save your curses for mainstream pop artists and annoying rap musicians.

Band's Facebook Page:
https://www.facebook.com/AdversarialOfficial?fref=ts