It's been a while since I’ve done one of these, but I hit this song in my shuffle today and had to crank it up.
I’ll admit when Sepultura’s Chaos A.D. came out in 1993, I wasn’t very familiar with punk band New Model Army and didn’t know at first that this was a cover. But I loved it from the first play of the record.
Despite his recent health problems, the news of Motorhead frontman Ian “Lemmy” Kilmister’s death on Monday (Dec. 28) came as a bit of a shock. Like many other folks in the hard rock and metal world, I’m sure, I considered Lemmy one of those almost immortal guys — someone who would always be around. Sadly, cancer is not a fan of anyone.
I still remember the first time that I heard Motorhead. I was probably 11 or 12, already a metal fan, but only just beginning to move into the heavier stuff. Some friends played it for me. I don’t even remember which record it was, but I heard Lemmy’s gruff, shouted vocals and thought, “Who in the heck would listen to that? The guy can’t even sing.” Of course, as the years went by, my opinion changed drastically. In all honesty, I never became what I would consider a hardcore Motorhead fan, but I gained a great respect for what they did, and I certainly became a fan of Lemmy. It was almost impossible not to.
Glenn Danzig has a pretty good history with covers.
His version of Elvis Presley’s “Trouble,” which appeared on the Thrall/Demonsweatlive EP is, despite some unnecessary lyrical changes, a near-perfect metal cover of the tune. In fact, it ranks as one of my favorite cover songs ever. He also unleashed a solid version of T. Rex’s “Buick Mackane” on his Lost Tracks collection.
Both of those songs are right in his wheelhouse. The selections on his new covers album Skeletons, though, offer some surprises with covers from Aerosmith, ZZ Top, and … the Everly Brothers?
A lot of years have passed since I’ve watched Penelope Spheeris’ The Decline of Western Civilization Part II: The Metal Years, but it was a staple of my teenage days. Thanks to the new Decline of Western Civilization Collection from Shout Factory!, I had a chance to relive at least a few hours of my misspent youth and look at it from a very different perspective.
The boxed set collects all three of Spheeris’ Decline of Western Civilization documentaries on Blu-ray, with an extra disc of outtakes and extended interviews. Coming into this viewing, I had seen the first film once or twice, Part II probably a dozen times or more, and I had never seen Part III, which was previously unreleased on video.
The first film focuses on the punk scene of Los Angeles in the late 1970s, with groups like Black Flag, X, and Fear. Penelope Spheeris documents a series of live performances from L.A. punk bands interspersed with interviews with the musicians and other punk fans. It’s the format that all three movies will follow. The focus of this first film is solidly on the music, the ideas behind it and the people who make it.
"Jailhouse Rock (Live)," Motley Crue. From the album Girls, Girls, Girls (1987). I must admit that Girls, Girls, Girls hasn't held up as well over time as some of Crue's other records, but I still enjoy this messy, bashing cover of Jailhouse Rock. It's not a perfect cover, but it's the perfect cover for Motley Crue.
I’ve always imagined that a one-man band would have to have something of a split personality, and Scott H. Biram certainly seems to back that theory up on his latest album on Bloodshot Records.
On Nothin’ But Blood, Biram shifts from solemn and sacred to loud and profane in the blink of an eye.
The second track on the album, “Gotta Get to Heaven,” sets the stage. The tune is a very old-school country number with some gospel overtones that tells the story of a man that walks the line between the wild life and redemption. Biram throws his soul into the hallelujahs on the chorus, but keeps a fittingly rough edge on the song.
This might be the first shuffle with no metal in it. We've got some country, some blues, some punk, but no metal ...
Hank Williams III, "Cocaine Blues." From the album Risin' Outlaw (1999). There's probably not a more appropriate Johnny Cash tune for III to cover. It's a song that already had much of the bad attitude that III brings to it. I'll choose Cash's version every time (as III himself probably would, too), but this one's very faithful and pretty solid.
Early word was that A Fiendish Threat would be a new album of Hank Williams III’s “hellbilly” material, the mix of hard rock, punk and country that I don’t think he does nearly enough of. As it turns out, the album was a new punk rock project that he’s simply calling 3.
If the Misfits had grown up in Appalachia and formed in Tennessee, they might have sounded something like “Can I Rip U,” the opening track of this record. III wears his Misfits influence on his sleeve throughout the album, as most, if not all, of the songs will put fans in mind of the classic horror punk outfit. But there are also shades of other bands, notably Suicidal Tendencies with “Full On.”
Hank III, “Punch Fight Fuck”
(live). From a live bootleg recorded at Juanita’s in Little Rock, Ark (2007). III’s
tribute to G.G. Allin is really at its best in the live setting. This is one of
the better III bootlegs that I’ve got swimming around on my hard drive, too.
This week, a group of really good musicians do a really bad job on Iron Maiden, and we throw in a little classic country, Southern rock, Canadian thrash and punk...
Chuck Billy/Craig
Goldy/Rickie Phillips/Mikkey Dee, “Fear of the Dark.” From the album Numbers
from the Beast (2005). Yeah, this is one of Iron Maiden’s coolest songs, and
this version just really doesn’t work for me. An overly effects-laden vocal
performance from Chuck Billy might be cool in another use, but I miss the dark
Bruce Dickinson delivery. Musically it’s pretty faithful, but as much as I love
Testament, this isn’t the venue for Billy.
Another shuffle, in which we encounter one of the darker moments of Alice Cooper's career ...
Anthrax, “Caught in a Mosh.”
From the album Among the Living (1987). The best album of the Joey Belladonna
era and one of the band’s truly classic songs. I’ve always thought it funny
that one of the chorus lyrics is “which one of these words, don’t you
understand?” when at the time, there were a whole lot of people who wouldn’t
have known what a mosh was. Great, great song.
Most metal fans are probably looking a little more forward to another album titled 13 later this year from a barely known band called Black Sabbath. Me, too, but I was also quite intrigued by Suicidal Tendencies’ album of the same title.
I was a big ST fan in the 1980s, both the energetic hardcore punk of their self-titled debut and the thrash sounds of their later albums in the decade, like Lights, Camera, Revolution. The 1990s were a bit shaky for the band, though, with the very commercial The Art of Rebellion (which I haven’t revisited in quite a while, but seemed anything but rebellious to me at the time), the more metallic and underrated Suicidal for Life and a couple of uneven albums in Freedumb and Free Your Soul … And Save My Mind, both of which had their moments, but were fairly unmemorable.
If you grew up a fan of live music in or around Louisiana in the late 1980s or early 1990s, you knew, without a doubt, that Dash Rip Rock was going to be huge one day.
The swamp rock band’s first three albums, considered classics in my collection, were wild blends of old-fashioned high energy rock ‘n’ roll, country twang and college alternative, all delivered with a punk rock attitude. Their live shows were legendary and packed the house wherever they played. You’d be hard pressed to find one person that went to one of their shows and came away disappointed.
Despite all of that, the band’s biggest popular impact was a 1996 novelty hit, a reworking of “At the Hop” called “Let’s Go Smoke Some Pot,” a song that really didn’t do justice to what the band was all about.
Danzig is streaming a cover of "Devil's Angels," the theme song of the biker movie of the same name, at his website. The song should certainly please fans of his classic work with The Misfits. It would sound right at home on one of the band's records.
I debated for a while on whether or not to review this record – not because I don’t like it, but because of the back story. In case you don’t know, this isn’t a new record from III. Instead, it’s an album that was recorded some time ago. His record label at the time, Curb, refused to release it. Fast forward to 2010, III’s contract with Curb is done, and due to a string of disagreements with the label, including repeated delays of his 2005 masterpiece Straight to Hell, he’s not coming back. Now, the label has all of a sudden become interested and, thus, we have Hillbilly Joker.
When Volbeat’s “Sad Man’s Tongue” comes blaring out of my speakers on a shuffle, I’m always happy, and I always hit repeat — usually a dozen times or so, at least. And I always think about how I nearly missed such a great song.
Since I'm constantly getting notices about free streams of new records and the occasional free download from bands, labels and publicists, I thought I'd start trying to share them when I can. Everybody likes hearing music for free, right? So here's the first installment.
Streaming the full album of self-made outlaw country artist Bob Wayne's "Outlaw Carnie," due out Tuesday. And come back here for a review of the record in the next few days.
In recent years, a few hard rock efforts from members of black metal groups have crossed my desk. I’m not really sure what the connection between black metal and old school hard rock is, but apparently there is one. The latest is Black ‘n’ Roll from Black River, featuring members of Behemoth, Dimmu Borgir, Neolithic and Rootwater.
There’s one problem that I’ve come across with most of these offerings – the vocals. One of the reasons that I’m very choosy about the extreme metal that I listen to is that in so much of it, the vocals seem to be almost an afterthought.
While a big fan of Hank III, I tend to gravitate more toward his country and hellbilly material than the heavier stuff that he does with Assjack. It's interesting considering my normal tastes in music, but I've always felt that III's music loses some of its character in the transition to the bashing, screaming songs of his usual final set.
That's not to say that I don't like it, and in fact, I was quite surprised by how much I enjoyed the project's long-awaited official debut record. Though many of these songs will be familiar to fans of his live show, this is the first time to get them in an official studio format.
If you're not familiar going in, "Redneck Ride" will let the listener know up front what's in store. It opens with a metallized riff from "Dixie," and after that it's rough, loud and fast. It's pretty much what you get through the whole record. Imagine a psychobilly love-child of the Misfits, Pantera and Hank Williams. If you can conceptualize such a beast, this is it. If not, give it a listen.
The Pantera influence is prominent throughout with some bashing riffs and Phil Anselmo-like screams from harsh vocalist Gary Lindsey (as if there are many non-harsh vocals to be found here.) You can hear it heavily on "Chokin' Gesture," which adds some cool spooky-sounding leads, and "Cocaine the White Demon," which has a catchy call-and-response verse between III and Lindsey and goes through a few transitions in its four and a half minutes. There are some more surprising influences to be found on the record, though. Alice in Chains plays a part in the vocal melody of "No Regrets," and "Wasting Away" also blends some Alice in Chains sounds with a cool doomy verse and some of the stylings of his country material. It's more like a pissed off version of one of his country songs than any other track. There's also a hint of more modern music on "Smoke the Fire" which is reminiscent of System of a Down's "Chop Suey," only with more insanity and violence.
There is plenty of influence from his country and hellbilly stuff here, as the metallic often meets the redneck. "Tennessee Driver" is one of my favorite tracks, opening with a sludgy riff that explodes into a redneck stomp that's more in line with his hellbilly material. It's got the right mix of southern sounds and thrashing breakdowns. "Gravel Pit" also brings a bit of the south to the record as one of the more melodic tracks. It features some solid grooves, and even a traditional metal turn about halfway through.
Like most of his records, Assjack's debut reflects the band's founder. It's honest, abrasive and occasionally quite ugly, but it definitely gets the job done. After years of wrangling with a record company that wanted to turn him into the second coming of his grandfather, we're finally seeing more official material escape the Hank III camp. Here's hoping a lot more of all three of his styles will be coming in the near future.
Everyone's favorite horror/art/metal band Gwar returns to celebrate its 25th anniversary and continue its effort toward domination of the earth on "Lust in Space." And they may just manage it this time around.
After a series of hit and miss records, "Lust in Space" finds the band back on Metal Blade and back to doing what made their earlier work so enjoyable. "Lust in Space" features a collection of fun, hummable songs with a few truly goofy moments mixed in. I mean, it wouldn't be Gwar if there wasn't a little silliness, would it?
The record opens with the high-energy "Let Us Slay" that features the cartoonish over-the-top vocals we've come to know and love, but there also seems to be just a bit of a modern edge to this record. It's not a change, really, just an update. For the most part, the songs here are still along the lines of the same punk-influenced thrash Gwar has always delivered, as evidenced on "The UberKlaw," a punkish number with some crazy gang vocals on the chorus. Fans of the band's earlier work will appreciate songs like "Where is Zog," which is mocking and completely over the top. It really reminds me of something off my personal favorite Gwar album, "Scumdogs of the Universe." Those newer to the band might appreciate the Meshuggah-ish riffing of "Release the Flies," which finds Oderus Urungus (Dave Brockie) taking on a gruffer, almost death metal vocal style.
One of the things that has been the hallmark of Gwar's work in the past is the fact that, despite the costumes and wild stage show, despite the ridiculousness of some of the lyrics, despite all of the novelty trappings, their songs have always had a sound metal underpinning. That continues here, perhaps better than it's been in recent years. "Metal, Metal Land" blends thrash, punk and NWOBHM sounds for a strange brew that's a bit silly lyrically, but one of the most fun songs on the record. "Price of Peace" covers the classic conquer-the-earth Gwar material, but features a great squealing opening guitar riff. Gwar save the best for last, though, with the title track and its shifting moods. It opens with an acoustic riff and spoken vocals from Urungus, then moves into a Nevermore influenced warbly bit where he does a fairly good impression of Warrell Dane. It finally settles into more of the expected Gwar sound. It's solid, it's catchy and it's hard to listen to without a smile on your face.
The same can be said of the record as a whole. If you're a Gwar fan, you'll love this record as the band gets back to what it does best. If you hate them, it won't change your mind. While, in my mind, it doesn't quite live up to "Scumdogs," it's pretty damned close.
Early word was that A Fiendish Threat would be a new album of Hank Williams III’s “hellbilly” material, the mix of hard rock, punk and country that I don’t think he does nearly enough of. As it turns out, the album was a new punk rock project that he’s simply calling 3.
In recent years, a few hard rock efforts from members of black metal groups have crossed my desk. I’m not really sure what the connection between black metal and old school hard rock is, but apparently there is one. The latest is Black ‘n’ Roll from Black River, featuring members of Behemoth, Dimmu Borgir, Neolithic and Rootwater.
While a big fan of Hank III, I tend to gravitate more toward his country and hellbilly material than the heavier stuff that he does with Assjack. It's interesting considering my normal tastes in music, but I've always felt that III's music loses some of its character in the transition to the bashing, screaming songs of his usual final set.
Everyone's favorite horror/art/metal band Gwar returns to celebrate its 25th anniversary and continue its effort toward domination of the earth on "Lust in Space." And they may just manage it this time around.
