Show Review: Converge, Torche and Kvelertak 11/4/2012
There is nothing that soothes the soul more than a good road trip. After a super stressful week, my friend and I headed up to Downtown Music in Little Rock, Ar for one of the best hardcore tours of the year.
After driving 3 hours and listening to bands like Unleashed, Terrorizer and Bolt Thrower we arrived to the venue, and I was shocked at how many people were lined up outside already. I made my way inside and bought Converge’s new album on cassette and shortly thereafter Kvelertak kicked the night off with a sonic boom.
Kvelertak are a six-piece hardcore/black metal/punk band from Norway. I had listened to their album a couple of times, but didn’t know much of their music. All four guitarists (3 guitar/1 bass) were absolutely full of energy, and though you could tell not many folks knew them, they won over a few fans on the night for sure.
When Kvelertak finished, Torche took the stage. Though this is the third time I’ve seen Torche this year, this was the first time they played through a legit P.A. and the difference was obvious…that sucker was nuclear. Setlist-wise, they played a pretty straightforward Torche set. It included plenty of songs from their new album Harmonicraft like “Letting Go”, “Kicking”, “Reverse Inverted” and “In Pieces”. They also played a few choice cuts from Meanderthal like “Piranha” and “Sandstorm”. They also played my two favorite songs “Charge Of The Brown Recluse” and “Tarpit Carnivore”, along with a couple of new songs on a split coming out soon. In my opinion, there aren’t many bands in the metal scene these days that are as fun live as Torche is. Though I’ve seen them a few other times, this was definitely my favorite Torche show for sure.
Once Torche finished, Converge took the stage and it was time to party. I’ve waited at least 8 years to see this band live, so seeing Jake Bann0n, Nate Newton and Kurt Ballou on stage and Ben Koller hunkered down behind his kit, I got super excited. My excitement hit the breaking point when they started their set with the Jane Doe opener “Concubine”. Next, they played “Dark Horse” from 2009′s masterpiece “Axe To Fall”, then “Heartless” from You Fail Me. From there, they launched through a bunch of songs from the new album All We Love We Leave Behind, as well as Axe To Fall, and a few more from You Fail Me and Jane Doe. For me, the highlights of the set were “Eagles Become Vultures”, “Aimless Arrow”, “Sadness Comes Home”, “Empty On The Inside”, and Jane Doe’s “The Broken Vow”. After blasting away through both new and old classics, they ended the set with “First Light/Last Light” from You Fail Me. By this point, I was in shock at just how truly incredible these guys are live. Ben Koller was the one I was most impressed with, however, his drumming definitely sets a blistering pace, and Kurt Ballou and Nate Newton didn’t miss a single note, while Jake Bannon prowled like a starving lion in a petting zoo. In fact, I figured Converge would sound kind of raw live, but somehow their songs, particularly the newer songs, sound almost identical live as they do on recording.
Overall, I’m very glad I made this trip because Torche are one of my favorite live bands and Converge put on an absolute clinic, and were just as amazing as I had hoped they would be.
100th Post! My 100 Favorite Metal Albums Of All Time
I started this site back in December 2011 for pure catharsis. I simply needed an outlet to vent my thoughts on music, honestly. It’s grown and blossomed into something cool and allowed me to grow as a writer. In honor of this, I decided to make my 100th post special, mostly because I’m shocked the site has gone on this long without me getting bored with it. The reason this site has grown into something awesome is because of the cool people that read it. Now, as a reward to you cool people, I’ve decided to arbitrarily list my 100 favorite metal albums of all time. Before you judge my list too harshly, just remember, this is completely for fun, and based solely on personal taste. I’m not egotistical enough to call these the best metal albums of all time. I just feel that each one of these albums has affected my life in some way or another and regardless of rank, every one of them holds a near and dear place in my heart. Enjoy the list, and be sure and comment below with your thoughts.
100. The Tony Danza Tap Dance Extravaganza – Danza II: The Electric Boogaloo
99. Floor – Floor
98. Napalm Death – The Code Is Red…Long Live The Code
97. Blood Has Been Shed – Spirals
96. Isis – Wavering Radiant
95. Unearth – The Oncoming Storm
94. Napalm Death – Time Waits For No Slave
93. Decapitated – Organic Hallucinosis
92. Torche – Torche
91. Grief – Come To Grief
90. Isis – Celestial
89. Nasum – Shift
88. Pantera – The Great Southern Trendkill
87. Indian – The Unquiet Sky
86. Dillinger Escape Plan – Calculating Infinity
85. Coalesce – 0:12 Revolution in Just Listening
84. Darkthrone – A Blaze In The Northern Sky
83. Sleep – Dopesmoker
82. Between – The Buried And Me – The Silent Circus
81. Cryptopsy – None So Vile
80. Dismember – Like An Everflowing Stream
79. High On Fire – Blessed Black Wings
78. Death – Human
77. Godflesh – Streetcleaner
76. Bolt Thrower – For Victory
75. Pestilence – Consuming Impulse
74. Paradise Lost – Gothic
73. Napalm Death – Scum
72. Crowbar – Crowbar
71. Entombed – Clandestine
70. Carcass – Heartwork
69. Nile – Annihilation Of The Wicked
68. Church Of Misery – Houses Of The Unholy
67. Kylesa – Static Tensions
66. Carcass – Necroticism: Descanting The Insalubrious
65. Botch – We Are The Romans
64. Immortal – Sons Of Northern Darkness
63. Opeth – Blackwater Park
62. Grave – Into The Grave
61. Exodus – Bonded By Blood
60. Suffocation – Effigy Of The Forgotten
59. A Life Once Lost – Hunter
58. Converge – Axe To Fall
57. Bloodbath – Nightmares Made Fleshh
56. Dark Angel – Darkness Desceneds
55. Iron Maiden – Seventh Son Of A Seventh Son
54. Cannibal Corpse – Tomb Of The Mutilated
53. Lamb Of God – New American Gospel
52. Dillinger Escape Plan – Miss Machine
51. Meshuggah – ObZen
50. Killswitch Engage – The End Of Heartache
49. Baroness – Blue Record
48. Nuclear Assault – Game Over
47. Neurosis – Through Silver In Blood
46. Voivod – Dimension Hatross
45. Life Of Agony – River Runs Red
44. Monster Magnet – Dopes To Infinity
43. Autopsy – Mental Funeral
42. Judas Priest – British Steel
41. Zao – The Funeral Of God
40. Entombed – Left Hand Path
39. Testament – The New Order
38. Converge – You Fail Me
37. Anthrax – Among The Living
36. Obituary – Cause Of Death
35. Bolt Thrower – Those Once Loyal
34. Motorhead – Overkill
33. Megadeth – Peace Sells…But Who’s Buying?
32. Mastodon – Leviathan
31. King Diamond – Abigail
30. Electric Wizard – Dopethrone
29. Pantera – Vulgar Display Of Power
28. Judas Priest – Hell Bent For Leather
27. Celtic Frost – Morbid Tales
26. Killswitch Engage – Alive Or Just Breathing
25. Rwake – voices Of Omens
24. Meshuggah – Chaosphere
23. Living Sacrifice – The Hammering Process
22. Sepultura – Arise
21. Voivod – Killing Technology
20. Suicidal Tendencies – Lights, Camera…Revolution!
19. Saint Vitus – Born Too Late
18. Death – The Sound Of Perseverance
17. At The Gates – Slaughter Of The Soul
16. Overkill – The Years Of Decay
15. Kyuss – Welcome To Sky Valley
14. Iron Maiden – Powerslave
13. Metallica – …Master Of Puppets
12. Converge – Jane Doe
11. Metallica – …And Justice For All
10. Pantera – Cowboys From Hell
9. Metallica – Kill Em All
8. Slayer – Reign In Blood
7. Black Sabbath – Paranoid
6. Megadeth – Countdown To Extinction
5. Down – NOLA
4. Slayer – Seasons In The Abyss
3. Iron Maiden – Number Of The Beast
2. Metallica – Ride The Lightning
1. Megadeth – Rust In Peace
Show Review Torche/The Flying Humanoids 7/22/2012 @ The Corner Bar
I have to say, July has been a great month for local music in Monroe. Bands like The Heritage, The Vidrines, The Flying Humanoids and Mailbomber have all played at Tsunami and there have also been some great touring bands that have come through as well. The Torche show this past sunday, however, was my favorite of them all. Torche are a band that has toured with bands like Converge, Corrosion Of Conformity, Isis, Circa Survive and Coheed and Cambria, so seeing them play in Monroe back in March was a dream come true, however, seeing them come back through again, this time in support of their new album “Harmonicraft”, one of my favorite albums of the year, was a dream come truer. The photo’s below are courtesy of Jeremy Thornhill Photography.
I got to the venue a little late, but in just enough time to mingle a bit before the show got started. The Flying Humanoids were the first band to play and this was their second show with new bassist Jeff Jopling. Sound-wise, the P.A. at the venue sounded much better than it did last time, minus a few technical difficulties. The band stomped through their setlist featuring mostly songs from their debut album “Arrival”. One thing I noticed about the new bassist is that he isn’t just following along with the riffs already laid forth, he actually plays like he wrote them, most noticeably on the set’s opener “Velvet Trap” which sounds awesome, you can also tell there’s a bit of added heaviness to their heavier songs like “F5″ and “Monarch” which is a personal favorite of mine. Aside from the songs on “Arrival” the Humanoids also played two new songs and both of them, as I said in my last show review of theirs, sound better than most of their old songs. I don’t know the names of either song, but the second new song that begins with the lyrics “face down in the dirt again” is an absolute monster and I can’t wait to hear a recorded version of it. All in all, i’d say that the Humanoids put on a good show and set the mood for headbanging perfectly. You can check out footage of The Flying Humanoids playing the song “Pink Heat” HERE.
Once the Humanoids unloaded their gear, Torche began setting up. This is the third time I’ve seen Torche, and the second time this year and I was still incredibly excited. One cool thing is that they have been playing bigger and bigger shows this year, specifically at the Metallica-curated Orion Fest as well as their recently announced appearance at Fun Fun Fun Fest in Austin alongside such bands as Napalm Death, Between The Buried and Me, Baroness, Converge, Municipal Waste and Refused. Despite being one of the top-tier bands in the underground metal scene, they still treated the smalltown Monroe crowd with tons of humility and respect and talked to everybody that came up to them which is something alot of big bands won’t do. Musically speaking, I wasn’t sure if their set was going to be similar to the set they played last time, but I assumed there would be a few more songs from “Harmonicraft” mixed in and I was definitely correct on that assumption. Ironically, that very day I was watching an episode of “How I Met Your Mother” where Barney Stinson mentioned his rule that “newer is always better”. Clearly Steve Brooks and co saw that same episode, because they started their set off with “Harmonicraft”‘s opener “Letting Go” and from there, the next 10 songs on the setlist all came from “Harmonicraft” which I thought was pretty rad, especially because they played my favorite songs from the album “Sky Trials” which you can view video of HERE, and “Harmonicraft”, which created some epic guitar hero moments, they also played the song “Kicking” which they just released the music video for that you can check out HERE as well as the song “Walk It Off” which featured Andrew shredding what I call the “Queens Of The Stone Age solo” that makes that song so awesome. The funny thing about the setlist is that they also played a brand new song, like so new that it’s not even on “Harmonicraft”, and apparently, it’s being prepared for a 7″ to be released later this year. Though the set didn’t end with “Tarpit Carnivore” like I hoped, they did, however, end with the song “Charge Of The Brown Recluse”, which is my favorite Torche song, and possibly one of my 50-100 favorite metal songs ever. After the show I was discussing the setlist with singer/guitar/founder Steve Brooks(who was wearing an awesome Bolt Thrower shirt) and he stated “ya know, we wrote all these songs with Andrew and we just put the record out, so we wanted to play as many of them as we could, plus I get tired of playing the old stuff all the time.” which makes plenty of sense.
Once the show was over, the band was hanging out and a dance party dj’d by Torche guitarist Andrew Elstner broke out which featured some mega-fancy old school Miami dance moves courtesy of Torche drummer Rick Smith. While that was going down I had a nice chat outside with Torche’s bassist Jonathan Nuñez and he was kind enough to answer a few questions for me regarding touring and the new record.
Johnny Ringo: Whenever you guys play overseas in Europe, do you enjoy those shows more than you do when you play in the U.S.?
Jonathan Nuñez: It’s definitely a different experience, I feel that over there the hospitality is definitely unmatched to say the least compared to the U.S. Everyone is definitely appreciative that you’ve made such a far trip, and they don’t take it for granted, they know how far you’ve travelled and they want to enjoy your show and hang out and meet you.
Johnny Ringo: If you were given the choice of playing small towns like Monroe like the one tonight, versus playing humongo domes with bands like The Foo Fighters, which one would you rather do?
Jonathan Nuñez: Honestly, I feel that we’re a band that’s always mixed it up, we’ve done plenty of smaller club tours, we’ve played warehouses and house shows, we’ve also played larger festivals and venues so I’m all for switching it up, one day we can be playing The House Of Blues, and the next day we’ll do a secret warehouse show, that’s what keeps it interesting for us, you get different types of gratification from different types of shows, ya know?
Johnny Ringo: When you guys are on tour, do you get good catering, like monstrous spreads? what are some of your favorite meals on tour?
*their sound guy in the background states without hesitation “home cooked meals”*
Jonathan Nuñez: Home cooked meals are definitely something we enjoy and that’s a perk of playing smaller shows and house shows and stuff like that, because people are excited to have you and it’s more on a personal level. The catering in Europe is phenomenal, like some of the best food i’ve ever had is served and made by d.i.y. punk squads, it’s incredible, they take into consideration vegan and vegetarian meals and they’re very giving, it would blow your mind, honestly. But we were also just talking about the Orion Fest and they took into consideration different dietary needs and the spread there was excellent, they were very thoughtful and it was a very great, versatile spread.
Johnny Ringo: I’m a food nerd and love asking about stuff like that; now, have you ever had a Van Halen moment and asked for something like only red M&M’s?
Jonathan Nuñez: Nah, we don’t do that, maybe joking, but we’re not like that at all.
Johnny Ringo: As far as the new album goes, every magazine you’re going to read like Decibel will have your album listed as “number 1 album of the year” and it’s obviously alot different, and the songs tonight sounded alot more fun to play, did you intentionally write songs to make them more fun, or did it just kind of happen?
Jonathan Nuñez: I think it’s a combination of both, I think that naturally every time you go on tour, you’re playing from a certain record that you’ve released that year, and once it’s time to write for the next record, you take what you want to be playing and what you want to be giving off to the crowd into consideration in terms of things like energy and tempo, and if it’s going to be heavier or more on a punk tip. You take those things into consideration because when you’re on the road, you’ve got to play what’s recorded, so you always, I feel, feed off of your experience playing your catalogue live and then every time you go back into writing there’s some things that you’ll find, whether it’s subconscious or a direct decision, you’ll definitely write a song with that in mind.
Johnny Ringo: I’ve noticed parts on “Harmonicraft”, that seem to be made specifically to headbang to, specifically a song like “In Pieces” which sort of reminds me of the heavier earlier stuff like on the self titled or even Floor type stuff, do you guys intentionally try to do those kind of parts?
Jonathan Nuñez: Honestly, the songs and riffs and stuff just kind of happen, whether it’s somebody noodling real quick while no one else is playing and it catches someone else’s attention we’ll say “hey, keep playing that” and then we’ll jump in and add our parts over it and follow along, or it’s a riff that someone’s made up and brought to practice, it just kind of happens. I feel like once we get going with an idea, then maybe it’ll fall into one of those things where it’s like “yeah, lets keep this part slow, it has the right groove” or something like that, but I don’t think we sit around like “hey man, we need a song people can do windmills to” or a song where people can headbang extra fast like thrash style, it just kind of happens.
Show Review: The Vidrines and The Flying Humanoids on Friday the 13th
After the awesome Mailbomber show last week, i’ve been excited all week for the Friday the 13th show at Tsunami which featured The Vidrines and The Flying Humanoids. Normally when two local bands like these guys play, it’s with other smaller bands or touring bands, so to see two of my favorite bands in the area play the same bill together with no other bands involved was pretty awesome. I was especially excited about this show because I haven’t seen either band live in many months.
The Vidrines were the first band to play on the evening and considering the lifespan of bands from Monroe, they are considered an institution in the music scene here. The Vidrines have been around for almost a decade now and the core of their lineup has remained very well intact over the years with founding members Jamie on guitar, Ronnie and Bill on vocals and John on drums, in fact, the only member of the band who still has a “new band member smell” is their bassist Nathan, previously of The Jim Dandies and Cunthunters. Musically speaking, The Vidrines are one of the more interesting bands you’ll hear around these parts, or any place really due to their mix of lounge, punk, funk, blues, and many other genres. The one thing that really sets The Vidrines apart from alot of other local bands is their use of two vocalists, particularly the fact that both of them have completely different styles; Ronnie’s vocal style is more of a vicious growl, whereas Billy uses a more soft, poetic delivery that can become ferocious when necessary. Aside from their unique sound, The Vidrines also emit an incredible party vibe, particularly thanks to songs like “Holla”, “Stabbuhbeetle” and particularly the funk-infused song “Little Paper” which has an opening riff that’s impossible not to dance to. After inciting a hell of a party with some incredibly fun/funky/poetic jams, their set ended with a cover of “Relax” by Frankie Goes to Hollywood, the highlight of their set in my opinion however, was their cover of The Misfits song “Skulls”
Once The Vidrines finished their set, the Humanoids were next. This show was a particularly interesting one for the Humanoids as it was their first with new bassist Jeff Jopling formerly of Beauty Within and The Heritage. This was also their first show since playing with Torche back in March, in fact, they are playing with Torche again this coming Sunday July 22 at the Corner Bar. Another cool thing about this show is the fact that they added a few new songs to their setlist and honestly, I think they sounded better than some of the songs from their debut album did in the live setting, they were all super stompy and had a distinct southern flavor. Though their set was incredibly heavy and fun, the atmosphere of the crowd seemed a little thrown off due to the fact that the Humanoids brought a southern-fried rock n’ roll riff-fest right after The Vidrines got done making sweet, funky, danceable love to the crowd just minutes prior. The Humanoids are always fun to see live and I think that this show was more of a warm-up for their gig with Torche next weekend, and now that the new bassist has gotten his first show under his belt, these guys are going to be a finely-tuned rock n’ roll machine, hellbent on banging the head that does not bang.
I haven’t been to shows in back to back weekends in quite a long time, so getting to see a doom/sludge bill last weekend and then two of my favorite local bands on the same stage this weekend is pretty rad. What’s more rad, however, is next weekend when Torche plays Monroe again, which will make for three shows in three weekends, which is a very rare feat for me and definitely makes me appreciate when venues like Tsunami and the various local bands in the area work hard to bring the best underground entertainment this town has to offer.
Interview with Andrew Elstner of Torche/Tilts
If you’re familiar with my site, than you’re probably familiar with both Torche and The Flying Humanoids. If you aren’t and you live near Monroe, La, you’re in luck because Torche is coming back to Monroe on July 22nd. After listening to the new Torche album “Harmonicraft” quite a bit this year, i’m very excited to see them again playing more songs from it. In celebration of such an awesome band playing in my crappy town for the second time this year, I sent a few questions to Andrew Elstner, former guitarist of Riddle of Steel and current guitarist of Torche and Tilts. I wanted to find out what it’s like going from laying waste to bars in Riddle of Steel and Tilts, to making national news over a little bit of bat urine. You can check out the event page for the show HERE, you can check out Andrew’s bands Torche, Tilts, and Riddle of Steel by clicking the links, and for more info, check out my FACEBOOK page.
How long have you been playing music and what bands were you in before you joined Torche?
Well, I’ve been playing guitar since I was 12, but playing in bands and such since about 16, though nothing really of note until Riddle of Steel around 2001. I’m also still singing/guitarring in St. Louis based, Tilts with my good bro’s there. (new Tilts out on Robotic Empire 
You guys will be playing in Monroe, La on Sunday July 22nd. As you may or may not know, Monroe is a very small town that very rarely gets cool stuff so it’s always fun when a band of Torche’s magnitude comes to town. As a touring musician, would you say you enjoy the more intimate shows in small towns, or do you prefer playing bigger shows in cities like Austin and New York to huge crowds?
Oh dude, I know and love Monroe quite well. I’ve got friends there still and even left a bit o’ my heart there as well. Riddle of Steel used to play the Blue Monkey and it was always a blast. Many drunken nights at Enoch’s!
There are good things about huge shows/venues as well as more small, intimate ones though I totally prefer a packed house at a small club. The vibe is always better than being on a massive stage where the audience is 15 feet away from you. But really, a show is a show and I love it all.
Was it kind of weird going from being in smaller bands like Tilts and Riddle Of Steel, to joining a huge band like Torche where even small weird stuff like getting bat piss in your eye makes for a massive trending topic in all the major blogs and magazines?
You kind of nailed it right there. There’s not a whole lot of immediately recognizable differences between Tilts, ROS and Torche shows for me – in a certain sense. But yeah, Torche’s audience is gigantic, and it was made apparent during the whole Bat Piss saga. One minute I’m posting a what I think is a hilarious story for my friends on Facebook and literally by that evening, Pitchfork had written up an article about it. By the next day it was on msn.com, msnbc.com, mtv.com and a gazillion other sites, re-telling the bat/pee/rabies story. It was a total trip. But yeah, the reality is, these people were calling me for interviews because of Torche. It’s all good because both Tilts and Torche had new records out and the promotion we got from that story was f*cking insane.
As someone who’s always kind of been the main singer and guitarist in bands you were in, is it a weird transition joining a band like Torche where someone else has vocals and lead guitar handled and all you have to do is just shred?
Not so much man, I’ve always considered myself a “band musician.” On my own, I can be kind of useless for the most part – note the obvious lack of any attempt at a “solo” project from me, at least not yet. I’m way into the idea of playing or writing to what the song requires, or what the band requires. I love singing and I’m having a blast in Tilts, but with Torche I can focus more on guitar, which I love too. I’m likely to do a bit more singing with Torche in the future, but only if/when it’s appropriate, y’know? Musicians I truly admire are guys who know their place in the band, they know how and when to hold it down, how to create a vibe. All musicians have immense issues with pride and ego. It just comes with the territory, but you have to turn that into something internal, as in, keep trying to challenge yourself, come up with new ideas, have a reason to be prideful of your work and not just a loudmouth dickhead, bummed that things haven’t worked out for you or your band because you think you’re hot shit or that the world owes you a favor.
If someone told you when you were in high school that you would one day join a major rock band and tour with Corrosion Of Conformity, and play Orion Fest with bands like Suicidal Tendencies, Sepultura, and Metallica all in the same month, would you have believed them?
So interesting because this exact thought has been on my mind a lot these past few months. My inner teenager has been absolutely shitting himself. It’s hard to put it into words. I mean, at Orion Fest, Rob Trujillo introduced us on stage, and James Hetfield watched our whole set, even recording some stuff on his iphone and air-guitarring some of the parts. What!? Blew my mind.
Touring with C.O.C. was equally as rad. Woody is a total gentleman and was super patient with my questions about his gear, and my geeky stories of “Dude! My high school band covered ‘The Great Purification’ for our talent show.” It’s been crazy man. I feel like I just joined Sabbath or something.
Speaking of Orion Fest, how did that go for you guys? Did you get to meet anybody cool or see any particularly awesome sets?
See above, but yeah it was awesome. Orion Fest did it right. Interesting line up to keep things fresh. The artists were all treated like solid gold, fed three meals, an army of stage hands to move your gear, open bar all day and night – for real – and a general party vibe the whole time. I met and hung out with Ben Liemer former editor for Circus Magazine (!!!) and current director of sales at the Orchard distro. I used to read Circus like a bible as a kid, and he’s saying all these rad things about my band.
I met the original “Old Bridge Metal Militia” guys, Chris and Pattie Homeny, essentially the two main people who used to house Metallica, Slayer and other bands way back in the day and have basement shows and stuff.
We chatted with the Best Coast people and a handful of others that partying has erased from my memory. Didn’t get to see any other sets except Metallica since we were busy running around, getting set up, doing interviews and stuff which is a bummer. They played Harvester of Sorrow, wtf!? My evening was made. I really wanted to see Black Angels. Next time!
You guys seem to have had a pretty good year so far, signing to Volcom, landing the Orion gig, and releasing an album that will place highly on many blogs and magazines’ albums of the year lists. Do you guys have any big touring plans for the rest of the year?
It has been a good year man. In the very near future, we’re playing 305 Fest in Miami on July 6th, then we’re out in later July touring around a show at the Rock n’ Roll Hall of Fame, then out again for a week or so around Total Fest in Montana in mid August. September we head overseas, UK, Belgium, France, Switzerland and Germany if I remember correctly and then a month with Converge over Oct. and Nov. A busy and super awesome schedule.
As someone signed to a major label, what are your thoughts on how the music industry seems to be going? Also, now that sites like megaupload are shut down and it’s harder to illegally download albums, are you guys swimming in a pool of gold coins like Scrooge Mcduck yet?
Actually, Volcom Entertainment, though attached to the parent company of Volcom, is an independent label. I don’t have much experience with the labels Torche has worked with in the past, but Volcom has been completely awesome. I really can’t say enough good things.
As to the music industry…. I really don’t know man. I worked in record stores for the better part of a decade and always enjoyed it. I’ve played in bands trying to sell records too, so I’ve played both sides. Truth is, times are changing and everything is in a major state of flux. Old models of sales and how bands reach people are hugely changing. If you’re adventurous and creative, I think it’s quite possible that this is an amazing period for musicians.
As to digital downloading, haha, we’ve got no gold coins yet. Fingers crossed!
If your booking agent called you up and told you he has a tour lined up, but you have to pick 2 or 3 opening acts to tour with, what active bands would you choose?
This is me being totally selfish… but it would be Traindodge, Brant Bjork and The Bro’s, and Gil Mantera’s Party Dream. Those were really difficult to pick! There are truly so many bands we’ve already been lucky to play with and so many I’d die to tour with.
With you having been involved in touring bands for many years and definitely paid your dues and then landing what some would call the ultimate gig as the guitarist for a band like Torche, what advice would you give to people in younger bands who have aspirations for touring full time and making a living off of their music?
I like your kind words! I’ll try to be as practical as possible here. If you want to tour as much as possible, be prepared to give some things up and start appreciating everything you have. First on the list, lower your expenses as much as possible. Get the cheapest rent you can, make your meals at home, find ways to cut costs. Sure, you can try and make more money, but that eats up more time. The key is to live as cheaply as possible. Touring requires tons of free time and lots of money. NO credit cards or you will be miserable and stressed. Find musicians you get along with, and more importantly, who have the same level of dedication, prepared to miss their loved one’s birthdays, anniversaries, holidays, etc. If you pass up a tour because you don’t wanna hurt your girlfriend’s feelings, or you don’t wanna miss Skeeter’s annual 4th of July BBQ, then perhaps touring life is not for you, and it’s time for a new girlfriend. I can’t tell you how many relationships touring has ruined. Haha! Of course, this all presumes that you have a band and a sound worth taking on the road. You really MUST be honest with yourself. No one comes close to musicians as to false dreams of grandeur and immense levels of self deception. Like, just because your buds and your significant other think you’re “real good,” does not mean you should tour. To all musicians, it is quite likely that your band is pretty average. This is not to be cruel, it’s just the way of things. I recommend “Letters To A Young Poet,” by Rainer Maira Rilke for a bit of self reflection. Seriously. Touring can be tough but super rewarding. Many young bands touring now, in my opinion, shouldn’t be touring, but no one can tell you that. Gotta learn on your own I suppose. Other than my endless rambling here, for bands that ARE touring, I cannot recommend Thor Harris’ blog entry titled, “How To Tour In A Band, or Whatever..“ Super funny and deadly accurate. Advice worth it’s weight in gold, not just for musicians, but for life!
Listomania: Favorite albums of 2012….so far
When the year began, I had high hopes that it would be full of some awesome metal releases from some huge bands and so far my expectations have been met. There have been some incredible albums dropped already this year and with new albums by Nachtmystium, Murder Construct, Pig Destroyer, Converge, Kylesa, Neurosis, and C.T from Rwake’s other band Iron Tongue as well as many other big bands still pending, the release schedule for metal albums coming out in the second half of the year could be incredible. Here are my favorite albums to come out this year so far and though they are in numerical order, nothing is really set in stone at this point.
25. Unsane – Wreck
Incredibly pissed off bluesy noise rock from New York. Saw these guys play most of this album at MDF X and they were incredible.
24. Black Breath – Sentenced To Life
A wonderful mixture of hardcore, punk, and death metal. They use the HM-2 Heavy Metal Pedal which takes an intense sound to new levels.
23. Municipal Waste – The Fatal Feast
These guys are arguably the best new thrash band on the planet right now. This album is their most creative yet and shows how talented they are.
22. Cannibal Corpse – Torture
These death metal legends have returned with a new album that helps maintain their brutal legacy of razor sharp brutality.
21. Paradise Lost – Tragic Idol
Paradise Lost are a legendary gothic doom metal band and this album is easily one of the best records they released in a decade.
20. Pilgrim – Misery Wizard
The style on this album is mega depressing doom and Pilgrim take their razor-sharp weapon and repeatedly bludgeon you until you submit.
19. Grand Magus – The Hunt
The album is an incredible mixture of rock n’ roll mixed with NWOBHM riffs and lyrics about Odin and Thor and other viking themes.
18. Asphyx – Deathhammer
This record is certainly one of the heaviest you’ll hear all year. It features a stunning amalgam of brutal death metal and crushing doom riffs.
17. Cattle Decapitation – Monolith Of Inhumanity
I’ve always been a sucker for awesome deathgrind and this album is absolutely incredible. The best part is Travis Ryan’s disgusting vocals.
16.Inverloch – Dusk…Subside
Formed from the remains of the mighty dISEMBOWELMENT, these guys pick up right where they left off with a funeral doom/death masterpiece of epic proportions.
15.Dying Fetus – Reign Supreme
Another incredible album from one of the most brutal death metal bands of all time. Definitely their strongest effort in years.
14. Corrosion Of Conformity -Corrosion Of Conformity
They are back as a three-piece and just as incredible as ever. This album perfectly blends both era’s of the bands legendary catalog.
13. Conan – Monnos
This album features what could only be considered one of the greatest tones of all time. A burly, doomy, stomper of an album for sure.
12.Horseback – Half Blood
While not metal at all, this album is incredibly heavy. Wonderful, trippy, psychedelic rock n’ roll with amazing vocals and alot of creativity.
11. Torche – Harmonicraft
The tone on this album is much more fun and upbeat than their previous albums. Their unique mixture of styles create a monstrous sound for the ages.
10.Meshuggah – Koloss
Though “Koloss” is much slower than their previous albums, it features the same kind of mechanical, brutal as hell, impossible to headbang along to riffs that have made them the stuff of legend.
9. Saint Vitus – Lillie: F-65
The greatest doom band on the planet have put out a new album with Wino for the first time in many years. Though it’s short, this album goes a long way in cementing their legacy as one of the truly great bands of all time.
8. Ihsahn – Eremita
The former leader of Emperor has put out nothing but stellar material thus far and this album is no exception. A wonderful mixture of so many musical styles it’ll make your head spin, there are alot of saxophone solo’s to increase the brutality.
7. Royal Thunder – CVI
With the release of their first full length, Royal Thunder play a blend of hard rock, blues, psychedalia, and southern rock that is second to none. There are so many incredible solo’s and riffs on this album that they could be confused with seasoned veterans.
6. Liberteer – Better To Die On Your Feet, Than Live On Your Knees
This album is the first 2012 release I heard that completely floored me. It’s grind, but it’s played with a swedish death metal type guitar tone and a Napalm Deathesque fury, but there’s also alot of other civil war themed sounds involved to make the most creative grind album of the year…or ever really.
5. Overkill – The Electric Age
Overkill are one of the best thrash bands on the planet and one that has risen above the odds and managed to stay relevant. This album is a beefy slab of in-your-face thrash metal and bonecrushing riffs and they have, one again, left their competition licking their boots.
4. Baroness – Yellow And Green
I know it’s not out yet, but believe me, this album is going to put a huge smile on your face if you let it. It’s got alot of their signature guitar riffs, but there are also alot of moments you’d never expect to hear on a Baroness album that give them a sort of indie vibe. Though it’s two discs and the songs rollercoaster between rockin and chilled out beauty, this record never once gets boring and you gain more with each listen.
3. Pallbearer – Sorrow And Extinction
If there’s a better doom album released this year, i’ll be shocked. This album has a huge sound, monstrous riffs, and an incredible amount of emotion. It’s got alot of elements of funeral doom mixed in and it grabs you by the balls as soon as the album starts and doesn’t let go until you’re six feet deep.
2. Christian Mistress – Possession
This album is definitely the ultimate beer drinking record of 2012 so far. I gave this record a perfect 10 in my review in Feb and I still stand by it. The riffs are furious and feature many excellent solo’s and general awesomeness, particularly Christine Davis’ whiskey soaked vocals.
1. Napalm Death – Utilitarian
I’m not sure if this album will stay in the top spot, but for now (and always) Napalm Death reign supreme. Most of my strong connection to it come from listening on the way to Maryland Deathfest and hearing alot of songs from it performed live, but despite that, you can’t deny how amazing this album is. It shows the world’s first and best grind band at the peak of their songwriting ability, it even features a sax part by John Zorn and vocals by Mick Harris that sound like Burton C Bell of Fear Factory at times. If this album doesn’t make you want to punch every human in a ten foot radius, you’re doing it wrong.
Record Reviews April 17th and 24th New Releases
I know you’re wondering why i’m reviewing albums from the last two weeks of April in mid June, but the thing is, I got incredibly behind and am just now beginning to catch up on my reviews in time to do a “best of 2012 so far” list next week, so this post is what I consider the first step towards progress. Be sure and check out these albums if you haven’t already, and stay tuned for reviews from the entire month of May later this week.
Dragonforce – The Power Within
Chances are, if you aren’t a fan of Dragonforce’s music, you have at least played their song “Through the Fire and Flames” on Guitar Hero III and had a moderate amount of fun. With the release of “The Power Within”, Dragonforce are back to make every person who’s ever picked up a guitar feel hopeless again, and whether or not you’re a fan, you have to admit that these guys shred. When I first put this album on, I wasn’t entirely sure what to expect, but when I heard songs like “Die By The Sword”, “Fallen World”, and “Cry Thunder”, I knew that not only had Dragonforce released a solid record, but it’s actually one of the best albums in their discography. Gone are former vocalist Zp Theart’s overly dramatic vocals, and in their place, new singer Marc Hudson actually sounds like a real power metal vocalist and gives the album a ton of credibility. I’m very glad to see that Dragonforce were able to regroup after Theart’s departure and put together a solid album. The rhythms and solo’s on this album are just as fast as ever, but there is alot more substance to these songs, and if you are a fan of Dragonforce, or power metal in general, this album is most certainly worth your time.
16 – Deep Cuts From Dark Clouds
If you aren’t familiar with the band 16, all you really need to know is that these guys are what it would sound like if you mixed the musicianship and anger of bands like Unsane and Helmet, combined them with what it would sound like to overdose on meth, and add on ten pounds of toxic sludge. The first thing you’ll notice that all the songs on this album have in common is that the riffs are all very catchy and incredibly heavy, and their lyrics are incredibly deperessing. You can tell all of the songs on this album are taken from personal experiences, specifically drug overdoses and possibly domestic violence due to song titles like “Theme From ‘Pilpopper’”, “Her Little “Accident”", and “Ants In My Bloodstream”. This album definitely isn’t a feel good hit of the summer, but if you’re looking for something super heavy and incredibly entertaining, “Deep Cuts From Dark Clouds” is definitely worth a shot.
Bereft – Leichenhaus
Bereft are a supergroup of sorts featuring Sacha Dunable of Intronaut/Graviton, Charles Elliott of Abysmal Dawn, Derek Rydquist of The Faceless/The Taste Of Blood, and Derek Donley of National Sunday Law/Graviton. When I first heard about this band, I was very excited, but unsure what genre they were going to gravitate towards…as it turns out, they turned towards the heaviest, sludgiest, most depressing style possible. This album is very short, however, it is certainly full of some of the heaviest riffs you’ll hear all year, specifically on songs like “The Coldest Orchestra” and “Withered Efflorescence”. There are many qualities about this album that make it a fantastic listen, but I would say one of it’s strongest weapons are the death metal-twinged vocals of Charles Elliott bellowed over riffs that are just as heavy and crushing as his vocals. If you are a fan of doom metal, this album is ESSENTIAL listening and will be widely considered one of the best albums of the year when it’s all said and done.
Paradise Lost – Tragic Idol
Paradise Lost are a legendary gothic/doom metal band and though they’ve been more gothic than doom lately, with the release of their 13th studio album “Tragic Idol”, they have revisited some old tricks and shown they are just as relevant as ever. The thing about this album that I noticed immediately is that the sound is much doomier than they’ve sounded in quite a while. You can tell that Gregor Mackintosh’s time with Vallenfyre helped ignite his fire for playing super heavy riffs because they are all over this album. Thanks to songs like “Fear Of Impending Hell”, “Honesty In Death” and “In This We Dwell”, Paradise Lost have managed to craft an incredibly heavy, yet super catchy slab of doom that works perfectly along the other albums in their discography. Also, if you’ve never heard Paradise Lost before, this album is definitely worth checking out for it’s huge, doomy riffs, and it’s creative songwriting, but you’d still be better off listening to “Gothic” first.
Prong – Carved Into Stone
Prong are one of the few bands who managed to be relevant in both the thrash metal scene of the 80′s as well as the grunge rock scene of the 90′s. Thanks to the excellent guitar playing of Tommy victor, Prong has always had a very unique sound that has heavily featured bonecrushing groove and transceneded both genres, and managed to perfectly mix them together. With the release of “Carved Into Stone”, Prong have unleashed a bloodthirsty slab of thrashy, groove-oriented songs, in fact, songs like “Eternal Heat”, and “Revenge Best Served Cold” are two of the best songs of the bands career, particularly “Revenge” which is the catchiest song i’ve heard all year and would fit perfectly on “Cleansing” right after “Whose Fist Is This Anyway?”. This album is very cool and it’s not one that you merely put on one time and then never listen to again because it’s incredibly heavy like a good hard rock album should be, but it’s also completely infectious, and impossible to stop listening to with songs that stay stuck in your head for days.
Torche – Harmonicraft
Torche are one of those bands that come along every once in a while who are able to constantly change styles and evolve with each new album, yet never ever issue a letdown. With the release of “Harmonicraft”, their first album for Volcom, Torche have once again approached their craft from a new angle and managed to knock it out of the park again. Like their last full length album, “Meanderthal”, this album is full of incredibly fuzzy guitars and a style that has been called “thunder pop” for it’s fast-paced speed and incredibly fuzzed out guitar sound, specifically on the song “Kicking”. One cool thing about this album is that it’s also incredibly adventurous and daring, specifically on tracks with pop punk swagger like “Walk It Off” and “Letting Go”, as well as the southern rock boogie of “Reverse Inverted” and whatever the hell genre you’d consider “Snakes Are Charmed” to fall under. One of the band’s real secret weapons is their new lead guitarist Andrew Elstner whose influence really shines on songs like “Snakes Are Charmed”, “Sky Trials”, and “Harmonicraft”, all of which feature breathtaking guitar acrobatics. I really think “Harmonicraft” is one of the best albums to be released this year, and honestly, it sets a great example for other bands that you can branch out from your comfort zone without selling out and making awful music.
Woods Of Ypres – Woods 5: Grey Skies & Electric Light
Man, this album is the winner for eeriest album of the year, seriously. With the release of the 5th Woods Of Ypres album, founding member David Gold managed to craft an epic monster of an album that leans less on black metal and more on genre’s like viking and doom metal as well as a bit of progressive metal thrown in for good measure. The album also features many songs with lyrics that focus on death, specifically tracks like “Keeper Of The Ledger”, and “Kiss My Ashes (Goodbye)”. The thing that makes this album so eerie is the fact that David Gold died in a car wreck in Canada four or five months before the release of this album. Though it’s incredibly sad that David Gold died right before releasing his best album, I feel that he left behind a wonderful musical legacy, and the lyrical theme of this album makes it hit home much harder than many other albums that deal with the same topics. If you’re at all interested in hearing someone who’s passed away singing about death over incredibly heavy, doomy riffs, this album is definitely worth checking out and it’s very unique to say the least.
Listomania: 4/20 Mixtape
Today is 4/20, and as you know, it’s a pretty big deal for stoners everywhere, so I decided to do a mixtape of my 20 favorite stoner metal/rock songs. Even though i’m making this list rather late in the day, this blog is a celebration of my love of music, so I figure it’s better late than never. I’m a huge fan of stoner rock and stoner doom and thought that this list was very appropriate, and very awesome. The thing to remember about this list is that not all of these are considered stoner rock or metal, but they are still awesome songs. Below, you’ll find a hyperlink to each song on youtube so you can rock out. What are your favorite stoner songs/bands/albums? Leave a comment.
1. Electric Wizard – Funeralopolis
5. Queens Of The stone Age – Burn The Witch
9. Saint Vitus – Born Too Late
13. Monster Magnet – Dopes To Infinity
15. Isis – Celestial (The Tower)
16. Neurosis – Burn
17. Masters Of Reality – Domino
19. Torche – Charge Of The Brown Recluse
20. Pink Floyd – Astronomy Domine
Interview with Jesse Moore of Blvck Pvssy
If you read this site much, you know that I enjoy interviewing bands quite a bit. With today being Friday the 13th, I thought that it would be fitting to post my interview with Jesse Moore, singer of the band Blvck Pvssy. Blvck Pvssy are from the huge town of Vicksburg, Ms, and are one of the more intimdating live bands you’ll ever see. You can check out Blvck Pvssy HERE.
How did you get introduced to the punk/hardcore/metal scene, and at what age?
It was 1987. Some older guys used to skateboard in the alley behind my moms house. They had gnarly asymetrical haircuts, and it seemed like everything they wore had skulls and violence. They had a ramp and would charge it all day while blasting the scariest music Id ever heard out of a ghetto blaster, cranked. I fucked with it. Within 6 minutes, I knew what I wanted to be for the rest of my life. Theres more to the story than that, but what ends up happening is that they put me in the skateboard gang and started giving me mixtapes with shit like Suicidal Tendencies and Ice T on them. I went home that day and pretty much told my mom she was going to buy me a skateboard. Within a few months, I had a subscription to Thrasher Magazine and I read it like it was the holy fucking grail. Whatever bands were covered in Thrasher must have been what skaters were jammin, so I paid very close attention and schooled myself. Thrash was at its height and Gangsta Rap was creeping up heavy and I cant speak for everyone, but if you skated you “felt” bands and rappers the same way. It was aggro. I read Pusheads column and that lead me to Septic Death which was my real introduction to the most extreme bands around at the time. I kept at that speed for a few more years and started going to punk shows at my mom’s friends bar. He would have all these trippy bands from Austin, Tx play on the weekends and as long as I came with my mom, he would let me stand in the corner and bug out. By 13, I was fully immersed, and hustlng rides to any show I could find. Through the DIY hardcore scene I made friends with some other punkers that went on to be From Ashes Rise. I would ride with those guys to go see bands like Man Is The Bastard, Spazz, Assuck, His Hero Is Gone and Eyehategod. Whatever it took to be at shows, I made happen. I collected fanzines and records, buying shit from all over the world. I used to write letters to people like Chris Elder from Despise You and Max Ward from Spazz/Plutocracy to buy from the labels they ran and they always wrote back recommending me records to buy, or sending me flyers and stickers. At the same time, I was always trying to start bands but nothing ever went anywhere. A couple house shows at the most, and then someone would quit. Eventually, years and years later, I stayed with the whole punk/hardcore/metal (and hiphop/rap as well many forms of music) scene, and looking back, its a fact that I have dedicated the bigger part of my life to it and there isn’t anyone who can dispute that fact.
So you’re what would be referred to as a “Lifer”, correct?
Yeah, in a sense. I’m sure when people see me they get that impression. Do i care about the scene as a whole? not really. I’m going to stay tuned with what I like, but just because someone is in “the scene” doesnt make them family. There are alot of fuckboys at shows that id rather not have anything to do with. I can deal with being called an asshole by someone I despise, but not a “bro”
What are your thoughts on the current state of the music industry, particularly metal and punk/hardcore? How do you feel about downloading music?
Music is pretty dope. Its all a matter of what you’re trying to hear or buy. The internet age made it where every twink ass fuckboy with a broadband connection is either an anonymous super critic, or in some tired ass band. The really fucked up part about it is that they now have an audience. It doesnt matter though, thanks to gas prices blowin up and venues becoming more scarce, most of these unnecessary bands arent really hitting the road, so be thankful that you have to actively search for complete bullshit, rather than have it shoved down your throat at every $5 show. The real motherfuckers are out busting ass to play for your little shithouse town for 10 people. Downloading music is fine with me. The whole game changed and if you still think theres any reason to bitch and moan about people downloading your fucking album, then release something on vinyl that looks awesome and it will sell. You cant really download a tshirt, so bands need to shut the fuck up. Your music isn’t worth 10 dollars, 9 times outta 10. To quote one of my favorite punk bands Born Against “This Trash Should Have Been Free”
If you could change anything about the current state of the underground punk/hardcore/metal scene, what would it be?
More violence/danger at shows. Not so much people getting beat down, but just that sketchy, scary, dangerous feeling that the bands I grew up going to see had. When I used to stand in the front row of a His Hero Is Gone show, it would send a chill down your spine, and the feeling that everything was going to fall apart was real. Now its all people getting tagged on facebook and trying to “network”. Fuck all that shit, man.
Have there been any albums released yet this year that will be on your top albums of the year list? Also, what bands are you most anticipating new albums from in 2012?
LIL UGLY MANE – MISTA THUG ISOLATION will be my favorite album at the end of 2012. It sounds and feels like someone dug up a time capsule and unearthed a lost Memphis G Rap classic. I grew up on rap too, and the average metal/hardcore kid isnt going to know this, but Memphis had a very strong (and very violent and Satanic) underground Rap scene in the 90s. Guys were taking drug money and self releasing these over the top albums that were ultraviolent, hypersexual, and menacing, evil shit about being possessed by cocaine and the devil. Normally it was lo fi and just refused to conform to anything that was happening in the mainstream at the time. They were performing in hole in the wall juke joints where the violent dancing made hardcore/metal shows look just pussy as fuck. Of course, Triple Six Mafia were the frontrunners, and eventually won a grammy, but during its time it was the true definition of DIY in the south and was as brutal as anything a metal band has done. I’m sure most of your readers dont care, but I do, and If anyone wants to get into a longer conversation about Memphis Devil Shyt, just ask me at a show. I can talk about the shit all night. Back to Lil Ugly Mane, he put together an album that pays tribute to the scene I was just talking about, and takes it to new places. It’s bugged out and slammin. The best shit i’ve heard in awhile, I cant stop playing it at all. As far as metal goes, i’m looking forward to the new Torche record. I love everything they have released, and they are one of the best live bands going. I can’t wait for new Weekend Nachos this year. That’s a band that just annihilates, and reminds me of why I fell in love with power violence and sludge in the first place. I can’t really think of anything else.
As far as your band Blvck Pvssy goes, I would have assumed that your band name was pretty unique, however, another band with that name attempted to sue you for rights to it, correct?
Yeah. Fuck them and fuck that shit they pulled. They get no respect, and no one had our band confused with that bullshit. Fuck them. I can’t wait for the day we cross paths. Ive definitely got something for them.
Other than dealing with that, what have you guys been up to lately and what are your plans for the future of the band?
Trying to have fun with it. It’s not about success, it’s about us as homeboys going out and having good times together as a group. Getting some action in our lives and writing music that is fun to play. We plan on keeping it going as long as we can, death or the jailhouse. We’re definitely a band who loves the road and playing out as much as we can with all our friends, but not playing so much that people don’t care anymore. It’s hard for us to tour, and not because we don’t want to, but the fact is, we have responsibilities. When it’s time to play, we always put on a show and no one can take that from us.
I know that in your various bands you’ve been in through the years you have played alot of shows in alot of different places; what is your favorite story from a show or tour?
This one time, we made a couple hundred bucks at a show and drank free. I felt like Pantera. It was tremendous.
You have also played shows with bands like Cough, Rwake, and Goatwhore to name a few; if you could play a show with any active band, who would it be?
If we could play the Thrasher Magazine Texas Deathmatch next year at SXSW, I would shit my mind in joy. My life would have come full circle
You tend to write very angry songs that, I assume are based on real life, however, if you could have only written one song ever, what would it be and why?
A platinum Booty Shake record. Not even joking. If I wrote something that made every girl in the country want to fuck me with the lights on, and it paid me enough money to live comfortably enough to run air condition 24/7/365 with no regard for the law, I could die an extremly happy motherfucker.
Interview with The Flying Humanoids
Lately, i’ve been staying busy working on new things for the site, and today’s post is one i’ve been excited about posting for a while. The Flying Humanoids just released their new album “Arrival” on iTunes a while back, and in less than a month, they’ll be hosting the official cd release show for “Arrival” which also features Torche. I sat down with the Humanoids to ask them a few questions about the album, and music in general. If you haven’t heard “Arrival”, you can check it out on Spotify, iTunes, or you can just come see them play with Torche on March 18.
When people see a Humanoids live show, or listen to “Arrival”, what would you like them to take away from that experience?
Kyle(Guitar/Vox): A neck ache from the uncontrollable urge to bang the shit out of their heads.
Chris(Guitar/Vox): Listening to the album and seeing us live are really two different experiences. When you listen to the album, I would like for people to hear the insane amount of hard work we put into writing those songs, and the passion that we have for putting out a quality product. As for the live experience, I want people to feel the emotion and passion that we have for music. We have an energy on stage like I’ve never felt with any other band I’ve ever been in before, and I think our fans can feel it too. For that hour or so that we’re on stage, we want our listeners to see, hear, and feel the intensity, and leave the show saying,”holy shit! What just happened?”
John Reed(Drums): I would like them to just have a good time, and leave saying “I had one hell of a time!”
Jimmy (Bass): I think that when people hear “Arrival” they are gonna be floored. I truly believe we have the best recording, as far as structure and production quality, of any band in north Louisiana. I think the intensity of our music comes out in our live show as well.
Where did you record “Arrival”? How did you achieve such a great overall tone?
Kyle: The album was recorded in Shreveport, La at Blade Studios. We were actually one of the first bands to record there. A good friend of mine, John Michael Caldwell with Airsick Sounds, recorded, mixed, and co-produced the entire album. He is amazing at what he does and I would highly recommend him to anyone. As for the tone, I recorded through two separate rigs at one time. One was an old Park 100 Watt amp through a Marshall 1960a cab and the other was my custom half stack that I built myself. A 120 Watt tubed amp played through a 400 Watt 4×12 cab. I recorded all of the songs on my vintage telecaster and used the top three strings from a 7 string guitar to add a little beef.
Chris, where do you get the inspiration for your lyrics? Is there any particular theme to the lyrics on Arrival?
Chris: Most of my inspiration comes from life experience and social situations, whether they are for bad or for good. As you know, we recently added Kyle to the the band, and since adding him we share a great deal of the songwriting between the both of us. Some lyrics come from my brain, some from Kyle’s brain, and some we write together. As far as a theme for the album lyrically, there really isn’t one. It’s really a collection of songs that are meant to take you on a different journey, and wherever that journey brings you is solely based on how the listener interprets the lyrics for themselves.
John Reed, how long have you been playing drums? Also, with you having been involved in the local scene for a long time, what would you say seperates The Humanoids from your previous projects?
John Reed: I have been playing drums for 21 years this may the 24th. Every one of the bands ive played in have been all different, i’ll just start with Reno Loner. it was more space rock kinda, Hum like with a lil jam band style in it, kinda like Janes Addiction. With Zebrawolf, alot of people told me it was like a heavy Rolling Stones, although, I dont like the Rolling Stones, but I took it in the best way of them telling me we didnt suck too bad, hehe. The Humanoids just have balls, very big ones, the music is more mature then i’ve been a part of in the past, it has evolved into what it is today, a mix of rock and roll and clever, heavy riffs.
Jimmy, what are your thoughts on the direction the music industry is heading, and are you for or against people downloading your music?
Jimmy: I think the music industry is very DIY for bands like us. As far as downloading, I’m cool with it, because we can reach more people from other parts of the world through torrent sites and and iTunes and stuff like that.
What are your plans for the future of The Humanoids, and where do you see this band in a year or two?
Chris: In the future, I would love nothing more than to be touring regularly and playing as many shows as possible, in as many cities as possible. In the next year or two, I see us being signed with a label, and with a couple of albums under our belts. I guess the main goal would be what every band wants, success.
John Reed: Well, I just wanna have fun with it. If someone happens to hear it at the right place, at the right time, so be it. I think any fellow musician would love to make money off the stuff they write. I just wanna make alot of albums, no matter who likes or dislikes the things we put out in the future. I see us doing whatever life has in store for us.
Jimmy: I try not to plan too far ahead with the band’s future. I like to just take it one day at a time and see where we end up.
Kyle, with you having already gone through the process of being in a band signed to a major label, would you want to go through that process again, or would you rather be signed to a smaller label due to the fragile state of the industry nowadays?
Kyle: I think I was way too young, and it all happened way too fast, to even have an opinion about major vs smaller labels. I wasn’t thinking about how the label was treating us or anything like that, I was just having as much fun as possible. But to be honest, I think I’d be happiest if we could record every album as independently as we did with Arrival, and just get a good booking agent to get us out there with some good bands.
You guys are playing with Torche in March, but they aren’t the first big band you’ve ever played a show with, in fact, i’ll never forget the night you played with Goatwhore at the Blue Monkey. If you could share the stage with any active band, who would it be?
Kyle: I can’t be that honest with this answer, because I’d be just as happy playing with The Bronx as I would be playing with Cave-In. But truthfully, i’d like to open for a band that has a bad show, that way they make us look better hah.
Chris: Well obviously, playing with Torche is a dream come true! I’ve been listening to them for years and I’ve always told the guys that us playing with them would be a perfect match, and one brutally badass show. The one band that I would love to share the stage with would be Queens of the Stone Age. Those guys have been such an influence for me over the years.
John Reed: well it would have to be Cave-in, The Bronx, QOTSA, and definitely Slayer, hehe!
Jimmy: I think I would have to say that right now, Mastodon would be who I’d like to tour with. I think we would be an excellent coupling, and also they are the biggest band in our genre right now.
If you could have written any song ever, what would it be?
Kyle: As completely lame as as it sounds, I’ve always thought that the best song ever written is “Bohemian Rhapsody”, just because it touches every musical tone. It goes from a bad ass acapella intro, to awesome solos, and then the insane opera thing that has still never been touched, then into one of the best rock riffs/vocal lines ever, all to be topped of with a gong. It’s just composed unlike anything I’ve ever heard in my life. Runners up: ELO – Telephone Lines, Maiden – The Trooper, James Brown – Sex Machine, etc.
Chris: “Trains” by Porcupine Tree. I think that is one of the most well rounded, and well written songs in the past 20 years, man. It’s beautifully simple, yet complex with the vocals and the different melodies going on throughout the song. Steven Wilson has always been one of my favorite songwriters, but that song just hits me in this way that I have a hard time explaining. Songs like this one are the reason I play music. If I could write a song like that one day and make people feel the way that song has made me feel so many times, then I’ve accomplished my goal as a musician.
John Reed: Baby Got Back by Sir Mix-A-Lot, that dude knew what he was doing!
Jimmy: About to get really gay with this one now…..probably something like “With or Without You” by U2, “Every Breath You Take” by The Police, or this newer song “Somebody That I Used To Know” by Gotye. Although these are all very “Pop” songs, they are incredibly well written, catchy, emotional songs.
Jams Of The Week 01/23-01/28
So far this year, there haven’t been many big name releases, save for the ones in my previous new releases post, which means i’ve been listening to alot of random music this week and I wanted to post about a few of the records/tapes/cd’s i’ve been jamming because they are all fantastic. If you’ve been listening to anything awesome that you’d like to talk about, please feel free to leave a comment.
King Diamond – Abigail
I purchased this album on vinyl when I had a little bit of Christmas money built up and it was definitely worth the inflated price and lengthy shipment from the U.K. This record is one of my favorite metal records of all time and it sounds absolutely incredible on wax, and since it’s a reissue it includes demos as well which is pretty cool. The King’s howling vocals on this album are easily some of the best he’s ever done, particularly on the song Abigail, the line “i am aliiiiivee insiiiide your wifeeee” is easily one of my favorite lines in any song ever, but the actual musicianship on this album is absolutely astonishing. This album is one of the best concept records i’ve ever heard and they go seamlessly from awesome thrashy riffs and solo’s to a more dramatic, haunting atmosphere.
Sacrifice – Torment In Fire
There are alot of awesome thrash bands from Canada, but Sacrifice are one of my favorites. The record starts off with a very scary intro and then unleashes some of the nastiest, blackest, thrash riffs you’ll ever hear, not to mention some incredible dive-bombs. Unfortunately, Sacrifice are never mentioned in the same breath as other thrash bands, but they really deserve alot more respect because this album is absolutely psycho and should be required listening for anyone who calls themselves a fan of thrash, or even black metal really.
Wolv
es In The Throne Room – Celestial Lineage
I didn’t actually listen to this record when it came out last year because I read some non-favorable reviews calling it boring, but when I saw Southern Lord put it out on cassette, I had no choice but to check it out. Wittr are a band i’ve been a fan of for a while, in fact, they are one of my favorite american black metal bands. This album doesn’t have alot of straight ahead black metal, but the atmosphere it has is very cool and when the black metal parts kick in they are very, very heavy and worth cranking up. Also, the actual cassette itself is black with gold font and looks cool, really all of the packaging is very legit, and I am definitely glad I got this album on one of my favorite formats.
Liberteer – Better to Die on Your Feet Than Live on Your Knees
This album is absolutely insane. I’m not going to say too much about it right now because i’ll be reviewing it on Tuesday, but i’ve listened to it at least six times since i’ve gotten it and each time it gets about ten times better. If it weren’t for the new Napalm Death, I would say this record is, hands down, the winner of best grind album of 2012.
Flying Humanoids – Arrival
This band from Monroe, La are getting ready to unleash this album at their show with Torche on March 18, but I got to hear this record early and it’s absolutely crushing. I’m going to be reviewing it soon, but for now i’ll just say that it has some parts that remind me of The Bronx and Every Time i Die, as well as plenty of moments that would appeal to fans of Baroness, Mastodon, or any number of awesome rock n’ roll bands. I’ll be interviewing these guys in the March issue of the Spazzine and it’s going to be awesome, go check them out.
Jams Of The Week: 01/03-01/07/12
Like any good music nerd, I listen to music as often as i can, and on whatever format I can. I’m starting a new category called “Jams Of The Week” which will spotlight some of the best records, tapes, cd’s, and mp3′s i’ve listened to during the week. I’m going to try and make this an every week column, because it’s incredibly fun for me to write about the music i’ve listened to during the week when i get an over-abundance of tasty jams.
Floor – Below & Beyond 8 disc boxset (Cd)
Floor is a doom metal band formed by Steve Brooks who later formed Torche, it also feaured Juan Montoya from Torche in one of its incarnations. This boxset contains pretty much every song ever written and recorded by this now defunct, sonic titan from Miami, Fl. I heard about Floor a long time ago when I first got into Torche, but never could find anywhere selling their music, so naturally I was very excited to see this boxset get released. This set was released on a version with 8 lps and 8cds and a version with just the cds, I really wanted the vinyl version, but there was no way I could afford it, so when I was at Good Records in Dallas a few months ago and came across it, I elected to purchase the cd only version.
Most of the songs in this collection are from ep’s, and demos, however, there are also 2 full length albums as well, the 2nd of which is their self-titled which is my favorite disc in the set because you can really hear alot of the elements in it that are now employed in Torche, in fact, disc 8 features demos from the self titled album as well as live songs, one of which is “Charge Of The Brown Recluse” which turned into a Torche song. This collection is worth what I paid for it just for the self titled disc, the full length “Dove” and disc 5 which features songs like “Ein”, “Figbender”, and “/Song” which are all full of some of the heaviest noises i’ve ever heard. If you are a fan of Torche, or doom metal in general, this collection is ABSOLUTELY essential, without question.
Exodus – Pleasures Of The Flesh (Cassette)
I recently picked this cassette up at Spazz Records because it dawned on me that, for some reason, I have never heard this album before. After Exodus released “Bonded By Blood” they fired their singer Paul Baloff and hired Steve “Zetro” Souza and signed a major label deal to Sony/Combat Records and thus, Pleasures of the Flesh was born. This album is in the same vein as it’s predecessor, but with Zetro’s howling, Bon Scott influenced vocals, and honestly, I think i enjoy Zetro’s voice more than I do Baloff’s. This album fits in my tape collection perfectly alongside other Exodus classics like “Bonded By Blood” and “Fabulous Disaster” and it is an absolute monster and i’m very glad I finally checked out this album.
Lamb Of God – New American Gospel (Lp)
I’ll never forget the firs time I saw the video for “Black Label” on Headbangers Ball, because it scared the crap out of me. I was iffy about checking this album out back in the day because i thought the album title was stupid, but after listening to it multiple times, I really do believe this album title is appropriate, due to the fact that it set down the groundwork for a brand new breed of american heavy metal. This record is full of preposterously fast and complicated drums, monster riffs ripped straight from the Pantera discograhpy, and some of the meanest vocals i’ve ever heard. With all the hoopla that will soon be surrounding their new album, I saw this in the store the other day and felt the need to pick it up to be reminded of the band I used to be obsessed with, instead of the commerical metal machine they are nowadays, and after giving it a few spins, i’m very glad that I did, because this record is an absolute beast.
Dark Angel – Darkness Descends (Cassette)
I previously wrote about this cassette in my “music buying adventures christmas day cassette shopping” post and I finally got around to listening to it in my car and i’m very lucky I didn’t run anybody over because this album is incredibly intense. It’s got that awesome old school thrash metal vibe combined with some of the greatest thrash metal drumming ever courtesy of Gene Hoglan the human drum machine. For some reason this album and band are incredibly underrated, but it’s easily one of the highlights of the genre for sure. Also, unlike some tapes, it’s very loud which makes it even more fun to drive fast to.
Autopsy – Mental Funeral (Lp)
I bought this record on Amazon a couple weeks ago and when it arrived I was very excited, I then showed the super gory album cover to my wife and she gave me a very confused look in return. This is one of the all time greatest death metal albums ever, and it boasts one of the greatest album covers ever, actually, every Autopsy album cover could be on that list. When I put the record on, I was pleasantly surprised to see that it was printed on red vinyl and it’s back cover was hand-numbered by Peaceville number 1329/2000. As far as the sound goes, the drums and vocals sound like they were recorded 6 feet under my house while the guitars and bass were recorded in my bathroom, so needless to say, it sounds exactly like it’s supposed to.
