Admittedly, the holidays caught me in quite a stranglehold and I’m just now finding the time to work on my best of 2012 lists. I know we’re halfway into January already, but I’m going to ignore that fact and pretend it’s mid-December, haha.
The first of my best 0f 2012 lists consists of my favorite live bands of 2012. Granted, I saw quite a few of these bands at Maryland Death Fest, I also saw a few great tours, as well as a ton of awesome local shows. If you had a particular favorite live show from 2012, leave a comment below, also be on the look out for my top 100 favorite metal albums of 2012 coming soon.
The Flying Humanoids – I took in quite a few local shows this year, but none was more impressive than the first time Torche played at The Corner Bar. Obviously Torche were incredible, but I feel that The Humanoids also stood out big time that night. I’ve seen them numerous times this year, and every single time I was impressed at how much heart they put into their music.
Prestor John – Prestor John has been kicking around in one incarnation or another for a while, but with the addition of Matt from Repeat Offenders on drums, as well as Mitch from The Heritage on bass, the elevated to a new level in 2012. Their sound is a mixture of blues, funk, jazz and good ole foot-stompin rock n’ roll ran through a blender, and stirred to perfection.
Jethro Skull – These guys played their first shows ever this year, and though they are still new on the scene, they’ve already left a major impression. Their first show was with The Stovebolts and SuperCrush, two out of town punk bands who were great, but due to their horrifying amalgamation of old school classic rock, thrash metal and skate punk, Jethro Skull stole the evening without question.
Mailbomber – I wrote about Mailbomber quite a bit last year, so if you read this site much, you have an idea how I feel about them. Every time I saw them, whether it was in the confines of an incredible doom show, or in a parking lot during the Art Crawl, their unique mix of punk, death, grind and sludge was a welcome breeze of stinking air.
Red Shield – There were quite a few great bands on tour that graced Monroe this year, but none brought as much volume as Red Shield. They are a crushing doom band from Lafayette, La, and I saw them, alongside Mailbomber, at one of a few awesome doom shows Tsunami held this year. They had a huge wall of amps behind them, and each appeared to be cranked to 11, so needless to say, they left my ears ringing for a number of days afterward.
Saint Vitus – I was actually fortunate enough to see these guys twice this year, once at MDF and again in Little Rock. They are absolutely crushing live, plus they play every song from their new album live, which rules. They were easily one of the best live bands I saw all year.
Napalm Death – I never thought I’d get the chance to see these guys live, but I’m glad I was wrong because they kill! They played a ton of songs from their new record, one of the best of 2012, and they also played at least one song from most of their albums, which was incredible.
Nasum – Of all the bands I saw in 2012, none were as intense as Nasum. They are my favorite grind band of all time, so it was awesome to catch them on their farewell tour, especially because it was the most chaotic thing I’ve ever witnessed.
Rwake – Like Saint Vitus, I saw Rwake twice this year. Once was at MDF, the other was at a show in Little Rock. They’re a band I’ve been obsessed with for a number of years now, and their performance at MDF was the most jarring thing I witnessed all year.
Haemorrhage – Unfortunately, I’d never actually seen a goregrind band live before until I saw Haemorrhage at MDF. They ended up becoming one of the best bands of the festival for me. They performed their medical-themed carnage in scrubs and nurse costumes, which was pretty cool, but my favorite memory of their set was the constant stream of crowd-surfing throughout their set…it was absolutely beautiful.
Ghoul – When it comes to live shows, Ghoul is like a thrash metal version of Gwar. Throughout their set, they had different people in costumes coming out and spraying blood on the crowd, they also had a giant robot named Killbot make an appearance. I was excited to see them beforehand, and I knew they put on a good show, but I never expected them to be one of the greatest live shows I’ve ever witnessed, which is exactly what they were.
Suffocation – “We’re Suffocation from New York, and if it’s alright with you, we’re gonna play some brutal death metal”. These guys are absolute legends in the death metal scene, and seeing them live was an absolute honor for me.
Godflesh – The only thing cooler than seeing Godflesh, is the fact that they played right after Justin’s old band Napalm Death. Their set was definitely one of the coolest things I’ve ever witnessed, specifically because of the amazing crowd response to their opener “Like Rats”.
Tsjuder – Before going to MDF, I had never seen a corpse-painted black metal band. There were quite a few at the fest last year, but none stood out as much as these Norwegian legends. I hadn’t listened to them much before seeing them, so I was shocked at how incredible they were. Overall, they stood out as the biggest surprise of the weekend for me.
Electric Wizard – I still can’t believe I saw this band live, honestly. They are one of the best doom bands of all time, and they were also the last band I saw at MDF, and they absolutely murdered. I’m thankful that I can check hearing “Funeralopolis” off of my bucket list.
Crowbar – I’ve seen Crowbar a few times before, and they absolutely kill every time. Seeing them last year was particularly cool, because they played a lot of songs from Sever The Wicked Hand, one of the best albums of their career.
Prong – I’ve been a fan of Prong for a while, so getting to see them on the same bill as Crowbar was absolutely magical. Cooler than that though, is the fact that this show was the day their newest album Carved Into Stone came out, coincidentally it’s one of my favorite albums of the year, so it was nice to hear a few songs from it live.
Converge – Converge are another band I saw in 2012 who was on my bucket list. Everything about their performance was absolute perfection. I was particularly impressed at how well Kurt Ballou pulls off everything by himself live, as well as the drumming prowess of Ben Koller. I half-assumed they would sound weaker live than they do on albums, but they actually sound the same, something that blew my mind completely.
Torche – Astonishingly enough, I actually got to see Torche three times this year. Once was in Little Rock with Converge, the other two were at The Corner Bar in Monroe with The Flying Humanoids. The most memorable of the three shows to me, was the second show at The Corner Bar when they played a set consisting mostly of songs from Harmonicraft, as well as a song from their Harmonslaught 7″. Next to Saint Vitus and Iron Maiden, they were my favorite live act of the year.
Weedeater – Though I had seen Weedeater once before in Monroe, nothing compares to seeing them on a bill with Saint Vitus, Rwake and Yob. Dixie Dave is one of the more interesting frontmen you’ll ever see, and their live show is one of the heaviest things you’ll ever witness.
Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers – Though 2012 was a definitive year for me as far as metal shows go, it was also the first time I got to see Tom Petty live, and I’m so thankful for that fact. The man is an incredible showman, and he knows exactly how to rock the hell out of an arena. Few things are better than hearing “American Girl” live.
ZZ Top – I had seen ZZ Top live once before, but nothing could compare to seeing them in a casino. I saw them at the Paragon casino in Marksville, La, and this was by far one of the loudest concerts I’ve ever witnessed. Whether it was the acoustics, or whether Billy Gibbons was trying to cater to his older audience I’m not sure, but I do know that seeing ZZ Top playing live with the volume of a Motorhead concert was absolutely incredible. Plus, they played songs from their new album La Futura which was cool, because it’s absolutely incredible!
Fiona Apple – One of the key elements of marriage is achieving a good balance. In my case, balance means that when my wife sees ZZ Top and Saint Vitus with me, I have to go see Fiona Apple with her. This show actually took place just a few days after she got arrested for possession of hash at the Texas border. Though she didn’t mention the arrest at all, you could tell she was relieved to be back on stage again. She played quite a few songs from her newest album, as well as some older classics, but she didn’t play “Criminal”, which was kind of a letdown, but also expected given the circumstances. Admittedly, I’ve always kind of had an appreciation for her music, so hearing these songs in a live setting was very cool.
Iron Maiden – It felt like I had been waiting my whole life to see Iron Maiden live. Fortunately, I finally got the chance last year on their Maiden England tour. Admittedly, I’m glad I waited til that tour to see them, because they played most of their biggest hits, as well as a few gems like “The Prisoner”, which made me happy. This tour also gave me a greater appreciation for the Seventh Son Of A Seventh Son album as well. After the show, I proclaimed that Maiden is the greatest live band I’ve ever seen, and five months later, I still feel the same way. UP THE IRONS!
January 12, 2013 | Categories: Listomania, Show Reviews | Tags: converge, crowbar, electric wizard, fiona apple, ghoul, godflesh, haemorrhage, iron maiden, jethro skull, mailbomber, napalm death, nasum, prestor john, prong, red shield, rwake, saint vitus, suffocation, the flying humanoids, tom petty, torche, weedeater, zz top | Leave A Comment »
As I stated in the previous post, I’m trying to get coverage on the site for great albums that I wouldn’t normally cover. This post comes from my friend Duane Berry and covers two of the most surprising albums of the year. Enjoy!
Bob Dylan – Tempest
The Energizer Bunny is back and nothing is as it seems. Bob Dylan, 71 years old has just released his 59th recording and somehow, he seems just like a kid in a musical candy store. Just like a Halloween Haunted House, nothing is as it seems 50 years after his debut release. Not many can say that. We get the raspy sound that comes with so many years of experience, a sound that not many stick around long enough to get. In fact, Dylan stands alone on that front, with the exception of Johnny Cash before he passed, we’ll see about Jagger on the upcoming Stones tour however. And nobody saw it coming. Not the guy at the record store with the funny haircut, not the cop on the corner and not the girl that says ” Oh I Love Him ” when I skip eating food at lunch to drive around and do my Dylan singalong. This is the vocal perfection of blue eyed blues, a gutteral, soulful sound that couldn’t sound pop with a mouthful of firecrackers. And yet, this Dylan is an acquired taste, just as it always has been. Either you get it, or you don’t. And that’s just the vocal styling.
The songs on this disc are more outpourings than songs. Dylan has never written just songs, they are more like events in time. He wanted to make this a religious recording and in some ways he was successful. It begins with the New Orleans styled ” Duquense Whistle ” that is a song of long wasted years and love gone slower. Some of the songs here are harsh and crude, but that’s just Dylan. On ” Payin In Blood” he makes it clear that the blood isn’t his. Dylan is a master of toying with each phrase and drawing the song out ala ” Long and Wasted Years “. The themes of love, struggle, death are all familiar turf but somehow seem to evolve on this release to be his darkest themed release in years.
This is also his longest recording to date with a 7 minute version of ” Scarlet Town ” and a 14 minute version of the title cut which is about the Titanic. There is also a tribute to John Lennon, ” Roll on John :” Well crafted songs, excellently produced adds up to another legendary recording by the master.
ZZ Top – La Futura
This is the first studio recording for that lil ole band from Texas in 9 years, and it is a doozy. If you got the” Texicali” EP and said yeah that’s cool, put the computer down and go back to the record store and buy this CD. It is nothing like the EP. This will easily go down as one of their best ever recordings. This Rick Rubin/Billy Gibbons production was well worth the wait. It is not a real high energy production but more of a laid back, gritty, bluesy and sometimes soulful recording.
It all starts with “Gotsta Get Paid”, a pin cushion rap type song, then swiftly moves on to “Chatrreuse” which was the best cut from ” Texicali ” You can quickly hear that the EP of this was just a teaser as the remastering totally completes each previous track. After that, it’s off to Fandangoland. ” Consumption ” is just nasty. With the fuzzy guitars and with no digital footprint this disc comes out as free sounding and fun. The interesting thing is that this recording, their 15th studio release, was done in Houston and not on their home turf of Pedernales Studio in Austin which has traditionally been the ultimate home turf studio.
About cut #5, ” Heartache in Blue “, all pretenses are dropped and it becomes a full blown ZZ Top back to basics recording that is destined to be listed as the best thing done since Eliminator. I realize that is a bold statement but consider this, NASA Astronaut Mike Fossum, a big ZZ Top fan from South Texas, liked it so much he had it played on board the Soyuz spacecraft on the way to dock with the International Space station.
I realized this was a special disc when I said to myself if something happened to this disc, I would immediately go buy another one. ” Flying High ” is the perfect ZZ Top song, it is everything that is good about ZZ Top,and the songs just keep getting better as they go. By the time it gets to ” Have a little Mercy” you can’t help but be amazed that with few small exceptions these guys have managed to create an incredibly real, gritty, well written, well produced release, and as much as it has the ZZ Top feel to it and it stands alone. If there is still such a thing as rock radio, they better be all over this.
September 28, 2012 | Categories: Guest Posts, Record Reviews | Tags: bob dylan, zz top | Leave A Comment »
Today starts my end of the year lists that i’ll be unleashing every day from now until January 1st. I’ve decided to start off with a list of the 20 best bands i saw live this year. Like any self respecting music geek, I go to shows, ALOT of shows in fact, however, this year i didnt see as many shows as i wanted to, but i saw some pretty amazing stuff nonetheless. So, without further ado, this is a list (in no particular order) of the 20 bands I saw in 2011 who helped make my year just a little better.
Judas Priest
These guys are absolutely legendary and i got to see them on their final world tour. Thanks to a setlist spanning their entire discograhy and all the fire, lasers, video effects, and rock n’ roll mayhem of one of their shows from the 80′s, this was an incredible show.
Thin Lizzy
These guys opened up for Judas Priest and they were, by far, the greatest opening band i’ve ever seen. Their setlist included all of my favorite songs, and their current lineup brings the thunder as good as can be expected, particularly because of the original members it boasts.
Foo Fighters
Dave Grohl is an absolute monster! His stage presence is absolutely unbelievable and he makes you feel like he is playing just for you. They also had an awesome stage set up and played an almost 3 hour set that included hit after poppy hit.
Motorhead
These guys opened for Foo Fighters, proving what i said earlier about Dave Grohl being an absolute monster. Lemmy still looks and sounds and plays as good as he did in the 70′s and 80′s and their setlist is a good mix of the old classics with their faster, heavier, newer songs. Nothing can top the moment they first launch into “Ace Of Spades”
Big Business
This was their first tour in a couple of years and you could tell that their time with The Melvins has done them some good. These guys were full of thunder and nothing rules more than hearing them play “Hands Up” live.
Torche
This band is one of the loudest i’ve ever seen live. They played mostly stuff from the last 2 albums but it was so loud and heavy that it didn’t matter what they played, they could have made a set of Huey Lewis & The News covers sound brutal as hell.
Helms Alee
Of the 3 bands i saw that night (they played with Big Business and Torche), i was surprised to find that these guys were my favorite of the evening. They play through amps that were made by Ben Verellen himself and the tone was absolutely crushing. Their album is such an awesome mix of Mastodon-esque riffs and some awesome shoegaze parts to make one of the funnest rock n’ roll albums of the year and they translated perfectly live
Helmet
Saw these guys on the Metalalliance tour along with the next 3 bands on this list and Helemt were by far, the highlight for me. They played all of “Meantime” plus select songs from “Betty” and their latest album “Seeing Eye Dog”. Even though “Meantime” is my favorite Helmet album, my favorite Helmet song is “Tic” and they played it by request, which is the sweetest (and heaviest) thing ever!
Crowbar
It’s been a few years since i’ve seen these guys and I was terribly bummed that the last 2 times they played near me i had to miss for various reasons, so i was very glad to get to see them again, and in New Orleans of all places! They have Kirk Windstein from Down, Pat Bruders, who’s now in down, and Tommy Buckley from Soilent Green in their lineup currently which means seeing Crowbar live is like getting crushed by an asteroid. Also, their new songs translate amazing to their live show.
Saint Vitus
It’s been a very long time since Saint Vitus has toured, so i was very fortunate to get to see them live. Dave Chandler’s tone sounded absolutely amazing, and Wino’s voice sounded perfect. They played a set full of some absolutely crushing tunes, and they even played a new song which i can’t wait to hear on an album soon.
Kylesa
This was my second time seeing Kylesa, and this time was way better, mostly because they had the projector with the Spiral Shadow album cover spinning around which created an incredible atmosphere. Not much can be said about a Kylesa live show except for the fact that it is something I will never forget. The double drum assault sounds killer and works perfect together, and Phillip and Laura’s vocals sound perfect, and the guitars are super heavy. They are one of the best current metal bands i’ve ever seen live.
Lynyrd Skynyrd
I actually saw these guys live twice this year. The first time was at Universal Studios in Orlando, Fl as part of their mardi gras celebration. The second time i saw them was in Shreveport, La with ZZ Top, and i have to say, they killed both times. There aren’t many original members except for Gary Rossington, however, most of the people that make up this current incarnation are all apart of the family somehow and weren’t just brought in to collect a paycheck, these guys absolutely kill it and they also played my favorite Skynyrd song “Gimme Back My Bullets” which rules.
ZZ Top
Seeing these guys on the same bill as Lynyrd Skynyrd was a classic rock/southern rock nerd’s dream show. They came out with their signature beards and flashy stage show and they played every major hit they’ve ever written, and the best part is that they didn’t play an encore, which is another reason why I love these guys.
Steely Dan
I still can’t decide whether Steely Dan or just being able to hang out on the beach in Alabama was the highlight of this weekend, but regardless, ‘The Dan killed it. These guys are one of the more underrated bands in classic rock history, but even 40 years into their career, Donald Fagen ‘s voice sounds as upbeat as ever, and Walter Becker can still shred. But the best part is that their touring lineup is full of the best jazz and classically trained musicians they could find and they certainly bring new life to songs that are already full of it.
Flaming Lips
I saw these guys at the Bealse Street Music Festival along with the next 2 bands on this list and i must say, this was by far, the most uplifting show i’ve ever seen. I don’t really listen to them much, but the combination of their beautiful music, bright lights, balloons, lasers, and many more ridiculously awesome things, coupled with a wonderful stage presence makes them a band that i must see again and am now a big time fan of.
Mgmt
These guys played right before the Flaming Lips and they were using the same huge screen for their set and had some amazing videos playing during their set which worked very well with their awesomely poppy music. Also, they kept updating the crowd on the score of the Memphis Grizzlies game that was going on just a few blocks away during their set, which i, as a sports fan, found to be super awesome.
Sublime With Rome
This band is the original bassist and drummer of Sublime with Rome Ramirez on guitar and vocals and they are absolutely fantastic. They played all of the Sublime songs i wanted to hear, and quite a few from their new album which turned out to be one of my favorite records of 2011.
Karma To Burn
These guys are desert rock legends and I actually saw them in Monroe which was kind of random. They are an instrumental band, but their drummer and bassist are so phenomenal that no vocals are necessary to keep these songs entertaining; their songs are full of bone-breaking riffs and dizzying tempo changes and they were definitely the best intrumental band I’ve seen all year…and the only.
Jucifer
Without question, this was the loudest band i’ve ever seen…not just in 2011, but EVER. Their guitarist Amber Valentine had, what seemed to me, 15 amps hooked up and every one of them was turned up to full volume. My ears were literally ringing for 3 days after this show, no lie. Their songs don’t really translate live the way they do on their records, but they were very enjoyable, and loud, and enjoyably loud, and it’s great to see a band from Relapse Records come to Monroe.
Thou
I’m not sure what made the one and only time i saw Thou weirder…the fact that it was inside a theater inside the Lsu art museum, or the fact that they only played 4 songs with a total set of about 25 minutes. Regardless of their set length, however, is the fact that they absolutely killed. They played loud and slow and let loose an almost unrelenting pummeling on the hipsters that were crowded around and it was glorious.
December 28, 2011 | Categories: Listomania | Tags: thin lizzy, motorhead, judas priest, helmet, foo fighters, dave grohl, jucifer, karma to burn, thou, big business, torche, helms alee, crowbar, saint vitus, kylesa, lynyrd skynyrd, zz top, steely dan, flaming lips, mgmt, sublime with rome, beale street music fest | Leave A Comment »
Bob Dylan – Tempest
