Sunday, March 29, 2009
VOLBEAT
Guitar Gangsters & Cadillac Blood
Mascot Records
A dash of Misfits, a pinch of Johnny Cash, and a touch of Life of Agony. Mix it all together and what do you get? Danish Elvis-Metal rockers, Volbeat. These guys have just been introduced to me and I am thoroughly impressed! I, along with thousands of other fans, have always been a fan of the Misfits (and yes, I am privy to the Michale Graves era over the Glen Danzig...fuck off) but do not for a second think Volbeat is another Misfits clone. No sirree. Think of Volbeat as the guys who will fill the need for a metalbilly genre. Don't think they're metal? Check out the raging double bass and melting riffs on Hallelujah Goat and get back to me.
TOP TRACKS: Back to Prom, Hallelujah Goat, Maybellene Hofteholder, We, Wild Rover of Hell, Light A Way
FINAL VERDICT: I've been searching for something like these guys ever since the Misfits and Graves split ways and Jerry Only thought he can be a one man band. 50s style swing-rock fused with rockabilly and metal. You really can't go wrong. Check out their rendition of I'm So Lonely I Could Cry and their cover of Social Distortion's Making Believe. But why, for the love of Danish patries would you go on tour with Nightwish!?
MASTODON
Crack the Sky
Relapse Records
Prog metal has seen some talent injected into itself in recent times. (Gojira, High on Fire, The Sword, etc...) But none have left the scene wanting more such as Mastodon. I'll be the first to say I don't know all too much of the band. I know I liked a few songs off Leviathan and who the hell didn't like Remissions? That being said I gotta say I'm pretty disappointed with Crack the Sky. Musically its on par with or as good as anything else the band has released but vocally I think its crap. At times I thought I was listening to Ozzy as the vocals on Crack the Sky are a shitload more cleaner than any previous release. I'm not too happy about that as I'm a firm believer in "if it ain't broke, don't go and change your vocal style".
TOP TRACKS: Crack the Sky, Divinations
FINAL VERDICT: Maybe I'm just not big enough a Mastodon fan to appreciate the band and what they do musically. I could do without 10 minute tracks and as said earlier the Ozzy-like vocals, but these guys can definitely play, bar none. With that I decided to post an old video instead of something off the new album.
DEATHCYCLE
Prelude to Tyranny
Lifeline Records
Yawn. No disrespect but its all been done 3x over already. Deathcycle recently played their final show and from what I hear it was a pretty sick way to go out. Sadly I have never seen them live.
R.I.P. Deathcycle
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