John Zorn – In The Hall Of Mirrors (2014)

John Zorn – In The Hall Of Mirrors (2014)

John Zorn – In The Hall Of Mirrors (2014) Under the John Zorn moniker a lot of quite different records are released regularly. He write classic music, chamber music and all sort of experimental jazz sometimes with roots back to Jewish traditional music, sometimes tripping over the frontiers of our average perception. “In The Hall Of Mirrors” features three extraordinary talented musicians, a rhythm section made of bassist Greg Cohen and drummer Tyshawn Sorey, and the virtuoso pianist Stephen Gosling. We’ve got 48.46 minutes of sparkling, refreshing, intense, still extremely enjoyable experimental (jazz) music.
Blending classical and jazz music, this is a breathtaking and intense album throughout, reveling new dimensions and sounds, introducing the listeners to a limitless open space full of flavors and surprises. The performance of Stephen Gosling it’s fascinating and very inspired, while the dynamic rhythm section of Cohen and Sorey offers a breathtaking and solid groundwork. Simply splendid! Read more John Zorn – In The Hall Of Mirrors (2014)

Guns N’ Roses – Appetite for Democracy, Live at the Hard Rock Casino, Las Vegas (2014)

Appetite for Democracy

Appetite for Democracy This was a series of concerts started on October 31, 2012 by Guns N’ Roses celebrating 25 years from the release of their 28 million copies worldwide selling album “Appetite for Destruction” (1987), album which reached No. 1 on the Billboard 200, including the super-hit “Sweet Child o’ Mine”, their only single to reach No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100; and four years since the release of their latest album “Chinese Democracy” (2008). The last of this shows was on June 7, 2014 in The Joint at Las Vegas, also part of their second residency at The Joint titled “No Trickery! An Evening of Destruction” consisted in 9 shows.
Produced by Barry Summers from Rock Fuel Media was filmed live at The Joint at the Hard Rock Casino in Las Vegas on November 21, 2012, and it was filmed entirely in Full HD/3D. The recording includes 25 songs, all the classic Guns N’ Roses hits, but also a few surprises as the guitar solo and track by guitarist Tommy Stinson or the Pink Floyd cover “Another Brick in the Wall Part 2”. 2 hours and 43 minutes of wild, irresistible Guns N’ Roses. Read more Guns N’ Roses – Appetite for Democracy, Live at the Hard Rock Casino, Las Vegas (2014)

Upon A Burning Body – The World Is My Enemy Now (2014)

Upon A Burning Body – The World Is My Enemy Now (2014)

Upon A Burning Body – The World Is My Enemy Now (2014) I’m not really into deathcore, but accidentally I saw the video of “Sin City” and it’s really a great song filled up with killer riffs, smart breaks and wickedly crafted hooks. So, it made me curious about their upcoming third and deadly album, “The World Is My Enemy Now”.
And “Red Razor Wrists” it’s just like a punch right to your face, leave no room for mistakes and take your breath away instantly. The smoothly incorporated scratches and electronics and the murderous guitars with the furious vocals of Danny culminating with a catchy chorus make this one to be the perfect opener and convinced me that Upon A Burning Body it’s a band worth to follow. Read more Upon A Burning Body – The World Is My Enemy Now (2014)

Skid Row – Rise Of The Damnation Army – United World Rebellion: Chapter Two [EP] (2014)

Skid Row - Rise Of The Damnation Army - United World Rebellion Chapter Two [EP] (2014)

Skid Row - Rise Of The Damnation Army - United World Rebellion Chapter Two [EP] (2014) Skid Row are back again. And “We Are The Damned” it’s a kick-ass rock’n’roll anthem, one of the best Skid Row songs they ever delivered. It’s irresistible and unstoppable. As rock music should be. The rest of the EP it’s composed of 3 more rocking heavy metal flavored songs, a quite forgettable balled and 2 solid rock covers: Queens’s “Sheer Heart Attack”, and the Aerosmith’s classic “Rats In The Cellar”. Except the 2 covers, the build-up of this EP it’s similar with the last year released “Chapter One” EP.
This is a solid, enjoyable, American heavy metal release, but I’m not sure if it’s good enough to bring back Skid Row to where they belong, at the top of the rock. If back in ’96 opening for Kiss felt to Rachel Bolan unacceptable and finally lead to fire Sebastian Bach, the guys now opening in Europe for Saxon, a good, but mediocre British heavy metal band.
Solinger it’s for 15 years now the lead singer of Skid Row and he’s doing a really fine job, no use to wait for Bach to come back, but enjoy this fine piece of American rock release. Read more Skid Row – Rise Of The Damnation Army – United World Rebellion: Chapter Two [EP] (2014)

’68 – In Humor And Sadness (2014)

'68 - In Humor And Sadness (2014)

'68 - In Humor And Sadness (2014) I admit, I was afraid this will be another noiscore/crossover post-hardcore whatever album, but fortunately I was wrong. If you miss the raw energy and fury of the Bleach era Kurt Cobain, but you’re even more hardcore and garage punk oriented, it’s very possible that “In Humor And Sadness” might be your next very best friend. It’s neat, it’s wild, it’s in your face, still quite musical and hitting instantly, getting under your skin quickly and for good.
’68 was formed in 2013 by guitarist and vocalist Josh Scogin formerly of Norma Jean and The Chariot and drummer Michael McClellan. They released same year a self-released EP titled “Midnight” including two tracks: “Three is a Crowd” and “Third Time is a Charm”. The initial pressing of Midnight sold out in less than one day, and the indie label No Sleep Records re-released it with new artwork on April 1, 2014.
In May 2014, ’68 announced they signing to Good Fight Music and eOne Music for the release of their debut album, “In Humor and Sadness”, due to be released on July 8, 2014. To promote the album, ’68 released a pair of YouTube videos, which had to be played in unison in order to hear “Track Two: E”. Such a wild idea, isn’t it??! The song “Track One: R” was also available for online streaming ahead of the album’s release. Read more ’68 – In Humor And Sadness (2014)

Liars – Mess (2014)

Liars – Mess (2014)

Liars – Mess (2014) Dance-punk? In the good old days when punk (rock) actually meant something, I mean more then a dress code or a hair style, dance-punk would be an insult or a blasphemy, but those days are long gone and the whole idea was diluted and our perception distorted. There is no more ideology, no moral concepts and generally, no content, substance in the music – and arts – generally.
But Liars it’s a completely different story!
If their previous album, “WIXIW” released in 2012 was a clear move into the electronic/synthetic area of the music, while some critics consider it the “most accessible album to date” by the band. “Mess” bring the experiments and sounds of its predecessor right up to the dancefloor. So, this is dance-punk, but in a very good sense.
And maybe this is not the album of the year – although I love it throughout -, the almost title track of the record, “Mess On A Mission” it’s so far, the song, the anthem of the year. Once you heard it, you can not get rid of it and you will have to sing/scream along: “Facts are fact and fiction’s fiction… A mess on a mission, Mess on a mission!!” Read more Liars – Mess (2014)

Massive – Full Throttle (2014)

Massive - Full Throttle (2014)

Massive - Full Throttle (2014) While AC/DC is about retirement, Australia seems to find – finally – their new rock’n’roll Gods. In a world of hybrid and alternative musics, a world of fakes and imitations, a world of consume and (tasteless) products, it’s both eccentric and refreshing to hear some good old fashioned guitar riffs and neat, but goddamn exciting rock’n’roll grooves, screams and pounding drums.
And this is what Massive it’s all about. High-octane, rock’n’roll flavored hard rock. A little bit of AC/DC, some powerful Led Zeppelin riffs, the energy of Guns’N’Roses with the true blood hard rock melodies of Darkness, and the result it’s explosive and deadly. “One by One” will raise the dead and it will ringing in your ears for days once it gets into your system. This is truly infectious! Maybe they didn’t re-invent the rock, but they do it right!
Probably since “Appetite for Destruction” we didn’t have something so ferocious and irresistible. So, ladies and gentlemen, let’s go to the motherf*ckin’ dancefloor!! Read more Massive – Full Throttle (2014)

(hed) p.e. – Evolution (2014)

(hed) p.e. - Evolution (2014)

(hed) p.e. - Evolution (2014) I had falling in love with (hed) p.e. a lifetime ago when drunk in a bar I heard for the first time their song “Bartender”. I write about that when they released in 2009 the killer album entitled “New World Orphans” and mention it again, one year later when they delivered “Truth Rising”, their eighth studio album.
Four years might feels like another lifetime, but Jared Gomes is back and he is furious, maybe even more determined then ever. Those wicked riffs, those dub and reggae flavored grooves and hardcore rooted intensity are always refreshing, although sometimes some of them are sound quite familiar.
Hed PE, also known as (hed) Planet Earth and stylized as (həd) p.e. was formed by Vocalist Jared Gomes, also known as “M.C.U.D.” (MC Underdog), and guitarist Wes Geer in 1994 and released the self-financed extended play, “Church of Realities” only one year later.
They signed with Jive Records, releasing their self-titled debut album in 1997. Unfortunately, due to the label’s contractual terms and the disappointing sales of the album, the band found themselves unable to repay the cash advances given to them by Jive. Gomes is quoted as saying “We had these romantic visions of the music industry, and we thought it would be cool to be a punk band on a rap label. So we fulfilled that dream, but it was also probably the worst thing that could have happened. We’ve had offers from Sony and others that we can’t take because we owe Jive so much money.” Read more (hed) p.e. – Evolution (2014)

Powerman 5000 – Builders Of The Future (2014)

Powerman 5000 - Builders Of The Future (2014)

Powerman 5000 - Builders Of The Future (2014) Straight forward industrial rock/metal in the very best tradition of White Zombie/Rob Zombie, Powerman 5000, finally, are back with the “Builders Of the Future”, their seventh studio album, the follow up of their 2009’s “Somewhere on the Other Side of Nowhere” and their truly wicked cover album of 2011 “Copies, Clones & Replicants”.
The “Hi Fi Sci Fi Electro Metal Robot Rockers” are the children, builders of the future and they seems to be determined to destroy everything and come back for more, do it all over again. Introducing a few new tricks and elements of modern sound, but devoted to their Zombie flavored industrial rock/metal sound, Powerman 5000 are doing what they always did the best: delivering a couple of catchy, banging, irresistible American industrial rock anthems. It’s not brain surgery, it’s entertainment. Quality entertainment. Read more Powerman 5000 – Builders Of The Future (2014)

Dog Fashion Disco – Sweet Nothings (2014)

Dog Fashion Disco - Sweet Nothings (2014)

Dog Fashion Disco - Sweet Nothings (2014) Originally named Hug The Retard, Dog Fashion Disco was formed in 1995 by Todd Smith, Greg Combs, and John Ensminger in Rockville, Maryland. Tod, Greg and John were high school colleagues. Combining many different music styles from the 70’s psychedelic, through jazz to heavy metal and circus music, Dog Fashion Disco was categorized as avant-garde metal band being heavily influenced by Mike Patton’s Mr. Bungle. The band’s lyrical content is often highly esoteric and satirical, with constant tongue-in-cheek references to the occult, drug use, and other oddities.
Their first two albums were self released and low budget products. The first – “Erotic Massage” (1997) – was funded by a loan taken out by drummer John Ensminger. The second self-released album was titled “Experiments In Alchemy” and released in 1998. While the first album was Read more Dog Fashion Disco – Sweet Nothings (2014)