ALBUM REVIEW: Times of Grace- Hymn of a Broken Man

Current and former members of New England metal outfit Killswitch Engage branch off to record an aggressive but yet very emotional new album. This record is the brainchild of the current guitarist of KSE, Adam Dutkiewicz, (or Adam D as he's more widely known because his last name is so fucking odd to pronounce) and the former lead singer of KSE Jesse Leach.

While on tour with KSE in the U.K., Adam D. required emergency back surgery which left him with ample recovery and down time. While recuperating, he began writing music not intended to be on his current band's next album. With most of the guitar and bass parts demoed, he realized that he didn't want to make his side project an instrumental gig; so Adam got on the horn and contacted the original singer of KSE Jesse Leach.* Naming themselves Times of Grace the duo began recording material back in 2008. Now after some delays here and there, the album aptly titled 'Hymn of a Broken Man' finally hit the shelves. 

Album Review after the jump...

ALBUM REVIEW: Soilwork-The Panic Broadcast

July 13th marked the highpoint of heavy metal and music in general this year when Soilwork released their 8th studio album, The Panic Broadcast. Soilwork, for those don't know, hail from Helsingborg, Sweden; also the home of fellow metallers In Flames. Known as the "godfathers of the Gothenburg sound", they've helped shape and form the mold of modern melodic death metal that we all know today.

This album is a audio cliche, which is definitely a good thing in this case. The cliche of which I speak of is the default answer that is always given by a band when asked about their upcoming album. Which usually goes like this, Interviewer: "So tell us about your new record, [INSERT TITLE]." Band Member: "Well, ya know we really just wanted to take whole different direction with this record. It doesn't sound like anything we've ever done before. But you can still tell it's us, its still got our sound." 

This album has the band getting back to their roots, while exploring new territory both musically and vocally. Partly due to two new/old guitarists joining the band. The new guitarist, Sylvain Coudret joined back in 2008 shortly after the release of their 7th album. And the other new guitarist, Peter Wichers joined last year, which makes him the newest member, but since he started the band back in 1995, he's the older member. Confused? Yeah, me too. Wichers, left the band back in 2005 to pursue a music career in the producing side of things. Apparently after hearing their last album Sworn to a Great Divide, realized his band needed him back to steer them back to the right course. Not that that album was bad, it just wasn't a "Soilwork" album. So he made his triumphant return and with the help of Sylvain Coudret they really tear shit up!! 


Peter Wichers isn't the only member to return to the band; even though he technically never left, drummer Dirk Verbeuren has made his mark as one the best drummers in music. Never slacking in the percussion department, he seemed to have always been told to hold back on intensity on previous records. BUT NOT ON THIS RECORD!! He kicks the drums {pardon the pun} into high gear.


With that said, here's what we're all here for...the songs.
HIGHLIGHTS:


Track 1: Late for the Kill, Early for the Slaughter- Yep, there it is. That signature Soilwork sound. Crisp distorted bluesy guitar, machine gun vocals and intense drums.


Track 2: Two Lives Worth Reckoning- The first single released, a solid song that wastes no time getting to the melodic singing chorus.


Track 5: Night Comes Clean- A song very reminiscent to the Natural Born Chaos album. A highly groove oriented tune. You'll see what I mean.

Track 7: Let This River Flow- Here's a prime example of their new direction with songwriting and structure. An almost power metal ballad that quickly brings it back to the aggressiveness.


Track 8: Epitome- Example numero dos on the new direction. The verse riff sounds a bit like a Carcass homage.

Track 10: Enter Dog of Pavlov- A very cleverly titled song that showcases the whole band as to just what they've evolved into in 15 years.  A song that touches on the past elements of Natural Born Chaos, Figure Number Five, Stabbing the Drama and even Sworn to a Great Divide.


I know you're probably thinking,  "how can he write a review of the songs and members and not mention co-founder, vocalist and gargantuan Swede, Bjorn "Speed" Strid??!!" Well, here you go...Bjorn "Speed" Strid.

4.75/5.0

Anthrax?...WHOA!!

I've always known that Keanu Reeves has had a soft spot for hard rock and heavy metal albeit his Bill & Ted days  rockin Megadeth t-shirts or his mediocre band Dogstar in which he plays bass. But I gained alot of respect, okay, not really respect, but it made me like him more when I saw his cameo in the premier of Anthrax's new video for "Safe Home" on Headbangers Ball back in 2003. Here he is as the rebel loner hiking down the L.A. freeway...

...P.S.-Please come back to us John Bush! Joey Belladonna sucks as a singer, plus he looks like a 60 year old shemale...

An Evening with Paul

Just because I was running late, nothing short of dying was gonna keep me from going to Orlando to see my favorite personal journalist, Sage Francis. Pedal to the carpeted floormat, cuz there isn't really any metal to directly push it down to, my wonderful and beautiful girlfriend and I are booking it up I-95 on our way to a venue called Club Firestone. We got an hour and a half to get somewhere that is two and a half hours away. This is exactly why I need a private helicopter!! 

We finally get there in plenty of time actually, and as we walk into the building, you can just feel the mutual love and anticipation in the air as everyone else awaits Sage to come out. But before he can perform, he like many other artists he has an opening act in the form of a fellow label-mate and Rhode Island neighbor B. Dolan. Mr. Dolan was a very pleasantly surprising act. He was really energetic and got the crowd moving. But no disrespect to B. Dolan, I wasn't there to see him. I was there to revel in the words and lyrics of Sage. So after about 45 minutes of arriving, lights go out and with bated breath, the curtains are pulled back, the lights come back on and he walks out with his band. (Yeah, even though he's a hip hop artist, he performs with a live band. Cool, huh?) 

As I stand there watching him perform, singing/rapping along with everything that comes out of his mouth I realize I haven't felt this happy at a show since 2004 at my first Metallica show in Louisville, KY. Sage Francis and Metallica have been the biggest musical influences in my life. I know, that's a really odd combination in musical influences, but hey don't worry about it!! He performed alot of songs from his new album LI(F)E, being as this IS the album tour and sadly his last national tour. But he also performed several of my favorite songs from previous albums such as, "Crack Pipes", "Sea Lion", "Fairy with Broken Wings", "Specialist" and "Cure". 

As he finished out his set, he walked over to the edge of the five foot high stage and put his arms up in the air and fell forward. Not to the floor, but into the crowd's hands. Me along with about 15 other people held his sweat soaked body up and then eventually put him back on the stage. He picks the mic back up and thanks everyone for everything they've ever done for him in his career, then he proceeds to walk back over the edge of the stage and jumps off to the floor and begins giving everyone a hug and taking pictures with anyone that wants one.

All in all, it was one of the best shows that I've ever been to. Even if I didn't hold him in such high regards, he put on one hell of a show. He was kind enough to shake my hand and take a picture with me. 

                                           AWESOME!!!!!  Thanks Sage.

...And I Shall Call Him Francois!

Tonight with much excitement and relief, I finally get to see my all time favoritest poet/rapper/genius/whoremonger Sage Francis in concert tonight in Orlando. Our love affair all started when a co-worker at a hotel I worked at gave me and my friend Landon a mixtape with Eyedea and Abilities, Atmosphere and Non-Prophets (Sage's hip hop side project) on it. We listened to it while we worked that night, then again later on the way home. We agreed that the standout artist on that CD was definitely the one on track 4. The following day Landon came over to my place (my mom and grandma's apt.), and we were chilling in my room (the livingroom couch) and he proceeds to tell me that he found out who the artist on track 4 is. He says "its some white dude from Providence, RI with a lumberjack beard named Sage Francis!" Then we proceed to get into his car and he puts in a disc labled Personal Journals. "What is this?", I ask. "Oh, it's Sage's debut solo album", says Landon. And from the first song "Crack Pipes" to this very day, I've never been the same. Sage Francis has singlehandedly changed the way I view poetry. The way I view lyric writing. The way I view religion and seeing through the bullshit. The way I view love and relationships. Him and his music has changed the way I view life in general. With a catalog with over 250 songs in it, there's no shortage of brilliance.

I'll write a review of the show and hopefully post some pictures on here soon after.

Album Review: SOLUTION .45-For Aeons Past

Is the absence of Christian Älvestam in Scar Symmetry got you down? Are those two hacks that took over vocals in the band just not doing it for you? Well,thank Odin for metal-supergroup Solution 45.! 

Founded by guitarist Jani Stefanovic (Miseration, Essence of Sorrow) in the later part of 2007, along with fellow Miseration band mate Rolfe Pilve, Anders Edlund (Angel Blake) and Tom Gardiner (Hateform). And handling the vocals in this swedish metal concoction is noneother than workhorse Christian Älvestam. Exhausted from writing lyrics for so many seperate active bands, 7 to be exact, he chose to let fellow countryman and metal legend Mikael Stanne (Dark Tranquility) handle the duties of writing the lyrics. With most of the music written before Christian's joining, this band was touted to NOT be Scar Symmetry pt. II, but you can't help your influences; and this band can't help to sound very similar to early Scar Symmetry, which isn't a bad thing. But at the same time, Solution .45's sound couldn't be more different.  With the otherworldly sounding synth-keyboard, impeccable drumming and twin 7-string guitar attack, this band solidifies that it must be something in the water over in Sweden that produces such ridiculously talented musicians.

Mid-fall of 2009 saw a preview of the new album with the release of the demo track "Clandestinity Now". Greatly reduced from it's 16 minute epic, it gave a glimpse into the direction that the record was heading. Whether you like this album or not, you can't deny that this album has some of the coolest song titles ever: "Gravitational Lensing", "Bladed Vaults", "Wirethrone". 



3.5/5                                                                                                       

ALBUM REVIEW: Necro-DIE!

The self proclaimed "brutalest rapper alive" Necro has released his 6th solo album DIE! After being repeatedly being pushed back, Necro has once again showed why deal with the middle-man when you can start your own label and put your music out when and how you want. By starting P.L.R.-Psycho+Logical Records, back in 2003, he has redefined what it means to be unsigned.

With his latest effort, Necro has outdone himself. Lyrically, musically and production value has come a long way since 2000's I Need Drugs. Still reppin' that gritty New York hip hop sound, Necro incorporates all aspects of his musical influences on album. From Necro's signature piano based beat in "asBESTos" to "Thugcore Cowboy"s spaghetti-western infused music courtesy of composer Ennio Morricone of The Good, the Bad and the Ugly fame. Ever the one to prove he is not to be fucked with, he has gave us the violent tracks "Set It", "Brutalized" and the title track "DIE!" Sounding like a b-side to his 4th album "The Sexorcist", "The Kink Panther" provides a glimpse into Necro's vulgar, but honest take on sex. November 2009 saw the first preview of the new album with a video for the track "The Human Traffic King (White Slavery pt. 2)". This song is the follow-up to "White Slavery" from 2003's "Brutality Pt. 1" which deals with very real subject of female abduction from the streets of foreign countries and that are sold to the highest bidder to become a full-time sex slaves. Showing everyone why Mr. Braunstein will probably always be a bachelor, we have in crystal clear digital quality, "The Asshole Anthem". Sampling singer-songwriter and super feminist Ani DiFranco's "Used to You" And last but not least is the epic street banger "Viva Necro".

While choosing for the first time not to collaborate with his brother Ill Bill, Mr. Hyde or Sabac Red, he easily carries the weight of this album on his shoulders. With a much improved lyrical flow and deliverance, proves that he is the king of "death rap". If you're a fan of gore, violence and detailed sexual acts and practices, as I am, then I highly recomend picking this joint up. If you're new to Necro, then be sure to check out his earlier albums.

2000: I Need Drugs
2001: Gory Days
2004: The Pre-Fix for Death
2005: The Sexorcist
2007: Death Rap



4/5 Stars