Rest In Peace Paul Gray

On Monday May 24th bass player from metal band Slipknot passed away.

Music Review #7: Real Country Music...

I think I will change the tempo up with this review and toss you something that you might not expect.  I love country music, but not this bullcrap they are calling country music now a days.  I mean like Johnny Cash, George Jones, Conway Twitty and Willie Nelson.  If non of the names I have just named rang a bell  and you like country music or even know anything about music you need to slam your head up against the closest metal poll you can find.

Willie Nelson, as much as an icon as Johnny Cash has made a country record of country records.  In the time of what I have been calling "Rocuntry" non of these wanna be country music stars could ever hold the guitar strap of this master singer/songwriter/poet/activist.  Mr. Nelson has made a country record that might bring back the style of Conway Twitty, titled Country Music it is no big surprise that that is just what it is.  I recommend this album to everyone, country fan or not because Willie Nelson is magical, I will only be touching on a few of the 16 tracks on this album, but you should really listen to it, it's amazing..

Man With The Blues is the first song on this album and it sets just the right tone to have set for this astonishing record.  Willies voice just gets so much better with age.  Satan Your Kingdom Must Come Down is a banjo an accordion a violin and a didgeridoo, one of my favorite tracks on the album for its simplicity.  Freight Train Boogie is about Casey Jones and this tune will make you want to line dance till the cow's come home.  Pistol Packin' Mama is another great little ditty but Nobody's Fault But Mine is my favorite song on the album.

Summation: 5/5 because Willie Nelson has put together a record that is so country it makes me want to get cowboy boots and do the Boot Scootin Boogie..

Music Review #6: Not So Silent....

Silent Civilian's 2006 freshman record Rebirth Of The Temple cannot be summed up with one word, but if I had to it would have to be loud.  This LA based metalcore band has a formula for metal that sounds like metal bands such as Bleed The Sky and Spineshank.

This band has had many members but the four guys they have now are a force to be reckoned with...

The record starts out with hammering timpani drums, a haunted choir, an acoustic guitar and a piano, then it hits....  "Funeral" starts out with a huge guitar rift and then double bass that sounds more like a machine gun then anything else.  "Rebirth of the Temple" shows the diversity of this band intermixed with singing and screaming but don't fret, this mixture does not slow down the intensity of the band one bit.  "Lies In The House Of Shame" is a beat and is one of my favorite track on the record but "Dead to Me" is my favorite track on the record.

Summation: 3/5 because I love metal and its a solid first try, but from what I was told this was going to be one of the hardest records I have heard in a long time, I guess they haven't heard of Meshuggah....

Music Review #5: Praise The Lord and Pass The Ammunition...

As I Lay Dying is one of the christian metal band gems.  When I head that the guy were in the studio with Producer/guitarist Adam D from the band Killswitch Engaged I was stoked from knowing his previous work with the band underOATH on there album Define The Great Line.

The guitar, bass. drumming and vocals on this album are all exquisite. Everything on this album screams, pun intended, cafrtmanship, dedication and diligence.  If you love metal this is a must to have..

"Beyond Our Suffering" is the opening track and single for the record and does not disappoint at all.  With huge double bass and rifts that rip you apart makes you know that As I Lay Dying is back with a vengeance.  "Without Conclusion" is purely amazing.  "Parallels" is one of favorite tracks on the album.  I love the mixture of the screaming and the singing in "The Plague" tosses you around like a rag doll.  "Condemned" is the most epic song on the album, my favorite track as well.  "Vacancy" is jaw dropping and the guitar solo at the start really makes everything meld together.

Summation 5/5 because from start to finish this album is a monster, epic and if your neck does not hurt after the first track, turn it up.

Favorite Tracks: Condemned, Vacancy, The Plague

Music Review #4:Carly Smithson has nothing on Amy Lee

I must admit that I am a rather large fan of Evanescence and I say this before starting the review on We Are The Fallen first record Tear The World Down is because this is a copycat band if there ever was one.

This band was formed 11 months ago with American Idol finalist Carly Smithson on vocals, Ben Moody, John LeCompt on guitar, drummer, Rocky Grey all three from the band Evanescence and Marty O'Brien on bass who has played for such bands as Static-X and Disturbed.  With this line up I was expecting a power house of noise and good breakdowns...  that kinda came true..

The single "Bury Me Alive" starts out the record and is also the single of the album.  Carly's voice sounds like a weaker version of Amy Lee's, singer for Evanescence, but the music is solid on this one.  "Burn" is the second track and starts off with some double bass from Rocky and some seriously heavy guitar rifts that make me think that there might be some goodness to come out of this album.  The rest of the album sounds like they were taken out of Amy Lee's hands and destroyed by the lack of singing talent and sometimes sorry to say musical talent as well.

Summation: 2/5 because the music aspect is solid through out most of the entire record but the lack of power in Carlys voice is making the record lack in substance..  Sorry Carly, there can only be one Amy Lee..

Favorite Tracks: Burn, Through Hell, Tear The World Down

Hold On To Your Hats, Here Comes The Metal...

To everyone who knows anything about christian metal you know that Norma Jean and As I Lay Dying always bring it so no surprise that the single "Beyond Own Suffering"  from As I Lay Dying up coming record The Powerless Rise blows you away.  As I Lay Dying working with Killswitch Engaged's Adam D to record the new record.  Adams work ethic to make every guitar, bass, drum and vocal sound perfect is astounding. He has pushed the guys to make a record that they will be very happy to play on tour.  Tim Lambesis, lead singer for the band wanted to have the screaming cleaner and more understandable for the fan.  Look for the new Album to come out May 11th, 2010.

What can I say about Norma Jean  that will define there latest single "Leaderless And Self Enlisted" from there up and coming record Meridional?  Considering there last album The Anti-Mother was extremely different and somewhat soft from there first three albums I was really weary of the direction they were going.  But I am leaving everything I knew from The Anti-Mother behind because this single sounds a lot like O'  God The Aftermath which is hard, experimental and all around best record from this band.  Expect this record to be out July 12th, 2010

All in all sounds like both As I lay Daying and Norma Jean are bringing it with both records and I can not wait for hear them both!

Neon Trees, Mutemath and 30 Seconds to Mars Concert Review.

Standing in line with my wife waiting to gain admittance to the Rail Events Center to see the 30 Seconds to Mars show my hopes were high from seeing concert footage on Youtube from other shows that Leto and his crew have thrown-down.  I was very excited that I was over 21+ so my wife and I could stand up in the bar area and watch the show and not have to deal with the moshers and crowd surfers.  So after meeting the lead singer from Neon Tress, he was mingling with the crowd, we went upstairs to get out spot for the night.  Neon Trees from Provo, UT were the first band up.  The lead singer Tyler Glenn, who looked alot like Jared Leto in dress, we very theatrical in his stage show.  The mix on the drums, guitar and bass were awesome but the mix on the vocals we not so awesome and just started to get bothersome after they had been playing for 45 minutes.  After there set my wife and I sat and talked about how we were quiet excited to see the next band. 

MuteMath is a band that I will admit I knew nothing about until I saw that they were on the bill to open with Neon Tress.  The electronic/psychedelic rock band, who hails from New Orleans, walked on the stage, very nicely dressed i might add in suit coats they got to there instruments.  As I was watching them all I looked over at the drummer as he was talking his hat off, placing headphones on his head then doing something I have never seen before.  He duct taped his headphones to his head, I knew then that this was going to be different.  There stage presence was astounding, the mix on everything was flawless and the ending was spectacular.  At the end of there almost hour and 10 minute set which flew by, the drummer took apart his set placed the snare the keyboard and started to jam out on the snare and keyboard backing drum.  Then he went back to grab another drum then jumped onto of the keyboard and went at it again.  Then lead singer Paul Meany  singer/keyboard player started to jam his feet, legs upper torso on the keyboards ending there set with mayhem. 

So after MuthMath played I turned to my wife and told her that "30 Seconds To Mars better be on there game or they just up upstaged big time.."

There set ended around 9:10 p.m. and then the waiting game started.  you could tell that everyone was super excited that the time had come to see 30 Seconds to Mars, but waiting almost 50 minutes for the stage crew to set up everything, which was covered by a white sheet so no one could see what was all going on, made my excitement plummet.

The lights went down evoking screaming, raised fists and devil horns from the crowed blow.  As "Escape" the opening track  started the shadow of Jared Leto was shown on the hanging sheet, then once "Night of the Hunter" started to play the sheet was dropped exposing Jared Leto and his so called "Pomegranate" colored Mohawk or Marshawk as some are calling it.  The light show behind the band was intense but matched the level of energy that Leto, jumping around and playing to the crowd brought as well.  After a few songs I noticed that Jared was not singing much and letting the crowd sing alot of it, which I was expecting since This Is War has fans singing in the record but I payed to hear him sing and not the drunk people who can't carry a tune in a bucket that surrounded us.  After "Attack" and the lights went down it was just dark for a minute until I looked in the mixing booth and Jared Leto was standing inside it.  It took a few minutes for everyone to see that he was not at the almost opposite end of the stage but when they did notice everyone ran over with there cameras looking for the opportunity to get a photo of him up close.  I will say that this was the highlight of the 30 Seconds to Mars show for me because having a band and all that noise can really make you have a skewed sense of the singers capabilities and stripping that of any singer will show you his real talent.  Leto started to sing "The Story" and I was in awe.  His voice, yet a cold and coughing up blood earlier in the day, still had such a awesome voice.  They ended the show with there epic tale "Kings and Queens" by letting people come up on the stage with them and sing with them.  

Besides Jared Leto's banter, swearing at fans and dragging some songs to somewhat annoying length's it was a good show but all in all, MuteMath upstaged the headliner by a long shot.  All three bands have new albums out, Neon Trees Animal, MuteMath Armistice and 30 Seconds To Mars This Is War. 

-Hemingway

Look Who's Back...

"Not Afraid" is the new single from the lyrical miracle rhyming machine Eminem.  Recovery is the next album from the rapper and if everything on this next album is like "Not Afraid" is going to be amazing!  The new record will drop June 22.

Music Review #3: This Is War.....

Jared Leto has done it again.  This Is War is the Jr. record from the band, since I am counting Capricorn and why wouldn't I since its epic as well as everything 30 Seconds To Mars has ever touched.  I really couldn't tell you what I was expecting from this record since A beautiful Lie was jaw dropping I really didn't think they could top themselves..  I was wrong.  The string arrangements and the fan based chorus lines make this a very audience participation album for a live show for sure.

The record starts out with the song "Escape" that has plucking violins and the screaming fans "THIS IS WAR" as the end's a woman's voice says" La Nuit A Chasser"  which means "Night of the Hunter" the second track this is one huge jungle beat mixed with synths.  Leto's voice sounds so clean and a bit more mature then the pasted records.  The lyrics have stayed as good on this album "Honest to God/I will break your heart/Tear you to pieces/And rip you apart" is the bridge from "Night Of The Hunter"   "Kings and Queens" is one of the masterpieces on this album.  This was the "awe" moment of the record, along with one more I will hit on, but everything, the music, the lyrics, the vision of this song just give me chills every time I hear it. The other song that was the "awe" moment was the very to the point song "100 Suns"  I will not tell you anything about this song because you need to hear it to understand the simplicity and honesty of it.  "Closer To The Edge" is another song that has such a awesome feeling to it, this song really shows off the vocals of Leto, with the highs and lows with ease.  Like I have said before this record is a fan album in a way that if you go to a live show you will be able to be apart of it and not just watching it like in "A Call To Arms" it is a huge audience participation song since the start of the song has the fan bases chorus stomping there feet and clapping in time with this very uplifting song before Leto sings a single note.

Summation: 4/5 because you can tell that this is what Jared Leto wants to do in life and he has not given up on his creativity one bit..

Favorite Tracks: 100 Suns, Kings and Queens, Night Of The Hunter