The ego has landed! Dave 'Motormouth' Mustaine, main-mensch for Megadeth returns accompanied by a new incarnation of his backing band, for the twelfth full length studio album 'Endgame'. The previous album 'United Abominations' was a solid, yet inconsistent, record, but definitely superior to Mustaine's output for over a decade. 'Endgame' successfully evolves from that earlier effort, once again employing the ubiquiotous Andy Sneap behind the desk, delivering yet another massive sound, with Mustaine rising to the challenge producing Megadeth's strongest, punchiest album in a very long time. This is easily the best Megadeth release since the mighty 'Rust in Peace'.
Starting with a simple instrumental that allows Mustaine and new guitarist Chris Broderick to flourish fancy fingerwork, displaying their distant guitar voices, teasing the listener for the treats that are to follow, the first of which is the absolute killer 'This day we fight'.
Holy shit! Megadeth are rocking out. Fast, furious, a real teeth-clencher, and the best way to kick things off. Mustaine really has my attention now. Thrashy tunes have popped up in the past paltry platters but it wasn't until last album's mighty closing track 'Burnt Ice' that I came to believe that Mustaine still had the vigour or even the interest in going hard like this. 'This day we fight' not only races along but is so potently heavy as to send me into a flailing fit.
'44 Minutes' slows the speed, to my distraction and dismay, though, thankfully, without sacrificing the pugnacity. A chunky, chugger, with a harmony heavy singalong chorus. Very much from the mould of ''Peace Sells...' and Symphony of Destruction'. Hooky, and crunchy, and a standout. '1,320' is another pacey head-banger, and probably should have been the second track. In many ways this is a real throwback, throwdown to an older era of metal, those halcyon late '80s, with a great drum-break before spiralling into whirl of traded leads. 'Bite the hand' proves an uptempo number sporting a slighty sexy, rocky riff while 'Bodies' falls into the format used by '44 minutes' and feels as if an album filler; the highlight stemming from a swell of harmoines that segue into a thrash riff laced with a cascade of solos. The title track, after another of Mustaine's annoying voice-over segues, builds to a swift gallop, before swapping into some scathing crunch, all of which is embroidered with plenty of athletic axe-work.
Chris Broderick, formally of Jag Panzer ( a long time fave band of mine whose progress between albums can only be described as glacial ) is a worthy sparring partner for his boss ( who is in typical fine form also); his solos distictive and often dazzling, without ever being excessive. Restraint is the operative word here. The compositions are lean, compact, consistent, with the exception of the awkward 'The hardest part of letting go...' an adolescent ballad embellished with strings that doesn't suit the tone of the album, especially when the following track 'Headcrusher' is one of the most aggresive songs since 'So far, so good...so what?' However, the ever-so Cannibal Corpse-lite lyrics are at odds with diatribes and polemic that mark Mustaine's repertoire. Glenn Drover's drums are on fire throughout this whole album , this tune in particular is full of great examples of his skill, check out the rides tinkles in the chorus to show how he peppers each track with nuance, and character. 'How the story ends' lyrically is as if Dave wanted to write a Manowar tale of battles of yore. The chorus is catchy enough, shame that the text itself is silly. Yet again the guitar work overrides a fairly staid song, ablaze with brilliance. Opening with James Lomenzos brawny bass, which rumbles away throughout the album with latent force, ( very reminiscent of DD Verni's classic bass presence ) 'The right to go insane' is another ambling tune that builds to a rocking solo laden climax, a conceit employed too often and too distinctly on the album. The song is good enough, yet feels like either padding, or misplaced in the running order. Unlike the previously mentioned 'Burnt Ice' which closed 'United Abominations' in a frenzy, '...Insane' rocks along pleasantly, harmlessly, enough before ending abruptly, making the song feel perfunctory, which is disappointing after such a florid, fantastic opening section.
I honestly hope this album doesn't live up to the title, that Mustaine still has another few hard-nosed records like this one up his sleeve, and that this isn't his Endgame. Considering the fates of the so-called 'Big Four' thrash bands: Metallica struggling to write a decent album, let alone a decent song; Anthrax lost amid a prolonged production without a singer ( excuse me, are you the singing Bush? ); Slayer still brutal as ever though missing a little of their black magic; Mustaine's Megadeth seem hellbent on making up for lost time. 'Endgame' isn't perfect, and the tunes aren't all classics, but there are still enough rippers on here to make the album worth a listen. Perhaps a longer gestation may have garnered a stronger collection of songs. It isn't a second-coming, but it is extant evidence that a once-great band are indeed reborn, rocking hard, and still writing some cool tunes.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0xObNoXujA8
Thursday, September 17, 2009
Saturday, September 12, 2009
ALBUM: Alestorm "Black Sails at Midnight."
Ahoy there! Prepare to be boarded, or risk being scuppered by the might of the powder and ball, for the dread ship Alestorm and her Caledonian crew have returned!
I was a big fan of Alestorm's debut album 'Captain Morgan's Revenge'; a power-thrash album that displayed something rare in the metal scene these days, great music and a sense of humour. Without taking themselves too seriously at the expense of the quality of their music, Alestorm's debut was an album of infectious, upbeat, satisfying metal songs, and pirate metal at that. The handsome packaging for this deluxe CD/DVD package came with a sticker boasting what may be the best three word phrase ever conceived: "Scottish Pirate Metal". Classic. The band themselves claim to be 'true scottish pirate metal'; a cheeky wink to their Norse comrades across the pond, and steeped in pirates they be.
This new album, 'Black Sails at midnight' ,their second full length album, isn't so much a case of more of the same rather that it's more of more of the same. Brilliant! Every song is stronger, more confident, every deck packed with keyboards, brass, violins, each chorus bolstered with the bellows of hirsute men. That's not to say that they've gone outrageously over-the-top and turned themselves into a nautical Nightwish, overblowing each tune with unbridled orchestrations, choirs, and samples; rather they have exerted exemplerary editorial constraint during the production, forgoing the tendency, especially for a younger band, to...ahem...go overboard. They are a long way from the rough-as-bags EPs they released under the monicker Battleheart, sounding ideal, full, rich, flamboyant, and still rocking hard.
As with their first release this album is so entertaining, immediately catchy and accessible; offering plenty of surprises to avoid them utterly narrowing the niche that their self-imposed genre could contrict them with.
Opening track 'The Quest' gallops into the album, running the gamut of Alestorm's tricks, thrashy riffing, fanfare stabs, keyboard and guitar trading solos, a boisterous chorus with a key change in the climax: business as usual, but the sound is definitely bigger, better.
'Leviathan' bursts with bombast, a mid-tempo tune brimming with brass and bold. Worthy of the name the song is a mini-epic, completed by a worthy woh-oh-woh ( and you know how I do love a good woh ).
A flourishing fanfare introduces 'That famous ol' spiced' before settling into a good ole-fashioned head-banging chunky riff that builds to a sensational chorus. This refrain is a mighty tavern shanty, evoking gloomy bars and knots of bedraggled men bellowing unified in song. This is certainly one of the best moments on the album. I imagine this wold be a great song to experience live.
'Keelhauled' is definitely my favourite song on the album, as well as perhaps being one of the band's best songs and a definitive pirate metal song ( I'm in the mood to make big calls ). A folky violin jig erupts seamlessly into a thrash frenzy, Christopher Bowes panto pirate rasp an apt performace, mounting to an enormous sing-a-long chorus that features the classic line "with a bottom of rum and a yo-ho-ho." It's almost impossible to avoid joining in. This sort of jigged-out metal is alike the Dropkick Murphy's rocked out Irish folk tunes, and is the strength of the band. The later tune 'Pirate Song' is a similarly strong fireside tale made metal, accompanied by accordian, augmented by acoustics and percussion, and sounding like a band who are really hitting their stride.
'To the end of our days' nearly sends what so far has been smooth sailing onto the rocks; a slow, ballad-like epic that risks being meandering, mawkish, and straining the limitations of Bowes voice. Thankfully due to several unexpected twists, including a dirge of bagpipes and a keyboard break with a sound that mustered memories of 'The house of the rising sun', this larger, more languid song provides a change of pace, and welcome diversity, without sounding like they are attempting to write one of those traditional Manowar epic-odes.
'Black Sails at Midnight' , as with the opening track is a leaner, simpler metal track, probably the most 'pure metal' on the album, sporting a great chunky riff, remaining mostly void of the embroidery that decorates the rest of the album.
The instrumental 'No Quarter', borrowing a theme from Klaus Bandelt's score for 'Pirates of the Caribbean 2' is a toe tapping, jaunty affair, that avoids utter self-indulegence, making you want to polish your beer off in one huge gulp, slam the mug down and set about tottering a dance with the nearest wench. Or something like that.
I must admit by the time I reached this point fo the album I was onto my fourth cider, and was jolly indeed.
'Chronicles of Vengeance' is the band at their most epic, rousing the listener with orchestral fanfares, swells, and twiddly keys. Strangely a blast section offers one of the few moments of indulgence that seems ill-advised, otherwise this is fantastic hand-on-hips melodramatic metal.
Closing the album is the hilarious cover of the Latvia's entry in the Eurovision Song Contest from a few years back, 'The Wolves of the Sea.' To be honest I was a fan of the original song, a bouncy, flouncy bit of buccaneer bubblegum, that was extremely catchy, and I could think of no better band than Alestorm to cover it. Needless to say their version is fantastic, while true to the original, the boys going for broke, hoardes bellow the chorus en-masse, steel drums tinkle, while the whole tune rocks right out, leaving the listener standing in the middle of their lounge room, legs spread, arms out, bellowing hi's and ho's at the top of his lungs, grinning like a fool.
I was onto my fifth cider by this point
With Running Wild having pulled into port for the last time, and retracted their sails, it seems that Alestorm, with this album, have proved that they may well be the true heirs to the mantle of Pirate Kings. The band may be camp and slightly silly but they have their own vibe, and most importantly their own sound, a rare quality, with this second conident album providing a tight, terrific, collection of toe-tapping thrash, and rollicking rock, hugely entertaining, cheeky, and worthy successor to their dynamic debut.
www.myspace.com/alestorm
I was a big fan of Alestorm's debut album 'Captain Morgan's Revenge'; a power-thrash album that displayed something rare in the metal scene these days, great music and a sense of humour. Without taking themselves too seriously at the expense of the quality of their music, Alestorm's debut was an album of infectious, upbeat, satisfying metal songs, and pirate metal at that. The handsome packaging for this deluxe CD/DVD package came with a sticker boasting what may be the best three word phrase ever conceived: "Scottish Pirate Metal". Classic. The band themselves claim to be 'true scottish pirate metal'; a cheeky wink to their Norse comrades across the pond, and steeped in pirates they be.
This new album, 'Black Sails at midnight' ,their second full length album, isn't so much a case of more of the same rather that it's more of more of the same. Brilliant! Every song is stronger, more confident, every deck packed with keyboards, brass, violins, each chorus bolstered with the bellows of hirsute men. That's not to say that they've gone outrageously over-the-top and turned themselves into a nautical Nightwish, overblowing each tune with unbridled orchestrations, choirs, and samples; rather they have exerted exemplerary editorial constraint during the production, forgoing the tendency, especially for a younger band, to...ahem...go overboard. They are a long way from the rough-as-bags EPs they released under the monicker Battleheart, sounding ideal, full, rich, flamboyant, and still rocking hard.
As with their first release this album is so entertaining, immediately catchy and accessible; offering plenty of surprises to avoid them utterly narrowing the niche that their self-imposed genre could contrict them with.
Opening track 'The Quest' gallops into the album, running the gamut of Alestorm's tricks, thrashy riffing, fanfare stabs, keyboard and guitar trading solos, a boisterous chorus with a key change in the climax: business as usual, but the sound is definitely bigger, better.
'Leviathan' bursts with bombast, a mid-tempo tune brimming with brass and bold. Worthy of the name the song is a mini-epic, completed by a worthy woh-oh-woh ( and you know how I do love a good woh ).
A flourishing fanfare introduces 'That famous ol' spiced' before settling into a good ole-fashioned head-banging chunky riff that builds to a sensational chorus. This refrain is a mighty tavern shanty, evoking gloomy bars and knots of bedraggled men bellowing unified in song. This is certainly one of the best moments on the album. I imagine this wold be a great song to experience live.
'Keelhauled' is definitely my favourite song on the album, as well as perhaps being one of the band's best songs and a definitive pirate metal song ( I'm in the mood to make big calls ). A folky violin jig erupts seamlessly into a thrash frenzy, Christopher Bowes panto pirate rasp an apt performace, mounting to an enormous sing-a-long chorus that features the classic line "with a bottom of rum and a yo-ho-ho." It's almost impossible to avoid joining in. This sort of jigged-out metal is alike the Dropkick Murphy's rocked out Irish folk tunes, and is the strength of the band. The later tune 'Pirate Song' is a similarly strong fireside tale made metal, accompanied by accordian, augmented by acoustics and percussion, and sounding like a band who are really hitting their stride.
'To the end of our days' nearly sends what so far has been smooth sailing onto the rocks; a slow, ballad-like epic that risks being meandering, mawkish, and straining the limitations of Bowes voice. Thankfully due to several unexpected twists, including a dirge of bagpipes and a keyboard break with a sound that mustered memories of 'The house of the rising sun', this larger, more languid song provides a change of pace, and welcome diversity, without sounding like they are attempting to write one of those traditional Manowar epic-odes.
'Black Sails at Midnight' , as with the opening track is a leaner, simpler metal track, probably the most 'pure metal' on the album, sporting a great chunky riff, remaining mostly void of the embroidery that decorates the rest of the album.
The instrumental 'No Quarter', borrowing a theme from Klaus Bandelt's score for 'Pirates of the Caribbean 2' is a toe tapping, jaunty affair, that avoids utter self-indulegence, making you want to polish your beer off in one huge gulp, slam the mug down and set about tottering a dance with the nearest wench. Or something like that.
I must admit by the time I reached this point fo the album I was onto my fourth cider, and was jolly indeed.
'Chronicles of Vengeance' is the band at their most epic, rousing the listener with orchestral fanfares, swells, and twiddly keys. Strangely a blast section offers one of the few moments of indulgence that seems ill-advised, otherwise this is fantastic hand-on-hips melodramatic metal.
Closing the album is the hilarious cover of the Latvia's entry in the Eurovision Song Contest from a few years back, 'The Wolves of the Sea.' To be honest I was a fan of the original song, a bouncy, flouncy bit of buccaneer bubblegum, that was extremely catchy, and I could think of no better band than Alestorm to cover it. Needless to say their version is fantastic, while true to the original, the boys going for broke, hoardes bellow the chorus en-masse, steel drums tinkle, while the whole tune rocks right out, leaving the listener standing in the middle of their lounge room, legs spread, arms out, bellowing hi's and ho's at the top of his lungs, grinning like a fool.
I was onto my fifth cider by this point
With Running Wild having pulled into port for the last time, and retracted their sails, it seems that Alestorm, with this album, have proved that they may well be the true heirs to the mantle of Pirate Kings. The band may be camp and slightly silly but they have their own vibe, and most importantly their own sound, a rare quality, with this second conident album providing a tight, terrific, collection of toe-tapping thrash, and rollicking rock, hugely entertaining, cheeky, and worthy successor to their dynamic debut.
www.myspace.com/alestorm
Sunday, September 6, 2009
GIG: Lord...Almighty!
Full moon. Freezing cold. Great night for druids.
After some conjecture I actually forced myself out into the cold, and steeling myself against the bitter winds, took myself, albeit with a slightly starched stride, to the Arthouse ( colloquially known as 'Arty' ) in North Melbourne; home of punk, hard-core, metal, placky pots, bareboards and a open fire giving the place the place a perculiar rustic feel, a welcome roof top for the faggers, karsies from hell and a reservoir of memories of gigs of ages past.
It had been over a year since I last saw my beloved Dungeon, sorry Lord, and if memory serves me correctly the last show was the support for Saxon at Billboards, and that was early 2008. Not only was I anticipating seeing them again, but also the chance to finally pick up the new album, 'Set in Stone', which I hadn't managed to spot around the traps. I've maintained a tradition of picking up all of their releases from the gigs; something that always gives me a thrill, and something to read in the cab, or tram on the way home. Admittedly 'reading' is relative to cider consumption. ( As are most things )
In-extremis I tend to look at the pictures.
Self-annointed 'Lord' Tim Grose, lead singer/ song-writer and guitarist extraordinaire, may never choose to, or be able to, shake free of the shackles of the previous incarnation of his band Dungeon, for in many ways Lord is ostensibly the same band which means that in spite of the clash of nomenclature, Tim and company are still delivering some of the best power/thrash metal in this country, if not standing toe-to-toe, with many of the established greats on the world stage. It was August 2002 when I first experienced Dungeon ( as well as my local faves Crimsonfire ) at a show on the Espy's Gershwin Room stage. While the mighty Dreadnaught were rocking the front room, a number of domestic and local power-metal bands performed throughout the night, opening my eyes to the fact that not only were these bands in existence in Oz, but they were pretty good to boot. For so long death-metal, grind, black, and hard-core seemed predominant, and the power/thrash genre was utterly eclipsed, if non existent. Dungeon struck such a chord with me; they seemed to be inspired by all my faves: Iron Maiden, early Testament, early Helloween, Kreator, and so on; and it was love at first listen, literally, with Dungeon filling a void in my life, and listening. There have only been a few times, as far as music goes, that I can think of equivalent epiphanies: discovering Overkill, hearing Maiden's 'Live after Death' for the time and the joy Bruce Dickinson's 'Chemical Wedding', the serendipity of Nightwish and Within Temptation; and that night at the Espy so long ago. It was the first time ever I had put myself on a band's mailing list.
With a rapid rotation of members, from the departure of long time collaborator and guitar wizard Stu Marshall, and several other guitarists ( including a curious Slash lookalike ), drummers, bass players, a considerable number of international band supports, tours overseas ( Japan, and the European campaign with Megadeth ) and the transition from Dungeon to Lord, the last few years have certainly seemed turbulent, yet throughout all of this mainman Tim Grose has managed to continue producing albums of a consistently high standard, production and performance-wise.
After seeing Dungeon almost fill The Corner years back it's disappointing, to say the least, to report about fifty or so punters gathered for the show. The old axiom 'Quality versus quantity' prevailed though, for those that attended proved to be die-hards, mostly younger punters, with a fair number of metalassies, who knew the songs inside out, the throng 'woh-oh-wohing' in unison. Now, there's nothing I love more than a good woh-oh-woh. 'Tis true that a band's greatness can be measured by its 'woh-oh-wohs'. Surely Maiden are the undisputed kings-of-the-woh, and I my humble opinion Dungeon/Lord aren't far behind them. The Dungeon classic 'Insanity's fall' is a perfect example of woh-ness; full of prolonged wohs that turned the audience into a shadowy gallery of those clown heads from the carnivals and sideshows that you pop ping-pong balls into the mouths of. How we woh wide and long, loud and proud. Lord Tim with his Dicksinson-esque voice also has the same stage manner, and control over his crowd, whatever size, actively prompting and conducting the eager audience into accompaniment. A guy in front of me has a Lord T-shirt with the back sporting the slogan "no bullshit, just play" and that is very much the mentality manifested, with only a tuning mishap leading to a pause, Lord tear through a near ninety minute frenzy of rapid-fire rockers: from 'Walk through fire' to tracks from the new album 'Redemption' with its' astoundingly frenetic riff, 'Eternal Storm', the most recent title track 'Set in Stone', 'Limb from Limb' from the previous album, a personal fave in the tune 'Resurrection' and closing out with 'I am Death', which was interrupted by a brief passage of their cover of Kylie Mingue's 'On a night like this'. Hilarious. Dungeon/ Lord have a long history of great covers, their rendition of 'Playing to win' was a doozy as well, and hearing Kylie made metal, however briefly, was hilarious.
[ This track was recorded and can be found on the band's 'Hear no Evil' EP ]
I'm not sure what the impact of the departure of long-time drummer, and song-writing collaborator Tim Yatras will be on the band, and whether the new drummer Damo ( looking like he should be 80's band Ratt ) will last, but it was pleasing to see that at least Lord Tim's string contingent are consitent and strong with Andy Dowling still on bass and Mark Furtner proving a match for the frantic fingers of his Lordship. Watching this pair, Mark and Tim, fingers flying, lightning legato and thrilling with their trilling, is a joy to behold. Lord Tim truly is one of the great metal guitarists, up there with the likes of Mustaine, Skolnick, Murray & Smith, Tipton & Downing, and tonight both playing, and singing, he seems stronger than ever. Even on a miniscule stage, the confidence and excellence of Lord's musicianship and music is enough to leave me feeling that I'd experienced a far bigger show, something far more significant that a Friday night at the Arty.
Hopefully it wont be too long before the boys make the trip down from Sydney again, and perhaps this time a bigger crowd will turn out to behold in the majesty of Lord almighty!
\m/
www.lord.net.au
www.myspace.com/lordaus
www.facebook.com/lordofficial
After some conjecture I actually forced myself out into the cold, and steeling myself against the bitter winds, took myself, albeit with a slightly starched stride, to the Arthouse ( colloquially known as 'Arty' ) in North Melbourne; home of punk, hard-core, metal, placky pots, bareboards and a open fire giving the place the place a perculiar rustic feel, a welcome roof top for the faggers, karsies from hell and a reservoir of memories of gigs of ages past.
It had been over a year since I last saw my beloved Dungeon, sorry Lord, and if memory serves me correctly the last show was the support for Saxon at Billboards, and that was early 2008. Not only was I anticipating seeing them again, but also the chance to finally pick up the new album, 'Set in Stone', which I hadn't managed to spot around the traps. I've maintained a tradition of picking up all of their releases from the gigs; something that always gives me a thrill, and something to read in the cab, or tram on the way home. Admittedly 'reading' is relative to cider consumption. ( As are most things )
In-extremis I tend to look at the pictures.
Self-annointed 'Lord' Tim Grose, lead singer/ song-writer and guitarist extraordinaire, may never choose to, or be able to, shake free of the shackles of the previous incarnation of his band Dungeon, for in many ways Lord is ostensibly the same band which means that in spite of the clash of nomenclature, Tim and company are still delivering some of the best power/thrash metal in this country, if not standing toe-to-toe, with many of the established greats on the world stage. It was August 2002 when I first experienced Dungeon ( as well as my local faves Crimsonfire ) at a show on the Espy's Gershwin Room stage. While the mighty Dreadnaught were rocking the front room, a number of domestic and local power-metal bands performed throughout the night, opening my eyes to the fact that not only were these bands in existence in Oz, but they were pretty good to boot. For so long death-metal, grind, black, and hard-core seemed predominant, and the power/thrash genre was utterly eclipsed, if non existent. Dungeon struck such a chord with me; they seemed to be inspired by all my faves: Iron Maiden, early Testament, early Helloween, Kreator, and so on; and it was love at first listen, literally, with Dungeon filling a void in my life, and listening. There have only been a few times, as far as music goes, that I can think of equivalent epiphanies: discovering Overkill, hearing Maiden's 'Live after Death' for the time and the joy Bruce Dickinson's 'Chemical Wedding', the serendipity of Nightwish and Within Temptation; and that night at the Espy so long ago. It was the first time ever I had put myself on a band's mailing list.
With a rapid rotation of members, from the departure of long time collaborator and guitar wizard Stu Marshall, and several other guitarists ( including a curious Slash lookalike ), drummers, bass players, a considerable number of international band supports, tours overseas ( Japan, and the European campaign with Megadeth ) and the transition from Dungeon to Lord, the last few years have certainly seemed turbulent, yet throughout all of this mainman Tim Grose has managed to continue producing albums of a consistently high standard, production and performance-wise.
After seeing Dungeon almost fill The Corner years back it's disappointing, to say the least, to report about fifty or so punters gathered for the show. The old axiom 'Quality versus quantity' prevailed though, for those that attended proved to be die-hards, mostly younger punters, with a fair number of metalassies, who knew the songs inside out, the throng 'woh-oh-wohing' in unison. Now, there's nothing I love more than a good woh-oh-woh. 'Tis true that a band's greatness can be measured by its 'woh-oh-wohs'. Surely Maiden are the undisputed kings-of-the-woh, and I my humble opinion Dungeon/Lord aren't far behind them. The Dungeon classic 'Insanity's fall' is a perfect example of woh-ness; full of prolonged wohs that turned the audience into a shadowy gallery of those clown heads from the carnivals and sideshows that you pop ping-pong balls into the mouths of. How we woh wide and long, loud and proud. Lord Tim with his Dicksinson-esque voice also has the same stage manner, and control over his crowd, whatever size, actively prompting and conducting the eager audience into accompaniment. A guy in front of me has a Lord T-shirt with the back sporting the slogan "no bullshit, just play" and that is very much the mentality manifested, with only a tuning mishap leading to a pause, Lord tear through a near ninety minute frenzy of rapid-fire rockers: from 'Walk through fire' to tracks from the new album 'Redemption' with its' astoundingly frenetic riff, 'Eternal Storm', the most recent title track 'Set in Stone', 'Limb from Limb' from the previous album, a personal fave in the tune 'Resurrection' and closing out with 'I am Death', which was interrupted by a brief passage of their cover of Kylie Mingue's 'On a night like this'. Hilarious. Dungeon/ Lord have a long history of great covers, their rendition of 'Playing to win' was a doozy as well, and hearing Kylie made metal, however briefly, was hilarious.
[ This track was recorded and can be found on the band's 'Hear no Evil' EP ]
I'm not sure what the impact of the departure of long-time drummer, and song-writing collaborator Tim Yatras will be on the band, and whether the new drummer Damo ( looking like he should be 80's band Ratt ) will last, but it was pleasing to see that at least Lord Tim's string contingent are consitent and strong with Andy Dowling still on bass and Mark Furtner proving a match for the frantic fingers of his Lordship. Watching this pair, Mark and Tim, fingers flying, lightning legato and thrilling with their trilling, is a joy to behold. Lord Tim truly is one of the great metal guitarists, up there with the likes of Mustaine, Skolnick, Murray & Smith, Tipton & Downing, and tonight both playing, and singing, he seems stronger than ever. Even on a miniscule stage, the confidence and excellence of Lord's musicianship and music is enough to leave me feeling that I'd experienced a far bigger show, something far more significant that a Friday night at the Arty.
Hopefully it wont be too long before the boys make the trip down from Sydney again, and perhaps this time a bigger crowd will turn out to behold in the majesty of Lord almighty!
\m/
www.lord.net.au
www.myspace.com/lordaus
www.facebook.com/lordofficial
Friday, September 4, 2009
snare roll in...and...
1,2,3,4...
...and so another year transpires and having survived to endure another birthday ( though barely thanks to the majority of a bottle of Glen Fiddich and a bleary eyed trip to see 'G.I. Joe' ) I find myself reaching a point where i feel compelled to throw myself in with the tap-tap-typing throng and thread the great infinite of the internet with yet another ribbon of rambling reviews and redacted reminiscenses.
Now that I've admitted that, I find myself coy and uncertain. What next? Should I tell you something of myself, before my scribblings begin to unravel, dear reader, as if the proverbial thread from a well-worn carpet? What would you like to know? What do you need to know in order that this relationship of ours works? Operating of course on the basis that I will always remain honest, and candid, and eschew the opportunity to dissemble my dillentantism, and detract from my dabblings and derring-do, I can tell you that I have often been mistaken for Brad Pitt, and possess magickal powers, contained within a glass orb clutched in a raven's claw I wear on a chain around my neck.
Not buying it, eh?
Okay, I'm a mid-thirties artist, writer, rocker and raconteur.
Call me Scarlet Sapience.
That's okay, there's no need for genuflection, though a cup of tea would be nice.
Ooh, and some biccies.
It was either Scarlet Sapience or SloMo Sapience.
Personally, I think Scarlet Sapience makes me sound like one of the Red Lantern cast from Green Lantern. I imagine Terry Thomas in a red leather outifit with a satin cape. ( Sort of like Sinestro, but camp )When you conjure that image try not to make the cozzie too tight...
Perhaps, on that note, SloMo Sapience is looking better after all.
So, I think I'll list a few of my favourite things, for I am big into lists, as you will soon discover, and let my tastes shape your impressions of me.
TV:
Doctor Who ( the be all and end all )
The Professionals, The Sweeney, Minder.
Drop the Dead Donkey
Films:
Suspiria, The Wicker Man, Hellraiser, Withnail & I, The Quatermass films, Halloween & The Fog,
The Remains of the Day, Ferris Beuller's Day Off, The Wild Bunch, The Fury & Blow Out, Brotherhood of the Wolf, Taxi Driver & Goodfellas, The Long Good Friday, Manhunter, The Dirty Dozen.
John Carpenter, Dario Argento, Brian De Palma, Michael Mann, Martin Scorsese.
Writers:
James Ellory, Shaun Hutson, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Phil Rickman, Tom Holland, Joe R. Lansdale, Carl Hiassen, Elmore Leonard, the divine Kim Wilkins, the genius that is Mark Gatiss...
and Robert Holmes and Terrance Dicks.
Music:
Overkill, Iron Maiden, Within Temptation, Running Wild, Celtic Frost, Bolt Thrower, Nightwish, Kreator, Dark Moor, Blind Guardian, Motorhead, Rhapsody, Dark Angel, Sodom.
Dungeon, Dreadnaught, DowNriver, Crimson Fire...and RiVeN
Miscellaneous:
Henry Rollins, Friedrich Nietszche, Gustav Holst, Adam Hughes & Alex Ross & Dave McKean, Gail Simone, Robson Green, Andy Hamilton, Laurie Wyman, Elsie Wright and Frances Griffiths, Malboro cigarettes, Monte Carlo biscuits & Arnotts Barbecue Shapes, ESP, Anton La Vey...
..Sorry that started to get out of control...
Be warned I can, and will ramble. Here be tangents.
I think I will leave you with that lot to contemplate and take my leave.
Next time, it'll be time to get serious...
Right then, hold on tight, deep breath...and...let's go...
...and so another year transpires and having survived to endure another birthday ( though barely thanks to the majority of a bottle of Glen Fiddich and a bleary eyed trip to see 'G.I. Joe' ) I find myself reaching a point where i feel compelled to throw myself in with the tap-tap-typing throng and thread the great infinite of the internet with yet another ribbon of rambling reviews and redacted reminiscenses.
Now that I've admitted that, I find myself coy and uncertain. What next? Should I tell you something of myself, before my scribblings begin to unravel, dear reader, as if the proverbial thread from a well-worn carpet? What would you like to know? What do you need to know in order that this relationship of ours works? Operating of course on the basis that I will always remain honest, and candid, and eschew the opportunity to dissemble my dillentantism, and detract from my dabblings and derring-do, I can tell you that I have often been mistaken for Brad Pitt, and possess magickal powers, contained within a glass orb clutched in a raven's claw I wear on a chain around my neck.
Not buying it, eh?
Okay, I'm a mid-thirties artist, writer, rocker and raconteur.
Call me Scarlet Sapience.
That's okay, there's no need for genuflection, though a cup of tea would be nice.
Ooh, and some biccies.
It was either Scarlet Sapience or SloMo Sapience.
Personally, I think Scarlet Sapience makes me sound like one of the Red Lantern cast from Green Lantern. I imagine Terry Thomas in a red leather outifit with a satin cape. ( Sort of like Sinestro, but camp )When you conjure that image try not to make the cozzie too tight...
Perhaps, on that note, SloMo Sapience is looking better after all.
So, I think I'll list a few of my favourite things, for I am big into lists, as you will soon discover, and let my tastes shape your impressions of me.
TV:
Doctor Who ( the be all and end all )
The Professionals, The Sweeney, Minder.
Drop the Dead Donkey
Films:
Suspiria, The Wicker Man, Hellraiser, Withnail & I, The Quatermass films, Halloween & The Fog,
The Remains of the Day, Ferris Beuller's Day Off, The Wild Bunch, The Fury & Blow Out, Brotherhood of the Wolf, Taxi Driver & Goodfellas, The Long Good Friday, Manhunter, The Dirty Dozen.
John Carpenter, Dario Argento, Brian De Palma, Michael Mann, Martin Scorsese.
Writers:
James Ellory, Shaun Hutson, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Phil Rickman, Tom Holland, Joe R. Lansdale, Carl Hiassen, Elmore Leonard, the divine Kim Wilkins, the genius that is Mark Gatiss...
and Robert Holmes and Terrance Dicks.
Music:
Overkill, Iron Maiden, Within Temptation, Running Wild, Celtic Frost, Bolt Thrower, Nightwish, Kreator, Dark Moor, Blind Guardian, Motorhead, Rhapsody, Dark Angel, Sodom.
Dungeon, Dreadnaught, DowNriver, Crimson Fire...and RiVeN
Miscellaneous:
Henry Rollins, Friedrich Nietszche, Gustav Holst, Adam Hughes & Alex Ross & Dave McKean, Gail Simone, Robson Green, Andy Hamilton, Laurie Wyman, Elsie Wright and Frances Griffiths, Malboro cigarettes, Monte Carlo biscuits & Arnotts Barbecue Shapes, ESP, Anton La Vey...
..Sorry that started to get out of control...
I suppose by now you've got the point. Something in there for everyone really.
Be warned I can, and will ramble. Here be tangents.
I think I will leave you with that lot to contemplate and take my leave.
Next time, it'll be time to get serious...
Right then, hold on tight, deep breath...and...let's go...
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