SODOM – Taking a Thrash Metal swath through four decades now, Germany’s very own SODOM is back with studio album #13 – In War And Pieces. Led by founding member and Thrash Metal legend Tom Angelripper, (bass & vocals), SODOM is proving their once again back to kick our Thrash loyal asses!
Since their debut album of 1986 – Obsessed By Cruelty, SODOM has forged their name upon Metal history as one of Germany’s pioneering Thrash Metal bands. Thrash Metal never sleeps or quits and SODOM is delivering their wake-up call to the world with In War And Pieces.
In War And Pieces will be released on Steamhammer/SPV, on January 11, 2011, in the United States.In War And Pieces has already been released in Germany on November 19, 2010 and in Europe on November 22, 2010.
SODOM As They Appear On In War And Pieces:
Tom Angelripper – bass & vocals
Bernd “Bernemann” Kost – guitars
Bobby Schottkowski – drums
* Markus “Makka” Freiwald – current drummer
* Release Formats For In War And Pieces:
Limited Edition Digipak contains bonus live CD of tracks from Wacken 25th Anniversary Show in 2007
Double LP Gatefold – blood red vinyl with 1 bonus track: Murder One
Legendary MOTORHEAD front man Lemmy Kilmister has a recipe that is so metal it could only be featured in Steve Seabury’s heavy metal cook book “Mosh Potatoes – Recipes, Anecdotes and Mayhem From The Heavyweights of Heavy Metal”. LoudTrax.com, the rock, metal, punk download and merch site has decided to partner up with Lemmy and “Mosh Potatoes” to dare all the metal heads around the world to cook up their version of Lemmy’s “Krakatoa Surprise”.
The idea for the contest came about when author Steve Seabury and LoudTrax.com founder Antonio Marsillo were hanging out in Times Square, smoking a couple of Cuban cigars. Steve handed Antonio a copy of the book and they were making jokes about the many recipes. Many beers later, the idea to dare metal heads around the world to cook up Lemmy’s recipe was born.
Lemmy himself liked the idea so much, he offered up an autographed, framed photograph and as well as a signed CD. In addition to Lemmy’s prizes, the winner of this contest receives a boat load of prizes including Lemmy shirts, Harley-Davidson (R) boots, and more. Participants must send a video of them cooking up this monster, upload it to YouTube and then submit it on the Lemmy Contest section of LoudTrax.com.
LoudTrax.com is the world’s first and only website specializing in Rock, Metal, Punk downloads and merchandise. It’s made by rock music fans, for rock music fans. The site boosts 17 dedicated sub genres ranging from Thrash Metal, Hard Rock, Black Metal, Death Metal, Punk, Classic Rock, and more.
Mosh Potatoes is the heavy metal cook book with recipes, anecdotes and mayhem from the heavyweights of heavy metal. Seabury managed to get recipes from 147 artist including LEMMY, ZAKK WYLDE, MOTLEY CRUE, GUNS & ROSES, DREAM THEATER, PANTERA, TESTAMENT, LITA FORD, MEGADETH, LAMB OF GOD and a who’s who of Heavy Rock artists.
Disclaimer. LoudTrax.com, Mosh Potatoes or any party involved is not responsible for damaged kitchens, blown up ovens, burnt cooking mitts, burnt hair, or any other injuries that result from attempting to cook this crazy ass recipe.
The Recipe – Krakatoa Surprise. Lemmy, Motorhead
¼ pound flour
½ pound chocolate syrup
¼ pound refried beans
½ pound curry powder
1 bottle strawberry syrup
¼ bottle brandy
Mix flour, syrup, beans and curry powder into a model of Krakatoa Island. Pour strawberry syrup over it to simulate lava. Pour brandy over all. Strike a match. Eat while still burning. SURPRISE!
BLUE ASIDE – This Underground Doom Metal power trio from Boston, Massachusetts, that call themselves Blue Aside are not bashful on laying down some potent, Earth rattling psychedelia. Blue Aside is one heavy band, as heavy and thick as an unopened can of Castrol motor oil from 1966. (Man, that sounded hoochie, yet my point has been made). This five song debut EP, The Orange Tree, was released on Hydro-Phonic Records in the Fall of 2010. If a band of any heavy genre wants to make an instant impression on me with a debut EP, then Blue Aside has without a doubt succeeded.
The Traveler of Time and Space begins with a synthetic intro that makes me feel like I’m helplessly floating in outer space without a cell phone or I’m being chased by Zombies that can’t run… take your pick. The riff is king here and it leads me down the path to all things spectacular about Psychedelic Doom Metal, bringing me to the realization that Iron Butterfly is indeed an influential band in 2010. The retrospective nature of Blue Aside is not a dominant force, however. They integrate such imagination into their sound, that it makes for a simultaneous vibe that is both now and futuristic.
The vocals change off from being dark and downright evil to semi-harmonious with echos. One well schooled Rockaholic can easily point the progressive finger, with certainty, at Blue Aside. Stoner Metal fans that are looking for songs that are not 15 minutes long can easily fall victim to what Blue Aside is banging out on The Orange Tree. Picture The Mars Volta deciding they want to get down on some Doom Metal and make their music more eye popping heavy, while maintaining a non-mainstream grip on avant-garde, minus any stretching vocals and this is Blue Aside. Adam Abrams (guitar), Matt Neto (drums) and Joe Twomey (bass) can play, making me feel as if this is their third or fourth album after ten years of touring. As anti-commercial as a five song EP can ever be, The Orange Tree never slips into passages of mainstream cow-towing.
Comparisons aside, this trio is hitting the bulls-eye on being unique. Each song has it’s own flavor, with Orange Eyes being a more guitar oriented song, with it’s melodic leads and slow motion Punk like vocals. Otis’ Sun is much more Doom laden with it’s riffs and vocals and marches on with a more apocalyptic feel, never compromising on it’s melancholic mood. Black Rays has a strong emphasis on drums, with a guitar driven attack that keeps the tempo on high, being the one song on TheOrange Tree that can be described as groove laden. Black Rays is my favorite song on this EP, I always fall over for the grooves… man, I dig that stuff.
The Inevitable Journey is a journey into one damn cool, hard and heavy tunnel of sound. The Tony Iommi inspired riffs are infectious, with the Doom infested tempo making this song worthy of repeated listens. Alright, this is my second favorite song on The Orange Tree and it proved to be extremely memorable for me after the very first listen. I could carry on more about this song, adding, that it’s muscular Old School-Stoner vibe meets present day Doom sound, is very close to Metal exhilaration.
Doom. Psychedelic. Stoner. Progressive. At the end of my Metal day, this is one very good, up and coming Metal band period. Smart musicianship coupled with smart lyrics that I hear on The Orange Tree, will take Blue Aside a long way down the Metal road. Fans of the heavy genres mentioned in this review should be able to wrap their ears around the sound that Blue Aside has created on The Orange Tree. Blue Aside has made a lasting Metal impression on me. I’ll be looking forward to Blue Aside releasing a full-length in the future… a band with this much talent, is going to be around for quite some Metal time.
In a year end message from Swedish black metal legion, WATAIN: “North and South America have now been left in ashes, and with that the Lawless Darkness Tour 2010 is over. Hail to those who made it possible, and those who made it even more triumphant; North: Watain Disciples USA, Goatwhore, Black Anvil, Decibel Magazine, Liz and Dave at Earsplit, Jimmy and the Duff’s crew, Josh at Dean Guitars, Engl Amps, Black Witchery, Negative Plane, Averse Sefira, Hod. South: Arma Productions, Hells Angels Antofagasta, Careloco and The Chilean Watain Militia, Kythrone, the mighty Mortuary Drape, the Tumba crew, and all those whose presence strengthened us along the long and winding road through hell and back. You know who you are. A special mention to S.L of The Devil’s Blood who took on the lead guitar duties in North America; hail brother! Finally, a thunderous salute to our iron crew, without whom none of this would have been possible.
To view a clip from Swedish TV (with English subtitles) about WATAIN‘s appearance at the Sweden Rock festival in June earlier this year, point your browserHERE. The concert was aired on the Swedish national radio program P3-Live on Thursday December 23rd.
And it is that time of the year again, when the media compile their lists and distribute awards. WATAIN has received the following awards and nominations for 2010:
#1 Album Of The Year – Close Up Magazine
#1 Album Of The Year – Sweden Rock Magazine
#1 Band Of The Year – Terrorizer Readers Poll
#1 Personality Of The Year – Terrorizer Readers Poll
#2 Album Of The Year – Decibel Magazine
WATAIN have also been nominated for:
“Hardrock” Category of the Swedish Grammy Awards
“Hardrock” Category of the P3 Gold Awards
“Nordic Album 2010” of the Nordic Music Price Awards
In light of all this, we would like you to contemplate upon the following lines:
“It is the magic combination of fierceness and beauty that makes the Wolf an exception even in nature. Revered outlaws, feared in their bestial nature, yet also objects of fascination and curiosity, of naturally inhabited and unreachable grace, that men love to hate, and hate to love. But regardless of what judgement the vox populi might pass on the nighttime predators, they remain just that; a rare breed of hunters; alone, aside, untamed, always hungry…”
DevilDriver – On February 22, 2011, DevilDriver will be seeing their fifth studio album release, all on RoadRunner Records. Since their 2003 self-titled debut, DevilDriver has been recruiting fans by the masses, luring them into their Groove Metal meets Melodic Death Metal barrage. Founding member and lead singer Dez Fafara has been quoted, in speaking about Beast: “It’s a sincere, pissed off street record… this album is about the daily fight that is life.”
DevilDriver is a Metal force to reckon with and I’m on-board with getting my head invaded by their new album – Beast. This band has never disappointed Stone with their full-on Metal aggressiveness and attitude, which comes smashing through their catalog of albums with a non-forgiving and blitzing momentum. Either get out of the way or raise the horns to the sky in Metal triumph… DevilDriver’s Beast is upon us!
* Mixing for Beast was done by Andy Sneap and produced by Mark Lewis.
DEVILDRIVER:
Dez Fafara – vocals
Jeff Kendrick – guitar
Mike Spreitzer – guitar
Jon Miller – bass
John Boecklin – drums
Track Listing For Beast:
Dead To Rights
Bring The Fight (To The Floor)
Hardened
Shitlist
Talons Out (Teeth Sharpened)
You Make Me Sick
Coldblooded
Blur
The Blame Game
Black Soul Choir
Crowns Of Creation
Lend Myself To The Night
The above cover is the CD/DVD edition of Beast, slated for a February 22, 2011 release. The threebonus tracks on this CD/DVD edition:
Lost
Fortune Favors The Brave
Grinfucked (live)
Bonus DVD Material:
“You May Know Us From The Stage” – full length film chronicling DevilDriver’s history from the very start.
ESKI OF MORPHINE KILLER – So 2010 has come and gone and that leaves me wondering – what is to become of this decade, music-wise? Will bands go and try to be “heavier” than any other band has gotten, or will we go back to a retro-pre-click track lo-fi days? It always seems like bands try to follow “trends” (if you want to call them that), instead of establishing a real identity. I always enjoy listening to what bands bring to the table, as opposed to listening to them because “they sound like so-and-so”. Here is my list for 2010:
#10
THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA – ZOMBIE EP
#9
HELLOWEEN – 7 SINNERS
#8
THE CHARIOT – LONG LIVE
#7
OF MICE & MEN – OF MICE & MEN
#6
SOILWORK – THE PANIC BROADCAST
#5
HALFORD – HALFORD IV: MADE OF METAL
#4
DÅÅTH – DÅÅTH
#3
NEVERMORE – THE OBSIDIAN CONSPIRACY
#2
ESCAPE THE FATE – ESCAPE THE FATE
#1
AVENGED SEVENFOLD – NIGHTMARE
Honorable Mention (Non-Metal):
LIL WAYNE – I AM NOT A HUMAN BEING
Here’s to 2011 and hoping that Morphine Killer will be making everyone’s list next year!
* Below is a list of other great sites/bloggers that cover Rock, Hard Rock and Heavy Metal and will be sharing their “Best Of 2010” lists and thoughts as well. It is well worth the trip to any and/or all of them!
2011 is HERE! Metal Odyssey wants to extend a very LOUD: Happy METAL New Year to ALL! A very special THANK YOU goes out to each and every visitor to Metal Odyssey this past year… without the fans of the Metal and music that is covered here, it would not be the same. THANK YOU to all the regular visitors and subscribers to Metal Odyssey… your comments are extremely appreciated!
Another very special THANK YOU goes out to ALL the bands and musicians that are covered here on Metal Odyssey, without them, there is no Metal Odyssey! Every band that I interviewed this past year gets a horns up and a THANK YOU as well! Below is a Thank You list going out to those who made 2010 very memorable, insightful and helpful for me and Metal Odyssey… um, THANK YOU!
THANK YOU:
To my beautiful wife for her graphics and technical support, not to mention ALL of her support for everything!
To my twin daughters for listening to all the Metal in the house and giving their Metal two cents about what they hear! Yes girls, KISS was around when daddy was a little boy.
To Rob Rockitt at HARD ROCK HIDEOUTfor allowing me to interview more Rock ‘N’ Roll stars than I could ever imagine! Whoa… HELL YEAH! Metal be thy name.
To Best Metal Buddy Scott Coverdale, his Hard Rock and Metal research sometimes amazes me… and really plays a key Metal role in getting a story or review straight!
To Sean over at THE METAL FILES, THANK YOU for writing the best damn “personal account” stories of concerts, life as a Metalhead and Rock ‘N’ Roll! Now… keep those forks away from your eyeballs!
To Steve at Heavy Metal Addiction for rallying a bunch of us Hard Rock and Metal lovin’ dudes to post our “Best Of” lists throughout the holiday season!
MISFITS – Currently being sold NOW at MISFITS – Official Website is the clear yellow vinyl edition of the 12″ – LAND OF THE DEAD. Both the red vinyl and green vinyl editions of this unreal MISFITS collectible were released in 2009 on MISFITS Records and are sold out. Anytime a MISFITS 12″ vinyl is released, you have to act fast… they are highly sought after by fellow Fiends the world over! I was lucky (and smart enough) to have ordered the red vinyl edition of LAND OF THE DEAD (back in September of 2009)… and it has served me right.
As stated on the Official MISFITS website: “This clear yellow vinyl edition will be the final color-way pressed before these “Demo of the Dead” recordings are succeeded by new studio versions of both songs on the forthcoming “Twilight Of The Dead” Limited Edition 12-inch”.
The Official MISFITS website also has stated: “Fiends can expect to draw first blood from the ALL-NEW MISFITS ALBUM titled “THE DEVIL’S RAIN” COMING IN 2011!
Now… to say that Stone is psyched-out-of-his-Horror Punk and Metal mind is an amazing understatement! A NEW MISFITS ALBUM IN 2011! Happy Horror Punk days are here again… and the skies above are gray again!
Arrival Records/Scion Music Group – Will release the new soundtrack for the hit SHOWTIME comedy series Californication. Season 4: Music From The Showtime Series Californication will include tracks that play a part in bringing to life many of the storylines of the new season (premiering Sunday, January 9, 2011 at 9pm PT/ET on SHOWTIME).
On Californication, David Duchovny stars in his Golden Globe wining role as TV’s favorite anti-hero, Hank Moody – a hedonistic writer who struggles to raise his teenage daughter Becca (Madeleine Martin) while still carrying a torch for her mother, his ex-girlfriend (Natascha McElhone). This season, Becca joins an all-girl rock band fronted by Pearl, (played by singer and actress Zoë Kravitz) called “Queens of Dogtown” and plots will evolve with an emphasis on music and Rock culture.
Soundtrack exclusives will feature three Rock classics reinvented by Queens Of Dogtown as well as Tommy Lee’s (MotleyCrüe) solo version of Home Sweet Home. Music by Shooter Jennings & Hierophant, Eagles Of Death Metal, Better Than Ezra, My Life With The Thrill Kill Kult, Monster Magnet vs. Adrian Young, Cracker, The Soundtrack Of Our Lives, Warren Zevon and Gregory Alan Isakov will also set the tone throughout episodes of Season 4 and on Season 4: Music From TheShowtime Series Californication.
Nora Felder and Budd Carr, the series Californication music supervisors and soundtrack co-producers, recently received the HMMA (Hollywood Music in Media Award) for “Outstanding Music Supervision in TV”. Other producers for Season 4: Music From The Showtime Series Californication are Jonathan Platt, Tom Kapinos and label heads: Mark Spier and Rick Rand.
Soundtrack Track Listing As Follows:
F**k You (I’m Famous) – Shooter Jennings & Hierophant
Stuck In The Metal – Eagles Of Death Metal
So Alive – Better Than Ezra
Would? – Queens Of Dogtown
Sex On Wheels – My Life With The Thrill Kill Kult
Last Caress – Queens Of Dogtown
Mirror People – Monster Magnet vs. Adrian Young
Turn On, Tune In, Drop Out With Me – Cracker
I Remember You – Queens Of Dogtown
Second Life Replay – The Soundtrack Of Our Lives
Wanted Dead Or Alive – Warren Zevon
If I Go, I’m Goin – Gregory Alan Isakov
Home Sweet Home – Tommy Lee
Season 4: Music From The Showtime Series Californication will be released online, in stores and digitally on January 11, 2011.
Life is filled with surprises, sometimes good, sometimes lousy. This “thank you” post is about a lousy surprise that came through my email box this past Christmas weekend. My neighborhood f.y.e. store is closing. Closing. Could it be? Is this some sort of vile prank? No, unfortunately, this email came directly from f.y.e.’s online marketing department… just letting me know that there were to be closeout deals to be had, due to the Allentown/South Mall store being eventually closed. Deals. I think it is a RAW deal whenever any store closes, especially a store that is notoriously known for stocking the best assortment of Metal CD’s this side of the Atlantic.
Deals. What about the store employees? Their losing their jobs is no deal… and being notified on the Christmas bulls eye, right during the heart of the Christmas holiday, is no damn deal. Plus, this will now be one less store that record companies can have their CD’s and merchandise stocked at… no deal. Maybe for the “casual” customer, the one who buys two CD’s and/or DVD’s per year at f.y.e. will see this as a “deal”… where they can walk in and stock up on the six CD’s that they would have purchased throughout an entire year… at 30% off. This is NO deal for the customers, like myself, who spends quite an impressive amount of money throughout the entire year, on dozens of CD’s.
Factor in the relationships a customer like myself makes, with the employees of this f.y.e. over the years and this store location closing – is no damn deal. The employees of this f.y.e. store were and still are world class when it comes to professionalism and knowledge in their product. Never did I encounter a situation where any employee at this f.y.e. did not know what I was asking for… or talking about. Besides knowledge of music, these employees I dealt with here, also bestow something else that is not commonly found in retail this day and age… they were all (gasp) friendly.
It is a sign of the times, that CD sales are dipping and the mp3 is celebrating it’s dominance upon music fans. I can’t dispute any corporate entity for having to cut costs and make their bottom line look appealing to investors… it’s a cyclical force of capitalism. What I can point out, however, is the lack of vision that giant retailers have towards the music industry as a whole. There is a product out there to sell, CD’s and DVD’s along with entertainment merchandise will never go away, (unless CD’s and DVD’s are no longer manufactured)… some other retail location “somewhere” will have it for sale. In the meantime, with all of the “shrinking aisles” of CD’s and music store closings happening in realtime, I don’t want to hear anyone balk about Super Walmart carrying the goods… and having CD’s for sale at competitive prices too.
Where I live, there is no abundance of independent CD and record stores. There’s flea markets during the non-winter months. Then, there’s Super Walmart. Sure, Best Buy still carries CD’s and limited vinyl releases… only their aisles are shrinking with this product too. Forget Target… it’s the flavor-of-the-month when it comes to their CD aisles. Super Walmart never had an Extreme Metal selection as an f.y.e. does… and they never will. If there was/is any competition between an f.y.e. and a Super Walmart, it is for the Walmart “only” titles of CD’s and bubble gum Pop Music. When it comes to Metal, forget it… f.y.e. has the biggest selection. Apparently, having the biggest Metal selection is not enough, if your not selling at a level where the corporate profit margin is not making the rich happy… and richer.
I will miss my neighborhood f.y.e. and without question, miss the interaction I continuously had with their employees. Each one of them made Stone feel like he belonged in their store… each one listened to what Stone had to say. I wish I could say that about every store I frequent, only I can’t. I have to grin and shake my head, while realizing that f.y.e. has NO CLUE as to the quality people that have worked very hard for them at this location… working diligently to make f.y.e. rich. So, f.y.e., it’s no deal for me to save 30% on my CD purchases I made today… it is an important and sad deal though, to have to say goodbye to these following exceptional employees:
NATALIE
STACY
JOHN
ERIC
DANNY
Whenever a company or store closes it’s doors, PEOPLE are affected… and employees are people. I wish the above named employees of this f.y.e. store all the very best that life can bring them. They all made my shopping experience at this f.y.e. store worth my time and money, as well as memorable. Thank you, my Metal Buddies at the South Mall f.y.e., YOU ROCK!
AOL Noisecreep is currently streaming “Sacrament Of Buyan,” the eighth track from KHORS’ latest full-length, Return To Abandoned, released last month via Paragon Records. On their fourth long player, the Ukrainian black metal horde yield the harsher, brooding sounds of earlier works whilst mixing in the melancholy and atmosphere of 2008’s unsung blackened gem, “Mysticism”. “Sacrament Of Buyan,” is based in Slavic mythology — Buyan is reportedly the only place where you’ll find “Koschei the Deathless” soul buried inside a needle inserted into an egg that lurks in a magical oak tree.
(Earsplit PR, December 29, 2010)
To check out “Sacrament Of Buyan,” point your browser HERE.
LAZARUS A.D. – The sophomore release from Wisconsin’s very own Thrashin’ and Metal bashin’ LAZARUS A.D. will be released on February 1st, 2011, on the legendary Metal Blade Records. Their new album is titled: Black Rivers Flow and it is destined to be one of the most sought after Metal releases of 2011!
* Black Rivers Flow was recorded during July and August of 2010, at Belle City Sound with Chris Djuricic. James Murphy mixed and mastered Black Rivers Flow at Safehouse Production.
* For more info on LAZARUS A.D., just click on the links below:
LAZARUS A.D. are a supporting Metal force for undisputed legends of Thrash Metal… DEATH ANGEL, on their North American Retribution Tour. Other supporting Thrash Metal warriors for DEATH ANGEL are: EARLY MAN, BONDED BY BLOOD and HEXEN. To view the complete schedule for this North American Retribution Tour, just click on the large header below!
BRUCE LAMONT – Upon my very first listen to Feral Songs For The Epic Decline, I realized quickly that Bruce Lamont has created music that is a soundtrack to the inner Metal mind. What is the inner Metal mind you query? Why, it is all of the thoughts, sounds and sensory subtleties that just magically make their unexpected visit, (within my own inner Metal mind), during the course of a day… or two. You see, what Bruce Lamont has created here, is Experimental meets Industrial, coalescing with the progressive and tribal, while colliding with drifting atmospherics… the end result being Bruce’s honest and credible interpretation of what’s likely his real music ideal.
If there is a defining constant I hear throughout Feral Songs For The Epic Decline, it is Bruce’s interpretation of combining so many musical elements and styles together and making them come to a boil with an almost late 70’s progressive trip, while adhering to relevance. I do sense a keen sense of hard versus heavy balance, in regards to what Bruce Lamont has created here, due to my feeling and hearing some conscious restraint of venturing too far into the absolute heavy realm. Refraining from total heaviness comes across smoothly within his music, a more progressive approach provides the balance of musical sounds Bruce so convincingly conveys.
What Bruce Lamont seems to thrive on, is pulling music from across the spectrum, then he takes musical matters into his own imaginative hands and creates unique songs that tantalize with their modernistic genius. Throughout this eclectically put together album of avant-garde amassment, Bruce Lamont stays true to his varied style of putting a song together… the listener should expect the unexpected. Just when there are dreamy moments of Pink Floydian progressive space circulating in The Book Of The Law, don’t be surprised to hear next, a futuristic Wild West sound which connects to an extreme psychosis encounter on Deconstructing Self Destruction.
One Who Stands On The Earth is this album’s epic, at 11:44 long. Bruce’s baritone voice along with his acoustic guitar and background Industrial fuzz combines for a continuum of building this song from it’s foundation. Bruce lends some mysterious chanting, which lends way to his saxophone building a melancholic passage with the assistance of tribal background chants. These background tribal chants give way to and combine with rhythmic tribal drum beats, bringing One Who Stands On The Earth to it’s finish, with a synthetic whirling sound being the final exclamation point. The presence of these sounds, brings about an open atmosphere of near exhilaration.
It is the all encompassing manner of disorder by intention, that makes Bruce Lamont’s songs enthrall me to such a high level of admiration. Where else can one hear or who else can make a saxophone coexist so brilliantly, amidst a flurry of Industrial sounds and an extra-terrestrial musical climate as Bruce accomplishes on Disgruntled Employer? Extraordinary is this song with the inclusion of foggy tribal chants, generating a feeling of what an out of body experience might just feel like.
If you have an open-mindedness of listening to a broad based musical puzzle being put together, with a legion of nuances on steroids, then Feral Songs For The Epic Decline is unquestionably an album for you to absorb. Bruce Lamont created each song, sings and plays all the instruments heard on this album, being his first full length. What more could I appreciate from a solo artist, with such intense vision, than Bruce Lamont?
I’m heralding Bruce Lamont and his album Feral Songs For The Epic Decline, especially during an era when the Rock Music Industry is stagnating from complacency. Bruce Lamont’s musical style is inconsistent with the mainstream norm, obliterating a false mindset that artistic music ingenuity is no longer in vogue. This is my reasoning for admiring what Bruce Lamont has achieved here, which invigorates me to recommend Feral Songs For The Epic Decline to any and all open minded fans of Rock, Progressive and Ambient Music.
* Bruce Lamont’s associated bands are: Yakuza, Circle of Animals and Led Zeppelin 2.
* Feral Songs For The Epic Decline will be released on January 25, 2011, on At A Loss Recordings.
* For more info on Bruce Lamont, click on the link below:
CHILDREN OF BODOM – On March 8, 2011, Children Of Bodom will be releasing their seventh studio album titled: Relentless Reckless Forever, on Spinefarm Records. This new and highly anticipated COB studio album was recorded at Petrax Studios in Finland, under the famed guidance of producer Matt Hyde (Slayer, Monster Magnet).
This Finnish Melodic Death Metal meets Power Metal band is led by lead guitarist & vocalist Alexi Laiho. With his patented Death Metal growls and bellowing, along with a unique guitar tone, blistering leads and awe-inspiring solo’s, Alexi has solidified his own right to be labeled legendary among the Metal landscape.
CHILDREN OF BODOM:
Alexi Laiho – lead guitar & vocals
Roope Latvala – guitar
Henkka Seppälä aka Henkka T. Blacksmith – bass
Janne Warman – keyboards
JaskaRaatikainen – drums
Relentless Reckless Forever Track Listing:
Not My Funeral
Shovel Knockout
Roundtrip To Hell And Back
Pussyfoot Miss Suicide
Relentless Reckless Forever
Ugly
Cry Of The Nihilist
Was It Worth It?
Northpole Throwdown
* Bonus Track:Party All The Time
Party All The Time (cover song) – This is a cover song of the 1985 Pop “Hit” from… famed comedian and actor… Eddie Murphy. Hey, this is not as shocking as the cover song Children Of Bodom had on their 2009 covers album – Skeletons In The Closet. Which cover song is this you query? Why, none other than Oops!… I Did It Again originally sung by Britney Spears back in 2000.
* For more info on CHILDREN OF BODOM, just click on the link below:
ACHREN – Formed back in 2003, from Glasgow, UK, comes the Extreme driven, Metal force of ACHREN. To take a passage from their bio, which best sums up their sound: “Crushingly heavy and uncompromising metal, filled with raw and razor sharp riffs, Death Metal growls, Black Metal screams and pounding drums, they create a unique sound forged as Blood Metal.” After listening to ACHREN’S streaming Metal on their myspace and Reverbnation sites, (see links below), I couldn’t agree more with this Metal description of their Extreme sound… this previous description took the Metal words right out of my mouth. How could Stone top that description? Eventually though, I will when describing ACHREN in the future.
Metal be thy name, it is always a glorious Metal moment when a band like ACHREN crosses my Metal path… this band embodies all the elements of Extreme Metal, that my ears and senses need to devour for Metalsurvival. After listening to ACHREN’S streaming songs, I didn’t hesitate and went straight to Itunes to purchase their EP and single from 2008, (see info & link below). Here is some very cool information about ACHREN that I’m sure any devout Metal lovin’ maniac will appreciate:
ACHREN is about to release a live DVD from Bloodstock Open Air 2010 and are the winners of the Bloodstock Open Air 2010 Metal 2 The Masses Initiative. ACHREN are now confirmed to play the Metal Battle Stage at Wacken 2011, plus they will be releasing their debut album in the Spring of 2011!
* ACHREN’S spell binding performance of brutal Death Metal proportions captivated the gathered masses in the New Blood Stage at this years festival!
Frontman Scott Anderson: “The Metal 2 The Masses Initiative has given us a great chance to take the band to a different level. The whole team at Bloodstock work so hard to make it the best Metal festival in the UK and we can’t thank everybody enough for providing us with this great opportunity.”
* ACHREN filmed their whole Bloodstock Open Air set, which is scheduled for release in January on DVD in January of 2011. Their yet untitled debut album is now complete and ready for a Spring release in time for further 2011 Summer festivals!
(Source: ACHREN press release, December 26, 2010)
* You can currently purchase the Extreme Metal of ACHREN, (released in 2008), on Itunes. Their 4 song EP Blood Metal and the single Blood Soaked Banner are there! I highly recommend both EP and single… amazingly Extreme and brutally saturated – Blood Metal! I bought these releases by ACHREN… and it served me right.
Metal Odyssey’s Scott Coverdale – Wow, where did 2010 go? A few months ago, Stone asked if I would be interested in doing a list of my personal Top Ten Albums Of 2010 for Metal Odyssey. After giving it some thought, I said, sure, what the hell! I’ll admit, I am not a critic, nor do I review albums. I’m just a dude that gets into listening to Hard Rock and Heavy Metal albums, along with researching Metal and corresponding live from concerts for Metal Odyssey. Secondly, I do not listen to or know much about the Extreme genres of Metal, with Death and Black Metal not being my forte.
So, while deliberating my list of the Top Ten Albums Of 2010, picking that one standout Hard Rock or Heavy Metal album proved to be quite difficult. I probably have bought and listened to 30+ CD’s that were released over the course of 2010, therefore, I have left a lot of quality music on the table. With that all being said, here is my Top Ten Albums Of 2010…
#10
GAMMA RAY – TO THE METAL!
#9
RATT – INFESTATION
#8
CRAZY LIXX – NEW RELIGION
#7
TADDY PORTER – TADDY PORTER
#6
SISTER SIN – TRUE SOUND OF THE UNDERGROUND
#5
KROKUS – HOODOO
#4
SCORPIONS – STING IN THE TAIL
#3
VOLBEAT – BEYOND HELL ABOVE HEAVEN
#2
ACCEPT – BLOOD OF THE NATIONS
#1
PRETTY MAIDS – PANDEMONIUM
Congratulations PRETTY MAIDSon having your PANDEMONIUM album chosen as Scott Coverdale’s #1 Album Of 2010!
ROCK ‘N’ ROLL AIN’T NOISE POLLUTION.
Scott Coverdale.
* Below is a list of other great sites/bloggers that cover Rock, Hard Rock and Heavy Metal and will be sharing their “Best Of 2010” lists and thoughts as well. It is well worth the trip to any and/or all of them!
ESCAPE THE FATE – In support of their critically acclaimed, chart smashing and self-titled, third studio album, Escape The Fate will be headlining The Dead Masquerade – 2011 North American Tour. Along with supporting bands: Alesana, Motionless In White, Get Scared and Drive A, this tour kick starts on January 20, 2011, in Tucson, Arizona. Two concert dates are scheduled for January 14th and 16th, in Islington, Great Britain. Check out the full tour date schedule below for your nearest city and venue!
* Escape The Fate was released on November 2, 2010, on DGC Records/Epitaph.
* Escape The Fate was produced by Don Gilmore, (Linkin Park, Bullet For My Valentine).
* The red cover is the deluxe edition of Escape The Fate, (pictured above), while the black cover is the regular version of Escape The Fate, (pictured below tour dates).
* For those who may not know, Escape The Fate is an American band, that has been labeled as Alternative Metal, Metalcore and Post-Hardcore… to name a few. I prefer to call ’em a damn good Heavy band, their new album is just that – Heavy. Yes, this new Escape The Fate album does have solid Metal momentstoo, Stone can never tell a Metal lie. Zombie Dance has some heavy grooves goin’ on and is a choice cut of mine from this new album. These young dudes of Escape The Fate have put it all together for this new release, making the future of Heavy Musiclook all the more potent and alive for us all.
ESCAPE THE FATE:
Craig Mabbitt – vocals
Monte Money – guitar, backing vocals & keys
Max Green – bass
Robert Ortiz – drums
* Two Concert Dates In Islington, Great Britain:
1/14/11 – Islington, GBR @ 02 Academy Islington
1/16/11 – Islington, GBR @ 02 Academy Islington
The Dead Masquerade 2011 North American Tour Dates:
1/20/11 – Tucson, AZ @ Rialto Theater
1/21/11 – Tempe/Phoenix, AZ @ Marquee Theatre
1/22/11 – Albuquerque, NM @ Sunshine Theatre
1/24/11 – Dallas, TX @ South Side Music Hall
1/25/11 – San Antonio, TX @ White Rabbit
1/26/11 – Houston, TX @ Warehouse Live
1/28/11 – Atlanta, GA @ Masquerade Music Park
1/29/11 – Orlando, FL @ Club Firestone
1/30/11 – Fort Lauderdale, FL @ Revolution
2/01/11 – Charlotte, NC @ Amos’ Southend
2/02/11 – Norfolk, VA @ The Norva
2/03/11 – Baltimore, MD @ Ram’s Head Live
2/04/11 – Philadelphia, PA @ Trocadero
2/05/11 – Sayreville, NJ @ Starland Ballroom
2/08/11 – Lancaster, PA @ Chameleon Club
2/09/11 – Allentown, PA @ Crocodile Rock Cafe
2/11/11 – Hartford, CT @ Webster Theatre
2/12/11 – Worcester, MA @ Palladium
2/13/11 – Montreal, QC, Canada @ Club Soda
2/14/11 – Toronto, ON, Canada @ Phoenix Concert Theatre
2/16/11 – Buffalo, NY @ Town Ballroom
2/17/11 – Royal Oak, MI @ Royal Oak Music Theatre
2/18/11 – Grand Rapids, MI @ The Orbit Room
2/19/11 – Milwaukee, WI @ Rave
2/20/11 – Chicago, IL @ Vic Theatre
2/21/11 – East Saint Louis, IL @ Pop’s
2/23/11 – Minneapolis, MN @ The Cabooze
2/25/11 – Denver, CO @ Summit Music Hall
2/26/11 – Salt Lake City, UT @ In The Venue
2/27/11 – Boise, ID @ Knitting Factory Concert House
3/01/11 – Spokane, WA @ Knitting Factory Concert House
3/02/11 – Portland, OR @ Roseland Theater
3/03/11 – Seattle, WA @ Showbox At The Market
3/05/11 – San Francisco, CA @ Grand Regency Ballroom
3/06/11 – Sacramento, CA @ Ace Of Spades
3/08/11 – Reno, NV @ Knitting Factory Concert House
3/09/11 – Fresno, CA @ Crest Theatre (Fresno)
3/11/11 – Anaheim, CA @ Grove Of Anaheim
3/12/11 – San Diego, CA @ Soma
(Source for tour dates: Escape The Fate Official Website)
Track Listing For Escape The Fate:
Choose Your Fate
Massacre
Issues
Zombie Dance
Gorgeous Nightmare
City Of Sin
Day Of Wreckoning
Lost In Darkness
Prepare Your Weapon
World Around Me
The Aftermath (G3)
* Bonus Tracks on Deluxe Edition:
Liars And Monsters
The Final Blow
Issues (Ruxpin Remix)
* For more info on ESCAPE THE FATE, just click on the links below:
METAL ODYSSEY’S TOP TEN SONGS OF 2010 – Every year, countless new Metal and Hard Rock albums are released. With an untold number of original songs, as well there being cover songs being released too, it is not humanly possible to hear them all. I have compiled a list of Top Ten Songs Of 2010, that represent THE songs that psyched-me-out of my Metal mind, throughout this past year and will continue to do so for many Metal moons to come. Quality musicianship, songwriting and vocals are all inclusive on these songs listed below, being heard by my attentive Metal ears. These art ten songs from 2010 that I will never forget for the rest of my Metal lovin’ life!
#10
MORPHINE KILLER – Throw It All Away
To listen to Throw It All Away, just click on that magnificent box above. Morphine Killer is Brandon Ortiz aka Eski and Belle Roka. Is it the music that Eski plays or the vocals of Belle that made this song an instantly memorable song for me? It’s BOTH. With a Modern Metal backbone meets Classic Rock accessibility, Throw It All Away is a song I want the world to hear. When a song can float above a variety of Rock genres like this one can and ROCK so damn steady as it does, it makes my Metal Odyssey Top Ten Songs Of 2010 list without a Metal hiccup. Metal Odyssey is handing out a #1 Female Heavy Rock vocal Performance for 2010… it’s Belle Roka with Throw It All Away. Morphine Killer has been my diamond in the rough for 2010.
#9
HIGH ON FIRE – Frost Hammer
On August 29, 2010, I blabbed away about how Metal terrific Frost Hammer is. You can read about it for yourself by clicking on the header below! Matt Pike and his band High On Fire are the epitome of what Metalshould sound like when you are flipping off the music charts. You’ll never find glitz or glam with these guys, just straight up Stoner Metal meets Rock ‘N’ Roll, with potent doses of landscape rippling sound, blasting from this now legendary three piece.
On August 29, 2010, I wrote about how much I really dig Frost Hammer. (I actually really dig the entire Snakes for the Divine album as well). Click the link below to read more about it!
The vocals of M. Shadows are laced with emotional realism that can’t be manufactured. While I listen to this song, the feeling of being overwhelmed by the relentlessly driving up-tempo and power of this A7X band occurs, from the opening note to the very last one. Every time I listen to thisNightmare song, the psyche-me-out meter explodes within my Metal soul. I swear I can hear and feel this band’s courage melting over this entire song and I’m not bashful to admit this. A7X made an incredible song (and album as well) under extreme conditions, after losing their brother and drummer, Jimmy “The Rev” Sullivan, to a tragically untimely passing on December 28, 2009.
What stands out to me, every time I listen to this song, is the transparent mood of victory amongst the overall musicianship, which seems to swirl itself around the more darker vibe of Nightmare’s overall theme. Each member of A7X plays with an inspired emotion on this song that carries on through the entire album. Nightmare is a word that can sum up what A7X has endured as a band of brothers, yet it’s also a magical song that has carried them to the top tier and front row of Modern Metal.
#7
ARMORED SAINT – Chilled
Armored Saint returned in a very fantastic way in 2010. Metal be thy name was I thrilled that Armored Saint did make a comeback… and they did so by making a kick ass album titled: La Raza. On April 19, 2010, I wrote exactly how this Armored Saint song makes me feel. Chilled will always be a lifetime favorite song of mine, it’s lyrical message of chilling out as you get older hits home. Take the Metal plunge and read all about it by clicking on the header below!
And on the eighth day, God created Jon Oliva. In all Metal seriousness, Jon Oliva is a man of music and his very own and real nightmare comes to life musically and lyrically, with Death Rides ABlack Horse. Jon Oliva writing about his nightmares makes for incredible songs and Death Rides A Black Horse is as nightmarish as they come, in an epic and sensory stirring way. The keyboards are haunting and the dark mood of this song gives way to my very own, made up scary imagery. I embrace any song that entertains me like a horror novel or gives me the jitters like a nightmare, Death Rides A Black Horse is just that.
#5
KROKUS – Too Hot
The “classic” Krokus lineup from the One Vice At A Time album from 1982, returned in 2010 with a Hard Rockin’ mission statement called Hoodoo. I knew after my very first listen to the Hoodoo album that there were a few potential “Top Ten” song candidates… I dug this album that much. TooHot became just that type of song for me all year, this song is hot from beginning to end. An infectious Hard Rock vibe I feel throughout Too Hot, without an ounce of letup. This Hard Rock vibe jumps straight out of Too Hot, reeling in all of the delectable Old School feelings of good times, partying till dawn and… just free spirited FUN.
#4
GAMMA RAY – To The Metal
HAIL HEAVY METAL! This is the Heavy Metal anthem that will forever remind me that this great genre is bigger than anything anyone could have ever imagined. Years may pass us by, economies shall fall, wars will be waged while we Metalhead’s age… only Metal always stands tall, has stood the test of time and never goes away. This song is about more than Heavy Metal, it’s about the cultural and social impact it has had upon us Metalheads through the decades, an F’n damn Metal phenomenon that can never be stopped, controlled or denied.
When I interviewed Kai Hansen (Gamma Ray’s lead vocalist & guitarist) earlier this year for HARD ROCK HIDEOUT, he likened Heavy Metal to that of a dragon… he explained once you cut the head off a dragon, it keeps on growing more heads. Well put, Kai… and well done with your legendary Power Metal band – Gamma Ray!
On July 19, 2010, I wrote about this powerful Heavy Metal anthem – To The Metal. Read about it if you like, by clicking the header below!
If there is that young band that is going to eventually take over the Rock and Hard Rock world, KOPEK is that band. Metal as my witness, it’s just a matter of time. Don’t say Stone never warned you either. When a three piece can Rock the daylights out of me, while delivering a Hard Rockin’ sound that is as refreshing as an iced pint of beer, that band deserves any and all the accolades I can Metal muster. KOPEK is that band. Take a look and listen to Love Is Dead by clicking that cool box below… you’ll likely understand what I mean.
Oh, while I’m at it, why beat around the Metal bush…
Love Is Dead is Metal Odyssey’s #1 Music Video Of 2010!
#2
SCORPIONS – Raised On Rock
2010 was the year when the unreal legendary Scorpions announced their embarking on a final, three year tour. The Scorpions are retiring. It can’t be! Alas, the Metal truth sometimes is hard to swallow. I, along with Scott Coverdale set forth on our Metal journey this past June, of 2010, to the M3 Rock Festival, (Columbia, Maryland), to see the Scorpions off. On June 27, 2010, I posted about the Scorpions headlining the 2010 M3 Rock Festival. You can read about how I felt, seeing and experiencing the Scorpions at the 2010 M3 Rock Festival by clicking the large header below!
Raised On Rock is not just a song that my 80’s generation can relate to, this is a song that any Rock generation can and should relate to. Admittedly, I am instantly psyched out of my Metal mind, while my face gets flushed and my arms become covered with ostrich bumps each time I listen to Raised On Rock. With these types of emotional and physical reactions I experience from Raised On Rock… there really is nuthin’ else left to say, except…
THANK YOU SCORPIONS!
#1
HALFORD – Thunder And Lightning
Thunder And Lightning from HALFORD is my #1 song of 2010! Music should speak to you and make you feel good… and sometimes invincible. HALFORD makes me feel invincible with Thunder And Lightning, I’m not going to deny it, I will just accept it with Metal glee. Everyone knows, when a song “hits” you that certain way, it just feels like it was written and recorded especially for you. This is exactly how Thunder And Lightning “hits me”.
Everything that I have ever loved about Heavy Metal, seems to be woven into Thunder And Lightning. From the strong vocals of Rob Halford, to the melodic and yet still heavy guitar leads of Roy Z., with Metal Mike Chlasciak unleashing the rhythmic balance from his axe, the tempo never subsides from it’s elevated high. Oh, there is a kick ass guitar solo too from Roy Z. and it gives me the Metal chills. Mike Davis on bass and Bobby Jarzombek on drums make the woofers on my home stereo speakers quake to the Metal limit. The chorus is mind blowing and Metal riveting. Even the fade out on this song is perfect. F’n Old School.
Being track #10 on the new HALFORD album, Made Of Metal is without question worth the wait as I listen to this fabulous album. Then again, I can’t count the number of times I select only this song to listen to, sometimes twenty times in a row! I’m not kidding. Rob Halford, otherwise known as The Metal God, is at his vintage best on vocals, with his band surrounding him with an awesome display of pure Metalpower. When a song puts me on an ultra-maximum Metal high, like Thunder And Lightning does, it gets picked as #1. Metal be thy name.
On October 6, 2010, I posted a complete album review on HALFORD IV Made Of Metal, you can check it out by clicking the header below!
* Below is a list of other great sites/bloggers that cover Rock, Hard Rock and Heavy Metal and will be sharing their “Best Of 2010” lists and thoughts as well. It is well worth the trip to any and/or all of them!
ICED EARTH – Century Media will be releasing in 2011, a brand new concert & documentary DVD saluting a tried and true, legendary Heavy Metal band, America’s very own… ICED EARTH. This new DVD is titled: Festivals Of The Wicked and contains nearly six hours of content!
Three full headliner concerts are showcased on Festivals Of The Wicked, they are: Wacken Open Air 2007, Rock Hard Festival 2008 and Metal Camp 2008. A 90 minute documentary of ICED EARTH is also featured! Plus, a photo gallery shot by famed Rock photographers Ross Halfin and Rudy De Doncker is included! Festivals Of The Wicked is certainly a DVD to seek out in 2011!
* As of December 22, 2010, no official release date has been released, other than “2011”.
* The cover artwork for Festivals Of The Wicked is Metal intense! This is an instant visual classic of ICED EARTH’S mascot – Set Abominae.
Watch the Century Media trailer below for the Festivals Of The Wicked DVD!
ICED EARTH:
Jon Schaffer – rhythm and lead guitars, backing vocals
Matt Barlow – lead and backing vocals
Brent Smedley – drums
Troy Seele – lead guitar
Freddie Vidales – bass guitar
ICED EARTH – 2011 FESTIVAL NEWS:
ICED EARTH will be performing at the 22nd Annual, 2011 Wacken Open Air Festival in Germany! The Wacken Open Air Festival will be held August 4th through August 6th, 2011. Performing at the 2011 Wacken Open Air Festival as well are: Judas Priest, Ozzy Osbourne, Motörhead and Blind Guardian! F’n Whoa! That is an ultra-legendary Metal lineup! (Source: ICED EARTH Official Website)
ONSLAUGHT – England’s legendary Thrash Metal ambassadors are back again! ONSLAUGHT will be having their new studio album Sounds Of Violence released in North America on February 8th, 2011! Sounds Of Violence will be released on Germany’s AFM Records. This new ONSLAUGHT album was recorded and produced in the renowned Hansen-Studios in Ribe, Denmark (Destruction, Heathen, Mercenary). ONSLAUGHT have already confirmed a headlining European tour, joined by Suidakra and Debauchery in April of 2011. Appearances on some of the biggest European Festivals throughout 2011 have also been confirmed.
* ONSLAUGHT released their first studio album, Power From Hell, back in 1985. Other ONSLAUGHT studio albums: The Force (1986), In Search Of Sanity (1989) and Killing Peace (2007).
ONSLAUGHT:
Sy Keeler – vocals
Nige Rockett – guitar
Andy Rosser-Davies – lead guitar
Jeff Williams – bass
Steve Grice – drums
* International release dates for Sounds Of Violence:
Japan – January 12th, 2011
Europe – January 28th, 2011
USA/North America – February 8th, 2011
(Sources: Earsplit PR and Onslaught myspace music)
* Bomber is a cover song of the Motörheadclassic, which features guest appearances by Phil Campbell (Motörhead) and Tom Angelripper (Sodom).
* This cover song of Bomber, was released on December 17, 2010. It can be purchased at Itunes, Amazon and HMV Digital. * On the ONSLAUGHT myspace page, it states: “All profits from this single release are to be donated to the Help For Heroes charity.” A gigantic Metal kudos goes out to ONSLAUGHT and AFM Records for this act of charity! Help For Heroes is an incredibly reputable charity that raises funds to help support wounded British Armed Forces veterans.
* To learn more about Help For Heroes, click here: Help For Heroes
If you’re a band or musician and would like your music reviewed or be interviewed by Stone, please click the link under the “ALBUM REVIEWS ARCHIVES” section below!
Metal Odyssey's Rock, Hard Rock and Heavy Metal Hall of Fame! These Are The Rock And METAL Legends Wrongfully Ignored By "The Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame"
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