Rock n Music Review.com

This is a dramatic departure for Mastodon. Much more metalcore than a continuation of their brand of sludge/prog/death metal. The clean vocals are very pedestrian and I believe are only done for the mallcore crowd.  Personally, I loved their hardcore screams and indifferent stoner vocal delivery of the past.  Brann Dailor still drums like a tsunami, but the guitar riffs are a lot less thrashy. Infact, the mathcore tightly coiled rhythm guitar is virtually absent, replaced with time tested guitar hero solos inserted in every song.  There are times on this album, when Mastodon starts sounding derivative, such as the much ballyhooed “The Czar: Usurper/Escape/Martyr/SpiralInvariable” which reminds of of Rush crossed pollinated with QoTSA.  Bands go directions that I don’t find interesting and lose me, and this may be the case with the Mastodon, but I’m going to give this one more time because I love this band.

It’s got to be something where adults grimace their face and say…”ahh what Crap!” Watch out for some type of grindcore to start catching on, particularly Pig Destroyer. Now that’s a effin’ name mom and pop are going to detest.  Not to mention the album cover art…OMG!

The precision, skills and creatively these guys have is just pure entertainment enjoyment. PD’s musicianship ranks with the best, and how Scott Hull achieves such a sludgey low-end, eliminating the need for a bass player, is mystifying to me. As far as albums, after being blown away by Prowler which at the time I thought was the best grindcore album ever, topping Terrorizer, Brutal Truth, Nasum, Napalm Death, I was even more blown away after hearing Terrifyer. That album is a nuclear explosion. Phantom is also excellent, I particularly like the 2nd half which gets into longer more groovier songs, but Terrifyer is the bomb.

Faces, w/Rod Stewart and Ronnie Wood had a boat load of highly influential and great songs. Their best rockers are => than the Stones.  Always casual and loose, the band possessed a genuine quality in their music, which was also bolstered by the fact that Ronnie Wood had incredible chops as lead guitarist, creating a seamingly endless run of tasteful riffs and slide guitar.  No wonder Keith Richards fought so hard to bring him into the Rolling Stones.  Unfortunately for the Faces, the never produced a classic record, and were disrupted by Rod Stewart, who managed a very successful solo career during his tenure with the band, often saving some of his best songs for his solo outings.  Consequently, the Faces are best experience in one of several compilations that are available.  If your looking for something conciese and to the point, there’s “Good Boys When There Asleep”.  If your looking for something more, there’s the 4 CD box set ” Five Guys Walk Into a Bar”, which includes all the songs in “Good Boys..” plus live cuts, out-takes and rarities.

It goes back to the fricken blues. Rock music has always lived on the fringe of society and what makes it so appealing is it’s edginess and conflict with the morality of the dominant culture. A little bit of evil, sex, drugs and you have rock n roll. Doom is nothing more that the blues retooled. Death Metal is nothing more than lyrical and musical content taken to the extreme in order to alienate the masses. Of course playing very fast and loud, as well as slow and distorted helps the cause.  The first group of bands that were originally classified as Heavy Metal were Black Sabbath, Led Zepplin and Deep Purple and the most metal sound releases were Master of Reality, Led Zep II and In Rock.

These bands influenced the next group consisting of Judas Priest, Queen and Kiss whose best albums are represented by Stained Class, Queen I and Hotter Then Hell.

After those great bands, enjoy the punk infused speed rhythm and blues of the great proto-thrash band Motorhead, Ace of Spade, then the transition to what I consider more modern heavy metal in the form of  the NWOBHM giant, Iron Maiden, “The Number of the Beast”. But sitting at the top of the metal heap, are the undeniable gods of metal, the beyond reproachable, Slayer whose Rick Rubin produced “Reign in Blood”, is still the greatest thrash record, which automatically puts it at the top of best metal record, ever.

1>  ABC - The Look of Love Pt 1.   This band had the new Romantic vibe in spades.  Lush sophisticated orchestrated disco pop songs  performed urgently and earnestly.  The album “Lexicon of Love” simply pure pop candy.

2> Thompson Twins - Love Lies Bleeding.  Before they become popular and began to take themselves to seriously, they were a delightful and charming new wave dance band outfit, that occasionally provided a little edge to provide a bit of drama.  This song finds them at delivering the catchest and most memorable performance.  One of several great cuts off their best album, “Side-Kicks…”

3> Tears for Fears - Pale Shelter.  Another contenders for top 80’s bands, TfF were the whining man’s signature band.  Always on the verge of complete mental collapse due to the slightest whiff of rejection, these boys harnessed all of their ill feelings into their classic album “The Hurting”.  Success made them happy, but unfortunately, boring.  “Pale Shelter” is the most deliciously angst driven piece of pop you’ll ever hear.

4>  Aztec Camera - Oblivious.  The single most under-rated and under appreciated album from the early 80’s, Aztec Camera “High Land, Hard Rain”, is a masterfully crafted acoustic guitar driven Brit-Pop album, lead by mastermind, Roddy Frame.  A virtuoso guitarist, as well as an expressive and at times melancholy  vocalist, Roddy Frame had the type of talent that the like of Elvis Costello were envious of.  “Oblivious” was the best song on the amazing album.

5>Echo and The Bunnymen - Never Stop.  Really, this could have been one of a dozen of Bunnymen songs, including “Do It Clean”, “Villiers Terrace”, “A Promise”, “Killing Moon” and many others.  This was one band that was tight, dark and edgy.

Who are some artists who displayed the most radical change in musical direction over a series of albums? For better or for worse. I.E .The Meat Puppets.

Meat Puppets I - Hard-Core
Meat Puppets II - Cow Punk
Upon the Sun - Psychedelic Country Rock

In a matter of three releases, the Puppets when from sounding retarded to refined.

What a strange trip it was from MP I to Upon the Sun, which is may favorite. It’s just such so laid back, odd and tuneful, compared to “I” which was a hardcore classic. When they toured supporting the debut, the Puppets didn’t like being spit on by their hardcore fans, and decided they needed a change of direction.

Close to the Edge is the easy choice for me. As great as “The Yes Album” and “Fragile” are, I always prefer the versions of songs such as “Yours is No Disgrace” and “Starship Trooper” from Yessongs. The live versions are much more dynamic.  CTTE captures Yes at their peak as the group begins is slow decent from the pinnacle of prog rock, with the departure of Bill Bruford.

Live and Dangerous is a very slick show and has got the great Phil Lynot come on line to the chicks…” Anybody got a little Irish in them”. The chicks begin to scream “Yea!”. Lynot concludes…”Anybody want a little MORE Irish in them?” Great 70’s rockers, love China Town and Bad Reputation.

I just rediscovered “All Fools Day”, and unlike the first three discs, this has the big 80’s stadium rock sound, and is very well put together in a craft-like sort of way. Bailey’s got a wonderfully expressive voice and musically there’s a lot of good twists and turns. I recommend it but be warned, it’s closer to pop than punk.

Led Zep I, IV and Physical Graffiti what’s not to like?   Obviously this will go back and forth. Led Zep IV has to be the definitive Zep CD, but Graffiti is their most interesting and has a ton of great material…I’m disc 1 is a masterpiece by itself. But sometime, I prefer the raw power of the debut.  I’ll admit watching Robert Plant perform during this era was humorous, since lead singers back then were more in touch with there girly side (and he was the most girly of them all). Nevertheless, these are the finest most varied and textured hard rock performances that I can think of. Page was an efficient, tasteful and creative producer, never wasting a note and always keeping the arrangements and music interesting and energetic.  Physical Graffiti is a great album, but Plants voice had noticeably weakened due to constant touring. IV is their diverse and well rounded masterpiece, but I love I and II. The bottom end, riffs, and Plant singing at full force are going to make those classics hold up forever.