Mattowarrior's Metal Madness

Now enter a band that shows huge potential and has a very unique sound. I won't lie, even though I enjoyed many of the acts I've reviewed on this blog the past several months, it's refreshing to hear a band who is closer to having the elements that are far more endearing to me that your average band. South Carolina's Blood Sun is one such band, and they are releasing their debut self-titled EP on April 20th 2018. The first thing I need to mention, in part being a guitarist myself, were the killer riffs. Twisting, huge, interweaving riffs, that definitely sound like they're being done by an army of guitarists rather than one. This band has that essential ingredient that bands who have killer riffs have, it isn't exactly prog metal, but thinking about how cool even 90's Mercyful Fate, classic Annihilator and yes, even classic Megadeth's riffs were, you could be reminded from time to time with Blood Sun. I'm also reminded of the underrated 8...

Lesser Known Character are a Bristol UK Punk act that, in a rare move amongst modern punk acts, actually has the accent of their country of origin! It's not without irony that I make that statement, as Yank acts from Green Day and even early Industrial mavens Ministry have tried to appropriate this.  The band reminds me of such bands from yesteryear like Bad Religion, the Descendents or even early Husker Du at times. A very melodious, aggressive and catchy form of Punk Rock.  The chiming melodies, along with the speed but very overt hooks make a very catchy and melodic experience.  It's interesting, though refreshing that such influences still permeate in the consciousness of band's minds. The title track, Calamity has the best mix of hooks and riffs, it's fresh metallic sheen making for the most enjoyable song on here. The band's liveliness is pretty apparent, I am sure they put on quite a  good and energetic show from the sounds of it. Calamity, ...

Vaudeville Remedy is a self proclaimed “blues/punk” band from  Assiniboia, Saskatchewan, Canada.  At first I thought the location they gave was a joke, but then I googled it, and indeed there is a town with that name (Populaton:  2,389).  However, you can seriously expect a sardonically humorous element to their new release, “I've Got An Idea For Christmas​.​.​. The three piece band has been around 2009 and has six releases (at least from what is listed on bandcamp). The album is a concept one, purportedly about “a heroin junkie's misadventures throughout the holiday season”. The song, "Home Alone 6" (hey, I thought there were only 2 or 3 films) starts out the album. It features some calliope type backing keyboards, and almost has a slightly New Wave post punk feel to it. The second song, “I've Got an Idea for Christmas” has an almost Stooges style shuffle, and appropriate hooks. "XXXmas Alley", follows and has a b...

                                                     Judas Priest- Firepower  (2018) By now, we've all heard the controversy. Some controversial remarks by former co-lead guitarist KK Downing regarding the new album by Judas Priest, Firepower. How much the now publicly Parkinson's disease suffering guitarist Glenn Tipton plays on the album isn't exactly known, bands for years have obfuscated how much tweaking from session musicians albums have had, Kiss's Psycho Circus being a notorious example. Priest singer Halford has responded in the press by saying that Tipton played on the album. Whoever you believe, it's the music that matters, and the new Priest does deliver the goods to a certain extent in that respect. One thing that is apparent is that getting knob twiddler Andy Sneap at the production helm is a move that should be followed by o...

Being a Metal Elitist or "Purist" isn't without it's issues. You can't win them all, as far as convincing others inside the Metal Milieu whether your taste is "justified" or not. Of course, "who cares what people think" should be the rule, but I figured an article like this would make entertaining fodder for discussion, as well as looking inside the mind of a Metal Fan who feels the Nineties (yes that decade) may have been the greatest decade for metal, at least in the underground and in Europe. Without further adieu, here are 5 bands I just never could get into, and yeah, at times I've tried and tried and tried. I'll follow up those 5 bands with 5 more that according to my own standards and tastes, and more importantly (the hierarchical ideology of Metal "Elitism", which I'm using in a somewhat ironic and tongue in cheek way) I "shouldn't" like: 1. Korn. I never liked Korn. I just found the mix of elem...

                                         Kiss, rare picture of the group sans makeup in the Seventies.  Among the criticisms from the people who hate/dislike Kiss that's postulated very often is the assertion that, given that much of the popularity of Kiss comes from their "live act" and in particular, their makeup and costumes, that they would've never reached the heights awarded to them if they were just a regular "rock band" in the seventies, some going so far as to say they never would've made it to being an international act! If one is to believe this assertion, then one has to immediately go to their music and analyze them in the context of seventies hard rock and metal acts who were their contemporaries. Also, we need to look at the building blocks of their music, and the fact that this is a lot of what people (often) ignore. Culled from interviews, various other...

Recently, I have discovered a new band which delves into some interesting concepts, War Gods of the Deep. Their new EP, Robots, Rockets & Rampage has been released and its an interesting listen. The Band is named (Seemingly) from a 1965 movie with Vincent Price, (which went by City under the sea in non US countries). In it, The plot concerns the discovery of a lost city beneath the sea off the coast of Cornwall.  Price is the captain overseeing a group of sailors who have lived there for more than a century where the peculiar mix of gases has allowed them to extend their lifespan. The band, which lists Kiss, Queen, Van Halen, Metallica, Iron Maiden, Anthrax, Boston, the Eagles, Prince, Def Leppard, and Journey among their influences, as well as comics, science fiction, fantasy and pulp magazines, as well as Star Wars (tastefully and gratefully mainly the Original Trilogy :) ) has definitely a unique and fresh sound going for them.  ...