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In this Music Monday blog, we are going to get into the latest record from White Wizzard. It is called “The Devil’s Cut.” We are going to get into the history and then the music off this new record. Let us get into the history.
History:
White Wizzard was founded in 2007 by bass player, Jon Leon. He was looking to bring back the classic hard rock and metal sound to fans looking for it. The band released their first EP, which was called “White Wizzard,” in 2008. Even with some success at first, the band loss three of their orignal members. They went on to start a new band called Holy Grail that has similar music style. Jon Leon signed a contract with Earache Records and then started to search for members for the second line up. After filling the second line up, the band released their second EP, which is called “High Speed GTO,” in 2009. In 2010, the band released their first full length record, which was called “Over The Top.” White Wizzard was nominated for Best New Artist at Metal Hammer Golden Gods. In 2011, the band released their second record, which was called “Flying Tigers.” The band in 2013 released their third record, which was called “The Devil’s Cut.” White Wizzard put out their new single, which was called “Marathon Of Dreams,” on their new label White Wizzard Records. This is first time in history of the band that features Jon Leon on lead singer and Devin Lebsack. This band has went through several line up changes after the release of “The Devil’s Cut.” Let us get into the music.
Track List:
Forging The Steel
There is a nice classic hard rock driving music at the beginning of the song. I love the guitar work at the beginning of the song. This music sounds like something out of the late 1970’s to early 1980’s. This is a nice intro song to the record.
Strike The Iron
I love the blend from the first track to the second track. The music pace has picked up. The singer sounds like someone from Riot or Saxon. I love the lyrics and singing. This song has a sound like it came right from Riot. I love the short guitar solo. They wrote a nice opening track for this record. There is a nice expanded guitar solo towards the back half of the song. I love the music towards the end of the music. It sounds like two different songs on the back half of the song.
Kings Of The Highway
I love the slower pace of this song. I love singing and lyrics. I love the theme of this song. Jon put some thought on the lyrics. He did a great job on it. This is a great song but I feel it should be a little faster. I love the guitar solo towards the end of the song. There is a guitar solo to take the song out. It has a nice fade out.
Lightening In My Hands
The beginning of the song remains me some old school Iron Maiden music. There is some nice guitar and bass playing. Even the singing remains me of Bruce. I love the lyrics. I love the guitar solo towards the end. I also love the bass playing. There is another nice well written guitar solo towards the end of the song. I love the trade-off on the guitar solos.
Steal Your Mind
There is a nice slight dark tone guitar playing at the beginning of the song. I love the slow down to bring the singer with some nice guitar work. There is some nice singing and well written lyrics. This is a great song but I just feel it is too slow for my taste. I love the short guitar solos throughout the song. It is becoming too much now. This is too long but it is a great song. I just wish it was a little faster. I love how it the pace finally picks up towards the back half of the song.
The Devil’s Cut
I love the drumming and how the guitar playing is at the beginning. The shinning light is the bass playing. It is some awesome playing. I am not too sure on how I feel about the singing from the singer. I love the lyrics. At the beginning, I just felt he was too low but as the song moves on it did get better.
Torpedo Of Truth
I love the pace and music at the beginning. There is a some nice drumming on this track. There is some nice guitar playing with some nice guitar solos. I love the singing with the back up singing. The lyrics are well written but I am not liking the title of the song that much along with the chorus. I am really not liking this song so much. I could do without it on this record.
Storm Chaser
I am loving the bass playing and drumming at the beginning. I am not liking the guitar playing so far on this song. The singing seems a little off and not really fitting with the song The lyrics are really below average. They could do so much better. Some of these songs on this record are starting to sound the same. There is a nice guitar solo towards the end of the song. It seems every song on this record does not need a guitar solo. This song could live without a guitar solo.
The Sun Also Rises
I am loving the acoustic guitar at the beginning. It is about time. I have been waiting for one song like this. I love the bass playing in the background. I love the singing and lyrics. The main part of the song sounds just like an old Iron Maiden song. The singing like some from White Lion. I am really liking this song. It has a nice driving song. This song is way too long unless. I love change of the music at the half way point. Oh! Once again another guitar solo. I love how they ended this record.
Original Line Up:
Wyatt Anderson – Lead Vocals
Jon Leon – Bass And Guitar
Erik Kluiber – Guitar
Jesse Appelhans- Drums
Current Line Up:
Joseph Michael – Vocals
Jon Leon – Guitar And Bass
Jake Dreyer – Lead Guitar
Will Wallner – Guitar
Giovanni Durst – Drums
Here is their website and twitter addresses:
Website: www.facebook.com/WhiteWizzard
Twitter: @whitewizzard
Closing, I have enjoyed this band since their start and I will always buy their music. I have to say this record has some great songs but overall it is pretty disappointing. I know in the past hard rock and metal music had guitar solos in their songs. I just felt they went over the top on the guitar solos. No to plug one of their songs. The singer is spot on to the original singer. I am pretty worried about this band and their future. They only have two members in this band at this time. I know this band went through several line up changes but I hope they can get it together again. There is some well written songs on this record and there are songs you will be skipping. Go get some! Drink it! Enjoy it! Metal it! \m/
Cheers!
Bill DJ Weiser
Email: djweiser13@comcast.net
Twitter: @djweiser
Instagram: @djweiser13
In this Music Monday blog, we are going to get into the latest record from Evile. The record is Skull. We are going to get into the history and then into the music. Let us get into the history.
History:
Exile was formed in 2004 as a cover band but behind the scenes, they started to write some orignal songs. In 2004, the band released their first EP, which is called “All Hallows Eve.” In 2006, they released their second EP, which is called “Hell Demo.” Both of these EPs were limited runs of like 200 to 350 units each. The band went on tour with Excodus in parts of Europe. The band signed a contract with Earache in 2006. In that same year, they changed their name from Exile to Evile. In 2007, the band started to record their first full length record called “Enter The Grave.” It received some great ratings from the media. They toured with several different bands throughout 2007 to 2009. I am talking main acts like Megadeth to Machinehead. In 2009, the band began work on their second record, which was called “Infected Nation.” The band’s record had a pretty successful first week of sales. Later part of 2009, Mike Alexander, who was the bass player, was rushed to the hospital and later passed away. The band did two tribute shows for their falling band mate. They did cover songs of Mike’s favorite bands or songs. The band picked Joel Graham as their new bass player in December of 2009. They announced US tour for 2010. They supported acts like Kreator and Overkill. The Overkill tour is where I saw them and I have been a fan since. I just wished they played longer. After, they finished their set. I went down to their merch stand and brought one of each of their CDs in their music career. I know it was only two but that is saying something about the band. The band started to headline some fests or on the main stage. In 2010, the band started to work on their third record, which was called “Five Serpent’s Teeth.” The record was released in later part of 2011. There is one song, which is “In Memoriam,” on this record that is a tribute to their first and fallen bass player. In 2013, the band began working on “Skull” and it would be their fourth record. After the record was done, Ol Drake, who is their orignal lead guitar player, left the band. He was replaced by Piers Donno-Fuller in 2014. Let us get into the music.
Track List:
Underworld
There is some sound effects at the beginning of the song. The drums and guitars roll in with fast and impact to your speakers. It is fast just like the old school Evile. This is thrash metal at its finest. Matt’s singing has always remind of James from Metallica. This is what Metallica is supposed to sound like today. I love the lyrics and they are well written. There is a nice thrash metal guitar solo towards the back half of this song. It is well written. There is a nice finish to this song and the opening track. This is a solid start to this record.
Skull
There is some nice heavy music at the beginning. I am loving the drums and bass playing at the beginning of this song. Matt has some nice in face singing. I love the lyrics and some nice melody. The music change in the midpoint of the song. The guitar playing is pretty goof at this point of the song. This band is living up to the old school thrash metal. There is a nice guitar solo with some nice time and rhythm changes to it in the back half of the song. I have always love when they put a ton of reverb on back up singers to give that strong sound to their vocals.
The Naked Sun
I love the guitar playing at the beginning of the song. The music is pretty solid. There is some nice lyrics and some great singing at points. I love the length of these songs. They are just about right for this style of music. I love the start to the guitar solo. It goes into a full force towards the end of the song. Ol out did himself on this guitar solo. The drumming is hard hitting. These guys can sing and they are just screamers.
Head Of The Demon
I love the music at the beginning of this song. The guitar playing on this record has been awesome. I am glad to see a band take their time writing some good tunes. I love the slower pace of this song compare to the beginning of this record. Matt took his time and put down some well thought lyrics. I am loving the back up singing on this record so far. Nice and well written guitar solo is towards the end of the song. I love double bass on the drums but that was a little out-of-place. The double bass is so out-of-place and it over took the guitar solo to a point.
Tomb
I love the acoustic guitar at the beginning. The drumming is well place and I love the style of it. I love the singing from Matt and he wrote some nice lyrics. I love how the music is taking shape. I love the build up to the heavier part of the song. I love how they returned to the acoustic guitar music towards the end of the song. It turns into a nice guitar solo.
Words Of The Dead
I love the music at the beginning of the song. There is some nice drumming and guitar playing. I love the singing with multiple singers. I love the bass breaks and the speed of the music. There is a nice guitar solo towards the end of the song. There is some nice lyrics and singing.
Outsider
There is some nice new school thrash metal style of music at the beginning. There is some nice well written lyrics. I am not sure I feel about the back up singing on this song. Matt’s singing is solid but I just feel he could sing a little be more than his singing talking style. There is a talking part that not go well with the song. I love the scream of “Outsider” and then the guitar solo comes into full focus. I love the music on this song.
What You Become
I love the music at the beginning. I am loving the drumming on this song. Matt’s singing fit nicely on this song. There is some well written lyrics. I love how the lead singer blends with the back up singers and back to the lead. It has a nice touch. It is hard to describe. There is an awesome guitar solo towards the end of the song.
New Truth Old Lies
I love the short acoustic guitar and hard-hitting of the heavy music that came in afterwards. I love the rhythm and melody from the singer. There is some nice lyrics. I love the guitar solo towards the middle of the song. This is part where double bass makes a little bit more sense. This is a great song to finish this great record. Evile did a great job on the music and lyrics.
Orignal Line Up:
Matt Drake – Lead Vocals and Rhythm Guitar
Ol Drake – Lead Guitar
Mike Alexander – Bass Guitar
Ben Carter – Drums
Current Line Up:
Matt Drake – Lead Vocals and Rhythm Guitar
Ol Drake – Lead Guitar
Joel Graham -Bass Guitar
Ben Carter – Drums
Here is their website and twitter addresses:
Website: www.evile.co.uk
Twitter: @evileuk
Closing, I love this band and I am glad they brought back the old thrash metal sound and music. Of course, they put their twisted on it. Overall, this is a great record. I love how they kept true to themselves. Matt has done a great job on the lyrics. Some of the singing was ok but very good overall. I will be adding this record to my line up of records to play once in a while. There is some solid drums and guitar playing. I love the guitar solo but with Ol leaving the group. How will the music and sound along with guitar solos change? Will this band change too much? I hope Evile stays as close to what they were on all their records. They will change a bit because of the different and new players in the group. I am looking forward to their new music in future. This is a great band and album. I highly recommend it. Go get some! Drink it! Enjoy it! Metal it! \m/
Cheers!
Bill DJ Weiser
Email: djweiser16@gmail.com
Twitter: @djweiser
Instagram: @djweiser13
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In this Mondy Music blog, we are going to get into the latest record from The Black Dahlia Murder from Michigan. The record is Everblack which is their sixth studio record in their music career. We are going to get into the history and then the music. Here is the history.
History
The Black Dahlia Murder was formed in late part of 2000 in Waterford, Michigan. It was named after unsolved murders. They were signed to Metal Blade Records in 2003. Ryan Williams joined the band to replace David Lock just in time to record their first record, which is “Unhallowed.” The band toured and then released their second record, which was “Miasma,” in 2005. After the tour for Miasma, Zach Gibson, who was the drummer, and Pierre Langlois, who was drummer, left the band. Pierre was on drums after Gibson. The band replace Zach Gibson with Shannon Lucas. In 2007, the band released their third record, which was “Nocturmal.” The band went on a World Tour with Cannibal Corpse to support their new record and celebrate 25 years of Metal Blade Records. In 2008, they joined tour with several different metal bands for Summer Slaughter Tour. After the tour, John K guitarist left the band and was replaced with Ryan Knight in 2009. In the later part of 2009, the band released their fourth record, which was “Deflorate.” They tour to support the record. In 2010, they kept on touring while writing their next record. In 2011, they released their fifth record, which was “Ritual.” In 2012, the band gets another line up changes. Max Lavelle replaces Ryan Williams on bass. Shannon Lucas steps down as the drummer and was replaced by Alan Cassidy. In 2013, the band released their new record called “Everblack.” Let us get into the music.
Track List:
In Hell is Where She Waits For Me
Heavy and hard-hitting music at the beginning from the drums, bass, and guitars. There is some talking but I can not make it out because it is not loud enough. The lead singer comes in screaming. The guitar playing on the main part is solid. The singing is the type you can barely understand what he is saying. The lyrics that I have picked are pretty solid. There is some nice back up singing too. I love time changes towards the middle part of the song. There is some nice double bass from the drums about that time. This is a pretty solid song. I love slower guitar solo at the beginning of it and then it picks up towards the middle and end of the solo.
Goat Of Departure
I love the guitar playing at the beginning. The drumming is good but it starting to sound the same from song to song. I love the lyrics they wrote for this song. I really not a fan of the back up singing on this song. I love the guitar solo towards the end of the song.
Into The Everblack
I love the guitar work and the drums fit perfectly even though it is the same beat. It changes a bit when the singer comes into the song. I hate the chopping guitar playing. I get it fits but it sounds very messing during the main part of the song. I love the keyboard part in this song. It gives a break to the same old in the song and the record. The guitar playing coming out of it. It is some pretty impressive playing. It leads into a short guitar solo.
Raped in hatred By Vines of Thorn
I love the guitar playing at the beginning and the slower drum beat. This song has a nice pace and I love it. It gives you a different feeling unlike the rest of the record. I love double bass but this is a bit overkill. I love the lyrics and the singing. The listeners can understand the singers a bit. I do not know how I feel about the lyrics but it is what it is. There is a pretty well written guitar solo towards the end of the song.
Phantom Limb Masturbation
The song starts with the vocals in your face. This song echos the songs at the beginning. The drumming slight different but about the same. I love the lyrics they placed on this song. I love the chorus music. There is a nice short guitar solo at the quarter point of this song. There is another guitar solo towards the middle part of the song that is a little longer than the last one. This one is a little well thought about it. I love the pace of the music and solo itself.
Control
Just like the last song, the vocals start it out but the music is right there after the start of the song. I cannot pick up the lyrics. There is some well written guitar riffs on this song. The drums are pretty complex and well written. He has been kicking some serious ass throughout this record. This song is short and to the point. There is a nice guitar solo towards the end of the song and I love how the guitar solo keeps on going to the end of the song.
Blood Mine
I love the guitar playing and bass too. The drums can let off on the double bass at least one song please. Asides that, I have been loving the drums towards the end of this record. I cannot understand the vocals so I cannot pick up the lyrics. I love the title of the song. I am not sure on the duo singers at least on this song. There is a guitar solo towards the end of the song but it is short and sweet to the point.
Every Rope A Noose
Oh my God, I love the drumming at the beginning. It has pretty awesome beat. I love the guitar playing. I love the singing but I cannot understand the singers. This song has a nice fast pace and it is perfect towards the end of the record. The double bass makes so much sense at this point of the song. There is a well placed guitar solo towards the end of the song. There is a nice piano playing at the end that comes into full focus to end the song.
Their Beloved Absentee
I love the singing from the group of singers at the beginning but they were so far in the background and volume is to low. This is a straight driving song. It has a nice pace. This is a classic extreme metal song. I love the pace. I love the music on this track. I love the guitar solo towards the end and it is well placed.
Map Of Scars
There is some nice well-written music from the drums and guitars. The bass playing is pretty simple but it is perfect. I cannot understand the singer so I cannot judge lyrics. I guess I could look up the lyrics on the net. This is a perfect song to finish a great record from this Michigan band. Great song and nice ending to this record.
Original Line Up:
Trevor Strnad – Vocals
Brian Eschbach – Guitar
John Kempainen – Guitar
David Lock – Bass
Cory Grady – Drums
Current Line Up:
Brian Eschbach – Guitars
Alan Cassidy – Drums
Max Lavelle – Bass
Ryan Knight – Guitars
Trevor Strnad – Vocals
Here is their website and twitter addresses:
Website: www.facebook.com/theblackdahliamurderofficial
Twitter: @bdmmetal
Closing, overall, this is a great record and I really enjoyed this song. I wish I could understand the singers a bit more but I understand because it is the singing style. There is some nice music on this great. I kind of wish drums were a little bit different from song to sing but that is hardest job in this band. I get what he is trying to do and it is pretty limited. They place guitar solos in the right spots to break up the song. I love how some times the guitar solos keep going during main part of the song at the end. It gives a nice and different sound. Great Job! It is a nice touch for someone that does not like this singing type but love the music. It seems every song of this type of metal needs a guitar solo to break up song. If they do not put the guitar solos in the songs, the songs will become white noise. I love this band and I cannot wait to hear their next record. I highly recommend this band and this record. Go get some! Drink it! Enjoy it! Metal it! \m/
Cheers!
Bill DJ Weiser
Email: djweiser16@gmail.com
Twitter: @djweiser
Instagram: @djweiser13
In this Music Monday Blog, we are going to get into the latest and second record from Halestorm. It is called “The Strange Case Of…” and was released early last year. We are going to get into the history and then the music from Halestorm. Let us get into the history.
History
Halestorm started back in 1997 from Lzzy and Arejay, who are brother and sister. The two put out an EP, which was called “Don’t Mess With The Time Man” in 1999. Their father played bass for the band before Josh Smith in 2004. The band was finished up the band with Joe Hottinger, who joined in 2003. The band signed record contract with Atlantic Records in 2005. They released their second EP, which is out of print like their first one, and it was called “One And Done.” Their full length record, which was self titled, was released in 2009. Their first single “I Get Off” received heavy air play. They released several more singles off this record. They are also known to tour a ton and they have toured with several different bands. In 2010, they released their first live record, which was called “Live In Philly 2010.” In 2011, they released their third EP, which was cover record, and it was called “ReAnimate.” In 2012, they released their fourth EP, which is called “Hello, It’s Mz. Hyde.” This EP was a sneak peek on their second full length record, which is called “The Strange Case Of…” “The Strange Case Of…” was released in 2012 and is the record that featured on this blog. In 2013, Halestorm won a Grammy for Best Hard and Metal Performance Category. They became the first female fronted band to win and be nominated for this award. “Freak Like Me” is the first single to reach #1 on Billboard Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks in 2013. Let us get into the music.
Song List:
Love Bites (So Do I)
This is the first single off this record. There is a nice pace with some killer to hard-hitting drums. There is a nice guitar and bass playing. I love the singing from Lzzy. The lyrics are not my style but they are well written. There is a nice guitar solo towards the end.
Mz. Hyde
This is the fifth and final single off this record. I love the guitar and drumming at the beginning. I love her singing. I love the lyrics. The music is pretty solid. There is some nice time changes throughout this song. The ending is a little weird.
I Miss The Misery
This is the second single off this record. I love the music and singing at the beginning. I love the lyrics. Lzzy singing is pretty solid. I love this song. The ending is pretty solid.
Freak Like Me
This is the third single off this record. I love the guitar playing so far on this song. The singing is pretty solid with some great lyrics. I love the lyrics. The music is pretty solid. I just feel the drums are pretty calm for a Halestorm song. The guitar solo towards the end is pretty solid.
Beautiful With You
This song is off pace with the record. It is a good song but it is not their style. I just feel the record company made them make a song like this. It is good. It is too mainstream for a band that were themselves make the mainstream. I am not a fan of this song.
In Your Room
What the hell is up with the last two songs? I cannot listen to it. The lyrics are too thoughtful for this band. The music is solid if it was 1984 and they were Heart.
Break In
Again!!! I am starting to get pretty upset. This one is kind of in their style than the last two songs. I have a feeling half of this record. I will not be listening to again. I will be passing on this one too.
Rock Show
Yay!!! Finally a rock song. I love the guitar playing and the music at the beginning. I do not like the lyrics but the music is pretty solid. I love the bass playing. There was a solid guitar solo towards the end of the song.
Daughters Of Darkness
The beginning of this song is pretty dark. The music is pretty solid. I am not a fan of the lyrics but the song is pretty solid. I will listen to it again.
You Call Me A Bitch Like It’s A Bad Thing
I love the drumming and the music at the beginning. There is a guitar part that reminds me of something of an Alice In Chains song. I love the lyrics and they are pretty well written. I love the short guitar solo towards the middle of the song. I feel this song needs some kind of music break. It is the same thing over and over. It is kind of boring towards the end of the song.
American Boys
I love the guitar playing and drumming. It has a nice pace and great music. I am not a fan of the lyrics and it kind of kills the song for me. I will pass on this song.
Here’s To Us
This is the fourth single off this record. I love the acoustic guitar. I love the music and it has a nice pace for a slower song. The lyrics are pretty solid and well thought. I love this song.
Here’s To Us (Guest Version)
The only different from the first version. I love the guitar solo and there are different singers available and singing. I love this version better.
Here is their website and twitter addresses:
Website: www.halestormrocks.com
Twitter: @halestorm
Closing, I have been a fan of this band since their first record. I loved their first record. I was pretty excited to see them do a few EP’s and this one, which is their second record. It took me a long time to write a review and I am sorry to my readers and the band. I enjoy doing these music reviews but they are pretty time-consuming. I will get better when it is all said in done. Anyways, this record starts out pretty solid. I am loving it until I made it to the middle part of the record. There were three songs I could do without. They are not my style of music. I always look at this band as a hard rock to slight metal band. They are not a pop act and I felt those songs they were trying to be a pop act. If anything how they were themselves on their first record, mainstream music came to them. They are good songs if you like that type of music. The back half of the record was pretty solid with some rock tunes. The lyrics overall was average. There were some songs where they were above average. Overall, I was pretty disappointed with this record. There are some songs I will be listening to again and I enjoyed them. Give this band a listen. They are still upcoming band. I believe their next two records will be awesome. Go get some! Drink it! Enjoy it! Metal it! \m/
Cheers!
Bill DJ Weiser
Email: djweiser13@comcast.net
Twitter: @djwieser
Instagram: @djweiser13
In this Unknown Music Thursday blog, we are going to get into solo record from former lead singer of Pantera. I am talking about Philip H. Anselmo & The Illegals and their record Walk Through Exits Only. We will get into the history of the band and then the music. Let us get into the history.
History:
Phil Anselmo joined Pantera in 1987. The rest is history for this great 1990’s power house. Pantera had several hits in mainstream and several in metal world. Towards the middle of 1990’s with Pantera, Phil joined a super group called Down in 1991. It was a side project but later become his main band. Down had a few hits in the metal world. In 2003, Pantera broke up and that led to the shooting and death of one of the founding members of Pantera, who was Dimebag Darrell in 2004. There has been rumors after rumors of reuniting of Pantera. It might never happen. Down was his main band until Superjoint Ritual was formed early 1990’s but did not release their records until early 2000’s. In 2011, Phil decided to work on a solo record and it was later released in 2013. Let us get into the music.
Song List:
Music Media Is My Whore
It has a nice heavy and fast pace guitar. Nice drumming with well written bass playing. I love the pace. It reminds me of a faster heavier Pantera. I love the lyrics and singing. I love the guitar solo towards the middle of the song. The singing and some of the music reminds more as his days in the band called Down. This is a great opening track.
Battalion Of Zero
The music from the second track is just as fast and heavy as the opening track. I love the pace and the singing. I love the touch of the effects on this vocals. I love the drumming and bass playing. The guitar playing sounds the same as the first track. Phil has written some nice lyrics on “Battalion Of Zero.” The ending is pretty interesting. It has a nice creepy piano playing. I like it.
Betrayed
“Betrayed” is slower than the first two songs. I love the pace. This song sounds different from the first two songs. I love the guitar playing. Phil singing great with some great lyrics. There is a nice guitar solo towards the middle of the song. To me, it sounds like the guitar player is playing the same riff over and over again through the song. They could not write another few riffs to break it up.
Usurper Bastard’s Rant
This song is beyond fast. It is a little too fast for my taste. This song sounds like pure white noise. I love Phil’s singing and lyrics. The music is pretty good asides for the speed of the song. The guitar playing is off the charts. I love the short guitar solos. I love the music and singing towards the end of the song.
Walk Through Exits Only
I love the music and singing at the beginning of the title track. The drumming on this song is awesome. This song is short and to the point.
Bedroom Destroyer
Some of Phil’s singing does not really go well with the music. This has to me my favorite song off this record so far. It is hard to understand the singing on this song. I can not comment on the lyrics. There is some nice guitar playing towards the end. I am not liking the effects on the bass guitar at the end.
Bedridden
This is a fast and to the point song. I love the lyrics. The music is better than the rest of the songs. I love how they call on his punk influence. I love the guitar playing towards the of the song. I love the ending of this song.
Irrelevant Walls And Computer Screens
This is the longest song on the record. I love the beginning with the music and the singing. They put some thought into the guitar playing on this song. I love the drumming and bass playing. I love the guitar solo and dueling between the two guitars. Even though there is only one guitar player in this band. I love how Phil has taken some other song titles and threw them into this song’s lyrics. The music on this track gets better and better as the song goes deeper. The ending and the back half of the song is pretty interesting music. It is the same thing over and over but it works.
Line Up:
Here is his website and twitter addresses:
Website: www.philanselmo.com
Twitter: @philiphanselmo
In closing, I was pretty excited to see that Phil came out with some new music and I love the fact Phil is still out there making music. I was a pretty big fan of Pantera back in the early 1990’s. I love some of the songs off his first solo record. I just feel he could have done better than this record. I can see people enjoying this record. All the music from track to track sounds the same. It is like they took a few riffs and used them in all the songs. The last song was a little different. The guitar player put some thought and wrote some great riffs on it. This is not his finest work but it is not his worse. I love how the record is short and to the point. If you are a Pantera or just a Phil fan, I recommend you checking out this record. Go get some! Drink it! Enjoy it! Metal it! \m/
Cheers!
Bill DJ Weiser
Email: djweiser13@comcast.net
Twitter: @djweiser
In this Music Monday Blog, we are going to get into the latest from Shinedown. It is Amaryllis. We will get into the history and then the music from this new record. Let us get into the history.
History:
Shinedown was formed in 2001 in Jacksonville, Florida with members, who are Brent Smith (Lead Singer), Brad Stewart (Bass), Jason Todd (Guitars), and Barry Kerch (Drums). Shinedown’s first record, which was “Leave A Whisper,” was released in 2004 under Atlantic Records. Shinedown’s second record, which was “Us And Them, was released in 2005. Their third record was “The Sound Of Madness.” This was their most successful record to date. This is also the frist record without Brad Stewart on bass. Eric Bass, who is bass player, replaced Brad Steward. and Zach Myers, who is a guitar player, joins the band. Shinedown’s fourth record, which is Amaryllis, marked the first time band history Zach Myers as the only guitar player and the new one in this band. Let us get into the music.
Song List:
Adrenaline
There is some nice drumming at the beginning. I am loving the music and drumming in this song. The singing is pretty strong. I love the pace of this song. There is some awesome lyrics. This is a great opening track. The drummer is playing out of his mind. I love the focus on him on this song. I love the short and to the point guitar solo towards the end of the song.
Bully
This was the first single of this record. I love the guitar work at the beginning. I love the bass playing during the main part of the song. There is a nice pace on “Bully.” I am not really a fan of the lyrics but it is still a pretty good song. I love the melody and the singing on this song. There is some strong back up vocals on “Bully.” I love the guitar solo towards the end of the song.
Amaryllis
This is the title track of this record. I love the acoustic guitar at the beginning. I have always loved his singing voice. I love the backbone of the band. The bass and drum playing is solid. This song kind of reminds me of something that Goo Goo Dolls would have written. I love the lyrics. This is a pretty solid song. There is a nice guitar break towards the back half of “Amaryllis.”
Unity
I love the keyboard playing at the beginning with a nice solid playing from the guitar, bass, and drumming over the top of it. I love the singing and some pretty good lyrics. I love how the mix a disturbed and acoustic guitar. There is a nice melody. There is a nice guitar solo towards the end of the song. I just wished it was a little bit longer. I love the ending of “Unity.”
Enemies
I love the effects on the guitar at the beginning of “Enemies.” I love the music and melody. This is my favorite song on this record so far. I love the lyrics. I love the ending of “Enemies.”
I’m Not Alright
I love the music. I am not really a fan of the lyrics but the singing on “I’m Not Alright.” There is some playing from the drummer and bass player. This song seems like it needs a guitar solo to break up the singing a bit. I just feel this song could be a little bit longer.
Nowhere Kids
There is some solid music. I love the singing and lyrics are average. I love the melody from the singer. I just feel the same way about this song to the last one. I just feel it could use a guitar solo about the mid-point of the song to break up the singing a bit. There is nothing wrong with the singing. I just hearing too much of it.
Miracle
I love the guitar work at the beginning. There is some nice simple drum beat. I love the singing over the top of it. I love the music. I love the lyrics. They put some thought on this song. This is a great rebound song from the last two songs. I just wished there was a guitar solo. It is still a solid song.
I’ll Follow You
I love the piano playing on this song. There is some solid singing and well written lyrics. I love the music on the main part of the song. I love the pace of this song. Here is a song that does not need a guitar solo. The guitar solo that is on this song is pretty good and well placed. It did what I wanted in the last few songs.
For My Sake
I love the guitar playing at the beginning. I love what they did in the main part of the song. There is some nice lyrics and melody. I love the pace of “For My Sake.” This is one of my favorite songs off this record. I love the guitar playing on this song.
My Name (Wearing Me Out)
There is some nice music at the beginning of this song. I love heavy drumming on this song. I love the pace of this song. The bass playing is solid. There is some nice lyrics with some feeling and soul to it. This is a nice driving song. I could get some speeding tickets with this song playing.
Through The Ghost
I love the acoustic guitar at the beginning. There is some nice music on “Through The Ghost.” I love the singing and the lyrics. This is a nice song to finish “Amaryllis.” The only problem I have with this song is that it is a little too long. I love the ending of it.
Line Up:
Here is their website and twitter addresses:
Website: www.shinedown.com
Twitter: @Shinedown
Closing, I love Shinedown. I do not understand why I did not get into them right away. It took me a little time but I have been a pretty big fan since. There are some pretty good songs off this record. It is not like their last record, which was “Sound Of Madness.” I still enjoyed it, however, I just feel there were too many filler songs to get the record out. These are songs they put on the record to get it out to the market. I just wished there were more guitar solos towards the end of the record. There are songs that need solos and there are songs that do not need them. There were a few songs screaming for guitar solos. This band has not put out a band record and this one is not one. They are working on their next one but I recommend you picking up this one to get yourself through until it comes out. Go get some! Drink it! Enjoy it! Metal it! \m/
Cheers!
Bill DJ Weiser
Email: djweiser13@comcast.net
Twitter: @djweiser
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Thanks For The Support!
Bill DJ Weiser
In this Unknown Music Thursday Blog, we are going to get into an up and coming artist, which is The Ongoing Concept. Saloon is their first record and only studio recording from this young band. There is not much history on this band. They are signed to one of the biggest record labels, which is Solid State, in metalcore. Let us get into this record.
Song List:
Let’s Deal The Cards Again
There is some nice saloon sounds like back in the wild west times. There are people talking in the bar. It is a nice intro song for this record.
Saloon
The music is in your face and heavy. The piano is like wild west time sound. The singer is screaming and does get into some clear vocals. I love the bend of different types of music. This is a pretty good opening track for their first record. Ongoing Concept has written some nice lyrics and music. I love the ending of the song.
You Are The One
I love the singing and the beat at the beginning. The singing is like old church singing. I love the music and the singing. There is some nice lyrics on this song. This is a pretty good record so far into track number three. I love the guitar playing on “You Are The One.” I love the drumming towards the end of the song with some awesome singing. They put some thought behind this song.
Cover Girl
I love the drumming and the singing. It is just right into the main part of the song. It is straight up in your face. I love the guitar, drumming, and bass playing. The singing is very good with some well written lyrics. They wrote some nice music. I love how they used the banjo on “Cover Girl” during the main part of the song. It is not over the top and annoying but it is used just right. I love the singing towards the end of the song. It reminds me of the beginning of Van Halen’s “Ice Cream Man.” I love how they put the focus on the banjo at the end.
Little Situation
I love the acoustic at the beginning with some nice clean vocals. I love the beat of this song. There is some well written lyrics on this song too. This song is pretty heavy just like the first few songs. It is a nice break and change pace on this record. I love how they let the bass player loose on this song. The guitar and drumming are spot on and well written. There is some nice guitar work towards the middle of the song. I love how they came back to the acoustic guitar towards the end of the song. I love the build up in the last-minute of the song to end the song.
Sunday’s Revival
I love the classic hard rock sound on the guitar. There is a nice drum beat with a nice simple bass playing. I am not really a fan of the singing and the lyrics. I love the music. It reminds of something from the late 1980’s to the mid 1990’s. This is not my favorite song on this record it is still pretty good. It has a pretty good ending.
Sidelines
I love the singing and piano playing at the beginning of “Sidelines.” This song sounds like something in the mainstream music today. There is some well written lyrics and music. I really enjoyed listening to this song. He is pouring out his soul into this song. The mid part is where the rest of the band comes into play. I love drumming and bass playing. I am not a fan of the ending.
Failures And Fakes
I love the touch on the organ at the beginning and throughout the song. I love the music with some nice lyrics. I love the singing on this song. I love the melody on the singer. I love how he goes from clean to distorted singing. There is some nice guitar playing towards the end of this song. I love the build up to an awesome ending to the song.
Like Autumn
I love the piano but do not like the main part of the music. This song is pretty bad. It just seems this singer is just screaming. The bad 8-bit video game music during the main part of “Like Autumn.” I can not make out the lyrics. I do not like the back up singing. This is the worse song on this record by far and I cannot finish this song.
Class Of Twenty-Ten
This song is just like the last song. It just seems the deeper I get into this record. It keeps getting worse and worse. These last two songs are filler songs to complete this record. I cannot finish this song like the last.
Goodbye, So Long My Love
Oh, I love the music at the beginning of this song. I love the singing from the lead and the back up vocals. There is some nice lyrics and they put some thought behind it. At beginning, it seems like something you would hear in the mainstream music. The song went off the deep end and just gone bad at the midpoint of the song. This song had some much promise. The screaming over that awesome music just kills me. The middle part of the song there is some nice piano and singing. She has a very beautiful voice. This song has rebound. It was a nice ending to the song and the record.
Band Line Up:
Here is their website and twitter addresses:
Website: www.theongoingconcept.com
Twitter: @ongoingconcept
In the end, this is extremely talented band and I believe they could do better tan this record. This is a nice start. I came across this band and listen to samples of some of their songs. I loved how they used different types of music. I also love how they use different elements to give their sound a nice twisted. The beginning of this record was pretty good. I have to say the back half was a little rough. The one thing that is a plus for this record is the lengths of all the song. They are just right. I love the pace and speed of the songs. It has a nice balance. I am not much into Christian rock but I love the metal on this record and this band. I will check out their next record. I recommend any metal head to give this record a listen. I bet you will be shocked at how good it is. Go get some! Drink it! Enjoy it! Metal it! \m/
Cheers!
Bill DJ Weiser
Email: djweiser13@comcast.net
Twitter: @djweiser
In this Unknown Music Thursday Blog, we are going to get into another band from the northwest part of Canada. I am talking about We Hunt Buffalo. This is their EP called “Blood From A Stone.” This band was founded before 2010 in the Burbs of Vancouver. I do know they have a few records out there already. “Blood From A Stone” is their second EP from this band. Let us get into the music.
Track List:
Blood From A Stone
I love the dark creepy guitar sound that dragged a bit at the beginning. The guitar playing reminds me of classic hard rock from the 1970’s and early 1980’s. The singing has a 1960’s and 1970’s feel. There is some solid lyrics. I love the pace of this song. I love the well placed back up vocals. The drumming and bass playing are pretty good.
Cobwebs
There is some nice guitar work at the beginning of “Cobwebs.” Ryan has some nice lyrics he is singing. His singing is pretty strong. I love the pace and the drumming on this song. I love his screaming singing in this song. The music and lyrics make sense. There is many bands that do not write the lyrics to match the music or the other way around. I love the effects they put on the guitar. There is a nice guitar solo or break towards the end of the song.
Hometown
The music on this song is pretty strong and solid. It has 1970’s and late 1990’s feel on the heaviest. The drumming and bass playing is pretty solid. I love how they put delay and reverb on Ryan’s vocals. There is pretty good lyrics. The one thing I do not like on this song is his vocals. There is slight feedback. I am not sure if that was planned. If it is, it is perfected.
Telepathic Eyes
I love the tones on Ryan’s guitar throughout this record. I love it even more on this song. The drumming and bass are solid and a perfect backbone for this band. I love the reverb on Ryan’s voice. There is some nice lyrics on this song. There is a nice guitar break towards the end of the song. There is some nice lyrics. I love the lyrics that band wrote for this song. This is a perfect ending to this record and song.
Here is their website and twitter addresses:
Website: www.wehuntbuffalo.com
Twitter: @WeHuntBuffalo
Line Up:
Ryan Forsythe – Guitar, Lead Vocals
Brendan Simpson – Vocals, Bass
Brandon Carter – Vocals, Drums
In closing, the one thing I love about this recording and band. It is raw. It is not perfect for radio. I could see them making the radio. This music is so different from the rest of the music on the radio that it will make the radio. Screw that, I want music to be pure and this band and producer found it. They hit a home run on this EP and I hope they use this to make full length record. This band is a little different from the rest of their peers from Vancouver, Canada. I know I how that sounds but it is true. They wrote some pretty good music and I am loving it. I have been listening to it ever since getting it in my email box. I will be buying copies to add to my CD collection. I highly recommend this group and EP record. Go get some! Drink it! Enjoy it! Metal it! \m/
Cheers!
Bill DJ Weiser
Email: djweiser13@comcast.net
Twitter: @djweiser
DJ Weiser 