anvil

New Music Monday Blog Evile Skull

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

New Music Monday Blog Shinedown Amaryllis

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:

  • Brent Smith – Vocals
  • Zach Myers -Lead And Rhythm Guitar and Backing Vocals
  • Barry Kerch – Drums and Percussion
  • Eric Bass – Bass, Piano, and Backing Vocals

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

New Music Monday Blog Five Finger Death Punch The Wrong Side Of Heaven And The Righteous Side Of Hell Volume 1

In this New Music Monday Blog, we are going to get into their fourth studio record, which his called “The Wrong Side Of Heaven And The Righteous Side Of Hell Volume 1.”  There will be a volume 2 release in the later part of 2013 and that will their fifth studio record.  We are going to get into the history of this band and then the music.  Let us get into the history.

History:

Five Finger Death Punch was formed in 2005 by Zoltan Bathory, who is the guitar player, and Jeremy Spencer, who is the drummer.  Zoltan Bathory was a bassist in his old band which was called U.P.O.  Matt Snell joins the band in 2006.  The band recorded music and then send it to Ivan Moody in Denver.  The band named themselves after some classic martial arts movies.  Ivan later that year flew out to Los Angeles.  They began to record their first studio record, which was called “The Way Of The Fist.”  The band did not have a second guitar player, however, Stevo “Shotgun” Bruno and Mike Sarkisyan recorded parts on the record while being mixed by guitarist Logan Mader.  Caleb Andrew Bingham joined the band for a few shows as their second guitar player.  He was later replaced by Darrell Roberts.  During this time, the band signed with the record company, which was “The Firm.”  In 2007, the band released their first EP, which was called Pre-Emptive Strike through American Itunes.  “The Way Of The Fist” was released in 2007 and enter the Billboard Charts Top 200 at #199.  They went on several major tours to support their first record.  They were on the Maythm Festival and Korn’s Family Values Tour.  They supported Disturbed during this time too.  The band re-release “The Way Of The Fist” in 2008 with few bonus tracks.  “Never Enough” was added on to the record and became the band’s second single off the record.  Darrell Roberts was asked to leave and was replaced by Jason Hook in 2009.  The band stop touring and supporting their first record at this time too.  “War Is The Answer” which is their second studio record was release in 2009.  It entered the Billboard Charts at #7.  The record had several singles including the cover of Bad Company’s song, which was “Bad Company.”  This is one of my favorite cover songs from a hard rock and metal band.  The band went into the studio to work on their third record, which was called “American Capitalist.”  The record was released in the later part of 2011.  The band brought in bassist Chris Kael to replace Matt Snell, who departed from the band.  The band had some success with this record but like their first two studio records.  They had several singles off “American Capitalist.”  Early part of 2013, the band began to work on their fourth record.  By May of 2013, the band announced they will be putting out two records.  “The Wrong Side Of Heaven And The Righteous Side Of Hell Volume 1,” which is their fourth record and the one that will be review on this posted, and later in the year Volume 2 will be released.  The band realize they were writing some good tunes and they did not want to stop writing.  They dropped some tunes for a double studio record.  The band brought in several special guests and one was Rob Halford from Judas Priest.  They performed this song with Rob at 5th Annual Golden God Awards.  The second volume will be released in November, however, they just release the first single off that record called “Battle Born.”  Let us get into Volume One.

Track List:

Lift Me Up (Featuring Rob Halford Of Judas Priest)

There is some nice heavy guitars with the drums and bass.  The drums have a nice beat to it.  Ivan has a nice melody to his singing.  I am loving the lyrics.  I love how they are using Rob Halford on this song.  Their voices match really well.  This is a great opening track to this song.  Metal God still sounds great when he is singing.  I love the pace of this song.  There is a nice guitar solo towards the end of the song.  I love the ending of this opening track.

Watch You Bleed

I love the reverb on the singer’s voice and the nice acoustic guitar at the beginning.  I love the heavy guitars and the drums during the main part of the song.  Ivan wrote some nice lyrics on this song.  I love the fact that the drummer is using double bass during the main part of the song.  There is a nice guitar break that turns into a nice guitar solo towards the end of the song.  Nice touch on the ending of this song.

You

There is some nice music at the beginning.  I love the melody of this song.  Ivan wrote some nice lyrics on “You.”  I love the slower pace on this song.  It gives this record a different element.  This band reminds of Pantera back in the day.  I have to say they are today’s Pantera.  There is a nice guitar solo towards the end of the song.  It kind of feels forced into the song.  I am not a fan of the ending.

Wrong Side Of Heaven

I love the acoustic guitar with the second over the top of it in a semi guitar solo.  I love how they had the drums in the distance and it comes front.  I love Ivan’s clean vocals.  I love the lyrics.  They wrote some nice music on this title track.  There is a pretty good guitar solo towards the middle of the song.  I love how Ivan sings over the top of the back half of the guitar solo.

Burn MF

I love the heavy guitars and the drums highlighting parts at the beginning.  There is some solid bass playing on this song.  I am not fan of Ivan’s singing, however, the lyrics are solid.  The drums are insane on this song.  This song is straight to the point.  I love the ending.

I.M.SIN

I love the music at the beginning of this song.  I love  singing and lyrics on this song.  It fits the song and the theme.  Ivan wrote a nice melody to this song.  They pull a page out of Pantera’s music book and did the spoken words before a nice guitar solo.  I love the ending of this song.

Anywhere But Here (Featuring Maria Brink)

I love the heavy guitars at the beginning with a nice backing from the drums and bass.  I love the acoustic guitar with the heavy guitar at the front.  I love the melody and lyrics from Ivan.  I love the guitar solo at the back half of the song.  I wish they would use Maria more on this song.  There is another version of this song towards the end of this record.  It is part of the bonus tracks.  Why even have her on this song if you are not going to use her.

Dot Your Eyes

I love the drums and the guitar playing is pretty good at the beginning.  There is a simple but to the point bass playing.  This song reminds of “When Worlds Collide” from Powerman 5000.  The rhythm and melody from the singer and how the music is playing.  You can see that this band was influenced from the bands from the 1990’s.  I love how they are using the back up singers.  There is a nice guitar break at the end of the song.

M.I.N.E (End This Way)

There is some nice acoustic guitar playing at the beginning of this song.  I wish they used it more and more.  Ivan’s singing is good with some good lyrics.  I love how the bass and drums calm to fit theme of this song.  This song has a nice pace to it.  There is another forced guitar solo towards the middle of this song.  Can this band go one song on this record without a guitar solo?  They are well written but some are just forced into the song.

Mama Said Knock You Out (Featuring Tech N9Ne)

I love the guitar and drums at the beginning of this song.  This is the first cover on this record.  It seems like they always has a cover on all their records.  This is really bad.  I wish they did not do this song.  Are you kidding?  Really?!?!?!?!  This is the worse cover I have heard in a very long time.  I am good.  I cannot finish this song.

Diary Of A Deadman

I love the music at the beginning.  I am really not a fan of the spoken words on this song.  I love the guitar break.  These last two songs at the end of this record have been really disappointing.  I feel this is a bad way to end this great record.

I.M.SIN (Featuring Max Cavalra)

This is the first of three bonus tracks with guest singers.  “I.M.SIN” has lead singer from Soulfly, who is Max Cavalra.  I love the music as I said above.  I want to see how they work Max into this song.  They did a great job working him into this song.  I love this version better than the regular record one.

Anywhere But Here (Duet With Maria Brink)

This song features Maria Brink, who is the lead singer of In This Moment.  I love how they are using her on this version.  This is a better version.  They should have used this version on the main record not the other one.  There voices work well together.

Dot Your Eyes (Featuring Jamey Jasta Of Hatebreed)

“Dot Your Eyes” features Jamey Jasta from Hatebreed.  I love this version like the rest of the bonus tracks.  The second lead singer gives another element to the songs and music from this band.  This is a great song to end this record with the bonus tracks.

Orinigal Line Up:

  • Ivan L. Moody – Lead Vocals
  • Zoltan Bathory – Guitars
  • Darrell Roberts – Guitars
  • Matt Snell – Bass and Backing Vocals
  • Jeremy Spencer – Drums

Current Line Up: 

  • Ivan Moody – Lead Vocals
  • Zoltan Bathory – Guitars
  • Jason Hook – Guitars
  • Jeremy Spencer – Drums
  • Chris Kael – Bass

Here is their website and twitter addresses:

Website:  www.fivefingerdeathpunch.com

Twitter:  @FFDP

Closing, this record is by far their best work to date.  I am pretty impressed because I thought their last two records were their best.  This band is at the top of metal world right now and I do not see them going away anytime soon.  They remind me of a modern-day Pantera.  Is this what Pantera would be doing today if they were still around?  It is a great question.  There were only two songs on this great that I would do without.  It was the last two songs before the bonus tracks.  This is a solid record and I can see them doing really well with it along with their Volume 2.  Volume 2 will be out later part of 2013.  I highly recommend you checking out this great record.  Go get some!  Drink it!  Enjoy it!  Metal it!  \m/

Cheers!

Bill DJ Weiser

Email:  djweiser13@comcast.net

Twitter:  @djweiser

New Unknown Music Thursday First Reign As The Dead Lead The Dead

In this Unknown Music Thursday blog, we are going to get into a band that comes out of the northern part of Canada.  The band is called First Reign and the record is “As The Dead Lead The Dead.”  I have played their songs when I had a radio show on www.stfu.fm before the station shut down.  I have talked to these guys from their twitter feed and they are really nice and down to earth dudes.  I have been wanting to do a review on their record on my blog but I have been so far behind.  I now have a chance to do it and I am going to write it.  There is not much history on this death metal from Canada.  I know they are working on their second record.  Let us get into the first record.

Track List:

Inception

The opening track is “Inception.”  This track is intro to the real opening track.  I have to say I love the music from the guitars.  The drumming is pretty good.  I love how they are using the bass on this song.  It is a nice build up song.  I feel this song is great display of an opening song.  Most bands should take some notes from this song and band on how to write a good opening track.

This Ghost Of Ours

I love the insane and in your face drumming.  It is a nice step up for the fast pace music.  The guitar and bass playing is really good.  I really love the singing on this song.  They have written some nice lyrics.  There is a nice guitar solo in the first quarter of the song.  I love the lead singer’s death metal vocals.  It is pretty than most death metal singers.  There is another pretty good short guitar solo almost to the half way point of the song.  There is a nice groove to this song.  I love the music change in the back half of the song.  I love the singers screaming.  There is a nice long extended guitar solos towards the end.  I love the trade-off from the two players.

Where The Ocean Meets The Sky

I love the drumming and bass playing at the beginning.  I love the nice guitar riff with the guitar solo over the top.  This is some awesome music.  I love the singing from the singer.  I love the switch off from clean to death metal singing.  There is a nice guitar solo in the first quarter of the song.  The drumming so far on this record is off the charts.  I would put him in the same class as Richard Christy of Charred Walls Of The Damn and Iced Earth.  I love the music change in about the half way point.  Nice touch on the acoustic guitar with some nice singing over the top.  This music on this song is mind-blowing.  First Reign took the idea of Opeth to the next level.  I love the guitar works towards the end of the song.  There is some nice exiting guitar solos at the end.

Wretched Flesh

I love the drumming and guitar work at the beginning.  The bass playing is simple and there is nothing wrong with that writing.  I love the singing and the lyrics.  There is a nice pace on this song.  There is a nice guitar solo in the first quarter of the song.  I love the change in the music about the half way point of the song.  There is some awesome singing about this point of the song.  I love how they pick up the heaviest of the music after that point.  I love how they are ending this song.  It is a very good ending.

Thistle

Here is another intro song to the ending track of this great record.  I love the acoustic guitars.  The drumming is calming but still heavy enough to be a metal song.  I love the dancing bass line with an awesome acoustic guitar solo over the top of the music.

As The Dead Lead The Dead

I love how the acoustic guitar playing at the beginning of the song but yet echoes the intro song.  I love the heavy guitar and the screaming vocals in the main part of the song.  I love the melody and the singing on this song.  There is a some insane drumming on this song.  I love the music on this record.  I love the guitar solo towards the mid-point of the song.  The drumming in the last-minute of the song is off the charts.  I love the distance effects on the music at the end of the song.  This is a perfect ending to the song and the record.

Line Up:

  • Russ O’Shea – Bass
  • Sean Lang – Drums
  • Dallas Erickson – Lead Vocals
  • Chris Holtz – Guitar
  • Ryan Macdonald – Guitar

Here is their website and twitter addresses:

Website:  www.firstreign.com

Twitter:  @firstreignband

In closing, I enjoyed the music on this record and I find myself going back and re-listening to this record at least every two weeks.  I love the length of these songs.  They are long and have a ton of thought behind them.  The drumming from Sean is off the charts.  This guy practiced a ton and he is extremely talented drummer.  I love the bass playing from Russ.  I am a bass player and I could not picture myself playing that fast.  I would have to work myself up to it.  This rhythm selection makes this band what it is as far as music side. The guitar playing is off the charts from Chris and Ryan.  The guitar solos are well written.  The singing from Dallas is really good.  I love his death metal vocals and his clean vocals.  First Reign taken the idea of Opeth and took it to the next level.  I really love this band and I cannot wait to see what their next record is going to be like.  I highly recommend you checking out this band.  Go get some!  Drink it!  Enjoy it!  Metal it!  \m/

Cheers!

Bill DJ Weiser

Email:  djweiser13@comcast.net

Twitter:  @djweiser

New Music Monday Blog Anvil Hope In Hell

In this New Music Monday Blog, we are going to get into a band I wish I had a chance to see them way back in the day.  I am talking about the band called Anvil.  This is their new record that is called “Hope In Hell.”  This record is their fifteenth studio record.  This band has went through several line up changes but Lips and Robb are the only original members.  Anvil has been known to influence several big names in the Metal, Speed Metal, and Thrash Metal world.  They never made it until their movie hit the air a few years back.  We are going to get into the history and then the music.  Let us get into the history.

History:

Anvil started in Toronto, Canada back in 1973.  A few high school friends who are Steve “Lips” Kudlow, who is the lead singer and guitar player, and Robb Reiner, who is the drummer.  Marty Hoffman, who is a guitarist and neighbor, was in the band for one show but left shortly after it.  In 1978, Dave “Squirrely” Allison, who was the second guitar player and Ian “Dix” Dickson, who was the bassist joined and the band called themselves Lips.  The band released their first record which was independent release called “Hard N’ Heavy.”  The band was signed to Attic Records and they changed their name to Anvil.  David Krebs and Paul O’Neil signed Anvil as their management team.  They had Attic Records to release them from their contract because they could get them on a major label.  David stop returning phone calls and did not get the band a major label contract.  His management team release the band from their contract.  In 1987, the band signed with Metal Blade Records by William Howell.  Metal Blade Records re-release their first three records and their fourth record, which is called “Strength Of Steel” in the United States.  “Strength Of Steel” was the most commercially success in the United States.  It reached 191 on the Billboard 200.  The band was picked up by Maximum Records and then from 1996 on the band was signed to Hypnotic Records and Massacre Records, which is from Germany.  Anvil will say to this day if it was not for Germany for buying their records.  There would not an Anvil today.  In 2001, the band put out “Plenty Of Power.”  They toured and toured and there would be gigs where no one was there to watch them play.  In 2006, the band decided to record a record called “This Is Thirteen” with  Chris Tsangarides, who is the producer from “Metal On Metal” record.  It was released in 2007.  The band was filmed in a movie called “Anvil! The Story Of Anvil”  This movie put the band back in the public mind.  They released a book on the band author by Lips and Robb.  They appear on “The Tonight Show With Conan O’Brien” which was the first time the band was on TV.  They supported AC/DC, which was in the United States, and Saxon, which was in United Kingdom, on their tours.  The band went on headline tour of Europe in 2010 and sell out each place they played.  In 2011, the band release their fourteen studio record, which is called Juggernaut of Justice.  Also in 2011, the band release their second greatest hits record and all their old records under their new record label.  Glenn Gyorffy in 2012 quit the band and was replaced by Sal Italiano.  In 2013, Anivl put out their fifteen studio record, which is “Hope In Hell.”  They are out on tour supporting this record.  Let us get into the music.

Track List:

Hope In Hell

The opening and title track of the record is “Hope In Hell.”    The beginning has some sound effects and the guitar, bass, and drums jump into the song.  The drums and bass has a nice groove and pace to them.  I love the guitar playing from Lips.  Lips’ singing is pretty solid.  I love the lyrics he has written on this song.   There is a nice guitar solo from Lips about the half way point of the song.  I have always love his guitar playing through all their records.  This song has elements from the first few records.  I love the ending to the song with the sound effects.

Eat Your Words

I love the fast pace and the drumming is insane on this song.  The bass playing is simple but it fits the song and it is perfect.  I love the guitar riff on this song.  I love the lyrics.  It is classic Anvil lyrics.  Robb is playing out of his mind on this song.  Lips is killing it with the a guitar solo half way through “Eat Your Words.”  This is a classic Anvil song.  I love the exiting guitar solo at the end of the song.

Through With You

I love  the distortion on Lips guitar .  I love the drums and bass.  “Through WIth You” has a nice driving feeling.  Lips wrote some great lyrics and he is singing is pretty average.  I love it.    I love the melody.  I also love the guitar playing during the chorus.  This record so far has a nice pace to it.  This song is not as fast as the last few songs but it has a nice pace and groove.  I love the guitar break half way through the song.  It turns into a nice guitar solo.  I love the build up guitar solo towards the end that ended the song.

The Fight Is Never Won

I love the guitar, bass, and drum action at the beginning of the song.  The drumming is pretty insane on this song.  I love Lips’ singing and lyrics.   He has a nice melody on this song.  The drums are something else on this song.    There is awesome guitar solo towards the middle of the song.  The bass playing has been pretty solid throughout this record so far.  The last few songs has had some nice guitar solos ending the song.  This is yet another pretty solid ending.

Pay The Toll

I love the groove and pace so far on this song.  The guitar, bass, and drums are awesome.  I love the music on “Pay The Toll.”  I am not a fan of the lyrics but it is classic Anvil.  Lips’ singing is pretty good.  There is a nice guitar solo towards the middle of the song.  I have to say this guitar solo just seemed a little forced into the song.  This is a quick and to the point song.  I love some of Anvil’s short songs.

Flying

I love the drumming at the beginning and the guitar and bass enters the song.  There is a nice guitar solo before singer starts to sing.  I love the lyrics and singing on this song.  This song has some meaning for the band that is one thing I love about this band.  They put some feelings and emotion behind their lyrics.  There is a nice guitar break and guitar solo towards the end of the song.  I love the build up to end the song.  Nice guitar solo to end the song with the drums and bass going nuts too.

Call Of Duty

I love the music at the beginning of the song.  I love the lyrics.  I love the pace and rhythm of the music.  I will have to look it up.  It seems Anvil wrote a song for the Video Game franchise.  It just seems like they wrote a song for the video game.  It is not the case.  There is a killer guitar solo towards the middle to the back half of the song.  Anvil wrote some awesome music and lyrics on “Call Of Duty.”  The ending on this song is one of the best ending for a song so far on this record.

Badass Rock N Roll

I love the start to this song.  It has that old school classic hard rock meets speed metal to metal.  I love the drumming on this song.  I love how Lips is singing on this song.  This song sounds like a song that Kiss of Gene Simmons would have been singing if he wrote it.  Hey Kiss, here is your next cover song.  There is a nice and well placed guitar solo towards the middle of the song.  I really love how the guitar and the rest of the band re-enter the back into the main part of the song.   I love the lyrics and the ending to this song.

Time Shows No Mercy

I love the drumming at the beginning with some well place highlighting from the guitar and bass player.  I love the short guitar solo before they enter the main part of the song.  I love the lyrics and the singing is pretty solid.  The music is pretty song.  There is an awesome guitar solo towards the middle of the song.  The drumming is crazy during the guitar solo.  Most drummers would sit in the pocket because they do not want the song sound thin.  I will have to say this song does not sound thin.  I love the build up to end the song.

Mankind Machine

The song starts with some sound effects.  The guitar and drums come in to start the music part.  The bass is shortly after that with the singer coming in strong.  I love the singing and the lyrics on this song.  The music sounds like a bunch of robots or machines.  There is a nice guitar break to a solo towards the back half of the song.  There is a nice drumming break just after the guitar solo.

Shut The Fuck Up

The last song of the record before the bonus tracks.  It starts how as a fast pace to the music.  I love the lyrics and the singing.  This is a pretty solid record so far.  This is classic Anvil.  The music is so good on this song.  This is a perfect song to finish this great and soon to be classic Anvil record.

Hard Wired

I love the drumming, bass, and guitar playing at the beginning of the song.  There is a nice short guitar solo at the beginning just before Lips starts to singing.  I love the melody he wrote for his singing.  There is some nice lyrics.  The guitar solo towards the middle of this song is good but it just feels a little forced into the song.  I love the ending to the song.

Fire At Will

The song starts out with some strong music with everyone playing at the same time.  Lips singing is pretty solid with some great lyrics.  I love singing before the chorus and then in the chorus.  I love how they set up the guitar solo and the well placed solo in this song.  This guitar solo feels right in the song.  This is a perfect ending with the bonus tracks for “Hope In Hell” record.  I love how the song ends.

Current Line Up:

  • Steve “Lips” Kudlow – Lad Vocals And Lead Guitar
  • Robb “Geza” Reiner – Drums
  • Sal Italiano – Bass Guitar

Here is their website and twitter addresses:

Website:  www.anvilmetal.com

Twitter:  @AnvilMetal666

Fuel the fire, Anvil keeps on going and they are still writing some great music and records.  Anvil puts out yet another classic record.  I know I was not their at the beginning but I wish was to see Anvil at the beginning of their career.  I discover them before their movie came out.  I heard some of their tunes.  I had a hard time finding their records.  I overpaid for their first greatest hits because I wanted to play it on my radio show, which is www.stfu.fm.  I wanted to support this great band.  I had a chance to meet the whole band outside of their Chicago show.  I was able to get all their records from www.ebay.com and some release.  I have to say this record “Hope In Hell” as lived up to the rest of their records.  This record is solid from start to finish.  I highly recommend you checking out this record and this band.  I would go see the movie if you have not.  If you are not a metal fan, I would go see it.  Go get some!  Drink it!  Enjoy it!  Metal it!  \m/

Cheers!

Bill DJ Weiser

Email:  djweiser13@comcast.net

Twitter:  @djweiser

Credit source: history part of this blog came from Wikipedia.

New Music Blog Fozzy Sin And Bones

In this music blog, we are going to listen to the latest album from Fozzy and it is called Sin And Bones.  Fozzy was founded in 1999 in Atlanta, Georgia.  The band started out as a cover band, which their first two records were covers of classic hard rock and metal sings.  Fozzy has five studio albums out with one live record to their short career.  Lead singer and one founding member of this band is Chris Jericho, who is former WWE Superstar.  He grew up in Canada listening to the classic hard rock and metal music and wanted to do a career in music.  However, he had a love for wrestling, now he is doing both and is extremely successful.  The other founding member of Fozzy is Rich Ward which is best known to be in the band from the late 1980’s called Stuck Mojo.  Let us get into the music.

Spider In My Mouth

The song starts out with sound effects and samples.  There is a little keyboard action to build up the start of the song and this record.  A little kid starts singing.  This song has a nice solid in your face music from the guitar and drums.  Chris is singing really well which he has been growing into a really good singer.  He is improving throughout his recording career.  I love the lyrics.  I love the chorus in this song.  Nice touch from the drums towards the end of the song to put on the double bass.  Great ending and great opening track to this record.

Sandpaper

Sandpaper is the first single from Sin And Bones.  This song starts out like an old Jackyl song.  It kind of has a feeling of a Jackyl song.  I could see Jackyl doing a cover of this song or even write it.  Lead singer M Shadows from Average Sevenfold is being featured in this song.  I love the music.  It fits the lyrics and solid bass playing on this song.  Nice finish to the song.

Here is the video from YouTube (www.youtube.com):

Blood Happens

Blood Happens has some nice drumming and solid guitar playing.  Chris comes in with extremely great singing with great lyrics.  There is a whole lot going on in this song.  Rich plays a nice short guitar solo.  There is some strong playing from the guitar, drums, and bass throughout this song.  This is a great song and it is one of my favorite songs so far on this record.  There is some great back up vocals on the song.  Great finish to the song.

Inside My Head

I am loving the drums and the guitar work at the beginning of  Inside My Head.  Chris is pushing his singing to the next level.  If I was classic hard rock or metal band looking for a lead singer, I would give Chris a call.  I am also loving the lyrics.  Chris has grown into a pretty good lyric writer.  This is a pretty solid song.  Here is another song I am loving off this record.  Nice guitar solo towards the end of the song.  Great ending to the song.

Sin And Bones

I love the fast pace on the title track of this record.  It has great singing, drums, bass and guitar work.  This is a nice driving song.  Chris has written some nice lyrics once again.  So far this is a great follow-up from their last great record.  I am loving the guitar break towards the middle of the song.  This song was quick and to the point.  Sin and Bones lives up to being the title for the record.  It also has a great ending.

A Passed Life

I am loving how they have put more focus on the drummer.  The drums and the guitar are having a nice love affair at the beginning of this song.  I am also loving how they are not just making fast songs.  Fozzy is putting a nice mix between fast and slow pace songs.  I am loving how Chris is singing on this song.  There are some great lyrics here.  There is also some great music writing throughout this song.  I love the pick up in the pace towards the middle of the song.  There is a sick guitar riff at that point.  I am really enjoying this song.  This is a what metal music is all about in this song.  This brings all the elements that made me love hard rock and metal.  There is also a great guitar solo towards the end of the song.  Great finish to this song.

She’s My Addiction

I am loving the guitar work from the guitar players.  I am loving the simple and to the point bass.  There is a nice drum work and great pace to the song.   I am loving the music and lyrics that Fozzy has put forth.  This song gets to the point to the point.  This is a great tune.  There is a great guitar solo.  Just like Sandpaper, I could see this song in Jackyl’s song list.  Great ending to this song and nice touch on the outro guitar solo.

Shine Forever

Shine Forever has some nice heavy as hell guitar riffs.  I am loving the drumming with the bass filling over the top.  There is some great lyrics with a powerful meaning.  Chris once again is singing his heart out on this song.  Fozzy did a great job on this song.  I can see this song being an underground hit.  I am loving the ending of this song.

Dark Passenger

Dark Passenger starts out with a nice keyboard playing.  Chris is hitting it on vocals with nice well place drums.  I love the guitar riff on the main part of the song.  I love how they keep using the keyboards which gives this band another element.  It changes their sound that they have developed.  I am loving the building up to the guitar solo. It is a very well written guitar solo.  There is a great ending to this song.

Storm The Beaches

Storm The Beaches is the longest song on the record.  There is spoken works with more keyboards.  There is some powerful guitar riff and drums with bass backing up.  I am loving the meaning and theme of the song but the lyrics are little weak at this point.  It is powerful talking about D-Day and honoring the troops.  I cannot complain about this one song.  Fozzy has written an awesome set of songs for Sin And Bones.  There is a great guitar solo towards the middle of the song.  Fozzy has put forth an epic song to close out this great record.  I am also loving the gun firing samples in the song.  The lyrics are better towards the midpoint and the end of the song.  I love the end of this song.

Here is current line up of Fozzy:

  • Chris Jericho – Lead Vocals
  • Rich Ward – Guitar, Back Up Vocals
  • Paul Di Leo – Bass
  • Frank Fontsere – Drums
  • Billy Grey – Guitar

Here is their website and twitter addresses:

Website:  www.fozzyrock.com

Twitter:  @fozzyrock

In the end, I really enjoyed this record.  If you know me personally, you know I have been a huge fan of Chris Jericho in the ring and his music career.  I know most of you know I am a huge metal fan.  I feel this band is pushing their career forward.  It is hard to believe the music that this band is putting out since this band was set up as a joke when they first came out.  Fozzy is a band you need to keep an eye on from here on.  Their last record, which was called Chasing The Grail, was a solid record from start to finish but the follow-up Sin and Bones is taking this band to the next level.  I am hoping this band keeps on the pace they are going on right now.  I highly recommend this band if you are a hard rock and metal fan.  Go get some!  Drink it!  Enjoy it!  Metal it!  \m/

Cheers!

Bill DJ Weiser

Email:   djweiser13@comcast.net

Twitter:  @djweiser

New Music Blog Accept Stalingrad

https://i0.wp.com/www.metalunderground.com/images/covers/Accept_-_Stalingrad_cover.jpg

In this music blog, we are going to get into the latest record from Accept which is called Stalingrad.  Accept started back in the late 1960’s in Germany.  They started picking up speed in 1976 as a professional band.  Accept has went through several line up changes throughout the years.  They have also split up a few times in their career.  However, they have a wealth of music, Accept has put out thirteen studio albums including the one we will talk about here, which is Stalingrad.  They have three live records and four greatest hits records.  They also put out two EP’s.  This band is best known for helping the speed metal era.  The song that everyone knows from Accept is “Balls To The Wall.”  The band reunion in 2009 with new lead singer, who is Mark Tornillo,  from T.T. Quick.  They put the “Blood Of The Nations” in 2010.  This band is climbing up the charts here in the states.  Let us get into the latest record, which is Stalingrad.

Hung, Drawn and Quartered

This opening song on this record has the nice classic Accept intro to Hung, Drawn and Quartered.  This is some great speed metal music.  Mark did not leave the last recording session from “Blood Of The Nations.”  Mark has written some awesome lyrics.  The guitar, drums, and bass work is hell of a job on this song.   The production is nicely done from the producer.  There is a nice guitar break and solo with a good ending.  This is a great opening track.

Stalingrad

The second song has a strong driving intro to start of it.  It also has a nice guitar and drum work.  There is also a great guitar solo break in it.  This song has powerful lyrics and singing from Mark.  There is also nice well placed back up vocals.  Mark has written some great lyrics.  Nice touch on the snare drums and great guitar work towards the end of this song.  Stalingrad has a strong ending.

Hellfire

I love the effect on the bass and nice touch on the drums and guitar working around the bass.  There is a great break and then well written guitar riff.  Mark has strong singing and great lyrics, which I love.  This is a pretty nice driving song which is classic Accept.  This is a great song all the way around.  Accept is stronger than they have ever been.  Wolf has an awesome guitar solo along with nice trade-off with the other guitarist.  Hellfire has a nice strong finish.  This is my favorite song on the record so far.

Flash To Bang Time

This song has heavy guitar and driving drums with well placed vocals from the lead singer.  Mark is singing great with some well written lyrics.  I love the guitar work on Flash To Bang Time.  I wish you can hear the bass a little bit more throughout this record.  I love the guitar solo and the ending of the song.

Shadow Soldiers

The beginning of Shadow Soldiers has a nice effect on one of the guitars along with nice acoustic guitar.  It then snaps into a nice heavy guitar riff with a short guitar solo over the top of it.  I love the pace of this song.  Mark is singing great with a well placed melody.  I love the theme of this song and nice touch on the back vocals.  I believe this song is too long but still good.  This song has a nice fitting ending.

Revolution

I love the drum work at the beginning of the song.  Great touch on the fade in with the guitars and well written lyrics and singing from Mark.  Revolution is a simple music and it hits the point of the song with perfect back up vocals in the song.  The guitar work on this records is something else and I love the nice dueling guitar solo in this song.  The ending is a complex ending to Revolution.

Against The World

Great beginning for the music.  I love the lyrics on Against The World.  Mark has always wrote some great lyrics.  This is a nice driving song like most on this record.  Nice guitar solo and I love the build up to the solo.  Against The World has a great finish to the song.

Twist Of Fate

I love the guitar work in the beginning of the song.  Mark is singing great in this song with some powerful lyrics.  The guitarist wrote a nice main guitar riff.  Twist of Fate has a nice slow to medium pace to the song, which gives the listener a different mood than the rest of the record.  I love it and it is perfect.  I love the build up to the end of the song and the guitar solo at the end.  This is in your face ending.  Nice touch on the fading out of the song.

The Quick And The Dead

I love the guitar work and drums at the beginning of the song.  It has a nice pace to it.  Mark is singing strong with some great lyrics.  He has written a nice melody.  The chorus is a little weak but the main part of the song is pretty strong.  This is still pretty strong song.  I am loving the dueling back and forth between the guitar players and bass player.  I am hearing more bass in this song than the rest of the record which is great.  The Quick And The Dead has a strong finish to it.

The Galley

There is an awesome spooky guitar riff with the drums.  I love the main guitar riff.  It is well written and perfect for the theme of the song.  The Galley has a nice touch to bring the bass forward than pushing it to the back of the music.  Mark is singing great and wrote some great lyrics.  This song is too long and could be shorter.  I love the acoustic and the slowing down of the song towards the end it.  This song has a great finish and perfect way to end the record.

Current Line Up of Accept:

  • Mark Tornillo – Lead vocals
  • Wolf Hoffmann – Guitar
  • Herman Frank – Guitar
  • Peter Baltes – Bass guitar
  • Stefan Schwarzmann – Drums

Here is their website and twitter addresses:

Website:  www.acceptworldwide.com

Twitter:  @accepttheband

In closing, I really enjoyed this record.  Accept has a great record and I believe they are getting stronger with age.  Stalingrad brings back the good old days of speed metal in the 1980’s.  Stalingrad is a classic Accept record.  Any of these songs could have been on Breaker, Balls To The Walls, or Metal Heart.  I really enjoyed the following songs Hellfire, Twist Of Fate, and Shadow Soldiers.  If you were a fan of Accept back in the day, you will not be disappointed with this new line up and the music they are putting out now.  You as a listener will be stun by Mark’s singing and lyric writing with the legendary guitar player.  Congrats to Accept to have the balls to put out new music and writing great new music.  Go get some!  Drink it!  Enjoy it!  Metal it!  \m/

Cheers!

Bill DJ Weiser

Email:  djweiser13@comcast.net

Twitter:  @djweiser