Sonic Chronicle - When the decadence died, Part I.

I recently revisited an album from my childhood that I remembered getting from a BMG order catalog, which was Poison’s Native Tongue from 1993. Another one that I’ve recently been spinning is Winger’s Pull from 1994. Don’t get me wrong. I still have a hard time enjoying “glam metal,” but these two albums don’t really feel like glam. Poison still make me cringe every time they grace the radio with their presence with a sappy “Every Rose…” or a gutless “Unskinny Bop,” and I never really liked any Winger song beyond laughing when I heard “Seventeen.” I also never really like the legions of other bands who seemed to be carbon copies of each other like Warrant, Ratt, Cinderella, etc.

See, back when the early-1990s were beginning to morph into the mid-1990s, glam was dying the same hilariously quick but painful death that most popular music dies as some point. Cash cow bands like Poison and Winger were ceasing to produce the same money they did only a few years prior, so the music was becoming darker. The plight of being a falling star was really beginning to shine through in the music, and the bands really had to try to write quality material instead of rely on rehashing the same material with which fans were growing tired. The result was music that just felt meatier, more real, and with a soul.

Winger’s Pull has a tune on it called “In My Veins” that basically rocks my face off every time I hear it. In fact, most of Winger’s work after their “fall from glam grace” is pretty fantastic. It’s just pure, fun, fist-pumping, head-banging heavy music sans the hair spray and makeup. Poison, on the other hand, has a pretty savage sound on Native Tongue due in large part to new guitarist Richie Kotzen who replace C.C. Deville, and they barely even sound like Poison, which is awesome. Obviously, C.C. got clean and came back, and the band went back to nerve-grating glam, but at least this album exists.

Again, this was a cool era of music. Grunge killed the poppy glam metal. People say the “late 1980s glam heyday” era album from bands like these are the ones that should be desired. I say they’re wrong. This stuff is real, and it rocks.

Sonic Chronicle - The Beatles.

I recently started reading another book (I know. I know. I read too many at once.) on my Kindle with the breathtakingly lengthy full title, The Beatles Lyrics: The Stories Behind the Music, Including the Handwritten Drafts of More Than 100 Classic Beatles Songs. It’s been a pleasure to read thus far, and I’ll admit I started at Help! and went from there since I absolutely adore the post-1965 era Beatles albums while their early works do nothing for me.

I’m far too young to have experienced Beatlemania, but the more I read about the Fab Four’s lyrical work, the more enamored I become with the band. Granted, I’ve always loved the Beatles (I can thank my mom for that), but this takes my adoration to a whole new level. The stories behind many of the songs’ lyrics are as interesting to read about as they are to listen to. As I’ve been reading, I’ve been thinking a lot about which Beatles songs I’ve grown to thoroughly enjoy over the years, so I figure I’ll rattle off a quick list of my favorite Beatles songs from my favorite albums just for the record:

Help!: “Yesterday,” “Help!” – Believe it or not, this was actually the hardest Beatles album to get into for me. “Yesterday” is, of course, the mega-hit deluxe at the end of the record, and if for some reason you don’t like it, don’t fret because there is probably a version out there you will like. It’s the most covered song in the history of songs, I think. The title track is also instantly catchy. After all, that’s what happens when you lead off with the chorus hook. Lyrically, it was even penned at a time when John Lennon was actually pleading for help to get his life to slow down just so he could find his way. There are plenty of other great tunes on here too.

Rubber Soul: “Nowhere Man,” “In My Life” – A friend of mine gave me a CD copy of Rubber Soul for my birthday many years ago, and I still give it a spin fairly routinely even today. Almost every song on it is excellent too. My personal favorite song on the album (and probably my favorite Beatles song, period) has to be “Nowhere Man” with its downright depressing yet somehow charming outlook on life and the way this Nowhere Man sounds like he’s trying hard to make sense of everything he has done in life and what goes on around him. Isn’t he a bit like you and me?

Revolver: “Eleanor Rigby,” “Tomorrow Never Knows,” “And Your Bird Can Sing,” – Revolver, it can be argued, is one of the birthplaces of what we now know as heavy metal. Bear with me. It starts with “Taxman,” which is a pretty heavy tune, but it also features dueling twin lead guitars in “And Your Bird Can Sing” as almost a prototype of what Iron Maiden and Judas Priest would perfect in the next decade.

Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band: “A Day in the Life” – Probably the weirdest album in their discography, I’ve never really thought of Sgt. Pepper as something I’d willfully replay time and time again, but it is filled with ideas that are interesting and groundbreaking for the time.

Magical Mystery Tour: “Penny Lane,” “Strawberry Fields Forever,” “All You Need Is Love” – I really like the good tunes on this one, and I couldn’t possibly care less about the bad ones. It’s pop that is ripe for the consumption, and I dig it.

The Beatles: “Dear Prudence,” “While My Guitar Gently Weeps,” “Happiness Is a Warm Gun,” “Rocky Raccoon,” “Helter Skelter” – The infamous “white album” is undoubtedly my favorite Beatles record. Twice the discs, twice the awesome, right? It even holds a glimpse of primordial heavy metal with “Helter Skelter.” I love it not because it’s full of great tunes. It is. I love it because it’s the sound of a band falling apart at the seams, splintering into numerous musical directions without regard for their relationships with one another. All four members do their own thing on this album and the disregard and even disdain for each other is palpably apparent on almost every track. “Rocky Raccoon,” as dumb as it is, still remains probably my favorite tune on the album just because it starts with 30 seconds of indifferent garbage before some bizarre metamorphosis changes it into a brilliantly glorious folk song that tells a seemingly vapid, stupid old western story that you somehow cannot simply ignore. I’ve also found it interesting that in the booklet, there is not a single photo of two or more band members together. Very telling.

Abbey Road: “Maxwell’s Silver Hammer,” “The End,” “I Want You (She’s So Heavy),” “Something,” “Oh! Darling” – This was the point in the Beatles’ careers when the writing was already on the wall, but genius is genius and cannot be subdued. There are what seems like sheer filler tracks that you find yourself listening to over and over (“Octopus’s Garden,” “Maxwell’s Silver Hammer”), and there are plenty of songs that beautifully demonstrate the Fab Four’s facility when it comes to penning pure musical art.

Let It Be: “Let It Be,” “Across the Universe,” “The Long and Winding Road,” Two of Us” – This is what I consider to be sort of the posthumous Beatles album since it was released a month after the band’s split. Even the cover art featuring four clearly separated and independent photos of the members tells a clear story of its own. While the white album was a sonic expedition into the collective psyche of a band that hated each other, listening to this record now almost sounds as if you’re listening to a memoir of the good times before the egos, power trips, and attitudes, a chronicle of adventures down the long and winding road of life that, while nostalgic and fun, will never truly come back again. We hold on to what we have and what we’ve experienced, but in the end, we’re better off to, for lack of a more poignant term, let it be.

So that’s the Beatles. Come back later to see what I have to say about some other band we all know and love.

What's spinning, February 2016.

I love heavy metal, and you probably should too. I’ve compiled a list of the new releases from this month (and last) for your reading pleasure and I’ve listened to them so you don’t have to. But you should because most of them rule.

Abbath – Abbath. I love Immortal and I, but there’s just something missing here. Abbath still sounds like Abbath, and the riffs are cold and frosty and filled with mysticwintersnowice and whatnot, but the groove hasn’t quite gripped me yet. I’ll keep trying though.

Avantasia – Ghostlights. Tobias Sammet’s ginormous, bombastic metal opera project is back with more singers that you could possible hope to recognize during a single listen. Good thing Ghostlights rocks. You’ll want to spin it time and time again. I’ve heard something new and interesting every time through it.

Axel Rudi Pell – Game of Sins. I’ve always liked Axel Rudi Pell’s no-nonsense, pump-your-fist heavy metal, and this album doesn’t veer off their formulaic path at all whatsoever. It’s full of catchy, hard-rocking tunes and world class guitar shreddery.

Borknagar – Winter Thrice. Three times the winter, three times the awesome. I’ve always been a fan of Borknagar, both with and without Vintersorg. The band has never sounded better than they do on here. Every instrument is crisply mixed, and it really takes these talented gents to a whole new level.

Dream Theater – The Astonishing. The astonishing what? The astonishing album length?That’s got to be it. After listening to it for 5 minutes (which is an overture… Surprise!), you’re absolutely certain it’s a Dream Theater album, and I hope you’re okay with that because it’s two hours of that stuff. That’s quite a lot to expect, even from the most die-hard Dream Theater fans.

Mechina – Progenitor. This is surprisingly awesome. It’s epic, symphonic death metal with tons of melody and overloaded keyboards. The clean vocals are laden with autotune for some reason, but it actually works because the whole package feels so mechanical and synthetic. I’m a fan.

Megadeth – Dystopia. I’ve actually listened to this one quite a bit over the last month. Believe me when I say Megadeth hasn’t sounded this good in a long time.

Primal Fear – Rulebreaker. If you’re into German heavy metal that definitely sounds both German and heavy, you’ll definitely dig Rulebreaker. Primal Fear has never been a band who has been able to pen that one signature album, but they’re always solid. That being said, this album is among their best offerings.

Rhapsody of Fire – Into the Legend. Every now and then, I just want to listen to something that I can’t tell whether or not it’s a metal album or a film score. So, when that happens, I go to Rhapsody (of Fire, if I must). Nothing they’ve released in the last 10 years is remotely on par with their earlier classics, but it’s definitely not bad. The problem with this one, just like the rest of the albums resulting from the original band’s split, is that it’s missing a real identity to put it over the top.

What's spinning, January 2016.

Here’s a quick rundown of the tunes I’ve been playing a lot lately. You should check them out if you haven’t already.

Megadeth – Dystopia

Dave Mustaine has still got it. Kiko Loureiro can shred a guitar and Chris Adler can pound the skins. Both have clearly revitalized the band. The riffs, the solos, the bass lines, the drumming, the production, and everything else makes for a killer platter of heavy metal from some old thrash dinosaurs here in 2016.

Stryper – Fallen. Still spinning this one. I’ve grown to love most of the tracks on this album quite a bit. They’re groovy, heavy, and very catchy. I’m happy to see Michael Sweet and the gang can still put together a truly great record.

Lance King – A Moment in Kairos. I loved his work with Pyramaze back in the day, but this solo project of his provides him with some great opportunities to show off his skills atop down-tuned guitars and groovy rhythms. If you haven’t heard this one, search for it and check it out for sure.

Avenged Sevenfold – Nightmare. A7X is really the John Cena of heavy metal bands. You either love them or hate them, but in no way are you impartial. I, for one, enjoy their stuff. The guitar work is world class and the vocals are fun enough to sing along with on most tracks.

Nightingale – Retribution. This album snuck by me last year somehow. I’ve always adored anything Dan Swanö has had a hand in creating, and this one is no different. This record sounds great, is full of groove, and easy to digest and get into.

Tunes of 2015.

It’s December. Here is a list of my most thoroughly enjoyed heavy metal albums of 2015. And to be honest, is there anything other than heavy metal worth playing? Here they are in no particular order:

W.A.S.P. – Golgotha
Iron Maiden – Book of Souls
Stryper – Fallen
Soilwork – The Ride Majestic
Queensrÿche – Condition Hüman
Waken Eyes – Exodus
Leprous – The Congregation
Pyramaze – Disciples of the Sun
Helloween – My God-Given Right
Kamelot – Haven
Stratovarius – Eternal
Cage – Ancient Evil
Blind Guardian – Beyond the Red Mirror
Cain’s Offering – Stormcrow
Gloryhammer – Space 1992: Rise of the Chaos Wizards

Iron Maiden North American Tour 2012

Everyone's favorite band (everyone with an exquisite taste for metal, anyway), Iron Maiden, announced their plans for new tour of North America this summer. I will most definitely be making my second epic pilgrimage to witness what I believe is the best live show any metalhead could possibly want. Only this time, the journey won't be nearly as long, treacherous, or involved as the last.

I saw Maiden in the summer of 2010 at the hilariously named Jiffy Lube Live Amphitheater in Bristow, Virginia. My wife and two friends trekked the 600+ miles to the greater metropolitan D.C. area in one day (the day before the show). If you've never made that trip, I highly recommend it. One does not simply walk into Washington. With no reservations or any real idea of exactly what we were doing, we found a hotel room on the southern outskirts of our lovely capital city around 11:00 that night.

We got up the next morning, ate a lousy hotel breakfast, bought train tickets, and went on a sightseeing rampage. We aimlessly walked roughly 9,000 miles around Arlington Cemetery and the National Mall before heading out to the concert. At least it was only 160 degrees outside that day. After suffering through entirely too much slow-crawling traffic and entirely too many imbecilic drivers, we pulled into a Chik-fil-a to grab dinner before heading out to the show. We decided to stay there and wait out a thunderstorm which had parked itself over Bristow. The result was missing out on the opening act, Dream Theater (who I had already seen several years prior), much to the chagrin of my wife. I wish I had the pictures to prove it, but her iPhone crapped out later that night at the other hotel we stumbled upon, which was somewhere in Virginia and absolutely crawling with satisfied Maiden fanatics that night.

Ultimately, Maiden took the stage that night and completely blew me away, giving me a concert experience that I'll never forget, and I can't wait to experience it again this summer. If you've never seen Iron Maiden and you live in North America, don't miss this opportunity. They aren't going to be around forever. I mean, they've only been doing this for over 30 years. Plus, you unquestionably have to see them to consider yourself a worthy metal warrior. However, seeing the opening band is optional, apparently.

Wilkommen

You may be asking yourself, "What is this forthcoming blog about?" Honestly, I don't know really know how to explain it, but I know the answers. This is, to the best of my knowledge, what it's about and what it's not about. Enjoy.

Yes:
Denim. Leather. Pointy guitars. Obscure bands. Live shows. Heavy Metal. Distortion pedals. Bullet belts. Dragons. Power Metal. Fire. Steel. Mithril. Glory. Honor. Galloping bass lines. Harmonized leads. Growls. Shrieks. Double-bass. Blastbeats. Spikes. Elves. Orcs. Dwarves. High-gain amplifiers. Mace. Axe. Sword. Warhammer. Runes. Tremolo-picking. Palm-mutes. Two-handed tapping. D-beats. Down-tuning. Dan Seagrave. Viking hordes. Pirates. Zombies. Orchestration. Indecipherable band logos. Magic. Technical musicianship. Spartacus. Band mascots. German rock. Trolls. Tolkien.

No:
Metalcore. Mallcore. Emo. Screamo. Punk. Hardcore. Acoustic guitars. Singer-songwriters. Breakdowns. Tight jeans. Bluesy pentatonics. Jam bands.